For a rookie watcher, Jeff Smith picked the ideal spot — on the shady side of Peachtree Battle, seated on a brick pillar. Then again, he did have some feel for the AJC Peachtree Road Race, having run the event 20 or so times.
But not on July 4, 2011. Smith’s foot had been hurting, and he was a spectator at the 2 1/2-mile mark awaiting his wife and his 12-year-old daughter, who were running/walking the Peachtree. And already Smith, an Atlantan since 1988 who’s a technology manager, had seen something new.
“Those guys up front,” he said. “They really run fast.”
Such is the scope of the Peachtree that you can run the race and see a couple hundred thousand folks along the way without ever espying the elite runners, who start first and are long gone by the time the masses begin their trek. “Those guys finished 40 minutes ago,” Smith said, and still the 42nd Peachtree was in its nascent stages.
The massive race grew even bigger this year, growing to 60,000 participants. Think of this way: If you took everyone in a sold-out Turner Field — counting Braves and umpires and ushers, too — and arrayed them in rows in front of Lenox Mall, you still wouldn’t quite approximate this elephantine event.
“If it gets much bigger,” Smith said, “it’ll turn into a big walk.”
Not that he was complaining. Smith was having a fine time watching the runners and his young son was enjoying himself leaping at a tree branch. For all that the Fourth of July in Atlanta, Ga., entails — runners and watchers and dogs and crazy costumes and blaring music and the army of volunteers and even a fighter-jet flyover this year — griping doesn’t register. “You notice that nobody is upset,” Smith said. “Everybody’s in a good mood. All these people are in good spirits.”
It was hotter and more humid this Peachtree, and the good-spirited participants were sweating harder than usual after 2 1/2 miles. “And they haven’t gotten to the hill [in front of Piedmont Hospital] yet,” Smith said. But still: Over its four-plus decades of existence, this signature Atlanta event has proved indestructible.
Why, Smith was asked, is that so? Why is the Peachtree such a humongous deal?
“People are always looking for ways to celebrate the Fourth,” he said. “I’ll see people at the Peachtree that I only see once a year.”
Not far from Smith’s perch sat Jean Ingram and Blanche Roberts, sisters-in-law from Sharpsburg, Ga. They used to park themselves in front of the big water oak at Peachtree Battle, but a few years ago they scooted up the street because the tree’s roots grew.
When last this correspondent encountered Ingram and Roberts, the year was 2002 and they were accompanied by two of Ingram’s grandchildren, the younger of them in a stroller. On this day those grandchildren — Taylor, 19, and Tiffany, 13 — were running the race. As ever, so was Ferma Ingram, the 73-year-old husband of Jean and brother of Blanche.
“It’s bigger and hotter,” Roberts said, speaking of this installment of the Peachtree.
A few updates: Since 2002, Ingram has retired as postmaster of Sharpsburg and Roberts from her job as a teacher. Their Peachtree ritual, however, hasn’t changed: They left home at 5:30 a.m., were in place by 6 and came wearing red, white and blue. (Although Ingram’s sequined vistor of years past had, alas, fallen apart; it has been replaced by a “Peachtree Road Race Spectator” visor.)
Afterward the family — some 32 members were expected this year — would convene at Ingram’s house for the staple grilling-out. As for her indefatigible husband, who was running the 42nd Peachtree at age 73, Ingram said: “He’s had cancer; he’s had open-heart surgery.”
“About ready for brain surgery,” said Roberts of her brother.
“One year he ran with a kidney stone,” Ingram said. “Another year he ran with a cracked rib. After his open-heart surgery, we had someone run with him to make sure he didn’t fall over.”
Let the record reflect that Ferma Ingram and the other five members of the Ingram/Roberts running party — each of their names were pasted in glitter on a poster mounted on a wall — made the 6.2 miles without wilting Monday. “They’re still coming into the house,” said Ingram, speaking by phone from Sharspburg shortly after noon.
Earlier, someone had wondered when big becomes too big. Not just yet, came the sisters-in-law’s considered verdict. Said Ingram: “They organize it so well.”
Said Roberts: “Sixty thousand is a good number.”
2011年7月4日星期一
Warning: Radiation risks from medical imaging
Ever since the Fukushima nuclear reactor disaster in Japan in March, there has been a lot of interest in the media about the health effects of exposure to radiation including those from medical imaging such as X-rays and CT (computed tomography) scans. Many patients want to know if radiation from mammograms, bone density tests, nuclear imaging, PET scans, and so forth will increase their risk of developing cancer.
The ability to peer inside the body is nothing short of miraculous and has saved countless lives since X-rays were discovered more than a century ago. Today, the array of imaging tests available is bewildering, the technology intimidating, and circumstances and possible outcomes (Is it cancer? A stroke? A heriniated disc?) often terrifying. For most people, there’s very little risk from routine X-rays such as chest X-rays or dental X-rays. But experts have become increasingly concerned about the overuse of many types of scans, not only because of the huge and growing expense, but even more of the potential risk posed by the cumulative exposure to radiation. They are used to diagnose diseases, trauma, and abnormalities, as well as to guide and monitor treatment.
The radiation you get from X-ray, CT, and nuclear imaging is ionizing radiation — high-energy wavelengths or particles that penetrate tissue to reveal the body’s internal organs and structures. Ionizing radiation can damage DNA, and although your cells repair most of the damage, they sometimes do the job imperfectly, leaving small areas of “misrepair.” The result is DNA mutations that may contribute to cancer years down the road.
Exposure to ionizing radiation from natural or background sources hasn’t changed for the past 30 years, but in many industrialized countries, total per capita radiation has nearly doubled, and experts believe the main reason is increased exposure that comes from medical sources which has grown from 15 percent in the early 1980s to 50 percent today. CT alone accounts for 24 percent of all radiation exposures.
Most of what we know about the risks of ionizing radiation comes from long-term studies of people who survived the 1945 atomic bomb blasts at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. These studies show a slightly but significantly increased risk of cancer in those exposed to the blasts, including a group of 25,000 Hiroshima survivors who received less than 50 mSv of radiation an amount you might get from two or three CT scans.
Because they’re so commonly used today, CT scans are the biggest source of radiation of all imaging technologies. A special type of X-ray that produces cross-sectional images, or “slices,” of the body, CT scans are used to diagnose everything, from heart diseases and cancer to brain tumors, kidney stones, and injuries. Abdominal CT scans tend to produce the most radiation — averaging about 500 times more radiation than a simple chest X-ray, and 1,000 times more than a dental X-ray or bone mineral density test (DEXA). Other types of imaging that use radiation include nuclear diagnostic tests, such as PET scans, as well as fluoroscopy. MRI and ultrasound, in contrast, do not use radiation.
The risk from a single CT scan, when appropriately done, is miniscule, but radiation exposures add up over a lifetime. A study in the Archives of Internal Medicine in 2009 estimated that 72 million scans were done in the US in 2007. After excluding scans done following a diagnosis of cancer and those performed during the last five years of a person’s life, the researchers projected that CT scans in the US would cause about 29,000 extra cases of cancer in the future and about 14,5000 deaths. That’s about two percent of all annual cancers.
The ability to peer inside the body is nothing short of miraculous and has saved countless lives since X-rays were discovered more than a century ago. Today, the array of imaging tests available is bewildering, the technology intimidating, and circumstances and possible outcomes (Is it cancer? A stroke? A heriniated disc?) often terrifying. For most people, there’s very little risk from routine X-rays such as chest X-rays or dental X-rays. But experts have become increasingly concerned about the overuse of many types of scans, not only because of the huge and growing expense, but even more of the potential risk posed by the cumulative exposure to radiation. They are used to diagnose diseases, trauma, and abnormalities, as well as to guide and monitor treatment.
The radiation you get from X-ray, CT, and nuclear imaging is ionizing radiation — high-energy wavelengths or particles that penetrate tissue to reveal the body’s internal organs and structures. Ionizing radiation can damage DNA, and although your cells repair most of the damage, they sometimes do the job imperfectly, leaving small areas of “misrepair.” The result is DNA mutations that may contribute to cancer years down the road.
Exposure to ionizing radiation from natural or background sources hasn’t changed for the past 30 years, but in many industrialized countries, total per capita radiation has nearly doubled, and experts believe the main reason is increased exposure that comes from medical sources which has grown from 15 percent in the early 1980s to 50 percent today. CT alone accounts for 24 percent of all radiation exposures.
Most of what we know about the risks of ionizing radiation comes from long-term studies of people who survived the 1945 atomic bomb blasts at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. These studies show a slightly but significantly increased risk of cancer in those exposed to the blasts, including a group of 25,000 Hiroshima survivors who received less than 50 mSv of radiation an amount you might get from two or three CT scans.
Because they’re so commonly used today, CT scans are the biggest source of radiation of all imaging technologies. A special type of X-ray that produces cross-sectional images, or “slices,” of the body, CT scans are used to diagnose everything, from heart diseases and cancer to brain tumors, kidney stones, and injuries. Abdominal CT scans tend to produce the most radiation — averaging about 500 times more radiation than a simple chest X-ray, and 1,000 times more than a dental X-ray or bone mineral density test (DEXA). Other types of imaging that use radiation include nuclear diagnostic tests, such as PET scans, as well as fluoroscopy. MRI and ultrasound, in contrast, do not use radiation.
The risk from a single CT scan, when appropriately done, is miniscule, but radiation exposures add up over a lifetime. A study in the Archives of Internal Medicine in 2009 estimated that 72 million scans were done in the US in 2007. After excluding scans done following a diagnosis of cancer and those performed during the last five years of a person’s life, the researchers projected that CT scans in the US would cause about 29,000 extra cases of cancer in the future and about 14,5000 deaths. That’s about two percent of all annual cancers.
2011年6月29日星期三
Kidney Stones and Calcium Supplements
Most people know that kidney stones are up there with some of those painful experiences humans can fathom, and build-up of calcium deposits is partly to blame. Meanwhile, women of a certain age are encouraged to take calcium supplements to protect their bones. With reports showing that stones are become increasingly common among American women, a link between the two becomes questionable.
As one might expect, data show that taking calcium supplements may increase the risk of kidney stones. According to a study in the July issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, post-menopausal women, the group who are especially prone to loss of bone density and the occurrence of osteoporosis, were examined.
The study consisted of 36,282 subjects who, at the start of the study, took in virtually the same amount of calcium daily (about 1,145 milligrams). They were randomly assigned to take supplements of calcium (500 milligrams) plus Vitamin D (200 international units) twice daily with meals or to take placebo pills for seven years. During that time, kidney stones developed in 830 of the women. The development of kidney stones was 17 percent more common among women taking the supplements than among those in the placebo group.
The development of kidney stones was recorded just once for each participant; recurrences were not noted, which might have affected the results.
How do I prevent kidney stones?
Drink plenty of water and do this often. In my early twenties I had a stone, and so I went to see a urologist. He told me not to drink tea or other drinks that dehydrate you and to drink more water, so that the mineral deposits don’t have as much of a chance to collect and built up. Also, it is widely known that consuming cranberry juice can help prevent urinary tract problems.
What are warning symptoms?
You should call your doctor if you have
• extreme pain in your back or side that will not go away
• blood in your urine
• fever and chills
• vomiting
• urine that smells bad or looks cloudy
• a burning feeling when you urinate
The important thing to remember is that you should always drink enough water to get your urine clear. The amount of water we need daily is different for everyone, but doctors will note that that is one way you can judge for yourself if you are hydrating yourself well.
As one might expect, data show that taking calcium supplements may increase the risk of kidney stones. According to a study in the July issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, post-menopausal women, the group who are especially prone to loss of bone density and the occurrence of osteoporosis, were examined.
The study consisted of 36,282 subjects who, at the start of the study, took in virtually the same amount of calcium daily (about 1,145 milligrams). They were randomly assigned to take supplements of calcium (500 milligrams) plus Vitamin D (200 international units) twice daily with meals or to take placebo pills for seven years. During that time, kidney stones developed in 830 of the women. The development of kidney stones was 17 percent more common among women taking the supplements than among those in the placebo group.
The development of kidney stones was recorded just once for each participant; recurrences were not noted, which might have affected the results.
How do I prevent kidney stones?
Drink plenty of water and do this often. In my early twenties I had a stone, and so I went to see a urologist. He told me not to drink tea or other drinks that dehydrate you and to drink more water, so that the mineral deposits don’t have as much of a chance to collect and built up. Also, it is widely known that consuming cranberry juice can help prevent urinary tract problems.
What are warning symptoms?
You should call your doctor if you have
• extreme pain in your back or side that will not go away
• blood in your urine
• fever and chills
• vomiting
• urine that smells bad or looks cloudy
• a burning feeling when you urinate
The important thing to remember is that you should always drink enough water to get your urine clear. The amount of water we need daily is different for everyone, but doctors will note that that is one way you can judge for yourself if you are hydrating yourself well.
Tea your blues away with Figaro’s Herbal Blends
INTRODUCING Figaro Herbal Blends! More than just coffee, Figaro Coffee Company now offers a variety of herbal blends infused with herbs and fruits to soothe your senses this season. If the extreme weather conditions these days make it easy for you to catch a cold and other diseases and your usual coffee beverage just won’t suit your needs to be rejuvenated, Figaro introduces four indigenous and original herbal blends: Sambong, Lagundi, Banaba and Pito Pito with distinct characteristics to relieve you from all the stress and diseases.
Figaro Sambong Blend is a hot cup of tea infused with basil and lemon believed to be a diuretic agent effective in dissolving kidney stones. Sambong leaves and roots when dried and made into tea is popular among elders who seek for herbal medicines to treat colds, sinuses and migraines. The aroma of Sambong Blend infused with the fragrant basil and the tanginess of lemon creates a relaxing and soothing experience with a distinct common juice taste you’d surely enjoy.
Figaro Lagundi Blend is a cup of hot tea infused with mint and orange believed to be an effective treatment for common cough, bronchial asthma, chronic bronchitis and pharyngitis. The mix of orange and mint to the dried lagundi leaves creates a refreshing and comforting experience from any person who need healing from cough after that rough day at the office. ‘Don’t let that cough make you rough. The minty and fruity taste of Lagundi will give you that extra energy to accomplish your tasks for the day.
Figaro Banaba Blend is a hot cup of tea infused with tarragon, anise and grapes believed to have cleansing abilities that aides in lowering the blood and sugar level of people with diabetes. The dried leaves and roots of Banaba are also used by our elders in treating kidney stones and wounds especially those who have gone surgery. Tarragon has an aroma relatively similar to anise popular in French cooking and proven to have the presence of estragole, a known carcinogen beneficial to a recuperating body. The sweet spice of Tarragon and anise with the fruity grapes in dried Banaba leaves create a perfect taste to cap off that exhausting day.
Figaro Sambong Blend is a hot cup of tea infused with basil and lemon believed to be a diuretic agent effective in dissolving kidney stones. Sambong leaves and roots when dried and made into tea is popular among elders who seek for herbal medicines to treat colds, sinuses and migraines. The aroma of Sambong Blend infused with the fragrant basil and the tanginess of lemon creates a relaxing and soothing experience with a distinct common juice taste you’d surely enjoy.
Figaro Lagundi Blend is a cup of hot tea infused with mint and orange believed to be an effective treatment for common cough, bronchial asthma, chronic bronchitis and pharyngitis. The mix of orange and mint to the dried lagundi leaves creates a refreshing and comforting experience from any person who need healing from cough after that rough day at the office. ‘Don’t let that cough make you rough. The minty and fruity taste of Lagundi will give you that extra energy to accomplish your tasks for the day.
Figaro Banaba Blend is a hot cup of tea infused with tarragon, anise and grapes believed to have cleansing abilities that aides in lowering the blood and sugar level of people with diabetes. The dried leaves and roots of Banaba are also used by our elders in treating kidney stones and wounds especially those who have gone surgery. Tarragon has an aroma relatively similar to anise popular in French cooking and proven to have the presence of estragole, a known carcinogen beneficial to a recuperating body. The sweet spice of Tarragon and anise with the fruity grapes in dried Banaba leaves create a perfect taste to cap off that exhausting day.
2011年6月26日星期日
Keeping hydrated, adjusting diet could help prevent kidney stones
Oh, summer in the South – lounging on the beach, swimming all day, fishing at the lake, a glass of cold sweet iced tea to cool down those hot days and warm nights.
And let’s not forget the kidney stones.
Men and women who live in hot and humid climates like the southeastern United States are more likely to develop kidney stones – those hardened masses that can pass quietly out of the body or become lodged in the urinary tract causing extreme pain.
“There is a higher incidence of stones in the southeastern United States,” said Dr. Jason Phillips, a urologist with Urological Associates of Dothan. “People who have never had stones before will move here and start making stones.”
And in the summer when it’s warmer, people may be even more prone to have kidney stones develop, Phillips said. That’s because it’s harder to stay hydrated enough to keep stones from forming. Diet also plays a role with some southern favorites on the list of foods that can increase the risk of kidney stones.
The most common types of kidney stones are made up of calcium and oxalate or phosphate – all found in a normal diet.
So what can you do?
Stay hydrated, first and foremost, Phillips said. If you’re prone to kidney stones, drink plenty of water and stay away from large amounts of tea and coffee since they act as diuretics and dehydrate you. Increasing the citric acid in your system by drinking lemon- or lime-based drinks can keep stones from forming. Avoid foods high in oxalates – peanuts, green leafy vegetables and rhubarbs, just to name a few.
A kidney stone basically develops from crystals in the urine. Normally, the urine stops these crystals from forming, but in some people the process just doesn’t work that smoothly.
Someone with a family history of kidney stones may be more likely to develop stones, but it’s difficult to pinpoint one specific cause. The formation of kidney stones can be linked to diet, certain metabolic and hereditary disorders, urinary tract infections and renal disease, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases within the National Institutes of Health.
Having an excessive number of kidney stones can lead to other health issues, Phillips said. They can cause infections and even damage kidney tissue over time.
Treatment for kidney stones can involve a number of measures. Smaller stones may pass if a patient drinks enough water to move it along. Pain medicine might be prescribed. There are some medications that may prevent kidney stones or dissolve those that form.
Medical treatments for kidney stones include shockwave therapy for stones high in the ureters or in the kidneys, a ureteroscopy for stones lower in the ureters or bladder. And for stones too large to remove or that won’t respond to shockwaves, surgical removal through the back may be the only option.
The type of kidney stone you have will determine your treatment.
Pain associated with kidney stones can begin in the back and side as the stone moves from the kidney and into the ureter, blocking the flow of urine. Pain can spread into the abdomen and the groin as the stone moves toward the bladder.
“In order to have pain from kidney stones, it has to block something,” Phillips said. “Just having a stone doesn’t cause pain unless it’s moving or causing obstruction.”
And let’s not forget the kidney stones.
Men and women who live in hot and humid climates like the southeastern United States are more likely to develop kidney stones – those hardened masses that can pass quietly out of the body or become lodged in the urinary tract causing extreme pain.
“There is a higher incidence of stones in the southeastern United States,” said Dr. Jason Phillips, a urologist with Urological Associates of Dothan. “People who have never had stones before will move here and start making stones.”
And in the summer when it’s warmer, people may be even more prone to have kidney stones develop, Phillips said. That’s because it’s harder to stay hydrated enough to keep stones from forming. Diet also plays a role with some southern favorites on the list of foods that can increase the risk of kidney stones.
The most common types of kidney stones are made up of calcium and oxalate or phosphate – all found in a normal diet.
So what can you do?
Stay hydrated, first and foremost, Phillips said. If you’re prone to kidney stones, drink plenty of water and stay away from large amounts of tea and coffee since they act as diuretics and dehydrate you. Increasing the citric acid in your system by drinking lemon- or lime-based drinks can keep stones from forming. Avoid foods high in oxalates – peanuts, green leafy vegetables and rhubarbs, just to name a few.
A kidney stone basically develops from crystals in the urine. Normally, the urine stops these crystals from forming, but in some people the process just doesn’t work that smoothly.
Someone with a family history of kidney stones may be more likely to develop stones, but it’s difficult to pinpoint one specific cause. The formation of kidney stones can be linked to diet, certain metabolic and hereditary disorders, urinary tract infections and renal disease, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases within the National Institutes of Health.
Having an excessive number of kidney stones can lead to other health issues, Phillips said. They can cause infections and even damage kidney tissue over time.
Treatment for kidney stones can involve a number of measures. Smaller stones may pass if a patient drinks enough water to move it along. Pain medicine might be prescribed. There are some medications that may prevent kidney stones or dissolve those that form.
Medical treatments for kidney stones include shockwave therapy for stones high in the ureters or in the kidneys, a ureteroscopy for stones lower in the ureters or bladder. And for stones too large to remove or that won’t respond to shockwaves, surgical removal through the back may be the only option.
The type of kidney stone you have will determine your treatment.
Pain associated with kidney stones can begin in the back and side as the stone moves from the kidney and into the ureter, blocking the flow of urine. Pain can spread into the abdomen and the groin as the stone moves toward the bladder.
“In order to have pain from kidney stones, it has to block something,” Phillips said. “Just having a stone doesn’t cause pain unless it’s moving or causing obstruction.”
Ozzie Guillen says this too shall pass
You think you're tough? Bow down to Chicago White Sox Manager Ozzie Guillen. He is the very definition of tough.
Guillen recently passed a kidney stone and still managed the Sox on the same day. Anyone who has ever dropped a stone will tell you that you do not feel like managing anything other than dictating your last will and testament. No, what you want to do is curl up into the fetal position and cry for your mama.
Unfortunately, sources indicate Ozzie's problems with the English language may have led to mental suggestion creating the stone. Apparently someone said to him that "managing the White Sox must be as bad as passing a kidney stone" -- and he didn't realize it was a metaphor.
Meanwhile, Chicago Cubs Manager Mike Quade must be wondering what the metaphor is for running the Cubbies -- passing a billy goat?
Let's review a few more moments from the week that was before advancing to the main courses in our Brunch that will be prepared by some of our leading sportswriting chefs.
• Former President George W. Bush decided it was hip to help the Rangers set a Guinness Book of World Records mark for most people wearing sunglasses in the dark during a game against the Astros. Again, President Bush decided to do this. That explains a lot.
• Tweet of the Week from SB Nation's Holly Anderson about tennis star Venus Williams: "OK, everybody stop calling Venus' outfit 'UNIQUE' like it's acceptable for a grown woman to wear a ROMPER on television." Ouch.
• You got to love this. Eight is the number of German octopuses that will be used to predict scores in the FIFA Women's World Cup. Best octopus becomes the official replacement for Paul -- the octopus wizard that correctly nailed all of Germany's games in the last World Cup before tragically passing on. Got to be an octopuses' dream (the predicting, not the passing on).
• Hey, Oregon, I got some hot tips on Florida's best high school football players from 2009. Call me.
• Jason Hunter, defensive end for the Denver Broncos, was struck in the chest by a kitchen knife allegedly thrown by his girlfriend. He'll be OK but we can neither confirm nor deny that the Broncos would like his girlfriend to drop by for a workout.
• Reports indicated the Cleveland Browns my make a bid for former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor in the supplemental draft. Oh, come on, he may have done some bad things but hasn't he suffered enough?
• Quote of the Week and probably the Month comes from driver Danica Patrick about going full speed on the bumpy turns at Iowa Speedway: "That took some ovaries to do because I wasn't really excited to do it but I did it."
• Lakers forward Ron Artest has filed paperwork to be legally known as Metta World Peace. I think we all are thinking the same thing: How did he ever come up with such a strange name as Metta?
And now we move to the main dishes in this last Brunch for June with a strong emphasis on what once was our national pastime. Yes, we're talking baseball. Enjoy.
• At the top we mentioned Cubs Manager Mike Quade, the latest in a long line of Cubbie managers just waiting to be fired. But Dan McGrath of The New York Times tells us that at least Quade continues to manage with a smile on his face and a song of baseball in his heart.
• The debate continues on whether hiring Jack McKeon, 80, to manage the Marlins once again was a brilliant move or mere publicity stunt. Either way McKeon is doing things his way just as he did in 2003 when the club won the World Series as Clark Spencer explains for The Miami Herald. Pay particular attention to his use of "poo-poo and pee-pee passes" when a player wants to be excused from the dugout.
• But if the Cubs and Marlins think they have troubles, read about what a day at a Dodgers' game is like for Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times. The day started with getting a prime ticket for $2.55 on the Internet and got cheaper and cheesier from there.
• Speaking of troubles, Manager Jim Riggleman told the Washington Nationals that he either got a new contract or he was out the door. In effect, the Nationals said don't let the door slap your rear side on the way out. Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post is not impressed with Riggleman's bluff or his managing career.
Guillen recently passed a kidney stone and still managed the Sox on the same day. Anyone who has ever dropped a stone will tell you that you do not feel like managing anything other than dictating your last will and testament. No, what you want to do is curl up into the fetal position and cry for your mama.
Unfortunately, sources indicate Ozzie's problems with the English language may have led to mental suggestion creating the stone. Apparently someone said to him that "managing the White Sox must be as bad as passing a kidney stone" -- and he didn't realize it was a metaphor.
Meanwhile, Chicago Cubs Manager Mike Quade must be wondering what the metaphor is for running the Cubbies -- passing a billy goat?
Let's review a few more moments from the week that was before advancing to the main courses in our Brunch that will be prepared by some of our leading sportswriting chefs.
• Former President George W. Bush decided it was hip to help the Rangers set a Guinness Book of World Records mark for most people wearing sunglasses in the dark during a game against the Astros. Again, President Bush decided to do this. That explains a lot.
• Tweet of the Week from SB Nation's Holly Anderson about tennis star Venus Williams: "OK, everybody stop calling Venus' outfit 'UNIQUE' like it's acceptable for a grown woman to wear a ROMPER on television." Ouch.
• You got to love this. Eight is the number of German octopuses that will be used to predict scores in the FIFA Women's World Cup. Best octopus becomes the official replacement for Paul -- the octopus wizard that correctly nailed all of Germany's games in the last World Cup before tragically passing on. Got to be an octopuses' dream (the predicting, not the passing on).
• Hey, Oregon, I got some hot tips on Florida's best high school football players from 2009. Call me.
• Jason Hunter, defensive end for the Denver Broncos, was struck in the chest by a kitchen knife allegedly thrown by his girlfriend. He'll be OK but we can neither confirm nor deny that the Broncos would like his girlfriend to drop by for a workout.
• Reports indicated the Cleveland Browns my make a bid for former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor in the supplemental draft. Oh, come on, he may have done some bad things but hasn't he suffered enough?
• Quote of the Week and probably the Month comes from driver Danica Patrick about going full speed on the bumpy turns at Iowa Speedway: "That took some ovaries to do because I wasn't really excited to do it but I did it."
• Lakers forward Ron Artest has filed paperwork to be legally known as Metta World Peace. I think we all are thinking the same thing: How did he ever come up with such a strange name as Metta?
And now we move to the main dishes in this last Brunch for June with a strong emphasis on what once was our national pastime. Yes, we're talking baseball. Enjoy.
• At the top we mentioned Cubs Manager Mike Quade, the latest in a long line of Cubbie managers just waiting to be fired. But Dan McGrath of The New York Times tells us that at least Quade continues to manage with a smile on his face and a song of baseball in his heart.
• The debate continues on whether hiring Jack McKeon, 80, to manage the Marlins once again was a brilliant move or mere publicity stunt. Either way McKeon is doing things his way just as he did in 2003 when the club won the World Series as Clark Spencer explains for The Miami Herald. Pay particular attention to his use of "poo-poo and pee-pee passes" when a player wants to be excused from the dugout.
• But if the Cubs and Marlins think they have troubles, read about what a day at a Dodgers' game is like for Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times. The day started with getting a prime ticket for $2.55 on the Internet and got cheaper and cheesier from there.
• Speaking of troubles, Manager Jim Riggleman told the Washington Nationals that he either got a new contract or he was out the door. In effect, the Nationals said don't let the door slap your rear side on the way out. Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post is not impressed with Riggleman's bluff or his managing career.
2011年6月22日星期三
Why Climate-Related Heat Waves Will Be Bad for Your Health
The start of summer officially kicked off on Tuesday at 1.16 pm ET with the beginning of the summer solstice and the Northern Hemisphere's longest day of the year. That day, the Northern Hemisphere absorbed more sunlight than it has or will have on any other day of 2011. Our planet will release that sunlight in the coming weeks in what will hopefully not be a repeat of summer 2010 – the year of record-high summer temperatures in the Northeast – because if this forthcoming study in Climatic Change is anything to go by, scorching temperatures this summer could bring a lot worse than sweaty brows and frizzy hair.
The study, conducted by scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Purdue University and the National Center for Climatic Research, identifies a number of illnesses and health conditions exacerbated by unrelenting heat, including diabetes, urinary tract and renal diseases such as kidney stones, respiratory conditions, accidents and even suicide attempts. For every 2 degrees the mercury in your thermometer rises over 85 Fahrenheit, hospital admissions for conditions such as diabetes and kidney disorders are predicted to rise by 13 percent.
“Unlike previous studies, we identified threshold temperatures for several health outcomes beyond which disease rates will increase rapidly,” Bo Li, the lead author of the study, said in a statement.
The researchers also forecast increased incidence of heat-sensitive illnesses and conditions in tandem with predicted warming and its accompanying intense and frequent heat waves for the years between 2059-2070. Hospital admissions for heat-related conditions under one well-studied climate change scenario will increase by seven percent over time, according to the study's senior author Jonathan Patz, and hospitals and public agencies will need to plan accordingly. And stay inside with the air-conditioning on if you're under five or over 85 – the study found that the very young and the very old are at the biggest risk for hospitalization during heat waves.
The study, conducted by scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Purdue University and the National Center for Climatic Research, identifies a number of illnesses and health conditions exacerbated by unrelenting heat, including diabetes, urinary tract and renal diseases such as kidney stones, respiratory conditions, accidents and even suicide attempts. For every 2 degrees the mercury in your thermometer rises over 85 Fahrenheit, hospital admissions for conditions such as diabetes and kidney disorders are predicted to rise by 13 percent.
“Unlike previous studies, we identified threshold temperatures for several health outcomes beyond which disease rates will increase rapidly,” Bo Li, the lead author of the study, said in a statement.
The researchers also forecast increased incidence of heat-sensitive illnesses and conditions in tandem with predicted warming and its accompanying intense and frequent heat waves for the years between 2059-2070. Hospital admissions for heat-related conditions under one well-studied climate change scenario will increase by seven percent over time, according to the study's senior author Jonathan Patz, and hospitals and public agencies will need to plan accordingly. And stay inside with the air-conditioning on if you're under five or over 85 – the study found that the very young and the very old are at the biggest risk for hospitalization during heat waves.
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