National Historic Bridges Awareness Month

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By Terry Orr

Bridges and the design and construction thereof have always interested me from you earliest memories.  I can remember some of those old, one lane, wooden, rickety bridges that I said two prayers – one before crossing and one afterwards.  I can remember a couple bridges so high – to down would my breath away.  Remember the one in the Seattle area that swayed with the wind.  In the country side throughout America – crossing those many bridges of all sorts of construction and conditions – covered, uncovered, without guard rails – some with railroad tracks down the middle (nightmare or two about those) and those that have tunnels connected to them.  Ever been stuck in a traffic jam inside a tunnel?  If so, you are aware of the mind games that one can play.  And the last one I remember – was while crossing the country in the winter between Cheyenne and Larimer WY in a blizzard – looking ahead saw this bridge with black ice – driving probably way too fast -  too the foot of the gas and coasted across and thanking the man above.

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London Bridge is broken down,

Falling down, falling down.

London Bridge is falling down,

My fair lady.

Build it up with wood and clay,

Wood and clay, wood and clay,

Build it up with wood and clay,

My fair lady.

Wood and clay will wash away,

Wash away, wash away,

Wood and clay will wash away,

My fair lady.

Build it up with bricks and mortar,

Bricks and mortar, bricks and mortar,

Build it up with bricks and mortar,

My fair lady.

Bricks and mortar will not stay,

Will not stay, will not stay,

Bricks and mortar will not stay,

My fair lady.

Build it up with iron and steel,

Iron and steel, iron and steel,

Build it up with iron and steel,

My fair lady.

Iron and steel will bend and bow,

Bend and bow, bend and bow,

Iron and steel will bend and bow,

My fair lady.

Build it up with silver and gold,

Silver and gold, silver and gold,

Build it up with silver and gold,

My fair lady.

Silver and gold will be stolen away,

Stolen away, stolen away,

Silver and gold will be stolen away,

My fair lady.

Set a man to watch all night,

Watch all night, watch all night,

Set a man to watch all night,

My fair lady.

Suppose the man should fall asleep,

Fall asleep, fall asleep,

Suppose the man should fall asleep?

My fair lady.

Give him a pipe to smoke all night,

Smoke all night, smoke all night,

Give him a pipe to smoke all night,

My fair lady.

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This is one of the oldest surviving structures across the Potomac at Washington. The present bridge was built in 1901. A series of steel plate girders and a central truss structure mark the bridge. It carries railroad traffic between Virginia and Washington and is part of the northeast corridor for Amtrak passenger service.

Huey p. Long Bridge
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This bridge crosses the Mississippi River from the East bank of Jefferson Parish to the West Bank in Bridge City. 

White's Bridge
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White's bridge is the eastern-most of three Brown-truss covered bridges near the M-21 highway between Grand Rapids and Ionia.

It is the oldest covered bridge still in use in Michigan. Built in 1869. Whites Bridge crosses the Flat River in Keene Township, Ionia County. The floor is 14 feet wide and 116.5 feet long. All of the truss members and dimension lumber are hand hewn and secured with wooden pegs. The sheeting and roof boards are fastened to the rafters with hand cut nails. The sheeting and roof boards are fastened to the rafters with hand cut nails. The abutments are made of local fieldstone. It is among the area's best-known 19th century structures.

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China has unveiled the world’s longest sea bridge, which stretches a massive 26.4 miles – five miles further than the distance between Dover and Calais and longer than a marathon.

Thannh Hoa Bridge
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Thanh Hóa Bridge, VN has an interesting history from its initial design to destruction in 1972.

15 Most Famous Bridges in the World

15. Great Belt Bridge

14. Chapel Bridge

13. Chengyang Bridge

12. Brooklyn Bridge

11. Alcántara Bridge

10. Sydney Harbour Bridge

9. Stari Most

8. Si-o-se Pol

7. Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge

6. Rialto Bridge

5. Charles Bridge

4. Tower Bridge

3. Millau Bridge

2. Golden Gate Bridge; and number one

1.   Ponte Vecchio

(Click on the touropia link below for more details on these bridges)

Here are some unique and different bridges from around the world!

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 And last by not least...

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References and Links:

http://www.historicbridges.org/

http://www.relaxedpolitics.com/2012/04/sunday-social-132/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanh_Hoa_Bridge

http://www.touropia.com/most-famous-bridges-in-the-world/

National Potato Day

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By Chef Diane

I love potatoes! When I was growing up we ate mostly rice, my parent's parents ate mostly potatoes.  Now I am a potato generation.  My son was lucky enough to share his time with my parents and myself, so he had a little of both.

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I love potatoes cooked anyway, baked, boiled, mashed, fried, hash browned scalloped, you name it, I love them.  My mother used to tell a tale that when she was growing up, she would keep hot sweet potatoes in her pockets to keep her hands warm on her way to school, and then she would eat them for lunch. Recently I found out that never happened, but it was still a good story.

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Potatoes are very good for you, full of vitamins such as vitamin C, potassium, and iron.  They give you quick energy and fill you up.  My cousin, who is very calorie conscious, has one weakness, and that is French fries.  She particularly loves the ones from McDonalds.  My father has recently started making fries and potato chips from sweet potatoes at Thanksgiving, when he cooks the turkey.

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In the US, 45 billion tons of potatoes are harvested each year for the nation's consumption. So today, on Potato Day, why not gobble a few potatoes yourself, and help keep the farmers happy.  If you need a recipe for something to fix with potatoes, a favorite southern dish is potato salad.  Below is a great recipe from southernfood.com to try.

Potato Salad

Ingredients:

• 3 pounds potatoes, cooked until just tender, cubed, cooled
• 5 or 6 hard cooked eggs, cooled, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped celery, optional
• Thinly sliced tomatoes and cucumber, for garnish, optional

Dressing:

• 3/4 cup mayonnaise (a little more or less, as desired)
• 1 to 2 tablespoons prepared mustard
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Combine potatoes, egg, onions, and celery. Stir in mayonnaise, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste. (Stir the mayonnaise and mustard in a little at a time, until you have the flavor and consistency you like.)

Top with thinly sliced tomatoes and cucumber, if desired.

Serves 6 to 8.

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Hemochromatosis Awareness Month

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By Diane Forrest, RN

Hemochromatosis is a genetic disease that can be inherited from a child's parents, and which causes the child to absorb too much iron, leading to extra iron being stored in the child's liver, heart, pancreas, and other organs. And although this usually doesn't cause any symptoms in childhood, later in life it can cause them to have arthritis, heart problems, liver disease, diabetes, and many other medical problems.

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Symptoms include:

• Generalized darkening of skin color (often referred to as bronzing)
• Joint pain
• Lack of energy
• Loss of body hair
• Loss of sexual desire
• Weight loss
• Weakness
• Fatigue
• Abdominal Pain

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Hemochromatosis can be diagnosed by a blood test, or a physical exam detecting enlarged liver and spleen and skin color changes.  Other tests include a liver function test and EKG.

Treatment includes a procedure called phlebotomy is the best method for removing excess iron from the body.

One-half liter of blood is removed from the body each week until the body iron level is normal. This may take many months or even years to do.

After that, the procedure may be done less often to maintain normal iron levels.

How often you need this procedure depends on your symptoms and your levels of hemoglobin and serum ferritin, and how much iron you take in your diet.

If you are diagnosed with hemochromatosis, you should follow a special diet to reduce how much iron is absorbed from your digestive tract. Your doctor or nurse will recommend:

• Do not alcohol, especially if you have liver damage
• Do not take iron pills or vitamins containing iron
• Do not use iron cookware
• Do not eat raw seafood (cooked is fine)
• Do not eat foods fortified with iron, such as 100% iron breakfast cereals

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Early treatment can help prevent complications such as liver disease, heart disease, arthritis or diabetes. Screening family members of a person diagnosed with hemochromatosis may detect the disease early so that treatment can be started before organ damage has occurred in other affected relatives.

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For more information about hemochromatosis, click this site: http://www.hemochromatosis.org/

Hemochromatosis Awareness Month

KISBYTO likes to keep you informed on all the major events going on, and making you aware of common illnesses and diseases, however when this subject came up, it was almost passed on.  Even being a nurse, I didn't know much about it, so it couldn't be one of those common things, nor could it.  After doing a little research I discovered that one out of every 200 people suffer from this disease.  I was surprised!  Upon learning this, I thought I would also make all of you aware of this problem too.

Hemochromatosis is a disorder that results in too much iron being absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract.  It occurs when too much iron builds up in the body.  It occurs in two forms, primary and secondary.

Primary Hemochromatosis is usually caused by a specific genetic problem that causes too much iron to be absorbed. When people with this condition have too much iron in their diet, the extra iron is absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract and builds up in the body tissues, particularly the liver. The result is liver swelling. Primary hemochromatosis is the most common genetic disorder in the United States, affecting an estimated 1 of every 200 to 300 Americans.

Secondary is cause by a disease such as thalassemia or side roblastic anemia, especially if the person has received a large number of blood transfusions. Occasionally, it may be seen with hemolytic anemia, chronic alcoholism, and other conditions.

Hemochromatosis affects more men than women. It is particularly common in Caucasians of western European descent. Symptoms are often seen in men between the ages of 30 and 50 and in women over 50, although some people may develop problems by age 20. You have a higher risk of hemochromatosis if someone else in your family has or had the condition.

Symptoms:

• Abdominal pain
• Fatigue
• Generalized darkening of skin color (often referred to as bronzing)
• Joint pain
• Lack of energy
• Loss of body hair
• Loss of sexual desire
• Weight loss
• Weakness

Diagnosing:

• A physical examination shows liver and spleen swelling, and skin color changes.
• Blood Tests
• EKG
• Liver function test

Treatment:

• The goal of treatment is to remove excess iron from the body and treat any organ damage.  This is done by a procedure called a phlebotomy, during which a half liter of blood is removed each week until the iron level in the blood is normal.
• Diet changes are also necessary.  Avoid foods that are high iron, and if liver damage has occurred, avoid all alcohol.
• If Hemochromatosis has been diagnosed early, before any organ damage has occurred diseases such as liver disease, heart disease, arthritis, and diabetes can usually be prevented.  If someone in your family has been diagnosed with Hemochromatosis, begin getting testing to prevent any organ damage, and start treatment immediately.