Al's Morning Meeting

Here is some background from the report:

Beginning in the mid-17th century, certain antique barometers used a glass tube from which the air had been evacuated and replaced by liquid mercury. The amount of mercury in barometers can range from 5 ounces to 6 pounds. During the 16th through the 19th centuries, mercury's reflectivity led certain craftsmen to create mirrors by layering a thin amalgam of approximately 75-percent tin and 25-percent mercury to a backing of flat plate glass. A deposit of amalgam or liquid mercury beads can sometimes be found at the base of these mirrors. In addition, some antique desk and floor lamp manufacturers used elemental mercury in the lamp base as a weight to provide better stability.

Several factors can affect the risk for exposure from mercury-containing antiques; for example, antiques become more fragile as they age, which can increase the risk for spills from breakage. In contrast, fewer antiques with mercury remain in circulation because the sale of many mercury-added items (e.g., barometers and clocks) has been prohibited in certain states, and increased educational measures directed toward the public (e.g., from government agencies) might be raising awareness about the dangers of mercury. Approximately 12 states, including New York, already have restricted the sale of mercury-added products, which could reduce the risk for exposure to mercury from such items; these restrictions typically apply to the sale of antique barometers containing mercury.

Some states, like Connecticut, have issued warnings about the sale and ownership of antiques containing mercury. The state law there says the sale of many mercury products, such as thermostats, blood-pressure cuffs, various types of switches and relays, manometers and other products, is prohibited in Connecticut when suitable nonmercury alternatives are available.

The city of Seattle has learned what we who grew up in the country have known all along: Goats will eat nearly anything, and they work a lot cheaper than road crews. They are so popular among environmental types who don't want to use herbicides that goat rental companies are springing up.

It's called "white spot syndrome virus," and it could be disastrous for an area of the country that needs a break.

Boys Seek Breast Surgery

The New York Times reported that new data from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons shows a clear trend among teenage boys to undergo breast reduction surgery. While their condition, known as gynecomastia, is not new, the spike in surgical solutions is dramatic. The article says:

In 2006, according to the group, nearly 14,000 boys age 13 to 19 underwent surgery to reduce the size of their breasts. That represents 70 percent of all the male patients who had such surgery last year, and an increase of 21 percent over the previous year for that age group.

In a culture that increasingly encourages young boys to be body conscious, demand for chiseled torsos and sculpted pecs is rising, so much so that the number of boys ages 13 to 19 who had breast reduction surgery last year is equal to the total number of all men who had the procedure just two years earlier, in 2004.

The foremost reason is the rise in obesity, according to several plastic surgeons who were interviewed. At the same time, there is a new willingness among pediatricians and plastic surgeons to surgically treat enlarged male breasts.

Often, enlarged breasts are simply part of adolescence, most commonly caused by the hormonal fluctuation of puberty, according to the National Institutes of Health. But in a society that values chiseled abs and Rafael Nadal biceps, adolescent boys are willing to resort to surgery to fix problems their bodies might resolve later on their own.

Sometimes when I am teaching about the power of multimedia, I urge news organizations to build places on their sites where "passion groups" can meet, socialize and network.

Think about your community and what people are passionate about. Where do those folks go to talk about their passion for hunting, fishing, quilting, local bowling, snowmobiling, hurricane survival and such.

Entire Web sites are now thriving because they focused on the tiniest topics.

Here is a phenomenal Web site I first heard about from CBS3 in Philly. The site is dedicated to women who are trying to adjust to how their bodies changed during pregnancy and after childbirth. The site is brimming with hundreds of deeply personal stories and photos of their bodies. It is really a supportive and beautiful exchange. Teresa Nazario, special projects producer at the station, tells me that CBS3 also included extended interviews with women on the station's Web site.

In a much different part of the universe is this site dedicated solely to the "sport" of paintballing. The site includes home videos, debates, issues, blogs and even subgroups like paintball for girls and indoor versus outdoor paintballing.

In Memory of Sandy Tucker

So many of you dropped me notes last week about my story of my dear friend Mother Tucker, a Mennonite woman who had been a foster and adopted mother to more than 800 children from around the world. (You can watch a TV story I did about her by clicking here. Although it takes a few minutes to load, it is worth it.)

Yesterday, Sandy died in a Lexington, Ky., hospital after fighting cancer for more than two years. (See this story from The Courier-Journal and this story from the Lexington Herald-Leader.)

Sandy loved children more than any person I have ever witnessed. When she discovered she was infertile, she began adopting. Before she and Jerry, her husband of 45 years, knew it, they had 25 kids -- then kept going. Eventually, they were blessed with their own biological children as well. At times, the Tuckers have cared for up to 85 children from around the world in their Casey County, Ky., home, called The Galilean Children's Home. A couple dozen of the children were adopted, and the rest were in the Tuckers' foster care, many until they could get medical treatment.

My old photojournalist friend Pat Slattery and I were blessed to be in her hospital room when she died. In the end, she was surrounded by family. Children quietly sang hymns as she drew her last breath.  

When she died, Jerry told the family: "We mourn for ourselves, but we don't cry for her. She is looking down on us smiling at this very minute."

By the way, many of you Al's Morning Meeting readers sent Sandy e-mails over the weekend. The stack of e-mails was on the shelf above her hospital bed.

Editor's Note: Al's Morning Meeting is a compendium of ideas, edited story excerpts and other materials from a variety of Web sites, as well as original concepts and analysis. When the information comes directly from another source, it will be attributed and a link will be provided whenever possible. The column is fact-checked, but depends on the accuracy and integrity of the original sources cited. Errors and inaccuracies found will be corrected.