Fiber

Hemorrhoids are swollen and inflamed veins in the anal area. Also called piles, this common condition can be quite painful. Often a modification in diet is all that is needed to reduce the discomfort, says Dr. Robert Akbari, colorectal surgeon at St. Joseph Medical Center in Towson. What causes hemorrhoids? They are largely blamed on the low-fiber Western diet, which is constipating. People who strain a lot with a bowel movement are more prone to develop them. Pregnancy, with changes in hormones and bowel movements, can lead to hemorrhoids.

HAMPDEN HOLIDAYS Catch the mayor's 35th annual Christmas parade Sunday. The parade will feature more than 15 high school, local and regional bands, including the Mummers string band from Philadelphia. There will be floats, including a steam calliope from Pennsylvania, local TV and radio personalities, and Santa Claus. A large group of riders on Harley-Davidson motorcycles will precede the parade. .................... The Mayor's Annual Christmas Parade will start at 2 p.m. Sunday, beginning at the Poly / Western Complex at Falls Road and Cold Spring Lane.

Louise Wheatley's woven-wool "Crow Blanket" is neither the most technically complex nor the most visually spectacular work in Maryland Art Place's current show of fiber arts. But it's certainly among the most exquisite.It consists of a simple pattern of seven black and light green vertical stripes, with five black crows positioned near the bottom of the three green stripes. In its restrained color, its pleasing balance of symmetry and asymmetry, its accurate observation of nature as demonstrated by the poses of the birds and its general understatement, it awakens in the viewer a quiet joy that is one of the most satisfying responses art can elicit.

Ciena Corp. of Linthicum was among five firms that won contracts yesterday to supply equipment to Bell Atlantic in the five-year, $1.5 billion upgrade of the phone company's communications network.The initial value of Ciena's share of the Bell Atlantic project is estimated at $12 million to $15 million.Lucent Technologies Inc., Fujitsu Network Communications Inc., Tellabs Inc. and DSC Communications Corp. also will supply equipment for the upgrade.Bell Atlantic Corp. said in January that it planned the fiber-optics upgrade to its communications network.

MCI Communications Corp., the nation's second largest long-distance company, said yesterday that its first-quarter earnings were down 66 percent from the same quarter last year, due in part to a $137 million computer-equipment depreciation charge.The company reported $101 million in quarterly net income, or 14 cents per diluted share. Last year, MCI had $295 million in first-quarter net income, or 42 cents per diluted share.In addition to the depreciation charge, MCI's earnings also reflected a $51 million gain from the company's investment in Brooks Fiber Properties Inc. This gain was realized when another big long-distance firm, WorldCom Inc., bought Brooks Fiber.

For a juried exhibition of American contemporary craft, attend the 22nd annual Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show today through Sunday at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. The work of 195 craftspeople, selected from more than 1,600 applicants, will be on display, including basketry, ceramics, decorative fiber, wearable fiber, furniture, glass, jewelry, leather, metal, mixed media, paper and wood.An installation of whimsical, beautiful and fantastical masks also is part of this year's show.

Kiwi skews the nutritional grading curve. Ounce for ounce, it packs more nutritional benefits than other fruits, studies show.And its bright green color and sweet-tart taste can brighten your meals. For example, adding kiwi to breakfast will provide a healthy dose of nutrition and add variety to the orange juice and grapefruit routine, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research.Availability: Kiwi is available all year. Domestic kiwi is at its peak from November to May.Selection and storage: Look for firm, unblemished fruit.

Optelecom Inc., a Gaithersburg fiber-optic communications company, announced yesterday that its founder and chairman, William H. Culver, has retired.Culver, 70, is leaving his chairman post to pursue independent projects. He will remain with the company as a director."I'm very enthusiastic about what remains to be done out there, with fiber optics really taking off," he said.Culver founded Optelecom in 1972. The company, which has 65 employees at its Gaithersburg headquarters, provides fiber-optic services to the defense, oil and communications industries.

Most of us have grown up with our parents exhorting us to "eat your fruits and vegetables -- they're good for you." Since 35 percent of all cancer deaths can be attributed to the typical American diet (too high in fats and too low in fiber), health authorities are encouraging consumers to reduce the risk of cancer by eating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables every day as part of a low-fat, high-fiber diet.And while all produce may be good for you, here are a few specific items that are readily available year-round, are relatively inexpensive and are particularly valuable from a nutritional standpoint.

Ciena Corp. said yesterday that it has won a contract to provide Sprint Corp. a new line of communications network equipment that will boost Sprint's network capacity by 250 percent.The three-year agreement, which will be worth more than $100 million to the Linthicum-based company in its first year, sent Ciena's shares up $3 to close at $47.875 in trading yesterday on the Nasdaq market.Ciena's MultiWave 4000 will expand one fiber-optic channel into 40 channels. Industry observers said the equipment will be the biggest capacity-boosting product put on the market yet.Steve Chaddick, Ciena's senior vice president for products and technology, said yesterday's announcement "reaffirms our leadership role conclusively in this marketplace."

H1N1 vaccine may not be ready in time for fall As the World Health Organization declared a global flu pandemic last week, raising the alert to its highest level, federal health officials said it was unclear whether an effective vaccine would be available by fall. Federal and local health officials are eyeing the Southern Hemisphere, where the virus is already on an unstoppable course and where it's feared it might combine with the seasonal flu strain and develop drug resistance. The U.S. government has invested $1 billion toward vaccine production.

A regional web of fiber-optic cable would spread from Maryland's Eastern Shore to its western mountains under a plan by local governments to tap federal stimulus money for communications expansions. If the effort is successful, it could mean $100 million or more flowing into Maryland, out of a $7.2 billion chunk of federal money set aside for fiber-optic projects. Working separately, two groups of local governments are working to snare their share of funds, which officials said could create networks that would be cheaper than buying the service from private companies.

Hemorrhoids are swollen and inflamed veins in the anal area. Also called piles, this common condition can be quite painful. Often a modification in diet is all that is needed to reduce the discomfort, says Dr. Robert Akbari, colorectal surgeon at St. Joseph Medical Center in Towson. What causes hemorrhoids? They are largely blamed on the low-fiber Western diet, which is constipating. People who strain a lot with a bowel movement are more prone to develop them. Pregnancy, with changes in hormones and bowel movements, can lead to hemorrhoids.

Harford County residents will soon have another choice, and potentially a higher-speed one, when it comes to cable television service after a vote last night by the County Council. The seven-member panel voted unanimously to grant Verizon Communications Inc. a 15-year franchise to operate within the county, making it the second major cable supplier to operate there. For years, most residents who wanted cable had to subscribe to Comcast. "We consider this a very positive development," said Councilman Dion F. Guthrie, who represents the southern area of the county.

The Q: We've written a lot here about Verizon's fiber-optic video, voice and data services. Lots of people tell us how much they love it. Some people write to say they hate it, especially the problems they've had getting it installed properly. And some people, like reader Susan Gillette, just want to know when FiOS is coming to their neighborhood. "If you have written about why Verizon can cheerfully trumpet FiOS all over the airwaves but still doesn't have it in the city and won't say when it will be there, I missed the story," Gillette said.

Police and firefighters using videoconferences for training. High school students taking college-level courses online. Residents telecommuting instead of racking up mileage and gas bills. Carroll County officials envision these scenarios, and more, as potential benefits of a fiber-optic cable network winding its way through the area. Today, representatives from county agencies - the government, school system, community college and library - plan to celebrate the developing 110-mile network.

HAMPDEN HOLIDAYS Catch the mayor's 35th annual Christmas parade Sunday. The parade will feature more than 15 high school, local and regional bands, including the Mummers string band from Philadelphia. There will be floats, including a steam calliope from Pennsylvania, local TV and radio personalities, and Santa Claus. A large group of riders on Harley-Davidson motorcycles will precede the parade. .................... The Mayor's Annual Christmas Parade will start at 2 p.m. Sunday, beginning at the Poly / Western Complex at Falls Road and Cold Spring Lane.

Organizers of a long-awaited fiber-optic network to link Carroll County's public schools, government offices, community college and library system have identified the 110-mile pathway where the system's cables will be hung, if Verizon and Baltimore Gas and Electric will permit the wires to be installed on existing utility poles. Because it is more costly and cumbersome to lay the fiber underground, technology officials said about 90 percent of the cable to support the Carroll County Public Network is expected to be hung above-ground.

What it is -- A new, fiber-rich fruit smoothie drink What we like about it --Although this smoothie has only 100 calories, it is surprisingly filling. We tried the peaches and cream flavor and found it rich and satisfying. There are three other flavors: chocolate fudge, strawberries and cream, and cafe latte. What it costs --$2.19-$2.79 for an 11-ounce can Where to buy --Available at Safeway Per serving (1 container) --100 calories, 0 grams fat, 0 grams saturated fat, 0 grams cholesterol, 95 milligrams sodium, 41 grams carbohydrate, 6 grams dietary fiber, 6 grams protein

The bootleg Oscar-award videos being downloaded on YouTube may be bad for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which owns the copyright. But for Ciena Corp. of Linthicum and everybody else making telecommunications equipment, they could mean a welcome light at the end of the optical fiber. As Cisco Systems executive Dennis Powell noted at a conference last month, YouTube uses as much bandwidth as the entire Internet did in 2000. Such content is illuminating some of the excess, "dark" cables that companies buried a few years ago in what turned out to be one of history's most spectacular busts.