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Another Diet Scam
"I heard some people talk about doing this type of diet, but it seems very dangerous. So why not put the word out there....
A woman has been awarded more than £800,000 after she suffered permanent brain damage while on a detox diet.
The High Court heard Dawn Page, 52, began vomiting uncontrollably after starting The Amazing Hydration Diet.
Mrs Page, from Wiltshire, later had an epileptic fit which damaged her memory, speech and concentration.
Her nutritionist Barbara Nash has denied any wrongdoing and the High Court agreed to the settlement without mention of liability.
'Cognitive deficit'
The court heard Mrs Page, from Faringdon, near Swindon, claimed Mrs Nash told her to drink large amounts of water and reduce her salt intake when she started the diet in October 2001.
She told the High Court when she started vomiting Mrs Nash told her it was a normal part of the detoxification process.
Less than a week into the regime, mother-of-two Mrs Page had to be taken to Princess Margaret Hospital in Swindon after suffering a severe epileptic fit. Doctors diagnosed low salt levels in her body.
She has been left with "cognitive deficit" which she says has forced her to give up work as a conference organiser.
Her life has been seriously affected, perhaps ruined, by this fad-type way of losing weight, which I can only say is a dangerous method of weight loss
Geoff Page
Her husband Geoff, 54, said: "Her life has been seriously affected, perhaps ruined, by this fad-type way of losing weight, which I can only say is a dangerous method of weight loss."
He said his wife had previously tried several other diets.
He said: "Just days after she started the Hydration Diet, she began to feel unwell and started vomiting.
Mrs Nash's insurance company agreed to pay out £810,000, but in a statement her lawyers denied any liability.
Plexus Law said: "On behalf of our client we wish to make it clear that all allegations of substandard practice made on behalf of Mrs Page in the litigation, have always been and continue to remain firmly denied.
"Equally, the information contained in the medical records suggesting that Mrs Page appeared to have drunk five litres of water on the day that she was admitted to hospital, and therefore disregarded advice given by our client, were also denied by Mrs Page.
"In our view as a recognition of this, the settlement amount agreed to be paid was less than half the total amount claimed and the compromise which was offered and accepted was on the basis of no admission of liability."
Detox diets are based on the theory that toxins from "unhealthy" food and drink build up in the body and can lead to health problems.
Purging those toxins - through restricted diets, lots of water or using particular supplements - is meant to leave people feeling better and, often, thinner.
But critics disagree with the principle. Dr Andrew Wadge, of the Food Standards Agency, has branded detox regimes "nonsense" and said the body has its own system of getting rid of toxins - the liver.
"I heard some people talk about doing this type of diet, but it seems very dangerous. So why not put the word out there.... ... more -
US mortgage firms' shares slump
Shares in US mortgage firms Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae dropped by as much as 50% in rollercoaster trading on Friday amid concerns for their future.
Investors are concerned that the government may have to step in to rescue the two firms.
But the US Treasury said it would back them in their current form, helping their shares to recover some ground.
The companies are behind half of all US mortgages and have been hard hit by the slowdown in the US housing market.
The two companies play an important role in the financial markets in providing funding for home loans by buying up mortgages and packaging them as investments.
As mortgage backers, the companies have had to pay out when homeowners have defaulted on their loans.
Both firms defended their finances, saying they had enough capital to weather the housing slump.
Shares in the two firms trimmed losses after US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson signalled he was not on the verge of taking Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac into public hands.
President Bush reflects on tough times for the US economy
"Our primary focus is supporting Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in their current form as they carry out their important mission," he said.
President George W Bush was briefed on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac earlier on Friday.
Mr Bush said Mr Paulson assured him that he and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke "will be working this issue very hard".
After a volatile trading session, Freddie Mac shares closed down 3.1% at $7.75.
The stock had plunged as much as 51% shortly after the market opened and briefly vaulted into positive territory at one point.
Shares of Fannie Mae ended the day down 22.4% at $10.25 after sliding as much as 49% to a 19-year low of $6.68.
US Senator Christopher Dodd said the Federal Reserve was considering allowing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to borrow directly from the central bank, which also helped the shares to recover.
Meanwhile, a California-based mortgage lender IndyMac was taken over by US regulators on Friday.
Earlier this week, the bank said that it would stop most lending, leading depositors to withdraw cash.
The US Office of Thrift Supervision said it had transferred IndyMac's operations to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation after determining that is unlikely to meet its depositors demands.
IndyMac had been struggling to raise funds and stay in business in one of the states worst hit by the US housing market slump.
There has been a sense of unfolding crisis surrounding the companies this week according to the BBC's New York business correspondent, Greg Wood.
Today our primary focus is supporting Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in their current form as they carry out their important mission
Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson. Shares in US mortgage firms Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae dropped by as much as 50% in rollercoaster trading on Friday amid concerns for ... more -
The world clock is counting
This is very bizarre to actually see in real time. The growth of the world's population in real time...
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This week in McCain's brain
Rounding up one of the worst weeks in McCain's Campaign trail, the Huffington Post recaps....
This is the week that should have effectively ended John McCain's efforts to become the next president of the United States. But you wouldn't know it if you watched any of the mainstream media outlets or followed political reporting in the major newspapers.
During this past week: McCain called the most important entitlement program in the U.S. a disgrace, his top economic adviser called the American people whiners, McCain released an economic plan that no one thought was serious, he flip flopped on Iraq, joked about the deaths of Iranian citizens, and denied making comments that he clearly made -- TWICE. All this and it is not even Friday! Yet watching and reading the mainstream press you would think McCain was having a pretty decent political week, I mean at least Jesse Jackson didn't say anything about him.
But let's unpack McCain's week in a little more detail.
Rounding up one of the worst weeks in McCain's Campaign trail, the Huffington Post recaps.... ... more -
In theory, economists support McCain
McCain claiming support of over 300 economists, in reality turns out that these people signed a petition in support of McCain in general, not his dumb ass economic plan...
Here's the article:
The endorsement could hardly have been stronger. On Monday, John McCain’s campaign released a statement signed by 300 economists who “enthusiastically support” his “Jobs for America” economic plan, providing a heavyweight testimonial to the presumptive Republican nominee’s “broad and powerful economic agenda.”
There’s just one problem. Upon closer inspection, it seems a good many of those economists don’t actually support the whole of McCain’s economic agenda. And at least one doesn’t even support McCain for president.
In interviews with more than a dozen of the signatories, Politico found that, far from embracing McCain’s economic plan, many were unfamiliar with — or downright opposed to — key details. While most of those contacted by Politico had warm feelings about McCain, many did not want to associate themselves too closely with his campaign and its policy prescriptions.
Howard Beales, an economist at George Washington University, explained that he signed the letter as "an expression of support for [McCain], not necessarily each and every detail of his plan, which I may not have had time to study closely."
Professor James Adams of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute declined to elaborate on his decision to sign the letter. "I'm not involved in the campaign," he said. "I simply read a statement and signed on."
Constantine Alexandrakis, a professor at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, expressed second thoughts about signing.
"I would describe myself as an Obama supporter," he explained. "Maybe I shouldn't have rushed into signing the letter."
Alexandrakis said he added his name in order to show his support for certain principles in McCain's plan — such as free trade and a reduction in corporate tax rates. But there are other aspects of McCain's proposal, such as his pledge to make permanent the 2001 tax cuts, that Alexandrakis opposes.
"While I do not agree with Obama's plan 100 [percent] either," he wrote in an e-mail, "I would prefer to see him being elected president."
It’s easy to see why some of the economists might seem less than enthusiastic when asked directly about the McCain plan. The McCain campaign’s economic team, led by adviser Douglas Holtz-Eakin and former eBay CEO Meg Whitman, began collecting signatures from economists several months ago, with the intention of showing support for McCain's broad economic priorities, rather than the specific items in his Jobs for America proposal.
The statement they signed is 403 words long — and there is no mention of the gas tax holiday or the deficit, which the Congressional Budget Office projects will approach $400 billion this year.
McCain claiming support of over 300 economists, in reality turns out that these people signed a petition in support of McCain in gener... more -
Faceless 'aliens' spotted in crowd at Wimbledon
With the blankest of blank expressions on their faces, these mysterious figures have been popping up in the most unlikely of places.
The faceless mutants have a penchant for A-list celebrity bashes and have been spotted at Elton John's White tie ball and Harrods summer sale, opened by Sex and the City star Kim Cattrall.
With a membrane of skin stretched tightly over their eyes, noses and mouths, the alien-like figures were most recently snapped 'watching' a match perched on Murray Mount at Wimbledon.
Close inspection of the pictures rules out an alien invasion - small perforations around the eye areas of the masks allow the people beneath to see the world outside.
But nobody knows who the faceless figures, who often appear as motionless couples are, or why they are turning up at high profile events.
Theories include the possibilities that they are limelight-seeking pranksters, performance artists or that they are at the centre of a viral marketing campaign for an as-yet unknown product of forthcoming horror film.
Speculation has even arisen that the masks hide a pair of well-know faces, fed up with being harrassed by the paparazzi.
One blogger wrote on the Moue Magazine website: "They probably aren’t just random people off of the street.
"If it ends up being a pair of celebrities who have had it with being photographed all of the time and are staging a protest, I vow to support every project they appear on from now on.
"Whatever their purpose, I want to join them. And I have a new Halloween costume for this year."
With the blankest of blank expressions on their faces, these mysterious figures have been popping up in the most unlikely of places. ... more -
Colin Powell might pick Obama
Former Secretary of State Colin Powell said it’s not out of the question that he may support expected Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama in the race against John McCain.
Asked if it was a difficult choice between the two, Powell responded, “I think so. Yes,” according to Canada’s Globe and Mail. “Both of them certainly have the qualifications to be the president of the U.S., but both of them cannot be,” Powell said at a news conference prior to a leadership forum in Vancouver.
The first African-American Secretary of State said that race would not be a factor in casting his vote on a ballot that has the first African American nominee. “I will vote for the individual I think that brings the best set of tools to the problems of 21st-century America and the 21st-century world regardless of party, regardless of anything else other than the most qualified candidate,” he said, noting that military service would not necessarily play a role either. Powell, like McCain, is a veteran. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell said it’s not out of the question that he may support expected Democratic presidential nominee ... more -
Great expose on the nonsense of FOX
When I heard that FOX’s E.D. Hill had asked whether a fist bump between Barack and Michelle Obama might have been a “terrorist fist jab”, I was amazed, but not really surprised. After all, stuff like this is what FOX has done since their inception to achieve their goal of scaring their predominantly old, conservative, white, prejudiced audience into voting Republican. In addition, FOX has had no problem “reporting” that Obama is a Marxist, a socialist, Hitler, a communist, a “sleeper agent”, a secret muslim, a "domestic insurgent", a dangerous radical, a madrassa student, etc. etc. with virtually no repercussions and rarely even an apology. It's the home of serial liars and hysterical exaggerators like Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity. Hill's comment was outrageous, stupid and wrong, but not a whole lot more outrageous, stupid and wrong than what comes out of the mouths of O'Reilly, Hannity, Coulter, Malkin, Limbaugh, and Savage on a daily basis. When I heard that FOX’s E.D. Hill had asked whether a fist bump between Barack and Michelle Obama might have been a “terrorist fist ja... more
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Huffington Breaks Down the Media
Blogs will help set the agenda
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Baby born hella drunk
A Polish newborn entered the world with a blood-alcohol level of 0.29, according to news reports.
TVN24 reports on its website that the baby's 38-year-old mother had a BAC of .12 when she went into labor yesterday in Otwock.
"The baby's life is not in immediate danger, but doctors fear the impact on her development," police spokeswoman Dorota Tietz tells AFP.
The mother is facing some legal troubles, the wire service says.
"Wow...." A Polish newborn entered the world with a blood-alcohol level of 0.29, according to news reports. ... more -
McCain Vs. Quicktime
"I let the video speak for its self"
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World Champions Italy, suffer greatest loss ever....
The European Cup is in full swing, the whole month of June.
Todays highlight was Holland vs. Italy.
The Game ended in 3-0 for Holland. With Ruud van Nistelrooy scoring the first one, Wesley Sneijder the second, and Van Bronckhorst sealing the deal.
The reigning world champions (Italy) have never lost with more than 2-0 in its entire world cup history.
Great Victory for Holland, Epic game...
The European Cup is in full swing, the whole month of June. Todays highlight was Holland vs. Italy. ... more -
Love Smoking, but don't love Fire?
Get the SuperSmoker, the Electronic Cigarette...
No fire, no combustion, no tar and no real smoke. No carcinogenic substances (some 40 carcinogenic substances are released during the burning of tobacco). No ashtrays, no cigarette butts, no stale smells and no air pollution (no release of CO2).
You just look like a bonified e-junkie!
WTF? Get the SuperSmoker, the Electronic Cigarette... ... more -
In a world full of sad news
There needs to be time for some laughter... Enjoy....
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Hitler statue to be featured in Berlin?
A new branch of Madame Tussauds in Berlin is to include in its display of German historical figures the most notorious one of all -- Adolf Hitler, a spokeswoman for the world-famous museum said on Friday.
But in order not to give the impression that Hitler was in any way a figure to be revered, the Nazi leader appears as a "broken man" in a mock-up of his bunker just before the end of World War II, spokeswoman Natalie Ruoss said.
The Fuehrer will be depicted as a defeated, shabbily dressed shadow of his former self -- in London the waxwork is more youthful -- as the Red Army entered Berlin shortly before his suicide on April 30, 1945.
"We did surveys while we were planning the exhibition on the street with Berliners and with tourists, and the result was quite clear that Hitler is one of the figures that they want to see," Ruoss said.
"Seeing as we are portraying the history of Germany we could hardly have left him out ... we want to show the reality," she said.
The figure will be behind a table, which will prevent visitors to the museum in central Berlin, which opens in July, from posing for photos next to him, Ruoss added.
Stephen Kramer, general secretary of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, said some Holocaust survivors might find the exhibition offensive but that he was not opposed as long as it was done properly.
"Hitler should not become a tourist attraction but if this exhibition helps to some extent normalise the way of dealing with Hitler, as a kind of a demystification, let's try it," Kramer told AFP.
"Erasing him from history is not going to bring the perished ones back, it's not going to heal the damage that he did, the crimes that he did. That would be counter-productive," he said.
A spokesman for Berlin city meanwhile said that the city's mayor Klaus Wowereit had sent a letter to Madame Tussauds in London on Thursday expressing Germans' "particular sensitivities" and asking to be shown the figure.
Coming to terms with the Nazi period has entered a new phase in recent years, most notably with the 2004 Oscar-nominated drama "Downfall" which gave the man behind the Holocaust more of a human face.
Comedy has even got in on the act, with a slapstick film by a Jewish director about Hitler released in 2007 and filming currently underway of "Mein Kampf", a film about his early life that also cocks a snook at the dictator.
Other waxworks in Berlin's Madame Tussauds are less controversial, although with a focus overwhelmingly on around 70 famous figures from Germany, the tour is in danger of becoming for foreign visitors a "name that German" contest.
Albert Einstein needs no introduction, nor does probably the current pope, and most people will have heard of Angela Merkel, Otto von Bismarck and Oliver Kahn.
But non-Germans will perhaps have to consult their programmes when they come face to face with Erich Honecker, the former leader of communist East Germany, TV presenter Thomas Gottschalk and rock star Herbert Groenemeyer.
It is not all Germans (or those born Austrian in the case of Hitler) though. Also staring back at you will be the likes of the Dalai Lama, Winston Churchill, J-Lo and Will Smith.
You can also see if your IQ is higher than Einstein's, play a duet on the piano with Johann Sebastian Bach and face Boris Becker on a tennis court, the organisers say.
A new branch of Madame Tussauds in Berlin is to include in its display of German historical figures the most notorious one of all -- A... more -
Kurt's ashes stolen
The music world was In Bloom-in' shock last night after hearing that the ashes of grunge god KURT COBAIN have been PINCHED!
I can also reveal that the wife of the NIRVANA legend, COURTNEY LOVE, is said to be "suicidal" after finding Kurt's remains missing from her Hollywood home.
She had kept the singer's ashes in a pink teddy-bear-shaped bag along with a lock of his hair.
But a couple of weeks ago, she was horrified to discover them gone, along with thousands of pounds worth of clothes and jewellery.
Courtney said: "I can't believe anyone would take Kurt's ashes from me.
"I find it disgusting and right now I'm suicidal.
"If I don't get them back I don't know what I'll do." The sad news will sicken the millions of Cobain and Nirvana fans worldwide.
Kurt, DAVE GROHL and KRIST NOVOSELIC mesmerised the music world in the 90s with hits like In Bloom and Smells Like Teen Spirit.
The band has sold more than 62 million albums worldwide, with classic album Nevermind selling more than ten million copies alone—it's still regarded by critics as one of the greatest albums ever made.
But in 1994, tragedy struck when Kurt killed himself with a shotgun while high on heroin. Some of his ashes were scattered in a Buddhist temple in New York, others were scattered in the Wishkah River near his home in Washington State, and the rest remained with Courtney...until recently, that is.
She said: "They were all I had left of my husband. I used to take them everywhere with me just so I could feel Kurt was still with me. The music world was In Bloom-in' shock last night after hearing that the ashes of grunge god KURT COBAIN have been PINCHED! ... more -
Virus Spreads on Computer Safety Conference
Telstra is red-faced after handing out malware-infected USB drives to tutorial attendees at the AusCERT security conference on the Gold Coast.
AusCERT's marketing manager Claire Groves confirmed the deliciously ironic snafu.
"It was only yesterday at (a) tutorial," she said. "Telstra handed out USB sticks which they didn't know were infected.
"As soon as they found out they recalled them," Groves added.
Groves says McAfee has examined the malware and deemed the risk to users from the rogue drives as "low."
A tipster told SearchSecurity.com.au the virii were of the "autorun" variety.
Telstra spokesman John Short was unavailable for comment at the time of writing. Telstra is red-faced after handing out malware-infected USB drives to tutorial attendees at the AusCERT security conference on the Gol... more -
Cisco Makes Money on censorship in China
An internal Cisco document (.pdf) leaked to reporters on the eve of a Senate human rights hearing reveals that Cisco engineers regarded the Chinese government's rigid internet censorship program as an opportunity to do more business with the repressive regime.
The 90-page document is an internal presentation that Cisco engineers and staffers in China mulled over in 2002 as the central government was upgrading its local, state and provincial public safety and security network infrastructure. Under the category "Cisco Opportunities," the document provides bullet point suggestions for how it might service China's censorship system called the "Golden Shield", and better known in the West as the Great Firewall of China.
"Wow, didn't see that one coming. Oh wait, yes I did..." An internal Cisco document (.pdf) leaked to reporters on the eve of a Senate human rights hearing reveals that Cisco engineers regarde... more -
NIghtmare after waking up in bed
A robber not only carted away cash and belongings but before that had the cheek to lie naked beside a woman whose house he'd broken into.
The victim, a 36-year-old housewife, wrote in her report that she was fast asleep in the hall of her house at Kampung Bukit Tok Beng in Seberang Takir, when she was awakened by a naked man.
She claimed she was not aware that the man, who had caressed and slept beside her, was not her husband.
She said the intruder also had covered his face with a T-shirt.
The man tried to coax the woman to go into another room, saying he was drunk.
The woman then called out her husband's name and the thief replied “I am him”.
The housewife smelled something fishy as his voice didn't sound like her husband's. She then went to another room and found her husband fast asleep on the couch.
That's when she screamed causing the thief to flee by leaping out the window together with the stolen items.
State Deputy CID chief Supt Khairi Ahrasa said police were close to solving the case, as they believed the thief was from the same village.
-"Holy crap, that is some balls..." A robber not only carted away cash and belongings but before that had the cheek to lie naked beside a woman whose house he'd broken in... more -
Rolling Stone does cover on "The Hills", fans leave brown stain on website
Rolling stone gets completely dissed by its best fans.
Article is not interesting, just read the comments...
Ahh... isn't instant gratification just splendid?
Hilarious!!
Rolling stone gets completely dissed by its best fans. Article is not interesting, just read the comments... ... more
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