This latest news on Robert Atkins just out.
Report: Diet Doctor Atkins Was Obese, Suffered Heart Disease, Medical Examiner Report Says.

NEW YORK Feb. 10 — Dr. Robert Atkins, whose popular diet stresses protein-rich meat and cheese over carbohydrates, weighed 258 pounds at his death and had a history of heart disease, a newspaper reported Tuesday.
Atkins died last April at age 72 after being injured in a fall on an icy street.

Before his death, he had suffered a heart attack, congestive heart failure and hypertension, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing a report by the city medical examiner.

At 258 pounds, the 6-foot-tall Atkins would have qualified as obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's body-mass index calculator.

Diet is one potential factor in heart disease, but infections also can contribute to it.

Stuart Trager, chairman of the Atkins Physicians Council in New York, told the Journal that Atkins' heart disease stemmed from cardiomyopathy, a condition thought to result from a viral infection.

Atkins' weight was due to bloating associated with his condition, and he had been much slimmer during most of his life, Trager said.

The medical examiner's report was given to the Journal by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a group that advocates vegetarianism. The medical examiner's office told the Journal that the report had been sent to the group in error.

There was no immediate response Tuesday to a call seeking additional comment from the medical examiner's office.

The diet guru's widow, Veronica Atkins, was outraged that the report had been made public.

"I have been assured by my husband's physicians that my husband's health problems late in life were completely unrelated to his diet or any diet," she told the Journal.

Last month, Veronica Atkins demanded an apology from Mayor Michael Bloomberg after Bloomberg called her late husband "fat."

In April 2002, Atkins issued a statement saying he was recovering from cardiac arrest related to a heart infection he had suffered from "for a few years." He said it was "in no way related to diet."

The Associated Press

Die lekkerste ding van Afrikaans praat...my baas kan my nie verstaan nie...:haha:

Some of you may know this, but others not. I'd like to raise a glass to the UK legal system today, as I have heard I will retain residence (custody) of my little girl.

The last 6 months of my life was hell, as my Brit ex applied for custody of our 3-year old daughter. The backstabbing and mud-slurring still stings, however throughout the blows my children and I persevered. It was a matter of one step forwards, two steps back....

The Court launched a full investigation, called a 'Section 7 Report', and I have today heard this report came out in my favour. My little princess will remain with her mum.

Our final hearing is listed for the 17th of March, and your prayers will be welcomed. It is a tad premature, but at least now I think the outcome will be positive.

This whole joke costed him £ 28 K

KNOW YOUR HEART ATTACKS

Cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 killer of Americans, yet most people do not know how to recognize a heart attack, a key to surviving it. There are some symptoms that differ in each gender, and some that are seen in both men and women, says Dr. Prediman Shah, director of the Division of Cardiology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. He says classic symptoms include: Squeezing chest pain or pressure; shortness of breath; sweating; tightness in chest; pain spreading to shoulders, neck or arm or jaw; feeling of heartburn or indigestion with or without nausea and vomiting; and, sudden dizziness or brief loss of consciousness. Symptoms more likely to be experienced by women include: indigestion or gas-like pain; dizziness, nausea or vomiting; unexplained weakness or fatigue; discomfort or pain between the shoulder blades; recurring chest discomfort; sense of impending doom. If you experience these symptoms or see someone else do so, call 911 as soon as possible, doctors advise.

WHAT TO DO DURING A HEART ATTACK
When you feel the symptoms of a heart attack, call 911 for help while there is still time to minimize damage to the heart. Dr. Prediman Shah of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center cautions against wasting time trying to reach your own doctor and urges dialing the emergency number instead. In the first few hours after an attack, you run a high risk of developing irregular heartbeats, called sudden fatal arrhythmia, and only ambulances with fire department personnel or paramedics are equipped to revive you should your heart suddenly stop beating. As soon as the call is made, chew one aspirin. "Most heart attacks are caused by blood clots in the arteries, and aspirin reduces the growth of these clots," Shah says. If the patient is not breathing, start cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR. Once at the hospital, doctors will quickly diagnose the problem and attempt to get the blocked artery opened as quickly as possible, Shah says.

CHRONIC FATIGUE AFFECTS MANY

Chronic fatigue syndrome, a serious medical problem, is marked by severe and relentless tiredness and at times flu-like symptoms, pain and memory problems. The cause remains unknown. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates the disease affects up to a half-million Americans. There is no cure, but practitioners of oriental medicine say they have several techniques to manage the symptoms, provided they are administered by a licensed acupuncturist. A combination of acupuncture, Chinese herbs and lifestyle changes including diet, exercise, rest and meditation can be used to strengthen the immune system and revitalize the body, scientists say.

Yahoo is good too, they have a lot more memory - 6mb whereas hotmail only has 2mb. :wall: and no spam!

I think I have read only one other John Grisham book from cover to cover..... but I own quite a few! Shane bought me this book last week and I started it on Friday night.... couldnt put it down and finished it earlier today.

The back cover is as follows:

In 1970, one of Mississippi's more colourful weekly newspapers, The Ford County Times, went bankrupt. To the surprise and dismay of many, ownership was assumed by a 23 year old college drop out, named Willie Traynor. The future of the paper looked grim until a young mother was brutally raped and murdered by a member of the notorious Padgitt family. Willie Traynor reported all the gruesome details, and his newspaper began to prosper.

The murderer, Danny Padgitt, was tried before a packed courtroom in Clanton, Mississippi. The trial came to a startling and dramatic end when the defendant threatened revenge agaist the jurors if they convicted him. Nevertheless, they found him guilty, and he was sentenced to life in prison.

But in Mississippi in 1970, 'life' didnt necessarily mean 'life', and nine years later Danny Padgitt managed to get himself paroled. He returned to Ford County, and the retribution began.

********

I could not put this book down - perhaps it was the fact that it was fiction and I have read so many non-fiction books of late, but eitherway - it was a really good read.......

Serves 4

Gluten Wheat Dairy free



Ingredients

1.8 kg/4lb fresh Mussels (in shell), cleaned
1 Onion, chopped
1 stick Celery, finely sliced or chopped
2 tbsp Freshly chopped Parsley
Salt and Pepper
240ml/8fl.oz. Dry White Wine




Instructions


1. Important - throw away any mussels which are not closed or which do not close when tapped. Set aside.

2. Place the onion, celery, parsley, salt, pepper and white wine in a very large saucepan and bring to the boil over a high heat.

3. Add the prepared mussels, cover the pan and cook for a few minutes, shaking the pan from time to time, until the mussels are all opened.

4. Transfer the mussels and cooking liquor to individual deep bowls, discarding any mussels which have failed to open, and serve immediately with Belgian Fries
Belgian Fries Veg HT ACC Belgian 30mins



Also called French Fries

Serves 4-6

Vegan Dairy Wheat Gluten Free
Ingredients

900g/2lb Potatoes e.g. Maris Piper or King Edward, Disiree
Oil for deep frying
Salt

Instructions

1. Preheat the deep fat fryer to 160C/320F. **** the potatoes then cut into slices 1cm/just under 1/2 inch thick. Cut the slices into chips/fries 1cm/just under 1/2 inch thick.

2. Place the chips in a colander and rinse well under cold running water then drain and dry well on kitchen paper.

3. Place the chips if the basket, lower into the oil, cover the fryer and fry for 8-10 minutes until softened but not coloured. You may have to do this in batches depending on the size of your fryer.

4. Remove from the fryer and shake the basket to drain well. Set aside covered with kitchen paper for up to 30 minutes.

5. Turn the deep fat fryer up to 190C/375F making sure it has reached this temperature.

6. Fry the chips again, in batches if necessary, for 3-5 minutes or until crisp and golden. Do not cover the pan when frying the 2nd time.

7. To serve - drain well on kitchen paper, season with salt and serve immediately. For an authentic Belgian taste, serve with mayonnaise (not vinegar) or with Belgian Mussels.

(out of the sunday magazine)

How many of you have High Blood Pressure and do you take any medication for it?

since arriving here in the UK.....

We have indeed been blessed with a good inning and i want to share with u all what travelling we have managed to do with a child in a wheelcair......:thumbs:

I will start.....

The first yr we visited the Far East, did Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand, then spent Xmas in the Algarve, Portugal,
The following yr we did Mediterranean cruise, visited Italy (Venice, Rome, Sorrento, the Amalfi Coast), Spain (Barcelona), Greece (Athens, some small islands), France (Monte Carlo},
We then did Madeira, Cyprus, Orlando (Florida), Switzerland),
We did a trip to Australia, part business and part pleasure, went to Perth, Cairns - visited the Great Barrier Reef, and also visited Sydney,
We then did small trips to Dublin, the Lake District, trips to London,
We then did a Caribbean Cruise, starting from Fort Lauderdale, did the Eastern Caribbean, starting from Port Everglades, visiting St Thomas, St Maarten etc, then the following week did the Western Caribbean, visiting Grand Cayman Islands,Costa Maya & Cozumel (Mexico), stunning trip,
Last yr did Cornwall, Amsterdam and did the Kruger National Park,

This yr doing the Alaskan Cruise and visiting the Canadian
Rockies,

and in between all these trips have been fortunate to visit South Africa once a yr... Gosh i am amazed at how much we have covered....and plan to do more.....

To start of with here is the track listing:

BAT OUT OF HELL
YOU TOOK THE WORDS RIGHT OUT OF MY MOUTH (HOT SUMMER NIGHT)
HEAVEN CAN WAIT
ALL REVVED UP WITH NO PLACE TO GO
TWO OUT OF THREE AIN'T BAD
PARADISE BY THE DASHBOARD LIGHT
FOR CRYING OUT LOUD

Compliments of:

http://www.geocities.com/Pipeline/Dropzo...tloaf.html

Where you'll also find a short bio on the man himself.

So what track does it for you or is it the album as a whole, or do you despise it and think of it as the work of a devil ??? All thoughts and opinions are welcome as long as they abide by the rules of the boards.

To me the whole album can be summed up in my all-time Meat Loaf (or is that spelt Meatloaf ? Please see / vote in my poll...)favourite track "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" which has the power of a ballad and all the rockiness it needs to be a great hit and the live versions are a sight to behold but most of all I love the baseball commentary which describes the whole song and album in a few seconds....

Thoughts and opinions please