Friday, December 31, 2010

Healthy diet can prolong life, study finds


Healthy eating really can help people live longer, new research has shown.
Healthy diet can prolong life,

A study comparing the diets of 2,500 older Americans found that "high fat" individuals were 40 per cent more likely to die over ten years than those who preferred "healthy foods".

The researchers defined a "healthy foods" diet as one which contained more low-fat dairy products, fruit, whole grains, poultry, fish and vegetables.

It was also characterised by a lower consumption of meat, fried foods, sweets, high-calorie drinks and added fat.

Scientists divided the food preferences of participants, aged between 70 and 79, into six different dietary "clusters".

These were classified as "healthy foods", "high-fat dairy products", "meat, fried foods and alcohol", "breakfast cereal", "refined grains," and "sweets and desserts".

The "high fat dairy products" category had higher intakes of foods such as ice cream, cheese, whole milk and yoghurt, and lower consumption of poultry, low-fat dairy products, rice and pasta.

A 37 per cent higher risk of dying was associated with the "sweets and desserts" cluster, and a 21 per cent increased risk with the "meat, fried foods and alcohol" cluster.

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Organ donation 'prompt' piloted


Organ donation 'prompt' pilotedAnyone applying for a driving licence from July will be required to answer a question regarding organ donation under a scheme being brought in by the Government.
Organ donation 'prompt' piloted Enlarge photo

The prompted choice system will make would-be drivers state if they want to sign up to the NHS Organ Donor Register or defer a decision until a later date.

It is hoped the DVLA pilot scheme will boost the numbers of those willing to give vital body parts to help others live in the case of their own death.

Under the current system, applicants can skip over a question on donation when applying for a driving licence.

But the new regime will require that they opt to either register for donation, confirm that they have already signed up or state: "I do not want to answer this question now."

At present, only 27% of people in the UK are registered donors - but studies have shown that a far larger proportion are in favour of donating body parts.

Getting more people to sign-up could save the lives of some of the 8,000 people in the UK currently waiting for a transplant.

Prompted choice schemes in the US have seen a bump in registrations. In the state of Illinois, the percentage of donors has increased from 38% to 60% since 2008 following the introduction of a similar initiative.

Road Safety Minister Mike Penning said: "I fully support this initiative to encourage more people to register as organ donors.

"The DVLA's driving licence application is already the most common route used by people to register as an organ donor and this pilot should help further boost the numbers."

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CBI: UK in for 'bumpy' 2011


CBI: UK in for 'bumpy' 2011Britain faces a rough economic start to next year, but growth should pick by the end of 2011, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has argued.

CBI director-general Richard Lambert used his new year's message to warn of a "volatile" economic outlook for the first half of the year.

He said: "There are bumpy times ahead for businesses in Britain. Travelling around the country, I find that many people are positive about current trading conditions – but extremely uncertain about what the new year might bring.

"And that's understandable, because the economic and political outlook both seem volatile over the short term."

In remarks that will be viewed with dismay by ministers hoping for rapid recovery, Mr Lambert argued that a combination of the VAT increase due to come into force tomorrow with the first impacts of public sector cuts will slam the brakes on growth.

But would not cause the much-feared 'double dip' recession, he added.

The head of the lobby group also warned that political uncertainties would add to Britain's economic doldrums in the first half of the year.

Mr Lambert continued: "Spring will bring local authority elections in England, national elections in Scotland and Wales, and the promised referendum on voting reform. At the same time, welfare cuts will be starting to bite.

"You can easily imagine the screaming news headlines: about the threat of a double-dip recession; about strains on the coalition government; about protests in the streets.

"All this will be playing out against the background of continuing turmoil in the Eurozone. The direct exposure of our banks to the most troubled countries is quite modest.

"But recovery prospects in the UK would certainly be damaged if the contagion were to spread across our major trading partners in the European Union."

The government can however take some heart from the CBI's caveats on its gloomy predictions.

Although Mr Lambert warned of rocky and unimpressive growth in 2011, he claimed that private sector businesses are beginning to recover confidence in the wake of the recession and would be more able to help drive recovery from the end of next year in spite of public sector cuts.

The CBI predicts overall growth of two per cent next year and 2.4% in 2012, figures which, Mr Lambert said, would be "enough to keep unemployment under control and the public finances on track".

He ended on a positive note about the UK's long term economic prospects, adding: "The good news here is that export orders are strengthening, and our surveys of investment intentions in both the manufacturing and services sector are also picking up sharply from a low base.

"After three years in which the emphasis has been heavily concentrated on cost cutting, business people are once more beginning to think about growth.

"It all comes down to confidence. Of course there are lots of risks and uncertainties ahead, especially in the next few months. But with company balance sheets in reasonable shape and interest rates staying low, 2011 could also be a year of opportunity.

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Australian PM Pledges Aid For Flood-Hit Area


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Australian PM Pledges Aid For Flood-Hit Area


Residents hit by dramatic floods in Queensland will be eligible for disaster relief money, Australia's prime minister has said as she visited the affected area. Skip related content
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Heavy rains battered the state for several days and river levels have continued to rise, leading to water covering an area larger than France and Germany combined.

Some of the 200,000 people who live in the region have been forced to leave their homes and the military has sent planes to fly drop supplies into towns.

Julia Gillard, the prime minister, visited an evacuation centre and said families whose homes had been damaged could be in line for payments of 1,000 Australian dollars per adult (around £660) and 400 dollars per child.

She also said the federal government would give 1m dollars to an emergency fund started by the local government in Queensland.

Ms Gillard spoke to residents in Bundaberg and hugged one resident as she described watching a "sea of water" surge through her house.

Two towns have already been evacuated and a third, Rockhampton, is braced for flood levels to reach 31 feed (9.4 metres) next week. The roads may close at the weekend.

In the town of Emerald, around 1,000 of the 11,000 residents have already been forced to leave their homes.

Affected areas are suffering food shortages and power cuts. There are also concerns over water contamination.

Queensland premier Anna Bligh said: "Authorities think there will be a very large group of people who will be homeless in the next 24 hours."

She continued: "We now have three major river systems in flood; we have 17 evacuation centres active; we have more than 1,000 people in those evacuation centres and many more thousands staying with relatives and friends."

Northeastern Australia is often hit by heavy rainfall during the summer but the extent of the damage this year has been considered particularly severe.

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Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Guy Makes Race Car Sounds While Sedated

Guy Makes Race Car Sounds While Sedated
Guy Makes Race Car Sounds While Sedated

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Aretha Franklin is alive, Web rumors wrong




Aretha Franklin has not died, contrary to rumors rocketing across the Internet, a source close to the singer told the Free Press late Monday.




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The Detroit singer, who has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, is "home, alive and recovering," said the source, who requested anonymity because of sensitivity about Franklin's health.

Rumors that Franklin had died began simmering online Monday, hitting a frenzy tonight on Twitter and other social media.

False celebrity death reports pop up frequently on Twitter, with celebrities such as Morgan Freeman and Bill Cosby among the recent targets. In Franklin's case, the Monday mixup may have been spawned by legitimate reports about the death of singer Teena Marie, who was frequently described as the Ivory Queen of Soul.

Franklin is known as the Queen of Soul.

Franklin has been in and out of Detroit hospitals several times since the late summer, canceling all concert appearances and staying out of the public eye. She has offered minimal comment since news of the pancreatic cancer emerged in early December.




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