Researchers at the Institute of Preventative Medicine in Copenhagen have found that women with wider hips appear to be protected against most heart conditions. According to the report published by BBC Online, women with a hip measurement smaller than 40 inches (size 14) would not have this protection. The researchers say hip fat contains a beneficial natural anti-inflammatory. According to the researchers, this anti-inflammatory, called adiponectin, prevents arteries from swelling up and becoming blocked.
The Danish researchers examined almost 3,000 men and women aged between 35 and 65 from 1987 to 1988. They measured height, weight and body mass index calculated by dividing weight in kilograms by the square of your height in metres. They then examined Danish health registers from the end of 1998 to see how many of the men and women had cardiovascular problems, and up to 2001 to see how many had died. Compared to the group of women with the smallest hip circumferences, women with the biggest were found to have an 87 percent reduction in deaths. The women also showed an 86 percent reduced risk of having coronary heart disease and a 46 percent reduction in the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, according to the researchers. Previous studies have found both men and women with small hips are at an increased risk of developing diabetes, high blood pressure and gall bladder disease. However the study found a wider hip circumference was not linked with better heart health in men. The studys chief, Professor Berit Heitmann, said, It seems that the protection is not a matter of wide hips, its the detrimental effect of narrow hips with a lack of muscle fat, or bone or a combination of both. Fat on hips is different from the fat on the abdomen. If you do not have enough of this fat, you may risk heart attacks.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/12/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Curvier than Karen Carpenter, but less curvy than Mama Cass. This study has only addressed the waist and hip dimensions; what's the effect of the bust measurement? Maybe by the time the effect on longevity shows up the curvier busts have sagged down to the waist and are counted there? (And the curviEST ones get counted with the hips?)
#3
They've known for a long time that people with "apple" shaped bodies are more prone to heart attack than those with "pear" shaped bodies.
But even more recently they've discovered a few genes that seem to be responsible for most "inflammation" diseases, from arthritis to Crone's disease, irritable bowel, and a lot of cardiopulmonary diseases.
Hugo Chavez, the Venezuelan president, has told his supporters to give away possessions they do not need as he wants only true socialists to be members of a new, single party he is forming. "Whoever has a fridge they do not need, put it out in the village square. Whoever has a truck, a fan or a cooker they do not need, give something away. Let's not be selfish. I demand you do it," Mr Chavez said at a milk producing co-operative.
Mr Chavez, who calls capitalism an evil, said he would donate £127,000 of his millions and millions of dollars of his own money and added, "Let's see who follows the example."
The president, who calls the Cuban leader Fidel Castro his mentor, denies he is turning the OPEC nation of avid consumers into another communist state, as his critics say. But since coming to power in 1999, Mr Chavez has proposed increasingly radical steps to drive Venezuela toward a socialist state and, after a landslide re-election last year, he declared himself a communist for the first time. Mr Chavez, who rules by decree, has focused his political ambitions this year on forming a single party from the hodge-podge of affiliations that have supported him in what he says is his crusade against United States' imperialism.
Officials say millions of followers have signed up to be members of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela that Mr Chavez plans to use as a platform to govern for decades. "If I were to end up with only five people signing up out of those five million, I'd be happier," Mr Chavez said. "I only want to be accompanied by true socialists." Opponents of Mr Chavez complain that his constant railing against American-promoted consumerism contrasts with the behaviour of senior government officials who can be seen at fancy restaurants or riding around in expensive cars.
#5
Opponents of Mr Chavez complain that his constant railing against American-promoted consumerism contrasts with the behaviour of senior government officials who can be seen at fancy restaurants or riding around in expensive cars.
I am Miriam Abacha, the widow of the recently deceased president of Nigeria. I must confess I am a long time admirer from afar who has become overwhelmed with emotion and the spirit of charity after hearing your speech. I would like to donate the sum of $5 million ($5,000,000) USD of my former husband's egg money to your wonderful cause. Please provide your personal bank account information and I will transfer the said monies posthaste.
Your admirer and supporter,
Miriam Abacha
Posted by: ed ||
06/12/2007 9:47 Comments ||
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#7
Oh, this will really win him friends in his party.
The kind of friends that put a bullet in the back of your head....
Serbian prime minister Vojislav Kostunica on Monday sharply criticised United States president George W. Bush for supporting independence of Serbia's breakaway Kosovo province, saying he can't give away what does not belong to him. "America has the right to support other states and peoples in accordance with its interests, but not by giving away as a gift something that isnt its property," Kostunica told journalists in Belgrade."America must find another way of expressing its sympathies and love towards Albanians, instead of handing them Serbian territories," he added.
Kostunica said Serbia would never give up Kosovo and warned that the US has made "enough mistakes for the past and this century by bombing Serbia. A new mistake in the form of Kosovo's independence would be another injustice and display of force which the Serbian people would not forget," he added.
During a visit to Albania on Sunday, Bush said the US supported independence for Kosovo, as demanded by most of its 90 percent ethnic Albanian majority, and urged other countries to do the same. "At some point in time, sooner rather than later, you've got to say enough is enough, Kosovo is independent," he told a news conference in Tirana.
Most western countries support Kosovo's independence, but a plan by the chief United Nations negotiator Martti Ahtisaari has run into trouble in the UN Security Council because Russia has threatened to use its veto power to block the move, unless Serbs agreed to it.
Kosovo has been under UN control since 1999, after NATO bombing pushed Serbian forces out of the province amid reports of gross human rights violations and a mass exodus of ethnic Albanians. Belgrade remains staunchly opposed to independence, but the Kosovar government last week invited Kosovars to come up with designs for new state symbols.
Bush said in Tirana he was "worried about (ethnic Albanians) expectations not being met" because of Russian opposition. Kostunica flew to Saint Petersburg on Saturday to get reassurances from Russian president Vladimir Putin that Moscows position has remained unchanged. Once again the identical stands of Serbia and Russia regarding Kosovo has been confirmed, Kostunica said after the meeting.
Bush is expected to try to soften Russian position at a meeting with Putin next month, but Kosovo Albanian language media hailed Bushs remarks as a guarantee for Kosovo's independence. Prime minister Agim Ceku called on ethnic Albanians to remain calm, saying time was on their side. "In a way, Bush has proclaimed Kosovo's independence, he said.
The only realistic, pragmatic and possible solution is Kosovo's independence and the time for such a decision has come, Ceku added.
In contrast to the jublilation in Pristina, Serbian press and political analysts agreed there was nothing new in Bush's Tirana speech, because the American position on Kosovo has been known for some time. Apart from "pleasing Albanian ears," Bushs statement was viewed in Belgrade as an act of desperation because things were not moving as smoothly as expected and upping of the pressure on Moscow to change its position.
#1
When Bosnia received status, leaders prohibited construction of Christian churches. The last thing that Europe needs is another Islamic state. Already, Albania has become the major staging point for heroin transfers from Central Asia. Leaders indulge drug sales because these undermine "disbeliever" societies. Outside of Serb control, Kosovo will become a dagger aimed at the heart of Eastern Europe.
Hopefully, bi-partisan forces will emerge to challenge the President's insane Kosovo policy.
#2
Then after the President does his Kosovo giveaway trip, he comes back home to work some more sweet deals with our money to Senators for the Am-Nasty Immigration Bill, V1.x.
Color me cynical, to say it mildly.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
06/12/2007 11:58 Comments ||
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#3
I hope Bush sees defeat on both of these issues. Did he go insane?
#4
The President appears to be coasting to liberal bi-partisanism. It is important that Republicans stick to the conservative platform. If that means candidates attack their predecessor, then they should go on principle.
Chinese authorities have struggled with recalls after the widespread sale of fake polio vaccines, vitamins and baby formula. China, which has an across-the-board problem with food and drug safety, has come under growing pressure from the United States and the European Union to improve inspections of exports. Last month, the country's former top drug regulator was sentenced to death for taking bribes to approve substandard medicines, including an antibiotic blamed for at least 10 deaths.
China said yesterday it was investigating the sale of fake blood protein, a potentially dangerous and widespread practice that underscores the country's problems with product safety. State media reported one death from use of the counterfeits. A shortage of albumin, a blood protein that chronically ill people often lack, triggered a nationwide investigation in March into whether fakes were being sold, China Central Television said.
The report centered on an inquiry in the northeastern province of Jilin, where 59 hospitals and pharmacies were sold more than 2,000 bottles of counterfeit blood protein. It did not say what the products were made of, but said they could "make a patient's condition worsen and could cause death." Seven out of 36 batches of albumin tested by the Jilin Food and Drug Research Institute were found to be bogus, CCTV quoted the institute's deputy director, Xu Fei, as saying. "There was no element of protein, so it could not perform its intended function," Mr. Xu said. "They were through-and-through fakes."
The China Business News said yesterday the State Food and Drug Administration had seized fake blood protein from other provinces and regions including Shanxi, Hubei, Hunan, Ningxia, Qinghai and Chongqing.
Albumin is a primary protein in human plasma that is important in maintaining blood volume. It is used to treat conditions including shock, burns, liver failure and pancreatitis, and is needed by patients undergoing heart surgery.
#1
The report centered on an inquiry in the northeastern province of Jilin, where 59 hospitals and pharmacies were sold more than 2,000 bottles of counterfeit blood protein. It did not say what the products were made of, but said they could "make a patient's condition worsen and could cause death." Seven out of 36 batches of albumin tested by the Jilin Food and Drug Research Institute were found to be bogus, CCTV quoted the institute's deputy director, Xu Fei, as saying. "There was no element of protein, so it could not perform its intended function," Mr. Xu said. "They were through-and-through fakes."
So, "more than 2,000 bottles" of totally fake, not diluted, but fake blood protein is churned out by someone who knows that this can KILL a patient who requires stabilization. How big were those "seven out of 36 batches" that tested negative? I wonder what the real numbers involved actually are. Are we allowing China to ship us ANY medical products? Does our government give a damn? Rest assured of one thing, this is only the iceberg's tip.
Meanwhile, food industry representatives are battling to defeat COOL (Country Of Origin Labeling) for food products sold in America.
J Patrick Boyle, president and chief executive officer of the AMI, and letter author, said that it was well known that all imported meat and poultry products are subject to re-inspection and every box of product is recorded and accounted for by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).
"Unfortunately, some groups have public policy positions supporting mandatory county-of-origin labeling for red meat that are solely for the purpose of erecting trade barriers, especially directed at Canada and Mexico - our two largest export markets for red meat."
The letter is in response to correspondence from Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund (F-Calf), which claimed that consumers cannot rely on current government operations to protect imported food safety, and that origin labeling should be introduced immediately.
[snip]
Mandatory country-of-origin labeling was approved by Congress in 2002 and has been implemented successfully for seafood, while its application to other food groups has been delayed.
[emphasis added]
Your government tax dollars NOT at work. Expect a firestorm to begin brewing over this blatant disregard for the public's health and safety. If this system has worked for seafood (read: dolphin safe tuna and other environmentalist pet projects), then there is no reason that it cannot be implemented on a wider scale. If anything, an excise tax upon Chinese imports, pending China upgrading its inspection system to proper complaince levels, should be used to fund the entire project.
#2
I thought you'd appreciate this properly, Zenster dear. But if China doesn't improve internal controls, and it seems to me that it'll be at least a generation before the society is capable of enforcing honesty like that, the EU and the US at least will have to test all products coming from there because our citizenry will not accept being killed by bad product. Look at the way American pet food manufacturers responded to a contaminated raw material in pet food, for goodness sake! If the governments don't inspect and certify, the manufacturers and distributors certainly will -- when people die, companies can go under. Remember that toxic shock scare back in the 1980's? The manufacturer ended up shutting down the entire line and got out of the business altogether, even though the only death was due to an idiot girl who'd left the tampon in for literally days (seriously ick!), and not because the product was at fault.
#3
Thank you very much for the contribution, trailing wife. I'm glad to see that others are following China's low level industrial jihad against America. While Beijing's shenanigans are no doubt worrisome, I feel that this issue brings forward a much more serious concern; Namely, that of a serious conflict of interest within our own government.
I continue to maintain that the Bush administration's reluctance to prosecute China over these repeated and numerous trade violations stems from how the republican party's campaign contributor base derives a substantial portion of its revenue from resale of cheap Chinese merchandise to America's consumers. Make no mistake that a sufficient number of democrat pols feed at Uncle's Mao's all-you-can-eat cheap labor trough, too.
However, it is this administration which has seen the spectaular rise in both our Sino-American trade deficit and a massive upswing in defective, tainted and just plain dangerous Chinese goods being imported into the USA. When this is combined with Beijing's persistent triangulation against American interests in the Middle East, Taiwan and on the Korean peninsula there emerges a much more serious issue of the Bush administration facilitatingor at least maintaining a policy of benign neglectwith respect to the serious threat posed by communist China.
A more key issue is that of our government in general. Current lack of enthusiasm on the part of our politicians regarding the COOL (Country Of Origin Labeling), foodstuff labeling finds some pretty strong parallels in the immigration bill and its deleterious effects upon America's lawful citizens. There seems to be a pervasive give-a-shit attitude towards the American electorate by its government. This elitist mentality needs to be rewarded with a profound drubbing at the polls. Sadly, right now the democratsall by themselvespose such a threat to America's security and future that republican pecadillos must almost be overlooked in light of the need to exclude liberal politics from Washington's decision-making path. This is entirely unsatisfactory as a garbled messageat bestwill be sent by such inaction.
#4
You're analyzing above my pay grade, Zenster. ;-) I really don't understand politics any more than I do money. But I've seen from the inside how Fortune 500 consumer companies respond to inadvertently killing customers, and in my limited understanding it seems to me that convulsive response will trump any honest long term sweep-of-history -- or dishonest $$$-in-an-envelope -- political and bureaucratic refusal to change the status quo. The key, as I see it, is the cascade of revelations about deadly products and ingredients coming out of China's manufacturies.
#5
The solution to fake and dangerous food and drug products from the PRC is to ban them. THAT will get their attention. They have violated a sacred trust, so they get shut out of the action. If they want to retailate, great. That would be the US govt protecting its citizens. If the PRC tries to go around the ban by transshipping to other countries, we cut them out, too. There has to be a price for this kind of dealing. If the Chicoms want to do it to their own people, that is their cullllllllllltural thing. Just not with us.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
06/12/2007 23:07 Comments ||
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#6
I honestly think government banning won't be much needed, Aalska Paul, because American and European companies so jealously guard their reputations for quality that they'll soon discontinue purchasing from any Chinese company incapable -- for whatever reason -- of consistently delivering exactly what was contracted for. I know of Western suppliers cut off for delivering materials slightly out of spec, and I know the big pet food manufacturers were livid about the contaminated ingredient that sickened and killed cats and dogs not long ago. I'd bet big bucks, were I betting woman, that by the time the FDA and whoever else start to move on this, most of the affected trade with China will have been shut down by the purchasers.
#7
PIMF, darn it! I forgot to close the HTML thingy that italicized the word "Western", which really reduces the effectiveness of the attempted emphasis.
Anyway, to follow up on that last, Alaska Paul, I do think the FDA and other regulatory agencies should indeed get involved as a matter of principal, but I think natural market forces will erase most of the problem... which will lead to a cascade of problems for China, but that's part of the whole "learning from consequences" thingy that's so salutory, in a very painful way. ;-)
Lobbyists have thrown plans for more transparency in EU policymaking into doubt, saying yesterday they may not join a registry giving details of how they seek to influence decisions by Brussels. It is estimated there are up to 15,000 lobbyists in the Belgian capital, where the European Commission proposes new laws for adoption by the European Parliament and EU member countries that affect the 490 million people living in the 27-nation bloc. Many are public relations firms and it is not always clear who their clients are and how much money they spend.
The EU anti-fraud commissioner, Siim Kallas, has asked lobbyists, non-governmental organisations and law firms to register voluntarily from next year who they represent, their lobbying objectives and fees. But the Society of European Affairs Professionals (SEAP) said yesterday the initiative failed to define lobbying clearly and ignored client and commercial confidentiality. Catherine Stewart, its vice-president, said: "There is a fundamental misconception that money equals influence. The commission should have more rigorous requirements otherwise it is open to the cowboys."
The commissioner will give the voluntary system - which would include an industry code of conduct - a chance before considering a mandatory regime. Olivier Hoedeman, of the Corporate Europe Observatory, said many SEAP members were part of US public affairs groups that comply with a US mandatory system.
BAGHDAD - Iraqs parliament voted on Monday to replace speaker Mahmoud Al Mashhadani because of his rude behaviour towards deputies, officials said. The removal of Mashhadani, a member of Iraqs minority Sunni Arab sect, was unlikely to have any effect on the government of Shia Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki or on the delicate powersharing system between Sunni Arabs, Kurds and Shia s.
But it comes at a time when parliament is under pressure from Washington to pass oil revenue-sharing and provincial elections laws aimed at drawing minority Sunni Arabs more firmly into the political process.
Mashhadanis Shia deputy will be acting speaker until a successor is found.
The outspoken Mashhadani was often involved in televised shouting matches with members of parliament and lawmakers had complained he was being disrespectful. He is considered a moderate politician who has called on Sunni insurgents to join in dialogue with the government, and urged parties in the fractious Shia -led ruling coalition to start talking the same language. But Sunni Arab lawmakers criticised him for speaking out against Sunni hardliners in parliament.
Mashhadani was fit to be tied not immediately available for comment.
Lawmakers, including those from Sunni Arab political parties, voted to give Mashhadani one weeks leave while the Accordance Front, the biggest Sunni Arab bloc in parliament, finds a successor, a parliamentary official said. The official, who asked for anonymity, said 113 of the 168 members at Mondays session had voted to remove Mashhadani. We got fed up with his rude behavior, he said, when asked what had triggered Mashhadanis sacking.
Members of parliament said the final straw came on Sunday, when Mashhadanis bodyguards pushed Feryad Mohammed, a Turkmen deputy, as he was walking down a corridor in parliament. When Mohammed complained to Mashhadani, the speaker dismissed him out of hand, they said. Mohammed took the matter to other colleagues who called for Mashhadanis removal.
The Accordance Front met on Sunday and we decided to ask him to resign. Other members including ours were really getting angry at him, an Accordance Front official told Reuters.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/12/2007 00:00 ||
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#2
Silly me. And here I thought they might be addressing how capping Islam's leadership might save untold thousands of lives. Sure enough, snuffing murderous gangsters helps reduce the death toll, but we need to go after those who seek to kill MILLIONS, not just a handful here and there.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
BAGHDAD - Iraqs parliament voted on Monday to replace speaker 
