21. september 2003

British government warns against Atkins diet The British Food Standards Society enters the fat wars by warning against low-carbohydrate diets like the famous Atkins diet. In Britain as in the US there have been reports of declining sales in rice and pasta and corresponding increases in sales of fatty foods like cheese and meat. While there are arguments and experts on both sides, a number of nutritionists are now warning against the trend. ‘Low-carbohydrate’ diets in particular have had a lot of publicity recently. These diets usually involve cutting out starchy foods altogether. It’s a common misconception that starchy foods are fattening – actually they contain less than half the calories of fat. And starchy foods are an essential part of a healthy balanced diet. Cutting out starchy foods, or any food group, can be bad for your health because you could be missing out on a range of nutrients. This type of diet also tends to be unrealistic and dull, and not palatable enough to be tolerated for a long time. Low-carbohydrate diets tend to be high in fat, too, and eating a diet that is high in fat (especially saturated fat from foods such as meat, cheese, butter and cakes) could increase your chances of developing coronary heart disease. High-fat diets are also associated with obesity, which is currently increasing in the UK. People who are obese are more likely to develop conditions such as diabetes and some cancers. Low-carbohydrate diets also restrict the amount of fruit and veg you eat, but these foods provide lots of different vitamins and minerals, as well as fibre, which are vital for good health. Eating plenty of fruit and veg can also help to protect us against heart disease and some types of cancer. So, to stay healthy, we should all be trying to eat at least five portions of fruit and veg a day, whether they are fresh, frozen, canned, dried or juiced. The Observer has more. I have earlier written about the Atkins diet here (positively) and here (more critically). 11:12:56 PM    comment []  trackback []

Wesley Clark, the man who almost started World War III? With impeccable timing and solid fanfare former Supreme Commander of NATO, four-star General Wesley Clark joined the field of democratic hopefuls gunning for the US Presidency. For a party considered soft on defence and security, a former four-star general, and a man taking four viet cong bullets in his body in Viet Nam, sounds like a godsend. Particularly as the general has consistently been opposed to the war in Iraq, an issue that seems to gain popularity in the US at present. Wesley Clark was the General who won the Kosovo war without the allies taking a single battle casualty, and who was subsequently sacked by his Pentagon bosses. His style obviously made him quite a few enemies in Pentagon, but that doesn't necessarily count against him in the American population. There is one episode from the war that will be retold again and again in the coming campaign, I am sure, and it will be spun for what it is worth. At the end of the Kosovo war, when NATO ground troops went into Kosovo, they were surprised when Russian forces had already taken the Pristina airport, and were preparing it for further reinforcements from Russia. Russia had opposed the war, but were now leaning heavily on Milosevic to give up the war. Apparently, they planned to set up a Russian enclave in liberated Kosovo, maybe to make sure the Serb civilians did not suffer persecution from vengeful Kosovars. Welsey Clark was enraged, and gave a direct order to the British paratroopers to take the airport by force. The British commander General Michael Jackson refused, telling Clark, "I am not going to start the Third World War for you." Both Clark and Jackson apparently went to their superiours for support. London supported Jackson. Washington DC did not support Wesley Clark. Neither did President Clinton, who still is Clark's friend, stand up for him when Pentagon later fired him. As it were, the Russians backed off their plan for occupying parts of Kosovo, and in fact were instrumental in convincing the Serbs to give up, ending the war. The Serbs were now tired of Milosevic and his wars, and sent him off to Haag to stand trial for crimes against humanity. The man who beat Milosevic, Wesley Clark, a general who earned a name as "the ultimate perfumed prince" as well as being known for ruthless and sometimes brutal aerial warfare, is now running for the US presidency. If there is one thing in Clark's favour, it is that he is singularly loathed by the far left and the far right. The former say he is a war criminal, the latter say he is the new Clinton, but this time with a war record. Both sides make use of the Pristina airport episode. But then again, fictious documentarist Michael Moore supports Clark. An embrace from the man who condemned the US war in Kosovo should give room for pause. 10:22:13 PM    comment []  trackback []

Al-Aqsa terrorists kill each other In what appears to be an internal turf war in the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, two militants have been killed. "The officials said one gunman - apparently a local leader of the group - was killed during the battle on Saturday. The other was wounded and taken to hospital, where he was subsequently shot dead by other gunmen. The exact motive for the killings remains unclear, but the officials said they believed it involved a dispute between two rival factions over control of the group." A promising start. 7:14:19 PM    comment []  trackback []

Bill Gates gives $168M to fight malaria Bill Gates has donated $168M to fund research battling malaria. Malaria is still one of the world's deadliest diseases and the main cause of death in sub-saharan Africa, even if Aids has been grabbing more headlines. 6:08:28 PM    comment []  trackback []

Searches we like to see Somebody googled me for crackpot scientific theories, and I am happy to note that found a prominent placing for my short article Why skeptics should debunk crackpot ideas. The topmost hit for that search was also a very interesting page, a collection of excellent Usenet postings starting with Russell Turpin's Characterization of quack theories. A very good overview of what distinguishes good science from pseudoscience and quack ideas. PS: If anyone you know uses the term "paradigm" a lot, send him this page. 5:43:03 AM    comment []  trackback []

Swords, Uma Thurman and Tarantino Quentin Tarantino's long-awaited next movie, Kill Bill, will come in two parts, the first to be released October 10, and part two in February. And that is not the only thing that reminds me about the Matrix. See the trailer, and you know why I eagerly await this movie. I wonder if we'll see more multiple-part "to be continued" motion pictures in the future. I think we will, at least until the first such movie bombs badly. 3:22:00 AM    comment []  trackback []

© Copyright 2003 Jan Haugland. Last update: 01.10.2003; 02:25:05.