Mount Everest ..

Today in History 29 May 1953…

George Everest was the first British surveyor to map the area of Mount Everest; therefore, it is named after him.
The world's highest peak was summited for the first time, by New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Nepalese Sherpa Tenzing Norgay.

Only in Africa...

A historic and once thriving farm in KwaZulu-Natal has been left derelict by its owner…

Transport minister S’bu Ndebele who made headlines for accepting a Mercedes Benz from government contractors bought the Beauliea farm for R1,9 million six years ago on auction.
Ravenor Nicholson, the brother of Judge Chris Nicholson was the former owner…

The farmhouse is now a shell of its former self. Ndebele said he had been unable to attend the farm because he ‘devoted’ all his time to his job as premier and could also not afford to hire a farm manager…

The farm located in Richmond in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands once boasted a dairy farm producing 80 000 litres of milk a day and employed 150 staff- Nicholson also produced oranges, timber and vegetables. The farm had been in the Nicholson family for 153 years. He said he found the state of the farm ‘deeply disappointing’

Dilapidated buildings and rusted agricultural implements scatter the property. However Ndebele told the Sunday Times that when he bought the farm ‘it’ had already collapsed and that is why it was on auction…

'Ndebele told us our misery would be over…'We’re very sad at the current state of this farm' said a farm worker who declined to be named…
Neighbouring farmers have expressed disappointment saying the state of the farm is devaluing neighbouring properties…

The farm’s once abundant fields are now choked with weeds -Vandals have trashed the farms two homesteads..

Ndebele said he was ‘happy to have an investment in property’ and ‘happy to pay the bond’ and would attend to the farm when his political career was over…

The award-winning property once feature in Home and Garden magazines in the past… (Time Magazine)

MEDTRONIC PACEMAKER FAILURES

In a letter to physicians, Medtronic Inc. has warned that nearly 37,000 of its pacemakers, produced late 1990s onwards, could possibly have wiring defects due to which a malfunctioning of the medical equipment is quite possible.

Saying that almost 1.7 million of the pacemakers have been implanted since 1997, as per the company estimates, Medtronic added that it has received two reports of fatal cases in which malfunctioned pacemakers likely played a role.

Referring to the defect, the Fridley-based Medtronic said that it affects a subset of its Kappa and Sigma pacemakers, thereby leading to either a failure of timely response from the device or causes it to run out of battery power.

During a conference call with investors on Tuesday, Medtronic CEO Bill Hawkins said that most of the affected pacemakers had been distributed overseas.

Urging the physicians to consider removing the affected lots of pacemakers especially in cases where patients depend on the device for daily survival, Medtronic has also requested patients to call their doctor instantaneously if they feel faint or lightheaded while on a pacemaker.

American Idols Finale...

OK, I'm going to punish myself TONIGHT and watch this crap finale with my family, knowing the ridiculous outcome.

WOW ... America, that was bizarre!

I must say I'm shocked and in disbelief.

This was the FIRST season of American Idol I STARTED watching and it's all because of ADAM. I was so intrigued with ADAM and his wonderful singing talent that I became obsessed.
I watched the show ONLY to see his performance,
I could have cared less for any of the other contestants (except for Allison).

I'm baffled and I truly now understand why most of my friends didn't watch American Idol; it's a popularity contest for the teeny boppers… don’t ever underestimate their power…

I get it now! I'm am so incredibly disappointed, but I can't wait to buy Adam's DVD/CDs !! ...

American Idol owes you BIG TIME for the new and old viewers that you intrigued.
They made huge money because of YOU and YOU alone!

To me, Adam IS the American Idol regardless of Kris winning. Adam proved again tonight that he is really in a league of his own and you know it's bad news when Kris Allen the Idol winner thinks Adam should have won.....

It looks like it’s not just SA that has an unfair voting scheme; the Americans are REALLY UPSET WITH THE END RESULT!!! Fraud, conspiracy theories and voting schemes are mentioned everywhere!!!

American Idol's system is broken and we all know it by now…

Every site that allowed only 1 vote per contestant had Adam as the clear winner.
Check it out. Go to v o t e n u m b e r 1 . c o m (no spaces) and you will see that Adam won 64% of the votes with over 9.2 million votes. The only way that Kris could have won was with voting schemes.

Sorry. Nothing against Kris but Adam was robbed, just like Jason…

So it’s not just happening in South Africa with votes being rigged welcome to America’s MAD WORLD!!!
We have two IDOLS this year in South Africa because Grapevine Inc. couldn’t handle nearly 2 million votes in the final.
We had a RECOUNT with our favourite, Jason technically being the IDOL WINNER but now has to share with Sasha-Lee… With the American Idols Top 3 they handled more than 60 million votes, what went wrong in the FINAL???

WHAT A SHAME AMERICAN/SA IDOLS !!!

ADAM YOU ARE THE BEST AMERICAN IDOL EVER !!!

AMERICANS ARE DEMANDING A RECOUNT!!!

AI VOTING SYSTEM = SYSTEM FOR HATERS/CHEATERS/AT&T RIG/AI MONEY MAKING MACHINE. FOLKS IF YOU HAD PROBLEM GETTING VOTES IN IT'S BECAUSE OF THIS: AT&T TALLIES THE VOTES. IF YOU HAVE AN AT&T CELL PHONE YOU'LL GET FIRST PRIORITY TO GO THRU, WHILE TMOBILE/VERSION WILL HAVE BUSY SIGNALS. THIS VOTING SYSTEM IS GEARED FOR WHO'S FANS HAVE MORE AT&T ACCOUNT. THE TEXT VOTE ALONE SHOULD TELL YOU THIS. YOU CAN GET MORE TEXT IN THEN CALLING AND IS NEVER BUSY BUT YOU HAVE TO HAVE AT&T TO TEXT. SO AI VOTING SYSTEM EQUALS SYSTEM TO MAKE MONEY FOR AT&T = RIGGED! IT'S ALL ABOUT THE MONEY. BOYCOTT NEXT SEASON, DON'T WATCH! (American Idols blogs)

Do you all really think it was an unfair voting scheme that beat Adam?

BAYCOL (Cerivastatin) - Cholesterol

I've tried 'statins' in 2000 which caused severe 'acute attacks'!

After an acute attack from using Lipitor 10mg (Atorvastin) I tried...

Baycol 0,2mg (Cerivastatin) which caused a severe Acute attack; I did not finish!

Suffered terrible leg pain and fatigue - I couldn't walk properly for weeks, I was so weak!

FDA NEWS DIGEST AUG 31 2001

Cholesterol-Lowering Drug Baycol Being Withdrawn - after it was disclosed by Bayer that 40 people developed a muscle weakening disease and died as a result of taking Baycol.

The deaths from Baycol were caused by the muscle disease Rhabdomyolysis. The symptoms of Rhabdomyolysis are: muscle pain, muscle weakness, coca-cola colored urine, malaise, fever, nausea and fast heartbeat ...

BAYER PHARMACEUTICAL DIVISION IS voluntarily withdrawing Baycol(Cerivastatin) from the market following reports of sometimes-fatal Rhabdomyolysis, a severe muscle adverse reaction. Baycol was approved in 1997 to treat elevated cholesterol levels.

CHOLESTEROL - PORPHYRIA

I was prescribed Lipitor 10mg (Atorvastatin), HOWEVER I got so sick with a Porphyria attack that the Dr changed the prescription to Baycol (Cerivastatin) which just caused another severe attack. I suffered leg pain and fatigue and couldn’t walk properly for weeks… '

My Dr should have introduced these STATINS ONE AT A TIME and I SHOULD HAVE CEASED THEM IMMEDIATELY WHEN MY ABDOMINAL PAIN STARTED!!

Months later we tried again with Lurselle (Probucol) but stopped as well; it also affected me…
I haven’t tried anything else again; I tried to control my diet better and started exercising again, which helped me tremendously.

LIPITOR is not for everyone. It is not for those with liver problems (Porphyria). Your doctor should do blood tests to check your liver function before treatment.

THE STATINS SHOULD BE CONSIDERED UNSAFE…

There is experimental evidence to suggest that simvastatin induces porphyrin synthesis in both animals and cell culture experiments; we suggest that SIMVASTATIN, PRAVISTATIN and similar compounds be avoided AND are used only where the expected benefit outweighs their risk. (PORPHYRIA SA - UCT)

NAPOS – THE DRUG DATABASE FOR ACUTE PORPHYRIA
Prescribed only on strong or urgent indications. Precautions motivated in all patients.
Lipitor (Atorvastatin) - LIPID MODIFYING AGENT
(PRP) Probably Porphyrinogenic

Follow-up: Son cut pacemaker from Dad's chest with pocket knife...

This is the mobile home where Jesse Fierstine lived in rural Manchester. He was hiding in the adjacent garage when authorities arrested him April 25 on suspicion of assaulting his father. His uncle said Jesse Fierstine suffers from bipolar disorder and was not taking medication at the time of the attack.

The latest news is that Jesse suffers from bipolar disorder according to his uncle and that they don’t hate him; they (family) want help for Jesse, especially his dad, Charles Fierstine, who is recovering from the attack…

Bipolar disorder is caused by an imbalance of brain chemicals called neurotransmitters. It is characterized by extreme mood HIGHS AND LOWS - swings from mania and manic behavior to anger, restlessness to major depression. It’s not just a case of ‘the blues’ or normal up and downs we all experience from too little sleep, too much stress or relationships. They can be psychotic and cannot distinguish reality and may do some very strange things… Their ability to function can result in poor job performance/school and broken relationships. Symptoms do not go away in a week or two and if not treated; the disorder can even result in suicide…

By going after the pacemaker, he might have thought that he was helping his dad in some way, according to his uncle, Jim Fierstine. "I think that was on his mind, but who knows what was going on in there," Jim said. "If he intended to (just) murder him, one good blow to the heart would have done that."

He also said his nephew eagerly helps with chores like mowing and shoveling snow. He also saved an abandoned baby squirrel by having a cat that recently had kittens nurse it, he said. "That," he said, "is the Jesse I know."

If he has a mental illness, it’s definitely something more than bipolar and it doesn’t excuse this terrible act.
The 32 year-old Jesse Fierstine faces an attempted murder charge for the attack on his father.

Happy Birthday JC

HaPpY BiRtHdAy JC - Have a super and blessed day!

Nothing is by chance - everything happens because it has to...

Swine Flu...

WHAT IS SWINE FLU?
Swine Influenza is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza viruses that causes regular outbreaks in pigs. This, swine influenza A (H1N1) is now affecting humans who have not been exposed to pigs. This suggests there might be human-to-human transmission. It is a lot like our seasonal flu. In the past, this transmission was limited and not sustained beyond three people. The mode of transmission is presumably respiratory droplets..

HOW TO PREVENT IT... Similar as flu...
· Hand washing or use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers
· Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth as those as direct entry points for viruses. Viruses can get on your hands when you touch infected objects.
· AVOID close contact with a sick person.

THE SYMPTOMS ARE... Very similar to human flu...
· Cough
· Fever/Chills
· Sore throat
· Fatigue/Body aches
· Decreased appetite
· Less commonly – runny nose, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea

TREATMENT FOR SWINE FLU...
Tamiflu (oseltamivir) work on this virus but it needs to be started in the first 48 hours of symptoms.

Can you get swine flu from taking your Armour Thyroid or Nature-throid -- thyroid medications made from pigs?
No, you should not have any concerns taking their medications.

CDC (Center for Disease Control) has already issued the following statement regarding consumption of pork: Swine influenza viruses are not transmitted by food. You cannot get swine influenza from eating pork or pork products. Eating properly handled and cooked pork and pork products are safe. Cooking pork to an internal temperature of 160°F kills the swine flu virus as it does other bacteria and viruses.

Adam Lambert sing Mad World

Timeline: Viral Pandemics 412BC ...

Timeline: World History of Viral Pandemics: 412BC to 2009

Here's a timeline of all the larger pandemics recorded throughout human history. This timeline is borrowed from the book How to Beat the Bird Flu by Mike Adams. The full book can be purchased in down loadable or hard copy editions at www.TruthPublishing.com.

412 BC – Major epidemic of a disease (which, although not called influenza, probably was influenza) recorded by Hippocrates.

1357 AD – The term, "influenza," from the Italian word meaning "influence," was coined. Popular belief at that time blamed the development of flu on the influence of the stars. 1485 – "Sweating sickness," a flu-like malady, sickens hundreds of thousands of people in Britain. The Lord Mayor of London, his successor and six aldermen die. The Royal Navy cannot leave port due to the sickness of sailors. Doctors prescribe tobacco juice, lime juice, emetics, cathartics and bleeding as treatments for the disease.

1580 – First recorded influenza pandemic begins in Europe and spreads to Asia and Africa.

1700s – Influenza pandemics in 1729-1730, 1732-1733, 1781-1782. 1781 – Major epidemic causing high mortality among the elderly spreads across Russia from Asia.

1830 – Major epidemic causing high mortality among the elderly spreads across Russia from Asia.

1831, 1833-1834 – Influenza pandemics hit.

1847-1848 – Influenza sweeps through the Mediterranean to southern France and then continues across in Western Europe.

1878 – A disease causing high mortality in poultry becomes known as the "fowl plague." Fowl plague is now called HPAI avian influenza.

1889-1890 – The "Russian flu" spreads through Europe and reaches North America in 1890.

1900 – Major epidemic.

1918-1919 – The "Spanish Flu" circles the globe (though some experts think it may have started in the U.S.). Caused by an H1N1 flu virus, it is the worst influenza pandemic (and subsequently, epidemic) to date. There are more than half a million U.S. deaths; worldwide death estimates range from 20 million to 100 million. According to WebMD, "The pandemic comes before the era of antibiotics -- which are now essential in treating the secondary bacterial infections that often kill flu-weakened patients -- so it's difficult to say whether this flu would have the same dreadful impact in the modern world. But it is a very frightening disease, with very high death rates among young, previously healthy adults." More...

American Idols

My American Idol

I just love watching American Idols and in this weeks show the 26 year old Adam Lambert from Los Angeles, stayed the most consistent artistic performer ever.

He is definitely the best and my favourite to win...

With songs like “Feeling Good” - “If I Can’t Have You” - “Born to Be Wild” -”Mad World” - “Play That Funky Music” - “Tracks of My Tears” - “Ring of Fire” and “Black and White” he became the ultimate Star with Simon Cowel giving him a standing ovation! Completely out of character for Simon!!

A pity we are way behind with the performances here in SA... (Top 8)

Go listen to a clean cut Adam Lambert singing a slow, passionate version of Yvonne Elliman’s
“If I Can’t Have You” Beautiful coming from a rocker..

Ryan Seacrest said Adam “melted Paula into a pool of Abdul” – I can’t wait for his performances every week, he surprises everyone...

Swine flu map Source: Health 24.com

The swine-flu situation continues to evolve rapidly.

This map shows how the deadly flu is spreading across the globe (updated 30 April 2009):

NATIONS WITH SUSPECTED INFECTIONS

Argentina 3

Chile 24

Colombia 42

Croatia 1

Denmark 5

Finland 1

France 2

Hong Kong 2
Ireland 3

Italy 4

Poland 2

Portugal 1

South Africa 1

South Korea 6

Sweden 5

American Idol Top 13

BMI TEST SHOWS A RACIAL BIAS...

BMI test shows a racial bias: study

A study published in the British Journal of Nutrition found that the body mass index (BMI)--a number used to determine which category of weight a person falls into--has a racial bias. Researchers say the BMI chart is based on older studies of white adults, and it does not take into account the body types of African Americans, Hispanics, and Asians. The study of 1,300 young adults found that the BMI "cut scores" put too many African Americans into the "obese" category, even if their percentage of body fat was low. The index also underestimated the weight category of Hispanic women, Asian women, and men and women of Indian descent. Source: British Journal of Nutrition

Experts say the problem is that the BMI number does not take into consideration muscle mass, bone structure, or fat mass which is really OLD NEWS...

BMI definitely has its limits – no person is the same; they can weigh the same; one may have a large muscle mass (athletes, rugby players); one may have a high percentage of body fat; AND BOTH MAY BE TECHNICALLY OVERWEIGHT BASED ON BMI.

So according to BMI results of 30 and over you are overweight not obese – as was the tag attached to my husband and two sons who all played/play professional rugby and they have large bone structure/ muscle mass and a low percentage of body fat! So the BMI OBESE discrimination has been with us for decades... nothing new...

I am definitely prejudiced against BMI tests...