cameron knows nowt as well

Cameron attacks chocolate sellers

Consumers are "inundated" with chocolate offers, said Mr Cameron

"Irresponsible" marketing techniques are being used to sell chocolate and fuel Britain's obesity problem, Tory leader David Cameron has said.

In a health speech, Mr Cameron pointed to shops, including at train stations, offering cut-price chocolate bars.

He asked: "As Britain faces an obesity crisis, why does WH Smith's promote half-price Chocolate Oranges at its checkouts instead of real oranges?"

WH Smith denies acting irresponsibly and says it offers customers choice.

A spokeswoman said dried fruit and other products, as well as chocolate, were on sale in its outlets.

And promotions varied - with water among the healthy options promoted in the past, she said.

"They are marketed at adults," she said. "It's about choice - you don't have to purchase the products."

Double-edged sword

He told the King's Fund in London that business had a shared responsibility to help improve public health.

"Modern marketing techniques can be used to great effect to tackle the root causes of preventable ill-health... just as irresponsible marketing techniques can have the opposite effect," he said.

"Try and buy a newspaper at the train station and, as you queue to pay, you're surrounded, you're inundated by cut price offers for giant chocolate bars."

Mr Cameron said many shops could do more to promote healthy diets and lifestyles - and that was good business because it reduced sickness costs.

"Of course we cannot regulate in this regard but can point the finger, we can ask awkward questions and we can put some pressure on and I believe politicians and others should do so," he added

good or bad @

Scottish GPs have voted against a proposal for chocolate to be taxed in the same way as alcohol and cigarettes to tackle increasing levels of obesity.

Dr David Walker, a GP in Lanarkshire, warned that chocolate had lost its status as a "treat" and had become a harmful addition for some people.

However, his motion calling for a tax on chocolate was defeated by two votes at a BMA conference in Clydebank.

He said he was "disappointed" but glad his suggestion had provoked debate.The BBC News website's Laura Pettigrew has been speaking to one chocolate shop owner, and self-confessed chocolate lover, who is strongly opposed to the idea.

Marion sells chocolates and truffles in her shop near Glasgow

"Good chocolate is fine in moderation", said Marion Dougan.

She is the owner of Cacao chocolate shop in Milngavie, near Glasgow.

chicken and egg

e.mail from me to Linda McCartney foods
I buy a lot of pies and sausages , and occasionally other items , I am vegan
, and I have purchsed an oven stuffed chicken roll and I cannot eat it as it
is full of egg which I consider to be chicken and I have wasted my money ,
please could you and other manufacturers please be honest and make it
obvious that these products contain animal produce and true vegetarians

 eat only veg not egg.
             Thanks, a reply would be interesting

'Chocolate tax' to tackle obesity

Food industry representatives said the "chocolate tax" would not work

A Scottish GP has called for chocolate to be taxed in the same way as alcohol and cigarettes to tackle increasing levels of obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Dr David Walker, a GP in Lanarkshire, said many people eat their entire daily calorie requirement in chocolate, on top of their normal meals.

The doctor said chocolate used to be seen as a "treat" but had now become an harmful addiction for some.

He will put his proposals to colleagues at a BMA conference in Clydebank.

Dr Walker, who is also a trained food scientist and nutritionist, told the BBC news website: "Obesity is a mushrooming problem. We are heading the same way as the United States.

"There is an explosion of obesity and the related medical conditions, like type 2 diabetes. I see chocolate as a major player in this, and I think a tax on products containing chocolate could make a real difference."

Dr Walker said that a 225g bag of chocolate sweets contained almost 1,200 calories - almost half the recommended daily calorie intake for a man - and could be eaten incredibly quickly.

People have been lulled into a false sense of security about chocolate Dr David Walker

He warned that many people were consuming this amount of chocolate on a daily basis, as well as their normal meals, and were unaware of the harm it was doing.

He said: "There is lots of negative publicity about other fast food and junk food but chocolate is sneaking under the radar.

"People have been lulled into a false sense of security about chocolate.

"I had one patient recently who said to me she thought chocolate was good for you. People are being brainwashed into believing this."

Under Dr Walker's proposal, to be presented at the annual conference of Scottish Local Medical Committees, revenue raised from taxing chocolate products would be used by the NHS to deal with the health problems caused by obesity.

He will also argue that the extra money raised could be spent on increasing and improving sports facilities.

'Lighter wallets'

Dr Walker said: "After eating a bag of chocolate sweets you would have to walk continuously for three hours to burn off the calories consumed.

"It is simply not enough to say people should get more exercise. They also need to moderate their chocolate intake and this tax would help them do that."

Representatives from the food and drinks manufacturing industry have dismissed Dr Walker's suggestion.

Julian Hunt, of the Food and Drink Federation, said: "Introducing regressive taxes on the foods that consumers love would result only in lighter wallets, not smaller waists - particularly as we already have to pay VAT on all our chocolate purchases.

"While good for grabbing headlines, there is no evidence to suggest that such 'fat taxes' would actually work in reality.

"Indeed, when the BMA debated a similar motion in 2003 its members voted against such an idea on the grounds that such a taxation policy would have no effect on obesity, would hit lower income groups hardest and would be a bureaucratic nightmare."

However, Dr Walker, said he hoped Scottish GPs at the BMA conference would back his proposal.

He added: "The idea of a tax on fatty foods has been raised before and it was seen as unworkable. But I think a special case should be made for chocolate.

"It has lost its status as a 'special treat' and I think that if we charged a tax on it then, over a number of years, we could restore that status."

jan can on saturday

New guidance on IVF defects risk

The HFEA says the majority of babies born by IVF are healthy

Couples seeking IVF are to be warned children born as a result of the fertility treatment may face a higher risk of birth defects.

Guidance from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) is to be updated in the light of US research.

Scientists in Atlanta found IVF babies could be up to 30% more likely to suffer from certain health problems and genetic flaws.

More than 12,000 babies were born in the UK in 2006 as a result of IVF.

Patients will be able to access the HFEA's advice on potential risks on its website from next month.

The government's fertility watchdog will also make clear the majority of babies born by IVF are healthy and that more research is needed on the birth defect issues.

The study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found IVF babies suffered from higher rates of conditions such as heart valve defects, cleft lip and palate, and digestive system abnormalities.

An HFEA spokesman said it routinely reviewed its guidance.

"Following the publication of a US study into birth defects, HFEA's scientific and clinical advances committee reviewed our guidance and advice about the risks of treatment," he said.

"As with any medical procedure, it is important that patients understand what the treatment involves and what the risks may be.

"Our code of practice says clinicians must tell patients about the possible side effects and risks of treatment, including any risks for the child."

diabetes where ?

Virus 'triggers child diabetes'
By Emma Wilkinson BBC News health reporter
Dr Alan Foulis speaks about the research
A common virus may be the trigger for the development of many cases of diabetes, particularly in children, UK researchers have reported.
Signs of enteroviruses were found in pancreatic tissue from 60% of children with type 1 diabetes, but in hardly any children without the disease.
They also found that 40% of adults with type 2 diabetes had signs of the infection in insulin-producing cells.
The study published in Diabetologia raises the possibility of a vaccine.
Although genetics is known to play a fairly substantial role in a person's risk of developing diabetes, environmental factors must also be involved and the idea of a viral cause of diabetes has been considered for decades.
Type 1 diabetes is a life- threatening condition that requires a life-time of painful finger prick blood testing and insulin injections
Karen Addington, JDRF
The latest study was made possible by a pathologist in Glasgow who for 25 years collected tissue samples from children across the UK who had died less than 12 months after being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
Dr Alan Foulis believed that enteroviruses - a common family of viruses which cause symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhoea - would be present but until recently the technology was not sensitive enough to detect them.
Along with colleagues from the south west-based Peninsula Medical School and the University of Brighton, he has now been able to look for evidence of the enteroviruses in tissue samples routinely taken during autopsy in 72 children and compare that with samples from 50 children without the condition.
In those with diabetes who had signs of the virus, it was specifically found in the insulin-producing beta cells.
Immune trigger
The researchers suggest that, in children with a genetic predisposition to type 1 diabetes - an autoimmune disease in which beta cells in the pancreas are destroyed - enterovirus infection can trigger the immune reaction that kicks off the disease process.
With type 2 diabetes - the type often linked to obesity in adults - the researchers speculate that the infection affects the ability of the cells to make insulin, which in combination with the greater demand for insulin in obese people, is enough to set off the disease.
The next steps to identify the viruses and find out what they are doing to the infected beta cells will be hugely exciting and will take us a step closer to preventing type 1 diabetes
Dr Iain Frame, Diabetes UK
At the same time, a separate study, published in Science, by researchers at Cambridge University, found four rare mutations in a gene which reduce the risk of developing type 1 diabetes.
It also backs the viral theory because the gene in question is involved in the immune response to infection with enteroviruses.
There are 100 different strains of enterovirus, so although the results open the way for the development of a vaccine, researchers still have to pin down which types are involved.
The study's author, Professor Noel Morgan from the Peninsula Medical School, said the results showed the underlying infection with enteroviruses was not a "rare event".
"The next stages of research - to identify which enteroviruses are involved, how the beta-cells are changed by infection and the ultimate goal to develop an effective vaccine - will lead to findings which we hope will drastically reduce the number of people around the world who develop type 1 diabetes, and potentially type 2 diabetes as well," he added.
Dr Iain Frame, director of research at Diabetes UK, said the study was "a big step forward" in understanding the potential triggers for the disease.
"We've known for some time that type 1 diabetes cannot be explained by genetics alone and that other, environmental triggers may also play a part.
"The next steps to identify the viruses and find out what they are doing to the infected beta cells will be hugely exciting and will take us a step closer to preventing Type 1 diabetes."
Karen Addington, chief executive of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, who funded the research, said the findings were important as the incidence of type 1 diabetes is increasing every year and there is currently no way to prevent it.
"Type 1 diabetes is a life- threatening condition that requires a life-time of painful finger prick blood testing and insulin injections," she pointed out.

nigerian culture

UK arrest in Nigerian bribe case

The alleged bribes were said to run into tens of millions of dollars

UK police have arrested a London lawyer accused of moving millions of dollars in bribes to Nigerian officials to win contracts for a US construction firm.

A federal grand jury in Texas charged Jeffrey Tesler, 60, with helping channel money from Kellogg, Brown and Root, a former Halliburton subsidiary.

He was arrested after an extradition request from the US authorities.

It is alleged he channelled money to Nigerian officials, to obtain contracts valued at more than $6bn (£4bn).

Phytophthora ramorum and Phytophthora kernoviae

The cost of fungus

Whitehall belts may be tightening, but the government has found millions to fight killer fungus. Regular readers may recall I charted the spread of the misnamed "sudden oak death" disease at the end of last year.
Phytophthora ramorum and Phytophthora kernoviae are strains of a deadly plant disease plaguing historic gardens, woodland and heathlands across England, Wales and parts of Scotland.
According to environment minister Jane Kennedy, who today announced £25m for a five-year eradication programme in England and Wales, "if this disease spreads, it could mean parts of the countryside being cordoned off, and more limited public access - in addition to further loss of our precious woodland".

But eradication comes at a price, too. The main source of the disease is the Rhododendron ponticum which has invaded many large public gardens and historic estates. A cost-benefit analysis for the government last year [185k PDF]

celebrity ways

The Material Girl Is Named 'Worst-Dressed' Celebrity of 2009

When you see Madonna wearing fur, you realize why nobody has copied her style since 1984. Read more about Madonna's latest fashion faux pas and find out who else has been named the "Worst-Dressed" of 2009. Read More

• Sign the Pledge to Be Fur-Free
• Donna Karan Dumps Fur
• Watch: 'Whose Skin Are You In?'

richimag

This has been a difficult couple of weeks, 
I had to go to hospital

extinction again

"We are fortunate, like a bird who has wings. We can fly to anywhere we please. If the place where we have built our houses becomes dirty, or muddy, or slippery, and not good anymore, we just move away. If we want to go far away, we move to a place that is far; if we want to live nearby, we move to a place nearby. This is the way it has always been. When we are walking, and we feel like stopping, we might stay in one place for just one or two days, or three days. And if we want to move, we just move, we move to any place that we choose. Thus it has been since our origins, for us Penan who live in the forest. We always move, and always look for a place that we like, a place where we can be happy. And we look for an area where there are many animals, where the sago is plentiful. And we look for a place where the river is near, and where the water is good, where it is easy to make good sago. That is where we stay. That is why we are always moving.

though shall not judge

'Spiritual' assessment condemned

An audit showed nurses were in favour of more "spiritual" training

A scheme in which new hospital patients have their "religious and spiritual care needs" assessed has been condemned by the National Secular Society.

Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust said people would be asked whether they had "any faith needs that can be supported during their stay".

But the National Secular Society, which defends the rights of non-believers, said the move "misused NHS resources".

It said it sound as though hospital chaplains "were touting for business".

extinction

The nomadic hunter-gatherer Penan are one of the last such groups in South East Asia. Out of the 10,000 Penan living in the Malaysian state of Sarawak, Borneo, only 200 nomadic people are left.

nhs again

Fatal morphine family win damages

Mrs Rodger died after taking morphine which was 10 times her usual dose
The family of a woman who died after being prescribed morphine 10 times stronger than her usual dose has won undisclosed damages.
Catherine Rodger, 74, from Dundee, died of a heart attack in 2005 within hours of taking her first pill.
Dr Salahuddin Malik of the city's Downfield Surgery had prescribed 100mg of morphine sulphate rather than the 10mg she usually took for back pain.
BBC NEWS Scotland Tayside and Central Fatal morphine family win damages Fatal morphine family win damages

Mrs Rodger died after taking morphine which was 10 times her usual dose
The family of a woman who died after being prescribed morphine 10 times stronger than her usual dose has won undisclosed damages.
Catherine Rodger, 74, from Dundee, died of a heart attack in 2005 within hours of taking her first pill.
Dr Salahuddin Malik of the city's Downfield Surgery had prescribed 100mg of morphine sulphate rather than the 10mg she usually took for back pain.

tom thurgood

Veterans at 'higher suicide risk'

Young ex-servicemen are three times more likely to kill themselves than their civilian counterparts, a study has suggested.

Veterans aged under 24 are at greatest risk, with those in lower ranks and with shorter careers most vulnerable.

The Centre for Suicide Prevention linked military discharge data between 1996 and 2005 with details of suicides.

The MoD said veterans were entitled to mental health assessments and schemes had been introduced to improve access.

Of the 233,803 individuals who left the armed forces during the study period, 224 took their own lives, the report found.

The suicide risk was highest among young men leaving the armed forces within the first two years of discharge, it said.

'Already vulnerable'

The MoD-funded study found veterans had a low rate of contact with mental health professionals in the year before death, 14% for those aged under 20 and 20% for those under 24 years.

But the overall suicide risk was no greater for ex-military personnel than for civilians when all age groups were considered, from 16 to 49 years. Men aged 30-49 years had a lower rate of suicide than the general population.

The report's lead author, Professor Nav Kapur, said they could not prove why the increased rate occurred, but said there were three possible reasons.

One could be those joining the military at a young age were already vulnerable to suicide.

Whatever the explanation for our findings, these individuals may benefit from some form of intervention Prof Nav Kapur

"This would explain why those serving for a relatively short period of time before being discharged were most likely to take their own lives," Prof Kapur said.

A second explanation was the difficulty a minority of individuals experience making the transition to civilian life, he said.

The effect of exposure to adverse experiences during military service or active deployment was a third possibility.

Yet many of those most at risk had not completed basic training and had not deployed overseas, he said.

The risk of suicide was also higher in young women aged under 20 years compared with the general population, but the overall numbers were small.

Prof Kapur, professor of psychiatry and population health at Manchester University, said: "Whatever the explanation for our findings, these individuals may benefit from some form of intervention.

"Initial pre-recruitment interview, medical examination and training are important in ensuring military health but it should be recognised that those discharged at any of these stages may be at higher risk of suicide."

Support

The study compared the military discharge data with details of suicides collected by the National Confidential Inquiry into Suicides and Homicides.

It used mathematical models to compare the figures to the general population.

A spokesman for the MoD said all service-leavers were entitled to a package to help them re-settle.

Extra help was given to those assessed as vulnerable to help them find accommodation, employment and welfare assistance.

Six community mental health centres have been set up to make it easier for veterans to seek help, he said.

"All veterans are also entitled to a free assessment of their mental health at the Medical Assessment Programme at St Thomas' Hospital in London, he added.

"We are also trialling a mentoring scheme to provide individual support to leavers as they re-adjust to civilian life."

The report comes days after Britain's highest-decorated serving soldier criticised the government for failing to help ex-servicemen and women suffering mental health problems.

Lance Corporal Johnson Beharry called on the government to give more help to his comrades suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, depression and mental breakdowns.

herpes

Grieving mother's herpes warning

Baby Jennifer died after contracting the Herpes virus from her mother Ruth The mother of a baby who died after contracting herpes from her cold sores is campaigning for more awareness of how dangerous it can be to newborns. Jennifer Schofield was 11 days old when her organs failed after contracting the Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV), through either kisses or breastfeeding. Ruth Schofield, 35, of Lancaster, wants to warn mothers about the disease, which kills about six babies a year. A coroner recorded a narrative verdict into her death on Thursday. The inquest in Lancaster heard that Jennifer died in November 2006 from the type of HSV usually passed on through a cold sore. Miss Schofield probably caught HSV in the late stages of her pregnancy after she developed flu-like symptoms days before giving birth, the inquest heard. FROM BBC RADIO 5 LIVE More from BBC Radio 5 live She developed mouth ulcers after Jennifer was born and was given a mouthwash by her GP, but HSV was not diagnosed. It was then that Jennifer also became unwell and was admitted to hospital with a temperature, Miss Schofield said in an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live. "She was continually sleeping and was terribly lethargic," she said. But 11 days after Jennifer's birth Miss Schofield was told her baby was going to die. "The doctors sat me down and they said, 'I'm really sorry but she can't fight anymore. Do you want to hold her and watch her die?' It broke my heart to know what she died of - how could this happen? Ruth Schofield "The hardest thing any woman can do is watch her baby die." It was only at the post-mortem examination that doctors discovered the baby had died of HSV. "She should be here today. It's such a treatable disease. I didn't know what I had," Miss Schofield said. "It broke my heart to know what she died of - how could this happen? "For the grieving process it was very hard to accept... It took me a very long time to accept I wasn't to blame." Miss Schofield has written to the prime minister asking for more literature to be put in clinics about the illness

generations of Drakes at Buckland Abbey.

I was first taken to visit Dartmoor by a very nice friend and his dog Sheena,It was early spring, not many people about that time of year, I was not very impressed at firstI felt sorry for the horses and ponies, they looked so lonely and cold although I supposethey are used to it.I went again in the summer, it was lovely! I wanted to go every week ,it was lovely and Iwent every week after that, lots of people,ice cream vans, coffee shops, I really loved it,Ihope Ican go again one day if I am lucky. Janet Khan.

Elephants last performed 10 years ago in a UK circus

Elephants last performed 10 years ago in a UK circus
A circus is being criticised by the RSPCA for using elephants in its show.
The animal charity said the debut of three elephants at a circus in Nottinghamshire on Friday was a "body blow for animal welfare".
It has called on the government to ban wild animals from circuses and urged people to consider the "ethical issues involved" before visiting the show.
The "European elephant act" at the Great British Circus in Newark will be the first in the UK for over 10 years.
Circuses had stopped using elephants after pressure from animal rights campaigners.

Asking these majestic animals to behave in unnatural ways in the name of entertainment is a disgrace
Dr Rob Atkinson, RSPCA
The RSPCA's wildlife department head Dr Rob Atkinson said: "This is a body blow for animal welfare in this country.
"I am sure this news will shock and sadden the public which has consistently shown its opposition to the use of wild animals in circuses."
He said the RSPCA did not believe wild animals' needs could ever be met in circuses adding that confinement, constant transportation, abnormal social groups and inadequate winter quarters all caused suffering.
'Care and attention'
"Asking these majestic animals to behave in unnatural ways in the name of entertainment is a disgrace - a disgrace which is already banned in several other European countries", Dr Atkinson added.
"There is absolutely no similarity between the lives of wild elephants and those of these circus captives," he said.
An African and two Asian elephants are due to perform at the show.
According to the Great British Circus website, director Martin Lacey "always insists his animals receive the best possible care and attention".
On the website, Mr Lacey said: "Our African elephant is called Sonja and her mother was shot in an elephant cull.
"Together with the two Asian elephants, Delhi and Vana Mana, they are great ambassadors for the species, entertaining and educating the public within the care and security of the circus to protect them."

skin deep

Description
A mink coat of classic elegance that will always be in style! This lovely coat has the sophisticated, clean lined look of rich, ranch mink with a collar that can be worn open or standing up in a mandarin collar. The mink around the collar and front is distinctively crafted to create an even darker ranch mink trim adding a quiet but uniquely lovely accent

no fur coats allowed

no fur coats gallery click this