interesting headlines (Straits Times Online 28 Feb 2007)

interesting news...

[1]Garlic does not lower cholesterol: Study
"CHICAGO - Eating garlic raw or in supplement form does not lower 'bad' cholesterol levels, despite widespread health claims for the pungent plant bulb, researchers said.

'It just doesn't work,' said Christopher Gardner of the Stanford Prevention Research Centre in California.

'There's no shortcut. You achieve good health through eating healthy food. There isn't a pill or an herb you can take to counteract an unhealthy diet,' he said.

Some of the claims that garlic lowers cholesterol emanate from laboratory experiments but there is no proof it reacts in the body the same way, Dr Gardner wrote in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

In test tubes and some animal subjects the compound released from crushed garlic, allicin, has been found to inhibit the synthesis of cholesterol.

But in Dr Gardner's study of 192 subjects who had slightly elevated levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the so-called bad cholesterol that tends to clog arteries, garlic had no impact."

WHAT!? all those years of munching on garlic...!

[2] Stefanie Sun robbed at gunpoint
"Taipei - Pop Queen Stefanie Sun assaulted by gangsters whilst filming a music video in Cairo, where she was robbed of an unknown amount of cash and made credit card payments of approximately S$13,000 while held at gunpoint by a local guide.

Fortunately, no one was hurt.

However, due to the seriousness of the incident, the group of 22 persons, which include Taiwanese and HongKong crew members and Sun's mother, were placed under the protection of the Singapore Embassy in Eygpt for the remainder of their stay there.

The Singapore Embassy brought Sun to a safe location after the incident."

well, the robber just missed his chance of a lifetime... if he had known who stefanie sun was...that explains the need to read your newspaper's entertainment section...

[3] Bizarre remarks land accused in mental hospital
"A WOMAN in court for stomping on a repossessor's car roof wrote a card to the judge, addressing him as 'dearest' and gushing that she liked his 'cuteness and sweetness'.

The judge, unmoved, on Tuesday sent her off to the Institute of Mental Health for three weeks.
Wong Nguek Chin, 45, was taken to court on a private summons by Mr See Song Chang, whose Honda Civic she is said to have damaged.

She could be jailed for up to two years for causing mischief - but the court has adjourned its decision pending a psychiatric report.

During the hearing, Wong, a bankrupt, claimed 'a force' had lifted her onto the car - a claim the judge found 'rather bizarre'.

Wong, who defended herself, was caught on video jumping up and down on the roof of Mr See's car.

She had claimed earlier that she did that because of the 'aggression of Mr See' and his colleagues, who allegedly rammed her Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII sports car when they turned up on Oct 21, 2003, to repossess it.

In court, however, she blamed the 'force'.

Her unusual behaviour extended to the documents she gave the court, too.

In a card to District Judge Eddy Tham, she called him 'dearest E.T.' and described herself as his 'special friend'.

'I enjoy your entertainment and drama and cuteness and sweetness and love,' she wrote.

The judge felt the woman's bizarre testimony, coupled with her equally bizarre remarks, had raised 'grave doubts' as to whether she was of sound mind.

Wong appeared not to understand the court's decision to send her for psychiatric assessment.

When the concerned judge tried explaining, all she said was: 'I take a lot of drugs. I am still on a lot of drugs.' "

never never fool around with a serious judge...in singapore we have this saying:" it's good to be smart, just don't be a smart aleck"