Today is Hallowe’en and it is a big day in the religious calendar. It was boiling hot and I overheated most of the day.   One of our Spanish neighbours was telling me that this has been the most unusual autumn in living memory. I have no complaints. In fact, I stuck my toe in the pool today.

Anne is continuing her battle to get fit again and is up and about walking as much as possible every day. The stitches come out on Tuesday and she walked up to see the little people this afternoon. No. I haven’t forgotten and I am still going to tell you about them in due course. They were very excited today as they were celebrating Hallowe’en.

I was having a go at the hoaxers on the internet yesterday and it is not surprising that others feel as angry as I do. Here´s another scam which we are told to ignore.

Here’s the rebel doctor with another tangent to traditional medicine…………………….

As usual, mainstream science is turning in my favour and backing up my carefree lifestyle. See for yourself…

1. HIGHER cholesterol makes you far less likely to die…

FACT: Lowering cholesterol can make heart disease worse. A review of medical studies on cholesterol and mortality in heart patients found that lower cholesterol levels led to death ––not survival, like the drug companies want you to think.

FACT: Low cholesterol can trigger the deadliest kind of stroke. It’s called a massive stroke and it happens when blood vessels in your brain are so weak, they burst open. Any cholesterol count below 200 is a red flag for this kind of stroke.

FACT: Low cholesterol may raise your cancer risk. Yes, a new study actually links low LDL levels with an increased risk of developing cancer. And it’s not the first one. In fact, more than 20 studies have been done on cholesterol and cancer. And the overall majority linked cancer with low cholesterol!

How could all this be so? For the same reason that your body makes its own cholesterol. It’s a vital nutrient! Cholesterol is a necessary building block for your immune system and especially your brain cells. In fact…

2. HIGHER cholesterol may improve your memory, stave off depression and even protect you from Alzheimer’s…

Believe it or not, healthy brain cells are chock full of cholesterol. Yup, 25% of your body’s cholesterol is in your brain. It fuels the electrical impulses that make thinking possible. Plus, studies show…

FACT: Low cholesterol impairs brain function. It’s been linked to depression. And cholesterol-lowering drugs have been shown to trigger memory loss . (Drug companies want us to forget this — and we may – if we keep taking statin drugs!)

FACT: Low cholesterol is linked to Alzheimer’s. The eminent researcher Iwo J. Bohr recently published a peer-reviewed paper on the subject. He points out that Alzheimer’s patients typically have lower cholesterol and suggests that a great way to prevent the disease may be to eat a high cholesterol diet .

FACT: Low cholesterol is even linked to suicide — and it’s not just because folks are fed up with celery and tofu! The real reason is probably that low cholesterol literally makes you crazy!

And if your idea of instant breakfast is
COFFEE AND A CIGARETTE…

Actually, you’re half right. That morning cup of coffee you crave is one of nature’s real health miracles:

Ericsson Lap-Top Computer Giveaway Hoax

Summary:
Message claims that Ericsson will give away a free laptop computer to those who send the message to 8 or more people (Full commentary below).

Status:
False

Update: May 2009
A new, graphical version of the hoax began circulating (See commentary belwo for details).

Example:(Submitted March 2007)

Commentary:
This email would have us believe that telecommunications equipment supplier Ericsson will give a free laptop computer to those who forward the message to 8 or 20 people. However, this claim is complete nonsense. The message is simply a rehashed version of an older hoax that claimed Erricsson was passing out free mobile phones for forwarding emails.

As hoaxes go, this one is even more absurd than usual. The free products specified in the message are actually mobile phones not computers. Moreover, both the Ericsson T18 and the Ericsson R320 are older models that have now been discontinued. The following text from a previous Ericsson phone hoax suggests that some prankster has attempted to give new life to an old hoax by making some minor changes and substituting “free computer lap-tops” for “free mobile phones”.

Our main competitor, Nokia, is giving free mobile phones away on the Internet. Here at Ericsson we want to counter their offer. So we are giving our newest WAP-phones away as well.

All you have to do, is to forward this message to 8 friends. After two weeks delivery time, you will receive a Ericsson T18. If you forward it to 20 friends, you will receive the brand new Ericsson R320 WAP-phone. Just remember to send a copy to Anna.Swelund@ericsson.com – that is the only way we can see, that you forwarded the message.

Ericsson has published a statement debunking these hoaxes on its website:

Ericsson is not giving away free phones. The chain mail you have received is a fraud and there is no person with the name of Anna Swelund working at Ericsson. At Ericsson, we are constantly looking at new innovative ways to market ourselves, chain e-mails are not one of them. We kindly ask you not to forward the chain mail further.

Similar messages claim that Nokia is the company giving away free phones for forwarding emails. This claim is also totally false.

In fact, any message that claims you can receive free products or money just for forwarding an email is sure to be a hoax. No legitimate company is likely to engage in such a haphazard and uncontrollable method of promoting their products.

Update:
In May 2009, the following graphical version of the hoax began circulating:

In response to the hoax, Sony Erricsson published the following statement on its website:

Hoax Competition Email

12 May 2009

Sony Ericsson has been made aware of an online email campaign claiming that Ericsson will give away a free laptop computer to users who forward the promotional information. The same campaign includes a photograph of the Sony Ericsson logo and mentions an Ericsson contact name and email number.

Sony Ericsson confirms that this email campaign is a hoax. In addition, Sony Ericsson confirms that the Ericsson contact name does not exist.

All competitions and promotions involving Sony Ericsson are run through official channels such as Sony Ericsson’s website or Sony Ericsson’s partners’ websites. Please be wary of any competition or promotion that appears to come from outside of Sony Ericsson or Sony Ericsson’s partners official channels. Examples of these include via spam emails or SMS.

Don’t forget to join me on Cool fm tomorrow between 9am and mid-day. You can find Liverpool v Fulham on Spanish TV tomorrow at 4 pm