Barack Obama should drink less alcohol and try harder to kick his smoking habit, doctors say -Obama warned by Nation of Islam leader that 'white right' will make him one-term president

Bad habits: Obama smoking with a relative in front his family's hut in Kenya, Africa. He first announced his decision to quit in 2007, in order to please his wife Michelle, while on the David Letterman Show

Occupational hazard: Obama (right) at the so-called 'Beer Summit' with (from left) Harvard Professor Henry Gates, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and Police Sgt James Crowley. The summit was called after Crowley arrested Gates at his home on July 16, sparking racial tensions

Fit for duty: Barack Obama signals a thumbs-up when asked about his health as he returns to the White House after his check-up

Barack Obama should not only try harder to kick his smoking habit, his team of doctors warned, but they also recommended 'moderation of alcohol intake'.

It would seem the pressure of the U.S. presidency - and all those White House receptions - are taking their toll after the 48-year-old's first medical checkup since winning the race to the White House.

The chief executive, who has endured an exhausting first year in the White House and year-long battles with congressional Republicans, should also eat better to lower his cholesterol, but was otherwise declared in excellent health and fit for duty.

The White House physician, Navy Capt Jeffrey Kuhlman, said Obama should stick with 'moderation in alcohol intake' and ‘smoking cessation efforts’, the use of nicotine gum, and come back in August 2011 after he turns 50.

Obama's cholesterol levels have crept up to borderline high and he should alter his diet accordingly, according to a report the White House released after the 90-minute examination at the National Naval Medical Centre in Bethesda, Maryland.

While at the facility, he visited 12 military service members receiving treatment and rehabilitation for injuries suffered in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The president is the picture of health, eats modest portions and exercises regularly. He is an avid basketball player and golfer.

The slightly elevated cholesterol levels, occasional smoking and tendinitis in his left knee were the only negatives noted.

Obama said at a June news conference that he still had an occasional cigarette. It was his first public acknowledgment that he hadn't kicked the habit.

He chews nicotine gum to avoid regular smoking, and his doctor said that should continue.
On a previous occasion he said quitting smoking didn't create 'huge withdrawal symptoms', partly because he smoked only seven or eight cigarettes a day at the most.

The then senator first announced his decision to quit in 2007, in order to please his wife Michelle, while on the David Letterman Show.

Kuhlman also said the president should modify his diet to bring his LDL, or bad cholesterol, below 130.

At the time of his last exam, Obama's total cholesterol was 173, while his LDL was 96 and HDL, or good cholesterol, was 68.

This time, total cholesterol was up to 209, with HDL down slightly at 62. LDL was up to 138. Borderline high cholesterol starts at 200, with LDL considered in the same category at 130.
In the U.S., the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism says that for healthy men, drinking more than four drinks on any day or 14 per week is considered 'at-risk' or 'heavy' drinking.

Last year Obama signed the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act.
The law allows the Food and Drug Administration to reduce nicotine in tobacco products, ban sweet flavourings and block labels such 'low tar' and 'light.'

Tobacco companies are now also required to cover their cartons with large graphic warnings.

The law didn't let the FDA ban nicotine or tobacco, but the agency is now able to regulate the contents of tobacco products, make public their ingredients and prohibit marketing campaigns, especially those geared toward children.

Kuhlman said Obama's last checkup was in July 2008 when he was seen by the attending physician to Congress when Obama was an Illinois senator.

During the 2008 White House race, his campaign released a statement from his longtime Chicago doctor saying Obama was in excellent health when examined in January 2007.

Sunday's report said Obama is 6ft 1in and weighs 180lb (82kg) in shoes and exercise clothing. His pulse rate is 56, which is very good, as is his blood pressure - 105 over 62.

The doctor recommended that Obama should:

● Have another exam for colon cancer in five years

● Continue smoking cessation efforts, a daily exercise programme, a healthy diet, moderation in alcohol intake, periodic dental care and remain up to date with recommended immunisations

● Keep up a modified exercise regimen to strengthen his legs to ward off more difficulties with his knee

● Modify his diet to lower his LDL cholesterol below 130

The doctor said Obama's vision was 20/20 in both eyes for both distance and near vision.

The president was checked for and found free of colon cancer with a virtual colonoscopy, a scan that avoids the more invasive visual inspection with a camera device that is passed into the large intestine.

The tendinitis that Obama suffers in his left leg could be the result of his regular basketball playing.

Kuhlman said that there was mild popping and grinding in Obama's left knee and ‘some weakness’ in his left hip, also possibly a result of rigorous and extended periods on the basketball court.


Obama warned by Nation of Islam leader that 'white right' will make him one-term president



Warning: Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan (left) says the 'white right' are conspiring to make Barack Obama (right) a one-term president

Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan has predicted trouble ahead in Barack Obama's presidency.

The 76-year-old leader said the 'white right' was conspiring to make Obama a one-term president, and pointed to his stalled efforts to introduce health care legislation as proof.

He said those opponents and lobbyists were trapping him into a future war with Iran that could lead to mass destruction.
The word "prophet" is too cheap a word. I am a light in the midst of darkness,' Farrakhan said at the annual convention of the movement that embraces black nationalism. 'It ain't ego, it's my love for you.'

An estimated 20,000 people attended the heavily guarded Saviours' Day event at the United Centre in Chicago.

Followers - men dressed in navy uniforms and women in white skirt suits with matching hijabs - cheered on Farrakhan with shouts of 'Allahu Akbar,' Arabic for 'God is great.'

Farrakhan spent most of the fiery nearly four-hour speech recounting a 1985 vision he had in Mexico.

Farrakhan has often described how he believes he was invited aboard an unidentified flying object he calls 'the wheel' where he said he heard the late Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad speak to him.

He said that experience led him to inklings about future events, including the United States' 1986 bombing of Libya.

Farrakhan recounted how his divine knowledge has allowed him to recognise countless warning signs over the decades - such as natural disasters such as the earthquake in Chile - and said they indicate impending trouble, including for Obama.

Dressed in ornate robes, he addressed the president directly: 'Your people are suffering. You can't ease their plight, but you can use your bully pulpit. Speak for the poor. Speak for the weak.'

He said helping the Nation of Islam, which has worked to reform black inmates for decades, would also be an answer.

'Put some money on back of us,' he said. 'We can reform our people.'

Farrakhan has vigorously supported Obama for years and used his presidency as a call to action for blacks. That was even as Obama distanced himself from the group for Farrakhan's past comments that many considered anti-Semitic.

Supporters say Farrakhan's words are often taken out of context.

Farrakhan continued his praise of Obama on Sunday, and said the nation's first black president was manipulated into disavowing him.

He would not say if he and Obama had ever met on the issue.

'They all want to know did I ever meet with him and what did I say or what he say,' Farrakhan said. 'I ain't going there.'

Find a Job Dating Wine E-Editions Feedback My Stories Saturday, Feb 20 2010 6AM -2°C 9AM 1°C 5-Day Forecast 'We deserved our punishment': What three Muslim Malaysian women said after being caned for having sex outside marriage

Three Muslim women who were the first in Malaysia to be caned for having sex outside marraige this morning claimed the punishment was an opportunity for them to repent.

Prison authorities caned the women last week after an Islamic Shariah court issued the penalty.

The caning has outraged rights groups and revived speculation that conservative Islamists, who advocate harsh punishment, are gaining influence in the country.

The three women, aged 17-25, said they turned themselves in after feeling guilty for sleeping with their boyfriends before marriage and getting pregnant.
The 17-year-old told reporters that she surrendered to Islamic authorities after her prematurely born child died.

She is now serving a six-month prison sentence.

'I know I have sinned, and I have to be punished. Strangely however, I felt that the caning was not a form of punishment but was an opportunity for me to repent and return to the right path,' she said.

She has already married her boyfriend, who has also been caned and jailed over the offence.

The other women, who have one young child each, are planning to marry their partners after they are released.

The men were also caned for having sex.

One woman, aged 25, said she was scared before the caning but knew she deserved the punishment.

All three women called on others not to make the same mistake and abstain from sex before marriage.
A Prison Department official confirmed the women's comments, made at a news conference at the women's prison outside Kuala Lumpur to local, government-linked media under the watch of authorities.

He said they were reluctant to speak to other media.

It could not be confirmed whether they were speaking voluntarily.

A request with the department for interviews is pending.

Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin defended the caning this morning, saying it was 'far lighter' than what some people might imagine.

'The punishment is legitimate and in accordance with the law,' Muhyiddin said.

Human rights groups have slammed the caning, saying it is a cruel and degrading punishment and discriminates against Muslim women because Malaysian civil law - which applies to non-Muslims - bans the caning of women.

The women, who were fully clothed and sitting on a stool, received between four and six strokes with a thin rattan stick on the back, lasting a few minutes.

Another woman, Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno, is still waiting to be caned for drinking beer in public.

Her case received international attention last year when she became the first woman slated to receive a caning penalty.

But the punishment was deferred indefinitely amid a public outcry.

Caning of men for such offenses as rape, drug smuggling and staying illegally in the country is common.

It is administered with a thick rattan stick on bare buttocks, causing severe pain and leaving scars.

Malaysia has a two-tier justice system.

Shariah courts deal with personal matters for Muslims, who account for about two-thirds of the country's 28 million people, while non-Muslims - many of whom are ethnic Chinese and Indians - go to civil courts.




Malaysian justice: Prison staff demonstrate to the media how the caning process was done at the Kajang prison outside Kuala Lumpur

Journalists interview three women who were caned for having sex out of wedlock, at a prison in Kajang . They are first to be caned under the country's Islamic laws

Michael Jackson convert to Islam few years back

Pop star Michael Jackson has converted to Islam and changed his name to Mikaeel. The 50-year-old singer, who has previously been photographed wearing a traditional Arab women's veil, reportedly became a Muslim in a ceremony at a friend's house in Los Angeles. Just days after the story broke that he was getting sued by some Bahrain prince for owed money, rumors started flying around that Michael Jackson has converted to Islam. This might be a slick ploy to avoid paying the interest on some of his $300 million dollar debt or get his debt reduce.


Michael Jackson, pictured here wearing a traditional Arab women's veil in Bahrain in 2006, is said to have become a Muslim.

The singer, who was raised as a Jehovah's Witness, is said to have sat on the floor and worn a small hat while an imam officiated at the home of Steve Porcaro, who composed music on his Thriller album.

He is said to have been encouraged by Canadian songwriter David Wharnsby and Phillip Bubal, a producer, who both approached him after he appeared 'a bit down'.

A source told The Sun: 'They began talking to him about their beliefs, and how they thought they had become better people after they converted. Michael soon began warming to the idea.

Michael Jackson converted to Islam at a ceremony in Los Angeles attended by Yousef Islam, the singer formerly known as Cat Stevens, sources say.

Jackson, whose once-amazing career has been eclipsed in recent years by reports of bizarre behavior, as well as legal and financial troubles, is said to have changed his name to Mikaeel and taken the shahada -- or made a declaration of belief -- as part of his conversion to Islam, Al-Arabiya said Friday.

The religious ceremony reportedly took place at the Hollywood Hills home of Toto keyboardist Steve Porcaro, who composed music for Jackson's iconic "Thriller" album.

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Michael Joseph Jackson (born August 29, 1958) is an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. The seventh child of the Jackson family, he debuted on the professional music scene at the age of 11 as a member of The Jackson 5 and began a solo career in 1971 while still a member of the group. Referred to as the "King of Pop" in subsequent years, five of his solo studio albums have become some of the world's best-selling records: Off the Wall (1979), Thriller (1982), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991) and HIStory (1995).

In the early 1980s, he became a dominant figure in popular music and the first African-American entertainer to amass a strong crossover following on MTV. The popularity of his music videos airing on MTV, such as "Beat It", "Billie Jean" and Thriller—credited for transforming the music video into an art form and a promotional tool—helped bring the relatively new channel to fame. Videos such as "Black or White" and "Scream" kept Jackson as a staple on MTV into the 1990s. With stage performances and music videos, Jackson popularized a number of physically complicated dance techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk. His distinctive musical sound and vocal style influenced numerous hip hop, pop and contemporary R&B artists.

Jackson has donated and raised millions of dollars for beneficial causes through his Dangerous World Tour, charity singles and support of 39 charities. However, other aspects of his personal life—including his changing appearance and eccentric behavior—generated significant controversy which damaged his public image. Though he was accused of child sexual abuse in 1993, the criminal investigation was closed due to lack of evidence and Jackson was not charged. He then married twice and fathered three children, all of which caused further controversy. The singer has experienced health concerns since the early 1990s and conflicting reports regarding the state of his finances since the late 1990s. In 2005, Jackson was tried and acquitted of further sexual abuse allegations and several other charges.

One of the few artists to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, his other achievements include multiple Guinness World Records—including one for Thriller as the world's best-selling album—13 Grammy Awards, 13 number one singles in his solo career—more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era—and the sale of over 750 million units worldwide. Jackson's highly publicized personal life, coupled with his successful career, has made him a part of popular culture for almost four decades. He has been cited as one of the world's most famous men