atkins

Around town, I've noticed signs popping up "We have low-carb meals!" That's right, the same fast-food eateries that jumped on the low-fat bandwagon are now on the low-carb bandwagon. Don't you think it would be more appropriate for Burger King to have a sign that said "Our meals have always been low-carb!"? It's just like those sugar candies that cheerily advertise "100% Fat Free!" or "Low in Sodium!"

In any case, the news today sort of un-vindicates Mr. Atkins, and states what anybody reasonable had always assumed:

Dr Robert Atkins, creator of the famous low-carbohydrate diet, was clinically obese at the time of his death, according to medical reports made public today. The New York medical examiner's records, which have been published by the Wall Street Journal, state that Dr Atkins weighed 18 and a half stone when he died last April after being injured in a fall on an icy New York City street. At 6ft tall, Dr Atkins, 72, would have qualified as obese, according to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention's body mass index calculator. - The [London] Times

UNC

Well, it looks like I was admitted to UNC. I don't think there's much chance I'll accept their offer, but I am curious to visit. I do feel that it doesn't bode so well that I was offered just a TA-ship by UNC of all places. That and their theory group seems to consist of just one professor, and the theory grad student I wrote to at UNC misspelled 'Berkeley' in her reply. I also like how Rochester is making all my travel arrangements for me. (-:

Here's what one of my friends says about UNC. He graduated EECS from here, then did a Masters at UNC, now works at IBM:

Hey Tobin. UNC's campus is pretty nice. A real Eastern campus with lots of green and brick. The town is sleepier and less culturally diverse than UC Berkeley, of course. I don't know anything about their Physics department though. But I'm sure if you were going to go there you would've done your research anyway. Buses throughout Chapel Hill and Carrboro are free.

( offer letter follows )

"Maybe we can fly them overseas on a FedEx plane,"

hahaha

(this is in reference to the FedEx-DeptOfEducation-Berkeley-Fulbright SNAFU, which has been resolved by UC Berkeley agreeing to fund any Fulbright Fellowships that are awarded to its applicants, and the above quote is from discussions with FedEx [partially responsible for the missed deadline] regarding how they can contribute.)