US concerned over Russian sale of defence systems

CRAWFORD (AFP) - The White House expressed concern Wednesday over Iran’s announcement that Russia would supply S-300 air missile defence systems to the Islamic republic.
“We have ongoing concerns about the prospective sale of such weapons to Iran and other countries of concern,” Scott Stanzel, a White House spokesman, said from Crawford, Texas, where President George W. Bush was spending the yearend holiday on his ranch.
Iranian Defence Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar announced Wednesday that Russia would deliver the system, but said the date for the delivery would be unveiled later. Moscow has not confirmed the sale.
The announcement came as Washington is seeking to impose new United Nations sanctions on Iran over its refusal to halt its nuclear programsia to cancel that sale, saying it was a mistake when the UN Security Council had imposed sanctions on Iran’s ballistic missile industry as part of measures against its nuclear drive.

16 dead in Nepal bridge collapse

KATHMANDU (AFP) - Sixteen people were killed and 25 still missing from the collapse of a bridge in west Nepal, police said Thursday, calling it a “miracle” the toll was not higher.
“There was panic at the scene when the bridge fell (on Tuesday) so initial estimates were too high. It’s a miracle not a larger number of people died,” district officer Anik Kumar Pandey said by telephone from the remote area.
Police had earlier said they feared hundreds of people had died when the 500-metre (1,650-foot) bridge plunged into the gorge 380 kilometres (240 miles) west of the capital Kathmandu.
Some 400 people heading for a religious ceremony were on the year-old suspension bridge over the Bheri river when one of its supporting pillars gave way.
But many who fell into the icy water managed to swim to safety, police said. Others scrambled to land after clinging on to the fallen bridge, only one-third of which was submerged.
“We’ve recovered 16 bodies and 25 people are still missing,” Pandey said.
Hundreds of police and soldiers were still looking for the missing.
Officials believed the missing might have been swept downstream into the mainly agricultural countryside that surrounds the Bheri, one of Nepal’s largest rivers.
The bridge was crowded with locals who going to a Hindu religious ceremony to celebrate the full moon.
Nepal has hundreds of small bridges in the rugged countryside that range from rope or wooden planks to steel and concrete.
The landlocked Himalayan nation is criss-crossed by dozens of rivers across one of the steepest topographies in the world.
The injured, mostly women and children, who were rescued from the site were treated in hospitals in nearby towns.

Amitabh Bachchan speaks on Aamir Khan, Saawariya and the IFFI

Aamir Khan continues to justify his severe comments on Black and in the same breath he calls you the biggest star that Indian cinema has ever seen. Comment.

The only thing correct about this question is Aamir's justification of his severe comments on Black. It's his individual opinion and it must be respected. What I entirely disagree with is the largesse he offers me on being the 'biggest star of Indian Cinema'. There he has gone totally wrong. We hear a lot of Aamir recently because he has a film to release and needs to promote it. Madhuri Dixit has said that in today's day and age everyone needs to scream about their product. The age of subtle and soft marketing is over. And what is wrong if the subject of Aamir's film, which I believe deals with challenged children, needs for him to take a stand on his beliefs about the film. He did the same post the release of Rang de Basanti. His beliefs could differ from the beliefs of other makers, so what? Black, which he had issues with, won huge laurels, critically and commercially, nationally and internationally. If his is a voice of lone dissent, it's his right as an individual, living in a free society. And if his comments attract debate, it can only help in drawing attention to the product he now promotes. I think it to be very smart of him to be able to have achieved that. Is there a provision in law or society that states that one cannot be smart? And why just Aamir... in today's available mediums we all do it. So what if Shah Rukh goes to a cricket match to promote his film? I see nothing wrong with that. Does not the media dress and decorate its pages and headlines to gain maximum attention and salability? I will do it too, when my film comes up for release to assist marketing.

Your glowing comments on Saawariya have provoked a lot of debate and discussion.

The 'film not living up to expectations' has got nothing to do with my personal opinion. I stand by my comments and my observations about the film.

By comparing Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor's performances to a symphony?

Have you heard Beethoven's symphony? There's loud orchestra followed by a thin flute sound…This was the genius composer's interpretation of desire and destiny…It's like the two protagonists in Saawariya - Ranbir is the storm, Sonam the soft breeze.



That's not what the film critics had to say?

Film criticism is a part of journalistic freedom. And it is the freedom of the reader to accept or reject it. But it's a healthy practice. It gives a point of view. A view that at times gets camouflaged in the exuberance of the offering. I read film criticism regularly. I learn from the mistakes that they bring out and at times, disagree with their assessment. That is my prerogative. At times, I use it to challenge my own self, to beat or overcome the opinion expressed. Therefore, I am happy with that. I only wish that the more recent - well, of the past 15 years or so - practice, of giving marks would not be there. It's like being sent back to school, where your mark sheet at the end of a paper or term, would turn out to be the most dreaded embarrassment!

Some of your best works, including Sholay, Agneepath, Sooryavansham and Nishabd, were severely panned.

I have two views on this. The obvious is the immense hurt of reading disparaging analysis. Somehow, if it was just a one-on-one it would be more tolerable. But to know that millions will be exposed to it is like losing your pants in the middle of a crowded street. And two, to accept it in the right spirit. There is another more personal factor - despite the criticism, were we in a position to enjoy the work that we did? Well, I've enjoyed immensely working in all the films you mentioned. I found opportunity in them that tested or challenged my creative senses. They may not have been accepted. But they were my little personal accomplishments. And that has been satisfying.

There's a distinct polarization in the film industry with the Khans and the Bachchans said to be on different sides of the firing line. Once and for all, state the nature of your rapport with Shah Rukh Khan?

I disagree with you entirely and strongly. Our film fraternity is an excellent example of happy integration. Please do not put it on a psychologist's drawing board, where expressions like these are used often to examine the political future of a party in an election process.

Finally, why weren't you at Goa Film Festival for the premiere of The Last Lear?

I was unaware of the protocol involved at the Goa Film Festival. My very busy and tight schedule kept me away from the premiere, since I was made aware of it at a very short notice.

Boost antioxidants

Add avocado to your salad. Vegetables have an unexpected downside: Many of them are virtually fat free, and you need fat in the meal to absorb cancer-fighting carotenoids.

Snack on dried figs. Dried fruits are known to be rich in antioxidants - but some of the less popular types are the most nutritious. Figs and dried plums had the best overall nutrient scores, shows recent research at the University of Scranton. A handful of dried figs (about one and a half ounce) increased "antioxidant capacity" - the ability to neutralise free radicals - by nine percent. That's more than double the increase seen after a cup of green tea.

Eat a fruit salad. Antioxidants love company: A mixture of oranges, apples, grapes, and blueberries provides five times the antioxidant power you get from eating the same fruits solo, says recent research by Liu, at Cornell. Ingredients to toss into fruit salad, ranked in order of phenolic content (a type of plant chemical that cuts the risk of chronic disease): cranberries, apples, red grapes, strawberries, pineapples, bananas, peaches, oranges, and pears.



Protect your stomach from bugs

Turn down your fridge. If the setting is over 40∞F, your food is sitting in the danger zone - the temperature at which bacteria begin to multiply.

Lack of awareness and stigma contributes to spread of AIDS

Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, HIV/AIDS, is a collection of symptoms and infections resulting from the specific damage to the immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in humans and similar viruses in other species (SIV, FIV, etc.). The late stage of the condition leaves individuals susceptible to opportunistic infections and tumors. Although treatments for AIDS and HIV exist to decelerate the virus' progression, there is currently no known cure.

Low levels of awareness about HIV/AIDS and the social stigma associated with the disease are contributing to its spread in Pakistan. Recently a nation wide campaign has been launched to educate the masses about the disease and its preventions. Massive participation is required for reducing the stereotypes and stigma attributed to this disease. Numerous researches have been conducted in order to device efficient and effective strategies and to know what is the level of awareness among the local people.

According to an online news report, "the rate of HIV prevalence in Pakistan is 0.1 percent. The number of cases increasing among high-risk groups -- such as the country's 150,000 injection drug users and men who have sex with men." In addition, the stigma associated with these populations has kept most people from reporting their HIV-positive status. About 3,700 HIV/AIDS cases have been registered officially in the country since 1986, but the World Health Organisation (WHO) and UN AIDS say that there are about 200,000 cases. The World Bank also says that limited surveillance and voluntary HIV/AIDS counselling and testing services, combined with a lack of education among health professionals and the general population, are contributing to the spread of the disease.

A survey released by the Punjab AIDS Control Programme found that 87 percent of people in eight districts of Punjab had heard of HIV. Twenty-six percent of respondents said that they were aware that HIV can be transmitted through risky sexual behaviour; 23 percent said that they knew that HIV can be transmitted by reusing needles; six percent said that they knew that blood transfusions pose a risk; and four percent said that they knew that condoms help prevent HIV. Some advocates have launched media campaigns and lobbied government officials in the country to help promote HIV/AIDS awareness. The government has adopted new awareness targets that seek to reach 25 percent of the population in each high-risk group including commercial sex workers and trans-gendered people by the end of 2007, with an ultimate target of 60 percent by 2010.

Akbar Babar, a private consultant who carried out the Punjab study, said that increased resources are needed to conduct an HIV/AIDS awareness campaign in the country. "We all know awareness campaigns are expensive, electronic media is expensive, but extremely poor levels of awareness about HIV and its transmission routes should convince policymakers that we need to allocate a lot more (resources) so that the media reports can be more intense," he said, calling for a significant boost in funds, particularly for television.

Exercise gene could help with depression

Boosting an exercise-related gene in the brain works as a powerful anti-depressant in mice-a finding that could lead to a new anti-depressant drug target, according to a Yale School of Medicine. "The VGF exercise-related gene and target for drug development could be even better than chemical antidepressants because it is already present in the brain," said Ronald Duman, professor of psychiatry and senior author of the study. Currently available anti-depressants help 65 percent of patients and require weeks to months before the patients experience relief. Duman said, "it is known that exercise improves brain function and mental health, and provides protective benefits in the event of a brain injury or disease, but how this all happens in the brain is not well understood." He and his colleagues designed a custom microarray that was optimised to show small changes in gene expression, particularly in the brain's hippocampus, a limbic structure highly sensitive to stress hormones, depression, and anti-depressants.

Fever can briefly unlock autistic brain

Over the past few decades, parents and clinicians have observed that the behaviours of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) tend to improve, sometimes rather dramatically, during a fever. Longer concentration spans, increased language production, improved eye contact and better overall relations with adults and peers have all been reported. In a study, researchers from the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, Maryland confirmed, for the first time, parent and clinician reports that the behaviour of children with ASD improves with fever. The study evaluated children with ASD during and after an episode of fever and found that fewer autistic-like behaviours were recorded for children with fever compared to controls. Understanding how fever affects the behaviours of children with ASD may provide insight into the causes of the disorder and potential treatment opportunities.

Khuda Kay Liye

But what we really suggest you do this Eid is catch Zibahkhana in the theatres. There is something refreshing about this new breed of directors for whom the surprising success of Khuda Kay Liye has opened doors. Proving all the stalwarts of the film industry wrong, who historically maintained that a film without naach gana wouldn't work, Shoaib Mansoor has paved the way for a new exciting kind of cinema in Pakistan. It is a brave new frontier that is no longer seeking to emulate Bollywood. Zibahkhana is another endeavour in that direction. This is nothing like Bhoot or Darna Mana Hai or the many Indian horror films that have come out. Zibahkhana is classic camp horror in the best possible way.

And if it has anything in common with Khuda Kay Liye, it is that Zibahkhana too gives one that warmth that comes from watching something rooted in one's own world. The youngsters in Zibahkhana could be from any metropolis in Pakistan and their travels through the woods in Isloo will strike a chord with anyone who has ever been there. And for that pleasure alone this slash fest is worth a watch.




StarBytes

Mekaal Hasan is the hottest producer around right now

He just wrapped up production on Jal's new album, Boondh and these days, it is Ali Azmat's Klashnifolk that is consuming most of Mekaal's time.

To his credit, Mekaal has made sure that Boondh sounds crisp and it is just that.

Undoubtedly Mekaal Hasan is the most in-demand music producer in Pakistan these days. Rohail Hyatt and Shahi Hasan are the only other music producers who can really match Mekaal's production wizardry. But strangely enough, most artists opt to go to Mekaal.

Among other records that Mekaal is producing includes Zeb and Haniya's debut album. According to the girls' website, "Recording began in the first week of February 2007 at Mekaal Hasan's Digital Fidelity Studio in Lahore. The tracking completed, the album moved into the editing and mixing phase in August 2007, and the band is currently waiting for Mekaal to complete the album so they can get it to listeners as soon as possible."

The only thing is what takes priority? With so many albums to produce, it usually means that some albums will be given more priority. And Mekaal's own songs with his band, Mekaal Hasan Band, are also being produced at the same studio. So it seems that release dates of Klashnifolk as well as the highly anticipated debut of Zeb and Haniya will depend on Mekaal Hasan and how soon he can finish the records.



Abhishek and Aishwarya break the ice with Shah Rukh KhanRiteish Deshmukh's birthday bash saw most of his Bollywood friends turn up. The seniors were not invited so it was basically a gathering of the young and restless. "The oldest in the group, I think, was Shah Rukh Khan. Riteish's dad was also missing," one source said.

However, the highlight of the party was the fact that Shah Rukh and wife Gauri were seen bonding with Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai. So much so, that the two couples almost spent the whole evening chatting with each other. Just why this comes as a surprise is that SRK and Ash have not really been on great terms and moreover, the entire Bachchan family seemed miffed with King Khan. However, this was a night when all the animosity seemed to have melted away. It had to happen sooner or later; after all, Aishwarya did end up with Abhishek and not Salman whose behaviour on the sets of Chalte Chalte created the violence with Ash in the first place.

Later the same night, Abhishek and Ash burned the dance floor when Jhoom Barabar Jhoom songs were played and then SRK joined wife Gauri on the dance floor when Om Shanti Om songs were being played. It seems that Indian stars dance to their own tunes. Gauri, however, did not restrict herself to one or two songs - she danced through the night along with designer Sabina Khan, Kunal Kapoor, Arshad Warsi, Neelam Kothari, Bobby Deol and his wife, Tanya. DJ Suketu was spinning at the party. The only couple who stayed away from the dance floor and seemed entirely caught up with each other were Arjun Rampal and Meher Jessia.

But ultimately it is the Shah Rukh-Aishwarya-Abhishek triangle that is sorted at long last and of that we are glad!



Matt Damon and Eddie Veddar to teach 'people's history



Actor Matt Damon, whose been riding high on the success of his film, Bourne Ultimatum along with Eddie Veddar, front man of Pearl Jam, will both contribute their talents to a documentary miniseries based on historian-author Howard Zinn's 1980 book, A People's History of the United States.

Titled The People Speak, the project will feature music and readings based on America's struggles with war, class, race and the rights of women.

Eddie Veddar has always been outspoken and his association with films dates back to 1995's Dead Man Walking. And since then he has been involved with soundtracks including Sean Penn's recent film, Into The Wild.

Matt isn't far behind. Along with buddies George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Don Cheadle, Matt has been raising funds for Darfur.

Other than Matt and Eddie, Viggo Mortensen, Josh Brolin, Danny Glover and Kerry Washington will provide performances for the project, which will interweave archival footage, photographs and interviews. Eddie Vedder and R&B singer John Legend will handle the music.

And this really is the way to make documentaries have a mass appeal. When such high profile names team up together, it leads to curiosity and is bound to get noticed. So here's to Matt and Eddie, these guys just know how to use their star power to the hilt! We really wish our musicians and actors would learn to do the same!

Walk for health

The rising incidence of diabetes has created an alarming situation worldwide. Pakistan is one of the countries having the highest number of diabetics and facing an epidemic of diabetes. According to World Health Organisation (WHO), estimates, there are presently more than seven million diabetics in Pakistan and this number will increase to 16 million by 2025. Another six million or more are suffering from Impaired Glucose Tolerance, which means they are at high risk of developing diabetes. This ranks Pakistan 8th in the world as far as the number of the diabetics is concerned and according to WHO estimation, Pakistan will be placed 4th in this regard by the year 2025. These figures make diabetes an epidemic and call for an immediate action.

To make people vigilant of this situation diabetes awareness walk was organised recently by the National Diabetes and Diabetic Foot Programme at Boat Basin, Karachi. It was inaugurated by Prof FU Baqai, Vice Chancellor of Baqai Medical University and Prof Abdul Samad Shera, Honorary President International Diabetes Federation and Secretary General Pakistan Diabetes Association. The purpose of the walk was to create awareness in the people in general, regarding diabetes, its prevention and management and to stress the importance and need of regular physical activity and exercise.

Change in the life style from sedentary to more active with regular physical exercise and balanced diet rather than the high calorie fatty and sugary diet can prevent diabetes in a large proportion of people. The programme is a nationwide diabetes project, launched jointly by the World Diabetes Foundation (WDF), and Baqai Institute of Diabetology and Endocrinology (BIDE), with an aim to giving knowledge regarding diabetes, to initiate the prevention of diabetes and to improve the diabetes care and the diabetic foot care nationwide.

A number of stalls were there at the starting point of the walk providing literature and verbal information about diabetes and its prevention and management. Moreover, free blood-sugar and cholesterol tests were provided and Body Mass Index (a criterion for obesity) was measured.

Health update

Replace sugar with buckwheat honey. This sweet substance has been used for medicinal purposes since ancient times; when it's applied to a wound, honey is a natural antibacterial salve. Now researchers say that its benefits may be much more than skin deep. Test-tube studies show that honey slows the oxidation of LDL cholesterol.

Cool hot flashes

Breathe deeply. "Slow, deep abdominal breathing can reduce the frequency of hot flashes by about half," according to three recent studies. Estrogen withdrawal is partly to blame for hot flashes, but researchers believe that stress also plays a role by firing up the sympathetic nervous system. Sit in a comfortable chair and allow your breath to deepen. Inhale through your nose; exhale through your mouth. Close your eyes to cut out distraction. Let your belly be soft - you want it to rise and fall with each breath.

Boost your health in almost no time

What if you could cut your risk of heart disease, get fitter, and slow aging - not to mention protect your smile? Better health does take time, but not as much as you may think. Yes, you should exercise 30 minutes a day and sleep seven to eight hours a night. But top experts in nutrition, cardiovascular health, and cancer prevention know the super-simple, amazingly fast steps you can take to dramatically improve your well being. So take a minute or so ... and boost your health in almost no time flat.



Fight cancer

Eat the peel. The bulk of an apple's benefit lies in its skin. In a recent lab experiment, more than a dozen chemicals in the peels of red apples inhibited the growth of breast, liver, and colon cancer cells.

Take the right supplements. Getting enough vitamin D and calcium brings a remarkable reduction in cancer risk, found a recent four year study at Creighton University: Women who took the combo reduced their overall risk by up to 77 percent. "Vitamin D enhances your body's immune response - which is the first line of defence against cancer," says lead researcher Joan Lappe, PhD, RN, a professor of nursing and medicine.



Slow aging

Sniff some lavender or rosemary. The scent of lavender can bring you a restful night's sleep - but the plant can do you a world of good in daylight, too. In a recent study, volunteers sniffed the essential oils of lavender or rosemary for five minutes. Result: Levels of the stress hormone cortisol in saliva dropped as much as 24 percent. That's good, because the hormone increases blood pressure and suppresses the immune system. What's more, people who smelled low concentrations of lavender or high concentrations of rosemary were better at getting rid of free radicals, the pesky molecules believed to speed aging and disease.



Cut cholesterol

Sprinkle pistachios on your salad. Researchers at Pennsylvania State University recently gave volunteers a pleasant task of eatingone a half ounces (about a handful) of pistachios every day. At the end of four weeks, those who munched the nuts reduced their total cholesterol by an average of almost seven percent. That reduction has a major payoff: Cutting your total cholesterol by about seven percent reduces your heart disease risk by 14 percent. "Pistachios are one of the best sources of plant sterols, compounds we know reduce absorption of cholesterol," says researcher Penny Kris-Etherton, PhD, RD, who led the study.

Australian Open: anti-corruption measures adopted

MELBOURNE: Australian Open organisers have introduced anti-corruption measures designed to prevent illegal gambling and match-fixing during next month's grand slam tournament.

Tennis Australia on Friday unveiled its anti-corruption policy, which includes a hotline to report alleged corruption, a ban on unauthorised use of laptop computers courtside and enhanced security measures designed to restrict access to players.

The moves follows reports of suspicious betting activity on several overseas matches this year, as well as players claiming they had been approached to throw matches.

TA chief executive Steve Wood said strict sanctions would apply for players and their support staff for breaches of the policy, ranging from fines to life bans.

Offenders could also face prison terms, with offences arising from match-fixing facing a maximum of 15 years' jail under Victorian state law.

"We don't believe our sport has a corruption problem but we do recognise that a threat to the integrity of tennis exists," Wood said.

The January 14-27 Australian Open is the first grand slam tournament to introduce such measures.

Tennis Australia's newly-established Anti-Corruption Commission (TAACC) will be chaired by Brian Collis, QC, and former detective Sal Perna will be its investigative officer.

"We've conducted a thorough analysis of the issue and consulted with a variety of stakeholders, including other sporting organisations, betting agencies and law enforcement," Wood said.

15 dead in Tajikistan avalanche

DUSHANBE: At least 15 people were killed when an avalanche swept down onto a road linking capital Dushanbe with northern Tajikistan, the Central Asian state's interior ministry was quoted as saying on Saturday.

"We extracted 15 bodies from underneath the snow, it is unknown how many remain there," the ministry's spokesman Khudoinazar Asoyev said.

"A massive avalanche Friday closed off a mountain road, trapping large cargo trucks travelling from the north to Dushanbe. Yet another avalanche crashed down on the vehicles when they stopped," Asoyev added.

The country's emergency situations ministry so far confirmed only two casualties.

Online sexual predator found guilty on 10 of 36 counts Lewd conduct with 12-year-old girl

Jurors announced a partial verdict today in the case of a Saratoga man accused of having a sexual relationship with a 12-year-old girl he met on the Internet: They found Anthony Uckele guilty on ten counts of lewd conduct with a child, but they were struggling to reach agreement on 26 more charges.
Judge Paul R. Bernal sent the jurors home early today and asked them to resume deliberating Thursday morning in Santa Clara County Superior Court. Four of the 12 jurors told the judge they don't think they will be able to agree on the remaining charges, but eight said they think a verdict is still possible.
Authorities say Uckele, a former West Valley College student, had sex with the girl numerous times in the course of a seven-month relationship, which began in 2005 when Uckele saw her MySpace page and sent her an electronic message. At the time, Uckele was 22 but listed his age on MySpace as 16. The girl was 12 and testified that she listed her age as two or three years older.
But the girl, whose name is being withheld to protect her privacy, testified that both admitted their true ages within a short time after they first met, and before they had sexual intercourse. Defense attorney Richard Pointer has said his client admitted having sex with the girl twice, but suggested that she has exaggerated the number of times.
In the verdicts returned today,jurors found that two of the lewd acts involved "substantial sexual conduct," while the others did not.Uckele faces up to 26 years in prison for the charges on which he was convicted today. the additional counts could bring the maximum sentence to 78 years. Prosecutor Jim Shore has said Uckele also approached other underage girls online, although the charges involve only the one victim.
The jury began deliberating last week but had to start over on Tuesday after the judge replaced an ill juror with an alternate. At the jury's request, Bernal said he will have some of the girl's testimony read back to them on Thursday.

Wife says canoe man faked death, hid in home

John Darwin's wife said her husband faked his own death to avoid mounting debts and holed up in the family home for years, hiding from his own sons, according to UK media reports.

The apartment building in Panama City, Panama, where it is belived Darwin's wife Anne lived.

1 of 2


Anne Darwin said her husband, believed by police and his sons to have been lost at sea five years ago, recently returned to the UK, faking amnesia, because he missed his now-adult children, according to The Daily Mirror.
"I didn't think he would get away with it but he had had enough of being dead," she is quoted as saying.
John Darwin, 57, is being questioned by police in northeastern England following his arrest on suspicion of fraud, a spokesman for Cleveland, England, police said.
Darwin walked into a police station in London last weekend -- five years after he was thought to have died after the remains of a canoe he paddled into the North Sea, off northeastern England, washed up on shore.
Darwin was declared dead by a coroner in 2003, 13 months after his disappearance in March 2002.
His wife, the paper reported, described how the prison officer and former teacher discussed faking his death just before he disappeared because of mounting debts.
When John Darwin vanished she said she thought he was dead -- until, she is reported to have said, he turned up on the doorstep of the family home at Seaton Carew, northeastern England, one year later.
"I didn't even recognize him at first," Anne Darwin told the newspaper, adding that her husband looked thin, dirty and smelled dreadful. "I was relieved he was alive, of course. But I was also very angry with him."
She said that her husband stayed at the home on and off before he got a one-room apartment in another part of the large house so he could vanish if friends or family arrived, also disguising himself with a hat or limp when he went outside.
But hiding away began to take its toll, Anne Darwin reportedly said, and the pair decided to leave Britain.
Her husband traveled on a false passport to look at property in Cyprus and inquire about buying a catamaran in Gibraltar, she said, before they finally settled in Panama. She went to live there six weeks ago.
She is believed to be in the United States after leaving Panama on a flight late Thursday, a Panamanian immigration representative has told CNN.
Anne Darwin, the newspaper said, said she intended to repay the total of £155,000 (about $315,000 U.S.) she received from her husband's insurance policies, some of which she used to pay off their home mortgage.
The newspaper said she was not paid for her story and accepts she is likely to be arrested upon her return to Britain.
Following his reappearance last weekend, John Darwin was initially reunited with his two sons, who released a joint statement saying their father claimed to have amnesia dating back to June 2000.

But in a statement released by Cleveland police Thursday, the sons, Mark, 31, and Anthony, 29, said they were in an "angry and confused state of mind" and they wanted no further contact with their parents.
After media reports Thursday that Anne Darwin had confessed to knowing her husband was alive, the sons said: "If the papers' allegations of a confession from our mam are true, then we very much feel that we have been the victims in a large scam."
"In the short space of time following our dad's appearance in London on Saturday, we have gone through a rollercoaster of emotion," the statement said.

Garth Brooks Donates Personal Stuff to Museum

"Garth Brooks has cleaned out his closet, giving some of what he found to the Smithsonian in the nation's capital, reports The Washington Post's Reliable Source column – which suggests he may have been encouraged by his wife, Trisha Yearwood, to get the stuff out of their house. How else to explain his largesse: a reconstructed smashed guitar from a 1991 TV appearance, a Western-style concert outfit (including black elephant-skin boots), handwritten lyrics on a yellow legal pad and some plaques for sales milestones, including one adorned by a gold-painted audio cassette tape. 'To say that I'm flattered would not be enough,' the semi-retired singer, 45, said of his inclusion in the American archive. 'I always thought that when this happened you'd feel like Elvis, and I don't.' He added, 'All I can think of while they're taking me around here is, 'What the hell am I doing in here?"

Agency Still Investigating Spears Case - Britney Spears, Kevin Federline : People.com

"Hundreds of pages of court documents were released Tuesday in the Britney Spears-Kevin Federline custody battle – and in them was the revelation that the L.A. County Department of Children and Family Services is still looking into 'multiple child abuse and neglect referrals.' 'The Sensitive Case Unit ... is currently investigating multiple child abuse and neglect referrals concerning the above-referenced parents and their family,' a legal filing reads. 'The referrals are for general neglect and substantial risk.' Spears's lawyers did not respond to requests for comment. On Oct. 3, Tony Barretto, the singer's former bodyguard, had requested that the DCFS open an investigation into Spears, citing drug use and other questionable parenting by Spears. The document, dated Oct. 25, is a request by the DCFS asking for access to sealed documents in the former couple's ongoing custody battle, to aid their investigation. The court granted the request on Nov. 26. 'Based on its investigation to date, it should be noted that DCFS has concerns of its own regarding the safety and welfare of the children if the children are left in the mother's care,' the filing continues. 'However, although DCFS has interviewed the parents and several witnesses regarding the allegations in the referrals,"

Suicide Car Bomber Attacks Afghan Army Bus in Kabul, 13 Killed

"A suicide bomber slammed into a bus in Kabul, killing at least 13 people Wednesday - the second such attack in the Afghan capital in as many days. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the bombing, which occurred just as U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates wrapped up a two-day visit to the country to assess military efforts against rising militant attacks. Afghan officials say among those killed in today's attack were six soldiers and seven civilians, four of them children. Militant attacks on buses carrying military and government personnel have become increasingly common this year. The Taliban also claimed responsibility for a suicide car bomb attack on Tuesday, which caused no deaths but wounded 22 Afghans. Secretary Gates met Tuesday with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and his army chief Bismullah Khan. Both men told Gates that the Afghan military needs more trainers and equipment to fight the Taliban. Gates said he would try to expedite the requests. He also expressed concern about increasing violence in Afghanistan, pointing out that the trend is - in part - connected to more aggressive efforts on the part of the United States and NATO to go after Taliban militants."

US Defense Secretary in Iraq to Discuss Security Gains

"U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is in Iraq on an unannounced visit to assess the progress in security that has been achieved with a surge of U.S. forces in the country. Gates flew into northern Iraqi city of Mosul for talks with U.S. commanders Wednesday, after ending a visit to Afghanistan. U.S. defense department spokesman Geoff Morrell said Secretary Gates wants to see for himself the progress made since his last visit to the country nearly three months ago. The spokesman said Gates will also meet with senior Iraqi leaders, including Prime minister Nouri al-Maliki, to get their view of the situation and to see what more they can do to build on the progress made so far. In violence, Iraqi police say at least eight people were killed in three separate car bombings in the cities of Mosul, Baquba and Kirkuk. Separately, the U.S. military said two American soldiers were killed Tuesday in an insurgent attack that involved a roadside bomb blast and small arms fire. Two other soldiers were wounded in the attack in Salahuddin province, north of Baghdad. Tuesday, the Iraqi Cabinet agreed to ask the United Nations to extend authorization for U.S.-led forces in the country through the end of next year. The current one-year mandate for U.S. forces expires at the end of this month (December 2007). At"

“Three tips to help make your cancer treatment more effective.”

If you’ve been diagnosed with cancer, we suggest that you discuss these three tips with your doctor. They may help minimize the side effects of treatment and help you have a more successful outcome.
ONE: Double-check your dosing
When used properly, chemotherapy medication kills cancer cells with minimal harm to normal cells. But here’s the tricky part: Too much chemotherapy can make you sick. Too little, and your cancer will continue to grow. Dosage for many chemotherapy drugs is based on your height and weight. To be sure you get the correct dose, make sure your doctors and pharmacist know your correct height and weight measurements.
TWO: Manage pain aggressively
Pain and nausea are among the unfortunate side effects of cancer and its treatments. But there’s good news: There’s a range of medications that can help. If you’re feeling the side effects of cancer and/or your treatment, don’t be afraid to ask your doctor to manage your pain more aggressively.
THREE: Follow through with your treatment as directed
There’s a wide variety of treatments for cancer. But even the best treatment won’t be as effective if you don’t follow through with it as directed. For example, some medications that are used to help prevent breast cancer from coming back must be taken for 5 years. At Medco, we know of women who have discontinued their treatment early. As a result, they haven’t received the full preventative benefit of the treatment.
Important new study
Many women who take tamoxifen for breast cancer don’t respond to it. That’s why Medco is undertaking a new study to determine whether a genetic test can be used to tell whether a patient will respond to this medication. Such a test could save precious time for breast cancer patients who don’t respond to tamoxifen and who might require an alternative medication.
If your prescription program is managed by Medco and we notice a safety issue with your medication, an Oncology Pharmacist will work with your doctor to help make sure that you’re getting the most effective treatment.

“Are you taking the right medication for a neurological or psychiatric disorder?”

Neurological disorders include epilepsy, migraine headaches, and Parkinson’s disease. Depression and schizophrenia are psychiatric disorders. As it turns out, many of the medications used to treat neurological conditions are also used to treat psychiatric conditions. There are a number of treatment options for each, but it’s important to make sure you’re getting the right medication for your specific illness.
Watch for drug interactions
Everybody being treated for a neurological or psychiatric disorder should be especially watchful for harmful drug interactions. Some of these medications can be dangerous if taken in the wrong combination or by people with certain conditions, such as heart disease. These medications can cause side effects that may not be as easy to detect, due to the symptoms of the neurological or psychiatric disorder itself.
Know your treatment options
Is your treatment working? Is it affordable? Are there unexpected or unwanted side effects? There are many alternatives for treating neurological and psychiatric disorders. So it’s always worth considering a change in medication if you’re not happy with the outcome, side effects, or price.
Keep your doctor informed
Always tell your doctors about all the medications you’re taking. If one of your doctors makes a change in your medication, be sure to tell your other doctors. This will help you avoid the risk of a drug interaction and allow you to get the full benefit of the treatment. And if Medco manages your prescription program and we notice a safety issue with your medications, a Neurology/Psychiatry Pharmacist will work with you and your doctor to help make sure that you’re getting the most effective treatment.

“Don’t let your arthritis give you an ulcer.”

What kind of arthritis do you have?
There's a lot of confusion about arthritis, which is a painful and potentially disabling condition affecting the joints. The confusion comes from the fact that there are different types of arthritis and many different types of treatment. Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis.* This condition comes from wear and tear on your joints. So it's not surprising that if you live long enough, there's a good chance you'll get osteoarthritis. Other common types of arthritis include gout and autoimmune arthritis—such as rheumatoid arthritis—which occurs when your body's immune system attacks your joints.
Treatments and side effects.
Most people with osteoarthritis can manage their pain by taking over-the-counter medications such as Tylenol®, Advil®, or aspirin. For other people, arthritis treatment requires prescription medication for pain management. It is important to remember that some prescription and over-the-counter medications can cause ulcers, especially if you take them day in and day out for weeks at a time. If you are over 65, have heart disease, or take the blood thinner warfarin, you are especially at risk.
What you can do
If you have to take arthritis medicine every day, you may want to ask your doctor or pharmacist if there's a medication you need to take with it to help protect your stomach from an ulcer. The good news is that there are many such medications available. If your prescription program is managed by Medco and a medication safety issue arises, an Arthritis/Pain Management Pharmacist will work with you and your doctor to help make sure that you're getting the most effective treatment.
So don't let arthritis slow you down more than it has to. The right treatment can go a long way toward helping you live as active a lifestyle as you can.

Launch of Columbus lab renews attention on grounded $1.5 billion project

After years of delays, NASA hopes to launch this week a European-built laboratory that will greatly expand the research capability of the international space station. Although some call it a milestone, the launch has focused new attention on the space agency's earlier decision to back out of plans to send up a different, $1.5 billion device -- one that many scientists contend would produce far more significant knowledge.
The instrument, which would detect and measure cosmic rays in a new way, took 500 physicists from around the world 12 years to build. But with room on the 10 remaining shuttle missions to the space station in short supply, many fear that it will remain forever warehoused on Earth, becoming the most sophisticated and costly white elephant of the space era.
As a result, the imminent launch of the $1 billion Columbus laboratory -- the kind of scientific workspace that the station's backers always said would be its reason for being -- will take place under something of a cloud.

Firefight in Fallujah

Afghanitan Dco 2nd plt 1-158 fire fight

Britain's navy ill-equipped for a major WAR

LONDON: Britain's navy is no longer equipped to fight a major war because of years of underfunding and cutbacks, a newspaper said Sunday, quoting what it described as a leaked Ministry of Defense report.

A UK-based newspaper said the navy would have to struggle even to repeat its role in the Iraq war and is ``far more vulnerable to unexpected shocks'' because of its ``under-resourced'' fleet of ``aging and operationally defective ships.''

The paper said the report was ordered by Defense Secretary Des Browne and concludes: ``The current material state of the fleet is not good; the Royal Navy would be challenged to mount a medium-scale operation in accordance with current policy against a technologically capable adversary.''

Asked about the report on Saturday night, the Ministry of Defense said it always declines to comment about ``leaked documents.'' But it said it issued a statement saying: ``The government values the Royal Navy greatly,'' has invested billions of pounds (dollars/euros) in new ships and submarines, and ordered two new aircraft carriers ``which will be state of the art technology and allow us to project force around the globe.''

The ministry said the new ships will be far more capable than their predecessors.

MMA divided on boycott of elections

ISLAMABAD: The Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) on Saturday failed to reach a final decision to boycott the general elections but deferred withdrawal of nomination papers till December 15.

“We have decided to keep all options open till the last date of withdrawal of nomination papers which was also necessary to keep the MMA intact,” a central leader of the MMA told ‘The News’ after a meeting of the alliance leadership held here at the residence of Qazi Hussain Ahmad to discuss the issue.

Sources said that following suggestions from MMA Secretary-General and JUI (F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI,) which was represented by its Amir Qazi Hussain Ahmad and Secretary-General Syed Munawwar Hassan, agreed to stop their candidates from withdrawing nomination papers.

The sources said Maulana Fazlur Rehman was of the view that as the announcement to boycott the elections was conditional, therefore, any party of the MMA should not take any decision in haste. Other parties also supported the same stance.

A central leader of the MMA after the meeting said that the proceedings were held in a very cordial atmosphere and there was no criticism of each other. “We have agreed to continue the process of consultation to reach a final decision,” Qazi Hussain Ahmad said while briefly talking to newsmen after the meeting. He welcomed the proposal of All Parties Conference as part of the process of consultations.

He was of the view that the opposition parties should take a decision about boycotting the elections collectively. He reiterated demands about lifting of emergency immediately, and restoration of the judiciary to the pre-November 3 status, saying that fair elections are not possible in the prevailing situation.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman said he would welcome the APDM committee and try to convince them about his stance on participating in the elections. To a question, he said that a final decision would be taken before the holding of the elections. “We are trying to convince each other,” the Maulana said when asked to comment on the committee constituted by the APDM to convince him to boycott elections. He said he considered the decision of boycotting the polls as wrong but still he was ready to continue dialogue with other opposition parties on the issue.

Nearly 10 Million Children Under 5 Die Each Year -- A Case of Benign Neglect

Kamrul Hassan recognized the signs. The fever, coughing and rapid breathing that afflicted his two-year old daughter, Sweety, were the same symptoms that killed his toddler son three years before. The 35-year-old farmer and father of three in rural Bangladesh knew his daughter needed help, and she needed it fast.

With the support of the American people, Sweety got the help that wasn't available to her brother. She was taken to see Montaj, a volunteer health worker in her village who had been trained through a USAID-funded program to diagnose and treat childhood illnesses like diarrhea and pneumonia, two of the top killers of young children in Bangladesh.

Sweety was diagnosed with pneumonia and given antibiotics, provided by the government of Bangladesh at a cost of a little more than thirty cents a treatment. Just a day later, Sweety was on the mend.She was fortunate; millions more children aren't as lucky. In fact, nearly 10 million children under 5 die each year from preventable or treatable causes like pneumonia and diarrhea.

Americans are a generous people. When we see tragedy unfold before us, we want to help. When the tsunami hit Southeast Asia in 2004, we reached into our wallets and contributed hundreds of millions of dollars. But the tsunami was a major event broadcasted into our homes every night. he tragedy of these lost children does not make the evening news. Their deaths are marked with benign neglect from the rest of the world. Yet, the childhood death toll is equivalent to that of the Southeast Asia tsunami striking children in poorer countries every nine days, year in and year out.

Legislation before the Congress can help to turn the tables on deadly disease and give children a stronger chance to survive.

The bipartisan U.S. Commitment to Global Child Survival Act provides us with the chance to make a major change for the better in this world. How many times in a year, in a decade, is there an opportunity to reshape the lives of children and families in the poorest countries while also reshaping how these people see our own country? The answer: not often. But we have that opportunity right now, if only our elected officials in Congress will show the foresight and resolve to approve this legislation.

Through this bill, we can come together with a single purpose: save the lives of children in the least-developed nations of the world. Children under the age of 5 are dying at a rate of nearly 27,000 a day from preventable and treatable causes. 27,000 children a day! And, nearly half of these deaths take babies less than a month old. We don't hear about this epic tragedy very often because it is happening a world away. It's time we opened our eyes to the world around us and put muscle behind solutions that we know can work.

The Global Child Survival Act would provide basic solutions to the places where they are most needed. Cost-effective and low-tech services like vaccinations, antibiotics, and a simple mix of water, sugar, and salts to treat dehydration can help prevent deaths from unthinkable causes like diarrhea and pneumonia. That's what makes this bill so compelling. We know these initiatives work. They are proven and they save lives. But they won't save the millions of newborns and young children whose lives hang in the balance unless Congress takes action and America leads the way.

It is time for the United States to reclaim its mantle as a global humanitarian and lead the way for the world to save children's lives. Millions of Americans have already endorsed the Child Survival Act. More than 200,000 letters have been sent to lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle have joined as cosponsors. We urge the House and Senate to move ahead on this bill and, more importantly, work to end this tragedy.

Strategic Decision Making

The Miami-based fruit juice company, DrinkWell, recently promoted their Marketing Director Maria to CEO. Maria has been with the company for 10 years and is credited with the marketing campaign that maintained DrinkWell’s steady performance. DrinkWell has been around for the last 25 years and is doing well; they have the market cornered on school vending machines and are sold in many area restaurants. The company runs like a well-oiled machine. However, Sam, recently hired as a regional sales manager, has begun questioning both the marketing campaign and the lack of creativity within the office; he believes that DrinkWell had to innovate or else they would not be able to compete any longer. The people who have been at DrinkWell for awhile do not like Sam and think that he is creating too much conflict. Maria does not like the conflict that Sam is causing but also thinks that he has some great ideas. However, because DrinkWell shows no signs of slowing down financially, any long-term benefit associated with implementing Sam’s ideas may not be worth the conflict that may ensue among employees. Breaking away from the established mold is just not the DrinkWell way. In order to help her solve this problem, Maria approaches you, a senior member of the board of directors, for advice.

HIV Testing of Pregnant Women and Newborns

Without medical intervention, an HIV-infected woman has about a one-in-four chance of giving birth to an HIV-infected baby. However, as a direct result of HIV testing and preventative therapies, the risk of HIV transmission from mothers to their infants in the United States has been dramatically reduced to less than two percent. The Foundation strongly believes we must continue to work toward further reductions in mother-to-child transmission of HIV. As recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Institute of Medicine (IOM), the Foundation endorses the voluntary, routine, and universal HIV testing of pregnant women as a means of increasing testing rates and further reducing transmission from a mother to her newborn.

Pediatric AIDS Organization Helps Launch Boane Clinic on World AIDS Day to Prevent and Treat HIV in Children and

Boane, Mozambique—A new health clinic opened today with support from the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation will help HIV prevention and care and treatment services reach thousands more families in Mozambique.
Foundation President and CEO Pamela W. Barnes spoke at the new outpatient clinic’s inauguration on the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day. Guests of honor included the governor of Maputo province, Mrs. Telmina Pereira, the administrator of Boane district, Cremilde de Costa Xavier, the chief medical doctor in Boane, Stelio de Mande, and the directors for Mozambique of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

In her remarks, Barnes highlighted the progress the Foundation has witnessed in Mozambique. She also noted the continued need to reach mothers with services to prevent the transmission of HIV to their babies, and to provide care and treatment for infected children and their families. The pandemic continues to grow in Mozambique, where currently there are more than 73,000 children living with HIV.

“Once a child is receiving treatment, it is equally important to ensure that the mother will survive to raise her child, and the family remains strong,” Barnes said in her remarks. “The best medicine you can have for any child is a healthy mother and father to take care of that child.”

The Health Center in Boane, a district referral hospital outside the capital, Maputo, previously had very little space for counseling and treatment, as well as little privacy. The Foundation has helped construct three buildings with funds from the CDC and USAID to provide the new health clinic with space for services for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT), care and treatment, and a children’s clinic.

“The new facilities should encourage more patients and their families to come forward for HIV testing, counseling, and treatment,” said Ellen Warming, the Foundation’s country director for Mozambique, who was also in attendance.

The Foundation began working in Boane in 2006. To date, its PMTCT program has tested 1,699 pregnant mothers in the center for HIV, and has provided medicine to prevent HIV transmission to 191 newborns. There are 1,503 patients receiving care and treatment through the center, with 415 patients receiving antiretroviral treatment (ART), 37 of whom are children, and 7 of whom are pregnant mothers. The Foundation also trains community leaders, traditional birth attendants, and religious leaders to support families and ensure they come back for livesaving medicine and support.

The clinic opening ceremony was one of many pediatric advocacy events in Mozambique around World AIDS Day to inform the population about the availability of PMTCT and care and antiretroviral treatment for children and their families. The Foundation worked with each province and a total of 12 different community-based organizations to develop a range of activities in health facilities and public venues. Activities included debates led by mothers living with HIV/AIDS, educational theater, dance, song, film, games, sports, cultural events, and donations of toys and presents for children.

The Foundation began its collaboration with the Ministry of Health in Mozambique in 2004 by providing PMTCT services, and expanded to HIV care and treatment in 2006. As of September, the Foundation has provided more than 141,000 women in Mozambique with access to critical PMTCT services. It has also enrolled more than 20,300 adults and children into care and support programs, approximately 6,500 of whom have been initiated on antiretroviral treatment, including 310 children.

In Mozambique, the Foundation’s PMTCT program is funded by USAID through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), and its care and treatment program is funded by the The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention through PEPFAR.

War Vets Fighting Addiction

They were prepared for war. They were prepared to die for their country. But Fort Carson soldiers say they weren't prepared to come home and fight a different battle -- addiction to illegal drugs.

Many of this country's bravest men and women who volunteered to defend America in a time of war have come home wounded -- physically and mentally -- and are turning to illicit drugs as they adjust to normal life, according to soldiers, health experts and advocates.

"Lots of soldiers coming back from Iraq have been using drugs," said Specialist William Swenson, who was deployed to Iraq from Fort Carson. "Right when we got back there were people using cocaine in the barracks, there were people smoking marijuana at strip clubs; one guy started shooting up," he said.

Fort Carson, just outside Colorado Springs, is home to 17,500 active duty personnel. 4,800 service members are currently deployed in the "sand box" as soldiers call Iraq and Afghanistan. ABC News spoke to more than a dozen soldiers who described widespread abuse of illegal drugs at Fort Carson by service members back from the war.

Specialist Alan Hartmann was a gunner on a Chinook helicopter flying missions from Kuwait into Iraq in 2003. He described the high of flying and the feeling that "nothing can touch you," as well as the terror of being shot at.

Having regularly ferried the bodies of American soldiers killed in combat -- with the helicopter exhaust blowing warm air and the smell of death through the craft -- Hartmann said he had trouble sleeping when he returned to Ft. Carson. The nightmares were too bad, he said.

Army doctors prescribed anti-depressants and painkillers for him -- two-type written pages worth since he's been back -- but he didn't like how the drugs made him feel, Hartmann said. So he said he turned to self-medication with methamphetamines.

"The nightmares were killing me from being over there. The pain was so bad I didn't want to deal with it. Well, amphetamines is a real quick way to get rid of it," Hartmann said. "I was snorting it, and I was smoking it, and then I was hot railing it, and then I got to the point where I was actually injecting it in my arms," said Hartmann, who eventually checked himself into rehab and is now clean.

"(Soldiers are) coming back, drinking, fighting, putting thousand dollar tabs down at a bar and drinking four to five hours, getting to the point where you don't give a crap about anything anymore (or) anybody, don't care if you live or die…the point where you do drugs," Hartmann said. "(Drugs) have been in Fort Carson like crazy."

Another former Fort Carson soldier, Michael Bailey, said he was discharged from the army after testing positive for cocaine. Bailey served two tours, one in Iraq and another in Kuwait.

The stress of his deployment combined with marital problems overwhelmed Bailey who said he twice tried to commit suicide.

"The dose (of anti-depressants) I was on wasn't working, so I was trying an extra one and that wasn't working," Bailey said. "So I started drinking and at one point I did cocaine."

Baily said he failed a drug test the very next day. Even though he was in the process of receiving mental health counseling from the Army, Bailey said he was discharged over his drug use. At the time of his interview with ABC News, Bailey was unemployed and still grappling with feelings of depression and anxiety.

And then there's combat engineer William Swenson who was injured on what was to be his final mission in Iraq when his vehicle drove over a 200-pound improvised explosive device. The blast injured Swenson's spine and he developed syringomyelia -- a condition in which cysts form on the spinal cord.

Swenson said a laundry list of prescribed painkillers was ineffective so he turned to marijuana, the only substance that he said would numb his physical and emotional pain. Swenson failed a drug test after testing positive for marijuana as well as cocaine.

"I think a lot of people using drugs, soldiers mainly, coming back from Iraq, it's just to get an escape from…all those horrible things that came into their mind when they were over there," Swenson said.

Army Denies Growing Drug Abuse Problem

Fort Carson's leadership declined to discuss substance abuse issues with ABC News despite numerous interview requests. Fort Carson also said it could not comment on the individual cases of the soldiers we interviewed, citing privacy concerns.

However, in interviews with ABC News from the Pentagon, the U.S. Army strongly denied there was an increase in drug abuse among soldiers deployed to Iraq.

According to Dr. Ian McFarling, Acting Director of the Army Center for Substance Abuse Programs, less than one half of one percent of soldiers in Iraq have tested positive for illegal drugs. "That's a testament to the kind of leadership we have is that they believe that that's not the place that they should be doing drugs," said Dr. McFarling.

But Dr. McFarling said that once soldiers return from Iraq the positive rate doubles to over one percent. In addition, Dr. McFarling said five percent of soldiers back from Iraq seek help for substance abuse issues from clinical providers.

The U.S. Army does offer treatment for soldiers dealing with drug abuse and Fort Carson has a busy Army Substance Abuse Program. But some soldiers are forced off post because Fort Carson offers no in-patient services; others get treatment in the community to avoid the stigma associated with seeking help, soldiers and advocates said.

Since the Iraq war started in 2003, Colorado Springs hospitals and counseling services have seen a dramatic increase in active duty soldiers seeking treatment for substance abuse. Penrose-St. Francis Health Services went from treating no active duty soldiers for substance abuse before the war to between 30 and 40 now, said Phillip Ballard, the hospital's inpatient psychiatrist.

According to Phillip Ballard, "Now that we have larger numbers than the military facilities can treat…it falls upon the civilian community to treat those patients."

Veterans' advocacy groups charge that the problem of substance abuse is much greater than the army wants to publicly acknowledge, and it's growing.

"I've met with veterans from coast to coast, and I will tell you that there is a catastrophe on the horizon," said Paul Sullivan, director of Veterans for Common Sense.

3,057 veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars were potentially diagnosed with a drug dependency from fiscal year 2005 through March 2007, according to figures provided to ABC News from the Veterans Health Administration. From 2002 through 2004 only a total of 277 veterans were diagnosed with a drug dependency, the numbers show.

"The military right now can say whatever they want, but the truth on the ground is that the soldiers are in a lot of pain, emotional and physical pain, and they're turning to drugs in order to alleviate that," said Sullivan.

Wounded Warriors

More than a dozen Fort Carson soldiers talked to ABC about their drug use, including some willing to be interviewed on camera about their experiences.

--William Swenson was injured in his final mission in Iraq. Prescription drugs provided little relief from physical and emotional pain, Swenson said, so he turned to marijuana and tried cocaine. The army court-martialed Swenson and threw him in jail for 20 days.

--Michael Bailey said he tried to commit suicide twice because of the combined stress of his deployment to Iraq and marital problems. He failed a drug test after using cocaine during a night out on the town.

--Matthew McKane worked as a medic in Baghdad. To escape the daily chaos he and another soldier tried propofol, a powerful anesthetic, McKane said. The other soldier overdosed and died. When McKane returned home he tested positive for cocaine, he said. He is currently in prison awaiting a court martial on misconduct charges. McKane believes he will soon be dismissed from the Army because of his drug use.

--Jeffrey Smith also worked as a medic in Baghdad and said he turned to illegal drugs to cope with emotional trauma inflicted during his deployment in Iraq. After testing positive for illicit drugs, he said he was kicked out of the Army on misconduct charges with no benefits.

--Alan Hartmann was a door gunner on a Chinook helicopter flying missions from Kuwait into Iraq. He suffered from chronic nightmares after returning home and turned to methamphetamines to stay awake, he said.

Five Reasons Sputnik Still Matters

We've looked at every space launch since, and scouted the key missions ahead. But the satellite that started it all is worth a glance back: One groundbreaking Russian robot has made everyday life on earth smarter and faster -- and it ain't finished yet.

Earlier this summer, a crane in Tulsa, Okla., hauled up a rusted 1957 Plymouth Belvedere that had been buried 50 years earlier in a bombproof bunker as a time capsule. The contents included a case of beer, 14 bobby pins, $2.43, a bottle of tranquilizers and 10 gallons of gas -- in case internal combustion engines had become obsolete by 2007.

Despite our best research efforts, we're still relying on internal combustion engines, but much in our lives has changed dramatically since 1957. Some of those everyday changes can be traced back to the launch, 50 years ago, of Sputnik, the world’s first artificial satellite. The launch was a coup for the Soviet Union, and kick-started a new period of scientific innovation in the United States that culminated in the Apollo missions. Even though we haven't returned to the moon since 1972, plans are being hatched to go back -- and go beyond (NASA now says it will send Russian technology to find water on Mars and the lunar surface). Sputnik's impact continues to pervade life in the stars and back home, even as the little silver ball that could hits the half-century mark.

1. Weather You wouldn't want to bet your life on the accuracy of a weather forecast, but we're a lot better than we were in the pre-Sputnik age. The first weather satellite, Tiros I, was launched less than three years after Sputnik -- and quickly found a previously undetected tropical cyclone off the coast of Australia. Equipped with two television cameras, two video recorders and a crude communications system to send images back to Earth, Tiros I snapped 23,000 pictures during its 78-day mission, giving meteorologists their first overhead look at the cloud patterns that characterize storms. A global network of weather satellites came a year later.

Weather prediction has become commonplace on the 6 o'clock news, but now scientists want to use satellites to turn it on its face. Atmospheric researcher Ross Hoffman has proposed using infrared beams from satellites to warm the air around hurricanes as a method to change their direction. Sure, it's a long shot -- but so was Sputnik.

2. Communications The next major satellite milestone occurred in 1962 with the launch of Telstar I, the first "active" communications satellite that could amplify and retransmit incoming signals. Telstar ushered in an age predicted by science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke ( 2001: A Space Odyssey ) back in 1945, when he wrote that satellites "could give television and microwave coverage to the entire planet." The first live transatlantic images were shots of Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, broadcast from Andover, Maine, to a receiving station in France.

How important is the network of communications satellites that orbits above us now? When the Galaxy IV satellite malfunctioned in 1998, about 30 million pagers went silent, ATM and credit card payments were disrupted, and some television stations simply stopped broadcasting because of a lack of available programming.

3. Google Earth Surveillance satellites have been around since the U.S. Midas (Missile Defense and Alarm System) satellites were launched in the 1960s. But it was only in 2005 that the general public got its first taste of the power of satellite photography, with the launch of Google Earth. Zooming in with ultrahigh resolution on locations both familiar and unfamiliar provides an undeniable voyeuristic thrill -- but the potential of open-access satellite imagery is only beginning to be tapped.

When billionaire aviation pioneer Steve Fossett disappeared last month, crucial rescue workers and volunteers searched for his plane by combing through high-resolution photos snapped by GeoEye, a company that owns two Earth-imaging satellites. And the quality of images should only get better: Last month, DigitalGlobe, the company that provides images for Google Earth, launched its new satellite, WorldView-1. The new satellite will cover 290,000 square miles per day, with a resolution of less than 2 ft., revisiting each spot on average once every 1.7 days. Look up and smile for the camera!

4. Textiles For many people, the first thing that pops to mind when you say "space program spinoffs" is astronaut ice cream -- which, while interesting, is a little too chewy to qualify as a society-altering development. But the Space Race that Sputnik's surprise launch kicked off has produced a surprising number of trickle-down benefits, not all of them obvious.

Some space suits, for instance, contained more than two dozen layers of specially designed textiles, which have been redeployed in various civilian capacities. For example: Teflon-coated fiberglass, first used in the 1970s in space suits, is now found as a roofing material in stadiums around the world, including the 257-ton inflated roof of the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, held up by air pressure.

5. Mars Missions The biggest difference between the pre- and post-Sputnik eras might be that, 50 years ago, we had pretty much finished exploring everywhere we could physically reach. Now there's a universe of unknown destinations that are about as accessible to us as the Americas were to Europeans in 1500, or the North and South Poles were in 1900: We have the tools to get there, but the journey might kill us.

Thanks to new technology, we can take on unthinkable levels of exploration without even sending people -- the rovers that have been trundling around Mars since 2004, space telescopes such as Hubble and the forthcoming James Webb. But President Bush's "Renewed Spirit of Discovery" agenda also calls for a return to the moon by 2020, followed by manned missions to Mars. After that -- well, there are six other planets (seven if you count Pluto) in this solar system alone.

Musharraf finally doffs uniform

Pervez Musharraf, who will take oath as civilian president today, stepped down as army chief Wednesday and handed over the military command to General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani. General Kayani took charge as 14th Chief of Pakistan Army at an impressive ceremony, held at Hockey Stadium in front of General Headquarters, Rawalpindi. Caretaker Prime Minister Muhammadmian Soomro, Speaker National Assembly Chaudhry Amir Hussain, members of caretaker cabinet, diplomats, as well as senior civil and military officers witnessed the transition of command. The ceremony started with parade by a smartly turned out contingent of Pakistan Army, drawn from troops of Frontier Force Regiment and Azad Kashmir Regiment. During the ceremony, the most important element was the presentation of ‘Change of Command Stick’ to the incoming Chief of the Army Staff. Earlier, buglers announced the arrival of President Musharraf at the stadium. The President was given the presidential salute and national anthem played on the occasion of the farewell parade. President Musharraf then reviewed the parade. Army Band played the drum solo and then the outgoing Chief of Army Staff, General Musharraf presented the traditional Command Stick to the incoming Chief of the Army Staff. President Musharraf, while addressing briefly at the farewell parad"

BioPhotonics

Buckyball Formation Observed A Sandia National Laboratories researcher looking for flaws in nanotube durability was unexpectedly able to experimentally confirm a hypothesis about how buckyballs form. “We have now the first direct...	3-D Photonic Crystals Sought Photonic crystals, which contain properties that give butterfly wings their shimmering colors, are being used to revolutionize the future of telecommunications by making systems smaller, faster and mo...
Precision Optics to Cut Jobs Precision Optics Corp. Inc. announced it will reduce its work force as a result of operating losses it expects to continue through 2008. Last week the Gardner-based manufacturer of advanced optical in...	Olympus to Buy Gyrus Group Olympus Corp. of Japan announced that it will acquire Gyrus Group PLC, a UK-based manufacturer of devices that enable less invasive surgeries, for $1.9 billion in cash. Gyrus Group is based in Reading...
Particles Send Drugs Remotely Remotely controlled nanoparticles that, when pulsed with an electromagnetic field, release drugs to attack tumors have been devised at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in research that could ...	Raydiance, Rutgers Collaborate Raydiance Inc., an ultrashort-pulse (USP) laser startup founded by Internet entrepreneur and former AOL chief executive Barry Schuler, announced today it will collaborate with Rutgers University and t...
Sun's Twin Discovered The sun’s chemical composition may not be unique, as some previously thought. Peruvian astronomers Jorge Melendez of the Australian National University and Ivan Ramirez of the University of Texas at A...	Science Network On Track Two of the nation’s leading research networks -- the US Department of Energy (DOE) Energy Sciences Network (ESnet) and Internet2 -- announced today that they have completed five interconnected rings, ...
CTS to Cut 103 Jobs CTS Corp. announced this week it intends eliminate 103 jobs by the end of the year as part of a plan to realign some of its manufacturing operations. CTS is based in Elkhart and manufactures electroni...	Force to Be Reckoned With Advances such as miniscule submarine-type machines that destroy cancer cells could be one result of work to harness the Casimir force, which was accurately measured just a decade ago. A pioneering tea...
Hot Topics, Bright Minds at PW The hottest topics, trends and developments in biomedical optics, lasers, LEDs, fiber optic components and devices, nanotechnology, microfabrication and more will be presented during Photonics West 20...	UK Examines PET Utility Positron emission tomography, or PET scans, can help clinicians diagnose and treat some cancers, but it is not clear yet whether the imaging technology helps people with cancer live longer and healthi...
LHC Detector Installed One of the most fragile detectors for the Large Hadron Collider beauty (LHCb) experiment has been installed in its final position. LHCb is one of four large experiments at CERN1’s Large Hadron Collide...	Hot Embossing Rivals Molding Hot embossing, a recently optimized technology in which glass is heated to high temperatures and molded on both sides, has been found to be up to 10 times faster and 70 percent cheaper than precision ...
Mini Oven Heats Fluids for LoC By embedding a thin-film microwave transmission line between a glass substrate and a polymer block, scientists have created what could be the world's smallest microwave oven. The tiny mechanism can he...	MKS Buys Yield Dynamics MKS Instruments Inc. announced today that it has acquired privately held Yield Dynamics, a provider of yield management technology based in Sunnyvale, Calif. According to an MKS quarterly report filed...
QD Advancements on Agenda The Quantum Dots 2007 conference will bring together manufacturers, materials and equipment suppliers and end users to discuss recent market developments and technology advancements critical for the a...	CyOptics Acquires PLC Maker CyOptics Inc., a developer of indium phosphide (InP) optical chip and component technologies, today announced it has expanded its photonic integrated circuits (PICs) technology platform by acquiring p...
UNC Symposium Attracts 100 More than 100 members of the optoelectronics community attended the sixth annual symposium of the Charlotte Research Institute (CRI) Center for Optoelectronics and Optical Communications, held last we...	STM Made 100 Times Faster A scanning tunneling microscope (STM) has been developed that can image individual atoms on a surface at least 100 times faster than a traditional instrument. It may also allow researchers to precisel...
Award Funds STED Microscope A $1.1 million award from the National Science Foundation will enable the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA to acquire the first commercially available superresolution stimulated emission deple...	Boston Scientific Sells Units Medical device manufacturer Boston Scientific Corp. today announced it is selling its Cardiac Surgery and Vascular Surgery businesses to the Getinge Group of Stockholm, Sweden, a provider of health ca...
'Smart' Optical Chip Proposed A new theory could lead to "smart" optical microchips that adapt to different wavelengths of light, potentially advancing telecommunications, spectroscopy and remote sensing.Drawn by the promise of su...	Neurons Glow in 'Brainbow' The circuitry of the brain is being imaged as never before thanks to a multicolor fluorescent protein labeling technique called "Brainbow." Brainbow allows researchers to tag neurons with roughly 90 ...
A Tiny Sensor for Tiny Hearts A sensor the size of a grain of rice could reduce the cost of noninvasive biomagnetic measurements such as fetal heart monitoring and may also have applications such as homeland security screening for...	Beam of Light Picks Up Cells A beam of light has been used for the first time to pick up, hold, and move around individual cells and other objects on the surface of a silicon microchip. The new technology could become an importan...
Intel Opens 'Fab 32' Production of a new generation of microprocessors for PCs, laptops, servers and other computing devices began this week inside Intel Corp.'s first high-volume 45-nm manufacturing factory.Called "Fab 3...	Big Biotech Names at BIO Bio-Europe 2007, to be held Nov. 12-14 in Hamburg, Germany, will present many of the most respected names in biotechnology to discuss key issues in the life sciences industry and the deals that drive ...
Corning: Q3 Profit up 41% Glass and optical fiber maker Corning Inc. today announced better-than-expected results for the third quarter of 2007, with profit increases of 41 percent over a year ago driven mostly by demand for L...	Fish Don't Need Sunglasses Goldfish have a natural advantage in sensing the proximity of their meals: Individual light-sensitive cells in their retinas are able to detect polarized light, acting much like Polaroid sunglasses. T...
QC Nanoantenna Demo'd The demonstration of a quantum cascade (QC) laser nanoantenna, a device capable of resolving the chemical composition of samples such as the interior of a cell with unprecedented detail, is being desc...	StockerYale Buys Spectrode StockerYale Inc., a Salem, N.H., maker of structured light lasers, LED modules and specialty optical fibers for OEMs, announced Thursday it has acquired Spectrode LLC, a developer of pulsed thulium-do...
Helium Demand Ballooning The worldwide shortage of helium is resulting in rising prices and tight supplies for party supply stores, but it won't deflate Macy's annual tradition of floating gigantic characters down Broadway in...	Wave Map Data Online Data from a massive project to map a distant region of the universe in multiple wavelengths -- from x-rays through ultraviolet, visible, infrared, and radio waves -- has been released to both scientis...
Boston Scientific to Cut Jobs Medical device maker Boston Scientific Corp. announced today it will eliminate about 2300 positions worldwide, or approximately 13 percent of an 18,000-person, "non-direct labor workforce baseline" as...