The Real Story of Saddam Capture by Kuridish Intelligence

The Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee delivering his speech at the 12th SAARC Summit in Islamabad, Pakistan on January 4, 2004 (Sunday).

A death certificate provided by the British Army states that Baha Mousa had died of "asphyxia". A restricted medical document from a British hospital says a surviving prisoner, Kifah Taha, suffered his injuries "due to a severe beating". The IoS has copies of both documents. After Mr Mousa's death, the Army's Special Investigation Branch opened an investigation. The Ministry of Defence told the IoS yesterday that there was "nothing in the records to suggest an inquiry was not still ongoing". But two soldiers who were arrested have since been released, and no charges have been made Full Report from the Independent

DEPRESSION – A BIOCHEMICAL ILLNESS
15:50 IST
Everyone experiences variations in mood — transitory blues, disappointments, the normal grief that accompanies the loss of someone you love. But a severe or prolonged depression that interferes with the ability to function, feel pleasure, or maintain interest is not a mere case of the blues. It is an illness. Researchers have demonstrated that it results from biochemical imbalances in the brain.

More than 80 per cent of those suffering from Depressive Illness can be treated successfully with modern medications. These medications are not habit-forming, do not produce a “high”, and are not abused. Sometimes, after or concurrent with this treatment, therapy or counselling is desirable.

Depressive Illness, also referred to as Affective or Mood Disorder, attacks millions and is often fatal; yet few people are being properly treated or even diagnosed. The costs of this neglect, both in terms of human suffering and economic loss, are staggering. It is among the most common and destructive of illnesses prevalent even in developed countries like the United States today. In addition to major depression, many people suffer from manic-depressive illness (bipolar disorder) which is characterized by radical mood swings from severe depression to exaggerated, inappropriate elation.

In terms of human suffering, the consequences of untreated depression are beyond measure. They include loss of self-esteem, “self-medication” with alcohol and drugs, family and career disruption, chronic disability and, in many cases, death. Suicide is now the second leading cause of death among children and adolescents.

Estimates of the cost range from 15 to 35 billion dollars a year and encompass the loss of time and productivity, personnel replacement, medical care, and loss of life. Not only affected individuals, but their families, friends, employers, colleagues, and the community-at-large share in these costs. Despite the severity, magnitude, and cost of this problem, expenditures on public information, professional education, and research are minuscule in comparison with the efforts made on behalf of other, oftentimes less prevalent, disorders.

Even among those suffering from Depressive Illness, most do not know they have a treatable illness. They blame themselves and are blamed by others. This leads to the alienation of family and friends who, if they knew of the illness, would be likely to offer support and help find effective treatment.

Cause

There are probably several causes of Depressive Illness and several different types of depression. Recent research shows that depression runs in families. The most severe form, bipolar disorder, is most likely inherited.

Certain environmental situations, such as stress or breakup of important attachments, may precipitate depression, especially in vulnerable persons. Research is underway to understand the interaction of genes and environment, and precisely what is inherited.

Symptoms

The symptoms of Depressive Illness can easily be recognised among those affected and in those closest to them, once they are told what to look for. A checklist of symptoms of Depressive Illness include loss of energy and interest, diminished ability to enjoy oneself, decreased — or increased — sleeping or appetite, difficulty in concentrating, indecisiveness, slowed or fuzzy thinking, exaggerated feelings of sadness, hopelessness, or anxiety, feelings of worthlessness and recurring thoughts about death and suicide.

If most of these symptoms last for two weeks or more, you probably have Depressive Illness. Sometimes depression alternates with “mania” and is called Manic-Depressive Illness. Manic Depression causes mood swings creating periods with the symptoms such as a high energy level with decreased need for sleep, unwarranted or exaggerated belief in one’s own ability, extreme irritability, rapid and unpredictable emotional change, impulsive and thoughtless activity with a high risk of damaging consequences like stock speculations and sudden love affairs.

Diagnosis and Treatment

Studies have revealed that of those individuals who do eventually seek help, only a fraction seek out a specialist in the diagnosis and treatment of Depressive Illness.

When Depressive Illness is diagnosed, minor tranquilizers and sleeping pills are prescribed twice as often as the right medication; and even when the right medication is prescribed, dosages are frequently lower than those needed to achieve an adequate level of therapeutic benefit. One must keep away from nonspecialists insuch a sensitive matter.

The principal medications used in treating Depressive Illness are cyclic antidepressant. Only patients with a Depressive Illness will experience a positive response, which may take upto six weeks.

For proper diagnosis of Depressive Illness and administration of antidepressant medication, physicians expert in diagnosis and biochemical therapy must be consulted. Medical monitoring should be a mandatory part of all treatment. In fact, over 80 per cent of those treated with these medications respond favourably, and most are able to resume normal activity. Many find psychotherapy or counselling useful as well.

Make Life Easier

One must recognize that there may be certain times of the day when one feels better and that can be used to one’s advantage. One must break large tasks into smaller ones and after setting priorities, the tasks should be completed one by one. Besides, one must avoid taking on too much responsibility and setting overly difficult goals. One must try not to expect too much from oneself so as to lessen any feeling of failure one may have.

Activities such as exercise, attending sports or cultural events or participating in a religious or social event can help one feel better. It is important not to overdo it; feeling better takes time.

One must avoid alcohol and non-prescribed drugs. This kind of self-medication may provide a temporary “high”, but in the end intensifies depression.

If affected with depressive disorders, one may feel exhausted, worthless, helpless and hopeless. One may feel like giving up. It is important to realize that these symptoms and negative thinking are part of depression. When treatment begins to take effect, the negative thinking fades away.(PIB Features)

Mandela: U.S. wants holocaust

Harassed Saudi Saddam Seeks a New Name
Staff Writer

RIYADH, 5 January 2004 — A Saudi citizen wants to change his son’s name from Saddam Hussein because of the constant banter his son faces at school, Al-Watan newspaper reported yesterday.

Hussein Mohsen Al-Harithy applied to the Civil Status Department to change the name of his now 14-year-old son following Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990. However, an Iraqi Scud missile struck the department holding the application in 1991, causing the paperwork to be lost in the rubble.

“After I found out the paperwork was gone, I forgot about the whole thing, but the recent events and the capture of Saddam Hussein forced me to change the name,” Al-Harithy said.

The boy, his father said, was fighting with his classmates at school every day. “My son is angry and frustrated because of this name that has caused him a lot of trouble at school,” Al-Harithy said.

Students made a habit of calling the young Saddam names like Haddam, which means destroyer. “One of my son’s teachers called me and advised me to change my son’s name to avoid the problems he’s facing,” the father added.

The name Saddam, Al-Harithy said, now symbolizes “pessimism, evil, mockery and disappointment all at once.” He wants to change his son’s name to Sitan, meaning the blade of a sword.

SCT Signs Multi-Year Higher Education Key Distributor Agreement Extension with ITS

ITS continues to expand localised solutions for the Middle East higher education sector

Date:- 4th January 2004

Leading higher education solutions specialist, Systems and Computer Technology Corporation (SCT) has renewed its marketing and implementation contract with International Turnkey Systems (ITS), the established solutions provider in the Middle East and Africa region.

Under the terms of the new agreement, ITS will enjoy the rights to market and implement Middle East versions of SCT’s full suite of higher education solutions.

“This new initiative builds on the earlier reseller agreement between ITS and SCT,” said Mr. Mathew Boice, General Manager, Marketing & Channel Sales, SCT EMEA.

“As a key alliance partner to SCT, ITS’s role is extended to implementing the upgraded versions of the products and to providing focused support, consultancy and training for the clients.”

SCT is the largest global company focused on introducing next generation technologies to the higher education market and supports more than 1300 institutions and eight million students worldwide.

“ITS has a perfect understanding of the higher education industry trends and the unique Middle East educational culture,” said Boice. “This to us is a key factor in deciding the right technology partner we want in the long term. “We believe that the synergistic relationship with ITS will help in extending the value and reach of our solutions, bringing state of the art technologies to the benefit of institutions of higher learning in the region.”

Dr. Costas Constantinidis, ITS Senior Marketing Manager commented: “The extension of the agreement exemplifies SCT’s continued confidence in the expertise and experience of ITS in delivering integrated turnkey solutions.

“This also reinforces our strong commitment towards meeting the business and technology needs of Higher Education. “We look forward to working closely with SCT to enable academic organizations, big or small in the region, to realize the great opportunities that education promises through the strategic use of technology.”

SCT provides the e-education infrastructure which is the strategic framework for a synchronized learning environment. SCT’s comprehensive solution offerings encompass all functional aspects of higher education such as student registration, recruitment, admission, HR, finance, financial aid, student loan management, course content management, submission and tracking of grades, monitoring student performance, access to campus calendar and events, choice of lecture sessions and library information and management systems. SCT states the wide array of these dynamic, integrated and interoperable e-learning tools help in building smart, interactive and unified digital campuses.

As part of its communication campaign to promote SCT’s products across Middle East, ITS will be organizing a series of roadshows early next year. The week-long event will provide a perfect setting for highlighting the challenges facing higher education in the region and for providing insights into the cutting-edge tools and techniques supporting higher quality of learning.

SCT is the leading global provider of e-Education technology solutions for institutions of all sizes and levels of complexity. The Company supports more than 1,300 client institutions worldwide with administrative and academic solutions, portal and community solutions, content management and workflow solutions, information access and integration solutions, and professional services. SCT works collaboratively with clients and partners to provide the e-Education Infrastructure that enables institutions to create the digital campuses that fulfill their unique missions.