Monthly Archives: August 2012

Study: Tougher School Nutrition Laws Help Kids Lose Weight

Posted on by

Tougher laws regarding nutrition in schools have been implemented across the country. But are they working?

A new study says yes.

The study found that students who attend schools with tougher laws governing school food, such as prohibiting use of trans fats and getting rid of soda machines, are losing weight. The study, which looked at 6,300 students in 40 states, found that children overweight or obese in fifth grade were more likely to reach a healthy weight in the eighth grade if attending schools with strong nutrition laws.

Children in the study also gained less weight from fifth through eighth grades if they lived in states with strong, consistent laws versus no laws governing snacks available in schools.

In states with weaker laws, the percentage of overweight and obese children remained unchanged between those same grades.

In the study, laws were considered strong if they included specific nutrition requirements, such as limits on sugar and fats. Laws were rated weak if the requirements were vague and merely urged sales of "healthy" food without specifics.

The study took gender, race, income and school location into account.

The authors of the study, which was released online Monday in the journal Pediatrics, concluded that nutrition laws must be implemented across all grades in order to be effective.

Nutrition in school remains a hot-button issue, with some states resisting the notion of a "nanny-state," while many experts point at the rise of obesity in children as an indicator that the status quo cannot continue.

View post:
Study: Tougher School Nutrition Laws Help Kids Lose Weight

New weapon against C. Difficile: significant scientific breakthrough at Université de Saint-Boniface

Posted on by

Dr Mathias Oul, Professor of Microbiology at Universit de Saint-Boniface led a team of scientists who have proven

WINNIPEG, Aug. 13, 2012 /CNW/ - A team of researchers from Universit de Saint-Boniface (USB) in Manitoba has proven the effectiveness of a disinfectant that could revolutionize the fight against superbugs in the hospital system.

The study led by Mathias Oul, Ph.D., microbiology professor at Manitoba's Universit de Saint-Boniface, shows that Akwaton tackles spore-forming bacteria, including Clostridium difficile whose heat-tolerant spores can live on surfaces for long periods of time and survive a number of years in a dry environment. The study has just been published in the UK's prestigious Journal of Medical Microbiology.

Most of the chemical disinfectants that are currently used control or prevent the spread of bacterial spores. However, the study shows that Akwaton is able to destroy Bacillus subtilis spores suspended in water and attached to stainless steel or glass surfaces, at very dilute concentrations, after just 90 seconds' treatment. Previous studies by the USB research team have shown that Akwaton is also effective against strains of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli.

Dr. Mathias Oul explained Akwaton's main advantages: "Most disinfectants have to be applied at much higher concentrations - typically between 4 and 10% - which may be harmful to humans. Akwaton destroys spores at concentrations well below 1%." Akwaton is non-corrosive, non-irritating, non-toxic, odourless and environmentally safe. "All these properties make it an ideal disinfectant for hospitals and laboratories. It may also have great value in the food industry," said Dr. Oul.

"Universit de Saint-Boniface is proud to be a part of the ongoing battle against superbugs, the outbreaks of which are a threat to all hospitals and health care facilities in Canada and around the globe," said USB President Raymonde Gagn. "Dr. Oul's paper has already garnered a great deal of attention in Europe, and it will also undoubtedly generate considerable interest in Canada."

The paper titled "Akwaton, Polyhexamethylene-Guanidine Hydrochloride-Based Sporicidal Disinfectant: A Novel Tool to Fight Bacterial Spores and Nosocomial Infections" was published on August 8, 2012 in the scholarly Journal of Medical Microbiology.

The article and the press release issued by the UK-based Society for General Microbiology are available online at http://www.sgmjournals.org and on the USB website.

Universit de Saint-Boniface is Manitoba's only French-language postsecondary institution. Its research activities are primarily focused on francophone and Mtis cultural and identity issues; science; the environment and health; access to health care and social services in French; education; translation; and regional development and social management.

The Society for General Microbiology (SGM) is the largest learned microbiological society in Europe with a worldwide membership based in universities, industry, hospitals, research institutes and schools. The SGM publishes four journals presenting high-quality research findings.

Link:
New weapon against C. Difficile: significant scientific breakthrough at Université de Saint-Boniface

The longevity of US presidents' mothers

Posted on by

3 August 2012 Last updated at 09:26 ET By Richard Knight BBC News

The mothers of US presidents and presidential candidates live far longer than the mothers of British prime ministers and opposition leaders. Is that just a statistical quirk?

Recreational statistics might not sound like your idea of fun but fiddling with numbers can yield fascinating discoveries.

Mike Shearing, a More or Less listener in Malaysia, thought he was on to something when he noticed that the mothers of post-war US presidents seem, on the whole, to have lived very long lives - much longer than the mums of British prime ministers.

He contacted More or Less to ask whether he had found something significant. The short answer is that he had. More or Less collated the age of death for every mother of a post-war US president or losing presidential candidate - except those who're still alive, of course - and for the mothers of every post-war British prime minister and losing opposition leader.

We analysed the data with the help of Dr George Leeson from Oxford University's Institute of Ageing.

"If we look at the US mothers we have an average age at death equal to 83.7 years," says Leeson, "and if we look at the UK mothers we have an average age at death of 74.8."

That's a big difference. Averages can be misleading, however, because a small number of outliers - or extreme measurements - can distort the picture. Rose Kennedy, for example, lived to 104. So Dr Leeson calculated the median figures, too.

"The median divides the data into two equal halves," he says, "so 50% of the observations are higher than the median, and 50% are lower. And the median is therefore less sensitive to outliers. The median for the US mothers is 84.5 - so very close to the average. For the UK mothers the average was almost 75, and the median is 76. So there's very little difference. It's not outliers."

Listen to More or Less on BBC Radio 4 and the World Service, or download the free podcast

Visit link:
The longevity of US presidents' mothers

Applied DNA Sciences SigNature(R) DNA Sends UK Thieves to Jail for 53 Years

Posted on by

STONY BROOK, NY--(Marketwire -08/13/12)- Applied DNA Sciences, Inc. (APDN), (Twitter: @APDN), a provider of DNA-based anti-counterfeiting technology and product authentication solutions, announced today that its SigNature DNA product has once again helped to send criminals to prison. Forensic evidence, including SigNature DNA-marked stolen cash from Loomis cash boxes, was used to link the criminals to a crime spree spanning eight cash-in-transit (CIT) crimes in the United Kingdom. The sentences for the ten criminals total 53 years.

Detective Constable Will Roscoe, leader of Operation Tejat, an investigation launched by the Metropolitan Police Flying Squad based at the Barnes office, London, said: "This was a prolific gang of robbers specifically targeting cash in transit vans and custodians. I have no doubt they would have continued this course of action if it were not for a detailed and targeted operation to identify and arrest them. Their convictions and sentences represent a significant success for the Barnes Flying Squad and the MPS in our Total War on Crime."

Cash in transit (CIT) businesses transport and store cash and service ATMs. In the UK alone, an estimated 500 billion is transported each year, or 1.4 billion per day. The nature of this business makes CIT an attractive target for criminals, and as a result the industry invests millions each year in security equipment and devices. Attacks against CIT carriers in the UK has been reduced significantly over recent years due to the investments made in security and a close relationship between law enforcement agencies, customers and the industry. The impact of SigNature DNA has been notable in the CIT industry where APDN has been working with Loomis UK, a provider of specialist cash management services that use the most advanced security and technological solutions available.

As reported in the Guardian on July 27th, the now-convicted gang-of-10 stole more than 100,000 in eight robberies and attempted robberies of CIT vans in Mitcham, Streatham, Wallington and Croydon between January 3, 2011 and June 10, 2011. On all occasions, force was used against security guards to snatch cash boxes, which were later broken into and the cash contents stolen. Much of the cash was marked with SigNature DNA. Detectives carried out surveillance and forensic work, leading to the arrest of the ten robbers on or shortly after August 24, 2011. Nine of the ten pleaded guilty to robbery at Kingston Crown Court. One pleaded not guilty but was convicted of conspiracy to rob.

About Applied DNA Sciences

APDN is a provider of botanical-DNA based security and authentication solutions that can help protect products, brands and intellectual property of companies, governments and consumers from theft, counterfeiting, fraud and diversion. SigNature DNA and smartDNA, our principal anti-counterfeiting and product authentication solutions that essentially cannot be copied, provide a forensic chain of evidence and can be used to prosecute perpetrators.

The statements made by APDN may be forward-looking in nature. Forward-looking statements describe APDN's future plans, projections, strategies and expectations, and are based on assumptions and involve a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of APDN. Actual results could differ materially from those projected due to our short operating history, limited financial resources, limited market acceptance, market competition and various other factors detailed from time to time in APDN's SEC reports and filings, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed on December 8, 2011 and our subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. APDN undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect new information, events or circumstances after the date hereof to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

The rest is here:
Applied DNA Sciences SigNature(R) DNA Sends UK Thieves to Jail for 53 Years

Posted in DNA

Eagles Host Child Neurology Foundation at Training Camp

Posted on by

PHILADELPHIA - The Philadelphia Eagles today announced they will be collaborating with the Child Neurology Foundation (CNF) to sponsor a program for first and second-year students from the six regional medical schools in the Delaware Valley. The programpromotes the neurological specialty, which cares for the one-in-four children who face problems that affect the developing nervous system. Students will have the opportunity to hear directly from child neurologists as well as families who can describe their personal experiences. This marks the third time that the Eagles and CNF have partnered together.

The students will visit Eagles training camp on Sunday, August 12thand will have an opportunity to meet Eagles players, including Mike Patterson, following afternoon practice. "This is an exciting way to expose students to a rewarding field that they might not have otherwise considered," remarked CNF president Dr. Lawrence Brown. "Though our doctors are heroes, it still helps to have the drawing power of the Eagles to fill our VIP tent."

The Child Neurology Foundation supports research and provides information, education, and advocacy for child neurologists, other medical professionals, patients, parents, and member-groups that deal with an array of neurologic conditions, towards the treatment and care of the 18 Million Children (one in four) throughout North America who experience neurologic disorders, including autism; cerebral palsy; epilepsy; migraine; ADHD; and hundreds of other disorders affecting the developing nervous system.

More here:
Eagles Host Child Neurology Foundation at Training Camp

Uni targets rural medical students

Posted on by

In 2011, final-year University of Adelaide medical students Rachel Jones and Ben Rogers were looking forward to gaining rural practice experience. Now their uni is doubling the number of interviews with rural candidates. Picture: Calum Robertson Source: The Advertiser

THE University of Adelaide's medical school aims to double the number of rural students it interviews for places with changes to its entry process.

From this year the university will consider rural applicants' Undergraduate Medicine and Health Sciences Admission Test scores separately from metropolitan applicants in a bid to ensure more get through to the interview stage.

The university hopes to interview about 120 rural students, up from the 61 it saw for this year's cohort.

Faculty of Health Sciences executive dean Professor Justin Beilby acknowledged rural students were under-represented but hoped the changes would see growth.

University of Adelaide second-year medicine student Matt Watson, from Tooligie on the Eyre Peninsula, said: "Where I'm from, the only person I could talk to who'd got into medicine was the GP."

Continue reading here:
Uni targets rural medical students

Herbage testing for herd nutrition assessment

Posted on by

Total nutrition including energy, protein, macro and micronutrients during calving and early lactation is critical to cow health while also determining milk production both this year and next.

Animal Nutrition Manager from farm nutrition company Altum, Jackie Aveling, says that an energy deficit in this period could impact cycling and conception rates, so it is important to provide a high quality balanced diet to meet nutrient needs.

"One of the best methods to determine if a herd is consuming adequate nutrients is herbage testing to pinpoint any limiting factors in the diet in combination with analysis from other supplementary feeds."

Dairy pasture data collected over the last five years from thousands of Altum clients has been statistically analysed to a 95% confidence interval by region, element and month to confirm seasonal trends:

Potassium levels are higher over winter and spring, then trend down over summer.

Magnesium and calcium - both key elements for the lactating cow - trend lower in winter and spring.

The majority of trace elements trend lower over the spring period as pasture growth increases, with a few exceptions.

"In a forage based diet, pasture potassium levels exceed the needs of calving and lactating cows.

"Potassium can negatively impact the availability of magnesium in the cow which increases the risk of milk fever. Identifying pasture potassium and magnesium levels will help farmers plan an effective supplementation programme," says Jackie.

"A robust supplementation programme includes a combination of methods including high quality magnesium directly provided to the herd through water, dry cow molasses lick blocks and pasture dusting."

See the original post:
Herbage testing for herd nutrition assessment

Bob Hoskins Retires Due to Parkinson’s Disease

Posted on by

Golden Globe winner and Oscar nominee Bob Hoskins has retired from acting after being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.

"He wishes to thank all the great and brilliant people he has worked with over the years, and all of his fans who have supported him during a wonderful career," his rep said in a statement to the BBC. "Bob is now looking forward to his retirement with his family, and would greatly appreciate that his privacy be respected at this time."

Hoskins, 69, was diagnosed in the fall.

Check out photos of Bob Hoskins

A native of Suffolk, England, Hoskins started acting in the 1960s and spent the '70s on British TV series, including Villains. His breakthrough role was as gangster Harold Shand in 1980's The Long Good Friday, which co-starred Helen Mirren. He won a Golden Globe, a BAFTA, a Cannes Film Festival award and earned a Best Actor Oscar nomination for his portrayal of George, a criminal who gets involved with a high-class call girl in 1986's Mona Lisa.

He earned a second Globe nomination for perhaps his most memorable role: private investigator Eddie Valiant in the 1998 live-action and animated hit Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

Other credits include Mermaids, Hook, Nixon and 2005's Mrs. Henderson Presents, for which he earned his third Globe nod.

Hoskins' final film was this summer's hit Snow White and the Huntsman, in which he played the dwarf Muir.

View original Bob Hoskins Retires Due to Parkinson's Disease at TVGuide.com

Related Articles on TVGuide.com

Continue reading here:
Bob Hoskins Retires Due to Parkinson's Disease

Bob Hoskins Retires Due to Parkinson's Disease

Posted on by

Golden Globe winner and Oscar nominee Bob Hoskins has retired from acting after being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.

"He wishes to thank all the great and brilliant people he has worked with over the years, and all of his fans who have supported him during a wonderful career," his rep said in a statement to the BBC. "Bob is now looking forward to his retirement with his family, and would greatly appreciate that his privacy be respected at this time."

Hoskins, 69, was diagnosed in the fall.

Check out photos of Bob Hoskins

A native of Suffolk, England, Hoskins started acting in the 1960s and spent the '70s on British TV series, including Villains. His breakthrough role was as gangster Harold Shand in 1980's The Long Good Friday, which co-starred Helen Mirren. He won a Golden Globe, a BAFTA, a Cannes Film Festival award and earned a Best Actor Oscar nomination for his portrayal of George, a criminal who gets involved with a high-class call girl in 1986's Mona Lisa.

He earned a second Globe nomination for perhaps his most memorable role: private investigator Eddie Valiant in the 1998 live-action and animated hit Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

Other credits include Mermaids, Hook, Nixon and 2005's Mrs. Henderson Presents, for which he earned his third Globe nod.

Hoskins' final film was this summer's hit Snow White and the Huntsman, in which he played the dwarf Muir.

View original Bob Hoskins Retires Due to Parkinson's Disease at TVGuide.com

Related Articles on TVGuide.com

Continue reading here:
Bob Hoskins Retires Due to Parkinson's Disease

Multiple sclerosis: A chameleon among diseases

Posted on by

CHICAGO - There's a common saying among people who have Multiple Sclerosis: If you've met one person with MS, you've met one person with MS.

Each person's experience with the disease - from the age they got it to the way it has affected their body - is so unique, MS can't be generalized. For some, MS simply leaves them feeling tired. Others are plagued by periodic difficulties in walking or thinking. Still others may lose permanent use of their arms and legs and become paralyzed.

Multiple Sclerosis, a degenerative disease that attacks the brain and spinal cord, can be as emotionally destructive as it can be physically damaging, said Gloria Crews-McAdoo, who started the "I CAN" MS support group in Chicago after her son was diagnosed with the disease.

"It is the uncertainty of MS," Crews-McAdoo said. "If you don't know what's going to happen to you from one day to the next it is very frightening."

While the National Multiple Sclerosis Society estimates that about 400,000 Americans have the disease, MS has gained more attention this year because Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney's wife, Ann, has it. Diagnosed with MS in 1998, Ann Romney in recent months has opened up about her battles with fatigue, depression and mobility, suggesting her experience may help shape her goals as first lady should her husband be elected.

The stories of those living with MS in the Chicago area show the many paths the disease can take and the varied ways people have chosen to navigate its uncharted course.

Meghan Melone

On Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday nights, Meghan Melone removes a syringe from the refrigerator, waits for the liquid inside to warm and then injects it into her body.

The drug, known as Rebif, is just one of many designed to help slow the progression of MS.

At times, it has left Melone, 22, fighting headaches and chills, but until this spring it seemed to be working.

See the original post:
Multiple sclerosis: A chameleon among diseases

Dementia now a national health priority

Posted on by

Dementia has been added to the list of national health priority areas following a meeting of federal and state health ministers in Sydney.

The first priority areas, set down in 1996, were cardiovascular health, cancer control, injury prevention and control, and mental health.

Diabetes was added in 1997, followed by asthma in 1999, arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions in 2002 and obesity in 2008.

Now, in 2012, dementia has been added to the list following a meeting of federal and state health ministers in Sydney.

That takes the number of priority areas to nine.

'This will focus attention and drive collaborative efforts aimed at tackling dementia at national, state and territory and local government levels,' the ministers said in a joint statement on Friday.

Some 280,000 Australians have dementia today, but that figure is expected to reach one million by 2050.

Ten years after that, spending on the disease is set to outstrip the outlay on any other health condition.

'We expect dementia spending to top $80 billion by 2062/63,' federal Ageing Minister Mark Butler said in a statement on Friday.

'But early diagnosis has been shown to have significant potential benefits for both the person with dementia and their carers and family, including improvements to quality of life and reducing care burden.'

View original post here:
Dementia now a national health priority

NASA releases new Mars photo

Posted on by

NASA has released the first images from the Mars rover which landed earlier in the week.

The rover was sent on a fact finding mission, attempting to analyze and discover whether elements on Mars contain the potential to harbor life.

The rover sent back its first images within moments of landing inside a crater.

'I really love these images because you know, later we are going to get magnificent color panoramas and 3d images and magnificent things on Mars. But these first images somehow are always the best ones to me,' Mission manager Mike Watkins told Reuters.

'You know, to me, it's representative of, of course a successful landing on Mars, it's representative of a new home, for the rover, of a new mars we have never seen before, and so every one of those pictures is the most beautiful I have ever seen'.

This history making moment was a rare opportunity for celebration by NASA which has had a tough few years with the cancellation of the space shuttle and budget cuts.

'It's just mind blowing to me, I think to all of us, so, I cannot say more than that, it's just the coolest thing,' added Miguel San Martin, of NASA's Descent and Landing Team.

Despite these tougher times the $US2.5 billion project is the first biological endeavor since the 70s.

See the article here:

NASA releases new Mars photo

Mars rover Curiosity, and NASA scientists, take a little break

Posted on by

The Mars rover Curiosity -- and NASA scientists -- are taking a little break.

After transmitting dramatic photos from the Red Planet during the first week of the operation, NASA said the rover is going through a four-day "brain transplant."

As the rover goes under the digital knife, many scientists will be taking a break and getting used to their newfound fame.

"I got recognized in a pizza parlor on Wednesday," said systems engineer Allen Chen, who emceed the rover's landing on Aug. 5. "That was a little weird for me."

During the "brain transplant," engineers are to be updating Curiosity's software, currently primed for its flight stage, to prepare it for its operations on the surface of Mars. The update will add two crucial functions -- the ability to use the geochemistry lab's sampling system, and to drive.

The update had to wait until after the rover landed because its processor, built years ago to withstand the harsh environment of interplanetary space, is limited compared with today's consumer technology, said senior software engineer Ben Cichy.

"My phone has a processor that is 10 times as fast as the processor that's on Curiosity and has 16 times as much storage as Curiosity has," Cichy said. "And my phone doesn't have to land anything on Mars."

Also Friday, engineers offered their most detailed assessment of Curiosity's landing. The craft, they said, landed about 1.5 miles away from its predicted touchdown zone -- not bad, given that the site was more than 150 million miles away and that the projected landing zone was an ellipse 12 miles wide.

ALSO:

Curiosity's mysterious Mars photo stirs speculation

Read the original post:

Mars rover Curiosity, and NASA scientists, take a little break

Uni targets rural medical students

Posted on by

In 2011, final-year University of Adelaide medical students Rachel Jones and Ben Rogers were looking forward to gaining rural practice experience. Now their uni is doubling the number of interviews with rural candidates. Picture: Calum Robertson Source: The Advertiser

THE University of Adelaide's medical school aims to double the number of rural students it interviews for places with changes to its entry process.

From this year the university will consider rural applicants' Undergraduate Medicine and Health Sciences Admission Test scores separately from metropolitan applicants in a bid to ensure more get through to the interview stage.

The university hopes to interview about 120 rural students, up from the 61 it saw for this year's cohort.

Faculty of Health Sciences executive dean Professor Justin Beilby acknowledged rural students were under-represented but hoped the changes would see growth.

University of Adelaide second-year medicine student Matt Watson, from Tooligie on the Eyre Peninsula, said: "Where I'm from, the only person I could talk to who'd got into medicine was the GP."

The rest is here:

Uni targets rural medical students

Liberty Pounds Out 20 Hits, Stays Alive At Legion Regional

Posted on by

Posted: Aug. 12, 2012 | 2:02 a.m.

After watching his team strike out 13 times in a loss Friday night, Liberty baseball coach Mike Eshragh wanted to see his players execute better at the plate Saturday.

The Patriots did that, and then some.

Liberty pounded out 20 hits on its way to a 23-9, seven-inning victory over Albuquerque (N.M.) to stave off elimination in the American Legion Western Regional at Fairfield, Calif.

"We struck out 13 times at the plate (Friday) night. That doesn't happen to us," Eshragh said of his team's 9-6 loss to Fairfield. "Responding today with a good offensive output shows these kids know how to make adjustments quickly. It was good to bounce back."

Liberty (28-9) is one of four teams remaining in the double-elimination regional. The Patriots will play Lakewood (Calif.) at 3:30 p.m. today.

The Patriots led 9-0 after two innings, but Albuquerque scored three runs in the fifth to pull within 13-7. But Liberty scored 10 runs in the bottom of the inning to put the run rule into effect.

Liberty's Jay Martz went 4-for-5 with four runs and two RBIs, and Michael Vargas was 3-for-4 with four RBIs.

Jesse Keiser went 3-for-5 with three runs and two RBIs for Liberty. Teammates Daniel Skelly, Nate Bennett and Marcos Rivera added two hits each. Skelly drove in four runs and Bennett three.

"We got to the field a little bit earlier today and had a little bit extra cage time," Eshragh said. "The players knew what was on the table, and we responded right away."

Excerpt from:

Liberty Pounds Out 20 Hits, Stays Alive At Legion Regional

Wildfires ravaging the Canary Islands

Posted on by

Published: Aug. 12, 2012 at 8:13 AM

MADRID, Aug. 12 (UPI) -- Nearly 5,000 people in Spain's Canary Islands have been evacuated as wildfires race through tinder-dry forests and fields, regional officials said.

The worst affected islands are Tenerife and La Gomera, Britain's Sky News television network reported.

More than 7,400 acres of land, including part of a World Heritage nature reserve, on La Gomera have been scorched since Friday, officials said.

"There is no positive change for the moment," an emergency official told reporters.

Firefighters on the ground were being helped by water-dropping aircraft, the report said.

The islands, located off the coast of Morocco, have experienced the driest conditions in some 70 years, the broadcaster said.

Adding to the woes, a heat wave from Africa last week created perfect conditions for the fires with temperatures above 100 degrees, low humidity and breezes.

The environmental secretary for the island of La Gomera, Ventura del Carmen Rodriguez, told reporters it would take at least 30 years for the nature reserve to recover from the fires.

View original post here:

Wildfires ravaging the Canary Islands

Troubled veterans left without health-care benefits

Posted on by

Afew weeks after Jarrid Starks ended his Army service in May, he went to an office in Albany, Ore., to enroll for veterans health-care benefits.

Starks brought medical records that detailed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a twisted vertebra and a possible brain injury from concussions. Other records documented his tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, where his bravery fighting the Taliban was recognized with a Bronze Star for Valor.

None of that was enough to qualify him for health care from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

That's because Starks left the military this year with an other-than-honorable discharge his final year of service scarred by pot smoking and taking absences without leave (AWOL).

He was told to fill out a form, then wait possibly a year or more while officials review his military record to determine whether he is eligible for health care.

"I was absolutely livid," Starks, 26, recalls. "This just isn't right."

Starks is among the more than 20,000 men and women who exited the Army and Marines during the past four years with other-than-honorable discharges that hamstring their access to VA health care and may strip them of disability benefits.

Some were booted out of the military before they deployed.

Others served in combat zones in Iraq and Afghanistan, then struggled upon their return with drug abuse, unauthorized leaves and other misconduct that placed them among the most troubled members of the generation of veterans who fought in the long wars launched after 9/11.

Starks ended his military career this spring with a weeklong stay at Madigan Army Medical Center under psychiatric care. Then, he was escorted to the front gate of Joint Base Lewis-McChord carrying a brown paper bag packed with a 90-day supply for six prescription drugs that included antipsychotics, antidepressants, pain pills and beta-blockers.

Read more:

Troubled veterans left without health-care benefits

Freedom soccer tourney set for 15th season

Posted on by

By: STAFF REPORTS | Morganton News Herald Published: August 11, 2012 Updated: August 11, 2012 - 6:50 PM

The Freedom High boys soccer program will play host to county rival Patton and a total of six teams from outside Burke County in the 15th annual Freedom Invitational, which will take place Monday through Thursday at the Catawba River Soccer Complex (CRSC).

One of the longest-running tournaments in western North Carolina, 2012 marks the 13th consecutive year that CRSC hosts the event. Games start on two fields at 5 and 7 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.

Patton and Alexander Central meet Monday at 5 p.m., while Freedom opens the event against South Caldwell at 7 on Monday.

Overtime periods will not be played, but ties will be broken by penalty kick shootouts for the purpose of declaring an overall champion. Wednesday and Saturday have been designated as makeup dates in the case of inclement weather.

An 12-member all-tournament team will be named, along with three individual awards: outstanding defensive player, outstanding attacking player and overall most valuable player.

Read more here:

Freedom soccer tourney set for 15th season