| Transcript of NASA FY 2008 Budget Briefing 5 February 2007
MODERATOR: Good afternoon, and welcome to NASA Headquarters in Washington. I am David Mould with NASA Public Affairs. Before I introduce the Deputy Administrator and the Administrator, just a few notes. We will start with questions from reporters here at Headquarters after opening remarks on our budget announcement, and then we will go to questions to the various NASA centers around the country. I guess we will go ahead and start now by introducing the senior management of NASA, Administrator Mike Griffin and Deputy Administrator Shana Dale, and we will now turn it over to the Administrator. ADMINISTRATOR GRIFFIN: Thanks, David. Good afternoon to all of you and those looking at us on TV. I have got some brief remarks before opening the meeting up for questions, and let me say now that I did book some overflow time.
Aspirin trial to test effect on cancer
DOCTORS and volunteers are being recruited to test the aspirin as a means of preventing one of Scotland's most lethal cancers. The humble painkiller is being used with an anti-ulcer drug to try to prevent Barrett's oesophagus from developing into cancer of the oesophagus, or gullet. Barrett's oesophagus is responsible for around half of all oesophageal cancers. Patients with the condition have stomach acid that rises into the oesophagus, usually causing heartburn. The acid damages the cells in the lining of the oesophagus and in some cases they turn cancerous. .
Split peas a staple in hearty soups
Fresh green peas are relative Johnny-come-latelys on the food scene of the Western world, having been popularized only within the past 400 years. During the previous 500 to 1,000 years, dried peas boiled into porridge or pudding were a staple of the middle and lower classes throughout the Western hemisphere. Archeological evidence from the Middle and Far East suggest that dried peas were used as food as far back as 9,000 years ago. Todays split peas are yellow or green field peas that have been cultivated specifically to be dried and processed in a way that removes their tough skin, allowing them to split naturally into halves. Packed within each split pea is an abundance of dietary fiber and plenty of fat-free protein, as well as vitamins and other essential nutrients. Available in virtually every supermarket and natural food store across the country, split peas are an inexpensive staple that holds its quality for a year or more when kept in airtight containers in a cool, dry place.
Heavily Advertised Drugs Not Always Best Option
MADISON, Wis. -- The pharmaceutical industry spends billions of dollars a year advertising drugs directly to people, but Consumer Reports said the most highly promoted drugs are not necessarily the best choice. Lunesta is the most heavily advertised prescription drug, but plenty of others get air time, like the acid reflux drug Nexium and the asthma medication Advair. Those ad campaigns are reaching their target audience, according to Consumer Reports' chief medical advisor Dr. Marvin Lipman. Lipman reviewed a survey of 39,000 patients and 335 doctors to see what kind of requests doctors get in a typical week. "Seventy-eight percent of the physicians we surveyed said they've gotten, 'I saw it on TV' requests," Lipman said. The most frequently requested prescriptions were for insomnia, acid reflux, impotence and allergies.
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