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Newsletter : 0fax0512.txt
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>JN May 12, 2000, Vol. 8, No. 87
Film Reveals Life and Times of Anwar Sadat
By Lisa Bryant (VOA-Cairo)
A Cairo film company is making Egypt's first movie about Anwar Sadat, the Egyptian president who was assassinated almost 20 years ago. Sadat's life and times offer the makings of a drama. To the West, he became a hero in 1979, when he signed a historic peace agreement with Israel. Two years later, Sadat was assassinated by militant Islamists among his own troops during a military parade. Now Egyptians are reassessing the legacy of the controversial leader.
Director Mohammed Khan has just finished filming the country's 1952 revolution, when a group of army officers -- including a young Sadat -- overthrew Egypt's King Farouk. The coup was just the beginning of Sadat's stunning rise, from the son of an obscure bureaucrat, to Egypt's impetuous, flamboyant president.
Ahead lie his days of glory: The 1973 Middle East war that brought Israel to the peace table. The (1978) Camp David peace accords, signed by President Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin.
The crew also has not yet filmed Sadat's darker times, when peace with Israel made Egypt an outcast in the Arab world. Or that October day in 1981, when the president died in a hail of gunfire as he reviewed his troops. By then, he was so unpopular here that few Egyptians mourned his death.
But Khan, the director, says he is not interested in politics. "What interests me about this movie is not the politics as much as interest me the man. It's an exciting story of a man. I look at it like this, you see. I don't look at it as a political statement."
During interviews around Cairo, many ordinary Egyptians praised Sadat. They said he brought peace to the country, and a better life. Sadat still has many critics. But few disagree that he dramatically changed Egypt's course. And as the cameras keep rolling, film director Khan says it is about time that Sadat's accomplishments are recognized. He says he hopes his movie will accurately reflect the strengths -- and the shortcomings -- of the assassinated Egyptian president.
New Medicine for Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease
By IsraelWire
A new Canadian drug for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease has been introduced for experimental usage in several large medical centers worldwide. The unit of cognitive neurology in the Rambam Medical Center in Haifa has been chosen as one of the centers to test the new drug.
According to the drug's manufacturers, the medication comes in syrup form to be taken twice daily, and has none of the side effects of similar medications. The drug works by improving the metabolic changes in the brain, which improves memory and daily functioning, and slows the effect of the disease.
Alzheimer's disease, which impairs daily behavior, affects memory and orientation, can cause aggression, hallucinations, and panic, and other symptoms, has become more prevalent in recent years as longevity increases. The disease has reached "epidemic" proportions, affecting 40-50 percent of those reaching age 85-90. By age 60, 1 percent of the population will have Alzheimer's; with every additional five years in age, the number of those with Alzheimer's disease doubles.
Battle Rations to be Imported from U.S.
By IsraelWire
The IDF is making further changes in battle rations. Soon part of the standard battle rations familiar to all IDF combat soldiers will be replaced by American-produced rations. The IDF is examining the possibility of including American-made battle rations as part of the military aid agreements between Israel and the U.S. The American battle rations are the kosher rations produced especially for Jewish soldiers.
The current battle rations are based on foods to be eaten cold, and include portions for four soldiers. The new rations consist of full meals in individual portions, and include more satisfying selections, such as roast beef with rice and meatballs with pasta. According to the IDF criterion, the battle rations must have a shelf life of three years. The Israeli battle rations are based entirely on canned foods, while the American rations are packaged in aluminum packs, which are lighter in weight and longer lasting. The IDF will begin to import American canned rations also.
The new rations are not intended for daily use, only for emergency situations. "We aspire never to use the emergency rations," stated Lt. Col. Miriam Amiel, in charge of food provisions for the Maintenance Corps. She said that most of the current use of battle rations is superfluous, and occurs because it is a convenience for the officers. The new meals will include hot and fresh foods provided by IDF bases.
These meals will also include the field rations already familiar to every combat soldier: tuna, canned corn, canned meat, peanuts, jelly, chocolate, and canned fruit.
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