I tried to reassure him that no problem could be that bad, and that I would help him if he told me what the problem actually was. But my first efforts were to no avail. I was certain that he was still a high risk for suicide, and required seclusion and almost continuous staff observation.

The next day I renewed my nonstop questioning. Finally he sat up and pointed to a one inch square bandage on his right cheek. "What is it?" I asked. He blurted out, "It's the scar!" It was the scar that was ruining his life. It was too hideous for anyone to see, but it was there, hidden under the bandage, disfiguring, disgusting, making him unfit to be alive.

He explained that other doctors who had seen it had said nothing could be done, that he should learn to live with it. But he couldn't live with it.

Winning the war on …

Tax credits will flow like manna from heaven: $800 for individuals and $1,600 for married couples are the most commonly cited figures (more on that below). "Letting Americans keep more of their money should increase consumer spending," the president said.Oh, but wait. The Tax Policy Center, a joint effort of the Brookings Institution and the Urban Institute, did an analysis of Bush's plan and found that a number of people (and by "a number of people" I mean millions of people) would be shortchanged. And the poor were the most likely to get the short end of the stick.

August 2007 Archive

Expert stylists from the Lima area will be available to cut and style hair from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday during Square Fair 2007 during Continue » Jefferson slates schedule changeSports (127 words) Jefferson Athletic Director Dave Hoffman has announced that the football team's opener versus Columbus Harvest Prep has been moved to 7 p.m. Aug. 25 at Continue » Michael HaunhorstFor the Record (304 words) July 1, 1950-Aug. 1, 2007 Michael E. Haunhorst, 57, of Landeck died at 3:56 a.m. Wednesday at his residence. He was born July 1, 1950, in Lima, Continue » Lifeguard faces rigorous trainingLocal News (298 words, 1 response) DELPHOS — St. John's High School senior Katie Grothouse fills her summer at the swimming pool, but this 17-year-old's job is no picnic. Lifeguards at the Continue » Delphos Country Club ChampionshipSports (102 words) The Delphos Country Club held its Club Championship on July 28-29.

Jose Canseco Tries to Drag Magglio Ordonez Through the Mud But Only ...

I don't think anybody was under the impression that Jose Canseco's motives in helping to blow the steroids controversy wide open was completely altruistic. But he is going to be looked upon as a necessary catalyst in helping get this problem in the spotlight with his first book. But for those who want to look upon him as some sort of protagonist in this mess, there's this:Jose Canseco offered to keep Magglio Ordonez "clear" in his upcoming book if the Detroit Tigers outfielder invested in a movie project promoted by Canseco, The New York Times reported Wednesday night.Extortion, huh Jose? Great. So much for that Pulitzer Prize. More after the jump.The newspaper cited "a person in baseball with knowledge of the situation" in a report on its Web site and said four people in baseball, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Major League Baseball referred the matter to the FBI.Ordonez decided not to go forward with a complaint, so the FBI didn't open a formal investigation, the newspaper said.

City guide: Philadelphia

Then stick 'Eye of the Tiger' in the CD player or sit back with a Rocky DVD.WHEN TO GO The summer months in Philadelphia can get pretty sticky and the winter is bitingly cold, so spring or early autumn are a good call if you want to avoid extreme elements. If you are a sun-worshipper and make it there in early July for the Independence Day celebrations, head for the highest point you can find to enjoy the fireworks in all their glory.PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES Philadelphia International Airport serves most domestic and international destinations. You can fly from Scotland with KLM for just over £320 return. If you're travelling to the city from inside the States, Greyhound Lines operates a 24-hour service to the Philadelphia Greyhound Terminal, on Filbert Street, from most major cities.

Iraq: The Road to Learning Can Be Dangerous

The income is now a good deal better. "We have started to buy back what we sold during the last 10 years of the previous regime," Prof. Abdullah Mahdi from Diyala University in Baquba, 40 km northeast of Baghdad, told IPS. "We had sold our furniture and all we had just to eat."

"Professors, employees and students have stopped coming to the colleges and to their offices for fear of being kidnapped or killed," the head of one department told IPS on condition of anonymity.

GlaxoSmithKline and Anacor Pharmaceuticals Form Alliance to Develop ...

PALO ALTO, Calif. and LONDON, Oct. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Anacor Pharmaceuticals and GlaxoSmithKline today announced that they have entered into a worldwide strategic alliance for the discovery, development and commercialization of novel medicines for viral and bacterial diseases. The collaboration provides GlaxoSmithKline access to Anacor's proprietary boron-based chemistry for use against selected targets.

GlaxoSmithKline will participate in the alliance through its Infectious Diseases Centre of Excellence for Drug Discovery (ID CEDD). Under the terms of the agreement, Anacor will grant GlaxoSmithKline options to select product candidates developed under the collaboration that are directed to up to four discovery targets and with the potential for at least eight product options.