ROCHESTER, N.Y. - Americans say they have lost considerable confidence in major U.S. institutions, including medicine, a poll indicated.The Harris Interactive poll found that Americans have lost a "great deal of confidence" in medicine, the White House and small business leaders.Confidence in the medical field dropped the furthest, from 37 percent last year to 28 percent this year. Confidence in the White House dipped from 22 percent last year to 15 percent this year, and ... [full story]

HOME DECONSTRUCTION   WHAT IS IT? - This is a red-lipped batfish that is found in tropical seas. CNS Photo.   CARTOON LAWS OF PHYSICS - Any biological organism passing through solid matter will leave a perforation conforming to its perimeter, this is also known as the law of 'the silhouette of passage.' CNS Photo.   HOME DECONSTRUCTION - Being fairly nomadic and almost constantly on the move for new forage, African elephants (Loxodontia africana) don't really keep house. ... [full story]

WASHINGTON - Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., will return to Capitol Hill next week after being hospitalized because of a back injury, his spokesman said.The 90-year-old Byrd has been hospitalized at Walter Reed Army Medical Center since Tuesday after falling at his Virginia home Monday night, The Hill reported.X-rays taken Wednesday showed Byrd suffered no broken bones from his fall, spokesman Jesse Jacobs said.Byrd will undergo physical therapy "to ensure he is steady on his feet ... [full story]

WASHINGTON - Franklin D. Roosevelt is the top-rated modern U.S. president, a Zogby International telephone poll found.Roosevelt has been at the top of Zogby's Presidential Greatness survey since 1997. He lost the No. 1 position twice to fellow Democrat John F. Kennedy, in 2006 and 2002. In a poll of 1,026 likely voters, 69 percent of respondents this year rated Roosevelt as a "great" president, compared to 67 percent who said the same thing about Kennedy. ... [full story]

In the end, the wisdom he was seeking came for Christopher McCandless. But in the end, young McCandless died alone and starving aboard the battered and abandoned old bus No. 142 of the Fairbanks City Transit System, a ways off in the Alaska wilderness. The wisdom? That happiness is only real when shared.   'INTO THE WILD' - Emile Hirsch plays Chris McCandless in the much-acclaimed Sean Penn-directed drama 'Into the Wild.' CNS Photo courtesy of ... [full story]

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Pervez Musharraf, threatened with impeachment by the opposition, plans to complete his term as president of Pakistan, a close associate said.Pervez Elahi and a delegation of other members of Musharraf's political party, the Muslim League Q, met with the president, the Press Trust of India reported. "He has been elected president for five years," Elahi said. "He will remain president for five years."Michael McConnell, the U.S. director of national intelligence, suggested that Musharraf ... [full story]

BEIJING - Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi Thursday dismissed criticism of his country's human rights record, a published report said.Yang, rejecting criticism by some human rights groups, said the Chinese government is not cracking down on political dissent ahead of the 2008 Summer Olympics, The Financial Times reported. "The Chinese people enjoy extensive freedom of speech," Yang said at a joint press conference with British Foreign Secretary David Miliband."You could ask 10 people on the street ... [full story]

  Diabetes complications are caused by damage to the blood vessels and nerves. If it is not controlled, diabetes can cause complications that can affect nearly every organ in the body. Good diabetes management can help reduce the risk.  [full story]

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - An Indian national who has spent more than 30 years on death row in Pakistan for espionage was pardoned Thursday by President Pervez Musharraf. Kashmir Singh was arrested in 1973. Ansar Burney, the Pakistani interim minister for human rights, told The Hindu he learned of the case during a visit this month to Kot Lakhpat Prison, where Singh has been on deathrow for decades. "I think God made me a Minister only ... [full story]

Q: I can't figure out how to arrange the furniture in my living room. The problem is, the front door is directly opposite the door to the kitchen, and nearly everyone just races straight through the room, dodging around chairs and tables and making conversation hard. Should I just give up and shove everything out of the way to one side of the living room? A: The best answer is yes. Family traffic is like ... [full story]