Jesse Helms lived a very accomplished life, to say the least. For more than a half-century he was a reporter, congressional aide, bankers lobbyist, city councilman, hard-hitting television commentator and finally U.S. senator from North Carolina.

Helms was born Jesse Alexander Helms, Jr. on October 18, 1921 in Monroe, North Carolina. He was a five term senator for N.C. and was also a former Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman. He also became the first U.S. lawmaker to speak in front of the United Nations Security Council.

Helms opposed the use of American troops in Bosnia saying “I will not support sending American soldiers to fight and to die for the sake of an agreement not yet reached which may offer no more than the promise of a brief pause while all sides prepare for the next round of Balkan wars.”

In 2002, Helms received the Clare Boothe Luce Award, which is the foundation’s highest award. The Foundation stated, “[Helms is] dedicated, unflinching and articulate advocate of conservative policy and principle.”

Helms was certainly no stranger to controversy throughout his career.  With his ties to Salvadoran death squad leader Roberto D’Aubuisson, his unflinching support of Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, and statements viewed by some as racist and homophobic.

Helms will be remembered as different from his contemporaries in that he was unyielding on issues that were important to him. Unlike other conservatives, such as Mississippi’s Sen. Trent Lott or Georgia’s former Rep. Newt Gingrich, who fought for their causes but found ways to reach accord with Democrats, Helms seldom gave in.

“Compromise, hell!” Helms, who acquired the nickname Senator No, wrote in 1959.

In addition to his wife, Dorothy, he leaves two daughters, Jane Knox and Nancy Stuart; a son, Charles; and four grandchildren, all of North Carolina.

This effect, or vaso- dilation, is very similar to what the erectile medication Viagra accomplishes.

Watermelon may not be as specific or organ directed as Viagra but it is an easy and enjoyable way to relax blood vessels in the body without having to take a specific medication or pill.

According to researchers at the Texas A&M University Fruit and Vegetable Improvement Center, watermelon contains citrulline, which acts on the body to relax blood vessels.

In order for a person to experience any effects, they need to consume about six or seven cups of the fresh fruit to have any blood vessel relaxing effects.

Still, for a natural product to render the same effects that Viagra produces is a positive thing for many people who would rather get their nutrients and medicine from natural sources.

While not a substitute for medical treatment, the fact that the fruit does contain a natural substance that acts similarly to Viagra is the source of amusement to many people.

Bell Canada is offering its own less complicated phone that will be similar in looks but is a lot less complicated, and it is also with a much cheaper subscriber fee.

Bell Canada says that it will introduce a mobile device from Samsung Electronics Company, and it will be similar in form but not have a lot of the features that the iPhone has.

Rogers has generated a lot of resentment with its 3-year pricing commitment plan, and its higher price than is being offered by AT&T in the United States.

The only place to get the iPhone in Canada is Rogers Communications, and Bell is hoping to capitalize on the dissatisfaction that Rogers is suffering by adding its own phone.

Bell Canada will be offering unlimited Internet access for just $10 dollars a month on the Instinct phone, the new phone offered by Samsung.

The new Instinct phone is selling by Bell Canada for as little as $149 dollars in Canada, and promises that despite its lesser ability to compete directly with the new Apple 3G iPhone that Rogers Communications is offering.

Online auctioneers Gotta Have It! are putting up seven articles of clothing once worn by Britney as part of their Rock & Roll Pop Art Auction.

One of the feature pieces of clothes is a T-shirt worn by Spears while she was a member of on the New Mickey Mouse Club that is signed by club costars Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera.

Expected price the t-shirt will go for is between $15, 000 and $20, 000. Let’s hope it doesn’t come with pit stains…

In the US, according to researchers, a young athlete dies every three days from an undetected cardiovascular disorder.

This can be changed though, as it has been noted by Italian researchers that simple screenings can greatly reduce the number.

Italian researchers used ECG testing on over 30,000 athletes.

What they found was that 1.2% of the athletes reported having abnormal test results, while 4.9% had abnormal results while exercising.

What this shows is that the simple ECG screening can help detect athletes who may be at risk of a cardiovascular event while competing in their sport.

The study has been published in the online journal, British Medical Journa

Fireworks celebrations prove to be extremely frightening for your pets. There are some things you can do though to help them stay safe and calm.

The best thing to do is to keep your pet inside on the Fourth of July, in a house or a kennel.

The next thing to do is to try and play relaxing music or turn on the TV so that they will not hear the noise of the fireworks.
Another thing to try is make sure your pet has an ID tag in case he or she gets scared and runs off.

As long as you follow these steps, it can help cut down on how scary the fireworks can be for pets.

Just one day before the Fourth of July, Bush helped by using a shovel to start the digging for the new Walter Reed Army hospital, which will replace the current facility located in Washington.

The new hospital will combine Army operations along with the operations of the National Navy Medical Center.

The old Walter Reed Army hospital has been under a great deal of scrutiny as of late.

The new Walter Reed Army hospital is expected to be completed by the year 2011.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has come out and once again increased the total number of people infected with salmonella from tainted tomatoes.

Since April, it has now been confirmed that 922 people have been infected with salmonella.

These people were all identified due to clinical laboratories in several states across the U.S.

The illnesses began back on April 10, with the most recent illness being on June 25.

Many have also had to be hospitalized thus far as the source is not yet known.

Elizabeth Green, a 49-year old woman, died while waiting for nearly 24 hours in the hospital to get a bed.

New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg confirmed he was “horrified” by what he saw.

Many have been fired since, including the director of psychiatry, doctor on duty, and the director at the hospital.

On top of that two nurses, as well as a security guard being suspended.

The U.S. government issued nearly 140,000 travel trailers to help people on the Gulf Coast following Hurricane Katrina, as well as Rita.

Currently, over 15,000 families still live in them as of today.

A study carried out by the CDC has found that construction materials, combined with poor ventilation caused the high levels of formaldehyde in the trailers.

There are many health concerns linked to high levels of formaldehyde, including respiratory problems, skin rashes, and other ailments.