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Reports on how the rising international demand for opium poppy and its derivatives is shaking up the business, prompting importers to seek new sources, breed new varieties, invest in new technologies and even try to alter foreign policy. Opium as the ingredient of choice for pain-relief medications; Importers' criticism of United States regulations limiting their sources of supply; Implications to farmers in India and Turkey.

The article discusses wealthy people who have large mortgages on their homes. Billionaire Ronald Burkle has taken out a total of $56 million in loans on two homes. Mortgages obtained by real-estate developer Robert Maguire total around $50 million. Maguire observes that mortgage loans are an inexpensive source of capital.

The article discusses condominium developers Christian and Nicholas Candy. Known for developing luxury properties aimed at affluent customers, the two brothers have seen both demand and prices fall amid a global recession. They have defaulted on a $365 million loan in connection with a Beverly Hills, California project.

The article discusses developments at Corus Bankshares Inc. Corus lost over $260 million for the fourth quarter of 2008, and reported that 33% of its loan portfolio was nonperforming. Due to declining values of condominiums Corus helped finance, the bank could be forced to raise more capital. Chief executive Mike Dulberg said the bank was considering several options including a sale.

The article discusses two houses that survived a wildfire in Santa Barbara, California that destroyed all others in the neighborhood. Susan Macy's house was built over 70 years ago and, for reasons unknown, has endured several conflagrations. Fred Ashtiani equipped his home with a fireproof wall and a Persian garden that is said to both comfort and protect.

The article discusses Miami, Florida condo developer Jorge Perez. Perez's Related Group has built thousands of condos in south Florida, many of them unoccupied amid a glut of development. In response Perez has begun buying units, some of which he built himself, with the intention of renting them until the condo market improves.

The article discusses signs of a reviving housing market in California. For the month of September 2008, sales of existing homes rose 65% compared to the year-ago period. However, as home prices continue to fall growing numbers of homeowners find their mortgage debts exceed their homes' values, thus providing little incentive to keep current with mortgage payments.

The article discusses the continuing malign impact of falling home prices on U.S. banks. Shares of J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. and Lehman Brothers lost 9.5% and 12%, respectively, after the former issued a report saying house prices in the U.S. would continue to decline. Banks with substantial holdings of foreclosed properties have begun selling them at steep discounts.

The article discusses Phoenix real estate financier Scott Coles. Coles' firm, Mortgages Ltd., specialized in loans to commercial developers, but resorted to substantial borrowing after the U.S. real estate market began to deteriorate. Coles committed suicide in June, 2008. His circumstances are seen as a sign that other lenders could be facing financial hardship.

The article reports expectations that U.S. banks will experience rising losses on residential construction loans. Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Donald Kohn told a U.S. Senate committee that a weak housing market is likely to create additional losses. Sheila Bair of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation expressed concern about banks with heavy exposure to residential construction.

The article focuses on Corus Bankshares Inc., a Chicago, Illinois bank that has made extensive loans to condominium construction projects. The U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) has warned banks exposure to these loans is dangerous as the housing market continues to slump. Corus has a strong cash position, but many of its loans were to developers in cities hardest hit by the fall in housing prices.

The article reports that the crisis caused by the fall in U.S. housing prices will be further aggravated by an oversupply of condominiums as a result of projects that were begun during the 2004-2006 housing boom. Thousands of units in cities already hit by falling prices such as Miami, Florida and San Diego, California will be placed on the market in 2008. Commercial real estate and mortgage lenders hold about $42 billion in condominium related debt.

The article discusses the potential impact on mortgage borrowing of rules under consideration by the U.S. Congress. Permitting Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae to purchase mortgages whose value exceeds $417,000 could help reduce borrowing costs for large loans. Declining home prices, however, have made it impossible for many homeowners to refinance their mortgages.

The article profiles Jeff Greene, who became a multimillionaire by becoming involved with securities trading linked to asset backed credit default swaps after listening to financial planner John Paulson. Paulson was a hedge fund manager who predicted and made billions of dollars from a drop in prices of homes in the U.S. linked to the subprime mortgage industry. A discussion of Greene's lavish mansion and lifestyle is presented.

The article presents an overview of the impact a mortgage relief plan developed by U.S. President George W. Bush to help U.S. homeowners with large amounts of debt is having on homeowners in Corona, California in 2007. A discussion of problems which have developed between homeowners in the town who have and have not qualified for the program is presented.

The article focuses on an increase in immigrant groups in the U.S., including Latinos and Brazilians in California, that have been talked into subprime mortgages to buy homes that they couldn't afford, and who are now defaulting and seeing foreclosures on their homes. The increase has been linked to unethical mortgage brokers from the immigrants' countries who are trusted by the immigrants, and also to crime rings that target the immigrant groups. Case studies of effected immigrants are offered.

The article focuses on a revival of Los Angeles, California's theater district which is being attempted in 2007. A discussion of the district's history, and of the funding of the revitalization, which is coming in part from two projects at either end of the district; the L.A. Live sports complex and the Grand Ave residential and hotel plan, is presented.

The article focuses on the impact a collection of wildfires in Southern California in October of 2007 known as the witch fire have had on Richard Halsey, the founding director of the California Chaparral Institute. The institute is devoted to chaparral, which is the term given to a wide variety of shrubby trees, plants, and bushes that dot California's landscape, and which served as the primary fuel for the witch fire that nearly destroyed Halsey's home.

The article focuses on an increase in arguments about fire preparedness and access to firefighting resources which has been seen among government officials in California which has resulted from several wildfires which have caused major damage in the state in October. A discussion of the damage, including the loss of more than 300,000 acres of land, which the fires have caused, and of the efforts which are being made to contain them, is presented.

The article reports on a public relations campaign which is being launched in 2007 by Countrywide Financial Corp. and its executive managing director of residential lending, Andrew Gissinger III. The campaign is being launched in the media and within the company to increase the morale of the company's employees and to deflect negative publicity the company received after announcements of financial losses and employee layoffs.

The article reports on an increase in the number of the sales of large homes and mansions which is being seen in 2007 on California's gold coast, in towns including Santa Barbara and Carpinteria. In July alone home sales rose by nearly 28% from 2006 and the area was the only region in California where the median sales price surpassed $1 million.

The article focuses on a decision by mortgage lender Countrywide Financial Corp. to bolster its finances by using an $11.5 billion line of credit and making its banking division provide a greater share of funding for its loans as a result of problems it has seen due to involvement in subprime loans. The decision was made in response to a 55% drop in the price of its stocks which has been seen since 2006 and a 30% drop in the price of the stocks which was seen in a single day in August of 2007.

The article focuses on changes which mortgage lenders in 2007 are making to their lending standards and presents advice and information for consumers who want to obtain a mortgage loan. Consumers are advised to try and make at least a 5% down payment, avoid taking a jumbo mortgage, be prepared to verify their income and have assets on reserve equal to six or more monthly payments.

The article reports on a dispute between the U.S. White House and the Lockheed Martin Corp, over the design and construction of a fleet of presidential helicopters that was included in a $6.1 billion contract that was awarded to Lockheed in 2005. The dispute centers on extra communications, electronics and security gear that the White House has deemed as necessary but Lockheed feels will only increase the cost of construction.

The article focuses on auction home sales. Since the real-estate market is not as strong as it once was buying a house through auction is becoming more commonplace. According to the National Auctioneers Association, residential real estate is up 39% since the year 2003. Potential buyers must do their research on the property before placing a bid such as hiring an inspector for the house. The risk of overpaying is considered as well as "auction fever" producing a higher than expected sales price.

The article reports that economists are now predicting that the housing slump will continue at least through 2007, depressing the rest of the U.S. economy with it. The housing market is staying down as buyers wait for a lower price and lenders shy away from their freewheeling loan practices. Business investment and trade are helping to balance out the low market.

The article reports on a corruption prevention tool that has been developed by the director of the U.S. Pentagon's Standards of Conduct Office, Stephen Epstein. The tool is called the "Encyclopedia of Ethical Failure" and is a list of misdeeds which have been performed by public servants that have been collected by Epstein and published on the Internet in an effort to embarrass those servants who have engaged in corrupt or unethical practices.

The article reports on U.S. home builder Lennar Corp.'s decision to become involved with online home auctions. The company decided to become involved with the auctions because they had seen an abundance of unsold vacant homes that it had built and wanted to increase the number of its homes that were being sold. The impact a successful relationship between Lennar and online auction services could have on the marketing strategies of other U.S. homebuilders is discussed.

The article focuses on CEO Brad Morrice's management of a subprime lending crisis at his company New Century Financial Corp. which has led to the company being on the verge of bankruptcy in 2007. Morrice's management in the crisis which was due to an increase in defaults on mortgages that the company offered to consumers with risky credit, and his involvement in a federal investigation into the company's accounting and insider stock sales, is discussed.

The article reports that the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) will mount the one-time secret 1960s-era A-12 Blackbird spy plane outside its headquarters in Langley (Virginia) for its 60th anniversary. The plane is currently residing in the Minnesota Air Guard Museum. Volunteer aviation enthusiasts who restored the plane, led by James Goodall, are protesting the plane's removal.

The article discusses mechanical problems which are being seen in the $950 million missile defense radar unit named SBX which was supposed to have been placed in waters off of the Aleutian Islands, but sits in Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. A discussion of the history and development of the radar system which is used by the United States military, is presented.

The author focuses on the stock of defense contractor L-3 Communications Holdings, Inc. Even though its stock prices have fluctuated more than its competitors, the company looks ready to expand faster than other defense companies. The company stock is speculative due to its mixed bag of defense and homeland-security products and its fast-paced acquisition strategy, but now may be the time to buy it.

The article discusses the testing of a machine, by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration, which may help to spot potential terrorists . A device designed by an Israeli company asks travelers questions and measures their biometric responses to these questions. The goal is to determine which passengers should receive further questioning by human screeners.

The article reports that there is controversy over the use of drone aircraft in domestic skies. After Hurricane Katrina, unmanned aircraft were requested, but they were mostly g rounded due to safety concerns. Federal Aviation Administration rules will have to be updated if drones are to be used in domestic airspace.

The article reports that U.S. military spending is still at the mercy of special interests and legislators' pet projects. The military spends billions on outmoded technologies that provide jobs for the people who build them, but do little to fight the war on terror. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has been unable to convince Congress to fund newer technologies and weapons.

The article reports on the legal case of Melvin Dummar, who claims that the eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes left some money to him in a handwritten will. His initial case was rejected by a Las Vegas jury in 1978. However, his story was featured in the 1980 movie "Melvin and Howard." Dummar claims that Hughes left him $156 million in a will for driving Hughes from the desert to Las Vegas in 1967. A new case that Dummar is advancing against the Hughes estate is discussed.

The article discusses the health and future of the defense contractor L-3 Communications Holdings Company's chairman and chief executive officer, Frank Lanza. Company shareholders are nervous about the future of the company as Lanza is 74-years-old and recently underwent esophagus surgery. The article discusses potential successors to Lanza, but none have been officially named yet.

The article reports that as unmanned aircraft become more essential in modern warfare, Lockheed Martin is designing new and innovative drones with support from the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. The company's long-secretive Skunk Works division is opening up, somewhat, to reveal designs that can be launched off of submarines, fly at nine times the speed of sound and transform into high speed bombers in flight. The new designs are relatively inexpensive.

The article reports that the U.S. Army has cancelled the contract with Lockheed Martin for new spy planes that was meant to mark the company's entrance into the information age. It was intended that Lockheed would no longer build the planes, but instead put their own high-tech spying equipment into planes built by another company. The contract was cancelled when Lockheed admitted they could not fit their devices into the planes they had ordered. INSET: Changing Courses.

The article reports that the Pentagon is planning to sacrifice manpower in order to protect high-tech weaponry. The Air Force is attempting to cut active and reserve forces instead of slashing weapons purchases, and the Army is exploring a modest slowdown in its plan for troop growth even as it contends with a recruiting shortfall. This policy represents an about-face from signals that Pentagon leaders and defense-industry executives were planning on deep weapons-programs cuts to offset huge bills from both the war in Iraq and the Gulf Coast hurricanes. The decision for personnel cuts reflects the military's need to replacing aging equipment that has been pushed to the limit.

The article reports that, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, defense companies saw an opportunity for both philanthropy and possible gain in their efforts to assist the region with helicopters and airplanes. Some military contractors such as European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp. saw the disaster as a marketing platform. EADS was able to display certain products that it hopes the Pentagon will take an interest in and Lockheed Martin sought to gain a piece of the growing homeland security market.

Reports that defense industry executives and investors are bracing for a potential blow as President Bush mulls deep Pentagon budget cuts to both rein in the federal deficit and offset massive bills from Iraq and the Gulf Coast hurricanes. Plans by the administration to trim between $10 billion and $15 billion a year in planned defense spending from fiscal 2007 to 2012, slowing the overall rate of Pentagon-spending growth; Potential for major cuts to be averted by a combination of political pressure from Congress and the fact that a war is being waged; Suggestion by some that warships and fighter jets are most vulnerable to cuts.

Looks at the popularity of personal hydration equipment among U.S. soldiers. Report that the hydration backpack designed for cyclists by CamelBak Products LLC is now provided to U.S. troops; Comments of Chuck Hunter, a vice president of the company, on the profitability of CamelBak sales to the U.S. military; Impact of the War on Terrorism on companies that do not have traditional defense contracts with the U.S. military; Impact of military contracts of new product development at CamelBak and other sporting goods equipment companies; Details of the history of the CamelBak company and its development of the CamelBak hydration system.

Focuses on information processing technology learned from the motion picture "Minority Report," and how it can be applied to the U.S. military. Efforts of Raytheon Co. to duplicate the film's depiction of the technology, which allowed the character played by Tom Cruise to sift through data displayed on giant screens with a twist of his hand; Belief of Raytheon that "gesture technology" can help solve the military's problem of information overload; Commercial potential of the technology, which was developed by scientist John Underkoffler; Comments from Underkoffler, who earned his degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, regarding the technology that replaces keystrokes and mouse clicks with hand gestures; Speculation about how the new technology will streamline information processing.

Examines the company Taser International, Inc. which is reeling from safety concerns over its product. Founders Rick and Tom Smith who developed the stun guns as an alternative to firearms for police; Stock which rose 361% in 2004; Recent concerns which have halved the stock price, cut sales and put the company's marketing and testing techniques in a new light; Additional informal inquiry into its safety claims by the SEC and several shareholder lawsuits which have been filed; 80 people out of tens of thousands who have died after being shot with a stun gun; Deaths which have not directly been attributed to the weapon; Belief of the founders that the weapons are safe and that the company is the victim of a smear campaign; Debate over the use of "nonlethal" to describe the weapons; Background on formation of the company.