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26215
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Facebook post Says Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine released 4,300 prisoners and is now warning residents of a possible crime wave.
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Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has not released 4,300 prisoners due to COVID-19 and there’s no evidence that he warned residents of a possible crime wave. Ohio has released 129 inmates early due to COVID-19, according to DeWine’s staff.
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false
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Ohio, Facebook Fact-checks, Coronavirus, Facebook posts,
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"A social media post is targeting Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine over prison releases amid COVID-19. The May 16 Facebook post claims that DeWine ""released 4,300 prisoners today! Now he is warning residents of possible crime wave! Seriously you can't fix STUPID!!"" This is inaccurate. The post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.) DeWine has not authorized the release of 4,300 inmates, and we could not find any recent comments made by him that warn of a possible ""crime wave."" On the contrary, advocacy groups say DeWine hasn’t done enough to prevent illness in prisons amid the pandemic. In mid-April, DeWine approved the release of 105 Ohio inmates who were within 90 days of completing their sentences as coronavirus cases swelled. None were convicted of violent offenses. The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction said prisoners would not be released if they test positive for COVID-19 unless they were handed off to a health care provider. Daniel Tierney, DeWine’s press secretary, told PolitiFact that Ohio has released a total of 129 inmates early due to COVID-19. ""This does not include any inmate whose sentence concluded or who was released due to a judicial order,"" Tierney said. ""They were non-violent offenders who were either nearing the end of their sentence or who had served half their sentence AND had multiple COVID-19 comorbidities."" Meanwhile, on May 19, U.S. District Court Judge James Gwin ordered the Bureau of Prisons to expedite the release of 837 medically vulnerable inmates in the Elkton Federal Correctional Institute through home confinement or compassionate release. The ruling follows a class-action suit filed by four Ohio prisoners that accuses DeWine and the state’s prison director of violating their constitutional rights by failing to do more to prevent a deadly outbreak of the COVID-19 virus. The Supreme Court has declined to block the judge's order. A Facebook post claims that DeWine released ""4,300 prisoners"" and is now warning residents of a possible crime wave. We found no evidence that DeWine warned Ohioans of any impending crime wave, and he has released around 130 inmates who were either nearing the end of their sentences, or who had served half their sentences and had multiple underlying health conditions."
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33758
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Mysterious white powdery substance on a football field is revealed to be the goal line.
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The joke reappears every football season.
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false
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Humor, Jes’ Plain Jokes
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The above-quoted joke reappears every fall, each time aimed at football teams regarded as underperforming (e.g., it was told of the Dallas Cowboys on the 1 November 2001 edition of Rush Limbaugh’s radio show). Example: [Collected on the Internet, 2005] Green Bay, WI Monday, October 31, 2005 – Anthrax Scare At Lambeau Field Green Bay Packer football practice was delayed nearly two hours today after a player reported finding an unknown white powdery substance on the practice field. Coach Mike Sherman immediately suspended practice while police and federal investigators were called to investigate. After a complete analysis, FBI forensic experts determined that the white substance unknown to the players was the goal line. Practice was resumed after special agents decided the team was unlikely to encounter the substance again. Professional and college teams are made the jape’s subject, as team names are swapped in and out. We marvel not at the parade of teams this groaner has been attributed to, but at the “Is this true?” queries it has caused to land in our inbox over the years. The joke does provoke an entertaining mental image of muscle-bound football players suspiciously eyeing a line of unfamiliar white powder and concluding it must be anthrax. While captivating, this image doesn’t work quite so well in the real world, where teams switch ends of the gridiron twice during a game — even if a squad were so unskilled that they never scored a touchdown, they’d still routinely see both goal lines as their opposition took the ball across them. Ridicule of sports teams perceived to be performing badly is an integral part of being a sports fan. This next jab has been aimed at a variety of hockey teams over the years: Q: Do you know where the red light district in Toronto is? A: Right behind the Leafs’ net. (For you non-hockey fans, the joke here is that the red light behind a team’s net goes off whenever the opposition scores.) This next one has been told of many teams in a variety of different sports: A Chicago man dies and goes to hell. When he gets there, the devil comes over to welcome him. The devil then says, “Sometimes it gets pretty uncomfortable down here.” The man says, “No problem. I’m from Chicago.” So the devil goes over to the thermostat, turns the temperature up to 100, and the humidity up to 80. He then goes back to the Chicago man to see how he’s doing. To the devil’s surprise, the man is doing just fine. “No problem…just like Chicago in June,” the man says. So the devil goes back over to the thermostat, and turns the temperature up to 150, and the humidity up to 90. He then goes back over to see how the Chicago man is doing. The man is sweating a little, but overall looks comfortable. “No problem. Just like Chicago in July,” the man says. So now the devil goes over to the thermostat, turns the temperature up to 200, and the humidity up to 100. When he goes back to see how the man is doing, the man is sweating profusely, and has taken his shirt off. Otherwise, he seems OK. He says, “No problem. Just like Chicago in August.” Now the devil is really perplexed. So he goes back to the thermostat, and turns the temperature down to MINUS 150 DEGREES. Immediately, all the humidity in the air freezes up, and the whole place (meaning Hell) becomes a frigid, barren, frozen, deathly cold wasteland. When he goes back now to see how the Chicago man is doing, he is shocked to discover the man is jumping up and down, and cheering in obvious delight. The devil immediately asks the man what’s going on. To which the Chicago man replies….. “THE CUBS WON THE WORLD SERIES!! !” “THE CUBS WON THE WORLD SERIES!! !” As has this: A man — a staunch Dallas Cowboys fan — goes to a sports bar in Texas to watch his favorite team play, bringing his dog with him. As usual, the Cowboys are getting slaughtered, with the other team racking up score after score while the Cowboys don’t register a single point. Finally, late in the game Dallas kicks a field goal. The dog jumps so high in the air he almost hits the ceiling, does a triple backflip and lands back in his seat, barking excitedly. “Your dog’s as big a fan as you are, I see,” the bartender says. “Does he do that every time the Cowboys get a field goal?” “Sure does,” says the Cowboy fan. “Wow,” says the bartender. “What does he do when the Cowboys score a touchdown?” “I don’t know,” the Cowboy fan replies. “I’ve only owned him for three years.” And then there’s this: Philadelphia, PA (AP) – A seven year old boy was at the center of a Philadelphia courtroom drama yesterday when he challenged a court ruling over who should have custody of him. The boy has a history of being beaten by his parents and the judge initially awarded custody to his aunt, in keeping with child custody law and regulations requiring that family unity be maintained to the degree possible. The boy surprised the court when he proclaimed that his aunt beat him more than his parents and he adamantly refused to live with her. When the judge suggested that he live with his grandparents, the boy cried out that they also beat him. After considering the remainder of the immediate family and learning that domestic violence was apparently a way of life among them, the judge took the unprecedented step of allowing the boy to propose who should have custody of him. After two recesses to check legal references and confer with child welfare officials, the judge granted temporary custody to the Philadelphia Eagles, whom the boy firmly believes are not capable of beating anyone.
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37304
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Prompted by Senator Hillary Clinton’s health care proposals, the writer of the eRumor says all is not well in Canada where a universal health care plan has been in effect for a long time.
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Discussion of Canadian Health Care
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true
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Crime / Police, Politics
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This is a complex story and some of it, such as whether Senator Hillary Clinton’s health care proposals have merit, is a matter of political, social, and economic opinion. We don’t have a name for the writer of this eRumor or whether it was really written from Canada or not, but we can look into some of the specific topics it raises. First, health care polices and prices in Canada may differ from province to province. The national government sends health care dollars to the provinces but the provincial and territorial governments each establish their own guidelines. Some of the topics in the eRumor are personal and about people in the writer’s family and we can’t document those. Other topics are commentary, but here are some of the issues raised:Canadian health care is not free and is funded mostly by taxes. Most Canadians pay an annual health care premium that averages several hundred dollars per month. Low income families and those on assistance are exempted. But the bulk of health care costs is paid for by taxes. Whether the writer is really in a 55% tax bracket or not is not known. The Canadian Federal Finance Department estimates, however, that Canadians pay an average of 35% to 40% in income taxes. There are long waiting lists for treatment in Canada. Even the most enthusiastic of Canadians admit that the health care system can be sluggish when it comes to getting treatment. It’s technically illegal for doctors and hospitals to provide private care for anything that is covered by the government health care system, but there is a growing industry of private hospitals where people can pay for services that they would otherwise have to wait a long time to get. Many Canadians do not have a family doctor. Most Canadians do have a family doctor but if you don’t have one, finding one may be difficult. There is a shortage of physicians in Canada and you must find a family doctor who is accepting new patients. In 2004 the Canadian Medical Association estimated that about 14% of Canadians did not have a family physician. You could wait many hours in an emergency room for treatment. Almost anybody anywhere in the world has stories of long waits in emergency rooms–mostly because unless your problem is life-threatening you’ll not get the attention of those who are facing more serious problems. But is is true that in Canada the lines at emergency rooms are legendarily long. Immigrants get health care coverage in Canada. According to the Canadian Government, immigrants are eligible for health care coverage under the Canada Health Act, although in some provinces there may be a 90-day waiting period. Drug addicts get free needles but diabetics must pay for needles in CanadaThe Canadian government began needle exchange programs in several areas of Canada in the 1980’s. The goal was to fight the spread of HIV and Hepatitis C by reducing the number of contaminated needles being used. Medical supplies for diabetics, however, including needles are covered by the health plan. Updated 10/8/07
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11063
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Regular Pap smear is as effective as ThinPrep
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"In less than 350 words, this story did a fine job of summarizing a study that one ob-gyn noted ""should serve as a cautionary tale that just because something is new doesn’t mean it’s better."" One criticism: the story did not cite anything from an editorial accompanying the study in JAMA – an editorial that gave good perspective. Nonethless, it was a good job in a limited space."
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true
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"We’ll give the story a satisfactory score on this criterion because it acknowledged that the ThinPrep is ""more expensive."" But we wish it had provided the actual cost comparison. The story delivered the key line from one ob-gyn observer, that the study ""should serve as a cautionary tale that just because something is new doesn’t mean it’s better. "" But the story also included the lead author’s reminder that ThinPrep samples could be used to test for human papillomavirus, which causes nearly all cervical cancers. And the rate at which tests needed to be done again was one-third lower with the ThinPrep than with conventional Pap smears. The story nicely summarized that the authors of the study in JAMA noted that that ""because of a lack of well-designed comparative studies, convincing evidence to determine the superiority of either method"" didn’t exist. And that it was based on a raondomized trial of 90,000 Dutch women screened with either ThinPrep or a conventional Pap smear. There was no disease mongering in the story. The story included multiple expert perspectives. In a very concise article, the story did a good job comparing the ThinPrep and convention pap smear tests. The story leads with the fact that the ThinPrep test dominates the market. The story was about efficacy of cervical cancer screening tests, so this criterion is not really applicable in this case. It is clear that the story did not rely on a news release."
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8173
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Diamond Princess critic says Tokyo Olympics should be halted.
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The Japanese doctor who created a media firestorm with videos criticizing the quarantine of a coronavirus-stricken cruise ship said he now believes the Tokyo 2020 Olympics should not go on.
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true
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Health News
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Kentaro Iwata, a professor of infectious disease at Kobe University, said on his blog on Thursday that it’s not clear that the outbreak in Japan will have subsided by the planned start of the Games in July. Also, the flood of foreign visitors could exacerbate the spread of the disease, known as COVID-19. Japanese government officials have said the Olympics will go ahead as scheduled and will not be held behind closed doors. “The Olympics are not just a mass gathering, but a mass gathering from all over the world, while COVID is a global pandemic,” Iwata wrote. “These two things don’t go together.” Iwata boarded the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship in February and his YouTube videos decrying the conditions there garnered more than a million views. Iwata said that bureaucrats, and not infectious disease professionals, were running the quarantine, and that basic protocols on zoning and the use of protective gear were not followed. Japan has recorded more than 1,600 cases of the virus, including about 700 from the Diamond Princess. Thirty nine people have died, including seven from the liner. The virus has spread around the world, with more than 218,000 confirmed cases and 8,900 deaths.
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36218
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"A teenager leaving for college in Colorado became severely ill due to ""vaping,"" or the standard use of an e-cigarette."
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Did a Teen in Colorado Fall Gravely Ill From Vaping?
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unproven
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Fact Checks, Viral Content
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"On August 30 2019, a Facebook user shared a lengthy post (archived here) about her daughter Piper’s purported illness, in a screed blaming “vaping” for the girl’s condition.In the post, Johnson claimed that two weeks previously, her daughter became ill during a journey to college in Colorado and reported difficulty breathing. At some point during the journey, she was taken to an urgent care clinic. According to Johnson, she believed it “would be a quick visit,” and that she possibly had bronchitis “and she’d be fixed up quick and moving into her dorm the next day.”However, Johnson said, her daughter’s condition remained severe:The nurses and I had to wear masks to protect us from whatever virus or bacteria had begun to literally wreak havoc on her body. She cried to her nurse that it hurt too bad to take a breath. She was getting IV fluids, antibiotics, pain meds, anti-nausea meds and a diuretic to help clear fluid from her badly inflamed lungs. She continued to need more and more oxygen. The pain meds barely took the edge off. Tests were run, more meds were ordered, she was eventually transferred to a room on the ICU floor in case her oxygen needs became even more severe.According to Johnson, Piper’s illness was due solely from vaping:How does a healthy 18 year old become a VERY sick patient whose oxygen needs just keep increasing?VAPING. That’s how.She became Colorado’s first confirmed case of what was called a “sudden and severe lung illness due to vaping.”Johnson went on to urge readers to support restrictions on all related products.One day before Johnson’s post, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment tweeted that two cases of “sudden and severe lung illness associated with vaping” had been confirmed in the state:Colorado now has two confirmed cases of sudden and severe lung illness associated with vaping. We will provide regular case updates on our website.https://t.co/DURa4uNebh— CDPHE (@CDPHE) August 29, 2019A statement last updated on August 30 2019 reiterated that two cases of “sudden and severe lung illness associated with vaping” had been documented in Colorado. A portion of the release suggested that the illnesses were not necessarily due to standard use of products as intended. In a section titled “what people should avoid,” two of CDPHE’s advisories stood out:Do not buy e-cigarette products off the street (for example, e-cigarette products with THC or other cannabinoids).Do not modify e-cigarette products or add any substances to these products that are not intended by the manufacturer.Local news reports made little effort to determine why cases presented in August 2019 when the practice of vaping or use of e-cigarettes had been fairly regular in the United States since at least 2006. Scattered reports of “sudden and severe lung illness associated with vaping” began cropping up in the summer of 2019, but very few articles went into detail about what may have changed.On August 31 2019, the New York Times published a far more in-depth article about clusters of “sudden and severe lung illness associated with vaping.” It began:An 18-year-old showed up in a Long Island emergency room, gasping for breath, vomiting and dizzy. When a doctor asked if the teenager had been vaping, he said no.The patient’s older brother, a police officer, was suspicious. He rummaged through the youth’s room and found hidden vials of marijuana for vaping.“I don’t know where he purchased it. He doesn’t know,” said Dr. Melodi Pirzada, chief pediatric pulmonologist at NYU Winthrop Hospital in Mineola, N.Y., who treated the young man. “Luckily, he survived.”…Patients, mostly otherwise healthy and in their late teens and 20s, are showing up with severe shortness of breath, often after suffering for several days with vomiting, fever and fatigue. Some have wound up in the intensive care unit or on a ventilator for weeks. Treatment has been complicated by patients’ lack of knowledge — and sometimes outright denial — about the actual substances they might have used or inhaled.That introduction was notable for two reasons: That the patient denied vaping overall, and that the patient was vaping products adulterated to contain cannabis in a state where such products are not available for regulated sale. The piece goes on to reiterate that patients were often unable or unwilling to disclose which substances they may have vaped before falling ill — understandably, if the substances were illicit or illegal.Instances of “sudden and severe lung illness associated with vaping” did not appear to be striking older vapers, many of whom have long used mainstream vaping products. The cases highlighted by the New York Times appeared to affect largely teenagers and young adults, and modification of vaping equipment to vape cannabis products was frequently cited.The article cited oils as a factor in many of the cases:“Inhaling oil into your lungs is extremely dangerous behavior that could result in death,” said Thomas Eissenberg, who studies vaping at Virginia Commonwealth University. “That is probably the biggest message we can get out of this.”Many vaping ingredients are not listed on the products. Vitamin E oil appears to have been a common substance associated with the severe and sudden respiratory problems in some of the New York cases, according to state health officials. It is not known how it was used. Vitamin E is sometimes advertised as a supplement in cannabidiol oil, which is not designed for vaping but has been used that way.Mainstream e-cigarette solutions for vaping, commonly known as “e-juice” or “juice,” does not use oil as a carrier due to the danger inherent in vaping oils. Products purchased in stores contain nicotine, flavoring, propylene glycol, and/or vegetable glycerin. E-cigarette manufacturers are presumably aware that vaping oil is dangerous and exclude it from their carrier solutions, whereas users modifying juices or delivery devices may not be aware of the risks when adulterating products in order to vape THC.Suspected modification of e-cigarettes to vape cannabis products is always present in reports on outbreaks of “sudden and severe lung illness associated with vaping.” The Times article quoted a public safety expert:Dr. Scott Gottlieb, the former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, said he suspected a link to illicit products — perhaps related to ingredients including THC — because the main manufacturers of e-cigarettes had not suddenly altered their ingredients on a wide scale. “It’s probably something new that has been introduced into the market by an illegal manufacturer, either a new flavor or a new way to emulsify THC that is causing these injuries,” he said.Another public health expert consulted for the article interviewed a number of patients about the products they had inhaled before falling ill. She said “interviews with patients suggested they were getting the marijuana liquid from friends in states with legal supplies of the drug, like California and Colorado.” The article goes on to highlight the intersection of regulated nicotine vaping products with the largely unregulated, federally illegal topic of cannabis products:The F.D.A. oversees CBD products sold as dietary supplements, but does not regulate THC, which is illegal under federal law. Liquid nicotine and THC, sometimes sold in cartridges for use in vaping devices, can each contain oils that may be safe to swallow but can damage the lung when vaporized into a mix of unknown chemicals.On August 30 2019, the Centers for Disease Control issued a public health advisory about cases of “sudden and severe lung illness associated with vaping.” In it, the CDC noted that “many patients have reported using e-cigarettes containing cannabinoid products such as THC or CBD” before falling ill.In a section advising the public, the CDC recommended not modifying e-cigarette products and not buying them “off the street”:Regardless of the ongoing investigation, anyone who uses e-cigarette products should not buy these products off the street (e.g., e-cigarette products with THC, other cannabinoids) and should not modify e-cigarette products or add any substances to these products that are not intended by the manufacturer.Twitter user Amelia Howard shared an annotated version of the CDC advisory, noting portions where vague or confusing language obfuscated aspects of the notice:I used Hypothesis to make some annotations on The CDC's heath advisory on ""Severe Pulmonary Disease Associated with Using E-Cigarette Products"" You can read the advisory with my notes here: https://t.co/TXTC5lb8Vg Click on the arrow at the top right to expand the comments.— Amelia Howard (@Amelia_RH) September 2, 2019Howard noted in part that no commercial product had been implicated, and that with the exception of one state, the cases were in states where THC products were not legally marketed or sold, and thus unregulated:The term “e-cigarettes” is commonly understood to mean nicotine vaping products, not THC oil pens/cartridges. Based on the available evidence, it is quite clear that the majority, if not all of the observed cases are associated with the use of THC oils, most of which were accessed through the black market. Conversely, there is currently no evidence that any commercial nicotine vaping product has caused any one of the cases of pulmonary disease in the outbreak.By and large (and with the exception of California) the cases are clustered in states with no legal recreational cannabis market, and either extremely restrictive medical cannabis regulations, or no legal market for medical cannabis. In other words, the cases are happening in places where the black market is the only option for people who use cannabis recreationally.Howard referenced remarks from Dr. Michael Siegel, Professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences at the Boston University School of Public Health. Siegel explained that conflating common use of e-cigarettes with the illnesses likely caused by black-market products poses a risk to public health:This is a public health crisis and I think that any physician who makes public statements about these cases has a responsibility to provide accurate information that will actually help to prevent further cases from occurring. Scaring people into thinking that any vaping product can cause respiratory failure is not only inaccurate, but it is irresponsible because it doesn’t provide useful information that can help youth avoid the specific products that are responsible for the observed cases.As an trained epidemiologist, it was immediately clear to me that these cases are not being caused by vaping products generally because these products have been on the market for years without any significant problems and because the reports are clustered in specific geographic areas. Now that further information is available, it is clear that the majority of the observed cases are associated with the use of THC oils that were obtained from unlicensed sellers. It is also likely that cases occurring among people using nicotine-containing e-liquids without THC are due to a contaminant that is appearing in products being sold on the black market, not in retail stores.Siegel concluded:In a disease outbreak such as this one, responsible public warnings need to be as specific as possible about the risk. In an outbreak of E. coli caused by a contaminated batch of lettuce, we don’t tell the public that the disease is associated with eating, or even that it is associated with eating lettuce. People need much more specific guidance if they are to take appropriate action to avoid or reduce the risk of further spread of the outbreak.Here, we need to start telling the public the truth. However much physicians or anti-nicotine groups may not like it, the truth is that the outbreak we are seeing is not due to the risks of using standard vaping products. It appears much more likely that the outbreak is mostly, if not completely attributable to illicit products–especially THC extracts–that are being sold by unlicensed sellers on the black market. Unless people are provided with this specific information, they will not take action to avoid the products that could put them at risk.Some reporting on the outbreak mentioned a company — Dank Vapes — and its link to some of the cases. A Wisconsin man sickened by vaping black market items identified a cartridge from Dank Vapes as the possible culprit. A Rolling Stone article referenced Dank Vapes as a “black market brand of ambiguous origins,” and referenced the case on Long Island and a vitamin E oil adulterant:Lab testing of [Dr. Melodi ] Pirzada’s patient’s cartridge revealed that it tested positive for not just THC, but also vitamin E. If inhaled, oils like Vitamin E can cause lipoid pneumonitis, a rare condition that results from fat particles being inhaled into the lungs, says Pirzada. When she submitted the results to the Department of Health, it informed her that there were two other cases of THC cartridges testing positive for vitamin E oil, though she says the cartridge is currently being retested for other substances.The viral Facebook post from the parent of a teenager hospitalized in Colorado due to “sudden and severe lung illness associated with vaping” was a clearly emotional plea shared due to the illness of the girl in the photograph. Misinformation about sudden and severe lung illness associated with vaping was rampant on social media in August 2019, due to clusters of the illness reported in several states.Although the poster said that it is not only unregulated products causing illness (which public health officials continue to investigate), all available information suggested that the illnesses indeed were likely attributable to adulterated vape products and not commercial e-cigarette components or juices. We have been so far unable to locate any reports associated solely with standard vaping or e-cigarette usage, and the illness seemed to strike young users. The nature of the mechanism of injury (suspected vaping of cannabis in states where it is illegal) suggests that some patients might not be willing to disclose that activity to doctors or parents.Cases of sudden and severe lung illness associated with vaping are real, and there is no reason to suspect that the Facebook post did not reference one such case. However, its focus on all vaping and e-cigarette products was misguided when read in contrast with commentary by public health experts. Although investigators struggled to identify a highly specific common factor in all the cases, most seemed to agree that e-cigarette cartridges and juice adulterated with oil and/or cannabis products in states without legal dispensaries were likely to blame. Commercial vaping products existed for well over a decade in the United States before sudden and severe lung illness associated with vaping cases began popping up, but few if any illnesses linked directly to those products followed before the 2019 cases appeared.Update: September 5 2019, 4:48 PMOn September 5 2019, the Washington Post reported that investigators identified a common thread in samples of cannabis products used by many patients with sudden and severe lung illness associated with vaping — vitamin E oil:State and federal health officials investigating mysterious lung illnesses linked to vaping have found the same chemical in samples of marijuana products used by people sickened in different parts of the country and who used different brands of products in recent weeks.The chemical is an oil derived from vitamin E. Investigators at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found the oil in cannabis products in samples collected from patients who fell ill across the United States. FDA officials shared that information with state health officials during a telephone briefing this week, according to several officials who took part in the call.That same chemical was also found in nearly all cannabis samples from patients who fell ill in New York in recent weeks, a state health department spokeswoman said.… “We knew from earlier testing by New York that they had found vitamin E acetate, but to have FDA talk about it from their overall testing plan, that was the most remarkable thing that we heard,” said one official who took part in the briefing but was not authorized to speak publicly.The Washington Post further reported that state and federal health authorities said they were “focusing on the role of contaminants or counterfeit substances as a likely cause” of the illnesses in question. Federal findings aligned with those in New York State, where “very high levels of vitamin E acetate in nearly all” samples tested, and “vitamin E acetate is now a key focus” in the New York investigation. What makes the presence of vitamin E acetate so worrisome boils down to its unsuitable nature for inhalation:Unlike the human digestive tract, which can break down and get rid of foreign substances, the lungs aren’t designed to handle anything except gases, experts said.When oils are inhaled, they are temporarily heated and vaporized. That heated and vaporized substance returns to its original state after it is inhaled, coating the inside of the user’s lungs with oils. Inhaling products adulterated with oils such as vitamin E acetate can lead to a rare but serious condition known as lipoid pneumonia (less commonly called cholesterol pneumonia. )Literature from 1996 [PDF] described lipoid pneumonia as typically fatal; aspiration of oil-based substances such as laxatives have been previously identified as causes of lipoid pneumonia.Although authorities said they had not yet ruled out adulterants in nicotine-only samples, the Food and Drug Administration thus far has analyzed “12 viable nicotine samples and 18 viable THC products,” adding that “Vitamin E acetate was found in 10 of the 18 THC products.” By contrast, FDA lab tests found “nothing unusual in nicotine products that had been collected from sick patients.”In a September 2019 bulletin issued in Oregon, health officials indicated that one sudden and severe lung illness associated with vaping death occurred in an individual who had recently used “an e-cigarette or vaping device containing cannabis.”"
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27431
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A photograph shows vintage box of fake snow decor made of the carcinogen asbestos.
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Compounding these issues, asbestos continues to be imported into our country, primarily due to the alarming fact that asbestos has not yet been completely banned. Further, asbestos has been repeatedly found in a wide variety of new consumer products as reported by recent independent studies. Some of these asbestos-containing products include children’s toys and crayons, readily available from retail marketplace’s shelves.
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true
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Uncategorized, asbestos, christmas, pure white fire proof snow
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As Christmas 2017 approached, social media users began circulating an image of a vintage-looking box labeled “Asbestos: Pure White Fire Proof Snow.” Some asked if the box really contained artificial snow made out of what is now a widely-recognized carcinogen: In the early half of the 20th Century, asbestos was widely used as Christmas decor because of its white, fluffy appearance — but that was before it was recognized as a major risk factor for an aggressive form of cancer known as mesothelioma. Asbestos.com reports: Asbestos was once marketed as artificial snow and sprinkled on trees and wreaths and ornaments. Although those products have not been produced for many years, the oldest decorations that were passed down from one generation to the next, may still have small amounts of asbestos. The most famous asbestos snow scene was used during the filming of “The Wizard of Oz,” the 1939 classic with Judy Garland that became the most watched film in history. There is a scene in the movie where snow, made from asbestos, falls on Dorothy and her friends, awakening them from a spell cast by the Wicked Witch of the West. The image above depicts a real item sold to consumers in the mid-20th Century. The picture was taken by Tony Rich, an industrial hygienist and amateur photographer who catalogs asbestos images on the photo-sharing platform Flickr using the moniker Asbestos Hunter. Rich, an anti-asbestos activist, originally shot the image in 2009. Rich told us he has the actual box in storage and directed us to another image that shows the product was manufactured by National Tinsel Manufacturing Company. The product was sold in the late 1940s through the 1950s, Rich said. He told us: This brand actually contains amphibole asbestos “amosite”, very toxic. Generally speaking, asbestos was used by the tens of millions of tons for nearly over a century and a half in modern history for a wide variety of applications, mostly due to its fire resistance, insulating properties, durability/strength, inertness, could be woven, and was cheap and abundant. Major asbestos manufacturers had large [research and development] programs constantly finding new ways to use asbestos. I believe the most tragic use was in cigarette filters. Rich told us many are surprised to learn that, despite its significant link to cancer, asbestos isn’t banned in the United States. Aside from raising awareness with his camera as “Asbestos Hunter,” he serves on the Prevention Advisory Board for the non-profit Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO), on whose blog he wrote in 2015: The United States has a very long history of asbestos usage, a tragic history that continues to be written to this day, to the ultimate detriment of its citizens…our loved ones, neighbors, and future generations. During that time, tens of millions of tons of asbestos materials were put into our nation’s buildings and infrastructure, most of which remains in place today. Eventually, laws and regulations were created in an attempt to help protect employees and the public from the toxic legacy left by asbestos. However, despite the volumes of asbestos standards, many still face ongoing problems related to regulatory under-enforcement, poor risk management or by simply failing to identify basic asbestos hazards.
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16189
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"Ted Cruz Says Obama's net neutrality proposal ""puts the government in charge of determining Internet pricing, terms of service and what types of products and services can be delivered."
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"Cruz said, Obama’s net neutrality proposal ""puts the government in charge of determining Internet pricing, terms of service and what types of products and services can be delivered."" While theoretically possible, Obama said specifically that he does not want the FCC to regulate Internet prices, and the FCC typically does not regulate prices for similar things, such as telephone services. In terms of product offerings, the proposal would allow the FCC to prevent Internet service providers from giving certain websites priority over others. But Cruz’s statement conjures an image of FCC officials sitting around a table designing Internet service packages and their prices, and this is not what Obama is proposing."
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mixture
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National, Government Regulation, Technology, Ted Cruz,
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"Net neutrality is the ""biggest regulatory threat to the Internet,"" according to Sen. Ted Cruz. Cruz took to social media to denounce a policy from President Barack Obama on Nov. 10 that was seen as a big step in favor of net neutrality. Obama said he wanted ""the strongest possible rules to protect net neutrality."" Cruz called the proposal ""Obamacare for the Internet"" on Twitter, and he got more specific in his complaint on Facebook. We wanted to fact-check if net neutrality would in fact put the government in charge of ""determining Internet pricing, terms of service, and what types of products and services can be delivered."" We found that Cruz is mostly talking about a slippery slope. With Obama’s proposed rules, the Federal Communications Commission could theoretically impose regulations on Internet prices and products -- but the scope of those regulations would be limited. And Obama specifically called on the FCC not to regulate Internet prices. For us, Cruz’s statement conjured images of FCC officials sitting around a table and drafting household Internet service plans. That’s not what Obama is proposing. What is net neutrality? First, a quick primer on net neutrality, which is a pretty complicated topic. The New York Times’ Upshot framed the issue well, comparing it with the difference between electricity and cable TV. For electricity, people pay a monthly bill, the electricity comes into the house, and they use the electricity however they see fit, using whatever electrical devices they want. These same people pay a monthly bill for cable television, but the cable company gets to pick out the channels for the cable packages. These packages are often constructed based on financial agreements between the cable provider and the TV channels. Supporters of net neutrality think Internet service should operate like electricity. Consumers pay a fee to an Internet service provider (like Comcast and Verizon), and they get equal access to the whole Internet -- every website, big and small -- without any interference from the service providers. But this isn’t possible without some government regulation. The FCC makes the final call on how the government regulates the Internet, and the agency is in the process of designing regulations, after a federal appeals court struck down standing FCC net neutrality protection rules in January. Some Internet service providers, however, don’t want this kind of government regulation. Regulations would stop Internet service providers from entering into financial arrangements that would give particular websites prioritized access to Internet users (kind of like cable companies’ arrangements with cable channels). For example, Netflix has a financial agreement with Comcast so that the video streaming website will have better access to customers. Proponents of net neutrality worry that if this trend continues, websites that are able and willing to pay Internet service providers for prioritized access to consumers would have an unfair advantage over smaller operations or startups. In order to stop this trend and protect net neutrality, Obama said the FCC should ""reclassify"" Internet service providers as common carriers under Title II of the Telecommunications Act, meaning they would be treated as public utilities, such as phone service. Currently, the Internet is classified as an ""information service,"" which greatly limits how much the FCC can regulate it. Under the common carrier classification, however, Internet service providers would not be allowed to give advantages to particular websites. Cruz and other critics of Obama’s proposal think reclassification would create a lot of red tape for Internet service providers. We asked Cruz’s staff for evidence to back up his claim, and they noted some potential impact of Obama’s net neutrality proposal -- pointing to studies that said more Internet regulation could harm the economy and kill jobs. ""The president’s call for the FCC to designate the Internet a public utility means that the five unelected bureaucrats at the FCC will become the arbiters of pricing, terms of service, and types of products delivered,"" said Cruz spokeswoman Catherine Frazier. ""This changes a relentlessly innovative and growing part of our economy into one that must wait for permission for any new ideas."" It’s a bit more nuanced, though. Prices In theory, Title II would give the FCC some say over Internet service providers’ prices. However, Obama urged the FCC to also adopt a forbearance against price regulation. A forbearance is a legal way of choosing not to enforce part of the law that is unnecessary or irrelevant. ""I believe the FCC should reclassify consumer broadband service under Title II of the Telecommunications Act — while at the same time forbearing from rate regulation and other provisions less relevant to broadband services,"" Obama said. But let’s talk about what would happen if the FCC reclassified Internet service providers under Title II without that forbearance, just for kicks. Under Title II, the FCC is authorized to ""determine and prescribe"" charges. However, this does not mean that the agency would decide what prices should be and force companies to abide by them. What would happen is that Internet service providers would set their own prices, and the FCC would intervene if it thinks those prices are ""unjust or unreasonable."" The idea is that if a service provider is the only operator in an area, it should not be able to hike up consumer costs unreasonably, knowing the consumers don’t have access to a cheaper option. Even this limited level of price regulation likely wouldn’t be sustainable, said Harold Feld, senior vice president of Public Knowledge, an open Internet advocacy group. The FCC doesn’t enforce price regulations for other Title II services, like mobile phones and land lines, and has had trouble defending price caps in court. ""As a practical matter, that’s totally not going to happen,"" Feld said. Brent Skorup, a telecommunications research fellow at George Mason University’s Mercatus Center and an opponent of net neutrality regulations, said he thinks Cruz’s statement is fair, because of the authority Title II gives the FCC. But he agreed that any price regulation would likely be ""short lived"" because of Obama’s call for a forbearance and precedent concerning other Title II services. Products and terms of service If Internet service is reclassified under Title II, the FCC would have limited authority over the products that Internet service providers can offer. Like the pricing issue, this isn’t to say that FCC officials would draft up Internet service packages that a service provider would have to offer consumers -- the companies would still do that themselves. But if an Internet service provider offers a product that gives undue advantage to particular websites, the FCC could stop them -- and the FCC would decide what constitutes an undue advantage. In this case, the ""product"" would be an Internet service package that involves giving particular websites paid prioritization. For the most part, experts we spoke with said this would be -- to some degree -- government oversight of a particular product. Supporters of Obama’s proposal, though, said Cruz mischaracterizes the extent of government control. Feld described it this way: The rules are such that the FCC wouldn’t be able to stop an Internet service provider from offering a particular product unless that particular product (in this case paid prioritization) prevents other companies from having a fair shot at reaching that consumer. Evan Engstrom, policy director of tech advocacy group Engine, said the regulations aren’t about dictating what products a company can offer -- they’re about preventing ""egregious market abuses."" Saying net neutrality means government regulation of products and services is ""like saying laws against extortion put the government in charge of determining what sorts of ‘protection services’ the Mafia can offer,"" Engstrom said. Feld noted that even under Title II, it’s possible that an Internet service provider could find a way to offer products with paid prioritization anyway. Like Obama’s proposed forbearance against price regulation, Feld said it would be possible for an Internet service provider to petition the FCC for a forbearance against blocking a particular product. Our ruling Cruz said, Obama’s net neutrality proposal ""puts the government in charge of determining Internet pricing, terms of service and what types of products and services can be delivered."" While theoretically possible, Obama said specifically that he does not want the FCC to regulate Internet prices, and the FCC typically does not regulate prices for similar things, such as telephone services. In terms of product offerings, the proposal would allow the FCC to prevent Internet service providers from giving certain websites priority over others. But Cruz’s statement conjures an image of FCC officials sitting around a table designing Internet service packages and their prices, and this is not what Obama is proposing."
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8699
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China city offers $1,400 reward for virus patients who report to authorities.
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A city in China’s Hubei province, the epicenter of the global coronavirus epidemic, will pay residents as much as 10,000 yuan ($1,425.96) if they proactively report symptoms of the illness and it is confirmed after testing.
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true
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Health News
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Qianjiang, a city of around one million people located about 150 km (90 miles) from the stricken provincial capital of Wuhan, has reported a total of 197 cases so far and is stepping up efforts to ensure its infected people are confined and treated. It is the latest of a number of regions to offer cash rewards to encourage members of the public to volunteer for medical checks. Hubei has reported over 65,000 cases and more than 2,600 deaths from the epidemic. Worldwide, the death toll is about 2,800 and about 80,000 have been infected. The Qianjiang task force handling the epidemic said in a notice that residents would be entitled to the full 10,000 yuan payment if their coronavirus diagnosis is confirmed. Those who have previously been diagnosed will not be eligible. Those who are not immediately ruled out as suffering from the disease will be given 1,000 yuan, while those declared to be “suspected” cases will earn 2,000 yuan, it said. Other parts of Hubei, including the Wuhan district of Hanyang and the neighboring city of Huangguang, have also offered cash rewards for people volunteering for medical checks, but at a much lower rate of around 500 yuan. Media in the provinces of Jiangxi and Hebei have also reported local cities offering handouts of around 300-500 yuan. China has previously made it clear that people showing signs of infection would be able to get checked free of charge, and has also made funds available to local governments to ensure there are no financial disincentives preventing people from coming forward.
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4011
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Data show more immunization rates dropped below guidelines.
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New data released Monday by Connecticut health officials shows immunization rates for measles, mumps and rubella among kindergarten students has continued to decline in more schools, a development that’s being linked to more families seeking religious exemptions from required vaccinations.
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true
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Rubella, Immunizations, Health, Measles, General News, Connecticut, Mumps, Public health
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During the 2018-19 school year, the vaccination rate fell below the federally mandated guideline of 95% in 134 schools with more than 30 kindergarten students, according to figures compiled by the state Department of Public Health. That’s compared to 102 such schools during the 2017-2018 school year. The statewide rate still meets the 95% guideline. “While it is good that statewide in Connecticut we are still meeting the federally recommended MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccination rate of 95% for kindergarteners, I am very concerned that the number of schools falling short of this important immunization level continues to rise,” Department of Public Health Commissioner Renee Coleman-Mitchell said in a written statement. She said there has been a “sharp rise” in the number of religious exemptions being sought, which she said “unnecessarily puts our children at risk for contracting measles and other vaccine preventable diseases.” This latest information was posted on the Department of Public Health’s website , despite a legal challenge from parents who argued the data is flawed and should not be released. An emergency request to block the release was denied Monday morning. The plaintiffs, Brian and Kristen Festa, of Bristol, have argued that releasing the information would harm the privacy of students with vaccine exemptions like their son, who attend small schools and could be harassed or stigmatized. The data includes school-by-school vaccination information but no names of students with religious or medical exemptions. Brian Festa said he had hoped to further appeal his lawsuit to the state Supreme Court and was disappointed the Department of Public Health decided to release the data. “The genie is already out of the bottle,” he said, adding that his planned legal appeals are now moot. Coleman-Mitchell has recommended Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont and state lawmakers repeal non-medical exemptions to vaccinations. DPH data show 1,469 of the 81,655 students entering kindergarten during the 2018-19 school year were exempted from vaccination requirements for religious reasons. That’s compared to 1,255 of 83,508 students in 2017-18; 1,100 out of 82,339 in 2016-17; 1,088 out of 84,793 in 2015-2016; and 944 out of 82,471 in 2014-15. The current school year’s immunization rate data will be released next fall. In a statement issued Monday afternoon, Lamont said these latest numbers show how “it’s even more pressing that we work with the General Assembly to repeal the non-medical exemptions in the interest of public health.” But Festa contends the numbers don’t indicate there’s a public health threat, noting that former Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell in 1998 publicly touted Connecticut’s 91% immunization rate as the highest in the U.S. “There was no public health crisis. There were no calls back then for releasing data or repealing the religious exemption or anything like that,” he said. The next regular legislative session begins in February.
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1899
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Want a pet cat? Think again, researchers say.
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Tempted by the playful antics of that adorable kitten in the pet shop? If you’ve never had a cat before you may want to think again, especially if you have other allergies, researchers warn.
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true
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Health News
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"A Maine Coon cat stares at a camera during an international cat exhibition held in Rishon Lezion, near Tel Aviv December 17, 2011. REUTERS/Amir Cohen And if you do acquire a feline, keep it out of your bedroom. While having a cat as a child may protect against future allergies, getting one in adulthood nearly doubles the chances of developing an immune reaction to it — the first step towards wheezing, sneezing and itchy eyes, a European study found. The same study, which covered thousands of adults and was published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, found that people with other allergies were at extra high risk of reacting to a new feline in the house. “Our data support that acquiring a cat in adulthood nearly doubles the risk of developing cat sensitization,” wrote Mario Olivieri, from the University Hospital of Verona in Italy. “Hence, cat avoidance should be considered in adults, especially in those sensitized to other allergens and reporting a history of allergic diseases.” For the study, researchers surveyed more than 6,000 adult Europeans twice over nine years, taking blood samples. None of the participants had antibodies to cats in their blood to start with, meaning they were not sensitized to the animal’s dander. Sensitization can be measured in a skin prick test. It does not necessarily lead to symptoms, but in many cases it is the harbinger of full-blown allergies. About three percent of people who did not have a cat at either time of the survey became sensitized over the course of the study, compared to five percent of those who acquired a cat during those nine years. Four in 10 of the newly sensitized also said they experienced allergy symptoms around animals, four times the rate seen among people without antibodies against cats. It also turned out that only people who let their pet into the bedroom became sensitized. “If you are an adult with asthma and/or allergies, you should think twice about getting a cat and particularly, if you do so, letting it into your bedroom,” said Andy Nish of the Allergy and Asthma Care Center in Gainesville, Georgia, who wasn’t involved in the study. The researchers did find, however, that people who had had a cat in childhood had a much smaller risk against becoming sensitized to it than those who were new cat owners. “We thought that having a cat in early childhood may be protective against the development of cat allergy in childhood, but this study seems to indicate that protection extends into adulthood,” Nish told Reuters Health in an email. Noting that he always recommends keeping cats out of the bedroom, he added: “It is remarkable that none who did not allow the cat in the bedroom became sensitized.” For people who have a cat and have become allergic, he recommended finding a new home for the pet, followed by keeping the cat outdoors at all times. ""If it comes in even occasionally, its dander will remain in the house for months. If the cat needs to be indoors, at least keep it out of your bedroom, consider a HEPA filter for your bedroom, and consider washing the cat at least once a week,"" he added. SOURCE: bit.ly/vbZHAT"
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31998
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A new analysis of the residue on common American foods showed high levels of the herbicide glyphosate and Monsanto, the EPA, and the FDA are in cahoots to silence word of the chemical’s harmful effects and its high concentration in foods.
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NOTE: This story has been updated based on discussions with a number of scientists in the field. It was originally listed as a MIXTURE, but we have now reclassified it as FALSE in response to concerns that our original narrative might have led viewers into taking the results of an activist group’s lab analyses as a scientifically rigorous addition to the debate.
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false
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Medical, food babe, glyphosate, monsanto
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Note: On 10 August 2018, a jury assembled in California Superior Court in San Francisco found Monsanto (which is now part of the pharmaceutical company Bayer) liable for a 46-year-old groundskeeper’s development of Non-Hodgkin lymphoma. For more information on that ruling, and how it relates to glyphosate residue in food, please read our August 2018 explainer on that case. On 15 November 2016, the natural food evangelist and alternative health guru known as the Food Babe posted a report from a natural food activist group named Food Democracy Now that alleged to demonstrate common American foods contain high levels of glyphosate, a chemical in Monsanto’s RoundUp herbicide and the most prevalent weed-killer on the planet. Her post and the report it highlights are a new addition to the contentious political debate about the chemical’s harm to humans and the environment, as well as the potential influence of large companies like Monsanto on regulatory agencies, that has been ongoing for decades. Glyphosate is widely applied to crops around the world — especially genetically modified crops specifically bred to be resistant to the chemical, per the National Pesticide Information Center: Glyphosate is an herbicide. It is applied to the leaves of plants to kill both broadleaf plants and grasses. The sodium salt form of glyphosate is used to regulate plant growth and ripen fruit. Glyphosate was first registered for use in the U.S. in 1974. Glyphosate is one of the most widely used herbicides in the United States. People apply it in agriculture and forestry, on lawns and gardens, and for weeds in industrial areas. Some products containing glyphosate control aquatic plants. Regulatory agencies have gone back and forth on its safety ever since it was registered for use. The idea, which has been verified by observations, is that glyphosate runs off into the water supply, where it can be ingested directly, or consumed after it leaves a residue on food. The first assessment of glyphosate’s carcinogenic potential was undertaken by the United States Environmental Protection Agency in 1985. Based on studies done primarily with rodents, they classified the chemical as “a Group C (Possibly Carcinogenic to Humans: Agents with limited animal evidence and little or no human data) carcinogen” in 1986. After a series of additional investigations, which included industry sponsored studies, the EPA reclassified the chemical in 1993 as “Group E carcinogen (signifies evidence of non-carcinogenicity in humans).” A majority of the data used to demonstrate evidence of harm comes from studies in which environmentally unrealistic concentrations of glyphosate were exposed to rats, mice, and fish. Some recent studies have demonstrated potentially adverse effects at low exposure levels but the validity of these results have been called into question by other researchers. Although a March 2015 review by the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer suggested glyphosate may have some carcinogenic potential, the current consensus amongst the world’s regulatory agencies is that it is safe for consumption and non-carcinogenic at environmentally relevant levels, with the WHO concluding: Glyphosate is unlikely to pose a carcinogenic risk to humans from exposure through the diet. Still, a 2014 report from the US Government Accountability Office compelled the FDA to set up an initiative to monitor food for glyphosate residue, a decision met by praise by environmentalists and food activists. As reported by the Huffington Post’s Carey Gillam, however, the effort was halted due to a lack of agreement on standardizing the analyses: The FDA’s residue testing for glyphosate was combined with a broader herbicides analysis program the FDA set in motion in February of this year. But the glyphosate testing has been particularly challenging for the FDA. The agency was finally forced to put the glyphosate residue testing part of the work plan on hold amid confusion, disagreement and difficulties with establishing a standard methodology to use across the agency’s multiple U.S. laboratories, according to FDA sources. Equipment issues have also been a problem, with some labs citing a need for more sensitive instruments, sources within FDA said. This is where the Food Babe’s unsubstantiated narrative comes into the picture. Based primarily on the fact that the FDA canceled its residue testing program, along with results from various studies performed on animals, she alleges a nefarious connection between the FDA and Monsanto, the developer of the RoundUp: When it comes to the FDA, they are not protecting the American public from glyphosate either. After announcing in February that they would FINALLY begin testing foods for glyphosate residues, they just decided to suspend their testing this week. Could it be that Monsanto didn’t like the results they started getting – especially since the FDA found glyphosate in foods that should be especially safe like BABY FOOD? Monsanto will do whatever it takes to keep that story out of the public eye. While there are conflicts of interest arguments to be made about the use of industry sponsored studies or petitions to influence regulators, there is no evidence to suggest the FDA halted its testing program in response to pressure from Monsanto. Instead of providing evidence of the alleged connection, the Food Babe presented the results of non-peer reviewed lab tests performed on various food items at the behest of the activist group Food Democracy Now and the research platform The Detox Project, alleging it exposed high levels of the herbicide on common foods: A FDA-registered food safety laboratory tested iconic American food for residues of the weed killer glyphosate (aka Monsanto’s Roundup) and found ALARMING amounts. Just to give you an idea of how outrageous these amounts are, independent research shows that probable harm to human health begins at really low levels of exposure – at only 0.1 ppb of glyphosate. Many foods were found to have over 1,000 times this amount! Well above what regulators throughout the world consider “safe”. The statement about 0.1 ppb being the lower limit for harm to human health is controversial, as only one of the studies listed as providing support for that claim actually tested an amount that low; the test was performed on mice, not humans, and it used the word “potential”, not “probable”. It is also important to note that many of the results they reported are actually marked with the note that they “may not represent an accurate representation of the sample.” The lab results commissioned by Food Democracy Now claimed to show residue values on common American foods that were well above 0.1 ppb; but the methods employed are not elucidated, and its important to remember that the FDA limit is four orders of magnitude greater than the threshold they claim. A final point to note is that the report was commissioned by two groups with a stated agenda, as declared in its introduction: The testing and analysis was performed at the request of FOOD DEMOCRACY NOW!, in coordination with THE DETOX PROJECT, which gathered additional scientific evidence from around the world and included a compendium of independent research on glyphosate. According to their website, “Food Democracy Now! is a grassroots community dedicated to building a sustainable food system that protects our natural environment, sustains farmers and nourishes families.” The Detox Project is a research initiative that is currently focused specifically on glyphosate, according to their mission statement: Glyphosate, the world’s most used herbicide, is the first chemical being tested by The Detox Project. We aim to study all of the most common man-made chemicals in our environment over the next few years […] to protect women and children from the harmful effects of man-made chemicals in our food and in our environment. There is no evidence to suggest the FDA shut down its residue program due to complaints from Monsanto. While scientists and regulators have and continue to debate methods for assessing and testing potential harm from glyphosate, the broad scientific consensus is that it is not a risk; and the un-reviewed results of a questionable laboratory exercise do not change that assessment.
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28602
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President Bill Clinton firing of FBI Director William Sessions was linked to Deputy White House Counsel Vince Foster's death a day later.
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What's true: President Clinton fired FBI Director William Sessions on 19 July 1993, one day before Deputy White House Counsel Vince Foster, a longtime associate of the Clintons, was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. What's false: There is nothing inherently suspicious about the coincidental timing of Sessions's firing and Vince Foster's death (which was determined to be a suicide).
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mixture
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History, bill clinton, fbi director, vince foster
|
On 11 May 2017, two days into a firestorm ignited by President Trump’s dismissal of FBI Director James Comey, who was investigating possible links between Trump’s presidential campaign and Russian efforts to disrupt the 2016 election, supporters of the administration took to social media to deflect attention elsewhere. Cued, perhaps, by the innumerable talking heads on cable television pointing out that only once before in American history had an FBI director been fired in the middle of his term by the president — namely, when Bill Clinton axed William Sessions on 19 July 1993 — one of the go-to concepts was an implied link between Sessions’s firing and the death of longtime Clinton crony and Deputy White House Counsel Vince Foster the following day (20 July 1993). For example: Clinton cash $675K McCabe is Acting FBI Director. Oh, and Clinton fired his FBI head the day before Vince Foster was found dead. pic.twitter.com/gg2kuOwqLD — ?AMERICA?FIRST? (@TrueNevvs) May 11, 2017 Here’s another example that was retweeted nearly 4,000 times (including once by President Trump’s son, Donald Trump, Jr., who evidently found it compelling): President Clinton fired his FBI director on July 19th, 1993, The Day before Vince Foster was found dead in Marcy Park.#ThursdayThoughts pic.twitter.com/wgbv9lAhDV — ?STOCK MONSTER? (@StockMonsterUSA) May 11, 2017 The Sessions/Foster linkage was also promoted in articles on right-leaning blogs and web sites such as 100PercentFedUp.com. Apart from an interminable recitation of an old, discredited conspiracy theory implicating the Clintons in Foster’s death, however, the only argument these venues can come up with for there being a connection between the Sessions firing and Foster’s death is this: President Bill Clinton fired FBI Director William S. Sessions on July 19, 1993. Vince Foster was found dead on July 20, 1993. Was the suspicious death of Vince Foster and the firing of Republican FBI Director William S. Sessions firing a coincidence? Did President Clinton need an FBI Director who was willing to look the other way when it came to the alleged criminal activities of the Clintons? In lieu of an argument, there is only innuendo. In terms of actual evidence, none is offered. In point of fact, a review of the facts of each case leaves no reason to suspect, much less conclude, that they are connected. William Sessions, who had experience as both a practicing attorney and U.S. District Judge, was nominated as FBI Director by President Ronald Reagan and sworn in on 2 November 1987. After serving under both Reagan and George H. W. Bush, Sessions was still in the post at the time of Bill Clinton’s inauguration in 1993, but was beset by accusations of ethical improprieties. These were laid out in a report by the Justice Department’s Office of Professional Responsibility, as follows by the New York Times reported at the time: The report found that Mr. Sessions had taken numerous free trips aboard F.B.I. aircraft to visits friends and relatives, often taking along his wife, Alice. The report, which was endorsed officially by Attorney General William P. Barr on his last day in office, detailed a litany of abuses. It is a lacerating portrayal of the Director as an official who was in charge of enforcing the law but who seemed blase about perceptions of his own conduct. At the behest of Attorney General Janet Reno, who advised the president that Director Sessions could no longer lead the agency effectively in the wake of the accusations, Clinton asked for his resignation, which Sessions, who denied any wrongdoing, refused to turn over. After a six-month stalemate during which morale at the FBI hit a “new low,” according to the New York Times, President Clinton summarily dismissed Sessions on 19 July 1993. Vince Foster, who was a childhood friend of Bill Clinton’s and helped Hillary Clinton secure a position at the Rose Law Firm in Little Rock, Arkansas, served on President-elect Clinton’s transition team after the 1992 election and went on to be the Deputy White House Counsel. Despite having been a successful attorney, the Washington Post reported, Foster found the White House job extremely daunting and suffered from anxiety and depression. Special Counsel Robert B. Fiske, Jr., who later investigated the circumstances surrounding Foster’s death, concluded he wasn’t emotionally equipped to handle the stress: From the pinnacle of the Arkansas legal establishment, Foster leaped into the service of his boyhood friend, Bill Clinton, after Clinton was elected president. According to Fiske, the toll on Foster was intense from the beginning. During the transition period – when he vetted a number of top appointees – Foster complained to his Little Rock physician of depression and anxiety. His symptoms grew worse when he got to Washington. In January 1993, Zoe E. Baird was forced to withdraw her nomination as attorney general because she had failed to pay taxes for a nanny; fresh from his inauguration, President Clinton was hit with charges of elitism and corner-cutting and incompetent screening. Foster blamed himself – the Fiske report shows him constantly shouldering blame for mistakes made in the chaotic White House – and the night of the Baird debacle Foster was literally sick from a panic attack. The embarrassment was even greater when seven employees of the White House travel office were summarily fired amid hints of financial shenanigans, because it turned out the investigation had been slapdash, the firings hasty, and the odor of cronyism hung over the whole affair. The “Travelgate” fallout singed Foster and burned his friend and protege, William Kennedy, also of the counsel’s office. Kennedy drew an official reprimand. Distraught at the prospect of facing a Congressional hearing, Foster developed insomnia and went deeper and deeper into depression. On 19 July 1993, his doctor prescribed an anti-depressant, which Foster began taking. On 20 July, he left his office after lunch, drove to Fort Marcy Park in Virginia, and shot himself once in the mouth. Despite conspiracy theories that swirled at the time (and continue, obviously, to make the rounds to this day), five separate investigations over time have concluded that Foster’s death was a suicide. Each of the two cases under discussion has its own timeline of events, neither of which intersects in any significant way with the other. Although an effort has been made to link them via innuendo, no plausible reason has been put forward by anyone to think their occurrence one day apart in 1993 is anything other than a coincidence.
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14876
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The Libyan people have voted twice in free and fair elections for the kind of leadership they want.
|
"Clinton said that ""the Libyan people have voted twice in free and fair elections for the kind of leadership they want."" Even acknowledging that Clinton mentioned some of the problems with Libya’s democratization in the rest of her comments, she is spinning the facts of recent Libyan elections in the most favorable way. Security concerns kept some polling places closed, and the most recent election was punctuated by a mass shooting by Islamist attackers and the assassination of a leading human-rights advocate. The statement is partially accurate but leaves out important details."
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mixture
|
National, Elections, Foreign Policy, Hillary Clinton,
|
"During the presidential race, any discussions about Hillary Clinton and Libya have typically focused on the deadly attack on a U.S. outpost in Benghazi on Sept. 11, 2012. But after a recent foreign policy speech, Clinton was asked about the success -- or lack thereof -- of democratization in Libya, a country ruled for decades by dictator Muammar Gaddafi. The question focused on Donald Trump’s argument that removing dictators in the Middle East leads to more chaos in places like Iraq, Yemen and Libya. Wasn’t Trump right, the questioner asked? Clinton responded, ""Well, he has a very short-term view of history, because it is not at all clear what the final outcome will be in the places that you named."" She then zeroed in on the situation in Libya: ""The Libyan people have voted twice in free and fair elections for the kind of leadership they want,"" Clinton said in the Nov. 19, 2015, speech. ""They have not been able to figure out how to prevent the disruptions that they are confronted with because of internal divides and because of some of the external pressures that are coming from terrorist groups and others. So I think it's too soon to tell, and I think it's something that we have to be, you know, looking at very closely."" We wondered whether Clinton was correct to say that ""the Libyan people have voted twice in free and fair elections for the kind of leadership they want,"" so we took a closer look. The big picture Finding anything to cheer about in Libyan politics and governance today requires a lot of squinting. ""Libya has no leadership at all at the moment,"" said Amanda Kadlec, a project associate in defense and political sciences at the RAND Corp. who specializes in Libya. ""Even though two governments -- one based in Tripoli and the other in Tobruk -- are competing for power, it is essentially a non-governed state, because the mandate of the most recent elected government expired at the end of October this year. Its members extended the mandate, a decision that foreign governments on the whole have not supported."" In other words, Libya’s government is pretty close to non-functional right now, so any victories in the democratization process are hard to find. That said, Clinton did acknowledge that point in her answer, so we’ll focus on the more specific assertion she made -- that the Libyan people have participated twice in ""free and fair elections."" Free and fair elections? There have been three major elections held in Libya since the fall of Gaddafi -- parliamentary elections in July 2012, elections for the constitutional drafting assembly in February 2014, and parliamentary elections in June 2014. Each received at least some praise from outside observers for integrity of the balloting process, but each, to one degree or another, also faced problems. (A Clinton campaign spokesman said she was referring to the two parliamentary elections, not the constitutional drafting assembly.) Here’s a brief rundown: • Parliamentary election, July 2012. This election, which took place in something of a honeymoon between Gaddafi’s fall and the emergence of armed fighting, offers the strongest support for Clinton’s claim that free and fair elections have been held in Libya. The Carter Center -- an organization founded by former President Jimmy Carter that offers election assistance to newly democratizing countries -- released a post-election report in May 2013 that found Libya’s first national vote to be ""a major step forward in the country’s transition from authoritarian rule to participatory democracy."" ""Despite overwhelming challenges,"" the center wrote, ""Libyan authorities organized the election in a timely, orderly, and impartial manner that offered Libyans a historic opportunity to exercise their franchise."" The report described most of the country as ""peaceful and jubilant"" on election day, with about 62 percent turnout among registered voters. Still, even in this relatively successful election, problems lurked. ""Security challenges in Benghazi, Ajdabiya, and Kufra both immediately preceding the polls and on election day significantly marred polling in these areas,"" according to the Carter Center. ""Attacks on materials and polling stations led to the death of (a Libyan election official) and caused polling stations to be consolidated or to open late. Looting of offices in Benghazi and Tobruq and destruction of election materials in (a government) warehouse in Ajdabiya also had significant impact on the process."" And Kadlec of RAND suggested that this vote was a step forward, albeit a small one. ""In theory, Libyans expressed their genuine desire for a democratic Libya by voting in elections,"" she said. ""But after generations under a completely closed dictatorship, Libyans who had never been exiles had little to no frame of reference as to how elections would translate into an effective form of governance."" • Constitutional drafting assembly election, February 2014. By the time of the next election, a year and half later, the ""jubilance"" had begun to fade and problems increased. The Carter Center, which observed this election as well, found it ""soundly administered"" but added that it ""failed to achieve the desired inclusiveness to have a truly representative body."" The center praised national election officials for ""making the polls accessible to the vast majority of the Libyan population"" but added that 13 seats of the 60-member assembly remained unelected, ""including five of the six seats for Libya’s Amazigh, Touareg, and Tebu communities as well as one of the six seats reserved for women."" The Carter Center also expressed concern about falling turnout rates, stemming in part from security problems. ""Due to security concerns resulting from attacks on polling stations and resistance in some communities to the elections, 115 polling stations, including 34 planned for the Amazigh community, were unable to open at all, and 34 were forced to close during the day,"" the Carter Center found. ""Polling for these centers was adjourned and rescheduled."" ""The low levels of participation and the general fatigue with the country’s political road map may well be an indication that Libya’s political institutions remain in danger of being hollowed out — valued more by the people for what they can deliver in patronage than as real institutions through which the country’s political future can be charted,"" the report concluded. • Parliamentary elections, June 2014. The problems that emerged in the February 2014 vote continued to plague the vote four months later. In addition to low turnout -- documented by empty polling places shown on television -- security problems had become a distinct problem. In Benghazi, Islamist insurgents opened fire on a local security headquarters, killing at least five and wounding at least 30, according to the BBC. In another incident in the same city, gunmen assassinated human rights activist Salwa Bughaighis as she returned home from voting. Polling places in cities such as Derna, Kufra and Sabra were closed for security reasons. In addition, the vote itself proved not to have a lasting positive impact. While the results amounted to ""a devastating defeat for the Islamists"" -- as Mohamed Eljarh, a nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center, wrote at the time -- Libya’s highest court in November 2014 ruled the results unconstitutional, in a decision that critics said came ""at gunpoint"" from militias that controlled Tripoli. This resulted in a split government -- one in Tripoli and the other in Tobruk in eastern Libya. The elected representative body in Tobruk is now all but defunct, its mandate expired. ""Libyans have had difficulty in establishing effective government due to the reasons (Clinton) describes -- internal divides, external actors, terrorism -- but it does go much, much deeper than that, and totally depends on who you ask,"" Kadlec said. ""Some point to the NATO intervention, while others point to post-revolution neglect by western powers."" Ali Abdullatif Ahmida, a University of New England political scientist who specializes in Libya, places at least part of the blame on Clinton. ""She and the Obama administration dropped the ball and left the Libyan people to armed militias who lost in the election and terrorized people and prevented (the elected representatives) from working in Tripoli,"" Ahmida said. Our ruling Clinton said that ""the Libyan people have voted twice in free and fair elections for the kind of leadership they want."" Even acknowledging that Clinton mentioned some of the problems with Libya’s democratization in the rest of her comments, she is spinning the facts of recent Libyan elections in the most favorable way. Security concerns kept some polling places closed, and the most recent election was punctuated by a mass shooting by Islamist attackers and the assassination of a leading human-rights advocate. The statement is partially accurate but leaves out important details, so"
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9378
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Amgen's Aimovig halved migraine days in 30 percent of trial patients
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Getty Images This story about an experimental migraine drug delivered a superficial and imbalanced account of new study results. Leaning heavily on an Amgen news release, the story explains, rather confusingly, that the drug, Aimovig, “reduced episodic migraines by at least half in 30 percent of patients who had failed up to four previous treatments, while 14 percent of placebo patients achieved that goal.” This result suggests that the drug might be useful for a small number of patients who aren’t helped by other treatments. It also suggests that the majority of such patients won’t benefit from the drug or will only experience a very modest reduction in symptoms. It would have been very helpful to estimate what proportion of migraine sufferers fall into the subpopulation that might stand to benefit. The story also didn’t provide important information about potential harms of the drug or address limitations of the study, such as its relatively short (3 month) duration. These deficiencies could have been addressed with the inclusion of an independent expert voice; however, the only sources in the story were the trial’s lead researcher and an Amgen executive. This story about an experimental drug for migraines was focused on investors and meant to deliver a quick update on market-moving news. Yet the story will also show up in the searches of many patients who suffer from migraines and can be misled by such one-sided coverage. One of the main points emphasized in the story is that it’s important to consider treatments for people who haven’t benefited from prior therapy. This is true. But it’s also important to give readers an accurate sense of how many patients overall are likely to benefit from a new drug. To provide this context, news organizations should consider and apply our 10 criteria for news stories. Even a nod in the direction of these issues can vastly improve the message that reaches consumers.
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false
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Aimovig,Amgen,migraine
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The story did not discuss costs except to mention a $4 billion sales estimate. This doesn’t help consumers. According to some estimates, pricing for the drug will start around $8,500/year. That’s not chump change. The story says the drug “reduced episodic migraines by at least half in 30 percent of patients who had failed up to four previous treatments, while 14 percent of placebo patients achieved that goal.” Although this is a faithful account of what the study authors reported in the abstract, this somewhat tortured description is not helpful for readers, since it doesn’t convey just how few people benefited from the drug. Nor does it explain what a reduction of “at least half” means. The story should have stated how many migraines participants experienced before treatment and how many afterward. Bottom line: If 30% of participants had a 50% reduction in migraine days, this means that 70% of participants didn’t achieve such benefits. The story should’ve spelled this out more clearly. The story says “no Aimovig patients stopped treatment due to side effects, while around 1 percent of placebo patients discontinued because of side effects.” Although this is helpful information, it doesn’t give any insight into what side effects did occur or how frequently. Just because patients didn’t discontinue treatment, that’s not an assurance that the drug didn’t cause meaningful adverse effects. Moreover, the story should have cautioned that there are concerns about the long-term effects of this type of therapy — particularly risk of cardiovascular disease — which can’t be assessed with a 12-week study. MedPageToday shed some light on those concerns in its coverage. The story tells us very little about the quality of the study and does not address any of its limitations. Specifically, are the benefits durable? The study lasted only 12 weeks. It also would have been helpful to note that the study was a double-blind, randomized controlled trial. Lastly, the story should have noted that the findings have not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal, and should be considered preliminary until they are. No disease-mongering. The only sources in the story are the trial’s lead investigator and an Amgen official. Many aspects of this coverage could have been improved with an independent voice. The story alludes to the existence of other preventive therapies for migraines when it tells us that participants did not respond to other treatments. However, it doesn’t say what those treatments are. The story states that the drug is under review by the FDA and that a decision is expected in May. The story tells us that similar drugs are under development, and that the new medication is meant for people who haven’t benefited from prior treatment. Another claim to novelty is made when the story says that Aimovig is the only drug under development “that targets the CGRP receptor pathway, rather than CGRP itself.” It’s unclear what this means or why it’s important. We’re on the fence with this one but will give the benefit of the doubt. While most of the information in the article is taken from this news release, the story is transparent about this. It also includes quotes from a telephone interview with the study’s lead investigator, so we can be certain that at least some original reporting went into the piece.
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11611
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Clip, coil or wait it out? Doctors debate aneurysms
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This article presented some treatment options available to people who find that they have a bulging blood vessel (aneurysm) in their brain. It highlighted the experience of a single patient who decided with her neurosurgeon that a surgical intervention to reduce the chance that this aneurysm would break open or rupture. The article did not mention availability or approval for clip and coil. The story says “Only a half-dozen or so neurosurgeons in the U.S. clip more cerebral aneurysms than Nussbaum in any given year.” It also says “but many specialists now prefer coiling.” But that doesn’t tell us how widespread these practices are in real numbers. The story says, “At St. Joseph’s, Nussbaum is outnumbered by the three doctors who perform coiling. Still, Nussbaum said, his caseload grows every year.” Again, this doesn’t help the reader because it provides no absolute numbers, only relative ratios. And no long-term data on benefits or harms are given. Maybe they don’t exist. Readers should be told. The article did make an attempt to highlight the correlations among the number of imaging procedures done, the number of aneurysms found and the number of invasive procedures done to treat them. Although the articles does state that “Not all aneurysms are treated (with surgery), and that is probably best.” and “lack of clinical trials proving which one [clip or coil] is superior”, the majority of the article emphasizes a self- acknowledged “pretty aggressive” surgeon who is one of the 6 most frequent performers of the procedure in the US. However, by featuring only one patient and her physician, the article did appear to be slanted toward the treatment choice of this pair, perhaps obscuring the point that not all brain aneurysms are in danger of rupturing and therefore not all brain aneurysms, though scary sounding, need to be treated. Why wasn’t a watchful waiting patient profiled? The choice of patient anecdotes lends a biasing weight to the story. The article could have easily made the point more clearly that because most aneurysms never rupture (only 1% per year do), that the risk of harms associated with the surgery may be greater than those associated with not having a procedure done. The surgical complications from treating an unruptured aneurysm were reported in the article as being 5% (or 1% for one surgeon). The article mentioned a study from 2003 in which it was found that only 55% of coiling procedures completely cut off blood flow to the aneurysms without explaining whether it was essential that all blood flow be cut off and if it affected subsequent chance of aneurysm rupture. There was no cost information for either invasive procedure; there was also no cost information for the imaging studies that can be used to detect and follow such aneurysms. The article, however, did mention that insurance covers both coils and clips. But how much is someone paying for all of this? That’s an important issue.
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false
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There was no cost information for either invasive procedure; there was also no cost information for the imaging studies that can be used to detect and follow such aneurysms. The article, however, did mention that insurance covers both coils and clips. The article mentioned a study currently underway at the Mayo Clinic that has found that the risk of small aneurysms is so small that they don’t warrant the risk of surgery. However, there were no quantitative estimates of benefit of treatment. While there were no specific benefits given for the coil, mentioned as “a less invasive procedure,” the article included the opinion that coiling may, at some point in the future, replace almost all clipping surgeries. The article was not clear that because most aneurysms never rupture (only 1% per year do), that the risk of harms associated with the surgery may be greater than those associated with not having a procedure done. The surgical complications from treating an unruptured aneurysm were reported in the article as being 5% (or 1% for one surgeon). The article mentioned a study from 2003 in which it was found that only 55% of coiling procedures completely cut off blood flow to the aneurysms without explaining whether it was essential that all blood flow be cut off and if it affected subsequent chance of aneurysm rupture. Although the headline promises a discussion of “debate”, the article tends to be lopsided with the majority of the article focusing on a particular patient and one surgeon. The reported complication rate of this procedure is 5% or higher, but later in the story the surgeon reports his complication rate as 5 in 450. No source or independent data is provided for the actual complication rate seen. Moreover, this particular surgeon says he has not yet published his results and patient selection could potentially confound his reported results. His statement also suggests that patients may be able to achieve better results if they see him because he does lots of these. These are not evidence-based comments. The article did make an attempt to highlight the correlations among the number of imaging procedures done, the number of aneurysm found and the number of invasive procedures done to treat them. Although the articles does state that “Not all aneurysms are treated (with surgery), and that is probably best.” and “lack of clinical trials proving which one [clip or coil] is superior”, the majority of the article emphasizes a self- acknowledged “pretty aggressive” surgeon who is one of the 6 most frequent performers of the procedure in the US. However, by featuring only one patient and her physician, the article did appear to be slanted toward the treatment choice of this pair, perhaps obscuring the point that not all brain aneurysms are in danger of rupturing and therefore not all brain aneurysms, though scary sounding, need to be treated. Why wasn’t a watchful waiting patient profiled? The choice of patient anecdotes lends a biasing weight to the story. Although most of the story focused on the experience of one surgical group in one institution, there was some input from another expert at another medical center, so we’ll give the story the benefit of the doubt and rate it satisfactory. This article mentions brain surgery (old approach), watchful waiting and 2 new approaches (clips and coils). The article should have been explained why it was not surprising that the physician described as clipping more cerebral aneurysms than almost any other neurosurgeons in the U.S., would advise the patient in the article to have this procedure done The article did not make clear whether both treatments as well as the watchful waiting approach were readily available . Options include surgery, watchful waiting and coil or clip. The article did not mention availability or approval for clip and coil. The story says “Only a half-dozen or so neurosurgeons in the U.S. clip more cerebral aneurysms than Nussbaum in any given year.” It also says “but many specialists now prefer coiling.” But that doesn’t tell us how widespread these practices are in real numbers. The story says, “At St. Joseph’s, Nussbaum is outnumbered by the three doctors who perform coiling. Still, Nussbaum said, his caseload grows every year.” Again, this doesn’t help the reader because it provides no absolute numbers, only relative ratios. There was no mention of FDA approval for these devices or of how long the new procedures (coils and clips) have been in use. If they’ve been used for a while, how much long-term data is there, and how long is the long-term data? These are important questions not answered in the story. Although most of the story focused on the experience of one surgical group in one institution, there was some input from another expert at another medical center, so we don’t think the story relied solely on a news release.
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29252
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A pedophile who was part of a gang that drugged and raped babies was found dead in his prison cell with his penis chopped off.
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None of this misreporting was surprising, as Neon Nettle is a fake news site particularly known for publishing fabricated and exaggerated clickbait stories about pedophiles.
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false
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Junk News, neon nettle, your news wire
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On 8 November 2017, the Neon Nettle web site published an article reporting the gruesome prison murder of a man convicted of having raped an infant: A pedophile who was part of a sick gang that drugged and raped babies has been found dead in his prison cell with his penis chopped off. James King, 31, who changed his name from Robin Hollyson, was jailed for 24 years for raping a three-month-old baby and filming it. A fellow prisoner, John Denham, confirmed to the inquest that inmates at HMP Bristol took contracts on King. Prison workers were called to Kings prison cell to at 9:20 pm on January 21 to find King unconscious with his penis chopped off. This article was based on a real incident that took place in January 2016, involving the prison death of one of several men (James King, originally named Robin Hollyson) convicted as part of a “paedophile gang” that sexually abused young children: Seven members of a paedophile gang were involved in the rape and abuse of babies, toddlers and children in attacks that were streamed on the internet and seen on every continent. The sex ring – described as having “tentacles that go round the world” – preyed on the families of the children they targeted, in one case grooming a mother and father before their baby was born. Members would frequently travel long distances to carry out the attacks together or watch the abuse over the internet, often using the dark web, if only one of them had access to a victim. Online chat revealed that members of the gang, who lived across the UK, would offer advice and guidance to others on drugging their young victims. Seven men, aged between 30 and 51 and including three convicted sex offenders, were brought to justice following an investigation led by the National Crime Agency. The details can be reported in full for the first time after the trial of two of them, John Denham, 49, and Matthew Stansfield, 34, concluded at Bristol crown court with their convictions. Denham was found guilty of conspiracy to sexually assault a child under 13. Stansfield was convicted of two charges of conspiracy to rape a child under 13. The others – Robin Hollyson, 30; Christopher Knight, 35; Adam Toms, 33; David Harsley, 51, and Matthew Lisk, 32 – pleaded guilty earlier to the charges they faced. Hollyson, who was previously known as Robin Fallick, Stansfield and Harsley are convicted sex offenders while Denham, who changed his name from Benjamin Harrop, was a respected youth football coach. In total they faced more than 30 charges, including the rape of a child, conspiracy to rape a child, sexual activity with a child and administering a substance with intent against three victims – a baby, a toddler and a pre-school-age child. Investigators, who spoke before the verdicts, believe there are other victims. According to other news reports, some of King’s fellow inmates admitted to plotting to do him physical harm at the facility where they were imprisoned: Prisoner John Denham told an inquest that fellow inmates at HMP Bristol quickly took out contracts on King to burn him or give him a “black eye or two”. King’s mother Deborah Wyatt added that a fellow gang member had been “sugared” – burned with sugar-filled water – in an attack he feared was intended for him. In a statement to police, Denham said people had taken contracts out on King inside prison to hurt him. However, the most salacious element of Neon Nettle’s reporting, that James King was “found dead in his prison cell with his penis chopped off,” was entirely fabricated by that web site. In fact, King was found hanging unconscious in his cell (and died of his injuries two days later), after which an inquest heard medical and other forms of evidence sufficient to support a conclusion of suicide. No legitimate news reporting stated that King had been murdered by other inmates or found with his penis “chopped off”: Just four months into his sentence he was found hanging in his cell and died two days later in hospital on January 17. A four-day inquest before a jury at Flax Bourton, near Bristol, heard how King had anxiety and depression, which got worse around the time of his sentencing. He had tried to kill himself before arriving at Bristol prison and was three times placed on special observation amid fears he would harm himself or commit suicide. Prison officer Mike Simmonds said there was “a lot of suspicion” because his cellmate Cona Ellis was found covered in blood and wearing King’s watch. But when forensic officers examined the cell and found two suicide notes police decided there was “no foul play”, it was said. Pathologist Amanda Jeffery said King died as a result of lack of oxygen to the brain caused by hanging. After more than four hours of deliberation the jury of ten people returned a conclusion of suicide.
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10218
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New heart valve replacement procedure hailed
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But benefits and harms seen in the trial weren’t adequately quantified to our liking, making it difficult for readers to judge the true scope of each as seen in the study. Instead, a lot of space was given to exuberant quotes about “game changer…one of biggest steps in cardiovascular medicine in our lifetime” and predictions that the new approach “will be performed on tens of thousands of patients each year.” All may become true. But for now, we’d like to see more hard numbers. As the story mentions, aortic stenosis is common among the elderly population and information about a potential additional treatment option for those at the greatest risk is important. The real question will be whether the benefit-harm tradeoff for the “minimally invasive” approach is good enough to outweigh the downsides of surgery.
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true
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heart disease,Los Angeles Times
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The story indicated that the device costs around $30,000; and that combined with the costs of surgery, it works out to around $50,200 per year for the two additional years of life that might be obtained. While not essential, it might be reasonable to raise the question of how these costs will likely be covered – i.e. out of pocket, insurance, medicare, hospitals – or some combination. The new trial didn’t produce any mortality benefit at 1 year, and had an increased rate of stroke and bleeding (but less major bleeding and arrythmias than with surgery). These effects were not quantified, however, so it is hard to judge their relative importance. No absolute risk information was provided about potential harms. This may have been the biggest weakness in the story. In the big picture, the story adequately explained that for those in the high-risk category, valve replacement by a “minimally-invasive” procedure “is at least as effective as surgery.” No overt disease mongering, but the story could have been improved by reporting the number of people in the US who fall into the 10% high risk category. Experts who were identified as not being involved in the study reported on were quoted in the story. For those patients who are among the top 10% at risk, the story reported on the results from a study that compared a potential new, catheter based treatment with the existing alternative, which is surgery About 2/3 of the way through the piece, it was mentioned that the device is approved for use in Europe but not in this country, and that an FDA advisory panel is expected to consider it later this summer. The novelty and importance of the new approach was made clear, largely through the quotes of experts. The story does not appear to rely solely on a news release.
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6851
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Wyoming ozone levels puzzle officials.
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Joel Bousman wasn’t sure if ozone would be a problem Friday, despite a warning from the state. The snow covered the sage brush and the wind was less than 10 miles per hour — both bad signs. On the other hand, it had been overcast most of the day at the Sublette County commissioner’s ranch near Boulder — a small community about 12 miles southeast of Pinedale, within view of the Wind River Mountains.
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true
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Wyoming, Pinedale, Environment, Oil and gas industry, Casper
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You need the right mix of factors to create ground-level ozone: sunlight, snow cover, little to no wind and, of course, emissions from the oil and gas industry — which arrived in force more than a decade ago in the Jonah and Pinedale gas field. And this year the factors have been right more often than usual. Friday was the 12th ozone action day of the season — a warning system from the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality that forces industry to pull back when conditions for ozone are expected. It’s a record number for recent years, and action days were issued for Saturday and Sunday as well. But there’s something more troubling in the case of the Boulder area: ground-level ozone is regularly forming despite precautions. Breathing it in can cause a variety of health problems, from chest pain to reduced lung function. For reasons still unclear to state regulators, in one corner of the Upper Green, the rules and regulations that reversed an air quality crisis more than a decade ago haven’t been enough, the Casper Star-Tribune reported . “We don’t have all the answers, yet,” Keith Guille, spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Quality, said. “It’s definitely not being ignored. We understand that the public is concerned, as we are.” ___ The Upper Green River Basin is a bowl-shaped area wedged between the Wind River and Wyoming ranges. That landscape holds bad air in place when there is no wind. Snowy and sunny years are worse for ozone action days, as was the case in 2017, the last year that ozone action days were a regular occurrence. There was nearly three times the amount of precipitation during the 2017 winter ozone season compared to historical averages, according to a fact sheet from the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality. But the controllable factor, and the one that once precipitated the great ground level ozone crisis in the basin, is oil and gas. More than a decade ago, oil and gas activity degraded air quality to the point it was comparable to Los Angeles, and it changed the way Wyoming regulated industry in the basin, its pipes and compressor stations, trucks and holding tanks. Those regulations have been effective in driving down emissions. The rules are some of the strongest in the country and have inspired attempts by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Bureau of Land Management to institute similar rules across federal and Native American land — though in both cases the Trump administration has recently pulled back on some of those standards. In addition to the ozone action days, Upper Green rules cover the use of equipment to track leaks and regular checks of infrastructure for damage. And during ozone season, in late winter and early spring, action days are an important part of how the Upper Green manages emissions. In the mix of ozone contributing factors, oil and gas emissions are the one thing regulators can pull back to try and keep ozone at bay. Action days are declared by the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality as having the potential to create ground-level ozone. Operators in the Upper Green respond by following contingency plans to reduce emissions, such as reducing refueling and cutting truck idling. This year industry has had to scale back over and over. ___ Jonah Energy, which operates in a different area of the basin from where the Boulder exceedances have been happening, has scaled back its operations considerably due to action days this year, said Paul Ulrich, spokesman for the oil and gas firm. “Small stuff. We’re turning off air heaters on pads during the day. Big stuff, shutting down workover rigs,” Ulrich said. “Those have immediate production, operational and financial impacts that we are bearing.” Jonah has demobilized its completion crew — holding off on finishing wells and bringing them online until mid-April and it is delaying blowing down wells, he said. “I will tell you though, we plan for it. We train for it and we understand that we have an obligation to do everything we possibly can,” Ulrich added. The outcome of those actions is evidenced in the lack of ozone exceedances, over an eight-hour period, this year near Jonah’s operations, he said. But the rules and practices of today may not be enough, if ozone is still forming in the Upper Green, according to the DEQ. “In 2019, we feel whether or not you have a snow pack or not, we don’t want to see those levels above the standard,” said Guille, of the Department of Environmental Quality. Nancy Vehr, administrator of the Air Quality Division of the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, said she began reaching out to operators in the Boulder area, where more than 30 companies — mostly oil and gas firms — work, when the ozone spike began about two weeks ago. She asked them to find more ways to voluntarily cut emissions. And they did. But what’s been unique about the Boulder problem this year is that the elevated ozone levels have been persistent, Vehr noted. “We’ve never had an eight-day stretch in one location,” she said. But that area has been a problem in the past. Whether it’s temperature or other factors, the Boulder monitor often picks up more air quality concerns than others across the basin, she said. Ulrich of Jonah said the ozone spikes of this year are a mystery, but it does appear to be isolated and not reflected across the basin, he explained. “The challenge for this particular season is it’s been one monitoring station,” he said. “From a scientific standpoint, that’s a very new challenge for us all, to fully understand between operators and DEQ and others what’s going on at that station.” Everyone is going to have to come back to the table, Ulrich said. “We know we need to take a hard look at it after this year,” he said. Vehr echoed that confidence in current rules, noting that it would be easier to look back over the data in retrospect and analyze patterns. When air quality was at its worst in the Upper Green, you could see it like an orange haze, said Bousman of Boulder. Despite the exceedances this year, the rancher said he hadn’t noticed the air quality being any different. Like everyone else, he wondered what was going on at the Boulder monitor, whether it was working properly and how much of the ozone problem was natural. There is deeper snow up that way, he said. Still, the spikes in safe levels had caught everyone’s attention in the Upper Green, even though they’ve been addressing ozone since 2005 or 2006. “I think, collectively, we thought we were on top of it, so to speak,” Bousman said. “Now, I’m not so sure.” ___ Information from: Casper (Wyo.) Star-Tribune, http://www.trib.com
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10212
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Study: Ginger capsules ease chemotherapy nausea
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This news story reports on results from a recent randomized trial, which found that specially formulated ginger capsules administered to cancer patients before and after chemotherapy treatments significantly reduced nausea. While this story meets many of our criteria, it would have been beneficial for the readers to know that this research has not yet been published and has yet to undergo a formal review process to ensure sound methodology and accurate calculations. The story also fails to mention that 90% of the patients were women, which raises the question of whether the same results would be seen in men. In light of the fact that only an abstract has been released, the story adequately describes the research methodology and provides quotes from members of the American Cancer Society and the American Society of Clinical Oncology. However, it would have useful if these sources provided more commentary on the study and its findings. Even though no adverse events were reported in the study participants, the story provides a service by pointing out the risks associated with taking dietary ginger supplements, as it can interfere with blood clotting. This story clearly points out that dietary supplements of ginger were not used in the trial and may not provide the same benefit seen with the specially formulated capsules.
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true
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"Quoting the study lead, the cost of ginger dietary supplements ranges from $6 to $30 for 50 to 100 capsules; however, as noted by the researchers, it is not apparent if dietary supplements would be as effective as the formulation developed specifically for the study. The study lead is quoted as saying the use of ginger resulted in a 40% improvement in patients’ nausea. In the placebo group, the study lead indicated that ""hardly any difference"" was noted. But we’re not given any context on important questions such as how much change in the nausea scale is actually clinical perceptible to patients. This is what’s really needed to understand any potential benefit. While there were no reported adverse effects associated with the use of ginger in this study, the story points out that ginger supplements can interfere with blood clotting, which can be particularly harmful to cancer patients undergoing treatment or surgery. The story suggests that people should talk with their doctors before using it. The story does not make it fully apparent that this research has not yet been published in a medical journal and only the abstract has been released. Unlike published articles, this study has not gone through a review process to check for errors in the methodology. While the story points out that 2/3 of the study participants were being treated for breast cancer, it would also be important to clearly state that the majority (90%) were women, which suggests that the results may not be applicable to the general population. Furthermore, it is not clear from the story or the abstract if patients received different types of chemotherapy or why the researchers included patients with various types of cancer. The story does not appear to exaggerate the prevalence of nausea as a side effect of chemotherapy treatment. In addition to interviewing the research lead, this story also includes quotes from a director at the American Cancer Society, as well as the president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology; however, the president of the oncology society did not comment directly on the research. The story mentions that the study was funded by the National Cancer Institute and researches did not have any ties with the capsule maker who supplied the ginger formulation for this study. The story briefly mentioned anti-emetics, which reduce vomiting, but more detail could have been supplied regarding the efficacy of other medications for chemotherapy-related nausea. Ginger capsules sold as dietary supplements and products containing ginger flavoring, such as ginger teas or ginger spice, are widely available; however, the story notes that they may not provide the same benefits as the formulation used in the study. According to the story, the company that developed the capsule used in this study is seeking approval from the FDA to market the ginger formulation as an anti-nausea drug. Up front, the story points out that ginger has long been used to quell nausea; however, it also mentions that this is the first large-scale study evaluating its efficacy in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. Other studies, as this story indicates, have had conflicting results. This story does not appear to rely on a press release."
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11613
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Daily aspirin use may decrease prostate risks
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The article describes a recent observational study which suggests aspirin may be associated with lower risk for urinary symptoms of an enlarged prostate, or benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). The article describes the evidence–namely that it was based on an observational study and not a randomized controlled trial–but limitations of observational studies were not described to readers (e.g. the effects observed may have been caused by other factors). Other areas for improvement include: reporting benefits in absolute terms (absolutely better than using relative terms); the nature of BPH is not described, particularly that this is not a cancerous or life-threatening condition; other treatment alternatives are not described; the only source of information is from the lead investigator, which could be biasing; and there is no information on harms or costs of daily aspirin use for this purpose. Although this was clearly intended as a “brief,” the discussion of this study was just too brief to help readers understand the evidence.
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false
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The article does not mention any costs of these medications if taken on a daily basis or per dose. The story describes benefits in relative terms vs. absolute rates (which is the gold standard). It also does not tell readers that the most benefit was seen in older men. The article does not mention any harms of using daily aspirin (like bleeding). The article acknowledges that the study was observation and not a placebo-controlled trial, but there is no interpretation or discussion about the limitations of this. The article also uses language that minimizes the poor quality of the evidence and hypes the findings (“Still, we were surprised by the strength of the association…). The article provides very limited information about prostate enlargement, known as benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH. Of note, this condition is not cancerous or life-threatening. Also, the article mentions a possible benefit being lower PSA levels, noting that this is a common blood test for prostate cancer. This implies that using aspirin or other similar drugs for BPH can also reduce a man’s chance of prostate cancer, for which there is no evidence. In fact, elevated PSA levels can often be due to conditions like BPH and not due to cancer; with less enlargement of the prostate, it’s not unexpected to also find lower PSA levels. The broad use of the term “urological problems” also seems to overstate what the study was about, evaluating a specific condition (BPH). The article only quotes the lead investigator, which can be biasing. The article did not quote an independent source of information. The article does not discuss any other treatment options, including watchful waiting (no active treatment), medications like 5-alpha reductase inhibitors or alpha blockers, minimally invasive therapies, and surgery. The article mentions medications like aspirin, naproxen, and ibuprofen, all of which are currently available (and available without a prescription, although this is not explicitly stated). The story names the drugs studied–aspirin, naproxen, and ibuprofen–none of which is new to the market. This is a new use of existing medications. We can’t be sure if the story relied largely on a news release, although it is troubling that only one source – the lead investigator – is quoted.
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16143
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"The conviction rate is almost exactly the same"" for whites and blacks who commit murder."
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"Giuliani said, ""the conviction rate is almost exactly the same"" for whites and blacks who commit murder. We couldn't find any statistical evidence to support Giuliani’s claim, and experts said they weren't aware of any, either. We found some related data, but that data only serves to highlight some of the racial disproportion in the justice system. And when you take a step back, Giuliani’s comment -- even if supported by statistical evidence -- would amount to cherry-picking data to shed the most benign light on racial disparities of the American justice system. Jurisprudence in general does not reflect this pattern. Without statistical data to back up his claim. Update, Nov. 26, 2014, 2:00 p.m.: Soon after we published this item, the Bureau of Justice Statistics officially confirmed to PolitiFact that they do not have nationally representative data on conviction rates by race."
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false
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Civil Rights, Criminal Justice, Crime, PunditFact, Rudy Giuliani,
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"In the run-up to a grand jury’s decision not to indict Ferguson, Mo., police officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of African-American teenager Michael Brown, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani stirred controversy with a number of comments about race, crime and law enforcement. Following his appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press on Nov. 23, 2014, Giuliani faced backlash for questioning why the same Americans protesting Brown's fatal shooting are not voicing similar outrage about black-on-black crime. The following day -- hours before the grand jury decision was announced -- Giuliani stood by his argument during an appearance on Fox and Friends. He reiterated that the vast majority of black murder victims are killed by other black people, not by white police officers. (Noting that the same pattern of intraracial homicide holds for for all races, not just for African-Americans.) Giuliani also sought to counter the perception that white people don’t go to jail for killing black people. ""And the idea that whites do not go to jail for killing blacks,"" he said. ""First of all, only about 3 percent of whites kill blacks. They go to jail at approximately the same percentage as blacks go to jail. The conviction rate is almost exactly the same. The difference is, it’s a very rare exception when a white kills a black."" His claim about even conviction rates surprised us, given the widespread perception that black Americans are disadvantaged in the criminal justice system. So we decided to take a closer look at Giuliani’s claim that ""the conviction rate is almost exactly the same"" for whites and blacks who commit murder. Sentencing statistics Giuliani’s comment in whole is fragmented and difficult to parse, and he didn’t get back to us with further explanation. That being said, we scoured available data that might shed light on his claim about conviction rates. We couldn’t find a single report detailing the nationwide percentage of people who are charged with homicide and are ultimately convicted -- let alone a racial breakdown for that question. The most recent and comprehensive report we could find comes from the the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics. The report, published in 2009, looks at 2006 data on felony sentences in state courts, where the vast majority of murder cases are tried. It found that of all people convicted of murder or non-negligent manslaughter in 2006, 46 percent were white, and 51 percent were black. But this is not too helpful for checking Giuliani’s claim. For starters, this data does not separate out people who identify as Hispanic or Latino. And this finding means that African-Americans account for a grossly disproportionate percentage of murder convictions, since whites and Hispanics currently make up about 80 percent of the nation’s population, compared to just 13 percent for blacks. That undercuts Giuliani’s underlying premise of minimizing racial disparities in jurisprudence. We also found a 2013 Bureau of Justice Statistics report that looked at felony defendants -- that is, people who are charged but not yet convicted -- in the 75 largest counties in the United States in 2009. That report showed that African-Americans also make up a disproportionate number of murder defendants. Of all people charged with murder, 12 percent were white, 30 percent were Hispanic, and 57 percent were black. Either way, these statistics don’t back up Giuliani’s claim, because they do not show the likelihood that someone of either race will be convicted if they are charged with murder. We also reached out to criminal justice experts, and they weren’t familiar with a statistic that matched the specific claim. The big picture It’s important to remember a few bits of context. The conviction rate for homicide represents only a sliver of criminal justice cases and are not necessarily representative of the deep disparity between black and white defendants. For example, the Justice Department has estimated that one in three black males will go to prison at some point in their lifetime, compared to 1 in 17 for a white male. And out of all 1.5 million sentenced prisoners in the United States in 2013, black people made up the largest racial demographic, at about 36 percent -- well above their share of the population as a whole. ""I do not know why (Giuliani) would limit his comments to murder,"" said Delores Jones-Brown, a professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. ""When all offenses are taken into consideration, especially drug crimes, the black incarceration rate is substantially higher than that of whites."" Nearly half of all people charged with felonies in 2009 were non-Hispanic blacks. They made up more than half of all people charged with murder, robbery, drug trafficking and weapons-related offenses. And Nazgol Ghandnoosh, a researcher at the Sentencing Project, an advocacy group, pointed us to several additional studies that show racial disparities, such as a 1998 study that found that offenders who are young, black, and male are subject to the harshest sentences, after controlling for factors such as the nature of the crime. Our ruling Giuliani said, ""the conviction rate is almost exactly the same"" for whites and blacks who commit murder. We couldn't find any statistical evidence to support Giuliani’s claim, and experts said they weren't aware of any, either. We found some related data, but that data only serves to highlight some of the racial disproportion in the justice system. And when you take a step back, Giuliani’s comment -- even if supported by statistical evidence -- would amount to cherry-picking data to shed the most benign light on racial disparities of the American justice system. Jurisprudence in general does not reflect this pattern. Without statistical data to back up his claim, Update, Nov. 26, 2014, 2:00 p.m.: Soon after we published this item, the Bureau of Justice Statistics officially confirmed to PolitiFact that they do not have nationally representative data on conviction rates by race."
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35010
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"The Simpsons"" TV show predicted the 2020 new coronavirus outbreak in a 1993 episode. "
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The fourth panel in this graphic (bottom right) is doctored and actually comes from a different episode of “The Simpsons.” That panel, featuring Springfield reporter Kent Brockman, comes from the episode “The Fool Monty” (Season 22, Episode 6). The words “Corona Virus” were added on top of this image, which originally read “Apocalypse Meow.”
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false
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Entertainment
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In January 2020, a rumor started circulating on social media that the long-running sitcom “The Simpsons” had “predicted” the outbreak of the new coronavirus: The first three panels of this image going counter clock-wise (i.e., all but the bottom-right panel) are unaltered and originate with a 1993 episode (Season 4, Episode 21) entitled “Marge in Chains.” The episode shows the residents of Springfield dealing with an outbreak of “Osaka Flu,” which spreads after a factory worker coughs into a box. Those three panels can be seen in the video below:
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34234
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A Malaysian teenager was electrocuted by earphones he was using.
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We reached out to the National Electrical Contractors Association for further information from the electrical engineering aspect of the story, but they told us that not enough details about the incident were publicly available for them to be able to weigh in on the subject.
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unproven
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Medical
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In early December 2018, the Malaysian newspaper Sinar Harian reported that a 16-year-old in Rembau, a town south of the capital of Kuala Lumpur, had been found dead by his mother. The teenager, Mohd Aidi Azzhar Zahrin had blood coming from his left ear and had been listening to music through earphones plugged into his charging cell phone. Sinar Harian stated that an autopsy had been performed and had revealed the cause of death to be electrocution. Neither Sinar Harian nor its English-language peer the New Strait Times asserted that the youngster was electrocuted by the earphones he was wearing, but that was the conclusion reached by a number of international publications, including widely-read U.S.-based Vice and Teen Vogue, both of whom aggregated the story. For example, a 9 December 2018 Vice headline read “A 16-Year-Old Has Died After Being Electrocuted by His Headphones,” with the text of the story stating: Mohd is at least the fourth person this year to be killed by a headphone-inflicted electric shock. In February, 17-year-old student Luiza Pinheiro was similarly found dead on the floor of her home in Riacho Frio, Brazil after a “huge electric charge” surged through her phone and the headphones melted in her ears, NewsCorp reported. Indeed, reports of people dying from being electrocuted by their headphones pop up every so often, but the true causes of these deaths remain unclear. As in the case of Mohd Aidi Azzhar Zahrin, the details from news reports were not specific, and we haven’t yet seen clear evidence that his earphones caused the youngster’s tragic passing. A Yahoo7! news report contained a purported photograph from the scene (linked here, however we caution it is graphic). A portion of the teen’s bloody face can be seen along with an earbud held aloft by a gloved hand, but the earbud appears to be undamaged (save perhaps for a small black mark). The claim that the teenager was electrocuted by the earphones he was wearing rests on a comment offered by district police chief Deputy Superintendent Anuar Bakri Abdul Salam to a local reporter, but the local versions of the story do not maintain it was the teen’s earphones specifically that caused the electrocution death. The New Strait Times reported, for example, that: Anuar Bakri said the woman then contacted a nearby clinic and a medical officer was rushed to the house. “Checks showed no sign of bruises or injuries. However, there was bleeding in the boy’s left ear,” he said. He said the boy was believed to be wearing the headphone while the handphone was charging. “The medical officer later confirmed that the boy had died hours earlier.” he said. Anuar Bakri added that a post mortem conducted at Tuanku Ja’afar Hospital revealed that the cause of death to be related to electrocution. In regards to this story, we consulted a half-dozen emergency room (ER) physicians (members of the advocacy organization American College of Emergency Physicians, or ACEP), and none of them considered it likely that a person could die from an electrical shock received via earphones plugged into a cell phone, although some of them said more details about the incident were needed. None of the reports we found about the incident, for example, specified what kind of phone or earphones the teen had. Los Angeles-area ER doctor Patrick Cichon said that amperage (“current flow”) is more lethal than voltage (“current potential”), but both amperage and voltage are below lethal thresholds in typical earphones. Therefore, Dr. Cichon wrote, it would be “highly unusual unless using defective equipment or operating outside all normal operating parameters for something like this to occur.” Dr. Eric Lavonas, professor of emergency medicine and medical staff president at Denver Health, told us not enough voltage runs through such devices to cause a death as described in the viral news reports. “The plug assembly converts high voltage (in Malaysia, 220V wall outlet) into low voltage before it enters the phone. And of course the phone is only putting out low voltage to the headset,” he wrote. Detroit physician Brad Uren told us he had seen the story in the wild before we contacted him, and he doubted the veracity of the reporting from get-go. For such a death to occur, he averred, it would require a number of unlikely factors to coalesce into a deadly worst-case scenario. Most phones charge at 5 volts and “relatively low amperage,” Uren told us via email. Even if a failure occurred at the plug or charger level, “that current would then need to travel through the phone and across the headphone plug into the ear pieces. The small circuits in a phone would probably have a hard time carrying significant current to the earpieces,” he said, continuing on to state that: I don’t know of any headphones with exposed metal or conductive material, but they may exist. If non-conducting there would need to be significant sweat or salty water, etc. in the ear to conduct electricity to the body from some part of the headphone which would theoretically be energized. (Such a level of wetness would probably result in enough discomfort to cause the user to remove them before the result described.) Though true that relatively low current has been reported to cause significant injury or death, this is usually current delivered to the heart. This story described ears and head as the apparent site of injury. Seizure or respiratory arrest is possible, I suppose, assuming such a worst case scenario. As an emergency room doctor, Uren& stopped short of calling the notion impossible because “I have seen some strange things in my career thus far,” but he added the story that the teen died from being electrocuted by earbuds “strains credibility.”
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29077
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Patients should request the use of thyroid guards during x-ray procedures.to head off thyroid cancer.
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In general, the soundest advice for those concerned about exposure during x-ray procedures is to discuss their concerns with their health care providers prior to such procedures and determine what level of protection the situation merits.
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mixture
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Medical, Toxin Du Jour
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Precautions re Mammograms and Dental XRays / A Useful Warning On Wednesday, Dr. Oz had a show on the fastest growing cancer in women, thyroid cancer. It was a very interesting program and he mentioned that the increase could possibly be related to the use of dental x-rays and mammograms. He demonstrated that on the apron the dentist puts on you for your dental x-rays there is a little flap that can be lifted up and wrapped around your neck. Many dentists don’t bother to use it. Also, there is something called a “thyroid guard” for use during mammograms. By coincidence, I had my yearly mammogram yesterday. I felt a little silly, but I asked about the guard and sure enough, the technician had one in a drawer. I asked why it wasn’t routinely used. Answer: “I don’t know. You have to ask for it.” Well, if I hadn’t seen the show, how would I have known to ask? Someone was nice enough to forward this to me. I hope you pass this on to your friends and family. Dr. Mehmet Oz, an American cardiothoracic surgeon who hosts a popular daily syndicated television program focusing on medical issues and personal health (The Dr. Oz Show), devoted a September 2010 episode of his show to thyroid cancer, described as “the fastest growing cancer in women.” In December 2010, a segment of the Dr. Oz Show tackled the topic of exposure to radiation from various sources and recommended that patients request the use of a thyroid guard during dental x-ray procedures to minimize the possibilities of thyroid cancer: Dr Oz did a segment called “Oz Alert: Dangerous Radiation: Are You At Risk?” where he discussed a topic that all of us are wondering about — how much is too much radiation whether it comes from Airport Scanners, Dental X-Rays or CT Scans. Doctor Oz asked the question about whether or not Dental X-Rays are too much radiation. Dr Oz has previously spoken about the risks of Dental X-Rays with respect to getting Thyroid Cancer. Dr Oz was joined by Ada Cooper who said that in dentistry you cannot see everything by visual inspection alone. The only way to treat and detect an abscess, tumor or some cavities are by taking x-rays. The ADA recommends Dental X-Rays only when necessary for treatment, but that varies from patient to patient. Every patient should feel comfortable talking to their dentist about it. Dr Oz said that he would recommend pushing for a Digital X-Ray over a regular film X-Ray because it tends to expose you to less radiation. Ada Cooper did not deny this fact when Dr Oz said it, but she did say that some film X-Rays have lower radiation levels than other Film X-Rays because they are faster, such as X-Rays that use E Speed or F Speed film. Dr Oz said that you should never go into a dentist’s office for an x-ray without having a Thyroid Guard along with the regular Lead Apron. If your dentist does not have it or does not know where the Thyroid Guard is, then that is a warning sign, because all Radiation Gowns come with Thyroid Guards. However, as others (such as Dr. Wendy Harpham) have cautioned, the use of a thyroid guard may not necessarily be appropriate in all x-ray situations — it depends on the nature and type of procedure being performed: Some readers are wondering if they should request a thyroid guard whenever undergoing diagnostic x-ray studies. Others worry that their asking for a thyroid guard might annoy the radiology tech or the radiologist (and they sure don’t want to annoy the person caring for them). The key issue here is risk versus benefit. The risk to your thyroid of not using a thyroid guard depends on what kind of diagnostic x-ray test is being done. High-dose studies (such as real-time continuous pictures taken during coronary angiography or esophageal swallow studies) expose the thyroid to far more radiation than a simple two-view chest x-ray or mammogram. Direct hits of radiation to the thyroid carry greater risk than indirect, so-called “scatter” hits. But using a guard carries important risks, too. Depending on the study being done as well as your particular anatomy, a thyroid guard might interfere with the value of the diagnostic study. For example, if the thyroid guard blocks the upper edges of your lung tissue on the x-ray picture, your doctors won’t be able to see a small abnormality (such as a tumor) hiding up there. Similarly, if the thyroid guard blocks the tail end of breast tissue near the axilla (arm pit) or deep breast tissue abutting the chest wall, your mammogram could not show a small cancer (or make it easy to miss). Whenever my physician advises a diagnostic x-ray, we talk briefly about why he recommends this test over tests that don’t expose me to more radiation. The American College of Radiology and Society of Breast Imaging issued a statement in April 2011 disclaiming the notion that a mammogram exposes a patient to an amount of radiation which would significantly increase the likelihood of her developing thyroid cancer (and thus the use of a thyroid guard during such a procedure is not called for): Some Americans have expressed concern, due to an erroneous media report, that the small amount of radiation a patient receives from a mammogram may significantly increase the likelihood of developing thyroid cancer. This concern simply is not supported in scientific literature. The radiation dose to the thyroid from a mammogram is extremely low. The thyroid is not exposed to the direct X-ray beam used to image the breast and receives only a tiny amount of scattered X-rays (less than 0.005 milligray). This is equivalent to only 30 minutes of natural background radiation received by all Americans from natural sources. For annual screening mammography from ages 40-80, the cancer risk from this tiny amount of radiation scattered to the thyroid is incredibly small (less than 1 in 17.1 million women screened). This minute risk should be balanced with the fact that thyroid shield usage could interfere with optimal positioning and could result in artifacts — shadows that might appear on the mammography image. Both of these factors could reduce the quality of the image and interfere with diagnosis. Therefore, use of a thyroid shield during mammography is not recommended. Patients are urged not to put off or forego necessary breast imaging care based on this erroneous media report.
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8448
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In Singapore, migrant coronavirus cases highlight containment weak link.
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As Singapore wins global plaudits for its handling of the coronavirus, the disease has spread rapidly within its large migrant worker community, highlighting what rights groups say is a weak link in the city state’s containment efforts.
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true
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Health News
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Singapore has managed to mitigate the spread of the disease among its citizens by rigorous contact tracing and surveillance, earning praise from the World Health Organization. Infections within the migrant community, however, are mounting. As of April 14, out of 3,252 cases recorded in Singapore, 1,625 were linked to outbreaks in migrant worker dormitories. Rights groups, charities and medical experts had flagged the potential for mass infection among the more than 300,000 migrant workers living in often cramped and unsanitary conditions in the wealthy country of 5.7 million. But some of Singapore’s early policy responses did not account for this vulnerable community, according to rights groups and volunteer organisations. For example, a Singapore government order restricting doctors to single hospitals to prevent them spreading the virus sharply reduced volunteer health services depended upon by some workers, they said. And a nationwide mask distribution at the start of the outbreak excluded migrant workers living in dormitories. Moreover, measures introduced recently to confine tens of thousands of workers to packed quarters may increase the risk of infection spread, they added. “We are definitely concerned that this approach exposes a lot more migrant workers to the risk of contracting COVID-19,” said Rachel Chhoa-Howard, a Singapore researcher for the rights group Amnesty International. The authorities say they have taken preventative measures to address personal hygiene, inter-mingling and disease detection in migrant housing but that their decision to quarantine thousands of workers was necessary once the virus started spreading. Singapore’s health and manpower ministries did not respond to specific questions for this article. Both referred Reuters to previous statements they had made on their virus containment measures. The situation in the migrant dormitories highlights the different standards applied to the mainly Bangladeshi and Indian manual workers whose labour has helped build the glitzy, modern city-state, and the rest of the population. The government has put up Singapore residents returning from overseas in expensive hotels to limit contagion. Some migrant workers have been confined to bunk rooms that they said had blocked toilets and overflowing refuse bins. The Ministry of Manpower has said it faced “challenges” at the start of the quarantine related to hygiene and the supply of food in the dormitories, but that it had been working with operators to improve conditions. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in an address on April 10 that Singapore appreciated the efforts of its migrant workers, and that they would continue to be paid while in quarantine. Some workers depended on getting healthcare at subsidised clinics run by a charity called HealthServe, staffed with volunteer doctors and nurses. But when the government issued a directive on Feb 7 saying that public hospital staff had to restrict their work to one hospital to prevent cross contamination, HealthServe said it had to scale back operations, depriving some of the most needy workers of medical care. HealthServe - which offers consultations for S$8 ($5.65), compared with around S$50 at government clinics - said it had to reduce services by 90% and close two of its three clinics. Jeremy Lim, chairman of the medical services committee at HealthServe, said he flagged the drop in volunteers to the government but was told nothing could be done. The Ministry of Health did not respond to a request for comment on the closure of the clinics. Lim said access to cheap healthcare could have made it easier to spot infections among migrant workers at an earlier stage. Migrant workers living in dormitories - often 12 or 20 to a room - were also excluded from a government initiative in February to distribute masks to every household after retailers ran out of stocks. Lim called this a “blind spot” in the policy response to migrants which “we are now learning to our collective regret”. Singapore has now ordered residents to wear masks in public due to rising evidence of asymptomatic transmission. Deborah Fordyce, president of Transient Workers Count Too, an advocacy group, on March 23 warned in an editorial in the Straits Times, the country’s main newspaper, that the risk of an outbreak within the migrant community was “undeniable”. Two weeks later, Singapore announced it was sealing off some 20,000 migrant workers in two dormitories. Eight dormitories are now under lockdown, impacting about 62,500 workers, according to Reuters estimates based on government statements and public information about the dormitories under lockdown. The Ministry of Manpower did not respond to a request for comment on the total number of people quarantined. The government has now ordered the rest of the country to stay home and maintain at least a metre distance from others if out for essential needs like food shopping. Singapore has also ramped up testing in dormitories and started to move some workers deemed “essential” into public housing, military camps and industrial accommodation ships, which authorities say is helping create more room in the complexes. The government has defended its virus-prevention measures in dormitories, which include advising operators to monitor workers for fever and preventing mingling in common areas. “It is not as if we have not done anything to try and manage the situation,” Josephine Teo, the manpower minister, said on April 9. Reuters spoke to six workers at four dormitories who said, on condition of anonymity, that precautions such as temperature checks and social distancing were not strictly enforced or only introduced very recently. The potential exposure of Singapore’s migrant workers to infectious diseases was a concern of health experts before the coronavirus outbreak. A review of previous disease outbreaks in Singapore such as malaria, dengue, zika and tuberculosis showed migrant workers were disproportionately affected, in part due to their living and working conditions, according to a study by Singapore scholars published in the Journal of Travel Medicine in 2017. Nilim Baruah, senior migration specialist at the International Labour Organisation, said migrant workers were among the groups most vulnerable to the COVID-19 outbreak. In Singapore, he said, “living conditions for many migrant workers do not favour social distancing”. Majidul Haq, a 25-year-old Bangladeshi worker, stays at one packed quarantined dormitory where authorities say over 700 people have tested positive. “It is difficult to not think about the probability of getting the virus,” he said.
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26509
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“The CDC issued its first warning on Jan 8. Trump held campaign rallies on Jan 9, Jan 14, Jan 28, Jan 30, Feb 10, Feb 19, Feb 20, Feb 21, & Feb 28. He golfed on Jan 18, Jan 19, Feb 1, Feb 15, Mar 7, Mar 8. The first time he admitted the coronavirus might be a problem was Mar 13.”
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Those golf and rally dates are correct The CDC’s Jan. 8 coronavirus “warning” says the threat to Americans was low and didn’t establish person-to-person transmission Trump took action against the spread of COVID-19 before March 13
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mixture
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Facebook Fact-checks, Coronavirus, Facebook posts,
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"President Donald Trump has received plenty of criticism for the timeline of his administration’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. Now a Facebook post making the rounds seeks to scrutinize Trump’s actions in comparison to health officials’ warnings about the virus. The post says that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a warning about COVID-19 as early as Jan. 8, but that Trump continued to hold campaign rallies and play golf before he ""admitted the coronavirus might be a problem"" on March 13. The post lists specific dates, saying ""Trump held campaign rallies on Jan 9, Jan 14, Jan 28, Jan 30, Feb 10, Feb 19, Feb 20, Feb 21, & Feb 28. He golfed on Jan 18, Jan 19, Feb 1, Feb 15, Mar 7, Mar 8."" This post was flagged by Facebook as part of efforts to combat false news and information on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.) We looked into the claim date by date and found that Trump did hold rallies and go golfing on those dates. But the CDC’s warning said the threat of the coronavirus to Americans was low, and Trump took action against the virus earlier than March 13. According to online archives of the events page on Trump’s website, rallies were held across the U.S. on the dates listed in the post, including the Feb. 28 rally in North Charleston, S.C., where he used the word ""hoax"" while talking about the coronavirus. Trump also went golfing on the dates mentioned in the post. Social media posts and press reports in Palm Beach document visits the president made to his Florida golf course in the first three months of 2020. The dates when the CDC first warned the public about COVID-19 and when Trump ""admitted the coronavirus might be a problem"" are more ambiguous. On Jan. 8, the CDC announced in a health advisory that it was investigating a new coronavirus detected in Wuhan, China. The advisory stated that ""no human-to-human transmission has been reported."" As a precaution, it advised health officials to wear an ""N95 disposable facepiece respirator"" if they were treating a patient who had recently traveled to Wuhan and was experiencing respiratory problems. The situation summary the CDC posted on Jan. 10 stressed that there were no deaths associated with the novel coronavirus at the time and that the health risk to the American public was low. On Feb. 1, the CDC updated its advisory and noted that there were seven cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. It detailed how doctors and caregivers should avoid being in close contact with patients who might have COVID-19, especially those who had traveled to China or had been in close contact with known cases. The Feb. 28 update from the CDC told doctors to assume that anyone with respiratory symptoms had COVID-19, even if they hadn’t had close contact with other patients or traveled to China recently. It’s hard to put a finger on when Trump ""admitted the coronavirus might be a problem."" However, in the same conference, Trump told reporters that he didn’t think a widespread outbreak in the U.S. was inevitable, just that ""there’s a chance it could get fairly substantially worse."" Trump gave an Oval Office address on March 11, the same day the WHO declared that COVID-19 was a pandemic, in which he banned travel from Europe for the next 30 days. He also reminded the public that on March 6 he had signed, and Congress had passed, ""an $8.3 billion funding bill to help CDC and other government agencies fight the virus and support vaccines, treatments, and distribution of medical supplies."" Trump declared a national emergency on March 13 during a press conference with his Coronavirus Task Force. This opened up $50 billion of funding that would be used to ""fight against this disease."" Our ruling A recent Facebook post claimed that Trump was warned about COVID-19 on Jan. 8 but continued to hold campaign rallies and play golf until he ""admitted the coronavirus might be a problem"" on March 13. While the golf and rally dates are accurate, the dates of the CDC’s first warning and Trump’s response to the coronavirus aren’t as clear cut. There was a health advisory issued Jan. 8, though the threat to the U.S. was undefined and person-to-person transmission wasn’t established yet. It’s harder to determine the date on which Trump admitted there was a problem, but he did take specific actions before March 13. Those actions included creating a task force, signing a bill for health research funding and banning travel from China and Europe. The claim is partially accurate but leaves out important context."
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7076
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USC agrees to pay $215M to settle doctor sex abuse claims.
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The University of Southern California said Friday that it would pay $215 million to settle claims of sexual abuse and harassment by a school gynecologist, but lawyers for hundreds of the accusers say it’s not enough money and the university has yet to fully disclose what it knew about the doctor’s behavior.
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true
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AP Top News, Health, Lawsuits, University of Southern California, North America, Los Angeles, California, U.S. News, Sexual abuse
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The tentative settlement, which needs a judge’s approval, will provide compensation ranging from $2,500 up to $250,000 to women who say Dr. George Tyndall abused them between 1988 and 2016, USC Interim President Wanda Austin said in a statement . About 500 current and former students have now made accusations against Tyndall and filed various lawsuits. They contend he routinely made crude comments, took inappropriate photos, forced them to strip naked and groped them under the guise of medical treatment. Tyndall spent about three decades as a USC staff gynecologist before retiring last year after a university investigation concluded there was evidence that he sexually harassed students during exams. Tyndall has denied the allegations and has not been charged with a crime. Los Angeles police and Los Angeles County prosecutors are reviewing the claims. His attorney, Leonard Levine, said in a statement that Tyndall “continues to focus on the criminal investigation” and had no further comment. The proposed settlement applies to a pending federal class-action lawsuit that involves a fraction of the overall accusers but is open to every woman who ever had an appointment with the gynecologist. Three attorneys representing nearly 300 accusers say they’re strongly advising their clients against joining the federal action so they can fight in state court. “The only guaranteed number in this case is $2,500 — $2,500 won’t even get you a 50-yard-line seat at a USC football game, let alone compensate somebody for being sexually assaulted by their doctor when they were 18 or 17,” said John Manly, an attorney who represents 180 accusers. Attorney Gloria Allred, who represents 36 women who have accused Tyndall, said in a statement that the amount of money under the proposed settlement is “way too minimal” for what some of the women endured. Manly also criticized the proposed settlement as failing to hold USC accountable and called it an effort to cap future monetary damages. “We still don’t know when did USC first know, how often were they warned, what administrators were involved, was there criminal conduct?” Manly said. “Our clients, more than anything, want those answers and people held accountable, not because it helps their case but to protect the future women at USC.” Tara Lee, an attorney who represents USC, said questions regarding potential criminal conduct are being investigated “and those answers will be available when the investigation itself is completed.” “The settlement process they’re criticizing would not provide for that,” she said. “The settlement process would be very victim-focused to address their needs and make sure they have their claims identified and awarded.” Under the proposal, any woman who had an appointment with Tyndall will get $2,500. Those who submit written claims detailing their allegations and the impact on their lives would be eligible for between $7,500 and $20,000. Women who agree to further detail their allegations in a private interview with a psychologist could see damages of up to $250,000. Lee said the school tried to create a system that would allow women to decide how much to engage in the process. Attorney Mike Arias, who represents 80 accusers, criticized the speed of the proposed settlement, saying he and other attorneys were expecting USC to disclose more information. “USC may quell the depth of the anger and upset by getting hundreds of other victims to join the settlement, but it’s not going to be over,” Arias said, adding that he and other attorneys will fight the settlement’s approval. The university was first criticized in the case after the Los Angeles Times reported earlier this year that complaints about Tyndall’s care went unheeded for decades and that USC failed to report him to the medical board even after quietly forcing him to retire. Two administrators were fired, and President C.L. Max Nikias stepped down following the criticism. USC has denied accusations of a cover-up. Austin said that since she became interim university president, “a fair and respectful resolution for as many former patients as possible has been a priority for the university and for me personally.” “Many sweeping changes have been made and we continue to work every day to prevent all forms of misconduct on our campuses,” her statement said. On Thursday, 93 women who say Tyndall abused or harassed them announced the latest lawsuit against USC, saying it ignored decades of complaints. Dana Loewy said Tyndall assaulted her during an exam in 1993. “I am part of an accidental sisterhood of hundreds of women because the university we love betrayed our trust,” she said. ___ Associated Press writers John Antczak and Brian Melley in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
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3926
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Medication lockers help Miami’s homeless living with HIV.
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Ivette Naida says keeping tabs on her HIV medication can be a daunting task.
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true
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Medication, Health, General News, Miami, AP Top News, U.S. News
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Naida lives underneath a Miami highway overpass with several other homeless men and women. She has no safe place to keep her belongings. HIV-positive people who live on the streets are less likely to be successful in suppressing the virus with medication, according to a 2017 National Institute of Health study and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. One reason, health experts say, is that they usually carry all their belongings with them every day, and their medicine, valued at hundreds of dollars per prescription bottle, is often lost or stolen as they navigate life on the streets. “The main thing that you worry about out here is people stealing your stuff,” says Nadia, 33, who was diagnosed with the virus more than a decade ago; she says she contracted it as the result of using illegal injected drugs. A University of Miami-sponsored program called the IDEA Exchange has begun providing infected homeless people with medication lockers: secure locations where participants’ prescriptions are stored. They can pick up their medicine from the lockers at a converted shipping container office in Miami, or have social workers deliver a few days’ worth of the medicine to them. Smaller quantities are easier to safeguard. Prescriptions are paid for by Medicaid or a federal drug assistance program for low-income people living with HIV. Storing medication for the homeless has long been encouraged by public health experts: Washington, D.C., New York, Boston and other cities offer similar services. The Miami initiative began in 2018 after an HIV outbreak among the city’s homeless, says Dr. Hansel Tookes, a University of Miami physician who leads the program. An unprecedented number of homeless people were entering the health system, and a key problem for them was losing track of their possessions, Tookes says. Medication lockers help “avoid hiccups” as health professionals attempt to stabilize the situation, he says. Elisha Ekowo, a social worker who leads the program’s outreach team, says preventing the spread of HIV is a top priority. She notes that if those infected are able to suppress it, there is less of a chance they’ll give it to someone else. The program claims a 100% viral suppression rate among its 13 participants, an accomplishment considering Florida has the highest rate of new HIV diagnoses in the nation, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of the nearly 28,000 people living with HIV in Miami-Dade County, 58% are virally suppressed, Florida Department Health data shows. Another benefit of the program is that participants, who often have low self-confidence or little emotional support from their families, can develop self-reliance skills while staying on top of their health, Ekowo says. Michael Ferraro says the IDEA Exchange has been vital to his recovery, and he calls staff members his “angels.” Although he is no longer homeless, the 52-year-old former heroin addict still uses his medication locker. Not long ago he was sleeping behind a Taco Bell, where Exchange staff hand-delivered his prescription once a week. “It was unheard of,” says Ferraro, who was estranged from his family at the time. “I was still running around getting high, but they made sure I got my meds.” They stuck by him, and he eventually agreed to enter rehabilitation. He now has permanent housing. On a recent afternoon, Ferraro picked up a three-day supply of his medication, gave Ekowo a hug and rode off on his bicycle. In an interview at her “home” under a shadowy overpass, Naida says the ability to consistently take her pills with the program’s support has given her a new sense of pride. She had previously gone 10 years without taking her meds. Ekowo and her partner, Chevel Collington, drive here once a week to deliver Naida’s pills, along with other supplies. The gregarious social workers also remind Naida of upcoming medical appointments and offer sincere words of encouragement. The program “gives me something to be responsible for,” Naida says.
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10700
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Warning sounded on heart scan law
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The story does a nice job of highlighting the public policy implications of medical research findings. It reports not only the conclusions of a study calculating potential harms of a screening test for heart disease; it uses the new estimate of elevated cancer risk from CT screening to examine a Texas law that requires insurers to subsidize the scans. Rather than just tossing an isolated fact to readers, the reporter provides context that clearly shows how this information relates to the actions of legislators and the larger context of efforts to control the rising costs of health care – both financial costs and the potential health risks of tests and interventions.
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true
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The story not only mentions the cost of a scan to individuals ($100 to $500), it also notes that about $50 million dollars was spent on this type of scanning nationwide in 2008. A longer story could have also reported on the costs of additional testing and treatments triggered by screening apparently healthy individuals. As mentioned above, the story notes that while some experts recommend CT screening for coronary artery calcium deposits in order to increase the number of people receiving treatment to reduce the likelihood of a heart, others are skeptical about the real value of this type of screening for apparently health people. The reporter points out that many heart attacks strike people who do not have very high cholesterol levels or other indicators of elevated risk, but also that “no study has linked the use of CT scans with better patient outcomes.” The potential cancer risk caused by CT screening for signs of heart disease is the point of this story. Also, by highlighting uncertainty about the benefits of the screening and recapping debate over the Texas law mandating coverage of the scans, the story emphasizes the importance of considering potential harms when setting public policy on screening tests. A longer story could have considered other potential harms, including the side effects of treatments prescribed based on screening tests. The story does a good job of summarizing the results of this study of potential cancer risk from CT screening. In addition, it outlines the positions of experts and organizations on the broader body of evidence on the use of CT scans to identify people who may have plaque buildups in their heart arteries. It would have been better if the reporter stated that the estimate was based on several assumptions, that it wasn’t a definitive point estimate, but just the center of a range, and that it was higher than earlier estimates. Readers still got the point that there is a cancer risk which needs to be considered. The story notes that heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S., but it also points out doubts about whether screening with CT scans for calcium buildup in heart arteries can reduce the toll. The story includes experts and advocates that represent the key perspectives in debate about CT screening for calcium deposits in coronary arteries. However, it does not include information on possible conflicts of interest. Although this story points out that alternative screening techniques are available and it makes reference to cholesterol, it does not include any details about the alternatives. The story says that the CT scanners used for this test are “all over the city” and included an estimate that in 2008 about 200,000 people around the country were scanned for calcium buildups in their coronary arteries. not in question in this story The story includes quotes from independent experts and other information that was not in the news release about the journal article.
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10403
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Stomach pacemaker could help obese lose weight
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Strong points: avoids the cliches and disease-mongering that often accompany weight loss stories; provides cost information, which puts it in a distinct minority of stories we review; and it taps some solid independent experts to put the device into perspective. We wish it had spent more time with the actual evidence behind these devices, though, especially given the apparently low number of participants in the studies. Obesity is a major health challenge in the United States and increasingly becoming a challenge around the world. A recent study estimated that 1 in 10 adults worldwide or more than half a billion adults are obese. If clinicians and policymakers are going to alter the course of this epidemic, they need tools that work. Whether this pacemaker actually works or just serves as a distraction from other proven weight loss methods remains to be seen. We wish that reporters covering the latest in weight loss fads would hold companies more accountable for documenting both the benefits and the harms in absolute terms.
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mixture
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Associated Press
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We saw the sky part and heard angels singing when we saw the cost information provided in clear, comprehensive terms. “In Britain, the pacemaker costs about 15,000 pounds ($24,040), including the keyhole surgery used to implant it.” We do wish, though, that the story had not relied on the device maker’s president for a price comparison. It says, “Intrapace President Chuck Brynelsen said that’s comparable to other weight loss surgeries.” As noted above, the real benefits and harms of these devices are not quantified in any meaningful way, which is disappointing. The story really let the company off the hook here and did some of their marketing for them. it says, “Other surgical approaches to weight loss come with serious side effects. People who have their stomach stapled or have a gastric band must eat smaller amounts of mostly low-fat foods, because their stomachs can’t accommodate or process large volumes. If they overeat, they will feel nauseous, vomit, or suffer from other problems. The most serious side effect seen in the pacemaker has been an infection linked to surgery.” The story should have presented a side by side comparison of the benefits, risks and harms associated with the two surgeries. It might have been hard to come up with such estimates though because the evidence base is so weak for the pacemaker. That would have been important to note as well. This is one of the areas where the story falls down. All readers told is that “So far, about 65 patients in two studies have received the device from U.S. pacemaker manufacturer Intrapace. Only about half of those have had the pacemaker for at least a year, and most lost about 20 percent of their weight and kept it off.” That’s simply not good enough, especially given the wide range of treatment options for obesity. Patients deserve a critical look at the evidence. We wish the story had broken down some details, such as: The story does a great job avoiding disease-mongering. The story brings in some strong outside voices and takes care to explain that they are not involved in the studies or tied to the company. For example, it quotes Stephen Bloom, an obesity expert at Imperial College in London and says he “is not connected to Intrapace or the clinical trials. “Bloom, however, questioned whether the device would work long-term, as people might eventually get used to the electrical pulses and keep eating anyway,” the story says. The story even surprised us by getting the company’s president to say the same thing. “Brynelsen said the battery in the device lasts about five years and it will be up to patients how long they want to keep the pacemaker. “We don’t know if patients will see (the stomach pacemaker) as a bridge to recovery or whether this is a crutch they will need for the longer term,” he said.” The story does mention that there are other types of surgery, but it doesn’t really compare the existing alternatives. It could have compared availability, costs, efficacy, and safety. The story does not do a good job comparing the device to non-surgical alternatives either, and, by using an anecdotal framing for the story, may leave readers with the wrong impression. It says in the lead, “Patrick Hetzner tried diets and exercise, just about everything short of stomach stapling to lose weight. Nothing worked. Five months ago he tried something new: a stomach pacemaker that curbed his appetite.Since having it implanted, Hetzner, a 20-year-old Munich mailman, has knocked off more than 10 kilos (22 pounds) from his earlier weight of 104 kilos (229 pounds).” That was only five months ago. Ask some of the people who were hooked on the Atkins diet a few years ago if they kept all that weight off. Relapse is a huge problem for both diets and devices. Changing behavior is hard, too, but we would have liked to have seen a better discussion of why diet and exercise might not work for a subset of people. The story carefully explains the market status of the device. It says, “Since being approved by Britain last month, the device is available for sale across the European Union.” Later it adds, “The device is authorized for sale across the EU, though the company is first targeting weight loss clinics in Britain, Germany and Spain. It also plans to submit the device for approval in the U.S. once it has more data, and hopes it will be available there in 2014.” Perhaps the most important detail is this one: “The pacemaker hasn’t yet been implanted commercially in Europe, but Intrapace is in talks with clinics interested in offering it.” We wonder if the market isn’t speaking here. Often by the time a new device or drug are approved there is a pent up demand and surgeries would have been scheduled immediately. If the company is still negotiating with clinics, it might be a sign that clinicians have serious doubts, similar to the ones voiced in the story. The story does establish the novelty of the device, pointing out “Other stomach pacemakers are on the market but most are used to relieve symptoms like nausea and vomiting, not to fight obesity.” The story does not rely on a news release.
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3814
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New deals for drugs: No heart attack or your money back.
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Warranties and money-back guarantees, long used to entice buyers of products like hand tools and kitchen gadgets, are now being used to sell something more crucial: pricey new-generation drugs for diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and cancer.
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true
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Cancer, Health, Prescription drug costs, Business, Heart attack, Prescription drugs
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Deals being negotiated between drugmakers and the insurers who buy medicines now sometimes include extra rebates — or even full refunds — if drugs don’t help patients as expected. It’s part of an effort driven by insurers and government health programs to align the cost of care with the quality of care, and slow the relentless growth of prescription drug costs. “We’re spending less money on drugs that are less effective,” said Dr. Michael Sherman, chief medical officer for the not-for-profit insurer Harvard Pilgrim, which has several of these deals and is negotiating more. Sherman says one-fourth of every dollar it spends on patient care goes to prescription drugs. For the patient, it doesn’t mean a check in the mail if cancer comes back after a round of treatment. But it does mean patients could get a drug that an insurer might otherwise be unwilling to pay for and that might help them. And insurers, who now can track how patients fare through electronic medical records, will be reducing wasteful spending and making at least a dent in overall health care costs. “It’s going to be part of the solution” to soaring drug prices, predicts Roger Longman, CEO of Real Endpoints, an analytics company that assesses the value of medicines for drugmakers, insurers and other clients. Many new drugs now top $100,000 per year or course of treatment, even though their benefits are unclear or only marginally better than cheaper, older drugs. Buyers of those new drugs, usually insurance companies, are hesitant to pay without assurance the drugs will help patients. Not only is that bad for patients, it makes insurers spend even more on complications and hospital stays if the drugs don’t work. As a result, insurers often restrict access to expensive new drugs. Sometimes that’s achieved by making patients pay more out of their own pockets, or making doctors wade through red tape to get authorization for a patient’s medicine. Sometimes patients have to try cheaper drugs first, and only when they fail — and the patients’ health has deteriorated — are they allowed to get the pricey new drug. Pharmaceutical companies have an incentive here, too: These deals may help them sell more of the new drug they’ve spent hundreds of millions of dollars or more developing. For example, a new generation of injected cholesterol drugs does an impressive job of reducing so-called bad cholesterol. But the drugs, Amgen’s Repatha and Sanofi’s Praluent, cost $14,000 a year, while cheap generic pills do a good job of lowering cholesterol for most people for $300 a year or less. Predictably, insurers often reject prescriptions for these drugs. So Amgen, trying to boost disappointing sales for a drug expected to be a huge seller, is offering full refunds to insurers if patients have a heart attack or stroke while taking its drug. On Tuesday, Amgen announced its first deal to do so, with Harvard Pilgrim. Sanofi has a contract with insurer Cigna to pay extra rebates if patient cholesterol doesn’t fall as much as expected. “It demonstrates the fact that we are standing behind the value the product has, and we’re willing to put some money behind it,” said James Borneman, Sanofi’s head of strategic pricing. Some insurers are now demanding these deals, which are expected to become standard for some drugs: super-expensive medicines for cancer and rare diseases, and others that are used widely enough to cost insurers millions. In addition, the drugs must have a benefit that’s easy to measure, such as keeping kids with asthma out of the emergency room or preventing growth of cancerous tumors for a certain period. Cigna has been pursuing more of these types of deals after finding that some of its earlier efforts “met or exceeded expectations in terms of benefit to our customers, patients,” said Chris Bradbury, who heads Cigna’s prescription benefit program. One of its early deals, with drugmaker Merck for its diabetes pills Januvia and Janumet, dates to 2009, with rebates pegged to how much patients lower blood sugar. “We keep re-signing that agreement, so I think they’re pretty satisfied,” said Bob McMahon, head of U.S. marketing at Merck, which also has such contracts with insurers and hospital systems covering an asthma medicine and is negotiating contracts for an infection drug. Other companies with such deals for one or more medicines include drugmakers Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson, Novartis, Novo Nordisk and Roche’s Genentech unit; insurers Aetna and Priority Health, and prescription benefit manager Express Scripts. On their own, these deals are unlikely to reverse the persistent rise in medical spending, experts say. But they improve the chance that the money will at least go to treatments that work best — by making sure insurers and drug companies have something at stake along with the patient. “There’s a risk on both sides with these contracts,” said Dr. Mark Fendrick, director of the University of Michigan’s Center for Value-Based Insurance Design. “Both want to make sure they’ll get the outcome they want.” ___ Follow Linda A. Johnson at https://twitter.com/LindaJ_onPharma .
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10033
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‘Revolutionary’ use for aspirin? May help colon cancer patients
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(PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS AN AMENDED VERSION OF THE REVIEW THAT WE FIRST POSTED HOURS AGO. THE REPORTER HAS POINTED OUT THAT SOME OF THE INFORMATION WE FELT WAS LACKING ACTUALLY APPEARED IN A SIDEBAR TO THE STORY – A SIDEBAR THAT WE MISSED. SO WE HAVE AMENDED THIS REVIEW AND UPGRADED ITS SCORE. WE NOTE THAT THE REPORTER DID INCLUDE ABSOLUTE RISK REDUCTION FIGURES IN A VERSION OF THE SIDEBAR THAT APPEARED ONLY ON THE USA TODAY WEBSITE. CURRENTLY WE ONLY REVIEW WHAT APPEARS IN THE PRINT VERSION. WE NOTE THE REPORTER’S EFFORT TO GET THE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION INTO THE STORY IN SOME FORMAT UNDER TIME PRESSURE. BUT READERS OF THE NEWSPAPER – NOT OF THE WEBSITE – RECEIVED ONLY THE INFORMATION WE CRITIQUED. OUR APOLOGIES TO USA TODAY FOR INITIALLY MISSING THE INFORMATION THAT WAS IN THE PRINTED SIDEBAR.) USA Today gives readers more actual information about the potential use of aspirin to treat colorectal cancer than CBS did in their story which we also reviewed. The USA Today story includes a number of caveats and pointed out limitations of the study, but it also hypes the findings by using the word “revolutionary” in the headline and by emphasizing relative reductions in death rates, rather than giving a true overall view of how patients fare after getting a diagnosis of colorectal cancer. While the study is indeed newsworthy, because it analyses a powerful set of data collected over decades, it is a continuation of a long line of investigations into the potential effects of aspirin on colorectal cancer, not some startling break with history.
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true
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The story noted that aspirin is sold for pennies a pill. The printer version of the story reports only relative risk reductions, ignoring the important point that most colorectal cancer patients in this study survived for many years whether or not they took aspirin after their diagnosis; thus it exaggerates the potential benefits of adding aspirin to the treatment mix. Specifically, the story discussed whether aspirin should get credit for “beating cancer,” although there is nothing in the study about aspirin being a cure. To put the results in context, the story should have mentioned that the 10-year survival rates were 69 percent for those not taking aspirin and 74 percent for those who did take aspirin. (PLEASE NOTE: ABSOLUTE RISK REDUCTION FIGURES APPEARED IN A WEB VERSION OF THE SIDEBAR BUT WE CURRENTLY REVIEW ONLY WHAT APPEARS IN PRINT.) PLEASE NOTE: WE MISSED THE FACT THAT A SIDEBAR TO THE MAIN STORY DID INCLUDE INFORMATION ON GASTROINTESTINAL BLEEDING. SO WE HAVE CHANGED THIS GRADE TO SATISFACTORY. The story includes several caveats warning that the results of the study are not definitive. It pointed out some of the limitations inherent in this sort of observational study. It also pointed out that a randomized controlled trial would be needed in order to actually prove that aspirin fights cancer. However, the story highlighted the sharply lower rate of colorectal disease deaths among patients who had a type of colorectal cancer that overproduces the COX-2 enzyme and took aspirin after diagnosis… without mentioning either the wide uncertainty in the number or that the overwhelming majority of patients survived for many years, whether or not they took aspirin. (PLEASE NOTE: THIS INFORMATION DID NOT MAKE IT INTO THE PRINT VERSION BUT WAS INCLUDED IN AN ONLINE VERSION OF THE STORY.) The story did not discuss the prevalence or consequences of colorectal cancer, so we judge this criterion to be not applicable in this case. While the story included a quote from a physician who was not connected to the study and even though this study was funded by public money, the story failed to explain what expertise the independent source has or why his opinion was relied upon. Nonetheless, we give this story the benefit of the doubt on this criterion. This story does not mention that the overwhelming majority of patients receiving standard therapy for colorectal cancer survive for many years, thus hyping the potential benefits of aspirin. (THE ABSOLUTE RISK REDUCTION FIGURES DID NOT APPEAR IN THE PRINT VERSION OF THE STORY BUT DID APPEAR IN AN ONLINE VERSION. WE CURRENTLY REVIEW ONLY WHAT APPEARS IN PRINT.) Aspirin is widely available. However, the study focused on the COX-2 inhibitory action of aspirin and the authors suggested that rather than aspirin becoming a standard part of colon cancer treatment, future treatment might rely on a drug specifically designed to use this pathway to fight cancer. By using the term ‘revolutionary’ to describe the study results, this story ignores the many years of research into the potentially beneficial effects of aspirin on colorectal cancer. The story included a physician not connected with the study and the reporter apparently interviewed one of the study authors. So it clearly did not rely solely or largely on a news release.
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33245
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Dearborn, Michigan, has become the first U.S. city to implement Sharia law.
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National Report is a news and political satire web publication, which may or may not use real names, often in semi-real or mostly fictitious ways. All news articles contained within National Report are fiction, and presumably fake news. Any resemblance to the truth is purely coincidental.
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false
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Junk News, islam, national report, shariah law
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On 28 October 2013, the National Report published an article reporting that Dearborn, Michigan (a city with a historically large Muslim population), had become the first U.S. city to implement Sharia law: In a surprise weekend vote, the city council of Dearborn, Michigan voted 4-3 to became the first US city to officially implement all aspects of Sharia Law. The tough new law, slated to go into affect January 1st, addresses secular law including crime, politics and economics as well as personal matters such as sexual intercourse, fasting, prayer, diet and hygiene. The new law could see citizens stoned for adultery or having a limb amputated for theft. Lesser offenses, such as drinking alcohol or abortion, could result in flogging and/or caning. In addition, the law imposes harsh laws with regards to women and allows for child marriage. By the following day links and excerpts referencing this article were being circulated via social media, with many of those who encountered the item mistaking it for a genuine news article. However, the article was just a bit of fabricated clickbait from the National Report, a fake news web site that publishes outrageous fictional stories such as “IRS Plans to Target Leprechauns Next,” “Boy Scouts Announce Boobs Merit Badge,” and “New CDC Study Indicates Pets of Gay Couples Worse at Sports, Better at Fashion Than Pets of Straight Couples.” The National Report‘s disclaimer page notes:
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23023
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Georgia and other states with weak gun laws have more crime.
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Bloomberg gun claim takes aim at Georgia
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true
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Georgia, Guns, Michael Bloomberg,
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"New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg recently took aim at the Peach State. Bloomberg was on CNN several weeks ago to discuss a report that named Georgia among the states with the weakest gun laws. ""Do the states where they have weaker laws have more crime?"" asked CNN's Kiran Chetry. ""There's no argument about that,"" Bloomberg replied. National Rifle Association spokeswoman Rachel Parsons called Bloomberg's claim ""absolutely ridiculous."" ""If that were the case, Washington, D.C., Chicago and New York would be some of the safest cities in our country, and they are simply not,"" Parsons said. ""Yet, they have some of the strictest gun laws in the country."" The nation's capital had a higher violent crime rate than any of the 50 states in each of the past three years, according to FBI data. New York was at the other end of the spectrum, the data showed. The Big Apple had the lowest crime rate among the nation's 25 largest cities, the FBI data showed. But Bloomberg answered a question about states, so let's dig into his claim a little deeper. The report, ""Trace the Guns: The Link Between Gun Laws and Interstate Gun Trafficking,"" was put together for a group called Mayors Against Illegal Guns and completed in September. Bloomberg, an independent, is co-chair of the coalition. Georgia mayors listed as coalition members include Atlanta's Kasim Reed, East Point's Earnestine Pittman, Roswell's Jere Wood and Savannah's Otis Johnson. Ten states, half of them located in the South, are listed in the report as having weak gun laws. They are Alabama, Alaska, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Nevada, South Carolina, West Virginia and Virginia. Bloomberg, a vocal advocate of gun control, filed lawsuits against eight gun shops in Georgia and in 19 other states in 2006 he argued had relatively lax gun laws. Most of the cases were settled. Others defaulted, and a couple of cases were dismissed. Researchers looked at several topics concerning violence and where the guns came from that were used in the crimes, using data from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. In each of the past four years, the report found Georgia led the nation in the number of guns sold here that were used in crimes in other states.Per capita, Georgia was 10th on the list. The researchers reached that conclusion by dividing the number of guns sold by 100,000 residents. Mississippi was first.New York ranked next to last on the list, ahead of Hawaii. The report contains a checklist of 10 ""key gun laws"" and which states have passed those laws and which ones have not to determine which states have weak gun laws. The laws include whether a state requires background checks for all handgun sales at gun shows, if the state prohibits gun possession by violent misdemeanantsand whether the state requires reporting of lost or stolen guns. Georgia has enacted two of the 10 laws. Georgia requires state inspection of gun dealers. Gun dealers who don’t conduct background checks of prospective gun owners can go to jail. Some groups, such as the National Shooting Sports Foundation, have criticized the findings, saying crime has ""plummeted"" in states said in the study to have weaker gun laws. We reviewed two sets of data to see whether Bloomberg is correct about states that have weak gun laws still have more crime. One supported his argument; the other one offered mixed results. The Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention keeps track of firearm deaths by state. Eight of the 10 states said to have ""weak"" gun laws were in the top half of states with firearm deaths, according to the most recent CDC figures. The most recent figures, from 2007, were adjusted for population. The results were similar from 2003 to 2006. Georgia ranked between 14th and 20th during those five years. We also looked at the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports, which show violent crime rates for each state and Washington, D.C. Five of the states said to have ""weak"" gun laws were in the top half of states of violent crime in 2009. Georgia ranked 20th. Washington, D.C., was first; its violent crime rate was more than twice any state on the list. The results were similar in 2008 and 2007. The FBI warns against using the data to make comparisons, noting they don't take into account variables that might impact a state's crime rate. Harvard University's Department of Health Policy and Management tracks firearm research, frequently does reports on the subject and is considered experts in this field. We talked to two members of its faculty, Matt Miller and David Hemenway, about Bloomberg's answer to the question during the CNN interview. Both men have done studies on similar subjects and believe there is a correlation between places with more guns and homicide. ""Where there are more guns, there are more deaths and homicides,"" Miller said. They said there's less research and data on whether states with weaker gun laws have more crime or states with more guns have higher crime rates. ""Most crimes don't involve guns,"" Hemenway said. ""If there's causation at all, it's not clear."" So where does this leave us? The CDC numbers do show states with weaker gun laws tend to have more firearm deaths. The FBI data shows some of those states had more violent crime, but others were in the middle of the pack nationally. There are many types of crime, and not all are committed with firearms."
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34032
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M&Ms passed up the chance to be the candy used to lure the shy little alien from his hiding place in the 1982 blockbuster E.T., thereby letting one of the most successful instances of movie product placement fall into the hands of a competitor who benefited mightily from it.
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Bonehead tales. We love them, true or not.
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true
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Entertainment, wall street
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Business by its very nature is cut-throat; competitors rarely aid one another because one company’s success almost invariably comes at the expense of the other’s vitality. When such leg-ups occur, they are often inadvertent — the result of one firm’s having failed to take advantage of an opportunity that its competitor later cleaned up on. Such was the case when Mars, Inc. passed on the chance for its flagship product, M&Ms, to be the candy used in 1982 film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Its turn-down cleared the way for Hershey Foods Corporation to make a remarkable splash for its Reese’s Pieces. During production of E.T., Amblin Productions approached Mars, Inc. about a possible tie-in between M&Ms and the film. For whatever reason, Mars said “No” to the proposition. Many purported reasons for that negative response have been provided by a variety of sources: Mars decided it didn’t want its bite-size candy associated with an extraterrestrial living with an earth family, or it thought the film’s premise just a bit too otherworldly, or an unnamed M&M executive decided nobody would want to see a movie about an alien adopted by a lonely kid. (M&Ms did survive as the candy used in the 1982 William Kotzwinkle novelization of the film, however.) Lore adds its own details to flesh out stories, details that will cast the one who is perceived as having done something foolish in as absurd a light as possible. When that story is one of a poor business decision made by a large corporation, someone telling the tale is sure to state as rock-solid fact an explanation that is now clearly laughable. No one ever suggests that Mars might have already had its advertising budget locked for that year, or that it might have felt ill at ease at the prospect of dealing with a new advertising medium and the new people who went with it, or any other plausible and purely logical business reason for taking a pass on this offer. No, the “reason” offered in lore will always be something along the lines of “Mars didn’t think much of the planned movie and thus wanted to keep themselves separate from it,” a “reason” that casts the candymaker as unbelievably short-sighted given the breathtaking success of E.T. Whatever the reason for it, Mars’ “No” paved the way for Hershey’s “Yes.” The spurned offer was then tendered to Hershey, and — misgivings aside — that corporation went for it. Hershey did not pay to have Reese’s Pieces used in E.T., but it did agree to do a tie-in between the movie and the candy after the film was released. A deal was inked wherein Hershey Foods agreed to promote E.T. with $1 million of advertising; in return, Hershey could use E.T. in its own ads. Within two weeks of the movie’s premiere, Reese’s Pieces sales went through the roof. (Disagreement exists as to how far through the roof they went: Sales were variously described as having tripled, experienced an 85% jump, or increased by 65%). Whatever the numbers, though, Reese’s Pieces — up until then an underdog confection only faintly known by the U.S. candy-consuming public — were suddenly being consumed in great handfuls. And all thanks to a shy little alien lured from the bushes and into America’s hearts by a trail of peanut-butter-in-a-candy-coated-shell confections. Thus is the potential power of product placement. When it’s done right, it can make a product. Paid product placement in films has come to be one of the ordinary ways of things in Hollywood. Exxon paid $300,000 for its name to appear in Days of Thunder, Pampers paid $50,000 to be featured in Three Men and a Baby, and Cuervo Gold spent $150,000 for placement in Tequila Sunrise, according to Danny Thompson, president of Creative Entertainment Services, in a 1993 New York magazine interview. As for how effective the practice of product placement is, that same article quotes Joel Henrie, a partner at Motion Picture Placement, as saying: “Look what happened to Hermes scarves after Basic Instinct, Ray-Ban sunglasses after Risky Business, and suspenders after Michael Douglas wore them in Wall Street.” Not all product placement deals are “straight-fee” arrangements. There are actually three types of deals, the other two being the provision of costly merchandise (such as automobiles or appliances) for free just for the exposure (which accounts for about half of all placements), and the back-end promotion under which big corporations with huge promotional budgets aim for young audiences through tie-ins with popular films. In most films, product placement, while noticeable, is kept low-key. However, some Hollywood offerings have gone down in the annals of motion picture history as notorious examples of rampant commercialism. The 1988 snoozer Mac and Me could fairly be described as a ninety-minute advert for McDonald’s and Coca-Cola, with an alien thrown in whenever things were running slow. Likewise, the 1987 film Leonard Part 6 was deemed by many to be a never-ending Coca-Cola commercial. But rampant product placement is not merely limited to forgettable films which did poorly at the box office, as 1999’s Runaway Bride proved. (In that film, everyone walks around with a copy of USA Today in his hands.) Product placement in movies is now a corporate fact of life, as are “bonehead” accounts of great marketing opportunities left to the other guy. One company’s gaffe becomes the cautionary tale passed along to those in all manner of industries because the message is universal: This could be us one day if we don’t maintain vigilance. Once again, folklore is called upon to teach by example what might not have effectively been learned from a book. In an odd way, true-life corporate instances of one man’s garbage turning out to be another man’s treasure are almost a rip on the standard Hollywood legend of (pick your favorite movie star) was offered the lead in (now unforgettable, hugely-popular film) but turned it down. Though that scenario has indeed played out a number of times in Tinseltown, it hasn’t happened nearly as often as is reported. In many cases, remembered tidbits of so-and-so’s having been mentioned merely in passing at a studio round-table of “Who could we get?” are mentally embroidered into memories of the role’s having been offered to the star, who waved it away. Or a bit of rumor is later remembered as fact, such as the case of Ronald Reagan, whose name was only kited as part of a press release designed to drum up interest in Casablanca but is now widely believed to have been the studio’s first choice to play Rick Blaine — a role never intended for anyone but Humphrey Bogart.
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4346
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North Korea running low on TB meds, experts fear epidemic.
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The withdrawal of a major international aid organization threatens to leave tens of thousands of tuberculosis patients in North Korea without the medication they need and could spiral into a severe crisis if it is not addressed soon, according to health experts familiar with the situation in the North.
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true
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Medication, Seoul, Health, South Korea, North Korea, Epidemics, Tuberculosis, Asia Pacific
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The dwindling stockpile of crucial medications follows the abrupt departure of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, an international aid organization whose grants to North Korea supported the treatment of 120,000 TB patients last year. Its support officially ended in June despite an outcry among health officials in North Korea and in the international community that it could spark a major epidemic. Neurosurgeon Kee Park, of the Program in Global Surgery and Social Change at Harvard Medical School, said in an email to The Associated Press that the situation is extremely dire and likely to get dramatically worse in the years ahead if it is not properly dealt with. The U.S.-based nonprofit Eugene Bell Foundation, which works on the ground treating tuberculosis in North Korea, said Friday that the crisis is being compounded by U.S.-led sanctions over Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons and missile program. North Korea has one of the world’s highest rates of tuberculosis, a highly infectious disease that, while treatable, globally causes more than 1 million deaths each year. According to the World Health Organization, about 107,000 cases of tuberculosis were reported in North Korea in 2017. Making matters worse, North Korea has estimated that 6-7 percent of its tuberculosis population has the drug-resistant variety, known as MDR-TB, which is far more difficult and costly to cure. “As a result of the loss of the Global Fund grants for the DPRK, we expect a 50-75 percent reduction in treatment capacity for non-MDR-TB patients,” Park said. “Consequently, our model predicts between 155,000 to 210,000 more people will die from TB-related causes within five years. To be clear, these are new deaths that are expected on top of the current mortality rates. We have assumed that the treatment of MDR-TB will continue at current levels.” Drug-resistant tuberculosis generally results from patients not taking the proper amount or combination of medications to completely cure them of the disease, or by coming into contact with someone who has been infected with it already. It is often found among populations that have had some exposure to TB medications, such as cities or other places with populations that are relatively more affluent — or at least affluent enough to have paid for some form of TB medication already. Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, is believed to have a particularly high incidence of the drug-resistant TB strain. Global Fund announced in February that it was ending its grants to North Korea, effectively ending the largest outside public health assistance program ever for the North, because of a lack of transparency and difficult operating conditions. It has said its stockpile would last for a year, which is longer than the average 6- to 9-month course of treatment for a TB patient. But the concern is over what will happen after that, how any new cases can be treated if no one else steps in to fill the gap and whether the limited pool of medications would be “rationed” in an ill-advised effort to spread out what medications are left. “Time is ticking,” Park said. “I have heard from people who have been inside recently that the rationing has already started.” The problem is especially acute because North Korea has a fragile public health system that could easily be overwhelmed by a large outbreak, sending North Koreans streaming across the country’s border with China, making the epidemic a bigger, regional issue. Concerns over such a calamity prompted the North to essentially close its borders during the Ebola scare in 2015 and during the SARS outbreak in 2003 in China, though neither seemed to present much of a threat to the isolated North. Stephen Linton, chairman of the Eugene Bell Foundation, told reporters in Seoul that South Korea lacks the sense of urgency to help groups like his gain sanctions exemptions so that they can deliver supplies to treat patients in North Korea. He likened the problem to having the house next door on fire, and said North Korea’s tuberculosis problem could potentially have health consequences for South Korea. Linton said he believes Global Fund’s decision was at least partially connected to sanctions-related pressure. The U.S. government, which pledged $1.4 billion this year, is one of the biggest donors to Global Fund. He noted that it has also gotten harder for American aid workers to get permission to travel to the North since President Donald Trump announced his travel ban for U.S. citizens more than a year ago. Choi Seemoon, a Eugene Bell director, said that while Eugene Bell and Global Fund have provided MDR-TB medications to about 2,000 patients this year, that’s less than 30 percent of the estimated 8,000 North Koreans with the condition. Global Fund’s stock of regular tuberculosis medicine will run out in early 2020, she warned, while its stock of MDR-TB medicine can only cover patients registered by the autumn of this year. “There needs to be a quick purchase of medicine and supplies to overcome the void left by Global Fund,” Choi said. “Whether the issue is resolved through inter-Korean talks or through international bodies and non-governmental channels, there should be a quick delivery of tuberculosis medicine to North Korea regardless of what channel it takes.” ___ Talmadge is the AP’s Pyongyang bureau chief. He contributed to this report from Tokyo. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram: @EricTalmadge.
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22340
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A third of all the young people in America are not in America today because of abortion, because one in three pregnancies end in abortion.
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Rick Santorum says one of every three pregnancies ends in an abortion
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false
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Abortion, National, Health Care, Social Security, Rick Santorum,
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"In a March 29, 2011, interview with WEZS Radio in Laconia, N.H., former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa. -- a possible 2012 presidential candidate -- discussed a possible link between the financial predicament of Social Security and abortion. Santorum, a strong opponent of abortion during his time in the Senate, argued that abortion has so depleted the ranks of younger Americans that the costs of Social Security benefits are having to be shouldered by fewer working-age Americans. ""The Social Security system in my opinion is a flawed design, period,"" Santorum said in response to a question from a caller. ""But having said that, the design would work a lot better if we had stable demographic trends. The reason Social Security is in big trouble is we don’t have enough workers to support the retirees. Well, a third of all the young people in America are not in America today because of abortion, because one in three pregnancies end in abortion."" Several readers asked us to check Santorum's claim about the number of abortions. To do this, we delved into statistics compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We chose 2003 as our representative year, since it was the most recent year for which we were able to obtain all of the relevant data. We set out to determine the number of known pregnancies in 2003. We say ""known"" because some pregnancies end due to natural causes at a very early stage, often before the woman even realizes she is pregnant. CDC only offers statistics for fetal deaths beginning at a fetal age of 20 weeks, so that’s the parameter we’ll use in our calculations. To calculate the number of known pregnancies, we added together three figures: the number of live births, the number of fetal deaths (these include natural miscarriages and stillbirths), and the number of abortions. Here’s the data for 2003: Live births: 4,090,007 Fetal deaths: 25,653 Abortions: 1,250,000 Total known pregnancies: 5,365,660 So abortions account for 23.2 percent of all known pregnancies. That’s less than a quarter of all pregnancies, rather than the one-third Santorum said. The Guttmacher Institute, an independent research organization that analyzes data on population growth and reproductive health, has come up with a number very close to what PolitiFact found, spokeswoman Rebecca Wind said. The institute found that 22.4 percent of pregnancies resulted in an abortion in 2008. (The institute did not factor fetal deaths into its calculation.) But Santorum isn’t just off-base about the number of abortions. He also makes a flawed assumption about the impact of abortions on U.S. population trends, Wind said. ""It is simply wrong"" to assume that every abortion reduces the U.S. population by one person, she said, since many women obtain abortions to postpone childbearing -- not to prevent it altogether. A 2005 Guttmacher study of more than 1,200 women who had undergone an abortion found that a little under half cited the desire not to have additional children as a reason for having their abortion. This means that a substantial minority -- and possibly as many as 53 percent -- expected to have children after the abortion. This pattern was particularly strong among younger women in the study (less than a quarter of those 19 or younger said they were done with childbearing) and among those who had no children at the time of the abortion (only 3 percent said they were done with childbearing). We provided Santorum's office with our calculations and asked for a response. A spokeswoman did not counter our findings, but offered a brief statement that said ""the prolife community has been astounded at the increasing percentages in the pregnancies that result in abortion."" The statement also made additional claims about abortion rates among certain demographic groups, but they did not address the wording that Santorum had used in the radio interview. So we find Santorum is significantly overstating the frequency of abortions when he claims that ""one in three pregnancies end in abortion"" -- it’s actually in the 22 percent to 23 percent range. That's less than one in four. And the effect on population would be even lower if women who had abortions had children later in life. We can't know exactly how that would affect the numbers, but it would send the estimate even lower. UPDATE, April 1, 2011: After we published this item, a reader pointed out that the statement we quoted from Santorum’s office was incorrect. While a spokeswoman had told us that ""the prolife community has been astounded at the increasing percentages in the pregnancies that result in abortion,"" the reader pointed us to statistics from the Guttmacher Institute that show the rate of abortions declining over time. From a 1981 peak of 29.3 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15-44, the rate has fallen, gradually but steadily, to 19.6 in 2008 -- a decline of about one-third. According to Census Bureau data, the raw number of abortions has also fallen consistently, from a peak of 1,609,000 in 1990 to 1,242,000 in 2006."
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7353
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UN health agency chief unbowed amid attacks, Trump criticism.
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The World Health Organization’s director-general has faced many challenges during the coronavirus pandemic: racial slurs, death threats, social media caricatures — he was once depicted as a ventriloquist’s dummy in the hands of Chinese President Xi Jinping — and U.S. funding cuts.
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true
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AP Top News, Race and ethnicity, Geneva, International News, Media, General News, Social media, Africa, Health, Pandemics, United Nations, Xi Jinping, Virus Outbreak, Europe
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Through it all, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has endeavored to rise above the troubles with a focus on one main task: Building international “solidarity” against an outbreak whose confirmed death toll is nearly 300,000 and that quelled economic activity in countries rich and poor. Many health policy experts have praised his handling of the outbreak overall, despite criticism of the U.N. health agency by the Trump administration. Next week, Tedros’ track record and background will come under intensified scrutiny as WHO holds its biggest annual event — the World Health Assembly — in a “virtual” and abbreviated version that focuses on COVID-19. Critics and some analysts cite his background as a government minister in Ethiopia, with its history of authoritarian regimes. Not long after taking office in 2017, Tedros appointed Zimbabwe’s then president, Robert Mugabe, who often traveled abroad to receive health care, as a WHO “goodwill ambassador,” only to revoke the appointment after a wave of outrage erupted. Most recently, Trump has faulted WHO for being too accepting and praising of China’s handling of the early outbreak, wedging Tedros personally in the tense political standoff between the U.S. and China. He has shied away from criticizing the two powerful U.N. members, and has praised both President Donald Trump and Xi — even while leaving hints seemingly directed at Beijing and Washington. “Don’t use this virus as an opportunity to fight against each other or score political points. It’s dangerous,” he said recently, appealing to the world. “It’s the political problem that may fuel further this pandemic.” Tedros, 55, knows about the punishing sides to both politics and pandemics: A malaria expert with a doctorate in microbiology from the University of Nottingham in Britain, he served as health minister and foreign minister in Ethiopia before his election in 2017 in one of WHO’s most competitive races. He’s the first WHO chief from Africa, and the first who doesn’t have a medical degree — seen as a hole in his resume by some critics. Tedros was born in the city of Asmara, before it and the rest of Eritrea split from Ethiopia. Like many Ethiopians, he goes by his first name. A father of five, he has tweeted about riding bikes with his daughter. A few years ago, he tried out the saxophone, but give it up because of a heavy workload. Years ago, Tedros was spotted as a rising star of health policy by Melinda Gates, whose charitable foundation has become WHO’s No. 2 donor. He has been credited for helping expand Ethiopia’s health care workforce as health minister from 2005 to 2012. Tedros often uses wit, feigned ignorance and charm to disarm or sidestep critics. He has drawn on the star power of Lady Gaga and garnered support from European leaders, and called Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez “mi hermano”: my brother. He bills himself “Dr. Tedros,” leaning on his doctorate, and actively tweets to a million followers. No stranger to the personal anecdote, Tedros once said it was “pure luck” for him to aspire to the top WHO job, noting that when he was 7, his younger brother died from a childhood disease — and it could just as easily have been him. Dr. Lia Tadesse, Ethiopia’s current health minister, who worked with Tedros when he had her job, said he was known for showing calm, patience and a good ear. “While he was a minister, he was known to really care for people who are considered at the lowest level of the strata, like the cleaner, the security guard and so on,” she said by phone. “He takes time to listen to their problems, and really recognize their efforts.” Tedros has played down death threats against him, but has stood up to defend Africa. He has blasted the government of Taiwan, which isn’t a U.N. member state, for allegedly condoning “racial slurs” against him. Taiwan’s current government has faced intense political pressure from rival China, and has been appealing for admission as an observer to the World Health Assembly on Monday and Tuesday. Political sniping between the U.S. and China, and Tedros’ own political baggage, can make it tough to cut through the noise during a global health emergency. “If you criticize the WHO and Tedros, you’re somehow seen as a supporter of the Trump administration and their clearly self-serving attacks to shift blame from their own failure,” said Jeffrey Smith, director of Washington-based Vanguard Africa, a promoter of democracy. “On the other hand, if you defend Dr. Tedros and the WHO, you’re seen as somehow endorsing his comfort level with the world’s despots and dictators.” “Yes, Dr. Tedros is the product of a deeply authoritarian regime. And he has long displayed an affinity for dictators,” Smith said. “The WHO does critical work and deserves support. And yes, the WHO also needs reform. All of these things can be true.” David Shinn, a U.S. ambassador to Ethiopia in the 1990s, said Tedros had a good relationship with both Beijing and Washington while Ethiopia’s foreign minister. Shinn cited a “cautionary note:” Tedros had the job when Ethiopia relied heavily on China for economic and political support, as it does today. “As a result, he probably was willing to accept at face value what he was being told by China with perhaps not questioning as strongly as he might have what the situation really was,” said Shinn, an adjunct professor at George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs. Tedros appears to have learned one key thing from his predecessor, Dr. Margaret Chan of China: Be reactive to outbreaks. Amid the Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo that’s now seemingly on its last legs, Tedros traveled over a dozen times to the region. With COVID-19, he has been omnipresent. “Dr. Tedros has been very much at the helm in terms of being in almost every single press conference, communicating directly with the public, tweeting — really speaking directly to people,” said Suerie Moon, co-director of the Global Health Center at Geneva’s Graduate Institute. “He’s able to really humanize a situation that’s quite frightening for most people and be a reassuring presence,” she said.
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13986
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"The ammunition used in the Orlando shooting ""is banned by Geneva Convention. It enters the body, spins & explodes."
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Moore tweeted that the Geneva Convention prohibits the type of ammunition used in the Orlando shooting. However, the Geneva Convention does not deal with ammunition. Other international conventions do prohibit certain ammunition, but only during wartime, not domestically. Even if they were binding domestically, experts are not sure whether Mateen’s bullets qualify, given the limited information released from law enforcement. That being said, Moore’s tweet does emphasize the amount of damage these bullets inflicted. Even if his specifics might be off, doctors’ reports support Moore on the general point about damages.
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false
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PunditFact, Guns, Michael Moore,
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"Filmmaker and liberal commentator Michael Moore made a provocative claim about the ammunition used in the June 12 Orlando shooting — that it is prohibited by the Geneva Conventions. ""Ammo used in AR-15/M-16 is banned by Geneva Convention,"" Moore tweeted June 14. ""It enters the body, spins & explodes. Show the crime scene photos and the NRA is over."" The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives reported June 12 that Omar Mateen had been in possession of a 9 millimeter semiautomatic pistol and a .223 caliber AR-type rifle. The latter was later identified as a Sig Sauer MCX rifle by the gun shop owner who sold Mateen the gun. Law enforcement has not released the exact type of .223-caliber ammunition used as of this fact-check’s publication. Still, many people responded on Twitter to Moore trying to debunk his tweet, so we took a closer look. We contacted Moore's office but didn't hear back. What is the Geneva Convention? The 1949 Geneva Conventions are a set of treaties and protocols dictating the humane treatment of people during war. For example, they prohibit torture, hostage-taking, deportation and execution without ""judicial guarantees."" In particular, the Conventions prescribe protections for various classes — the ill, medical workers, prisoners of war and civilians during wartime. The main text of the Geneva Convention treaties does not include any specific mention of prohibited ammunition, and neither do the supplementary protocols. The closest thing to Moore’s claim is Article 35 of the first protocol. It prohibits ""weapons, projectiles and materials … causing superfluous injury or unnecessary suffering"" but does not offer further clarification. In any case, the Geneva Convention does not apply to domestic weapon use, said Dan Joyner, a professor of law at the University of Alabama. Only wartime. ""No source of international law prohibits the sale or use within a country of any particular kind of ammunition,"" Joyner said. Mateen’s declaration of allegiance to ISIS does give the incident an international character, but the Conventions primarily apply to issues between nation-factions. Different conventions We looked at other international conventions to see if they banned certain ammunition. Some do, but experts suggested Mateen’s ammunition might not qualify, again because these agreements are binding for traditional warfare, not domestic purchases. The first appearance of an ammunition ban in international treaties comes in the 1868 Declaration of St. Petersburg, which bans explosive or flammable projectiles weighing less than 400 grams. Declaration III of the 1899 Hague Convention bans bullets that ""expand or flatten"" upon entering the body — commonly known as ""hollow-point bullets."" The same language is included in the 1998 Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. The catch? Hague only applies ""in the case of war"" between two or more signatories. Rome only creates jurisdiction over genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. Case in point, the International Committee of the Red Cross notes that many parties to the Hague Convention use ""expanding bullets"" in their domestic police forces. Gary Mauser, professor emeritus at Simon Fraser University, said Moore’s claim errs in relating the Orlando shooting to the Convention. ""That ban does not apply to the attacker in Orlando since he was not part of a formal military force,"" Mauser said. In its newly set International Small Arms Control Standards, the United Nations has recently included a ban on a narrowly defined type of armor-piercing ammunition. However, these protocols are only guidance for how countries could choose to behave domestically, Mauser said. ""ISACS recommendations are merely recommendations, and do not have the force of law, either internationally or within any nation,"" said Mauser, who is also an ISACS expert advisor. The bullets Experts are unsure whether Mateen’s ammunition matches what the treaties describe anyway, as law enforcement officials have not yet released the exact type of bullet Mateen used. George Mocsary, a professor of law at Southern Illinois University, said that the vast majority of AR-15 bullets (mentioned in Moore’s tweet) are .223 ""full metal jackets."" These, Mocsary said, would not violate any conventions because they are ""not expanding,"" ""not explosive,"" and ""not armour-piercing by the ISACS definition."" Mocsary did, however, note that many .223 rounds can penetrate some armour simply by nature of being shot from a rifle. However, investigators have not confirmed whether ""full metal jackets"" were in fact what Mateen used. Tim O’Rourke, an investigator for The Grafton Group forensic science firm, said it is impossible to definitively characterize Mateen’s rounds without further information. It is possible and legal to purchase hollow-point ""controlled expansion"" rounds in Florida, he said. Regarding what Moore tweeted about the bullets’ ""spin,"" O’Rourke noted it is possible for bullets to ""tumble"" in the body depending on contingent factors such as barrel length and distance fired. O’Rourke noted, however, that the bullets would not be designed to explode or detonate in the body. Nonetheless, doctors treating the injuries noted the severe damage done to victim’s bodies, such as ""big, giant cavities"" in the victims. One mentioned that bullets struck with such force that ripple effects damaged even nearby tissue. ""It actually puts kinetic energy into tissue that it didn't hit,"" said doctor John M. Porter in the Philadelphia Inquirer. ""It can go next to the liver and still destroy the liver."" Our ruling Moore tweeted that the Geneva Convention prohibits the type of ammunition used in the Orlando shooting. However, the Geneva Convention does not deal with ammunition. Other international conventions do prohibit certain ammunition, but only during wartime, not domestically. Even if they were binding domestically, experts are not sure whether Mateen’s bullets qualify, given the limited information released from law enforcement. That being said, Moore’s tweet does emphasize the amount of damage these bullets inflicted. Even if his specifics might be off, doctors’ reports support Moore on the general point about damages.
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35872
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In February 2020, U.S. President Donald Trump enforced a complete ban on travel from mainland China, a signature policy move that helped save many lives from the spread of COVID-19 in the U.S.
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What's true: A restriction on foreigners traveling from mainland China took effect on Feb. 2, 2020, but thousands of Chinese and foreign nationals from Hong Kong and Macau entered the U.S. in the three months following. Thousands of Americans and foreigners still arrived in the U.S. on direct flights from China after the restrictions were imposed. What's false: There was no ban on travel from China’s administrative zones, as thousands of travelers managed to enter the U.S. from Hong Kong and Macau, regions also struck by COVID-19. Many travelers did not receive the same enhanced screenings for the virus as those required by Americans returning from mainland China. What's undetermined: Evidence from past studies and recent reports showed that travel control measures marginally delayed but did not stop the spread of pandemics, but there is little available proof that the February restrictions helped save thousands or millions of lives as Trump has claimed. Differing responses from experts and officials suggest that the full impact of this policy has yet to be determined.
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mixture
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Politics, 2020 election, COVID-19
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U.S. President Donald Trump’s so-called ban on travel from China was a major talking point he frequently raised as evidence of his quick response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Announced on Jan. 31, 2020, and enforced on Feb. 2, 2020, the Trump administration stated that the ban would prevent the entry of aliens, or non-U.S. citizens, who had been in mainland China in the 14 days prior to traveling to the U.S. In the ensuing weeks and months, Trump continued to reference the ban multiple times as a success story that saved lives: We would’ve had thousands of people additionally die if we let people come in from heavily-infected China. But we stopped it; we did a travel ban in January […] And we saved tens of thousands of lives, but we actually saved millions of lives by closing — by closing up, we saved millions, potentially millions of lives. But many people did manage to come to the U.S. from “heavily-infected China” and its special administrative regions Hong Kong and Macau. Not only did news organizations uncover the porous and mismanaged nature of the “ban,” noting that the measures came too late, but some experts found little to no evidence that the ban resulted in a significant prevention of a spread of COVID-19 cases. A more accurate way to describe Trump’s Jan. 31 proclamation is as a “restriction” on travel from mainland China — not as an outright ban. There were numerous exemptions in place that appeared to nullify the goal of preventing travel into the country to stop the spread of the virus. These exemptions included people traveling from the Special Autonomous Regions of Hong Kong and Macau, and U.S. citizens, residents, their spouses, and close relatives. More details about the exemptions can be found here. Hong Kong and Macau are both governed under the “one country, two systems” principle that allows them to retain their own forms of administration, but with limited autonomy. They are still largely under the control of the People’s Republic of China. From both of these regions, Chinese citizens and other foreign nationals have been able to travel into the U.S. since restrictions were imposed. An Associated Press report found that more than 5,600 Chinese and foreign nationals flew to the U.S. in February 2020 alone. Around Feb. 2, at least 15 cases of the virus had been detected in Hong Kong, and seven more were found in Macau that were later traced to the epicenter of the outbreak in Wuhan. Even before the restriction was imposed, Americans and other nationalities came into the U.S. from mainland China unabated. According to an April 2020 report from The New York Times, at least 430,000 people arrived in the United States on direct flights from China since the outbreak was reported on the last day of 2019, including nearly 40,000 in the two months after the February restrictions were put in place. Thousands of these travelers flew directly from Wuhan. At least 60% of the travelers arriving in the U.S. on direct flights from China in February were not American citizens, according to government data. Screening and monitoring of many travelers was found to be sporadic, and the data shared with states was incorrect, plagued by bad telephone numbers, erroneous itineraries, and travelers even claiming they had never been to China. According to internal notes and emails received by The Associated Press, there were numerous examples of travelers slipping through the cracks in the system. In one email from Feb. 6, 2020, a CDC employee wrote: “Hearing word of people already leaking through screening system and ending up in states without the funneling airports. Knew it would not be perfect, but it has begun.” Furthermore, research being conducted in the aftermath of travel restrictions showed little evidence that they had a major impact on curbing the spread of the virus. A paper published in March in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences looked at the impact of border control measures implemented in several countries. They concluded “that these measures likely slowed the rate of exportation from mainland China to other countries, but are insufficient to contain the global spread of COVID-19.” On June 8, 2020, the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank, released a working paper looking at the effects of Trump’s travel restrictions from China. They noted that historically, such restrictions have been ineffective at halting or significantly delaying the spread of pandemics. They concluded:
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33476
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Drinking four glasses of water at the beginning of each day will prevent heart attacks and cure various diseases.
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Drinking four glasses of water at the beginning of each day will not prevent heart attacks and cure all sorts of diseases.
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false
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Medical, cancer, Medical Myths
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A missive touting a regimen that calls for the ingestion of four glasses of water first thing in the morning followed by the restriction of drinking after meals began circulating on the Internet in August 2004. While it now arrives primarily labeled “Heart Attacks and Water,” its earliest appearances were titled “Drinking Water as Treatment” and “Drink Water on Empty Stomach”: It is popular in Japan today to drink water immediately after waking up every morning. Furthermore, scientific tests have proven its value. We publish below a description of use of water for our readers. For old and serious diseases as well as modern illnesses the water treatment had been found successful by a Japanese medical society as a hundred percent cure for the following diseases, Headache, body ache, heart system, arthritis, fast heart beat, epilepsy, excess fatness, bronchitis, asthma, TB, Meningtitis, Kidney and Urine diseases, vomiting gastritis, diarrhoea, piles, diabetes, constipation, all eye diseases, womb cancer and menstrual disorders, ear nose and throat diseases. METHOD OF TREATMENT 1. As you wake up in the morning before brushing teeth, drink four glasses of water each of 160 ml. 2. Brush and clean the mouth but do not eat or drink anything for 45 minutes. 3. After 45 minutes you may eat and drink as normal. 4. After 15 minutes of breakfast, lunch and dinner do not eat or drink anything for two hours. 5. Those who are old or sick and are unable to drink four glasses of water at the beginning may commence by taking little water and gradually increase it to four glasses per day. 6. The above method of treatment will cure diseases of the sick and others can enjoy a healthy life. The following list gives the number of days of treatment required to cure main diseases. 1. High Blood Pressure 30 days 2. Gastric 10 days 3. Diabetes 30 days 4. Constipation 10 days 5. Cancer 180 days 6. TB 90 days Arthritis patients should follow the above treatment for only 3 days in the first week to be followed by daily treatment. This treatment method has no side effects, however at the commencement of treatment you may have to urinate a few times. Our earliest sighting of this item came from a message board post, where it was presented without any comment identifying its author. Its central claims to authority, that “scientific tests have proven its value” and “water treatment had been found successful by a Japanese medical society as a hundred percent cure for [various diseases]” are unsupported; we were unable to locate any record of “scientific tests” proving this hypothesis, nor of statements issued in support of it by a “Japanese medical society.” Diabetes, cancer, and tuberculosis are serious illnesses that are not subject to being easily cured by even the latest medical technologies, let alone by tap water. Belief in such easy fixes is understandable because such diseases are big, mean, scary things, and those so afflicted often feel powerless in the face of them. Of the illnesses included on the proffered list, the only malady that might be improved by increasing one’s daily water intake is constipation; however, even that claim may be nothing more than chimera. The National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse says of the practice of increasing fluid intake in an effort to treat constipation that: Research shows that although increased fluid intake does not necessarily help relieve constipation, many people report some relief from their constipation if they drink fluids such as water and juice and avoid dehydration. Liquids add fluid to the colon and bulk to stools, making bowel movements softer and easier to pass. Claims that certain healthful benefits can be gained by eating or drinking particular items at specified times of the day are not new; such belief in ritual underpins, for example, the “Eat fruit only on an empty stomach” e-mail. Likewise, the belief that increasing one’s water intake would be a good and healthful thing to do is also well traveled; many people continue to believe (erroneously, it turns out) that 75% of Americans are “chronically dehydrated” and that to stay healthy folks must drink eight glasses of water a day. In January 2010, we happened upon another “benefits of drinking water” e-mail which by November 2011 had been expanded into this longer form: Heart Attack & Water I asked my Doctor why do I and other people urinate (pee) so much at night time. Answer from my Cardiac Doctor = Gravity holds water in the lower part of your body when you are upright. When you lie down and the lower body (legs and other things) seeks level with the kidneys it is then that the kidneys remove the water because it is easier. This then ties in with the last statement! I knew you need your minimum water to help flush the toxins out of your body, but this was news to me. Correct time to drink water… very Important. From A Cardiac Specialist! Drinking water at a certain time maximizes its effectiveness on the body: 2 glasses of water after waking up – helps activate internal organs 1 glass of water 30 minutes before a meal – helps digestion 1 glass of water before taking a bath – helps lower blood pressure 1 glass of water before going to bed – avoids stroke or heart attack Please pass this to the people you care about…… I can also add to this… My Physician told me that water at bed time will also help prevent night time leg cramps. Your leg muscles are seeking hydration when they cramp and wake you up with a Charlie Horse. The suggestion that a glass of water “helps digestion” is nebulous (how would that be measured? ), the claim that it “helps lower blood pressure” is erroneous, and the statement that water “activates internal organs” in the morning is misleading (our organs function quite well all on their own while we sleep, and they continue functioning after we wake up). The one potentially true bit of information related to this item is that some studies have suggested a higher daily intake of water may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. Later versions of this piece also tacked on an older item about taking aspirin at the first sign of a heart attack.
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3390
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Multiple health code violations found at school cafeterias.
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Public health officials have found hundreds of health code violations in cafeterias at schools across Rhode Island.
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true
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Health, Providence, General News, Public health, Rhode Island
|
WPRI-TV reports that a review of state Department of Health records found at least 450 health violations. The number is likely larger because 56 schools were marked for re-inspection, and some have been inspected multiple times. “Schools are really important because we have a lot of little kids,” said Cathy Feeney, chief of the agency’s retail food service program. “If one thing goes wrong, a lot of people can get sick.” Rodent droppings were found at the middle school and at an elementary school in East Greenwich. Records show inspectors returned to both schools several times in October and November. Victor Mercurio, the East Greenwich superintendent, said the district is working with a pest control company. Schools in communities including Barrington, Pawtucket, Providence, and Woonsocket have also been flagged for pest problems. Inspectors have also found other issues including debris on surfaces, dumpsters in the wrong place and appliances in poor repair. Several schools were forced to throw out food because it was not stored at the proper temperature. None of the violations discovered in any of the schools have resulted in the closure of a cafeteria.
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9045
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Weight-loss surgery associated with lower rate of death
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Getty Images The observational study referenced in this news release suggests that people who have bariatric surgery may have a lower rate of death than those who try to lose weight using nonsurgical alternatives. Although the study is larger than many similar ones, it suffers from some of the same limitations; mainly difficulties matching the two study groups in such a way that the differences in their outcomes can be attributed to something other than chance. This news release does touch on these limitations but would have served readers better if it had included more on the costs and risks involved in bariatric surgery, as well as some discussion of nonsurgical alternatives. As bariatric surgery to treat obesity becomes increasingly popular, there’s growing interest in the potential long-term benefits and risks involved. Bariatric surgeries are booming, even in children. This makes long-term studies addressing safety and efficacy increasingly important. The decision to pursue bariatric surgery is a complicated one. News releases and published articles touching on this emotionally charged topic serve readers best when they provide a balanced perspective on surgical vs. nonsurgical options, benefits vs. risks, and both the long-term and short-term costs involved.
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mixture
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JAMA,Weight-loss surgery
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Three types of bariatric surgery (laparoscopic banding, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy) are the primary interventions evaluated in this study. The costs for these common weight loss procedures are not mentioned in the news release. Some information — even broad cost ranges of bariatric surgery compared to nonsurgical care — is warranted. The release states that “The rate of death from any cause over about 4.5 years was lower among obese patients who underwent bariatric surgery compared with patients who managed their obesity with nonsurgical care.” The release further notes that “The association between bariatric surgery and a lower rate of death from any cause adds to the limited literature describing the beneficial outcomes of these surgical procedures for obese patients.” But the results state only that the rates of death were “lower” over the 4.5 year follow up period. There is no attempt to put the size of the difference in context. The release doesn’t discuss any potential harms associated with bariatric surgery — and there are several. While the focus of this study was on rates of death, not on other outcomes, any discussion of this surgery that might sway a reader to try it needs to include a summary of potential complications and risks. The issue of harms might have been included in the “limitations” section of the release. The news release does well in describing this retrospective cohort study as observational and that a significant limitation is the imbalance that occurs in trying to match surgical and nonsurgical groups by age, sex, body mass index, and diabetes status. It would have been helpful to make it clear that patients were not assigned randomly, and many surgical candidates were excluded because they could not be matched. These limitations, along with some confounding socioeconomic factors, would have been helpful to include in the bulleted section, “Study Limitations,” which we were happy to see included. There is no disease-mongering in this news release. Funding sources and conflicts of interest are not addressed in the news release. Is is suggested readers consult the original article (link provided) for more information. The nonsurgical alternatives to treating obesity are not clearly explained in this news release. The release doesn’t address availability. However, bariatric surgery for obesity is becoming increasingly common and is now available worldwide. The release would have been stronger had it informed readers about the eligibility criteria for the surgery. The news release notes that there are many studies looking at the short-term outcomes of bariatric surgery, but less that address longer-term effects, as this one does. There is no unjustifiable language employed.
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34009
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One of the women in the James Bond film For Your Eyes Only is transgender.
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Rumors about the real transgender Bond girl have morphed over time, with later versions asserting the woman in question had been one of the primary love interests in For Your Eyes Only. That role was filled by French actress Carole Bouquet, appearing as the vengeful daughter of the scientist the villain had done away with.
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true
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Entertainment, Films, Movies
|
The 1981 film For Your Eyes Only was the twelfth in the James Bond series and marked the fifth appearance of Roger Moore as secret agent 007. Like all Bond offerings, the non-stop action was sprinkled with bodacious babes, about one of whom questions subsequently surfaced. Caroline Cossey, one of the “Bond girls” appearing in that film was a transgender woman. Ms. Cossey began life in 1954 as Barry Cossey but later decided to live as a woman. She changed her name to Caroline in 1972, began taking hormone tablets, had breast augmentation surgery, and in 1974 underwent the final sex reassignment surgery (SRS). From about 1979 to 1986 Caroline worked as a fashion model and actress under the name Tula, and she caught a break in 1980 when she was cast in the James Bond film For Your Eyes Only. Shortly after the film’s release in 1981, however, the UK tabloid News of the World “outed” her and disrupted her modeling and acting career. Caroline’s first attempt at marriage, to Count Glauco, an Italian national, was blocked in 1983 by legal complications (under English law she was still considered male). In 1989 she married Elias Fattal in London, but her husband left her shortly after the honeymoon and the marriage was annulled by the High Court (under a ruling that the bride and groom had not been female and male, respectively). Caroline told her story in the 1982 book, Tula: I Am a Woman and published an autobiography, My Story, in 1991; she has resumed her modelling career and is now married to David Finch, a Canadian. But Caroline Cossey was a ‘Bond girl’ in only the most fleeting of ways: She appeared but briefly on screen in For Your Eyes Only, and film credits describe her as “girl at pool,” a designation she shared with ten other actresses.
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27807
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Xylitol, a sugar substitute used in sugar-free gum and other products, can be harmful to dogs.
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Xylitol, a sugar substitute used in sugar-free gum and other products, can be harmful to dogs.
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true
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Critter Country, Crusader Habit, dogs, xylitol
|
In April 2015 news reports carried an account of a Wisconsin family whose 2-year-old golden retriever had died of severe liver damage after consuming gum containing the sweetener Xylitol: Luna, a 2-year-old golden retriever, was put down by her owners after she ingesting Xylitol-laden gum. Luna had suffered severe liver damage. “Luna had gotten into a container of gum, actually chewed it open herself,” said Samantha Caress, 22. She, boyfriend Jordan Pellett ,22, and their son, Grady, 7 months, are devastated. “She was like our first child. She was like our family before we even had Grady,” said Caress. Caress and Pellett said the dog ingested the “Ice Breaker” Lemon-flavor gum while the couple was out of the home. That tragedy echoed an example which first reached us in May 2007 and reminds us that Xylitol has been known to be potentially toxic to dogs for a number of years now: Today we almost lost our puppy Zelda. This is the puppy that we got this same week last year after one of our dogs, Zeus, was hit and killed in our driveway. Great time of year in this household. Anyway, Zelda got into a half pack (thank God only half) of Orbit sugar free gum. Big deal right? Well, apparently the sweetener Xylitol that seems to be in every pack of sugar free gum around is VERY toxic to dogs. Troy was so upset and insistent that I take her to the vet that I did. By the time we got to the vet’s office, about 15 minutes after Zelda had eaten the gum, her blood sugar was already 50 points below normal and she was basically falling asleep or so it appeared. Had they not had her vomit it she most likely would have died of insulin shock/hypoglycemia pretty quickly. If that had not killed her though, the liver damage that this toxin does to dogs would have by the next day or shortly thereafter. Even the vet didn’t realize how toxic the stuff is to dogs until she called the vet poison control center. They told her that 2 pieces of gum or candy (gum sized) with Xylitol would throw a 13 pound dog into severe hypoglycemia, 10 pieces would throw it into liver failure on top of that. We figure she ate somewhere between 5 and 10 pieces of Orbit gum. Anyway, Zelda is now on IV dextrose and fluids all night, with glucose checks at a minimum of every 6 hours once they stabilize her blood sugar and they also have to now run the liver tox screens for the next 72 hours as well. Please pass this on to anyone you know who has dogs. If they’re like me they will have little to no clue that this stuff is a problem. Interestingly, poison control told the vet that some makers of sugar free gum with Xylitol reimburse pet owners whose pets ingest Xylitol for their vet bills — which can be VERY steep I can tell you. Unfortunately, the makers of Orbit wasn’t one of them. But at least I didn’t lose another dog this year!! They’re hoping that she will make a full recovery. Xylitol is a sugar alcohol commonly used in candy and chewing gum (and some other products, such as peanut butter). It is also found in some pharmaceuticals and oral health products such as chewable vitamins and throat lozenges. It can also be used in home baking. While Xylitol is safe for humans, it can be harmful to dogs. The compound doesn’t affect glucose levels in people, but when ingested by dogs it can cause a dangerous surge of insulin. (In as little as 15 minutes, the blood sugar of a dog that has eaten gum containing Xylitol may register a marked drop in blood sugar.) At higher doses, Xylitol is believed toxic to the canine liver. Just three grams of Xylitol can kill a 65-pound dog. Because the amount of sweetener used in sugar-free chewing gums varies by manufacturer and product, the number of sticks of gum that would prove fatal to a pooch of that size can’t be stated with precision. As a general rule of thumb, between eight and ten pieces of gum might be deadly to a 65-pound canine, but a smaller dog could easily die after ingesting far less (perhaps as few as two sticks of gum): “Certain types of sugar-free gum have huge amounts of Xylitol,” said Dr. Justine Lee, Animal Emergency and Referral Center of Minnesota. “A lot of people do not think about it, but Xylitol’s a product in sugar-free vitamins. They are in toothpaste. They are in dental floss. They are in nasal sprays or in gums or in baked goods and as little as a couple of pieces of gum can result in severe hypoglycemia, so a life threatening drop in blood sugar and actually liver failure.” A dog that has eaten an item containing Xylitol can be rapidly hit by a dangerous drop in blood sugar that causes weakness, lethargy, loss of coordination, collapse, and seizures. Those symptoms can develop within 30 minutes, and a dog so afflicted will need immediate veterinary treatment to survive. Without help, irreversible brain trauma occurs and the patient dies. Xylitol also appears to cause severe liver damage in dogs within 24 hours. According to a study published in the 1 October 2006 Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, of eight dogs who had ingested Xylitol, five died of liver failure, and an additional three canine deaths that occurred after the study was completed were also determined to stem from that cause. While more research needs to be done to categorically prove that Xylitol actually causes canine liver failure, at this time indications point that way. If you think your dog has consumed sugarless gum or any other product containing Xylitol, call your veterinarian immediately. Most likely you will be instructed to bring your pet in to have vomiting induced and IV fluids started, but if you live more than an hour away from a vet, you may have to induce vomiting at home. Veterinary treatment generally involves 24-hour hospitalization and infusion with intravenous fluids containing glucose. Your dog’s blood sugar will be monitored every few hours and the dose of glucose being fed to him by IV adjusted as needed. If liver values are normal after 24 hours, your dog will be sent home. As to how to prevent such poisonings, recognize that dogs are long on sweet tooth and short on judgment and act accordingly. Do not leave tasty items lying around. Put sugar-free gums and candies where dogs can’t get at them. Keep chewable vitamins out of the way too. If you bake with Xylitol, store the resultant goodies well out of your pets’ reach and do not hand-feed them bits of Xylitol-laced muffin as a treat no matter how much they beg. Never rely on the presumption that what is safe for a human to ingest is equally safe for your pets.
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35711
|
"U.S. President Donald Trump said he ""tested very positively"" for COVID-19, meaning his test results came back negative, and he did not have the coronavirus disease."
|
THE PRESIDENT: Yeah. I tested positively toward negative, right? So, no, I tested perfectly this morning, meaning — meaning I tested negative.
|
true
|
Politics, COVID-19
|
In late May 2020, readers searched the Snopes.com website questioning the veracity of a statement attributed to U.S. President Donald Trump, as quoted in a widely shared tweet posted by Washington Post journalist Felicia Sommez: Sommez’s tweet accurately captures Trump’s statement regarding his diagnostic test result amid the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Trump made the remark on May 21, 2020, on the South Lawn of the White House, as he was about to depart on Marine One for Michigan, where he toured a Ford manufacturing facility. Trump was responding to a reporter who asked how long the president expected to take hydroxychloroquine, a drug that Trump has been promoting as a potential treatment for COVID-19 without medical evidence for its safety or efficacy. Here is a transcription of the exchange between the reporter and Trump, per WhiteHouse.gov: Q Sir, how long do you expect take hydroxychloroquine? THE PRESIDENT: I think it’s another day. I had a two-week regimen of hydroxychloroquine. And I’ve taken it, I think, just about two weeks. I think it’s another day. And I’m still here. I’m still here. And I tested very positively in a — in another sense. So, this morning — Q Negatively?
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25622
|
This video shows Trump looking “lost and disoriented.”
|
The clip, which is from 2019, was edited to make it look like Trump is disoriented.
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false
|
Facebook Fact-checks, Instagram posts,
|
"An edited video of President Trump appearing disoriented on the White House lawn has been shared widely on social media with users ly claiming that it shows him experiencing dementia. One description of the video, which was re-shared on Instagram, says, ""Trump is lost and disoriented here. His mind goes blank and he doesn’t remember what he’s supposed to do next. He’s deep into his degenerative neurological disease — Frontotemporal dementia — mindlessly lumbering and zigzagging in the grass toward the puddle."" But the 12-second clip, which is from 2019, was deceptively edited to make it look like Trump is wandering aimlessly for no reason. He wasn’t. The post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.) The clip is from a longer video that was captured on Aug. 7, 2019, when Trump spoke to reporters before departing on Marine One for Dayton, Ohio, and El Paso, Texas, to meet with the victims and first responders of two deadly shootings that had occurred at both locations. Trump stands by the puddle and points at it for a moment, apparently to warn Melania not to step in the water. The couple then walk together to board the helicopter. The clip was labeled as manipulated media on Twitter shortly after it surfaced."
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34138
|
"A viral video shows a cake bar that is sold in the U.S. with two ""paralysis tablets"" added to it by its Turkish manufacturers."
|
Finally, the production processes, safety certifications, and contamination safeguards in place at factories that manufacture the Luppo bars mean it is effectively impossible for any object such as the “tablets” shown in the video to be added to bar at source.
|
false
|
Food
|
In November 2019, we received multiple inquiries from readers about the authenticity of a video that went viral in late October and early November, and that appeared to show “paralysis” pills hidden inside a Turkish-made snack bar. One widely shared iteration of the video was accompanied by the following caption: “ALERT! These packets of snack are dangerous! Made in Turkey and exported to USA & Israel … inside each cake are tablets that cause paralysis!!! DO NOT EAT, DO NOT BUY! PLZ FWD…” In Mexico, the video was shared largely on WhatsApp, along with a message that specifically warned that the “tablets” cause “permanent cerebral palsy.” In reality, it’s unclear exactly what the footage showed or at what stage or by whom the “tablets” were added to the bar in question. However, no evidence exists to indicate that the objects were inserted by the snack’s Turkish manufacturer, nor that such “tablets” induced paralysis. (Medically, it is not possible for a drug to induce cerebral palsy in an otherwise healthy child or adult, so this specific claim, shared widely in Mexico, was false.) Furthermore, the Luppo coconut cream bars are sold only in Iraq, and not in the U.S. or Israel, as the viral social media warning falsely claimed. Documents provided to Snopes by the company that makes the snack show that its production processes, contamination safeguards, and safety certifications mean it is effectively impossible for a foreign object such as the “tablets” shown in the viral footage to be inserted at source. As a result, we are satisfied to conclude that the video is either an orchestrated effort to mislead millions of viewers about the contents of the snack bar, or it shows an isolated instance where an individual has, for whatever reason, contaminated a Luppo bar on a local level. It might show objects that have been inserted into a coconut cream bar, but those objects were not inserted by the manufacturer and do not pose a threat to consumers in various countries, including the United States. The Turkish fact-checking website Teyit conducted a thorough investigation of the viral footage, tracing its spread to an original video posted to YouTube on Oct. 28. Teyit came to the conclusion that the footage was most likely filmed in the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq, because the language heard towards the end of the clip is Sorani, a Kurdish language, and because the brand of chicken seen in the refrigerator in the background (“As Piliç”) is widely sold in that region. A spokesperson for Sölen, the Turkish company that makes the Luppo coconut cream bar, confirmed that that particular product is only sold in Iraq. This disproves the claim, contained in the widely shared warning message, that the snack is “Made in Turkey and exported to USA & Israel.” It is made in Turkey, but it is only sold in Iraq. Journalists based in the region told Teyit that the contamination of the coconut cream bar shown in the video could plausibly be part of a politically motivated effort to discredit popular Turkish brands, as part of ongoing Kurdish-Turkish tensions. Teyit correctly noted that the surface of the bar shown in the video shows signs of having been punctured. Although not definitive evidence, this would be consistent with someone opening a bar, inserting the “tablets” by pushing them into the interior of the cake, and then repackaging the bar. For its part, Sölen emphatically rejected the authenticity of the viral video. In a detailed and lengthy email statement sent to Snopes, a spokesperson for the company called the footage “delusive, groundless and false” and said it was “produced entirely with the object of defamation.” The spokesperson said the company was already seeking to take legal action against those responsible. Sölen provided multiple documents showing the safety certifications of the plants where Sölen products, including the Luppo coconut cream bar, are manufactured. Those inspections were conducted by the Swiss company SGS. Crucially, the spokesperson also pointed out that among the several filtration systems used in producing and processing the batter, cream, chocolate and filling components of various Luppo bars was one that blocks any particle greater than 700 microns (0.7 millimeters) in height or width. The “tablets” shown in the viral video footage are clearly larger than those dimensions, and so could not have been added to the cake bar while it was being made. The spokesperson also noted that the production process is entirely automated, meaning the components of each snack are “untouched by human hands” until each product is already in its packaging. It’s unclear exactly what objects the viral video shows embedded in the Luppo coconut cream bar or how they got there. It’s possible they could have been inserted by the person who filmed the video, in a deliberate effort to mislead viewers, potentially as part of a politically motivated campaign of smearing Turkish brands. They could also have been inserted by someone else on a local level, before the individual who made the video inadvertently created the scare by sharing what was found, in a sincere attempt to warn others. However, no evidence exists to indicate that the objects were tablets, or that they could induce paralysis. Furthermore, Luppo coconut cream bars are not sold anywhere other than Iraq, contrary to viral claims they were sold in the U.S. and Israel.
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11488
|
A man’s eye-opening surgery
|
This live TV report on a vision correction surgery using the Visian ICL (implantable) lens ignores several essential elements of journalistic practice. Its use of a dramatic stunt–a surgery done in real time with interviews before and after the procedure–implies the surgery is fast, uncomplicated and complete in a single session. This is not an accurate portrayal of the full treatment. It uses a single surgery–done on an employee of the same TV network by a surgeon with a commerical interest in selling the device and procedure–to explain the procedure. Whether the employee paid for this service or whether he received it free or at a discount is not known. If the patient has not paid full price as an independent consumer, his comments should not be considered objective. If he did pay full price, the network should have avoided even the perception of a conflict of interest by finding someone else to profile. The report does not include the clinical evidence of effectiveness, the list of potential harms or an assessment by independent clinicians or researchers. All of this is essential information for anybody who may consider the procedure. It fails to put this procedure in the context of any vision correction treatment other than Lasik, and does not indicate what qualifies or disqualifies a patient for this treatment. By creating a dramatic demonstration of a medical procedure and implying its success–without context, independent comment or reporting of potential harms and research findings–this segment violates almost every important principle behind responsible medical reporting. Besides all of these observations, we ask NBC: what makes this news now? what criteria were applied to the reporting and production of this story? why did you feature one of your own employees and did he get the operation free or at a discount?
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false
|
"The segment states that the cost is usually $3,000 to $3,500 per eye, and that it is not covered by insurance. However, the fact that prices are given ""per eye"" when both must be treated–and that the first price mentioned is ""a few hundred dollars per month""–contributes to the implication that the surgery is affordable and a good value. Aside from what appears to be an immediate positive result for the patient treated on live TV–and the surgeon’s assurances that the treatment is comparable to HDTV, produces an ""a-ha"" moment and is ""growing by leaps and bounds,"" the segment does nothing to quantify the benefits of the treatment. An FDA approval report states: In a clinical study of 294 patients implanted with the Visian ICL™, 95 percent had 20/40 or better vision (considered standard vision necessary to obtain a driver’s license), and 59 percent had 20/20 or better, after three years. The segment mentions a low risk for infection. This is an incomplete reporting of harms. Even the Visian ICL website itself includes a more complete list of possible risks and complications that includes: The segment provides no evidence that the procedure is safe or effective aside from the demonstration on a single patient. Research has been published, but it is not cited here. Using a single example of a patient who describes himself as ""legally blind"" without vision correction creates the impression that a lack of permanent correction is a liability or danger. He is likely to be a candidate for other correction approaches. The only sources providing information are the physician and the patient. No independent experts were used on the air. Whether the surgeon has a financial relationship with the maker of Visian ICL beyond being a vendor for its products is not reported. The surgeon explains that for patients like the one he is operating on, Visian ICL is a good alternative to Lasik surgery. He does not compare ICL to other treatments, and to those that may be better matched with other patients. The segment implies availability of the Visian ICL lens and procedure, but does not specify whether it is available in many places, a few–or, for that matter, exclusively from the Boxer Wachler Institute. While the implantable lens is correctly described as newer and less common than other surgical forms of vision correction, it’s not clear whether this particular device and procedure is novel–one of many, the only one of its type, etc. Clinical trials by the company that markets Visian ICL began in 1994. European approval came in 1997. FDA approval of one form of the lens came in 2005. What made it news now? We can’t tell. We can’t be sure if the story relied solely or largely on a news release. As we pointed out, more complete information on potential harms appeared on the company’s website than appeared in the news story!"
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11310
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Quick shot replacing nip, tuck
|
This story about the rise in the use of injectable products spent most of its space on the product called laViv. The story does not even name the company – or tell readers where they might get the product. The experts quoted are debating whether laViv is “as good as other injectables” but nobody is asking – what is the evidence that it is safe or what do skeptics say about it? People spend money on vanity and cosmetic dermatology, making it a big business. Approval of a product requires testing and attention to safety. Readers deserve the same reporting standards about this sort of product as any other. Although laViv and the other drugs used as fillers appear to be benign, they are drugs that require the same level of scrutiny as any other drug approved by the FDA. They have the potential for side effects as any other drug does.
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false
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Chicago Tribune
|
The story does not give an actual cost for the therapy but suggests the regimen will be more expensive than available approaches. We are left unsure of any detail for the reader to understand how much they will pay for a typical treatment with laViv. The story does not give readers enough description of potential benefits of laViv or other fillers. The FDA approved it on the basis of a 6-month study in several hundred patients. Just over 50 percent reported improvement in the nasolabialfolds (as compared to 30 percent who received placebo injections.) The story does not quantify harms. There is no mention of harm. One expert indicates FDA approval means the product is “safe and can work.” What the story does not say is that the FDA advisory board had significant issues about the safety of the product and the FDA required the manufacturer to conduct a post marketing study to determine the safety of the product. There is no evidence offered in the story for the effectiveness of the newly approved laViv. The sole skeptic voice quoted in the story is Thomas Mustoe, a professor of surgery at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. His skepticism is limited to not being sure that laViv will work “as well as other nonsurgical options.” No one in the story questions whether laViv or other cosmetic therapy is safe. “What is unknown is whether it is going to turn out to better than other fillers,” Mustoe states in the story. The story engages in disease mongering, suggesting that a widow could not come “out of her shell” because the “aging process was taking hold.” The story assumes that all Americans desire to use cosmetic surgical or injection procedures to try to erase natural aging. The sources are dermatologists who may market this therapeutic in their practices. No expert – from outside the cosmetic industry – is asked for an opinion. The story does talk about Botox, which is one existing alternative for cosmetic enhancement. It does not use any metric to compare effectiveness of laViv with other therapies. The story suggests that LaViv is available at the present time. In a few minutes online, we were able to find a company statement saying “we hope to make it available soon” and that was dated June 2011. According to other news accounts, the company is Fibrocell Science of Exton, Pa., and several published reports say it has very little money to promote its new therapy, which may be available to only about 1,000 patients nationwide in this first year and only in “major metropolitan” centers. The story provides a bare minimum of information about the novelty of laViv compared to other FDA approved cosmetic fillers. It does not appear to rely on a news release. However, there is an apparently word-for-word identical blogpost by the same author at a link called “cosmeticenhancementonline” and no reference there to the newspaper story. http://cosmeticenhancementonline.blogspot.com/
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26491
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“Church services can’t resume until we’re all vaccinated, says Bill Gates.”
|
Asked what it would look like when communities start opening up again, Bill Gates said: “Which activities have, like schools, have such benefit and can be done in a way that the risk of transmission is very low? And which activities like mass gatherings may be, in a certain sense, more optional. And so until you’re widely vaccinated, those may not come back at all.”
|
false
|
Religion, Facebook Fact-checks, Coronavirus, Bloggers,
|
"Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, whose charitable foundation has long focused on public-health initiatives, has emerged as a prominent voice in public discussions about how to combat the new coronavirus. But a recent blog post misrepresents his statements about recovering from the current crisis. The headline of an April 9 blog post on the website Pulpit & Pen says: ""Church services can’t resume until we’re all vaccinated, says Bill Gates."" This post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.) The blog goes on to say that ""Gates now argues that ‘mass gatherings’ (churches) will not meet again until a vaccine is found and everyone is vaccinated."" The post links to an April 2 story on MyNorthwest.com about an interview Gates gave to ""CBS This Morning."" In the interview, according to CBS, Gates called for a nationwide social isolation policy to slow the pandemic’s spread. ""It’ll help everyone get out of this more quickly and reduce the deaths and reduce the economic reduction,"" Gates said, ""if we implement these strong isolation measures on a countrywide basis."" We listened to the nearly 30-minute interview and we didn’t hear Gates mention churches. Rather, he says that the government needs to prioritize testing, and talks about when a vaccine could be ready for COVID-19 and when communities could open back up. He said that he expects that by the end of April some regions will see the number of COVID-19 cases plateau and then decrease. ""We understand what needs to be done here, it’s going to be very painful, but taking the pain early means there’s a lot less pain both medically and economically than if we dilly-dally and wait until every town has big numbers before we react,"" he said. He then speculated about what opening up would look like. ""Which activities have, like schools, have such benefit and can be done in a way that the risk of transmission is very low? And which activities like mass gatherings may be, in a certain sense, more optional. And so until you’re widely vaccinated, those may not come back at all,"" he said. When ""CBS This Morning"" co-host Anthony Mason asked Gates if life will ever be the same, Gates said, ""not for some time."" What he doesn’t say? That church services can’t resume until we’re all vaccinated. Considering what the world will look like as regions slow the spread of the coronavirus and people start to resume their lives, Gates suggests that some mass gatherings may not come back before enough people have been vaccinated against COVID-19. But Gates doesn’t specify that this means ""church"" gatherings, nor does he have any power to forbid church services ""until we’re all vaccinated,"" as the post says. In the interview he mentions talking to pharmaceutical companies and federal agencies about how to collaborate on a vaccine, but he doesn’t imply that he has control over what policies the government could adopt with respect to such gatherings."
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10795
|
Researchers one step closer to potential autism test
|
Both stories relied on journalism tropes. In the Reuters story, researchers were “closing in on an accurate test for autism.” Here they are “finding more pieces of the autism puzzle of with the help of MRI scans”. The latter is more accurate. If you now have three pieces of a 500-piece puzzle, you still have more pieces than you did before. The story follows through with this more cautious lead by presenting a better — if not complete — analysis of the evidence and using independent sources to bring some much needed perspective on the findings. Unfortunately, like the Reuters story, this one gave readers no solid quantification of harms or benefits, and no cost information. The currently available specific testing methods for the diagnosis of autism and autism spectrum disorders are blunt instruments. While more accurate than routinely used tools, the current autism diagnostic tools are not as sensitive and specific as needed. That is why a good diagnostic tool would be a welcome addition. It remains to be seen however if the promise of diffusion tensor MRI screening will be realized. To be useful, a diagnostic test for autism should have a high degree of sensitivity especially in young children. Identifying children at risk early is essential if any intervention is to work in reducing the impact of the disorder. Screening for autism early and making decisions based on that screening can have very real consequences. In the absence of proven clinical treatments for autism, parents spend whatever they can on natural remedies, specific diets and behavioral therapies. In the absence of real proof, journalists need to make sure any evidence they help to promote has been properly vetted.
|
mixture
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Autism,CNN
|
Just as Reuters did, CNN ignored costs. MRI scans are a major driver of healthcare costs and the use of this technology as a routine screening instrument could have a significant direct financial impact. The cost of a routine MRI could have been provided. This story and the Reuters story use the 94 percent accuracy figure with no context. “By scanning the brain for 10 minutes using magnetic resonance imaging, researchers were able to measure six physical differences of microscopic fibers in the brains of 30 males with confirmed high-functioning autism and 30 males without autism. The images of the brains helped researchers correctly identify those with autism with 94 percent accuracy, says Nicholas Lange, an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and one of the study authors.” What exactly does this mean? Was autism found in all of the 30 who had autism and none of the 30 who did not? Were there any false diagnoses? The same as with the Reuters story, CNN mentioned no harms in this story. For those who have had the pleasure, you know how tight and confining the scanner “chamber” can be. Younger children frequently require deep sedation for a scan due to the tightness and to the loud banging that occurs during the scan. Although there is no radiation emitted, MRI scans are uncomfortable, loud and intimidating especially for younger children. The biggest harm, though, is the potential for false diagnoses, which should have been addressed. This story analyzes the evidence better than the Reuters story by pointing out the limitations in the study. It also actually explains what this MRI does to find the differences. Because “the study included only males between the ages of 7 and 28” the study findings could prove problematic for the authors’ claims that the scans will lead to earlier diagnosis. “The earlier a child has been identified as having autism, the earlier behavioral therapies can be applied to lessen the impact of the disorder later in life,” the story says. But how will earlier children be tested? It’s simple, Lange says, “as long as they can go to sleep in the scanner – on their own, without sedation (because you can’t move during the test).” That’s a big “what if.” Any parent with a child under 7 can tell you how hard it is to get them to stay in one place, let alone fall asleep and remain immobile in a confined space. Both stories rely on the CDC statistics for autism prevalence. The story did a far better job than the Reuters story in making use of independent sources. Both Carissa Cascio, an assistant professor of psychiatry from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Zachary Warren, who is the director of the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders (TRIAD), offered cautious views of the study. Unlike the Reuters story, this one actually pointed out that there are other ways to detect autism beyond brain scans. “Currently there’s no biologic test for autism, so pediatricians look to see if a child is meeting certain developmental milestones as well as signs and symptoms of autism. (The advocacy group Autism Speaks has posted videos to help parents see the signs of autism)” We would have liked to have seen a couple of additional comments about the current testing modes, their limitations and the degree of accuracy provided by them. The story does a better job than the Reuters story of showing that these scans will not be rolling into your local mall anytime soon. “Lange is quick to caution that this type of test is not yet ready for prime time. “We do not want to give anyone false hopes that this is ready for the clinic yet. This method, this test, needs to be tried [and confirmed] with many more subjects outside our laboratory,” he says.” The story allows the lead author to claim complete novelty. “”No one has measured what we measured,” says Lange of the MRI test he and Dr. Janet Lainhart from the University of Utah developed.” The story also says, “no one has looked at it the way we have and no on has gotten these type of results.” These two comments would lead one to believe that diffusion tensor MRI scanning in people with autism and autism spectrum disorder has not been done in the past. Although the scanners appear to be commercially available and diffusion tensor MRI scans have been done in people with autism and related disorder, the programming of the scanner appears to be unique. The story leaves this point murky. The story does not rely on a news release.
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3371
|
Massachusetts looks to open new drug-monitoring centers.
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Public health officials in Massachusetts are seeking organizations to set up centers where people can be monitored after using illicit drugs.
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true
|
Health, General News, Public health, Massachusetts
|
These planned “medical observation and monitoring services” would be staffed by nurses and other clinicians, who would monitor the clients’ vital signs, administer oxygen, intravenous fluids, and the overdose-reversing drug naloxone if necessary, the Boston Globe reported Wednesday. The clients will be able to remain anonymous and receive counseling, treatment for infections and wounds, and help with obtaining primary health care and addiction treatment. People will not be allowed to use drugs inside these centers, a marked difference from the concept of “safe consumption sites.” The state’s Department of Public Health is seeking bids to create three to five monitoring sites. Each would serve five to 10 people who have taken too much of a sedative, such as heroin or fentanyl, or a stimulant, such as cocaine or methamphetamine. The site locations have not yet been determined. The observation centers were part of a $5 million item in the state budget, which charges the public health department with promoting “harm reduction” to reduce the bad consequences of drug use.
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1916
|
Fake Mars mission to open hatch on 520 days isolation.
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The crew of an isolation experiment to simulate a 520-day mission to Mars are in the final countdown before the opening on Friday of the hatch on the windowless cells in which they have been locked away since June last year.
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true
|
Science News
|
In this file photo, participants of the Mars500 experiment, which simulates a 520-day flight to Mars, pose for a picture before entering a confinement module to start their mission in Moscow June 3, 2010. The crew comprises of (L-R): Alexey Sitev, Wang Yue, Romain Charles, Sukhrob Kamolov, Diego Urbina and Alexander Smoleevskiy. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin The $15-million Mars500 experiment aims to answer one of the big questions of deep-space travel: could people endure the stresses of a voyage of more than six months to the Red Planet? The six male volunteers from Europe, China and Russia are not exposed to weightlessness or solar radiation, but in just about every other way life inside the 550-cubic-meter mock spaceship in Moscow resembles that of a real space flight. Clothed in blue jumpsuits, the would-be astronauts take daily urine and blood samples, eat rations like those of real astronauts and do not shower often. Communication with the outside world comes with a 20-minute lag and the crew have faced power outages and other impromptu glitches. Halfway through, two crew members donned 32-kg (70-pound) spacesuits to clomp about in a dark sand-filled container meant to imitate the surface of Mars. “The research we have points to levels of high stress,” said Igor Ushakov, the head of the Russian Institute for Biomedical Problems which runs the “spaceship.” “The most difficult thing for them was being starved of information.” Psychologists fear a return to the noise and activity of ordinary life will come as a shock to the crew, and plan a period of rehabilitation. “The key principle is to take it step by step to return them to the world which they left,” Ushakov told Reuters. A previous 420-day experiment ended in drunken disaster in 2000, when two participants got into a fistfight and a third tried to forcibly kiss a female crew member. But Mars500 is being hailed as a success. The emergency exit remained sealed and it proved an unexpected publicity coup for the European Space Agency, a collaborator on the project. “It was not designed to be a PR thing but I think it naturally evolved to be quite a positive and comprehensive advertisement for what we might eventually do next,” ESA’s head of human space flight operations Martin Zell told Reuters. With video cameras tracking the crew everywhere but the toilets, Mars500 has been likened to a scientific reality show. To kill time, China’s Wang Yue practiced calligraphy, France’s Romain Charles strummed his guitar and together the crew, aged from 28-38, played karaoke, chess and Nintendo Wii. The elaborate pretence of their imaginary spaceflight includes four days’ quarantine after they “return.” “Folks who get close to us will need to go through a small medical examination, so we don’t catch a cold!” Italian Diego Urbina tweeted earlier this month. In another tweet, he said he most yearned for “family, calling my friends, bumping into strangers, going to the beach.” Over 100 different experiments have crowded in on the Mars500 project, with researchers of every stripe interested in scrutinizing the men. Space officials say space technology is still decades away from being able to land astronauts on the Red Planet, more than 35 million miles (56 million km) away across the solar system. NASA unveiled $10 billion plans last month to build a huge deep-space rocket to carry astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit after 2017, but space-faring nations are still debating whether to target a mission to the Moon, an asteroid or Mars. Among real-life astronauts, support for Mars500 has been tempered by some skepticism. Space veteran Sergei Krikalyov, who has spent a record 803 days in orbit, told Reuters: “It’s useful but, sitting here on Earth, it won’t solve real problems of long human exposure in space.” But the crew has won praise. “I can’t help but applaud the fact that six people would go ahead and do something like this,” said U.S. astronaut Mark Polansky, who heads NASA operations at Russia’s Star City training center outside Moscow. “It’s really giving up a lot to pretend that you are on you’re way to Mars.”
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10548
|
Coffee, Tea May Stall Diabetes
|
"The headline of the story – ""Coffee, Tea May Stall Diabetes"" – gets the story off on the wrong track. The active verb ""stall"" – even with the qualifying ""may"" still implies a causal link. If you can stall it, you must have proven the link, right? Wrong. Observational studies can only point to an association, not establish causation. The story allowed the researchers to promote their findings, even allowing them to say ""the implications for the millions of individuals who have diabetes mellitus, or who are at future risk of developing it, would be substantial"" – without including any independent expert perspective. For a comparison, readers (and WebMD editors) may want to look at a shorter Reuters story that did a better job on the same study. Especially when self-intererested researchers make bold projections on observational studies (which have their limitations), independent expert comments are necessary."
|
false
|
"Costs weren’t discussed, but most people know what coffee and tea costs. The story provided several data points about potential benefits, but never discussed the limitations of drawing conclusions from observational studies. There was no discussion of the potential harms of drinking large quantities of coffee or tea. While this story included a fair number of data points, it neglected to adequately explain that this was an observational study that can only point to statistical associations – not to established causes. The story gives no source for the projection that ""Researchers say the number of people with type 2 diabetes is expected to increase by 65% by 2025, reaching an estimated 380 million people worldwide."" No independent experts in the field were quoted to provide context for the information presented. There was not adequate mention of what has been demonstrated to reduce the chance of developing type II diabetes. The availability of coffee and tea is not in question. This story stated that, ""several studies have suggested that drinking coffee may lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and others have shown that decaffeinated coffee and tea may offer similar benefits, but there has not been a recent review of the research on the issue."" The story appears to draw entirely from a journal news release. The concluding quote in the story is exactly the same as the concluding quote from the news release."
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8614
|
China sees rise in asymptomatic coronavirus cases, to tighten controls at land borders.
|
Mainland China reported 39 new coronavirus cases as of Sunday, up from 30 a day earlier, and the number of asymptomatic cases also surged as the government vowed tighter controls at land borders.
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true
|
Health News
|
The National Health Commission said on Monday that 78 new asymptomatic cases had been identified as of the end of Sunday, compared with 47 the day before. Imported cases and asymptomatic patients, who show no symptoms but can still pass the virus on, have become China’s chief concern after draconian containment measures succeeded in slashing the overall infection rate. Hubei province, the original epicentre, accounted for almost half the new asymptomatic cases. A total of 705 people with asymptomatic cases were under medical observation around mainland China. The surge in asymptomatic cases, which China only began reporting last week, poses a worry as Hubei’s capital Wuhan prepares to allow people to leave the city on April 8 for the first time since it was locked down in late January. Wuhan officials revoked the “epidemic-free” status of 45 residential compounds due to the emergence of asymptomatic cases and other unspecified reasons, according to a report on Monday by the official Xinhua news agency. “Epidemic-free” status allows people living in Wuhan compounds to leave their homes for two hours at a time. China has now reported a total of 81,708 cases, with 3,331 deaths. One new locally transmitted infection was reported in the latest data, in the southern province of Guangdong, down from five a day earlier in the same province. China has closed its borders to foreigners as the virus spreads globally, though most imported cases have involved Chinese nationals returning from overseas. It began testing all international arrivals for the coronavirus from April 1, customs official Song Yueqian said. Of the new cases showing symptoms, 38 entered China from abroad, compared with 25 a day earlier. Of those, 20 arrived in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang from neighbouring Russia. All were Chinese citizens who had flown from Moscow to Vladivostok and travelled to China overland. China will work to prevent cases being imported through land borders, the government said after a meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang on Monday，which noted the number of such cases had exceeded cases recorded at airports recently. Those who try to hide their travel history or health condition face a fine of up to 30,000 yuan ($4,230) or even criminal proceedings, Song said, adding such people will be placed on a customs “blacklist” of travellers who will be subject to tighter checks in future. Another possible source of infection are the 1.6 million Chinese who study overseas, many of whom have struggled to return home since international flights were reduced. Charter flights are being arranged to bring home Chinese students in the United States, starting with the youngest, China’s embassy in Washington said. The ambassador, Cui Tiankai, noted in the New York Times on Monday there had been “unpleasant talk” between the two countries about the virus. “But this is not the time for finger-pointing. This is a time for solidarity, collaboration and mutual support,” Cui wrote. Amid criticism China was too slow to warn the international community about the outbreak, Xinhua on Monday published a “detailed timeline” of the country’s coronavirus response and information sharing, from late December 2019 to March 2020. China started reporting to the United States “regularly” on the epidemic and containment measures from Jan. 3, according to the timeline. Click here for an interactive GRAPHIC tracking global spread of coronavirus
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6796
|
Records: Tyco knew of contamination 4 years before reporting.
|
A Wisconsin company that makes firefighting foam knew its toxic products were contaminating groundwater at least four years before notifying residents, according to state records.
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true
|
Health, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Marinette
|
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources records show that Tyco Fire Products discovered soil and well contamination on the Marinette manufacturer’s fire training property in 2013, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported. The contamination involves a class of chemicals known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, which are linked to cancer and other health issues. The company was found to have some of the highest known concentrations of the chemicals in groundwater and soil in Wisconsin, according to the records. In November 2017, Tyco, a Johnson Controls International unit, acknowledged that the chemicals had spread beyond its Marinette facility and suspended spraying foam products outdoors. The following month, the company started distributing bottled water to residents whose private wells may be affected by the contamination. Tyco tested 168 wells and 56 have shown evidence of the chemicals, the company said. State officials said Wisconsin law requires companies to immediately report pollution , but the company defended its actions by saying that little was known about PFAS at the time. “In 2013, there was not the level of awareness and information as there is today associated with PFOS/PFOA,” said Fraser Engerman, a spokesman for Johnson Controls International. But scientists have warned about the health impacts and other companies have phased out production of the chemicals for more than a decade. Tyco has also claimed that the company didn’t know about contamination beyond the property until 2016. “It wasn’t until 2016 that we had data that showed we had concentrations of these compounds at the edge of the property, so we then began the series of tests which led us to where we are today,” the company’s website states. Doug Oitzinger, the city’s former mayor, dismissed Tyco’s explanation. “This isn’t news to them,” he said. “They know that these pollutants have been judged an environmental danger .” Janell and Duane Goldsmith have twice tested their well water and found chemical contamination above the federal health advisory threshold. Duane Goldsmith has been diagnosed with gastrointestinal stromal tumor cancer and Janell Goldsmith had pregnancy-induced high blood pressure, according to a lawsuit filed in December. The couple’s two sons also have had developmental delays, the lawsuit states. “They’ve known about this for how long — and they have been using these chemicals?” Janell Goldsmith said. “You don’t expect it to happen to your family and to your community. So much crosses your mind.” ___ Information from: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, http://www.jsonline.com
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8017
|
Tokyo coronavirus cases jump in record daily rise: NHK.
|
Tokyo has confirmed 68 new coronavirus cases, a record daily increase, public broadcaster NHK reported on Sunday, as the Japanese capital scrambles to prevent a wider outbreak, while a cluster of infections increased near the city.
|
true
|
Health News
|
Japan has so far been spared a major spreading of the coronavirus that has hit Europe and North America, but authorities fear a rise in cases with no known source of infection could signal a bigger new wave. Authorities confirmed 28 new coronavirus cases from a cluster related to a home for the disabled in Chiba prefecture, adjacent to Tokyo, NHK said. The outbreak has infected more than 1,800 people in Japan, with 55 deaths as of Sunday afternoon, excluding 712 cases and 10 deaths from a cruise ship that was moored near Tokyo last month, NHK said. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Saturday promised an unprecedented package of steps to cushion the world’s third-biggest economy from the coronavirus pandemic, warning that Japan may need to prepare for a national emergency. Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike has also asked the tens of millions of people in the city and surrounding regions to avoid non-essential, non-urgent outings until April 12, as the city has become the center of Japan’s coronavirus epidemic. Of the 68 new cases in Tokyo, more than 20 are linked to a hospital in the eastern Tokyo ward of Taito, where many patients and staff have already tested positive, NHK said. Tokyo authorities had no immediate comment on the NHK report.
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33649
|
The remains of a smoldering JATO-equipped Chevrolet Impala were found embedded in the side of a cliff in the Arizona desert.
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Little Rock: August House, 1999. ISBN 0-87483-525-9 (p. 22).
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false
|
Automobiles, cars, Dream Machines
|
Of all the crazy Internet stories, this has to be the one fellas love the most. There’s something about cars and solid rocket fuel engines that draws them to this tale like happy moths to an unforgiving flame: Example: [Collected on the Internet, 1995] The Arizona Highway Patrol were mystified when they came upon a pile of smoldering wreckage embedded in the side of a cliff rising above the road at the apex of a curve. The metal debris resembled the site of an airplane crash, but it turned out to be the vaporized remains of an automobile. The make of the vehicle was unidentifiable at the scene.The folks in the lab finally figured out what it was, and pieced together the events that led up to its demise. It seems that a former Air Force sergeant had somehow got hold of a JATO (Jet Assisted Take-Off) unit. JATO units are solid fuel rockets used to give heavy military transport airplanes an extra push for take-off from short airfields. Dried desert lakebeds are the location of choice for breaking the world ground vehicle speed record. The sergeant took the JATO unit into the Arizona desert and found a long, straight stretch of road. He attached the JATO unit to his car, jumped in, accelerated to a high speed, and fired off the rocket. The facts, as best as could be determined, are as follows: The operator was driving a 1967 Chevy Impala. He ignited the JATO unit approximately 3.9 miles from the crash site. This was established by the location of a prominently scorched and melted strip of asphalt. The vehicle quickly reached a speed of between 250 and 300 mph and continued at that speed, under full power, for an additional 20-25 seconds. The soon-to-be pilot experienced G-forces usually reserved for dog-fighting F-14 jocks under full afterburners. The Chevy remained on the straight highway for approximately 2.6 miles (15-20 seconds) before the driver applied the brakes, completely melting them, blowing the tires, and leaving thick rubber marks on the road surface. The vehicle then became airborne for an additional 1.3 miles, impacted the cliff face at a height of 125 feet, and left a blackened crater 3 feet deep in the rock. Most of the driver’s remains were not recovered; however, small fragments of bone, teeth, and hair were extracted from the crater, and fingernail and bone shards were removed from a piece of debris believed to be a portion of the steering wheel. Maybe it’s the Wile E. Coyote-ness of it all, the “so real you can almost touch it” mental image of a smoldering wreck sticking out of a cliff face. Perhaps it’s the vicarious enjoyment of a Tim Allen-ish “More Power!” fantasy carried to its fatal yet hilarious conclusion. Or maybe it’s a simple matter of cars and the men who love them, the eternal love affair. Whatever. The boys love it, and that’s all that matters. This tale of vehicular velocity ferocity has been popular among servicemen since the late 1970s. In those early word-of-mouth versions, the JATO was taken from a cargo plane or out of a warehouse on base, thereby answering a key question left up in the air in later versions: Where did the intrepid lad obtain the engine? The story is even older than that. One of our readers says he heard it in 1961 or 1962. In that version, two JATO units mounted as “lakers” (exhaust pipes) on a 1940 Ford were fired on Bayshore freeway while trying to outrun the California Highway Patrol. The car was last seen going end over end across San Francisco bay. Another reader heard it in 1964 while stationed at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. In that version, the unmanned JATO’d car went airborne and smashed into a tree, destroying both car and plant. The version we now know and love (complete with puzzled police and the smoldering wreck of what’s left of a car impacted into the face of a cliff), began making the cyberspatial rounds in 1990. In 1992 the incident was said to have happened in New Mexico, with the car being a Plymouth Road Runner. By 1994 the car had transformed itself into a Chevrolet Impala, but now the accident’s venue was California. (See how these things mutate over time?) 1995 saw this legend just about take over the Internet as it was flashed from e-mail to e-mail as “this year’s Darwin Award winner.” It’s this version which is still in circulation today, the car frozen in time as a Chevy Impala, the location given as somewhere in Arizona. As it appeared in 1995: “Darwin award” Nominee: You all know about the Darwin awards — it’s an annual honor given to the person who did the gene pool the biggest service by killing themselves in the most extraordinarily stupid way.Last year’s winner was the fellow who was killed by a Coke(tm) machine, which toppled over on top of him as he was attempting to tip a free soda out of it. And for this year’s nominee, the story is: The Arizona (U.S.) Highway Patrol came upon a pile of smoldering metal embedded into the side of a cliff rising above the road, on the outside of a curve. The wreckage resembled the site of an airplane crash, but it was a car. The type of car was unidentifiable at the scene. The boys in the lab finally figured out what it was, and what had happened. It seems that a guy had somehow got hold of a JATO unit, (Jet Assisted Take Off, actually a solid-fuel rocket) that is used to give heavy military transport planes an extra `push’ for taking off from short airfields. He had driven his Chevy Impala out into the desert, and found a long, straight stretch of road. Then he attached the JATO unit to his car, jumped in, got up some speed, and fired off the JATO!! Best as they could determine, he was doing somewhere between 250 and 300 mph (350-420kph) when he came to that curve … The brakes were completely burned away, apparently from trying to slow the car. TODAY’S LESSON: Solid-fuel rockets don’t have an ‘off’ switch … Nor, so it seems, do good stories. A spokesman of the Arizona Department of Public Safety stated in a 1996 newspaper article the JATO story wasn’t true though they continued to get asked about it. “We get a call on that about every 90 days,” said Dave Myers. “It keeps us on the map.” There are two fatal problems with the JATO story. First, anybody who understood the extreme forces involved well enough to attach a JATO unit to a car so that it would keep the car going in a straight line (rather than immediately spinning around) would probably know better than to do it in the first place. Second, the Arizona Highway Patrol has a phone number. A call to them will confirm they’ve both heard the story and no, it’s not true. Sorry, fellas. Though the legend of the smoldering Chevy smashed into a cliff face is pure fabrication, JATO engines have been mounted on cars on a couple of occasions. As reported in Motor Trend in 1957, Dodge took a brand-new car out to El Mirage dry lake bed in California, removed the gas tank, and mounted a JATO unit in its place. (The intent was to test the car’s brakes and to film the event for TV commercials.) The car went 140 mph. Flynn, Mike. The Best Book of Bizarre But True Stories Ever. London: Carlton, 1999. ISBN 1-85868-558-3. (p. 238). Holt, David and Bill Mooney. Spiders in the Hairdo.
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35089
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McDonald's is giving free lunches to school-age children during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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What's true: A few McDonald's locations in North Carolina announced in March 2020 that they will provide free lunches to school-age children as families deal with the spread of COVID-19. What's false: This is not a nationwide program, and not every McDonald's location is participating in it.
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mixture
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Food
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In March 2020, a rumor started to circulate on social media that McDonald’s was giving free lunches to school-age children during the COVID-19 coronavirus disease pandemic: Social media memes that claim a “free giveaway” often turn out to be false. But in this case, a bit of truth exists: A few restaurant locations in Iredell County, North Carolina, were indeed providing free meals to kids during this time. The North Carolina publication The Statesville Record and Landmark reported on March 17, 2020, that McDonald’s locations in that county were providing free meals to children age 12 and under on work days from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. during the pandemic: McDonald’s restaurants in Iredell County have started offering school age children free meals around lunchtime, but that doesn’t mean the franchises are immune to some of the other anxieties they are facing during the pandemic. Melissa Neader, who along with her husband Mike Neader own multiple McDonald’s locations in Iredell County, explained the decision was made to start offering free lunches during the school closure period after she saw other restaurants doing the same. “It’s not just us,” she said in a phone interview Tuesday morning. “It’s (McDonald’s) owners and operators across the southeast partnering with schools and communities to offer additional support.” From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday, children 12 and under, accompanied by a parent/guardian, can choose between a plain hamburger, cheeseburger or four-piece chicken nugget, along with a yogurt, pack of sliced apples or small fry. A McDonald’s spokesperson confirmed to us that the decision to giveaway free lunch to school children was made by each individual franchise.
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26253
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“Italian Parliament Calls For The Arrest of Bill Gates”
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A single member of the Italian Parliament suggested Bill Gates should be arrested. There is no evidence that calls to arrest Bill Gates are endorsed or supported by the entire Italian Parliament.
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false
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Fake news, Facebook Fact-checks, Coronavirus, Bloggers,
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"Philanthropist Bill Gates has been making headlines for months due to his foundation’s efforts to create a coronavirus vaccine, but not all the claims you see online can be trusted. A recent blog post from an organization called Live News 24 suggests the entire Italian government is at odds with Gates. The post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.) ""Italian Parliament calls for the arrest of Bill Gates,"" reads the headline. The headline’s claim is a misleading exaggeration, and this becomes clear when readers continue past the headline and into the article. A single member of the Italian Parliament, Sara Cunial, made a speech in which she called for Gates’ arrest. But there is no evidence that Cunial’s speech was supported by the entire Italian Parliament. This claim has been debunked by other fact-checking organizations, including Snopes, Republic World and Polygraph.info. In her speech, which was recorded and posted online with an English translation, Cunial criticized mass media and made wildly inaccurate claims about Gates, including that he used vaccines to sterilize millions of women in Africa and said that only a genocide could save the world. Cunial was once part of Italy’s Five Star Movement, a political party that has opposed vaccines and once advocated for Italy’s withdrawal from the eurozone and NATO. Some experts have linked the Five Star Movement’s opposition to vaccines to a measles outbreak in Italy. Cunial was expelled from the party in 2019. ""‘Dear President Conte,"" Cunial said in her speech, ""next time you receive a phone call from the ‘philanthropist’ Bill Gates, forward it directly to the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity."" Cunial’s speech was interrupted by vocal objections from other members of parliament who appeared to disagree with her viewpoint. This further suggests that Cunial’s calls for the Gates to be charged with crimes against humanity are not widely supported by the Italian government. Correction, May 26, 2020: This story was corrected to reflect that Cunial was expelled from the Five Star Movement party in 2019."
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5505
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Will new royal baby’s name honor Princess Diana? Stay tuned.
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Britons love to lay down their bets — and with the birth of a healthy baby boy for Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, and Prince Harry, it’s time to focus on boys’ names.
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true
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Prince Harry, AP Top News, International News, Entertainment, Lifestyle, Health, Princess Diana, Celebrities, Europe
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Britain’s legal bookmakers reported high interest Tuesday in the names Alexander, James and Arthur. They also noted speculation about the name Spencer, the maiden name of Harry’s late mother, Princess Diana. Royal babies usually have a string of names, opening the way for endless betting possibilities. “Following a flurry of bets last evening, Alexander is now the new favorite at the top of our name betting and the one we are fearing the most,” said John Hill of the Coral betting agency. Alexander has 4/1 odds at Coral, while Arthur is 6/1 and Albert, James and Spencer are all 8/1. Choosing Spencer as a first or middle name is seen as a way for Harry to honor Diana, who died in a Paris car crash in 1997 when he was only 12. Before he married Meghan last year, Harry spoke about his desire to pay tribute to his mother’s memory during the wedding ceremony. Others believe Meghan could choose a name that reflects her American biracial heritage. One Twitter user suggested Marvin — for the late singer Marvin Gaye. The infant, known only as Baby Sussex for the moment, was born Monday at 5:26 a.m. at a yet-undisclosed location. In a gushing announcement of the birth, Harry said he and Meghan are “thinking” about names and hinted that an announcement might be made Wednesday or shortly thereafter. The couple is also expected to pose with their newborn or release a photo on their Instagram account at some time and to publicly name godparents for the child. The new arrival is the eighth great-grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II, who smiled when asked about the baby’s arrival at a luncheon Tuesday. Asked if life is good, the 93-year-old monarch said: “Yes, thank you.” The baby boy is the first of her great-grandchildren to have an American parent. His mother Meghan is the daughter of a white man and a black woman, bringing a biracial heritage to the House of Windsor. Trevor Phillips, a retired black broadcaster who headed Britain’s Equality and Human Rights Commission, wrote an open letter to the royal baby, saying his arrival reflects British society’s more open attitude nowadays and the increasing inclusiveness of the royal family. “This is a family that lives the reality of a multicultural world daily,” he said. “It’s their job: to interact with people of different backgrounds to themselves on behalf of the nation, and to treat them all with respect. I have to tell you, they are pretty good at it.” He went on to tell the baby: “Whether you like it or not, you’re going to have a special place in the nation’s heart.” Prince William, Harry’s older brother, joked Tuesday that he will be glad “to welcome my own brother into the sleep deprivation society that is parenting!” “Obviously thrilled, absolutely thrilled, and obviously looking forward to seeing them in the next few days when things have quietened down,” William told reporters. The birth produced a moment of high drama likely to be replayed for the rest of Harry’s life. The prince, who has battled mental health challenges since the abrupt loss of his mother at a young age, emerged with the world’s most satisfied grin Monday afternoon to announce the birth of his son before TV news cameras. “We’re both absolutely thrilled and so grateful for all the love and support from everybody out there. It’s been amazing, so we just wanted to share this with everybody,” the normally press-shy royal gushed. Harry also burnished his feminist credentials — and paid tribute to mothers around the world — after witnessing the birth. “It’s been the most amazing experience I could ever have possibly imagined,” he said. “How any woman does what they do is beyond comprehension.” ___ Read all Associated Press coverage of the latest royal baby at https://www.apnews.com/RoyalBaby
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18164
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"Miami-Dade has ""the nation’s highest-rated tap water."
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"A Miami-Dade County budget document claimed that the county has ""the nation’s highest-rated tap water."" A county spokeswoman said that statement was an error. The water department more typically talks about the ""high quality"" of the water without making a national comparison. An article in Forbes concluded the Miami/Fort Lauderdale area was fourth in water quality based on a 2007 University of Cincinnati study of 12 contaminants. A more thorough national analysis by the Environmental Working Group ranked Miami-Dade County at 46th in 2009. The claim is wrong, but it isn’t so ridiculous to earn our lowest rating. We’re still going to end with one more joke and pour a cold bucket of tap water to douse this claim."
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false
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Environment, County Budget, Water, Florida, Miami-Dade County,
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"Miami-Dade has plenty to brag about: stellar beaches, celebrities who live in multimillion dollar mansions, four-star restaurants, the world famous tennis tournament on Key Biscayne and the national basketball champions the Miami Heat. But a county document boasted about something far more ordinary when Mayor Carlos Gimenez released his budget proposal July 9. A budget-in-brief document written by the county’s Office of Management and Budget stated that the county has ""the nation’s highest-rated tap water."" Do we have some sort of liquid gold pouring out of our faucets that is the envy of other counties nationwide? We went in search of answers to quench our curiosity. Miami-Dade has long promoted tap water First, let’s wade into the surprisingly controversial history of Miami-Dade county government talking up tap water. In 2008, the county landed in hot water after it aired radio ads that boasted its tap water was better than bottled water. Nestle Waters North America, which makes nearly $4 billion a year selling Zephyrhills and other brands, threatened to sue, the Miami Herald wrote. (It never did sue, a county spokeswoman told PolitiFact.) The county continued to promote tap water, including a mock boxing match video between tap water and bottled water, a love song jingle ""Miami-Dade tap water your No. 1!"" and a video of a young cowboy asking Mom, ""Howdy M'am? What do you have on tap?"" She replied, ""For you partner, I’ve got the original tap."" Miami-Dade’s explanation We asked a Miami-Dade county spokeswoman to explain the source of the claim that the county has the ""nation’s highest-rated tap water."" We sensed some research percolating at Miami-Dade County Hall as spokespersons sent us emails saying we’d get an answer soon. A few hours later, we had a reply: ""It’s a scrivener’s error,"" said Jennifer L. Messemer, a spokeswoman in Miami-Dade’s water and sewer department. Budget director Jennifer Moon told us in an email that ""we compile input from the various departments to put in the budget-in-brief. We realized yesterday that we inadvertently left out 'one of' in the statement regarding the highest rated water. We will correct this online and in future prints."" (At PolitiFact we give props when someone fesses up to an error, but we continue our fact-check anyway.) The error was in a document written by the budget department, according to Messemer. We did not find the same claim in other water-related documents. The full chapter on the water and sewer department’s budget proposal merely refers to the water as ""high-quality drinking water."" (It also mentions an upcoming $1.6 billion projected to fix environmental violations from failing wastewater infrastructure.) The annual water quality report states that the water ""is delicious and meets and exceeds all local, state and federal guidelines. So drink up with confidence!"" The county has received some kudos for water quality. Messemer pointed to a 2008 Forbes.com’s Top 10 list of ""Best Cities for Clean Drinking Water."" The article, which ranked the Miami/Fort Lauderdale area fourth, was based on a 2007 water quality study compiled by University of Cincinnati researchers. (The report was sponsored by Proctor & Gamble.) We found the most comprehensive water quality comparison in an analysis by the Environmental Working Group, a research and advocacy organization that says the federal government’s standards for water quality fall short. The group spent three years analyzing water contaminant data nationwide and found 316 contaminants. The EPA has enforceable standards for less than half of them. Released in 2009, the database evaluated water utilities based on the total number of chemicals detected, the percentage of chemicals found of those tested; and the highest average level for a pollutant relative to legal limits or national averages. The analysis included the most common pollutants such as disinfection byproducts, nitrate and arsenic. The group published a ranking of large cities, and Miami came in 46th place out of 100. (Several other large Florida cities or counties were listed, including Odessa, which is served by the St. Petersburg Water Resources Department, 20th; Pinellas County, 57th; Hillsborough County, 65th and Tampa, 68th.) You can read about government officials pushing back against the report in the Miami Herald. Our ruling A Miami-Dade County budget document claimed that the county has ""the nation’s highest-rated tap water."" A county spokeswoman said that statement was an error. The water department more typically talks about the ""high quality"" of the water without making a national comparison. An article in Forbes concluded the Miami/Fort Lauderdale area was fourth in water quality based on a 2007 University of Cincinnati study of 12 contaminants. A more thorough national analysis by the Environmental Working Group ranked Miami-Dade County at 46th in 2009. The claim is wrong, but it isn’t so ridiculous to earn our lowest rating. We’re still going to end with one more joke and pour a cold bucket of tap water to douse this claim."
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9429
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Gene therapy makes a big advance treating hemophilia B blood disorder
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iStock / Getty Images Plus A small, early-stage study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that a single intravenous infusion of a novel bioengineered gene therapy treatment helped spare nine of 10 hemophilia B sufferers from repeated injections of blood-clotting factor to prevent debilitating bleeding episodes. This well-written story shares that information carefully and clearly. However, more details about the years-long road ahead for this treatment’s development and about possible ties between the researchers and the funders would have made the piece stronger. Complicating the care taken by the reporter, however, is a glaring headline that promises much more than this small study can deliver (“Gene therapy makes a big advance treating hemophilia B blood disorder”). Whether this particular treatment revolutionizes the landscape for hemophilia B sufferers will remain an open question for some years. People who have inherited the hemophilia B bleeding disorder face a lifetime of replacement therapy: injecting clotting factor when life deals them a stumble or a scrape. Gene therapy research appears to be on the cusp of offering an alternate treatment that would allow these individuals to lead normal lives. While it is important for journalists to track progress toward such an important goal, it is also critical that stories tread cautiously to avoid giving false hope at early stages.
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true
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drug costs,gene therapy
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Although this therapy is not yet available for patient use, the story makes a point of noting that the cost may well be “stratospheric,” should it make it to market. If approved, such treatments are expected to command stratospheric prices. For example, a separate Spark gene therapy for a rare type of childhood blindness, which is on track for Food and Drug Administration clearance soon, could cost $1 million per patient for infusions in both eyes, according to some Wall Street analysts. Still, the therapies can produce at least some offsetting savings. Porteus noted in his editorial that the hemophilia therapy resulted in savings of about $200,000 a year per patient because of the elimination of clotting-factor infusions. The story summarizes the outcome of the small, 10-person trial that dominates this narrative: Lindsey George, the lead investigator and a hematologist at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, said that nine of the 10 men in the trial didn’t experience any bleeding episodes after the gene therapy treatment. The one patient who needed clotting factor because of bleeding used 91 percent less than before, she said. Although the story does not address harms directly–and should have–it does note that one of the worrying side effects of gene therapy—spurring the body to attack itself—was not present in this study. It is clear from the story that the study is small and an “early-stage trial.” One source also notes that the researchers tracked individuals in the study for no more than a year and a half, making longer term assessments unavailable. The story could have done more, though, to signal to the reader that, despite the encouraging outcomes of the study, the treatment is still very much under development. The next stage—Phase 3 trials—requires more participants, more careful study design, and takes, on average, three years to complete. The treatment described here, if ultimately proved worthy, could have a profound impact on a serious genetic condition. Independent sources are identified in the story, as are the funders. But missing from the text is information describing linkages between the two funders—Spark Therapeutics and Pfizer—and the lead researchers. It’s not clear from the story that there is a financial relationship. Individuals coping with hemophilia B have few options, and the story describes the main one: injections of blood-clotting factor to stem runaway bleeding. Since the story notes that the research is at an early stage with only 10 participants, a reader can easily infer that the treatment is not yet available. However, additional information about remaining evaluation stages for this treatment would have been a useful reinforcing addition. Hemophilia B sufferers who see this story will likely be contacting their doctors. The story establishes novelty with this: The researchers presented earlier findings on the gene therapy a year ago at the American Society of Hematology’s annual meeting, but the latest data covers a larger patient group and a longer time period. A news release issued by Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia did a good job of describing this study; the Post story could have picked up more of the salient details from that text but reveals independent reporting nevertheless by including sources not connected to the study.
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13981
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"Donald Trump Says Hillary Clinton ""has even deleted this record of total support (for the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement) from her book."
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"Trump said Hillary Clinton ""has even deleted this record of total support (for the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement) from her book."" The paperback removed a small reference to the TPP but the two pages that talked about it and why the agreement was important weren't deleted. The paperback edition continues to have text expressing support for the trade deal. Anyone who compares the hardcover and paperback versions of the book can see that the claim is ridiculous."
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false
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National, Candidate Biography, Economy, History, Foreign Policy, Trade, Donald Trump,
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"Donald Trump accused Hillary Clinton of trying to delete part of her personal history during a June 22, 2016, speech that focused in part on the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal. Clinton tried to promote the deal as President Barack Obama’s secretary of state, but she withdrew her support for the 12-nation pact in October 2015 amid sharp criticism from Democratic primary opponent Bernie Sanders. In his speech, Donald Trump took credit for getting her to change her mind and accused her of trying to cover up her support. ""Hillary Clinton has also been the biggest promoter of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which will ship millions more of our jobs overseas — and give up congressional power to an international foreign commission,"" Trump said. ""Now, because I have pointed out why it would be such a disastrous deal, she is pretending that she is against it. ""She has even deleted this record of total support from her book,"" he said, adding, ""deletion is something she is very good at,"" a reference to the tens of thousands of emails she deleted on her home internet server. Did Hillary Clinton actually censor her own book to hide her past support for the trade agreement that has since come under fire? We contacted the Trump campaign asking for its facts to back up the claim. They didn't respond to our query. For starters, there is no evidence that any of Trump's comments have influenced Clinton's thoughts on the treaty. As for the treaty itself, Clinton offered support for it in 2012, long before the deal was finalized. She hailed the deal as ""setting the gold standard"" during a 2012 speech in Australia, to name just one example. She now says she was, at the time, trying to sell the deal to U.S. allies as a member of the Obama administration. The deal was reached in October 2015, well after Clinton departed as secretary of state, and signed the following the February. During her debates with Sanders, Clinton said she had waited until the deal was actually negotiated before ultimately deciding to oppose it. Because of her early supportive comments, we rated her statement Half True. So what, if anything, did she say about the deal in her book Hard Choices? The book was published in June 2014, with a deal still more than a year away. On pages 77 and 78 of hardcover edition, she said the deal ""would link markets throughout Asia and the Americas, lowering trade barriers while raising standards on labor, the environment, and intellectual property."" Clinton also refers to it as ""important for American workers, who would benefit from competing on a more level playing field. And it was a strategic initiative that would strengthen the position of the United States in Asia."" ""Because TPP negotiations are still ongoing, it makes sense to reserve judgment until we can evaluate the final proposed agreement,"" she wrote, echoing the stance she would take when Sanders criticized her support for the deal. ""It’s safe to say that the TPP won’t be perfect—no deal negotiated among a dozen countries ever will be—but its higher standards, if implemented and enforced, should benefit American businesses and workers."" So how much of this did Clinton delete from the paperback edition, which the publisher says was trimmed to accommodate the smaller size? Nothing. The pages are now renumbered as 69 and 70, but the content is the same. We found one reference to the TPP that was cut. Here it is from page 254, in a chapter dealing with Latin American issues: So we worked hard to improve and ratify trade agreements with Colombia and Panama and encouraged Canada and the group of countries that became known as the Pacific Alliance -- Mexico, Colombia, Peru, and Chile -- all open-market democracies driving toward a more prosperous future to join negotiations with Asian nations on TPP, the trans-Pacific trade agreement. The Alliance stood in stark contrast to Venezuela, with its more authoritarian policies and state-controlled economy. That's a description of trying to get other countries involved, not a ringing endorsement. Finally, Clinton came out in opposition to the deal after it was finalized in October 2015. By then, the paperback had been out for six months. Our ruling Trump said Hillary Clinton ""has even deleted this record of total support (for the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement) from her book."" The paperback removed a small reference to the TPP but the two pages that talked about it and why the agreement was important weren't deleted. The paperback edition continues to have text expressing support for the trade deal. Anyone who compares the hardcover and paperback versions of the book can see that the claim is ridiculous."
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2947
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Some current, former smokers should get annual lung scans: US panel.
|
Heavy smokers and former heavy smokers should get annual lung cancer screening tests, according to final guidelines issued on Monday by an influential U.S. panel.
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true
|
Health News
|
The final recommendations, issued by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, apply to people aged 55 to 80 whose smoking has put them at high risk of cancer. That includes former heavy smokers who have quit within the past 15 years. Heavy smokers are considered to be those who smoked a pack a day for 30 years, or two packs a day for 15 years. According to a comprehensive review of medical evidence since 2004, the panel found the benefits of screening high-risk individuals with low-dose computed tomography, or CT scans, outweigh the potential harms of overdiagnosis and increased exposure to radiation, which also contribute to cancer risk. The panel, which is comprised of independent experts and advises U.S. policymakers, gave the screening a “B” recommendation, meaning it is at least moderately certain that the benefits of the scans outweigh the harms. Under the Affordable Care Act, insurers are required to cover preventive services with a grade of “B” or higher. The guidelines are intended to help prevent some of the 160,000 annual lung cancer deaths in the United States, which exceed the total number of deaths from breast, prostate and colon cancer combined. Smoking is the biggest risk factor for developing lung cancer, resulting in about 85 percent of lung cancers in the United States. The guidelines largely fall in line with recommendations from most major groups of cancer experts, including the American Cancer Society and the American Society of Clinical Oncology. When the initial recommendations were published in July, some doctors expressed concern that the guidelines could lead to overdiagnosis and overtreatment of cancers, in much the same way that widespread screening programs for breast and prostate cancers have done.
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29341
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"A Japanese study found electronic cigarettes (popularly called ""e-cigs"") contain ten times as many carcinogens as tobacco cigarettes."
|
What's true: A 2014 study conducted in Japan examined formaldehyde levels in electronic cigarette vapor; early and inaccurate summaries of that research led to rumors that e-cigarettes contain ten times more carcinogens than tobacco cigarettes. What's false: A Japanese study did not conclude all, most, or necessarily any e-cigarettes contain ten times more carcinogens than regular cigarettes.
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false
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Medical, cancer, e-cigarettes, melt my hearth
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In late April 2017, click bait site MeltMyHearth.com published a report purporting to show that a “new” Japanese study determined that electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, contain an astonishing ten times the carcinogens of their tobacco counterparts: In the research commissioned by the Japanese Ministry of Health, it was found that formaldehyde and acetaldehyde carcinogens are present, and prevalent, in the liquid produced by many e-cigarette products. Furthermore, it was determined that e-cigarettes can fuel potentially life-threatening drug-resistant pathogens. This discovery comes from a lab study that tested the vapor from e-cigarettes on live methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and human cells The claims are far from new. Identical claims about a Japanese study appeared on social media, circulating cyclically, as early as November 2014: Research shows e-cigarettes have 10x more cancer-causing agents than regular tobacco http://t.co/6oya6R4lXy pic.twitter.com/lU2SOzM8tf — DRUM Magazine (@DrumMagazine) November 27, 2014 After intense studies- Japanese scientists found that E-cigarettes contain up to 10x the amount of cancer-causing agents as regular tobacco — Leanne Manas (@LeanneManas) November 27, 2014 Distilled to the soundbite attributing “ten times the carcinogens” to e-cigs, the claim is difficult to quantify. Between November 2014 and April 2017, it had filtered through multiple sites and sources, obscuring the source material (and developing attributes such as “after intense studies”). The published research from Japan concluded that the levels of formaldehyde in vapors from high-voltage devices are “almost identical to those in traditional cigarette smoke” based on the limited scope of the study: Some carbonyls, such as formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and acrolein in e-cigarette emissions have also been reported in other countries [32,33,34]. [Appended data show] the amount of formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and acrolein in the aerosols of Polish e-cigarettes [35]. According to these data, the emissions from e-cigarettes without propylene glycol were almost 100-fold lower than those from traditional cigarettes [36] … [Earlier research] reported that formaldehyde and acetaldehyde were detected in eight of 13 samples [7]. The amounts of formaldehyde and acetaldehyde in e-cigarette aerosols at a lower voltage were on average 13 and 807-fold lower than those in traditional cigarette smoke, respectively. … However, in general, there is an insufficient amount of data on the hazardous carbonyl compounds emitted from e-cigarettes, thus warranting continued broad monitoring of these compounds. A November 2014 article in The Guardian summarized the claims: Researchers at Japan’s National Institute for Public Health said they had found two carcinogens – formaldehyde and acetaldehyde – in vapour produced by several types of e-cigarettes during a study commissioned by the country’s health ministry. One brand of e-cigarette produced 10 times more formaldehyde – a substance used in embalming that has also been linked to sick building syndrome – than a regular cigarette, said Naoki Kunugita, who led the research. Based on that information, not only did the research include only electronic cigarettes purchased and sold in Japan, but just one device included in the research appears to have produced ten times more formaldehyde in particular (not carcinogens in general) than regular cigarettes. The initial claim did not encompass all carcinogens in cigarettes or e-cigarettes, and it did not involve more than one single product sold in Japan. In February 2017, the UK’s National Health Service cited a study suggesting the use of electronic cigarettes is “far safer” than smoking.
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34238
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Bone fragments found in the Vatican in late October and early November 2018 belong to two teen girls who were first reported missing in 1983.
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“I don’t want to delude myself,” said Gregori’s sister Maria Antonietta Gregori. “I want to keep my feet on the ground but in my heart I hope the bones belong to Mirella so that we can put an end to this story and have a place to weep and take a flower to my sister.”
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unproven
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Politics, Emanuela Orlandi, Mirella Gregori
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A pair of recent discoveries led authorities in Italy to reopen investigations into the disappearances of two teenage girls in 1983. On 31 October 2018, Rome police announced that construction workers in the Vatican had discovered bone fragments from a head and tooth while renovating a building connected to the Italian embassy. Two days later, more fragments — from a skull and jawbone — were found in the same location. Although authorities reportedly believed that all of those fragments came from the same person, a second set of fragments was later found which was believed to have come from a second person. As news spread over the separate findings, speculation mounted over whether either set of fragments could belong to Mirella Gregori or Emanuela Orlandi. Both girls were 15 years old when they went missing just over a month apart from one another thirty-five years ago: Gregori was last seen on 7 May 1983, while Orlandi was reported missing on 23 June 1983, a day after her last reported sighting. Orlandi’s death in particular prompted several conspiracy theories that were never proved. The earliest rumor involved an unidentified man who was referred to as “The American,” who reportedly contacted a classmate of Orlandi’s saying that her loved ones had only 20 days to arrange an exchange: Orlandi would be returned if authorities agreed to release a Turkish national, Mehmet Ali Ağca, who shot then-Pope John Paul II on 13 May 1981. The exchange never took place, and Ağca would later claim that Orlandi had been kidnapped by the nationalist group the Grey Wolves. He asserted that she was living in a convent, though he admitted that that statement was based on “logical deductions” and not any actual encounters with the girl. A year after Ağca made his allegation, former organized crime figure Antonio Mancini averred that the girl had been kidnapped by his erstwhile cohorts in the Banda della Magliana to force the Vatican Bank, where Orlandi’s father worked, to repay several “lost” loans totaling $200 million. And in 2012, self-described “chief exorcist” Gabriele Amorth claimed that Orlandi was taken by Vatican police and forced to take part in “sex parties.” Amorth did not provide any evidence for her claim. According to the Italian news agency ANSA, DNA testing on the two sets of bone fragments has yet to be completed. But Gianni Arcudi, director of the pathology department at Tor Vergata University, has cast early doubt on the possibility that both sets could fit the descriptions of the two missing teenagers. Arcudi, who identified himself as a consultant on the case, said of one of the sets that “My first impression, based on the examination of some bone structures, is that it is a woman around 30 years of age, not an adolescent.” Meanwhile, the families of both missing teens have called for more information to be released as soon as possible.
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10133
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Portland cancer center among those offering experimental immune therapy ipilimumab
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It’s really refreshing to see a local newspaper localize a national story and to do so in a responsible way. Sure, the story led with its personal anecdote. But the personal trials of being in a trial came through in that anecdote. And sure, there were company predictions of how quickly this might be approved and on the market (something we think could have been handled better). But there wasn’t hype. After a week’s worth of news out of the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting, and some published concerns about how that news was covered by bigger national news organizations, it was good to see this local paper’s measured efforts.
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true
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"No discussion of costs. Is this OK because this is still experimental? We don’t think so, not when the drug company is allowed to project possible approval within a year. Much better to say, as a Wall Street Journal story did, that the company said it was too early to set pricing. But to ignore costs entirely is a mistake in our view. good job providing absolute benefit data from the trial. Good job on harms as well – ""Serious side effects also became clear. Nearly two-thirds of patients on ipilimumab experienced side effects caused by over-active immunity, such as severe itching, intestinal irritation and diarrhea. Researchers linked 14 deaths to the study drugs, half caused by immune-system reactions."" Good job explaining the nationwide study and the local participation. No disease mongering in this story. Story quoted one independent source in addition to one of the study co-authors. The story explained that ""Other drug companies are at work on competing versions of the immune-enhancing antibody therapy."" It’s clear from the story that the approach is experimental. The story also states: Minor quibble: perhaps the story should have reminded readers that a drug company’s timetable predictions may not be the most reliable. For local readers it explained: The relative novelty of the approach is clear in the story – ""one of the first antibody-based therapies that use the body’s immune defenses to destroy cancer cells"" and ""Drug companies are racing to develop competing versions of the immune-enhancing therapy, an antibody produced through genetic engineering."" It’s clear that the story did not rely solely on a news release."
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1767
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French entrepreneurs launch test to detect pork in food.
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Two French entrepreneurs have launched a portable device to test for the presence of pork in food for use by Muslims who abide by dietary laws.
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true
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Science News
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With France’s five million Muslims making up about eight percent of the overall population, the test, similar in size to a pregnancy test, aims to help consumers detect traces of pork not just in food, but also in cosmetics or medicines. The kit comes with a small test tube in which a food sample is mixed with warm water. A test strip is then inserted into the water which delivers its verdict after a few minutes: one line means no trace of pork; two lines means pork is present. Frenchmen Jean-Francois Julien and Algerian-born Abderrahmane Chaoui came up with the idea at university two years ago in the midst of a Europe-wide scandal over mislabeled frozen meals containing horsemeat instead of beef. Julien was already developing tests for people suffering from food intolerance or more serious allergies. “Abderrahmane tells me ‘you know, food allergies and food intolerance are very interesting of course but you should really diversify yourself in animal proteins’,” Julien said. “That’s when we got the idea to develop a specific anti-body for porcine DNA.” Their company, Capital Biotech, argues no other existing test allows the end user to analyze the content of a food product as easily and cheaply as theirs. The tests cost 6.90 euros per unit and are 99 percent accurate. “HalalTest” will be available for purchase online very soon, the founders said. Despite its name, Capital Biotech says no test can tell whether a meat dish is fully halal. As well as shunning pork, Islam dictates that animals be slaughtered according to a strict method. Even so, Capital Biotech said it had received pre-orders for 10,000 testing kits within 24 hours of the launch on Wednesday. French Muslims have embraced the product. “With this test we can find out whether there really is or isn’t any pork inside,” said halal supermarket Hal’City worker Mohamed Hatmi. Julien and Abderrahmane, who have also launched an alcohol test, have developed several other tests which could, they believe, interest millions of food intolerance sufferers. The first will detect cow’s milk proteins, while another will detect traces of gluten in food for people who have an intolerance to gluten or those who have developed celiac disease, said Capital Biotech co-founder Thomas Nenninger.
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36728
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An online prayer vigil is being called for 13-year-old boy named Dakota Miller from Greenup, Kentucky, who accidentally shot himself.
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Militia fighters in eastern Congo killed four people and injured several others in attacks on two Ebola response centers on Thursday, in what responders described as a serious setback to efforts to contain the epidemic.
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mixture
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Fact Checks, Prayers, Religious, Viral Content
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Violence and unrest have hampered the health authorities’ response to the second worst Ebola outbreak on record, which has killed 2,199 people since it was announced in August 2018. Mai Mai militia fighters and local residents have attacked health facilities, sometimes because they believe Ebola does not exist, in other cases because of resentment that they have not benefited from the influx of donor funding. In the latest such violence, Mai Mai fighters simultaneously attacked Ebola centers in Mangina in North Kivu and Byakoto in Ituri, according to Jean-Jacques Muyembe, head of Ebola response for the Democratic Republic of Congo. “It is a blow to the Ebola response because we were eradicating the disease. These attacks are challenging the efforts to date,” Muyembe told Reuters. The World Health Organization said the dead included a member of a vaccination team, two drivers and a police officer. It said none of its own staff were killed and that most of the five people injured were from Congo’s Ministry of Health. Health workers have lost access to the remaining strongholds of the virus in recent weeks due to deteriorating security, said Mike Ryan, head of the WHO’s emergencies program, describing the latest attack as the deadliest yet. “The interruption of outbreak response has led to a decrease in over 50% of alerts, a collapse in vaccination, a decrease in contact tracing,” he told a news conference. “Ebola was retreating and now it is likely to resurge,” he said. New infections have been on the decline since August, with just 70 cases identified in all of October, medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres said on Monday. Thursday’s attacks came amid a spate of massacres committed by suspected Islamist rebels in the region, who are believed to have killed at least 80 people in the past month, according to U.N. figures. This week at least four people were also killed during protests fueled by anger at the perceived failure of the army and U.N. peacekeepers to protect civilians from the Islamist Allied Democratic Forces (ADF). As a result, the WHO and the U.N. Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Tuesday evacuated dozens of their staff working on the Ebola epidemic from the town of Beni. WHO staff have now been relocated from Byakoto also, Ryan said.
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33796
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ABC banned on-air news personnel from wearing American flag pins after 9/11.
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Nonetheless, the claim that ABC has “banned” their on-air personnel from wearing U.S. flag pins wasn’t true in 2001, and it isn’t true now (despite commonly being reported in e-mail forwards as if it were a recent occurrence). And ABC News couldn’t have “joined” President Obama in this endeavor (as asserted in the second example above), as the latter never instituted any ban on U.S. flag pins either. (Barack Obama, then a presidential candidate, announced in October 2007 that he had stopped wearing a flag pin himself, but he resumed the practice several months later.)
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false
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September 11th
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After the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, many Americans were eager and proud to visibly affirm their support for their country by adorning themselves, their homes, their workplaces, and their cars with various patriotic symbols: U.S. flags; red, white, and blue ribbons; flag lapel pins; flag posters; and the like. This outbreak of patriotic fervor created a dilemma for the news departments of television networks, however. It had been a long-standing practice among all the networks (going back decades before the 9/11 attacks) that on-air journalistic personnel should not visibly wear or otherwise display lapel pins, ribbons, buttons bearing national flags or national colors, or any other form of patriotic adornments or insignia. After the 9/11 attacks, some on-air personnel in network news departments expressed interest in bending that rule, a circumstance that led to a contentious public debate about the appropriateness of such displays, with one side claiming that journalists should be allowed to exhibit symbols of their patriotism just as much as any other Americans, the other holding that journalists should refrain from wearing such items in order to maintain an image of impartial neutrality and lessen the chances that they (especially reporters working overseas) could be harmed by those who might view them as an arm of the American government. ABC’s continued observation of a long-standing policy was quickly spun into the false claim that ABC had just banned journalists from engaging in a practice previously allowed to them: Dear friend, Yesterday, the brass at ABC News issued orders forbidding reporters to wear lapel pin American flags or other patriotic insignia. Their reasoning was that ABC should remain neutral about “causes”. Since when is support for preventing our death & destruction some sort of a cause? Since when is patriotism to be discouraged. I urge you to boycott ABC and its sponsors and affiliates. Please forward this to as many as you can. Goodbye to ABC. ABC News Joins Obama and Bans American Flag Lapel Pins! ABC NEWS BANS FLAG LAPEL PINS This is what we get from the present attitudes in Washington. Barbara Walters said that this was going to hurt ABC bad. And she works for ABC. YESTERDAY THE BRASS AT ABC NEWS ISSUED ORDERS FORBIDDING REPORTERS TO WEAR LAPEL PIN AMERICAN FLAGS OR OTHER PATRIOTIC INSIGNIA. THEIR REASONING WAS THAT ABC SHOULD REMAIN NEUTRAL ABOUT ‘CAUSES’. SINCE WHEN IS PATRIOTISM TO BE DISCOURAGED? I URGE YOU TO BOYCOTT ABC AND ITS SPONSORS AND AFFILIATES. WE ARE SLOWLY LOSING EVERYTHING OUR COUNTRY STANDS FOR AND EVERYTHING OUR MEN AND WOMEN FOUGHT AND DIED TO PRESERVE! PLEASE FORWARD THIS TO AS MANY AS YOU CAN. THIS ONE NEEDS TO BE CIRCULATED…QUICKLY The ABC network was singled out for especially heavy criticism in this regard, due in large part to articles such as the following: Many Americans have drawn strength from a display of flags and other patriotic symbols. But what about news anchors and reporters? Should traditionally detached, questioning journalists wear American flag pins and ribbons on the air?”Why would it ever be inappropriate?” wondered Brit Hume, Fox News Channel’s managing editor in Washington. “It doesn’t stand for the Bush administration or for a certain party or even the government. It stands for the country. Why is wearing a symbol of the country of which you’re a citizen a problem?” Hume has worn flag pins on the air. CBS, NBC and CNN have no set policy. But ABC has become the first major news network to ask its journalists not to wear American flag pins in their lapels, or even red, white and blue ribbons, in an effort to protect their credibility as objective sources. “What if Peter’s wearing one, but Ted’s not?” asked ABC spokesman Jeffrey Schneider, referring to Peter Jennings and Ted Koppel. “Does that mean one journalist is more patriotic than the other? It’s best not to place such an unfair burden on the reporters. “We cannot signal through outward symbols how we feel, even if the cause is justified. Overseas, it could be perceived that we’re just mouthpieces for the U.S. government, and that can place our journalists in danger.” Some people argue that the events of the past few weeks have been so extraordinary that journalists should be allowed to deviate from traditional rules, at least for now. Few viewers have complained about networks plastering flags on sets and screens. But as ABC News senior vice president Jeffrey Schneider told us, it had been standard journalistic practice at that network for on-air news personnel to refrain from wearing such symbolic items long before 11 September 2001; it was not a new practice instituted after the 9/11 attacks. Former ABC News president David Westin also confirmed in a 2012 interview that the policy had been in place long before 9/11: It came up while I was in the control room. As you’ll recall, we were on the air for about four and a half days straight: 24 hours, seven days a week with no commercial interruption or anything else. There was constant reporting coming in during that time and we were having to make decisions about what to do and what not to do. They came to us and said, ‘We are being asked why we’re not wearing lapel pins,’ because a number of other outlets, particularly cable news, were. Fox News in particular had integrated the American flag into the backdrop and bumpers and teasers and everything else. And we’d long had a policy at ABC News that we wouldn’t let people wear any lapel pins of any sort. The theory being that when you’re reporting the news, you should be reporting the news, not taking a position. I said quickly, ‘We’re going to stick with our policy and stand by that.’ I believe to this day that was the right decision. Many newspeople at various networks and affiliate stations did begin donning U.S. flag lapel pins and other patriotic insignia after 9/11, although one of the most prominent news anchors of that period, Bill O’Reilly of Fox News, surprisingly did not. O’Reilly explained his decision by stating that “I’m just a regular guy. Watch me and you’ll know what I think without [my] wearing a pin.” Reaction to the “no flags” issue ranged from disagreement voiced by newspeople at local television stations to outrage expressed by conservative pundits: Another anchor who has been wearing red, white and blue iconography is Estha Trouw, co-anchor of the 10 p.m. weekday news report on (Fox6 News) XETV/Channel 6.”I don’t see a contradiction at all between being a patriotic American and being a solid journalist,” Trouw said. “Displaying the flag is not a symbol of the government. It’s a show of support for fellow Americans.” These TV news directors and newspaper editors act like they’re lethally allergic to red, white and blue. Do they plan on boycotting the Fourth of July, too? Wouldn’t want to give the appearance of endorsing either side of that little armed struggle between Mother England and the rebel colonies, right?Seriously, the hypocrisy is nauseating. “Ethical” news editors wave the high-minded banner of objectivity in wartime. But in peacetime, they don’t think twice about allowing — even encouraging — their reporters to participate in such highly politicized activities as AIDS fund-raisers, race-based affirmative action lobbying efforts, anti-gun proselytizing, pro-abortion rallies and environmental propaganda.
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1277
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Novartis migraine drug not cost effective - UK price watchdog.
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Britain’s drug price watchdog on Thursday rejected Novartis’s migraine drug Aimovig for now, concluding in a draft decision that the medicine was not a cost-effective use of National Health Service resources.
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true
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Health News
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Novartis, with exclusive rights to the drug in Europe while cooperating with Amgen in the United States, said it was “disappointed” in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) conclusion. It marks the second time within months the UK agency has rejected reimbursement for a key medicine from the Swiss drugmaker. Novartis, whose U.K. price for Aimovig is about 5,000 pounds ($6,374) annually but which was offering discounts, is counting on the medicine to be a foundation of its neuroscience business and a key part of boosting revenue as older medicines lose patent protection. Some analysts see 2022 sales nearing $1 billion, according to Refinitiv. While NICE said the medicine demonstrated clinical effectiveness, the agency concluded there was not enough evidence to suggest it is more effective than botulinum toxin type A, which is marketed by Allergan as Botox. NICE also raised questions about long-term effectiveness. “We will work with the company to ensure that they are given every opportunity to address the issues highlighted in these provisional recommendations,” NICE said. Novartis, which pledged to work with NICE to address outstanding questions, said patients would lack new treatment options if the decision remains unchanged. “The UK already lags significantly behind other European countries in the ability for patients to access new medicines,” Novartis said. In September, NICE also issued draft guidance concluding Novartis’s cancer cell therapy Kymriah, offered with an undisclosed discount to its list price of 282,000 pounds, was too expensive to recommend to treat adults with lymphoma. Novartis is also seeking to reverse that decision.
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4236
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Woman accused of faking cancer to reap donations.
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An Iowa woman is accused of lying about a cancer diagnosis so she could collect donations.
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true
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Iowa, Cancer, Health, General News, Minnesota, Rochester
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Jennifer Hope Mikesell, of Northwood, is charged with ongoing criminal conduct, fraudulent practices and forgery. Her attorney didn’t immediately return a call Tuesday from The Associated Press. Authorities said more charges might be filed later. The Worth County Sheriff’s Office said the 43-year-old Mikesell had told people she was diagnosed with cancer and was receiving cancer treatments at Mayo Clinic Health System in Rochester, Minnesota. Iowa court records say Mayo had no record of Mikesell being diagnosed or treated there. Mikesell received multiple donations of money, food and other supplies, as well as a bedroom makeover from My Happy Haven, the court records say. In a media interview about the makeover, Mikesell said she been fighting liposarcoma since 2016. She also said it had spread to her heart and brain. “You do so much to try to do what you can with the energy you have,” Mikesell told KIMT-TV in October. “I have five kids. You still have to try to cook, you still have to make it to their activities. When you come home, you have no energy left. You’re done.”
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11077
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Cutting Edge: Robots and Surgery
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The article discusses surgical robotic technology and provides a little drama by telling stories through the eyes of patients. A key weakness of the story is that the evidence used to support claims of benefit is not the best evidence or perhaps not even the right evidence. A stronger study (meta-analysis) concluded that it’s uncertain whether outcomes are improved with the new technology compared to standard techniques. Given that much of the story is devoted to surgical removal of prostate cancer, there should have been some mention of the controversy over treatment of early stage prostate cancer. Touting another way to do surgery on the prostate when we don’t know if any surgery or any treatment does more harm than good is not good journalism. Because the article does not provide accurate or objective information, the article is not balanced and leaves readers misinformed. The real issue of whether the marginal benefits are worth the marginal costs of a very expensive technology is yet to be determined and is not developed in the story.
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false
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While costs of the machine are mentioned, costs per procedure and how that compares to standard procedures (either open or laparoscopic) are not mentioned. Additionally, costs to the patient are not mentioned, since patients may have out-of-pocket expenses associated with the new technology, even if they do have insurance coverage. While some benefits, like blood loss and days in hospital, are provided, they are in relative terms–like 5 times the blood loss, 4 times as fast. More importantly, the evidence chosen isn’t the best evidence– the numbers suggested are supported by stronger research. No mention of harms to the patient are reported. There are harms and side effects with any procedure. Again, purported benefits are mentioned based on some early research and what appear to be surgeon anecdotes, but later meta-analysis (2004) of the evidence does not support improved outcomes. The evidence quoted is not the “right” evidence. Importantly, the article lacks any comment on the lack of evidence that treating early prostate cancer does more harm than good. Descriptions of robotic techniques revolutionizing surgery are a bit premature given the lack of evidence that the technology improves outcomes. Given that much of the story is devoted to surgical removal of the prostate for cancer, there ought to be at least some mention of the controversy over treatment of early stage prostate cancer in general. Touting another way to do surgery on the prostate when we don’t even know that surgery, or any active treatment, does more harm than good is journalistic sensationalism. Independent input about the purported benefits of the technology was obtained (Finlayson, Dartmouth). This expert points out the real issue: whether marginal benefit is worth the marginal cost. Unfortunately, that issue is not developed in the story and a counterpoint is immediately presented after Finlayson’s comments. The story mentions the alternatives of open and laparoscopic surgery for prostate removal. Advantages (the story claims less blood loss, shorter hospital stays, etc.) and disadvantages (cost and surgeon training time) of using robotic technology compared to open or laparoscopic technology are compared. But the purported advantages of robotic technology aren’t supported by stronger, meta-analytic evidence, which concluded that it’s uncertain whether outcomes are improved or not (Humphreys, Gettman, et al., 2004). Additionally, the article doesn’t even mention the very important fact that experts don’t know whether any active treatment of early prostate cancer does more good than harm. Story states Da Vinci robotic system has had FDA approval since 2000. While it also provides number of machines that have been purchased and provides number of estimated procedures performed, it is up to the reader to “connect the dots” and put together that these figures mean that finding the technology and/or a skilled surgeon to use the technology may have many obstacles. Also limiting availability is whether a man’s insurance would cover such a procedure. Because these very real issues of availability are not developed, the story gets an unsatisfactory grade on this criterion. The story talks about robotic technology as a new (since FDA approval in 2000) technique.
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8935
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Disease that killed millions of China's pigs poses global threat.
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Bettie the beagle, a detector dog for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, picked up the scent of pork on a woman arriving from China at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.
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true
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Health News
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Soon the dog’s handler discovered and confiscated a ham sandwich in the purse of a passenger who had flown on a China Eastern Airlines flight from Shanghai. The danger? That the food might be contaminated with African swine fever and spread the disease to the United States. China has lost millions of pigs in outbreaks of the disease, pushing its pork prices to record highs, forcing purchases of costly imports and roiling global meat markets. “It’s very likely it may come here if we aren’t more vigilant,” said Jessica Anderson, the handler for the pork-sniffing dog and an agricultural specialist for the border protection agency. Bettie is among an expanded team of specially trained beagles at U.S. airports, part of a larger effort to protect the nation’s $23 billion pork industry from a disease that has decimated China’s hog herd, the world’s largest. Governments worldwide are scrambling to shore up their defenses as the disease spills over China’s borders, according to Reuters reporting from nine countries. The efforts underscore the grave threat to global agriculture. African swine fever has spread to Southeast Asia and eastern Europe, with cases found in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Korea, Myanmar, the Philippines, Poland, Belgium and Bulgaria. Around the globe, those countries and others that have so far sidestepped the epidemic are cracking down on travelers, increasing cargo screenings and banning meat imports. GRAPHIC: China’s pig industry crisis - here Pork-producing countries stand to lose billions of dollars if the disease infects their industries because outbreaks devastate farms and shut export markets. African swine fever does not threaten humans but there’s no vaccine or cure for infected pigs. If the disease enters the United States, the top pork-exporting nation with 77.3 million hogs, the government would struggle to protect the industry, participants in a four-day drill in September told Reuters. “If this gets in, it will destroy our industry as we know it,” said Dave Pyburn, the National Pork Board’s senior vice president of science and technology. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) simulated an outbreak in Mississippi that spread to the nation’s top pig-producing states, including North Carolina, Iowa and Minnesota. Veterinarians, farmers and government officials gathered at command centers where they tested their capacity to swiftly detect, control and clean up after an outbreak. The experience showed the U.S. needs to increase its capacity to quickly test pigs for the disease and to dispose of the animals without spreading it, said Pyburn, who participated in the drill. In China, the top global pork consumer, the disease has been devastating. The exact number of hog deaths is not known. Rabobank estimated the country lost up to 55% of its pig herd last year. But the Chinese government has reported smaller losses in the country’s $1 trillion hog sector since the first case in August 2018. The U.S. government is fielding dogs at airports and seaports, conducting outbreak-response drills and adding capacity to test pigs. France and Germany are killing hundreds of thousands of wild boar that might carry the disease. France also erected 132 kilometers (82 miles) of fencing to keep out wild boar and is planning stricter sanitary rules for pig farming, including requirements to disinfect trucks that transport swine. Thailand culled pigs in a province close to Myanmar, where the disease has been found. South Korea ordered soldiers on its border with North Korea to capture wild boar, while Vietnam used troops to ensure infected pigs were culled. Australia expelled travelers from Vietnam for smuggling pork and banned imports of pork products. Australia also deployed advisors to Pacific islands in an attempt to protect its closest neighbors from African swine fever. If such efforts fail, it could cost the country more than 2 billion Australian dollars ($1.4 billion) over five years, according to Australian Pork Limited, an industry group. “It is certainly the biggest threat to commercial raising that we have ever seen, and arguably the biggest threat to any commercial livestock species we’ve seen,” said Mark Schipp, Australia’s chief veterinary officer. U.S. officials plan to suspend domestic shipments of pigs among farms and to slaughterhouses if African swine fever is detected. The USDA and states could issue orders halting the movement of livestock in certain areas as a way to contain the disease. The USDA said in a statement to Reuters that the September drill highlighted shortcomings in its guidance to states detailing when and how to limit the movement of pigs. The government is also increasing the number of laboratories it uses to test for African swine fever. “We have identified some gaps,” said Amanda Luitjens, who took part in the drill and is animal welfare auditor for Minnesota-based pork producer Christensen Farms. “The thought of it making it to the United States is scary.” Travelers transporting meat represent the biggest risk for African swine fever to spread to the United States because the disease can live for weeks in pork products, Pyburn said. Contaminated food can be fed to feral pigs or livestock in a practice known as garbage feeding, which the USDA says has caused outbreaks of swine diseases around the world. U.S. farmers are supposed to obtain a license to feed pigs with food waste that contains meat and cook it to kill disease organisms. African swine fever can also spread from pig to pig, from bites by infectious ticks and through objects such as trucks, clothing and shoes that have come into contact with the virus. China banned the transportation of live pigs from infected provinces and neighboring regions in an unsuccessful bid to contain its outbreaks. It also culled pigs and outlawed the use of kitchen waste for swine feed. The disease has been detected in food products seized at airports in South Korea, Japan, Australia, the Philippines and northern Ireland. African swine fever is thought to have arrived in the Philippines through contaminated pork smuggled from China. The Philippines is now conducting mandatory checks on carry-on luggage of passengers from countries with outbreaks. The government of the province of Cebu in central Philippines banned imported products and those from the main Philippine island of Luzon to avoid swine fever. More than 60,000 pigs have died or been culled in Luzon because of the disease. The Philippines Department of Agriculture also banned garbage feeding that included leftover food from airports, airlines and seaports. In the United States, low inspection rates at ports of entry increase the likelihood for illegal pork to enter the country undetected, the USDA said in a report assessing the risk from African swine fever. The agency works with Customs and Border Protection to alert all U.S. ports each time a new country is confirmed to have the disease, requesting increased scrutiny on travelers and shipments. But Customs and Border Protection estimates it needs 3,148 people to specialize in agricultural inspections at entry points like airports and only has about 2,500. The U.S. Senate last year authorized the annual hiring of 240 agricultural specialists a year until the workforce shortage is filled, and the training and assignment of 20 new canine teams a year. The government approved 60 new beagle teams to work at airports and seaports last year, for a total of 179 teams, according to USDA. Those teams face a daunting challenge, said Senator Gary Peters, a Michigan Democrat who introduced the legislation with other lawmakers. “Every day, millions of passengers and tens of thousands of shipping containers carrying food products cross our nation’s borders,” he said, “any one of which could do significant damage to America’s food supply and agricultural industries.”
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3753
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California bill would limit genitalia surgery for children.
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California doctors would be barred from treating or performing surgery on children born with genitals that don’t fit a single gender or are otherwise atypical unless it’s medically necessary or the child consents, under a bill unveiled Monday.
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true
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Health, California, Legislation, Scott Wiener
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It’s the latest effort by state legislators to give minors more control over their bodies and gender identities. “The fundamental premise of the legislation is that people should make decisions about their own bodies,” said Democratic Sen. Scott Wiener of San Francisco, the bill’s sponsor. “In California we strongly believe that people are who they are and that we shouldn’t be telling people who they are supposed to be.” Doctors, though, said the bill may go too far in restricting how they can treat patients. The California Medical Association hasn’t taken a formal position on the bill but has “very serious concerns” that include the bill’s lack of a definition around when a minor is old enough to consent. “Our concern is that the approach in this bill may be being overly prescriptive and not give families and medical professionals the ability to take the specifics of each case into account,” Janus Norman, senior vice president for governmental relations, said in a statement. The bill focuses on intersex minors, defined as someone who is born with atypical physical sex characteristics, which could include genitals or internal organs that don’t conform to a single gender. InterACT, a nonprofit working to expand rights for intersex youth, estimates just less than 2 percent of the U.S. population has some type of intersex characteristic. That includes a broad range of characteristics ranging from an enlarged clitoris or a misplaced urethra opening on the penis to genitalia that don’t clearly match one gender. About one in 2,000 babies are estimated to have visible genital differences putting them at risk of early surgery, said Kimberly Zieselman, the group’s executive director. Unnecessary surgeries could mistakenly identify a child’s preferred gender or, in cases unrelated to gender, leave scarring or affect future fertility, she said. “It’s not just a gender issue,” Zieselman said. “There are a lot of other harms that happen to many intersex people as a result of the interventions that are psychological and physical.” Under Wiener’s bill, doctors and parents wouldn’t be allowed to move ahead with treatment or surgery unless it is medically necessary, such as something that would prevent a child from urinating. Treatments or surgeries outlined in the bill include removal or reduction of the clitoris or removal of the ovaries or testis. It could also bar additional procedures not specifically outlined in the bill. If a doctor considers surgery medically necessary, he or she would need parental consent. If the treatment isn’t necessary, the doctor and parents would have to wait until the child is old enough to give consent and obtain approval for any procedures. The bill doesn’t define when a minor can give consent. It is intentionally vague, Wiener’s office said, and would rely on guidelines already in state law around when a child is able to consent on certain medical procedures. The California Medical Association cited that as a reason for concern. “There are also serious questions about the nature and legal threshold for informed consent as used in the bill,” Norman said. Under current medical guidelines, doctors form teams of experts, including psychologists or urologists, to evaluate each individual circumstance. Considering the physical and emotional health of the future child is a key piece of the evaluation, Norman said. Under the bill, doctors could not be criminally held responsible if they violate the law but could be disciplined by the state’s medical board. Wiener said his office will work with the medical association if it has constructive feedback.
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5669
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Congo police detain ex-health minister in Ebola funds probe.
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Police in Congo have detained the former minister of health amid an investigation into the use of Ebola funds as confirmed Ebola deaths rose to near 2,000 and confirmed cases of the virus exceeded 3,000 in the sprawling African nation.
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true
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Religion, Arrests, Health, Ebola virus, Africa, International News, Felix Tshisekedi, General News
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Former Minister of Health Oly Ilunga was taken into custody, police said in a statement Saturday. Ilunga resigned in July to protest President Felix Tshisekedi’s decision to take over the management of the response to the world’s second deadliest Ebola outbreak, which is ongoing now in eastern Congo, from Ilunga. As he resigned, Ilunga deplored the lack of cooperation between him, the president and the prime minister in response to the deadly Ebola outbreak. Police said Saturday that Ilunga had been arrested less than a month ago for misdemeanor offenses involving the mishandling of funds and he was released. He has since made plans to travel to the neighboring Republic of Congo, they said, adding he was taken into custody to make sure he would not avoid legal proceedings. Congo’s National Ebola Response Committee released the latest Ebola numbers Friday after a discussion in Goma by the Catholic Church and the Anglican Church about efforts to help stem the spread of Ebola in communities. A mistrust of health workers and widespread security issues still threaten the fight against the Ebola outbreak in a region where armed groups have fought for decades over the mineral-rich land. The committee reported there were 3,002 confirmed Ebola cases with 1,974 confirmed deaths. The World Health Organization said Friday they recorded 40 new cases of Ebola — the lowest weekly incidence of Ebola since March 2019 — but said it was unclear if this positive trend would continue.
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35728
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A motorcyclist killed in a crash in Florida in 2020 was listed as a COVID-19 death.
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A person who died in a motorcycle accident was added to Florida’s COVID-19 death count, according to a state health official.
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mixture
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Politics, COVID-19
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In late July 2020, Snopes readers began inquiring about news reports that a person killed in a motorcycle crash had been listed as a COVID-19 death in Florida. Florida was among states experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases amid the ongoing pandemic, but political leaders including U.S. President Donald Trump and Trump supporters such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis were criticized for downplaying the virus. During a press conference July 20, DeSantis pointed to the case of the motorcyclist, saying: The other thing I’ve asked the Department of Health to look at is there was a case here in Central Florida where somebody, I think they were in their twenties, and they were in a motorcycle accident, and that was counted as a coronavirus death. And a lot of people are like, “How is that possible? You get hit by a car and then you’re attributing it to coronavirus?” And so I want them to go back and look. I think though, the reason that’s the case is because what [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] has said is anybody that tests positive, if they then die, that’s a death amongst cases. Contrary to what DeSantis stated, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance doesn’t direct caregivers to list all deaths as COVID-19 deaths simply because the disease was detected in the decedent. Instead, it instructs caregivers to list various factors contributing to death in appropriate sections of death certificates. In other words, it does not state that anyone who suffers an unnatural death such as a traffic accident should be listed as a COVID-19-caused death if they also happen to test positive, even if the disease didn’t cause to their death. It does appear to the case, however, that a motorcyclist who was killed in a traffic accident also tested positive for COVID-19, and was initially listed among Florida’s COVID-19-related deaths. But officials from the Florida Department of Health said that person has since been removed from the count. The story about the motorcyclist was initially reported by WOFL, an Orlando-based TV news station, which learned the information in a phone conversation with Orange County Health Officer Dr. Raul Pino. In the July 17 article, WOFL reported:
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6494
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To boost milk, dairy groups support high school coffee bars.
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Coffee bars selling $3 iced lattes are popping up in high schools, helped along by dairy groups scrambling for new ways to get people to drink milk.
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true
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Coffee, New York, General News, Lifestyle, Health, Business, U.S. News
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It’s one small way the dairy industry is fighting to slow the persistent decline in U.S. milk consumption as eating habits change and rival drinks keep popping up on supermarket shelves. At a high school in North Dakota, a $5,000 grant from a dairy group helped pay for an espresso machine that makes lattes with about 8 ounces of milk each. The drinks used 530 gallons of milk this year. “We buy a lot of milk,” said Lynelle Johnson, the food service director for the Williston Public School District. It’s not clear how much coffee drinks in high schools might help boost milk consumption, or whether the concept will gain traction across the country. But with consumption of milk in the U.S. down 40 percent since 1975, the dairy industry is looking for all the help it can get. The industry famous for its “Got Milk” advertising campaign is hoping its newer “Undeniably Dairy” slogan will help fend off the almond, oat and soy alternatives that are becoming more popular. And regional dairy groups are encouraging schools to serve milky drinks like smoothies and hot chocolate, as well as iced lattes. The efforts come as the dairy industry is also trying to adjust to changing views about diet and nutrition. With fat no longer seen as a dietary evil, skim milk has suffered the sharpest declines in demand in recent years. And it’s difficult for dairy producers to reduce production of skim milk because it is left over after making other products such as butter, cheese and ice cream. As skim milk becomes especially tough to sell, Organic Valley is even drying some of the surplus and mixing it back into low-fat and fat-free milk to boost the nutrients and make it creamier. “We’re just exploring everything we can,” said George Siemon, who was CEO of Organic Valley when the plans were developed, but has recently stepped down. The dairy industry blames rules that limit the fat content of milk in schools for consumption declines, arguing that generations of students are growing up disliking milk because of the watery taste of skim. In the meantime, it’s hoping lattes can make milk go down easier. In Florida, a dairy group said it paid for coffee carts in 21 high schools this past school year. In the Southwest, a dairy group gave grants to seven schools for coffee programs. Not all high school coffee bars get grants from dairy groups, and the money may only cover a small portion of costs. School food operators also say lattes offer other benefits, such as giving teens a reason to stay on school grounds. At a national convention for school lunch officials this month, one session will also detail how schools in Orange County, Florida used coffee drinks to get students to buy lunch. For an extra $2, students can turn the cup of milk served with lunch into a coffee drink at a nearby cart. Without the lunch, it costs $3. The Orange County schools did not receive industry grants for the coffee bars, but the local dairy council provided chalkboard-style signs and menus. Cafeteria directors and dairy groups say coffee drinks in schools have to follow nutrition standards, making them healthier than the lattes students would get anyway outside schools. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which sets rules for schools participating in its meal programs, says high schools can sell espresso drinks that are no bigger than 12 ounces, and that are made with fat-free or 1% milk. The drinks have around 150 calories, school food directors say. But not everyone thinks teens should drink coffee, or that they need milk. The American Academy of Pediatrics discourages caffeine consumption among children, citing potentially harmful effects on developing bodies. And while dairy is an efficient way to get calcium and vitamin D, it’s not the only way to get such nutrients, said Dr. Natalie Muth, a pediatrician and representative for the American Academy of Pediatrics. As for lattes, Muth said there are ways to encourage students to get the nutrients of milk without promoting caffeine habits that could lead to headaches, agitation and lack of sleep. “If they’re going to be having that outside of school, that’s one thing. But in schools, the idea is to promote good health and nutrition,” Muth said. Exactly how schools prepare coffee drinks can vary, but milk is a primary ingredient for lattes. “It’s really milk with some coffee, as far as proportion,” said Julie Ostrow of Midwest Dairy. It’s why the group is providing a grant for a coffee bar at a fourth high school in the Fort Zumwalt, Missouri district this upcoming year. In exchange, the group gets data on how much milk is used for the lattes, as well as information for personal pizzas, mozzarella sticks and other products with dairy. But the group might not be happy about one of the newer options: This past year, the coffee bars began offering almond milk for 40 cents extra, said Paul Becker, the district’s food director. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
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33450
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Forty Marines rescued kids from a Pentagon daycare facility on 9/11, then enclosed them in a protective corral of cribs.
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Unknown to him as he helped shepherd kids, Stoppel’s office had been one of those that sustained a direct hit. Many of his co-workers had perished in the attack, including the man with which he had shared a cubicle. Stoppel himself was presumed dead for the better part of the day.
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false
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September 11th, 9/11, glurge, pentagon
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While the urge to take something good from the awfulness that was 11 September 2001 serves as motivation to look to uplifting stories from that day, true accounts of such nature are few and far between. This tale about 40 Marines standing guard over a corral of cribs protecting babies and toddlers rescued from a daycare center near the Pentagon is a bit of fiction: [Collected via e-mail, September 2008] I wonder why, no, I know why you never saw this on the mainstream media! Just came from the memorial ceremony here at NORTHCOM. LTC (CH) Robert Leivers led the group in a ceremony here at the headquarters. During the ceremony, he relayed this little-known story from the Pentagon on 9/11: “During a visit with a fellow chaplain, who happened to be assigned to the Pentagon, I had a chance to hear a first-hand account of an incident that happened right after Flt 77 hit the Pentagon. The Chaplain told me what happened at a daycare center near where the impact occurred. This daycare had many children, including infants who were in heavy cribs. The daycare supervisor, looking at all the children they needed to evacuate, was in a panic over what they could do; there were many children, mostly toddlers, as well as the infants that would need to be taken out with the cribs. There was no time to try to bundle them into carriers and strollers. Just then a young Marine came running into the center and asked what they needed. After hearing what the center director was trying to do, he ran back out into the hallway and disappeared. The director thought, ‘well, there we are- on our own.’ About 2 minutes later, that Marine returned with 40 others in tow. Each of them grabbed a crib with a child, and the rest started gathering up toddlers. The director and her staff then helped them take all the children out of the center and down toward the park near the Potomac and the Pentagon. Once they got about 3/4 of a mile outside the building, the Marines stopped in the park, and then did a fabulous thing – they formed a circle with the cribs, which were quite sturdy and heavy, like the covered wagons in the West. Inside this circle of cribs, they put the toddlers, to keep them from wandering off. Outside this circle were the 40 Marines, forming a perimeter around the children and waiting for instructions. There they remained until the parents could be notified and come get their children.” The NORTHCOM chaplain then said- “I don’t think any of us saw nor heard of this on any of the news stories of the day. It was an incredible story.” I must say- there wasn’t a dry eye in the room. The thought of those Marines and what they did and how fast they reacted- could we expect any less from them?? It was one of the most touching stories from the Pentagon I’ve EVER heard. [Collected via e-mail, February 2013] On September 11, 2001, a hijacked plane knifed into the side of the Pentagon. We all know that. What very few people have heard is shortly afterwards, the director of a nursery in the building stood looking at the children in her charge, wondering how to move all of the babies and toddlers to safety. A marine rushed into the room and asked if she was alright. She needed help and she told him that. He turned and ran out; the woman assumed that he had gone away for good. As she formulated a plan of action, she heard footsteps in the hall. The man had returned – this time, though, he was not alone. At least forty other Marines followed him. They picked up the babies in their cribs, the toddlers, the helpless infants. They carried them through the halls and to a nearby park, where they arranged the cribs in a circle and set the toddlers in the middle. Then they stood guard outside, never allowing the children to be unattended. When I first saw this picture, I thought that the man carrying the children was their father. Now I realize that he was not related to them by blood, but by nationality. He is an American. They are American children. He is not their father, he is their protector. He’s a United States Marine. American Flight 77 crashed into Pentagon at 9:43 a.m. on that fateful day. All was confusion in Washington for at least the next hour, with order only gradually emerging from the chaos as various folks tried to work out what had happened, what help was needed where, and whether further attacks were on the way. There were daycares near the Pentagon, including one located in a building 30 yards from that facility, fortunately on the opposite side from where the airplane struck. Children from these facilities were evacuated by those running those establishments, with help from other sources arriving only well after the fact. There was no group of 40 burly Marines racing into a distressed daycare center to snatch up toddlers and cribs, then forming a defensive ring around the tykes; instead, in the absence of outside assistance, those in charge of the kids fended as best they could for those in their care. For instance, at the Children’s World Learning Center at the Pentagon, the teachers sang nursery rhymes to their 138 young charges as they led them to safety. Said Time of the situation that morning: By 11 a.m., the streets in Washington were gridlocked with people trying to get out. On the corner of Constitution Avenue and 14th Street, day-care workers from the Ronald Reagan Building clutched frightened toddlers into a tight bunch. A scouring of news stories from the days immediately following 9/11 through the next few months uncovered no news accounts about a cadre of Marines rescuing children from a daycare center near the Pentagon, or indeed of members of any other branch of service snatching up kids and cribs then making a protective corral of the cribs and standing guard over it. This is not a story that would have gone unreported, because even if the Marines in question had kept their peace about their actions that day, the kids, the daycare workers, and the parents of the kids certainly wouldn’t have. The tale about 40 Marines charging to the rescue (which began its online life in September 2008), possibly resulted from a mishearing, misunderstanding, or just plain exaggeration of the actions taken that day by Army colonel Dave Komar and his staff and rangers from the National Park Service to assist and protect those who had evacuated children from the Pentagon’s daycare facility. Seven park rangers were dispatched to assist the group of evacuees, reaching it at approximately noon. Once there, the park rangers set up a protective perimeter around the children and blocked one lane of westbound traffic on the George Washington Memorial Parkway to increase safety. They then persuaded the driver of an empty tour bus to help transport the kids to a Virginia Department of Transportation (DoT) facility where they could better watch over and care for the tots until parents came to claim their children. The park rangers did not magically appear just as the youngsters needed to be moved from the threatened daycare (they joined up with the evacuated group a couple of hours after it reached the open field), nor did they cart heavy cribs full of kids out of a building, nor did they form a ring of cribs “like the covered wagons in the West” and then stand guard outside it to keep the children from getting loose. However, they were involved in protecting a group of children moved from a daycare after the attack, with this protection involving (at least at one point) the establishment of a protective perimeter around their small charges. It’s enough of a similarity to have potentially served as the kernel for the much embellished tale involving 40 Marines and a ring of baby cribs. The most interesting story having to do with the Pentagon’s daycare facility that day wasn’t primarily about the children or even the evacuation, but one of the parents. That morning, Col. William Stoppel of the National Guard dropped his 9-month-old son at daycare, then continued on to his office in the Pentagon’s inner ring, where he was assigned to the Department of the Army’s G-1 Office processing promotion packets. News of the attacks in New York prompted this dad to want to check on his son, so at the time the plane hit the Pentagon, he was in the daycare facility on the other side of the building (and thus helped to move kids to the field spoken of earlier).
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36336
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The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 against the use of the Qur'an for swearing oaths.
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Did the Supreme Court Rule 5-4 Against Swearing in on the Qur’an?
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false
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Disinformation, Fact Checks
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On June 11 2019, a Facebook user shared the following text-based status update (archived here), claiming the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 against the use of the Qur’an for swearing oaths:Right off the bat, the format of the post was a scourge to fact-checking sites. Text against a colorful background, rarely if ever accompanied by citations, spreads like wildfire on its native platform, Facebook.And few if, any of, the ones that come across our desks are ever rooted in much truth. Before the claim about a Supreme Court ruling of 5 to 4 against the use of the Qur’an in oaths, similar posts claimed: that a 2012 gun ban led to Venezuelans being killed in the streets by their government, that dozens of Christians were massacred by Muslims in March 2019 in Africa, that the passage of HR 1 allowed non-citizens to legally vote, that President Barack Obama deliberately planted refugee voters in Rep. Ilhan Omar’s district, that Chicago city identification cards enabled non-citizens to vote (again), that Sen. Bernie Sanders called Christianity an “insult to Muslims,” and that Nancy Pelosi called late-term abortion bans “really quite a sad thing.”In March 2019, Poynter reported that the format was causing headaches for fact-checkers on and off Facebook thanks to the speed with which it was able to spread false claims. Nevertheless, the post above accrued thousands of shares per day in the short time between its appearance and this fact check. As it happens, the claim had been spread (and debunked) before. In January 2019, Factcheck.org examined the exact same claim and traced it to its source — a notorious purveyor of disinformation, the website Last Line of Defense:First of all, the story originated on a website that has a disclaimer warning readers: “Everything on this website is fiction.” Parts of the made-up story, though, were copied by other sites without a disclaimer and presented as news.An archived link to the original falsehood was available in that article. Titled “BREAKING: Supreme Court Rules 5-4: Oaths Not Taken on Bibles Illegal,” the attendant article was on a page with a footer labeling the content as false:sat·ire ~ˈsaˌtī(ə)r noun the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, OR ridicule to expose and criticize people’s stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.
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6723
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Health officials warn of measles exposure in SE Minnesota.
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State health officials are warning residents of southeastern Minnesota about possible exposure to measles.
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true
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Health, Minnesota, Albert Lea, Measles
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The Minnesota Department of Health learned this week that a non-Minnesota resident with confirmed measles traveled through Minnesota from another state. According to the department, people may have been exposed to measles on April 13 at a McDonald’s on Main Street in Winona and on April 16 at the Freeborn County Co-op gas station in Albert Lea. Health Department spokesman Doug Schultz tells the Star Tribune the infected person was from Missouri. Health officials in western Wisconsin and in Iowa also are warning people about recent potential exposure to measles. Symptoms of measles include high fever, cough, runny nose, red, watery eyes and a rash. The disease can spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
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23905
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Todd Staples Says EPA regulation of greenhouse gases will endanger 575 Texas dairy facilities, 58 swine operations, 1,300 corn farms and 28,000 beef cattle operations.
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Staples says EPA regulation of greenhouse gases endangers Texas farms, dairy plants and cattle operations
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false
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Environment, Energy, Texas, Todd Staples,
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"Todd Staples, the state agriculture commissioner, this year joined Gov. Rick Perry and Attorney General Greg Abbott in objecting to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency designating half a dozen greenhouse gases as endangering public health. Staples says on his campaign website, which we visited in late May, that he’s fighting the December “endangerment” finding because the consequences would be disastrous for Texas farmers who, he implies, would suffer from government monitoring and regulation of gases emitted by animals and equipment. “Companies that will be endangered in Texas include 575 dairy facilities, 58 swine operations (and) 1,300 corn farms,"" Staples says. ""No industry is more threatened than the cattle industry. If this rule is implemented, an estimated 28,000 beef cattle operations in Texas will fall under EPA regulation.” Milk, pigs, corn, cows – the feds whuppin' all these grown-in-Texas products? We wondered if Staples plows a straight row. Cody McGregor, Staples’ campaign manager, said the commissioner, a Republican seeking re-election, derived his Texas figures from a July 2008 letter written by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in response to the EPA’s draft advance notice to regulate greenhouse gases. In its letter, the USDA said that if greenhouse gas emissions were regulated under the Clean Air Act, numerous farms then not required to seek gas-emission permits would be so burdened. The 1970 act directs the EPA to establish air quality standards; the law requires the agency to concentrate on major polluters, which are defined as those that emit more than 100 tons of unhealthful pollutants a year. The USDA letter says that even “very small agricultural operations"" would fall in that category: ""For example, dairy facilities and farms with over 500 acres of corn may need to get a Title V permit. It is neither efficient nor practical to require permitting and reporting of (greenhouse gas) emissions from farms of this size. Excluding only the 200,000 largest commercial farms, our agricultural landscape is comprised of 1.9 million farms with an average value of production of $25,589 on 271 acres.” O June 23, 2009, Staples sent a letter to Lisa Jackson, the EPA administrator, objecting to the greenhouse gas endangerment finding. That letter says that based on the USDA’s herd and acreage estimates, Texas in 2007 had approximately 575 dairy facilities, 28,000 beef cattle operations, 58 swine operations and 1,300 corn farms that met the “regulatory threshold.” So, Staples aired his Texas estimate nearly a year ago based on the USDA’s assessment of the impact of EPA plans to regulate greenhouse gases drafted about a year before that. Presuming his math is solid, we wondered if the nearly 2-year-old concerns shared by USDA still hold. To our queries, Staples did not say precisely why or how the EPA's permitting will endanger the Texas operations he tallies. In Washington, EPA spokeswoman Catherine Milbourn looked over the information provided by Staples’ campaign. She said the analyses reflect expectations about the EPA’s plans that are no longer valid because the EPA effectively excused farms from complying with the requirements cited in the USDA’s letter. EPA spokesman Brendan Gilfillan followed up with an e-mail: “These types of doomsday scenarios are simply untrue. EPA issued a rule that would specifically ensure small businesses and farms are shielded from clean air act permitting for” greenhouse gases. The EPA’s May 13 final ""tailoring rule,"" a descriptive reflecting the agency's decision not to impose the same pollutant thresholds on greenhouse gases that were spelled out for pollutants in the Clean Air Act, specifies the types of entities that will initially have to toe the line on greenhouse gas emissions. An accompanying fact sheet states: “Facilities responsible for nearly 70 percent of the national (greenhouse gas) emissions from stationary sources will be subject to permitting requirements under this rule. This includes the nation’s largest (greenhouse gas) emitters—power plants, refineries, and cement production facilities. Emissions from small farms, restaurants, and all but the very largest commercial facilities will not be covered by these programs at this time.” At this time? The fact sheet says the EPA is committing to additional rule-making by July 2012 which may discuss “whether certain smaller sources can be permanently excluded from permitting.” Permits for smaller sources of any type won't be required until at least April 30, 2016, the agency says. In a May 13 blog post headlined ""EPA Greenhouse Gas Rules Likely Target for Suits,"" Legal Times magazine in Washington notes that the Clean Air Act requires entities that emit 100 to 250 tons of pollutants per year to get government permits to do so. Because greenhouse gases are emitted in much larger quantities than traditional pollutants, the 100 to 250 ton threshold would require permits for small farms, restaurants and apartment buildings, for example. In raising the threshold, the agency is admitting the absurdity of applying the lower limits to more prevalent greenhouse gases, the blog says. McGregor of Staples’ campaign conceded the EPA's May 13 rule excludes farms. McGregor said, however, that what the EPA says today ""can likely change tomorrow."" He pointed us to an online analysis of the rule by Washington lawyer Richard Stoll, whose clients include industrial operators including Portland cement manufacturers. Stoll told us he expects the rule to be challenged in federal court because the pollutant thresholds in the rule are far above what the Clean Air Act mandates. More broadly, Stoll said, the EPA wants Congress to pass laws related to greenhouse gas regulation; one way of touching off such action is to issue rules likely to be tossed in court. “There is a good chance that the DC circuit (court) will throw that regulation out and then all of a sudden EPA is going to be confronted with having to do something about all these farms and everything (else),” Stoll said. “There’s grounds to be fearful here.” However, Stoll said, should the EPA ever get to the point of requiring farmers to monitor and report on localized gas emissions, Congress almost certainly will intervene. ""If all of a sudden you’re having farmers worried about monitoring cow farts, Congress will be all over this,"" he said. ""It might not be immediately; it could be a damn mess for a while."" Shannon Goessling, executive director and chief legal counsel of the conservative-leaning Southeastern Legal Foundation, which has challenged the endangerment finding, contends the EPA had another reason for excusing farms and other small businesses from greenhouse gas regulation: The government hopes they will drop their resistance to the endangerment finding. There's another legal view. Melinda Taylor, former director of the Environmental Law Clinic at the University of Texas School of Law, agreed with Stoll that the EPA wants Congress to step in and take on greenhouse gas emissions. But, she said, it’s also likely the EPA would prevail in court if its May 13 rule is challenged. Generally, she said, “courts will not substitute their own judgment for that of an agency.” Besides, she said, “farmers have always been very successful in making the case they can’t comply with regulations that would be onerous and inordinately costly to them — to the detriment of the environment, I might add.” Phew. Where does all this leave Staples’ statement? The commish had a basis for his numbers in the 2008 USDA letter. But his assumption that farms would be subject to the regulations expired when the EPA issued its final rule weeks ago. Since, Staples has neither adjusted nor reasonably explained his outdated complaint. His statement is ."
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28376
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"Judge Brett Kavanaugh once ruled that a teenage immigrant who had been raped must take time to ""think maturely"" before undergoing an abortion."
|
What's true: In October 2017, Judge Brett Kavanaugh ruled that a 17-year-old unlawful immigrant could be required to delay obtaining an abortion, for 11 days so that she could first be placed with an immigration sponsor. What's false: Kavanaugh did not declare that the young woman must 'think about [abortion] maturely' or impress upon her that 'what you do at 17 follows you forever.' Furthermore, the young woman in question does not appear to have become pregnant as the result of rape.
|
mixture
|
Politics, abortion, brett kavanaugh
|
In October 2018, before the controversial confirmation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh as a Supreme Court Justice, the left-wing Facebook page “The Other 98%” posted a meme which hinted at a degree of irony or hypocrisy in one of Kavanaugh’s past opinions: Brett Bart Kavanaugh was the judge that told the 17 year old immigrant girl that was raped that she couldn’t have an abortion until she really really thought about it maturely [because] what you do at 17 follows you forever. As indicated in the meme, this argument originated in a 2 October tweet by a Twitter user called @maydaymindy9: Brett Bart Kavanaugh was the Judge that told the 17 year old immigrant girl that was raped that she couldn’t have an abortion until she really really thought about it maturely bc what you do at 17 follows you forever — Mayday Mindy 🌊 (@maydaymindy9) October 3, 2018 Part of the point of this tweet was to present a level of irony or even hypocrisy on the part of Kavanaugh. In September 2018, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford came forward with an allegation that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in the early 1980s, when she was 15 years old and Kavanaugh was 17 years old — the same age as the pregnant girl at the heart of the court case in question. If Kavanaugh’s stance towards the girl was that she must be forced to delay her abortion because he believed she needed to contemplate that “what you do at 17 follows you forever,” then according to the implicit logic of the tweet, Kavanaugh ought to have the same rigorous moral judgment applied to his alleged actions as a 17-year-old. The tweet, and the “Other 98%” meme which followed, are indeed based on an opinion given by Kavanaugh in a case that came before the District of Columbia Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals in the autumn of 2017. And Kavanaugh did indeed rule that the young woman could be forced to further delay obtaining an abortion until she was placed with her immigration sponsor. However, the meme embellished certain parts of the case and overlooked significant nuance in Kavanaugh’s argument. Background The case in question revolved around a young woman from Central America known as “Jane Doe,” who unlawfully entered the United States in September 2017 at the age of 17. Her court-appointed legal guardian and attorney, Rochelle Garza, gave the following account of her circumstances in written testimony that she later presented to the Senate Judiciary Committee in opposition to Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court: Because [Jane Doe] was a minor arriving in the United States without a parent or legal guardian, she was designated a UAC [unaccompanied alien child] and transferred into the custody of ORR [the Office of Refugee Resettlement] pursuant to the regulations under the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 (TVPRA). It was when she was placed at a facility for immigrant children in the Rio Grande Valley that she learned she was pregnant. Jane immediately knew she did not wish to proceed with the pregnancy and expressed her wish to terminate her pregnancy to the facility staff. What followed was weeks of somewhat complicated legal wrangling involving the Office of Refugee Resettlement (an agency of the Department of Health and Human Services), the Department of Justice, and the young woman’s lawyers, as various government actors insisted that she undergo counselling, ultrasounds, and other delays and preconditions before terminating her pregnancy. On 13 October 2017, Garza and the American Civil Liberties Union sued Eric Hargan, the acting Health and Human Services Secretary, and other government agencies and officials, seeking (on Jane Doe’s behalf) a federal court injunction preventing the government from further delaying or obstructing Jane Doe’s access to an abortion. The plaintiffs argued that the federal government was violating the young woman’s constitutional right to an abortion, as set out in the landmark Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade, maintaining that although the state has a right to insist on certain requirements before an abortion can take place (such as counselling, parental consent, and 24-hour waiting periods), the obstacles put before Jane Doe had amounted to an “undue burden” — a legal standard set out in another major abortion-related Supreme Court decision, Planned Parenthood v. Casey. In the 13 October lawsuit, Jane Doe’s lawyers wrote that: Defendants’ actions have already delayed J.D. [Jane Doe] from getting her abortion for several weeks. Because of requirements imposed by Texas law, the next time J.D. would be able to see the abortion provider for the state-mandated counseling (which must occur at least 24 hours prior to the abortion), and to obtain the abortion is on October 19, 20, and/or 21. If she does not get the abortion during that window she will be delayed at least an additional week. Thus, absent an immediate temporary restraining order, J.D. will be pushed further into her pregnancy, which increases the health risks associated with the procedure, and at some point will be forced to carry to term against her will. The United States District Court in the District of Columbia sided with Jane Doe’s attorneys, and on 18 October they granted the restraining order against the government, whose lawyers immediately appealed, thus sending the case to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia (the “D.C. Circuit”). Kavanaugh’s Role On 20 October 2017, three judges on the D.C. Circuit — Brett Kavanaugh, Karen Henderson and Patricia Millett — ruled 2-1 in favor of the government’s appeal, ordering a pause on the restraining order which was set to clear the way for Jane Doe’s abortion. Judge Millett dissented from the ruling, which read: The Government argues that, pursuant to standard HHS [Health and Human Services] policy, a sponsor may be secured for a minor unlawful immigrant in HHS custody, including for a minor who is seeking an abortion. The Government argues that this process by which a minor is released from HHS custody to a sponsor does not unduly burden the minor’s right under Supreme Court precedent to an abortion. We agree, so long as the process of securing a sponsor to whom the minor is released occurs expeditiously. Under the terms of the 20 October ruling, the government would be given 11 days (until 31 October) to find a sponsor for Jane Doe (typically a relative or friend already living in the United States) and transfer her into their custody before allowing her to obtain the abortion. If no sponsor could be found by then, the D.C. Circuit Court could re-enter their restraining order against the government, paving the way for Jane Doe’s abortion, while the government could once again appeal, potentially bringing the case before the Court of Appeals for a second time. Two days later, the ACLU asked for the government’s appeal to be reconsidered, this time by a full court of all eleven D.C. Circuit judges. Two days after that, on 24 October, the court overturned the three-judge panel’s ruling and dismissed the government’s appeal. According to Garza’s testimony, Jane Doe obtained an abortion the next day, when she was 15 weeks pregnant. In his dissent from the 24 October ruling, Kavanaugh essentially argued that insisting Jane Doe be transferred into the custody of her immigration sponsor before being allowed to obtain an abortion was not an “undue burden” on her, “so long as the transfer is expeditious.” Thus, he argued, the government had not violated her constitutional right to an abortion by seeking this precondition: The majority seems to think that the United States has no good reason to want to transfer an unlawful immigrant minor to an immigration sponsor before the minor has an abortion. But consider the circumstances here. The minor is alone and without family or friends. She is in a U.S. Government detention facility in a country that, for her, is foreign. She is 17 years old. She is pregnant and has to make a major life decision. Is it really absurd for the United States to think that the minor should be transferred to her immigration sponsor — ordinarily a family member, relative, or friend — before she makes that decision? And keep in mind that the Government is not forcing the minor to talk to the sponsor about the decision, or to obtain consent. It is merely seeking to place the minor in a better place when deciding whether to have an abortion. I suppose people can debate as a matter of policy whether this is always a good idea. But unconstitutional? That is far-fetched. After all, the Supreme Court has repeatedly said that the Government has permissible interests in favoring fetal life, protecting the best interests of the minor, and not facilitating abortion, so long as the Government does not impose an undue burden on the abortion decision. Garza would later reject one of the premises of this argument, that Jane Doe should be placed in more comfortable and stable surroundings before making her decision, insisting that her client became resolved in her decision to have an abortion as soon as she discovered she was pregnant, several weeks before the Court of Appeals ruling and Kavanaugh’s dissent: Jane had already made her decision long before. She had already satisfied all of the requirements for any minor in Texas, and a state court judge in Texas had issued an order that made clear that she could consent to the abortion on her own. Conclusion It is true that Judge Kavanaugh issued a ruling on 20 October 2017 which would have forced an unlawful immigrant 17-year-old to further delay her abortion, but his reasoning was not precisely that she must wait “until she really really thought about it maturely because what you do at 17 follows you forever,” as Mayday Mindy’s tweet described it. In his dissent, Kavanaugh did write that the girl was faced with a “major life decision,” and that it might be preferable for her to make that decision in the custody of an immigration sponsor rather than in the less stable and more isolated environment of federal detention. However, in legal terms Kavanaugh was specifically ruling that it would not violate the girl’s constitutional right to an abortion for the state to insist on transferring her into the custody of an immigration sponsor first, provided that process was “expeditious.” Finally, the girl’s pregnancy does not appear to have been the result of a rape, despite Mayday Mindy’s claim. None of the court records we examined, nor Rochelle Garza’s testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, contained any reference to Jane Doe’s having been raped.
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9731
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'Super' berry may help boost memory, heart health
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This story is part profile of an entrepreneur and part promotion for the schisandra berry, a component of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) botanical supplements that’s being cultivated in Massachusetts. The reporting is from ethnobotanist and self-proclaimed “Medicine Hunter” Chris Kilham. And like another Kilham segment on Fox News highlighted previously on HealthNewsReview.org — that one on the psychoactive ayahuasca — this new story is strong on astonishing claims and absent one lick of evidence. The nutritional supplement market is one of the fastest growing sectors, with Americans spending $25 billion on supplements in 2014 and the global market reaching $90 billion, according to The Economist and Euromonitor, a market-research firm. The health effects, safety and expense of questionable supplements gained significant media attention earlier this year following a New York attorney general’s office investigation that found many dietary supplements sold in some of our largest drug store and supplement chains were mislabeled, lacked active ingredients, and were made under inferior manufacturing processes. The FDA does not evaluate supplement-related claims before these products go on sale, so it has fallen to the media (and their watchdogs) to alert the public about the potential risks and other downsides of dietary supplements. Sadly, neither Fox’s Dr. Manny nor “the Medicine Hunter” served the public good with their one-sided promotion of this dietary supplement component. The story is little more than a string of wild claims accompanied by little if any context.
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false
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Chris Kilham,Dr. Manny Alvarez,supplements
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No costs are mentioned. The story positions the Massachusetts producer of schisandra profiled in the story as a pioneer. One gets the impression the company is a sole provider. However, a quick web search yielded dozens of U.S. schisandra berry vendors. The costs range from $3.69 for 100 – 580 mg capsules to $38 for 2 ounces of freeze-dried schisandra berries. According to the many claims in the story and the accompanying video, the berry can help you live longer, sharpen your mind, give you energy and improve your sex life. Some examples of claimed benefits: Not one piece of data is provided or source named. The story alludes to “cases” and studies but without references such allusions should be considered suspect at best. No mention is made of the harms documented with the schisandra berry. According to the Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database (consumer version via WebMD), schisandra can cause heartburn, upset stomach, decreased appetite, stomach pain, skin rash, and itching. It’s not recommended for people who are pregnant or breast-feeding, people with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), peptic ulcers, epilepsy, or high intracranial (brain) pressure. Because the FDA has not studied its safety, it is unknown whether it conflicts with other medications. Some natural supplements, such as St. John’s Wort, are known to be dangerous for people on certain types of anti-depressants. Again, not one iota of evidence was provided to let a potential consumer judge whether schisandra berry would be an effective treatment for them. There have been some published studies, primarily in Chinese medical journals involving a small number of volunteers. In addition, there have been several schisandra berry studies published in Western medical journals but these have predominantly been animal studies. There is no evidence of disease-mongering. There are no independent sources. The only source is Chris Kilham, who teaches ethnobotany at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and whose field work is funded by Naturex of Avignon, France, a dietary supplement manufacturer. In light of its other weaknesses, the story should have included an interview with the expert grower profiled. An independent health expert should also have been brought in to discuss the evidence on schisandra. The article doesn’t compare the berry with any other supplements or pharmaceuticals that might confer the benefits described in this story. The story notes that the cultivator profiled has been selling the berries since the 1990s. We can assume that the berry is available at stores that sell dietary supplements. There’s no novelty hook to the story. It’s a profile of a grower and a list of proposed benefits of the schisandra berry. Why is this news? We found no related news release. And since the embedded news segment shows Kilham on location at what appears to be a berry farm, we can assume that some independent reporting was done.
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10126
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Tonsil Removal Might Cure Bedwetting in Some Kids With Sleep Apnea
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The story also pointed out clearly that research presented at meetings has not yet been rigorously peer-reviewed and must be viewed in that light. This should be the standard in reporting from medical meetings. The story could have been improved if it had included some cost information, addressed the potential harms from tonsil surgeries, and provided some explanation of the alternatives to surgery. Children who can’t sleep can bring a household to its knees. Add to that constant bedwetting and you have a toxic combination of constantly cranky kids and forever frustrated parents. This story addresses both of these issues separately and gives readers clear information about how this research relates to both problems, while explaining many of the necessary caveats along the way.
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mixture
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HealthDay
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The story does not discuss costs. Tonsillectomies are not cheap, and the cost definitely should have been factored in here. Also, there is a question about whether insurance would cover a tonsillectomy that was done primarily to resolve a bedwetting problem. Right in the lead, the story quantifies the benefits, saying, “Half of children with sleep apnea who also wet the bed might stop their bedwetting if their tonsils or adenoids are removed, new research suggests.” The story satisfies our criteria of absolute risk reduction. However, we would have liked to have seen more details, such as the average length of time it took for half of the 417 children to stop wetting. And, do the researchers mean COMPLETELY stopped wetting, or went from wetting most nights to wetting rarely, for example. This is a big omission in the story. Any story about surgical procedures needs to address the potential harms from surgery.The basic risks of surgery, including infections, bleeding, and complications of anesthesia should have been mentioned. This story includes a sentence that we would like to see, in some version, in more stories about research released at conferences. It says, “Research presented at medical meetings should be viewed as preliminary until it has been published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.” Those 20 words go a long way toward providing readers the right context for processing these findings. There still is room for improvement.
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681
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China extends pollution curbs ahead of National Day celebrations.
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The heavy industrial city of Xuzhou in the eastern Chinese province of Jiangsu will shut local factories on Thursday as part of efforts to reduce smog ahead of the country’s National Day celebrations next week, the local government said.
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true
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Environment
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Xuzhou, around 400 miles (640 kilometers) from Beijing, is implementing an “orange alert” pollution control program aimed at “ensuring air quality during the National Day period”, according to a notice reviewed by Reuters and authenticated by industry sources. China’s environment ministry warned on Monday that “unfavorable” weather conditions would lead to a prolonged and widespread outbreak of smog stretching along the eastern coast for around two weeks, and urged local governments throughout affected regions to take swift action. The smog has already forced Beijing and surrounding cities to implement special restrictions on heavy industries, including steel, power and cement, in order to ensure skies remain clear during the Chinese capital’s 70th anniversary parade on Oct. 1. Beijing’s environment bureau said on Wednesday that it had also issued an orange alert, the second highest in a four-tier pollution alarm system, lasting from Thursday until further notice. It will curtail production and restrict traffic. Xuzhou, home to more than a dozen steel firms, started restricting steel output on Wednesday, and will close down all production from Thursday evening. Coking coal producers will also be subject to controls. Restrictions will be placed on freight vehicle deliveries in major industries and on straw burning in rural districts. The city will also work to source its electricity from cleaner and efficient sources over the next few days. In smog-prone Anyang, another major steel producing city in central China’s Henan province, authorities have implemented “red alert” pollution control measures that started on Wednesday, imposing tougher restrictions on industry and transportation. According to a government notice circulated by traders and the local media, Anyang ordered small, independent sintering plants to close on Wednesday, and will shut down all steel production from Thursday evening. Anyang was one of China’s most polluted cities last winter, with concentrations of PM2.5 up 27% over the period. It is located near the Taihang mountain range, which the environment ministry said is currently trapping emissions and channeling them towards Beijing.
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5989
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World moves closer to eradicating Guinea worm disease.
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A new report says the world is moving closer to eradicating Guinea worm disease, in which a meter-long worm slowly emerges from a blister in a person’s skin.
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true
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Chad, South Sudan, Health, Guinea, Africa, Ethiopia, Mali, International News
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The U.S.-based Carter Center, which leads the eradication campaign, says just 30 cases were reported last year in isolated areas of Ethiopia and Chad. All 15 cases in Ethiopia occurred at a farm where workers drank unfiltered water from a contaminated pond. Mali has not reported any cases in 25 months, and civil war-torn South Sudan has reported no cases in 13 months. The Carter Center called that a “major accomplishment.” The incapacitating disease three decades ago affected more than 3 million people in 21 countries in Africa and Asia. The meter-long worm incubates in people for up to a year before painfully emerging, often through extremely sensitive parts of the body. “It was more painful than giving birth,” one South Sudan resident, Rejina Bodi, told The Associated Press last year. “Childbirth ends but this pain persists.” Unlike other diseases which are controlled by medicines or vaccines, Guinea worm can be eradicated by educating people how to filter and drink clean water. Globally, the Guinea worm program is entering the final stretch, though the World Health Organization warns that the remaining cases can be the most difficult to control as they usually occur in remote and often inaccessible areas. If South Sudan continues to report no cases, the world’s youngest country will be on track to be certified Guinea worm-free in the next couple of years. In an interview last year with the AP, former President Jimmy Carter praised South Sudan for making steady progress despite the “tremendous problems” in the East African nation.
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9273
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Researchers propose new treatment to prevent kidney stones
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This release from the University of Houston says a molecular cousin of a supplement commonly recommended to prevent kidney stones could turn out to be a better option. The wording is generally cautious, making clear that the researchers are merely proposing further study. However, the top of the release is vague about the published research. Readers have to dig down before they are told that the work was primarily a chemistry experiment comparing the commonly recommended supplement, citrate, with a related molecule, hydroxycitrate, and that a small human test was done just to see if hydroxycitrate is excreted in urine, not whether it has any health effects. The release falls short by not mentioning that the study author quoted holds a patent on the use of a molecule for kidney stone treatment The release also omits any discussion of the price of hydroxycitrate or its potential harms. The road from lab tests to the clinic is very long and often leads to failure. News releases about early laboratory results that suggest a topic for future study should be clear and specific, at the top, about what has been done and how much remains to be studied. By simply referring to “evidence,” this release starts off too vague
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mixture
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kidney stones,University of Houston
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The release could have mentioned the price of the supplement used by researchers. The product is sold as a weight loss aid. The manufacturer’s recommended dose of two capsules taken three times a day costs about $17 per month. The release merely states that, in lab tests, hydroxycitrate appears to be capable of dissolving a common component of kidney stones and could be more effective than citrate, which is often recommended in addition to diet and lifestyle changes as a way to help prevent kidney stones. There is also a cautionary note at the end of the release (which could have been placed near the top) stating that long-term safety, dosage and additional human trials are needed. This was a tough call. The release notes that some people are unable to tolerate the side effect of citrate and it says that safety studies of hydroxycitrate are needed, but there is no discussion of what potential harms the proposed treatment might pose. Readers have to get to the bottom of the release to get a brief description of the research, including the key point that the small human trial was intended only to test whether hydroxycitrate is excreted in urine and not whether there are any health effects. The release would have been better if it clearly noted at the very top that this work is primarily a chemistry experiment, and that there is no evidence yet that this compound dissolves kidney stones in patients. Also, the photo caption erroneously claims the researchers “discovered a new molecule that has the potential to be a more effective inhibitor of kidney stone formation.” Hydroxycitrate is not new. It has been used in supplements for weight-loss and to lower cholesterol. The release is in line with common estimates when it states that up to 12 percent of men and 7 percent of women are affected by kidney stones, and that the incidence is rising. The release fails to disclose that the study’s lead author has patented the use of a molecule for kidney stone treatment, nor does it identify the study’s funding source. The study was funded by grants from federal, foundation and university sources according to the acknowledgements section of the journal article. In addition, the patent disclosure was included in supplementary material posted on the Nature website. The release provides a brief summary of common advice for kidney stone prevention, including drinking lots of water, avoiding certain foods, and often recommending citrate. The release does not discuss medical treatments for serious kidney stones, but then hydroxycitrate is being proposed only as an additional preventive treatment. The release notes that, like citrate, hydroxycitrate is available as a dietary supplement. There do not appear to be any other studies available on www.PubMed.gov that look at hydroxycitrate as a potential kidney stone treatment. The release generally sticks to careful language about the potential benefits of hydroxycitrate, clearly noting that further studies are needed. However, the release would have been better if the cautionary notes about the need to do human safety and effective trials had been near the top, instead of buried at the bottom of the release.
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5076
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Schools agree to buy beef produced with reduced antibiotics.
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Four upstate New York school districts have signed onto a new program aimed at reducing use of antibiotics on farms to prevent the emergence of antibiotic-resistant superbugs that threaten human health.
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true
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New York, Health, Ithaca, Public health
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The Tompkins County districts have awarded beef procurement contracts to Slate Foods, which purchases cattle from farms that agree to reduce use of antibiotics. It’s the first success in the Oneonta-based Center for Agricultural Development and Entrepreneurship’s campaign to grow market demand for safer antibiotic practices. The districts are Dryden, Groton, Ithaca and Trumansburg. Advocates hope to get other districts to award contracts specifying farm management practices that lower the risk of infection in cattle and reduce antibiotic use. Overuse of antibiotics in animals and humans has created a public health crisis by producing bacteria that cause untreatable infections.
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15841
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"According to the CDC, ""110 million Americans now have a sexually transmitted illness."
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"Robertson said that, according to the CDC, ""110 million Americans now have a sexually transmitted illness."" The figure isn't out of thin air -- it has been touted aggressively by the CDC -- but Robertson describes its meaning incorrectly. There are 110 million infections -- not people who are infected -- and only a small percentage of infected individuals are considered to have an ""illness."" The statement contains an element of truth but ignores critical facts that would give a different impression."
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false
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Health Care, Public Health, PunditFact, Phil Robertson,
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"At the annual CPAC convention -- a multi-day gathering that draws conservative politicians and activists to the Washington, D.C., area -- there were lots of speakers in suits and ties. And then there was Phil Robertson, the patriarch of the family featured on the A&E reality show Duck Dynasty, sporting his signature salt-and-pepper beard and a camouflage-colored bandana. Robertson, who was at CPAC to accept an award, gave a stemwinder of a speech on conservative values, which play a big role in his TV show. At one point, he brought up the topic of sexually transmitted diseases. ""I got my facts from the CDC the day before yesterday,"" Robertson told the crowd on Feb. 27, 2015. ""One hundred and ten million -- 110 million! -- Americans now have a sexually transmitted illness. One hundred and ten million? I’m looking at it, I said"" -- here Robertson sighs -- ""I don’t want you, America, to get sick. I don’t want you to become ill. I don’t want you to come down with a debilitating disease. I don’t want you to die early."" Robertson’s CDC statistic certainly got our attention, since the entire U.S. population was roughly 309 million in 2012, according to the Census Bureau. This would mean that, for Robertson to be right, well over one-third of Americans must have a ""sexually transmitted illness."" And once you subtract children under 15, the percentage would rise to 44 percent. Those are big percentages. Is Robertson right on the numbers? The short answer is no, but we can see why Robertson thought his stat was correct. (We contacted A&E Networks, Robertson’s publisher and several speakers’ bureaus that feature Robertson, but we did not get any response.) The CDC prominently uses the number 110 million in reference to sexually transmitted diseases. In February 2013, the CDC published a document titled ""Fact Sheet: Incidence, Prevalence, and Cost of Sexually Transmitted Infections in the United States."" In it, the CDC wrote, ""CDC published an overall estimate of the number of prevalent STIs (sexually transmitted infections) in the nation. Prevalence is the total number of new and existing infections at a given time. CDC’s new data suggest that there are more than 110 million total STIs among men and women across the nation."" CDC also plays up the 110 million figure several times in the fact sheet’s headlines and graphical elements. Here's how Robertson used it incorrectly. Not Americans, ‘infections’ First, the study doesn’t refer to 110 million Americans -- it refers to 110 million infections. The distinction is everything. People can -- and do -- have more than one different infection, or they may contract the same infection more than once. To come up with the 110 million estimate, each of these infections would have been counted individually. The list of infections represented in the figure includes chlamydia, gonorrhea, hepatitis B virus, herpes simplex virus type 2, HIV, human papillomavirus, syphilis and trichomoniasis. The CDC did not provide us the number of Americans who have a sexually transmitted infection, and it's not clear that such a number exists. Not necessarily an ‘illness’ The second issue with Robertson’s phrasing is that he uses the word ""illness"" instead of infection. In reality, while infected individuals can pass along an infection, and while they are at risk of getting sick themselves, the vast majority of individuals with infections are not actually ill. Simply put, you don't get ill just because you're infected. The lion’s share of infections -- almost three-quarters of the 110 million infections -- come from human papillomavirus, commonly known as HPV. This virus can cause several types of cancer, including cervical cancer, but only for a small percentage of people infected. The vast majority are not ""ill"" by any reasonable definition. According to CDC, ""the body’s immune system clears most HPV naturally within two years (about 90 percent), though some infections persist. … Most sexually active men and women will get HPV at some point in their lives."" By contrast, the four most worrisome diseases included in the study -- syphilis, gonorrhea, hepatitis B and HIV -- account for about 1.5 percent of the total number of infections. What the experts say How problematic is Robertson’s framing of the issue? Two experts we checked with expressed concern. Arthur Caplan, director of the division of medical ethics at New York University’s Langone Medical Center, called Robertson’s emphasis on the 110 million figure ""fear-mongering."" By way of comparison, Caplan said, ""would be to say more than 200 million of us have viruses and bacteria that come from — breathing and touching each other! They are widespread, serious and sometimes fatal — flu, pneumonia, TB, measles, enteroviruses, respiratory viruses, MRSA, meningitis etc."" So is the answer, he said, to ""be a hermit? Do not breathe around others?"" Thomas Fekete, section chief for infectious diseases at the Temple University School of Medicine, also cautioned against over-reading the CDC’s figures. ""We have always had STIs in this country, and we have done some good things to reduce their burden on our citizens,"" Fekete said. Our ruling Robertson said that, according to the CDC, ""110 million Americans now have a sexually transmitted illness."" The figure isn't out of thin air -- it has been touted aggressively by the CDC -- but Robertson describes its meaning incorrectly. There are 110 million infections -- not people who are infected -- and only a small percentage of infected individuals are considered to have an ""illness."" The statement contains an element of truth but ignores critical facts that would give a different impression."
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1997
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Concussions keep hockey players off ice for longer.
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Head injuries are keeping professional hockey players off the ice for longer, indicating either more severe injuries, or a tougher medical regime, according to a study released on Monday.
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true
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Health News
|
Montreal Canadiens Max Pacioretty lies on the ice after being hit into a glass stanchion by Boston Bruins Zdeno Chara during the second period of NHL hockey play in Montreal, March 8, 2011. REUTERS/Shaun Best With the National Hockey League playoffs under way after a season where jarring head shots grabbed headlines, researchers said the number of concussions was leveling off. But the ice time a player loses more than doubles with each subsequent concussion, so there were more absences. “Either concussions are becoming more severe or physicians are becoming more conservative with their management decisions,” said Brian Benson, a physician at the University of Calgary’s faculty of kinesiology and the lead author of the report. “We’re uncertain of the exact reason but it’s certainly an observation of the study.” The report now goes to the NHL’s concussion working group, which will examine ways to prevent concussions, or work out how to respond when they do happen. “The goal in hockey in general is to reduce the risk of this potentially devastating injury without necessarily changing the nature of the game that millions love and enjoy watching,” Benson said. “You don’t want to make haphazard decisions but you certainly want to base it on evidence and try to reduce this foreseeable, predictable risk.” The league has faced many calls for tougher penalties for potentially career-ending hits to the head, including some this season after a March incident in which Max Pacioretty of the Montreal Canadiens was injured after a body check that sent his head into a stanchion. He suffered a concussion and fractured vertebra. Sidney Crosby, Canada’s gold-medal goal-scorer in the 2010 Winter Olympics, has been off the ice since suffering a concussion in January. The researchers worked with the NHL and NHL Players’ Association to analyze 559 doctors’ reports of concussions suffered by players between 1997 and 2004. Their findings are published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. The researchers estimated that there were 1.8 concussions per 1,000 player hours, a number that leveled off through the study period. The most-often reported symptom was headache at 71 percent. But players also reported dizziness, nausea, neck pain, fatigue, blurred vision or amnesia. Some 18 percent lost consciousness. For each recurrent concussion, the typical number of days lost increased by 2.25 times. Benson has worked with the NHL and its players union since 1997 studying the medical science behind brain injury.
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11588
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Stem cell brain implants could 'slow ageing and extend life', study shows
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This story describes some interesting but very early research into the mechanisms of aging and how they might be altered. The story made it clear that this was mouse-level research and has several hurdles to go before it’s ever tested in people. One weak point for the story was how the story assumed there might be benefits in people yet overlooked the potential risks. Considering this intervention involves inserting stem cells into the brain via the assistance of a viral strain known to be harmful to humans, it’s logical to assume there could be some safety concerns. It also overplayed the novelty here by quoting an expert who called it a “tour de force” and a “breakthrough.” The desire to somehow combat aging seems inherent in humans. If there is a fairly straightforward “switch” that can control the aging process — and this story suggests so — then this would be a major advance. Yet we are looking at decades before this becomes a rigorous Phase III human trial, let alone a potential intervention in humans. The bottom line is: We are talking about approximately 20 male mice.
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true
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mice studies,stem cell therapy,stem cells
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We’ll give the story a “N/A” in this category since it makes clear early on that this research is in the earliest of stages, done in an animal model, and says clearly that clinical trials are a future hope. This is way too early to consider costs which, we assume, would be substantial. The story says the stem cell intervention extended the rodents’ lives “by 10-15% compared to untreated animals.” At another point, it said, “the mice lived longer than controls, typically several months more, an increase of about 15%.” The story makes no mention of the potential harms that might arise from this approach. Since this has never been tested in humans, we have no idea what they risks are. The story needed to point this out. Theoretically, the stem cells would have to be delivered into human brains via injections, which would make the intervention incredibly risky and possibly a non-starter. In the original paper, the stem cells were injected into the hypothalamus of the mice using viruses as “vectors.” The researchers used lentiviruses, which are used often as vectors for research, but can be deadly in humans. Some discussion of this hurdle also was warranted. The story does a good job at explaining various aspects of the research and depicting the stages through which the research team drew its conclusions. It also is up front about this being animal research, so far untried in humans at even the earliest stages of clinical trials. Of note, the original paper mentions that this study was conducted in very few mice (total of about 20) and only in male mice. That detail would have been useful to include. One thing we wanted to point out that was problematic: The story said “if a similar extension was achieved in humans, a person with a life expectancy of 80 years could live to 92.” We have no idea how this may impact humans; the evidence doesn’t support that kind of speculation. The story doesn’t appear to commit disease mongering, though it could have pointed out that aging in and of itself is not a disease. The story does quote one source unaffiliated with the research and we didn’t detect any conflicts of interest. (The paper itself notes that the authors of the study have no conflicts of interests.) The story is all about basic research that suggests an approach that one day might slow, or possibly reverse, the aging process. There are no real alternatives available now to affect the aging process beyond lifestyle choices that might be healthier and appropriate treatments for illnesses that might otherwise shorten lifespans. It’s clear from the story that this research is preliminary. The story clearly says, “The next step is to create human neural stem cells in the lab for testing.” It also states that, “Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York hope to launch clinical trials of the procedure soon, but must first produce supplies of human neural stem cells in the lab which can be implanted into volunteers.” The story heralds this research as a “tour de force” and a “breakthrough.” Yet is it accurate in a news story to call anything done in animals a “breakthrough?” That word implies relevance to humans, and this is far from established in a mouse study. Studies in mice are essential but many of them fail to show similar evidence in humans. Likewise, stem cell research is often seen as a magic bullet for some conditions but there have been few cases where the preliminary hope/hype has born out. The story does not appear to rely on a news release.
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8750
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Zeltia drug delays progression of ovarian cancer.
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Women with recurrent ovarian cancer given Zeltia’s drug Yondelis in combination with chemotherapy go longer before their disease progresses than those on chemo alone, researchers said on Monday.
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true
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Health News
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The news is a boost for the Spanish biotech company, which already sells Yondelis as a treatment for soft tissue sarcoma, a rare disease, and now hopes to address a much bigger commercial opportunity. Bradley Monk, an oncologist from the University of California Irvine Medical Center who led a Phase III trial of the drug, said Yondelis could be added to a short list of active drug therapies for recurrent ovarian cancer. “These are exciting results because positive trials in recurrent ovarian cancer are rare and have almost always led to federally approved treatments,” Monk said in a statement. “This treatment undoubtedly will be evaluated carefully by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and, if approved, will give women with ovarian cancer another much-needed option.” Zeltia’s drug, which it is developing with Johnson & Johnson, is unusual in that it is a synthetic version of a compound isolated from a type of sea squirt, a tubular marine animal. It works by binding to the DNA of cancer cells and blocking their ability to multiply. At 1445 GMT, Zeltia shares were down 5.4 percent at 5.43 euros, regaining ground after a low of 4.99 euros, while Spain’s IBEX-35 blue chip index dropped 4.1 percent. “The stock’s had a good run. This news is already in the price,” a Madrid-based trader said. The Spanish company had already announced that Yondelis, its first product to reach the market, had shown positive results in the pivotal trial. But the actual results of the study, involving 672 women whose ovarian cancer had progressed after first-line treatment, were only disclosed at the annual meeting of the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) in Stockholm. Monk said the results showed those women given a combination of Yondelis and Johnson & Johnson’s chemotherapy drug Doxil had no progression of their cancer for an average of 7.3 months, against 5.8 months for women treated only with Doxil. In the case of women who had relapsed more than six months after getting first-line therapy, the median progression-free time was 9.2 months with Yondelis versus 7.5 months. In common with other anti-cancer agents, this suggests Yondelis is most active in patients who have gone a long time since receiving initial chemotherapy treatment. Zeltia plans to submit Yondelis for approval in Europe in the fourth quarter of this year. Johnson & Johnson is expected to file in the United States by the end of the year as well. The Spanish group has previously estimated that peak sales of Yondelis for ovarian cancer could be around 300 million euros ($420 million) in the European Union alone. Sales of the drug as a treatment for soft tissue sarcoma are forecast to be about 30 million euros this year. Yondelis, whose generic name is trabectedin, is currently approved for soft tissue sarcoma in Europe but not the U.S. The product is also being studied in smaller, Phase II trials for prostate, breast and childhood cancers.
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24474
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"If President Obama signs the Copenhagen climate change treaty, he ""will sign your freedom, your democracy, and your prosperity away forever — and neither you nor any subsequent government you may elect would have any power whatsoever to take it back again."
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"British climate-change skeptic says Copenhagen treaty threatens ""democracy,"" ""freedom"""
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false
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Environment, National, Legal Issues, Foreign Policy, Christopher Monckton,
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"Christopher Monckton — a British hereditary peer and high-profile skeptic of both global warming and international agreements — caused a stir on Oct. 14, 2009, with a forceful denunciation of the upcoming international talks on climate change in Copenhagen, Denmark, scheduled for Dec. 7-18, 2009. In a speech in St. Paul, Minn., Monckton called the pending agreement a ""dreadful treaty"" and said, among other things, that the parties ""are about to impose a communist world government on the world. You have a president who has very strong sympathies with that point of view. He's going to sign. He'll sign anything."" Monckton continued, ""So, thank you, America. You were the beacon of freedom to the world. It is a privilege merely to stand on this soil of freedom while it is still free. But in the next few weeks, unless you stop it, your president will sign your freedom, your democracy, and your prosperity away forever — and neither you nor any subsequent government you may elect would have any power whatsoever to take it back again. That is how serious it is."" For this item, we'll put aside the debate on whether it is wise to institute policies, such as emissions cuts, to curb climate change — the ""prosperity"" portion of Monckton's comment. Instead, we'll stick to analyzing Monckton's claim that an agreement coming out of the Copenhagen talks would, one, sign away American sovereignty and, two, be irreversible. Let's start with some background. The Copenhagen meeting, which President Barack Obama is expected to attend, is part of an ongoing process sponsored by a United Nations body called the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change. Its goal is to secure international cooperation to curb the emission of gases that scientists blame for raising global temperatures, a development that could harm the environment. The first — and crucially important — point to make is that there is no ""treaty"" yet. The most recent iteration is a 180-page document, posted publicly in September, called the ""reordering and consolidation of text in the revised negotiating text."" If you think that title sounds clunky, just check out the document itself: Rendered in impenetrable diplo-speak, the document offers an almost stream-of-consciousness array of alternate options, blanks to be filled in and bracketed phrases. Supporters and critics alike agree that the final text, if one emerges, will be radically shorter and clearer. In other words, it's impossible to draw conclusions about what international leaders will be asked to sign based on the current draft. A second point worth noting is that, due to wide differences of opinion among the 192 participating nations, the Copenhagen conference looks increasingly unlikely to produce anything ready to sign. “There isn’t sufficient time to get the whole thing done,” Yvo De Boer, the Dutch diplomat who oversees the negotiations, said in mid October, according to the New York Times . “But I hope it will go well beyond simply a declaration of principles. The form I would like it to take is the groundwork for a ratifiable agreement next year.” What we learn from these two points is that the substance of the agreement remains distinctly up in the air, and that Obama is unlikely to be asked to sign anything at the conference beyond a nonbinding statement of interim steps or a promise to meet again — if that. Now we'll look at Monckton's argument that the Copenhagen talks could eventually produce something that eats away at American sovereignty. Experts in international law acknowledge that, with the final draft unresolved, anything is possible. But they added that numerous safeguards would help prevent U.S. sovereignty from being yielded. — Signing a treaty doesn't mean that its provisions become binding . Instead, it simply means that you intend to become a party to the treaty by seeking domestic approval, using whatever procedures are in effect in your country. In the United States, that means taking the treaty to the Senate for its advice and consent on ratification. For instance, the United States signed the Kyoto Protocol on climate change — the predecessor to the agreement being negotiated in Copenhagen — but never ratified it due to opposition in the Senate. As a result, the United States was never subject to any of the protocol's rules. — The Senate would have to approve any binding agreement with a 67-vote supermajority . This means that a treaty only becomes binding after a supermajority of democratically elected senators, plus the president, consent. So if the United States decides to give up some of its sovereignty in the matter of carbon emissions, it will only do so after a significant amount of political consent is given. As a practical matter, the high Senate threshold for ratifying a treaty, set by the Constitution, effectively requires broad support from lawmakers in both parties, something the Kyoto Protocol did not have. (Even after ratification, the treaty may not become binding until a certain number of nations have ratified it, depending how the treaty language is written; this could further delay or even derail the process.) — The Obama administration has publicly pledged that it will not sign an agreement unacceptable to Congress . According to the New York Times , the chief American climate negotiator, Todd Stern, and his deputy, Jonathan Pershing, have both affirmed this position. “We are not going to be part of an agreement we cannot meet,” Pershing said at a recent negotiators’ meeting in Bangkok. — The negotiators are aware of sovereignty concerns and are weighing options that would limit intrusiveness . Nigel Purvis, a former State Department negotiator under Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, said that the Copenhagen negotiations ""are premised on the idea that each nation would create its own low- carbon economic growth strategy,"" adding that the degree of international enforcement is very much in play. Most experts, he said, ""agree that punitive noncompliance measures are highly unlikely. Thus, the approach is really quite decentralized and respectful of national sovereignty — the opposite of being subject to a command-and-control U.N. agency."" — Even if the United States does eventually cede some sovereignty on climate change, ""freedom"" and ""democracy"" are not at stake . John H. Knox, a law professor at Wake Forest University, calls Monckton's notion ""silly."" ""Any treaty limits the freedom of the parties, of course, just as any contract limits the freedom of its parties,"" Knox said. ""But none of the proposals on the table, and none that could conceivably be suggested, would deny the United States freedom to keep a democratic system of government, and no such agreement could imaginably be signed or ratified by the United States. And no treaty can override the provisions of the U.S. Constitution in any event."" Now, for Monckton's second claim, that ""neither you nor any subsequent government you may elect would have any power whatsoever to take it back again."" Our experts say it's nonsense. Either a country can exit a treaty using a procedure described in the treaty itself — usually involving formal notice, a delay and the forefeit of rights to have a further say in implementing or shaping the treaty in question — or it can simply walk away. Doing either would likely entail consequences for the departing country, but they would most likely be ""soft"" penalties such as loss of international esteem. ""There's nothing in any of the documents for Copenhagen that talk about any greater penalties than those,"" said Jake Schmidt, the international climate policy director for the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental group. Of course, other countries could react to a withdrawal by pursuing bilateral or multilateral action, such as a trade embargo or a cutoff of diplomatic contacts. But they could take such actions today, even without a climate change agreement. ""Even if a new climate treaty were ratified and the United States thus became a party to it, the United States could later choose to withdraw from it,"" Knox said. ""Withdrawing from a treaty is perfectly acceptable under international law unless the treaty itself precludes it. Even in that case, the United States could always choose not to comply with the treaty, just as a person can choose to violate a domestic law, with the important difference that the international community does not have a police force standing by to arrest wrongdoing nations. The United States would not suddenly lose its discretion to decide whether to comply with the treaty, in other words."" Steven Groves, a fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation, acknowledges that Monckton's claims are ""perhaps overstated a bit."" But he argues that being vigilant on the sovereignty consequences of a Copenhagen agreement is still important. Groves suggests that it's possible to devise an agreement that protects national sovereignty, perhaps by eliminating an international enforcement mechanism and relying instead on self-regulation by member countries. But doing so would mean instituting an agreement without much teeth, because it would require trusting countries with little transparency and a lot of self-interest to evade the rules. On the other hand, implementing a more forceful international oversight regime would likely run into more problems on the sovereignty front. ""For a treaty to be effective in ratcheting down emissions, you would need some sort of enforcement mechanism with real teeth, and that raises legitimate sovereignty concerns,"" said Ben Lieberman, another Heritage fellow. Even so, we find Monckton's claims to not only be unsupported but preposterous. First, it's impossible to know what agreement will come out of Copenhagen, and when. Second, the U.S. procedure for ratifying treaties requires consent by a supermajority of the Senate — a steep hurdle. Third, it's hard to envision anything coming out of Copenhagen that would change the United States' bedrock principles of freedom and democracy. And fourth, contrary to what Monckton says, the United States can leave an international agreement. So while it pays to be vigilant about threats to U.S. sovereignty, this one is not the threat that Monckton's rhetoric suggests. So Lord Monckton earns a special ruling — Britches on Fire!"
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6246
|
Philly hospital’s plight spurs aid pledge, Sanders rally.
|
A longtime Philadelphia teaching hospital will stop admitting emergency room patients this week as its impending closure drew pledges of millions in aid to the community Monday and condemnation during a rally at the hospital by Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.
|
true
|
Health, General News, Philadelphia, Election 2020, Tom Wolf, Bernie Sanders, Jim Kenney
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Gov. Tom Wolf, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney and Sanders laced into Hahnemann University Hospital’s investment banker owner, blaming him for taking it into bankruptcy and moving to shut down the 496-bed hospital. Joel Freedman insisted he tried to keep the money-losing hospital open, even exploring its transfer it to a not-for-profit organization. But those discussions weren’t successful and no one else offered to take it over, Freedman said in a statement. Wolf and Kenney pledged up to $15 million to help meet the health care needs of Hahnemann patients and the community, and they want the federal government to match that and cover the company’s debts of $40 million to the state and city. “I’m afraid if we don’t do this right that there are going to be people who need acute care and aren’t going to be able to get it when they need it,” Wolf said Monday after a news conference in the Capitol on an unrelated topic. Wolf and Kenney said it isn’t responsible to give taxpayer money to Freedman and his venture capital firm, which bought Hahnemann and St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children last year. Wolf and Kenney have accused Freedman of taking Hahnemann into bankruptcy court to protect profits his companies extracted from the hospital and community. Under the state Department of Health’s oversight, Hahnemann will stop admitting patients from the emergency room Wednesday. Meanwhile, Hahnemann and a department-appointed management firm are writing a plan to bring the hospital to a safe and orderly closure, a department spokesman said. The hospital is Drexel University College of Medicine’s primary teaching hospital and traces its beginning back to 1848. It is home to almost 2,500 employees and another roughly 2,000 medical residents, fellows and rotating medical and nursing students. Sanders, in a rally in front of hundreds outside the hospital, said Hahnemann’s closure is an example of corporate greed in health care and called on Freedman to keep it open. He accused Freedman of wanting to cash in on Hahnemann’s real estate and warned that Hahnemann’s plight is a national problem. “If Joel Freedman is able to shut down Hahnemann and make a huge profit by turning this hospital into luxury condos, it will send a signal to every vulture fund on Wall Street that they can do the same thing in community after community after community,” Sanders told the crowd. Sanders said that a Medicaid-for-All system he is proposing would protect hospitals in underserved areas and he pledged to introduce legislation to create a $20 billion emergency fund to help states and communities take over financially distressed hospitals. Freedman’s firm hopes to sell St. Christopher’s to pay off Hahnemann’s debts, its lawyers say. Late June’s bankruptcy filing said Hahnemann’s finances were in unexpectedly bad condition when Freedman’s firm took over last year and it saw a significant reduction in patient volumes, outpatient procedures and surgeries in 2018. It also said delays in the state’s payments, as well as a reduction in payments of approximately $17 million per year, hurt the hospital’s finances. ___ Associated Press reporter Mark Scolforo in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, contributed to this report.
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28167
|
During pregnancy, if the mother suffers organ damage, the baby in the womb sends stem cells to repair the damaged organ.
|
While this study was performed on mice, there is a wide body of research that suggests similar phenomena could occur in humans. There is still much research to be done, however, on the overall mechanisms behind this process and the totality of effects it may have on both fetus and mother.
|
true
|
Medical, fetus, pregnancy, science memes
|
A popular (but completely citation-free) science meme suggests that a pregnant mother’s fetus can send its own stem cells to its mother to repair damaged organs. Although any memes of this nature run the gamut from “nodding acquaintance with truth” to “has never met truth and never will,” this particular one is mostly accurate. While the wording of the meme is problematic for two reasons (first, the meme’s text generally says ‘baby’, which is incorrect as that term implies a birth; second the wording implies a conscious decision on the part of the fetus to send its tissues as a heroic gesture), the science behind the claim is actually fairly solid. The transfer and incorporation of fetal stem cells into a mother’s organs is referred to as fetomaternal microchimerism. A 2016 paper in the Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology defines the phenomenon thusly: Fetal cell microchimerism is defined as the persistence of fetal cells in the mother for decades after pregnancy without any apparent rejection. Fetal microchimeric cells (fmcs) engraft the maternal bone marrow and are able to migrate through the circulation and to reach tissues. Stem cells are essentially blank slates that have ability to turn into a variety of different tissues and, as such, play a big role in the development of a fetus. The idea with fetomaternal chimerism is that those cells can be transported out of the fetal system and become fully integrated into the mother’s system despite the cells’ distinctly different genetics. Scientists have been aware of fetomaternal microchimerism’s existence (in broad terms) for decades. A 1996 study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, for example, found that in humans, genetically distinct cells from a male fetus persisted in the mother’s body as long as 27 years after birth. Later research has demonstrated that these fetal cells can be found in multiple organs in both human and laboratory mice mothers: Fetomaternal transfer probably occurs in all pregnancies and in humans the fetal cells can persist for decades. Microchimeric fetal cells are found in various maternal tissues and organs including blood, bone marrow, skin and liver. A 2015 study published in the journal Circulation Research addressed the issue of fetal stem cells actually healing maternal organs. In this study, researchers mated female mice with transgenic male mice that were tagged with a fluorescent protein that allowed the researchers to trace the flow of the fetus’s stem cells from the mother’s placenta into its heart while they induced cardiac injury to the mother. They found that fetal stem cells directly targeted the damaged cardiac cells and fully integrated themselves into the mother’s heart. This research, the authors state: Points to the presence of precise signals sensed by cells of fetal origin that enable them to target diseased myocardium specifically and to differentiate into diverse cardiac lineages. Most notable is their differentiation into functional cardiomyocytes that are able to beat in syncytium with neighboring cardiomyocytes, thus potentially uncovering an evolutionary mechanism whereby the fetus assists in protecting the mother’s heart during and after pregnancy.
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11143
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Remedies: Honey for Coughing
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The story attempts to synthsize the available evidence on the value of honey as a treatment for cough in children. In doing so, it provides what is arguably incomplete and potentially misleading information to the consumer. The results of the 2007 paper, highlighted in the blog, should have been explained a bit more completely. Indeed honey did fair better than the active ingredient in most cough syrups, dextromethorphan. But statistically significant results don’t necessarily translate to the results parents can expect at 3 AM; that is, are the effects not only detectable by researchers, but substantial enough to make a difference that parents and small patients would really notice. Helping young children cope with a cold can be a frustrating experience for parents. Parents want a simple remedy, but that remedy has eluded them throughout the years. As this story points out, the best medicine may be no medicine at all. To prove that point, though, reporters need to provide readers with the hard evidence. In reality there are no proven and acceptable treatments for cough in children. That’s why this blog, brief as it is, is important and should have provided readers with better information.
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mixture
|
New York Times
|
The story makes no mention of costs. We also would have liked to have seen some explanation of whether it mattered if a parent used the cheapest honey or the pricey organic stuff. The story could have provided some of the specific differences between the treatments. Our guess is that with a study on only 100 patients, the absolute differences were probably not that large. Putting some more numbers in the story would help parents see the results in better context. We appreciate that, at the end of the piece, it includes a section on risks. It says, “The Risks: According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, honey may be useful in relieving coughing, but it should never be given to children under a year of age because in rare cases it can cause infantile botulism.” We think a number here would have helped. How rare is rare? One in 1,000? One in 1 million? According to the Centers for Disease Control, there are about 110 cases of infant botulism annually. While the cause of the infection is not entirely clear, both honey and corn syrup have been implicated. SInce the story suggests that sweet substances might be useful, the addition of corn syrup to the risks would have been helpful to readers. (see:http://www.bt.cdc.gov/agent/botulism/clinicians/epidemiology.asp) The story carefully explains the science behind the two clinical trials it describes. It does not, though, provide enough data and that’s where it fails to convey the right information. For example, the 2007 study asked parents to rate how successful the treatment was on a scale that ranged from 1 (not at all) to 6 (extremely). Yes, honey did fair better than dextromethorphan statistically. But what parents want to know is, can you take it to the bedside? The three groups (honey, dextromethorphan and no treatment) all scored between 3 (somewhat) and 4 (a lot). While the differences likely brought a smile to the statistician, it is unlikely that any parent could discern such fine distinctions early in the morning with their child kept awake by persistent coughing. The story does not engage in disease-mongering. This is such a brief summation of various studies that we don’t feel this category applies. No one was quoted or cited. The story does a good job comparing and contrasting the different remedies. We wish it had provided real numbers, but, overall, it did a good job. The story makes it clear that the standard treatment for colds in kids was the subject of a 2007 ban by the FDA, and that the other standard remedy – honey – is a grocery store staple. The story makes it clear that honey is commonly used to treat the symptoms of colds. The story does not rely on any news releases.
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