Most Americans who are due for a colon cancer screening will receive a postcard or a call — or prompting during a doctor’s visit — to remind them that it’s time to schedule a colonoscopy. But at big health care systems like Kaiser Permanente or the federal Veterans Health Administration, the process has changed. Patients who should be screened regularly (age 50 to 75) and who are of average risk, get a letter telling them about a home test kit arriving by mail. It’s a FIT, which stands for fecal immunochemical test. The small cardboard mailer contains equipment and instructions for taking a stool sample and returning the test to a lab, to detect microscopic amounts of blood. A week or so later, the results show up on an online patient portal. Five to 6 percent of patients will have a positive test and need to schedule a follow-up colonoscopy. But the great majority are finished with colon cancer screening for the year — no uncomfortable prep, no need to skip work or find … [Read more...] about A Colonoscopy Alternative Comes Home
Desperate measures where is the evidence
Selena Gomez issues statement after Hailey Bieber reaches out over ‘death threats’
Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Selena Gomez has called for an end to the frenzy surrounding an alleged feud between her and Hailey Bieber. Rumours of tension between the US pop star, Bieber and her friend Kylie Jenner emerged after fans claimed the pair mocked Gomez in an Instagram Story last month. Over the years, Gomez and Bieber have been pitted against one another by fans due to Gomez’s previous relationship with singer Justin Bieber , who is now married to Hailey. Gomez and Justin were in an on-again, off-again relationship over the course of eight years. He and Baldwin announced they were engaged just months after he and Gomez split for good. During a September 2022 interview on Call Her Daddy , Bieber stated that it was “all love” between her and Gomez. In October 2022, the women … [Read more...] about Selena Gomez issues statement after Hailey Bieber reaches out over ‘death threats’
The Budget will bring ‘a lost decade for living standards’ – haven’t we already had one of those?
Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email The success of a Budget is measured in how long it takes to collapse. Some arrive pre-collapsed, others collapse in real time. In recent years, success has been if they haven’t collapsed by the time the Office for Budget Responsibility publishes its analysis, revealing in very clear detail all of the horrific things the chancellor deliberately chose not to say. Kwasi Kwarteng ’s mini-Budget didn’t suffer this fate, because he and Liz Truss wisely chose to block the Office for Budget Responsibility from analysing it, and just to be doubly careful, they also sacked the head of the treasury department, who they probably deep down knew was going to tell them that it was going to collapse with pyrotechnic effect but they’d rather not hear. A very successful Budget is one that is still vaguely intact by the time economists, … [Read more...] about The Budget will bring ‘a lost decade for living standards’ – haven’t we already had one of those?
Donald Trump blasted by his old favorite newspaper after “unhinged” threats
Former President Donald Trump was criticized by the New York Post after he warned on social media about "death & destruction" if he's indicted in relation to the hush money payment investigation involving adult film star Stormy Daniels . "He hasn't changed in the slightest. There is no shame," the newspaper's editorial team wrote in an op-ed article that was published Friday. "After riling up rioters, cheering for a coup, and agreeing that his vice president needed to be hanged, he's back to making violent threats against fellow Americans," the editorial read in reference to the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021, when Trump's supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol building in an attempt to stop the certification of Joe Biden 's 2020 election victory. The New York Post was once Trump's favorite and one of his supporting media outlets, endorsing him for the 2020 presidential election. However, the Trump-leaning, Rupert Murdoch -owned newspaper, changed its stance after … [Read more...] about Donald Trump blasted by his old favorite newspaper after “unhinged” threats
‘Priceless’ Treasure Buried in 1934 Found During Home Renovation
A man in New Jersey has spoken about his joy at discovering buried treasure on his property as he renovated his home, according to reports. Richard Gilson found buried treasure from the 1930s after he began digging a hole as part of his renovations on Friday at his home in Wildwood, according to a 3CBS Philly report. Speaking to 3CBS Philly, Gilson said he had been renovating his home for the last two years when he stumbled across the buried treasure in the form of rolled up $10 and $20 bills all with the same date on them, 1934. "Somebody went under there with a little shovel and buried that thing under there," Gilson said. "They were hiding that money from somebody for something. You'd be surprised. You think your digging someplace nobody's been and you find something that was there a long time ago." Gilson said he initially thought he was digging up roots before he realized what he had stumbled upon. The bills add up to $1,000, which Gilson estimates in 1934 was worth … [Read more...] about ‘Priceless’ Treasure Buried in 1934 Found During Home Renovation
Russian charged with “badmouthing” military after private call wire-tapped
A Moscow police officer could face a lengthy prison term after the wiretapping of his phone revealed that he had criticized the Kremlin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Sergei Vedel, who was originally from Bucha, Ukraine, the scene of alleged Russian atrocities last year, had made disparaging comments about the war in conversations with his relatives, according to an indictment that was reported on the Telegram channel of opposition politician Ilya Yashin. He had worked as a driver for one of the chiefs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. A month before the start of the war, his phone was wiretapped, which Yashin said could have been as part of an investigation into his boss or because of his Ukrainian origins. It was discovered that during his phone conversations with friends last March, Vedel denied that Ukraine was run by Nazis, a stance that was one of the Kremlin's justifications for its war. He also said that one of the reasons for the war was a bid by Moscow to … [Read more...] about Russian charged with “badmouthing” military after private call wire-tapped
As Trump Rallies in Waco, His Followers Shore Up His 2024 Bid
WACO, Texas — In the last 28 months, former President Donald J. Trump has been voted out of the White House, impeached for his role in the Capitol riot and criticized for marching many of his fellow Republicans off an electoral cliff in the 2022 midterms with his drumbeat of election-fraud lies. He dined at home with a white supremacist in November. He called for the termination of the Constitution in December. He declared himself “ more angry ” than ever in January. He vowed to make retribution a hallmark of a second term in the White House in March. He has embraced the QAnon conspiracy theory movement, described President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia as a genius and used a gay joke to mock a fellow Republican. He has become the target of four criminal investigations, including one in New York that he warned might result in “ potential death & destruction .” Still, Mr. Trump remains a strong front-runner for the Republican Party’s 2024 presidential nomination. … [Read more...] about As Trump Rallies in Waco, His Followers Shore Up His 2024 Bid
You May Need That Procedure. But Do You Really Need an Escort?
Robert Lewinger is tired of being berated by his gastroenterologist because he’s overdue for a colonoscopy. He’s perfectly willing to have one. And he’s more than ready for cataract surgery on his second eye. The problem: Mr. Lewinger, 72, a retired lawyer who lives in Manhattan, can’t schedule either of these procedures, which involve anesthesia or sedation, unless he supplies the name and phone number of the person taking him home afterward. Otherwise, clinics and outpatient surgical centers refuse to make appointments. Mr. Lewinger is also willing to undergo Mohs surgery, as his dermatologist has recommended, for two small skin cancers on his face. But the surgeons associated with her practice also insist on medical escorts, even though most Mohs surgery is performed under local anesthesia and doesn’t require them. Transportation itself isn’t the difficulty; Mr. Lewinger could summon an Uber or a Lyft, call a car service or hail a cab. What he needs is “someone to escort me … [Read more...] about You May Need That Procedure. But Do You Really Need an Escort?
In a Roman Tomb, ‘Dead Nails’ Reveal an Occult Practice
When it came to the treatment of diseases, the ancient Romans had no shortage of magical remedies, several of which involved iron nails. To cure epilepsy, the first-century historian Pliny the Elder advised driving a nail into the ground at the spot where the afflicted person’s head lay at the start of the seizure. The Romans hammered nails into doors to avert plagues and pounded coffin nails into thresholds to keep nightmares at bay. Nails from tombs and crucifixions were sometimes even worn around the neck as talismans against fevers, malaria and evil spells. Recently, archaeologists excavated an unusual set of talismanic nails from a mountaintop necropolis on the outskirts of Sagalassos in southwestern Turkey. In an early Roman imperial tomb, 41 broken nails were found scattered among the cremated remains of an adult male who had lived in the second century A.D. and was buried in situ. Twenty-five of the nails were headless and deliberately bent at right angles; the others were … [Read more...] about In a Roman Tomb, ‘Dead Nails’ Reveal an Occult Practice
October Surprises Don’t Necessarily Sway Elections, or Occur in October
In a breathless month with a decade’s worth of political bombshells, the phrase “October surprise” has become a regular part of the news lexicon. By the strictest definition, an October surprise is news specifically (and cynically) timed by one side or another to sway an election, with evidence that it changed voters’ minds and moved the polls. More loosely, the term is applied to any big, late development, deliberate or not, perhaps even ones that show no sign of altering the outcome. Some reference sources say the phrase was first used in the 1972 presidential election, while others trace it to the 1980 campaign (the first time it was used by The New York Times). The concept, of course, predates the wording. Here are some examples of what could be considered October surprises. OCT. 31, 1968 President Lyndon Baines Johnson announced a halt to bombing of North Vietnam, based on his claim that peace talks had “entered a new and a very much more hopeful phase,” and he invited … [Read more...] about October Surprises Don’t Necessarily Sway Elections, or Occur in October