Wednesday, December 16, 2009

plus 4, Early detection is key in colon cancer - Green Valley News and Sun

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plus 4, Early detection is key in colon cancer - Green Valley News and Sun

Early detection is key in colon cancer - Green Valley News and Sun

Posted: 16 Dec 2009 01:01 PM PST

Colon cancer ranks third in frequency of cancers for men and women, accounting for 11 percent.

In men, only prostate cancer, at 33 percent, and lung cancer, at 13 percent, are more frequent. In women, breast cancer (32 percent) and lung cancer (13 percent) are more frequent.

At the Arizona Cancer Center's fourth lecture in Green Valley last week, Tomislav Dragovich, M.D. and Ph.D., spoke about colon cancer, risk factors and treatment options.

Calling cancer "a very complex disease," he said sometimes family history or specific genes will put a person at greater risk. In its earliest stages, colorectal lesions will likely become cancerous if not removed.

However, since only 15 percent of the adult population opts for a colonoscopy, which is considered "the gold standard" for detecting pre-cancerous lesions or polyps, colorectal cancers often aren't discovered until Stage 2 or later, he said.

"There's a change from normal epithelium to abnormal, then to three stages of adenoma and ultimately cancer," Dragovich said.

fivefilters.org featured article: Normalising the crime of the century by John Pilger. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.



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FIERCE HEART: The Story of Makaha and the Soul of Hawaiian Surfing - Honolulu Advertiser

Posted: 16 Dec 2009 12:04 PM PST

Stuart Holmes Coleman is a somewhat rare individual in today's modern, hybridised, 'pop-culture' dominated Hawaiian society: a surfer who is also a gifted creative writer of substantial note.

Originally from Charleston, South Carolina, Coleman completed his undergraduate degree in that state before relocating to Los Angeles and working briefly as an arts editor for an LA entertainment magazine. Thereafter he returned to the East Coast of the US and pursued a graduate degree in literature, taking an MFA at American University.

In 1993 Stuart moved to Hawaii, motivated by the other primary passion in his life, surfing. Once in the islands, he quickly became interested in Oahu's legendary Waimea Bay waterman and lifeguard Eddie Aikau and was inspired to begin writing a book about his life. While working on the book, Coleman taught English at Honolulu's Punahou School and later at Iolani School, befriending big-wave riders Fred Van Dyke and Peter Cole (also former Punahou faculty alumni) in the process.

Upon undertaking his first book, Coleman was introduced by Cole and Van Dyke to the Aikau 'ohana and many other important local Oahu figures, whom he soon become good friends with while conducting his researches. After completing three years of intensive work on Eddie Aikau's life, the resulting book was finally published as 'Eddie Would Go: The Story of Eddie Aikau, Hawaiian Hero'. This carefully composed and culturally balanced biography allowed him to gain substantially deep insights into Oahu's West Coast culture, after interviewing many of the locals in the Waianae area, and some years later he was able to further draw upon these contacts to begin a new book on the unique and often extraordinary Hawaiian people populating the Makaha area..

As a prime epicenter of the resurgence of modern Hawaiian he'e nalu, the story of Makaha (which means 'fierce' in Hawaiian) has been captured in an intriguing narrative that gives uniquely empathetic insights into the nature of the many distinctive local Hawaiians who are resident on this part of Oahu. Figuring centrally in this book are the principal members of the well known Keaulani 'ohana, among them patriarch Buffalo and his son Brian, as well as other noted local Hawaiians such as Iz Kamakawiwo'ole, and champion surfer and waterwoman Rell Kapolioka'ehukai Sunn.

With this book, Stuart Coleman has accomplished what has been missing for decades: an empathetic and balanced examination of the core culture of one of Oahu's most important, yet highly convoluted local areas. He has also prepared a book that finally helps to honor the memory of Rell Sunn, widely known as 'The Queen of Makaha' and perhaps one of the most extraordinary women ever to grace modern island culture.

Although many younger Hawaiians may not today remember Auntie Rell and recognise the importance of her life as an exemplar of the traditional spirit of aloha, renown waterwoman, proponent of breast cancer awareness (she sadly succumbed to that disease herself in 1998), and extraordinarily inspired supporter of Hawaiian keiki, her compelling story has long deserved to be formally recorded. While not entirely about Rell, Coleman's new book on the fierce local Makaha culture that produced her is at least a starting point that may hopefully inspire a fuller chronicling of her story at some future date.

Writing in a comfortable and skillfully compassionate manner, Stuart Coleman's keen interest in he'e nalu culture and the sport of surfing has enabled him to develop portrayals of the central individuals in his book with exceptional awareness and keen insight that someone not intimately involved with surfing might not possess.

Along with his first book on Eddie Aikau's life, Stuart's latest book 'FIERCE HEART' deserves to be read by all who are interested in the modern development of ancient Hawaiian culture and those who wish greater understanding of the tragic loss of the sacred Hawaiian 'aina to malihini interests, over the past one hundred and fifty years.

As Coleman points out, although modern Makaha has a 'rep' as a tough and turbulent local area, popularly characterised as being torn by domestic problems, plagued with rampant homelessness, substance abuse excesses, and frequent occasions of violence, Makaha's story is also a key to understanding both the clash of traditional Hawaiian cultural elements with modern outside influences and the nobler, more ancient values that are still so admirably exemplified and maintained by so many of its residents.

'FIERCE HEART: The Story of Makaha and the Soul of Hawaiian Surfing' definitely belongs on the bookshelf of anyone who appreciates and respects the uniquely rich natural heritage of the Hawaiian Islands, right next to Coleman's wonderful earlier work on the life of Eddie Aikau. Both of these books may be easily found at all internet book sellers, including Amazon.

It is perhaps not overstating things to say that Coleman has come about as close to gauging the primal pulse of archetypal local Hawaiian culture with his two books as any recent malihini has in decades. I highly recommend both of these books to all of you.

Aloha mai e!

fivefilters.org featured article: Normalising the crime of the century by John Pilger. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.



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NPR on Code Red Protest: 'They're Happy to Tell You, They're the Right ... - News Busters

Posted: 16 Dec 2009 01:09 PM PST

National Public Radio covered the "Code Red" protests against liberal health "reform" plans on Tuesday night's All Things Considered newscast, but the tone wasn't loaded with respect. Correspondent Andrea Seabrook, the same reporter who recently bowed before Michelle Obama as "the perfect mix of personable and formal, poise and personality," played up a dorks-with-pitchforks angle for conservative protesters.

Seabrook found a man with a papier-mache pitchfork and a torch and sneered: "They're happy to tell you they're the right-wing mob, several hundred people gathered to listen to their favorite conservative lawmakers."

Several hundred? NPR's estimate was way below a report from Politico, which estimated attendance as "several thousand." Seabrook concluded with brio that the protesters wanted to "shove the entire health care bill off a cliff." Here's how it sounded:

MELISSA BLOCK, host: While Democrats continue their efforts today to find consensus on health care, some conservatives gathered in a park outside the capitol to protest. Anti-tax groups from the tea party movement brought in demonstrators to attempt to block the process. NPR's Andrea Seabrook reports on the vocal opposition.

ANDREA SEABROOK: Today, the Republican National Committee released a new radio ad featuring RNC Chairman Michael Steele.

STEELE: The Democrats are accusing us Republicans of trying to delay and stonewall their government takeover of health care. You know what? They're finally right.

SEABROOK: It shows that as supporters of the health care overhaul are working on the end game, so is the opposition.

Mr. STEELE (in ad): This is our last chance to stop them. Contact your senators. Make Washington listen to you.

SEABROOK: And the opposition is mobilizing.

Mr. DOUG BARKER: (Singing) Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, hey, hey, hey, goodbye.

SEABROOK: This is Doug Barker of Chester, Virginia. He stands in a park across the street from the U.S. Capitol holding up two papier-mache props.

Mr. BARKER: I have a pitchfork and a torch because I'm ready to throw these guys out of office, me and all these people right here.

SEABROOK: They're happy to tell you they're the right-wing mob, several hundred people gathered to listen to their favorite conservative lawmakers like Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann of Minnesota.

BACHMANN: You came before and you came again. I guess they must be deaf; they can't hear you. (Applause)

SEABROOK: And Oklahoma Republican Senator Tom Coburn.

COBURN: The health care bill isn't about health care. The health care bill is about government control. The health care bill is about eliminating the liberty and freedom to choose what is best for you and your family.

The "few dozen" people scared up by Moveon.org outside the White House drew no label from Seabrook. They were only opposed to "conservative Democrats" delaying the bill:

SEABROOK: Now, down Pennsylvania Avenue, at the White House, there were demonstrators, too, a few dozen who came out to support the health care bill and protest the conservative Democrats they say are holding it up. But the protest at the Capitol was bigger and had more theater to it.

Mr. WILLIAM TEMPLE: You know, we fought the British over a three percent tea tax. We might as well bring the British back. I'll take the three percent tea tax any day now.

SEABROOK: This is not a British man but an American re-enactor dressed head to toe in Revolutionary costume.

Mr. TEMPLE: Well, I'm William Temple, and I'm from Brunswick, Georgia, from the colony down there, and we've been fighting the British and driving them out.

SEABROOK: Temple shakes his tricorner hat and points at the Capitol dome behind him.

Mr. TEMPLE: Well, it's 1776 all over again, and now, we got a House of Lords right up here. So, the 2010 elections are key for us. People are fed up. They've had enough of big government, and so you're seeing a sea change in this country like it hasn't been.

SEABROOK: So as the lawmakers inside the Capitol make a last push negotiating a bill, protesters outside are also making a last push: trying to shove the entire health care bill off a cliff. Andrea Seabrook, NPR News, The Capitol.

Overall, that was quite a few conservative voices, even if the reporter signaled her disdain for them. In a separate story, NPR reporter David Welna reported on how "a few dozen protesters organized by Moveon.org condemned Lieberman's hardball tactics." There was no liberal label here either.

PROTESTERS: Don't let Lieberman hijack health care. Don't let Lieberman hijack health care...

WELNA: Protester Donna Magee (ph) of Bethesda, Maryland, said Lieberman was acting solely on the interest of the big health insurance firms based in Connecticut.

MAGEE: I voted for him when he ran as vice president. And now he is completely turned the other way and is against all the things that we want.

Welna did mention the "liberal website Firedoglake.com" was campaigning against Mrs. Lieberman's breast-cancer work. That's a very mild adjective for those radicals.

—Tim Graham is Director of Media Analysis at the Media Research Center.

fivefilters.org featured article: Normalising the crime of the century by John Pilger. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.



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Scientists crack 'entire genetic code' of cancer - Focus Infomation

Posted: 16 Dec 2009 12:33 PM PST

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fivefilters.org featured article: Normalising the crime of the century by John Pilger. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.



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Holiday gifts and early planning - WNYT

Posted: 16 Dec 2009 12:26 PM PST

and click on the button in the upper right hand side of the page.

You can still send in your pink Yoplait yogurt lids by December 31, 2009 to Save Lids to Save Lives, PO Box 420704, El Paso, TX 88542. Komen NENY will receive 10 cents for each lid sent in from our area so be sure to include your return address on the mailing envelope.

Save the Date! It is never too early to start planning for next year! The 15th Annual Northeastern New York Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure will be held on Saturday, October 2, 2010 at the Empire State Plaza in Albany.----

As for the last note .. it's on my calendar - keeps me lacing up my sneaks on cold, winter days.

 

fivefilters.org featured article: Normalising the crime of the century by John Pilger. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.



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