The best podcasts for news, politics and current affairs

The Deadline
The Telegraph's Obituary section is a surpassingly rich source of wit, wonder, tragedy and trivia. How absolutely appropriate, then, that the team behind it should have started a weekly podcast discussing the lives of the recently departed, as well as offering a look into the "dark arts" of writing obituaries themselves. Hosted by the ebullient Obituaries editor Harry de Quetteville, it's a lively series which celebrates rather than mourns the dead, and has so far touched upon the likes of Pete Seeger, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Dam Busters hero Guy Gibson.

Inside Syria
This weekly video podcast produced by the Qatar–based TV news channel Al Jazeera about the crisis in Syria makes for deeply sobering viewing but is a laudably constant source of information about a war that otherwise drifts in and out of the headlines. Recent episodes have contained much illuminating discussion of UN diplomacy, Syria's chemical weapons, and the alliance between Hezbolla and Bashar al–Assad.

The Arab Spring: a History
There was a time when the term 'Arab Spring' simply described a cartwheel–like gymnastic manoeuvre. Good luck to anyone trying to find out about that on Google now, where the search term brings up countless pages of information and opinion on the revolutions and protests that have swept the Arab world since 2011. This weekly podcast, written and presented by a talented amateur historian called Jamie Redfern, provides a useful overview of those tumultuous events, and the century or so of political history that preceded them.

The best history podcasts

Mid Atlantic

This lively transatlantic series, presented by Roifield Brown, is less satirical than The Bugle (John Oliver's and Andy Zaltzman's much lauded US-UK podcast: tgr.ph/P9pclu), but ploughs the same rich "Special Relationship" furrow. Each episode features debate about culture and politics on both sides of the pond, with regular contributions from the Dublin-based journalist Mic Wright and US historian Rob Monaco.

Real Time with Bill Maher
Listeners with an appetite for American satire and current affairs analysis should make a beeline for this audio version of Bill Maher's weekly HBO show. Reliably witty, unapologetically confrontational and featuring a more informed (and less celebrity–oriented) selection of guests than most US talk shows, it's one of the sharpest things on American TV – and translates surprisingly well into podcast form. I tend to listen to the full, hour–long edition; but they also upload condensed highlights.

Geo Quiz
If you're the kind of person who always reaches for the geography questions in Trivial Pursuit, then this podcast will be for you. Each five–minute episode, released every weekday, features a different geographical brainteaser alongside an interview or report that reveals the mystery location. The quiz itself is excerpted from an excellent international news and analysis programme called The World (http:// www.theworld.org/) – co–produced by the BBC World Service, WGBH public radio in Boston and Public Radio International – so expect high production values as well as a cerebral workout.

Elements

Dedicated fans of World Service may already be up to speed with this fantastic documentary series, in which the BBC's business correspondent Justin Rowlatt gives a bracingly original perspective on the global economy – by looking at it through the prism of the periodic table of elements. Luckily for the rest of us, the episodes are available to download as podcasts. I've found them all stimulating, but can particularly recommend the episode on carbon, which takes in everything from the evolution of life on earth to global warming.

The best comedy podcasts

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Controversial HIV Law Could Change in Iowa

ABC US News | ABC Business News Copy

Nick Rhoades is registered as a high-level felony sex offender in Iowa. As part of his probation, the 39-year-old has to wear an ankle monitor and cannot be alone with a minor, including his own nieces and nephews, according to Lambda Legal the non-profit law organization representing him.

Rhoades, who is HIV positive, was labeled a sex offender in 2009 when he was convicted of exposing a person to HIV after he had consensual sex and did not warn his partner about his HIV status. Rhoades used a condom and his partner did not contract the virus, according to the Associated Press and Lambda Legal.

Rhoades was convicted under a law in Iowa that criminalizes knowingly exposing a person to HIV or AIDS. Rhoades pled guilty, although later appealed the ruling, saying he had ineffective assistance from his legal counsel, according to court documents.

Initially, he was sentenced to 25 years behind bars, even though Rhoades used a condom and had an "undetectable" viral load. Rhoades was freed from prison after one year when a judge reviewed his case.

Learn More About HIV/AIDS

In an interview with an HIV advocacy group, the SERO Project, Rhoades said his time in prison made him feel guilty.

"You are a very, very, very bad person and you did a very, very, very bad thing. That gets programmed into you," Rhoades said in the taped interview after his release from prison.

Rhoades has appealed his case to the Iowa Supreme Court to have his conviction thrown out and to be removed from the sex offender registry.

"We know so much more about HIV," said Scott Schoettes, HIV project director and senior attorney at Lambda Legal, a nonprofit legal organization representing Rhoades. "We need to realize [that] just because you're HIV positive and want to have an active sex life does not make you a criminal."

As Rhoades awaits his final ruling in state court, the Iowa state legislature is considering changing the law under which Rhoades was prosecuted. In addition to Iowa, there are 30 states with HIV-specific criminalization laws, according to the Iowa Department of Public Health.

"You did a very, very, very bad thing. That gets programmed into you,"-Nick Rhoades

While the existing law only takes exposure into account, a bill the state senate passed unanimously last month would allow a prosecutor to charge a person under three different felony classes or a misdemeanor charge depending upon whether the person had intent to transmit the disease and whether the virus was actually transmitted.

A version of the bill is being debated in the Iowa state legislature after being amended by the state house judiciary committee. The committee removed the specifics about a misdemeanor charge, and added other infectious diseases to the list, including meningitis, hepatitis and tuberculosis. It was uncertain whether the bill would pass or whether the misdemeanor charge might be restored to the final bill.

State representative Chip Baltimore, chairman of the Iowa house judiciary committee, told ABC News the senate version did not give enough consideration to the victims, although there was a need to update the "outdated" law.

"Part of their misdemeanor charge, part of the entire sentencing structure is based on whether or not a transmission actually occurs. I don't agree with that," said Baltimore. "I don't think when you're trying to decide if someone should be convicted of a crime should depend upon if the victim contracted the actual disease."

Baltimore said the committee was still working on the bill before it is sent to the floor and they were consulting health officials to properly phrase a section of the bill that would essentially give "safe harbor" to those who followed medical advice and were unlikely to transmit the disease even if they were HIV positive.

Advocates and public health officials hope an "updated" version of the law will allow more nuanced and not as severe prosecutions.

Born with HIV, Life at 29

The current law allows felony prosecutions of HIV positive people who knowingly expose others to the disease without warning. This can include having sex, even safe sex, knowingly donating infected blood or sharing unclean drug paraphernalia, such as needles. The law allows a convicted person to be sentenced up to 25 years in prison.

Public health professionals interviewed said that in a case such as Rhoades', an undetectable viral load and condom usage made the possibility of transmitting HIV during sex nearly impossible.

Source : http://abcnews.go.com/Health/controversial-hiv-law-iowa-changed/story?id=23071540

Controversial HIV Law Could Change in Iowa

ABC US News | ABC Business News Copy

Nick Rhoades is registered as a high-level felony sex offender in Iowa. As part of his probation, the 39-year-old has to wear an ankle monitor and cannot be alone with a minor, including his own nieces and nephews, according to Lambda Legal the non-profit law organization representing him.

Rhoades, who is HIV positive, was labeled a sex offender in 2009 when he was convicted of exposing a person to HIV after he had consensual sex and did not warn his partner about his HIV status. Rhoades used a condom and his partner did not contract the virus, according to the Associated Press and Lambda Legal.

Rhoades was convicted under a law in Iowa that criminalizes knowingly exposing a person to HIV or AIDS. Rhoades pled guilty, although later appealed the ruling, saying he had ineffective assistance from his legal counsel, according to court documents.

Initially, he was sentenced to 25 years behind bars, even though Rhoades used a condom and had an "undetectable" viral load. Rhoades was freed from prison after one year when a judge reviewed his case.

Learn More About HIV/AIDS

In an interview with an HIV advocacy group, the SERO Project, Rhoades said his time in prison made him feel guilty.

"You are a very, very, very bad person and you did a very, very, very bad thing. That gets programmed into you," Rhoades said in the taped interview after his release from prison.

Rhoades has appealed his case to the Iowa Supreme Court to have his conviction thrown out and to be removed from the sex offender registry.

"We know so much more about HIV," said Scott Schoettes, HIV project director and senior attorney at Lambda Legal, a nonprofit legal organization representing Rhoades. "We need to realize [that] just because you're HIV positive and want to have an active sex life does not make you a criminal."

As Rhoades awaits his final ruling in state court, the Iowa state legislature is considering changing the law under which Rhoades was prosecuted. In addition to Iowa, there are 30 states with HIV-specific criminalization laws, according to the Iowa Department of Public Health.

"You did a very, very, very bad thing. That gets programmed into you,"-Nick Rhoades

While the existing law only takes exposure into account, a bill the state senate passed unanimously last month would allow a prosecutor to charge a person under three different felony classes or a misdemeanor charge depending upon whether the person had intent to transmit the disease and whether the virus was actually transmitted.

A version of the bill is being debated in the Iowa state legislature after being amended by the state house judiciary committee. The committee removed the specifics about a misdemeanor charge, and added other infectious diseases to the list, including meningitis, hepatitis and tuberculosis. It was uncertain whether the bill would pass or whether the misdemeanor charge might be restored to the final bill.

State representative Chip Baltimore, chairman of the Iowa house judiciary committee, told ABC News the senate version did not give enough consideration to the victims, although there was a need to update the "outdated" law.

"Part of their misdemeanor charge, part of the entire sentencing structure is based on whether or not a transmission actually occurs. I don't agree with that," said Baltimore. "I don't think when you're trying to decide if someone should be convicted of a crime should depend upon if the victim contracted the actual disease."

Baltimore said the committee was still working on the bill before it is sent to the floor and they were consulting health officials to properly phrase a section of the bill that would essentially give "safe harbor" to those who followed medical advice and were unlikely to transmit the disease even if they were HIV positive.

Advocates and public health officials hope an "updated" version of the law will allow more nuanced and not as severe prosecutions.

Born with HIV, Life at 29

The current law allows felony prosecutions of HIV positive people who knowingly expose others to the disease without warning. This can include having sex, even safe sex, knowingly donating infected blood or sharing unclean drug paraphernalia, such as needles. The law allows a convicted person to be sentenced up to 25 years in prison.

Public health professionals interviewed said that in a case such as Rhoades', an undetectable viral load and condom usage made the possibility of transmitting HIV during sex nearly impossible.

Source : http://abcnews.go.com/Health/controversial-hiv-law-iowa-changed/story?id=23071540

Why foxhunting has become an unspeakable topic

Many Conservatives in marginal constituencies are relieved that the issue is being dropped. "It would be a distraction," says one. Another, even though he supports repealing the "illiberal" act that he feels has hurt his rural constituency, says: "The last thing we need when Labour is waging daily class war on the Etonians is to start talking about foxhunting."

Mind you, this unwillingness to address the issue enrages other pro-hunting MPs. One snipes that "a lot of these people, like Amber Rudd, who are expressing concern about the impact on the election, expressed no such concern when they were happily soliciting support from the hunting lobby in 2010. They will not lose a single vote on this issue, and besides, we regularly vote for unpopular policies on defence and pensions that really do affect our constituents. But when we try to do something with a tiny statutory instrument, they panic at the thought of some bloke in a fox suit."

Pro-hunting MPs also think ministers have been putting off doing anything about relaxing the Hunting Act. While it's difficult to find a Conservative who will criticise Mr Cameron's own commitment to rural issues (and that is truly impressive when there are so many Tory MPs who normally find fault with everything about the Prime Minister, down to his choice of socks), the one thing that does irritate backbenchers is that there wasn't more movement on this from the Environment department earlier.

The Countryside Alliance has emailed members saying "there has been no official response to the proposal, to our knowledge no statutory instrument (the means by which the law could be amended) has been drafted, and certainly the process of taking an amendment through Parliament had not even seen the starting grid".

At least with contentious issues that upset some voters, such as gay marriage, ministers had the wisdom to pursue reforms with enough time before the election for some of the heat to fade away. On hunting, however, the heat remains – and increasingly, this issue is becoming something that even rural ministers recognise is safer not to discuss at all.

Source : http://telegraph.feedsportal.com/c/32726/f/564649/s/38b50c1e/sc/7/l/0L0Stelegraph0O0Cearth0Cwildlife0C10A7273460CWhy0Efoxhunting0Ehas0Ebecome0Ean0Eunspeakable0Etopic0Bhtml/story01.htm

'Keep Britain tidy' is lost on today's selfish hipsters

Research by Keep Britain Tidy shows that young people are most likely to drop litter, despite – or rather because of – their strong sense of personal hygiene. One reason they often cite for not using public dustbins is that they are afraid of going near germs. But the alternative – pocketing their own litter and taking it home – is equally abhorrent to them. Think of the crumbs!

Besides, they have been brought up to believe that the magic fairies from the council will tidy up after them. And so they do: at an annual cost to the taxpayer of £1 billion in England alone. That is enough money to pay for 4,400 libraries, or 33,200 nurses.

I live near London Fields, a small park in east London which fills up with hipsters every time the sun comes out. It's a lovely, festive sight – peroxide waifs with flowers in their hair and gangly public schoolboys disguised as Nordic fishermen, drinking beer, cooking sausages on tinfoil barbecues or passing round boxes of take-away pizza.

And then the sun goes down, and the hipsters stand up and walk away, abandoning their rubbish as insouciantly as a snake shedding its old skin. They don't even seem to recognise their own consumer goods as belonging to them. Once the contents have been dispatched, the packaging is someone else's problem.

Every morning, as I walk through the park to work, I see the council's litter fairies at work: dozens of men in green uniforms, heads bowed, moving across the grass with their clawed sticks like a forensic team searching for clues. And they are, in fact, at the scene of a crime – a moral, as well as legal, one.

The young, with their natural concern for social justice, should be outraged by the politics of litter. Every discarded coffee cup, every blob of chewing gum spat on to the ground, means less money to spend on welfare, education or health. It is the politics of pure, nihilistic individualism, with no regard for the common good. The young will inherit the earth; it's about time they learnt to look after it properly.

Source : http://telegraph.feedsportal.com/c/32726/f/564649/s/38b50bf0/sc/10/l/0L0Stelegraph0O0Cearth0Cenvironment0C10A7273580CKeep0EBritain0Etidy0Eis0Elost0Eon0Etodays0Eselfish0Ehipsters0Bhtml/story01.htm

Doctor faces court after newspaper's abortion drug sting

CPS London chief prosecutor Baljit Ubhey said: "We have determined that there is sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction and that a prosecution is in the public interest."

The CPS said no further action will be taken against a pharmacist who was also connected with the newspaper investigation because the CPS said it "determined that there was insufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction".

Ms Ubhey said: "May I remind all concerned that Dr Ridha has a right to a fair trial.

"It is very important that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings. For these reasons, it would be inappropriate for me to comment further."

According to the NHS website, misoprostol is a medicine which is also used in treatment and prevention of gastrointestinal ulcers.

It works by reducing the amount of acid in your stomach, the NHS website states. It also protects the lining of the stomach and intestine from the effects of acid by increasing the amount of bicarbonate and mucus in the stomach.

The drug should not be used for women planning to conceive, it adds.

Misoprostol was put on the World Health Organisation's essential drugs list in 2011, but it has been argued that the dangers associated with it are understated.

Other academics have claimed that there is enough evidence that it safely prevents haemorrhaging immediately following childbirth. It is also at the centre of a debate over its use to induce abortions.

Source : http://telegraph.feedsportal.com/c/32726/f/568612/s/38b31224/sc/7/l/0L0Stelegraph0O0Cnews0Cuknews0Claw0Eand0Eorder0C10A7285550CDoctor0Efaces0Ecourt0Eafter0Enewspapers0Eabortion0Edrug0Esting0Bhtml/story01.htm

Doctor faces court over alleged illegal supply of abortion drugs

CPS London chief prosecutor Baljit Ubhey said: "We have determined that there is sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction and that a prosecution is in the public interest."

The CPS said no further action will be taken against a pharmacist who was also connected with the newspaper investigation because the CPS said it "determined that there was insufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction".

Ms Ubhey said: "May I remind all concerned that Dr Ridha has a right to a fair trial.

"It is very important that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings. For these reasons, it would be inappropriate for me to comment further."

According to the NHS website, misoprostol is a medicine which is also used in treatment and prevention of gastrointestinal ulcers.

It works by reducing the amount of acid in your stomach, the NHS website states. It also protects the lining of the stomach and intestine from the effects of acid by increasing the amount of bicarbonate and mucus in the stomach.

The drug should not be used for women planning to conceive, it adds.

Misoprostol was put on the World Health Organisation's essential drugs list in 2011, but it has been argued that the dangers associated with it are understated.

Other academics have claimed that there is enough evidence that it safely prevents haemorrhaging immediately following childbirth. It is also at the centre of a debate over its use to induce abortions.

Source : http://telegraph.feedsportal.com/c/32726/f/568612/s/38b3a482/sc/7/l/0L0Stelegraph0O0Cnews0Cuknews0Claw0Eand0Eorder0C10A7285550CDoctor0Efaces0Ecourt0Eover0Ealleged0Eillegal0Esupply0Eof0Eabortion0Edrugs0Bhtml/story01.htm

Controversial HIV Law Could Change in Iowa

ABC US News | ABC Business News Copy

Nick Rhoades is registered as a high-level felony sex offender in Iowa. As part of his probation, the 39-year-old has to wear an ankle monitor and cannot be alone with a minor, including his own nieces and nephews, according to Lambda Legal the non-profit law organization representing him.

Rhoades, who is HIV positive, was labeled a sex offender in 2009 when he was convicted of exposing a person to HIV after he had consensual sex and did not warn his partner about his HIV status. Rhoades used a condom and his partner did not contract the virus, according to the Associated Press and Lambda Legal.

Rhoades was convicted under a law in Iowa that criminalizes knowingly exposing a person to HIV or AIDS. Rhoades pled guilty, although later appealed the ruling, saying he had ineffective assistance from his legal counsel, according to court documents.

Initially, he was sentenced to 25 years behind bars, even though Rhoades used a condom and had an "undetectable" viral load. Rhoades was freed from prison after one year when a judge reviewed his case.

Learn More About HIV/AIDS

In an interview with an HIV advocacy group, the SERO Project, Rhoades said his time in prison made him feel guilty.

"You are a very, very, very bad person and you did a very, very, very bad thing. That gets programmed into you," Rhoades said in the taped interview after his release from prison.

Rhoades has appealed his case to the Iowa Supreme Court to have his conviction thrown out and to be removed from the sex offender registry.

"We know so much more about HIV," said Scott Schoettes, HIV project director and senior attorney at Lambda Legal, a nonprofit legal organization representing Rhoades. "We need to realize [that] just because you're HIV positive and want to have an active sex life does not make you a criminal."

As Rhoades awaits his final ruling in state court, the Iowa state legislature is considering changing the law under which Rhoades was prosecuted. In addition to Iowa, there are 30 states with HIV-specific criminalization laws, according to the Iowa Department of Public Health.

"You did a very, very, very bad thing. That gets programmed into you,"-Nick Rhoades

While the existing law only takes exposure into account, a bill the state senate passed unanimously last month would allow a prosecutor to charge a person under three different felony classes or a misdemeanor charge depending upon whether the person had intent to transmit the disease and whether the virus was actually transmitted.

A version of the bill is being debated in the Iowa state legislature after being amended by the state house judiciary committee. The committee removed the specifics about a misdemeanor charge, and added other infectious diseases to the list, including meningitis, hepatitis and tuberculosis. It was uncertain whether the bill would pass or whether the misdemeanor charge might be restored to the final bill.

State representative Chip Baltimore, chairman of the Iowa house judiciary committee, told ABC News the senate version did not give enough consideration to the victims, although there was a need to update the "outdated" law.

"Part of their misdemeanor charge, part of the entire sentencing structure is based on whether or not a transmission actually occurs. I don't agree with that," said Baltimore. "I don't think when you're trying to decide if someone should be convicted of a crime should depend upon if the victim contracted the actual disease."

Baltimore said the committee was still working on the bill before it is sent to the floor and they were consulting health officials to properly phrase a section of the bill that would essentially give "safe harbor" to those who followed medical advice and were unlikely to transmit the disease even if they were HIV positive.

Advocates and public health officials hope an "updated" version of the law will allow more nuanced and not as severe prosecutions.

Born with HIV, Life at 29

The current law allows felony prosecutions of HIV positive people who knowingly expose others to the disease without warning. This can include having sex, even safe sex, knowingly donating infected blood or sharing unclean drug paraphernalia, such as needles. The law allows a convicted person to be sentenced up to 25 years in prison.

Public health professionals interviewed said that in a case such as Rhoades', an undetectable viral load and condom usage made the possibility of transmitting HIV during sex nearly impossible.

Source : http://abcnews.go.com/Health/controversial-hiv-law-iowa-changed/story?id=23071540

Golden Gate Bridge, Long a Suicide Magnet, May Get Safety Nets

The biggest "suicide magnet" in the world may be San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. Just this year, 46 people have jumped to their deaths from the iconic structure, and 1,600 have died after jumping since it opened in 1937, according to the Bridge Rail Foundation, whose only goal has been to stop the suicides.

Until now, the 1.7-mile suspension bridge has been the only major international suicide landmark without deterrents. The Eiffel Tower, Sydney Harbor Bridge and the Empire State Building all have barriers.

But that looks like it soon will change.

In late May, the directors of the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District are expected to vote to use toll money, as well as state and federal funds, to create a $66 million stainless-steel net system -- a "suicide system deterrent project" -- that will hang 20 feet below the sidewalk.

"We are not shovel ready, but the funding plan we have worked on and off for the last couple of years has more momentum behind it," district spokeswoman Mary Currie told ABCnews.com. "I never say the board is ready to pass it, but there is a very strong indication that the interest level is very high."

Currie said the directors had spent $5 million on a "very extensive" engineering and environmental study from 2004 to 2010 to produce the current design that had "the least visual and aesthetic impact" of five proposals, "including doing nothing."

Seattle's Aurora Bridge Is Second Deadliest

A 2013 op-ed piece in the Los Angeles Times by John Bateson, author of "The Final Leap: Suicide on the Golden Gate Bridge," noted that the Golden Gate Bridge "exerts a stronger pull than anywhere else." Many jumpers think a bridge jump will mean a quick, certain death, but an estimated 5 percent survive and drown. Those who do get picked up by the Coast Guard usually have permanent injuries.

Parking lots at both sides of the bridge, as well as pedestrian and bicycle pathways, make it easy to access the bridge. And its railing is only four feet high.

"Anyone can climb over it, from a 5-year-old girl -- the bridge's youngest official suicide -- to people in their 80s," read the Los Angeles Times report.

In 2008, city officials approved installing a net under the bridge to stem the jumpers, but funding was never approved for its construction.

But if the current design gets approval, the safety net project will be paid, in part, by bridge tolls, as well as state and federal funding. It may be 2015 before a contract is awarded, according to Currie, and the project will take three years to build.

A recent report in the New York Times said suicide deaths have now exceeded traffic fatalities at the bridge.

Critics have argued that the Golden Gate Bridge directors cared more about traffic deaths than suicides when a moveable median was added to the bridge this fall.

"That's apples and oranges," said Currie. "Advocates say we valued the lives of motorists rather than persons contemplating suicide, but that was not the case. How it works in the public sector is we moved forward with that because we had the funding, just as we will with the nets."

Broadly speaking, 8.3 million Americans -- 3.7 percent of all adults -- have serious thoughts of suicide each year; 2.3 million make a plan and 1.1 million attempt suicide, resulting in an estimated 37,000 suicide deaths each year, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Source : http://abcnews.go.com/Health/golden-gate-bridge-long-suicide-magnet-safety-nets/story?id=23083432

It's a great time to ride the silver wave, says Nicholas Parsons

And what of that University of London report? Are we happier in our seventies and eighties than we've ever been? It certainly chimes with something I have observed. I have long believed that my generation that grew up during the Second World War, when life was very, very tough, learnt values of hard work and application that left us more stoical than those who have come since.

All the rigours we went through have put a little stiffness into our spines. We were hardened up compared with those who grew up in the Fifties, when, as Macmillan remarked, "You've never had it so good". The softer life doesn't condition you for longevity.

_{Dame Angela Lansbury is back on stage in Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit, aged 88}

So it is no accident that my own wartime generation has produced two stalwarts, hitting the headlines this week. Dame Vera Lynn, "the Forces' sweetheart", is releasing a new album at 97, and Dame Angela Lansbury, a mere 88, is back on the West End stage as Madame Arcati in Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit and winning rave reviews. I first met Angela when she was 14 and at school with my sister. She was already quite sophisticated back then, certainly enough to prevent me, as a shy 16-year-old from an all-boys school, from engaging her in conversation.

I'm not sure if I could take on a long theatrical run now, though I still enjoy performing my own one-man comedy show around the country, and, on occasion, my cultural show devoted to the life and work of Edward Lear.

I fear, too, that my dancing days are over. I used to do a mean Charleston and still dream of the call coming in for Strictly Come Dancing, but I'd have to decline with regret. Despite all the compensations in growing old today, there is still sadness about reaching these late landmarks. I have always been a keen sports player, but I've had to give it all up. First I gave away my water skis, next I hung up my squash racket, then my cricket bat was pensioned off, and soon it will be my golf clubs.

I still do a little exercise to keep my body active: the occasional session on a bike in the gym, and stretching in the morning. And I'm a great believer that the more you use your brain, the younger you will remain. So my latest project is a commission to write a history of Just a Minute, which I have been chairing now for 47 years.

I know others will disagree, but I would argue that older people are now treated with more respect than previously. That, at least, has been my experience – just this week I was presented with a Churchill Award for a lifetime's work in radio and television. The other day, I was struggling a bit to get out of a taxi, when a young woman offered me a hand. Admittedly, it made me feel old, but if you accept it in the spirit in which it is offered, it is lovely.

Yes, regular listeners to Just a Minute could be forgiven for concluding that we oldies face a barrage of abuse about age, but it is all part of the fun of the show. You have to laugh at yourself – in my case, at the running joke that casts me as a dinosaur. The panellists – particularly Paul Merton and Gyles Brandreth – are just pulling my leg.

After all, I've spent a lot of my working life being the straight man. It is part of the success of Just A Minute, but, more widely, I find, it helps remove stress.

And, if we are going to embrace this golden age for growing old, stress is the very last thing we need.

Source : http://telegraph.feedsportal.com/c/32726/f/568612/s/387a2a69/sc/14/l/0L0Stelegraph0O0Cmen0Cactive0C10A7156210CIts0Ea0Egreat0Etime0Eto0Eride0Ethe0Esilver0Ewave0Esays0ENicholas0EParsons0Bhtml/story01.htm

Fake doctor sentenced to six-year term

SAN DIEGO — A La Mesa man who falsely claimed to be a doctor and promised patients he could cure cancer and HIV was sentenced Friday to more than six years in custody, part of which he'll be allowed to serve under community supervision.

Keith Allen Barton, 52, was found guilty in January of six counts of treating patients without a medical license, one count of false personation and three counts related to grand theft.

On Friday, San Diego Superior Court Judge Amalia Meza ordered Barton to serve a split sentence — five years in county jail and a year and four months under mandatory supervision by the Probation Department.

According to the District Attorney's Office, Barton promised a woman he could cure her and her children of HIV. One of the children died as a result of receiving ineffective treatment, treatment for which she had paid Barton $18,000.

Barton told another woman who suffered from an autoimmune disease to have all of her teeth surgically extracted and to undergo a treatment called "dendritic cell therapy." That woman paid more than $32,000 for treatment that prosecutors said was ineffective.

Deputy District Attorney Gina Darvas has said Barton is not a licensed medical doctor, osteopath or naturopath.

(Barton shares the first and last name of a real doctor who is licensed in California but has a different middle name.)

Source : http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2014/mar/14/fake-doctor-sentenced-six-year-term/

Fake doctor sentenced to six-year term

SAN DIEGO — A La Mesa man who falsely claimed to be a doctor and promised patients he could cure cancer and HIV was sentenced Friday to more than six years in custody, part of which he'll be allowed to serve under community supervision.

Keith Allen Barton, 52, was found guilty in January of six counts of treating patients without a medical license, one count of false personation and three counts related to grand theft.

On Friday, San Diego Superior Court Judge Amalia Meza ordered Barton to serve a split sentence — five years in county jail and a year and four months under mandatory supervision by the Probation Department.

According to the District Attorney's Office, Barton promised a woman he could cure her and her children of HIV. One of the children died as a result of receiving ineffective treatment, treatment for which she had paid Barton $18,000.

Barton told another woman who suffered from an autoimmune disease to have all of her teeth surgically extracted and to undergo a treatment called "dendritic cell therapy." That woman paid more than $32,000 for treatment that prosecutors said was ineffective.

Deputy District Attorney Gina Darvas has said Barton is not a licensed medical doctor, osteopath or naturopath.

(Barton shares the first and last name of a real doctor who is licensed in California but has a different middle name.)

Source : http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2014/mar/14/fake-doctor-sentenced-six-year-term/

Fake doctor sentenced to six-year term

SAN DIEGO — A La Mesa man who falsely claimed to be a doctor and promised patients he could cure cancer and HIV was sentenced Friday to more than six years in custody, part of which he'll be allowed to serve under community supervision.

Keith Allen Barton, 52, was found guilty in January of six counts of treating patients without a medical license, one count of false personation and three counts related to grand theft.

On Friday, San Diego Superior Court Judge Amalia Meza ordered Barton to serve a split sentence — five years in county jail and a year and four months under mandatory supervision by the Probation Department.

According to the District Attorney's Office, Barton promised a woman he could cure her and her children of HIV. One of the children died as a result of receiving ineffective treatment, treatment for which she had paid Barton $18,000.

Barton told another woman who suffered from an autoimmune disease to have all of her teeth surgically extracted and to undergo a treatment called "dendritic cell therapy." That woman paid more than $32,000 for treatment that prosecutors said was ineffective.

Deputy District Attorney Gina Darvas has said Barton is not a licensed medical doctor, osteopath or naturopath.

(Barton shares the first and last name of a real doctor who is licensed in California but has a different middle name.)

Source : http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2014/mar/14/fake-doctor-sentenced-six-year-term/

10 Ways to Prevent Cancer Today

How to Cut Your Cancer Risk

In a University of Vermont study, the fittest men were 68 percent less likely to develop lung cancer and 38 percent less likely to develop colorectal cancers than the least active men—and those who developed cancer had better outcomes if they exercised regularly. Cardio and resistance training help control inflammation and hormone levels—and they keep your immune system strong to fend off wayward cells.

18 Ways to Build Muscle All Day

How to Cut Your Cancer Risk

Guys who eat french fries, fried chicken, fried fish, or fried doughnuts once or more a week have up to a 37 percent higher risk of prostate cancer, according to a new study from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. Oil that's heated to high temperatures develops carcinogenic compounds in food.

How to Cut Your Cancer Risk

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin at Madison found that pomegranate juice may stunt lung cancer growth. Plus, previous studies also show it delays prostate cancer in mice and stabilizes PSA levels in men who've been treated for the cancer. Sip about 16 ounces of the juice per day, which is rich in polyphenols, isoflavones, and ellagic acid that may team up to fight cancer.

How to Cut Your Cancer Risk

If there's a screening for a type of cancer and you're eligible for it, get it. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that if everyone over 50 had regular colon cancer screenings, 60 percent of deaths from the disease could be prevented. Talk to your doctor about screenings for colorectal, prostate, testicular, skin, and lung cancer.

How to Cut Your Cancer Risk

The fruit is brimming with a compound called pterostilbene that may slash precancerous lesions in the gut that, left unchecked, could lead to colon cancer, Rutgers University researchers say. Aim for a cup and a half of blueberries per day—pour them over your cereal, snack on them fresh, or dump them into a daily smoothie.

How to Cut Your Cancer Risk

People on a high-fiber eating plan—about 17 grams per 1,000 calories—had a 19 percent decrease in kidney cancer risk compared with those who took in the least, a study in the journal Clinical Nutrition found. Fiber may block cancer-causing toxins from traveling from your intestines to your kidneys, the study reports.

50 Foods with Superpowers

How to Cut Your Cancer Risk

People with severe sleep apnea—snoring is the main symptom—are almost five times as likely to die of cancer as those who snooze more soundly, according to researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health. With sleep apnea, levels of oxygen in your blood dip. This can cause small existing tumors to grow new blood vessels, giving them fuel to develop faster and spread through your bloodstream more quickly.

How to Cut Your Cancer Risk

More than 92,000 cases of cancer a year can be blamed on sitting too much, a study by the American Institute for Cancer Research suggests. Even if you exercise regularly, you're still at risk. Set your cell phone alarm to remind you to stand for one to two minutes every hour. It'll help reduce levels of molecules in your body that are linked with cancer risk.

How to Cut Your Cancer Risk

People who supplemented their diets with 1,000 IU of vitamin D every day decreased their risk of cancer by as much as 77 percent over four years compared to those who popped a placebo, reports a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Vitamin D is also available in salmon, sardines, and shiitake mushrooms.

How to Cut Your Cancer Risk

Eat three Brazil nuts every day, which deliver healthy selenium. A Harvard study found that this amount is associated with a 48 percent lower incidence of advanced prostate cancer.

Source : http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Wellness/10-ways-prevent-cancer-today/story?id=22960259

Fake doctor sentenced to six-year term

SAN DIEGO — A La Mesa man who falsely claimed to be a doctor and promised patients he could cure cancer and HIV was sentenced Friday to more than six years in custody, part of which he'll be allowed to serve under community supervision.

Keith Allen Barton, 52, was found guilty in January of six counts of treating patients without a medical license, one count of false personation and three counts related to grand theft.

On Friday, San Diego Superior Court Judge Amalia Meza ordered Barton to serve a split sentence — five years in county jail and a year and four months under mandatory supervision by the Probation Department.

According to the District Attorney's Office, Barton promised a woman he could cure her and her children of HIV. One of the children died as a result of receiving ineffective treatment, treatment for which she had paid Barton $18,000.

Barton told another woman who suffered from an autoimmune disease to have all of her teeth surgically extracted and to undergo a treatment called "dendritic cell therapy." That woman paid more than $32,000 for treatment that prosecutors said was ineffective.

Deputy District Attorney Gina Darvas has said Barton is not a licensed medical doctor, osteopath or naturopath.

(Barton shares the first and last name of a real doctor who is licensed in California but has a different middle name.)

Source : http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2014/mar/14/fake-doctor-sentenced-six-year-term/

Fake doctor sentenced to six-year term

SAN DIEGO — A La Mesa man who falsely claimed to be a doctor and promised patients he could cure cancer and HIV was sentenced Friday to more than six years in custody, part of which he'll be allowed to serve under community supervision.

Keith Allen Barton, 52, was found guilty in January of six counts of treating patients without a medical license, one count of false personation and three counts related to grand theft.

On Friday, San Diego Superior Court Judge Amalia Meza ordered Barton to serve a split sentence — five years in county jail and a year and four months under mandatory supervision by the Probation Department.

According to the District Attorney's Office, Barton promised a woman he could cure her and her children of HIV. One of the children died as a result of receiving ineffective treatment, treatment for which she had paid Barton $18,000.

Barton told another woman who suffered from an autoimmune disease to have all of her teeth surgically extracted and to undergo a treatment called "dendritic cell therapy." That woman paid more than $32,000 for treatment that prosecutors said was ineffective.

Deputy District Attorney Gina Darvas has said Barton is not a licensed medical doctor, osteopath or naturopath.

(Barton shares the first and last name of a real doctor who is licensed in California but has a different middle name.)

Source : http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2014/mar/14/fake-doctor-sentenced-six-year-term/

Fake doctor sentenced to six-year term

SAN DIEGO — A La Mesa man who falsely claimed to be a doctor and promised patients he could cure cancer and HIV was sentenced Friday to more than six years in custody, part of which he'll be allowed to serve under community supervision.

Keith Allen Barton, 52, was found guilty in January of six counts of treating patients without a medical license, one count of false personation and three counts related to grand theft.

On Friday, San Diego Superior Court Judge Amalia Meza ordered Barton to serve a split sentence — five years in county jail and a year and four months under mandatory supervision by the Probation Department.

According to the District Attorney's Office, Barton promised a woman he could cure her and her children of HIV. One of the children died as a result of receiving ineffective treatment, treatment for which she had paid Barton $18,000.

Barton told another woman who suffered from an autoimmune disease to have all of her teeth surgically extracted and to undergo a treatment called "dendritic cell therapy." That woman paid more than $32,000 for treatment that prosecutors said was ineffective.

Deputy District Attorney Gina Darvas has said Barton is not a licensed medical doctor, osteopath or naturopath.

(Barton shares the first and last name of a real doctor who is licensed in California but has a different middle name.)

Source : http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2014/mar/14/fake-doctor-sentenced-six-year-term/

Fake doctor sentenced to six-year term

SAN DIEGO — A La Mesa man who falsely claimed to be a doctor and promised patients he could cure cancer and HIV was sentenced Friday to more than six years in custody, part of which he'll be allowed to serve under community supervision.

Keith Allen Barton, 52, was found guilty in January of six counts of treating patients without a medical license, one count of false personation and three counts related to grand theft.

On Friday, San Diego Superior Court Judge Amalia Meza ordered Barton to serve a split sentence — five years in county jail and a year and four months under mandatory supervision by the Probation Department.

According to the District Attorney's Office, Barton promised a woman he could cure her and her children of HIV. One of the children died as a result of receiving ineffective treatment, treatment for which she had paid Barton $18,000.

Barton told another woman who suffered from an autoimmune disease to have all of her teeth surgically extracted and to undergo a treatment called "dendritic cell therapy." That woman paid more than $32,000 for treatment that prosecutors said was ineffective.

Deputy District Attorney Gina Darvas has said Barton is not a licensed medical doctor, osteopath or naturopath.

(Barton shares the first and last name of a real doctor who is licensed in California but has a different middle name.)

Source : http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2014/mar/14/fake-doctor-sentenced-six-year-term/

Conservatives must stop attacking Europe or people will vote Ukip

He said: "If you are one of our colleagues who spends his life telling everyone Europe is awful and we should leave it, not surprisingly he has a high Ukip vote in his constituency, and half his members think that is way the Tory party should go."

He added: "The first lesson is that if you go around telling everyone your opponents are right, do not be surprised when the electorate vote for your opponents."

He made his comments as ministers said the Conservatives would be "foolish" to demand full treaty change ahead of a referendum on Europe in 2017.

Ken Clarke, the minister without portfolio and former Chancellor, said that more "strident" and "eccentric" backbench Conservative MPs were drowning out the voices expressing the more popular pro-European views that the "majority" of the cabinet holds.

Mr Clarke said that the Conservatives would be "foolish" to push for treaty change to get key reforms on Europe through before any referendum in 2017 if other alternatives were open to them. Instead, he said, they should "concentrate on the substance of reform" whichever way it was achieved.

Damian Green, the policing minister, said that it was "not obvious" that treaty change would be needed to achieve many of David Cameron's planned reforms on Europe.

He added that it while it is easier for pro-European Conservatives to "keep your head down" it would mean "handing democracy" to more vocal people who want to pull out of the EU.

Source : http://telegraph.feedsportal.com/c/32726/f/568612/s/384935a3/sc/7/l/0L0Stelegraph0O0Cnews0Cpolitics0C10A70A36130CConservatives0Emust0Estop0Eattacking0EEurope0Eor0Epeople0Ewill0Evote0EUkip0Bhtml/story01.htm

Riding with impaired drivers tied to riskier teen driving

By Andrew M. Seaman

NEW YORK Mon Mar 17, 2014 12:31am EDT

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Teens who've been in cars with impaired drivers may be more likely themselves to get behind the wheel drunk or drugged, a recent study suggests. And the more times they're driven around by an impaired driver, the more risky their own driving habits become.

While other studies have found ties between riding with impaired drivers and teen impaired driving risk, the new study surveyed about 2,500 U.S. students each year between 10th and 12th grades to examine rates over time - not at just one point.

"We were interested in both driving while intoxicated and riding with an intoxicated driver, because it's the combined of the two behaviors that reflects the true risk," Bruce Simons-Morton, one of the researchers, told Reuters Health.

"When you do that, you see a relatively high proportion - about 30 percent in our study - reported either driving while intoxicated or riding with an intoxicated driver within the last three years," he said.

Overall, between 12 percent and 14 percent of students each year reported impaired driving in the past month and 23 percent to 38 percent reported riding in cars with drunk or drugged drivers within the past year, the researchers wrote in Pediatrics.

Students were more likely to drive impaired if they had been in cars with impaired drivers after adjusting the numbers for the students' genders and drinking and drug habits, family income, and parental education and supervision.

Specifically, kids who reported riding with drunk or drugged drivers during one of the surveys were 10 times more likely to drive drunk or drugged than a kid who never reported riding in cars with impaired drivers.

That risk grew to 34 times greater when they reported riding in cars with impaired drivers on two surveys and 127 times greater if they reported riding in cars with drunk or drugged drivers on all three surveys.

"The magnitude of the association kind of gets one's attention," said Simons-Morton.

Simons-Morton is from the Health Behavior Branch of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, which is part of the National Institutes of Health, in Bethesda, Maryland.

He and his colleagues note that they can't distinguish exposure to only drunk or drugged driving in their results, however. They also can't say whether the impaired drivers the students reported riding with were other young people or adults.

But they say that early exposure to impaired driving may come across as "normal" behavior to teens, who may be particularly impressionable.

"When you ride with an intoxicated driver, it sort of normalizes the idea of drinking and driving," Simons-Morton said. "Also, you're around peopling who drink and drive."

He added that current policies to discourage drunk and drugged driving among teens are acceptable, but parents and peers need to be persistent.

"The primary issue is not driving or riding with an intoxicated driver," Simons-Morton said. "You want to plant the important message in your teens' heads."

SOURCE: bit.ly/uFc4g2 Pediatrics, online March 17, 2014.

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Source : http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/healthNews/~3/MJyUy7a2at8/story01.htm

Fake doctor sentenced to six-year term

SAN DIEGO — A La Mesa man who falsely claimed to be a doctor and promised patients he could cure cancer and HIV was sentenced Friday to more than six years in custody, part of which he'll be allowed to serve under community supervision.

Keith Allen Barton, 52, was found guilty in January of six counts of treating patients without a medical license, one count of false personation and three counts related to grand theft.

On Friday, San Diego Superior Court Judge Amalia Meza ordered Barton to serve a split sentence — five years in county jail and a year and four months under mandatory supervision by the Probation Department.

According to the District Attorney's Office, Barton promised a woman he could cure her and her children of HIV. One of the children died as a result of receiving ineffective treatment, treatment for which she had paid Barton $18,000.

Barton told another woman who suffered from an autoimmune disease to have all of her teeth surgically extracted and to undergo a treatment called "dendritic cell therapy." That woman paid more than $32,000 for treatment that prosecutors said was ineffective.

Deputy District Attorney Gina Darvas has said Barton is not a licensed medical doctor, osteopath or naturopath.

(Barton shares the first and last name of a real doctor who is licensed in California but has a different middle name.)

Source : http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2014/mar/14/fake-doctor-sentenced-six-year-term/

Fake doctor sentenced to six-year term

SAN DIEGO — A La Mesa man who falsely claimed to be a doctor and promised patients he could cure cancer and HIV was sentenced Friday to more than six years in custody, part of which he'll be allowed to serve under community supervision.

Keith Allen Barton, 52, was found guilty in January of six counts of treating patients without a medical license, one count of false personation and three counts related to grand theft.

On Friday, San Diego Superior Court Judge Amalia Meza ordered Barton to serve a split sentence — five years in county jail and a year and four months under mandatory supervision by the Probation Department.

According to the District Attorney's Office, Barton promised a woman he could cure her and her children of HIV. One of the children died as a result of receiving ineffective treatment, treatment for which she had paid Barton $18,000.

Barton told another woman who suffered from an autoimmune disease to have all of her teeth surgically extracted and to undergo a treatment called "dendritic cell therapy." That woman paid more than $32,000 for treatment that prosecutors said was ineffective.

Deputy District Attorney Gina Darvas has said Barton is not a licensed medical doctor, osteopath or naturopath.

(Barton shares the first and last name of a real doctor who is licensed in California but has a different middle name.)

Source : http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2014/mar/14/fake-doctor-sentenced-six-year-term/

Owen Farrell's try salute: England star shows support for battling Jack

"The more exposure we get, the more chance there is of finding a cure for Jack," explained Mr Johnson, 39. "Owen was giving a show of strength."

The salute has been performed by everyone from Bradley Wiggins – another Wigan lad – to Rio Ferdinand, Tim Henman, and even Ant and Dec.

But the Johnsons are a rugby family. Mr Johnson was a professional player, and played alongside Owen Farrell's father.

So when the England fly-half performed the gesture it was special, particularly at such a high-profile moment.

The locked fingers represent the initials of Joining Jack, the charity set up by the Johnsons to fund research into Jack's illness, Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).

This condition, which is degenerative and terminal, affects one in 350,000 boys. In rare cases, it can also affect girls.

Jack – a slight, affectionate boy with green eyes, a passion for Lego, and a mischievous smile – was diagnosed with the condition in October 2011.

The muscles in his legs have already started to waste away. He cannot keep up with his friends at school, and is not allowed to use stairs for fear of damaging his fragile legs.

By the time he is eight, Jack will require leg braces to walk. When he is 12, he will be confined to a wheelchair. After that, the muscles in the rest of his body will also start to degenerate, including his heart and lungs.

Eventually he will become completely paralysed, and will depend on a ventilator to breathe. Sufferers rarely live beyond the age of 30. There is no known cure.

For Mr and Mrs Johnson, thinking about the future is impossible. Instead, they focus on the challenges here and now.

"Jack loves rugby, but it upsets you when all the lads run off and he is left behind," said Mrs Johnson, 29. "He doesn't like to talk about stuff or feel different, but he tends to ask me questions when I'm driving him to school. He'll ask why he can't join in the game, or why he can't run as fast as the other boys.

"I tell him that his muscles are poorly, but I try and reinforce the fact that he's good at other things like Lego and drawing. But it breaks your heart."

As if on cue, Jack pads into the room in his Superman socks, in search of Lego figures. Mr Johnson gets up to help him, and his wife goes to find him a clean shirt; it is clear from this everyday affection that the couple are making every effort to give their son a normal life.

"There are several new drugs in development that look very exciting as possible game changers," explained Mr Johnson, once his son is playing in the next room, safely out of earshot. "It's torture to think that the cure could be out there. Joining Jack is funding four new drug studies, and we are hoping to fund two more.

"The one day we dread is when we have to tell Jack the seriousness of his condition. I really hope that never happens. It's a race against the clock for us and a whole generation of other sufferers."

At the moment, Jack is on powerful steroids, which help to slow his muscle degeneration. Over time, however, side effects will start to manifest, including osteoporosis, cataracts, weight-gain, facial swelling, hair growth and bursts of anger. This creates additional pressure to strive for a permanent cure.

When Jack was first diagnosed, his father recalls "staring at a wall for 45 minutes", unable to find a way to respond.

Over the following year, he was "up all night on my phone, reading all about the disease, paper after paper after paper". Even today, three years on, Mr Johnson is often unable to concentrate at work - he owns a signage company - and ends up "walking around the office in a daze".

Mrs Johnson, who has given up work to volunteer for the charity full-time, often feels "panicked", fearful and worn out. Both find themselves in tears almost every day. But for Jack's sake, they cannot give up.

Rugby is at the heart of the Johnsons' life, and Wigan is a big rugby town. Mr Johnson was a professional player for 12 years, seven of which were spent playing for Wigan Warriors, the local Rugby League team. He has known Owen Farrell all his life.

"I remember Owen as a three-year-old, coming into the changing room with a rugby ball," he recalled. "He used to ride his bike past our window on his way home from school, and I went to school with his mum, Coleen. She has become a real shoulder for Alex to cry on."

From the very beginning, the England fly-half was deeply moved by Jack's plight.

"[I perform the salute] because it's a cause close to my heart," Farrell told the Sunday Telegraph. "If the cause touches you enough, it becomes part of your thinking instinctively, especially when you can reach out to such a big audience.

"When you understand the lack of awareness of such a condition, everyone has to jump on board and do their bit."

The Johnsons' struggle has galvanised the rugby community into action. Wigan players at all levels regularly perform the Joining Jack salute at games. Money has been raised by sponsored runs, skydives and cake sales, and the couple have a solid network of support. A 10km charity run that they organised in September was attended by 2,600 people, and they are hoping for an even better turnout this year.

This week, in a significant development, a campaign supported by Joining Jack has borne fruit. On Friday, the Department of Health announced a new scheme to fast-track breakthrough drugs to seriously ill patients, cutting the length of time between clinical trials and widespread use to just five years (it normally takes between 10 and 15 years).

Duchenne muscular dystrophy will be one of the first conditions to benefit from fast-tracked drugs.

With this obstacle lifted, the couple are redoubling their efforts to find potentially lifesaving new medication.

"We take a rugby-type attitude," said Mr Johnson. "We set out to do a job, identify the obstacles and just get on with it. We're trying to tackle the disease out the way, and give the charity the biggest push ever. If we can make strides over the next few years, Jack's generation of patients will have a hope of a normal life."

"The prize is a massive one," added his wife. "But if we don't get there, and we lose Jack, I can't imagine how that would be."

The most difficult part is knowing that day by day, Jack's time is getting shorter. But, as Mrs Johnson puts it, both parents are "giving everything we have to this fight of all fights."

And they have everything to play for.

To donate to the Joining Jack fund, visit joiningjack.org

Source : http://telegraph.feedsportal.com/c/32726/f/568612/s/3838e78a/sc/38/l/0L0Stelegraph0O0Chealth0C10A70A0A490A0CSalute0Eby0EEngland0Ehero0Esays0Ewere0Ebattling0Efor0EJacks0Elife0Bhtml/story01.htm

Fake doctor sentenced to six-year term

SAN DIEGO — A La Mesa man who falsely claimed to be a doctor and promised patients he could cure cancer and HIV was sentenced Friday to more than six years in custody, part of which he'll be allowed to serve under community supervision.

Keith Allen Barton, 52, was found guilty in January of six counts of treating patients without a medical license, one count of false personation and three counts related to grand theft.

On Friday, San Diego Superior Court Judge Amalia Meza ordered Barton to serve a split sentence — five years in county jail and a year and four months under mandatory supervision by the Probation Department.

According to the District Attorney's Office, Barton promised a woman he could cure her and her children of HIV. One of the children died as a result of receiving ineffective treatment, treatment for which she had paid Barton $18,000.

Barton told another woman who suffered from an autoimmune disease to have all of her teeth surgically extracted and to undergo a treatment called "dendritic cell therapy." That woman paid more than $32,000 for treatment that prosecutors said was ineffective.

Deputy District Attorney Gina Darvas has said Barton is not a licensed medical doctor, osteopath or naturopath.

(Barton shares the first and last name of a real doctor who is licensed in California but has a different middle name.)

Source : http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2014/mar/14/fake-doctor-sentenced-six-year-term/

Dr Le Fanu's online health clinic, Friday 14th March 2014

My father died in his 80s and my mother who is 93 is still alive but very decrepit. I am not aware of any history of bowel cancer or indeed any cancer in my family. I am in generally good health [I weigh the same as I did when I was aged 24 – 9.5 stone – 5' 8" tall] and have short run each day. I take Benecol to counter supposed high cholesterol since I will not take medicine for this I haven't had it checked for a while but I am mostly fairly rigorous about a low fat diet.

My concern is that if I provide a sample for the programme they will almost certainly detect blood but that may just arise from my haemorrhoids. If they do detect blood then I imagine I will be called in for a retest and further examinations.

It really would be helpful if the leaflet from the NHS could provide some guidance to haemorrhoid sufferers, since they don't and getting a doctors appointment for a decent length of time to chat about this subject is not practicable perhaps you could use your column to offer some guidance.

Martin

Dear Martin,

Thanks for our query. The problem you describe is not unusual and accounts for many of the 'false positives' associated with the Bowel Cancer Screening programme. It can be minimised by taking a laxative (such as Lactulose) to reduce the likelihood of bleeding from the haemorrhoids caused by hard stool and producing the sample on the day when there is no evidence of frank bleeding. You might wish to contact the screening programme's helpline on 08007 976060 for further advice.

ALAMY

Ptosis

Dear Dr Lefanu, I am to undergo cataract surgery in May/June of this year, and understand that the eyelid may droop following this. Are there any exercises that I could do to prevent this, as my eyelid has a tendency to droop slightly at the end of the day anyway.

Your opinion would be greatly appreciated.

Joan G (Mrs)

Dear Mrs G,

Thanks for your query. This drooping of the eyelid (or ptosis) following cataract surgery is due to temporary faulty functioning of the nerves caused by either the trauma of the procedure or the prolonged effects of the anaesthetic. There are thus just no preventive measures and it should resolve within a few days.

ALAMY

Sir,

I am 80 years old and have had osteoporosis for about 4 years. I accept the painful lower back and reduced mobility, but find other symptoms (if they are related to the osteoporosis or not) very hard to put up with. I am on medication for RLS (restless leg syndrome) but can get no relief in spite of taking 3 ropinirole and 1 amitriptyline at bedtime. In fact I do not think the problem stems from my legs, but from my lower back. Sitting of an evening, watching TV, reading, using my Nintendo to play scrabble, doing my tapestry or just talking to friends and family, I cannot sit still for long, due to the peculiar sensation in my back (cured by getting up and walking about); at night as soon as I lie down in bed, my lower limbs take on a life of their own ,causing great jerks every few seconds which make me distressed and sleep impossible. For much of the night I stand looking out of the window or walk round the room or touch my toes as a means of temporary relief but as soon as I get back into bed it starts again! My lovely GP can throw no light on the subject other than to up my medication which has not worked. I am also on eye drops for glaucoma, adcal and alendronic for the bones, soluble aspirin and statins (both unnecessary in my book but I do as the medical profession decrees!) and emosil for long standing reflux problems. I visit the osteopath once a month for 'maintenance' work on my back. I also have B12 injections every 12 weeks as apparently I am anaemic and recently had blood taken for a suspected DVT (proved not there) and now am visiting the hospital for treatment for lymphoedema because my ankles are swollen.

I should be most grateful for any advice you can give me as I am fed up with the situation. I may be 80 but I am still 45 in my head with lots I want to do and I need my rest !!! It is a sure thing that "Old age ain't for sissies" !

Daphne G

Dear Daphne G,

Thanks for being in touch and my sympathies for these distressing symptoms which do not fit the usual pattern of RLS being more of a combination of 'restless' and 'jumpy' (as in Periodic Limb Movement Disorder). It is also significant it does not respond to Ropinirole. I note that the United States based Rowe Neurology Institute (RNI) reports that this combination of symptoms can be due to disc problems at the base of the lumbar spine that would certainly be consistent with your associated back problems (see: Vernon Rowe: 'RNI Discovered connection between restless legs syndrome and bulging disc in lumbar spine' - available on the internet). You might wish to discuss with your doctor whether this might warrant further investigation with, for example, an MRI scan. My two other suggestions would be that you discontinue the statins that can induce or exacerbate the symptoms of RLS and consider taking clonazepam that is of value both in RLS and for PLMD.

I have been increasingly unable to taste or smell anything for two years. Now I have neither taste nor smell. Several medical opinions from my excellent doctors at the surgery, and a couple of hospital consultants have agreed that nothing can be done about it. Is there any hope? I am male and 80.

Dear Anon,

Thanks for your query. I presume you do not have a chronic nasal/sinus problem that is the only readily treatable cause for loss of taste and smell. Your symptoms are thus likely to be due to an age related loss of function of the olfactory nerve for which there is no specific treatment.

Some time ago my wife suffered a minor stroke /heart attack accompanied by atrial fibrillation.

She has recovered well with regular medication but we have wondered whether the fact that she had had a very large abscess on a tooth which had burst of its own accord before it affected her breathing (which her doctor had feared might happen)had been a contributory factor to the heart trouble.

We have heard that it is suspected that this can happen but it sounds like an "old folk's tale"

Have you any views please?

Yours sincerely Paul M B

Dear Paul B,

Thanks for your query and I am glad to hear your wife has recovered well from her recent medical problems. I would not have thought they were related to the tooth abscess.

Dear Dr Le Fanu

After a serious fall at home caused by sudden vertigo or dizziness, I was eventually referred via the 'Falls Clinic' to an ENT consultant who carried out the Epley manoeuvre on me after hearing that I had suffered shingles of the inner ear and scalp some 5 years previously (he called it by a syndrome name which I have now forgotten). Result: 100% cure! I told him I had read about it in your column and suggested it to several GPs because I have had recurrences of shingles ever since, but every single one of them dismissed the idea out of hand.

Just to say 'thank you' - I read your column with great interest.

I have a peculiar symptom which someone might be able to come up with a solution for. I get a blocked up nose whenever I talk, especially on the phone. It goes away as quickly as it comes on when the conversation is over. It is quite noticeable and many people have remarked on it.

Kind Regards

Dear Anon,

Thanks for being in touch and I am delighted (if perhaps, like your family doctor, a bit surprised) that the Epley manoeuvre should have cured your vertigo/dizziness if it was brought on by the attack of shingles. I have not encountered this puzzling 'telephone conversation induced blocked nose' syndrome you describe. I will mention it in the column in the near future in the anticipation someone will be able to offer an explanation.

Dear James Fanu,

I would like you to try and answer a problem that I have had for over a year now. The doctors cannot get to the root of the problem, not without trying!

I have (which can only be described as) a tingling nervy tight sensation down the outside of both legs. It is much worse at night when laying down or when resting. It keeps me awake at night constantly. It is really uncomfortable and quite painful at times

I have been taking Anastrozole for breast cancer for 2.50 years now and did think it was a side effect. I stopped taking the Anastrozole for 3 months and there was no change.

The doctor has prescribed Pregabalin and Oxerutins (Paroven). I have seen a vein specialist, a neurologist and had osteopathy, all without help or conclusion.

Please please ask your readers to help.

Thanking you in advance

Christine W

Dear Christine W,

Thanks for being in touch and my sympathies for the puzzling symptoms. The fact that they are position related (being worse when lying down) might suggest they are due to sciatica but no doubt the various doctors you have consulted have considered and excluded this possibility. I can only presume then that this must be some form of neuropathy for which I note you are taking the appropriate treatment I am sorry not to have been of more help on this matter.

Dear Dr Le Fanu,

I read with interest all the recent correspondence on recurrent cystitis, having much sympathy with the sufferers - it is miserable. One tip given to me that I hope may prove useful is to take d-mannose, a form of sugar that I understand attracts e-coli in the bladder to itself and prevents the bacteria sticking to the bladder wall. A teaspoon of the powder taken twice a day in water seems to have helped many people. May I also recommend a book by Angela Kilmartin called 'The Patient's Encyclopedia of Cystitis, Sexual Cystitis and Interstitial Cystitis' (not as formidable to read as it sounds!), which explains a washing technique which may also help some readers. Both of these items can be readily found on Amazon.

Yours faithfully,

Dear Anon,

Thanks for being in touch and drawing attention to d-mannose and Angela Kilmartin's excellent book which I hope to mention in the column in the near future.

I read your comments about doctors carrying out tests for dementia screening. My experience is different. The doctor asked for a psychiatric nurse to visit our home and she held the tests, which to my mind were derisory and in no way discovered what I believe to be the situation with my husband's memory. They were as you describe. He did not get a diagnosis, but the more I look into the problem the more I think that nothing is available anyway so really I am not sure what the point in screening is. If somebody like Prunella Scales cannot be helped who can? Just putting a label on something doesn't do anything.

Dear Anon,

Thanks for being in touch and your account of your experience of dementia screening. I could not be in greater agreement about the pointlessness of labelling memory problems in this way without their being anything to offer in the way of treatment.

ALAMY

I am not sure if post nasal drip is the correct term but I am sure you will know what I refer to.

A few weeks ago you had someone ask advice about this. I have had a problem for years and no one could help. I am also a hearing aid wearer and as such often have problems with my ears (too enclosed an environment). For the ears I was sent to an ENT consultant. He took notice of all the problems in the area and not being able to find anything wrong with my ears said it might be best to try and solve the problem from the nose side of the ear drum. He suggested, in the first instance, Sterimar nasal spray - beginning with the stronger one and then using the milder one.

The Sterimar has worked wonders. Maybe this could help others. Such a simple answer.

The consultant did give me a recipe for making the contents of the spray at home but I decided against this for two reasons. 1. It would be difficult to find a spray bottle to get the spray in the correct position. 2. I was worried about contamination if I made it at home.

Regards

Dear Anon,

Thanks for being in touch. I am so pleased to hear your catarrh improved with the Sterimar spray. I look forward to mentioning it, as you suggest, in anticipation that it will also be of help to others.

Dr James,

I have suffered for several years with tingling sensations in both feet. It started in my right foot and over the years has spread slowly to halfway up my calf. While the problem with my right foot progressed, I started having tingling sensations in my left which has spread to most of the foot now. An MRI of my lower spine shows no problems and I have tried a few drugs (amitriptyline and gabapentin) with no success.

Any advice on any possible next steps and who I could consult ?

Thank you,

Roy W

PS: A curious incident occurred before the problem started. While abroad I walked barefoot into the bathroom after it had been cleaned using household liquid chemicals and a burning sensation spread almost instantaneously from the bottom of both feet up to my ankles - could this be the cause of nerve damage?

Dear Roy W,

Thanks for being in touch. These tingling sensations are caused, as you will know, by a peripheral sensory neuropathy. It is certainly very interesting that they seem to have been brought on by the exposure to those chemicals in the bathroom as you describe- very difficult to imagine how they might be responsible. There can be in some instances an underlying remediable cause such as diabetes but regrettable there is no specific remedy.

Dear Dr Le Fanu,

About 50 years ago my Wife had part of an overactive thyroid removed. Every few years she has the standard thyroid test. The results are always the same - thyroid function normal. However she read that the results of this test are not always reliable and so she believes that any lack of energy is the result of lack of thyroid. Is there a better test available?

Best Wishes,

John T

Dear John T,

Thanks for being in touch. I am sure your wife can be reassured that her loss of energy is unlikely to be due to an underactive thyroid if the tests are within the normal range.

Dear Dr Le Fanu,

I understand that because of the wide feedback from the many people who contact you, you can offer, throw light on medical conditions that have proved difficult to diagnose. I have such a condition.

It started suddenly in May 2013 and I believe coincided with when I was prescribed Beconase nasal spray for frequent colds. The condition takes the form of a permanent sour taste at the back of my mouth, rather similar to the feeling when vomiting is about to occur, but it goes no further than that. I also have a feeling of moderate discomfort in the stomach area and an enhanced feeling of hunger. I produce an abnormally large amount of wind (burping), particularly after being still for a period. My appetite and bowel functions are normal. The above symptoms are least noticeable after a meal but develop before the next meal and during the night. They are least noticeable when I am actively engaged in something, most noticeable when I'm still. My GP cannot explain the condition, nor can the ENT specialist or the Gastro-intestinal specialist I have consulted. I have tried Gaviscon and Omeprazole but neither had any effect.

I am aged 74 and otherwise healthy, although I did have a kidney stone last September which passed naturally.

I would be very grateful if you have any idea what might be causing these symptoms.

Yours sincerely

Philip Y

Dear Philip Y,

Thanks for being in touch with this most interesting query. Your symptoms are certainly typical of - and almost certainly due - to acid reflux, The acid suppressant Omeprazole is for most a highly effective treatment though for a substantial minority - like yourself - it does not relieve the symptoms at standard dosage. Some will respond to a doubling of the dose and if this does not work further investigation is required with a view perhaps to having anti reflux surgery. There is a most comprehensive account of this on the internet (Herschovici and Fass, The Current Opinion in Gastroenterology, 2010 vol 26, pp367-378) that you should discuss with your doctor.

Source : http://telegraph.feedsportal.com/c/32726/f/568612/s/382ff263/sc/14/l/0L0Stelegraph0O0Chealth0C10A6983240CDr0ELe0EFanus0Eonline0Ehealth0Eclinic0EFriday0E14th0EMarch0E20A140Bhtml/story01.htm

Insurers wary of Obamacare unknowns as they plan for 2015

By Caroline Humer

NEW YORK Tue Mar 11, 2014 5:40pm EDT

The federal government forms for applying for health coverage are seen at a rally held by supporters of the Affordable Care Act, widely referred to as ''Obamacare'', outside the Jackson-Hinds Comprehensive Health Center in Jackson, Mississippi October 4, 2013.

Credit: Reuters/Jonathan Bachman

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. health insurers are struggling to set prices for their Obamacare plans in 2015 and decide which regions to return to before the deadlines for submitting those plans to regulators.

Some insurers already expect to lose money this year following the rocky launch of President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act, which aims to provide coverage to millions of uninsured Americans with the help of government subsidies. The rollout was marred by technical errors that held up early enrollment, last-minute regulatory changes and steady political opposition from Republicans.

For 2015, insurers must describe their health plans and proposed rates to state and federal regulators starting in April and May. But before they do, some of the most important factors that go into those decisions may not be known, from the size of the doctor and hospital networks that the federal government will approve to final 2014 enrollment figures and the relative health of their new plan holders.

Without that data, said Jon Urbanek, senior vice president of commercial markets at Florida's market-leading Blue Cross Blue Shield, "I can't tell you exactly yet that we've decided about counties and products and all those pieces, but we feel like participating in the marketplaces is very consistent with our mission."

Cigna Corp Chief Executive Officer David Cordani said the nation's fifth-largest insurer was still undecided on which if any new markets it might enter, although "that decision needs to be made in short order," he said in an interview.

The result, industry executives and experts say, is that some of the larger insurers may pull out of individual markets where they already know they can't make money. Otherwise they will try to hold steady until 2016, when the number of people on Obamacare plans is expected to surge as high as 22 million.

Some smaller insurers offering health plans in 2014 may back out altogether if they can't afford to ride out the program's early troubles.

"There will be some sort of a shakeout," said Tim Jost, a health law expert and professor at Washington and Lee University in Virginia. Small health plans and cooperatives that priced their health coverage too high and got few customers are among the most vulnerable, he said.

"On the other hand, (the national insurers) have been watching the markets, and if 2014 turns out to look better than expected, they may jump in," Jost said.

John Morrison, who founded The National Alliance of State Health CO-OPs, a trade group, was more optimistic about the small insurers. He said the coops have low overhead and are required to keep enough capital on hand to last them into at least the second or third year of the exchanges. They will all be open, he believes, and enrolling new customers in 2015.

PRICE, POLICY SURPRISES

A handful of large insurers have won most of the customers so far among more than 100 active on the Obamacare marketplaces in the 50 states. By their own estimates, WellPoint, Aetna Inc, Humana Inc, and Health Net together pulled in about 970,000 enrollment applications by the end of January out of about 3 million nationwide at that time.

But large insurers including Cigna and Aetna said they do not expect to make money this year on the new Obamacare exchanges.

In January, Aetna Chief Executive Officer Mark Bertolini suggested that the company's participation in 2015 could depend on whether the administration would allow it to raise rates enough to cover expenses.

"Are (rate increases) going to be double-digit, and are we going to get beat up because of the double digit, or are we going to just have to pull out of the program? Those questions can't be answered until we see the population we have today," he said in an interview with cable news channel CNBC.

Health Net said it is breaking even on its exchange customers after hitting targets in Southern California, its largest market. As of early February it had signed up 168,000 people in California and Arizona.

"I feel like we're all in and we are happy we are," Health Net Inc CEO Jay Gellert told investors in January.

Insurers are also bracing for more late policy changes that could disrupt the Obamacare business model. Just last week the administration said it would allow insurers to extend by two more years health policies that were supposed to end in 2014 because they don't comply with the healthcare law.

"We expect consumers will continue to have a robust number of plan choices available to them for the 2015 open enrollment season as insurance companies compete for the business of millions of Americans seeking coverage with the assistance of tax credits," said Aaron Albright, a spokesman for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which oversees the Obamacare marketplaces.

Actuaries, who help insurers calculate what rates to charge, note that the government's most recent guidance to the industry, in the form of a 300-page report released last week, raised new questions on how to predict the Obamacare market in 2015.

For instance, the government said it is still considering what percentage of health insurance premiums paid to insurers must be used to cover medical expenses rather than administrative costs, a decision that could directly impact industry profits.

"Even when something is a final rule it has not meant that it is not subject to further change," said Hans Leida, an actuary at Milliman, referring to the government's regulation of Obamacare. "There is still great uncertainty to come."

(Reporting by Caroline Humer; Editing by Prudence Crowther)

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Source : http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/healthNews/~3/3-CyJBCCODY/story01.htm