Today In Fake News

 

The popular press has been snubbed by many as purveyors of - at first - inaccurate news and then stuff that has been fabricated altogether.

The "journalistic" beat goes on.


Thusly:

Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, William F. Sweeney Jr., the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) and James P. O’Neill, the Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), announced the unsealing of a complaint charging JUAN THOMPSON with cyberstalking a particular woman (“Victim-1”), by, among other things, communicating threats to Jewish Community Centers (“JCCs”) in Victim-1’s name. THOMPSON was arrested in St. Louis, Missouri, this morning and is expected to be presented there later today.

More on Mr. Thompson. 




Remember this?

Three Concordia University buildings in downtown Montreal that were evacuated after the institution received bomb threats targeting Muslim students were re-opened Wednesday evening.

Well...

Hisham Saadi appeared briefly at the Montreal courthouse Thursday afternoon via video conference from Bordeaux Prison to face charges of inciting fear of terrorist activities, issuing a death threat and interrupting the students and personnel of Concordia University from their activities.

Watch this go down the memory hole.


(Merci) 




It helps if memories were short:

 
And why not let fevered imaginations run away with this?

Human remains of a significant number of babies and infants up to three years of age have been found on the site of the former mother and baby home in Tuam, Co Galway, it has been confirmed. 

This follows work by the Commission on Mother and Baby Homes which carried out planned excavations there.

Local research records 796 infants and children recorded as having died in the Tuam home run by the Bon Secours Sisters between 1925 and 1961. There is not as yet any indication of exactly how many bodies have been discovered at the site. 

In a statement on Friday, the commission said it was “shocked” by the discovery of remains in an underground chamber and was continuing its investigations.

 

This after a whole series of corrections and hyperbole (and no mention of any prior errors, either):

Revelations this month that nuns had buried nearly 800 infants and young children in unmarked graves at an Irish orphanage during the last century caused stark headlines and stirred strong emotions and calls for investigation. Since then, however, a more sober picture has emerged that exposes how many of those headlines were wrong.

The case of the Tuam "mother and baby home" offers a study in how exaggeration can multiply in the news media, embellishing occurrences that should have been gripping enough on their own.

The key fact is that a researcher, Catherine Corless, spent years seeking records of all the children who died in the orphanage in County Galway during its years of operation from 1925 to 1961. She found 797 death records — and only one record that one of the youngsters had been buried alongside relatives in a Catholic cemetery.

The rest, Corless surmised, were likely interred in unmarked graves on the orphanage grounds, including in a disused septic tank. She and other Tuam residents called for a state-funded investigation to identify remains and give the children a proper memorial.

The reports of unmarked graves shouldn't have come as a surprise to the Irish public, who for decades have known that some of the 10 defunct "mother and baby homes," which chiefly housed the children of unwed mothers, held grave sites filled with forgotten dead.

The religious orders' use of unmarked graves reflected the crippling poverty of the time, the infancy of most of the victims, and the lack of plots in cemeteries corresponding to the children's fractured families.

Until recent weeks, nobody had put a precise number on the fatalities at Tuam. Corless spent months — and more than 3,000 euros ($4,000) of her own money — buying copies of death certificates and organizing them.

Her list of the dead shows that nearly 80 percent were younger than 1; two died within 10 minutes of birth and never received first names. Ninety-one died in the 1920s, 247 in the 1930s, 388 in the 1940s, 70 in the 1950s, and one more child in 1960. The most common causes were flu, measles, pneumonia, tuberculosis and whooping cough. Contrary to the allegations of widespread starvation highlighted in some reports, only 18 children were recorded as suffering from severe malnutrition.

While publicly available records are incomplete, sporadic inspection reports indicate that the orphanage's population exceeded 250 throughout the worst years of child mortality, when overcrowding would have encouraged the spread of infection.

When Corless published her findings on a Facebook campaign page, and Irish media noticed, she speculated to reporters that the resting place of most, if not all, could be inside a disused septic tank on the site. By the time Irish and British tabloids went to print in early June, that speculation had become a certainty, the word "disused" had disappeared, and U.S. newspapers picked up the report, inserting more errors, including one that claimed the researcher had found all 796 remains in a septic tank.

The Associated Press was among the media organizations that covered Corless and her findings, repeating incorrect Irish news reports that suggested the babies who died had never been baptized and that Catholic Church teaching guided priests not to baptize the babies of unwed mothers or give to them Christian burials.

The reports of denial of baptism later were contradicted by the Tuam Archdiocese, which found a registry showing that the home had baptized more than 2,000 babies. The AP issued a corrective story on Friday after discovering its errors.

Brendan O'Neill, editor of the London-based online magazine Spiked, said journalists worldwide "got a whiff of Corless's findings and turned them into the stuff of nightmares." He noted that several top newspapers in the United States stated that 800 baby skeletons had been found in a septic tank, and that commentators fueled by a "Twitter mob" mentality compared the deaths to Nazi-era genocide.

The Irish Times in Dublin interviewed Corless about why she thought the former septic tank could have become a bone repository. She explained that her assertion was based on the study of old site maps and the 40-year-old recollections of two local men who, as boys, had found an underground chamber on the site containing skeletons. It had sounded to her like the tank could be the location.

But the newspaper spotted discrepancies in Corless' maps, and found records showing that the actual septic tank remained in use until the late 1930s, which meant it could not have been used as a burial spot. Other analysts pointed out that the decommissioned septic tank would be too small to hold many bodies. And the two men who had reported seeing skeletons in 1975 said, on reflection, that they doubted more than 20 were inside the concreted hole.

More on AP's correction here and Mrs. Corless' discrepancies here. 

The poorly thought-out theories and misdirection may have been unintentional on the researcher's part but one cannot excuse people whose job it is to report the news, not fan flames.


I suppose that is asking too much.

For Today

Lots going on...



They spend because they are Liberals:

A Senate committee warns that the Liberal government could end up wasting billions in new infrastructure money unless it develops a detailed strategy to dole out the cash in the coming years.

The national finance committee said in some cases, the only metrics that Infrastructure Canada uses to measure success are the number of projects completed and the value attached to them — how much money goes out the door rather than what the money is buying.

Absent a strategic plan, the government can't develop meaningful objectives or performance measures, leaving parliamentarians and Canadians in the dark about whether the infrastructure program will meet the Liberals' goal of growing the economy. 

The committee's report released Tuesday morning recommended the Liberals craft a plan to make sure the government invests enough in infrastructure, and invests in the right places — particularly in trade infrastructure to move goods towards Europe and Asia — to ensure an economic return.

The federal government is set to dole out $186 billion in infrastructure money over the coming decade, with almost half of that stemming from the Liberals' new infrastructure plan.

"The operational plan is let's get X number of dollars out and Y number of projects," committee chairman Sen. Larry Smith said in an interview. "Is that the measurement that we want to be using when we're talking about $186 billion?

 
There is a reason why we are $14 billion in debt.





All hat, no brain:

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says his government has worked hard in the last year to show Albertans that it is listening to their concerns.

While spending Wednesday in Calgary campaigning for a pair of pending federal byelections, he noted the Liberal government has adjusted employment benefits for hard-hit resource workers, invested in infrastructure and approved an oil pipeline to new markets.

The previous federal government said for 10 years that it supported Alberta and the oilsands, but was unable to get a pipeline built to any ports, said Trudeau.

"That's not spin. That's not a political argument. Those are facts and everyone here in Alberta knows that," he said.

The West tends not to be a Liberal stronghold and for good reason:

Alienating the West is not the first rodeo for the Trudeaus.

That blinkered horse has been ridden before.

It began in 1980 when Papa Pierre drew up the National Energy Program in a failed attempt to unilaterally take federal control of Canada’s largely Alberta-based petroleum industry.

He had Energy Minister Marc Lalonde as his sidekick, a Quebec politician whose caricature by Alberta cartoonists made him look like a combination of Oil Can Harry and Snidely Whiplash.

The NEP, seen as thievery, effectively imposed revenue-sharing burdens on oil in Alberta to lessen the effects of higher gasoline prices in other parts of the country.

It made Trudeau and Lalonde the most hated men in the West.

The NEP enraged Albertans, and led to decades of resentment against the federal Liberal government, even triggering calls from Albertans to separate from Canada and go it alone.

It also led to one of the most famous memes of the day, back when there were no memes, of course, only bumper stickers.

“Let the Eastern bastards freeze in the dark,” those bumper stickers read.

Fast forward now some 37 years, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has taken over the alienation of the West where his late father left off, shooting off his own mouth recently with off-the-cuff comments about “phasing out the oilsands.”

**

Federal Liberal leadership contender Justin Trudeau was certainly dumb to say in a 2010 interview that Canada works better when Quebecers are in charge rather than Albertans.

Those are the facts, Justin.

Alberta the beautiful.




Also in "Liberals are Denebian slime-devils" news:

Soaring electricity bills in Ontario will see an average 17-per-cent cut this summer, a year before the provincial Liberals bid for re-election, but those savings will ultimately cost ratepayers billions in extra interest payments.

**

The federal government is pledging up to $20 million to fund sexual health and abortion-related projects as part of an international campaign to fill a gap created by President Donald Trump's decision to ban U.S. funding for abortion-related programs.

People are pro-abortion, not "pro-choice". People who truly believe in individual freedom (for one of the concerned and over four feet tall parties at least) don't push for abortion like it's going out of style, particularly when abortion is not illegal in the US and women will die more from heart disease and cancer than not having abortions they don't need.




 Trudeau needs voters blocks so, no, he won't co-operate with Trump:

Canadian and U.S. officials are working on a plan to tackle asylum seekers crossing into Canada illegally, with American officials keen to discover how they entered the United States in the first place, said a source familiar with the matter.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly is set to visit Canada this month for talks on the border and the influx of people, said the source, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

Hundreds of people, mainly from Africa but also the Middle East, have walked across the border, seeking asylum. They are fleeing President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigrants, migrants and refugees agencies say.

It is not common to have so many asylum seekers based in the U.S. looking for refuge in Canada over such a short period.

Scott Bardsley, a spokesman for Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale, said the majority of people crossing in recent weeks held valid passports and U.S. visas.

The influx poses a political risk for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who faces pressure from the left, which wants him to let more in, and from the right, which fears an increased security risk. He must also ensure the issue does not complicate his relations with Trump.

"We are talking with our counterparts in the United States to ensure that we're addressing this situation properly," Trudeau told reporters in Calgary, Alberta.

Speaking of Trump:

President Donald Trump's new immigration order will remove Iraq from the list of countries whose citizens face a temporary U.S. travel ban, American officials say, citing the latest draft in circulation. Trump is expected to sign the executive order in the coming days.

Four officials told The Associated Press that the decision followed pressure from the Pentagon and State Department, which had urged the White House to reconsider Iraq's inclusion on the list given its key role in fighting the Islamic State group.

Citizens of six other predominantly Muslim countries — Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen — will remain on the travel ban list, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the order before it is signed. Those bans are effective for 90 days.

This Iraq:

An Austrian court has found eight Iraqi nationals guilty of gang-raping a German tourist during New Year celebrations in Vienna.

The Iraqi men, aged between 22 and 48, were given prison terms of between nine and 13 years for the attack, which took place in the early hours of 1 January, 2016.

A ninth suspect was cleared of all charges, the court said.

The men had all arrived in Austria as migrants between May and December 2015.

Five had been given asylum status after reaching the European country.

A hospital in Quebec re-hangs a crucifix for what it vulgarly terms "religious neutrality":

After a patient complained last month about the presence of a large crucifix on the wall of the publicly funded Saint-Sacrament Hospital in Quebec City, management determined that in the interest of the “religious neutrality of the state,” it should come down.

It seemed a reasonable response in a province where religious symbols are frequently seen as an affront to secularism. A bill now before the National Assembly would prohibit Muslim women who wear the face-covering niqab from receiving government services in the interest of “fostering adherence to State religious neutrality.”

But when it comes to religious symbols in Quebec, some are more equal than others.

After being confronted with a violent threat, a scolding from government ministers and a petition signed by more than 13,000 people, the hospital announced Wednesday that it was restoring the crucifix to its place inside the main entrance.

Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard said Wednesday that he does not think “people from other cultures” are bothered to see Christ hanging from a cross in the provincial legislature or in a hospital.

“Managing this question of diversity does not mean turning our back to our heritage and our history,” he told reporters.

(Sidebar: oh, shut up.)


Catholic clergy helped build Quebec - towns, churches, hospitals and even breweries and now the province of Quebec cannot, for one moment, man up and own its history?

That is why it is the new failed Islamist state sandwiched between Ontario and New Brunswick.





Perhaps the heart attack was caused by the VX smeared on his face:

A North Korean envoy rejected a Malaysian autopsy finding that VX nerve agent killed Kim Jong Nam, saying Thursday the man probably died of a heart attack because he suffered from heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure.

The death of Kim, the estranged half brother of North Korea’s ruler, has unleashed a diplomatic battle between Malaysia and North Korea. The autopsy is especially sensitive because North Korea had asked Malaysia not to perform one, but authorities carried it out anyway, saying they were following the law.

Also Thursday, amid growing fallout from the killing, Malaysia announced it is scrapping visa-free entry for North Koreans.

Malaysian officials say two women smeared VX nerve agent — a banned chemical weapon — on Kim’s face as he waited for a flight at Kuala Lumpur’s airport on Feb. 13. Kim died within 20 minutes, authorities say. No bystanders reported falling ill.

Pretty lame, North Korea.




If there remains any doubt that Obama has had nothing but loathing for the US and its electoral process, let this rest the case:

In the Obama administration’s last days, some White House officials scrambled to spread information about Russian efforts to undermine the presidential election — and about possible contacts between associates of President-elect Donald Trump and Russians — across the government. Former U.S. officials say they had two aims: to ensure that such meddling is not duplicated in future U.S. or European elections and to leave a clear trail of intelligence for government investigators.

This is a good story:

Late one night last September, the teenager had been walking back to his parents’ home from work, an 11-kilometre trip from Benecia to Vallejo, Calif.

Duncan had been making the long commute on foot each day since July, after the timing belt and an engine valve on his 2001 Volvo had broken. Without enough money for repairs, he at first got a few rides from friends and co-workers – but soon decided he would try to walk to avoid burdening others.

“To me, it was like a challenge to see if I was willing to do whatever it takes to get to work,” Duncan, now 19, told The Washington Post then.

Day by day the walk became easier, and gradually he thought little of the two-hour-and-15-minute journey each way. He would have no way of knowing that his daily routine would first prompt a surprise gift from the local police – then inspire thousands of people to give far more.

But to Cpl. Kirk Keffer of the Benicia Police Department, who was patrolling that area that September night, the sight of a lone pedestrian in that part of town after 11 p.m. was startling.

“Usually in the industrial area there’s no foot traffic, so it was kind of weird to see someone walking around on foot,” Keffer told The Post then.

He stopped his patrol car and called out to Duncan to ask if he was OK.

Duncan admitted later that he was nervous.

“I thought, OK, um, did I do anything wrong?” he said in September. “Is he going to put me in cuffs? I didn’t do anything bad.”

Duncan explained to Keffer he was walking 11 kilometres home, just as he did every day. Shocked, Keffer cleared out the passenger seat in his patrol car and offered Duncan a ride home.

On the ride home, Keffer got to know the teenager: Duncan had just graduated from Jesse Bethel High School in 2015. He had gotten a job at Pro-Form Laboratories in May, where he worked on the packaging line from 3 p.m. until about midnight. He was saving money for college and enjoyed being around his co-workers, he said – but really wanted to be an officer with the California Highway Patrol, to follow in the footsteps of some relatives who were in law enforcement.

By the time Keffer pulled up to Duncan’s parents’ house that night – all of 15 minutes later, by car – the police officer was impressed. He commended Duncan on his work ethic, dropped him off and drove back to the station.

Still, he couldn’t get Duncan’s commute out of his head. Keffer mentioned his interaction to his shift supervisor, who, like Keffer, happened to be a board member of the Benicia Police Officers’ Association.

“So I hit him up and say, ‘I just had this contact with this young man,’ ” Keffer said then. ” ‘He’s walking five hours a day, and I think it should be rewarded. What if we help him out?’ ”

They emailed the rest of the board to seek approval to buy a bicycle. It was, he said, one of the fastest votes they’ve ever taken: Within an hour, enough board members wrote back in agreement. And so, the following day, Keffer visited Wheels in Motion, a local bike shop, to pick out a $500 bike with a reliable gearing system that could handle Benicia’s steep hills. The bike shop’s owner loved the teen’s story so much that he also donated a lighting system, brake light and helmet.

Keffer and some other Benecia police officers surprised Duncan after work a few days later.

Mid-Week Mellow

A merry Saint David's Day to all y'all...

Beginning March in a mellow way...




March may have begun with a solemn Ash Wednesday but it doesn't have to end that way:

MARCH 20: WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR DAY

Everyone's favorite neighbor, Fred Rogers, was born on March 20, 1928 and this holiday now serves as an occasion to remember the beloved TV star, and honor him by being kind, generous, and, well, downright neighborly.

 

Yep, this guy. 

I've always like the sawing-the-lady-in-half trick but this may have gone too far:

Red Yao women and their hair-cutting ceremony:

Once considered too sacred to be seen by anyone except for a woman's family, long hair is believed to bring family wealth, success, and luck. The Red Yao typically bind their hair—which can reach lengths of more than 6 feet—under head scarves, but at the festival they let their strands loose, washing them with fermented rice water, and combing them straight. As for haircuts, those occur even less frequently: Red Yao women reportedly only cut their hair once in their lifetime, when they're finally ready to get married.

(source)

They were the brave furry and feathered soldiers of the First World War:

"Advancing on the western front. Bring hunny."

Mid-Week Post

 

Concordia University and York University (the same that backed BDS movements and where hostility exists for Jewish or pro-Israel students and let's not forget surah 4:34) required police presence today:

Montreal police are investigating after a letter was sent to media outlets Wednesday threatening to set off bombs targeting Muslim students in two Concordia University buildings.

**

Police are investigating after swastikas were found in a classroom at York University.

The university says “hate graffiti” and an anti-Semitic statement was found around 8 a.m. in a classroom at its north Toronto campus Monday.

And:

A suspected arson attempt at a Toronto Islamic centre came as a surprise to the administrator, who said the mosque had never had any troubles in the past.

“Honestly, I have no idea who could have done something like this but if it was intentional and a hate crime then this is unacceptable,” Muneeb Aden said Wednesday.

 
You don't?

The Reign of Islaamic Da’wah Center is associated with the Masjidul-Furqaan and Islamic Centre which holds these delightful opinions:

An admonition is included concerning those Parents who send their children to the schools of the non-Muslims. The ‘suicide’ contained in such a decision, as the children will be affected by those whom they accompany, and if it is not permitted to accompany ‘ahlul-bidah’ and disliked to allow our children to accompany the foolish children (from amongst the Muslims), then what more for allowing our children to accompany children raised upon kufr, shrik, shahawaat, shubuhaat and the vile characteristics of Western society?

Sit back and watch these train wrecks.


(Paws up)



It's called desperation:

In Calgary Wednesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will confirm a unique pattern he began last fall in Medicine Hat — a sitting prime minister who will jump right in and openly campaign for any underdogs flying the Liberal flag in a by-election. ...

During a general election campaign, an incumbent prime minister — like other party leaders — will campaign using a chartered commercial jet flown by commercial pilots. The cost of that aircraft is borne exclusively by political parties and not by the taxpayer.

Moreover, Trudeau, during his short time in office, has already flown at least twice on a non-military aircraft. As the National Post first reported, during his Christmas holiday, he and his family used the personal helicopter of the Aga Khan to make the 110-km journey between Nassau and the Aga Khan’s private island in the Bahamas.

If the party had to account for the full cost of flying Trudeau to Calgary and back on the Challenger — Trudeau has no publicly announced official events there other than the campaign appearances — the bill could easily top $35,000.

That would go against the national party’s anticipated spending limit of about $450,000 for the five by-elections currently underway. (In addition to the two in Calgary, there is one each in Markham, Ottawa, and Montreal.)

Spend money to spend more money.




A Canadian pastor held in North Korea will meet with the Swedish ambassador:

A Canadian pastor serving a life sentence in North Korea has been allowed to meet with the Swedish ambassador in Pyongyang and telephone his family.

Hyeon Soo Lim, a pastor with the Light Korean Presbyterian Church of Mississauga, Ont., was sentenced in December 2015 by a North Korean court to life in prison with hard labour for what it called crimes against the state.

Swedish Ambassador Torkel Stiernlof says he met Lim for 40 minutes last week. He said they discussed Lim's health and other matters, but refused to comment further.

The ambassador said in an email to The Associated Press on Wednesday that he and Lim "weren't rushed."

He said there were two North Korean officials in civilian clothes and an official photographer present throughout the meeting, which was held in a conference room at a Pyongyang hotel.

"He was escorted in and out of the room without handcuffs by uniformed guards," Stiernlof said. "We discussed his health and other things, of course, but I refrain from commenting on these matters."

He said Lim spoke over the phone with his family last Friday.

Lim's family confirmed the call but wouldn't provide details of the conversation.

"We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to Swedish Ambassador Torkel Stiernlof for representing the Canadian government in Pyongyang and helping make this meaningful phone call happen," the family said in a statement.

"We take this as an encouraging sign that diplomatic efforts are bearing fruit and we hope to see Reverend Lim return home as soon as possible."

I shudder to think what might be given to North Korea to get Pastor Lim back.




Two women have been formally charged with Kim Jong-Nam's murder:

Malaysia on Wednesday charged two women, an Indonesian and a Vietnamese, with murdering the estranged half brother of North Korea's leader in a bizarre airport assassination using a super-toxic nerve agent that killed in minutes.

Siti Aishah, a 25-year-old mother of one from Jakarta, and Doan Thi Huong, 28, from rural northern Vietnam, could be hanged if they are convicted of the killing of Kim Jong Nam at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Feb. 13.

Police brought the two women to court handcuffed. As they left, they were made to wear bullet-proof vests, reflecting Malaysian authorities' fears that others involved in the killing could want the women silenced.

No plea was recorded after the charges were read out.

But Aishah and Huong have told diplomats who visited them in custody that they were unwitting pawns in an assassination that U.S. officials and South Korean intelligence have said was organized by North Korean agents.

  
Oh, I'm sure they were. 




President Trump embarrassed a few (million) people with a speech many felt was a powerhouse one:

President Donald Trump briefly broke through the deep animosity in Congress when he invoked the heroism of fallen Navy SEAL Ryan Owens, and his grieving widow looked toward the heavens.

**

“We’re also taking strong measures to protect our nation from radical Islamic terrorism,” Trump said in his address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night, with Republicans and one Democrat, Rep. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), responding with a standing ovation.

“According to data provided by the Department of Justice, the vast majority of individuals convicted of terrorism and terrorism related offenses since 9/11 came here from outside of our country,” Trump said.

“We have seen the attacks at home from Boston to San Bernardino to the Pentagon and, yes, even the World Trade Center,” Trump said. “We have seen the attacks in France, in Belgium, in Germany, and all over the world.

“It is not compassion but reckless to allow uncontrolled entry from places where proper vetting cannot occur,” Trump said.

A far cry from "workplace violence".




But... but... the Narrative!

That's why it is so simultaneously amazing and refreshing that there is now a film out called I Am Michael, based on the true story of Michael Glatze, who left his gay identity over a decade ago and has since become a pastor and married.  According to World Net Daily, neither the cast nor the initial exposure to the film is obscure:

Boasting A-list actors James Franco, Zachary Quinto and Emma Roberts – with a cameo by Darryl Hannah – "I Am Michael" debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in February 2015 but was released for distribution just three weeks ago.

 


That is how it is done:

In a remarkable police takedown captured on surveillance video, a California police officer performed a perfect tackle of a man armed with a baseball bat.

Watch the video. It's amazing.




Remarkable:

An experimental gene therapy that turns a patient’s own blood cells into cancer killers worked in a major study, with more than one-third of very sick lymphoma patients showing no sign of disease six months after a single treatment, its maker said Tuesday.

In all, 82 per cent of patients had their cancer shrink at least by half at some point in the study.