| In mid 2004, Steve Jobs informed his colleagues that a malignant tumor was diagnosed in his pancreas. The growth of pancreas cancer, as a rule, is very unfavorable; Jobs, however, stated that he is suffering from a rare, much less aggressive type, known as neuroendocrine tumor of the islet cell. After initial resistance to the idea of regular medical intervention and following a special diet, Jobs underwent a pancreatoduodenectomy ("Whipple operation") in July 2004 and the tumor was successfully removed. Jobs, probably, did not require either chemotherapy nor radiotheraphy. In the absence of Steve Jobs, the company was run by Tim Cook - Head of International Sales and Operations of Apple.
In the beginning of August, 2006 Jobs gave a speech at the annual conference "Worldwide Developers Conference". Looking "thin, almost lean" and unusually "listless", and by providing a significant part of his presentation to other speakers, he became a subject of discussion in the media and Internet speculations. Nevertheless, according to the journal "Ars Technica", participants of WWDC, who have seen Steve Jobs in person, said that he "looked fine". After the presentation, the spokesperson from Apple stated that "Steve's health is robust".
Two years later, similar remarks appeared after Steve Jobs's speech during the WWDC in 2008. The spokespersons from Apple stated, that Jobs became a victim of a "regular virus" and he is on antibiotics, but others believed that the exhausted look of Steve Jobs is related to the Whipple operation. During the July conference on the financial results of Apple, its participants answered on repeated questions on Steve Jobs's health that, its a "private affair". Others, however, expressed the opinion that the shareholders have a right to know more, about the practical approach of Jobs to manage the company. The New York Times published an article, based on a telephone conversation with Jobs, reporting that "regarding his health condition - it is much more than a "regular virus" but is not life-threatening and he is not suffering from recurrent cancer". |
March marks a year since Obama started to push the healthcare reform bill. The bill was rejected by the House, was then reduced and reworked, and now comes the second big push to approve it. Even though Democrats do not have the secured votes majority to approve the bill, they hope that it will be approved by the House, "whatever it takes to get the votes".
