The revelation raises several questions, including whether the tobacco company influenced the study, who knew the real source of the funding, and whether Weill Cornell Medical College—where Dr. Henschke is a faculty member—implicitly supported the foundation's creation to hide the source of the funding. Two Cornell officials who sat on the board of the foundation have denied any knowledge of Liggett's involvement.

Dr. Jerome Kassirer, a former editor of The New England Journal of Medicine and the author of a book about conflicts of interest, said he believed that Weill Cornell had created the foundation to hide its receipt of money from a cigarette company. "You have to ask yourself the question, 'Why did the tobacco company want to support her research?' " Dr. Kassirer said. "They want to show that lung cancer is not so bad as everybody thinks because screening can save people; and that's outrageous."

The initiative will offer business financial grants, advertising in Wal-Mart stores and training by the company themselves on how to compete with Wal-Mart.

If this sounds like Bruce Lee smiling in your direction and flicking you a butter knife to defend yourself with right before he leaps into action and kicks your sternum out through your back, or buying your toddler a small plastic car to putter around in right before you run him over with a monster truck, that's because it is a lot like that.

Wal-Mart to Offer Help Near Urban Stores [New York Times] (Thanks, Boxtank!)