More Women At High Risk Of Breast Cancer Choosing Double ...

MRI images from a breast cancer screening. (Credit: CBS)

MRI images from a breast cancer screening. (Credit: CBS)

CHICAGO (CBS) ? It?s an extreme decision, but a potentially life-saving one. More and more women who find out they?re at high risk for developing breast cancer are having surgery to remove their breasts.

As CBS 2?s Kristyn Hartman learned, they call themselves ?pre-vivors? ? they took action before cancer could.

Lynda Nelson and Sivan Schondorf got the same news ? they tested positive for BRCA 1, a gene mutation that may confer an 87 percent risk of breast cancer.

?My mind went blank,? Schondorf said of learning she tested positive for BRCA 1.

Her aunt, Linda, also had the gene mutation and died by age 49.

?I thought, I have this information, it would be such a shame to not use the information to positively change my life,? Schondorf said. ?For me, the surgery was a no-brainer.?

Schondorf, like her mother, chose to have risk reduction surgery ? a bilateral mastectomy. Doctors removed her breast tissue from both breasts.

?This is really a liberating experience for many patients once they understand they?ve cut their risk by 95 percent,? said Dr. David Winchester, a breast surgeon for NorthShore University HealthSystem.

Some hospitals that serve populations affected by hereditary cancers have seen a spike in the number of risk reduction surgeries.

Possible reasons for the spike include the fact genetic testing for patients is cheaper now and that breast reconstruction is better.

Also, according to Winchester, patients ?don?t have to live through the emotional roller coaster of coming back for their MRIs or their mammograms every six months.?

Schondorf said, ?I worried if I pushed it off too long, I would actually have the surgery and they?d discover I had cancer.?

That happened to Nelson.

?My mother?s sister, she had breast cancer ? my mom?s niece, my cousin; she was 27,? Nelson said.

When she went in for her bilateral mastectomy, doctors discovered she already had a small cancerous lump in her right breast.

She said the procedure saved her life and she?s glad she chose to reduce her risk ? but even with the breast cancer deaths in her family, the decision wasn?t easy.

?For me it was like losing a part of myself,? Nelson said.

She reached out to a group called FORCE ? Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered.

?It was nice to talk to somebody that was going through the same thing you?re going through,? Nelson said.

Schondorf goes to meetings too. After her surgery, she married.

Now she and her husband have a baby girl. They named her Maya Linda for the aunt she lost.

?I can be there for my daughter and I can support her in her journey,? she said.

Schondorf and Nelson had what they call one step surgery ? breast reconstruction immediately after breast removal. Both are pleased with the results.

Winchester said the surgery is not for everyone. It has to be driven by the patient?s risk ? largely determined by gene testing and careful evaluation of family history.

Source: http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2011/11/16/more-women-at-high-risk-of-breast-cancer-choosing-double-mastectomies/

exotic animals college board scott hall lra lra collegeboard kelsey grammer

Co-star questions Clooney's parenting ability

Any woman who wants George Clooney for her baby daddy might want to reconsider.

According to Amara Miller, who plays the actor's daughter in "The Descendants," Clooney, 50, would not make a very good dad.

"Let me just say, he wouldn't be good as a father," Miller told Us Weekly at the movie's premiere Tuesday in Beverly Hills, Calif. "He wouldn't be the best as a father."

PHOTOS: George's girls

Why not? "George likes being an adult," she explained. "George has fun being an adult, and I don't think he would like having kids. I know that he's not planning on having kids anytime soon."

But Miller did say Clooney was "really amazing? so fun and [always] playing and fooling around and joking."

"He was just a really phenomenal person to work with," she said. "[But] we don't really keep in touch anymore. He's George Clooney? No one really keeps in touch with him anymore!"

PHOTOS: George's BFF Brad Pitt's life as a dad

Another person who might agree that Clooney wouldn't make the best dad? Ex-girlfriend Elisabetta Canalis, who told Italian broadcaster Bruno Vespa in his book "This Love" that the duo had "a father-daughter relationship."

PHOTOS: George and Elisabetta in happier times

"We both decided it was time to split up," she said. "George and I never spoke about marriage or children. I'm not saying that I don't want them but neither he or I ever imagined having children together."

Since the split, Clooney has moved on with former WWE star Stacy Keibler, and Canalis is dating "True Blood's" Mehcad Brooks.

Source: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/45330390/ns/today-entertainment/

gloria allred black friday ads 2011 black friday ads 2011 republican debate san francisco 49ers san francisco 49ers pacquiao vs marquez

TiPb celebrity iPhone and iPad sightings for November 14, 2011

Hello everyone and welcome to TiPb?s weekly celebrity iPhone and iPad sightings roundup! Time to take a little break from your daily routine and relax with some gossip from the world of the rich and famous. What do all of these celebrities have in common? They all were spotted with...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/vnY2w-kspEQ/story01.htm

listeria symptoms listeria symptoms lsat bluegrass festival texas a m cochlear implant navy football

I Knew It Was Over When: Twitterers Weigh In

'; var coords = [-5, -78]; if( HPConfig.current_vertical_name == 'homepage' ) { coords = [-5, -70]; } else if( HPConfig.current_vertical_name == 'mapquest' ) { coords = [-5, -68]; } FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, 'top', {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: 'clear-overlay'}); });

When did you know your relationship was over?

The question took the Twitterverse by storm Tuesday, as #iknewitwasoverwhen became a trending topic nationwide. We've tackled the subject before in our popular #themomentIknew feature, which addresses that same question -- when was the moment you knew your marriage was over?

Tuesday's tweets were varied, from "She decided not to shave anymore" to "You began to treat me like an option instead of a priority," and many more. One thing is for sure -- people love offering their two cents about a relationship's demise.

We collected our favorite responses below. Check them out and add your own take in the comments.

Young & Ready. xoxo

1?of?26

MORE SLIDESHOWS NEXT?> ??|?? <?PREV

'; var coords = [-5, -72]; // display fb-bubble FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, 'top', {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: 'clear-overlay'}); }); Get HuffPost Divorce On ! --> Know something we don't? E-mail us at divorce@huffingtonpost.com -->

When did you know your relationship was over? Tweeters had a lot to say on the trending topic at #iknewitwasoverwhen, which reminded us of an earlier question we posed to the Twitter-verse, #themoment...

When did you know your relationship was over? Tweeters had a lot to say on the trending topic at #iknewitwasoverwhen, which reminded us of an earlier question we posed to the Twitter-verse, #themoment...

Filed by Roselle Chen ?|?

Quantcast

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/15/i-knew-it-was-over-when_n_1096013.html

austin box austin box nebraska football nebraska football the academy is the academy is colorado avalanche

Shopping Discovery App Zoomingo Raises $1.3 Million

smartphone-pics-237The newly launched shopping discovery app Zoomingo announced today it has secured $1.3 million in funding from early-stage VC firms Naya Ventures and Benaroya Capital along with several prominent angel investors. Previously self-funded, Zoomingo says it will use the additional capital to enhance its current mobile application, build a retailer platform and grow its community through expanded outreach to customers and retailer partners. With this funding,?Dayakar Puskoor, managing director of Dallas-based Naya Ventures,?will also join Zoomingo?s board of directors.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/O7461gpynVI/

ipod nano watch ipod nano watch dancing with the stars elimination dancing with the stars elimination nexus prime nexus prime new iphone

New Space Station Crew Launches in Spectacular Snowy Display

News | Space

NASA astronaut Dan Burbank and Russian cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Anatoly Ivanishin blasted into orbit on board a Russian Soyuz TMA-22 spacecraft


The Soyuz rocket carrying NASA astronaut Dan Burbank and Russian cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Anatoly Ivanishin blasts off from the Baiknour Cosmodrome on Nov. 13, 2011. Image: NASA TV

A Russian rocket successfully lifted off from snowy Central Asia tonight (Nov. 13), carrying a NASA astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts to the International Space Station.

NASA astronaut Dan Burbank and Russian cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Anatoly Ivanishin blasted into orbit aboard a Russian Soyuz TMA-22 spacecraft at 11:14 p.m. EST (10:14 a.m. Baikonour time; 0414 GMT Nov. 14), amid frigid and extremely snowy conditions at the Baikonour Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Despite intense snowfall at the launch site, the winds remained calm, which enabled Russian controllers to proceed with the scheduled liftoff.

The spaceflyers are expected to arrive at the space station on Wednesday (Nov. 16) at 12:33 a.m. EST (0530 GMT). The trio will dock their space capsule to the Poisk module on the Russian segment of the orbiting outpost.

Burbank previously visited the space station in 2000 and 2006, on missions aboard the space shuttle Atlantis. This will be his first long-duration stint at the massive orbiting laboratory. Shkaplerov and Ivanishin are both conducting their first spaceflight.

Upon their arrival, Burbank, Shkaplerov and Ivanishin will round out the station's Expedition 29 crew, which currently consists of commander Mike Fossum of NASA, Japanese astronaut Satoshi Furukawa and Russian cosmonaut Sergei Volkov.

Fossum, Furukawa and Volkov were asleep in space during preparations for tonight's Soyuz launch, but woke up specially to watch a live broadcast of the liftoff from onboard the orbiting complex, according to NASA officials.

Commander Fossum and his two crewmates have been living and working aboard the station since June. They are scheduled to return to Earth on Nov. 21. Before his departure, Fossum will hand over command of the station to Burbank, who will lead the station's new Expedition 30 mission for the duration of his stay. [50 Great Russian Rocket Launch Photos]

?

Tonight's launch represented a critical milestone for the Russian Federal Space Agency and its fleet of Soyuz rockets. In August, a Soyuz booster carrying a robotic cargo ship crashed in Siberia after an issue cropped up in the rocket's third stage.

The unmanned Progress 44 cargo freighter and its 2.9 tons of supplies onboard were lost in the accident. The crash was a rare mishap for the typically dependable Soyuz brand of rockets.

The accident temporarily grounded the rocket fleet since the booster used to loft the robotic Progress ships are similar to the ones used to deliver astronauts and cosmonauts to the space station. Russia's Federal Space Agency conducted an investigation into the matter, and traced the problem to the gas generator in the rocket's third stage. This conclusion was also confirmed by an independent NASA panel.

The first supply run to the orbiting complex since the August crash occurred on Oct. 30, when an unmanned Progress 45 freighter successfully launched to the station carrying nearly three tons of supplies.

Tonight's launch helps restore confidence in the Russian rocket, which is currently NASA's only way to launch its astronauts to the space station. Following the retirement of the agency's space shuttles, NASA is relying on Russian boosters and vehicles to ferry American spaceflyers to the orbiting outpost.

In the meantime, commercial companies are developing new spaceships to first take cargo and then crewmembers to and from destinations in low-Earth orbit.

In fact, the Expedition 30 crew could also be present for the test flights of two robotic commercial vehicle during their stay at the station. SpaceX's Dragon capsule and Orbital Sciences' Cygnus freighter are tentatively scheduled to carry out demonstration flights of their spacecraft in the new year.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=c28175517f88566d3d3c2d54eb61e82f

pay it forward pay it forward haunted houses favicon.ico favicon.ico nascar footloose

Afghans tentatively seek a voice after 30 years of conflict (Reuters)

MAZAR-I-SHARIF (Reuters) ? After three decades of occupation, civil war, Taliban rule and a NATO-led military campaign, ordinary Afghans remain powerless and without a unified voice.

Many are too afraid to talk. The few that do speak out are barely able to share ideas with each other, much less address authorities.

"There is one thing missing in Afghanistan, which is the people's voice," said Saeed Niazi, an activist based in Kabul who aims to get ordinary Afghans much more involved in nation building as the country prepares for the exit of foreign combat troops by the end of 2014.

There are an estimated 1,000 civil society groups in the country but, with a literacy rate of about 28 percent, most Afghans have no idea such groups exist.

Some groups are viewed with suspicion because of foreign funding but, without funding, they cannot exist.

"A civil society is still unknown for people in Afghanistan. They don't understand it," Kunduz province community leader Abdul Mohammed Aiymaq told a conference in Mazar-i-Sharif that drew activists from nine northern provinces in late October.

Underscoring the problem, Mohammed Kazem Amini, a newsletter publisher in Faryab province, told the meeting: "Even the people in the city do not know anything about the idea of a civil society, or what is democracy."

Security fears mean lawmakers and district officials have very little direct contact with Afghans in areas where the insurgency is strongest, such as Taliban strongholds like Helmand and Kandahar provinces in the south, on the Pakistan border.

"The government in reality is very badly disconnected from the people, particularly in the insecure areas. Security is a big challenge," said Aziz Rafiee of the Afghan Civil Society Forum. "None of these parliament members have been able to go directly back to their constituents and talk to them."

U.S. embassy spokesman Gavin Sundwall said civil society groups were vital in a country like Afghanistan, which lacks a robust system of political parties, so alternative views could be debated.

But poor security diminished the ability of such groups "to enhance their own capacity and legitimacy," he said.

"KILLED AND NO ONE WOULD NOTICE"

The first half of this year was the deadliest for civilians since the U.S.-backed overthrow of the Taliban 10 years ago, according to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).

It said 1,462 civilians had been killed in conflict-related incidents and blamed insurgents for 80 per cent of those deaths -- up nearly a third on the same period last year.

The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), responsible for security in much of the country, says the picture is improving, but their figures exclude attacks that kill only civilians, as well as attacks on Afghan security forces operating without international troops.

"Security is not OK," Aiymaq, the Kunduz community leader, told the Mazar meeting. "If we have security, then we will have peace-building."

The London School of Economics (LSE) spent $20,000 backing the Mazar conference. LSE researcher Marika Theros said one activist told her: "You could speak out in the provinces and be killed and no one would notice."

Western donors have channeled hundreds of millions of dollars to civil society groups, including larger Afghan non-governmental organizations, but some Afghans complain these are merely extensions of Western agencies and that cash has been creamed off.

Even when there is funding, workers have to be careful. Some aid groups, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they conceal that their money comes from the West for fear people their contacts could be killed, especially in dangerous provinces like those on the Pakistani border.

Besides violence, other major issues community leaders want to raise include jobs, women's rights and education.

Abdul Ghani, a deputy provincial council chief in Sar-e-Pol, 295 km (185 miles) northeast of Kabul, said many of his province's 340 schools were under tents and trees. Women were not being educated and were often mistreated by their husbands.

Ghani said corruption was also rife because government salaries were not high enough.

NO MONEY, MORE PROBLEMS

Few speakers at the Mazar conference offered specific solutions for a movement still in its infancy. Not all those slated to speak showed up. Many talked in general terms about "building democracy," and some talked about religion.

Others drank tea and said they were just happy to be there.

Communications are a huge problem. Phone lines are non-existent and mobile networks are often limited to big cities. Coverage shuts down at night in some areas under threat from insurgents.

Internet coverage is generally sparse, unreliable and expensive, meaning activists are often unable to collect information or collaborate.

Ethnic divisions also make it harder for activists to unite.

"Everyone calls themselves Afghan but they don't believe in that," said Nasima Azkiya, a 28-year-old youth leader from Mazar-i-Sharif. "They prefer their own ethnic identity."

Niazi, the Kabul-based activist, argued the government's reliance on Western backing "has made the people dormant."

"Afghans have lost a sense of national identity through three decades of dictatorships and wars," Niazi said.

Still, many Afghans remain optimistic. Niazi will travel to an international conference in Germany next month about Afghanistan's post-2014 future. Officially, only two civil society members will be taking part.

"Sometimes (Afghans) are disappointed in some powers, politicians, policies, but never themselves. They are still hopeful," he said.

(Editing by Daniel Magnowski and Raju Gopalakrishnan)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111115/wl_nm/us_afghanistan_society

ct news hemlock hemlock mark rothko mark rothko wiccan pumpkin carvings

Economists lower 2012 growth outlook: survey (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) ? Economists polled by the Philadelphia Fed lowered their U.S. economic growth outlook for the next two years as the labor market was forecast weaker than anticipated, a survey released on Monday showed.

The Philadelphia Federal Reserve's fourth-quarter survey of 45 forecasters showed gross domestic product was expected to grow at an average annual rate of 2.4 percent in 2012, down from an estimate of 2.6 percent in the third-quarter survey.

Growth for 2013 was lowered to 2.7 percent from 2.9 percent.

For the current quarter, the growth forecast held steady at 2.6 percent, while the estimate for 2011 was nudged up to 1.8 percent from 1.7 percent.

The outlook for the job market also deteriorated with the unemployment rate expected to average 8.8 percent next year, up from an earlier forecast of 8.6 percent. That suggests job gains at a monthly rate of 123,200 in 2012.

The outlook for 2013 was lifted to 8.4 percent from 8.1 percent, while unemployment expectations for the fourth quarter and 2011 overall were unchanged at 9.0 percent.

Forecasters' short-term inflation expectations were little changed, with 2012's annual average lowered slightly to 1.9 percent from 2.0 percent. The forecast for core inflation, which strips out volatile items including food and gasoline, was unchanged at 1.8 percent.

Consumer prices for 2011 were seen at 3.6 percent, up from an earlier estimate of 3.2 percent.

While growth was expected to be slower, economists saw less chance of contraction in the coming quarters. The risk of contraction in the current quarter was lowered to 11.8 percent from 20.9 percent, and the first quarter had a 16.6 percent likelihood, down from 20.8 percent.

(Reporting by Leah Schnurr; Editing by Padraic Cassidy)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111114/bs_nm/us_usa_economy_phillyfed

jon lester mitchel musso bad lip reading gilad shalit gilad shalit new york jets santonio holmes

Italy closer to new government after reforms vote (AP)

ROME ? Italy's Senate approved economic reforms demanded by the European Union on Friday, the first step in paving the way for Premier Silvio Berlusconi to resign as early as this weekend and a transitional government to be formed.

The 156-12 vote took place after respected economist Mario Monti ? widely expected to become the interim prime minister ? was welcomed with sustained applause in the Senate chamber, where he was officially designated senator for life.

Italy's eagerly awaited political transition is expected to happen Saturday, when the lower chamber of parliament also votes on the reforms. It will follow a similar power shift in Greece, where a technocratic government this week took over under the leadership of former banker Lucas Papademos.

The hope is that politically neutral governments will have the strength to push through deeply unpopular and painful economic reforms needed to reduce the two countries' massive debt loads.

After weeks of political deadlock in Rome and Athens, investors were this week fearing the worst ? a Greek-style crisis in Italy that would tear apart the 17-nation euro currency union and shake the global economy.

Market sentiment improved on Friday, with the benchmark 10-year borrowing rate down to 6.48 percent ? a sharp retreat from the dangerous levels above 7 percent hit earlier this week.

However, the measures will not be enough to revive long-dormant economic growth and are only one step in a long series of tough decisions Italy will have to make.

They raise the retirement age to 67 starting in 2026 and call for the sale of state-owned real estate and the privatization of some municipal services. But significantly, they contain none of the painful labor market reforms, such as making it easier to fire workers, that have been strongly opposed by unions.

The legislation now passes to the lower Chamber of Deputies, which is expected to vote by Saturday. A Cabinet meeting has been scheduled immediately after the vote, suggesting Berlusconi might tender his resignation then.

While many politicians appeared to be rallying around Monti to head a post-Berlusconi government, divisions remained within Berlusconi's party and among his allies over whether to support him and under what terms.

President Giorgio Napolitano, who must consult with all main political parties before deciding on how to proceed once Berlusconi steps down, called for politicians to act with a sense of responsibility.

He stressed "the need for the pledges that Italy has made and the decisions it must take to be translated quickly into shared and efficient government action," a statement from his office said.

Italy is under intense pressure to prove it has a strategy to deal with its debts, which stand at euro1.9 trillion ($2.6 trillion), or a huge 120 percent of economic output. It has to rollover a little more than euro300 billion of its debts next year alone. But economic growth is weak and the government failed to enact reforms to revive it over the past decade.

Transport Minister Altero Matteoli said Friday he still believed early elections were the best option ? despite widespread belief that a months-long electoral campaign was the last thing Italy needs right now.

"I don't believe markets should decide governments," he told Italy's Sky TG24. "In a moment of crisis it should be voters who decide the problems of a country."

But other members of Berlusconi's party have thrown their support behind Monti as have many in the opposition. The Northern League, whose support to Berlusconi has been key over his two decades in public life, remained opposed but seemed almost resigned by Friday afternoon to the reality of a broad-based Monti government.

"We are absolutely opposed to a government that didn't come from the ballot box, so we'll be the opposition," the ANSA news agency quoted Northern League Cabinet minister Roberto Calderoli as saying.

Monti, a former European competition commissioner and current head of Milan's respected Bocconi University, nevertheless received a sustained round of applause when he entered the Senate chamber Friday morning ahead of the reform vote.

"Our warmest and most cordial welcome," Senate president Renato Schifani told Monti after proclaiming him senator for life, an honorific reserved for the handful of Italians who have most contributed to Italian society.

Monti has won kudos from across Italy's political spectrum and abroad specifically because he has defied being affiliated with the right or the left, said Thomas Klau of the European Council of Foreign Relations, who has known Monti since his days on the Europe Commission.

"The first thing he can bring to Italy at this juncture is his deep understanding of both the economic dynamics and political dynamics in Europe," he said. "His intellectual leadership and authority are recognized across Europe, and that in itself would offer a salvatory contrast" to Berlusconi.

The reforms call for the sale of state-owned real estate, the privatization of some municipal public services and offer tax incentives to companies that hire young workers in a country where the unemployment rate for people aged 15-24 hovers around 25 percent.

European Council President Herman Von Rompuy will hold talks with Berlusconi on Friday night ? a visit that was scheduled before the premier's pledge to resign. News reports said he would also call on Napolitano, a clear sign of the EU's keen interest in the next steps of Italy's transition.

In Athens, the new government under Papademos must ensure passage of Greece's latest debt deal ? a euro130 billion ($177 billion) agreement reached by the European Union on Oct. 27. It will also need to keep up the pace of austerity measures to keep qualifying for payouts from a previous bailout package.

Without the next installment of loans, which fellow eurozone countries had frozen amidst the political chaos, Greece will go bankrupt in December.

The government of Papademos, a former European Central Bank vice president, will keep Evangelos Venizelos still in place as finance chief while the other posts were split between the country's main parties.

___

Elena Becatoros in Athens contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/eurobiz/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111111/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_italy_financial_crisis

sportsbook sportsbook directions driving de la salle de la salle google doodle notre dame