Good morning. Friday is upon us.
It feels like it took an unusually long time to get here – maybe it’s just me. Usually these short weeks fly by, but this one seemed to drag on and on endlessly. Also, every day I woke up and thought: “What day is it again?” Several times I was a day ahead of schedule. Wishful thinking.
Clearly, I need help.
I know these posts can sometimes be very personal. Perhaps too personal? Maybe you’re not terribly interested in the hamster wheel musings that preoccupy my brain on the regular. I guess if that was the case, you wouldn’t be here in the first place.
Anyway, before I get too far down that self-reflecting rabbit hole, a warning: This post is more personal than usual. You’ve been forewarned. It might be time to take a walk, or read a book, or enjoy a second cup of coffee while staring out the window, or whatever it is that people do when they’re not staring at a screen.
It’s National Mammography Day, which is part of the larger observance of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
In a few weeks, I will dutifully, but unhappily, present myself for my annual mammogram – an absolutely necessary exercise that I anticipate with a deep-seated feeling of dread that only intensifies as I age. I don’t know anyone who actually enjoys getting a mammogram, but I feel fairly certain in saying that I am definitely on the higher end of the anxiety spectrum about it than most.
I am an Ashkenazi Jew, which means that by design, I have a higher risk for a BRCA gene mutation and therefore a higher risk of developing breast cancer. I have not been genetically tested for a range of reasons, but the least of which is that there is no history of breast cancer in my immediate family.
Other cancers, yes, but not breast cancer, which accounts for about one-third of all cancer cases in women, and has been slowly increasing by about 0.5% per year since the mid-2000s. It’s also the second most common form of cancer for women after skin cancer and the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the U.S.
You can see why one might be worried when you consider these statistics. Add to the mix that I have dense breasts, which also increases my risk factor considerably – and means that I get a twofer, mammogram PLUS MRI, every time I go in – and the picture of why I’m an anxious mess heading into the test starts to become clearer.
I do know that early detection is the key to survival, which is why I willingly put myself through this yearly unhappiness. (Honestly, if I could just get someone to willingly give me a wet read, life would be a lot better – it’s the waiting for results that makes me the most anxious).
When breast cancer is detected early, in the localized stage, the 5-year survival rate is somewhere between 98 and 99 percent, which are pretty good odds, all things considered. That said, I have in my personal circle a number of women who are survivors, and I know from watching them that the treatment is no joke – even when they catch things early.
Mammograms are just one tool in the breast cancer detection toolbox, along with self exams and clinical exams by a medical professional. But they are a potent one.
Recommendations as to when you should start getting mammograms vary depending on your family history, your risk factors, and which medical experts you happen to be listening to. Not long ago, it was suggested that average (not high-risk) women start getting an annual mammogram at 40, down from 50. A good rule of thumb is that you should continue screening regularly as long as a women is in good health and expected to live at least another 10 years.
And a quick word here about men and mammograms/breast cancer risk. I’ve focused largely on women, because, well, I’m a woman and that’s my lived experience. But about 1 in 100 breast cancers diagnosed in the US is found in a man, according to the CDC, which is, quite frankly, a lot higher than I would have thought.
Symptoms for men are more or less the same as for women, and many of the risk factors are, too. The trouble is that men are not in the habit of self examination since so much of the messaging is, understandably, directed as women, and they are far less likely to be screened.
As a result, breast cancer in men often isn’t diagnosed until it has progressed considerably, which, as mentioned above, reduces the chances of survival. If you think you are at risk, or just have questions about precautions and prevention, talk to your doctor or medical professional.
Today will be nice again, with sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-60s. Temperatures are on an upward trend throughout the weekend, actually, with things topping out int he low 70s (1!) on Sunday. Both Saturday and Sunday should be bright and clear. Perfect for hiking, apply picking, doughnut eating, bike riding, doggo frolicking or maybe even some yard work.
Enjoy.
In the headlines…
More than a year after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks, Israel’s military said it killed Yahya Sinwar, the man it considers to have been the chief architect of that cross-border massacre – raising questions about the future of the war and of the militant group itself.
Although Sinwar was a major target of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, the soldiers who killed the militant chief had not expected to run across him, Israeli officials said. Hammas has yet to comment.
Raw drone footage of the Israel Defense Forces attacking and apparently killing Sinwar was uploaded by the IDF to their official YouTube account, which the IDF has said shows the terrorist group head’s final moments.
Sinwar will be seen as a hero by some Palestinians “because he died fighting for his people,” the president of the Palestinian National Initiative said.
he Israeli military said it had killed a Hezbollah commander in southern Lebanon. Muhammad Hassin Ramal, commander of the Tayba area, had directed “many terror attacks” against Israel and Israeli soldiers, the Israel Defense Forces said.
Declaring that “justice has been served,” Vice President Kamala Harris said that the killing of Sinwar, the Hamas leader whom she called the “mastermind” of the Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel, created an opportunity to end the war in Gaza.
Former President Donald Trump laced into Harris and other Democrats yesterday in a pointed and at times bitter speech as he headlined the annual Al Smith charity dinner in New York.
Trump, in remarks that often felt more like a rally performance than a comedy routine, repeatedly criticized Harris over her decision to skip the event in a break from presidential tradition as she campaigned in Wisconsin.
Trump rushed through prepared remarks, stumbling at times as he read through pointed political jokes, bitter grievances and crude and at times profane personal attacks. He seemed most energized when he went off script.
Harris did not attend the dinner in person as she campaigned in Wisconsin. Instead, she addressed the event via a video that featured comedian Molly Shannon portraying her “SNL” character Mary Katherine Gallagher, who is a Catholic school girl.
Fox News anchor Bret Baier said that he made “a mistake” in not including a specific clip of Trump during his interview with Harris.
Trump blamed President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine for Russia’s invasion of his country in a podcast interview released yesterday, inverting the facts of the largest military action in Europe since the Second World War.
Some advisers and allies of Trump are concerned about his scattershot style on the campaign trail as he continues to veer off script, which they worry needlessly risk victory in battleground states where the margin for error is increasingly narrow.
In the new biopic “The Apprentice,” much is made of Trump’s tutelage under the venal fixer Roy Cohn. But the film shrewdly locates the secret of his success: tax abatements.
An independent panel reviewing the failures that led to the attempted assassination of Trump in July called on the Secret Service to replace its leadership with people from the private sector and focus almost exclusively on its protective mission.
Federal prosecutors have charged a man they identified as an Indian intelligence officer with trying to orchestrate from abroad an assassination on U.S. soil — part of an escalating response from the U.S. and Canada.
New York has taken center stage in the fight for Congress, and Democratic organizers believe that registering a fraction of the tens of thousands of New Yorkers who own second homes upstate could help tip a Republican majority to a Democratic one.
Tens of millions of dollars in outside money are supercharging New York’s five tightest congressional races as Democrats and Republicans duel for control of the U.S. House of Representatives.
The New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America will consider a resolution at its annual convention to shame Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez even though she has publicly criticized Israel and isn’t considered a staunch ally of the country.
Gov. Kathy Hochul says she isn’t going anywhere, denying a report that she’s interested in leaving her job as the state’s chief executive for a position within the Harris administration — if Harris defeats Trump in next month’s presidential election.
An audit released by the state comptroller’s office found the State Division of Human Rights had failed to investigate dozens of housing discrimination cases due to poor management that resulted in complaints being lost, mislabeled and unprocessed.
Three and a half years after New York legalized recreational marijuana, the taxes from cannabis sales are starting to bear fruit, and the state’s Office of Cannabis Management is now accepting grant proposals for a $5 million community reinvestment program.
The number of private sector jobs in New York decreased over the month by 2,900, or less than 0.1%, in September, according to preliminary seasonally adjusted figures released yesterday by the state Department of Labor.
Vice President Nelson Rockefeller’s former deputy press secretary acknowledged her notoriety with the politician’s death in a self-written obituary published earlier this month after a lifetime of silence on the topic.
Reps. Hakeem Jeffries and Greg Meeks and the Rev. Al Sharpton are at the forefront of political power players Hochul would consult before removing Mayor Eric Adams.
Advocates say new rules issued by Adams’ administration are giveaways that will help the real estate industry avoid complying with New York City’s landmark climate goals.
Trump told indicted Mayor Adams “you’re gonna win” during a roasting of the Democrat at the Al Smith charity dinner that the Republican presidential nominee headlined last night.
“Mayor Adams, good luck with everything,” Trump said, adding: “They went after you. They’ve gone after me. Mr. Mayor, you’re peanuts compared to what they’ve done to me. And you’re gonna be ok.”
After years of deliberation, Adams and a coalition of Midtown business groups unveiled a plan to redesign a stretch of Fifth Avenue that’s notoriously clogged with traffic and tourists.
The New York Liberty will become the first New York City women’s sports team to parade through the Canyon of Heroes if they win the WNBA finals, said Mayor Adams.
“Plunkitt of Tammany Hall,” a collection of political sermons attributed to a crooked machine boss, is a handy reference for New York City’s modern-day political chaos.
Nepotism. Self-dealing. Executive salaries in the high six figures. These are some of the allegations leveled in a new report on New York City’s multibillion-dollar shelter system released by city investigators yesterday.
The review, which began in 2021, found potential improprieties at 51 nonprofits that receive taxpayer funds to provide shelter and services for clients of the city Department of Homeless Services, which manages the nation’s biggest municipal shelter system.
While overdose deaths are down among some groups of New Yorkers, new city data shows there’s been little progress for Black New Yorkers, which advocates say is a stark reminder that these communities need more resources.
The New York City Housing Authority announced that public housing residents can get up to a year of past due rent accrued during the COVID-19 pandemic covered, thanks to newly awarded state and federal funds.
An off-duty correction officer who shot and killed a teenager playing with a fake gun is not guilty of manslaughter or second-degree murder, a Bronx jury decided yesterday after less than two days of deliberation.
The former owner of several Long Island funeral homes who sprayed police officers with insecticide and struck a photographer during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the National Capitol pleaded guilty to federal assault charges, prosecutors said.
Officials from the agency that runs Newark Liberty International Airport said they intended to take New Jersey’s largest airport “from worst to best
The state released a new draft study yesterday that examines the future outcomes for Interstate 787, winnowing the list of options to potentially make it easier to connect Albany’s downtown to the Hudson River.
Rep. Paul Tonko visited Siena College’s Marcelle Athletic Complex for a roundtable discussion about sports betting with the college’s athletes, coaches and administrators.
The City of Saratoga Springs’ special election on Jan. 28 to select a new commissioner of public works is already in jeopardy.
The use of an ATM card at Amtrak’s Albany Rensselaer Station led to the arrest Wednesday of a man and woman who are suspects in connection with a homicide in Stamford, Conn.
A federal judge’s decision unsealed this week has rejected a motion by DuPont Co. seeking to dismiss a class-action lawsuit filed against the corporation on behalf of residents in and around the village of Hoosick Falls whose water was contaminated by PFOA.
Travon Jackson, founder of the closed South End Grocery Store and a once prominent voice in the area’s business, political and civil rights communities, pleaded guilty to felony assault to resolve charges tied to a Dec. 25 attack on a man at a Bassett Street home.
Emmy-nominated singer-songwriter Ben Folds will headline this year’s entertainment selection for Saratoga New Year’s Eve 2025.
Photo credit: George Fazio.
