Swag suites abound at the Sundance Film Festival (AP)

PARK CITY, Utah ? Where there are celebrities, there is swag, and the Sundance Film Festival is no exception. Nearly a dozen gift suites opened their doors Friday afternoon along the city's Main Street.

Kate Bosworth, Andy Samberg, Emma Roberts and Rashida Jones are among the famous folks who stopped by the VEVO PowerStation SOREL Suite, where they could indulge in moisturizing facials and lip treatments from Fresh cosmetics and outfit their feet in snow-ready footwear.

"I think we belong here," said Kimberly Barta, global brand director for SOREL snow boots. "It just makes sense."

The company is also offering a 24-hour concierge service that will deliver boots around the clock to stars who can't stop by the suite.

At the Alive Expo Green Pavilion, guests could pick up natural skincare products and handmade handbags by Kenyan artisans from Tembo Trading Co.

The Bertolli Meal Soup Chalet served up bowls of hot soup and handed out sunglasses and Lumene skincare products to visitors. Joe Pastorkovich of Lumene said Sundance is the perfect place to introduce the European brand to an American audience.

"We're expanding into the U.S., and our brand connects well to Park City," he said. "It's a good fit because of the naturalness of the product, and we're unpretentious. This festival is about independent film, and we're an independent brand."

Italian shoe company Carlo Pazolini also exhibited (and gifted) its wares at the Sundance fest as a means of expanding its market reach.

"We're a European company launching in the U.S., so we wanted to get our name out there," company executive Jennifer Damiano said from the Miami Oasis suite, where she gave away high-end leather shoes and handbags. Guests at the suite were also treated to gluten-free snacks, hair styling by got2B, and cocktails from DiSaronno and Patron.

The Miami Oasis is just one part of the brand-heavy T-Mobile Village at the Lift, which includes McDonald's McCafe Lounge, the Puma Social Lounge and a temporary Tao nightclub.

Actress Blythe Danner stopped by the Fender Music Lodge, which offered live music and swag including Bear Paw boots and Park Lane jewelry.

Sundance sponsors HP, Acura, Chase Sapphire and the Sundance Channel also hosted suites along Main Street.

Alex Wilson, who produced the VEVO suite, said brands love Sundance because of the concentrated star power and media presence.

"In one location for five days, you can't get any bigger as far as names and exposure," he said. "With the heat of Park City, word travels fast."

And the number of branded suites keeps growing, too, much to the chagrin of Sundance Institute founder Robert Redford. He lamented that the success of the festival has attracted what he calls "leveragers" who muddle its mission of nurturing and celebrating independent film.

"They come in with their own agendas to use the festival to piggyback their agendas," he said. "It's a free country and there's nothing we can do about that ... but we have to work harder and harder to point to the fact that this is about the filmmakers. This is about their work and showing their work to you."

Many of the gift suites will close by Monday. The Sundance Film Festival continues through Jan. 29.

___

AP Entertainment Writer Sandy Cohen is on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/APSandy.

___

Online:

http://www.sundance.org/festival

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/movies/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120121/ap_en_mo/us_film_sundance_swag

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Iowa Victory Too Late for Santorum (Taegan Goddard's Political Wire)

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Many Breast Cancer Patients Uninformed About Options: Study (HealthDay)

FRIDAY, Jan. 20 (HealthDay News) -- In too many cases, doctors aren't doing a good job of informing American women with early stage breast cancer about the disease or their options in terms of surgery, a new study suggests.

In the study, researchers at the University of North Carolina surveyed breast cancer survivors on their knowledge of the disease. Respondents typically answered only about half of the questions correctly, and less than half said their surgeons had even asked them about their personal preference for surgery -- a full mastectomy vs. breast-conserving lumpectomy -- prior to treatment.

"We found that breast cancer survivors had fairly major gaps in their knowledge about their surgical options, including about the implications for recurrence and survival," said study lead author Dr. Clara Lee, an associate professor of surgery and director of surgical research at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine in Chapel Hill.

The paper was published in the January issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.

For the study, Lee and her colleagues sent surveys to 746 women who had undergone surgery for stage one or stage two breast cancer at one of four medical centers: the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston; the University of California, San Francisco; and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Among the 440 patients who responded to the survey, less than half (about 46 percent) knew that local recurrence risk is higher after breast-conserving surgery (lumpectomy) than after mastectomy, and only about 56 percent of women knew that survival rates are equivalent for both options.

The study also revealed that women who said they preferred mastectomy were less likely to have treatment that was in accordance with their goals. Lee said this was probably because "patients reported that their doctors were more likely to discuss breast conservation therapy and its advantages than mastectomy. And many women did not recall being asked for their preference. We know from other studies that doctors don't always know their patients' personal preferences, so they may not be fully aware when a woman truly prefers mastectomy."

The fact that less than half (48.6 percent) of the patients recalled being asked their preference was particularly concerning to Lee.

"It would be one thing if we were talking about decisions for which there is clearly a superior treatment, such as treatment for an inflamed gallbladder," Lee said. "In this case, it's reasonable and actually better for the surgeon to make a recommendation. But here we're talking about a decision where there is no medically right answer, and it really depends on the patient's preference. In that situation, it makes sense to ask the patient what she prefers."

Another breast cancer surgeon cautioned that the retrospective nature of the study (asking women to recall past events) and the fact that the women filled out the surveys an average of two and a half years following surgery makes it hard to draw firm conclusions.

"Clearly there are deficits in knowledge, but what we don't know for sure is if that's because the surgeon failed to convey this information, or the surgeon failed to convey it in a way that the patient could understand, or the patient has simply forgotten," said Dr. Leslie Montgomery, chief of breast surgery at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City.

"If anything, I'm actually surprised that the numbers were as good as they were," Montgomery added. "There's often a big difference between what a woman is told and what she actually absorbs at a time when she is so emotionally distressed."

Montgomery believes the study is valuable, however, because it "helps identify the scope of the problem" and will be useful for designing future prospective trials.

"As surgeons, we really need to make sure we convey the proper information to a woman at what is probably one of the most stressful times in her life," Montgomery said.

More information

Find out more about surgical options for treating breast cancer at the American Cancer Society.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/diseases/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20120121/hl_hsn/manybreastcancerpatientsuninformedaboutoptionsstudy

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O.C. business leaders receptive to governor's plan | brown, tax ...

IRVINE ? Gov. Jerry Brown's call for a combination of tax hikes and massive public works projects was warmly received when he pitched it to 50 of Orange County's top business executives Thursday.

On the heels of Wednesday's unveiling of the plan, Brown is touring Southern California to garner support for a temporary tax initiative, high-speed rail construction, a water project, public pension reform and key changes to education.

Gov. Jerry Brown cracks a smile while talking to the press after meeting with the Orange County Business Council Thursday in Irvine. He talked about raising the retirement age, cutting the budget and investing in a bullet train.

MINDY SCHAUER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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While the 300-member Orange County Business Council has not voted to support any of the specific plans, OCBC Executive Director Lucy Dunn said the group has been supportive of those proposals in the past and that Brown's presentation Thursday at an Irvine roundtable with 50 key members was greeted with enthusiasm.

Commercial real estate broker Fran Inman was among those embracing Brown's approach, including sweeping cuts previously signed into law by the governor.

"I just think it's time for that kind of commitment and passion," she said. "I think we have to roll up our sleeves and get to work. ... It's pretty clear we need both cuts and additional revenue."

Brown pitched his proposed tax initiative as costing half as much as the temporary tax hikes imposed under Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ? and which expired last year. That point was emphasized by Dunn when she and Brown met with reporters after the hour-long roundtable meeting.

"It's half the tax that Gov. Schwarzenegger raised," she said. "It's less money than we paid in 2010."

Brown's four-year proposal calls for an additional half-cent sales tax and a marginal tax hike of up to 2 percent for the state's highest earners in order to cover a $9 billion budget deficit. Brown last year wanted legislators to put the measure on the ballot, but it was blocked by the Republican minority. So now Brown has launched the measure as a citizen's initiative, with petitions being circulated to qualify the measure for the November ballot - although those same Republicans remain critical.

"If I lay out the truth, I think the public will vote for it," Brown said.

Dunn noted that her group endorsed the effort to have legislators place the measure on the ballot provided it was accompanied by regulatory reforms. She said the group had previously backed a similar water project, the high-speed rail project, and reforms to public pensions and schools.

One potential obstacle facing Brown and his ballot measure are three other proposed initiatives to hike taxes. Brown acknowledged that if more than one competing tax hike was on the ballot, it lowered the chances of any of them passing.

"If they all go down, it doesn't help anybody," he said, adding that he hope to convince proponents of other plans to back his measure instead.

Brown also emphasized the improving business climate in California, saying that job creation here last year was 50 percent higher than the national average. In particular, he touted his new business development office.

"We are prepared with highly skilled people to cut the red tape," he said.

Brown didn't flinch when asked about the state losing jobs to places like Texas.

"Texas specializes in minimum-wage jobs," he said. "We have more higher-wage jobs."

He was also asked about critics who complain that Brown should not be adding massive water and rail projects at time when other services are being slashed.

"For some, chewing gum and jumping rope is daunting," he quipped. "You have to do both. For rail and water, we're talking about the next 100 years. This state - it's a building place. It's important for America that California lead the way."

Contact the writer: 714-796-6753 or mwisckol@ocregister.com

Source: http://www.ocregister.com/news/brown-336427-tax-measure.html

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Video: Calif. car crash heroes speak out

>>> have a follow-up tonight from a story we reported here last night about that terrible car crash in southern california that left a mother and her two young daughters in their car, dangling from a bridge. inside the wreckage of a car that didn't look to be survivable. but as we said, a team of navy seabees happened to be driving by just in time. and tonight, we have the first interview with the heroes who saved the day and the family rescued in the ordeal.

>> reporter: it looked as bad as a road accident can look. the first calls to dispatch made that clear.

>> engine 31, will be a vehicle that's.

>> translator: ing -- that's teetering off the bridge with three victims in it.

>> kelly lynn groves was pinned in the manglinged wreckage of the car with her two young daughters. the car that hit her fell below. the driver was killed. we need a forklift to secure that vehicle but ours is 45 minutes away. unbelievable, that's exactly what passed by at exactly that moment. although it didn't belong to the fire department . it belonged to the amazing see seab seabees .

>> it was just amazing.

>> we said we have this fore lift capable of lifting 11,000 pounds. we can hold that car up and save those lives.

>> first to be removed, 10-year-old sage, the most serious injured and then 10-week-old milo with minor injuries. she was treated and released from the hospital and finally, mom kelly, like sage, with multiple fractures but alive. the seabees said it was a job they were ready for.

>> we're trained to adapt and overcome.

>> reporter: it took two hours and 21 minutes from the start of the rescue until the last victim was pulled out alive. intense and unforgettable minutes for all involved, filled with skill, experience, courage and good luck to make a miracle possible. mike taibi, nbc news, california.

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/46032026/

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Happy Thursday! Check out today’s must-read links: POLL: Were you offended by Modern Family‘s F-bomb? ? PEOPLE Study shows 1 in 8 low-income parents water down formula to stretch it out ? MSNBC.com How to wean kids off of pacifiers ? iVillage.com VIDEO: S— people say?to breastfeeding mothers ? Parenting.com Wikipedia blackout raises credibility concerns [...]

Source: http://feeds.celebritybabies.com/~r/celebrity-babies/~3/8Uwv1ztUfD0/

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Radioactive Gravel from Japanese Nuke Disaster Used in Buildings (ContributorNetwork)

A glaring gap in oversight by the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (MITI) has left Japanese citizens with a new worry about the effects of the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Stockpiled gravel located in the nearby community of Namie, as reported by the Mainichi Daily News, has been shipped to over 200 construction firms throughout Japan. The gravel is contaminated with radioactive fallout from the disaster at the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

MITI, was reportedly told that the facility was shut down when they checked last May. No follow up seems to have been conducted. About 5,200 metric tons of radioactive gravel has been shipped from the facility. AFP reports that a newly constructed apartment building in Nihonmatsu is radioactive. Built in July, the 12 families in the building have been exposed to radiation levels half of level that establishes the mandatory evacuation zone around Fukushima.

A Japanese government committee investigating the Fukushima disaster released a report just after Christmas that was sharply critical of the power plant's owner, TEPCO, and the various governmental agencies involved with the site. Poor pre-planning, poor communication during the crisis and an inability to manage a complex disaster are among the criticisms the committee announced. The issues discovered involved everyone from the technicians at the Fukushima plant itself all the way to the top management of TEPCO and the Japanese Cabinet.

The Wall Street Journal is quoting Japanese sources about continued nuclear power plant shutdowns in that nation. Only five of Japan's 54 nuclear reactors are currently in operation. By the end of January, that number will be three. The loss of electrical generation capacity has resulted in increased use of oil and coal by electrical plants that produce using fossil fuels. Combined with the complex nature of the Japanese electrical grid, power shortages continue to exist in various parts of the nation.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/science/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20120116/us_ac/10840963_radioactive_gravel_from_japanese_nuke_disaster_used_in_buildings

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