Her Daily News

Tonight brings the unfortunate news that actress Natasha Richardson has died suddenly at the age of 45, following a head injury sustained on Monday while skiing in Quebec. The Tony Award-winning actress, whose career spanned decades and both stage and screen, had been on a ski outing at Mount Tremblant Ski Resort with her sons Michael and Daniel when she fell, and while she did not initially appear to be injured, her condition rapidly worsened, and she was soon hospitalized and eventually pronounced brain dead.

Her family has released the following statement, according to CNN:

Liam Neeson, his sons, and the entire family are shocked and devastated by the tragic death of their beloved Natasha. They are profoundly grateful for the support, love and prayers of everyone, and ask for privacy during this very difficult time.

She is survived by her husband, actor Liam Neeson, as well as sons Michael and Daniel and her mother, actress Vanessa Redgrave. It is reported via E! Online that her family is planning a small, private funeral. I would like to wish her family the privacy that they need to come to grips with this terribly unexpected tragedy.

Many of us learned back in our school days that the first to retort “Well, you’re fat!” in most any argument has run out of ideas. This lesson appears to be lost on conservative commentator Laura Ingraham, who in a recent radio show went for the cheap shot in disputing political blogger Meghan McCain’s views on the future of the Republican party.

Ms. McCain, pictured above with her father Senator John McCain, recently criticized controversial pundit Ann Coulter for the disservice her radical views have done to public opinion of Republicans and stated that such extremism would dissuade younger voters from associating themselves with the party. In a subsequent radio broadcast, Ms. Ingraham criticized Ms. McCain on rather different grounds, calling her “too plus-sized to be a cast member on the television show The Real World” - and with that, the gloves are off.

In her latest piece, Ms. McCain raises that age-old question - why does image precede message? She cites a certain treatment of women in the media that is often taken as the status quo, where a woman’s appearance is the first order of business, particularly when the aspect of appearance in question is the woman’s weight. Not only has Ms. McCain come under criticism for being “too heavy” at all of a size 8, but her mother, Cindy McCain, has been the target of unkind remarks for her thin frame. What is this elusive “perfect size” that we must aspire to, then? That ideal proportion that won’t distract fickle audiences from our words and ideas? I’d like to think that the size of my brain matters more than the size of my dress, but I’m sure that there are many who would say that it’s all in my head.

Today, President Barack Obama signed an executive order creating a government-wide council designed to address women’s rights - and in doing so, he cited the women and girls close to his heart. According to the Associated Press, the president and his administration created the panel as an effort to mark Women’s History Month, and his roles other than Commander In Chief were not far from his mind. He told all assembled, “I sign this order not just as a president, but as a son, a grandson, a husband and a father because, growing up, I saw my mother put herself through school and follow her passion for helping others.” He also told of his grandmother, who became a bank vice president, despite the gender bias that she faced along the way.

The order was signed with an eye towards the future, as well. The father of 10-year-old Malia and 7-year-old Sasha cited the hopes and dreams of the younger generation, telling guests, “So now it’s up to us to carry that work forward, to ensure that our daughters and granddaughters have no limits on their dreams, no obstacles to their achievements — and that they have opportunities their mothers and grandmothers and great-grandmothers never dreamed of.” He also cited First Lady Michelle’s skill at balancing career and family as an inspiration. By creating this council, with senior adviser Valerie Jarrett as its head, our president has made it clear that his administration prioritizes women’s rights, as equality is not only good for women, but for the country as a whole.

Is “I do” always followed by “happily ever after”? Not necessarily, and a new study has found that women in unhappy marriages are at an elevated risk for an assortment of health problems, including high blood pressure and high blood sugar. In CNN’s report on the University of Utah study, it is reported that while men and women in unhappy marriages were found to exhibit signs of depression, only women showed these physical side effects.

The study subjects were 276 couples, ranging in age from 32 to 76. Researchers determined the level of happiness in each marriage by examining levels of conflict and hostility, and each person’s self-report on marital satisfaction (more women reported being unsatisfied than men). This variable was then set against the health of the subjects - indicators of physical and mental health were recorded. According to Nacy Henry of the University of Utah, men were affected mentally by marital strife - she tells CNN, “For husbands, we didn’t see, on its own, that negative marital stuff was related at all to metabolic syndrome. The only thing it was related to was their depressive symptoms.” However, women experienced these symptoms and more - they were more likely to experience metabolic issues and cardiovascular problems in correlation with levels of conflict. It is suggested that women take marital issues to heart, quite literally, because more of their self-image is wrapped up in their relationship, increasing stress levels.

However, the study does not suggest that divorce would reverse these symptoms. Divorce comes with its own set of stressors, and other lifestyle factors need to be taken into account. This study simply brings attention to the role that social factors play in a patient’s physical health - doctors need to treat the whole person, head included.

Safety in our institutions of higher learning has become a hot-button topic lately - too often, the academia is disrupted by tragedy, as the headlines have reflected. This week, according to Mercury News, women at UC Berkeley stood up against a spree of sexual violence on their campus - and the “blame the victim” attitude that many have taken in light of it.

Since October, a sexual predator has attacked 19 women near the UC Berkeley campus, and it appears that women in skirts have been most heavily targeted. For that reason, an email has circulated among students telling women not to wear skirts so as to avoid becoming a target. However, many women on campus have taken offense, stating that attire is no excuse for sexual assault. For that reason, protesters wore skirts as they stood in solidarity to increase awareness about the recent attacks and to call for action to prevent future ones.

During the rally on the university’s Sproul Plaza, speakers argued against the perception that the victims are to blame for their attacks. Dennie Bates, an organizer of the rally, told the crowd, “My skirt is not a legal reason for raping me.” Adding fuel to the fire was the fact that this man has not been caught yet - and many worry that the violence could get worse. The victim of one attack was present at the rally, and she expressed her wish for justice, telling others in attendance, “I hope this man gets caught and this doesn’t happen anymore.” Details on the perpetrator can be found in the original article.