Women and mothers across the nation are worried about a news story that just broke regarding very minute trace amounts of Melamine being detected in infant formula that is sold in the United States.  The formula companies are standing by their products and claiming that the FDA tests were inaccurate.  This is a serious issue, you should know all the facts. The FDA has said that while there is NO SAFE ALLOWABLE amount of Melamine, the amounts detected are so slight that there should not stop feeding your child formula at this time, rather, contact your pediatrician or the FDA if you have further questions that cannot be answered by the links in this article.

Earlier this year the news story broke announcing that Melamine had been found in infant formula made and sold in China. The result was over 50,000 ill babies and sadly, a few dead babies. Melamine is a chemical with many uses, among which is the ability to appear as a protein when dangerously and illegally mixed into food substances.

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says there is NO SAFE LEVEL of Melamine in infant formula. A contradiction indeed, they are also telling parents not to overreact or change their baby’s diet at this time. The levels found are extremely low, however, you be the judge. The FDA has established a section of their website for Melamine information.

Yahoo! Reports from the Associated Press:

According to FDA data for tests of 77 infant formula samples, a trace concentration of melamine was detected in one product — Mead Johnson’s Infant Formula Powder, Enfamil LIPIL with Iron. An FDA spreadsheet shows two tests were conducted on the Enfamil, with readings of 0.137 and 0.14 parts per million.

Three tests of Nestle’s Good Start Supreme Infant Formula with Iron detected an average of 0.247 parts per million of cyanuric acid, a melamine byproduct.

The FDA said last month that the toxicity of cyanuric acid is under study, but that meanwhile it is “prudent” to assume that its potency is equal to that of melamine.

And while the FDA said tests of 18 samples of formula made by Abbott Laboratories, including its Similac brand, did not detect melamine, spokesman Colin McBean said some company tests did find the chemical. He did not identify the specific product or the number of positive tests.

Questions and Answers to you questions about Melamine. What is Melamine? What do I do if I think my infant formula contains Melamine? Melamine Information? Symptoms of Melamine poisoning?

Enfamil released a statement today saying that the FDA testing was inaccurate.

This is an original posting to 451 Press but is cross posted with Parent Extremis, and modified for this website’s audience.

President Elect Barack and Michelle Obama have choosen Harvard MBA Desiree Rogers, currently a prominent Chicago businesswoman to be their personal social secretary. Rogers, 49, will be the first African American White House social secretary. Rogers will be leaving her current position as an executive at Allstate Financial in Chicago to come to Washington later this winter.

The Obama’s have selected a highly-educated woman who has a great social stature and understanding of the demands on the office. It is clear that they are very focused on ensuring they are introduced to the country and the world with great attention to detail and no stone left unturned. Rogers knows the Obama family well and this puts her in a great position to get down to work immediately as she already knows their preferences, ethics and tastes.

The position is far-reaching. The job entails being involved in every event or ceremony that occurs at the White House on or the grounds. Beginning the moment after inauguration, Rogers will be responsible for organizing the swearing-in of Obama’s new Cabinet.

Her vision will be to make the White House more accessible and more inclusive. She is also committed to developing events featuring children because the Obama’s have two school-aged daughters, Sasha and Malia who will be the first young kids in the White House in over 30 years.

Ann Stock, a social secretary under the Clinton White House was once responsible for organizing the historic signing of the Mideast peace agreement, for 4,000 guests, on four days notice.

Prior to joining Allstate, Rogers headed a $2 billion utility.

SOURCE: WASHINGTON POST

It’s that time of year again:  The HOLIDAY season is among us … almost.  Thanksgiving is just a few days away and the day after that is Black Friday, a day known for mass shopping, sales and crowds at the malls.   Here are some of my favorite gifts, some of which I hope to get myself, maybe … these gifts could be great for the special women in your life, your mom, aunt, grandmother, wife, sister, mother, partner, ….

For the woman who loves a garden but doesn’t have the space to capability to maintain a large backyard plot, this Year Of Seeds provides a complete kit of seeds and pots in which to grow them.

This is perfect for a windowsill garden of delicate flowers, including marigolds, pansies, poppies and baby’s breath.

It comes with soil pellets and instructions for the accidental black-thumb among us.  Available from Red Envelope for $79.99

What woman doesn’t want to increase her level of organization? This great charging station/docking station is a great centrally located charging zone for all of your electronic equipment.  You can use it to sort your mail, bills, hold some pens and a checkbook.  I have an earlier more simple version of this and it is great. I keep our cell phone chargers in it as well as stamps, important papers and receipts and it is simply styled and fits well with my living room/dining room decor.

This is a great family gift too because it is something everyone can benefit from.  This model is from Pottery Barn and it retails for $169 but is currently on sale for $119.  This model allows your to play you iPod while everything charges.   Other models are less expensive without the iHome capability.  Target sells a similar model for a more reasonable price, made by Crosley you can charge four things at a time.

More gift ideas coming soon …

Tell me, what are your favorites this season?  Leave a comment and a link and I will feature your selections and recommendations.

It’s that time of year again; the time when homes smell like cinnamon and pumpkin pie, when I tend to gain about five pounds, and when fleece feels like heaven on your feet and also the time to get a FLU SHOT.

The flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by a virus. It causes mild to severe illness and sometimes death. The single best way to protect yourself against the flu is to get a vaccine each year. Symptoms of the flu include a high fever, headache, extreme fatigue, sore throat, dry cough, runny and stuffy nose, muscle aches and stomach symptoms more common in children include nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

According to the CDC, each year 5%-20% of the population gets the flu and more than 200,000 are hospitalized for complications such as pneumonia, dehydration and worsening of other chronic medical conditions. Older people, young children and people with other health conditions like asthma, diabetes and heart disease are at a higher risk for suffering complications and this group especially should get vaccinated. About 36,000 people die.

You should get vaccinated as soon as vaccine becomes available as early as September. Flu season usually peaks around January but outbreaks can occur earlier in the winter and closer to the holiday season.

Visit the CDC website page here to read more about how FLU spread and how to protect yourself.

The following people in particular should be vaccinated:

Children aged 6 months up to their 19th birthday

Pregnant women

People 50 years of age and older

People of any age with certain chronic medical conditions

People who live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities

People who live with or care for those at high risk for complications from flu, including:

a. Health care workers
b. Household contacts of persons at high risk for complications from the flu
c. Household contacts and out of home caregivers of children less than 6 months of age (these children are too young to be vaccinated)

For information about flu shots for children CLICK HERE.

A recent story on CNN.com titled My REAL life as a call girl proposed some very interesting and circular questions. Stating factually, the article asserts that experts disagree on whether or not prostitutes are victims. The sordid and not so sordid stories of how women fall into prostitution are as numerous as there are prostitutes. Is a high-end escort or call-girl different at all from a prostitute or are we just splitting hairs over semantics?

This story discuses one woman, Natalie McLennan moved from Montreal to New York City eight years ago at the age of 20 to pursue an acting career. She met a pimp, Jason Itzler, at a cocktail party who convinced her that “dating” men would be better than waiting tables while she waited for her acting career to take off.

Within four years she was earning $2000 an hour. She would see two or three clients a day for about two hours each. She was earning upwards up $12,000 A DAY, as a prostitute. In 2005 she was the July cover of New York Magazine and three months later her escort agency was shut down. She was arrested for prostitution and spent 26 days in jail.

McLennan knew what she was doing. She made a conscious choice to engage in those behaviors. Should that be illegal? She wasn’t coerced. She wasn’t selling herself for drugs or other criminal money. She was simply trading sex for money. The bottom line is that prostitution according to Wikipedia is the act of performing sexual activity in exchange for money. The legal status varies from one jurisdiction to another; in some parts of the world it is legal and in others it is punishable by death.

Do you think this is a slippery slope of legalities and situations or is it just wrong, morally? Legally?

Your thoughts?

::

Natalie McLennan’s tell-all book The Price: My Rise and Fall As Natalia, New York’s #1 Escort is due out soon.

The votes are in.  Enough have been counted.  Barack Obama keeps raking in the electoral votes and has surpassed the minimum of 270 needed to become the next President of the United States.  At the Democratic National Convention in August of this year, then-Senator Barack Obama, now-President-Elect Barack Obama gave an uplifting, informative, and emotional riveting speech. He concluded with this thought:

America, we cannot turn back. Not with so much work to be done. Not with so many children to educate, and so many veterans to care for. Not with an economy to fix and cities to rebuild and farms to save. Not with so many families to protect and so many lives to mend. America, we cannot turn back. We cannot walk alone. At this moment, in this election, we must pledge once more to march into the future. Let us keep that promise - that American promise - and in the words of Scripture hold firmly, without wavering, to the hope that we confess.

There is a lot of work to be done and I am hopeful that we are on the right track, a better track.  I don’t expect him to achieve all of his goals immediately and some probably not at all but I am pleased and humbled that we have elected a new president who is intelligent, informed, inspiring and worthy of being a leader.  I trust that he will represent those who have gone unnoticed for so long.

Winning a ridiculous amount of battleground states Obama clinched the election and will be the next President of the United States of America.  It is on this night, Tuesday November 4, 2008 that this country has elected a new president, an African American to the highest office.  He will be our 44th president. He will  take office on January 20th, 2009 when he is sworn in at the Inauguration in Washington, DC.

To read Barack Obama’s nomination speech in full, click here.

SOURCE

There are a lot of women living safely in our nation with a burning memory of childhood that is unforgivable and unshakable. Their lives began in small villages of West and North Africa where tradition in local tribes includes a rite of passage ceremony known as female genital circumcision, or female genital mutilation (FGM). This practice, believed to make a girl more chaste and more marriage-worth occurs across religious, class and tribal lines but is more common in rural communities than in cities. In Africa, three million girls are at risk each year of being subjected to FGM.

The United States has granted political asylum to many victims of forced circumcision after a landmark immigration ruling in 1996, however, recently, immigration courts are narrowing the grounds on which they will issue legal sanctuary to these frightened women. Only a few hundred have won asylum claims due to FGM.

The Washington Post reports that “Today, despite world condemnation, legal bans in many nations and years of educational efforts, female circumcision is still widely practiced in Africa. In nine countries — Egypt, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Somalia, Mali, Eritrea, Gambia and Djibouti — more than 75 percent of women have been circumcised.”

The procedure itself is brief, it is known in the West as female genital mutilation. Part or all of the external genitalia are cut off, usually with a hot knife or sharp stone for no medical reason. There is no anesthesia, there is no sterile surface or bandages or medication. The procedure is usually done to pre-puescent girls. Bleeding after the procedure is often severe and can result in shock, infection and death.

International health organizations report that these victims suffer lifelong complications with urination, menstruation, childbirth and intercourse. It is estimated that 100 to 140 million girls and women worldwide currently live with consequences of FGM.

FGM is internationally recognized as a human rights violation.

Source: World Health Organization, Washington Post

Merck& Co. developed Gardasil a few years ago, the first vaccine to fight any form of cancer.   This alone is quite remarkable.  Cervical cancer is aggressive, deadly  and often goes undetected.  It is also overwhelmingly caused by a virus.  Originally marketed to girls between the ages of 12 and 26, Gardasil is now being advertised and marketed to older women.

Gardasil is a vaccine used to protect against HPV, human papillomavirus, strains 16 and 18 which cause approximately 70 percent of all cases of cervical cancer.  A recent study by the University of Alabama found that vaccinating older women could also significantly reduce the rates of cervical cancer.  This study found that cervical cancer rates could be reduced up to 55 percent for a 45-year old woman.

HPV is transmitted through sexual contact and the original thinking was that women should get the vaccine prior to becoming sexually active.

The CDC recently released the statistic that one third of girls ages 13-17 have received the Gardasil vaccine.

Gardasil has received sharp criticism because of the issue of side effects.  Click here to read more from WebMD on that issue.

Source: Dulcinia

Jennifer Hudson, a finalist from season three of American Idol and Academy Award winner in the 2006 motion picture Dreamgirls is also the unfortunate victim of a tragic crime that struck her family just last weekend on the South side of Chicago, Illinois.

Hudson’s mother Darnell Donerson, and brother, Jason Hudson, were found murdered, shot to death, in the living room of their home and to make a horrible, senseless crime even more difficult to swallow, for almost two days, her seven year old nephew, Julian King was missing and later found with multiple gunshot wounds, in the backseat of her brother’s stolen SUV.

Julian’s stepfather, William Balfour was detained for questioning in connection to the case. He was later transferred to prison for a parole violation charge.

Jodifur, from MamaPop said, “Ironically, October is Domestic Violence Awareness month. It is often overshadowed by Breast Cancer Awareness month, which is also a fabulous cause. But domestic violence touches so many lives, and this case is a prime example of the collateral damage caused in DV relationships. We think the batterer may just kill his wife or partner, (and I use his because 95% of the time it is a man, but not always) but that is not always the case. They often do kill the children or other family members. As is what may have happened in this case.”

Learn more about Domestic Violence, or call 1-800-799-SAFE, and Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Hudson sang at the Democratic National Convention in August 2008 at the request of Senator Barack Obama’s campaign.

SOURCE: CNN, MamaPop

The East African nation of Rwanda is trying something new. Historically dominated by men, women are driving the economy by working on construction sites, in factories, as truck and taxi drivers and also holding seats in the government.  With a population of 10 million, 55percent are women.

Rwanda is integrating women into government far more aggressively than any other African nation and this is putting them at odds within the continent.

Women currently hold a third of all cabinet positions. The foreign minister, education minister, police commissioner general, and Supreme Court chief are all women. Rwanda’s parliament is the first in the world where women are in the majority.

The countries of Africa have historically been ruled and governed by archaic patriarchal laws, including one that prohibits women from inheriting land. The legislature, now ruled by women is passing bills aimed at ending domestic violence and child abuse. There is hope that discriminatory laws will be purged from the legal code now that women are in charge and looking out for the greater good of the country, particularly one that requires a women to get her husband’s signature on a bank loan.

While the scars of recent genocide run deep, there exists a strong sense of national purpose among these women.

The capital of Rwanda is Kigali. Rwanda is bordered by Congo to the west, Burundi to the south Tanzania to the Southeast and Uganda to the northeast. It rests just south of the Equator and just west of Lake Victoria.

Source: The Washington Post, Print Edition, Monday October 27, 2008

Karen Hughes spoke on Larry King Live tonight (CNN) about Sarah Palin’s wardrobe and she was wearing a leopard print silk blouse.  And as I type this I am wearing unmatching pajamas and old ratty stained slippers.  So who has a better leg to stand on?  I don’t know, actually.

Within moments of being chosen as John McCain’s running mate the Republican National Convention had shoppers at Neiman Marcus and Saks shopping for new clothes for Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.  They have spent over $150,000 so far on clothing, make-up and accessories.  It was also reported by the Huffington Post and the Politico that the RNC also purchased clothing for her husband Todd Palin and her infant son.

Did you donate money to the RNC?  Do you mind that your money was spent on such adornments? I have heard that they plan to donate the clothes to charity but I do not have a source to back up that claim.

With all the crisis going on in this country right now it is shameful that we are discussing this issue.  Shameful that thirteen days before the most crucial and pivotal Presidential election in our nation’s history we are discussing a state governor/Vice Presidential candidate’s clothing as the headline story on Larry King Live.

McCain headquarters has said this is a trivial issue.

I think I agree.

Be careful what you say Democrats, it wasn’t too long ago that Republicans jumped on John Edwards for getting a $400 haircut with his own campaign funds.  He later paid the campaign back with his own money.  It isn’t unheard of for candidates running for a major office to treat themselves to some fancy tailoring and primping.   It really just gives us something to talk about on a slow news day, or when the DOW drops yet another 500 points.

More evidence of what RNC donors paid for:

…. at least she wears it well?

We credit the information age with allowing us faster communication, rather, instant communication. Email, text messages, twitter, blogs, Blackberries and cellphones with cameras, video baby-monitors and TiVo; we can see our sleeping children in the other room while pausing live television so that we can send a message via Twitter that we have updated our blog with a photo taken with the camera on a cellphone. There is nothing that cannot be communicated around the world in a matter of minutes, er, seconds.

But what if that email contained some information that you would rather hear in person and possibly over muffin laced with a serious apology. inSpot.org, launched in 2004 is a website that allows users to notify partners anonymously that they need to be tested for the STD HIV, gonorrhea, chlamydia or syphilis.

I think it is great that there exists a way to notify past partners that they could have been exposed to a sexually transmitted disease, however, this is a little, oh, odd? The benefits of someone getting tested and therefore early treatment outweigh the inhumane and potentially insensitivity of this notification method.

The site reported to CNN that over 50,000 cards have been sent since their launch and while the potential of misuse was a concern they have actually had very few complaints, specifically less than 10 cards that were received in error. Started in San Francisco this site has spread to New York, Chicago, Canada and Romania.

The website inSpot also provides information about where to go for testing and treatment. It also provides great and accurate information about treatable and curable STDs.

inSpot’s RESOURCE link is also quite well stocked.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Breast Cancer is the most common cancer affecting women today in the United States. According to the American Cancer Society, an estimated 182,460 women in the United States will be found to have invasive breast cancer in 2008. About 40,480 women will die from the disease this year. In the United States alone there are two and a half million survivors.

The best methods of breast cancer detection and ergo, eradication is a trifecta of behavioral practices: mammograms, an x-ray of the breast, for screening, clinical exams performed by your health care provider and monthly breast self-examination, BSE. Women over the age of 40 should have yearly mammograms. Women in their 20s and 30s should have regular yearly exams with a physician and it is advised that BSE begin in the 20s. Early detection is the key to survival. It saves lives. Breast cancer survival rates are the highest when detection occurs before symptoms begin.

The American Cancer Society also lists the follow as symptoms. If you experience any of these, see your health care provider immediately.

• swelling of all or part of the breast
• skin irritation or dimpling
• breast pain
• nipple pain or the nipple turning inward
• redness, scaliness, or thickening of the nipple or breast skin
• a nipple discharge other than breast milk
• a lump in the underarm area

Survivors improve physically with exercise
On a more positive note, breast cancer survivors often are left with a limited range of motion in their arms and upper body after surgeries and treatments. CNN recently reported that paddling these ancient Chinese boats is great therapy and exercise for breast cancer survivors. It increases the range of motion, improves strength and minimizes swelling in the upper body.

SOURCE: CNN

I think Michelle Obama would make an excellent First Lady and I hope and dare to say, I think she will get that chance in just a few short weeks from now.

I heard her really speak for the first time when she gave her introductory speech for Barack Obama at the recent 2008 Democratic Convention in Denver, Colorado.  A video and transcripts are available on this New York Times website.

I think she a classy, educated, balanced, ambitious and incredibly poised woman, wife and mother.  I think she truly understands the hardships that average women face on a daily basis.  She also speaks candidly about how she and Barack make their daughters a priority and check in with them on a daily basis at an absolute minimum.  She is working tirelessly to help Barack get elected next month which is only the beginning of some excellent change for this nation.

She recently said on Larry King Live and in other news outlets that she is not mad at Sarah Palin for the negative campaigning and that she isn’t angry at John McCain for refering to her husband as “that one” during the debate last night.  She speaks articulately about her life as a mother and wife and how she is listening to and identifying with other women across this nation who are struggling each day with the juggling act of motherhood.

If you Google her name the results are endless.  Among the media clips and news articles is a site designated to keeping track of all of her appearances and media mentions, Michelle Obama Watch is a repository of photos and media captions.

Postpartum Support International, (PSI) was founded in 1987 to “eliminate denial and ignorance of emotional health related to childbirth.  I’ve written about this topic before but after reading about another mom and blogger who is a little bit overwhelmed right now I feel this is a good opportunity to once again talk about this unfortunately taboo-topic.

Childbirth can be physically stressful.  It IS emotionally stressful, in most cases it is a good stress, a new and positive life change, but it can take time to adjust to a good change.  I really like the mission of PSI: “eliminate the ignorance” of postpartum depression.  Too often women are struggling, silently and even those closest to them do not know or don’t recognize the behaviors and symptoms.

I don’t like the name POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION. The implications are incorrect.  Sometimes the manifestation is in the form of anxiety.  Depression doesn’t always mean you mope around in dark cloud of sadness.  Some women do.  Many other sufferers are actually well functioning mothers and wives.  They wake up each day and smile at their baby, clean the house, shop for groceries, make dinner for their husband and even find some time to post to their blogs.  However, in silence, in their minds they are often riddled with anxiety, worry, and self-criticism, irritability and inadequacy haunt their minds.  Most women don’t even get close to hurting their children.

PSI has a great website for any new mother or mother-to-be.  The resources are up to date and easy to read.  If you suspect you or someone close to you is affected, please reach out and talk to them, show them this posting or this or this.