Her Daily News

By now, we have watched President Obama take the Oath of Office, and with that, he has taken on the tremendous responsibility of seeing this country through today’s trying times. According to Hyde Park resident Byron Houzz, however, the new Chief Executive has had plenty of practice.

“He was president of Hyde Park before he was President of the United States,” said Mr. Houzz this morning, as he enjoyed his morning coffee at Third World Cafe, a coffee shop a mere five blocks from Obama’s Chicago residence. In fact, he enjoyed his coffee so much, he declared that it was “presidential coffee” and that shop owner Robert Raymondo would do well to sell it as such.

Mr. Houzz, who works for Chicago Public Schools, said that he had set up his recording device at home to record today’s historic event: “This is something you play back. These are memories.” Those memories-to-be were on everybody’s lips this morning. Another patron wished Mr. Raymondo a “happy blue year.” Newspapers at the nearby CVS Pharmacy sold like hotcakes, while Obama’s campaign mantra of “hope” echoed in the sentiments of many Hyde Park residents.

“I don’t have any illusions, but if anything, we’re moving in a good direction,” said Kimberly, a University of Chicago graduate student. She said that her first thought when she woke up on this snowy January day was that today is Inauguration Day, and that she hasn’t been this excited about a presidential inauguration since Jimmy Carter’s inauguration when she was a small child.

Third World Cafe employee Diana Sturdivant-England shared some memories of her own. A 1970 graduate of nearby Kenwood Academy, she has lived in Hyde Park for decades, and she was in Grant Park for Obama’s victory speech in November. She remembers a Hyde Park of earlier days - a place of mom-and-pop businesses and neighborhood camaraderie.

She says, “I’ve seen a lot of changes, not always good but you’ve got to change with the times.” Where chain restaurants now stand, neighborhood institutions used to cater to locals. Chess players used to flock to Harper Court to play, but that practice has since stopped. However, Ms. Sturdivant-England is still proud to be a Hyde Park resident - she cites the neighborhood’s diversity as a major asset.

The Third World Cafe is a community-oriented independent business where many University of Chicago students are employed, and all of its coffee is free-trade and organic. According to Mr. Raymondo, President Obama has never stopped by, although the Secret Service has, along with members of the international press. He did mention that another notable local resident has come by more than once - Mr. Raymondo said, “You know who did a couple of interviews here? Bill Ayers.”

The spotlight has been on this South Side neighborhood for many months, and while today is an important day for the country and the world, Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood is standing just a little bit taller today. The road ahead for President Obama and the nation is a long one, but the consensus here seems to be that if anyone is up to the challenge, our newly inaugurated Commander-in-Chief is.

Tomorrow marks a big day in American history, as Chicago’s own Barack Obama is inaugurated as the nation’s 44th President and the very first African-American Commander-In-Chief. Everyone wants to watch history unfold as it happens - but where and how will you do it?

Some lucky souls will have the opportunity to witness the occasion in person - in fact, nearly two million people are anticipated in the nation’s capital tomorrow. However, if you are unable to make the trip, television is an obvious second choice. However, this time around, it’s not so simple - Yahoo! News lists the other ways to view the inauguration.

Can’t stay away from your caffeine fix? You’re in luck - select Starbucks locations in New York, Seattle, and San Francisco will host viewings of the inaugural ceremony. If you think our President-elect is larger than life, there’s a viewing for you as well - select cinemas will show MSNBC’s coverage of the ceremony on the big screen. PIC2009.org provides information on viewing parties near you. Webcasts of the day’s festivities will also be widely available.

So we all know how our President-elect will spend his day tomorrow - but what did he do in his last day before taking the Oath of Office? He volunteered! Today, in the spirit of public service, he spent time helping out at D.C. homeless shelter Sasha Bruce House, according to Yahoo! News. It is reported that he impressed his fellow volunteers and the press with his good humor - at one point, while painting a wall, he said, “This is good practice because I’m moving to a new house tomorrow.” He may be on the verge of taking on a daunting responsibility, but as he was throughout his campaign, he is still as cool as a cucumber.

Hi! My name is Erin, and I am the new blogger for Her Daily News. Here, I will bring you a woman’s take on the stories that shape our lives. They may be fun and fanciful, or completely serious, but they’re all a part of a woman’s experience.

A bit about me: I am a 25-year-old woman who lives and works in Chicago. I first became a part of the 451 Press family nearly two years ago, as a writer for Jennifer Aniston Watch on the Celebrities channel. The blogging experience has been a fulfilling one for me, and I look forward to taking on the additional challenge of this blog, along with Hot or Not Beauty, another 451 Press blog. As I write, I look forward to your comments and feedback - after all, we, as women, are an opinionated bunch!

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

Michael Jackson, recording artist and entertainer, has reportedly sold his child-like fantasy home The Neverland Ranch in Santa Barbara, California (120 Miles Northwest of Los Angeles) for $35 million. Sycamore Valley Ranch Company, a company based in Delaware is reportedly a joint venture between Jackson and an affiliate of Colony Capital LLC. This information is unconfirmed at the time of posting because it was reported to the AP from a source unauthorized to speak on the record about the deal.

Neverland, which rests on 2,800 acres has been home to the King of Pop since 1988 when he designed it to be an amusement park. He established a zoo, a Ferris wheel and a roller-coaster. At the height of his popularity, he invited thousands of kids to come play at his ranch.

Jackson defaulted on the $24.5 million he owes on the property and was facing foreclosure. Colony Capital bailed him out earlier this year by purchasing his loan. Colony Capital, based in Los Angeles is a real estate investment company run by billionaire Tom Barrack.

It is rumored that Jackson has upwards of $300 million in debt and legal fees, so this sale for (a measly) $35 million won’t help too much but I suppose it will cover a few legal fees, of which Jackson has incurred many.

He named the ranch Neverland after the fictional world of Peter Pan to create the child’s world that he feels he was denied by being a child star. Michael Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana in 1958.

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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.

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

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

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

India’s Christians have something to celebrate today: At St. Peter’s Square Pope Benedict XVI declared four new saints to the Roman Catholic church including an Indian woman. Her canonization is a morale boost to Christians in India. Catholics are a tiny minority in India and they often suffer violence at the hands of the Hindu peoples.

The Vatican announced that the honor was given to Sister Alphonsa of the Immaculate Conception. She is the first Indian woman to become a saint. Alphonsa was beatified by Pope John Paul II when he made a pilgrimage to India in 1986. Beatification is the last formal step before sainthood. Sainthood is the Church’s highest honor. Alphonsa was a nun from southern India. She died at age 35, in 1946.

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.

It’s been a few months since we last heard about the Mormon Polygamists in Utah and Texas in the news but there are a few books out right now that really give an amazingly heartbreaking and rather informative portrayal of life inside the cult of polygamy.

I am not talking here about the stray and random family who chooses to live in the modern world in a home with one man as husband and several women as “wives”. I am referring here to the large populations that live in a few specific towns on the Utah-Arizona border.

First off,Stolen Innocence is a personal account of Elissa Wall, a most brave and courageous woman who suffered unimaginable abuse of the mind and body for years. Wall writes openly and honestly about her life inside a polygamist family.

I read this book a few months ago as soon as it came out. I read all 500 pages in about three days. I didn’t sleep. It was that good.

Another warrior of a woman, Carolyn Jessop has also written a book about her life. Escape is the story of a mother of eight children, married to a man 32-years her senior when she was a mere 18-years old and her eventual escape in the middle of the night with her children. Neither woman has looked so much as looked back.

I have just started reading this book and just like Stolen Innocence, it is stunning and eloquently written.

Polygamy is illegal in The United States of America. The polygamist sect of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, known as the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints, or FLDS, is not part of the more common Mormon Church, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.