The Oregon Women's Report - Women's News from Oregon

Wise words from Gwyneth Paltrow

From Evergreen:  Oscar winner and popular actress Gwyneth Paltrow commented to the press yesterday about the difference between Spain and America.   Here is one interesting quote;

“It is so different from the United States. It seemed to have a history, and the buildings are years and years and years old. Here in the United States an old building is about 17 (years old), and over there it’s from 500 B.C., it’s incredible.  Also, the way people live over there. They seem to enjoy life a little bit more. They aren’t running around as much as in New York. They enjoy time with the family. They don’t always have their Blackberries on.”

Online Safety for Parents and Kids

By Erika Weisensee,
A Milwaukie writing mom

From communicating with friends and family across the globe to researching just about anything, the Internet has countless benefits. The downsides of cyberspace are also well known. The reality that predators use the Internet to target their victims is especially frightening. As if the normal concerns of parenting weren’t enough, the Internet gives 21st Century parents one more thing to worry about. Complicating the issue is the fact that many children know more about computers than their parents.  So, how do parents keep kids safe online?

Author calls for ending marriage

The title in the recent Atlantic magazine article by Sandra Tsing Loh spills a shocker, “The author is ending her marriage. Isn’t it time you did the same?”.  The piece has generated much internet buzz.

“In any case, here’s my final piece of advice: avoid marriage—or you too may suffer the emotional pain, the humiliation, and the logistical difficulty, not to mention the expense, of breaking up a long-term union at midlife for something as demonstrably fleeting as love.”

Read whole article here.

Cyber Bullying Affects One in 10 Students

As our kids gets more connected with the internet, texting and iPhones, Oregon parents should be aware of the hidden dangers our kids will be facing.

MONDAY, June 29 (HealthDay News) — Bullying still makes life miserable for plenty of students, only these days some aggressors apparently operate electronically.  A new study shows that many children in grades 6 through 10 have either bullied classmates or been bullied by them, sometimes online or through cell phones.  The study by the National Institutes of Health, released online June 29 in the Journal of Adolescent Medicine, analyzed data from the World Health Organization’s 2005/2006 survey of human behavior in school-aged children. According to the study, 20.8 percent of respondents reported being perpetrators or victims of physical bullying in the past two months; 53.6 percent were victims of verbal bullying; 51.4 percent were victims of relational bullying, which involves social exclusion, and 13.6 percent of cyber bullying on a computer, cell phone or other electronic device.

Tech support begins with you…yes you!

By Lori Brownell,
GM of Product Quality & Support for Microsoft

We all have that person we call with our computer questions.  It might be a friend who works in IT or a nephew who knew the difference between a right click and a left click before he could ride a bike.  We come to rely on these trusted advisors, as they’ve done their fair share of saving us from countless digital disasters. But what about when that friend is busy with her real job, or your nephew goes off to college?  Who can you call on then?

Guess what?  It’s likely you do not need to call on anyone but yourself.  Software support isn’t what it used to be and is actually becoming more automated, intuitive and preventative than ever before.  For example, did you know that …

Easting disorder may have added to Jackson’s death

By Evergreen,

An estimated 8 million Americans suffer from an eating disorder.  Ian Halperin, author of Michael Jackson the Final Years, wrote about Michale Jackson’s eating disorder.

“Meanwhile, everybody around him noticed that Jackson had lost an astonishing amount of weight in recent months. His medical team even believed he was anorexic. ‘He goes days at a time hardly eating a thing and at one point his doctor was asking people if he had been throwing up after meals,’ one staff member told me in May. ‘He suspected bulimia but when we said he hardly eats any meals, the doc thought it was probably anorexia. He seemed alarmed and at one point said, ‘People die from that all the time. You’ve got to get him to eat.’’Indeed, one known consequence of anorexia is cardiac arrest. ”

Weekly Photo: More honest road signs

40% have dated a co-worker

According to CareerBuilders.com: “Four-in-ten (40 percent) workers reveal they have dated a co-worker at some time during their careers, with 18 percent admitting to doing it twice or more, according to CareerBuilder.com’s annual office romance survey of more than 8,000 workers. More than three-in-ten (31 percent) said they went on to marry the person they dated at work.  Office courtships may be stemming from current workplace crushes. Ten percent of workers currently work with someone who they would like to date, with more men (14 percent) than women (5 percent) reporting they would like to do so.  Workers aren’t just interested in dating their peers. Among workers who dated a co-worker in the last year, thirty-four percent admit they have dated someone with a higher position in their company.”

70% of women experienced a sexual health issue

HealthDay News– A new survey finds that 70 percent of American women have experienced a sexual health issue, and 22 percent felt very or extremely concerned about it. The survey defined a sexual health issue as any one of the following conditions: lack of desire for sexual activity, inability to become sexually aroused, inability to have an orgasm, pain during intercourse, vaginal dryness, or excessive desire for sexual activity.

What to do when kids break things

By Jean Tracy, NW Author
KidsDiscuss.com, Parent Newsletter

How do you discipline your kids when they break things? First, decide whether it’s a rare accident or a pattern that stems from disobedience rooted in impulsiveness or not caring. If it’s a rare accident, the consequences you deliver may be simple and straightforward, “Get the broom and clean up the mess.” If it’s a disobedience pattern, then you need to be on the lookout for blaming (”The teapot was too close to the edge of the table.”) or not caring (”What’s the big deal? That’s an ugly old teapot.”)

How will you discipline?

Dancing down memory lane, a Father’s Day frozen in time

by Kay Helbling

The beautiful Pittock Mansion seems an appropriate place to celebrate the last 150 years of Oregon architecture. As a part of the state’s sesquicentennial celebration, they are exhibiting some of Oregon’s familiar structures–as well as those not-so-well-known. More than 30 works were juried for their beauty, utility, or ingenuity and hang in the Mansion’s 23 rooms.

The Pittock Mansion in its own right is an architecural marvel. As a piece of Oregon history it’s a favorite stop for many tourists who visit Portland. The beauty of the structure is enhanced by the grounds and the panoramic view of the city. On a clear summer day, six mountain peaks can be seen, including the majestic Mt. Hood.

It was on just such a day that I took a tour of the mansion with my father. After walking through her rooms, we stepped out onto the wide porch that surrounds the structure. We began talking about all the wonderful parties they must have had at this amazing home. At that moment, we took a step back into history. My dad took me in his arms and we danced a slow waltz, following the porch around the structure then down the steps and across the lawn.

Buying shoes at vending machines to hit America

From Evergreen,

Rollasole is a new invention where you can buy foldable shoes from a vending machine.  It was featured on NBC News this week and is opening up in clubs in Los Angeles and New York. The inventor has experienced 600% increase in sales in the last six months and was quoted in the BBC News sas saying, “He came up with the Rollasoles idea after being inspired by a stiletto-loving girlfriend who complained about her crippled feet every time they went out.”After getting tired of giving my girlfriend a piggyback home every Saturday night, I had a ‘eureka’ moment,” he said. “Within six months we were selling thousands of them.” Read whole story here.

Larger plates lead to more eating. A new trend starts.

By Erika Weisensee

Over the years, our dinner plates have grown larger and larger. Unfortunately, so have our waistlines. The Small Plate Movement is aimed at helping American families lose weight and feel healthier by reducing the size of dinnerware. Can losing weight really be as simple as eating off of smaller plates? Well, it’s a start. According to scientific research, people take up to 25% more food when they use larger plates.

The Small Plate Movement is a combined effort of the academic, medical and government communities, as well as private industries. The coalition, whose work centers around a media and public awareness campaign, is currently promoting its “Small Plate Movement Challenge,” urging people to eat their largest meal of the day off a plate that is 10-inches or smaller.

Health Tip: Why is the Room Spinning?

HealthDay News — Dizziness typically isn’t a serious problem. Most of the time, dizziness resolves itself or the underlying cause can be treated fairly easily.  The U.S. National Library of Medicine offers these common reasons for dizziness:

* Standing up too quickly.
* The flu.
* The common cold.
* Allergies.
* Low blood sugar.
* Vertigo.

Women less happy than 30 years ago. Why?

Mehgan Daum of the Los Angeles Times detailed new national figures in a recent article.

“A study released last month from the National Bureau of Economic Research and the University of Pennsylvania showed that even though men’s and women’s happiness levels have both gone down over the last few decades, women’s “subjective well-being” has declined “both absolutely and relatively to men.” The data came from a cross-section of ethnic and socioeconomic groups in several industrialized countries, and appeared to be big news primarily for one reason: When the same research was conducted in the 1970s, women reported higher levels of happiness than they do today.”

What is your opinion?

Not All Sunglasses Are Created Equal

HealthDay News — Price and style — not protection from the sun’s harmful rays — are most people’s main considerations when buying sunglasses, a new survey has found. But that’s not a good thing, health-wise, says the American Optometric Association, which conducted the survey. “Overexposure to UV [ultraviolet] rays has been linked to a variety of problems, including age-related cataracts and degeneration of the cornea,” Dr. Gregory W. Good, an optometrist and association spokesman, said in a news release from the group.

Origins and ideas on lace

by Cathy Rae Smith
founder of Culture Magazine

During the reign of King Louis XV, known as the Rococo period for its decorative flourishes and curvilinear style, lace enjoyed popularity unprecedented in history. During this time of the 17th century, the wearing of lace carried such status that law to be worn by anyone outside of nobility restricted it. By the 18th century its use knew no such bounds. Anyone who could afford this delicately hand fashioned bit of finery donned it as a symbol of status. The more money one had, the more lace. According to the Costumes Organization, a lace called “Alencon” was considered the most elegant and aristocratic due to its rarity and high cost. By the late 18th century, lace took a less conspicuous role, remaining underground to women’s lingerie. It transformed from a status symbol to an accessory for women of sensual enticement.

Weekly Photo: Fun with nature

Low-cost or No-cost ideas for Father’s Day

Below is an excerpt from an article entitled  NO-COST or LOW-COST Father’s Day ideas!,
From Four Reluctant Entertainers
More to read, view full article here.

1. Have each one of your kids tell their father what they admire about him. You can do this around the dinner table.  Using words is very meaningful.

2. Have your kids take their “words” and put them into an art project. Generate using their own writing or on the computer, buy a frame from the Dollar Store, or look around your house and find an unused frame lying around.