Archives
End the Abuse
The Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (VAWA) is a United States federal law signed by President Bill Clinton on September 13, 1994. The Act provided $1.6 billion toward investigation and prosecution of violent crimes against women, imposed automatic and mandatory restitution on those convicted, and allowed civil redress in cases prosecutors chose to leave unprosecuted. The Act also established the Office on Violence Against Women within the Department of Justice.
from Wikipedia
A Teen Just Trying To Figure It Out
“Just be Stevie Nicks”. What do you think that means?
The Right to Choose
“Birth control has almost completely and totally disappeared from the global health agenda, and the victims of this paralysis are the people of Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.”
Melinda Gates
Women in Motion
I’m excited to introduce you to a new focus for OH: Women in Motion. Starting with today’s post, we will begin meeting women from around the world who have stories to tell about where they are in their lives right now. Some names you will recognize and some you will meet for the first time.
I hope the stories will help to open your eyes and heart and give new understanding to what individuals go through in life.
Happenstance
You may have thought that since you hadn’t heard from me in several weeks, I was in the hammock by myself, drinking Margaritas and not being very social. To be honest, I think you could ask my friends and they would say that I sometimes disappear—not for long, but for some reason I pull in, instead of push out. Now I’m over that and I’m back.
Paying Your Way
What happens in a relationship when, after years of having two incomes, one of you is out of work and can’t contribute to the financial health of your family? It can affect every aspect of your relationship.
A Month of Madness
March started off with 64 College Basketball teams who would play off to a final game in which one team would become the NCAA 2012 champions. That will happen tonight, but by the time the last week in March rolled around, there were a few other things going on that had everyone’s attention.
Your Heart
"Because women don't look like men, they don't look like that male-pattern heart disease that we've spent the last 50 years understanding … they're not recognized for their heart disease.”
"More women die of heart disease than breast cancer".
C. Noel Bairey Merz
Bullying
For a person who gave up news for a couple of weeks, I’ve been pulled right back into the fray. It’s hard not to get involved when you have strong feelings about certain things.
“Bullying is the most common form of violence in our society; between 15% and 30% of students are bullies or victims”.
From NASP Resources article
Honesty
The majority of us like to think that we are honest human beings. We don’t steal, we don’t talk behind others’ backs and we tell the truth when asked a question. But do we really?
SAD
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is episodes of depression that occur at a certain time of the year, usually during winter.
I’m Giving it Up
I’ve made a decision that for two weeks I’m going to stay away from information that I can’t do anything about and that stays in my mind and haunts me.
Lost Words
I’ve been doing something lately that is scaring me. I’ll be in a conversation and have a thought that I want to pass on. I’ll bring up the topic, and then I can’t remember what I want to say about the topic.
Remorse
Definition: “A gnawing distress arising from a sense of guilt for past wrongs”. Should this word and this state of mind be scrubbed from the English language, except for heinous crimes?
Something New
I realized recently that getting unstuck is about having something to look forward to in life.
Almost There
Sometimes my best laid plans don't come through.
Stumbling Along
Do you ever go through a weird period after the holidays when you feel like you can’t get back on track? Do you begin to wonder if you were ever on track—and if you were on track, whose track and was it the right track or the wrong track?
New Year’s Eve
We had a great New Year’s weekend with dear friends and after dinner we started talking about our life stories: as in what was it like growing up in New York in the 1940’s? What was your family like, where did you go to school? What came out of our discussion was how much do we really know about our friends lives?
Hope 2012
This post marks the second anniversary of Ohladida and it's a great time to look back at what was in my head in the New Year of 2010.
Stuff I Still LIke
If you’ve lived in the same house for years, the holidays may be the only time you re-arrange or even notice the things around you. In my case, this is the only time of the year I ever really consider the placement of things in my life.
Week of Equality
“It is violation of human rights when people are beaten or killed because of their sexual orientation, or because they do not conform to cultural norms about how men and women should look or behave. It is a violation of human rights when governments declare it illegal to be gay, or allow those who harm gay people to go unpunished”.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's Human Rights Day speech, delivered in Geneva on December 6th, 2011.
Shop and Give Local
We have an amazing Chamber of Commerce on Orcas Island and one of the activities they support is “Shop Local”. They know that all of us sometimes take for granted those wonderful little shops that make our neighborhood experiences so special. If we want to see our local merchants prosper and remain in our lives, we’ve got to support them.
An Open Plan
Unless you live in an old house, long gone are the days of the hostess gliding through the swinging kitchen door into the dining room like Loretta Young with the perfect Thanksgiving bird. For many of us, the prep and cooking happens right in front of everyone and actually becomes a part of the celebration. In fact, it IS the celebration if you live in an open plan home.
Thanksgiving 2011
We had our first snowfall on Friday night and I can’t believe it’s already Thanksgiving. Another check-in on life and how fast time flies.
Staring Into Space
Sometimes when I get a topic in my head and start writing, the thoughts go off in different directions. Then one thing leads to another and all of a sudden I’m on three or four different subjects. That happened last week when I was going on about “getting out of the box”. I kept coming back to another topic that I think is worth exploring.
You, In a Box
We all suspect, or at least have been told, that the older we get the more set in our ways we become. This could have to do with having an aversion to change, becoming complacent, remembering lessons learned long ago or building unrealistic expectations of others. We sort of build a box, put all of these things in it and seal it shut. If you ask me, all of these can be the kiss of death in your relationships with others and yourself.
Beauty & Simplicity
“History will place him in the pantheon right next to Thomas Edison and Henry Ford. More than anyone else of his time, he made products that were completely innovative, combining the beauty of poetry and the power of processors”.
Quote from Time Magazine article “Steve Jobs/American Icon” by Walter Isaacson
Church and State
I have to say that I’ve become complacent in regard to this idea of separation of Church and State in our government, but now we’re into something different.
Thermography
“Every year when Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October) comes around I am saddened and surprised that thermography hasn't become more popular. Part of this is my mindset. I'd rather focus on breast health and ways to prevent breast cancer at the cellular level than put the emphasis on testing and retesting until you finally do find something to poke, prod, cut out or radiate. That's why I call October Breast Health Awareness Month, not Breast Cancer Awareness Month”.
Christiane Northrup, MD
National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
This month marks the 25th year of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. What has happened in the past 25 years?
Tortoise or Hare
Are you lollygagging down the road of life or are you running as fast as you can?
Does it make any difference?
At Your Own Speed
I believe that from birth we’re all set at different speeds. Some of us are mired in inertia, some are slow to take on new things and some are out of the gate as soon as an inkling becomes a thought. This makes for interesting life challenges when you live with someone working at a different speed than yours.
A Life Story
“For several decades, Psychiatrists who work with the dying have been trying to come up with new psychotherapies that can help people cope with the reality of their deaths. One of these therapies asks the dying to tell the story of their life”.
Article by Alix Spiegel for NPR, For The Dying, a Chance To Rewrite Life
Acts of Kindness
In the midst of this chaotic world we live in, small acts of kindness still exist.
Camp Orcas
Do you have childhood memories of going to summer camp?
It may have been day camp, sleepover camp or just sleeping outside in your backyard with a blanket over the clothesline that passed for a tent. For a child, these are memories they carry with them for the rest of their lives.
And When I Die
Give me my freedom for as long as I be / All I ask of living is to have no chains on me / All I ask of living is to have no chains on me / And all I ask of dying is to go naturally / Oh, I want to go naturally
Blood, Sweat & Tears: And When I Die Lyrics
The Dog Dilemma
The saying “a dog is a woman’s best friend” can play out in two different scenarios.
A Hard Pill to Swallow
I had no intention of starting a beautiful Sunday morning with a depressing state of affairs, but as usual on Sunday mornings, I read the Op-Ed page in the New York Times and now I’m in a funk. I wrote a piece when Obama was elected that shared the hope that we all felt (maybe not all of us, but most of the people that I know) and I’ve been having a hard time letting that “hope” go.
A Day At The Beach
TEL AVIV — "Skittish at first, then wide-eyed with delight, the women and girls entered the sea, smiling, splashing and then joining hands, getting knocked over by the waves, throwing back their heads and ultimately laughing with joy."
New York Times article by Ethan Bronner
Summer Nights
I love watching movies late on summer evenings with all the windows and doors wide open. It reminds me of the drive-ins we used to enjoy in the summertime. Do they even exist anymore?
To Buy or Not To Buy Organic
This topic can be as confusing as paper or plastic. How do you know when you are spending wisely and when you could save some money on fruits or vegetables that aren’t as affected by pesticides?
Operation Beautiful
The goal of the website is to end negative self-talk or “Fat Talk.” If this little blog only does one productive thing, I hope it helps readers realize how truly toxic negative self-talk is—it hurts you emotionally, spiritually, and physically.
Caitlin Boyle, founder of Operation Beautiful
Shame on Us
EUGENICS: noun; plural but singular in construe \yü-ˈje-niks\
A science that deals with the improvement (as by control of human mating) of hereditary qualities of a race or breed
Merriam Webster Dictionary
Single Dads
According to a New York Times article, a single male heads 12.09% of families in the United States.
Guest House
kRi & Hettie
Going Home
When I mentioned to a friend that I was flying home to Louisville, Kentucky for my 50th grade school reunion, she looked at me like I was nuts; then after some thought, she agreed that it could be very special. After all, it had been 50 years since some of us had seen each other and when we graduated we weren’t fully grown. We hadn’t even begun to really live our lives.
Moving On
"You are responsible for your life. You can't keep blaming somebody else for your dysfunction. Life is really about moving on."
Oprah Winfrey
Some Powerful Men
Sex. Lies. Arrogance. What makes powerful men act like pigs?
TIME cover story by Nancy Gibbs
Looking Back
Abraham Lincoln was elected president in 1860 and the next year all hell broke loose.
The Importance of Someplace Else
A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.
~Lao Tzu