Susan notes: The original version of this article, with associated comments, appears on www.mercola.com; it was posted here by AWR community member Niveen El Saleh. As there seems to be little one can do to avoid exposure to the flu, it might be sensible to follow Dr. Mercola's advice: eat right, get plenty of rest, exercise and remain calm. Panic won't help anyone...

American health officials declared a public health emergency as cases of swine flu were confirmed in the U.S. Health officials across the world fear this could be the leading edge of a global pandemic emerging from Mexico, where seven people are confirmed dead as a result of the new virus.

On Monday April 27th, the World Health Organization (WHO) raised its pandemic alert level to four on its six-level threat scale,¹ which means they've determined that the virus is capable of human-to-human transmission.

The initial outbreaks across North America reveal an infection already travelling at higher velocity than did the last official pandemic strain, the 1968 Hong Kong flu.

From a recent business study conducted by Accenture:

...there is one area where women in general need to stretch more, and that is technology.

More than three-quarters (79 percent) of men and women who claimed to be "very successful" said they rely on technology in their current roles, and 74 percent of senior executives keep up with the latest technologies, versus 57 percent of those below management levels.

Yet, at the same time, just 59 percent of women called themselves early adopters or innovators of technology, compared to 70 percent of men. In fact, women said they are early adopters or innovators of technology as much as men only in India, Mexico, Spain, Italy and Switzerland.

This discrepancy between men and women does not bode well for women. We've known for some time that technology—blogs, social networks, PDAs, microsites, etc.—play a growing role in the business environment and can help professionals achieve success.

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By Roxanne Taylor
U.S. News & World Report

Ovarian cancer whispers, so listen carefully for telltale signs and symptoms such as:

• pelvic or abdominal pain or discomfort
• vague but persistent gastrointestinal upsets such as gas, nausea, and indigestion
• frequency and/or urgency of urination in the absence of an infection
• unexplained weight gain or weight loss
• pelvic and/or  abdominal swelling, bloating and/or feeling of fullness
• ongoing unusual fatigue
• unexplained changes in bowel habits

If you have these symptoms and they persist for more than 2 weeks, ask your doctor for a combination pelvic/rectal exam, CA-125 blood test, and transvaginal ultrasound.

From an email from Rosemary McCarney, CEO, Plan Canada, just before International Women's Day 2009.

• Nearly 70 per cent of the 1.5 billion people living on $1 a day or less are female.
• Over 60 million girls of primary school age in the developing world are not in school.
• Girls are three times more likely to be malnourished than boys, because families often feed boys first.
• Each year, roughly two million girls between the ages of 5 and 15 are trafficked, sold or coerced into the sex trade.
• Globally, two-thirds of all new HIV infections among youth are in girls.

For more information on how you can help through Plan International, click here.

What’s a sweaty, flushed, insomniac, irritable mid-life woman to do?

Conflicting reports about hormone replacement therapy are making legions of boomers hot and sweaty under the collar

As every menopausal woman knows, there is nothing quite like the hot flash, that sudden is-it-me-or-is-it-hot-in-here moment that takes your breath away. It’s an attack that leaves your face the colour of a ripe tomato, your hair plastered to your head and your clothes soaked through by a flop sweat reminiscent of Albert Brooks in Broadcast News.
 
One minute you are a fully functioning alpha female in your power suit and kitten heels; the next you’re a steaming mass of hormonal confusion desperately hoping the meeting will end so you can go out and roll in the nearest snowbank. It invariably happens at the most inopportune moment: while presenting a business plan to the Board or on the first date after a divorce.

Click here for the full article
By Julie Mason
The Ottawa Citizen

Signs and symptoms everyone should know.

Dim lights

Thanks to Lois Lockwood

Scout Communications

Calgary, Canada

An article in yesterday's New York Times suggests that women may come to dominate the United States workforce during this recession.

The driving force behind the shifting proportion is the fact that 82 per cent of recent job losses have befallen men, who are more heavily represented in distressed industries such as manufacturing and construction. Women, on the other hand, tend to be employed in areas such education and health care, which are less sensitive to economic ups and downs.

The article quotes Heather Boushey, a senior economist at the Center for American Progress who says: “Given how stark and concentrated the job losses are among men, and that women represented a high proportion of the labor force in the beginning of this recession, women are now bearing the burden — or the opportunity, one could say — of being breadwinners.”

CATHERINE RAMPELL