Other CNN Women Heros - Check Them Out!

Women are accomplishing great things everyday. CNN is taking the time to report on these everyday heros and with all the bad news out there these stories bring some positive to the news world.

Here are a few that have made the news...

Susan Burton
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/02/18/cnnheroes.burton/

Linda Fondren
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/08/05/cnnheroes.fondren.vicksburg/index.html

Guadalupe Arizpe De La Vega
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/09/09/cnnheroes.delavega.juarez.hospital/index.html

Elena Duron Miranda
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/09/09/cnnheroes.delavega.juarez.hospital/index.html

Diane Latiker
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/LIVING/04/07/cnnheroes.latiker.roseland.youth/index.html

I hope these examples of good works encourage all of us to step up and join in.

A Hero You Should Know!

Anuradha Koirala - CNN 2010 Hero of the Year

She in the fight to end sex trafficking.

http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2011/06/23/cnnheroes.koirala.update.cnn?iref=allsearch

In A League Of Her Own

This is the story of Little Leaguer "Chelsha Baker". She is 13 years old and from Plant City, Florida. She throws a knuckleball and was taught by former major leaguer Joe Niekro. An inspiring story for all.

View the story and read more about it from ESPN on CBS Sports....

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/e60/news/story?id=5386830

15 Medical Tests Every Woman Should Have

Medical tests are so very important to take. They can save your life! So this month we are sending out information in hope that more females take time to take care of themselves so they can live longer healthier lives.


This list from Caring.com includes tests from blood pressure to Colonoscopy.

1. Cholesterol screening/lipid profile
When to start: Age 20.
How often: Every five years. If testing reveals your levels are high, your doctor will recommend retesting every six months to one year. If you have risk factors for heart disease in your family, the regular cholesterol test may not be specific enough; ask your doctor for an additional test called the lipoprotein subfraction test. It’s more sensitive and checks the size of the cholesterol particles as well as the amount.

2. Blood pressure check
When to start: Any age; best to begin during childhood.
How often: Once a year if readings are normal; your doctor will recommend every six months if readings are high or if you’re taking medication to control hypertension.

3. Diabetes screening
When to start: At the start of pregnancy or at age 45 if you have no risk factors or symptoms. If you’re significantly overweight, have high blood pressure, or have other risk factors for diabetes, such as family history of the disease, it’s a good idea to get tested younger. If your insurance doesn’t cover it, free testing is available at most major chain drugstores.
How often: Every three years

4. Bone density test
When to start: At age 65, when all women should have a DXA. But if you’ve had a hysterectomy or have reached menopause and have risk factors for bone loss such as being thin or having a history of fractures, you should talk to your doctor about being screened now.
How often: Every five years

5. Vitamin D test
When to start: Age 40; sooner if you have signs or risk factors for osteoporosis. As we age, our bodies become less efficient at synthesizing vitamin D from the sun, so after age 40 it’s more likely that you’ll become D-deficient. Also, if you have any signs of low bone density, such as a fracture, your doctor will want to test your vitamin D along with your bone density.
How often: Although vitamin D testing isn’t yet required or listed on the official schedule of recommended tests, more and more doctors are recommending it as an annual test after age 45, along with diabetes screening.

6. Colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy
When to start: Age 50 for those with no risk factors. If, however, you have a first-degree family member who’s had colon cancer before the age of 50, begin colonoscopy screening when you’re ten years younger than the age at which your family member was diagnosed. If a family member was diagnosed at 45, for example, you should have your first screening at 35.
How often: Flexible sigmoidoscopies should be repeated every five years, and a colonoscopy should be repeated every ten years. A computerized imaging technique called virtual colonoscopy is gaining popularity at some medical centers, but many doctors still consider it experimental and some insurers, including Medicare, don’t cover it.

7. Fecal occult blood test (FOBT)
When to start: At age 50; your doctor may suggest it earlier if there’s cause for concern about intestinal conditions.
How often: Yearly after age 50

8. Skin cancer screening
When to start: Any age
How often: Experts recommend conducting a personal “mole check” once a month in the shower to look for unusual growths or changes to existing moles. If you notice anything unusual, call your doctor. Many communities offer free skin cancer screenings, usually held at drug stores or clinics. They’re often held in May, just as the summer season begins and people start to expose more skin.

9. Eye exam and vision screening
When to start: Age 18
How often: Every one to three years between the ages of 18 and 61, says the American Optometric Association; after that, as often as your doctor thinks is necessary depending on what’s happening with your vision. If you have diabetes, you’re at much higher risk for eye problems and should be checked more often.

10. Hearing test (audiogram)
When to start: When you or others notice problems
How often: Hearing tests are voluntary, but the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association recommends hearing tests every ten years for adults up to age 50. After that, experts recommend hearing tests every three years.

11. Thyroid test
When to start: Age 35
How often: The American Thyroid Association recommends a thyroid test every three to five years after the age of 35. Other doctors don’t recommend a thyroid test for midlife adults unless you have symptoms of hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism. Many women begin to experience thyroid problems in their 40s and 50s, so if you have any question about whether your thyroid levels are normal, ask your doctor to order tests. After the age of 60, thyroid testing is usually conducted annually.

12. Screening for metabolic syndrome
When to start: Age 50
How often: Every three to five years, along with cholesterol and diabetes screening

13. Pelvic exam and pap smear
When to start: At age 21 or within three years of becoming sexually active
How often: Every year, although some doctors will allow you to go two to three years between exams if all your results have been normal.

14. Physical breast exam
When to start: Age 20.
How often: Experts recommend home breast exams once a month; it’s usually best to do them just after your period ends, when breasts aren’t as tender or sore. Women over age 18 should have a doctor perform a breast exam once a year; this is usually done along with the pelvic examination.

15. Mammogram
When to start: Age 40; however, if your mother or sister was diagnosed with breast cancer, especially if she was younger than 40, experts recommend starting mammograms five to ten years earlier than the age at which your relative was diagnosed.
How often: Every year. (Disregard recent controversy over mammogram frequency until final recommendations are issued.)

http://www.caring.com/articles/15-medical-tests-every-woman-should-have

Divas We Are Purpose

When I started this site I did not know where it would take me. I had so many plans for the site and what I wanted to come from it.

As time went on with the site some purposes of the site changed. After receiving so many comments about the work I was doing on the site I listened and realized that women wanted one place to get information about a little of everything thus turning the site more into a resource for women. As you review our current topics as well as our archives you will find a variety of information that you can use, teach, and inform others on.

I appreciate all the comments, advice, and support that I have received.

I hope that all of you continue to come to the site and to recommend the site to others.

Stephanie Jeffries
Founder, Divas We Are

Happy Mother's Day!

I am in the United States but in places like Melbourn, Sydney, and Toyko it is Mother's Day already so I am sending out my Mother's Day wishes to all Mothers around the world now.

We would like to hear some great Mother/Daughter stories so take a few moments and share some with us.

Happy Mother's Day! Enjoy your day for you have deserved it!

She's Notre Dame's First Black Valedictorian - WBBM 780 - Chicago's #1 source for local news, traffic and weather

She's Notre Dame's First Black Valedictorian - WBBM 780 - Chicago's #1 source for local news, traffic and weather

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Hot Topic of the Month - June 2009

First, let me say how sorry I am that this month is so delayed. It is because of a good thing. I obtained one of my goals and I have been working on that project but I did not forget about the Divas.

This month continues the series on Balancing Your Life. We will be concentrating on Family. Family should be one of our top priorities yet so many people put their family on the "back burner" so to speak. Then one day they look up and the children are grown and/or they have no communication or established relationships. Alot of people say to themselves "I have time or maybe tomorrow" instead of realizing life is short and fast.

I can not stress the importance of taking "quality" time with your family whether it is just you and your partner or you and your children or a complete family with two parents and children. Everyone needs and wants attention and want to feel love and even needed. Are you devoting enough time to your family?

Post the things that you do with your family. You may have suggestions that others could use. Post things that are free or inexpensive so that others that may be on a tight budget may benefit from.

Hot Topic of the Month - May 2009

This month we start a series on Balancing Your Life. Balance in your life is so very important because without balance you can spread yourself to thin, work un-smart, and miss important time with family and friends.

I learned this concept many years ago and it has played an important part of keeping my life active, enjoyable, and together. My place of employment required that everyone that held certain job descriptions take Priority Management. Priority Management is a time management course. In this course it teaches you that planning of your time should include these six components of your life. The six components are Financial, Intellectual, Family, Physical, Social, and Spiritual. If you correctly plan your time and include all six components your life will be well adjusted, happy, healthy, and fulfilled. I have found this to be true because when I make and plan time for all six my life is at it best!

The financial part we covered in February, March and April. Intellectual, Family, Physical, and Social will be covered later this year. So we will cover Spiritual this month. What do I mean by spiritual? I mean how to live a spiritual life and what is involved in living a spiritual life. A spiritual life involves the folowing....

1) Drawing closer to a higher power (For example, in my case this means God!)
2) Seeking wisdom
3) Striving for growth
4) Deep connections with others
5) Tolerance and forgiveness of others

Making yourself a better person. Giving thought to your actions. Becoming the best you can be. Striving for gold. Or as Webster Dictionary states "characterized by the ascendancy of the spirit; showing much refinement of thought and feeling".

As you reflect on this I will add more in comments so look for updates by clicking on comments at the bottom of this post soon.

For more on Priority Management click on their website below
http://www.prioritymanagement.com/

Happy 1st Anniversary Divas We Are!

Divas We Are is celebrating our 1st Anniversary this month and we could not have done it without you. We are also celebrating our first major mark of hits to our sites. We have more than 1,000 hits!

Thank you so much and please continue to make Divas We Are sites the sites you come to for information, social, and blogging. Don't forget to share with your friends and family.

We hope that we have provided information that you can use to help you and your family. We also hope that we have encouraged you and showed you the possibilities that you can achieve.

Thank you again and God bless you and your family!

From Stephanie Jeffries
Founder of Divas We Are

Hot Topic of the Month - April 2009

This is the final topic for the financial series and it is on Giving Back. It is about charity and the good you can do by supporting various charities. It just feels good to help others. Try it sometime!

Doing these hard economic times you may feel that you are just making it but even a dollar here or there can mean so much to someone who is less fortunate than you. When many give just one dollar it can add up to millions!

As you pay off your debt and start earning interest and dividends on the money you are saving and investing please remember to give. Even the U.S. government supports the idea of giving back by allowing us to reduce our taxes by donations to charitable organizations. I will post additional information on what is allowed to be taken as a charitable donation on your taxes from the IRS website. Check it out in the comments to this post. You can get to it by scrolling down to the bottom of this post (the same on all posts) and clicking on comments.

Finally, even though this post is about giving back financially don't forget you can give in other ways by helping someone or organization with your time and efforts. By donating items that other can use. By sharing what you have. By spreading the word of the good works of an organization.

Hot Topic of the Month - March 2009

So far this year we have covered the topics of Setting and Realizing Goals in January and in February we learned about Getting Out of Debt. We also addressed different ways to handle your debt problem and creating a monthly budget to help you become finanically free.

The topic for this month is about Saving. Now that you are using your monthly budget and have paid down your debt, if not paid it off, then saving is your next step and deciding what to do with your savings.

You may ask why I did not start saving before the goals and debt topics and I want to explain why. Say you are paying 15% or more interest monthly on high credit card debt but your monthly savings is only receiving a 4% rate of return are you really coming out ahead? The answer to this will be covered later on this month.

How do you determine how much to save? There are a lot of theories and calculators that you could use but I personally use the 10-10-80 plan. There are many other plans available but this one works for me. Just like I found the one that works for me you will need to find the one that works for you. We will examine my plan and a few more before the end of the month.

While you are waiting on the next insatllment in this series check out ways you are interested in utlizing the money you have or will save. We will be discussing the following....

• Savings Accounts
• 401K and other company deferral options
• IRA - Traditional and Roth
• Stocks, Bonds, and other securities investments
• Real Estate

This month will have a lot of information posted under comments to this post for you to review so check back often!

Hot Topic of the Month - February 2009

Today we start the series on Building Sound Financial Practices and our first goal for the year Getting Out of Debt. In these times it is so important that everyone takes a realistic look at their debt. Recent news shows how bad of shape the economy is in! Lays offs and unemployment are soaring! People are losing a great deal of money in the stock market. People are losing their homes to foreclosure. With all of this going on there is still hope if you start to build sound financial practices that take you through the good and bad times.

Some of the topics that will be addressed this month are...

• Starting and Keeping a Budget
• Making Decisions on How To Handle Debt
• Consolidate vs Bankruptcy

Check back throughout the month to see these and other topics being discussed. Ideas to help you, if you are in debt, will also be provided for you to consider.

In the mean time the first step is to find out exactly how much debt you are in. One way this can be done is by gathering together all your account statements and bills. Remember this to get to a good action plan on how to deal with your debt you need to first know how much debt you are in.

After you gather together all of your information the next step is to put it down in one place. I personally use a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet but it can be a bill book or software package that have this feature or even just a writing pad. The important thing is that in one place you have all your debt written down or inputted.

This is a process that I do every year so I will be going through it with you every step of the way. It will take time and a desire to get out of debt and be financially free but this is one goal that if you realize it will make your life better and less stressful.

Hot Topic of the Month - January 2009

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I decided not to do a December 2008 Hot Topic of the Month because I wanted us to start the 2009 New Year with a new beginning and focus. This year is all about the positive! It's about setting and realizing goals. It's about balancing your life, improving your life, being happy and celebrating you and your accomplishments!

Every New Year people set goals and make resolutions. They even try to work at them as best that they could but why do they fail? The reason why is because most are unrealistic. Or because they take on too many big ones at one time. Also, some do not understand the difference between a goal and a resolution. A resolution is defined as a decision of future action. A goal is defined as an object or end that one strives through action to attain.

Each of the following 11 months we will tackle different goals on the site to help you realize a better you by the end of the year. This will take place in 4 different plans of action as follows...

1. Building Sound Financial Practices

• Getting Out of Debt - February 2009
• Saving - March 2009
• Giving Back Through Charity - April 2009

2. Balancing Your life

• Spiritual - May 2009
• Family - June 2009
• Vacation/Free Time - July 2009

3. Improving Your Life

• With Better Health - August 2009
• With Education - September 2009
• With Your Career - October 2009

4. A Happier You

• Being Happy With Yourself and Your Life - November 2009
• Celebrating The New You! - December 2009

Hopefully by the end of 2009 all of us will have met at least a couple of our goals and will be in a better place mentally, emotionally and financially.

On this site you will find a link to 43 Things. It is a site about goals. I personnally used this site often and I have shared it with my friends and co-workers. Take a look and give it a try.

Throughout this month the site will be updated with information on setting and realizing goals. Information will be added on suggestions of steps to be successful at meeting your goals. In the meantime look over the 11 month schedule for 2009.

Again, Happy New Year!

Hot Topic of the Month - November 2008

Image is defined in Webster's Dictionary as a mental picture of something; conception; idea; impression. In this case the mental picture is the impression your image have left on someone mind. You only have one chance to make a first impression but everyday you have a chance to make a lasting impression. Your image is vital to your success and the realization of your dreams! To prove the point...how many makeover shows are on television these days? Not that you just need to be beautiful or even pretty but these shows brings out the fact that you should also dress, talk, and improve yourself to be successful in life and to be taken seriously. Do you work on your image as part of your goals to be successful or to realize your dreams? Do you think your image is as important as education or experience? Do you know that your image carries over to your friendships and relationships and the success you have in them? Do you carry yourself with integrity, self-assurance, dignity, calmness and composure? Ask yourself how do your image reflect to others? Is it positive or negative? Looking at your own image, be honest, if you were someone else would you promote you or hire you or offer you a chance to represent the company you work for? Let us know what you think.

Hot Topic of the Month - October 2008

Friendship is one of the most valuable assets one can have. The bible states at Proverbs 18:24 that"there exists a friend sticking closer than a brother". It also shares that "bad associations spoil useful habits" at 1 Corinthians 15:33. These points question what is the difference between a true friend and an associate? Should your mate be your friend first? Do you know how to make and keep a good friend? If you are young should your parents have a say in who you are friends with? Are you friends with someone for the right reasons? Are you friend worthy? Shares your thoughts with us. Also share with us some of your great friendship stories. Make sure you give details on how you met and how long you have been friends.

Hot Topic of the Month - September 2008

School is in! You are in college now tasting your new found freedom and in a new city with limited or no family and/or friends around...Or all your friends from grammer school are going to a different high school because your family have moved or decided to place you in another school...What do you do? How do you start over? Where do you go from here? Are you apprehensive or nervous? Do you live with a stranger now defined as a room-mate in a dormitory? How do you handle the new teachers, professors, and/or advisors that expect so much from you now? Is the transition from preteen to teen or teen to adult blowing you away? Share your stories with us. Let us know how you are handling things or not handling things. Send advice or ask for suggestions.

Hot Topic of the Month August 2008

Do you know how to get out or get help if you are in an abusive situation? It is various types of abuse including but not limited to verbal, mental, physical, and sexual. It can be a bully in school or a boyfriend beating you up or someone you trust touching you in an improper manner or someone sent you an soliciting email or even rape. Do you know the warning signs? Would you tell even if they tell you not to tell? Would you be scare to tell if they threatened you or your family if you told?

Hot Topic of the Month July 2008

When are you an adult? Does age or maturity make you an adult? or both?

Hot Topic of the Month June 2008

Should there be rules to dating or go with the flow?