Archive for June, 2008
June 30th, 2008 -- Posted in Story |
About the Author: Arianna Huffington, is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post, a nationally syndicated columnist, and author of eleven books. She is also co-host of “Left, Right & Center,” public radio’s popular political round table program.
In May 2005, she launched The Huffington Post, a news and blog site that has quickly become one of the most widely-read, linked to, and frequently-cited media brands on the Internet.
In 2006, she was named to the Time 100, Time Magazine’s list of the world’s 100 most influential people. Originally from Greece, she moved to England when she was 16 and graduated from Cambridge University with an M.A. in economics. At 21, she became president of the famed debating society, the Cambridge Union.
“On Becoming Fearless….in Love, Work and Life” is Huffington’s most recent and most personal book to date, offering a road map for achieving fearlessness in every aspect of life, a straight-to the point manifesto on how to be bold, how to say what needs to be said and do what needs to be done in order to find the freedom to love, lead and succeed.
“Fanatics and Fools: The Game Plan for Winning Back America”, offers a scathing portrait of our contemporary political landscape with a bold, inspiring and practical approach to restoring America to the promise envisioned by our greatest leaders. It was published in 2004.
“Pigs at the Trough: How Corporate Greed and Political Corruption are Undermining America,” a New York Times bestseller, was published in 2003.
“How to Overthrow the Government,” on the corruption of our political system and the need for reform, was published in 2000.
“Greetings from the Lincoln Bedroom,” a political satire, was published in 1998.
“The Fourth Instinct,” on the longing for meaning in a secular world, was published in 1994.
“Picasso: Creator and Destroyer,” a biography of Pablo Picasso was published in 1988. It was a major international bestseller, translated into 16 languages. The book was made into a film starring Anthony Hopkins as Picasso and produced by Merchant-Ivory for Warner Bros.
“The Gods of Greece,” celebrates the power of myths as guides to forgotten dimensions of life and ourselves. Atlantic Monthly Press republished it with paintings by Françoise Gilot
“The Woman behind the Legend,” published in 1981, a biography of Maria Callas quickly became an international bestseller.
“After Reason,” on political leadership and the intersection of politics and culture was published in 1978.
“The Female Woman,” on the changing roles of women, was published in 1974 by Random House and translated into 11 languages.
Huffington has made guest appearances on numerous television shows, including “Charlie Rose”, “Oprah”, “Nightline”, “Real Time with Bill Maher”, “Inside Politics”, “Larry King Live”, “Hardball”, “Good Morning America”, the “Today” show”, “Countdown” and “The O’Reilly Factor”.
She serves on several boards that promote community solutions to social problems, including A Place Called Home, which works with at-risk children in South Central Los Angeles. She also serves on the Board of Trustees for the Archer School for Girls.
Arianna Huffington lives in Los Angeles with her two teenage daughters.
About the Book: “On Becoming Fearless: …in Love, Work, and Life” is a definite excellent source of concrete ways to deal with fear. In this book you will read and open your mind to many ways to battle just about every type of fear known to womankind. The information and helpful tips are not from a person that has read a book or heard about fear, this book brings its reader, first hand experience and advice based on those experiences.
This book will talk about so many fears such as: love, parenting, childbirth, relationships, divorce, being alone, finding the best friend in you, failure and success, work (overworking), money, illness, aging, freedom to dream forever, letting go, God and death, loss of a person deemed to be your strong hold and foundation, leadership, speaking out, and changing the world.
“ON BECOMING FEARLESS” will help its reader to identify and understand the how’s and whys of certain fears we as women are forced to deal with every day. It will teach you how to find your self-esteem that you once had and strengthen it so that no challenge life offers will taint it again. The author speaks through experiences of a normal everyday women, with every level of issues that we ourselves at one time or another have come in touch with. You will read about be an female activist in a, “mans world” and how the author has managed to overcome her fears in yet another battle against the, “Old School” way of thinking. Arianna Huffington also tries to reach her readers through this book with her insights in the political world and as a women who dared to say, “SO WHAT” and show them that they can be that women of fearlessness!
Womensselfesteem.com highly recommends, “On Becoming Fearless” to anyone that has ever wasted a single minute of their lives in fear and doubt.
Book reviewed by DorothyL@womensselfesteem.com
Personal Note from Dorothy:
Thank You Arianna Huffington for sharing your life experiences with us!
June 27th, 2008 -- Posted in Story |
Anna Nicole Smith is a prime example of a fact: It’s often later than you think. In her case, she probably did not realize that she would not live to the age of 40. She probably did not attach great importance to having an updated will or estate plan.
However, the latter stage of life is simply not the best time to plan. The best time to engage in estate planning is when you are young and healthy. Then as age sets in, or as life circumstances change, the plan should then be updated.
Anna Nicole Smith’s death, and her estate “plan,” provides instructive lessons for all of us concerning our own estate plans:
Lesson 1: You never know when…
This is self-evident. Barring the autopsy report concluding that her death was a result of suicide, it is doubtful that Smith knew that she would never see her 40th birthday.
This highlights the fact that the best time to engage in estate and financial planning is when we are healthy. Yet, it’s very easy to wait — and to simply not think about it until we have to. But we never really know when that crisis will occur.
Remember: Planning for the future does not make it happen any sooner, or later.
Lesson 2: Keep it current.
Smith’s will shows that it was prepared before two major events in her life: Before the death of her son, Daniel, and before the birth of her daughter, Dannielynn. But her 2001 will made no provision for Dannielynn.
In fact, Smith’s will apparently disinherits any future children, arguably including Dannielynn. The first Article of the will provides that “I have intentionally omitted to provide for my spouse and other heirs, including future spouses and children and other descendents now living and those hereafter born or adopted…”
Little did Smith realize in July 2001, when she executed her will
(1) that her son Daniel would predecease her (he died in late 2006),
(2) that she would give birth to a daughter Dannielynn,
(3) that she would not survive her daughter, and
(4) that the United States Supreme Court would ultimately revive her claim to her late husband’s estate, estimated in the amount of $474 million.
Again, the lesson: Keep your estate plan current.
Lesson 3: An outdated estate plan will have unintended consequences.
Given the language in her will, including the clauses specifically omitting gifts to those not named in the will, it is possible that daughter Dannielynn will not receive any part of Smith’s estate. However, on the other hand, it is also possible (but not certain) that Dannielynn’s rights to the estate might be established through California’s “Pretermission Statute” [Probate Code Section 21620].
It is highly unlikely that Smith truly wanted to disinherit her future daughter when she prepared her will. Unfortunately, however, disinheritance is one possible outcome given the wording of her will. If nothing else, the unnecessary ambiguity almost guarantees extended litigation.
Failing to plan your estate in a timely manner almost guarantees unintended consequences.
Lesson 4: How about your child’s guardian?
One major purpose for having a will is to nominate a guardian for your children. Smith nominated a guardian for Daniel, but of course did not nominate a guardian for her daughter Dannielynn.
Given the fact that paternity will probably be established (from a bevy of potential dads, I might add), the lack of a named guardian will probably not be a problem in Dannielynn’s case.
However, even if your estate is not worth $474 million — and few are — it is still worthwhile to have a will. Most of us will still need to identify a guardian for our children.
And who knows what else life has in store for you? Again, keep it current.
You can meet your financial and estate planning goals! A licensed attorney, financial planner and owner of the San Gabriel Valley financial planning firm Stratton Financial and Estate Planning, Larry D. Stratton is in a position to coach and advise you, and to help you plan for your future. He is also the senior associate at the law firm of Hausman & Sosa, LLP, located in Tarzana, California. He also blogs on estate and financial planning issues at Planner’s Thoughts.
Larry Stratton is a member of the Financial Planning Association, and speaks on estate and financial planning topics in Southern California.
June 19th, 2008 -- Posted in Story |
Katherine McPhee, runner-up on the fifth season of American Idol, has had her share of unpleasant rumors since her exposure to the limelight. The most distinct and up to date gossip about the pretty singer is that her distinct and voluptuous breasts are not real.
A probable upshot of envy or just plain tittle-tattle, the buzz has been the cause of much stress and annoyance for McPhee. To finally cease the distasteful hearsays, she seeks the help of legendary Tyra Banks of America’
s Next Top Model and guest stars on The Tyra Banks Show to give the viewers a piece of her mind.
Banks, an African-American celebrity, was popularly known as one of the original Victoria’s Secret Angels. Her career as a model is deemed to be a success, garnering several recognitions and having major modeling credits on the runway, print ads, and commercials such as Cover Girl, Swatch, Pepsi, Nike, Inc., Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren, Dolce & Gabbana and Yves Saint-Laurent just to name a few. In addition, she has graced the covers of renowned magazines like ELLE, Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Amica and Sports Illustrated, which ultimately brought her to fame. Also known as the host and creator of America’s Next Top Model, she encountered the same speculations beforehand. The rumors about her “supposedly” silicon enhanced breasts troubled and hunted the former supermodel, as she is not really an endorser of nip tucks, specifically pertaining to breast augmentation, a subject matter she openly talks about with models on America’s Next Top Model.
To help McPhee end her misery, Banks gave a gentle squeeze to McPhee’s breasts, of course with permission from the former Idol. After the controversial act, Banks concluded that McPhee’s breasts are natural since they “jiggle.” Hopefully, the verification of Bank’s regarding McPhee’s breasts authenticity issues will put an end to the buzzing rumors.
For more information about America’s Next Top Model or even about Tyra Banks Strokes Katherine McPhee’s Breasts please review this website http://www.buddytv.com
June 15th, 2008 -- Posted in Story |
Anna Nicole Smith was famous for being herself. She led a self-created extravagant, loving-every-minute lifestyle. She was constantly in the tabloids pertaining to her mood swings, slurring speech, choices of male companions, and greater-than-life persona. Her sudden death, on February 8, 2007 (Anna Nicole Smith 2007), made the public wonder who this voluptuous woman truly was.
Anna Nicole Smith, born Vickie Lynn Hogan, never seemed to be happy in her environment as a child. She would continuously change her name (Anna Nicole Smith, 2007), trying to be someone else. She used this defense mechanism to flee the emotional inhibitors present in her childhood home. Anna’s half sister has reported that their father had sexually and physically abused Anna and her sisters (msnbc.com, 2007). Anna’s mother removed her from that environment and ended up poor in a trailer park. Anna seemed always to want better, and would do what she needed to achieve her goals.
As described in the Cognitive/ Social Theory (Kowalski & Westen, 2005), Anna felt that by creating a different persona, she would escape her reality and achieve these goals of her ultimate dream of stardom. She believed that by reflecting certain over-exuberant behaviors, she could achieve her pie-in-the-sky dreams. Most anyone who watches television would say that she strived to be the next Marilyn Monroe. This is called a behavioral-outcome expectancy (Kowalski & Westen, 2005). Self-efficacy expectancy explains that Anna knew that she was in control and capable of achieving these goals. She set high personal goals in order to change her life into a dream she had always hoped would come true.
The Humanistic Theory explains that personality is created by one’s environment and societal experiences. Rousseau clearly states (Kowalski & Westen, 2005), “man is born free, but everywhere he is in chains.” (pages 447-448). Anna was a compassionate, life-loving person, but felt held back by society and economics. She found employment in all work environments, from a chicken fry, to Wal-mart, to a strip club, in order to achieve her goals.
While working at the chicken fry, she wed a boy one year younger than she; he was sixteen at the time. They divorced shortly after; she also had a son by this man. Anna Nicole began stripping at a club, while mailing in body shots to Playboy Magazine (Anna Nicole Smith, 2007), trying to get into the Hollywood scene. She was aware of her true self, but was willing to delve into a false self in order to escape her binds (Kowalski & Westen, 2005). She wanted to be accepted and loved by all, literally. Anna met an oil tycoon while stripping, and married him years later. This marriage and relationship was extremely controversial because the gentleman was eighty-nine at the time, she was only twenty-seven. Many, including the man’s son, thought of Anna as a gold digger, but Anna stated that she was self- sufficient and truly loved this man (Goldman, 2001). Again, Anna was making a name for herself and placing herself into the tabloids. She was continuously creating an ideal self. The presence of an ideal self is the complete absorption of the false self, and the complete suppression of one’s true needs and personality (Kowalski & Westen, 2005).
Anna became a widow only one year later. Her husband’s son took Anna to court, preventing her from getting any money. She demanded that she loved him, and he loved her. He wanted her to be taken care of (Goldman, 2001). The case was still dancing in and out of the court system at the time of Anna’s death.
Anna’s death was sudden to everyone. However, she did suffer from depression continuously. She did not hide from the public the fact that she took antidepressants. She had been shown on television obviously mixing alcohol with antidepressants, slurring her speech and flailing her arms in the air (msnbc.com, 2007). Anna especially suffered from depression close to her demise. She had lost her first-born child, twenty years old, and given birth to a daughter, just months before. Anna had not stated who her daughter’s father was; this was discovered after Anna’s death (Anna Nicole’s Afterlife, 2007). Even though she wanted to paint the tabloids with her life, Anna seemed to want this part of her life kept secret. It seemed that she wanted different for her new family.
The Humanistic theory best supports Anna Nicole Smith’s personality. Her childhood was filled with unavoidable situations of her environment. Her adulthood was built on self-created drama and stardom. Anna buried her true self as a young child, renaming herself several times until finally settling on Anna Nicole Smith. She was willing to share her ups and downs with the nation through the ever-honest tabloids, and never flinched when exploited. The one trait Anna never did hide was her big, loving southern heart. She wanted the world to love and remember her for who she was and for what she came from.
References
Anna Nicole’s afterlife. (2007, June 4). Maclean’s, Retrieved October 18, 2007, from Academic
Search Premier database.
Anna Nicole’s half-sister’s tell-all book. (2007, April 12). Msnbc.com, Retrieved October 19,
2007, from www.msnbc.com.
Anna Nicole Smith. (2007, February 17). Economist, Retrieved October 18, 2007, from
Academic Search Premier database.
Goldman, D. (2001, March). The millioraire and the playmate. Biography, 5(3), 28. Retrieved
October 18, 2007, from Academic Search Premier database.
Kowalski, R. M., and Westen, D. (2005). Psychology; The Study of Mental Processes and
Behavior, (4th Edition). USA: John Wily & Sons, Inc.
Summer Willis writes about various psychological topics.
June 2nd, 2008 -- Posted in Story |
For those who struggle with weight issues, there is new hope on the horizon and it’s taking the world by storm. It’s called hoodia gordonii and while it’s not a new, it is certainly creating quite a sensation. CNN, MSNBC, BBC, and CBS 60 Minutes all have been talking about it. Hoodia gordonii has even been talked about in Oprah’s magazine and all of Hollywood seems to be taking notice of it. What is this incredible new diet product? What is hoodia gordonii?
What is Hoodia Gordonii and Where Did it Come From?
What is Hoodia Gordonii? Hoodia gordonii is the botanical name for a certain type of cactus that grows in South Africa. The plant is not that common there, but for many years, it has served quite a useful purpose for natives to South Africa. Often, it was consumed by hunters who would need to be without food for a period of time.
It provided to them an emergency source of food in harsh environmental conditions, where often the environment itself doesn’t provide any other forms of food. The cactus contains an all-natural appetite represent, making the body believe that it is full when it’s really not. That it is the main reason it started to be used as a diet product. People now are becoming a bit more familiar with the name, but still, there are some who don’t know what is hoodia gordonii.
Many users of hoodia gordonii swear by it’s benefits. Compared to other forms of diet pills, it contains no stimulants, no addictives or fillers. The all-natural hoodia gordonii enables appetite control without nasty side effects on the body. It can be used alone as a diet aide, or combined with other supplements to enhance weight loss. Hoodia gordonii comes in both liquid and pill form. The cactus byproduct also contains fiber, antioxidants and calcium, all things to help keep the body healthy.
The only real downfall to the product is because it is so new and the cactus itself is fairly rare, prices for hoodia gordonii are relatively high and sometimes hard to get. However, studies online are reporting that the product helps increase weight loss in most cases by almost forty percent and fat loss by almost fifty percent. So, while it may be expensive, studies are showing it may be worth the price paid.
So what is hoodia gordonii? It’s a new diet supplement that will change the way people diet. You may not have heard of hoodia gordonii yet, but chances are, if you haven’t, you will be shortly. It’s quickly becoming the new way for people to lose weight. Hoodia gordonii for the first time in diet product history, provides consumers with a healthy weight loss supplement that actually benefits the body. It has no harmful chemicals or stimulants, increases energy and facilitates quicker weight loss. That is what all the hype is about.
Losing Weight with Hoodia gordonii
Quite possibly the hardest part about dieting is suppressing your appetite. Whenever your stomach’s rumbling, it’s not too easy to just ignore it and go about your business. However, some new products and ingredients over the years have been discovered, and together they form a group of medicines called anorectics. One such ingredient for many new anorectics comes from the species of plant called Hoodia gordonii. By suppressing your appetite, this plant works to help you lose weight more easily.
Effectiveness
Hoodia gordonii appears to be so effective at curbing your appetite that both the BBC and CBS aired specials on its anorectic properties in 2003. The Sans Bushmen have used its anorectic properties for literally thousands of years. Such celebrities as Anna Nicole Smith have championed its cause, and the company Phytopharm published a report that stated that humans that took medicine made from Hoodia gordonii consumed about 1000 calories less a day than users of a placebo.
Despite such public enthusiasm, no concrete scientific evidence exists yet to prove the effectiveness of Hoodia gordonii, the reason being that the ingredient has only been used in medicine for a few years while other medicines can be researched for decades before the medical field agrees on their effectiveness. Part of this particular drug’s anorectic capabilities may be a direct result of the rather vigorous media conditioning that it has received.
Cindy Heller is a professional writer. Visit dangers of hoodia to learn what is hoodia gordonii and other hoodia weight loss pills.