Social networking may not be new, we’ve been utilizing social networking tools like MySpace for way too long and then came along it’s (far superior) nemesis, Facebook, and we’ve been addicted to Twitter for who knows how long! It feels like ages, really, when I think back to when I created my first MySpace account (because I’ve had several, trying to dodge people I went to high school that I couldn’t stand then and really don’t want to “reconnect” with now.) We’ve made groups, fan pages, and so on on these social networking platforms, but now there is a social network specifically for staying fit and healthy.
Gyminee helps you keep track of your workouts, monitor your diet, reach your fitness and health goals, and for good measure, gives you yet another social networking base to utilize in order to make new friends. And who doesn’t like new friends? What makes this site so much different than any other social networking platform out there, besides the obvious “this one is for health and fitness!” is that if you’re really serious about using a website to monitor your health and fitness regimen, you are going to log in regularly and in the process, not lose track of the friends you made or let your account go dead.
According to their website, most Gyminee users lose 6.2lbs of fat and gain 5.75lbs of muscle and to help you meet your goals, they also provide you with workout programs. If you’re a person who is serious about their fitness, you can only benefit from Gyminee, and if you’re the type of person who thinks about getting fit and staying healthy, Gyminee can help motivate you to go after your goals.
Gyminee is not only a social network in itself, they also utilize other social networks. Follow them on Twitter!
Good Charlotte’s Joel Madden announced on February 21 via the Good Charlotte blog that Harlow, his daughter with long-time love Nicole Richie, is going to be a big sister.
What’s better than winning an Oscar? I am so happy to tell everyone that Harlow is going to be a big sister! God has truly blessed my family. Hope your all feeling as good as i am right now.
Yes, it has been confirmed that Joel Madden and Nicole Richie are expecting their second child barely a year after the birth of Harlow Winter Kate Madden last January 11.
In October, for the cover story of People Magazine, Madden was eager to expand his family and Richie joked, saying “Right now? Oh my God, I need a nap first,” I don’t see a nap coming anytime soon and even less shut-eye when baby number two arrives. No due date for their second child was given, but it’s only a matter of time before the details are released!
Now that the Richie-Madden’s have announced their pregnancy, Richie’s friends have chimed in with good wishes.
At the 1st Annual Leeza Gibbons Night to Make a Difference in Beverly Hills, Paris Hilton told People Magazine that she is “so excited for Nicole.” Hilton’s mom, Kathy, has a hunch that this time around it’s going to be a boy and she’s “never wrong.”
At the Fox Searchlight Oscar party Zachary Levi, who worked with Richie when she guest-stared on his show, Chuck, said “I think that they’ll be a good unit to hopefully bring up their kids in a way where they are stand-up individuals who lead their generation into being a good one.”
Actress and mother of three, Angie Harmon, said Richie’s experience as a mom to Harlow will make parenting the second time around much easier, saying, “She knows what she’s doing since she already has one.” She also had a request for Richie, asking for her to start a maternity line.
Kathryn Johnston, a 92 year old resident of Atlanta, Georgia, was shot to death in a drug raid gone bad in November 2006. Three Atlanta police officers are now facing felony charges of conspiracy to violate civil rights resulting in death, voluntary manslaughter, and making false statements.
Officer Arthur Tesler allegedly filled out an affidavit stating that a confidential informant purchased crack cocaine at Johnston’s home. When later questioned by authorities, the informant denied ever being at the residence, which prompted further investigation by local authorities and the FBI. Upon investigation, authorities learned that Tesler, along with Gregg Junnier and Jason Smith had been falsifying documents for quite some time.
The raid that led to the death of Johnston was based off of false paperwork stating that drugs were present in the home. When the police came to raid Johnston’s home, they used a no-knock warrant (obtained through falsified statements). Thinking she was being robbed, she shot her old-style pistol once, way over the officers’ heads and through her front door. The police returned fire, shooting 39 times and hitting her five. After she was dead, Officer Smith planted marijuana in the home to cover his tracks.
All three officers, along with several others from the Atlanta Police, including a sergeant, have been fired and arrested for these preposterous acts.
All three officers apologized for their role in her murder. During the court proceedings, ex-officer Jason Smith said, I pray daily for Ms. Johnston. I also pray other officers in Atlanta will have the moral fortitude I didn’t have. The officers are splitting the cost of Johnston’s funeral, which totaled $8,180, and are now facing jail time: Jason Smith was sentenced to 10 years, Greg Junnier and Arthur Tesler were sentenced to six and five years, respectively. After serving their prison terms, all three men are to serve three years of supervised release.
This poor woman is yet another victim of the War on Drugs, and I can’t help but feel that this is also a hate crime. Ten years for planting evidence, lying under oath, obtaining a warrant under false pretenses, and murdering a 92 year old black woman – does this really seem like justice to you? If rolls were reversed – Johnston an elderly white woman, the cops black – I strongly believe there would have been a much different outcome.
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Ally is a girl from New York who writes Sweet Leaf Tribune, an informational blog about marijuana law reform and cannabis culture, as well as medical marijuana, recipes for ‘baked’ goods, stoner how-to’s, and a lot more.
If we don’t eat them fresh from the bag or garden, we roast them. Roasting caramelizes and browns them so nicely.
You will need:
1 lb baby carrots or regular carrots
Extra virgin olive oil (Please do not use any other type)
Salt (I use Kosher)
Pepper
1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
2. Slice the baby carrots in half, lengthwise, or if using regulars, then peel them and diagonally slice them into large-sized chunks.
3. Spread them in a single layer on a rimmed cookie-type sheet. Sprinkle 2-3 tablespoons olive oil over. Sprinkle salt & pepper over. Mix it all up with your hands right on the tray- messy but fun.
4. Place in the oven for about 15-20 minutes; stir once during roasting
5. With a spatula, scrape out onto a serving plate, or we just serve them from the tray on the stove.
Most women remember their first periods and no matter what emotion or range of emotions they experienced on that day, they can still look back on it many years later and smile–for one reason or another. No matter what a woman thinks about her period, the bottom line is that it is with us for the long haul. It is one of our long-term relationships and even if we love it or hate it, it is with us for the majority of our lives; and if we live with our periods for the majority of our lives, why do women (in general) constantly feel shamed by it?
A great deal of women will give you an odd, ‘what planet are you from’ look if you ask them to tell you about their first periods. Many women (and especially men) will visibly become bothered if you dare speak its name during a conversation. Most men downright refuse to go on late-night or after work runs to the store to pick up a box of pads or tampons and all of these situations deal with the shame that is associated with menstruation. Sure, our lack of openness can be chalked up to menstruation happening to be an awkward subject, but it goes deeper than that, especially considering that it doesn’t have to be and it only is because our society has let itself become a woman-shaming society.
I have always been very open about my body, my sexuality, and the miracles that the body of a woman can perform in her lifetime. I honestly did not know where this openness came from, being raised by a single father, but I always had strong female role models in my life, one of which was my father’s girlfriend who became my mother-figure throughout my childhood. She taught me that the anatomy of a woman is beautiful and despite the abuse I had endured as a child from my mother (and the reason why my mother has not been in my life for more than a decade) there is nothing to feel ashamed about when it comes to your own body because it is yours and no one else’s and no one can tell you that you are not beautiful and that your body is in any way something to be looked at as vulgar or disgusting; including menstruation. For a while I thought that perhaps my natural-born feminism was something instilled in me from my upbringing, but from running this website (and hello, have you noticed the name of my website?) as well as paying special attention to the women who come from my generation, I am noticing that there are a great deal of women who are coming out of the shame closet; who are demanding that the awkwardness associated with the bodies and bodily functions of women are what is truly shameful and that the period is something that should be spoken about openly and honestly. That is exactly what Rachel Kauder Nalebuff, a young woman of 18, did when she started asking women to tell her about their first periods.
Nalebuff realized with her own first period and hearing the story of her Aunt’s first period that she had kept a secret for over 50 years, that people needed to start talking about this and the other events that happen in a young woman’s life that people are simply refusing to talk about openly. Something needs to be done in this society that would let this silence continue for so long and keep so many women captive in its process of women-shaming. And so she started collecting stories from women and girls all over the world about their first periods and now presents us with an absolute gem, My Little Red Book, for women and girls of all ages who are either just about to get their periods, just got it and feel awkward about it, or for women who remember their first periods vividly and celebrate the right of passage that we as women have to talk openly about it.
There are 90 short stories in all and several names we’ve come to know through their own books and activism work make appearances in this book, including Jennifer Baumgardner, Meg Cabot, Megan McCafferty, and Gloria Steinem’s 1978 essay, ‘If Men Could Menstruate’ which originally had appeared in Ms. Magazine also appears in this book. There are stories of how many women thought themselves to be dying when noticing the small stain in their panties, women who “faked” their periods when knowing that their friends had gotten their periods before them, and my favorite is a story about a mother who when her daughter first got her period and felt awkward about it, she had to do something to mark the day and so she bought her daughter a vase full of red roses and in another story, her daughter talks about how special those roses were to here and how she had kept the vase for years after that first period. Another one of my favorite parts of this book is that so many women talk about the Judy Blume book, Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret a book that you would think comes with all little girls at birth due to how widely-read and coveted it is, albeit a bit out of date for those of us who have never seen these menstrual pad belts Margaret speaks of.
My Little Red Book is a must for all women who have ever felt shamed or awkward about their period and also for every girl’s first period kit.
All of the proceeds of this book are being donated to charity because there is a lot to be done as far as making the bodily functions of women something that can be widely spoken about. There is also a great need for activism in countries like Africa, where because of the lack of menstrual supplies, a young girl will not receive the education that she is entitled to because one week out of every month will be spent out of school due to her period.
In the back of My Little Red Book, there is a section of books to read about periods including, yes, Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret and there is also a Do More section where your support for organizations like Planned Parenthood, who are the largest provider of sexual education and health services in the United States, as well as Choice USA, a youth-led organization that seeks to protect women’s reproductive rights, can tremendously help girls receive the sexual education that they too are entitled to. A company that I would like to add, is Lunapads. Lunapads are based in Canada and make reusable, cloth and fleece pads. Not only do they make a transition from disposables to reusable pads easy, their pads are completely harmless, unlike disposables that contain bleach and synthetic fibers. Lunapads also does great work for girls in Africa by giving them their Pads4Girls Kit and each pad has a lifespan of 5 years or more that will help African girls attend school when they have their periods.
You can find out even more about this book and even share your own first period story at MyLittleRedBook.net.
China has recently banned actors and any “non-accredited personnel” from appearing in advertisements for drugs. This recent ban is part of China’s broadcast watchdog, the State Administration of Radio Film and Television’s agenda to clean up the country’s famous advertising industry that has been an ongoing battle in recent years.
Fake drug and food quality scandals are plaguing the country and this specific ban went into effect after numerous scandals broke out over the past two months regarding the health of Chinese people in several provinces due to fake drugs marketed by non-professional medicinal personnel.
A Chinese internet user late last month exposed 12 fake “experts” selling medicine under various disguises and named on television stations in Shandong province which sparked an online uproar over false endorsements. Earlier this month Chinese police arrested at least five people in connection with a fake diabetic drug linked to the deaths of at least two people and sold to thousands of patrons in several provinces. China has also sentenced two men to death for their role in making and selling milk tainted with melamine (an industrial compound) where at least six children died and nearly 300,000 people fell ill after drinking toxic dairy products last year.
The specifics of China’s new ban includes that non-accredited personnel would be banned from such advertisements and other health programs carried on television and further breaches would see advertisers and companies’ advertising licenses revoked and “temporary suspensions of sales for their medicinal products.”
I know that there are many people, companies and marketing executives out there who repeatedly tell women, especially, that when they eat their companie’s chocolate, they will feel bliss. Most of these people, companies and marketing executives are wrong; so wrong in fact that they often find themselves looking for other ways to sell that company’s items and most of those new marketing strategies include counting calories.
Being a person who absolutely loves chocolate, I have noticed that the best chocolate companies with the highest quality of chocolate are the same companies who you will not see sporting several marketing ploys to up their sales; people already know that they are the best companies and when they buy with them, they’re receiving the very best. Perhaps the best chocolate you can indulge yourself (or a loved one) in is Ferrero Rocher. And if you are buying Ferrero chocolates as a gift, those people are really going to know you like them (or want to impress them!) as soon as they bite into their first piece of chocolate.
I had the opportunity to try Ferrero Rocher’s Valentine’s Day collection chocolates and not only did I enjoy their chocolates immensely, my boyfriend who usually only likes chocolate very sporadically and in very small quantities, enjoyed it so much that he ate two chocolate-filled hearts himself. We could not get enough of them and to say the least, our chocolate-filled hearts were gone in a day.
Not only does Ferrero Rocher carry several collections of decadent chocolates that are an experience in themselves, the company is also helping to fight childhood hunger and has teamed up with Share Our Strength and have come up with the Share Something Sweet campaign that we have also posted about here.
This is a guest post by Bill Hardekopf, CEO of LowCards.com.
Last week, the Federal Reserve released its Survey of Consumer Finances 2007, the triennial look into the financial condition of American families, including credit card debt.
The survey shows that the average credit card balance for families who carried a balance increased, but the percentage of families who actually carried a balance declined slightly.
This survey gives good information about how families in the U.S. handle their credit card debt. It’s good to look at the trends from 2004 to 2007. However, knowing what has happened to financial institutions and credit card loans since then, some of these statistics are obviously a bit dated,” says Bill Hardekopf, CEO of LowCards.com and author of The Credit Card Guidebook.
According to the survey:
In 2007, the median balance for those carrying a balance was $3,000, up 25% from 2004. The mean balance for those carrying a balance rose 30.4% to $7,300.
In 2007, 73% of all families had a credit card compared to 74.9% in 2004.
In 2007, 46.1% of all families carried a credit card balance, a slight drop from 46.2% in 2004.
Median number of cards was two per family.
Median interest rate rose one percentage point to 12.5%.
Median credit limit rose 21.4% to $18,000.
“Since this survey, credit limits have been cut for many cardholders. In the latest Quarterly Loan Officer Report, 60% of banks say that they have tightened lending policies for credit cards over the past three months,” says Hardekopf.
Of families with credit cards, 96.1% have a bank-type card, 56.7% have store cards, and 11.9% have gasoline cards.
Credit card debt was 3.5% of total debt. This is up from 3.0% in 2004 (primary residence is 74.7 percent of total debt).
The Survey of Consumer Finances is a triennial survey and one of the best snapshots of the finances of U.S. families. It interviewed 4,422 families.
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LowCards.com simplifies the confusion of shopping for credit cards. It is a free, independent website that helps consumers easily compare credit cards in a variety of categories such as lowest rates, rewards, rebates, balance transfers and lowest introductory rates. It also gives an unbiased ranking and review for each card. The LowCards.com Complete Credit Card Index is the most objective and comprehensive resource on the Internet which allows consumers to compare rates for all 1260 credit cards offered in this country. Created by Hampton & Associates, the company has been analyzing the credit card industry and supplying objective websites on various consumer expenses for eight years.
Pantene is currently running a promotion on myLifetime’s Hair’s the Scoop blog. They are giving 5 lucky winners a basket full of fabulous Pantene Pro-V hair care products.
Pantene is one of the top hair care lines on the market, used in many beauty salons and by top hair care specialists. The 5 lucky winners of the Pantene baskets will soon realize what makes Pantene one of the best companies in hair care.
The Pantene Pro-V products included in the prizes include:
NEW Pro-V Nature Fusion Moisture Balance Shampoo
This shampoo contains a proprietary Cassia Complex and calendula, ginger and aloe vera extracts for touchable softness. It cleanses hair and protects against damage while increasing shine.
NEW Pro-V Nature Fusion Moisture Balance Conditioner
This conditioner contains the latest amino technology and a blend of cassia, calendula, ginger and aloe vera to deliver and seal in moisture to hair. It also helps improve manageability and provides strength against damage.
NEW Pro-V Nature Fusion Smooth Vitality Shampoo
This shampoo contains a proprietary Cassia Complex and avocado, bamboo and grapeseed extracts to transform frizzy hair to a silky, smooth texture. It helps protect hair against cuticle damage caused by friction, and gently removes dirt and oil.
NEW Pro-V Nature Fusion Smooth Vitality Conditioner
This conditioner contains the latest amino technology to help repair damaged areas leading to healthier hair. With a blend of cassia, avocado, bamboo and grapeseed extract, it specifically aims to tame frizz and fly-aways.
NEW Pro-V Nature Smooth Vitality Smoothing Crème
T his rich formula primes hair for styling and creates a sleek finish by combating frizz and helping to lock in moisture and resist humidity for a smooth, long lasting style.
Pro-V Beautiful Lengths Shampoo
Utilizes moisture-movement technology to leave hair looking healthy and protects against breakage and damage allowing you to grow hair long and strong. This shampoo decreases the friction between hairs, resulting in smooth, healthy hair with fewer tangles.
Pro-V Beautiful Lengths Conditioner
This thick and creamy conditioner leaves hair 10X stronger against breakage. It’s conditioning technology forms a gel network throughout hair to provide a rich and smooth feel from root to tip. Its terminal amino silicones help conditioning ingredients adhere to hair more efficiently.
Pro-V Beautiful Lengths 2-in-1 Shampoo + Conditioner
Dual action formula gently cleanses hair and helps prevent breakage to help grow hair longer.
Pro-V Smooth Shampoo
Gently cleans hair to help remove residue and build-up while moisturizing and giving hair shine. It creates up to 75% smoother hair (when used with the Smooth Conditioner) versus non-conditioning shampoo alone.
Pro-V Smooth Conditioner
Smoothes and protects hair’s cuticle and helps prevent split-ends and breakage. The latest amino technology uses lightweight conditioners to provide damage protection where hair needs it most.
Pro-V Smooth Anti-Frizz Serum
Instantly smoothes and adds shine to unmanageable, dry, frizz-prone hair. Makes hair smooth and glossy when blow-drying straight and creates virtually frizz-free curls.
Pro-V Classic Care Shampoo
Gently cleans hair to help remove residue and build-up without stripping shine. It moisturizes and leaves hair strong against damage, hydrated and shiny from root to tip.
Pro-V Classic Care Conditioner
This conditioner with the latest amino technology leaves hair soft, healthy-looking and resilient for easy styling.
Pro-V Classic Hairspray
Provides outstanding hold and shine even in high humidity. It protects hair against combing and brushing damage while drying, and doesn’t leave hair sticky or stiff.
For your chance to win one of the five Pantene Pro-V baskets, all you have to do is leave a comment on ANY post over at the Hair’s the Scoop blog. This contest will run until 11:59pm EST on March 12. Have fun and good luck!
The Ferrero Company and Share Our Strength have teamed up together and in the spirit of Valentine’s Day are asking for your help in supporting the fight to end childhood hunger. We have featured Share Our Strength before, outlining the dramatic affects of childhood hunger, a multi-layered epidemic that affects approximately 13.4 million (roughly 1 in every 6) children in America today.
It is great to see such a prominent company like Ferrero working to help end childhood hunger and they have certainly put together a unique, interactive and fun way for you to help the effort. The Ferrero Company and Share Our Strength is inviting you to share something sweet by sending a loved one a Valentine’s Day e-card.
All you have to do is go here, select a theme for your e-card, choose a message and fill in the recipient information. For every e-card that is sent, Ferrero will donate $1 (up to $10,000) to Share Our Strength.
By sending an e-card to a loved one, not only are you brightening someone’s day by letting them know that you are thinking of them, you are also acting in the effort to fight childhood hunger. I can’t think of anything sweeter than that!
Good Charlotte’s Joel Madden announced on February 21 via the 
The raid that led to the death of Johnston was based off of false paperwork stating that drugs were present in the home. When the police came to raid Johnston’s home, they used a no-knock warrant (obtained through falsified statements). Thinking she was being robbed, she shot her old-style pistol once, way over the officers’ heads and through her front door. The police returned fire, shooting 39 times and hitting her five. After she was dead, Officer Smith planted marijuana in the home to cover his tracks.
If we don’t eat them fresh from the bag or garden, we roast them. Roasting caramelizes and browns them so nicely.
Most women remember their first periods and no matter what emotion or range of emotions they experienced on that day, they can still look back on it many years later and smile–for one reason or another. No matter what a woman thinks about her period, the bottom line is that it is with us for the long haul. It is one of our long-term relationships and even if we love it or hate it, it is with us for the majority of our lives; and if we live with our periods for the majority of our lives, why do women (in general) constantly feel shamed by it?
Being a person who absolutely loves chocolate, I have noticed that the best chocolate companies with the highest quality of chocolate are the same companies who you will not see sporting several marketing ploys to up their sales; people already know that they are the best companies and when they buy with them, they’re receiving the very best. Perhaps the best chocolate you can indulge yourself (or a loved one) in is 
I had the opportunity to try Ferrero Rocher’s Valentine’s Day collection chocolates and not only did I enjoy their chocolates immensely, my boyfriend who usually only likes chocolate very sporadically and in very small quantities, enjoyed it so much that he ate two chocolate-filled hearts himself. We could not get enough of them and to say the least, our chocolate-filled hearts were gone in a day.
