Woman Tribune

McKey Crowned ANTM Cycle 11 Winner

Holly — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 13:05:19 +0000

Admittedly, I am an America’s Next Top Model enthusiast; I have seen every cycle at least two or more times and every cycle, I immediately fall in love or at least fall into deep like with one or two of the girls and this past season was no different. Granted, the two women I was rooting for did not come out on top, and this season rubbed me a little differently than any of the other cycles that preceded it.

Cycle 11 of America’s Next Top Model is the only cycle that left me thinking ‘Why?’ Throughout the past weeks I was rooting for firstly, Elina because I love a woman who knows who she is and what she stands for and the passion that was driving Elina is unmistakable and beautiful in itself, never mind the fact that she is absolutely gorgeous. When Elina was eliminated, I started rooting for Analeigh because of how down to earth she is; she shows us that something as simple as being courteous, polite and overall nice to other people is admirable and makes you even more attractive as a person. But when Analeigh was eliminated before Mr. Jay’s remarkable runway show and the two contestants left standing were Sam and McKey, I just sat on my couch, staring at the television asking myself ‘How?’ Never mind the fact that this past cycle of America’s Next Top Model seemed forced and tacky with an absolutely horrible performance by Tyra Banks throughout its entirety, but by the time the last two women were standing, I couldn’t help but ask myself where all of the women with actual model potential went.

When Tyra Banks boasts about how she is attracted to ugly pretty women or that she sees the ugliness in women to be beautiful, if I had any doubt of that ability before, she has proven to hold true to that self-proclamation. After Sam and McKey walked the Dr. Suess-like runway created by Mr. Jay and after hardly any ‘on the edge of your seat’ time waiting for her to announce the winner, Brittany ‘McKey’ Sullivan was crowned Ms. ANTM Cycle 11 Winner.

McKey did an exclusive interview for WPIX and not only is this an in-depth interview containing stuff you really didn’t want to know (such as the fact that McKey is full of useless information, such as why your pee smells weird after eating asparagus) but it really is an out of the ordinary interview because former ANTM cycle 11 contestant, Sheena, is the interviewer, which makes for a different kind of interview due to the fact that the two women are actually friends.

Although I personally think McKey is hideous and has a mouth that reminds me much of a horse, I do admit that she has come a very long way in the world of striking a pose for the camera. She walked into ANTM not knowing anything about modeling or how to take a pretty picture; in fact, during the first photo shoot, McKey boxed in place in order for the photographer to even take a picture. By the end of the season her body contortions were unexpected and a delight to see due to the amount of pictures we have seen throughout the cycles of this show where even as the time progresses, the women do not.

Along with the fame America’s Next Top Model has brought her, the former tomboy from Lake Forrest, Illinios also wins a contract with Elite model management, a spread and cover for Seventeen magazine, and a $100,000 contract with CoverGirl.

Down Time & Our Updated Look

Holly — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 08:05:39 +0000

If you’ve visited Woman Tribune within the past two days, you have been greeted with a very ugly, very inconvenient Maintenance Mode page and if you were dying to read Woman Tribune or tried back repeatedly, we do apologize for any inconvenience for this downtime. However, we think it was kind of worth it because these past two days have been very busy and if you’re reading this now, you can see why.

Woman Tribune’s one year blogiversary is coming up in just a little over two months and throughout this past year, we have made quite a few changes, added a lot of new categories and have evolved quite spectacularly, especially the front end. If you’ve been reading this website long enough, you have seen the sporadic and drastic changes that Woman Tribune has made throughout these past 10 months and with this one year milestone upon us, we thought it would be a good time to release a (very) final release of our site design. This was unplanned, of course, but this change will be the last (drastic) site change we make for quite some time, so we hope you like it.

Woman Tribune now features Brian Gardner’s Revolution Lifestyle theme, which has been edited and perfected for Woman Tribune by Holly Ord.

So Woman Tribune is officially open for entertainment and because Holly is relatively jobless and feeling very much like most freelancers out there, expect lots of updates. Don’t forget to tell us what you think of the theme and also forward any ideas you have for Woman Tribune to Holly by emailing her at holly[at]womantribune.com. Seriously, any ideas at all whether it be ideas for articles, more categories you’d like to see covered here, products or books you want us to review or want to know our thoughts on, anything.

Can Angelina Jolie Really Just Fade Away?

Holly — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 15:36:22 +0000

In a recent interview with BBC News, Angelina Jolie talked about want to work less, spend more time at home with her more-than-a-handful of kids and just be one of us mere, normal folk.

On working less: “I don’t plan to keep acting very long. I’m ready to do a few things now and fade away and get ready to be a grandma one day. I’m not so worried that I want to keep this pace up and try to be something and be a celebrity.”

On making the decision to stop working: “I don’t think I’ll ever say that I’m never ever going to work, because maybe there’s that interesting project where I’ll feel creative, but certainly I think now I haven’t worked for a year — I’ll work for a few months in February. I won’t work again probably for another year, so maybe it’ll be once a year and then maybe it’ll be once every three years.”

On being with her kids: “I like being home a lot. First and foremost, I have a lot of children, and I need to make sure they’re growing right and they’ve got us there for them.”

So what do you think, will it really be that easy for Jolie to just fade into the background? I’m thinking no, but it is great to see someone taking a hands on approach to actually parenting instead of letting the nannies handle everything.

To watch the full BBC interview, click here and also be sure to check out Angelina Jolie’s newest movie, Changeling.

L’Atelier Des Bijoux - Gorgeous Limited Edition Jewelry

Amanda — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 12:42:27 +0000

I am always on the look out for that next hot thing, or the designer you need to look out for and this, my dear readers, is one that you should book mark and keep an eye on! Her simply sophisticated designs are masterpieces in themselves. With breath-taking careful precision on which pieces best bring out the others, she is a guru of design.

L’Atelier Des Bijoux has gorgeous pieces made with top of the line materials at an affordable cost that will make you dip into your gas fund just to look amazing for tomorrow. Her quick and courteous support is astounding along with fast and careful shipping, shows that no matter what the piece is, or how low the cost is the designer takes great pride in her work and shipping. I have to admit I went on a shopping spree and purchased a few too many items but there was one piece I loved and it was one of a kind and the designer unfortunately did not create earrings to go with it. I had to then fine tooth all the etsy shops looking for that perfect pair of matching earrings. The earrings couldn’t draw away from the necklace since the piece itself is elaborate, but could stand out on their own as exceptional pieces. They also had to be at least sterling silver and under $15.00. Boy, was I picky!

After a few hours of searching I finally found the perfect pair which led me to this amazing shop! The earrings shown that I purchased were only $8.00 and sterling silver. I couldn’t believe it, I felt like I was almost stealing from her with her exceptional prices. However, she knows how to price things just right which make you want to go back and spend a few more bucks on some of her other items! The prices range from $8.00 to $140.00+ depending on your budget and the type of piece you’re looking for. My second piece I am hoping doesn’t sell but I can’t say I don’t blame anyone for wanting it is a little on the pricier side for my normal budget it but I do have my pennies being stashed away its this beautiful pink necklace its priced at $112.00 and I have to tell you it is absolutely worth every penny. She is available to do custom pieces, and she makes sure she lets you know not to limit yourself to whats listed on the site. If you take the time to browse through the pieces she sold she can do her best to re-create a piece for you so you aren’t limited like you would be at some jewelers. Although, some retail jewelers do create custom pieces to fit your needs it also comes with a heavy price tag. Unlike this lady she knows how to do it just as well if not better for a mere fraction of the cost!

Visit L’Atelier Des Bijoux today and spend your heart’s desires. You can also create an account with a favorites list where you can leave it for your significant other to help them figure out what you want for this coming holiday!

Product I Will Not Live Without: Nature Babe Body Balm

Holly — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:57:55 +0000

When it comes to natural bath, body and beauty products, I am nothing less than a junkie; I have a vast collection of different lotions, body butters, body balms, lip balms and glosses, body washes and the list goes on, but for one product to not only stand out among the many I have, but to become a part of my daily regimen where I can not go a day without it, is amazing.

Nature Babe body balm by Bawdy Botanicals is an all-natural body balm with an uplifting fragrance of lavender, known for its stress relieving properties and lemongrass, known to be a sure mood lifter. I have come to love these fragrances because as an aromatherapy addict, I have come to find that lavender and lemongrass do exactly what they are known to do; lavender puts me at ease and lemongrass lifts my mood and takes the hectic edge off during the day and especially at night, leaving me able to relax and go to sleep so I can wake up feeling refreshed and ready for another day of work.

I came across Bawdy Botanicals over a year ago while browsing through Bust magazine’s Girl Wide Web and immediately fell in love with the names of the products. When a line of body bars are called names such as Burning Bush and Hypnotic Erotic and have body balms that complement them perfectly, your curiosity wins and you find yourself needing to know what these products are like, and that is precisely what happened with me and Bawdy Botanicals.

I did a review of Bawdy Botanical’s Nature Babe body balm and complementing body bar, Burning Bush on another site more than a year ago and after all that time, Nature Babe body balm is still a product I find myself using religiously, several times a day.

I also have a complexion that mocks me. During spring and summer, when I look in the mirror, it looks back and I swear, produces acne before my eyes and during fall and winter, several inches of my body become chapped and no amount of lotion seems to be able to fix the alligator skin I possess. Luckily, the shea butter that is used in Nature Babe body balm helps a considerable amount with alligator skin and cures chapped parts of the body within just a few days.

I find that using Nature Babe body balm right after a hot shower or bath in the morning and right before bed helps to energize me in the morning so I can work without getting bored or find myself getting off track during my work day and also helps a great deal with relaxing me before bedtime.

Hands down, Nature Babe body balm by Bawdy Botanicals is the best body balm I have used and that’s including all of the leading brands of lotions and balms currently on the market. And rest assured, everything by Bawdy Botanicals is all natural, made with 100% natural essential oils.

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Have You Heard about YouData Yet?

Holly — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 08:53:00 +0000

We heard about YouData a little over a month ago from the wonderful gals over at kirtsy and not only did we fall in love with it’s mission, we’re benefiting from it and so can you.

Most people who run a website are interesting in monetizing it; people love to get paid for what they love to do and blogging, a passion of hundreds of billions of people around the world, is one of the biggest topics of conversation on the internet today. People get paid to keep their website up and running through ads, sponsorships and even tip jars, but what YouData noticed is that while your attention is being bought all the time, it isn’t being bought from you.

YouData matches people, based on their MeFile profile, with ads for websites that they are genuinely interested in. If you’re sick of being shown ads for websites you have no interest in, like if you can’t cook and suddenly see a website littered with foodie ads, chances are you don’t care and you’re not going to click to go to the website or if you’re in a committed relationship or married and you see a great deal of ads for Match.com (I use that site as an example because their ads are everywhere and just as annoying on every site I see their ads appear on) or some other website in that realm, you’re probably going to keep right on going about your business without a second thought.

What I like about YouData is it is extremely versatile. You get matched up with ads that chances are, you’re going to like, and you can view these ads on either the YouData website, by downloading the application to your desktop so you can view your ads without even having to open your browser, or on your favorite sites, like Woman Tribune.

That’s right, here. If you’ve noticed in our sidebar, we have the YouData application so anyone who is signed up on YouData can log in right from our website and see their ads. You can also click on your ads to get your cash and never leave our website; pretty cool, right? And if you’re not signed up for YouData, you can also sign up via the application in the sidebar.

If you have a website that you would like to monetize, you can also benefit from people checking their ads on your website. To get a YouData application code for your website, all you have to do is go here or email monetize@youdata.com with the following information:

Blog name (as you would like it to appear in the adget)
Quick description (for anyone who would like more info on your blog)
Blog URL (link to your blog)
PalPal account email (where should we send your money?)

And that’s all there is to it! So I hope everyone out there takes advantage of this great ad network who, instead of paying Google or some other ad network who, let’s face it, have enough money, they want advertisers to buy your attention straight from the source. Have fun!

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Circuit City Files for Bankruptcy

Holly — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 13:59:16 +0000

Circuit City has been making significant changes as of late to ward off their financial instability, but even after closing 155 retail stores across the country and announcing plans to cut approximately 17% of their 43,000 employees, Circuit City’s financial matters did not lighten up a bit and they were recently forced to file for bankruptcy.

Due to pressure from Best Buy and Wal-Mart, Circuit City’s future is unclear and Best Buy, in their attempts to further drive away all other competitive markets, reportedly stated that they may take over Circuit City stores that were forced to close.

I wonder what happens if they were to do that in areas such as mine where Best Buy and Circuit City are a mere hop, skip and a jump away from each other. Come to think of it, Wal-Mart is bunched together with the two; it’s a competitive market free for all where I live! Only time will tell, I suppose.

Time for Change: Get Marijuana Law Reform on the Agenda!

Ally — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 12:25:04 +0000

After all the victories we’ve seen in the realm of marijuana law reform and the recent election, it is now time to act! According to the NORML blog, “The election of Barack Obama, coupled with Democrat control of both the House and the Senate, presents a unique and critical opportunity for federal marijuana law reform.” A vast majority of you voted to change the laws regarding marijuana arrests; now is the time to make sure your vote doesn’t go unnoticed.

Obama’s transition team has established a website recently with an agenda of things to be addressed once Obama is in office. Looking at the current list, I was upset to see that Marijuana Law Reform is not even mentioned. Thankfully, the website has a page asking for OUR ideas to help solve challenges facing our country.

That means it’s up to us to get Marijuana Law Reform on the list! All you have to do is go to the page linked above to contact Obama and his transition team, and demand change of the current marijuana policy. Thanks to the wonderful people at NORML, you can even include the three suggestions below:

1. President Obama must uphold his campaign promise to cease the federal arrest and prosecution of (state) law-abiding medical cannabis patients and dispensaries by appointing leaders at the US Drug Enforcement Administration, the US Department of Justice, and the US Attorney General’s office who will respect the will of the voters in the thirteen states that have legalized the physician-supervised use of medicinal marijuana.

2. President Obama should use the power of the bully pulpit to reframe the drug policy debate from one of criminal policy to one of public health. Obama can stimulate this change by appointing directors to the Office of National Drug Control Policy who possess professional backgrounds in public health, addiction, and treatment rather than in law enforcement.

3. President Obama should follow up on statements he made earlier in his career in favor of the decriminalization of marijuana by adults by calling for the creation of a bi-partisan Presidential Commission to review the budgetary, social, and health costs associated with federal marijuana prohibition, and to make progressive recommendations for future policy changes.

As if this hasn’t been said enough - This is the time for change! I cannot urge you enough to write this letter to the President Elect and get Marijuana Law Reform on the agenda. You already showed that it’s what you want by voting for it in the election - Now is time to make your voice heard and tell them why and how!

- - - - - - - - - -

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.

Skinny Schemes: Skinny Water

Holly — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 11:36:24 +0000

When it comes to marketing ploys, the weight loss industry is full of them. Just like get rich quick schemes are known as just that–schemes, get thin quick schemes work very much the same way.

There is no such thing as a miracle business that does not take time to build or manage and miraculously you’re making tons of money and there is no such thing as a pill, food or drink where, if taken, you miraculously lose all of the weight you’ve been wanting to shed for so long. The weight loss industry is an $81 billion or so industry and the industry did not become so lucrative by making people lose weight; if it had, they would have no customers because they would be skinny after a certain amount of time and they would have no need for the product. The weight loss industry has become one of the largest industries in the United States alone for one, simple reason–Giving people false hope. If you want to lose weight, no matter how little or how much, this industry possesses several thousands of different products to choose from and no matter which one you pick, there is a high percentage failure rate. While the failure rate is well-known, the blame (surprisingly enough) does not go to the weight loss industry or even to the company who manufactures the product you were using to aid in weight loss; the blame is on you. You didn’t try hard enough, you didn’t stick to it long enough or you lost the weight and gained it back (plus some) because you weren’t using the product as a crutch. What these companies do is make consumers dependent upon them not for a few months or for a few years, but for life; it has been drilled into our heads that if you are using a product to aid in weight loss, you must stay on that product for the amount of time you would like the weight to stay off and even then, there is still a high percentage rate that it will not work and it is not your fault, but the fault of the entire weight loss industry.

The only effective way to lose weight is to do it the healthy way–No pills, foods or drinks specifically manufactured for weight loss, but eating a healthy amount of calories for your body type and exercising regularly and doing one or the other is as ineffective as doing neither.

Losing weight takes dedication, hard work and time and coincidentally, those are the three things that people are most afraid of so the weight loss industry tries to fool consumers into thinking that they only need their product. ‘If you buy this, you will lose weight.’ Sadly, people are falling for these gimmicks all the time and yet another weight loss product has emerged and even the name sounds a little fishy.

Skinny Water is a flavored water with the tag line ‘Get Skinny, Stay Fit’ and with just that, we begin to see the holes in this assumed weight loss miracle water.

First of all, any water that claims to make you lose weight before your eyes is a ploy; if you want water with no fat, no calories and no sugar, go to your faucet and behold the beverage that can aid in your weight loss. By drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day and exercising regularly, you can effectively lose weight, but a flavored water looking for those desperate enough to believe that weight loss can come in the form of a hip drink already endorsed by celebrities (Kristen Bell and Nicollette Sheridan.)

So what’s actually in these supposed miracle drinks? Splenda, which is a sugar substitute, fruit flavoring to make the five different flavors of Skinny Water, including, peach mango mandarin, passionfruit lemonade, acai grape blueberry, goji fruit punch and raspberry pomegranate, and the green tea antioxidant, EGCG, said to help tame your metabolism. While it is true that green tea is great for your health, containing a great deal of antioxidants, but instead of taming your metabolism, green tea is used to speed up your metabolism, making you hungry so you can effectively eat a healthy, six small meals per days equaling the calorie intake best for your body type.

Skinny Water is not only doling out false information to people looking to lose weight, but they are giving people false hope; Skinny Water’s website implies that just by drinking their beverage you will lose weight and sorry to say, but your body is smarter than that. Your body is complex and it takes a great deal to effectively lose weight because our bodies are still reacting to our lifestyles and to the lifestyles our ancestors lived very long ago when humans didn’t know when their next meal was coming or where it was coming from, so your body stores the fat you eat from your food so if you did have to go hungry, your body could effectively sustain itself. While it’s true that we (hopefully) no longer live in those times, the way our bodies work simply are not up to speed and are still functioning the only way they know how–And no weight loss gimmick is going to make that go away.

Relieve, Refresh and Revitalize with Cabaret Brewed Chocolate

Holly — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 01:12:02 +0000

Cabaret Brewed Chocolate is probably unlike any other drink you’ve had before. Made by brewing whole raw cocoa beans in water, sweetened with organic evaporated cane juice and reduced into a concentrated syrup, brewed chocolate is a light, chocolate drink with the same consistency as tea.

Taking inspiration from the ancient Mexicans, the makers of Brewed Chocolate realized quickly why the ancient Mexicans valued it so much. Adding a teaspoon of Brewed Chocolate to just 4oz of water, after about 20 minutes you realize something…different. You realize that all of your stress is gone, the day before melts away and you are calm, content and refreshed. Brewed Chocolate is the ultimate treat to have about an hour before bedtime.

This calm and relaxed feeling comes from something called theobromine, a cousin of caffeine, but without the jittery side effect; in fact, theobromine has significantly different effects from caffeine–Theobromine is a long-lasting stimulant that cause a mood enhancement and that feeling of overwhelming calmness; a feeling I had very seldom before Brewed Chocolate came into my life.

As a freelance web designer, developer and writer, my life is very hectic and because I work at home, I never really get to say ‘Okay, I’m done with work for the day.’ Instead, it’s more like ‘Okay, I can’t stay awake any longer and need to go visit the bed for about 8 hours before I get up and do this all over again.’ Because my life tends to get a bit hectic every day, it’s great to have Brewed Chocolate to look forward to during the day and enjoy after a relaxing bath and snuggling up on the couch before I head to bed.

I was personally taken a little aback by the taste of Brewed Chocolate, but like the ancient Mexicans, I value this drink for what it makes me feel and to be honest, I think most of us out there would drink gasoline straight from the pump if it was healthy and brought out the feeling that Brewed Chocolate does and when you try it, you will know what I mean. The unique taste of this drink is caused by the fact that it contains very little fat; only 24 calories and less than a half gram of fat per teaspoon.

If you are usually high strung at the end of the day or crave relaxation in the form of a tea-like drink that you can relax with in front of the television or while reading a book before bed, you need to try Brewed Chocolate.