Political unrest, environmental crises and economic challenges on a global scale practically defined 2011. The Arab Spring ousted three iron-fisted rulers, a deadly earthquake led to mass radiation exposure in Japan and Occupy Wall Street emerged to be a historical, internationally united protest. The year 2011 seized the idea of social change and ran with it.
Lend a Helping Hand for Social Change in 2012
Portion Control: The Key to Weight Loss
(NewsUSA) – The rigors of appearing on the reality TV show The Biggest Loser led Lisa Mosley to the emotional breakthrough that empowered her to lose almost 100 pounds. But it was portion control that kept her losing weight when she returned home from the set.
“I live on the motto “Moderation not deprivation,” she says. “As soon as I got home from the ranch, I started using a small plate instead of big dinner plates. It has been extremely successful for me.”
Mosley didn’t start gaining weight until she was about 20, when she began taking medication for a chronic anxiety disorder. The medication made her feel like a new person, but within six months she began to gain weight. Over the next 10 years she gained about 120 pounds.
By 2010, Lisa had suffered several personal setbacks. She had been laid off from her job, had lost her home and had no prospects to find work. The defining moment in her struggle to lose weight came when she discovered that her daughter had stopped eating and drinking because she didn’t want to be heavy like her mom.
That spurred Lisa to take action, including her willingness to bare her soul on The Biggest Loser.
When Lisa left the show, she had dropped 60 pounds. But she continued to lose weight, dropping another 37 pounds at home after she learned to control the size of her portions.
She recently became the national spokeswoman for Yum Yum Dishes, sets of hand-painted 4-ounce ceramic bowls. Tracy Adler, mother of two and former restaurant owner, created the bowls to help parents and kids control the size of their snacks.
“The idea for these dishes is what got me through this,” Mosley says. “A lot of times when I have entered into diets in the past, I went into it thinking I am never going to get a cookie, ice cream, or a piece of cake again. I was never successful with that,” she adds. “These dishes remind you that your life isn’t over and you are not going to be missing out.”
Today Mosley works as a fitness boot camp instructor and personal trainer. She weighs about 190 pounds, wears a size 12 and is happy with herself.
“I am literally a different person,” she says, “not just in how I feel physically but also how I feel mentally and emotionally.”
For more information, visit www.yumyumdishes.com.
Dreams Still Come True in Hollywood
(NewsUSA) – The phone rings. You pick up. A Hollywood producer says, “You just won an all-expense-paid trip to Hollywood — and you’re walking a beautiful starlet down the red carpet at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre!” Would the word “punk’d” come to mind? Or would you instantly realize you just won the opportunity of a lifetime?
So go the “true Hollywood stories” of Dylan Kohler and Rob Manning. Dylan was walking to class at Minnesota’s St. Cloud State University when his phone rang. One day later, talking to his dream date on the same phone, super-hot actress and model Sheena Lee said, “Wow, Dylan? I had to work for years to build a successful modeling career, appear in dozens of magazines and fly back and forth to L.A. to finally land a role in Seven Arts Entertainment’s ‘The Pool Boys’ movie just so I could walk down that red carpet — and all you had to do was send a text message.”
That same momentous day, Rob Manning was doing laundry in Kendallville, Ind., when his phone also rang. Said Manning, “My wife and I were looking for pool cleaning supplies when we saw an Internet ad promoting the movie premiere sweepstakes. She told me, “You should enter,” and eight days later, I got a call telling me to pack my bags because I was going to Hollywood for a dream date with Univision TV star, Patricia De Leon.”
In preparation for the release of “The Pool Boys” movie, Seven Arts Entertainment cast an innovative advertising campaign on Facebook and Google, leading audiences to YouTube videos and Pandora radio spots promoting the “Win-a-Date to the Hollywood Premiere Sweepstakes” with Lee and De Leon — both appear in the movie. A huge Hollywood after-party was planned at The Rolling Stone Lounge, and the infamous red carpet was rolled out in front of Hollywood’s most iconic theatre for a night that will never be forgotten.
Every actor comes to Hollywood dreaming of their own red carpet, star-studded movie premiere. This night, Seven Arts Entertainment brought that dream to life for actors Rob Thomas, Simona Fusco, Heather Marie Marsden, Darla Haun and Rachel Rogers, who joined Kohler, Lee, Manning and De Leon — along with dozens of actors from today’s hottest movies and TV shows. They were photographed, interviewed and cheered by long lines of fans surrounding that gleaming red carpet on a night of magic that can only be created in Hollywood.
Learn more about “The Pool Boys” movie, and see the R-rated trailer at www.ThePoolBoysMovie.com, then see the movie today “On Demand” from your local cable provider — also premiering on computers, mobile phones, tablet computers and DVD.
Community Gardens Make a Bountiful Oasis for East African Villages
In the Horn of Africa, barren landscapes and dirt fields surround large riverbeds that are totally dry. Herds of goats and camels, tired and emaciated, walk through parched lands in search of food and water. It’s the worst drought the region has seen in 60 years.
As ChildFund International continues its drought emergency operations across this region, it also remains focused on long-term development projects aimed at minimizing food crises.
In Kenya’s Turkana region, the Food for Assets program, operated by ChildFund International in conjunction with the U.N. World Food Program, is producing crops in a desert.
Program Turns Drought-Ravaged Villages into "Gardens of Eden"
(NewsUSA) – In the Horn of Africa, barren landscapes and dirt fields surround large riverbeds that are totally dry. Herds of goats and camels, tired and emaciated, walk through parched lands in search of food and water. It’s the worst drought the region has seen in 60 years.
As ChildFund International continues its drought emergency operations across this region, it also remains focused on long-term development projects aimed at minimizing food crises.
In Kenya’s Turkana region, the Food for Assets program, operated by ChildFund International in conjunction with the U.N. World Food Program, is producing crops in a desert.
“In the vegetable gardens, women tend spinach, tomatoes, green peppers, okra, watermelons, kale, maize and cowpeas,” said Anne Lynam Goddard, president and CEO of ChildFund. “It’s amazing to see how smart farming practices have transformed this community. In the midst of drought, we’ve discovered the Garden of Eden — it’s green everywhere!”
Six communities in the region are involved in the Food for Assets program, which sustains 3,000 households by teaching pastoralist communities techniques for irrigation and farming. The program provides families with food and goods in exchange for their work to build irrigation systems and community gardens.
Improved access to water for both humans and livestock increases crop production, reduces environmental degradation and improves pasture for livestock. In areas that lack access to permanent rivers, people are taught to use special pans to catch water that is used to grow crops like maize and sorghum.
Long reliant on food aid, people enrolled in the Food for Assets program receive their food rations for one year while they learn to utilize their new skills to provide food for themselves. Food aid is then reserved for the most vulnerable.
“Food for Assets is not an emergency relief effort,” Goddard said. “It’s a long-term development intervention that helps reduce a community’s vulnerability to future droughts. We’re strengthening communities and giving people the resources and training they need to rely on themselves.”
Easy Ways to Give Back
(NewsUSA) – There are people all over the world who are struggling and in need of help. One could be right next door. While it’s not always possible to help out financially, or donate a large amount of time to a cause, there are easy ways to perform simple acts of kindness every day. Not only does the person performing the good deed feel great, but these small gestures add up to make a big difference.
Contribute to the community with these simple deeds:
* Gather gently used books. Contact schools, libraries and other institutions, such as hospitals and senior centers, to see if books are needed. Involve a book club or other community organization to increase the donation.
* Call area schools and ask about volunteering. Many schools are looking for mentors and tutors. Depending on each school’s policy, sometimes volunteers need to attend a short training session before starting. For parents, lending time to chaperone a field trip is both fun and rewarding.
* Consider donating blood through an American Red Cross blood drive. The need for blood is constant as approximately every two seconds a patient in the United States needs a blood transfusion. Just one donation can save up to three lives. After each donation, Red Cross donors are treated to Keebler cookies, beverages and other snacks as a way to say “Thank you” for their act of kindness. To learn more about the “Be a Good Cookie. Get a Good Cookie.” campaign and for blood donation eligibility, visit www.redcrossblood.org.
* Head to the local park for a clean-up. Get friends to chip in to help the community as well. Separate trash from recyclable items and dispose of each appropriately. See efforts materialize in a clean green space.
* Organize a clothing drive with co-workers or friends. Schedule home pick-ups for a specific day, and donate gently used clothing to local charitable organizations. You’ll be helping others, and you’ll have more room in your closets.
* Collect those canned fruits and vegetables, and take them to the local food bank. Check with them to see if they have a “wish list” of items that they need. Some of those things, shelf-stable or non-perishable, may already be sitting around your house. It’s also great way organize your pantry.
There are so many ways to give back. Simple acts of kindness are often the most valuable to those in need, and they are the easiest to perform. Whether saving a life, feeding a family or mentoring a student, every kind gesture brings a smile to more than one face.
Enjoy a Little Tech-Free Family Time
(NewsUSA) – Allison Bickhardt started experiencing severe headaches when she was 18. At first, it was just a couple of times a month, but soon the headaches were happening more than half of the month, with some lasting as long as 12 hours. “I had never felt pain like that before,” Allison explained. “It was like I had a vise around my head.”
Allison reached her breaking point when she had to cancel her daughter’s fourth birthday party because of a debilitating headache. The disappointment in her daughter’s face when she told her the party she had been looking forward to for weeks was cancelled was devastating for Allison. After years and countless visits to her primary care physician and general neurologist, Allison decided to seek help from a headache specialist who diagnosed her with Chronic Migraine.
Chronic Migraine is a neurological condition that impacts an estimated 3.2 million Americans.1,2 Chronic Migraine is different from the occasional headache and people with the condition have a diagnosis of migraine and experience headaches on 15 or more days per month with headache lasting four hours a day or longer.3,4,5
“Rewrite Your Day” Campaign
In an effort to raise awareness of Chronic Migraine, Allergan, Inc., National Headache Foundation and HealthyWomen, has launched the “Rewrite Your Day” campaign to give patients like Allison the chance re-create a special moment in their lives lost to Chronic Migraine. Fifteen people with Chronic Migraine will be selected to win a day re-created by celebrity event planner Mindy Weiss — symbolizing the 15 or more headache days a month experienced by people with Chronic Migraine.
“At www.RewriteYourDay.com, people can take a Chronic Migraine quiz to determine if their symptoms signal they may have Chronic Migraine, find a headache specialist near them who is qualified to evaluate, diagnose and properly manage the condition, and share their story of a special moment missed for a chance to have their day re-created by me,” said Ms. Weiss.
About the Rewrite Your Day Contest
No purchase necessary to enter or win. A purchase does not increase your chance of winning. Visit www.RewriteYourDay.com for Official Rules on how to enter and restrictions. The deadline to enter is December 31, 2011.
Simple Ways to Give Back
There are people all over the world who are struggling and in need of help. One could be right next door. While it’s not always possible to help out financially, or donate a large amount of time to a cause, there are easy ways to perform simple acts of kindness every day. Not only does the person performing the good deed feel great, but these small gestures add up to make a big difference.
Contribute to the community with these simple deeds:
Impact of Running Away Is Chillier Than Winter
(NewsUSA) – Between 1.6 and 2.8 million youth run away each year in the U.S. The brutal cold of winter is only one of the threats that runaway youth will struggle to overcome. According to the National Runaway Switchboard (NRS) 2011 Runaway Youth Longitudinal Study, the long-term impact on their health, economic and legal outcomes as adults is another significant risk."Long-term consequences of youth running away should encourage parents, teachers and other adults to get involved earlier to prevent a runaway situation," said Maureen Blaha, NRS executive director. "Hopefully, knowing the potential consequences also deters youth from running away."For adults who ran away from home as adolescents, the likelihood of having suicidal thoughts increases 51 percent, they are more than three times as likely to attempt suicide, the likelihood of them being a smoker is 2.4 times as high, they are 67 percent more likely to use marijuana, and they are 53 percent more likely to report having a sexually transmitted disease.Running away doesn’t just affect health — it also impacts the economy. As an adult, a former runaway’s annual income level is $8,823 lower on average and the likelihood of being a recipient of AFDC, public assistance or welfare is 76 percent higher.The negative effects of running away don’t stop there. Adults who ran away as adolescents are approximately 2.5 times more likely to be arrested, and they are 99 percent more likely to sell drugs. The key is runaway prevention, and NRS offers a few tips for parents to keep their child from running away:* Understand Your Child. Try to sympathize with what your kids are going through, and look at life from their point of view.* Discuss Feelings. Talk about what it feels like to be a parent, and encourage your children to talk about their feelings, too. When parents share their feelings, children know it’s safe to share theirs.* Use Teamwork. Work together to find mutually agreeable solutions.Find help and information for runaway, homeless and at-risk youth by visiting www.1800RUNAWAY.org or by contacting NRS at 1-800-RUNAWAY.
Helping Save Polar Bears Is As Easy As Texting
Polar bears are loved by people of all ages, all around the world. These magnificent, powerful animals live nowhere else except the Arctic, and they need our help.
Coca-Cola and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) are joining forces to help protect the polar bear’s Arctic habitat. Together they are raising awareness and funds for conservation efforts to create a safe haven for the polar bear. The program is called “Arctic Home.”
To call attention to the cause, for the first time ever, Coca-Cola is turning its iconic red Coke cans white. Shoppers will find these limited-edition cans on store shelves this holiday season. Bottle caps of many other Coke products will also be white.
