Women Blog

Vignette on Podcast included in series of inspirational stories rolled out during Women’s History Month

Fantoo Girls, a sports-talk Podcast hosted by Carol Doroba and Robin McConaughy was tapped for inclusion in the coverage of ESPN’s Her Story, a month-long programming initiative to highlight the achievements and contributions of women in the world of sports. The video can be viewed at http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=4012679.

ESPN’s coverage throughout March highlights women in sports with documentaries, investigative pieces and a series of vignettes that can be seen across the network’s many platforms.

Fantoo, Inc., founded by Carol Doroba and Robin McConaughy in 2004, launched the Podcast, Fantoo Girls - Where the Girls Talk Sports, in January of 2006. They won the People’s Choice Podcast Awards in the Sports category that same year, and have been a final nominee every year since. As creators of sports content with an entertaining and opinion-based angle, Doroba and McConaughy have hosted weekly, live sports-talk shows on terrestrial and satellite radio, written a weekly feature for the Philadelphia Eagles website and aired a daily show from Radio Row the week before Super Bowl XLI in Miami, FL. Of course, a new Fantoo Girls Podcast can be heard every Thursday morning on the company’s website, http://www.fantoo.com/.

“We are thrilled to be recognized by ESPN as offering something unique and inspirational through our Podcast,” said Doroba, Head Coach of Fantoo. “We came at this from a woman’s perspective and soon realized that the content we created filled a void for both men and women. Our listeners tune in to get an entertaining perspective on sport that keeps them current on the main stories, but isn’t afraid to delve into the personalities, rules and happenings in lesser-known events. Throw in a little popular culture and you have a Fantoo Girls Podcast.”

“As sports fans, we recognized a need for an alternative to the current sports programming available, which tends to be either very stat-oriented, or too focused on the negative stories that swirl around the sports world. We feel that people become more avid sports fans when they have a reason to care about the athletes and the game,” added McConaughy, General Manager of Fantoo. “Our aim is to take our unique approach to creating, producing and delivering sports content to TV, broadband and any other place where the audience would rather laugh than be X and O’d to death.”

To learn more about Fantoo, visit the site at http://www.fantoo.com/. To listen to the Podcast, download from the website, subscribe to Fantoo Girls via iTunes or use this URL for their RSS feed: http://www.fantoo.com/podcast/podcast.xml

Source: Fantoo, Inc.

Sponsored by Raising Women’s Voices for the Health Care We Need

While lawmakers in Washington, D.C. and state capitals debate the merits and costs of health reform, women around the nation are struggling to get affordable health care for our families. For many women and our families, health reform cannot come too soon.

On April 1, women from across New York City will speak out publicly about the problems they and their families are experiencing with the current health system, such as:

• Insurance premiums that are unaffordable;

• Co-pays and deductibles that are so costly women can’t afford to use insurance, if they have it;

• Limits on coverage for pre-existing medical conditions;

• Plans that don’t cover maternity and other reproductive health services;

• Inability of small business owners to offer employee health coverage;

• Confusing rules and confounding billing systems;

• Lack of translators for families who do not speak English

Emcee will be Byllye Avery, founder of the Black Women’s Health Imperative. Moderator will be Dr. Nancy Snyderman, Chief Medical Editor of NBC News.

Health policy experts who will be on hand to link women’s personal stories to needed reforms in the health system will include: Wendy Chavkin, M.D., Professor at the Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University; Susan Wood, Ph.D., Director of the Jacobs Institute for Women’s Health at George Washington University (and former Director of Women’s Health for the FDA); Deborah Reid, J.D., attorney with the National Health Law Program in Washington, D.C.; and Lynn Paltrow, J.D., Director of National Advocates for Pregnant Women. Representatives of city council, state legislative and Congressional offices have been invited.

DATE OF EVENT: Wednesday, April 1, 2009
TIME: 7:30-9:30 p.m. (doors open at 7 p.m.)

WHERE: InterChurch Center, 475 Riverside Drive at 119th Street, Manhattan (enter through Claremont Avenue side of building)

Source: Raising Women?s Voices

Job Seekers Can Now Gain Competitive Edge in Job Market

How does a 45 year old woman compete for a job with a 25 year old in today’s fiercely competitive market? With new boobs or a face lift!

A leading Park Avenue plastic surgeon has unveiled a new secret weapon to aide job seekers in their quest for success and put them back on the payroll. The ultimate “Job Fighter Package” helps men and women gain the edge on their competition with their new, cosmetically enhanced looks.

Let’s face it, it’s tough out there. First impressions speak volumes and image is paramount to success so you need to look your very best. Men and women in their 40’s and 50’s are competing with peers 10 to 15 years their junior for the same positions and are often losing out to younger, more attractive candidates.

One New York doctor has found a solution. Since the introduction of his comprehensive “Job Fighter Packages, ” Dr. Stephen T Greenberg, has seen an influx of patients to his Manhattan practice for a total revamp of their body and confidence. Each package is tailored to suit patient’s individual needs and include procedures such as face lifts, eye lifts, breast enhancement, lipo suction and cosmetic injectables.

• Are you trying to land a job in the finance industry? The eyes speak volumes about you — get an eye lift.

• Looking for a job as an Executive Administrative Assistant? Consider a boob job and a butt lift to ensure you won’t be forgotten after the interview.

• Eager to get back into the real estate game? Go for a facelift to get that fresh faced, polished look.

Source: Dr. Stephen T. Greenberg, Plastic Surgery

New York City and Milwaukee Rides Commemorate International Female Ride Day

To help commemorate the 3rd Annual International Female Ride Day, as well as kick-start Women Riders Month, Harley-Davidson is hosting two special rides on Friday, May 1, 2009, in New York City and Milwaukee, respectively. The rides, as well as additional events throughout the month of May are designed to celebrate the millions of women who have already grabbed life by the handlebars, as well as inspire more women to experience the freedom of the open road.

International Female Ride Day, founded by Vicki Gray of Motoress.com, encourages women around the world to hit the open road, whether it’s just for a few minutes or several hours, on the first Friday of May every year. Specific details for the Motor Company sponsored International Female Ride Day rides include:

• International Female Ride Day, New York City - Starting at Bergen County Harley-Davidson/Buell, in Rochelle Park, N.J., the New York City ride will be led by Karen Davidson, great-granddaughter of one of the Motor Company’s founders. The ride, which will kick-off at 11:00 a.m. EDT, will roll across the George Washington Bridge before touring the sites of Manhattan. The celebration will continue after the ride with music, food, camaraderie and fun back at the dealership.

• International Female Ride Day, Milwaukee - Country music artist, Krista Marie, will help lead the Milwaukee ride, which will kick off at Miller Park at 1:00 p.m. CDT, before rumbling through the streets of Milwaukee on their way to continue the celebration at the Harley-Davidson Museum.

Both rides are free and open to any female riders with a valid motorcycle license, but space is limited. Women can reserve their place in either ride by logging onto www.harley-davidson.com/womenriders.

Women who cannot attend the rides in New York City or Milwaukee are encouraged to check with their local Harley-Davidson dealership, as many across the world are also planning rides in their areas to commemorate International Female Ride Day.

For more information about International Female Ride Day, Women Riders Month or Harley-Davidson, visit www.harley-davidson.com/womenriders.

Source: Harley-Davidson Motor Company

The last one week has been very exciting for me after I upgraded my affiliate store software package and added four more affiliate stores to my work from home business.

I’m very thankful to be one of the women who can work from home and the feeling of being able to earn money from home is simply satisfying. With now a Compare Hotels website and a Wedding Shopping site, I have added a Natural Skin Products online store and next week, I would be adding two more affiliate stores to my home business collection.

I can understand how tough it is to earn money from home since this is a totally new idea of the new century. Though many industry professionals have started the work at home trend years ago, from selling insurance online to network marketing, earning from home via the internet business is new for many of us. Yes, me included. In fact, there are many work at home women who don’t even know that they can make money via Adsense.

If you are keen to set up your affiliate stores with a small investment, I highly recommend Datafeedr who has a good support team and is well connected with many affiliate merchants including linkshare, commission junction, shareasale, link connector…etc. You can start with a one store package if you just wanna try out and if you are more familiar with the system or is ready for more affiliate stores, you can then upgrade your package to 5 stores or more.

To find out how you too can set up an affiliate store within a few hours from your home office, check out Datafeedr now.

The National Association for Female Executives has named Marriott International, Inc.to its list of 2009 NAFE Top 50 Companies for Executive Women. The list spotlights corporations with practices and employment records that benefit women and encourage their advancement to top management positions. Marriott ranked in the top 10 and was the only lodging company to be named on the list.

The association made special note that women at Marriott currently make up more than half of the employees, nearly half of the managers, and 30 percent of the vice presidents. Also mentioned was the company’s use of the innovative electronic program, Sed de Saber (”Thirst of Knowledge”), which helps Spanish-speaking associates learn English.

“Marriott is committed to training, advancing and empowering women and minorities to attain senior leadership and management positions,” said David Rodriguez, executive vice president, global human resources, Marriott International. “We believe that championing diversity and inclusion in everything we do provides our company its strength and competitive edge.”

NAFE is focused on moving women into profit and loss positions. Their nomination focuses on programs promoting the advancement of women, workforce profile, work/life programs, compensation and accountability.

“Marriott is extremely proud of this prestigious award. Recognition of this caliber reinforces our commitment to the advancement of women executives,” said Amy McPherson, executive vice president, global sales & marketing, Marriott International.

Marriott provides several programs to help employees advance their careers, including:

• The Women’s Leadership Development Initiative, which will celebrate its 10 year anniversary this year, offers leadership, networking and career development conferences, along with work-life effectiveness programs, policies and resources to help employees manage their work/life responsibilities;

• Marriott sends a number of female executives every year to Women in Leadership and Learning (WILL), an immersion curriculum geared at enabling professional breakthroughs for women executives; and

• The Executive Development Program, a four-week program designed for Marriott’s most senior level leaders which exposes them to innovative thought leadership practices. This program prepares leaders for the next level of executive management.

Other recent awards recognizing Marriott as a great place to work include:

• FORTUNE magazine — “Best 100 Companies to Work For” and “Most Admired Companies”

• BusinessWeek magazine — “100 Best Global Brands” and “Best Places to Launch a Career”

• Working Mother magazine — “Working Mother 100 Best Companies Hall of Fame”

• DiversityInc magazine — “Top 50 Companies for Diversity”

• Black Enterprise magazine — “40 Best Companies for Diversity”

Source: Marriott International, Inc.

Drunk Driving Costs More Than Just Lives.

Even the blizzard warning didn’t keep people away from the MADD Colorado kick-off of the 2009 Walk Like MADD campaign at the Pepsi Center today. Denver’s 4th Annual Walk Like MADD event helps raise money and awareness to support MADD’s Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving, which calls for lifesaving alcohol ignition interlocks for all drunk drivers, sobriety checkpoints and/or saturation patrols, community support and the development and exploration of advanced technologies that will one day make a vehicle inoperable by a drunk driver.

Walk Like MADD is a 5K non-competitive family walk that raises funds to support MADD’s mission of eliminating drunk driving, supporting victims and their families, and preventing underage drinking. The 2009 Walk Like MADD 5K event, which will take place Saturday, August 1, 2009 at Sloan’s Lake Park, is expected to grow in overall attendance by 50% and has an increased fundraising goal of 63% over 2008. “We know that reaching our fundraising goal for the 2009 Denver Walk Like MADD is ambitious,” said Emily Tompkins, MADD Colorado, State Executive Director. “But we believe it is an investment we all must make to protect Colorado’s future, free of preventable deaths and injuries. We all pay the price for others’ choice to drink and drive, whether you have lost a loved one, been injured, or are a taxpayer who helps to pay the billions of dollars annually that alcohol-related crashes cost our society. “

Drunk driving threatens all of us. One in three people will be personally involved in an alcohol-related crash in their lifetime. In addition to the emotional toll that these preventable deaths and injuries take on victim/ survivors, there is also a fiscal impact to our society. The National Highway Safety Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that over $100 billion is spent on drunk driving in the United States annually and the average alcohol-related fatality in the United States costs taxpayers $3.5 million. For nearly 30 years, MADD has helped save over 330,000 lives - but still people continue to die and be injured by this violent crime. In Colorado in 2007, 226 people were killed in alcohol-related crashes; of these, 170 people were killed in drunk driving crashes where the driver had a BAC of .08 or higher. Countless others were seriously injured. Just this past St. Patrick’s DUI Enforcement period in Colorado, a record setting 661 DUI arrests were made and 4 people were killed in alcohol-related traffic crashes.

The timing for the launch of the Walk Like MADD campaign is significant because this is the season of intensive, high-visibility enforcement. Walk Like MADD is a call to action to support MADD’s Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving, one key initiative of which is to support intensive high-visibility law enforcement. During this heightened enforcement time, as well as throughout the year, MADD Colorado works with law enforcement by providing support to nearly 150 Sobriety Checkpoints because Checkpoints are proven to save lives. Studies have consistently found that the societal savings from checkpoints significantly outweigh the initial investment. According the NHTSA, every $1 invested in checkpoints returns $23 in savings, such as medical costs. Anyone can help eliminate drunk driving by registering for Walk Like MADD to raise money for MADD Colorado to continue to support law enforcement’s efforts and all of MADD Colorado’s programs and victim services that keep our children and communities safe.

MADD’s goal is to eliminate drunk driving so no families will have to face the tragedy of needless deaths and injuries of their loved ones. “After all the headlines are gone and our story is replaced in the papers and on TV by yet another unnecessary alcohol crash, we have to deal with the daily anguish of losing Adam,” said Steve Neyer, MADD volunteer/victim survivor and American Family Insurance Agent. Every step taken and every pledge made to Walk Like MADD provides funding and awareness to support MADD’s life-saving mission and takes us all steps closer to a nation without drunk driving. “American Family Insurance is proud to be the Presenting Sponsor for the Colorado Walk Like MADD,” said Ranger Duran, Agency Sales Vice President for American Family. “As an insurance company we’ve seen the devastating injuries and trauma to victims and their families as a result of drunk-driving crashes. This sponsorship is our commitment to support MADD in its mission to make our roadways safer and to eliminate drunk driving throughout Colorado.” NHTSA estimates that reducing alcohol-related crashes by 10 percent would save $1.8 billion in insurance claims payments and loss adjustment expenses alone. The lives that would be saved and injuries prevented are invaluable.

At today’s kick-off, Walk Like MADD team captains, top walkers, and volunteers heard from elected officials and other supporters about the grave consequences of drunk driving and the importance of MADD’s mission. “As MADD Colorado’s 2009 Statewide Sponsor, we’re honored to be a part of this remarkable organization,” says Darin L. Schanker, founding partner at the law firm of Bachus & Schanker, LLC. “As a personal injury law firm we’ve seen not only the devastating injuries and trauma that victims of drunk driver crashes suffer, but we’ve also seen the financial toll due to costly medical expenses and lost wages that can be equally devastating to the victims and their families. It is our directive as MADD Colorado Statewide Sponsor and as a returning Walk Like MADD sponsor to continue our support, not only as a financial contributor, but also by the firm’s participation at the walk to show our support for the invaluable programs and victim services provided by MADD.”

Walk Like MADD is an opportunity for individuals and teams to improve their health and help their community at the same time by raising funds and awareness for MADD Colorado’s efforts to eliminate drunk driving and support the victims of drunk driving crashes. Corporations and families can form teams or participate as individuals and are asked to raise at least $100 each through donations. All funds raised through Walk Like MADD stay in Colorado for MADD’s programs and services.

Interested in participating? There are three options: 1) If you live in the area of Denver’s Walk Like MADD, you can register to walk or form a team; 2) If you are unable to make Denver’s Walk Like MADD on August 1st, you can sign up to raise money as a virtual walker, anywhere and anytime; or 3) You can give a one-time donation to Denver’s Walk. Please visit www.walklikemadd.org to register, donate or get more information.

The 2009 Walk Like MADD Sponsors are generously supporting MADD Colorado’s Walk: Presenting Sponsor - American Family Insurance; MADD Colorado Statewide Sponsor - the law firm of Bachus and Schanker; and Health and Safety Fair Sponsor - King Soopers. The 2009 Walk Like MADD kickoff is sponsored by Net Builders, Inc. of Lakewood, CO.

To learn more about MADD or to receive free victim services, please visit www.madd.org or call 1-877-MADD-HELP.

Walk Like MADD Event Information for Saturday, August 1, 2009

WHAT: Walk Like MADD
MADD Colorado’s 5K, non-competitive awareness and fund-raising event
Walk, Run, Cycle or Roll your way around the Park!

WHEN: Saturday, August 1, 2009
Registration Begins - 7:30 a.m.
Opening Ceremonies - 8:30 a.m.
Walk Begins - 9:00 a.m.

WHERE: Sloan’s Lake Park
Corner of 17th Avenue and Sheridan Boulevard Denver, CO

Founded in 1980, MADD’s mission is to stop drunk driving, support the victims of this violent crime and prevent underage drinking. MADD is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, grassroots organization with approximately 400 affiliates and 2 million members and supporters nationwide. For more information about MADD’s Campaign To Eliminate Drunk Driving and Walk Like MADD, please visit www.madd.org/co and www.walklikemadd.org.

Source: Mothers Against Drunk Driving Colorado

Reducing Clutter

Here is a very easy method to use when sorting through your daily mail. This method comes from the book Organizing for Dummies by Eileen Roth and Elizabeth Miles. They call it R-A-P-I-D which stands for read, attend, pay, important and dump. Here is how you do it:

Read: Anything that you need to read goes in this stack. These are usually magazines, newsletters and catalogs you are actually interested in.

Attend: Notices and invitations for seminars, workshops, meetings, performances, parties and so on go in to attend stack.

Pay: If somebody wants you to pay for something, put in the to pay pile. Window envelopes are an easy cue. If it looks like a credit card offer your don’t want, Organizing for Dummies suggests ripping through the envelope and tossing. If you routinely shred all documents that are sensitive you may want to have an additional to shred stack. The good thing is you save time here because you don’t even bother opening the envelope.

Important: Presume important until proven innocents, and put all unknown mail into this stack.

Dump: If you know right away you won’t read it or need it, do not open the envelope. Do dump that piece of mail into a trash can or paper recycling bin.

These are just you’re preliminary sorting steps. We’ll post again with more details on what to do once you have sorted your mail.

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Smallest year-over-year growth on record for cosmetic procedures

Showing sensitivity to weaknesses in the U.S. economy, plastic surgery was not spared from the recession’s grasp. According to the newest national procedural statistics report from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), in 2008, doctors performed over 12 million cosmetic plastic surgery procedures - encompassing both surgical and minimally-invasive procedures. Surgical numbers dropped nine percent and minimally-invasive numbers rose five percent. Nearly 5 million reconstructive plastic surgery procedures were performed, slightly more than the previous year.

“Like most sectors, plastic surgery is feeling the effects of the economic downturn,” said John Canady, MD, ASPS president. “However, repeat patients and those putting off surgery, likely sustained demand for some minimally-invasive procedures. Growth in demand will likely return as the recession eases and baby boomer’s offspring begin to explore surgical options.”

The following are the top-line 2008 National Plastic Surgery Statistics:

• 12 million total cosmetic plastic surgery procedures; up three percent versus 2007

• 1.7 million surgical cosmetic procedures; down nine percent versus 2007

• Top 5: Breast augmentation (307,000; 12 percent decline), Nose reshaping (279,000; two percent decline), Liposuction (245,000; 19 percent decline), Eyelid surgery (221,000; eight percent decline), Tummy tuck (122,000; 18 percent decline)

• 10.4 million minimally-invasive cosmetic procedures; up five percent versus 2007

• Top 5: Botox (5 million; eight percent increase), hyaluronic acid fillers (1.1 million; six percent increase), chemical peel (1 million; two percent increase), laser hair removal (892,000; two percent decline), microdermabrasion (842,000; six percent decline)

• 4.9 million reconstructive procedures; up three percent versus 2007

• Top 5: Tumor removal (3.8 million; five percent increase), laceration repair (307,000; seven percent increase), scar revision (163,000; eight percent increase), hand surgery (100,000; 13 percent increase), breast reduction (89,000; 16 percent decrease)

“Although many obstacles remain in patients acquiring insurance coverage for reconstructive procedures, it is promising to see, for the first time in several years, a gain in reconstructive plastic surgery procedures,” said Dr. Canady.

ASPS procedural statistics are collected through the first online national database for plastic surgery procedures, Tracking Operations and Outcomes for Plastic Surgeons (TOPS). This data, combined with the annual survey sent to American Board of Medical Specialties certified physicians most likely to perform these procedures, results in the most comprehensive census on plastic surgery.

To view more of the entire 2008 National Plastic Surgery Statistics Report, visit the ASPS web site, www.plasticsurgery.org. Visitors can also find information on procedures and referrals to ASPS Member Surgeons.

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons is the largest organization of board-certified plastic surgeons in the world. Representing more than 6,700 physician members, the Society is recognized as a leading authority and information source on cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgery. ASPS comprises more than 94 percent of all board-certified plastic surgeons in the United States. Founded in 1931, the Society represents physicians certified by The American Board of Plastic Surgery or The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

Source: American Society of Plastic Surgeons

Program Awards Up To $10,000 Toward Tuition and Other Educational Expenses

Applications are now being accepted for the 2009 G.I.R.L. Scholarship to help educate and recruit more women into the field of video game production and design. Sponsored by Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) a global leader in online gaming, and administered by Scholarship America(R), a leading non-profit educational support program, applications are available at https://www.scholarshipamerica.org/gamersinreallife and more details, including official rules for entry are available online at http://www.station.sony.com/girl/.

“There are a significant number of women who are gamers, but not enough working in the video game field,” said Torrie Dorrell, Senior Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing, Sony Online Entertainment. “With the application process starting today, we’re taking a concrete step toward opening the door a little wider for women who want to go into game development.”

One skilled student will win up to $10,000 to be applied toward tuition and other educational expenses at the school at which the student is currently enrolled, and an optional paid internship of up to 10 weeks at Sony Online Entertainment’s headquarters in San Diego, California (room, board, transportation and living expenses not included), to work on the upcoming online video game Free Realms(TM).

In order to be eligible to participate, entrants must be currently enrolled in an undergraduate program related to video games, must not graduate before the end of the 2010 spring term, and must comply with the program’s official rules. Entrants are required to complete an online application, and if chosen as finalists, submit concept art and two (2) essays that will be reviewed by a panel of judges from SOE. Online applications must be completed and submitted on or before April 24, 2009 and SOE must receive the concept art and essays from finalists by June 12, 2009. SOE will announce the winner on or about July 17, 2009.

For more information about the G.I.R.L. scholarship program, please visit http://www.station.sony.com/girl/.