Create Your Own Adventure

Are you ready to spice up your life? There's only one sure-fire way. It's a secret.

How To Find Answers To All of Life's Questions

Do you want wisdom? There are 3 ways to find it.

Review: Vicky Christina Barcelona (2008)

Vicky Christina Barcelona weaves a tale of transformation of two besties who visit Barcelona for the summer unaware that the trip will challenge their current belief systems.

Survival Series: How To Survive A First Date

If you're ready to begin dating again, you'll need to know these mental strategies to make the most of it.

Where Is My Success?

Have you been toiling away for years and don't see any rewards?

Friday, March 4, 2011

Tina Brown Convenes 2nd Annual Women in the World Summit on March 10 in New York City




NEW YORK, March 4, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Tina Brown editor in chief of Newsweek and The Daily Beast today announced that President Bill Clinton and Melinda Gates will join the dynamic mix on the opening night of the second annual Women in the World summit. The invitation-only event takes place in New York City from March 10th -12th, 2011 and can be watched via live stream at www.thedailybeast.com. New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg will provide the welcoming address to the summit. On the second night of the conference, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton returns to Women in the World for the second year and will deliver remarks.

Joining Tina Brown as co-hosts are Diane von Furstenberg, Meryl Streep, Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, President of the Rockefeller Foundation Judith Rodin and Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Managing Director of the World Bank along with partners Women for Women International, Vital Voices Global Partnership and founding sponsor HP.

President Clinton, Secretary Clinton and Melinda Gates join confirmed participants including Dr. Hawa Abdi, former Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Cherie Blair, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Jane Harman, Arianna Huffington, Ashley Judd, Chouchou Namegabe, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Michelle Rhee, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Nawal El Saadawi, Malika Saada Saar, Susan Tahmasebi, and Ambassador Melanne Verveer. Panel moderators include Christiane Amanpour, Mika Brzezinski, JuJu Chang, Charlie Rose, Lesley Stahl, Gillian Tett, Cynthia McFadden, Pat Mitchell, and Barbara Walters.

Newsweek & The Daily Beast's 2011 Women in the World summit continues the international dialogue of last year's globally celebrated event. The summit will focus on the success stories of women who have risen above daunting challenges, innovative executives who are revolutionizing global business culture and courageous women leaders whose pioneering energy is the hallmark of the 21st century.

Gabi Zedlmayer, vice president, office of global social innovation, HP, said, "The Women in the World summit brings together some of the most dynamic, influential and diverse women leaders from around the world. We are encouraged to see the caliber of attendees focused on driving genuine societal change, and HP is proud to be a part of such an impactful event where these developments and transformations start."

On the second night of the Women in the World summit Diane von Furstenberg will once again host the DVF Awards recognizing outstanding female leaders from around the world. "I am forever impressed by the strength of women, but channeling that strength is crucial. Getting together and inspiring one another is the most valuable thing we can do for the future."

VIDEO: How To Change The Oil In Your Car


Sometimes you have those bad days where you can't seem to find a man to charm into taking care of the little things like repairing the screen door or changing your oil. For these tricky situations, you may have to learn to do it yourself.

HOW TO VIDEO: Below the Fold.


Thursday, March 3, 2011

My Savvy Sisters Book Reviews

My Savvy Sisters are now doing book reviews!

We are accepting PDF versions of books in print for review. These books may be written by men or women but must be written FOR women.

Please send an email to the publisher with the following information:

1. Your Name & Book Title
2. ISBN#
3. Where to purchase (include link)
4. Genre
5. JPEG Cover Shot
6. Your PDF file


Our reviews will not be plot synopsis'. We will review for:

1. Value - Does this provide a useful message for women to be empowered?
2. Emotion- How does reading this book make the reader feel?
3. Juice- The highlights of the book
4. Recommended- Why do we recommend this book?

We are currently looking for book reviewers to volunteer for My Savvy Sisters. Serious inquiries are welcome. We reserve the right to refuse to review any book.

The Butterfly


A man found a cocoon for a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared, he sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through the little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and could go no farther. Then the man decided to help the butterfly.

He took a pair of scissors and snipped the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily. Something was strange. The butterfly had a swollen body and shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time. Neither happened. In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and deformed wings. It was never able to fly.

What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand, was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the small opening of the cocoon are Nature's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon. Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life.

If Nature allowed us to go throughout our life without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as we could have been. Not only that, we could never fly.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Women Deliver List Recognizes Top 100 Individuals Who Deliver Results for Girls and Women

First "Women Deliver 100" list marks 100th International Women's Day, featuring women and men who have fought to improve girls' and women's lives worldwide

NEW YORK, March 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Women Deliver announced today the "Women Deliver 100," the global advocacy organization's list of the hundred most inspiring people who have delivered for girls and women. The list recognizes women and men, both prominent and lesser known, who have committed themselves to improving the lives of girls and women around the world. Honorees derive from the fields of health, human rights, politics, economics, education, journalism, and philanthropy, and represent a great diversity of geographic and cultural backgrounds.

"2010 was widely viewed as the year women's issues finally came to the fore in international development," said Women Deliver President Jill Sheffield. "This list recognizes those who successfully navigated the corridors of power, along with those on the front lines, who have worked to expand rights and choices for girls and women everywhere."

The 100 honorees were selected from among hundreds of potentials and feature some of the most intrepid, committed, and results-driven people in the world. In addition to Nobel laureates and heads of state, honorees are human rights activists, like Kasha Jacqueline, who have fought tirelessly against oppression; they are scientists, like Ian Frazer, who have developed life-changing technologies for women; and they are midwives, like Imtiaz Kamal, who save the lives of women and babies.

"Activists, doctors, journalists, teachers, business women, politicians: the women and men on this list do more than inspire. They change lives for the better, they create, they innovate and they fight for more fair, more inclusive, more fulfilled societies," said Graca Machel, an honoree and founding member of the Elders. "Their achievements reinforce my conviction that when women thrive, our world does too."

Many individuals on the list have seen little public attention, and are the unsung heroes of women everywhere. Many have moved mountains amidst civil strife and endemic poverty, some have risked their lives for their work, and others continue to face pressure and stigma for their efforts.

"The work of these heroes is informed not just by boundless vision, but also by pragmatism," saidMichelle Bachelet, Executive Director of UN Women and Chair of the Women Deliver 2010 conference. "They both understand and defy current power structures – and they will stop at nothing to make changes that improve the daily existence of women everywhere."

The list is global in reach, signifying the breadth of work being done to improve girls' and women's lives. Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest representation, with 26 honorees. The Middle East and North Africahave 20 honorees, while 15 are from Asia, and 11 hail from Latin America and the Caribbean. Nineteen North Americans were also selected for the list.

The full list, with profiles of each honoree, will be unveiled on 2 March and can be found atwww.womendeliver.org.

Some of the inspirational individuals featured in the Women Deliver 100 include:

  • Somaly Mam, Cambodia: Orphaned during the Khmer Rouge, Mam survived forced prostitution as a child, later escaping to France. She then returned home to start a network of sanctuaries aiding thousands of other trafficking survivors across South East Asia.

  • Kakenya Ntaiya, Kenya: As a Maasai villager, Ntaiya made two extraordinary deals with her father and her community elders: by agreeing to undergo female circumcision, she was allowed to delay marriage and attend high school. In exchange for a university education in the US, she has returned to Kenya to build a school for other Maasai girls, now in its third year.

  • Rebecca Gomperts, Netherlands: The intrepid Dutch doctor anchors her small ship off the coasts of countries where abortion access is restricted to provide safe medical abortions and medically-sound counseling in international waters. Her efforts are credited with helping to pushPortugal to legalize first-trimester abortions.

  • Hawa Abdi, Somalia: Abdi and her daughters, all doctors, have stood their ground againstSomalia's Islamist militias, guarding one of the country's only remaining safe havens: they run a complex with a hospital, farms, and a school, providing shelter to more than 90,000 women and children.

  • Casimira Rodriguez, Bolivia: Forced into domestic labor as a child, Rodriguez went on to become a firebrand labor organizer and most recently, Bolivia's Minister of Justice – the first indigenous woman to serve in that position.

  • Chief Kwataine, Malawi: Chief Kwataine learned of the high maternal death rate in the 89 Malawian villages under his traditional authority and launched a community-wide, grassroots initiative to educate women on maternal health and bring women to the hospital to give birth; in the last three years, not a single mother has died.

About Women Deliver: Women Deliver is a global advocacy organization that brings together voices from around the world to call for improved health and well being for girls and women. Launched in 2007, Women Deliver works globally to generate political commitment and financial investment for fulfilling Millennium Development Goal #5 — to reduce maternal mortality and achieve universal access to reproductive health. Building from the groundbreaking conferences Women Deliver convened in 2007 and 2010, the initiative harnesses commitments, partnerships, and networks to help prevent the approximately 350,000 deaths of girls and women from pregnancy- and childbirth-related causes that occur every year. Women Deliver's message is that maternal health is both a human right and a practical necessity for sustainable development. Invest in women—it pays.


5 Ways To Be An Overcomer

I recently spoke with AAMBC President Tamika Newhouse. Newhouse founded the African Americans on the Move Book Club in 2008 so that unknown African American authors would have an opportunity to be exposed to the world. Since then she has become an engaging voice in breaking new authors who desire their time in the spotlight.

While the video below captures the essence of Newhouse's humble beginnings and passion for the written word, I asked Newhouse to offer My Savvy Sisters encouraging words for doing what she has successfully done, transforming her dream into her reality. By diligently transforming her passion into a profitable business Newhouse was able to overcome the false ideals about her worth that stood in the way of her success.

Tip 1 - Find Your Passion
Your passion chooses you. You know you've found your passionwhen you can't help but do it. You can't stop doing it if you tried. Pay attention to what makes you truly happy and you'll know.

Tip 2- Do The Research
Don't be ignorant about what you want to do. Do the research. Find out what it takes to have what you want. Know the business.

Tip 3- Be Obsessive
You must put a lot of work in. You have to be obsessive. If you aren't obsessed with your dream it's not going to happen.

Tip 4- Surround Yourself With Positive People
You must surround yourself with people who will be beneficial to you. There will always be negative people around who criticize you for your lifestyle. I'm a mother and sometimes I'll hear the question, "Where are your kids?" These people don't believe that you can have both a career and a family. You should find someone who encourages you, someone you can learn from and someone who has a good spirit.

Tip 5- Network
It's important to meet people in the business. If you are insecure about your worth or your personality you shouldn't be. I don't like to change who I am to fit into a certain clique. The more that you are open to being YOU, the more people will expect you to be YOU and accept you. They're either going to like you or dislike you but don't worry; What's for you is for you.


View Newhouse's Story of Transformation


Tuesday, March 1, 2011

BlogCarnival - Resources For Women


A Blog Carnival is an event for bloggers to share their writing and expose their blogs across the blogosphere. Today My Savvy Sisters hosts its first Blog Carnival. Submissions were sent in from bloggers sharing their expertise and inspiration on different topics just for women.

Peruse the blog posts and enjoy!

  1. Aparna presents My winter skin and hair care routine posted at Beauty and Personal Grooming.
  2. Kathryn presents Beans for Brains Offers Scholarships to Student Crocheters posted at Crochet Concupiscence.
  3. Lyn Harris presents Wednesday's Woman - The Season for Sad posted at Wednesday's Woman.
  4. Samantha Miller presents 5 Must-know Tips for Today’s Writers posted at Bachelor of Arts.
  5. Lyn Harris presents Escaping Spiritual Abuse posted at lyn harris.
  6. Charles Chua C K presents Healthy ways to live posted at All About Living with Life.
  7. Sarah presents IdentTattoo - The Child Safety Temporary Tattoo Company posted at IdentTattoo - The Child Safety Temporary Tattoo Company.

My Savvy Sisters Appreciate The Little Things

Winning the lottery or getting a promotion are great reasons to celebrate yourself, but you shouldn’t have to wait for those major milestones to shake your thang in appreciation of your wonderful life.


You have my permission to pop a bottle if any of the following statements apply to you:


You made it to work on time.

You paid your bills this month.

You boiled that rice just right.

You didn’t cuss your co worker out today.

Your favorite parking spot was open.

There was no line when you checked out at Walmart.

You bought those shoes half off.

You found gas for $2.75.

MODERN DAY MIRACLES!

Now add your own______________________________.

Bloggers Flock To Los Angeles For The 2011 Blogging While Brown Conference


The Blogging While Brown Conference which has harvested a community of the most widely respected bloggers from across the country is scheduled to be held this July 8-9, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. According to the official Blogging While Brown website, "The purpose of Blogging While Brown is to give Bloggers of Color an opportunity to meet each other for the first time, discuss current issues affecting Bloggers of Color, and learn about the latest technology that will assist them with publishing their work.

Aminah Hanan, Program Director for the 2011 conference described how this year’s panelists were selected. “We had everyone who was interested in leading a panel submit a proposal and we had the blogosphere vote on the panels they wanted to attend. We announced the selected panelists on our website.”

Selected panelists will cover a variety of widely debated topics which will offer guidance to up and coming bloggers. Here is a sampling of the valuable information bloggers will be exposed to at the conference.

Get in Where you Fit in! How to Find Your Niche - Jewel Figueras

Keeping Your Authentic Voice When The Noise Gets Too Loud - Yvelette Stines

Sass-tivism!: How Black Women Are Changing the World on Twitter - "Dr. Goddess," Kimberly C. Ellis, Ph.D.

Infusing Traditional PR Methods with Social Media - Pam Perry & Karen Taylor Bass

From a Side Hustle to a Career - Andrea Amir

The Conference's administrative team hopes that this year’s program will be well attended by savvy sisters and brothers who understand how valuable the blogging medium is. “Today’s bloggers are often leaders in their field,” Hanan explained. “Bloggers are the new voice of what’s happening.”

Hanan, who attended her first Blogging While Brown Conference in 2009, said her career benefited from her first attendance. “I sat next to the creator of Blogging While Brown, Gina McCauley, and I had a chance to interview her. From that brief interview we connected through twitter and facebook and kept in touch and when she needed help with a blog she was running that chronicled the lifestyle and whereabouts of our First Lady Michelle Obama, she thought of me. Of course I took the position and from there I was invited to become Managing Editor of Michelle Obama Watch.”

“It’s great to attend conferences and meet other leaders and press the flesh,” Hanan commented. “You never know how your career will be transformed.”

Registration for the conference is now open. The registration fee is set at $199 and tickets will be available for purchase until May 9, 2011. Visit http://www.bloggingwhilebrown.com/ for more information, pictures and testimonials.

New Book Release - It's Not A Sin To Be Single

The Publisher of My Savvy Sisters released her first self help book- It's Not A Sin To Be Single. You may view the book trailer below.

Monday, February 28, 2011

My Savvy Sister Of The Week- Linda Dominique Grosvenor

Linda Dominique Grosvenor (Princess Dominique)
Relationship Therapist and Shoe Enthusiast

Capricorn


Linda Dominique Grosvenor is the author of The Plural Thing: Spiritually Preparing for Your Soul Mate and offers daily relationship tips on her Facebook page that will inspire you to believe in and receive your perfect love. She is also the founder of the Love Better Camp, Inc. that was created to teach both men and women how to avoid counterfeits, love better and marry well. After producing such honorable projects to keep the sanctity of true love alive she jumpstarted the Keep Marriage Visible Campaign on Facebook after noticing that the new upgraded Facebook profile wouldn’t allow her to link to her husband or state that she was married.

In addition to the busy work she does in encouraging men and women to believe in love, she has another love, shoes. As the CEO of PrincessDominique.com she offers My Savvy Sisters the tips they need to feel good no matter what heels they are in. “I simply adore shoes,” she admitted. “I love shoes so much that I was featured on NBC's Today Show earlier this month to talk about, ‘Why Women Love Shoes.’ The producers came by and I gave them a sneak peek into my shoe closet.”

Linda loves the idea of blogging and the sense of community that it creates. “I love that I'm able to share my thoughts with the world and possibly touch someone in a positive way. I believe that blogging is really just the newfound 'diary' that I had when I was 16 years old. Same concept. Different platform. I'm enjoying every minute of it,” she said.

The Princess herself exemplifies the definition of My Savvy Sisters because of her diverse work in turning her passions into a platform to help others. “Being savvy means to leave footprints for those who come after you,” Linda said. “I love looking at the trendsetters who came before me for inspiration and then in turn providing inspiration for those who will come after me.

When I asked for tips for My Savvy Sisters seeking love she said, “In order to be savvy when it comes to love it is essential that you know who you are and what you want out of life. You cannot wait for your mate, dating partner or anyone else to make your dream a reality.”

You can celebrate all things beautiful with Princess Dominique over at her blog Princess Dominique.com

Debenhams Reveals the Definition of Female Beauty is Changing


LONDON, Feb. 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Debenhams, the high street retailer, has revealed that Britain's perception of what an ideal woman should look like is changing yet again.

After five decades of worshiping tall, thin, slim-hipped women, society is moving towards favouring the traditional hour glass figure, sales figures suggest. Demand for shape wear saw a sales peak of +225% last year, creating the impression of a classic Marilyn Monroe style figure, as well as women's clotheswhich create the perfect body silhouette.

Debenhams spokeswoman Michelle Dowdall said: "It looks like big busts, big hips and narrow waists are on their way back.

"We're returning to an age when all women looked like Jane Russell, Ava Gardner and Rita Hayworth.

"It's bad news for stick thin models - but great news for ordinary women on the street with healthy, fuller figures."

Debenhams believes the trend towards ample proportions may have been inspired by recent hit TV series Madmen. The increasing popularity of music by singers such as Duffy and Paloma Faith who base their image on 1950s style film stars may also be having an effect.

However there is also evidence to suggest that the definition of feminine beauty is cyclical. Nude body forms chosen by artists and painters across the last two centuries have alternated between thinner and fuller figures every fifty or sixty years, experts say.

Since thin female bodies have been popular since the 1960s, this trend, combined with Debenhams sales figures, suggests that Britain may on the cusp of change. A propensity for hour glass figures would have a dramatic impact upon the clothes and fashions worn by women in the future, says Debenhams.

An hour glass figure demands sharp, tailored clothes which define the body's curves rather than hide it. Pencil skirts, fitted jackets and strapless dresses would all rise in popularity - a major shift away from today's boyish, androgynous styles. Deep v-neck sweaters, tight fitting blouses - and good underwear hiding bumps and lumps will also become even more essential.

Michelle Dowdall continued: "We're watching this development very closely because it could have a major impact upon fashion in the future.

"Like all good businesses we look at trends way ahead, so if hour glass figures are going to return - and current evidence suggests that they are - then we need to begin planning for that major change now.

Current popular hour glass figure icons include Christina Hendricks, Nigella Lawson, Scarlet Johanssonand Salma Hayek."

VIDEO: Understanding Why Men Love Bitches


The "Good" Girls around the world cringe at this statement, but it's true, some men do love the women who treat them horribly and undermine all of their efforts and achievements.

But why, WHY do men love bitches so much? I came up with a few reasons why I believe a certain type of man absolutely ADORES a bitch. Check out the video below.

EDITORIAL: 2012 And The Reality Of Its Meaning

By Christina Fermin
Society & Politics Columnist


There has been a lot of hype about the year 2012 and what it all means. The media and fanatics take the perspective that it is the end of the world or Armageddon while others say it is absolutely nothing. December 21, 2012 is popularly associated with the ancient Mayan calendar although we have been taught that the Mayans were barbarians so that we may discredit their prophecy of a human evolution. This prophecy that is spoken about in many ancient cultures across the globe, is considered by the ancient world as the galactic alignment, or as we know today, the precession of the equinoxes. In other words, our planet will align with the sun as well as the center of the Milky Way galaxy on the winter solstice of 2012.

December 21, 2012 is a completion of a galactic cycle, but more importantly it brings the human populace to a crossroads that will affect the future of mankind. All of the ancients through their myths, legends and prophecies have spoken of that day, not as a warning, but a call for mankind to awaken. In the media, politics, and entertainment, you can already see the chaos. The chaos is here to bring forth a truth for us to face, the truth in all the lies, violence and corruption that we allowed to manifest ; is this really the world you want to live in? You have a choice.

Many of you are aware of the book The Secret and others like it. These books are here to remind you that Earth is a giant theatre and we are all actors and players in that theatre. We decide what happens in our own play. The year 2012 is about reconnecting with your higher self. Modern science in the last few years has taken leaps and bounds in the area of physics. It is now understood that there are other dimensions, life, galaxies and planes of existence. Just the other day I read an article about time travel where scientists were able to make a molecule travel into the future.

Do you not think that we collectively have the power to create a future full of peace, love and harmony? I have always believed the phrase “Be the change you want to see in the world.” In order for us to see this change on a macrocosmic level it begins on a microcosmic level; it begins with you. We are living in exciting times. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and we have allowed suffering, pollution, the rape and pillage of our mother Earth for far too long. We have allowed the elite of the world to run our countries, resources, religions and finances into the ground as they divide us.

The golden age is upon us and will only come about if you will it to. Recognize the truth in what is wrong with this world, take responsibility and accept it. What are you willing to do to fix it? One person CAN change the world. If we future world changers came together in a common mission, the outcome would be ecstasy! We can create a new paradigm, a whole new way of being and living harmoniously with all. I call on you to awaken, get in touch with that burning desire to reconnect, meditate and most importantly follow your passion, joy and excitement. Only through the excitement that following your passion evokes, will your true life path become known.

Peace and Love,

Christina


About the Columnist

With a bachelors degree in political science from Florida Atlantic University, Christina Fermin has always cultivated her love for history, politics, sociology, ancient knowledge and teachings, the outdoors, the ocean and the environment. Christina strives to make our world better by helping us all create a new reality and understanding of all taking place here and now.

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