Archive for the Current Affairs

Not expecting to get teary eyed I watched a few minutes of the upcoming show from British chef Jamie Oliver. (Officially premieres Friday night at 8 EST on ABC) I missed it on Sunday night. As I’m preparing to speak to 3 classes of middle school kids on healthy eating tomorrow, I wanted to see what he had to say.

He’s got a lot to say and I hope, a lot of open minds to listen. His message started in England where he took on the schools and their lunch offerings. From what I understand he successfully effected change for the better in what the kids were fed but not without a lot of criticism. To be expected right? Well he must be a glutton for punishment, or, wait, committed to his belief that children should not have to suffer such awful, unhealthy food whether at home or in their school cafeterias. He has plenty of critics here in the US, a good number of them the cafeteria workers in the West Virginia schools he’s starting out in.

So why was I so sad? In one clip Jamie meets a family with 4 kids, 2 adults, all greatly overweight. He takes the mom through their daily meals, preparing each and every one X 7 days of the week then piles it all on to one table. It was sickening and heartbreaking as it was all either fried or full of fat. Much of it was convenience foods and always way too much. The look on the mother’s face as she stared down the misinformation she’d been feeding herself and her family just got to me. (I say misinformation because food is information for the body. And her cooking is a reflection of a lack of good information in lieu of what her culture taught her)

So Jamie’s here to help get some good information out to the schools, starting in the state with the highest obesity rates. Whether you live in an area where the schools are serving organic, locally grown everything or typical fare–pizza, hot dogs, mac and cheese, fake mashed potatoes with fake and salty gravy, colored milky sweet drinks etc–I think this topic is important enough for you to consider signing his petition. It’s going to be sent to the White House and food manufacturers to show them how much support there is out there to give kids better choices.

Along with Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move initiative we can create serious momentum and maybe enough change to make a difference.

If you want me I’ll be in front of the TV on Friday at 8, tissues in hand, watching closely as a Brit celeb chef throws his passion behind a growing movement to give kids a fighting chance at healthy longevity–something we midlife women know the importance of.

A while back the associate producer sent me an invite to watch this all-things-boomer show. I’ve never had the change as it plays locally way past my bedtime. But I continue to get the emails and the topics were fascinating enough that I had to click through to their blog site for a preview now and again.

Good news, I don’t have to stay up late–and miss my literal beauty and health sleep–you can watch all the episodes that have played, right on their site!

Last week’s was about how it feels to age–literally. A professor up in Nova Scotia created something called The Empathy Suit to give his students an experience of how it feels to move about your day in an elderly person’s body. Made me want to go to the gym. Check it out.

The half hour also covered whether or not replacement surgery should be the default for pain and quality of life and, you won’t believe this, Martha Stewart. What’s she got to do with aging? Come on, she’s as adept at extending her brand as anyone out there and she’s opened The Martha Stewart Center for Living at Mount Sinai Hospital in NYC. As the host, Robert Lipsyte says,”From the cradle to the grave with Martha.” She smiled that “It’s good to be Martha” smile of hers.

I had to laugh when she said about her book in progress, “I’ve written the book on how to take care of your home I should be the person to write a book on caring for yourself and your loved ones.” Really.

The show has covered topics like, plastic surgery, dating at midlife, spirituality and aging, Alzheimer’s, and lots more. It’s never the same old stuff and the guests are a mix of experts, medical people, authors, actors and so on.

I’ll leave you with a clip from the show when Robert Interviews Faye Wattleton, former president of Planned Parenthood turned actress, speaker, news commentator, on their plastic surgery episode.

Click this link to watch the video

On Tuesday night I attended–compliments of my good friend Chris Cavanagh–the premier of the film, The Glow Project. Conceived by eWomenNetwork co-founder Saundra Yancey, the movie was created to inspire women to their greatness by featuring a dozen or so already successful and powerful women who tell their stories. Glow, according to Yancey, is found inside every woman. “There is a powerful essence inside of every woman—a critical ingredient that only women possess. When realized, nurtured and expanded, it becomes the key to true happiness and success” she explains.

The Glow Project movie is a part of a movement, one smart women everywhere can get on board with. It’s basic premise is to help another woman along the path, up the ladder, or into the film studio. Women are the backbones of all societies and we know how powerful women are when they have support and are connected.

We need connection it is how we are wired. And if we tap into our “Glow” factor, or inner passion and operate from there we are not only unstoppable but attractive in a way that others want to connect with us. 

There are some remarkable stories in Glow, some I’d love to have seen fleshed out a bit more, heard more of the nitty gritty of getting from A–a bad relationship or no money or no skills, to B–successful, powerful, rich. The wisdom the women share is compelling even not knowing all of the gory details.

I’d suggest getting a group of women together and find a local screening to attend as a group. The best part of the evening was getting to know some of the eWomenNetwork members who were also attending. And the discussions the movie prompted were all positive and motivating. Just what Saundra had in mind I suspect.

You can watch the trailer at the home page , at least do that. See if it resonates, and if so, you can find regional showings for the movie there too.

Has anyone else seen it?

Wow, a new president is on the way. A new era and style of government. On every level this election and the process of electing Obama is remarkable and notable. The first African American, the first campaign to be replayed, commented on, and made fun of on YouTube and the first time the otherwise disenfranchised came out to vote in droves. Regardless of whom you rooted for there is no going back and the message of hope and “Yes We Can” ought to be written on our hearts and born out by our actions.

It’s not just about the politics, or the economy, and getting out of a stupid war. The ideal of “Yes We Can” is a mantra for all smart women’s dreams and the aspirations we hold in our hearts. It is–or can be–a guiding light for those days when no one buys, picks up the phone and calls, responds to our marketing, or our requests to a partner for some little touch, some warmth go unheard. It says that we can have happiness, peace, joy, abundance regardless of how the news reports it or those around us respond. We can because we are. That right there is the only reason by the way. Yes We Can because We Are. I Am. 

I may sound a bit out there for you, that’s ok. If you can just let sink in what I’m hoping to convey you might just turn a miserable mood into a decent one. You might just open enough to hear a message that will move you in the right direction, you might just believe that you can.

And what would you do if you knew you could not fail?

What would today feel like if you knew you were worthy of your dreams?

What can your life look like in the next 4 years if you live the idea that “Yes We Can” is not just a campaign slogan but a truth for all of us?

Write and let me know how this sounds to you.