Madonna Compares Bullying Gays to Lynching, Holocaust

Tuesday – November 09, 2010 – 9:35am

During a satellite appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show Tuesday, Madonna makes a heartfelt plea to end bullying in America.
"I'm incredibly disturbed and saddened by the overwhelming number of teen suicides that have been reported lately because of bullying," she says. "Suicide in general is disturbing. Teenagers committing suicide is extremely disturbing, but to hear that teenagers are taking their lives because they are being bullied in schools and dormitories, what have you, is kind of unfathomable."

PHOTOS: Stars who were bullied

Madonna, now 52, says she was bullied as a kid growing up in Michigan.
"I still feel different," she says. "I can totally relate to the idea of feeling isolated and alienated. I was incredibly lonely as a child, as a teenager. I have to say I never felt like I fit in in school. I wasn't a jock. I wasn't an intellectual. There was no group that I felt a part of. I just felt like a weirdo."
It wasn't until her ballet teacher, who was gay, took her under his wing and introduced her to a community of artists that she felt "it was OK to be different," she says.

PHOTOS: Compare Madonna and daughter Lourdes' styles

The gay community "has been incredibly supportive of me," she says. "I wouldn't have a career if it weren't for the gay community."
She says she's been talking to her children about bullying. "We talk a lot about the importance of not judging people who are different -- not judging people who don't fit into our expected view of what's cool and what isn't," she says. "The concept that we are torturing teenagers because they are gay -- it's unfathomable. It's like lynching black people or Hitler exterminating Jews. Sorry if I'm going on a rampage right now, but this is America. The land of the free and the home of the brave...."

Her solution? "I think it would be interesting for everybody to try one simple experiment: Try to get through the day ... without gossiping about somebody," she says. "And not only that -- not even listening to gossip, walking away from it. Can you imagine what your day would be like? How much more free time you'd have? I also feel like you'd feel about better about yourself."

http://www.usmagazine.com/celebritynews/news/madonna-compares-bullying-gays-to-lynching-holocaust-2010911

DISCOVER MORE ABOUT BULLYING
http://www.bullying.org

Get Lauren Conrad's Elegant Side Bun

Tuesday – November 09, 2010 – 12:53pm

Lauren Conrad stepped out at the VH1 Save the Music Foundation Gala on Monday in an elegant blue gown complemented by an equally glamorous side bun.

Mimic her look with this how-to from Devin Toth, stylist at the Ted Gibson Salon in NYC:

Start with smooth, straight hair.
Gently wrap 2-inch sections around a large barrel curling iron. "This will simply enhance or set the blow out. It won't actually curl the hair," Toth told UsMagazine.com.
Next, create a strong side part and brush the hair back to the side of your nape. Secure it in a pony tail. Twist the pony into a large figure-8 twist, and pin it in place.
Glide a finishing cream (Try: Ted Gibson Tame It Shine Lotion, $20) over the hair. Then, on the opposite side that the bun is on, pull out a strand from the front to frame the face.
"This makes the elegant bun less contrived," explained Toth.

http://www.usmagazine.com/stylebeauty/news/get-lauren-conrads-elegant-side-bun-2010911

NORML Women Campaign For Cannabis in High Style

NORML Women Campaign For Cannabis in High Style

From left to right: Sabrina Fendrick, Margot, Pepper, Shaleen Title, Anne Davis, Diane Fornbacher-Wall, Greta Gaines

The image of pot is changing, and the NORML Women’s Alliance is blazing the trail; 

one high-heeled step at a time

A little over one week before California voters will decide on proposition 19, a ballot initiative to legalize and tax marijuana for recreational purposes, the NORML Women’s Alliance and creators of Pot Couture, the first online magazine for sophisticated lady stoners, joined with several other female cannabis activists to spread the message of marijuana reform with a high-style photo shoot designed to reframe the perception of the marijuana legalization movement, and the stereotype of those involved.
The women gathered for the photo shoot are activists and professionals who support proposition 19.  The online magazine partnered with the NORML Women’s Alliance in 2010 with the shared mission of giving a voice to the women in America who oppose marijuana prohibition. “The passage of California’s historic ballot initiative Proposition 19 is a priority for women who recognize that legalization and regulation will create a safer environment for children and families,” says Sabrina Fendrick, coordinator for the NORML Women’s Alliance.

“There’s still this idea that supporters of marijuana reform are on the fringes of society, but that’s just not the case. Marijuana is as mainstream as it gets, and these women are proof,” says Pepper, of Pot Couture.

“Regardless of what happens in California in November, marijuana reform is an issue that is here to stay,” adds Margot of Pot Couture. “The medical benefits of marijuana are proven, and the economic opportunities are real. American women are savvy, and they have no interest in funding a losing war on drugs.”  Margot and Pepper are the two characters depicted in the magazine.
New Jersey NORML Executive Director, Anne Davis, Esq argues, “What we need are common sense marijuana regulations that are practical and enforceable. Marijuana is not nuclear energy or heroin; it is a plant with incredible qualities.  To hold that a natural substance should be prohibited while far more dangerous man-made toxins are permitted is insanity.”
Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) speakers bureau director and attorney Shaleen Titlesays, “The pro-legalization cops, judges, and DEA agents at LEAP believe that taking back control of the marijuana trade is about de-funding the only groups that benefit from the prohibition of marijuana – violent gangs and cartels who control its distribution and reap immense profits by murdering rivals and supplying drugs to kids.”

Also taking part in this game-changing makeover of female cannabis consumers are Nashville southern rock singer Greta Gaines, and long-time activist Diane Fornbacher-Wall of the Coalition for Medical Marijuana New Jersey.
Gaines sums up the purpose of the campaign by saying “if so-called prohibition had succeeded in reducing use rates, reducing crime, decreasing our prison population and benefiting our social and economic conditions, we, the NORML Women’s Alliance, would not be here today.”

Sheep Crossing: A Medieval Trek in Spain

Sheep Crossing: A Medieval Trek in Spain

By Lisa Abend / Madrid Monday, Nov. 08, 2010

 

Every Sunday, Enrique Corrales stops by the Mallorquina bakery in Madrid's Puerta del Sol for a cup of coffee and a sweet roll. But on Oct. 31, there was an unexpected interruption to his ritual. Leaving the bakery, he was mildly shocked to discover the space that only minutes before had been an urban square had suddenly transformed into a barnyard. Pointing to the herd of woolly, braying animals scampering past McDonald's, he asked, reasonably enough, "Why are there sheep in the center of Madrid?"

To answer that question, you have to go back to the 15th century, a time when wool production was the Kingdom of Castile's main industry and shepherds moved their flocks from one end of the realm to another in order to find the best supplies of grass. In 1418, the leading shepherds' organization signed an agreement with the elders of Madrid that guaranteed their right to traverse the city with their flocks during the biannual trek, or trashumancia. Six hundred or so years later, that agreement remains intact, which is why a vast herd of sheep was running through the center of Madrid on Sunday. (See the video "How to Shear a Sheep.)

Today, that ancient agreement is largely symbolic: although some of Spain's sheep still move from pasture to pasture, they tend to do it by truck, not on foot. But this year, residents of the cheesemaking area of La Serena, located in the western region of Extremadura, are helping revive the old practice. And it's not merely for tradition's sake — they're convinced that the trashumancia is good for the environment, the sheep and even the people who eat what comes from the animals. (Comment on this story.)

"The merino sheep is built for the trashumancia: they're the breed that was doing it back in the Middle Ages," says Isidoro Campos, spokesman for the organization that certifies the area's highly regarded artisanal cheeses, called Torta de la Serena. "We want to revive the practice in part because we think it will make better cheese." (See pictures of Spain's madcap tomato festival.)

On June 13, with their own pastures already drying up from the summer heat, 2,200 sheep owned by farmer and cheesemaker Ricardo Quintana left Extremadura and began walking to the cooler, greener north. Along the way, volunteer shepherds joined the flock, tagging along for a few hours or days and helping to keep ovine order. When the herd finally arrived in Tolbaños de Arriba, 370 miles (600 km) away in the province of Burgos, on July 19, it was greeted by the entire town, which turned out to celebrate the return of the trashumancia. "When we were growing up, the herds always came through here," said Begoña Diez at the time. "Our parents and grandparents, their whole economy depended on sheep."

The farmers involved are already seeing the benefits of the trashumancia. The lambs born to this herd, says Primitivo Rodríguez, who has worked as a shepherd all his life, are bigger and healthier than any he's ever seen. "And the cheese is going to pick up all the flavors of the grass and herbs the animals have eaten along the way." (Read "The Fine Art of Sheep-Shearing.")

There are also environmental advantages. The trashumancia has always been a way for shepherds to raise their livestock on pasture year round, even in seasonally dry areas, without having to resort to feed, which is both more expensive for the farmer and less beneficial for the animal's health. But conservationist Jesús Garzón, a leading proponent of the trashumancia, also sees it as an important means of preserving biodiversity. "The migration of herds north in summer and south in winter is ancient," he says. "And the entire Iberian ecosystem is adapted to it. As the herds move, they help spread plant seeds. And if pasture isn't grazed upon, it dries up and becomes a hazard, rather than a benefit." (Comment on this story.)

But there's a reason the trashumancia died out: it's hard work. Soon after the sheep arrived in Tolbaños de Arriba, lead shepherd Rodríguez realized there wasn't enough grass in the area, and the herd had to be moved again. Confronted with long, uneventful days watching the animals, and nights spent in sleeping bags on the cold ground far from home, the other shepherds gradually begged off until Rodríguez was the only one left. "Kids today think they have a right to take vacations, to go to the beach," he says. "I'd like to go to the beach, too, but the sheep don't let me. Somebody's got to watch them." (See pictures of immigration in Europe.)

The lack of interest that young Spaniards have in traditional shepherding makes Rodríguez fear for its survival. But he might have been cheered by the sight on Sunday of David and Ricardo, twin 5-year-old boys. From their post at the side of Madrid's main street, they excitedly watched the herd barrel through the center of town. "Daddy," said Ricardo as his brother reached out to touch the wool on one animal, "I want to be a shepherd!"


Read more: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2029457,00.html#ixzz14oreHmGS

Ford can fiesta again

Selling cars

Ford can fiesta again

Innovative marketing helped Ford’s recovery

Oct 28th 2010

“WE LIVED on farms, we lived in cities, and now we’re going to live on the internet!” proclaims the actor playing Sean Parker, one of the Facebook pioneers in the film “The Social Network”. Earlier than most of his rivals, Jim Farley also understood how important the internet was becoming to car buyers. Now, as global marketing chief for Ford, he is hoping to push America’s second-biggest carmaker to the leading edge of online advertising.
This year in America he launched the Fiesta, a European-styled subcompact, using internet campaigns, and introduced the new Explorer SUV on Facebook. Early next year he plans to launch a new Focus compact car globally via the internet. Mr Farley uses traditional media as well as online advertising, but combines both with unconventional marketing.
Ads for mass-market cars are normally dull affairs, but Ford was recently named “Marketer of the Year” by Advertising Age, a trade magazine. And Mr Farley’s methods seem to be helping Ford accelerate into the fast lane. On October 26th the company reported a $1.7 billion profit for the third quarter. This was helped by improved quality and the halo effect from not having to seek a government bail-out and declare bankruptcy, unlike its Detroit rivals. Ford is now hiring workers and paying down its debt. “We are moving from fixing the fundamentals of our business and weathering the downturn to growing the business,” declared Alan Mulally, Ford’s boss.
Mr Mulally poached Mr Farley in 2007 from Toyota, where he had worked for 17 years, often using guerrilla-marketing techniques. Mr Mulally, who had joined Ford the year before, wanted to remake the firm with his “One Ford” global design and development strategy. The idea is that by knitting together far-flung operations with only small adjustments for local tastes, the same cars could be sold in America, Asia and Europe. Mr Farley’s brief was to unify Ford’s marketing and advertising.
Mr Farley found customers were indifferent to the brand—which, he says, “is worse than customers not liking Ford.” Part of the reason was the firm’s image, at least in America, as a Midwestern, staid producer of pickup trucks. As much as Americans seem reluctant to give up their petrol-guzzling SUVs, he concentrated on promoting small, fuel-efficient cars, with a similar message around the world to advertise them.
The launch of the Fiesta in America was a test of the Farley strategy. The car was already made in Europe and Asia. Ford imported European Fiestas and recruited 100 media-savvy members of the public to act as “agents”. In return for a free car for six months, plus insurance and petrol, they agreed to upload their adventures in online videos and to blog about them. The so-called “Fiesta Movement” created a buzz and the car gained the highest vehicle awareness among the public of any car in its segment, says George Rogers, who runs Team Detroit, Ford’s advertising agency.
Mr Farley decided to take a leaf out of the Fiesta book for the global launch of the Focus, which is planned as the centrepiece of Ford’s transformation into a producer of smaller and more environmentally friendly cars. Again, people will be recruited but this time from applicants around the world. They will then be taken to southern Europe next spring to test the new car and to tell their friends about it on Facebook and Twitter in German, Russian, French and any other language. “Word of mouth is more believable than traditional advertising,” says Mr Farley.
The new Focus will be built on one platform and will have the same engine, transmission, chassis and main body in all the markets where it is sold. The current version of the car, which was launched in 2000, was promoted with over 20 different advertising campaigns created by semi-autonomous marketing units. Ford intends to have a global theme this time, but does not rule out tailoring some advertising to local markets where it is felt appropriate. Detroit has long talked about making global cars, but ended up with many differences. The coming together of the world online could give Ford that advantage, provided the Farley strategy continues to run well.

R.I.P: Paul, The World Cup's Psychic Octopus

REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay

NewsFeed is sad to announce that Paul, the famous psychic octopus who shot to fame after predicting the outcomes of World Cup this summer, died Tuesday.  He lived just two and a half years.
After passing away peacefully during the night of natural causes, Paul will be remembered for predicting the winners of all Germany's World Cup clashes, and then the final by selecting Spain over the Netherlands. Just before each game, the Octopus would choose one of two boxes, each loaded with a mussel food treat and marked on the outside with one of the teams. (He also made an enemy in Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.)
Staff at the aquarium center where he lived said his death was not entirely unexpected, since common octopuses generally only live a few years. Paul's body is now in cold storage while the aquarium decides "how best to mark his passing."  "We may decide to give Paul his own small burial plot within our grounds and erect a modest permanent shrine," said Stephan Porwell, manager of the Oberhausen Sea Life Centre in Germany. (See the Top 10 World Cup Moments.)
However, Paul's fans need not despair–his aquarium is said to be grooming a successor, also to be named Paul. (Even though, chances are, he won't be psychic.) And on a commercial note, the iconic octopus lives on in iPhone apps and clothing lines devoted to his soothsaying ways.  NewsFeed salutes you, Paul. May you predict World Cup outcomes in octopus heaven.  (Via Press Association)

Read more: http://newsfeed.time.com/2010/10/26/r-i-p-paul-the-world-cup-psychic-octopus/#ixzz13UK9OO5a

Watch the making of "California Gurls"

Watch The Making Of "California Gurls"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zgb7ZnxHBc&ob=av3n


Watch interviews with Katy Perry
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOtJUmiUZ08

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsXxVPJLXDw