Oprah Winfrey is teaming with her go-to guru Deepak Chopra to launch “Oprah’s Lifeclass and Deepak Center Present: Oprah & Deepak 21-Day Meditation Challenge – Perfect Health,” a free online, interactive meditation experience on Oprah.com beginning today.
This first “Oprah’s Lifeclass” branded program is designed to introduce users to the benefits of regularly practiced meditation. Interested participants can register now for the three-week course on www.oprah.com/DeepakChopra to join the challenge and receive 21 days of guided meditations from Winfrey and Dr. Chopra.
Over the next three weeks, participants will receive a daily email with a link to access the day’s meditation, as well as an inspiring message and tips for creating a powerful meditation practice.
Participants will be guided through the audio meditation by The Voice of Winfrey and Chopra. Through the course, which will focus on meditation for 15-minutes a day, participants will have the opportunity to learn more about the many benefits of this practice.
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U.S. first lady Michelle Obama arrives to speak during the “Building a Healthier Future Summit” March 8, 2013 at the Lisner Auditorium of George Washington University in Washington, DC.
Our first lady has just scored another first. Michelle Obama has topped the first ever best dressed list from UK’s Sunday Times newspaper, with editors commending her for using fashion as a “force for good.” The Sunday Times Style magazine described Michelle, 49, as “understanding that, as her primary role as first lady is visual, fashion can be a force for good used to inspire and entertain.”
Other names on the list included Queen Elizabeth, Home Secretary Theresa May, Victoria Beckham, artist Grayson Perry’s drag alter-ego “Claire,” 6-year-old Shiloh Jolie-Pitt and actress Dame Helen Mirren. Tiffanie Darke, the Sunday Times Style magazine’s editor, said: ”The diverse nature of this list demonstrates the importance of fashion in the overall conversation, confirming the role clothes play in creating a visual manifesto.”
article via eurweb.com
The cover says it all: “Simply The Best!” This April 2013 issue of Vogue marks Tina Turner’s first time gracing the iconic fashion magazine. The legendary singer is seen rocking her signature honey blonde-highlighted hair, a silky navy blouse and what appears to be a black skirt for Vogue’s German edition, which was shot by Claudia Knoepfel and Stefan Indlekofer and styled by Nicola Knels.
Turner is 73 years old and looks like she just stepped on the stage at the “The Ed Sullivan Show” in 1970 to perform “Proud Mary.” Fashionista.com points out that the age-defying beauty might be the oldest Vogue cover star ever–snagging the title from Meryl Streep who covered American Vogue last year at the age of 62. Either way, we’re just thrilled to see the Queen of Rock-n-Roll in all her glory.
article by Julee Wilson via huffingtonpost.com
The Hip-Hop community has influenced dance culture consistently for over 30 years and some of the best moves have been gleaned from the Eighties and are still celebrated in competition today. If you see a dance battle, nine times out of ten, break dancing will be a part of the show.
France puts on an annual dance battle called Chelles Battle Pro. The competition took place Saturday and the baby with the most swag and skill of the B-Boy crew The Soul Mavericks, was the electrifying 6-year-old dance phenom, Terra.
She broke it down with every difficult move from the hesistant crawl, to headstands with hops, and endless spins holding her leg, all with bold bravado that should’ve sent her opponent running off the stage with his tail between his legs. According to Digital Journal, she joined the all male dance crew last year along with her 8-year-old sister Eddie. Check her out for yourself. You won’t believe her explosive character and moves. You will be shocked that she didn’t win the competition.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5hQ-qOtPLU&w=560&h=315]
article by J.C. Brooks via eurthisnthat.com
Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres announced that the newest CoverGirl model is 18-year-old Alexis Harris (pictured) on her show last Thursday. Harris won the honor, along with a $20,000 award, in CoverGirl’s model search. During a mock press conference on the show, DeGeneres brought out Harris’ family to see her entry video, which featured her mother independently raising both her and her three brothers.
Despite growing up without a Father, Harris still managed to reach admirable heights. She is the founder and CEO of the S.M.I.L.E. Movement (Students Making Impacts In Lives Every Day), a nationwide student support system that pushes young people to enact change in their communities. And if her words are any indication, this is only the beginning for the University Of Texas-San Antonio student. “We’re going to use the money to give back to different local organizations: Haven for Hope, different groups locally,” Harris said about how she plans on using the grant money.
Harris’ first project as a CoverGirl will be appearing with DeGeneres in a campaign shoot next month. Those pictures will appear in a future People Magazine issue.
article by Hannington Dia via newsone.com
Frank X. Walker, an associate professor of English at the University of Kentucky, has been named as the poet laureate of Kentucky by Steve Beshear, the state’s governor. He is the first African-American poet to hold that position. Walker also serves as the university’s director of African-American and Africana studies program.He will take the position of poet laureate in a public ceremony that is to take place at the state capitol building in Frankfort.
Walker, who is the author of a number of books, has taught at the University of Kentucky since 2010. Before that, he was a member of the faculty at Northern Kentucky University and at Eastern Kentucky University. He has become well-known for creating the term “Affrilachia,” which is designed to unify Appalachian and African-American culture and history.
CLEVELAND, Ohio — A federal jury awarded $13.2 million to a former housing authority security officer Friday after finding two Cleveland detectives fabricated or withheld evidence at his 2000 murder trial.
David Ayers, 56, who spent 11 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit, and several jurors wept as the verdict against detectives Denise Kovach and Michael Cipo was read in U.S. District Court.
“These detectives didn’t do their jobs at all,” juror Stephanie Kocian told The Plain Dealer in an interview. “They manipulated the evidence, and didn’t look at anyone else except the most convenient suspect to convict. The word ‘railroaded’ was thrown around the jury room during deliberations.”
At the time of his 1999 arrest, Ayers had been working for more than eight years as a security officer with the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority. He was accused and eventually convicted of the beating death 76-year-old Dorothy Brown, who lived in a CMHA high rise in Cleveland.
Ayers continued to maintain his innocence, filing appeals while serving a life prison term for aggravated murder. He finally prevailed in 2011, when DNA tests proved that a single pubic hair found in Brown’s mouth did not come from him.
High schooler Caleb Smith (pictured) recently defied his disability by winning his first wrestling bout for his St. Paul Minnesota high school, according to CBS Minnesota. Smith lost his limbs when he contracted a rare meningitis blood disorder at the age of 3-years-old that caused his blood vessels to burn.
Due to his illness, the Harding senior’s parents were forced to make the heart-ripping decision to have their son’s arms and legs removed at their respective joints. “I was 3, so I hadn’t developed writing and walking skills completely, so it was pretty easy getting used to it, Smith said of his experience.
Fifth grade was when Smith began to dabble in the highly aggressive sport of wrestling, and his
positive attitude about himself allowed him to take part in his first match.
As far as the sport goes, even though Smith weighs a feathery 120 pounds, don’t let his size fool you; the teen has learned to use his physique to help him maintain a competitive edge against his opponents. According to his high school coaches, Smith moves better than his rivals and has led his school in escapes this year.
“He’s got the kind of strength people don’t normally see at 120,” coach Otto Kraus told CBS Minnesota. “Plus, the way he can move makes it hard to wrestle him.”
The young dynamo does have one drawback, though: he gets winded more easily than his opponents. In order to combat this Smith says he trains tirelessly so that he can overcome wrestling’s physical challenges. “For them to run 10 yards or whatever, it takes them like 20 steps,” he said. “But it takes me like 30 because my legs can only move so far,” he told CBS Minnesota.
OPRAH WINFREY, the first African-American woman to become a billionaire, has built an empire with her oratorical gifts and ability to engage with people of all ranks and backgrounds. Now she will share words of wisdom with the Class of 2013 and other Harvard graduates, their families, and alumni by serving as principal speaker at Harvard’s 362nd Commencement, the University announced today.
“I was taught to read at an early age,” Winfrey told the Academy of Achievement in 2011. “By the time I was three, I was reciting speeches in the church. They’d put me up on the program, and say, ‘Little Mistress Winfrey will render a recitation.’”
In what was called “a transformative moment for the television business” by The New York Times, Winfrey made history in May 2011 by ending the Emmy Award-winning Oprah Winfrey Show to start her own cable channel (OWN, short for the Oprah Winfrey Network)—the first time a talk-show host has created an entire channel. “I’m not going away, I’m just changing,” she said to the Times. “I’m just creating another platform for myself, which eventually will be wider and broader than what I have now.” In January 2013, for example, OWN received widespread attention when Lance Armstrong chose Winfrey as his confidant for a confessional interview about his long-denied use of performance-enhancing drugs. (Winfrey’s original, nationally syndicated show ran for 24 seasons, tackling topics such as divorce, sexual abuse, and philanthropic issues, and featuring exclusive interviews with celebrities and world leaders alike. It drew an audience of more than 40 million viewers a week in the United States and reached 150 countries around the world.)
“I was taught to read at an early age,” Winfrey told the Academy of Achievement in 2011. “By the time I was three, I was reciting speeches in the church. They’d put me up on the program, and say, ‘Little Mistress Winfrey will render a recitation.’”
In what was called “a transformative moment for the television business” by The New York Times, Winfrey made history in May 2011 by ending the Emmy Award-winning Oprah Winfrey Show to start her own cable channel (OWN, short for the Oprah Winfrey Network)—the first time a talk-show host has created an entire channel. “I’m not going away, I’m just changing,” she said to the Times. “I’m just creating another platform for myself, which eventually will be wider and broader than what I have now.” In January 2013, for example, OWN received widespread attention when Lance Armstrong chose Winfrey as his confidant for a confessional interview about his long-denied use of performance-enhancing drugs. (Winfrey’s original, nationally syndicated show ran for 24 seasons, tackling topics such as divorce, sexual abuse, and philanthropic issues, and featuring exclusive interviews with celebrities and world leaders alike. It drew an audience of more than 40 million viewers a week in the United States and reached 150 countries around the world.)
Billy Ray Harris’ story has inspired a windfall of donations.
When Kansas City homeless man Billy Ray Harris returned Sarah Darling’s engagement ring last month after she accidentally dropped it in his cup, it could have been the end of the story. Instead, the experience has changed his life. In the weeks since his good deed went viral, Harris has gained national attention, and supporters have raised over $175,000 for him to find a new home.
Something even more valuable happened: Harris is back in touch with his family, from whom he was estranged for the last 16 years. Amid the media storm around the engagement ring episode, Robin Harris, Billy Ray’s younger sister, happened to come across an article about her brother, and reached out to the local news station that first reported the story for help tracking him down.
“When I turned my head, I recognized the name, and I turned back around and I looked at the picture again, and it was my brother,” Robin told TODAY.com. “I called and I said, ‘that’s my brother. I’ve been looking for him for 16 years.'” Robin, who still lives in Texas where the family grew up, said she made repeated efforts to find her brother over the years, but had heard varying reports about his whereabouts, and was even once told that he had died.
“When I turned my head, I recognized the name, and I turned back around and I looked at the picture again, and it was my brother,” Robin told TODAY.com. “I called and I said, ‘that’s my brother. I’ve been looking for him for 16 years.'” Robin, who still lives in Texas where the family grew up, said she made repeated efforts to find her brother over the years, but had heard varying reports about his whereabouts, and was even once told that he had died.