We all know who Oprah Winfrey is and, as a matter of fact, one does not even have to say her last name to identify her. Making an average of $260 million per year, this media marvel is not only the wealthiest of celebrities, but is amongst the most powerful women in America.

Oprah is not only a talk show mogul, but she is an actress, a radio personality, an educator, and a charity activist. Being the richest African American woman of the last century, she built a $40 million school in South Africa in order to educate girls from poverty-stricken families. The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy has started with 150 students and hopes to soon expand to 450 students. On her show, she consistently refers to the girls within the school as her ‘daughters’ just as they refer to her as their mother.

Oprah is hard-core into the empowerment of women and of children by helping them further their education and increasing opportunities for those communities that do not have the resources to create ample opportunity for their young people. With Oprah’s work in South Africa, she is hoping to provide a better quality education than what these girls would receive in regular public school. It is through these higher education standards that Oprah hopes to create skilled women who can contribute to a flailing economy that is short on skilled workers.

For those who have dreams of becoming famous, Oprah is most definitely a wonderful example of a “rags to riches” story. Growing up in Mississippi and being a survivor of abuse and of the trials and tribulations that come with finding success, she has proven that it is possible to use your talents to not only make yourself famous, but to help others find a way to a better life.

Chocolate Shake & Ice Cream
Hosted By Blythe Metz Mandmets
Learn to make a non-dairy organoc chocolate shake and berry icecream out of nuts, raw cacao or berries, and young coconuts. Delicious!
Duration: 4′ / Prep time: 4′

Healthy recipe for a fall apple parfait.

NEW YORK, November 6, 2007 — The Adrienne Shelly Foundation (ASF), a tax-exempt, non-profit organization dedicated to the memory of writer/director/actor Adrienne Shelly, has announced the November 12th launch of its inaugural EBAY auction to raise funds for its various initiatives which support women filmmakers. The auction will include approximately 25 celebrity items and experiences; TV and movie walk-on roles; VIP show tickets with meet and greets; and movie premiere tickets. Featured items include lunches with Edie Falco, Cheryl Hines, Rosanna Arquette, Keri Russell, Paul Rudd and Jeremy Sisto, as well as VIP tickets, backstage tours and meet and greets with Jon Stewart, Rachael Ray, the hosts of The View and the rock band Maroon 5. There are also signed items from celebrities that include Matt Dillon, Richard Pryor and the Halo 3 XBOX 360 game actors.

“What makes this event truly special for us is the little-known fact that Adrienne was an “EBAY POWER SELLER”, an elite status reserved for only the most active sellers of merchandise,” said Andy Ostroy, ASF’s Founder and Executive Director, as well as Ms. Shelly’s husband. “Operating under the name BUNNYSVINTAGE, Adrienne in her spare time sold over 1900 vintage clothing items. We’ve taken that same passion and dedication which she had for EBAY and created a very special auction in her honor.”

Information about the auction and a list of items can be viewed at www.Ebay.com/AS_Foundation (Ebay.com/AS_Foundation). The auction will go live the evening of November 12, the same night ASF will be holding its inaugural Fundraising Gala in NYC which will include a rare musical performance by Alanis Morissette as well as a celebrity reading of the Adrienne Shelly script THE MORGAN STORIES, featuring Matt Dillon, Edie Falco, Mary-Louise Parker, Ally Sheedy, Gina Gershon, Leelee Sobieski, Jake Hoffman, Nathan Dean, Ms. Morissette and others. Tickets for the event can be purchased at www.adrienneshellyfoundation.org.

ABOUT ADRIENNE SHELLY FOUNDATION

The Adrienne Shelly Foundation supports the artistic achievements of female actors, writers and directors through a series of scholarships and grants, providing recipients with financial support and consultative access to the Foundation’s advisory board of actors, directors, producers, composers, law, public relations, academic and trade professionals. Reflecting Adrienne’s spirit, generosity, courage and whimsy, our goal is to recognize the tremendous passion and commitment of women artists in creating their own work, and provide them with support and guidance particularly during periods of transition and struggle. For more information on the Foundation, please visit www.adrienneshellyfoundation.org

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Andy Ostroy, Elizabeth Benjamin, Michelle Byrd, Dan Katcher, Isabel Rose and Jeremy Walker.

ADVISORY BOARD

Rosanna Arquette, Adam Brightman, Emily Deschanel, Sasha Eden, Annette Insdorf, Hal Hartley, Andrew Hollander, John Logigian, Bennett Miller, Peter Newman, Michael Roiff, Reid Rosefelt, Paul Rudd, Keri Russell, Jen Small, Fisher Stevens

I was wondering if there are any exercises to do to keep my leg endurance up because I live out in a country-ish area so there are no streets to run on. There is only a dirt/gravel road and we get a lot of snow. Does anyone know what my best option would be to improve/maintain my fitness?

Learn about Total Carbohydrates from food labels in this free healthy living clip from our professional dietitian and nutrition expert.

Who is on your sales team? Often, success in the field is far from an individual effort. There is frequently an inside customer service group, service coordinators, a product expediter, a dependable shipping department and quality vendor technical support operating behind the scenes ensuring that the customer’s experience is a good one. The salesperson is the facilitator of these collective efforts and the representative of their company when dealing with customers.

This past weekend, the rapidly changing political landscape was introduced to the live version of a new phenomenon. Although Hollywood-types have often backed political candidates and causes, the world has been holding their breath in anticipation of the impact of Oprah’s endorsement of Barack Obama. Oprah lends her star-power to her friend, Obama, “a new kind of leader who possesses a tongue dipped in the unvarnished truth,” Winfrey said.

The Oprah and Obama traveling tour brings new meaning to the phrase dynamic-duo! Obama had the pleasure of addressing almost 30,000 registered voters at Williams-Brice stadium here in Columbia, SC thanks in great part to Winfrey’s celebrity. I do not believe that anyone will ever be able to remove the pleasure-filled smile from his face.

“In what may be the largest phone-banking effort in the nation’s history, each attendee was handed a sheet that listed four registered S.C. voters and a phone script. Attendees were asked to call the voters on their sheet, right then and there, and ask them to support Obama in the Democratic primary.” Regardless of your political persuasion, this sales effort is impressive. The news coverage and number of articles are amazing.

Talk about sales teams! This pairing may be just what the doctor ordered to propel Obama to the lead in the run for the Democratic nomination. What then… VP Oprah Winfrey!

The point of all this is to remember that our success in selling our ideas and products is indeed a team effort. Even if you are a self-employed company of one who handles everything from sales to accounting, you too rely on vendors, FedEx, US Mail and reliable technology to ensure your sales success. You are indeed part of a team effort, albeit the focal member.

None of us operates in a vacuum. It is necessary and proper to respect and care about your sales team. When appropriate, introduce these people to your customers. Make it more personal. Put faces on each department and function.

Remember, the bottom line is that people interact with people to make things happen. Humanize your selling efforts and warm up your sales success.

Fourth in the series of videos on this subject. In this one, the viewer is introduced to the natural sweetener “stevia,” and given some internet pointers for more information.

These healthy recipes - Fruit Pizza and Fruit Kebabs with Zesty Lemon-Lime Dip - are not only refreshing and delicious but they’re loaded with healthful vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals. And so easy you won’t believe it! Very little culinary skill required!

Really weird poodle exercise video for humans. This is a mesmerizing and frightening video. It’s a word-for-word parody of Susan Powter’s first workout video, featuring poodles and a crazy poodle-woman. Absolutely surreal. It was made by Nagi Noda for Panasonic. It was part of 10 films they made for the 2004 Athens Olympics.