Niea Milwaukee 2009 Again

Embrace your ‘true colors’

Posted by TerranceV | Home | Posted on April 9th, 2012

Then he turned to his father and boldly suggested he wear a different tie with his shirt — and not be afraid to mix patterns.

“That was the moment,” Zyla said. “I think I was instinctively choosing things that suited them more. I’ve always felt there was an appropriateness for each person.”

It is no surprise that Zyla followed his passion to New York University to study costume design, then pursued a career in fashion. For a new season of warm-weather fashion trends, the Emmy-winning stylist is sharing his “Style DNA” philosophy that has aided his celebrity clients.

In Zyla’s eyes, not only is each person unique in their appearance, but they have “true colors” that are inherent, and indicative of their personality and style — found in a person’s eyes, hair and skin tones. The stylist also offers help in his book, “The Color of Style,” which came out in paperback last year.

Zyla sat down with CNN for an interview last week to talk about spring and summer fashions, how to wear them in your own way and why everyone should embrace their true colors. The following is a transcript edited for length and clarity.

CNN: What is your style philosophy?

Zyla: If you think about it like this, you are the subject of a great painting and what you chose to fill in around you illuminates you, or it can make you recede. I feel there has been a lot of mystery around what looks good on people. My goal with all of this is I really believe that everyone has the right to look and feel fantastic. Everyone loves compliments, especially the compliment “You look great,” as opposed to “Great fill-in-the-brand-name-skirt-here.”

Color is not that much of a commodity — it’s attainable and the perfect way to express who we are.

Your clothes and color should be used as raw materials to illustrate you — you are the focal point. Your skin tone is your skin tone, you can either embrace it and illuminate it, or you can distract from it.

Your skin, eyes and hair exist as givens, then you fill in the rest around it. It’s very important to be who we are, we’re all so unique, and I really want to triumph the individual.

CNN: What are those key looks for spring and summer?

Zyla: One of the things I would say is an important piece is the draped skirt. If you never have worn a pencil skirt, and you know it’s not your best, don’t do a draped pencil skirt. But if you always wear a-line and feel great in it, do a draped a-line skirt if you want to update. Take the trends and customize them for you.

Also, white is a huge thing right now, which every couple of years it comes back, and this year is a more diaphanous approach where you’re layering and so on.

Individualize it by choosing your white. If you never wear stark white, and you look better in ivory, wear ivory. You don’t have to follow the trends to the runway level, you should follow them to the customized version of you level. The way to find your white is you should match the white of your eyes.

Another big trend are baroque patterns — big chains and medallion prints. These very large prints can be overpowering. A great rule of thumb is if the print repeat is bigger than your head, it’s too large. If you are someone who feels much better in solids, do it in an accessory — a scarf or handbag that has that print on it.

CNN: Were there any designers whose styles you were particularly excited to see in the spring or summer collection?

Zyla: There are several. Tracy Reese makes me excited every year. The fact that she creates the scale of the collection that she does every year and it has just enough theatricality to it to make the pieces stand out, yet they don’t look like costumes. She really is a talented designer with the perfect mix — the balance is fantastic.

I also love the dress designer Jay Godfrey. His dresses for spring are completely up-to-the-minute exciting, and a variety of silhouettes.

Nanette Lepore is very good, I’m loving what I’m seeing there. I really think it is a very exciting spring season. The reason I’m excited about the designers I’m mentioning is they aren’t just connected to one thing, they are doing nice variety.

CNN: How do you embrace your style amidst the changing seasons?

Zyla: Dressing in layers is always a good idea and prepare for what you’re going to do that way as well. Atlanta, San Francisco, there area a lot of cities like this where each particular day can be drastically different. Throw a sweater in your bag, dress with a layer that can come off and think ahead of time.

The best thing to do is think about the fabric of your clothing. As beautiful as linen is, it’s not going to last until lunch — it’s going to be a wrinkled mess. Cotton is going to breathe. Natural fabrics that have a little weight to them are always going to be your friend because they will last through the day.

CNN: Because the styles are more open this season, are there any key pieces that a lot of people can wear?

Zyla: One of the trends is very bright, neon, what I call hyper-Popsicle colors — very, very vivid, and I would say that if you want to have that, take one of the colors the looks great on you, and do it in an unexpected piece, like a skirt or coat.

A lot of times, we think of these vivid colors in accents or smaller things, I think this is the season to embrace the vividness. I’m not saying just because tangerine tango is the color of spring that everyone should wear it. If the brightest color on your palette is an American beauty rose pink, why don’t you use that in an unexpected way? Wearing a color that doesn’t suit you, you’re not going to be comfortable.

CNN: What do you address in your book, “The Color of Style”?

Zyla: I address the idea that we all have an authentic style and true colors. In the first part of the book, I lead you to finding these true colors and what is your dramatic, romantic and energy color, and they all do very different things. Some make you feel very friendly and approachable, some make you feel sexy.

In the second part, I lead you to one of 24 archetypes — I believe there are 24 archetypes of women.

With each archetype, I give you fragrance ideas, style ideas, fabrics, artists that represent your type, the must-haves, the must-avoids, the super power and the kryptonite. It’s a read on the personality as well and really how to put a palette and a wardrobe together. In part three of the book, I teach you how to utilize all of these tools in shopping and cleaning out your closet. When you shop, do it with intention. And I also lead you to how to dress for every occasion.

I really want people to honor their true colors and honor who they are in their authentic style. Then, I want them to really love themselves and flourish with this material.

Let women into Augusta golf club

Posted by TerranceV | Home | Posted on April 5th, 2012

Editor’s note: Martha Burk is a political psychologist and an expert on women’s issues. She is co-founder of the Center for Advancement of Public Policy, a research and policy analysis organization in Washington, and director of the Corporate Accountability Project for the National Council of Women’s Organizations. She serves as the money editor for Ms. magazine. Her latest book is “Your Voice, Your Vote: The Savvy Woman’s Guide to Power, Politics, and the Change We Need.”

This time it involves Virginia Rometty, the first female chief executive of IBM. IBM is a major sponsor of Augusta National’s Masters Golf Tournament, and up to now its CEOs have always been given membership in the club. But none has ever been a woman. So what happens now — will Augusta National open its doors to women? Or will IBM pull its sponsorship and force its other executives to resign their club memberships?

These are the only two real choices.

We’ve said all along that this is not about golf. It is about access to the places where big business is done, deals are made and careers are boosted or broken. Half of Augusta’s membership (which reads like a roster of Fortune 500 CEOs) probably doesn’t even care about golf, but the members do care about power relationships. According to Fortune magazine, “golf remains the true communications hub of America’s business elite.”

Back in 2003 when opposition to the all-male policy was making headlines, I got two calls from sponsors who said they were “in dialogue” with the club. The first was from Coca-Cola, saying its board was going to make a decision after talking to “Warren (Buffett) and Sam (Nunn),” board members who were also Augusta members. I was promised a call in the next two or three days. I’m still waiting.

My second call was much more hostile. It was from IBM, telling me my organization was “forcing” them to do something they didn’t want to do, and generally dressing me down for making an issue of the bald-faced sexism that their sponsorship supported.

A few days later Hootie Johnson, then chairman of Augusta National, stepped to a microphone and announced the club was releasing its sponsors, broadcasting the tournament without commercials. The boys had clearly made a deal that went like this: We’ll “release” you as sponsors, you’ll keep your mouths shut, and when all this woman stuff blows over you can quietly come back. Two of the three did not return (IBM was the exception), but none of the sponsors ever condemned the male-only policy at Augusta National.

IBM is surely scrambling for what it hopes will be another face-saving deal. The CBSSports.com senior golf columnist Steve Elling predicts that club Chairman Billy Payne will offer Rometty a membership a few days after the Masters ends next week: “She shows up at the tournament in 2013 in green, after the gender issue has died down. That way, the club avoids the appearance that Payne has been backed into a corner or forced into making an accommodation.”

Sorry, but that dog won’t hunt. Telling Rometty to be a good girl and wait a little longer with IBM’s collusion would be a disaster — not only for the company’s image, but for Rometty’s credibility as its leader. Elling’s scenario would scream that IBM values the relationship with a club that proudly discriminates more than it values its own integrity — or its first female CEO.

What if, on the other hand, Rometty makes an announcement that she’s not interested in membership? That won’t work either. It would be widely assumed that she was under pressure from the company to make such a statement, and in the bargain accept her second-class status. After all, CEOs (male and female) don’t get where they are by making waves. But fixing this shouldn’t be put on her. It’s the responsibility of the board of directors to insist that their CEO be treated exactly like — well — one of the boys.

Besides, whether she would accept a membership is completely irrelevant to the question of the appropriateness of the club’s all-male policy and IBM’s tacit support of it, and it doesn’t get the club out of its bind anyway. Before she can reject a membership, she has to be offered one. If Augusta National admits it was prepared to make an offer but she wouldn’t accept, it has admitted that membership is open to women, and it will immediately be asked who the next candidate will be and when. If the club remains silent, IBM’s problem reverberates louder.

And saying the gender issue will die down is wishful thinking. The women’s movement opened the doors to the executive suites for women like Rometty with 30 years of hard work that made sex discrimination in hiring and promotion in corporate America illegal. If we hadn’t raised the ruckus in 2003, you can bet it wouldn’t be front and center now. And though we haven’t succeeded yet, we won’t stop until females are treated equally in corporate-supported venues like Augusta National Golf Club, or until those companies are shamed into pulling support.

If this were about race discrimination and a black (male) CEO, IBM surely wouldn’t be in the mix, and no other national sponsor would go near this club. But it’s only the girls — and sex discrimination is just not as serious. Or is it?

We’re listening for IBM’s answer.

Follow us on Twitter @CNNOpinion.

Join us on Facebook/CNNOpinion.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Martha Burk.

Making an emergency plan for your pets

Posted by TerranceV | Home | Posted on September 18th, 2011

© Copyright 2010 Mother Nature Network

If you die what happens to your pet?

Posted by TerranceV | Home | Posted on September 5th, 2011

© Copyright 2010 Mother Nature Network

Originally Published On: www.cnn.com – Original Article Here

16 repeated job search errors

Posted by TerranceV | Home | Posted on September 3rd, 2011

(CareerBuilder.com) — Over the years, hiring managers have born witness to every hiring, interviewing, résumé, cover letter and negotiation mistake there is.

You know what these blunders are. Yet you (and hundreds of other job seekers) continue to make common job search mistakes.

Job searching the Generation Y way

From those who see your mistakes over and over, here are 16 common job search mistakes to avoid — and some of them may surprise you.

1. You don’t keep your options open

"Candidates tend to think that if they interview for a job they will get an offer, so they do not apply and interview for multiple positions," says Joanie Spain, director of public relations and career services, School of Advertising Art, a graphic design college. "They wait until one plays out completely, putting their job search on hold until knowing for sure they didn’t get the offer."

"By having many more irons in the fire, you diversify the risk and disappointment that is inevitable when any single opportunity disappears," adds Roy Cohen, author of "The Wall Street Professional’s Survival Guide: Success Secrets of a Career Coach."

"You also present yourself as a more passionate and energetic candidate. You’re in the ‘zone’ — a point where you’re in the flow of information and ideas — and that makes you more valuable."

2. You turn up your nose at job descriptions

"Entry-level candidates are reluctant to apply for a position unless the job sounds like their ‘dream job’ or they have all qualifications listed," Spain says.

"Rather than going on an interview to get more information, they base decisions about applying on the job description alone. They fail to see that all interview experience is good experience, or that, until there is an offer on the table, there is no decision to make."

3. You haven’t perfected the thank-you note

"Don’t be too verbose with a thank-you note after an interview. Sending out a version of "War and Peace" can come across as desperate and needy for a job. However, sending a one or two sentence thank-you note comes across as flippant, not well thought-out and potentially shows indifference regarding the job to the employer," says Mike Barefoot, senior account manager at Red Zone Resources, a recruitment firm.

"We encourage candidates to keep them to four to eight sentences."

4. You don’t check your references

"Always give out references that you’ve pre-screened. We sometimes see candidates give out references that were never checked with and the references feedback isn’t always kind," Barefoot says.

"Also, make sure they’re predominantly managers. An occasional colleague is okay, but contemporaries and friends really don’t carry that much weight in helping you land a position."

5. You’ve got poor business acumen

"Managers are becoming more savvy and are taking candidates out to lunch for interviews. They want to see how you treat a restaurant staff and see the ‘real’ you. If you’re rude to them or don’t seem appreciative for their hard work to make your meal pleasurable, managers wonder how you’ll treat contemporaries you work with," Barefoot says.

6. You have a messy briefcase

"A messy briefcase can imply the person is unorganized, messy and unprepared, and that their work will be less than optimal," says Ronald Kaufman, author of "Anatomy of Success."

"Someone who is neat, clean, organized and prepared in all areas conveys they’re serious about getting a job and working."

7. You discount temporary positions

"Many employers coming out of a recession want to hire on a temporary or temp- to perm- basis. We have already seen several contractors be offered permanent positions after they have proven themselves," says Jeffrey Weinstock, Esq. president, Rhodes & Weinstock, a recruiting firm.

"Not only will the temporary position pay some bills, think of it as an audition for a potential perm position, or at least a way to get a good reference for another position."

8. You have a bad attitude

"Poor attitudes come through in telephone calls and in interviews. If you are not positive, why would a potential employer want to hire you?" asks Weinstock. "It may take some time, but by being positive, by doing all the right things, by seeing each position as an opportunity, it will happen."

9. You include too much work history

"Many job seekers over 40 think that they have to take their work history back to their first job out of college," says Cheryl E. Palmer, career coach and résumé writer. " All that is needed is the last 10-15 years of your work history."

10. You use your work email address on your résumé

"Some people do not regularly check their personal email, so they use their employers’ email instead," Palmer says. "This sends a negative message to potential employers that the job seekers will not hesitate to use their equipment for personal use."

11. You take "no" as a final answer

"No" usually only means "no" for that position, says Bruce Hurwitz, president and CEO, Hurwitz Strategic Staffing, LTD.

"If you are rejected for a job you should send a thank-you note, thank the employer for the opportunity, and wish them well. No one does that. When the next opening comes around, he’ll remember you," says Hurwitz.

12. You lack tact

"Be determined without being pushy. Calling or emailing to ask about the status of your résumé or interview can be a double-edged sword," says Rod Hughes, director of communications, Oxford Communications.

"A tactful follow up can place you top of mind with the hiring manager, while incessant calling or emailing can push your résumé right off the table."

13. You don’t search for yourself on the Internet

"Your would-be employer is probably going to look you up online, so you should know what is out there," says Amanda O’Brien, vice president of marketing, Hall Web Services.

"Clean up what you can, check your privacy settings on social networks and if it is something you can’t get down off the internet, you may want to consider talking to the company about it."

14. You have a ‘death by bullets’ résumé

"Bullets are great but they need context. Keep them to one line, focused on a result and include a figure like a fact, percentage or number," says Adriana Llames, author of "Career Sudoku: 9 Ways to Win the Job Search Game." "Or, put the information in a short summary of the position."

15. You’ve got a scattered strategy

"Looking for a job in any industry and with two or three résumés is going to get the same result as the strategy: scattered," Llames says. "Job seekers with a clearly defined, focused and organized strategic approach to their job search end up with clear results — and a new job."

16. You think it’s about you

It is not about you and your need for a job — it is about the prospective employer and their need to run a successful business and make money, says Lori B. Rassas, employment attorney and author of "Employment Law: A Guide to Hiring, Managing and Firing for Employers and Employees."

"Many applicants mistakenly believe they will be an appealing candidate if they explain they will accept any type of job offer at any salary because they have been laid off, unemployed for an extended period of time, have children in college, or are having difficulty making the mortgage payments," she says.

"Even if all of those circumstances are true, candidates need to craft a different message, focusing on how they can benefit the employer by saving them money, streamlining processes, creating additional sources of revenue and bringing overall value to the company."

&copy CareerBuilder.com 2010. All rights reserved. The information contained in this article may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority.

Originally Published On: www.cnn.com – Original Article Here

Funny ways to stop marriage fights

Posted by TerranceV | Home | Posted on September 3rd, 2011

(OPRAH.com) — You’re mulling the night’s TV options when your significant other grabs the remote and starts clicking away like a sugar-fueled 5-year-old. When you mention this, he asks how your OCD is going.

You counterstrike that his mother raised her sons to be boorish louts — eliciting his usual rant about your mom still serving him meatloaf when he’s been a vegetarian for years.

Oprah.com: What’s your love trap?

It’s the same fight you had last week. And the 962 weeks previous. It would almost be funny if the whole routine weren’t so hurtful, unproductive, and bafflingly inescapable.

But here’s the aha: While repetitive arguments stem from misunderstandings and emotional wounds, they also owe a lot to simple pattern formation. As my karate teacher used to say, practice doesn’t make perfect — it makes permanent. What we’ve done before, we tend to do again.

Oprah.com: Step-by-step guide to getting relationship right

Which means we can disrupt our patterns with a brilliant trick that marriage therapist Bill O’Hanlon calls the do-one-thing-different approach.

For instance, you can criticize each other’s TV habits, but only if you’re wearing oven mitts. You can insult relatives as long as you’re lying on the floor. You can question each other’s sanity, but only in whispers.

Oprah.com: Seduction instructions even a klutz can follow

The effect can be extraordinary. Your brain, startled by new associations, loses the familiar flow as you see the useless toxicity of whatever you’re about to say. You may even end up laughing.

At the least, you’ll find you have the power to change fights you "can’t help" having, by starting small and being creative. And that’s a pattern you want to repeat.

Originally Published On: www.cnn.com – Original Article Here

How to be a good friend

Posted by TerranceV | Home | Posted on September 3rd, 2011

(RealSimple.com) — Bert and Ernie. Laverne and Shirley. Thelma and Louise. These duos knew what it took to create a lasting bond.

Here, expert suggestions for creating your own enduring relationships (none of which involve driving off a cliff).

Stop giving advice

If you always tell your friend how to fix her problems, the relationship will be unbalanced. You become the One Who Knows All, and she becomes the One Who Is Troubled. Eventually you’re both going to tire of those roles.

Instead, let her bounce ideas off of you. Ask, "What are you planning to do about this tricky situation?" Or just give a supportive comment: "That sounds difficult. How do you feel about it?"

Offer your opinion only if she asks for it. Otherwise you’re not having a dialogue; you’re giving a lecture.
–Frank M. Lachmannm Ph.D., is a New York City-based psychologist and the author of "Transforming Narcissism."

Show a different side of yourself

One great way to do that is to mix friends from different areas of your life — say, throw a get-together with your college buddies and your pals from work. You’ll find yourself opening up more, and your friends will learn new things about you. Friendships benefit from a breath of fresh air.
–Sally Horchow is a coauthor of "The Art of Friendship: 70 Simple Rules for Making Meaningful Connections."

RealSimple.com: 5 inspirational friendships

Be (genuinely) happy for your friend’s success

Friends want you to celebrate with them when good things happen. Sometimes that’s harder than it sounds, especially if you’re a little jealous of your pal’s success.

Swallow that emotion, because she doesn’t just need a shoulder to cry on in a crisis. She’s also looking for someone to cheer her triumphs. Joy shared is joy doubled.
–Jennifer Litchman is one of the 10 lifelong friends who were the subject of Jeffrey Zaslow’s best-selling book "The Girls From Ames."

RealSimple.com: When friendships go wrong

Make small gestures

You don’t have to go to great lengths — throwing a surprise party or giving an expensive gift — to show your friends you love them.

Case in point: When I had surgery in 2009, about 50 people posted short comments online wishing me well. I was touched. If you don’t use social media, reach out in other ways. Leave your friend a compassionate voice message, or stop by her office with a latte if she’s had a tough day. It will mean the world.
–Jason Falls is a social-media consultant based in Louisville, Kentucky.

RealSimple.com: Famous friendship quotes

Originally Published On: www.cnn.com – Original Article Here

Caution! Homework ahead

Posted by TerranceV | Home | Posted on September 2nd, 2011

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Originally Published On: www.cnn.com – Original Article Here

Parents seeking compatible couples

Posted by TerranceV | Home | Posted on September 2nd, 2011

Try a FREE TRIAL issue of Parenting Magazine – CLICK HERE!

Copyright 2010 The Parenting Group. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

Originally Published On: www.cnn.com – Original Article Here

Uncomfortable job interviews

Posted by TerranceV | Home | Posted on September 2nd, 2011

&copy CareerBuilder.com 2010. All rights reserved. The information contained in this article may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority.

Originally Published On: www.cnn.com – Original Article Here