Voice Of Post

Saturday, 14 May 2011 0 comments

Moms to moguls

Moms to moguls Before they were millionaires ,these women were working moms trying to put food on the table. From a makeup mogul to a former file clerk to a home design icon, each one has her own rags-to-riches story.

J.K. Rowling
She's the author of some of the best-selling books in history who used to be on welfare and worked on her first books in cafes with her young daughter in tow.

Paula Deen
The Food Network star, famous for her deep-fried cooking, started her catering business as a divorced mom of two sons and eventually opened her own restaurant.

Sarah Palin
The mother of five began her political career as a small-town city council member before becoming a governor and vice presidential candidate. Now she's written a second book and has a multi-year contract with a cable network.

Mary Kay Ash
The woman whose name is synonymous with the color pink started with one store and fostered her business into a makeup empire before her death in 2001.

Bette Graham
The single mom was a secretary when she invented this helpful substance still used in offices today. She left quite a fortune when she died in 1980.

Linda McMahon
She and her husband once filed for bankruptcy, but they went on to run a successful sports entertainment company. She took a shot at political office.

Susan Powter
She lost a lot of weight as a single mom and became a fitness guru with a popular catchphrase in the '90s.

Rosie Herman
The former manicurist was the new mom of premature twins when she mixed up a batch of nail product in her kitchen. Today she's a millionaire.

Lisa Lloyd
She was a 23-year-old single mom when she invented a popular hairstyling tool. Now she runs her own marketing company.

Erin Brockovich
She was a law firm file clerk and divorced mother of three when she helped win one of the biggest civil lawsuits in U.S. history. Her story inspired an Oscar-winning performance.

Irene Rosenfeld
The widow and mother of two worked her way up to the top spot at this food company and now earns millions each year.

Martha Stewart
She was a wife and mom with a catering company when she published the book that started her entertaining empire.

Jeanne Bice
The happy host went from being a home crafter to making millions each year by selling her own line of clothing on QVC.

Rachel Ashwell
The English-born mom designed her first kid- and pet-friendly slipcovers in the '80s and now heads a hugely successful home goods business.

Cheryl Womack
She started her company selling insurance to independent truckers around the same time she had her two kids; she later sold the lucrative business for millions.

Stars with mental illnesses

Monday, 9 May 2011 0 comments

Stars with mental illnesses

Stars who’ve spoken out about mental illness
People have hidden their mental illnesses due to the often negative stigma attached. In recognition of National Mental Health Month, we review some stars who have shared their internal mental struggles.

Catherine Zeta-Jones
While seeking treatment in a mental health facility, Catherine Zeta-Jones' (images of the Oscar-winning actress) diagnosis of bipolar disorder was leaked to the media, her famous husband says. Watch news coverage.

Sheryl Crow
During a low point in her career,Sheryl Crow suffered a serious period of depression. She said she has struggled with the disease since childhood, but medication and therapy have helped her

David Beckham
Internationally famous footballer David Beckham has suffered from obsessive compulsive disorder. He revealed his compulsion in 2006 and admitted to rearranging hotel rooms to make “everything perfect.”

Mel Gibson
In a 2008 documentary , actor Mel Gibson indicated that he has bipolar disorder and has said he suffers from another mental illness, too. He has recently made headlines with his ongoing feud with his ex-girlfriend.

Paula Deen
Paula Deen is a famous figure in the kitchen, but she used to fear leaving her house. She credits her 20-year bout with agoraphobia for her culinary skills since cooking was an activity she could do at home.

Jim Carrey
Funny man Jim Carrey doesn't seem like someone who suffers from depression, but the actor has long battled the disease. He advocates healthy eating and has spoken out against using these to cope.

Herschel Walker
Former NFL star Herschel Walker revealed his struggle with dissociative identity disorder in his autobiography .The disease caused lapses in his memory, including a major milestone in his life.

Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo DiCaprio once played the role of an infamous obsessive compulsive disorder sufferer.The “Aviator” star, whose obsession is focused on stepping on things on sidewalks, shared his struggle with the disorder after the movie came out.

J.K. Rowling
British author J.K. Rowling, best known for the “Harry Potter” series, spoke out against the stigma of depression and suicidal thoughts when she revealed her own struggle with the disorder when she was in her 20s.

Famous commencement speeches

Sunday, 1 May 2011 0 comments

Famous commencement speeches

Famous commencement speeches
The world of academia is abuzz over one university's decision to pay a big fee for a reality TV celebrity over a renowned author to headline their 2011 graduation. Celebrity commencement speeches have become commonplace. The fad can be traced to the infamous "sunscreen speech." Check out the most interesting commencements in academic history.

Toni Morrison
At a 2004 liberal arts graduation, the prolific writer said:

"You are your own stories and therefore free to imagine and experience what it means to be human without wealth. What it feels like to be human without domination over others, without reckless arrogance, without fear of others unlike you, without rotating, rehearsing and reinventing the hatreds you learned in the sandbox."

Steve Jobs

Apple chief Jobs offered no-nonsense advice to the 2005 Stanford grads. His health issues may have added weight to his speech.

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma—which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice."

Dolly Parton

Parton spoke to 2009 University of Tennessee grads about brains, dreams and breasts.

"I think people will remember us for who we were, not how many records we sell, or how much money we make. Because I have always said that I have always counted my blessings far more often than I've counted my money."

Bono

When the U2 front man spoke to 2004 University of Pennsylvania grads, he used humor to lead into a vital topic.

"Wishing for the end to AIDS and extreme poverty in Africa is like wishing that gravity didn't make things so damn heavy. We can wish it, but what the hell can we do about it? Well, more than we think. We can't fix every problem … but the ones we can, we must."

Will Ferrell

Ferrell delivered a hilarious speech at Harvard in 2003.

"One of the challenges you will be faced with is finding a job in our depressed economy. In fact, the chances of landing a decent job are about as good as finding weapons of mass destruction in the Iraqi desert. Slim and none. And Slim just left the building."

Sacha Baron Cohen

Baron Cohen, who graduated from a top university, produced hilarity and provoked security at Harvard as his Ali G persona.

"What did Lincoln give American, apart from the Town Car?"

J.K. Rowling

The "Harry Potter" author spoke candidly and topically to Harvard grads in 2008.

"We do not need magic to change the world; we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: We have the power to imagine better."

President Barack Obama

President Obama took some heat for his view on a big issue prior to this 2009 Notre Dame speech.

"You are about to enter the next phase of your life at a time of great uncertainty. You will be called upon to help restore a free market that is also fair to all who are willing to work; to seek new sources of energy that can save our planet; to give future generations the same chance that you had to receive an extraordinary education."

President John F. Kennedy

President Kennedy got down to the basics during his rousing speech at American University in 1963.

"For in the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet, we all breathe the same air, we all cherish our children's futures, and we are all mortal."

Ellen DeGeneres

The multi-Emmy winner returned to her hometown to give the Class of 2009 some real-world advice.

"Life is like one big Mardi Gras, but instead of showing your boobs, show people your brain, and if they like what they see, you'll have more beads than you know what do with."

Conan O'Brien

O'Brien reminisced at his alma mater in 2000 and gave grads a wake-up call.

"As you leave these gates and re-enter society, one thing is certain: Everyone out there is going to hate you."

His Holiness the Dalai Lama

The Tibetan spiritual leader comprised the importance of education with a compassionate worldview in his 1998 speech at Emory University.

"A good person means someone with a good heart, a sense of caring for the welfare of others, a sense of commitment, a sense of responsibility. Education and the warm heart, the compassion heart—if you combine these two, then your education and knowledge will be constructive. Then you are yourself on the way to becoming a happy person."