DONE!!!!

THE SEMESTER IS ALMOST OVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am soo happy right now!! ..even though I am sitting in night class counting down the minutes until 9:40 when i get out. I can't believe how quickly this semester has gone by! I feel like it was just yesterday when I was at orientation (group 11.. what what!). I just hope my next three years doen't go by as quickly because after college is the real world, and I'm not too sure I want to the bere.. not yet anyway. Even though I worl full time right now, I still want to enjoy my teenage years before I have to work for the rest of my life. I hope everyone had an amazing year and has an even greater summer!!!

OPRAH WINFREY

Oprah Gail Winfrey was born January 29, 1954 on her family’s farm in Kosciusko, Mississippi. Her father, Vermon Winfrey, a stationed solider at a local base, and her mother, Vernita Lee, were both very young when Oprah was born. Her parents never married, and so after her mother found a job as a maid, she was left to the care of her grandmother Hattie Mae Lee. As a young child, Oprah would recite in church each Sunday, which is what she believes kick started her performing career. Hattie Mae taught Oprah how to read at the young age of three, and as soon as she started kindergarten she was promoted to the first grade and then right away to the third. At the age of nine when Oprah was sent to live with her mother, she was sexually abused by four different men until she was fourteen. This is when her behavior changed and her mother sent her to live with her father in Nashville.

While living with her father and stepmother, she was given strict orders to study every night, and if she hadn’t completed her studies, she wouldn’t be fed at night. Luckily, Oprah has great study habits and was always ready and willing to learn. In high school, Oprah took many public speaking and performing arts classes because she knew that more than anything; she was destined to be a performer. Her last year of high school had a great effect on her because this is when she was introduced to, then president, Richard Nixon, and also the radio station WVOL. The radio station gave her a job as the news girl, and so she would read the news each day on the air. She entered a public speaking contest in which she won and was awarded a scholarship to Tennessee State University where she studied Speech Communications and the Performing Arts. In 1972, along with her scholastic studies and her job, she also entered a beauty pageant, in which she won and was named Miss Black Tennessee.

At the age of nineteen, Oprah was offered a job as a reporter, but was fired after just three years because she wasn’t able to give her own opinion on the air. Afterwards though, her boss told her about a talk show called “People Are Talking”. After her first episode, she was hooked! She stayed with the show for seven years and then moved on to “A.M. Chicago”. The name didn’t last long, and shortly after working there Oprah changed the name to “The Oprah Winfrey Show”. In 1988 she was the youngest recipient of the broadcaster of the year, and eventually her new show would win her 7 daytime Emmys for an Outstanding Talk Show and 7 more for being an Outstanding Talk Show Host (people.smu.edu).

In 1998 Oprah created the public charity Oprah’s Angel Network, which she created to encourage viewers to make a difference in other people’s lives. Since the beginning of her charity she was raised over $50 million, with “100% of audience donations going to non-profit organizations across the globe” (oprah.com). Oprah’s Angel Network has given out scholarships and helped to support women’s shelters and youth centers, in hopes to change the future for people all over the world.

Oprah’s commitment to helping children and because of her own terrible childhood between the ages of nine and fourteen, she created the National Child Protection Act in 1991. Oprah testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee to try and establish a national record of convicted child abusers, so that people all over the country would know if the person next door to them has been convicted previously and would take a little more caution letting their children out to play in the evenings. On December 20, 1993, President Bill Clinton signed the national “Oprah Bill” into the United States law.

With all this fame came great fortune for Ms. Winfrey as well. Shortly after her show became a huge success and she became the third woman in history to own her own major studio (HARPO), she was named the first black billionaire in the United States. When asked about her wealth and if it has changed her as a person, Oprah jokingly replied, "Though I am grateful for the blessings of wealth, it hasn't changed who I am. My feet are still on the ground. I'm just wearing better shoes" (quotes.com). Oprah was also opened her own private charity, The Oprah Winfrey Foundation, which she has already awarded hundreds of grants to organizations that support education for women and children all around the world.

One of the most well known acts of charity that Oprah has done is creating the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy Foundation. She has contributed over $40 million towards the creation of her new school, the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls, in South Africa, which recently opened in January of 2007. This campus has 28 buildings, each of which will help poor girls in South Africa receive an education which was otherwise impossible. Currently, the school is housing 152 girls in the 7th and 8th grade. Oprah says that by the year 2011 there will be a total of 450 girls in grades 7 to 12. Her main vision for the school is to try and increase leadership in women living in South America.

Although this school has brightened the lives of many young girls in South Africa, many people in the United States are quite upset with Oprah. One Newsweek blogger goes far enough to say that Oprah is just “turning them [the girls] into perfect little consumers” because by giving them each walk-in closets they are learning to be spoiled, not educated. Another blogger states that such “ludicrous opulence” will never help these girls get ahead in life; just spoil them for a few years (diversityinc.com). Like the well educated and learned person that Oprah is, she knew that some people would disagree with her building the school in South Africa when so many people here in the U.S. can’t afford a decent education. In an interview with USA Today, when asked about all the negative criticism, Oprah simply replied, “You want to give the gift to the person who's going to love it the most." (diversityinc.com). she went on to say that no young girl in the U.S. will be denied an education because we have a great public school system, but there, no one will be there to help these young girls succeed academically in life.

Even though the opening of her school may have turned a few heads away from her, in a recent poll, people were asked “When entrepreneur do you admire most”, and the winner by a long shot was Oprah Winfrey. Her votes nearly doubled the votes of Bill Gates, one of the richest men in the world. Even though she has made a great deal of money and has become one of the most powerful people in the world, she still has a sense of “humility and compassion we all should strive to achieve” (entrepreneurs.about.com). Vanity Fair magazine agrees that Oprah is the most influential person of our time, stating that “[Oprah] has more influence on the culture than any university president, politician, or religious leader, except perhaps the Pope” (wikipedia.org). Columnist Maureen Dowd agrees that Oprah is the “top alpha female” right now is our country. She even goes on to say that Oprah may even have “more credibility than the president” (wikipedia.org).

I am not connected to Oprah, physically or in any other way, but I am connected to her story; her story inspires me to want to help others. Oprah Winfrey’s life story and all the acts of kindness that she has performed should be an inspiration to everyone because she has worked very hard for her success but she has never forgotten where she came from. That should be a lesson to everyone, and I know personally, that whenever I can, even though I don’t make much money, I still try and give to the less fortunate. Whether it is giving money, or canned foods or even old clothes, I always try to help. Oprah has inspired me to help and I hope that my project can inspire my classmate, if only even a few of them, so try and help as well.

Weekend Blues..?

It seems as though there is no way i can fully enjoy a weekend. Last weekend with all the rain, i was stuck home, bored out of my mind. This weekend was absulutely gorgeous but i find out that one of my best friend's girlfriend passed away. So this entire weekend i was with him, at her funeral and the wake. It was the worst pain i had ever felt. This kid is like a brother to me and so i felt like it was my duty to stay with him all weekend and just be there for him. It has just been such a terrible weekend filled with so much emotion (mostly sad), and now what?? i come home to do homework.. who is in the mood for that?? definately not me, but i must. hopefully i get at least one assignment done...

Rain ...Rain..

You remember that little song you used to sing when you were younger?

"Rain Rain, GO AWAY,

Come Again, ANOTHER DAY"

I wish that Mother Nature would take that hint already!! I'm so sick of this rain! Every time it rains, my house floods which means that I have to stay up intill these insane hours of the night mopping my basement and making sure it's sry by morning. The rain on sunday was so bad that one of my co-workers is now left basically homeless. The water rose almost upto the second floor of her house!! Now for the past few days, and probably the next couple weeks, she has to live with a friend and only has the few clothes she could grab beore she left the house. This is insane! I mean, i know April showers bring May flowers, but honestly, I could do without flowers this one year. I'm soo sooo sick of this rain!! Ahh!

Oprah's Response to all those "haters"

Winfrey herself speculated she would be the subject of criticism shortly before the school opened. In an interview with USA Today Weekend, Winfrey said, "I perhaps will get criticism about, 'Why didn't you do this for children in America?'"
Her reply: "Because we have a school system in America ... There's no 12-year-old girl in America that you're going to find crying because this is the last year for her education because nobody can afford to send her to school. You want to give the gift to the person who's going to love it the most."


http://www.diversityinc.com/public/1176.cfm

Oprah not fo Fair ..?

"Shame on you Oprah. $40 million dollars for a school in South Africa for 152 children when the rest of the poor black children in that country have a substandard education if any. And on top of that teaching them they need oversize closets and plush rooms you are just turning them into perfect little consumers," writes one blogger.

Another Newsweek blogger chimes in, "What Oprah will be creating will be young girls with visions of materialism, not leaders. Leadership rises from strength of character and that does NOT come from such ludicrous opulence and certainly not from a couple years spent there."


http://www.diversityinc.com/public/1176.cfm

Good News (for me) =]

So! My aunt called me tonight, in the middle of night class, and she sounded like she was in a great rush. So I run out of class thinking it was something important so I could talk to her. Apparently, she booked the vacation!! So, we are officialy going to Punta Cana, DominicanRepublic for a week in May. Amazing news because I didn't think this trip was actually going to happen. We are staying at a 5 star all inclusive resort which I am soo excited about. So after I get off the phone with her, I call my mother to let her know that i'm going on vacation and she tells me that my father booked me a ticket for Greece for the month of July!! I haven't been on vacation in over four years, and since I haven't been going anywhere, I've been working as much as possible to try and save up money so I could go away. So now, i'm all set!! I cannot wait! I've never been to D.R. before and it has been about 5 years since the last time I went to Greece, so I am going to enjoy this summer like never before!! All i want to do now is go home and stat packing... even though I'm leaving in 3 weeks! hehe

Oraph's Magazine-

Oprah even has her own magazine entitiled "O"!

"Live Your Best Life: A Treasury of Wisdom, Wit, Advice, Interviews, and Inspiration from O, The Oprah Magazine"

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.insidesuccessradio.com/resize_image.php%3Fimage%3Dhttp://www.insidesuccessradio.com/images/products/Oprah_Live-you-best-life.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.insidesuccessradio.com/GuestPage1.php/Oprah-Winfrey&h=400&w=336&sz=25&hl=en&start=43&um=1&tbnid=xcswtNDZNCYSgM:&tbnh=124&tbnw=104&prev=/images%3Fq%3Doprah%2Bwinfrey%26start%3D40%26ndsp%3D20%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN

All Girls' School-

Oprah built them a school called Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls—South Africa... a dream come true.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://hosted.ap.org/photos/J/JOH10801021433-big.jpg&imgrefurl=http://sueannsnwprblog.blogspot.com/2007_01_01_archive.html&h=284&w=429&sz=26&hl=en&start=2&um=1&tbnid=X3W4_8Q4ATghiM:&tbnh=83&tbnw=126&prev=/images%3Fq%3Doprah%2Bwinfrey%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN

Recognition-

2006
Time Magazine—100 Most Influential People in the World
The New York Public Library—Library Lion 2006
2005
National Civil Rights Museum – 2005 National Freedom Award
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People — Hall of Fame
Time Magazine — 100 Most Influential People in the World
International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences — 2005 International Emmy Founders Award
2004
United Nations Association of the United States of America – Global Humanitarian Action Award
National Association of Broadcasters – Distinguished Service Award
Time Magazine – 100 Most Influential People in the World
2003
Association of American Publishers – AAP Honors Award
2002
54th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards® – Bob Hope Humanitarian Award
Broadcasting & Cable – Hall of Fame
1999
National Book Foundation – 50th Anniversary Gold Medal
1998
National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences® – Lifetime Achievement Award
The following year, after accepting this pinnacle honor, Oprah removed herself from future Emmy® consideration and the show followed suit in 2000. Oprah and The Oprah Winfrey Show received more than 40 Daytime Emmy Awards®: seven for Outstanding Host; nine for Outstanding Talk Show; more than 20 in the Creative Arts categories; and one for Oprah's work as supervising producer of the ABC After School Special Shades of Single Protein.
Time Magazine – 100 Most Influential People of the 20th Century
1997
Newsweek – Most Important Person in Books and Media
TV Guide – Television Performer of the Year
1996
International Radio & Television Society Foundation – Gold Medal Award
George Foster Peabody Awards – 1995 Individual Achievement Award


http://www.oprah.com/about/press/about_press_bio.jhtml

again...??

What is it with these terrible Mondays???? This morning my entire family was sleeping, which is something we rarely do because we all work on Monday morning. Why were we sleeping?? Because all the power in the house went off! Apparently we didn't have power from 830AM until about 1130AM, which means, yes, we were all late for work. I was the first one up when the power came back on and my alarm clock was going crazy. I ran through the house waking up my parents and my brother, who, obviously, had no idea about the power outage. So of course, we are all rushing to get ready for work, calling our bosses and what not. Luckily, my boss is a real great guy and so he just laughed at me and told me to get a cup of coffee because I looked like I was about to fall asleep as I was talking to him. Why was I so tired?? Because, yet again, my house flooded yesterday and I was up all night, along with my mother, mopping and sweeping the basement to try and get rid of the water. Luckily at around 4AM, the got all the water out of the basement and went to sleep, which is why neither of us woke up while the power was out. I'll spare all the details, but today was an almost impossible day to get through, and I am so happy that it's finally over!

PHILANTHROPIST-

Oprah has long believed that education is the door to freedom, offering a chance at a brighter future. Through her private charity, The Oprah Winfrey Foundation, she has awarded hundreds of grants to organizations that support the education and empowerment of women, children and families in the United States and around the world. Amongst her various philanthropic contributions, she has donated millions of dollars toward providing a better education for students who have merit but no means. She also has developed schools to educate thousands of underserved children internationally and created "The Oprah Winfrey Scholars Program," which gives scholarships to students determined to use their education to give back to their communities in the United States and abroad.

In December 2002, The Oprah Winfrey Foundation expanded its global humanitarian efforts with her ChristmasKindness South Africa 2002 initiative that included visits to orphanages and rural schools in South Africa where 50,000 children received gifts of food, clothing, athletic shoes, school supplies, books and toys. Sixty-three rural schools received libraries and teacher education.

During a December 2000 visit with Nelson Mandela, Oprah pledged $10 million to build a school in South Africa. As that commitment broadened, she established The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy Foundation, to which she has contributed more than $40 million toward the creation of the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls—South Africa, which opens in January 2007. Located in a 28-building campus in Henley-on-Klip, the Leadership Academy is a state-of-the-art independent school that will engender high standards of academic achievement and service leadership for girls. Its first 152 accepted 7th and 8th grade students, who show outstanding promise despite their impoverished backgrounds and social circumstances, represent all nine South African provinces. By 2011, the Leadership Academy will accommodate approximately 75 learners per grade, for a total of approximately 450 learners, grades 7 through 12. Her vision is that the Leadership Academy will help develop the future women leaders of South Africa.

In a 1997 episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show, Oprah encouraged viewers to use their lives to make a difference in the lives of others, which led to the creation of the public charity Oprah's Angel Network in 1998. To date, Oprah's Angel Network has raised more than $50 million, with 100% of audience donations going to non-profit organizations across the globe. Oprah's Angel Network has helped establish scholarships and schools, support women's shelters and build youth centers and homes—changing the future for people all over the world.

Oprah's commitment to children also led her to initiate the National Child Protection Act in 1991, when she testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee to establish a national database of convicted child abusers. On December 20, 1993, President Clinton signed the national "Oprah Bill" into law.

Most Admired Entrepreneur

In a recent poll, we asked readers, "Which entrepreneur do you admire most?" The winner, hands down, was Oprah Winfrey, with nearly double the votes of Bill Gates and four times Richard Branson. In a career filled with firsts and superlatives, Oprah has managed to amass a sizable fortune, become one of the most powerful people in the entertainment industry, and yet maintain a sense of humility and compassion we all should strive to achieve.


http://entrepreneurs.about.com/od/famousentrepreneurs/p/oprahwinfrey.htm

RAIN!

Today was suppose to be the Greek Independence Day parade, which the entire Greek community looks forward to every year. Ever year we march along 5th avenue in Manhattan and show our pride for our country. This year, the parade was scheduled for this morning but with this terrible downpour and flood warnings the parade is postponed until next Sunday. We are all ecstatic about the news because we don't have to march in the freezing cold and rain this year, like we have in the past. Ever since I was in the first grade, I have marched in the parade each and every year- rain or shine. This year though, it's postponed! This is the first ever parade in the history of parades in Manhattan that hasn't happened on the day it was scheduled. In a way, I kind of feel honored that the first and only parade to be cancelled for the day was the Greek one. I take great pride in my nationality and so even the smalled of accomplishments or 'first times' done by the Greeks, makes me proud- even though this is quite an odd reason to be proud. Regardless though, this terrible rain has ruined what was suppose to be a great day filled with music and laughing and a long walk along fifth avenue. Oh well! Now we must wait until next week. I just hope it's nice and warm out!!

Time Line

http://www.mcps.k12.md.us/schools/cabinjohnms/comp/st-prj/web/christinal/accomp.htm

Accomplishments & Fun Facts

Some of Oprah's Accomplishments and Fun Facts
1971 Oprah won Miss Fire prevention, in Nashville TN
1971 Won the Miss Black Tennessee pageant
1988 Won broadcaster of the year (Oprah was the youngest recipient)
Won 7 daytime Emmys for an Outstanding Talk Show
Won 7 daytime Emmys for being an Outstanding Talk Show Host
3 rd Woman in history to own a major studio
First black billionaire in America
Started a book club on air, to encourage reading
Founded Families for Better Lives Foundation to help abused children
Nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for the movie The Color Purple
Oprah is a misspelling for the biblical name Orpah
Harpo, Oprah's studio is Oprah spelled backwards


http://people.smu.edu/lelder/accomp.html

Bill O'Reilly on Oprah-

Bill O'Reilly said:

"I mean this is a woman that came from nothing to rise up to be the most powerful woman, I think, in the world. I think Oprah Winfrey is the most powerful woman in the world, not just in America. That's — anybody who goes on her program immediately benefits through the roof. I mean, she has a loyal following; she has credibility; she has talent; and she's done it on her own to become fabulously wealthy and fabulously powerful."[61]


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oprah_Winfrey

Vanity Fair on Oprah-

Vanity Fair wrote:

"Oprah Winfrey arguably has more influence on the culture than any university president, politician, or religious leader, except perhaps the Pope."[60]


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oprah_Winfrey

Maureen Dowd on Oprah-

Columnist Maureen Dowd says:

"She is the top alpha female in this country. She has more credibility than the president. Other successful women, such as Hillary Clinton and Martha Stewart had to be publicly slapped down before they could move forward. Even Condi has had to play the protegé with Bush. None of this happened to Oprah — she is a straight ahead success story."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oprah_Winfrey

Oprah

"Though I am greateful for the blessings of wealth, it hasn't changed who I am. My feet are still on the ground. I'm just wearing better shoes"

- Opreah Winfrey, O Magazine

vacation anyone..?

Planning a vacation with my family is the worst possible thing ever! My family waits until the last minute to do anything. We have been thinking of planning at a trip for the past two months to go somewhere in May, but of course, since we do anything last minute there is a great possibilty that we will not be going anywhere. First we were suppose to go to Jamaica, then it changed to the Virgin Islands and now it's off to Mexico. The way I see, we're not going anywhere, but I haven't been on vacation in over four years and I have been working full time as a student and at my job all year plus working full time over the summer and part time all throughout high school, I think I deserve this. I know full well that we are not going to plan this vacation until late April so we can leave in early May, so right now all my complaning is basically useless, but I need to vent somewhere and I find this the least annoying way to do so. I will keep you update on this ongoing annoyance, hopefully sooner rather than later.

Titus

" I don't fail.

I succeed in finding what doesn't work"

-Titus

oh, monday

No one likes mondays. I don't, you probably don't, and I don't think i've ever met anyone that does. Mondays are especially terrible after a long weekend and a holiday on sunday, which clearly just passed. Work today was absulutely unbearable. I had people over my house until the wee hours of the morning and waking up this morning was almost impossible. Working full time in an office doing paperwork and entering information into the computer for 8 or 9 hours a day on just a few hours of sleep is not very ideal. And of course there is always the deadline that you myst meet and one of your coworkers takes the day off so you have to pick up the slack for her too. And then I have to come home and finish up some late minute homework, make dinner and finish whatever else I have to do before tomorrow. I know that on any given day these series of events can and probably will happen but it just burns so much more after you've been home for three days and all I can think of is how I didn't have to stand on my feet doing work for all those hours. Hopefully tomorrow will be better and I can get back into schedule with school and work.

it has been a while..

This past week has been one of the hardest and most eventful in a long time. Between class and work and church (it's Holy Week for my religion and so we go to church about ten times this week) and running in and out of the hospital, I haven't had any time to breathe. It feels as if the world is on my shoulders and I have to hold it up. The semester is coming to an end, and so all my professors are loading lots of homework and tests on us. I have been going to church once and sometimes twice a day every day this week (including one last time tonight). I work full time at an office near my house so I have been leaving work to attend church and then rushing out of church to rush back to work to make everyone happy. And the worst part of the week was that I was in and out of the hospital for most of Tuesday and some of Wednesday. I wasn't having surgery but someone very close to me was and so I had to be by his side at all times because there was a great chance he wouldn't make it. So with all these emotions running through me, feeling guilty for not going to work or class on Tuesday so I could be in the hospital all day and going to church between all of them, this week hasn't been a very desirable one. I am just so relieved that this week is coming to an end and I can hopefully enjoy my Easter Sunday tomorrow with my family, relieved that this terrible week is done.

What not to aim for-

"I am returning this otherwise good typing paper to you because someone has printed gibberish all over it and put your name at the top"

-An English Professor, Ohio University

Is it true??

My Sociology teacher pointed something very interested out to our class the other day, which is quite fitting, especially with Easter being just around the corner. One of the students asked her if she had been watching the news recently, specifically about all the people that claim to have discovered new writings about Jesus and found his bones and whatever else after all these years of being buried away. My teacher replied that during the Easter season, everyone claims for have found out more information or seen something we didn't already know about Jesus, just as after the movie Titanic was shown in movies and made millions of dollars, people went crazy with all the documentaries claiming that they knew more about the accident and that they had found more items that were lost at the bottom of the sea. All this is nonsense and these people claim to know more only when it is 'in season' so to speak. So personally, I don't really know if all these people have found ancient writings about Jesus, or have found his buried body somewhere in the desert because all these claims by many people are coming out at the same time, and I personally believe that it is all for the publicity and to win over more people with this findings ..or not findings. Of course, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but that is just my view on the current situation.