Enormous bias against African women, says agency

Public urged to sign online at www.changeherlife.org

February 12, 2011: Removing an enormous bias against the women of Africa is the target of a new petition being launched by development agency Self Help Africa today.

The Change Her Life campaign aims to highlight the "raw deal" for women in Africa, who do up to 80% of all farm work on the continent, but get as little as 5% of available support, such as tools, advice, seeds, credit and training.

Self Help Africa is calling on members of the public to sign the petition at www.changeherlife.org. The petition urges Western governments to guarantee women a specific portion of international agricultural aid.

"This is not about asking for more money," said Martha Hourican of Self Help Africa. "It's about doing more with the money we have. These are tough budgetary times, so we all want aid to be more effective and this is a clear way to achieve that. Studies have shown that if African women farmers receive the same supports as their male counterparts, food production increases by 20%. That's a massive difference, and can be achieved with the stroke of a pen.

"There is no other section of society on earth which is so marginalized and yet so productive," said Ms. Hourican. "Quite literally, women do most of the heavy lifting when it comes to growing food in Africa, but their role and their value is completely unrecognized.

"Governments in the West spend hundreds of millions of euro each year on trying to develop agriculture throughout Africa. But the women who actually work the fields are missing out on this support. We want governments to set aside a significant portion of this funding specifically for women - and they will be encouraged to do it if the public get behind this campaign."

The petition is online at www.changeherlife.org. Signatures will be presented later this year to the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The global petition will also be presented to Irish and UK development ministers, as well as to the EU development commissioner

2 Chicks with Chocolate

2 Chicks with Chocolate, artisans of chocolate, sampled many of their new and exquisite chocolates at the 2010 Chocolate Show, booth 46. Attendees will have the opportunity to indulge in new truffle flavors including pumpkin, cranberry, and blood orange caramel; as well as Rock-n-Pop - chocolate covered popcorn with toffee crunch and Pop Rocks, plus Milk Chocolate Pumpkin Spice Bark. 2 Chicks with Chocolate, a NJ based award winning chocolatier – most recently voted Top 10 Chocolatier in America for 2009 by Dessert Professional magazine!

This year’s Chocolate Show, took place on November 11th through November 14th, will also feature book signings by award-winning authors, cooking demonstrations in two culinary theatres featuring renowned chocolatiers and pastry chefs who will share secrets of the trade; a Kid’s Zone, dedicated to fun-filled activities for young chocolate lovers. 2 Chicks will take the stage on Saturday, November 13th at 4:30pm to demo their Fire & Ice product with a Chocolate Happy Hour.

“Build-a-bear meets Sex in the City meets Willy Wonka is a great idea that’s just been waiting to happen,” says 2 Chicks with Chocolate founder Elyissia Wassung, “2 Chicks is offering a variety of delicious chocolates with new and innovative flavors – it’s unexpected style and unique ingredients take chocolate to the next level.”

2 Chicks is known for their prized Chocolate Wine-Truffle Collection, as well as the decadent Fire & Ice Chocolate Martini Mix. Some of their other signature products include: Spice Tiles, The Christmas Caramel Collection and Holiday Bon Bons, along with a beautiful collection of festive gift baskets. They do not use any preservatives or additives in their product, and all of their chocolate is made by hand.At

For more information about 2 Chicks with Chocolate, visit http://www.2chickswithchocolate.com.

One Heartland S'mores to Love Cocktail Benefit Was a Success!!!!

One Heartland and For The Perfect Day Events hosted “S’more to Love” a cocktail fundraiser on Friday, November 6, 2009 at 7:30 P.M. at Open House Lofts, NYC to benefit Birch Family Camp.

Celebrating its 20th year, the Birch Family Camp, brings together 90 families (over 200 family members) from the 5 boroughs of NYC, along with 200 volunteers for a week of respite, therapy, and community building at a camp facility located in the Hudson Valley. Throughout the year this community helps each other connect to needed resources, shares medical information, and supports each other as they disclose their own HIV-status to other family members, including their own children. 100% of their clients are low-income and the program is free-of-charge.

Check out event photos:http://www.guestofaguest.com/galleries/2009/11/smore-to-love-cocktail-party-to-benefit-one-heartland-birch-family-camp/99703/

For more information on One Heartland visit, www.oneheartland.org.

Actually, autumn is a lovely time of year to get married and, originally, the time I wanted for my own wedding. You can’t beat fall foliage for gorgeous images in your wedding album!

The changing landscape offers rich hues of green, gold, burgundy,and persimmon.

Absolutely love the intense Fall inspiration these images by photographer Geoff White (http://blog.geoffwhite.com/weddings/autumn-wedding-inspiration/)

Fall in Love: Getting Ready for a Fall Wedding

It used to be that the marriage season hit its height in June, and wound down quickly after.

But lately, plenty of brides have come to see the charms of a September or October wedding, with all its New England splendor.

After all, the colors are rich and the scents and spices are vibrant. The best part of it is: You can buy dramatic fall decorations cheaply at any one of a hundred farmers markets along the road. Perhaps for all these reasons, autumn is now one of the year's most popular times to tie the knot.

Check out: http://www.brides.com/blog/weddedbits/102/2009/03/5407/michigan_flowers_marla_courtney_wood.html for some fun centerpiece ideas that I am sure you Fall brides will love.

Elegant Picholine

There are so many different places to have a wedding , especially in New York City. As a bride how do you choose the perfect ceremony site and reception venue for your big day?

Picholine (www.picholinenyc.com) is high on elegance and sophistication...

You can have your engagement party, rehearsal dinner or small wedding here. This is the perfect location for your family and friends to get revved up for the big day.


Picholine understands and appreciates just how important a wedding day is to a bride. A perfect location for a rehearsal or small wedding, Picholine is located at 35 W. 64th Street in New York.

10-tips to lose weight

Everyone is busy these days. Free time is hard to find, so you have to make the time. It is easier than you think.

There's an alternative to dieting that does work. It's called The Caryl Ehrlich Program, and it is changing the way people view weight loss entirely. Instead of countless diets, The Program teaches participants one-on-one 10 behavioral steps to change habits of thought and word to lose weight and keep it off forever.

Here are 10-tips to lost weight for your honeymoon and keeping it off...

Ten behavioral tips for weight loss:

1. Before consuming any food ask:

a) Am I hungry or what? (Am I lonely, tired, bored, frustrated, sleepy or grumpy?)

b) Am I hungry enough to put food on a plate and eat it with a knife and fork?

c) Am I hungry enough to create a relaxing meal lasting 20 minutes or more?

2. If hungry, choose to create a relaxing, pleasant meal, lasting 20 minutes or more with food on a plate to be eaten with utensils (not fingers), and write details in your logbook.

3. When having a platter of food, order what you like but eat slowly and thoughtfully taking little bites of food interspersed with sips of water and conversation.

4. Put utensils down between bites of food. Do not insert more food into mouth before mouth is empty.

5. If you find you’re leaving more and more food on your plate, next time order less, buy less, prepare less, and serve less because you are less.

6. Drink eight to 10 glasses of water each day.

7. Keep a log of all food consumed: Day, date, morning weight, and what you ate. If it’s not water, it’s food. Write it down.

8. If you’re not hungry but thinking of food, create new coping strategies of thought, word, and action, to replace your old habit of using food to distract yourself from feelings and thoughts you don’t want to feel or think.

9. No matter what you thought you should have done, could have done, didn’t do or wanted to do, you’re only human. Get back on your weight loss path at the very next meal and figure out what just happened that caused you to go off your path, you who want to weigh _____ pounds.

10. Never stop trying.