What The 1960s Got Right About Health, Happiness And Well-Being

Young couple relaxing during Woodstock Music Festival. (Photo by Bill Eppridge//Time Life Pictures/Getty Images) | Bill Eppridge via Getty Images

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When we think about the 60s, we might conjure up a decade when chain-smoking and two-martini lunches were still in vogue. Or, on the other end of the spectrum, we may think of a time defined by acid-dropping, free-loving counterculture. But however you look at it, the decade of the cultural revolution was a time when our ideas about health, wellness and happiness were radically changing.
In some ways, the spirit of the 1960s counterculture has made a resurgence today: We've arguably returned to a time when many are questioning the value of our relentless pursuit of "success" (and the stress that comes along with it), asking whether our hard-driving lifestyles are causing us to miss out on some of the important things in life. Interest in yoga, meditation and Eastern spirituality -- which were all originally popularized in the West during the 60s -- have also peaked in recent years, becoming ingrained in our cultural lexicon and American lifestyles.
From Transcendental Meditation to family dinners, here are 10 tips from the 1960s on living well.
Meditate.

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi brought Transcendental Meditation (TM) -- a type of mindfulness practice that uses the repetition of a mantra to clear the mind and promote relaxation -- to the U.S. in the late 1960s, and it spread like wildfire. The Beatles became followers of the Maharishi, spent time at his ashram in Rishikesh, India, and played an instrumental role in the popularization of the practice in the West. As a result, by the 1970s, "meditation moved from the counterculture to the mainstream, from weird to respectable, from youthful mind expansion to middle-age stress remedy," writes American Veda author Philip Goldberg.
And it works: TM has been associated with lower stress levels, improved academic performance, lower blood pressure, and reduced depression, among other physical and mental health benefits.
Get back to nature.

The counterculture moment revived many ideas from Transcendentalists like Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, particularly the notion of getting back to nature as a way to reconnect with the self and with one's inner truth. Hippies of the 1960s spent time in nature, finding their own "Walden" spaces to reconnect with themselves through the power of nature.
“We need the tonic of wildness," Thoreau wrote in Walden. "At the same time that we are earnest to explore and learn all things, we require that all things be mysterious and unexplorable, that land and sea be indefinitely wild, unsurveyed and unfathomed by us because unfathomable. We can never have enough of nature.”
Read books.

Pre-Internet and cell phones, and just as the TV was starting to make its way into American homes, sitting down with a good book was still a favorite pastime. Today, with constant digital distraction vying for our attention, it's certainly more difficult to find the time (and focus) to read at length. Nearly one in three Americans haven't read a book in the past year, according to a recent HuffPost/YouGov poll, whereas 25 percent of individuals in a 1964-1984 literacy poll said that they had read a book in the past day.
And perhaps we should take an, er, page from their book: Research has shown that reading a book (on paper, not on your iPad) may lower stress levels, improve sleep quality, keep your brain sharp and ward off Alzheimer's.
Bring music into your life.

It's almost impossible to imagine the 1960s in America without classic rock bands like The Beatles, The Doors and the Grateful Dead, and singer-songwriters such as Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and Joni Mitchell. Music was a huge part of the cultural revolution, and many of the values of the time were expressed through songs. Not only did music bring people together (ever seen photos of Woodstock?), but it also may have paid off with health benefits. Playing and listening to music could lower stress levels, ease anxiety and boost heart health.
Tune in to your spiritual side.

The cultural revolution called into question the dogma of organized religion, and instead advocated a free-thinking, inward-facing spirituality. The famous 1966 "Is God Dead?" TIME magazine cover affirmed the decline of religion and the rise of the "spiritual but not religious" faith designation and the New Age movement. Spirituality (which has been linked with mental health benefits, in addition to the known health benefits of having faith) blossomed during this time, and gained further cultural traction as the New Age crystallized in the 1970s.
Take a holistic approach to health.

The 1960s saw a grassroots revival of holistic health and natural medicine, as mind-body practices including meditation and yoga began to gain traction. Food co-ops also started to reappear at this time, filling the demand for healthy, fresh foods. Many Americans, for the first time, started factoring diet, lifestyle and emotions into the health equation. We now know that lifestyle factors can play an enormous role in influencing health outcomes, in addition to more traditional treatments.
Go on a retreat.

Some of the most popular spiritual retreat centers in the country today were founded in the 1960s, a respite for those looking to escape the city to find peace, balance and like-minded individuals. The Esalen Institute in Big Sur, Calif., opened its doors in 1962 as a "birthplace of the human potential movement," while the Kripalu Center For Yoga And Health was created out of the Yoga Society of Pennsylvania, founded in 1966.
Eat dinner with your family.

Even after the television set worked its way into American homes in the early 1960s, tech-free family dinners were a nightly social custom in homes across America.
"One of the most important and memorable part of growing up in the 1950s and 1960s was my mother's requirement that we eat our meals together," historian Carl Hoffman wrote on his blog. "No such thing as sitting in front of the TV to eat a meal. We started each meal with prayer and then ate our meal over conversation, jokes and laughter. It was a great time to grow up and a fond memory of that time in my life."
Choose meaning over money.

Man's Search For Meaning, Viktor Frankl's often-cited meditation on the meaning of life, was named by UC Berkeley as a historically significant book of 1962, and it became one of a handful of books that defined the decade. As Frankl wrote, “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms -- to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”
The 1960s cultural revolution was, at its core, a break from traditional ways of life and notions of success, allowing people to pursue unconventional lifestyles that placed a higher value on love and individual freedom. Science now tells us that pursuing lives of meaning might actually help us live longer. Recent research has shown that having a sense of purpose not only makes us happier, but could also make us healthier.

Obama: 'Sasha Will Have A Big Say In Where We Are' After Leaving The White House

President Barack Obama said his daughter Sasha will have a big say on where the family lives after leaving the White House in 2016.
Sasha, the president's youngest daughter, will be a sophomore in high school in 2016. Obama said the family would take her education into account before deciding whether to stay in Washington, D.C. or move back to Chicago, where they previously lived.
"You know we gotta make sure that she's doing well... until she goes off to college,” Obama told ABC's Barbara Walters. “Sasha will have a big say in where we are.”
The president and First Lady Michelle Obama sat down with Walters for an interview airing Friday on "20/20." In their first joint interview this year, the couple opened up about life in the White House, including the security provided by the Secret Service 50 years after President John F. Kennedy's death.
"It's not something I think about," Obama said when asked about his personal safety. "Mainly because we have a Secret Service that does an outstanding job every single day. And, obviously, tragedy reshaped the Secret Service in many ways, but they do an outstanding job and it's thankfully not something I spend a lot of time worrying about."

  The Huffington Post  |  By Paige Lavender   

Cops Inglewood Gunman Surrenders To Police; Hostages Safe

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — A gunman fired several shots at a pair of police officers, hitting one, and held two hostages for nearly nine hours — but all came away from the standoff without serious injuries.
The worst injury Wednesday occurred when an Inglewood policeman was shot in his bulletproof vest. He was taken to a hospital in good condition but "in a lot of pain, police Capt. James D. Madia said. He suffered blunt force injuries and was set to spend the night in another hospital as a precaution, police said.
The second officer in was not hit but was hurt when she fell down in the chaos that followed, Madia said. She was treated at a hospital and released.
The 45-year-old gunman and the girlfriend and her 14-year-old daughter that he held hostage in their house all came away unharmed, police said.
Nearly nine hours earlier, reports of a family disturbance sent the two officers to the home around 12:30 p.m., Madia said.
The man in the home shot at the arriving officers "before they could even get to the front door," Madia said. Officers returned fire, and a video aired on KABC-TV captured more than a dozen shots being fired.
Officers pulled their wounded colleague out of the line of fire, Lt. Oscar Mejia said.
Esther Frazier, who lives across the street from the standoff, said she was baking a cake for Thanksgiving when she heard a commotion and walked outside to see police officers banging on the door of the home.
She went back inside to turn off her oven when gunfire erupted.
"There were so many gunshots, oh my God, it was like you were in a war zone," she told the Los Angeles Times. "A shot came through the screen on my door.
"I am scared to death, I'm on my floor in the den," she said by telephone.
Police from Inglewood and neighboring communities, along with Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies, swarmed the area and evacuated a block of homes.
Both injured officers have been with the department for at least a decade, Mejia said.
The gunman eventually began talking to negotiators and continued for several hours. At about 9:15 p.m., he released the hostages and walked out of his house with his hands up, police Lt. Mark Fried told the Daily Breeze.

Kyron Rayshawn Templeton Charged In Texas Hospital Stabbing

LONGVIEW, Texas (AP) — A nurse died and four people were injured Tuesday in a stabbing attack at an East Texas medical complex.
A 22-year-old man has been charged with murder in the stabbings, which happened around 7 a.m. Tuesday at the Ambulatory Surgical Center of Good Shepherd Medical Center in Longview.
Gregg County Jail booking records show Kyron Rayshawn Templeton of Longview is also accused of four counts of aggravated assault. His bond has been set at $2.6 million. Jail records did not list an attorney for Templeton.
Officer Kristie Brian, a Longview police spokeswoman, said it's not yet clear what led to the attack.
The slain nurse, Gail Sandidge, had been on the hospital staff since 1978, hospital CEO Steve Altmiller said at a Tuesday afternoon news conference. "She was protecting her patients by an act of courage, and she lost her life as a result," he said.
Of the four others wounded, one was in critical condition, one was in good condition and two were treated at the hospital and discharged, Altmiller said.
Templeton was at the hospital with his mother when he went on a knife-slashing rampage, Longview police said. Templeton fled on foot but was caught nearby, subdued after a brief struggle and arrested, Brian said.
Neither Templeton nor the arresting officers were injured, Brian said. A knife believed to have been the weapon used in the attack has been recovered, she said.
Surveillance video was being reviewed by the hospital's security team and would be turned over to police, said Kenny Jernigan, Good Shepherd's security director.
Good Shepherd Medical Center is a 425-bed acute-care hospital about 120 miles southeast of Dallas. All surgeries scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday were postponed and were being rescheduled, Altmiller said.

Elian Gonzalez Says Time In The U.S. “Marked” Him For Life

On the 14th anniversary of his rescue, Elian Gonzalez reveals that he isn’t thrilled about his time spent in the United States.
According to Fox News Latino, the former Cuban refugee — who, more than a decade ago, was  the focal point of the the immigration debate at seven years old  – said that his time in the United States “marked” him for life.
RELATED: McDonald’s Uses Classical Music To Break Up Drunken Fights
“They were very sad times for me, which marked me for my whole life. I was never given the chance to have a moment to think about my mother, who as a result of that (U.S.) Cuban Adjustment Act died at sea,” the now-19-year-old Gonzalez said recently during a Union of Young Communists event. “I suffered the consequences of that law. They also violated my basic rights gathered in the (U.N.) Convention on the Rights of the Child: the right to be together with my father, the right to keep my nationality and to remain in my cultural context.”
Elian’s statements provoke an interesting thought: is there really a difference between immigration and assimilation? Are the two inextricably tied together? Weigh in below in the comments.

Prince William Joins Bon Jovi, Taylor Swift for 'Livin' on a Prayer'

 
All right, it wasn't quite a supergroup. But the 600 invited guests who witnessed a slightly nervous Prince William joining Taylor Swift and Jon Bon Jovi for a rendition of "Livin' on a Prayer" will likely never forget it.

Rocking a tux, the prince was led to the stage by Swift late Tuesday night at Kensington Palace. Once in front of the mic, he clapped his hands and nodded his head to the music as those in the crowd hollered the chorus. At times he even managed to harmonize with Swift and Bon Jovi – and play air guitar.

The impromptu concert was described by William's aides as completely "off the cuff," and as it concluded, William and Swift high-fived each another, while Bon Jovi, who was awarded the Great Britain Youth Inspiration Award in honor of his Soul Foundation, gave his royal backup singer a big hug.

The Winter Whites Gala to raise money for one of William's favorite charities, the homeless youth organization Centrepoint, began with a reception at the state apartments of the palace where William lives with Kate and Prince George and continued with a private dinner for VIPs at the Orangery on the grounds.

"It's strange that I end up at a palace playing this song," she said. "I'm very excited, though."

As were the others, including Hollywood scriptwriter and producer Danielle Alexandra, whose movie experience helped her create a Doctor Zhivago-themed wonderland in the palace.

"There is a heartfelt reason behind this," she said, "for the homeless young people."

Earlier, Swift performed acoustic versions of her hits "Trouble," "15" and "Love Story," with its tale of princes and princesses.
 

Amber Riley Crowned New Dancing with the Stars Winner

Twelve weeks of sweat – and a lot of tears – have led up to Tuesday night's season 17 finale of Dancing with the Stars.

Finalists Amber Riley and Corbin Bleu were the season's regular leader board frontrunners, while Jack Osbourne improved tremendously since he began, and touched people with his life story.

But it was Amber who won the mirror ball.

It was an exciting night. After all of this season's former contestants danced a separate routine, the three finalists hit center stage for a fusion number.

Keep up with Amber Riley in the pages of PEOPLE Magazine by subscribing now.

Bleu and partner Karina Smirnoff kicked off the competition with a foxtrot-cha cha combo. "You messed it up at one little part," judge Len Goodman told the actor. Bleu nodded and chuckled in agreement.

The other judges made the same point, but there didn't seem to be any hard feelings because it was clear they still thought he was a solid dancer. The pair scored three nines, getting 27 points out of 30.

Next up were Osbourne and partner Cheryl Burke, who danced a Paso doble-salsa routine that also scored three nines. Judge Carrie Ann Inaba offered a slight critique for the dance, and Goodman commended a "terrific" Osbourne for climbing "a mountain" from the start of the competition to now.

The last finalists to make their way to the ballroom were Riley and partner Derek Hough, who danced a samba-quickstep fusion, which had the actress's mom crying in the audience. "Amber and Derek, well done," a teary-eyed Inaba told them. Goodman called Riley "bedazzling." The pair scored a perfect 30.

VIDEO: DWTS Dancers Reflect on the Highs and Lows of an Emotional Season

Then came the night's first big announcement. Eliminated off the bat was Osbourne and Burke.

"I'm definitely not a better dancer than my sister, for one," the former reality star told the crowd right after his dismissal, referring to his sibling Kelly who landed in third place during a different season. "We're both tied."

He added: "Just going the distance for me was winning enough."

Of Osbourne, who brought a typically unemotional Burke to tears on numerous occasions, the dance pro said, "Jack has not only been such a n inspiration to me but such an inspiration to everyone out there. Jack has shown me there's so much life to live."

And so came the announcement everyone was waiting for all night: The newest champions of DWTS are Riley and Hough.

"Anything that scares me I want to do," Riley told the crowd after learning her fate, mentioning that it doesn't matter what size you are. "You can do whatever, whatever, whatever you put your mind to."

Bleu, who showed happiness for his competitor, told the crowd, "I thank god for this experience. I thank my family."

Amber Riley on Her Dancing Partner, Derek Hough

Prosecutor demands 26-year sentence for Amanda Knox, cites knife evidence

FLORENCE, Italy (AP) - An Italian prosecutor on Tuesday demanded that an appellate court find Amanda Knox guilty of the 2007 murder of her British roommate and sentence her to 26 years for the killing.
Prosecutor Alessandro Crini made the demand after more than 10 hours of closing arguments over two days during which he argued that Knox and her co-defendant Raffaele Sollecito acted in concert with a third man, who was convicted separately, in an explosion of violence sparked by tensions between the roommates over cleanliness.
Meredith Kercher's 2007 murder in the idyllic hillside town of Perugia is getting its third trial after Italy's highest court annulled an appellate ruling overturning the guilty verdicts against Knox and her co-defendant and former boyfriend Sollecito. They were convicted in the first trial, and sentenced to 26 years and 25 years, respectively.

Crini demanded 26 years for Sollecito, and also urged a four-year sentence for Knox for slander, for falsely blaming Kercher's murder on a Congolese-born bar owner, Diya "Patrick" Lumumba. Knox's slander conviction has been upheld by the high court.
Knox returned to the United States a free woman in 2009 after the appellate court ruling, having already served four years during the investigation and earlier trials, and remained there for this trial. Sollecito, who is also free, has attended two hearings to date.
Kercher's body was found in a pool of blood in her locked bedroom on Nov. 2, 2007. Her throat was slit and there were signs of sexual aggression. Crini departed from past scenarios, saying the crime was not so much sexually fueled - or as the lower court prosecutor described it a sex game gone out of control - but an act of physical aggression with a sexual expression.
Kercher, 21, was stripped naked during the attack, and prosecutors allege that her bra was removed with a knife that tore off a clasp, one among the most-disputed pieces of evidence in the case. Guede was convicted of the murder on evidence that included physical evidence on the victim's vagina. He is serving a 16-year sentence after a fast-track trial.
Crini alleges that Guede may have sparked new tensions over cleanliness after he defecated in a toilet inside the hillside apartment and left it unflushed. Crini said Guede, who was friendly with young men living in a neighboring apartment, had done the same thing the previous week.
"It is an absolutely disgusting and incongruous habit that he evidently had," Crini said.
Testimony in previous trials had cited tensions between Kercher and Knox over the level of cleanliness in the house they shared with two Italian roommates.

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TMZ ~ Paris Jackson Doing Better BUT Not Out of Woods By Long Shot

Paris Jackson is doing better as she remains ensconced in a Utah boarding school ... but we're told she's riddled with so many problems she could be there "for years."

We've learned Paris had a family therapy session this morning with Debbie Rowe and Katherine Jackson.  We're told Debbie and Katherine were on the phone, while Paris was with her therapist at the facility.

Sources say Paris may get a pass to come home for a few days in January, and Katherine is redoing Paris' room for the homecoming.

But the homecoming will be short-lived.  Our sources say the boarding school will be home for a long time, very possibly "years."

Read more: http://www.tmz.com/2013/11/26/paris-jackson-boarding-school-family-therapy-debbie-rowe-katherine-jackson-utah/#ixzz2lolJTmiu

Shoichi Kondoh, 6-Year-Old Japanese Preschooler, Donates Savings From Piggy Bank To Typhoon Haiyan Survivors

Kondoh and his mother personally delivered 5,000 yen (almost $50) to the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo after seeing devastating images of the typhoon's aftermath on television, ABS-CBNnews.com reported.
Second Secretary and Consul Bryan Dexter Lao met the embassy's youngest cash donor and thanked him for the generous donation, according to the embassy's website.
The 6-year-old is just proof that every effort, big or small, matters.
Here's how you can help the survivors of Typhoon Haiyan.

Slain TSA Officer Died Just Minutes After Being Shot, According To Coroner

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Transportation Security Administration officer who was killed in a gunman's attack at Los Angeles International Airport died two to five minutes after he was shot, coroner's officials said Wednesday.
Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter said the autopsy report isn't finalized, but the detail was released after pressure to clarify when TSA Officer Gerardo Hernandez died. The final report is expected to be released later this week, he said.
Hernandez was shot multiple times in the Nov. 1 shooting inside Terminal 3.
A preliminary coroner's report said a bullet hit Hernandez's aorta, the main artery in the body, which would have caused massive bleeding, according to a law enforcement official familiar with the findings. The official was not authorized to speak publicly about the investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
That official and another law enforcement official who was not authorized to speak publicly said Hernandez didn't receive aid until 33 minutes after the shooting, when he was wheeled to an ambulance by police because the area wasn't declared safe for paramedics to enter.
Officers had subdued the gunman in less than five minutes, they said.
The head of the TSA union said he was appalled by the delay. American Federation of Government Employees President J. David Cox Sr. called the situation "very concerning" and said there should be a serious reexamination of TSA security policies.
It's not known if immediate medical attention could have saved Hernandez's life, but officials were examining what conversations took place between police and fire commanders to determine when it was safe enough to enter, and whether paramedics could have gone into the terminal earlier, one of the officials said. Formal conclusions could take months.
Officers from multiple agencies bent down to check on Hernandez before moving on within minutes of him being shot until he was taken outside; no officers rendered first aid on scene, according to surveillance video reviewed by the law enforcement officials.
Union officials had speculated that a more timely response might have saved Hernandez's life.
Marshall McClain, who represents the airport police union, said medical response was delayed by a Los Angeles police officer who told responders that Hernandez was dead. McClain said an airport police officer told him he might have felt a faint pulse and immediately ran Hernandez in a wheelchair to paramedics 150 yards away, outside.
It's unclear how the LAPD officer determined Hernandez was dead or if he was qualified to do so. The coroner's finding indicates Hernandez was probably already dead when the officer checked on him, five minutes after he was shot.
A recent audit by Los Angeles Police Commission inspector found that the LAPD had a zero percent compliance rate for state mandated first aid and CPR refresher training, excluding its Metropolitan Division.
LAPD said it would investigate whether the veteran officer hindered efforts to rescue Hernandez, as it always examines allegations against officers.
The man charged with the shooting, Paul Ciancia, was transferred from a hospital into U.S. Marshals custody of Tuesday. He could face the death penalty if convicted of a federal murder charge.
Authorities say Ciancia targeted TSA workers in a vendetta against the federal government when he pulled a semi-automatic rifle out of a duffel bag and shot Hernandez, along with two other TSA workers and a teacher who survived.

Carrot Top On Plastic Surgery Rumors: 'I'm Sorry That I Look Good'

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/18/carrot-top-plastic-surgery_n_4284388.html?ref=topbar

With his wild and curly red hair, comedian Carrot Top (whose real name is Scott Thompson) is known for his distinct look. In the past, he's been accused of undergoing plastic surgery and abusing steroids -- but he scoffs at such rumors.
"People think I've had plastic surgery -- no, it just takes a lot of makeup to make me look good," the comedian jokes in a new episode of "Oprah: Where Are They Now?"
In the above clip from the episode, Carrot Top recalls a Comedy Central roast where his looks became the butt of jokes. The comedians were actually there to roast Flavor Flav, but "they love picking on me," Carrot Top says. "And one of the comics says, 'Jesus, Carrot Top, when are you gonna stop with all the plastic surgery? You look like the guy from 'The Mask' or something.'"
Carrot Top remembers his reaction at the time. "I'm sorry that I look good," he says. "I don't think I look anything different than I did when I started [in comedy]."
As for his physique, Carrot Top says he's just always been fit. "I get a lot of grief because I've always been in shape and I think for comedy in general, they don't expect comics to be in shape," he says.
"When I first started, I had my little Nissan pick-up truck and my two teeny, barely funny trunks of stuff, and I used to bring dumbbells with me, literally, to the hotels," he says.
When he began his comedy show, "Carrot Top Live at the Luxor" in Las Vegas -- now in its eight year -- he really started to bulk up. "I worked out more, I really got into that training stuff, where I'm like, 'Holy crap. I'm big.' You really forget how big you can get," he says. "So people would say, 'My God, you're huge.'"
Also in the video, the self-proclaimed "King of Props" takes cameras on a tour of his home and introduces viewers to his "best friend" -- his blow dryer -- and drawer full of products. "Mousse and gels and crap," he says. "Every five seconds, I'm putting something in there," he adds, gesturing to his curls.
In the video below, Carrot Top joins OWN executive producers Jill Van Lokeren and Julie Simpson on HuffPost Live to talk more about the episode.
"Oprah: Where Are They Now?" airs Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on OWN.

Hulk Hogan On Considering Suicide And The New Year's Eve When Everything Changed

For decades, Terry Gene Bollea ignited "Hulkmania" around the world as the wrestling legend Hulk Hogan. After his professional wrestling career ended, he earned new fans with his reality show, "Hogan Knows Best," where viewers met his wife, Linda, and two children, Brooke and Nick. The show was canceled in late 2007, and it was shortly after that Hogan says everything around him began to crumble.
"After the show I kinda hit rock bottom," Hogan says in the above clip from "Oprah: Where Are They Now?" on OWN. "Everything got dark, everything happened at once. I was drinking alcohol very heavily. It just all kept piling up, it all kept mounting and mounting I didn't know how to handle it. I always wondered how could someone possibly take their own life, and so I got to that point where I said, 'You know what, maybe this would be easy. You know, maybe this would be an easy way to fix things.'"
On Aug. 27, 2007, Hogan's son Nick lost control of his sports car, severely injuring his passenger and best friend, John Graziano. Nick pleaded no contest to reckless driving and was sentenced to eight months in jail.
Hogan also says his marriage at the time was "crashing and burning."

"There was incident in Miami on New Year’s Eve where I was with my family and a bunch of my friends at a table," he says. "And there's a bunch of negativity about the food being bad, you know the champagne didn't work, even though it was all consumed. And when I walked outside, some kid ran up and hugged me and was like, 'Oh I grew up watching you. I didn't have a dad, you're like a dad to me.' And there was another person that said 'Hey Hulk, we love you.'"
"And I went, 'Oh my God' -- it was right then. I didn't understand what was going on, but it hit me that there's clean air and that there's dirty air. And once I walked back inside again, I realized I couldn't take it anymore. I got sick and tired of being sick and tired. I got sick and tired of the hating, the negativity, the verbal abuse -- just everything that I was hearing."
"I now realize I had to go through all this stuff to be who I am today, to make me who I am today," he says.
Hogan and Linda's divorced was finalized in 2009, ending their 24 year marriage. He went on to marry girlfriend Jennifer McDaniel in 2010.
"Before, it was always, well you're supposed to be this wrestler, you're supposed to be this husband or father that makes this crazy money and travels and works and does this," Hogan says. "And life is tough and money's hard to make and all this fictitious stuff.
"And then I realized all that stuff -- the peace, love, the joy, that still, small voice, the energy, that God presence -- is part of who I'm meant to be," Hogan says.
"Oprah: Where Are They Now?" airs Sundays at 10 p.m. on OWN.

$1 Million In Gold Found In Jet Airways Toilet

Cleaners working on a commercial plane in eastern India have found 24 gold bars worth more than $1 million stuffed into a toilet compartment, officials said Wednesday.
India, which rivals China as the world's biggest gold consumer, has witnessed a spike in smuggling after import duties were hiked three times this year to try to dampen demand for the precious metal.
The plane belonging to Jet Airways was being cleaned at Kolkata airport on Tuesday after a trip from the eastern city of Patna. It had previously been flying on international routes.
"The cleaning staff of the airport were going though their routine duties and found two bags in the toilets of the plane," director of the airport B.P. Mishra told AFP.
The one-kilogram gold bars "have not been claimed by anyone. No arrest has been made as yet".
Senior customs official R.S. Meena estimated the value of the haul at about 70 million rupees, or $1.1 million.

Copyright (2013) AFP. All rights reserved.

President Obama to Award Presidential Medal of Freedom to Gloria Steinem, Oprah Winfrey

Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning." - Gloria Steinem
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the Nation’s highest civilian honor, and on Wednesday November 20th, 2013 President Barack Obama will present the award to 16 recipients, including groundbreakers and MAKERS Gloria Steinem and Oprah Winfrey.
The Medal honors individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavor.
In its announcement, the White House writes that Gloria Steinem is “a leader in the women’s liberation movement, co-founded Ms. magazine, and helped launch a wide variety of groups and publications dedicated to advancing civil rights. Ms. Steinem has received dozens of awards over the course of her career, and remains an active voice for women’s rights.”  Steinem has been a controversial, good-humored, and inescapable public conscience on issues of equality and social justice for over five decades.
Media mogul Oprah Winfrey will also be honored as one of the "world’s most successful broadcast journalists, best known for creating The Oprah Winfrey Show, which became the highest rated talk show in America for 25 years." Winfrey is also an active philanthropist, expanding opportunities for young women around the world. 
The 14 other recipients include Ernie Banks, Ben Bradlee, Bill Clinton, Daniel Inouye (posthumous), Daniel Kahneman, Richard Lugar, Loretta Lynn, Mario Molina, Sally Ride (posthumous), Bayard Rustin (posthumous), Arturo Sandoval, Dean Smith, Cordy Tindell "C.T." Vivian and Patricia Wald. 
Congratulations to all recipients and their families!
BROWSE more trailblazing women's stories. 

Categories: MAKERS, In the News

Tags: Oprah Winfrey, Gloria Steinem

Kanye Isn't Going To Mention President Obama Anymore

Kanye West continued his impromptu 2013 radio tour on Monday, stopping by Philadelphia station Hot 107.9 for an interview with morning show hosts Shamara and Laiya. The 20-minute chat, available in three videos online, covered a wide array of topics, including West's current Yeezus Tour, his early rap influences ("Hammer, LL Cool J, Run DMC") and his profession:

People get mad at me saying that I am a creative genius, but it's just obvious. It's, like, factual. [...] I'm not a musician, I don't even know how to play the piano. I would write creative genius when I go through the airport -- and you have to put that in customs [forms], where you put what your title is -- except for two reasons: it takes too long to write and sometimes I spell the word genius wrong.

Toward the end of the Hot 107.9 interview, West was asked about his relationship with Barack Obama and whether he would ever "break bread" with the president:

Oh, you talking about how he use to come and visit me and my mama and tell me he's about to run for president? I just think that we're pop icons, and the president likes to use that type of thing just to be down. People was fine with me being everyone's punching bag for about five years. "This is the person we love to hate, so if you want to distract people from everything that's going on [...] just say you hate Kanye and there's going be 30 other people who say they hate Kanye." That was kind of my position in culture and he kind of used that too. "Oh, he's a jackass," because that's how the world felt. I don't care if someone's the president or not. I care about thoughts and how you helping people and what you bring to the world. My music brings joy to people. What I create brings joy to people. Me, I'm not about me. I'm about I've got an idea that people are going to like. Don't you get frustrated around Christmas time dealing with clothing? Don't you get frustrated with so many things? That's Steve Jobs made things easier for people in life.

Interrupted at that point, West was told to "leave Michelle alone" (even though he wasn't talking about the first lady in his answer).

Well, uh, I think he should mention my baby mama's name, because we both from Chicago. [...] But no, I'm not gonna mention him no more, I'm passed that. That's out my thoughts. That's lowering my priority of thinking at this point.

Listen to West's full interview with Hot 107.9 in three parts: Here, here and here.

Money Minute: Millions Stand to Lose Jobless Benefits; Money Pours into Mutual Funds

The haves and the have-nots in the economic recovery. That and more of the top money stories you need to know Monday.

Toby Talbot/AP

More than 2 million people could lose jobless benefits over the next few months if Congress doesn't extend an emergency aid program. Many jobless could end up receiving fewer weeks of benefits.

Meanwhile, a government report shows there are now more women in the job force than there were before the Great Recession began in 2008. That's not the case for men though. They are still nearly 2 million jobs below the peak level.

The Dow Jones industrial average (^DJI) and the Standard & Poor's 500 index (^GPSC) start the week at record highs, and both have posted six straight weekly gains. Last week, the Dow gained 1.3 percent, the S&P rose 1.6 percent and the Nasdaq composite index (^IXIC) rallied 1.7 percent. All three major averages are closing in on milestone levels, including 16,000 for the Dow and 4,000 for the Nasdaq.

With stocks are record highs, mom and pop investors are pouring money into stock mutual funds. The research firm TrimTabs says stock funds took in more than $34 billion in new money over the past month.

Boeing (BA) shares are set to take off securing a series of big orders for its new 777X jet from Middle Eastern airlines. Those orders were valued at more than $100 billion, based on list prices, making it Boeing's best-ever product launch. This is significant for the whole U.S. economy, as Boeing is one of the nation's biggest exporters. But it's still not known where the new plane will be built. Workers in Washington State last week rejected a labor pact, and Boeing says it will look elsewhere for a manufacturing plant.

Sony (SNE) also reported strong demand for the rollout of the PlayStation4 video game console. It sold more than 1 million units Friday, the first day it was available. However, online forums suggested there may be serious technical problems with the new consoles. Microsoft (MSFT) rolls out its new Xbox this coming Friday.

Storms Sweep Across Midwest, Kill 6 in Illinois

By Associated Press Monday, Nov. 18, 2013

A tornado moves northeast Sunday, Nov. 17, 2013, two miles west of Flatville, Ill. (AP Photo/News-Gazette, Jessie Starkey)

WASHINGTON, Ill. (AP) - As a powerful tornado bore down on their Illinois farmhouse, Curt Zehr's wife and adult son didn't have time to do anything but scramble down the stairs into their basement.

Uninjured, the pair looked out moments later to find the house gone and the sun out "right on top" of them, Zehr said. Their home, on the outskirts of Washington, Ill., was swept up and scattered over hundreds of yards by one of the dozens of tornadoes and intense thunderstorms that swept across the Midwest on Sunday, leaving at least six people dead and unleashing powerful winds that flattened entire neighborhoods, flipped over cars and uprooted trees.

"They saw (the tornado) right there and got in the basement," said a stunned Zehr, pointing to the farm field near the rubble that had been his home.

PHOTOS: Deadly Tornadoes, Storms Hit Midwest
Early Monday, Washington Mayor Gary Manier estimated that from 250 to 500 homes were either damaged or destroyed in the storm and that it wasn't clear when residents would be allowed to return.

"Everybody's without power, but some people are without everything," Manier told reporters in the parking lot of a destroyed auto parts store and near a row of flattened homes.

"How people survived is beyond me," he said.

The unusually powerful late-season wave of thunderstorms brought damaging winds and tornadoes to 12 states: Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and western New York.

Bill Bunting, forecast operations chief of the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla., said the storms all belonged to the same system and would be "moving rapidly to the east and continue east overnight and into the morning."

Illinois was the hardest struck with at least six people killed and dozens more injured.

An elderly man and his sister were killed when a tornado hit their home in the rural southern Illinois community of New Minden, coroner Mark Styninger said. A third person died in Washington, while three others perished in Massac County in the far southern part of the state, said Patti Thompson of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency. She did not provide details.

Communications remained difficult and with many roads impassable it was not clear if the injury and death tolls would rise on Monday. Ill. Gov. Pat Quinn declared seven counties disaster areas.

Washington, a town of 16,000 about 140 miles southwest of Chicago, appeared to have suffered the most severe damage. The tornado cut a path about an eighth of a mile wide from one side of town to the other, State Trooper Dustin Pierce said.

Across farm fields a little more than a mile from where Zehr's home was swept up, several blocks of homes were destroyed.

"The whole neighborhood's gone. The wall of my fireplace is all that is left of my house," said Michael Perdun, speaking by cellphone.

The Illinois National Guard assisted with search and recovery operations in Washington. The White House issued a statement saying President Barack Obama had been briefed about the damage and was in touch with federal, state and local officials. Gov. Quinn was scheduled to survey affected areas Monday.

As law enforcement officers continued to search for victims and sized up the cleanup and rebuilding job ahead, they kept everyone but residents and emergency workers out. With power off and lines down in many areas, natural gas lines leaking and trees and other debris blocking many streets, an overnight curfew kept all but emergency vehicles off pitch-black roads. The only lights visible across most of Washington on Sunday night were red and blue flashes from police and fire truck lights.

Pierce said there were reports of looting around town.

About 75 friends and neighbors helped Zehr to salvage his family's belongings. He said he'd been at church when the tornado hit but that his wife, Sue, and son were at home.

A friend, Keith Noe, said the Zehr family still felt fortunate.

"They both walked out of the basement and that's what counts," Noe said.

Across Washington, an auto parts store with several people inside was reduced to a pile of bricks, metal and rebar; a battered car, its windshield impaled by a piece of lumber, was flung alongside it.

"The employees were climbing out of this," Pierce said, gesturing to the rubble behind him. None of them was seriously injured, he said.

At OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in nearby Peoria, spokeswoman Amy Paul said 37 storm victims had been treated, including eight with injuries ranging from broken bones to head injuries. Another hospital, Methodist Medical Center in Peoria, treated more than a dozen, but officials there said none of them were seriously injured.

About 90 minutes after the tornado destroyed homes in Washington, the stormyweather darkened downtown Chicago. As the rain and high winds slammed into the area, officials at Soldier Field evacuated the stands and ordered the Bears and Baltimore Ravens off the field. Fans were allowed back to their seats shortly after 2 p.m., and the game resumed after about a two-hour delay.

Earlier, the Office of Emergency Management and Communications had issued a warning to fans, urging them "to take extra precautions and ... appropriate measures to ensure their personal safety."

Just how many tornadoes hit was unclear. Although about 80 reports of tornadoes had come in as of Sunday night, the National Weather Service's Bunting said the actual number will likely be in the 30 to 40 range. He said that's because the same tornado often gets reported multiple times.

Weather service meteorologist Matt Friedlein said such weather is rare this late in the year, but that strong winds coupled with temperatures in the 60s and 70s spawned Sunday's storms.

PHOTOS ON SKYE: Deadly Tornadoes and Storms Hit the Midwest

The Angels sizzle at the 2013 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show

 

Wednesday night Victoria’s Secret hosted their annual runway fashion show at the Lexington Avenue Armory in New York City. The 2013 Victoria’s Secret Angels dressed in sexy lingerie and lounge wear matched to six themes: “British Invasion,” “Birds of Paradise,” “Parisian Nights,” “Shipwrecked,” “Snow Angels” and “PINK Network.”
The models strutted their stuff to music by Taylor Swift and Fall Out Boy. Hit the flip for photos of VS Angels like Cara Delevingne, Jourdan Dunn, Karlie Kloss, Alessandra Ambrosio, Lily Aldridge and Adriana Lima, who hit the catwalk in some of the retailer’s most over-the-top lingerie sets below. – ruthie hawkins/@ruubabie

Chilli confirms whether she had sex with Pebbles’ ex-husband L.A. Reid

L.A. Reid … it’s your turn.
Perri “Pebbles” Reid and Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas have engaged in a cold war about who slept with whom over the past several weeks. L.A. Reid, the subject of this vicious volleying of invectives between the two, has not uttered a single syllable in his own defense.
Pebbles on the “Wendy Williams” show and HuffPost Live and corroborated the vulgar outburst by daughter, Ashley Reid, who profanely proclaimed that the TLC singer had sex with label boss L.A. Reid when she appeared. 
While she said she has no physical proof of the allege affair between Chilli and her ex-husband, Pebbles nevertheless strongly believes that it did take place and promised to reveal this in an upcoming book.
Chilli has finally broken her silence about her alleged rendezvous with the music mogul with this statement to the media:
“No member of TLC ever slept with or had sexual contact with LA Reid as Perri falsely accused Chilli of on “The Wendy Williams Show.” In fact, Perri had falsely alleged the same thing happened with Tionne.” 
Remarkably, L.A. Reid has remained conspicuously silent while this torrent of activities swirls about him. He could kill this spat between Pebbles and Chilli with one statement.
Again … L.A. Reid, it’s your turn.

Michael S. Broder, Ph.D.

Psychologist; Author, 'Stage Climbing: The Shortest Path to Your Highest Potential'

GET UPDATES FROM Michael S. Broder, Ph.D.

When the Passion and Excitement in Your Relationship Is Waning

Do you feel a lack of excitement in your relationship? Perhaps a certain feeling of passion or excitement that was once there no longer exists, is much less frequent than it was or far less intense? Maybe you used to prioritize your relationship much higher, but it feels like a chore now and that passion and excitement has been replaced by indifference.
Although indifference can be a very difficult thing to turn around in a relationship, it's certainly doable -- as long as this is something that you both want -- either by rekindling what was once there or by creating something even better in your relationship. The first step in reigniting passion is to recognize what caused it to wane in the first place. So step one is to initiate a discussion with your partner. This is often the most difficult step. If your partner is equally unhappy and ready to address the issue, you've taken the most important step together! Next, consider these suggestions for focusing on where you would like the relationship to go:
Make a list of those items that you believe might have led to your indifferent feelings in the first place. These could be ongoing issues you have tried to avoid resolving. Become familiar enough with whatever is bothering your partner (and hopefully visa versa) as well as the ways you try to sweep them under the rug, that you can remind each other about when one of you begins to repeat the pattern. For example, if you tend to leave the room every time you're angry during an uncomfortable discussion, take responsibility for changing that pattern. Walk back to your partner and reopen the discussion--no matter how uncomfortable it feels. There is no getting around working to resolve the issues that are creating the distance. So make a commitment to address each one, either alone or with professional help, if necessary, until you can truly put it behind you.
Focus on the things that you like most about your partner instead of those things that are troubling you or that you dislike the most. Try to identify the ingredients that brought you together in the first place. Explore ways you can re-create those positive feelings you once had. What made your partner so special initially? What did you do when you were dating, when you first began to live together? When and why did those great things start to fade away? Chances are that in sharing some of what is important but rarely discussed, you will find some nice common ground that's been lying dormant.
Try to make it a rule that avoiding painful discussions about something that's bothering one of you is not an option. When new problems and issues come up, talk about them as soon as possible. Don't put them aside with the hope that they will simply go away. As you've probably learned, this rarely happens.
Begin reestablishing intimacy by sharing new feelings and information with your partner. Perhaps you felt your partner didn't care about a certain part of your life, or that you would be rejected if you shared certain thoughts and emotions. Intimacy begins with openness about things that are sometimes difficult to talk about. So to bring that intimacy back once again, take this risk; and get to know each other once again.
Take time to be together without other people around. Many couples get into the habit of relaxing only when sharing activities as a family (that is, with children around) or when they are with other couples. As awkward as it may sometimes seem at first, make being alone together a top priority. Initially, you may have to be very deliberate about this -- literally "making an appointment" to spend an evening together by yourselves or to go away for a weekend. But, eventually, it will hopefully become a top priority.
Discuss what your goals together are -- both long- and short-term. There is a good chance that both of you have goals that have changed since the last time you discussed them (or perhaps you never discussed them). You may find out some very valuable information about yourselves, both individually and as a couple. And while you're at it, make sure to share your hopes, dreams, and wishes.
Spend a week acting as if you were in love again. Some couples do this by going away together or finding other ways to recreate their courtship.
These things may not be easy at first, but they will kick-start the healing process and could be fun as well. In fact, you may even be able to create a degree of comfort that you never had before, if a change for the better is something that you both desire. You can also learn a number of tools in my book; Can Your Relationship Be Saved? How to Know Whether to Stay or Go to continue reigniting the spark your relationship once had.

Tai Goodwin

Stop Hating: Five Reasons It Pays to Get Happy About Other People's Success

• A person who feels anger and/or jealousy for someone who has succeeded in something they have worked hard for.
• A being that speaks badly, and/or takes negative actions in attempt to create problems for a successful person.

Clearly, being a "hater" is not a good thing. And how we handle other people's success, especially when things may not be going so well for us, is an indicator of our maturity and belief in ourselves.
So what do you do when you see someone thriving with the opportunities, recognition, clients and wins that you want for your life or business? You learn to celebrate other people's success.
If you master generating genuine happiness for other people, not only will you find a cure for the envy, which can sabotage your success, but there are additional benefits as well. Here's what you open the door to as you welcome and express joy for others:

• Freedom from frustration and worry. When you see another person's win as a loss for you, you pave the way for discouragement and resentment to set in. Instead allow other people's success to ignite hope for the success coming in your time of harvest.
• More opportunities to be happy! Rejoicing with others creates an opportunity to multiply the good times you get to celebrate. By seizing every chance to sincerely congratulate other's on their success, you are creating an atmosphere for others to be willing to celebrate your successes.
• Improved relationships with others. Healthy relationships involve sharing both ups and downs. People are more likely to respond positively to you if they sense that you're truly happy for them.
• Good karma. You reap what you sow. Giving unselfishly creates a win for everybody.

I know, it all sounds good, but how do you actually pull it off -- and do it sincerely? Here are seven ideas:

1. Proactively look for opportunities to shine a spotlight on someone else. Keep in touch with what's going on in the lives of the people around you. Others may be bashful about mentioning their own victories but still appreciate having their efforts recognized.
2. Create a daily gratitude list. It's difficult to be happy for other people when you are dissatisfied with your life. Remind yourself of all the wonderful things you have to be grateful for. Go one step better and share one thing a day with someone.
3. Be aware of your jealousy. Weigh the consequences of jealousy and envy. Be honest with yourself when you notice your thoughts and feelings heading down a negative path.
4. "Fake it till you make it." Or as Karen Salmansohn says -- "Faith it till you make it." It's okay to use some artificial gestures to get started. Even if you're not purely happy that your ex-husband got an award, you can say something gracious.
5. Start with the people you love. Charity starts at home and so should the celebration. It might be difficult to get instantly excited about the lives of strangers. However, you can start by focusing on the people closest to you. For example, cheer with enthusiasm when your cousin wins an award, your brother gets a promotion, or a friend successfully closes a deal.
6. Work your way up to dealing with the hard stuff. For example, celebrating with someone that got something you wanted for yourself or being happy for someone you believe is undeserving.
7. With practice, you'll be able to tackle the more sensitive issues. When you find the techniques that work with the people you love, you can use those same strategies with more challenging opportunities.

So the next time someone you know gets great news, don't hate -- celebrate with them. Remember, you reap what you sow: You can look forward to welcoming more joy into your own life as you celebrate other people's success.

 

Follow Tai Goodwin on Twitter: www.twitter.com/TaiGoodwin

Why RuPaul Changes Clothes At Least 3 Times A Day

When it comes to fashion, the world's most famous drag queen knows no bounds. In this online exclusive from "Oprah: Where Are They Now?" RuPaul shares his anything-goes style philosophy.
"I believe in experiment," RuPaul says. "Use this body -- paint it, decorate it, snatch it, tuck it, pluck it -- do whatever you want with it, just as long as you don't hurt anybody else."
RuPaul says he doesn't have many beauty pet peeves. Hair? The bigger, the better. Makeup? "I love seeing people with too much make-up on, I do," he says. "I love it, I love it."
As far as fashion dos and don'ts, RuPaul says style is about going out and finding yourself. "You play with all the toys," he says. "I always say it's important to use all the colors in the crayon box."
In fact, he plays with his wardrobe every day. "I like to change clothes at least three times a day," he shares. "I love clothes."
The reason is simple, he explains. "This is the thing: I spend a lot of money on clothes. I love shopping, I love clothes, and so the only way in this one lifetime I'll be able to use these clothes is I have to wear them a lot, and I have to change clothes three or four times a day."
The only thing you won't see RuPaul in is sweats. "Most people are way too casual -- I'm not crazy about casual clothes. There's a way to do it, but listen, I'm not going to fight the world. I know that everybody loves it, so go ahead and do it."
Also in the video, RuPaul reveals his secret to strutting in sky-high heels. "The key to wearing stiletto heels is to put your weight on the ball of your foot, not on the heel," he says. "Most people think you rest on the heel."
Your success with stilettos also depends on coordination and confidence. "The first time I put on heels, I was like 'Oh yeah, I got it,'" RuPaul says. "I've always had good hand-eye coordination. But you find a lot of people are not comfortable in their bodies and those people, there's just no hope for them, not in terms of stilettos."
"Oprah: Where Are They Now?" airs Sundays at 10 p.m. on OWN.

Money Minute: McDonald's Fast Menu Changes Are Slowing It Down

McDonald's is moving too fast and too slow at the same time. That and more of the top money stories you need to know today.

McDonald's (MCD) says it has rolled out new menu items too quickly this year, which has created challenges in its kitchens and slowed service.

Alamy

A trade publication that tracks the time it takes to get your drive-through order says McDonald's has slowed to slowest pace in at least 15 years. In response, the company says it will invest more to improve the assembly process.

Global Red Cross Response Effort Underway in Wake of Typhoon

Last Friday, Super Typhoon Haiyan tore through the Pacific islands of the Philippines, leaving behind a scene of destruction and despair. The global Red Cross network is responding to emergency needs in the Philippines with food, water, and relief supplies, and the American Red Cross is lending people, expertise and equipment to this massive effort.

While Red Cross relief efforts are well underway, blocked roads, destroyed infrastructure and downed communication lines are making the response particularly challenging.

The Philippines, a nation of more than 7,000 islands, faces enormous devastation in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan that produced record strength winds along with high storm surges. Approximately 10 million people across 40 provinces have been affected with as many as 600,000 people displaced and the death toll continuing to rise.

PHILIPPINE RED CROSS ON THE GROUND The Philippine Red Cross is leading this response effort and their volunteers have been caring for people even before Typhoon Haiyan made landfall. Prior to the arrival of Typhoon Haiyan, the Philippine Red Cross worked closely with local disaster authorities to support preemptive evacuations, helping move more than 125,000 families to safer shelters. The Philippine Red Cross also disseminated early warning messages and safety tips in areas along the path of the typhoon.

Days later, Philippine Red Cross volunteer rescue and relief teams continue to provide assistance in the hardest hit communities, including assisting in search and rescue efforts. The Philippine Red Cross has extensive experience in search and rescue and large-scale relief and recovery programs. The Philippine Red Cross is the largest humanitarian organization in the country, with 1,000 staff members and an estimated 500,000 active volunteers engaged in response to this emergency.

The Philippine Red Cross has begun distributions of relief supplies and volunteers are packing more supplies to send to all the affected areas. However, delivery of supplies in the worst affected city of Tacloban has been significantly constrained by damage to local infrastructure. Typhoon Haiyan hit the city of about 220,000 people the hardest with a tsunami-like storm surge pushing a wall of water nearly 10 feet high inland.

Specialized emergency response teams from Red Cross societies across the globe are moving into the Philippines to assist the Philippine Red Cross. These include teams with expertise in logistics, disaster assessment, shelter, health, water and sanitation.

AMERICAN RED CROSS RESPONSE EFFORTS The American Red Cross is among those societies helping support the response efforts of the Philippine Red Cross. Four people from the American Red Cross have arrived in the Philippines. These include two people who specialize in telecommunication and who are travelling with satellite equipment, and two others who specialize in disaster assessment.

When responding overseas, the American Red Cross response is different than a typical disaster response in the United States, working closely with the affected Red Cross society who serves as the lead to provide the level of staff support and assistance requested.

The American Red Cross is also helping to reconnect families separated by this typhoon and has activated its family tracing services. If people are looking for a missing family member in the Philippines, please remember that many phone lines are down. If people are unable to reach loved ones, contact your local chapter of the American Red Cross to initiate a family tracing care.

The American Red Cross remains in close contact with the Philippine Red Cross, and more help and assistance will be provided in the days ahead.

People who want to donate to the American Red Cross to support the response for this typhoon can go to redcross.org or call 1-800-REDCROSS.

Tags: Philippines, Typhoon

About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.

Haiyan Storm Surges Caught Philippines by Surprise

Survivors look up at a military C-130 plane as it arrives at typhoon-ravaged Tacloban city, Leyte province in central Philippines on Monday, Nov. 11, 2013. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

MANILA, Philippines (AP) - Hours before Typhoon Haiyan hit, Philippine authorities moved 800,000 people to sturdy evacuation centers - churches, schools and public buildings. But the brick-and-mortar structures were simply no match for the jet-force winds and massive walls of waves that swept ashore Friday, devastating cities, towns and villages and killing thousands, including many of those who had huddled in government shelters.

The tragedy is another reminder that nature's fury is sometimes so immense that it can overwhelm even the most diligent preparations. Combine that with a string of unfortunate circumstances - some man-made - and the result is the disaster of epic proportions that the country now faces.

"Sometimes, no matter how much and how carefully you prepare, the disaster is just too big," said Zhang Qiang, an expert on disaster mitigation at Beijing Normal University's Institute for Social Development and Public Policy.

Photos: Typhoon Haiyan Slams into Philippines

Some officials estimate that 10,000 or more were killed by Haiyan, washed away by the churning waters that poured in from the Pacific or buried under mountains of trash and rubble. But it may be days or even weeks before the full extent of the destruction is known.

As dire forecasts poured in to predict a storm that would be among the most powerful on record, authorities prepared by evacuating people from flimsy homes along the coast to concrete structures farther inland.

Similar tactics had worked only weeks earlier when powerful Cyclone Phailin struck India's eastern shore, killing just 25 people as thousands more sheltered in government evacuation centers away from the sea. And Vietnam appeared to have successfully evacuated some 600,000 people before a weakened Haiyan arrived there early Monday.

But Philippine officials had not anticipated the 20-feet storm surges that swept through Tacloban, capital of the island province of Leyte, which saw the worst of Haiyan's damage. And while many perished in shelters, others ignored the evacuation and stayed put in their homes, either out of fear their property would fall prey to looters or because they underestimated the risk.

"I was talking to the people of Tacloban," said senior presidential aide Rene Alemendras. "They said 'we were ready for the wind. We were not ready for the water.'

"We tried our very best to warn everybody," he said. "But it was really just overwhelming, especially the storm surge."

While the storm surge proved deadly, much of the initial destruction was caused by winds blasting at 147 mph that occasionally blew with speeds of up to 170 mph, howling like jet engines.

Lt. Col. Fermin Carangan, an air force commander in Leyte, said he was at his base in Tacloban, preparing for the storm with his men when the wind and water started coming in.

RELATED ON SKYE: Typhoon Storm Chaser in Philippines: 'It Just Went Nuclear'

"It was 7:30 in the morning," he said. "The rain and wind were so strong and the water surged in fast and rose without letup. We had no time to move elsewhere, so we clambered up the room, about 10 of us.

"Then the roof started to peel off. One by one, we were exposed to the rain and we were just holding to the roof wooden beams. Then the walls of the building started collapsing and each one of us started falling into the water. We were yelling at each other. Then all of us got separated," said Carangan, 45.

The 25-year veteran of the air force managed to grab a wooden truss from the roof and clung to it for five hours while being buffeted by waves.

"The tide was coming from all over ... I had no sense of direction," he said. The waves eased after five hours and he paddled his makeshift lifeboat toward land in a neighboring province. Gashed, cut and bruised, he hit a coconut tree and noticed a boy about 7-year-old floating nearby, clinging to a piece of wood.

Carangan got hold of the boy and made it to the nearby village. After handing over the boy to a policeman he limped 5 miles to an army outpost.

The Philippines, which sees about 20 typhoons per year, is cursed by its geography. On a string of some 7,000 islands, there are only so many places to evacuate people to, unless they can be flown or ferried to the mainland.

The Philippines' disaster preparation and relief capacities are also hampered by political factors. It lacks a strong central government and provincial governors have virtual autonomy in dealing with local problems.

Contrast this with Vietnam, which sees about a dozen typhoons per year and is similarly poor and densely populated. But a centralized, Communist Party-led government broadcasts clear messages that cannot be ignored by the provinces. Also, because of a clearly defined land mass, unlike the archipelago of the Philippines, it is easy to evacuate people deep inland and to higher ground.

"This is not the time to judge," said Alemendras, the presidential aide. "The national government and the local government all need to work together not to criticize anyone or not to show that one is better than the other."

But even with adequate resources and a robust government authority, forces of nature and the unpredictability of people can scuttle even the best advance planning. The 2011 tsunami in Japan might have killed many more without in-place emergency response measures, but an inadequate response to the nuclear crisis that followed seriously compounded the disaster.

Nor are such catastrophes limited to poor countries like the Philippines. When Hurricane Katrina plowed ashore near New Orleans in 2005, more than 1,400 were killed, many of whom ignored orders to evacuate before it hit.

Gwendolyn Pang, the executive director of the Philippine Red Cross, said Haiyan was three times more powerful than Katrina.

She said there should be an educational campaign to explain to people the destructiveness of a storm surge, which is like a tsunami.

"We should really start understanding this and make it our way of life, part of our readiness and preparedness," she added.

Miss Universe 2013 Winner Is Venezuela's Gabriela Isler

Flowing evening gowns, colorful national costumes and beauty from across the globe reigned Saturday night in Russia as the country’s capital hosted Miss Universe 2013 with an evening fit for a queen.
For the seventh time in Miss Universe history, Venezuela took the crown as 25-year-old Gabriela Isler was given the title of most beautiful woman in the universe in Moscow’s Crocus City Hall on Saturday night.
As the evening came to a close, the United States' Olivia Culpo relinquished the Miss Universe crown and placed it upon Miss Venezuela. Isler, who was born in Maracay, is an accomplished flamenco dancer who also works on Venezuelan television.
(Story continues after photos)

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Thomas Roberts and former Spice Girl, Mel B, hosted the annual beauty contest while Tara Lipinski, Anne V, Philiph Kirov, Carol Alt, Farouk Shami and Steven Tyler sat at the judges’ table.
The big night began with 87 contestants looking for the title, but quickly only 16 were chosen to move forward: Costa Rica, Ukraine, China, Ecuador, the United Kingdom, Indonesia, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Spain, the United States, Nicaragua, Switzerland, India, Brazil and the Philippines.
Best national costume went to Miss Nicaragua, Nastassja Bolívar, who is known as the 2011 winner of Univision’s “Nuestra Belleza Latina” beauty contest.
Only Spain, the Philippines, the United Kingdom, India, Brazil, the United States, Ukraine, Ecuador, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic made it to the top 10. From there only Ecuador, Brazil, Spain, Venezuela and the Philippines remained in the running for the crown.
Steven Tyler asked the top five contestants questions which ranged from "What would happen to the world if we could no longer use the Internet?" to the one posed to Miss Venezuela: "What is your biggest fear and how do you plan to overcome it?”
The evening’s soon-to-be winner responded: "We should overcome all our fears and this in turn would make us stronger. As soon as we overcome our fears, we can face any challenge."
Tyler then gave a stripped down performance of “Dream On” as the final five beauties awaited to know who would take home the crown. With a beautiful blue gown, Olivia Culpo arrived on stage and thanked business magnate Donald Trump and her family for a wonderful experience as Miss Universe.
The night came to close with Brazil as the fourth runner-up, Philippines taking third runner-up, Ecuador as second runner-up, and Spain being named first runner-up. With that, Gabriela Isler won Venezuela’s seventh Miss Universe crown and the first since Stefanía Fernández took the title in 2009.
While the festivities continue in Russia, U.S. viewers can tune into NBC or Telemundo on Saturday, Nov. 9 (9-11 p.m. ET/PT) to watch Miss Universe 201