published July 6, 2011 at 4:30pm CDT
AFTER THE WNBA DRAFT: WHO'S BALLIN' NOW?
After a weekend of festivities, media training and photo ops, the WNBA draft was held Monday at the ESPN headquarters in Connecticut. Girls who have been dreaming of this day since they first dribbled a basketball in a school gym were a bundle of nerves. With 12 teams, 11 roster spots and plenty of players returning for the WNBA’s 15th season, this year’s rookies have a lot to prove. So who was selected and where will they play? Without further ado, take a look at some of the top picks and the newest class of professional ballers. As expected, UConn’s Maya Moore, the No. 1 overall pick, will be heading to Minnesota to play for the Lynx. Hopefully, the three-time winner of the Wade Trophy and four-time All-American, can turn the tide for the Lynx who went 13-21 last season. Moore, who finished her career with 3,036 points, helped UConn win a record 90 straight games over the past two seasons and led the team to two national titles in her four-year career. Aussie phenom Elizabe [Read More]published April 13, 2011 at 2:56pm CDT
DEPT. 180: STILL THE COOLEST JOB AT CHEVY
As the blog editor at AskPatty.com, some days I feel like I spend more time talking about one particular brand or other - which isn't the goal, honest, I really do try to keep my content as universal as I can - but when Chevy is doing such a great job releasing consistently great videos on their Youtube channel, I can't let them all go by without mentioning them. Chevy's really using social media to the fullest in their marketing department, and while I certainly don't cover all of them, when something leaps out at me it's my duty as your faithful blogger to inform you of it. Today's video comes from Dept. 180, which has already proven to be the coolest job at Chevrolet, where engineers spend their days destroying cars in clever ways and watching footage of the events in super-slow-mo. I can't even imagine how much fun that office is. Today's video is full of the requisite slow-motion videos of crash tests in progress, this time focusing on the Chevy Traverse and#40;which was re [Read More]published March 31, 2011 at 4:20pm CDT
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL HONORS JOAN BAEZ FOR A LIFETIME OF HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCACY
Amnesty International turns 50 this year, and closely linked to Amnesty’s legacy of championing human rights is that of folk legend Joan Baez. Baez was an active supporter of Amnesty from the start, stuffing envelopes at their first home office in San Francisco– not coincidentally, where this year’s Annual General Meeting is being held. This Friday, as part of their anniversary AGM, Joan Baez will be honored for a lifetime of human rights solidarity and advocacy. Her receiving the award also marks an exciting beginning, as it will establish the Amnesty International Joan Baez Award for Outstanding, Inspirational Service in the Global Fight for Human Rights. The award will be given to artists – working in music, film, fine arts or other media – who similarly contribute to the advancement of human rights. Baez will be presented with the first award in recognition of her historic, ground-breaking and courageous human rights work with Amnesty International and beyond, and the [Read More]published March 15, 2011 at 2:04pm CDT
WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU WON THE LOTTERY?
If asked this question, I know that many Ask Patty readers would say "I'd get a fancy new car." Well, that’s exactly what Cynthia Stafford did. She won a $112 million dollar jackpot, and went right out and picked out two new Bentleys—a baby-blue convertible and a bright-orange sedan. But her big win was more than just a lifestyle chage - it was the beginning of a whole new life. She chose to use her windfall to chase a dream she'd always had of making movies. Now, four years later, that dream has been realized: she runs her own production company, and she credits her success to the power of positive visualization. We usually hear stories about lottery winners' lives becoming unbearable after their win, because they were completely unprepared for that kind of change - it's a breath of fresh air to see a truly inspiring story for a change. According to this article in Parade, it's a story that is the stuff of films: in January of 2007, Stafford was raising five kids, str [Read More]published March 1, 2011 at 12:00pm CST
TOP POWER FEMALE ATHLETES OF 2011
Apparently Bloomberg BusinessWeek creates an annual Sports Power list by choosing the 100 most powerful athletes on and off the field. This year's Power Sports 100 was pretty disappointing in regards to the number of women that were selected. In fact, only five women were chosen to be a part of the 2011 Power 100. Why is it that men are the ones always selected for sports awards? And what, exactly, is power in sports? According to Bloomberg BusinessWeek: It's not simply the ability to bench-press a truck or crush a golf ball down the fairway. While such talents are impressive, there are other attributes that fans — and advertisers — value just as highly. It's the combination of athletic achievement plus the ability to connect with an audience on a deeper, more personal level that separates mere jocks from the stars. This year, Peyton Manning replaced Tiger Woods for the top spot and#40;Woods dropped to No. 3 while Shaun White nabbed the second spotand#41;. So without furthe [Read More]published February 8, 2011 at 12:19pm CST
LADY GAGA, OPRAH AND DANICA PATRICK TOP 100 MOST POWER WOMEN - FORBES
Forbes just launched its very diverse and mixed bag, Power Women Issue, which is lead by first Lady Michelle Obama. Forbes divided the power women candidates into four groups: politics, business, media and lifestyle and#40;that is, entertainment, sports and fashionand#41;. Then ranked the women in each group, and then group against group. Quote:"Not easy, but that's today's reality: an incongruous, diverse mash-up of hard power and#40;currencies and constitutionsand#41; and dynamic power and#40;audience and audacityand#41;." Here are a few that caught my attention and admiration: Ranked #93 is 28 year old Danica Patrick women race car driver! Profile: In 2010 Danica Patrick took a calculated risk: to split her time racing between the IndyCar racing that she's competed in since 2005 and NASCAR's second-tier Nationwide Series stock car circuit. And as the season draws to a close, despite middling performances on both circuits, she sees her decision as a good one and is up for a repeat next [Read More]published October 8, 2010 at 12:46pm CDT
FORD VP SUSAN CISCHKE TO RECEIVE TOP HONORS FROM WOMEN'S AUTOMOTIVE ASSOCIATION INT'L
BIRMINGHAM, MICHIGAN…The Women’s Automotive Association International and#40;WAAIand#41; will present the prestigious Professional Achievement Award to Ford Motor Company Group Vice President Susan Cischke during its annual awards dinner at the Automotive Hall of Fame in Dearborn, Mich., on Wednesday, October 20, 2010, according to a recent announcement by Lorraine Schultz, WAAI founder and CEO.The Professional Achievement Award recognizes professional women for their commitment, professionalism and success in the automotive industry. “Sue has had a distinguished career and is most worthy of recognition,” noted Schultz. “She has been a leader in business and her community throughout her career, and we are privileged to honor her many achievements.” As group vice president, sustainability, environment and safety engineering, Cischke is responsible for establishing Ford’s long-range sustainability strategy and environmental policy. She also serves as Ford’s chief liaison w [Read More]published September 24, 2010 at 1:29pm CDT
FEMALE ATHLETES WHO PAVED THE WAY FOR WOMEN IN SPORTS
Male athletes usually take the sports spotlight, for both their looks and their athletic abilities. But they’re not the only ones competing. Even before Title IX became law in 1972 and helped women gain access to equal opportunities in sports, women were active on a myriad of athletic fields. Some had huge obstacles to overcome, not the least of which was breaking into arenas considered the exclusive domains of men. Now, women play collegiate and professional sports, coach men’s sports teams, and embark on careers in sports broadcasting and management. In the early 20th century, women such as Lula Olive Gill and Eleanora Sears regularly competed against men. At that time, many sports were not specifically off limits to women, but all it took was one woman to win against the boys for rules to change. Such was the case with Madge Syers who won a silver medal in figure skating in the World Championships in 1902. “The International Skating Union immediately changed the rul [Read More]published September 15, 2010 at 12:18pm CDT
published September 8, 2010 at 7:36pm CDT