The promo clips for Snooki and JWoww’s new Jersey Shore spinoff are out, and while there are some funny moments, they’re pretty lackluster. It’s looking like Snooki’s greatest talent is getting drunk and getting herself into ridiculous situations. As a mom-to-be, she can’t exactly be doing that. Check out a clip from the show here.

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Will Ferrell’s best SNL moments

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It’s a phrase that we’ve been hearing a lot lately. The “War on Women,” a battle that is sweeping across America, pushing women back decades. Both democrats and republicans have been accused of waging a war on women. This week things took an interesting turn when Hilary Rosen questioned Ann Romney’s ability to relate to women in America because she’d “never worked a day in her life.” Michelle Obama, jumped to Ann Romney’s defense, and Rosen was quickly denounced as she does not have any affiliation with the Obama campaign. As I’m no expert on American politics — I am, after all, Canadian — I thought I’d roundup some of the internet chatter about the “War on Women,” which really is just a fight to win over female voters. (A fight which Obama currently appears to be winning.)

• Slate political columnist, David Weigel, has declared “The War on Women is Over” following Rosengate
•  On the Washington Post‘s “She the People” blog, Delia Lloyd wrote about Romney’s camp’s claims that women have lost a higher percentage of jobs during the recession under Obama
• A new attack ad from Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett saying that he is concerned for “all women of Wisconsin” because of Governor Scott Walker’s repeal of the Equal Pay Enforcement Act
• On the Washington Post‘s “The Fact Checker” blog, Josh Hicks checked Romney’s campaign message saying “If you’re a stay-at-home mom, the Democrats have a message for you: You’ve never worked a day in your life.” 
• Jezebel has their take on when “Mitt and Ann Romney Accidentally Tell Us What They Really Think of the War on Women

What’s your take on the “War on Women?” What have you been reading about it?

Leah is one assignment away from her Bachelor of Journalism at Ryerson University in Toronto. When she’s not working on the Ryerson Review of Journalism she’s baking tasty cupcakes and hunting for a job (hopefully that pays). Follow her @Elleandbee.

[Lead image via dailykos.com]

Over the past few decades, obesity – especially childhood obesity – has come to be regarded as one of the biggest health problems facing America. Obesity negatively affects every organ system in the body, and can lead to major health issues. It’s also one reason why life expectancy in America is thought to lag so far behind that of other developed countries. Ending this epidemic has recently become First Lady Michelle Obama’s pet project, with her initiative Let’s Move!

The Let’s Move! program focuses on teaching families how to raise their children in a healthy way, and encourages parents to set good examples for their kids. It also seeks to make nutritious food available in schools, and turn the battle against obesity into a community and family effort.

But some medical professionals believe that severe childhood obesity is a sign of criminal neglect, and that seriously obese children should be removed from their homes and placed in foster care. And that is exactly what happened recently, when an eight-year-old boy was removed from his home in Ohio. The third grader weighs over 200 pounds. A healthy boy his age usually weighs less than 64 pounds. It’s clear that the boy has a weight problem, but was it the right decision for the state to intervene by taking him away from his parents?

Doctors and government officials had been monitoring the boy’s weight for a year. They say that his parents were not doing enough to help him lose weight, and that he had to be taken into custody.

Earlier this year, obesity expert Dr. David Ludwig created a stir with an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association. He argued that state intervention should be considered when children are suffering from morbid obesity. Some medical professionals agreed, but Dr. Ludwig’s article also received harsh criticism. And many of the counterarguments used against Dr. Ludwig are coming back into play in the Ohio case.

First of all, foster care may not be effective. Almost a decade ago, there was another highly publicized case in which a three-year-old girl was taken from her parents because she was seriously obese. But she didn’t improve in foster care, and was later diagnosed with a genetic condition that predisposed her to obesity.

Some doctors say that the stress of taking the child away from his family could be dangerously traumatic. They argue that with the proper support from the state, the boy’s family could help him improve in a comfortable environment. Even Dr. Ludwig insisted that children should only be kept in foster care for short periods of time, and that the state needs to work closely with families.

So is it a parent’s fault if a child becomes morbidly obese? And does obesity qualify as abuse serious enough to remove a child from their home? Tell us what you think in the comments below.

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In honor of Women’s History Month, CollegeCandy has decided to spotlight some of the world’s most influential women. First, naturally, we focused on the women from our generation. Then, we highlighted some fierce females in their 30s.This week, we pay attention to some of the most amazing forty-somethings. These are the women that show us life really does get better as you age, whether you’re a famous movie star or activist. Anything can happen, and just like these women have done in their 40s, we can make a difference in the world at any age.

10. Sandra Bullock. Recently Bullock has begun to present herself as a truly empowering woman in my mind. She handled the whole Jesse James thing with such grace and elegance that you can’t help but love her. Plus, she actually left her cheating husband, which is more than you can say for some people.

9. Queen Latifah. An actor. A singer. A producer. A model. And also, a writer. I bet you didn’t know about her autobiography, Ladies First: Revelations of a Strong Woman. She tells her life story openly and honestly, without apology, reminding girls to “keep your roots.” Where we come from helps to shape who we are, after all.

8. Ellen DeGeneres. She’s never been afraid to be anything other than who she is, but she also has the good sense to be able to laugh about it. And just about everything else too. She’s done everything from starring in her own TV show to starting her own talk show, and judging on American Idol. Now she’s even starting her own record label. She takes life seriously without, taking life seriously.

7. Michelle Obama. A first lady that doesn’t fade into the background. A smart, accomplished, vibrant, woman who doesn’t lose her luster when with her very charismatic husband. She’s been complimented and criticized and handled both the way only a first lady could, but her clothes are just so much better.

6. Audrey Hepburn. Classic. Elegant. Stylish. She played complex characters while wearing Givenchy! She rocked the skinny jean way before we did. She brought us that “I believe in pink” speech that everyone always quotes but no one ever knows who said it first. Well, she did. And if that’s not enough to convince you, she’s also a favorite of one Blair Waldorf.

5. Meryl Streep. This woman has played more characters than I could ever hope to name, reinventing herself time and time again. She’s allowed herself to age. In Hollywood. And she’s still working. She’s well respected, gorgeous, and a real woman. One day, she’ll be one of the classics.

4. Tina Fey. In 2008 the Associated Press named her the performer who had the greatest impact on American culture and entertainment. And for once, that’s a stat that doesn’t make me shudder. This woman is funny and talented, and holds her own, whether she’s acting or impersonating.

3. Katharine Hepburn. The blonde Hepburn liked to wear pants in an age where most women just didn’t. While on the set of Bringing Up Baby her producers asked her to wear dresses and skirts instead of pants, and when she didn’t her pants disappeared. So Hepburn simply walked around set in her underwear until they returned. She was a woman who always spoke her mind, when most didn’t know they could yet.

2. Abigail Adams. Think back, way back, to the very beginning of the creation of our country. Abigail Adams was the wife of John Adams, the second president of the United States, but the reason I remember this particular first lady is because of the letters she often wrote to her husband. In 1776, two centuries before women would have the right to vote, before women’s rights were even a thought, Adams was writing to her husband asking him to “remember the ladies.”

1. You. And you. And you. And me. We are empowering women.  Or at least we can be, if we want to. Webster defines empowering as “to make (someone) stronger and more confident, esp. in controlling their life and claiming their rights.” We all have the ability to do that, this week, and every week. So take a cue from one of these lovely ladies and live your life the way you want, not the way someone else tells you to.

And while you’re at it, let’s take a moment to honor the empowering female figures in our lives the best way we know how: by taking it to Facebook. Change your profile picture to that of a woman who empowers you, then tell all the other ladies out there to do the same by copying the following message into your status:

“It’s Women’s Empowerment Week and CollegeCandy.com is asking women everywhere to celebrate empowering women by changing their profile pic this week to a woman that empowers and inspires them! Change your pic and copy this into your status to honor these women and get everyone else to do the same!”

Keep that photo up all week and hopefully we can start a women’s empowerment revolution that reminds everyone that women can be empowered for more than 7 days a year!

March is Women’s History Month and in honor of that we’ve been taking some time to highlight and salute some female powerhouses that inspire us. There are just so many women out there doing incredible things, which is hard to remember when women tend only to get recognized for boobs (Heidi Montag), sex scandals (Tiger’s “friends”) and weight (Jessica Simpson). But they’re out there, doing their thing and inspiring us to break down barriers, go for our goals and be our best selves.

So who are these wonderful women? This week the CollegeCandy writers share who inspires them most. Who inspires you?

Kelly – University of Iowa: Definitely my mom. She didn’t go to college but still managed to work her way up the corporate ladder to a wonderful, well-paying job and always tries to instill the same values into me.

Ness – Sheridan: As weird as it sounds, probably Sue Johanson. I’ve grown up watching her shows, and I think she’s both hilarious and incredibly smart. I just wanna hug her!

Jessica – Hofstra: Anna Wintour, the editor-in-chief of Vogue. She’s probably the most powerful woman in the fashion and magazine industry. She might be tough but she has also achieved an enormous amount and I can only wish to be that successful.

Amanda – Reed: Michelle Obama! That woman is fierce. She went to Princeton and Harvard, has an awesome sense of style, and has the most amazing arms on the planet. Seriously, what is up with those? I’m jealous.

Lauren – University of Michigan: Definitely Tina Fey. She’s proved time and again that women can be funny. And she doesn’t use sex or cleavage to do it.

Alex – Lakehead University: Strong women inspire me. Any women who is a survivor inspires me :cancer survivors, war survivors, abuse survivors.

Caitlin – University of Alabama: My best friend inspires me most because she is so comfortable with herself and I wish I could be like that all the time.

Leah – Ryerson University: Stephanie Nolen – she’s currently in India reporting for The Globe and Mail.

Brithny – Duke: Beyonce, because she is truly an amazing role model. She works hard for everything she has, including her ass-ets.

Brittany – University of Saint Thomas: My Mother, and Chelsea Handler. In that order.

Nina – Michigan State University: Both of my grandmothers have their own inspirational stories. They immigrated from Italy and Syria as teenagers, and their lives have been so full of hardship and sadness, but they still find so much to smile and laugh about everyday! I’m lucky to have such a strong, positive female role models so close to me.

Jessica – Delaware: I know this is cheesy, by my mom inspires me the most. She has Chron’s disease and is constantly in and out of the hospital, but still manages to have a positive outlook and put others before herself. She inspires me to be more giving and selfless!

Cristina – Michigan State: I wish I could say my mom but I’m going to have to say Chloe Sevigny for sure.  Sorry ma!

Sarabeth – University of Texas: After the Oscar’s my inspiration comes from Kathryn Bigelow. She’s the first woman to win best director and she beat her ex-husband doing it. You go girl.

Meg – University of Delaware: I’m going to have to be cheesy and say my Mom. She’s worked really hard and had a sucessful career while balancing family life and raising three kids. I only hope to emulate her as I grow older.

Charlsie – Hollins University: I can’t pick one woman who inspires me. All the women in my life inspire me on a daily basis, whether it’s my hardworking mom or my young and optimistic sister. Even women who aren’t a part of my everyday life inspire me. Seeing the work that blogger Jessica Valenti has accomplished in the last few years inspires me to strive towards a higher standard of feminism, just as much as Lady Gaga’s unique style and personality reminds me to stay true to myself.

Emmy – Loyola University Chicago: I know this sounds cheesy, but my high school soccer coach is one of the coolest people I’ve ever met. She balanced all the aspects of her life flawlessly and made me realize that I really can do it all.

Elizabeth – UC Berkeley: My Mom.  She’s sacrificed her life to better mine, and I can only hope to be half the woman and the mother that she is.

Rachael – University of Miami: My immediate answer is my mother since she’s handled so much in life with dignity and composure, and still manages to have a positive outlook on life, but I’d be remiss not to mention my other female inspirations: Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, former Secretary Madeline Albright, and Queen Rania, since all three are strong women with strong convictions and important issues that they specifically focus on (health care, peaceful foreign relations, and global education, respectively); Mary Wollstonecraft and Lucy Stone for defending the rights not only of women, but everyone; and, of course, Queen Elizabeth I, because a redheaded female with power is just awesome.

Christie – NC State: I know this is pretty cliche, but I’d have to say Mother Teresa really inspires me the most. She never thought about herself, and always put others first. She was passionate, and pursued her own goals rather than listening to what others had to say. Most of all, she was always kind to others, even if she didn’t feel like it. Who wouldn’t want to be like that?

In honor of President’s Day, here are some tips on staying healthy and fit from  the most powerful couple in the world:

Presidential Tip #1: Always schedule time for exercise.
You know it’s important, so schedule it like everything else in your life!  You can always find ways to fit it in – Michelle used to work out at 4:30am and Barack starts most days in the gym.  Not even constant traveling deters him; during his presidential campaign, Obama’s aides “arranged workouts for him in several dozen states. The staff called gyms a few days before his arrival and persuaded them to close late or open early to oblige the candidate’s schedule.”

Gyms on campus are usually open pretty early and late, so we don’t have to worry about making special arrangements (or having assistants to do so)! Still feel like you don’t have time? Even if you’re losing a bit of precious sleep, the benefits of exercising probably outweigh the half hour of sleep you might lose (or less if you work out right!). Obama has the same problem with the “trade off  between sleep and working out,” but insists that a workout makes him feel much better throughout the day.

Presidential Tip #2: Don’t let bad habits stop you from exercising.
Did you know that Obama smokes the occasional cigarette when he’s stressed? He knows it’s unhealthy, and he’s practically quit, but sometimes he slips up. Clearly he’s not perfect, and neither are we. If our president doesn’t waste time beating himself for a bad choice every now and then and doesn’t let it deter him from continuing to try and live a healthy lifestyle, we shouldn’t either. Get out there and exercise – forgive and forget your bad habits.

Presidential Tip #3: Plan what you’re going to do beforehand.
Obama has his routine pretty set in stone – 4 days of weightlifting, 2 days of cardio. So when he gets to the gym, he knows exactly what he’s going to be doing. He’s even been spotted following exercises written on a sheet of paper. Why would we go to the gym without a presidential agenda of our own? Having a list ensures you won’t be there all day deciding which muscles to work, which cardio machine you want to use, or how many reps you should be doing. And you’ll feel much better after accomplishing the items on your list!

Presidential Tip #4: Find out what you love and use it to exercise!
Obama loves basketball. While on the campaign trail, he “got in the habit of shooting hoops with friends on the days of primary elections, and that carried over to such major events as his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention…” Clearly, exercise doesn’t have to be all treadmill and free weights. Just find out what kind of exercise you actually enjoy doing and you’ll find yourself wanting to stick with it!

Presidential Tip #5: Work out with friends.
…It’s just more fun that way! Michelle worked out in the wee hours of the morning with a friend, and Barack had some friends fly in to play basketball with him. Having workout partners keeps you motivated and accountable.

Presidential Tip #6: Eat mostly healthy, but don’t feel bad when you slip up.
Michelle’s got our backs on this one! She goes by the 90-10 rule. If 90% of the time you’re eating healthy, don’t feel bad about a relatively unhealthy 10%. The Obama’s live by this mantra – they know sometimes you need to treat yourself! To help maintain this healthy lifestyle, they keep a ton of healthy food around (such as bowls of apples) and only eat out once every few weeks.

Presidential Tip #7: Know why you exercise and let that be a natural motivation.
If you are more aware of the reasons you exercise, you’ll be more likely to continue exercising. Take out a sheet of paper and write down reasons you exercise. How do you feel during? How do you look afterwards? How do you FEEL afterwards? Obama is well aware of his reasoning. He says exercise is his “key to remaining fresh and focused in the face of a punishing schedule.” He also says he uses exercise “to clear my head and relieve me of stress.” Why do you exercise? Post it somewhere you can clearly see and let it motivate you everyday!

And there you have it – a workout fit for a President.
Seriously, if the leader of our country can find time to get fit, so can you.

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