Tall, Thin Ann Ward Wins 'America's Next Top Model'

She may have been taunted for her tall and skinny stature, but Ann Ward's figure proved to be a boon in the modeling world. Wednesday night, Tyra Banks named her the 15th winner of "America's Next Top Model."
"Oh my god!" Ward said in the season finale that aired Wednesday on the CW network. She burst into tears after Banks, the creator and host of "ANTM," revealed her winning photo displayed at the final judging.

"I'm so honored right now," Ward,18, said, "[after hearing] all those comments about being too tall or just being not normal."

Ward defeated 22-year-old Chelsea Hersley to become the new "Top Model." Hersley said she felt "cheated" by Ward's victory, arguing "I feel like I have the whole package, what it takes to be America's Next Top Model and I don't think Ann does."

But Ward was too overwhelmed by her win to worry about her detractors.

"I'm so happy that I can make my parents proud," she said. "I won! I can't believe any of this right now."

Ward was the subject of scrutiny even before the start of the latest "ANTM" installment because of her 6-foot, 2-inch frame and tiny waist. An adult's hands can easily fit all the way around her waist, as judge Miss J. Alexander demonstrated in a trailer released before the beginning of the season.

Upon seeing Ward for the first time, Banks exclaimed, "You have the smallest waist in the world. Look at that waist!"

Following speculation about whether Ward's thinness might negatively influence young "ANTM" viewers, Banks released a statement clarifying that she doesn't condone overly skinny models.

"As a leader in celebrating and promoting healthy body image, I must admit that I regrettably didn't see this clip before it was released to the public," she said. "But on behalf of the Top Model team, these were not the intentions, and we truly apologise for any confusion, anger or disappointment it may have caused."

"I am committed to expanding the definition of beauty which includes ALL shapes, sizes and proportions, from skinny to curvy and everything in between," Banks continued. "During this season of 'Top Model,' you will see that Ann provided another opportunity for me to support a young woman struggling with her own body image issues (she's 6'2?; and is the receiver of countless stares and ridicule). Helping young ladies, like Ann and countless others that have confided in me, furthers and supports my core mission."

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/tall-thin-ann-ward-wins-americas-top-model/story?id=12294543&page=1

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The first thing that caught my attention in this article was the jaw-dropping picture. Ann Ward, being astonishingly scraggy because the talk of the town. Even though it was an unintentional video release of Banks exclaiming over her tiny waist, I guess it was one of the "plus" factors resulting in her top in ANTM. This is sure to disappoint many viewers like myself, as this shows that their constant emphasize on healthy body image was sort of a "cover-up", so as to be socially/morally accepted by the public. Ward's body image issues was the "ideal" model type (tall and thin). Hence by accepting Ward, ANTM actually does not display their intension of "expanding the definition of beauty which ALL shapes, sizes and proportions". This whole issue may decrease the number of supporters of ANTM.

UN urges global switch to low-energy lightbulbs

CANCUN - The United Nations on Wednesday urged a global phase-out of old-style lightbulbs and a switch to low-energy lighting that it said would save billions of dollars and combat climate change.

About 40 countries already have programs to switch from incandescent lightbulbs, the U.N. Environment Program, or UNEP, said in a report issued on the sidelines of U.N. climate talks in Cancun.

Generation of electricity for lighting, often from burning fossil fuels, accounts for about 8 percent of world greenhouse gas emissions, it said. A shift to more efficient bulbs would cut electricity demand for lighting by 2 percent.


A review of 100 nations showed huge potential for savings and carbon cuts from a shift to low-energy bulbs, according to a study backed by UNEP and lighting groups Osram and Philips.

Indonesia, for instance, could save US$1 billion (S$1.31 billion) a year and cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 8 million tonnes a year, the equivalent of taking 2 million cars off the road, it said.

It said Brazil could save US$2 billion a year, Mexico US$900 million, Ukraine US$210 million and South Africa US$280 million. All would also make big cuts in emissions.

"The actual economic benefits could be even higher," said Achim Steiner, head of UNEP, who added a switch to efficient lighting in Indonesia would avoid the need to build several coal-fired power stations costing US$2.5 billion."

"Similar findings come from other country assessments," he added.

He also said the cost calculations did not include health benefits from switching from the use of fossil fuels, including use of kerosene lamps. About 1.8 million deaths a year are linked with indoor air pollution.

"We need to cut the use of kerosene for lighting," Osram's Wolfgang Gregor told a news conference. Low-energy bulbs are more expensive but last far longer than conventional incandescent bulbs.

UNEP cautioned there were drawbacks since the most common low-energy compact fluorescent light bulbs, or CFL, contain toxic mercury.

It said that countries needed to ensure safe collection and disposal of the lightbulbs. "This is a central challenge, especially in developing countries," it said.

It said that countries including European Union members, the United States, Canada, Australia, Cuba and the Philippines were working on phase-outs of old-style bulbs.

http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/World/Story/A1Story20101202-250355.html

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All of us have a part to play in protecting our mother Earth. Every day we experience weather changes and world catastrophes caused by global warming, erosion, and other ecological changes the Earth has experienced over the past century. Complete rain forests have been destroyed, never to grow back. The planet is dying – poisoned by all the toxic waste and pollution we have released upon it.
It is time for all of us to do something to save what little is left of the planet’s resources, to try and give back to the Earth all that it has given to us. For our children and their children, we must change our ways so that future generations have a cleaner world where they can breathe unpolluted air and drink clean water. This attitude is called “going green” and it is sweeping the planet like wildfire.
So if we are able to combat climate change and even saving billions of dollars just by phasing-out those old-style lightbulbs and switching to low-energy lighting then why not?