May 6, 2013 • 3,325 notes • solarsaturation

Why do almost all black superheroes have lightning powers?

remyd13:

irenigg:

beatmesa:

Static Shock.

Black Lightning.

Black Vulcan.

Storm.

The Yellow Wizard from Gauntlet.

Why?

we shock white people

^^^ HHAAAA

(via curlsclub)

May 6, 2013 • 2 notes

Life List

(subject to multiple iterations!)

Inspired by: Felicia of love.life.eat

  1. Be well-traveled on my own continent. Top 10: Kenya (duh!), Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Ghana, Senegal, Mali, Zambia/Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa, Morocco/Tunisia and Egypt. Ok make that Top 12/13.
  2. Rediscover my writer’s voice and experiment with short stories as well as opinion pieces.
  3. Develop my interest in photography (see what I did there) and master my camera.
  4. Visit Rome again – the first time was short and sweet and with my French host-parents. Go back on my own terms. Preferably with a lover. It’s that kind of city ;)
  5. Spend at least two weeks in Japan
  6. Become fluent in Kiswahili
  7. Become fluent in French
  8. Arrive at basic proficiency in either Arabic or Spanish.
  9. Get strong: Yoga-stick to it and get bendy. Swimming – why did you let it go to begin with?!
  10. Build my self-confidence. Without this, nothing else on this list will happen. Become as optimistic as I once was
  11. Own and run a creative café/cultural-arts-performance-literature space/serve really good brunch food all day errday.
  12. Let food, temples, small villages and a sense of adventure be my guide through South East Asia.
  13. Let architecture, cafés and wine be my guide through Europe.
  14. Visit the West Coast: Seattle, San Francisco, San Diego
  15. Befriend a dog
  16. Dance
  17. Learn how to think strategically
  18. Learn to be more generous of my time and possessions
  19. Become a better minimalist: own only what I need and love
  20. Mentor someone
  21. Find/Own a place I could call home (and decorate it to my heart’s content!)
  22. Fall in love with cooking again
  23. Learn to cook something delicious
  24. Seek out more opportunities, allow for more spontaneity
  25. Learn Kikuyu
  26. Learn Kidigo
  27. Learn how to play my guitar
  28. Politely speak my mind if something is offensive
  29. Learn how to film and edit short video
  30. Learn how to ride a bike. For real this time…(before I leave NYC!!)
  31. Take my mama on a holiday
  32. Become a teacher – formal or informal
  33. Do not fear hard work: remember that freedom tastes best when paired with healthy servings of personal accomplishment. 

May 3, 2013 • 6 notes

Producers: these people execute or maintain a repeatable process. This can range from simple things like working on an inbound help desk and handling some transactional process, to more complex, like auditing the performance of a big system, writing code, or producing the monthly financial reports. Producers typically require training or advanced skills to be in a position to execute the process. To determine the appropriate Producer performance objectives, ask the hiring manager to define how any required skill is used on the job and how its success would be measured, e.g., “contact 15 new customers per week and have five agree to an onsite demonstration.“ This is a lot better than saying “the person must have 3-5 years of sales experience selling to sophisticated buyers of electro-mechanical control valves.”

Improvers: these people upgrade, change or make a repeatable process better. Managers are generally required to continually monitor and improve a process under their responsibility. Building, training and developing the team to implement a process is part of an Improver’s role. Improvers can be individual contributors or managers of teams and projects, the key is the focus on improving a existing system, business or process. A performance objective for an Improver could be “conduct a comprehensive process review of the wafer fab process to determine what it would take to improve end-to-end yield by 10%.”

Builders: these people take an idea from scratch and convert it into something tangible. This could be creating a new business, designing a complex new product, closing a big deal, or developing a new process. Entrepreneurs, inventors, turn-around executives, deal-makers, and project managers are typical jobs that emphasize the Builder component. Ask the hiring manager what big changes, new developments, big problems or major projects the person in the new job would need to address to determine the Builder component. An example might be, “lead the implementation of the new SAP supply change system over every business unit including international.” This is a lot better than saying “must have five years international logistics background and strong expertise with SAP.”

Thinkers: these people are the visionaries, strategists, intellects, and creators of the world, and every new idea starts with them. Their work covers new products, new business ideas, and different ways of doing everyday things. Ask hiring managers where the job requires thinking out-of-the-box or major problems to solve to develop the Thinker performance objectives. “Develop a totally new approach for reducing water usage by 50%,” is a lot better than saying “Must have 5-10 years of environmental engineering background including 3-5 years of wastewater management with a knack for creative solutions.”

Lou Adler: There Are Only Four Jobs In The Whole World - Are You In The Right One? 

A really interesting conceptualization! 

May 3, 2013
ushikamano
power of holding together, tenacity, adhesion
ushupavu
strength, stubbornness, obstinacy, vigor, toughness, tenacity

source: Google translate. Because I suck at my own mother tongue.

But still though, these two words are the truth right now. Because all the meaning they now hold for me are thanks to my mother and our long conversation today. This is what we will strive for. The mother-daughter motto, all day, err-day :>

May 2, 2013 • 285 notes • venke
hulu and netflix, alcohol and cigarettes, h&m and forever21, pizza and corn puffs, all the ways I’m half-heartedly trying and failing to smack myself out of this funk. 

hulu and netflix, alcohol and cigarettes, h&m and forever21, pizza and corn puffs, all the ways I’m half-heartedly trying and failing to smack myself out of this funk. 

(via imdemetrialynn)

May 2, 2013 • 251 notes • raventailor
raventailor: in lovvve

raventailor:

in lovvve

(via imdemetrialynn)

May 2, 2013 • 272 notes • medgiadore
medgiadore: Afro I love with red lipstick!!!!!!!!!!!!!

medgiadore:

Afro I love with red lipstick!!!!!!!!!!!!!

May 2, 2013 • 1,095 notes • unapproachableblackchicks

appleloniasway:

memoirsofmikayla:

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

This makes me so proud to be a black woman. WERK WERK WWEEERRRKKKKK.

“You got to testify, coz the booty don’t lie”

May 2, 2013

identity

A few revelations from a group meeting tonight:

“Who am I” can be a pretty difficult question for anybody to answer. And when you have a mood disorder, you can never be sure that the “I” you describe today is as a result of just who you are as a person, or who you become due to your illness. Everything is, after all, distorted. 

When you’re in the midst of a good patch you feel happy, positive, able to focus/think/plan for your future. And that’s great. That’s how I felt after graduating last spring. But what happens when you hit a depressive episode and you are suddenly incapable of even the most basic tasks? Hello September, Hello New York.

This is a source of great anxiety for me. I am afraid to commit to anything because, yeah sure I’m a star now, but I have no idea what will trigger the next meltdown. And I hate the idea of throwing myself into some amazing challenge only for it all to fall apart once that thick giant cloud of doom and gloom resumes it’s place on top of my head and turns me into a zombie. 

And on the flip-side (especially for people with Bipolar Disorder who experience Hypomania) How many of you worry that your best achievements were due to your illness, and not your genuine disposition (whatever that may be)?  

So how can you plan for anything, or make any decisions, when you don’t know who you will be tomorrow?

April 27, 2013 • 2 notes
Why is it so important that Martin Luther King Jr. consistently expresses respect for, and includes, his oppressors? For one, it demonstrates a penetrating understanding of human nature. Criticism doesn’t work as a tool of persuasion for a reason. People are afraid of their own guilt; it makes them uncomfortable and extremely defensive. You and I have seen this many times before. If you merely point out misdeeds, your audience will be guarded and deflective, less willing to accept blame. Moreover, they will strive to justify their wrong doings rather than looking at their actions objectively. Respect is necessary to open an audience’s eyes to the possibility of change. This is exactly the respect that Eve Ensler fails to extend to her audience in The Vagina Monologues.

Reframing the Rape Culture Debate - Kate Eberstadt

 

Yes.