MANDELA DAY

WHAT CHANGE CAN YOU MAKE IN JUST 67 MINUTES ?



I am not that experienced in this field but one thing I do know is that when you want to see change. You have to take action.
 “I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way. But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come. But I can only rest for a moment, for with freedom come responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not ended.”
― Nelson Mandela
  I open this post with a qoute from Nelson Mandela, a selfless man. In the previous years, I personally took Mandela day forgranted because I didnt quite know the significance of this day. Until this one day when I was just reflecting back on the struggle and all that Tata fought for and against. I stumbled accross reality, that this man is so selfless to an extent that he says to us we should celebrate his day through giving unto others. How many of us really expect such selfless gifts.
.................To Be Continued..........

A BIT ON Africa Day

Africa Day is the annual commemoration on May 25 of the 1963 founding of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU). On this day, leaders of 30 of the 32 independent African states signed a founding charter in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.^[1] In 1991, the OAU established the African Economic Community, and in 2002 the OAU established its own successor, the African Union. However, the name and date of Africa Day has been retained as a celebration of African unity.

our very own continent

MY VIEW AS A SOUTH AFRICAN
 We live in a place where the next person is not as important to us as family. We may be from different countries but we are all an offspring of this continent. There are countries out there which are not at the liberty of experiencing the privilages that we are. Countries that the citezens are starved and deprived of social benefits. So us as south africdans deem it right to discriminate against fellow africans when they are in this country of ours. We as south africans do not see our brothers from nigeria, zimbabwe or zambia as human beings that breathe the same air as us. Instead we even have the audisity to call them names "amakwerekwere". Do we realise that what we call them is actually something we also are.

This day is to remind us that we are actually human beings who co exist and we cannot survive without the other. We should all embrace the brown skin we have, the black thick hair, the curvecious body and so much more. Love this continent which has so much potential and has a rich history.
In departure I would like all of you to echo south africa's former president Mbeki's words from the "I am an African" speech...

WHITNEY HOUSTON (1963-2012)- HER LIFE IN PICTURES

     
"Being around people like Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, Dionne Warwick and Roberta Flack, all these greats, I was taught to listen and observe," Houston, pictured with Warwick and mom Cissy, said of her natural talent. "It had a great impact on me as a singer, as a performer, as a musician. Growing around it, you just can't help it ... It was something that was so natural to me that when I started singing, it was almost like speaking."

 
Houston was up for three awards at the 1986 Grammys, including album of the year, and ultimately took home the honor for best female pop vocal performance. She garnered even more trophies that year, including seven American Music Awards and an MTV Video Music Award.

  
With the June 1987 release of her second album, Whitney, Houston made history again, becoming the first female artist to enter the Billboard album charts at No. 1, and surpassing the Beatles with her seven consecutive No. 1 hits, including "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)," "So Emotional" and "Didn't We Almost Have It All."


As the Persian Gulf War raged on in 1991, Houston united the entire nation with her stirring rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" at Super Bowl XXV. The powerhouse performance was released as both a single and a video, and landed in the Top 20 of Billboard's Hot 100.
 
"You know, I was raised as a Christian, and my mother was very strict with me as far as boys were concerned," said Houston, who shocked fans when she tied the knot with bad boy Bobby Brown on July 18, 1992. Despite the former New Edition star's rough reputation, Houston insisted, "Bobby's got a good heart and a good soul."

 
Following two minor acting stints – on the '80s sitcoms Gimme a Break! and Silver Spoons – Houston became a full-fledged movie star, headlining 1992's The Bodyguard with Kevin Costner. The film, released in November, grossed $410 million worldwide, and its soundtrack, featuring "I'm Every Woman," "I Have Nothing," "Run to You" and "I Will Always Love You," became the best-selling soundtrack of all time.

 
On March 4, 1993, Houston gave birth to daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown, whom she called her greatest inspiration. "She supports me, she loves me, she gives me good mommy hugs," Houston told Access Hollywood of their bond.

 
Despite her reservations, Houston took another film role, this time starring alongside Denzel Washington in 1996's The Preacher's Wife. The family drama, about the troubled marriage between a reverend and his gospel choir mistress, earns her a reported $10 million paycheck. The weeks leading up to the film's December release are turbulent, with Houston denying her own union is in trouble and, more tragically, suffering a miscarriage.

 
Putting rivalry rumors to rest, Houston shared the stage with Mariah Carey – in matching dresses – at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards. The duo also collaborated on the ballad "When You Believe" from the Prince of Egypt soundtrack that same year. "Mariah and I got along very great," Houston told Ebony. "It's good to know that two ladies of soul can still be friends."
 
Houston and Brown were all smiles at a February 2000 pre-Grammys party, despite being dogged by rumors of drug abuse. One month earlier, the pair made headlines when marijuana was found in their luggage at a Hawaii airport (charges were later dropped), and Houston also raised eyebrows the previous year after canceling appearances at the American Music Awards and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

 
Just weeks after signing a $100 million Arista record contract, Houston kicked off the Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Special in September 2001 alongside Usher and Mya, singing "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'." But it was her gaunt figure that really started some talk; after blaming a "bad shot," she would admit years later her thinness was due to drug use.

 
In an alarming yet candid 2002 interview with Diane Sawyer, Houston insisted she makes too much money to be a crack user, as rumored. "Crack is whack!" she says, blaming emotional stress for her erratic behavior. "This is not fun any more," she said of working in the music industry.

 
It was a surprise comeback: Following a March 2004 stay in rehab, Houston commanded the stage at the September World Music Awards with a medley of "I Believe in You and Me" and "I Will Always Love You," in tribute to longtime producer Clive Davis. Though they immediately planned on working on a new album together, I Look to You wouldn't be released till 2009.

WHOLESOME WINTER MEALS!

CHICHEN POZOLE

MUST HAVE ACCESSORIES THIS WINTER

red for this winter