carry-on-wayward-mockingjay:

Wonderful quotes from wonderful women… except for Kristen Stewart. Seriously? How is she a feminist? Because she doesn’t wear dresses? Because she doesn’t smile for the camera? That’s not what being a feminist is. Being a feminist is the belief in equality for both men and women. I don’t remember reading a quote from KStew about such a subject.’

I also don’t mean to beat a dead horse, but she referred to being photographed by the paparazzi as “rape.” Oooh, such a strong, inspirational woman~*~

In response to the above comment, I give you all a note from the creator of the post:

opinionatedlez: I just want to clarify some things. 

When I made that photoset with the women and their quotes, I was mainly focusing on the message. The words were what I was trying to get across, not entirely the women who said them. 

Also, when I made the photoset, I had no idea that Roseanne Barr is a transphobe. I feel terrible for including her as an ‘inspiring woman’ because that’s bullshit. BUT, that being said, I have seen a few replies saying that her photo should be removed. I won’t do that. Yes, she’s not a good representation of feminism at all, but I still love what she said and I think it sends a good message. 

Another issue is with Kristen Stewart. Her quote isn’t ‘inspiring enough’. Her quote isn’t ‘appropriate’ or it’s ‘too awkward to represent feminism’. Those are some of the things I’ve heard from several people, and I’m sorry, but that’s bullshit. An inspiring quote doesn’t have to be full of big words and some deep philosophical meaning. It can be long and wordy, or it can be short and sweet. Who are you to tell me what I can and can’t be inspired by? I used to hate Kristen Stewart, but in the past couple of years, I have grown a huge amount of respect for her. And to see people commenting with terrible name calling and bashing and just absolute rudeness towards something that means a lot to me, is definitely a little hurtful. 

I understand that Kristen’s quote was repetitive and awkward, but that’s who she is. And I feel like that really makes the quote more meaningful. You know, she’s so fucking relatable. She’s awkward and shy and uncomfortable, and she’s ALWAYS been open about those facts. And she’s also been open about her candidness and how she’s always speaking what’s on her mind without really thinking about it first. She has acknowledged several times that she knows that sometimes her interviews come off as weird because of that fact. But you know what? That’s totally fucking okay. Because it’s okay to NOT be okay. That’s how I took her quote, and I was hoping other people would realize that. But I guess that’s too broad of a fucking concept for some people to get. 

I’m sorry to sound so rude, but I’m just tired of people bashing something that I worked hard on, and something that means a whole hell of a lot to me. It’s cool that you don’t like some people that I used or don’t like some of the quotes, just stop telling me I should remove some pictures because they don’t fit YOUR standards. 

Rant done.

dynamicafrica:

It’s often said that “necessity is the mother of invention” and this idiom could not be further from the truth in the case of self-taught Rwandan engineer Anastase Tabaro.

With no more than six years of elementary-level education, Tabaro proves that sometimes, determination, dedication and initiative are enough to achieve great feats of innovation. The 59-year-old, who started his research in 1990 with the objective of selling power to his neighbours, has now built a hydroelectric system that provides power to some 700 households in and around his village in rural Rwanda.

“I grew up in [neighboring] Democratic Republic of Congo and my village had electricity,” Tabaro says. “Then my family moved to Rwanda and our village had no electricity. I felt I couldn’t live without electricity so I started to research by myself.”

(read more about his story)

nooranium:

purplechansey:

“Candy cabbie” Mansoor Khalid gives passengers as much candy as they want.

Now that’s one sweet ride.

Taxi driver Mansoor Khalid is on a one-man mission to cheer up New Yorkers with a daily dose of candy.

“The New York life is not the easy life,” Khalid, 36, told the Daily News. “People are depressed. I see a lot of people stressed sitting back there.”

Khalid is no stranger to stress. He dubbed his taxi the NYC Candy Cab after his 2-year-old son died in April from a long battle with heart disease.

“I learned a lot of things,” he said of the trauma of losing his child, who underwent two heart transplants and lost a kidney before he passed away. “Life is too short.”

Khalid, who moved to New York from Pakistan in 1993 and has been driving a cab since 1997, had already seen the impact of small acts of generosity. During the two years he spent in the hospital with his son, he routinely brought coffee and desserts to the doctors and nurses when he got off his shift at 1 a.m.

“They got so happy when in the middle of the night I gave every person coffee,” he said. “I was so nice to them and they were so nice to me.”

After his son died, Khalid decided to bring his routine to the people he interacted with every day in his cab.

Khalid said he was inspired to do something sweet after the death of his 2-year-old son.

“I was very depressed, losing my little boy,” he said. “Somehow, God gave me this idea. Now (I’m) chit-chatting and time is flying by!”

Though he doesn’t eat much candy himself — “Skittles, only” — Khalid offers a wide variety of sweets, and has started cataloguing his collection on Instagram. Fans can also follow him on Twitter (@CandyCabNYC), and he may even start a blog for his growing following.

One such fan was thrilled to discover the cab on a late night out last weekend, and quickly spread the word about him through social media.

“We all started freaking out,” said David Weiner, 27. “You don’t see piles of candy like that in adulthood. It’s just one of those things that reminds you you’re in New York and anything can happen.”

And Khalid’s unusual project has the full support of the city.

“We encourage drivers to go the extra mile in the name of customer service, and Mr. Khalid certainly does this,” said Taxi and Limousine Commission boss David Yassky. “We appreciate the loyalty he inspires in his passengers.”

Loyalty isn’t the goal, considering that Khalid responds to every hail, candy or no candy. His mission is to spread warmth.

“It’s a little thing,” he said, “but people get happy.”

God bless you<3

Masha’Allah. People like Mansoor Khalid are the reason I’m adamant that all New Yorkers - and all humans - aren’t awful.

This is beautiful. A man whose world falls apart: his young son has died. And what does he do? He brings a bit of happiness to the people he encounters. I applaud you, sir. You are an inspiration.

carbonated-milk:

hey if ur ever feelin shitty use this

fuckyeahfeminists:

Mae Jemison Became 1st Black Woman To Fly In To Space On This week In 1992

On September 12, 1999, Jemison fulfilled a lifelong dream she held ever since she was a small girl in Chicago by becoming the first African-American woman to fly in to space.

Graduating in 1977 with a dual degree in chemical engineering and African-American Studies, Jemison faced racism from professors as a Black woman taking up engineering.

Jemison later obtained a Doctor of Medicine in 1981 from Cornell University and travelled to developing countries to provide primary care.

theeverydaygoth:

I should go through the “inspiration” tag more often.

(Source: jevonmartin)

flattummyplease:

bombshellbegins:

fat-gone-skinny:

tarrence:

When things in your life seem, almost too much to handle,
When 24 Hours in a day is not enough,
Remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him.
When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students if the jar was full.
They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured
them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly.
The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.

He then asked the students again if the jar was full.
They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.
Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous ‘yes.’

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

‘Now,’ said the professor, as the laughter subsided, ‘I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.’ 

The golf balls are the important things - family,
children, health, Friends, and Favorite passions –
Things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, house, and car.

The sand is everything else —The small stuff.

‘If you put the sand into the jar first,’ He continued, ‘there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.’

The same goes for life.

If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

So…

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
Play with your children.
Take time to get medical checkups.
Take your partner out to dinner.

There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal.

‘Take care of the golf balls first —
The things that really matter.
Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.’

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.

The professor smiled, ‘I’m glad you asked’, he said.

‘It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem,
There’s always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.’

Perfection. Philosophy for the win.

Speechless

Wow, couldn’t have been more perfect.

goose bumps.

That is so perfectly stated i could cry

serutuf:

Gay Pride Events in Uganda

“The importance of this Pride event cannot be understated. The fact that these brave activists could pull this off in this milieu of persecution is a great victory for the community. Visibility like this notes the ongoing legacy of late activist David Kato, it defies the export of American Evangelical hate, and it helps ensure defeat of the Bahati Bill. It shows leadership for all of Africa, and above all it shows that the LGBT people of Uganda simply refuse to give up their right to exist and to live their natural born sexual orientation.”

you can read the full article here

Their bravery is inspirational. 

(Source: queen-galadriel)

(Source: laughitout-v)

(Source: lonelyvagina)

my-chemical-romantic:

Why I love My Chemical Romance

Pixar film director Pete Doctor’s inspirational letter to a middle school teacher and her class.

His name is actually Pete Docter. So it should be

Pixar film director Pete Docter’s inspirational letter to a middle school teacher and her class.

justalittlehawkward:

calamitafrigo:

Today I was watching the Olypmic Games on the iplayer, the men’s gymnastics qualifiers, and it’s happened that I saw this irish young guy, Kieran Behan, and the commentator said something about him, like he had a tumour at his leg when he was 10 and after the operation, the complications leaving him in a wheelchair, and the doctors told him, twice, he would never be able to walk again…and look at him now

He just won everything

I don’t know if he passed the qualifications, (I hope so) but the commentator also said, he has become only the second Irish gymnast in history to qualify for an Olympic Games.

“To think years and years ago I was told ‘you’re never going to be able to walk again let alone do gymnastics’ to find out I’m going to the Olympic Games is something that dreams are made of”

…I spent half day trying to made this gifset, ‘cause I really needed it.

olympics