Quote of the Week

Via Huffington Post

"You educate a man; you educate a man. 
You educate a woman; you educate a generation."
-Brigham Young

Quote of the Week

"Whatever women do they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good.

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Luckily this is not difficult.

- Charlotte Whitton

Allow me to introduce you to  the "Flying Squirrel" 

Picture From: http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/08/02/article-2182780-1459B781000005DC-135_964x684.jpg

Meet Gabby Douglas. Gabby is a member of the United States Women's Gymnastics team and in 2012, Gabby gained worldwide notoriety when she won gold medals in the team competition and the individual all-around competition.  Standing at only 4 feet and 11 inches, Gabby became the first African-American and woman of color in ANY nationality to win the individual all-around competition in Olympics history, she also is the only American All-Around Champion to win numerous gold medals, and she was the first American gymnast to win gold medals in the individual all-around and the team competition during the same Olympics. But wait - Gabby did all of these things before the age of 17.

As with most people who gain worldwide fame, Gabby experienced a lot of hardships in preparation for the Olympics. As a child, Gabby's mother could not afford to send Gabby to competitions or practices. Gabby's talents and potential inspired coaches at the local training facility to work with her and develop the skill sets she needed to compete at a high level. However, the financial situation of Gabby and her family was publicized to the entire gym and soon Gabby became bullied by other gym members who considered Gabby a "slave" since they paid to use the gym and she did not. Apart from this her home life was in turmoil. Her mother was on long-term disability and divorced Gabby's father twice. Nonetheless, Gabby remained committed to her craft eventually convincing her mother after two years of pleading to allow her to live in Iowa and train in Iowa while her entire family remained in Virginia Beach. 

All of her hard work paid off and eventually Gabby joins the Olympic team and is now. Even at the Olympic stage, Gabby couldn't avoid being bullied. Many people took to Twitter and Facebook and began to bully Gabby about her hair. For example: @Wht_Idid_rollEM, "Gabby Douglas shouldn't be the standout in commercials until she gets her hair done.

Gabby wasn't even a little bothered when she responded to USA Today by saying, ""I don't know where this is coming from. What's wrong with my hair? I just simply gelled it back, put some clips in it and put it in a bun. Are you kidding me? I just made history. And you're focusing on my hair? I just want to say, we're all beautiful inside out. I don't think people should be worried about that. Nothing is going to change. So you might as well stop with all the comments." (Read full interview Here)

Gabby is another inspirational example of the benefits of hard work and commitment. Anything is possible. No obstacles are big enough to be insurmountable as long as you remain driven and focused. If anybody could have given up on a dream, it would have been Gabby but she didn't. There is not excuse to pursue whatever your passions are in this world. If you do what you love, you will definitely make money doing it so never, ever, ever give up!

Share your dreams and passions below in the comments!

Wanna Do Math?

Recently, a lot of focus has been directed to addressing the gap between boys and girls when it comes to their interest in math. General knowledge makes us believe that boys are more likely to pursue topics in math because boys are better at these topics than girls. In order to explain this, many believe that society is responsible for teaching girls not to embrace math. Society teaches girls that math is not for them while boys are encouraged to continue pursuing these topics. An example of this is the video below of Barbie where one of the phrases Barbie is programmed to say is: "Math class is tough!"

So if girls have toys like this at an age when all kids are sponges, why do we wonder where this gap in interest comes from? Toys that boys play with don't tell them that "math class is tough". All in all, it isn't that girls can't perform as well as boys, but rather that girls live in a society where the gender gap reflects itself from an early age. There is a high relationship between the gender gap in math ability and gender inequality in societies.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I bet most girls would disagree with anybody who claims that boys are better than they are at anything at all. That's why I decided to actually look into the topic to find out if boys are truly better than girls at math and if so, then why. Below are the results of what I found out:

• Boys and girls are equally as good in math up until age 7. This means that something happens near the age of 7 that causes a difference in preference towards math. Around age 7, most children are in the second grade and many scholars believe that the gap in preference for math is actually a reflection of teachers who take more time explaining and engaging the boys in the classroom than the girls.
• The way in which people measure mathematical ability is extremely biased. When comparing average mathematical ability, the reality is that boys and girls score about the same.
• In Iceland, girls consistently outperform boys in topics of math.
• Even though boys outperform girls in math, boys also do worse on math topic than girls.

So the next time somebody tells you that you ARE NOT able to do something, do your research. You might find out that what they are saying isn't exactly correct. 

Celebrities Overcoming Obstacles: Jennifer Hudson

via blogspot

       Academy Award and Grammy Award winner Jennifer Hudson is a force to be reckoned with amongst the Hollywood elite. This extremely talented woman started showing significant talent at a very young age and by the age of 7, she began performing at local theaters and signing in her church choir. Not too long after, she signed her first record contract with a small Chicago label where she devoted herself to a rigorous routine hoping to one day make it big.

      Though now it may seem that Jennifer Hudson always had the secret to success, the reality is very different. While working at Burger King and singing part-time on a Disney Cruise Line, Jennifer auditioned for American Idol. Even though she was a promising contestant, Jennifer was eliminated at 7th place from the show. However, not only was she eliminated but she was ridiculed and laughed at by Simon Cowell and many of the American Idol producers after she lost. Soon thereafter her career picked up and she slowly started rising to fame. Though she was amazingly talented, the media was brutal and would always rather focus on her weight than her talent. Regarding her weight, Jennifer Hudson while on the Today Show stated, "I didn't define myself that way so it was, like, it was a shocking moment for me. Actually when I started on the red carpet doing 'Idol,' I had already lost 60 pounds then. By then, I was, like, a size 12. This is every woman's size. The average size. I was, like, what are you talking about? Here it is again: image, image, image, image. To me, it's talent, talent, talent, talent. At least where I come from." (Watch the Full Interview Here)

      Nonetheless, Jennifer kept strong and continued on to chase her dream. Finally, she gained major success after her performance in the movie Dreamgirls in 2006. For the immediate years following Dreamgirls, Jennifer Hudson seemed to have everything going for her. All was great for Jennifer until October 2008 when her mother, her brother, and her nephew were shot and killed by Jennifer's brother-in-law. Instead of allowing this major obstacle to break her, Jennifer instead established the Hudson-King Foundation for Families of Slain Victims to aid other families who have had similar experiences.

       Jennifer Hudson is an example that nobody has a perfect life. All that matters is that you keep a positive outlook and never give up. Many of those who have made it big have also experienced the worst hardships. Though their lives may be glamorous, celebrities are people and they hurt, cry, and fail like we do. Next time things don't go as you plan, think of Jennifer Hudson and remember the popular lyrics by Kelly Clarkson which remind us:

"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, Stand a little taller, Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone"

Thoughts about Hudson or any other celebs? Comment below!

The Most Interesting Woman in the World

Celebrity Profile: Lupita Nyong'o

Image via The Grio

Seven Things You Wouldn't Believe about Lupita Nyong'o

1) As a child, she had a terrible skin disorder

2) She graduated from Yale

3) She was born in Mexico City but grew up in Kenya with her five siblings

4) Her cousin was recently named one of Africa's most powerful women by Forbes

5) Her father was the former Kenyan Minister for Medical Services

6) She hates shopping and gets anxiety whenever she enters a store

7) As a child, her pet was a dead snake

     Like you all know, the SAG awards are given to those who gave outstanding performances in either a film or television series each year. Basically, it's a yearly list of the "who's who" of Hollywood. One movie that literally rocked all of Hollywood this year was 12 Years A Slave which is set in the pre-Civil war era about an African American man from New York who is free but abducted and forced into slavery. 

          Nonetheless, I must be honest and admit that I typically don't really pay attention to who wins which award. However, one particular winner caught my eye when she was awarded the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Support Role. With all the buzz about Lupita Nyong'o, especially since 12 Years A Slave is her first performance in a feature film, I became interested and decided to look her up and find out more. After my research, I must say that she just may be the most interesting person in the world. Could there be a more interesting female? 

Follow the blog to find out!

One Reason Why You Should be the First Lady:

GIF via Sports Illustrated

When else can you dunk a basketball in front of a portrait of George Washington in the White House while interrupting an interview between the Miami Heat and NOT get into trouble?

Did You Know of the Week

Did you know....

Picture From: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-17598677

that Rihanna was actually trained by the Barbadian military and served as an army cadet? Obviously this was all before hitting it big on the big screen and behind the microphone. Perhaps her role in the movie Battleship (pictured above) was a way to live out a fantasy that she never got a chance to live out in real life... 

#Rihanna'sDarkTwistedFantasy

(Rihanna - 4th from left)

Picture From: http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj207/ybf08/August%2008/2a10e20b.jpg