Missing Laneeka

Please keep my cousin Laneeka in your thoughts. She's been missing since the night of Monday, November 24. She's a really special lady and we want her back.

http://www.11alive.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=124074&catid=40

http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail?contentId=7952403&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=1.1.1

Research Methodology

After going to Dr. Carr's lecture on research methodology, I can see why he's such a hot commodity and everyone wants to take his classes. Dr. Carr obviously knows his stuff. you can see that through the way he presents the material, he's very passionate about Africana Studies. Like Professor Long-White, he's very down to earth. From beginning to end he proceded to throw it down, answering questions such as what is methodology and who are Africans to each other. It was interesting to here Dr. Carr's thoughts on the election that occurred two nights before. He related a majority of the presentation to the election and Barack Obama. This allowed the audience to make their own connections from his lecture on a process to what's going on in the world today.

Another thing Dr. Carr touched on was multi-, intra-, and interdisciplinary research. This is a topic I am very interested in as I am trying to combine my studies in the fine arts with philosophy. These types of research allow you to make connections in different disciplines and give you a broader range in thinking. Also, different disciplines have different methods and methodology so you can approach issues from all different angles through multi-, intra-, and interdisciplinary research.

At the end of Dr. Carr's outstanding lecture, the spoken word artist Anna Mwalagho performed two of her poems. They were very entertaining. Her poem where she referred to her accent and the problems she encounters really touched me. I enjoyed all parts of the show.

The Black House

Wow!!!!! We're going to have a black president. I woke up this morning and it was still true. Watching the results trickle in on four different networks last night was surreal. When Barack Obama, 44th President flashed across the screen, I couldn't believe it. I was hoping they didn't pull another 2000. But with the numbers he had, that would have been impossible. Obama truly does represent the change we need in this country. And just like he said, for those people who didn't vote for him, he's your president too (just like Bush was ours for 8 terrifying years). If we can disregard race to come together and elect a black man as President,then we can come together on so much more and make this country achieve its true potential and make it as great as it can be.

Oh yeah...GOBAMA 08!!!!!!!! Yes We Can!!!!!!

Sister Stars

Last night, I went to a Sister Stars empowerment session where Dr. Debyii Sababu Thomas presented to the “sisters” some encouraging advice on overcoming obstacles. Dr. Thomas presented to us the guidelines for dealing with obstacles. What makes a woman a woman, she noted, is the way that they handle obstacles. But before we began, we were asked to write down obstacles that we have had in our life. My obstacles ranged from physical attributes to academic struggles. Being able to write down my obstacles allowed me to analyze how what I’ve gone through has helped define me as a person. We then defined the word obstacle and came up with this definition: an obstacle is something that gets in front of you that takes time to deal with it; it’s a barrier, it’s something that stands between you and a goal, and its nebulous – something that you can’t always see.

Furthermore, she gave us 4 words to describe what obstacles do: disappoint, distract, deform, and discourage. These four words perfectly paint a picture of how obstacles get in the way. She then said that obstacles come at different angles and she gave us the 5 ways to deal with obstacles. First we regroup, then reexamine, redirect, rethink, and then recommunicate. In the regrouping process, you must collect yourself. Moreover, in the reexamining process, one should distinguish between an internal or external obstacle. Rethinking involves finding another way. And finally you recommunicate by speaking to the obstacle and preventing it from standing between you and your goal again.

Dr. Thomas gave some very helpful advice. She communicated to the sisters about obstacles – something we deal with every day – and how to properly handle them. Many times, we are faced with obstacles and are confused about how to handle them. This session was very empowering and enlightening.