kaleidoscope

Photo

Thu, 02 May 2013 09:55:48 -0400

arbitrarybrainblasts: notesofgratitude: sandandglass: Obama’...

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 21:50:57 -0400

notesofgratitude:

sandandglass:

Obama’s one-liners during his speech at the White House Correspondents Dinner.

The NBC one kills me.

hahah love this

dynamicafrica: Every year on April 27th, South Africa...

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 23:05:43 -0400

dynamicafrica:

Every year on April 27th, South Africa commemorates the first post-Apartheid democratically held elections in the country that took place on this day in 1994, by celebrating what is known as ‘Freedom Day’. The results of these historical elections saw Nelson Mandela elected as not only the first democratically elected president of South Africa, but the first black president as well. Mandela served as president until 1999.

Freedom Day is an annual reminder of the anti-Apartheid struggle that sought to bring about a free South Africa where all its oppressed citizens would be granted their full and constitutional human rights, and be able to participate in the development and progression of the nation.

Millions queued in lines over a three-day voting period. Altogether 19,726,579 votes were counted and 193,081 were rejected as invalid.

The African National Congress (ANC), whose slate incorporated the labour confederation COSATU and the South African Communist Party, fell short of a two-thirds majority.

As required by the Interim Constitution, the ANC formed a Government of National Unity with the National Party and the Inkatha Freedom Party, the two other parties that won more than twenty seats in the National Assembly.

x

"And it’s hard to hate someone once you understand them."

Sat, 13 Apr 2013 11:13:13 -0400

““And it’s hard to hate someone once you understand them.””

- Lucy Christopher, Stolen (via thatkindofwoman)

Photo

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 22:11:34 -0400

I used to say the one thing I’d change about myself was that I wish I could sing. Now I know...

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 23:20:50 -0400

I used to say the one thing I’d change about myself was that I wish I could sing. Now I know better; I wish I could make decisions.

"Ask your female friends, if you have any, if they’ve ever walked home late at night with a key..."

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 13:52:39 -0400

“Ask your female friends, if you have any, if they’ve ever walked home late at night with a key pushed through their knuckles, just in case, if they’ve ever crossed the street to avoid a stranger, just in case, if they’ve ever taken the long way home because of the weird guy on the corner, just in case. Ask them if they’ve ever made up a boyfriend to get a guy to leave them alone, if they’ve ever gotten off a train car and moved to the next because you just never know, if they’ve ever shelled out for a cab because men like you were at the bus stop. Do you really want to be that guy?”

- Emily Heist Moss, “A Letter to the Guy Who Harassed Me Outside the Bar” (via executiveproducerdickwolf)

Photo

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 09:45:54 -0400

vondell-swain: CGI technology has brought the late Audrey...

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 11:25:43 -0500

vondell-swain:

CGI technology has brought the late Audrey Hepburn back to the screen, as she stars in a TV advertisement for the chocolate company, Galaxy. Hepburn’s sons, Sean Ferrer and Luca Dotti, said regarding the project: “Our mother often spoke about her love of chocolate and how it lifted her spirit, so we’re sure she would have been proud of her role as the face of Galaxy.” (watch the commercial here)

beyonce-and-cake: Look at the Queen of America conversing with...

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 17:17:35 -0500

beyonce-and-cake:

Look at the Queen of America conversing with the Queen of England

Photo

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 17:06:21 -0500

Photo

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 21:23:06 -0500

perspectve: CLASSSY AS FUCKK

Sun, 10 Feb 2013 22:35:13 -0500

perspectve:

CLASSSY AS FUCKK

soulliere: :’D

Sun, 10 Feb 2013 00:02:08 -0500

soulliere:

:’D

One of the many reasons I’m happy I went abroad is because I learned when it is appropriate to...

Sat, 09 Feb 2013 23:48:59 -0500

One of the many reasons I’m happy I went abroad is because I learned when it is appropriate to blog and when it is appropriate to journal. Something we all learnt worked for us in separate ways.

And right as I was about to write something on here I realized, once again, a lesson Africa taught me.

….

Interesting how life’s lessons follow you.

cotonbiologique: frenchswissborder: fuckyesdamejulieandrews: I...

Sat, 09 Feb 2013 10:46:50 -0500

cotonbiologique:

frenchswissborder:

fuckyesdamejulieandrews:

It would be awesome.

If you don’t love Julie Andrews you’re wrong.

hahahahhah <3

everthinggravy: Aerial View of El-Ateauf (Mzab Valley),...

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 16:12:30 -0500

everthinggravy:

Aerial View of El-Ateauf (Mzab Valley), Algeria

guardiancomment: Chelsea Welch, the US waitress who was fired...

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 18:46:31 -0500

guardiancomment:

Chelsea Welch, the US waitress who was fired after she posted a picture of a tip receipt on Reddit, wrote for us:

I was a waitress at Applebee’s restaurant in Saint Louis. I was fired Wednesday for posting a picture on Reddit.com of a note a customer left on a bill. I posted it on the web as a light-hearted joke.

This didn’t even happen at my table. The note was left for another server, who allowed me to take a picture of it at the end of the night.

Someone had scribbled on the receipt, “I give God 10%. Why do you get 18?”

I assumed the customer’s signature was illegible, but I quickly started receiving messages containing Facebook profile links and websites, asking me to confirm the identity of the customer. I refused to confirm any of them, and all were incorrect.

I worked with the Reddit moderators to remove any personal information. I wanted to protect the identity of both my fellow server and the customer. I had no intention of starting a witch-hunt or hurting anyone.

Now I’ve been fired.

The person who wrote the note came across an article about it, called the Applebee’s location, and demanded everyone be fired — me, the server who allowed me to take the picture, the manager on duty at the time, the manager not on duty at the time, everyone. It seems I was fired not because Applebee’s was represented poorly, not because I did anything illegal or against company policy, but because I embarrassed this person.

In light of the situation, I would like to make a statement on behalf of wait staff everywhere: We make $3.50 an hour. Most of my paychecks are less than pocket change because I have to pay taxes on the tips I make.

After sharing my tips with hosts, bussers, and bartenders, I make less than $9 an hour on average, before taxes. I am expected to skip bathroom breaks if we are busy. I go hungry all day if I have several busy tables to work. I am expected to work until 1:30am and then come in again at 10:30am to open the restaurant.

I have worked 12-hour double shifts without a chance to even sit down. I am expected to portray a canned personality that has been found to be least offensive to the greatest amount of people. And I am expected to do all of this, every day, and receive change, or even nothing, in return. After all that, I can be fired for “embarrassing” someone, who directly insults his or her server on religious grounds.

In this economy, $3.50 an hour doesn’t cut it. I can’t pay half my bills. Like many, I would love to see a reasonable, non-tip-dependent wage system for service workers like they have in other countries. But the system being flawed is not an excuse for not paying for services rendered.

I need tips to pay my bills. All waiters do. We spend an hour or more of our time befriending you, making you laugh, getting to know you, and making your dining experience the best it can be. We work hard. We care. We deserve to be paid for that.

I am trying to stand up for all of us who work for just a few dollars an hour at places like Applebee’s. Whether a chain steakhouse or a black-tie establishment, tipping is not optional. It is how we get paid.

I posted a picture to make people laugh, but now I want to make a serious point: Things like this happen to servers all the time. People seem to think that the easiest way to save money on a night out is to skip the tip.

I can’t understand why I was fired over this. I was well liked and respected at Applebee’s. My sales were high, my managers had no problems with me, and I was even hoping to move up to management soon. When I posted this, I didn’t represent Applebee’s in a bad light. In fact, I didn’t represent them at all.

I did my best to protect the identity of all parties involved. I didn’t break any specific guidelines in the company handbook – I checked. But because this person got embarrassed that their selfishness was made public, Applebee’s has made it clear that they would rather lose a dedicated employee than an angry customer. That’s a policy I can’t understand.

I am equally baffled about how a religious tithe is in any way related to paying for services at a restaurant. I can understand why someone could be upset with an automatic gratuity. However, it’s a plainly stated Applebee’s policy that a tip is added automatically for parties over eight like the one this customer was part of. I cannot control that kind of tip; it’s done by the computer that the orders are put into. I’ve been stiffed on tips before, but this is the first time I’ve seen the “Big Man” used as reasoning.

Obviously the person who wrote this note wanted it seen by someone. It’s strange that now that the audience is wider than just the server, the person is ashamed.

I have no agenda here. I seek no revenge against the note writer. I have no interest in exposing their identity, and, at this point, I’m not even sure I want my job back. I was just trying to make a joke, but I came home unemployed.

I’ve been waiting tables to save up some money so I could finally go to college, so I could get an education that would qualify me for a job that doesn’t force me to sell my personality for pocket change.

allthingseurope: Abbey of St. Vaast, France (by Vaxjo)

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 11:04:08 -0500

allthingseurope:

Abbey of St. Vaast, France (by Vaxjo)

Noah: Would you just stay with me?

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 08:53:30 -0500

Noah: Would you just stay with me?
Allie: Stay with you? What for? Look at us, we're already fightin'
Noah: Well that's what we do, we fight... You tell me when I am being an arrogant son of a bitch and I tell you when you are a pain in the ass. Which you are, 99% of the time. I'm not afraid to hurt your feelings. You have like a 2 second rebound rate, then you're back doing the next pain-in-the-ass thing.
Allie: So what?
Noah: So it's not gonna be easy. It's gonna be really hard. We're gonna have to work at this every day, but I want to do that because I want you. I want all of you, for ever, you and me, every day. Will you do something for me, please? Just picture your life for me? 30 years from now, 40 years from now? What's it look like? If it's with him, go. Go! I lost you once, I think I can do it again. If I thought that's what you really wanted. But don't you take the easy way out.