Happy People!

It’s easy to be negative when talking about people of color, but I try to be as positive as possible. And there’s nothing more positive than understanding other people’s deferences, Last year, Ricky Martin made a splash by (finally) coming out. After that, it seemed like Martin was on a perpetual media blitz, with his magazine covers, his book and TV specials featuring his boyfriend, ex-boyfriend and children.  Watching Martin come out was probably less exciting than watching him hide it for all those years, but seeing a hot Latin man comfortable and at peace with himself is important for all the young gays out there.

While we’re on Martin, can we talk about the lack of a prominent out (by any label) rapper and hip-hop star? We get rumors – but no confirmation. It’s all terribly sad, exhausting and unnecessary. Where is the pioneer? I’m hoping that 2012 will give us at least one or two more people of colour who will come out. Although Travan Free's coming out as bisexual. I’m looking forward to seeing a well-made film about being Asian-American, black and Latino. All in all, though, I’m pumped for 2012. Each year brings exciting new scandals, films, works of art and vibrant personalities

A skill set called leadership.

There seems to be an selection of information out there on leadership. Are they born? Are they made? What skills and qualities do they posses? How to become an effective leader? You could probably read yourself blue on all the theories and explanations of what constitutes great leadership.

People are born leaders, you can teach someone the skills of a leader but you cannot teach someone to be a leader. Leader are not necessary educated people, they are people with the skill to change other people to think the way that they think. Leaders don’t earn money for being leaders, but they earn respect from their followers. They are not necessary selected by someone to be leaders but they have the natural instinct to be in the front of everyone and lead. Not everyone can be a leader, some people are born followers and there’s nothing wrong with being a follower because leaders need followers who will support them. Leaders don’t have to make decision, but they facilitate decision process so that the desirable outcome can be reached. Leaders are people who see everyone’s success as their success, because if one part of the team is not putting its weight than the entire team will suffer.

FLU!

Although I get my flu shot every fall, I still manage to contract at least one nasty bug each winter. The shot reduces my chances of getting influenza up to 90%, but i don't have to stop there. I can significantly improve the odds of staying healthy all winter until spring time by following a few simple rules.

First, I need to know what im up against. In addition to the flu, the average adult suffers anywhere from one to three respiratory illnesses a year, nearly all of them caused by viruses and most of them occurring in the fall and winter. Winter also tends to bring out the kind of bad habits--from overindulging at parties to letting exercise routines slide--that make the body more susceptible to infection.

The reason we get colds in winter isn't directly linked to cold weather, of course. It's that we spend more time indoors with other people and their germs. If you really wanted to make sure you never suffered another cold, you would avoid all contact with other people as well as anything they had ever touched. And you would certainly abandon those ritual handshakes and cheek pecks. Why? Respiratory viruses, including those that cause flu, are highly contagious and can survive for hours on skin, furniture, doorknobs and the like.