Ground Breakers and Ceiling Crashers: World's 100 Most Powerful Women

Forbes has released its annual list of the World's 100 Most Powerful Women. The list includes "extraordinary icons and leaders", as well as "ground breakers and ceiling crashers" who command the world stage. Rank is determined by money, media, and momentum coupled with "spheres of influence and impact". Detailed methodology is provided by Forbes.

As you might expect, the list includes politicians, heads of state, CEOs of top companies, activist billionaires and celebrities- women who all have global impact and influence. Fifty eight of the 100 women listed are Americans, but the list is diverse. Twenty three are Asia-Pacific women, 5 are from Latin America and the Middle East and 4 are European and African. Bank of Russia Governor Elvira Nabiullina (#72) is the first Russian to make the list.

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Let The Fire Burn: The City of Philidelphia vs MOVE

MOVE Members



Almost twenty five years ago, the city of Philadelphia and MOVE collided, resulting in death and destruction. Here's the story for those who never heard it or those who can't quite remember it's tragic outcome.

MOVE or the MOVE Organization is a Philadelphia-based black liberation group founded by John Africa in 1972. MOVE is not an acronym, but a philosophy- move, work, generate. Anything that doesn't move is stagnant or dead. MOVE was described by CNN as "a loose-knit, mostly black group whose members all adopted the surname Africa, advocated a 'back-to-nature' lifestyle and preached against technology". The MOVE members lived in a commune in a house in the Powelton Village section of West Philadelphia. Africa and his followers (the majority of them African-American), wore their hair in dreadlocks and advocated a radical form of green politics and a return to a hunter-gatherer society while stating their opposition to science, medicine and technology. As John Africa himself had done, his devotees also changed their surnames to show reverence to Africa, which they regarded as their mother continent.

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Make it Plain: Malcolm X Speaks

El Hajj Malik El-Shabazz

Malcolm X  ( El Hajj Malik El-Shabazz) leaves a legacy dedicated to equality and freedom for all people. His words are as meaningful today as they were during his lifetime. Listen to him:

"The media's the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that's power. Because they control the minds of the masses."

" If you are not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed and loving the people who are doing the oppressing."

"There is no better than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance the next time."

"Stumbling is not falling."

“Hence I have no mercy or compassion in me for a society that will crush people, and then penalize them for not being able to stand up under the weight.” 

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"By Any Means Necessary": Malcolm X Remembered

El Hajj Malik El-Shabazz

The posthumous publication in 1965 of The Autobiography of Malcolm X: As Told to Alex Haley, the acclaimed author of Roots, instantly recast Malcolm X as one of the great political and spiritual leaders of modern times. Named by TIME magazine one of 10 "required reading" non-fiction books of all-time, The Autobiography of Malcolm X has truly enshrined Malcolm X as a hero to subsequent generations of radicals and activists.

It has been said that perhaps Malcolm X's greatest contribution to society was underscoring the value of a truly free populace by demonstrating the great lengths to which human beings will go to secure their freedom. "Power in defense of freedom is greater than power in behalf of tyranny and oppression," he stated, "Because power, real power, comes from our conviction which produces action, uncompromising action." It is a message we must hold on to today.

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Catch the Movie at the Beginning: Meet Julian Castro

Meet San Antonio's mayor Julian Castro and you can see his political rise early in the game. President Obama announced that he will nominate Castro for his cabinet as Secretary, Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The boyish looking Castro(39) has a twin brother, Joaquin serving in the House of Representatives. Both are poised to become Hispanic leaders in the National Democratic Party. The media is already flooded with information about Julian Castro who is following in the footsteps of his mentor Henry Cisneros, former mayor of San Antonio and HUD Secretary in the Clinton White House. Washington Post's Wonkbook dipped into information about Castro, as did The Fix with 10 Things You Should Know Julian Castro.

You might remember Julian Castro from his inspiring keynote address at the National Democratic Convention. His narrative is much like that of President Obama. Castro is a Mexican-American, doesn't speak Spanish, Roman Catholic, pro-Choice, and he favors Affirmative Action. His bio is due out in 2015. Rumors are already circulating about Castro as a running mate for Hilary Clinton. Hummmm... One thing you know for sure, you are getting into the movie as it starts. It looks like it might be a long ride.

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