Here are a couple of websites that I like to frequent and a story that I that I ran across that was uplifting!

I will try to post more as I find them.

The Hunger Site

Here, just by clicking on "Give" button you make a donation to worthy causes. There is a tab to donate to End Hunger, Donate Free Mammograms, Give Child Healthcare, Donate Books To End Literacy, Protect Rainforests, and Donate to Animal Rescue around the globe.

It takes less than 30 minutes ... and it's FREE!

Free Rice

This is a rice donation site where you donate grains of rice while improving your vocabulary!

Pick the correct meaning of a word and you donate rice and advance to another, slightly harder word. If you choose wrong, you are taken back to a less difficult word. The more you play the more the game rates your vocabulary level and gives you comparable words.

It's fun .. and it's also FREE!

"They Didn't Give Up"

A website of fun facts about people who overcame adversity.

Sigmund Freud was booed from the podium when he first presented his ideas to the scientific community of Europe. He returned to his office and kept on writing.

Charles Darwin gave up a medical career and was told by his father, "You care for nothing but shooting, dogs and rat catching." In his autobiography, Darwin wrote, "I was considered by all my masters and my father, a very ordinary boy, rather below the common standard of intellect." Clearly, he evolved.

Thomas Edison's teachers said he was "too stupid to learn anything." He was fired from his first two jobs for being "non-productive." As an inventor, Edison made 1,000 unsuccessful attempts at inventing the light bulb. When a reporter asked, "How did it feel to fail 1,000 times?" Edison replied, "I didn’t fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps."

An expert said of Vince Lombardi: "He possesses minimal football knowledge and lacks motivation." Lombardi would later write, "It's not whether you get knocked down; it's whether you get back up."

Michael Jordan and Bob Cousy were each cut from their high school basketball teams. Jordan once observed, "I've failed over and over again in my life. That is why I succeed."

Hank Aaron went 0 for 5 his first time at bat with the Milwakee Braves.

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BLACK by NATURE, PROUD by CHOICE.
Before there was ANY history, there was BLACK history.

BUY BLACK!!!

Nelson Mandela launches Elders to save world


Greeted by a 30-strong choir and hailed by a line-up of fellow elder statesmen eager to embrace him, Nelson Mandela celebrated his 89th birthday yesterday with a new initiative demonstrating the moral authority he still carries deep into his retirement.


Global Elders [from left]: Peter Gabriel, Muhammad Yunus, Mary Robinson, Kofi Annan, Nelson Mandela, Jimmy Carter, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Sir Richard Branson

The former South African president will be the leading figure in the "Global Elders", a group of "12 wise men and women" who will address global problems by offering expertise and guidance.

A frail yet still magnetic figure, Mr Mandela was greeted in Johannesburg at South Africa's Constitutional Court - where he was once held prisoner - by a choir that sang his praises before he outlined the Elders' objectives.

"The Elders can become a fiercely independent and robust force for good, tackling conflicts and intractable issues, especially those that are not popular," said Mr Mandela.

The group will "speak freely and boldly, working both publicly and behind the scenes, working wherever our help is needed".

He added: "This group derives its strength not from military, political or economic power, but from the independence and integrity of those who are here."

The club's members will comprise former presidents, elder statesmen, leaders and activists and probably five Nobel laureates.

There will eventually be 12 Global Elders - but the exact make-up of the group was in flux right up until yesterday's announcement.

As well as Mr Mandela and his wife, Graca Machel, the group comprises Desmond Tutu, the Anglican Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town; Jimmy Carter, the former American president; Mary Robinson, the former Irish president; Kofi Annan, the former secretary general of the United Nations; and Muhammad Yunus, the Nobel laureate economist and founder of the Green Bank in Bangladesh, where he is known as "banker to the poor". All were at the launch in Johannesburg yesterday.

Li Zhaoxing, until two months ago the foreign minister of China, has also been invited to join, along with Ela Bhatt, the Indian activist and founder of a women's association. Gro Harlen Bruntland, formerly prime minister of Norway and director of the World Health Organisation, may also become a member.

An empty chair was set on stage yesterday and will be reserved at all Elders meetings for the Burmese opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, who is now the prisoner of the military junta despite her victory in a democratic election in 1990.

The initiative was the brainchild of Sir Richard Branson and the musician Peter Gabriel. As long ago as 2001, they approached Mr Mandela to ask if he and his wife would lead the project.

Sir Richard, Gabriel, the United Nations Foundation and a number of private benefactors are funding the initiative. The Elders should meet twice a year and maintain regular contact via video conferencing.

Archbishop Tutu emphasised that much of their work is likely to take place behind closed doors. "There may be things we can accomplish because people have been able to use their persuasive abilities in confidence. One of the ways to be effective is that no one gets to know precisely what we have done," he said.

But if their work is in private, it will be hard to gauge the Elders' success or failure.

Sceptics ask whether a group of 12 ageing and largely retired figures can possibly exert real influence over the world's most intractable conflicts. Mr Mandela himself rarely leaves Johannesburg and has ceased giving regular speeches.

Instead, much will rest on his moral authority, as well as his ability to generate enthusiasm for tackling injustice and hardship.

"Together we will work to support courage where there is fear, foster agreement where there is conflict and inspire hope where there is despair," he said.

Mr Mandela also emphasised that he is now "trying to take my retirement seriously", and his role is likely to be symbolic and inspirational rather than practical.

Certainly there was little doubt yesterday just how inspiring a figure he remains. His colleagues among the Global Elders paid a series of warm, if sentimental, tributes to him.

Muhammad Yunus spoke of how being on the same platform as Mr Mandela was "the proudest day of my life", while Li Zhaoxing demonstrated a surprisingly poetic sensibility by turning to Mr Mandela and reciting the first verse of Shakespeare's 18th sonnet: "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day..."

But the last word went to Archbishop Tutu who, visibly moved as the frail figure of Mr Mandela was helped offstage, murmured rapturously into the microphone: "Isn't goodness beautiful?"

Palm Beach Student Finishes College before High School
by Education Editor
New York Beacon
Originally posted 8/28/2007


David Wallace, joined by Palm Beach Community College Provost Dr. Beverly Robinson, left, and his mother, Samantha Wallace, received his high school diploma and a college degree simultaneously.INI/Naji Tobias


David Wallace graduated from college on May 18. He graduated from high school 10 days later.

Mr. Wallace, joining other Glades Central students who also accomplished the strange feat, had enrolled in a dual course program at the high school and at Palm Beach Community College.

Mr. Wallace gladly accepted an Associate of Arts degree from Palm Beach Community College before he ever had a chance to look at his high school diploma.

He had been working at this since his sophomore year of high school.

Mr. Wallace has moved on to Morehouse College in Atlanta, as of Aug. 13. He will be majoring in Biology and his ultimate goal is to become a pediatrician treating children in third-world countries.

Mr. Wallace said he would like to explore South America to learn about its heritage and culture. That way, he would be as effective as possible in bringing hope to the children of South America.

“I know I have a passion to work with kids,” he said. “Giving them my undivided attention, as well as medical care, will ultimately benefit them in the future and by doing that, I could say that I have accomplished my goal in life.”

But, at this point in his life, Mr. Wallace credits his family n namely his mother, Samantha Wallace and grandmother, Mildred Torrence n for his success.

In March 2006, Ms. Torrence suffered a severe stroke and was told that she had a month to live, according to David’s mother. Ms. Torrence was told by doctors, after being diagnosed, that she would remain in a comatose state, which means that her brain would have very little activity -- no movement.

But in August of that year, Ms. Torrence began speaking.

Mr. Wallace recalls what his grandmother told him on that fateful day.

“My grandmother told me to make her proud when she was able to speak again,” said Mr. Wallace. Ms. Torrence would only live until September.
Since then however, Mr. Wallace was determined to earn his high school diploma and associate’s degree.

“Before my mother passed,” said Mrs. Wallace, “David committed to her that he would graduate from Palm Beach Community College and I strongly felt that it was his grandmother’s dying wish. He made that happen.”

Right now, Mr. Wallace is in the pre-planning stages with PBCC officials to map out a plan to attend medical school, after he graduates from Morehouse College.

A National Honor Society and Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society student, Mr. Wallace is looking forward to earning his degree.

“I am truly proud of David and all of his accomplishments,” said Ms. Wallace. “I constantly tell him that great things are expected of great people and as long as he has a spiritual connection with God, then his achievements are limitless. There’s nothing he won’t be able to do.”

November 14, 2007
Press Conference Celebrates Passage of Second Chance Act of 2007

Calling it “the end of the beginning” of criminal justice reform, Rep. Danny K. Davis (D-IL) today held a press conference to announce the U.S. House's passage of the Second Chance Act of 2007 – a bipartisan effort that began in 2002 to reduce recidivism rates.

Issue Area(s): Collateral Consequences

“This has been an amazing process which should've taken a great deal less time,” said bill co-sponsor Rep. Chris Cannon (R-UT).

The U.S. House of Representatives voted 347 to 62 to pass the Second Chance Act of 2007 which, once passed by the Senate and signed by the President, will authorize $342 million to expand assistance for individuals returning to their communities after incarceration.

Rep. Davis said the trauma and misery that ex-offenders and their families face upon release from prison would be reduced with the help of the legislation that will offer drug treatment, job training and supportive programming for children of incarcerated parents.

Other members of Congress were also in attendance at the press conference at the Rayburn House Office Building including Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick (D-MI), Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-OH) and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC). Numerous organizational co-sponsors were also present including the Open Society Institute, Prison Fellowship, the Council of State Governments, and The Sentencing Project.

Rep. Kilpatrick who gave a special thanks to Marc Mauer, Executive Director of The Sentencing Project, said that the Second Chance Act was one of the top priorities of the Congressional Black Caucus.

“People need to be reintegrated. I don't regard this bill as a principal benefit to the ex-offenders. This is chiefly for the community that they return to,” said Congresswoman Holmes Norton.

She further commented that too many African Americans are in federal prison due to mandatory minimums and the crack cocaine sentencing guidelines. “These have had a devastating effect on black communities. You've got to keep people in a mind to go back home. This bill is the magic bullet.”

quote:

Originally posted by EbonyRose:
Palm Beach Student Finishes College before High School
by Education Editor
New York Beacon
Originally posted 8/28/2007


David Wallace, joined by Palm Beach Community College Provost Dr. Beverly Robinson, left, and his mother, Samantha Wallace, received his high school diploma and a college degree simultaneously.INI/Naji Tobias


David Wallace graduated from college on May 18. He graduated from high school 10 days later.

Mr. Wallace, joining other Glades Central students who also accomplished the strange feat, had enrolled in a dual course program at the high school and at Palm Beach Community College.

Mr. Wallace gladly accepted an Associate of Arts degree from Palm Beach Community College before he ever had a chance to look at his high school diploma.

He had been working at this since his sophomore year of high school.

Mr. Wallace has moved on to Morehouse College in Atlanta, as of Aug. 13. He will be majoring in Biology and his ultimate goal is to become a pediatrician treating children in third-world countries.

Mr. Wallace said he would like to explore South America to learn about its heritage and culture. That way, he would be as effective as possible in bringing hope to the children of South America.

“I know I have a passion to work with kids,” he said. “Giving them my undivided attention, as well as medical care, will ultimately benefit them in the future and by doing that, I could say that I have accomplished my goal in life.”

But, at this point in his life, Mr. Wallace credits his family n namely his mother, Samantha Wallace and grandmother, Mildred Torrence n for his success.

In March 2006, Ms. Torrence suffered a severe stroke and was told that she had a month to live, according to David’s mother. Ms. Torrence was told by doctors, after being diagnosed, that she would remain in a comatose state, which means that her brain would have very little activity -- no movement.

But in August of that year, Ms. Torrence began speaking.

Mr. Wallace recalls what his grandmother told him on that fateful day.

“My grandmother told me to make her proud when she was able to speak again,” said Mr. Wallace. Ms. Torrence would only live until September.
Since then however, Mr. Wallace was determined to earn his high school diploma and associate’s degree.

“Before my mother passed,” said Mrs. Wallace, “David committed to her that he would graduate from Palm Beach Community College and I strongly felt that it was his grandmother’s dying wish. He made that happen.”

Right now, Mr. Wallace is in the pre-planning stages with PBCC officials to map out a plan to attend medical school, after he graduates from Morehouse College.

A National Honor Society and Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society student, Mr. Wallace is looking forward to earning his degree.

“I am truly proud of David and all of his accomplishments,” said Ms. Wallace. “I constantly tell him that great things are expected of great people and as long as he has a spiritual connection with God, then his achievements are limitless. There’s nothing he won’t be able to do.”

As shocking as this news sounds to the general public, particularly, people outside of the South Florida area, David is one of many black students that enroll in the double enrollment program all the time. People like Rowe need to be made aware of the pleathora of opportunities that are offered black youth like this everyday but many choose to give in to peer pressure (anti-intellectualism and education) or follow in the footsteps of their uneducated parents and relatives.

Great news ER! I know some kids that went through this program and got advanced college credits. I think its a great program. Thanks for the great information.

Well, until I read this story, I had no idea of such a program .. but was very happy and encouraged by it! While I do somewhat *know* that programs like these must exist due to the high achievement and intelligence of our kids that do make it up into and through the college level ... most of my *kids* are grown now, so, it's hard for me to keep abreast of what's going on in today's education

And education is a tricky thing.

When my niece graduated from high school, she did so with honors and made the Who's Who and all that. She finished her high school requirements in the 11th grade and took electives and worked through her senior year. When she got to college though, we found out she couldn't qualify for the Texas Scholars scholarship that would have given her a free-ride education at any Texas school because she had failed to take one semester of a health class ... which was a requirement for the money!! Her counselors either didn't know or for some other reason failed to inform her ... so ... MY money and my kid went to Sam Houston State!

But, another part of this story I liked was that it told of the strong support behind from his Mom and Grandma (I noted no Dad was mentioned ). But, it just goes to show that backed by a strong, caring and able support system, a child can go far and do amazing things!

I'm really proud of this young man!

quote:

Originally posted by EbonyRose:
Well, until I read this story, I had no idea of such a program .. but was very happy and encouraged by it! While I do somewhat *know* that programs like these must exist due to the high achievement and intelligence of our kids that do make it up into and through the college level ... most of my *kids* are grown now, so, it's hard for me to keep abreast of what's going on in today's education

And education is a tricky thing.

When my niece graduated from high school, she did so with honors and made the Who's Who and all that. She finished her high school requirements in the 11th grade and took electives and worked through her senior year. When she got to college though, we found out she couldn't qualify for the Texas Scholars scholarship that would have given her a free-ride education at any Texas school because she had failed to take one semester of a health class ... which was a requirement for the money!! Her counselors either didn't know or for some other reason failed to inform her ... so ... MY money and my kid went to Sam Houston State!

But, another part of this story I liked was that it told of the strong support behind from his Mom and Grandma (I noted no Dad was mentioned ). But, it just goes to show that backed by a strong, caring and able support system, a child can go far and do amazing things!

I'm really proud of this young man!

It's understandable not to be aware of the educational opportunities that exist that are there to help black children. There were a lot of opportunities I wasn't aware of either when I was in public school mainly because the counselors purposefully selected certain kids they wanted to divulge the knowledge to while the masses had to fend for themselves. But today is a different story. There are too many resources available out there for the parents of young children and the children themselves that they do not have to rely solely on school counselors for information on scholarships and programs available. Even still the counselors of many schools are better equipped with the necessary resources to give to students as well as at least encourage students to conduct their own independent research to find the best avenues to scholarships, grants and various schools, colleges, and universities that offer special programs.

I'm in my mid 30's and they were doing this when I was in high school in the 1980's. The program has been around for some time. Also, being I'm from NY, the Regents school system is set up in a way that crosses over some courses that can be taken in high school to be applied as college credits in the state university system, easing the transition from high school to college.
These are things that I've learned from my own experiences in having gone to high school and learning about these programs after gradudation. And it doesn't hurt to be actively involved in planning your child's education with their guidance counselor.

Student Volunteers Flood N.O. for Spring Break

Date: Sunday, March 23, 2008
By: Cain Burdeau, Associated Press



NEW ORLEANS - (AP) The spring break snapshots coming out of the Big Easy aren't of tabletop dancing and beer-drinking contests. No, the photos making it onto student blogs and personal Web pages this spring show hard hats and hammers.

Hundreds of students from across the nation are streaming into New Orleans this spring break to lend their time and an air of hope to a city where years of repair work remain.

One after another, students said they've come because they haven't forgotten about New Orleans and how 80 percent of the city was flooded when the levees broke during Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

"The 20-somethings -- we're a lot more aware politically, socially, culturally," said Melissa Licastro, a New Jersey architecture student helping out Friday in the funky but flood-wrecked Lower Ninth Ward neighborhood of Holy Cross. Clad in a T-shirt and blue work trousers, she pulled crooked and blackened nails from old cypress planks, just a few blocks from Fats Domino's house.

She paused, hammer in hand. "I don't think the older generation gives us enough credit."

Licastro, who attends the New Jersey Institute of Technology, joined ranks with about 500 other students from Ivy League colleges and big state campuses on an all-out "spring greening" campaign to make the hard-hit Lower 9th more energy efficient and green, or, as activists want, "the nation's first zero carbon community."

Over the past week, students painted houses in bright pastels with nontoxic paint, salvaged historic homes undergoing deconstruction, painted fences and cleaned up a bayou.

Although the Lower Ninth largely remains a landscape of despair and neglect, many streets, especially in the Holy Cross neighborhood, are bouncing back: There are porches lined with plants, a few churches have reopened, people stroll the streets -- and there's now a restaurant.

For the students, coming to New Orleans is no easy street. They have to pay their own airfare, sleep in dormitories and get little time for Bourbon Street fun.

And once here, they're immediately put to work by charities and community groups that have spent months preparing for the influx of free labor.

Avi Edelman, a film student at Columbia University in New York, shrugged off the cost. "People pay that much to go to Miami for their spring break."

Kaley Hanenkrat, also from Columbia and studying Russian and political science, chipped in with the obvious sequitur: "It's better to spend your time helping someone than getting drunk somewhere."

Edelman and Hanenkrat helped restore a rambling wooden playground next to the Mississippi River threatened with rot because it was so badly flooded.

The wave of students brought a bounce in mood to this struggling corner of the city, and, inescapably, a bit of spring break frivolity, with the occasional water fight breaking out.

They got a hero's welcome from residents.

"It's a godsend," said Deloris Wells, a 67-year-old retiree whose home on Dauphine Street was badly flooded -- Katrina's water left "the love seat on the coffee table."

"A nice bunch of kids," she said, so grateful for the gang of T-shirt-and-sneaker clad students on ladders lending her shotgun home a new lease on life with a pale yellow coat of paint.

In many ways, volunteers -- students, church groups, senior citizens, old house enthusiasts, community activists -- have become the backbone of New Orleans' recovery.

Said Darryl Malek-Wiley of the New Orleans chapter of the Sierra Club: "If it weren't for volunteers, we would still be back in 2005."

Great News: Obama has selected about 20 individuals who he deems fit to be running as his Vice President...I can't wait to see the list!!!!

"WIAW!"

Tavis Smiley and Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company Announce Exclusive Three Year Partnership

Includes 2008 Five-City Tour and 2009 State of the Black Union Sponsorship

Columbus, OH (BlackNews.com) - Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company (Nationwide) and the Tavis Smiley Group (TSG) today announced an exclusive three-year partnership.

Under terms of the new partnership, Smiley's exclusive affiliation with Nationwide will include:

* Nationwide's exclusive sponsorship of Smiley's PBS television program as a provider of property & casualty insurance products.

* Nationwide's national sponsorship of the 2009 State of the Black Union event to be held next February in Los Angeles.

* Nationwide's sponsorship of an exclusive five-city tour in which Smiley and Nationwide will join forces to promote economic empowerment and financial literacy. 2008 tour stops will include:

- Columbus, Ohio, May 17
- Raleigh, North Carolina, May 31
- Richmond, Virginia, June 14
- Atlanta, Georgia, June 28
- Dallas, Texas, November 8

Nationwide is dedicated to helping customers protect their investment and prepare for the future by offering a broad range of insurance and financial service solutions.

"We're proud to partner with Tavis Smiley to further empower and educate the American consumer regarding what is most important to them" said James Lyski, chief marketing officer for Nationwide. "Nationwide shares many of the same values that Tavis represents. We believe there is a tremendous opportunity to reach the marketplace through this unique partnership with one of the nation's most recognized thought leaders."

Reaching an audience of millions every week, Smiley is the first person in the history of public broadcasting to host a daily national program on PBS and NPR. Smiley uses his media properties and influence to engage audiences in a respectful dialogue addressing today's most pressing issues.

"We are pleased to share the journey of empowerment alongside Nationwide. The synergy of the partnership was founded on shared principles of advocacy and service" says Smiley. "The work is important. It's encouraging when corporations commit to demonstrating involvement. Nationwide's interest in these efforts, that were derived from The Covenant, help us to collaborate around issues such as financial literacy, entrepeneurship, accessing jobs, wealth development, and securing our families future."


About Tavis Smiley and the Tavis Smiley Group
Smiley, who started his career as an aide to the late Los Angeles mayor Tom Bradley, also offers political commentary twice weekly on the nationally syndicated Tom Joyner Morning Show. In addition, he has authored eleven books. Smiley made publishing history when the book he edited, The Covenant with Black America reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. His latest is What I Know For Sure: My Story of Growing up in America (Doubleday). The Smiley Group, Inc. is a communications corporation established in support of human rights and related empowerment issues. TSG serves as the holding company for various enterprises encompassing broadcast and print media, lectures, symposiums and the Internet. For more information, visit www.tavistalks.com

About Nationwide
Nationwide, based in Columbus, Ohio, is one of the largest diversified insurance and financial services organizations in the world, with more than $160 billion in assets under management. Nationwide ranks #104 on the Fortune 500 list. The company provides a full range of insurance and financial services, including auto, motorcycle, boat, homeowners, life, farm, commercial insurance, administrative services, annuities, mortgages, mutual funds, pensions, long-term savings plans and health and productivity services. For more information, visit www.nationwide.com

I got this in an email, but I wasn't sure where to put it! So, I'll put it here and in my blog!


ATTENTION: BLACK MALE TEACHERS NEEDED!

A GOOD TEACHER IS LIKE A CANDLE – IT CONSUMES ITSELF TO LIGHT THE WAY FOR OTHERS. AUTHOR UNKNOWN


Do you know any Black males who are seniors in high school who want to go to college out of state for FREE? Several Black Colleges are looking for future black male teachers and will send them to universities/colleges for 4 years FREE.



The ‘Call Me Mister’ program is an effort to address the critical shortage of African American male teachers particularly among South Carolina’s lowest performing public schools. Program participants are selected from among under-served, socio-economically disadvantaged and educationally at-risk communities. The program is a collaboration between Clemson University and four historically black colleges in South Carolina: Benedict College, Claflin University, Morris College and South Carolina State University.



THE PROJECT PROVIDES:


a. Tuition for admitted students pursuing approved programs of study at participating colleges.

b. An academic support system to help assure their success.

c. A cohort system for social and cultural support. Visit http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/index.htm for more details and the online application or call (800) 640-2657.