Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Daddy Everyday: Rewriting The Black American Dad Story


New Book “Daddy Everyday” Confronts the Stereotype of African-American Fathers and Challenges Society to Change Their Perception

McDonough, Georgia, October 11, 2013 – The idea of the inattentive and absent African-American father is an image that persists in media and culture. However, author Delonso Barnes' new book Daddy Everyday confronts the stereotype and challenges society to change their mentality towards black fathers.

“Deadbeats” is a term often used to describe black fathers, and Barnes wants to celebrate the black men who have stepped up to perform their fatherly duties. It's these men we must recognize, Barnes believes, because they're demolishing the stereotype. He writes of the importance of black males for the development of children and community. With his new publication, Barnes hopes to trigger a shift in the negative perception towards black fathers and black men in general, as these thoughts present a danger to the African-American community.

Daddy Everyday is Barnes' contribution to rewriting the Black American Dad story.

Daddy Everyday provides tips, testimonies, and advice on the black fatherhood expectations and issues of importance in child raising, such as budgeting, discipline, health and more. The result is a comprehensive guide that will demonstrate how to be an effective black father or father figure, shattering any stereotypes that persist. Black fathers, stepfathers, brothers, and uncles are a vital part of the black community, and Daddy Everyday explains why they help shape the growth of a community. Whether it's positive or negative growth is on the shoulders of all the black men, Barnes points out, and Daddy Everyday starts these conversations with candid discussion.

Daddy Everyday will be available on Kindle, iBooks, Amazon.com, Nook and MrDelonso.com 

Thursday, October 24, 2013

A Guy Who Used To Be Homeless Shows Us Exactly What Determination Looks Like

This is an amazing guy who is going to do great things in life. I'm awed by him and the woman who believed in him.




Monday, October 21, 2013

The California Wellness Foundation Recognizes 21st Annual California Peace Prize Honorees




Los Angeles (October 14, 2013) – The California Wellness Foundation (TCWF) recently honored Tasha Williamson, along with two other honorees Lali Moheno of Central Valley and George Galvis of Oakland, with the 2013 California Peace Prize for her efforts to promote peace and prevent violence. Williamson, Co-Founder of the San Diego Compassion Project, provides support and compassion for families in San Diego County who have lost loved ones to gang or gun violence.

Before a crowd of family, friends and past honorees, Williamson expressed gratitude for her recognition and made a call to action. “We have to advocate and have compassion because violence, especially gang violence, is preventable,” said Tasha Williamson.

Since its founding, TCWF has awarded 6,544 grants totaling more than $815 million. It is one of the state’s largest private foundations. Please visit TCWF’s website at CalWellness.org for more information, including a newsroom section devoted to the California Peace Prize and the three honorees. High-resolution photos are also available. Video interview clips for Cummings and Grant are posted at TCWF’s YouTube channel.

Source: http://www.calwellness.org/





Friday, October 11, 2013

MIT Educated Engineer Builds a Business by Teaching Math to Kids

What is your name, and what do you do?

My name is Stephanie Espy, and I’m the founder and president of MathSP (www.MathSP.com). MathSP is a math enrichment company that helps individuals to improve their math skills. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, MathSP provides instruction to middle school students, high school students, college students, adults who need additional math-based resources alongside their coursework, and students who need an added challenge beyond their coursework. MathSP also prepares individuals for the math section of various standardized tests such as the SAT or ACT, computer-adaptive exams such as the GMAT or GRE, and state exams such as the EOCT or GHSGT.

What is your educational and professional background?

I earned a Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from MIT, Master’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of California at Berkeley, and MBA from Emory University. I worked as a chemical engineer for several years both in the United States and in England. While completing my MBA in 2008, I founded MathSP.

You have authored two scientific publications. What makes your findings significant contributions to the scientific community?

While a graduate student at the University of California at Berkeley, I conducted research at the United States Department of Agriculture. My research involved engineering natural rubber-producing plant species to yield better quality rubber in higher volumes. In one publication, I was able to explain the biosynthesis of natural rubber in a specific plant species and understand, for the first time, kinetic differences between two types of rubber biosynthesis. In another publication, I helped to explain how metal co-factors and substrates activate and inhibit rubber production. Both of these papers added significant contributions to the science community and help to get one step closer to the country’s goal of growing rubber-producing plants in the United States that produce high quality rubber in large volumes.

You are the founder of Math Strategies and Problem-solving (MathSP). What makes your tutoring and test prep services superior to those of your competitors?

MathSP provides premier tutoring and test prep services in the metro Atlanta area. We are the only company that specializes in math tutoring and test prep; thus, we employ math experts to help our students become more fluent in the math language. Unlike other companies, our test preparation courses are heavily focused on the math section of the test. We provide more classroom hours geared solely on the math section – an average of 18 hours! Thus, our students’ math scores are hugely impacted both in their school grades as well as on state and national exams.



Our teaching methods and approach to problem solving also make MathSP unique. We utilize a facilitative teaching style that allows instructors to identify the gaps in a student’s Math ability. Using a concept-based approach to learning, students begin to understand their mistakes and flawed logic and to identify their strengths and areas for improvement. Furthermore, the SP Method, our signature approach to problem-solving, provides a structured approach to tackling math problems in a step-wise manner.

What advice would you share with students who are apprehensive about pursuing an engineering degree?

The best advice I can offer students who are interested in pursuing engineering is to talk to someone who has an engineering degree and “walk in their shoes.” Consider attending an engineering-based summer program at MIT, Georgia Tech, UC Berkeley, Stanford, or any other college or university where engineering is a core major. After my junior year in high school, I spent the summer at MIT in a program called MITES (Minority Introduction to Engineering and Science). The MITES program helped me to understand the field of engineering; I took engineering courses and had projects that gave me great insight. As a MITES student, I also interacted with college students, graduate students, and professors at MIT who exposed me to the seemingly unlimited opportunities that can result with an engineering degree.

As an entrepreneur, did you face any challenges in starting MathSP? What specific piece of advice would you share with other entrepreneurs?

As an entrepreneur, I face challenges every day. However, I am very passionate about what I do. There is no other career I’d rather have. It’s my passion for math and helping individuals excel in math to reach their education goals that allows me to face the daily challenges head-on. In order to be a successful entrepreneur, you must have three things: passion, persistence, and a plan. MathSP will continue to grow as long as I have these key ingredients.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our audience?

At MathSP, our students see immediate improvement in their confidence and skill level in the following Math subjects: arithmetic, pre-algebra, algebra I, geometry, algebra II, statistics & probability, data analysis, trigonometry, pre-calculus, calculus, and other math-based subjects.

MathSP’s Math Test Preparation helps students score higher on the quantitative section of any standardized test. We prepare middle school students for CRCT, EOCT, SSAT, SAT-TIP tests and more. High school students are prepared for the ACT, AP Exams, EOCT, GHSGT, PSAT/SAT, SAT subject tests and more. We help college students and professionals score higher on the quantitative section of the GRE, GMAT, DAT, GACE, and more.

Source: http://www.techyville.com/2012/11/news/mit-educated-engineer-builds-a-business-by-teaching-math-to-kids/

Saturday, October 5, 2013

The Best Man Holiday Scholarship



TMCF in partnership with NBCUniversal and JET magazine in conjunction with the upcoming film “THE BEST MAN HOLIDAY” will offer financial assistance to five (5) outstanding college students. Selected recipients of THE BEST MAN HOLIDAY Scholarship will receive a scholarship of $1,760 in the Spring 2014 school semester for financial assistance towards their education. Students must meet the following minimum criteria to apply for the award:

Requirements:
Student currently enrolled full time at an accredited United States college or university
Current grade point average of 3.0 or higher
Be a citizen of the United States
Applicants must also submit the following documents for consideration:
Resume (include community service, leadership and employment/internship experience)
College Transcript (unofficial or official accepted)
Essay: in a minimum of 350 words, please address the following:
Describe a reunion moment with your friends or family that could be a scene from a movie.

Document formats accepted: PDF OR MS Word

INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED

Submission Deadline: Tuesday, October 15, 2013

APPLY NOW

Note: Winners will be notified by November 1, 2013 and officially announced in the November Edition of Jet Magazine that will be on the stands November 4, 2013.

Source:  http://www.thurgoodmarshallfund.net/scholarships/the-best-man-holiday-scholarship

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Positive Black Male News: 17-Year-Old Graduates From Florida Atlantic University



By NewsOne Staff

While most 17-year-olds are contemplating which college they plan on attending next fall, James Martinis thinking about where he wants to attend graduate school.

WSVN-TV 7 reports that Martin, of Marimar, Fla., just received his bachelor’s degree in molecular biology from Florida Atlantic University (FAU) during a ceremony Tuesday. The baby-faced teen was by far the youngest graduate in his class of 1000 other students; he was also one of the most accomplished, finishing with a 3.9 GPA.

“James Martin, Suma Cum Laude,” said announcer at the the ceremony. That he is so young is a fact that does not elude the young scholar.

“It’s funny, because I have a really young face, so they all knew this kid doesn’t belong here,” Martin said. “They end up seeing you almost as a peer because you study like they do, you work like they do and at the same time, you’re interacting.”While Martin is clearly a super-talented young man, his mother, who home-schooled him as a child, admits that her son was not always so studious. “His early years, he tended to be a little lazy,” said Joan Martin. “He daydreamed a lot and then, about 12 or 13, he started getting really serious.”

Martin was so serious that his improved habits landed him on FAU’s campus at 14-years-old. It was a successful journey that didn’t go without its challenging moments, however. “It’s been some nights, man,” he said. “It’s been some nights where I’m just like, ‘Ugh!’”

While Martin is not sure of what his next steps will be, he does eventually want to pursue higher education.

“In a couple years, hopefully, I’ll be on my way to getting a PhD, and so that would be a tremendous blessing,” he said. “In another eight years, I’ll be a professor somewhere.”

Congratulations to another fine young man doing great things!

Source: http://theblackmancan.org/2013/08/10/positive-black-male-news-17-year-old-graduates-from-florida-atlanta-university/