A Better Chance Helps Students of Color Attend Top Schools

'A Better Chance' Helps Students of Color Attend Top Schools The scholarship organization A Better Chance (ABC), founded in 1963, has provided many students of color with the chance to attend college-prep private schools and public schools across the country. Their mission clearly illustrates the goal of the organization: Our mission is to  increase substantially  the number of well-educated young people of color who are capable of assuming positions of responsibility and leadership in American society.  Since its founding, ABC has grown greatly, first starting out with 55 students enrolled at nine schools to now more than 2,000 students enrolled at nearly 350 of the best private schools and public schools, as of the 2015-2016 school year (ABCs website has not been updated since we initially reported this statistic in July 2016).   United States President Lyndon Johnson meets with African American and white political figures from New Jersey, discussing aspects of his War on Poverty legislation. Afro Newspaper/Gado  /  Getty Images A Brief History   Originally, the program involved identifying and selecting talented students of color and providing  scholarships  for them to attend  private day  and  boarding schools. In the first year, even before  President Lyndon B. Johnson  announced his War on Poverty, 55 boys, all poor and mostly African-American, took part in an academically rigorous summer program. If they completed the program, the  headmasters of  16  private  schools agreed to accept them. In the 1970s, the program began to send students to competitive public high schools in areas such as New Canaan and  Westport, Connecticut; and  Amherst, Massachusetts. Students lived in a house staffed  by program tutors  and administrators, and the local community provided support for their house. In addition, many  colleges across the country, from Stanford in California to Colgate in New York state, have partnered with ABC to express their interest in promoting diversity. Racial Diversity   The current program is focused on increasing diversity at educational institutions.  While the majority of students enrolled are African-American, today the program also includes a wide range of diverse students. In addition to racial diversity, ABC also has increased its assistance for students of varying economic backgrounds, helping not only students who have significant financial constraints, but also middle-class students. The program offers to subsidize tuition for these students based on demonstrated financial need.   ABC notes that its scholars are a racially diverse group (figures approximate):   67% are African-American16% Latino7% Asian American1% Native American9% multi-racial or other Tracy Chapman. Chris Carroll/Getty Images   A Strong Alumni Base As a result of their dedication to making a quality education possible for students of color,  ABC can boast an alumni base of tens of thousands of individuals who are active in many fields.  According to President Sandra E. Timmons, there are over 13,000 alumni and alumnae of this program, and many are influential in the fields of business, government, education, the arts, and other areas. The organization includes among its famous alumni  Governor of Massachusetts  Deval Patrick, who was raised on the South Side of Chicago by a single mother. One of his middle school teachers recognized his talent, and Mr. Patrick was able to attend Milton Academy, a boarding school in Massachusetts, on a scholarship. He later went on to attend Harvard College and Harvard Law School before becoming governor of Massachusetts. Another notable ABC alumna is  singer/songwriter Tracy Chapman,  who was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and attended the Wooster School in Connecticut on a scholarship. The Wooster School is a private co-ed pre-K through 12  school. After she graduated from the Wooster School in 1982, Ms. Chapman went on to  Tufts University  near Boston, where she majored in African Studies and Anthropology. She also started to perform at local venues, and she was discovered by a classmate whose father helped her get her first recording contract, though she insisted on graduating from college first. She is famous for singles such as  Fast Car  and  Give  Me One Reason. Program Requirements and Fees The College Preparatory Schools Program (CPSP) of ABC works to identify, recruit, place and support deserving students of color in college prep middle and high schools. Students applying to ABC must currently be in grades 4-9 and be citizens or permanent residents of the United States. Students must also be academically strong, maintaining an overall average of a B or better and rank within the top 10% of their class. They should also participate in after-school activities, demonstrate leadership potential, and have good character. They must also receive strong teacher recommendations. Interested applicants must submit an inquiry online and later create an application, as well as write an essay,  ask for letters of recommendation, and be interviewed. Member schools may require additional steps as part of the overall application process, such as standardized testing or additional interviews. Acceptance at ABC does not guarantee admission at a member school. Participation in ABC is without cost, and the organization offers fee waivers for its scholars to take the SSAT and to apply for financial aid. Member schools do charge tuition, but all offer financial aid which is usually based on a familys personal financial situation. Some families may find they must contribute some funding towards a private school education, which can often be paid in installments. Article edited by  Stacy Jagodowski

Age of Majority in Canada

Age of Majority in Canada The age of majority in Canada is the age at which a person is considered by law to be an adult. A person younger than the age of majority is considered a minor child. The age of majority in Canada is determined by each province and territory in Canada and varies between the ages of 18 and 19. At the age of majority, the responsibility of parents, guardians, or child protective services generally ends. However, child support is determined by the court or agreement for each case and therefore may continue past the age of majority. Upon reaching the age of majority, the new adult now has the right to vote. Other rights may be achieved at younger ages, while some are reserved for ages past the age of majority. Age of Majority by Province or Territory in Canada The age of majority in the individual provinces and territories of Canada is as follows: Alberta:  18British Columbia:  19Manitoba:  18New Brunswick:  19Newfoundland and Labrador:  19Northwest Territories: 19Nova Scotia:  19Nunavut:  19Ontario: 18Prince Edward Island:  18Quebec:  18Saskatchewan:  18Yukon Territory: 19 Legal Age in Canada The legal age is set for various rights and activities and is also known as the age of license. It may or may not match the age of majority in a province or territory. Even when it does, there may be other conditions such as mental capacity that can restrict some individuals.  Legal ages also often  differ as to whether the individual needs the consent of a parent or guardian or not for an activity. It is important to check the laws and regulations of each jurisdiction to find the applicable legal age for an activity. Because the age of majority varies between 18 and 19, nationwide programs such as sweepstakes often limit entry to age 19 for consistency. Criminal responsibility begins at age 12 in Canada, with individuals protected by the Youth Criminal Justice Act until age 17. By age 14, a youth could be sentenced as an adult. The right to work begins at age 12, with the consent of a parent or guardian. At age 15, the individual can work without the need for consent. However, a person is not entitled to a full minimum wage until age 18. Joining the armed forces is allowed with parental consent at age 17 and without consent at age 19. The legal age is as low as 12 for the right of consent for being adopted, working with the consent of parent or guardian, or name changes with permission of the parent or guardian. Age of Consent for Sexual Activity in Canada The general age of consent in Canada in 16. However, there are exemptions for close-in-age sexual activity, which depend on the age of the younger partner. At age 12 and 13, an individual can consent to activity with a person no more than two years older. At age 14 and 15, a person may consent to activity with another person less than five years older.

What was the most important factor behind Saladin's series of Essay

What was the most important factor behind Saladin's series of successes - Essay Example Saladin was one of the important warriors in the history of Islamic world who has great influence on the West also. Due to his successes in crusades, Saladin has remained one of the important historical figures for West to study and explore specially the reasons and key factors behind his success. He was a Kurdish Muslim who became the first Ayyubid ruler of Egypt and Syria and also the major force behind the recapturing of the Jerusalem from the European crusaders. It was mostly because of this reason that he is a very well known figure in Islamic history and is considered as one of those individuals who could muster the courage and strength to recapture Jerusalem. (Hamblin)1 A closer analysis of his successes however, would reveal many important facets of his rise to the power and glory. His success against the crusaders in Jerusalem is mostly attributed to the internal conflict between the Crusader States. Further, his own ambitions to create an alternative Ayyubid dynasty in Arab world and use of Jihad as a tool to gain military power are other important reasons which could be considered as the key reasons behind his rise to the success. The lack of interest by the Franks as well as the failure of the agreements with the Byzantines can also be considered as the different factors which provided Saladin a perfect environment to establish his own authority and might. This paper will attempt to discuss the key success factors behind the success of Saladin and his rise to the power Saladin’s rise to Power It is important to discuss briefly as to how Saladin actually rose to the power in Arab world and became the force which actually defeated the Crusader States. Saladin’s father, Ayyub, was in military services for the Turkish Military Leader Zangi who was controlling Aleppo and Mosul. At the early age, Saladin joined his father and uncle in the army at Aleppo which was at that time controlled by Zangi’s son Nur al-Din who also emerged as on e of the strongest personality within Muslim world to successfully challenge the threat posed by the Crusaders. (Davenport)2 Saladin’s real chance for success came when Nur al-Din sent army to Egypt when the Fatimid Empire in Egypt was weakening due to the internal conflicts as well as the constant invasions from the Frankish States. It was during this campaign that Saladin’s uncle, Shirkuh, leader of Army, died and Saladin started to take control. He was first appointed as the Vizier in Egypt and than subsequently overtook the Egyptian government in the name of Nur al-Din. (Lane-Poole). 3This episode is also considered as the starting point of the rising conflicts between Nur al-Din and Saladin and on the death of Nur al-Din, Saladin went on to capture the Syria from the heirs of Nur al-Din also. (Meri and Bacharach)4 This brief recapture of Saladin’s rise to the power indicates that he actually attempted to take advantage of the internal conflicts which were e xisting within Muslim dynasties at that time. Fatimid Empire weakened not only due to the internal strife within the empire but from the constant invasions and threats posed by the Frankish States. This not only weakened the State but also allowed alternative forces like Saladin to take make their move to the throne. It is also important to note that Saladin’s rise to become the Vizier of Egypt was also based upon the fact he was Sunni Muslim and due to his age and family background, he was preferred over others as it was considered that he was too weak to pose a significant challenge. His rise to this position is also considered as a political maneuvering by the existing regime to undermine other stronger forces within the Muslim Empire. It was during his tenure as a Vizier in Egypt that Saladin started to use religion as one of his weapons to start consolidating his power. (Azzam)5 It is also important to note that Nur al-Din also emerged as one of the strongest forces agai nst the Crusader States and also help widening the conflict between the Crusader Stat

Why Most People Oppress Others because of Their Different Ethnicity, Essay

Why Most People Oppress Others because of Their Different Ethnicity, Race or Gender - Essay Example A theorist and feminist writer; Gloria Anzaldua’s works were of vital significance for the last two decades. Her work should be noted that it is now anthologized systematically in different compositions that reach different audiences on an annual basis. Her theory of Mestiza and borderland identifies the fuller theory of a culture which is different and broadly deployed in most disciplines and lecture halls. In most lecture halls across the state, most students read the chapters and excerpts from her Borderland text. Anzaldua’s work serves in a primarily essayist fashion. She explicitly shows that an individual’s act of writing assists the person in identifying and expressing his or her identity complexities. Anzaldua described her strong belief in the need for individuals to form coalitions in their different groups. My choice of Gloria Anzaldua’s literary works in her anthology of essays and poetry; Making Face, Making Soul: Haciendo Caras include: Borde rlands/La Frontera, La conciencia de la Mestiza, The Homeland, Aztlan/El Otro Mexico, How to Tame a Wild Tongue and This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color. They are all arranged in order of significance. The first three literary works are some of Anzaldua’s best works and stand out from the other two. Anzaldua understood that individuals have diverse ideas and identity and that inter-sectionalism often creates conflicts between different people (Garci?a, 2006). Thesis Statement: Anzaldua understood and recognized the different ways that people use to oppress others, and the constituents that were overlapping their identity. Literary Works: Borderlands/La Frontera: One of Anzaldua’s outstanding works was Borderlands/La Frontera, which was published in the year 1987. Borderlands traces back to the personal and historical journey of people who are on the border between the United States and Mexico. Additionally, it talks about the political, spirit ual and the European socioeconomic impact that they have on conquering the indigenous and marginalized people on the borderland. All the contributors in Anzaldua’s works got affected by Anzaldua’s willingness to face her personal risks. Through Anzaldua’s acts and words, people learn to take risks on their own. These are the risks that form blurred boundaries and the identities challenge people’s ways of thinking (Anzaldua, 1987). By use of her words, she invites critics to engage with her theories and how they impacted on her life and work. In bridging, the contributors explore and discuss on Anzaldua’s spiritual and intellectual contributions of how new bridges are created through the community and diverse disciplines. The contributors and Anzaldua represented numerous generations of diverse ages of the twenties to seventies. This connection among many people could be seen in Anzaldua herself. Anzaldua’s words have touched most of the cont ributors separately.  

Zero Coupon Bonds Essay -- essays research papers

Zero coupon bonds, more commonly known as â€Å"strips† or â€Å"zeros†, are fixed income securities that unlike other bonds, pay no interest until maturity. This means that instead of paying semi-annual interest like other bonds, the interest is compounded throughout the life of the bond and is paid in full upon maturity. Zero coupon bonds are ideal long-term investments for people who have a specific situation, which calls for a specific amount of money to be acquired at a future date, mainly ten to twenty years in the future. These bonds offer a great variety of benefits that are attractive to investors who are looking for more of a long-term investment. They also pose a few drawbacks, but are outweighed by their advantages which make them a sound investment.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Zero coupon municipal bonds combine the benefits of the zero coupon instrument with those of tax-exempt municipal securities and offer the following advantages: Low Minimum Investment The first thing that comes to mind when investing in zero coupon bonds is its low initial investment. Zeros are sold at a deep discount relative to other bonds and therefore can be purchased with a low minimum investment. Investors purchase zeros for much less than their face value, which is typically in increments of $5000, however, zero-coupon bonds with face values of $1000 are also sold. The greater the number of years a zero-coupon bond has until maturity, the less an investor has to pay for it. The reason of such a low initial investment is another benefit of zeros, compounded interest. The small initial dollar outlay makes zeros attractive investments for many investors. It allows investors to put aside a modest amount of money today and know exactly how much they will receive at a specific future date. Tax Advantages Another benefit of zero-coupon bonds is its possible tax advantages. Interest on municipal zero-coupon bonds is exempt from federal income taxes and, in many cases, free from state and local taxes. Because municipal zeros offer the benefit of compound interest free from federal taxes, they provide returns that are often much higher on a net basis than comparable taxable securities. ‘Zeros purchased prior to April 1993 and held to maturity are not subject to capital gains tax unless they are purchased at a price lower than the compound accreted value (CAV). The sale or excha... ...e volatility of the bond. Zeros are extremely volatile investments. This means that if the interest rate changes, it can swing the price of the bond in either direction. However, this is only a problem if the bond is sold before maturity. If the bond is held to the mature date, the investor will receive the full face value. If the bond is sold before it matures, there could be a possibility that the investor could lose money. Another inconvenience that zeros offer is its possible tax charges. Although zeros don’t include any coupon payments because they pay no annual interest, the investor is still obligated to pay income tax on the interest he would of earned for the year even though he didn’t receive it. Of course there are ways around this if you invest in tax-exempt municipals where there are no charges. One more drawback of zeros is that they can be callable. This means that the issuer has the right to repurchase the bond back from the investor at any time before maturity. If the issuer repays the bond at a certain percentage rate, it can potentially lose money for the investor. You would also have to pay a capital gains tax if the IRS thinks you made more than you should.

The Development of Banking System in Vietnam

The development orientation of the banking system of Vietnam from 2005 to 2020 In 2005, State Bank submitted to the Politic Ministry and Government a development project of the banking system from 2005 to 2020 according to the Resolution of 9th National Party. It is to build up a banking system develop safety and fairly; have enough the competitive ability; and integrate stability in international finance market. Firstly, the State Bank needs to re-structure basically and comprehensively the organization and the action of State Bank for which has enough ability to build and realize the monetary policy with market principle and advanced technology. Role and function of State Bank perform with international routines and rules for do effectively the national management function in the banking and monetary. Besides, it will be the foundation of the development of State Bank become sa modern central bank. The main innovation of State Bank focuses on following problems: Ensuring State Bank is independent, autonomous in the set up, conduct the monetary policy, interest rate and exchange rate; performs the function of actually central bank; is the bank issue money; is the bank of banks; is the central payment of nation; regulate the monetary market. Re-structure the organization of state bank from the center to the branch towards streamlined and modern, ensure that state banks has the responsibility in creating an open operating environment and favorable conditions for financial institutions n the territory of Vietnam Creating and implementing the monetary policy follow the market principle to base on the monetary policy setting with suitable communication and quantified target. Reform the supervision of system banking comprehensively to meet the actual needs of developing Vietnamese banking system and suit to the international rules and standard of banking supervision. The safety supervision system of Vietnamese banking operations will strive to satisfy the basic international standards in 2010; firstly, it is the basic rules of effective banking supervision of Basel Committee and the Basel Capital Accord 1988(Basel I) and then, it will implement the Basel II after 2010. To further modernize the payment system to enhance the utility of providing banking services, to increase the proportion of non-cash payment and payment through banks, state bank can control the amount of money circulation and reduce financial risks. Secondly, Credit Institutions need to reform fundamental and thoroughly to develop systems of credit institutions in modern, multi-functional activities, diversified ownership, and types of credit institutions; for which have operating scale and financial potential strongly to make a foundation building a modern system of credit institution, attaining advanced level of development in Asia, applying sufficiently the international standards of banking operations. It is able to compete with banks in the region and the world. The reform of credit institutions focuses on some main point in following: Ensuring the state commercial banks and commercial banks have stakes in the control of state become the key leader in the banking system on the scale of operation, financial capability, technology, process level management and business efficiency. The other credit institutions have the responsibilities which is to ensure the comprehensive, safe and effective development of Vietnam's banking system The financial capacity of credit institutions is strengthened by increasing ower equity and improving asset quality and profitability. The equitization of state-owned commercial banks completes step by step to follow the precautionary principle, ensure economic stability and social security system, which allows foreign investors, especially internationally leading banks buy stocks and participate in management and administration commercial banks of Vietnam. Innovative basically the management system of credit institutions, to ensure the credit institution independents the finance, staff, organizational structure and operations, executive management, which bear all responsibility for business results and activities within the legal framework equality, openness and transparency. The relationship between State Bank and credit institutions is not only the State control relation, but also the economic relation to rely on respecting the market principle. Forming synchronous legal framework is transparent and fair to promote the competition and ensuring the safety system; apply more completely the international standards and rules of operating monetary and banking; create healthy environment and incentives for credit institutions, enterprises and individual business development. Eliminate discrimination among credit institutions and eliminate other forms of protection and subsidy in the banking sector. Speed up the process of international economic integration, which raise the initiative on monetary and banking with the roadmap and steps are suited to the competitiveness of the credit institutions and the ability of state banks control system. With the potential market, the strong growth of the economy in the process of integration, the stable politic and social, especially with a legal framework for banking operations become more complete toward the openness and transparency, Vietnam's banking sector will successfully implement the reform and opening up the banking system, contributing actively to the economic- social development of the country. Every credit institutions need to actively improve the financial capacity by: -Financial capacity of credit institutions is strengthened by increasing ower equity and improving asset quality and profitability. The equitization of state-owned commercial banks completes step by step to follow the precautionary principle, ensure economic stability and social security system, which allows foreign investors, especially internationally leading banks buy stocks and participate in management and administration commercial banks of Vietnam. -Diversify forms of raising capital, control reasonable the interest rate of long-term and medium-term of saved money and strengthen medium-term and long-term capital to meet capital needs for business. The credit growth associated with securing the loans effectively. Push up to deal the bad dept being continuous toward reducing the bad debt with the construction of control and monitoring mechanism of credit quality. -Banks need to structure the capital investment in the new condition toward decrease the proportion of short-term loans, increase the proportion of medium and long term lending and develop the individual consumption credit in the economy. Continued innovation the mechanisms and policies related to the activities of credit institutions; form synchronous the legal framework is transparent and fair to promote the competition, to ensure that the credit institution independents the finance, staff, organizational structure and operations, executive management, which bear all responsibility for business results and activities within the legal framework equality, openness and transparency; create the open business environment for operations of credit institutions . The relationship between State Bank and credit institutions is not only the State control relation, but also the economic relation to rely on respecting the market principle. Issue the regulations about control the risky systems, supervise the risks in banking activities, improve the safe regulations in banking operations, issue egulation about standard and minimum requirement of the management system of risks in credit institutions, ensuring early warning capabilities for credit institutions, especially to be the foreign exchange market and the national payment system. and an important part to fix the credit risks of banks that performs the management for commercial banking from the width to the depth toward enhance risk management capacity through complete the internal structure of organization, implement the testing, inspection and reporting regularly. Conduct the audit for commercial banks according to international standards, hired foreign auditors audit the banking activity in 2005 and 2006 Supervise carefully activities and the financial situation of commercial banks before supplement and implement the equitization. Accelerate the re-structuring of the banking system; amendment and supplement the law of State Bank of Vietnam and the Credit Institutions. Speed up the process of international economic integration, which raise the initiative on monetary and banking with the roadmap and steps are suited to the competitiveness of the credit institutions and the ability of control system of state banks, reform fundamentally and innovative thoroughly commercial banks toward develop comprehensively, multifunctionally and modern, meet the standards and requirements according to international routines, ensure every step to make commercial banks development as well as other ones in the region and on the world. Improve capacity of staff through enhancing the executive management level. Improve the management capacity of state-owned commercial banks after the equitization will be the fastest and most effective by the help of foreign strategic partners.

Green Decisions Demographics and Consumer Understanding of Environmental Labels Free Essay Example, 1500 words

The data collected was analysed in reference to five major variables: age, income level, employment status, education and gender. By separating the survey results into these categories researchers determined how different demographics differed in their labelling perception and in their expectations. Because of the simple form of the questions put to survey-takers, the analysis of results was made fundamentally simple to understand and given the results of the data collection, it would have been easy for most individuals to form their own fact-based conclusions. The analysis is very forthright in its categorisation and it is easy to understand why the researchers chose to divide their information up in this way. References made to the 7-point Likert scale, ANOVA and Levene s homogeneity assumption are not properly explained, however, so it is difficult for the reader to grasp certain details of the analysis. ResultsDespite a basic differentiation between the scientific methods of an alysis utilized in this study and the capabilities of the average reader, the published results are simple and easy to grasp. Findings are published both in paragraph form and in graphs. We will write a custom essay sample on Green Decisions Demographics and Consumer Understanding of Environmental Labels or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/page Where the graphs might have been modified to encompass simple percentages for each category and piece of information, they instead rely on a high mathematics comprehension in their readers.