Tang Liang Hong was born in 1935 to parents who came from agricultural backgrounds. He was one of eight children in his family. He started his formal education only at the age of 13, when he began attending Yeung Ching Primary School in 1949. He graduated from high school in 1957. He then began studying at Nanyang University in 1962, and moved to the University of Singapore the following year. He graduated in 1967 and joined the bar a year later at the age of 38. Tang served for serveral years
Is the “American Dream” dead? Despite hard times Black America is willing to do whatever it takes to keep their head above water in a struggling economy. “Due to today’s struggling economy, many young people are less inclined to believe in the “American Dream” than their parents and grandparents. “More than 4 in 10 predict it will be tougher to raise a family and afford the lifestyle they want,” according to a poll conducted by an Associate Press-Viacom poll of Americans aged 18 to 24. But this has not prevented African Americans or whites from feeling hopeful that they will be able to adapt and cope with their circumstances. “Social Security may not even exist when I’m older. Health insurance is going up. Everything just costs more,” said Ashley Yates, a nursing student at San Francisco State University. But students like her are not shaken by the dismal economy. 90 percent of the 1,104 participants surveyed actually believe that they will find a career that will bring them happiness. Young adults are willing to take on second jobs to supplement their incomes to make up for low salaries and there is a trend of optimism. More students and young professionals are determined to better their individual circumstances even if they believe that the general population will not be able to accomplish their goals. “Even if it never gets better permanently, we’ll adjust to whatever it is,” said Preus, 22, a linguistics and cognitive science grad from Cornell University who plans to pursue her passion for science in graduate school. A Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation-Harvard University poll discovered the economic crisis within the last few years has eliminated nearly a fifth of Americans’ net worth. African Americans and Hispanics were more likely to be left broke, jobless and concerned that they lack the skills needed to gain profitable careers. But they also remained the most hopeful that they would eventually be able to prosper. AOL BlackVoices also reported that black teens were more optimistic about their economic futures compared to the general population. Seventy percent of black students ages 15 to 18 thought their standard of living would be better than their parents, compared with just 36 percent of white students, according to a Hamilton College poll. In contrast, white baby boomers were not as hopeful. “I think things are going to get worse before they get better. A lot of people are going to have to buckle down because we’ve got a generation now that doesn’t work,” said David Still, 54, a married, white father of two who works as an electrician in Sumter, S.C. Studies have speculated that the rise in optimism among blacks is due to the election of President Barack Obama despite the history of oppression and strife in America. Perhaps a generation where more students have seen traditional pathways to economic success feel they are more inclined to create their own road to accomplish their goals. “A lot of stuff in the news is telling everyone that they can’t, that the economy is crumbling and there’s no room for anyone to do anything,” said 23-year-old Lucas Ward. “But I’m watching that being disproven every day.” We will prosper! Why do you think young Blacks have a more optimistic attitude toward the future than older white Americans? Have older generations helped to instill a healthy attitude toward struggle? Or are we just being naive? Source
Is the “American Dream” dead? Despite hard times Black America is willing to do whatever it takes to keep their head above water in a struggling economy. “Due to today’s struggling economy, many young people are less inclined to believe in the “American Dream” than their parents and grandparents. “More than 4 in 10 predict it will be tougher to raise a family and afford the lifestyle they want,” according to a poll conducted by an Associate Press-Viacom poll of Americans aged 18 to 24. But this has not prevented African Americans or whites from feeling hopeful that they will be able to adapt and cope with their circumstances. “Social Security may not even exist when I’m older. Health insurance is going up. Everything just costs more,” said Ashley Yates, a nursing student at San Francisco State University. But students like her are not shaken by the dismal economy. 90 percent of the 1,104 participants surveyed actually believe that they will find a career that will bring them happiness. Young adults are willing to take on second jobs to supplement their incomes to make up for low salaries and there is a trend of optimism. More students and young professionals are determined to better their individual circumstances even if they believe that the general population will not be able to accomplish their goals. “Even if it never gets better permanently, we’ll adjust to whatever it is,” said Preus, 22, a linguistics and cognitive science grad from Cornell University who plans to pursue her passion for science in graduate school. A Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation-Harvard University poll discovered the economic crisis within the last few years has eliminated nearly a fifth of Americans’ net worth. African Americans and Hispanics were more likely to be left broke, jobless and concerned that they lack the skills needed to gain profitable careers. But they also remained the most hopeful that they would eventually be able to prosper. AOL BlackVoices also reported that black teens were more optimistic about their economic futures compared to the general population. Seventy percent of black students ages 15 to 18 thought their standard of living would be better than their parents, compared with just 36 percent of white students, according to a Hamilton College poll. In contrast, white baby boomers were not as hopeful. “I think things are going to get worse before they get better. A lot of people are going to have to buckle down because we’ve got a generation now that doesn’t work,” said David Still, 54, a married, white father of two who works as an electrician in Sumter, S.C. Studies have speculated that the rise in optimism among blacks is due to the election of President Barack Obama despite the history of oppression and strife in America. Perhaps a generation where more students have seen traditional pathways to economic success feel they are more inclined to create their own road to accomplish their goals. “A lot of stuff in the news is telling everyone that they can’t, that the economy is crumbling and there’s no room for anyone to do anything,” said 23-year-old Lucas Ward. “But I’m watching that being disproven every day.” We will prosper! Why do you think young Blacks have a more optimistic attitude toward the future than older white Americans? Have older generations helped to instill a healthy attitude toward struggle? Or are we just being naive? Source
Is the “American Dream” dead? Despite hard times Black America is willing to do whatever it takes to keep their head above water in a struggling economy. “Due to today’s struggling economy, many young people are less inclined to believe in the “American Dream” than their parents and grandparents. “More than 4 in 10 predict it will be tougher to raise a family and afford the lifestyle they want,” according to a poll conducted by an Associate Press-Viacom poll of Americans aged 18 to 24. But this has not prevented African Americans or whites from feeling hopeful that they will be able to adapt and cope with their circumstances. “Social Security may not even exist when I’m older. Health insurance is going up. Everything just costs more,” said Ashley Yates, a nursing student at San Francisco State University. But students like her are not shaken by the dismal economy. 90 percent of the 1,104 participants surveyed actually believe that they will find a career that will bring them happiness. Young adults are willing to take on second jobs to supplement their incomes to make up for low salaries and there is a trend of optimism. More students and young professionals are determined to better their individual circumstances even if they believe that the general population will not be able to accomplish their goals. “Even if it never gets better permanently, we’ll adjust to whatever it is,” said Preus, 22, a linguistics and cognitive science grad from Cornell University who plans to pursue her passion for science in graduate school. A Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation-Harvard University poll discovered the economic crisis within the last few years has eliminated nearly a fifth of Americans’ net worth. African Americans and Hispanics were more likely to be left broke, jobless and concerned that they lack the skills needed to gain profitable careers. But they also remained the most hopeful that they would eventually be able to prosper. AOL BlackVoices also reported that black teens were more optimistic about their economic futures compared to the general population. Seventy percent of black students ages 15 to 18 thought their standard of living would be better than their parents, compared with just 36 percent of white students, according to a Hamilton College poll. In contrast, white baby boomers were not as hopeful. “I think things are going to get worse before they get better. A lot of people are going to have to buckle down because we’ve got a generation now that doesn’t work,” said David Still, 54, a married, white father of two who works as an electrician in Sumter, S.C. Studies have speculated that the rise in optimism among blacks is due to the election of President Barack Obama despite the history of oppression and strife in America. Perhaps a generation where more students have seen traditional pathways to economic success feel they are more inclined to create their own road to accomplish their goals. “A lot of stuff in the news is telling everyone that they can’t, that the economy is crumbling and there’s no room for anyone to do anything,” said 23-year-old Lucas Ward. “But I’m watching that being disproven every day.” We will prosper! Why do you think young Blacks have a more optimistic attitude toward the future than older white Americans? Have older generations helped to instill a healthy attitude toward struggle? Or are we just being naive? Source
Despite attempts by filmakers like Spike Lee ( School Daze ) and Sylvain White ( Stomp The Yard ) it has been almost impossible to capture the true spirit of Fraternity and Sorority life on film–until now. On April 10th photographer John Ledbetter , a member of the Beta Gamma Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc at Virginia State University, posted a highlight reel from a recent probate show of Spring 2011 initiates. The moving clip is anchored by Dear Euphoria’s “That You Would” and features the final moments as twenty-two young men make the transition from being initiates to being members of the fraternity. In the days since it was published the three-minute clip has received over 50,000 views and universal praise from members of various fraternities and sororities across the country, not just in his own. “It’s funny because I just posted it on my Facebook page and went to get something to eat,” says Ledbetter, who was initiated at Beta Gamma in 2003. “When I came back it went a little viral. I have a friend from Canada who knows nothing about Frats but she said when she saw this video it just summed it up for her. She understands what it’s about now.” Spring 2011 – Beta Gamma Chapter from John Ledbetter on Vimeo . Ledbetter, who is employed by the government in D.C., is a self-taught photographer who shoots in his spare time on weekends. He admits that his true passion is music and that the song is what inspired him to shoot the probate or “coming out” festivities. “The aim was just to do highlights,” he says. “Virginia State University has a lot of Greek pride and Roger Stadium is packed for all the probates. My probate was the same. We start at Williams Dorm and we walk down the strip into the stadium. I knew the show like the back of my hand.” Inspired by the silent movie genius Charlie Chaplin, Ledbetter wanted to tell the story with music. Mother Nature proved to be a willing assistant director as the elements came into play adding dramatic effect. “I was praying that it would be outside because there were reports of rain,” he remembers. “Visually the natural light makes for a better shot so it was a bonus that we were outside. Then of course the rain started falling and it was crazy. I kept my camera out. I said I don’t care if this zaps out I’m getting this footage!” Ledbetter shot the clip with a Canon 5D and a series of lenses; 35mm L series, 24 to 70 L series, 70-200 L series. It took him an hour to chop it up in Final Cut and he used Magic Bullet Looks for the color correction. It was about 12GB worth of footage that he chopped down into four minutes. “A lot of people are fascinated because we don’t see shows like that nationwide anymore,” he says. “But my style is not scripted. What I did was just off of feeling.” To see more of John Ledbetter’s work you can visit his website Jaydexterphotoblog.com
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: From the White House blog President Obama’s Framework for $4 Trillion in Deficit Reduction: Today, President Obama gave a speech at the George Washington University and laid out his plan for a balanced approach to achieve $4… Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : Blog For Arizona Discovery Date : 13/04/2011 23:48 Number of articles : 3
While Timbaland pulled out of the gig at the last minute, Hip-Hop was still represented by Game, Nelly, T-Pain, Fat Joe, Busta Rhymes, Taio Cruz, and the New Boyz, as well as Snoop Dogg. R&B divas Ciara and Keri Hilson also hit the stage to represent the R&B category as Keri “Pretty Girl Rocked” and Ciara wowed the audience with her dancing. Peep pics at HipHopWired.com
With 130,000 children adopted each year in the USA, researchers find growing numbers involve kids whose race is different from their parents’. The latest data show that about 40% of adoptions in America involve such families; among children from other countries adopted by American parents, 84% are transracial or transethnic, says Adam Pertman, executive director of the nonprofit Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute, a research, policy and education organization. He shared the statistics as part of a panel on multiracial identities Friday at the nonprofit Council on Contemporary Families, a group of family researchers, mental health practitioners and clinicians meeting here. “When you form a family with kids of a different race or ethnicity, you become a multiracial, multiethnic family,” says Pertman, the father of two adopted teens. The most common type of adoption in the United States is from foster care, comprising 68% of adoptions, compared with 17% for infants adopted domestically and 15% from international adoption, Pertman said. “The whole gamut of family issues is being influenced in a profound way by adoption,” he says. “There are Chinese cultural festivals in synagogues and there are African American kids with Irish last names at St. Patrick’s Day parades.” Others discussed other aspects of adoption. Research by Gina Samuels, an associate professor in the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago, has focused on identity development among transracial adoptees. Samuels, a multiracial adoptee who has worked in child welfare, has found that the goal of being “colorblind” that white parents often espouse may not be the best approach for white parents to take with their kids of other races. “Colorblindness actually creates discordance,” she says, because parents set their child up to believe that race doesn’t matter — until the kids find that often race is an issue in the real world and they haven’t been prepared for it. Her study of multiracial adoptees, “Being raised by white people: Navigating racial difference among multiracial adopted adults,” was published in 2009 in the Journal of Family and Marriage. She found that “colorblind” parenting may actually be more harmful than helpful to kids. “Adapting and understanding of equality doesn’t require sameness, so for family members to be able to relate to one another we don’t have to be the same,” Samuels says. “We can be racially different and we can see the world and experience the world differently.” Discuss… Source
President Barack Obama has launched his bid for re-election with the new theme, “It Begins With Us.” This kicks off the campaign to accept contributions for the re-election race in 2012. Obama’s first fundraiser will take place in Chicago on April 14th. You can learn more about his campaign by clicking here! RELATED: VIDEO: President Obama Delivers Hampton University Commencement Speech President Obama Reveals Struggle With Childhood Bullying Rickey Smiley Goes To The White House, Special K Gets Turned Away [EXCLUSIVE]
PISCATAWAY, N.J. — The pouf is mightier than the pen when it comes to speaking fees at New Jersey’s largest university. The Rutgers University Programming Association paid Snooki of the reality TV show “Jersey Shore” $32,000 Thursday to dish on her hairstyle, fist pumps, and the gym, tan, laundry lifestyle. That’s $2,000 more than the $30,000 the university is paying Nobel-winning novelist Toni Morrison to deliver Rutgers’ commencement address in May. Money for Thursday’s appearance came from the mandatory student activity fee. Freshman Adham Abdel-Raouf told the newspaper he thought the price was a bargain given Snooki’s popularity. Source
