https://www.lagrantfoundation.org/

Listen to “LAGRANT FOUNDATION 26TH Anniversary Scholars and Donors Events 1/4” on Spreaker.

Listen to “LAGRANT FOUNDATION 26TH Anniversary Scholars and Donors Events 2/4” on Spreaker.

Listen to “LAGRANT FOUNDATION 26TH Anniversary Scholars and Donors Events 3/4” on Spreaker.

Listen to “LAGRANT FOUNDATION 26TH Anniversary Scholars and Donors Events 4/4” on Spreaker.

The LAGRANT Foundation is a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) organization whose mission is to increase the number of ethnic minorities in the fields of advertising, marketing, and public relations by providing scholarships, career & professional development workshops, mentors, and internships/jobs to African American, American Indian/Native American, Asian American/Pacific Islander and Hispanic/Latino undergraduate and graduate students. Our goal is to open the proverbial “door” for minorities by providing the necessary resources and tools not commonly available to many minorities entering the fields of advertising, marketing, and public relations.

Seeking to enhance the academic and professional development of undergraduate and graduate students pursuing careers in these fields, the activities The LAGRANT Foundation are as follows:

Scholarships

The LAGRANT Foundation annually provides scholarships to undergraduate and graduate students who are attending accredited institutions and are pursuing careers in the fields of advertising, marketing, or public relations.

Career Development

The LAGRANT Foundation annually coordinates a career & professional development workshop for its scholarship recipients. The workshop provides the recipients with an opportunity to speak with industry professionals about their field of interest and specialty. Additionally, workshops are held in major college markets nationwide for students outside of the scholarship recipients.

Internship Programs

The LAGRANT Foundation provides internships to undergraduate and graduate students at selected advertising, public relations, and marketing agencies, as well as publishing companies and communications-related businesses. Internships consist of on-going, hands-on communications experience and training for at least a three-month period.

Mentors

The scholarship recipients will have a chance to team-up with mentors who provide them with opportunities for experience, exposure, guidance, and career development. The mentors are advertising, marketing and public relations professionals who volunteer their time twice a month to meet in-person with students and provide academic and professional guidance.

Professional Development

Scholarship recipients receive on-going professional development from The LAGRANT Foundation, until students obtain a position in advertising, marketing, or public relations. Development includes, resume writing, interviewing skills, internship and job search skills, grammar review, writing skills, business etiquette, interpersonal skills, tips on company politics, professional appearance and providing necessary materials such as a briefcase, business card holder, resume folder, portfolio case and access to computer training.

The post LAGRANT FOUNDATION 26TH Anniversary Scholars and Donors Events appeared first on Good News!.

Katharine Hayhoe

Photo by Andriyko Podilnyk, June 9, 2019

All around the world, people are planting tiny forests full of native plants on plots of land as small as a tennis court. These tiny forests — also called pocket forests, mini forests, and, in the U.K., “wee” forests — are based on principles developed in the 1970s by a Japanese botanist named Akira Miyawaki.

When I first heard about the Miyawaki forest being planted by middle-schoolers in California, I was amazed. “The reason we are planting the Miyawaki forests and using the Miyawaki method is to address climate change,” teacher Neelam Patil explained. By densely planting these small plots with native trees and shrubs, the competition between these plants for sunlight means that nearly a century’s worth of growth can be achieved in just a few decades.

Greening urban areas carries a host of benefits. These dense tiny forests cool their surrounding area, mitigating the urban heat island effect. The trees also filter pollution from the air, soak up floodwaters during heavy downpours, and provide a rich habitat for local wildlife. Because they’re so dense, these forests store more carbon than conventionally farmed trees would. And, as fifth-grader Lydia says here, “When I look at it, I feel very proud and I am happy that I’m helping the world.” That’s six wins!

Over 3000 projects around the world have already been created using Miyawaki’s methods, according to the British nonprofit Creating Tomorrow’s Forests. In Canada, six mini forests were planted last year while Amman, Jordan already has five mini forests and another in the works. Work on a new one on New York City’s small Roosevelt Island will begin this spring and an elementary schoolin McAllen, Texas is also getting one soon.

Want to learn more? Watch this video on the first tiny forest in Massachusetts, and consider starting one where you live. It’s a great project for neighbourhoods, communities and schools!

NOT-SO-GOOD NEWS

My cats, Dr. Evil and Mr. Jekyll

I love kittens – but even our cats Dr. Evil and Mr. Jekyll (pictured above) agree that a world with a longer, more active kitten season isn’t good for anyone.

Feral cats are typically most fertile when it’s warm out, and unfortunately, each year kitten season seems to be starting earlier and ending later. This means more kittens for already overloaded shelters, more feral cats, and more threats to biodiversity. One study estimated that outdoor, mostly unhomed, cats kill between 1 to 4 billion birds and 6 to 22 billion small mammals in the U.S. alone every year.

As you might guess, climate change – with its milder winters and earlier springtime – is likely responsible. Milder winters may mean more food, and so cats start mating earlier in the year than they have in the past. “No animal is going to breed unless they can survive,” says Christopher Lepczyk, an ecologist at Auburn University who studies free-ranging cats. Milder winters mean that last year’s kittens may survive in larger numbers, too. “I would argue that temperature really matters,” Lepczyk said.

And animal shelters cannot keep up. The Humane Society of America already likens each kitten season to a “natural disaster.” “As the population continues to explode, how do we address all these little lives that need our help?” asks Ann Dunn, director of Oakland Animal Services. “We’re giving this everything we have.”

INSPIRATION OF THE MONTH

YECA’s Steering Committee on an in-person retreat in Massachusetts, 2023

The post Small but Mighty Forests appeared first on Good News!.

Native Americans have a proud legacy of military service, dating all the way back to the Indian Wars in the 1600s. These Soldiers have served with honor, dedication, and distinction and continue a long legacy of professionalism and selfless service.

As we celebrate Native American Heritage Month, the Army Reserve recognizes the importance of inclusivity and understands the value individuals bring through their lived experiences. America and its people have changed throughout history, but the spirit and culture of indigenous people can be seen throughout society and our Army Reserve.

This Veterans Day, the Smithsonian will be honoring their military service with the formal dedication of the National Native American Veterans Memorial.

Lieutenant Colonel Kyle Scherer will discuss the importance of the memorial and the impact Native Americans have on the Army Reserve.

Interview courtesy: U.S. Army Reserve

www.usar.army.mil

#nativeamerican #soldiers #armyreserve #army #tribes #tribalnations #alaskandescent #miltaryservice #indian #nationalnativeamericanveteransmemorial #kylescherer #lieutenantcolonel #lieutenantcolonelkylescherer

The post National Native American Heritage Month CELEBRATING CONTRIBUTIONS OF NATIVE AMERICAN SOLDIERS appeared first on Good News!.

“The novels comprising my 19th century “Trilogy”, are intended to inform through entertainment,” says author Marvin V. Blake. “While many of the characters are real, the history is pure, and the ideas behind the story are very real and important. People need to see what slavery was really like, through the eyes of those who were slaves.”

The series examines three co-existing 19th-century American cultures – the defeatist South’s response to the post-Civil War era of reconstruction, the former Black slaves who are attempting to adjust to life as freedmen, and the noble nomadichunter-gatherer society of the Plains Indians fighting to defend and to maintain their way of life.

“I have all of my adult life, served and loved this country,” says Blake, a US Navy veteran. “I think it is important that readers learn about our nation’s history, especially what it was like a century-and-a-half ago when the country was ripped apart by a civil war, slavery, and the United States’ 19th century policies towards Indians…Native Americans.”

About Marvin V. Blake
Following his graduation from Baltimore’s Southern – High School, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. During his more than six years of active duty, in the Navy, Marvin attended and graduated from the US Navy’s Hospital Corps School, and the US Navy School of Medical Technology.
Following his discharge from the Navy, he earned his undergraduate Degree from Long Island University, and his graduate Degree from New York’s New School University. His long professional career was spent as a senior hospital administrator of several prestigious teaching medical centers in NYC and Nassau County. He also taught Immunohematology, as an Adjunct Professor of Biology in the City of New York (CUNY), college system. In 2002, after 9/11, Marvin decided to once again serve his country. He sought and took the position of Administrative Officer, Dept of Pathology, and Laboratory Medicine for the New York and the Brooklyn VA Medical Centers. For more info, see www.booksbymarvinblake.com.

About The Books
The first book, why: A Novel, provides a gripping and potent tale of choice, racism, and equality.
The story revolves around two young sisters – one a black-slave, the other, a white owner of slaves; Both girls are fathered by the same white-man – the rich, white plantation owner. Despite their not knowing that they are sisters; despite antebellum Southern law, despite seemingly unsurmountable societal barriers; the girls forge an unshakeable-bond. A bond that sustains them—when together, as young teens—are captured and enslaved by Comanche Indians. A bond that they need to survive, and to ultimately each, gain their freedom.

The second book, E. Pluribus Unum: From Many, One, is a spellbinding story of love and loss, oppression, and freedom in the lives of men and women fighting for the survival of a young nation. It is about two people – one is a slave boy and the other a white woman slave owner – whose preordained statuses in life were at diametrically opposite ends of the South’s Antebellum society. Two people with absolutely nothing in common now had lives that were inexorably linked.

Precious (In His Sight), the third book, tells of the myriad 19thcentury life-altering US government-sanctioned and implemented changes that followed the Civil War’s conclusion,
Adjustments, programs, implemented…mistakes made. One step forward, two steps back. Progress achieved,

The interactions between cultures shaping the ‘Re-United States of America, through the eyes…and the lives of the heterogeneous peoples…Red; Brown; Yellow; Black and White,all essential members…of the American-People

#civilwar #slavery #marvinblake #author #indians #entertainment #slaves #black #defend #nativeamericans #hospital #corps #schools #us #navy #medical #technology

The post Literary Prestige Award-Winning Author Pens a Unique Trilogy on Slavery and the Civil War- Marvin Blake appeared first on Good News!.

“Paul Josephs; composer, performer, wordsmith, singer, guitarist, New York native, educator, environmental activist, blues man. Been playing professionally since 16; hit the scene with these older blues musicians playing all around NYC and also ran my own night on Tuesdays opening up for the comedy show at the NY Improv. Since then have had the good fortune to have toured and been hired for session work with a handful of wonderful musicians; Idris Muhammad, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Pharoahe Monch, Jean Grae, Beyonce, Citizen Cope, Maceo Parker, Aurthur Blythe, Kenwood Denard, Rodney Jones, The Roots, Nikki Glaspie, Alice Smith etc.… have released two of my own albums; the second one, Strong World, has had me touring in Germany, Holland, Switzerland, England, and France.

Grew up on the Hudson River, the native people of this land called it Mahicanituk or “river that flows both ways,” and named themselves after it as “people of the river that flows both ways,” Muhheakunn (the Dutch used Mohican.) The songs and spirit are connected with this river; as is true for many musicians and artist alive now and many greats that came before including John Coltrane and Thelonius Monk.

The music is performed with different ensembles often with either a trio of guitar, bass and drums or a solo concert featuring just guitar or piano and voice; and also at times the music is presented in one-man concerts featuring live-looping. Sometimes the space on stage contracts significantly as the group expands into a septet with trumpet, trombone, sax, and keys or another guitar.

I produce music of all kinds with all different types of people and conduct production and song writing workshops with students all over new york city and the world.

On the road with purpose and leaving a trail of raised spirits in the wake.

pauljosephs.com

The post “Paul Josephs; composer, performer, wordsmith, singer, guitarist, New York native, educator, environmental activist, blues man. appeared first on Good News!.

“An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy.

“It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.” He continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”

The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”

photo by alamy

The post This is very much like the Native American tale below appeared first on Good News!.

Chicago native, George Goetschel has emerged on the scene, not only as an accomplished musician, but as a talented improvisational actor as well. His two passions came together, resulting in his Grammy Nominated CD, 21 in the Moment, a collection of 21 improvised musical poems composed and performed by Goetschel. And while the CD may have been recorded twenty years into his career, Goetschel’s musical talents date back to the 70’s.

Goetschel hit the road, touring for nearly two decades alongside of musicians who accompanied legendary jazz greats Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker and Ramsey Lewis. In addition, Goetschel performed with Metropolitan Opera tenor, Edward Ruivenkamp and in prominent jazz clubs throughout Chicago.

Goetschel’s immense piano and performing talents have captured the attention of major publications including The Chicago Tribune, The Sun Times and The Chicago Reader, all of whom have praised his skill and originality. Few musicians have mastered Goetschel’s command of piano and trumpet/flugelhorn. Fewer still have had their work acknowledged by the Grammy Association. Music critics are not the only ones taking note of George Goetschel. Many prominent medical professionals have recognized the healing and spiritual benefits of his music.

Goetschel’s gift as a powerful, charismatic performer led him to film and stage, working with director John Hughes and actors Jim Belushi, Chris Farley and Tim Meadows. And while his talent would have allowed him to pursue both disciplines, Goetschel’s main focus remains his first love, his music. In addition, Goetschel is an Emmy recognized actor, for the show Jerry Time and Tony nominated composer for an NBC special. Goetschel also holds eight (8) degrees certificates and endorsements. Most recently Goetschel has been offered four performance positions on top world cruise lines by Sumen Entertainment Group. He currently performs vocally with the Chicago Symphony and Lyric Opera Chorus members.

The post Chicago native, George Goetschel has emerged on the scene, not only as an accomplished musician, but as a talented improvisational actor as well. appeared first on Good News!.

The post How many Native Americans have Coronavirus in the United States? appeared first on Good News!.

Not to be Missed 8th Annual Queens World Film Festival (QWFF) Announces 2018 Line up – “Spirit of Queens” Honorees, Venues + Sizzle Reel with Special Guests. 189 films to be screened over the course of this year’s Extended Festival.

When-Wednesday, Feb 14th, 9:30-11:30am (Valentines, coffee and light refreshments will be served!)

Where- Museum of the Moving Image, Astoria, Queens, NY

Who- Queens native and this year’s “Spirit of Queens” Award winner Jan Oxenberg, along with Sandra Schulberg and the Festival Directors will be in attendance joined by over 50 filmmakers from this year’s festival, Investors Bank, NY Community Bank, Jacob Riis Settlement House and Central Queens NY.

QWFF Artistic Director Don Cato will introduce special guests (filmmakers, honorees, Sponsors and partners) and reveal this year’s Sizzle Reel for The 8th Annual Queens World Film Festival (QWFF) at the Museum of the Moving Image‎ (MoMI), in Astoria, Queens, NY.

This year the Festival has an extended schedule to run for two weeks March 15-25, 2018. Don Cato ‎states that “This year’s submissions increased by 43% and QWFF programmers screened hundreds and hundreds of films from 48 nations. This year we have 189 incredible films from 36 nations with 19 world premieres including CRUISE, by Robert D. Siege (American screenwriter: The Onion Movie and The Wrestler, as well as the writer and director of Big Fan) There are films from all 5 boroughs and a ground breaking 65 films by women, 14 LGBTQ themed films, 14 films by Asian filmmakers including the award winning Queens filmmaker and QWFF alumni Patrick Chen who is returning with his short Confucius Plaza.“

Each year, the Queens World Film Festival pays tribute to an outstanding filmmaker for his or her body of work. This year’s “Spirit of Queens” Award goes to Jan Oxenberg and the festival will screen her genre-busting Thank You and Good Night. Oxenberg is a Queens native and grew up in Bell Park Gardens in Bayside, where the neighbors included Richard Dreyfuss and Estelle Getty! On March 21, QWFF will give another 2018 “Spirit of Queens” Award to Artist, Activist, Filmmaker Vincent Gagliostro, not only for his insightful and riveting After Louie, starring the stunning Alan Cummings, but for the actions he has continuously taken on behalf of so many in the artistic community.

The Queens World Film Festival engages audiences with targeted outreach to the diverse communities that comprise the borough of Queens.‎ QWFF Artistic Director Don Cato ‎states that “this year’s submissions increased by 43% and programmers screened 611 films from across the globe—including Spain, Argentina, Canada, German, Iran, Japan, Switzerland, Ireland, France, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, India, Iran, Ireland, Dominican Republic, Italy, Australia, Nepal, Netherlands, Turkey, UK and the US – with 37 submissions from Queens!

Festival Sponsors include Investors Bank, Kaufman Astoria Studios, Queens Council on the Arts, New York Community Bank, Investors Bank Foundation and Queens Tourism. This project is made possible with funds from the Decentralized Program, a re-grant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature and administered by the Queens Council on the Arts.

Tickets are now on sale for all films at the Zukor Theatre via queensworldfilmfestival.com. Films screening at MoMI should be live Feb. 14.

The Opening Night event for the Eighth Annual Queens World Film Festival will be presented by Investors Bank and will be held on Thursday, March 15, 2018, beginning at 7 p.m. at the Museum of the Moving Image, located at 36-01 35th Avenue in Astoria, Queens. The evening’s program will feature a block of stirring six, short films grouped under the title of “Emotional Punch.” The films are Atomic Mother, directed by L.E. Salas; You Deserve Everything, directed by Goran Stolevski; Bricklayer’s Poet, directed by Gino Cafarelli; Backstory, directed by Joschka Laukeniks; (Out) Caste, directed by Shilpi Shikha Agrawal; and Our Wonderful Nature, the Common Chameleon, directed by Tomer Eshed.

On March 25, ‘Best of’ Awards’ will be given in each category including Best Feature, Best Director, etc. with Honorable Mention awards in many categories along with two special awards from our new partners, The KODAK AWARD and The inktip AWARD.

The Queens World Film Festival is a program of the Queens World Film Initiative, Inc., a non-profit 501(c) 3 organization.

The post Not to be Missed 8th Annual Queens World Film Festival (QWFF) Announces 2018 Line up – “Spirit of Queens” appeared first on Good News!.

VENICE BEACH the musical

A contemporary musical with various styles of music and dance from hip hop
and rock to standard musical theater about American college graduates trying
to survive in the post-graduate world between 2008 and 2012, a time of
economic recession and high unemployment. Jesse, a native Californian, is
trying to convince three of his mid-western fraternity brothers, Bradley,
Michael, and Steven, to move with him to Venice, California, promise land of
sun, surf, hot girls in bikinis, and plenty of jobs. During their graduation
ceremony at Ohio State University, they express their doubts and concerns
about what’s next after college. At the celebration party that night in
their favorite campus bar, The Stadium Pub, they shake off their fears and
agree to go, encouraged by Joe the Barman to get out of Ohio and pursue
their dreams. They drive together to California in Jesse’s car, where they
lease a beach house in Venice. The boys initially try to keep the college
party lifestyle going. They adopt a new favorite bar, the Sidewalk Café,
where Joe the Barman once again presides. Gradually, however, they face all
the challenges of the adult world, no longer cradled in college campus life,
nor funded and cared for by parents. They must make tough choices regarding
starting their careers, pursuing relationships, making rent, paying off
student loans, discovering self-identity, and ultimately, dealing with
disillusionment when their high expectations, and those of their parents,
don’t meet reality as they learn that success and happiness isn’t always
rewarded simply for individual effort.

Jesse, handsome and charismatic, immediately adopts a player life style
and seems to get whatever he wants. He lands a good job at Merril-Lynch, but
quietly struggles with the heartbreaking loss of his failed writer/artist
father from suicide during his junior year. He also finds that his job in
finance holds no interest for him, nor has he any real aptitude for it at
heart, he’s an actor/singer and a writer himself. He is also frustrated with
his mother, Kay, who, though she loves him dearly, is unintentionally
encroaching on his space in Venice, for she herself moves there in her
transition out of grief, as she strives to reclaim the lost years of her
youth because of marrying so young. Bradley finds an entry level job at
Coldwell Banker real estate, and begins guiltily to enjoy his temporary
freedom from Emily, his fiancé who must stay in Ohio to finish her senior
year. From a distance, she expresses her anquish over his absence, for she
has always placed her music and singing aspirations second to Bradley’s
plans for their future. She believes him when he says he will only be gone
for the summer, but when he informs her he wants to stay longer, she is
heartbroken. Michael, a talented architect and former fraternity president,
is hired at Cunningham, a prestigious architecture firm, and begins to
pursue Sarah, his hard-driving, slightly older project manager. He
gradually discovers he doesn’t like his work, nor does he feel comfortable
with Sarah. Ultimately, he meets Kenny, a gay art teacher and yogi, who
helps him to -come out- and re-discover his love for painting. Steven, a
tough, Irish Catholic from the working class farming community of
Youngstown, also majored in architecture, but is unable to get hired, so he
begins waiting tables to pay his portion of the rent. He sees Marika, a
beautiful Eur-Asian yoga instructor with several tattoos, and joins her yoga
class on the beach. They begin to date, and through her influence, he
discovers a deep interest in yoga and a desire to be health conscious, all
the while covering himself in tattoos. Marika has always distrusted men due
to her father’s early abandonment, but her unlikely relationship with Steven
becomes, surprisingly, the most stable one of the group. Things change for
Jesse when he reconnects with an old musical theater friend and high school
prom date, Rose, now an eclectic, Bard educated woman living in Mexico.
Jesse begins to fall in love again, but Rose’s fierce independence and
desire to explore the world causes her to avoid his romantic advances,
though not necessarily his sexual ones. The Boys fun Venice Beach life
begins to unravel during a crazy, alcohol and drug-filled Halloween party,
where Bradley cheats on Emily with Sarah. Michael confronts Bradley over his
disloyalty, and Bradley accidently –outs- him as a defense for his actions.
As winter 2009 arrives, the boys see that the party is over and so they
decide to go their separate ways. Bradley returns to Ohio but Emily refuses
to take him back. She now has plans to go to NY and attend graduate school
for music. In May 2009, as they are all moving out of the Venice Beach
house, Bradley, shattered by losing Emily, as well as his job at Coldwell
Banker, and facing the prospect of moving back in with his parents in Ohio,
attempts to take his own life with pills. Jesse is shaken by his friend’s
act, especially since the experience of his father’s suicide is still so
painful. Jesse has also been let go at Merrill Lynch, which is downsizing.
When Rose leaves for Africa to work for the Peace Corps for two years, it
becomes clear that they will remain -just friends- and nothing more. She
says goodbye to him on Venice Beach, leaving him alone, loveless, jobless,
hopeless, wondering what he’s going to do. At that moment, his father
appears to him (or is it simply Jesse’s subconscious) to talk with him he
gives him the advice and guidance he’s been needing for some time.

One year later, June 2010, Jesse moves to New York to reclaim the acting and
singing aspirations he once had and then temporarily abandoned. Bradley is
back in Ohio, Steven is living with Marika in Venice and Michael with
Kenny in West Hollywood. Having kept in touch with Emily over the years,
Jesse responds to her facebok invitation to go and see her sing a set at The
Bitter End club in N.Y. She has found her voice, and is pursuing her singing
career. At the club, Jesse finds himself attracted to her, and after the
show, they lament about how things were when they were kids, how they were
led to believe by everyone that they were special, that fate had great
things in store for them, but they now know that life is much more
complicated than that. The Bitter End seamlessly transforms into the
Sidewalk Café back in Venice Beach where they join the old gang who have all
come together again. Only now, it is two years later, June 2012, and The
Boys, Kenny, Marika have come together for Jesse and Emily’s wedding to
occur on Venice Beach the following day. Joe the Pastor officiates the
wedding. He urges them to enjoy life and love while they can, but work to
make it last. At the ceremony, The Boys once again express their angst over
what’s next, for they still don’t know for sure what the future holds for
them. But they have come to understand that they must simply continue on
doing the best they can to learn, to live, to love, to work, and to grow.

The post Venice Beach The Musical appeared first on Good News!.