Red Hen Exploring Our Conditions explores issues and concerns in our Communities with a Focus on Community Responsibility and Civic Engagement.
#TeamRhino #SaveTheRhino #SaveFive
Raising Awareness to protect our #WildLife, Please take the pledge:
I would like to join #TeamRhinodotorg in the fight against rhino poaching to ensure a future for people and vulnerable wildlife on our planet:
I will never buy or promote any products made of rhino horn, as I know that demand drives poaching.
I will be a committed advocate to support rangers and others on the frontlines of rhino conservation.
I will share my passion about rhino conservation and recruit my friends and family to become involved.
I will urge my government to continue championing efforts to stop rhino poaching at home and abroad.
I will stand with IRF to help save rhinos from extinction. teamrhino.org
My grandson and i, were preparing for a visit to Mander Playground to learn about Container Gardening. i introduced our activity by saying that we are going to a class in the park to learn about plants and flowers. His reaction: " I DON'T WANT TO LEARN ABOUT FLOWERS." i say "do you like butterflies?" he says "yes, and bees like flowers they make honey from flowers." i said "no, they get pollen from flowers and help other flowers and food sources grow. They are pollinators. We are going to learn about Native plants, do you know what native means?" he said "no". i said "native means where you are from." He thought about that, i then asked "where are you from ?" and he said "north philadelphia." i said "yes," he said "i was right," i said "yes!!" then i mentioned that being from north philadelphia means that you are native of north philadelphia and so are the plants. He reaches for our book "Wonderful Worms" by Linda Glaser (which we got for free from the parent community resource room School District of Philadelphia), and we discuss how the worms help our flowers and food grow underground and bees and butterflies help above ground.
We then view the brochure for the event. He says "he likes the humming bird" and i explain that the humming bird is a pollinator also!! Now we have to explore why the bird is called a humming bird!!
At the end of our conversation i ask "what is a pollinator" he replies " I don't know". i smiled repeat that pollinators help flowers and food grow. Family gardening, Seed planted!!
I volunteer at The Paul Robeson House and did a video of the Ruben Family visit. When came time to edit the footage i wasn't sure where to begin. My first edit showed the family sitting and listening to The Paul Robeson House Docent, Rhone Fraiser Ph. D., that was a bit boring. The second edit was of Ms. Vernoca Michael and the Ruben family sharing their memories with Mr. Paul Robeson. i realized that the living history was more exciting and held us all on the edge of our seats as great stories do.
At The Paul Robeson House we are looking to connect the history of Paul Robeson with the not so scholarly members of our society without pacifying. Storytelling from living history and re-enactment seem to be the best attention holders as proven by the packed house who learned of Selma from Mrs. Amelia Platts Boynton Robinson and Bernard Lafayette at Germantown Friends.
Could you imagine what it would be like one morning to wake up and not be able to remember a thing? You aren’t able to remember who you are, your children’s names, where you came from or what you had for dinner yesterday. Not having the ability to remember who we are deprives us of a sense of identity, having no historical memory deprives us of a sense of our national identity. Knowledge of U.S. history allows us to understand our nation’s traditions, its conflicts and its central ideas. Knowledge of world history enables us to understand other cultures. As the world changes cultures are growing closer together and it has never been easier to learn about our nation’s history and world history.
By showing interest in our children’s education, families can spark enthusiasm in them and lead them to a very important understanding – that learning can be enjoyable as well as rewarding and it is well worth the effort.
Children are born into history, every family has a story to tell and helping your child learn history gives them the opportunity to understand their family roots, their culture and the country which they live. As parents we don’t want to undermine our children’s perception of history by saying, “History is boring” or “I hated history class when I was in school.” Instead you want to be a positive force in your child’s education by encouraging them to learn and appreciate the value in all subjects, including history.
Tips for Helping Your Child Learn History
Share Your Family Story – We all have a story to tell; share your memories of people and places from your childhood.
Read with Your Child – Reading newspaper stories, internet articles and books about people and events that have made an impact is a great way to spend quality time together and get your child interested in history.
People from History are Real – Show your child that people who make history are real just like them with similar dreams and ideas.
Television Programs – Watch TV programs about important historical topics with your child and encourage discussion.
Visit the Library – The library is full of resources for helping you and your child learn history.
Be Excited, Involved and Have Fun – As a parent you can help your child want to learn which is key to their success. If you are excited about something they too will show excitement and when you are involved in their learning it shows it is important. Lastly, don’t forget to have fun! Helping your child learn history doesn’t have to be boring in fact, you can teach your child a lot about history by having a good time and playing.
Having Fun with History
If possible find the original source – it makes history come alive when children are able to see the actual words that changed the course of history.
Don’t overdo it – information overload can deter a child from wanting to learn. Focus on a few important events and add new facts over time.
Get your hands dirty – history is best learned by getting involved, asking questions, searching your city/town of its history, visiting museums and other historic sites.
In April i attend The Caucus of Working Educators 2016 Educators Collaboration at Central High School. Professional Storyteller and Educator Denise Valentine hosted a workshop on the power and art of storytelling. Denise shared that storytelling allows you to reshape your lesson plans according to the students reality. She uses history and research to tell stories lost in time. You can learn about Denise and other Griots in November during their festival.
UNIQUE CULTURAL & EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY FOR PHILADELPHIA AREA SCHOOLS, LIBRARIES, MUSEUMS & MORE
This project is funded in part by an NEA Challenge America Grant
National Storytellers will come from around the country to celebrate the African Oral Tradition and share their gifts with Philadelphia and its surrounding communities. The tellers will pack their bags and as we say, "Have Stories...Will Travel."
We're coming, We're coming.... and AATP Performance Artists are ready to excite audiences at your school, library, church, recreation center, senior center, museum, and more. And it doesn't get any better than this -Your organization pays No airfare and No lodging for stellar National Black Storytellers!
Submit Contest Entry and Release Form with video link
The storytelling genre that may be used is limited to fables. The characterization can be animals, humans or a combination of both. A moral must be included and stated, either at the beginning or end. Acceptable storytelling styles are oral performances.
Start Date: March 27, 12:00 a.m. Deadline Jun 1, 11:59 EST
PRIZES
ADULT CATEGORY:
Grand Prize:
$300
Free Registration to 2016 Festival & Conference, Philadelphia, PA Nov. 2-6
Books and CDs by NABS Storytellers
Second Prize:
$150
Books and CDs by NABS Storytellers
Third Prize:
$50
Books and CDs by NABS Storytellers
YOUTH CATEGORY: (14-18)
Grand Prize:
$150
Free Registration to 2016 Festival & Conference, Philadelphia, PA Nov. 2-6
African American Storytellers are most familiar with the cowtail switch through a story that has been declared a requirement in a Black Storyteller’s repertoire. “The Cow-tail Switch,” as collected from West Africa by Harold Courlander, is a tale in which we learn that as long as we call out the names and tell the stories of our ancestors, we keep them alive. In the story, the child who earns the cow-tail switch is the one who inquires as to the whereabouts of his father after a long absence, as opposed to the other children who apply their talents to aid in the father’s return after he was found.
The story brings to light ancient symbolism of the cow-tail switch, sometimes referred to as the fly whisk. Its significance has been deemed both authoritarian and spiritual. A King’s whisk upon the shoulder could mean a change of circumstance, and the Yoruba Orisha, Oya’s irukere (cowtail switch) is known to cause wide spread transformation through her forceful winds. Centuries old and laden with stories, the importance of the cowtail switch is legendary until this day.
Many African presidents and tribal chiefs carry a fly-whisk as a badge of authority to processes with his switch at traditional ceremonies. This past December,”Who will Inherit Kajwang’s Fly-whisk,” was a newspaper headliner. The winner of the Kenyan political campaign was marked by his ability to work his fly-whisk:
It was Raila’s turn next. Waving a black fly-whisk, he knew how to work the crowd. He demanded obedience and acceptance of his newly appointed ODM officials, those previously labeled Jubilee moles and rebels who were excelling in singing “Raila for president”.
In total control, waving the black fly-whisk and singing “Mapambano”, Raila was the inheritor of Kajwang’s mantle. – Business Daily, December 8, 2014.
Aesop’s fables have been around for generations and still are a great resource to help teach children about doing the right thing. Free Download!
Short Kid Stories with a Lesson
Thanks to many wonderful writers we have all grown up with certain stories and fables that teach us about life. Aesop is one of those writers who have given us many interesting and great fables. Below is a list of free fables for children, each one with its own message. The majority are under one page in length and are a great way to start-up a conversation with your young children. These fables are free to use as you wish and are in pdf format for your convenience.
The Donkey and His Driver – They who will not listen to reason but stubbornly go their own way against the friendly advice of those who are wiser than they, are on the road to misfortune.
Being vested in our communities is what the soda tax boils down to. The tax proposed on soda and other sugary filled drinks is a way of having the low income community invest in our schools, parks and recreation centers the way we invest in soda and hair weaves. Say what you don't want to invest in our community infrastructure? You don't want to reside in safe productive communities built on community schools, libraries, parks and recreation centers? SAYYYYYYYYYYYY WHat?
How about we talk our responsibility to not only our family infrastructure but the communities also!! If we want to live in safe and productive communities then we need to invest in safe measures that produce productive communities. The funds raised from the Soda Tax would be our way of helping to build community schools which are the foundations for safe and productive communities.
There are icebergs that need to be addressed in the rebuilding of our communities and the Soda tax supports the resources and supports we need to address those icebergs. The mom and pop stores who have profited for so long on these items may want to invest in other items with the assistance of The Food Trust Corner Store Initiative
In 2004, The Food Trust piloted the Healthy Corner Store Initiative to motivate youth and adults to purchase healthier items through classroom education and direct marketing in the corner stores.
The initiative has grown dramatically since 2010 in partnership with the Philadelphia Department of Public Health’s Get Healthy Philly initiative, with additional support from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, Representative Dwight Evans, the Philadelphia Department of Commerce, the AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation and the Jefferson Center for Urban Health.
The Healthy Corner Store Initiative works to increase the availability and awareness of healthy foods in corner stores in Philadelphia through a multifaceted approach including:
Increasing store capacity to sell and market healthy items in order to improve healthy options in communities
Training and offering technical assistance to store owners to provide the skills to make healthy changes profitable
Marketing healthy messages to youth and adults to encourage healthy eating choices
Hosting in-store community nutrition education lessons
Educating youth in schools near targeted corner stores to reinforce healthy messages and provide nutrition education through the Snackin’ Fresh program
Linking corner store owners to community partners, local farmers and fresh food suppliers to create and sustain healthy corner stores.
Offering free blood pressure checks and referrals by a Jefferson University health care provider to customers in select corners stores enrolled in the Heart Smarts program. These stores also receive in-store nutrition education lessons which include cooking demonstrations and free taste tests.
In partnership with the Philadelphia Department of Health's Get Healthy Philly initiative, The Food Trust implements the Philadelphia Healthy Corner Store Network in more than 600 corner stores. The Food Trust has expanded the Healthy Corner Store Initiative throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and has consulted with communities across the country to provide technical assistance and training to support similar healthy corner store programs.
We the working people of the United States of America are tired of the limited thinkers who have been selected to lead our country and plan to change the present course of self destrcution that we have been mislead to live. Supporting Bernie Sanders for president is the start of the political revolution that we the working and retired communities of The United States of America want. No more profit over people, no more pushing their ideals on all of us. Obamacare was the worse thing to happen to working and disabled families. The earned income credit and entire refunds were eaten up because of Obamacare and his desire to force all Americans to have medical insurance not health care. I plan to interview several families and community members to share their heart break of Obamacare, will post the videos and blogs by mid May.
April 26, 2016 I'm taking a stand and not voting for the democrat machine. Not voting Cindy Bass, Chaka Fattah, Katie McGinty, Joe Sestack or Josh Shaprio. We have to get the money out of politics and vote for leaders who work for the people and not profits!!
How do you plan to spend your retirement? Traveling or spending more time with your
family? Whatever your retirement dreams, you have to start planning and saving now in
order to make those dreams come true.
Here are a few retirement savings tips and
reminders:
1. Plan to save
First, set a realistic retirement savings goal. Take into account how many years your
retirement will last, what you want to do when you retire, and how much you will
need for each year of your retirement.
Next, schedule your savings. Depending on what works best for you, commit to
saving a certain amount every year, every month or even every week for your
retirement. Stick to your schedule.
Lastly, regularly review your savings goal and schedule to make sure you’re still on
track.
2. Start saving now
It’s easy to put off saving for retirement to another day. The earlier you start;
however, the more likely you will save enough for retirement. By starting sooner
rather than later, you will also benefit more from compounding (earnings on previous
earnings).
3. Participate in your employer’s plan
Start participating in your employer’s retirement plan as soon as you can. If the plan
allows you to contribute to the plan from your wages, contribute as much as you can
up to the plan limits, which for 2016 are:
• $18,000 to 401(k) or 403(b) plans
• $12,500 to SIMPLE plans
If you are 50 or older by the end of the year, your plan most likely will allow you to
make additional (catch-up) contributions of $6,000 to 401(k) or 403(b) plans, and
$3,000 to SIMPLE plans.
If your employer doesn’t have a retirement plan, ask if one can be started.
4. Contribute to IRAs
Contributing to Individual Retirement Arrangements is a simple way to save for your
retirement. For 2016, you may be able to contribute to a traditional or Roth IRA the
smaller of:
• $5,500 ($6,500 if you are age 50 or older), or
• your taxable compensation for the year.
Some factors may limit or eliminate your ability to make IRA contributions while
others may limit you from deducting your traditional IRA contributions.
5. Avoid early withdrawals
Your retirement savings are for when you retire. To maximize the amount available
when you actually retire, avoid taking money out early from retirement plans and
IRAs. Remember that you usually have to pay an additional 10 percent tax on the
amount of money you take out of your plans or IRAs before you reach age 59½,
unless you qualify for an exception.
______________________________________________________________________
helpful resources on retirement topics on IRS.gov: • Saving for retirement – information on saving for retirement, including how
changes in your life can affect retirement planning.
• Types of retirement plans – information on various types of common retirement
plans, including how much you can contribute per year. • Retirement Plans FAQs – answers to common retirement plan and IRA
questions.
• Find information about #retirement planning for every stage of your life
https://go.usa.gov/rQyQ #IRS
• Get free tips on how to save for your #retirement https://go.usa.gov/rQye #IRS
