Many young people are finding
themselves heavily into debt the
minute they graduate from
college. The cause; college
plastic. It is easy to obtain a
credit card and max it out
buying whatever your heart
desires. However, students who
do not understand credit often
miss their payments, ending up
with bad credit. Ruining your
credit score right before you
enter the real world can be
disastrous.
Your credit is important.
America is a world built for
those with good credit. Why are
some people able to lease
shining new cars while paying a
low monthly rate, or house a
huge entertainment system from
Best Buy at a rate as little as
10 dollars a month? They made
their payments on time, every
time. Be responsible with your
spending, buy what you know you
can definitely afford.
Loan institutions such as Citi,
Capital One, Discover, and a
list of companies as long as
your college handbook will prey
on you if you are not credit
savvy. The term “student” credit
card is a marketing term that
lenders may use to pull in you
or your parents. There’s no real
meaning behind it. These cards
still often carry high interest
rates and fees. The rule of
thumb is to find the card with
the lowest APR rate.
With a credit card, many
students feel they can swipe as
many times as possible because
ready cash is not flowing out of
their hands physically. Take
notice on how much you are
spending, because these are
numbers that will translate into
a bill! Keeping a good credit
rating means a better quality of
life. It helps you to have easy
access to later loans at
competitive rates of interest
and with lesser formalities.
HOW TO
MEND DAMAGED CREDIT?
You can
obtain a credit report online at
www.annualcreditreport.com
for free.
View the
information to make sure it is
accurate and up to date.
Make
sure your payoff records are
correct. (if you’ve paid them
off, good! If not, work on
paying them off as soon as
possible.)
You
might consider adding a brief
statement (up to 100 words) on
your report to explain why
you’ve struggled.
If
damage to your credit was
severe, you should start
applying for retail, gasoline,
or secured credit card.
Don’t
jump on just any credit card
offered to you, understand the
interest rates, and find the
lowest APR possible.
The more
time that elapses between your
damaged credit and your new
card, the better it will look on
paper.
Make
your payments on time with the
new start. Missed payments will
add up and you will end up
paying a lot more.
A GOOD
EXAMPLE:
If you
obtain a credit card for 0% APR
for six months, then you’ll want
to use it while there’s no
interest rate. After the six
months are up, don’t cancel the
card, but instead pay it off,
put it away and do not use it.
The length of time that you have
accounts open helps boost your
credit. If you have more than
one credit card with high
interest rates, you can bargain
with the credit companies to
lower your rate. Credit card
companies are competitive with
each other, you can beat them at
their own game.
You may
send your questions to:
Afriquepublishing@gmail.com
By Dane
Arial
Is
your child eating right? One of
the severe health problems
affecting children today is
Childhood Obesity. According to
the Chicago Public Schools
statistics, on a national
average, 10.4 percent of
children are obese. Chicago
turned out to be one of the
leading states in childhood
obesity with a doubling
statistic of 23 percent of obese
children in the pre-K and
Kindergarten level. Obese
children do not perform well in
school when compared to healthy
weight children.
“Before,
school programs presented a
different message of food, and
it was never consistent. Food
was not healthy or appealing and
didn’t contain enough fresh
fruits and vegetables. We want a
food program to offer healthier
alternatives.” Rochelle
Davis, the
executive director of the
Healthy Schools Campaign (HSC)
told Afrique. HSC is an
organization that has brought
substantial change on the local
and national level in raising
public school food standards.
They have worked to put
healthier alternatives in school
vending machines.
48.6
percent of students who attend
Chicago Public School are
African Americans. More than
half of all obese children in
Chicago are from the African
American and Latino community.
Many of these kids come from
families who do not educate them
on healthy eating because the
parents weren’t educated when
they were young. This is one of
the key reasons why the children
do not perform well
academically.
When a
child ingests unhealthy food,
meaning foods that contain large
quantities of sugar (cookies,
animal crackers, candy bars,
canned soda, anything containing
high fructose corn syrup), they
get very energetic for a short
period and then feel lethargic.
In the long run, it lowers the
quality of a child’s life. The
federal government has a
guideline list for public
schools to follow concerning
nutritional value in school
lunches. However, the reality is
that only 25 percent of the
schools in the U.S. are actually
complying with these lists. In
the end, it’s the lack of
financial resources and parental
concern that keeps the children
unhealthy in the inner cities.
Be
proactive. Educate your child on
how to eat. You should use the
concepts of variety and
moderation when feeding them.
This means giving them more
green and fresh vegetables,
fresh fruits, and whole grain
based foods. It’s helpful to set
up a weekly plan that allows for
highly palatable foods such as
sweets to be routinely offered
once or twice per week in
reasonable quantities. This
method removes the appeal that a
restricted food has, and teaches
children how to balance their
intake of these foods with a
core diet consisting of more
healthful choices. Children
should develop appropriate self
control mechanisms, which is
taught at an early age to notice
hunger cues and satiety cues.
Sometimes
parents lack the financial means
to send their child to a school
with healthy food stores within
the vicinity. Some schools are
located in "food desert" areas.
“There are no grocery stores
around these schools, and these
areas are populated by fast food
restaurants. For many students
who do not eat a nutritious
breakfast at home, lunch may be
their only meal of the day.”
Said Davis. Fast food
restaurants such as KFC, Burger
King, McDonalds, Popeye’s
Chicken, and Wendy’s, etc are
all unhealthy choices for your
child. These corporations
specifically target the low
income families and capitalize
on their ignorance to healthy
eating. Fast food is never good.
Fast food is the number one
contributor to obesity in
America.
A child
cannot perform physically and
mentally if they have medical
conditions such as asthma,
breathing difficulties, and
sleeping problems. Take notice
now so they will stay healthy
later in life.
Somewhere out there, money is
flying around waiting for you to
snatch. The question is how to
get your hands on that money!
One thing to remember is that
you are never limited. There is
always a way to pay for college,
you just have to go and seek it
out. Afrique just made your life
a little easier by listing some
of the scholarships that can
help you. Low income, middle
income, whatever income you
family may have, take this
opportunity! Use the internet!
There are funds available, and
we hope you apply for them. A
better education ensures a
brighter future.
FIELD
SPECIFIC SCHOLARSHIPS
1)American
Art Therapy
Eligible Inst.: US schools
Deadline: June 15
2) American
Physical Society
1 Physics Ellipse
College Park, MD 20740-3844
APS Minorities Scholarship
Tel: (301) 209-3232
Eligible Inst.: US schools
Deadline: February 15
3)Corporate-Sponsored
Scholarship for Minority
Undergraduate Students in
Physics
Tel: (301) 209-3232
Eligible Inst.: US schools
Deadline: January 31
4) American
Planning Association
122 South Michigan Ave. #1600
Chicago, IL 60603
APA Planning & the Black
Community Div.
Undergraduate Minority
Scholarships
Tel: (312) 431-9100
Eligible Inst.: US schools
Deadline: May 15
5) Chicago
Association of Black Journalists
DeKalb, IL 60115
Chicago ABJ Scholarship
Tel: (815) 753-7017
Eligible Inst.: US schools
6) Chicago
Sun-Times
401 N. Wabash Ave.
Chicago, IL 60611
Minority Scholarship Program
Tel: (312) 321-3000
Eligible Inst.: US schools
Deadline: December 15
7)Chicago
Urban League
4510 S. Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL 60653-3898
Anheuser-Busch Scholarship and
Coors of Excellence Program
Tel: (773) 285-5800
Eligible Inst.: US schools
8) National
Black Nurses Association
Enrolled in Nursing Program
Eligible Inst.: US Schools
Deadline: Varies
www.nbna.org
9) National
Society of Black Engineers
Scholarships
Minority enrolled in Engineering
Program
Eligible Inst.: US Schools
Deadline: Varies
http://www.nsbe.org/programs/
Deadline: February
General
Scholarships
Check
out these sites for student loan
tips and leads:
Jet Eine
What
did you have for dinner last
night?
Many people
don’t remember what they had for
dinner last night or two nights
ago. I can’t. Maybe you can, and
if you do, what were you wearing
while you were eating dinner?
What were you saying? Hearing?
Do you remember all that?
First, a
Little History....on Memory..
Late 19th
Century
Herman
Ebbinghause performed
experiments on himself in which
he memorized strings of nonsense
syllables, and then tried to
recall them. He discovered a
“curve of forgetting” which
essentially shows that
forgetting is initially rather
fast, but some material is
remembered for a much longer
time.
Early 20th
Century
Karl Lashly
attempted to find where memories
were stored in the brain. He had
rats learn a maze, and then
removed various parts of the
rats’ brains. Much to his
surprise, it didn't matter where
the brain was removed from, but
the more he removed, the less
they remembered.
Mid 20th
Century
Wilder
Penfield, a Canadian brain
surgeon, electrically probed his
patient’s brains while
performing surgery on
epileptics. Whenever he hit a
certain spot on the brain, his
patients (who were awake during
the operation) would vividly
experience imagery or sounds.
Penfield concluded that memories
were very specifically localized
in the brain.
Today: With
a history of research, memory is
now viewed to be distributed
across many parts of the brain,
in many interconnected networks
of neurons. There also are a
number of different kinds of
memory, operating on different
time scales, and in different
relationships to consciousness.
Q+A with
Dr. Rob Snyder, professor of the
Mind & Brain Course at the
School of the Art Institute of
Chicago.
If we
understand how our memory works,
maybe it would help us next time
when we cram for that big exam.
Q: What
helps us remember better?
A: We
remember better if we can relate
it to something we are already
familiar with. This is called
association. For example, if you
went to a lecture on a subject
that you knew nothing about, it
would be very hard to remember
most of it. You’d remember if
you could relate it to concepts
that you already know. Memories
must relate to other memories.
Stress and
emotional response can cause you
to remember better. Parents
spank their kids at an early age
in order to provoke that
emotional response. This way,
the next time they do something
bad, they’ll remember not to.
Another way
to remember, which may seem a
bit odd, is place. We tend to
remember things better in the
same place where we learned
them. Alan Baddely, an English
researcher, had people memorize
text under water. When they came
up, they didn’t remember as
well. When they were submerged
under water again, they
remembered.
You should
create connections between
memories to make them more
durable. Some people create
images or other codes for
remembering things. How did
people in ancient worlds
memorize long epic poems! They
associated parts of the poem
with features on the inside of
the building they were in, so
they can look at a spot and
remember a piece of passage from
the poem. Maybe that’s how
Fidel Castro gave those 5 hr
long unscripted speeches.
Q: Which
part of our brain controls our
memory?
A: The
hippocampus is the part that
creates new memories in our
brains. Anything that reduces
blood flow to the hippocampus
can cause long-term damage.
Damage to your long-term
memories can actually start
within a few minutes of a heart
attack.
Q: Can
certain chemical substances help
one’s memory? What about the
ones that hurt memory?
A: There
are not really any impressive
“memory drugs” out there, except
for caffeine. A cup of coffee,
latte, or mate tea, has been
shown to have a positive effect
on memory. Creating long-term
memories involves protein
synthesis in the brain. Drugs or
any substance that slows down
protein production in the brain
will interfere with memory
formation. Some recent evidence
shows that some parts of the
brain may regenerate after
damage.
AUGUST 2007
As a
parent, you should constantly be
looking to maximize your child’s
development. After school
programs can benefit your
child’s growth. Expose your
child to the arts and athletics
can positively influence their
minds at an early age. Here’s
the Afrique School List of
Excellence. These are schools
that may offer programs fit for
your child to further develop
their young minds.
Notable
Schools:
Loop Lab
School
300 N. Michigan
Chicago, IL
(312) 372-4468
Grades: K-8
Plus
Factor: Located in downtown
Chicago, this charter school is
not your conventional primary
school. The plus side is that
the children are exposed to all
of the cultural activities that
the heart of the city has to
offer- there are regular field
trips to the sites in the area.
The school even stretches beyond
the classroom as the school also
grooms students through
etiquette classes.
Westside
Preparatory School in Chicago
8035 S.
Honore
Chicago, IL
(773) 962-0101
Grades: K-8
Plus
Factor: The school is one of the
most notable achievements of
Black Chicago. In 1975, the
school was founded by Chicago
teacher Marva Collins who,
dissatisfied with the quality of
education kids were receiving in
Chicago schools, opened the
school using $5,000 of her
pension money. To be part of an
institution that is such a
significant part of Black
History is enough to instill a
sense of pride in any child.
Uplift
Academy (Uptown)
900 W. Wilson
(773) 534-2875
Grades: 6-9
Plus
Factor: Like the Northside
neighborhood which it calls
home, this middle-school is
definitely not short on
diversity. In addition to its
large number of African American
and Hispanic students, it also
has an eclectic mix of students
who are children of African and
Asian immigrants. The result -
students are introduced to a
culturally diverse learning
environment which they may not
have otherwise been exposed to
if they stayed in more
segregated neighborhood schools.
Lycée Française
de Chicago
613 W. Bittersweet
Chicago, IL
Grades: K-12
Plus
Factor: Using the French
National Curriculum, Lycée
Française offers courses in both
French and English. Students are
tested regularly in both
languages. The school is an
especially popular choice for
French expatriates and
French-speaking immigrants of
African descent. Multilingualism
has become a necessity for those
who want to compete in the
global economy- you can start
preparing your child at an early
age.
AFTER
SCHOOLS
Boys and Girls Club of Chicago
With
several locations around the
city, the club offers after
school programs for kids ages
6-17. During the school year,
children can participate in the
after school program which runs
five days a week. There are
tons of activities to keep the
kids occupied as the club is
equipped with a game room,
gymnasium, art room, music
studio and much more. All of
that for a membership fee of $20
for one year. For more info:
Call (773) 271-8400
36 Lion
Soccer Club
Although
soccer is not the most American
of sports, it is a great way to
keep kids active. The 36Lion
club now offers soccer classes
for children.
For more
info. Call (773) 355-9297
Hyde Park
Art Center
During the
summer months, the center offers
classes in ceramics, digital
media, photography and
printmaking. There are classes
available for children of all
ages –from preschoolers to
teens.
For more
info:
www.hydeparkart.org
After
School Matters
A program
for artistically gifted teens,
After School Matters offers
arts (Gallery 37), athletics
(Sports 37), website design
(Tech 37) and other programs
through which young adults can
explore their creative side. For
more info. Call (312)742-4182
Little
Black Pearl
As one of
the longest running programs for
African-American youth in
Chicago, Little Black Pearl is
known for providing workshops
and events that allow youth to
express themselves. From the
“Night on the Mic” at which
young adults can show case their
talent on stage to the “Let’s
Face It” forum where youth
discuss issues related to them,
Little Black Pearl is all for
empowering young minds. For
more info: Call (773) 285-1211
Muntu Dance
Theatre
Under the
Arts for Community Empowerment
Program, Muntu teams up with
local private and nonprofit
organizations to bring African
dance classes for students of
all ages. Also offered are
concerts; after school programs
and free performances by the
Muntu ensemble.
For more
info: Call (773) 602-1135
ARE
YOU A REAL MAN?
BECOME THE NEXT MALE
ROLE MODEL TO THE COMMUNITY
Chicago Public Schools has set
up a program called Real Men
Read (RMR) that brings men from
the community into public
schools to read to students. For
one hour each month, through the
program, four things will be
accomplished:
1. To show
students who real men are, that
real men do in fact read and
value education.
2. To
encourage and improve literacy
skills of our students.
3. To
provide mentoring opportunities
for men who would like to make a
difference for the Chicago
Public School students.
4. To
demonstrate the importance of
student achievement and
community partnerships.
All men
within the community can become
a mentor and a role model. This
program started last January,
and included community
participants from all walks of
life. Nichole Matthews, the
program director for RMR, told
Afrique that men who were
doctors, janitors, bankers, and
attorneys were all involved with
the program. “All men can
participate. It’s a very
positive program, because the
kids love it. Not only the boys,
but the girls as well. The men
are committed, and attendance
was high. 50% of the students
were African American, and 47%
were Latinos. After the
readings, each student received
a book to take home to read
thanks to a Chase Sponsorship of
$50,000.”
Lesson
plans for each book will be
given to mentors in order to
assist them with leading reading
discussions. This program is for
grades 2nd 5th and 7th. It has
given the boys a real
perspective on their future, and
the girls a different view of
men, especially if they are
missing a father figure in the
house. There are nearly 400
public schools within the city
and this coming year starting in
October, RMR is trying to reach
120 schools. Every third
Thursday of the month for one
hour, a man can become an
inspiring figure for these kids.
The program is geared to be very
diverse. Any reputable men are
encouraged to apply.
For
more information on CPS Real Men
Read, please contact (773)
553-BOOK (2665) or Nichole
Matthews, the program manager at
(773) 553-1592 or via email at
realmenread@cps.k12.il.us
NOTICE YOUR
CHILD FROM THE START: A Guide to
Better Parenting!
Children
have distinctive learning
styles. A child's learning style
in his infancy influences his
ability to socialize, and to
perform athletically and
academically later in life. A
successful parent is to help a
child develop so they can become
a well-adjusted individual once
out in society. Every child has
a specific way of absorbing
information. Some learn best
through visual stimulation;
others are more responsive to
sound and language; and some
learn more quickly through touch
and motion. There are three
categories based on preferred
learning styles: the Lookers,
the Listeners, and the Movers.
Which one are you, and which one
is your child?
SIGNS OF
THE “LISTENER”
Notices
sounds and words rather than
touch and visual stimuli.
Starts speaking at an earlier
age and have large vocabularies.
Speaks with clarity and
precision and enjoys reciting
out loud, singing, and music.
Loves reading at an early age.
Their play style involves making
stories up and acting them out
with friends.
Solution: Encourage visual
stimulation by involving them
into the visual arts. Involve
them in painting, coloring, and
creating with their hands.
SIGNS OF
THE “LOOKER”
Always
looking at new things. Using
their hands to demonstrate what
they’ve learned.
Love turning pages of a book to
view pictures instead of just
listening to a story.
Responsive to visuals, movement,
motion, color, shape and size.
Gifted with hand eye
coordination.
Prefers puzzles, blocks, cutting
and pasting or other activities
that has to do with hand eye
coordination.
Drawn to board games, arts and
craft assignments, fascinated
with computers, calculators and
video games.
Solution: These babies need to
improve their language and
social skills and their full
body coordination. Encourage
them to read out loud, present
orally, and involve in active
sports.
SIGNS OF
THE “MOVER”
Learn
through touch and movement.
Enjoys large muscle activity.
Involve them in high intensity
sports such as running, jumping,
and climbing, etc.
Infants are restless and likes
to move, usually calmed by
cuddling and rocking by the
parent.
Develops ability to walk and
crawl at an early age.
Excel at outdoor activities,
bondless, and energetic, fidgety
and easily distracted.
This can be a problem in the
classroom; the parent should
encourage energetic learning and
give their kids more tasks to be
occupied with. They might become
frustrated or easily bored, but
if the parents can pay attention
and respond by developing the
child’s patience levels, it will
help foster those skills.
As a
parent, if you can identify
these traits in your child, then
you can choose toys and
activities that can develop
their weaker skills and
reinforce their natural
strengths. Children don’t just
absorb information in the same
way an adult does. Parents have
a natural tendency to expose
their children to the kind of
stimulation that they enjoy
themselves. However this is
wrong, because it might not work
for the child.
Based on
Dr. Bradway’s How to Maximize
Your Child’s Learning Ability”.
Bradway is a speech-language
pathologist who has twenty years
of practical experience.
