Herb Alpert Foundation Donates 10.1 million to LACC

Nowadays community colleges get a bum rap, but they are often the door for people carving out better lives for themselves. Whether it is going on to a four-year to complete a Bachelor’s Degree or getting a certificate in a certain industry to start a new occupation. Community colleges are often the link between poverty and becoming middle class. Not only do they help out in terms of educating the workforce but they supply opportunities that people may not get otherwise. Back in 2011, the Anthropology club raised enough funds to send the club to Africa. While most study abroad experiences focus more on European countries, the professor in attendance, Brian Bartelt felt it was important to give these students an experience they wouldn’t have anywhere else-visiting the African continent.

So when people run down the community college experience it is because they haven’t had one. Herb Alpert, who is a renowned trumpeter, also believes it will be beneficial in helping others in their careers.  According to the Los Angeles Times, Herb is quoted as saying: “LACC is a gem of an institution,” Alpert said regarding the donation. “The biggest motivation was helping kids who don’t have the financial energy to go to a major college. At LACC, they’ve nurtured thousands of dedicated students every year. My brother went there. My ex-partner [record producer] Lou Adler went there. I’ve visited the school. It’s alive. It’s kickin’.“

What Herb may not know and maybe surprised to find out is, by going to LACC, those kids better their chances of going to UCLA. This is taken from the LACC Ralph Bunche Scholars College program page: UCLA

 

Yep, that is me with the “necklace” around my neck and in the purple shirt

All students who are part of the LACC Scholars Program are automatically part of the UCLA Transfer Alliance Program. Scholars who complete six honors classes in the Scholars Program are given priority admission to UCLA. 79% of  Scholars were admitted to UCLA in 2011 as opposed to 30 % non-honors students accepted at UCLA. So while many think like Herb Alpert “Maybe we can help open the door to students who are financially challenged,” he said, “and don’t have an opportunity to go to a UCLA.” The truth is by supporting LACC, you may have just sent someone to UCLA.  [Note: The author is a recipient of UCLA Transfer Alliance Program they have at LACC and as it is noted, was able to get into UCLA in 2012 and graduate in 2015. It does work!] 

This sizable donation not only will allow more students to attend LACC tuition-free, but it will be the largest donation given to a community college in the history of Southern California,” he [Robert Schwartz] said. “And it’s the second-largest gift in the history of the state.” (ibid). There is always a budget shortfall when it comes to community colleges but this will help an additional 75 people get a music degree.  The free tuition will start in 2017. Hopefully, this is will motivate other people to give to their community colleges as well.

Community colleges are where people go to change their lives. Give to community colleges.

Horoscopes for August 18-24, 2016

The following horoscopes are only for fun and you shouldn’t base any real life decisions on them. Just read them and have fun:

Aries: Work will be filled with tension this week. You will be tempted to tell them to ram it! Don’t, you will still need them for a reference.

Taurus:  Your Taurus will need to go in for repairs. Don’t accept the first guy’s offer, they are full of bull. Leave it with the third guy, he is not trying to rip you off.

Gemini:  Things are identical to last week. Except this week, you will break up with your cheating boyfriend.

 

Cancer symbol

Cancer:  The reason you are so crabby this week is because you lent your friend, your Taurus and they wrecked it, Aries is driving you crazy at work and Gemini won’t shut up about her boyfriend. Take a break from all of them and you will be fine.

 

Leo:  Things are roaring at a nice clip for you.  Work is going well. You and your girlfriend are talking marriage and you beat you nephew on Call of Duty, granted it is the first Call of Duty, but it still counts!

Virgo:  You will be starting a virginal time of your life. New house, new job, new significant other.

 

Libra symbol

 

Libra:  Your life is on an even keel. Which means it is super boring. There is nothing new or exciting happening to you. You get up most mornings and wish someone would shoot you already. But don’t worry, it is so far downhill, it cannot get any worse either.

 

Scorpio:  You might have to bring your stinger out this week.  Leo and Virgo are bragging about how great their lives are, Libra is depressing with his life story and no one cares that your Gemini girlfriend just broke up with you! Cheating! Ha! She was the one that was cheating!

Sagittarius:  This whole week you will keep watching episodes of Arrow. You will also sign up for archery classes and get a green suit. Stephen Amell will take out a restraining order on you.

 

Capricorn symbol

Capricorn:  Stephen Amell will ask you out, but you tell him, no, you already have someone. Besides, you see him enough from your kid watching Arrow 24/7. He finds out you are friends with that Sagittarius nutjob who is stalking him. Don’t worry you will never hear from him again. In the meantime, work is going really well for you.

 

Aquarius:  Since you are always thirsty for water, you have broken down and ordered Sparkletts. The Sparklettt’s guy is really hot, sort of reminds you of Stephen Amell. He asks you out. You agree. Just don’t tell him about your Sagittarius and Capricorn buddies because it really is Amell from his time off from Arrow and if you tell him, you will never see him again.

Pisces:  Things are fishy for you right now. Your friends are not talking to you right now because you think Aquaman is way better than Green Arrow. Your fish, Arthur Curry, died and SeaWorld called, they said they hired someone else.

 

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Why Trump Supporters Should Want a House Vote (and You Should Too)

With all the rampant election malfeasance going on this election cycle, there is no way that come election day we can be assured that the election was carried off fairly and honestly. And even if there is election fraud on that day, it will not be investigated if either Hillary or Trump walk away with the needed 270 electoral votes. We know there was election fraud under Obama but it was never dealt with and he was never held accountable.The same will be true if either side wins this election. I don’t know  about you but I am tired of not having my vote count.

However, if there was not a clear winner and it had to go to the House to decide the election, there would be an investigation of all the practices during election day. The votes would be counted again to make sure they were accurate. And after all was said and done the House would decide who the President would be. Now, this benefits Trump most of all.  How? Because if the House declares Trump the winner after a thorough investigation,  then that removes the stain that he somehow “stole” the election. You want to shoot up his respectability factor, then have the House declare him the winner and you will see it instantly rise.

When Bush was investigated in 2000 for the votes in Florida, it was a long process. There was not just one count of the ballots but multiple counts and when the House couldn’t decide the Supreme Court did. But in the end, when he was declared the winner, his supporters had a badge of honor to carry with them because not only did he win the election fairly, the Supreme Court said he did! He had an air of credibility he probably wouldn’t have had, had he not had to survive a House vote. And while his detractors may not have liked his policies following his election there is not too much they could say about him “rigging” the election or otherwise “stealing” it because the Supreme Court settled that. And Bush was a lot more liked by his party going in than Trump is.

This would also be Trumps first seal of governmental approval. You can yell about the establishment all you want, it is the establishment you have to work with when you are the President. So if he walks in with the 270, the establishment will be, “That’s nice, they voted for you, we didn’t.” and would continue to make anything he tries to push through an uphill battle. However, if the House is the one who has to decide then they are going to be more reluctant to shoot down someone they voted in.  Of course, that is not to say he would have an easy go of it, just an easier go of it.

As for Hillary, a house vote wouldn’t change anything for her. Given the FBI let her off with the email scandal, people will just think she was able use her influence to win the House vote. So whether Hillary wins by the 270 or a house vote, people will assume the fix was in. She has nothing to gain from a house vote, but she has nothing to lose from it either. Whereas, with Trump he is far more to gain from a house vote than from  just getting the 270.

Finally the real winners in all of this is you and me-the American voter. The FEC has been mute when it has come to making sure this election has been handled in a fair and honest way. Trump should have been charged with slander and charged some serious fines when he made those charges about Ted’s father. He wasn’t. The FEC should have come after the DNC when they gave Hillary delegates that were truly Bernie Sanders and charged them with fraud. They didn’t. Therefore, the only way to have a legitimate election at this point in time is have enough people voting for other candidates so the big two do not walk away clear winners. At that point, the house will have to review the election and make a choice. Of course, if you don’t mind a corrupt election, keep on keeping on. But if you want a clean election, at this point, there is only one way to do it and that is to force a house vote.

In the end, it benefits everyone. It benefits the voter because they know now with a lot more certainty that it was a clean election. It benefits the candidates because they are given a seal of approval as America’s rightful president. It will grow the republic because  the minority voice will have more power than it did before. People might think, “Well what if my candidate is the winner and it goes to a house vote and they vote in someone else?” That can’t happen, it will go only go to a house vote if there is NO clear winner. So your candidate has just as much an equal chance of being voted President as the next guy in that case. Since the FEC doesn’t want to do its job, a house vote is the only way to make sure we the people are actually represented in the voting booth.

Lastly, if you are Trump supporter think about this. People all over America are voting in different candidates, not just the big two, so much that there is no clear winner and at the end of it, he comes out on top. Not only did he beat Hillary, he beat ALL OF THEM!!! So if there is like 8 candidates in the running-he just beat them all! Think of the field day you could have with that! Not only that, you could brag not only did your candidate win but you just helped to grow the voting pool. Because now more people will be willing to vote third parties, get more involved and maybe run for office themselves. You are a frickin’ patriot! It is a beautiful thing, pat yourself on the back, you just saved America!

Buy Trump’s book at Amazon