Florida A & M University is providing an outstanding opportunity for Black women entering college in the fall of 2009. It is designed to address their absence in the field of computer technology. Dr. Jason Black is the Principal Investigator of a recently awarded $552,000 NSF Grant entitled African-American Women in Computer Science. The grant provides scholarships from $4000 to $10,000 per year for female African American students.

DEADLINE FOR APPLYING:
• If planning for Fall Enrollment: August 1 of that year
• If planning for Spring Enrollment: December 1 of the previous year

For more info visit: www.cis.famu.edu

WHOSE BARRIO? is an emotionally charged look at the changes in Manhattan’s Spanish Harlem as real estate speculation pushes rents and property values past the point of affordability for most area residents. By interviewing long-time East Harlemites and new arrivals, and digging deep into the flavor of a neighborhood long regarded as a cultural homeland for Latinos and other ethnic groups, the film reveals a complex web of individual and community interests. Directed and produced by Ed Morales and Laura Rivera, WHOSE BARRIO? is having its world premiere at the New York International Latino Film Festival on August 2, 2009.

They producers are seeking: Salsa – Fania style songs; Mambo – Palladium years style songs; Danzon; Danza and Puerto Rican Folk Conjunto.

For more info or to submit your music contact: Ed Morales, 347-271-4615, 646-342-2100, emorale@optonline.net

How do you go from struggling, emerging or even semi-established artist to selling a complete show for $198 million? It’s a big art world out there, but maybe this is one place to start!

Magical Elves (Peabody Award-winning Project Runway, Emmy Award-winning Top Chef) and Sarah Jessica Parker (Golden Globe- and Emmy Award-winner) and her production company, Pretty Matches, are teaming up for an hour-long creative competition series among aspiring contemporary artists who will create and compete to conquer the art world!

If you’re an emerging or mid-career artist with a unique, powerful voice that demands a bigger stage – well. . . Here. It. Is.

We want contemporary artists. Your medium could be one of many (or several of many) – painting, sculpture, installation, video, photography, mixed-media – we want voices that believe in their art and want the world to know.

Attend one of our four regional casting calls around the country and we will consider you for participation in this groundbreaking show.

DATES:

LOS ANGELES
Saturday, July 11 & Sunday, July 12, 10 AM – 2 PM
LAXART
www.laxart.org

MIAMI
Tuesday, July 14, 10 AM – 2 PM
Fredric Snitzer Gallery
www.snitzer.com

CHICAGO
Thursday, July 16, 10 AM – 2 PM
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Sullivan Galleries, 33 State Street
www.saic.edu

NEW YORK
Saturday, July 18 & Sunday, July 19, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
White Columns
www.whitecolumns.org

PLEASE BRING THE FOLLOWING TO THE OPEN CASTING CALLS:

1) YOUR COMPLETED AND SIGNED APPLICATION FROM THE WEBSITE (NOTE: YOU WILL NOT BE ADMITTED TO THE OPEN CASTING CALL UNLESS THIS APPLICATION AND THE CERTIFICATION OF VERACITY IS COMPLETED AND SIGNED);

2) A “DIGITAL PORTFOLIO” WITH REPRESENTATIONS OF AT LEAST 10 PIECES OF ARTWORK, PREFERABLY MORE. THE DIGITAL PORTFOLIO MUST BE ON A CD-ROM OR USB FLASH DRIVE/JUMP DRIVE THAT IS CLEARLY LABELED WITH YOUR NAME, PHONE NUMBER AND EMAIL ADDRESS. THE DIGITAL PORTFOLIO WILL BE LEFT WITH CASTING AND NOT RETURNED TO YOU;

3) A HARD COPY PORTFOLIO THAT SHOWS YOUR RANGE/DEPTH OF WORK. THIS HARD COPY PORTFOLIO WILL BE REVIEWED ON-SITE BY CASTING, SO PUT YOUR BEST FOOT FORWARD. THIS HARD COPY WILL NOT BE LEFT WITH CASTING;

4) IF POSSIBLE, ANY ORIGINAL ARTWORK THAT IS EASILY TRANSPORTABLE. THESE PIECES OF ARTWORK WILL BE FOR REVIEW ON-SITE AND YOU WILL NOT LEAVE THIS ARTWORK WITH CASTING; AND

5) AN UPDATED RESUME.

For more info visit: www.bravotv.com

By Juleyka Lantigua

This summer, there’s good news for many Black and Latino youth around the country. The federal government has designated $1.2 billion of the $787 billion stimulus package for the creation and support of summer jobs for disadvantaged youth.

Nationally, unemployment for 16-to-19-year-olds is nearly 23 percent, more than double the 9.2 percent overall unemployment rate. But Black and Latino youth suffer disproportionately higher unemployment rates. As of May 2009, Latinos aged 16-19 faced a 31 percent unemployment rate. Black teens have to contend with an unemployment rate of 34 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics latest report.

Though program requirements for federally funded summer jobs will vary from state to state, participants will largely come from low-income families, underserved areas and from groups who face greater challenges in accessing jobs, like the disabled, high school dropouts and those who have no previous work experience or training.

This seasonal focus on hard-hit populations will have a lasting impact on Latinos and Blacks, who tend to outpace the general population in undesirable categories like dropout rates, youth crime and poverty. Reaching out to young people who may already have one or two strikes working against them will have immediate economic and social impacts across communities in need. Providing job training, professional skills and mentorship for at-risk youth can create viable options for meaningful work, motivate them to continue their education, and help them feel valued and productive.

In New York City, which has large Black and Latino populations, the unemployment rate among 16-to-19-year-olds doubled in the past year to 22 percent, according to state estimates. This summer, $18.5 million in stimulus funds will help add 13,378 jobs, for a total of 51,000, which is 8,000 more than existed last year. Demand is so high that weeks before the May 15 deadline, the program had already received 81,000 applications, according to the Department of Youth and Community Development. Participants will earn $7.25 an hour, and also receive training in financial literacy and job skills.

Economically, teens are avid consumers, so much of their earnings will be funneled right back into the economy as they use their earnings to buy music, go to the movies, buy used cars, new clothes, and the status-defining electronics of the moment.

Stimulus dollars were distributed to all states, from about $3 million for Wyoming and South Dakota and other low-population states to $186 million for California, which is among the most populated states. The combined effect will be much greater than the billion-dollar expenditure may signify, as countless teens will have transformative experiences that can take them down entirely different paths, leading to college or trade school or full-time employment after summer ends.

The White House estimates that stimulus money will create 125,000 jobs for low-income youths this summer. The positive effect of all those teens hard at work will ripple out to their families, schools, communities and the whole country, positively impacting millions. That’s the type of stimulus we need to make permanent.

--

Juleyka Lantigua is a writer whose work has appeared in books, magazines and newspapers around the world.

By Juleyka Lantigua

As you may know, taxpayers are about to own 60% of General Motors. So here’s our chance to get exactly what we want in our favorite mode of transportation. Personally, I am looking forward to annual meetings in which I can discuss my wish list at length with fellow stockholders.

A driver for over fifteen years, I have accumulated a list of improvements that I believe will make all our driving experiences more pleasurable. Feel free to add your own thoughts, fellow shareholder.

1.    How about 100 miles per gallon. We’ve been to the Moon and sent rovers Mars, but still can’t figure this one out?
2.    Standard built-in navigation systems for all models. Why should the rich be the only ones who don’t get lost anymore?
3.    Volume and tuning buttons standard on all steering wheels. The number of accidents avoided will stagger you.
4.    Remote control key for every car. There’s no reason a 2-cent battery in a plastic case should be turned into a luxury item.
5.    Different sounds for different warnings. Door open = three bells. Key in ignition = 4 pings. Headlights still on = 2 knocks. Those are just suggestions, but you get the point.
6.    Power-controlled seats on the driver and passenger seats; sometimes the driver is the passenger, and that’s an unpleasant surprise.
7.    Value retention, for real.
8.    Built-in technology that melds our techie lifestyles (iPods, cell phones, etc.)
9.    Roadside assistance service modeled after On-Star, connecting the car directly to the manufacturer and sharing performance data automatically, to keep you safe and the car running smoothly.
10.    Lastly: car designed so sleekly they make you want to get in and go fast.

--

Juleyka Lantigua is a writer whose work has appeared in books, magazines and newspapers around the world.

By Juleyka Lantigua
The more I hear, read, and witness the reaction of many (mostly conservative) white people to the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court, the worse I feel for white people in general.

You know the feeling. That nagging sense of collective embarrassment (C.E.) some of us brown/black folks feel whenever “one of us” does something so outrageously unimaginable that we shrug our shoulders and brace for impact.

Examples:
    A Latino mayor of huge city admitting to cheating on his wife.
    A certain Black civil rights icon threatening to castrate a presidential candidate.
    A Black star athlete shooting himself in a club after strapping his gun to his sweatpants.
    A first Latino governor who can’t get confirmed for Cabinet because he’s so corrupt.

I don’t know for sure if white people ever get a serious outbreak of C.E., but I bet plenty of them are feeling a little rash-y right about now. The likes of Rush Limbaugh, Newt Gingrich, Bill O'Reilly and their ilk have spent the last week chomping at Judge Sotomayor, and trying to best each other for bottom-feeder status.

Among their most ignorant claims:
    She’s an immigrant fluent in “illegal speak.”
    She’s a racist who thinks she’s better than a white man.
    Her menstrual cycles will impact court rulings.
    She does not know the real America.

I’m not accusing all white people of sharing these incendiary views, not by far. But what I am aware of is that the rest of us non-whites are watching and listening carefully, because deep down in places we don’t talk about, we live with the fear that to some extent many more white folks see us in such radically warped ways as to render some of these statements .0000000001% true in their worldviews.

And that’s why I feel bad for white people right now. I feel bad for them because an almost measurable degree of doubt has been introduced to their relationships with the rest of us, because they have all become somewhat suspect in our eyes—just a tiny bit—because the most vociferous and dangerously ignorant among them have unleashed the type of venom that clouds the air for years.

I hope I’m wrong about this, and that this is merely a fleeting manifestation of some deep-set paranoia the immigrant, Bronx-bred, educated Latina in me harbors in a forgotten crevice in her mind.

--

Juleyka Lantigua is a writer whose work has appeared in books, magazines and newspapers around the world.

 
For more info visit: www.christoph-martin-schmid.com

[ via: Fubiz ]

George  Washington University Science & Engineering Apprenticeship program -  This program places academically talented H.S. students (at least 16 yrs old, sophomores/ juniors) with interest in science & math in Dept. of Defense laboratories for an 8-wk period over the summer.  This is an invaluable experience in the world of scientific research, with hands-on exposure to scientific & engineering practices not available in the HS environment.  It is a paid apprenticeship ($2,000) and the students are assigned a scientist or engineer as their mentor. Students must submit their transcript (minimum GPA 3.0) and teacher recommendation to the program director for consideration and daily transportation is the student's responsibility.  Program runs from June 22 - August 14, 2009.  To apply or get more information about the program, e-mail Swati.Ramadorai@US.ARMY.MIL, call Swati Ramadorai at (301)-319-9259 or visit: www.usaeop.com

Exploring Engineering at the University of Maryland (E2@UMD) is a one-week summer program for high school women (rising juniors or seniors) who are considering engineering as a possible major and career. You will live on campus for one-week and explore the world of engineering through fun hands-on activities, laboratory experiments, informative workshops, team challenges, and seminars with professional engineers. July 12-18, or July 19-25; rising juniors and seniors.  For more info visit: www.wie.umd.edu

University of Maryland Young Scholars Program targets rising juniors and seniors who have a strong academic record and a desire to excel to experience college life while earning three academic credits.  14
courses are offered for three weeks from July12 - 31, 2009. For more info visit: www.summer.umd.edu

City Year, Washington DC (AmeriCorps) - Graduating seniors who are not sure what they want to do after high school should consider applying for a paid community service position with City Year, Washington, DC., a group of 17-24 year olds committed to full-time service for ten months in the Washington, DC community.  Benefits include living stipend ($200 per week), health care coverage, free metro pass, and $4,725 educational scholarship.  For more info or to apply visit: www.cityyear.org or call Amanda Seligman at: 202-776-7780.  Recruitment open houses will be held once a month at their headquarters:  918 U Street, NW , 2nd floor, Washington, DC 20001

She is a Bad B#tch! Men Want Her and Women Want to be Her. Known for her strength and seductive ways, she's Gun-Ho and all about the "Get Yours!" She is irony incarnate. She is your fantasy...which one?!? That's up to you. Just keep in mind, she is available to invade your space..just say the word!

www.soundofart.net

Limité Magazine is an academic journal dedicated to capturing the echelon of modern world culture - elevating the unique and inspiring in fashion, design, travel, the arts, and pure expression. Fueled by a desire to serve as the voice uniting cultures from around the globe, Limité celebrates diversity, creativity, and the modern lifestyle of today’s man and woman.

Whether derived from the styled catwalks of Milan or the graffitied streets of Brooklyn, it is the select works that alter the way we see our world that become Limité features. The men and women who are the tastemakers, entrepreneurs, visionaries, and determined underdogs all contribute to the living trans-world culture that is Limité.

Ideal Candidates:
We feel this position is ideal for college students (but not limited to) looking to gain valuable REAL experience with a fast-paced, up & coming online media company that focuses on dissecting pop culture in a relevant and intelligent manner.

Contributor Duties:
You will be responsible for various cultural and product reviews, conduct interviews and manage press release submissions for the online magazine. Experience is not necessary for the position, although we do recommend a writing background (literature, communication or any other liberal arts majors).  Most importantly, we need those with a lot of fire and enthusiasm and the ability to learn and contribute great editorial ideas. 

Incentives:
The position/internship is currently unpaid, but affords lots of networking opportunities at exciting industry events, school credit, work reference and valuable editorial experience. We also give you the opportunity to bolster your writing portfolio and provide an expansive PR platform to build on your own creative projects.

Contact:
If you are interested in this position, please drop an email inquiry to the Limité Staff at: limite@freshmediainc.com