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.

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

DO APPLY:
• if you have an interest in what they do. You'll be able to work in all facets of our business: Retail (Reed Space), Design, Consulting, Apparel Design, Sales, Distribution, Publishing, New Media, etc.
• if you are ready to bust your ass like this little guy shown here.
• if you know how to keep a schedule.
• if you want the opportunity of a lifetime to gain real life hands on experience.
• if you want your lunches paid for (and maybe travel).

DO NOT APPLY:
• if you live far away from downtown NYC.
• if you only need a seasonal short term internship. We need people who can commit. Most current Staple employees started as interns.
• if you just want to sit in a chair and design all day.
• if you need money.
• if you just wanna be "down".
• if you have bad breath or uncontrollable body odor.

Remember, In internships as in life: You get out as much as you put in.

Send a cover letter, resumes and/or samples of work to: theslave_at_stapledesign_dot_com.

The Orchard and Los Angeles based interactive agency, Fluidesign have recently introduced Mobile Roadie, a simple and inexpensive way for any band, DJ, MC, labels, recording artist or musician to build, introduce and manage their own iPhone App.

This fully customizable, private label application allows you to fully develop and easily brand your app. Fans and customers will only see your name and icon in the app store and your app on their iPhone or iPod Touch. For a $299 one time fee, $29 a month and $.01 per month per install (the first 1000 installs are free) you get the following:

Music
Stream your music for your fans to sample and link to purchase on iTunes directly from your app.

Photo Gallery
Upload new photos of shows, press shots, candids, ANYTHING, whenever you want.

Shows
Allow your fans to follow your tour dates and alert them when you'll be in their area. Link to Ticketmaster/Live Nation (or any ticketing site) so your fans can purchase tickets on the fly.

Videos
Link to your YouTube videos from your app.

News
Post news stories with pictures and links. Also integrate your Twitter and RSS feeds.

Fan wall
Let's your fans participate, talk to each other, post photos from your shows, etc...

Profiles
Integrate all your online social profiles within the app. Fans can browse your myspace, facebook, imeem, etc. profiles right in your app.

Customization
MoRo is fully configurable. Upload your own images, choose your own colors, and fully control your content.

Stats
In depth reporting from the number of downloads, to what tracks are getting the most plays.

Song Notes
Add lyrics or notes about each song to better connect w/fans, share your process and get your users into your music.

For more info visit: www.mobileroadie.com

Matt Taibbi has a very interesting take on the economic crisis in the current issue of Rolling Stone magazine entitled “The Big Takeover where he goes on to say  that the global economic crisis isn't about money - it's about power and how Wall Street insiders are using the bailout to stage a revolution."

The article's opening line "It's over — we're officially, royally fucked," hooked us right in.

Thanks to Christophe for the lead.

More after the [ JUMP ]

We're by no means fans of PC's, but, who knew that Chinese designers had sexy in them? Check out the initial images of Lenovo's new clutch-like, leather bound netbook, the "Pocket Yoga PC." One of the Pocket Yoga's many details is a belt that closes the Yoga and doubles as a mouse.
[ via: www.electronista.com ]

BMI Invites you to have an intimate conversation with some the top music industry executives, songwriters and producers as they share their experience and knowledge of today's music business. Featuring...

JENNIFER BLAKEMAN
Sr. VP for Universal Music Publishing

KWAME
Music Producer - Keyshia Cole, Fantasia, Christina Aguilera, and Will Smith

FRANKIE STORM
Songwriter - Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez, Enrique Inglesias, Ciara, and Britney Spears

JEFF FENSTER
Sr. VP of A&R for Jive Records

TRACKMASTERS (TONE & POKE)
Music Producers - Jay-Z, Nas, Ludacris, Rihanna, R-Kelly, Anthony Hamilton

DAVID “TOUCH” WRIGHT
Director of A&R for Def Jam Records

Moderated by...

BONSU THOMPSON
Cultural Journalist - XXL/KING/Dreamz R Real Ent

Clinton Recording Studios
653 10th Avenue
(46th St. and 10th)

Hors d'oeuvres and beverages to be served.

**DUE TO LIMITED SPACE, PLEASE ARRIVE EARLY TO GUARANTEE ADMITTANCE**

Please rsvp to industrypanel@bmi.com

By Juleyka Lantigua
Happy Women’s History Month. We’re making it as we live and breathe.

Starting with First Lady Michelle Obama, prominent intelligent, educated and powerful black and brown women will inspire, validate, reassure and motivate young women who have lacked viable role models in key areas like politics, corporate America and social leadership.

As simple as it may seem, the example of a woman of color serving as a Senator, in a cabinet position or on a board of directors has an immediate mirror effect.

Countless little girls can easily see themselves in women like Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, Avon CEO Andrea Jung, PepsiCo Chairwoman Indra K. Nooyi or U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice. The usual “when I grow up I want to” can now be filled in with “serve on the President’s Cabinet,” “lead a Fortune 500 company,” “work in international relations.”

Growing up in the South Bronx in the 1980’s I rarely saw important Latina and black politicians or public servants to inspire me to follow in their footsteps. My aspirations were set by watching successful men, and dreaming of one day being “a female something.” I thought that succeeding as a woman would make me an exception in male professions, almost regardless of the field. I thought about being a female lawyer, a female pilot, a female writer, a female university president, even a female Supreme Court judge.

That’s no longer the case.

Today, little girls everywhere will not need to think it’s exceptional that they can be corporate leaders, members of Congress, secretary of something, or hold a high post in the White House. Seeing women like EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, Cecilia Muñoz, who heads the White House office of Intergovernmental Affairs, and White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett opens up layers and layers of possibility.

On the corporate side, women of color represent 13.4 percent of the U.S. workforce, with more than five million holding managerial and professional positions. But in the Fortune 500 companies we only account for 1.7 percent of corporate officers and top earners (the five highest-paid employees in a company), according to Catalyst, a research firm.

Leaders like Xerox President Ursula Burns and former MTV President Christina Norman ignite curious young minds to explore the possibility of one day assuming those posts. They also give mothers and fathers role models to point to when their daughter comes home eager to reach for the stars.

So, during this women’s history month, please share these examples — or some of your own — with the young girls in your life.

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

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Note: All pop-up content embedded into articles are selected by our site editors and not individual contributors. They are purely for informational and contextual purposes and do not constitute an endorsement by individual contributors to the República Update.

República Update's very own Juleyka Lantigua has taken on the role of book scout for the Senior Editor, Multicultural Studies at Praeger Publishers (home to Greenwood Press and others).

She is looking for books in these and similar/related categories:

• Latino students' guide to college

• Pop culture titles

• Social and political issues titles 

• Practical and "feel-good" books 

• Biographies of Black, Latino, Asian and other folks of note

• Anthologies of essays, commentary, fiction

• Topical dissertations that can be turned into non-fiction titles

Please send this email to your writer/author friends who have book projects or ideas or who are ready to be matched with an idea they can develop into a book.

Make sure to visit the website below and download the current multicultural catalog so you get a sense of what books they're publishing along these lines BEFORE you email juleykalantigua at gmail.com.

Catalog: www.praeger.com | Web site:  www.greenwood.com

For those that are looking or know people who are looking for work, here are three open positions that Heineken is looking for fill. Click on the links below to download the full job descriptions, responsibilities and requirements.

Download: Brand Director | PR & Experiential Strategy

Download: Brand Director | Hispanic Market

Download: Sr. Director Innovation & Packaging

To apply, email your cover letter & resume to Lisa Vera at: lvara@heinekenusa.com

Are you a woman who has an original idea to create a new Web site, mobile news service or other entrepreneurial initiative that offers interactive opportunities to engage, inspire and inform a particular community?

If so, the The McCormick New Media Women Entrepreneurs program may have a cool $10,000 for you. They're offering three such grants to fund women-led projects that will "rock the world of journalism."

Your venture can be a solo idea or team project, as long as it's a startup, spearheaded by women, launching within 10 months, U.S.-based, and has journalistic value. Individuals, businesses, and non-profits are all eligible to apply.

Past winning projects include:

Echo, a system of public storytelling installations in Atlanta.
Latina Voices, a news site for and by Latinas. 
Northwest Navy News, a networking site for the Puget Sound military community.

Apply Now. The application deadline is: March 31, 2009.

For more information visit: www.newmediawomen.org