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.

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

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.