Independant Film/Documentary - "What Black Men Think"

I received an email yesterday with a link to a YouTube Video called "Market for Ni$$as" (click here to watch the video.) The powerful title which highlighted the controversial topic on the use of the 'N' word sparked my curiosity, so I watched the video. Powerful, real words spoken without the political correctness of some of the racial tension 'ambulance chasers' we see on TV (I won't mention any names.)

My search to find out more about the video led me to find out that it is a clip from the documentary "What Black Men Think." Although the website did not show much, the official YouTube page containing six clips from the documentary contained some pretty interesting stuff (click here to see the page.) The video on this page alone is a must see for all those who have a misconception about statistics that are commonly quoted about black men.

I will be keeping an eye out to see how to purchase a copy of the video when it is released for sale. According to the blog on their MySpace page it will not be released until around Father's Day...

Here are some reference links for you:

What Black Men Think
YouTube Site - http://www.youtube.com/whatblackmenthink
MySpace Page - http://www.myspace.com/whatblackmenthink
Website - http://www.whatblackmenthink.com/

- Presario

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Rutgers University Women's Basketball Team Accepts Don Imus' Apology

In case you have been living on another planet and haven't heard, Don Imus made some inappropriate comments about the Rutgers University Women's Basketball Team on his television show (view the video clip by clicking here.) After a week of media mayhem, CBS finally pulled Imus' show from the air (read the NY Times article by clicking here.)

In the latest news, the Rutgers University Women's Basketball Team has recently accepted Don Imus' apology. The women he referred to as "nappy-headed hoes" turned out to be women of dignity and honor.

According to USA Today, Don's wife Deidre took his place on the air on the Friday morning when Imus' program wrapped up a long-planned two-day fundraiser. Imus' wife called the players "unbelievably courageous and beautiful." She also said Rutgers players had received hate e-mails and demanded that it stop. She told listeners "if you must send e-mail, send it to my husband," not the team. (Read the full article by clicking here.)

If you haven't seen the original video of Imus' comments, you can view it here:
http://www.presarioproductions.com/presariosays/imus.html

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Summer Internship Opportunities

I received these via email today. I don't know how dated they are, so as always -- do your research.

- Presario

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Summer Internship Opportunities

1. 'O' The Oprah Magazine is looking to hire fall interns in the Fashion and Style Departments. Candidates must be highly organized, detail-oriented and be able to juggle multiple tasks at once. Prior internship experience graduates who are available to start immediately, full-time from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., 5 days a week. Send resumes with a cover letter to: Cindy M. del Rosario, Associate Editor O, The Oprah Magazine 1700 Broadway, 38th floor

2. Verizon is looking for students who are 2006 graduates of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU). If you know of someone graduating from a HBCU this year with a degree in Engineering, Computer Science and Technology, Information Technology, General Business, Finance or Marketing, please have them forward their resume to: melissa.w.langham@verizon.com to be considered for career Opportunities within Verizon.

3. The Women's Technology Program at MIT is a 4-week summer residence program to introduce high school girls to electrical engineering and computer science. If you know a girl who is currently a high school junior who demonstrates math and science ability and an interest in finding out about EECS, please encourage her to visit our website for more information and for an application form (applications are due Feb 3, 2005) http://www.mit.edu/ http://www.mit.edu Our classes are taught in a supportive environment by a staff of women MIT PhD candidates and undergraduates. The full-time academic program includes hands-on experiments and team-based projects in computer science, electrical engineering, and mathematics. No prior experience in computer programming, physics, or electrical engineering is expected, but applicants typically have strong academic records, especially in math and science.

4. HARVARD'S TUITION ANNOUNCEMENT - Harvard is offering free tuition for students that have a family income below $40,000. If you are a mentor or have nieces and nephews who might be interested, please give this information. If you know any one/family earning less than $40K with a brilliant child near ready for college, please pass this along. To find out more about Harvard offering free tuition for families making less than $40,000 a year visit Harvard's financial aid website at: http://adm-is.fas..harvard.edu/FAO/index.htm http://adm-is.fas.harvard.edu/FAO/index.htm or call the school's financial aid office at (617) 495-1581.

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Home Depot's Free Earth Day Giveaway

Since Earth Day is my Birthday - I thought I would give you another "eco-friendly" tip.

Home Depot is giving away 1,000,000 free n:vision compact fluorescent lightbulbs to customers who visit any Home Depot store on Earth Day - Sunday, April 22.

- Presario

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Today is Ben & Jerry's Free Ice Cream Day

I am just full of the giving spirit this month (maybe because Sunday is my birthday!). Here is another freebie for you:

Ben & Jerry's is giving away free ice cream today (April 17th) from 12pm until 8pm at participating scoop shops. Click here to find out which shops near you are participating.

Enjoy!
- Presario

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$25 Restaurant Gift Certificates for $10

The web's best kept secret - $25 Restaurant Gift Certificates for $10. Plus, you automatically get a free $10 certificate with every purchase.

Not only that, but for a limited time if you use the coupon code REWARD during checkout, you get 50% off of your purchase. So you guessed it, you can get a $25 gift certificate for $5.

Check it out - http://www.restaurant.com/

Don't say I didn't ever give you guys anything!

- Presario

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Pimp My Ride - Earth Day Edition

Since Earth Day is my birthday, then I figured why not post some articles on Earth Day events? This is not exactly a 'save the world' effort, but it seems like it would be fun to watch.

- Presario

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Xzibit, Governor Schwarzenegger Pimp Rides For Earth Day With Earth Day 2007 coming up, MTV and the "Pimp My Ride" crew get a very special guest in the shop. As a part of a special Earth Day episode California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger visits Xzibit, Mad Mike and the rest of the crew as they take a '65 Chevy Impala, and give it a one of a kind ecological alteration. "I would like to thank MTV and the entire 'Pimp my Ride' crew for shining the spotlight on the importance of alternative fuels and the fight against global warming," said Governor Schwarzenegger. "I am very encouraged by the great potential in converting vehicles to run on biodiesel as a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. I am pleased that the power of MTV's message will reach an audience throughout California and the nation to reinforce the benefits of alternative-fuel vehicles and protecting our environment." With the help of Galpin, Imperium Renewables, General Motors and others, the Impala will get an 800 horsepower diesel engine that will run on biodiesel, turning it into one extraordinary clean machine. The special episode will air on April 22nd at 1 p.m. ET/PT, as part of the thinkMTV (Think.MTV.com) year long, 12-step campaign "Break The Addiction" engaging, empowering, and educating millions of young people to make smart, everyday choices that both improve their life and help curb the impact of climate change and preserve the environment.

Read full story online:
http://www.ballerstatus.com/article/news/2007/04/2407/

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Noah Rattler's 1800 mile walk from Houston to California

Now here is an example of someone walking the walk...literally. The following information was forwarded to me via email by one of my fraternity brothers, Terrance Phillips. He called me and asked me to rally support for someone who is working hard for a good cause. Can you help? Get involved!

- Presario

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Noah Rattler, a graduate of Prairie View A & M University, is in Corsicana TX as of 4pm Central/ Standard time Thursday April, 5th 2007. He will be in Dallas on Monday April 9th, 2007 or Tuesday April 10th, which is the a major leg of his 1,800 mile WALK from HOUSTON, TX to LOS ANGELES, CA. His walk is appropriately titled "A WALK IN THIER SHOES," and his intention is to raise AWARENESS & CULTIVATE NATIONAL & LOCAL INVOLVEMENT to aid in the fight against NATIONWIDE HOMELESSNESS.

Between the rise in gas prices, corporate mergers, and the fact that we live in one of the HIGHEST FORECLOSURE markets in the NATION - maybe it is time we wake up. Many people that are living paycheck to paycheck may not be too far from a bad situation.

Lets get involved! Mr. Rattler and his associates are working on a location for a press conference when he arrives (they are open to any ideas you may have.) This is a great opportunity to cultivate AWARENESS & INVOLVEMENT not only now but for today, but for weeks, months, & years to come... especially since they have broken ground on the new 30 Million dollar homeless facility downtown!

If you or anyone you know can help, to obtain a press release, or for more info., please email phillips.tp@gmail.com or better yet contact Michon Benson, PhD at :

Michon Benson, PhD.
Texas Southern University
Department of English
MLK 153
3100 Cleburne
Houston, Texas 77004
713.851.8024
713.313.7981
bensonma@tsu.edu

You can visit his MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/noahrattler.

You can also see a map of his route in the article on the Search Project's Website at http://www.searchproject.org/noah/

To download the official press release in .PDF format, click here.

He needs our support & prayers! LETS GET INVOLVED - this is a GREAT BEGINNING!

Here are some articles written about Noah's mission:

ARTICLE 1

A Houstonian Angel
By Natalie Baker
In the cozy, dimly lit Mocha Life coffee shop on Almeda, a partially-played chess set lay next to a large, illustrated book of impressionist painters in the center of a round, polished coffee table while Stevie Wonder's music intermingled with coffee drinkers' conversations and the aroma of freshly-brewed java.
Fittingly, a portrait of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. hung just above the leather love seat where 29-year-old Houstonian, Noah Rattler, spoke passionately about both his humble beginnings in South Park, what many Houstonians endearingly refer to as the "Dead End," and about his plans to make the world a better place.
In less than two weeks, Noah will begin a journey of Biblical proportions – he is going to make a 1,800 mile walk from Houston to California. During a time when Black youth, particularly young Black men, are not readily associated with selfless endeavors, the Sterling high-school alumnus will brave innumerable dangers and complications, walking through deserts, badlands, and mountains to raise awareness about the nation's homeless.
With an air of humility, Noah said, "I plan to leave Houston on March 24, 2007, and make my way to Los Angles, California, on foot, to bring light to the plight of the homeless across the country." He added candidly, "My parents raised me to have a community spirit and compassion for others."
When he was still a college student at Prairie View A & M University, Noah began to take up the plight of the homeless after volunteering with the Houston Search Project. There, he gained what he described as "a real, street-level view" of what homelessness is.
"I came to the conclusion," Rattler said, "that if you notice a problem, you should do what you can to solve it." During the course of his four-month walk, Noah hopes to raise $1 million to advance Search's mission of eradicating homelessness.
Noah purchased a $250 tent and, having carefully charted a route, he will walk approximately 20 miles a day through Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, before reaching Los Angles some time around mid-June. Daily, Noah prepares for his strenuous journey by drinking water, eating raw fruits and vegetables and one serving of meat. Most important to his regimen are his daily 15 to 20 mile walks around the city. On Sunday afternoons at three o'clock, a group of Noah's supporters meet at the sculpture on the hill at Hermann Park's Miller Outdoor Theatre to begin a refreshing seven mile stroll down Main Street.
With bachelor degrees in both physics and mechanical engineering, Noah has foregone his entrance into corporate America to tackle issues he considers more pressing than his own physical comfort.
"I am doing this unconventional thing to help people understand that not everyone chooses to be homeless and these are our brothers and sisters on the street. Most of them are hurting and need our help. And they deserve it," Rattler said.
In addition to helping homeless individuals across the nation, Noah hopes to serve as a role model for people in his community who might feel helpless and stuck.
Rattler said, "I am doing this to represent my community and to show the children that come from my community that [they] can do more than what [they] see around [them]. The youth in my neighborhood find guidance in a contemporary-urban lifestyle that leads [some of them] into gangs and selling drugs. I want people who are from the same place as [I am] to know that an avenue out of that lifestyle does exist if [they] choose to take it."
According to Noah, in 2006, there were 3.5 million reported homeless people in the United States, and 40 percent of them were children. Another startling fact about American homelessness that concerns Noah is that 49 percent of the homeless population consists of African-Americans, yet African-Americans only make up approximately 12 percent of the population.
"It's the same thing in the penitentiary," Noah added, "disproportionate numbers of African-Americans are in jails and on the streets."
Added to those figures are the disproportionate numbers of women and children who are victims of spousal abuse and who ultimately become homeless.
"I see a problem," he commented, "and I will be held responsible if I notice it and I don't do anything about it."
"Community" is the one word that Rattler uses to motivate him as he contemplates his long and arduous journey.
"[C]ommunity is a place wherein individuals and families all look out for one another. I am not walking by myself because everyone I have met has played some part in making me who I am…I am taking everyone that I have met -- friends, family, and community -- with me, I am not walking alone," Rattler said.
"I am a representative of my community. We are doing this; it is going to take the community to solve these problems because it is the community that is suffering from these problems," Rattler said with a contagious look of sincerity.
"Houstonians can spread the word that I am on the road, and in the same way that everyone is invited to join the Sunday Stroll, I would love them to be present at the send-off event on March 24th. Even if everyone cannot travel with me all the way to Los Angeles, every person who wants to eliminate homelessness can show that they symbolically walk for the homeless in their hearts," Rattler said.
For more information about Noah's journey, and to purchase an official "I am walking with Noah" T-shirt, please call Search Project at 713-739-7752 or email webmaster@searchproject.org .



ARTICLE 2

Great steps began in Houston
By Natalie Baker
On March 24, Noah Rattler gathered with family and friends in Downtown Houston before he began his arduous 1,800 mile journey to raise money and awareness for homelessness.
Light rain and joyful tears bathed the sidewalk in front of the Houston Search Project, the place where Rattler gained his actual knowledge of homelessness, as Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee presented Rattler with a certificate of congressional recognition.
"We stand before a quintessential icon of homeless presence here in Houston… this certificate is to acknowledge that Noah is deserving of the respect, accommodation, and admiration of the United States congress because he has lifted us up beyond the latest headline and [he] [is] walking enough to ensure those who are looking up to us [there] [is] a better quality of life," the congresswoman said.
Rattler responded to Congresswoman Lee and the crowd of supporters, who wore "I am walking with Noah" T-shirts, with humble appreciation.
"It feels good to see everyone here because the energy and vibe of the crowd assures me that I won't be walking by myself. This is a community experiment, and WE are doing this," Rattler said.
Larry Payne, the president of the Search Project, led the crowd in a chant: "Walk Noah, Walk," as he too expressed his appreciation for Rattler's time and efforts.
"It is a great thing that Noah has taken upon himself. He has volunteered with us for the past two years, and he decided that he wanted to give up four months of his life to make this journey to dramatize the need for consciousness about homelessness in the city…He is a special person," Payne said.
Payne is one of the many supporters who believed that Rattler possessed a special quality that made his decision to walk 1,800 miles an easy one to swallow.
"I knew that Noah was a special guy, he had a big heart and he was very giving. He just always thought differently than everyone else, and I was not surprised when he told me what he planned to do," Jason Luckett, Rattler's longtime friend, said.
Congresswoman Lee felt that Noah's efforts were something special, as she said, "Noah's name is significant. If you recall Noah was able to save us 2 by 2, so I believe as Noah walks, there will be 2 by 2, 3 by 3 and 4 by 4; and the consciousness will be raised about homelessness in America."
The crowd chanted the endearing phrase "Walk Noah, Walk," as the philanthropist began his journey at 10:49 a.m., which left many of his supporters like Shamika Holmes in tears.
"If anyone could do this, it is Noah because he has always been special. It is special that we have someone who cares about society and humanity. To be a young African-American man taking a step, my spirits are really high," Holmes smiled and said as Rattler's back faced his supporters, which began his journey of biblical proportions.

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Problem Solving

I received this joke via email, and thought I would share. It has a really good point!

- Presario

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One fine day, a bus driver went to the bus garage, started his bus, and drove off along the route.

No problems for the first few stops - a few people got on, a few got
off, and things went generally well. At the next stop, however, a big hulk of
a guy got on. Six feet eight, built like a wrestler, arms hanging down to
the ground. He glared at the driver and said, "Big John doesn't pay!" and
sat down at the back. Did I mention that the driver was five feet three,
thin, and basically meek? Well, he was. Naturally, he didn't argue with Big
John, but he wasn't happy about it.

The next day the same thing happened. Big John got on again, made a show
of refusing to pay, and sat down.

And the next day, and the one after that, and so forth. This grated on
the bus driver, who started losing sleep over the way Big John was taking
advantage of him.

Finally he could stand it no longer. He signed up for body building
courses, karate, judo, and all that good stuff. By the end of the
summer, he had become quite strong; what's more, he felt really good
about himself.

So on the next Monday, when Big John once again got on the bus and said,
"Big John doesn't pay!" The driver stood up, glared back at the
passenger, and screamed, "And WHY NOT?" With a surprised look on his face, Big
John replied, "Big John has a bus pass."

Moral of the story:
"Be sure there is a problem in the first place before working hard to solve one."

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Jiffy Lube Ripping Off Customers

Well, it looks like the local news team did an undercover investigation, and five out of nine of the Jiffy Lube locations they covered did NOT perform what they said they would. View the video at the link below:

http://mfile.akamai.com/12924/wmv/vod.ibsys.com/2006/0503/9152183.200k.asx

This happens all the time at various mechanics. What do you think? Have you had it happen to you? Post your comments below.

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SouthPark Wheel of Fortune

Priceless. I had to replay it just to see the expression on the black camera man's face. I fell out of my chair laughing!

http://www.presarioproductions.com/naggers/

What would you do if this really happened, and it was someone you knew on the show? Leave your comments below.

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Redneck Rollercoaster

You would only see something like this in the country...

The Spin Dizzy - The official redneck rollercoaster.
http://www.break.com/index/redneck_carnival_ride2.html

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