Before I get into this week’s Free on iTunes discoveries I want to apologize to those of you who may have been looking for my article last Friday. As you may know, the iPhone 3G was released last Friday and I spent the day covering the launch here in Orlando. I didn’t end up with an iPhone, however. In fact, I still don’t have one, but that’s another story.

Anyway, I’m sorry I wasn’t able to post a Free on iTunes last Friday.

No iPhone launch this Friday so let’s get to it.

A while ago I wrote about some of the free mini-movies available as podcasts at the iTunes Store. These excellent little cinematic jewels are perfect for watching while commuting or during your lunch break as they are often only a few minutes long. There are several places around the Internet where you can find these little flicks, but I think one of the best places, especially for comedy, is Atom.com. There you’ll find all sorts of really weird and decidedly funny stuff. Atom.com has become so popular that Comedy Central is now showing Atom movies on TV. AtomTV it’s called, and each episode showcases several Atom movies. There’s a sneak-peek available this week at the iTunes Store that you just have to see, it features two episodes of the Web series, Border Patrol.

OK, here’s the setup: Three friends -one Van Wilder/ranch hand type, one Rambo wannabe, and one kinda nice doofus - get together on weekends to patrol the U.S./Mexico border in an effort to stem the tide of illegal immigrants.

One of my favorite scenes is where the Rambo wannabe, Rick, sings "This Land is Your Land" and punctuates each stanza by pointing to the Mexican border and yelling, "...BUT NOT YOUR LAND!!!!!"

Sheer poetry, though the satire may be missed by some.

Grab the AtomTV free preview at the iTunes Store.

Now, on a more serious note: As a Black man looking to make his mark in the world, I have often found it easier to keep my ethnicity out of the equation whenever possible. If people don’t know that I am Black then I won’t get treated like I’m Black.

Does my ethnic origin really make a difference in America today? After all there is a man of color who has serious potential of becoming the first non-White President of the United States. Surely race is not as big an issue as it once was.

Well, that’s both true and not true. In some respects people of obvious African decent (if evolution is to be believed then we are all of African decent) have made great strides in grabbing a piece of American pie, but, as the saying goes, the more things change the more things stay the same, and for Blacks in the U.S., the statement seems a curse.

It’s hard to understand what it is to be at once so noticeable and invisible. We see Black influence everywhere in our society; in the way we dress, in the words we speak, and the music we listen to, Black culture is an integral part of the fabric of Americana. Yet Black folks are routinely relegated to lower end of our social structure. Why is that?

CNN’s Soledad O’Brien hosts an upcoming two-part series called Black in America which attempt to answer, or at least examine what is means to be a Negro in what is arguably the greatest country on Earth. The series will air on July 23 and 24 on CNN. There’s a free preview available on the iTunes store and it’s an eye opener.

Now, before you dismiss this as something only Black folks might be interested in take a look at the preview. If you are Black you may come away thinking that things may never change for people of color. If you are White then you may be surprised to see how different and alike we all are. No matter what your background, however, Black in America is a depiction of a facet of America that, for better or worse, is what we are as Americans, and it never hurts to understand who we are as a nation.

Get the preview of Black in America at the iTunes Store, then watch the series on CNN on July 23 and 24.

OK, from one hot topic to another: our environment. (Pun intended)

Like many of you I read stories in the news about environmental changes that are often attributed to global warming. I’ve heard arguments about the possible causes of global warming: Some suggest that it’s a natural process while others insist that our current crisis is man-made (Science, on the other hand has long since embraced the latter, unless you count the scientists under the pay of coal and oil, but that’s another issues). Whatever you believe, it never hurts to be as informed as possible so that you can shape your own opinion, and from that opinion, take whatever action (or inaction) you deem necessary.

There’s a new series of podcasts called Strange Days on Planet Earth, which is hosted Edward Norton ( I suppose this is how he turns green in real life). The series is interesting because it not only points out environmental issues, but also show how things are interlinked such as how marauding troops of baboons in Ghana is oddly, but inextricably, connected to the demise of ocean going fish habitats.

I’m a fan of the show not because I hug trees in my spare time, but because it does a good job in imparting information, stuff that you won’t find in newscasts or other wildlife shows. And information is always good. I don’t know if I can do anything to help our environmental situation, but the more I know, the better I’ll be able to recognize an opportunity to help when it appears.

Anyway, check out Strange Days on Planet Earth. It won’t make you kiss threatened sea slugs, but it might open your eyes.

Well, there ya go. Another Free on iTunes done and you are no worse for the wear. If you need something else to read why not take a look at my I Don’t Have An iPhone 3G article. A shameless attempt at self-promotion, I know, but you never know; you might like it.

Until next week, amigos, ciao!

More free stuff on the iTunes Store (with direct links):

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Vern Seward is a writer who currently lives in Orlando, FL. He’s been a Mac fan since Atari Computers folded, but has worked with computers of nearly every type for 20 years.