Obama Gathering a Flock of Hawks to Oversee U.S. Foreign Policy

via Alternet

In disc golf, there’s a shot known as “an Obama” — it’s a drive that you expect to veer to the left but keeps hooking right. In no other area has this metaphor been truer than Barack Obama’s foreign policy and national security appointments. For a man who was elected in part on the promise to not just end the war in Iraq but to “end the mindset that got us into war in the first place,” it’s profoundly disappointing that a majority of his key appointments — Hillary Clinton, Robert Gates, Dennis Blair, Janet Napolitano, Richard Holbrooke and Jim Jones, among others — have been among those who represent that very mindset.

As president, Obama is ultimately the one in charge, so judgment should not be based upon his appointments alone. Indeed, some of his early decisions regarding foreign policy and national security – such as ordering the closure of the prison at Guantanamo Bay, initiating the necessary steps for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq, and ending the “global gag rule” on funding for international family-planning programs – have been quite positive. But it’s still significant that the majority of people appointed to key foreign policy positions, like those in comparable positions in the Bush administration, appear to be more committed to U.S. hegemony than the right of self-determination, human rights and international law.

Supporters of Wars of Conquest Though far from the only issue of concern, it is the fact that the majority of Obama’s appointees to these key positions were supporters of the invasion of Iraq that is perhaps the most alarming. Obama’s defenders claim that what is most important in these appointments is not their positions on a particular issue, but their overall competence. Unfortunately, this argument ignores the reality that anybody who actually believed that invading Iraq was a good idea amply demonstrated that they’re unqualified to hold any post dealing with foreign and military policy. It was not simply a matter of misjudgment. Those who supported the war demonstrated a dismissive attitude toward fundamental principles of international law, and disdain for the United Nations Charter and international treaties which prohibit aggressive war.

Apple ready to crush IPhone copycats

Seems logical but a little late?

via Bloomberg

Feb. 2 (Bloomberg) — Apple Inc., usually on the defensive when it comes to intellectual-property lawsuits, is threatening to use its hoard of patents to quash iPhone competitors.

Tim Cook, Apple’s chief operating officer, pledged in January to go after companies that copy the iPhone’s patented features. Apple won its latest patent Jan. 20 for so-called multitouch technology, which lets people work the iPhone by touching the screen with two fingers and making swiping motions.

Apple’s stance is an effort to threaten the new touch-screen Pre phone, the linchpin to Palm Inc.’s comeback plan, said Morgan Chu, a patent lawyer at Irell & Manella in Los Angeles. Cook’s comments don’t mean Apple will actually seek a court order to stop the Pre, which is due for release in the next few months. Instead, the company may try to intimidate Palm and other rivals into working around its patents, forcing them to cut features or delay production.

FULL STORY HERE

[pic] New X-Men Origins: Wolverine Poster

Source: Latino Review

This is gonna be a kick-ass movie in a couple of months. I just watched X- 3 and they have to really make up for that movie which the fan boys probably thought was so-so. i have a feeling and this is just based on the trailer that they will meet the challenge.

Lupe Fiasco x Converse PRODUCT (RED) 100 Supplementaire All-Stars

Not really a Lupe fan.

via Hypebeast

Having already teamed up with Converse on a previous PRODUCT (RED) effort, an initiative to build awareness and raise money for humanitarian efforts, Lupe Fiasco makes a return in 2009 with another rendition of the classic canvas sneaker. Entitled the 100 Supplementaire, the kicks feature the gifted lyricist’s political opinions with newspaper font plastered throughout the all-white uppers and a symbolic red eyelet. This latest PRODUCT (RED) project is slated to release this month at select Converse retailers.

Source: Sneaker Freaker

Hip Hop and the Obama Effect

via NY Press

As the first black president in the history of this country took the oath of office earlier this month, America bore witness to the pride, joy and amazement that African Americans in particular felt on inauguration day.

The moment was especially powerful for the generation of African Americans who experienced the civil rights movement. Yet it was no less so for the so-called hip-hop generation, African-American men and women born between 1965 and 1984, and even their younger counterparts.

President Barack Obama, 47, is the first presidential candidate that the hip-hop generation has fully embraced. And with Mr. Obama now in firmly planted in the corridors of power, that begs the question: What effect will he have on hip-hop?

Recently, Mark Hemingway wrote on the National Review’s website that the Obama Administration may signal that “the era of hip-hop might be ending.”

Yet that was the opposite of what activists, young voters and hip-hop artists expressed during inauguration weekend and in its aftermath.

Even Nas, age 36, the New York rapper who in 2006 released an album titled “Hip-Hop is Dead,” has changed his tune.

“America is a hip hop country,” he said in a phone interview.

[video] M.I.A Tells of Sri Lanka Genocide to U S- World Fans on Tavis Smiley

Source: Next Thing Mafia

Part 2

Diddy Says the DJ Needs to Step it Up to Secure Hip Hop’s Future

via MTV

Diddy doesn’t like the game right now. Not Game the rapper — the rap game. He’s going to experiment heavily on his new LP and thinks his peers should get onboard with his thinking.

“Right now, I’m working on my record, and it’ll be out in the end of summer,” he told us recently in NYC. “It’s feeling good. It’s different. I’m creating a new sound. It doesn’t sound like anybody else’s stuff out there. With that comes a risk. I’m excited about the risk. I do have a beef a little bit with the game right now. I think hip-hop has lost its risk-taking quality. Everybody goes to the comfort zone. It doesn’t have that risk anymore. You’re not like, ‘What is that?’ when you hear that record anymore.”

Mr. Combs said the record-spinners are as much to blame as the people making the music.

“People have figured out the formula when they make records for radio, and DJs ain’t DJs no more,” he declared. “DJs don’t break records no more. DJs don’t play album cuts. DJs play what is going to move the crowd. DJs, they don’t expose you to the newness. That was the DJs’ thing. Hip-hop is in a recession also. It’s not dead, it’s definitely way better than where it was at, as far as with ‘Ye, T.I. and with Jeezy. It’s so much great stuff out there, the responsibility has to come with the DJs. I’m about to call the DJs out. ‘Cause they are the future, and they gotta step it up. I can’t keep turning on the radio no matter where I’m at and can’t tell who’s who.

“DJs used to have a style,” Puff continued. “The hottest DJ in the game right now is Q-Tip. That right there is a DJ playing, taking you on a mind-travelling experience. Playing something and you’re like, ‘What’s that?’ ” …

[video] New York Governor David Paterson on SNL Weekend Update….again

I thought after the hoopla the first time they would steer clear of this but I am obviously wrong.

more about “New York Governor David Paterson on S…“, posted with vodpod

Joe Francis late to court, judge tosses him back to the slammer

This guy still thinks he has telfon status in the American court system. Wrong.

via Huffington Post

LOS ANGELES — “Girls Gone Wild” founder Joe Francis has been arrested in Los Angeles after he showed up five hours late for a court hearing in his tax evasion case.

When the adult-video entrepreneur finally appeared in court on Monday afternoon, he told the judge he was suffering from the flu. Francis’ attorney Melissa Weinberger says U.S. marshals then handcuffed Francis and took him away.

Francis is accused of claiming more than $20 million in bogus business expenses on his corporate tax returns, including $3.8 million for a home in Mexico and $10.4 million in phony consulting services. He has pleaded not guilty to two counts of federal tax evasion.

The hearing was to consider a request from his tax attorneys to recuse themselves.

[audio] Christian Bale Curses Out & Threatens Cameraman On Set Of Terminator: Salvation

This is a classic Hollywood blow-up of the greatest proportions.

[Download] Hear Christian Bale curse out cameraman.

[video] Lil Wayne, the VIP Reporter @ ESPN Super Bowl Party

It’s Wayne’s World..this is classic.

 

[audio] Curtis Calls Funk Flex

spotted @ nahright

Just when they were about to anoint Joey Buddens the KING of online Hip Hop beef, out of the shadows emerges Curtis Jackson, the man who has more bones in his backyard than DMX.  Now it looks like he is about to dump Rick Ross into six foot deep hole that he honestly dug for himself.  Nobody, I repeat nobody goes in like Fiddy.  He is made for TV. Here he goes talking to Flex about the bashment he is cooking up for Ross.  This could be ugly.  Oh yeah, it wouldn’t be fitting if I didn’t add that this segment of Flex’s show was sponsored by NY Corrections.  How ironic is that?

CURTIS CALLS FLEX-

PART ONE

PART TWO

PART THREE

Nas to Appear on Detox

via Billboard

Nearly seven months after the release of his Grammy Award-nominated album, “Untitled,” Nas says he’s just “chilling out” these days, “trying to get myself together creatively [and] just [keeping] my head all straight to figure out what the next move is.” That said, the rapper tells Billboard he’s put down a few ideas for new songs on his Blackberry and that he has “a couple of special things up my sleeve that should be unveiled in the next few weeks.” That’s about all he’ll say about them, although he promises that one of the projects “is history.”

After guesting on records by Young Jeezy, the Game, DJ Khaled and Keyshia Cole in 2008, he has a couple of other features lined up for the new year — including a shot on Dr. Dre’s “Detox,” whenever it comes out. “I did a joint. I think it’s crazy,” Nas says of working with Dre. “He’s someone I’d love to do a whole album with one day. He’s incredible. I think he’s the best producer of all time.” Nas is up for two Grammys at the Feb. 8 ceremony in Los Angeles, including best rap album for “Untitled.” “In all honestly, the fact that hip-hop is even at that stage now, for a guy like Lil Wayne to even be nominated for the best album Grammy and me to be nominated, it’s just a blessing,” he says. “Whether I win or lose, I’m happy hip-hop made it that far.”

Heavy Marijuana Use May Damage Developing Brain in Teens, Young Adults

via PR Newswire

PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Adolescents and young adults who are heavy users of marijuana are more likely than non-users to have disrupted brain development, according to a new study. Pediatric researchers found abnormalities in areas of the brain that interconnect brain regions involved in memory, attention, decision-making, language and executive functioning skills. The findings are of particular concern because adolescence is a crucial period for brain development and maturation.

The researchers caution that the study is preliminary and does not demonstrate that marijuana use causes the brain abnormalities. However, “Studies of normal brain development reveal critical areas of the brain that develop during late adolescence, and our study shows that heavy cannabis use is associated with damage in those brain regions,” said study leader Manzar Ashtari, Ph.D., director of the Diffusion Image Analysis and Brain Morphometry Laboratory in the Radiology Department of The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

The study appeared early last month in the Journal of Psychiatric Research. The current research builds on previous work by Ashtari and colleagues, who used the same imaging technology to analyze normal brain development in adolescent subjects.

In the current study, working with child psychiatrist Sanjiv Kumra, M.D., now at the University of Minnesota, Ashtari and colleagues performed imaging studies on 14 young men from a residential drug treatment center in New York State, as well as 14 age-matched healthy controls. All the study subjects were males, with an average age of 19. The researchers performed the imaging studies at Long Island Jewish Medical Center.

[video] Zab Judah Does the “Brooklyn Shake”[throwback]

Ah man, we all remember this. The fight that let all the steam out of Zab Judah’s career…um, before Mayweather finished him off. I’m from Brooklyn though, so back then it was kind of sacrilegious to laugh out loud at this, but now I’m LMAO!

 

 

[video] News Reporter Makes Groundhog Day FAIL

Even though there is a missing person involved, which normally takes away all the humor, this clip is hilarious because I been waiting all day to see whats good with the Groundhogs and what not, then I bumped into this. Gots to be more careful!

 

[video] 50 CENT= Dirtiest Dude in the BIZ

Curtis Jackson is officially the grimiest dude in Hip Hop…ever! He has one-upped Jay-Z and pulled a stunt that can potentially sink the Miami cruiseliner known as RICK ROSS…The BOSS!  That BOSS status is under fire as Curtis parades around Manhattan with Ricky’s baby moms and exposes his other BM as a prostitute.  Ugly business, this rap thing is and nobody is better at mud wrestling than Fiddy.  He needs his own show, strictly catering to beef or him doing some sadistic funny shit, not that Apprentice B.S. MTV tried to pull.  I certainly hope him and Buddens never get into it, cuz we already know where he’s gonna take it with homeboy…and we can’t wait with our sick selves!

[video] Young Teens Turn To Prescription Drugs To Get High! [CBS Report]

Damn, I was just asking someone yesterday why this is such an epidemic, but I had no idea the age of abuse was so low. I’m still a lil’ green to the pill poppin’ thing, I mean I don’t even take aspirin for christ sake!

 

 

 

[video] Vivica A. Fox Joins The Psychic Friends Network

Obviously somebody’s bills have to be paid. They probably made her an offer she couldn’t refuse and Hollywood aint calling enough so she bit the bullet and did the commercial.

more about “Vivica A. Fox Joins The Psychic Frien…“, posted with vodpod

[video] BART Officer Claims He Meant To Pull Out A Stun Gun. But Accidentaly Used A Gun!

We don’t believe you, you need more people!

 

[video] Joe Buddens Lets the World In on a “Big” Secret

Joey’s back at it, this time around he gives the viewer exactly what we tune in for, shots of his girl’s dump truck. I’m forgetting what the purpose of Joe Budden TV is for, is it to promote Joe as an internet celeb, Joe as a beef artist, or Joey’s girl as a stripper? I dunno, but as long as the footage is as dense as this I’ll continue to tune in…lol.

Facebook Set to Capitalize Off of Members Details

via Sydney News

FACEBOOK is planning to exploit the vast amount of personal information it holds on its 150 million members by creating one of the world’s largest market research databases.

In an attempt to finally cash in on the social networking site, once valued at $US15 billion ($23.6 billion), it will soon allow multinational companies to selectively target its members in order to research the appeal of new products. Companies will be able to pose questions to specially selected members based on such intimate details as whether they are single or married and even whether they are gay or straight.

The company, which has struggled to make money from advertising, has been demonstrating the benefits of its new instant polling tool to business leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Randi Zuckerberg, the global markets director of Facebook and sister of its founder, Mark Zuckerberg, said multinational companies had been bowled over by the ability to receive real-time feedback from the site’s millions of users.

Israel strikes Gaza after militant rocket fire

via Yahoo

JERUSALEM – Israel threatened “harsh and disproportionate” retaliation after Gaza militants fired at least 10 rockets and mortar shells across the border Sunday and warplanes later bombed the area where Hamas smuggles in weapons from Egypt through tunnels.

The flare-up raised the risk of growing violence in the days leading up to Israel’s parliamentary elections on Feb. 10.

Since an unwritten truce ended Israel’s offensive in Gaza two weeks ago, rocket and mortar fire from the Palestinian territory ruled by Hamas has increased steadily. Israeli retaliation, including brief ground incursions and bombings of rocket launchers and smuggling tunnels, is also intensifying.

“If there is shooting at residents of the south, there will be an Israeli response that will be harsh and disproportionate by its nature,” Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told his Cabinet.

Israel launched its three-week offensive with the aim of ending years of Hamas rocket fire at southern Israel. It left nearly 1,300 Palestinians dead, more than half of them civilians, according to Gaza officials. Thirteen Israelis were killed, including three civilians.

A late afternoon mortar barrage on the southern Israeli village of Nahal Oz, next to the Gaza border fence, wounded two soldiers and a civilian, the military and rescue services said. Earlier, a rocket landed near a kindergarten, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said.

Late Sunday, Palestinians reported huge explosions as Israeli warplanes dropped bombs on the Egypt-Gaza border area, where Hamas operates tunnels to smuggle in weapons, food and other goods, Palestinians said.

Obama Talks Football, Troop Withdrawal, Malia And Sasha’s School, And Jessica Simpson

more about “Obama Talks Football, Troop Withdrawa…“, posted with vodpod

[video] G.I. Joe: Rise Of The Cobra (trailer)

Yes add this to my must see list for this year. Spotted at RealtalkNY

White House Lawyers Look to Limit Commercial Use of President

via Yahoo

Jan. 30 (Bloomberg) — Barack Obama’s popularity makes him a marketer’s dream. Now, the honeymoon may be over for those trying to profit from his appeal.

White House lawyers want to control the use of the president’s image, recognizing the worldwide fascination about Obama’s election, First Amendment free-speech rights and easy access to videos and photos on the Web.

“Our lawyers are working on developing a policy that will protect the presidential image while being careful not to squelch the overwhelming enthusiasm that the public has for the president,” White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.

Obama’s calls for change and his “Yes We Can” campaign mantra are being evoked to sell assembly-required furniture in Ikea’s “Embrace Change” marketing campaign, bargain airfares during Southwest Airlines Inc.’s “Yes You Can” sale and “Yes Pecan” ice cream at Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Inc. shops.

“I can’t remember this ever happening to an active politician before, as a spokesperson or as an image for a brand,” said Brad Adgate, director of research for Horizon Media Inc., a New York-based advertising agency. “He’s in the highest profile of any person in the world right now.”

Riding the wave of Obama’s popularity may become a concern when advertisers use his likeness without permission to imply that Obama is endorsing a product or cause. The White House through the years has objected to commercial use of presidential faces, such as footage of President George H.W. Bush in a Cold War-themed 1989 television ad for cold medication.

STEELERS Steal Win From Cardinal’s Jaws of Victory in Super Bowl XLIII

To see the game clinching play CLICK [HERE]

[video] Transformer 2: Trailer

 

 

[video] “Angels & Demons” Trailer

They are goin’ in on this one.

more about “[video] “Angels & Demons” Trailer“, posted with vodpod

 

14-Times Olympic Gold Medal Winner Michael Phelps Caught with Cannabis Pipe

via NOTW

THIS is the astonishing picture which could destroy the career of the greatest competitor in Olympic history.

In our exclusive photo Michael Phelps, who won a record EIGHT gold medals for swimming at the Beijing games last summer, draws from a bong.

READ: I’M SORRY, SAYS MICHAEL PHELPS

The glass pipes are generally used to smoke cannabis.

And after sporting chiefs announced laws which mean four-year bans for drug-taking, Phelps’ dreams of adding to his overall 14 gold medal tally at the 2012 games in London could already be OVER.

Those dreams seemed the last thing on his mind when he puffed from the bong during two days of partying with students last November, a quiet time in the swimming calendar when athletes would not expect to get tested for drugs.

One party-goer who witnessed the star’s behaviour told the News of the World: “He was out of control from the moment he got there.

“If he continues to party like that I’d be amazed if he ever won any more medals again.”

Phelps’ aides went into a panic over our story and offered us a raft of extraordinary incentives not to run the bong picture.

It was on November 6, weeks after his Beijing triumph, that 23-year-old Phelps surprised students at the University Of South Carolina in Columbia by showing up unannounced at a house party.

He was visiting Jordan Matthews, a girl he was secretly seeing who was a student there.

Our source revealed: “Michael came to visit Jordan but ended up just getting wasted every night.

“He arrived with a group of girls hanging all over him. Jaws hit the floor when he walked in. You don’t get many celebrities in Columbia, so when Phelps comes to your party it’s a very big deal.