[video] Jim Jones 7 Minute Chapter From His Upcoming Documentary!

[video] Barack Obama On 60 Minutes (Full Interview)

Tried snatching this on Sunday but for some reason it wouldn’t embed…well, here goes!

Trick Daddy reveals he suffers from Lupus disease

via SmartSexyRichCrazy

As Trick Daddy prepares for the release of his upcoming autobiography, he has revealed that he is also dealing with a serious health issue. The Miami-bred rapper appeared on The Rickey Smiley Morning Show today (March 23) to promote his autobiography Magic City: Trials of a Native Son. During the interview, he made the shocking revelation that he suffers from Lupus, an incurable autoimmune disease, which makes the immune system attacks the body’s cells and tissue.

Lupus affects all major organs in the human body, including the heart, kidneys and nervous system. “I went to the doctor like 12 years ago. He took all kinds of tests, because I was trying to get rid of what we call dry skin, she did biopsies and blood tests and swab tests. She told me I have lupus. I am allergic highly to the sun, that’s my worst enemy. It’s like an AK-47 with a double clip on it. I could jeopardize kidney and liver failure from the treatment and the medication.” The disease, which affects African-American and Hispanics in disproportionate numbers, particularly women. The disease has already taken the life of prominent Hip-Hop producer James “J. Dilla” Yancey.

[Op-Ed] Was the Bailout a Scam of Madoff Proportions?

via Global Research/Paul Craig Roberts

Professor Michael Hudson (Counter Punch, [editor: Global Research] March 18) is correct that the orchestrated  outrage over the $165 million AIG bonuses is a diversion from the thousand times greater theft from taxpayers of the approximately $200 billion “bailout” of AIG.  Nevertheless, it is a diversion that serves an important purpose.  It has taught an inattentive American public that the elites run the government in their own private interests.

Americans are angry that AIG executives are paying themselves millions of dollars in bonuses after having cost the taxpayers an exorbitant sum.  Senator Charles Grassley put a proper face on the anger when he suggested that the AIG executives “follow the Japanese example and resign or go commit suicide.”

Yet, Obama’s White House economist, Larry Summers, on whose watch as Treasury Secretary in the Clinton administration financial deregulation got out of control, invoked the “sanctity of contracts” in defense of the AIG bonuses.

But the Obama administration does not regard other contracts as sacred.  Specifically: labor unions had to agree to give-backs in order for the auto companies to obtain federal help;  CNN reports that “Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki confirmed Tuesday [March 10] that the Obama administration is considering a controversial plan to make veterans pay for treatment of service-related injuries with private insurance”;  the Washington Post reports that the Obama team has set its sights on downsizing Social Security and Medicare.

According to the Post, Obama said that “it is impossible to separate the country’s financial ills from the long-term need to rein in health-care costs, stabilize Social Security and prevent the Medicare program from bankrupting the government.”

After Washington’s trillion dollar bank bailouts and trillion dollar gratuitous wars for the sake of the military industry’s profits and Israeli territorial expansion, there is no money for Social Security and Medicare.

T.I. Says It’s A ‘Great Pleasure’ To Help New Atlanta Artists

Ed Note: It’s amazing to see the South really cement its hold on the future of this game because the spirit of “family” is still a Southern institution that’s why it’s brethren to the West and South of it are also embracing the resurgence of family movements. Miami popped off once they united and out West the new guns are uniting under one banner to push a new sound.  The only one still trying to find themselves is New York, the epicenter of Hip Hop’s AGE and CLASS war, which has stifled creativity by hoarding of the throne and the torch.

via MTV

Atlanta may just be the hottest city in hip-hop right now. T.I., Young Jeezy and Ludacris all stand on top as kings of the game right now. Love him or hate him, ATL transplant Soulja Boy has already tapped into the young-listener market like no other, and his “Turn My Swag On” is probably the biggest rap record in the clubs right now. The veteran Gucci Mane is now out of jail and has the streets screaming for him. And let’s not forget Andre 3000 — whenever he steps out of the creative hideout he’s lounging in, a classic verse is a forgone conclusion.

And while other cities certainly have their share of heavyweights, Atlanta keeps turning out young talent who make themselves immediate heavy-hitters in local clubs and on the radio. Def Jam has just inked the trio F.L.Y., who are stirring up a dance movement with the song “Swag Surfin’, ” and T.I. is championing two of the city’s brightest prospects: Yung L.A. and B.o.B.

“I think they all represent different movements,” Tip told us recently about the next wave of Atlanta artists. “B.o.B from Yung L.A., they’re light years away. … I think that it’s great that the city is still growing, that the movement is alive and well. It gives me great pleasure to be able to present so many of these acts and to be responsible for the cultivating of their careers.”

Here are five Atlanta rap acts to look out for in 2009:

OJ Da Juiceman – The Juice says that the project he put out in January — The Otha Side of The Trap … — wasn’t an actual LP, it was more like a mixtape album. The big hit of the CD, “Make Tha Trap Say Aye,” featured Gucci Mane and became a street smash. Cam’ron recently laid vocals for the remix and it sounds like another winner for OJ. But now that his teammate Gucci Mane — who’s as popular in the streets as any MC right now — has been released from prison, it seems like the tandem will have no problems making waves in Atlanta and busting out mainstream-style in 2009.

Dame Dash headed to divorce court!

via smartsexyrichcrazy

Roc-A-Fella Records and Rocawear co-founder Damon Dash has been slapped with divorce papers by wife Rachel Roy. The stunning fashion designer piled onto Dash’s already sizable stack of lawsuits when she filed for divorce from her husband of four years this month in Manhattan Supreme Court.
Ed Hayes, a lawyer for Roy, declined comment, and a Dash spokeswoman did not return calls or e-mails. An electronic record of the case says the divorce is for “nonmonetary relief” and should be resolved by February.

Dash and Roy, who put her own name on a women’s fashion line, got hitched in Mexico in January 2005. They met when Roy was working at Rocawear and have two daughters.

The breakup is the latest legal mess for the has-been hip-hop titan, whose empire – which he once pegged at “about $50 million” in a New York magazine profile – has crumbled under massive debt, bad business deals and one suit after another.

Dash, who in 2005 sold his stake in Rocawear to Jay-Z for $20 million, owes $2 million in state taxes, and a bank has started foreclosure proceedings on his two Tribeca condos.

A Manhattan judge even ordered the city to seize his luxury Chevrolet Tahoe SUV last year when he couldn’t make the $714.99 monthly payment. He’s also being sued by law firms and landlords for not paying his bills.

The fall has been a spectacular one for Dash, who sipped Champagne on a yacht in Jay-Z’s video for “Big Pimpin’” – then emptied his bottle of bubbly onto bikini-clad beauties in a hot tub.

“He’s broke, he’s got nothing left,” a source said.

Tyrese Gibson Says Rihanna Case Is ‘Taking A Toll’ On Chris Brown

via MTV

In an interview with People.com, Tyrese Gibson spoke out in support of his friend Chris Brown, as well as Rihanna.

“Although he appears to be really strong through all of this, it’s really taking a toll on his spirit,” Gibson reportedly told the site on Sunday at the 2009 Ball Up Street Ball Tour in Los Angeles. “People like me and Puff [Diddy], we’re just trying to show him love and keep his spirits up while he’s going through all of the heat, and there are a lot people doing the same for Rihanna.”

Since news broke in February of the alleged altercation between Brown and Rihanna, the pair reportedly reunited — staying at Diddy’s Miami home — but are now reportedly taking a break. Yet conversation around the incident has continued to rage, and was even the subject of a special episode of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” earlier this month and a disturbing public service announcement from the teen organization DoSomething.org.

Gibson also pointed out that the two are still quite young, which makes the situation even more difficult. “And a lot of people forget that he’s 19, she’s only 21.

“It’s really hard for him to focus right now on his music, even though he really wants to,” Gibson continued. “At the end of the day, I’m not trying to justify it because wrong is wrong, but unfortunately, us as entertainers, we have to grow up onstage with a lot of people looking at us.”

More Women Considering Stripping in Struggling Economy

via News One

As a bartender and trainer at a national restaurant chain, Rebecca Brown earned a couple thousand dollars in a really good week. Now, as a dancer at Chicago’s Pink Monkey gentleman’s club, she makes almost that much in one good night.

The tough job market is prompting a growing number of women across the country to dance in strip clubs, appear in adult movies or pose for magazines like Hustler.

STRIP CLUB HOLDS JOB FAIR

Employers across the adult entertainment industry say they’re seeing an influx of applications from women who, like Brown, are attracted by the promise of flexible schedules and fast cash. Many have college degrees and held white-collar jobs until the economy soured.

“You’re seeing a lot more beautiful women who are eligible to do so many other things,” said Gus Poulos, general manager of New York City’s Sin City gentleman’s club. He said he got 85 responses in just one day to a recent job posting on Craigslist.

The transition to the nightclub scene isn’t always a smooth one – from learning to dance in five-inch heels to dealing with the jeers of some customers.

Some performers said they were initially so nervous that only alcohol could calm their nerves.

David Letterman marries longtime girlfriend

Congrats to Letterman for jumping the broom and not breaking his neck

via CNN

NEW YORK (CNN) — Late-night talker David Letterman married his longtime girlfriend, Regina Lasko, last week, according to a transcript of the taping of his Monday night show.

The wedding was at the courthouse in Choteau, Montana, on Thursday, he said, according to quotes from CBS’ “Late Show with David Letterman” provided to CNN by Letterman’s publicist, Tom Keaney.

“Regina and I began dating in February of 1986, and I said, ‘Well, things are going pretty good, let’s just see what happens in about 10 years …,” he joked during the taping.

“I had avoided getting married pretty good [sic] for, like, 23 years, and … honestly, whether this happened or not, I secretly felt that men who were married admired me — like I was the last of the real gunslingers.”

Lasko is a former “Late Show” staffer. The couple have a son, Harry.

Letterman told his audience that the wedding almost didn’t happen after the couple, son in tow, got their pickup truck stuck in the mud on the way to the ceremony.

“So I get out of the truck and I walk two miles back to the house into a 50 mph wind. It’s not Beverly Hills, it’s Montana, for God’s sakes,’ ” he said. “And the whole way, I’m thinking, ‘See, smartass? See? See? You try to get married, this is what happens.’ ”

Apocalyptic ‘Knowing’ hits anxious chord

via CNN

NEW YORK (CNN) — The numbers were good for “Knowing.”

The film, about a physics professor who sees clues for disastrous events in a time capsule’s list of digits, overcame some pretty long odds at the box office — going against the Paul Rudd-Jason Segel comedy “I Love You, Man,” the Julia Roberts-Clive Owen romantic thriller “Duplicity” and some fairly scathing reviews — to emerge as the weekend’s No. 1 film.

Though star Nicolas Cage wouldn’t have predicted the outcome, in an interview before the film’s release, he did talk about the power of positive thinking.

“I’m a huge believer of the human spirit,” he told CNN. “I think people are amazing. I think what we have accomplished is incredible. … If you think positive and you apply the guts and ingenuity that mankind has been doing forever, at least in our existence, I believe we get through anything.”

Cage’s character, John Koestler, is a science professor whom Cage describes as “someone who is reawakening to his faith.” He begins the film believing that everything is random, but as the film continues — and he seeks to alert the world of a coming catastrophe — “he believes there is cause and effect and perhaps even a divine mind,” Cage said.

The film begins in 1959, with students burying items in a time capsule at an elementary school. One of the children, however, creates an image of seemingly random numbers. Fifty years later, when the capsule is opened, Koestler’s son receives the page of numbers, and his father realizes that they correspond to major disasters of the past half-century.

Koestler determines that three events have yet to occur and sets out to meet the clairvoyant child’s now grown daughter. The final event threatens life on Earth itself, and the group begins a race against time, with unusual consequences.

Beijing to Pitch New “GLOBAL” Currency and DUMP the DOLLAR

Lets see how Wall Street responds to this tidal wave in the next few days

via Financial Times

China’s central bank on Monday proposed replacing the US dollar as the international reserve currency with a new global system controlled by the International Monetary Fund.

In an essay posted on the People’s Bank of China’s website, Zhou Xiaochuan, the central bank’s governor, said the goal would be to create a reserve currency “that is disconnected from individual nations and is able to remain stable in the long run, thus removing the inherent deficiencies caused by using credit-based national currencies”.

Analysts said the proposal was an indication of Beijing’s fears that actions being taken to save the domestic US economy would have a negative impact on China.

“This is a clear sign that China, as the largest holder of US dollar financial assets, is concerned about the potential inflationary risk of the US Federal Reserve printing money,” said Qu Hongbin, chief China economist for HSBC.

Although Mr Zhou did not mention the US dollar, the essay gave a pointed critique of the current dollar-dominated monetary system.

“The outbreak of the [current] crisis and its spillover to the entire world reflected the inherent vulnerabilities and systemic risks in the existing international monetary system,” Mr Zhou wrote.

China has little choice but to hold the bulk of its $2,000bn of foreign exchange reserves in US dollars, and this is unlikely to change in the near future.

[kicks] Hypermax Carlos Boozer Edition

via O Sneaker

Nike Hypermax Carlos Boozer PE

This is a very rare pair made for Carlos Boozer of the Utah Jazz. This player exclusive is unreleased and very exclusive. This pair is the same pair that we will see Carlos Boozer rocking through the playoffs. Grab a piece of Utah Jazz history by acquiring one of the lightest and most efficient basketball PE’s. This is a limited pair of shoes.

Black/Baby Blue-White

Black/Baby Blue-White

Nike Hypermax Pau Gasol PE

This is a very rare pair made for Carlos Boozer of the Utah Jazz. This player exclusive is unreleased and very exclusive. This pair is the same pair that we will see Carlos Boozer rocking through the playoffs. Grab a piece of Utah Jazz history by acquiring one of the lightest and most efficient basketball PE’s.

Black/Baby Blue-White

[video] Asher Roth @ the Boulder Theater

As I said before I’m not a fan of this kid’s freestyles but I do appreciate that he makes good conceptual songs and his interviews are reflective of how humble an incoming MC should be. Plus to cap it off, they got Nipsey Hussle‘s BULLETS VOL 2 playing in the background throughout this whole clip.

[VIDEO] FedEx Cargo Jet Crashing in Tokyo, Japan

[pics] Crooks & Castles SPRING 09 Collection

via RealTalkNY

[video] Colbert Challenges Michael Steele to Rap Battle

Sports Illustrated Illustrates How (and Why) Athletes Go Broke

via RealTalk NY

What the hell happened here? Seven floors above the iced-over Dallas North Tollway, Raghib (Rocket) Ismail is revisiting the question. It’s December, and Ismail is sitting in the boardroom of Chapwood Investments, a wealth management firm, his white Notre Dame snow hat pulled down to his furrowed brow.

In 1991 Ismail, a junior wide receiver for the Fighting Irish, was the presumptive No. 1 pick in the NFL draft. Instead he signed with the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts for a guaranteed $18.2 million over four years, then the richest contract in football history. But today, at a private session on financial planning attended by eight other current or onetime pro athletes, Ismail, 39, indulges in a luxury he didn’t enjoy as a young VIP: hindsight.

“I once had a meeting with J.P. Morgan,” he tells the group, “and it was literally like listening to Charlie Brown’s teacher.” The men surrounding Ismail at the conference table include Angels outfielder Torii Hunter, Cowboys wideout Isaiah Stanback and six former pros: NFL cornerback Ray Mickens and fullback Jerald Sowell (both of whom retired in 2006), major league outfielder Ben Grieve and NBA guard Erick Strickland (’05), and linebackers Winfred Tubbs (’00) and Eugene Lockhart (’92). Ismail (’02) cackles ruefully. “I was so busy focusing on football that the first year was suddenly over,” he says. “I’d started with this $4 million base salary, but then I looked at my bank statement, and I just went, What the…?”

Before Ismail can elaborate on his bewilderment—over the complexity of that statement and the amount of money he had already lost—eight heads are nodding, eight faces smiling in sympathy. Hunter chimes in, “Once you get into the financial stuff, and it sounds like Japanese, guys are just like, ‘I ain’t going back.’ They’re lost.”

African Albinos Are Becoming Victims For Their Skin & Body Parts In East Africa!

more about “African Albinos Are Becoming Victims …“, posted with vodpod

[Op-Ed] Eminem’s back…but does the world still need him?

via The Independent

You must have heard it by now. That adenoidal, sing-song delivery; the slow, clipped beat, the tack piano… like a signal, beamed from a not-too-distant past. Nothing remarkable about that – except that, in the hyper-accelerated world of pop, a five-year silence is equivalent to skipping an entire generation. So the leak of a new track from Eminem – amid reports that he’s set to return with not one but two new albums – has understandably set the internet buzzing.

Which is fine – but can Marshall Bruce Mathers III, by far the biggest-selling rap artist in the world, possibly reclaim his position as the world’s most famous MC? His long, self-imposed exile is the least of it. After a reconciliation with (and subsequent divorce from) perpetual ex-wife Kimberley, the murder of a close friend, rumours of creative burnout, signs of weight gain and a much-publicised “dependency on sleep-medication”, he’s starting to resemble, for sheer weight of troubles, the very Michael Jackson he once mocked.

At 36, even if Eminem’s musical skills are intact, his road back may prove tough. Consider the following obstacles he’ll have to overcome along the way…

WEIRD SCIENCE: British scientists to create ‘synthetic’ blood

Ain’t this the sh*t they was doing in “True Blood?”

via The Independent

A major research project is to be announced this week that will culminate in three years with the first transfusions into human volunteers of “synthetic” blood made from the stem cells of spare IVF embryos. It could help to save the lives of anyone from victims of traffic accidents to soldiers on a battlefield by revolutionising the vital blood transfusion services, which have to rely on a network of human donors to provide a constant supply of fresh blood.

The multimillion-pound deal involving NHS Blood and Transplant, the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service and the Wellcome Trust, the world’s biggest medical research charity, means Britain will take centre stage in the global race to develop blood made from embryonic stem cells. The researchers will test human embryos left over from IVF treatment to find those that are genetically programmed to develop into the “O-negative” blood group, which is the universal donor group whose blood can be transfused into anyone without fear of tissue rejection.

This blood group is relatively rare, applicable to about 7 per cent of the population, but it could be produced in unlimited quantities from embryonic stem cells because of their ability to multiply indefinitely in the laboratory.

The aim is to stimulate embryonic stem cells to develop into mature, oxygen-carrying red blood cells for emergency transfusions. Such blood would have the benefit of not being at risk of being infected with viruses such as HIV and hepatitis, or the human form of “mad cow” disease. The military in particular needs a constant supply of fresh, universal donor blood for battlefield situations when normal supplies from donors can quickly run out.

But developing blood made from the cells of spare IVF embryos will raise difficult ethical issues for people not happy with the idea of destroying embryos to create stem cells. It also raises the intriguing philosophical question of whether the synthetic blood will have come from someone who never existed. In theory, just one embryo could meet the nation’s needs.

Blackberry Introduces Mobile Visor for the Curve

via Engadget

Tired of people trying to peep your tweets?  Well, Blackberry has just introduced a mobile visor for it’s Curve.  CLICK [HERE] to snatch you up this must-have accessory.

UPDATE: Kid Cudi Calls Off Retirement

via HipHopDX

After a shocking announcement of retirement, Kanye West protégé Kid Cudi has retracted his statement, saying he will not leave the rap game.

The announcement came yesterday during Cudi’s set at the South By Southwest music festival.

“You remember when Spiderman didn’t want to be Spiderman no more? Cause his personal life was so f***** up, but he was just, like, killing s*** as Spiderman…?” Cudi asked the crowd.

“I understand that I need y’all and y’all need me,” he added. “So I can’t stop.”

The statement was met with applause from the crowd.

Earlier this week, DX reported that Cudi announced he would hang up the mic to focus on his acting career [click to read].

Death Row Records: The Aftermath

via HipHopDX

During the ‘90s, Death Row Records linked the sound and do it yourself ethic of Stax and Motown with Hip Hop. It laid the blueprint for No Limit, Roc-A-Fella and a half dozen other independent labels. Along with the trademark sound emerged tales of industry shakedowns, studio beatdowns and a conflict that left two of Hip Hop’s greatest contributors dead. Things got so bad that Dr. Dre then Snoop Dogg and nearly everyone else departed, leaving thousands of unreleased recordings and plenty of drama in their trail. A few who chose to remain occasionally made headlines. As a shell of its former self, Death Row brought in a steady trickle of a couple million dollars annually, until a crippling lawsuit forced the label to sell its assets in a recent auction.

Canada’s WIDEawake Enertainment purchased the remaining Death Row assets for $18 million, simultaneously ending and starting a new era. As questions arose about the reintroducing the label’s analog material in a now digital Hip Hop landscape, the new owners promised a drastic change in the way business was conducted. After nearly a decade of re-releasing bootlegs and b-sides that were better left on the cutting room floor, stories of a board of trustees led by a suburban soccer-mom did little to ease the fears of die-hard Death Row fans.

In an exclusive interview with HipHopDX, WIDEAwake/Death Row CEO Lara Lavi and Senior Vice President John Payne cut through the clichéd press clippings to explain why they can equally relate to the suits who write the checks and the artists who cash them. With ties that reach back to Death Row’s infancy as Future Shock Records, John and Lara have offered a full pardon of sorts for all the artists and music stranded on Death Row. In the following pages, you can judge if they’ll successfully take the hood off of Death Row’s iconic mascot without taking the hood out of the label’s master recordings.

HipHopDX: What initially attracted you to the Death Row purchase?
John Payne: I was actually with Death Row from the very beginning. I did the Deep Cover Soundtrack, and I helped formulate the direction Death Row took before it kind of went a little negative. When the company went bankrupt, I worked with the trustees in identifying everything.

Nike Air Tech Challenge Hybrid

via HypeBeast

Combining various examples of all three generations of the Agassi-signature and heralded retro Nike tennis classic the Air Tech Challenge, Nike creates a hybrid version seen here. If you’re stuck in a time warp and still all over the retro colortip like stink on a monkey, the wild color reunion on the ATC Hybrid are right up your alley. Available now at Proper.

MJ’s heir apparent leads prep team to state title

via MSNBC

PEORIA, Ill. – Michael Jordan celebrated another Chicago basketball championship — his son’s.

Marcus Jordan, son of the Bulls’ six-time champion, scored a game-high 19 points to lead Chicago Whitney Young to a 69-66 victory over Waukegan in the Illinois Class 4A championship Saturday.

As Marcus Jordan and his teammates celebrated on the court after the final buzzer, Michael Jordan stood quietly, clapping his hands with tears in his eyes.

“Crying?” the NBA great said in response to a reporter’s question. “I’m not crying. Not for me, anyway.”

The younger Jordan was key down the stretch after two teammates fouled out, hitting four of four free throws in the final 3 minutes to seal the victory.

“Awesome,” Marcus Jordan said. “Just awesome.”

Michael Jordan, part-owner of the Charlotte Bobcats, skipped his team’s home loss to Indiana so he could attend his son’s game. Another son, Jeff Jordan, plays basketball for the University of Illinois.

Shaq ‘tweets’ at halftime of Suns game

via MSNBC

PHOENIX – Halftime “tweets” seem to be the latest NBA fad.

Suns center Shaquille O’Neal posted a note on his Twitter feed before a home game against Washington on Saturday night, suggesting he planned to post to the popular social networking Web site during halftime.

And sure enough, a brief message was posted on Shaq’s feed before the third quarter.

“Shhhhhhh,” it read.

It was the same message O’Neal delivered when asked about his Twitter plans before the game. When told Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry already knew about it, O’Neal bent over, leaned against the locker-room wall and groaned loudly, saying his plans were blown.

“I was going to do it and not get in trouble, then brag about not getting in trouble,” O’Neal said.

Gentry, when asked about O’Neal’s plans before the game, said he didn’t care.

“As long as he gets 25 (points) and 11 (rebounds), he can do whatever he wants. He can Twitter, Facebook, MySpace,” said Gentry, who also has a Twitter account set up by his daughter.

Last Sunday, Milwaukee Bucks forward Charlie Villanueva became an overnight Web celebrity after he posted a note, called a “tweet”, to his Twitter feed during halftime of his game against Boston.

“I stirred something up,” Villanueva said after Milwaukee’s 96-84 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday night. “I’m a trend setter, I guess.”

[video] Sean John Combs: Once Upon A Time In America

via Nahright

Diddy chops it up with Barry Michael Cooper (writer of New Jack City)

Bilderberg Conspiracy Theories Continue to Haunt Obama

Spanish King Juan Carlos

Kathleen Sebelius: Kansas governor and nominee for the the Health and Human Services secretary post

Richard Holbrooke: Special envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan

Dennis Ross: Special adviser to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on the Gulf region and Southwest Asia

Timothy Geithner Treasury secretary

Lawrence Summers: National Economic Council director

Paul Volcker: Chairman of the Economic Recovery Advisory Board

Margaret Thatcher: Former prime minister of Britain

Conrad Black: Former media mogul

Bill Clinton: Former U.S. president

Tony Blair: Former prime minister of Britain

Condoleezza Rice: Former U.S. secretary of state

Donald Rumsfeld: Former U.S. secretary of defense

Queen Beatrix of Netherlands

Bilberberger?

Once conspiracy theories go mainstream are they theories anymore?

via Politico/AOL

The highest levels of the Obama administration are infested with members of a shadowy, elitist cabal intent on installing a one-world government that subverts the will of the American people.

It sounds crazy, but that’s what a group of very persistent conspiracy theorists insists, and they point to President Obama’s nominee for Health and Human Services Secretary, Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, as the latest piece of evidence supporting their claims.

It turns out that Sebelius – like top administration economists Timothy Geithner, Larry Summers and Paul Volcker, as well as leading Obama diplomats Richard Holbrooke and Dennis Ross – is a Bilderberger. That is, she is someone who has participated in the annual invitation-only conference held by an elite international organization known as the Bilderberg group.

The group, which takes its name from the Dutch hotel where it held its first meeting in 1954, exists solely to bring together between 100 and 150 titans of politics, finance, military, industry, academia and media from North America and Western Europe once a year to discuss world affairs. It doesn’t issue policy statements or resolutions, nor does it hold any events other than an annual meeting.

Bang & Olufsen’s 103-inch $130,000 BeoVision Plasma

via Switched

Plasma’s dying, huh? Go and tell that to Bang & Olufsen. Just in case the 50- and 65-inch versions of the BeoVision 4 HDTV weren’t expansive enough, the high-end home cinema outfitter has just pushed out news of an all new addition: the 103-inch BeoVision 4-103. If that number immediately rings a bell, here’s a cookie. The 103-inch Panasonic TH-103PF9 panel is indeed the exact one used here, but B&O has obviously spruced up the design, added an automatic rising stand and incorporated the BeoSystem 3 and the VisionClear technology that automatically adjusts colors and brightness. Oh, and it tossed in a B&O logo, which is darn near priceless. Speaking of stickers, the set should be available this July for around €100,000 ($136,220) pre-VAT. Check the demonstration vid after the break and the gallery over at Engadget.

Iran’s supreme leader dismisses Obama overtures

via AOL

TEHRAN, Iran -Iran’s supreme leader rebuffed President Barack Obama’s latest outreach on Saturday, saying Tehran was still waiting to see concrete changes in U.S. policy.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was responding to a video message Obama released Friday in which he reached out to Iran on the occasion of Nowruz, the Persian new year, and expressed hopes for an improvement in nearly 30 years of strained relations.

Khamenei holds the last word on major policy decisions, and how Iran ultimately responds to any concrete U.S. effort to engage the country will depend largely on his say.
In his most direct assessment of Obama and prospects for better ties, Khamenei said there will be no change between the two countries unless the American president puts an end to U.S. hostility toward Iran and brings “real changes” in foreign policy.

“They chant the slogan of change but no change is seen in practice. We haven’t seen any change,” Khamenei said in a speech before a crowd of tens of thousands in the northeastern holy city of Mashhad.
In his video message, Obama said the United States wants to engage Iran, but he also warned that a right place for Iran in the international community “cannot be reached through terror or arms, but rather through peaceful actions that demonstrate the true greatness of the Iranian people and civilization.”

Akon & Peter Buffett Debut “Blood Into Gold” At United Nations Commemoration Event, March 25th

via Black Vibes

New York, NY – In observance of the 2009 Commemoration of the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade on the 25th of March, Emmy-award winning musician and philanthropist Peter Buffett, and R&B/pop star Akon will publicly debut an issue-inspired song, “Blood Into Gold”, with a live performance at a star-studded cultural evening and concert in the United Nation’s General Assembly Hall.

Peter Buffett was asked by the non-profit organization, Culture Project, to write the song specifically for this commemoration. Akon, who has previously collaborated with Peter, loaned his voice and production expertise on “Blood Into Gold”. All proceeds from the download of the single will go to an organization whose purpose is to educate and bring an end to human trafficking worldwide. A poignant video to accompany the song is currently in production.

For the first time at the United Nations, the evening concert, will bring together: Akon (Senegal/USA) & Peter Buffett (USA); Mezzo-Soprano Audrey Babcock (USA); Soprano Angela Brown (USA); The Blind Boys of Alabama (USA); Izaline Calister (Curacao/The Netherlands); Toumani Diabat� (Mali); Danny Glover (USA); Gilberto Gil (Brazil); Bill T. Jones (USA); Sarah Jones (USA); Salif Keita (Mali) and his Band; Ladysmith Black Mambazo (South Africa); Emeline Michel (Haiti); The Marley Brothers (Jamaica); CCH Pounder (Guyana/USA/Senegal); Stephanie Benson (Ghana); Phylicia Rashad (USA); Tenor Noah Stewart (USA); Randy Weston (USA) and his Quintet; Choreographer Gabri Christa (Curacao/The Netherlands) and others. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and General Assembly President Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann will deliver testimonies at the concert and pre-taped testimonials from Nelson Mandela and Muhammad Ali will be broadcasted.

[video] Brooke & Red Cafe Go on a Date on Ep. 3 of “CANDY GIRLS”

Eminem to Induct RUN DMC into Rock And Roll Hall of Fame

via MTV

He’s the King of Detroit and they’re the Kings of Rock. Sounds like royalty will be in the building next month as Eminem is scheduled to induct Run-DMC into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 4. Em was announced as a participant in the festivities late Friday afternoon (March 20).

According to The Associated Press, Em will join Jimmy Page, the Rolling Stones’ Ron Wood, Flea and Smokey Robinson as presenters during the ceremony, held at the Public Auditorium in Cleveland.

The reclusive rapper is slowly starting to re-enter the public consciousness. Recently, his label, Interscope, announced the rapper would release his forthcoming project, Relapse, on May 19. Slim Shady’s protégé, 50 Cent, told MTV News it was his idea for Eminem to also put out a second album before the year’s up.

“You can’t ask for more excitement from a hip-hop perspective than two Eminem albums,” 50 said. “One is great. It’s a treat. But the second one is exciting.

[audio] LETS TALK MONEY-NIPSEY vs PIMP C & LIL WAYNE

Yesterday a song called “LETS TALK MONEY” featuring the late great PIMP C and the martian LIL WAYNE with a sampled T-PAIN on the hook dropped and caused quite a stir in cyberspace because of a loose reference WAYNE made to 50 CENT.  No big deal, unless of course these frivilous “beefs” are your thing.  But the BIGGER point that is being overlooked is that this beat was previously destroyed by none other than the homie NIPSEY HUSSLE.  Now upon further review you can listen to his version, then take a listen to the PIMP C version and tell us…who’s really CASHING OUT on LET’S TALK MONEY?

NIPSEY HU$$LE- LETS TALK MONEY

VS

PIMP C & LIL WAYNE- LETS TALK MONEY [NO TAGS]

[video] Charlie Murphy’s CRASH COMEDY: Charlie & Lil Wayne

CHARLIE MURPHY’S CRASH COMEDY – Lil’ Wayne guest stars in the series premiere of Charlie Murphy’s debut online smack-fest. Crash Comedy Bitch!

[video] Ron Paul talks AIG Bonuses on CNN American Morning

You see, I’m sorry but I f*cks with Ron Paul. Somehow I tend the believe his perspective on this disaster more than I do the puppet politician parroting the popular party line.  OK, the AIG bonuses were a travesty, but “Let’s Talk Money” like Nipsey Hussle. The Treasury just opened the floodgates and flooded the economy with a trillion dollars, out of thin air!  This infusion stands to do way more damage than the few million they are kicking back to AIG executives.   can you spell INFLATION?  The more pertinent question is where is the $800 BILLION they just threw at these institutions with no paper trail?  Somewhere in Gotham the Joker is laughing his ass off, but super envious of these “black” Crooks in “white” Castles.  Remember, only Crooks need BAILOUTS.  Do your homework, you are being ROBBED in plain sight by the same people you depend on protecting you from the jackers.

[video] B.I.G.’s FINAL PARTY

Somebody opened the B.I.G. floodgates this year. Must be Freedom of Information Act

From all firsthand accounts, the 1997 party was legendary. Everyone danced the night away and popped bottles. Big’s “Hypnotize” spun incessantly. No one had any idea that tragedy awaited them. Footage of the party has recently surfaced on the Net, and true to the stories from 12 years ago, heavy revelry abounds.

More than seven minutes from an amateur recording of the party show highlights such as Puff Daddy dancing to “All About the Benjamins” surrounded by a circle of women, along with various crowd shots of stars such as Missy Elliott, Irv Gotti, DJ Klark Kent, DJ Clue, Chris Tucker and Ginuwine. The party spinner, identified as DJ Ace, shouts out people such as Da Brat, Aaliyah and Jermaine Dupri. A note at the bottom of the screen said Biggie himself refused to be videotaped.

While the party was in L.A., the time on the tape seems to be in Eastern Time. Big left the party at 12:30 p.m. and was pronounced dead at 1:15 a.m., but the video has everyone partying at 1:30 a.m. The party was actually shut down before that because it was too crowded.

“Rest In Peace to Tupac” – Ed Lover @ 5:58min

Whoever put this together analyzed the tape like he was the FBI, even caught a glimpse of Chris Tucker walking around.

Spotted @ RR via MTV via Nahright

[audio] JOE BUDDENS- HOTTEST IN THE HOOD

JOE BUDDENS- HOTTEST IN THE HOOD

CLICK [HERE] for AUDIO

Joey assaults Red Cafe‘s latest street banger…courtesy of nahright

A bunch of greasy talk and slick punchlines…somehow I feel Juelz caught an upper cut in this combo.

Soldier says Rabbis pushed “Religious War” in Gaza

via Reuters

JERUSALEM, March 20 (Reuters) – Rabbis in the Israeli army told battlefield troops in January’s Gaza offensive theywere fighting a “religious war” against gentiles, according to one army commander’s account published on Friday.

“Their message was very clear: we are the Jewish people, we came to this land by a miracle, God brought us back to this land and now we need to fight to expel the gentiles who are interfering with our conquest of this holy land,” he said.

The account by Ram, a pseudonym to shield the soldier’s identity, was published by the left-leaning Haaretz newspaper in the second day of revelations that have rocked the Israeli military. (www.haaretz.com “Shooting and Crying, 2009″).

They were leaked from a Feb 13 meeting of armed forces members to share their Gaza experiences.

Some veterans, alumni of an Israel Defence Force (IDF) military academy, told of the killing of civilians and their impression that deep contempt for Palestinians pervaded the ranks of the Israeli forces.

Haaretz and the daily Maariv, which also published the accounts, quoted over half a dozen soldiers and airmen. The institution’s director, Danny Zamir, confirmed that Thursday’s published accounts were authentic.

In longer excerpts in its Friday “Week’s End” edition, the daily quoted ‘Ram’ as saying his impression of the 22-day operation was “the feeling of an almost religious mission”.

There was a “huge gap between what the Education Corps sent out and what the IDF rabbinate sent out”, he said. The corps’s pamphlets told the history of Israel’s fighting in Gaza from 1948 to the present, but the rabbinate’s message imparted the sense that “this operation was a religious war”.

Craigslist Prosititution Task Force Busts Online Tricks

via wcbstv

A Westchester County couple with two children is the latest targets in a crackdown on prostitution.

Police told CBS 2 HD on Friday that the couple used craigslist to find clients for their bordello in the ‘burbs.

Richard Salvatore and Rachel Grome are husband and wife — now accused as pimp and prostitute.

They are a team that allegedly used the popular Web site to market services that involved illegal sex.

Cops said they hosted “Johns” at their townhouse in a quiet Rye Brook neighborhood.

“I feel like craigslist has really brought 42nd Street and Times Square right into people’s home,” Rye Brook Police Chief Gregory Austin told CBS 2 HD.

Austin said it’s keeping area departments busy.

Craigslist is loaded with ads offering sex. The ad allegedly posted by Salvatore and Grome presented her as a college girl “just looking for help with my tuition.”