Archive for August, 2009

Snoop Unveils New Headphones

Thursday, August 13th, 2009

Snoop Dogg's “Snoop Crusher” headphones are now available in Europe. Big Snoop Dogg partnered with the action sports head phone company Skullcandy for the bass thumping music devices that feature bas with 30mm neodymium magnetic speakers. The speakers retail for about $115 (£64.99 / 79.95Euros).

The Doggfather spoke about his headphones stating, “The Snoop Dogg Skullcrusher is the hottest headphone comin' to a hood near you. I've been a fan of Skullcandy products for years and I decided it was time to break bread with them. Our headphones are fly, affordable, and most importantly – bangin' like Ni**aracci beats. Make sure to scoop a pair and be on the lookout for more Snoop Dogg/Skullcandy products, ya dig.”

“The Snoop Crusher” headphones are also (more...)

Warrant Issued for Former Clinton Aide

Thursday, August 13th, 2009

Authorities have issued a bench warrant for the former chief of staff of Bill Clinton's Arkansas gubernatorial terms.

Betsy Wright is expected to turn herself in for allegedly smuggling contraband into a state prison.

According to CNN, Wright smuggled a Doritos bag filled with 48 tattoo needles, and pen with tweezers and a needle inside, a Swiss Army knife and a box cutter into a high-security state prison.

Wright's attorney, Jeff Rosenzweig, said she would turn herself in next week.

The former chief of staff has befriended a number of inmates at the Varner Unit in Grady, Arkansas, and she is also a long time advocate of prisoners.

"We are very disappointed the prosecutor has chosen to issue charges," Rosenzweig said.

"We have no choice but to seek vindication in court."

Wright ran Clinton's successful gubernatorial campaigns in 1982, 1984, and 1986, and she served as his chief of staff for seven years.

Kanye West To Make Movie Of One Time Video

Thursday, August 13th, 2009

Chicago rapper Kanye West has had one of his music videos turned into a short film and is set to be released in September on iTunes.

Spike Donze, who was also responsible for the “Flashing Lights” video will be the manpower behind the film titled, We Were Once A Fairytale. Originally the film was set to be the music video for West's single, “See You In My Nightmare” featuring Lil Wayne off his last album, 808s and Heartbreak. The 15-minute short has already premiered as it was featured at the Los Angeles Film Festival in June. According to Jonze, the film was made in the (more...)

Ghostface, Method Man and Raekwon Album Coming

Thursday, August 13th, 2009

With projects being dropped and albums still on the rise of being released, Wu Tang Clan members Method Man, Ghostface Killah and Raekwon have had somewhat of a busy year in 2009. As rumors had speculated about a rift between certain members and their in house beat maker/member RZA, there was clearly a need to create some type of distance musically.

As MTV spoke with Ghostface Killah, he assured fans that the project was not a rap urban legend and that it has been in discussion for the past two years, but there has yet to be a title decided. In terms of how to go about the project, the rapper has stated that he wants the album to be cut down to just 12 tracks where each of the 3 just picks 4 beats a piece and just go from there. As it relates to a release date, it should come out around the fourth quarter if not then in (more...)

Former Cigna Vice President Reveals Industry Tactics

Thursday, August 13th, 2009

Since the early 2000's the health care industry has been the bane of many Americans existence, leading them to enormous debt, bankruptcy and in worse cases foreclosure.

Wendell Potter, the former vice president of the insurance giant Cigna, has spoken out about the practices of the industry to shed some light on the growing concern surrounding health care reform.

Potter, who ended up stepping away from his position said the industry is playing "dirty tricks" to distort public opinion.

"Words matter, and the insurance industry is a master at linguistics and using the hot words, buzzwords, buzz expressions that they know will get people upset," he said.

According to CNN, Potter, now a member of a watch dog group Center for Media and Democracy, is an active healthcare reform blogger. In addition to the blog, Potter is a supporter of the government regulated health care plan and has joined the effort to pass the legislation.

"I know from personal experience that members of Congress and the public have good reason to question the honesty and trustworthiness of the insurance industry," Potter testified before the Senate Commerce Committee in early July.
Potter also explained a healthcare industry common practice called "purging."

He detailed the procedure saying underwriters at Cigna would dramatically spike insurance rates on small businesses, leaving them no choice but to drop their policies.

"When that business comes up for renewal, the underwriters jack the rates up so much, the employer has no choice but to drop insurance," Potter had said.
Chris Curran, a Cigna spokesman denied the notion of his company purging and responded to the allegations in an email.

"We do not practice that. We will offer rates that are reflective of the competitive group health insurance market. We always encourage our clients to compare our proposed rates to those available from other carriers," Curran wrote.

Potter, currently in Washington with Rep. Louise Slaughter of New York, said he is suspicious of the insurance companies' public relations tactics. He said some of the questions raised at the town hall meeting are recognizable.

"People talk about the government takeover of the system ... that's a buzz term that comes straight out of the insurance industry," he said

While Curran did not address Potter's suspicions behind the town hall dust ups, Cigna released a written statement agreeing that health care reform is needed, but expressed skepticism behind the government being able to successfully accomplish the task.

Potter's concerns, however, are incredibly similar to the Democrats' strategy to aggressively go after insurance companies this summer. In sharp contrast, Republicans do not believe the insurance companies are entirely responsible for the health care crisis, citing the handful of policy holder who are happy with their plan.

The Democrats are also facing scrutiny from a group of fiscal conservatives called "Blue Dogs," who are panicked over high-priced health care plans being driven out.

Potter continually stresses the fact that he has no agenda -- rather a burning passion for the issue.

"This is hard to do. It's scary to do something like this. I don't think I'm any more courageous than anybody but I feel I had to do this."

Potter decided to resign in 2007 after Cigna's controversial handling of an insurance claim made by the family of a California teenager, Nataline Sarkysian.

The Sarkysian family made repeated appeals at news conferences for Cigna to approve a liver transplant for the 17-year-old, who had leukemia. Cigna initially declined to cover the operation, then reversed its decision.

The young woman died just hours after the reversal.

DG YOLA TURNS HIMSELF IN FOR 1-YEAR BID

Wednesday, August 12th, 2009

Atlanta rapper, DG Yola, whose real name is Mario Talley, turned himself into authorities this past Friday, August 7th to begin a one-year bid stemming from an aggravated assault charge he received in December of 08. This, according to manager Lady B of Power Hittas Records.

The charge stemmed from an incident in which Yola's own cousin tried to rob him of cash and a 2009 Jaguar upon Yola's return from a performance, forcing Yola to shoot the man in the chest in self-defense. Yola's cousin has since (more...)

Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lowery And Others Honored With Medal Of Freedom

Wednesday, August 12th, 2009

Civil rights pioneer, Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lowery was honored today with the highest honor given to a civilian, the Medal of Freedom. Dr. Lowery is noted for his work alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and help with the Montgomery bus boycotts. He has become an iconic figure in the Black community and city of Atlanta where he was honored at the “International Civil Rights Walk of Fame” for his accomplishments. President Obama gave Dr. Lowery the award at a ceremony in Washington this afternoon. Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa, Sen. Ed Kennedy of Massachusetts and actor Sidney Poitier also received Medals of Freedom.

The apartheid activist, Archbishop Tutu has been regarded as South Africa's “moral compass” and avid Obama supporter. When he heard President Obama won the election he said he wanted to “sing and dance.” He also chaired the country's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, an organization to unveil and correct South Africa's past wrongdoings.

Senator Edward “Ted” Kennedy is noted for being the brother of President John F. Kennedy. Kennedy has been in the senate for 46 years, and an advocate for health care reform. He often calls it, “the cause of his life.” He's been at the forefront of every healthcare bill enacted by congress in the last five decades. He is currently fighting brain cancer and coping with the recent death of his eldest sister, Eunice Kennedy Schriver. Sen. Kennedy did not attend today's ceremony but his daughter, Kara Kennedy, attended on his behalf.

Sidney Poitier made history becoming the first African-American to win an Academy Award for best actor in 1963. He also broke down doors starring in Guess Who's Coming To Dinner, the first movie to portray interracial marriage and interracial kissing. He was also the first African-American to be the top grossing movie star in the United States.

Georgia Man Convicted of Terrorism

Wednesday, August 12th, 2009

A 23-year-old Georgia man was convicted on terror-related charges after five-hours of deliberating, prosecutors said.

Ehsanul Islam Sadequee of an Atlanta suburb was found guilty after a seven-day trial on four counts of supporting terrorism and a foreign terrorists organization, CNN reports.

Just weeks ago, a federal judge convicted Sadequee's accomplice, Syed Haris Ahmed, of providing material support to the U.S. terror attacks and abroad. Ahmed was a Georgia Tech student.

Sentencing for both suspects is scheduled for October 15. Both face up to 60 years in prison.

"With this guilty verdict, a long and successful international counterterrorism investigation comes to a close," said David Nahmias, U.S attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, said in the news release.

"Defendants in the United States, the United Kingdom, Bosnia and elsewhere -- all of whom conspired together to provide material support to violent jihad -- are now safely behind bars. For that, we can be thankful."

Sadequee , a Virginia native, is of Bangladeshi decent and took residence in the country in 2001, prosecutors said. The said Sadequee sent emails expressing his desires to join the Taliban and ban together to to fight against the U.S.

By 2005, Sadequee returned to his family's Roswell, Georgia home and eventually "entered an illegal agreement -- a conspiracy -- with others to provide material support to terrorists engaged in violent jihad," prosecutors said in the news release.

Ahmed and Sadequee were charged in the same indictment. Authorities alleged the two traveled to Canada in March 2005 to meet with three other co-conspirators they met online.

"While in Canada, Sadequee and his co-conspirators discussed their plans to travel to Pakistan in an effort to attend a paramilitary training camp operated by a terrorist organization, such as Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LET), as preparation for engaging in violent jihad abroad or in the United States," the prosecutors' statement said.

"They also discussed potential targets for terrorist attacks in the United States."

In addition, authorities contended Ahmed and Sadequee made "casing videos" of landmarks in the Washington area, such as the U.S. Capitol, the World Bank Building and a Masonic temple.

The videos were found on the hard drives of at least two men who were convicted on terrorism charges in the United Kingdom. According to prosecutors, those two men were found to possess a large quantity of "violent jihad materials."

Ahmed traveled to Pakistan in July 2005 in an attempt to enter a training camp, but his family and others convinced him to postpone that effort, according to Nahmias' statement.

The day before Ahmed returned to Atlanta, however, Sadequee departed for Bangladesh, carrying items hidden in the liner of his suitcase, including an encrypted CD and a map of Washington that included all of the targets he and Ahmed had cased, authorities said.

While in Bangladesh, Sadequee conspired with members of a "violent jihadist organization known as al Qaeda in northern Europe," prosecutors said. One of the men later was convicted of terrorism offenses in Bosnia and Herzegovina and is in prison there.

Meanwhile, the FBI was investigating Ahmed, who then was at Georgia Tech, in connection with the international terrorism investigation. Ahmed "made increasingly incriminating statements" during questioning, prosecutors said, and "efforts by the FBI to obtain Ahmed's cooperation in the ongoing international terrorism investigation ended after the FBI discovered that Ahmed was surreptitiously contacting Sadequee, who was still in Bangladesh, to advise him of the FBI investigation and warn him not to return to the United States."

Teen Stabs Grandfather Over Milk

Wednesday, August 12th, 2009

A famous, old adage declares that there is no use in crying over spilled milk. 13-Year old Labrina T. Brown must have agreed whole heartedly because she did not cry; rather, she sliced and stabbed her frustrations way. Authorities have documented well the friction that existed between Brown and her step-grandfather, Robert A. Moon, but no one could have foreseen what was to come. Now the teen finds herself in an excitingly gloomy situation. Staring down a murder one charge, only one thing could have driven her into the realm of a killer; wasted milk.

Authorities report that the trouble started after Brown and Moon's stepdaughter, Denitra Aldridge, returned from shopping for groceries. Both young women prepared bowls of cereal, but were not able to add milk, as Brown was told by Moon that she would not be given any milk for her bowl until after Aldridge was served. It was said that the 48-year old man responded in a sarcastic manner, after which, he discarded what was left of the lactose beverage into the sink. That move prompted the enraged teen to grab a paring knife and plunge it into Moon's neck, striking his carotid artery, killing him.

Though only a minor, Wisconsin state law mandates that children older than 10 who are charged with first- or second-degree homicide must be charged in adult court. Brown has been charged with first-degree reckless homicide. In spite of the seriousness of her current plight, the young woman remains unrepentant, screaming to press, "I cut his throat! He's dead. I'm not afraid to go to jail for this."

Joy Sheard, Brown's public defender has gone on record to reveal that the family was very well known to child welfare authorities and had been visited by them on numerous occasions; a revelation that alludes to the incident being about more than spilled milk.

Man Arrested in Connection WIth $65M Jewelry Heist

Wednesday, August 12th, 2009

London authorities have arrested a man in connection with a flagrant robbery of a jewelry store last week.

Police have confirmed a 50-year-old man was apprehended Monday. The man is suspected of stealing upwards of $65 million dollars worth of jewels on August 6.

Surveillance footage shows the two men in question in connection with the heist, in addition to the bracelets, necklaces, rings and watches stolen from Graff Jewellers in London. According to Scotland Yard, 43 items were swiped amounting to around $65 million cash.

On August 6, two men allegedly walking into the store in the around 4:40 p.m. and threatened employees with guns. As the thieves were leaving the store, they dragged a female employee with them, a shot was fired though no one was hit or injured, the suspects fled in a blue BMW.

The car was found abandoned and the men were believed to have switched to a silver Mercedes and later slipped into a black vehicle.

"This was a well-planned robbery with a number of vehicles used to help the robbers escape," Detective Chief Inspector Pam Mace said in the statement.

"These men are extremely dangerous and fired at least two shots in busy London streets as they made their getaway.

"Someone knows who these men are," she said. "They would undoubtedly have spoken about (the robbery) before or boasted about it afterwards. I would urge anyone who recognizes them, knows the whereabouts of the jewelry or has any other information to contact us."

The video shows two men suited and appearing as if they planned to purchase jewels. Police believe one man, caucasian, is in his 30's and second man, black, is believed to also be in his 30's. Both men spoke with London accents.

The two men likely planned to execute the heist during the day under the impression the cameras would be disarmed, despite the crowded streets and sidewalks.