POLITICS: WEEKLY ADDRESS / OBAMA’S NEW TEAM

In this week’s weekly address, President-elect Barack Obama lays out the challenges that face us in the new year, and his plan for taking them on.

“We need an American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan that not only creates jobs in the short-term but spurs economic growth and competitiveness in the long-term,” he says. “And this plan must be designed in a new way—we can’t just fall into the old Washington habit of throwing money at the problem. We must make strategic investments that will serve as a down payment on our long-term economic future. We must demand vigorous oversight and strict accountability for achieving results. And we must restore fiscal responsibility and make the tough choices so that as the economy recovers, the deficit starts to come down. That is how we will achieve the number one goal of my plan—which is to create three million new jobs, more than eighty percent of them in the private sector.”

MPL | Flower

Prince is planning to release three new albums in 2009.

The singer says he has almost completed two solo albums, tentatively titled ‘MPLSOUND’ and ‘Lotus Flower’, as well as a record with his protégé Bria Valente called ‘Elixir’.

All three albums are likely to be released by Prince independently, with the LA Times reporting that the star is in negotiations with a major US retailer to distribute physical copies of the music.

Peep the spread here

Go husband, hu$tle.

Free the Husbands

The Foreign Exchange

Happy Holidays from The Foreign Exchange from The Foreign Exchange on Vimeo.

The Foreign Exchange is a hip hop duo consisting of American rapper Phonte Coleman and Dutch producer Nicolay.

The pair first made contact over message boards on Okayplayer.com and began recording and sending music back and forth. Soon after, Phonte and Nicolay formed The Foreign Exchange without having ever met each other in person, hence the name Foreign Exchange.

The album, Connected, was released in 2004 and was a showcase for Nicolay's musical talents as well as an introduction to like-minded Little Brother affiliates who guested on the album. The album received strong review and the single, "Sincere" featuring YahZarah, was released with a promo video.

Albums in stores now

Melanie's Spiel on Texting & Dating

by Melanie 'Ellis
My Texting Rant Part II (Facebook)

Fresh Out The Ground: JENA 6 MYCHAL BELL SHOOTS HIMSELF

MONROE, La. -- A teen convicted in the "Jena Six" beating case shot himself in the chest and was taken to the hospital Monday, days after his arrest on a shoplifting charge, police said.

Mychal Bell's wound isn't life threatening, said Monroe Police Sgt. Cassandra Wooten. The 18-year-old used a .22-caliber firearm in the shooting around 7:40 p.m., she said.

Wooten believes Bell was upset over media coverage of the arrest last week.

"I think he was upset over the incident ... and didn't want to be in the news again," she said.

Bell was arrested one month after he completed a sentence for his role in the beating of a fellow classmate, Justin Barker, at Jena High School in 2006. He was sentenced to 18 months for his part in the crime and also served a sentence for three previous unnamed crimes.


The Jena 6, which attracted sympathy and garnered petition signers and monetary donations, have endured a series of public embarrassments.

Earlier this year, Bryant Purvis was arrested following an altercation with a fellow student he believed had vandalized his car. In October, he and another Jena defendant, Carwin Jones, posed “like rap stars” at the BET Hip Hop Awards. Robert Bailey Jr. posted pictures of himself on MySpace with a wad of $100 bills stuffed in his mouth, igniting interest in the accounting of the donated legal funds.

Ill Communication

In the RemixCiara, hip-hop’s rising star, shows off MaxMara's ebullient new look

Cici made her debut in the Jan. 09 issue of Elle!! She's signed to Wilhelmina.

Beyonce vs. Ciara (Diva)

Ciara and her un-alter ego Supa C remixed Beyonce’s “Diva” for her upcoming Fantasy Ride mixtape. The first single from it is set to drop January 5th.
And below is B’s version:

Obama and Family Life Exposed. Why????

Can we give them some privacy. Damn paparazzi

US President Elect Barack Obama was spotted at a local mall in Hawaii with daughters Sasha and Malia.

The Bush!

Bush’s New Neighborhood Barred Blacks until 2000.

December 8, 2008 by jonesonpolitics

whitesonly

From HuffingtonPost:



As was reported this week, George Bush has bought a new house in a wealthy part of Dallas, called Preston Hollow, to live in after he leaves office. Preston Hollow homeowners are used to having well-known neighbors; the area is already home to Dallas Mavericks’ owner Marc Cuban and former presidential candidate Ross Perot.And while many of the Bushes’ new neighbors seem perfectly happy and excited to welcome the former first couple, a few of them, reportsthe Wall Street Journal, have some significant reservations:

The impending presence of a former President is ratcheting up security fears. “I am afraid with all the negative press the president has been getting, the whole neighborhood is going to be a target,” said a woman, who wouldn’t give her name. She carried her King Charles spaniel Friday past the Bushes’ new abode.

But Raw Story reports that the area had some issues long before Bush made it his new home.

Until 2000, the neighborhood association’s covenant said only white people were allowed to live there, though an exception was made for servants. The document, enacted in 1956, reads:

“Said property shall be used and occupied by white persons only except these covenants shall not prevent occupancy by domestic servants of different race or nationality in the employ of a tenant.”

Mexican/US Border Drug Wars.....

Jimmy Fallon Blog

don't try this @ home

Neon Soul (count bass- D)

Directed By Distrakt: Count Bass D - Neon Soul from Distrakt on Vimeo.

Primo talking about making “Nas Is Like”

hit&run

Kaos on Komcast

Senor Kaos just got his own show on Comcast cable in Atlanta. Peep the promo:

Señor Kaos The Stand On Demand Commericial from Señor Kaos on Vimeo.

Shakey’s Record Fair in NYC Tues TONITE!!!

For those of you still attached to vinyl, Shakey’s Record Fair is going down again, and this time it’s back at APT NYC (on 13th St. BTW 9th ave and Washington) this Tuesday from 8pm to 3am.