Is the Vick drama really this serious?

written by Jouran Crosby

Is this Michael Vick drama really worth the nonsense he is going through at this time? My answer simply is NO! It's crazy to fathom that we place such a high value on a animal's life completely disregarding human life. Do I condone dogfighting, No. Is what he did animal cruelty? Yes. My question is, where are the protesters who are against domestic violence, gambling, drug abuse, murder, alcoholism, etc, etc, etc. Isn't the league full of individuals who are actively and continuously indulging in these vices? Why is did Mike Vick received 18 months in a federal penitentiary for dogfighting, but Dante Stallworth received only 30 days for which 10 were suspended for driving drunk and killing someone?

The American value system is starting to amaze me. We are beginning to become a society based on blatant hypocrisy rather than upon a moral foundation. Who cares what our conservative politicians believe; their agenda is to sweep it under the rug and turn our country back to a very dark period; but I digress. Does Michael Vick deserve a chance to play in the NFL again? Yes! Will he ever get that chance to play again? Probably not.

Let me pose this question to everyone who is against Michael Vick. If you don't own a pet and/or never raised a pet, shut up because you are far from an animal lover. To the ones who do own dogs and are against Mike Vick ask yourself this question... "What did you do when your dog tore up your favorite pair of shoes, chewed up your computer cord; urinated on your brand new carpet over and over again, chewed on your crown molding as if it were a chew toy, etc?" Did you snatch them up by the back of their neck and yell at them? Did you kick them or hit them with a newspaper? Better yet, did you make them go outside and sit out there for hours even though it was the dead of winter? Did you lock them in the basement for days? I think you get my point. If you did any of this do you not think that is cruelty to animals? Do you not think that is deserving of some sort of punishment?

Dallas Austin is requesting everyone who wants a chance to be featured on Rowdy TV to submit your music and videos to http://www.rowdy.tv/! They are accepting music, videos and short films from all genres and styles.

Visit the http://www.rowdy.tv/ for submission guidelines and additional information.

Music Review: Diamonds On My Neck - SkyyHigh Ent LLC

Written by Jouran Crosby (aka) Ran
Edited by T. Robinson (aka) T. Rob

Diamonds on my neck, Diamonds on my wrist…

- This single is summed up with one word "PRESSURE"! Max boiling points are exceeded when “Diamonds on my Neck” by Skyy High Ent, LLC spins. As soon as the intoxicating track starts playing, your head can't help but to nod uncontrollably while doing hand gestures that coincide with the beat

....got it on deck, you wanna get it on bet
and I ain't talkin about poppi
I'm talkin about my jeweler when I call my connect

- By the time the hook comes around the second time, you’re in full assault singing, pointing at our neck and wrist, brushing your shoulders and popping your collar.

Call my connect and my connect paid 200 stacks
for dis sh*t hanging off his neck

- Now this is the one part of the song that brings you to a halt and makes you go, WOW!!! Skyy High Ent, LLC pays homage to their previous banger featuring Max B “Call My Connect”by switching to this beat mid song and spitting the above line. To grasp a full understanding of the beat drop in the verse above, you have to start here and take a listen to “Call My Connect” [click title to download].

He in da fed joint eatn lobster with

- Regardless of how rhetorical it may sound, I needed to see if I was the only feeling this record, so I played it for a few people. Needless to say I got the response I was expecting. Every woman in room got up and started rocking their hips and dancing hard. Then the unexpected happened, 10 burns of both tracks “Call My Connect” and “Diamonds on my Neck”.

Diamond on his neck, diamonds on his neck

- Wait!!! I failed to mention that over half the people in the room dislike most up-top music, but these two songs are going to keep them company during their morning and afternoon ride to work.

- If I say anymore this review will be no more than just a hype man pushing the tracks. I will close by saying this, I have no doubt in my mind that “Diamonds on my Neck” by Skyy High Ent, LLC will be banging in every club nationwide by year end. Over excited or not, download the single below and don’t do it injustice by listening to it low. I must offer this disclaimer, if you not ready to party don’t even bother listening to the single.

"Diamonds on my Neck" - Skyy High Ent, LLC

follow me on twitter @rannyran

Music Review: "Trap All Day" Yung Cal

“Unsigned Hype” is an understatement for this artist that is blazing Atlanta’s underground reminiscent of General Sherman’s march. Yung Cal [Heartshok Entertainment], from the LBC and now an inhabitant of Atlanta, is bottled up and ready to explode.


I had an opportunity to check Yung Cal 's “Trap All Day” video and one can only say that its just a matter of time. This radio worthy single displays the production and lyrical content of an artist who takes his craft seriously. I am sure many can agree that when the moniker of “Unsigned Hype” is given to an upcoming talent, the listener is often disappointed by an artist who draws comparison to a toddler just discovering the world around them. Yung Cal is definitely an exception to this analogy.


(Chorus)
I just chase cash, while you n**as get mad
100K off in my bag, true religions with a sag
I’m the man
Yea I’m puttn on, I hustle on my own
If you with me sing along

I don’t get mad I just get money
I don’t get mad I just get money
Pile it to the ceiling, yo boy is in the building
I been trappin’ all day
What a wonderful feelin’
(end chorus)

Remember when Jeezy’s single “Go Crazy” first hit the club? It had everyone putting their hands up in anticipation of the beat drop; heads nodding and everyone from the prissiest to the nerd was singing the hook and poppin they collar while swinging fictions chains. The chorus of “Trap All Day” is HARDDDD and once the collective hip hop community hears this track, it will be a heavy weight that bangs in everyone's club. Yung Cal has the potential of doing what his legendary predecessors accomplished if he stays focus on the craft of deliver lyrical content worthy of a listen. Will Yung Cal’s career be as kinetic as his predecessors? Only time will tell, but in the meantime “Trap All Day” is ready for its big break.

YUNG CAL - TRAP ALL DAY (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO) from Jay Shropshire on Vimeo.

Leave Them Be For Now!!!!

I read this article discussing how Wall Street and Banks are beginning to return to profitability in a major way, but now the White House is mad because some of these firms are announcing new bonuses and pay structures (http://tinyurl.com/nkm9dz). I am wondering why the White House is mad at this; isn't this exactly the purpose for the TARP funds? Didn't former President Bush, President Obama and the members of Congress pass this legislation to help shore up the banks and create stability in our financial system?So why are they now mad?

Many ney-sayers have said that the purpose of the funds were meant to help the American people and not meant to help the employees of the business make more money. Question, many of these firms used the money to do just that and now they are making money; so what are they to do with that money? Pay back TARP? Quite a few of the banks did just that. Are they to just hoard it? Most of these institutions are now bank holding companies which are subject to increased capital requirements, so they actually are required to hoard more money. Again we are back to root question, what is a profitable business to do with its fruits? I am glad that the bank representatives, traders, etc are receiving a bonus and higher pay. As the banks get stronger so will the rest of the economy, but if our government continues to meddle in private matters, this economy will never be able to get restarted.

I am against many of the socialism strategies that have been deployed recently even though I consider myself a die hard Democrat. I just happen to believe in fiscal responsibility and social programs that help and aid those who are helping and aiding themselves. The Tarp funds actually are working surprisingly and all this means is that other sectors should be very hopeful that this monster will turn around possibly sooner than we all think. Let's not stop the momentum, but I have this strange bubbly feeling that the momentum is not only going to stop, but be brought to an abrupt halt. Extreme Conservatives and Extreme Liberals are going to sink this economy right now. Extreme Liberals want to create a euphoric environment that caters to the needs of everyone; whereas the Extreme Conservatives want to revert this Country to very dark period in our History. In the end, the concerns of the American people are not being address while individual agendas are taking center stage prior to a Congressional election year. Our question to the White House and Congress should not be "What are we going to do about these Banks" rather than "When are you going to encourage more job growth and a decrease in layoffs?" Until these questions are answered we will remain in a chaotic state.

- Written by Jouran Crosby

My Comments about Vibe Magazine Closing

Hearing this news just re-enforces the ever evolving tragedy within Black Media.

A publication of this stature and size was guilty of one thing, not keeping up with the changing media platforms. Even with the recession and declining print media ad spend, Vibe was in a unique position to capitalize on its broad base, however, like many of their counterparts, they chose a different path. A path that did not expand its reach beyond their print borders to other platforms enabling them to re-connect with life long readers and encourage new subscriber base.

It was sad when Vibe was sold to a private equity firm and its even more sad to hear that they are going to cease operations. A movement has to start now or Black Media as we know it may become extinct. Next on the clock is Radio One unfortunately, they are burden with a heavy debt load, variety of media outlets that are bleeding red, and a struggling TV Network joint venture. When Radio one had access to some free capital they chose to buy Blackplanet.com instead of paying down their debt. Poor decision making such as this examples shows and a stock price under $1.00, it is now only a matter of time before the closed sign is turned on for them.

written by Jouran Crosby

What Are Your Thoughts About This Urban Daily Post?

- article-

Obama: Overhyped and Overexposed?

By Ashton Lattimore June 19, 2009 4:47 pm

Is President Obama becoming the Drake of U.S. politics - flooding the excessively eager media with his image? Bill Maher seems to think so. Maher wrote in a June 17 editorial in the LA Times:

“President Obama should just join the cast of ‘I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!’ It’s not that far fetched; he’s been on everything else. I’m still a fan, but there’s a fine line between being transparent and being overexposed. Every time you turn on the TV, there’s Obama. He’s getting a puppy! He’s eating a cheeseburger with Joe Biden! He’s taking the wife to Broadway and Paris — this is the best season of “The Bachelor” yet! [...] Remember during the campaign when John McCain attacked Obama for acting like a celebrity and we all laughed at the grumpy old shellshocked fool? Well, it turns out he was right.”

Do Maher and McCain have a point? Let’s take a look at his week in review. In the past seven days, Mr. President…

… proposed an overhaul of the U.S. financial system.

… wrote a super sweet (and super public) reflection on fatherhood.

… made the case for universal health care.

… swatted a fly.

… got into trouble with PETA for his cruelty to the aforementioned fly.

… extended some benefits for federal employees’ same-sex partners.

… got hated on by the ghost of presidencies past, and by plain old racists.

Well, he’s definitely been busy. What do you think? Does he need to get back into the Oval Office and get to work, or is there no such thing as too much Obama?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here is my response:

I hate to say this and I know that I will take a lot of flack, but President Obama has become a Media Whore. He is the President of the Great U.S. so yes the world is going to be all eyes on me, however, the media attention is starting to go to his head and he is acting more like a celebrity rather than a polished, poised politician.

President Obama its time to turn the stage lights off and get refocused on the biggest challenge at hand, THE ECONOMY. The rest of your political agenda can wait a bit, let’s get Americans back to work before some worst happens.

I am a fan still, but my support is beginning to wane. Making history is not just getting elected, but getting elected and doing the unexpected.

What are your thoughts if any?

The Furlough Petition is Nothing More Than A Political Ploy and Has No Substance

written by Jouran Crosby

Ok now I am sure everyone is tired of my rants and raves about the City of Atlanta's wonderful Mayor and many of her exceptional accomplishments such as leading the City of Atlanta into a $200+ million deficit, cutting every possible revenue generator the city once had, driving property and sales taxes to astronomical levels, and an array of other political, financial and social mishaps.

Fast forward to last week on Facebook (FB); I logged in to Facebook and had a note waiting for me from one of my member groups. The note was encouraging members of this group to sign a petition that State Senator and Mayoral Candidate Kasim Reed started to encourage Mayor Shirley Franklin and the Atlanta City Council to end the furloughs for the Atlanta Police and Fire Departments so the city can be "safe". This brings up a question I hinted at previously..."Who is going to pay their salaries?" The answer at this point in time is no one will be able to pay their salaries; so why the petition? In my opinion, its just a political move to make it appear as if he is doing something above and beyond the other candidates while showing that he is completely against the current mayor. In the end, it's nothing but a dog and pony show.

My message to State Senator and Atlanta Mayoral Candidate Kasim Reed and his staff is instead of encouraging the end of the furloughs, how about we encourage the Atlanta City Council to approve the issuance of Revenue Bonds to finance and build the family center complex project that was proposed during Mayor Franklin's first term and marred by scandal and wasted $4.5M of taxpayer money with no ground breaking. How about we encourage Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau to drop the cliche campaigns that Mayor Franklin has concocted and develop a true Trade and Visitor promotion strategy that encourages convention traffic to return to the city which a vast majority left under Mayor Franklin's watch. Why not encourage a new entertainment and theater district where nightclubs, theaters, bars, and restaurant owners contribute 2-5% of their overall revenue to a special entertainment tax that would be used primarily for Police and Fire departments that patrol these areas, but ensure that city legislation blocks any use of this money for projects outside of these two departments. The same can be said for bringing back Atlanta Festivals such as Concert on the Bricks, Music Midtown, etc and working with various private media partners to develop additional attractions that aim to drive millions to Atlanta. This includes allowing restaurants and bars to pour on Sundays even if 50% of their receipts are not derived from food sales [legislation the sitting mayor that passed it some 3 decades ago didn't even enforce]. Finally, how about encourage city council to lower property taxes so that people may consider moving to the city and buy all this dormant real estate. Question was is total collected amount of property tax on 0 new units sold? Answer 0.

I understand that we are in significant economic downturn, however, the City of Atlanta has been in a downturn since 2003. Overpriced residences, posh retail selling garbage that is ridiculous priced, and a slew of low end buffet restaurants is not going to stimulate the Atlanta economy. Let's see if we did this what is the worst that would happen; hmmm more officers on the beat = safer streets, more people frequenting the city = more revenue, potential increase in residential sales = more property tax revenue, and wait the most important thing...jobs would be created that put real people back to work; what a wonderful concept.

State Senator Kasim Reed it appears that you are a favorite to win the seat next year, but if you want it to be a lock lets look past the political ploys and charades. There are real people hurting out here and people don't want to hear political rhetoric, the heartbeat of the Metro community needs a candidate that is going to reverse the ploys of this town jester that is currently holding the seat and enact true definitions to get this city back on track. The days of being a big city with a small town flair left once Atlanta won the Olympics. The city does not need a casino what it needs is a team to breathe life into, sweat from hard/smart work and focus. It needs a team that knows what they are doing and is not caught up on titles, but is caught up creating real growth. I guess it will take the Metro area becoming the Crime Capital of the United States with a junk bond status rating before the current mayor decides to do anything positive. Drop the rhetoric or allow someone who really wants the job and will do what is necessary to grab seat. Final question proposed to everyone running, are you up for the job and if so why do you feel you are the best candidate?

Finally GM Makes A Smart Business Decision

written by Jouran Crosby

GM thus far has made poor decision after poor decision with the worst being listening to government bureaucracy and going to bankruptcy court to settle its business differences, but that's another blog. GM today announced the sale of Saab which will transfer ownership back into the

hands of a Swedish company. Prior to GM purchasing Saab, Saab was a Swedish owned organization that made great quality products which diminished after Greedy Motors purchased the firm two decades ago. The interesting question now is what will the new owners at Koenigsegg do to revitalize the brand and raise its profile back to the prominence it once boasted.

Koenigsegg is a high end sports car manufacturer that, according to Yahoo News Article (http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090616/ts_nm/us_gm_saab) is highly obsessed with quality and sells cars that have an average ticker price of $1,000,000 (see picture below). I don't believe you will see Saab's coming off the assembly line looking like this in mass production, however, I can see Saab getting an performance and quality overhaul in the next few

years which will allow them to rival other strong foreign brands (i.e. the Germans). I hate to sound anti-American, but if Saab is going to turn it around, they can't focus on a business structure that aims to build a product that Americans like; the focus should be to build a product that the rest of the world will embrace. When it comes to cars, the average American wants to buy a label and that label generally carries a lapel with a home based outside of our coastlines. I guess when American manufacturing is more obsessed with quantity over quality, trust in the product is lost. Until this business practice changes (which I don't see that happening anytime soon), Americans just wont trust American made autos.

Congratulations GM on sending the prodigal son back home; now the ball is in your court Koenigsegg. There's no pressure to excel, heck the bar is so low any improvement will be better than what's out right now. By the way, yes I come from a household that was a former Saab Owner prior to GM's purchase of the company back in 1990.

Topic of the Evening: What do you look for in a place to party or hangout?

It's Friday night and another week is in the bag. It's time to get loose, smile, laugh, mingle with friends and make memories happen. For some it takes a cool, laid back scene where martini's and soda are flowing. For others, it could mean loud thumping music with a crowd of attractive socialites hitting it hard. 

So for tonight's question...Is your party or social hangout scene meeting your needs? What is it that you look for inorder to have a good time out? 

Topic of the Afternoon: Outlook on the Economy

I know everyone is tired of hearing the news discussing how we are in dire straights and that the World is going to hell in a handbasket. Let's personalize this discussion. I know for some it's a difficult subject to speak about, but the purpose of this discussion is to get views out there and hopefully to help one another network to a better situation. Waiting for our Government's policies to trickle down are taking forever and a day. Here are a few questions:

1) How do you feel about the economy?

2) How has your household navigated through this current recession? (i.e. Cutback on spending, travel, etc)

3) Do you think the media coverage has been overkill, just right or not enough?

Feel free to pose other questions within your responses. 

You thought Former NFL Running Back Travis Henry was a Dead Beat Dad; Check this Guy Out! Share your thoughts on the blog

written by Jouran Crosby

Read the article I pasted below about this Tennessee man who admitted in child support court to having 21 kids and he is only 29 years old. The crazy thing is the State of Tennessee is considering taking the max child support amount which is 50%, but that would only give each kid about $2 a month.

The guy says he is not trying to set a record, but I mean dude you work a minimum wage job and it seems like he is purposely sleeping with these women unprotected and having kids by them. Does he think he is going to get a reality show so he can pay for them? I think in situations like this he should be subject to a court ordered vasectomy, so he can't have any more of them.

Here is the biggest punchline ever, he says he is not a deadbeat because he knows every kids name, birthday and ages of all his children. Wow are you freaking kidding me? How about instead of laying down with chicks, he go get a second job and some education so that his irresponsible attitude is not a continued burden on taxpayers for the next 20 years. Now we all know that this dude is going to have more kids, so why he playing by saying he doesn't plan to have anymore?

Man o Man you gotta love ignorance at times. Let me pose this question, if many of the women knew about this man and his kids; why did they sleep with him unprotected? Or sleep with him period? I think a lot of them knew what they were getting into, thus the blame should fall on them as well. First you have Octomom who already had like 6 or 7 kids before she gave birth to 8 more; and now this guy.

- Tennessee man tells child support court he has 21 children

As if Octomom wasn't bad enough, a Tennessee man, 29 year old Desmond Hatchett has now fathered at least 21 children he can't support. Hatchett was in child support court again last week. His name appeared on the dockett 11 times in one day, representing 15 of his children.
Hatchett says he wasn't out to set a record. He says he never intended to have this many children, "It just happened." He fathered the children by at least 11 different women and he claims all of the mothers knew about his large family. The children range in age from newborn to 11 years old.
The question Knox County officials now face is how to support all these children. Hatchett works a minimum wage job and by law the state can only take 50% of his paycheck for child support. By the time that money is split 21 ways, some of the mothers get less than $2 per month. That leaves the taxpayers footing a large portion of the bill for these children.

Even though Hatchett can't support the children he has, there is nothing the state can do to prevent him from having more. Hatchett reports that he had 4 children in one year, twice. He says he's done having children now, but only time will tell. He does say that he's a good father and knows the names, ages, and birthdates of all of his children.

All of the blame can't be placed on Hatchett in this case. One has to wonder about the women who chose to have his children. In the end, the children and the taxpayers of Tennessee will pay for their choices for years to come.

(article provided by http://www.examiner.com and written by Barbara Thompson)

TI when are you going to learn?

T.I. was to report to jail today at 1:00pm in Arkansas and he didn't; hopefully there is a real good excuse for him being late. One day man...one day.. I know he has done a lot but one may wonder did he do it because he got caught or did he do it because he wanted to really change? We can only speculate what his thoughts are, but either way arriving late doesn't look good at all.

(reported by AP)
FORREST CITY, Ark. — A deadline passed and Atlanta rapper T.I. had not gone through the gate to the federal prison in Forrest City, where he was to begin serving time for a weapons conviction.

T.I., whose real name is Clifford J. Harris Jr., was to report to the minimum security prison on the complex by noon CDT to start his sentence of a year and a day. He performed Sunday night in Atlanta, where he told his audience he’d return in “366 days.”

A black Ford van arrived at the prison at 12:29 p.m. CDT and was allowed inside, though no indication was given whether T.I was inside.

A federal prisons spokesman said after the deadline that Harris was not listed in custody.
Harris could face more than eight years in prison if he does not meet terms of his plea deal.

Man Arrested for Tattooing His Infant...WTF!!!!

A Floyd County man has been charged with child cruelty after authorities say he tattooed his 3-year-old son.

Floyd County Police Sgt. Teri Davis said Eugene Ashley, 24, tattooed his son’s back right shoulder with “DB,” which stands for “Daddy’s Boy,” sometime this spring. The child’s mother, Amy Ashley, was not present during the incident.

The tattoo was discovered after an unidentified person complained to the Department of Family and Child Services about the conditions at the Ashley home. The Ashleys have several children, Davis said.

The children remain with their mother. Eugene Ashley was arrested May 21 and faces charges of child cruelty and tattooing a person younger than 18 years old, the latter being a misdemeanor, Davis said.
Ashley has been released from jail. Information on his bond amount was not immediately available.

(story taken from the AJC; written by KATIE LESLIE )

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What the heck was this dude thinking? All you can say is this is what happens when individuals who are not playing with a full deck have kids. The sad thing is when he gets out he'll get his kids back, why though?

Does President Obama Owe the State of Nevada an Apology?

A few months ago when making a speech about the way companies that accepted bailout funds are spending their money, President Obama made this comment "...business leaders receiving money from the government  can’t get corporate jets. You can’t go take a trip to Las Vegas or go down to the Super Bowl on the taxpayer’s dime...”  According to the governor of Nevada, he stated that after those comments were made Las Vegas suffered numerous convention cancellations thus resulting in over $100 million of lost revenue. Now here we are today; the President invited the Governor to meet him when he is in Nevada and the Governor gracefully declined. In addition, he asked the President to apologize to him for the comments and make statements supporting Nevada tourism by businesses and business leaders. 

Now back to the title, does President Obama owe the State of Nevada a apology? I can see why most people say No, but I can also see why most people will say Yes. Here is my opinion...I would have to say Yes he does and this is why. President Obama has to understand that he can not just use any coined statement; when the President speaks, regardless if people or businesses agree with him, they will listen. Now we can't say that his words cost the state that money, however, we can't say it didn't either. What we can say is that he could of chose his words more wisely and made a general connotation to lavish trips such as vacations and expensive sporting events, however to single out specific places to get a point across not only hurts him, but hurts possible or potential constituents in those communities that supported him. See with those cancellations came a reduction in jobs or staffing hours thus resulting in decrease subordinate work. 

I understand that many of you will not agree with this blog, but if you take a second to look at it not as a Democrat and Republican, but say someone in the service industry and the President made these statements about your state. How would you feel? Do you think you would be upset? If you were a political official would you want a apology and/or some time of retraction made? Many things one can ponder, but the end result is he should apologize for pointing the finger and not speaking in general context terms. 

This Article Validates Everything I say about the Donald - He is the Worst Business person in the World

Article taken from Finance.yahoo.com (http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/107103/Trump-on-Trump-Testimony-Offers-Glimpse-of-How-He-Values-His-Empire)

You can either read the above link or review the article below; but no matter what the choice is you will see that the Donald is probably one of the worst business people in the world. Everyone runs after Donald Trump and places him high on a petasal as if he were some sort of real estate god, but one doesn't have to look far into his history and see that the man's business has filed bankruptcy more than several times. The crazy thing is when this guy comes to town or any town at that, everyone flocks to get advice from him...so to all the Donald fans let me ask you this one question; If I ran a seminar and say I advertise that 4 people are going to be there and share a bio that included bankrupcty, poor credit, and bad money managing practices would you come? I will answer that NO! Matter of fact it would be HECK NO!!!! Yet in still 1000s flock to see him speak and read his books and now because someone out'd him with the truth, he is claiming to be defamed. 

I will let everyone make their own judgements, but the Donald is a sham and if you ever want to learn how to manage real estate why not read a book by someone who is doing it the right way rather than a joke who says and I quote "Mr. Trump explained that, in his eyes, he owned half because he gets paid fees for managing the buildings and because he didn't have to put up cash in the deal. "In my own mind I've always felt that," he said. "That 30% is equated to 50%," he said. In his interview Sunday, Mr. Trump said he had owned the equivalent of "more than 50%." Gotta Love the Don lol 

Wow What Were They Thinking: Interesting News Article

43 stun-gunned at prisons' Take Your Kids to Work Day

BY MARC CAPUTO

HERALD/TIMES TALLAHASSEE BUREAU

TALLAHASSEE -- A total of 43 children were directly and indirectly shocked by electric stun guns during simultaneous ''Take Your Sons and Daughters to Work Day'' events gone wrong at three state prisons, according to new information provided Friday by the Florida Department of Corrections.

Also, a group of kids was exposed to tear gas during a demonstration at another lockup.

Three prison guards have been fired, two have resigned and 16 more employees -- from corrections officers to a warden -- will be disciplined due to the incidents that unfolded April 23, said DOC Secretary Walt McNeil. An investigation is ongoing.

None of the children in any of the incidents required medical attention or was notably harmed, McNeil said. He said the children, who ranged in age from 5 to 17, were all children of prison officials.

In nearly every case, the guards had permission from parents or grandparents to administer the ''electronic immobilization devices,'' McNeil said.

''I can't imagine what these officers were thinking to administer this device to children, nor can I imagine why any parent would allow them to do so,'' McNeil said. ``This must not happen again.''

McNeil called the episode ''embarrassing'' for the nation's fourth-largest prison system. It has been rocked by far more serious scandal.

A McNeil predecessor, Jimmy Crosby, is incarcerated in a federal prison for taking bribes. Other guards were busted in a steroid ring, rampant pilfering, misusing inmate labor, and beer-soaked brawls stemming from a cutthroat culture of interprison softball games, in which a semi-pro baseball player was given a no-show job to help one institution win on the diamond.

The prison chief who cleaned up the mess left by Crosby, Jim McDonough, repeatedly said his mission was to end the ''culture of brutality'' that permeated the prison system.

McNeil repeatedly stressed that the stun-gunning only happened at three of the 55 institutions and that it wasn't part of a widespread practice. Still, he acknowledged that it was ''logical'' to assume other children had been shocked on other take-your-kids-to-work days.

One of the fired guards said the practice had occurred before, but so far prison officials have found no evidence that it has happened elsewhere. McNeil noted that the stun guns used differ from ''Tasers,'' which shoot electrified wires at their targets and deliver a far more powerful dose of amperage.

So far this year, none of the devices have been used on the 100,000 prison inmates -- only the children of DOC workers. McNeil said the use of the guns violated DOC policies. Of the children exposed to the stun guns, 14 were directly shocked at Franklin, Martin, and Indian River correctional institutions.

Twenty-nine others were indirectly exposed when they held hands with a person who was shocked. By circling up, the electricity could flow from one child's hands to the next. After hearing of the incident at Franklin, McNeil said, he conducted an investigation that revealed the stun-gunning at the other institutions.

During the investigation, officials also learned that officials at Lake Correctional Institution demonstrated the use of tear gas, which endangered some of the kids.

Asked if he had ever seen anything like this in his 30 years in law enforcement, McNeil paused before saying ``I've never seen anything like this.''

--------- My Adlibs 

Wow what in the heck were these individuals thinking? Children of prison officials whom provided consent or not, you do not stun or tear gas a kid for kicks. I mean I can understand taking them to see what mommy and daddy do to put food on the table, but I think the show and tell was taken a bit far. The crazy thing is that kids were between the ages of 5-17; I mean wtf. 

Chrysler's Achilles Heel...Do you agree?

According to a CNN Money business report below is a list of cars they feel were the demise of Chrysler. Do you agree (http://finance.yahoo.com/banking-budgeting/article/107013/Cars-That-Wrecked-Chrysler):

Check out the blog and get invovled:

http://reguywithalotosay.blogspot.com/

Chrysler was king of the hill with its 300 series just a few years ago. Oh how the mighty have fallen. Now the company is going bankrupt after a string of uninspired products destroyed its reputation.

Courtesy: Chrysler

2004 - Chrysler 300C

Chrysler's 1998 merger with Daimler-Benz bore promising fruit with the 2004 rebirth of the Hemi-powered Chrysler 300C.

With a dose of German engineering, Chrysler had seemingly rediscovered its founder's vision. Walter P. Chrysler had wanted his car company to offer investor class quality at working-man prices. With its Mercedes-based suspension and all-American Hemi engine under its boxy hood, the 300C performed with a power and alacrity that belied its relatively low cost.

More from CNNMoney.com:  • Fiat: Chrysler's Italian Style • Chrysler's Factories: A Fate Uncertain • Chrysler Files for Bankruptcy

In hindsight, the Dodge Magnum, introduced at the same time, should have provided a warning of bad things to come. The thuggish wagon was a big hit at first and it was, in most respects, every bit as good as the 300C.

But the interior lacked the 300C's stylishness. In fact, it lacked any apparent design at all. And the materials were rock hard and cheap feeling.

Chrysler LLC learned something with these two cars: Design sells. But what began as a selling point became, for Chrysler, a rickety crutch.

Under its new owners, Chrysler seems to be learning its lesson at last. But several models Chrysler has introduced over the last handful of years have eroded Americas trust and driven the company to bankruptcy.

More from Yahoo! Finance:  • Scams Targeting Consumer Accounts Are on the Rise  • Credit Card Crackdown: 8 Key Issues  • How a Personal Finance Columnist Got Caught Up in Fraud  Visit the Banking & Budgeting Center

2006 - Dodge Caliber

As with the 300C, the looks were promising. The Dodge Caliber compact car brought the chest-thumping attitude of the big Ram truck into a small package. The boxy hood and gape-mouthed grill, not to mention the name, spoke of explosive power.

But this little car was more a popgun than a .357. Far from thrilling, acceleration was barely even adequate and the steering felt hollow and numb.

Like the Magnum, the interior was cheap and looked like it could be disassembled with a butter knife.

The Caliber did have a few clever features, the sort of novelties that Chrysler started putting into its cars to give them something besides "the look" to set them apart. In this case, there were stereo speakers that hung down from the open tailgate and an iPod holder that folded out from the center console.

With flash and cleverness papering over a fundamentally weak product, the Caliber seems to have been a guide to a disastrous new product strategy at DaimlerChrysler's Michigan outpost.

2006 - Jeep Commander

Once again stretching to make more with less, Chrysler designers and engineers managed to pile a big SUV into the skeleton of a much smaller Jeep Grand Cherokee.

While the distance between the front and rear wheels remained the same as on the Grand Cherokee, the Commander had an extra row of seats, four cubic feet more passenger volume and a cubic foot more cargo space.

This exercise in maximizing gave the Commander awkward proportions. The tall SUV also teetered through turns and wallowed over bumps, feeling like small boy struggling to carry a big package.

To add to its problems, the Commander also arrived on the market just as consumers were turning away from giant SUVs.

Add poor timing to its list of problems.

2007 - Dodge Nitro

Crossover SUVs had become a hot item, stealing sales away from bigger SUVs. With the Nitro, Chrysler squeezed its way into that market without waiting for true a crossover SUV.

The Nitro is a Jeep Liberty stripped of its "Rubicon Trail" capabilities. There is no "four-wheel-drive lock" setting, for instance. But what couldn't be stripped out was the Jeep's harsh, bouncy ride and anemic street performance.

Like other Dodge's and Jeeps of this generation, the Nitro also has a hard-edged, chintzy interior no different from the Liberty's except for Dodge's ram's-head logo.

Even a short test drive would reveal that, no matter what it might look like, the Nitro doesn't offer what customers really want in a crossover SUV: the ride and handling of a car in a roomier package.

Chrysler did come out with the Journey, a larger true crossover vehicle, last year. It's not the best on the market, but at least it's honest.

2007 - Chrysler Sebring

It's been a long time since two American automakers have, at the same time, offered mid-sized sedans capable of taking on the Japanese. Unfortunately, Chrysler wasn't able to make it three.

The Ford Fusion and Chevrolet Malibu, with their sophisticated six-speed transmissions, smart looks and smooth, sophisticated road feel, put the lie to notion that Detroit can't make cars Americans want.

Chrysler's new, redesigned Sebring, meanwhile, sounded and felt harsh and unpleasant compared to its Asian and domestic competitors. The suspension felt weak in the knees and wallowing.

The Sebring certainly would have been competitive a decade or so earlier. If only Chrysler dealers weren't saddled with having to sell it today.

An available heated and cooled cupholder, another Chrysler attempt to score points with novelty, just wasn't enough to make up for all the Sebring lacked.

2009 - Dodge Ram

There's more than a glimmer of hope to be seen in the 2009 Dodge Ram truck. As always, there is an eye-catching exterior and there are tricky add-ons, like the Rambox storage bins worked into the bed walls.

But there's real depth here, too. Innovative coil springs provide a more car-like road feel and the interior is richly detailed.

There are positive signs in other recent product introductions, too. The Dodge Challenger muscle car has an interior that, while bland, is at least well built. And the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee, a future product only recently unveiled, looks elegant inside and out.

This new crop of Chrysler vehicles marks a change in attitude about providing the best product possible for its customers.

So far, we've seen this attitude in a truck, an SUV and muscle car. To survive, Chrysler needs competitive small and midsized cars. To thrive, they'll need to be more than competitive to make up for Chrysler's past sins.

For this, the plan is to get help from Fiat. The Italian automaker seems to have the needed expertise, but we'll have to see how it translates to the American market.

VP Biden open mouth & Insert Foot...When Keeping it Real Goes Wrong

Now I have been a Biden fan for years and one reason is because VP Joe BBBBBBiden never held his tongue and would drop some great A-List material. Great politician, but candor is more colorful than the rainbow on the Lucky Charms box. Yesterday as everyone knows he did just that on "The Today Show". Now I read this yesterday and I know I am a day late, but on the Internet never a dollar short. 

Yesterday VP Biden came out and dropped some Former President George W Bush rederictic [reference http://tinyurl.com/c53xh2], ""I would tell members of my family -- and I have -- I wouldn't go anywhere in confined places now."..."I would not be, at this point, if they had another way of transportation, suggesting they ride the subway. So from my perspective, what it relates to is mitigation" ..."when one person sneezes it goes all the way through the aircraft." Here we go JOEEEE Here we go.... see this is what we call When Keeping It Real Goes Wrong...LOL... Now I get what he was trying to say which is basically since he doesn't know the ins and outs of Swine Flu he would avoid certain places. I really don't believe that his words caused mass panic yesterday, well maybe with the our wonderful Golden Age of Wisdom group (the Seniors), but other than that he probably cause more of a laugh than a care. 

If you want the facts about Swine Flu or Mexican Flu as the Middle East wants to call it, go to http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/flu-guide/20061101/swine-flu-faq... Let's get educated folks....

What is this world coming to when Popeye's Runs out of Chicken LOL

A video on a lighter note, but come on folks it's just Chicken not health insurance LOL

http://reguywithalotosay.blogspot.com/

Off to Bankruptcy Court We Go Hand in Hand with Chrysler

written by Jouran Crosby 

So it's no surprise that Chrysler is going to bankruptcy court to get issues resolved. The big question is, shouldn't we have done this months ago before giving them billions of taxpayer dollars? I am a President Obama supporter, however, the White House cabinet and Treasury are making some moves that I can not agree with at this time. I think some companies deserved bailouts and/or assistance to navigate these markets, however, I feel like certain banks and the auto manufacturers should have been allowed to go the route of Chapter 11. 

Let's talk about Chrysler and GM today; I am sure everyone is tired of hearing about them and honestly I am as well, but we do have to discuss the issues and ramifications of this filing. Now everyone keeps speaking about how these two organizations are going to develop more fuel efficient automobiles, but why throughout this whole process no one has discussed what those vehicles will be? Where is the GM volt? Where are the diesel engine vehicles that can use biodiesel right now (visit http://www.earthbiofuels.com/ for an explaination of hit it works) ? Why isn't anyone speaking about fire selling current inventory to replace with new smaller vehicles? Let's go to Chrysler's website and one will see that the smallest vehicle on the site is the PT Cruiser, but of the limited inventory they have listed all the vehicles are big, gas guzzlers with the lowest price being $18,000 (before incentives and only one vehicle). Now let's take a look at the Jeep site...again one will see that the lowest sticker is $18,000 (before incentives and only one vehicle), but every other vehicle is a gas guzzler. Let's look at the final site they own, Dodge... again one small vehicle offering priced around $18,000 (before incentives) and everything else are gas guzzlers.  The other norm between these three sites is the only hybrids are trucks/SUVs. 

Now to compare apples to apples let's look at Honda: If you one counts the many different offerings of the Civic, Honda has over 10 cars that would be classified as small and fuel efficient. Now if you say most are Civics, they you can say they have 4 small car offerings with 2 being hybids and all starting for lower than the $18,000 Chrysler vehicle price tags. The second thing is that each one of these vehicles are stylish and appealing to individuals, can't say the same about the Chrysler offerings. Now I do not want to sound Anti American, but a prepackaged bankruptcy is not the only thing these guys are going to need to do. If one looks at each one of the US manufacturers it will be easy to see that we as Americans have a long way to go to become Automotive competitive again. 

I believe two things need to happen immediately starting tomorrow which is day 1 of bankruptcy. All the car designers need to be brought into a room and they need have a heart wrenching conversation which is "...We need to get smaller, more fuel efficient, and stylish". For our large offerings we need to throw the bells and whistles in them, make they more fuel efficient and maintanence free like our German competition, and more affordable. The US auto makers are going to have to stop talking and actually make things happen. The talking is done, action needs to take place or how about everyone do us a favor and close up shop. This way as Americans we can begin to focus on other areas we can become dominant again. Harsh fantasy is now our reality and one last thing.... it's time to kick the UAW out. I don't care what anyone says, but manufacturing Unions have been the modern day demise for the US. 

Come on people let's wake up and smell the Starbucks. Change is now and is great but inorder for change to happen, action has to be initiated. 

I'm Back

I've been gone for some time, but I am back and will try to write as many blogs as I possibly can. I thank you for reading my past works, and hope to see more commit to responding on the pages. 

Enjoy...some of it will be nice, much of it may not, but you make that decision. 

The Poorest State Turns Down Stimulus Money, and they say Republicans are for the People

written by Jouran Crosby

Hooray for the American people, the Economic Stimulus package was passed a week ago and President Obama is pushing American business to begin adjusting payroll taxes now. Oh ok as we all know the U.S. and Global Economies are in a pretty dismal situation right now. Most of the World is in a deep, deep recession and attempting to take drastic moves to get their engines running. Fast forward to yesterday and the announcement Governor Bobby Jindal made; He stated that the State of Louisiana would not accept any government money for expanding unemployment insurance (http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/feb/21/lousiana-gov-rejects-states-stimulus-share/).  In addition to this Governor, there are 4 other Governors all from fairly poor States in dire need of aid, that will follow suit. 

Here is the kicker....ready? 

All 5 States are Republican States where the Governor in place is planning a bid to run for President in 2012. They say they are for the people....

What is amazing to me is that the RNC is allowing these Governors to make these comments after the embarrassing loss they suffered in last year's election, the scandal marred Congress over the last few years, and the poor representative of their party that they had in power for the last 8 years. Now here in our great United States of America, we are allowing politics to control who and who doesn't get aide all because these Governors do not agree with the Stimulus package nor are they offering any counter measures that will aid all and not their wealthiest constituents. 

Times may be good for them however, their constituents are going to suffer as a result of this nonsense. It is unbelievable that politicians are willing to play roulette with the well-being of individuals. Is the stimulus the best bill for this time? Not sure, there are areas that are weak and could be stronger, but its atleast a viable attempt to assist with helping the U.S. get better or establish some sort of foundation for recovery. 

To the residents of Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Alaska [yep our buddy Gov. Sarah Palin], and any other State is planning on refusing aide; break out a pen and paper, jump on the net, or pick up the phone and flood the lines with requests to reverse this nonsense. The only people that will be hurt in the end are the ones who need this assistance drastically.  

Financial Management For Tough Times: Understanding Your Car Payment

Today we are going to discuss how car payments work.  Have you ever looked at your auto loan balance and wonder why the principal does not seem to drop at a fast rate even though you are paying more than the required payment? Ever wonder how much interest is being paid on a monthly basis and how that interest is calculated? Wonder how you can actually pay it off faster than expected or at least make a dent into the principal of the loan? Well if you have asked these questions, hopefully this series of blog will provide you with some insight that can help you and your loved ones. 

Everyone knows that every loan from a commerical lender has some sort of interest rate attached. This is how the bank makes money on the money they lend to individuals. Some may pay a lower or higher interest rate due to your credit rating, down payment, or terms of the loan, etc. Regardless of what that interest rate, here is the formula that one can use to pay down this debt faster. 

Let's use this example:

Say after everything is said and done the amount of the loan to be financed is $25,000 and you are paying 10% interest on the loan financed over 5 years (60 months). Using these terms your monthly payment would be $531.18. Now I am sure most people do not want to pay that note for five years, so the first thing we need to calculate is how much interest the loan is incurring on a monthly basis. 

To calculate that do the following:

Step 1: 

- Take the annual interest rate, which in this case, is 10% and divide that by the number of months in a year which is 12 (months) and that would equal .008333 or .8333% interest a month.

.1(annual interest rate converted to a decimal)/12 (number of months in the year) = .008333 (monthly interest rate converted to a decimal) or .8333% (monthly interest as a percent)

Step 2: 

Next take  the monthly interest and multiply it by the principal due for that month; so for this example let's say this is your first car payment that is due. That means that the full $25,000 is owed and is eligible to earn interest. For the first month you are responsible for $208.33 in interest. 

$25,000 (outstanding loan balance due for current month)*.008333 (monthly interest rate converted to a decimal) = $208.33 (total monthly interest due rounded to the nearest cent)

Now to figure how that affects your car not follow step 3:

Step 3:

Take the monthly car payment of $531.18 and subtract that from the total montly interest due which is $208.33. 

$531.18 (monthly car payment) - $208.33 (total monthly interest due)= $322.86 (the amount of the car note that will be applied to lower the auto loan due)

What this means is that when you make your first car payment this month $322.86 will go to the principal and $208.33 will go towards interest. 

Step 4:

Once you make this payment, under this scenario, month two the interest will be calculated on an outstanding loan balance of $24,677.14. 

$25,000 (outstanding loan balance due for current month) - $322.86 (the amount of the car note that will be applied to lower the auto loan due)= $24,677.14 (outstanding loan balance for the month)

Step 5:

Now to determine how much interest is due next month take the outstanding loan for the next month in this case it is $24,677.14 and repeat steps 2 - 4 here. That means $205.56 in interest would be due for the next month.

$24,677.14 (outstanding loan balance for the month) * .008333 (monthly interest rate converted to a decimal) = $205.56 (total monthly interest due for next month)

That ends today's lesson and now you should be able to determine how much of your car payment actual goes to interest and how much will go to pay down the auto loan. Now in our example we used a scenario as if no payments had been made, however, it does not matter how much is left on the loan or how many payments you have made already. Just plug in your information and now you can see what the bank sees each time you make a auto loan payment. 

Next lesson will answer that question how to pay off my auto loan faster.  

Feel free to post your questions below if you have any and I will be more than happy to respond to them... Good Day, Good Luck, and Good Saving....

View this and future blogs on http://takecontrolofmymoney.blogspot.com/

Banks Are Still Requiring a Hand Out...When Will It All End?

Today it was announced that Bank of America (BOA) is receiving another cash infusion from the Treasury to help offset losses that were acquired from their acquisition of Merrill Lynch [http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Treasury-Bank-of-America-apf-14088688.html]. I am a finance man and I really am not understanding why we keep giving money to banks when banks are not attempting to aggressively stem the problem. Without banks beginning to cause an end to a means, the end will be prolonged to a point where there may be no coming back.

-Home Foreclosures-
It is my opinion that banks need to institute a moratorium for no less than 180 days on all sub prime or creative mortgages as long as they are not in bankruptcy court or the final stages of foreclosure. During this period of time the bank would require all creative mortgages that are behind, in danger of being behind, or have fallen behind at any given time within the last year, or in communities where significant value has been loss would be require to refinance. Banks would have to take some minimal losses upfront which should equate to under a couple hundred million dollars (all being offset by the fed money that has been provided). For example, If I bought a home for $250,000 and I have $240,000 remaining on the loan and the home value dropped to $225,000; I would refinance the house for $220,000 write down $20,000 on the books as losses, finance the home out 40 years at a fixed rate of prime plus 1%. This should provide the homeowner with some relief from what they are currently paying. I would only do this if they had verifiable income to sustain the mortgage payments.

If the home had to be foreclosed upon, as a bank I would offer special foreclosure financing and sell the home for at least 80% [under my example which would be $176,000] of the current value or less to get the debt off the book and lived in as soon as possible.

-Business Credit-
I would begin re-lending to small and medium size business however, using the backing power of the SBA. I would run business financing programs through the SBA and make at least $2Billion Dollars at competitive finance rates with 2-6 month morotium on interest payments to hopefully begin to finance upstarts from individuals with legitmate business ideas that were laid off. The goal is to get as many people back to work and generating income, tax revenue, and free capital.

Apathy is not going to resolve this crisis; a pro-active stance is required to be taken to force a end to this issue. Will it take further Government invovlement? Yes it will, however the money needs to be provided to other industries, entities, and individuals rather than Banks unless Banks are going to stop sitting on their thumbs and do something.

We Don't Need Anyone to Hold Us Down; We do a Great Job at It

It's a New Year and this is the first post for 2009. This year no punches will be held back; we will come hard, fast, correct, and do not care if enemies are created. Facts and interesting blogs are what the reader wants and we hope to deliver.



- We Don't Need Anyone to Hold Us Down; We do a Great Job at It -



Today, a colleague and I were having a conversation regarding the numerous events at the Inauguration, and a interesting comment was made. It appears that Jay-Z is having a concert that weekend and tickets are running in the $100 range; that's when the comment was made "...he is supposed to be for the people instead he is greedy because he is charging...". Needless to say after my colleague made the comment a heated debate broke out. What I do not get is why is it considered greed because Jay-Z is a paid performer and is doing what he does for a living...PERFORM. The even more interesting fact is that my colleague and their associates are spending $250 a piece to watch the Inaugural parade from a suite at a hotel nearby Pennsylvania Ave, but that hotel is not being greedy.

Even though this country has overwhelmingly showed why this land is a great land through out political process, we still have not progressed mentally. The sad thing is that she was so serious and argued for 2 days about this conversation. In order for change to truly impact our culture, race, ethnic group we are going to have to bury the hatchet and begin to uplift and support each other with positive re-enforcement. Do I agree the inauguration costs are getting out of hand? Yep, but will I voice a opinion against it? No. The economy can only be stimulated through capital spending and atleast we know that several million people on this day will be spending much to at least impact one area.

Let's not be hypocrites in the 09, let's stand up and rise above the nonsense