Skills - 2009 Rap Up

Teddy Riley Accused Of Beating 18-Year-Old Daughter

http://allhiphop.com/stories/news/archive/2009/12/29/22078920.aspx

TMZ.com reports that R&B/Hip-Hop producer Teddy Riley is accused of violently attacking one of his daughters during an altercation on December 23rd.

i hate to see people make accusations like this, its really bad in the public eye... some kids to need beatings but his daughters were 21 & 18, so i dont think beating them is really needed, regaurdless of what they did or was doing...  sad to hear about this... with the rockband guitar, damn shame...

Lil Duval's MugShot

LMAO!!!!!  Its all good tho... stay safe homie...

HipHopDx.com Album Review : Young Money "We Are Young Money"

Young Money: We Are Young Money

It’s clear that Lil Wayne is attempting to recreate the Cash Money legacy with Young Money. In the CMR pool, the best floated to the top and the rest offered the assist. However, when you’re starting a crew with existing fame, there is no way to showcase a team effort and We Are Young Money is proof of that. If the three most famous members get any more famous, then the rest can just rename themselves the St. Lunatics.


http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/reviews/id.1342/young-money-we-are-young-money

I happened to listen to some cuts on the radio.... and i can tell they just selected a beat, told niggas to get on it and just spit... nothing was of topic or relevance... its good smoking and drinking music... but no one outshined each other which means to me that they didnt take this shit serious... so they just playing with rap cuz they know they gonna get their dough from it.... oh well thats the music we accept now..

Nas And Damian Marley Distant Relatives [Album Preview]

Smash & Grab: 30 Deep Gang Accused Of Breaking Into Footlockers For Space Jam Jordans Retro 11s! (Busted The Doors In)

4 shoes son!!!! what the fuck....

Christmas Spirit: Young Jeezy Goes Door To Door & Gives Out Christms Gifts In The Hood!

Iron Man 2 Trailer

Ass 4 The Niggas

Beanie Sigel In Car Accident

Philadelphia rapper Beanie Sigel was injured in a car accident last night, reps say.


Representatives for Sigel maintain a large tractor trailer truck ran his vehicle off the road. Sigel was not the driver of the car and sustained injuries.

The full breadth of those injuries is unknown, as is the exact location of the accident.
http://allhiphop.com/stories/news/archive/2009/12/20/22072284.aspx
 
 
 I hope everything is ok, i hate to see things like this happen.... now i wonder about all the thoughts going thru people heads.. prolly saying Jay had something to do with it... but i think this should be a call to Beans that he might not be on the right path just yet....

M-Eighty Breaks Longest Freestyle Rap Record

On Saturday, December 19, M-Eighty broke the record for Longest Freestyle Rap, recognized by Guinness World Records, after rhyming for nine hours, fifteen minutes and fifteen seconds.
http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.10317/title.m-eighty-breaks-longest-freestyle-rap-record


  I love rap, but for 9 fucking hours!!!!!  thats OD, the shame is that niggas dont care or dont even recognize such diligence put in to rap for 9 hours...... well im glad he did it... but in the wide scope of things was it worth it??????

Cyber Challenge tests nation's top hackers

With the coolness of a card shark at the final table of the World Series of Poker, Matt Bergin pulls the hood of his brown sweatshirt over his head and concentrates on the task at hand. The task: hacking into as many target computers as he can and then defending those computers from attacks by other skilled hackers.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/12/21/cyber.challenge.hackers/index.html


STORY HIGHLIGHTS


U.S. Cyber Challenge is like national talent search for cybersecurity experts

Fifteen "All Star" hackers compete in a Washington hotel conference room

Contest hopes to inspire tech wizzes to help defend U.S. computer systems

Winner is Chris Benedict, 21, from tiny town of Nauvoo, Illinois


  See we all have talents, some use em  for bad some use em for good... i bet one of these people use to be a criminal hacker, but to get their slate swiped clean joined the good side... sound like a movie plot right...  how u think they started finding check frauds.... lmao

Rare gender identity defect hits Gaza families

Col. Doug Tamilio takes CNN to the testing grounds for a first look at the Army's newest weapons.

'Avatar' delivers on the hype

9 names you know, R.I.P.

Circuit City Retail Stores

Circuit City became one of the largest retailers to go out of business this year, after the 60-year old electronics chain declared bankruptcy at the end of 2008.


Saturn

Saturn was one of four GM brands orphaned when the largest U.S. automaker went bankrupt early this year. The brand was originally intended to help GM compete with smaller, imported cars. But sales were generally tepid and the Saturn languished as Americans became increasingly fond of big SUVs.


Pontiac

Pontiac, best known for muscle cars such as the GTO and Firebird, had been a staple of GM's product line since it began production in 1926. But it didn't make the cut when the automaker emerged from bankruptcy in July with a new focus on its "core" brands.


Kodachrome

When Kodak introduced Kodachrome in 1935, it became the first commercially successful color film.

But demand for traditional films evaporated over the last decade as digital photography became increasingly available. At the time it was retired in June, sales of Kodachrome were less than 1% of Kodak's still picture film revenue.

Home Depot Expo

Home Depot, the No. 1 home improvement chain, announced plans early this year to shutter its Expo Design Centers as demand for granite countertops and custom window treatments withered. Launched in the early 1990s, Expo offered a variety of upscale home decor items and custom-installation services. The brand was aimed at homeowners who wanted a luxury remodel without having to hire an interior designer.



Max Factor

Procter & Gamble announced plans in June to pull Max Factor cosmetics from the U.S. market as the brand's popularity with American consumers waned. The iconic makeup line, which remains a top seller in some European markets, had been losing ground in the United States to more contemporary rivals such as CoverGirl. Max Factor, named for a pioneering Hollywood makeup artist, had its heyday in the 1920s and 1930s.

 
MSN Encarta

Microsoft quietly closed the book on Encarta earlier this year as free reference materials online came to eclipse the once-popular digital encyclopedia. Encarta was a relatively revolutionary product when it was first published on CD-ROM in 1993. It contained a trove of articles, images, maps and multimedia features. Later, the content was also accessible online for a yearly subscription fee.


Gourmet Magazine

Of all the publications lost this year, the demise of Gourmet Magazine was one of the hardest to swallow.

Condé Nast said in October that the magazine, introduced in 1940, is expected to close by the end of the year. However, the brand lives on in book publishing and television programming, and Gourmet recipes still appear on Epicurious.com.


Saab

For GM's Swedish subsidiary, 2009 was a year of fake-outs and confusion. Deals were talked about, announced and, mysteriously, dropped. The only thing that was absolutely clear was that Saab and GM would end their two decade relationship. As it turned out, the relationship is ending with Saab's death after no buyer could be found that was willing to complete the deal. In August, GM announced it had a deal with the Swedish supercar maker Koenigsegg but, in November, it was announced that Koenigsegg had backed out. Then Spyker, the Dutch manufacturer of wildly-styled exotic sports cars, put in a bid but that deal, too fell through. So GM announced in mid-December its decision to wind down the brand.

 
http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2009/news/0912/gallery.brands_we_lost/9.html
 
Only One Im Mad About Is Pontiac.... I wanted to see a new GTO to compete with The challenger, Camaro & Mustang... Shitt....

Nas’ "Legendary" To Be Considered For Academy Award

Nas’ song “Legendary” from Tyson, the Mike Tyson documentary, could possibly be up for an Academy Award next year.




According to Vibe.com, early next year the Academy will begin to screen about 63 songs for the category of Best Original Song. Nominees for the category will not be revealed until February 2, 2010.



Nas' "Legendary" will be up against a number of worthy contenders including “Colorblind” (Invictus), "Cinema Italiano" (Nine), “Almost There” (The Princess And The Frog), and over 50 other songs.



Nas has yet to comment on the possibility of receiving an Academy Award nomination.



Released earlier this year, Tyson is a documentary that takes a deep look into the life of former undisputed heavy weight champion of the world boxer Mike Tyson. The film has received rave reviews and even won the Regard Knockout Award at the Cannes Film Festival.

http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.10307/title.nas-legendary-to-be-considered-for-academy-award
 
Thats Very Good

10 Questions with Adrian Peterson

2011 Aston Martin Cygnet.......Really!!!!!

LMAO..............

http://www.caranddriver.com/news/car/09q4/2011_aston_martin_cygnet-official_photos_and_info

T.I. To Be Released To Halfway House

http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.10292/title.ti-to-be-released-to-halfway-house

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, rapper T.I. will be moved to a halfway house after serving months in a federal prison in Arkansas. T.I. could be released to a halfway house as early as January

Rumors regarding T.I.’s move to a halfway house began circulating on the Internet Tuesday (December 15) and were confirmed by a prisons spokesperson.
“…it’s not uncommon for inmates to be placed in community corrections for the last portion of their confinement to help with his transition,” Bureau of Prisons spokesman Edmond Ross told the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
T.I. was originally sentenced to serve a year and a day in prison, but he is expected to be released from prison custody on March 23, 2010.
The Atlanta rapper is currently serving time because of a sentence for illegal firearms possession and for possessing a gun as a convicted felon.

 Im Glad 2 Hear tip is on his way closer to home.... cant wait till he gets back out and regains the music industry....

Hiphopdx.com Album Review 4: Alicia Keys

Alicia Keys - The Element of Freedom

While artists have specific formulas for record, Alicia Keys takes the listener on journeys. She eliminates the constraints of typical R&B songs or themes and refuses to cater towards any specific audience in hopes to stay relevant. She simply creates. The end result is yet another timeless album that one day will be discovered by young soul enthusiasts in pawn shops or in their parents record collection. She finishes out the decade with another excellent effort securing her legacy while proving that she can still push the bar higher. Like Withers, she may not be understood in the present or fully appreciated but her music undeniably will stand the test of time. The Element of Freedom is as intimate and beautiful as R&B gets, and add in hard hitting drums, the album shines. She may or may not be liberated with immense sales like previous projects, but one gets the feeling that Alicia Keys doesn't care.


http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/reviews/id.1340/title.alicia-keys-the-element-of-freedom

Locksmith: In Rare Form

Locksmith - Rare Form / NEW
by PeteRock

Excert From Locksmith's Interview Will Allhiphop.com

AllHipHop.com: For the folks outside of the Bay, what differentiates The Frontline and Locksmith from other regional talent?


Locksmith: As far as the Bay area, I think that everybody is unique. If you’re not unique then you’re following a pattern; or, you’re following a specific type of gimmick or something to that degree to that extent. We just wanted to find our own niche. Even before the notoriety, we always wanted to be our own artists. We didn’t want to follow E-40 and Too Short. We’ve always respected those dudes as artists; but, we wanted to set our own trend. The Bay is a very diverse area; so, our music and as artists we reflect that. We never followed just one specific trend or localized ourselves to one area. We always wanted to internalize everything that was going on in the whole country and put that into our music. We’re very aware of what’s going on in the nation and internationally, too. So, we put that in our music and it fits our personalities. It’s reflected in our music.


AllHipHop.com: Sometimes emerging MCs striving to break into the mainstream may sacrifice their lyrical integrity in order become more commercially appealing. What motivates you to remain steadfast to your lyrical ideals?


Locksmith: It’s not even a question; I just do what I feel. Whenever you start consciously saying, I want to appeal to this [it] can be deadly to your career. I don’t consider myself an underground artist or a commercial artist. I just do what I do. Sometimes, I’m in a mood to where I have thoughts that may appeal to a wide range of people. I may have s*** that’s going on internally; I don’t know if people will identify with it. But, I know that I’m going to do it. My producer, E-A-Ski recorded this track, “Rare Form.” I just had some s*** on my chest. Lyrically, I just wanted to go in and do what I do. He was like, ‘Yo, this s*** is hot. We gotta shoot a video.’ I’m like, “Yo, are you serious?” He’s like, ‘Man, I think this is dope. This needs to get out there.’ So, we did it—not thinking that this was something that was going to get a lot of notoriety. This is some intense type of s***; right now everything is real soft in a sense. Hip-Hop has become more like, you know, easier to swallow—as far as the mainstream goes.

So, putting out something like “Rare Form” I didn’t expect this to do anything except provide a visual for people online. The s*** ended up getting added to MTV and spun in regular rotation. It’s big on the radio stations out here in Northern California. I’m like, ‘Wow!’ You have a song with no hook with a long verse for like two something minutes, and it’s getting played on the radio. I’m going to shows and people are knowing the words. So, that’s not something that you can plan for, you just do what you do…


AllHipHop.com: In respect to the four main principles of Hip-Hop: the emceeing; the deejaying; the B-Boying and the art of graffiti, how would you describe Hip-Hop’s current state? Are we experiencing a Hip-Hop depression or a Hip-Hop reformation?


Locksmith: Some days I feel like Hip-Hop is being revitalized and some days I’ll see something and it kinda gets me like, ‘Ugh!’ If I can still make an impact and I can still do what I do, [and] if I still have that passion inside of me to keep going, then I feel like it’s very much alive. I’ve noticed that when I see people appreciate what I’m doing—and I appreciate what the other dope artists are doing—I feel like Hip-Hop is very much alive and that the principles and the essence of it is very much still alive.

The problem is that it’s become—with capitalism—and what’s going on in Western society, we’re able to market that and [it’s become] watered down to a certain degree. It’s going through all this commercial rigmarole, and then it gets kinda watered down. And you’re like, okay, you’re sick of being fed these same images over and over again. That’s just the companies and their marketing that’s making it that way. But, Hip-Hop and its essence is very much alive. Every time that I walk somewhere in The Bay area, I meet tons of young kids and people of all ages telling me, ‘I love what you’re doing!’ It’s incredible; they show me love. That lets me know that Hip-Hop and the passion for Hip-Hop is still very much alive and those principles are still present.

http://allhiphop.com/stories/breedingground/archive/2009/12/17/22069173.aspx
 
 
  I fucks with Lock... Havent heard much from him, but have seen some of his videos... he speaks for those real lyricist that are still out there... i think he can make an impact but i dont think what he is spitting people really want to hear.. i mean we are much more educated in todays world than any time before but it seems most of us just want to party and not feel like were beign taught when we listen to music.. i wish him much luck....

Police: Bengals WR Henry dead at 26

Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chris Henry died Thursday, a day after falling out of the back of a pickup truck during what police said was a domestic dispute with his fiancee.

May He Rest In Peace....

The InTerAct With TranceBates Show Ep.1

Tripped Or Broken? Rodney Stuckey Crosses Over Allen Iverson! (A.I Goes Down)

Kanye Reacts To Album of the Decade Honor

Kanye Comments:

“Wow, this is really flattering. I’ve had some ups and downs this year, we’ll actually this decade. Just seeing this cover takes me back to that time of my life,” Kanye reflected. “I remember how much pain and love went into this album. No one saw it coming. This project wasn’t about me, it was about a time in people’s lives where people force opinions on you and you have to make choices for yourself. We loved 50 Cent but we wanted to be the yang. We wanted to wear pink polos and rap about being hurt on this album everyday.”

“I was most inspired by The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill and I listened to that album everyday while working on my debut,” West revealed. “Thank you for the acknowledgement and for putting Blueprint on the list also. I loved The Love Below and Get Rich or Die Tryin’, also. They equally deserved the number one spot in my eyes but there can only be one number one!”
 
 

 
http://allhiphop.com/stories/news/archive/2009/12/14/22065829.aspx
 
I heard bits & pieces of The College DropOut but im sure Ye deserved this.... With Get Rich Or Die Tryin i heard most of those tracks on mixtapes so it wasnt as a big surprise when his album dropped.... but Ye did Rap out of the norm and from a different point of view but the main thing is that he was able to exprees how he felt in such a way that a diverse audience could listen and bounce with it.....

HipHopDx.com Albums Reviews 4: Snoop Dogg, BG & Rakim

Snoop Dogg: Malice N Wonderland

Overall, the album could be stronger but Snoop carries on smoothly as always. One can’t blame The Doggfather as he runs with a formula that’s made him the life of the party for years, not to mention a few millions. While it may no longer be innovative and while it’s definitely not as influential, Snoop can still deliver when he has to. Malice N Wonderland doesn’t strengthen the D-O-Double G’s legacy but it does nothing to damage it.

 
 
B.G.: Too Hood 2 Be Hollywood
 

At its end, Too Hood 2 Be Hollywood reflects the trials and tribulations that B.G. has been through. Reality bites. We make mistakes and the best of us overcome them to become successful. Gizzle has always been known to grab the listener and place him into his world. Even with a handful of bright moments, this album can get a tad strenuous with its length, and its lack of attention to detail.

Rakim: The Seventh Seal

In the end, Rakim’s latest album doesn’t really make any contribution of significance to his catalogue. It’s clear that this man isn’t the same microphone fiend heads grew up worshipping. For one reason or another, he lacks the ability to subtly attack with his flow like he once did. As for fans who want answers as to why Ra has been M.I.A. for all these years, they will get none here; this is certainly unfortunate, as that would’ve been much more engaging than him simply trying to get by on the strength of his own mythos. Sadly, that’s exactly what Rakim does here, and rarely does that get you anywhere – microphone fiend or not.

HipHopDx.com Reviews Of The Clipse & Juvenile Albums

The Clipse: Till The Casket Drops

Till The Casket Drops, by most standards, is an inconsistent, sometimes-brilliant project. That might cut it for some acts, but Clipse isn’t one of them. After dropping two arguable classics, both of which could be bumped damn near front-to-back, it’s astonishing to see one of their albums reach such dizzying highs and perilous lows. This “day and night” quality is what costs Malice and Pusha an opportunity to complete their trifecta of outstanding LPs, and that’s what is most disappointing.


Juvenile: Cocky And Confident

Cocky & Confident may sound like it’s all money and women, and for the most part, that’s true. In fact, there’s significantly less social commentary here than on Juvenile’s previous effort, Reality Check. It’s clear that, at this stage in his life, Juve isn’t quite prepared to spend an album reflecting on his losses or the ills of the world. He does, however, close out the album with an introspective offering in “Listen.” That it’s a cover of '80s hairspray anthem Roxette’s “Listen To Your Heart” adds a bit of a cheese factor, but the knowledge Juve drops for his son cannot be denied: “Make sure you keep yourself surrounded by all the right people / Take advantage of all the little things that life teach you / Every dog got a day, we all equal / Follow your heart and prepare yourself for the sequel.” While he may not be ready to let go of his partying days, it here that Juvenile affirms that he has indeed matured through all the drama – as a person, and as an artist.

Rape victims offer advice to today's college women

If you are already in college or headed there, sit down. If you're the parent or friend of a student, listen up.



One in five college women will be raped, or experience an attempted rape, before graduation. Less than 5 percent will report these crimes to officials on or off campus, and, when they do, there's a good chance the system will let them down.


These shocking statistics were first issued nine years ago in a study conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice. Federal laws are in place to require schools to act on these allegations and look out for the rights of victims.


But a recently released investigative journalism series indicates that when it comes to dealing with sexual assaults, many higher-education institutions aren't making the grade. The investigation was done by the Center for Public Integrity, a Washington-based nonprofit that says it seeks to make institutions more transparent and accountable.


"Schools are aware it's a problem, a big problem," said Kristen Lombardi, the center's lead reporter for Sexual Assault on Campus: A Frustrating Search for Justice. She pointed to a "culture of silence" and said critics say, "The biggest sin is one of omission. They're just not dealing with this issue head-on in a public manner with their student bodies."

http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/12/15/sexual.assaults.college.campuses/index.html

I have notice that im hearing alot of rape stories of women on college campuses... so i think this is a helpful article for women & men to check out on CNN....

Nine ways of looking at a Google phone

Google (GOOG) announced on its mobile blog Saturday what dozens of staffers had already leaked: the company has given employees around the world free handsets running its Android mobile operating system. The idea, according to the official report, is to have Google's own people test various advanced features and offer feedback to the company's designers — a process known in the business as "dogfooding" (as in "eating your own dogfood").




Not surprisingly, given Google's financial clout and the power it wields over the Internet, the experiment has launched a storm of speculation about what it means. As we sort through the theories, we count at least nine ways of looking at the Google phone

 
1. Google is in the process of designing an unlocked cellphone that it plans to sell directly to the public online — bypassing the mobile carriers and brick-and-mortar retailers — sometime next year. This is the line TechCrunch took first and the Wall Street Journal has picked up, citing unnamed sources "familiar with the matter." This theory underlies much of the theorizing that follows.


2. Google has watched with dismay as smartphone makers tweak the Android OS to suit their needs, fragmenting the software ecosystem and scaring off developers. "By putting its stake in the ground," writes GigaOm's Om Malik, "the company is hoping that it doesn’t make the mistake that Microsoft made by dragging its feet in releasing Zune and ceding the market to Apple’s iPod."

3. Apple (AAPL) has finally met its match in a competitor that has the resources, the partners and the staying power to challenge the iPhone. This, finally, is the real iPhone killer.

4. The iPhone, despite the failure of AT&T's (T) network to keep up with bandwidth demands in high-profile urban markets, continues to sell like crazy. Google realizes it has to move fast or the game will be lost.

5. A Google phone sold without a subsidy from the mobile carriers would be prohibitively expensive — at least $400, and probably more like $500 or $600, according to Ian Betteridge's back of the envelope calculations. (See his comments here.) A carrier like T-Mobile (DT) could sell the same phone for a fraction of the price.

6. Google could subsidize the phone out of its own pocket, perhaps giving it away for free to drive more traffic to its revenue-producing ads — a strategy that's worked for nearly every other project in Google Labs.

7. If Google were to try to sell a smartphone below cost, the company would be facing a 21st century version of the Microsoft (MSFT) antitrust trials, and the start of a long, slow decline.

8. Google is about to alienate the very hardware manufacturers it's counting on to carry the Android flag. Why would customers buy a Motorola (MOT) Droid, for example, when they could get the official Android smartphone from Google?

9. Google has no intention of making its own hardware. The so-called Google phone is actually the HTC Passion (AKA Bravo), an Android 2.1 smartphone set for U.S. release by T-Mobile in January. The "dogfooding" exercise is exactly what Google said it was — a way to test a bunch of advanced Android features on a friendly user base before they go public.
 
http://brainstormtech.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2009/12/13/nine-ways-of-looking-at-a-google-phone/?CNN=yes
 
 
Wow Iphone Killer Label..... Well i think if anyone can take Apple down Its Google....
 
Cant wait to see it...

Windows 7 complaints begin

Top 10 Windows 7 complaints            Problem % of complaints

1. Problems with installation                           31%

2. Missing applets or components                    26%

3. Aero theme is not running                           14%

4. DVD drive not found                                   8%

5. Hidden extensions                                       6%

6. Too many minidumps                                    6%

7. Aero snap problems                                     3%

8. iPhone won't sync with Windows7                2%

9. Custom icons get changed with new theme      2%

10. Taskbar problems                                        1%





Source: http://money.cnn.com/2009/12/09/technology/windows_7_problems/index.htm
 
 I havent had a chance to check out Windows 7 yet, but here are some comments about it
.
"Most of the problems that customers have with Windows 7 have to do with installation, or application and data migration," said Vishal Dhar, co-founder of iYogi. "These are all fixable problems, but they're annoyances and they're time consuming."

Most common among those complaints was that basic "applet" programs, like Mail, Movie Maker and Photo Gallery, were missing. That's because Windows 7 deletes those programs and makes users download them from the Windows Live Essential Web site. IYogi said 26% of their customers were confused about that extra step.

According to Zeus Kerravala, an analyst at Yankee Group, one of the biggest annoyances with the new operating system is that the "ribbon menus" at the top of programs have been redesigned and must be relearned. In previous Windows versions, the menus remained very consistent (File, Edit, View, Insert, etc.), but in Windows 7, they can be wildly different from application to application.

Check Out This Nas shirt....

Chris Brown Accuses Major Retailers Of Blackballing

Chris Brown is upset with retailers, claming on his twiiter page that these stores are blackballing him.... hmmmmm aint too much he can do... he has a very bad image right now... people do forgive but they dont  forget... keep ur head up Breezy.. like they say time heals all wounds.... Sorry Rhianna..  that woman beater allure will wear off soon.

Alabama sophomore Mark Ingram, the first Alabama Heisman winner in the award's 75-year history, took home college football's most prestigious piece of hardware.

Congrads 2 Mark Ingram for winning the Heisman..... Im glad to see a running back win it this year...  So now its to the NFL...

Jeggings: Cop or Drop?

Nope, they're jeggings!







To the pleasure of many, fierce ladies like Amber Rose and Meagan Good brought a whole new level of sexiness to all sorts of leggings - leather, shiny spandex, snake print, etc. - and one of the latest trends in this category is the "jegging".









With the look of denim but the feel of leggings, jeggings are super versatile and comfortable pieces.







Top them off with a long tee or sweater and get that casual denim look, but with all the comfort stretchy leggings provide.

 
 
http://www.allhiphop.com/stories/lifestylefashion/archive/2009/11/20/22037039.aspx

Kid Cudi Pursuit of Happiness Video

2011 Dodge Charger - Spied

As Chrysler continues to struggle in the absence of new product, it’s refreshing to finally get a glimpse of the next-generation Dodge Charger, which can’t get here soon enough. Although it’s covered in camouflage, we’re able to see some new cues that appear to have been influenced by its retro-sibling, the Challenger.




A More Aggressive Stance



For starters, up front we can see the trademark cross-hair grille grows larger and is restyled. Rather than being a canted overbite tucked under the nose, the new grille bubbles out from the center of the cross hairs, while the hood retains its domed shape.



A smoother greenhouse incorporating a more steeply raked windshield nicely accents a new shoulder line. Sweeping along the doors, the line flows into a slightly extended rear deck. With camo hiding the aft section of the rear-door glass, we can only speculate that changes are below, which we think could mean more glass at the C-pillar instead of the current car’s plastic triangle. Revised side mirrors are shorter in height and positioned lower at the base of a thinner A-pillar. We hope that will combine with the possible extra glass in the rear to resolve visibility woes.



At the rear, restyled taillights—which could be LED units—sit in what looks like a recessed rear valance, much like that on the Challenger. Overall, we are hoping for more of a vintage style to the updated Charger that will better complement its muscle.



Mo’ Power? Maybe



And speaking of that muscle, while it’s obvious we can’t see what is under the hood, Charger fans should expect to see the latest version of the 5.7-liter Hemi V-8, currently rated at 368 hp and 395 lb-ft of torque. We expect Dodge to eke out a little more power in this application; perhaps the 390 hp as in the Ram’s version of the engine. Additionally, the new Pentastar V-6 debuting in the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee will serve as the base powerplant with some 280 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque. While the future of the performance SRT line has often been in question, we’d say it’s safe to expect a Charger SRT8 to remain in the cards with as much horsepower as—or maybe more than—the 425 offered by the current 6.1-liter Hemi V-8 (a more powerful 6.4-liter version has been rumored for some time).



The new Charger should appear in the buff sometime this auto-show season with production beginning late in 2010, but with so much uncertainty wrapped around Chrysler’s future, that estimate is most likely subject to change.

http://www.caranddriver.com/news/car/09q4/2011_dodge_charger-spied

Woman kills home intruder while on 911 call

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Woman, 98, indicted in centenarian’s death

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. - A 98-year-old woman was indicted Friday on a second-degree murder charge that alleges she strangled her 100-year-old nursing home roommate after making the victim’s life “a living hell” because she thought the woman was “taking over the room.”




Laura Lundquist was sent to a state mental hospital for a competency evaluation before her arraignment. Her defense attorney, Carl Levin, said she has a “long-standing diagnosis of dementia, as well as issues of cognitive impairment.”



She is believed to be the oldest murder defendant in state history, but might never go to trial because of her mental health issues.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34384927/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/?gt1=43001

R.A. The Rugged Man

Skillz Hip Hop Confessions

J.O.Spade & TranceBates "LockDown"

Are any of these the Web's next big thing?

ClubCooee


This one has to be seen to be believed. It's a groovy-looking desktop 3D web messenger program that allows users to create and furnish their own rooms and then host friends to chat and share videos and photos. Managing director Stefan Lemper says the site, which was launched in early 2009, makes money by selling virtual items like avatar clothing and furniture to its users. Lemper wouldn't reveal how many people are currently using it, but said feedback was positive: "Users love it," he told CNN.



TicTacDo

Product Manager Sharel Omer describes his creation as a "social productivity tool" offering more than 10,000 how-to checklists for doing anything from organizing a barbecue to running for president. There's also a online community to ask for help. He says the Web site hopes to generate income through a premium subscription service.



Withings

A wireless bathroom scale that transmits your weight to your handheld device or computer, this isn't exactly a technological revolution. But the company's product manager Nicolas Lubeth reckons the $159 gadget will appeal to enough of its target market ("Mostly men, basically high-tech geeks") to make it a profitable venture.



Yatedo

Most people have been guilty of "ego-surfing" -- entering their own name into Google -- but Yatedo takes this one step further compiling an online dossier about anyone from all available information on the Internet. Its creators hope corporate customers will pay for this "image monitoring service" to ensure no one is posting unpleasant things about them.



BlueKiwi

BlueKiwi allows companies to create their own secure social network, linking up employees and clients to share ideas and hopefully improve efficiency. It's hard to gauge how useful it is from a brief demonstration, but its creators insist it will justify its premium paid-for version.



Netvibes



Netvibes' Philippe Lassale says the service will make money from companies who want premium slots for their widgets in Netvibes' directories and also from companies who use its "brandwatch" service to monitor themselves on the Web, in much the same way as Yatedo does for individuals.



PearlTrees

Another invention that really has to be seen. PearlTrees offers a new way of interfacing with the Internet and organizing your online life and friends. It's either mind-bogglingly complicated or blisteringly simple, but either way it's an extremely exciting-looking program.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/ptech/12/10/internet.future/index.html

Escobar's son seeks forgiveness

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americas/12/11/colombia.escobar.son/index.html



"How do you write to a family that your own father hurt so much?"




Sebastian Marroquin, son of the infamous Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, posed this question in a letter to the families of two of his father's most prominent victims.



Rodrigo Lara Bonilla was Colombia's justice minister in the early 1980s and one of the first to aggressively pursue cocaine traffickers. He was murdered in 1984.



Six years later, Luis Carlos Galan was a presidential candidate who publicly decried the drug cartels. He was assassinated during a campaign rally in 1989.



Escobar ordered both hits, according to authorities.



One thing the drug lord and the public servants had in common is that they had children of roughly the same age.



Now grown, their children have embarked on a reconciliation effort that was impossible for their parents, thanks in part to a new documentary by Argentine filmmaker Nicolas Entel.



Entel's film, "Sins of My Father," chronicles the path toward peace taken by the young men.

Rapper Eminem Crowned Best Sellling Rapper Of The Decade

Nielsen Soundscan has announced that Hip-Hop star Eminem is the best selling artist of the decade.








The Detroit emcee’s closest competition came from the legendary Beatles.







Their greatest hits compilation One is the best selling album of the decade with over 11 million copies sold.







Eminem’s win was secured by 2000’s Marshall Mathers LP (10, 204,000 copies), and 2003’s The Eminem Show (9,799,000).







Also, the rapper’s 2009 comeback LP Relapse added over 1.5 million in sales.







Those numbers would have increase further if Eminem had released his sequel Relapse 2 as originally planned in November.







Several other Hip-Hop artists made lasting chart imprints.







Nelly made the Top 10 for best selling albums with his breakout 2000 disc Country Grammar (8,461,000 copies).







Flo Rida, the Black Eyed Peas, and Soulja Boy made their impact through their respective Top 10 singles.







“Low” was secured the top-selling digital song of the decade with over 5 million downloads, followed by “Boom Boom Pow” at #4 (4,349,000), and “Crank Dat” at #6 (4,315,000).







At press time, Eminem’s Relapse 2 is set to be released on March 2010.







Last week, fans were treated to Relapse: Refill, an EP which featured recent album outtakes and guest spots from the rapper.

http://allhiphop.com/stories/news/archive/2009/12/09/22059865.aspx

Timbaland Feat. Drake - Say Something(Video Official)

Gucci ManeThe State vs. Radric Davis

Sure, he's released superior mixtape material recently, but that's to be expected. It's more telling that those tapes were also broader. Apart from the spillover mixtape hit "Wasted," the album lacks instant street anthems like "Photoshoot" or "I'm a Dog." As a mixtape rapper Gucci was scattershot, splashing a blur of concepts and personas and flows onto the protools. Here he's hyperfocused, apart from an uncomfortable middle album love/sex/girl diversion that starts with the atrocious Usher single "Spotlight.” These records are necessities in this market (women still buy records for some odd reason) and definitely not new terrain for Gucci. But they lack the relationship stressed nuance or playful arrogance displayed on undergrounds like “I Think I Love Her” and “Bachelor Pad,” respectively. Here he seems to be going through the motion, just waiting to get back to the punch you in the face type rapping. Strip the record of the four songs lover man stretch and you’re left with the least accessible Pop/Rap album of the decade.

But maybe this is purposeful. The State vs. Radric Davis is neither a grand statement nor an empty radio concession. It's just a solid collection of Rap songs.

http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/reviews/id.1333/title.gucci-mane-the-state-vs-radric-davis

Advanced Antivirus

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Advanced Antivirus

By Erik Larkin, PC World; testing by Andreas Marx

Hackers have shown that they can plant their malware even on mainstream sites -- proving that you need antivirus protection now more than ever. We lab-tested 11 top security programs to find the best guardians for your PC.



Today's vast threatscape of duplicitous Trojan horses, invisible exploits and slithering worms makes antivirus protection a must. But that doesn't mean you have to pay top dollar for a security suite that may have features you don't want or need.



Stand-alone antivirus apps focus on blocking malicious software, without loading up on the extras that come with a suite. You typically won't find -- or have to pay for -- parental controls, system tuners, firewalls or other options. That frees you to mix and match your own suite of apps or even just stick with an on-its-own antivirus program and the built-in Windows firewall. See "Picking the Right Security Software" for more on this topic.

First, though, you need to know which programs will protect you and which could fall down on the job. To find out, we poked and prodded a large batch of applications -- 11 in all, from not only the United States but also Europe and Japan. In partnership with AV-Test.org, we determined the products' detection rates for malware both known and brand-new. We also measured scan speed and disinfection performance, along with the rate of false alarms. For re­­sults on all products we tested, see our chart.

While any antivirus program is defined by its ability to keep a PC safe, we also dug through each app's user interface and simulated a variety of scanning scenarios to make sure a program wouldn't drive you crazy as it did its job.

G Data AntiVirus 2010 took top billing in our ranked software chart, doing the best job at malware detection, both in traditional, signature-based tests and in proactive protection tests that gauge how well an app can detect new malware without a full signature. However, while the program has a straightforward interface, it also asks more questions of the user than many of the other antivirus applications we tested, and it therefore may be best suited to a more technically oriented person.

Our close second-place finisher, Symantec's Norton Anti-Virus 2010, on the other hand, is smooth and simple to use. It does a generally good job of blocking and removing malware, though it trailed G Data in one type of proactive protection. And it has some appealing extras, such as a tool that can help you decide whether you think that a new download is from a reputable source and likely safe to install. Though it just barely lost out to our top recommendation, Norton would be a good choice for computer owners who want a minimum of fuss from the software they use.

Our scoring emphasized performance -- or effectiveness -- over all other considerations. After all, it doesn't matter how nice an antivirus program looks if it can't block malware. Based on our test results, we found that almost all of the programs were fully capable of de­­tecting malware with known signatures. When confronted with more than 650,000 Trojan horses, spyware samples and other baddies, seven of the 10 apps detected more than 99 percent of the samples. And no program had a detection rate of less than 94 percent
 
http://tech.msn.com/security/articlepcw.aspx?cp-documentid=22797245&GT1=40000

In today's Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer: A rare look inside a presidential trip.

The smartphone apps that could save your life

) -- There are a growing number of smartphone applications aimed at assisting medical professionals or improving personal health.




From AirStrip OB, which lets obstetricians remotely access real-time data about newborn babies, to Epocrates, a kind of drug encyclopedia for medics, phone apps have the potential to be lifesavers.



Then there are the apps aimed at improving people's general health, such as RunKeeper, designed to make it easier to keep fit, and Absolute Fitness, which could help you keep tabs on your diet.



We take a look at just a few of the health-related applications now showing on a smartphone near you.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/12/07/health.apps.smartphone/index.html

Ohio executes inmate using single-drug method

An Ohio inmate, convicted of killing and dismembering a 22-year-old woman in 1991, was executed Tuesday using a new, untested one-drug method of lethal injection, state officials said.




Kenneth Biros, 51, was pronounced dead at 11:47 a.m. at a prison in Lucasville, Ohio, the state attorney general's office said in a written statement.



His last words, according to Department of Rehabilitation and Correction spokeswoman Julie Walburn, were: "Sorry from the bottom of my heart. I want to thank all of my family and friends for my prayers and who supported and believed in me.



"My father, now I'm being paroled to heaven," Biros said, according to Walburn. "I will now spend all of my holidays with my lord and savior, Jesus Christ. Peace be with you all. Amen."



Biros' execution is the first in Ohio since September, when the governor and federal courts halted capital punishment in the state after a botched attempt to execute another prisoner, Romell Broom. The prison staff could not find a suitable vein for the injections.



The one-drug method had never been tried on a U.S. death row inmate. It relies on a single dose of sodium thiopental injected into a vein. A separate two-drug muscle injection was available as a backup, officials said. The one-drug method has been used to euthanize animals.



The same drug, sodium thiopental, at a much lower dosage, is the first ingredient in the three-drug method previously used in Ohio, as well as in all but one of the other 34 states that allow the death penalty.



Some capital punishment opponents claim the sodium thiopental, which renders the prisoner unconscious, can wear off too quickly, and that some prisoners would actually be awake and able to feel pain as the procedure continues.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/12/08/ohio.execution/index.html