Keepingitreal

T.O. Thinks Roger Goodell Should Experience Prison

It didn't take long for Bills wide receiver Terrell Owens to create a controversy at training camp.Owens said that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has been unfair to suspended quarterback Michael Vick and that the union and more players need to speak out. In an interview with ESPN's George Smith, Owens said he was surprised more players haven't spoken up in support of Vick and that, "the commissioner needs to go sit in jail for 23 months" to see what it's like to sit behind bars."I think it's unfortunate," Owens said. "I think the way the commissioner has handled it, I think it's unfair to Michael Vick. I think he's done the time for what he's done. I don't think it's really fair for him to be suspended four more games. That's almost like kicking a dead horse in the ground."Vick met with Goodell and NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith in the last week to discuss his chances of getting back into the league. Vick has been on suspension for violating the NFL conduct policy for his involvement with dogfighting.Vick was released from prison last week after serving 23 months in federal custody. Owens feels that Vick has paid his time and should play in the league again.Multiple reports and sources have confirmed to FanHouse that the league will give Vick a conditional reinstatement -- possibly next week. Vick has to convince Goodell that he's sorry for his actions and that he will not violate the conduct policy again in order to return. SOURCE

Lisa Raye's Favorite MJ Moment

Link:

The Numbers Game: Music

The Game is on tour overseas, but thanks to the internet, he knows exactly what's being said about him and it's almost a given, he'll respond, especiallywhen Jay-Z is calling him a "groupie". The only billboard in the Central Texas town of Gatesville (pop. approx. 15,000) has become a lightning rod of controversy. A retired black minister rented the sign on Main Street that reads, "Gay Rights are Not Civil Rights." The sign owner, Virginia Miller, tells the Dallas Voice the pastor "wanted to get the message out to black people .. everything they fought for is being hijacked."

Twista gets the shine in this week’s Numbers Game for a few reasons. One reason is obvious; His seventh album Category F5 lands on the charts at #8. Another reason? Even though this guy is still constantly trying to recreate “Slow Jams”, I remember when Twista was one of the most underrated MC’s in the game. I guess H20 was wrong with his prediction that Category F5 wouldn’t crack the Top 20. But hey, Young Water still turned in a great review of the album (Which you can check out here).

Also making debuts on the charts this week: Joe releases his 8th studio album with Signature. La Coka Nostra (A group comprised of Everlast, DJ Lethal, Danny Boy, Ill Bill, & Slaine) dropped their debut album A Brand You Can Trust. And lastly, long time Tech N9ne collaborator Krizz Kaliko releases his second album Genius (Shout out to Chris!)

#2 Maxwell/BLACKsummers’night (Last Week: #1) – 103,300; Total: 422,000 [2 Weeks]
#5 Black Eyed Peas/The E.N.D. (Last Week: #5) – 54,300; Total: 726,800 (Gold) [6 Weeks]
#7 Joe/Signature (Last Week: NA) – 49,100; Total: NA [Debut]
#8 Twista/Category F5 (Last Week: NA) – 45,400; Total: NA [Debut]
#13 Eminem/Relapse (Last Week: #9) – 28,400; Total: 1,269,900 (Platinum) [9 Weeks]
#22 Jeremih/Jeremih (Last Week: #15) – 20,800; Total: 108,300 [3 Weeks]
#34 Beyonce/I Am Sasha Fierce (Last Week: #30) – 14,600; Total: 2,311,600 (2x Platinum) [36 Weeks]
#84 La Coka Nostra/A Brand You Can Trust (Last Week: NA) – 5,400; Total: NA [Debut]
#179 Krizz Kaliko/Genius (Last Week: NA) – 5,300; Total: NA [Debut]

Countdown to Ledisi's Turn Me Loose

  R&B-Jazz singer Ledisi is preparing to drop her sophomore album for Verve Music, Turn Me Loose, on Aug. 18. And in preparation for it, songs from the album are being streamed for free online at ledisimusic.com. Right now three songs can be streamed: "Love Never Changes," Please Stay" and "Goin' Thru Changes." And each week, two song streams will be added to the site until all 13 are online. Yours truly reviewed her last album, Lost & Found, and from what I've heard of her new music so far, it's gonna be a big step forward for her. To stream the music, just click the link below.Ledisi - Countdown to Turn Me Loose (via ledisimusic.com)

R.I.P. Author E. Lynn Harris

Renown author E. Lynn Harris passed away on Friday, July 24, at the age of 54, according to the Arkansas Times.The author’s personal assistant confirmed that his health had declined but would not provide any details as to what caused his death. Clutch would like to send our condolences and prayers to Mr. Harris family and friends.

E. Lynn Harris, the best-selling Arkansas author known for contemporary stories about African-Americans, died today during a West Coast book tour. His personal assistant confirmed an unspecified health event this morning, but said she was awaiting word from the scene before providing specifics.

Arkansas Sports 360 provided the first formal report that Harris had died. The item did not cite a source, but Harris was close to the UA Athletic Department and had worked as coach and sponsor of the cheerleaders. Black Voices later confirmed the report, citing a spokesman for his publisher.

Word of the health event began making the rounds on Twitter earlier in the morning.

Born in Michigan, Harris grew up in Little Rock. He attended the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, where he was the school’s first black cheerleader. He continued to be a diehard Razorback fan. He has taught adjunct courses in the English department, most recently last fall.

His latest book, “Basketball Jones,” is about the gay lover of an NBA star. Says the publicity blurb: “In Basketball Jones, E. Lynn Harris explores the consequences of loving someone who is forced to conform to the rules society demands its public heroes follow. Filled with nonstop twists and turns, it will keep readers riveted from the first page to the last.” According to his website biography, Harris, 54, divides his time between Fayetteville and Atlanta.

Obama: Police who arrested professor 'acted stupidly'

(CNN) -- President Obama said that police in Cambridge, Massachusetts, "acted stupidly" in arresting a prominent black Harvard professor last week after a confrontation at the man's home.

"I don't know, not having been there and not seeing all the facts, what role race played," Obama said Wednesday night while taking questions after a White House news conference.

Cambridge authorities dropped disorderly conduct charges against Henry Louis Gates Jr. on Tuesday.

Obama defended Gates on Wednesday night, while admitting that he may be "a little biased," because Gates is a friend.

"But I think it's fair to say, No. 1, any of us would be pretty angry; No. 2, that the Cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home; and, No. 3 ... that there's a long history in this country of African-Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately."

The incident, Obama said, shows "how race remains a factor in this society." Watch the president address the incident »

Gates told CNN on Wednesday that although charges had been dropped, he will keep the issue alive.

 "This is not about me; this is about the vulnerability of black men in America," Gates told CNN's Soledad O'Brien. Have race relations improved since Obama's election?

Gates said he'd be prepared to forgive the arresting officer "if he told the truth" about what the director of Harvard's W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research said were "fabrications" in the police report.

The officer, Sgt. James Crowley, told CNN affiliate WCVB earlier Wednesday that he will not apologize.

"There are not many certainties in life, but it is for certain that Sgt. Crowley will not be apologizing," he said.

Gates said the mayor of Cambridge, Massachusetts, called him to apologize about the incident, in which he was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct.

CNN could not confirm Wednesday night that an apology was made. Cambridge Mayor E. Denise Simmons did not respond to requests by CNN for comment.

Crowley wrote in the Cambridge police report that Gates refused to step outside to speak with him, the police report said, and when Crowley told Gates that he was investigating a possible break-in, Gates opened the front door and exclaimed, "Why, because I'm a black man in America?" the report said.

The report said Gates initially refused to show the officer identification, but eventually produced a Harvard identification card, prompting Crowley to radio for Harvard University Police.

"While I was led to believe that Gates was lawfully in the residence, I was quite surprised and confused with the behavior he exhibited toward me," Crowley said, according to the report.

Gates was arrested for "loud and tumultuous behavior in a public space" and was released from police custody after spending four hours at the police station.

He said Wednesday that he and his lawyers were considering further actions, not excluding a lawsuit.

Gates said that although the ordeal had upset him, "I would do the same thing exactly again."

Earlier this week, a prosecutor dropped the charge against Gates and the city's police department recommended that the matter not be pursued.

TV One -- FIRST FIVE MINUTES of Michael Jackson Story

Make Your Imprint

A Special Concert to celebrate Nelson Mandela's 91st Birthday was held at Radio City Music Hall on Saturday, July 18.

STEVIE WONDER, ALICIA KEYS, WILL.I.AM, T-PAIN, JESSE CLEGG, GLORIA GAYNOR and EMCEE WHOOPI GOLDBERG were all scheduled to join the Mandela Day concert lineup.  This in addition to Morgan Freeman, Matt Damon, Forest Whitaker, Aretha Franklin, Wyclef Jean, Queen Latifah, Dave Stewart, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, Josh Groban, Angelique Kidjo, Baaba Maal, Jesse McCartney, Zucchero, the Soweto Gospel Choir and a host of African artists who helped kick-off the first Mandela Day Celebration.

Staged by the non-profit known as "46664", with the support of the Nelson Mandela Foundation charitable organizations and backed by world figures including President Bill Clinton, Prime Minister Gordon Brown, President Zuma, Forest Whitaker, Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, Laurence Fishburne, Quincy Jones and many others, the Mandela Day celebrations brought together major music names from the US and Africa to perform under one banner.

Drawing its numeric title from Mr. Mandela's Robben Island prison number (prisoner 466/incarcerated in 1964), 46664 was founded in 2002 when Mr. Mandela gave over the number under which he served 17 of his 27 years incarceration, to Eurythmics' founder Dave Stewart, to use to call attention to finding solutions to critical social issues such as HIV/AIDS and the social injustices that impact the disease such as poverty, gender inequality and the lack of education.

To date, the 46664 campaign has raised millions of dollars applied to supporting projects in South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa where current needs are deemed greatest, particularly in assisting those infected or affected by HIV/AIDS.

Many of 46664's ambassadors formed part of Saturday's multi-artist concert, bringing together leading US artists with many of Africa's foremost performers for a celebration for Mr. Mandela's 91st birthday-- a day which will be remembered as a meeting in music between the US and Africa in a concert for the world.

New York's concert for Mr. Mandela was devised to not only spread the message of 46664 but to have a longer lasting purpose-- to mark a day to reflect on Nelson Mandela's inspiration and guidance and individually strive to make our own contribution.

More information can be found at www.MandelaDay.com.

The Real Housewives of Atlanta season 2 premieres next Thursday July 30th @ 10/9c only on Bravo

Today's Papers: Pakistan: Leave Taliban Alone!

The New York Times leads with word that Pakistan is objecting to the Obama administration's expansion of the war in Afghanistan due to fears that retreating Taliban militants will slip across the border. Coming at a time when President Obama has made it clear he wants to step up efforts in the region, Pakistan's objections threaten to create new divisions between the two allies. USA Today leads an interview with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who expressed confidence that Congress will work through the current disagreements and pass legislation to overhaul health care. Pelosi said she would rather pay for the legislation through savings rather than taxes. "Many members think that there's more to be squeezed from hospitals, pharmaceutical companies and docs," she said. The Wall Street Journal also leads its worldwide newsbox with health care, noting how the White House will be spending more of Obama's political capital on the issue. In advance of today's prime-time news conference, Obama met with fiscally conservative Democrats and urged them not to abandon the legislation. The Los Angeles Times leads with the opposition to the deal between Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislative leaders to close California's budget deficit. A day after the deal was announced, Los Angeles County officials said they would sue the state over the proposal to essentially seize local funds for the state, government workers threatened to strike, and Republicans said they couldn't support it because it would cut the number of prison inmates. Schwarzenegger steered clear of the back-and-forth, except for a video he posted on Twitter that shows him holding a huge knife and talking about autographing state property to be sold at an auction to raise money. The Washington Post leads with mounting evidence that the problem that led to the fatal Subway train crash last month might be widespread throughout the system. To continue reading, click here.

DAUGHTRY TOPS BILLBOARD CHARTS AT NO. 1

 

Los Angeles, California – July 22, 2009, Daughtry’s second album, LEAVE THIS TOWN (19 Recordings/RCA), debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 269,299 copies sold in its first week of release. The record is also No. 1 on the Digital Albums Chart and the Rock Chart. Daughtry moves Michael Jackson from the top of the sales charts, where the late singer has dominated for the previous three weeks. LEAVE THIS TOWN is Daughtry’s first album to debut at the top of the Billboard 200 and its second consecutive No. 1 album. The band’s self-titled debut entered the charts at #3, sold more than 4.5 million copies, spent two weeks at No. 1 and is still on the charts more than two years after its release.  The first single from LEAVE THIS TOWN “No Surprise” is quickly ascending the pop charts and currently with the no. 1 video at Vh1. Singer Chris Daughtry, bassist Josh Paul, drummer Joey Barnes, and guitarists Brian Craddock and Josh Steely recorded LEAVE THIS TOWN with producer Howard Benson.“This album is special because it’s our first together as a band,” Chris Daughtry said. “We poured our hearts into these songs to make the record we’ve always dreamed about. To have people respond the way they have is extremely gratifying, but even more humbling.” Simon Fuller, CEO of 19 Entertainment, comments: “Daughtry have become a legitimate rock band - passionate, united and dedicated. For their sophomore album to debut at number one is a spectacular achievement. I'm proud to be associated with Chris, Josh, JP, Joey and Brian. Long may their successful journey together continue.” “Daughtry possesses a rare common touch that allows his band's music to hit a nerve with the public unlike most artists today.  This great result on top of the group's last album which was the fastest-selling rock debut in history is proof of that.  The RCA/Jive Label Group is thrilled to be a part of Daughtry's continued success,” says Barry Weiss Chairman and CEO, RCA/Jive Label Group. LEAVE THIS TOWN has received outstanding reviews, earning raves for singer Chris Daughtry’s powerful voice. “…an instrument cleaner and stronger than anybody else singing mainstream rock right now,” said the Los Angeles Times while People gave the album three out of four stars, noting: “His voice has never sounded better.” The Seattle Times called the album “more confident and eclectic” a point confirmed by other publications, including The Detroit News and Free Press, which said: “a powerhouse voice that’s nicely matched with some well-written, diverse material.” In a cover story, Billboard observed, “…it's another record full of songs that make you want to roll down the car windows and bust a vocal cord or two while trying to match Daughtry's gravelly wail.” With LEAVE THIS TOWN, the band is poised to continue the global success it achieved with the group’s debut. The album earned the band Grammy nominations, American Music Award wins and charted three No. 1 hits; a rare feat for any artist.

 

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Looking at Black America, Eyes Fixed on the Future

The first half of “Black in America 2,” a two-night special on Wednesday and Thursday on CNN, begins with a segment in which Soledad O’Brien, the reporter for the series, admonishes some boys in Bushwick, Brooklyn, who ignore their academics to play basketball all day. Good; the unrealistic dream of pro ball as the ticket out of poverty needs to be knocked down. Of course, Ms. O’Brien’s scolding would be more convincing if the next night’s episode did not included a lengthy piece about Tyler Perry. So, kids, let’s review: Don’t aspire to play pro basketball; you’ll never make it. Instead count on becoming a movie star/entertainment mogul. So it goes in this skim-the-surface program, a follow-up to “Black in America” last year. Wednesday’s installment is devoted to “Tomorrow’s Leaders” and Thursday’s to “Today’s Pioneers,” but both are essentially collections of upbeat features, anecdotes without much analysis as to whether these piecemeal efforts are making a long-term difference. The message to viewers is, in effect: “See? Someone in California is helping inmates transition back into the workforce when they’re released, and Chris Rock’s wife is taking those Brooklyn kids on a trip to South Africa to broaden their perspective. So everything’s O.K. in black America.” Not that the initiatives Ms. O’Brien spotlights aren’t worthy. Mr. Rock’s wife, Malaak Compton-Rock, certainly did a fine thing last year by taking 30 Bushwick youngsters to South Africa and turning the tables on them: instead of being on the receiving end of assistance, they were on the giving end, visiting families affected by AIDS. But Ms. O’Brien undercuts any heft this and other segments might build up by shamelessly injecting herself into the proceedings. Do we really need to see her having a heart-to-heart with one of the Bushwick children and personally wiping the girl’s tears? CONTINUE READING...

France Resists a Power-Monitoring Business

PARIS — A decision by France’s energy regulator that seems to defy both logic and Europe’s green consciousness has set off a political storm here.At the center is a tiny company that seeks to save consumers money.Two weeks ago, the French Energy Regulatory Commission, the C.R.E., decided that Voltalis, a company that installs electricity management devices in homes and businesses and then manages their use, would have to, in effect, pay power producers for the power that it saves.Voltalis’s Bluepod boxes, free to consumers, plug into the home electrical panel and communicate back to the company’s computers by Internet. When, for example, summer demand on the electrical grid nears a peak, the system would automatically turn off air-conditioners for hundreds or thousands of consumers willing to give up the coolers for a short time to avoid the need for additional electrical production to come on line.The company says its “distributive load shedding” technology can save users as much as 10 percent on their electricity bills and save power producers billions in investments in new plants used only to meet peak demand. Voltalis’s business model assumes the grid operator pays Voltalis for help in maintaining supply and demand equilibrium.But the regulatory commission ruled that Voltalis should pay the power company because “its service would not be possible without the producer maintaining production.”The ruling immediately led to charges of too much coziness among entrenched interests in the electrical power sector.Challenges, a French business magazine, suggested that the country’s electricity producers, including Électricité de France, which is 85 percent owned by the government, wielded too much influence over regulators.Voltalis’s chief executive, Pierre Bivas, took his case to the public last weekend, where the reaction has been scathing.“At this rate, it will soon be obligatory in France to consume large quantities of electricity, or face taxes and fines, and maybe imprisonment, too,” the antinuclear group Sortir du Nucléaire said in criticizing the decision.At peak periods, producers must bring more costly capacity on line or demand must be limited. Voltalis’s technology, which is also in use in the United States, changes that. SOURCE:NYTIMES.COM

Cameras to follow WR Owens in Buffalo

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Terrell Owens will have even more TV cameras in tow when he arrives in Buffalo this weekend for the start of the Bills' series of voluntary minicamps.VH-1 confirmed Tuesday that filming of the Buffalo portion of T.O.'s television reality show will begin Sunday, a day before the Bills open minicamp. The footage is being gathered for a series that follows the day-to-day life of the high-profile star receiver. It is scheduled to premier on the cable network in late July.Owens reached the deal with VH-1 in January while still a member of the Dallas Cowboys. Producers had to scramble to change plans after Owens was released by the Cowboys on March 5, and then signed with the Bills two days later.Owens reached the deal with VH-1 in January while still a member of the Dallas Cowboys. Producers had to scramble to change plans after Owens was released by the Cowboys on March 5, and then signed with the Bills two days later. Filming of the series coincidentally began the week Owens was released by the Cowboys, and is scheduled to run through June.Also featured in the show will be Owens' two friends and publicists, Monique Jackson and Kita Williams. In announcing the series, VH-1 noted that "after a string of relationships and off-the-field endeavors, Terrell is ready to re-examine his personal life and finally put a plan into action" with the help of Jackson and Williams. Filming in Buffalo is tentatively scheduled to run through Wednesday, when the Bills complete their three-day minicamp.Along with VH-1, the series is being produced by Evan Prager and Jesse Ignjatovic.

Outfest 2009 Awards

On the morning of Sunday July 19, Outfest presented the Outfest 2009 Awards Ceremony at Level 3 in the Hollywood & Highland complex, hosted by the charismatic and kindly acerbic Momma. 17 awards were handed out in categories of Special Programming, Audience and Grand Jury awards. Presenters included Craig Chester, Meredith Scott Lynn, Calpernia Addams, Jill Bennett and Cathy DeBuono. Congratulations to all the winners!

Special Programming Awards
The Outfest 2009 Special Programming Award for Freedom
Sponsored by: Clear Channel
ON THESE SHOULDERS WE STAND, Directed by Glenne McElhinney

The Outfest 2009 Special Programming Award for Artistic Achievement         
Sponsored by: V Australia
GREEK PETE, Directed by Andrew Haigh

The Outfest 2009 Special Programming Award for Emerging Talent
Sponsored by: Kodak
George O’Donnell, COLLEGE BOYS LIVE

 Audience Awards
The Outfest 2009 Audience Award for Outstanding Documentary Short Film
Sponsored by: Reveille
GET HAPPY, Directed by Mark Payne

The Outfest 2009 Audience Award for Outstanding Dramatic Short Film
Sponsored by: Entertainment Partners
AWAKENING, Directed by Christian Tafdrup

The Outfest 2009 Audience Award for Outstanding Soundtrack
Sponsored by: 104.3 FM
WE ARE THE MODS, Directed by E.E. Cassidy

The Outfest 2009 Audience Award for Outstanding Documentary Feature Film
Sponsored by: Clip + Still
EDIE & THEA: A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT, Directed by Greta Olafsdottir & Susan Muska

The Outfest 2009 Audience Award for Outstanding Dramatic Feature Film
Sponsored by: Overture Films
CHEF’S SPECIAL, Directed by Nacho G. Velilla

The Outfest 2009 Audience Award for Outstanding First U.S. Dramatic Feature Film
Sponsored by HBO (cash prize of $5,000 from HBO)
WE ARE THE MODS, Directed by E.E. Cassidy

Jury Awards
The Short Film Jury: Michaline Babich, Corey Scholibo, Jamie White
The Outfest 2009 Grand Jury Award for Outstanding Documentary Short Film
Sponsored by: Stella Artois
FIRST AND LOVELISS, Directed by Shaun Kadlec & Deb Tullman

The Outfest 2009 Grand Jury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Short Film
Sponsored by: Wolfe
THE BATH, Directed by Lee Mi-rang

The Documentary Feature Film Jury: Michael Lumpkin, Abigail Severance, Bryan Stamp
The Outfest 2009 Grand Jury Award for Outstanding Documentary Feature Film
Sponsored by: The Directors Guild of America
OFF AND RUNNING, Directed by Nicole Opper

The International Feature Film Jury: Mark Christopher, Michelle Krusiec, Sarah Neal
The Outfest 2009 Grand Jury Award for Outstanding International Dramatic Feature Film
Sponsored by: Absolut

THE MAN WHO LOVED YNGVE, Directed by Stian Kristiansen
The U.S. Dramatic Feature Film Jury: Kevin Iwashina, Doug Spearman, Andrea Sperling

The Outfest 2009 Grand Jury Award for Outstanding Actress in a Feature Film
Sponsored by: The Standard Hotel, Downtown and Sunset Blvd.
Laura Harring in DROOL

The Outfest 2009 Grand Jury Award for Outstanding Actor in a Feature Film
Sponsored by: Here! Media
Derrick L. Middleton in RIVERS WASH OVER ME.

The Outfest 2009 Grand Jury Award for Outstanding Screenwriting
Sponsored by: One Hope Wines
E.E. Cassidy and Bruce Pavalon, WE ARE THE MODS

The Outfest 2009 Grand Jury Award for Outstanding U.S. Dramatic Feature Film
Sponsored by: Lexus
MISSISSIPPI DAMNED, Directed by Tina Mabry

Today's Papers: Democrats: Let's Make a Health Care Deal

The New York Times and Wall Street Journal's world-wide newsbox lead with Democratic leaders in Congress making it clear they're ready to compromise on health care legislation to make sure members of their own party don't bail. It seems likely that, despite White House pressure, bills won't make it through the House and Senate before the August recess. Yesterday, President Obama insisted he's not giving up on the timetable, but suggested a little flexibility by emphasizing the need to "pass reform by the end of this year." The Washington Post also leads with health care but focuses on looking at how Republicans are making a concerted effort to link health-care legislation with the economic stimulus bill, which they have described as a failure. USA Today leads with a poll that shows Obama's approval ratings on specific domestic issues are on the decline. The president has a 55 percent approval rating, which "puts him 10th among the 12 post-World War II presidents at this point in their tenures." Things look far worse for the president on specific issues. Disapproval of how he is handling the economy now stands at 49 percent, and 50 percent disapprove of his approach to health care policy. Almost 60 percent of Americans say Obama is pushing for too much government spending. The Los Angeles Times banners news that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and top California lawmakers have reached a deal to close the state's $26.3 billion deficit. Rather than broadly increase taxes, the agreement calls for deep cuts in government services, and also a variety of accounting tricks to balance the state's budget. California's elderly and poor will be the most affected if the plan that would cut billions in social services is approved by lawmakers.

To continue reading, click here.

Obama on Today: Reacts to the captive U.S. soldier

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Obama on Today discusses his health care reform

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Obama's health care reform is under intense scrutiny

As skepticism about the president's health-care reform effort increases on Capitol Hill, the Obama administration has launched a new phase of its strategy aimed to drastically increase public pressure on Congress.Late Friday, the Congressional Budget Office delivered an assessment of one of the House versions of the health care bill, which said it would add $239 billion to the deficit if passed. "We do not see the sort of fundamental changes that would be necessary to reduce the trajectory of federal health spending by a significant amount and, on the contrary, the legislation significantly expands the federal responsibility for health care costs," the CBO's director Douglas Elmendorf said last week.Elmendorf said long-term costs would rise at an unsustainable pace even if the legislation doesn't add to the federal deficit immediately. In his effort to reshape how Americans receive health care, Obama refuses to accept a tax on high-cost health insurance plans as part of the overhaul.The Obama administration officials promptly took to the airwaves refuting the claims saying that the evaluation is premature. On Sunday White House officials defended Obama's health care proposals, emphasizing that Congress has not written the final draft of legislation, and urges skeptics to wait for the final bill. "At the end of the day, we'll have significant cost controls," said Presidential adviser David Axelrod. Critics of the reform say the cost and timing are too problematic to get the votes needed to pass the president's legislation. Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele lashed out today at President Barack Obama's efforts to reform the national health care system."The President tells us he doesn't want to spend more than we have ... he doesn't want to live off borrowed money, but he also told us he didn't want to run an auto industry," Steele said. "President Obama justifies this spending by saying the devil made him do it. He doesn't want to spend trillions we can't afford and then he says he just can't help it." CONTINUE READING...

Review: Chico DeBarge - Addiction

On his sixth album, Addiction (released in the U.S. on July 14, 2009), Chico DeBarge once again shows flashes of the musical brilliance that always makes devoted R&B fans pay attention every time he releases an album. But once again, the full album isn't completely satisfying. There are some great moments within it's 15 tracks, and Chico will no doubt satisfy his core fans with the album's low-key, sexy vibe. But the package as a whole is maybe a little too low-key. Although there aren't any poor songs here, there aren't exactly a whole lot of tracks that might go on to achieve 'timeless classic' status, either. For more, check out the full review of Chico DeBarge's Addiction.