Business
Jon Stewart Calls Out Jay Z Over Maintaining Business Relations With Racist Retailer Barney’s (Video)
November 8, 2013
Over the controversy that some have called shop-and-frisk, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart points out and pokes at Jigga for selling out by standing by a major business partner of his – Barney’s. The high-end retailer has come under fire by the media and protest groups for apparently subjecting its Black patrons to racial profiling that went so far as to send undercover security into the street – holding up Black purchasers outside the store to verify that their debit cards were “authentic.” Jay Z has a merchandise line set to come out in the store chain… no way he’s going to let a little bad racial press stop him from cashing in on purchases made by Black folk who may get stopped after buying his stuff. Time for a little “perspective”…
“If I make snap judgements, no matter who it’s towards, aren’t I committing the same sin as who it’s towards.”
– Jay Z
Well, how about that. I guess you can talk yourself into anything when enough money is on the line. Get him, Jon!
Posted in Business, Hip-Hop, Opinion, Politics, Television, Videos | 
Tags: Barneys, Jay-Z, Jon Stewart, The Daily Show, The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | 
No Comments »
Elementary Genocide (Documentary Trailer)
October 29, 2013
“They’ve done studies…If you are illiterate in 3rd or 4th grade, then it’s very likely you will be in prison… You mean to tell me that people who decided on where to build a prison, how to build a prison, or when to build a prison didn’t look at the research? They had to look at something…of course!”
– Supreme Understanding, Author/Activist
Executive produced by award winning journalist/filmmaker Rahiem Shabazz, “Elementary Genocide” addresses how the federal government allots money to each state to build prions based on the failure rate of 4th and 5th graders! In America, half of all 4th graders read below grade level, and more Black men are going to jail than are going to college. Compelling content, including interviews and voice-over narration from professors, teachers, best selling authors, celebrities, and more.
SUPPORT THE IMMERSIVE, INFORMATIONAL & CONTROVERSIAL DOCUMENTARY ELEMENTARY GENOCIDE
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Business, Film, Human Interest, Politics, Television, Travel | Tags: Elementary Genocide, Rahiem Shabazz | 1 Comment »
Technology: War Is Big Business, And The ‘Killer Robot’ Business Is About To Pick Up! (Video)
October 17, 2013
Another big “eff you” from the Military Industrial Complex to peace pushing organizations like the United Nations, Human Rights Watch and the International Committee for Robot Arms Control who want the world to cool it with the weapons tech advancements for just a minute… Big Tony Starks-style weapons system manufacturers like Northrop Gruman ‘modeled their products for the military last week at Fort Benning in Georgia, to judge how they could be used in combat. Lieutenant Col. Willie Smith said at the event that he hopes to unleash the killing machines onto the battlefield within five years—not as weapons their own right, but as trusted members of the squad.’
VICE: King Of Cannibus (Video)
October 16, 2013
This video has three parts; the first embedded above, with parts 2 & 3 after the jump.
Posted in Business, Cover Story, Lifestyle, Politics, Travel, Videos | Tags: Arjan Roskam, King of Cannabis, Krishna Andavolu, VICE | No Comments »
Meet The “Prison Profiteers†Who Are Making Millions Off The Penal System (Video)
October 4, 2013
No need for big political talk to understand this story. Prisons are big business for lots of businesses. Global Tel* Link (GTL) makes more than $500 million a year exploiting families who pay up to $1.13 per minute to keep in touch with incarcerated loved ones. And GTL isn’t only one lining it’s pockets with prison money.
‘Global Tel* Link is one of five companies profiled in a new video series called “Prison Profiteers,†a collaboration between Beyond Bars — a Brave New Films project—the ACLU, and The Nation. With 2.3 million people incarcerated in the United States, prisons are big business; the goal of the series is to expose the myriad ways people enrich themselves off crime and punishment.’
– The Nation
Business: How Worker-Owned Companies Operate (Video)
August 20, 2013
I was speaking with a friend who is also an Oakland Raiders fan like myself. The Raiders have major financial obstacles in their attempts to get a new stadium built in Oakland or anywhere else in Northern California. The Oakland Raiders have also recently been ranked by Forbes magazine as the least valuable NFL franchise despite having a huge global fanbase. The Raiders have one of lowest amount of operating dollars of all the 32 teams in the NFL. Fans may not be able to help the stadium situation, but they can definitely change the value of the team. I have said on numerous occasions it would be great if the Raiders adopted a similar ownership system like the Green Bay Packers in which the fans of the team can become shareholders. The Green Bay Packers are the only NFL franchise that operates in this manner. Current NFL rules require an owner to have no less than a 30% majority share of the team. I feel this could work for the Raiders if owner Mark Davis offered a 49% or less share to the fans. Our discussion then turned to the corporate aspect of worker owned companies. Ironically I ran across this interesting short documentary on the topic while surfing the web that goes to further illustrate the point that collective ownership is the key to win in many instances.
READ MORE ABOUT HOW WORKER OWNED COMPANIES OPERATE AT MOYERS & COMPANY
Posted in Business, Cover Story, Human Interest, Opinion, Opportunity, Sports | Tags: Green Bay Packers, How Worker-Owned Companies Operate, NFL, Oakland Raiders, Ownership, Raiders | 1 Comment »
The ‘Welcome 2 Atlanta’ Concert Series Stage Set To Premier Artists (Video)
August 12, 2013
MixtapeAtlas.com, Southeastern Concerts, DDB Entertainment, and We Got This Entertainment bring you the ‘Welcome 2 Atlanta’ Concert Series hosted by Maurice Garland. Go. It’s where you will see Atlanta’s “next up” talent. You know… folks like Cyhi the Prince (who was on the bill for the inaugural event), held for the 2012 BET’s Hip-Hop Awards’ Pre-Show Party), Trinidad James, Sean Falyon (S.F.B.E.), Ducko McFli, Scotty ATL, iNDEED and more. Check out the footage above for Scotty’s event. Milling around in the crowd are Hip-Hop heavyweights like Big K.R.I.T. and DJ Jelly.
‘We will continue to use this concert series to showcase the new and dopest artists from the city.’
Posted in Business, EVENTS, Hip-Hop, Videos | Tags: Concert Series, Mixtape Atlas, MixtapeAtlas, Welcome 2 Atlanta | 1 Comment »
Spike Lee Vs. CNBC Analyst (Video)
August 2, 2013
‘Maybe you should stick to finance and not cinema.’
– Spike Lee to CNBC Analyst
Pow! Watch your mouth…sir. Spike goes on CNBC to talk about raising funds for his next project (which we posted on earlier here). In the clip above, he proclaims that movie fundraising is still a struggle for him. Always has been.
‘I was doing Kickstarter before there was Kickstarter… there was no Internet… Social media was me writing letters, getting on the phone…’
She’s A Rare Find. But That Diamond You’re About To Buy Her… Not So Much!
June 14, 2013
‘As soon as you leave the jeweler with a diamond, it loses over 50% of its value.’
– Rohin Dhar, BusinessInsider.com
Fellas, why… why do we do it? With the money we spend convincing your special lady, her friends, and every onlooker (now and in the future) of the eternal love we have for her… with a big shiny rock… an investment in a nice nest egg could be made. Within a few years, you’d both have some real ‘finance for the romance’ down the road. But instead,
That’s right. The ‘grand tradition’ of showing everlasting love with a rare diamond started as a marketing campaign… and the tradition isn’t even a century old! Plus, that ‘rare’ diamond isn’t even all that rare. De Beers holds the diamond supply in check to make it seem that way.
Posted in Business, Fashion, Lifestyle, Opinion | Tags: De Beers, DeBeers, Engagement ring, Why Diamonds are a sham | No Comments »
Hard To Earn, Too Costly To Learn: How For-Profit Colleges Saddle African-American Students With Staggering Debt
June 13, 2013
President Obama echoes the sentiment of Black people throughout the ages in America: The key to “winning the future†is to get educated. Get educated, get paid, live the American Dream. That’s the path to prosperity right… right?
Well, Kai Wright of Salon.com writes that something isn’t right:
Have we been had, hoodwinked, and bamboozled again? Kai makes a powerful argument. And were he here to speak on it today, Malcolm X might well quip: Plymouth rock landed on us. We climbed from under it. Then they dropped a mountain of debt on top of us!
Several of the top for-profit colleges are run by financiers, not educators. Damn. Now, more than ever, it costs to be poor; and it pays to exploit those striving for more.
Posted in Business, Cover Story, Human Interest, Lifestyle, Opinion | Tags: black, buried in debt, for-profit college, How for-profit colleges prey on African-American ambition, Kai Wright, student debt, targeted at those who can't afford it, Useless degrees are now too-good-to-be-true tickets to the American Dream, Young | No Comments »
Take a Tip From a Billionaire: Read the Book ‘Patent It Yourself’
June 12, 2013
We’ve posted on GoPro before. Maybe we can take a reading recommendation from the mini-cam company’s billionaire CEO Nick Woodman. A tweet asked: ‘What’s the one book a BIT (Billionaire-In-Training) should read?’ Here is Woodman’s answer.
YOUR TURN: Tweet your question to Businessweek with the hashtag #AskABillionaire.
WATCH: EVERYONE IS A SPORTS CAMERAMAN WITH GOPRO MINI-CAMS
– @ojones1
Music Business 101: Footage From The ‘How Can I Be Down?’ Conference Panel 1996 (Video)
June 7, 2013
I was at the How Can I Be Down Conference years ago. Â This dope footage from one of the panels featuring music executives Chris Lighty (RIP), Dame Dash, Shakim, & Steve Stoute unearthed by DJ Sandman. Great to see old footage like this; not just about the performances, but about the music business itself during that time.
Posted in Business, Hip-Hop, History, Radio, Videos | Tags: 1996, Conference, DJ Sandman, How Can I Be Down | No Comments »
The World’s Next Tallest Building (Video)
May 27, 2013
Dubbed “Sky City,” the world’s tallest building will soon be constructed in China. The Broad Group will construct a 220-story skyscraper, 30 feet taller than the Burj Khalifa in Dubai for one-tenth the cost. Sky City will be a self-contained, environmentally friendly, nearly earthquake proof city-in-a-skyscraper. It will be built to hold 30,000 residents, moving up and down on 92 elevators, with 4 helicopter pads, schools, stores and more. The building will be impressive. So, will it’s construction. With an almost boastful construction schedule of 90 days, The Broad Group will put Sky City together from modules that were being built even before China’s government approved construction.
In a word…Wowww! Watch the above building simulation and information video. This is NOT a dream. This is happening.
BLITZ – 3/6/13: She Played You
March 6, 2013
Ice-T – “You Played Yourself”
HEADLINES
Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez Dies of Cancer At The Age Of 58
Hollywood Director Oliver Stone Calls Fallen Venezuelan President A ‘Great Hero’
Terrence Howard Praises Oprah’s ‘Tig Ol Bitties’ In ‘Dream Come True’ Movie Sex Scene
Fecal Matter Found In Cakes Sold Being By IKEA; Recall Taking Place In 23 Countries
Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez: An Outsized Personality & A Domineering Figure
Big Oil, Big Ketchup, & The Assassination Of Hugo Chavez
Kanye West Calls Into Radio Station Upset Over MTV’s Hottest Emcee Rankings
How Hugo Chavez Challenged Major League Baseball’s Relationship With The Caribbean
Bill Cosby Equates Republican Racism With Anti-Civil Rights Segregationists
CNN Eliminating Black Journalists; Axes Black Commentators Donna Brazile & Roland Martin
Venezuela Expels U.S. Officials & Blames ‘Historic Enemies’ Of Inducing Hugo Chavez’s Cancer
NY Hit & Run Driver Who Killed A Family Was The Murderer Of The ‘Original 50 Cent’
An Elevator ‘Murder’ Goes Viral
ESPN Faces New Rival In August With New FOX SPORTS 1 Cable Channel
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell Says He’s ‘Terrified’ A Player Will Die On The Field
Lamborghini Introduces It’s New $4 Million Dollar Super Car
Noam Chomsky: Can Civilization Survive Capitalism?
New Samsung Galaxy Phone Might Be Controlled By Your Eyes
9 Interesting Things About Sex We Learned Studying Our Ancient Ancestors
The World’s Tallest Hotel Opens In Dubai
Attorney General Eric Holder: In Theory President Obama Can Order Drone Strikes In The U.S.
The Death Of Hugo Chavez: The End Of The Latin American Left?
BLITZ – 3/5/13: Eyes Without Face
March 5, 2013
Billy Idol – “Eyes Without A Face”
HEADLINES
12 Band Members Charged With Manslaughter In The Hazing Death Of Florida A&M Drum Major
Michael Jordan Asks An Atlanta Court To Dismiss The Paternity Lawsuit Against Him
Florida High School Student Gets Suspended For Disarming A Gunman On School Bus
Chubby ‘Batman’ Drops Off Burglar To Police Station Then Vanishes Off Into The Night
Woman Accused Of Leaving Poop In Her Former Employer’s Oven & Refrigerator
How Rappers Are Writing Off ‘Making It Rain In The Strip Clubs’ Off Of Their Taxes
Atlanta Falcons Quarterback Matt Ryan Could Cost The Team $140 Million Dollars
Pharaohe Monch’s Fears Miami Heat Vs. NY Knicks Rivalries: Lebron As MJ & Melo As Ewing?
Family Of Gay Mayoral Candidate In Mississippi Says He Was ‘Beaten, Dragged, & Burned’
Rapper J. Cole Says He Once Thought That Jay-Z Was In The Illuminati
6-year-Old UK Break Dancer Outshining Older Dancers Worldwide With Her Moves
Farrakhan: Whites Promote Birth Control For Black Women Because They Fear Being Minorities
Female War Vets Coming Home To Homelessness; The U.S.’s Largest Growing Demographic
Mexican Drug Lord Bounced Off Of ‘Forbes’ Top Billionaires Of 2013 List
A 500-Foot Noah’s Ark Replica Is Being Built Near Miami As A Zoo
Indian Activist On Hunger Strike For 12 Years Being Charged With Attempted Suicide
Man Puts 40-Foot Mirrored Tube Slide In His NY Penthouse
Tuskegee Airman Carjacked In Detroit In Broad Daylight
Scientists Says ‘Ice Strengthened’ Ships Will Sail Directly Over The North Pole By 2050
Training Day Director ‘Antoine Fuqua’ Believes Lil Wayne Should Go Into Acting
BLITZ – 2/28/13: Headie Murphy
February 28, 2013
Eddie Murphy – Party All The Time
–
HEADLINES
Dave Chappelle Is Joined On Stage By Chris Rock In New York City Performance
Former MTV Music Video Director On Trial For Repeatedly Raping & Impregnating His Daughters
North Korea’s Leader Kim Jong Un Pictured Rocking A Dennis Rodman Jersey In The 90s
NFL Investigating Whether Draft Prospect Nick Kasa Was Asked If ‘He Liked Girls’
Gynecologist Allegedly Hid Camera Inside A Pen To Secretly Tape His Patients
Baltimore Ravens Terrell Suggs Says The New England Patriots Are Hated By All 31 NFL Teams
Larry Flynt’s Wild Life: Porn, Politics, & Penile Implants
A Kentucky Man Makes $100,000 A Year Faking As A Mentally Disabled Beggar On The Street
Stephen Curry Scores 54 Points In Warriors Loss To The NY Knicks 109-105
Korean Kids Kicked Out Of McDonald’s For Throwing A $250 French Fry Feast
How The Food Industry Manipulates Taste Buds With ‘Salt Sugar Fat’
Rapper AP.9 Claims He Has Proof He Had Sex With Ice-T’s Wife Coco & Kobe Bryant’s Wife
Is This The End Of The Core Of The Voting Rights Act?
The 25 Hilarious Strippers You Should Follow On Twitter
Former WNBA Star Chamique Holdsclaw Facing 65 Years For Alleged Attack On Her Ex-Girlfriend
Dog Accidentally Shoots His Owner In The Leg With His Own Gun
How America’s Racial Wealth Gap Perpetuates Itself
Yahoo’s New Work-From-Home Policy Has Upset Workers Everywhere
50 Cent Interviewed By Lee Hawkins for Wall Street Journal (Video)
February 26, 2013
In depth interview with 50 Cent. Wall Street Journal’s Lee Hawkins directs the conversation – during which 50 Cent shares insights on musical, business, and nonprofit aspects of his life. Topics include his boxing promotion company, his dealings with Floyd Mayweather, conflicts he’s had play out in the public eye, his benevolent ventures (i.e. World Food Program) and much more.
Posted in Business, Hip-Hop, Videos | Tags: 50 Cent, 50 Cent’s 44 Minute Interview With Wall Street Journal, Curtis Jackson, Lee Hawkins | No Comments »
BLITZ-2/15/13: Heartbreak Warfare
February 15, 2013
John Mayer – “Heartbreak Warfare”
HEADLINES
Hundreds Of People Injured After Meteorite Crashes In Russia
Meteorite Crash In Russia Causes Explosions & Forces Huge Evacuations
Why Did So Many Russian Drivers Get Great Meteorite Videos?
The Family Of Emmet Till Upset About Lil Wayne’s Lyrics In New Rap Song
Rapper ‘Tim Dog’ Dead At The Age Of 46 Due To Complications From Diabetes
Man Slaps Crying Baby On Delta Flight After Yelling ‘Shut That N*gger Baby Up’
Charles Barkley Clowns The University Of Alabama Football Players That Were Arrested
James Harden Embraces His Rise As A Superstar For The Houston Rockets
Kevin Garnett Says This Will Be His Last NBA Allstar Game
The Worst Cities For College-Educated Women Trying To Find A Decent Date
BLITZ – 2/14/13: Nuttin’ Butt Love
February 14, 2013
Heavy D – “Nuttin’ But Love”
HEADLINES
The FDA Expected To Approve The First Bionic Eye In The U.S.
Lawyer Convicted Of Murdering EX-NBA Player Eddy Curry’s Infant Daughter & Girlfriend
Actor Steve Martin Becomes A Dad For The First Time At The Age Of 67
NY Teenager Who Yelled At Cops Is Beaten & It’s Caught On Tape
Carjacking Victim Says EX-LAPD Cop Christopher Dorner Was ‘Calm’ & Didn’t Want To Hurt Him
Kentucky Freshman Basketball Star Nerlens Noel Done For Season With Torn ACL
Christopher Dorner’s Ex-Girlfriend Says She ‘Sort Of Expected’ Violence
Apple Cutting Prices On It’s MacBooks
Newark Man Forced To Strip Naked, Beaten & Whipped Over His Father’s $20 Bet
Apple Loses The Right To Use The ‘iPhone’ Name In Brazil
Former NBA Star Dikembe Mutombo Thinks He Deserves To Be In The NBA Hall Of Fame
Will ‘Made In Haiti’ Factories Improve Life In Haiti?
Pentagon Creates New Medal For Extraordinary Work With Drone Strikes & Cyberattacks
NFL Agent Gets Certified By The NFLPA Even Though He’s Under Federal Indictment For Fraud
Black History: The Nation’s First Black Professional Basketball Team
The Drug Laws That Changed How The U.S. Punishes Offenders
Posted in Business, Cover Story, News, Politics, Sports | Tags: 2/14/13, BLITZ, Nuttin' Butt Love, The BLITZ | No Comments »
BLITZ – 2/13/13: Tryin 2 Get A Nut
February 13, 2013
J Dilla – “Two Can Win”
HEADLINES
10 Metro Atlanta Cops Arrested In Fed Probe For Protecting Gang Members & Drug Deals
EX-LAPD Cop Christopher Dorner Manhunt: Charred Remains Found In Burned Cabin
Former LAPD Cop Says He Had Similar Experiences As Chris Dorner; Says He Was Right
Lebron James Sets NBA Record Doing Things No One Has Ever Done Before
Kobe Bryant Only Scores 4 Points In The Lakers 91-85 Win Over The Lowly Phoenix Suns
O.J. Simpson Has Allegedly Turned Gay In Prison; New Nickname Is ‘Daddy Juice’
President Obama To Congress: With Or Without You
4 University Of Alabama Football Players Arrested For Several Robberies
‘Anchorman 2’ Starring Will Ferrell About To Start Shooting In Atlanta
Apple Allegedly Has Over 100 Product Designers Working On The iWatch
Venom Might Be In ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2’ Movie
Loud Snoring Man Dies On Plane Headed To Salt Lake City
A ‘Heart Attack Grill’ Greeter Dies After Having A Heart Attack
The U.S. Birth Rate Drops Raising Concerns Over The Future Of The Country
Twitter Is Getting Into E-Commerce: Letting You Pay Your AMEX With A Hashtag
