Puerto Rico voting to become a U.S. State

Not that I don't absolutely love Puerto Ricans because I do, but I'm really hoping the country stays independent and doesn't vote into the union. Hip Hop Wired reports:


While the country was tied up with the presidential election yesterday, Puerto Rico quietly took steps to become a state.

In a two-part referendum more than 50 percent voted that Puerto Rico be named the 51st state of the union, bringing them one step closer to making the dream a reality.

According to the breakdown, 65 percent moved in favor of full statehood, 31 percent sought to receive sovereign statehood, and 4 percent voted to become fully independent.

President Obama has stated that he is in support of the idea, but the island still has to convince Congress to allow the statehood. If approved, Puerto Ricans will be able to vote in American elections, and will  no longer be exempt from paying federal taxes.

America holds strong ties with Puerto Rico. Aside from the well-known public figures like Supreme Court judge, Sonia Sotomayor, there are now a million more Puerto Ricans living in the U.S. than on the island.

As it stands, Puerto Rico fell under U.S. control after the Spanish-American war. In 1917 its people became U.S. citizens,  allowing them the right to serve in the American army, but not to vote.

Nearly a century later, Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory, but control is left up to its own presidency, which would change depending on the decision of Congress.

50 Cent admits to twitter feud being all hype

We all know 50 Cent is a master at manipulating people into keeping him relevant. Seems that Mayweather may have taken a note or two. Hip Hop Wired reports:

This past weekend, 50 Cent and Floyd Mayweather Jr. had Twitter on fire. The former buddies were both going back and forth, hitting each other with disses and it had looked like the "Money Team" were all finished. However, 50 Cent revealed on his Twitter account that it was all for play-play. 

"I'm sick of all this nonsense Floyd asked me to act like were fighting cause no one was paying any attention after his 60 days," 50 tweeted earlier this morning. The publicity stunt was well speculated for a while, especially after 50 Cent started doing business with Mayweather's adversary, Manny Pacquiao.

"I know some the thing we do in hip hop for shock value are wrong. He just wanted some attention Floyd is like a brother to me," he added. "He just called he mad I said something about domestic violence. He just want be in music. You ever hear him RAP? Domestic violence is very serious my apologies,my grandmother said we need to stop playing I'm done sorry."

But, we'll see how this plays out because a billionaire is offering up a few million to see the two duke it out. Allhiphop reports:

While it still remains to be seen if rapper 50 Cent and Floyd Mayweather Jr. are friends or not, a group of investors that includes a billionaire, are offering the pair $5 million to settle their differences.
Billionaire Alki David and partner Damon Feldman of Celebrity Boxing offerings the pair $5 million for a three-round celebrity boxing match.

50 Cent and Floyd Mayweather Jr. have been embroiled in a war of words and tweets over the past month, after a falling out, apparently over business.

The issue appears to be over a proposed boxing venture the pair were supposed to do together called The Money Team Promotions.

But shortly after Floyd Mayweather Jr. was released from prison in August, 50 claimed prison had “changed” Mayweather.

He then announced he was creating a new promotion company with Floyd’s rival, Manny Pacquaio, which was confirmed by Pacquaio’s business manager Michael Koncz.

More recently, on November 1, 50 Cent announced he was done with The Money Team Promotions.

Their war of words escalated over the weekend, when the pair traded shots via Twitter.

According to David, the show would air on FilmOn.com and BattleCam.com, two ventures that David owns or is an investor in.

To make things safe, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and 50 Cent would fight three 2-minute rounds in head-gear, along with big celebrity boxing gloves.

The proposed fight will happen in Las Vegas, Nevada on December 14, if either of the two men accept the offer.

Both 50 Cent in Floyd Mayweather Jr. have been silent on their Twitter accounts over the past several days.

Up to 40,000 left homeless in New York

I remember in the song "What If", Jadakiss asked "What if Manhattan was hit by Hurricane Katrina?" Well, though Mahattan didn't sustain a lot of damage, New York in general has. Almost 40,000 New Yorkers have been left homeless. Hip Hop Wired reports:

New Yorkers are still struggling during what is expected to be a long road to recovery thanks to Hurricane Sandy, which hit the East Coast as a tropical cyclone, last week.

Up to 40,000 New Yorkers have been left homeless in Sandy's aftermath, and the city is bracing for a cold front dropping temperatures to 30 degrees.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg revealed the numbers during a post-Sandy update Sunday (Nov. 4). “The magnitude of the problem is we think we could have something between 30,000 and 40,000 people that we're going to have to find housing for,” he said.

Despite the monumental task, Bloomberg assured the public that the city is “working on it.”
As it gets colder, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo stressed that the task makes for a “massive housing problem.”

Roughly 145,000 households in New York City were still without power as of yesterday, 86,000 of which were in Queens, 20,000 in Brooklyn, 12,000 on Staten Island, and 7,000 in Manhattan.

While Sandy has brought out the good side of people, there are also those looking to profit off of the need for shelter. Amid complaints that hotels in the city were raising prices after the storm, New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman launched an investigation into the matter.

People posting pictures of ballots on social media

Some people just don't understand that everything isn't meant to be shared on social networks. One of those things is your voting ballot, as you see Blue Ivy's moms doing above. It is prohibited in certain parts of the United States. Hip Hop Wired reports:


The pull of social media can be a strong one, and even though it's Election Day, voters must fight the urge to share ballots via Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or other social networking destinations.

While it seems like everything can be posted online, photo sharing of your voting decision can result in jail time, depending on the state. Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, Nevada, and Texas all “prohibit the use of photographic and recording equipment inside polling place.”

A search on Twitter shows that #vote, #Ivoted, and #govote, have all become trending topics, but part of restricting the use of phones is for the courtesy of others, as reported by All Thing Digital:

It's worth noting that many states prohibit activities that interfere with other people's voting processes. So, even if photography is allowed in your polling place, disrupting or intimidating someone else, or capturing an image of their ballot, might be a big no-no.

No matter how hard it may be to put the phone aside, and cast a vote without followers “liking” or commenting, failing to follow the rules has its consequences. In Wisconsin, posting photos of a ballot is a Class I felony punishable by 18-months in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Cast your vote, just keep it to yourself.

Cleveland bus driver officially fired

Though everyone has been saying for a long time the bus driver that delivered that epic uppercut was fired, despite me telling them otherwise, he has now officially been relieved of his position. Hip Hop Wired reports:

No one can forget the vicious Mortal-Kombat-style uppercut delivered to a Ohio woman who went off on, and attacked a bus driver. Now that bus driver is without a job.

According to TMZ,  Artis Hughes was officially let go from his job. The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority announced today, that after reviewing the assault which Hughes said was an act of self-defense, they concluded that he has to go.

In the video, the woman is heard berating the driver, and attempts to physically attack him, but authorities weren't moved to allow Hughes to keep his job, so says their statement:

"Mr. Hughes claims that his actions were in self-defense. The evidence does not support that claim. We expect our employees to diffuse any potential situation. We do not believe that Mr. Hughes took the proper steps to diffuse this situation.

The proper procedure would have been to pull over and stop the bus, then call Transit Police for assistance."

As for the woman, who is said to be 25 years old , the GCRTA acknowledged that she was "out of line," and have filed charges against her.

Hughes hasn't (yet) released his own statement but from the looks of the fade that he blessed the irate passenger with, he was already on the edge.

Maybe he could use a little time off.

Jesse Jackson Re-election despite personal issues

See ladies and gentlemen, this is why I say you need to be more active about voting for your local officials. How a man with legal and health problems that has been in and out of rehab wins an election, I have no idea. Not because he shouldn't be, but shouldn't he be somewhere getting himself together? Hip Hop Wired reports:

U.S. Representative Jesse Jackson Jr. was re-elected to his congressional post Tuesday (Nov. 6) grabbing 63 percent of the vote in the Illinois Second Congressional District, despite being absent from the job for the last several months.

Jackson has served in House of Representatives since 1995, but took a leave of absence in June for health issues that were originally kept under wraps. 

The 47-year-old did not run any ads or campaign for re-election, has since announced that he suffers from bipolar disorder and is receiving another round of treatment at the famed Mayo Clinic. "My deep and sincere thanks to the people of the 2nd Congressional District, I am humbled and moved by the support shown today," Jackson said in a statement. "Once the doctors approve my return to work, I will continue to be the progressive fighter you have known for years. My family and I are grateful for your many heartfelt prayers and kind thoughts."

Amid an intense media spotlight, made greater by the announcement of an FBI probe into suspected misappropriation of official funds, Jackson made the decision to go back to the Mayo Clinic in October.

Last month the father of two put out a robo-call to constituents giving an update on his health and asking for patience during his recovery.

Baltimore Ravens player owes Trick Daddy's father some money

Well, I'm not sure if the Ravens play the Miami Dolphins this year, but if they do, one of their players might face a bit of a problem. Hip Hop Wired reports:
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Bryant McKinnie, the former University  Of Miami Hurricane and standout NFL player for the Baltimore Ravens, owes the father of Miami native and rapper Trick Daddy $375,000 for bills run up at strip clubs like King Of Diamonds. 

The rapper's father, Charles “Pop” Young, filed the lawsuit in Miami-Dade Circuit Court Monday afternoon. Trick's son says that McKinnie racked up tabs up at the strip clubs between February 2009 and September 2010, borrowing the money from him.

After racking up the bills Young, who was at the time the general manager of King Of Diamonds, said that McKinnie promised to pay the bill back but to date, he still hasn't paid up. Young's lawsuit includes an alleged promissory note from Oct. 1, 2010 that indicates that Young loaned McKinnie the money in cash in the different venues.