Ugly Crash Leaves Families Broken & In Turmoil

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Senior pastor Arao Amazonas said he wanted to wait until the next morning to leave Florida after a religious conference. But pastor Jose Carmo Jr. wanted to be back in time for the suburban Atlanta church's Sunday morning service and led two vans up Interstate 75 toward Georgia.

A few hours later, Amazonas received a call: Both vans had crashed in the highway's fog- and smoke-shrouded darkness near Gainesville. Carmo, his wife and their daughter were among five church members killed in two deadly pileups along the always busy six-lane interstate.

"We couldn't have imagined such tragedy would come to us," said Amazonas, senior pastor at the Igreja Internacional de Restaurcao, or International Church of the Restoration.

In all, a total of 10 people were killed in the string of collisions. The Florida Highway Patrol on Tuesday identified a seventh victim — 27-year-old Christie Diana Nguyen, of Gainesville, Fla. She was a passenger in a vehicle traveling northbound.

Investigators were still trying to identify three bodies that were badly burned. Troopers have been contacted by people from around the country wondering if the identified bodies might be a relative.

"There are people who have traveled to Florida and we're getting calls and emails from people who say, 'Hey, I haven't heard from my son-in-law for the last couple of days, he isn't answering his texts,' something to that degree," said Lt. Patrick Riordan, an Florida Highway Patrol spokesman.

The accident happened after the Florida Highway Patrol had reopened the interstate following an earlier serious wreck. A sergeant and lieutenant determined after about three hours that conditions had cleared enough for drivers, but visibility quickly became murky again, officials said Monday. Florida Gov. Rick Scott has ordered an investigation into that decision.

"We went through the area. We made an assessment. We came to the conclusion that the road was safe to travel and that is when we opened the road up," Riordan said Monday in a news conference. "Drivers have to recognize that the environment changes. They have to be prepared to make good judgments."

At least a dozen cars, six tractor-trailers and a motorhome collided about 3:45 a.m. Sunday. Some cars were crushed under the bellies of big rigs. Others burst into flames and sent metal shrapnel flying through the air, horrifying witnesses watching the violence along Interstate 75. Eighteen survivors were hospitalized.

In a 911 recording released Monday, a driver and her passengers told a dispatcher the fog and smoke from the 62-acre brush fire was so thick they couldn't see.

"I think there was another accident behind us because I heard it," a woman said. "Oh my gosh, it's so dark here."

In the same 911 call, another woman took the phone and screamed an expletive as she hears another crash.

"That was a truck. We cannot see. It's like impossible to see," the caller said. "The smoke is very thick you can see obviously only your hand in front. I do hear an ambulance or police officer coming down the road."

Late Monday, the highway patrol named six of those who died in wrecks on the northbound side of the highway that involved 10 vehicles. Another multiple-vehicle pileup happened on the southbound side. A fire consumed at least four vehicles in the southbound lane, according to a Florida Highway Patrol report released Tuesday.

Jason Lee Raikes, 26, of Richmond, Va., died in the crash, authorities said. They also said five out of six people riding in a 2012 Dodge Caravan died in the crash: Driver Edson Carmo, 38; Roselia DeSilva, 41; Jose Carmo Jr., 43; Adrianna Carmo, 39; and Leticia Carmo, 17; all of Kennesaw, Ga. The highway patrol did not immediately provide the identity of a seventh crash fatality.

Jose and Adriana Carmo were married and Leticia was their daughter, said Amazonas, the senior pastor at their church.

The van's sixth occupant, the couple's younger daughter, Lidiane, 15, survived the crash, Amazonas said. A hospital spokeswoman said Tuesday morning she was listed in critical condition.

The Carmos were in one van and other church members were in a second van. The passengers of that van called Amazonas after the accident to tell him what happened, he said.

About 100 people gathered Monday evening at the suburban Atlanta church, which caters to the local Brazilian community, to mourn the deaths of their fellow church members. People at the gathering wailed and wept as Amazonas addressed them in Portuguese.

Riordan declined to release the names of the two troopers who made the decision to reopen the highway or provide details on how long they had been with the patrol. He said no troopers have been disciplined but the investigation into the crash continues. National Transportation Safety Board officials said Monday they are sending investigators to the scene.

The Florida Forest Service said Monday it still had not determined if the brush fire was intentionally set or accidental, although lightning has been ruled out. Spokeswoman Ludie Bond said the fire is contained but was still burning. Firefighters are spraying water around its perimeter attempting to reduce the smoke.

Criminal defense attorneys said that if the fire was caused by arson, authorities likely will file charges of manslaughter and possibly felony murder, which is defined as a death that happens as result of participating in a felony.


"You can bet they will be," said Brian Tannebaum, a former president of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
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Associated Press writers Mike Stewart in Marietta, Ga.; Kate Brumback in Atlanta and David Fischer in Miami contributed to this report.


Author: MIKE SCHNEIDER

Too $hort - Money On The Floor (feat. E-40) (Official Video)

The big homie Too Short who knows how to stay so relevant year after year. You gotta admit short keep a radio, club banger for us all the time. I will always be a fan the man came from the real start of it. Pushing tapes out the trunk going hard. This is where i get all my hustle from when it comes to the rap game!

Futuristic & K.I.D. - La La La (Official Video)

Found this video while cruising the net marketing. I have to say these dudes got some talent and the video cameraman is raw as insides. Peep it out and tell me what you think people. Directed, Shot, and Edited by Jakob Owens

Produced By: Aktion

Imprisoned Megaupload Founder Loses ‘Call of Duty’ Crown

The founder of file-sharing site Megaupload isn't just considered one of the most notorious digital pirates in the world: he's also one of the best Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 players around.

Unfortunately for Kim Dotcom, he's no longer on top of either game.

Last week, Dotcom was arrested in his New Zealand mansion over accusations that Megaupload cost copyright holders $500 million in lost revenue by facilitating millions of illegal downloads. That's keeping him tied up in court, which means he's not doing what any hardcore gamer should be doing: protecting his high score.

Dotcom, born Kim Schmitz, plays Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 under the name MEGARACER. And on New Year's Eve, MEGARACER managed to become the number 1 ranked player in the world -- no small feat for a game that sold over 15 million copies (and no small irony, considering he ran a site responsible for sharing illegal copies of the game).

Thanks to his brush with the law, however, he's slipped to the number 2 spot, usurped by a most-definitely-not-in-jail gamer named Azaros. Seeing as how Dotcom's been denied bail -- he's been deemed an 'extreme flight risk' -- it looks like Azaros' score is pretty safe for now.

Not that anyone should feel sorry for Dotcom. Though he's denied allegations that he was responsible for one of the world's biggest entertainment piracy operations, his lavish lifestyle has become a focal point of the investigation. Thanks to Megaupload's popularity, authorities believe he has roughly $175 million in assets.

And boy, does it show. In addition to pricey art and a fleet of expensive automobiles -- including a 1959 pink Cadillac and a Rolls Royce Phantom -- he reportedly owns a swimming pool filled with imported spring water. Even cooler? One entire wall of his mansion is outfitted with seven 60-inch HD screens, each with its own Xbox 360 console and Lazyboy recliner. That's some serious man-caving.

Author: Ben Silverman


Check out this vid of Dotcom reaching his short-lived Modern Warfare 3 goal.

Purp Reynolds - Fresh As They Come (Single) Artwork

Artwork to my new single that should be available on #iTunes any day now so look out for that. Of course we will keep you posted here at It's Reynolds! You know where to find all the best news for all the right things PurpReynolds.com

Seal & Heidi Klum Announce Separation

NEW YORK (AP) — Seal and Heidi Klum have announced that their storybook marriage is coming to the end of the runway.
In a statement Sunday night, the power couple announced their separation after rumors swirled over the weekend that a divorce was imminent.

"While we have enjoyed seven very loving, loyal and happy years of marriage, after much soul searching we have decided to separate," the joint statement read. "We have had the deepest respect for one another throughout our relationship and continue to love each other very much, but we have grown apart. This is an amicable process and protecting the well-being of our children remains our top priority, especially during this time of transition. We thank our family, friends, and fans for their kind words of support. And for our children's sake, we appreciate you respecting our privacy."

The couple married in 2005 and has four children together, including the supermodel's daughter from a previous relationship.
They were one of Hollywood's most high-profile couples, and seemed to have the relationship everyone should envy. They two starred together in the music video "Secret," they renewed their wedding vows each anniversary, boasted of their love in the media, and threw Halloween bashes together where they dressed in outrageous outfits, most recently last year in New York City, where the two engaged in their typical public display of affection for the cameras.

In an interview with The Associated Press in 2007, the "Kiss from A Rose" singer described his wife, who has a tattoo of his name on her arm, as his best friend.

"It is really important that we have that understanding because apart from anything else it is really healthy," he said of the "Project Runway" host. "People often talk about the most important thing in a relationship. They say it is really important that you are turned on by your partner and you love each other, which is all really true.I often think that the most important thing or certainly up there with love is respect."

TMZ first reported on Saturday that the two planned to divorce this week.

His announcement comes as he releases his new album, "Soul 2," on Tuesday, which has songs like "Love T.K.O," ''Let's Stay Together" and "Love Don't Live Here Anymore."
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AP Entertainment Writer Alicia Quarles contributed to this report.

Swiff - We Gone

Here go a hot track from the homie Swiff out of that 916 city of trees. I got mad love for sacramento they don't play out there. It reminds me of stockton tho so maybe that's why i feel so comfy out there. But they been making noise in music and the homie Swiff is another testament to that. Check out the song and show support #TeamReynolds and check more of his music out on his reverbnation page http://www.reverbnation.com/swiffmusicpage

Georgia Mom Arrested for Allowing 10-Year-Old to Get Tattoo

A Georgia mother who was arrested for allowing her 10-year-old to get a tattoo said she had no idea it was illegal for him to get one, even with her consent.

When Chuntera Napier's son Gaquan Napier asked her if he could get a memorial tattoo for his 12-year-old brother Malik who died after being hit by a car, Napier was touched by the request.

"My son came to me and said, 'Mom, I want to get a tattoo with Malik on it, rest in peace,'" she told ABC News' Atlanta affiliate WSBTV. "It made me feel good to know that he wanted his brother on him."

When Gaquan Napier was asked why he wanted the tattoo, he said, "Because it represents my brother."

"What do I say to a child who wants to remember his brother? It's not like he was asking me, 'Can I get Sponge Bob?" Napier said. "He asked me [for] something that's in remembrance of his brother. How can I say no?"

Gaquan got a tattoo on his right arm of his brother's name and his former basketball jersey number. Napier also has memorial tattoos for her son on her right arm.

When someone at his school noticed the tattoo and contacted authorities, Napier was arrested on Tuesday and charged with misdemeanor cruelty and being a party to a crime, according to WSBTV. Napier bonded out of jail on Wednesday but is shocked that her consent was not enough for her son to get a tattoo.

"I always thought that if a parent gave consent, then it was fine," she said. "How can somebody else say that it's not okay? He's my child, and I have the right to say what I want for my child. I can't go tell anybody else what I want for their child."

A Georgia law from 2010 states, "It shall be unlawful for any person to tattoo the body of any person under the age of 18, except a physician or osteopath."

The Acworth Police Department did not respond to request for comment and the Smyrna, Ga. artist who did the tattoo is also under investigation.

Why Rap Rules And Rock Is In A Rutt

With 2011 sales polls being compiled and analyzed, the results are that Rock music is fast losing favor with the record buying public and Rap music is continuing its reign as the popular music format.
If you have ever walked along Venice Beach in California, an aspiring Rapper would have undoubtedly approached you. Armed with a CD player in one hand and a pair of headphones in the other, his first aim is to get you to listen to his music, right there on the beachfront; his second is to secure a sale. This microcosmic corner of the music industry is why currently Rap music succeeds and Rock music falters.

HUSTLE AND FLOW

If you want to succeed in music today you have to hustle. Not social media hustle, meaning randomly friend requesting and spamming your way through facebook and twitter. This is an unchallenging and ineffective roadmap for acquiring new fans. It quite simply reeks of desperation, or far worse, entitlement. Succeeding in music is about hustling because if you don’t, you wont survive.

Rock music has quite simply lost its balls, not sonically, but emotionally. It has become about rich kids playing at being fucked up, because they having nothing better to do than bash out mimicked guitar riffs on the brand new, latest edition, Les Paul, that Mommy and Daddy bought them at Guitar Center.

Working hard to achieve success, because Rock and Roll is the only thing that will save you from oblivion, has slowly been replaced with buying the right clothes, the right songs, and the right hairstyle.

And those in the record selling business encourage this because they see Rap artists partaking in the same activity and equate this to a strategy for success. However they don’t understand that for a Rap artist who has hustled their way to the top, buying the best beats and showing their worth on their wrist, is a Rock and Roll, “fuck you” to the environment that kept them down. It remains strangely real and oddly in keeping with their rise to the forefront.

When Rock artists buy songs and overtly commercialize themselves, wearing carefully stylized threads, or use money and excess as a disproportionate means to exposure, it just doesn’t hold that same credibility. The audience is responding by not buying it.

RELOCATING ROCK

Rock music has moved from the streets to the suburbs, it has lost its edge. The pursuit of fame used to be about the have-nots risking everything to achieve the goal. Now it is about entitled kids believing they embody Rock and Roll because their parent’s credit card enables their coke habit. True emotion has been lost en route through whiney Emo, shallow Hipster quirks and self-centered acoustic drones.

The cost of being a Rock Musician is high, it is a risk it all business. It can either be achieved by living in the gutter to make ends meet, or have someone finance it for you - invariably this is done in an attempt to vicariously recapture the investors never fully realized youth. Sadly it seems the latter has become the norm. Rock has become music’s spoiled child, and cry as it might, people have their own real problems to deal with and are gravitating towards what makes sense to them in the here and now.

REALITY BITES

Mimicry, expense accounts, entitlement, and faux fame platforms like social media and reality TV have created a generation out of touch with Rock and Roll. Though wounded as it may be, Rock certainly isn’t dead. Somewhere there is a kid with in a desperate situation with a guitar in his or her hand, coupled with the hustle and creativity to battle their way out. But this time they will have an old Mac with iMovie, Garageband and a new set of tools with which to create.

The recession and all the pitfalls it throws in front of the next generation of artists should be a breeding ground for the expression of reality - in the Robert Johnson devil dealing sense of course, not the feigned existence of the Kardashians. However, as Tyler The Creator has demonstrated, the word on the street may sound like a different language to the old school, but that is what will give it back its edge. And like Lil Wayne and TI, these new Rock stars might find their way into jail now and then, but wasn’t that what made the Beatles and the Stones so vital?

Robin Davey is an Independent Musician, Writer and Award Winning Film Maker. Follow him on Twitter @mr_robin_davey

Android Double-DIN Car Stereo & Rear-View Mirror, Hands-On

I thought these two gadgets were kinda cool. I know i definitely want one of those mirrors in my ride lol

Beats By Dre Parting Ways With Monster After End Of Contract In 2012

Beats opted not to renew its five-year contract when it expires at the end of 2012.

After striking success over the past few years, Beats By Dre is splitting from Monster Cable Products when its five-year contract expires at the end of 2012.

According to Business Week, Beats, which held a 53 percent stake of the $1 billion annual headphone market in 2011, has decided to terminate its partnership with the electronics brand. While each company says that there is no animosity, the publication reports that there was ill will over financial terms, “with divergent views on which side deserves the most credit for the line’s success and Beats balking at its share of the revenue.”

Monster is planning on putting out eight lines of headphones to compete with Beats. Jimmy Iovine, Interscope Geffen A&M Chairman, isn’t sweating it. “We have very big ambitions for Beats beyond headphones,” he says. “Music has got to succeed on the phone or else the record industry will never thrive.”

All Industries Should Note the Increase in Digital Music

The fact that once great company Kodak is reportedly considering filing for bankruptcy in the next few weeks, as reported by the Associated Press, should catch the eye of record stores across the U.S. Since Kodak was unable to adapt the changing digital marketplace of photography, news from Singersroom.com that digital music sales topped physical music sales for the first time should be a sign to get their houses in order because a reckoning is coming.

Digital music downloads accounted for 50.3 percent of music sales in 2011, as reported by CNNMoney. The article mentions the increase over 2010 totals was 8.4 percent, while the decline in actual albums was 5 percent. Those are pretty big swings for any company that specializes in selling CDs or albums to ignore.

Sure the digital music revolution is not exactly new. Like the CNNMoney report states, since the early days of Napster, digital music has been a hit with consumers. However, the increase in digital music popularity will eventually transfer to movie and television, which is another industry grappling with the shift of streaming video versus selling DVDs.

Here in Pennsylvania, in 2002 the likes of National Record Mart fell to discount stores like Wal-Mart as far as album sales were concerned, as indicated by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Actual brick and mortar stores are no longer necessary for the music industry, as social networking and apps help new artists be discovered.

The real surprise is that it took until 2011 for digital sales to top physical sales, and now that the scale is tipped the digital share of the music market will continue to rage along until the CD goes the way of the cassette tape (remember those?) and the LP. Users are demanding access to content across a variety of devices, and the purchase of an actual album is being replaced by clicking a few buttons. All the other industries should take notice in order to avoid going the way of Kodak.

Author: Jason Gallagher, Yahoo Contributor Network

Rick Ross (Feat. Drake & French Montana) - Stay Schemin (Video)

This song is one of them ones i must admit. I don't agree wit ross but he do make great music.

Protest Helps Half Court Shot Winner Claim His Prize

When Kentucky freshman Vincent Swope sank a half-court shot to win a halftime contest during Saturday's game against South Carolina, he did a victory lap around sold-out Rupp Arena and began dreaming of what he could do with the $10,000.

Little did he know what it would take to make sure he received his money.

One of the organizers of the contest approached Swope in the midst of his celebration with a copy of the contract he'd signed and a video replay of the shot. The man intimated to Swope that the supermarket chain Kroger might not be willing to pay the $10,000 since Swope appeared to take the shot a few inches beyond the mid-court stripe.

"They said when I released the ball I was over the line," Swope said. "There are some pictures where it looks like I touched the line and some where it looks like I didn't touch the line, but that didn't even cross my mind when I shot it. I was just thinking, 'I'm $10,000 richer."

Word that Kroger's might not pay Swope reached Kentucky Sports Radio founder Matt Jones during the second half of Saturday's game, so he wasted little time in organizing a movement on the freshman's behalf. Jones offered to bring Swope on his postgame radio show and encouraged his 37,000 Twitter followers to tweet in protest with the hashtag #OccupyKroger.

























Not only did hundreds of Kentucky fans follow Jones' advice, some also took the movement a step further. Two Wildcats fans made #OccupyKroger signs and stood with them in front of the Kroger's in Ashland, Kent.

To Kroger's credit, the supermarket chain didn't take long to realize the PR folly that not paying Swope would be.

A representative of Kroger called Jones within an hour of the game ending on Saturday and asked him to tell Swope that he would receive the $10,000.

"That's the Big Blue Nation for you," Swope said. "They supported me, and I really do appreciate it."

Swope is supposed to call Kroger's on Monday to find out how he'll receive his money. He plans to put most of it toward paying for school.

The entire episode was surreal for a freshman whose greatest claim to fame before that was dressing up in a referee's costume for Kentucky games this season. Swope first did that for the North Carolina game in December and he's stuck with it ever since after he received positive feedback from his fellow students.

"It's definitely become my trademark," Swope said. "I think I'll have to do it for the rest of my college career."

Author: Jeff Eisenberg, The Dagger

12 Year Old Baby Girl Loses Fight With Cancer

RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, Calif. (AP) — A Southern California girl who became a nationally recognized face of child cancer with a blog that chronicled her fight against brain tumors has died. Jessica Joy Rees was 12 years old.

Jessica's family announced her death on her Facebook page, stating that her 10-month battle with brain cancer ended Thursday. Tens of thousands of people responded by posting updates to the page in a show of support that includes "likes" and prayers.

By Friday afternoon the outpouring surpassed Jessica's goal to get one "like" for each of the estimated 50,000 American children with cancer.

The Orange County seventh-grader, called "Jessie" by family and friends, began her blog and Facebook page after being diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor in March. A second tumor was discovered in September.

While some of her posts discussed her struggles as she underwent radiation and chemotherapy treatments, others urged readers in dozens of countries to support pediatric cancer research and to pray for other children with the illness.

She always signed her posts with the acronym "NEGU" (NEE'-goo), short for "never ever give up."

Also, she and her parents started The NEGU Foundation, a nonprofit organization to raise awareness of pediatric cancer, support sufferers and raise money for research.

The foundation sold and provided thousands of "JoyJars" stuffed with candy and toys to sick children. More than 3,000 were sold and distributed in 27 states last year, according to the NEGU website.

After her diagnosis, Rancho Santa Margarita youngster received tickets to "American Idol" and arrived with signs that read "NEGU Casey" to support contestant Casey Abrams, the Orange County Register (http://bit.ly/yJwyF3) reported.

Co-host Ryan Seacrest also allowed her to announce country singer, and eventual winner, Scott McCreery.

Jessica wrote on Facebook that her mission was "to encourage kids fighting cancer to Never Ever Give Up by spreading hope, joy and love. A cheerful heart is great medicine."

A celebration service was scheduled for Wednesday at the Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, where her father, Erik Rees, is a pastor.