San Francisco (Obama.net)-

On Obama’s slate are a speech Friday on the unemployment rates for the month of August and two speeches next week to promote the Democratic view for the economy in the weeks leading up to the Midterm Elections on November 2^nd.

Obama is also working on new plans. According to members of his administration, he is looking into both infrastructure and tax cuts in order to improve the economy. The tax cuts include tax credits for research and development being extended permanently.

Obama is quoted as saying, “My economic team is hard at work in identifying additional measures that could make a difference in both promoting growth and hiring in the short term, and increasing our economy’s competitiveness in the long term.”

Obama went on to say that the measures include tax cuts for the middle class that were implemented under former President George W. Bush, tax cuts for businesses, doubling the money spent on clean energy, and reconstructing more American infrastructure.

Reports circulated that Obama was also considering a second stimulus package like the $787 one from 2009. However, Timothy Geithner, the Treasury Secretary, made it clear that the rumor was completely false.

Obama is also focusing on existing bills in the United States Congress such as the small business measures that would provide billions of dollars to support community banks and small companies throughout the United States.

As the August recess is coming to an end for members of the United States Senate and House of Representatives, there will be a window of opportunity for the bill to pass before the members turn their focus to the Midterm Elections even more.

Obama made it clear that his goal is to improve the economy and repair “the damage that’s been done to the middle class over the past decade,” and get the job creation needed to get the people of the United States of America back to work once and for all.

CNN

San Francisco (Obama.net)- Talk about oil rig explosions in the Gulf of Mexico has been commonplace since April. The people of the United States of America, specifically the Gulf Region, have grown tired of hearing about the BP oil spill that has cost them dearly in the terms of economy, jobs, and the safety of their environment.

Unfortunately, oil rig explosions in the Gulf of Mexico are back in the news headlines, but now there’s a new explosion.

About one hundred miles from Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico, an oil well caught fire and set the entire oil and gas production platform in flames.

The thirteen workers on the vessel were left with no choice other than jumping off of the platform in an effort to save their own lives.

All of the crew members were found on a raft in the Gulf, waiting for rescue workers to reach them. Mariner Energy, the owners of the Vermilion Oil Rig 380 that set on fire, told the media that none of the workers were injured or hurt.

Mariner Energy is claiming that there was no explosion that led to the fire. Instead, the company is reporting that the fire began in one of the seven wells on the vessel.

The Coast Guard is reporting a hydrocarbon spill of about one hundred feet wide and one mile long. Mariner Energy is disputing the claim, saying that when they looked at the site, there was no spill.

Mariner Energy is reporting that it has shut off all seven wells and that the fire that is still burning is from the fuel that the vessel has in its storage compartment.

The incident is highly reminiscent of the BP oil spill. In that explosion, eleven workers lost their lives and arguably the worst catastrophe pertaining to the environment in United States history ensued.

This incident could have been averted though. President Barack Obama tried to get a moratorium on the drilling in deep waters for six months, but the measure was blocked. Had the measure gone through as Obama highly urged, the latest disaster would not have occurred.

Mariner Energy is one of the smaller oil companies and has done what it can to act responsibly from the get-go of this situation, having learned from the errors of BP’s response to the April spill that led to much criticism of the British company.

The Hip Hop Industry has been known for many things over the last two decades. Unfortunately for those involved, much of the media attention given to the rappers is negative. The world of hip hop is known to involve violence, sex, drugs, murders, gangs, and scandal.

Due to those elements of the industry, it is never unusual to hear about a rapper being sent to jail. From Tupac Shakur to Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson to Lil Wayne, it seems that all of the stars of hip hop at one point or another have their problems with the law.

And rapper Clifford Harris, better known to his fans as T.I., is no exception. Having been arrested dozens of times in his life, the 29 year old just recently spent seven months in jail for illegally purchasing silencers and machine guns and is still on probation from the charges.

To add to his troubles, Wednesday night, T.I. and his wife Tameka “Tiny” Cottle were arrested on drug charges.

After being stopped by police for violating a traffic law in Los Angeles, CA, T.I. and his wife were arrested after marijuana was detected in the vehicle and upon further inspection, other controlled substances were found.

The two were released on $10,000 bail early Thursday morning. The next court date for the case is this Friday.

In the hours following the release, Tiny said, making the most out of the allotted 140 characters, to her and her husband’s fans on Twitter, “Jus wanted 2say thank u 2every1 dats been leaving encouraging msgs & prayers! We love u guys:-)going 2bed now! So glad 2b n a nice clean bed.”

If the charges against T.I. turn out to be a violation of his probation, the three-time Grammy Award winner could be sent immediately back to prison after only being released this past December.

The news comes as another sad, but not surprising blow to the hip hop industry as one of its top stars has once again broken the law and is now in position to serve more jail time.

tmz

AP

San Francisco (Obama.net)- The issue of peace in the Middle East has been going on for decades since the inception of Israel as an official state in the world in 1948. Since that date, Palestine has been fighting for land to call its own and to become a physical country of its own in the region. After years of wars and battles and failed peace talks, President Barack Obama is trying his hand at settling the issue between the two religious states.

On Wednesday, President Obama welcomed both Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, and Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian Authority President to the White House to begin the peace talks that Obama invited the two to during the summer in separate visits.

The initial meeting was in the form of a peaceful dinner. Obama, Netanyahu, Abbas, and others such as King Abdullah II of Jordan, President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, and other officials like Hillary Clinton and Tony Blair.

Netanyahu made the goals clear when he said, “we don’t seek a brief interlude between two wars. We don’t seek a temporary respite between outbursts of terror. We seek a peace that will end the conflict between us once and for all.”

President Abbas added, “We do not want any blood to be shed, one drop of blood from the Israelis or the Palestinians. We want peace between the two countries…let us sign a formal agreement for peace and put an end to this long period of suffering forever.”

In terms of foreign affairs, the issue of peace in the Middle East is on top of Obama’s priority list as the closure of the Iraq War has already been started.

Obama spoke positively of the talks between the leaders. However, Obama made it clear that he is in fact aware of the problems that exist between the two nations and that there are very good reasons as to why after all these decades, there is still no peace.

Obama also made it clear that the current situation is one that cannot persist for the sake of the people of the region. In a word, Obama called the current situation, “unsustainable.”

Obama expressed the importance of the talks for the future generations of the world. Obama told reporters Wednesday that “we must ask ourselves what kind of world do we want to bequeath to our children and our grandchildren.”

San Francisco (Obama.net)-

Obama made it clear that the future of Iraq is now “in the hands of its people.” The United States government and military have done as much as they can in terms of setting up the nation of Iraq to take command of its own operations. Obama said, “we have met our responsibility, now it is time to turn the page.”

Combat ended in Iraq Tuesday afternoon officially. With 50,000 troops left in Iraq as of now, the number is set to reach zero at the conclusion of 2011, over eight years after the war began under President George W. Bush.

Obama expressed his pride in the willingness of the troops to risk their lives in Iraq over the past seven years and how the people of the United States supported the war in times of struggle at home economically.

Obama is confident that Iraq will now prosper, saying, “We have persevered because of a belief we share with the Iraqi people. A belief that out of the ashes of war a new beginning could be born in this cradle of civilization.”

Obama then moved his speech to an issue closer to home for most Americans, the economy.

Obama made it clear that his top priority right now is to rebuild the economy and help “the millions of Americans who have lost their jobs back to work.”

Obama touted the importance of job creation and clean, new energy industries. Obama further reiterated the need to end the need of foreign fuels and imports, and the need to increase American exports.

Obama said of his economic goals, “this will be difficult. But in the days to come it must be our central mission as a people and my central responsibility as President.”

According to reports, the majority of the American public are basing their votes in the Midterm Elections on economic platforms.

Obama then urged the need to fight al Qaeda in Afghanistan and to help restore the Afghanistan government just like the United States did in Iraq.

Due to Obama’s increase in troops in Afghanistan, hundreds of al Qaeda members have been caught and killed throughout the entire world.

Obama’s hope is that in July of 2011, Afghanistan will be where Iraq is now and the near decade long war will be nearing its end as combat is set to end at the end of that month.

Los Angeles, CA (Obama.net) – On Friday evening in Las Vegas, hotel heiress Paris Hilton was arrested for felony possession of a controlled substance. Paris’s boyfriend, Cy Waits, was driving when pulled over by a motorcycle police officer who smelled marijuana smoke when he approached her vehicle. Upon searching Paris’s purse, the officer found 0.8 grams of cocaine.

Now here is the ridiculous part… Paris claimed the purse and cocaine were not hers BUT the credit cards, $1,300 cash and asthma medication were indeed hers.

In the official police report it is noted that Hilton told the officer that she “thought it [the cocaine]was gum”.  How dumb does a criminal have to be?

Appropriately so, Paris Hilton’s lawyer, David Chesnoff asked people not to “rush to judgment”.  I got a good laugh from that one.

Maximum sentence for a felony drug conviction in Las Vegas carries 4 years but the most likely outcome in Hilton’s case will be a $5,000 fine and probation which is unfortunate given her stupidity and history of petty law violations. Paris Hilton served 45 days in a Los Angeles prison in 2007 on a DUI arrest where she violated terms of her probation.  Hopefully the judge takes into consideration the fact that Paris has had a blatant disregard for the law in the past and sentences her to some jail time.

Unfortunately this will not hurt Hilton’s endorsement deals as all companies who currently endorse her already know her reputation as a “bad girl” and a “party girl” so they will stick by her side. In fact this may add to her ditsy party girl mystique.

It was obvious that Paris Hilton does not care much for the trouble she got into on Friday night as by Saturday morning she was already tweeting, “In bed watching Family Guy. Love this show! So hilarious! Stewie is my favorite love his accent.”

Wow. Some people never learn.

San Francisco (Obama.net)- After seven years of the Iraq War, President Barack Obama has said that combat in Iraq is now over. The stress goes on the word “combat.” President Obama has pulled out all of the combat brigades from Iraq just as he said he would when he was running for office.

Obama said that by the end of August 2010, there would be no more combination American troops in the state of Iraq and that the total number of troops would be under 50,000. And sure enough, that is exactly what the case is. Obama has removed nearly 100,000 troops from Iraq in the last twenty months as the Iraqi police and military have been getting stronger, in addition to their government becoming more and more stable.

Tuesday night, President Obama is scheduled to give about a fifteen-minute speech to the people of the United States.

White House officials have made one thing perfectly clear; President Obama is not announcing a victory in Iraq, simply a “change of mission.”

Obama is expected to talk about how the combat has ended for the American military in Iraq and how the remaining goals include a higher emphasis on strengthening Iraq’s government to the point where they will need no American assistance at all and on helping the Iraqi military and police.

Robert Gibbs, the Press Secretary of the White House said, “we will be their ally, but the responsibility of charting the future of Iraq first and foremost belongs to the Iraqis.”

With 4,400 American soldiers lost in the war, much less than any other war in United States history, it is tough to call the war a success so far. Granted the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein was overthrown, but the purpose of entering Iraq in the first place was never made public by former President George W. Bush.

But with his second ever Oval Office national address, Obama will tout the positives that lay ahead for the people of Iraq and the American soldiers in the state.

The new mission will be revealed to the American people Tuesday night. As well, a reiteration that all troops are expected to be removed from Iraq by the end of 2011 is also expected to be heard tonight.

Photo: Huffington Post

San Francisco (Obama.net)- Ever since the summer of 2005, the program called Dancing With The Stars, which is produced by the ABC, has been a ratings juggernaut. It allows audience members to see varying celebrities to be seen in lights that they have never prior been seen. It lets popular figures from all different aspects of American pop culture show off their dancing abilities and prove to their fans that they are not one trick ponies.

Former contestants include athletes such as Jerry Rice, Emmitt Smith, Apolo Anton Ohno, and Shawn Johnson. Also formerly on the show, entertainers such as Nicole Scherzinger, Lance Bass, Mario Lopez, and Kelly Monaco.

And just released was the cast for the new eleventh season of the popular television program.

Michael Bolton: The Grammy Award and American Music Award winner is best known for obviously, his music. Bolton is most popular for his song, “When A Man Loves A Woman.” Bolton has been engaged to actress Nicollette Sheridan two times.

Margaret Cho: Cho, mainly known for her comedy and actins is also an author and uses her forms of art to express her political beliefs. Cho is a supporter of homosexual rights in the United States of America. She also openly supported Barack Obama in his campaign for President in 2008.

Rick Fox: Fox is a former North Carolina Tar Heel who went on to win three NBA Championships as part of the Los Angeles Lakers alongside Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal. He was married to Vanessa L. Williams.

Jennifer Grey: Grey is undoubtedly remembered best for her acting roles in the late 1980’s. She had starring roles in the movies “Dirty Dancing” and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.”

David Hasselhoff: Hasselhoff has not had the best of media coverage lately, but no one can forget his roles in both “Knight Rider” and “Baywatch.” He will clearly be doing all he can to make sure no one hassles the Hoff

Florence Henderson: Mom always said don’t play ball in the house. But she didn’t say anything about ballroom dancing. Henderson will try to translate her “Brady Bunch” talents to the dance floor.

Kyle Massey: The young Disney actor will take his talents to the Dancing With The Stars stage to see if he can expand his talents at this young stage in his career

Brandy Norwood: The woman formerly known as Moesha is known for her acting and singing. Already a talented dancer, we’ll now see what Ray J’s older sister and Snoop Dogg’s first cousin can do in a ballroom setting.

Bristol Palin: The daughter of Sarah Palin enters the “Dancing” stage at the young age of 19. She caused a stir in 2008 when as her mother was running for Vice President, she became pregnant by her then boyfriend, Levi Johnston.

Audrina Patridge: The actress from “The Hills” will try her hand at dancing in an effort to add to her modeling success.

Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino: Oh no, we have a situation here. Mike “The Situation” from MTV’s “Jersey Shore” will join the Dancing With The Stars cast this year. Love him or hate him, no one can argue with the success that “The Situation” has seen recently.

Kurt Warner: Arguably one of the best QB’s to play in the NFL in the last twenty years, the two time NFL MVP and one time Super Bowl winner will follow in the footsteps of other NFL greats such as Rice and Smith and try to take on the challenge of ballroom dancing.

Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino

San Francisco (Obama.net)- President Barack Obama’s fight to get more financial aid for the struggling small businesses of the United States of America, which Obama has called the backbone of the American economy, has been going on for a while. In fact, the fight has gone on much longer than Obama expected it to. The passage of the bill sounds like a no brainer, but Republicans in the United States Senate are not allowing it to take place in an effort to look as if they are saving money and helping the economy.

However, the efforts of the Republicans in the Senate to block the bill are in fact nothing more than, as President Obama correctly put it, “pure partisan politics.”

Obama’s bill is aimed towards improving the communities of the United States via strengthening the small businesses and the community banks of America. Obama stressed the importance of passing this bill, saying that “too many Americans are still looking for work and too many communities are far from being whole again.”

Robert Gibbs, the White House Press Secretary, said of the situation, “The Republican Party talks a lot about their support for and their helping of small business. I think the question that the President put toward them today is, ‘If that’s what you support, why are you standing in the way of something that small businesses acknowledge would help with their hiring, with their purchasing and with their expansion?’”

In his speech on Monday from Washington D.C., Obama informed the media on some of what the Obama Administration is currently working on.

Obama stressed the efforts to renew the tax cuts for the middle class of the United States of America that were implemented by former President George W. Bush. Obama also talked about the progressions of clean energy and the benefits of the research.

Obama’s plans are expected to not only create more jobs in the near future, temporarily lowering the unemployment rate as the census workers did, but also preparing new industries and environments to create jobs for the long haul, which would in turn boost the economy.

With the November 2^nd Midterm Elections coming closer and closer with each passing day, the Republicans continue to play their political positioning games, while President Obama and the Democrats are genuinely concerned with the people of the United States and rebuilding the economy.

Sisco/Pool

San Francisco (Obama.net)- The city of New Orleans, Louisiana can be called many things. Some can call the city unlucky as it has had to deal with a pair of catastrophes in less than fives years. That can lead some to call the city hopeless, as just when things were finally starting to look up after Hurricane Katrina damages were really being taken care of, the BP Oil Spill occurred and set the region back even more. But the best way to describe the city of New Orleans is resilient. After being hit by both a hurricane and an oil spill within half of a decade, the region is doing everything but giving up.

President Barack Obama acknowledged all of this on Sunday when he came to the city five years after Hurricane Katrina came ashore and devastated the city. Approximately eighty percent of the city was underwater leaving most of the population homeless and without shelter. As about 1,800 people lost their lives, the rest were moved to nearby cities and took refuge in the Superdome, the home of the Super Bowl Champions New Orleans Saints.

Obama spoke at Xavier University, which was damaged during the hurricane, but was back up and running within 4 months of the event.

Obama spoke of his commitment to New Orleans, saying that in the aftermath of Katrina, we still must work hard to rebuild the city and not abandon it in times of need. Obama did say, “There are some wounds that do not heal. There are some losses that cannot be repaid. And for many who lived through those harrowing days five years ago, there is a scaring memory that time will not erase.”

Obama has been to the region multiple times in the previous months to oversee the recovery efforts for the BP Oil Spill.

Obama has also allotted 1.8 billion dollars to help schools in New Orleans rebuild.

With Obama’s work, the unemployment rate in New Orleans got as low as 7.4% before the oil spill, which sent it back up to 8.2%, still 1.4% less than the national average.

Obama made it clear that the relief efforts for both Hurricane Katrina and the Oil Spill are not over and will continue until the recovery is fulfilled.

Obama told the people of New Orleans, “We’re still here and we’re just going to keep on building. We’re going to keep on working.”