In the face of increasing criticism about the mishandling of monies, musician Wyclef Jean defended his the motives behind his non-profit organization, Yele Haiti, and also address his beloved compatriots on the island during a press conference yesterday.
Wyclef’s organization came under fire after TheSmokingGun.com reported that Yele Haiti misappropriated money by paying the former Fugees’ member and a business partner “at least $410,000 for rent, production services, and Jean’s appearance at a benefit concert.”
A tearful Wyclef responded to the allegations by saying “I started the charity with my own funds. I wanted to make sure that Yele would not just be a foundation but it would actually be an NGO on the ground in Haiti… Have we made mistakes before? Yes. Did I ever use Yele money for personal benefits? Absolutely not, Yele’s books are open and transparent, and we have been given a clean bill of health by an external auditor every year since we started.”
Rest in peace to legendary R&B singer and sex symbol Teddy Pendergrass who passed away yesterday at the age of 59. Teddy’s cause of death has not been disclosed, however, his family said it was related to complications he sustained after a car accident in 1982, which left the singer hospitalized for six months.
Known best for his splendid love ballads like “Turn off the Lights” and “Love TKO,” Teddy started his career with The Cadillacs in the late 60s. He later became the lead singer of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes with who he recorded the classic record “If You Don’t Know Me by Now” before going solo in the mid-70s and 80s.
Teddy’s accomplishments include multiple Grammy nominations, Billboard’s 1977 Pop Album New Artist Award and an American Music Award for best R&B performer of 1978. (Listen to some of Teddy’s hits after the jump).
By this time most of you are aware of the tragic earthquake that rocked Haiti early Tuesday morning. Hundred of thousands are feared dead as the 7.0 magnitude quake belted the country’s capital Port-au-Prince.
Aftershocks continue to make recovery efforts difficult. The Red Cross is reporting that up to 3 million people may be affected by the largest earthquake in two centuries.
“Parliament has collapsed. The tax office has collapsed. Schools have collapsed. Hospitals have collapsed,” said President René Préval amiss the chaos.
Anyone who would like to help please visit the American Red Cross and help the victims of the disaster by pledging a donation of any denomination.
Here’s some news that may prove ominous for America’s future as a world leader. China overtook the United States as the number one sales market for automobiles around the globe.
The China Passenger Car Association reported a 45 percent increase of passenger car sales from ‘08 through ’09. In contrast, American sales of cars and trucks plummeted 21 percent during the same time period as the country’s recession scared potential buyers away from dealerships.
This development is the first time ever that another country not name the United States bought more cars. Forecasters say this trend will continue in the 2010.
Shit Americans aren’t even number one at consuming no more? Damn, things are not looking up.
Drivers who love to tweet will be able to do both simultaneously thanks to the Ford Motor Co. who unveiled their plans for a new Web-connected dashboard system called OpenBeak, which was formerly known as the mobile Twitter application TwitterBerry, at the Consumer Electronics Show.
OpenBeak will be a part of the SYNC platform installed in Fords, Lincolns and Mercurys. Drivers are going to be able to utilize voice commands to have their Twitter messages read aloud. Controls on the steering wheel will skip forward or backward.
Ford is also planning on installing applications for Pandora, the personalized Internet radio service that has more than 40 million users, and for Stitcher, a mobile-audio company that streams podcasts, radio shows and news.
Some dude was bullshitting with some friends on a train platform in Oregon when oh, oh he fell into the tracks as a train pulled into the station. The man was run over by the train but managed to escape without any serious injuries.
