Chris Brown Compares Himself to Jesus on the Cross After Frank Ocean Fight

Chris Brown is apparently feeling crucified by reports that he physically assaulted fellow R&B star Frank Ocean. On Monday, Jan. 28, the 23-year-old rapper posted a new photo on Instagram of Jesus on the cross, with a cryptic caption about his state of mind.

"Painting the way I feel today," he captioned the shot. "Though he seems to have a hard time taking his own advice, Brown also added, "Focus on what matters!"


The alleged altercation with Ocean, 24, occurred at a West Hollywood parking lot on Sunday, Jan. 28. The Los Angeles Sheriff's Department confirmed that "Chris Brown and the victim were involved in an altercation over a parking space. The altercation allegedly led to Chris Brown punching the victim."

"Got jumped by chris and a couple guys. lol," Ocean tweeted after the incident. "Cut my finger now I can't play w two hands at the Grammys."

Brown has never been very good at turning the other cheek and walking away from a fight. In July 2012, he denied reports that he made a homophobic slur against Ocean, who had recently revealed he was bisexual. The "Don't Wake Me Up" singer was involved in a brawl brow with rapper Drake in June 2012. The fight was reportedly over Rihanna, who Brown has recently reunited with after assaulting her in 2009.

This article originally appeared on Usmagazine.com: Chris Brown Compares Himself to Jesus on the Cross After Frank Ocean Fight

Adele Hall, noted Kansas City civic leader, dies

Adele Coryell Hall, known throughout the Kansas City area and across the country for her humanitarian work and volunteer leadership, has died. She was the wife for nearly 60 years of Hallmark Cards chairman Donald Joyce Hall.
She died Saturday while in Hawaii with her husband, a spokesman for Hallmark said.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to The Children’s Mercy Hospital, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, the Pembroke Hill School, The Salvation Army, The United Way of Greater Kansas City, or Wayside Waifs.
Arrangements are pending at Stine & McClure Chapel in Kansas City.
Adele Hall was born Adele Coryell in 1931 in Lincoln, Neb. She learned the value of community service through the example set by her parents, who were deeply involved in the Salvation Army and other charitable organizations in Lincoln, the spokesman said.
She was the first woman president of the Heart of America United Way, was a board chairman of Children’s Mercy Hospital and the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation and served on the boards of the Pembroke Hill School, Salvation Army, Starlight Theatre and American Red Cross.
She also held leadership positions on the boards of the United Negro College Fund, the Points of Light Foundation, American Academy of Pediatrics, Partnership for Children, Menninger Foundation, George Bush Presidential Library Center and Library of Congress Trust Fund.
She is survived by her husband, Don; sons Donald Jr. and his wife Jill, and David E. Hall and his wife Laura; daughter Margaret Hall Pence and her husband Keith; nine grandchildren, Sarah Bloss and her husband Brian Bloss, Andy Pence, Helen Hall, Michael Pence, Will Hall, Rebecca Hall, Allison Hall, Katherine Hall and Julia Hall.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2013/01/28/4035905/adele-hall-noted-civic-leader.html#storylink=cpy

Rick Ross Was

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Rick Ross Was Driving Rolls-Royce & Girlfriend Was Passenger During Attempted Drive-By Shooting

 

Turns out that a Bawse pushes his own six figure whip, especially when his life's on the line. Ft. Lauderdale police have confirmed that Rick Ross was driving the Rolls-Royce that crashed into a building after speeding away from an attempted drive-by shooting. The passenger was the rapper's girlfriend,  Shateria L. Moragne-el.

The Broward-Palm Beach New Times has intel on Rozay's special lady friend.

    A quick dip into the backwaters of pop-culture gossip shows Moragne-el has previously been romantically linked with Ross. She's the boss of her own fashion label, Frontrow Couture. The line had a runway show at New York Fashion Week this fall. JoJo performed.

    In an interview with Vocab Magazine following the breakout runway walk, Moragne-el talked about working her way from a celebrity stylish to designing her own label. A lot of accounts vary of how long he's been linked to Bawse -- some say the two have been linked for five years. They were spotted together strutting the red carpet at the Django Unchained premiere.

Details are still coming in regarding the shooting that occurred in the wee hours of Monday morning. Ross was leaving a birthday dinner party at the Floridian restaurant when another car approached and opened fired. Rozay dipped out but lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a storefront.

Police don't have any suspects but wild rumors are already circulating that the Gangster Disciples gang has a bounty on the rapper's head. Police are looking at surveillance footage that may have recorded the incident.

Rick Ross' sixth studio album, Mastermind, is due out later this year and just released a new freestyle utilizing Kendrick Lamar's "B***h Don't Kill My Vibe.

Obama in Newtown: ‘We can’t tolerate this anymore’

President Barack Obama assured the grieving, shell-shocked Newtown community on Sunday that "you are not alone" and vowed sternly to wield "whatever power this office holds" in a quest to prevent future mass shootings.

"We can't tolerate this anymore," Obama said from behind a podium on the stage of a Newton High School auditorium, as adults wept, or hugged, or sat quietly, many hugging small children. "These tragedies must end. And to end them, we must change."

"In the coming weeks, I'll use whatever power this office holds to engage my fellow citizens -- from law enforcement, to mental health professionals, to parents, and educators -- in an effort aimed at preventing more tragedies like this, because what choice do we have?"he said.

The speech, broadcast nationwide, offered the bold suggestion that Obama might engage lawmakers on the subject of gun control -- a topic that has not been among his top priorities during his presidency.

"We can't accept events like this as routine. Are we really prepared to say that we're powerless in the face of such carnage?" Obama said.  That the politics are too hard? Are we prepared to say that such violence visited on our children year, after year, after year is somehow the price of our freedom?"

There were sobs from the crowd as the president read the first names of the 20 children slaughtered at Sandy Hook Elementary School on Friday and paid tribute to the six adults who died defending them. Twenty-six candles in twenty-six shining glass vases shone from the base of the podium.

[Slideshow: Remembering the victims]

Obama anticipated — and dismissed — some of the time-honored arguments against stricter restrictions on guns. "We will be told that the causes of such violence are complex, and that is true," he said. "No single law no set of laws can eliminate evil from the world or prevent every senseless act of violence in our society."

"But that can't be an excuse for inaction. Surely we can do better than this," he said.

Across the country, people grieved for the 20 children — six and seven years old — and six adults killed in one of the worst mass shootings in America's history.

In Newtown and elsewhere, mourners gently piled notes, stuffed animals and American flags, balloons and flowers, in makeshift memorials where candles fluttered.

New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz played wearing a shoe that read "R.I.P. Jack Pinto" in black marker, an homage to a child slain in the massacre. Flags from coast to coast flew at half-staff. As the president's motorcade climbed the hill up the school, he could glimpse a few homes with Christmas lights -- but most were dark.

"Here in Newtown, I come to offer the love and prayers of a nation," the president said. "I am very mindful that mere words cannot match the depths of your sorrow, nor can they heal your wounded hearts."

"I can only hope it helps for you to know you are not alone in your grief that our world too has been torn apart. That all across this land of ours, we have wept with you. We've pulled our children tight," Obama said. "And you must know that whatever measure of comfort we can provide, we will provide. Whatever portion of sadness that we can share with you to ease this heavy load, we will gladly bear it."

In the auditorium where the president spoke, the audience included a large number of elementary school-age children, some carrying cuddly toys like teddy bears, according to pool reporter Stephen Collinson of Agence France-Presse.

Before the service, Obama met privately for more than an hour with families of the victims and emergency workers who responded to the crisis. As those workers entered the auditorium, the crowd erupted in a standing ovation. Some traded long hugs with members of the audience.

"We needed this. We needed to be together," said Rev. Matt Crebbin, the senior minister at Newtown Congregational Church. "These darkest days of our community shall not be the final word heard from us."

Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy, describing his meeting with Obama, said that the president had called Friday "the most difficult day of  his presidency."
By 4 p.m., the line cars trying to reach the interfaith vigil stretched more than 2 miles from Newtown High School back through Sandy Hook -- and its growing makeshift memorial -- to Saint Rose church, the site of several vigils for (and hoax threats related to) Friday's massacre.
In Sandy Hook center, a lawn displayed lights with the phrase "FAITH. HOPE. LOVE." Across the street, a sign wrapped around a street lamp read, "Heaven must have been short on 27 angels."

The president spoke about the shooting on Friday,  his voice choked with emotion, one finger wiping away tears as they welled up. He vowed to "take meaningful action, regardless of the politics" to try to prevent future such tragedies. But hours before,  White House press secretary Jay Carney had decreed that "today's not the day" to discuss possible gun control measures.

The Obama administration has reportedly considered new gun restrictions in the past, only to shelve them.

The White House has shied from seeking tough new action from Congress — where new restrictions on gun purchases would likely run into stiff Republican opposition.

Obama's speech was the fourth in his presidency to memorialize a mass shooting. After the January 2011 rampage in Tucson, AZ, where then-Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was critically injured, the president spoke at a memorial for the six people killed, including Christina Taylor Green, 9.

Funerals Begin for Newtown Victims

The first two funerals for the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary school massacre are scheduled for later today when Newtown, Conn., will bury 6-year-olds Noah Pozner and Jack Pinto.

Noah's family will greet the public before the funeral service begins at 1 p.m. at the Abraham L. Green & Son Funeral Home in Fairfield, Conn. The burial will follow at B'nai Israel Cemetery in Monroe.

Jack's service will take place at 1 p.m. at Honan Funeral Home in Newtown. The burial will follow the service at Newtown Village Cemetery.

Noah and Jack were two of the 20 children who were killed Friday morning at Sandy Hook Elementary School when Adam Lanza allegedly sprayed two first-grade classrooms with bullets that also killed six adults.

Noah's twin sister, Arielle, was one of the students who survived when her teacher hid her class in the bathroom during the attack.

As millions of Americans try to make sense of the shootings, memorials and personal tributes have been emerging to remember the children and their educators.

After hearing that Jack was a huge New York Giants fan, Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz wrote "R.I.P. Jack Pinto," "Jack Pinto, my hero" and "This one is 4 U!" on his cleats and gloves before playing the Atlanta Falcons Sunday afternoon. Cruz tweeted photos of his tribute shortly before the game, along with his condolences.

Cruz told reporters he spoke to the family Saturday after hearing Jack was a Giants fan. Cruz was told the family planned to bury Jack in Cruz's No. 80 Giants jersey.

"There are no words that can describe the type of feeling you get when a kid idolizes you so much that, you know, unfortunately they put him in a casket with your jersey on," Cruz said Sunday.

"I also spoke to an older brother and he was distraught as well. I told him to stay strong and I was going to do whatever I can to honor him," Cruz said. "He was fighting tears and could barely speak to me."

Cruz said he plans to give the gloves he wore during the game to the boy's family, and spend some time with them.

Like many parents holding their children a little tighter in wake of the school shooting, Cruz told reporters his 11-month-old daughter, Kennedy, slept in his bed Friday night.

"We slept together that night," he said, "and it was a good feeling. It was one that I cherished."

The Giants were shut out by the Falcons, 34-0, and Cruz was held to three catches for 15 yards with no touchdowns. Cruz had hoped to score at least one touchdown for arguably his biggest fan.

"I probably would have pointed up to the sky, tapped my shoes or something special just to let him know I was thinking of him," Cruz told Newsday.

More funerals are planned for later this week. Jessica Rekos, 6, will be buried Tuesday at St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church.

Apple Maps 'is life-threatening' to motorists lost in Australia heat

Inaccuracies in Apple Maps could be "life-threatening" to motorists in Australia's searing heat, police have warned.

Officers in Mildura, Victoria, said they had had to assist drivers stranded after following the software's directions.
Some of the drivers had had no food or water for 24 hours.
Apple's software was heavily criticised by users when it was released in September.
Last week, chief executive Tim Cook admitted Apple had "screwed up" and was working to improve the program.
'No water supply' In a press release, Victoria police's acting senior sergeant Sharon Darcy made her force's concerns clear.
"Tests on the mapping system by police confirm the mapping systems lists Mildura in the middle of the Murray Sunset National Park, approximately 70km [45 miles] away from the actual location of Mildura," she said. www.dominicanflash.com
"Police are extremely concerned as there is no water supply within the park and temperatures can reach as high as 46[C], making this a potentially life-threatening issue."
The force advised travellers to use an alternative mapping service until the issues had been fixed.
In September, Apple dropped Google Maps from its iOS software in favour of its own mapping program. However, users were quick to complain it contained many inaccuracies, poor imagery and unreliable directions.

Users have complained about the quality of satellite images in Apple's software

The company defended the software at first, telling users it was "confident about our map quality".
However, Apple soon backtracked, posting an apology notice on its website.
"We are extremely sorry for the frustration this has caused our customers and we are doing everything we can to make Maps better," said Mr Cook.
A specially created section on the App Store highlighted alternative mapping software. However, an app for Google Maps has yet to be made available - although some reports suggest one is in its testing phase.
The fall-out from Apple Maps saw high-profile senior executives leave the company.
GPS vulnerability Apple's mapping woes come as researchers at Carnegie Mellon University warned about newly discovered vulnerabilities in the world's Global Positioning System (GPS).
The research paper suggested that just $2,500 (£1,500) of equipment could be used to knock out 30% of systems supporting "safety and life-critical applications".
The researchers proposed "defences such as hardening GPS software against RF [radio frequency] and network attacks, as well as an attack detection system".
They added: "Until GPS is secured, life and safety-critical applications that depend upon it are likely vulnerable to attack."

Stephen Baldwin charged with tax evasion

Hollywood actor and former Celebrity Big Brother contestant Stephen Baldwin has been charged with tax evasion.

Mr Baldwin, best known for The Usual Suspects, pleaded not guilty to the charge of failure to file personal income tax returns.
Rockland County District Attorney Thomas Zugibe said Mr Baldwin, 46, owes more than $350,000 (£218,000) in tax and penalties.
Prosecutors said the actor may face up to four years in prison if convicted.
"We cannot afford to allow wealthy residents to break the law by cheating on their taxes," Mr Zugibe said.
"The defendant's repetitive failure to file returns and pay taxes over a period of several years contributes to the sweeping cutbacks and closures in local government and in our schools."
Prosecutors in Rockland County, about 15 miles north west of New York, accuse Mr Baldwin of failing to pay state personal income taxes from 2008 to 2010. Mr Baldwin argues that he had poor financial representation at the time in question.
Mr Baldwin's lawyer, Russell Yankwit, insisted the actor "did not commit any crimes", adding that he was "working with the district attorney's office and the New York State Tax Department to resolve any differences".
Bankruptcy filing
Speaking after his court appearance, Mr Baldwin told Reuters news agency that he had handed over a $100,000 (£62,000) cheque to the state on Thursday.
"My ability to make the payment I did today, is a sign to the state and district attorney, that I'm working to get this resolved," Mr Baldwin said.
Stephen Baldwin is the youngest brother of the Baldwin acting dynasty which includes Alec, William and Daniel.
He filed for bankruptcy in 2009, with legal papers suggesting he owed $1.2m (£748,000) on two mortgages, $1m (£623,000) in taxes and $70,000 (£43,640) on credit cards.
The actor, who is married with two daughters, became a born again Christian following the terror attacks on 11 September 2001.
His early career included roles in acclaimed films such as Last Exit to Brooklyn and Born on the Fourth of July.
More recently he has appeared in a number of TV reality shows including the US version of I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here in 2009 and Britain's Celebrity Big Brother in 2010.
He currently co-hosts a US radio show with conservative pundit Kevin McCullough.
Speaking to Piers Morgan on US TV on Thursday, his elder brother Alec said that Stephen's mistakes were "no different than millions of other people".
"I don't think he's going to jail," the 30 Rock star said, adding that he was in "a negotiated settlement".

Jenni Rivera, Latin music star, dies in plane crash

Mexican-American singer Jenni Rivera has died in a plane crash in northern Mexico, her father has confirmed.

Pedro Rivera, flanked by his two sons, told Mexican TV that all seven of those people on board the plane, including two pilots, had died.
Officials earlier said they had found wreckage believed to be that of the singer's Learjet in Nuevo Leon state.
Rivera, born in California in 1969 to Mexican parents, sold more than 15m records of norteno and banda music.
She was a judge in the popular television programme La Voz, Mexico's version of The Voice.
"Everyone was lost," Mr Rivera told Telemundo television.
Civil aviation chief Alejandro Argudin told Mexican media that the plane had been "totally destroyed" and the wreckage scattered over a wide area.
It was not clear what caused the crash.
Rivera, known as the "diva de la banda", had performed in the northern city of Monterrey on Saturday.
She was travelling to the city of Toluca, outside Mexico City, when the plane disappeared, officials said.
A spokesman for Nuevo Leon's government said the plane had left Monterrey in the early hours of Sunday and aviation authorities lost contact with it about 10 minutes later.
It had been scheduled to arrive in Toluca about an hour later.
"She was the Diana Ross of Mexican music," Gustavo Lopez from Universal Music Latin Entertainment, which includes Rivera's music label, told the Los Angeles Times.
He said that she was the top-grossing female artist in Mexico, based on ticket sales.
Fans and fellow music stars expressed their grief at the news.
"This is sad. A bit in shock. Much peace to her family," singer Ricky Martin wrote in Spanish on Twitter.
Rivera was believed to have been travelling with her publicist, lawyer and stylists.
She leaves five children and two grandchildren.

Italian shares hit by Mario Monti departure

Italian stocks have fallen sharply, reacting to news that Prime Minister Mario Monti plans to resign and former premier Silvio Berlusconi is to run for office again.

Mr Monti was brought in to try to steer Italy away from financial disaster

The main Italian stock index fell 2.3%.
Other indexes throughout Europe were also lower, with banks the worst hit among shares.
French President Francois Hollande said Mr Monti's decision to step down early was "a pity" but said Mr Monti would stabilise Italy before the election.
"It's a pity for the short term, but in one month or two months, it will appear that Mr Monti is able to join a coalition or to go forward to stabilise Italy," Mr Hollande told Reuters in Oslo, after European leaders were presented with the Nobel Peace Prize.
"So we support the efforts of Mr Monti until the election, and after that the Italian people will choose the best government."
Record borrowing costs Mr Monti became the leader of a technocrat government in 2011 after investors became worried about Italy's economic health.
Mr Berlusconi's People of Freedom party withdrew its support from the government on Thursday, and Mr Berlusconi confirmed he would lead his party into next year's elections - now on course to be held slightly earlier than expected.
Mr Monti had planned to serve until April 2013, when the current parliamentary term runs out. He had hoped this would be enough time to "rescue Italy from financial ruin".
The withdrawal of his political support means that elections are now set for February.

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He replaced Mr Berlusconi after Italy's long-term borrowing costs reached levels widely perceived as unsustainable. The Italian 10-year bond yield hit a euro-era record of 7.48% in November 2011, bringing about Mr Berlusconi's departure.

Since then, Italy's yields have dropped and the focus has shifted to Spain, which has taken a bailout for its banks, and back to Greece.
However, on Monday, Italy's 10-year bond yield jumped 0.3 percentage points to 4.8%.
Among individual shares in Italy, banks were the hardest hit. Italy's biggest, Unicredit, fell 6%. Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena fell 7% and Banca Popolare di Milano declined 6.9%.
Across banks in Europe, Germany's Commerzbank fell 2.9% and France's BNP Paribas dropped 2.5%. In Spain, banks such as Santander, Bankia and BBVA all turned lower.
"Monti is the one who managed to stabilise Italy and stop the contagion from Greece," said David Thebault, a trader at Global Equities. "His surprise resignation brings back the political risk in the equation, something we had forgotten about."
Italy's government has the biggest debt burden of any of the major eurozone countries at 123% of economic output (GDP), which makes it particularly susceptible to a loss of market confidence. This is because higher borrowing costs would make it very difficult, if not impossible, for the government to roll over its debts as they come due for payment.
'Political theatre'

“Start Quote

Italians in the weeks ahead will be able to address one of the key issues facing Europe: are the austerity measures and reforms designed in Brussels and Berlin working?” 

Jane Foley, a currency strategist at Rabobank, said: "The resignation of Italy's technocrat PM Monti at the weekend has re-awakened fears of a return to old style political theatre in the country and brought some fresh downside pressure for the euro."

The 17-nation currency fell against the dollar and British pound.
Mr Monti, an economist who heads a unelected cabinet of technocrats, has said he will try to pass a budget and financial stability law before standing down.
A statement from the office of President Giorgio Napolitano over the weekend said that Mr Monti "does not think it possible to continue his mandate and consequently made clear his intention to present his resignation".
If the law for next year's budget can be passed "quickly", Mr Monti would immediately confirm his resignation, the statement said.
An election must come within 70 days of the government resigning. Italy had been due to go to the polls by April at the latest.
"Although Mario Monti is respected abroad as the leader who brought stability and reform to Italy, at home the economy remains mired in recession," said the BBC's Europe editor Gavin Hewitt.
"The speed with which Mario Monti announced he would stand down raises the question of whether he might be persuaded to lead some parliamentary grouping. It is what Brussels and Berlin want."

How some eurozone economies are faring
	Q4 2011	Q1 2012	Q2 2012	Q3 2012
Source: Eurostat; figures show % change compared with previous quarter
Eurozone	-0.3	0	-0.2	-0.1
Germany	-0.1	0.5	0.3	0.2
France	0	0	-0.1	0.2
Italy	-0.7	-0.8	-0.7	-0.2
Spain	-0.5	-0.3	-0.4	-0.3
Netherlands	-0.6	0.2	0.1	-1.1
Portugal	-1.4	-0.1	-1.1	-0.8

Mr Monti - a respected former commissioner at the European Union - has tried to pass reforms, including implementing in July a series of spending cuts of 26bn euros (£21bn, $32bn) over three years to tackle the deficit.
But many of the proposals have been watered down or stalled as they have gone through parliament.
German foreign minister Guido Westerwelle urged Italy to push on with its reforms.
"That would bring new turmoil not only to Italy, but also to Europe," he said.
Italy's economy has been shrinking all year - its fourth recession of the past 10 years.
Employers' lobby group Confindustria predicts that the economy will shrink 2.4% this year, with unemployment hovering around 11%. The government forecasts the economy will contract by 1.2% this year.
Mr Berlusconi was convicted of tax fraud in October, though he is appealing against that ruling, and he is also on trial accused of paying for sex with an underage prostitute.
He has already served as Italy's prime minister for three separate terms and built up what is believed to be a vast personal fortune from his business empire.