In a meeting aides described as “frank but cordial,” members of the Congressional Black Caucus told President Barack Obama on Thursday that he has to do more to help African-Americans.

Members of the caucus have complained — both publicly and privately — that they aren’t getting enough from the nation’s first black president. Thursday’s hourlong session was their chance to make that case directly with Obama, and aides said they did just that.

CBC Chairwoman Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) said the group discussed direct job creation and work force training as well as areas where government can help “create jobs immediately.”

People close to the caucus said members pointed to the high unemployment rate in their largely majority African-American congressional districts. They encouraged Obama to push legislation in the Senate that would lead to direct jobs creation, particularly a summer youth jobs program — a proposal that failed in the Senate this week.

In a statement, the White House said that Lee had discussed “the impact of the economy in economically distressed communities and the need for additional assistance in these areas,” and that other CBC members had “presented their concerns and solutions for broadening the impact of the recovery effort.”

The White House said Obama and the CBC members agreed on “a number of things” that could be done to address the unemployment problem, both immediately and in the long run.

Prior to the meeting, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) said the CBC would be asking Obama to help get the summer jobs program through the Senate, which has just one black member, Roland Burris of Illinois

Jacked via politico.

I’m in the Burgh shooting footage for the Numbers Don’t Lie Campaign. I just copped Whiz Khalifa’s new Deal or No Deal Jawn…as well as Mac Miller’s new project. 412 stand up!!!

Ahhh Generation Y. The Generation that grew up with lyrics our parents can’t decipher and technology they don’t understand. Just what exactly is Gen Y? Basically, if you’re born between the early 80s to the early 90s, you’re a part of it. But here, let’s allow Urban Dictionary to further define us: according to one editor of the site, we are “hyper-active, hyper-sexed, ADD-affected psychopath crack baby offspring of Baby Boomers, also known in popular parlance as Generation Y.” Ouch. That’s a bit harsh, doncha think?

I do. I love my generation. Which is why I was pretty damn pleased to find an article on 80 Million Strong detailing just how awesome our generation is (props!). Never mind the claims that we are pampered, narcissistic, consumer-driven, useless versions of Gen X. According to Forbes Magazine, we are the “altruistic generation.” F%#* yah! This is what I wanna hear (and yup, I’m aware that I’m living up to the self-absorbed stereotype of Gen Y. Just call me a cliché and get on with it).

The best part is, there’s evidence to back up the article. A study by the Center for Work-Life Policy found that we are driven, dedicated, and devoted to social welfare. And this is reflected in our workplaces: 88% of Gen Y women and 82% of Gen Y men believe it’s important to be able to give back to community through work. And we expect our employers to back us up. Which is why we are seeking out employers that offer us the opportunity to help, whether by giving us time off to volunteer, or devoting a percentage of profits to a worthy cause. Instead of going straight into the workforce after we’re educated, we are taking time off to travel, volunteer, and intern. And instead of solely valuing money and benefits, we are choosing jobs that enable us to prioritize what is most important to us: family, friends, volunteering, and fulfillment. We want to work, but we also want to impact change and make a difference in this world.

So the next time you see us twittering away on our newfangled technology, ask not what we’re doing, but wh(Y) we’re doing it—you’ll likely find out it has something to do with saving the world.

Perhaps I’m not surfing the dark corners of the Internet closely enough but I haven’t come across any amazing conspiracy theories in a while. I’m sure paranoid people are still out there telling anyone who will listen that Prez Obama is the Anti-Christ (why the first black President has to the be the devil, I don’t know), the government flushed drugs into the hood (are they still doing it? If so why wouldn’t they make weed legal so that they can make more money off of it?) and America, Mexico, and Canada are looking to become a unified state (with all the drug wars going on in Mexico. . . I’ll pass).

I’m sure there are more than enough conspiracies out there regarding our government to scare the crap out of even the biggest critics. Thanks to Youtube.com I did some research and was able to find some for your viewing pleasure. For the record, I’m not stating that these are real or truth (nor is 99problems.org!) but they do make you think and can be amusing. Here are some of the best ones I’ve found:

1) It is pointed out how the US education system has been deteriorating through the years, which is linked to efforts to control the populace.

2)Spike Lee believes that the government detonated levees in a poor area of New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina

3)This last video shows the power of the Federal Reserve over the American Economy.

What are some theories  you’ve come across?

- CH

Aren’t you glad summer’s finally here? The recent reemergence of the sun makes me crave days at the beach and nights spent camping. But the recession means that for many (hell, most of us) a vacation simply isn’t that feasible this year.

We should consider ourselves lucky if that’s the worst recession can do. It’s hit a lot of people a lot harder. Every year, the number of families who are homeless skyrocket at the beginning of summer. This year has been particularly bad. People from 10 000 families will become homeless in New York alone this summer, an increase of more than 28% from last year. At last count, that number had already hit 9420—9420 moms, dads, brothers, sisters, and children on the street in one city. That’s A LOT of people—so many, that if you wanted to meet them all, one a day, it would take you more than 27 years.

But numbers are just statistics. They don’t tell the whole story. People do. Like 11 year old Arielle Figueras, who completed fifth grade one day and was in a shelter with her family the next. Or the Dixon family, who were evicted in April, have been separated in various homes since then, and are now reunited on the streets. Families who had found short-term solutions—like staying with relatives or asking the landlord to temporarily take pity on them—are booted out now that the weather is warmer and the kids are out of school and underfoot.

Across the nation, families are becoming homeless faster than any other demographic. PBS estimates that roughly a third of the homeless are families. Families who approach shelters are subjected to intense questioning, metal detectors, long waits, and overcrowding in addition to the stress of displacement and an uncertain future. Many of them are not allowed in the shelter during the day, left to wander the streets. 1 in 2 families are split up and put in different shelters. They are the lucky ones—one third of families are turned away from shelters entirely because of a lack of resources.

It’s a summer ritual that makes you understand why not everyone welcomes summer. . .

Guess how many cows are killed every hour in the US, just so you can have your burger? A whopping 660 000 of them.

Paul McCartney, best known from his part in the Beatles, wants to change this. He believes we can fight global warming simply by not eating meat on Mondays.

McCartney supports the Meat Free Mondays campaign in order to encourage people to give up eating meat or at least to reduce their meat consumption. He states, “Having one designated meat free day a week is actually a meaningful change that everyone can make, that goes to the heart of several important political, environmental and ethical issues all at once.”

Sacrificing meat just once a week could cut greenhouse gas emissions by 20%, according to Greenpeace. But can sacrificing a burger or chicken sandwich just ONCE a week really affect change?

The answer is yes! 3 times as many fossil fuels are needed for a diet that includes meat than are needed for a vegetarian one. Depending on where and how it is produced the FAO estimates that the livestock industry is responsible for between 13.5 and 18 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions…Some of these are from the methane emitted from livestock. Half of all US water-usage is devoted to livestock, with each cow needing enough water to float a destroyer!

If every human on Earth ate meat, our oil supplies would only last another 13 years, whereas if humans no longer ate any meant it would last 260 years. Still need more convincing? 20 million people will die of malnutrition this year. Yet if Americans reduced their meat intake by just 10%, the land freed up could be used to feed an extra 100 million people! You do the math–that’s 5 times as many people as die each year!

Paul McCartney is not alone in his quest to decrease meat consumption. Celebrities including Sheryl Crow and Alec Baldwin support the Meat Free Monday campaign as well. Even famous chefs such as Giorgio Locatelli and Yotam Ottolenghi have contributed meat-free recipes for the cause.

As stated by the campaign,“To build a better world in the future we all need to make changes in our lifestyles now. Not all the changes we have to make are easy; and not all the easy changes we can make are meaningful. But making just one day a week a meat-free day, really is the little thing that can make a big difference.”