Rapper Lil Wayne Begins Jail Sentence

The rapper Lil Wayne has officially began his one year jail sentence due to having a loaded gun on his tour bus in July of 2007. He has already arrived at the Rikers Island jail complex, where he is being kept apart from the general population due to him being a celebrity. He has a cell to himself and has the option of spending time in a TV room with 17 other inmates who have been separated from the general population due to other reasons. Lil Wayne could possibly be released from jail in eight months with good behavior.

Results of Michael Jackson's Will

In Michael Jackson's trust it is revealed that 40 percent of his assets are suppose to go to his mother. His three children will 40 percent of his assets. Twenty percent of his assets are suppose to go to several children's charities. The names of the charities are not specified in the trust. The California Attorney General is currently filing legal papers in the probate case.

Plans for Michael Jackson's Memorial

The memorial service for the singer Micheal Jackson will be held at the Staples Center on Tuesday at 10:00 A.M. There will be 11,000 tickets that will be distributed for free to the general public. On that Tuesday, a motorcade will go from Forest Lawn Mortuary in L.A. to the Staples Center complex in downtown Los Angeles where the public memorial will take place.

GM to Temporarily Close 20 Plants

On Friday, General Motors Corp. stated that it will temporarily close 20 of its factories across North America and reduce vehicle production while it tries adjust to the decline in automobile demands. The company will cut 250,000 vehicles from its production schedule for the first quarter of 2009. They normally produce 750,000 automobiles for that quarter. Many of the plants will be closed for the whole month of January and employees will be temporarily laid off and will receive part of their normal wages. They could be able to apply for state unemployment benefits. GM reported that its sales are down 41 percent for November and are down 22 percent for the first 11 months of 2008.

General Motors currently trying to obtain Government loans to be able to stay in business. The White House says that it might go into its $700 billion Wall Street Bailout fund to help GM and Chrysler. The entire automobile industry is having to make cuts due to the decline in the demand of automobiles.

Senator Edward Kennedy Suffers From Seizure

Senator Edward M. Kennedy, the brother of the late President John F. Kennedy, has been hospitalized after suffering from a seizure. He was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital where doctors worked hard to try to find the cause of the seizure. He was flown to the Massachusetts General on Saturday after becoming sick and being treated in the emergency room of Cape Cod Hospital.

Luckily, he did not suffer from a stroke, as the physicians first thought and he is currently doing well. Over the next couple of days he will have more evaluations done on him to find the cause and what should be done to treat him.

GM Introduces New Hybrid Pickups

General Motors will introduce a new hybrid full-size pickup and a concept hybrid truck this week at the Chicago Auto Show. The company says that the 2009 GMC Sierra hybrid gives 25 percent more in fuel economy and you don’t have to lose anything in performance. The Sierra is also the next large GM vehicle to get the new two-mode hybrid system. The GMC Denali XT concept gives 50 percent more in fuel economy than most other small pickups. The SUV hybrids are suppose to be on the market early this year and the Sierra is suppose to be on the market at the end of 2008.

Two-mode hybrid cars run without the gas engine at low speeds and at higher speeds the electric motor gives more power. A two-mode system is good for towing.

Hybrid vehicles initially cost more but drivers can driver longer distances before the car needs to be refueled so you can save money in the long run. Small businesses can take advantage of the government tax breaks for hybrids.