Erik D. Prince

Erik D. Prince (born June 6 1969, Holland, Michigan) is the founder and sole owner of the private military company Xe, formerly Blackwater Worldwide. Testifying before the United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on October 2, 2007, he gave his title as chairman and CEO of the Prince Group and Blackwater Worldwide, then named Blackwater USA. On March 2, 2009, Prince announced that he was stepping down as CEO of Xe.

Early life and career

Erik Prince was born into a wealthy family, the youngest child of Edgar D. Prince, founder of the Prince Corporation (an automobile-parts company that introduced lighted vanity mirrors for cars), and Elsa Broekhuizen. He has three older sisters. Prince’s mother is of Dutch heritage.

Prince earned an airplane pilot’s license at age 17 and graduated from Holland Christian High School. He attended the United States Naval Academy after high school, but left the academy after three semesters, and ultimately graduated from Hillsdale College in 1992. During his time at Hillsdale, Prince served as a volunteer firefighter and as a diver for the Hillsdale County Sheriff’s Department.

He was an intern in the White House under President George H. W. Bush and subsequently criticized that administration’s policies to the Grand Rapids Press, saying: “I saw a lot of things I didn’t agree with—homosexual groups being invited in, the budget agreement, the Clean Air Act, those kinds of bills.^“ He also served as an intern to California Republican Rep. Dana Rohrabacher. While at Hillsdale, Prince campaigned for presidential candidate Pat Buchanan, and interned at his father’s co-founded Gary Bauer’s Family Research Council.

After college, he earned a commission in the United States Navy after joining in 1992 via Officer Candidate School. He served as a Navy SEAL officer on deployments to Haiti, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean, including Bosnia. When his father, Edgar, unexpectedly died in 1995, Prince ended his Navy service prematurely. Prince’s mother, Elsa, sold the Prince Corporation for $1.3 billion to Johnson Controls, Inc. Prince moved to Virginia Beach and personally financed the formation of Blackwater Worldwide in 1997. He bought 6,000 acres (24 km²) of the Great Dismal Swamp of North Carolina and set up a school for special operations operators. The name “Blackwater” comes from the peat-colored bogs in which the school is located.

Family

Prince’s father co-founded the Family Research Council with Gary Bauer. Prince is the brother of Betsy DeVos, a former chairwoman of the Michigan Republican Party and wife of former Alticor (Amway) president and Gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVos, son of Richard DeVos, Sr. (listed by Forbes in 2007 as one of the world’s richest men, with a net worth of $2.4 billion).

Prince was unfaithful to his first wife, Joan Nicole Prince, cheating on her with their nanny, Joanna Houck. When Joan Prince died of cancer in 2003, Houck attended the funeral while pregnant with Prince’s child. Prince and Houck were married a year later.

Prince has six children.

Political donations

Prince serves as vice president of the Edgar and Elsa Prince Foundation. Salon reports that “between July 2003 and July 2006, the foundation gave at least $670,000 to the Family Research Council, which his family founded, and $531,000 to Focus on the Family” headed by James Dobson. The foundation is also a major donor to Calvin College, a Christian institution in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Prince also serves as a board member of Christian Freedom International, a non-profit group with a mission of helping “Christians who are persecuted for their faith in Jesus Christ.”

Since 1998, Prince has personally donated over $200, 000 to Republican causes.^[18][19][20] Prince is a donor, along with others to the Alliance Defense Fund, a conservative Christian legal group. Prince had also contributed money to the Green Party of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, though this has been interpreted as an unsuccessful attempt to help Republican candidate Rick Santorum in his race against Democratic challenger Bob Casey.

Former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards has characterized Prince as one of George W. Bush’s “political cronies.” Prince has denied using family clout to obtain contracts for Blackwater.

Relations with the media

Confidentiality agreements prohibit former Blackwater executives from talking about Prince. He has been described by the press as “reclusive” and “secretive”. Prince is noted for disliking having his photo taken and distributed; often using his hands to shield himself from photographers. While attending a technology conference in North Carolina, he was visibly uncomfortable when photographed on stage and officials asked that the images not be published. He also frequently turns down interview requests.

According to the head of a competing contractor, “Realistically, there’s ongoing projects by (terrorist groups) to collect data on private contractors. I appreciate and understand his efforts to protect his family. The guy needs his privacy.”

However, in response to controversy surrounding the September 16, 2007 Blackwater Baghdad shootings and its subsequent FBI investigation, Prince has emerged from media seclusion to grant more on-camera interviews. Some noteworthy appearances where he discusses the incident include:

• Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer October 14, 2007
• 60 Minutes October 14, 2007
• Charlie Rose October 15, 2007

Blackwater controversies

Prince’s company, Blackwater Worldwide, was involved in several international controversies during 2007, leading to his being asked to testify before the United States Congress. Seventeen Iraqi civilians were killed when a Blackwater private security detail (PSD) escorted a convoy of US State Department vehicles en route to a meeting in western Baghdad with United States Agency for International Development officials on September 16, 2007. On September 22, 2007, Federal prosecutors announced an investigation into whether Blackwater employees illegally smuggled weapons into Iraq that were later possibly transferred to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), a Kurdish nationalist group designated a terrorist organization by the US, North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the European Union.

Congressional investigation

On October 2, 2007 Prince was subject to a congressional hearing conducted by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform following the controversy related to Blackwater’s conduct in Iraq and Afghanistan.^[32] Public relations powerhouse Burson-Marsteller was brought in briefly, but at a critical moment, to help Prince, prepare for the Oct 2 hearing.

• When testifying before Congress on October 2, 2007, about Blackwater Worldwide’s activities in Iraq, Prince complained about the lack of remedies his company has to deal with employee misdeeds. When asked why an employee involved in a fatal incident had been “whisked out of the country” he replied, “We can’t flog him, we can’t incarcerate him.”

• When asked by a member of Congress for financial information about his company, he declined to provide it. “We’re a private company, and there’s a key word there — private,” Prince answered. Later he stated that the company could provide it at a future date if questions were submitted in writing.

• When the term “mercenaries” was used to describe Blackwater employees, Prince objected, characterizing them instead as “loyal Americans,” notwithstanding the fact that Blackwater employees comprise many nationalities.

Federal lawsuit

On August 3, 2009, two anonymous former Blackwater employees swore under oath that Prince may have murdered or facilitated the murder of individuals who were cooperating with federal authorities investigating the company. In addition, they said that Prince “views himself as a Christian crusader tasked with eliminating Muslims and the Islamic faith from the globe,” and that Prince’s companies “encouraged and rewarded the destruction of Iraqi life.” The allegations surfaced in pre-trial motions in an Eastern District of Virginia civil lawsuit brought on behalf of Iraqi civilians by Susan Burke, a private attorney working in conjunction with the Center for Constitutional Rights.

Resignation

Prince announced his resignation as CEO of Blackwater (now called Xe) on March 2, 2009. Prince will remain as chairman of the board but will no longer be involved in day-to-day operations. Joseph Yorio was named as the new president, replacing Gary Jackson, who took Prince’s place as CEO. Danielle Esposito was named the new chief operating officer and executive vice president.

illuminati symbol on Madonna's shirt

Madonna (born Madonna Louise Ciccone on August 16, 1958) is an American recording artist, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, and raised in Rochester Hills, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977, for a career in modern dance. After performing as a member of the pop musical groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her self-titled debut album Madonna in 1983 on Sire Records.

A series of hit singles from her studio albums Like a Virgin (1984) and True Blue (1986) gained her global recognition, establishing her as a pop icon for pushing the boundaries of lyrical content in mainstream popular music and imagery in her music videos, which became a fixture on MTV. Her recognition was augmented by the film Desperately Seeking Susan (1985) which widely became seen as a Madonna vehicle, despite her not playing the lead. Expanding on the use of religious imagery with Like a Prayer (1989), Madonna received positive critical reception for her diverse musical productions, while at the same time receiving criticism from religious conservatives and the Vatican. In 1992, Madonna founded the Maverick corporation, a joint venture between herself and Time Warner. The same year, she expanded the use of sexually explicit material in her work, beginning the release of the studio album Erotica, followed by the publishing of the coffee table book Sex, and starring in the erotic thriller Body of Evidence, all of which received negative responses from conservatives and liberals alike.

In 1996, Madonna played the starring role in the film Evita, for which she won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy. Madonna’s seventh studio album Ray of Light (1998) became one of her most critically acclaimed, recognized for its lyrical depth. During the 2000s, Madonna released five studio albums, all of which reached top position on the Billboard 200. Departing from Warner Bros. Records, Madonna signed an unprecedented $120 million dollar contract with Live Nation in 2008.

Madonna is ranked by the Recording Industry Association of America as the best-selling female rock artist of the 20th century and the second top-selling female artist in the U.S., with 63 million RIAA-certified albums; she has sold over 200 million albums worldwide. In 2007, Guinness World Records listed her as the world’s most successful female recording artist of all time, and she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2008). Considered to be one of the most influential women in contemporary music, Madonna has been known for continually reinventing both her music and image and for retaining a standard of autonomy within the recording industry; she is recognized as an influence among numerous music artists.

Bird Man

Bryan Williams (born February 15, 1969), better known by his stage name Birdman or Baby, is an American rapper and record executive from New Orleans, Louisiana. He is the founder of Cash Money Records and one half of the duo Big Tymers. Along with his releases with Big Tymers and for his solo career, Birdman recorded a collaboration album and numerous tracks with Lil Wayne.

Biography

Birdman was born and raised in Uptown New Orleans. With his brother Ronald “Slim” Williams, Birdman founded Cash Money Records in 1991. He used his first moniker B-32 (Baby with the 32 Golds) and released his only independent album I Need a Bag of Dope in 1993. In 1997, he joined rapper Mannie Fresh to form the duo Big Tymers. Big Tymers debuted in 1998 with the album How Ya Luv That? and went on to release I Got That Work in 2000 and Hood Rich in 2002. I Got That Work had the hit singles “Get Your Roll On” and “#1 Stunna”; Hood Rich had “Still Fly”, which was nominated for a Grammy, and “Oh Yeah!”. Big Money Heavyweight followed in 2003; the group disbanded in 2004.

In 2002 Birdman released his self-titled debut studio album, Birdman,^[3] with the singles “Do That” and “What Happened to That Boy” (with The Clipse). Since that album, Birdman made guest performances on the singles “Let’s Get Down” by Bow Wow, “Hell Yeah” by Ginuwine, and “Bounce Back” by Juvenile. Birdman released his third studio album Fast Money in 2005; Fast Money spawned the singles “Shine On” and “Neck of the Woods”, both of which featured Lil Wayne. For Lil Wayne, Birdman produced and performed on tracks on Tha Carter and Tha Carter II.

Lil Wayne and Birdman released an album titled Like Father, Like Son. It was certified Gold and spawned three singles, including “Stuntin’ Like My Daddy” and “Leather So Soft”. He was also featured on the remixes of the bestselling rap singles “We Fly High” by Jim Jones and “Make It Rain” by Fat Joe. In 2007 Birdman released his fourth studio album, 5 * Stunna. The first single, “Pop Bottles,” featuring Lil Wayne and Jadakiss, was a hit, as well as the second single “100 Million,” which featured Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Young Jeezy, Dre & DJ Khaled. The third single featuring Lil Wayne, titled “I Run This,” was a hit as well. Birdman was arrested and charged with possession of more than two ounces of marijuana in November 2007. He was released on $1,500 bond.

Birdman will release an album with long time friend Rick Ross titled The H. The first song released off the album was “Sun Come Up,” which featured T-Pain and Glasses Malone. He has also made a cameo appearance in Kevin Rudolf’s “Let It Rock” music video.

Birdman’s first single from his upcoming album Pricele$$ will be “Always Strapped”, featuring Lil Wayne, and the second will be “Written on Her,” featuring Jay Sean. “South Side” featuring Lil Wayne is the third single. “Money to Blow” featuring Drake and Lil Wayne is the fourth single.

Discography

• Birdman (2002)
• Fast Money (2005)
• 5 * Stunna (2007)
• Pricele$$ (2009)

Collaboration albums

• 1999: How You Luv That (with Mannie Fresh as Big Tymers)
• 1999: How You Luv That Vol. 2 (with Mannie Fresh as Big Tymers)
• 2000: I Got That Work (with Mannie Fresh as Big Tymers)
• 2002: Hood Rich (with Mannie Fresh as Big Tymers)
• 2003: Big Money Heavyweight (with Mannie Fresh as Big Tymers)
• 2006: Like Father, Like Son (with Lil Wayne)
• 2010: The H (with Rick Ross)

Filmography

• 2000: Baller Blockin

Lil Wayne currently producing music with Cash Money Records

Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. (born September 27, 1982), better known by his stage name Lil Wayne, is an American Grammy Award-winning rapper. Formerly a member of the rap group the Hot Boys, he joined the Cash Money Records collective as a teenager. Get It How U Live!, released in 1997, was Lil Wayne’s first album with Hot Boys, and Tha Block Is Hot, his solo debut, came out in 1999.

After gaining fame with two other albums in the early 2000s, Lil Wayne reached higher popularity with 2004’s Tha Carter and its two subsequent albums Tha Carter II (2005) and Tha Carter III (2008). He earned various accolades following Tha Carter III, including eight Grammy Awards nominations. He has had two number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 (“Lollipop” with Static Major and “Down” with Jay Sean). He will release a rock album titled Rebirth in 2009.

Jonathan Smith a.k.a Lil Jon

Jonathan Smith (born January 27, 1971), better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American composer, producer, promoter, and rapper. He is best known as a pioneer of the hip hop sub-genre crunk. His work is recognizable by his distinctive hype shouts of “What?!”,”Hey!”, “Yeah!”, and “Okay!”, which have earned him a part as a regular character in the repertoire of popular comedian Dave Chappelle.

Early life

Lil Jon was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia and graduated from Douglass High School (Georgia) in 1989. He worked for So So Def between 1993 and 2000, which is where he got his stage name.

Lil Jon is a big fan of Atlanta Thrashers of the NHL and writes a blog on NHL.com. He has also stated on the blog that his son plays hockey. Atlanta Thrashers goalie Kari Lehtonen also has a picture of Lil Jon on the back of his helmet. He also has his own energy drink, called CRUNK!!!, his own line of Oakley Sunglasses, his own brand of wine, Little Jonathan Winery, which produces a Merlot, a Chardonnay, and a Cabernet Sauvignon.

Career

Lil Jon says that he is a full time rapper and “was inspired by the synthesizer sounds of rave/dance music he heard playing in Atlanta strip clubs.”

In 2006 before recording the album, Crunk Rock Lil Jon severed his negotiation with record label TVT. Two years ago, Jon vowed never to record for TVT Records again, alleging that TVT owner Steve Gottlieb was shortchanging him.

Jon said in a statement: “Crunk Rock is going to be some next level shit.” As part of TVT Records’ 2008 bankruptcy auction, Lil Jon withdrew his multi-million dollar objection to the TVT sale proceedings and agreed to TVT’s transfer of his artist agreement to The Orchard. In return, The Orchard released Lil Jon from all future obligations and returned the rights to the master recordings of his constantly delayed LP, Crunk Rock.

Debra L. Reed

President and Chief Executive Officer, Southern California Gas Company and San Diego Gas & Electric Company (regulated utility companies) since 2006; President and Chief Operating Officer, Southern California Gas Company and San Diego Gas & Electric Company, 2004-2006; President and Chief Financial Officer, Southern California Gas Company and San Diego Gas & Electric Company, 2002-2004; President of San Diego Gas & Electric Company, 2000-2001; President, Energy Distribution Services, Southern California Gas Company, 1998-2001; Senior Vice President, Southern California Gas Company, 1995-1998; joined Halliburton Company Board in 2001; Chairman of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and member of the Compensation Committee; Director of Genentech, Inc.

JAY A. PRECOURT

Chairman of the Board, Hermes Consolidated, Inc. (a gatherer, transporter and refiner of crude oil and refined products) since 1999; Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, Scissor Tail Energy, LLC, 2000-2005; Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Tejas Gas Corporation, 1986-1999; President, Tejas Gas Corporation, 1996-1998; joined Halliburton Company Board in 1998; Chairman of the Health, Safety and Environment Committee and member of the Audit Committee; Director of Apache Corp.

J. LANDIS MARTIN

Founder and Managing Director, Platte River Ventures, L.L.C. (a private equity investment company) since 2005; Chairman (1989-2005) and Chief Executive Officer (1995-2005), Titanium Metals Corporation; President and Chief Executive Officer, NL Industries, Inc., 1987-2003; Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, Baroid Corporation (and its predecessor), acquired by Dresser Industries, Inc. in 1994, 1990-1994; joined Halliburton Company Board in 1998; Lead Director and member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance and the Health, Safety and Environment Committees; Director of Apartment Investment and Management Corporation and Crown Castle International Corporation.

ROBERT A. MALONE

Retired Chairman of the Board and President, BP America Inc. (the nation’s largest producer of oil and natural gas and the second largest gasoline retailer), 2006-2009; Chief Executive Officer, BP Shipping Limited, 2002-2006; Regional President Western United States, BP America Inc., 2000-2002; President, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer, Alyeska Pipeline Service Company, 1996-2000; joined the Halliburton Company Board in 2009; member of the Audit and the Health, Safety and Environment Committees; Director of Peabody Energy Company and First National Bank of Sonora.

DAVID J. LESAR

Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, since 2000; President of the Company, 1997-2000; Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, 1995-1997; joined Halliburton Company Board in 2000; He serves on the board of directors of the American Petroleum Institute.