On September 15th and 16th at The Hilton Los Angeles Universal City, Ca, many of the Movie and Entertainment Industry's key players will meet for something called the 3D Entertainment Summit. But since this is really a story of the emergence of the 3D movie, it's more appropriate and searchable to call it the 3D Movie Summit.
The 2010 event is the third one in this annual meeting. Produced by Unicomm and The Bob Dowling Group, the idea is to have a forum to discuss and share ideas on the current and future state of the 3D art as applied to entertainment. It features DreamWorks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg as keynote speaker and M. Night Shyamalan (Devil) as a featured participant.
3D Movies Are More Plentiful, But Drawing Crowds?
The 2010 3D Entertainment Summit comes amid a lot of excitement and a lot of concern about the expanded use of 3D. Avatar Producer and Director James Cameron recently spoke out against the conversion of 2D movies to 3D and called for a kind of committee to review and use of 3D in movies. Cameron even went so far as to slamClash Of The Titans as an example of bad 3D.
About Clash, Cameron said "They worked against themselves with that film. I've heard people say that they couldn't watch (Clash of the Titans) in 3D and thought it looked better in 2D and they enjoyed the film more." Then Cameron added "Let's not do stupid stuff that's going to hurt this burgeoning marketplace."
Cameron attended the 2009 3D Entertainment Summit and reportedly "wowed" everyone as he was set to open Avatar; as of this writing, he's not listed as participating in the 2010 summit.
But Cameron's comment about "stupid stuff" could be leading to the reason why a number of 3D movie efforts don't pay for themselves at the box office.
On top of that, panning 3D has become sport of late. Jon Favreau, producer and director of the Iron Man movie series and the up-coming Cowboys & Aliens, gave an impromptu speech at Comic Con 2010 that's been the talk of the Entertainment Industry.
Favreau said that he wanted to make Cowboys & Aliens in 3D but didn't want to use video. The only option, making it in 2D and then converting it to 3D was one that was so disliked, the Comic Con audience said "NO." Here's the video:
Where 3D goes and is going in the wake of this developing "backlash" will be the talk of the 3D Entertainment Summit.
Regular readers of this space know this blogger travels to Atlanta, Georgia to help Mom and just keep her company almost every month. My mother lost her husband and my stepfather in 2005 and to prostate cancer. (In fact, my Mom had breast cancer, and my father and stepfather passed away from prostate cancer in 2005, so that was a hard year.) Fortunately between good friends nearby and my aunts and uncles just four hours by drive in Tennessee, and then me, she's not without company.
Even though it's hard on me as an only child, and I'll explain why later in this post, I do enjoy my company with my Mother and for several reasons. First, she knows who I am as a person. Second, I don't know how much life I have to share with her, she's a breast cancer survivor, so things she may said or done that have bothered me in the past, don't impact me anymore. Third, she's my only family member. And finally, my stress goes away when I'm here. We're out in the country where you need a good car to get to, and the wide open space (which is evident in the video) is incredible.
I find Oakland to be a stressful place to live. If it's not the noise and the constant sirens, it's the fact that at times it seems people are everywhere and you can't escape them. Then there's the occasionally neurotic person who's screwed up for some reason. Then there's the city's constant need for money such that it tries to get it from high parking rates and fees for this and that. And finally it's the large number of people who seem unhappy because they're out of work or for some other reason.
Now, all of that's offset by the fact that I know a lot of people and I am very much part of the fabric of the Oakland community. I have a good set of Godparents in Oakland, and friends I love very much. Plus, there are a lot of small "life fabric" improvements to celebrate in Oakland. But the overall mood of the city has been more negative than positive for most of the time I've lived in it. Oaklanders always talk about potential; I'm tired of hearing about that. After a while that gets to be a bit much.
So all of that brings me here to Georgia. Yes, Mom would love it if I has a family with kids, and that will happen one day. But my priority is to make sure my Mom's doing fine.
That's what my friends - some of them - don't seem to get. I'm an only child - no brothers or sisters to help out with Mom. My mindset is different such that I have to make my schedule with my Mother in mind. Thankfully my work makes that possible.
But all of that's mostly my guilt, which I've learned is common in only children to have. Whatever the reason, I've never felt better about me than over these last few years of my life. And that's because I'm right with my Mom.
According to a tweet issued by Ann Killion just one minute ago as per this writing, KNBR Color Announcer and Former San Francisco 49ers Linebacker Gary Plummer issued an unfortunate description of Oakland Raiders Wide Receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey just before the Raiders Preseason game against the 49ers.
annkillion - On my way to the game tonight in Oakland I heard #49ers broadcaster Gary Plummer call #Raiders DHB a "turd" on the radio. Really.
1 minute ago via TweetDeck
Gary Plummer, who's not a bad guy from personal experience, could have picked a better term to use in talking about Darrius Heyward-Bey. While it's true the Raiders should not have selected DHB as high as they did in the 2009 NFL Draft, they have him and in the middle of a dramatic coaching staff and system change. Give DHB a chance this year; he will surprise observers.
The back drop is a painting I wish I could get a closer look at and in a very unusual quiet why the clip made me think of Westerns I used to watch as a little girl when I had a crush on John Wayne. Eric reminds me of a very slender John Wayne but this scene has an odd elegance and beauty packed to the brim with tension! Is tomorrow night going to get very bloody?
Ed Schultz spoke loud and proud at Al Sharpton’s ‘Reclaiming the Dream’ Rally in DC, today, speaking as a proud, successful product of middle class integrated education. With all the unseemly divisiveness and unexpectedly blatant racist rhetoric today in America, it was refreshing to see American leaders speak up for the dream of peace and social justice Martin Luther King Jr. always preached so eloquently.
Thousands gathered at Dunbar High School in Washington DC today, to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream Speech" at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., 47 years ago today. The Rev. Al Sharpton and other civil rights leaders in attendance gave moving speeches in tribute to MLK and the work still unfinished in America, to make King’s dream a reality.
Sharpton directly addressed states’ rights as incongruous with Dr. King’s teachings and instead focused on education, poverty, jobs and immigration reform. Sharpton told his rally it was important to keep King's dream alive and that despite progress more needs to be done. "Don't mistake progress for arrival," he said.
You may ask, what do I know about racism and bigotry in this country, not being a victim of racial discrimination myself. Well I know the difference between right and wrong and anyone who hates another simply because they may be different from themselves, is truly a sad excuse for a human being, let alone an American.
I voted for Obama, campaigning feverishly for the ‘Change’ America so desperately needs and took a lot of guff from those who told me I had no place in supporting a black candidate for president. I supported the best man for the job period, and personally did not care about anything else.
My family upbringing exposed me to bigotry, but I made my decision to embrace tolerance as a lifestyle when, within a matter of weeks, assassins’ bullets robbed America of two great humanitarian leaders: Martin Luther King Jr. and Bobby Kennedy in 1968. I was only 8 at the time, but felt both losses very deeply.
What I cannot understand is how America in the year 2010 could revert to such rampant racism, not seen so openly manifested in this country for decades. 47 years ago, MLK spoke of the Fierce Urgency of Now. In 2008 President Obama used those same words but in a different context, to describe what needs to be fixed in this country. Have we learned so little in nearly 50 years time that race should still divide Americans?
With Beck’s “I have a scheme” rally in DC not far from Sharpton’s gathering, it was widely speculated that there could be some disruptive or violent outbursts, should the Reclaiming the Dream attendees mingle with the Back Head crowd. Sharpton and the several thousand marching with him did cross paths with some of the crowds leaving Beck's rally. People wearing "Restoring Honor" and tea party T-shirts looked on as Sharpton's group chanted "reclaim the dream" and "MLK, MLK." Both sides were generally restrained, although there was some mutual taunting.
Sharpton’s crowd honored the great words of Martin Luther King Jr., when in his 1963 speech he said:
"In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force."
Fresh from her win as 2010 Miss Universe, the now-Former Miss Mexico Ximena Navarrete (who's name has been misspelled as "Jimena Navarrete") appeared on The Late Show With David Letterman and to read the David Letterman Top 10 List as only she can do.
Here's the video of Jimena (Ximena) Navarrete reading the list, followed by the test of what she said:
9: "During this bedbug crisis, go door-to-door scratching the itchy."
8. “Bring your car to my house, and I’ll change the oil.”
7. "I'll find a new wack-job to take over as American Idol judge."
6: “I’ll offer Osama Bin Laden a meet-and-greet. When he shows up, BAM, we grab him.”
5: “Teach men to pull over and ask for directions. Am I right, ladies?”
4: "Give world what it really needs, a new celebrity perfume."
3: "Bring peace and stability to Jennifer Aniston’s love life."
2. "Gonna go around the globe, kicking butt like The Expendables."
1. "Support equal rights for less attractive people, like Dave."
Judging by the search rankings, Ximena Navarrete's still an Internet hit in Mexico. Google Insight For Search reports that overall search intensity for her name spelled with a "j" - a common error - is 26, where as it was 100 last Tuesday. But in Mexico, it's at 100. But when her name's spelled with an "X" the search intensity increases to 31 Worldwide, and 100 in Mexico.
According to CNN News, Paris Hilton was arrested Friday night Nevada on cocaine charges. She was pulled over by the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas. The police detected the smell of marijuana and she was arrested for suspicion of carrying cocaine. I guess you could say the arresting officer won the drug lottery arresting the Hilton Hotel heiress who not so long ago wiggled out of an alleged marijuana arrest in South Africa.
Paris Hilton's lawyer is already quoted in People Magazine saying, "Don't Judge Paris Hilton on drug bet yet." He is quoted in People as also saying, "This matter will be dealt with in the courts, not in the media, and I encourage people not to rush to judgment until all of the facts have been dealt with in a court of law," attorney David Chesnoff said in a statement. "
I am not a Paris Hilton fan, although I did watch part of the sex tape, and I felt sorry for her. She did not appear to like the sex at all, and as I recall she found part of it painful. She just wanted to go out and party. I am glad the police are not giving her special treatment. Paris, if you want to party and be above the law, come to NYC.
Gross reported, these, "...companies named in the lawsuit are Aol, Apple, eBay, Facebook, Google, Netflix, Office Depot, OfficeMax, Staples, Yahoo and YouTube."
An unnamed Google representative states this:
"This lawsuit against some of America's most innovative companies reflects an unfortunate trend of people trying to compete in the courtroom instead of the marketplace. Innovation -- not litigation -- is the way to bring to market the kinds of products and services that benefit millions of people around the world," a Google representative said."
My Suzannah B. Troy thoughts on this is how many plebeians dream of doing what Paul Allen is doing? I have to laugh out loud. It is not just that Paul Allen co-founded Microsoft by that he has the chutzpah or should I say moxie to take companies that us plebs dream of taking on.
Good luck Paul Allen and I look forward to how this story ends because Paul Allen isn't the kind guy use to losing.
The 99er video has been released and it is excellent. This emotional 2 minutes, 15 seconds on YouTube really speaks to the 99er plight, desperation and frustration with Washington indifference. See America's 99'ers: The Forgotten video below.
The 99er Nation is hopeful their video can go viral, that way it will be covered on all the big TV media outlets in America. The video showcases one of thousands of suicides that have occurred since the beginning of America's tragic recession, including the note one man left for his children.
America's 99'ers: The Forgotten was professionally created at a production company in Atlanta. The 99er community were asked to send in their pictures and this story really hits home. There was not room in the video to show the hundreds of pictures which were sent in to the studio, but the photos put a human face on the statistics and untenable situation of long term unemployment in America today.
The 99er movement in America is dedicated to lobbying Washington for jobs and until those jobs are available, the UI benefits needed to survive. All of the sudden, Congress has forgotten that the 11 million job loss fiasco over the past 3 years was caused by Wall Street and not America's Jobless victims. Washington bailed out Wall Street because the bankers line the pockets of Congress with campaign contributions and lobbying graft, but the unemployed have no such money to bribe Congress to get the help they desperately need.
If the lawmakers on Capitol Hill were more interested in helping the economy and not building their own wealth/campaign war chests it would behoove them to remember that the most immediate and stimulative thing to do is to extend UI benefits to all the longest term unemployed. For every $1 in UI benefits spent by Congress, over $1.90 is put back into the economy immediately. (this according to NELP and the Congressional Budget Office)
With the release of the 99er video comes the hope that Americans and politicians alike will see first hand the suffering of their brethren and do something before yet another 99er takes their life, goes homeless or God forbid turns to crime in order to feed their family.
The UC Berkeley Letter To Students On California by Berkeley Professor Michael O'Hare is one that California Gubernatorial Candidates Jerry Brown and Meg Whitman should see because both are part of the generations that Michael O'Hare points to as essentially responsible for the decline of California, but for different reasons.
Jerry Brown was Governor of California when Prop 13 (also called AB 8), the legislation reducing property taxes to 1 percent, was passed in 1978. Prop 13 us widely pointed to as the legislative device that robbed California of the tax revenue is used to provide the public services it was known for.
Michael O'Hare is Professor of Public Policy At The UC Berkeley Goldman School Of Public Policy, where he's chair of that schools undergraduate minor program. He also maintains a blog at Samefacts.com.
This blogger saw the "UC Berkeley Letter" in a group email from the Oakland, California-based Welstone Democratic Club's Yahoo Group, and it was taken his blog entry at Samefacts.com.
August 23rd, 2010
A letter to my students
by Michael O'Hare
Welcome to Berkeley, probably still the best public university in the world. Meet your classmates, the best group of partners you can find anywhere. The percentages for grades on exams, papers, etc. in my courses always add up to 110 percent because that's what I've learned to expect from you, over twenty years in the best job in the world.
That's the good news. The bad news is that you have been the victims of a terrible swindle, denied an inheritance you deserve by contract and by your merits. And you aren't the only ones; victims of this ripoff include the students who were on your left and on your right in high school but didn’t get into Cal, a whole generation stiffed by mine. This letter is an apology, and more usefully, perhaps a signal to start demanding what’s been taken from you so you can pass it on with interest.
Swindle - what happened? Well, before you were born, Californians now dead or in nursing homes made a remarkable deal with the future. (Not from California? Keep reading, lots of this applies to you, with variations.) They agreed to invest money they could have spent on
bigger houses, vacations, clothes, and cars into the world’s greatest educational system, and into building and operating water systems, roads, parks, and other public facilities, an infrastructure that was the envy of the world. They didn’t get everything right: too much
highway and not enough public transportation. But they did a pretty good job.
Young people who enjoyed these ‘loans’ grew up smarter, healthier, and richer than they otherwise would have, and understood that they were supposed to "pay it forward" to future generations, for example by keeping the educational system staffed with lots of dedicated, well-trained teachers, in good buildings and in small classes, with college counselors and up-to-date books. California schools had physical education, art for everyone, music and theater, buildings that looked as though people cared about them, modern languages and ancient
languages, advanced science courses with labs where the equipment worked, and more. They were the envy of the world, and they paid off better than Microsoft stock. Same with our parks, coastal zone protection, and social services.
This deal held until about thirty years ago, when for a variety of reasons, California voters realized that while they had done very well from the existing contract, they could do even better by walking away from their obligations and spending what they had inherited on
themselves. "My kids are finished with school; why should I pay taxes for someone else’s? Posterity never did anything for me!" An army of fake 'leaders; sprang up to pull the moral and fiscal wool over their eyes, and again and again, your parents and their parents lashed out
at government (as though there were something else that could replace it) with tax limits, term limits, safe districts, throw - away - the - key imprisonment no matter the cost, smoke - and - mirrors budgeting, and a rule never to use the words taxes and services in the same paragraph.
Now, your infrastructure is falling to pieces under your feet, and as citizens you are responsible for crudities like closing parks, and inhumanities like closing battered women’s shelters. It's outrageous, inexcusable, that you can't get into the courses you need, but much
worse that Oakland police have stopped taking 911 calls for burglaries and runaway children. If you read what your elected officials say about the state today, you'll see things like "California can't afford" this or that basic government function, and that "we need to make hard choices" to shut down one or another public service, or starve it even more (like your university). Can't afford? The budget deficit that's paralyzing Sacramento is about $500 per person; add another $500 to get back to a public sector we don't have to be ashamed of, and our average income is almost forty times that. Of course we can afford a government that actually works: the fact is that your parents have simply chosen not to have it.
I'm writing this to you because you are the victims of this enormous cheat (though your children will be even worse off if you don't take charge of this ship and steer it). Your education was trashed as California fell to the bottom of US states in school spending, and the
art classes, AP courses, physical education, working toilets, and teaching generally went by the board. Every year I come upon more and more of you who have obviously never had the chance to learn to write plain, clear, English. Every year, fewer and fewer of you read newspapers, speak a foreign language, understand the basics of how government and business actually work, or have the energy to push back intellectually against me or against each other. Or know enough about history, literature, and science to do it effectively! You spent your school years with teachers paid less and less, trained worse and worse, loaded up with more and more mindless administrative duties, and given less and less real support from administrators and staff.
Many of your parents took a hike as well, somehow getting the idea that the schools had taken over their duties to keep you learning, or so beat - up working two jobs each and commuting two hours a day to put food on the table that they couldn't be there for you. A quarter of
your classmates didn't finish high school, discouraged and defeated; but they didn't leave the planet, even if you don't run into them in the gated community you will be tempted to hide out in. They have to eat just like you, and they aren't equipped to do their share of the
work, so you will have to support them.
You need to have a very tough talk with your parents, who are still voting; you can't save your children by yourselves. Equally important, you need to start talking to each other. It's not fair, and you have every reason (except a good one) to keep what you can for yourselves with another couple of decades of mean - spirited tax - cutting and public sector decline. You're my heroes just for surviving what we put you through and making it into my classroom, but I’m asking for more: you can be better than my generation. Take back your state for your kids and start the contract again. There are lots of places you can start, for example, building a transportation system that won't enslave you for two decades as their chauffeur, instead of raising fares and cutting routes in a deadly helix of mediocrity. Lots. Get to work. See you in class!
It is unclear whether 50 Cent is tweeting under the influence, if Kanye West hacked his Twitter account, or if he just wants to be outrageous.
In any event the tweets that 50 Cent has posted are getting lots of attention for outlandish statements, references to Ja Rule (Shady records and Murder Inc. had the huge feud that spewed between Ja Rule and 50 Cent), the Obama administration, and details of his intimate life.
Here are some screenshots of the tweets from the past few hours:
The tweets may be entertaining and re-tweetable, but let's hope that everyone will be able to just laugh it off.
Today thousands of Americans gathered, chanted and marched through the streets of Detroit in the huge Jobs-Justice-Peace Rally, sponsored by the UAW and Jackson's Rainbow Push Coalition. Jackson encouraged citizens across the state to rally together on Saturday, for various causes, including student loan forgiveness, jobs and ending the current wars.
Participants in Saturday's march were asked to meet at 10:30 a.m. at the UAW-Ford National Programs Center, 151 W. Jefferson Ave Detroit, Michigan, for a march, prior to the rally. The rally itself was held at the Grand Circus Park. People were bussed from neighboring states by the rally's sponsors and the turn out was stunning.
According to The Detroit News: Jackson said the focus of the initiative is to ensure policy makers put people first when making decisions.
Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), said Detroit was chosen as the kickoff site for the campaign because it is at the heart of the nation's economic fight. "This is the epicenter for the struggle for jobs, justice and peace," she said at a press conference before the march. "We have come here because we have no choice."
It is unknown at this time how many other similar rallies are planned for the Jobs-Justice-Peace Campaign, but if Jesse Jackson in behind this effort, the series of rally dates is sure to be a huge success, drawing media attention wherever they decide to march.
So in the previous blog posted it was made clear that Glenn Beck denies that this is a political rally, and after reading more about what has gone on at the rally it seems as though Beck has attempted to turn the rally into a religious experience.
As the rally opened Beck told his supporters, "America today begins to turn back to God. For too long this country has wandered in darkness."
The event even included a pastor making a prayer offering while Beck continued to add references to God within his speech. This "Restoring Honor" rally seems more like "Restoring Religion."
The rally even included gospel music and the speeches sounded more like sermons. Beck says:
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press
"It has nothing to do with this city or politics. It has everything to do with God Almighty."
Beck is a converted Mormon. He welcomed Evangelical leaders to speak - and the speakers were frequently interrupted with shouts of praise and "AMEN!"
Beck tried to make a point of saying not to mix politics and religion by suggesting, "We cannot mix those two, but we must give a voice to what God says we must do."
See, that is considered mixing the two - because the first Amendment gives the right to freedom of religion which means that not everyone believes in God.
He continues to say, "My message to you tonight [tonight? this speech was given at noon] is stand where He wants you to stand and trust in the Lord. If He tells you to do it, do it. If you can't figure it out, He will. Just do it."
The part of the event that was well received and respected by all was the honoring of the Veterans and the supporting of the troops - which was something all Americans regardless of political party or religion could appreciate.
The Tea Party movement is really getting out of hand. The Boston Tea Party was revolutionary and was an act against the British - this Tea Party movement is an act against its own country. The rally speaks of supporting troops overseas in the war, and it seems as though the troops are the only thing America can unanimously support. The Boston Tea Party was to help strengthen America - but this Tea Party makes a mockery by dividing America into another group and pinning Americans against one another, but more about the Tea Party in another post.
Do wealthy Americans discount the 99er movement or do they even know these 'Exhaustees' exist? What could it possibly hurt if the 99er Nation of nearly 5 million hurting Americans gets their desperately needed Tier 5? The wealthy members of Congress are all too familiar with the Americans who have exhausted their UI compensation, but only recently have they introduced legislation to address this issue.
As the November election draws near, it is unclear if Washington will address this legislation in September, let alone pass The Americans Want to Work Act.
With the Congress in recess until the middle of September, there is not much to report on the Tier 5 bill at present. Still the story of the moment is how the 99er Nation will be able to change the focus of Washington from their own reelections back to the Tier 5 bill before they reconvene. It will take continued, unrelenting pressure on the White House, the media and your Congressional leaders to get this accomplished.
In an interesting article titled Wealthy America’s Perspective on Tier 5 Unemployment Extension: ’99ers Can’t Hurt Us (published August 4, 2010), Michael Danielson lays out some excellent points. From the article: “The question that we all need to answer, then, is simple: how can we forcibly reconnect the rich to the society that they parasitically feed upon while making and spending their money overseas? Until that happens, the American economy isn’t ever going to improve, and no amount of Tier 5, 6, or 7 unemployment extensions is going to fix the long-term problems that the ’99ers and the other 30 million unemployed Americans are facing.”
“The Tier 5 unemployment extension means nothing to the wealthy, because the entire country means nothing to the wealthy. We know that politicians are dependent on the wealthy to stage campaigns, especially in a recession (when normal folk have nothing to donate). That means that politicians, in turn, have no real incentive to create a Tier 5 unemployment extension, either. The ’99ers — and the working class at large — are powerless on a deeper and more pervasive level than ever in American history.”
I strongly disagree with the assertion that we are powerless. After all, only a few months ago, the position of Washington lawmakers was: “there will not be Tier 5 legislation, period.” The 99er Nation’s hard work has paid off in the introduction of not one but two bills currently in Congress. (S 3706 and HR 6091) Now the battle begins to see to it that the Stabenow bill (S 3706) is extended to include all states then get the bill passed. Once that is done, it should sail through the House quickly then Obama can sign it into law. Sounds much easier than it really will be to accomplish.
The 99er issue, being sidelined in the media these days for more intriguing headlines (like the Mosque near ground Zero) it is easy to feel forgotten and unmotivated. The 99ers are urged to step up their efforts to a feverish pace, as the prize (even their very survival) is nearly at hand.
Continue to call, fax, email and participate in events for candidates courting your vote. Inundate the White House with calls demanding the President speak out on this issue to pressure Congress to pass The Americans Want to Work Act.
A complete list of legislator contact information can be found at: Jobless Unite http://joblessunite.yolasite.com/legislators-contact-list.php
WE NEED ALL AMERICANS concerned about this crisis to contact the White House Comments Line 202-456-1111 Comment line is only open 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Monday thru Friday EST. Remind the President how the economy began to slip backwards again this past April and it is no coincidence that the bulk of the 99ers ran out of money by the end of March.
Passing a Tier 5 immediately will give the economy a huge shot in the arm as soon as it is passed. Using an average of $300.00 per week, multiplied by 5 million recipients, that will put 1.5 billion dollars into the hands of people who will spend it immediately. If the CBO (Congressional Budget Office) is correct that every $1 spent on UI benefits results in a stimulative effect of $1.93, that means nearly 3 billion dollars injected into the economy for each of the 20 weeks proposed for a Tier 5. That is a great deal of help for America's economy and may translate into a hero's welcome for Democrats in November. This would also make the question of whether or not wealthy Americans discount the 99er movement a moot point at best.
HR 6091 Tier 5 Bill for the 99ers - does not pass the laugh test. Then again, millions of unemployed Americans without UI payments going on 8 months (with no jobs in sight) is no laughing matter.
Earlier this month, Rep. Jim McDermott cosponsored legislation to create a 5th tier of Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) unemployment insurance (UI) benefits in states with high unemployment. The legislation was introduced by Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-NV) and would add an additional 20 weeks of benefits for states with unemployment rates of 10 percent or higher.
“Right now, there are more long-term jobless Americans than we’ve ever had on record, and we can’t just let them all fall off a cliff,” Rep. McDermott said. “I don’t believe how we can cut and run from helping unemployed workers when there are five of them competing for every available job. You only have to hear from a few unemployed workers to know how hard they are looking for work and to feel their sheer sense of desperation. Are we really prepared to just stand by and watch them sink into abject poverty?”
The economy would have to create nearly 10 million new jobs to return to its pre-recession level, which would take about five years of consistent, month-after-month job growth. While the country has seen job growth in every month this year, the unemployment rate remains at almost 10 percent, and many economists predict that it will remain high for the foreseeable future. In fact, the Congressional Budget Office projects the unemployment rate to average 9.5% next year.
“The Bush administration and Congressional Republicans presided over the implosion of the housing market and world economic collapse, and handed us the worst economy in 70 years,” opined Rep. McDermott. “Ending assistance to the long-term unemployed will reduce consumer demand right at the point when the economy is struggling to get back on its feet. It will surely increase the number of homes going into foreclosure. And it will drive some individuals permanently out of the labor force. All of these outcomes will increase our nation’s budget deficit. But even worse, they will bring about a crippling deficit of hope for the future.”
With Stabenow's bill S. 3706, the Berkely bill's best use would be as a Tier 6 in addition to the Tier 5 legislation proposed by Stabenow. The 10% unemployment rate in the Berkely/McDermott bill would only cover 16 states plus the District of Columbia. That is completely insane, and not what America needs now.
What needs to happen to the Americans Want to Work Act is that it must be extended to cover all states (as written now it excludes 16 states from the 20 week extension). Then we need to add the Berkely - McDermott bill on top of that to give the states who are hurting the worst extra weeks, much like the Tiers 3 & 4 did last fall. This would make far more sense than the Berkely/McDermott bill alone. Only the 10% UI threshold seems way too high to be of real service to millions of hurting Americans.
Hopefully, while in the midst of the latest Tier of UI benefits, Congress can pass a real effective Get America Working Again bill, much the scale and scope that Roosevelt did in 1939. These are serious times indeed and we all really want to earn our own living, rather than to lobby heartless legislators every few months while the jobs creep back, a few thousand at a time.
Exactly who do the House members who introducing HR 6091 think the 99ers are? Most 99ers understand that Republicans taking the majority in the House and/or the Senate is a very bad idea. Ms Berkely blew her chance to help the 99ers weeks ago and chose not to take on "too hard of a fight", when there was still time to fight hard for legislation that would help the 99er Nation. She did not step up for millions of 99ers and they likely will not help her keep her seat in November. In fact, the smart money says 99ers will be working feverishly to oust her from Congress. This bill is nothing but another ploy to make it look like lawmakers are doing something to help America, while all they really are doing is trying to do is save their seats in November.
Instead of helping the 99er Nation, by introducing this legislation, it may well cost all 99ers more valuable time. Time they do not have. What part of unemployment being a national emergency do they not understand?
Let's say that the Senate passes the Stabenow bill, then sends it to the House. Will the House waste more precious weeks of 99er time trying to reconcile the McDermott/Berkely bill with S 3706? No thank you. We saw that on March 10, 2010, HR 4213 passed the Senate. The House did not act with any sense of urgency with their attempts to reconcile that bill with their own, waiting until the end of May to pass their version. This is not the time to squander more lives of 99er families by wasting precious time.
To date, most 99ers are struggling through their 8th month with no benefits. We all know the jobs are not out there, so what exactly are the long term unemployed to do? If you really care about the longest term unemployed in America and not just grandstanding, then either redo HR 6091 so that it can be a Tier 6 on top of the Stabenow Tier 5 or simply kill that bill.
In short, HR 6091 Tier 5 Bill for the 99ers - does not pass the Laugh Test. Only, there is nothing funny about millions of Americans forced into abject poverty, from which many may never again escape.
Everything Glenn Beck does is political, and this Fox News commentator is not fooling anyone with his attempts to disprove that there is any political involvement that ties into this rally.
Ironically this rally takes place on the 47th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s I Have a Dream speech at the same location. Beck says that this rally will reclaim the civil rights movement.
The only "tea party" that deserves to go down in history is the Boston Tea Party, but the current Tea Party activists (Paul Revere is turning in his grave) wholeheartedly supports this rally.
Sarah Palin gave a speech to the 100,000 gathered around the Lincoln Memorial. She says, "We must restore America... Say what you want about me but I raised a combat vet. You can't take that away from me."
Beforehand she tweeted:
Reverend Jesse Jackson told CNN that Beck was mimicking Martin Luther King Jr. and "humiliating the tradition."
There is a nearby gathering with Reverend Al Sharpton planned to march to the sight of the future Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial.
TMZ reports Paril Hilton's defense will be that she "would not be caught dead" with cocaine in her purse, in an apparent reference to her 2007 Los Angeles arrest and her two arrests this year.
Hilton has retained Las Vegas defense attorney David Chesnoff, who TMZ describes as powerful, and who was instrumental in getting her out of jail without bail.
While it's not reported, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to determine the person driving the car Paris Hilton was in, was her boyfriend Cy Walts. TMZ earlier reported that the two boarded a private jet headed for Las Vegas that Friday.
David Chesnoff Partnered With Mayor of Las Vegas
According to Wikipedia, David Chesnoff, of the four-person law firm of Chesnoff & Schonfeld, was a law partner with Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman; the two met in 1985.
Chesnoff has had a notable list of clients, including Vince Neil, Michael Jackson's family, Leonardo DiCaprio, David Copperfield, Shaquille O'Neal, Andre Agassi, Britney Spears, Mike Tyson, Martha Stewart, Jamie Foxx, Lindsay Lohan, Scott Weiland of the Stone Temple Pilots, Nate Dogg, Suge Knight, and now Paris Hilton.
Do not confuse this with the bill the State of New York has passed making buying cigarettes more expense than heroin which I am told sells on the streets of NY for eight dollars.
I have posted on many blogs and made a YouTube about how I believe the taxing of the American Indians economic racism and you can read my explainations about why below including economics 101: The Native American Indians do not have the economic opportunities Americans have because they are on the reservation as well as the question why should the American Indians be subject to a tax to close a massive budget deficit that they have nothing to do with and hasn't our government abused, exploited and greatly harmed the American Indians enough already.
Here is the link to The New York Post article "Indians' cig suit to drag" I came across which states, "A federal judge is delaying a decision on the Seneca Indian Nation's request for a restraining order to block NY from imposing steep new taxes sold on cigarettes sold on Indian Reservations." The NY Post reprinted this from AP.
You can read more on my blog www.suzannahbtroy.blogspot.com about how I write President Obama, read what I wrote him and see the YouTube I made calling the mayor and governor out on what I believe is economic racism. By the way, to date mayor Blooomberg has not apologized for his "cowboy -- Indian" comment which was not funny. Listen to my YouTube about what I have to say about Paterson and Albany clowns who have not yet balanced the massive budget deficit and again I ask why do the American Indians have to pay for what in my opinion an economic crisis do to corruption, stupidity and greed in State and City government. Watch the YouTube for more of my insights on this wrongful action by the governor and mayor Bloomberg. Here is my original posting which is important to check out as well.
As of this writing, "Paris Hilton Arrested" and "Restoring Honor" are dual Twitter Trends, with "Paris Hilton Arrested" first and "Restoring Honor" right after it. This is in the wake of Hilton's arrest for alleged possession of cocaine in Las Vegas.
That fact led to some really funny tweets, like this one:
Lord_Voldemort7 - "Paris Hilton arrested" & "Restoring Honor" are trending. So the world is finally restoring honor by arresting stupid people? About time. 7 minutes ago via web
Well, Paris did get out of jail and without posting bail according to TMZ.com, but the Twitteratti are being rightfully harsh on Paris. Hilton has been arrested three times in three different parts of the World - South Africa, France, and The U.S.A. - for drug possession. Here are more tweets:
glentickle - Paris Hilton arrested for coke. Great, now we can spend 6 months hearing how another stupid rich girl spent 3 days in jail. about 1 hour ago via Brizzly
emstarmusic - Paris Hilton arrested for possession of Cocaine .. allegedly she was seen entering Soulja Boy's hotel room after Kat Stacks left
lilduval - #believeduval paris hilton arrested for going to pickup soulja boy cocaine. smh
2 minutes ago via web
Paris Hilton's Las Vegas arrest for cocaine possession, coupled with the two other times this year that she was suspected of possessing marijuana, signal a return to her careless, freewheeling habits that eventually landed her in the slammer for 23-days in 2007 and for alcohol-related reckless driving, and caused a much watched release from jail:
Later that year on September 29, 2007, Paris Hilton appeared on The Late Show With David Letterman and to make up a show she was supposed to do earlier that year except that she was in jail in Los Angeles.
But, apparently perceiving that Paris had not fully learned her lesson, even though she cried in court and reportedly had a hard early set of days adjusting to what was a "traumatic" experience, Letterman put the heat on Paris:
In an interview that CBS On YouTube edited out 4 minutes of (and should not have) - the version above is the full discussion - Letterman asked her what it was like to be in jail and thwarted her attempts to change the subject. David said that Paris Hilton was in a position to give good advise to a lot of young people.
Also, Paris Hilton said she was going to get more involved in non-profit efforts and help people less fortunate than themselves. And by implication, Hilton was going to stop her substance-abuse habits.
Now, it's 2010, and Parid Hilton's back to her old ways, only worse, it seems. Earlier this year, Hilton was arrested in South Africa for suspected possession of marijuana, but the South African authorities dropped the charges after a friend confessed the pot was hers.
Just two weeks later, Hilton was jailed in France for having less than a gram of weed in her purse.
Why?
First, why does Paris do this? Second, why does she insist on having boyfriends who are nightclub owners? Do they supply her with the drugs she needs to get high?
Is Paris Hilton setting herself up for a 2007 replay? Can someone intervene and reengineer Paris Hilton's brain before it's too late?
Paris Hilton has all of the ingredients to be a more successful business woman. But she's not going to get there without a severe intervention on the part of people who really care.
Paris Hilton was arrested in Las Vegas for possession of cocaine just days after a screwed-up knife-wielding man tried to break into her home in Los Angeles, and just months after she was suspected of possession of drugs in South Africa and in France.
This time, Paris Hilton was booked into the Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas, according to Las Vegas police spokesman Marcus Martin via MSNBC.
The "friend" she was with is her boyfriend Cy Waits, who runs a set of Vegas nightclubs. On that same day, TMZ blogged that Hilton and Waltz boarded a private plane that TMZ speculated was headed for Las Vegas.
