Virgin Megatore SF Car Crash Update

On Wednesday, a car crashed into the former but still "marked" Virgin Megastore at the corner of Market and Stockton near San Francisco's Union Square. If you missed it, here's my video (I was the first to break the story as I was on the scene) which was made just about 10 minutes after the crash happened:



According to KGO, the driver of the car that wound up in what used to be the entrance lobby of the record and video store said she was trying to avoid a big rig truck as she was heading down Stockton. Then, she lost control of her car and went right into the front door on the building.

As you can see, she hit it perfectly.

What's confusing to this blogger is the driver had to be going down Stockton Street, which would have had her driving next to the building and well past the front door. Why? Because Stockton crosses Market Street and the Virgin Megastore's front door - where she crashed - is on Market.

The only way she could have hit that door was to have made a u-turn coming down Stockton, turned the wrong way along Market, and then hit the door. That also means the "big rig" would have had to have moved up, not down, Stockton. If that's the case, it was going the wrong way.

Or, the woman was going the wrong way up Stockton herself, and turned to avoid the truck going down Stockton, along with what certainly was a flood of car traffic.

The things that make you go "hmmm."

Unemployed Americans - Especially 99ers Got Scrooged!

There is so much confusion over this “so called” 13 month UI extension President signed into law yesterday, I thought I would help sort things out for the American Jobless masses - 1 thing is for certain: Unemployed Americans - Especially the 99ers Got Scrooged!

First get this straight: you will NOT be getting a 13 month extension of additional UI benefits and there is a better than 50% chance that you will not be getting anything at all, ZERO - ZIP - not 1 dime. Let me explain.

With well over 18 million unemployed in this country, the DOL will admit to 15.8 million (a figure which has remained magically unchanged since the beginning of 2010 - even as they - the DOL - continues to report new jobless claims each week of 2010 between 423,000 and 576,000. Since you cannot put in a new jobless claim unless you have recently lost your job - then I say just do the math. Obviously the DOL thinks Americans are very stupid!)

But let’s use their 15.8 million for argument sake and their 7 million estimate of jobless Americans currently collecting UI benefits. That would mean 8.8 million unemployed are NOT collecting any UI at present for a variety of reasons. Of that 8.8 million amount it is estimated over 5.8 million are UI exhaustees with many more to join their ranks in the first 3 months of 2011 - despite this “so called 13 month UI extension the Obama administration seems so proud of negotiating.

Now here are some cold hard facts about the BIG tax break / UI Extension trade off:

$25 Extra UI compensation (or FAC) is OUT! Federal Additional Compensation is a temporary, federally funded program that adds a supplemental $25 payment to each week of unemployment compensation benefits. To be eligible, an individual must have established a new Unemployment Insurance claim with an effective date on or before 5/23/10. The statutory end date of the FAC program is December 7, 2010, therefore, FAC cannot be added to any payment for week ending December 18, 2010 or later. FAC WAS NOT RENEWED in HR4853! [Source: Federal Additional Compensation UPDATED DECEMBER 17, 2010]

So billionaires and millionaires get everything they wanted and more (The death Tax expanded in their favor) and the poorest unemployed get HOSED out of an additional $25.00 bucks a week. Un-frigging believable!

Extended Benefits or EB (the 20 weeks that are NOT given as a TIER) has a UI% rate trigger (unless you are lucky enough to live in 1 of 13 states who have their own EB program -check with your state’s UI office).

The EB trigger for federally funded states is as follows: The High EB program ends if the total unemployment insurance rate averages less than 8.0% in any three-month period.

So according to Nov. 2010 figures that leaves out:
Oklahoma, Minnesota, Montana, Maine, Maryland, Arkansas, Alaska, Wisconsin, Utah, Iowa, Wyoming, Kansas, Virginia, Vermont, Hawaii, New Hampshire, Nebraska, South Dakota and North Dakota.

The way the Government is playing fast and phony with the UI % rates - it is highly likely that your state, if not listed above - soon will be!

Now let’s get to the Tiers 3 & 4:

Your state’s total unemployment insurance rate must average 6.0% for a three-month period before you will qualify for 13 weeks of Tier 3 EUC.

Using Nov. 2010 figures again, the following states are out of luck for a Tier 3: Vermont, New Hampshire, Nebraska, South Dakota and North Dakota.

And these states may soon join the NON - Tier 3 eligible states above: Oklahoma, Iowa, Wyoming, Kansas, Virginia and Hawaii.

As far as Tier 4 goes, your state’s total unemployment insurance rate must average 8.5% for a three-month period before the 6 weeks of Tier 4 will “trigger-on.”

Currently that leaves out: Oklahoma, Minnesota, Montana, Maine, Maryland, Arkansas, Alaska, Wisconsin, Utah, Iowa, Wyoming, Kansas, Virginia, Vermont, Hawaii, New Hampshire, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Texas, New York, Colorado, New Mexico and Delaware.

And leaves the following states between 0.1 and 1% of being in jeopardy of getting “down graded” to NON - Tier 4 qualified very soon: Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, Alabama, Arizona, West Virginia, Washington, Missouri, Idaho and Tennessee.

Remember no matter what you read about UI exhaustees being counted in your State wide or National UI rates - THAT IS NOT TRUE! If you do not believe me then do the math yourself. But I’ll let you comb through the monthly DOL reports to get that info, after all WHY should I do all the work?

Hello Washington - poverty is not some disease you are going to catch just by helping someone in desperate need. After all, it is YOU, your policies and FAILURES which put America in this untenable situation.

For Congress and the President to falsely tout this as a 13 month extension for the long term unemployed is a flat out lie that distorts the truth in an unconscionable manner, as MOST of the people on at least their 1st Tier of EUC by about September this year WILL NOT GET anywhere near 13 months AND this bill actually EXTENDED NOTHING but dates for the more recently unemployed Americans to file for what will amount to far less that the max 99 weeks - as they continue to mislead the Jobless with false UI % rates in all states!!!

For those of you who feel I am not happy with our president of late, how very perceptive of you! Was always a strong supporter of Obama and I am as patriotic as any American. I am just heart broken and disgusted that my president would turn his back on millions of jobless Americans hurting the worst and borrow money from foreign nations to make sure the wealthiest in this country can keep their gardeners and pool boys without liquidating a few stocks.

And if that angers you - the fact that I speak out when Obama does something I clearly believe is WRONG - then I refer you to the following quote by one of our GREATEST presidents EVER:

"To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public."- Teddy Roosevelt

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National Candlelight Vigil for 99ers, December 20th

A National Candlelight Vigil for 99ers will be held at City Halls across America at between 6-7PM, December 20, 2010.

Please join local 99ers and supporters for this first national 99er event:

ONE FLAME LIGHTS THE WAY...

99ers and their supporters will join together at your local City Hall to remember the forgotten, respect the suffering and rejuvenate our souls by coming together as Americans. Bring your candle and stand with your neighbors and other 99ers. Many are suffering today, not just 99ers. Many need to see a light at the end of this dark tunnel. Many need to feel hope. Connect with 99ers and supporters in your area and show There IS Hope, There Is Light. One Flame Lights the Way. Please RSVP today.

https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dFdqZGpUaVdUMmlHM1lScFNyWW5MMmc6MQ

There is also a Facebook Event page for this event:

LET THE FLAME LIGHT THE WAY facebook event

Please RSVP and get out there to let America know what is happening to millions of 99ers and their families. Let the 99er Nation know they have your support and this fight to survive is not over by a long shot! www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=154561994589952

AND PLEASE do NOT forget to invite your local MEDIA!!!!

[Please use the donation button below to help Paladinette to KEEP FIGHTING for the 99ers! Thank you.]

TRON Movie Review At The Grand Lake Theater in Oakland, CA.

The first review of TRON from this space was more about its similarities with 2001 A Space Odyssey, and called Tron Legacy: 2010: A Digital Odyssey, and why it was disturbing to this blogger.  

But this is to explain that TRON is a good movie, not a great one, but good, and that you should see it at The Grand Lake Theater in Oakland, CA.

The Grand Lake Theater, at Grand Avenue and Lake Park Ave near Oakland's Lake Merritt, has existed since 1926 and features an enormous main viewing room that represents the best of the old theaters.

The friends I saw it with thought TRON was outstanding and, as the video shows, would definitely see it again. However, the 3D element was disappointing. Again, converting a 2D movie to 3D is something that should be done with care and consideration. It had to add something to the film experience.

The TRON 3D effects don't add much to the film. I was constantly moving my 3D glasses up and off and back over my eyes again to tell the difference; it was negligible.

TRON could have done just as well without the 3D element. Unfortunately, because of the box office success of Avatar and new televisions and broadcasting systems, we're going to see more, not less of movies with poor 3D effects, like TRON.