Casslyn Welch and John McCulskey are caught By Nikky Raney

After escaping from prison the modern day Bonnie and Clyde - Casslyn Welch, 44 and John McCulskey, 45 - have been caught. Welch assisted McCulskey and other inmates escape from an Arizona state prison July 30, 2010, which led to a manhunt for two of the most wanted fugitives.

NY Daily News

Welch is McCulskey's cousin as well as lover. The two are suspected of killing a couple in New Mexico during their run from authorities; the bodies were found in a burned out camper earlier this month.

The two are said to have evaded authorities in at least three six states before being caught Thursday, August 19 at a campsite in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest in eastern Arizona.

U.S. marshal for Arizona, David Gonzales, says that Welch reached for a weapon until she realized she was outnumbered by the special weapons police team.

Gonzales tells CBS News:

"We want to tie them to as many crimes as we can. We want to ensure that the New Mexico murders are looked at carefully, working with those agencies. And if there are any more crimes that were committed while they were out, we want to make sure we tie those to them."

The two are said to be white supremacists that are extremely dangerous.

McCluskey was serving a 15-year sentence for attempted murder along with other charges. He had said that he wished he killed the forest ranger who tipped off authorities after seeing their stolen car.

The prison is being reviewed for its security since the inmates were able to escape. It is reported that the prison has a badly defective alarm system.

Media coverage of suicides By Nikky Raney

Originally posted at The Future of Journalism.


Media coverage of suicides

 By Nikky Raney

Suicide is a very sensitive and serious issue, and the last thing any family or friend wants to do is talk to the media after a loved one has committed suicide.

Generally news sources have specific ethics, and for the most part suicides are not covered except in circumstances where the suicide is a part of a bigger situation entirely.

When I blogged about the "Craigslist Killer" dying in jail I made sure not to include the word "suicide" within the title - in order to not feed into the sensationalism of some news sources. I think the family is upset enough over the fact that Philip Markoff is known as the "Craigslist Killer."

The reason why that suicide was covered is that it shines a light on the way inmates are treated and watched over in jails. After being placed under watch for potentially being suicidal it doesn't seem right that he was still able to successfully end his own life.

Life behind bars can certainly effect someone's mental health. The lack of communication with the outside world as well as the lack of freedom really takes a toll. The bigger picture behind the suicide being covered was the conditions that led to the suicide.

NPR covered this subject in November 2009 with a segment called "Media Should Tread Carefully in Covering Suicide." The transcript along with audio focuses on when an adolescent commits suicide and the media reports on it - this has happened quite a few times, and it all comes down to ethics. It's how a journalist chooses to go about covering the story - what angle to take. Sometimes the journalist is not given the option to not cover a suicide, because the editor may assign the story and all the reporter can do is figure out a way to cover the story by the deadline.

The NPR piece includes an interview with psychiatric epidemiologist Madelyn Gould at Columbia University in New York City where she says:

"We know from studies that have looked at the impact of the media that there is something called the 'dose-response association.' So the size of the increase in suicides following a suicide story is proportional to the amount, and the duration, and the prominence of the coverage."

The piece continues:

"There are ways that the media can cover a suicide that can actually help mitigate the risk of additional suicides, says psychiatrist Paula Clayton, medical director of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, who regularly advises the media on how to report on a suicide. For example, they should report on the many complex factors that may have led up to the suicide and emphasize that 90 percent of people who kill themselves have mental health problems."

Journalism Ethics' Stephen J. A. Ward did a piece on whether journalists exploit tragedies such as suicides. 

Ward does an amazing job at explaining what attracts journalists to covering these types of stories, and why journalists feel like it is a responsibility to cover these events. He writes:

"Take the case of suicides. To be blunt, suicides are frequently newsworthy – a public official in trouble commits suicide, a distraught military hero takes his life. But these cases are frequently more than newsworthy. They challenge journalists to explore the economic and social factors that may help to induce suicidal behavior. When we witness a string of suicides at a school or in an aboriginal community, suicide is no longer personal but social. It is the responsibility of journalists to explore the reasons for these disturbing patterns in the fabric of society. "

That really does sum it up quite nicely.  The problem arises when journalists forget about the sensitivity and emotion surrounding the matter and decide to take the sensational route that becomes more of an exploitation.

Some may wonder what counts as exploitation, Ward tells:

"What counts as exploitation? To exploit is to unfairly use people in a less powerful position to achieve your own ends — without a thought to their needs and interests. As Kant famously said, the basic principle of all ethics is: Do not treat other people only as a means to your ends….In journalism, Kant's principle works like this: In reporting on a person's tragedy I am, on one level, treating this event as a means to my end of getting the story. But on another level, I am not exploiting the situation if I treat the persons in question with respect and attempt to minimize harm. "

He continues:

"Ethical journalists still "get the story" but they do so in responsible ways that avoid callous harassment and crude exploitation."

The piece Ward writes is exactly what I believe, and it is good to know that there are journalists out there who share my belief on the ethics of journalism 

Yes, there are many ways to cover a suicide and have the most read or watched coverage - but what is more important is to cover the suicide with respect and sensitivity and get the story without causing more pain to those affected.

"Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to do." - Potter Stewart

Michael Douglas has cancer: Tip sheet for managing new diagnoses. By Dr. Christina Villarreal

Hollywood actor Michael Douglas, now 65, is reported to have throat cancer, and will undergo 2 months of chemotherapy and radiation according to his spokesperson. For years, Mr. Douglas had admittedly engaged in drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes regularly. "That combination is, unfortunately, a recipe for development of a throat cancer," Dr. Kenneth Hu, co-director of the Head and Neck Institute at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York, told "Good Morning America" today. Spokesperson for the 2-time Oscar winning actor shares that his doctors expect him to make a full recovery.

Mr. Douglas has chosen to remain publicly composed thus far, stating "I am very optimistic" about his condition. Further, Twentieth Century Fox says his upcoming film release Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps will open as scheduled on Sept. 24, despite the actor's new cancer diagnosis, and that Michael Douglas plans to promote the film as scheduled.

Yet behind the scenes, it is likely that the actor is still grappling with frightening news of his new cancer diagnosis. For many, this can be one of the most terrifying moments in a person's life. Fear, anxiety, heightened psychological distress, anger and sadness are just some of the difficult feelings that people experience when facing a new cancer diagnosis. Being overwhelmed with such feelings can make it extremely hard to remain organized and well-informed about the treatment phase following a new diagnosis.

During my work in the Behavioral Medicine Dept. of Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, CA I regularly provided psychotherapy for patients coping with new cancer diagnoses, as well as during and after their treatment phase. It is not uncommon for people to continue to be confused and unsure of how to proceed throughout this difficult period of their lives. Below is a simple list of tips that can help alleviate some of the confusion and fear following a diagnosis of cancer.

1. Make a list of your questions before each appointment. Some people keep a "running list" and write down new questions as they think of them. Make sure to have space on this list to write down the answers from your doctor or nurse. Print this 'Questions to ask your doctor about your cancer treatment' and bring it to your next appointment.
2. Bring a family member or trusted friend to your medical visits. This person can help you understand what the doctor or nurse says, and talk with you about it after the visit is over. Having source(s) of support is key. You should also ask your doctor about being connected to a medical social worker who can also be very helpful with managing the logistical details of your treatment.
3. Ask all your questions. There is no such thing as a stupid question. If you do not understand an answer, keep asking until you do. That is what your doctors and nurses are there to do, in addition to providing you with your treatment.
4. Take notes. You can write them down, or record them. Later, you can review your notes and remember what was said.
5. Ask for printed information about your specific type of cancer and associated chemotherapy and/or radiation.
6. Let your doctor or nurse know how much information you want to know, when you want to learn it, and when you have learned enough. Some people want to learn everything they can about cancer and its treatment. Others only want a little information, in different phases. The choice is yours.
7. Find out how to contact your doctor or nurse in an emergency. This includes who to call, and where to go.

This article was submitted by Dr. Christina Villarreal, Clinical Psychologist in Oakland, CA. For professional referrals and inquiries please contact her at christina.villarreal@gmail.com


SOURCE: National Cancer Institute, PEOPLE magazine

Roger Clemens you are not Naomi Campbell by Suzannah B. Troy

I wrote several powerful postings on Naomi Campbell and in them I humorously wrote super models do not go to jail. I am guessing that Roger Clemens thought the same thing about future Hall of Famers but he may be wrong.

I thought Naomi Campbell would go to jail for perjury but after allegedly lying she went and partying up a storm in Italy.

Roger Clemens may not be so lucky even though the USA makes celebrities in to demi-gods, not accountable and mostly above the law.

There are amazing articles written about Roger Clemens in the local New York papers and here are just a few links.

Clemens’ defiance started this dreary, never-ending saga
Trading his shot at Hall of Fame for Hall of Shame
Former New York Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens put himself in jam with Congress by testifyingThere are more great pieces by sports writers but I would be here all day.


Bottom line is this is a very sad fall from grace and a warning to celebrities as if they have not received enough -- you are not above the law, keep kidding yourself you are and you hopefully will be in for a rude awakening....

NBC a big liar? by Suzannah B. Troy

Queens Crap has a new post"  "Why is the media silent on challangers?" which shows the "Throw the Bums Out" YouTube  for  Doug Biviano who is challenging Joan Millman for NY State Assembly in Brooklyn's 52nd District but  can't get the press to cover his campaign challenge.  


In Mike Moore  like fashion Doug goes to the media reception desks  of the media here in NYC and asks to speak to the press.  Only NBC, and NBC claims it is their security guard and not them that is demanding the YouTube come down.  Read why this in my opinion stinks like a dead rat...

The YouTube that is set to come down in 24 hours because NBC is in my opinion a) proving the entire point of this YouTube which I believe is also by not covering opposing voices the media helps perpetuate cronyism and it is also a form of passive censorship allowing business as usual although often we hear "throw the bums up" we can't if the media won't cover opposition.

b) NBC wants us to believe that the security guard -- okay you see the word "security" either never saw the video camera that in Michael Moore fashion was plain to see and following Doug Biviano around -- and the camera man is a large fellow or perhaps the security guard had no problem until ready for this a mysterious friend alerted the security guard his face was on the video for 7 seconds and he perhaps the security guard should contact YouTube to have the video removed.

Question:  Is this friend of the security guard at NBC employed at NBC in perhaps a more senior position than the security guard?

NBC has the most pathetic local news channel ever to be seen in NYC's history.  Why do I say that?  Because NBC's local tv news show at 5:00PM resembles Entertainment tonight and not a news program.
Perhaps that is one example of why it is hard to throw the bums out because media giants like NBC want folks to watch entertainment light news rather than the serious issues that impact our daily lives like why we are living in a recession that more and more is resembling a depression unless you are rich.


In my opinion NBC has proven the very point of the YouTube expressed in the Michael Moore like video about the media's attempt to silence challangers.   In my opinion no wonder NBC has a local news  program at 5PM that does not report the news.

NBC how low can you go?   Can we have the name of the security guard's friend please?

I  made this comment posted below on Queens Crap in response to a commentor because he points out Alexander Hamilton was Zenger's lawyer.  To me there is even a greater irony here that The New York Post is not covering challengers and the creator of The New York Post -- is the super star lawyer that takes on the British Governor and wins his case freeing Zenger from jail for saying the governor's administration is corrupt.

Well at least The New York Post did not stoop to the petty level that media giant NBC
My comment on Queens Crap:
First of all "GeorgetheAtheist" I love you.
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/zenger/zengeraccount.html

After reading your posting I read this...thanks and hugs.  Great way to start the morning.
Bravo to Queens Crap for posting this and rewind thanks to all of you that wrote YouTube Google when all my work was removed from YouTube before the election....Thanks and gratitude!
My tube when the story first broke...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45YEIwoAnyY





NBC how low can you go?   Can we give a media giant a lie detector test?


http://suzannahbtroy.blogspot.com/

Philip Treacy stars in Project Runway, but is there a race problem?

Philip Treacy 

Philip Treacy, arguably the UK's most famous hat maker, and who works are more like giant sculptures, took the spotlight in Project Runway Episode 4. Unfortunately, so did a race problem that some African American fans of the show pointed to after the elimination of a black competitor, Kristin Haskins Simms from Philadelphia.

But before we go a step further, Project Runway Season 8 is this according to its website:

Project Runway premiered on Thursday, July 29 at a new time, 9 pm et/pt, supersized as 90 - minute episodes. Hosted by supermodel and fashion maven Heidi Klum, the hit series provides 17 talented designers – the most in series history – with an opportunity to launch their careers in fashion, under the watchful eye of mentor and Liz Claiborne Chief Creative Officer Tim Gunn. Judges Michael Kors and Nina Garcia weigh in on the best and worst of the runway. Project Runway is 2010’s number one rated and most watched competitive reality program on ad-supported cable among Women 18-49, Women 25-54, Women 18+, Adults 18-49, Adults 18+ and Households.

Kristen Haskins Simms

Sunday night's episode featured Philip Treacy. The 17 designer were asked to come up with a design to go with one of Philip Treacy's famous hats. But in so doing, Philip Treacy's work was catapulted out of the New York / London Fashion Culture and into mainstream American homes. On Twitter, Project Runway fans tweeted their delight with what they saw:

_elizabethriley: New life goal: own a Philip Treacy hat. That man is fabulous. #projectrunway
about 3 hours ago via HootSuite

But the raves over Philip Treacy's hats were overshadowed online by complaints on the mamin Project Runway Fan Site that the show does not give black contestants a fair shot.

Over at The Original Project Runway Fan Blog, some of the the comments went this way:

I am not surprised that Kristen was elimnited, this sh-- happens every year with AA designers , there is no way in hell that Michael and Koto weren't great designers, season after season it is the same ### different season, what is it about this show ,they don't have the balls to select an AA to be the winner, April design looked like panties with a zipper, GMAB, this show is turning into a joke, why have AA contestants on the show at all? knowing they will not be the winner, there are a lot of designers in this season with crappy attitude, so don't single out Kristen, it's all a bunch of bull

Philip Treacy worked with Project Runway Judges Heidi Klum, Michael Kors and Nina Garcia to crit the runway, which saw competitors Mondo, Peach, Gretchen, Andy, AJ and Ivy advance to the next round, while Christopher, Michael C, Kristin, Michael D, April and Valerie fell into the top three and into the bottom three.

Now this blogger is not a frequent watcher of Project Runway, and so can't make a definitive judgement on the show's racial culture. It's does seem that Project Runway makes an effort to have black designers on its shows; that one person doesn't work out who happens to be black seems more like just the luck of the draw.

That aside, there's a real concern among not a few African American fans of the show that there's a problem. It's not enough as a counter to say "Well, Heidi Klum's married to Seal and he's black." Heidi's but one producer and one judge on the show; if in total the culture's unfriendly to black designers, that's a problem.

But it's also something best determined by the shows fans.

Oakland Mayor's Race: Sierra Club Opens Forum To All Candidates

This is a quick supplemental and update to this blogger's last Oakland Mayor's Race blog post on Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan's call to the Oakland Sierra Club Chapter's Volunteer Chairman Kent Lewandowski, asking if he and the organization would open the scheduled Wednesday, August 25th Oakland Green Mayoral Forum (from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM) at East Bay Community Foundation 353 Frank Ogawa Plaza Oakland, CA) to all candidates.

Well, after all of that, The Sierra Club cleaned it's own air and made it fresh-smelling again , well, to everyone except the Oakland Climate Action Coalition. (Geez, how many non-profits do we have!?)

A email was just received from Kent Lewandowski, which reads as follows:

Zennie,

We are proceeding with the forum and are inviting all the candidates.

I have the following candidates listed on the registrar of voters
filing report (see page 22):

1. ARNOLD FIELDS
2. DON MACLEAY
3. DON PERATA
4. GREG HARLAND
5. JEAN QUAN
6. JOE TUMAN
7. LARRY LIONEL "LL" YOUNG JR.
8. MARCIE HODGE
9. REBECCA KAPLAN
10. TERENCE CANDELL

Please see the attached report.

If you know this is incorrect information, please let me know.

Thanks,

Kent

Kaplan Scores!

This email officially clears what would have been a really bad error on the part of The Sierra Club, and really shows that the League of Women Voters was correct in telling the Oakland Chamber of Commerce that Oaklanders would protest over an exclusionary mayoral forum.

And kudos to Councilmember Kaplan, who cared enough to make a call on behalf of all of the candidates and ask for the process to be opened-up. It was.

And in case you're wondering, Kent did apologize to the candidates for his first email, although I still hold that Terrance Candell came down on Kent too hard. At any rate, both are good people; I think they're going to be fine. Here's the email that Kent sent to the candidates:

Subject: Green Oakland Mayoral Forum - Aug. 25th
From: Kent
Date: Thu, August 19, 2010 9:58 pm
To: candell1@yahoo.com, candidate@macleay4mayor.org,
info@harland4mayor.com, mhodge@peralta.edu, LL.Young@prurealty.com,
dave@perata4mayor.com, sgpiper@sbcglobal.net, j@jonathanbair.com

Dear Candidates & Campaign Managers,

After consideration and listening to community voices, the Sierra Club
have decided to open our "Green Mayoral" forum on August 25th to all
registered candidates for mayor (as of August 16, 2010). Please see
the attached document from the Registrar of Voters listing all
candidates who filed by August 16th, 2010 (starting page 22). There
are 10 registered candidates listed there. If there are other
candidates that have registered (in other words, if our information is
not correct and somebody is missing from the list), and it can be
verified, those candidates will also be invited.

We are going to modify the format of this forum to have fewer
questions so that we can hear from all the candidates. A moderator
will be appointed and we will attempt to stick to a limited time per
speaker and question. The event takes place next Wednesday, August
25th from 5:30 - 7:30 at the East Bay Community Foundation, 353 Frank
Ogawa Plaza, next to City Hall. Please be there no later than 5:15.
Doors open at 5.

Please rsvp with an email to me (kentlewan@gmail.com). We need your
rsvp so that we can develop a program for the event and get some
biographical information from all the participants. If you could
develop a *brief* statement / bio (no more than 3-4 sentences), we
appreciate it. We will have a very simple program and try to squeeze
some information about each participating candidate on it.

We appreciate your coming and participating in a discussion about
issues concerning the environment, affecting all the people of
Oakland. Please ask your supporters to attend, as well.

We look forward to an informative and enlightening discussion,
hopefully the first of a series on green issues.

Kent Lewandowski
Chair, Northern Alameda County Group
Sierra Club, S.F. Bay Chapter

p.s. I apologize for any bitterness my previous email caused. I am a
volunteer and not skilled at public relations.

Now Senator Don Perata, who had said he would not participate in any forum that excluded candidates, can participate in his first Oakland Mayor's Race Forum.

But, as written, this will be without the Oakland Climate Action Coalition as of this writing. They backed out because of the exclusionary nature of the original forum plan and announced they were going to do their own mayoral forum in September.

Perhaps they will want back in?

Stay tuned.

Oakland Mayor's Race: Kaplan calls Sierra Club, Oakland Chamber bullies LWV

As this blogger has written, The (yeah, capital "T") Oakland Mayor's Race is going to get even more interesting and today, Thursday, is proof. Pay attention to this blog post if you enjoy laughter and guffaws, and you know you do.

First, Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan phoned to say she called Kent Lewandowski, volunteer Chairperson for the Northern Alameda County Group of the Sierra Club, San Francisco Bay Chapter, and the author of what's still the most awful email in Oakland Politics ever seen by this blogger, to ask him to include all of the candidates.

I must admit, this is funny

If you're just getting wind of this fart the Sierra Club broke, Kent Lewandowski sent an email to almost every candidate in the Oakland Mayor's Race (except Arnie Fields), to inform them and by "cc" this blogger that because they were not "viable" candidates, they would not be part of the Wednesday, August 25th "Oakland Green Mayoral Forum."

That meant the only participants in the "Oakland Green Mayoral Forum" would be Former State Senator Don Perata, and Oakland Councilmembers Rebecca Kaplan and Jean Quan.

But that didn't last long because Perata's Campaign Manager emailed to inform this blogger that Senator Perata would not be involved in any Forum that did not include every candidate running for Mayor (presumably, including Arnie Fields).

By that, we can say Perata means all forums that exclude candidates for booyah-boogie reasons, which includes the Oakland Chamber of Commerce event with the League of Women Voters.

So with the Sierra Club "Oakland Green Mayoral Forum" down to just two candidates, Kaplan and Quan, Councilmember Kaplan called Kent Lewandowski to ask the Sierra Club to open the Forum to all candidates. According to Councilmember Kaplan, Kent said he had to take the issue to "some people" but would "consider" doing that.

My response to Rebecca was that she should just drop out of the Forum, if only to teach the Sierra Club a lesson. But after further consideration, I think Councilmember Kaplan should be insulted that the Sierra Club would not just go-ahead and open the Wednesday Forum because she made the call. Why give the Sierra Club such power? I don't get it.

Rebecca Kaplan

And on the matter of giving power to Oakland groups who don't deserve it in the Oakland Mayor's Race, we have the League of Women Voters (LVW) essentially getting its Forum-production marching orders from The Oakland Chamber of Commerce and The Bay Area Business Roundtable, but wanting to back away from them.

Pay attention.

Oakland Chamber bullies LWV

According to sources that will not be named, it was the Oakland Chamber of Commerce and The Bay Area Business Roundtable that approached the League of Women Voters with a desire to form what is a totally laugh-producing, belly-hurting set of criteria for their Oakland Mayor's Race Forum on September 23rd at Kaiser Center, 7 PM.

The basic criteria for the Oakland Chamber / League of Women Voters Forum are reasonable. First one has to be on the ballot. Second, they have to have what the Oakland Chamber / League of Women Voters defines to be a "viable campaign:"

1. Made a public announcement of an intention to run

2. Legally registered campaign committee with the California Secretary of State

3. Have filed appropriate financial reports with the City of Oakland and the California FPPC

4. Publicly accessible campaign headquarters

5. Telephone number, other than a personal or home number, listed under the campaign’s name

6. Campaign website and/or other campaign material with articulated views on issues

7. Campaign bank account and campaign treasurer

Ok, all of that is fine. But what's really hilarious comes next:

In addition, the candidate must meet at least one of the following criteria:

1. The candidate has received 5 percent or more of the vote, tested in a trial heat in a professionally conducted independent public opinion survey conducted by an experienced political pollster based on a scientific sample of the entire electorate with a margin of error of less than 5 percent (at a 95 percent level of confidence), if such a public opinion survey is available.

2. The candidate has reported in legal documents filed with state or city government entities the receipt, during the election campaign, of at least one campaign contribution per 1,000 residents of the constituency (based on the total number of persons enumerated in the last U.S. census), excluding contributions from the candidate himself or herself, the candidate’s spouse, or the candidate’s natural or adopted children. Contributions do not have to be residents of the constituency to be counted.

3. The candidate previously had been elected to or held, the office that he or she is seeking.

4. The candidate sought the same office during the previous eight years and received at least 20 percent of the vote in the general election.

Now, if you think about it and know Oakland Politics, the above criteria leaves the Oakland Chamber / League of Women Voters Forum with just one candidate: Arnie Fields.

First, there's no public survey done to fit #1, so that's out. And that's really a stupid idea because it doesn't say that every candidate has to be in the poll, thus, the poll could be rigged to help certain candidates.

Second, for the second criteria to be met, the candidate would need 401 donations. While there's an effort to help presumably all of the candidates get to that number, it's not widespread or perfect, and because of that it will fall short. Maybe two or three candidates fall into this area, but that's it.

Third, not one of the candidates falls into criteria number three.

Fourth, the only person who falls into criteria number four is Arnie Fields, who ran in 2006. Seriously.

Here's Arnie stating his support to keep the A's in Oakland in 2006 during an Oakland Mayoral Forum called "Choose or Loose The A's:"



It's Arnie Fields and Who Else?

So, the only one of the candidates out right should be at the Oakland Chamber / League of Women Voters September 23rd Forum is Arnie Fields.

In other words, it's a coin flip that the other candidates meet the donation criteria, so it's Arnie Field's show. Especially since Senator Don Perata's not going to be there.

So you could have Fields, Kaplan, and Quan at the September 23rd Forum. But how did this happen?

The Oakland Chamber and BANG vs The League of Women Voters

According to sources, members of the Bay Area Business Roundtable, Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, and the Bay Area News Group (which calls itself "BANG" and publishes The Oakland Tribune) approached the League of Women Voters with the idea of doing the September 23rd Forum, but with some form of criteria.

The LWV objected to the idea of having criteria to exclude certain candidates because it would "lead to protests," but the Oakland Chamber persisted.

Now, what we have is a place where the League is refusing to rubber-stamp a system it did not want to start with, but is in place. In other words, the LWV was bullied by the Oakland Business Community, and the publishers of The Oakland Tribune. (Which is shameful for BANG, which appears to be involved in trying to BANG, if not rig, the Oakland election process.)

Sad and for almost everyone involved...except Arnie Fields.

The League of Women Voters Partners with BABJA

Preferring to discount that error of a Forum, the League of Women Voters points to its new partnership with Bay Area Black Journalists Association, or BABJA, for a "different kind" of forum to be held on October 21st at Holly Names in Oakland, and presented by a "strong moderator."

Meanwhile, the candidates are "inundated" as one put it, with forum invitations. There's the John George Democratic Club Endorsement Forum at 920 Peralta Street from 10 AM to 2 PM this Saturday. The Sierrs Club Green Forum is to be held Wednesday, August 25th, but let's see about that one.

And we have the "Black Women Organized for Political Action Forum on Jobs" set for September 2nd at 6:30 PM at Beebe Memorial Cathedral, 3900 Telegraph Ave. After that, there's the "Arnie Field Memorial Forum" by the League of Women Voters of Oakland, Bay Area Business Roundtable, Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, and BANG on September 23rd.

Then, the one forum the LWV wants you to think about when you think of them, its forum with BABJA at Holy Names, comes up on October 21st.

It's really sad that some Oaklanders feel they have to try and "control" the political process. As I told Councilmember Kaplan, there's a small group of people in this town who think they have more control than they really do.  It's funny to watch them in action, and gratifying to see their plans fail.  No candidate running for Mayor of Oakland should be excluded for any reason outside of the law.

Apple IPhone 4 new new software by Suzannah B. Troy

Yo, went to Itunes and there is yet another new download for IPhone 4.

Yes I just got  my new, new, new IPhone 4 and after returning to my 3GS until I got my replacement IPhone 4 I can't express in words how much better the IPhone 4 is.

Much better...understatement...the camera alone but so much more....back to you later on that.

Get yourself the most protective and perhaps ugliest protective cover possible...did you notice how many times I said protective....if putting a condom over it would help I would suggest that too.....I have had every Iphone made and this one cracks in to a thousand pieces if dropped....don't drop it.  I would suggest crazy glue but there are some scary people out there that do not know I am joking...they do not have that vital very sexy part of the anatomy called a funny bone.

Do not drop IPhone 4 and buy a hideous ugly thick cover....that bumper I got for free...Apple kept it went I handed in my crack and shattered glassed IPhone 4 and they can keep the free bumper...it did nothing to help me from shattering the glass in to a nightmare you don't want to have for hard core Apple Iphone lovers like me.....

This newest awful experience including major screw ups from Apple returning my shattered phone to me when they shouldn't, me wishing they could make a shatter proof water proof phone has still left me loving Apple radically big time and they are mind blowingly good even when they screw up.  The antenna problem is minor compared to the shatter problem....

Still love Apple and to get ugly high protection go on line or go to AT&T.  Apple to stay clear of controversary is IPhone 4 free of covers of any kind for IPhone 4.

p.s.  You want your phone to run faster and better make sure to close out of all your Apps.

Hit the home key at bottom -- that round depression - bottom of the front screen twice and any App open -- hit the minus sign and close out.

I love Apple.  Thanks for radically changing my life and helping to change other peoples too. I love you Apple.

Maria Gabriela Perez scams celebrities - By Nikky Raney

Maria Gabriela Perez, 51, is the owner of Beverly Hill's salon  Chez Gabriela Studio where she specializes in keeping celebrity's skin looking beautiful, but Perez is now facing charges for using the credit card information from her celebrity clients for her own benefit.

Perez's Beverly Hills Salon

Perez is accused of fraudulently charging hundreds of thousands of dollars onto credit cards belonging to  Liv Tyler, Anne Hathaway, Halle Berry and Melanie Griffith.

She skin care guru has allegedly put over $68,000 unauthorized charges on a card belonging to high-end jewelry designer Loree Rodkin.

Perez made most of the purchases from her studio by entering the card numbers manually. She kept the credit card information so that she would not need to swipe the plastic in order to make the purchases.

Her web site still includes celebrity testimonies including one from Jennifer Aniston - although on her web site she misspells "Anniston." Aniston tells Good Morning America that she stopped seeing Perez five years ago:

"I knew something like this would eventually happen because there's no way you can get away with that. It's terrible."

It has also been reported that Perez stole $214,000 from Tyler over a period of five months last year.

Perez faces two counts of fraud that carry a maximum prison sentence of 25 years if she is convicted.


Written by Nikky Raney

Roger Clemens & other NYC BULL by Suzannah B. Troy

Folks -- Live from NYC, it is me Suzannah B. Troy and I am generally really pissed off.
First here is a link to my original posting on Roger Clemens and please advise me.....do I rip up this photo or not?   Any one who had read my blog postings or my letters -- that is 2 in The New York Post  Sports Section on steroids plus one on the Yankee's passionless play where I ask that the Yankees be forced to return their bloated salaries for passionless play and the money be given to homeless shelters, libraries, schools, raises for NYPD, FDNY and teachers, can guess how I feel.

Well there is not much more to say about Clemens so I have to just rant to you about other things NYC that just are pissing me off for lack of a better word choice.


Crain's reports this...

NYC's jobs recovery continues to outpace U.S. and ran the article with a photo the bull down by Wall Street so I wrote...

What a load of bull manure.  Smoke and mirrors courtesy of king Mike Bloomberg and utter bull unless you are referring to all of Mike Bloomberg's campaign staff and cronies he is hiring.  Unemployment is higher than reported...always is and more is too come because those clowns in Albany still have not balanced the budget due April fool's day and it is almost Sept. plus politicians stealing tax payer money + wasteful spending does not help either. Suzannah B. Troy

Thanks to the Button Lady an amazing NYC activist for sending me this Michael Moore piece about in true Moore like fashion asking hey General Motors business is improving why are you not hiring which brings me to Mr. Smoke and Mirrors, Teflon Mike Bloomberg and his twin brother separated at birth Steve Rattner.  

By the way....has anybody heard any news about Steve Rattner getting banned by the SEC anytime soon.  The guy like all politicos inspired this Suzannah B. Troyism:  "Denial is the new crack cocaine from Albany to City Hall.  If he does get busted I guess he will have to transfer all those billion of dollars he manages for Mike Bloomberg...ehem's charity yet again and what about that bogus vanity book he had written -- ghost written that is...where he is the savior of the auto industry as Car Tzar of The White House....oops he had to step down from the job to spend more time with his family in NYC, yeah right...real reason pension fund scandals splish splashed all the way to The White House....

Also really pissed off at NBC.  Here is the YouTube and you have to go to the text portion to read why....plus this posting about NBC a media giant harassing Doug Boviano running for State Assembly actually violating his 1st Amendment rights because the lawyers at NBC have issue with 7 seconds of the video tape where an employee's voice and face are heard...tune in...question NBC how low can you go?  FYI, the security guard from NBC says it was his idea and not NBC lawyers but no other media outlet or employee has gone to the trouble that an NBC staff member has.  Why is that?

I am pissed off at all the litter bugs.  Really NYC find some self esteem and pride and work on eye hand coordination and throw your garbage in the garbage please!!

I am sick of this disgusting heat wave and worse is all the pollution that hangs in the air.  Something has to give.  Radical actions have to be taken because the pollution is just brutal.  I had to run a few short blocks last night and I had burning pain in my throat and upper chest and breathing hard - I use to run marathons, half marathons....is this post-Sept. 11?

Notify NYC sent me to notes one about cooling center for tomorrow and the second stating the NYS DEC has issued an Air Quality Health Advisory for NYC until 10PM.  Why only until 10?  It is brutal.

The NYPD wants to police air quality testing but I say we need kits passed out to citizens to test air quality religiously because there is something really wrong.  I stood with protestors fighting to keep Engine 36 aka Skells Angels open and the people of Harlem said they needed the fire house open because so many young residents of Harlem have asthma so fire fighters are there for them to fight fires but also make medical calls.   Mike Bloomberg shuttered this house along with others post 9-11 and Deputy Goldsmith his new republican anti-gay marriage guy says more closings to come...

Before I get to NYC happy thoughts I have to add one more thing....no Christine Quinn, Mike Blomberg's mini me for mayor -- she sold us out and if she won it would mean Mike Bloomberg having a 4th term running the city from a golf course if he can't get a job in The White House called President.


Okay, good and happy news...
PAL aka Police Athletic League rocks the house and they sent me a moving newsletter so if you can make a donation please do.  I have.

I realized I can stay home with my 2 cats and blog about celebrities all day and make money so there is no reason to go out.  I also live with the greatest lover on the planet...and I wanted to do the photo totally nude because it is just too hot and gross out there.   Folks I am joking about some of this and I know I have stalker that take everything I say literally so try and find your funny bone...I am only joking about some of the above...

Oakland Mayor's Race: list paired from 13 to 10

Don Perata 

In the Oakland Mayor's Race there were as of Tuesday, 13 candidates: Tim Brown, Terrance Candell, Arnold Fields, Sharika Gregory, Greg Harland, Marcie Hodge, Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan, Don Macleay, Niki Okuk, Don Macleay, Councilmember Jean Quan, Joe Tuman, and Larry Lionel Young Jr.

But now, according to The Oakland Tribune, that list has been paired from 13 to 10, as Tim Brown, Sharika Gregory, and Niki Okuk, did not have enough signatures to qualify for the ballot.

Wait. You mean we get to vote for Arnold "Arnie" Fields? Unbelievable. (Just joking, Arnie!)

And as of this writing, it's unclear if the Sierra Club, down to just two official candidates (and given a message I just got, down to one, but stay tuned), will still have its planned forum on Wednesday, August 25th.

Daniel Estulin's book on Bilderberg Group intrigues Fidel Castro - By Nikky Raney

Fidel Castro has recently become intrigued with a book about the Bilderberg Group that deals with conspiracy theories like that of a "new world order"

Daniel Estulin, investigative journalist,  wrote The Secrets of the Bilderberg Club in 2006. The book argues that the Bilderberg Group runs the world as a sort of global government, one world corporation. He writes:

"In fact, relations between the Bush Administration and the ‘terrorist’ and leader of Al Qaeda, Osama Bin Laden, were never better."

Castro included excerpts from Estulin's book in an article published Wednesday, August 18, in the Communist Party newspaper Granma. The book describes how the Bilderberg lobbyists want "to install a world government that knows no borders and is not accountable to anyone but its own self."

Castro expresses his suspicions as to whether the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center were actually planned by the United States government.

The Bilderberg Group web site says that Bilderberg is not a "secret conspiracy," but an "extremely influential lobbying group. That's not to say though that the organisers [sic] don't have a hidden agenda, they do, namely acumulation [sic] of wealth and power in their own hands."

Judging by the spelling and grammatical errors the web site is probably not run by one of the group members.

It isn't often that a public figure in politics would address a conspiracy theory in such a way as to call the book "honest and well-informed." For Castro to publicly admit that he finds the book honest and well-informed is shocking.

It is reported that Castro has invited Estulin to a private meeting.

Now that Castro has brought this book to light and given it a considerable amount of attention - it's only a matter of time until more world leaders speak up on their own views - especially since this theory directly attacks the intentions and actions of the U.S. government.

Written by Nikky Raney.

Roger Clemens to be indicted for perjury by Suzannah B. Troy

1010 Wins reports... "Federal authorities will indict ex-Yankee Roger Clemens on perjury charges, according to The New York Times."

I have a Yankee baseball signed by the old school Yankees and the ink has faded like baseball players integrity.

A-Rod is called "A-Fraud" on many websites here in NYC.   I am a New York fan and I support New York Teams but not cheaters and or wife beaters or dudes that use interns like sexual blow up dolls and that applies to misogynist creepy male behavior that pervades professional sports and I am sure these guys get an early start in throwing values and integrity to the wind.

I won't go to the "new" Yankee Stadium that leaves way too many New Yorkers aka known as the tax payers that declare the big Apple home....as in using tax payer dollars -- we were robbed - for a stadium to expensive for most New Yorkers to afford a ticket, beer and a hot dog.

Mike Bloomberg even made Babe Ruth's ghost homeless.   I won't visit the Yankee Stadium Babe Ruth did not build.

I have Roger Clemens signed photo I bought on the street and it may be a fake...what to do...maybe I will turn it in to the 1st Precinct....?

Egg Recall List, Salmonella Outbreak update: Georgia impacted

According to WSB News in Atlanta, Georgia, a local warehouse was storing eggs originally from The Wright County Egg Company in Galt, Iowa, and under the recall search issued by The US Food and Drug Administration, with Wright County Egg in full cooperation.

While the local warehouse was not specifically named in the TV news broadcast, Krogers, an active food seller in the state of Georgia, was not impacted by egg distribution from the warehouse.

Georgia was not on the official list of states that are part of the recall: California, Illinois, Missouri, Colorado, Nebraska, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Utah, Nebraska, Arkansas, and Oklahoma.

Story developing.

Egg Recall List Expands after Salmonella Outbreak; States Added

On Wednesday, a massive egg recall was announced after Wright County Egg in Galt, Iowa reported that salmonella contamination was in specific boxes of eggs the company produced and were distributed to California, Illinois, Missouri, Colorado, Nebraska, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa.

Now, reports are that the recall has expanded from 228 million eggs to 338 million eggs, and the list of states has expanded to include Utah, Nebraska, Arkansas, and Oklahoma.

The retail brands impacted are Lucerne, Albertson, Mountain Dairy, Ralph's, Boomsma's, Sunshine, Hillandale, Trafficanda, Farm Fresh, Shoreland, Lund, Dutch Farms, and Kemps.

According to The New York Times, Wright County Eggs added 152 million eggs to the recall claim on Wednesday. But the problem has existed since May, when it was discovered via an increase in the rate of Salmonella Enteritidis sickness claims from 50 a week to 200 per week.

Because the problem started in May, many of the eggs have already been cooked and eaten. But Wright County Egg reports they want to recover those eggs still on shelves.

Wright County Egg, of Galt, Iowa, is owned by by Jack DeCoster. The NY Times reports that Wright County Eggs has "had run - ins with regulators over poor or unsafe working conditions, environmental violations, the harassment of workers, and the hiring of illegal immigrants."

US FDA Announcement

The US Food and Drug Administration press release announces the recall expansion, claiming:

Wright County Egg of Galt, Iowa is expanding its voluntary recall (original recall date: August 13, 2010) of specific Julian dates of shell eggs produced by their farms because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. Salmonella is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections, endocarditis or arthritis.

Eggs are packaged under the following brand names: Albertsons, Farm Fresh, James Farms, Glenview, Mountain Dairy, Ralphs, Boomsma, Lund, Kemps and Pacific Coast. Eggs are packed in varying sizes of cartons (6-egg cartons, dozen egg cartons, 18-egg cartons, and loose eggs for institutional use and repackaging) with Julian dates ranging from 136 to 229 and plant numbers 1720 and 1942.

The US FDA says Wright County Egg is "fully cooperating" with their investigation.

Stay tuned.

Naomi Campbell in trouble again the IRS by Suzannah B. Troy

Dear IRS:  Don't you know super models are above the law and cannot be held accountable for anything? Really!  The New York Post, Page 6 reports the IRS has put a lien against her her in NYC.

The lien is small change for Naomi Campbell and in no way comparable to being threatened with imprisonment for not testifying in the trial of alleged dictator how committed crimes against humanity and allegedly gave the super model blood diamonds.  Blood diamonds are associated with  terrorism as in funding terrorism but Naomi played dumb or pleaded ignorance as well as allegedly perjured herself which with real people carries 2 years in jail.  As we know, Naomi Campbell is not real.   Liberia and Africa are probably grateful the super model's fame and ignorance have brought global attention to dictators in African responsible for mass murders, gang rapes, mutilation and torture so good going Naomi even if it is for all the wrong reasons.

Here is just one of a series of pieces I have written on Naomi Campbell and Blood Diamonds.

Naomi Campbell went straight from being a witness in a horrifying case on crimes against humanity to a decadent party in Italy so party on Naomi.  I am sure she is partying on right now!  Party on Naomi and I am sure she will teach the IRS what she taught an International Court, Super Models DO NOT go to jail!

Mosque troubles NYC more news by Suzannah B. Troy

Mike Daly, of The New York Daily News has a scoop, a piece of the puzzle regarding the Mosque, a religious site that appears to be causing enormous amounts of pain rather than bridging gaps and healing which one would hope is the case.  Daly tells us that a teenage boy is the reason the location of this Mosque was found in the first place.  Say what?  Yes...this story is too weird to be true but it is.  

Rewind:  Francisco Patino was a teenager inventor and on a reality tv show...it did not pan out although he even got a nod from Lance Armstrong regarding his bicycle invention but Patino made a great impression on someone, a developer,  Sharif el-Gamal and he was hired to find a location for a Mosque.

He did and the rest is history.  I suggest Patino change his telephone number and take a vacation, maybe considering moving to a new city?

The New York Post also has a piece on the Mosque proposed for the location by the World Trade Center and it is horrifying.  The Iranian dictator, The New York Post calls the Nuke Nut,  Mahmoud Ahmadinejad   who hates the USA, Israel, Jews and denies the Holocaust  wants to help fund the Mosque.

I posted this comment on on the Post's website in response to this article.  For people who don't know me I am one of Mike Bloomberg's biggest critics. Rewind: Didn't king Mike Bloomberg say it is none of our business where the money from the Mosque came from and I said Mike is saying that because he doesn't want to discuss his investments in the Cayman Islands and Steve Rattner is handling them. Rattner may be banned by the SEC for 3 years and Mike doesn't want to discuss that, his trips to Bermuda and what to do with poor and middle classes he is ticketing up to his eyeballs. Now getting back to this Mosque. We believe in religious freedom but it seems the people behind this Mosque deal ordeal want to cause as much emotional pain as possible and they have done that and they are getting support from people that are anti-religious freedoms and some are tied to terrorist groups shouting support...so is this Mosque really about religious freedom or about something else?

Mel Gibson Lindsay Lohan ugly Hollywood by Suzannah B. Troy

I am old an old movie buff and maybe way back when Hollywood stars were as repugnant as they are now but the Hollywood moguls controlled the stars and their images having enormous pull with the media.  Those days are gone except here in NYC, I can tell you New York Politics are now run very much like Hollywood studios of "old Hollywood".  Visit my central blog http://suzannahbtroy.blogspot.com/ or http://mayorbloombergkingofnewyork.blogspot.com/ to learn more  and visit my newest posting on how NBC honchos got their lawyers to contact YouTube owned by Google to remove candidate Doug Biviano's YouTube over a few seconds of footage in their lobby.

Now lets get to Mel  Gibson and Lindsay Lohan.  Aren't you glad you not Mel Gibson and Lindsay Lohan?  Here is some breaking news.  Osanka what's her name wants more money for child support.  Mel Gibson says he gives enough.  I believe if Mel was living in Germany during World War 2 he would have been the head of a concentration camp.  I loathe the guy.  Do I think Osanka what's her name is a gold digger?  Yes.  I do not believe Mel should have unsupervised visits his baby daughter.  I also think Osanka needs psychological counseling as much as Mel Gibson and for the sake of their baby daughter they get it.  She is very young to have so much plastic surgery she looks like an anorexic xerox of octomom; truly scary.  For more on Mel Gibson's continued downward spiral go to TMZ.  I love the show and Harry Levin is a lawyer so he has insights that entertainment shows do not have!

Now let's get to Lindsay Lohan.  According to The New York Daily News, Lohan is looking for one million dollars for a post jail-rehab interview.  Before I perused the article I thought it would be light weight but for Lohan fans it is a must read because they do address prescription drugs which many thing she has just as much a problem with as other substances including booze.

TMZ also reports the Lindsay Lohan won't be prosecuted for the missing Rolex.  The owner let it go literally and figuratively. 

When her must rushed to be interviewed saying people were too hard on her daughter many thought this is a show business mom showing her true colors which is green for show me the money trying to protect her daughter's brand aka bank-ability.  No matter how much there are those out there last than satisfied with their parents most or all are rejoicing we don't have Lindsay's scary dysfunctional parents as their own.  Her dad acts more like her stalker.  Scary stuff.

Perhaps these stars have spun so out of control because they have had too many people treat them as demi-gods praying at their altar rather than as flawed human beings which is what they are and we all are.  It is just celebrity is a drug.  If celebrities actually come to believe in their own celebrity it becomes a drug that greatly amplifies their weakness and flaws or in Mel Gibson's case his very, very, very dark side.

Are you glad you aren't them?

BlogWorld, Gnomedex, Web 2.0,..too many blog conferences?

Gnomedex: cool logo, lots of people on computers

This blogger's just plain dizzy from all of the blog, new media, and social media conference opportunities.

Consider that we have BlogWorld in October, Gnomedex this weekend in Seattle (missing that), Web 2.0 Expo already happened (skipped that), but Web 2.0 is approaching (not interested), and then there's SXSW next year (which I ranted about), and a whole slew of conferences not even mentioned until then.

Do we really need all of these blog, new media, and social media conference conferences? There are only three things all of these events have in common: 1) the are offline gatherings of humans, 2) they cost money to attend (and in some cases a lot of it, upwards of $300 per person) 3) they have speakers on panels in the pedestal format I've come to just hate, 4), oh, and they concern blogs, new media, and social media.

Why?

What does one get out of all of these conferences?

Here's my rant again:



It seems to this blogger that the number of these events has increased because the producers of them need the money. Think about it. Some one says "Well, I'm really not making the money from blogs, new media, and social media that I want to, so I'll do a conference. After all, I've got a lot of Twitter followers."

And so it begins.

No Way To Determine What's Worth Attending

There's no freaking way to determine which one of these events is worth going to. BlogWorld's in Las Vegas, so that seems like a no-brainer because, well, it's Vegas. Gnomedex? Well, Gnomedex is in Seattle, and it's got a cool logo. But for a profession that's supposed to be online, it seems like there would be some kind of online way of determining which one of these offline things one should go to.

Some kind of informal network should just "be." Something that saves us from all of this event junk in our midst.

If we're really good at this online deal, then we're got to start using it to weed out this stuff. ASAP.