I don't need anybody regulating the food I buy, I don't need anybody checking the efficacy of the drugs I use, I'm never going to need a fire-fighter or a policeman, I don't need roads and bridges maintained by some big agency, no not me, I'm fine with private "free market" solutions to everything, including education, defense, and immigration.Call it a little naive, maybe, but... the sound bites seem appealing until you ponder little things such as: who deals with pollution in the streams you fish in, or how a family living in a hut copes with forest fires, hurricanes, or immigration (at least there'd be no more illegal immigrants.)
Monday, September 14, 2009
"We don't want the government to do anything."
That's the mindset of some folks, despite the fact the U.S. Constitution actually calls for government to manage things such as defense, domestic tranquility, etc. In a way, it's interesting - it's utopian:
Miley Cyrus, Susan Boyle, Erin Andrews push Zennie62 on YouTube over 8 million views
More at Zennie62.com | Follow me on Twitter! | Get my widget! | Visit YouTube | Visit UShow.com
Thanks to the popularity of Miley Cyrus, the new buzz around Susan Boyle, and the peerhole video scandal around Erin Andrews, and the outspoken Megan Fox, President Obama, politics, celebrities, Oakland, and the NFL Draft, My YouTube channel Zennie62 is now over 8 million video views (not channel views) at 8,133,111 views as of this writing.
Today we are at between 18,000 and 24,000 views a day and earlier this year we hit over 100,000 views daily. Even at low end of the current view rate, that's 760 video views an hour each day. It's not my objective - I am aiming for the 100,000 view mark we were at - but its a sign of progress.
My channel was established in 2006, (and its not the only one I have as I'm on several more video systems thanks to Tubemogul) but its grown by 6 million views in just the last year, with my video "Susan Boyle: Who is Susan Boyle" gaining over 1 million viewers in its first month of life. Since then my blunt focus on hollywood and scandal (and tracking Miley Cyrus, Susan Boyle, and Erin Andrews) has paid off: we have several videos of over 100,000 views in the last three months alone.
All of this growth is due to a decision I made to cover celebrities and Hollywood news and gossip and to the good fortune of having my videos on more blogs like SFGate.com.
My objective has always been to "surf the wave of the Zeitgeist" (or the sprit of the times) and in fact my blog was originally called "Zennie's Zeitgeist". All of this started because I was trying to get more traffic to promote the sim games I created but it turned into this monster that you see now. (Ok, well, that's stretching it!)
But one day in September of last year I elected to move away from that name and to the more easily "brandable" Zennie62. Part of the reason was too many people were misspelling Zeitgeist and the other reason was I wanted to embark on a plan of developing a personal brand. "Zennie62" at first was a little used name, but as I thought about it, the name defined me and the fact that I'm between many generations at once.
The other main reason was my new TV show "The Blog Report With Zennie62" on Denver-based CoLoursTV that features the use of my videos on their network at DISH Network 9407. I'm proud of my relationship with CoLoursTV and Art Thomas and Damon Purdy and believe we've only scratched the surface of what we can do.
The show takes my videos from online to TV and has really made me pay attention to the craft of storytelling beyond just talking to the camera. I think our fall shows will refect that.
I want people to think of Zennie62 as following "what's happening" in industrialized culture. As I say on the TV show, we focus on politics, news, sports, and tech.
Now if you consider what I just wrote that's a tall order. But it's the objective. I want to grow my blog network and Zennie62.com and The Blog Report with Zennie62 TV show into a place to go to find out what's happening from my perspective and regardless of country.
Eventually, I want to have bloggers from different languages here and selected videos that have me and someone else who speaks Russian, for example. And what I already have is an integrated media presentation that's video blog, blog, and social network based to carry that content.
I could not have gotten this far were I not a YouTube Partner. I can't say enough about this program where the video maker is paid for the views generated by their videos. The YouTube staff, from founder Chad Hurley to folks like Hunter and Heather (you know who you are), have been incredible to work with.
It's too bad that out of the millions of videos uploaded on YouTube there are only about 600 YouTube Partners. I crack up whenever someone writes "get a life" as if I'm not generating income from this activity.
It's also a sad statement on our economy that so many people don't "get" how our society is changing and are stuck in a position where they can't get out of their own box of thinking to try something new.
Being a YouTube Partner is that something.
I have been influenced by many vloggers, starting with Amanda Congdon and Andrew Barron, the founders of Rocketboom who I met in 2006 at Vloggercon:
And my friend Irina Slutsky and Schlomo Rabinowitz who established that "Vloggercon" event:
Of course, I've mentioned Renetto, or Paul Robinett, many times. His simple conversational style made me realize that authenticity of message was better than presentation of message. That is, I really didn't need a studio set like that of Rocketboom; the World was my studio.
Sometimes Paul does things with his camera I would not do..
Others who fall into this "Renetto style" are Kenrg, who I still plan to get together with and make that video...
and who was a co-founder of Vloggerheads.com - the coolest site for hardcore vloggers ever made.
Sarah Austin, who's welcome back party I attended and is here with Ashton Kutcher, has the business of vlogging down and I've learned a lot just observing her...
Another person who influenced my work is Josh Leo, who's video of his trip to San Francisco for the 2006 Vloggercon is still fresh in my mind.
Finally, Michael Buckley of the "What The Buck" show, who's drawing a six-figure salary from vlogging, has great advice for vloggers and I refer others to this video:
I have to discuss the matter of being a "black vlogger" because let's face it, there aren't a lot of us who do this. There should be, and the number's growing, but it's not reaching critical mass - yet.
I'd like to think CNN's featuring my iReport video work encouraged African Americans to vlog who'd never have considered it before. In fact, I got a call from someone who said just that several months ago. Her 11 year old daughter was happy to "see a smart black man on TV". That made my day.
What disheartens me are those few who just don't want to see someone black stating an opinion in this format. It reminds me of the movie Nixon by Oliver Stone, and a scene where the actor James Woods played HR Haldeman saying "There's that Negro saying those Negro things." I seem to draw the HR Haldeman's of America.
But with that, people have changed and frankly I've done this so much the concern I have for those types diminishes daily. Plus, over the last three years, I've been helped by folks like Owen Thomas, who was editor of Valleywag.com and now runs NBCBayArea.com, and a number of people in the Tech community who just give a "thumbs up" once in a while.
I hope more women, blacks, and minorities become vloggers and get over the "self-promotion" tag that others - who are trying to find work and can't pay the bills - might tag one with. If you don't stick your neck out there and present yourself to others, you'll go broke waiting for someone else to do it for you. This takes work; do it.
While vlogging's certainly grown I have the feeling that the once-close community has splintered. I think part of the reason is many just could not make enough money to do it consistently, others didn't want to do what it took to make money, and still another set didn't care to make money. Whatever the reason, we don't have that one yearly gathering that defines the community. We're all just sort of out there doing our thing.
That needs to change, and soon.
The reason is we have a lot to show the sponsorship industry, but we've got to get them to look at us as a viable community. We can't do that if we don't present a united front.
Thanks to the popularity of Miley Cyrus, the new buzz around Susan Boyle, and the peerhole video scandal around Erin Andrews, and the outspoken Megan Fox, President Obama, politics, celebrities, Oakland, and the NFL Draft, My YouTube channel Zennie62 is now over 8 million video views (not channel views) at 8,133,111 views as of this writing.
Today we are at between 18,000 and 24,000 views a day and earlier this year we hit over 100,000 views daily. Even at low end of the current view rate, that's 760 video views an hour each day. It's not my objective - I am aiming for the 100,000 view mark we were at - but its a sign of progress.
My channel was established in 2006, (and its not the only one I have as I'm on several more video systems thanks to Tubemogul) but its grown by 6 million views in just the last year, with my video "Susan Boyle: Who is Susan Boyle" gaining over 1 million viewers in its first month of life. Since then my blunt focus on hollywood and scandal (and tracking Miley Cyrus, Susan Boyle, and Erin Andrews) has paid off: we have several videos of over 100,000 views in the last three months alone.
Zennie62 from 2006 to 2009
All of this growth is due to a decision I made to cover celebrities and Hollywood news and gossip and to the good fortune of having my videos on more blogs like SFGate.com.
My objective has always been to "surf the wave of the Zeitgeist" (or the sprit of the times) and in fact my blog was originally called "Zennie's Zeitgeist". All of this started because I was trying to get more traffic to promote the sim games I created but it turned into this monster that you see now. (Ok, well, that's stretching it!)
But one day in September of last year I elected to move away from that name and to the more easily "brandable" Zennie62. Part of the reason was too many people were misspelling Zeitgeist and the other reason was I wanted to embark on a plan of developing a personal brand. "Zennie62" at first was a little used name, but as I thought about it, the name defined me and the fact that I'm between many generations at once.
CoLoursTV
The other main reason was my new TV show "The Blog Report With Zennie62" on Denver-based CoLoursTV that features the use of my videos on their network at DISH Network 9407. I'm proud of my relationship with CoLoursTV and Art Thomas and Damon Purdy and believe we've only scratched the surface of what we can do.
The show takes my videos from online to TV and has really made me pay attention to the craft of storytelling beyond just talking to the camera. I think our fall shows will refect that.
Zennie62's direction
I want people to think of Zennie62 as following "what's happening" in industrialized culture. As I say on the TV show, we focus on politics, news, sports, and tech.
Now if you consider what I just wrote that's a tall order. But it's the objective. I want to grow my blog network and Zennie62.com and The Blog Report with Zennie62 TV show into a place to go to find out what's happening from my perspective and regardless of country.
Eventually, I want to have bloggers from different languages here and selected videos that have me and someone else who speaks Russian, for example. And what I already have is an integrated media presentation that's video blog, blog, and social network based to carry that content.
Being a YouTube Partner helped
I could not have gotten this far were I not a YouTube Partner. I can't say enough about this program where the video maker is paid for the views generated by their videos. The YouTube staff, from founder Chad Hurley to folks like Hunter and Heather (you know who you are), have been incredible to work with.
It's too bad that out of the millions of videos uploaded on YouTube there are only about 600 YouTube Partners. I crack up whenever someone writes "get a life" as if I'm not generating income from this activity.
It's also a sad statement on our economy that so many people don't "get" how our society is changing and are stuck in a position where they can't get out of their own box of thinking to try something new.
Being a YouTube Partner is that something.
The Vloggers who made me
I have been influenced by many vloggers, starting with Amanda Congdon and Andrew Barron, the founders of Rocketboom who I met in 2006 at Vloggercon:
And my friend Irina Slutsky and Schlomo Rabinowitz who established that "Vloggercon" event:
Of course, I've mentioned Renetto, or Paul Robinett, many times. His simple conversational style made me realize that authenticity of message was better than presentation of message. That is, I really didn't need a studio set like that of Rocketboom; the World was my studio.
Sometimes Paul does things with his camera I would not do..
Others who fall into this "Renetto style" are Kenrg, who I still plan to get together with and make that video...
and who was a co-founder of Vloggerheads.com - the coolest site for hardcore vloggers ever made.
Sarah Austin, who's welcome back party I attended and is here with Ashton Kutcher, has the business of vlogging down and I've learned a lot just observing her...
Another person who influenced my work is Josh Leo, who's video of his trip to San Francisco for the 2006 Vloggercon is still fresh in my mind.
Finally, Michael Buckley of the "What The Buck" show, who's drawing a six-figure salary from vlogging, has great advice for vloggers and I refer others to this video:
On being African American and vlogging
I have to discuss the matter of being a "black vlogger" because let's face it, there aren't a lot of us who do this. There should be, and the number's growing, but it's not reaching critical mass - yet.
I'd like to think CNN's featuring my iReport video work encouraged African Americans to vlog who'd never have considered it before. In fact, I got a call from someone who said just that several months ago. Her 11 year old daughter was happy to "see a smart black man on TV". That made my day.
What disheartens me are those few who just don't want to see someone black stating an opinion in this format. It reminds me of the movie Nixon by Oliver Stone, and a scene where the actor James Woods played HR Haldeman saying "There's that Negro saying those Negro things." I seem to draw the HR Haldeman's of America.
But with that, people have changed and frankly I've done this so much the concern I have for those types diminishes daily. Plus, over the last three years, I've been helped by folks like Owen Thomas, who was editor of Valleywag.com and now runs NBCBayArea.com, and a number of people in the Tech community who just give a "thumbs up" once in a while.
I hope more women, blacks, and minorities become vloggers and get over the "self-promotion" tag that others - who are trying to find work and can't pay the bills - might tag one with. If you don't stick your neck out there and present yourself to others, you'll go broke waiting for someone else to do it for you. This takes work; do it.
Vlogging's here, but that community...
While vlogging's certainly grown I have the feeling that the once-close community has splintered. I think part of the reason is many just could not make enough money to do it consistently, others didn't want to do what it took to make money, and still another set didn't care to make money. Whatever the reason, we don't have that one yearly gathering that defines the community. We're all just sort of out there doing our thing.
That needs to change, and soon.
The reason is we have a lot to show the sponsorship industry, but we've got to get them to look at us as a viable community. We can't do that if we don't present a united front.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
ACORN, Ecuador, Chevron, and the hidden video camera
More at Zennie62.com | Follow me on Twitter! | Get my widget! | Visit YouTube | Visit UShow.com
Readers and viewers have asked me to offer my opinion on the discovery by a couple of conservative activists that a couple of workers at the Washington DC office of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now or ACORN were giving advice on how a pimp and a prostitute can hide themselves from IRS scrutiny.
The "pimp" and the "prostitute" were "played" by James O'Keefe and Hannah Giles, she a columnist at TownHall.com in Washington, D.C, he a filmmaker and activist.
What they reportedly did was go around America on a tour of different ACORN offices posing as pimp and prostitute. According to CNN, most ACORN offices called the police on them with the exception of the Washington and Baltimore offices. Here's the video of what was said in the ACORN Washington office:
Now, what do I think? Well, the ACORN workers were wrong of course. Do you think I'm going to defend someone giving tax evasion tips to a pimp and his, well, you know. (I can't help but wonder if O'Keefe and Giles were sleeping together during their tour posing as people who were in the sex business. I mean all that talk and travel had to make them horny at some point, right?)
I also think it's a lot like the Chevron Ecuador case, where Ecuador Judge Juan Nunez was secretly caught on video in a meeting talking about the Chevron case and how he could rule and what the cost would be - $27 billion. Even though the Judge picked his words carefully, it was clear he knew about "that other thing" (because he used those words) which were the bribe arrangements where two environmental consultants would pay $3 million for the right to get a part of the remediation work the $27 billion was to pay for, in part.
Here's that video:
The cry in that case was that the consultants worked for Chevron; actually that's not exactly true but I'll deal with that in another blog post. The whine in the ACORN case was that the videos were made without the knowledge of the workers. In both episodes my response is if the subjects know that they're doing the right thing, they don't care if a camera or camcorder's in the room.
The simple fact that being secretely filmed is an issue for both the Judge and the ACORN workers means they knew they should not have been in those situations saying what they said.
Period.
The ACORN workers on camera were advocating a corrupt practice. The Judge and his friends in the Chevron video were caring out a corrupt practice.
I tell everyone I know this: if you're always in the right, you can't fear the use of a camera or camcorder because it will show that you were correct in your actions. The video made by O'Keefe and Giles doesn't damage the overall intent of ACORN at all; but it does call into question the ethics of some of the workers hired to staff the offices in certain cities, like DC.
The best action for anyone is to have their own camcorder. It's a good idea to have video evidence of one's actions anyway. But the bottom line is to just be on the right side of an ethics fight and to use the Golden Rule: do onto others as you would have others do on to you.
Readers and viewers have asked me to offer my opinion on the discovery by a couple of conservative activists that a couple of workers at the Washington DC office of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now or ACORN were giving advice on how a pimp and a prostitute can hide themselves from IRS scrutiny.
The "pimp" and the "prostitute" were "played" by James O'Keefe and Hannah Giles, she a columnist at TownHall.com in Washington, D.C, he a filmmaker and activist.
What they reportedly did was go around America on a tour of different ACORN offices posing as pimp and prostitute. According to CNN, most ACORN offices called the police on them with the exception of the Washington and Baltimore offices. Here's the video of what was said in the ACORN Washington office:
Now, what do I think? Well, the ACORN workers were wrong of course. Do you think I'm going to defend someone giving tax evasion tips to a pimp and his, well, you know. (I can't help but wonder if O'Keefe and Giles were sleeping together during their tour posing as people who were in the sex business. I mean all that talk and travel had to make them horny at some point, right?)
I also think it's a lot like the Chevron Ecuador case, where Ecuador Judge Juan Nunez was secretly caught on video in a meeting talking about the Chevron case and how he could rule and what the cost would be - $27 billion. Even though the Judge picked his words carefully, it was clear he knew about "that other thing" (because he used those words) which were the bribe arrangements where two environmental consultants would pay $3 million for the right to get a part of the remediation work the $27 billion was to pay for, in part.
Here's that video:
The cry in that case was that the consultants worked for Chevron; actually that's not exactly true but I'll deal with that in another blog post. The whine in the ACORN case was that the videos were made without the knowledge of the workers. In both episodes my response is if the subjects know that they're doing the right thing, they don't care if a camera or camcorder's in the room.
The simple fact that being secretely filmed is an issue for both the Judge and the ACORN workers means they knew they should not have been in those situations saying what they said.
Period.
The ACORN workers on camera were advocating a corrupt practice. The Judge and his friends in the Chevron video were caring out a corrupt practice.
I tell everyone I know this: if you're always in the right, you can't fear the use of a camera or camcorder because it will show that you were correct in your actions. The video made by O'Keefe and Giles doesn't damage the overall intent of ACORN at all; but it does call into question the ethics of some of the workers hired to staff the offices in certain cities, like DC.
The best action for anyone is to have their own camcorder. It's a good idea to have video evidence of one's actions anyway. But the bottom line is to just be on the right side of an ethics fight and to use the Golden Rule: do onto others as you would have others do on to you.
Kanye West apologizes to Taylor Swift's mom and on his blog
More at Zennie62.com | Follow me on Twitter! | Get my widget! | Visit YouTube | Visit UShow.com
The MTV VMA's were marked by an unfortunate event where Kanye West came out and took the mic from Taylor Swift, who was giving her thank-yous for winning Best Female Video of The Year, and said that Beyonce should have won it.
As I wrote here, that got hoots and calls from the audience and threatened to inject a racial divide into a show that was to be a celebration of Michael Jackson's music as Swift's a popular country music singer, Beyonce is African American and a pop / hip hop singer.
Kanye's move was classless and just plain aweful.
He was asked to leave Radio City Music Hall. So he went back to write this apology on his blogg after talking to Swift's mom:
The MTV VMA's were marked by an unfortunate event where Kanye West came out and took the mic from Taylor Swift, who was giving her thank-yous for winning Best Female Video of The Year, and said that Beyonce should have won it.
As I wrote here, that got hoots and calls from the audience and threatened to inject a racial divide into a show that was to be a celebration of Michael Jackson's music as Swift's a popular country music singer, Beyonce is African American and a pop / hip hop singer.
Kanye's move was classless and just plain aweful.
He was asked to leave Radio City Music Hall. So he went back to write this apology on his blogg after talking to Swift's mom:
“I’M SOOOOO SORRY TO TAYLOR SWIFT AND HER FANS AND HER MOM. I SPOKE TO HER MOTHER RIGHT AFTER AND SHE SAID THE SAME THING MY MOTHER WOULD’VE SAID. SHE IS VERY TALENTED! I LIKE THE LYRICS ABOUT BEING A CHEERLEADER AND SHE’S IN THE BLEACHERS! …………………… I’M IN THE WRONG FOR GOING ON STAGE AND TAKING AWAY FROM HER MOMENT!…………….. BEYONCE’S VIDEO WAS THE BEST OF THIS DECADE!!!! I’M SORRY TO MY FANS IF I LET YOU GUYS DOWN!!!! I’M SORRY TO MY FRIENDS AT MTV. I WILL APOLOGIZE TO TAYLOR 2MRW. WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD!!!! EVERYBODY WANNA BOOOOO ME BUT I’M A FAN OF REAL POP CULTURE!!! NO DISRESPECT BUT WE WATCHIN’ THE SHOW AT THE CRIB RIGHT NOW CAUSE … WELL YOU KNOW!!!! I’M STILL HAPPY FOR TAYLOR!!!! BOOOYAAAWWWW!!!! YOU ARE VERY VERY TALENTED!!! I GAVE MY AWARDS TO OUTKAST WHEN THEY DESERVED IT OVER ME… THAT’S WHAT IT IS!!!!!!! I’M NOT CRAZY YALL, I’M JUST REAL. SORRY FOR THAT!!! I REALLY FEEL BAD FOR TAYLOR AND I’M SINCERELY SORRY!!! MUCH RESPECT!!!!!”
MTV VMAs - Beyonce shows class to Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga dazzles, Kanye West: classless
More at Zennie62.com | Follow me on Twitter! | Get my widget! | Visit YouTube | Visit UShow.com
The MTV Video Music Awards.
As I write this we're watching Beyonce, who just won Best MTV VMAs Video of The Year, really show that class still exists in America by asking Taylor Swift to come out and take a bow that she really should have been able to have before.
What happened was that Kayne West really showed how little class he (surprisingly) has by storming the stage, grabbing the mic and saying, as Taylor won for Best Female Video..
Taylor was shocked. My jaw hit the floor. The Radio City crowd hooted and screamed. And over the next segment of the show, it seemed as if the mood was racially divided, and there was no need for that at all. Kanye really did a bad thing. I can't think of any other sane way to put it.
What somewhat made up for Kanye's butt-showing moment was the awesome voice of Lady Gaga. That chick, and yeah, she's all woman, can rock the house. Amazing talent. Beautiful woman. Focused and talented.
And now, Jay-Z's riffing a new song that's a tribute to New York City to end the show.
I've got to give Janet Jackson a real big thank you for opening the show with an incredible number celebrating the music of her brother Michael Jackson. You could see the emotion just pouring from her and his soul was in every second of the music she produced.
Show host Russell Brand was just ok. I didn't like the way Brand stopped to make fun of Megan Fox's comments on her mental condition, which I blogged about yesterday. No one laughed at all. He could have left that out.
In all, a great show. But I also give MTV a a load of credit for a website that integrated Twitter and Facebook in a way that will change the way I look at how such efforts should be designed for events like this. Check out the site.
Now, I can't wait for the new clip of the movie "This Is It" about what was to be Michael's concert tour. I have mixed emotions about this, which I'll share later. They're playing it now. I'll have it here later.
The MTV Video Music Awards.
As I write this we're watching Beyonce, who just won Best MTV VMAs Video of The Year, really show that class still exists in America by asking Taylor Swift to come out and take a bow that she really should have been able to have before.
What happened was that Kayne West really showed how little class he (surprisingly) has by storming the stage, grabbing the mic and saying, as Taylor won for Best Female Video..
“Yo Taylor, I’m really happy for you, I’ll let you finish, but Beyoncé has one of the best videos of all time. One of the best videos of all time!,”
Taylor was shocked. My jaw hit the floor. The Radio City crowd hooted and screamed. And over the next segment of the show, it seemed as if the mood was racially divided, and there was no need for that at all. Kanye really did a bad thing. I can't think of any other sane way to put it.
What somewhat made up for Kanye's butt-showing moment was the awesome voice of Lady Gaga. That chick, and yeah, she's all woman, can rock the house. Amazing talent. Beautiful woman. Focused and talented.
And now, Jay-Z's riffing a new song that's a tribute to New York City to end the show.
I've got to give Janet Jackson a real big thank you for opening the show with an incredible number celebrating the music of her brother Michael Jackson. You could see the emotion just pouring from her and his soul was in every second of the music she produced.
Show host Russell Brand was just ok. I didn't like the way Brand stopped to make fun of Megan Fox's comments on her mental condition, which I blogged about yesterday. No one laughed at all. He could have left that out.
In all, a great show. But I also give MTV a a load of credit for a website that integrated Twitter and Facebook in a way that will change the way I look at how such efforts should be designed for events like this. Check out the site.
Now, I can't wait for the new clip of the movie "This Is It" about what was to be Michael's concert tour. I have mixed emotions about this, which I'll share later. They're playing it now. I'll have it here later.
Jennifer's Body - Megan Fox v. Michael Bay - Fox says she's screwed up
Remember my video calling out Transformers Director Michael Bay for whining over Jennifer's Body star actress Megan Fox' statements that his alien robot flick was a special effects movie? This one:
Well, it appears that there's much more to this very public spat between Megan Fox and Michael Bay. What's the lesson here before we continue: it's how to not win friends and influence people. It's an example of using the Internet annonomously to be ugly. And it's pretty stupid, too.
According to blogger Amy Grindhouse (cool name), Megan Fox calls Bey a "Hitler" on the movie set and more. This is what she said as reported by Amy:
All of this has really pissed off someone claiming to be part of Bay's crew on that movie - and who penned a letter without attaching their name - that really takes off after Fox in a fashion that can only be described as petty and unprofessional.
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To his credit, Bey posted this comment on his website:
The letter, originally posted on Bay's website, but then removed, can be read at Nikke Finke's Deadline Hollywood Daily blogsite and is below:
My take? The crew people who wrote this don't want work anytime soon. All one has to do is a IMDB search for the names of the people who worked on the Transformers movies and use some other clues to figure out who wrote it. Result: no future work.
I'm sure that everyone has something to negative to say about someone. That doesn't mean it has to be said or written. There's nothing important here or so solid that it sticks. It reads like crew people who are jealous of successful actresses who may not cow-tow to them.
I agree it would be nice if Fox did feed the ego of the crew, if this letter is to be believed as true. But I'm sure I can find someone in Hollywood who's a crew type with something nice to say about Ms. Fox.
The bottom line, again, is to avoid writing such letters that don't have your name on them. People who do it think they will not be discovered and that's always wrong. It's just a matter of time.
If you have an issue with a person, take it to them privately and with respect. Only go public after you've exhausted that option without positive results.
In the wake of the Tila Tequila episode, I don't find Megan Fox's claims to be funny. She says:
One could say it's good she's honest about it, but my fear is she will use this revelation as an "excuse" to treat people terribly. If she does that, she's got to seek help because at that point Fox becomes emotionally dangerous to others. She could interpret a situation one way, one day, then another way on another day and both would be real to her. So the "truth" becomes flexible with who she happens to be on a given day. That's crazy-making.
I hope Fox takes her own comments seriously and not as an attention getting tool. Taking that responsibility will be the first step into a larger and more positive world for Megan Fox.
Well, it appears that there's much more to this very public spat between Megan Fox and Michael Bay. What's the lesson here before we continue: it's how to not win friends and influence people. It's an example of using the Internet annonomously to be ugly. And it's pretty stupid, too.
According to blogger Amy Grindhouse (cool name), Megan Fox calls Bey a "Hitler" on the movie set and more. This is what she said as reported by Amy:
1) On Transformers director Michael Bay: “[Michael Bay] wants to be like Hitler on his sets, and he is. So he’s a nightmare to work for.”
2) On what's wrong with her: “I definitely have some kind of mental problem and I haven’t pinpointed what it is.”
3) On her new movie Jennifer’s Body: “I think it’s really about how fucked up and scary girls are. Girls are fucking nightmares.”
4) On being a product in Hollywood: “Part of my product is being outrageous and outspoken so even when I’m not being that way I’m going to be sold that way.”
All of this has really pissed off someone claiming to be part of Bay's crew on that movie - and who penned a letter without attaching their name - that really takes off after Fox in a fashion that can only be described as petty and unprofessional.
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To his credit, Bey posted this comment on his website:
I don’t condone the crew letter to Megan. And I don’t condone Megan’s outlandish quotes. But her crazy quips are part of her crazy charm. The fact of the matter I still love working with her, and I know we still get along. I even expect more crazy quotes from her on Transformers 3.
The letter, originally posted on Bay's website, but then removed, can be read at Nikke Finke's Deadline Hollywood Daily blogsite and is below:
This is an open letter to all Michael Bay fans. We are three crew members that have worked with Michael for the past ten years. Last week we read the terrible article with inflammatory, truly trashing quotes by the Ms. Fox about Michael Bay. This letter is to set a few things straight.
Yes, Megan has great eyes, a tight stomach we spray with glycerin, and an awful silly Marilyn Monroe tattoo plastered on her arm that we cover up to keep the moms happy.
Michael found this shy, inexperienced girl, plucked her out of total obscurity thus giving her the biggest shot of any young actresses' life. He told everyone around to just trust him on his choice. He granted her the starring role in Transformers, a franchise that forever changed her life; she became one of the most googled and oogled women on earth. She was famous! She was the next Angelina Jolie, hooray! Wait a minute, two of us worked with Angelina – second thought – she’s no Angelina. You see, Angelia is a professional.
We know this quite intimately because we’ve had the tedious experience of working with the dumb-as-a-rock Megan Fox on both Transformers movies. We've spent a total of 12 months on set making these two movies.
We are in different departments; we can’t give our names because sadly doing so in Hollywood could lead to being banished from future Paramount work. One of us touches Megan’s panties, the other has the often shitty job of pulling Ms. Sourpants out of her trailer, while another is near the Panaflex camera that helps to memorialize the valley girl on film.
Megan has the press fooled. When we read those magazines we wish we worked with that woman. Megan knows how to work her smile for the press. Those writers should try being on set for two movies, sadly she never smiles. The cast, crew and director make Transformers a really fun and energetic set. We’ve traveled around the world together, so we have never understood why Megan was always such the grump of the set?
When facing the press, Megan is the queen of talking trailer trash and posing like a porn star. And yes we’ve had the unbearable time of watching her try to act on set, and yes, it's very cringe-able. So maybe, being a porn star in the future might be a good career option. But make-up beware, she has a paragraph tattooed to her backside (probably due her rotten childhood) -- easily another 45 minutes in the chair!
So when the three of us caught wind of Ms Fox, pontificating yet again in some publication (like she actually has something interesting to say) blabbing her trash mouth about a director whom we three have grown to really like. She compared working with Michael, to “working with Hitler”. We actually don’t think she knows who Hitler is by the way. But we wondered how she doesn’t realize what a disgusting, fully uneducated comment this was? Well, here let’s get some facts straight.
Say what you want about Michael – yes at times he can be hard, but he's also fun, and he challenges everyone for a reason – he simply wants people to bring their ‘A’ game. He comes very prepared, knows exactly what he wants, involves the crew and expects everyone to follow through with his or her best, and that includes the actors. He’s one of the hardest working directors out there.
He gets the best from his crews, many of whom have worked with him for 15 years. And yes, he’s loyal, one of the few directors we’ve encountered who lowered his fee by millions to keep Transformers in the United States and California, so he could work with his own crew.
Megan says that Transformers was an unsafe set? Come on Megan, we know it is a bit more strenuous then the playground at the trailer park, but you don’t insult one of the very best stunt and physical effects teams in the business! Not one person got hurt!
And who is the real Megan Fox? She is very different than the academy nominee and winning actors we’ve all worked around. She’s as about ungracious a person as you can ever fathom. She shows little interest in the crew members around her. We work to make her look good in every way, but she's absolutely never appreciative of anyone’s hard work. Never a thank you. All the crewmembers have stopped saying hi to Ms. Princess because she never says hello back. It gets tiring. Many think she just really hates the process of being an actress.
Megan has been late to the sets many times. She goes through the motions that make her exude this sense of misery. We’ve heard the A.D’s piped over the radio that Megan won’t walk from her trailer until John Turturro walks first! John’s done seventy-five movies and she’s made two!
Never expect Megan to attend any of the 15 or so crew parties like all the other actors have. And then there's the classless night she blew off The Royal Prince of Jordan who made a special dinner for all the actors. She doesn’t know that one of the grips' daughters wanted to visit their daddy’s work to meet Megan, but he wouldn’t let them come because he told them “she is not nice."
The press certainly doesn’t know her most famous line. On our first day in Egypt, the Egyptian government wouldn’t let us shoot because of a permit problem as the actors got ready in make up at the Four Seasons Hotel. Michael tried to make the best of it; he wanted to take the cast and crew on a private tour of the famous Giza pyramids. God hold us witness, Megan said, "I can’t believe Michael is fucking forcing us to go to the fucking pyramids!" I guess this is the “Hitler guy” she is referring to.
So this is the Megan Fox you don’t get to see. Maybe she will learn, but we figure if she can sling insults, then she can take them too. Megan really is a thankless, classless, graceless, and shall we say unfriendly bitch. It's sad how fame can twist people, and even sadder that young girls look up to her. If only they knew who they're really looking up to.
But ‘fame’ is fleeting. We, being behind the scenes, seen em’ come and go. Hopefully Michael will have Megatron squish her character in the first ten minutes of Transformers 3. We can tell you that will make the crew happy!
-Loyal Transformers Crew
My take? The crew people who wrote this don't want work anytime soon. All one has to do is a IMDB search for the names of the people who worked on the Transformers movies and use some other clues to figure out who wrote it. Result: no future work.
I'm sure that everyone has something to negative to say about someone. That doesn't mean it has to be said or written. There's nothing important here or so solid that it sticks. It reads like crew people who are jealous of successful actresses who may not cow-tow to them.
I agree it would be nice if Fox did feed the ego of the crew, if this letter is to be believed as true. But I'm sure I can find someone in Hollywood who's a crew type with something nice to say about Ms. Fox.
The bottom line, again, is to avoid writing such letters that don't have your name on them. People who do it think they will not be discovered and that's always wrong. It's just a matter of time.
If you have an issue with a person, take it to them privately and with respect. Only go public after you've exhausted that option without positive results.
Fox says she's screwed up
In the wake of the Tila Tequila episode, I don't find Megan Fox's claims to be funny. She says:
I think I'm a borderline personality -- or that I have bouts of mild schizophrenia," she says. "I definitely have some kind of mental problem and I haven't pinpointed what it is."
One could say it's good she's honest about it, but my fear is she will use this revelation as an "excuse" to treat people terribly. If she does that, she's got to seek help because at that point Fox becomes emotionally dangerous to others. She could interpret a situation one way, one day, then another way on another day and both would be real to her. So the "truth" becomes flexible with who she happens to be on a given day. That's crazy-making.
I hope Fox takes her own comments seriously and not as an attention getting tool. Taking that responsibility will be the first step into a larger and more positive world for Megan Fox.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Calvin Klein SF Union Square store front poll: 12 percent, racist - 36 percent questionable
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On YouTube.com
Calvin Klein SF (San Francisco) Union Square store in San Francisco Shopping Center has as of this writing a display front that triggered an email from a viewer and the video above presenting its design. Personally I think it evokes racist images of lynchings, but its boarderline, so I put the question to a poll vote.
As of this writing 12 percent believe it to be racist, 36 percent questionable but not racist, 7 percent report nothing wrong with it, 22 percent don't care, and 22 percent think it's not racist at all.
The store front's a standout in a San Francisco Center dominated by mannequins that are generally white in color and positioned in normal poses; Calvin Klein's mannequins are a shade of grey so dark, it's almost black. But its not the color so much as how they're positioned and the kind of rope and knots used in the display.
Check out the video and take the poll yourself.
Poll
More fun polls on pollsb.com
On YouTube.com
Calvin Klein SF (San Francisco) Union Square store in San Francisco Shopping Center has as of this writing a display front that triggered an email from a viewer and the video above presenting its design. Personally I think it evokes racist images of lynchings, but its boarderline, so I put the question to a poll vote.
As of this writing 12 percent believe it to be racist, 36 percent questionable but not racist, 7 percent report nothing wrong with it, 22 percent don't care, and 22 percent think it's not racist at all.
The store front's a standout in a San Francisco Center dominated by mannequins that are generally white in color and positioned in normal poses; Calvin Klein's mannequins are a shade of grey so dark, it's almost black. But its not the color so much as how they're positioned and the kind of rope and knots used in the display.
Check out the video and take the poll yourself.
Poll
More fun polls on pollsb.com
Calvin Klein SF Union Square - Is store front racist?
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On YouTube.com
I received this email below from a viewer which explains the person's shock over the Calvin Klein SF Union Square store front display in the San Francisco Shopping Center. I went over to make the video above and get your view on the display.
As I've stated in the video, it was not a good idea to approve a store front that is at best questionable. Everyone who's seen the video thus far has a reaction to it, from furled brows to frowns and raised eyebrows, the video does not make for a stoic reaction.
Why someone would do this is a question I will ask Calvin Klein's staffers in the days ahead. Indeed, the worker that talked to me through the glass admitted that she did not the racial overtones in the display until they were pointed out to her.
But for now, read the email below, then take my poll on this certainly controversial Calvin Klein store display.
The email:
Poll
More fun polls on pollsb.com
On YouTube.com
I received this email below from a viewer which explains the person's shock over the Calvin Klein SF Union Square store front display in the San Francisco Shopping Center. I went over to make the video above and get your view on the display.
As I've stated in the video, it was not a good idea to approve a store front that is at best questionable. Everyone who's seen the video thus far has a reaction to it, from furled brows to frowns and raised eyebrows, the video does not make for a stoic reaction.
Why someone would do this is a question I will ask Calvin Klein's staffers in the days ahead. Indeed, the worker that talked to me through the glass admitted that she did not the racial overtones in the display until they were pointed out to her.
But for now, read the email below, then take my poll on this certainly controversial Calvin Klein store display.
The email:
Hey Zennie,
I'm kicking myself for not taking a picture (I don't usually use my phone for anything other than a phone, so it escaped me in a moment of anger), but I just got back from the San Francisco Shopping Center where I happened upon an appalling window display in the Calvin Klein store next to Bloomingdale's on the 3rd floor.
Imagine a window full of frolicking monkeys, swinging from tree branches in various playful poses, but instead of monkeys, there are mannequins wearing the latest Calvin fashions. And instead of swinging from tree branches, the mannequins are swinging from ropes finished in nooses at the ends. All of the mannequins are black. It doesn't sound like much, but I'll tell you, those nooses caught my eye in the first place, and it didn't take long to piece it all together.
Why am I sending this to you? Well, you've got a voice on several forums, and could make this very public and embarrassing for Calvin Klein. That anyone could get past the basic design stages of such a display without questioning its bad taste is unbelievable. That such displays are crafted by designers with an eye on every detail makes it even less excusable. That such displays are often dictated to stores by corporate headquarters and duplicated at all locations makes it a disgusting travesty.
If you happen by that store, or know someone in SF who could take some pics for you to post, you could shine a bright light on a very ugly message going out to the thousands of people who pass by that carefully composed collection of symbols. I was deeply offended, but rather than contact Calvin Klein so they can quietly change their windows, I figured I'd contact someone who can give it a bit more exposure.
Thanks for listening and keep up the good blogs,
Name withheld by Zennie
San Francisco
Poll
More fun polls on pollsb.com
Friday, September 11, 2009
Tila Tequila Nguyen - Charges against Merriman dropped by San Diego DA
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The NFL Network just announced that charges filed by Tila Tequila Nguyen against San Diego Chargers Linebacker Shawne Merriman were dropped by the San Diego DA. This ends a most unfortunate episode for the star linebacker, who just last Saturday was out with the MTV reality TV star.
The DA reportedly said that there was insufficient evidence to charge Merriman with assault and imprisonment. But the story told by observers goes deeper. San Diego Channel 10 reported that Tila Tequila Nguyen was jealous that Merriman was in bed with two other woman and not her!
I'm not making this up, folks! This is what Channel 10 wrote:
Wow!
That fits more with the image "Tila Tequlia" herself presents on her website and in her videos as being a "hot" woman who has multiple personalities, enjoys the good life, including champagne, and consistently rants against haters, and talks about how all the guys want her.
You know, I really feel sorry for Nguyen because in a weird way I'm sure someone warned her that her behavior would catch up to her, and it did. Now, her personality is out there for public view in a way that she didn't expect when she called 911 while intoxicated.
It's sad that she has to go through what's going to be a blizzard of Internet chatter against her (see the Twitter tweets) . Tila's fueling it herself, stating that the DA made a reckless decision, and posting this photo...
Tila's tweeting that "We are looking for my new date!"
Oh, my God!
Over at TMZ, Tila was asked if she would forgive Merriman and her response was that she didn't know. Now, this is the statement her representative gave TMZ.com:
Reads like a civil suit's coming to me.
Merriman should take a lesson from this and focus on more mature women friends who are solidly in his corner and have their own mainstream businesses.
As for Tila, I'm not sure she's going to learn anything from this, except how to call a new set of people "haters." It's good that what, in a non-Internet past, would have taken months to sort out, took less than a week today.
The lesson is that one can't abuse the legal system as an instrument to support their own insecurities. I hope observers get that message today.
Finally, Nguyen should take time to do something for those less fortunate than she. Host a fundraiser or donate to a charity and give them exposure. (Oh, here it comes.) That would go a long way toward repairing her image.
The NFL Network just announced that charges filed by Tila Tequila Nguyen against San Diego Chargers Linebacker Shawne Merriman were dropped by the San Diego DA. This ends a most unfortunate episode for the star linebacker, who just last Saturday was out with the MTV reality TV star.
The DA reportedly said that there was insufficient evidence to charge Merriman with assault and imprisonment. But the story told by observers goes deeper. San Diego Channel 10 reported that Tila Tequila Nguyen was jealous that Merriman was in bed with two other woman and not her!
I'm not making this up, folks! This is what Channel 10 wrote:
Sources close to the story told Vara that Tequila -- also known as Tila Nguyen -- was unhappy that she was not the only woman getting attention from Merriman, and jealousy played a role in the early morning altercation.
The sources told Vara that witnesses at Merriman's home said the three-time Pro Bowl linebacker went to his bedroom with two women.
Sources said Tequila walked into the room and Merriman asked her to join them. However, the sources said Tequila reacted angrily and threatened to have sex with a member of Merriman's entourage.
According to sources, Tequila was intoxicated, and she got naked and attempted to leave the house.
Sources told Vara that Merriman, 25, tried to stop the 27-year-old Tequila, and that is when she called 911.
Wow!
That fits more with the image "Tila Tequlia" herself presents on her website and in her videos as being a "hot" woman who has multiple personalities, enjoys the good life, including champagne, and consistently rants against haters, and talks about how all the guys want her.
You know, I really feel sorry for Nguyen because in a weird way I'm sure someone warned her that her behavior would catch up to her, and it did. Now, her personality is out there for public view in a way that she didn't expect when she called 911 while intoxicated.
It's sad that she has to go through what's going to be a blizzard of Internet chatter against her (see the Twitter tweets) . Tila's fueling it herself, stating that the DA made a reckless decision, and posting this photo...
Tila's tweeting that "We are looking for my new date!"
Oh, my God!
Shawne Merriman, focus on a good , mature business woman
Over at TMZ, Tila was asked if she would forgive Merriman and her response was that she didn't know. Now, this is the statement her representative gave TMZ.com:
Tila Tequila is the victim of a violent crime. The San Diego District attorney's decision not to press charges against Shawne Merriman for the battering of Tila Tequila demonstrates an unconscionable negligence in the discharging of their public duties. We strongly feel that justice has not been served in this matter.
Obviously, The San Diego Charger's NFL franchise brings millions of dollars in revenue to the city of San Diego, and it seems clear that other interests are being served by the DA's office than the upholding of the law. A young woman was violently beaten and choked, and the physical evidence is both overwhelming and disturbing. Tila's account of the events has remained consistent from the beginning, while Merriman's story has changed repeatedly.
Just because the DA has made this reckless decision doesn't mean that justice will not be served in this case. No one is above the law. Tila Tequila will immediately begin pursuing civil charges against Mr. Merriman and she will have her day in court."
Reads like a civil suit's coming to me.
Merriman should take a lesson from this and focus on more mature women friends who are solidly in his corner and have their own mainstream businesses.
As for Tila, I'm not sure she's going to learn anything from this, except how to call a new set of people "haters." It's good that what, in a non-Internet past, would have taken months to sort out, took less than a week today.
The lesson is that one can't abuse the legal system as an instrument to support their own insecurities. I hope observers get that message today.
Finally, Nguyen should take time to do something for those less fortunate than she. Host a fundraiser or donate to a charity and give them exposure. (Oh, here it comes.) That would go a long way toward repairing her image.
Tila Tequila Nguyen - Charges against Merriman dropped by San Diego DA
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The NFL Network just announced that charges filed by Tila Tequila Nguyen against San Diego Chargers Linebacker Shawne Merriman were dropped by the San Diego DA. This ends a most unfortunate episode for the star linebacker, who just last Saturday was out with the MTV reality TV star.
The DA reportedly said that there was insufficient evidence to charge Merriman with assault and imprisonment. But the story told by observers goes deeper. San Diego Channel 10 reported that Tila Tequila Nguyen was jealous that Merriman was in bed with two other woman and not her!
I'm not making this up, folks! This is what Channel 10 wrote:
Wow!
That fits more with the image "Tila Tequlia" herself presents on her website and in her videos as being a "hot" woman who has multiple personalities, enjoys the good life, including champagne, and consistently rants against haters, and talks about how all the guys want her.
You know, I really feel sorry for Nguyen because in a weird way I'm sure someone warned her that her behavior would catch up to her, and it did. Now, her personality is out there for public view in a way that she didn't expect when she called 911 while intoxicated.
It's sad that she has to go through what's going to be a blizzard of Internet chatter against her (see the Twitter tweets) . Tila's fueling it herself, stating that the DA made a reckless decision, and posting this photo...
Tila's tweeting that "We are looking for my new date!"
Oh, my God!
Over at TMZ, Tila was asked if she would forgive Merriman and her response was that she didn't know. Now, this is the statement her representative gave TMZ.com:
Reads like a civil suit's coming to me.
Merriman should take a lesson from this and focus on more mature women friends who are solidly in his corner and have their own mainstream businesses.
As for Tila, I'm not sure she's going to learn anything from this, except how to call a new set of people "haters." It's good that what, in a non-Internet past, would have taken months to sort out, took less than a week today.
The lesson is that one can't abuse the legal system as an instrument to support their own insecurities. I hope observers get that message today.
The NFL Network just announced that charges filed by Tila Tequila Nguyen against San Diego Chargers Linebacker Shawne Merriman were dropped by the San Diego DA. This ends a most unfortunate episode for the star linebacker, who just last Saturday was out with the MTV reality TV star.
The DA reportedly said that there was insufficient evidence to charge Merriman with assault and imprisonment. But the story told by observers goes deeper. San Diego Channel 10 reported that Tila Tequila Nguyen was jealous that Merriman was in bed with two other woman and not her!
I'm not making this up, folks! This is what Channel 10 wrote:
Sources close to the story told Vara that Tequila -- also known as Tila Nguyen -- was unhappy that she was not the only woman getting attention from Merriman, and jealousy played a role in the early morning altercation.
The sources told Vara that witnesses at Merriman's home said the three-time Pro Bowl linebacker went to his bedroom with two women.
Sources said Tequila walked into the room and Merriman asked her to join them. However, the sources said Tequila reacted angrily and threatened to have sex with a member of Merriman's entourage.
According to sources, Tequila was intoxicated, and she got naked and attempted to leave the house.
Sources told Vara that Merriman, 25, tried to stop the 27-year-old Tequila, and that is when she called 911.
Wow!
That fits more with the image "Tila Tequlia" herself presents on her website and in her videos as being a "hot" woman who has multiple personalities, enjoys the good life, including champagne, and consistently rants against haters, and talks about how all the guys want her.
You know, I really feel sorry for Nguyen because in a weird way I'm sure someone warned her that her behavior would catch up to her, and it did. Now, her personality is out there for public view in a way that she didn't expect when she called 911 while intoxicated.
It's sad that she has to go through what's going to be a blizzard of Internet chatter against her (see the Twitter tweets) . Tila's fueling it herself, stating that the DA made a reckless decision, and posting this photo...
Tila's tweeting that "We are looking for my new date!"
Oh, my God!
Shawne Merriman, focus on a good , mature business woman
Over at TMZ, Tila was asked if she would forgive Merriman and her response was that she didn't know. Now, this is the statement her representative gave TMZ.com:
Tila Tequila is the victim of a violent crime. The San Diego District attorney's decision not to press charges against Shawne Merriman for the battering of Tila Tequila demonstrates an unconscionable negligence in the discharging of their public duties. We strongly feel that justice has not been served in this matter.
Obviously, The San Diego Charger's NFL franchise brings millions of dollars in revenue to the city of San Diego, and it seems clear that other interests are being served by the DA's office than the upholding of the law. A young woman was violently beaten and choked, and the physical evidence is both overwhelming and disturbing. Tila's account of the events has remained consistent from the beginning, while Merriman's story has changed repeatedly.
Just because the DA has made this reckless decision doesn't mean that justice will not be served in this case. No one is above the law. Tila Tequila will immediately begin pursuing civil charges against Mr. Merriman and she will have her day in court."
Reads like a civil suit's coming to me.
Merriman should take a lesson from this and focus on more mature women friends who are solidly in his corner and have their own mainstream businesses.
As for Tila, I'm not sure she's going to learn anything from this, except how to call a new set of people "haters." It's good that what, in a non-Internet past, would have taken months to sort out, took less than a week today.
The lesson is that one can't abuse the legal system as an instrument to support their own insecurities. I hope observers get that message today.
9-11 - Remembering 9-11-01 on 9-11-09
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9-11-2001 is a day I'll certainly never forget.
I had a habit of falling asleep on my couch, in part because I used my laptop there as an escape from working on my nearby desk. All the better to code my then new XFL Simworld game and catch up on the TV news, as I had a better angle to see the TV screen.
I watched KTVU Channel Two religiously, then, and "Mornings On Two" was a guilty pleasure for me. So the TV was almost always on "2" at that time; so it was the morning of 9-11.
I'd fell asleep on the couch, again, but this time I when I woke up the TV was on and I could not believe my eyes: a giant building was on fire. When I focused my eyes and ears I realized it was one of the World Trade Center towers in New York City. I could not believe it.
(Above) Bill Chackhes' video tour of "Ground Zero"
The first thing I did was call my Mom and (now late) stepfather and told them to tune in two Channel 2. The second thing I did was send emails to friends about what was happening. The third thing I did was just watch.
I figured it was just a fire as at that point, it wasn't clear what caused flames to start blowing out of the building. Then as the time passed, it was reported that a plane crashed into it, later the plane was identified as a Boeing 767. I've flown on those alot, so much so I felt as if I knew it inside and out. That's a big plane.
My mind raced. What could have happened to cause that? And as it did, and friends called me, and I watched, the second plane hit the second tower and for a time, both buildings were on fire.
I thought about my friend Dan who wanted me to work for American Express in New York, where I would have been near that building as AMEX World Headquarters was in the World Trade Center. Then I thought about Dan and how he was doing and tried to call him there - no luck.
As more time passed, and it seemed the flames from massive buildings got larger, something unexpected happened that was captured on TV - they fell, World One first, then sometimes later, World Two.
I still to this day can't believe I saw that. I just can't.
I had to get out of the house, so I walked down to Oakland's Lakeshore Avenue and to Arzmendi's where I used to have a morning coffee and pastry with the neighborhood's work-at-home types. But this time it was different.
People who usually got their coffee and whatever and drove to work in an office where still in the neighborhood. It was actually crowded, and everyone was talking about what I just saw: the destruction of the World Trade Center.
It was frankly the first time I've experienced people just bonding in a way I'd only seen after the 1989 Loma Piereta Earthquake and the Oakland Hills Fire in 1991. Yep, I was here for both of those disasters.
But the difference is you could feel America come together. Right now. Over the disaster. Man, that day hurt. Hurt alot. It hurts to have seen so many people suffer then who were in the building, and later, who were families of the people in it.
They didn't do anything wrong at all. And I'm not sure what they could have done that, even if it was wrong, would call for that kind of punishment.
It's an event that bonds people to this day. My good friend, New Yorker Bill Chachkes, who took me on his own 9-11 tour in the video above, talk about that day again and again, and again.
It's a day I'll never forget.
9-11-2001 is a day I'll certainly never forget.
I had a habit of falling asleep on my couch, in part because I used my laptop there as an escape from working on my nearby desk. All the better to code my then new XFL Simworld game and catch up on the TV news, as I had a better angle to see the TV screen.
I watched KTVU Channel Two religiously, then, and "Mornings On Two" was a guilty pleasure for me. So the TV was almost always on "2" at that time; so it was the morning of 9-11.
I'd fell asleep on the couch, again, but this time I when I woke up the TV was on and I could not believe my eyes: a giant building was on fire. When I focused my eyes and ears I realized it was one of the World Trade Center towers in New York City. I could not believe it.
(Above) Bill Chackhes' video tour of "Ground Zero"
The first thing I did was call my Mom and (now late) stepfather and told them to tune in two Channel 2. The second thing I did was send emails to friends about what was happening. The third thing I did was just watch.
I figured it was just a fire as at that point, it wasn't clear what caused flames to start blowing out of the building. Then as the time passed, it was reported that a plane crashed into it, later the plane was identified as a Boeing 767. I've flown on those alot, so much so I felt as if I knew it inside and out. That's a big plane.
My mind raced. What could have happened to cause that? And as it did, and friends called me, and I watched, the second plane hit the second tower and for a time, both buildings were on fire.
I thought about my friend Dan who wanted me to work for American Express in New York, where I would have been near that building as AMEX World Headquarters was in the World Trade Center. Then I thought about Dan and how he was doing and tried to call him there - no luck.
As more time passed, and it seemed the flames from massive buildings got larger, something unexpected happened that was captured on TV - they fell, World One first, then sometimes later, World Two.
I still to this day can't believe I saw that. I just can't.
I had to get out of the house, so I walked down to Oakland's Lakeshore Avenue and to Arzmendi's where I used to have a morning coffee and pastry with the neighborhood's work-at-home types. But this time it was different.
People who usually got their coffee and whatever and drove to work in an office where still in the neighborhood. It was actually crowded, and everyone was talking about what I just saw: the destruction of the World Trade Center.
It was frankly the first time I've experienced people just bonding in a way I'd only seen after the 1989 Loma Piereta Earthquake and the Oakland Hills Fire in 1991. Yep, I was here for both of those disasters.
But the difference is you could feel America come together. Right now. Over the disaster. Man, that day hurt. Hurt alot. It hurts to have seen so many people suffer then who were in the building, and later, who were families of the people in it.
They didn't do anything wrong at all. And I'm not sure what they could have done that, even if it was wrong, would call for that kind of punishment.
It's an event that bonds people to this day. My good friend, New Yorker Bill Chachkes, who took me on his own 9-11 tour in the video above, talk about that day again and again, and again.
It's a day I'll never forget.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Rep. Joe Wilson's "You Lie" outburst makes Rob Miller a star
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When Republican Congressman Joe Wilson (R - South Carolina) yelled "You lie!" to President Obama during his health care address to a joint session of Congress, he unwittingly created a new star other than himself; his 2010 Democratic Challenger, Rob Miller.
Rob Miller raised over $350,000 online since Wilson's outburst, thanks to the efforts of democratic voting group "Act Blue", and now, MoveOn.org has gotten into the game of throwing supporters and money at Miller.
Even Miller's website at www.robmillerforcongress.com refreshes to the Act Blue contribution page.
But who is Rob Miller?
According to the blog "Shotpolitics", Miller's a native South Carolinian, former Marine captain, and Iraq War combat veteran who's 33 years old. He's married with one child.
Miller was motivated to run for Congress because he observed that too many elected officials had not served in the armed forces yet were making decisions that impacted America's military. He points at Rep. Wilson as one who "is quick to introduce resolutions supporting the troops, but did nothing when our wounded veterans couldn’t get the basic care they needed at Walter Reed.”
Miller's congressional policy objectives are fairly basic: eliminate tax reductions for the super wealthy, and push for stronger ethics laws. In this, he reads as a conservative Democrat, but far more desirable than a person who openly disrespects the President Of The United States in the middle of a joint session of Congress, as Wilson did last night.
Miller's rise to stardom is the child of an incredible degree of anger toward Wilson. But even with this, Charlie Cook of the Cook Political Report doesn't think Wilson will be sunk by the torpedo that Miller's become.
I'm not sure Cook counted on the involvement of MoveOn.org.
I just got an email from the organization with a link to a petition which reads: "Don't let right-wing extremists hold health care reform hostage. Pass President Obama's plan, including a strong public health insurance option."
I seriously doubt MoveOn's efforts will stop at a petition. What was once a sleeply little race that wasn't expected to be a challenge for the GOP has, overnight, become one that has the attention of, and the money from, a good portion of American liberals.
Stay tuned.
Rob Miller
When Republican Congressman Joe Wilson (R - South Carolina) yelled "You lie!" to President Obama during his health care address to a joint session of Congress, he unwittingly created a new star other than himself; his 2010 Democratic Challenger, Rob Miller.
Rob Miller raised over $350,000 online since Wilson's outburst, thanks to the efforts of democratic voting group "Act Blue", and now, MoveOn.org has gotten into the game of throwing supporters and money at Miller.
Even Miller's website at www.robmillerforcongress.com refreshes to the Act Blue contribution page.
But who is Rob Miller?
According to the blog "Shotpolitics", Miller's a native South Carolinian, former Marine captain, and Iraq War combat veteran who's 33 years old. He's married with one child.
Miller was motivated to run for Congress because he observed that too many elected officials had not served in the armed forces yet were making decisions that impacted America's military. He points at Rep. Wilson as one who "is quick to introduce resolutions supporting the troops, but did nothing when our wounded veterans couldn’t get the basic care they needed at Walter Reed.”
Miller's congressional policy objectives are fairly basic: eliminate tax reductions for the super wealthy, and push for stronger ethics laws. In this, he reads as a conservative Democrat, but far more desirable than a person who openly disrespects the President Of The United States in the middle of a joint session of Congress, as Wilson did last night.
Miller's rise to stardom is the child of an incredible degree of anger toward Wilson. But even with this, Charlie Cook of the Cook Political Report doesn't think Wilson will be sunk by the torpedo that Miller's become.
"Some news accounts have noted South Carolina GOP Rep. Joe Wilson faces a "tough race" in 2010. Not so fast - this conservative seat remains relatively secure for the GOP, even after Wilson's outburst. After all, Democrat Rob Miller's 46 percent showing in 2008 was largely attributable to Obama’s strong 45 percent in the state, a factor Miller won't enjoy again.
Instead, this looks like simply more of a distraction for the GOP. Wilson's remark itself isn't likely to be a huge problem for him 14 months from now, but the instant cash it has generated should make Miller one of Democrats better-funded challengers next year."
I'm not sure Cook counted on the involvement of MoveOn.org.
I just got an email from the organization with a link to a petition which reads: "Don't let right-wing extremists hold health care reform hostage. Pass President Obama's plan, including a strong public health insurance option."
I seriously doubt MoveOn's efforts will stop at a petition. What was once a sleeply little race that wasn't expected to be a challenge for the GOP has, overnight, become one that has the attention of, and the money from, a good portion of American liberals.
Stay tuned.
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