Nancy Pelosi visited San Francisco's Balboa Cafe

Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)

A tip from a good source informed this blogger that Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of The U.S. House of Representatives and San Francisco representative, paid a visit to The Balboa Cafe in San Francisco Saturday night, March 27th, and it was out of the blue.

It started with a phone call informing the manager that Nancy Pelosi was coming with a party of an undisclosed size. But when they arrived the party also included "a lot of Secret Service people. This place has never seen that kind of security" the source said.

But it's not the first time The Balboa Cafe has entertained important elected officials. When San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom was an entrepreneur who was co-owner of The Balboa Cafe, he was known for election night parties that attracted U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein and former Mayor Willie Brown.

When Jerry Brown was Mayor of Oakland, he was a known to visit The Balboa. One night on a July Saturday in 1999, this blogger, who was at the time working to bring the Super Bowl to Oakland, was sitting near the side entrance door when Jerry walked in. "What are you doing here in San Francisco?", Jerry said, "You're supposed to be raising money for The Super Bowl."

"Jerry," I said, "That's why I'm here."

The Balboa Cafe, of which this blogger is a regular, has also hosted celebrities like the late Anna Nicole Smith and Star Wars-creator George Lucas, who likes (from personal experience) Irish Coffees.

I started visiting "The Balboa" while working for Mayor Elihu Harris as Economic Advisor between 1995 and 1999; that was also how I learned about The Balboa's election parties.

Maybe one day Mayor Newsom will get President Obama over for a visit?

Stay tuned.

San Francisco's Pelosi stalker Gregory Lee Giusti bipolar?

Also: san francisco, nancy pelosi, speaker pelosi stalker, gregory lee giusti bipolar, pelosi health care bill threat

48-year-old Gregory Lee Giusti, the San Francisco man who was accused of threatening and stalking House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, may be bipolar. According to CNN, Gregory Lee Giusti "wept" in court Thursday, as he talked to his lawyer before a federal court hearing. Afterward, Magistrate Judge Bernard Zimmerman reportedly asked prosecutors to interview Giusti to determine if he was bipolar, which could lead to placement in a halfway house rather than jail.

Gregory Lee Giusti was said to have called San Francisco and Washington, D.C offices of Speaker Pelosi as many times (48) as he is old. Giusti allegedly said "don't bother coming back to California cause you ain't gonna have a place to live" if the Health Care Bill is passed.

It passed.

This blogger thinks Gregory Lee Giusti's problem is he never grew up to learn that people get placed in jail for making threats. It's more that he's immature than bipolar and was probably lucky enough to get away with this stuff until this week when he was arrested Wednesday. His Mom guessed that Gregory Lee Giusti got his negative ideas from watching Fox News.

No surprise there.

Stay tuned.

The Masters Tiger Woods Ad by Nike Golf hypocritically slammed

Also: the masters, tiger woods ad, nike golf ad, masters tiger woods, earl woods ad

Note: don't forget the Tiger Woods poll.

The Masters Tiger Woods Ad has been described in this space and on video at Zennie62 on TouTube as an American Classic and a work of genius...



The Masters Tiger Woods Ad by Nike Golf is being hypocritically slammed in the media. If you've not seen the controversial ad, which has now generated over 1 million views on YouTube as of this writing, here it is:



Some in the media, actually a number of people, have called the ad "tasteless", "rank", and other choice words and then harp on the commercialism of it all as AOL's National Columnist did in the first blog post on the Tiger WOods ad in this space.

What's funny about the blast against Nike and consumerism is the news websites and blogs that are leveling those claims have ads on their pages, thus making money from the online traffic the Tiger Woods-Nike-ad-related article draws.

In other words, the New Media critics charging that Nike's just trying to sell products are themselves helping other companies (and maybe Nike if the Nike ad's on their website) sell products and services. That's why I claim the Tiger Woods Ad is being hypocritically slammed. The News Media itself is part of the same consumerism some in News Media rail against.

HLN's Jane Valez-Mitchell,  who's Issues show I really love, was for me uncharacteristically annoying in her blast against the Nike ad, slamming the use of Tiger Woods' father's voice to "sell products" and screaming "consumerism" while at the same time promoting Geico auto insurance (which uses that awful commercial series that makes Cavemen a minority group), and day-trading software.

Why doesn't Jane have a problem with a Geico commercial that subversively makes fun of the concerns of American minorities who've been stereotyped in the media?  Is it because Geico sponsors her show?

The American News Media has been so drunk on the revenue from ad spending for print for so long that it has been under the impression that news produced was totally disconnected from ad sales and what was produced was free of corporate influence. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Now that the ad money for newspapers and magazines has dramatically decreased and television has become a trend-follower's free-for-all, News Media journalists and editors are at a loss to figure out how to replenish lost ad dollars online, yet still act as of they're not part of the same corporate system that sponsors Tiger Woods, when they really are.

It's silly; it really is. If the News Media took off their blinders, dropped the ego, and realized that they need the same Nike company to buy ads, they'd see the whole Tiger Woods Nike Ad issue differently.

No, I'm not saying don't criticize the ad, but just stop mentioning how Nike is trying to sell product. It's really weird, silly, and hypocritical to have News Media people whining about that.

In other words, leave Tiger Woods alone, unless you're going to admit, as I do, that blogging about him generates traffic and ad revenue. In other words, be real!

Stay tuned.

San Francisco Neo-Nazi Girl upsets Marina District

Related searches: neo-nazi, san francisco nazi, marina district, sf marina district, chestnut and pierce, sf nazi party

Does San Francisco have a Nazi problem? Why does it seem like there's a rise in the number of white people who claim to be Nazi, or more accurately Neo-Nazi and young people regardless of color who don't know how awful Nazi symbols are or why?

The most famous example of the latter was the Taylor Swift Swastika photo scandal where Taylor Swift's representative claimed Taylor Swift did not know that A.J. English's t-shirt (English is the man who took the photo with Swift) had a Swastika symbol on it, and English himself said that people at the party just painted it that way!

Then there was the more recent photo of Jesse James wearing a Nazi Waffen SS hat, and giving the "Heil Hitler" salute. And of course, there was his alleged first mistress Michelle "Bombshell" McGee, who posed in a Nazi bikini and worked as a model for the "Angry White Boy" clothing website.

Whatever's going on, this disturbing trend has hit San Francisco.

Two of this blogger's best friends sent a Facebook note today, Thursday, about a woman who's reportedly on the corner of Chestnut and Pierce in the Marina District and who they describe as a "Nazi." One friend wrote:

If you see this crazy gal who thinks She can do Nazism in SF. Report her! She almost got beaten by ppl on the street....she has to live with Hitler and not in the US!

The other friend was even more upset, writing this:

unreal situation at chestnut and pierce SF. Woman with nazi lit and promoting obama impeachment. get a life outside US. almost got n fight!

According to the photos - I just learned about the Nazi chic this evening - she's connected with the Lyndon LaRouche effort. Lyndon LaRouche is a political activist who this blogger has always considered something of a nutcase who thinks he should be President of The United States.

Lyndon LaRouche is considered to be an anti-Semite, who in the past has made comments against Jewish faith and Jewish culture. LaRouche has also allegedly attacked efforts to expose and prosecute Nazi war criminals. So, Lyndon LaRouche has apparently become the intellectual foundation for the ideas of the "San Francisco Nazi Girl."

The San Francisco Neo-Nazi Girl can express her view and it's good to offer disagreement. But threatening her with violence is really not a good thing to do. I personally ask people to avoid such actions. If they can't calmly talk with her, just keep walking.

For those who want to talk to San Francisco Neo-Nazi Girl, just explain that the reason people are upset with her is that she's backing an idea that at its very heart is designed to hurt someone else just because they're different. The fear is that people who think like her may try to kill someone who's not like them. There's certainly enough evidence to back that claim.

But threatening to hurt San Francisco Neo-Nazi Girl is just not right.

Stay tuned.

The Masters draws edgy Tiger Woods Ad by Nike Golf

Related searches: tiger woods, nike golf, phil bronstein, san francisco chronicle, the masters, wieden kennedy

Phil Bronstein, SF Chronicle Editor-at-Large wrote a funny blog post about the new Tiger Woods Ad by Nike Golf shown during The Masters Golf Tournament. The Tiger Woods Nike Golf Ad, which is already over 1 million views on YouTube as of this writing, features Tiger looking straight ahead, almost frozen, but eyes blinking. As he looks - and he appears tired, with bags under his eyes - a voice, that of his father Earl Woods says "Tiger. I am more prone to be inquisitive, to promote discussion. I want to find out what your thinking was. I want to find out what your feelings are. Did you learn anything?"

Here's the video:



Bronstein wonders who's voice was actually used in the ad. According to ABC News, the ad, created by the ad agency Wieden + Kennedy, uses the actual voice of Earl Woods. The people who came up with the idea of using Earl Woods' voice, then finding it, was a genius team team headed by Creative Director Hal Curtis at Wieden + Kennedy in Portland, according to an email sent from the firm's PR rep.   Hats off to them; they've created a classic.

And the classic ad's getting a lot of buzz and reaction. Phil Bronstein says of the Tiger Woods Ad "I guess it's kind of brilliant, if shameless, though I haven't run out yet and bought a new Nike product." Greg Couch, National Columnist with AOL angrily writes "Disgusting. Woods is using his dead father to bail him out of his image problem. Nike has dropped to a new low, too."

Personally, this blogger likes the commercial. A lot. It's the latest in a long line of Nike Commercials that tap into the American cultural conversation of the Zeitgeist and essentially asks a question we've all thought at one point or another during the Tiger Woods Sex Scandal: "What would Earl Woods Think?" Bravo for Nike presenting a believable answer.

Bronstein and I want to know what you think of the Tiger Woods Ad by Nike Golf. Take the poll below:

More on pollsb.com

Watch The Masters and Tiger Woods online live here

Related searches: watch masters online, watch masters live, watch the masters live, masters odds, 2010 masters favorites

Thanks to ESPN and a some simple coding by this blogger, you can watch the 2010 Masters live online below. All you have to do is click on the image of Tiger Woods at The Masters Press Conference and since this post goes to Facebook, it should work there as well:






As of this writing, 67-year-old Tom Watson heads the leaderboard at The Masters. Watson is followed by Lee Westerwood and Phil Mickelson. Tiger Woods, once even, then 2 under par a moment ago, is now 3 under par and just 7 shots back of Watson with 9 holes to go. Here's the leaderboard (you need a frames capable browser to see this, otherwise click here).



Stay tuned. And let me know what you think; I'm trying to make my blog posts more multimedia.

Tiger Woods at The Masters - are you rooting for him? A poll

Related searches: tiger woods, the masters, masters tv schedule, masters golf tournament 2010, masters leaderboard, tiger woods ad, tiger woods commercial nike

On The Dan Patrick Show, with which this blogger has a running feud regarding their ill-considered blast at President Obama on The White Sox issue (more later), the question is "Will you root for Tiger Woods to win or lose?"

What's interesting is that some people are playing a new mind game with respect to Tiger Woods: if he wins, it means he's really not a good person because he has no conscience. Someone I will not mention from The Golf Channel said on The Dan Patrick Show that he wants Tiger Woods to lose, then crafted a rationale for why he should lose and how it would not be "good for Golf."

Oh, brother.

I'm rooting for Tiger Woods to win. Why? Because Tiger Woods has been talked about, made fun of, skewered, and even criticized by a black Associated Press writer because none of his mistresses were black. Boo Hoo. Everyone's had their turn at Tiger Woods; now it's his turn. He's apologized and is ready to move on with his life, which has always been Golf.

Even through all of this, Tiger Woods is a role model. He's the first black guy to be publicly skewered around the World for cheating on his wife. Don't tell me some kid isn't thinking "You know, if I'm really good at some sport, as good as Tiger Woods at Golf, I can get all the chicks and not be married." Don't tell me that idea's not rolling around some kid's head.

Hey, Tiger Woods even has copycats: Jesse James comes to mind.

Tiger Woods is a role model for anyone of color who wants to be successful, and legions of white kids who don't care what color he is. The fact that the whole World is focusing on this man playing a sport that was believed to be for white guys, and kicking butt, is amazing.

Tiger Woods is so good at Golf, some people were wishing for some bad news, like his many affairs, to happen, thinking that would derail him. It did happen. But Tiger Woods rolls on, still on the rails. That's why I root for him to win.

Tiger Woods winning The Maters is the ultimate middle finger to society. And people will love it. What do you think? Take my poll:

add an online poll on pollsb.com

NFL Draft: Tim Tebow an Oakland Raider? Why not Jimmy Clausen?

This NFL Draft news. The word is traveling fast that the Oakland Raiders are interested in Florida Quarterback Tim Tebow. Jerry McDonald of what I still call The Oakland Tribune passed along that NFL legend and NFL Analyst Gil Brandt (formerly the personnel director of the Dallas Cowboys), said that the Oakland Raiders were interested in Tebow in the 2010 NFL Draft, and were impressed with his knoweldge of football.

Nothing against Tim Tebow, but this corner's not sold on Tebow's new shot-put-style passing delivery. Yes, Tebow gets rid of the ball faster, but he has to literally heave his body to do it. It's just painful to watch because it takes him a long time to wind up and throw. It's as if he transfered the long-wind-up problem from his left arm to his entire body.

Check out the video Tim Tebow Throws at Pro Day:



Meanwhile, Notre Dame Quarterback Jimmy Clausen is available and while some have pointed again and again to an allegation that Clausen's hard to get along with in the locker room, no one can doubt that Jimmy Clausen was well-trained (by now-former Notre Dame Head Coach Charlie Weis), is a masterful competitor who arguably almost single-handedly beat USC in 2010, and is well-coached int the modern NFL passing game.

Jimmy Clausen's a better quarterback to join a team like the Oakland Raiders, but only just so much. There's no discounting Tim Tebow's leadership, role-model demeanor, and desire to win. I just believe Clausen's a bit better to build a passing game around.

Does that mean I've given up on Jamarcus Russell? No. In fact, I really don't think the Raiders need a quarterback. The Raiders need to focus on how they coach their current signal callers.

Stay tuned.

Traci Lynn Johnson pictures surface on Tiki Barber's 35th birthday

Traci Lynn Johnson 

Related searches: ginny barber, traci lynn johnson tiki barber, tiki barber, traci lynn johnson pictures, tiki and ginny barber, tiki barber affair

As of the news that former New York Giants Running Back and NBC Sports anchor and Today Show Correspondent Tiki Barber was cheating on his wife of 11 years, Ginny Barber while she was three months pregnant wasn't enough, all of this comes today, on his 35th birthday.

Happy Birthday, Tiki Barber.

That's right. Tiki Barber turns 35 years old today, the very same day The New York Post went public with allegations that Barber was cheating on his wife Ginny with a former intern, 23-year-old Traci Lynn Johnson.

Tracy Johnson

Meanwhile, website after blog site is claiming to have 'photos,' of Traci Lynn Johnson from her MySpace page, causing yet another online free for all not seen in a since, well, Sandra Bullock and Jesse James and the alleged mistresses James had, or Tiger Woods 12 to 14 mistresses (which means that Raychel Coudriet is allegedly the 14th or 15h mistress) .

In other words, this process has become all too common.

And Ginny Barber, formally Ginny Cha who dated Tiki when they met in college at The University of Virginia, has not issued a statement as of this writing.

Traci Lynn Johnson: Tiki Barber leaves hot wife for Johnson

Traci Lynn Johnson 

The title says it all: Traci Lynn Johnson: Tiki Barber leaves hot wife for Johnson. Tiki Barber's the former standout New York Giants running back was profiled with his beautiful wife Ginny on NFL Network a few years back. 

At that point, this blogger was thinking "What a lucky man. He's got a Manhattan dwelling, a new start in broadcasting, a totally hot wife, and lovely kids." It was easy to be jealous of Tiki Barber.

Now, this space is wondering if Ginny's available for a date. According to The New York Post, Tiki Barber "dumps pregnant wife for hot blonde", but The New York Post got it wrong. The title should have read "Tiki Barber dumps hot pregnant wife for normal looking blonde."

Tiki Barber issued this statement in The New York Post today:

After 11 years of marriage, Ginny and I have decided to separate. This decision was a painful one, but we are moving forward amicably and will continue to work together to raise our children with the love and dedication they have always known

Ginny Barber 

What's wrong with him and why would The New York Post brand Traci Lynn Johnson as a "hot blonde" without even seeing a full body photo?

Not every blonde is hot, but I digress.

Ok. Maybe Traci is hot, after all we're talking about Tiki Barber, but Ginny's hotter.  

Whatever happened to cause the separation of Tiki and Ginny Barber, it's unfortunate to see a couple that was at one point the toast of New York City split.

Moreover, it's sad to see Tiki Barber allegedly skip out on Ginny while she's three months pregnant with twins, again, according to The New York Post, who broke the story!  

Sad.

Stay tuned.

The Masters will be the second most popular TV event in history

Related searches: Tiger Woods, Woods sex scandal, Masters golf, tv ratings history



With Tiger Woods return to The Masters Golf Tournament after his sex scandal involving as many as 14 different women, and the subsequent daily media attention between the Friday after Thanksgiving and all the way to today, the stage is set. The prediction in this space is the Masters will be the second most watched television event in TV ratings history, second only to Super Bowl XLIV this year, which drew 106.5 million viewers.

People will watch this event everywhere. From places like The Beach Chalet in San Francisco and bars like The Balboa Cafe and The Alley in Oakland and Max Laeger's in Atlanta, to homes and house parties, it will seem as if everyone's tuned in to The Masters.

As sports agent Leigh Steinberg noted last year in December, now that Tiger Woods has suffered from the constant media blogs that have damaged his career, America's hungry to see Tiger Woods come back.

The bet in this space is that Tiger Woods will win The Masters.

Stay tuned.

AC Transit Bus Rapid Transit - Oakland and San Leandro should approve it

Related searches: Bus Rapid Transit, City of Oakland, City of San Leandro, AC Transit, BRT, Oakland transit, City of Berkeley transit

Bus Rapid Transit in St. Louis

AC Transit needs our help. Yes, this blogger has been critical of the AC Transit Bus Fight, but maintaining service for those who can't afford private transit is critical. For those of you who have followed the issue, AC Transit has been working with San Leandro, Oakland and Berkeley in developing a rapid bus system that will significantly improve transit operations from Berkeley to San Leandro.

The new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system is particularly important to the Oakland area as it is one of the densest urban population centers in the country and most definitely the densest along the proposed dedicated lane for rapid bus service.

That is why the upcoming planning and approval meeting on April 19 is so important to the future of transportation in San Leandro, Oakland and Berkeley.  BRT is an idea who's time has come.

Already in use and popular in major cities around the world like Jakarta, Bus Rapid Transit can speed up travel times at a low cost according to Mass Transit. BRT is much cheaper than heavy or light rail, BRT would simply dedicate a lane for high-efficiency buses along the Berkeley – Oakland – San Leandro corridor. Riders would be taken along at speeds much faster than normal buses and would be unimpeded by traffic due to the use of dedicated lanes. It’s also much quicker to implement and really is a cool, futuristic approach.

At its City Council meeting on Monday, April 19, the City of San Leandro will decide if it wants to be included in this progress that could be in operation by 2015. If the San Leandro City Council follows the advice of the city’s planning commission, it will pass up this project and lose the opportunity to improve transportation for its residents and bring new customers to local businesses.

Hopefully, for the benefit of smart planning, the San Leandro City Council will re-think the recommendation and employ BRT in its City to improve commuter access and reduce vehicle trips.

Regardless of how San Leandro plans for its future, BRT is a must for Berkeley and Oakland and—in many ways—is just as effective and viable without them. In fact, San Leandro’s loss may mean Oakland’s win. Without having to build the San Leandro stop, the cost of the overall project would decrease, and thus save taxpayer money.

In this blogger's view, BRT is the fastest, cheapest way to get much needed improvements to our transit infrastructure in the heart of an urban corridor that so urgently needs it. With or without San Leandro, Oakland must approve if we're to secure a transit system that serves our residents for the future.

Stay tuned.