Roman Polanski extradition rejection top Twitter trend; Polanski free

Roman Polanski 

Roman Polanski's still such a hot topic that when the news that his extradition to the United States was denied by the Swiss today, Monday, it was a top Twitter trend and a "hot topic" on Google Trends at the same time.

A rare development; the reason for the Roman Polanski extradition rejection is not just that Polanski goes free after being charged with unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl in a case 33 years old, but that he was freed on a technicality.

According to The New York Times, Switzerland Justice Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf told a news conference that 76-year-old Polanski was set free because of a possible technicality: American law enforcement rejected Justice Widmer-Schlumpf's request for the records of Roger Gunson, a prosecutor in the case.

Those records were to show if Gunson did claim that Polanski's stay in a psychiatric unit counted as jail time. So because America rejected Justice Widmer-Schlumpf's request, she rejected America's extradition request.

Basically, the U.S. Justice Department screwed up on this one. Polanski is free from house arrest and can go home to France.

Roman Polanski Twitter reactions negative toward Swiss

On Twitter, when the tweets were not just reporting to retweeting the basic news, they were hostile toward the Swiss action:

markthomasinfo - Extraditing Roman Polanski not in Swiss national interests -which are tax dodging, nazi gold and rapist harboring apparently.
29 minutes ago via web

Duwli - Alarming! where's d unified voice on sexual abuse? RT @Ispookhorses: RT @Movieline Roman Polanski Free After Swiss Reject Extradition http
half a minute ago via Twee in reply to Ispookhorses

owillis - Switzerland Loves Child Rapists, Releases Roman Polanski http://fb.me/vaak1Hr5
about 1 hour ago via Facebook

Unusual in this Twitter development is that the subject "Roman Polanski" is on top of "Hannah Montana Forever," leading to this tweet from Gary Busey:

GaryJBusey - I love how Roman Polanski is on top of Hannah Montana Forever in the trending topics, because that's how it's written in his Trapper Keeper.
about 1 hour ago via web

But lost in all of this reaction is that fact that if Roger Gunson had made a deal with Polanski, and the court looked at Polanski's stay in a psychiatric unit as jail time, then Polanski ran the risk of being jailed twice. Of course, Polanski's fleeing the United States prevented that mistake from happening.

Made The Ghost Writer

Being under house arrest did not stop Roman Polanski from working. Even though he could not step beyond the property line of his three-story chalet reportedly called "The Milky Way," he could receive visitors. That's how he was able to complete and release the movie The Ghost Writer.

What will the U.S. do? Stay tuned.

Oakland News: Lake Chalet loses chef; strip clubs in Oakland?

Lake Chalet Patio in Oakland

An Oakland news roundup of things told to this blogger by a number of reliable sources. First, Lake Chalet, the favored eatery of this space in Oakland, has reportedly elected to part with its executive chef Jarod Gallagher. This word comes from people who worked at The Lake Chalet, but now are with other new restaurants in Oakland.

While I personally liked Jarod Gallagher and his food offerings, the one issue that has plagued The Lake Chalet is how the food was regarded considering its price points. Jarod did work to change the menu a few months ago, so one can't say he wasn't trying. But the word is that The Lake Chalet's going in a different direction.

Business has reportedly been good and the establishment survived the Oscar Grant verdict, so full steam ahead for Lake Chalet.

Strip Clubs in Oakland?

There's talk by some that if Oakland had more strip clubs it would get more convention business. And the people saying this are in the right places to make something happen.

But this space says that their logic is butt-backward. Oakland needs hotels before it can hope to have more restaurants or shops, let alone strip clubs. Plus, there's a heavy lobby against strip clubs that would come out full force in Oakland.

Much of Oakland's problem is San Francisco: that is many people feel they have to go to San Francisco for such sexual fun. Thus, the drive to have strip clubs of a high quality in Oakland has been all but non-existent.

Will that change? Yes. But along with it will come a big push against strip clubs in Oakland.

Oakland Mayor's Race: one about to drop out

There's word that at least one of the current candidates in the Oakland Mayor's Race is set to drop out of it, perhaps within two weeks.

Stay tuned.

San Francisco event Monday night: Young Frankenstein and Wicked cast at Club Fugazi, 7:30 PM

San Francisco's Club Fugazi, which hosts Beach Blanket Babylon, has an exciting event tonight, Monday night only at 7:30 PM featuring Young Frankenstein and Wicked cast members!

It is the Richmond Ermet AIDS Foundation (REAF) presentation of "Wicked fun with Young Frankenstein."

REAF's "One Night Only" benefit cabaret series are always great fun featuring cast members from hit Broadway shows in original cabaret performances in intimate theaters. Each show takes on it's own character based on the the make up of the touring cast for each show.

The cast of "Wicked" has participated in three of REAF's "One Night Only" benefit cabarets over the past year and they always put together fun and exciting numbers for these benefits.

Add cast members from the hit show, "Young Frankenstein," which is opening this week at the Golden Gate Theatre, plus special guest MC, comic Bruce Vilanch, and you've got a recipe for a wild and crazy evening of theatre.

Tickets start at $25 and are available by calling the Beach Blanket Babylon Box Office - 78 Green Street, San Francisco, CA 91433 - at 415-421-4222. Click here for more information.

World Cup 2010: Yahoo! beats ESPN, wins World Cup web traffic prize

Koman's draws a crowd 

While watching the World Cup Soccer Final pitting Spain v. The Netherlands at The Republic in San Francisco, Yahoo!'s Cara Varni said that Yahoo! generated more World Cup Soccer online traffic than any other site,including ESPN, AOL, and the FIFA World Cup site itself.

That's true. Yahoo!, who's gotten more web pages for its CEO, Carol Bartz' use of profanity than on its website performance, scored the largest traffic volume from World Cup Soccer interest that's caused websites all over to set there own traffic records.

ComScore via ClickZ reports that Yahoo! racked up 22.7 million unique visitors between June 7th and June 13th, with 7.9 million visitors directly to the World Cup Soccer site at Yahoo! Meanwhile, ESPN reported 16.5 million unique visitors total, with a guesstimate of over 3 million for the World Cup.

CBSSports.com (CBS Sports) came in third with 7.4 million unique visitors.

Why did Yahoo! beat ESPN, even though ESPN had a television tie in via its cable programs and match coverage? The speculation here is that Yahoo did a great job of leading its user base to its World Cup pages.

As this is written the Yahoo! main page is dominated by World Cup Soccer news. The difference between ESPN and Yahoo is that ESPN's website is not a web service provider with an email system. Thus, it does not have that set of users who are on Yahoo! for something else, who then discover World Cup Soccer news.

What would Yahoo!'s Carol Bartz say to this news? Probably, "That's f-in great!"

World Cup 2010: Spain v. Netherlands at The Republic, San Francisco

The World Cup 2010 is history. Spain has beaten the Netherlands. And all we have are memories. What's cool about online video and video-blogging is the ability to capture special moments from the point of view of the vlogger.

The Republic, San Francisco

In this case, those videos from this space were created just walking down the street in Oakland's Adams Point District, at Era Art and Design Bar for the USA's dramatic win against Algeria, and for the sad loss to Ghana, and today at The Republic Bar and Grill at Scott and Lombard in San Francisco's Marina District.

The Republic visit happened because my friend Brian Zahn's a bartender there (as well as at Kel's Irish Bar, also in San Francisco), and also a Facebook friend. He sent a message extending an invitation to watch the Spain v. Netherlands World Cup Final match there.

The temptation to get up and go from Oakland to San Francisco and not via car (since a bar was the destination) was countered by the desire to either go to church or sleep. But when a friend sends a note, it's a good idea to respond in kind: The Republic was the destination.

The Republic was surprisingly crowded, meaning I totally misread just how popular 2010 World Cup Soccer matches still were even as the USA was eliminated by Ghana. The Republic was literally overflowing with patrons, spilling outside to the sidewalk - it was standing-room-only full of people expecting a great match. What they got was boring. So much so, that the conversation turned to such things as the flowers on a woman's flip-flops, and the style of cupcakes someone purchased.

If Soccer is to have any chance of being truly competitive with pro football for the American sports fans ticket-buying dollar, it can't have matches like the one between Spain and The Netherlands. The main problem is that it's just plain slow and then, suddenly, it's over. And it seems that the crowd is teased with almost goals after almost goals.

All of this is just fine for World Cup Soccer, but for a regular league game with far less television exposure and cultural impact, it's a guarantee of failure. Americans want to be rewarded with scoring and endings. For whatever reason, that's the way the USA is.

The most logical scenario is World Cup Soccer itself gets bigger and bigger, but fails to carry American soccer up with it. Meanwhile, the NFL's hold on American Culture remains for at least another three decades. The wild card is international expansion for the NFL: how far can it extend pro football around the World is anyone's guess.

Meanwhile, what we had was an incredible surge in popularity of soccer in the USA. The fact the World is competing on stage where there's a final winner and in the age of ESPN, YouTube Twitter, and Yahoo, (the most trafficked site for World Cup Soccer according to Yahoo!'s Cara Varni, who I watched the match with) melded the World like no cultural event has before. The energy at The Republic in San Francisco was tremendous today. The only way it would have been better is if the USA were in and won the final.

I'm ready for World Cup 2014 already!

The 12-step BP Deepwater Disaster-inspired Program

We can't change overnight, but if the 20th century U.S. reliance on gas-guzzling automobiles remains the pattern for economic growth then money just keeps flowing to big oil companies even faster than the crude oil is spewing into the Gulf of Mexico today (while BP attempts to put a better cap on the gusher.) They spend nearly incredible amounts of money convincing consumers how "green" they are with slick ad campaigns The reality is hidden, but it's there despite the wizards of Madison Avenue.

So what's to do?

We have to approach it in several ways, because oil-consumption is woven into the very fabric of our daily lives. No single action will solve this, it's too big. It's likely to take longer to fix than it did to create.


First and foremost we have to admit that we have an oil problem.
Next we resolve to restore sanity to our decisions rather than letting massive multi-national corporations continue to exploit our oil habit.
Join those who have to decided to prioritize our decisions on what's best for our planet, family, and neighbors.
To move forward, we have to understand why we rely on oil - we have to consider our past decisions as objectively as possible.
Like any other addict, we must admit we got it wrong - we may have been duped, but we own the decisions we made regardless.
We have to decide to change - we have to be ready to give up these dangerous habits. To do otherwise feeds both the oil pushers and others who haven't yet come to understand just how big the problem really is.
We have to be willing to lead in progressively reducing and surrendering our reliance on oil-fueled existence.
Think of all the people harmed by our cars, trucks, and other petroleum-based self-indulgences such as plastic shopping bags and bottles, and admit that it's not just BP and their peers that should make amends for the problem.
We have to actually make amends, not just think and talk; Boycotts alone won't solve the problem, and we can't wait for BP, Exxon, or governments to fix our demand, which is the real problem, when they can barely figure out how to contain the leaks from a single well.
We can't stop thinking. We have to consider that no matter how big it is, and how we continue to drive up the demand for petroleum, we must consciously act to reduce our own use over the days, months, and decades ahead while working to mitigate and remediate the effects as we find our way forward to new approaches that reflect our need to thrive in balance with the planet.
Deliberately improve our contact with nature. Nobody who has ever fished or been a bird-watcher can fail to be moved by the images from the Gulf; only by insulating ourselves from the environment can we pretend our petroleum consumption might not matter. We have had our heads in the sand so long even it has become oil-soaked.
Lastly, we must spread the word to practice this awareness and perspective to others, as Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) did in his commentary on the the BP oil spill and the need for transportation reform at dc.streetsblog.org - it's a start.

Thomas Hayes is an entrepreneur, journalist, political staffer on the Madore For Congress campaign, and photographer who contributes regularly to a host of web sites on topics ranging from economics and politics to culture and community. He drives an efficient flex-fuel vehicle and scoffs at plastic grocery bags.

Oscar Grant verdict, Oakland riot: Oriana Bolden video is key

Today, Oriana Bolden, someone not known to this space, sent a video she created in downtown Oakland on Thursday that gives a very comprehensive view of the reactions of the crowd after the Oscar Grant / Johannes Mehserle verdict, and the events leading up to the Oakland riot.

It opens with comments from some of the mass of people that gathered at Oakland City Hall Plaza. I was there, but was struck by the number of personal media members there. About one-fifth of the crowd had video cameras of some kind. We also see a silent Councilmember Nancy Nadel as the camera pans through the crowd.

Here's the video:


Reaction to Mehserle Verdict: Oakland, CA: 8 July 2010 from Oriana Bolden on Vimeo.

The video has some shocking events, foremost being how a deaf woman was ran over by a police car. It was not clear where at all the police car was going. We see the angry crowd decent on the police car after it ran over the deaf woman. Also, the crowd tries to make room for an ambulance to get in to where the deaf woman lay at the time.

What's really good about the video is how it reveals what young black men think about the verdict and in being (in some cases) terrorized by the police. (There's no other way to describe how a number of black men feel.) It also has comments that, in this space' view, show how too many of "us" as black men give power to someone because they're white.

Thus, we have some in Oakland who refer to America as being a collection of laws "by and for white people" when in point of fact, anyone can get an initiative process going today and change the laws.  That idea of the racial bias of the system is expressed in the video.

What I'm saying is that the people pointing to racism, and rightly so, seem to let the idea that they're oppressed consume them and so they don't take meaningful action, like changing laws.

The video also has the police giving clear, loud, orders for the crowd to go home. Oriana Bolden also asserts that Old Media reports of looting were made up or exagerated. That's a bit questionable because there was damage done to property, although not anywhere near the scale of last year.

In all, it's a good video that cries for an ending. It just stops in the middle of Lindsey Comey's testimonial. Still, it's the best video of what happened after the Oscar Grant verdict that I've yet seen.

Yet.

Comic Con 2010: Danny Elfman celebrates 25 years with Tim Burton

Danny Elfman

Danny Elfman's a movie composer who first gained critical acclaim with his soundtrack for Batman, starring Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson, and Kim Basinger. He's known for his over two-decades-long friendship with Movie Producer and Director Tim Burton: Batman was one of Burton's creations.

It was a relationship that started when Burton and Paul Reubens went to Elfman with the assignment writing the score for their first movie, Pee-wee's Big Adventure.

Overall, the four-time-Academy Award nominee and Emmy winner Elfman has scored Burton films such as Beetle Juice, Batman, Edward Scissorhands, Nightmare Before Christmas, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Danny Elfman will celebrate a 25-year collaboration with Tim Burton at Comic Con 2010. On his relationship with Elfman, Burton said "We don't even have to talk about the music. We don't even have to intellectualize - which is good for both of us, we're both similar that way. We're very lucky to connect."

The event will be held Thursday, July 23rd at Comic Comic San Diego's space called Rom 137 from 10:30 to 11:30 AM.

Comic Con 2010: Harry Potter cast not coming to Comic Con

Daniel Radcliffe and Ralph Fiennes

Countering buzz that the cast of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows would attend Comic Con 2010, Warner Bros. has told Harry Potter fansite Mugglenet.com that the cast, including Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Ralph Fiennes, will not be attending Comic Con due to schedule conflicts.

However Warner Bros. reports the Comic Con Saturday schedule for Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows is on and attendees will see all new "never before seen" clips, props, and some "special" opportunity for Comic Con attendees.

The news that the cast of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows would attend Comic Con, and if they did it would be a first in Comic Con history, came as a Twitter rumor by SD Comic Con Expert:

#SDCC Rumor Patrol: Let Me In WILL have a panel. Harry Potter cast/crew MIGHT be there. All of WB's talent at the con is purposely secret.

But then, anything can happen, and who's to say that the reported "schedule conflict" will remain? And what about that "special" opportunity?

Stay tuned.

Full Tilt Poker's Newest Promotion - Rush Week by Josh Grattan

Full Tilt Poker is one of the largest applications for online poker gameplay. The Full Tilt Team is always introducing new promotions and types of gameplay in order to reel in new players to choose them over competitors.

Full Tilt in the past few months invented an entirely new way to play poker called Rush Poker and it took the poker world by storm. Rush Poker is only available on Full Tilt and with its new enhanced features are drawing in new players daily.

In Rush Poker there is no longer a delay between hands, instead of folding and waiting for the current hand to finish you are instantly moved to a new table with new players and dealt another hand instantly. So this means a lot more action, a lot more hands, and a lot more fun with no wait time in between.

Everyday players and pros alike are raving about Rush Poker, everyone seems to love that all the wait time is gone and the action is faster and more frequent. Here is what the Full Tilt Pros had to say:

Howard Lederer

"Rush Poker is a great way to learn the game of poker."

Chris 'Jesus' Ferguson

"Rush Poker is the greatest innovation since poker started on the Internet."

Andy Bloch

"This is what poker should be: a game of action."

Gus Hansen

"Lots of hands, lots of action; I'm going to be playing a lot of Rush Poker."

Patrik Antonius



"Rush Poker is a grinder's paradise. It's a totally new way to play poker."

And to get even more attention and players for Rush Poker, Full Tilt is about to begin their newest promotion, Rush Week.

Rush Week begins on Monday July 12 and ends Sunday July 18th and during this period players will be earning FTPs (Full Tilt Points) based on their gameplay on the Rush Poker cash tables. And depending on how many FTPs they collect daily will determine how much bonus money they will collect at the weeks end, ranges from $5 to $250 shown below.

Level 1 Bronze (10 FTPs)

• Earn at least 10 FTPs per day for four days to receive $5
• Earn at least 10 FTP's per day for all seven days to receive $10

Level 2 Silver (100 FTPs)

• Earn at least 100 FTP's per day for four days to receive $25
• Earn at least 100 FTP's per day for all seven days to receive $50

Level 3 Gold (1,000 FTPs)

• Earn at least 1,000 FTP's per day for four days to receive $125
• Earn at least 1,000 FTP's per day for all seven days to receive $250
  

In addition to these great rewards there are more revolving around the new Rush Poker Tournaments and more specifications and rewards that can be found HERE. For more information visit the links provided in this blog post and see you at the tables.

All images and quotes courtesy of FullTiltPoker.com

Megan Avalon shows FBB female muscle before next contest

San Francisco Bay Area Female Bodybuilder and Personal Trainer Megan Avalon has a growing fan base to go with her growing muscle size and shape.

Fresh from her sports model division win at the Oakland Silver and Black bodybuilding contest, Megan Avalon shows how she's worked on her body even more by adding an inch to her already impressive biceps and worked to develop her calves and hamstrings.



The Marin-based woman who calls herself "Barbie with Muscles" has also served as a spokesperson for websites like Zennie62.com and bikini fashion companies. But Megan's focus is on serving her personal training clients and building her body to its ultimate potential.

Watch for Megan Avalon in more contests, this fall 2010 bodybuilding season.

Oscar Grant verdict, Oakland riot: two view of police conduct

Just after 9 PM on the Thursday night after the involuntary manslaughter verdict in the Oscar Grant / Johannes Mehserle trial, this blogger got off at 12th Street, Oakland City Center BART Station after uploading the first set of videos of the peaceful protest at 14th and Broadway, and expecting more of the calm that existed around 8 PM. That was not the case.

Instead, the police, from not just Oakland, but the California Highway Patrol, and cities like Fremont, had closed into the once safe intersection of 14th and Broadway and had been in the process of carrying out orders to have the crowd leave the area.

The result was more police than people, and who did I run into but Oakland lawyer Dan Siegel and two of his friends, who complained in detail about what they saw as runaway police misconduct. One friend said "OPD (Oakland Police Department) had to put us in this vice. (Councilmembers) Jean Quan, Rebecca Kaplan, and I decided we were going to be the police line. We linked arms. So they kept marching, marching, pushing us, pushing us. They grabbed some kids and beat them to the ground, and they wouldn't listen to reason. These automatons. These androids, you know?"

Dan Siegel, who takes on police brutality cases, said "You know what I think. I think the police totally overreacted, provoked the people who were demonstrating. About 7:30, people were leaving. It was very peaceful. It was very quiet. They (the police) decided they were going to push people up Broadway from 12th to 14th. There was a lot of pushing and shoving, and clubbing. Some of the cops take the ends of their clubs and jam them in the back or the kidneys and ribs. And it kinda started to get a little crazy. And some of the people in the street got rowdy and broke windows out. Some people decided to steal some shoes and all that kind of stuff. But the police just totally went off, and made a peaceful demonstration chaotic and rowdy."

Rebecca Kaplan in the makeshift police line

The video below, found on Flickr, has Councilmember Kaplan explaining that they're trying to keep the peace as the police behind her work to sweep the street of people who were told to disperse. It's the same line that Councilmember Quan had joined.



The other view of police conduct

A number of people, most who did not want to be quoted, said the police acted with restraint. Phil Tagami of California Capital Group observed the scene from the roof of The Rotunda Building and then on the ground later and said that the police had "bottles thrown at them and didn't even react."

Early on, as the police were massing at 14th and Franklin, they were being taunted by some observers and when one person moved close to them, they moved back out of that person's way. So, it seemed to this observer that they weren't going to take any action until they were under orders to do so. Until then, they were working to stay out of the way.

Media and police are to blame

What happened Thursday night that resulted in 78 arrests and damage to an estimated 100 businesses was something we seemed to want to have happen. From the talk about a riot before the verdict to the allowance of a peaceful protest at City Hall, when really that entire part of downtown should have been shut down for the night, to the rabble rousers who wanted to make something happen, to the hundreds of people with cell phone cameras, video camcorders, and all types of recording devices - what I call the "personal media brigade" - to the police themselves, all combined to cause the result.

But with all that, it wasn't nearly as bad as last year, when rioting carried on for days and BART had a Sunday community meeting. But with all that, it's not over: Johannes Mehserle will be sentenced on August 6th. There's still a chance he may not have anything other than probation.

Stay tuned.