Oakland Mayor's Race: Oakland Tribune Prejudice Angers Greg Harland

Greg Harland

One big problem that's plagued the Oakland Mayor's Race and that apparently still exists is how some Bay Area media organizations ignore some of the candidates running for the office of Mayor of Oakland.

That practice has angered Oakland Mayoral Candidate Greg Harland because he wan't contacted by either the Oakland Tribune / Bay Area News Group or The San Francisco Chronicle.

Harland was upset to the point where he referred to one post as saying "that says it all," and it was a column by Mercury News / Oakland Tribune columnist Tammerlin Drummond which reads:

"We began by whittling down the list of 10 candidates to the four who actually merited voter consideration: Kaplan, Perata, Councilwoman Jean Quan and political analyst/university professor Joe Tuman." 

Ok, let's let loose here. That statement is a freaking joke. The only reason Joe Tuman was placed in the Tribune's "merited voter consideration" hopper was because Tuman's name recognition with Oakland's white Montclair / Oakland Hills region was high. Or to look at it another way, Terrance Candell is well-known in black and Latino East Oakland, where his prep school is located on 73rd Street, but the Oakland Tribune didn't even talk to him.

The Oakland Tribune and Tammerlin Drummond should be ashamed, but they're not. This space is not complaining about their selection of Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan to endorse, only the way they did it. The Tribune process was not open, and race and class prejudiced to boot.   Thus, unfortunately, it taints the selection of Kaplan.

That's right, race and class prejudiced. In other words this blogger can hear the Tribune's demons saying about Candell "He's a blowhard brotha who thinks he can be Mayor, so why talk to him?" and about Harland "Who? Never heard of him," and about Green Party Candidate Don Macleay, "Ah. Who? OK. Nice guy." You get the idea.

In other words, different kinds of prejudice applied to different Oakland Mayoral candidates. The real joke is that none of the Oakland Tribune or SF Chronicle reporters has any experience in working for a mayor in Oakland's City Hall, either. So how would they know how to evaluate a Mayoral Candidate? They don't.

You have to have experience in the office in order to evaluate a candidate that is running for office, so you can recognize the qualities that person has which are appropriate for the office.  The Oakland Tribune and the SF Chronicle lack that experience.  By contrast, this blogger has worked for two Oakland mayors - Elihu Harris and Jerry Brown, and sat on the Sports Task Force for Ron Dellums before quitting in protest.  (I'm still proud of that.)

It's one thing to pretend to be a policy wonk, crunching numbers over a local legislative idea. But it's quite another to understand that when a developer contacts the Mayor's Office and wants to build in, say, a location that happens to be in Councilmember Nancy Nadel's District Three (Downtown and West Oakland), it's a good idea to know to contact her office to get them in the loop.

It's one thing to know the population of Oakland, and another to know how to dig through Mayor's Office files to find projects that were of importance, but were left undone. That's one thing I did when I first worked for Elihu Harris on the first day on the job - it's something every mayoral candidate should consider doing.

That's why I ask each candidate what kind of office they're going to have, and how will it be ran. The Tribune and Chronicle people don't have the experience to even think of asking that kind of question. It's a question that of the candidates I've talked to thus far, Don Perata gave the best answer to, but not by much.

It's also why I asked about Tax Increment Financing at one forum, only to find that of all of the candidates, Marcie Hodge, who I didn't expect to get it, actually had a good general answer.

The point is, you as media person have to talk to each candidate, because in doing so you learn something about that person's abilities for the office that you didn't know before.

Look at it this way: Lionel Wilson was a judge before he was elected Oakland's first black mayor.  He went on to serve for three terms and is arguably the best mayor Oakland's ever had.  If Tammerlin Drummond had her way she may have delayed Oakland's election of its first black mayor.

Stay tuned.

2010 Mid-Term Elections: Why Vote? Bay Area Rapper Paris Weighs In

If you live in California, today Monday (Oct 18 2010) will be your last day to register if you intend to participate in the 2010 Mid-term elections . You can do that by going here..http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/elections_vr.htm

For many, with a messed up economy, unmet expectations and seemingly out of touch and unresponsive politicians, this has been a pretty dismal year in terms of choices for some of the state’s major offices. The 2010 Mid term elections are not appealing.

For many of us who’ve been out of work or underemployed and have had to endure watching bailed out banks smashing hard, its real easy to say none of this matters. And on many levels maybe it doesn’t, until its your public assistant dollars, unemployment benefits or government job gets cut to the tune of 45 thousand. This is being pushed by gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman..

Maybe it doesn’t matter until we see more California jobs being sent overseas and with the full support of senatorial candidate Carly Fiorina who wants to give such companies bigger tax breaks.

Unfortunately, like it or not, someone will get into office and as cute as it sounds to say cliched things like there’s ‘it makes no difference’ who serves your community or state, there are stark differences, both immediate and long-term.

There’s a difference between the candidates running for mayor of Oakland and city council. There’s big differences on who will be District Attorney and who will be Attorney General. If you have loved ones impacted by one of the largest penal systems in the world, its best to check out who believes in rehabilitation programs and who doesn’t. Its best to find out wants to fight the war on drugs with more police and who wants to go another direction.

There are huge differences in policies between Meg Whitman, Jerry Brown and Laura Wells..

There’s also a lot more folks on the ballot then the ones who can afford to buy expensive ads on TV.. You can check some of them out Here http://smartvoter.org/2010/11/02/ca/state/state_executive.html

Don’t make the mistake folks made back in 2004 when Prop 66 was on the ballot that would’ve repealed 3 strikes and if passed would’ve let out thousands of non-violent prisoners. We had a lot of hipster types running around telling us not to vote and how the system was corrupt and blah blah blah.. So many of us we didn’t. We stayed home. The measure lost by a few thousand votes and loved ones remain incarcerated. More prison guards were hired , while less money was given to schools. It should’ve been a no-brainer to vote for that measure.

This year we have everything from Prop 19 to legalize weed which will have impact on the war on drugs here in Cali toProp 20 which will decide who gets to redraw congressional district lines in our hood. Right now its in the hands of the citizens, but there are powerful forces pushing to make it go back in the hands of ‘politicians’ . Folks need to weigh in on this and other proposition some of which will decide how money from your community should be used.. You can brush up on the propositions here.. http://www.citizenvoice.org/elections_project/prop_19.html

In Oakland we now have instant run off voting. For all the folks who have complained about the system locking out third parties and all that, this should be a dream come true. You can now vote for several people for mayor. They could be democrat, republican, green party etc. If Ron Dellums was wack as mayor here’s your chance to to do something impactful.

Here in Cali we have early voting (it’s already started) so there’s time to research issues and check things out.

Peep this throwback article that Bay Area rapper Paris penned.. It gives good food for thought..

Davey D-

Why Vote?

By Paris, August 7, 2004
http://www.guerrillafunk.com/thoughts/doc4848.html

Paris

Like the child who cried “wolf!” too many times and was eaten when he really needed the help of people who had grown to ignore him, the media and Bush administration are faced with such massive lack of credibility issues that we now must adopt a contrarian stance when taking what they say into account, especially when it comes to terrorism.

From the degrading and deplorable Abu Ghraib Iraqi prison scandal, to the wag-the-dog-like U.S.-implemented and staged beheading of Nicholas Berg, to the recently expressed desire for war with Iran, it’s apparent that the Bush Administration is scrambling to create further diversion and feelings of fear and division to rally support behind its wicked and out-of-touch policies.

So what can we do? Well, aside from community outreach and living by example, one of the best solutions is voting. The trouble is, I’ve read a lot of articles and heard a lot of discussion lately from people in our communities openly questioning whether or not we have any business voting. We do.

The simple fact is, if you can’t offer a concrete, tangible alternative to us exercising our rights and becoming a part of shaping decisions that affect us, then you have no business being opposed to galvanizing young people and people of color as a unified political force at the polls. Besides, y’all ain’t ready for revolution. So before you go saying how I’m “buying into the system” think about what it is exactly that you would do differently – and then ask yourself why you don’t. Like I said – it’s only a part of the solution. The strategy we must adopt is one that employs all of the tools that we have at our disposal to progress. Voting is one of them.

Are we are too lazy or disillusioned with the process that we won’t exercise rights that people who came before us died for? Voting doesn’t cost anything, so we can’t say that we can’t afford it (even though elections are held on Tuesdays, during work hours for many). Of course, it’s easy to say “f**k voting,” spark up the weed and turn on 106 & Park, but at what cost? We’ve seen the results of not voting – an illegitimate impostor in the White House, rollback of Affirmative Action legislation, poorer economic conditions and lack of employment opportunities, reductions in budgets for education and social services and increased instances of violence and police brutality – so why not opt for change?

Now I know you might not feel either of the major presidential candidates, especially with our recent discovery that they’re related – many don’t. But voting is larger than just the presidential race. What about the economy? Record unemployment and underemployment? Out of control gas prices? Shitty and unequal education? Lack of affordable housing? Why give conservatives and the existing powers that be an easy way out by not participating? They vote, and have an often unified support base that stresses the importance of participation to maintain their quality of life, often embracing policies and supporting politicians that don’t represent our best interests. It’s important that we participate too.

If we aren’t effective and our voices don’t matter, than why do they feel the need to cheat? To steal elections and keep us from the polls illegally? To establish a conservative media network? To keep us feeling disillusioned and disenfranchised, that’s why. To keep us thinking that we don’t matter.

How many people have you heard say that they’re not political? Here’s a news flash for you: you don’t have any choice but to be political nowadays, because everything is politicized. Politics is now pop culture, so you’d better adjust and become aware of the way things really are and what you can do to change our condition.

Opposition to voting often comes from the same people who don’t see the value in a college degree. Why is that? By not having the necessary credentials we give other people an easy out when it comes to dealing with us. As a rule, use every tool, every angle and every resource you have available to you to get ahead. As a people, we don’t have the luxury of adopting a stance of non-participation in anything that can be potentially beneficial to us. For too long we’ve sat by and allowed others to dictate the terms and conditions of our lives in our own communities.

We constantly hear commentary from conservative pundits on the state of things – barking about why it’s not right to question our “leader” during wartime – and calling anyone voicing dissent “treasonous” (and getting wealthy in the process). Think Sean Hannity (of Fox News) represents the everyman (he makes an 8 million dollar annual salary)? Or Bill O’Reilly (6 million)? Think again. (Funny how they dis easy-to-pick-on rappers but never discuss the profanity and imagery on Fox’s own Nip Tuck, the racism of COPS, or the misogyny of The Swan – but that’s another article.) These people vote. And they rally others who feel the same as they do to vote too.

We hear them say how much worse life was under Hussein in Iraq, and how U.S. troops are fighting to protect our freedom. But WE WERE NEVER IN DANGER from Iraq…and U.S. troops are being used in the worst way. They are there only to protect the big business interests of Bush’s buddies in high places – they ARE NOT protecting our freedom. The fact that Bush just signed a $417.5 billion wartime defense bill with an addition $25 billion for Iraq and Afghanistan pretty much drives my point home.

The world is full of dictators, but, luckily for them, they don’t have oil. Sorry-ass Saddam and his weak country would still be among the living nations if they had not had oil. Also still alive would be over 900 American servicemen and women, tens of thousands of Iraqis and hundreds of thousands of wounded-for-life people.

This is especially important to us because we’re the ones who die, and we’re the ones the military places a disproportionate amount of focus on recruiting as was evidenced in Michael Moore’s excellent movie, Fahrenheit 9/11, which I encourage everyone to go out and see.

And while we’re on the subject of Fahrenheit 9/11, let me say that there have only been 3 points raised by those in opposition to the movie, and they are that 1. Moore never mentioned Great Britain in the “Coalition of The Willing,” 2. that Iraq was misleadingly portrayed as a utopia before we decimated it, and 3., that Moore is racist because of his portrayal of the countries willing to stand by the U.S.

That’s it.

And?

There are still no other valid arguments against the points raised in the movie (all of which, coincidentally, were detailed on Sonic Jihad and onwww.guerrillafunk.com 2 years ago). The rest is true and cannot be refuted, and Moore has even publicly considered offering a $10,000 reward to anyone who can find a factual error, according to TIME magazine.

What it really boils down to now is that we are at a point in time where people simply believe in what makes them feel comfortable, even if the facts presented to them point to the contrary. If people know something is foul and needs to be set right, they agree that there needs to be regime change here. If, however, they are uneasy and in denial about the fact that the Bush Administration is full of @#%$, has lied to us, murdered people unjustly here and abroad for profit, reduced our civil liberties, is in bed with those we are supposed to be at war against, had a hand in facilitating the events of 9-11, and actively solicits young people of color to use for its war machine, then they tend to agree with the lies of the current White House occupants.

Only the evil or the misinformed are supporters of this administration, and they are the same people who don’t flinch when their conservative heroes are caught lying and give that standard bullshit “I take personal responsibility” speech. You know the one – the speech that’s designed to shut up detractors in a hurry (Tony Blair just gave it about WMDs) – as though saying it makes things A-OK.

Let’s all take our own form of personal responsibility and vote this November.

Register online here at http://www.guerrillafunk….eral_info/x_the_box.html, and stand up and be counted!

Filipino American history month

In the United States the month of October is Filipino American history month.

According to the Asian American Press online in November 2009, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously approved House Resolution 780 "Recognizing Filipino American History Month in October.”


"The resolution was in recognition of the centuries-old presence of Filipinos in the United States, of the enduring friendship and cooperation of Filipinos and Americans, of the significant contributions of Filipinos to American society whether in the healthcare system, in the arts, in science, technology and other fields. It was also to recognize the need to continuously document the history of Filipino immigrants in the United States."

The month is a time for the Filipino culture within America and the Filipino Americans to be recognized for the historic and current contributions to America.

Since Filipino American history month was only passed in October 2009 it is not widely recognized, but hopefully it will be recognized in the same way that February is known as "Black History Month."


Written by Nikky Raney (Filipino)
Blogger & Journalist

Phillies Top SF Giants 6 To 1 Oswalt Gets Win

One day after the San Francisco Giants beat the Philadelphia Philies in a duel between Tim Lincecum and Roy Halliday,  the Phillies return the favor winning 6 to 1.  Now the NLCS series is tied 1 - all. 

This time Phillies Pitcher Roy Oswalt gets the win after an effective performance augmented by Philli bats.  Jimmy Rollins drove in four of the six runs for the Phillies. 

While Philadelphia bats were hot SF Giants bats were cold.  All with the exception of Cody Ross.  The outfielder and Giants playoff star hit a home run to drive in San Francisco's only run.  

SF Giants Pitcher Jonathan Sanchez got the loss due to inconsistent pitching that led to three Phillies runs, two earned in six innings of play.  According to ESPN, Sanchez had dominated the Phillies in five previous outings. 

Game 3 In SF Tuesday

The NLCS scene shifts to San Francisco Tuesday afternoon with the series tied 1-1. 

The Alley Has The Giants In Oakland

The photo above is from a bar called The Alley in Oakland,Ca that had the Giants vs Phillies game on.  The Alley has 10,000 business cards on the walls, good steak, and a piano player, Rod Dibble, who's played there since 1960.   Its on 3325 Grand Avenue. 

Cowboys vs Vikings: Brett Favre, Percy Harvin, Vikings Win 24-21

Sunday's Cowboys vs Vikings NFL game pitted two 1 and 4 teams, both desperately seeking a win. In what Bleacher Report's Mihir Bhagat called "The Panic Bowl," the Cowboys are the team in a panic now, after losing to the Vikings, 24-21.

Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones, who dreamt of having Super Bowl XXXXV in Dallas and his Cowboys in it, is watching his dream slip away in the wake of another loss.

The Cowboys find a new way to lose each week of late, and today a 95-yard kickoff return by Vikings Wide Receiver Percy Harvin - the result of an obvious Cowboys special teams breakdown - was the difference. Without it, the Cowboys get the win, even with Quarterback Tony Romo's two interceptions.

For the Vikings, Brett Favre played effectively, even with a groin irritation and a tendonitis-effected elbow that threatened to keep him sidelined and out of the contest. Finishing with 14 for 19 for 118 yards, one touchdown and a 106 passer rating, Favre didn't do anything to make anyone think he was battling an irritation in the same area he's alleged to have shown to Jenn Starger via text message.

But the Cowboys did their best to get to Favre. He was sacked three times and hit on eight of his first 10 pass attempts. Still to sustain that and get a 106 passer rating is not bad. Brett faired about as well as his quarterback counterpart, Tony Romo.

Romo was 25 for 33 for 211 yards, and one touchdown, that to rookie Dez Bryant, and two interceptions.

Cowboys Wade Phillips Fired?


Jerry Jones is already on record for saying that Head Coach Wade Phillips will continue through the 2010 Season, but with this kind of performance, one has to wonder to what degree Jones' patience will hold. Time will tell.

Written by - Zennie Abraham

Oakland Mayor's Race: Rebecca Kaplan Fears Joe Tuman

The Oakland Mayor's Race is heating up, and with Joe Tuman in the spotlight, yet again. All of this because Tuman has become a serious threat to Mayoral Candidates Don Perata, and Councilmembers Rebecca Kaplan and Jean Quan, the elected officials considered front runners in the Oakland Mayor's Race.

Yesterday in this space it was reported that Tuman so frustrated San Francisco Chronicle Reporter Matthai Kuruvali that he placed his head in his hands and on the table in a photo that, until closer inspection, looked like Kuruvali was banging his head.

While the full report on the "heated discussion" is coming soon, knowing Tuman and the overall landscape, as well as what information's come in, the tone of the conversation between Tuman and Kuruvali was undoubtedly shaped by Kuruvali's desire to prove that when it comes to Oakland politics and policy, he thinks Tuman's a novice. Knowing Joe, he never relented to Kuruvali's dogged attempt to trip him up.   (Note to Kuruvali: relax, brotha!)

Now comes Rebeca Kaplan.

Kaplan is openly recommending that Joe Tuman not be anyone's second choice, and for good reason: it seems every time Rebecca gets an endorsement, Joe's name is mentioned next.  Thus, if some pick Don Perata, the next person may be Joe Tuman; now with Rebecca's rise, Tuman has two camps to grab from - Perata's and Kaplan's.  Joe's star is rising almost because of Rebecca Kaplan. So Rebecca's trying to shake Joe as best she can before a constant stream of second choice votes pushes Tuman into the Mayor's Office on election day.

What could happen is with the third choice.  If that choice is solidly one person, say, Councilmember Jean Quan, or Greg Harland or Don Macleay or Terrance Candell, that person could win.   That's the possibility Ranked Choice Voting presents, especially with the game playing going on.

The Oakland Mayor's Race is so tight now, that a little thing like where the candidates stand on the repeal of the Oakland anti-cross-dressing law or a big thing like the Oakland Gang Injunction effort may turn the election for one and against the other.

Stay tuned.

Corey Feldman Talks Corey Haim and Lost Boys Ball House Of Blues Tour

Corey Feldman (pictured with Corey Haim on the right) the child star, and actor in over 100 films and television shows, is back and talking about Corey Haim and touring with his band.

According to Zennie62.com, earlier this year, Feldman was in the news as actor Corey Haim, his "brother" and best friend, passed away due to what was at the time reported to be a drug overdose.

But on the Today Show last week, Feldman said that was wrong: "It was reported that he died from a drug overdose, which, in fact, was not true. He died of an enlarged heart and pneumonia. He had, in fact, been clean for a year and the autopsy results showed that. But, of course, it got buried in the press."

Feldman continued: "He was a good boy. He was taking care of his very sick mom who had cancer. He was cooking for her, cleaning for her, taking care of her on a daily basis. They found no drugs in his system."

Feldman is the lead singer of his band Truth Movement  and announces, "The Lost Boys Ball," a four city House of Blues tour kicking off in San Diego, CA, on October 21, followed by Las Vegas, NV (October 23); Sunset Strip, Los Angeles, CA (October 24); and Anaheim, CA (October 28).

Each tour date will feature a screening of the classic Lost Boys film, clips from Lost Boys: The Thirst (releasing on Warner Home Video, October 12), and a performance by Feldman’s band, Truth Movement.

Stay tuned.

Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Eminem, and Ke$ha For AMA's

Katy Perry 

The American Music Awards is November 21st and five artists - Justin Bieber, Eminem, Ke$ha, Lady Gaga, and Katy Perry - are competing for "Artist Of The Year." Who will you vote for?
This blogger's two top choices are Lady Gaga, and Katy Perry, and for two different reasons.

Lady Gaga more for her great effort at advancing political issues like Gay Marriage as she performs, and Katy Perry for really hitting what modern American Culture is all about.

Perry including Snoop Dogg in California Girls was not just a stroke of genius, but a show of just how diverse our nation's culture has become. The reason why California Girls is so popular is because it brings all people together under one big party tent. California Girls is a celebration not just of California itself, but of how the common divisions that once defined American Culture are slowly fading away.

Perhaps more than any other artist outside Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, in helping to redefine American Culture, has become a custodian of it.  Lady Gaga has set a trend for the new, responsibility rebellious artist - the modern day version of KISS - and with her style has also come to define modern American Culture.  But the way Katy ties Hip Hop and Pop together in California Girls is genius. 

So, after all that, it's Katy Perry for this space.

Whomever you select, don't forget to vote at the AMA website with a click here.

Eminem's Birthday, Corey Feldman's Lost Boys Ball House Of Blues Tour

Eminem's Birthday and the return of Corey Feldman in his Lost Boys Ball House Of Blues Tour are part of entertainment news on Sunday. It's Eminem's birthday, so call him Eminem, Marshall Mathers, or visit the Eminem wiki, or listen to Slim Shady to celebrate that he turns 38 years old today.

38? Unbelievable. You'd have thought Eminem was 28 years old, because he doesn't look a day over that, and not even 30. Perhaps that's what playing and creating music for a young audience does for a performer. Just look at 37 year old Corey Feldman, the child star and best friend of the late Corey Haim is back and performing.

Corey Haim Did Not Overdose

Earlier this year, Corey Feldman was in the news as his "brother" and best friend Corey Haim passed away due to what was at the time reported to be a drug overdose, but Feldman said last week on the Today Show that was wrong: "It was reported that he died from a drug overdose, which, in fact, was not true. He died of an enlarged heart and pneumonia. He had, in fact, been clean for a year and the autopsy results showed that. But, of course, it got buried in the press."

Feldman continued: "He was a good boy. He was taking care of his very sick mom who had cancer. He was cooking for her, cleaning for her, taking care of her on a daily basis. They found no drugs in his system."

Corey Feldman On Tour

Corey Feldman is the lead singer of his band Truth Movement  and announces, "The Lost Boys Ball," a four city House of Blues tour kicking off in San Diego, CA, on October 21, followed by Las Vegas, NV (October 23); Sunset Strip, Los Angeles, CA (October 24); and Anaheim, CA (October 28).

Each tour date will feature a screening of the classic Lost Boys film, clips from Lost Boys: The Thirst (releasing on Warner Home Video, October 12), and a performance by Feldman’s band, Truth Movement.

Barbara Billingsley, June Cleaver Of "Leave It To Beaver" and "Airplane" Dies

Barbara Billingsley, an American television legend who played "June Cleaver" in Leave It To Beaver and its sequel Still the Beaver (also called The New Leave It to Beaver), and was a hit in Airplane, died Saturday at the age of 94 in Santa Monica, California.

Way before Mad Men there was Leave It To Beaver, the real 1950s show that promoted the ideal of the American Family. A suburban couple with a house with a white picket fence where the wife, Barbara Billingsley, cleaned it while wearing a skirt, heels, and pearls.

Billingsley proudly played June Cleaver from 1957 to 1963, and was the television series everyone watched when this blogger was a small boy in the early 1960s.

From this African American's point of view, Leave It To Beaver was still the ideal family example and there was nothing in the show to tell blacks they could not achieve that standard. What some forget it that a person can watch a program that doesn't have anyone who looks like them in it, and still enjoy it. Still, a program that's racially diverse is more desirable than the other way, but it's for the reason stated that June Cleaver became "America's mother."

Leave It To Beaver expressed basic good values. Billingsley said that the shows writers and creators didn't try to hit you over the head with them, they were there, but just under the surface.

On Talking Jive In Airplane

Later in her career, Barbara Billingsley would play a kind of parody of her Leave It To Beaver character in the classic comedy Airplane:



Billingsley said people talked as much about that scene as any she'd done in Leave It To Beaver. She had to actually learn jive, or what's now called Ebonics, to do the role. "I was cast because I'd been June Cleaver, I'm sure that was the humor of the thing. I was sent the script, and I thought it was the craziest script I'd ever read, and my husband thought it was funny," she said. "Well, my part wasn't written. It just said I talked jive. So I went to see the producers and I said I would do it. I met the two black fellas that were talking jive (in the scene). They're the ones that wrote the jive talk. And we went to lunch and we discussed this whole thing. You know there's even a book out about jive?

"I was put in contact with a girl who worked at Paramount who knew all about jive. They never figured out if it was the slave days - they didn't want whitey to know what they were talking about - or whether it's street talk. She couldn't tell me. Anyway, I researched for it, and these fellas were wonderful and they taught me."



Barbara Billingsley is survived by her two sons, a stepson, and four grandchildren. With her passes on a key milestone in American culture: the model of the 50s housewife.

Written by
Zennie Abraham

SF Giants 4, Philadelphia Phillies 3, Tim Lincecum, Cody Ross Get Win

The SF San Francisco Giants came out of MLB's version of a heavyweight championship fight with the NLCS Game 1 win against the Philadelphia Phillies Saturday night.

The baseball playoff was billed as a battle between star pitchers Tim Lincecum for the Giants and Roy Halliday for the Phillies, and both were expected to make the game a defensive battle.

Halliday came off a no-hit game against the Cincinnati Reds to open that division series. Lincecum opened the Braves division playoff series with a 14-strikeout performance.

Instead of defense, it was a lot of offense, with both Lincecum and Halladay pushed to the limits of their talents in an effort to get the win, and allowing a combined total of 16 hits. Thanks to Giants Outfielder Cody Ross' 2-run homerun, the Giants won 4-3.

According to ESPN, for Tim Lincecum, it's getting out in front of the Phillies. Tim said "It's tons of confidence, but I think it's more about winning Game 1 for us, setting the pace." And of Ross' home run in the third inning, Lincecum said "It was just enough to squeak by for us."

For a time, it looked like it would be Halladay and not Lincecum getting the win, as Lincecum allowed the first hit, while Halladay retired the first six Giants at bat. Then, the Giants turned it around in the third inning, grabbing the lead 1-0.

Then in the fifth inning, Ross hit one into the left field seats, and the Giants jumped out to a 2-1 lead. Eventually, the Giants would pull ahead to 4 to 1, but then the Phillies roared back on Chase Utley and Jayson Werth's two run home run off Lincecum in the seventh inning.

The Giants, under the relief pitching of Brian Wilson, held on to win and go up 1 nothing.

Giants Fighting For Right To Go To World Series

After winning the NLDS by beating the Atlanta Braves 4 games to 1, the SF Giants find themselves in a seven-game battle for the right to go to the World Series for the first time since 2002. Winning game one was a big step in that direction.

Oakland Mayor's Race: Joe Tuman, Matthai Kuruvali, Marcie Hodge

If you think the Oakland Mayor's Race can't get under the skin of some people who say they're not "getting involved," try looking at this photo of San Francisco Chronicle Staff Writer Matthai Kuruvali, who placed his head on the table of the board room at the San Francisco Chronicle as if he'd had enough of something.

 In the background is Oakland Mayoral Candidate Joe Tuman, who seems just calm and collected.

What's interesting is that Matthai Kuruvali tweeted on Twitter..

matthai matthai kuruvila - Just to be clear, I'm not on the ed board and I'm not involved in the decision, but I'll be there for the interview and will ask questions.

Yeah. Right. According to SFGate.com intern Ali Thanawalla, Matthai Kuruvali got into what Ali calls "a heated discussion" and a "funny moment" and Ai reports on both Flickr and on Twitter:

After a heated discussion with Oakland mayoral candidate Joe Tuman, writer Matthai had had enough. Funny moment. http://flic.kr/p/8Kit5P

While Matthai may claim he has no involvement in the Chronicle Editorial Board's decision, he's clearly working to influence it just by his body language. Moreover, some observe that Matthai has been hostile to the idea of any one of the candidates other than Don Perata and Councilmembers Rebecca Kaplan and Jean Quan receiving any media attention.

Moreover, of all of the candidate photos Ali took, this was the only one he took of Matthai's reaction to Tuman.  Nothing of his reaction to the other candidates at the SF Chronicle Editorial Board meetings, specifically Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan and Former State Senator Don Perata.

Additonally, Matthai has been less than respectful of current Mayor Ron Dellums, even to the point of repeating what the Mayor asked him to do - be respectful - on Twitter as if he was mocking Mayor Dellums:

matthai matthai kuruvila
At same time, Dellums always talks about how being mayor is 24/7 job. I guess not when you're w/ your wife (his "senior adviser")
4 Aug Favorite Retweet Reply

matthai matthai kuruvila
I told Dellums he was mayor of Oakland & he ought to answer questions. Dellums: "I'm with my wife. Please, respect that, brother." 4 Aug

If you're going to treat people that way as a media person, it's better to be a blogger than a journalist. What this blogger can't stand is for journalists to use that badge to hide their real feelings. More on this soon. It must be reported that Marcie Hodge has something special: a lawn sign.

Marcie Hodge Has A Lawn Sign

While driving up Oakland Avenue away from Whole Foods and toward the 580 Freeway, a shocking image flashed by: a lawn sign for Oakland Mayoral Candidate Marcie Hodge. That well-placed sign, visible by thousands of people each day, is one indication of how the sheer number of candidates coupled with Ranked Choice Voting could combine to produce an unexpected outcome.

Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan leads in media endorsements while Former Senator Don Perata leads in television commercials. Meanwhile, Tuman's name recognition grows in the Oakland Mayor's Race. The end result and the wild card is just how much on-the-ground walking is being done by the candidates.

Stay tuned.