Giants Phillies Game 4 Sets Up Lincecum vs Halliday Game 5 Rematch

The epic battle that was the San Francisco Giants vs. The Philadelphia Phillies Game 4 at AT&T Park in San Francisco, which saw the Giants prevail 6 to 5, set up Thursday's epic rematch between ace pitchers Tim Lincecum for the Giants and Roy Halliday for the Phillies. The underdog SF Giants are one win from playing in the 2010 World Series.

Game 4 was a game they'll talk about forever.  It featured four lead changes and enough drama to make several soap operas.  It ended with Giants' Jose Uribe's sacraficed fly, allowing an already celebrating Aubrey Huff to tag third, then score the wining run.   AT&T Park erupted with joy.

What was amazing about the game for the casual baseball watcher was that it had cliffhangers within cliffhangers: would the Phillies match the Giants score?  They did and took control in a long fifth inning. Would the Giants come back?  They did and to tie the game at 5-5.  Then, would the Giants or the Phillies prevail, or would we have the world's longest baseball game?  That didn't happen.  The Giants made timely hits and Uribe brought Huff home in the 9th inning.

Wow.

San Francisco has not seen this level of excitement since Barry Bonds' days in 2002.  The difference is this team wasn't picked to get this far, and fans were calling for GM Brian Sabien's head.  Fortunately, they didn't get it.

Sabien stiched together a team that included castoffs like former Florida Marlins Ourfielder Cody Ross, who's played a key role in the Giants Playoff march, and the "Freak," Pitcher Tim Lincecum.  But all playing with an amazing heart that faces it's biggest test: Roy Halliday Thursday night and for the right to go on to The World Series.

Hold on to your butts.

Nikky Raney Is Zennie62.com Executive Editor

New England School Of Communications student Nikky Raney is Executive Editor of Zennie62.com. The reason for the choice of a 20-year-old student that this blogger has not met in person for this role can be summed up in three words: determination, trust, and talent.

Nikky has been a frequent, featured, and valued contributor to the Zennie62.com blog, and made her considerable mark with her informative and detailed posts on Reality TV Show Star Tila Tequila. Nikky has sustained a lot of unfair and unwarranted attacks because of her work, but weathered the storm brilliantly and thoughtfully. In a way, this is a reward for all that she endured through that, and her determination to expose what Tila was really up to with that blog of hers.

Nikky came to my attention because she was rightfully critical of a blog post I wrote. She has an editor's eye and reaches the right demographic for Zennie62.com's growth. But again, she's proven to be someone this blogger can trust, and is a hard worker.

This is to welcome Nikky Raney as Zennie62.com Executive Editor.

Rick Sanchez Returned To Twitter 40 Minutes Ago

After weeks of not Twittering on his Twitter account @ricksanchezcnn, Rick Sanchez is back and posted his first post-CNN tweet 28 minutes ago as of the writing of this blog post. Sanchez, who was fired from CNN for saying that Jews ran the media, went into TV, radio, and social media silence for weeks.  Here's why:



Now, he's back:

ricksancheznews Rick Sanchez
Followers: this account is no longer affiliated with CNN and does not reflect the views of CNN. It is now managed by Rick Sanchez.

Now, in promoting his book Conventional Idiocy, Sanchez has redesigned the once-CNN-marked Twitter page and changed his handle to @ricksancheznews. Yes, he maintains the followers he had while with CNN; he's just rebranded the page.

And what about @ricksanchezcnn? It's still there, just lets you know about @ricksancheznews.

Jon Stewart's The Daily Show Has Most White People; Call Rick Sanchez

Maybe former CNN Anchor Rick Sanchez was on to something when he blasted The Daily Show's Jon Stewart after all. Sanchez accused Stewart (photo at left) of being a "bigot," and while that didn't get him fired from CNN - saying that CNN was "ran by Jews" did - it did get a lot of attention. Now, a new website report gives substance to Rick Sanchez' statements.

According to blogger and artist Ed Lundart's non-scientific study, Who's On TV, which compares race and sex of guests with U.S Census population share percentages, The Daily Show has the most white guests of all shows surveyed; Lopez Tonight has the fewest of the late night shows. Moreover, The Daily Show has the fewest women guests of all of the late night shows surveyed. Thus, if you watch The Daily Show, you're more likely to see a white male guest.

The most diverse show in the survey is Lopez Tonight. In fact, you're more likely to see someone black on George Lopez' show than any other late night talk show program, according to Ed Lundart's study. 

So what's the order look like? This, from most white to least white:

The Daily Show
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Late Night With Jimmy Fallon
The Late Late Show (tie with Fallon)
The Late Show With David Letterman
Chelsea Lately (tie with Letterman)
The Tonight Show
Lopez Tonight

And when it comes to women, The Daily Show again comes up short, but so does Lopez Tonight. The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson has the best performance in having women guests, but not by much. In fact, all are below the U.S. Census mark for women as a percentage of the country's population. Here's the order from fewest women guests to most:

The Daily Show
Lopez Tonight
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Late Night With Jimmy Fallon
Chelsea Lately
The Late Show With David Letterman
The Tonight Show With Jay Leno
The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson

Here's what Ed Lundart ads about Chelsea Lately and Lopez Tonight:

Chelsea Lately is the only show to have more Asian guests than the census numbers would suggest. However, it's mostly the same couple of Asians featured repeatedly, as Chelsea Lately lists their rotating panel of comedians as guests along with their one interviewee. Lopez Tonight features more Hispanic guests than any of the other shows, but not by a very wide margin. Their black guests are more impressively numerous. Lopez Tonight is also the only talk show to feature fewer white people than the census data expectation.

Bus Transportation News: Solar Hybrid Bus By Bauer's Transportation

As bus transportation and mass transit companies look to new ways to save money on vehicle operations, San Francisco's Bauer's Transportation has an exciting new solution: the Solar Hybrid Bus.

Bauer's Transportation, once known as Bauer's Limousine, is making a powerful push to change its brand. Already, it uses hi-tech black buses to shuttle employees of tech companies like Twitter and Facebook, and offers a new service called "Wi-Drive." "Wi-Drive" is a bus transportation service that goes round-trip between the city of Santa Rosa and San Francisco and between the cities of Fremont and Milpitas. Now, the Solar Hybrid Bus is one more step in the direction of Bauer's successful reformation into a transportation company.

Gary Bauer himself says "Since 2008 California state law has prohibited diesel vehicles from idling for more than five minutes. More than 25 states across the United States now have anti-idling laws. With Bauer’s Solar Hybrid Bus Powering System, transportation companies across the U.S. will be able to comply with anti-idling laws while keeping the passengers comfortable and their transportation experience enjoyable. The solar bus has been in operation on our fleet since January 2010 and the results have been outstanding."

What Is The Solar Bus?

The bus used in the Bauer's fleet is a 57-passenger Setra that has rooftop solar panels and has been reconfigured for an interior floor plan with 52 seats and a set of table seatings. It was introduced this year at Bus Con 2010.

The Solar Bus has four thin film solar panels that run the length of the bus itself, and charge an on-board battery bank. When the bus engine is off, the batteries power the air-conditioning and wireless connectivity equipment, thus enabling the buses to effectively meet anti-idling standards without compromising passenger comfort.

For more information on the Bauer's Solar Hybrid Bus, Gary wants you to call 415-517-5466 and visit Solar Hybrid Bus.com.

Riots in France - is USA next?

According to World News Report: Striking public sector workers caused disruption across France on Tuesday as ‘troublemakers’ piggybacked protest marches to torch cars, smash windows and fight police. Paris, Lyon, Lille, Bordeaux and Marseilles were all hit by protests and frequent clashes.

As police tear gas dispersed stone-throwing rioters in Lyon, officials pleaded for calm. ‘The right to demonstrate does not mean the right to smash things up,’ said justice minister Michele Alliot-Marie, after fire destroyed a Le Mans high school.

President Sarkozy, who unveiled the toughest spending cuts for 50 years at the weekend, wants his reforms (which will raise the retirement age from 60 to 62) approved by the senate by this Friday. The riots and strikes are testament to how much the French public remains opposed to the pension reforms and higher retirement age.

Airlines flying into France were ordered to slash schedules. Refinery workers, airport staff, train drivers, teachers, postal workers and armored truck drivers went on strike, leading to at least half of all train services being cancelled and up to 50 per cent of flights grounded.

France’s strategic petrol reserves had to be dipped into after protests at oil refineries meant thousands of petrol pumps ran dry.

‘The street has power and it can be more powerful than the government,’ said one protest leader.

Would this sentiment hold true in the USA? Americans are on edge in every state of the Union and people can only take so much before they rebel. It is a fact that History teaches us over and over. So why can’t we learn to avoid such conflict? The answer is simple: Corruption and greed in our corporations and our political leaders.

Washington sees us as sheep - easily deceived into being led to the slaughter. However, one need only do the math to see that the “have nots” far out number the “haves” in America, more so now than ever.

With the severe cuts in police forces across America, if there is an outbreak of civil unrest in this country, it is likely that the National Guard will be called in should any France-type riots break out here in the USA.

It may not be a question of "if" but instead "when" such civil unrest will begin to plague America. Should the Lame-Duck Congress fail to approve unemployment extensions for both the 99ers as well as those facing the discontinuation of their benefits by November’s end - we may well see the rage now felt by so many Americans boil over into violence by Christmas this year.

Obama to visit USC campus this Friday, 99ers should be there to greet him

The president will give a speech open to the general public at 1:30 p.m. on October 22 at McCarthy Quad, USC said James Grant, assistant vice president of USC media relations.

Jason Duong, director of the USC Political Student Assembly (the group hosting the event) said he was contacted by university officials after Obama’s staff asked to come to USC.

“I was in disbelief when I got the call,” Duong said. Duong’s major focus now is to get as many students as possible to attend, regardless of their political inclinations. “Whether they like him or not, this is definitely something that’s great for the university,” Duong said. “I’d encourage all students to come see what he has to say.”

Obama will join the ranks of several prominent politicians who have come to USC either as president or a presidential hopeful, including Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon and Dwight D. Eisenhower. The most recent sitting president to speak on campus was Ronald Reagan in 1984.

Students said they are excited to have the opportunity to hear the president speak and hope he can motivate students to vote by talking about issues that matter to them.

“He’s faced a lot of voter apathy in our generation, and it’s very important for people to vote, whether they are Democrats or Republicans and be involved politically,” said Mason Flink, a graduate student studying motion picture production. “If he can inspire students to get involved by coming to campus, it’s a good thing.”

Nelson Brooks, a junior majoring in business administration, said although he probably won’t attend the speech and doesn’t share the same political beliefs as Obama, he still thought the visit was important for the university.

“It’s definitely a privilege for our school to host him,” Brooks said. “Regardless of political party, he’s the president of the most powerful country in the world, and that is a huge honor for our school.”

Any member of the 99er Nation should do their best to gather on the streets the President will use to get to the USC Campus and bring signs that remind the President that the 99ers need help now. This will be a huge media event and the 99ers could well get the attention of the press and the President, by doing do.

NELP needs to hear from the 99er Nation - big time

In April, when the San Diego Unemployment Examiner contacted NELP (National Employment Law Project) and asked their position on a Tier 5, their response was: “As soon as we get the extensions passed in Congress for the non-99ers, then we will put our efforts toward fighting for a Tier 5 extension.”

Today, 6 months later and nearly 3 months after the non-99er extension bill was passed (HR 4213) NELP is once again ramping up to fight for, you guessed it - an extension of the deadline dates for the non-99er UI extension.

NELP has been silent and worthless in the fight for a Tier 5 extension and that is something every 99er should vocally protest by contacting NELP in droves.

In an email titled: New and Improved Website Launches Campaign to Continue Federal Jobless Benefits, NELP introduced their website www.Unemployedworkers.org to “to mobilize grassroots support for the campaign to ensure that the federally expanded unemployment lifeline continues at a level that matches the needs of ALL of the long-term unemployed.”

The website advertises a new petition for only the more recently unemployed. Nothing on this new website even refers to the desperate need for the 99ers to get a Tier 5. This is deplorable and NELP needs to hear from you.

Give NELP your feedback via their new website at: http://unemployedworkers.org/page/s/softlaunchfeedback or call them at their New York offices: 212-285-3025

Please do not let NELP get away with their empty promises to help the 99ers, unfulfilled to date.

Awareness for anti-gay bullying by wearing purple

On Wednesday, October 20, 2010 Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) has asked that everyone across the nation wear purple to raise awareness for anti-gay bullying. There have been several recent suicides from teenagers who were bullied for being homosexual.

"Go Purple" is the name that is given to this day. CBS News reports that the color was selected because purple symbolizes "spirit" on the rainbow flag, a symbol for Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) pride that was created by Gilbert Baker in 1978.

By Nikky Raney
Journalist & Blogger

Wayne Rooney Says Manchester United Lacks Ambition

Wayne Rooney leaves ManU.

In a media war seldom seen in America, the UK's (that's Britain's) Wayne Rooney and the soccer organization Manchester United are locked in a battle played out in the English publications. The Daily Mail UK reports that the star soccer player, recently the focus of a sex scandal involving prostitutes Jennifer Thompson and Helen Reed, says Manchester United "lacks ambition" and is not willing to pay top dollar to keep him.

On Wednesday, Rooney confirmed that he's not signing a contract to remain with Manchester United. I met with (chief executive) David Gill last week and he did not give me any of the assurances I was seeking about the future squad,' said Rooney in a statement. 'I then told him that I would not be signing a new contract.'

Rooney continues:

It is absolutely true, as he said, that my agent and I have had a number of meetings with the club about a new contract. During those meetings in August I asked for assurances about the continued ability of the club to attract the top players in the world.

I have never had anything but complete respect for MUFC. How could I not have done given its fantastic history and especially the last six years in which I have been lucky to play a part?For me its all about winning trophies - as the club has always done under Sir Alex. Because of that I think the questions I was asking were justified.

Despite recent difficulties, I know I will always owe Sir Alex Ferguson a huge debt. He is a great manager and mentor who has helped and supported me from the day he signed me from Everton when I was only 18. For Manchester United's sake I wish he could go on forever because he's a one off and a genius.

More soon.

Qik - Mobile Video Experiment By Zennie Abraham

For the last two weeks or so, this blogger has been experimenting with Zennie62 on Qik Mobile Video. The idea of Qik Mobile Video is to allow you to upload a video using your smart phone, right on the spot from where you are. It's not quite a live stream - like USTREAM.tv - but so close in terms of delay time that it's a somewhat credible substitute.

Using a Samsung Variant Galaxy smartphone, five videos have been produced for the Zennie62 brand thus far. Where it fits in the Zennie62 strategy is that it allows us to show you what's happening as it is happening. Here's an example: the T-Mobile store video that was transferred to YouTube.com:



As you can see, it's grainy.  That's the rub.  The pixels are so large it makes Qik less than desirable for constant video blogging.  Videos have been unloaded from the Samsung phone directly to YouTube, and the quality has been at "high-def" level.  But not so for the Qik videos.

The problem is that some of the YouTube-direct files are too large to be quickly uploaded from the smartphone.  The bandwidth "pipe" doesn't seem to be large enough to fit a video longer than, say, 12 seconds.

If that can be solved, either by a better smartphone video upload system - or a switch to the iPhone, which seems to do this better from looking at Renetto's videos - or a better signal pickup from YouTube, then the dream of true mobile video-blogging is a step closer to reality.  

If you have any tips or suggestions, please provide them.  Thanks.

Colts kicker McAfee arrested for public intoxication

Pat McAfee, kicker for the Indianapolis Colts, was arrested Wednesday, October 20, 2010 for public intoxication according to Yahoo Sports.

McAfee went for a swim very early in the morning in a canal around the bars in Indianapolis, and the police found him reeking of alcohol while being shirtless and soaking wet. He had a blood-alcohol content of 0.15, which is double the legal limit in Indiana.

 When the police asked the 23-year-old how much he had to drink his response was, "A lot, cause I'm drunk."

USA Today reposts the article from the Associated Press which tells that McAfee is the fourth Colts player to be arrested for alcohol related charges this year.

Rough year for the Colts.

 By Nikky Raney
Journalist & Blogger