Wikileaks Julian Assange rape charge for not using condoms

Julian Assange
(sambungey.com)

Update: more detail. Assange did use condoms, but in the case of Sofia, it "broke;" he did not use one with Anna Ardin or with Sofia on their second go at sex.

The Worldwide pursuit of Wikileaks Editor-In-Chief Julian Assange because of both a rape charge in Sweden and his release of now hundreds of thousands of classified documents, is due to a detail that must be reviewed.

According to The Raw Story and Crikey, Swedish prosecutors charge that while Mr. Assange did have consentual sex with his two accusers, he allegedly did not use a condom, which, according to The Herald Sun, is against Swedish law.  Thus, Swedish authorities are in the process of re-issuing the once-closed arrest warrant for Assange.

A person by the name of James D. Catlin, a lawyer in Melbourne, Australia marked as having represented Julian Assange for a month in October, said to Raw Story's Daniel Tencer that the Swedish authorities are "making it up as they go along." Here's part of what Catlin wrote today in Crikey.com:

Apparently having consensual sex in Sweden without a condom is punishable by a term of imprisonment of a minimum of two years for rape. That is the basis for a reinstitution of rape charges against WikiLeaks figurehead Julian Assange that is destined to make Sweden and its justice system the laughing stock of the world and dramatically damage its reputation as a model of modernity....


The women here are near to and over 30 and have international experience, some of it working in Swedish government embassies. There is no suggestion of drugs nor identity concealment. Far from it. Both women boasted of their celebrity connection to Assange after the events that they would now see him destroyed for....


The phenomena of social networking through the internet and mobile phones constrains Swedish authorities from augmenting the evidence against Assange because it would look even less credible in the face of tweets by Anna Ardin and SMS texts by Sofia Wilén boasting of their respective conquests after the “crimes”.


In the case of Ardin it is clear that she has thrown a party in Assange’s honour at her flat after the “crime” and tweeted to her followers that she is with the “the world’s coolest smartest people, it’s amazing!”. Go on the internet and see for yourself. That Ardin has sought unsuccessfully to delete these exculpatory tweets from the public record should be a matter of grave concern. That she has published on the internet a guide on how to get revenge on cheating boyfriends ever graver. The exact content of Wilén’s mobile phone texts is not yet known but their bragging and exculpatory character has been confirmed by Swedish prosecutors. Niether Wilén’s nor Ardin’s texts complain of rape.

Thus, the two accusers, Anna Ardin and Sofia Wilén are known to Catlin and now the World, as this is the first time I have seen two publications mention the women by name. In the case of Anna Ardin her Twitter account is still very much active to this writing, which, while this blog will not link to it, is quite a surprise considering the situation.

Overall this new information confirms what this blogger claimed in August, that the rape charges read of a smear campaign. This is what I wrote then:

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, who's website has over 70,000 classified documents related to the War in Afghanistan, has been charged with alleged rape in Sweden. But a new item of information strongly indicates the report may be nothing more than a false claim.


As reported earlier at Zennie62.com, a translation from the Swedish tabloid Expressen claims that two women, one in her 20s and the other in her 30s, came forward to police. But read of the initial report in the tabloid Expressen indicates that the charges amount to heresay evidence without a real claim as there's no official report.

The "charges" that now amount to "heresay evidence" surround the alleged non-use of a condom while having consensual sex with both women.   The real source of the overall problem, aside from the American Government's desire to silence him, seems to stem from Assange's apparent Playboy behavior in having sex with both women within four days.  According to Catlin, failing to use a condom in Sweden can be considered rape.

The charge that a condom was not used is backed by The Daily Mail UK.  In reporting the contents of the police report that was filed, this is noted by the news publication:

According to a police source: ‘They had a discussion and decided it would be OK to share the living space, then went out together for dinner.
'When they got back they had sexual relations, but there was a problem with the condom - it had split.
'She seemed to think that he had done this deliberately but he insisted that it was an accident.’
Whatever her views about the incident, she appeared relaxed and untroubled at the seminar the next day where Assange met Woman B, another pretty blonde, also in her 20s, but younger than Woman A.
In her police statement, Woman B described how, in the wake of the Afghanistan leaks, she saw Assange being interviewed on television and became instantly fascinated - some might even say obsessed.
She said she thought him ‘interesting, brave and admirable’.
Over the following two weeks she read everything she could find about him on the internet and followed news reports about his activities.
She discovered that he would be visiting Sweden to give a seminar, so she emailed the organisers to offer her help.
She registered to attend and booked the Saturday off work.

The Daily Mail account goes on to describe "Woman B" as "keen to get Julian’s attention," but after proving a power source for his computer observed that he seemed more interested in the computer than her. Eventually, even though she didn't want to have sex with him, without a condom, they did.

The next morning, she reportedly went shopping to make breakfast for Julian.

The problem compounded when, after promising to call her, he did not do so and Assange allegedly did not answer calls from her.

Upset, Woman B managed to contact Woman A, whom she met at the same event after having sex with Julian. They "compared notes" and determined that both had unprotected sex with Assange. Fearing transmission of an STD, the claim was they both asked him to take a test and he refused.  (Which calls into question the claim that he did not call or take calls from Woman B.  Confusing.)

This is all according to The Daily Mail.

Here's Catlin sheds more light on the story.

But then neither Arden nor Wilén complained to the police but rather “sought advice”, a technique in Sweden enabling citizens to avoid just punishment for making false complaints. They sought advice together, having collaborated and irrevocably tainted each other’s evidence beforehand. Their SMS texts to each other show a plan to contact the Swedish newspaper Expressen beforehand in order to maximise the damage to Assange. They belong to the same political group and attended a public lecture given by Assange and organised by them. You can see Wilén on the YouTube video of the event even now.

From a bird's eye view there are still many unanswered questions. For example, why was it so important for Woman B to bring herself to Julian's attention the next day after he had sex with Woman A, who was at the same event, and why didn't Woman A act in any way at the event to give a hint that she'd been with Mr. Assange?

Also, neither woman complained to police, but approached them for advice, then, and this is confirmed by Swedish prosecutors in a number of publications, bragged about what's described as "their conquest."

Just a question?

Whatever the case, it's clear that American mainstream media has not gone into this level of depth on the Assange rape case story. As usual, we have to go to blogs and the European media, while Google News helps The Associated Press. Awful.

(See this interview by Sam Bungey)

Facebook Character Profile Photo Controversy

Many may notice that friends on Facebook are using photos of cartoon characters instead of their actual photos. This craze has become controversial - the original idea was that somehow making a cartoon character a profile picture it would help against child abuse, but now there are speculations that the reason for it is so that pedophiles can become friends with children easier.

Some people didn't even realize there was a reason behind it and just felt like hopping on the bandwagon for the fun of it.

ZAP2IT

No one can find the source that advocated this campaign for child abuse awareness or the one for the pedophile claim.

It has even been reported by Zap2it that Lady Gaga may be the reason behind it all :

This weekend, Lady Gaga is in a fight against child abuse by using a cartoon character pic on her Facebook profile to show sympathy for the cause that has become an impactful Internet sensation with celebrities and regular folk too. During this short campaign that ends Tuesday, December 7, Gaga shows her support through the Muppet character Animal.

Other celebrities that are participating in this are Taylor Swift, Megan Fox, Jonas Brothers and Vin Diesel.

The Atlantic posts:

Campaign to End Violence Against Children is asking users to change their profile pictures to their favorite childhood cartoon to raise awareness about "Worldwide Violence Against Children and Child Abuse." To ensure that your friends get the message, the cause also asks that users post this status--or something like it--along with the change:


Change your FB Profile Picture to a Cartoon from your childhood. The goal is to not see a human face on FB till Monday December 6th. Support the fight against child abuse by copying and pasting this as your status and joining this group to support this sometimes over looked cause! Invite friends to join and do the same.


Mashable notes that National Child Abuse Prevention month is not until April:

From Mashable

The origins of this campaign remain a mystery, as it doesn’t seem to be affiliated with any official organization. And not that you need to limit child abuse awareness to a certain time of year, but, at least in the U.S., National Child Abuse Prevention Month isn’t until April. Some Facebook commenters have also pointed out the perhaps misdirected effort, posting messages skeptical of any tangible outcomes.

Then there are others who are posting on their Facebook status that this is a big hoax, but then there is no link or really any source:

So, does it really matter why someone chose to make his or her Facebook picture a cartoon character? Some people use photos of different things all the time - so, really, this isn't that big of a deal.

Reggie Wayne's 200 yards eclipsed by Manning's 4 int: Colts lose to Cowboys

Colts Reggie Wayne
(eatsleepdrinkfootball.com)

The Indianapolis Colts lost a game so tight this blogger's nails are gone after bitting them. Colts Wide Receiver Reggie Wayne had 14 receptions for 200 yards, but his drop of a crucial pass on 3rd and 4, and Quarterback Peyton Manning's fourth interception in overtime allowed the visting Dallas Cowboys to win 38 to 35.

This marks the second straight game Manning threw four interceptions. In all the 2009 NFL MVP has thrown eight interceptions in two straight games.

Indy's record falls to 6 and 6 and are currently one game behind the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC South. The Dallas Cowboys now have four wins for the season.

Elaine's, Elaine Kaufman celebrated by Alec Baldwin, Gov. Patterson

The celebrated New York bar and eatery Elaine's was celebrated by celebrities, politicians, New Yorkers and Twitterers after the passing of its founder, Elaine Kaufman, last week. Ms. Kaufman died of complications due to emphysema, and lived to 81 years of age. (Photo courtesy of New York Daily News.)

What's so sad for this blogger is to have gone to New York and visited 21 club (six times including this year), Tribeca Grill, Windows on The World (before the passing of the Twin Towers of The World Trade Center), Trump Bar, Club Macanudo, the model-as-waitress cafe called Coffee Shop, and many other places. But there are three places I've never set foot in and feel as if I still don't know New York for that reason. One of the three places is Elaine's.

This, famous eateries and places around the country, is one way this blogger "keep's score." Everyone has their way, but for me life's filled with many interesting people, events, and experiences, and it's important to stock up on them before you check out. Sadly, I missed meeting Elaine Kaufman before her trip to Heaven.

Now, had I walked into Elaine's last night, I'd have shared space with " Jack Donaghy" for the second time this year.

On Saturday, Actor and Star of NBC's 30 Rock, Alec Baldwin (AKA Phil Tagami), shared the space with New York Governor David Patterson according to Will B who goes by brigantiw on Twitter:

@brigantiw Will B
Alec Baldwin at #Elaines tonight in honor of Elaine Kaufman.
3 Dec via HTC Peep Favorite Retweet Reply

From the looks of the tweets, Elaine's was packed on Saturday night.  Even New York Governor David Patterson stopped by and was spotted "just chilling" by New York Poltical Correspondent Miles Miller who sent this tweet:

imareporter Myles Miller
#GovernorPaterson is chilling with #colallen and #bodietel at #Elaines tonight. #govny
3 Dec Favorite Retweet Reply

As to who h #colallen and #bodietel are, the hashtags lead to nothing, so as of this writing, it's not known.

Home To Celebs, Writers, and Athletes

Elaine's is one of those places that is shaped strictly by the person who started it, and who's name is on the window. From what I've read and watched, Ms. Kaufman is every bit the "living New York Landmark" she was designated to be.

That place, her place, has been immortalized in every way possible. Woody Allen, one of Elaine's most famous regulars, filmed this scene from his classic movie celebration of New York, Manhattan, in Elaine's:



Vanity Fair's John Heilpern wrote a classic piece on her in 2009, in which he ponders why she had not "slugged any of her patrons lately."

The last major celeb (there are scores of minor ones) to have been involved in a physical or verbal joust with Elaine was, most famously, Norman Mailer. But not every celebrity has had such a relationship with Elaine Kaufman.

For example, Rachel Welsh on Twitter:

Raquel_Welch Raquel Welch
So sad about Elaine Kaufman. #Elaines is a NY institution. Such good memories.
4 Dec Favorite Retweet Reply

The End of An Era?

I fear that in this hyper politically-correct, male emasculated culture some seem bent on creating in America, we may not see another Elaine's.  I certainly hope I'm wrong. There's nothing wrong with a place where people can be the characters they really are.

Education and economic development in Oakland

This short blog started with a tweet this blogger ran across, and now I can't find because I don't follow the Twitterer who issued it on Twitter.

At any rate the message of the tweet was that an education scholar Richard Rothstein, who talked at the California School Boards Association on Friday in San Francisco, made a comment that education and training could not overcome bad economic background.

There was no link to the tweet issued communicating that idea, or words to that effect, and the tweet didn't come from Richard Rothstein. Moreover it was all but impossible to find a blog post or news account of what Mr. Rothstein actually said.

But it made me think of how economic development and education officials in Oakland don't talk to each other. At all. Yet, economic development planners are supposed to be trying to bring jobs to the same neighborhoods the education officials, and here I mean teachers, work in. Why not talk with them about what the needs of the people in the neighborhood really are?

The view that this disconnect exists has been with me for some time. It came to a personal "head" when I was in a meeting at the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) in 1999, and the conversation turned to the "jobs / housing balance." That's the idea that jobs should be where the people lived.

But the problem, as I pointed out in the meeting, was that the MTC was pushing for biotech jobs for cities like Oakland where the people didn't have the education for the positions. Everyone at the table looked at me like I was nuts, and I looked at them like they were crazy. Since my ego's much larger than that collective, I left the meeting feeling that I'd just talked to a group of out of touch public execs. I was pretty steamed.

The problem is that they never talked to the people in the parts of the 'hood where jobs are needed. Look. Oakland doesn't have a near 20 percent unemployment rate for nothing. Bring biotech jobs to Oakland, and jobs open up for people who don't live here, but would be forced to commute or relocate here. That's what's happened to a degree, with many biotech jobs in Emeryville and the South Bay.

Meanwhile the people who live in Oakland, raised their kids here, and use the Oakland school system, go wanting. And their kids suffer as do the teachers. They have it the worst. In East Oakland, a friend of mine commonly tells stories of being robbed, having to spend a lot of money for her materials, and other problems.

All of this should form the template for what economic development must do in Oakland. Developers and big projects are sexy, but more often than not, they don't really change things. Nothing helps a place like East Oakland or West Oakland like the modern, environmentally-friendly version of the good old-fashioned auto plant.

Yeah, someone will chime in with the usual arguments against that, and in doing so, keep the same culture that produces our problems alive for years to come.

What is "Cammy Cam Juice"?

Auburn Quarterback Cam Newton's started another new controversy. (Well, that's not fair because arguably his father Rev. Newton started the first one.) At any rate, with about seven minutes left in the blow-out SEC Championship Game that saw Auburn win 49 to 14 against South Carolina, Cam Newton called CBS Sideline Reporter Tracy Wolfson over and talked her into drinking his Gatorade bottle of what he called "Cammy Cam Juice."

She did so on camera and said it was "too sweet " for her, or words to that effect. Meanwhile, the camera switched over to one focused on Cam and someone, a coach perhaps, looking at Tracy. Cam was bouncing up and down like he got her to do something she normally would not have done.

That action, with all television eyes on Cam because of his great play and the controversy surrounding him, caused Twitter to ignite with curious tweets about that perfect sound-bite "Cammy Cam Juice." And many to ask what Cammy Cam Juice really is.

On Twitter, many said it may be "Purple Drank." One person thought Cam had, if you will, added his internal fluid to a Gatorade. And upon reflection, this blogger thinks Cammy Cam Juice is some kind of legal, performance-enhancing drink that's sweet to the taste.

Whatever the case, people are talking.

Cam Newton, Auburn win SEC Championship; Is "Cammy Cam Juice" Purple Drank?

Auburn Quarterback Cam Newton, the focus of an NCAA investigation where the NCAA recently cleared him to play, was instrumental in his team's total destruction of the South Carolina Gamecocks. But before we continue, a hats off to South Carolina Coach Steve Spurrier, who some considered past his prime, marching his student athletes to the SEC Championship in Atlanta.

But Cam Newton, throwing for over 300 yards and scoring six touchdowns, had an amazing game. And what's "Cammy Cam" juice?

Cam Newton gave CBS Sideline Reporter Tracy Wolfson a Gatorade bottle of what he reportedly called "Cammy Cam Juice."

But what is it? She said it was "too sweet" for her. Yep. She drank it on camera, live. Unbelievable.

Is it Purple Drank?

This blogger wondered because as Tracy was drinking Cammy Cam Juice, Cam Newton was standing next to some guy, and jumping up and down and laughing as if he got her to do something she would not have done if she knew what she was doing. Look, Cam Newton's still young, so it must have been a prank of some kind.

Just wondering.

Purple Drank is a Southern drink - they're playing in Atlnta, Georgia - and a mixture of cough syrup and other ingredients.

Stay tuned.

Adrian Gonzalez To Boston Red Sox from San Diego Padres

Adrian Gonzalez, the firstbaseman for the San Diego Padres, is that no more because he's been traded to the Boston Red Sox. What the Red Sox get is simply one of the best hitters in Major League Baseball.

As the video by YouTube's SportsguyShow explains, Adrian Gonzalez is a power hitter. He's above the league average in On Base Percentage (.393 to .325), Batting Average (.298 to .257), and Slugging Percentage (.511 to .403).

In turn, the Red Sox give up Casey Kelly, Anthony Rizzo, and Reymond Fuentes.

No word on the dollar amount to Adrian Gonzalez as of this writing.

Due Date: Funniest Movie Ever

Due Date is by far the funniest movie in the world. This statement is true - not an opinion.

Watching this movie there is just funny moment after funny moment after funny moment the entire way through, but it never gets old or predictable. There are moments that in any other movie would make the audience cry from sadness, but instead the tears in their eyes are from laughing too hard.

Robert Downey Jr. (playing Peter Highman) really shows that he is still a great actor, and Zach Galifianakis (playing Ethan Tremblay) shows that he is brilliant.

There is just so much about this movie that makes it amazing. The two are stuck together after being put on the "no fly" list - they must spend a road trip from Georgia to L.A. together with each other and Ethan's dog named Sonny. Peter is in a rush to get back home in time for his wife to give birth to their first child, and Ethan is determined to make it in Hollywood.

The two have a crazy time together which includes ending up in Mexico.

This movie is definitely a must-see. It just keeps getting more funny. It's a knee slapper and it is definitely a perfect "first date" movie.

Five out of Five stars for this hilarious movie - absolutely nothing negative to say about it.

Unemployment News: Senate Republicans reject UE insurance extension

In this Unemployment News, while several million wait and hope that their jobless benefits will be extended, their fate is being decided by people who are employed - Senate Republicans and what The Huffington Post refers to as "a handful of Democrats."

After two bills were defeated by a combined vote of 53-36, the only way Democrats will be able to get the Unemployment Extension is to give tax cuts to the wealthy.

Rather than just plain extend tax cuts and get the Unemployment Insurance Extension, the program is being used as a political football. This blogger thinks if "the rich" want tax cuts, give it to them, just don't place people in dire need in trouble.

But that's what a good portion of Congress is doing. As of this writing, there's no extension of benefits.

Stay tuned.

Cal - Berkeley Athletics: AD Sandy Barbour letter to Cal donor community

Cal Athletics Director Sandy Barbour has taken an undeservedly high level of criticism for the dramatic changes wrought on Cal Athletics over the past few months, most dramatically marked by the initial news that Cal Rugby Coach Jack Clark would not be retained past July 2011.

To meet the flood tied of calls and emails by Cal Donors, and to counter some negative donor actions in threatening to, and in one rumored case, actually pulling their support for the program, Sandy issued the letter below, this week. It's worth a good read. In fact, this blogger put the entire letter here, to get it more "out in the open."

Some of the highlights are that the Endowment Seating Program, which Barbour had hoped would provide a good amount of revenue for all 29 Cal Athletics programs, isn't doing that. Moreover, Cal Chancellor Robert Birgeneau said that Cal itself could not give more than $5 million annually to athletics, due to a combination of the State of California's own education cuts and rising student costs.

With this, however, some Cal Alums have asked why can't Chancellor Birgeneau AD Barbour cut their own salaries as a contribution to the cause? In this blogger's view, having the Chancellor take a salary cut just for Cal Athletics is irresponsible to the needs of the campus community; better for Sandy to give up some part of her income, but not the dramatic drop some have suggested.

In short, Sandy Barbour didn't ask for this climate, yet she's being judged, and really unfairly, for the choices she's had to make within it. She's done an excellent job given that she's stuck between the rock represented by Chancellor Birgeneau's directives (he is her boss, you know) and the hard place that is the economy itself and the expectations of the Cal Athletics Donor.

GO BEARS!

Sandy Barbour letter to Cal donor community

November 29, 2010

Dear Cal Bear Backers,

In the weeks since the announcement about plans for Cal Athletics' future, we have received a great deal of correspondence from our extended Cal community that runs the gamut from supportive, to inquisitive, to highly critical. What almost all of the letters and emails have in common is a request for additional information about how and why the painful decision to reduce the number of teams was made, and the extent to which all or part of the decision may be reversible. What they also share is a passion and concern for our programs-especially for our student-athletes. You have been there for us in good times and bad, and now, in the midst of a particularly difficult period, I know that we cannot-must not-take your continued support for granted.

After a careful review of all your letters and messages, it is evident that many of you were not aware of the FAQ we posted online after the announcement and/or had queries we did not fully address. For that reason, it is clear to me that we must provide you with more information on how the decisions were made, and we must address the lingering questions and concerns.

You will find a new, more comprehensive FAQ found by clicking here, regarding the decisions and their rationale. I am under no illusions that, after reviewing the information, criticism will magically vanish, but I believe you will find that our department faced an untenable, unsustainable financial future; that we did everything possible to avoid a reduction in our program's scope; and that the ultimate decisions were informed by values I hope we all share. I believe the FAQ will also shed additional light on the following essential elements of the decision-making process:

In recent years Cal Athletics' costs and revenues have been comparable to our peers in the Pac-10. The data will show that we have run a very lean operation on a per-student-athlete basis...so lean, in fact, that I believe we have been failing to provide our teams with all they need to fulfill their potential. While costs have increased in recent years, many were beyond our control, including a dramatic increase in scholarship costs due to rapidly rising student education fees. Our philanthropic, corporate, licensing and royalty revenues are also right in line with conference averages, and we fully intend to maintain their upward trajectory.
The Chancellor's determination that institutional support for Cal Athletics could not exceed $5 million annually by 2014 was made in the context of a campus that continues to confront a dramatic disinvestment by the state in higher education. Our students are paying more and borrowing more. More than 500 campus employees have been laid off. Vital maintenance has been deferred for much of the university's infrastructure. While the extent of funds the Chancellor can allocate at his discretion has diminished, the demand for resources has increased dramatically. Simply put, the campus is not immune to the financial forces impacting the nation and the state, and Cal Athletics could not claim to be an integrated and integral part of this university if it somehow remained untouched and unaffected by the university's predicament.
Once that $5 million target was established, we began a department-wide program of cost cutting-including layoffs and budget reductions-and pushed for even more aggressive fundraising goals. We reviewed and decided to implement just about every suggestion for offered by the Chancellor's Advisory Council on Intercollegiate Athletics. We factored in a reasonable estimate of incremental revenue resulting from a new Pac-12 media contract (scheduled for FY 13). Yet, when all was said and done, we still faced an anticipated $4 million gap (which will continue to grow over time) between the department's projected revenues and expenses.
There were only two options to close that gap: slash budgets across the board or reduce the scope of the program. Initially, we focused on the former and analyzed how, exactly, cuts totaling $4 million a year would impact every team and aspect of our program. Suffice it to say it that option left each program in a non-competitive position, including our revenue sports. Every team would have lost some scholarship positions; some would have been required to rely solely on walk-ons. Already strained resources in sports medicine, strength training and academic support would have been further diminished. In sum, we would have harmed the teams that provide essential revenue to support the rest of the program, while crippling the competitive abilities of every Olympic sport. One can only imagine how our community would have responded if we had chosen this path.
Since November 2009, I have consistently, continuously and publicly stated that our financial situation necessitated dramatic changes and that every option was on the table. The message was clear: the status quo was unsustainable and the overall program was facing the possibility of significant change. In last few months before the decision was reached, we did consider a more direct outreach to donors affiliated with the teams that might be endangered if we were forced to reduce the scope of the program. However, because campus leadership determined that our financial model must be sustainable in perpetuity in order to preclude another similar crisis somewhere down the road, the only solution would have been-and remains-a very dramatic increase in our endowment sufficient to guarantee funds necessary to meet the Chancellor's target. We believed, and continue to believe, that expecting a quantum leap in philanthropy in order to rescue sports from being cut would be unrealistic and unfair to our donors who are already supporting the non-negotiable need to modernize Memorial Stadium, as per the Regents' mandate. Having said that, we are aware of the interest many of you have in the possible reinstatement of impacted teams and have included detailed information on this subject in the FAQ.
In essence, we were caught between a rock and a very, very hard place. The decision regarding which of our teams would cease to be part of the program was the single most difficult endeavor any of us had ever been involved in. We had no "favorites." We had no ability to delay, defer or deny. We knew there would be an outcry no matter what the actual mix would look like. I accept full responsibility for a decision that, in my opinion, represented the best option among a very distasteful set of options.

I also want to say a few words about the Endowment Seating Program. When it was launched, we had no way of knowing what was lurking around the corner for the country's economy, or the state's and campus's finances. We fully expected that this innovative approach to funding the stadium's construction costs would generate an endowment sufficient to support all 29 sports that we currently field, and we are heartbroken that the program's intentions will, in all likelihood, not be fully realized. But the fact is that ESP's importance has only increased in the wake of the recent decisions. Although we will soon be back on a financially sustainable path, I know that we all share aspirations for Cal Athletics that go well beyond "sustainable." We all want the level of excellence that UC Berkeley stands for, and the Endowment Seating Program remains our best hope to realize our shared desires.

I ask that you take the time to carefully read and review our new FAQ linked above. For those who want a great deal of additional, detailed information we have posted our original FAQ on this web site. The site also contains source documents and financial data we used in our analysis, and were recently provided to individuals who asked to review these records. If questions remain, please let us know, for I fully realize that we cannot return our focus to the future until the salient issues have been fully addressed.

One definition of a crisis is that there are no easy or intuitive solutions, and for that reason every potential solution is inherently controversial. However, if we are a community in the true sense of the word, we cannot allow disagreement to overwhelm or overshadow what brought us together in the first place. I continue to come to work every day dedicated to one, over-arching goal: providing our student athletes with what they need to excel on and off the field.

Sandy Barbour
Director of Athletics

The Hobbit: racist casting director fired

The Hobbit and Peter Jackson show the way.

This blogger has often wondered how so many movies and commercials wind up with entirely white extras. This story sheds light on that.

It seems the casting director for Peter Jackson's production of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit was fired for being racist. According to Celebrfic.com, an actor named Briton Naz Humphreys, who is of Pakistani descendent, was rejected because, as the casting director told him, they didn't allow people with dark skin to play in the movie.

To his credit, Jackson, the producer of King Kong and The Lord of The Rings trilogy that swept the Academy Awards a few years back, took fast action, canned the casting director, and issued and apology, saying:

“No such instructions were given, the crew member in question took it upon themselves to do that and it’s not something we instructed or condoned.”

The actor reportedly started a hard-to-find Facebook group called "Hire hobbits of all [colors]! Say no to hobbit racism!."

But according to Black Voices, Briton then makes a statement this blogger finds disturbing, saying "I would love to be an extra. But it just seemed like a shame because obviously hobbits are not brown or black or any other [color]. They all look kind of homogenised beige and all derived from the Caucasian gene pool."

Tolkien described three races of Hobbits, including one with skin darker than the other two.  So this is a case of not just a casting director who's own racism was working to "inform" the production, but a person in Briton who seems to see herself as not fitting into it because of her dark skin.   That, even though she protested the casting director's actions.

People of color must fight through the negative images in media and realize not just that they don't apply, but to challenge their very presentation.

Meanwhile, bravo to Peter Jackson!