HTC Thunderbolt 4G Smartphone Features Discussed In Video

It's interesting to read the recent various articles and blog posts on the HTC Thunderbolt's features, because many of them were introduced in my CES 2011 video.

But for some re-introduced news, the much anticipated smartphone is will have a mobile hotspot, simultaneous voice and data transfer, and the rumor is that it will be available for sale at Best Buy on Valentine's Day, February 14th.

But will it out-do the iPhone?

It depends.

If it's released with the mobile hotspot and simultaneous voice and data transfer, it's got a good chance. But some blogs report that it may be released without those features.

Stay tuned.

Person WIth Gun At Oakland Unified School District La Equelita School

I just got a horrifying email. This one:

We have just been notified of reports of a person with a gun at the Oakland Unified School District facility, La Esquelita School @ 1100 3rd Avenue. The OUSD school facilities have been locked down, and the Laney Childcare Center staff are being informed of appropriate precautions. Please steer away from any area adjacent to lower 10th Street and 5th Avenue. The Peralta Community College District new parking lot at East 8th Street and 5th avenue, (with solar panels, next to baseball field) is being used as a staging area for La Esquelita School families to pick-up their children, while the Oakland Police Department has the matter under control.

More later...

The History Channel Airs Silly Bohemian Grove "Visit" By Brad Meltzer

The History Channel did a real disservice to its own moniker by airing Brad Meltzer’s Decoded episode on The Bohemian Club and The Bohemian Grove.

It reminded me of Vanity Fair's Contributing Editor Alex Shoumatoff's ill-fated attempt to "infiltrate" the Grove in 2008 - he got arrested. I've still got his mug shot here!

The Meltzer / The History Channel TV segment was embarrassingly bad and devoid of any real information about the club, except to repeat old and false statements about rituals and sacrifices that are alleged by both left and right wing extremists like Alex Jones.

Without breaking the gentlemanly code of silence at The Bohemian Club, I have been there, I'm a friend, and I'm obviously black (in case you're keeping score) and I can tell you the club is about friendship, jazz, theater, the arts, poetry and current events.

The only "sacrifices" that go on are the state of one’s liver and wasteline from the drink and food that are copiously consumed.  (Seriously.  It's one reason I've cut back on drinking!)

I contacted The Club after seeing The History Channel story and asked if they provided any information about the history of the organization, the annual ‘Cremation of Care” ceremony at the Grove, to Brad Meltzer or The History Channel. The Club said they declined to be interviewed on camera, but gave The History Channel a backgrounder that explains the Club, its ceremonies and its history.

It’s too bad The History Channel and Brad Meltzer didn’t read the materials they were given or looked online at The Monte Rio Show, the annual fundraiser the Bohemian Club puts on the Monte Rio community in which The Grove is located.

That website explains the Club’s background. And if The History Channel and its Decoded crew (which decoded nothing) had read that perhaps they would not have been arrested for trespassing at heavily guarded Grove during their filming of the show.

A little research goes a long way.

Where are the jobs, Mr. Boehner?

Just what are the leaders of the GOP doing with their new-found Congressional majority? We all know they took the symbolic vote to repeal the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act (PPACA or sometimes just ACA) complete with a provision explicitly naming their own bill "Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act" without proposing any alternative. We all know the majority of U.S. citizens like the reforms, and the savvy have noticed that the only part being challenged in the courts is, in fact, the mandate inserted to win GOP support in the first place and protect insurance company profits -- and that they managed not just one but two responses to the President's State of the Union.

But what are GOP leaders actually doing?

OK, fair enough, House Speaker John Boehner did take to the airwaves on Sunday, to warn FOX viewers that it, "would be a financial disaster not only for our country, but for the worldwide economy," if the U.S. defaulted on its debt, because, "You can't create jobs if you default on the federal debt." That could happen, according to some estimates, sometime between March and May due to - what? Inaction by Congress. So he's talking to pundits, which isn't exactly doing nothing.

But neither this rhetoric nor talking to pundits is creating one job. Meanwhile, Rick Ungar of Forbes and others argue that the repeal they voted for would actually be a job-killer itself. The ironies seem lost on most who fashion themselves as speaking on behalf of GOP voters.

Here's an excerpt from Ungar's Policy Page at Forbes:

"The primary, most enduring complaint of the opponents of the ACA has been that the law is deathly bad for small business.

Apparently, small businesses, and their employees, do not agree.

The next argument has been that the PPACA is a job killer.

If these small businesses found the new law to be so onerous, why have so many of them voluntarily taken advantage of the benefits provided in the law to give their employees these benefits? They were not mandated to do so. And to the extent that the coming mandate obligations might figure into their thinking, would you not imagine they would wait until 2014 to make a move as the rules do not go into effect until that time?

Of course, there is the nagging banter as to how Obamacare is leading us down the road to socialism.

Let it go, folks."

Rick Ungar,

More Small Businesses Offering Health Care
To Employees Thanks To Obamacare

January 6, 2011

So the pundits are permitting the politicians - particularly those leading the GOP - to play familiar partisan games, posturing for the cameras while criticizing every nuance of the President's stance and efforts, but what's the impact? Wasted time.

What does the country need? What do we want our elected leaders to actually do? Act responsibly, behave like adults, get to work and fix the problems for Main Street like they did for the fat cats on Wall Street who contribute to their campaign coffers - we need jobs.

There are millions of us, millions of hard-working citizens - and voters - out of work watching jobs move overseas and foreclosures ruin our neighborhoods, yet the politicians prefer to pretend that what matters most are symbolic votes, the profit margins and bonuses on Wall Street, and criticizing without proposing solutions, or even alternative initiatives? What's next, Mr. Boehner, holding your breath until your face turns blue?

It's enough to make a grown man cry.

Thomas Hayes is an entrepreneur, former Democratic Campaign Manager, strategist, journalist, and photographer who contributes regularly to a host of web sites on topics ranging from economics and politics to culture and community. You can follow him as @kabiu on twitter.

SAG Awards 2011: The King's Speech Ready For The Academy Awards

The Academy Awards are now weeks closer and more into focus; the SAG Awards 2011 helped to bring all into crystal clear view: The King's Speech, barring a shocking upset from The Social Network, will be The Academy Awards winner for Best Picture.

The movie produced by The Weinstein Company already got Outstanding Cast For A Movie at The Screen Actors Guild Awards tonight, and Tom Hooper, it's director, scored Best Director at the Directors Guild Awards Saturday night.

On top of that, Colin Firth got a well-earned Best Actor award, and now is well on his way to an Oscar win for the same category.

The emergence of The King's Speech over the once favored The Social Network is shocking, but when one considers all of the talk of the movie about Facebook being "not the real story," that may have impacted the movie's SAG and Academy Awards fortunes.

Stay tuned.

Ernest Borgnine, Betty White Stars Of SAG Awards 2011 #SAGAwards

The 2011 Screen Actors Guild Awards is history and while The King's Speech, Modern Family, and Boardwalk Empire took top honors in several categories, the SAG social media buzz is about two octogenarian acting and comedy legends, Ernest Borgnine and Betty White.

Mr. Borgnine, at 94 years young, was on hand to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award from his SAG colleagues. What was so neat for this blogger, watching the telecast in Georgia with Mom, was to hear her say "He called United Airlines and I made his reservations for him."

That happened, as she recalled, in 1976, and she remembers that Ernest Borgnine was "so nice." "He thanked me for helping him," she said.

That made watching this legendary actor get his award through a standing ovation, so much fun. Moreover, it brought spiritual meaning to the moment: nice people finish first.

The same is true for Betty White, last year's Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award Winner at 89 years old, who won for Outstanding Female In A Comedy Series and for her work in Hot in Cleveland. Upon setting her eyes on the statue of a naked buffed man, she rubbed it and said "OHHHH..."

That was funny.

(Makes you wonder what some would do if it was a statue of an athletics naked woman with big breasts, but I digress.)

Biden tells Jobless: Hang in there

Last week a totally out of touch Joe Biden told American jobless to "Hang in there" - and included other moronic comments and pearls of wisdom such as: "Don't smoke, eat healthy, do not consume junk foods," he said. "I know that sounds silly, but it's very practical in terms of your own health and well-being, and also on the impact of the cost of maintaining the health care system in the United States."

Well Mr. Vice President I have a reality check for you, since you are seemingly clueless to the plight of real hurting Americans.

• Millions of American UI exhaustees have been hanging on for far too long and have nothing left to hang on to period.
• The term you used is most insensitive "Hang in there" as most are hanging by a thread and many have chosen the noose - as in suicide, sir.
• It is damn difficult to eat healthy when you must rely on insufficient food stamps monthly allotment when the $1 fast food menu will fill up your stomach for less money. WE ARE HUNGRY!

Obama had the opportunity to alleviate the suffering some last December, but chose instead to cater to the wealthy and forgo helping to ease the suffering within the 99er Nation. Then he easily could have given hope to millions living in abject poverty in the USA today (not just the 99ers) but he chose to ignore the 52 million in America living below the poverty line, leaving them out of the SOTU speech - but he sure as hell did not forget to mention the illegal immigrants now did he?

This administration has had it's head in the sand (or up somewhere which prevents clear vision) for too long and your feigned internet explanations on what is happening in America and why are too weak and so lacking in knowledge, understanding or information concerning current events and developments it is just appalling!

I do not wish to appear disrespectful to either the President or the Vice President, but I for one am tired of being disrespected and ignored by the lot of the Washington elitists. You all make me sick. In fact, Joe, I wish you'd take that thumbs up thing and put it where your head has been hiding for so long.

[The donation button below is for Paladinette. If you like what I write please donate so I can keep on fighting for the 99ers! Thank You!]

DGA Nod Means The King's Speech In Line For Oscar Best Picture Win

The King's Speech (where Colin Firth is pictured) will win Best Picture at the 83rd Annual Academy Awards over The Social Network.

Last night, The DGA shocked a number of observers when it gave the director of the movie about overcoming personal handicaps, Tom Hooper, the prize over the favored David Fincher, who's movie made Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg even more famous.   That sealed the deal for the Oscars.  

Here's why.

UPDATE: Here's my video on The Social Network vs. The Kings Speech at The Oscars:



If you're predicting which films the 5,744 voting members of the Academy Of Motion Picture Arts and Science (AMPAS) will pick for the 24 nominating categories in the 83rd Annual Academy Awards, here's a tip: the winner of the Director's Guild of America (DGA) Best Director Award has won the same prize at The Oscars all but six times in history going back to 1948.

Plus, the film of the winner of Oscar Best Director generally wins Oscars Best Picture. On only 21 times in Oscars history has the Best Picture winner not snagged the Best Director Prize, going all the way back to 1927.

Last year, Kathryn Bigelow won DGA Best Director for The Hurt Locker, and went on to get both Best Director and Best Picture for the war movie at the 82nd Annual Academy Awards.

If The Social Network, which to date has won more awards than any other movie, wins Best Director and Best Picture, or at least manages a split here, it will be a rare achievement, but don't bet the ranch.

Now, to make it clear, the Academy voting members already made their choices and turned their ballots in on or before January 19th.  Someone, somewhere in the World knows who won in all of the Oscars categories.

Academy Website Database

If you're interested in Oscars Awards stats, there's no better place to go online than the database at the AMPAS website, here.

Also, Peter Knegt of INDIEwire has put together a great article tracking movie awards to date.

Stay tuned!

Civil Unrest Riots In Egypt: 99ers - Is USA Next?

After watching days of civil unrest riots In Egypt, the 99er Nation asks: Is USA Next?

Clashes erupted as Egyptian authorities tried to prevent demonstrations in Cairo where protesters chanting “liberty” and “change” assembled to demand the end of President Hosni Mubarak’s 30-year rule. Rallies began yesterday at points across the city of 17 million but violent protests throughout Egypt have continued for days.

Authorities restricted internet and cellphone access and detained senior leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood, the main opposition group, before nationwide demonstrations were scheduled to begin. Four French journalists were arrested on Friday in Cairo, France’s Foreign Ministry said.

Among the Egyptians on the streets of central Cairo was Mona Abdelaziz, 30, who holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and earns a living by selling tissues by the roadside.

“The country has gone to ruin,” Abdelaziz said. “Everything is expensive. How will my son marry, get an education, set up a household? There are no jobs, only for a select few. We have no hope.”

We have no hope. Sound familiar? Those millions in the 99er Nation have no hope these days. No jobs, no income, nowhere to turn and no hope of things getting any better anytime soon.
In fact a recent YouTube video By a certain Congress woman in Texas echoes the lack of urgency among members of Congress when it comes to saving the 99ers.

NOTE TO CONGRESS: We cannot wait until March for you to begin to debate what you will do to save our lives. WAKE UP as what is happening in Egypt can happen here.

Quote of the Day - by Bud Meyers: "They're rioting in Egypt because a vast majority of the people are living on $2 a day. Yet the 99ers are living on less, so why aren't they rioting?"

Well Bud, I can’t tell you why it has not happened here yet or what it is finally going to take for the 99er Nation to get out of their homes and take to the streets to fight for their right to live, but I feel strongly it is just a matter of time before they do.

I hope Mr. Obama is paying attention. However in his speech on Friday on the violence in Egypt, though Obama di say: “Govt MUST be responsive to their citizens” it is clear he just does not get it that our government is NOT being responsive to America's own citizenry.

Friday’s speech prompted me to Tweet the President and many members of the media as well as Congress the following - @barackobama YES American Govt MUST be responsive to their citizens SO WHY do you ignore the #99ers??????????

NOTE to the PRESIDENT - pay very close attention to what is happening in Cairo and Alexandria Egypt today Sir - it is about to erupt right here in America.... and YOU & CONGRESS have no one but yourselves to blame.

When times are bleak and the news is full of sorrow, I simply must unplug and find something to laugh about. The video below is a hoot and hopefully it will bring a smile to your face.

[The donation button below is for Paladinette. If you like what I write please donate so I can keep on fighting for the 99ers! Thank You!]

Squirrel Funeral For The World's Greatest Squirrel - Be Kind To Animals

A squirrel managed to get into our indoor - outdoor den while we were away. A few days after we returned, the poor lost thing turned up dead in a corner of the room. Since it's more outdoor than in, and has a screen door, it must have entered in hybrid way that I didn't anticipate. At any rate, it seems to have electrocuted itself in our house, then froze during the great Georgia freeze of two weeks ago.

So, I thought it appropriate to give it a burial and funeral, and make a vlog of it.

The reason is simple: all too often we are exposed to images of people shooting animals. The latest example being Sarah Palin shooting moose in Alaska, then rubbing America's nose in it. It's helping to producing hard attitude among us, where we don't care about life. It's a horrible message to send to our kids.

So I made a place in a remote part of our yard, named the squirrel "World's Greatest Squirrel," buried it while it was in the double-wrapped plastic bags and with an air chamber in the smaller one, and had a ceremony.

What's a wee bit bothersome are some of the video comments on YouTube. Without sharing them, I'll just say this modern habit of coming up with a stupid argument to justify heartless acts - from the use of guns to racial discrimination - is getting beyond the pale.

I'm sick of it.

Life, in all forms, is to be celebrated. Just because we hunt for food doesn't mean the animal being hunted wants to be in that position. Moreover, we're conditioned to think that animals don't "think," but really how the hell do we know, anyway?

Some of us don't seem to think either.

So, this is my bid to right things. Yes, I'm a meat eater. I'll admit that. But also use meat alternatives when they're available. And just because I eat meat doesn't mean I have to want to hunt or not feel sad if an animal is killed, especially on my property.

And that's not supposed to happen.

We can draw the line. We should draw the line.

It's the civilized thing to do.  

Mark Zuckerberg, Jesse Eisenberg and Andy Samberg On SNL (Video)

NBC just released and posted the video from the Saturday Night Live (SNL) opening monologue featuring Jesse Eisenberg, Andy Samberg, and Facebook Founder, President and CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

As you may know, Jesse Eisenberg plays Zuckerberg in the six-Oscar-nominated movie The Social Network. Andy Samberg is an SNL cast member who commonly plays Mark Zuckerberg. There was much speculation that Mark would not show up on tonight's SNL episode, but he did.

Kudos to NBC for getting the video compressed and uploaded so fast. The show's not even over!

As a note, the Oscar voting period closed on January 19th, so it's far too late for this show to have an impact on Academy Awards voting.  The Oscar best picture has already been selected by the 5,744 voting members of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), it's just a matter of counting the votes before the ABC telecast on February 27th.

Mark Zuckerberg And Jesse Eisenberg On Saturday Night Live

Mark Zuckerberg did it. He appeared on Saturday Night Live just about five minutes ago. After much media speculation today, the founder, President and CEO of Facebook appeared alongside the actor who portrayed him in The Social Network, Jesse Eisenberg.

The segment started off innocently enough, with Eisenberg coming out to a good audience ovation and explaining that he's really not who he appears to be - he's actually confident. And much different than the person he plays in The Social Network. That would be Zuckerberg.

Then SNL Actor Andy Samberg comes on stage saying that he's Mark Zuckerberg. As that's happening, the real Mark Zuckerberg is back stage with SNL's legendary producer Lorne Michaels. Mark explains that he should be out there because "I'm the real guy."

Cutting to the next scene, Eisenberg and Hader continue talking about which one played Zuck better, when Mark comes out on stage. Hader leaves almost immediately after explaining that the pairing of the two of them, Mark and Jesse, is "awkward."

So it's just Zuckerberg and Eisenberg. After some conversational dancing, Mark says he was "impressed" with Jesse's interpretation of him in The Social Network.

For a guy who's not an actor, Mark did an OK job of saying his lines. Look, he was stilted , OK. A bit robotic, to say the least. But give him credit - major props - for coming on the show and making it a memorable classic.

Stay tuned for the Twitter report!