Being The Only Black Guy In The Room Sucks

I was at an event last night that was a lot of fun, save for one fact: for much of it, I was the only black guy in the room.

Now, I'm not going to name the event, only say that it was for a good cause. But after one conversation, with a sister (a black woman, for those of you who don't know what I mean), that went a little off, but that was quickly replaced by three cool women, one of them also a sister who was really just "normal," I happened to take stock of my surroundings.

No brothers - no black guys.

OK. Now, I have to explain what happened with that first conversation with the first sister (not to be confused with Michelle Obama, who I'm sure would be more pleasant to talk with.) I simply went over to introduce myself, but talking with her felt icky. Like wading through a classist mine field thrown up by someone who seemed bent on implying you didn't belong in her World.

You see, she sells a very expensive item that, if I mentioned it, would give away her. That's not my intent here at all. And my objective at that point was to introduce myself, as one does at parties, and because we knew the same people. But I realized, as we were talking that had I took my leave of her, she would have been standing there by herself. So, I tried to at least have a conversation with her so she would not feel left alone. Mistake? No. Regardless of the outcome, I'd do it again; it's just the right thing to do.

At any rate, her desire to issue her little put downs was so intense I had to finally break through it. I know she's having a hard time selling this thing because she implied as such, but I didn't say so at all. But after being peppered with comments about how many rich people are "out there" and that they "can afford it," and her constant looking around, and not in my eyes in response to my questions about the economy and with respect to the economic climate five years before, I'd had enough with the bullshit and peppering, and just said "Can we talk? I am a human being."

That did break through the ice, and there was a lot of it, but it revealed someone who has obvious issues with black guys that no conversation with me could ever cure. The bottom line is to assume a person's not in your social space because they are black and male is off-putting. To have it done to you by someone who's black is more hurtful.

Fortunately, I was saved when the more well-adjusted sister asked me if I would buy a raffle ticket. I saw an opening for a more pleasant conversation, and took it faster than you could say "Run!"

That was when I looked around.

Groups and groups of white people, mostly women. The female part was cool; I'm used to that. But after a while on this earth, you can't help but wonder (and I know this is something that goes through the head of every black guy in this situation), do they have any black friends?

Now, the people were nice and willing to talk, once the cocktails flowed. And being a video-blogger is a great way to start a conversation with anyone, especially if you want to get them on camcorder for an interview. But absent that, you have the man who comes up and is stupid enough to mistake you for the help.

There was a black guy holding a sign that pointed the way to the party. He was never in the room afterward. Later, as I was talking with a good friend I'd not seen in a while, this guy came up, didn't bother to say "excuse me," and just asked "Are you the person who helped me up here."

Now, that black guy and I not only don't look alike, he had on a white shirt and red tie; I'm dressed entirely in black, from neck to feet. Plus, I'm at the business of chatting and swigging a martini, so you'd think he'd at least act like a gentleman, let alone get a clue that I wasn't the help. All that went through my head in two seconds, and I answered "No," and returned to my conversation.

Eventually, he realized he really screwed up in the manners department, and we wound up having a brief conversation about camcorders. But for me, it was just to rid myself of the annoyance.

Whatever's going on in the Bay Area, the declining black population is part due to the passing of families, as it is lack of economic opportunities. But also, I think, it's social. We're too used to seeing clumps of white people together, so we think it's OK. Really, it's not OK.

It's not healthy for anyone to have friends and associations all of the same skin color. And I think what happens in The Bay Area, and for anyone who's a black guy and runs in circles where they wind up being the only black guy in the room, is the desire for a more welcoming society eventually pulls them away to another city.

I think that's why black population numbers have increased in the South. It's more than jobs. In the South, my view is that whites and blacks have gotten over a lot of crap and just move in the same circles. Interracial relationships are far more common in metro areas. In that way, the society, at least to this outsider, seems more advanced than in the Bay Area. If a person has a "race issue" in the South, at least you know that, and can avoid the nutcase. In the Bay Area, that's much harder to do.

Here, whites who have race issues don't act that way, they just shield themselves with other white people they call friends, and satisfy themselves with the idea that as long as someone black walks by them, they're in a diverse community. That's the biggest joke of all.

It's too much effort for black guys to have to battle someone's race issues by being friendly and absorbing a person's issues. In the Bay Area, it's all so subtle that it kind of builds and sneaks up on you. From people mistaking you for "the help," either accidentally, or - as it happened to me at The Balboa Cafe recently - intentionally. (And in that instance, I openly told the person, who I was already familiar with, to knock it off, as she was being a jerk-off and not in a pleasurable way.) To how some white people don't even bother to say "hello" to you first, because they expect you to make the first move all the time.

If you're black and male in The Bay Area, and reading this, try it sometime. Instead of being the guy who makes the first move in a greeting, try saying nothing and see if the same people approach you first. More often than not, they won't. I've seen this for years here. I call it the racial pecking order and I've seen it play out again and again: my experience is if you're white, someone else white isn't as likely to treat you that way. They will seek your company.

And that, for whatever weird reasons that boil down to racism, is why there were clumps and clumps of groups of white people. For all of those clumps, I'll bet there's a story of someone who knows a black guy, but just treats them as window dressing: someone they see but don't let in to their social circle.

For me, in large part because of my objective of calling out such behavior, I have a set of friends who are white, who just don't act like that. In fact, that's why I was at the party: they invited me.

Eventually, though, I wasn't the only black guy in the room. Our ranks increased by two - making it three black guys out of 200 people. One of the brothers I already knew; he puts himself out there socially, friendly to all, and to the point of grabbing someone away from a conversation in a fashion I'd never copy. He's done it again, and again. And with all that, he showed up alone, as the party was winding down.

The other man was the head of the organization. Smooth, cool, but apprehensive, too (and I think it was because he was concerned with the event itself, which went well, I think). In a way, he the best example of what I'm blogging about. So used to being in mostly white social circles, and mostly because of education (Hey, going to college at a big university and gaining great friends of different backgrounds can prep you for these situations), that he rose to become the boss of a large local Bay Area company.

For some of the whites in the room, his assent was perfect, but it's got to be lonely for him. I know it is. They get to maintain their social circle as devoid of black men, yet have one black guy just close enough for them to say "I'm OK and don't have race issues." But he's not really a friend at all; in an odd sort of way, he's still just the help.

Being the only black guy in the room sucks. But, if the people who aren't black take the effort to reach out and gain black friends, and blacks in that environment can just relax and enjoy themselves, we can make our society a little better for everyone. And maybe stem the tide of black folks leaving the Bay Area, just a little bit.

Follow Zennie62 on Twitter!

Blogging: The State Of - Salon's Scott Rosenberg, Author, "Say Everything"

This video is an interview with the author of "Say Everything," the best book on the history of blogs and blogging written to date, and someone who's start as an Internet-based journalist goes back to 1994. He is Scott Rosenberg of Salon.com.

(As a note, if you're seeing this and the video has a white space icon in front of it, it's because it's a new upload and you're among the first to view it. Give it a few minutes to finish compressing. It's a huge video file.)

Scott Rosenberg, who's one of the founding editors of Salon.com, and this blogger sat down for a talk that lasted 45 minutes, making this the longest video interview done for this channel to date.

Rosenberg and I talked about everything from how Salon.com got started, to the State of Blogging, journalists versus bloggers, The Huffington Post, The Daily for the iPad, the impact of Twitter, what happened to Salon, blogging for profit and reaching the market versus not doing so, James O'Keffe and his video ambush that led to the resignation of NPR's Executive Director, and a host of other topics.

And that was just the first 30 minutes of the video interview.

But mostly, we talked about The State Of Blogging. While some Old Media publications like The New York Times think blogging activity is decreasing, Scott disagrees, explaining that we have more blogs than ever and the number continues to grow. In fact, BlogPulse reports there are 157,828,245 blogs, with 79,327 established over the last 24 hours as of this writing.

No wonder the New York Times is threatened. That's a lot of media being created at a rapid pace. So sweet.

You can also check out Scott's blog at wordyard.com

99ers: Plan to attend the "We Are One" Rally near you - April 4, 2011

On April 4, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, where he had gone to stand with sanitation workers demanding their dream: The right to bargain collectively for a voice at work and a better life. The workers were trying to form a union with AFSCME.

Beginning with worship services over the April 1 weekend, and continuing through the week of April 4, unions, people of faith, civil and human rights activists, students and other progressive allies will host a range of community and workplace-focused actions.

Join us in solidarity with working people in Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana and dozens of other states where well-funded, right-wing corporate politicians are trying to take away the rights Dr. King gave his life for. It’s a day to show movement. Teach-ins. Vigils. Faith events. A day to be creative, but clear: We are one.

Find your local event or create one by visiting: http://we-r-1.org/

AARP Fights to Repeal Discriminatory Unemployment Insurance Law

AARP Fights to Repeal Discriminatory Unemployment Insurance Law. Bipartisan Bill Would Repeal Law that Reduces Unemployment Benefits to Social Security Recipients :

As if 99ers and soon to be UI exhaustees needed anymore impediments to their very survival or rejoining the work force, every year in Illinois, thousands of unemployed older workers face age and economic discrimination due to an outdated state law that unfairly reduces their unemployment benefits.

Illinois is one of only two states in the nation that still carry the law on their books, called the Social Security unemployment "offset" law. In a tight economy, this unfair law makes things worse for older, unemployed workers and AARP is fighting to repeal the law.

"Many older adults in Illinois are struggling to pay for basic necessities – and are working because they have to," said Nancy Funk, volunteer with AARP Illinois. "To penalize these workers after they become unemployed simply because of their age is unfair and clearly wrong."

Illinois is one of only two states in the nation, along with Louisiana, that has never taken action to repeal the offset and continues to penalize jobless older adults who receive Social Security. The offset law classifies one-half of an older adult's Social Security payment as disqualifying income for purposes of receiving unemployment benefits.

AARP is supporting legislation, Senate Bill 144 sponsored by Senator Heather Steans, House Bill 96 sponsored by Representative Karen May and House Bill 1115 sponsored by Representative Sidney Mathias, that would repeal the Social Security offset law in Illinois. Representative Mathias is also a chief co-sponsor on House Bill 96.

"We need to end this age discrimination right now," said Representative Karen May. "More and more seniors have to work to make ends meet, especially during this recession. Losing a job can be devastating to seniors as well as any citizen."

"It's time to repeal the unfair and discriminatory social security offset law that denies seniors unemployment benefits simply because of their age," said Senator Heather Steans. "We are one of only two states that has not already done so; this is simply wrong."

Employers are required to pay into the unemployment fund fully for each of their workers, regardless of age. Repealing the unemployment offset will ensure that all workers receive their full unemployment benefits, regardless of age as well.

SOURCE AARP Illinois

[With everyone donating to Japan these days- The 99ers seem forgotten. If you like what I write please donate so I can keep on fighting for the 99ers! Thank You!]

Seann William Scott Goes to Rehab

Seann William Scott also can be known as "Stifler" from American Pie (and more recently his memorable roles in Role Model, Cop Out, etc), but add to the list thing that he can now be known for: getting treatment.

CBS reports that the star has entered rehab as confirmed by his representatives on Tuesday.

E! Online was able to speak to the representatives and find out why the star checked himself in:

"Seann William Scott has voluntarily admitted himself for proactive treatment to address health and personal issues," his reps said in a statement to E! News. "He appreciates the support of his many fans at this time."

It is great that he got treatment before it was too late and before any of his behaviors were publicly exposed.

Alexandra Wallace Cappie Pondexter Racist Anti-Asian Rants Show Racism Still Alive

We all like to think 21st Century America's advanced, but when I see how some people chose their friends by race, I wonder if, in their worst moments, they are really like UCLA student Alexandra Wallace and WNBA Player Cappie Pondexter.

For some reason best known to Ms. Wallace, she made a video that's on YouTube and features her ranting on in a racist way about Asian students at UCLA's library. And Cappie Pondexter decided to go to Twitter to spew her racism about Japanese right after the Japan Earthquake.

Here's the Wallace video:



Frankly, Anti-Asian racism is something I've heard before, and from white students at Cal Berkeley, both when I was a grad student, and still within recent years. I always thought "Ok, and how do you feel about black folks?" And it's something I've heard from blacks, mostly in the South, but frankly only from those who tend to have all-black friends and associations.

Geez. If you see anyone in a diverse urban society and all of their friends are one color, be it white, black, or whatever, you can bet there's racist conversation that takes place among them.

But what's up with women making these racist rants, today? Is it some expression of frustration with men being more interracial in their selection of mates than ever before? Is it that they can't stand seeing white guys with Asian girls?

Those of you who regularly follow this space recall this video where Reality TV Show Star Josie Goldberg went off on "Jewish men" who seem to want "Chinese Girls," and not white Jewish women:



Is Alexandra Wallace pissed off about that, too? I wonder because both Wallace and Goldberg live down in UCLA and Hollywood, not far from each other.

And Cappie Pondexter, again for some reason best known only to her, decided to use Twitter to express her own racism, directed specifically at Japanese citizens suffering from one of the worst disasters in recorded history. Yep. The same Rutgers University Basketball Player Cappie Pondexter who was called a "nappy headed ho," by Radio Talk Show Host Don Imus, and said that was "unacceptable and inappropriate," got on Twitter a few days ago and said:

First: "maybe god was tired of the way they treated there own people"

Then: "u just never knw! They did pearl harbor so u can't expect anything less"

Are we seeing women as the new racists? Is it all because they can't find a guy of a certain color? What's the deal here with this spewing of female racism? Not only that, it oddly underscores the point that the best man out there for a woman doesn't always have the same skin color, so they should get over it.

Alexandra Wallace Gets Death Threats For Comments

But expressing racism doesn't mean anyone like Alexandra Wallace should get death threats, yet, according to The Daily Bruin, that's what's happening to her. The third-year political science student is trying to figure out where she's going to study for finals. (The library's definitely out of the question.)

The Wallace video, called repugnant by UCLA's Administration, has went viral.  And even though Wallace took the original version of the video down, in today's fast-moving New Media World, copies were already made of it, and one of them, the one above, has been seen 3 million times as of this writing.

Wallace, Pondexter, and Gilbert Gottfried Shed New Light On Racism

After the last five days, and in the wake of the Japan Earthquake, we sadly find racism to be alive and well, and in this case directed at Asians and specifically Japanese, and at their greatest time of need.  We have Wallace, Pondexter, and Gilbert Gottfried expressing their racism against Asians.  Gilbert's just an angry guy, period.  It's no surprise Gottfrield would make stupid, racist Twitter tweets with a preamble that goes "I just broke up with my girlfriend."

I can guess why.

What Can You Do?

Get your head out of the sand and correct anyone who makes racist statements, that's what you can do. And if you're in a group who's doing it, have enough common sense to correct the group. Stand up and be counted among the ranks of good people in this World.

And help Japan.

Stay tuned and follow Zennie62 on Twitter.

Michigan UI Exhaustees Increase as US Aids Every Country but Its Own

Michigan UI exhaustees may increase meanwhile US aids every country but it’s own.

According to CBS News in Detroit, the U.S. Department of Labor has some bad news for 35,000 jobless people in Michigan.

The federal government said that Michigan no longer meets all the criteria for the extended benefit program. Cutting the program would leave about 35,000 people without benefits, as of April 2, and could eventually affect another 150,000 people receiving extended benefits.

In order to be in compliance, officials in Lansing will have to pass enabling legislation. Governor Rick Snyder, along with a statewide business-labor coalition, is in support of the needed legislation. If the enabling legislation is passed, it would extend the payments through the end of 2011.

FROM THE TRENCHES WORLD REPORT article today: 99ers HR 589 Supporters Do Not Tolerate the Green Weenies

Well our so called government has sent warships to aid the Japanese and also, through the Suez Canal, to anchor off the coast of Libya. You see the people in Libya are being oppressed. They are not being allowed their pursuit of happiness. Therefore, our politicians are chomping at the bit to rush to their aid. Wouldn’t it be nice if the 99ers’ lives were thought worthy of salvation by our so called government?

The article goes on to say: As for you 99ers out there, we need to get the Easter Project into high gear. And who knows, maybe some of these green weenie tough guys will try to stop us and we can have the pleasure of knocking a few knots on their heads. Personally I would hitchhike to get to that fight.

And don’t forget April 2nd and the Nationwide Protests that are planned. We must start becoming active before it is too late.

I received a powerful email from 99er Randy Moe yesterday after he attended a rally in the Chicago area yesterday that he allowed me to share with you here. When we last featured Randy in July 2010, He was attempting to sell 99er T-shirts to stay afloat as Washington refused to pass a badly needed Tier 5 for the 99ers.

Participating in Moveon.org’s series of protests yesterday called ““Defend the Dream - We're taking it back!” - Randy chronicled his personal experience in the following email yesterday:

Just got back from the MoveOn “Defend the Dream - We're taking it back!” rally at the James R. Thompson Center, downtown Chicago, there was a modest turnout of about 300 people. I ran into several old friends, one I used to work with until he found a Union job with the City of Chicago, good for him, sad for me.

What struck me was, almost the entire crowd appeared to be still-employed Union men, and I do mean men there were few women in attendance. There were no students, no young people, no 99ers, no homeless, no major media, no anger, and nobody I could relate to.

The first speaker roused the crowd with a PA system that gave his voice strength, a woman handed me a song and chant sheet. I started retreating. The cheers and words rang hollow upon my tired ears. The speaker demanded we all need a good paying job, health care, and the dream of our own home. The Union men roared. I turned and walked away.

My emotions overcame me, I nearly cried. I was sad that I see no way of ever joining a Union or ever getting another good job. The Dream is over. The 80% still working see us not, we are invisible and worthless. We (are), no - I am forgotten.

The 99er Nation feels invisible and at times worthless, especially in the eyes of Washington law makers, Obama, employers and the media. Exactly when will the US Government see clearly that their responsibility lies with FIRST with helping their own citizens survive and fend off oppression.... Oh wait.... it is the US Government oppressing the 99ers and the middle class to boot. Well then I suppose unless or until we show the “Deaf, Dumb & Blind” in Congress and the White House that we mean business - they never will have the motivation to change the status quo. It is really that simple. It is up to us to take to the streets and take back our country

[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!]

Donald Trump Roasted on Comedy Central and Situation Bombs

After watching the Roast of Donald Trump on Comedy Central over four times (hey, reruns on Comedy Central are worth watching when something is this entertaining) it is safe to say that this roast is probably one of the best - although it was a bit upsetting that Greg Giraldo was unable to be there, but they paid homage to him and Jeff Ross even said, "Roast In Peace."

The roasters included Marlee Matlin, who is currently on Celebrity Apprentice, the woman who won an Oscar and is an amazing woman who although being deaf is able to show that she isn't any different. Her best line was:

"Because like the Situation I have also never heard the sound of laughter."

She was later interrupted by Gilbert Godfried once her signer refused to be part of this anymore - she was poked fun at by the roasters, but she was a good sport about it.

Larry King did a hilarious job and so did Snoop Dogg - the two were definitely hilarious. It makes sense for why Larry King was there, but is there some connection between Donald Trump and Snoop Dogg?

An even bigger confusion is where is the connection between Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino and Mr. Trump? Why would he even be chosen to appear on Comedy Central to begin with? The Situation's act was hard to watch, he really should stick with reality tv, because he is most funny when he is being real and unrehearsed - it really shows that he is not an actor and gives more credit to the reality of Jersey Shore. He took a lot of hits from the other roasters like a champ, but the biggest hit was when the crowd went completely silent during his act - which later led to booing. It was a bombing disaster, but Jeff Ross came up on stage to relieve him and save the day. He should have just been himself - he made a joke about newcomer Anthony Jeselnik saying that he used one of Jeselnik's jokes so that he could bang models in his mansion and then talked about how much money he has. He kept comparing himself to them and took a stab at Whitney Cummings which was not well received. Saying she wasn't worthy of being called a "grenade" because she wasn't blowing up anytime soon - aren't the fat girls called grenades? Thought that the skinny ones were called landmines? Guess it's time to re-evaluate the Jersey Shore lingo. Ironically, after that happened Vinny tweeted about how beautiful Whitney looked.

Oddly, Vinny didn't stick up for Situation at all. Jeff Ross joked that maybe the filming in Italy is a fancy way of deporting the cast.

Whitney Cummings did a hilarious job on stage as did newcomer Anthony Jeselnik, although Jeselnik was not very well known - Lisa Lampanelli jokingly paused as she gave viewers at home the opportunity to "Wikipedia" him.

Jeff Ross of course was there and did his great job.

Seth McFarland hosted and he did a great job as always; taking lots of punches. The Family Guy creator was given lots of flack for Stewie, ha.

Trump's new love Melania was there as was his daughter Ivanka.

Trump's upcoming decision on whether or not to run for President was brought up - Snoop Dogg said it best, "It wouldn't be the first time you kicked a black family out of their home." Hilarious.

Trump's rebuttle was like that of a Presidential Campaign Speech - but he had some good comebacks.

There is so much more to say about it, but really it's much better watching it first hand. It's worth it - and watching it more than once is something that is will be expected; it is THAT good.

The Roast of Donald Trump	March 15 10:30/9:30c
Seth MacFarlane - Turns to Gold
www.comedycentral.com
Jokes The Comedy Awards The Comedy Central Roast of Donald Trump

Videos and photos taken from Comedy Central.

The Source Code Snarked By TechCrunch; Tech Press Slams Hollywood Again

In an effort to reach out to a nerd demographic, a continuation of marketing and PR work that started with Comic Con, Hollywood is now directly reaching out to the tech press and getting slammed in the process.

The PR effort for The Source Code, the movie starring Duncan Jones and Jake Gyllenhaal, is the latest example. A TechCrunch blogger named Alexia Tsotsis was attacked by the movie's producer Summit Entertainment for being too snarky in a blog post she wrote about the movie during SXSW. Moreover, the person connected with Summit Entertainment felt it necessary to go to her new bosses at AOL and complain about Alexia's work. Sad.

Sad for Summit Entertainment, that is.

Hollywood studios are making the same mistake The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences made in reaching out to the tech press to present it's new social media effort for the 83rd Academy Awards: it's avoiding its media friends and fans, none of which are in the tech press.

Once again, Hollywood's segregationist, non-systemic, Old Media thinking, is getting it into major trouble. The problem is that Hollywood thinks the culture of tech is confined to the tech press and that just because some movie purports to "speak tech," the tech press is going to embrace it. Forgetting what happens when that movie's "tech speak" falls short of any smell test: it gets panned.

Rather than target the tech press, then whine about the result, Summit Entertainment should have went to its normal set of press contacts and expanded it to include fan blogs. Why? Because those bloggers, who in many cases have made their own blogs from scratch, know just enough tech to be sympathetic to the movie maker's message and not throw them under the bus.

But that didn't happen in the case of TechCrunch and Alexia (cool name, by the way). And the fact that AOL chose to insert itself into a blogger's work is a little scary and doesn't bode well for the future of AOL's relationship with TechCrunch or any of its blogs that it bought. Check out this email that AOL sent to Alexia:

Hey Alexia,

Hope you’re having a good time at SxSW and that it’s not been too crazy busy for you!

First wanted to thank you for covering Source Code/attending the party, etc. But also wanted to raise a concern that Summit had about the piece that ran. They felt it was a little snarky and wondered if any of the snark can be toned down? I wasn’t able to view the video interviews but I think their issue is just with some of the text. Let me know if you’re able to take another look at it and make any edits. I know of course that TechCrunch has its own voice and editorial standards, so if you have good reasons not to change anything that’s fine, I just need to get back to Summit with some sort of information. Let me know.

Thanks!

What happened in both examples is that The Academy and Summit Entertainment isn't experienced with the tech press, which reacts to any effort that's, well, "fake." Let's face it, The Source Code isn't an iPad or a new computer, or a Twitter-beater. It's a movie. And the press outreach effort isn't about some real word tech innovation used in the movie, it's about the movie. Period.

As I said before, and will say again, Hollywood needs to stop this silly way of thinking and come back to its media base. It's just as tech savvy, more friendly, and certainly less snarky, than the tech press.

As for Alexia, TechCrunch, and AOL, that email was shameful on AOL's part and makes this blogger think it's time for a countdown clock for AOL. A countdown to merger failure because the culture of AOL doesn't seem to be meshing with the cultures of the properties they bought.

Stay tuned.

Seattle Twestival March 24th - A Gathering Of Twitter Folks

The Seattle Twestival, sponsored by the Microsoft Alumni Association, is billed as the "biggest grassroots social media fundraising event on the planet."

Held this March 24th from 6 PM to 9:30 PM at Ray's Boat House at 6049 Seaview Ave NW Seattle, WA 98107, it's a meetup that's a tweetup that makes a difference. And the deserving charity this year is FareStart.

FareStart is a Seattle non-profit that advocates say "changes lives through culinary training and job placement for Seattle's homeless and disadvantaged individuals." The best news is 100 percent of all ticket donations from the The Seattle Twestival will go to FareStart.

For more information on The Seattle Twestival, visit: http://seattle.twestival.com

Lockout Underscores Owners’ Lack of Respect for NFL Fans

By Jon Wagner-Sr. Writer-Football Reporters Online

The clock finally struck midnight on Friday night, and now, while talk of March Madness and Cinderellas are in full swing, the 2011 NFL season is in realistic jeopardy of turning into a pumpkin.

One week after the original March 4th deadline for ironing out a new Collective Bargaining Agreement was extended, NFL owners officially closed up shop and locked out their players, effectively shutting down the league (other then next month’s NFL draft) until further notice.

Sadly, it’s those who are most responsible for the insanely huge amounts of money that NFL owners and players are quibbling over – NFL fans – who will suffer the most unless the upcoming season is saved.

Duping their loyal fans, NFL owners have taken a page (and then some) from a 1989 film about another sport, the classic baseball movie, “Field of Dreams.”

Most of us know the story. Kevin Costner’s character Ray Kinsella hears the whispers… “If you build it, they will come.”

That’s exactly what NFL owners did with over-the-top, extravagant new stadiums.

Except, they went one step further, with the unfortunate notion that in the NFL, “If you build it, they will come… and when they do, you can try to shake every last dollar you can out of not only the fans who show up, but from the players the fans will pay exorbitant amounts to come see.”

And, that’s all while putting the financial burden of building those shiny new stadiums largely upon those same fans.

Yes, that is the sad state of affairs in today’s NFL for the average NFL fan.

Not only do fans, as taxpayers, shoulder much of the cost of new stadiums like Jerry Jones’ Cowboys Stadium (often dubbed the “Dallas Palace”), or the Giants’ and Jets’ New Meadowlands stadium (each having come with price tags in excess of $1.6 billion), but those same fans are asked to pay thousands of dollars in Personal Seat Licences just to have the right to buy tickets to watch games in them.

If that wasn’t enough, now loyal remaining season ticketholders who weren’t priced out (by PSL’s) of buying tickets to see their favorite teams play, can’t even do that, because of the unyielding collective ego and greed on the part of NFL owners.

That’s not to say that the NFL’s current labor issues are all one-sided. Every dispute has both opposing parties which are usually at least somewhat at fault.

However, it’s the players who really just want to give the fans what they want – to play football -- under the current CBA specifications that the owners agreed to themselves, years ago. That agreement was fine for NFL owners until that no longer became convenient in the face of the owners trying to squeeze every last dollar out of both the NFL Players’ Association and NFL fans.

The simple fact is, the owners can’t fully be trusted.

Only now, after the NFLPA has been forced to decertify and involve the threat of a possible court injunction, are NFL owners beginning to open their books to any extent at all (and even at that, they won’t be opened far enough to justify the extra $1 billion and greater portion of shared revenues along with an increase to an 18-game regular season schedule that NFL owners are seeking).

But, the reason for the mistrust of NFL owners goes beyond that, back to the stadium issue.

Under the guise of “parternership” to win public support, NFL owners have secured more than $4.4 billion in taxpayer money for 21 new or renovated stadiums (nearly two-thirds of the league’s stadiums) since 1995.

The reality is that of the $2 billion teams claim they are investing in stadiums, about $1 billion comes from NFL loans and PSL’s, two sources where the dollars come either exclusively, or at least mostly, from fans.

A particular case like the Chicago Bears’ Soldier Field renovation shows what the NFL’s “parternship” with the public for financing new NFL stadiums really means.

The Bears pledged to pay $200 million of Soldier Field’s $632 million renovation, but when all was said and done, thanks again, to partially fan-financed NFL loans and to fan-paid PSL’s, the final cost to Bears’ ownership for the renovation was less than $30 million.

It’s no different around the league. Over the next 30 years, taxpayers in NFL cities will pay more than $2 billion in interest payments on bonds that were used to raise public money for NFL stadiums.

And, thanks to a deal worked out with the U.S. government, while fans are helping to finance NFL stadium through paying their own taxes, NFL owners collect PSL money on a tax-exempt basis.

The bottom line is that the players just want to play. But, NFL owners want yet more money despite having already asked for billions from NFL fans to help finance new stadiums that ironically are supposed to be fan-friendly. Yet, despite all of the state-of-the-art amenities, how “fan-friendly” can it really be when those same fans are also being asked for thousands of additional dollars per seat in the form of PSL’s?

And, how much more can possibly be asked of NFL fans, who simply want their sport back in time for Week 1 of the regular season in September (or for that matter, in time for the upcoming NFL draft and training camps)?

Adding further insult to injury was the most recent Super Bowl, in February, with yet another irony. So desperate was Jones and the NFL to cram as many fans as possible into the new Cowboys Stadium as a result of further greed (to make more money) and ego on the part of Jones (to set the Super Bowl attendance record), that temporary seating wasn’t installed in time, thereby shutting out many fans who paid about $800 each per ticket (in additional to travel expenses to the Dallas area).

While the NFL more than rectified the situation financially, those fans missed seeing the game live and became the latest casualty of the NFL putting everything else about its game before the fans who support it.

Fans, as taxpayers and now as PSL buyers, have been conditioned to paying for stadiums for millionaires to play in and keep an exclusive NFL family owners in the business of remaining as billionaires, all while the average taxpayer and hardcore NFL fan can’t afford a seat in those very stadiums.

When you look at it that way, it’s amazing that it’s not the fans who haven’t decided to stop paying or to stop showing up, and haven’t locked out the owners and players.

Ultimately, we all love the game too much for that to happen.

But, after all the fans have given to the NFL, it’s time for the NFL and its owners to give something back.

For once, NFL owners (and even players) need to realize that they would have been nothing without their fans.

And for once, they need to let their fans come first, and make sure that it’s not the fans who are the next to be locked out.

Japan disaster: media impact upon mood and emotional functioning by Dr. Christina Villarreal

After a massive 8.9-magnitude earthquake and 33-ft tsunami hit northeast Japan last Friday, people around the world have been riveted by the media coverage of this devastating catastrophe. These disasters have been horrifying to contend with for the people of Japan, as the death toll is estimated at over 10,000, and countless people have lost loved ones and witnessed their homes and country being destroyed around them. The threat of a nuclear meltdown at the Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant in northeast Japan has increased world-wide panic after news broke of explosions at the Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant in northeast Japan. These explosions pushed radiation levels to about 167 times the average annual dose of radiation, according to details released by the IAEA. It is still unknown "what the long-term or short-term effects of this," said Dr. Kirby Kemper, a noted nuclear physicist, physics professor and vice president of research at Florida State University. In one of the worst case scenarios, a complete melt down could occur, spewing large amounts of radioactivity into the atomosphere, threatening the health of humans and the earth's delicate ecosystem in innumerous ways. Clearly, these catastrophic circumstances in Japan deserves the full support of humanitarian efforts around the world. But how does observing a massive disaster as it unfolds impact the rest of us, who are experiencing a wide range of emotions, such as panic, dispair, unending worry, and sadness? Those of us who are already vulnerable to depression and/or anxiety are especially impacted when diasasters such as those in Japan occur. Others may be better equipped to manage their emotional responses with coping methods that reduce stress, but they might not always be healthy strategies. What can we do to manage our overwhelming feelings in response to the Japan disaster? This article serves to provide a few simple strategies for managing the uncontrollable worry, fear, and anxiety we experience when flooded with media news of ongoing disaster.

Identify and replace unhealthy coping methods for dealing with stress.

These coping strategies may temporarily reduce stress, but they can cause more damage in the long run:

* Smoking
* Drinking too much alcohol
* Overeating or undereating
* Zoning out for hours in front of the TV or computer
* Withdrawing from friends, family, and activities

* Using pills or recreational drugs to relax
* Sleeping too much
* Procrastinating
* Filling up every minute of the day to avoid dealing with problems
* Taking out your stress on others (lashing out, angry outbursts, physical violence)

Learn more effective and healthier ways to cope with stress.

If your methods of coping with stress aren’t improving your emotional and physical well-being, it’s time start using healthier ones. There are many healthy ways to cope with stress, but they all require effort and some change on your part. Since everyone responds to stress differently, there is no “one size fits all” solution to reducing it. No single method works for everyone or in all situations, so practice different strategies to see what suits you best. Prioritize methods that help you feel calm and in control. Practicing relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, visualization, progressive muscle relaxation, meditation, and yoga, can trigger the body’s own natural relaxation response, which is a powerful antidote to stress.

How do relaxation techniques effect the body's physiology and health?

"The stress response" floods your body with the chemical cortisol, which prepare you for “fight or flight." But while the stress response is helpful in true emergency situations where you must be alert and ready to act, it wears your body down when constantly activated, and can lead to serious problems such as depression, anxiety, insomnia and stress related obesity. The relaxation response rebalances your body's physiological system by: deepening your breathing, reducing stress hormones, slowing down your heart rate and blood pressure, and relaxing your muscles. In addition to its calming physical effects, research shows that the relaxation response also increases energy/ability to focus, fight diseases, relieves aches and pains, heightens problem-solving abilities, and boosts motivation and productivity.

Pay attention to your irrational thoughts.

Worry, panic and fear are all normal and automatic human responses to real or imagined threats to safety. These feelings work as a natural alert system, compelling us to make necessary changes that can remove us from harm's way. While sometimes these feelings work in our best interest, they can also be hazardous to our mental and physical state of health if left unmanaged. These automatic thoughts of worry and panic can become distorted when left unchecked, and actually prevent us from being able to function optimally in our daily lives. Learning to refute and manage irrational thoughts is an important step in healthy coping when faced with uncontrollable circumstances, such as the recent catastrophic events in Japan.

Be prepared as best as possible, and seek professional help if necessary.

The disaster in Japan highlights the importance of preparing yourself and your loved ones for a natural disaster. FEMA and the American Red Cross offer online resources that can help you prepare. Take the necessary precautions, but use the aforementioned strategies to prevent yourself from being plagued with uncontrollable worry. For some, seeking the help from a trained mental health professional skilled in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy may be necessary to deal with ongoing anxiety, panic attacks and/or depression.

This article was respectfully submitted by Dr. Christina Villarreal, a clinical psychologist in the Bay Area, California. Reach her at christina.villarreal@gmail.com for professional referrals.