Senator Barack Obama On Cover Of "GQ" - Gentleman's Quarterly

Always one to be in fashion and like JFK, set the dress tone for an era, Senator Barack Obama's on the cover of this months' "GQ." In the article , Obama says "“I come from a varied background,” he said, without needing to remind me of his white Kansas-born mom, his black Kenyan dad, or his upbringing in Hawaii and Indonesia. “I feel that there is a piece of me in everybody.”

New NFL Website Still Places League In New Media Catch-Up Mode

This is a copy of an email I wrote to Greg Aiello regarding the new NFL.com website:

Hi Greg,

I hope you had a nice vacation. Here's my feedback on the website. I like the design, but what concerns me are small things. For example, if I click on a player, just that person's name -- John Abbate -- comes up in the title page. That's it. There's no repeat of his name in the title of the page -- nothing for a search engine to chew on.

Thus, if I type his name in Google, it doesn't show the NFL page. The number one page is for the Wake Forest Site.

http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=jon+abbate&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

My point is that the site's fine, the presentation of video's better, but it does not reflect an understanding of the need to use natural search to generate traffic to the site.

On top of that, there's no social network functionality and no connection to blogs. It's almost -- but not quite -- state of the
art.

Hope you're well.

Best,

Zennie

Violent Crime & Arrest Rates In Oakland, Lake Merritt, Downtown Oakland - 2002-2006

This is a shocking report delivered as a video by me and about a document and its findings called "Violent, Property, Crime & Arrest Rates" in Oakland. The video has the details and I'll lay them out in a text fashion in another blog post.

In Canada, Bloggers Are Muzzled By Lawsuits - Video

This is a terribly great example of how bloggers can be silenced -- in Canada. Still want to move there? Take a look at this:

Barack Obama In Iowa - Says Problem Is More Than George Bush

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — Not all the nation's ills can be blamed on President Bush, Democratic candidate Barack Obama said Wednesday as he called on Americans to change the nature of politics and institute more openness in government.

"Part of the problem here is not just George Bush and the White House," Obama told a crowd of hundreds gathered at a park in Cedar Falls. "We can't just change political parties and continue to do the same kind of things we've been doing. We can't just go about business as usual and think it's going to turn out differently."

Obama, a senator from Illinois, said average Americans must be brought back to the table when dealing with every issue, from health care to education to trade.

"We've got to make sure workers are represented, not just CEOs. We've got to make sure patients are represented and the nurses are represented, not just drug companies," he said.

To make the government more accountable, Obama said he would post all non-emergency bills online for five days before he signed them into law, allowing Americans a chance to weigh in on the legislation. In addition, he said he would post all meetings between lobbyists and government agencies online.

Obama said he would require Cabinet officials to speak to Americans via national broadband town-hall style meetings to discuss issues at their agencies. He also pledged to issue an executive order that information about the government's operations must be released to those seeking it unless it could harm a protected interest.

Obama cited his record of backing ethics and lobbying reforms, including co-authoring a bill that requires all government spending to be posted online _ allowing anyone to do a simple Internet search and find that information. He said that during his time as a state lawmaker he helped to create hospital report cards so that patients could understand the quality of care offered at each hospital.

Dick Cheney in 1994 Video Says Getting Sadam Hussein Was Not The Answer

Wow. You've got to see this video that's circulated by MoveOn. Dick Cheney says -- in 1994 -- that going in and taking out Sadam Hussein and invading Iraq's not the answer because it would just create an instable place.

Well I Guess I've Got To Get Skype - Much Discussed On Technorati

Wow. Skype's the most searched for term right below Noella's Sex Video and over Ron Paul! I'm impressed to see that the device has become so widely used!

Daxflame: Zennie Responds To Daxflame On YouTube

Michael Vick attorneys negotiating plea - AJC.com

If this is true, and it reads so, then Mr. Vick was indeed involved in dogfighting. A very sad tale.

Vick attorneys negotiating plea
Falcons QB would serve prison time if agreement reached

By D. ORLANDO LEDBETTER, BILL RANKIN
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 08/14/07

Michael Vick's attorneys are engaged in plea negotiations with federal prosecutors and the Falcons quarterback could reach an agreement before new dogfighting charges are handed down next week, according to a person with knowledge of the negotiations.

The negotiations follow news that two more of Vick's three co-defendants are scheduled to enter guilty pleas later this week as part of a deal with prosecutors.

If prosecutors accept a plea agreement from Michael Vick, the Falcons QB will likely serve some prison time, according to federal sentencing guidelines.

Collins Spencer, a spokesman for Vick's lawyers, declined to comment Tuesday on any possible negotiations.

He added that Vick did not meet with his attorneys last night but said they will have a conference call with Vick this morning and may have an announcement this afternoon. Spencer did not indicate what the announcement would be.

On Monday Spencer said the legal team was "very surprised" by the pleas from Purnell Peace and Quanis Phillips and said they would not affect plans to move forward toward a Nov. 26 trial.

Vick's lead attorney, Billy Martin, could not be reached for comment.

If the announcement is that Vick has reached a plea agreement, the embattled star quarterback is expected to be sentenced to some time in prison, according to federal sentencing guidelines.

Vick's motivation to enter a guilty plea is likely fueled by the U.S. Attorney's Office announcement last month that it will seek a new "superseding" indictment against Vick by the end of August. With the cooperation of Vick's three co-defendants, there will likely be new, and more specific, allegations against Vick. The federal grand jury in Richmond is expected to hand up that indictment sometime early next week.

If Vick can reach an agreement by the end of this week, he would not have to answer to any additional charges.

This week, Vick learned that in the criminal justice system, friendship only goes so far.

On Monday, guilty plea hearings were scheduled for two of his co-defendants and long-time associates. Peace, 35, of Virginia Beach, has a plea hearing scheduled for Thursday in U.S. District Court in Richmond at 9 a.m., while Phillips, 28, of Atlanta, has a plea hearing set for Friday at the same time. The hearings showed up Monday on U.S. District Court Judge Henry E. Hudson's docket.

The third co-defendant, Tony Taylor, 34, of Hampton pleaded guilty July 30 and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors in their case against Vick. Just days earlier, Taylor had joined Vick and the others in pleading not guilty.

Attorneys for both Peace and Phillips declined to comment Monday.

"There's no telling until the actual pleas, but this doesn't sound like good news for Michael Vick," said Kent Alexander, once the U.S. attorney in Atlanta and now Emory University's general counsel. "Usually, if people plead guilty early in a case they may be cooperating with the government. That's what it sounds like here."

A federal grand jury indicted the men last month on a single count of conspiracy to cross state lines to engage in illegal gambling; to sponsor a dog in an animal fighting venture; and to buy, transport and receive dogs for animal fighting.

They face up to five years in prison and $250,000 in fines, but defendants often receive more lenient punishment when they accept responsibility and enter guilty pleas.

A 13-page statement of facts Taylor signed with prosecutors last month says Vick, Peace and Phillips set up a business called "Bad Newz Kennels" in rural Surry County, Va., to raise and train pit bulls for dogfights.

It also says the men gambled on the fights in Virginia and several other states and that Vick almost exclusively funded the dogfighting operation and gambling monies.

At various times, Taylor, Peace and Phillips executed dogs they didn't think would fight well by shooting them, the statement says. The indictment issued earlier in July said Vick also executed dogs.

The plea deals for Taylor, Peace and Phillips emerged after federal prosecutors announced at their arraignment hearing last month that they would be seeking a superseding indictment, meaning they could name additional charges and defendants in the case. That indictment is expected to be announced before the end of this month.

Vick's jury trial is scheduled for Nov. 26, deep into the Falcons' schedule. The Falcons will have played 11 of their 16 regular-season games by then. Vick will remain free until the trial, but his availability to appear on field is unclear. The NFL barred Vick, with pay, from being with the team pending the outcome of its own investigation.

A call to Vick's agent, Joel Segal, was not returned Monday. The Falcons declined to comment on the latest developments in Vick's case.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is expected to make a decision on Vick's future in a few weeks. Goodell said he is waiting for a report from investigator Eric Holder before rendering a verdict, according to a league spokesman. No timetable has been set for Goodell's decision, NFL vice president of public relations Greg Aiello said.

Tailback Warrick Dunn, who spoke to Vick recently, said Falcons players are already of the mindset that they'll have to play without him.

"Mike is going to be missed, and he has been missed, but at the same time, you have to go on," he said.

Should Holder's report lead Goodell to determine Vick violated the NFL's player conduct policy, he could issue a suspension. Holder's report also could show that Vick did not violate the policy and that no league-ordered suspension or other discipline is warranted.

A high-ranking NFL team official said Goodell likely would meet with Vick or his legal representation before levying any suspension. Such a meeting has yet to take place.

Falcons owner Arthur Blank and president and general manager Rich McKay have said they had enough information to lead them to draw up papers to suspend Vick for four games — the maximum a team can suspend a player for disciplinary reasons. The league could suspend Vick for a year.

Blank and McKay also said there were discussions about cutting Vick.

Coach Bobby Petrino said Monday he had not been told of any developments from the NFL regarding a decision on Vick.

"I'm not aware of any recent updates on this situation," Petrino said.

"We've been proceeding as if — we have to — he's not going to be here, and we're doing the best we can at that."

Research Hillary Clinton's White House Years? You Can't!

According to the Huff Post, you and I could not even research Hillary Clinton's White House years as First Lady, even if we wanted to -- and we do. It's blocked!

So when she talks about her experience, the open question is "experience at what?"

Gov. Richardson Getting Hammered For "Gay Lifestyle Choice" Remark - Huff Post

This was on the Huff Post:

"Richardson again apologized for saying last week he believes homosexuality is a lifestyle choice rather than a biological characteristic. The comment at a candidates' forum on gay issues sparked outrage in the gay community.

"I made a mistake. I screwed up," he said, acknowledging that the gay blogosphere is upset with him."

That's a touchy subject. But I think what he's referring to is that it's easier for someone to choose to be Gay or hide that they are. For decades prior to the 20th Century many Gay entertainers had to hide -- be in the closet -- rather than reveal who they are. Many even got married.

My take is the people who were attacking him were undoubtedly too young to know this.

"Star Trek" Debate Question: NASA After Challenger - CNN/YouTube Debates

The Star Trek introduction forms the foundation for my newest CNN / YouTube Debate question.