NFL Draft: Zennie62's In New York For The 2009 NFL Draft

 

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I'm staying in Hicksville, New York and with my friend and fellow draftnik Bill Chackhes and his wife. Later this morning we're going to take the train to Manhattan, to events related to the 2009 NFL Draft and we'll be here all weekend.

This is my fifth straight year covering the Draft with Bill, and Chackhes 35th year at the Draft. In each year we've used New Media to give you a different perspective with web accounts, photos, blogs, and videos. In 2007 we even had a live stream of us talking to you about the Draft events as they unfolded at Radio City Music Hall but the NFL's took control of that last year. Good for the league.

But this year's different and for another reason not related to media technology: the economy. The NFL's downsized "Draft Week": last year and in previous years, the league had parties and symposiums starting the Wednesday before the Draft and each day leading up to it. This time, the events are only on Friday and of a different nature.

The NFL Draft Luncheon held at Chelsea Piers and a must-attend event in years past has been replaced by an event scheduled for late Friday morning in Central Park and based on a program called "Keep Gym In School" for which the NFL has been an active sponsor and promoter. Then we'll go to a local hospital and then the EA Sports party at 2 PM, with the players and current NFL stars like Arizona Cardinals Wide Receiver Larry Fitzgerald.

The NFL has invited a record 9 players to attend the Draft and all are expected to be at the events on Friday before "D-Day" according to the NFL: Texas Tech WR Michael Crabtree, Wake Forest LB Aaron Curry, USC LB Brian Cushing, Kansas State QB Josh Freeman, Virginia T Eugene Monroe, Mississippi T Michael Oher, Texas DE Brian , Baylor T Jason Smith and Georgia QB Matt Stafford.

I should add USC Quarterback Mark Sanchez is also in the Big Apple, but if he will attend the proceedings today is anyone's guess. There's talk Sanchez may be the 4th pick, going to the Seattle Seahawks; also the Washington Redskins have expressed strong interested in the underclassman. Which brings up a sore point for me. When Sanchez announced he was "turning pro" USC Head Coach Pete Carroll famously said he wasn't ready and for good reason: Sanchez only has 16 starts and hasn't even seen his senior year of play, hence the designation "underclassman".

In fact, Sanchez, Stafford, and Freeman are all underclassman, yet ranked higher than West Virginia's Pat White, who won four bowl games and was the MVP of the Senior Bowl, a game where NFL-bound talent is evaluated in a "real game" setting. What's going on here?

I think some comparisons of the NFL Draft and how much choosing pro athletes was like slave selection apply here. In this, the player's physical makeup is prized even over "on the field" performance. From that perspective, Stafford, Freeman, and Sanchez are all bigger and taller than the six-feet tall White, and so must be better, even if White's won more games and was MVP of the Senior Bowl, not to mention an NFL combine standout. White broke 19 school, Big East and NCAA records, and became the first quarterback to start four bowl victories in U.S. college football history.

Enough said.

Am I saying White's the better player? Yes. I will stand by that. He's got a powerful track record as quarterback. Plus, he's finished his four years in school and has the speed and footwork to excel at "the next level".

But the beauty / slave contest judges will ignore that, and pick the bigger guys first.


Catch me on Twitter

I'm going to be posting constant updates on Friday's events at Zennie62 on Twiiter, so follow me if you've not done so. It's going to be a fun day!

Racism: The Mental Illness I Will Not Stop Talking About

What's interesting about the Internet are the different audiences and their responses and characteristics, especially on the issue of race and racism, a problem that is on the constant collective mind of the African American community and people of color in general because historically we've been the most negatively impacted by it.

I don't claim to be the spokesperson for the Black community and such a designation would be the stuff of comedy. But what does vex me and really egg me on to continue to raise the issue of race and racism is the number of racist acts that are "done" in society, how some would have us believe society is colorblind, and those who try to stop me from talking or writing about race.

Those who speak of being "colorblind" are the stuff of humor to me, and do so only in the matter of talking about how people are judged by their skin color, which means they do see color, otherwise they would remain silent. The fact is, everyone makes a determination of how they will treat someone based in part on their skin color. What's unfortunate are those who want to silence people like me. I call them the "people under the stairs" who don't want to be seen and don't want you to be heard especially if you dare talk about race.

This point of view is particularly evident at SFGate.com and it's not the fault of the editors or the managers, but the particular brand of commenter -- nasty -- that's active. Some commenters believe I'm supposed to be a "journalist" who gives both sides of a story but I've noticed they only make that claim when I write something they don't like. My raison d'etre is to give an opinion, have a pulse, and shake you up, hopefully to cause you to do something to change the World around you in a good way.

That's why shining a light on racism is so important.

Much of racism today is institutional. In other words there are common habits in society that you are used to and don't question, but many people of color are harmed by in some way. Some of those institutional actions are, for example, how a movie star is created by an entertainment and public relations consortium. (Zac Efron) Other institutional actions include assuming someone of color may be a bad or corrupt politician even if that person has a stellar record. It has also been a factor in how students are graded by teachers. I can go on and on.

Racism is a mental illness that must be curbed. It's judged as such by some like Dr. Alvin F Poussaint, who state's that for one to (my example) risk their own job as a waiter by the act of throwing a plate at a Black person because the waiter hates Blacks indicates the presence of a mental illness. Because the question is how far will that person go?

Society will not change if we sweep this issue under the rug. Race and Racism is to be talked about, not ignored. That - in part - is what I'm here for. I will not stop writing or talking about race or racism and I will not be silenced. But I will listen to the voices of those who disagree, as long as they do it agreeably.

Zac Efron: Who's Efron and Why Isn't He Black?

 

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YouTube, MySpace, Metacafe, Blip.tv and Viddler

Ok. Maybe I'm being a grump but who the heck is Zac Efron? All of a sudden I'm told through the media that some guy named "Zac Efron" is a star, an idol, and - like I care because I'm straight and male - a hunk.

So what! Why him? And why not someone who's Black?

I'm concerned that we as a society don't think critically about what institutions push at us to consume -- Zac Efron's a great example. I fail to see why he's star and I am very derisive of the system that tells me he is.


Zac's not the product of a vote on American Idol and if he were on it, he would not win. I learned that Efron's voice was digitally blended with that of Disney singer Andrew Seeley for the album for High School Musical. So if he needed that kind of help, there's no way he'd survive "Idol" at all.  Simon Cowell would eat him alive!

In fact, I'm surprised Simon Cowell actually offered him a record deal and Cowell can thank God and Efron, for Efron's rejection of the offer. The failure of his record would have made Cowell look real bad.

The fact is Zac Efron's the product of a Disney PR machine that's produced Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Miley Cyrus, Vanessa Hudgens, and other famous singers, and all either White or "of color" but light-skinned. The only exception is "Raven", the star of "That's so Raven."

If you're saying "Why the focus on race?" my counter is because Disney's focused on race, and in fact a commitment to diversity, while more desirable, is still an emphasis of race - you can't escape that fact.

But I'm tired of having a certain kind of look pushed at me and in the collective face of the industrialized World without a vote. That's what makes Susan Boyle's story so cool! The World voted for her 30 million times if you consider the video views as votes.

And if you think of the rise of Hip-Hop and Rap stars, that could not have happened without a vote by dollar: white guys and white girls buying their albums (and without Disney's influence.) That dynamic has produced many a Black sex symbol and yes to White women: LL Cool J is a great example and he's performed for over 22 years!

In fact, I contend that Hip-Hop and Rap caused an integration of American society through music with Whites and Blacks enjoying popular "Black music" together and in such a way that a whole generation was essentially mentally prepared to vote for Barack Obama for President.

What's that you say? Disney's promoting White talent because they're seen as wholesome? Yeah. Ok. Then explain the whole Vanessa Hudgens sex tage episode? Don't tell me the Disney PR machine wasn't involved in that; I won't believe it. And besides, Zac Efron's got a crush on Tyra Banks and she's Black.

just don't tell Disney!

Police Officer Abuses Reporter In ElPaso, Texas

This was presented by CNN's Rick Sanchez and if you watch what happened to this KVIA-TV El Paso, Texas reporter and cameraman, you have to agree the police officer was so drunk with power he didn't give them a chance to get in their car. This also happened to Oakland Tribune photojournalist Jane Tyska in Oakland last year. Something has to be done to inform officers to treat journalists better than this.

Oakland: Lake Merritt People On A Saturday

 

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Have you ever walked by a group doing something interesting and yet never stopped to, or perhaps feared to, inquire what they were doing?  If so, this video-blog is for you.  I'm in Georgia as I write this and visiting my Mom, but two Saturdays ago I saw a YouTube video of people playing drums under the "Columns" at Lake Merritt in Oakland, where I live for those of you reading this in, er, Japan.  I said to myself, and wrote on the Oakland Focus Blog , that if I ever encountered that group I was going to have my camera at the ready and interview them (if they let me of course).

Well that's what I did on that Saturday morning.  The group is called "Emeryville Taiko" at www.etaiko.org, and as Sensei Susan Horn informs us in the video, they were located in Emeryville, but are now at 27th and Harrison St, near the Whole Foods Market and near Lake Merritt.   But on Saturday's they have this Taiko class and jam session at the Columns.  Many people love their activity, except one Lake dweller that seems to have a problem with the sound, according to Sensei Horn.  Frankly, I love what they do; they're an example of why the Lake is such a fun place to live, with the vibrant energy of people creating art.

I suppose prayer could be considered an art form as well.  For those who need a prayer in this time of economic disaster, Melena and Bruno of the East Hills Community Church have set up a table near the corner of MacArthur and Lakeshore just for you to stop by and have a prayer said for you or share a prayer of your own.  The couple shared an interesting account where one man they prayed for didn't look well, so they flagged down a fire truck that happened to be passing by and the firefighters determined he was having a heart problem.  They got him the treament he needed.

If you want to help the Church visit their website at www.easthillscc.org

After that conversation I walked over to visit Scotty who runs the Hawaiian Coffee Roasters booth at the Lake Marritt Farmers Market.  Hey, Scotty makes the best coffee and the market's a hoot.  I just wished the organization responsible for the market was based in Oakland and not Marin County.  But that's for another blog post and I digress.  Scotty's more right of center than I, so I have to challenge his libertarian beliefs just to keep him intellectually honest, but it's all in fun and worth the price of the coffee.

As I walked through the market, which you should do on the hot days that are before us in Oakland, I noticed that two groups of people were standing on opposite ends of Lake Park in front of the legendary Grand Lake Theater and thought "they're back".   The "they" are two organizations that have opposing views on the Mid East.  If you've seen the women dressed in black they call themselves "Bay Area Women In Black" and are against the "occupation of Palestine" as one of them explained to me.  The group on the other side, "San Francisco Voice for Israel" was once led by my friend Dan Kilman who I met in 2007 on a video-blogging walk around the neighborhood where he gave this interview:

Part One:



Part Two:




Kilman organized at the corner to counter Bay Area Women In Black, which led to what I described as a "culture war" played out right in front of the Grand Lake under the collective nose of Lake Merritt dwellers (who sometimes don't stop to talk to each other, though that's changing).  Unlike many, Dan was always ready with not just a comment but a full explaination of what's happening in the Mid East and a strong defense of Israel's postion. As happens with my life, Dan and I were later in the same debate club in San Francisco called "SF Debates." 

But sadly, Dan fell to his death on November 25th and was found December 1st 2008 at the bottom of an elevator shaft in downtown San Francisco in an act that many friends feel was deliberate because Kilman was so outspoken, but was officially ruled an accident.   Dan's energy is missed, but his work lives on in the presence of San Francisco Voice for Israel in front of the theater each Saturday.

Finally there was a cool Capoata dance-off that spontaneously started by the International Capoeira Angola Foundation on the park lawn near MacArthur and Grand Avenue.  As they were so into their movements, I didn't want to interupt them with questions.  But if you want more information, their website is www.ficaoakland.org

The Lake Merritt neighborhood is a place rich with fun activities and interesting people.  I have to share that the majority of these group activities call for a fee if you want to participate, so one can say it's a way of making money in a recession.  At any rate, stop and talk to them this Saturday when you're down there rather than just walking by.  It may change your life.

Cap & trade or cap & tax? Lobbyists behind scare tactics?

While most Americans support a cap on carbon pollution there’s now a flood of “talking points” and sound-bites circulating about the supposed short-comings and dangers of any new plan. The real threat of cap-and-trade is that it doesn’t favor the ultra-rich energy barons and corporations such as ExxonMobil. Changing to new and cleaner energy sources changes where the money goes - more of it stays in the U.S., in smaller, newer companies; it creates jobs that we desperately need to recover from the fiasco of letting the financial giants “self-regulate.”

Meanwhile, without incentives to change, we'll continue our reckless dependence on energy coming from overseas, from countries that seem to want to dominate us. Even if you ignore environmental impacts, our national security and our leadership role in the world depend on changing to more reliable energy supplies - the system of campaign donations controlling congressional decisions has to change.

It looks like green jobs are real. Recently, two solar energy companies — Hemlock Semiconductor Corp. and Wacker Chemie AG — announced billion-dollar investment plans to build plants near Clarksville and Chattanooga.”

U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN)

Follow the money:
don't let D.C. insiders off the hook!

In fact, a cap and trade system simply uses pure capitalism to reward efficient, innovative businesses while it effectively penalizes out-moded industries. Used world-wide it plays to American strengths, conveying tremendous economic advantage to industries and countries ready to innovate, and results in domestic job growth. Only somebody making lots of money off the existing rules could possibly deny the benefits of a global cap and trade system.

Many members of Congress benefit from huge campaign donations from energy companies. They’d be happy if we’d all stop paying such close attention to how energy policy intertwines with national security. They smile and want you to “trust” them. No matter if the business is banking or big oil, well-funded special interests don’t want to give up the loopholes they’ve lobbied for over the years.

Sound-bites and talking points don't insure anything but the status quo.

Obama hasn't fixed the lobbying system yet. Urge the President to push for reform of lobbying tactics. Don't let the fact that he's got high personal standards and goals to reform ethics inside the beltway blind you to what still happens in and around the Capitol building (and at the golf course...) Trusting is fine, my friends, but don't forget to verify.

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Susan Boyle v. Shaheen Jafargholi With Simon Cowell's Help

 

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Susan Boyle, who wowed the World with her performance on Britains' Got Talent over a week ago, is now the target of some news outlets who want to diminish her fame to make room for someone else.

In this case, the media outlet CNN is doing the work of advancing the name of Shaheen Jafargholi, a 12-year-old "Welsh boy" as he's described by CNN.com. I checked his performance on YouTube and this video sums up what I saw:



YouTube, MySpace, Metacafe, Blip.tv, Sclipo and Howcast


Now, unlike Susan Boyle, Simon Cowell, one of the judges on Britain's Got Talent (and who recently announced he may leave American Idol) seemed prejudiced toward Jafargholi (photo below), even to the point of ordering a change to a song that better fits his voice.

Jafargholi starts by singing "Valerie" (which has been performed by Amy Winehouse), but then Cowell stops the effort saying "You've got this really wrong," and so Jafargholi sings "Who's Loving You", written by Smokey Robinson and peformed by Michael Jackson when he was but a kid with the Jackson Five!

I have a massive problem with that action by Cowell because it creates an uneven playing field for Susan Boyle. No one helped Ms. Boyle at all - not that she needed it -- so why help someone else?

Am I the only one who has a problem with this?

I feel sorry for Susan Boyle because, look, talented Shaheen is but he's 12 and has a life ahead of him. Susan Boyle is 48, extremely talented, and just getting noticed when it should have happened 10 years ago.

I can't help but wonder if all of this was staged. It seems too perfect an arrangement and logical in it's development.

It makes sense that Cowell would be the one to engineer a great outcome (if he did) for a young teen with talent, and why Cowell would make a scoffing expression toward Boyle -- the kid is "cute" and marketable; Boyle is far outside the "box" Cowell's used to and thus threatening to the standard rules of the entertainment game.

Get over it Simon, Boyle's better.

The Terminator Toilet:Skynet is born (Only in Japan)

By Gimmeabreakman on YouTube ...

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Known more for being a regular sparring partner with the U.S., the Iranian President has made a rare intervention into an American journalist's case by declaring that she should have the legal right to defend herself

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Scientists glimpse 'end of the world' in space dust study

Scientists have found what could be a glimpse of the end of the world during research into the make-up of dying stars.

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First-Ever Nationwide Pro-Marijuana TV Ad Campaign Is Launch

First-Ever Nationwide Pro-Marijuana TV Ad Campaign Is Launched in Conjunction with ‘4/20′

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Brain Gain: The underground world of “neuroenhancing” drugs

"A young man I’ll call Alex recently graduated from Harvard. As a history major, Alex wrote about a dozen papers a semester. He also ran a student organization, for which he often worked more than 40 hours a week; when he wasn’t on the job, he had classes. Weeknights were devoted to all the schoolwork that he couldn’t finish during the day, and..."

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