The Kansas City Chief's Dexter Mccluster, Javiar Arenas, and Eric Berry are rookies that opened the New Arrowhead Stadium with a win against The San Diego Chargers. So much for the yearly "Chargers are the best in the AFC West" media mantra that this blogger's sick of. Not a fan of the Chiefs, but it was nice to see them beat the Chargers. They had to be, and are, a vastly different team.
According to ESPN's Trent Dilfer, Chief's Head Coach Todd Haley said they were essentially better, stronger, and faster compared to last season. Dilfer said he'd not "bought the Kool Aid" until he saw the team. This space agrees. The Kansas City Chiefs are certainly faster, and reports are the Chargers are still chasing Dexter Mccluster.
Dexter Mccluster, formerly of the Mississippi "Runnin Rebels," was one that, when the Chief's picked him #36 and in the 2nd round of the 2010 NFL Draft, Bill Chachkes of Zennie62.com remarked "He's going to be a good one for them."
Bill was right.
He's listed as wide receiver, but really it's best to think of him as something like a hybrid U-back that can play receiver or running back. He's fast and his 94-yard punt return was a record in Chief's history.
Dexter Mccluster, Javiar Arenas, and Eric Berry, their 1st round pick, together with new coaches Romeo Crennel on The Chief's Defense and Charlie Weis heading The Chief's Offense, give the Chief's new life and identity. It's a different team, with new player and schemes, that if it gets confident could go deep into the playoffs.
Oakland's bar scene has really improved over the last five years. Where there were one or two good bars downtown ten years ago, now there's arguably six of them. You know the environment's good when there's a bartender competition.
The problem is such events have been all-male or mostly male. Not anymore. On October 5th, 2010, Pican Restaurant will play host to the first Oakland Female Bartender Competition sponsored by Grand Manier and Zennie62.com.
A Great Idea.
How the idea started goes back to a video I created of another Oakland bartender competition held at Sidebar on Lake Merritt. This one:
Where at the end of the video, I said Oakland needs an all female bartender competition. Well, Josh Perry and the good folks at Pican Restaurant at 2295 Broadway at 23rd, in Oakland CA, figured it should be done and at Pican!
One thing: the first person to say they saw this at Zennie62.com, of which this blog is part of the network, gets a bottle of Grand Manier!
Here's the rules:
This competition is open to all female bartenders that are currently working in the San Francisco Bay Area and may not be employed by a liquor company or distributor as full
time employees.
2. Please submit your recipe on the official submission form and e-mail to candacecooper@southernwine.com no later than midnight PST on Tuesday, September
28th, 2010. If an entry is incomplete, it will be automatically disqualified.
Recipes
1. The recipe submitted must be a long drink, a drink on the rocks, or served up in a cocktail glass. Ingredients must be listed in ounces and the total amount of liquid should be no more than 10 ounces. The breakdown of ingredients should be divided in respectively whole numbers (1 oz, 2 oz, etc.) and/or half and quarter numbers (½, ¼, etc.), dashes and drops being the smallest quantities.
2. The maximum number of alcoholic and non-alcoholic ingredients in the recipe shall be limited to six (6) including dashes, drops and rimmed glassware. The recipe should contain at least two (2) but not more than four (4) alcoholic ingredients.
3. Garnishes must be edible and can be placed on the rim of the glass or in the drink.
4. Recipe shall not include hot beverages (coffee, tea, etc.). Ingredients
1. Each competitor must use Grand Marnier as the base spirit.
2. Each competitor must bring all ingredients except Grand Marnier, which will be provided.
3. Exotic, self-made ingredients or the blending of multiple ingredients to be counted as one (1) ingredient shall not be allowed.
Garnishes
1. Garnishes shall consist only of edible fruits or vegetables.
2. Artificial arrangements or food-dyes shall not be allowed.
3. Condiments such as salt, sugar, pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, and others, shall be allowed and will be counted as ingredients in the recipe.
4. Any questionable garnish must obtain the approval of the competition committee.
Today at 8 p.m the final 4 contestants of the MTV Bachelor Pad (Kiptyn Locke and Tenley Molzahn, David Good and Natalie Gertz went into the Semi -final not knowing what the final challenge was. Only knowing it was in front of a live studio audience along with the people they voted off to get to that point.
At first the people who were voted off the show were given the chance to ask the final four personal questions. If you remember
the last time we saw Michelle, she got in an argument with Tenley. So Chris Harrison, the host of the season asked Michelle if the way the argument
was handled would influence her vote. She replied specifically "Yes, it definitely will influence my vote and Tenley does not have it."
Tenley and Kiptyn were definitely the outsiders. In the end David Good and Natalie Gertz went onto the final round.
In the final deliberation the two finalists would go into separate deliberation rooms to decide their fate. They could either "Share" the money or one person could be greedy
and take the money and run. The choice was up to them. If they both chose to share the money they would split the $250,000 . If one said keep and the other said share then the person
who said keep would take all the money and run. If they both said keep, the 17 other contestants would split it up. In the end
Natalie and David decided to "Share the money" and both came out winners.
Katherine Schwarzenegger, the daughter of California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and California's First Lady Maria Shriver, has a new book out with a great message for young girls: love yourself.
First, this blogger has to note that Katherine Schwarzenegger has a massively good publicity machine which undoubtedly is due to her father's celebrity status and connections. As of this writing, Katherine Schwarzenegger's number one on Google Trends and she doesn't even have a sex tape!
The 20-year old USC Annenberg student heard her 8-year old cousins talking about their bodies and about how they didn't want to be fat. So she was spurred to write a book cslled Rock What You've Got: Secrets to Loving Your Inner and Outer Beauty, and which comes on September 14th.
Hey, that's Tuesday!
Katherine Schwarzenegger's observation reminds me of when I was 8 years old and went on my first diet. No kidding. My did so because my godmother said I was fat. I stopped eating what candy I did consume, and lost my once proud "Banker's Belly."
So you want a job? Check here: Acccording to reCareered:
Business Service firms led hiring companies as IBM, Deloitte, Booz Allen and CSC were actively staffing. Hospitality companies remained top hiring firms as Pizza Hut, Marriott, Applebee’s and Cracker Barrel continued heavy job advertisements.
Telecommunications was next with AT&T and Verizon still staffing actively. Banking stayed in the top employer list as Bank of America, Wells Fargo and JPMorganChase were heavily hiring.
Health care continues in a strong recruiting mode as Kaiser Permanente, HCR ManorCare, UnitedHealth, Gentiva Healthcare, Community Health Systems, Genesis Healthcare, HCA Healthcare, DaVita and Amedisys were top job advertisers.
Based on surveys of US job advertisements in the top job board aggregators, the following companies searched for the most job openings as of 9/13/10:
Total Job Openings by direct advertisers (Recruiters & Staffing Companies not included):
Shock G of Digital Underground speaks on his time with 2Pac photo credit: ani yapundzhyan
As we look back on the life and times of Tupac Amaru Shakur we decided to dig in the crates and pull out an old interview we did with Shock G of Digital Underground. Here Shock G says his proudest moment was hearing 2 Pac talk about how his fondest years were spent being a part of the DU camp.
In this interview Shock G talks about the importance of 2Pac in Hip Hop culture and why he and his band mates would drop everything to accommodate 2Pac’s needs.
“There’s a time for comedy and being funny and there’s a time to be serious. When it came to 2Pac his message was too important to play around” , Shock G noted “He got the best we had.”
In this interview Shock G loans some keen insight into who 2Pac really was and they complimented each other. It’s a fitting tribute for someone who meant so much for so many.
Shock G of Digital Underground speaks about the first time him and 2Pac met up. He explains why Pac became a member of the group and who was the person most responsible for putting him on..
Shock G talks about the influence Digital Underground had on 2Pac and the influence Pac had on DU. In particular they focus on the way both had multiple personas i.e. Humpty Hump & Makavelli that they build their albums around.
Here Shock G goes in and talks about the influence of the Black Panthers. What many people don’t realize is that DU started out being a militant, Public Enemy type group that was an off shoot of the Black Panthers. The only reason, why they didn’t continue in that vein was because Public Enemy hit the scene first. Shock talks about the ways the Black Panthers shaped 2Pac as both a freedom fighter and a rapper.
We conclude our interview with Shock Gtalking about why Digital Undergroundsaved their best tracks and hardest efforts for 2Pac. Shock said Pac’s message was too serious to be playing around and so whenever he needed top shelf material he got it.. We talked about 2Pac and political prisoners and what he would be doing to help out his ‘aunt’ exiled political prisoner Assataa Shakur. Shock also goes in and explains what it means to be a revolutionary.
This dip can be made during the day or even the night before, so you can come home, sit down and eat during the game.
8 oz cream cheese, softened
16 oz sour cream
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 c shredded cheese
chopped lettuce
diced onion
diced tomato
sliced olives
Mix all ingredients together and spread over a shallow dish. Layer with chopped lettuce, shredded cheese, shredded cheese, diced tomatoes, olives and onions.
This is a great snack for any fall night, during the football game or for work.
16 cups of popped popcorn
1 stick of butter
1 c brown sugar
1/4 c white corn syrup
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
Spray the paper bag with spray butter until coated. Measure 16 cups of popped corn - microwave or air popped - and place inside bag. In a separate microwaveable bowl, add butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and salt.
Mix and put in the microwave for two minutes. Stir and place in microwave for one more minute. Remove and pour in baking soda. Stir quickly and pour over popcorn. Close bag and shake well.
Place bag in microwave for 1 1/2 minutes. Remove and shake well. Cook for another 1 1/2 minutes. Remove, shake and place on cookie sheets or waxed paper to dry. When dry, place in an air tight storage container.
If you want more chewy corn, only cook in microwave for the first minute and a half, then place on waxed paper.
Chocolate pudding shots - a sweet adult treat great for anytime of the year.
Recipe Ingredients:
•1 small box of INSTANT chocolate pudding
•¾ c milk (2% tastes best, but any kind will work)
•¼ c vodka
•½ c Irish cream
•8 oz extra creamy whipped topping, thawed until soft.
1.In a large bowl, combine milk and box of chocolate pudding. Slowly stir in the vodka and the Irish cream, mixing thoroughly. Fold in the whipped topping until it is slightly mixed. Whip it until smooth.
2.Pour in to 2 oz cups immediately and snap lids. Stack on the cookie sheet or in the 9 x 13 pan for easy transport in to the freezer.
3. Shots require at least six hours to become firm. Allow for longer if you will be transporting them to an event using a cooler.
Chocolate pudding shots can be stored in the freezer for up to three months, but they will probably never last that long once you get a taste of them.
Zennie62.com is proud to officially announce that the legendary Hip Hop Journalist and Oaklander, Davey D (Dave Cook), has joined Zennie62.com as a featured blogger. Davey D has his own area called "Hip Hop News with Davey D."
Frankly, for the number of people Davey D knows and has known in the Hip Hop community, from Mos Def to Oakland's Too Short, and Tupac Shakur, it's almost tragic that Davey D's work and voice has not been promoted and celebrated.
That's coming to an end. Davey D is a living legend in Oakand.
Starting Wednesday, this blogger's taking a special trip to something called The 3D Entertainment Summit, in Universal City, California.
With the proliferation of 3D in our entertainment lives, this event, only in its third year, has become the must-attend function for anyone involved in or covering the tech aspect of culture.
As mentioned in a previous post, DreamWorks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg will be the keynote speaker, and film producer and Director M. Night Shyamalan will be the featured speaker.
But beyond those two heavyweights are the many discussions, some of a very technical nature, that make up what our entertainment future, from movies to games and even video-blogs, will look like.
For the event, I will post videos daily, so follow this space and subscribe to Zennie62 at YouTube.com, or this: http://www.youtube.com/zennie62.
Every year around this time many of us within Hip Hop take some time out and reflect on the life and times of Tupac Amaru Shakur as commemorate the anniversary of his tragic death Sept 13 1996.
With each passing year its interesting to note that as a younger generation grows older, icons like 2Pac don’t seem to mean as much. For example, I’m not sure I heard anyone shout Tupac out during the MTV VMAs (Video Music Awards).
Not sure if people took time to acknowledge him during the VMAs red carpet interviews or if anyone bothered to ask their thoughts. Did anyone ask ‘What do you think 2Pac would be doing if he was here?’ ’What do you think 2Pac would say about our current economic situation?’ ”What would Tupac Shakur have said about that preacher wanting to burn Qu’rans or all the hoopla made at Ground Zero about that Mosque/ Community center? What would Tupac Shakur have said about the looming sentencing trial for the cop who killed Oscar Grant or the riots that have taken place in LA after cops shot an immigrant?
What would Pac have said about all those homes being destroyed and people killed during the tragic fire in San Bruno which we are now finding was because of negligence by PG&E? Considering that’s an area where a lot of people of color live, do you think Pac would’ve been screaming on that? Such speculative question gets asked because it’s all but absent from those who are privileged to have access to a mic.
Pac like so much of our history has been made disposable and I’m not quite sure what to make of it. Is it our fault as elders for not bringing him up enough and keeping his and the memory of other past icons alive? Have we grown so that we now see him through a different lens and maybe don’t hold him up as high anymore? Did we put too much on him?
In looking back I think what folks admired so much about 2Pac was that he gave voice to an underclass of people. He gave voice to the those who we call the ‘Have Nots‘. What’s ironic is that in 2010 we have more ‘Have Nots then ever before, but instead of kicking up dust and challenging those in power about the injustice of such conditions, we now have folks looking for answers in corporate lackeys masquerading as rap stars or corporate backed pundits who know of Pac but would never dare embrace his fearlessness and boldness in seeking change. Still others look for the Glenn Beck, theTea Party Movement and maybe Congressman Ron Paul to give them voice.
When Pac died at age 25 he was just beginning to find his voice and there’s no telling where he would be in 2010. There’s no telling how he would’ve ultimately have used his platforms and popularity and how things would be different as a result.
The young Black male who he claimed to have spoken for would be older now and we would hope that he would be speaking and doing things to change the wretched conditions so many find themselves in.. Alas we can only speculate, but we should not underestimate the differences one man or woman can make.
Moving forward we understand that every generation has their heroes and sheros.
I’m from the public Enemy era, the folks who were my interns back in the days came up under Pac.
Many of them have maintained that fiery spirit 13 years later..My question today is who inspires that in today’s generation? Who is speaking truth to power and kicking up dust? Or have we retired that as a viable method to get things done?
As I was watching what appeared to be a very lack luster VMAs last night I kept asking myself where are the fire-works? Who’s the person that’s gonna leave us with something to talk about for years to come?
The closet we came was when Drake yelled out Free Lil Wayne. Many were hoping we’d have that moment with Kanye West who came out wearing a red suit that drew comparisons to late comedian Richard Pryor on Sunset Strip. He’s always one to be counted on to say something provocative. Pryor's performance was mesmerizing.
But we didn’t get much from Kanye at the Video Music Awards other than him rapping about what a jerk he was . Instead it was singer Taylor Swift who was famously interrupted by Kanye during last years awards, kicking up dust by doing a song where she took aim at him.
As Kanye closed the Video Music Awards show I kept wondering if this generation of Have Nots had someone speaking for them on these national stages.
