Thanksgiving No Feast for Unemployed as Extension Defeated

This Thanksgiving will be no feast for unemployed Americans, as the UI extension was defeated today in Congress.

The US House of Representatives attempted to pass a three-month extension of expiring unemployment benefits, which would have continued checks through Feb. 28, 2011. HR 6419 was called under suspension of the rules, attempting to avoid any motion to recommit, which Republicans could bring in order to prevent moving the bill further. HR 6419 failed by a vote of 258-154, because it’s submission under suspension of the rules requires a two thirds vote to pass.

HR 6419 did not have any provision for additional benefits (Tier 5). The bill only would have extended the filing dates for tiers of benefits enacted prior to last fall.

The 99ers (unlike the Democrats) do not intend to go down without a fight. Unemployed Americans are taking to the streets to bring attention to the fact that the cruel, heartless extermination of 5 million Americans is unacceptable.

This Saturday, November 20, 2010 there will be a “Breadline Protest” in NYC - to hopefully bring attention to the desperation 99ers across the Nation are experiencing daily, after 8 months without UI benefits. See the flyer at this link: FlashMobs4JOBS

The flyer text reads:

Please join the 99ers, other members of the unemployed, their friends, family and supporters, in recreating a 1930's "breadline" on Saturday, November 20th. We need to bring home the fact that the unemployed have been jobless and without benefits for far too long – and are starving.

We will be lining up in front of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, at 33 Liberty Street, in Manhattan, beginning at 11:30 am. Please wear black or dark clothes. Hats, flat caps, scarves and shawls are fine, but no white or bright colors. This is to be a somber event. We will recreate the image from the Great Depression – because we believe this is the Great Depression II, not the Great Recession! Congress and the country have ignored us for too long. On the Saturday before the Thanksgiving holiday we will be invisible no more!

The media will be in attendance. We need to have as many people in the line as we can get, so please reach out to your friends, family, neighbors, and members of your house of worship, to join you. We will be picking up stale loaves, as props, during the week before the event. However, if you can get loaves from stores and bakeries that discard them at closing, each night, please bring them.

In Philadelphia, P.U.P. (Philadelphia Unemployment Project) will be holding a Vigil for the Unemployed - Monday, November 22, 2010 - 12 Noon at the Arch Street Methodist Church (between Broad and Arch Streets)
From their Website: PUP 

Without an extension millions will exhaust their benefits during the holiday season and many millions more in the months ahead. Please join us in a vigil for unemployed Americans to call for continuation of the EUC program until unemployment comes down and jobs are available.

Rhode Island: NY/NJ area 99ers – joined by supporters, and the unemployed who are still receiving unemployment insurance (UI) – will hold a rally at Providence City Hall to demand that Congress, in the upcoming lame duck session, do their job for the American people and immediately pass The Americans Want to Work Act (S.3706), as well as re-authorize the unemployment extensions set to expire on November 30th for those currently receiving benefits. Their situation is desperate and they continue to be ignored by elected leaders.

Rhonda Taylor, organizer of the event and long time tireless advocate for the 99ers plans to bring her children to the event.
“My oldest who is 20 will be coming too, but I am going with my 3, 4, and 9 year olds since if help doesn’t come soon we won’t be together any longer by Christmas time.”

There are rallies and “Breadline Protests” being planned in Washington State, Colorado and San Diego, CA to name a few.

After HR 6419 failed today in the House, Rep. McDermott (D-WA) appeared on the Ed Show on MSNBC where Ed told him how angry the 99ers are at him for not helping with their coveted Tier 5. See the interview here:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy




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OK! Magazine's Misleading Cover Story

This is not okay for a magazine to do, and do the people who write for tabloids consider themselves to be journalists? Do they have a degree in Communications? Look at this cover:

What does this cover suggest? This cover suggests that Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart have gotten married. This cover right here could start many rumors for those who don't actually decide to flip through the magazine and read the story. Pattinson and Stewart are not married - but their characters Edward and Bella do get married, and the two actors just finished filming the wedding scene.
Sensationalism and misleading headlines is not something to be proud of. It's something that will cause there to be facts left out and anyone who just skims that will be misinformed. Seriously? The big letters "JUST MARRIED!" is that really necessary? This magazine really is trying to sell issues apparently if they have to resort to this degree of sensationalism. Obviously there isn't much journalistic integrity, but moreso the need and want for attention.

TSA Full Body Searches: The People Crying About Them Are Hypocritical

I find it funny that all these people are upset about full body searches and pat downs at the airport when just two months ago many of these same folks didn’t seem to mind when Muslim-Americans were complaining about being profiled and singled out for searches. It was just two months ago when the rhetoric was thick, the words hateful and very few of us ‘good ole Americans’ was the least bit concerned aboutionized radiation from body scanning machines or some college drop out turned TSA agent feeling up yours or your spouse’s private parts. After all many of us rationalized that ‘sacrifice was required’ when fighting the war on terror. Many of us emphatically insisted that in order to really fight terror successfully some of our freedoms would fall to the wayside.

Certainly I’m not the only one who recalls pompous sounding pundits on TV saying such things like; ‘We’ll if they have nothing to hide, they won’t mind being searched’,’We now live in extraordinary times which requires extraordinary measures to keep America safe‘ or ‘I think most people would rather be searched and profiled than be blown up’.

We really heard this type of talk a year or so ago when the Christmas Day bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab had a failed attempt and GOP leaders went in on President Obama claiming he was soft on the war on terror. Many of them called for increased profiling and searches in order for us to be safe. They scoffed at the idea of people’s civil liberties being violated and said it was sign of weakness to give into the concerns voiced by organizations like the ACLUor CAIR.

Now that everyone is getting searched have things suddenly changed? Are we no longer willing to sacrifice our freedoms or do we just want ‘THEM’ (Muslims and ‘other suspicious folks’ ) to be searched and forced to do full body scans? How hypocritical is that?

Newt Gingrich

Wasn’t it just two months ago this country was up in arms about the proposed building of an Islamic Community Center (Mosque) near Ground Zero? Here we saw everyone from high-ranking political leaders like former House speak Newt Gingrich compare Muslims to Nazis to Texas lawmakers Debbie Riddle and Louie Gohmert warn us about ‘terror babies‘. We saw former NPR host Juan Williamsadmit that he ‘got nervous’ when he saw a Muslim passengers getting ready to board a plane.

These types of publicly expressed sentiments led to many of us further demonizing and marginalizing entire segments of our population which in turn left us being unsympathetic to what we now see and hear are similar concerns they expressed about ‘invasive’ searches.

Many of us turned a blind eye reports surfaced about all the Muslim Americans in addition to being profiled and searched were also increasingly being put on NO-Fly lists resulting in more than a few being stranded after being rejected from boarding. Many found themselves in legal limbo when trying to remove themselves or even find out why they were put on a No Fly list in the first place. Sadly some mean-spirited pundits celebrated these No fly list violations because the resulted in the unintended consequences of Forced Exile

With all this in mind, one has to ask the hard questions; are folks crying about TSA full body searches because they feel their constitutional rights are being trampled or are they concerned that they personally are being violated? We really need to be honest when answering this question. Whats really going on here?

Ron Paul just introduced the American Traveler Dignity Act

It’s interesting to note that two days ago (Nov 17th) Texas Congressman Ron Paul just introduced legislation called the American Traveler Dignity Act. He’s concerned that travelers are being subjected to humiliating conditions. He’s outraged. Here’s what he wrote

“Imagine if the political elites in our country were forced to endure the same conditions at the airport as business travelers, families, senior citizens, and the rest of us. Perhaps this problem could be quickly resolved if every cabinet secretary, every member of Congress, and every department head in the Obama administration were forced to submit to the same degrading screening process as the people who pay their salaries.” Perhaps the political elites would re-evaluate their position on the peeping and probing Toms at the TSA; perhaps they would be willing to support the Congressman’s legislation.

Paul wants the TSA and other law enforcement to be held accountable if they cross the line and that’s not only understandable, but appreciated. However, one has to wonder where was Ron Paul pushing a bill or all these outraged people when several years ago, Black women were aggressively being stripped searched at airports by custom agents. Back in 1999 when this was at its height, we were fighting the ’War on Drugs’ . The overwhelming majority of Black women searched were innocent, yet they were subjected to these invasive body searches. Their cavities were probed and their bowel movements were monitored. Pundits who supported this policy were insistent it was necessary to stop the flow of drugs. ‘We had to protect America’.. Does that sound familiar?

People weren’t outraged back then if anything, many were dismissive of the concerns expressed by African-American women who were made to feel totally violated and unfairly profiled. Sadly we heard the same retorts back then as we do now toward Muslims; ‘If-they-have-nothing-to-hide-why-complain’.

Senator Richard Durbin introduced the Reasonable Search Standard Act in 2001

There were lawsuits and alot of pressure put on airports screeners and custom agents. Eventually in 2001 Senator Richard Durbin introduced the Reasonable Search Standards Act.

Reasonable Search Standards Act – Prohibits U.S. Customs Service personnel from subjecting travelers to detention or searches based upon race, religion, gender, national origin, or sexual orientation, except when acting upon specific information that a particular traveler suspected of engaging in illegal activity is described by one or more of such characteristics.

Requires Customs Service personnel, before a pat down or intrusive non-routine search, to document reasons to support a belief that an individual may be carrying contraband in violation of Federal law. Waives such requirement with respect to anyone suspected of carrying a weapon.

The bill was read twice and referred to the finance committee, well see where Paul’s American Traveler Dignity Act bill goes.

Rodstarz of Rebel Diaz was recently searched & detained for 10 hrs at an airport

It’s a shame that many of us have short memories and selective ways in which we like to see laws enforce or who we show concern for when rights are violated. Sistas being jammed up at airports where we had dead silence and people siding with custom agents is one example. Now that we have this new war on drugs south of the border quite a few Brown folks are going through the humiliation. The popular Bronx-Chicago based rap group Rebel Diaz on a recent Hard Knock Radio show detailed what happened when they returned to the US from Chile. They were detained searched, questioned and made to feel violated when they returned from their native Chile. What folks are complaining about now is routine procedure in some communities

For folks who live in the hood, strip searches in public are not usual. belligerent cops ‘looking for drugs and weapons’ are always jacking people up, making them drop their pants in full view of others. In cities like LA, young teens have been made to strip in front of parents. Husbands and boyfriends have been subjected to watching their spouses and girlfriends be felt up and probed by police who turned a routine traffic stop into a nightmarish search.Parents have been made to undress or be felt up by cops looking for drugs and weapons in front of their kids.

The movie CRASH depicted a scene where the character played by actor Terrence Howard had to watch his wife get felt up by police. Many thought it was just a dramatic scene for the movie, but for those who live in the hood especially in places like South Central LA, what was shown on the big screen was as real as day. It’s all too commonplace. It’s a reality and indignation that many have endured for years. Speaking out about this and detailing this is often met with disbelief or outlandish justification where folks rationalize that folks in the hood are all criminal and deserve to be searched.

LA rap star and longtime activist Mykill Miers who actually works with at risk youth inside the system noted the other night over the years he himself has been subjected to such humiliating treatment on 4 different occasions.

In New York City pat downs and invasive searches was the hall-mark of the police serving under former mayor Rudolph Giuliani. In one year alone more than 500 thousand people were stopped and searched on the streets of NY, over 70% of those stopped were Black and Brown men. We certainly could’ve used a Dignity Act type bill then..

How are police searches in the hood connected to searches and pat downs at airports? Well to start have large numbers of citizens who are being subjected to searches that they find invasive and in violation of their constitutional rights. The overwhelming majority of those searched are obviously innocent. No weapons are found, no bombs are found, no drugs are found. Law makers insists such measures are needed to keep us safe and act as a deterrent. For the most part far too many of are willing to go along with this until they’re the ones made to drop their drawers.

Who should we be screening the thuggish looking Black guys who are Ice Cube & his crew or the Columbine shooters Eric Harris & Dylan Klebold?

As long as we have scapegoating caricatures that fits into our collective stereotypes like the Black thug, Mexican drug dealer, or a Arab terrorist, then we don’t mind the searches. In fact, as I mentioned before, we actually insist that they take place. But as soon as it things land in our direction we wanna have mass protests.

The bottom line is this, the constitution should apply to us all. If anyone has a hard time accepting that then they deserve this mistreatment they want imposed on others. It doesn’t matter how big your boobs are, how sagging your butt is or how small your ding-a-ling is. It doesn’t matter if you’re grandmother 80 years old or outstanding pillar in your community, if its ok to search Mr Muhammad, Ray Ray and Jose ‘to keep us safe’ then it’s perfectly ok to profile and search Mr and Ms Cleaver as well. After all, some of the worst terrorist this country has seen are those who are homegrown and blend in with the mainstream population. From Oklahoma City bomber Ti mothy McVeigh to American Taliban John Walker Lindh to Columbine shooters Eric Harrisand Dylan Klebold to members of the Ku Klux Klan.

If this really is about protecting our 4th amendment rights, then let’s be principled. Stop all invasive searches of innocent people everywhere, both at the airport and in the hood. If this country truly stands for freedom then let’s make sure it applies to all sectors of our society. Until then as long as innocent young Black and Brown men are being humiliated and strip searched in their own neighborhoods, and we’re advocating for Muslims to be singled out and searched then one should not show an ounce of sympathy or be concerned when someone cries out about being their junk being touched by a TSA agent at the airport.

As the loud mouth pundits like to say.. ‘If you have nothing to hide, why complain…’

Something to ponder

-Davey D-

Bristol Palin Resorts to Name Calling

Bristol Palin should have known better - especially since she is in the public eye. Palin used a homophobic slur to attack a Facebook user who was bad mouthing her mother's reality TV show.

People in general need to stop thinking it's okay to use homophobic phrases in order to insult another person. There are many people on twitter (one person even unfollowed me for this reason) who say "that's gay" when meaning stupid. It is never okay for someone to say that, because gay does not mean stupid. Gay is not a synonym for anything negative and it's unclear how people began doing this. They brush it off and say they don't mean to be offensive, but they are being offensive it doesn't matter if it is on purpose or not. Going around saying the n-word, but then saying that it wasn't meant to be offensive is not right either.

Anyway, Dr. Drew Pinsky was on CNN last night (and I watched it!) and spoke a little bit about what the 20-year-old had commented on.

Here's a screenshot of her public Facebook apology:

Holiday stress: how to cope and enjoy the season by Dr. Christina Villarreal

For many, the first signs of holiday stress emerge around Halloween when signs of the holiday season become evident in retail stores. Seeing what's in store for the coming months can evoke a sense of urgency in us, with many people feeling like there isn't time to fit in everything. Unrealistic expectations of ourselves or others, coupled with the pressure this can place upon relationships can culminate in elevated levels of mental and physical stress. Can we survive the holiday season, and actually enjoy it? Learn to recognize and manage triggers of holiday stress.

Recognize common triggers of holiday stress

Strained relationships. The holiday season is typically a time when extended family members spend more time together. Leaving normal routines, hectic travel, and decreased personal space can all lead to conflict with the family members we ironically, want to enjoy. Even close-knit families who rarely experience conflict can begin to show signs of 'too much togetherness' when individuals are experiencing holiday related stress. Further, when family members come together, it's common for people to fall back into ‘family roles’ that can re-open old wounds or conflicts. Even spouses/partners and children can get caught in the cross-fire of family turmoil, bringing on feelings of guilt and resentment.

Isolation & loneliness. Sometimes it's the lack of family that can feel lead us to feel lonely during the holiday season. When the whole world seems to be getting together with loved ones, those of us who are closer to friends than family can feel isolated and abandoned when friends leave town for the holidays.

Overindulgence. An influx of holiday parties and gift exchanges can lead many people to eat, drink, and spend in ways that prove to be self-destructive. Overindulgence can have dire and long lasting consequences (debt, weight gain, unsafe behaviors, memories of embarrassing & unsavory behavior) that can linger long after the season is over.

Physical demands. Many of us feel overwhelmed with the demands of holiday traditions- shopping, sending cards, entertaining, visiting relatives and volunteering activities. Our regular antidotes to stress such as restful sleep and exercise are dropped as we struggle to keep up with an overflowing schedule. High levels of physical distress also leaves us susceptible to seasonal viruses, which can render our holiday plans futile.

How to minimize holiday stress and enjoy the season

Be creative. The holidays do NOT have to remain rigidly the same, year after year. By opening yourself up to change and letting go of traditions that have become too difficult or expensive, you afford yourself an opportunity to shape your holiday experience to reflect your current lifestyle and personality.

Be true to your feelings. If you've experienced a loss this year, or you can't be with loved ones, it's normal to feel sadness and grief. Don't try to force yourself to be happy just because it's the holiday season. Take time out to reflect and take care of yourself in a way that feels authentic, rather than 'putting on a happy face.'


Connect with others meaningfully. If you feel lonely or isolated, seek out community, religious or other social events that can lend support and companionship. Volunteering your time to help others who are in need is a great way to lift your spirits and broaden your friendships.

Make peace with differences. Work on accepting family and friends as they are, even when they don't live up to your expectations. Take a break from airing your grievances/grudges, even if it's only for a brief period of time, so you can reacquaint yourself with family members without the stress of fighting.

Anticipate your limits. Think back to previous years and estimate how much together time you and your family can take before things begin to sour. It's perfectly acceptable to set limits with others, including forgoing family gatherings if you suspect things will turn out disastrously. Perhaps it's safer to visit individuals on a one on one basis.

Attempt to stick to a budget. Before you go shopping, decide how much money you can realistically afford to spend. Then stick to your budget. Keep reminding yourself that spending money will NOT not buy you or anyone else long lasting happiness.

Learn to say NO. Saying yes when you you'd prefer to say no will cause you to feel resentful and exhausted. Sometimes saying no can lead to conflict, but remind yourself that by saying no, you are giving yourself and others an opportunity to accept realistic expectations.


Try not to completely abandon healthy, safe habits. The holiday season does NOT have to be a free-for-all of decadence and risk taking behaviors. Holiday food and alcohol can certainly be enjoyable, but remember there can be too much of a good thing, since overindulging always comes with consequences.

Seek professional help when necessary. If you find yourself feeling chronically sad or anxious, overwhelmed with physical problems, unable to sleep, irritable and unable to enjoy things you used to, it's likely time to seek help from your doctor or a mental health professional.

The holiday season should be a time of enjoyment, however you choose to celebrate them. By taking steps to prevent stress, you are lending yourself a renewed chance to make this year better than ever before.

This article was written by Dr. Christina Villarreal, a clinical psychologist who maintains a private practice in the Bay Area, CA. Visit her website at www.drchristinavillarreal.com or email her at christina.villarreal@gmail.com for professional referrals.

Media Take Out Enjoys Sensationalism

Sensationalism has been brought to a whole new level ever since the existence of Mediatakeout.com.

The top story on the page right now is in all capital letters "NICKI MINAJ IS NOW WEARING BOOTY PADS OVER HER SILICONE IMPLANTS . . . TO MAKE HER CAKES EVEN LARGER!! (PICS)"

Really? What kind of sensationalism is this? After seeing Tila Tequila's (she failed to convince everyone to call her "Miss Tila) failure of a "celebrity gossip blog" (which she turned into a Tila-Only blog, because she thinks writing about celebs is boring -- even though she still has "her staff" write blog posts about celebrities while she just writes blog posts all about herself) it didn't seem like it could get any worse in the blogosphere, but this has proven it.

All these outrageous headlines in all capital letters. Who would actually take this web site seriously. Part of me thought it was a joke - like Collegehumor.com or Cracked.com.

These posts get so many views just for being utterly sensational. It's sad the things that a web site will do just to get so many hits. Does it even matter if these things are important or worth writing about anymore? Look at this screenshot of the current posts:

What on earth? Look at those names for posts. Those are incredibly sensational and it's unclear as to how this site can expect to be taken seriously.

Any thoughts regarding this web page?

Tony Parker, Twitter Says #slapyourself For Cheating On Eva Longoria With Erin Barry

The news that Tony Parker was cheating on beautiful wife Eva Longoria, with Erin Barry, the soon-to-be ex-wife of former San Antonio Spurs teammate Brent Barry has Twitter aflame.

The vast majority of Twitter tweets are calling for Tony Parker to slap himself for cheating on Eva Longoria.

The hashtag is called #slapyourself and is used for just about any action considered to be so stupid the person who did it should, well, slap themselves.

Here's an example tweet from Twitter:

JKB_Gravity Joshua Berry by SoyLuzDeLuna
#WTF Tony parker...u cheated on eva longoria? #slapyourself
1 minute ago Favorite Retweet Reply

No word on if Tony Parker actually did do the #slapyourself action.

Stay tuned.

Erin Barry Is Not Eva Longoria's Friend, Cheating With Tony Parker?

Erin Berry is not Eva Longoria's friend anymore.

Eva Longoria has filed for divorce from San Antonio Spurs star Tony Parker. Longoria reportedly got wind of sexy text messages between Parker and Erin Berry (photo at left).

According to The Huffington Post, Mario Lopez, a "good friend" of Longoria, confirmed that she found "hundreds of texts from a mutual female friend on Tony's phone." This "mutual friend" was said to be the wife of a "former teammate."

The person who claims this friend is Erin Berry, who's married to the "former teammate" Brent Barry, by connection, is Sports Illustrated Writer Bryan Armen Graham.

This is his tweet:

Have it on good authority from entertainment sources that "former teammate" in Tony Parker-Eva Longoria affair is Brent Barry.

TMZ.com spoke to Rick Barry, Brent Barry's father, who said "I feel horrible for my son. I'm in shock. I knew [Erin] was moving out of the house soon and SHE was the one that filed for divorce. This is the straw that broke the camel's back."

Stay tuned.

Oakland City Auditor Attacks Financial Reporting, CAO Lindheim Insults Auditor

This shows Oakland CAO Dan Lindheim (in photo) can dig his own hole fast.

The Chief Administrative Officer of Oakland, who's days are numbered in the wake of Jean Quan's victory to become Oakland's Mayor-Elect, insulted Oakland City Auditor Courtney Ruby, saying she "clearly shows a lack of understanding of the City's financial system and the reporting of its assets," as reported by the Oakland Tribune.

This blogger, who worked for two of the last three Mayors of Oakland, has seen a ton of examples of hubris, including from myself, but nothing to match what Dan Lindheim wrote about the City Auditor's Report of The Community and Economic Development Agency (CEDA), and by extension, Courtney Ruby herself.  (Here's Dan in my video from his press conference on The Oakland Police.)

Ruby, who beat back an election challenge from Michael Killian, landing 66.93 percent of the vote, wasted no time in presenting her CEDA loan fund audit report to part of the media. (Here's hoping she looks at the Oakland Coliseum next.)

Here's hoping that Ruby gets better at distributing information to all of the media, too. Like many in Oakland City Hall (except Karen Boyd and the Mayor's Office, and the Oakland City Attorney), her staff seems to think people read newspapers a lot. They don't. It's one reason why newspaper ad revenues are consistently falling. Next time Courtney, send a link to the online report to me. Right now, it's not available!

But I digress.

The City Auditor's Report says that CEDA had something like $14 million in loans it issued (which CEDA does to help businesses and homeowners), but had not written off. Ruby claimed this shows that the City's financial reporting system can't be trusted. If that's the case, the City of Oakland really doesn't know what kind of financial shape it's in.

All of that reflects on Dan Lindheim, who's job it is to issues the reports. The naturally prickly Dan responded in a way that was politically stupid, claiming the City Auditor basically doesn't know what she's doing.

 Either Dan has a good new job to go to after the City of Oakland, since Quan's looking for his replacement, or he's independently wealthy. No municipality will touch someone so willing to openly blast the results of an audit with an insult of the auditor.  

Maybe Dan's going to become a blogger?

Stay tuned. Oh, here's the Trib article.

Is Bank Of America In Financial Trouble? #BofA

Is Bank of America in financial trouble? Will Bank of America, tagged #BofA on Twitter, ask for another TARP bailout? Alternet thinks so. This is what that news website reports:

When former Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson was handing out trillions to Wall Street, BofA collected $45 billion from the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) to stabilize its balance sheet. It was spun as a success story -- a rebuke of those who urged the banks be put into receivership -- when the behemoth “paid back” the cash last December. But the bank’s stock price has fallen by more than 40 percent since mid-April, and the value of its outstanding stock is currently at around half of what it should be based on its “book value” -- what the company says its holdings are worth.

“The problem for anyone trying to analyze Bank of America’s $2.3 trillion balance sheet,” wrote Bloomberg columnist Jonathan Weil, “is that it’s largely impenetrable.” Nobody really knows the true values of the assets these companies are holding, which has been the case ever since the collapse. But according to Weil, some of BofA’s financial statements “are so delusional that they invite laughter.”

From this video blogger's standpoint, who's a customer of Bank of America, let's hope they're not in trouble. Besides, they've still got to fix this episode of bad service:



For more on the Alternet claim, read the account here.

Internet Ad Revenue Record: New Media Beats Old Media In Ad Revenue Reports

Continuing a long-term trend, online (or Internet) advertising revenue increased 17 percent in the 3rd Quarter of 2010 when compared to the same period in 2009.  Internet ad revenue set a record in the process hitting $6.4 billion, according to the The Interactive Advertising Bureau.

The The Interactive Advertising Bureau, or IAB, represents "86 percent" of the providers of online (or Internet) advertising. But while that information may appear to have a taint toward "New Media" - the IAB's not reporting what's happening with radio, print, and local ad revenues - the news for "Old Media" is not pretty.

MediaPost reports that while the IAB data is up, traditional, or "Old Media" revenues are "not faring nearly as well."

3rd Quarter newspaper ad revenues are down 3.7 percent.

MediaPost:

...total newspaper ad revenues declined about 3.7% in the last quarter. That follows declines of 9.7% in the first quarter and 5.5% in the second quarter, according to the Newspaper Association of America.

A third-quarter loss would make it the 17th quarter of straight declines for the newspaper business. The industry's decline over the last couple of years has been dramatic: Total revenues of $12.4 billion in the first half of 2010 are down 47.3% from $23.5 billion in the first half of 2006.

MediaPost reports that ad revenue from consumer magazines, newspapers, radio, and local ads from broadcast radio regionally, have recovered from last year, but at gains best described as "lackluster."  Moreover, the trend toward moving ad spending online has only increased.  

Thus, for online and mobile publications, the ad revenue future is very promising.  But this good climate also causes one to ask hard questions, like why is the online publication The Daily Beast losing a reported $10 million a year? (A number Salon's Scott Rosenberg disputes, but doesn't come up with an alternative loss estimate.)  

Stay tuned.

Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett LLP Loses Round in $100 M PrediWave Fraud Case

In the latest chapter of this complicated six-year-old tech industry story this blogger covered on March 22, 2010, the law firm Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett LLP (an 800-employee business litigation firm with offices in New York and Palo Alto, as well as seven other cities worldwide) lost another round in its attempt to "shut up" former PrediWave outside Director Jimmy Li. Li was attempting to investigate PrediWave company documents and conducting an investigation that would reveal the misconduct of Former Tech CEO Jianping “Tony” Qu, once the head of PrediWave Corporation.

Jianping “Tony” Qu was reported to have "taken off" with $100 million in bonuses, leased 30 cars and purchased a whopping 19 homes. Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett was alleged to have been involved in a cover-up of Mr. Qu's actions. Why? That's not known. Here's the timeline of original events, as repeated from this blogger's last post, but adjusted to make the story clearer:

1) Attorneys for Simpson Thacher became aware by December 1, 2004 that Mr. Qu was directing the sale of tens of millions of dollars of memory chips to PrediWave through a shell corporation whose profits were pocketed by Mr. Qu.

2) Simpson Thacher uncovered evidence showing that delivery records and price quotes from a non-existent Chinese company were falsified, while the memory chips themselves were purchased from a tech firm operating only a few miles from PrediWave’s Fremont headquarters.

3) Mr. Qu was paid a $25 million bonus in January 2005 while Simpson Thacher sat on the evidence it had gathered regarding his activities.

4) Attorneys for Simpson Thacher filed a lawsuit in May 2004 preventing two PrediWave directors, one of them PrediWave outside Director Jimmy Li, from reviewing company documents and conducting an investigation that would reveal Mr. Qu’s misconduct.

5) In 2005, Simpson Thacher chose to hire a private investigations firm, not for the purpose of exposing Mr. Qu’s actions, but to determine the probability of the fraud going public. Simpson Thacher never disclosed the results of that investigation to PrediWave’s board of directors, which included PrediWave outside Director Jimmy Li.

6) While serving as PrediWave’s counsel for only little over a year, Simpson Thacher billed over $16 million in legal fees. At the same time, Mr. Qu was receiving approximately $25 million in annual bonuses from a company that had recorded no sales and no profits.

Thus, there are two "bad guys" here: Mr. Qu and Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett LLP. The "good guy" is Jimmy Li, and thank to Justice Patricia Bamattre-Manoukian, of the Sixth District of the California Court of Appeal, the good guy's winning.

This is what the press release reports:

Justice Patricia Bamattre-Manoukian, writing on behalf of the Sixth District of the California Court of Appeal, affirmed the denial of Simpson Thacher’s motion in the malicious prosecution lawsuit brought by former PrediWave outside Director Jimmy Li. This is the latest in a string of adverse rulings against the law firm, which is facing charges of massive fraud leveled by its former client PrediWave. Li’s malicious prosecution lawsuit has been deemed a “related case” to the PrediWave fraud case by the Santa Clara Superior Court, where both cases are proceeding.

What's not explained is why  Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett, once a client of the now bankrupt PrediWave, would "sit on" the evidence against Mr. Qu, unless they were in on the "take" themselves.    In working to thwart investigation of the actions of Mr. Qu, Simpson, Thacher have worked to destroy the career and the reputation of Jimmy Li, and have failed, only throwing dirt on its own reputation in the process.

Stay tuned.