More at NY Daily News: “Mayor Bloomberg's bad-news budget tries to plug a $4 billion hole with less than $2 billion worth of spending cuts and new sales taxes - and counts on unions, Albany and the federal govermment to come up with the rest.
He proposed a $43.4 billion budget Friday for the fiscal year starting July 1, up $123 million from the year before - one that slices deep into the pockets of city residents and the ranks of city workers.
"Are we going to go through some difficult times? I don't think there's any question about that. But we have a plan to balance our budget," Bloomberg said. "It is serious, but I think it is manageable."”
Friday, January 30, 2009
MADAM OF EMPEROR'S CLUB VIP SENTENCED TO 6 MONTHS IN JAIL - New York Post
More at New York Post: “She was the property of her overbearing partner, and the madam who helped run the prostitution ring that brought down Gov. Eliot Spitzer has the tattoo to prove it.
Cecil "Katie" Suwal was sentenced yesterday to six months in jail for her role in operating the Emperors Club VIP that serviced the notorious "Client 9," but not before her lawyer said she was controlled by her Svengali-like boss who branded her in the most humiliating of places.
"Her strategically placed tattoo eliminated any doubt," said her lawyer, Alberto Ebanks, as he made quote marks in the air. "Property of Mark Brener."”
Cecil "Katie" Suwal was sentenced yesterday to six months in jail for her role in operating the Emperors Club VIP that serviced the notorious "Client 9," but not before her lawyer said she was controlled by her Svengali-like boss who branded her in the most humiliating of places.
"Her strategically placed tattoo eliminated any doubt," said her lawyer, Alberto Ebanks, as he made quote marks in the air. "Property of Mark Brener."”
Michael Steele Is The New Chairman Of The Republican Party
Who is Michael Steele?
Steele was Liutenant Governor of the State of Maryland from 2003 to 2007. Steele's also well-known as a regular contributor to several political news programs. And Steele ran for several offices, most notably for Senator of Maryland where he reportedly bussed in homeless people to distribute information flyers. Steele lost that race to Ben Cardin.
Steele has been a Republican since he was a small boy, and he's received backing from such conservatives as Karl Rove and former-VP Dick Cheney.
Steele has an uphill battle in repairing the Republican Party, but he's been able to destroy the idea that the RNC was the "White Southern" party just by his election. In my view his election actually makes the party more attractive to Women, who not only were his greatest supporters but who share the same "outsider" status in the RNC.
I think now the Republican Party has a split between the moderates, led by Steele and the wingnuts, led by Rush Limbaugh. It's going to be an interesting year.
Obama Security Poor, Alarms Some VIP Donors - washingtonpost.com
More at washingtonpost.com: “Downtown Washington resembled a militarized zone last week for the inauguration of President Barack Obama, but some major contributors who had direct contact with Obama said they were surprised to find what they viewed as porous security surrounding the president-elect and vice president-elect.”
-- This is an outrage, to say the least! For someone as important and as targeted by White Supremacist and some Black Nationalist groups and persons as Barack Obama to be the focus of poor security efforts is a scandal that should lead to someone's firing before its too late.
-- This is an outrage, to say the least! For someone as important and as targeted by White Supremacist and some Black Nationalist groups and persons as Barack Obama to be the focus of poor security efforts is a scandal that should lead to someone's firing before its too late.
Super Bowl Party: Playboy Party At American Airlines Arena
I'm not in Tampa, but the 2010 Super Bowl is in -- drumroll -- Miami! That's what I'm looking forward to.
And besides, there's no Playboy Super Bowl Party this year. RATS! The reasons they give are well...
""While we are huge fans of Super Bowl weekend and are participating in the DirecTV Celebrity Beach Bowl event, we will not be hosting a separate party in Tampa,"
But I'll bet they'll be back in Miami and Zennie62 will be there!
SF Bayview Hunter's Point CAC/PAC Lennar Community Meeting
This is a video of the meeting held Wednesday night and regarding the Urban Design plan for the proposed Bayview Hunter's point Lennar development which would include a stadium for the San Francisco 49ers.
The video captures the anger that community members had over the process, expressing a desire to see the committee just approve the plan and build the project, but making sure the site is cleaned up and jobs are provided for them,
It's the second video on this community process and includes the roll call vote. You can hear who voted and how they voted.
SF Bayview Hunter's Point CAC/PAC Lennar Community Meeting
This is a video of the meeting held Wednesday night and regarding the Urban Design plan for the proposed Bayview Hunter's point Lennar development which would include a stadium for the San Francisco 49ers.
The video captures the anger that community members had over the process, expressing a desire to see the committee just approve the plan and build the project, but making sure the site is cleaned up and jobs are provided for them,
It's the second video on this community process and includes the roll call vote. You can hear who voted and how they voted.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Obama Inauguration - Zennie Gets Home In First Class
After being stuck in Dulles for about three days after the Obama Inauguration I finally got out -- to Chicago. But then stayed overnight and then got a nice treat on the way back to the SF Bay Area.
Obama White House Unbuttons Formal Dress Code
More at NYTimes.com: “WASHINGTON — The capital flew into a bit of a tizzy when, on his first full day in the White House, President Obama was photographed in the Oval Office without his suit jacket. There was, however, a logical explanation: Mr. Obama, who hates the cold, had cranked up the thermostat.
“He’s from Hawaii, O.K.?” said Mr. Obama’s senior adviser, David Axelrod, who occupies the small but strategically located office next door to his boss. “He likes it warm. You could grow orchids in there.”
-- When I first saw this, I thought they were referring to the shirt open at the neck, but to me, this is still formal. It's not business casual.
“He’s from Hawaii, O.K.?” said Mr. Obama’s senior adviser, David Axelrod, who occupies the small but strategically located office next door to his boss. “He likes it warm. You could grow orchids in there.”
-- When I first saw this, I thought they were referring to the shirt open at the neck, but to me, this is still formal. It's not business casual.
House Passes Obama Economic Stimulus Package 244 - 188
More at washingtonpost.com: “The House approved an $819 billion stimulus package on a near party-line vote yesterday, a plan breathtaking in size and scope that President Obama hopes to make the cornerstone of his efforts to resuscitate the staggering economy.
Obama engaged in an all-out lobbying push for the bill, which is among the most expensive pieces of legislation ever to move through Congress, and marked a big victory for his presidency a little more than a week into his term. He will now turn his attention to the Senate, where Democrats are scheduled to begin debate on the measure on Monday and the price tag is likely to reach $900 billion.”
-- I still think it's not enough. We're looking at a spending need of almost 4 trillion to get ourselves on the right economic track.
Obama engaged in an all-out lobbying push for the bill, which is among the most expensive pieces of legislation ever to move through Congress, and marked a big victory for his presidency a little more than a week into his term. He will now turn his attention to the Senate, where Democrats are scheduled to begin debate on the measure on Monday and the price tag is likely to reach $900 billion.”
-- I still think it's not enough. We're looking at a spending need of almost 4 trillion to get ourselves on the right economic track.
Black Juan Williams On Fox News Seen as "Black Basher" By Many - AlterNet
More at AlterNet: “"… The matter is that, when Bill O'Reilly gets Juan Williams, the eternal happy Negro, on his show to congratulate him on his racism, that's like Hugh Hefner getting a stripper to come on the show and tell him that he's not a sexist.” --Syracuse University Professor”
-- And he does it for money, which means in his case we do not know how he feels, but that he can't be trusted.
-- And he does it for money, which means in his case we do not know how he feels, but that he can't be trusted.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Left In The Cold: The 2009 Inaugural Youth Ball
This is a great video explaining how this band of ticket holders never got in to this ball and affirming why I didn't care that I didn't go to the Youth Ball in the first place.
Bowoto v. Chevron Is Back In Court Feb 6th 2009
Bowoto v. Chevron Is Back In U.S. 9th District Court, Northern California, San Francisco, Feb 6th 2009 and for the purpose of the plaintiffs explaining why a new trial is needed.
The plaintiffs (Bowoto) believe that the core idea that claims Chevron acted in violation of the Alien Tort Act was not understood by the jury, but given the nature of the incident -- tresspassing by Bowoto -- it's hard for me to see how they can make that claim.
Mireya Grisales high-fives Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Lawrence Timmons
All I can say is who's Mireya Grisales? She's a super hot reporter for Telemundo who's wowing them in Tampa. Wish I were there --- sort of.
Kurt Warner: Arizona Cardinals QB At Super Bowl Media Day
This is a great pict of Arizona Cardinals QB holding court at NFL Media Day. I'm not there as I didn't plan to go to Tampa last year. Still, I miss the parties but I don't miss not being able to get into some of them and the weird behavior of some people just because they're there.
Heck, I've been to six Super Bowls.
Super Bowl T-Shirts Boxes
Just in time for Super Bowl XLIII, shirts! But I've never seen so many and in their boxes.
Obama Pick Eric Holder’s AG Nomination Approved, GOP Caves In: 17 to 2
Judiciary Panel Approves Holder’s Nomination - The Caucus Blog - NYTimes.com: “The Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday overwhelmingly approved, and sent to the full Senate, the nomination of Eric Holder Jr. to be the nation’s 82nd attorney general.
The committee vote was 17 to 2, with most Republicans supporting the nomination of Mr. Holder to head the Department of Justice. The two Republicans who opposed the nomination were Senator John Cornyn of Texas and Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma.”
- YEAH! Now, Eric Holder and Tony West as Assistant AG for Civil Rights can get to work on making sure human rights laws are followed in America. Meanwhile the GOP has been swooned by Obama. I know their constituents are saying "Give Obama a chance" otherwise they would not have voted so overwhelmingly for Holder.
The committee vote was 17 to 2, with most Republicans supporting the nomination of Mr. Holder to head the Department of Justice. The two Republicans who opposed the nomination were Senator John Cornyn of Texas and Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma.”
- YEAH! Now, Eric Holder and Tony West as Assistant AG for Civil Rights can get to work on making sure human rights laws are followed in America. Meanwhile the GOP has been swooned by Obama. I know their constituents are saying "Give Obama a chance" otherwise they would not have voted so overwhelmingly for Holder.
Some Democrats Among Stimulus Skeptics - Why?
More at washingtonpost.com: “President Obama, who promoted the $825 billion package at the Capitol yesterday, says the proposal serves two functions -- creating jobs and stimulating the economy in the short term, and laying the groundwork for overhauls in energy, health care and infrastructure that would be felt for decades. But some administration supporters say that while they appreciate Obama's intent, the two goals are competing with each other, and that the package could end up missing both targets.
In testimony before the House Budget Committee yesterday, Alice M. Rivlin, who was President Bill Clinton's budget director, suggested splitting the plan, implementing its immediate stimulus components now and taking more time to plan the longer-term transformative spending to make sure it is done right.”
-- What I don't get is why some Dems are waisting time in doing something to solve this problem. It's almost as if some officials are afraid to 1) take action because it 2) may work, making Obama 3) even more popular. I don't think it's just the GOP who has jealously regarding President Obama. Meanwhile the economy continues to tank.
In testimony before the House Budget Committee yesterday, Alice M. Rivlin, who was President Bill Clinton's budget director, suggested splitting the plan, implementing its immediate stimulus components now and taking more time to plan the longer-term transformative spending to make sure it is done right.”
-- What I don't get is why some Dems are waisting time in doing something to solve this problem. It's almost as if some officials are afraid to 1) take action because it 2) may work, making Obama 3) even more popular. I don't think it's just the GOP who has jealously regarding President Obama. Meanwhile the economy continues to tank.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
ABC News: High-Flying Citigroup Grounds Plans for $50M Jet
More at ABC: “The high-flying execs at Citigroup caved under pressure from President Obama and decided today to abandon plans for a luxurious new $50 million corporate jet from France.
The bank used TARP funds to purchase a new corporate jet for executives.
The decision came 24 hours after the banking giant, which was rescued by a $45 billion taxpayer lifeline, defended buying the state-of-the-art Dassault Falcon 7X -- one of nine to be flying in U.S. skies -- as a smart business deal.
The jet, the epitome of corporate prestige and privilege, can carry 12 passengers in elegant comfort.
ABC News has learned that on Monday officials of the Obama administration called Citigroup about the company's new $50 million corporate jet and told execs to "fix it."”
-- Thank God for Obama! That $50 million could be used for a plan to extend emergency credit to small businesses in selected cities. Wow, the desire to waste money among those who have it. Fortunately, we have a President who's putting a stop to this.
The bank used TARP funds to purchase a new corporate jet for executives.
The decision came 24 hours after the banking giant, which was rescued by a $45 billion taxpayer lifeline, defended buying the state-of-the-art Dassault Falcon 7X -- one of nine to be flying in U.S. skies -- as a smart business deal.
The jet, the epitome of corporate prestige and privilege, can carry 12 passengers in elegant comfort.
ABC News has learned that on Monday officials of the Obama administration called Citigroup about the company's new $50 million corporate jet and told execs to "fix it."”
-- Thank God for Obama! That $50 million could be used for a plan to extend emergency credit to small businesses in selected cities. Wow, the desire to waste money among those who have it. Fortunately, we have a President who's putting a stop to this.
Oakland State of The City Dellums Speech Highlights
Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums gave a great 2009 State of The City Address but it was twice interrupted by Oaklanders concerned about the matter of police brutality in the wake of the murder of Oscar Grant by BART Police Officer Johannes Mehserle two weeks ago. The Mayor responded to them well. Later, I talked with new At-Large Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan and Brother Keith Muhammed on their views of Dellums' speech.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Pfizer, Caterpillar and Home Depot Layoff 40,000 Today
More at Huff Post: “WASHINGTON — The recession is killing jobs at an alarming pace, with tens of thousands of new layoffs announced Monday by some of the biggest names in American business _ Pfizer, Caterpillar and Home Depot.
More pink slips, pay freezes and other hits are expected to slam workers in the months ahead as companies desperately look for ways to survive.
"We're just seeing the tip of the iceberg _ the big firms," said Rebecca Braeu, economist at John Hancock Financial Services. "There's certainly other firms beneath them that will lay off workers as quickly or even quicker."
Looking ahead, economists predicted a net loss of at least 2 million jobs _ possibly more _ this year even if President Barack Obama's $825 billion package of increased government spending and tax cuts is enacted. Last year, the economy lost a net 2.6 million jobs, the most since 1945, though the labor force has grown significantly since then.
The unemployment rate, now at a 16-year high of 7.2 percent, could hit 10 percent or higher later this year or early next year, under some analysts' projections.”
-- And how many people do we need to have jobless before we call this a Depression?
More pink slips, pay freezes and other hits are expected to slam workers in the months ahead as companies desperately look for ways to survive.
"We're just seeing the tip of the iceberg _ the big firms," said Rebecca Braeu, economist at John Hancock Financial Services. "There's certainly other firms beneath them that will lay off workers as quickly or even quicker."
Looking ahead, economists predicted a net loss of at least 2 million jobs _ possibly more _ this year even if President Barack Obama's $825 billion package of increased government spending and tax cuts is enacted. Last year, the economy lost a net 2.6 million jobs, the most since 1945, though the labor force has grown significantly since then.
The unemployment rate, now at a 16-year high of 7.2 percent, could hit 10 percent or higher later this year or early next year, under some analysts' projections.”
-- And how many people do we need to have jobless before we call this a Depression?
"Crude" Movie Lies - The Movie "Crude" Forgets About Ecuador
There's a new movie out called "Crude" which is a kind of documentary about the Ecuadorian oil spill problem. The trouble is, it forgets about how Petroecuador shirked its responsibility in maintaining the oil production facilities left behind after the transfer from Chevron / Texaco in 1998. I explained that in this video:
And now, there's a new website outlining the lies of "Crude" and called "Crude Movie Lies".
And now, there's a new website outlining the lies of "Crude" and called "Crude Movie Lies".
Raw Video: Blagojevich Prepares for PR Blitz - Associated Press
AssociatedPress - Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich is in New York City this morning for a public relations blitz. He will appear on several morning talk shows. His impeachment trial also starts today in the Illinois capital. (Jan. 26)
The Underground Chinese Hip-hop Movement
TheNewYorkTimes - Underground Chinese Hip-hop, which is growing in popularity amongst students and working class Chinese, is a profitless, and often subversive, activity for its practitioners.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Obama Inauguration - L'Enfant Plaza Hotel Is A Warm Place
It was so cold on Inauguration Day that I sought refuge and found it at the L'Enfant Plaza Hotel, where Lynn Lashbrook, the Director of Sales and the staff was all too kind and helped thousands of freezing lobby visitors.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
President Obama reverses Bush abortion-funds policy
More at Yahoo! News: “WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama on Friday struck down the Bush administration's ban on giving federal money to international groups that perform abortions or provide abortion information — an inflammatory policy that has bounced in and out of law for the past quarter-century. Obama's executive order, the latest in an aggressive first week reversing contentious Bush policies, was warmly welcomed by liberal groups and denounced by abortion rights foes.”
Obama Inauguration - Greg Shares His Views
I met Greg as I was walking up to get a glimpse of The U.S. Capital on Inauguration Eve. We talked about what the then-upcoming event meant to us; here's my video interview of Greg.
Tony West Appointed Assistant Attorney General By President Obama
Tony West, who you've frequently seen if you're a visitor to the Oakland Focus Blog , and my YouTube channel Zennie62 , was appointed Assistant Attorney General by President Barack Obama.
Congratulations, Tony!
I just interviewed Tony, who became a friend during the campaign, on November 12th here and in a talk where one can learn more about the man and his vast background (for example, he's worked in some way for six presidents and now seven) who was just appointed on Friday of this week:
But that was not the first time I talked with Tony. Here's the other videos:
This one last year at the California State Democratic Convention:
And this one when then-Senator Obama visited San Francisco for a large fundraising event:
Congratulations, Tony!
I just interviewed Tony, who became a friend during the campaign, on November 12th here and in a talk where one can learn more about the man and his vast background (for example, he's worked in some way for six presidents and now seven) who was just appointed on Friday of this week:
But that was not the first time I talked with Tony. Here's the other videos:
This one last year at the California State Democratic Convention:
And this one when then-Senator Obama visited San Francisco for a large fundraising event:
01/24/09: President Obama's Weekly Address
From YouTube channel whitehouse: In his first weekly address since being sworn in as the 44th president of the United States, President Barack Obama discussed how the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan will jump-start the economy.
(This video is public domain per White House copyright policy.)
-- This is just the begining, because I believe what's needed is a more direct stimulus of $3,500 for Americans at or under $100,000 in income.
Pakistan urges U.S. President Obama to halt missile attacks
More at Yahoo! News: “ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – Pakistan urged President Barack Obama to halt U.S. missile strikes on al-Qaida strongholds near the Afghan border, saying Saturday that civilians were killed the previous day in the first attacks since Obama's inauguration.
Pakistani security officials said eight suspected foreign militants, including an Egyptian al-Qaida operative, were among 22 people killed in Friday's twin strikes in the Waziristan region.
But the Foreign Ministry said that the attacks by unmanned aircraft also killed an unspecified number of civilians and that it had informed U.S. officials of its "great concern."
"With the advent of the new U.S. administration, it is Pakistan's sincere hope that the United States will review its policy and adopt a more holistic and integrated approach toward dealing with the issue of terrorism and extremism," a ministry statement said.”
Pakistani security officials said eight suspected foreign militants, including an Egyptian al-Qaida operative, were among 22 people killed in Friday's twin strikes in the Waziristan region.
But the Foreign Ministry said that the attacks by unmanned aircraft also killed an unspecified number of civilians and that it had informed U.S. officials of its "great concern."
"With the advent of the new U.S. administration, it is Pakistan's sincere hope that the United States will review its policy and adopt a more holistic and integrated approach toward dealing with the issue of terrorism and extremism," a ministry statement said.”
Ecuador: President Correa Faces Pressure From Indigenous Groups
More at Global Voices Online: “Despite protests and road blockades in southen Ecuador, a new mining law [es] (pdf format) was passed in Congress. Now the new bill will head to the executive branch for final approval from President Rafael Correa. Opposition to the bill is coming from indigenous groups, who have called for a national march to be held on January 20 to protest the government's support for the new law.
The mobilization is being led by the country's largest indigenous organization, the National Confederation of Indigenous Nations (CONAIE), which is stating that there was very little discussion regarding the new law and that it will be harmful to the environment and is going against the sovereignty of indigenous communities. ”
-- And this from the President who claims to be protecting indigeneous groups, as in the Chevron case, while letting Ecuadorian companies take advantage of them. The key need is for that country to improve its economic development practices.
The mobilization is being led by the country's largest indigenous organization, the National Confederation of Indigenous Nations (CONAIE), which is stating that there was very little discussion regarding the new law and that it will be harmful to the environment and is going against the sovereignty of indigenous communities. ”
-- And this from the President who claims to be protecting indigeneous groups, as in the Chevron case, while letting Ecuadorian companies take advantage of them. The key need is for that country to improve its economic development practices.
an open Letter to NFL PLAYER reps and the NFLPA executive Board
Dear NFLPA Executive Committee Members and Player Representatives:
As you know, a class action suit was filed against the NFLPA and a jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff class of retired NFL players who had signed a "Retired Player Group License Agreement". It should be noted that the acting Director of the NFLPA, Richard Berthelson was a key witness for the NFLPA, but despite his testimony, the jury found that the NFLPA had breached its fiduciary responsibility and their duty to market retired players and compensate them for the use of their images. The verdict was for $7.1 million in compensatory damages and $21 million in punitive damages. After the trial, the lawyers for the NFLPA filed a motion to set aside the verdict. After careful consideration of all the facts, Judge Alsup denied all post-trial motions from the NFLPA's lawyer, Jeffrey Kessler.
In Judge Alsup's ruling, he made a few statements that summed up the reason he thinks the jury came to the decision they made. I have highlighted some of the more important conclusions he made. He said "The jury could reasonably have accepted the view of the evidence that defendants undertook a fiduciary duty to promote and to market all retired players who had signed RPGLAs — yet made no effort to do so — and that defendants' true commercial motive was to create an illusion of representation so that no one else would seek to sign up the RPGLA class and to market them. While defendants offered vague verbal testimony of passing attempts to market the RPGLA group as a whole, the jury could have easily rejected those snippets as self-serving "double talk." Not a single offer to market the entire group was ever in writing; nor was there ever any documentary corroboration of any such verbal group offer. To the contrary, the only writings showed the opposite of marketing — for example, that defendants told Electronic Arts to "scramble" the identities of retired players in the lucrative Madden vintage-team game. This game would have been a golden opportunity for defendants to have offered to license the entire group of RPGLA members but, significantly, no such offer was made — or so the jury could reasonably have found. Instead, defendants told EA to "scramble" the names and identities of retired players and the class received zero from this potential bonanza. What is more, the Hall of Fame evidence showed that defendants were willing to "sell out" the RPGLA class members in order to curry favor with EA (by keeping a competitor of EA out of the market) — or so the jury could have reasonably concluded. And, the "escrow account" referenced in the RPGLA (supposedly to be set up to hold revenues for class members) was never even established by defendants, from which it could reasonably have been inferred that the escrow account was never intended to be anything more than an illusion. A monumental fact was never adequately explained by defendants — how could it have been that defendants lobbied thousands of retired players for fourteen years to sign up for defendants' RPGLA "program," yet never paid one cent to any retired player under the program? Put differently, if retired players' images and identities were really the undesirable"dog food" contended by the defense, then why did they try so hard to sign up the RPGLA class members for so long — only to never pay a penny? Given the golden opportunity presented by the Madden vintage-team game, the jury could reasonably have concluded that the true motive was to deter or to head off any competing effort by any third-party promoter (or by the retired players themselves) to license them as a group and to lull the retired players into misbelieving that defendants were out on the hustings trying to generate revenue for them. Instead, defendants gave complete priority in their group efforts to marketing active players. Defendants got to keep a large share of the active player group money (and very little of any retired player group money) so the incentives were skewed to favor marketing the active players to the exclusion of the retired players."
The Judge also made these comments about the amount of money awarded:
"The verdict is sufficiently low in relation to the vast sums negotiated for the active players and was sufficiently close to the ad hoc totals for retired players that by these benchmarks the verdict was reasonable."
"The evidence as a whole supported the conclusion that had defendants tried to market the RPGLA class members rather than letting EA scramble their identifies, a group royalty in the general vicinity of the verdict would have been obtainable. When viewed against the massive amounts paid for active player group rights, the $7.1 million was reserved."
After reading the Judge's analysis and commentary, we would hope that the NFLPA Executive Committee and the Player Representatives would reconsider appealing the verdict. We do not believe that the active players were fully aware of what was being done by the executive staff and the administrators of the NFLPA with regard to the marketing and compensation of retired players that signed GLA's.
Although we do not hold you totally responsible for the actions that led to the filing of the class action lawsuit, we hope you will look closely at the administration of the NFLPA and realize that there are people still working there that put you in the position you are now in. Make no mistake about it. They work for you. You are their employer and you have every right to hold them accountable for the actions that led to this lawsuit, verdict and monetary award. Remember this……the jury, after listening to hours of testimony and looking at all the evidence, came to the conclusion that not only should retired players be compensated for the use of their images, but that the NFLPA should be punished (punitive damages) for their treatment of retired players. If a jury that had no prior knowledge of these issues could come to this conclusion, then it seems to us that it is time for some major housecleaning at the NFLPA. You have the power to make those changes. Change we can believe in! You know the lessons of teamwork…..you are only as strong as your weakest link. If that link to the past isn't removed then eventually the chain will break.
Retired NFL players are a unique fraternity of men. A fraternity that all of you will someday be joining. For most players, that day will come sooner than they want it to, but while you are still an active player we want you to understand the issues that are important to us. When Gene Upshaw and Doug Allen first put forth the idea of helping retired players through a marketing strategy that compensated all retired players, we were thrilled to say the least. The idea was an exact replica of what you and all active players enjoyed by signing a Group Licensing Agreement. Just like active players, all retired players would share equally in the royalties whether we were a perennial bench warmer or the MVP of the Superbowl. As you now know, that never happened. When we complained, no one at the NFLPA would listen to our concerns and as a result we were forced to take legal action.
Now that the Judge and jury have spoken, we want to put the past behind us and begin healing the wounds that have divided active and retired players. The easiest way to do that is for the NFLPA Executive Committee and the Player Reps to instruct their attorney Jeffrey Kessler to end the legal battle that has pit us against each other and has cost the NFLPA millions of dollars in legal fees.
This is not the time for you to sit back and let others make the decisions for you.
"The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people." Martin Luther King, Jr.
Sincerely,
NFL Retired Players
As you know, a class action suit was filed against the NFLPA and a jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff class of retired NFL players who had signed a "Retired Player Group License Agreement". It should be noted that the acting Director of the NFLPA, Richard Berthelson was a key witness for the NFLPA, but despite his testimony, the jury found that the NFLPA had breached its fiduciary responsibility and their duty to market retired players and compensate them for the use of their images. The verdict was for $7.1 million in compensatory damages and $21 million in punitive damages. After the trial, the lawyers for the NFLPA filed a motion to set aside the verdict. After careful consideration of all the facts, Judge Alsup denied all post-trial motions from the NFLPA's lawyer, Jeffrey Kessler.
In Judge Alsup's ruling, he made a few statements that summed up the reason he thinks the jury came to the decision they made. I have highlighted some of the more important conclusions he made. He said "The jury could reasonably have accepted the view of the evidence that defendants undertook a fiduciary duty to promote and to market all retired players who had signed RPGLAs — yet made no effort to do so — and that defendants' true commercial motive was to create an illusion of representation so that no one else would seek to sign up the RPGLA class and to market them. While defendants offered vague verbal testimony of passing attempts to market the RPGLA group as a whole, the jury could have easily rejected those snippets as self-serving "double talk." Not a single offer to market the entire group was ever in writing; nor was there ever any documentary corroboration of any such verbal group offer. To the contrary, the only writings showed the opposite of marketing — for example, that defendants told Electronic Arts to "scramble" the identities of retired players in the lucrative Madden vintage-team game. This game would have been a golden opportunity for defendants to have offered to license the entire group of RPGLA members but, significantly, no such offer was made — or so the jury could reasonably have found. Instead, defendants told EA to "scramble" the names and identities of retired players and the class received zero from this potential bonanza. What is more, the Hall of Fame evidence showed that defendants were willing to "sell out" the RPGLA class members in order to curry favor with EA (by keeping a competitor of EA out of the market) — or so the jury could have reasonably concluded. And, the "escrow account" referenced in the RPGLA (supposedly to be set up to hold revenues for class members) was never even established by defendants, from which it could reasonably have been inferred that the escrow account was never intended to be anything more than an illusion. A monumental fact was never adequately explained by defendants — how could it have been that defendants lobbied thousands of retired players for fourteen years to sign up for defendants' RPGLA "program," yet never paid one cent to any retired player under the program? Put differently, if retired players' images and identities were really the undesirable"dog food" contended by the defense, then why did they try so hard to sign up the RPGLA class members for so long — only to never pay a penny? Given the golden opportunity presented by the Madden vintage-team game, the jury could reasonably have concluded that the true motive was to deter or to head off any competing effort by any third-party promoter (or by the retired players themselves) to license them as a group and to lull the retired players into misbelieving that defendants were out on the hustings trying to generate revenue for them. Instead, defendants gave complete priority in their group efforts to marketing active players. Defendants got to keep a large share of the active player group money (and very little of any retired player group money) so the incentives were skewed to favor marketing the active players to the exclusion of the retired players."
The Judge also made these comments about the amount of money awarded:
"The verdict is sufficiently low in relation to the vast sums negotiated for the active players and was sufficiently close to the ad hoc totals for retired players that by these benchmarks the verdict was reasonable."
"The evidence as a whole supported the conclusion that had defendants tried to market the RPGLA class members rather than letting EA scramble their identifies, a group royalty in the general vicinity of the verdict would have been obtainable. When viewed against the massive amounts paid for active player group rights, the $7.1 million was reserved."
After reading the Judge's analysis and commentary, we would hope that the NFLPA Executive Committee and the Player Representatives would reconsider appealing the verdict. We do not believe that the active players were fully aware of what was being done by the executive staff and the administrators of the NFLPA with regard to the marketing and compensation of retired players that signed GLA's.
Although we do not hold you totally responsible for the actions that led to the filing of the class action lawsuit, we hope you will look closely at the administration of the NFLPA and realize that there are people still working there that put you in the position you are now in. Make no mistake about it. They work for you. You are their employer and you have every right to hold them accountable for the actions that led to this lawsuit, verdict and monetary award. Remember this……the jury, after listening to hours of testimony and looking at all the evidence, came to the conclusion that not only should retired players be compensated for the use of their images, but that the NFLPA should be punished (punitive damages) for their treatment of retired players. If a jury that had no prior knowledge of these issues could come to this conclusion, then it seems to us that it is time for some major housecleaning at the NFLPA. You have the power to make those changes. Change we can believe in! You know the lessons of teamwork…..you are only as strong as your weakest link. If that link to the past isn't removed then eventually the chain will break.
Retired NFL players are a unique fraternity of men. A fraternity that all of you will someday be joining. For most players, that day will come sooner than they want it to, but while you are still an active player we want you to understand the issues that are important to us. When Gene Upshaw and Doug Allen first put forth the idea of helping retired players through a marketing strategy that compensated all retired players, we were thrilled to say the least. The idea was an exact replica of what you and all active players enjoyed by signing a Group Licensing Agreement. Just like active players, all retired players would share equally in the royalties whether we were a perennial bench warmer or the MVP of the Superbowl. As you now know, that never happened. When we complained, no one at the NFLPA would listen to our concerns and as a result we were forced to take legal action.
Now that the Judge and jury have spoken, we want to put the past behind us and begin healing the wounds that have divided active and retired players. The easiest way to do that is for the NFLPA Executive Committee and the Player Reps to instruct their attorney Jeffrey Kessler to end the legal battle that has pit us against each other and has cost the NFLPA millions of dollars in legal fees.
This is not the time for you to sit back and let others make the decisions for you.
"The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people." Martin Luther King, Jr.
Sincerely,
NFL Retired Players
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Jeff From Oakland talks Obama and America's Racial Future
I was in the middle of finishing an interview in front of the Capital on the night before the Inauguration, when this man came up and said "Hey. You're Zennie. I read yout blog." It turned out he was from Oaklland, and is active in the North Oakland political scene. That led to this video conversation I recorded with Jeff from Oakland.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Barack Oblogger: Cursed Purple Tickets (or, how I worked for two years to get Obama elected and then couldn't view the Inauguration)”
More at Barack Oblogger I can personally attest to the hard work and determination of Lonnee Hamilton, who's been a valued contributor to my blog network, and a tireless worker.
To learn that she was in the tunnel is saddening to me. Here's part of her account:
To learn that she was in the tunnel is saddening to me. Here's part of her account:
: “I'm one of those Obamaites some people hate. Since the day he announced his candidacy, I have been working full-bore to get this man elected. I've been a volunteer and a staff member. My family has been brought to the verge of economic collapse due to my dedication toward the campaign and its untold volunteer hours. Life has been put on hold, household repairs have gone undone, there has been tension in my relationship with an extremely supportive and patient spouse, who would have loved to see my passion for Obama put into a proper financial perspective. My two children have sold bumper stickers, buttons, and have put up with Mom blogging for Obama in her "spare time" for almost two years.
And you know what, there are thousands of people throughout the country who have worked as hard as I have, if not harder
And that's why my let-down about the Inauguration is that much greater. Because I was unlucky enough, along with thousands of other Obama volunteers, to have been given one of the "Purple Tickets of Doom."”
Obama Inauguration - 3rd street tunnel people sing Lean on Me - purple gate
There were stories of people trapped in the now infamous "Third Street" Tunnel. Here's a video that shows just how many people were in it, in this case, singing "Lean On Me" just to get through the ordeal. Here, it looks like the doors were eventually opened, because the crowd starts moving.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Chris Matthews Attacks Bloggers; My Vlog To Chris Matthews
According to The Huffington Post, MSNBC's Chris Matthews tried to make "Bloggers" a perjorative on his show when he denounced Bloggers as a source for news. This is what was written:
Chris does not understand the term "Blogging" or that journalists can blog to, thus my video:
Earlier in the segment Matthews speculated that the 'personal problem' that was given as Kennedy's reason for withdrawing was her marriage to Edwin Schlossberg. But when Benjamin said that the "affair question" was surfacing on blogs, Matthews abruptly cut her off: "Let's stick to journalism. I don't do that here. If it's just blogging let's drop it."
Chris does not understand the term "Blogging" or that journalists can blog to, thus my video:
Obama Inauguration - Stuck At Dulles Airport
Well, after another big large air traffic event, here I am stuck at another airport wating standby -- the byproduct of last-minute travel. This time Dulles Airport. But I'm not alone as I see the same people from flight to flight, trying to return to the SF Bay Area.
2009 Academy Awards Nominations Annouced Today
Well, Oscar time is here. The 2009 Academy Awards take place in just one month! Forest Witaker, fresh from his appearance at the 2009 Presidential Inauguration and the "We Are One" Concert, presented the nominees with Oscar President Syd Ganis. Here's the video:
But that was only part of the list. Here's the full list of nominees:
The 2009 Oscar nominees are:
Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Richard Jenkins THE VISITOR
Frank Langella FROST/NIXON
Sean Penn MILK
Brad Pitt
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
Mickey Rourke THE WRESTLER
Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Josh Brolin MILK
Robert Downey Jr. TROPIC THUNDER
Philip Seymour Hoffman DOUBT
Heath Ledger THE DARK KNIGHT
Michael Shannon REVOLUTIONARY ROAD
Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Anne Hathaway RACHEL GETTING MARRIED
Angelina Jolie CHANGELING
Melissa Leo FROZEN RIVER
Meryl Streep DOUBT
Kate Winslet THE READER
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Amy Adams DOUBT
Penélope Cruz VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA
Viola Davis DOUBT
Taraji P. Henson
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
Marisa Tomei THE WRESTLER
Best Animated Feature Film of the Year
BOLT
KUNG FU PANDA
WALL-E
Achievement in Art Direction
CHANGELING
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
THE DUCHESS
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD
Achievement in Cinematography
CHANGELING
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
THE READER
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Achievement in Costume Design
AUSTRALIA
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DUCHESS
MILK
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD
Achievement in Directing
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
FROST/NIXON
MILK
THE READER
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Best Documentary Feature
THE BETRAYAL (NERAKHOON)
ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD
THE GARDEN
MAN ON WIRE
TROUBLE THE WATER
Best Documentary Short Subject
THE CONSCIENCE OF NHEM EN
THE FINAL INCH
SMILE PINKI
THE WITNESS - FROM THE BALCONY OF ROOM 306
Achievement in Film Editing
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
FROST/NIXON
MILK
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Best Foreign Language Film of the Year
The Baader Meinhof Complex
The Class
Departures
Revanchee
Waltz With Bashir
Achievement in Makeup
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY
Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score)
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
DEFIANCE
MILK
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
WALL-E
Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Song)
WALL-E "Down to Earth"
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE "Jai Ho"
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE"O Saya"
Best Motion Picture of the Year
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
FROST/NIXON
MILK
THE READER
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Best Animated Short Film
La Maison en Petits Cubes
LAVATORY - LOVESTORY
OKTAPODI
PRESTO
THIS WAY UP
Best Live Action Short Film
AUF DER STRECKE (ON THE LINE)
MANON ON THE ASPHALT
NEW BOY
THE PIG
SPIELZEUGLAND (TOYLAND)
Achievement in Sound Editing
THE DARK KNIGHT
IRON MAN
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
WALL-E
WANTED
Achievement in Sound Mixing
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
WALL-E
WANTED
Achievement in Visual Effects
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
IRON MAN
Adapted Screenplay
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
DOUBT
FROST/NIXON
THE READER
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Original Screenplay
FROZEN RIVER
HAPPY-GO-LUCKY
IN BRUGES
MILK
WALL-E
Now comes the hard part. Predictions. But event then, my question is this: are you going to watch the Oscars? Let me know!
But that was only part of the list. Here's the full list of nominees:
The 2009 Oscar nominees are:
Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Richard Jenkins THE VISITOR
Frank Langella FROST/NIXON
Sean Penn MILK
Brad Pitt
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
Mickey Rourke THE WRESTLER
Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Josh Brolin MILK
Robert Downey Jr. TROPIC THUNDER
Philip Seymour Hoffman DOUBT
Heath Ledger THE DARK KNIGHT
Michael Shannon REVOLUTIONARY ROAD
Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Anne Hathaway RACHEL GETTING MARRIED
Angelina Jolie CHANGELING
Melissa Leo FROZEN RIVER
Meryl Streep DOUBT
Kate Winslet THE READER
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Amy Adams DOUBT
Penélope Cruz VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA
Viola Davis DOUBT
Taraji P. Henson
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
Marisa Tomei THE WRESTLER
Best Animated Feature Film of the Year
BOLT
KUNG FU PANDA
WALL-E
Achievement in Art Direction
CHANGELING
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
THE DUCHESS
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD
Achievement in Cinematography
CHANGELING
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
THE READER
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Achievement in Costume Design
AUSTRALIA
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DUCHESS
MILK
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD
Achievement in Directing
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
FROST/NIXON
MILK
THE READER
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Best Documentary Feature
THE BETRAYAL (NERAKHOON)
ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD
THE GARDEN
MAN ON WIRE
TROUBLE THE WATER
Best Documentary Short Subject
THE CONSCIENCE OF NHEM EN
THE FINAL INCH
SMILE PINKI
THE WITNESS - FROM THE BALCONY OF ROOM 306
Achievement in Film Editing
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
FROST/NIXON
MILK
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Best Foreign Language Film of the Year
The Baader Meinhof Complex
The Class
Departures
Revanchee
Waltz With Bashir
Achievement in Makeup
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY
Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score)
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
DEFIANCE
MILK
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
WALL-E
Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Song)
WALL-E "Down to Earth"
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE "Jai Ho"
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE"O Saya"
Best Motion Picture of the Year
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
FROST/NIXON
MILK
THE READER
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Best Animated Short Film
La Maison en Petits Cubes
LAVATORY - LOVESTORY
OKTAPODI
PRESTO
THIS WAY UP
Best Live Action Short Film
AUF DER STRECKE (ON THE LINE)
MANON ON THE ASPHALT
NEW BOY
THE PIG
SPIELZEUGLAND (TOYLAND)
Achievement in Sound Editing
THE DARK KNIGHT
IRON MAN
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
WALL-E
WANTED
Achievement in Sound Mixing
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
WALL-E
WANTED
Achievement in Visual Effects
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
IRON MAN
Adapted Screenplay
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
DOUBT
FROST/NIXON
THE READER
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Original Screenplay
FROZEN RIVER
HAPPY-GO-LUCKY
IN BRUGES
MILK
WALL-E
Now comes the hard part. Predictions. But event then, my question is this: are you going to watch the Oscars? Let me know!
2009 Academy Awards Nominations Annouced Today
Well, Oscar time is here. The 2009 Academy Awards take place in just one month! Forest Witaker, fresh from his appearance at the 2009 Presidential Inauguration and the "We Are One" Concert, presented the nominees with Oscar President Syd Ganis. Here's the video:
But that was only part of the list. Here's the full list of nominees:
The 2009 Oscar nominees are:
Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Richard Jenkins THE VISITOR
Frank Langella FROST/NIXON
Sean Penn MILK
Brad Pitt
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
Mickey Rourke THE WRESTLER
Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Josh Brolin MILK
Robert Downey Jr. TROPIC THUNDER
Philip Seymour Hoffman DOUBT
Heath Ledger THE DARK KNIGHT
Michael Shannon REVOLUTIONARY ROAD
Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Anne Hathaway RACHEL GETTING MARRIED
Angelina Jolie CHANGELING
Melissa Leo FROZEN RIVER
Meryl Streep DOUBT
Kate Winslet THE READER
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Amy Adams DOUBT
Penélope Cruz VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA
Viola Davis DOUBT
Taraji P. Henson
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
Marisa Tomei THE WRESTLER
Best Animated Feature Film of the Year
BOLT
KUNG FU PANDA
WALL-E
Achievement in Art Direction
CHANGELING
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
THE DUCHESS
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD
Achievement in Cinematography
CHANGELING
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
THE READER
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Achievement in Costume Design
AUSTRALIA
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DUCHESS
MILK
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD
Achievement in Directing
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
FROST/NIXON
MILK
THE READER
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Best Documentary Feature
THE BETRAYAL (NERAKHOON)
ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD
THE GARDEN
MAN ON WIRE
TROUBLE THE WATER
Best Documentary Short Subject
THE CONSCIENCE OF NHEM EN
THE FINAL INCH
SMILE PINKI
THE WITNESS - FROM THE BALCONY OF ROOM 306
Achievement in Film Editing
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
FROST/NIXON
MILK
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Best Foreign Language Film of the Year
The Baader Meinhof Complex
The Class
Departures
Revanchee
Waltz With Bashir
Achievement in Makeup
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY
Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score)
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
DEFIANCE
MILK
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
WALL-E
Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Song)
WALL-E "Down to Earth"
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE "Jai Ho"
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE"O Saya"
Best Motion Picture of the Year
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
FROST/NIXON
MILK
THE READER
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Best Animated Short Film
La Maison en Petits Cubes
LAVATORY - LOVESTORY
OKTAPODI
PRESTO
THIS WAY UP
Best Live Action Short Film
AUF DER STRECKE (ON THE LINE)
MANON ON THE ASPHALT
NEW BOY
THE PIG
SPIELZEUGLAND (TOYLAND)
Achievement in Sound Editing
THE DARK KNIGHT
IRON MAN
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
WALL-E
WANTED
Achievement in Sound Mixing
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
WALL-E
WANTED
Achievement in Visual Effects
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
IRON MAN
Adapted Screenplay
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
DOUBT
FROST/NIXON
THE READER
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Original Screenplay
FROZEN RIVER
HAPPY-GO-LUCKY
IN BRUGES
MILK
WALL-E
Now comes the hard part. Predictions. But event then, my question is this: are you going to watch the Oscars? Let me know!
But that was only part of the list. Here's the full list of nominees:
The 2009 Oscar nominees are:
Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Richard Jenkins THE VISITOR
Frank Langella FROST/NIXON
Sean Penn MILK
Brad Pitt
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
Mickey Rourke THE WRESTLER
Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Josh Brolin MILK
Robert Downey Jr. TROPIC THUNDER
Philip Seymour Hoffman DOUBT
Heath Ledger THE DARK KNIGHT
Michael Shannon REVOLUTIONARY ROAD
Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Anne Hathaway RACHEL GETTING MARRIED
Angelina Jolie CHANGELING
Melissa Leo FROZEN RIVER
Meryl Streep DOUBT
Kate Winslet THE READER
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Amy Adams DOUBT
Penélope Cruz VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA
Viola Davis DOUBT
Taraji P. Henson
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
Marisa Tomei THE WRESTLER
Best Animated Feature Film of the Year
BOLT
KUNG FU PANDA
WALL-E
Achievement in Art Direction
CHANGELING
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
THE DUCHESS
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD
Achievement in Cinematography
CHANGELING
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
THE READER
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Achievement in Costume Design
AUSTRALIA
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DUCHESS
MILK
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD
Achievement in Directing
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
FROST/NIXON
MILK
THE READER
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Best Documentary Feature
THE BETRAYAL (NERAKHOON)
ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD
THE GARDEN
MAN ON WIRE
TROUBLE THE WATER
Best Documentary Short Subject
THE CONSCIENCE OF NHEM EN
THE FINAL INCH
SMILE PINKI
THE WITNESS - FROM THE BALCONY OF ROOM 306
Achievement in Film Editing
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
FROST/NIXON
MILK
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Best Foreign Language Film of the Year
The Baader Meinhof Complex
The Class
Departures
Revanchee
Waltz With Bashir
Achievement in Makeup
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY
Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score)
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
DEFIANCE
MILK
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
WALL-E
Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Song)
WALL-E "Down to Earth"
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE "Jai Ho"
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE"O Saya"
Best Motion Picture of the Year
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
FROST/NIXON
MILK
THE READER
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Best Animated Short Film
La Maison en Petits Cubes
LAVATORY - LOVESTORY
OKTAPODI
PRESTO
THIS WAY UP
Best Live Action Short Film
AUF DER STRECKE (ON THE LINE)
MANON ON THE ASPHALT
NEW BOY
THE PIG
SPIELZEUGLAND (TOYLAND)
Achievement in Sound Editing
THE DARK KNIGHT
IRON MAN
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
WALL-E
WANTED
Achievement in Sound Mixing
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
WALL-E
WANTED
Achievement in Visual Effects
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
IRON MAN
Adapted Screenplay
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
DOUBT
FROST/NIXON
THE READER
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Original Screenplay
FROZEN RIVER
HAPPY-GO-LUCKY
IN BRUGES
MILK
WALL-E
Now comes the hard part. Predictions. But event then, my question is this: are you going to watch the Oscars? Let me know!
President Obama gets down to work
From the BBC: President Barack Obama got down to the serious work of being US president the day after the ceremony and glamour of his inauguration.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Chelsea Lately - Why Is The Show Funny To You?
Ok. I'm not getting the humor of the TV show Chelsea Lately. Why is it funny? What is it that makes it entertaining? I'm not getting it. Tell me. what is it?
The Internet Inauguration - RocketBoom
Rocketboom has a cool video that shows how the Internet's capacity was literally taxed on Inauguration Day: Images, tweets, and posts from the 2009 Inauguration of President Barack Obama. Distributed by Tubemogul.
Joe Scarborough: Obama's Speech Best Since JFK in 1960
I literally ran into Joe Scarborough, the host of MSNBC's Morning Joe as I was walking into the lobby of a hotel for the sole purpose of warming up from the cold weather after President Barack Obama's great Inauguration acceptance speech. Joe was good enough to share his view of that speech with me, saying that it was the best one since John F. Kennedy's speech in 1960.
President Obama To Create Office Of Urban Policy
From President Barack Obama
The Obama White House website includes the following paragraph: “Create a White House Office on Urban Policy: President Obama and Vice President Biden will create a White House Office of Urban Policy to develop a strategy for metropolitan America and to ensure that all federal dollars targeted to urban areas are effectively spent on the highest-impact programs. The Director of Urban Policy will report directly to the president and coordinate all federal urban programs.”
As of this writing just who will serve is the role of The Director of Urban Policy is anyone's guess. I think Lennar's Director of Urban Land Kofi Bonner is the best choice to be President Barack Obama's Director of Urban Policy. He could hit the ground running.
The Obama White House website includes the following paragraph: “Create a White House Office on Urban Policy: President Obama and Vice President Biden will create a White House Office of Urban Policy to develop a strategy for metropolitan America and to ensure that all federal dollars targeted to urban areas are effectively spent on the highest-impact programs. The Director of Urban Policy will report directly to the president and coordinate all federal urban programs.”
As of this writing just who will serve is the role of The Director of Urban Policy is anyone's guess. I think Lennar's Director of Urban Land Kofi Bonner is the best choice to be President Barack Obama's Director of Urban Policy. He could hit the ground running.
A National Day of Renewal and Reconciliation - The White House Blog
From President Barack Obama : “Moments ago, in his first official act since taking the oath of office, President Barack Obama issued a proclamation, calling on Americans to serve one another and our common purpose on this National Day of Renewal and Reconciliation. Check it out below, or read it on the WhiteHouse.gov proclamations page.
NATIONAL DAY OF RENEWAL AND RECONCILIATION, 2009
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BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
As I take the sacred oath of the highest office in the land, I am humbled by the responsibility placed upon my shoulders, renewed by the courage and decency of the American people, and fortified by my faith in an awesome God.
We are in the midst of a season of trial. Our Nation is being tested, and our people know great uncertainty. Yet the story of America is one of renewal in the face of adversity, reconciliation in a time of discord, and we know that there is a purpose for everything under heaven.
On this Inauguration Day, we are reminded that we are heirs to over two centuries of American democracy, and that this legacy is not simply a birthright -- it is a glorious burden. Now it falls to us to come together as a people to carry it forward once more.
So in the words of President Abraham Lincoln, let us remember that: "The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature."
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 20, 2009, a National Day of Renewal and Reconciliation, and call upon all of our citizens to serve one another and the common purpose of remaking this Nation for our new century.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twentieth day of January, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-third.”
NATIONAL DAY OF RENEWAL AND RECONCILIATION, 2009
- - - - - - -
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
As I take the sacred oath of the highest office in the land, I am humbled by the responsibility placed upon my shoulders, renewed by the courage and decency of the American people, and fortified by my faith in an awesome God.
We are in the midst of a season of trial. Our Nation is being tested, and our people know great uncertainty. Yet the story of America is one of renewal in the face of adversity, reconciliation in a time of discord, and we know that there is a purpose for everything under heaven.
On this Inauguration Day, we are reminded that we are heirs to over two centuries of American democracy, and that this legacy is not simply a birthright -- it is a glorious burden. Now it falls to us to come together as a people to carry it forward once more.
So in the words of President Abraham Lincoln, let us remember that: "The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature."
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 20, 2009, a National Day of Renewal and Reconciliation, and call upon all of our citizens to serve one another and the common purpose of remaking this Nation for our new century.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twentieth day of January, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-third.”
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