Late Show - Where's Joaquin Phoenix? - 2/11/09

This Letterman show video clip is just too funny for words!

Oscar Grant: Source: Autopsy Shows Crack Cocaine In Body

A well-placed source reported to me that BART Shooting victim Oscar Grant was found to have Crack Cocaine in his body, and planted through his buttocks. My source also accuses KTVU TV (Oakland, CA) News of delaying video release.

My source is a long-time law enforcement official who has seen cases like this more often than not -- but this case given the video evidence, is different.  My source originally tipped me off to the extense of a third KTVU video of the Oscar Grant shooting by BART Police Officer Johannes Mesherle.   He said that  the video showed that another BART officer was clearly on Grant and beating him.  The source said that KTVU was withholding the video because they did not want to start a race-riot.

The second tip regards the Crack Cocaine matter.  He claims that the autopsy, which is to be completed by March according, shows that the drugs were stuffed in his body via his buttocks.   My source holds that this is why -- he contends -- Grant's behavior was agressive.

He continues "Initially, Grant approached a female police officer agressively but was blocked by a male officer."  My source also says that Grant did not have a gun on him, but that the person in the fight on the train actually got off at West Oakland station and was never found.

According to my source, this is what happened:

A fight on a Dublin-bound BART line train started at Embarcadero Station, and continued through the BART tube.  When the train reached West Oakland station, the person who had the gun got out of the train, which then went to Lake Merritt station, but was not stopped by police.   Then it went to Fruitvale Station, where it was stopped.  Grant was pulled from the train with a number of other suspects who were in that car and said to have been involved in the fight.

KTVU Controls Video Evidence

My source has stated that KTVU has been "controlling video evidence" and using it to generate ratings.  His assertion is backed by video evidence where KTVU news reporters claim that the video are "only on Channel Two" and in the case I show, demonstrates that KTVU made decisions to show videos because they would effect the case itself.

Source Believes Mesherle Will Walk

Finally, my source believes that a trial will not result in a conviction of (former) Officer Mesherle, even with the video evidence.  His reasons are how the case is being set up as a murder conviction, when it was clear to my source that it was not intentional or premeditated and what he's hearing from other colleagues both in the "Law" and the "Order" side of this matter in Alameda County.

Please "stay tuned" for more updates.

Click for iReport version.  

Julia Allison and Gawker's Obsession With The Online Star

Julia Allison's exploits are regularly covered by the online publications Gawker and Valleywag, who complain that she wants attention, then give her the attention in the process. Why? She's a great example of self-promotion.

Julia Allison and Gawker's Obsession With The Online Star

Julia Allison's exploits are regularly covered by the online publications Gawker and Valleywag, who complain that she wants attention, then give her the attention in the process. Why? She's a great example of self-promotion.

I wrote about Allison a while back in this tongue-in-cheek take on her search for White Guys at tech parties. In the age of Obama I think she got the hint and started paying attention to men of color too, a good thing. But why is Gawker so taken with her?

Regardless of the reason, Allison is clearly an Internet star and a model of how to cheaply build buzz using online resources available to anyone. Heck, I'm taking notes from Julia.

Paid Downloads are Coming to YouTube

Alex Chitu spotted a new 'purchases' section in his YouTube account today and YouTube just made it official: YouTube's partners can now offer their videos for paid downloads. While Google has always given its partners the option to offer downloads of their videos under the Creative Commons

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U.S. tweaks Internet privacy guidelines

Federal regulators tweaked recommendations for how websites should collect, save and share information about users, extending them to Internet service providers and mobile users. "You may have a contract with your ISP and everywhere you go, they can be collecting information on you."

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What Do Modern Men Want in Women?

Researchers at the University of Iowa find that men increasingly are interested in intelligent, educated women who are financially stable — and chastity isn't an issue.

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California Must Release 10,000+ Inmates Due To Crowding

"There are simply too many prisoners for the existing capacity," they wrote. "Evidence offered at trial was overwhelmingly to the effect that overcrowding is the primary cause of the unconstitutional conditions that have been found to exist in the California prisons."

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Obama's New Drug Czar: Good News for Marijuana Advocates

Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske is reportedly Obama's choice for drug czar. He's overseen one of America's most pot-friendly cities. If he was cool with Hempfest in Seattle, what can we talk him into when he comes to Washington, DC?

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Congress's New Love Affair with Twitter, for Better or Worse

For members of Congress used to having their messages and contacts heavily filtered, the micro-blogging site offers a real-time connection with their constituents and the media.

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Rep. Cantor Attacked For Profanity-Laced Web Video

House Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA) posted a Web video a obscenity-laden Web advertisement on his site intending to mock working Americans.

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USA was 3 hrs away from Economic, Political Collapse in Sept

Paul Kanjorski: In mid-September of 2008, the U.S. came just three hours away from the collapse of the entire economy. In a span of 2 hours, $550 billion was drawn out of money market accounts in an electronic run on the banks. Rep. Kanjorski: "It would have been the end of our economic system and our political system as we know it."

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Judd Gregg Withdraws Commerce Secretary Nomination

New Hampshire Senator Judd Gregg has withdrawn his nomination to serve as President Obama's Commerce Secretary. Read his full statement.

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Sen. Patrick Leahy: Investigate Bush-Cheney Abuses

Proposing the idea of a truth and reconciliation commission to investigate abuses during the Bush-Cheney administration, which may include the use of torture, warrantless wiretapping, extraordinary rendition, and executive override of laws. 



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49 Killed as Continental Plane Crashes Into NY Home

County Executive Chris Collins said that there may have been as many as 50 people aboard the plane and crew members had reported mechanical problems as they approached Buffalo Niagara International Airport. Several injured people were taken from the scene to Erie County Medical Center for treatment.

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Engineers Revolutionize Nano Fabrication

Yale engineers have created a process that may revolutionize the manufacture of nano-devices from computer memory to biomedical sensors by exploiting a novel type of metal. The material can be molded like plastics to create features at the nano-scale and yet is more durable and stronger than silicon or steel.

read more | digg story

U.S. now sees Iran as pursuing nuclear bomb

The Obama administration seems to have reversed the US position (published in a NIE in 2007) that Iran is not currently pursuing nuclear weapons: (FTA) 'President Obama went so far as to describe Iran's "development of a nuclear weapon" before correcting himself to refer to its "pursuit" of weapons capability.'

read more | digg story

Cell Phone Guns; Deadly "James Bond" Micro Weapon

The cell phone gun is now in media view after a raid of an Italian Mafia group last fall. A 28-year old man captured had this device, but the the others got away. I fear this weapon - which is in the United States - would wind up in our high schools.

Click here for iReport version.

2/9/09: Presidential Press Conference - White House Video

This is from the White House:

On Monday evening, February 9, 2009, President Obama gave his first White House press conference. It was held in the East Room of the White House.

(this video is public domain)

The GOP opposes bi-partisan solutions.

The GOP was quick to vote for hundreds of billions of dollars to bail out rich Wall Street CEOs and bankers when then-President George Bush asked them to, but now that the money isn't going just to the rich anymore they are evidently closing up ranks. “Sen. Specter voted for the so-called stimulus bill, mortgaging the future of Pennsylvania’s children and grandchildren” said former daily talk-radio host and journalist Scott Wheeler, now the Executive Director of the National Republican Trust PAC in rhetoric emphasizing his desire to see the five-term Senator from Pennsylvania ousted.

Wheeler, formerly in the pay of Rev. Sun Myung Moon's News World Communications, went on to say, “It will just line the pockets of liberal political hacks to whom the Democratic Party is beholden. Sen. Specter and other Republicans who voted for this travesty will be held accountable.”

The plan includes a new public-private partnership that would seek to unclog the credit markets by buying up toxic securities. Senator Specter (R-PA), who voted against the release of the second $350 billion, on Friday said there were "aspects of this bill which give me heartburn." As a seasoned veteran of both the Korean War and many challenges in the Senate, Specter concluded:

...that’s the position you’re in if you’re a United States Senator. People are unhappy because they didn’t get the full amount from the Committee report, although absent this bill they get zero additional. People are unhappy about spending too much money, but it is imperative, as I see it, that we do something very, very substantial.

There are reasons to argue that this is a bad bill. I’m not saying it’s a bad bill; I’m saying there are reasons to argue that it’s a bad bill. But I do not believe that there is any doubt that the economy would be enormously worse off without it. That’s the kind of a choice we have to make.

Personally I would prefer not to be on the edge of the pin as so frequently is the case in this body. But I do believe that we have to act, and I believe that under all of the circumstances, this is the best we can do and we ought to do it.

For this, Specter is now unpopular with some at National Republican Trust PAC despite strongly supporting the death penalty and opposing most gun control (voting against background checks at gun shows, the ban on assault weapons, and handgun trigger locks.) He's written numerous articles advocating the the death penalty as a crime deterrent.

Sometimes labeled a moderate, Senator Specter provoked Democrats and women's groups by his combative questioning of Anita Hill during the Clarence Thomas hearings, and asserting "flat-out perjury" in her testimony. Yet Wheeler has targeted his sights on Specter for being too cozy with the changes the voters mandated in electing Obama. Foreclosures and layoffs aren't on Wheeler's radar, evidently, now that Bush is not in the Oval Office.

Here's part of what Senator Arlen Specter, a son of immigrants, told the national media on Tuesday, Feb 10, 2008:

The current recession may go into full-scale depression like 1929. When we worked this through, we went as far as we could. We structured it very, very carefully and there were a lot of people who were objecting to it. Fortunately, the Chamber of Commerce, a very strong Republican conservative organization, agrees that this is necessary because of a perilous economic situation and because it does a lot to rebuild America and because a substantial part of it involves tax cuts.

Specter has acted in what he sees as the best interests of his constituents and the citizens of the United States of America. I salute his bravery in reaching across the aisle to craft a bi-partisan bill intended to stave off the worst effects of the economic crisis the previous administration has created.

Presidents of Venezuela and Ecuador Singing

From YouTuber zvezdannewsTV: The World Social Forum in Brazil (a gathering of activists billed as an alternative to the Economic Forum of business leaders in Davos, Switzerland) finished with singing. A song about Ernesto Che Guevara was sung by the presidents of Venezuela and Ecuador - Hugo Chavez and Rafael Correa.

Barry Bonds Arraignment in San Francisco Federal Court

From Inside Bay Area: Former San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds pleaded not guilty to 11 criminal counts as part of an indictment accusing him of lying about steroid use before a 2003 grand jury.

ARod? Steroids? Blame Baseball and The Commissioner

Alex Rodriguez admitted that he took performance enhancing drugs in 2003, and perhaps between 2001 and 2003 while with the Texas Rangers. But I don't blame him, I blame Baseball and the Commissioner of Baseball for the "Golden Home Run Age."

President Obama's First News Conference: Transcript Of Statement By Obama

President Barack Obama gave his first press conference of his young administration Monday evening. Here's CQPolitics video summary:



Here's the text From WhiteHouse.gov of what he said to open the questions:

OPENING REMARKS OF PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA -- AS PREPARED FOR DELIVERY
First Presidential Press Conference
East Room, The White House
Monday, February 9th, 2009

Good evening. Before I take your questions tonight, I’d like to speak briefly about the state of our economy and why I believe we need to put this recovery plan in motion as soon as possible.

I took a trip to Elkhart, Indiana today. Elkhart is a place that has lost jobs faster than anywhere else in America. In one year, the unemployment rate went from 4.7% to 15.3%. Companies that have sustained this community for years are shedding jobs at an alarming speed, and the people who’ve lost them have no idea what to do or who to turn to. They can’t pay their bills and they’ve stopped spending money. And because they’ve stopped spending money, more businesses have been forced to lay off more workers. Local TV stations have started running public service announcements that tell people where to find food banks, even as the food banks don’t have enough to meet the demand.

As we speak, similar scenes are playing out in cities and towns across the country. Last Monday, more than 1,000 men and women stood in line for 35 firefighter jobs in Miami. Last month, our economy lost 598,000 jobs, which is nearly the equivalent of losing every single job in the state of Maine. And if there’s anyone out there who still doesn’t believe this constitutes a full-blown crisis, I suggest speaking to one of the millions of Americans whose lives have been turned upside down because they don’t know where their next paycheck is coming from.

That is why the single most important part of this Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Plan is the fact that it will save or create up to 4 million jobs. Because that is what America needs most right now.

It is absolutely true that we cannot depend on government alone to create jobs or economic growth. That is and must be the role of the private sector. But at this particular moment, with the private sector so weakened by this recession, the federal government is the only entity left with the resources to jolt our economy back to life. It is only government that can break the vicious cycle where lost jobs lead to people spending less money which leads to even more layoffs. And breaking that cycle is exactly what the plan that’s moving through Congress is designed to do.

When passed, this plan will ensure that Americans who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own can receive greater unemployment benefits and continue their health care coverage. We will also provide a $2,500 tax credit to folks who are struggling to pay the cost of their college tuition, and $1000 worth of badly-needed tax relief to working and middle-class families. These steps will put more money in the pockets of those Americans who are most likely to spend it, and that will help break the cycle and get our economy moving.

But as we learned very clearly and conclusively over the last eight years, tax cuts alone cannot solve all our economic problems – especially tax cuts that are targeted to the wealthiest few Americans. We have tried that strategy time and time again, and it has only helped lead us to the crisis we face right now.

That is why we have come together around a plan that combines hundreds of billions in tax cuts for the middle-class with direct investments in areas like health care, energy, education, and infrastructure – investments that will save jobs, create new jobs and new businesses, and help our economy grow again – now and in the future.

More than 90% of the jobs created by this plan will be in the private sector. These will not be make-work jobs, but jobs doing the work that America desperately needs done. Jobs rebuilding our crumbling roads and bridges, and repairing our dangerously deficient dams and levees so that we don’t face another Katrina. They will be jobs building the wind turbines and solar panels and fuel-efficient cars that will lower our dependence on foreign oil, and modernizing a costly health care system that will save us billions of dollars and countless lives. They’ll be jobs creating 21st century classrooms, libraries, and labs for millions of children across America. And they’ll be the jobs of firefighters, teachers, and police officers that would otherwise be eliminated if we do not provide states with some relief.

After many weeks of debate and discussion, the plan that ultimately emerges from Congress must be big enough and bold enough to meet the size of the economic challenge we face right now. It is a plan that is already supported by businesses representing almost every industry in America; by both the Chamber of Commerce and the AFL-CIO. It contains input, ideas, and compromises from both Democrats and Republicans. It also contains an unprecedented level of transparency and accountability, so that every American will be able to go online and see where and how we’re spending every dime. What it does not contain, however, is a single pet project, and it has been stripped of the projects members of both parties found most objectionable.

Despite all of this, the plan is not perfect. No plan is. I can’t tell you for sure that everything in this plan will work exactly as we hope, but I can tell you with complete confidence that a failure to act will only deepen this crisis as well as the pain felt by millions of Americans. My administration inherited a deficit of over $1 trillion, but because we also inherited the most profound economic emergency since the Great Depression, doing too little or nothing at all will result in an even greater deficit of jobs, incomes; and confidence. That is a deficit that could turn a crisis into a catastrophe. And I refuse to let that happen. As long as I hold this office, I will do whatever it takes to put this country back to work.

I want to thank the members of Congress who’ve worked so hard to move this plan forward, but I also want to urge all members of Congress to act without delay in the coming week to resolve their differences and pass this plan.

We find ourselves in a rare moment where the citizens of our country and all countries are watching and waiting for us to lead. It is a responsibility that this generation did not ask for, but one that we must accept for the sake of our future and our children’s. The strongest democracies flourish from frequent and lively debate, but they endure when people of every background and belief find a way to set aside smaller differences in service of a greater purpose. That is the test facing the United States of America in this winter of our hardship, and it is our duty as leaders and citizens to stay true to that purpose in the weeks and months ahead. After a day of speaking with and listening to the fundamentally decent men and women who call this nation home, I have full faith and confidence that we can. And with that, I’ll take your questions.

Fox Oakland Gala Event Video: Oakland, CA February 5th 2009

The majestic Fox Oakland Theater reopened with a bang as a lavish gala was held February 5th. The event featured "everything 40s": people dressed in vintage wear. It was Oakland's coming out party.

2009 Oscars® Trailer -- Academy Awards February 22, 2009

Whaling Ship Attacked By Anti-Whaling Vessel; Collide in Whaling Clash

From the Associated Press:

A boat with anti-whaling activists collides with a Japanese whaling vessel in the Antarctic Ocean. No one was injured. Japan is condemning the clash, calling it unforgivable. (Feb. 6)

'The District' Ep. 1 'The Challenges We Face' - Newsweek.com

Newsweek takes New Media by storm, teaming up (smartly) with MTV to produce this new television and webisode called "The District" and is a kind of way of taking the latest news events, hiring an actor to play President Obama, and melding the entire assembly into one 3-plus-minute piece of entertainment.

According to the Huffington Post:

Newsweek set out to probe the deep question, "what if MTV made a reality show about Obama's first 100 days?" And they ended up with this...

Take a look and share your view.

More people call Kellogg's about Phelps than Salmonella

Kellogg's hotline (800-962-1413) says: "If you would like to share comments regarding our relationship with Michael Phelps, please press 1...If you are calling about the recent peanut butter recall, please press 2." Kellogg's made a bad call about American's maturity on marijuana policy. Now, with a boycott, they know it. Will they retract?

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Lesbian Sues Hospital Over Denied Access To Dying Partner

As her partner of 17 years slipped into a coma, Janice Langbehn pleaded with staff to let her into the woman's hospital room. Despite legal proof of guardianship and "power of attorney," Langbehn and the couple's three adopted children were not recognized as family and denied access until eight hours later -- just as the last rites were performed.

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Jeffrey Claude Bartleson: John McCain's manager arrested for child molestation

Under investigation is Jeffrey Claude Bartleson, 52, who was arrested Jan. 29 and then re-arrested Wednesday after a campaign worker in the McCain office told police she believed Bartleson molested one of her sons.

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Never underestimate the power of a woman.

The U.S. economy continues to reverberate from the policies (or perhaps lack of policies) that the Bush-Cheney administration championed since taking office 8 years ago, and by most accounts we've now lost over 3.5 million jobs during the recession that they bestowed upon the tax-payers and future tax-payers. 600,000 Americans have been laid off in January alone. The mortgage foreclosures continue unabated, the unemployment rate is soaring, yet now that Bush is out of office certain members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives continue to support the trickle-down theories that brought us to this economic precipice. But it's not their fault.

The bloc that blocked

I don't mean the state of the economy - that's the fault of everybody who ever championed, or simply ignored, deregulation of the banking and financial industries. No, it's not their fault that they're engaged in partisan posturing at a time when the country has delivered a broad mandate for new approaches, because House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tricked them. The Speaker got the minority to circle their wagons, to vote as a block against the first version of the new Stimulus bill even though they had been supportive of Bush's hurried spending bills to bail out banks as the previous administration was winding down, and now the Republican Senators are largely following suit.

Pelosi ran a bill through quickly for a vote, and now they're posturing desperately while the tax payers and voters watch more closely than the politicos are accustomed to - they're being downright obstructionist, and that leaves the Democrats in a stronger position.

Some strategists might suggest that at such a juncture the wise thing would be to give the newly elected President what he asks for, hoping that by the time the mid-term election rolls around they'd have something to point their fingers at if it fails while saying, "we did what he asked." But the voters are seeing the Republicans suggest we try "cutting taxes" again. Cutting taxes sounds pretty good to the people we've bailed out on Wall Street, I suppose, but when you're worried about losing your job and keeping food on the table your concern is not for the Capital Gains tax which is already considerably lower than the Income Tax, your concern is over staunching the flow of jobs before unemployment spirals to the levels of the Great Depression. President Obama's right to insist on timely action, the same sort of need the prior administration finally woke up to in the waning lame-duck days of their power.

Theatrics are alive and well in the U.S. Senate

What are the Republicans opposed to? Not so much, it turns out: something under 1% of the spending, yet rather than come with proposals for the voters to contemplate their doing what worked in the past, made-for-Fox drama and histrionics, name calling. While the President is visibly reaching out to find common ground, some of the most influential Republicans in the capitol are playing for sound-bites of their outrage and opposition, "...you have to start from scratch" - they failed to realize that Nancy Pelosi invited them back into their old, discredited "we-they" postures for the national audience, and failed to understand the urgency and pain of their constituents as the layoffs and foreclosures continue.

The reality is the situation is urgent; we can't allow the economy of the nation to falter and stall, we can't afford it. The decisions have to be made and plans launched by people who can't remotely follow the calculus that economists such as Paul Krugman or Mark Anson employ. Americans want to get back to work - and we want our elected leaders to do their work swiftly so we can stop laying off teachers and assembly line workers and losing their productive participation in our economy.

Maybe if we enforced layoffs, or even pay cuts, in Congress in proportion to the rest of the country, or the budget, they'd get off their rhetoric and get the bill passed.

Economic Recovery Compromise Makes Rich, Richer: The Alternative Minimum Tax

The President's Economic Recovery Act plan, called the Economic Stimulus and much needed, is headed toward passage but only because of a compromise that essentially makes the rich, richer. It's also a good reason why I believe we need to have a program that gives at least $3,500 to each American under $100,000, rather than just tax credits.

Reportedly, $100 billion was shaved off the plan, but according to the blogger LithiumCola at The DailyKos, the big reason why the plan was cut, and why the Senate plan was about $80 billion more expensive than the House plan, was the installation of a provision adjustment in what's called The Alternative Minimum Tax, such that the AMT increases incomes for those making more money, whereas it has little if any impact on those making less, specifically:

Haley points to a study at the Tax Policy Institute which shows that slashing the AMT increases the incomes of Americans in the top quintile by 1.3%, Americans in the next-highest quintile by .7%, the middle quintile by .1%, and does nothing at all for Americans in the bottom 40% of incomes.

To put that another way, Americans in the middle 20% of incomes will get on average a whopping $52 because of Senator Grassley's demand, those in the second-highest 1/5th will get $502, while Americans in the top 1/5th of incomes will get an average $2,593 -- and that last one includes those in the top 5%, who will get an average of $4,511. This is what the WSJ calls "shielding millions of middle-income Americans from the so-called alternative minimum tax."

It's for this reason I continue to push for a targeted stimulus of $3,500 for every American under $100,000 in income, or an planned allocation capped at 100 million people. The total cost would be $350 billion, and worth every penny.




According to the Federal Reserve Board 2004 survey of consumer finances, the average balance for those carrying credit card balances was $2,200, but many American families do not carry a credit card balance, so the fear that this $3,500 would be used only to retire credit card debt is unfounded. Indeed, there's more evidence to support the observation that the money would be used -- especially by those in the lower income categories -- just to keep a roof over their heads.

US Sherriff's don't want people evicted as record home foreclosure rates are expected. This proposal, combined with relaxed mortgage rates and anticipated refinancing plans, could help to keep Americans in their homes for at least an additional two years. That buys enough time for the other job-producing aspects of the Economic Stimulus plan to take effect.

In closing, given the trillions of dollars sent directly to corporations, $350 billion to the Americans who need it the most is not too much to ask for.


news

President Obama addresses Economic Recovery House Meetings

I got this from David Plouffe of Obama for America:

"President Barack Obama talks directly to the American people about the immediate need for action on the economy. Join your friends and neighbors at an Economic Recovery House Meeting in your community: http://my.barackobama.com/recoveryplan

Actor Christian Bale Apologizes for F-Bomb Tirade

Christian Bale called in to the Kevin and Bean show on KROQ-FM (106.7) in Los Angeles to say he was sorry for the tantrum on the set of "Terminator Salvation" that was recorded and has been pinging across the Internet for days.

Michael Phelps Smokes Bong: American Hypocrisy

I had the pleasure of meeting Michael Phelps last fall at the Bank of The West Classic tennis event. I said then that he was "a cool guy" or words to that effect. The matter of his "bong" event is a study in American Hypocrisy.

Michael Phelps Smokes Bong: American Hypocrisy

I had the pleasure of meeting Michael Phelps last fall at the Bank of The West Classic tennis event. I said then that he was "a cool guy" or words to that effect. The matter of his "bong" event is a study in American Hypocrisy.

Senators reach deal to cut economic stimulus bill to $780B

Senators reach deal to cut stimulus bill to $780B: “With job losses soaring nationwide, Senate Democrats reached agreement with key Republicans Friday night on an economic stimulus measure at the heart of President Barack Obama's plan for combatting the worst recession in decades. "The American people want us to work together. They don't want to see us dividing along partisan lines on the most serious crisis confronting our country," said Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, one of two GOP senators who signaled support for the bill.

Officials put the cost of the measure at $780 billion in tax cuts and new spending combined. No details were immediately available, and there appeared to be some confusion even among senators about the price tag as floor debate continued late into the night.”

BART Shooting: Johannes Mehserle Released On $3M Bail

More at SF Gate: “(02-06) 16:48 PST DUBLIN -- Johannes Mehserle, the former BART police officer accused of murder in the Jan. 1 shooting death of an unarmed man on the Fruitvale Station platform in Oakland, was released this afternoon on $3 million bail, authorities said.

Mehserle, 27, posted bail at 3:45 p.m. and was released from Santa Rita Jail without incident, the Alameda County Sheriff's Department said.”

Madoff Client List, Fox Theater, Blog News: Zennie62

This is my experimental multi-show where I broadcast on USTReam, YouTube, and BlogTalk Radio all at the same time. The show is about the just released Madoff Client list and the six Oakland and 43 San Francisco persons who were listed as victims of Madoff.

I also talk about the newly opened Fox Theater which had its Gala event last night -- a success. Funny that the Oakland Tribune website doesn't have a post about it. They swapped their Fox post for something about an animation movie. Who cares?

There's more. I'm going to make the YouTube video another way because I do not like the quality of the quick-capture system. I may wind up using two computers for this. Here's the USTream video...

Video chat rooms at Ustream

And here's the BlogTalkRadio Link: Radio

Star Trek Movie Trailer Reveals Hit Star Trek Movie

The second Star Trek trailer reveals a movie that will be a sure-fire hit. J.J. Abrams, who directed the movie and co-produced it, and his staff aimed for a mix of realism and Star Trek and hit it right on the money.

I do hope we can see William Shatner in it, but I understand why he made this difficult -- he'll be sorry. But I hope he's in it with Leonard Nimoy.

President Obama on Economic Recovery

From BarackObamaDotcom on YouTube: President Obama recorded a series of interviews about his economic recovery plan. Help is on the way, and you can help spread the word. Join thousands of people across the country who are organizing Economic Recovery House Meetings: http://my.barackobama.com/recoveryplan

Leonard Nimoy's Ballad of Bilbo Baggins

What the hell was Leonard Nimoy doing singing this stupid song? Well, according to Wikipedia,..

"The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins" is a song composed by Charles Randolph Grean and performed by Leonard Nimoy, telling the story of Bilbo Baggins and his adventures in J. R. R. Tolkien's novel The Hobbit. The recording originally appeared on The Two Sides of Leonard Nimoy (Dot Records Cat. DLP 25835, 1968), the second of Nimoy's albums on Dot Records. It was also released as a single (Dot Records Cat. #45-17028), backed with a "modern thought-image" folk song called "Cotton Candy".

Well I guess that explains it, but I'd still like to talk to Mr. Nimoy about that one! LOL

US Supreme Court Justice has Pancreatic Cancer

From YouTuber SwimmingPolarBear: Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has undergone surgery for pancreatic cancer, apparently at an early stage. The court said the 75-year-old Ginsburg had the surgery Thursday at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. She will remain in the hospital for seven to 10 days, said her surgeon. Dr. Murray Brennan. This was according to a release issued by the court.

Sen. John McCain Shows Economic Stupidity, Again!

More from “The Washington Monthly”: “THE 'OLD' MCCAIN ISN'T COMING BACK.... As much as I'd like to ignore John McCain's "analysis" of the economic stimulus plan, he's not making it easy. For the last couple of weeks, he's been on all the networks, undermining the administration's plan, questioning the president's integrity, and making strange policy arguments. With no obvious Republican leader on the national stage, the media is still turning to the GOP's defeated presidential nominee.”

-- I agree with this must-read post. Senator John McCain's back to showing why he didn't win the election in the first place: a total lack of understanding of the economy and a lack of willingness to explain that he's misinformed. Yet, he's out there making stupid statement after dumb comment. Saying he fears a deficit, yet supporting billions in tax cuts, just to name one example.

Ghostbuster Ernie Hudson On Fame, Black Actors and Hollywood

I had the pleasure of meeting Ernie Hudson at the 2007 WonderCon earlier this year. In this interview, Hudson, who's website is at http://www.Ernie-Hudson.com, talks about fame, the Black Actor, and Hollywood.

Beijing 2008 Fake Fireworks Olympics Ceremony: "Wag The Olympics"

The Olympics Opening Ceremony in Beijing Olympics Stadium last tear was without a doubt the greatest event of its kind in the history of the Olympic Games. It was China's "coming out" party, and the organizers $300 million was well-spent.

The results showed in China Olympian Li Ning's levitating speed-skater style "walk" around Olympic Stadium and his lighting of a giant torch, which in turn caused what had to be the largest fireworks display in the history of the Olympic Games, if not the World.

A spectacle that looked tremendous, and even animated, and that's because it was.

The organizers of the event admitted that computer graphics were used to "replace" the actual fireworks images because the fear was that the "haze" -- read: smog -- was so bad that a great camera shot of the pyrotechnics would have not been possible.

Still, it was controversial because it took away from the overall historic effort and also took the wind out of the sails of the China Olympics, and sadly.

I write that because regardless of that country's problems, we're all fans of the Olympics and want to see it go well. Period.

But what was done reminded me of the movie "Wag The Dog". That flick, which starred Robert De Nero and Dustin Hoffman, was about a war that was staged on a television set and never happened at all.

With China's actions, we're a massive step closer to that possible occurence. China not only faked the fireworks, but the singer employed in the Opening Ceremony.

http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?se...

Seven-year-old Yang Peiyi, "who was deemed not attractive enough to go on stage" according to the article, was replaced by nine-year-old Lin Miaoke. One thing's for sure, that will scar Yang Peiyi for life, the fact that her own China told her she was not attractive enough to be seen singing on the biggest stage in the World, even though they love her voice!

Toward Laws Preventing This In The Future

I think we need to craft a series of International Laws to prevent or at least discourage (which is the best we can do) the occurence of the use of digital technology in this way. It's far too dangerous a possibility to ignore, especially in the wake of the fake fireworks scandal.

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Zennie Meets Renetto's Business Friend - Small Vlogger World

This is right out of the small world file. I happened to be sitting next to a friend of Renetto, one of the first "big" vloggers, or vloggers who got big. But we were talking about how small the world is, so I put it on video!

Christian Bale Goes ApeSh#t on Terminator 4 set

Christian Bale goes on another profanity-fueled rant where he exhibits the alleged anger management problem that lifted it's head during the week of the premier of The Dark Knight. So I guess we can say The Dark Knight really is a Dark Knight. But why? What's up with this great acting talent?