Oakland Mayor's Race: Jean Quan on Oscar Grant, 2010 Oakland Budget, Oakland Police

Oakland District Four Councilmember Jean Quan met with this blogger for a requested redo of an interview conducted with her just after her kickoff event for the Oakland Mayor's Race. The request came from this space simply because the first interview video was so long, 41 minutes long, it was at least 12 minutes beyond the length of the Don Perata Interview of a month ago, and 18 minutes longer than the interviews with mayoral candidates Don Maccley and Greg Harland.

Jean Quan 

The desire was for a more uniform length that showed the candidate in a good light so that you, the viewer, could make a good evaluation. The result is this 29 minute-plus video that's light-years better than the first one.

Rather than meet in a cafe, as before when we met in the upstairs nook at the Lake Merritt Cafe, we met at the Law Offices of Siegel and Lee, the same firm in Oakland City Center where Oakland City Council Vice Mayor Jane Brunner is a partner.

Like many of my visits here and there in Oakland, the person working the front desk was an old friend: Chris Weills, who helped in the Super Bowl: Oakland bid effort. Chris is a kind person and an all around good guy. He made sure Councilmember Quan and I used the conference room for our talk.

Oscar Grant and Unity

Councilmember Quan and I met just three hours after Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums' press conference calling for calm and civic unity on the eve of the Oscar Grant Trial verdict. The Oscar Grant murder of 2009, where now former BART Police Officer Johannes Mehserle shot Grant in the back on the platform at the Fruitvale BART Station on the morning of New Years Day 2009, has done everything from start riots in Oakland, to arguably provide the idological fuel that led to 80 Oakland Police layoffs by the Oakland City Council.

Now, with the verdict just days, if not now hours, away, Oakland braces for it, and America watches to see if Oakland will erupt again.

Naturally, that was a great place for Quan and I to start our talk. "You know the whole world of media was there today, so, you know, Oakland is watched right now. And it's unfortunate. I think it's being watched because people are expecting or maybe hoping for violence. You know this is a very tough time for Oaklanders. I've been doing a lot of door-to-door walking. Talking to a lot of young people. This incident makes the whole city sad. Not just the African-American community, but particularly the African American community because I think Oscar is a symbol of a young black man who was working, and trying to get his life together. And he was out celebrating New Years, and now he's dead."

Quan says she and her neighbors have worked to support Oscar Grant's family. She says Grant's a "very sweet" person who many, but particularly young people, want justice for. Because the unemployment rate for blacks in Oakland is estimated to be as high as 25 percent, and even higher for young black men, Quan says that at a time when it seems hopeless for some, a "just" verdict to end the Oscar Grant trial is a symbol of hope for them.

Does the media overblow the idea of a riot?

The ideal of a riot after the Oscar Grant trial verdict is something talked about in the media, including here. Is the media making too much of the idea? "You almost get an expectation of excitement around it," Quan says. "I told reporters I was there for both of the demonstrations. And thousands and thousands of Oaklanders were there. Less than a few percentage of people were involved in it (the riots)."

Quan claims that three-quarters of the people arrested were not from Oakland. Quan says "I was there at the second demonstration There were 30 people there by the time my daughter and I decided to go have dinner." And that after she and her daughter left, the police departed to, leaving a set of unwatched outsiders to start another riot in downtown Oakland. To Quan, it gives an image of Oakland that's not true.

On The World Cup and The Oakland Mayor's Race

Quan's World Cup Soccer favorite was the team that got kicked out the day we met: Brazil. Quan says her family watches a lot of soccer, especially South American soccer, and so they had high hopes for Brazil; "Too bad," she said. At least that can't be said for Quan's status in the Oakland Mayor's Race, even though she focused on having been "beaten up" during the last week.

Quan's displeasure came from a mailer and robo-calling effort on the part of the Oakland Police Officers Association that was aimed at Quan and illegally executed, according to The East Bay Express. Why the attack? Because Quan, who's the chair of the City's Finance Committee, was painted as having called for as many as 200 Oakland Police Officers to be let go to cut the budget, which she says she did not do; the actual highest number was 150 officers; eventually, Oakland would lay-off 80 officers.)

The problem with the robocall was that it was done without asking the phone call receipient if they wanted to take the call, a move that's against California campaign law.

Quan also notes that the mailers came from the California Prison Guards Unuon, who she wonders may just be "looking for new customers" in Oakland. "I won't hide the fact that I believe we have to have a fair and balanced budget." She points to Oakland's dramatic reduction in crime not just to the police but to crime prevention programs.

Does Oakland hate its police officers?

The moments leading to the eventual Oakland City Council decision to cut 80 officers at the June 24th special meeting of the Oakland City Council were not fun for Oakland Police Officers. Not just because of the talk of layoffs, but because of the dislike expressed for the Oakland Police. In some cases, it boardered on expressed hate. What did Quan think about that? "I think we have a divided town. The Chief's poll shows that 40 percent of the citizens of Oakland distrust the police," she says, "for good or legitimate reasons? We don't know. Clearly the city is still under court order because of the Riders case. Clearly not enough of the Oakland Police force lives in Oakland; 90 percent of the police force lives outside of Oakland. We don't have enough minority police officers. We don't have enough who live in the City."

On the matter of the Oakland Police Pension Fund, Quan says the current retirement level of 50 years of age is "not sustainable." When pressed to say if she favored San Francisco's two-tiered system (where they also put 9 percent of their salary into their pension fund, versus Oakland cops, which put none into their own) she did not rubber stamp it out-right, but said that Oakland needs a change in that direction.

Jean Quan challenges Don Perata

While this space disagrees, some think of the Mayor's Race as being between former California State Senator Don Perata and Councilmember Quan. I think the race is more wide open because media is so poorly used and done and the traditional forms of Bay Area media, incuding the print version of the San Francisco Chronicle and the Oakland Tribune are all but dead from a perspective of influence. Only television remains. The candidate who knows how to use the Internet has not yet emerged; using YouTube is not enough.

Still, a Perata / Quan fight's as easy to start as one between Muhammed Ali and Joe Frazier in their prime, and equally as hard to resist the chance to do. I asked Councilmember Quan about Perata's attacks on how the Oakland City Council came to form its budget and Quan did not mince words: "Don's not come up with any budget. And most of the proposals he's come up with haven't been ones that make a lot of sense to me. If Don wants to present a full city budget, then he should. Last year, when we were trying to balance the budget, he was trying to convince the council that the police didn't have to give 10 percent like everybody else (to their salary reductions). They only had to give 5 percent. We stood our ground, and they gave 10 percent. Now, he's basically saying the police officers don't have to pay more to their pension. You know if he gets to be Mayor of this city, he's going to have to balance the budget too; and I want him to show me how's he's going to balance the budget if the police don't start paying something into their pensions."

Quan's calling you out, Don. She thinks Oakland's police pensions are way out of line.

On Black / Asian violence

I asked Jean Quan for her view of alledged increase in black / Asian violence, because there were four high profile attacks involving blacks and Asians in San Francisco and in Oakland this year, and the deadly beating of Tian Sheng Yu in downtown Oakland. Quan said she from Oakland and has had a lot of African American friends for a long time, and she says, that then half of the Oakland school students were African American, now it's more Latino. She also has been "Taking the lead in helping" Yu's widow, Zhi Rui Wang cope in the wake of the loss of her husband. Quan says that Zhi Rui Wang wants to make sure this does not happen to any other family, and wanted us to reach out to our young people, and to give them more opportunity. "The way we break the cycle of violence is justice," she says, and part of that is giving hope to young people. So with that, Quan and I closed the circle around the desire for justice in the Oscar Grant case.

On being an Asian American running for Mayor in Oakland

Quan said that at the Gay Pride Parade in San Francisco, she was "mobbed" by young Gay Asians who were not from Oakland, but knew who she was. There's a kind of hunger for an Asian candidate not just in Oakland, but in California and it seems Quan's tapped into that.

On being Mayor if she wins

Quan says she would have a small office staff, and not "shadow" the city offices. "I plan to have one or two people who are working on our image and our economic development," she says, as well as more organizers.

On Oakland sports

Quan's supportive of the "efforts the Mayor has made" to retain the Oakland A's and loves the idea of a baseball stadium at Jack London Square. Quan thinks that while the Golden State Warriors possibily leaving for San Francisco is one issue, she's more afraid the Raiders will go over to Santa Clara with the 49ers, costing Oakland millions more in revenue that have been used for the retirement of the Raider bonds going back to 1995.

More on the video

That's a good part of the vidoe interview; you can see the rest of the 30 minute conversation right above.

Stay tuned.

Oakland City Council- 2010 election Bloggers and Boosters for Libby Schaaf

If The Oakland 209 Gin Cocktail Competition at Sidebar Oakland felt like a small town reunion of friends, the Bloggers and Boosters party we held for my friend Libby Schaaf was even more so.

The event was held at Era Art and Design Bar on Grand Avenue near Broadway in downtown Oakland, and was very well-attended, with a mix of Oakland City Council members like Oakland Council District Five's Ignacio De La Fuente and Pat Kernighan from District Two (who's in a tough re-election battle against Jennifer Pae), to local notables like Bill Wong, to Libby's family and friends, and their friends. A good, intimate mix.

Libby Schaaf 

Libby is running for the Oakland City Council Seat currently held by Councilmember Jean Quan, who's running for Mayor. But, and nothing against Councilmember Quan, Libby really should run for Mayor of Oakland.

Ignacio said it best: "One of the things I'm absolutely convinced of is that Libby Schaaf is the most well-trained and qualified candidate for city council in the City of Oakland. Not only has she worked for my office, but I can tell you that when you work for Jerry Brown - when you work for Robet Bobb. When you work for The Port of Oakland. You really understand and you really know how things function and how to get things done."

Plus, Libby's a good person who cares about Oakland. This space is happy to back her. And that does not mean other candidates will not get their day in the Sun here, but it's important to know where this blogger stands. Libby's the best choice.

Oakland 209 Gin Cocktail Competition at Sidebar Oakland, California

Sidebar Oakland 

You know the Oakland Restaurant Scene has picked up when Sidebar Restaurant on Grand Avenue holds what was the Adams Point District's first cocktail competition. The 209 Gin Oakland Bartender Cocktail Competition was held last Wednesday night at the Lake Merritt bistro-style eatery known for its good food and warm atmosphere. The idea was to learn who could make the best drink creation based on 209 Gin - the makers of which did not endorse this blog post.

The competition featured great bartenders making great cocktails and from some of Oakland's hottest eateries: Matt and Brian from Sidebar, Marjon from Era Art and Design Bar, Josh from Pican, Alex from Marzano, Matt from The Wood Tavern, Brian representing Levende East, and Jon who's at Grand Tavern, and Eric from Adesso.

(As an aside, the only problem was all of the Oakland 209 Gin Cocktail Competition bartenders were men. There are some great female bartenders, like Britt at Pican, for example.)

Between the cocktails and all of the people who knew each other, the competition was less that and more a family reunion. Pican owner Michael Le Blanc talked with Sidebar General Manager Anne Marie Adrain and her partner Ara. The Wood Tavern's Rich Wood talked with Le Blanc. And Anne Marie, as the gracious Sidebar host, talked to everyone. And most of the bartenders knew each other, either from previous work places or just from hanging out in Oakland. You didn't have to be from Oakland to know it's got a small town feel just from attending the competition.

John from Pican and Brian from Sidebar were the winners

Well, who won? According to Wendi Webster, who produced the event for 209 Gin, the judges (who got to eat Sidebar's great burgers) picked Brian from Sidebar as the overall winner. The crowd voted for Josh from Pican as their favorite. Both did a great job and you should visit Sidebar and Pican in Oakland when you can.

Lindsay Lohan's Future Awaits -- by Nikky Raney

(photo taken from LATIMESBLOGS)

Lindsay Lohan has been sentenced to 90 days in jail and an inpatient rehab program.

Lohan spent 84 minutes in jail in November 2007 after being caught twice drunk driving with cocaine possession. She has ben found to have violated the terms of probation from her aforementioned case.

Superior Court Judge Marsha Revel issued the sentence today, Tuesday July 6, 2010 after employees of the alcohol treatment program that the 24-year-old actress was supposed to attend testified that Lohan missed seven classes since December.

The Associated Press reports that Lohan apologized to the judge:

"I did do everything I was told to do and did the best I could to balance jobs and showing up It wasn't vacation, it wasn't some sort of a joke."

Judge Revel did not find Lohan's apology sincere and compared it to "somebody who cheats and thinks it isn't cheating if she doesn't get caught."

She avoided arrest last month (June) when her ankle bracelet went off after the MTV Movie Awards in LA. Her representatives posted part of the $200K bail.

Lohan will be able to surrender on July 20, and will need to wear her ankle alcohol monitor until then.

Hopefully this will be good for her. She started off her amazing acting career at a young age with Parent Trap, and this sentence could be just what she needs to ensure a brighter future for her well-being as well as her career.

Nikky Raney; The Future of Journalism & Twitter

Pier 39 - Players Sports Bar and Arcade in San Francisco

One evening during the 2009 NBA Finals this blogger was given a surprise: the opportunity to be a celebrity bartender for the first time and at a place called Players Sports Bar and Arcade at Pier 39 in San Francisco. Aside from the fact the owners of Players Sports Bar should have aimed higher that a blogger, it was a heck of a lot of fun. So much so, that for World Cup Soccer, it's got to be hopping!

One day, Steve Molloy, one of the owners of this kind of mini Dave and Busters in San Francisco, was the tour guide through this vast 13,000 square foot of Pier 39 space, leading the camcorder through its islands of video games, air hockey tables, and other fun stuff. But the video sat on the computer waiting to be uploaded while yours truly fretted with how to improve it.

Yesterday, all the worrying gave in to the desire to just get it out, so the result is the video above and a plug for the place that may have been the first in the San Francisco Bay Area if not America to feature a video-blogger as the celebrity bartender.

If you go to Pier 39, stop by Players Sports Bar and Arcade for the salads and the wine. Yes, normally people go for the burgers and beer, but its the 21st Century.

To get there, all you have to do is walk to the very end of Pier 39. That's it. Steve and the gang even have a World Cup Soccer Shuttle from Union Square to Pier 39 that runs through June 11th, so you can't miss the matches!

I'll be back!

Oscar Grant / Johannes Mehserle verdict: Oakland cab driver on riot fears

Oscar Grant 

As Oakland, the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, California, and much of the United States await the jury verdict in the Oscar Grant / Johannes Mehserle murder trial, Oakland braces for what's widely feared to be an outbreak of riots should the jury decision not go in a way that is an obvious punishment for former BART Police Officer Johannes Mehserle.

If you want to find out what's happening on the streets of Oakland around the rioting fears, there are few better people to talk to than Oakland cab drivers. On Saturday night, one cab driver (who did not want to be identified by cab service provider or name), did agree to this video above as we talked about what he heard people saying as they rode his cab.

"Everybody's talking about it," he said. "I don't know. Some people are saying that a lot of people left town. You know this guy was saying 'I knew a lot of cool white people that's left town. They're not racist or anything but they just don't want things to go down, you know, while they're here. You know there are people who think it's gonna be just like the Rodney King time again, you know?

I responded that I could not see Johannes Mehserle walking free on acquittal, save for a hung jury. Of the four possible outcomes, it seems that second-degree murder most fits what happened. But of course, that's the logical outcome of an incident that has no basis in logic to begin with.

From the way BART Police mishandled the fighting incident on that 2009 New Year's Day morning to BART's own communications errors and other problems, not to mention Johannes Mehserle's in appropriate use of any weapon, even a Taser, nothing about the Oscar Grant / Johannes Mehserle makes sense.

Thus the fear of a weird jury outcome and a big riot.

The Oakland Cab Driver said that some people he talked to are concerned that even if Mehserle is punished, the sentence will be too light. He also blames the media because the idea of a riot is "in everybody's head."

Not only that, the same person who produced 11 graffiti tags around Lake Merritt a week ago, with messages threatening the life of Johannes Mehserle, is at it again. This time, he or she has posted another message near the corner of Grand Avenue and Euclid Avenue in Oakland's Adams Point District as of this writing.

What's going to happen is anyone's guess. But Mayor Ron Dellums and Oakland officials have taken steps to promote civic unity as the city awaits the verdict.

There's also a small campaign starting called "Love not Blood for the streets of Oakland," that features a poster of the same name and seen at local cafes around town. For more information, and to share how you plan to spread the love, send an email to beautyntruth@yahoo.com.

Jamarcus Russell arrested: former Raiders QB busted for "codeine syrup"

Jamarcus Russell

MOBILE, Ala. - As current Oakland Raiders Quarterback Kyle Boller's life's on the upswing after his marriage for former Miss USA Carrie Prejean last Friday, Former Raiders QB and 2007 1st Round NFL Draft Pick Quarterback Jamarcus Russell was arrested in Mobile, Alabama, Monday, for "possession of a controlled substance," according to the Mobile Press-Register.

The "drug" he was arrested for was "codeine syrup" according to the Mobile County Sheriff's Office.

What is "codeine syrup?"

Codeine syrup is described as medicinal drug that is also used to get high. The reason Jamarcus Russell was arrested was that he did not have a prescription for its use in his possession. It's the main ingredient in what's called "Purple drank," a slang term for "a recreational drug popular in the hip hop community in the southern United States" according to Wikipedia.

Jamarcus Russell posted bail

Jamarcus Russell posted bail of $2,500 after being arrested at 4:22 EDT according to the Press-Register.

Entourage's Jeremy Piven frozen by Kim Kardashian (?); drops phone in toilet

Jeremy Piven 

Entourage's Jeremy Piven is one of the top searches on July 5th but not for any one reason. On Google Trends, Piven's suspected of having mercury poisoning. Then Piven's also reported to have dropped his phone down a toilet stool. But in a standard search, Piven's reported to have gotten the cold shoulder from Kim Kardashian. With all this, let's take the Kim Kardashian news first.

Kim Kardashian's known for dating athletes like Reggie Bush, Miles Austin, and World Cup Soccer Star (and new dad) Cristiano Ronaldo, so it would seem Jeremy Piven's out of her range.

But that reportedly didn't stop the Entourage star from trying.

Diane Marsalis of The Examiner claims that Piven "hit on" the reality TV show star at one of the LA Lakers games, and whatever he said to her, she was alleged to have replied "Talk to my Mom - she handles me," and walked off (with hips swinging, no doubt).

While news of the alleged encounter with Kim Kardashian is still without much detail or blog pickup, the news about Piven dropping his cell phone down a toilet started from his Twitter page:

Dropped my cell in the toilet and have no way to be found.. Entourage premiers tonight and I'm without a way to reach out, sorry
1:20 PM Jun 27th via txt

But then I guess Piven reached in the toilet and got it back, or just bought a new iPhone because on June 30th he reported:

ast week of shooting! http://yfrog.com/jmt6wj
1:26 PM Jun 30th via Twitter for iPhone

He uses an iPhone. Hard to tell if it's an iPhone4 or not.

Rock The Casbah!

NYC Round-UP 1776-2010 good bad by Suzannah B. Troy

For those who enjoyed the spectacular fire works on the Hudson in person or on the boob tube (pre-YouTube, one of many unflattering names for TV aka the idiot-box) you can enjoy more Independence Day Celebrations by visiting The New York Public Library!  The stunning library at 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue has a copy of The Declaration of Independence, handwritten by Thomas Jefferson on display and an early typeset  version of the document according to The New York Post.

I gave you the direct link to the Library's page on this historical significant and exciting exhibition but now on to the tawdry, misogynist, dark side of The New York Post.

The cover has a photo of a topless Anna Chapman and her breasts have the words "top secret.

What does Anna Chapman's sex life with her than husband, now thankfully, an ex-huxband who appears to be an exploitive show me the money kind of guy --- have to do with her allegedly being a spy.

For those not paying attention, here in NYC, in many of our opinions, the abuse of eminent domain has run wild under the Bloomberg administration pushing a reckless tsunami of development and Bruce Rattner and Jay-Z engaged a Russian billionaire to be an owner in land they grabbed in my opinion abusing eminent domain.   My question.....Why would the Russian's need to spy?

Ditto for China!  China owns a huge portion of the USA's debt!  Hello!

I posted this comment on The New York Post besides stating the patriotic editors of The New York Post sound green with envy.

I posted my comment on my blogs including Misogynist NYC.


There had to be video footage of Bill Clinton and his cigar play on a much younger intern. Thank goodness the security video from The White House has never been released for publication. Also, Mike Bloomberg, Christine Quinn flushed democracy down the toilet. Socialite mega-millionaire city planner Amanda the people's Burden aided Mike and friends in a tsunami of development crushing our communities and how much mass displacement including eminent domain abuse and with the Nets, a Russian billionaire owner...Thank you for not pushing photos of any of their sex lives including editors and owners of this paper. Why are women and sexuality treated very, very differently than men? Why are women judged far more harshly than men by both men and women? How many NY Post staff involved in the publication of this article are green with envy? Answer: all. Welcome to misogynist NY.


What does this young woman's sex life with her than husband have to do with anything other than proving she made a very, very bad choice picking a husband?


Thank goodness we are not going to see naked photos of Mike Bloomberg and Christine Quinn and they  flushed democracy down the toilet!  Thank goodness we are not going to see blow by blow video grab images of Bill Clinton exploiting an intern on company time at The White House!  Thank goodness we are not going to see naked photos of Rupert Murdoch and his editors and we should not be seeing these photos either.




Fred Dicker, the very warm and cuddly staff editor from Albany for The New York Post reports the Dems are ready to give Pedro Espada  the heave ho!    One question.  Can we make him pay back all the tax payer money he stole and or cost the people when he and Monserrate brought Albany to a stand-still and than went to a Yankee game?  Espada and Monserrate, not intelligent enough to understand their behavior was costing the tax payers a fortune, enjoyed the press attention more than the Yankees and smiled for the cameras like the attention was crack cocaine.


For those who have not seen tenants protesting Espada by rushing his office and demanding his ouster please check this YouTube out!  It is fantastic!


Now to dogs of a different nature.   Joey Chestnut won the  Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest for the 4th time and his record from last year is still intact.


Joey was hard hitting saying it was his day and even if Kobayashi had competed he would have defeated him but Kobayashi did steal some of his thunder by rushing the stage whether to congratulate Joey or to insult him we will never know.  Kobayashi got loads of media attention getting arrested by two big beefy NYPD officers.    Hold the buns!   A bad joke, I apologize but it was a must considering what I had to write about this morning!

World Cup | Spain vs Paraguay: Spain escapes 1-0

Far different from the earlier Germany v. Argentina match, Spain vs Paraguay was an exciting, close World Cup Soccer quarterfinals match that Spain was fortunate to win 1-0.

Maybe Spain plays to the level of its opponent, or maybe Paraguay is much better than its 31st in the World ranking versus number two for Spain (behind Brazil, which was eliminated by The Netherlands)?

Were it not for a Paraguay goal waved off by an offside call, and a correct one, the match would have been tied 1-1, and who knows what would have happened. It was that close.

Whatever the case, Spain didn't look like the team that can beat Germany, yet here they are about to face them on on Wednesday.

Germany's got to be the favorite. Even without Thomas Muller, the Germans look unstoppable.

Tila Tequila and Miss Tila Omg out of line with Nikky Raney

Tila Tequila 

Just when this blogger thought he'd seen it all from Reality TV Show Star Tila Tequila, the woman who claims to have multiple personalities, and accused San Diego Chargers Linebacker Shawne Merriman of something he did not at all do, does it again.

This time, she and her so-called staff picks on one of my bloggers, Nikky Raney, and while making Raney a star in the process, have gone way too far. It's time for them to stop.

Tila Tequila must remember that she is a true public figure; like this blogger Tila's subject to positive and negative commentary on her actions. Tila should be not only used to that, but have developed enough scar tissue to deflect even the most vile comments about her.  Fortunately, this blog is not about any directed toward Tila; it's the reverse.

Indeed, I laughed off the whole exchange between Tila Tequila, Miss Tila Omg, and Nikky Raney as being just good PR for Nikky. The vast majority of comments at Zennie62.com have been pro-Nikky and beyond that supportive and thoughtful in their detail.

But then the email exchange started and then someone apparently from Miss Tila Omg created a set of vile Twitter pages about Nikky Raney. That's where I draw the line because it's obvious and deliberate malice to make a page, call someone a name like "fat," and not have an identification. It's in violation of Section 113 of the Violence Against Women Act.

In other words, since 2006, it's been a crime to annoy people anonymously over the Internet. That it's done frequently is no excuse for the fact that it happens. This is one case; I've shared it with the U.S. Department of Justice; if it does not stop, I will press the matter until the DOJ squeezes.

For her part, Nikky Raney has intended no harm toward Tila Tequila or her staff. Tila Tequila has opened herself to constructive non-anonymous criticism, by claiming she's doing the work of a journalist, when she's using her blog to in some cases smear her enemies. And when that's not happening, some blogs are calling her names like "functionally retarded," as was the case with Videogum.com.

Zennie62.com has never referred to, or allowed its bloggers to refer to Tila in any way close to what Videogum.com presented. Moreover, Nikky Raney had clear concerns that Tila Tequila and Miss Tila Omg were claiming to be journalists. When Raney, a journalism student, investigated and then challenged the claim, Tila took action, first blocking her from the Miss Tila Omg site, which is fine by me, but then engaging in all manner of attempts to smear Nikky, and that's not fine by me.

For her part, Nikky Raney has included this disclaimer on her Zennie62.com blog posts about Tila:

Disclaimer: I, Nikky Raney, have absolutely nothing personally against Tila Tequila. Although she has personally attacked me through her blog posts and her tweets - I am a journalist and blogger who takes that with a grain of salt & does not return that anger or resentment. This is a job and a service that I do to inform others of the scandal/lies/etc. from public figures. Again, I have nothing against Tila Tequila. I am not a hater. I have attempted to get in touch with her to get her perspective and her opinion. AGAIN, I have nothing against her personally. I do this objectively in a professional manner, it's not personal it's about the story itself. I hope that I have made myself clear. My blog posts will prove for that I have never LIED about Miss Tila or called her ANY rude names. I have never used anything other than evidence from her own tweets, blogposts, and interviews to state my case. The attacks Tila has made against me and calling me "Piggy Raney" was unjust, and although she did that I still have nothing against her. She may try to attack and bring me down, but at the end of the day this is my job. And I am mature enough that to retaliate against someone whose way of responding is by name-calling would be futile.

I stand by Nikky Raney. She's done a great job at Zennie62.com. What I ask is for Tila Tequila to, herself, stop the attacks on Nikky Raney on Twitter. One part of me appreciates that you've given her a spotlight, but it's for the wrong reasons. Making, or causing hateful Twitter accoints to be made, is awful. One thing, Nikky Raney is a real person. She's not hiding behind another name, or anonymous, and asks thoughtful questions. Why not answer them?

The objective here is for all of this little stuff growing big to stop.  We, Tila, Miss Tila OMG, and Zennie62.com with Nikky Raney can move forward and perhaps together in the future.  I wish Tila and Miss Tila OMG much success.

West Seattle: The Swinery is open; founder Gabriel Claycamp leaves

Gabriel Claycamp in happier days

Some Seattle blogs have reported that the West Seattle "sustainable" meat store The Swinery is closing. But the truth is, it's still open and had a successful reopening; it's founder Gabriel Claycamp is leaving.

According to The West Seattle Blog, Gabriel Claycamp reported via Facebook that he's departing the establishment he created because...

Claycamp says that his decision to leave was primarily a result of the fact that he needed to feed his kids. He claims that, throughout the time he has been trying to get his small business off the ground he has not been drawing enough salary to survive. He is in the process of going through a divorce which has exacerbated the situation.

And as everyone from Claycamp to Tiger Woods knows, a divorce can really mess up your game, in this case, the game of the retail business.

But beyond the personal issue is the fact that Gabriel Claycamp drew a salary of just $4,200 since last September 2009. He had been working out some deal with the Swinery's investor James Dillon where Dillon would be the sole proprietor and hire Claycamp as a chef.

The Swinery's own blog paints a more rosy picture of the news:

Yes, it's true. Gabriel has left Swinery to pursue other exciting ventures & focus on his wonderful family. What does this mean for your favorite butcher shop? Don't fret. We are NOT closing, we are NOT changing our hours & we ARE still focusing on our mission: the revival of responsibility & awareness in meat consumption & to enthusiastic appreciation for flavor & quality. Stop by and show your continued support.

Whatever the case, pay The Swinery a visit.

The Last Airbender: Subliminal Racial Stereotyping by Nikky Raney

The Last Airbender in 3D was hard to appreciate once the plot and characters became far too familiar to America's racial stereotypes.

Without ever knowing the story or television show behind The Last Airbender, it was easy to grasp that it dealt with the elements of earth, water, wind and fire. The "Avatar" had the ability to control all the elements. The plot showed that those associated with the element of fire were bad, and the water element people were good.

The evil fire element characters all had one thing in common. They all looked Middle Eastern. The one that was "the most evil" had a long scruffy beard to accompany his look. The fire element characters were known to burn people's houses down, kill the water element people, and wanted to ruin the world.

Now, the good people were the water element people. Those of the water element were all white. The princess of the group had blonde hair and blue eyes. The people of water were tortured, attacked, killed, burned, etc. by the Fire people. The Fire people also wanted to be the most powerful in the world and take over and take down everyone else.

The way that the fire element was burning down the houses of the other elements was comparable to that of 9/11.

Maybe it seems like over-analyzing, but by the end of the movie it just became too obvious.

Now, this is the part that gets me. The "Avatar" himself is looks as though he is of Asian decent. The Avatar is the one that brings all the elements together and saves the day. M. Night Shyamalan is of Asian decent. This is not to say Shyamalan is racist, but the movie itself seemed a bit too familiar. Shyamalan thinks that those who find the film to be racist are racist themselves. Someone doesn't have to be racist to think that making Middle Eastern characters bad and Caucasian characters good.

Shyamalan tells India Movies Online:

‘Well, you caught me. I'm the face of racism. I'm always surprised at the level of misunderstanding, the sensitivities that exist. As an Asian-American, it bothers me when people take all of their passion and rightful indignation about the subject and then misplace it. Here's the reality: first of all, the Uncle Iroh character is the Yoda character in the movie, and it would be like saying that Yoda was a villain. So he's Persian."

This movie was adapted from a cartoon, and there were many children in the theater. Children are impressionable, but probably didn't catch on to the racial undertones.

Shyamalan not thinking that the film could be misconstrued as racist doesn't seem honest. When filming a scene where Middle Easterns are burning down the Caucasian village it's hard to believe that 9/11 or the war in Iraq didn't cross his mind.

This may be considered my first movie review, but I am not reviewing the movie as much as the thought process with the casting. The children probably appreciated it - it was a great movie as far as the plot goes. But when this movie is put in cinemas across the world; other countries may not find the stereotyping as subliminal.

(Images courtesy of Photobucket)

Nikky Raney

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The Future of Journalism

X-Posted at NikkyRaney.com

World Cup: Germany win over Argentina predicted by psychic Octopus

Frankly the Paul the Octopus had a 50-50 shot of getting it right, and on June 29th so picked Germany to win over Argentina in 2010 World Cup Soccer Quarterfinals match held Saturday.

What happened was someone lowered plastic case containing the flags of Germany and Argentina into the water tank where the Octopus dwelled. What's not known is how the trainers instructed the Octopus to point in the first place? Could it be the German flag looks more like something edible to Paul the Octopus?



Whatever the case, Germany did beat Argentina, as we know, 4-0. And what Paul the Octopus gets for his correct choice, we may never know.

Germany beats Argentina 4-0 as Leonardo Dicaprio, Charlize Theron watch

Miroslav Klose of Germany

Germany overcame Argentina's better ball handling and passing with smothering defense to clobber them 4-0 in World Cup Soccer quarterfinals play. Stars like Leonardo Dicaprio and Charlize Theron (who's from South Africa), German chancellor Angela Merkel, and Mick Jagger watched in South Africa as what was a close match slowly turned into a rout.

What started with a goal from their leader Thomas Muller, and a Germany's attempt to just hold on 1-0 under an onslaught of unsuccessful goal attempt after unsuccessful goal attempt by Argentina unraveled for Argentina coach Diego Maradona.

In all, it was a good match, even though Argentina was eventually blown out of Capetown, South Africa. Argentina's desire to play with high emotion - Diego Maradona running around and hugging everyone from his star Lionel Messi to Bill Clinton (if he could) when Argentina scored a goal in the 2010 World Cup - has its counter in the lows the team faces when its frustrated.

Germany's consistent defense, even when Argentina opened the second half determined to play on Germany's half of the field, caused Argentina's players to stop playing as a team and work on a more individual basis. And when that didn't work, they looked for whatever cheap call they could get.

Nothing worked.

Eventually, three Germany players would score goals: Miroslav Klose, Thomas Mueller and Arne Friedrich. But one of them, Mueller can't play in the upcoming match against either Spain or Paraguay in Durban. Germany is in position to win its fourth World Cup title and first since 1990.

John Liu NYC Comptroller gets call from Suzannah B. Troy

John Liu, NYC's first Asian American comptroller got a telephone message at City Hall this morning from me, Suzannah B. Troy.   John Liu has taken the first steps to make NYC gov spending available to the people on a website called Comptroller NYC gov but we need more accountability and transparency and we don't have that!

Ask Mike Bloomberg a question he doesn't like and look out, like questions about a third term, the poor, Cayman Island Investments and leaving early Friday for Bermuda.

But this call to John Liu's office  this morning where I left my name, telephone number and message stated we need more accountability.  The tax payers need to know how much money Christine Quinn and her staff are costing the tax payers when they use top law firms like the kind Goldman Sachs , Sullivan & Cromwell, as an example plus other high priced defense attorneys specializing in White Collar crime.

The people of New York have a right to know and need immediate accessibility and a current cost as of today on this expense and others.

I found the website on David Siefman's piece in The New York Post.  David is a long time reporters of news from City Hall.  His piece exposes some very interesting spending including nanny mayor Mike Bloomberg so check it out and click on the link.  The New York Daily News also exposed NYC government workers have spent $100,000 on car rides home.

I guess public transportation is not an option for NYC gov workers.

I even suggested an App for the Iphone.

Mel Gibson hate-monger not just alcoholic by Suzannah B. Troy

A YouTuber wrote me this on Mel Gibson and remember with YouTube there is a word count so my response is as long as you can make it. Before I show you the YouTube comments read this...

I thought of the Diane Sawyer interview with Mel Gibson. Diane is a beautiful woman who is very gentle with her celebrity subjects and Mel Gibson was using everything he could including being playful, flirty, charming but those days are gone and his looks have faded. By the way Sawyer is aging beautifully. Some people grow old with grace and beauty but Gibson is not one of those people. I mention this because he has used his looks over and over as well as his fame and power to escape responsibility for his actions but this time around his looks and flirting won’t work. He even used the word “grace” which I translate as Mel Gibson manipulation 101 -- “let me off the hook”. He is not asking but ordering viewers. He wasn’t willing to change and rehabilitate himself. He is a bigger manipulator than he is an alcoholic but he is an even bigger hater and scapegoater of minorities.

FYI: Diane Sawyer’s husband Mike Nichols, a very talented film director who debuted with the film “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf” which won an academy award for Elizabeth Taylor who converted to Judaism , The Graduate” and so many others including “Silkwood”. Mike was born in Berlin, Germany to a German Jewish Mother and a Russian Jewish father.

I happened to recently watch a TV show (can’t remember the name of it this morning) on NBC about helping find celebrities find their roots. One celebrity was Mike Nichols and he was shocked to find his relatives in Russia were very successful. Pre-the Nazi’s. These successful business men were murdered so their business and wealth could be stolen. A warm-up for Nazi Germany.

Also a handsome African American football star who’s name alludes me this morning as well, found out he has this very strong, intelligent relative who was raped by her slave owner. She got pregnant. The wife of the slave owner wanted her sent away. She was sent to work for the man that technically was half brother to her child, the slave owner’s son. She was very smart because she found away somehow to keep her family together which was rare. I am very tired and thinking of Mel Gibson and his anti-semitism, racism, misogyny and homophobia is not what I want to do this Saturday morning. I removed comments that could have been written by Mel Gibson including the “N” word and his misogynist language, blaming the Jews, etc.

This morning I found this comment: 

He needs an intervention for his alcohol abuse, but he needs something stronger for the hate and the violence. 



I wrote back this:

He needs intervention but he will never get it because he has used his looks, money and power and people always let him off the hook. Here in NYC I have tried to help poverty level homeless people and they are out on the street and unwilling to go to rehab. He has every resource. This man hates Jews, Blacks, Gays, Women and most of all himself. in Paris I stood in front of a plaque for Jewish children. The french liaison for Nazi's exceeded his quota because he was a Mel Gibson.


Another friend wrote me this....

I cannot label someone like Mel Gibson as a Nazi. If we start labeling
vapid, hard drinking (alcoholic?) actor/directors as Nazis, then who is not
a Nazi?

Every time the label of "Nazi" gets bandied about, it takes away a bit of
the true power of that killing machine that existed in the 1930s-40s. And
every time someone gets labeled that way, our younger generations get bumped
a little bit further from the truth.

Mel Gibson is a fool. Let's leave it at that.

I disagree with my friend letting Mel Gibson off the hook for the hate he has spewed by calling him a fool. In fact it is part of what has helped Mel, people excusing his hate and abuse but I wanted to address my use of the term, Nazi. Again remember there is a word count.

I posted this comment after reading this email:



On the term Nazi and calling Mel Gibson a Nazi.  Mel Gibson talks like a Nazi and I do not believe alcoholism is an excuse for comments he has made sober as well as drunk.  If lived in Germany or a sympathizer during WW2 he would have exceeded his quota.

Fourth of July Weekend in San Francisco features Pier 39 events!

Just got an email from Pier 39 (Pier 39 Beach Street & The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94133 (415) 705-5500) about their many upcoming events for the Fourth of July. Here's what it reads:

Fourth of July Waterfront Celebration!

PIER 39 celebrates Independence Day with a star-spangled day filled with fun and excitement for the whole family! Beginning at 3 pm, enjoy free live band performances in the PIER 39 Entrance Plaza. From 3 – 5 pm, listen to the soft rock explosion of Mustache Harbor. Then get ready to rock out to your favorite 80's hits with Tainted Love from 6 – 9:30 pm. Be sure to check out our street performers on the Crystal Geyser ALPINE SPRING WATER Stage throughout the day. After the concert at approximately 9:30 pm, look up to the sky over the Bay for The City of San Francisco's annual fireworks display. PIER 39's Fourth of July activities are proudly sponsored by Coca-Cola, Crystal Geyser ALPINE SPRING WATER, Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream, the San Francisco Examiner, Taiwan Tourism, Telemundo 48 and Verizon.

Verizon on location at PIER 39 (No iPhone, though)

July 4th Fireworks Cruise!

Come watch San Francisco's fireworks display from the best seats on the Bay, onboard a Blue & Gold Fleet Cruise! Boat departs at 8:00 pm. Non-Alcoholic Cruise departs from PIER 39 at 8:15pm. Boarding will begin approximately 30 minutes prior to departure. No outside non-alcoholic or alcoholic beverages allowed. Snacks and drinks can be purchased onboard for an additional fee.

And thee's more. Just click here for details: PIER 39.

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, Hawaii Five-O, Tron Legacy at Comic-Con 2010

Comic-Con 2010 is shaping up to be an amazing event. Hollywood studios are bring their big gun properties to San Diego starting July 22nd. Warner Bros. will present Green Lantern, Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, and Sucker Punch, according to The New York Times. CBS Television will present the re-immagined television series Hawaii Five-O.

The Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows movie trailer was introduced this week:



And TNT is set to introduce Falling Skies, a new series starring Noah Wyle (from ER and TNT’s The Librarian movies) and executive produced by Steven Spielberg.

The long awaited Tron Legacy will also be presented at Comic-Con 2010, and banners are already up in San Diego's Gaslamp District announcing the movie starring Academy Award-winning actor Jeff Bridges.

Other popular TV shows will make presentations at Comic-Con 2010, including Chuck, The Big Bang Theory, Fringe, The Vampire Diaries, Human Target, Smallville, Supernatural, and Scooby-Doo.

Stay tuned for more details. 

Zennie62 will be in San Diego for Comic-Con 2010.

Mel Gibson's racist comments rant; Gibson uses the N-word to Oksana

Blacks and Jews look out! Here comes Mel Gibson!

The mountain of race hate that the billionaire actor Mel Gibson appears to be now, has erupted again, this time against Blacks; Mel uses the N-word. (When will this expression of mental illness ever end?). Like a volcano, Mel Gibson is apparently good for one public airing of his racist blasts every four years.

The last one was in 2006 and against Jews while he was drunk and during a DUI stop. At that time, Gibson went, as Peter Sellers said in Dr. Strangelove, "a little nutty. Just a little nutty," and said "F--king Jews... The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world."

This time Mel Gibson hit the nutometer again, this time the revelation of his ugly words came during the equally ugly custody battle with his girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva, who's the mother of his daughter Lucia. According to TMZ.com, Gibson was caught on tape saying Y"ou look like a f--king pig in heat and if you get raped by a pack of ni--ers it will be your fault."

TMZ.com has been all over the Mel Gibson / Oksana Grigorieva custody case, so I will not attempt to repeat their work here. But even without the actual tape, word of Mel Gibson's blast is making it's way around the Internet. Zennie62.com blogger Suzannah Troy said "This is not new behavior from liar, adulterer, anti-semite, racist Mel Gibson but finally exposed by a gold digger who finally did one good deed and it wasn't because she was selfless but she finally exposed Mel Gibson's inner Nazi."

Ouch. But it's hard to disagree with Suzannah Troy's essential point, which is that Gibson's got a problem. Someone should ask film pal Danny Glover what he thinks of Mel Gibson's blasts! And as a note, Celeb Jihad's just having fun with Mel's rant; it's not true.

Mel Gibson uses "N" word by Suzannah B. Troy

Mel Gibson's inner Nazi keeps surfacing.   Why is that? Because he is a Nazi. TMZ reports some how, mysteriously, tapes that his ex-gold digging girl friend recorded of  Gibson, without his knowledge were released to the press.     Mel Gibson made racist, misogynist, violent, sexually threatening  as in rape her mouth, not his exact words, my interpretation  before he threatens to  burn down her house,  all caught on tape and  released to the press.  The judge says he is investigating the leak.


Here it the link from TMZ on Mel Gibson "hurling the N word".    I just quickly scanned a piece from The New York Post and it was clear to me,  Mel Gibson, misyognist was projecting his rage and violence on to innocent black men he calls the "N" word.

This is not new behavior from liar, adulterer, anti-semite, racist Mel Gibson but finally exposed by a gold digger who finally did one good deed and it wasn't because she was selfless but she finally exposed Mel Gibson's inner Nazi.

This man is proof you don't have to be poor and ignorant to be filled with hate and scapegoat innocent people, in fact entire groups of innocent people and threaten women, I am guessing many in to silence. Where better to threaten and bully women but in Hollywood.

Finally the true Mel Gibson has been exposed.


Everything expressed here are the opinions of me, Suzannah B. Troy.  Mel Gibson is aging so he looks as ugly on the outside as he is on the inside.  He should be shunned and booed where ever he goes and next time he is caught drunk driving he needs to go to jail instead of the special Holly-woo-wood treatment that lets people guilty as sin go free.


I call him Burn in Hell Mel!

Oakland's New Parking Citation System

The City of Oakland is proudly boasting about its new “parking-citation system” which officials say will be a “whole lot more efficient and cut down on frustration.” (As if there’s an enjoyable way to deal with parking tickets.) To hear Zak Walk, chief of staff for Council President Jane Brunner, describe it, you’d think this was done to better serve the constituents. I have my doubts, however, and believe the motivation behind the new system is purely based on collecting revenue.

The new system will be rolled out in several phases. So, what’s to be included in the first phase? If you guessed ‘pay-by phone’ and ‘pay-by-web’ systems, you’d be correct. Gee, I wonder why they chose to include more efficient payment-methods in the first phase. “It’s very exciting for those of us who want to see our constituents better served,” Walk said. And, apparently, even more exciting for those who want collect more parking-ticket revenue.

As defunct as the bureaucracy of Oakland’s government seems to be, they managed to streamline the process of developing and implementing the new system with enthusiasm and determination rarely seen in other matters. When it became clear they were short on manpower to handle the workload of the new project, they brought in interns from Cal Berkley to help out. Do they also bring in interns to assist with things like job-creation, public safety, traffic issues, and business development? My guess is no – because those issues don’t carry the same allure of immediate revenue. Later, when it became evident that they still needed more help with the new system, the Oakland City Council approved a 3-year contract with “ACS State and Local Solutions.” (Don’t let the name fool you – ACS is a private company.) According to a city press-release, the new contract with ACS will raise the collection-rate on parking citations from 68% to 80%. This means taxpayer money was spent to create a new system that’s goal is to collect more money from the taxpayer. Wow.

So what can Oaklanders expect to see in the next phase of the new system? If you guessed replacing handwritten tickets with computer-generated tickets, you’re correct again. Because if there’s one, universal, complaint about parking tickets in Oakland, it’s that the citations aren’t computer-generated! So, thank goodness for that.

The saddest part about this whole thing is that it comes as no surprise. With all the problems and complaints about parking-enforcement in Oakland, the City’s solution to better serve constituents is to implement new payment methods and improve collection rates? (Oh, and to replace handwritten tickets with computer generated ones.) Frustrating? Yes. Insulting? Definitely. Surprising? Not at all.

Twilight: Eclipse, eclipsed on Twitter by Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows

Twilight: Eclipse, the third installment in the hit movie series based on the book series by Stephanie Meyer, sold $68.5 million tickets Wednesday to mark the second largest movie opening in history. But with all that, Twilight: Eclipse can't beat Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows on Twitter.

As this is written at 2:08 EDT, "Deathly Hallows" is the second top trend on Twitter; it was number one an hour ago. "Twilight Eclipse" or "Eclipse" are no where to be seen. The reason for this, I speculate, is connected to the difference in Worldwide popularity for both series.

Using Google Insights for Search, I typed in the words "Twilight" and "Harry Potter" for today, July 1, 2010. Google Insight for Search is an online tool that allows you to learn how keywords associated with your online content are doing in a city, region, and the World. It has an "intensity of search" rating that goes from zero to 100.

Today, while "Twilight" as a term has a higher intensity of search, 87 to 63, respectively, and "Twilight Eclipse" is at 79 versus 63 for "Harry Potter," Harry Potter has a higher level of search intensity in the United States than is true for either "Twilight Eclipse" or "Twilight."

Believe it or not, but both "Twilight Eclipse" and "Twilight" have the most search popularity in the Philippines, followed by Romania, then the United States. In the United States, the level is at 52 versus 100 for the Philippines.

By contrast, Harry Potter scores a 100 and a 83 in the United States and the United Kingdom respectively as the two highest regions in the list on Google Insight for Search for "Harry Potter."

Because Harry Potter's enjoying such search intensity for the USA and the UK after the release of the movie trailer for Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, that translates into a much higher topic rank on Twitter for "Deathly Hallows" than for "Twilight Eclipse."

The problem for "Twilight Eclipse" is that it's just not as popular in the UK as "Harry Potter." Where Harry Potter has an 83 in the UK, Twilight Eclipse chimes in at just 32. So what does this mean?

It means that if Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows can stir up this much buzz with the release of a trailer, and months before its November 19th release, it will set box office records when it's released. I will go so far as to say it will break Twilight Eclipse' opening day mark of $68 million.

Stay tuned.

Stanford's Jenny Thompson attacked near Boston

Jenny Thompson 

Stanford University's Jenny Thompson, one of the most decorated Olympian in American history with 12 medals overall, and definitely a Wonder Woman, was attacked near Boston on Monday. According to The Huffington Post, Thompson was riding on her scooter in Brookine, Mass, when a car stopped behind her with its headlights out.

Thompson, 37 years young, said two people got out, stopped her, punched her, and tried to take her scooter. But she was too strong for them; she held on to it while screaming for help. The attackers ran away.

Jenny reportedly identified her attackers; Brookline police arrested three teenagers who were riding around on stolen scooters that night. Jenny Thompson managed to keep her scooter.

Too bad to read this about Jenny, as from the time I met her at the 2000 Bay Area Olympians Dinner, she's a hoot of a nice, fun person, even though she went to Stanford! Jenny moved back east to focus on a medical career after killing it in the pool. Nice to see she's not lost much of her strength; instead of being super humanly strong, she's just strong now. ; instead of being super humanly strong, she's just strong now.

Wonder Woman, bring back the legs, the muscles, and the flag, please

The Original Wonder Woman I prefer

Wonder Woman has always been my favorite comic book hero, or more appropriate to this message, heroine. It wasn't until the age of seven in 1969 that this blogger started reading comic books, but the first one was Wonder Woman, circa 1950 (or around that time).

What attracted this small boy at that time was seeing an image that the World did not present: of this obviously strong and yet (and in retrospect it's easier to see this) attractive woman doing things like lifting cars and throwing men. And she did it while putting on a costume that said "I represent America!" So it should come as no surprise that I'm not in favor of the newest look for Wonder Woman.

Not surprisingly, reading Wonder Woman circa 1950, my image of the ideal woman was formed a very long time ago. Whatever woman I was with, and regardless of color, had to look something like that and have at least near-Wonder Woman level of confidence. Lifting cars wasn't a real consideration.

When the Wonder Woman TV show was introduced in 1975, I was excited, but eventually deeply disappointed. I expected Diana Prince on TV to look like the Diana Prince of the 1950s comics: with curves and muscle. Instead, I got the lovely but not at all muscular Linda Carter.

And while I liked Linda Carter as Wonder Woman, it was more because I had no choice. No where else could you see Wonder Woman on TV. It was at that point, I became aware that Wonder Woman was a slave to male fears of women as expressed in how she was drawn.

William Moulton Marston, who created Wonder Woman and drew her, was not afraid of an obviously strong woman, or he would not have created one. But that's not true for the men who've drawn and written Diana Prince since then.

 From the failed 1974 Cathy Lee Crosby Wonder Woman who was not strong at all, to the newest creation released this week, men have dared to give us the real, undoubtedly strong, Wonder Woman of the 1950s.

What does that say about American Men, of which I'm one?  Not much that's good. It says we're afraid of strong women so we take that away from them every chance we get. Take the new Wonder Woman. She looks like a lean female athlete who might run for exercise but can't lift a car, let alone throw it. She looks vulnerable, and like she's neurotic. And she's not really into America because the flag-themed costume is gone. That bothers me too.

The New Wonder Woman of 2010

There's nothing wrong with flying the American flag for good purposes, like showing a strong woman helping people, which is what Wonder Woman does. Why does Superman get to keep his same look, and the red, white, and blue colors, and tights that he's got no business wearing in public? Why not give Superman a makeover? Do the men who draw Superman like that look? I have to ask, because I don't like it. I was never into Superman; Wonder Woman was always for me.

I can see where DC Comics J. Michael Straczynski as writer and Jim Lee as artist are prepping Wonder Woman for the movies, and for Comic-Con in San Diego later this month.  It will make for an interesting Comic-Con, for sure, as Wonder Woman purists like myself butt heads with the, well, lovers of the new, weak Wonder Woman.  (Just have her throw a car, or an airplane.  Something to make me happy.)

But man, I want the Wonder Woman of the 1950s, much as we're going to get the Captain America of World War II in that upcoming movie.

Maybe I should write my own Wonder Woman Movie and make her the strong woman she was in the 50s, because it's clear to me that since then, too many of her artists and writers fear a really strong female image.

Not me.

AC Transit in Oakland facing possible driver strike after impasse

Berkeley AC Transit Bus Rapid Transit

Oakland, CA-based AC Transit has declared that contract talks between the Alameda - Contra Costa District Transit Company and the Amalgamated Transit Union, Local 192, (ATU) have reached an impasse. AC Transit is working to close an estimated $56 million budget deficit due in large part to reductions in revenue from property taxes. AC Transit is working to reduce labor costs by 8 percent at least; far better than cutting jobs but the ATU fails to see it that way.

AC Transit has been forced to increase fares and decrease service to make up for the revenue shortfall. ATU made an offer but it reportedly wasn't enough to help close the gap: AC Transit seeks $15 million in savings.

What the ATU does not understand is AC Transit's budget problems, like those of the City of Oakland itself, are due to massive reductions in sales and property tax revenue. AC Transit receives a percentage of each dollar of property tax collected in what are called "flood control districts." There's no sign that with the unemployment rate and the credit crunch, those sales and property tax revenues are going to recover to levels of even four years ago.

The ATU really should make a concession and give a salary reduction. It's not AC Transit being mean; what a lot of people don't seem to get is this country has real economic problems and California's really suffering from it. We're letting manufacturing jobs go offshore; the New United Motors Plant that employed 4,000 people in Fremont, California, has closed. And the green jobs effort has not closed that unemployment gap.

Memo to Amalgamated Transit Union, Local 192: we're in trouble, pitch in an help. Don't walk away from talks, or strike.

Thanks!

The NY Post changes format? Nets! by Suzannah B. Troy

http://www.nypost.com/

Just like abusing eminent domain it looks like Jay-Z and the Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, apparently not a spy have taken out such a large ad featuring their faces plugging The Nets basketball team.   I am guessing very expensive ad that appears The New York Post changed it's format or I thought I was at the wrong site.  I thought someone else had taken over....

Just a side note:  We have a Russian coming in and buying up a majority ownerership in an American Basketball Team and being part of eminent domain abuse so Americans happily living their lives were forced out of their homes in part so a Russian citizen could make even bigger profits!  Nice and China owns a huge part of America's debt!   If America was a person living insanely beyond his means any financial adviser would say stop spending money but because it is a country we allow ourselves to go further in to debt and Russia and China to buy up anything we put on the chopping block.

Billionaires in New York are acting more and more like billionaires in Russia except in Russia sometimes even billionaire have very, very scary things happen to them when the powers that be decide they want to take away their wealth.  That has not happened here in NYC...yet.  It would be almost funny if that did because New York billionaires think they are impervious to just about everything.  One billionaire got busted in Florida and although NY born and bread he of course doesn't declare NY as his residents.  Michael Douglas not a billionaire won't of course declare NY as his residence.  Most Wall Streeters immediately declare any where but NY as their residents to avoid the NY taxes, a piece of info you will not see in Oliver Stone's Wall Street 1 and 2 and just naming movies with numbers is a bad omen.

Getting back to advertisements here in New York where we wonder what is the price tag and if the billionaires are going to far, crossing the line and on this and other lines...

Mike Bloomberg's ads on the steps of Grand Central  The MTA, Mike Bloomberg and his public relations woman for his private empire refuse to answer questions on how much this ad cost and does it advertise him as mayor and his political aspirations as well as his private empire?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbD1HWEV7g4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pG1TBJr57cQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pG1TBJr57cQ

I am not going to suggest we have a revolution but I can't help but think some very arrogant people are in for some shocking awakenings that they are not above "it" meaning the laws, accountability, etc.