Spinning Surveys -- keep thinking

You've probably seen recent stories that over 40% of Republicans -- or an even higher fraction of Tea Partiers -- think the current President wasn’t born in this country. You may also have heard Rush Limbaugh talking about what the people surveyed think in dramatic (or even bombastic) terms. It's spin.

Here's the thing:

No matter if you’re listening to Limbaugh, watching cable TV, or reading about it in Salon or your favorite blog-site, the surveys only tell you what people say, not what they think. Pundits are free to theorize about what the survey means, but to go beyond and tell us what people are thinking? That is plain, unmitigaged guessing, and it's almost certainly motivated by the desire to keep ratings up and make money from ads - which sadly relies all together too much on spin intended to keep you coming back for more, no matter if the source is right-leaning or left-leaning politically.

Allegedly expert commentators and media darlings alike may choose to infer the Republicans responding to such surveys “think Obama wasn’t born in America,” but it’s equally valid to infer they simply wish that he wasn’t -- you could even suggest they want you to think they think he wasn’t born here, but the fact remains that all you know is what they've said.

The data, the facts, are how those people responded, nothing more. You can’t know what a person is thinking; that's why the American legal system, for instance, is predicated on actions, not media coverage, commentator speculation, or inferences drawn by partisan pundits paid to keep ratings up.

Keep thinking.

Thomas Hayes is an entrepreneur, Democratic Campaign Manager, journalist, and photographer who contributes regularly to a host of web sites on topics ranging from economics and politics to culture and community.

Whoopi Goldberg And Michaele Salahi: Salahi accusation off base

Come on, guys! 

Normally, this blogger doesn't start a post like this, or make the following statement, but White House Party Crasher Michaele Salahi, now of The Real Housewives of DC, needs to shut up about ABC's The View's Whoopi Goldberg. Moreover, Whoopi Goldberg did not, in any way assault Michaele Salahi, and for her to assert such is a total lie.

In my opinion, Michaele Salahi's being neurotic, and using the "Oh, this black woman assaulted me" approach, thinking people will come to her defense. But, that written, there are a lot of people who wish Whoopi did kick Michaele Salahi's public figure butt.

This blogger's not one of them, but after seeing this really stupid attempt at publicity by Michaele Salahi, I'm on the fence, holding a conference with my angles and devils.

Maybe it's a side effect of watching Enter The Dragon with Jim Kelly, Bruce Lee and John Saxon at Geisha in Oakland last night. Maybe Whoopi Goldberg should have went "Bruce Lee" on Michaele Salahi's husband? Hmmm.

OK, let's recap. This video by Celeb TV tells the story:



Now, as Kelli Zink of CelebTV reports, Michaele Salahi got off topic and Whoopi Goldberg came out to say to her "Would you go back to the White House please?" As Whoopi did that, she touched Michaele on her hip, almost affectionately, not aggressively. In fact, Whoopi's touch didn't even cause Michaele Salahi to fall or even move from her seated form with her legs crossed.

And now, Michaele Salahi calls that an assault. That's why I say Michaele Salahi's being neurotic. Oh, the definition of neurotic is "a person who is afflicted with a neurosis or who tends to be emotionally unstable or unusually anxious." As in Michaele Salahi saying "Someone touched me, and I went 'Ohh," and then taking to her Facebook page and complaining about it.

What Whoopi was trying to do was have The View panel get back to the topic of The White House Party Crashing issue. That was it. Michaele's complaint is just plain nuts and her husband Tareq should be ashamed of himself, for using his Blackberry to take a photo of Whoopi. Geez, man. Get real.

As one who's been assaulted by a San Francisco Luxor Cab Driver, I know what it means to be assaulted, and that wasn't even close. Come on Michaele!

If Michaele Salahi has any honest and reasonable bone in her body, she should apologize to Whoopi Goldberg, and soon.

Let's stay tuned for that one.

Mayor Mike Bloomberg sympathetic to Guiliani by Suzannah B. Troy

Does mayor Bloomberg have any sympathy for the people that he has helped developers like Columbia University and Bruce Rattner to mass displace? Thanks to Caroline for wearing an NYU shirt which conveyed the message to me that NYU has been stealing up our communities where ever NYU occupies property from Stuy Town that was meant to be affordable housing to the East Village which NYU mega dormed to death to the West Village, to South St. Seaport to Brooklyn.  Mike has not been exposed for pulling a Rudy in terms of having an affair with a subordinate at City Hall and giving his than mistress raises including a huge one when he dumped for his judi, far less attractive than Donna but both Rudy and Mike have robbed the tax payers of New York big time.

The NY Post exposed the mayor's administrative assistants "double dipping" a must read if you haven't read that article giving these gals over 200,000 each plus the post estimates Mike is costing or robbing tax payers 2 million for his campaign staff so I am sure he is sympathetic to everyone but the people who truly deserve it -- the people of NYC!  At least the city was in better shape under Rudy; now it's falling a part and looks like a bad xerox of Dubai.  When Cooper Union tried their shady unethical real estate deals under Rudy his city planner not a socialite like Amanda the peoples' Burden said no to Cooper Union, supersizing - busting through zoning and leasing for 99 years is a shell game.  For these guys and I am including Steve Rattner, Charlie Rangel, denial is the new crack cocaine.  Impeach Bloomberg and his mini-me Christine Quinn.

Oh and look at this  comment not by me -- I guess Bloomberg is trying to figure out more ways to make people unemployed like ticketing vendors and almost every body possible that is not rich!

sceeyoo

08/05/2010 3:45 PM

Does Bloomberg have any Sympathy for the 2.2 Million People Unemployed in New York City...Just something 2 Think about

Thanks again to Caroline Giuliani for wearing an NYU shirt.

You see, NYU is the Bernie Maddoff of real estate.  NYU made off with our neighborhoods!

Mary Hart : The Legs of Entertainment Tonight steps down after 30 years

First, the sad news is Mary Hart, known far and wide for her great legs and how she used them on the long-running Hollywood gossip TV show Entertainment Tonight. is stepping down after 35 years at the anchor helm.

Mary hit American Pop Culture with a blast of her gams thrusting from her trademark short skirts.  Arguably, Mary was the model for all of the blonde female anchors and contributors on Fox News.

Second, I can't believe Mary Hart's 59 years old. I would have thought 49, easy, but 59? No way. Seriously.

And as far as I know, it's all from just plain taking care of herself and working out. In fact, Mary Hart even has (or had, since it was made in 1990), her own workout DVD:



Ok, I've got to admit the "Up With People" style of the DVD is a little much, but at least Mary Hart had the courage to do it.

Workout aside, Mary Hart leaves behind a legacy of style and professionalism that will not be soon matched, because all of the other female Hollywood gossip anchors have followed her formula of looks, legs, and diction. Mary Hart's the only one who can make me actually watch anything about Kate Gosselin.



Mary Hart is a true television legend who's presence will be missed.

Taskrabbit at the forefront of the telework movement

Ever heard of Taskrabbit? Well, keep reading. An interesting bit of news that reflects just how much our culture has been impacted by The Internet, is that a service like Taskrabbit.com has been established. What they do is pair the work-at-home worker with odd jobs. Or, as The Wall Street Journal put it, Taskrabbit is "a new service that pairs people who have errands to run with those who have the time to do them."

Here's the video about Taskrabbit.com:



The number of people who work at home, called "telework" or "telecommuting" for those who work for other office-centered organizations, is much larger than you may realize. The latest figures date all the way back to 2004: The Telework Coalition, a nonprofit advocacy group, reports that as many as 44 million workers do their jobs and tasks from home.

But that estimate can't be correct because it was done before the mainstreaming of social networking, let alone many of the online services we use today, from Twitter to Facebook and Foursquare.

Regardless of the right number, which this blogger estimates could be as high as 60 million people, one thing is certain: working at home is now commonly accepted practice.

Will Taskrabbit.com make odd jobs cool?

I've got to admit, Taskrabbit.com is a massively cool, good idea that could revolutionize work as we know it. By providing website-easy access to small jobs, the site may make those jobs more desirable, and cause growth in a whole new segment of worker: people who specialize in doing odd jobs.

Keep am eye on Taskrabbit.com.

Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums makes history in avoiding reelection run

Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums brought a sad and historic end to his four years as Mayor of Oakland yesterday. Not just because he elected to avoid running for reelection as Mayor, but the way he did it.  This blogger predicted he would run and this blogger was way wrong.

Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums became the first mayor in Oakland's history to not seek a second four-year term. And word of this travelled fast, as this blogger received several text messages and emails on Wednesday (my birthday), including a really nasty one from a person who was told to avoid contact with this blogger. (And if he persists, you will read about him in this space.)

But yes, you read that correctly: Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums became the first mayor in Oakland's history to not seek a second four-year term.

Since 1953, when Oakland's Mayor began serving a four-year term, every Oakland mayor has held the office longer than four years, except Ron Dellums:

John C. Houlihan - 1961-1966 (Resigned over a salary issue, then was arrested for embezzlement of funds from the estate of an elderly widow.)

John H. Reading - 1966 - 1977 (Served three terms)

Lionel J. Wilson - 1977 - 1991 (Served three terms)

Elihu M. Harris - 1991 - 1999 (My boss served two terms, then resigned to run for the State Assembly, losing to Audie Bock.)

Jerry Brown - 1999 - 2007 - Could have had a third term as Oakland Mayor, but created Measure X, which limited his own term to two.

Ronald V. Dellums - 2007 - 2010 (First one-term mayor in Oakland's four-year mayoral term history)

Mayor Ron Dellums also did not go our in a way this space can defend. I am surprised that Dellums, even with all of the issues he had to deal with in his personal life that would have became a focus of the campaign if he decided to run, failed to fight on. Now, Dellums will be considered a failure as Oakland's Mayor and a person who really didn't care about Oakland.

Is that right? No. But it's the image he's crafted for himself. Dellums should have stuck to his original plan and gave a Friday press conference, standing tall before all, and using that podium as the place to give his time as Mayor of Oakland a new life.

All that is but a dream.

Instead, we have Mayor Ron Dellums going bunker and basically stiff-arming SF Chronicle Staff Writer Matthai Kuruvila, who should learn to use a video camera. Instead, we have Mayor Ron Dellums holding a private function, with just the Oakland Post invited. Good for Oakland Post publisher Paul Cobb, but bad for Ron Dellums.

Bad because when it looked like Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums was about to become LeBron James, with the special media-friendly announcement and all that, he reverses field and sticks his head in the sand, and says "Don't bother me, brother" to the press...un, except Paul Cobb.

To his credit, Dellums has never said that to me. It's too bad and really sad to see a man I've admired over my life go out this way.

One thing's for sure, it's a wide-open Oakland Mayor's race. But I do wish Mayor Dellums would have picked another way to end his term.

Stay tuned.

Prop 8 : California Gay Marriage Ban overturned by Judge Walker

Judge Walker 

So how cool is this news on this blogger's 48th birthday: Proposition 8, the horrible and neurotic (Who cares who marries whom?) law prohibiting Gay marriage was overturned today, Wednesday, August 4th, 2010.

In other words, by "Memorandum Order of Judge Vaughn Walker Declaring California's Proposition 8 Unconstitutional."

The primary reason stated by Chief U.S District Court Judge For Northern District of California, Vaughn Walker is on page 135 of the case ruling document and reads:

Moral disapproval alone is an improper basis on which to deny rights to gay men and lesbians. The evidence shows conclusively that Proposition 8 enacts, without reason, a private moral view that same-sex couples are inferior to opposite-sex couples.

What's massively cool is that Judge Walker is himself Gay. Opponents will certainly look at that fact as an issue in his ruling, but I think it's fitting that someone who's life would be altered by Prop 8 has the chance to rule on its constitutionality.

Before you react one way or the other, take time to read the case document, which you can download here: CASE DOC.

And so ends, for the moment, the reason that just protests like this one in the video from last year, occurred, but will the anger from those who feel it necessary to block the civil rights of others, also expressed in videos below, subside? I hope so.





Stay tuned for more on this amazing development.

Money Hungry: Give VH1 $10K, lose weight & win back your money by: Nikky Raney

Money Hungry on VH1 is a new type of reality weight loss show where 10 pairs of overweight people paid $10,000 of their own money in hopes to lose weight and gain $100,000.

Out of the 10 pairs only one pair will win $100,000 but two of the other pairs will win back their $10,000. That means that for seven unlucky pairs they will lose weight, and the $10,000. Each team gave stories on how they were able to raise the money: selling cars, fundraisers, loans and other actions were taken in order for each pair to raise the money.

Every week one of the ten teams will be sent home. Each week the teams are all weighed at the beginning and then weighed at the end. The amount of pounds lost is not what matters most, but the measure of how much body fat is lost. The team with the lowest percentage of body fat lost will go home and kiss their $10,000 good-bye.

The first episode showed the contestants partying their first night. One of the contestants that will stick out through the season is Philip - who on the first night downed two bottles of wine and found himself naked in the pool.

Each pair gave themselves a team name. The ten teams consist of:

Team Fabulous: Philip & Stephanie

Team Roll Models: Shante & Jamie

Team No Excuses: Melissa & Josh

Team Chicago Deep Dish: Marilu & Bridget

Team Mission Slimpossible: Mark & Joe

Team Slenderellas: Kaitlin & Jackie

Team A Pair Of Nuts: Yamil & Johnny

Team Grading Curves: Missy & Tricia

Team Regulators: Po & Dave

Team Double Chocolate: Georgette & Tammy

Team Family Sized: Denise & Katie

Team Rocker Moms: Beth & Carrie

Tune in Thursday, August 5 at 5 p.m ET/PT to watch Money Hungry and see who works out the hardest and who ends up saying good-bye.

(Photo courtesy of VH1)

Ronald Reagan must be rolling in his grave

Former U.S. Representative David Stockman (R-MI), who served as Ronald Reagan's first director of the Office of Management and Budget, used the forum of the Sunday New York Times to unmask and rebuke Republican members of Congress and their elite messaging strategists who cling to claims to be fiscal conservatives.

"Mr. McConnell’s stand puts the lie to the Republican pretense that its new monetarist and supply-side doctrines are rooted in its traditional financial philosophy."

David Stockman
31 July 2010

Describing current and recent GOP tax rhetoric "a mockery of traditional party ideals," Stockman says these policy doctrines have led to four "great deformations" of the U.S. economy over the past four decades, starting when the Nixon administration ignored the 1944 Bretton Woods agreement to balance our accounts with the world while "Republicans have turned a blind eye to each one."

"By fiscal year 2009, the tax-cutters had reduced federal revenues to 15 percent of gross domestic product, lower than they had been since the 1940s. Then, after rarely vetoing a budget bill and engaging in two unfinanced foreign military adventures, George W. Bush surrendered on domestic spending cuts, too — signing into law $420 billion in non-defense appropriations, a 65 percent gain from the $260 billion he had inherited eight years earlier."

David Stockman
31 July 2010

Doubtless this is why so many who lately vote against Republican policies and politicians describe themselves as socially liberal yet fiscally conservative. The GOP has been abusing the trust of their base, successfully waging a PR war on the truth: relying on either the inattention, and/or gullibility of voters who have fallen for their appealing "brand ideology" without realizing this rhetoric is entirely at odds with actual GOP goals and actions for the past 4 decades.

That's the real threat to the Republican Party, which is now gleeful for media coverage of Tea Party events so far to the political right they may fool swing voters into thinking the GOP looks as though they occupy the middle-ground. Stockman's Op-Ed article is a must read for all who take politics seriously enough to vote.

Thomas Hayes is an entrepreneur, Democratic Campaign Manager, journalist, and photographer who contributes regularly to a host of web sites on topics ranging from economics and politics to culture and community.

Obama Birthday; Zennie's birthday - The Kennedy Generation

Today is President Barack Obama's birthday. He was born on August 4th, 1961. It's also the birthday of this blogger, Zennie Abraham. My birth date was August 4th, 1962 - exactly one year behind President Obama.

Last year, I made the video below to thank President Obama for allowing this blogger to be who he is and not an African American stereotype. This one:



The message of one year ago still applies today.

It's no accident that Barack Obama comes from my generation of not just black men, but Asian, Latino, and other minorities of color both male and female. All of us, it's not too much of a stretch to say, don't reflect the historic stereotypes American society stamped on those before us, and tries to stick on some of those with us today.

I never grew up seeing anyone Asian as "The model minority" or anyone Latino from the negative stereotypes placed on them. At Skyline High School (where the class of 80 just had a rocking 30th reunion), I knew guys who were stoners, screw-ups, smart folks, and cheerleaders, and all of them were Asian, Latino, and Black.

I never grew up seeing anyone that way.

At my 30th Skyline High School Reunion I looked out and saw my friends and classmates of all different shapes, sizes, and colors intermingling and having a massively great time and thought to myself, "That's my generation. What a cool group of people!"

My generation is Barack Obama's generation: "The Kennedy Generation."

No offense to Tom Hanks, who graduated from Skyline High School in Oakland in 1974 and talks about those who fought in World War II as "The Greatest Generation," but I think our generation's not too far behind that one in greatness. We're the first to break away from racial stereotypes, not just of others, but of ourselves, and realize the full range of possibilities of The American Dream.

The fact that Barack Obama - the 44th President of The United States, and of the class of '79, and America's first black president - is from my generation is no accident. My generation consists of those who are on the cusp of the Bay Boom, born in 1960 and up in America.

I suppose, since John F. Kennedy was president when we were born, you could call us "The Kennedy Generation."

If you think about it, "The Kennedy Generation" reflects the sweeping hopes and dreams of President Kennedy himself: to reach for the moon and improve the quality of life for everyone on Earth. We learned how to protest from the early Baby Boomers, but altered our approach with a desire to cause change from within the system itself.

Little, by little, we gained power and influence, until one of us was ready to be President and we elected him.

Barack Obama reflects the best of my generation: we broke the mold and made America an even greater nation.

Happy Birthday, Mr. President.

Google Adsense payment process problem for YouTube Partners

Susan Boyle has been very good for
YouTube Partners 

If you regularly read this space, you know this video-blogger is a YouTube Partner. YouTube explains that it wants its partners to earn a living from the production of videos, like my commentary on Susan Boyle from April of 2009.

The debut of Susan Boyle resulted in this video-bloggers first 1 million-view-in-one- month video and translated into a nice check.  Susan Boyle's success has been good for many of the 10,000 YouTube Partners.  She had the most watched set of videos on YouTube last year.

Google Adsense reporting subpar

A key part of the YouTube Partner program objective of having its content producers earn a living is the smooth running of the Google Adsense payment system. But as of this writing, the Google Adsense payment process is a problem for YouTube Partners, like myself, who want to know in detail what's happening with the checks that are to be sent.

Using myself as the example, I have signed up for the "secure payment" program, so I'm paid between the 1st and the 5th of each month. Google generally posts the delivery tracking information so you can call and check on the path of your check. But this month, for reasons not known, Google has not done this. A look at the help area revealed that I'm not the only one experiencing the problem.

Google Help Area not reliable

What compounds the problem is the "top contributors" in the help section at times don't know what they're talking about. A lot of misinformation is communicated around the Google Adsense program process, which compounds the frustration of the person waiting for the check.

YouTube itself has taken great steps to improve the YouTube Partner payment reporting program as much as it can. Now, we get reports on monthly video revenue performance all the way down to specific videos on a daily basis. It's the best improvement the program has initiated in the near-four-years I've been in the YouTube Partner program.

But now, Google has to step up its payment process information system. It's the weak link in the YouTube Partner program, and since Zennie62.com blogs also have Google ads, the total network that I've built generates revenue that's paid from Google Adsense.

Hopefully this issue is resolved. Google must improve this, so YouTube Partners can enjoy the fruits of their labor in a timely fashion.

Tom Sherak reelected Academy President; Annette Bening gets post

Tom Sherak

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) or "The Academy," announced late Tuesday evening that Tom Sherak was reelected as President of The Academy by its Board of Governors. It's his second straight one year term of office in AMPAS.

Previously, Sherak served as treasurer of the Academy, and has started his eighth year as a governor representing the Executives Branch.

Joining the wave of good Academy news, Sid Ganis, the Public Relations Branch governor and past Academy president, was elected first vice president.  James L. Brooks and Phil Robinson, both of the Writers Branch, were elected to vice president posts, with Robinson being reelected. It's Brooks first election to a post.

Annette Bening gets post

Annette Bening

Actress Annette Bening, wife of Actor Warren Beatty, was elected to the post of secretary.   It's her first Academy-elected position.

Perhaps Bening will be Academy President one day?

Tom Sherak paid his dues

The reelection to AMPAS as President is a complement to Tom Sherak and his long standing relationships in the Academy and in Hollywood. For 40 years Sherak has been a marketing, distribution and production executive, and currently is a consultant to Marvel Studios and Relativity Media.

The Green Hornet Black Beauty Chrysler Imperial is a real, drivable car

While Comic Con patrons (on the trip sponsored by The Kings Inn Hotel in San Diego) didn't go Lady Gaga over the presentation for the 2011 The Green Hornet movie, that was not the case for the car.

The 1968 Black Beauty Chrysler Imperial that was parked on a pedestal at the entrance to San Diego's Gaslamp District was a hit.

But the even bigger news is The Black Beauty was not a prop, but a real, drivable car.

After Comic Con was over and the crowds died down, a crew unhooked The Black Beauty from its Comic Con outdoor home and a man got in, fired up the 400-plus horsepower engine, and drove it to the truck that would take it back to LA. Here's the video:



One of the work crew told me The Black Beauty car is one of five created by Sony Studios, and not George Barris, as I'd thought. And you can buy the car yourself and this space will have more information on how and how much.

Oakland City Council: Jennifer Pae in District 2 race gains 36K and new website

Jenn Pae

District 2 Oakland City Councilperson Pat Kernighan officially has a competitor in the race for her Oakland City Council District 2 seat: Jennifer Pae. The 26-year-old Korean American has amassed over $36,000 in donations from 300 people as of this writing.

Jennifer Pae's also launched a new website at JenniferPae.com, but who's Jenn Pae?

This blogger personally knows Jenn Pae. She's person who has been heavily involved in various Oakland political and community efforts, and is a member of the Oakland Community Policing Advisory Board.

Jennifer is one of those new Oakland young women who, like Frieda Edgette of the East Bay Young Democrats, is very popular and has pockets of friends and associates in disparate groups that she can call on for support and direction.

"We need to invest in Oakland by bringing fresh solutions, a bold vision, and new leadership into City Hall," says Pae in her press release. "We need to make fiscally and socially responsible investments in Oakland neighborhoods, jobs, and residents. Now is the time to make local government work effectively to improve the quality of life for all Oaklanders."

Omar Thornton - Hartford Distributors shooting about race

Omar Thornton 

Omar Thornton, the Hartford Distributors, Manchester, Ct shooting suspect was reported to be "not violent" according to his former girlfriend Kristi Hannah. She also said he was the target of racism at the workplace.

That does not in any way excuse what Omar did, but it serves as a warning sign regarding what can push a person to the edge. If it was racism that pushed Omar, then that should be studied so that such a climate is not allowed to exist in the workplace.

Reportedly offered the chance to quit or be fired from the beer distributor because he was an alleged discipline problem according to a Teamsters Union Official, 34-year-old Omar Thornton opened fire and hit eight people, seven have died and one was critically injured according to news updates.

Thornton was the last to die, and according to HLN on television, he called his mother to say "goodbye" after he shot the employees (UPDATE: CBS reports he said to his mother he "killed the five racists who were bothering" him). But how he died is still a source of conflicting reports: some say he was killed by police officers when he refused to drop his gun and others claim that Thornton turned the gun on himself.

Whatever the case, it's clear Omar Thornton snapped. His former girlfriend said he was not a violent person. While he purchased two guns, Omar Thornton had a legal gun permit, and was going to teach his girlfriend how to use guns, according to the Associated Press.

Teamsters official Christopher Roos is wrong about race

Teamsters official Christopher Roos said the shootings had nothing to do with race because Omar Thornton never filed a complaint with the union or any government agency. But what Mr. Roos didn't consider is that some people don't know where to go to file a complaint of racism.

Teamsters official Christopher Roos' statement that "it had nothing to do with race" is both cowardly and irresponsible and wrong. What's the fear in saying that it did have to do with race, when apparently it did? To avoid the chance that maybe they did something to make Omar Thornton snap? Saying that what Omar Thornton did was awful is obvious. But there's a less to be learned here that's being covered up thus far.

Thornton's girlfriend said that he, to quote the Houston Chronicle, "complained of racial harassment and said he found a picture of a noose and a racial epithet written on a bathroom wall." When that happens at work, some people don't know what to do. Perhaps that was the case with Thornton.

But obviously Thornton had also not been instructed on how to deal with race. If he were made to be a mentally stronger person, this story would not have happened.  African Americans have been the victims of racism for centuries, but we're not known for killing anyone as a reaction to it.   This is disturbing.

There's is much to know, still.  What was the discipline problem (on HLN the allegation was theft)?  Did he have any friends within the ranks of the Hartford Distributors beer distributor company? Why did he break from his girlfriend of eight months?

A very sad story of a person who went on a rampage and killed people he worked with.

Vikings: no word from Brett Favre on retirement

Brett Favre ...again?

While the Internet and television and sports talk radio is abuzz with the news that Minnesota Vikings Quarterback Brett Favre plans to retire from the NFL, the Vikings say there's no official word to them as of this writing. That means the news, which came from texts to teammates, can't be considered true or real until Brett Favre steps in front of a mic with cameras pointed at him and says that this time he's done.

According to CBS TV affiliate WCCO reporting from Mankato, Minn, players started texting him , but this paragraph is telling:

Favre reportedly started texting teammates that he wasn't coming back Tuesday morning, however, some of the players and coaches closest to him say they haven't heard anything like that.

Ouch. Could all of this be an overreaction or worse, a trick? Someone may have taken a text out of context. Minnesota Vikings Head Coach Brad Childress said "You know, it's fluid. We text back and forth all the time. I'm not aware of that. Somebody told me that when we were coming off the field. And our players, as teammates, those guys text back and forth all the time, so I'm not aware of any of those reports."

So until Brett Favre himself makes an official statement that he's retired and before cameras, it's not good to take a text we didn't see seriously.

Ron Dellums prediction: Oakland Mayor will run for reelection

On Friday, Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums will announce his intentions regarding running for a second term as Mayor of Oakland. Will he or won't he?

Frankly, the simple fact he's waited until the last possible day says that he's going to run for reelection. That's the solid prediction here.

Moreover, the Joe Tuman for Mayor Campaign seems to know this, as they're working to make sure you know Joe's your other choice for Oakland's next mayor.

I conducted two interviews with Tuman, but one of them, the long one, was done on a new HD camera I'm having tech issues with, and so there's the delay.

Fortunately, I'm camcorder-rich now, but it's the high dollar ones that always give you the headache. A bigger headache is the Oakland Mayor's race. The Tuman campaign wants me to post that interview - a good one - on Friday, and just to let you know Joe's out there.  Problem is the video won't be ready by then.    But Oaklanders know Joe's out there, and he's got company. Still Tuman was the favorite in the last public forum:



Of course, there are a number of people to select from as of this writing (I expect news that someone's going to drop out this week): Greg Harland, Terraance Candell, Orlando Johnson, Rebecca Kaplan, Jean Quan, Don Macleay, and Don Perata, in addition to Joe and Ron. A lot of not just good, but great candidates, the best selection Oakland's ever seen, at least in my time here.

Dellums adding to this race will make it even better. I never counted him out.

Strategically, the reason Ron Dellums will run again in the Oakland Mayor's Race is he's now been able to see the field of candidates. Waiting until the last day of filing to run for Mayor of Oakland was politically smart.

Now, Dellums doesn't have to worry about a surprise new entry into the Oakland Mayor's Race. Plus, he's seen the field. Dellums also knows that Don Perata has not debated any one of the candidates because Dellums did not announce his intentions.

Ron Dellums has been knocked down, picked on, made fun of, and disrespected.  I've said Dellums should not run for reelection, but that's just my opinion. For all of his mistakes, Ron Dellums is a fighter. Mayor Dellums will not just go away. Mayor Dellums will not go quietly into the night. Ron Dellums will battle and claw and because he has something to prove.

Dellums will ask for time to finish the work he started. He will also remind you he's the only experienced candidate for Mayor of Oakland.

Ron Dellums will run for reelection as Mayor of Oakland.

Brett Favre retirement burns up Twitter with misspelled name

Brett Favre ...again?

Brett Favre has said he will not return to the Vikings for the 2010 NFL Season. Instead, Brett Favre will retire, finally. Maybe. Ah, not many are buying it.

As this is written "Brett Farve" is the second highest Twitter trend, surpassing all but "Avara Kedavra," and that's the misspelled version of his name, Brett Favre!

At any rate, be the spelling Brett Farve or Brett Favre, the Twitter comments indicate most don't believe he's actually going to call it quits.

After all, this is the third time we've seen this retirement stuff from him. This blogger thinks Brett Favre will return to the Vikings in the middle of the 2010 NFL Season, when the team's posting a .500 record. Here's what some other Twitterers think:

ashleyjwall If you're tweeting about Brett 'Farve' and not Brett 'Favre' you have no right to have an opinion or be tweeting about the subject.

andyroddick anyone else notice " brett farve" is trending?...... you know u are bigtime when the misspelled version of your name is a trending topic
37 minutes ago via web

jmarley So Brett Farve is retiring........again!
half a minute ago via TweetDeck

Upstateprep Brett Farve to retire, I don't believe it. I need a press coverage of him saying it twice lol
2 minutes ago via Echofon

Personally, it will be sad to see him go...and come back again! I just think he needs to add one more year to make it 20 seasons. 19 is an odd number to leave on.

Hartford Distributors Manchester, Connecticut shooting deaths at 9

According to The Hartford Courant in Hartford, Connecticut, Omar Thornton, who faced disciplinary action at Hartford Distributors, Inc., opened fire and killed what is now said to be nine people in Manchester, Connecticut, then was shot by police.

Earlier reports were that Omar Thornton shot himself; he did not. It was called a "cop shooting" because Omar Thornton did not put his gun down, so police opened fire.

According to Fox CT News video on the Hartford Courant page, and via the mother of a woman, Kristi Hannah, who dated him for eight months, the shooter, 34-year old Omar Thornton, who's African American, complained of racism to his employers, but they did nothing.

John Hollis, a Teamsters Union official said that Omar Thornton, who was a driver with Hartford Distributors, was a "discipline problem" and the union was bringing Thornton in to "remedy" the problem.

Thornton shot a number of people, and as of this writing, it's not known how many because what once stood at seven killed just rose to nine killed, so we don't know how many were injured in some kind of way. Here's the exact quote from the Hartford Courant regarding Omar Thornton's possible motive for the shooting at Hartford Distributors:

Joanne Hannah, who lives in the Enfield neighborhood where Thornton lived until about a month ago, said her daughter Kristi had dated Thornton for eight years. Thornton, who is black, had complained about being racially harassed at work. Thornton brought his complaints to his superiors, who did nothing about it, she said her daughter told her.

A New Trend: blacks who kill over racism

It seems there's a new and to this blogger, disturbing "small" trend of late where black men are as likely to commit workplace shootings as any white male.

Stephen Hill

The last person that comes to mind was was porn star Stephen Hill in Van Nuys, California, who, in June, went off and killed one person and stabbed another at the Ultima DVD office. Hill was black, and like Thornton, was about to be fired from his job. In Hill's case, he was called a "wacky guy" and no one mentioned racism. But then, no one who was close to him was interviewed at the time.

This is disturbing because I and my generation (I turn 48 tomorrow) was raised to be hardened and to expect racism, to point it out, but to not react violently to it.

Because racism is a mental illness, people who are racist are to be treated with pity and avoided.  That's the way I'm conditioned to think.

Frankly, you just didn't hear of someone black who would open fire and kill anyone over racism. We were instructed that it was a sickness that's "just part of the deal" and something you needed to overcome to be successful.

This small trend says nothing good about the overall mental strength of the next generation of black men. If one who's black and make expects to be successful in America, reacting violently to racism can't be considered an option.

Stay tuned.

Bill Cosby not dead 2010 - another Internet hoax

Like Justin Bieber, Kayne West, and so many other celebrities, Comedian Bill Cosby is the latest target of the now famous "dead" Internet hoat. "Bill Cosby dead," "did bill cosby die," and "Bill Cosby dead 2010" are at the top of search trends on Google as of this writing, topping search terms like "dan resin," "mitch miller," and "my super psycho sweet 16" as of this writing at 4:40 M, PDT.

But Bill Cosby is not dead. In fact, "The Cos" took to Twitter to report that he's alive and well:

Again, I'm rebuttaling rumors about my demise. But, I'm confirming I have an app - http://bit.ly/BillCosbyApp :)

Why Is Bill Cosby a Target?

Why Bill Cosby became a target of the "dead" rumors, or why anyone becomes the focus of such cyber games, is a mystery. But Bill Cosby has at least used the same New Media tool to tell the World that he's alive and well.

Lady Gaga Flower Power SEX Vanity Fair by Suzannah B. Troy

Yikes!  The New York Post is running some sizzling photos of Lady Gaga and quotes to massage your funny bone as well as sexually  titillate you or frustrate you when you hear Lady Gaga is abstaining from sex and the reason why.

Lady Gaga is confident she is unconditionally loved by her fans.  Am I going to read this new article on her in Vanity Fair that comes out Wednesday here in NYC?  Yes.   Come on!!!  Bring it on!!!

Dear Lady Gaga:

Have the sex!!! Go for it.

People with no life will project on to you, try to suck your energy, hope to get some kind of fame vicariously throught you, so don't worry about someone sucking energy out your vachina -- try and use good judgement which is very hard because there are not many good guys out there and let's face it most would use you for your money and fame but still try and find someone and just enjoy.

Recycling old lovers before you were famous -- highly recommended!!!!

Here is to flower power and recycling!!!!!!!!!!

YouTube channel Zennie62 hits 16 million views

YouTube channel Zennie62, the companion to this blogger's blog at Zennie62.com and at SFGate.com and Seattle P.I.com has reached over 16 million video views (which is different from channel views).

This is due, first, to the constant support of the YouTube Partner Program team of Chris Rewak, Jim Woods, Yenie Ra, community manager Mia Quagliarello, and others, including YouTube Co-Founder Chad Hurley.

Second, it's due to folks like you, who watch and even send ideas for new videos.  It's also due to people like David Glanzer at Comic Con, Inc, and John Russo, my friend who's Oakland's City Attorney, and Megan Avalon, and Michael Arrington of TechCrunch, and interviews with Sylvester Stallone, and part of the cast of The Expendables.

The most watched video continues to be my Susan Boyle commentary...



Which, with Boyle's incredible voice and my heartfelt comments, seemed to strike a chord with many around the World. Of all of the 1,033 videos I have on YouTube, that's the one I'm proudest of.

The objectives for Zennie62 on YouTube, and other video channels, is to interview more people with interesting backgrounds, take you to events like The Super Bowl and The Academy Awards, talk to politicos locally and nationally, cover sports and news, and provide commentary. Also expect to see a lot of entertainment-related news and interviews, like my limo ride with the people from the movie Hatchet 2:




As well as the occasional "out of pattern" video, like me on an airplane or something, but I'll leave that to surprise.

Subscribe to Zennie62 on YouTube.com.

American Idol chaos: no deal for Jennifer Lopez, yet

No deal for J-Lo, yet 

American Idol's still in a state of chaotic flux. Last week it was reported that Jennifer Lopez was in as a judge while Kara DioGuardi was fired and Ellen DeGeneres quit. Randy Jackson was the only American Idol judge to be retained, although TMZ.com reported that he too almost got the axe.

Hold everything.

Broadcast & Cable reports that there is no deal with any American Idol judge "who was not on last year" which means that Jennifer Lopez is not set as an American Idol judge and the show is still in a chaotic PR mess.

According to Fox Networks Group Chairman Peter Rice, "The only thing I can tell you with any certainty right now is no one has signed a deal yet to be on American Idol who was not on last year."

Rice said that at the top of Fox' executive session at the Television Critics Association press tour, Monday. Rice said he tried to get Ellen DeGeneres to stay and would not confirm reports that judge Kara DioGuardi was fired.

Rice, as he said to reporters, has a hard job of negotiating a contract in a public forum. A rumor about a deal going in a certain direction can either help or hurt discussions. Reading between the lines, it appears that's what's happened with Fox and American idol.

Rice said:

"When we have deals, we'll tell you. I'm not going to get into the ins and outs of how we're trying to make this decision. You guys are really really good at this. You get information from all sorts of places. As I said, some of it is correct and some of it is wildly incorrect and I'm not going to tell you which is which."

Stay tuned.

Chelsea Clinton, Alicia Keys, Tiny and Tip wedding news is Internet buzz

The Internet proves what this blogger has said for years: people are voyeurs. People want to know about what other people are doing and that's a good thing. Take three of the hottest Internet buzz subjects, the weddings of Chelsea Clinton, Alicia Keys, and Tiny and Tip. Together they represent 20 percent of the top searches for the morning of August 2, 2010.

Chelsea Clinton Wedding

The Chelsea Clinton Wedding was called "Our Royal Wedding" by Bonnie Fuller in The Huffington Post, who argues that "we need it," because it's an escape. I guess, but I could have done without Bonnie's wacky sentence:

"Chelsea grew up in the palatial White House and is marrying a wealthy white knight named Marc Mezvinsky, an investment banker with an impressive $4 million Fifth Ave. apartment."

(Ah. Bonnie, he's just another insufferable Stanford grad. Chelsea, too. Just two more reasons to want Cal to kick Stanford's ass in the 2010 Big Game!)

Now it's that kind of take which makes me wish Marc Mezvinsky were black and not white. I'd bet even money Fuller would not have called Mezvinsky a white knight, although doing so in that context would have been path-breaking. Her use of the term causes me to wonder how far we have to go as a country before such institutionally racist signals are gone?

But I digress, sort of.

Alicia and Swizz courtesy of TMZ.com

Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz

I mean no one called Alicia Keys' new husband Swizz Beatz a "white knight," even though he was wearing a white suit in wedding photos. Instead, we have TMZ.com referring to Swizz Beatz as "baby daddy" because he and Keys have a child already.

But why do we see the term "baby daddy" applied to an black man in his time of glory: a wedding? Yeah, it's TMZ, but to take this a step further, The Huffington Post didn't even mention the Alicia Keys wedding beyond a five-paragraph post.

T.I/Tip and reality star Tameka "Tiny" Cottle wedding

T.I/Tip and reality star Tameka "Tiny" Cottle's three-city (wow!) wedding managed to escape any mention in The Huffington Post as of this writing. In fact, the only content I located about T.I. was his win of a BET award from prison.

I think you can see where this is going.

I just don't like the underlying message that's sent: white is good, black is bad or at best not worthy of coverage.

I don't think Arianna Huffington intends to have a publication that has such an institutionally racist appearance, but in this case it looks that way. Some of you will complain that I'm seeing things or "seeing race" but my forceful counter is that you're too willing to consume the messages delivered to you by a particular brand without questioning them.

In other words, if it's The Huffington Post or The New York Times, you'll take it "hook, line, and sinker," but if it's another brand, you'll question it. My point is, you should question every news brand for the stereotypes they present.

...and Rock the Casbah!

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• Alicia Keys Officially Off the Market (everyjoe.com)

Pawlenty's "red hot smoking wife" a calculated tittilation

A topless First Lady?

While it’s arguably inappropriate, sexist objectification of his spouse to bolster his career when lame-duck MN Governor Pawlenty describes her as his “red-hot smoking wife,” I disagree with Wonkette’s characterization that it’s “two years early.” If Obama hadn’t started early he might not be President, and remember Pawlenty isn't exactly breaking new ground: Senator McCain tried to woo votes from Harley riders by suggesting his wife enter the topless Miss Buffalo Chip contest in Sturgis in 2008.

If voters made their choices rationally the political calculus of candidates and campaigns would be very different. Pawlenty used his wife to further his personal goals. Voters often rationalize when interviewed, but research proves the decisions are more often based on emotion than intellectual evaluation.

Campaigns get longer and more costly all the time because mainstream media producers see candidate spending as helping their own bottom lines. In other words, it’s also arguably a conflict of interest to base so much of the determination of a campaign’s viability on successful fund-raising. True, in many cases advertising is a crucial factor, and we all accept that one of the keys to advertising success is repetition across a wide range of media to generate the maximum number of impressions. Yet wouldn’t it be refreshing for a network or newspaper to cap the dollar amount on political ads they’d take at some reasonable level?

Voters report they’re actually annoyed by the saturation of TV as elections approach; in some cases the result seems to be tuning out altogether. Meanwhile where are the balancing stories about what the candidates have actually accomplished, how a candidate runs an efficient and fiscally restrained campaign focused on issues instead of fund-raising, or which ads are to distract from facts or obscure their votes while echoing slogans and talking points in much the same way Budweiser hammers away with their “King of Beer” message.

Pawlenty knows “earned” media coverage is less costly than buying ads, and he’s got the recent examples of Palin and Bachmann proving the press loves provocative statements more than substantive discussion. Any “news” outlet is reliant on ad revenues, which are in turn driven by ratings.

Look how quickly most mainstream media companies jumped on the Shirley Sherrod story – a hint of controversy and the race for viewers/readers was on without what we used to think of as journalistic integrity, all in pursuit of the mighty dollar. Pawlenty certainly doesn’t want the national press talking to disgruntled Minnesotans or economists about how his “no new taxes” mythology has driven down quality of life and scuttled the state budget.

Look for conflicts of interest in coverage, and follow the money if you want to understand Pawlenty — but don’t underestimate either his political savvy or the impact his “red-hot smoking wife” may have on voters and donors.

Thomas Hayes is an entrepreneur, Democratic Campaign Manager, journalist, and photographer who contributes regularly to a host of web sites on topics ranging from economics and politics to culture and community.

Interview DOs and DON'Ts explained by Nikky Raney

After viewing the video of Journalism 101: Interview DOs and DON'Ts there may be some who are looking for further explanation. This is the blog post where the dos and don'ts are better explained. Please understand these are all relating to interviews for a print or web story. Interviews for broadcast are similar, but there are more restrictions.

1) Do not ask yes or no questions.

Don't ask questions that will only result in one word answers. Granted there are some instances where there needs to be background information obtained that may only require a one word answer, but it is always preferable that the questions asked require a longer answer. The purpose of an interview is to obtain quotes for the article. In addition to quotes any facts or statements included within the article can be attributed to the source in instances where the source has given information.

2) Don't ask misleading questions.

Misleading questions are when the question is looking for a specific answer that could possibly make the source say something negative or something that could come off as negative. An example would be when interviewing someone who is pro-abortion and asking, "What is the joy of an abortion like for one who has one?" The person is coming off saying that an abortion is a joyous experience, or asking a presidential candidate, "What about his plan is most unnecessary?" The quotes given can be misconstrued and the person can come off looking bad.

3) Don't rely on a voice recorder.

Yes, it's good to have a voice recorder to play back and make sure the quotes were correct. It also saves time on fact checking so instead of needing to call up the person and go over the quotes - the voice recorder is proof. Taking notes is necessary to write down the key points and quickly jot down quotes. The recording can be fast forwarded to the specific part so that the quote can be accurate. Without taking notes one would need to sit and listen to the entire recording again and write things down - where as taking notes saves from that hassle. It also shows the person that they are actually being listened to and that specific details are being noted.

4) Don't ask irrelevant questions.

This may seem obvious, but many reporters do this. Interviewing a source for an article is just that - interviewing for the article. Taking the time out of the day to make time for an interview with a reporter is something that should be appreciated. Do not waste the person's time rambling or asking things that aren't of any relation to the article. Getting some background information on the person is one thing, but asking personal questions that have no relation to the article is just a waste of time.

5) Don't interrupt.

So sometimes there are questions that need to be asked and limited time to ask them, but even when the source goes off on a tangent talking about things that have no relevance to the article and could not be used as quotes for the article do not interrupt. Interrupting is rude and when someone is taking time out of the day to squeeze in an interview respect is necessary. Especially when a time comes in the future when the source will need to be contacted again. Of course keep some questions prepared, but make sure to have follow up questions in your mind while the person is speaking. Never interrupt, because the irrelevant rambling could sometimes lead to a better quote than could be acquired from any question asked. A subject that was not thought of before could be touched upon, and there's also a lot of information that could be obtained.

6) Ending the interview by asking for additional information.

Make sure the source is given the opportunity to add any additional information that he or she finds important. There may be some things that he or she wanted to discuss, but the questions asked were never directed toward the topic. Asking at the end of the interview shows caring and gives the source a chance to open up freely and talk about things that may not have been covered during the interview. This is where the best quotes will come from.

7) Ask questions that only that person can answer.

Broad questions that could be answered by anyone aren't worth it. Ask questions that are personal and specific to the source. Ask questions that could not be answered by anyone other than that source.

That's all for now - there are more things to touch on, but the most important are there. More explanation will be posted within future blog posts.

Lindsay Lohan out of jail, on to rehab thanks to TMZ.com

Actress Lindsay Lohan is, thanks to TMZ.com, out of jail at the Lynwood Correctional Facility after just 13 days. This space applauds the decision made by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Marsha Revel to have Lohan sent to UCLA Medical Center for treatment, which is reportedly what Lohan's doctors wanted.

This also should give those who believe Lindsay Lohan should get jail time just to show she's "just like everyone else" a belly ache!  Lohan has a special problem that call for the appropriate treatment and not jail time, as the spectators in the Roman Coliseum wanted.

The people who formed this "Lindsay Lohan Lynch Mob" are also the same ones to complain about the "hook em and book em" climate we have today. People must become more intelligent in how they evaluate the legal issues surrounding not just celebrities like Lohan, but everyone.

Earlier, this blogger asserted that Lindsay Lohan should not have gone to jail in the first place:



The Lindsay Lohan matter gave way to a shameful display of bloodlust from even people I personally know.

Judge's Lohan Treatment was In Error

What happened was that Judge Revel had assigned Lindsay Lohan to Morningside Recovery, and over the objections of two psychiatrists selected by the Judge. TMZ broke the story, which served as the catalyst for Lohan's appropriate redirection to UCLA.

Meg Whitman Oakland Office "surveillance" signs taken down

On Saturday, this space reported that the Oakland Lakeshore / Lake Park campaign office for Meg Whitman, the former eBay Chairman and CEO running for California Governor against Jerry Brown, had a warning sign "surveillance" sign in not one but three places on the front window, and that the word "surveillance" was misspelled.

It looked like Meg Whitman was expressing how afraid she was of Oakland.

Here's the Meg Whitman Oakland Office video:



Well, as of Sunday, the Meg Whitman campaign reps came in and took down the signs. However the action doesn't erase the fact that they did it.

The office has to go beyond just taking down the signs, they have to embrace the Oakland neighborhood they're in. That means being more open and not just hiding behind a card table.

Stay tuned.

True Blood - True Bloodiness by Suzannah B. Troy

Episode 31 was just too bloody and violent for me but of course I can't wait for next week to find out what happens next.

The story line is better this season but I find myself dreading the graphic violence and true bloodiness.  Nothing can gross me out and turn me off as much as the last season yet I always want to tune in and find out what is going to happen.

The acting is sooooo good.  I just wish they could tell the story without all the graphic violence and "true bloodiness".  I want to use my imagination.

Is Bill not the sweet intentioned gentleman "killer" vampire we all thought he was....?  Sookie is starting to respond the way so many of us women have when we find out we have been duped!  We just scream on the inside when we finally realize we have been drained of everything by some guy we could not have been more generous and kind to and still it is never enough.  Sookie we feel your pain.  We have all been there!

I find my self grossed out and closing my eyes tonight...thinking now is a time to floss my teeth...but despite the ick violent graphic factor, I can't wait until next week to find out what happens!

I am hoping Eric gets his revenge finally and I want to find out what Sookie does next with Bill as well what is the real story behind Sookie's gifts.  I read the 1st book and after that I found the stories really lacking.  Alan Ball and his writers have infused the HBO special with something extra special the books lacked.  They are such good story tellers I find my self grossed out and squirming as well as longing for next week and dreading the end of another season that will be over too quickly.  I also want to object to each installment being too short....maybe  just over 45 minutes...bummer.  Tonight I almost turned the channel for the 1st time since last season but I am glad I hung in.

Grossed out but loving True Blood...I can't wait for the next season.  I hope they have it in the can ready to start when this season ends.

Shark Week? See Planet Shark at Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta

The Internet buzz is all about Shark Week, today's number one Google Trend. "Shark Week" was coined to bring attention to all of the shark related television shows on The Discovery Channel.

But for me, Shark Week recalls the great time I had at the Georgia Aquarium, the tour led by me friend Hanna, and the Planet Shark exhibit.

The result was one of the most enjoyable videos I've ever made.



If you go to Atlanta, make sure you take time to visit The Georgia Aquarium and take a tour of it with Hanna, who's the best guide there. And yeah, I'm biased, but Hanna's really well-informed and loves her work as a volunteer.

Shark Week equals Planet Shark at The Georgia Aquarium.

Skyline High Reunion was a blast! Tom Hanks and John Landgraf, take note

The 30th reunion of the Skyline High School classes of 1979 and 1980 was a blast. No photos or videos yet, but stay tuned. Tom Hanks should make a movie about our reunion, and John Landgraf, the President of FX Network who graduated with us in the class of 80, missed a great backdrop for a hit TV show by not attending.

Hey John.  You missed a great one! 

First, everyone looked great. Period. For a lot of people, it was impossible to tell they were 47 or 48 years old, as this blogger will be on Wednesday, August 4th.

Second, the turnout was awesome. I'm not sure what the estimated count of people who came to the Sequoyah Country Club was, but I was told there were 100 from the Skyline Class of '80, which is my class, and 30 from the Class of '79, but it seemed like there were more people than just that. Eyeballing everything, I'm confident there 300 people; all acting like they were in their 20s.

Which is the point. Some of us are single, others married, some with kids, some without, and some are grandparents. And of all races, creeds, and colors, as they say. But the one thing we all had in common is we drank like fish and danced are asses off. And those who didn't drink like fish or dance their asses off, talked their mouths off. Talk about a group of people with a zest for life.

At the Friday night "pre-party" at Monahan's, someone mentioned that when we were in high school, the police were a lot easier on you if they caught you with a beer in your car. In fact, the Oakland cops were happy if you shared it with them! I observed that maybe we were the reason all these draconian rules were created! One thing's for certain: it's a different time now.

I can't say the reunion was a time warp. It's not even over because I'm off to the gym and then a reunion picnic. But it was a lesson, for me, in just how great the people I grew up with really were and are. Some of us have passed on, and in most cases due to cancer. But for all of us as a whole, we're the reason that, for all of this country's problems, America, socially, has really become something beautiful.

Skyline High School should be proud. Tom Hanks and John Landgraf, both Skyline High School grads, should make what would be a great new movie or TV show based on our class.

Heck, maybe I'll beat them to it.

Stay tuned.

Consumer Watchdog Running for Congress in MN

Sunday's Saint Paul Pioneer Press gave a black eye to the Minnesota Virtual High School by revealing they recently terminated Shelley Madore, a candidate for Congress, after she reported taxpayer fraud at the charter school. Madore's campaign provided little comment about her charges or the school's reactions, noting the investivation was on-going.

Former MN Representative
Shelley Madore

"When I shared it, I was terminated..."

former MN State Rep. Shelley Madore

Voters in the south Twin Cities Metro area have a choice between the former legislator/watchdog and an unemployed former roofer who "fell into politics" (after falling from a roof) in the upcoming August 10th primary. The winner will challenge incumbent GOP Representative John Kline in the November election.

FEC filings by Madore's opponent Powers have omissions and inconsistencies that might be a story in and of themselves, but what is there reveals he has ample personal assets to loan his campaign $35,000 dollars, giving him the edge in money raised and cash on hand - though both campaigns are struggling to attract donations with so much press attention on other Minnesota races. Twin Cities media has focused on both Tarryl Clark's bid to unseat Michelle Bachmann and the hotly-contested 3-way gubernatorial primary contest, devoting scant coverage to the Congressional primary on the other site of the metro.

The Pioneer Press story characterizes both 2^nd District Democratic campaigns as limping into the primary. The Star Tribue ran a brief article in late July describing Madore's opponent as having a "sketchy résumé" in their first coverage of the primary in months.

"His only income in 2009 was $28,000 in unemployment insurance, according to a financial disclosure report filed in Washington."

from: DFL candidate has sketchy résumé as contractor

24 July 2010

Madore's campaign has made little reference to her opponent's extended unemployment or reliance on his life story rather than policy statements to influence voters, preferring to highlight concrete differences such as Powers failure to hire union workers back when he ran his small business versus her solid voting record as an effective state legislator and endorsements from local and national organizations.

Teacher's unions seem particularly delighted to have a candidate with experience in both the legislature and public education on the ballot: Madore counts endorsements from the National Education Association (NEA), the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), and Education Minnesota among her growing list.

Thomas Hayes is an entrepreneur, Democratic Campaign Manager, journalist, and photographer who contributes regularly to a host of web sites on topics ranging from economics and politics to culture and community.