New Year's resolutions have come and gone: getting 'unstuck' in 2015

The end of January has arrived, and for many, the enthusiasm for New Year's resolutions has waned. How does the song go? 'Back to life, Back to Reality'. This can be a discouraging time, especially if you're still feeling as 'stuck' as you did in 2014. A few weeks ago, just back from a European trip I came down with the flu. Stuck in bed, I decided to start watching the series Downton Abbey after enjoying London while abroad. I proceeded to watch 4 full seasons in 2 week's time. That's about 32 hours of Amazon instant stream binging. I'm actually not sharing this with you here to impress you with my television watching abilities (though they are now well honed) I want to pass on some wisdom from the character Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham in Downton Abbey. A razor tongued, hilarious matriarch with brilliant one liners, she said something that struck me as impressively simple, yet an invaluable outlook to adopt in life. She said "All life is a series of problems which we must try and solve. The first one and the next and the next, until at last we die." This message was directed towards her discouraged granddaughter, who was feeling overwhelmed by the ongoing string of unfortunate events of her life. While some may take her advice as grimly pessimistic, it struck me as both calming and reassuring. We must try to take a step back from our current circumstances and keep in mind, we're always going to be facing a "thing" to overcome or achieve, big or small. No need to harbor shame in the process, or adopt a sense of personal defectiveness, it's the nature of life. Resolution will come and/or 'that thing' will pass, because change is inevitable. In the meantime, try to find a bit of joy. Reach out to friends, find humor in the process, remind yourself that you are not the only one. One of the many things I love about helping people when they feel 'stuck' in a bad place, is hearing from them down the road, long after we've worked through those darkest hours. Nothing brings me more joy than finding out they are now flourishing and past that difficult phase when they came to me for professional support and skill building. It's concrete evidence that even when things completely fall apart in someone's life, things will turn around in time. Resolution has a way of happening, one way or another. I am reminded that life goes on, and my confidence is renewed in helping others find their way too. The hardest moments pass, we find a way to work through those dark hours, and there are surely joyful times to come. Life is a series of highs and lows. We can't change that inevitably and in knowing that we can find some peace and comfort as we get though it. Dr. Christina Villarreal is a mental health expert and coach in the San Francisco Bay Area. For professional inquiries please visit www.drchristinavillarreal.com

Some things and Other Things-the Preseason#1 edition

By Dr. Bill Chahckes-Executive Editor-Football Reporters Online

Well it’s been awhile since we’ve written, so with the lockout firmly in the rear view mirror and pre-season well underway, here are some things to think about during a thunderstorm soaked northeastern U.S weekend.

Just when it seems Mike Vick’s issues are behind him, there he goes running his mouth again. His commenting on the Eagles being his third choice of team to mount his comeback from incarceration may or may not have any long term effect on his overall rising status as the “it” guy at QB in 2011, but it the short term, it has to have a few fans annoyed to say the least. Seems to me that Andy Reid and Joe Banner weren’t thinking too clearly when they went all “NY Yankees” in the shortened Free Agency period. Lots of personality there at the “linc”, maybe too much?

Speaking of the Eagles Free agent moves, WR Steve Smith didn’t waste any time cutting the cord with his former teammates and fans after signing his new contract to move down I-95. While he was very apologetic on his facebook page, he released a statement late last week clearly stating that the “NYG’s are now my enemies.” He also states that Giants head coach Tom Coughlin felt he had a “long way to go” but the doctors from both teams cleared him to begin preparing to play. Let’s see how much of that new contract he’ll earn before he re-injures himself. Not that I didn’t like Steve as a person, and I still do, once you get past the “Front” that this business makes players put up. I just think there are lots of stories out there about what happened with those contract discussions, and unless Steve or his agent decides to tell us directly, we’ll never know. Forget the posturing you heard on NY sports radio, there is a deeper truth here.

The new CBA and the landscape of free agency in the league has had a trickle down effect to other pro leagues, with the UFL contracting to four teams from five recently. It’s quite sad, because we’ll miss the Hartford Colonials franchise, staff, and players. While several of the Hartford players were selected in a “re-allocation” draft, players like Andre Dixon and Colt Brennan were left out to dry. We feel for them and wish them luck. Many have said that the NFL needs a developmental league similar to what they did with NFL Europe and the UFL would be a perfect fit.
To me, more pro football is good for the game and it’s fans.

The NFL Supplemental Draft was rescheduled for this coming Monday, August 22nd. Clearly the only storyline here that means anything to anyone is “where will Terrelle Pryor play in the NFL?” The NFL decided that Pryor will have to sit out five games, just as if he had returned to Ohio State to play his final season of college football. There are several dissenting opinions here, and we discussed it a bit on last night’s “FRO” show on Blogtalk Radio. Matt Marino is of the belief that what Pryor did in college should not have an impact on his pro career, but I believe Mr. Goodell and company needed to send the message out that ”college players who run afoul of the rules will not use the NFL as an escape hatch.” Still some NFLPA player reps have trouble agreeing on this methodology of punishment. If anyone remembers the actor Robert Blake from the 70’s hit TV show “BARETTA,” he had an opening line in the theme song “don’t do the crime if ya can’t do the time.” While most athletes beg for a chance to show they have the ability to play at the professional level, some guys from big time programs continue to live a life of supposed entitlement. Maybe they wouldn’t need to sell Jerseys for meal money if the NCAA gave them a stipend to live on each month. To me, Andrew Luck is starting to look even smarter then he is every day! For every “Ham” Newton, Matt Stafford and Sam Bradford out there, there are just as many Mike Barnard’s, Josh Harrison’s, and Mike Montoya’s who are waiting for their shot at the brass ring.

Let’s face it: while we love the game, the life expectancy of “Football Athletes “ is shortened by as much as 25 years due to numerous health issues from playing, from damaged joints, to traumatic Spine and Brain injuries. While the NFL is waking up to this cold hard fact, the players association keeps tweeting about how much money per active player goes into the health benefits program. (Nolan Harrison get over yourself please! The only person you making happy aside from yourself is Al Davis) But it’s a fraction of what is needed for the pre-1993 players. Lawsuits will continue to be filed, like the one involving Jim McMahon this week. The NCAA & the NFL are making an oil tanker full of money. Accept the fact that, yes, the players should know the risks, but no, no one bothered to tell them what those were. John Mackey passed away recently. We believe he died for the cause. Kudos should go out to the “Veteran Players” who support the retired players movement like Tony Gonzalez. They know they are only one step away from being in the same boat as Earl Campbell, Conrad Dolbler, and Brent Boyd.

Blue Cross California Uses False Data To Reject Applicant

Blue Cross of California is full of it. This blogger, seeking lower health care costs than the half-million dollars Kaiser was charging each month (really almost $500), quit Kaiser, and applied to join Blue Cross of California and under what seems to be a far more reasonable plan.

But Blue Cross of California doesn't want you, er me, to have the plan, it seems. They claim to reject me for a "male reproductive system" problem. That's bullshit. And simply because I never told Blue Cross I had such a problem, and they never tested me, not even a blood test.

By contrast, Kaiser actually bothered to send someone over to my place, take a blood sample, and test me. Maybe that's why the cost was so high? But whatever, Kaiser never rejected me, let alone said I had a "male reproductive system" problem.

But Blue Cross?

Now I see what the company's doing. In an interview they conducted with me about two weeks ago, almost, the interviewer kept asking questions that had nothing to do with my application. He also asked me if I'd ever used a chiropractor. I said "yes" but not regularly. I explained there was a chiropractor at my gym who occasionally offered to adjust my back - why not, I figured? The interviewer kept asking me about that - that's not cool and not right.

It's not right for Blue Cross to have it's employees make up data and stories to reject you. It's not right for Blue Cross of California to even allow itself to be seen as doing that. What Blue Cross does is figure that you're not going to talk about "sensitive information" and probably gets away with murder (if you will) on the assumption that people aren't going to yell and scream about how Blue Cross is treating them, because the person doesn't want to talk about their "condition."

Look, as they say on the street, "my stuff works," OK?

What Blue Cross of California is asking me to do is go in and pay to have a physician check me out, then tell them don't have a problem. So, what am I supposed to do, go in with my girlfriend, screw her in front of the doc, then say "See, it works!"

Yeah, right. But that's one scenario Blue Cross of California sets up.

Blue Cross of California should be ashamed. But it also should stop doing this. It's unethical to treat applicants that way. Kaiser had me, so there's no reason Blue Cross of California should not have me too.

Stay tuned.

Port Of Oakland Budget At $296 Million, Increased 1.8 Percent

On July 1st, The Port of Oakland quietly issued a long press release announcing its 2011-2012 Budget. The release reports that "revenue from the Port’s aviation, commercial real estate, and maritime businesses has been recovering modestly," but that tenants remained concerned about the overall economy.

The Port also explains that it brought $462 million in taxes to the City of Oakland over the last fiscal year, and that it has a $40 million "pipeline" of new projects that will come under the consideration of the Port Of Oakland Board Of Directors.

Here's the full press release:

For Immediate Release
July 1, 2011
Port Of Oakland Adopts 2011-2012 Budget

$296.6 Million Budget Represents Port's Aggressive Focus on Business, Competitiveness, Positive Economic Impact, and Environmental Stewardship

Oakland, Calif. - July 1, 2011 - The Oakland Board of Port Commissioners just adopted a 2011-2012 fiscal year (FY) operating budget of $296.6 million. This is a 1.8% increase over anticipated FY2011 actuals and a 5% increase over the current FY 2011 budget, which was focused on stabilizing the Port after the Great Recession. The FY2012 budget is a forward-looking, pragmatic and job-preserving budget that is sustainable over the long term. In the short term, it will facilitate the second stage of the Port’s 5-year Strategic Plan, focused on marketing, relationship-building, and business growth.

"During these uncertain economic times, our adopted FY2012 budget strikes a healthy and sustainable balance between fiscal responsibility and strategic investments," said Port Board President James Head. “This is especially important as we aggressively focus on growing revenue from our three business lines, which will help us continue to generate positive economic impacts - especially jobs and tax revenue - throughout the region."

Revenue from the Port’s aviation, commercial real estate, and maritime businesses has been recovering modestly; however, the Port’s business lines and its tenants and customers remain concerned about general economic conditions including decreased consumer demand, oil price increases, European debt concerns and Middle East turmoil. Oakland International Airport revenues for the first ten months of FY2011 are 1.8% higher than budgeted in FY2011, though we expect to see a modest decline in actual passenger traffic. Commercial Real Estate revenues have been stable in FY 2011. For the first ten months of FY2011, Maritime revenues were approximately $9.7 million (5.9%) higher than budgeted as a result of a 14% increase in container volume that moved through the Port in calendar year 2010. In FY 2012, we expect to see moderate increases in Aviation and Commercial Real Estate revenues compared to both FY 2011 budget and actuals. Maritime revenues are expected to increase compared to FY 2011 budget, but expected to decrease when compared to anticipated FY 2011 actuals.

"We remain cautiously optimistic that the coming year will bring continued modest economic recovery," said Port Executive Director Omar R. Benjamin. "We therefore need to move strategically from stabilizing the Port, to marketing and growing the Port’s business. That’s why this year we are going to enhance the Port’s export program, capitalizing on our position as the only major West Coast port that exports more than we import; continue bringing new air service to Oakland International; move forward on the transformation of the former Oakland Army Base into a world-class, intermodal trade and logistics center; and continue promoting the development and utilization of our waterfront assets at Jack London Square."

The FY2012 budget includes an $85.6 million capital budget designed to maximize Port assets in order to grow core business. Highlights include:

$51 million in Aviation projects such as airport improvements at the terminals and the BART connector to Oakland International Airport;
$29 million in Maritime projects such as shore power infrastructure, dredging and security enhancements
$3 million in Real Estate projects including Jack London Square improvements at the Oakland waterfront


There is an additional $40 million pipeline of projects that is anticipated to be brought to the Board of Port Commissioners for consideration during FY2012.

The strategic investments made by the Port’s FY12 budget, both in operations and capital, are essential to supporting the Port’s continued positive economic impact in Oakland and the region, which amounts to nearly $10 billion annually, and includes the following jobs and tax revenue benefits:

The Port receives no local tax revenue, and from its operations and those of its tenants—contributes more than $462 million in taxes to the City of Oakland, regional cities and counties, and the State of California.

Through its operations and policies, and the business activities of its tenants and customers, the Port supports more than 73,000 jobs across the region, and is connected to approximately 827,000 jobs across the nation.

For all of its land, I'm surprised the Port Of Oakland isn't used as a location for movies. Given the constant search for cheap land to film on, and different venues, the Port Of Oakland could fashion itself into a top destination at a time when movie production is being done less in California, and more in places like Louisian and Canada.

Mark Halperin Called President Obama A Dick On Morning Joe Because Obam...

On Thursday Morning's presentation of Morning Joe on MSNBC, host Joe Scarborough gave Senior Contributor and TIME Magazine Senior Editor Mark Halperin a chance to say what was on his mind using a term that Halperin himself ask for a seven-second delay for - he didn't get one. But for Halperin to think of what he said - that President Barack Obama was being "a dick" during his press conference (Presumably because Obama didn't let Mark ask a question?) was classless, and arguably racist.

It led this blogger to charge that, had President Obama been white, Halperin would have not made that statement. On my YouTube video channel page, some have agreed; others have asked why. Almost a perfect divide between people who are either just plain empathic regardless of color, or people who just don't understand, or don't want to understand, what it's like to be black in America.

I don't expect to reach a lot of people with what I'm about to write, and by that, I mean change a lot of minds. While society is making giant strides, I'm still skeptical of this culture's ability to alter its behavior when it counts. What makes me smile is that I'm proven wrong more often than not.

Blogging only for myself, being black in America (the only real experience I have) is to be handed a set of "rules as a black man." You can, as I do, try to ignore them, but the enforcers of "the rules" come in all shapes and sizes.

These enforcers tell you not to be 1) obviously intelligent, to 2) be quiet, to 3) not exhibit a "Type A" personality. The black friend you have who says "it's all good," is not a Type A personality, but Type B. Because for a Type A personality, it's not always "all good" and Type A's are constantly working to make it better.

As a black man you can't have a big ego in any place other than the sports playing field, and even then there's some commentator, generally white and male, who says you "showboat" or it's "all about you." While society may increasingly dislike anyone who's aggressive, a special place is held for someone who's white and male, and who's like that, because it's expected.

President Obama knows this, and that's why, when he was running for President, he took great steps not to be considered as that Type A black guy, even though he was and is very much like that. Obama, in order to get elected, had to follow the rules.

But social change at the younger end of the demographic spectrum, where diversity is expected more often than not, is pushing a change in society that has not touched some people like Mark Halperin.

Halperin's in my generation - one of those on the cusp of those social changes that either goes with them, or resists them, or is conflicted.

Mark Halperin is conflicted, and it took an Obama, more comfortable with the chair of the presidency, and more willing to shed the rules for American black men and be a man in full, to get under Halperin's skin, and let lose with an insult never before used toward a POTUS on national television.

My first taste of Halperin was bitter, and it came during the 2008 Presidential Campaign, when it seemed Halperin was always willing to find some little thing wrong with the "upstart" Obama, and so often that the idea Mark may be racist could not escape my mind. It was so much, that I developed the habit of changing the channel when I saw his face, and wasn't at all surprised when Halperin accused the media of a "pro-Obama" bias, implying that he had the anti-Obama bias I long suspected of him.

But, in order to keep his job, Halperin has the task of keeping his inner demons in check. A task that obviously became too great for him on Thursday, so he let lose and called Obama "a dick."

Bravo for President Obama.

America needs to shed the last remnants of slave mentality. Black men need to be able to live under the same set of rules as white men, and women as a whole must also be able to live under the same rules as white men - be aggressive and expressive. State what you want. Make demands. Live your life.

And if someone calls you a dick, don't get angry, just say "Yep and a big one, too!"

Stay tuned.

The Oakland Mayor's Office Must Clear-Up Its Communications Process

This blog post comes as an advisory to the Oakland Mayor's Office, and it's done not for malicious intent, but to bring a stop to a growing problem that's reared its head twice in five days.

To cut to the chase, the Oakland Mayor's Office needs to determine what it's going to sent out in a communication to this blogger, and then make sure that message is consistently delivered, and without potential for misunderstanding, or appearance of subterfuge.

First, I must take time to thank the Oakland Mayor's Office under Jean Quan for at least trying to communicate with the public - it's a far cry from the previous administration. But, Mayor Quan's approach still appears as if it's confused and all too reactive to what's written in the press, well, OK, what's blogged by this blogger.

After trying to deal with this behind the scenes, I've just plain had it.

The first episode started when I received an email from Susan Piper, Mayor Quan's Special Assistant, who played a key role in Quan's successful candidacy. I like Susan, so this doesn't come from a point of dislike, but one of extreme disappointment, so deep that this blog post is the best, last resort.

It appears Piper, the Mayor herself, and the City of Oakland's Communications Office are on a different page at times. Take the issue of the announcement that the City was prepared to make former San Jose Deputy City Manager Deanna Santana, City Administrator.

I received two emails on this subject: one from the City of Oakland's Communications Office, the other from Oakland Mayor Jean Quan, via her newsletter.

Both emails had misinformation that P. Lamont Ewell was Oakland's City Manager, rather than Assistant City Manager, thus effectively removing former Oakland City Manager Craig Kocian from the city's history. The first email contained a press release attached and dated June 21st which called Ewell "Oakland City Manager."

Then, the second email, which contained Quan's Newsletter, had not just the same reference to Ewell as Oakland's City Manager in 1995 (when it was Kocian) but also called Deanna Santana the Deputy Mayor of San Jose.

I called out the Mayor's Office for the mistake and reminded anyone, regardless of whether they were paying attention, that Kocian was City Manager. (Momentary aside here: I blog to strategically seed the Internet for revenue gain, message control and real estate development, not to gain attention. Only a lobotomized knave would think other wise.)

Piper contacted me via email demanding to know where I got the information that the Mayor's Office said Ewell was City Manager in 1995. I sent the evidence to Piper along with a request for a bottle of wine. Piper admitted I was correct, but did not apologize for the error, just told me to have a virtual glass of wine.

That was on Thursday, and I was willing to overlook that issue. After all, I made my point and there's now a clear Internet record to counter all of the incorrect press content created because of the Mayor's Office's mistake. (Well, I hope it was a mistake. Again, to communicate to the media that one person was City Manager, when someone else really was, is a pretty big error to make.)

So, I was done with it, it was behind the scenes, and in the past. Fine.

But this week, it happened again - and it's a young week. Today's Tuesday.

On Monday, I made a blog post of two events the Mayor was set to attend this week, and did so completely based on another press release I was sent. The blog post called "Oakland Mayor Jean Quan Announces Plans For Week," came from a note called "News from: The Office of Mayor Jean Quan" and was in no way communicated to me as a non-public document with privileged information.

So, I shared it with the public. After all it was called "news," right?

Piper pipes up with an email that was just plain, down-right, ill-advised. She wrote that "Zenie- the About Oakland is not a "public" document. It is a media advisory for the press so that they know where they can catch up with the Mayor. We would appreciate it if you would not repost the content to your blog.

My email reply consisted of one word:

WHAT?!

After this, I've had enough. Alex Katz, who served as former Oakland City Attorney John Russo's press aide, has never in something like three years, made that mistake. Any press contact knows that as the representative of a high profile elected official, you don't send an email out to a blogger regarding events the official's expected to attend and think the blogger's not going to post the information or mention it.

That's...Well, a number of choice words I'm not going to print.

The Oakland Mayor's Office under Jean Quan has to stop playing games. They're bothered by the idea that, unlike the standard press, they can't control me (Which has always been Oakland's problem with me, come to think of it.)

During the election, Quan wanted to know who my boss was and who gave me assignments. She couldn't wrap it around her mind that I was self-motivated. And now, I see what the game is from them: try and say that I'm consistently making errors, by issuing denials of my reporting of what they sent out.

That's a dangerous game to play if the Mayor's Office is not even reporting the right information to start with. I hope the Mayor's Office can see now, that it won't work.

But let's say they're not doing that. Let's say that Quan doesn't want information on, as Piper put it, her "whereabouts" out there for this week?

Given that there were just two items noted, the City Team Ministries Breakfast of Champions (9-11 am Tuesday) and the Ribbon Cutting of the new East Oakland Sports Center, maybe Mayor Quan doesn't want to go to one of them for some reason?

Wow.

Well, either way it's spun, it doesn't look good at all.

Wow. It gets deeper.

Well, either way it's spun, it doesn't look good at all. After all, the Mayor has more to do than just those two events.

What To Do?

The best solution is, first, to craft a full media strategy that starts with one word: reputation. And it should consistently as the question "Is what I'm sending out something that I will not have to recall?" And care should be taken to be as open with information and its dissemination as possible.

I work with some of the most powerful communications people in Hollywood and in the Tech Industry. The people I know would never make a mistake like that; the Oakland Mayor's Office should study how they operate.

Stay tuned.

The Black Holes of Healthcare, Lemonade,...And My Plan!

HI Your Fit Day Friends:

I hope you're all enjoying the spring weather. Here in the Bay Area we've had some pretty picture-perfect days. And the days are still getting longer.

Hey! You know what that means, don't you? More daylight hours... for... ex-er-cising! So no excuses; at least for the next 6 months, anyway.

Go enjoy the great outdoors and make fitness fun. Grab your kids-or someone else's-and Go Go Go. Visit your National parks, (hurry, while you still time, since many are set to close in September). Play on the swing-sets. Bike the trails, and run in them thar hills!!

Hey! Speaking of running...that's something I won't be able to do for a while, and I wanted to give you an update on your trainer's life.

My Hippy News

In my Part I of Key to Pain Free I mentioned seeing a second surgeon after I was 'misdiagnosed' by the first. The first surgeon, let's call him Dr. Compassion (not!), advised Motrin daily; told me to come back in six months if I was still in pain; and, without even looking at an X ray or MRI, told me I was too young for any type of surgery and to come back when I was closer to age 60, and sent me packing.

Huh? I see. At my HMO it's obviously all about patient care!

Let me give you a brief synopsis of our email conversations:

Dr. Compassion: (no x-ray to look at, but moves my leg around, taking all of 1 minute) "Yup, just as I thought, you have arthritis."

Debby: "Gee doc, everyone my age and even younger has a little bit of arthritis. I'm in a lot of pain. It came on suddenly. I had a weight training injury in June of 2010, I train a lot. I really think we should think about stress fracture of hip and/or possible labral tear, seeing that I have been quite an avid runner all my life, as well as a myriad of other sports."

Dr. C.: "Nope. Even I have it.(he's sitting back down at his computer now) It's arthritis. Do you get pain in here?" He says, talking to his computer screen and pointing to his lower back. I'm assuming the statement is directed towards me, but with no eye contact it's kind of hard to tell. He keeps scrolling back and forth, up and down looking for something, obviously not my X-ray. I just keep wondering... 'what's so much more important than his live patient in front of him?'

Debby: "Huh? No, I don't. It' in my hip, the top of my butt. I can't squat right", as I get up off the table and hobble two steps over to the door, the only free space in the room.

"Look, watch me squat; look at my right leg, how it doesn't rotate out like the left. It's stuck. This makes it hard to work. And look at my hips. I'm like a tea kettle when poured, off kilter. Something isn't right. I can feel it, look Dr. _...", I'm pleading. He turns his head around for a split second as I'm squatting, then quickly turns back to the computer screen. What on earth is on that screen? What is so much more interesting to evaluate than his live deformed patient, standing sqautting right in front of him?

Dr. C.: "Yah, arthritis, like I said. That happens."

Wha..?

Debby: "Listen, I know my body and something is going on here more than a little arthritis. I need this fixed. I need to be able to do my job, teach my boot camp style class that I just licensed, and build out my new fitness website with my workout videos for online training. I need to be able to move without pain, be nimble...you know, be in good form for presenting great content to my viewers, who depend on me for their workouts. This is my job."

Dr. C.: "Well, my advice to you is to change your lifestyle. You can stand on the sidelines like the football coaches who yell at the players, and do just like they do. And I'm not going to give you surgery so you can do some You Tube videos and teach a 'boot camp'. My suggestion is to start thinking about your lifestyle and change it. Do yoga, swim, walk. Now, go home, take Motrin. Then, stretch it when you don't feel pain, and keep stretching farther and farther, and maybe some of that flexibility will come back."

Huh? Did he just tell me what I think he did? Stretching is his answer? Stand around and yell? Don't they have a reality show for that?

Debby: "Listen Dr. C. I've been in the fitness industry my entire life. I'm young, strong and extremely athletic. I have many more years. I'm not here to talk about career changes. I'm here to rule out the possibility of a stress fracture or labral tear that could be casuing this malfunctioning hip. [OK?] I need resolution. And even if I were to take Motrin-which I will not-how long am I supposed to take it for? What's your plan? Do you even have a plan?"

Do HMO's have a plan for patients anyway, or is all the bottom line for the HMO? This is NOT a trick question.

Dr. C.: "I would say come back in six months. And if it's still the same or worse then we can do an MRI, maybe. But I want to see the X-ray first. And if it's arthritis, like I'm sure it is, then we wouldn't fix a labral tear anyway."

Debby: "Well, I don't want to take Motrin indefinitely if you have no game plan, and you won't give me an MRI. That's ridiculous. I need to know NOW what this is. And if the X-ray doesn't show a stress fracture then I want an MRI; I am entitled to one."

Dr. C.: "Get the X-ray. I'm sure I am right. Oh, and don't bother making another appointment. You can just email me and we can discuss your options online. Save your co-pay . Now, I have to get going I'm late."

And he slid out the door trying to make a getaway.

Late? I waited for over an hour, he spends 15 minutes with me, max, and he's late? This is my hip.This is my life. 'I'm in pain here Doc', I was screaming inside.(I had just started with M.A.T. again)

I shoved all my stuff into my backpack, slung it over my shoulder, half open, and I rushed after him down the hall.

Debby: "Wait, what do you mean I can just email you? What about patient/doctor relationships? Why are you so concerned with my co-pay?" And he was through.

In the big picture, when you want a resolution, that co-pay is insignificant. And emailing your provider at my HMO only allows 1000 characters per email. Now, assuming you've been reading my blogs that's hardly a conversation for this blogger.

I want one-to-one interaction; I'm entitled to one-to-one interaction with my provider; And, hey! I pay my HMO membership!

Well, I didn't wait for him to email me, nor did I set up that one to one with him. I high tailed it online to my former shoulder surgeon, and in under 1000 characters she was able to find me a wonderful, compassionate, caring female orthopedic surgeon who happened to be a competitive runner, skier, swimmer herself, and was privy to my pleas for help. Let's call her Dr. Yours Truly Compassionate.

But I wasn't going to see Dr. Yours Truly until I made sure I had my MRI. And getting that was like finding water on Mars.

The Expansion Of Black Holes

Sometimes, trying to get through the HMO system is like falling into a black hole. And once you get stuck in their vortex you have to be pretty strong to pull yourself out to get something done, and in a timely manner.

Well, since I was stuck in the HMO vortex, for now, I had to resort to their emailing system. And since I could only write 1000 characters at a time, I was usually cut off mid sentence, even half word. So it took me quite a few emails to finally get through to that first doc and get my MRI.

Here's how that conversation went:

Debby: "O.K. Dr.C., so you say I have moderate arthritis. But I am entitled to an MRI, and I'm entitled to a second opinion. And I'd like to have the MRI first. I need to see exactly what is going on inside my body so I can move forward, make a plan, and visualize the healing and get on with the process."

Doc: "Like I said, take the Motrin and if that doesn't work then we can go in a different direction. There is nothing you can do about the arthritis. Change your lifestyle. You may have to give up some things"

Debby: " I'm telling you, something is wrong with the structure of my body. I can tell. And I can't move forward if I don't know what's wrong. I can't start my group exercise camps. At least if I have an MRI we can rule out what it's not. I use my body to make my income. People are depending on me to provide workouts on my website. I depend on my body like you do on your hands for surgery. Please, I want my MRI."

Am I actually begging my HMO?!

Doc: " I am 100% sure that it is only arthritis as we see it in the X-ray. And it's moderate arthritis at that. You are not a candidate for surgery with moderate arthritis. There is no reason for an MRI. "

Debby: "Listen, nobody is 100% sure unless they are God!. Just please order the MRI. Look at it this way, if there is nothing in the MRI then you can pat yourself on the back, and you were right. But if something else shows up then we will all be happy, and we can move forward and fix the problem. But I can't wait 6 months to find out. And you should not make me wait six months. Well, if you don't order the MRI now, then I might have to hold my HMO accountable for anything that happens to my body from the day that I saw you."

You've Got Mail

Almost as slow as Snail Mail

Well, the next day I had, in my HMO Patient Inbox, a referral to the NMRI department. (The N stands for Nuclear, by the way). I finally got my MRI. Then I had a second opinion from the compassionate female orthopedist. Just for the record I'll rate her a 10 on the scale of 1-5!. Well, that was the visit where the Dr. yours Truly read the MRI.

And folks, it doesn't look good. I'd include the actual MRI but it's a bit too graphic for this G-rated blog. But here's what the X-ray looked like:

What do YOU see?

Cool, Huh?

Now, if you're like me you have no idea what you're looking at.

What's not so cool is that I don't have many options, and not a lot of time to decide, given my age and progression of the osteoarthritis. and the pain and lack freedom it causes me.

Options:

1. Do nothing and become a cripple
2. Learn how to hop on one leg. Great for training but not very convenient in the real world day to day existence.
3. Get the top of my femur chopped off and replaced with ceramic total hip replacement, THR, which is great for the avid golfer but not the active multi sport fitness gu-ress and trainer like moi.
4. Go with the new innovative technology of hip resurfacing,HR, which saves most of your bone, the head of your femur and allows for full activities after a year of rehab (Weight training, running, skiing, martial arts, surfing, splits, and all other sports).I can basically do everything except skydiving. Note to self: Set up sky dive session before surgery.

What would you do? This is NOT another trick question.:)

It's kind of a no brainer, wouldn't ya think?

Although the HR is a more complicated, it saves most of the bone so there is more to work with in case of a revision down the road (ie. chop off the head of my femur, lots of thigh bone, and replace it with total hip). However, if the HR is done with precision, and by the right surgeon, who has logged 1000's of procedures, and uses the correct prosthesis best suited for women, especially on small framed women such as your princess of fitness here, the chance for the best possible outcome is optimal.

Just My Luck

Well, not only did my HMO 'mis diagnose' me as having just some arthritis, they didn't even notice in the MRI that I had congenital hip displasia-or they forgot to tell me-which of course changes the playing field when considering what device to place in my hip, not to mention the experience of the surgeon placing it.

So before even consulting with a possible surgeon-who is NO. 3 below-I logged about 60 hours online researching procedures, prostheses, and the top surgeons around the world who had performed thousands of hip resurfacing, with a high percentage of them on female patients like me.

And when I finally talked to Surgeon No. 3 , I came prepared with a file busting at the seems with documentation on the pros and cons of the two most commonly used devices: the BHR and the Conserve Plus. The research for the Conserve Plus shows that it is better suited for small women with hip displasia cases; it comes in many size increments; and there is less potential for rubbing and leaking ions.

The research shows that the BHR is suited for larger men; or women who are 5ft 8 inches and heavy boned. I am 5ft, 6 inches, if that.

And I am small boned. The BHR is large and bulky and does not have as many of the smaller sized options suited for women my size.

There is also documentation showing a higher number of cases of ions being created when the particular metals that are used in the manufacturing of the BHR ball and socket are rubbed together. These ions would leak into my bloodstream. They can never be cleared.

My life's work is about keeping the body toxin free and creating a life free of disease for others as well as myself; not creating a potential breeding ground for cancer, or...whatever else.

Compared to the Conserve Plus device, the BHR has also been documented to show more groin pain after full recovery from surgery, limiting activities. The point of the hip resurfacing is to restore my lifestyle back to a fully active one... pain free!.

These potential problems, as well as ions streaming through my body, is not my idea of fixing the problem.

And based on a report written by Dr. Koen De Smet, who is one of the top-five leading hip resurfacing surgeons in the world, (and speaking with him through extensive emails, where, by the way, I was allowed as many characters as I could possibly write), I am NOT a candidate for the BHR.

Guess what folks?

My HMO only uses the BHR.

Synopsis:

I saw three doctors. The first told me to go home. The second told me I had to have surgery, but did not perform that particular type. The third looked at my X ray, told me I hip resurfacing was difficult on women, that he had not done manywomen out of his 300 surgeries, and after looking at my MRI forgot to mention I had a congenital hip displasia. On top of that, even though I had shown him the report comparing the two devices and the how the Conserve Plus had a better track record for women he could only use the BHR.

It's quite obvious that it's not in the best interest of my only right hip, and my future as a fitness professional, to use my HMO's one option, or even their surgeons.

What would you do?

Make Lemons out of Lemonade

Well, that's what Dr. Koen De Smet, the surgeon who wrote the comparison report, and the doctor who I have picked to do my surgery, can apparently do. Make the lemons whole again. Kind of like putting Humpty back together again!

Who doesn't like Lemonade?!

As for me, I'll stick to making lemonade out of lemons and take this as an opportunity to find a silver lining.

I have spent thirty plus years of honing my body and mind and, well... I was born with my spirit! So now, I must take on another great challenge in this life of mine. (If you know me personally you know the others).

But I think of it like this: I will take it on like any other challenging leg day sat the gym; attack it with a plan and put in max effort.

And while I am still fairly mobile and can control the pain I'll prepare for the battle and have the best positive experience that I can doing it.

Yup! You heard me right. Stay positive. Look towards the future. Make lemonade. And here's how...

The Plan

Anyone going into battle has to have a plan. And this woman warrior is no different. So from May until September's surgery I will work on getting into the best PREHAB shape of my life, given the limitations with my hip and the pain, of course.

Since I'm a girl who likes to lift heavy objects with my legs, and since that is no longer an option I am learning new methods of training for my lower body.

(And NOTE to all the ladies out there: lifting weights does help keep body fat off your body).

I am also finding alternatives to running too. Plus, this will be a good time to explore other new ways to keep my body and mind strong and centered.

Eating healthy whole foods and maintaining my 23 years of an unprocessed and sugar free diet to fuel my body is a no brainer!

The Team

Back to the lemonade!

I decided to compile a team of experts who could help me get into the best shape of my life pre surgery, as well as post rehab conditioning.

And here's where the new experiences come into play!

It's obvious that I am limited in my mobility now, and I will not be able to go to the gym right after surgery. But it's paramount that I be able to stay in shape and do progressive athletic prehab and rehab. So setting up a system that I can use at home, or even in my backyard, or anywhere for that matter, is really important.

So to date, with the help from sponsorships by TRX,

TRX Suspension Training Pro Pack

Kangoo Jumps

and Kangoojumps, as well as pre and post rehab conditioning programs from Josh Henkin of Ultimate Sandbag Systems, and Ed Le Cara of Sports Plus, I'll be ready for battle.

What You Get!

Remember, this is a team effort and you are part of it. If I don't win, you don't win. So, I will be chronicling my experience through this blog and You Tube channel Your Fit Day , pre and post surgery. All of the workouts I do with the Ninja equipment will be workouts that YOU, too, can do. Right now. At home. Anywhere. No excuses!!

So I want all of you to workout along with me. I plan to incorporate all of the prehab and post rehab exercises into exciting kick-butt workouts, show you knew techniques, and post periodic updates and videos...all to help you get in and stay in the best shape of your life.

And as I bring you along on my journey I hope to be an inspiration to all of you out there who may have limiting beliefs around getting into the best shape of your life. You can do it. Trust me. But you may have to dig down a little deeper this time.

Remember, I'll be working out as hard as I can to stay in shape. I'm not going to let hip surgery steer me off course. Not for a minute. I'll just be working smart, and around the pain of my hip.

But I will never give up what I have achieved and I don't want you to give up on reaching your fitness goals either. We can do this together.

What It's All About

Although I'm a super fit chick, remember this: I still have to work hard at it every day. It doesn't come easy. I live and breathe health and fitness every day. Every minute!

But know this too: being in the best shape of my life every day will make it easier both physically and mentally to get through this challenge and bounce back.

And that is why it is so important for you to get in and stay in the best shape of your life, every day. Nobody has a crystal ball, and you don't know what curve balls life will bring.

Be prepared. Be Strong. Both physically and mentally. Be ready to play ball.

And that is what this blog is all about: To inspire YOU to stay on a path that will lead you to a lifestyle of health and fitness where you will never give up on yourself in becoming the best YOU.

You Give Me Inspiration

And while I'm rehabbing, I want you to inspire me.

Tell me about your workouts and your accomplishments and how YOU feel. I'll be here to cheer you on in your quest for your bad ass bod.

Tell me, what is your greatest challenge right now?

Leave a comment below.

Oakland News: Changing State Of Blogs In Oakland, Part One

Oakland News on the changing state of blogs in Oakland - part one.

Oakland Blog Shrinkage

First, what happened to blogs like OaklandSeen and Good News In Oakland? The OaklandSeen blog started by long-time Oakland political activist and KPFA Morning Show star Aimee Allison has not produced a single new blog post since late May - it's June 24th now. And this tweet was issued June 8th and pointed to some kind of problem:

OaklandSeen has been undergoing a few technical difficulties. Thank you for your patience. Keep watching this space for more Oakland LOVE...

The most recent, most prominent blog post pointed to Oakland Seen's recently gained "Making Democracy Work" award, presented by the Oakland League Of Women Voters. That's the same award given to this blogger for work during the Oakland Mayor's Race - thanks again!

But whatever's happening, and sources have pointed to some difficulties between editorial staff and management, let's hope OaklandSeen makes a come back.

I've said it before, I'll say it again: hyperlocal is hyperstupid. Unless you're going to walk the beat and try and get local businesses to pay more than the website space is worth from a traffic stand-point (hey, there are suckers out there who don't know how to value what they're paying for), you can't make money and sustain a stand-alone blog site that just covers local community news and ignores World News, pop culture, and sports.

And all for the pseudo-intellectual reason of "That's not news." Look, the fact that people look at web items about, I don't know, Heidi Montag, makes it news. This blogger says this all the time to journalists: "Stop whining about it!" People are voyeurs, and so want to read about other people - a web link with a name of a known person will be clicked on more than one about a known place or a thing.

OaklandSeen is still up, but Good News In Oakland is not. It's dead for now, because when you click on the link to the URL, you get a Go Daddy-owned webpage where Good News In Oakland once was. That's sad.

What's happening is that, because the Oakland locals - OaklandSeen, Good News In Oakland, A Better Oakland, Oakland North, Oakland Focus and Oakland Local - largely don't work together, the overall web strength of the total group is poor.

The main problem is that there are a ton of huge egos among Oakland Bloggers that for the most part don't want to really work together, and for the dumbest of reasons.

To point the finger at myself, I've lent a hand to help a number of people, and even invited some Oakland Bloggers to cross-post to my blogs at Oakland Focus and Zennie62.com, and other blogs in my 100-blog network. Some do, but then fall off after a time, and then some bad mouth me for no good reason behind my back.

So I'm supposed to want to help that person in the future? I'd rather not. Life's too short for that.

If I'm asked to come to cover an event by another Oakland blog, I'm there. If I can't make it, I explain why I can't. I've shown many how to video-blog, and some how to blog for traffic - but that's where the rub is. Some can't seem to "get" that the Internet is not print, and people will not come just because you wrote the modern day equivalent to War and Peace. Who cares?

Oakland Bloggers: take your freaking ego out of the equation. You have to write so your work is picked up by search engines and news aggregators. What you want people to accept is a dream - wake up.

According to reports, Good News In Oakland had a fund-drive party on December 18th - I wasn't informed of that. But whatever happened, it didn't raise enough money to sustain the blog site; it's gone for now. And the fact that the URL wasn't purchased is reflective of the lack of value of the name itself; people don't type "Good news in Oakland" in search a lot. Just a fact.

What remains is a Facebook page "liked" by well-over 9,000 people, including me. It's one reason why I went off on The City Of Oakland's ill-advised press release about its Facebook Page that has barely one-third the number of likes.

The blog A Better Oakland chugs along, unsupported by ads or a wealthy investment banker; V Smoothe (Echa Schnider), the blog's owner, has a full time job with the Oakland Public Library system (which hopefully she will be able to keep). Plus, she has a tight focus and a small, loyal following of people who reallycare about Oakland, even if they always don't agree with each other.

That Echa has outside income is what makes her situation vastly different from the other examples. The other Oakland blogs have tried to generate income from some source; but while Echa has went on a fund-drive or three in the past, it wasn't to "save" the blog from extinction, more to generate some income for the amount of time she spent on it. Still, it's touch and go.

And what about The Oakland Post, the news of Oakland's black community and stalwart since the Jurassic age of news? The online version exists, but that's about it. It's just a collection of blog posts, and with no social media component - Twitter? Ever heard or it? - at all.

The Oakland Post is a sad example of the Oakland Blog landscape - so full of great potential, yet poor in execution because of lack of teamwork. If the vast majority of people in this town would get over their petty crap, the news would be different. But they don't, and the town suffers.

Ask yourself this question: why don't Oakland Local, Oakland North, and A Better Oakland work together? Why did A Better Oakland and Oakland North skip the Code For Oakland event? Was Echa invited? Was Oakland North invited? A look at their content shows that that Code For Oakland wasn't a subject of coverage - I covered it. But then I was invited.

See? Something's really wrong here in Oakland.

Stay tuned for part two, when I focus on Oakland North, that dreaded interloper The Bay Citizen, and some other surprises.

Rudy's Can't Fail Cafe, Oakland, Gets Hammered On Yelp

Well, now that Rudy's Can't Fail Cafe is open in Downtown Oakland, in the Fox Theater at the Uptown District, it's time to ask "How's it doing?" When this blogger visited the eatery it was the first day of official public service - not crowded and the food and service were good.

But the next week, Rudy's had an "official grand opening," complete with Mayor Jean Quan and other people who may not visit Rudy's regularly, but had to be there - and that included the media.

So now, with all the hoopla out of the way, Rudy's is a known place. What's the verdict on it?

One visit to Yelp.com, the online hub for reviews on food places, can help answer that question. The answer is that visitors and Oaklanders are excited that Rudy's is open, and they gave me a great little tour of the place in this video, too:



But where Rudy's Can't Fail Cafe gets rave reviews for its space, it gets panned for its service on Yelp. Here's a few samples from Yelpers:

New as they are, it's pretty expected that they're working out a few kinks. Seeing as how they're offering this sometimes sketchy neighborhood (I say this as I used to live 2 blocks away) a respite for liquor soak-me-ups until 1am, Rudy's is a blessing and I look forward to making it my post-bar asylum. Also, if you're looking for grub at 7am, you can find a home here as well.

On the first Saturday it was open, I went with a friend and their computer system crashed and they had to close for about an hour while they rebooted it. They can't work without a computer? But in any case, I used to work for a restaurant and I understand that they're still trying to get everything worked out so we left and got chicken and waffles instead.

The food was pretty average, and a decent price. Apparently our food was held up by a large fish and chips back up in the kitchen, which turned out to be more like fish sticks-although tasty ones.

This places does serve alcohol and I adore that they had the balls to move into downtown and are until 1am (thank you!!) so I can walk over before or after the bar and get a bite. What a novel thought. All in all, I will be coming back because this is what the neighborhood needed, meaning there is a demand and I see it consistently busy with 20 and 30 somethings (and families, a great place for kids, if that's your style).

Love the space. We had very attentive service. I didn't chose well off of the menu but that was totally my bad. Love that they had several good beers on tap and a FULL bar. I need to come back during the full breakfast or brunch menu.

And here's part of one review from a really steam-blowing, pissed-off Yelper named Eddy S:

Rudy's Can't Fail Cafe... can fail. BIG TIME!

I was told I was being too harsh but Im sorry, a Taco Bell has their shit together better then this place. If I had an option of zero stars, I would choose it. This isn't just some rant from an unsatisfied customer but a mere observation from a person who expected nothing more and nothing less from any other restaurant. Below is a list of reasons why I gave it a low rating.

1) Just after saying that it was his first day, the water boy spilled a full cup over my friends shoulder.

2) It took two waiters to take our order (Ok. maybe someone was in training... but the other should have been on point). They still came back and said they didn't know if we wanted our burgers medium or medium rare.

3) I ordered their BBQ Pulled Pork Burrito (yes, I know. Don't expect too much or anything really from a cafe serving a burrito but anything would have been better then what they gave me) I received pulled pork wrapped in tortilla with beans and rice on the side. No, seriously. Just pulled pork in a tortilla and beans and rice on the side. If I wanted to make my own simple burrito I would, at home.

If that's what you're gonna serve then fine, but don't have the audacity to charge $10 for it. Seriously?

4) My friend ordered a BLT with A and the only thing they forgot was the A... seriously?

5) Last but certainly not least, our bill came out to $95 and some change. We collected $50.00 in cash from our crew and asked to split the remaining on two credit cards.

One friend received a credit for $75.00 and the other a credit for $20.00. EXCUSE ME! Did you really think we were giving you a $50 tip on a $95 bill.... are you seriously effing with me?

It's sad to say that this is my very first YELP and it had to be in Oakland. I love Oakland and the Fox Theatre but if this is my choice for late night meals then I will easily stick to my last resort... chips and another beer.

Goodnight.

In short, Rudy's is experiencing "opening restaurant growing pains," but those are generally borne of trying to service a lot of people, which means it's busy, and probably crazy busy after 12 midnight. That's good news, for Rudy's and good news for Oakland's economy.

New Academy Members: Katy Perry's Russell Brand, Beyonce Knowles, Lead List

The Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences (home of The 84th Annual Academy Awards) has announced it's annual list of new members, and this one of 178 is really exciting, as it's paced by the popular trio of Russell Brand, of the Arthur remake, but better known as Ms. Katy Perry, and Bradley Cooper of Limitless, and The Hangover movie series, and the incomparable Beyonce Knowles, and for her performance in Dreamgirls.

The Academy also took the unprecedented step of adding the documentary film maker Tim Hetherington as a member, who was killed in action Libya.

"These individuals are among the best filmmakers working in the industry today. Their talent and creativity have entertained moviegoers around the world, and I welcome each of them to our ranks," said Academy Board President Tom Sherak.

No Twitter tweet from either Brand or Perry on the news, and Cooper is said to "shun" social networking, and Beyonce has had a ton of problems with Twitter Trolls, but there's no word from the fake Bradley Cooper or Beyonce Twitter sites, either.

Academy Picks Less Than 211 Maximum

The Academy could have selected up to 211 eligibles for membership in 2011, but it elected not to do so, leaving observers wondering who should have been on the list that's not there. But that's for another blog, because relative newcomers like Jesse Eisenberg, and Rooney Mara , who played well together with he as Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and she as the first girlfriend who told him off in The Social Network, and long-time actors Gerard Butler, David Duchovny, Tea Leoni, have made it this year.

And Ellen Page and Anthony Mackie, who I met at the 2010 NFL Draft...



Are on the list.

Mackie's still living that dream...

Public Relations People?

And before we look at the full list, a special mention of the PR people who really run things in Hollywood. No actor is known. No movie is seen without their influence, and this group of ten is no exception.

There's Ira Rubenstein, the EVP for Msrvel Entertainment, who's helped succesfully steer Marvel from comic book icon organization to movie icon organization in an effort that only looks easy.

Among those joining Ira are Susan Ciccone of 42 West and Alissa Grayson of Universal,

42 West is a marketing company with such clients as Woody Allen, Uma Thurman, Kate Winslet, and picked up Tom Cruise away from Rogers and Cowan. 42 West arguably has some of the most powerful women in entertainment, with Ciccone, and the ever-active Leslee Dart, as well. (And no, 42 West has NO idea I'm blogging this.)

Alissa Grayson, a 16-year industry veteran, was promoted to EVP of Publicity (that's Executive Vice President) of Universal in 2010, and manages a staff of almost 50 people.

Rounding out the list are Jeffrey Hall, Jill Ann Jones (J.J. Jones Creative), Mark Markline (Universal's International Publicity head), Carmelo Pirrone of Sony Pictures, Loren Schwartz of Screen Gems, the Sony ad agency, and Lance Volland of Warner Bros.

Here's the full list of new Academy Members for 2011:


Actors
Russell Brand – "Arthur," "Get Him to the Greek"
Gerard Butler – "The Ugly Truth," "300"
Vincent Cassel – "Black Swan," "Eastern Promises"
Robbie Coltrane – "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1," "Mona Lisa"
Bradley Cooper – "Limitless," "The Hangover"
John Corbett – "Sex and the City 2," "My Big Fat Greek Wedding"
Rosemarie DeWitt – "The Company Men," "Rachel Getting Married"
Peter Dinklage – "Find Me Guilty," "The Station Agent"
David Duchovny – "Things We Lost in the Fire," "The X-Files"
Jesse Eisenberg – "The Social Network," "The Squid and the Whale"
Jennifer Garner – "Arthur," "Juno"
John Hawkes – "Winter's Bone," "The Perfect Storm"
Thomas Jane – "The Mist," "The Thin Red Line"
Nastassja Kinski – "An American Rhapsody," "Tess"
Beyonce Knowles – "Dreamgirls," "Austin Powers in Goldmember"
Mila Kunis – "Black Swan," "Forgetting Sarah Marshall"
Jennifer Lawrence – "Winter's Bone," "The Burning Plain"
Tea Leoni – "Ghost Town," "Spanglish"
Anthony Mackie – "The Hurt Locker," "Million Dollar Baby"
Lesley Manville – "Another Year," "Topsy-Turvy"
Rooney Mara – "A Nightmare on Elm Street," "The Social Network"
Dominic Monaghan – "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King"
Connie Nielsen – "Brothers," "Gladiator"
Ellen Page – "Inception," "Juno"
Wes Studi – "Avatar," "The Last of the Mohicans"
Mia Wasikowska – "Jane Eyre," "The Kids Are All Right"
Jacki Weaver – "Animal Kingdom," "Cosi"

Animators
Geefwee Boedoe – "Let's Pollute," "Monsters, Inc."
Alessandro Carloni – "How to Train Your Dragon," "Over the Hedge"
Sylvain Chomet – "The Illusionist," "The Triplets of Belleville"
Jakob Hjort Jensen – "How to Train Your Dragon," "Flushed Away"
Biljana Labovic – "The Cow Who Wanted to Be a Hamburger," "Idiots and Angels"
Tomm Moore – "The Secret of Kells," "Backwards Boy"
Teddy Newton – "Day & Night," "Ratatouille"
Bob Peterson – "Up," "Finding Nemo" (also invited to the Writers Branch)
Javier Recio Gracia – "The Lady and the Reaper," "The Missing Lynx"
Andrew Ruhemann – "The Lost Thing," "City Paradise"
Kristof Serrand – "How to Train Your Dragon," "Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas"
Shaun Tan – "The Lost Thing," "Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who!"
Simon Wells – "Mars Needs Moms," "The Prince of Egypt"
Art Directors
Anahid Nazarian – "The Virgin Suicides," "The Godfather, Part III"
Lauren E. Polizzi – "Cowboys & Aliens," "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen"
At-Large
George Aguilar
Barry Bernardi
Christopher Dodd
Ted Gagliano
James L. Honore
Dawn Hudson
Beverly Pasterczyk
Randall Poster
Ric Robertson
David Schnuelle
Randy Spendlove
Beverly Joanna Wood
Casting Directors
Nina Gold – "The King's Speech," "Jane Eyre"
Jina Jay – "The Reader," "Layer Cake"
Lora Kennedy – "The Town," "Syriana"
Cinematographers
Frank Byers – "Illegal Tender," "Boxing Helena"
Patrick Cady – "Lottery Ticket," "Broken Bridges"
Danny Cohen – "The King's Speech," "Pirate Radio"
Lukas Ettlin – "The Lincoln Lawyer," "Middle Men"
Steven Fierberg – "Love & Other Drugs," "Secretary"
Barry Markowitz – "Crazy Heart," "Sling Blade"
Charles Minsky – "Valentine's Day," "Pretty Woman"
Lawrence Sher – "The Hangover," "Garden State"
Eric Steelberg – "Up in the Air," "(500) Days of Summer"
Costume Designers
Odile Dicks-Mireaux – "An Education," "The Constant Gardener"
Sarah Edwards – "Salt," "Michael Clayton"
Danny Glicker – "Up in the Air," "Milk"
Directors
Gregg Araki – "Kaboom," "Nowhere"
Susanne Bier – "In a Better World," "After the Wedding"
Neil Burger – "Limitless," "The Illusionist"
Lisa Cholodenko – "The Kids Are All Right," "Laurel Canyon" (also invited to the Writers Branch)
Debra Granik – "Winter's Bone," "Down to the Bone" (also invited to the Writers Branch)
Tom Hooper – "The King's Speech," "The Damned United"
John Cameron Mitchell – "Rabbit Hole," "Shortbus"
Yojiro Takita – "Departures," "Himitsu"

Documentary
Jon Alpert – "China's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province," "Lock-up: The Prisoners
of Rikers Island"
Amir Bar-Lev – "The Tillman Story," "Fighter"
Lesley Chilcott – "Waiting for 'Superman'," "It Might Get Loud"
Carl Deal – "Capitalism: A Love Story," "Trouble the Water"
Charles Ferguson – "Inside Job," "No End in Sight"
Tim Hetherington – "Restrepo" (posthumous)
Sebastian Junger – "Restrepo"
Thomas Lennon – "The Warriors of Qiugang," "The Blood of Yingzhou District"
Diane Weyermann – "Waiting for 'Superman'," "Food, Inc."
Ruby Yang – "The Blood of Yingzhou District," "The Warriors of Qiugang"
Executives
William J. Damaschke
Richard M. Fay
Donna Langley
Leslie Moonves
Vanessa L. Morrison
Bill Pohlad
Rich Ross
Jeff Small
Thomas Tull
Film Editors
Tariq Anwar – "The King's Speech," "American Beauty"
Naomi Geraghty – "Limitless," "Reservation Road"
Jon Harris – "127 Hours," "Layer Cake"
Darren Holmes – "How to Train Your Dragon," "The Iron Giant"
Pamela Martin – "The Fighter," "Little Miss Sunshine"
Joel Negron – "Transformers: Dark of the Moon," "The Karate Kid"
Terilyn A. Shropshire – "Jumping the Broom," "Eve's Bayou"
Angus Wall – "The Social Network," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Andrew Weisblum – "The Black Swan," "The Wrestler"
Live Action Short Films
Luke Matheny – "God of Love," "Earano"

Makeup Artists and Hairstylists
Judy Chin – "Black Swan," "Requiem for a Dream"
Kathrine Gordon – "3:10 to Yuma," "Ocean's Eleven"
Trefor Proud – "W.," "Topsy-Turvy"
Cindy Jane Williams – "Burlesque," "Hancock"
Wesley Wofford – "Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son," "A Beautiful Mind"
Music
Terence Blanchard – "Inside Man," "Malcolm X"
Fernand Bos – "Crazy Heart," "Cold Mountain"
Graeme Revell – "Darfur Now," "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider"
Producers
Iain Canning – "Oranges and Sunshine," "The King's Speech"
Cean Chaffin – "The Social Network," "Fight Club"
Kevin Feige – "Thor," "Iron Man"
Gary Goetzman – "Where the Wild Things Are," "Mamma Mia!"
Sisse Graum Jorgensen – "In a Better World," "After the Wedding"
Jeffrey Levy-Hinte – "The Kids Are All Right," "Laurel Canyon"
Todd Lieberman – "The Fighter," "The Proposal"
Robert Lorenz – "Letters from Iwo Jima," "Mystic River"
Celine Rattray – "The Kids Are All Right," "Grace Is Gone"
Emile Sherman – "The King's Speech," "Candy"
Emma Thomas – "Inception," "The Dark Knight"
Gareth Unwin – "The King's Speech," "Exam"
Production Designers
Howard Cummings – "I Love You, Beth Cooper," "John Grisham's The Rainmaker"
Therese DePrez – "Black Swan," "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days"
Guy Hendrix Dyas – "Inception," "The Brothers Grimm"
Jess Gonchor – "True Grit," "Capote"
Jane Musky – "Something Borrowed," "Finding Forrester"
Eve Stewart – "The King's Speech," "Topsy-Turvy"
Public Relations
Susan Ciccone
Alissa Grayson
Jeffrey Hall
Jill Ann Jones
Mark Markline
Carmelo Pirrone
Ira Rubenstein
David Schneiderman
Loren Schwartz
Lance Volland
Set Decorators
Judy Farr – "The King's Speech," "Death at a Funeral"
Gene Serdena – "The Fighter," "House of Sand and Fog"

Sound

Andrew DeCristofaro – "Hall Pass," "Crazy Heart"
Joe Dorn – "The Wolfman," "Spider-Man 3"
Marc Fishman – "Bridesmaids," "Crash"
Lora Hirschberg – "Inception," "The Dark Knight"
Chris Jargo – "Robin Hood," "American Gangster"
John Midgley – "The King's Speech," "Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace"
Ed Novick – "Inception," "The Dark Knight"
Hammond Peek – "King Kong," "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King"
Brian Vessa – "Nemesis," "Lambada"
Mark Weingarten – "The Social Network," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"

Visual Effects

Tim Alexander – "Rango," "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire"
Rob Bredow – "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs," "The Polar Express"
Tim Burke – "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1," "Gladiator"
Peter Chesney – "No Country for Old Men," "Men in Black"
Paul Franklin – "Inception," "The Dark Knight"
Kevin Tod Haug – "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse," "Quantum of Solace"
Florian Kainz – "Mission: Impossible III," "The Perfect Storm"
Marshall Krasser – "Iron Man 2," "Titanic"
Sean Phillips – "Alice in Wonderland," "The Polar Express"
Peter G. Travers – "Watchmen," "The Matrix Reloaded"
Brian Van't Hul – "Coraline," "I, Robot"
Mark H. Weingartner – "Sex and the City 2," "Inception"

Writers

Stuart Blumberg – "The Kids Are All Right," "Keeping the Faith"
Lisa Cholodenko – "The Kids Are All Right," "Laurel Canyon" (also invited to the Directors Branch)
Debra Granik – "Winter's Bone," "Down to the Bone" (also invited to the Directors Branch)
Karen McCullah Lutz – "The Ugly Truth," "Legally Blonde"
Aline Brosh McKenna – "27 Dresses," "The Devil Wears Prada"
Bob Peterson – "Up," "Finding Nemo" (also invited to the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch)
David Rabe – "The Firm," "Casualties of War"
Anne Rosellini – "Winter's Bone"
David Seidler – "The King's Speech," "The King & I"
Scott Silver – "The Fighter," "8 Mile"
Kirsten Smith – "The Ugly Truth," "Legally Blonde"
Aaron Sorkin – "The Social Network," "A Few Good Men"
Daniel Waters – "Batman Returns," "Heathers"

NOTE FROM AMAPAS: Additionally, the Academy invited John Coffey, Risa Gertner and Robert C. Rosenthal to Associate membership. Associate members are not represented on the Board and do not have Academy Awards® voting privileges.

Individuals invited to join multiple branches must select one branch upon accepting membership.
New members will be welcomed into the Academy at an invitation-only reception in September.

Michele Bachmann Buzzing; Sarah Palin's Enemy Blogger Syrin, Buzzed

It's almost a full day after the GOP Debate, and Congresswoman Michele Bachmann is still in the top 10 of Google Trends results. Earlier today, the Rep from Minnesota was number two in Google Trends.

All of this Internet buzz is due not just to her announcement that she's running for President Of The United States, done during the CNN telecast of the GOP Debate, but that she didn't fail in her presentation last night.

Of course, had she went on to say or do something expectedly off-the-charts crazy, Ms. Bachmann would have enjoyed (yes, enjoyed) even more online buzz. Let's face it, we compare Bachmann and Sarah Palin...



But Michele's fall didn't happen last night. That alone means Bachmann's serious, and wants to be taken seriously. It's only fair that we do so. To do anything less would be, among other things, sexist.

Why sexist? Because of some of the tweets I saw last night that made my blood boil, specifically those calling for her to... Well...

@AntonioLlanito Antonio Llanito
Michele Bachmann go make me a sandwich #CNNdebate

There were a bunch of those tweets. Not cool.

No. If we're going to attack Congresswoman Bachmann, it should only be done on substantive grounds, and we can cover a lot of "ground" there.

For example, there's the time Bachmann said that Net Neutrality was an "Obama Censorship Plot" - no kidding.

There's also the time she said to Michael Steele, the GOP's first black chairperson, "Michael Steele! You be da man! You be da man!"

Oh, brother!

And for more juicy items on Bachmann, all we have to do is visit DumpBachmann.com, which I'll focus on more in a future blog post.

And if that's not enough, we have Bachmann supporters like my new Twitter foreplay playa buddy Sherry Whitstine, who's tweets toward me for blogging about Sarah Palin's emails about her have got me all excited, and hoping the blogger who calls herself Syrin is as physically hot as her tweets.

Here's the exchange. And, OK, I have to admit that I was really trying to mess with her, and it worked. I love foreplay.

It started with this...

Zennie Abraham
zennie62 Zennie Abraham
@AkSyrin I just found a set of emails dated in July (can send specific date) from #SarahPalin about YOU. Said you made "hateful" comments.
17 hours ago

zennie62 Zennie Abraham
@AkSyrin In fact, about 4 pages of the emails posted deal with you; seems they were gearing up for some response.
17 hours ago

zennie62 Zennie Abraham
@AkSyrin Correction, I found more pages. It also looks like some other emails may have been deleted. You really got to Palin and Family.
17 hours ago Favorite Reply Delete

And I expected a reasonable, logical response, not what I received the next morning:

Sherry Whitstine
AkSyrin Sherry Whitstine
@@zennie62 correction please! You don't have any facts in your silly blog. Im Palins adversary cause she's a liar abused power & no integrity
4 hours ago

Sherry Whitstine
AkSyrin Sherry Whitstine
@zennie62 btw you just found these emails yesterday when the rest of the world found them 4 days ago! ( u have No Clue what I said )
4 hours ago

To which I responded:

zennie62 Zennie Abraham
@AkSyrin Actually, I am the first to refer specifically to your emails for a news website. Sorry.
3 hours ago Favorite Reply Delete

And then Sherry went off on Sarah, as if... I don't know? I was Sarah Palin? This next set of tweets from Sherry was just bat-shit crazy:

Sherry Whitstine
AkSyrin Sherry Whitstine
@zennie62 Sarah, You are Incompetent Sarah, your family needs - No one else does! Sarah U missed that civics class? What, you're Christian?
3 hours ago

Sherry Whitstine
AkSyrin Sherry Whitstine
@zennie62 Syrin's COMMENT: Sarah, your kids need u- No one else does! Notice the FAKE email to be copy and pasted & fake name put to it?
3 hours ago

Sherry Whitstine
AkSyrin Sherry Whitstine
@zennie62 Actually first to refer to me? Sorry You are showing that you like the rest are blinded by ignorance U cant ENDURE SOUND DOCTRINE
3 hours ago

Ah. Okay! The original reference source was this Huffington Post blog post, and this link takes one straight to the email files. I searched online for a reference to Syrin with respect to the emails, and found nothing at the time. But that wasn't of concern to Sherry, so I figured that telling her would be a waste of time.

Given her insults toward me, I figured it was on, and I'd have some real fun. And all under the theory that Sherry's engaging in a type of foreplay.

zennie62 Zennie Abraham
@AkSyrin Hey Sista. I didn't post the files. I just reported about them.
2 hours ago Favorite Reply Delete

zennie62 Zennie Abraham
@AkSyrin Sherry. Is all this foreplay from you?
1 hour ago Favorite Reply Delete

But for some reason, Sherry doesn't recognize an Internet file or reference to one. So, her sexy foreplay blasts continued.

Sherry Whitstine
AkSyrin Sherry Whitstine
@zennie62 Hey bro UR CLUELESS! What files, you Goofball!? U don't have any files to post! Just sanitized emails from a liar, fraud, failure
1 hour ago

Sherry Whitstine
AkSyrin Sherry Whitstine
@zennie62 DUH! palinemail.msnbc.msn.com/palinAll/pdf/1… From SP- Cut the body of this email and paste into a new email w/ fake name and send to content@adn.com
1 hour ago

So, with that, I figured it was time to go semi-street on her...

zennie62 Zennie Abraham
@AkSyrin Time out, playa. you're saying the emails are faked?
1 hour ago Favorite Reply Delete

Her response was a howler!

Sherry Whitstine
AkSyrin Sherry Whitstine
@zennie62 Ignorant fool! What kind of language is this, playa? I'm in Wasilla, u r NOT! I know the TRUTH, u DON'T! Whose the playa?
1 hour ago

That got me excited! So I tweeted:

zennie62 Zennie Abraham
@AkSyrin Ah. I also included that language, playa. I love this foreplay. Are you married or single?
1 hour ago Favorite Reply Delete

And from that, I learned that Sherry Whitstine has committed the last 12 years of her life to, er, "expose" Sarah Palin.

AkSyrin Sherry Whitstine
@zennie62 says things like- Is all this foreplay for you? Foreplay?goofball! foreplay to what? My Mission for 12 years: EXPOSE Sarah Palin?
53 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Let's think about that: 12 years. That's all the way back to 1999. That's before the turn of the 21st Century. Before the first video-blog (2001). It's one year before the launch of Google (1998). And it's well before the founding of YouTube, Blip.tv, Facebook, and Twitter.

12 freaking years.

And all during that time, Sarah Palin has done nothing but go from Mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, to Governor of Alaska, then to 2008 GOP Vice Presidential Candidate, after being drafted by a group of young conservatives, and now millionaire public figure.

And over this period, Palin has been attacked,  her kids have become celebrities, and people have made all kind of claims that keep the media going - like the one where Bristol Palin's kid's real father was black. 

Even with that, and other attacks and blasts, Sarah Palin has earned over $12 million since leaving the Alaska Governor's Office, and that estimate was released a year ago.  

And what has Syrin, er, Sherry Whitstine, done over that time? Get angrier and angrier. So much so that her focus has been on nothing but Sarah Palin, and apparently from her tweets to me, not even sex.

Or fun.

The real question is what sparked Ms. Whitstine to embark on this 12-year, Captain Ahab-like pursuit of Sarah Palin? Whatever the answer, it's clear Sherry's the classic definition of a Sarah Palin-hater.

But a hater doesn't have to be as single-mindedly dedicated as Syrin! She's pissed-off and beyond the charts. Can you imagine the pent-up, raw, primal sexual energy, just waiting to be unleashed from Ms. Whitstine! Wow. What a gusher of a ride that would be!

Stay tuned.

Oakland Police Search For Alleged Rapist

The person in this video above reportedly broke into a 28-year old woman's home in Oakland, and was allegedly in the process of stealing a box of "electronics" when she caught him via cellphone camera.

Here's the full video:



He's described as "a black man in his early 40s, five feet nine, 160 pounds, with a bald head," but as you can tell he's more light-skinned black or a person of color, who may be black or Latino.

According to reports, the woman didn't scream or call 911. And after the man left her home at her request, then he reportedly returned and sexually assaulted her. She was sent to the hospital for treatment, then released.

What I can't help asking is why didn't she call, or try to call, the police when the dude left the house the first time? Also, in the video she sounds rather calm for someone who was supposedly taken by surprise by the man. She says "can you please leave. How did you get in here?" in a calm voice. Maybe it's nothing. But why not say "Put my crap down, ass hole!"

But I'm wondering if he's someone she actually knows, which doesn't make the situation any better, and worse for her. Why, of all things to nab, would he take a box of electronics? What? A TV set? A radio?

Police and Crime Stoppers of Oakland are offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.


Stay tuned.

Oakland Restaurants - Rudy's Can't Fail Cafe Visit In Uptown Oakland

The new Rudy's Can't Fail Cafe finishes a buildout of the front store spaces of The Fox Theater in Oakland, and is enjoying its first week of operation, this week.

The deal to get Rudy's Can't Fail Cafe at the Fox Theater started just over two years ago, and while it was delayed in fits and starts of deal-making, the end result was well worth the wait.

This blogger walked in on just plain impulse and, possessing a craving for breakfast at night, changed mind and ordered the Monday Blue Plate Special: The Meatloaf. A full, hearty meal of the kind not seen during the whole California Cuisine craze (which I'm somewhat happy has been altered to encourage larger portions), the meatloaf was almost as good as my Mom's at home, and overall I'd give it a B.

The atmosphere at Rudy's was incredible. Bright and airy, it's a great place to hang out and talk or people watch over a great meal.

The added plus is a kind of dining car in the rear of the place that, as I'm told, can be reserved in advance.

Rudy's, at 18th and Telegraph Avenue in Downtown Oakland and open from 7 PM to 1 AM each night, is a great addition to the growing Uptown scene. But I still think a baseball stadium would have been much better at the condo location than what's there now.

Check it out.

Tech News - Code For Oakland App Competition: Redirectory Wins!

In this tech news, the first annual (hopefully) Code For Oakland hackathon is history. The event drew 102 people, complete with Oakland and San Francisco geeks, and notable non-geeks like AC Transit Board Member and long-time Oakland Piedmont Avenue Activist Chris Peeples, resulted in a number of fascinating and promising applications, all designed with the needs of Oakland's low-income residents and those who aren't well "connected" in mind.


The Saturday, June 4th meetup at Kaiser Center was sparked via the efforts of Oakland Local Founder and Editor Susan Mernitt, and "about 20 people," as Susan explained in the video, who contributed to getting Code For Oakland off the ground.


What's Code For Oakland?


Code For Oakland's mission was simply to have a "one day workshop to build an awesome mobile app." As one of the judges involved in the selection of the winning teams, I can share the criteria we were given to work under, and which were adopted from the Knight Foundation's "Apps For Communities" competition:

1. Make local public information more personalized, useable, and accessible for all.

2. Promote broadband adoption, particularly among Americans who are least likely to be regular Internet users (including low-income, rural, seniors, people with disabilties, and the low-digital, English literacy communities.)

3. Create better links between Americans and services provided by local, State, Tribal, and Federal Governments.

There were a number of interesting and fascinating apps created. Here's the winner's list below, from the Code For Oakland website:

$1500 Ramsell prize:Txt2work, mobile app to allow re-entering prisoners and parolees to search and apply for jobs via their feature phone. Team led by Elise Ackerman and David Chiu.



$500 Ramsell prize for youth,: Betta Stop, mobile app to allow tagging and commenting on quality of bus rides and schedule in Oakland. Team led by Krys Freeman.



$1000 Mozilla prize: Redirectory, platform for allowing mobile feature phone, web and smart phone access to local social services data, focus particularly on parolee and reentry data. Team led by Randall Leeds.



$1000 Pandora prize: OakWatch, mobile/web project to allow real time neighborhood reporting via mobile systems. Team lead by Robbie Trencheny.



$500 Urban Strategies Council–for work with Re-entry Data API prize: Redirectory, platform for allowing mobile feature phone, web and smart phone access to local social services data, focus particularly on parolee and reentry data. Team led by Randall Leeds.



$500 City of Oakland, for work with Oakland files prize: OaklandPM, schema to use social sharing and city & OUSD calendar information to build a mobile tool to let teens find out what after-school activities are available and which friends are going. Team led by Jed Parsons.



$250 Full Court Communications prize: Contxt, mobile service focuses on SMS text messaging: broadcast messaging to community organizers. Team led by Tim Sheiner.



$250 Full Court Communications prize: Oakland Food Finder, mobile/web service for allowing Oakland low-income shoppers (and others) to find out where healthy foods are available in their area and for food supplies (farmers markets, etc.) to broadcast what they have available. Team led by Michael Bernstein.



Addtionally, an in-kind prize from Citizen Space for three months of workspace was provided as a gift for the winners to share.

In the next blog post on Code For Oakland, we'll take a closer look at the winning apps. Meanwhile, Oakland should thank Susan Mernitt and her team.