Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Tucker Carlson - White's Only Scholarship? Just Say Tucker, That's Stupid



I've got Tucker Carlson's show on - the one called The Situation -- and he's actually supporting the idea of a White's only scholarship at Boston U!

Well, not really.

His point is that having such a program shows how stupid race-based programs are. Or do they? I think they show just how selfish and myopic people who come up with this ideas -- or support them -- are. I feel terrible that I have to remind people like Tucker (who's show I actually enjoy) that the reason we have minority-based programs is because the people they are intended for are -- minority.

Get it? Hello?

These programs exist because of numerous examples of discrimination in the White community that runs in the common scholarship programs. This is an age-old way to get over that problem. If the people who don't like these programs want to do something, they should embrace diversity.

Tucker and people who agree with him don't want to embrace diversity. Well, then they should not complain about the continued existence of race-based scholarships.

OH! I noticed they don't complain about sex-based programs. I guess that's because they benefit White women. Wow, now that's racist.

This society is becoming a weird mix of racist people -- regardless of color -- and those of us sitting right in the middle.

Without our own TV show.

Yet...

S.O.G. (Same Old New York Giants)

The New York Giants have sunk to a new low with their 26-10 Loss to the Jacksonville last night. As I sat there watching i continued to be amazed at how porus the giants defense was, how horrid the offense was. This was a chance to heal some wounds opened by The Chicago Bears in last week's game.

I know from the first few moments of the game that it would be a long night. I could see losing to the Bears, who could be one of the teams playing in Miami In Super Bowl XLI(or 41 for those who not read Roman) but Jacksonville? a team that was headed to the outhouse instead of the big house until a few weeks ago?

Could it have been Head Coach Jack Del Rio's Rebook-made suit with the fancy newfangled snaps? More likely it was Tiki Barber's season low 27 yards rushing, or QB Eli Manning's 2 Interceptions. In any case, the New York Giants are in Deep Trouble, and sinking fast.

Monday, November 20, 2006

Michael Richards Violates California Hate Crimes Law - Film Here


What you're about to see is video of a direct violation of California's Hate Crimes Law. For those who don't know what the law says, this is the list of what an officer or California lawyer is to look for. Go through it, look at the video, and then draw your own conclusion. You will agree that what Seinfeld's Michael Richards did was a hate crime:

Initial review of a suspected hate crime should consider the following factors:

Is the motivation of the offender known?
Are the victim and the offender from different racial, religious, ethnic, sexual orientation, or is the victim targeted because of his or her physical or mental disability?
Were any racial, religious, ethnic, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability bias remarks made by the offender?
Were there any offensive symbols, words or acts that are known to represent a hate group or other evidence of bias against the victim's group?
Does the victim perceive the action of the offender to have been motivated by bias?
Did the incident occur on a holiday or other day of significance to the victim's group or the offender's group?
What do the demographics of the area tell you about the incident - was the victim in an area where the predominant population is dissimilar to the victim's group?
Is there no clear other motivation for the incident?
Second level of review before making the final determination of whether an incident was motivated by bias:

Is the victim a member of a targeted racial, religious, ethnic, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability group?
Has the victim or victim's group been subjected to repeat attacks of a similar nature?
Does a substantial portion of the community where the crime occurred perceive that the incident was motivated by bias?
Would the incident have taken place if the victim and offender were the same race, religion, ethnic group, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability?


The Hate Crime Law reads:

Any act of intimidation, harassment, physical force or threat of physical force directed against any person, or gamely, or their property or advocate, motivated either in whole or in part by hostility to their real or perceived race, ethnic background, religious belief, sex, age, disability, or sexual orientation, with the intention of causing fear or intimidation, or to deter the free exercise or enjoyment of any rights or privileges secured by the Constitution or the laws of the United State of California whether or not performed under color of law.

Now, take a look at this video of Michael Richard in the act. This is the evidence we have and as a warning, it's nasty and distasateful:

Rumor: San Francisco 49ers Considering Hunters Point - SF Chronicle / Matier and Ross

This also reports that the 49ers would rather deal with Forest City than Lennar. Why?

Hunters Point could be in play for the Niners
Phillip Matier, Andrew Ross
Monday, November 20, 2006

With the 49ers' plan for a new stadium at Candlestick Point sunk in the mud, insiders at San Francisco City Hall are revisiting the idea of building at Hunters Point -- in an area that could be paved over with lots of parking.

Here's why.

Cut through all the double talk, and the 49ers' problems come down to two key points.

One: All the Niners are really interested in is a new stadium and a parking lot. Despite all the smiles and public pronouncements over the years, they are not comfortable with the mega housing and retail development deal they cut with the city and Lennar Corp. to pay for the stadium. And they don't want the multilevel parking garage at Candlestick that was going to go along with it.

And two: Their relations with Mayor Gavin Newsom haven't been great and aren't getting a lot better.

Team spokeswoman Lisa Lang said Friday that "our goal is to build a stadium -- not a small city." Trying to get the malls and 6,500 units of housing done along with a 68,000-seat stadium, all while playing in the existing Monster Park, put the team's envisioned 2012 finish date in jeopardy, she said.

Hence the Niners' decision to turn their attention to Santa Clara, where co-owner John York and his family thought building would be easy.

"They sort of have this Midwestern, suburban 1970s view of how things can get done,'' said one San Francisco official who talked with the Yorks in recent days.

"They want a new stadium," said the official, who didn't want his name used because of the ongoing talks. "They want a smooth transition from the current one to the new one. And they don't want all of this other stuff that they just don't understand.''

Unfortunately for the Yorks, the idea of leaving San Francisco also set off an avalanche of threatened lawsuits, legislative roadblocks and bad publicity. And, of course, it did nothing to endear the Niners to Newsom.

Which brings us back to Point Two.

The mayor's absence from talks with the team, and his decision to have underlings handle the negotiations, is said to have rankled the Niners' owners. Then, for some reason, York expected the mayor to turn down the temperature once the team shifted plans, according to sources who spoke with the co-owner after his meeting with Newsom last week.

Instead, the opposite happened. Newsom made it clear he would use every weapon he had -- from lawsuits to Congress -- to keep the team here.

Newsom also told York he wanted the team to spell out the specific problems with the Candlestick Point deal, be they lousy access roads, inadequate public transit or whatever else York felt was a deal-breaker.

In other words, Newsom wanted a checklist that, if dealt with, would mean the team stayed.

Since speaking with Newsom, York and his son Jed have had several meetings and phone conversations with both city officials and others close to the deal.

Recipients of the Yorks' calls, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitive nature of the talks, said the Niners' concerns appear to be far greater than the fear John York expressed publicly that the stadium proposal wouldn't provide for a good "fan experience.''

Among other things, it has started to surface that if the team is to build anything at Candlestick, it would much rather do so with Forest City Enterprises -- builders of the recently opened Westfield San Francisco Centre downtown -- than with Lennar.

At the same time, city officials are looking for another way to make the general area work for the team. So, if not Candlestick, where?

One idea starting to simmer: Build the stadium across the way on the old Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, an idea that was looked at earlier and rejected.

The shipyard site would require a new four-lane road. But the Niners could get all the parking they want, plus they could keep playing at Candlestick while the project was built.

At this point it's just an idea, and the mayor remains committed to seeing if the Candlestick deal can be saved. At the same time, York appears just as firmly committed to pursuing Santa Clara.

But until the whole deal sinks -- if it does -- word is going out for everyone with the city to calm down.

State Sen. Carole Migden, D-San Francisco, even had a pack of the mayor's most vocal critics -- Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin and Supervisors Chris Daly, Jake McGoldrick and Ross Mirkarimi -- in her office Friday. Later, she got Supervisor Gerardo Sandoval by phone.

The message: Hold off on the potshots at the 49ers or Newsom, at least for the time being.

Sunday, November 19, 2006

Daniel McVicar's Vlog - Rocketboom

I met Daniel McVicar at a brunch held one day after The Vloggies, a "first-of-its-kind" awards show in San Francisco. He's an actor -- best know for "The Bold and the Beautiful" -- based in Santa Monica who's really taken to vlogging. Here's a show he did with Andrew Baron and Joanne Colan of Rocketboom. Check out his site at http://www.danielmcvicar.com , and his vlog site "Late Night Mash."

Saturday, November 18, 2006

Matt Leinart - Arizona Cardinals QB Loosing Confidence In Denny Green - Profootball Talk.com



Pro Football Talk.com has this report on Matt Leinart:

LEINART LOSES CONFIDENCE

As the Arizona Cardinals pack it in under coach Dennis Green, a source close to quarterback Matt Leinart says that the 2004 Heisman winner and the No. 10 overall pick in the draft is trying to prop up his teammates by telling them that things will get better, but he can get no positive response.

The source also believes that Leinart's swagger from losing only three games in four years at USC is evaporating.

"He is really rattled by the losing," said the source. "He is searching for a way to get [the team] to buy in to his attitude, but it's getting harder because his confidence is almost gone."

The growing concern among those close to Leinart is that he'll end up as another David Carr, the No. 1 overall pick in 2002 who has been tossed around like a Chihuahua at a Doberman convention in five seasons with the Texans.

"Lots of talent but too many sacks to realize the full potential," the source said.

In our view, it's all the more reason that the Bidwills should make a good decision about the future of the franchise, hiring a coach who can help give Leinart the confidence to be the on-field leader that this team hasn't had since the days of Jim Hart.

Dallas Cowboys Home Game Tickets for Sale

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UCLA Police Use Taser Weapon On Minority Student - Why? - Video

This is reallly hard to even listen to, but it happened. For some reason American society is allowing the creation of a law enforcement officials who go about their jobs with an over-zealous approach that indicates a contempt for the people in the community. It's as if the officers are giving punishment before the accused is actually convicted of a crime -- an act that in itself is a constitutional violation.

This happens in this terrible video:

Thursday, November 16, 2006

NFL - Cowboys' Emmitt Smith Wins "Dancing With The Stars" - Video

For the second time in as many years, an NFL star has won Dancing with The Stars. Last year, it was Jerry Rice; this year Emmitt Smith's the winner.

Here's a clip of his dancing:

ALL NFL GAMES SOLD OUT FOR 10TH CONSECUTIVE WEEK - NFL Media.com

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
280 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017
(212) 450-2000 * FAX (212) 681-7573
WWW.NFLMedia.com

Joe Browne, Executive Vice President-Communications
Greg Aiello, Vice President-Public Relations
FOR USE AS DESIRED

11/10/06
ALL GAMES SOLD OUT FOR 10TH CONSECUTIVE WEEK

The unprecedented NFL sellout streak continues. It’s now 10 straight weeks of advance sellouts.

All games of the NFL schedule for this Sunday and Monday -- Week 10 -- have sold out in advance of the local TV blackout deadline. That means every NFL game this weekend will be televised in the home-team market for an unprecedented 10th straight week.

Every game this season has been sold out at least 72 hours in advance and televised locally. Previously, the most sellout weekends in one season was four in 2004 and 2005.

It will be the 23rd time since the NFL blackout policy took effect in 1973 that blackouts have been lifted for all games on a single weekend. The 23 times have been once in 1998; three times in 2000; once in 2001; four times in 2002 and 2005; and 10 times this season.

The NFL blackout policy states that games sold out 72 hours prior to kickoff can be televised in the home city.

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Amanda Congdon Goes From Rocketboom To ABC News Now - Business Week



From Rocketboom to ABC
Video blogger Amanda Congdon is the latest "cewebrity" to jump to mainstream media; an industry is forming to help others follow her lead

by Catherine Holahan

Internet celebrity Amanda Congdon just finished broadcasting her cross-country relocation from New York to L.A. on the World Wide Web. Now she is making another move—this one from online to on air. The former host of Rocketboom, one of the most popular video blogs on the Web, with roughly 211,000 daily viewers, has a new gig as a contributor for Disney's (DIS) ABC network.

Congdon will regularly appear on the network's 24-hour digital channel ABC News Now and occasionally appear as a correspondent on the network's TV news broadcasts. She will also host a weekly video blog, or "vlog," on abcnews.com focusing on topics such as new media, politics, and the environment. "She certainly has the eyes and ears of a great many people who may have only trafficked in Internet information," says Michael Clemente, executive producer of ABC News Digital Media. "I would love to see her talking to [Illinois Senator] Barack Obama, new people with new products, and all sorts of things."

In addition, Congdon is developing a comedy for Time Warner's (TWX) HBO, which itself has plans to beef up online programming (see BusinessWeek.com, 11/2/06, "HBO's Bold Broadband Plans"). Congdon will star in the show, which will appear both online and on air in different forms. The subject matter has yet to be determined.

Talent Search
The new ABC role may make Congdon the first video blogger to make the jump to a major network. For the 25-year-old actress, the new job sounds like a dream. "What really excites me is the concept of bridging the gap between old and new media," says Congdon. "I am just so excited that these networks are open enough to let me do all these different projects."

Congdon, however, is not the first "cewebrity" to parlay fame on the Web into a real-world job. Joe Eigo, a 26-year-old martial artist and gymnast, was relatively unknown until he uploaded video clips of his acrobatic fighting style to the Internet. Since then, Eigo's clips have been downloaded millions of times and he was scouted to join Jackie Chan's stunt team. He also landed an appearance in the movie Around the World in 80 Days. Several other online video personalities have used their notoriety to sign with prominent talent agencies and further careers in comedy, media, and entertainment (see BusinessWeek.com, 10/30/06, "Don't I Know You from the Internet?").

In fact, major movie and TV studios are increasingly looking to the Web for new talent for both on- and offline projects. IQ Films and Steelyard Pictures used Yahoo's (YHOO) Jumpcut.com to conduct an online casting call for their latest movie, The Power of Few.

Agencies on the Lookout
Dina Kaplan is chief operating officer and cofounder of blip.tv, which features Congdon's AmandaAcrossAmerica blog. Kaplan says she is regularly approached by traditional media outlets that see her online vlog hosting site as a place to mine new talent. "We have had meetings with a bunch of Hollywood agencies," says Kaplan. "They see us as a farm team for them."

Talent agencies also see the Net's potential. United Talent Agency, which represents actors including Vince Vaughn, has created a Digital Media Dept. to bring online stars into traditional media. UTA counts video blogger Hosea "Ze" Frank, host of The Show with Ze Frank, and Kent Nichols, co-creator of the Ask a Ninja video blog, among its clients.

Music companies are also looking online for new talent. This month, Music Nation will start letting musicians upload music videos to its site as part of a record deal contest with Epic Records. Universal and EMI also plan to sponsor online star searches (see BusinessWeek.com, 10/30/06, "American E-Idol").

Looking to Profit Online
In many cases, traditional media companies are more interested in keeping Internet stars online than putting them on air. The idea is reaching a new and, in many cases, younger audience. "When you have conversations with traditional platforms, often the biggest interest is not to leverage whatever buzz you have online to move to a traditional platform," says Frank. "They are trying to figure out how to make this model work in the online space."

Traditional media have a big incentive to court Internet stars. Online advertising is expected to grow to $25.2 billion in 2010, consuming 8.9% of all advertising spending, says research firm eMarketer. That's up from $15.9 billion—or roughly 5.7% of total ad spending—this year.

ABC has been particularly deliberate about expanding on the Web. While other news programs, such as those at CBS (CBS) and NBC (GE), have Web simulcasts and video blogs, ABC News has a 15-minute daily newscast just for Internet audiences. Most major networks have also been moving their new programs online to create more buzz and wrap in new audiences (see BusinessWeek.com, 10/11/06, "Click Here to Catch Up on CSI"). ABC is no exception, making episodes of such shows as Lost, Grey's Anatomy, and Desperate Housewives available free online.

Awards and Advertisers
Kaplan has no qualms sharing talent such as Congdon with TV. As more people become famous for vlogs, more people are likely to begin producing better blogs to attract mainstream media attention. The better their blogs, the more audiences and advertisers will want to associate themselves with online content and brokers like blip.tv.

To help market their talent, PodTech, blip.tv, Yahoo Video, Intel (INTC), Guba, Revver, and others helped arrange the first ever "Vloggies," an Oscar-like black-tie ceremony for video bloggers. The awards were handed out on Nov. 4 in San Francisco. Winning top honors were Ask a Ninja, Frank, and the crew that develops Alive in Baghdad, a series of video blogs by Iraqis.

As vlogs have become more mainstream, advertisers have also begun taking notice. They have experimented with ads on videos shown on user-generated video site Revver. They are also working with companies such as AOL and News Corp.'s (NWS) MySpace to incorporate advertising on user-generated video sites.

The Copyright Effect
However, these deals have been slow to take off because of concerns about the kinds of content on user-generated video sites. The difficulty of filtering copyrighted material from millions of user-produced videos has also given some advertisers pause, according to Metacafe CEO Arik Czerniak. To allay those concerns, Metacafe has begun paying users for licenses and uses both human video reviewers and technology to ferret out copyrighted content. MySpace has also begun aggressively removing copyrighted content (see BusinessWeek.com, 10/31/06, "Music Downloading's New Deal").

With sites moving to make user-generated content safer for advertisers, online celebrities and their videos are likely to become even more appealing for major networks and others. That means more cewebrities could turn into genuine celebrities. "The first time I ever put a video on the Net, I didn't know it would have such a great effect," says Eigo. "Now I know it can make dreams come true."

Holahan is a writer for BusinessWeek.com in New York.

Reggie Bush Fires Mike Ornstein - Yahoo! Sports



This was something Reggie should have done a while ago. But this is just as well. Mike's -- pictured on the left in the photo -- made some money so he should not be totally negatively impacted. It's just that he could have ran a cleaner business.

Bush drops Ornstein as marketing agent
By Josh Peter and Jason Cole, Yahoo! Sports
November 12, 2006

Reggie Bush has parted ways with his marketing agent, Mike Ornstein, a controversial figure who helped Bush land about $50 million in endorsement deals before the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner even signed his rookie contract with the New Orleans Saints, Yahoo! Sports has learned.

Ornstein revealed his split with Bush when he called a New Orleans-area businessman last week and canceled a $5,000 order for 120 turkeys that Bush planned to give to Saints players and team officials for Thanksgiving, said Glenn Mistich, owner of the Gourmet Butcher Block that filled the order.

"He told me, 'Reggie and I aren't working together anymore,' " Mistich said Sunday. "I don't know what happened. I don't know if Reggie even knows about [the canceled order]."

A second source who spoke on the condition of anonymity said Bush had fired Ornstein.

Ornstein hung up the phone when a reporter identified himself, and he did not return a subsequent phone message. Bush declined to comment after the Saints' game against the Steelers in Pittsburgh.

In addition to losing his marquee client, Ornstein recently was subpoenaed by the U.S. Attorney's office to answer questions before a grand jury in Ohio. Ornstein received the summons on the opening week of the season, when New Orleans played at Cleveland on Sept. 10.

Four sources confirmed that Ornstein received the subpoena, and one said Ornstein was served in clear view of several witnesses. The subpoena is said to be related to Ornstein receiving Super Bowl tickets from the Cleveland Browns several years ago in exchange for the use of cars.

Ornstein was convicted – along with two others – of defrauding the NFL while he was a league employee in 1995.

In September, a Yahoo! Sports investigation showed that Bush and his family appear to have accepted improper cash and benefits from Ornstein, in potential violation of NCAA rules. The Pacific-10 Conference and NCAA are investigating the matter.

Ornstein was instrumental in helping Bush amass a fortune in endorsements and ingratiate himself to a New Orleans community still reeling from the effects of Hurricane Katrina.

Negotiating on Bush's behalf, Ornstein secured deals with adidas, Pepsi and Hummer. He also hooked up with Subway and EA Sports video games in an unprecedented windfall for an NFL rookie. The deals were signed well before Bush agreed to a contract with the Saints that included a $26-million guaranteed bonus.

Ornstein also played a prominent role in helping Bush carve out a favorable image in New Orleans. Following the April 28 NFL draft, Bush and his sponsors donated more than $50,000 to Holy Rosary Academy to help keep the special-needs school operational, funded an $86,000 installation of a new playing surface at a stadium used by many of the area's high school football programs and arranged for Hummer to donate a dozen of its vehicles to the police department in a city adjacent to New Orleans.

Bush's charitable efforts also have included partnering with the international hunger relief organization Feed The Children, the NFL Players Association and Urban Impact Ministries to help deliver food and toiletries to needy families in New Orleans.

Y! Sports NFL writer Charles Robinson also contributed to this report