Monday, December 22, 2008

Hangar One Vodka Macy's San Francisco Cocktail Event

I was a special guest of of Liza "The Wine Chic" Zimmerman at this Hangar One Holiday Cocktail Mixing event at Macy's SF and which introduced Hangar One Vodka and Mixologist Scott Beattie. Hangar One is made in Alameda, California

Hangar One Vodka Macy's San Francisco Cocktail Event


I was a special guest of of Liza "The Wine Chic" Zimmerman at this Hangar One Holiday Cocktail Mixing event at Macy's SF and which introduced Hangar One Vodka and Mixologist Scott Beattie. Hangar One is made in Alameda, California

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Biden To Chair White House Middle Class Task Force - Huff Post

See Huff Post for more: “WASHINGTON — As vice president, Joe Biden will oversee an Obama administration effort to find ways of building up the ranks of the middle class, that ambiguously defined segment of society most Americans identify with.

The task force will include four Cabinet members as well as other presidential advisers, the Obama transition team announced Sunday.”

Rahm Emanuel Cleared - George Stephanopoulos, ABC News

George's Bottom Line: “Sources tell me that the Obama team's review of contacts with Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich will show that Rahm Emanuel had only one phone conversation with Blagojevich.

The contact, described as a "pro-forma" courtesy call, came as Emanuel was named Chief of Staff for Obama.  Most of the discussion concerned Emanuel's Congressional seat (which had previously been held by Blagojevich), with only a "passing reference" to the Senate vacancy, according to these sources.  No deal for the Senate vacancy was discussed.”

Rod Blagojevich - Holly Madison Sex Scandal Helps Blago!

On Friday, December 19th, Illinois Governor Rob Blagojevich stood before the cameras and said he would address the charges against him. What would help is a sex scandal with ex-Hugh Hefner girlfriend Holly Madison!

Saturday, December 20, 2008

LOUIS UCHITELLE: Maybe It Can’t - A Trap in Obama’s Spending Plan - NYTimes.com

Source: NYTimes.com: “That is the risk facing Mr. Obama’s plan. By January, Congress will probably be asked to approve an outlay of more than $700 billion. Spent in one year on construction, research or equipment, it might well offset the contraction at first. But unless it also revived general confidence, the economy could collapse again, once the money was gone.

“If that spending can’t get the private sector going, then it is just a make-work maintenance operation,” said Stanley Moses, an economist at Hunter College in New York.”

-- I disagree with this because it ignores the ripple effects of spending in the form of architects, caterers, construction vehicles, and other local spending due to these projects. we've let billions in roads and public works go without repair for decades. There's a lot of work out there. But spending for a manufacturing public works effort would go a longer way toward rebuilding the economy.

NextArts' Tony Imperial Sends Threatening Emails To Blogger Zennie Abraham

Regardless of my constant written requests for him to stop, NextArts' Tony Imperial , the producer of the planned San Francisco Obama Inauguration Simulcast, continues to send threatening emails to me.  I've sent a simple "please leave me alone" reply to his emails, five times as of this writing. 

NextArts' Tony Imperial claims that I was using my blog to try to stop his planned program from taking place, when in point of fact I have written that it was a great thing to do, but Imperial has some massive political cleanup work to do.  He's upset Obama volunteers, SF movers and shakers, and now this blogger, which he claims to have filed a baseless lawsuit against. 

Imperials just will not stop and now I consider him to be a threat.  The only reason I'm making this public is to prove that he can't "chill" this blogger and also to inform the general public of his behavior and to protect myself. 

Jerry Brown urges court to scrap Prop. 8 - Inside Bay Area

Jerry Brown orders scrapping Prop. 8 - Inside Bay Area: “SAN FRANCISCO—California Attorney General Jerry Brown changed course on the state's new same-sex marriage ban Friday and urged the state Supreme Court to void Proposition 8.
In a dramatic reversal, Brown filed a legal brief saying the measure that amended the California Constitution to limit marriage to a man and a woman is itself unconstitutional because it deprives a minority group of a fundamental right. Earlier, Brown had said he would defend the ballot measure against legal challenges from gay marriage supporters.
But Brown said he reached a different conclusion "upon further reflection and a deeper probing into all the aspects of our Constitution."
"It became evident that the Article 1 provision guaranteeing basic liberty, which includes the right to marry, took precedence over the initiative," he said in an interview Friday night. "Based on my duty to defend the law and the entire Constitution, I concluded the court should protect the right to marry even in the face of the 52 percent vote."”

--This is Jerry Brown's finest hour. Period.

Friday, December 19, 2008

RIAA Stops Lawsuits, But Not the Threats

For years the RIAA has been filing lawsuits against thousands of individuals who allegedly shared copyrighted music. Following recent court setbacks, the lobby group has announced it will stop mass lawsuits. Instead, it will focus on cutting deals with ISPs to disconnect ‘IP-addresses’ that repeatedly share copyrighted music.

read more | digg story

Bernard Madoff Screwed Feds to the Tune of $17 billion in Ponzi Scheme

Even Uncle Sam may get burned by Bernard Madoff. Investors who lost their fortunes in Madoff's alleged Ponzi scheme will end up paying far less in taxes and may even be eligible for refunds, according to accounting experts. By some estimates, the Internal Revenue Service could be out as much as $17 billion in lost tax revenue.

read more | digg story

Police Get The Wrong House In Galveston, Assault 12-Year old

As Dymond headed toward the breaker, a blue van drove up and three men jumped out rushing toward her. One of them grabbed her saying, "You're a prostitute. You're coming with me."

read more | digg story

Sac. Mayor Kevin Johnson announces goals to cut traffic congestion - Latest News - sacbee.com

Kevin Johnson Johnson - Latest News - sacbee.com: “Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson on Friday announced his intention to make transportation a top focus in the coming months -- including working with other agencies to find a way to cut congestion on the Capital City Freeway and eventually get 10,000 more people living along the region's light-rail line.

Johnson said it starts with a lobbying tour he and others from Sacramento will make next month to Washington, D.C., to win funds from an expected federal economic stimulus package for infrastructure projects.

"Next month, I plan a full-court press to make sure Sacramento gets its fair share for transportation projects," he said. "It's about jobs, its about improvement. It's about quality of life. It's about moving quickly."”

My friend from Cal days is making his mark and quickly. He's rightly going after the dollars needed to put Sacramento to work.