Friday, January 30, 2009

Jet Li joins the Davos Debates

Jet Li, the famous martial arts movie star, takes time to share the idea that it's people and the hear who matter more than money. He's right. Our first responsibility is to each other.

Kofi Annan on The Need For Understanding In The Global Economic Crisis


Former UN head Kofi Annan is sorely missed and this speech is one reason why. Here's Kofi Annan his the nail on the head when he says that people see trillions going to big companies and rich people and lose confidence in Government. He talks about the global economic crisis at the Davos Forum with clarity and with care.

Mayor Bloomberg paints grim economic picture for New York City 2009 budget

More at NY Daily News: “Mayor Bloomberg's bad-news budget tries to plug a $4 billion hole with less than $2 billion worth of spending cuts and new sales taxes - and counts on unions, Albany and the federal govermment to come up with the rest.
He proposed a $43.4 billion budget Friday for the fiscal year starting July 1, up $123 million from the year before - one that slices deep into the pockets of city residents and the ranks of city workers.
"Are we going to go through some difficult times? I don't think there's any question about that. But we have a plan to balance our budget," Bloomberg said. "It is serious, but I think it is manageable."”

MADAM OF EMPEROR'S CLUB VIP SENTENCED TO 6 MONTHS IN JAIL - New York Post

More at New York Post: “She was the property of her overbearing partner, and the madam who helped run the prostitution ring that brought down Gov. Eliot Spitzer has the tattoo to prove it.

Cecil "Katie" Suwal was sentenced yesterday to six months in jail for her role in operating the Emperors Club VIP that serviced the notorious "Client 9," but not before her lawyer said she was controlled by her Svengali-like boss who branded her in the most humiliating of places.

"Her strategically placed tattoo eliminated any doubt," said her lawyer, Alberto Ebanks, as he made quote marks in the air. "Property of Mark Brener."”

Barack Announces Organizing for America

Michael Steele Is The New Chairman Of The Republican Party

Michael Steele just broke a barrier that I frankly thought I'd never see: he today became the first Black chairman of the Republican Party. That's amazing and it speaks to the better angels within the Republican National Committee and the totally watershed-level path of social change America is on, starting with the election of Barack Obama as the first African American president, then the stirring inauguration of President Obama, and now the selection of Michael Steele as RNC Chairman.

Who is Michael Steele?

Steele was Liutenant Governor of the State of Maryland from 2003 to 2007. Steele's also well-known as a regular contributor to several political news programs. And Steele ran for several offices, most notably for Senator of Maryland where he reportedly bussed in homeless people to distribute information flyers. Steele lost that race to Ben Cardin.

Steele has been a Republican since he was a small boy, and he's received backing from such conservatives as Karl Rove and former-VP Dick Cheney.

Steele has an uphill battle in repairing the Republican Party, but he's been able to destroy the idea that the RNC was the "White Southern" party just by his election. In my view his election actually makes the party more attractive to Women, who not only were his greatest supporters but who share the same "outsider" status in the RNC.

I think now the Republican Party has a split between the moderates, led by Steele and the wingnuts, led by Rush Limbaugh. It's going to be an interesting year.

Obama Security Poor, Alarms Some VIP Donors - washingtonpost.com

More at washingtonpost.com: “Downtown Washington resembled a militarized zone last week for the inauguration of President Barack Obama, but some major contributors who had direct contact with Obama said they were surprised to find what they viewed as porous security surrounding the president-elect and vice president-elect.”

-- This is an outrage, to say the least! For someone as important and as targeted by White Supremacist and some Black Nationalist groups and persons as Barack Obama to be the focus of poor security efforts is a scandal that should lead to someone's firing before its too late.

Super Bowl Party: Playboy Party At American Airlines Arena

I'm not in Tampa, but the 2010 Super Bowl is in -- drumroll -- Miami! That's what I'm looking forward to.

And besides, there's no Playboy Super Bowl Party this year. RATS! The reasons they give are well...

""While we are huge fans of Super Bowl weekend and are participating in the DirecTV Celebrity Beach Bowl event, we will not be hosting a separate party in Tampa,"


But I'll bet they'll be back in Miami and Zennie62 will be there!

SF Bayview Hunter's Point CAC/PAC Lennar Community Meeting

This is a video of the meeting held Wednesday night and regarding the Urban Design plan for the proposed Bayview Hunter's point Lennar development which would include a stadium for the San Francisco 49ers.

The video captures the anger that community members had over the process, expressing a desire to see the committee just approve the plan and build the project, but making sure the site is cleaned up and jobs are provided for them,

It's the second video on this community process and includes the roll call vote. You can hear who voted and how they voted.

SF Bayview Hunter's Point CAC/PAC Lennar Community Meeting

This is a video of the meeting held Wednesday night and regarding the Urban Design plan for the proposed Bayview Hunter's point Lennar development which would include a stadium for the San Francisco 49ers.

The video captures the anger that community members had over the process, expressing a desire to see the committee just approve the plan and build the project, but making sure the site is cleaned up and jobs are provided for them,

It's the second video on this community process and includes the roll call vote. You can hear who voted and how they voted.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Obama Inauguration - Zennie Gets Home In First Class

After being stuck in Dulles for about three days after the Obama Inauguration I finally got out -- to Chicago. But then stayed overnight and then got a nice treat on the way back to the SF Bay Area.

Obama White House Unbuttons Formal Dress Code

More at NYTimes.com: “WASHINGTON — The capital flew into a bit of a tizzy when, on his first full day in the White House, President Obama was photographed in the Oval Office without his suit jacket. There was, however, a logical explanation: Mr. Obama, who hates the cold, had cranked up the thermostat.

“He’s from Hawaii, O.K.?” said Mr. Obama’s senior adviser, David Axelrod, who occupies the small but strategically located office next door to his boss. “He likes it warm. You could grow orchids in there.”

-- When I first saw this, I thought they were referring to the shirt open at the neck, but to me, this is still formal. It's not business casual.