Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Apple's Steve Jobs Still Plans to Return After June

More ar SFGate: “Apple Inc. co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs still expects to return from his medical leave at the end of June, according to an Apple director who responded to an investor at the company's annual shareholder meeting Wednesday.

The investor — who was the only one to press for details on Jobs' health — had asked when the board knew Jobs planned to step away from his daily duties. Apple director Arthur Levinson responded that since Jobs announced Jan. 14 that he needed to go on leave, "nothing has changed."”

-- Having just lost a relative to Pancreatic Cancer I wonder how Jobs is being treated? What is the procedure and of course, how much did it cost?

SF Chronicle's Fiscal Problems Due To Bad Management

The San Francisco Chronicle lost $50 million last year and is reportedly going to lose more this year. The reason isn't the Internet, that's a symptom. The reason is bad management and not wokring with New Media people.

For example, why didn't the SF Chron make it's own version of Craiglist? Why didb't it work with Craig Newmark, or at least try to? Why -- in the region that invented blogging -- did the SF Chronicle not work with blogger like myself so we can help extend their brand online?

It's because of a stupid SF Bay Area habit of not paying attention to someone because they're local. How else to explain why the SF Chron is losing money and having a hard time being successful online in an area that basically gave birth to the Internet?

Bad management is to blame. It's true for the Chronicle and for the Oakland Tribune and San Jose Mercury News. They can't fit a square print peg into a round New Media hole as much as they keep trying. I told a famous Chronicle columnist two years ago how to improve their online performance because our blog posts would out rank their articles in searches consistently.

His reaction? Well we know what we're doing.

Like hell you do. That's why your paper's about to go the way of the T-Rex, in fact that's a good comparison. It's not that the SF Chroncle or Tribune can't be saved, but both papers have to stop a number of practices large and small.

And before someone at the SF Chron claims they do better than the online HuffingtonPost.com -- they don't. A simple comparison using Alexa.com will show the HuffingtonPost to be well ahead of SFGate.com in page views, visitors and really all categories of web traffic analysis that are done in looking at value of a site both to advertiser and investors.

The SF Chronicle needs help but the best way to do it is to sack the current mangement and hire me. Seriously. Give me one year to turn it around and establish what should be: the tripod of print, TV, and Online content.

Los Alamitos Mayor Dean Grose Stupid "White House Watermelon" Email



Racism is a mental illness. How else to explain the actions of Los Alamitos mayor Dean Grose, who wrote a racist email to friends with a watermelon patch photo superimposed over one of the White House, the implication being that because the Obama's are Black, they like watermelon and there will not be an Easter Egg Hunt this year.

How stupid is that? Really. Why is it that someone White feels compelled to make racist statements, cartoons, jokes, and reference like this? Look, someone has to ask the question. What's the deal? We just came off the NY Post's racist cartoon issue, and now this?

Los Alamitos mayor Dean Grose should give a public video apology and then step down. This person can't be called a "public official" because they're not serving the public!

Text Of President Obama's Speech To Joint Session Of Congress - State Of The Nation

This is the text of the greatest speech President Barack Obama has ever given.

President Obama's Speech to Joint Session of Congress - February 24 2009 - Transcript

President Obama's Greatest Speech - State Of The Nation



In his best speech ever President Obama sounded the call for the need to stop sending jobs overseas. It was totally missed by pundits, but Obama just sounded the call for economic nationalism when he said that he would bring jobs back to America.

It's about time.

From 1960 to 1999, the USA added 20 million new jobs each decade, but from that point to today, just under 5 million jobs were added. Where did they go? Overseas to other nations in a large process of what economists call import replacing. One example of this is the growth of Airbus Industries in aircraft manufacturing where they got the largest tanker deal in American history -- $35 billion -- and over the Boeing Company costing 25,000 jobs.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Jerry Lewis Award Protest On Oscar Eve - 2009 Academy Awards

"The Trouble With Jerry" Is A group that was formed to protest the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences decision to give the humanitarian award to Jerry Lewis because they claim he has exploited the disabled and treated them as second-class people.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA TO SPEAK BEFORE CONGRESS AT 6 PM - 9 PM ET TIME

Just a note to remind all that President Barack Obama will speak before a joint session of Congress at 6 PM; 9 PM eastern time tonight according to the White House website . 

Mitt "PAC man" Romney sends checks to GOP Reps who voted "NO" on stimulus

Wish I was so rich I could afford to play games with America's economy.

Former Governor Mitt Romney’s Free and Strong America PAC today sent $1,000 checks to a group of House Republicans for their votes against the $800 billion stimulus bill. Romney's obviously not worrying about making his mortgage or utility payments, let alone balancing state budgets, any more than the GOP millionaires in D.C., who he so desperately wants to be pals with.

Must be nice to be able to throw around the kind of money that shows you're a PAC leader. Of course, we all know he basically financed his own campaign out of what amounts to petty cash even though that amount would stagger any normal family in the U.S.

I'm not suggesting that this merits the sort of scrutiny that it would if there was evidence it was pre-arranged paying for votes, but consider this: Can you imagine how he'd be reacting to the current fiscal and economic situation if we'd elected smiling Mitt to be our President? Rhetoric about tax cuts for the rich providing a stimulus, maybe. While millions lose their jobs and face foreclosure, worrying about paying for meals and losing their health coverage, Romney's paying for deliberate obstructionism, not offering ways to make the bill or the situation better.

Heath Ledger Won 2009 Oscar Best Supporting Actor Award

Heath Ledger, without a doubt, won the 2009 Best Supporting Actor Award. Rest in Peace Heath.

Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway's Opening Performance at the 2009 Oscars

Sean Penn Wins Best Actor for "Milk" Acceptance Speech


I'm proud of Sean Penn for taking on daring tasks both in film and in life. He's a local man made good and does the SF Bay Area proud.

Here's the text of the speech, courtesy of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences:

CATEGORY: Performance by an actor in a leading role
SPEECH BY: Sean Penn
FILM: "Milk"

======BEGIN TRANSCRIPTION======

Thank you. Thank you. You commie, homo-loving sons-of-guns. I did not expect this, but I, and I want it to be very clear, that I do know how hard I make it to appreciate me often. But I am touched by the appreciation and I hoped for it enough that I did want to scribble down, so I had the names in case you were commie, homo-loving sons-of-guns, and so I want to thank my best friend, Sata Matsuzawa. My circle of long-time support, Mara, Brian, Barry and Bob. The great Cleve Jones. Our wonderful writer, Lance Black. Producers Bruce Cohen and Dan Jinks.

And particularly, as all, as actors know, our director either has the patience, talent and restraint to grant us a voice or they don't, and it goes from the beginning of the meeting, through the cutting room. And there is no finer hands to be in than Gus Van Sant. And finally, for those, two last finallies, for those who saw the signs of hatred as our cars drove in tonight, I think that it is a good time for those who voted for the ban against gay marriage to sit and reflect and anticipate their great shame and the shame in their grandchildren's eyes if they continue that way of support.

We've got to have equal rights for everyone. And there are, and there are, these last two things. I'm very, very proud to live in a country that is willing to elect an elegant man president and a country who, for all its toughness, creates courageous artists. And this is in great due respect to all the nominees, but courageous artists, who despite a sensitivity that sometimes has brought enormous challenge, Mickey Rourke rises again and he is my brother. Thank you all very much.

======END TRANSCRIPTION======


BEN STILLER DOES JOAQUIN PHOENIX HILARIOUS LOL

This segment was totally funny. Ben Stiller nailed it in mocking Joaquin Phoenix's appearance on Letterman.