Albert Haynesworth is right to sit out; Ray Lewis is being a hypocrite

Albert in Wonderland 

Washington Redskins Defensive Tackle Albert Haynesworth has received a load of criticism for his actions in first asking to be traded, then taking the $22 million in contract money owed to him and failing to attend Redskins mandatory minicamps.

He's painted as one who doesn't love the game, as a quitter, and worse. Washington Redskins Head Coach Mike Shanahan is slamming him as is the Legendary Baltimore Ravens Linebacker Ray Lewis, who, sadly, is being a hypocrite.

But the person who really deserves the criticism and heat, and isn't getting it at all, is Redskins Head Coach Mike Shanahan. Moreover, Albert Haynesworth is quite correct that playing in a 3-4 will reduce his ability to be effective; the same skill than landed him a $100 million contract to start with.

Mike Shanahan should know better

All of this controversy would not have started if Mike Shanahan, who I'm personally not sold on as the answer for the Washington Redskins coaching woes, had not insisted on slamming a 3-4 down Albert Haynesworth's mouth. The way Coach Shanahan thinks about the 3-4 is not comforting; the best answer that would meet Albert Haynesworth's concerns is to have both defensive ends over the offensive guards, or at least one engaging in some kind of double-teaming action with Albert. But I've seen no evidence of Shanahan employing such hybrid schemes in the past.

Albert Haynesworth is a 4-3 three-technique tackle. Asking Albert Haynesworth to play the 3-4 as a nose tackle is like asking The Pittsburgh Steeler's "Mean" Joe Greene to do the same for the Steel Curtain Defense of the 1970s. You can bet Greene would have the same reaction.

The 3-4 is harmful to defensive tackles

Simple logic has it that asking one person to rush the passer or defend the run against three people is harmful to that players football life. When the nosetackle isn't double teamed, he (or she in some cases) is tripple teamed, when slide blocking - where the guard "slides" off the nosetackle and blocks the inside linebacker - is used.

So on an off-tackle counter play, we have the guard on the side of the play double teaming with the center on the nose tackle (and the inside linebacker on that side is blocked by the fullback), while the off-playside guard slides off the same nosetackle and blocks the off-side inside linebacker who's movement is slowed by the counter fake from the halfback.

In a 4-3 defense such games are impossible to play. Both offensive guards have to deal with the defensive tackles and the center helps on a double team of the off-side defensive tackle. The resultant hole is one the middle linebacker can plug, take on the fullback, and with the onside defensive tackle stop the play.

Ray Lewis is being a hypocrite

Ray Lewis says he can play well in either a 3-4 or a 4-3, and takes time to slam Albert, according to The Washington Post's Dan Steinberg. Lewis said:

"The response is, whatever you want me to do coach, let's get it done. If you want to switch the defense because you think it'll work better in a 3-4 -- I played in a 4-3 my whole life, but we switched up to a 3-4. 'Ok, Ray, you're gonna have to take on more guards, you're gonna have to do this and that.' Ok, coach, I'll adjust. Do I like it? Hmm, nah. But I'll adjust, so let's do it, you know what I'm saying? And through that process, I won the defensive player of the year in the 4-3 in 2000, and in 2003 I came back and won the defensive player of the year in the 3-4. So it don't matter."

But here's where Ray's not saying what he really thinks. For that, we have to go back to 2005 and S.I.com, when Ray Lewis openly expressed joy over the news that he was going to be featured in then-Ravens Defensive Coordinator Rex Ryan's 46 Defense, after playing in Mike Nolan's Ravens 3-4 Defense. In 2005, Lewis said:

"That's like telling your premier running back that you're going to make sure he's not going to be touched in a football game. To come into camp and have my defensive coordinator tell me I’m not going to be touched, I’m like a little kid all over again...It's tough, because you have to humble yourself and take coaching and do whatever they tell you to do," Lewis said. "Whether it takes away from your game or helps it, you just deal with it. That's what I did. It didn't alter how I prepared, it didn't alter my passion for the game. But at the same time, it alters how dominant I can be."

The scheme of defensive did matter to Ray Lewis, even though he says otherwise today. From another perspective, one that your more likely to get inside an African American family home (unless you live in Oakland, CA), Albert Haynesworth does not want to be treated like he's a modern day slave; black barber shop talk would place Ray Lewis in just such a category.

To be fair, Ray Lewis is a worker bee, but even he has to question a social system where the choice of football scheme is generally done without the consultation of the players that are to use it.

In an ideal world, Coach Mike Shanahan would have talked with Albert Haynesworth regarding the type of scheme he wants to play in and the two would have come to a meeting of the minds, but in the NFL, even in the 21st Century, there are coaches who can't resist the urges of their own irrational egos, even at the expense of intelligent thinking.

Summer Solstice 2010: first day of summer roundup

Today is Summer Solstice 2010, the first day of summer. According to Wikipedia, Summer Solstice, or the "first day of summer," is "when the Earth's axial tilt is most inclined towards the sun at its maximum of 23° 26'." It's the longest day of the year, with the shortest night, and thus the best reason to have a round up of what's happening. So, picking through the national and local issues and trends...

Oakland, CA

Oakland Police, who have gone without a cost-of-living adjustment for four years, are bracing for job cuts as the Oakland City Council sends signals that it is considering eliminating up to 200 jobs. Some officers say that they've given quite enough in adjustments and feel like they're being used as political footballs while the Oakland City Council tries to look like it can make tough decisions.

The best move for the Oakland City Council is to cut pay temporarily rather than jobs, as many officers would rather have a brief pay hit than a job elimination. Whatever the decision, the City Council should do it and communicate to police that they're more than valued, as many officers don't get that message.

Alameda, CA

Interim City Manager Ann Marie Gallant is under heavy fire for a consistent practice of hiring out of town contractors for work. According to The Island, Gallant ignored a local black financial advisor, Lonnie Odom, president of Stinson Securities LLC, and selected a firm, Westhoff, Cone & Holmstedt, that includes a person Gallant worked with when that person was with another firm, Westhoff-Martin and Associates, and Gallant worked in another city. Gallant selected Westhoff, Cone & Holmstedt without a competitive bid. The job is to have an underwriter for public infrastructure refinancing bonds.

From my experience in the Oakland Mayor's Office, that work is commonly subject to competitive bid because the bond dollar amounts are so large, generally in the millions and in some cases billions, no one in city government wants to be accused of favoritism or racism. Gallant is dealing with both perceptions. Given her years of experience, it's shocking for Gallant to take such a brazen action and doesn't say much good about her style or intent. If Gallant's not careful, the Summer Solstice could mark the beginning of the end of her employment with the City of Alameda.

Atlanta, GA

The sad top story at The Atlanta Journal Constitution is of Christa Scott, a 26-year old Midtown club employee, who left work with a blood-alcohol level of .229, three times the legal limit and up there in Chris Klein-territory, and smashed into a car driven by Jordan Griner, an intern for Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue. Scott ran a red light and hit Griner's driver's side door. He died at Grady Memorial Hospital.

San Francisco, CA

San Francisco Supervisor Chris Daly, portrayed as Godzilla on The Wall SF Forum, has floated a proposal to merge the San Francisco Police Department with the Sheriff's Department and placing control in the hands of the elected sheriff, thus eliminating the position of Chief of Police, and with it George Gasćon. Chris Daly needs six votes from the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to get the proposal on the November ballot. Let's see if he gets them this summer.

More later...stay tuned.

Tila Tequila: 3 Adoptions in 1 year.. -- Nikky Raney

Kazakhstan Adoption Claims

Russian Adoption Claims:

Haiti Adoption Claims:

I have not edited any of the tweets posted. I have not added any of the text. The tweets are directly from Tila's twitter and sites that have archived her tweets.

The reason I made this blog post is because I take adoption seriously. It's not okay to lie about adoption. If the adoption is 100% approved - then keep up with it and post more information. Adoption can be a long process. If these children are actually real;who she met and agreed to adopt; then I feel bad if she ended up decided not to. I would feel even worse if this was made up, because I am sure no matter what -- the child would be happy to be out of the current environment.

Celebwitter

Celebrity Tweet

Favstar

Celebrities Who Tweet

This will be the last post about Tila for a while. After the fiasco last night it is clear that my posts truly affected her, and that she was very upset by them. She made so many blog entries about how she doesn't care about "haters." She claims to love her haters, and she wants them to keep talking. Out of all the people who speak of her, there are many people who actually call her names & make wrongful assumptions about her. I have never directly attacked her or called her any derogatory names. I have never said anything that did not have evidence to justify it. I have many times said that I do not hate Tila, and that I was once a fan of hers. I do this all so that the lies will be exposed and I can shed light on the situations. It's strange that so many people constantly attack her, call her names and say such cruel things to her like telling her to die, etc. but all I do is comment about her tweets and assess her blog posts & I get attacked through her tweets & the Tila Army tweets. So for this blog entry the only evidence I am using will be from Tila Tequila herself. That way she cannot say I am lying, attacking, etc. Tila, I apologize if I hurt your feelings. I never meant to actually upset you. Maybe my posts will help you to come to terms with your lies and realize that you need to make some changes. You are almost 30, and I hope that you will realize all the potential power that you have, and how much you could accomplish if you changed some things about yourself. I hope that Dr. Drew can help you out, and I will be watching. I watched both seasons of Shot at Love, and I was in love with it. It was sweet, and you and Bobby were cute. So, I feel bad that out of all the mean posts, the one that affected you the most were the posts that were NOT mean to you, but the ones that exposed you WITHOUT being mean or calling names. I guess it's time to focus on Perez. I will probably do a Perez vs Tila post comparing the two. I am working on a Future of Journalism post dealing with Skype interviews for journalism. I do have to thank Tila. Your attention helped to promote me, had me gain more followers, and showed people how mature and how much of an impact I actually have. I have been complimented on my skills as a journalist & blogger and how I am able to criticize and expose without personally attacking. This however is a personal message to you. I decided to make it public like your posts to Lindsay, because I would like this to be read by all. By the way, I am listening to your song Paralyze at the moment - I love that song and I wish that you would record more songs like it. I wish you the best Tila, and I hope that you can see that I never attacked you or was "out to get you." I never even insulted you. Good luck with everything, and I hope one day you can look back and maybe thank me or maybe even apologize to me for all the things you said to me & all the tweets you made attacking me. Even attacking my weight when you said yourself we all need to stick together as women and support each other's bodies. I am not concerned with my weight, because I am not insecure and I am not fat. I do not comment on your blog by the way. My name "nikky" is not even able to be in your comments. So, I hope that one day you may actually apologize and realize I was never a "hater" and I never directly insulted or attacked you. Wish you the best of luck, and I hope that maybe you'll try to be more honest and live up to what you say. I still may make the occasional post if there are any new fiascos, but for now I will leave the investigating to Tila's Rot Spot - they are very good at what they do & they actually have tried to reach out and help you as well. I have respect for them. I will let them continue to do what they do, and if I see something really needs to be covered then I will assist. If you don't make anymore lies or actually adopt a child, create a charity, keep your stories consistent, stop contradicting yourself, fly a fan out to live like a celebrity, or create a web site that doesn't focus on yourself then I may even post about how you have changed & how you are living up to your words. Hope you read this & see where I am coming from. - Nikky Raney

Nikky Raney - The Future of Journalism

Keep up with me on Twitter

Barton, Bachmann, and BP, oh my!

It's ironic that when voters think the President isn't getting enough done, they often use the off years to make it harder for him. Logic goes out the window - and if it happens this time...?

Veteran Texas Congressman Joe "BP" Barton is the ranking GOP member (and former chair) of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.  That means if the Republicans gain a simple majority of seats in the House, Barton is the heir-apparent for the chairmanship. You can bet your BP that big oil is looking forward to that day, even if they only make it partway in November of 2010.

Consider the 2^nd District in Minnesota, where a below-the-radar Congressman, John Kline, is hoping nobody will notice how closely his votes parallel Bachmann and Barton's.  As his challenger Shelley Madore (a former MN House Rep) has been saying since she announced her campaign for U.S. Congress in January of this year, Kline is no less extreme than Michelle Bachmann of the 6th District if you look at his votes. Kline, on the opposite side of the Twin Cities metro from the infamous Bachmann, is just Michelle in sheep's clothing.

And I use "sheep's clothing" with all seriousness, because John Kline has done almost nothing but follow the GOP herd during his entire time in office.

We all know that the "off years" are when the party that doesn't hold the presidency traditionally gains traction. People realize the President can't actually get done everything they hoped he could, and so they decide to make it harder for him.

What? You were expecting logic from the voters?

Here's a simple truth: Most folks vote for a gut reason, not a head reason.  They can cite reasons that sound logical, but the truth is they mostly vote for politicians they like, or they think they'd like to have a beer with.

Here's more simple truth: The GOP is about to spend a lot of money in key races, including big oil money, and the more headway they make the less Washington stands up to Wall Street, big oil, big mining, the insurance companies, or any other big business.

The GOP has decided to prove that government is ineffective, as part of their "small government" platform that sounds so good until you realize that only our elected leaders -- our government -- has sufficient power to hold BP accountable.  The Free Market economy sure the heck can't do it, as we proved by deregulating Wall Street (with predictable, and now well-documented, results.)

Will voters pick the party of Joe "BP" Barton and Michelle Bachmann, with their faithful flock of followers such as John Kline to take on the aftermath of the disaster in the Gulf?  Opinions vary, but I'd rather see folks running the government who not only know how to get things done, but who believe there's more to being in Congress than saying the government should apologize and get out of BP's business.

That's why I like Shelley Madore's track record, and leadership, and her chances running against a "below the radar" extremist in Minnesota (where, let's face it, all eyes are on the Bachmann~Clark contest, and massive amounts of money are being raised and spent.) It's time for proven, effective leadership that knows how to partner with small businesses, not bail out and apologize for big business.

I hope voters like that kind of candidate this time around.

Thomas Hayes is an entrepreneur, journalist, political staffer, and photographer who contributes regularly to a host of web sites on topics ranging from economics and politics to culture and community.

BP Gulf Oil Spill - oil eating bacteria; Gov. Crist visits Osprey Biotechnics

This update to the blog post on the call for oil-eating bacteria to be used in the clean-up of the BP Gulf Oil Spill Disaster: Florida Governor Charlie Crist visited the firm that makes the oil-eating bacteria.

Crist needs to tell Obama about Munox 

According to The Bradenton Herald, Governor Crist was the guest of Sarasota, Florida-based Osprey Biotechnics and to see their product, Munox, first hand, last Thursday. Crist said he was "impressed" with the oil-eating bacteria product.

Crist reportedly met with Osprey Biotechnics officials for 40 minutes, and Secretary Mike Sole, of the Department of Environmental Protection called Osprey officials last Thursday.

Crist said he "may" mention Munox to President Obama in his weekly conference call. Governor Crist should change that "may" to a "will". The only logical reasons Governor Christ would stall on mentioning the Munox product to President Obams is, again, a lack of desire to have the BP Oil Spill problem quickly resolved, or because someone connected with the oil industry has said they don't want their oil assets destroyed.

Governor Crist's response should be not to care about the oil assets, or the oil that was spilled into The Gulf of Mexico. Governor Crists' first responsibility is to the health and welfare of the people of the State of Florida. And right now, both have been severely compromised.

Osprey calculates that 55 gallons of Munox could treat 36.5 square miles of water in the Gulf of Mexico. That's just a little more than about the amount of gas a large Ford F350 holds. That means Munox is powerful stuff. Governor Crist should hold Osprey to its performance claims and get that product into the Gulf of Mexico as soon as possible, like now.

Tila Tequila Attacks Nikky Raney in Twitter Updates - Nikky Raney

I would like to allow the tweets to speak for themselves.

I have made it clear I do not hate her, and she has decided to personally attack me.

Which, would count as defamation of character because she is maliciously attacking me.

And continues to call me fat.

Anyone who has read any of my posts about her will know that all my posts are backed up with facts, screenshots, and other posts. I have not posted any lies or any attacks toward Tila Tequila. It's unfortunate that she has chosen to attack me and call me fat, but her attention proves that I have done something of an impact. I am still not a hater, I don't hate her and will not attack her. I will continue to expose her, and hopefully I will get her to stop lying. Seriously.

If my twitter gets deleted I will be disappointed, but at least I will know that my point has gotten across. Now, as for me being fat

I must admit I do feel honored that Tila Tequila, the mogul, took time out of her busy celebrity life to make over 20 tweets about me. Let's see if she makes a blog post about me. This will be interesting. *yawns* Looks like my work here is done. There's nothing left to say about her. For a 28 year old to attack and defame and maliciously post those things to a 20 year old that has never said she hated and has never attacked her, quite immature and shows what kind of person she really is.

Tom Hanks films Larry Crowne; Larry Crowne script draft is excellent

Tom Hanks working on Larry Crowne

On Twitter, Skyline High Oakland (Class of '74) Graduate Tom Hanks posted a link to a recent June 18th photo of the actor reviewing playback on his movie, the comedy Larry Crowne. It's the first movie Hanks has written and directed for in 14 years, the last one being That Thing You Do in 1996.

Larry Crowne, played by Tom Hanks and starting Julia Roberts is described in this way on IMDB.com:

After losing his job, a middle-aged man reinvents himself by going back to college.

While that sentence may read as simple, it invites some interesting assumptions of how Larry Crowne "reinvents himself."

Whatever the case, the cast is an interesting combination of new and established stars: Julia Roberts, Taraji P. Henson, Nia Vardalos (who's also co-writer with Hanks), Pam Grier, Maria Canals-Barrera, George Takei (from Star Trek), and Cedric the Entertainer are just some of the names reported to be in the movie.

Slated for 2011 release, Tom Hanks' assistant Bo Stevenson posted a Facebook note that "This film is different than most of the ones Tom has been a part of in the past - it's independent, it's low budget (well, ok low budget for Tom but still...).



The full story of Larry Crowne is about a popular but middle-aged team leader and 22-time "Employee of The Month" at a store called "Unimart" who loses his job due to corporate restructuring. Crowne's the highest paid employee, so the corporate execs feel they have to "make up a reason" to get rid of him.

Larry does not have a college degree, which the corporate execs say he must have to advance up in the firm's management ranks, so they say they have to release him. That, even though Larry served in the Navy, and all of this just as he's named Employee of The Month for the 22nd time.

What follows is a story of a normal every-man being turned away by his bank and picky, potential employers in the middle of this credit-crunch economy. It's a well-written view of what Americans of every stripe have experienced.

Frustrated, Larry enrolls in college.

For the rest, you'll have to read the script. I have and while it has it's funny moments, it's also one that has a perfect read on American Culture. It' feels like every story you've seen and in a way is a Norman Rockwell painting turned sideways...by Tom Hanks.

The Larry Crowne Script is online

A copy of the 139-page, November-2009-Draft of the Larry Crowne script was placed online and turned up in two places: one a pay-for-access script page, the other a Julia Roberts fan website. Turning it into a document for placement on Scribd was easy. Here it is:

Script

Tom Hanks has another hit on his hands with Larry Crowne, and it's not due for release until 2011. I don't think the script, at 139 pages, is exactly what we will see in 2011, because, at one minute of screen time per page, it's over 2 hours long. Getting it down to 120 pages, and thus 2 hours, is something I'm sure Hanks has done.

Stay tuned.