The power of a little Wall of Shame

Oh the power of a little Wall of Shame is truly remarkable. I was not completely aware of the power of a little Wall of Shame when I started my website Jobless Unite little more than 4 month ago. I wanted to inform the unemployed masses about what was going on and how to advocate for our badly needed benefits as well as get the word out about the massive suffering within the American Unemployment community.

There is a great deal of information within the 14 pages published on that site, including petitions, videos, great cartoons, chat, Twitter, a full legislator contact list, current events and our lobbying efforts to name a few. In a relatively short period of time, that site has almost a half a million hits. Jobless Unite free, no membership website dedicated to the unemployed masses in America. Our fight - to stay alive, our cause - to get benefits until there are enough jobs for those who need them.

Of all the pages on this website, the most popular and most feared seems to be our WALL of SHAME. All who appear on this page are sent an email of welcome to inform them of why the are listed here saying: WELCOME to OUR WALL of SHAME and providing them with the link to view it for themselves.

This page has gotten the attention of Congressional staffers all across the country and Washington D. C. as well. In my interview with a reporter for CNN Money last month, I told the reporter I was not very happy with the tone of her last piece. Her immediate response was: "Please don't put me on your Wall of Shame!" To that I replied "Then don't do anything to deserve it!"

A few months back, a web blog called erroneously reported HR 4851 as our holy grail: Tier 5. I promptly placed them on the Wall of shame and had all my website visitors contact them to voice our disgust. The article was pulled days later and that news blog began to publish very accurate, positive articles about the 99ers and the unemployed in general. Eventually my viewers voted in favor of removing that party from the Wall of Shame, but for some reason I do not see much from them on the net these days.

After I added a blogger from Syracuse.com to the Wall of Shame, I received a response of protest from her and her staffers via Twitter. The tweets urged all to stop following me (@Paladinette) and said other disparaging things about my character. In less than 1 hour I had nearly 50 more followers and did not lose a single one. They shut up pretty fast after that.

A staffer for Montana Senator Max Baucus actually said to me recently, when I called and gave my name as Paladinette, "oh you're the one who put up the video and the Senator is not very happy about that." (referring to the YouTube video of Mr. Baucus Drunk on the Senate floor last December up on the Wall of Shame) To which I replied: "That is really too bad. I for one am not very happy about Mr. Baucus letting the 99ers and other long term unemployed starve. So I will make you a deal, (Washington loves deals) when we get a Tier 5 for all states extending unemployment benefits for Americans who have exhausted them, then I promise to remove both Baucus related Wall of Shame posts from my site."

More recently I have actually been threatened with a lawsuit from one Shame alumni member. Since we still have the right to free speech in this country and I have done nothing but let him defame himself by his own words and actions, I am not at all worried about such empty threats.

What this all boils down to is there is a way to try to hold accountable those who publish with impunity their opinions on the net and claim them to be fact. Anyone who posts articles claiming 'those of us who cannot find a job are lazy and living off the government' need to check the facts.

Fact is we have lost between 8 and 11 million jobs in the past 3 years in this country and have created about 500K all year. You do the math and it is not hard to see that the jobs just are NOT out there for us. Add to this the fact that of the longest term unemployed is the USA today, 47% of them are age 50 and older. Potential employers are more guilty than ever before of age discrimination and they disguise it with terms like "Sorry dear, you are over qualified."

Anyone, including Congress who is so callous as to badmouth the unemployed in these difficult times and refuse to help us out of a problem that Wall Street created needs to be voted out of office, called on their behavior or boycotted completely (especially blogs posing as news services). If nobody is reading their drivel and their ad revenues dry up then, oh well they will know what it is like to be unemployed soon then won't they?

99er featured on Ed Schultz MSNBC

Looking very professional and poised, Connie Kaplan appeared on the Ed Schultz Show on MSNBC today. She announced her trip to Washington DC to deliver 99er letters to the RNC, DNC and the White house, asking for their help.

Kaplan blamed the Republicans for their obstruction, time and again on the unemployment and Jobs Bill issues. Ed asked Connie, if 99 weeks is not enough, how long should UI benefits be extended, to which she replied, “The benefits have to last until we have jobs in America.”

She went on to discuss green jobs in America and how most citizens are unaware of the green jobs training available today.

The letters Connie will carry to the DNC and RNC, mainly put them on notice that if they want to be the recipients of 15 million votes for their party, they had better see to it that the Americans Want to Work Act passes first thing in September.

The letter Kaplan is delivering to the White House expresses the 99ers’ disgust with the current administration being silent on the Tier 5 issue. The 99er letter goes on to request a town hall meeting between President Obama and the 99er Nation.

Though Connie Kaplan, seems to be the most recent face of the 99ers of late, the letters she will carry were written by several key leaders in the 99er movement. Cindy Paoletti, Rob Curtis, Scott Mathewson, LaDona King and Sandy Monroe, all members of the PalTalk room: Tier 5 to Survive -Unemployed Unite. Many 99ers have worked long and hard to break through to the media in order to get the attention of America on the plight of the long term unemployed, now without benefits for 8 months.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Tiger Woods won't say he loves his ex? by Suzannah B. Troy

Tiger Woods will not answer questions if the question is "Do you love your ex-wife?" which he was asked quite a bit by Andrea Peyser of The New York Post until she was escorted  out of The Barclay Tournament.  Lucky for her, she was not stoned but sports bloggers came very close to doing so.

In theory it is none of our business but when Tiger Woods made himself over in to a multi-billion dollar brand and he used photos of his wife and children to express a wholesome family man image than he opens the door to these questions.  Acting like a bachelor  porn king and not a devoted family man, giving mistresses millions of dollars pay-outs and a very large undisclosed amount to his now ex-wife does leave some people, not me wondering.

As an adult child of divorced parents here is unsolicited advice to Tiger Woods or whom ever his handlers are.  Tiger, when reporters or anyone ask you, "Do you love Elin Nordegren?"  The answer is a no-brainer.

The answer is "Yes!"   She is the mother of our children."  That simple.  Why would I say that.  Not for your world wide audience of fans Tigers but for your kids.

As they grow up their peers may taunt them like throwing DVDs of porn parodies at them or taunt them saying your father did not love your mother.

Tiger tainted his reputation, his career and hurt his family  That was all Tiger's doing with the help of his enablers -- alleged friends.  My gut feeling is he has still not taken full responsibility and his silence when asked about if he loves Elin is just another clue.  Any fan that comes to his defense is not helping him.  He put himself in the global media's head lights and that helped fuel his fortune and now he has to take responsibility or not.  He could buy Hugh Hefner out and take-over his crown and scepter.  It is his call and his choices but Woods can't escape the glare of the media spotlight; I believe it is his cocaine.  He could walk away and live a quiet life and he doesn't.  If he wants to play golf and be a brand he has to stand up and take responsibility and smarten up.

Tiger, it is a simple answer to a simple question and you answer it for your two children.  Yes, I love my ex-wife.

By the way Tiger if you want to pay me for my words of wisdom you would have to pay a lot more than you paid women to be silent.  Good luck and err on the side of love for children's sake.

A note of praise for Elin Nordegren.  In my blog piece posted here asking if the "old Tiger was back sexually?" I had written I hope she does something good to help others.  I read some where she is going to do something wonderful with some of that money and it may be centers to help people that have gone through the trauma of emotional issues from family breaks up, etc.  I wish I had a link for you but the center and I hope there will be more than one will be in Florida.  Bravo Elin.

If Tiger wants to move the healing process forward share the love and gratitude for the mother of his two children to the world who has looked in from their very birth on.

99er Connie Kaplan on Ed Schultz tonight

99er Connie Kaplan, who Glenn Beck called un-American, will be on the Ed Schultz Show (MSNBC) again tonight.

Connie, a resident of Queens NY, is currently in Washington D.C. where tomorrow she will be delivering the 99er Nation letters to David Axelrod and the National Headquarters of both the DNC and RNC. The letters express the anger of the longest term unemployed at being ignored by both parties and put each on notice, the 99er Nation will use their political clout in November to punish all those responsible for neglecting this important issue.

99er Media is in the process of arranging media coverage by multiple news organizations to cover Connie Kaplan’s journey to the White House and both DNC and RNC offices in our nation’s capitol this Tuesday.

The Axelrod letter specifically requests Obama to hold town hall meetings with the 99er Nation immediately. With the midterm election only 2 months away, time is of the essence. The 99ers hope to persuade President Obama to use whatever leverage he has, in addition to the bully pulpit, to assure the Americans Want to Work Act is amended to include all states and passed immediately when Congress reconvenes in September.

With 15 million unemployed Americans in this country, their vote can easily make the difference this November. We the people are in the driver’s seat on election day, what a tremendous responsibility for us all.

Connie Kaplan on the Ed show August 24, 2010:

Edie Falco Wins Lead Actress Comedy Series - The Emmys | 2010 Emmy Awards

Edie Falco Wins Emmy (Gawker)

Favorite Edie Falco won Lead Actress Comedy Series for Nurse Jackie and looked hot in blue dress in the process of moving to the stage to accept her award.

While there was some question where Falco would go after playing Carmela in The Sopranos, it can be said she landed on her feet with glee.

No pun intended.

It's the first time in Emmy awards history that a drama winner later won for a role in a comedy. Edie won the award three times while playing Carmela.

Falco beat Tony Colette (The United States of Tara) and Tina Fey (30 Rock) for the Emmy.

The Emmys | 2010 Emmy Awards Takes Over Twitter and Social Media

Here's a bet that the 2010 Emmy Awards was the most-watched in history and due in no small part to social media, and more pointedly, Twitter.

As this blogger was live-blogging the Twitter Top Trends went from having The Emmys and #emmys10 as two of the entries, to Tina Fey, Mad Men, Temple Grandin and it seems almost every presenter as part of the famous list.

Near the end of the telecast of the 62nd Emmy Awards, personalities in it served to dominate the Twitter Top Trends. That's never happened in Emmy Awards history.

In fact, as of this writing, the 2010 Emmy Awards still represents seven of the ten Top Twitter Trends. From top to bottom, the Top Twitter Trends are: Temple Grandin, Hugh Laurie, Jim Parsons, Emmy Awards, #emmys10, #somewhereintheworld, Modern Family, Indiana Jones, and Jane Lynch.

Twitter Used As Ambush Marketing

Encapsulated within the amazing dominance of The Emmys On Twitter were it seems countless numbers of tweets of observations and congratulations from people, studios, actors and actresses and companies. @BoironUSA, the self-described "world leader in homeopathy," using what is a new form of ambush cyber-marketing, held a tweet-related contest linking its Facebook page with its tweets to give out prizes for those who re-tweeted their tweets. A real smart use of Twitter to give visibility to a brand I've never heard of. @BoironUSA is not an Emmy Awards sponsor!

2010 Emmy Awards Dominates Social Media

According to SocialMention.com, the term Emmy Awards was mentioned on a website or blog every 15 seconds during and after the telecast. Twitscoop.com reports that as of this writing, Modern Family, the Best Comedy Series Award Winner is at the top of Twiter Trends, with 20,101 tweets devoted to it, and counting.

This shows a new phenomenon in media of television shows creating their own volume of social media activity that becomes a new form of impression marketing. Now, millions of Twitter users around the World know about Modern Family and of that many will want to learn more about it.

If we look over to Google Trends, the majority of hot searches concern the 2010 Emmys and people related to it. None of this could have happened were it not for a large television audience that's already plugged into communicating about their favorite shows online using Twitter. In retrospect, because the fans of these shows converge on Twitter, Twitter has become the unofficial online nexus for the 2010 Emmy Awards.

What all of this means for the future of media is something to be discussed because the unanswered question is how to effectively put this dynamic to use in the entertainment business. The 2010 Emmy Awards use of Twitter in the idea of having tweets of lines to introduce presenters did not go over well, and simply because it was not used properly.

2010 Emmys Host Jimmy Fallon referred to Twitter as the punch line of a bad joke rather than as a tool to help advance and promote the telecast. Much more could have been done and with dramatic results. Stay tuned.

Lady Gaga Rainbows Love NYC's her drug by Suzannah B. Troy

"Little monsters heart I keep, and as I lay me down to sleep, I dream of rainbow roads to love, for now New York city's my drug" Tweet or should I say poetry from Lady Gaga.  I took a peek at her schedule which is impressive and left me tired....I do not know how she does it!  She will be playing at Madison Square Garden Feb. 21 and 22nd.

I don't own an album of Lady Gaga's.  Do young people even use the word album anymore but the Vanity Fair article where she also graces the cover really intrigued me!  I have written some pieces on her that seem popular like "Lady Gaga was that you?" and her is the first one I wrote about her vachina reference. 

Lady Gaga has sky rocketed to fame and that is understating her meteoric success and even if I don't own an album I want to hear what she has to say.  It is said she is going to be bigger than Madonna and she has a far better voice.

As someone almost double her age (not quite) I am interested how she evolves....This tweet about rainbow roads and how much she loves NYC and her fans inspired me to follow her on twitter.

best,
Suzannah

True Blood Sunscreen For Vamps Outstanding by Suzannah B. Troy

True Blood outstanding as usual but tonight was somehow even better for me. How about you?

I don't know where to start so I will say the one thing you all aren't thinking about...like Eric's walk in the sun this episode took me to a different place in the True Blood world....  I felt this episode had the most depth of emotion and the best sense of humor.  Even the confrontational scene between Eric and Russell which should have ended in a bloody mess had laughs so bravo.

This episode has a pre-show warm up by bidding farewell to the cast of characters that have passed on in the fictional story which was fun.  The creators  know we are dying with anticipation and upset that this season is drawing to the close so they are giving us a little consolation pre and post the show.

Wow!  Tonight amazing!!!!!!  Not giving a lot of details but wow!!!!!!   The way they (writers, director, great acting) always bring you back to basic human themes we all wrestle with like revealing our true selves to the people we love and the fear they will reject us or Sam letting lose and giving up being "so nice" as so many of us secretly desire.....and those are just a few examples which is why the show is superb!

Russell and Eric are at the forefront of my mind and I can't wait until the next episode.  The brief sex scene between Baby Vamp Jessica with Hoyt was outstanding.  He gives her permission to go for the gold, rather his throat but she takes the long way to the destination with kisses before fangs...True Love...a running theme in True Blood but with complications or it would not be the best Vampire soap opera on TV.

Hoyt's mom has returned and the actress is superb.  She reminds me of a female Devine.

The coming attractions have me terrified the writers are going to go to the extreme like last season which really turned me off big time but so far the writing, directing and new characters continue to be outstanding.

Fangs away!
Suzannah

Ed Schultz: transformation from Conservative to Progressive

What caused the Ed Schultz transformation from Conservative to Progressive? Today, it is difficult to believe he ever really was a right 'wing nut'. What usually changes a man? Well a good woman of course.

If you follow the unemployment benefits issue at all, you are already aware of the champion the 99ers have in Ed Schultz (host of The Ed Show on MSNBC and Big Ed Radio). As one of the most outspoken "Progressive Movement" voices today, recently Ed published his second book Killer Politics: How Big Money and Bad Politics Are Destroying the Great American Middle Class. A must-read for everyone who has being beaten up by the powerful corporate interests that have taken over our government. Ed’s first book, “Straight Talk from the Heartland,” laid a roadmap for the Progressive wave which swept America in 2004. Schultz’s written words have proven wise and his predictions uncanny.

What a great many not know is that Ed used to be a conservative talk show host. Ed Schultz himself wrote that he was once "a shade right of Attila the Hun." In 1992 he launched News and Views, a regional talk show. His bombastic nature, fearless approach and innate radio ability quickly catapulted him to the top of the ratings.

It wasn’t until Ed met his current wife Wendy that his views began shifting. Wendy, (a psychiatric nurse and Ed’s assistant producer) on one of their first dates together, invited him to come have lunch with her at the shelter for the Salvation Army where she also worked. There Ed was able to witness first hand the bums that he was known for chastising on his show. Ed Schultz found his calling within the stories and faces of all the people that he met and it was then his views began to change.

About the transformation, Ed told Clyde Weiss of AFSCME Publications, "It didn't happen overnight. You just can't wake up one morning and say, 'I think I'm going to be for universal health care.' A number of grassroots events over my broadcast career brought me to be a liberal on many issues. One important factor was talking to Vietnam veterans about their lives, their benefits and what they were up against. It hit me like a ton of bricks how lucky I was. I thought, 'That could have been me.' Those people were dealt a pretty tough deck of cards in life, and I realized what an injustice the country had committed on people who had served. There have been other events too, like the plight of the American farmer."

He went on to say in that interview, "To have a strong country, you have to have four strong pillars: You've got to defend the country, educate the country, feed the country and have a strong fiscal policy. In my heart, I believe that all those strong foundations were badly shaken by the Bush administration and the "neo-con" agenda — for the benefit of a few."

Ed and Wendy took News and Views on the road in the ‘Big Eddie Cruiser’ (a customized motor home), to connect with the people. They met families struggling to make ends meet and farmers trying to keep their way of life. Ed, believing that America could do better, found his true, progressive voice on these travels.

Ed's wife Wendy is member of "Team Fargo" the group which books guests for the Ed Shows. Although she is listed as an assistant producer, recently in an email to Rob Curtis (a leader in the Tier 5 to Survive movement and 99er Nation) she humbly remarked that she was "just the wife." Wendy has been invaluable in helping the 99ers and all the unemployed get the mainstream media attention our cause so badly needs. She has been gracious, compassionate, generous with her time and genuinely committed to giving us a voice through her husband's TV and Radio shows.

Middle class and unemployed alike are facing financial devastation on an unprecedented scale each day and the time has come for the rest of the media to stop ignoring just how bad things are out here. I salute Ed and Wendy for their courage and commitment to bringing the 99ers' story to the forefront, keeping it alive and telling it with the utmost sensitivity and outrage felt by those hurting Americans nationwide. We can only hope the rest of the media can grow the courage to immediately begin to display the same type of leadership and "American Spirit" Ed displays in his continuing coverage of the plight of those who are now both jobless and without benefits.

Schultz is a graduate of Minnesota State University Moorhead. His competitive nature helped him lead the nation in passing & achieve All-American status as a quarterback at MSUM. His son Dave Schultz is a professional golfer on the PGA Nationwide tour. A devoted family man, Ed and his wife Wendy have six children. He shares his passion for hunting, fishing and flying with his large family.

Earlier this month, Ed gave an impassioned commentary on just what it is going to take to help the 99er Nation and keep the Democratic majorities in Congress.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Emmy Awards Live Blog From Zennie62 - Part Two

Continued from Emmy Awards Live Blog From Zennie62. (Refresh this blog post for updates!)

Guest Actress and Guest ActorIn A Drama Series: John Lithgow and Anne Margaret. And they are the the presenters for Best Directing In Drama Series. Steve Shill wins for Dexter "The Getaway."

9:23 PM EDT - Jimmy Fallon plays Elton John and other popular singers in a goodbye tribute to 24 and other shows that were cancelled. Oh, and yes, Lost was great, to answer someone's question.

Another Twitter intro! @MrHollywoodMD - Tina Fey. I'd hit that. And here is Tiny Fey to introduce the Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series. YES! Kyra Sedgwick, wife of Kevin Bacon, wins for The Closer. It's her first Emmy win! Man, that hair! Lots of it; great with the black glasses. She and Kevin; they are a great couple.

9:33 PM - Now here's the Variety category.

Writing For Variety Series Or Comedy Special award is presented by Joe McHale and Jeff Probst. And no use of the Twitter tweets submitted. Not cool, man. Well, The 63rd Annual Tony Awards Beat The 82nd Annual Academy Awards for that award.

9:41 PM EDT - Ricky Gervais and Blair Underwood are coming next, as well as a tribute to Gary Coleman.

9:45 PM - EDT - Jimmy Fallon presents Ricky Gervais but does not use the Twitter tweets sent in. Man, that is so not cool. Say, Ricky Gervais's got a goatie there. He warns us that the whole deal of the Emmy's is not so bad. Says Mel Gibson's been through a lot; but not as much as The Jews!

Then Ricky Gervais says "Who wants a beer," and to that, waitresses and waiters bring out beer!

Now Ricky introduces the candidates for Best Director For A Variety Or Comedy Series. The winner is Bucky Gunts for The 2010 Vancouver Olympics Opening Ceremony. Bravo! Excellent. Bucky Gunts. A cool name.

Outstanding Variety Music For Comedy Series award is next. The Colbert Report versus The Daily Show. And then there's Saturday Night Live and Real Time With Bill Maher. And The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien. O Boy.

The winner is. The Daily Show with John Stewart. The seventh Emmy win for his show. And Jeff Zucker of NBC is breathing a sign of relief because he doesn't have to deal with what Conan may have said about NBC had he won the award.

10 PM PDT - George Clooney is recognized as the just the fourth recipient of The Bob Hope Humanitarian Award. Julianna Margulies presents the award to Mr. Clooney. He gets a well-deserved standing ovation.

It's good to see a different side of George because as he said it bad behavior does take a lot of the media's time. Perhaps too much of it. Clooney gave a nice speech.

The Movie Miniseries Category is next.

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Miniseries. Say, I think the teleprompter went off for presenter John Krasinski (The Office) because he was totally lost. But Temple Grandin's Julia Ormand won and you can tell it's her first win because she wants to thank everyone on the planet! Great!

10:13 PM EDT - Note, Edie Falco's the top of Twitter Trends as of this writing. Clare Danes is here to present the award for Outstanding Supporting Actor For Miniseries Or Movie. The Emmy goes to David Straithairn for Temple Grandin, a fascinating movie about autism.

Now, here's Jewel with a moving, very movie song to remember all those in entertainment who have passed away this year.

Now, Laura Tierney and Blair Underwood are the presenters for the Outstanding Writing For A Miniseries Or Movie; the winner is Adam Mazer for You Don't Know Jack. He says to Jack Kevorkian, who's in the audience "I'm glad you're my friend, but I'm glad you're not my physician."

Next is Outstanding Lead Actress For A Miniseries Or Movie: Claire Danes wins for Temple Grandin, who's in the audience.

Anna Paquin's coming next. Will Jimmy read the tweet idea for the True Blood star?

10:34 PM - PDT - The stars of True Blood and The Rolling Stone Magazine Cover are here1 For Oustanding Directing A Miniseries Or Movie. Again! Temple Grandin wins again (talk about runaway); Mic Jackson.

Outstanding Lead Actor For A Miniseries Or Movie is next; the Emmy goes to...AWESOME!.. Al Pacino for You Don't Know Jack. But what's up with Al. He sounds like he's so tired he can't come up with words. Or relaxed. Or, geez. At any rate, he's a legend.

Al's still going. Hoping they will play the music to give him the hook. Spots Dr. Jack K and says "Hello! Jack! There he is!"

Finally, painfully, Al makes it off stage.

10:24 PM EDT - Commercial break.

NOTE: Backstage cam at The Emmys

10:46 PM EDT - Spared the indignity of any stupid presentation lines from Twitteratti like me, the great actor Lawrence Fishburne is given the honor of presenting the award for Outstanding Miniseries Or Movie. Fittingly, Tom Hanks wins for The Pacific.

Now The Award For Made For Television Movie: the winner is Temple Grandin. An amazing Emmy Awards performance.

The Emmys comes down to two awards and here's Jimmy Fallon's real father Tom Selleck. When Tom comes out, Jimmy hugs Tom Selleck for being his real Dad. Tom says "Ok. Whatever" then presents Outstanding Drama Series; Mad Men is the winner!

Is this is year for Lionsgate or what?

Ted Dansen presents Outstanding Comedy Series. Modern Family. WOW. Amazing. It beat Glee.

And that's it. It's all over. Overall a great production that finished on time. The 62nd Emmys also managed to totally dominate all categories of Top Twitter Trends. That's something The 82nd Annual Oscars didn't do, even though it was the top trend. But it, or someone associated with it, didn't hold every one of the ten slots. As I recall, about 6 of the 10 but not all of them. Wow.

That must mean people were watching it. I can't wait to see the ratings numbers. More thoughts coming.

2010 Emmy Awards Live Blog From Zennie62

UPDATE: Click here for Part Two

Hello!  This is the live blog of the 2010 Emmy Awards.  Host Jimmy Fallon played Bruce Springsteen in a great imitation of Bruce Springsteen. But it's not apparent the Emmy producers are going to use all of the tweets of ideas of lines to use in introducing presenters. Not saying it's waste of time and a fraud on Twitter just yet.

8:16 PM - EDT

Surprise! Eric Stonestreet from Modern Family beats Neil Patrick Harris for the Emmy for Supporting Actor in A Comedy Series. Neil did not look happy.

8:18 PM  EDT -  Cool! John Hodgeman's on the show! Hey! Twitter. He mentions Twitter. And the people who submitted their tweets. Awesome. They did it. The problem is the website did't make it clear they were going to read the best tweets.

Best Writing For A Comedy Series is up next.  Unbelievable.  Modern Family wins again!  Two and a row. Christopher Lloyd and Steven

Stephen Colbert is out to announce the winner for Best Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series.   Jane Lynch from Glee gets a well-deserved Emmy.  And has a lovely dress - well she looks great in it.  But, OK, she's done with the whole "I love Buddhists even though I'm not a Buddhist" thing.  It's her first time, let's give her a pass.  Just this once.

Commercial at 8:29 PM EDT

Laren Graham and Matthew Perry are the next presenters. (Hey no Twitter tweet used here by Jimmy Fallon!) They were OK until Graham said to Perry that he is role is that of "just another Gay guy," which went over without a laugh - not one. The place went silent for one whole second.

Guest Actor In A Comedy Series Female and Male are the awards they're presenting. Betty White and Neil Patrick Harris win. A bit of irony since Neil Patrick Harris is Gay.

They announce Directing In A Comedy Series is the next award. Ryan Murphy wins for Glee.

Wow. Eva Longoria-Parker with LL Cool J. She looks totally hot. The Award? Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series. The Winner? Very cool for nerds everywhere! Comic Con 2010 hit Jim Parsons wins for The Big Bang Theory.

Favorite Edie Falco beat Tina Fey (30 Rock), three-time nominee, and the other favorite Toni Collette (United States of Tara), for the Best Actress In A Comedy Series for Nurse Jackie. Wow.

Top Chef wins for Best Reality TV Series.

8:56 PM - EDT Commercial Break

9:00 PM - Jimmy Fallon's back. No Twitter submissions announced for the presenters! Not cool, man. Well, I'll leave the drama for the next awards category: Drama.

Next presenters are from one of my favorite shows, Law And Order SVU, Christopher Meloni, and the impossibly hot Mariska Hargitay.

Next awards is for Drama Series Writing; the winner is Mathew Winer and Erin Levy for Mad Men. That was a no-brainer. The dialog in Mad Men is awesome.

Hey! What's up with John Hamm's hair?! It looks like it's..big. Well, like he's Elvis or something.

Outstanding Supporting Actor in A Drama Series award is next. The Emmy goes to Erin Paul for Breaking Bad. Wow, he wasn't expect that and neither were a number of people. But he deserves it. In fact he's so good you don't realize he's not a real person. That's a complement.

And on that matter, here comes Dexter after the commercial break.

9:10 PM - Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series: Archie Panjabi for The Good Wife!

Edie Falco's now a presenter and for Lead Actor In A Drama Series. Here we go. Dexter fans get ready. No! Brain Cranston wins number three straight for Breaking Bad.

Go to Part Two of 2010 Emmy Awards Live Blog From Zennie62.

Public Radio: The Crisis At KPFA Radio, Berkeley, CA - Two Views

Is public radio doomed in Northern California, and around America, or is this just a "KPFA problem" confined to Berkeley?

The KPFA controversy opinions that were subordinated to a readers commentary section of The Berkeley Daily Planet is something this blogger happened upon in a search for local news items. While it's not intimately known by this blogger, its so important it deserves a wider, national audience. Thus, this post is deliberately designed to provide just that.

KPFA: A Very Brief History

For the unaware, KPFA is a 61-year-old listener-funded music and talk radio station located at 1929 Martin Luther King Jr Way in Berkeley, California. It signed on the air as the first station in the Pacifica Radio Network, which has since grown to 150 stations.

Since its founding the station and the network have always maintained a muckraking, liberal take on news of the day. But more important, KPFA has seldom feared to present or give voice to a view that was shut out of public awareness by the mainstream media. Thus, its maintenance is of utmost importance.

The KPFA Problem: Two Views

KPFA has a problem is that its listenership has dropped in part due to the economic recession causing budget cuts that have eliminated some programs and in part due to the overall growth of competing Internet content. But it's the changes in some programs, like Flashpoints and Music of the World, that has been the "flashpoint" for controversy between persons involved with KPFA in various capacities.

While infighting within KPFA's Board of Directors and staff seems to be a chronic issue, the rancor has become sharper and more directed over the past year-and-a-half and as the elections process for the KPFA Board has come closer; now it's here.

These opinions presented by two KPFA Board member candidates, Matthew Hallinan and Tracy Rosenberg, and are part of the latest in a round of discussions leading up to the elections. Since their are 27 listener candidates and seven staff candidates for the board, the views will come out more often. But Matthew Hallinan, who's running on the "Save KPFA" slate, got the ball rolling with his Berkeley Daily Planet publication. Tracy Rosenberg, the Executive Director at Media Alliance, is running for re-election to the KPFA Board.

Here's Matthew Hallinan followed by Tracy Rosenberg.

The Crisis at KPFA
By Matthew Hallinan
Wednesday August 25, 2010

Without the intervention of the broader progressive community, KPFA as we have known it, is about to disappear. It is confronted by two serious crises. The first is ‘objective’ – that is, arises from factors outside of the station’s control. The current global economic crisis has hit the station and the whole Pacifica Network hard. While the number of listeners contributing to KPFA has remained steady (perhaps even rising slightly), the amount of individual contributions have declined significantly. Large donations and grant money, in particular, have been sharply reduced. At the same time, costs have risen. In this digital, internet-driven Age, KPFA has to continually modernize its equipment while at the same time providing the basics for its dedicated but woefully underpaid staff.

The second crisis is self-inflicted. When Pacifica adopted elected Local Station Board elections after the ‘uprising’ of 1999, these Boards have become the focus of power struggles by groups seeking to take control of the various stations. As the members of the Pacifica National Board, the governing body of the whole network, are chosen by the Local Station Boards, the whole governance structure of the system has become a political battleground. For KPFA, the results have been devastating.

The governing body at Pacifica has grown into a huge, costly bureaucracy that consumes an inordinate amount of money for salaries, national meetings, consultants, board elections, etc. An amount equal to one forth of listener donations now goes to pay for this governance structure. It is estimated that $2.4 million dollars have been spent on various ‘board expenses’ since elections began in 2003. None of this had to do with programming or producing radio. In 1994, 33% of Pacifica’s budget was spent on administrative and Board costs. In 2009, that figure was 52%.

However, the problem is not just monetary. Only about 10% of KPFA’s listeners actually join the station: of these, about 10% vote in Local Station Board (LSB) elections. The fact that the great majority of listeners and subscribers do not participate, and have no way of finding out what the issues are or what’s at stake in these elections, makes it possible for small, organized groups of activists to win majorities on these Boards. These are people who are not representative of the broader progressive listening community. Narrowly based Boards currently provide a majority of the members to the Pacifica National Board – and the PNB is increasingly intervening to influence the outcome of Local Board struggles.

A Sad Little Narrative
Last year, a new majority took control of the PNB. Its actions were critical to the ability of the present group that controls the Board of KPFA to attain its one-vote majority. The first act in this little drama was when the PNB over-rode KPFA’s Interim General Manager and allowed the formation of an Unpaid Staff Organization at the station. An UPSO, as it is called, has nothing to do with enabling the unpaid staff to form an organization to defend their rights. That is a given at KPFA. It has, instead to do with determining eligibility in staff elections for the Board. In the bylaws, eligibility of staff is determined by a certain minimum of hours an individual must work at the station. An UPSO, however, is a special category named in the bylaws that allows the criteria for eligibility to be set by the unpaid staff themselves. This makes it possible for each individual member of a large collective that works together on a show that may run for just a half hour a month to acquire equal voting rights with a full-time staff person. This move unfairly redistributed voting power within staff, undermining the representation of the paid staff. The presence of the UPSO and the ability of its director to determine eligibility, gave the present majority slate an extra staff seat on the Board.
Two more seats were shifted as a result of PNB intervention. One involved something called ‘change of status.’ In the bylaws, anyone who runs for the Board and then, once elected, goes through a change of status that would have made them ineligible to run for that seat, must resign. For instance, one of the members of our slate decided to run for political office. Holding political office is seen as a potential conflict of interest and thus is incompatible with serving on the Board. Our member, as prescribed in the bylaws, resigned.

A few months later, one of the members of the other slate who had been elected as a listener representative was given a job at the station. They became staff. Listener reps and staff reps are chosen in separate elections by different constituencies - and they do not share identical interests. Members of the staff are not allowed to run for the listener board and vice versa. Our slate held a majority at that stage, and we notified the member that she should resign her seat. The other side appealed to the PNB. The bylaws state that any change in status, ‘for instance, running for political office’ would result in a loss of seat. The PNB decided that ‘running for political office’ was the only change in status that would disqualify a member. We appealed. Why, we asked, would the bylaws say ‘for instance’ if they were meant to apply to only one case? The meaning and purpose of status change is crystal clear in the text. The PNB turned down our appeal, holding that the only change that could disqualify a board member was the one that specifically pertained to our member.

The third instance involved the removal of a member from the other side who had not attended a Board meeting in a year and a half. The bylaws hold that a Board member can be removed if they miss three consecutive meetings without an excused absence. We told the other side that being absent for a year and a half was no longer acceptable and that we would no longer rubber stamp any requests for excused absences. It was time to attend a meeting or resign from the board. The third meeting after our ultimatum was held in Fresno. If the member in question did not show up, he would be removed. The other side boycotted the meeting to deprive us of a quorum, hoping to thus nullify the meeting and keep us from removing the delinquent member. On one level it worked. We did not have a quorum – much to the dismay of the many listeners from Fresno and the surrounding areas who had come to participate in a KPFA Board meeting.

However, Roberts Rules of Order, which sets the rules governing Board meetings, specifies that if a meeting is legally set and properly announced, even if a quorum is not attained, it still has legal status:

“In the absence of a quorum any business transacted …is null and void. But if a quorum fails to appear at a regular or properly called meeting, the inability to transact business does not detract from the fact that the society’s rules requiring the meeting to be held were complied with and the meeting was convened—even though it had to adjourn immediately.”

The meeting may be opened, the roll taken, and the date of the next meeting set. The rules are designed to keep the absence of a quorum from paralyzing an organization. No other business may take place, but the meeting itself is legally recognized. The member who had missed three consecutive meetings without an excuse was thus no longer entitled to occupy his seat.

Our next meeting was held after the LSB elections. Before seating the newly elected members, the current chairperson of the Board (a member of our slate) opened the meeting and called for the roll – which is the only legal way a meeting can be opened. As a result of the UPSO, the other side had gained a staff member from the election. They had also gained one listener board representative from the election. Without the participation of the delinquent member, however, our side would have still hold a majority (of one) on the Board. The other side refused to allow the roll to be taken, knowing we would not recognize the person who had missed three consecutive meetings.

At that point they presented a letter from the Pacifica Counsel expressing the opinion that the meeting in Fresno had no legal standing and that the member still had possession of his seat. The legal basis for this opinion was drawn from the Brown Act – a legal code that pertains to governmental bodies and that has nothing to do with the body of law governing non-profit corporations. The letter was a complete sham and we refused to recognize its authority.

At that point, the other side walked out of the meeting and went to another place to hold a separate meeting. Their meeting had not been previously announced and did not meet the conditions specified in the Pacifica bylaws for a legally constituted meeting.

However, we did not want to see the Board split and we wanted to avoid the possibility of a legal suit that might prove costly to Pacific and KPFA. We offered to put the issue of the legality of the Fresno meeting and the eligibility of the contested member to a neutral arbiter that would be acceptable to both sides. The PNB was once again dragged into the dispute by the other side. It refused to recognize the legality of our meeting, declaring the other side’s meeting to have been legally constituted, in spite of the fact it met none of the criteria stated in the bylaws. With the PNB’s backing, the minority had become a majority and had successfully pulled off a coup. They were now calling the shots. We were told if we did not attend the meetings called and organized by the new ‘majority,’ we would begin to accumulate unexcused absences and, after three meetings, would be removed from our seats. Rather than initiate a costly law suit, we decided to bide our time until the next election.

Where Are They Taking KPFA?
What I have recounted above is just a small portion of the kind of dishonest political maneuvering I witnessed over the past three years. It’s ugly, and unpleasant when it happens to you – but in and of itself, this kind of behavior would not threaten the survival of KPFA. While it results in a dysfunctional and unpleasant Board experience, the Board itself has largely lacked the power to directly interfere with the day-to-day functioning of the station. By gaining control of the PNB, however, the new forces taking over the Boards are in a position to break through the firewall that had separated them from the operation of the stations, and can begin to directly assert control over the management of the station.
Let us look at what the new Board majority has done since it came to power in January. While I cannot detail certain events that happened at an executive session of the Board (which are covered by a confidentiality agreement) suffice it to say that KPFA’s General Manager was forced to resign. This was supposedly connected to the misplacing of a check from a donor for $350,000. The real facts are much more complicated, and in the end, no money was lost. However, that issue had nothing to with the resolution of the other slate to get rid of the GM. She had acted as the ‘firewall’ preventing the board from micro-managing the station and interfering with programming. It should be noted she was a valuable fundraiser, and had introduced innovative programs intended to make KPFA appeal to a wider audience (Letters From Washington, Winter Soldier Hearings, Copenhagen Conference, etc). From the very beginning, before anyone knew anything about the lost check, removal of the GM was the glue that held the opposition slate together. By accident, a member of our slate received an email from a member of the other slate, calling for them to stop squabbling among themselves and remember the need to ‘stay united’ in order to get enough seats to accomplish their ‘two primary purposes:’ getting rid of the GM and electing two of the three KPFA Board reps to the PNB.

Once the GM was gone and they had strengthened their majority on the PNB, they could move their full agenda forward. This would be to establish a set of rules that would allow them to manage the station through the Board.

First they established a Programming Council - whose membership would be strong on Board appointees and unpaid staff, and weak on unionized, professional staff. They then passed a resolution that gave the Board any final say if there were a conflict between the Programming Counsel and the station’s Program Director. Programming decisions had been removed from the radio professionals and placed, ultimately in the hands of the majority of an elected Board made up of people with no radio experience, lacking detailed information of how programming decisions would impact staffing issues, union contracts, budget considerations, etc. Placing such decisions in the hands of an elected Board will produce chaos and instability at the station. Every time there is a shift in the political composition of the majority of Board, programs could be dropped and adopted on the basis of whatever the political whims of that particular majority.

However, this is not the final goal of this Board majority. They have introduced a resolution that would place any personnel matter that would involve expenditures over $15,000 to be decided by the Board. $15,000 is less than ¼ the cost of a full-time programmer. This would essentially place all personnel decisions in the hands of the Board.

The best way I can think of to describe what’s happening at KPFA would be if School Boards took over and began to run individual schools. It’s great to have and the parents and the public involved, and ultimately they are the one’s that set the goals of the school system and evaluate the results. But they are not educators. They should not be determining the details of curricula, hiring and firing individual teachers, and telling them the best way to do their jobs.

The ultimate goals of these folks are political. These people do not represent broadly based movements and have no practical agenda for how to bring about the changes we need in this country. Many espouse fringe conspiracy theories and hold ideas that have never garnered significant support – even in the left. There is nothing wrong with that – and they should have a place within KPFA’s eclectic mix. The problem is that these folks want the whole enchilada. They see KPFA as their vehicle to gain a voice that will make them major players on the left. The real effect of the consolidation of their control over the Board will be the destruction of a radio station that we, in the broader progressive community, need now more than ever.

We chose the name Save KPFA for our slate. We did that in all seriousness. The future of this invaluable resource for the left is at stake.

Tracy Rosenberg responds to Matthew Hallinan below.

The Crisis at KPFA Redux
By Tracy Rosenberg
Thursday August 26, 2010

This is a response to an essay by Matthew Hallinan called "The Crisis at KPFA

I know that Save KPFA is worried about KPFA's future. So am I. The difference is how we express those concerns. Matthew is focused like a laser on certain things: the vast Pacifica bureaucracy, and the costs of elections and board meetings. I agree these things should be looked at. It may be that you don't need 8 employees to maintain 5 radio licenses and serve 110 affiliate stations. Certainly the 2% or so of the budget that goes to board election and meeting expenses shouldn't escape scrutiny.

But what about the other 98%? Does that play no role in the problem?

Math will tell us that a 15% decline in listener revenues cannot be addressed with a 2% solution.

What is disheartening in Matthew's essay is the disingenous attacks on anyone trying to examine the other 98% as "out of control" and "out to threaten the professional staff".

As an incumbent board member, I was just trying to balance the budget.

****

Matthew knows this perfectly well. In 2008 and 2009, the Concerned Listeners - Save KPFA majority on the board presented and passed budgets for KPFA that called for massive staff reductions. $300,000 in 2008 and $425,000 in 2009.

They knew, as surely as the Independents for Community Radio board minority did, that layoffs were unavoidable given the decline in listener donations.

But the layoffs were never made. Not until the spring of 2010, after the board majority turned over and the manager changed.

Not until one million dollars, the entire cash reserve in KPFA's bank accounts, had been spent. Leaving not one red cent for a rainy day reserve in the middle of an economic collapse.

How wildly irresponsible can a board of directors be?

I don't know if it was carelessness, lack of understanding of math, or a loyalty to some of the professional staff that overwhelmed Save KPFA's common sense. But it was appalling.

For Matthew to spend any time at all detailing comparatively trivial nonsense is stunning. Where is the awareness of the catastrophe they caused?

Does Save KPFA not understand the reason KPFA must be saved is their own actions as a board majority?

A Sadder Little Narrative

To indulge Matthew a bit on his pet peeves:

KPFA's Unpaid Staff Organization is 20 years old. It predates the board election process by more than a decade. It was forged in the people of color strikes that occurred at KPFA when movement struggles demanded their place at the table of what had been a largely white, elitist, academic institution. UPSO's purpose was to send representation to programming decision-making and to institute a grievance procedure for the large unpaid workforce.

I realize Matthew may not know this, but ICR-affiliated staff representative on the board, Renee Yang Geesler, who won the "extra" staff seat last year, is a CWA member and a paid staffer at KPFA.

An UPSO would have been a big help when Nadra Foster was summarily banned and then beaten up by the Berkeley Police Department in an incident that shamed progressives everywhere in 2008.

On the other two issues, I can only say Matthew is entitled to his opinion, but his opinion was over-ruled both times on firm legal grounds.

Noelle Hanrahan, Executive Director of Prision Radio, was entitled to complete the last six months of her board term, despite the outcome of union arbitration proceedings in her favor.

And former board members whose terms expired on December 5, 2009 were not allowed to remove a board colleague on that day. They were not legally able to take any actions on behalf of a board of directors they were no longer on.

I agree that such behavior is ugly and unpleasant. I wish Concerned Listeners - Save KPFA would not engage in it.

Where We Are Taking KPFA

Leaving aside the petty little battle waged by Concerned Listeners - Save KPFA to avoid losing their majority status in December of 2009:

Matthew expresses high dudgeon at the 2010 managerial change. But in addition to the million dollars that left the building, another problem emerged in early 2010.

That problem was a large sum of money, $375,000, that was supposed to be in one of KPFA's bank accounts, but wasn't there according to auditor Helin Donovan LLC.

Where was it? Why had Pacifica been told the money was in the bank when it wasn't there?

It turned out the uncashed check had been sitting in a KPFA desk drawer since October of 2008. It was now expired. Oops!

What was the board to do? Hold someone accountable? Not according to Matthew Hallinan. But yes, according to me and others who now held the majority on the board. That is the responsibility of a nonprofit board of directors. Money has to be where it is reported to be. Otherwise the board is asleep at the wheel. ICR does not intend for KPFA to go the way of the Vanguard Foundation.

I realize Matthew and most of the rest of the Concerned Listeners crew were not around during the 2002 to 2006 period when KPFA had an active program council and no program director. So he's afraid of what he doesn't understand.

But in fact, the Program Council on the whole did a great job: adding the excellent Voices of the Middle East and North Africa in 2002, when Arab-Americans were suffering terrible indignities and injustices after 9-11, Guns and Butter, which is one of KPFA's top moneymakers and has been for years, APEX Express - the Asian-Pacific Affairs Show, Pushing Limits, a disability rights program, Education Today with Kitty Kelly Epstein, Full Circle, the training program hour, Rock en Rebelion, the best rock and roll Latin liberation show around, The Women's Magazine and more. Programs that have only added to the richness of KPFA and that reflect vibrant communities here in Northern California.

Isn't that what we want?

Matthew is terribly concerned about the "fringes" of popular opinion. Does he forget that Lew Hill was a World War II pacifist who went to jail rather then fight in "The Good War". Now that was an opinion shared only by other "crazies" in 1945.

He founded this place particularly and specifically to broadcast wildly unpopular perspectives that could never get on the air anywhere else.

It was a vision so exciting and so radical that it survived for 60 years in spite of itself.

Despite an eternal lack of money, despite relying largely on volunteers and an overworked and underpaid staff.

Because that is what community radio is.

So lets stop all the nonsense, get the expenses in line with the revenues, find the "crazy" voices of today that will be the luminaries of the future, and get on with doing what Pacifica Radio does.

The world needs it.

Tracy Rosenberg is the Executive Director of Media Alliance, blogs on media policy at the Huffington Post, and is a member of the Pacifica Foundation Board of Directors and the Media and Democracy Coalition Board of Directors.

Stay tuned.