99ers growing restless - struggle to be heard by deaf Congress & President

With Congress on yet another 6 week vacation, their second such in as many months, the long term unemployed 99ers continue to fight on for their very survival.

The fact that Congress nor President Obama is willing to address this humanitarian crisis prior to the election, may indeed be what costs the Democrats their majorities in the House and Senate this November.

The 99ers have been calling for Obama to hold a virtual town hall meeting addressing them and this issue specifically, but Washington does not appear to be listening. So much for Healthcare being the President’s “Waterloo.”

The economy in it’s current state has many voters feeling apathetic at best and there is little time left for the Democrats to ‘rally the troops.’ The one Nation rally held last Saturday was a good start, but will those who attended really make more of a difference at the polls than millions of 99ers who are decidedly too angry to help the Democrats at all?

Consider for a moment what is at stake: a return to the failed Bush policies, 2 more wasted years of no help for those fallen on hard times, Social Security & Medicare at great risk, the undoing of nearly everything accomplished in the past 2 Congressional sessions and the possible wasted time and effort in impeaching a President that has committed no impeachable offense. What a waste and doesn’t Congress waste enough time already?

Even if one must hold their nose in order to vote for a Democrat this year, it may well be preferable to the other alternative. Republicans will likely not vote in any unemployment relief whatsoever. Do you really want to risk the only chance there is to get the help millions of Americans desperately need? This is a question everyone needs to ask themselves and the answer is deeply personal to every voter.

With the anger over the failed Tier 5 bill last month and the untenable situation many unemployed Americans find themselves in, this election could very well be about the failures of the present, rather than the hope for the future. Only not voting at all may well result in no future at all for a multitude of Americans, hurting so bad in this economic crisis.

It took President Bush and the failed policies of the last administration 8 years to create the huge mess we are in today. Is it really asking too much to allow the new administration at least 4 years to make a dent in pulling America out of the ditch?

The NOVO movement has been erroneously reported as consisting of less than a few hundred people. The San Diego Unemployment Examiner knows this not to be true. When the NOVO movement was announced, it was as a result of months of NOVO commentary observed on the blogs, Facebook and other social media. It would seem that a great many Americans, not just the 99ers, are quite vocal about punishing the party in power for failing to pass a Tier 5 after 8 months of fighting for such. Never underestimate the power of anger in the American electorate.

It certainly does not help the Democrats that the President and Vice President seem to discount the troubles of millions of hurting Americans with their statements to “buck up and stop whining.” Talk about rubbing salt in an open wound. Really Mr. President? Really Mr. Biden? Whining is basically the term used for those who complain with little or nothing to complain about. Desperate cries for help are a different story entirely.

What really needs to be done is for the Democrats to stop whining and actually get some work done for those Americans who need it most, those who cannot wait until after the election.

The 99er Nation for the most part has been without any UI lifeline for 8 months and that is after trying to survive 99 weeks on what little UI pays. They have nothing left to sell to avoid becoming homeless. 99ers cannot wait to see if Democrats keep their majorities in Congress before getting help. They need HELP NOW!

It would take some real leadership for Stabenow (now on vacation) to amend S3706 to first include ALL STATES and be paid for with unused stimulus money, to avoid Republican arguments over adding to the deficit. Then Obama should openly demand (as much as any President can) the Congress reconvene for passage of the Tier 5 bill, as amended before the election.

Two possible scenarios could come from this plan:

1) The bill is passed and signed into law, thus saving millions from hunger, homelessness and suicide - preserving a Democratic win in November

2) The bill, with funding no party could say adds to the deficit, is defeated by the Republicans, thus blowing their cover and resulting in a Republican bloodbath at the polls in November.

Without this pre-election intervention, a Democrat victory in November becomes a crapshoot at best.

Michael Vick Injury - Vick Out 1 To 2 Weeks?

Philadelphia Eagles Quarterback Michael Vick sustained a nasty injury as a result of a "double hit" in the game against the Washington Redskins last Sunday. Vick damaged his ribs after being hit on both shoulders at the same time while diving for the end zone. He was effectively sandwiched on the play.

Now, Vick reportedly may miss 1 to 2 weeks according to NFL.com. While that leaves the starting job to Kevin Kolb, it's not clear that Kolb can cause the team to win.

As of this writing before the game against the San Francisco 49ers, Kolb has thrown 45 times, completing 27 for 225 yards and 1 touchdown and 1 interception. His passer rating is 71.1.

Vick's performance is giant steps ahead of Kolb's in 2010 to this writing. Vick's 59 of 96 for 799 yards, six touchdowns, and no interceptions for a passer rating of 108.8.

Chelsea Handler and 50 Cent Hook Up In New Orleans

TMZ.com (once again) gets the story. This time of Chelsea Handler and 50 Cent hooking-up in New Orleans.

But does Chelsea Handler like the black men, or what? That's all Chelsea talks about! Not that this black guy's complaining; it's just funny.   Hey, she's hot.

Handler jokes about how brothers check out her ass (in fact, this was a skit when she hosted the MTV VMAs), and hit on her.

But you know what they say: the person who talks in playful protest really enjoys the attention.

Back to 50.

According to TMZ, Chelsea Handler and 50 cent were seen getting hot and heavy at the Blue Nile jazz bar in New Orleans.

And what about Handler's boyfriend?

Stay tuned.

Sadly, 12 Seconds Goes Dark October 22nd - Twitter App?

The micro video blog site 12 Seconds is going dark October 22nd. As one of the first to use 12 Seconds, then basically stopped, that's sad.

But the reason 12 Seconds failed from this perspective is 12 seconds is not enough time to make a video that says anything.

 The problem is once you've got the words out of your mouth you're done. Thus, what comes out is half of what you want to say, and you have to start all over again. That, at least, was my experience.

The idea is that 12 Seconds was supposed to be a Twitter app. Why? The use in this space was as a stand-alone system. Twitter was an amplifier, yes, but the idea of 12 Second should have been as an internal YouTube style network.

But the bottom line is 12 Seconds should have been 30 Seconds.

Here's what Sol Lipman, 12 Seconds Founder, blogged on the site:

Dear 12ers,

Nearly 3 years ago, David Beach and I decided to grab a beer at a local pub and talk about startup ideas. I told him a dumb idea and he told me about one called 10seconds. I said, "we should do that one." He said, "okay." And that was it. That is until we figured out that 10seconds.tv was already taken. 12seconds sounded pretty good to us too.

We set out on a journey that would take on a wild ride of ups and downs. We experienced birth, death and (Beach) even battled cancer.

Today we are announcing the end of 12seconds.

Why? As you probably know, everything has a life cycle. 12seconds is in its twilight. After all the new product launches and attempts at a revenue model, fundraising with VCs and late night coding sessions with Jacob hunched over his monitors - it's time to call it. It is time to end 12seconds.

However, if 12seconds had a bucket list it would have filled it up with amazing life experiences! We launched an innovative micro-vlogging system, built crazy mobile apps, created revenue with legit sponsors, we were nominated for awards and had the best users on the Internet - our beloved 12ers.

12seconds is not a failure - it is a life well-lived. It really is about the journey. I know this because I'm at the destination.

You're thinking, "holy crap I made like 1000 12second videos, what do I do?" Later this week, we're going to release a download tool for you to capture those moments in time. It will be available until we pull the plug - on October 22nd.

If you have any questions or want to say goodbye, feel free to click here (goodbye@12seconds.tv) to wish us all well.

There were a lot of team members and users who made 12seconds an incredible experience. I can't possibly list them all here but you know who you are. Finally, to my co-founders Beach and Jacob - I love you guys.

Sol Lipman
Founder

12 Seconds RIP.

Tim Lincecum "F- YEAH" On Video : SF Giants Beat Padres, Win NL West

SF Giants Cy Young Pitcher Tim Lincecum can be forgiven for getting off this F-bomb after the San Francisco Giants beat the San Diego Padres 3-0.

Interviewed on Comcast SportsNet California, he could not help just saying what anyone would in the wake of doing something Giants fans thought was gone with the Barry Bonds era: winning the NL West and getting to the MLB Playoffs.

Here's the video;



The Giants play the Atlanta Braves this Thursday at AT&T Park at 6:30 PDT.

F-Yeah!  GO GIANTS.  Kind of torn as this blogger routinely travels between San Francisco and Atlanta.  

Rick Sanchez vs Jews, Abbie Boudreau vs James O'Keeffe : CNN Trouble

CNN is under fire.

In firing Rick's List Anchor Rick Sanchez, the Cable News Network has ignited an Internet conversation over censorship, as much as it has the overall stupidity of an employee getting on radio and getting off racist bombs against his own employer.

While many agree that what Sanchez said was wrong, there are a number of people who respond to the opposite, and say not only that Sanchez was correct, but that he had a right to make his statements. One of those with such a view is noted writer Christopher Hitchens.

In Slate on Monday, Hitchens calls for CNN to reinstate Rick Sanchez in an article called Is it so offensive to note the effectiveness of the Jewish lobby?:

In the manner in which Sanchez spoke, also, there was something like a buried resentment. He didn't descend into saying that there was Jewish control of the media, but he did imply that liberalism was linked to a single ethnicity. Still, there is nothing criminal about this, and the speed of his firing, like the other recent abrupt disappearances of Laura Schlessinger and Octavia Nasr, seems to suggest a network system that cares only about playing safe and avoiding "offense." The best way to demonstrate the hidden influence of the chosen people would be for Jon Stewart and others to join me in calling for Rick Sanchez's reinstatement. If it then didn't happen, it would help us understand who really pulls the strings around here.

In his generally indirect way, Hitchens is implying that CNN's proving Sanchez' point by so quickly ridding themselves of his presence. Personally, Rick should have been made to explain his radio blast and CNN would have enjoyed a much-needed ratings bump from curious television viewers.

Indeed, erasing Sanchez would seem to run counter to CNN's recent habit of trying to cause discussion by over-featuring the Tea Party Movement and young conservative activists. In the case of CNN Correspondent Abbie Boudreau, her entire segment called Right On The Edge, seemed to be an excuse to cover attractive young white men and women. The only thing we learned is something that's no real surprise: James O'Keefe is not a nice person.

If you're new to this story, Anti-ACORN Activist James O'Keefe, who pretended to be a pimp (badly) and made hidden videos showing how some ACORN workers helped he and his "prostitute," played by Conservative Activist Hanna Giles, tried to "pimp" Abbie Boudreau. In the segment that aired Saturday night, O'Keefe wants to meet just with Boudreau, and she agrees. Here's what was said according to CNN's transcript:

O'KEEFE: I just want to talk. I just want to have a, you know, a meeting with you and talk to you face to face about this because I don't -- you know, I feel sort of -- let's just say reserved about, about letting people into my inner sanctum.

BOUDREAU: So, I agreed. And a week later, I flew to Maryland for the meeting. James had founded a new organization called Project Veritas, and Izzy Santa was the executive director. The group is supposed to be dedicated to exposing corruption and supporting James' undercover endeavors.

But then, upon driving to meet him, Abbie realizes that it's a blue house next to a boat called "Cinco" and not an office O'Keefe's in. This is what Abbie said:

BOUDREAU: When I pulled up to the property, there was no office. Just a blue house. Izzy Santa was waiting for me.

BOUDREAU (on-camera): And she said, I need to talk to you. Can I get in the car? And I was like, OK. So, I noticed that she had like a little bit of dirt on her face. Her lip was shaking. She seemed really uncomfortable, and I asked her if she was OK, and the first thing that she basically said to me was, I'm not recording you. I'm not recording you. Are you recording me? No. And she showed me her digital recorder. It was not recording.

Then Izzy explains that it was James' intent to get her on the boat. Now, here's where details cloud the overall issue. This blogger's contention is Abbie had a certain comfort with making the trip to Maryland to meet James because he was white, attractive, and male.

That upsets some people, but the question persists: Abbie herself says she wasn't making the trip alone to interview James, but to just "talk." If she wasn't going to interview him, what the hell did she expect to have happen?

His plan was to seduce her and make CNN look bad. And James almost succeeded because Abbie put herself in the position of flying down there, but not to interview O'Keefe, only to see him face-to-face alone. Abbie at least expected that to happen - she says so in the transcript:

BOUDREAU (on-camera): And I was like well, you know, that's just not something I'm comfortable with is to have this conversation recorded. Plus, it's not an interview. I mean, I'm just here to try to, you know, answer your questions and answer your concerns, address your concerns about this upcoming shoot.

Abbie could have either done that on the phone, or not agreed to meet James by himself. Abbie never insisted that someone else be at the meeting. Meanwhile, in the transcript, O'Keefe says he wants to meet with "just you." It's right there in black and white.

Abbie Escapes Thanks To Izzy, But...

So, as reported here, Izzy Santa spills the beans on James O'Keefe's ugly plan to make a kind of sex tape, and Abbie avoids a bad situation. But, again, why did Abbie place herself in that position?

Why the story? What's the story?

Others observers are asking questions about Right To The Edge. Tommy Christopher at Mediaite says "Abbie Boudreau doesn't ask anything approaching a tough question." Heather at Crooks and Liars was even harsher:

"..All they did is lend some very undeserved credibility to Andrew Breitbart and his minions who have a terrible history with ambushing politicians or anyone else they decide to scapegoat for the week and then putting out highly edited videos later. That's not journalism. CNN should really be ashamed of themselves for this horrid piece of "investigative journalism.".."

And for the record, Mediaite, Crooks And Liars, and Zennie62.com are all liberal blogs.

Not A Good Period For CNN

Overall, score it a "D for CNN. The Rick Sanchez issue's causing a backlash. Sanchez' replacement Brooke Baldwin has the looks but not the cutting-edge zest for Twitter that Rick brought to his shows. And Abbie Boudreau's taking flack for an "expose" that really looks more like an all-white Abercrombie and Fitch commercial, with all the sexual overtones we've come to expect.

Can CNN recover? Stay tuned.

Jersey Shore says good bye to Angelina once and for all By Nikky Raney

Thursday, September 30, at 10 p.m. E.T a new episode of Jersey Shore aired on MTV. Fans expect and tune in for the drama and scandal, but this episode was so outrageous that immediately after airing MTV aired a "Jersey Shore After Show" to discuss what went on in the episode.

Snooki & Angelina fight it out

This episode stands out as a more memorable one - Angelina decides to leave the show for good. After JWOWW had actually admitted that Angelina earned her spot in the house with all the things she dealt with - Angelina decided to pack her bags. Of course, she had to make the most dramatic exit possible.

Angelina decides to scream of how she hates every single person in the house. Angelina's blood boils when she sees Snooki bring home a guy that she had once hooked up with. Snooki removes her earrings and tackles Angelina. The Situation makes sure to move the table out of the way so that Snooki and Angelina will have more room to fight. After the seemingly pathetic excuse for a cat fight Snooki walks away and chants, "I AM STILL PRETTY!"

The irony of it all is that as Angelina leaves she says that she wished someone had asked her to say. After screaming about how fake all the roommates are and how much she hates them it's unclear as to why she would expect anyone to ask her to stay - it wasn't enough that JWOWW admitted she had finally earned her spot in the house?

Angelina takes the time to tell Ronnie and Sammi what horrible friends they have been to her - even though the truth of the matter is Angelina was the phony from the start.

The after show features Vinny sitting in between Snooki and Angelina - this is the first time Snooki and Angelina have seen each other since the fight. Snooki claims that the whole ordeal with Angelina got to the point of no return when Angelina hooked up with Vinny, because apparently everyone knows that Snooki has a crush on Vinny. Vinny explains that the only reason he slept with Angelina was so that the next time she insulted him he could retort, "That's not what you said last night."

JWOWW accepts Angelina

The next two cast members who most would expect to come on stage would be Ronnie and Sammi. The cast members to appear next are described as "the only people who gave Angelina a real chance." The Situation and JWOWW show up on stage and everything goes chaotic.

Angelina goes on about how much she loves her new boyfriend, and the rest of the Jersey Shore cast members grow tired of her. One by one the cast members leave the set - Vinny is the last one sitting next to Angelina who after looking around gets up and walks away.

Angelina is always the one who left her cast mates, but this time she was the one left behind.

The third season of the Jersey Shore has already finished filming with no appearances from Angelina. It's interesting to think of how much money Angelina was paid to go through all that she did, but it wasn't even enough to stick it out until the end.

Unless by some miracle someone gives Angelina a spin-off or she somehow ends up as a relevant reality tv star it's safe to say the only time her face will ever be seen again is on Jersey Shore re-runs.

All images courtesy of MTV.com