Obama in 2012

President Barack Obama has gotten a lot accomplished, but most of these
accomplishments are not the ones he outlined during his campaign.

Obama spoke of change and his eloquence brought the nation hope. His
speeches were spoken like sermons and those in attendance could feel the
power.

A great speaker does not make a great president, but there were a lot of
things that needed to be fixed after the Bush years.

With Obama's positive popularity deteriorating is he destined to be a
one term president?
--
Sent from my T-Mobile Sidekick®

Lindsay Lohan To Rehab; Taylor Momsen Flashes

Lindsay Lohan (photo by Providingnews.com) was ordered back to rehab Friday, while 17-year old Taylor Momsen flashes the crowd at her New York concert.

According to TMZ.com, Actress and Artist Lindsay Lohan was ordered back to complete rehab and not to jail. TMZ reports:

Lohan is due back in court on February 25 (2011). She will be subject to drug testing in between her release from rehab until her court date. If Lindsay does not test positive for drugs or alcohol before her next scheduled during that time, he will convert her sentence to unsupervised probation. The D.A recommended Lindsay get 180 days in county jail. The judge specifically stated he wanted Lindsay in rehab past the New Year.

Just how this will impact Lindsay's movie schedule is anyone's guess. TMZ also reports that she was complaining about her rehab schedule as interfering with her life, including her shoots. But it's the one thing keeping her out of the wasteland of jail and giving her a fighting chance at being clean and sober. At least she's not running around taking off her top, like Taylor Momsen, who's reported flashes of the NYC concert crowd made headlines.

The teen took off her top to reveal her breasts. As of this writing, Gossip Girl's Taylor Momsen's not been charged with anything and one has to wonder if that was her idea or her publicists' work.  The act's made her name into a Twitter Trending Topic as of this writing and gained attention for her music.   For what it's worth.   Taylor's obviously working the porn angle hard.



It seems that's what an entertainer has to do to make themselves sand out in a World over-saturated with media content.  It's the reason there are so many sex tape stories it's become almost standard for an actress to have one.

Crazy.

Texas Rangers Win: World Series And Super Bowl In Arlington, Texas

The Texas Rangers commanding 6-1 ALCS win against the New York Yankees means not just a trip to the 2010 World Series, but first World Series for the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. It also means that for the first time in Metroplex history, it will have both the World Series and The Super Bowl just four months from each other, and one city, Arlington, Texas, will be America's sports epicenter for 2010-2011.

Arlington, Texas, where this blogger attended undergraduate school at The University of Texas at Arlington, before heading for grad school at Cal Berkeley, is situated right smack in the middle of the Metroplex, almost equidistant between Dallas to the east and Fort-Worth to the west, Arlington is 15 miles south of DFW Airport. Because it's the playing home of both the Dallas Cowboys and the Texas Rangers, it's the home of the World Series and The Super Bowl. Two events with a combined economic impact of over $300 million.

Because Arlington was the place selected to build the Dallas Cowboys' giant Cowboys Stadium (in photo), what some call "Jerry World" after Cowboys' Owner Jerry Jones, that city will enjoy the economic fruits of hosting the 2011 Super Bowl XXXXV in February, 2011. The NFL has a policy of giving a Super Bowl to each NFL city that builds a new stadium and has the right economic conditions. (The exception to this was New York for the 2014 Super Bowl as that game started as a gift after 9-11 should New York build a new stadium - that was done and it's an outdoor stadium, where it originally was to be indoors.) Arlington built the new Cowboys Stadium after a public bond issue committing $300 million of public money to the construction effort.

Rangers Win Sweetens The Deal

The Rangers win essentially gives Arlington an economic head start before the 2011 Super Bowl, as the World Series brings not just the teams from the opposing city, but baseball fans from all over the country. While less than for the Super Bowl, the World Series will bring an estimated $70 million to Arlington and the Metroplex. Since the Rangers were not expected to beat the Yankees, that's an extra addition to the revenue anticipated for The 2011 Super Bowl.

That's money for hotels, restaurants, transportation, rental cars, oh, and store purchases, as well as parking tickets, and of course, the unexpected towed cars. It's also money from hiring bands for local events, and contractors to prepare those venues. It's money for t-shirts, ticket brokers, and caterers. Not everyone will get rich, if any one, but there will be money to be made and at a time when Texas' economy, like other parts of America, can use it.

Arlington, with both the 2010 World Series and 2011 The Super Bowl, is just plain blessed.

World Series 2010: John Hamilton, Colby Lewis Story Of Rangers Win Over Yankees

UPDATE: Rangers win means World Series and Super Bowl for Arlington, Texas. 

The Texas Rangers did what was once-considered impossible: they beat the upstart New York Yankees 6 to 1 to earn the right to play in the franchise's first World Series in its history.

 The win was a story of the play of ALCS Series MVP Outfielder John Hamilton and Pitcher Colby Lewis. Hamilton and Lewis were the favorites of baseball fans, especially Josh, who has enjoyed an amazing comeback.

Hamilton Back From Hell

Josh Hamilton has what NetDugout.com's Dan Kirby correctly calls "A dark story" involving drug addiction. One told in this video, part of the "I Am Second" campaign which explains how faith in Jesue Christ helped him:



Drugs and alcohol addiction almost destroyed Hamilton's professional baseball career. He started it in 2001 and, with repeated suspensions, lasted well until 2005, when his grandmother Mary Holt confronted him.  With the exception of one incident in 2009, Hamilton has been clean, and is tested for drug use three times a week, a schedule he reportedly favors as it reassures those who have faith in him. At the end of the win against the New York Yankees, he celebrated by drinking ginger ale.

While Hamilton was fighting the Devil and finding God, pitcher Colby Lewis was playing baseball and then went to Japan for a year with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp, where he won awards for strikeouts.

Hamilton and Lewis Drink The Ginger Ale

According to ESPN, Hamilton his four home runs in six games against the Yankees to lead the Texas Rangers to the promised land. Josh batted .350, was walked eight times, and five of them intentionally. Colby Lewis played lights out, Friday, holding the Yankees to one hit in nine at-bats with runners in scoring position. When the game got tight, he reportedly remembered the words of his pitching coach Mike Maddux: "Trust yourself. Commit to the pitch."

Now, Hamilton, Lewis, Texas Rangers Manager Ron Washington, Team President Nolan Ryan, and the rest of the organization are committed to the 2010 World Series. They await the winner of The Giants - Phillies battle, which enters Game 6 Saturday.

John Boehner And Lisbeth Lyons: Mistress Issue Under Wraps

What happened to the Rep. John Boehner (R - Ohio) and Lisbeth Lyons "mistress talk?" Just about a month ago, Blogger Mike Stark of The Stark Reports, part of the Banter Media Group, asserted that Lobbyist Lisbeth Lyons was the "girlfriend" of U.S. House Minority Leader John Boehner.

In his investigation, Stark went so far as to ask John Boehner on camera at his "Pledge to America" event, and to Boehner's face, if Lisbeth Lyons was his, as Stark put it, "girlfriend." Rep. Boehner kept walking by Stark without stopping to even look at him, let alone saying "no."

During that period of reporting on the "Boehner mistress" issue, many were waiting for what was to be an "explosive" expose on this by The New York Times. It never came forward. In fact, since Stark's initial media blast that was fairly-well picked up, there's been nothing new to add to the story. Things, it seems, are scarily silent. The only update was Stark's blog that Mike Pence wasn't his source for the rumor. Other than that, nothing. Zero. Zilch.

Meanwhile, this blogger learned that Lyons, who's Vice President, Government Affairs for the Printing Industries of America, is a powerful and well-connected Washington DC player. Regardless of her connections to Boehner, her assent to prominence should be a welcome study for anyone who wants to break into the ranks of Washington's Power Elite. To this blogger, the alleged relationship looks more like one where Boehner may be too close to a lobbyist, ala John McCain and Vicki Iseman. But there's nothing as of this writing that allows for comfortable expansion on that assertion.

What happened?

What we can go on is just speculation. Given the high-stakes of the 2010 Midterm Elections, it's possible that an operative in some way convinced Mike Stark to back off the subject. There's also the chance that Stark was waiting for The New York Times to follow-up with their own investigation, but the NY Times, seeking to maintain its access to Boehner and other Republican representatives, may have elected to burry their story.

Whatever the case, there's clearly something behind the "radio silence" on the John Boehner and Lisbeth Lyons mistress / girlfriend talk. The question is will this remain through election day?

Stay tuned.

Deanna Favre has faith

With the allegations of Brett Farve being unfaithful going around, his wife Deanna Favre says that faith is what helps her cope.

It's interesting isn't it? When someone is unfaithful that is the time people decide to turn to faith.

Deanna was on Good Morning America 
promoting a book she wrote with Shane Stanford called "The Cure for the Chronic Life." 


Although she is handling this through faith - she has yet to say whether or not she believes the accusations to be true or false.

Richmond Candidates Myrna Lopez and Maria Viramontes Running for City Council on November 2 to Create Jobs Now in Richmond

Richmond candidates Myrna Lopez and Maria Viramontes are making news in their races for City Council. Their top priorities are creating jobs in Richmond to get residents back to work, and improving public safety.

Richmond has been learning more about Lopez and Viramontes in recent days as they have been getting the word out.

According to a mail piece advocating on behalf of Myrna Lopez:

Fighting to Bring 1,200 New Jobs to Richmond: Myrna Lopez knows creating good-paying jobs in Richmond begins with working with Richmond’s biggest employers – not driving them away. As a member of the City Council, Myrna Lopez drove a tough bargain with Chevron for an agreement that would have created 1,200 new jobs and reduced pollution by upgrading older equipment at the refinery.

According to the piece about Maria Viramontes:

Creating a Brighter Future for Richmond Tomorrow: Nine years ago, Maria took civic involvement to a new level, running and winning a seat on the Richmond City Council. In those nine years, she has been a tireless advocate for turning Richmond around to restore the glory of yesteryear. She has fought to put more police on our streets to tackle our crime problem, invest in attracting new jobs to Richmond, and revitalizing our downtown.

A new website has also been launched, RichmondJobsNow.org, to report news in Richmond.

The mail pieces available here say that they are paid for by Jobs Now, a coalition supporting Lopez and Viramontes for City Council in 2010.

Myrna Lopez website: http://myrnalopez.com/

Maria Viramontes website: http://mariaviramontes.org/

Shuttle Bus Service For Facebook, Twitter Employees: Bauer’s Transportation's Employee Shuttle System

Bauer’s Transportation has become the "Tech Shuttle Bus Service," as it provides transportation for Facebook and Twitter employees, to name some of the high tech San Francisco Bay Area companies it serves. But the "Tech Shuttle Bus Service" is not exclusive to Facebook and Twitter. Other companies can participate in it as well. It's all a part of Bauer’s Transportation's new roll as a mass transit provider.

Bauer’s Transportation also offers a new service called "Wi-Drive." "Wi-Drive" is a bus shuttle transportation service that goes round-trip between the city of Santa Rosa and San Francisco and between the cities of Fremont and Milpitas.

Bauer's also offers the innovative "Solar Hybrid Bus." Bauer's Transportation Founder and President Gary Bauer says "Since 2008 California state law has prohibited diesel vehicles from idling for more than five minutes. More than 25 states across the United States now have anti-idling laws. With Bauer's Solar Hybrid Bus Powering System, transportation companies across the U.S. will be able to comply with anti-idling laws while keeping the passengers comfortable and their transportation experience enjoyable. The solar bus has been in operation on our fleet since January 2010 and the results have been outstanding.

Wi-Drive Is The Bauer's Service Foundation

Here's the details on Wi-Drive from Bauer’s Transportation:

Bauer’s IT (Intelligent Transportation), the Bay Area’s leading provider of chauffeured, eco-friendly individual and group bus transportation, today announced that two new routes have been added to the acclaimed Bauer’s Wi-Drive! program. 

Beginning Monday, October 12, the eco-transit commuter service will expand to include round-trip routes between Santa Rosa and San Francisco and between Fremont and Milpitas.

Bauer’s Wi-Drive! current routes include: San Francisco to and from the North Bay (as far as Santa Rosa), San Francisco to and from the South Bay (as far as San Jose), and Fremont to/from Milpitas. Wi-Drive! plans to expand its fleet to Sacramento, Stockton, Fairfield, Napa, Santa Cruz and beyond in accordance with consumer demand.

Offering paramount comfort and convenience, the fleet is equipped with plush leather seats with Corian® work tables, high-speed Wi-Fi, flat screen LCD monitors, iPod hookups, phone and laptop power ports, CD and DVD systems, bike racks and restrooms. A Ride Host is onboard at all times to offer food and drink service, which can be purchased onboard or pre-ordered through the Bauer’s Wi Drive! online ordering system.

Bauer’s Wi-Drive! operates Monday through Friday from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. Fares can be as low as $5 for a one-way ticket depending on location, with 10 percent discounts offered for monthly passes. Bauer’s Wi-Drive! memberships and individual passes can be purchased online. A variety of payment methods, including commuter checks, are available. For detailed information on pricing, schedules and pick-up and drop-off locations, please visit www.BauersIT.com or call 800.546.6688.

Note: Bauer's Transportation is a Zennie62.com sponsor. The blog post is the original creation of Zennie62.com.

Jersey Shore season 2 Finale

Jersey Shore season two came to an end last night, October 21, 2010 at 10 p.m. ET.

Taking notes while watching

The last episode of season two was one that definitely sets up for season three quite nicely.

The episode starts with the group of seven going out to the Everglades. At a restaurant the group decides to try frog legs, but JWOWW is seriously disgusted by the entire concept. While JWOWW is in the bathroom The Situation stands outside the door waiting for her to come out as she dangles frog legs in her face.

On the drive back to Miami The Situation asks Ronnie to pull the van over so that he can vomit said frog legs.

When the crew gets back Vinny and Pauly D prepare to take out two of the ladies that they really liked during the stay in Miami. Vinny takes out Ramona, and it was a very sweet scenario. The two know that they cannot have a long distance relationship, but it is apparent that the two wish they had more time together. As Vinny kisses her good-bye (they did not smoosh) the cameras switch to Pauly D's date with Rocia. The two agree that they cannot have a long distance relationship, but they really would like that. At the end of the night he is making out with her and says, "I don't even want to smoosh her." Coming from Pauly D that is pretty romantic.

Image courtesy of MTV

Then the last romantic dinner of the night is Ronnie and Sammi - which is the least romantic. The two sit there in silent and then Sammi calls Ronnie out for acting different. She says, "I want to be with my boyfriend all the time." Ronnie insists that Sammi needs to admit that she's wrong - because apparently the two are in some sort of fight (like always).

When everyone is back from their dates the entire house goes out to the club to have some fun. Sammi and Ronnie are drinking, and Sammi finally apologizes. The rest of the house is dancing and having a great time.

Two girls approach Vinny and want a threesome. Vinny says, "Sometimes two grenades equals one good looking girl," and then says, "I really wish I was with Ramona when these grenades came up to me wanting a threesome." Thankfully, Vinny turns down the grenades saying "SAY NO TO HOES" - and The Situation takes the opportunity to jump on that.

The Situation goes in the bathroom with the two girls and uses some strange hand motions to explain what was going on between the three of them. That's kind of funny.

The housemates start to clean, and there is a lot to clean -- including food from when Vinny's mom came.

While cooking the family dinner Sammi just has a bad attitude toward Snooki, and Snooki is sad because she really had a friendship with Sammi. During dinner a little bit of an intense moment happens when discussing who did the least in the house - Sammi getting offended.

Courtesy of MTV

They go into the living room and Vinny has a bright idea and says, "You know when you're in high school and there's those things in the yearbook like 'most likely to sleep with my sister' and stuff - well we should do that."

The first superlative is tame saying "most likely to get skin cancer." This is a joke by saying who tans the most. Pauly D jokes that he definitely should get that.

Somehow a fight escalates between Vinny and the Situation. He is saying that Vinny just started doing "GTL" this season and that he did the robbery on Pauly D. It's a really strange "situation." (It's strange how it's hard to use that word without thinking of Mike Sorrentino) The two just are fighting about tanning.

Then they discuss who is the fakest one in the house. People start to get very defensive. The Situation is getting pinpointed and he says, "Well since Angelina isn't in the house it has to be me!" Then something happens making JWOWW angry and The Situation and the others confide to Snooki that they think JWOWW is the fakest in the house. She has breast implants and has gotten lots of plastic surgery - so it's not that far fetched.

Image courtesy of MTV

"It's so typical to talk shit on the last day, because if you did it before you'd be outcasted. Now it's the last night and everyone's speaking out," The Situation says.

The rest of the episode is just a mess of fighting, crying, shouting, drinking and sets up for the third season.

This Jersey Shore coverage began as a character analysis, but after watching one episode the show becomes an addicting guilty pleasure. Make sure to tune into see next season's recaps.

By Nikky Raney
Journalist & Blogger

NPR Juan Williams Flap Shows Old Media's Problem

National Public Radio or "NPR" showed how it's an Old Media organization, much as CNN did in sacking Rick Sanchez, by firing long-time contributor Juan Williams on Thursday, and for making a statement that one can disagree with, but is his rightful opinion.

On Fox News' Bill O'Reilly show Monday, Juan Williams's said that he essentially would be scared or "get nervous" if he saw someone in Muslim religious garb after 9-11:

I mean, look, Bill, I'm not a bigot. You know the kind of books I've written about the civil rights movement in this country. But when I get on the plane, I got to tell you, if I see people who are in Muslim garb and I think, you know, they are identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried. I get nervous.

The simple fact is that any American, even National Public Radio or "NPR" CEO Vivian Schiller, knows that's true. Even if we try to fight the assumption, as I have in the past, we can't help but have some wonder about someone who gets on an airplane wearing Muslim religious dress. It's there, and always just under the surface. Wrong? Yes. Of course. But there.

For National Public Radio or "NPR" CEO Vivian Schiller to oust Juan Williams for that, rather than using the episode to boost ratings and Internet traffic, shows why Old Media outlets like NPR just don't get New Media.  Meanwhile, New Media grows.

What do TMZ.com, RadarOnline.com, PerezHilton.com, TechCrunch, and Julliet Brinkdak's MissOandFriends.com site have in common? They were sites and blogs started by people who aren't journalists nor were trained in media. Two of the sites are blogs, TechCrunch and TMZ.com, and are ran by lawyers. Julliet is 21 and started her site when she was 10 years old.

All of these sites have one thing in common, in their way they encourage talk and communications, and for many, controversy. That sells today. Moreover, it creates the appropriate forum within which to learn something about society. People are attracted to that, if it's allowed to happen.

That's the problem with NPR and CNN: they don't get that real controversy, especially when it's internally developed, causes more views and revenue.  NPR and CNN want to control what's said and it's no wonder CNN's ratings suffer.

The best example of this that comes to mind is Rocketboom.com, the online video blog show that started in 2005. During the celebrated and very public dust-up between Andrew Michael Barron and Amanda Congdon, Rocketboom's audience zoomed from 125,000 visitors per day to just north of 1 million per day.

Need I say more?

Raul Grijalva’s Office Hit By Terrorist Attack In Arizona

From an email by Daily Kos Markos Moulitsas, the Progressive Caucus Co-chair Raul Grijalva (D - Arizona) is fighting for his reelection life in Arizona because he was against that state's psychotic illegal immigration law SB 1070.

Rep. Raul Grijalva’s Office has been hit now by not one, but two terrorist attacks, the latest one in a mail that had "An envelope arrived with swastikas drawn on the outside and a white powdery substance on the inside," said Adam Sarvana, Grijalva’s spokesman.

This is scary. It's enough for Arizona to have people so screwed up they have to pass laws to feed their racism, but to go the extra mile and threaten the life of a political candidate is criminal. Literally.

According to the Daily Kos:

Grijalva received death threats in April, shortly after SB1070 was signed into law and he called for a boycott in response. He closed his Tucson and Yuma offices as a result...In July, after he called off the boycott, staffers found a bullet and a shattered window inside his Yuma office.

Best way to hit back is to donate money via Act Blue: Go here - LINK - to help Rep. Raul Grijalva.

SF Giants Phillies Game 5 Lincecum vs Halliday: Giants 4-2 Loss Upsetting

The SF Giants Phillies Game 5 Lincecum vs Halliday match was perfect for a Giants fan like this blogger. It had the game's two best pitchers - Tim Lincecum vs Roy Halliday - and was at AT&T Park in San Francisco. All the San Francisco Giants had to do was win and they were on the way to the World Series for 2010.

Oh, and this blogger had cool 3rd base line seats to die for. But instead of a win, we got a weird game with bouncing balls, intermittent rain, and a ton of almost scores.

There's more to come on this with photos and video, but this had to be written now. That was a weird game. It didn't seem to matter if it was Tim Lincecum pitching for the Giants, or SF's Aubrey Huff, Pablo Sandoval, or Cody Ross, the Giants could never seem to get that extra run to get off the two-run mark.

A good portion of the reason for that was excellent infield play by the Phillies, particularly Ryan Howard at first base. The Philadelphia infielders were picking off would-be Giants base hits like they were swatting flies in the summer. And from 3rd base line, it was frustrating to watch.

And the ball was bouncing in a weird way such that for both teams, it seemed like the ball just didn't want to stay in the glove, and more so for the Phillies. But the Giants could never capitalize on the Phillies errors. Arrgh, is the word for the game.

It was an emotional affair: some long time Giants fans were so spent from three games of yelling that, when it seemed the Giants weren't going to do it, they just quieted down. It's as if all of the celebration energy was spent the night before. It was better to temper it and wait for Thursday. Alas, all of that, is too late now.

The Giants have to win one of the next two back in Philadelphia.