Notre Dame Student Dies After Tower Falls

Photo taken from his Facebook

College News has reported Declan Sullivan, student at  the University of Notre Dame, died when a tower he was standing on collapsed from strong wind.

CNN writes that the 20-year-old junior from Long Grove, Illinois was filming football practice on Wednesday, October 27, 2010 when the hydraulic scissor lift he was standing on fell over.

College president, Reverend John Jenkins, tells CNN that there will be a Mass today, Thursday, October 28, 2010 in memory of Sullivan which he plans to preside over. It will begin at 10 p.m.

The Associated Press has posted a video on YouTube which includes more information. The winds are said to have been blowing at over 50 mph.

President Obama w/ Jon Stewart: He needs to do that More often..

Last night President Obama appeared for a full half hour on the Daily Showwhere he verbally jousted with host Jon Stewart and pretty much defended the record of his administration. For many who watched the show, Obama directly engaging a significant part of his base had been a long time coming. There were remnants of the hopeful feelings that so many experienced in 2008 during his historic campaign and for many that was a good thing.

It was good to hear President Obama being cheered and not jeered. It was good to see him have a conversation with a host like Stewart who resonates with a lot of the voting public who for the most part feel they been left out of the conversation. Stewart articulated a number of concerns that his audience had ranging from the issues of healthcare to how and why Obama and his administration went from ‘Hope and Change‘ to ‘Please Baby Gimme One More Chance‘ and he did it in away that was both funny but right on point. You can peep the Jon Stewart episode HERE:

http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes/wed-october-27-2010-barack-obama

Pres Obama directly engaging many within his young,left leaning base via Jon Stewart needs to happen more often

With that being said, its hard to gauge if that will translate to votes in the 11th hour. Not sure if it’s too little too late. What needs to be underscored is the array of issues Obama’s appearance on the Daily Show brings up that go beyond the 2010 midterm elections. For starters, the hoopla around Obama coming on the Daily Show because it was the ‘first time in history‘ is not something to hang your hat on and beat your chest. It suggests that there’s been a serious neglect of the political relationship and continued courtship that was needed for the millions of young and first time voters who enthusiastically voted for him in ’08. Since he’s been president, we’ve seen Obama on all the morning network news show several times. We’ve seen him on shows like 60 Minutes. We’ve seen him go before the GOP House issues conference. We’ve even seen him on Fox News‘ Bret Baier where in many people’s minds he was disrespected both as a man and as president. This had not gone unnoticed by those who supported him. It made the man who came across as a smart, decisive hero to many, seem weak. Jon Stewart said it best, Obama has been ‘timid’.

President Obama more than most politicians clearly understands the importance of effective communicating. During his campaign he was everywhere. He was on the Steve Harvey radio show every week. He was on the Tom Joyner show. He sat down with MTV. He sat down with Jon Stewart. More importantly he was showing up on college campuses and large numbers of people on the campuses worked on his campaign. After the ’08 election all that seemed to disappear. Obama was a strong presence in those enclaves and quite frankly he needed to be. We needed to hear or see him those arenas articulating his position on policies, laying down challenges and marching orders and sharing his frustrations. We needed to hear him defending his policies and defending himself. We needed him to remind folks that they too needed to help with the heavy lifting and lay out some practical ways in which this could happen.

Have the millions of young voters who rode for Obama in 08 been effectively engaged? Many Democrats have been dismissive to the point of arrogance in how they should best be reached. The Obama voter in '08 is not necessarily a staunch Democratic voter in 2010

Now over the past year when I’ve had this conversation with people who are in Democratic circles it became clear there’s a huge disconnect. There’s a disconnect in many of them understanding that there were a lot of Barack Obama fans/voters who weren’t necessarily down for their local congressman, senator, mayor or whoever else was running even if they have a letter ‘D’ after their name. That’s been a hard pill for many to swallow and one that’s often met with defensive posturing that means absolutely nothing when we’ve had important races for mayoral and senate races all round the country with super low turnouts. from New York to Atlanta to Houston we’ve seen 20-26% come out and the wholesale absences of the throngs of new and first time voters who came out riding for Obama in 08. Where did they disappear to? Why did they not come out?

The excuses given are often drawn from the proverbial political consultant handbook which reads; We always have low turnout during elections where the president isn’t on the ticket. That excuse is usually accompanied by the often arrogantly stated ; “Well these young voters are lazy. They need to read the NY Times and Newsweek or watch CNN like I do if they wish to stay informed” Wrong answer folks. The response should’ve been: Lets figure out ways to better reach folks consistently through the mediums they enjoy.

In 2010 where folks tend to attach themselves to small or niche ‘information’ and ‘entertainment’ watering holes, to be dismissive of that fact and basically tell folks to ‘buck up’ as Vice President Joe Biden did the other day is why Dems are in trouble all over the country. It seems like some in leadership have forgotten that people are who they are and anyone who feels that a particular segment of the population can bring votes to the table needs to get up and meet them where they’re at. If they’re at NASCAR, church, concert or plopped on their couch watching the Daily Show, then innovative compelling ways need to be used to reach that audience. Every other business does that so why not the Democrats?

President Obama‘s appearance with Jon Stewart was a reminder that in 2010 it’s not enough to simply show up at the 11th hour trolling for votes. It’s about having an ongoing dialogue and relationship one that’s in place before, during and after an election cycle. This is branding 101. It’s pretty basic and like it or not we now live in a society where enhancing your presence in the minds of consumers and in this case voters is paramount. As Jay-Z famously said ‘I’m a business man, I’m a BUSINESS, man. So in short, yes, I can read about politics in the NY Times orWashington Post ? Sure I can ‘go on line and read about issues of the day at any number of sites. All the information we want is at the tip of our fingertips. However, for those who are truly in touch with their audiences the information is too much. It can be overwhelming and so direct engagement is even more important. If it was that simple and practical as surfing the web and coming away feeling empowered and connected then the topic of political engagement wouldn’t be topic. If it was that practical President Obama would not have found it necessary to go on the Jon Stewart Daily Show.

Sports writer Dave Zirin has long managed to keep folks politically engaged by connecting the dots to issues on the sports arena

Again the bottom line is everything is political including how we choose to engage folks especially on the electoral. Some like their news, views and politics in the backdrop of other things, in this case of Stewart, comedy and entertainment. Others like it served with sports as the backdrop… ala Dave Zirin and his Edge of Sports column or any number of sports stations that also carry shows like Rush Limbaugh or Bill O’Reilly.. Still others like it in gender based chat fests like the View. Lets hope folks step up their interaction game beyond the 2010 midterm elections.

Lastly, for those on the receiving end of information, its important to note that the end game for many in power is to keep you dis-empowered, uninformed, distracted and politically in the dark. This is done to keep folks from being wise to their games, susceptible to lies, doublespeak and blatant falsehoods. In other words politics is often slimy and many who do dirt don’t want an informed public to hold them accountable. The fact that corporate interests have such a strong hold in the political arena should be wake up call to all of us as we see the ways in which things play out.

It’s no accident that your local urban radio station which was calling its ‘The Obama’ station in ’08 hasn’t created a forum or show or even had a single discussion on important issues impacting your day to day lives. It’s no accident that some outlets decided to to have last minute voter registration drives only after money was spent on ads, not because they saw it as a service to the community. It’s no accident that we are hearing more about the shenanigans of actor Charlie Sheen in 5-10 minute chunks on the evening news and not who is running for mayor, city council or District Attorney in your own backyard. Commercial media is part of the corporate wave infusing itself with politics and as a result they as business have it in their interests to keep sizeable populations dumb downed so they be that pimped and exploited.

It’s also no accident that many politicians will avoid hard hitting investigative news shows like a Democracy Now orRachel Maddow for fear of being jammed up and made to address questions they’ve skirted..So yes, on many levels its up to each of us to keep ourselves informed and at the same time we will have to push and insist that folks who want your support come to where your at and not just during election time.

something to ponder

-Davey D-

PS on a side note.. if you wish to find out about all the key elections in your state, city and neighborhood, here’s the link to an incredible voting guide. It breaks down all the races and includes all the candidates, not just Republicans and Democrats. They have the folks who are running under the Green Party, Peace and Freedom and many others. This is a great resource.. hope you find it useful http://www.votesmart.org/voteeasy/

Ray Villafane Of D.C. and Marvel Comics On Pumpkin Carving

Ray Villafane has an interesting practice.

All pumpkin carvings have the ability to become freakishly delightful and moderately scary. The occasional loose toothed smile, a crooked grin, or even hideous face seems to be ordinary. What if there was an even more evil nature about a pumpkin? Potential that spooks are even scared of.

Ray Villafane, who works for D.C. and Marvel comics and owns Villafane Studios, likes to carve his pumpkins extra wicked. You might even say he is quite a "freaky" guy. 

Predator Head Pumpkin

Villafane is a two time winner of the Food Network's Outrageous Pumpkins Challenge Show. You might have even saw him on CBS Evening News with Katie Couric this past Monday at 6:30.

Not only are his pumpkin carvings insanely freaky. Villafane actually went through many trials and errors trying to perfect his art. After being an artist for D.C. and Marvel comics, his skills improved quickly. Before then Villafane mentions that he "smashed" quite a few pumpkins. 

So what pumpkin should be used?

According to Villafane, "the best pumpkin to use is a meaty one with character." This would seem to make sense in pumpkin art considering how much carving is done to create a masterpiece like Villafane's. 

How long does it take?

"It takes the best part of a day to finish, but for the most part it takes a couple hours," says Villafane. It may seem hard to believe that these intricate designs would only take a mere two hours, but for a professional like Villafane it doesn't take long.

Obama Pumpkin

Talent has nothing to do with this fine artwork though. Villafane says, "anyone can create a work of art." He even made a tutorial for those who want to try creating a masterpiece.

If you want to see more of his art you can check out Ray's Pumpkins on Wix.com. 

So whether you are a talented pumpkin carver like Villafane, or your the ordinary carver, Halloween can be spooked up with a hint of "Villafreakness." 

Clip from CBS Evening News

Unemployment News: Glenn Beck talks 99ers on Today’s Fox Show

Turn on any TV and you are bound to be slammed with talk of the midterm elections or unemployment news. The unemployment news is always bad these days, but today Glenn Beck talked about the 99ers on his Fox show.

Being a 99er myself and belonging to the American 99ers Union Beck discusses during his program, I can tell you that I am an expert on the 99er issue and really wish Mr. Beck had contacted me or one of the other 5 million 99ers to fact check his story - but then again - we are talking about Glenn Beck, who doesn’t ever really deal in facts.

The 99er talk begins at 13:05 in the 1st video and continues in the 2nd video below it. Boy has this guy got just about everything wrong. I guess he won't fork over the $$$ to pay for fact checkers. If he was actually as concerned about the unemployed as he represents in his video - he would at least hire one fact checker, right? Come on man - Glenn, buddy - try to practice what you preach. It would give you a little something you cannot buy with all of your money: Credibility!

See for yourselves the absolute drivel he spews and all under the guise of trying to appear so concerned about the unemployed in America. [WARNING: Viewing the “Beckster” is known to give most who watch him extreme nausea.]

Taylor Momsen Flashes - Needs A Heidi Montag-Style Big Boob Job

Last week the online celeb world was shocked to learn that The Gossip Girl's 17-year-old Actress and Singer Taylor Momsen flashed and showed her breasts during a New York concert.

But when the videos and pictures were shown, they revealed the sad fact that Momsen's almost flat chested.

The number one rule of sexual teasing is to have something to show. Taylor Momsen flashing and showing off her little mounds wasn't worth all the buzz because she had nothing to show.

In fact, Taylor should wait until she's 19 and more developed to show her tits. Her only hope is breast enhancement surgery. Yep. In fact, she should see what it's done for Heidi Montag.

Before her boob job, Heidi looked like, well, a little like Taylor Momsen, with just an inch more cleavage.

 Sure, Heidi was popular in a girl-next-door way, but nothing like what happened after the now late Dr. Frank Ryan worked on her chest.

Heidi Montag's Boob Comes Out (Pacific Coast News) 

Ok.  10 times.

But now, va voom, Heidi Montag's a sought-after Internet hottie who's now famous episode of her boob falling out of her bikini in Costa Rica made the World stop what it was doing to check it out.

If Taylor Momsen wants to up her media game and have something to really flash, she's got to get a bigger set of boobs. That's all there is too it.

Momsen should consult Montag about this and how to conduct herself when her boobs are big.  Heidi's boobs are her best publicity weapon.

Richmond City Council: Myrna Lopez and Maria Viramontes Making Richmond Streets Safer

Richmond City Council Candidates Myrna Lopez and Maria Viramontes are running for election this November 2. Word is getting out on their successes in improving public safety in Richmond.

Among the important issues that the Richmond City Council will be working on next year are strengthening public safety, improving education, and getting Richmond back to work, particularly at the Chevron Richmond Refinery where the long-stalled Renewal project would bring back more than 1,000 much needed jobs to the community.

According to mail pieces that are posted on RichmondJobsNow.org both Myrna Lopez and Maria Viramontes, candidates for Richmond City Council on November 2, both have strong records that are making the streets safer.

According to the pieces on Myrna Lopez:

Myrna Lopez Found Funding to Put More Police on Our Streets: Myrna Lopez knows that making our streets safer begins with putting more policemen on our streets. She supported an initiative to increase the number of officers on patrol – especially in high crime areas. And it’s working, Crime in Richmond is down for the third year in a row.

Myrna Lopez is making a real and direct difference in the lives of Richmond residents – especially when it comes to making our neighborhoods safer. She helped lead the push to secure funding for more police officers. And that’s just for starters. When it comes to safer communities, Myrna believes that more police officers are a necessity but so are good jobs and better schools.

The pieces on Myrna Lopez are available here and here on RichmondJobsNow.org.

According to the piece on Maria Viramontes:

Maria Viramontes: More Funding for More Cops on the Beat in Richmond: Crime is down in Richmond. And that’s no accident. City Councilmember Maria Viramontes has been on the forefront of the effort to put more police on the beat. Officer staffing levels are the highest they’ve been in many years — and it’s having an impact.

To continue making progress, Richmond needs to turn up its commitment to funding our police force – not merely offer lip service to root causes of crime. With Maria Viramontes on the case, Richmond has a City Councilmember whose eyes are wide open and whose commitment to keeping our streets safe never waivers.

In 2007, Maria Viramontes authored legislation to increase the number of police officers to 3 per 1,000 residents in high crime areas. Today, there are 193 officers patrolling our streets, making them safer.

Crime reports show that crime is down for the third year in a row. Homicides remain a serious problem but Maria Viramontes is pushing for a new plan to raise the number of officers to 213 – the same level Richmond had when our crime rates were their lowest ever.

The piece on Maria Viramontes is available here.

According to "About the Campaign" on RichmondJobsNow.org, "On November 2nd, Richmond residents will elect a new Mayor and three members to the City Council. With so much at stake, it is important for voters to be informed about the issues that will affect our city’s future. This website provides articles and posts about the upcoming election."

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

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

More to come on the Richmond City Council elections.

9/11 Cover Up Theory

There are many conspiracy theories regarding 9/11, and now there is another cover up theory being brought to public attention.

Infowars.com has a large collection of articles/blog posts/etc. about "the truth behind 9/11." There are articles taken from Fox News, MWC News, Sydney Daily Telegraph, etc.

Infowars has the most recent cover up posted today, Wednesday, October 27, 2010. The article is called "New Footage Implodes 9/11 Cover Up."

This post refers to a Youtube video that brings in the idea that there was a "secondary hit" to one of the towers before it collapsed.




Another part of this cover up is being brought to light by Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer who wrote the book Operation Dark Heart in which he reveals his encounters with executive director of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks, Dr. Philip Zelikow.

The book suggests that Zelikow may have something to do with the 9/11 cover up, according to JackTimes.com

Brooke Baldwin Shows Legs On CNN News

Brooke Baldwin, the super hot and super good CNN News anchor who replaced Rick Sanchez, shows legs On CNN News. And she's got the shortest skirt ever allowed on a CNN set.

If you recall Brooke Baldwin took Rick Sanchez' place because Rick made a comment defamatory toward his bosses at CNN, saying that it was owned by Jews, in addition to calling The Daily Show's Jon Stewart a bigot.

Baldwin - who, like Sanchez is bilingual - was Rick's on air sidekick who focused on reporting on the news trends of the day.   The chemistry between Brooke and Rick was one of the pluses of The Rick's List Show.

Before that, Brooke was on CNN's sister network HLN. But never before, even though she's worn a skirt, has she worn one so freaking short.  She's done this twice from memory, but not all the time.  That's too bad - CNN needs to have her in some short skirt.  Look at what it did for Mary Hart's career.

Considering CNN's ratings problems, and Fox News success with the same formula, it was a smart move.



Brooke's got great, athletics legs. Plus, she talks about some of the days most searches for news and does so effortlessly. Baldwin just needs to up her Twitter game just a bit to be perfect.

CNN should not shy away from having Brooke show her legs. If some get pissed about it, big deal - it will pay off in higher ratings and more money and a new start for CNN.  

Just because a woman looks great doesn't mean we will not take her seriously, and it's psycho to think otherwise.

Brooke Baldwin is super-hot, super-good, and super-cool.  Deal with it!

LeBron James: Nike Commercial - LeBron Rise

The Nike Commercial "LeBron Rise" has already gained almost 1 million views and also a number of critics asking why the Miami Heat Star Basketball Player made the Nike ad, which really isn't an ad.

It has LeBron James asking "What Should I Do," which makes this blogger think there's some website with the URL WhatShouldIdo.com that has LeBron in it. But no, it's already taken, as you can see.

The commercial has not made a lot of people happy because it just rekindled all of the hard feelings James created in Cleveland, New York, and Chicago, when he shamelessly flirted with fans of each town in considering where he was going before he selected Miami.

If LeBron were smart, he'd have listened to President Obama and went to The Chicago Bulls.

But the bottom line is LeBron James is not Michael Jordan and at this point, he's not going to be. At least until he stops whining and starts playing some real lights out basketball. The kind of basketball that takes over games, shocks fans, and scares the hell out of opponents.

LeBron had his first chance to do that with his new team Tuesday night. He didn't do it.

What should LeBron do?

Just play.

Saw 3D Comes out Friday

Saw 3D comes out Friday and will be the first movie to be filmed using a 3D camera. This will be the seventh and final movie of the Saw franchise. Watch the following video for a nice Zennie62.com blog update & the video below that is a fun video that was made.

Troy Smith To Ted Ginn - Ohio State Fuels SF 49er (Niners) Offense

Get ready for Troy Smith To Ted Ginn as the Ohio State friends and former teammates are paired again. San Francisco 49ers Head Coach Mike Singletary announced that Quaterback Troy Smith, the former Baltimore Ravens Quarterback, traded to the 49ers September 6th, 2010, will get the start in London against the Denver Broncos.

The reason is that Niners Starting QB Alex Smith is recovering from a shoulder injury and backup David Carr just plain sucked against the Carolina Panthers.

Smith, the 2006 Heisman Trophy winner, played with QB Kyle Boller in Baltimore and some fans wanted him to start in place of Boller. Troy is known for his speed, intellect, and leadership, but never got the break he needed to show he could be "the man" at quarterback. Perhaps this is just that.

The problem for Troy Smith and Ted Ginn is one that plagues the San Francisco 49ers overall and that's lack of discipline. The 49ers under Coach Singletary have players not looking when the ball's thrown to them on screen passes, make errors in judgment based on poor temper, and in general make just enough errors in penalties and missed assignments that add up the losses.

Don't expect Troy Smith to fair too much better than David Carr. The reason is coaching. The 49ers of Singletary are offensively an insult to the tradition set by the late 49ers Coach Bill Walsh. Coach Walsh's quarterbacks were so well-trained that one could step in for the other and be effective.

David Carr looked just plain terrible against the Carolina Panthers and was a major reason they lost a close game.

Troy Smith ads the dimension of speed, but timing in that passing offense, unless the Niners plan to throw fly patterns, is another story.

Avatar 2 & 3 are coming

Avatar2.movie-trailer.com

Techland.com has announced that James Cameron is going to be releasing two Avatar sequels. These sequels are scheduled to be released Decmeber 2014 and 2015. Let us just hope that Cameron doesn't get carried away with the "bad movie sequel syndrome." Lets face it. Over the past couple years there has been some pretty bad sequels. If Cameron is able to pull this off he will be hitting the box-office hard.

According to E! Online, movie stars Sam Worthington (Jake Sully) and Zoe Saldana (Princess Neytiri) are back on board for another Avatar experience, both playing in both sequels.

James Cameron told E! Online, "The second and third films will be stories that fulfill a greater story arc. We will not back off from Avatar's visual and emotional freight train, which touched the hearts of audiences in all cultures around the world."

In fact, according to IMDb.com, James Cameron is planning to shoot some footage seven miles underwater in the Challenger Deep, the deepest point of the Mariana Trench; the deepest location on earth. The pressure at such a depth would be over 8 tons per square inch. This is far beyond the capabilities of even the most advanced Russian military subs, which can handle only 1,600 pounds per square inch of pressure.

Hopefully these sequels will prove to be extraordinary like the first. The worst that could happen is there is a knock-off sequel of the movies Pocahontas and Dances With Wolves, who many people proclaimed in multiple reviews for that last movie.