Thursday, November 11, 2010

The Daily Beast Merges With Newsweek, Creating "BeastWeek"

The Daily Beast, the news site ran by Tina Brown (Businessinsider.com photo at left) and with a staff this blogger pointed to as devoid of blacks when the website was established in 2008, is completing a merger with Howard Fineman's old media home Newsweek.  

When it's completed, this blogger will call it BeastWeek.

According to The New York Observer, Brown, the web and editorial staffs will merge, and Brown will be in charge of the combined tribe.  The merger itself will be a 50-50 ownership split.  Reportedly, Newsweek owner Sidney Harman and IAC Chairman Barry Diller could not agree on an operating system for BeastWeek, but have worked through their differences and are close to something they can agree on.  (Really, they should have spent more time on a New Media business plan, but I digress.)

Newsweek and The Daily Beast are both just not performing well, so without a sound plan and financial backing, it's not likely BeastWeek will fair much better.   It's not enough to merge two media organizations, but roll the dice and create a new way of distributing media in a cost effective yet impactive way.

The model Harman and Diller should copy for BeastWeek is Associated Content or The Examiner, and with an eye toward eventual acquisition by a large web organization like AOL.  But BeastWeek has to form itself into a must-be-at product (note that), and even with the sure-fire combination of Megan McCain's sexy intellect, nothing short of a complete overhaul of the media delivery system between Newsweek and The Daily Beast will really turn things around.

BeastWeek.  Because it will either grow to a beast of an organization that devoirs the week in news, or be the dying media beast spending weeks on life support.

Time will tell.

Tucker Carlson Fakes Keith Olbermann, Breaks NY Law

Apparently having nothing better to do now that his website The Daily Caller reached 1.5 million visitors per month (Hey Tucker, you're in striking distance of Zennie62.com, so watch out) , Couch-Potato Conservative Columnist and TV Pundit Tucker Carlson decided to play "Fake Keith Olbermann" and send angry emails to a Philadelphia Daily News columnist Stu Bykofsky last weekend. (Thankfully Carlson didn't go after Walgreens CEO and Walgreens CFO for a "Health Care Reform-friendly" business model, instead.)

Tucker planned to establish that ability back in July of this year, when he purchased Olbermann's domain name, taking advantage of the fact that Keith and his people at MSNBC would be so careless as to leave a domain name that should be owned by him available for just anyone to buy.

Then, when Keith was suspended by MSNBC President Phil Griffin last Friday, Carlson pounced.

Bykofsky innocently used the email keith@keitholbermann.com to contact the person he thought was Keith, only to unknowingly get Carlson, who was in a mood to clown around.

Carlson, posing as Olbermann, had written a series of biting emails in response to a column Stu wrote that concluded FOX News' Bill O'Reilly was more "fair and balanced" than the real Keith Olbermann.  Here's a sample of the emails exchanged:

——– Original Message ——–
Subject: [SPAM] From the Philadelphia Daily News
From: “Bykofsky, Stu”
Date: Fri, November 05, 2010 1:44 pm
To:

Mr. Olbermann:
I’d like an opportunity to speak to you about your current situation.
I am doing a column for publication Monday. I will be here until 6 p.m., but won’t finish until 1 p.m. tomorrow.
If you would rather respond via email, what I want to know, essentially, is the following:
Do you think you were treated fairly by MSNBC?
Do you consider yourself a journalist or a commentator?
If a journalist, is it proper for you to give your opinions?
If a commentator, should you be anchoring a newscast, such as Tuesday night’s election program?
Do you regret chastising others (Rupert Murdoch) for making political donations?
Is there a difference between what he did and what you did?
Thank you.
Stu Bykofsky
Columnist
Philadelphia Daily News
215-854-5977

From: keith@keitholbermann.com [mailto:keith@keitholbermann.com]
Sent: Monday, November 08, 2010 2:46 PM
To: Bykofsky, Stu
Subject: RE: [SPAM] From the Philadelphia Daily News

Mr. Bykofsky:

Unfortunately your column (which I just saw) had already run before I read this email. What a shame. I assume you saw the irony in attacking someone for betraying journalism, while you, a self-described journalist, failed to get a single quote from the person you were attacking. Pathetic. Indeed, beneath contempt. How dare you pose as the heir to Murrow.

You didn’t wait for the facts before writing your screed, but for what it’s worth I, unlike you, am a journalist, not a hack. Was I treated fairly by MSNBC? It’s hard to imagine a dumber question, as I don’t work for MSNBC, but for NBC News. As I’ve said publicly before, Phil Griffin is not my boss (thank god), nor is he intellectually qualified to be. Phil pretends otherwise in public. I’m not his shrink, but I assume it makes him feel better. The remarkable thing is that fools like you believe his fantasies. That pleases Phil, but only exposes your ignorance. The proof? I’ll be anchoring on election night 2012, long after Phil Griffin has moved on to a job for which he’s actually qualified, perhaps on QVC.

I hope that clears up your misconceptions.

KO

You get the idea.

It goes on and the exchange is posted at the blog site Phawker. But the bottom line, as Stu admitted over at Phawker, he'd been punked.

And Carlson's little stunt appears to be illegal. Stu uses the text from, then link to a legal website by Lisa J. Sotto of Hunton & Williams, and informing that New York State made Internet impersonation a crime in 2008:


Specifically, New York’s Internet impersonation law amends section 190.25 of the Penal Law by adding Subdivision 4, making it a crime to impersonate another person by electronic means, including through use of a website, with the intent to obtain a benefit or injure or defraud another person.


But even with that information, neither Stu, nor Keith has said they would file charges against Tucker Carlson.

Stay tuned.

Conan O'Brien: Now on TBS




Conan O'Brien returns to late night TV after an 8 month hiatus as stipulated by his severance agreement with NBC. The fallout with NBC started when the network decided to push the "Tonight Show" back half an hour and give the time slot to Jay Leno. Jay Leno's new show hadn't been doing well in the ratings and it was thought that this was due competition with crime dramas in the new time slot. NBC believed that by pushing the show back ratings would improve. Conan refused to budge on this matter though and made a public statement saying that "I sincerely believe that delaying 'The Tonight Show' into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting," he said. "'The Tonight Show' at 12:05 simply isn't 'The Tonight Show." The disagreement ended with Conan O'Brien leaving the "Tonight Show" after only 7 months with a 33 million dollar severance deal for himself and another 12 million for his staff and the condition that Conan O'brien would not return to TV for 8 months.

Conan O'Brien's new show on TBS aired Monday November 12th at 11/10c. The new show is simply called "Conan" and the comedian joked that his reasoning for this was "So that I'd be harder to replace." The first episode had guest appearances by Seth Rogen, Lea Michele from the cast of "Glee" and featured Jack White as the musical guest.

Conan poked fun at NBC during the beginning monologue of his new show and even poked fun at himself for his new "basic cable" status throughout the show. In the introduction sketch, Conan is handed a folded piece of paper by a TBS executive who is presenting Conan with their offer for the show. The folded piece of paper reads, "Less," and then when unfolded the word "Much," is revealed above it. Conan even renamed the house band to the "Basic Cable Band."

In one of the many promos for his new show, that were run in the weeks before its debut, Conan asks the viewers, "Are you ready for a whole new kind of late night TV?......... Good. Neither am I." Conan has held true to that promise, the new show is much like the other ones. What do I have to say about this? "That's right Conan, don't change a thing, we love you just the way you are."

John Bobst

Jenn Sterger Gives NFL Evidence Of Photos Of Brett Favre's Privates (TMZ)



According to TMZ.oom today and just 18 minutes ago as of this writing, New York Jets Sideline Reporter Jenn Sterger gave the NFL (National Football League) evidence called "overwheming" that Minnesota Vikings Quarterback Brett Favre sent photos of his privates to her two years ago, when he was the quarterback for the New York Jets.

The 26-year old Sterger (is this the year for 26-year olds? Tim Lincecum's that age!) and here lawyer and her manager met with NFL security chief Milt Ahlerich and another league investigator in Manhattan, according to The New York Post.

For a time, Sterger resisted the overtures to visit with the NFL, but then changed her mind just less than two weeks ago.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/jenn_sterger_meets_with_messages_YdInLjV7Qpa3dNuRqux0WO#ixzz151dttZqo

Jenn Sterger's manager Phil Reese said the "Sterger team" expects "swift action" by the NFL after today's three hour meeting at what ESPN says is an "undisclosed location." There, Jenn Sterger gave the NFL a "substantial amount beyond what had already been reported," but just what that was, was not explained. One can only imagine.

Deadspin Broke The Story


To Recap, here's what was reported at Zennie62.com on Friday, October 8th:





On Wednesday, Deadspin Editor Al Daulerio posted a video on Deadspin that contains two photos of what's reported to be Brett Favre's dick. The move was totally unnecessary from this blogger's view.

Moreover, Deadspin did nothing to warm the video viewer of what they were about to see midway through the video, unless you happen to read the text below it first. Nothing. The penis photos just popped up, no pun intended. But what's this all about?

Jenn Sterger.

It extends back two years to when Brett played for the Jets and Jenn Sterger, a now-26-year old model and broadcaster along the lines of Inez Sainz, was with the Jets in the capacity of sideline reporter.

Jenn Sterger

As Deadspin explains it, Favre allegedly retained the help of Jets PR man Jared Winley in an effort to meet the hot Sterger in person. Once Brett got her phone number, he allegedly left several messages asking to see her, and sent the infamous text photos.

But Jared Winley says he never met or knew Jenn Sterger and that "he was not the main PR contact for Favre" according to Deadspin.

Al Daulerio's having a hard time, no pun intended, getting anyone to go on the record about this story. Jenn Sterger won't talk. Brett Favre will not deal with it. And no one from the Jets wants to hear about it. Moreover, the photos were obtained from a "third party" as Daulerio says, who also will not go on the record.

Then the voice, the one reported to sound like Brett Favre, is being question as well. Indeed, it looks like the story has little in the way of legs. But then, today, it got worse for Brett.

Now, two women have surfaced at Deadspin, claiming that Brett sent leud texts to them as well. Yikes.


According to FOX Sports, Brett Favre did admit to calling Jenn Sterger, but says he has no idea where the photos came from.

See: TMZ.com

Walgreens CEO, Walgreens CFO and Health Care Reform: An Update

Walgreens, the giant $60 billion national drug retailer, revealed a business model that embraces President Obama's Heath Care Reform initiative. Walgreens CEO Gregory Wasson, Walgreens Executive Vice President and CFO Wade Miquelon, and several other executives present at it's November 4th Analyst Day, mentioned Heath Care Reform or said that the production business systems of Walgreens itself were ready to handle the increased load of an anticipated 32 million new participants in the American health care provider system.

Now, this blogger found a July 9, 2009 Fast Company article entitled Why Walgreens Is Building Its Own Universal Health Care System. The article's author, Zachary Wilson, reports that Walgreens Health and Wellness is positioned to be a provider for the new health care load that's anticipated. Walgreens' Wesson said "What it's really about is, it's an incredible way for us to leverage our existing footprint."

That "footprint" consists of almost 7,000 retailers nationwide, 68 percent of which lives within 5 miles of a Walgreens, and 6 million people walk into them each day.

Thus, Walgreens had anticipated the passage of Health Care Reform, and positioned its operations to be ready for it.

Don Perata Concedes To Mayor-Elect Jean Quan; Twitter Reveals Nasty Reactions

The political career of former State Senator, Assemblyman, and Alameda County Supervisor Don Perata is over. After a miraculous loss to now former Oakland Councilmember Jean Quan, Perata met with the media in Oakland today.

According to the blog Oakland North, who's Berkeley J-school students do a great job of covering the part of Oakland that's north of Lake Merritt, Perata said he would not seek a recount, and stood ready to help Oakland's new Mayor-Elect Quan, and any other elected official.

From the distance of 2,600 miles, where I am to visit my Mom, the announcement of Perata's decision not to legally challenge the Ranked Choice Voting count was a bit of a surprise, but given the hours that passed between last night and now, it's apparent cooler heads prevailed. That's a good thing.  Jean should be allowed to enjoy her win, and Don should call her ASAP, rather than at some point in time.

The bottom line is that Jean Quan won fair and square. Moreover, Don should be excited that he at least is a part of a turning of the page in Oakland's storied history. Quan's Oakland's first elected female and Asian mayor. That's huge and points to Oakland's proud tradition of diversity.

What's not huge is the level of nastiness expressed toward Perata on Twitter. The reactions to Perata's decision, particularly on the part of SFWeekly, which hasn't covered the Oakland Mayor's Race, are totally awful. It's one thing to have an informed view of a candidate you cover, but to toss hard nasty insults about a candidate you don't know, in a race you know nothing about, is something else. Heck, I don't even do that to Republican candidates on the national stage.

For example, one of the milder ones:



SFWeekly SF Weekly
Don Perata deserved to lose the race for Oakland mayor. Why? Because he acted like he deserved to win. http://bit.ly/b5BssX
23 minutes ago


Actually that's not true: every candidate acted like they deserved to win, not just Don. Terrance Candell also skipped several mayoral forums, but with the exception of this blogger, no one, and especially not SFWeekly, mentioned him.

And if it wasn't SFWeekly chiming in with blog from the cheap seats, it was twitterers like focalintent tossing hard insults:



focalintent focalintent
And really, Perata, if you claim you don't comprehend how RCV works, either you're lying to make a political statement, or an idiot.
58 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply


Or this one by some random person on Twitter:


DummieBear510 The Dummie Bear
YEAH JEAN QUAN IS #OAKLANDS NEW MAYOR!!! FUCK YOU DON PERATA!!!! HAHAHA
1 hour ago Favorite Retweet Reply


Okay.

With all those, and other tweets, one would think Don actually did something to the people issuing them. But when you really think about it, he didn't do anything at all.

Frankly, I'm happy for Jean, but I'm really not happy with the classless way a number of Oaklanders, from mainstream media types, to Twitter participants today, have conducted themselves. Shameful.

The collection's more like classless workers in a garbage skow on a prison planet than civilized people. In fact, I may have just insulted the classless workers in a garbage skow on a prison planet.

Sorry.

It's apparent the era of class politics is out of the window. Don Perata, to his credit, never once said anything negative about his opponents to me either on or off the record. That's not true for his opponents, however, and that includes Quan and Kaplan.

Now, Mayor Elect Jean Quan, by the grace of God, becomes the person in the position Perata planned to get two years ago. Jean, by the grace of God, now has the position that, if she handles it incorrectly, could cast her in the role of the new Don Perata.

Stay tuned.

Zennie Abraham: Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones Married But With Las Vegas Blondes, Mark Davis Update

Zennie Abraham (Zennie62Media CEO and builder of ZENNIEREPORT.COM ZENNIEREPORT.COM) blogs about Jerry Jones. This Zennie Abraham update contains accounts of Oakland Raiders Owner Mark Davis and Jerry Jones. Why Davis here? because he's in the process of building a new stadium in Las Vegas, and leading the effort to move his football organization to Las Vegas, and started on it with the aide of Jerry Jones. Davis has been tied to behavior in Las Vegas that is similar to Jones, if not more risky. The update is below. Dallas Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones should know that eyes are always on him. That's the price paid for being the face of an organization, rather than pulling its strings in the background.   It's the flip side of making hard decisions like firing Wade Phillips or releasing Terrell Owens.

Eyes were on him when Jones made the disrespectful blast before the 2010 NFL Draft about Bill Parcells and about how Tim Tebow would not "get on the field" if he was chosen by The Dallas Cowboys...



Eyes were on him when Jones was in Las Vegas Tuesday night, too.

According to TMZ.com and SpyOnVegas.com, Jones was seen with a young blonde woman at the Lavo nightclub in the Venetian Hotel, and took this photo with her.

Now, "seen" doesn't in itself mean anything. The woman could have been a fan or a friend of a friend. So at first glance, there's no harm. Except, of course, for the fact that Mr. Jones isn't wearing his wedding ring. He's got what appears to be a Cowboys Super Bowl ring on.

Yep. Jerry Jones is married, and has been attached to Gene Jones, but that hasn't apparently hasn't stopped him from having a good time with other women, and on a scale that reportedly rivals Tiger Woods before Thanksgiving 2009.

Eyes have been on Jerry Jones for a long time.

Jeff Pealman's book Boys Will Be Boys: The Glory Days and Party Nights of the Dallas Cowboys Dynasty, the account of "sex, drugs, and debauchery" of the Dallas Cowboys of the dynasty years of the 90s, when the organization earned three Super Bowl wins in 1993, 1994, and 1996.

That was a pretty wild and weird bunch, a far cry from the Christian values of Tom Landry's Cowboys. If it wasn't Charles Haley masturbating in front of teammates, or the team's need for what it called "skanks" to be around them, to the behavior of Jerry Jones as reported by "GMoney:"




Jerry Jones used to make his private plane shake in flight because he was banging his mistress so hard in the back. He also would ask his employee's wives if they were wearing panties and that if she would give him 5 minutes, he would take her to heaven...right in front of their husbands who were, as I said, employed by Jones.


Then there was the recent civil complaint filed September 30, 2010, in which a Patricia Gavin alleges that the same Jerry Jones who owns the Dallas Cowboys, which, while questionable in that it makes Ms. Gavin look like a pleasure-seeker who may be twisting events to get $500 million from Jones, seems to follow the pattern of behavior Jones is said to practice in Pearlman's book.

And eyes were on Jones at Lavo nightclub in the Venetian Hotel, beyond that photo.  The Dirty.com reports that Jones was with "this young lady" "all night long":



Yes it did happen. This young lady was with him all night long, and my friends in security told me they followed them on camera all the way to a suite with 1 other female. I must say Jerry Jones is a true “Gentleman” and has more game than any Trout I’ve seen here in 11 years.


And note, they followed Jones with a camera! Eyes are always on Jerry Jones, but this blogger has to ask, why does the media pay no attention to Jones, whereas they paid a ton of attention to Tiger Woods?

For all of his romps in the hay, Woods was never, once, sued for sexual assault. And Woods is worth more than Jones. Yet, the media's had a field day in destroying Tiger Woods, where the married Jerry Jones continues to party like a rock star almost under the radar?  Why do we continuously read about Brett Favre and sexting Jenn Starger, but not the fun Jerry Jones has in Las Vegas or anywhere else?   What does Jerry's wife think about all of this?  If she's cool with it, then it's cool, right?  

Is the media afraid of a rich, white male NFL Owner?  Or is it that Jerry Jones is so likeable, which is true, the sports media tends to look the other way?

As our Zennie62.com hip hop journalist Davey D would say, "something to ponder."

Mark Davis Update 

Mark Davis' love for Las Vegas showgirls is no secret.  In fact, two years ago, this blogger asked a friend who's also a good friend of Davis why he was so determined to move the Raiders to Las Vegas, even though he had sellouts in Oakland?  

"Well," my friend said, "I know he's got a couple of girls in Las Vegas."   I was stunned, saying "You mean we're being put through all of this for a couple of women?"   

My friend's out-of-the-blue statement was baked by photo after photo of Mark Davis in Las Vegas hanging out with different women.  This blogger does not fault Davis for having a girlfriend or two, but there has not seemed to be one woman.  

 

That would seem to imply the existence of a dangerous mix: a rich NFL Owner who only achieved status in 2011, and with the passing of his legendary father, Al Davis, now able to live the kind of life he's wanted.  But he's by anyone judgement not competing with George Clooney in the looks department, and doesn't posses the body of Adonis.  What he has are three things generally
attractive to women: money, power, and a football team.  

 

That mix can be advantageous to its holder or lethal to its holder.  In Davis case, he has enough recorded partnerships to cause one to be concerned that a dangerous encounter is just around the corner.  


On top of that, he's hanging out with Jones in Las Vegas.  Given Jones' past track record, it's fair to ask if Davis copied some of the path set by the Cowboys Owner and partner in the business of building Las Vegas Stadium.  

 

It was Jones who got Davis the NFL Owner votes that allowed him to embark on a move from Oakland that's been painful for everyone.  Now, Davis and Jones are joined at the hip: Jones is responsible for the gathering of sponsors for Las Vegas Stadium as well as LA Rams new stadium in Inglewood. 

With all of that, Mark Davis has to be careful.  He can't afford to continue the habit of hanging out at strip clubs at night.  A few years ago, Davis was seemingly without a care:

Raiders owner Mark Davis hangs out at LA strip club

It's not easy being Raiders owner Mark Davis: Your team has the worst stadium in football, you haven't had winning season since 2002 and you don't even know where you're going to be located next year.
Actually, scratch all that because sometimes it is easy being Mark Davis, like the other day when he got to hold a business meeting at a strip club.
Sam's Hofbrau, an adult cabaret in Los Angeles, recently posted a picture of Davis on their Instagram page.
Next to the picture, the cabaret posted the caption, "Look who stopped by tonight for some #Viptreatment #MarkDavis Principal Owner of the Oakland Raiders. Thank You!!!"
Now, Davis hanging out at a strip club in Los Angeles doesn't mean Raiders fans in Oakland need to start panicking about a possible move -- or does it mean exactly that?
In Davis' picture, the cabaret also included the hashtag #LA next to Oakland Raiders, along with the hashtag #BusinessMeetings.
The woman in the picture, a hostess at Sam's, was asked on Instagram why Davis was at the cabaret, she was also asked if he talked about the Raiders moving to Los Angeles.
Her response?
"He's a personal friend of the owners. Very sweet and very humble and possibilities are definitely there. Yes he's in LA for something like that."
If an adult cabaret employee in Los Angeles broke the news of a Raiders move to LA, that would definitely be right up there with the time that Rob Lowe "broke" the news that Peyton Manning was retiring. Anyway, next time you're out in public this year, keep your eyes peeled for Davis because he seems to be everywhere. Over the past month alone, he's been spotted at Hooters and boarding a Southwest flight in Denver.

Mark Davis has to be careful. One wrong move by Davis with a girlfriend in Las Vegas could translate to key sponsors jumping ship, costing the Raiders and Legends Hospitality hundreds of millions of much-needed dollars, and wrecking the relocation effort in the process. 



As it turned out, it did mean exactly that.  


Unemployment News: 99ers’ Plan to pay for Tier 5 UI Extension / Reduce spending


The 99ers have a plan to pay for Tier 5 Unemployment Extensions and reduce government spending, that shifts the burden where it belongs - on the rich leaders spending all the money irresponsibly.

A country who cannot feed and house their population - can no longer afford to lavish huge salaries and perks upon their elected officials. Public Service should be exactly that! One cannot properly serve those who are hundreds of tax brackets below their own. They cannot conceive the reality of the average citizen, therefore leaders must be brought financially closer to those they are elected to serve.

Introducing: 99ers Plan to pay for Unemployment Extensions and Tier 5
  • Let the Bush tax cuts expire for the top 3% immediately
  • Means Test all retirement plans for every current / former President, Senator and House member immediately. If their income or net worth is more than triple that of the average American, they do not need the money - therefore they should no longer get the money
  • Cut compensation for every member of Congress immediately by 55% (they don’t need the money anyway) No member of Congress shall be paid any compensation if their net worth exceeds $2.5 million dollars
  • No foreign travel by members of Congress at the tax payer expense
  • Cut Congressional staffers by 50% and the pay of those remaining staffers by 30%
  • NO FREE HEALTHCARE for any member of Congress or their families
  • Travel expenses for members of Congress to and from Washington back to their home states/districts should be paid for only 4 times per year. Members of Congress pay for any additional trips themselves. That will keep them at work more often
  • Members of Congress are limited to 2 home state office locations only (on the tax payer dime) and monthly rental of those locations cannot exceed $2500.00 per month each. (Why should they have fancy offices? They are hardly ever there anyway)
  • Any time spent running for another office (other than the one the hold) shall be deducted from their pay
  • Any unspent money in the “war chest’ (political donations unused) shall go directly to pay off the National debt immediately upon leaving office not to be kept by the candidate(s)
  • Congress shall hold no hearings unless they volunteer their time to serve upon them
  • If any member of Congress has constituents that are living below the poverty rate - any earmark they demand or appropriate for their home state or district MUST be first proven to benefit those “needy” constituents directly
  • Any defense contracts that exceed their original budget estimates by more than 20% will require the contractor or company CEO to do mandatory jail time
  • Immediately end all massive tax-payer financed 'agricultural' subsidies to millionaires and billionaires with vanity farms
  • Fire everyone at Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae and put 99ers to work in those jobs - as we know how to make a dollar stretch.
WHY? Because on November 3, 2010, the Associated Press reported that government owned mortage buyer, Freddie Mac, posted a $4.1 billion loss in the third quarter of the year and has asked for another $100 million of taxpayer money to help its short term financial condition. It asked for $1.8 billion in the second quarter.

The article estimates that the combined bailouts for both Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae will eventually top out at about $260 billion.

***Tier 5 would only have cost about $32 billion, helped to save 5 million people and had an equivalent stimulative effect on the economy of about 2.8 billion dollars per week for 20 weeks
  • Cancel the U.S. government plan to spend $511 million to expand, not build, its embassy in Afghanistan. I do not know what it cost to build the existing embassy but if it costs more than a half a billion dollars to expand it, the original cost to build it must have been obscenely expensive. Spending this money on a building that is likely just going to get blown up is insane and NOT a good use of our limited American funds
  • Mandate that all Tarp $ must be repaid before any bonuses can be paid to anyone in those companies who still owe. Citigroup, GMAC Financial and Sun Trust banks have not paid back all of their TARP money. Citigroup has paid back about 75% but the other two have not paid back a dime. There is $32 billion still owed by these 3 companies
So you see it is NOT about money. Tier 5 can be paid for completely by just implementing the last of the 16 suggestion above. All the other savings mentioned in this article could help put every jobless American back to work at a living wage. The sad fact is the rich politicians who run America just want the poor unemployed to die off and as soon as possible!

Armed Man From Bay Bridge Standoff Now In Custody




CBS San Francisco reports that a man claiming to have explosives and a gun had a standoff with the police at the Bay Bridge today causing the bridge to be shut down.

Due to marital issues the man drove with his daughter, got out of his vehicle and climbed over the  side barrier of the bridge, threatening his own life. This standoff halted all traffic that was westbound.

His daughter ran to the police and told them that her father was indeed armed.

This man has since been taken into custody and the bridge has been re-opened.

Veterans Day 2010 Message From First Lady Michelle Obama

First Lady Michelle Obama rarely sends out a mass email message, so when this arrived just a few moments ago at 8:39 AM PST, this blogger took notice. It's a reminder of the importance of Veterans Day 2010.

Here's First Lady Michelle Obama:


Friend --

Veterans Day provides us with the chance to mark the debt of honor we owe to all those who have worn the uniform of the United States. We remember those who gave their lives beneath our flag, in service of our freedom.

And with so many still fighting, we owe special thanks to the courageous families of those who serve.

Because when our servicemen and women deploy overseas, their loved ones are left to undertake heroic battles of their own at home. The unique challenges they face in support of men and women in uniform allow us all to enjoy the freedoms of our democracy.

Every time I have a chance to meet with these families, I'm struck by their strength and their quiet dignity -- they are truly some of the most selfless, courageous people I've met.

And today is also a day to acknowledge the sacrifices these brave men and women make every day, and pray for the safe return of those they love.

I've felt their calling personally, and I want to encourage Americans across the country to step up and do more for our military families. Take the time to stay informed about the concerns and activities of the families of service members in your community. Let them know you recognize their struggles and appreciate all they do.

You can help by finding out the needs of the military families in your community and volunteering, from working with your local school's PTA to hiring a military spouse.

Today and every day, I am moved by the personal sacrifices made by service families. And I'm humbled by the patriotism of those they support -- our soldiers and airmen, our sailors and Marines.

Today, if you can, please take a moment to offer your gratitude for the families of the veterans and active service members that you know. Or go online to serve.gov to find out how you can serve military families in your area.

Sincerely,

Michelle

Lesson from Mid-term Elections Stop Taking Your Base for Granted




A week after last week's mid-term elections and many people all over the country are still trying to take stock as to what went right, what went wrong and what it means for the future. If you're on the left side of the political spectrum one of the over-riding concern was why the large base of young, Black and Brown folks who voted in record numbers in '08 didn't show up in 2010.

Now if you listen to high-priced political consultants or the news pundits who rarely do GOTV work, they'll tell you the drop in numbers was because 'people don't vote in large numbers during mid-terms' . When pressed and asked could it be that folks felt disconnected and were enormously dissatisfied, those same consultants and pundits will try to spin it and assert: 'These young voters were lazy they should've gotten off their butts and voted' ,'They were impatient and haven't given the President and the Democrats times to accomplish their agenda' or 'They were naive and to think political discourse would not be messy, frustrating and ugly at times. Of course the tried and true assertion is that young voters were being unrealistic with their political expectations.

[caption id="attachment_5834" align="alignright" width="275" caption="The constant communication via outlets frequented by Young Voters disappeared after the 08 election. The enthusiasm young voters had for Obama dried up and never transferred over to other democrats who also ignored young voters"][/caption]

We say wrong answers. How about it was lack of effective communication? Young voters weren't being reached out to in any meaningful way? How about much of the leadership inside the Democratic Party took those young voters for granted? To sum up what one of the elder poll workers stated at the precinct I worked last week, 'these young people were used and discarded'. Nobody wants to admit to that, but it's true. That's a hard and sobering pill for many to swallow.

Many of the young voters who rallied enthusiastically around President Obama during his historic campaign found that after January 20 2009 when he made history and was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States, he would be ghost. He would do very little outreach in the same manner that attracted folks to him in the first place.i.e. he stopped making regular appearances on urban outlets and frequented by young folks. Sadly the hosts and owners of those outlets did very little to highlight and sell the policies the Obama administration was pushing.

When this has been brought to the attention of Democratic pundits and even those close to the Obama administration, instead of taking this to heart and figuring out ways to better communicate, many have become defensive and dismissive. They would resort to rattling off stale talking points about how they passed a healthcare bill and reduced student loan burdens.

These same folks would continue and arrogantly make the case that it was up to those young voters to go seek the President elsewhere on other media outlets and that he was too busy to be showing up on 'some radio show'. In other words it was time to 'buck up' as Vice President Joe Biden infamously put it. If folks kept speaking to this issue, they were then labeled the 'professional left' as articulated by White House spokesman Robert Gibbs.

[caption id="attachment_5835" align="alignleft" width="246" caption="White House spokesman Robert Gibbs calling those who expressed concerns, the 'professional left' not only angered folks but it also added to the perception that the base was being ignored"][/caption]

Are all those folks who are part of the base who volunteered their time and energy and offered innovative ideas being too thin-skinned? Perhaps, but so what? President Obama has shown sensitivity and accommodated all sorts of groups who have challenging outlooks. He certainly seems to have no problem trying to sooth over angry folks in the opposition. These 'thin-skinned' people are voters who put him into office and after being dissed were being asked to support others Democrats so he could further his agenda...an agenda that many within the ranks were increasingly feeling disconnected from.

Were young voters being unrealistic? Not really. Why would their mindset be unrealistic when many embarked on a political journey for the first time with a man who told them to think outside the box, have high expectations and the audacity of hope?

Why would they be unrealistic when they were working with a man who is now President, but started out as a community organizer, came from a single parent home and had a 'funny sounding' name? His young base was sold on the idea that they were and did make a tremendous difference. They were sold on the concept that they were an important part of this push to change. This was inspiring and helped many to step up and do impossible for themselves during the campaign.

Unfortunately, many novices never knew about governance. Folks were eagerly waiting and yearning still to be involved and continue on. As far as they were concerned Obama left them. In his place were handlers and surrogates who seemed more interested in dampening the hope within folks versus uplifting them. Maybe it was poor communication skills. Maybe it was misguided attempts to administer 'tough love'. Maybe it was a case of haterism. Far too many in these political circles are cynical and seemingly want everyone around them to feel the same. Whatever the case, the enthusiasm people had for President Obama had diminished. This made it difficult to transfer support and energy to other Democrats running in the mid-terms.

[caption id="attachment_5836" align="alignright" width="254" caption="Democratic pundits seemed impervious and dismissive to the popularity of urban radio hosts like LA based Big Boy. If this is the place frequented by large numbers of young, Black and Brown voters in your base why not talk directly to that audience above beyond election time?"][/caption]

What seemed to be missed by Obama and his handlers was the importance of having direct exchanges with his young base. We're not talking the last-minute flurry where he suddenly showed up at the 11th hour on radio shows like Big Boy's Neighborhood and TV shows like Jon Stewart's Daily Show. What was needed was on going communication especially when he was pushing important issues. They seemed to not appreciate and realize by doing so it allowed each to check in and be on the same page. While it was true his base could seek him elsewhere and many did, what was missed was the opportunity for him to dial in and genuinely know where many of these new voters were at. He needed to know where they were coming from in the midst of them witnessing the ugliness of Tea Party, Fox News, 24-7 demonization and onslaught.

He needed to know where they were at when they saw him constantly bending over backwards and going out of his way to break bread with people, pundits and communities that were not only hostile to him, but also to the people in his base and the ideals and aspirations they held. Who could forget the frustration many had after watching president Obama lash out to Cambridge police for hemming up his friend and well-known Harvard Professor Henry Louis 'Skip' Gates. When President Obama said the police acted stupidly for arresting this elder in his own home, many in his base who could relate to hearing about police over stepping their bounds cheered. At last someone in high office was calling it like it was..is how many people felt. We gave each other high fives only to turn around and let out collective groans when President Obama immediately turned around capitulated, took back his remarks and apologized after police reacted angrily.

That incident exemplifies Obama's constant backtracking on key issues and in the face of hostile political enemies. Him not directly communicating to his base exasperated the situation and perceptions.The end result was low voter turnout while the older base of his Tea party and GOP opposition doubled their turnout.

[caption id="attachment_5837" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Political analyst and radio host Robert Muhammad described the constant overlooking and slights delivered to important segments of the Democratic base is a continuation of what he called Plantation Politics "][/caption]

We spoke with long time political analyst and talk show host Robert Muhammad (Connect the Dots KPFT-Houston ) who lambasted Democratic leadership especially gubernatorial hopeful Bill White in Texas where Muhammad is based. He pointed out that White opted to devote, time, money and resources to try for so-called Independent voters at the expense of the much larger Black and Brown communities. This was a typical pattern nationwide.

He explained, that White was so scared to be associated with the base that he even stayed away from President Obama who enjoys tremendous popularity in those communities. The end result was long time Governor Rick Perry stomping his way to victory for a 4th term and one of White's Democratic rivals endorsing the republic governor.

Robert Muhammad called what took place a continuation of plantation politics where Black and Brown communities are taken for granted and ignored. Efforts to connect the dots so to speak were rebuffed by those who supposedly had the expertise and 'knew better'. Well the dismal results speak for themselves. You can peep our interview with Robert Muhammad on Hard Knock Radio... http://www.kpfa.org/archive/id/65170

Muhammad further elaborated that the vitriol and hostile reaction demonstrated during this past year harks back to the days of the Reconstruction when Black people had the most political power which set off all sorts of a rash of lynchings, killings and race riots all over the country and the eventual birth of Jim Crow laws.

What's going in places like Texas is an emboldened far right coalition of law makers who are going all out to smash legislatively smash on marginalized communities. For example, there are lawmakers who are calling for the state to secede from the Medicaid. That seems to coincide with the new campaign to roll back Obama's Healthcare Plan.

[caption id="attachment_5013" align="alignright" width="200" caption="Texas lawmaker Debbie Riddle typifies the aggressive stances being taken by the far right. She's already introduced 6 bills designed to smash on Brown communities. She actually camped out at the state Capitol so she would be first on the floor."][/caption]

Other law makers like Debbie Riddle, the crazy woman from Texas who sat up on national TV and told us to be wary of Brown people bearing Anchor and Terror Babies has camped out at the state capitol in Austin so she could submit 6 bills targeting Mexicans

Here's what the state of Texas has in store for Brown communities as outlined by Texas Gop Vote
HB 16 - VOTER ID

Voters have been clamoring for voter ID for the past two sessions. It was passed in the house in 2007 and in the senate until Lt. Governor Dewhurst gave Sen. Whitmire a "do over" on the vote and the Dems wheeled Sen. Gallegos into the senate floor on a gurney and let him cast the defeating vote.

In 2009 the opposite happened with the senate passing the bill and the Democrats pulling a procedural stunt to kill it in the house.

The overwhelming majority of Texas voters support voter ID. Now it is time to pass it.

The new bill requires the voter to present a photo ID from an acceptable source, or two non-photo ID's from an acceptable source.

Click Here for details on this bill.

HB 17 - Criminal Trespass

This bill makes the presence of an illegal alien in the state of Texas a separate offense, criminal trespass, which can be added to a charge for which a person is already being arrested.

In other words, this bill gives a police officer who is already arresting a person for some other offense (an offense for which they may arrest without a warrant) may, upon reasonable suspicion that the person is in the country illegally, may inquire as to the suspects immigration status and if the officer can verify an illegal status with ICE, the person may be charged with the additional crime of illegal trespass.

Before and arrest can be made on this charge, the officer must verify their status with ICE. This bill cannot be used as a reason for first contact with a suspect.

Click Here for details of this bill.

HB 18 - Eliminate Sanctuary Cities

HB 18 prohibits any city, county or other jurisdictional body from adopting a rule, order, ordinance or policy which says the entity will not fully enforce laws relating to immigrants or immigration.

The bill also cuts off state funds to any entity which adopts such a rule or policy. It also provides the Attorney General with a process and capability to enforce this bill.

Click Here for details of this bill.

HB 19 - Driving Without a License

This bill provides penalties for a person who operates a vehicle in the State of Texas who does not have a driver's license issue to them and provides for the impoundment of certain vehicles involved in an accident. It raises the status of the crime to a class B misdemeanor if the driver is involved in a motor vehicle accident.

It also provides that the vehicle cannot be released from impoundment without proof of insurance.

Click Here for details of this bill.

HB 21 and HB 22 - Reporting on Illegal Aliens by State Agencies and Public Schools

These two bill are grouped together by me as they accomplish similar functions. These bill require state agencies and public schools who are providing services to illegal aliens to gather information and report this information to the state for the purpose of measuring the impact of illegal immigration as a cost to the state for providing the services described in the bills.

Click here for details on HB 21 and HB 22.

So where do we go from here? President Obama is going to have to clear the boards and re-introduce himself to his base. He's going to have to establish solid relationships the same way he and every other politician does with other communities. He's going to have to establish strong relationships with those who reach those communities and be sure that folks are truly instep and not just talking a big game.

Lastly and most important President Obama will have to seriously listen to people in his base and not dismiss them. You never see him be dismissive of AIPAC or Wall Street, he shouldn't be dismissive of those who may not have money, but people power.

President Obama will have to reflect the concerns of these communities in his rhetoric. While Health Care may have been a major accomplishment, it's not the talking point folks are trying to hear. Tell folks how they can get a job or an apartment with messed up credit? Talk to the young base about the rash of police shootings from Oscar Grant in Oakland to Denroy Henry in New York and what can be done about them. Work with folks about how they can fend off student fee hikes. The possibilities are endless, but mark my words, if Obama and friends don't improve on the communication tip, he will most definitely be a one term President.

Something to ponder

written by Davey D

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Should Kanye West have Apologized to George Bush?





There’s an old saying that goes; ‘everything is political and to not be political is political’. I couldn’t help thinking this when I saw Kanye West on the Today Showthe other morning apologizing and offering an olive branch of sorts to former President George W Bush for the stinging remarks he made in August 2005 during a Hurricane Katrina telethon.

West is quoted as saying to host Matt Lauer “I would tell George Bush in my moment of frustration, I didn’t have the grounds to call him a racist.”
For those who don’t remember, during that telethon Kanye asserted that ‘George Bush doesn’t care about Black people‘. It was the remark heard all around the world and unlike the Dixie Chicks who suffered a huge backlash 2 years earlier, for saying they were ‘ashamed of George Bush’, Kanye was greeted with open arms. For those watching the telethon and juxtaposing it with images of stranded mothers and grandmothers on rooftops while plane loads of abandoned dogs and cats were shipped away from the flooded city, Kanye’s remarks were cheered rather than jeered. They resonated. He was a source of pride and a hero to those sitting on rooftops watching loved ones being swept away, who had no voice.


Kanye became even more of a hero, with each passing day as more information about the horrors that went on New Orleans surfaced including; vigilante killings of fleeing Black residents in the Algiers section of the city and rogue police shooting and killing unarmed residents as they attempted to cross the Danzinger Bridge. He was the who spoke truth to power at a time when it was surely needed. His words became the chorus in songs and the centerpieces for audio sound collages like the one we did a few days after spoke out. (Kanye West vs George Bush the Katrina Mix) http://www.swift.fm/mrdaveyd/song/60030/
For many who watched Kanye’s apology on the Today show, it may have seemed like a gracious gesture and a sign of him maturing especially in the aftermath of the Taylor Swift controversy where he interrupted her acceptance speech during last year’s VMAs.
It may have also seemed like a wise thing to do because President Bush seemed really angry 5 years after the fact. He said Kanye’s remarks were the most disgusting thing he had to endure during his presidency.
Bush when shown the video of West apologizing from a soon to be aired Today Show interview of Kanye, Bush seemed to lighten up and said he appreciated Kanye reaching out. The former president said he wasn’t ‘a hater’.
It’s easy to see while one would see the apology as good thing,unfortunately, George Bush and for that matter Kanye didn’t sit through 5 days of excruciating testimony during the one year anniversary at the Hurricane Katrina and Rita International Tribunal. They didn’t hear the tales and see the tears as people told these horrific stories of mistreatment, violence and neglect that left us wondering if we were actually living in America.


Instead of getting 'disgusted' at Kanye, perhaps George Bush should've been disgusted with himself and apologized to Hurricane Katrina survivors.

Had Bush heard some of these stories that were the result of his oversight and slowness to act being mad at Kanye should’ve been the least of his concerns. Instead of lambasting the rapper, he should’ve been on TV offering an olive branch to the people of Katrina.
Hell had he really bore witness to the Katrina horrors he might’ve been moved to offer all proceeds of his book Decision Points to Katrina survivors. And just on GP, Bush should’ve apologized for theinsensitive remarks his mamma Barbara Bush made when she met survivors who had fled to Houston. Upon on meeting them she suggested that staying in the Astrodome was a good thing since they were underprivileged.
Had Kanye sat through the tribunal, he would’ve still been mad and upon hearing Bush was disgusted with him for suggesting he was a racist he might’ve been inclined to stick to his guns and give the former President and war criminal the middle finger with no regrets.


Kanye let George Bush off the hook, but has Bush done the same for those he transgressed on?

Kanye apologizing to Bush, let him off the hook which is too bad because George Bush never let any of the folks he smashed on off the hook. As Governor of Texas he never let those he allowed to be executed off the hook, even when there were mass protests and compelling questions around their innocence.

He didn’t let any of the innocent Iraqi’s killed in an unwarranted war off the hook and we had even bigger protests around that. He didn’t let any of those tortured at Abu Ghraib off the hook even when it was pointed out to be a violation of international laws. Bush noted that he always stuck to his decisions.

Bush as a former president clearly understood the importance of symbolism and how his every word and gesture would have meaning. He admitted to that during his Today Show interview. Apparently in his mind letting folks off the hook would be a sign of weakness and him being indecisive versus him being thoughtful. Because George Bush had tunnel vision a whole lot of folks paid a heavy price both here and abroad.

Folks forget that Bush refused to allow photographs of returning dead soldiers. His people and his supporters were real quick to shut down and label anyone who spoke out counter to the narrative they offered after 9-11 and later at the start of the Iraq war as unpatriotic. Bush was the type of cat who would not shake the hands of a foreign head of state like Hugo Chavez or Fidel Castro, because he knew such a gesture would symbolize his support.

One would assume that Kanye being in the music industry would also understand symbolism. After all, he’s already been on a rampage about the interview noting that Lauer made him look bad in the way he set up the questions and framed the conversation. Kanye said hes done with media.

With all this in mind, including his outburst, which may be or may not be calculated he had to know, like it or not that when he spoke out against Bush in 05, he was giving voice to a whole lot of folks who really needed it.. This was a good thing. It forced a dialogue and may have helped push things along, primarily because his words were captured all over the world and raised important questions. While it’s true, nobody asked him to speak on our behalf that fateful day, but since he did jump into the arena, many feel he needed to take the weight and NOT signify to an oppressive former president everything was all good when Bush hasmade no move to repair the damage done.

Something to Ponder.

Davey D
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