Saturday, December 25, 2010

Twitter Down, Then Up, Sort Of, On Christmas Day

First, Merry Christmas! And it's that greeting, and its variations, that fills thousands, if not millions of tweets, all causing one thing: Twitter down.

Well, Twitter appears to be back up now, but not in it's exactly normal condition. For example, this blogger's Twitter account reports the number of followers, and followed, but when the links to the lists are clicked on, the words "you have no followers at this time" come up.

That's weird.

Well, while we're all waiting for Twitter to come back to full normal, check out their latest acquistion: Fluther.com.

Fluther.com is a site that uses crowdsourcing to help members find answers to questions. I just joined, and was presented with five questions I've got to deal with.

But they'll have to wait. It's Christmas! Folks are coming over. There's a lot of great food to be consumed. And I've got to watch the LA Lakers clobber the Miami Heat, then turn to the Warriors game!

Merry Christmas!

Ryan Seacrest @ryanseacrest Looks Tired At Twitter


@ryanseacrest, originally uploaded by @Twitter.

This is the photo of a man who works too much! American Idol Host and hardest working man in media, Ryan Seacrest looks like he could use a morning coffee in this photo uploaded by Twitter staff November 10th, and after Ryan's visit to Twitter Headquarters.

Wow, what did Seacrest do the night before?

ITunes Dominates Christmas Search Trends

On Christmas morning, iTunes, Apple's music and movies download success, is dominating search trends as reported on Google Trends.

1. stores open on christmas 2010
2. leapfrog.com/connect
3. www.itunes.com/download
4. itunes.com/download
5. itunes download
6. itunes store
7. www.apple.com/support/manuals/ipod
8. i tunes
9. twas the night before christmas text
10. winn dixie


As of this writing, five of the top 10 searches include the keyword "iTunes."

Wild!

NORAD Santa Tracker Has Santa Ending In Hilo, Hawaii, Not North Pole

Merry Christmas! Say, perhaps NORAD's Santa Tracker is a bit off. Well, OK, a lot off. It has Santa ending his epic sleigh ride in Hilo, Hawaii, and not The North Pole.

If you've never seen the NORAD Santa Tracker, here's my video on it, first:



There should be a video of Santa landing at The North Pole!  

Stay tuned.

Friday, December 24, 2010

NORAD Santa Tracker - Christmas Eve Santa Tracking

This year, 2010, once again this blogger is following (kinda) the Santa Tracker, but while tree trimming, wine drinking, and talking, and listening to Nat and Frank (Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra).

 But here's my NORAD Santa Tracker Video, because I just had to!



This business of going to the NORAD website to track Santa Claus' trip around the World is rather cool, but I'm in the middle of watching It's A Wonderful Life, so I decided to embed the tracker right here in my blog:



As of 6 PM PST / 9 PM EST, Santa Claus is , well, he's moving really fast! (If the embed doesn't work in your browser, click on the NORAD link.)

Merry Christmas!

Oakland News: Councilmember Ignacio De La Fuente Gets DUI Arrest

Sad news. According to the San Jose Mercury News, veteran Oakland City Councilman Ignacio De La Fuente (pictured) was arrested for DUI (Driving Under the Influence) Thursday night at 7:30 PM.

Nacho was arrested, booked, released, and given a future court date to appear.

The CHP (California Highway Patrol) Officer said something that can and should do him in, in court: that "he believed De La Fuente was speeding" and that the officer "noticed impairment."

So, let's see here.

First, the CHP officer didn't have a speed gun to have evidence to back his claim of speeding. Second, the officer didn't have a Breathalyzer to record Ignacio's blood - alcohol level to back his claim that Ignacio was "impaired."

What the hell was this CHP officer doing?  No speed gun.  No Breathalyzer.  And he just hauls Ignacio in, anyway.  Near Christmas.  

Nuts.

I don't care - not a big rats butt - if it happens to everyone; it's not supposed to happen to anyone. So, for those of you who applaud this news, don't.  Stop supporting a screwed up system just because you love to see bad things happen to good people.

If the Alameda County Superior Court judges are worth the votes it took to get them into office, this case should be dismissed.  It damn well better be.

It should be against the law for any officer to make a DUI arrest without instrument record to back his or her claim.   That's just wrong.

Maybe now that Ignacio's got a taste for this crap, as I do, he'll become an advocate for a better system. The one California has in place is nothing more than a money-mill to maintain a California prison-industrial system.

Merry Christmas and don't drink and drive.  Let's have a weekend where the cops have a ZERO arrest record.  Don't give any CHP officer an excuse to arrest you.   Oakland police have better things to do.

Get a limo, like I did in this video:

Oakland News: Top 21 Oakland Christmas Gifts

Merry Christmas Oakland!

Normally, this would be a "top 10" list, but we have so many well deserving Oaklanders, and people who do business in Oakland, that I expanded it to 21.

Why 21?

Because once I started thinking about who deserves an Oakland Christmas Gift, the list just kept going on and on.

It's the by-product of knowing a lot of people in this town. A lot of people who deserve positive recognition. I could have gone on to 40, but had to cut it off at some point.

Here's the list!

1. For former Oakland Mayor and now California Governor-Elect Jerry Brown: patience and focus. He's going to need both.
2. For Oakland Teachers: $500 more per teacher, per month. That would help many, many well-deserving and hard working teachers in Oakland.
3. For Mayor-Elect Jean Quan: A Green Oakland Mayor's Bus so she can travel free of parking ticket worry, and get around in a socially-responsible way!
4. For Al Davis and The Oakland Raiders: A NEW STADIUM. The Coliseum was only refurbished to bring the Raiders back to Oakland, not to give the Raiders a state of the art stadium. I told this to the Oakland City Council in 1997, when I was Elihu Harris' Economic Advisor. Then-Oakland Councilmember and now Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley wanted to choke me. "We just spent $197 million and you're telling me it's not state-of-the-art?," he asked. Yep. It's wasn't then, and it's not now. The corridors are too narrow by five feet. The suites at the west side of the Coliseum need a big upgrade. And the places where slip-and-falls can and do happen are still abundant. The lights are not bright enough to be completely effective for night games. There's no after-game restaurant or hotel to take in patrons waiting for BART when they leave the games, let alone gain revenue. In short, and I could go on, and we're just getting by.
5. For The Oakland A's: An owner who cares about Oakland. It's hard to get anyone behind you in Oakland, when you're always trying to get out of it. The drive for a new stadium has nothing to do with any civic love for A's Managing Owner Lew Wolff, and everything to do with Oakland's love for the A's. Mr. Wolff can treat Oakland much better than he has to date. He's tried to leave Oakland almost since he took ownership of the organization; that has to stop.
6. For Oakland Police Chief Anthony Batts: 100 new police officer positions and the money to keep them.
7. For Oaklanders who's cars were towed because of the trollish parking enforcement system: $2,000 each toward a new car. Considering that you have to wait one year for Oakland to pay you back for its parking errors, you (er, we) deserve it.
8. For the 10 Candidates in The Oakland Mayor's Race: a bottle of wine each for making Oakland politics fun again!
9. For Rod Dibble at The Alley: a $100 tip for being an Oakland treasure at the piano!
10. For Lara and Gar Truppelli, owners of The Lake Chalet Restaurant: the Oakland Foodies Change Award for having the courage to completely alter their menu and staff in just one year, and for opening up the Lake Chalet to fun events. That's a huge facility on Lake Merritt. A jewel nonetheless.
11. For Oakland Rapper Too Short: A "Too Short Day" by the Oakland City Council. Too Short put Oakland on the map as much as the Oakland Raiders have. He deserves it.
12. For East Oakland: A battery manufacturing plant. That area needs jobs as the unemployment rate is over 20 percent,and more. Such plants are springing up around America. Oakland needs one.
13. For Oakland City Attorney John Russo: an Oakland City Council that won't screw with his already tight budget.
14. For Oakland Gang Members: EMPATHY, in large doses.
15. For outgoing Mayor Ron Dellums and Former Oakland-Mayor Elihu Harris:  Legacy Videos. Because their final years in politics - for Dellums as The Mayor of Oakland and Harris as Peralta Community College Chancellor - have marred their incredible political careers, the videos are a reminder of the great works they have done.
16. For Oakland's Media: ad revenue, from some source.
17. For Oakland Former City Manager and Legends Henry Gardner, Dick Spees, and Richard Winnie: Days for each of them by The Oakland City Council.
18. For New Oakland District 4 Councilmember and friend Libby Schaaf: Big Army Boots! To make sure she remains grounded, focused, and humble in her new and deservedly lofty position.
19. To Russ and the staff at Gaylord's Cafe on 41st and Piedmont: A Certificate Of Excellence In Late Night Cafe Operation! Gaylord's stays open until 12 midnight, and has become a focal point for Oakland's Internet-Based Workforce.
20. To Oscar Grant and His Family: An "Oscar Grant Day" by the Oakland City Council, to remind us of the need for a police force that's a friend to, and not an adversary of, the community.
21. To Grand Lake Theater Owner Alan Michaan: An all-day free-parking area of 40 cars and only for patrons of the Grand Lake Theater.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Statue of Liberty Is Number One Trend, For No Reason

As of this writing, "statue of liberty" is the number one search trend at Google News. The time is 5:15 AM EST on Christmas Eve morning, and as it looks there's no one obvious reason why "statue of liberty" is number one.

Maybe it has something to do with Santa Claus' fly-by the Statue of Liberty while delivering gifts in 2009?

But that was in 2009; this is 2010.

Or perhaps it's because David Copperfield once reportedly made it disappear. (This blogger didn't see that.)

Whatever the reason "Statue of Liberty" is number one. But since it is, how about this really neat video tour:



Merry Christmas!

Santa Baby 99ers Christmas Unemployment Song

Presenting the Santa Baby 99ers Christmas Unemployment Song, or The Santa Baby 99ers Song, on Christmas Eve.

Donalee King (in photo from Zennie62.com), who goes by Paladinette, at Zennie62.com, created this variation of the classic Christmas Song Santa Baby.

King, a blogger who also has her own blog called Jobless Unite,  is one of the so-called "99ers," those who's unemployment benefits have ran out after the 99-week limit, and seek an extension of benefits, or better yet, a job.

In seeking both, the San Diego resident has become a tireless advocate for the jobless. Her work on this song landed her notice by the LA Times.

The video is below, followed by the lyrics, which are graphic but worth reading and singing...if you dare!

(In fact, if you're in Oakland, California, print out the lyrics, take them down to The Alley at 3325 Grand Avenue, present them to Rod Dibble at the piano, and ask he would accompany you in song. Santa Baby is a song he knows how to play.)




Lyrics to video song Santa Baby - 99ers Style 2010

Congress Baby, the 99ers need a tier 5......to survive
I know you’re HEARTLESS P@#*s But....so what?
My children need some dinner tonight!

The car got repo’d and the rent is awfully late...but wait
You only care for the rich that’s a B*@#H
there’s millions of us dying out here

We can’t afford a Christmas tree
While you’re all buying Cartier at Tiffany
You bailed out banks Greece and Haiti too
I think it’s time the 99ers heard from you

Obama baby, just help the 99ers please
and... don’t tease
Been a really tough year
Out here
I Hope Your change is comin’ tonight

Obama honey, you sold 99ers flat out
no doubt
and now it’s snowing out,
My stomach’s growling
I need some food and shelter tonight

Sherrod honey, Schumer and that Stabenow too
Were through we all trusted you
but senate baby your lies have left us hurtn’ out here

We’re not rich - guess we don’t count
The dirty little secret you won’t talk about
There’ll be no jobs again next Year
It’s time you kicked your senate’s butts into high gear

Congress baby just pretend to care for us poor
once more - come on it’s just a check - so what the heck?
there’s millions of us dying out here!

That’s right I’d rather work than fight
Hurry Congress there’s 99ers dying TONIGHT

Merry Christmas!

Thursday, December 23, 2010

99er Nation to Santa Baby 2010: Please Bring us a Viral Video Tonight


The 99er Nation is asking for many survival needs to be met this Christmas, but there is one message you may not have expected: 99er Nation to Santa Baby 2010: Please Bring us a Viral Video Tonight

Being ignored, lied about, misunderstood and disrespected by 535 members of Congress ALL YEAR LONG is bad enough -- BUT being used as the sacrificial lamb by your President is even worse! Obama used over 5 million 99ers as the “burnt offering” to the Republicans - just so he could get legislation passed like DADT (which was not an emergency situation where Americans were dying every day).

Congrats to the Gay Community, as they have waited in the shadows along with the undocumented immigrants (who were not helped) much longer than the 99er Nation. I am delighted about Congress FINALLY passing help for the 9/11 first responders - a vital long overdue measure that should have NEVER taken this long to become law.

Then again unless legislation helps the rich in this country, there is simply no urgency in Washington to shove it through the process. With the lamest Congress in years (despite what was accomplished) finally ending yesterday, and Obama vacationing in Hawaii - the 99ers MUST focus solely on MEDIA attention.

I have seen YouTube videos about someone’s kid crying in the back seat of a car go viral and receive media air time on every channel on TV for days - even weeks. Thing is the 99ers have yet discover the “Viral Video” magic that can get us the world wide attention which could help our plight and correct the misconception - perpetrated by Washington DC that their 13 month deal last week added any help for the 99ers.

Ergo my latest attempt to resolve this dilemma and bring loads of media airtime to the 99ers. It will not win any Grammy Awards but that is NOT the point. If enough folks blast this into the blogosphere - we will no doubt get the media attention that allows us to educate America about the fact the 13 month UI extension is a huge LIE!

There are actually 2 versions of the 99er style Santa Baby: (See below)

But this link 99ers Style Santa Baby
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-KxlXeU7wI has the most hits so far (about 150 in the past 8 hours since it went up). The video is below and the words will follow. There is some adult language so the lyrics printed here have been altered in order not to offend.

If you wish to get the Media attention capable of shining the light of true disclosure on the inhumane suffering, ongoing within the 99er Nation then PLEASE post this EVERYWHERE on the net and make this go viral!

Lyrics to video song Santa Baby - 99ers Style 2010

Congress Baby, the 99ers need a tier 5......to survive
I know you’re HEARTLESS P@#*s But....so what?
My children need some dinner tonight!

The car got repo’d and the rent is awfully late...but wait
You only care for the rich that’s a B*@#H
there’s millions of us dying out here

We can’t afford a Christmas tree
While you’re all buying Cartier at Tiffany
You bailed out banks Greece and Haiti too
I think it’s time the 99ers heard from you

Obama baby, just help the 99ers please
and... don’t tease
Been a really tough year
Out here
I Hope Your change is comin’ tonight

Obama honey, you sold 99ers flat out
no doubt
and now it’s snowing out,
My stomach’s growling
I need some food and shelter tonight

Sherrod honey, Schumer and that Stabenow too
Were through we all trusted you
but senate baby your lies have left us hurtn’ out here

We’re not rich - guess we don’t count
The dirty little secret you won’t talk about
There’ll be no jobs again next Year
It’s time you kicked your senate’s butts into high gear

Congress baby just pretend to care for us poor
once more - come on it’s just a check - so what the heck?
there’s millions of us dying out here!

That’s right I’d rather work than fight
Hurry Congress there’s 99ers dying TONIGHT

There are actually 2 versions of the 99er style Santa Baby:





Here is an EXCELLENT much darker video on the subject:

[Please use the donation button below to help Paladinette to KEEP FIGHTING for the 99ers! Thank you.]




San Francisco's Sit-Lay Law: What About The Union Street Festival?

Just a quick thought on San Francisco's new "sit-lay" law that recently passed. If you were found sitting or laying on a public sidewalk, that could get you police warning first, and then a fine of between $300 and $500, and as much as 10 days in jail, but only if you were discovered 24 hours later.

I wondered how that would impact San Francisco's Union Street Festival, held during the first weekend of June, where patrons, at times loaded with drink, do indeed sit on the sidewalk. (I haven't seen anyone lay on it at the Festival, but I'm sure someone has.)

Oh, here's a video of what the Union Street Festival is like:



At any rate, given the unfortunate fact that the law is targeted at the homeless, it's certain that San Francisco Police aren't going to be rounding up Marina District hotties and tossing them into the slammer, let alone giving them warnings.

They might try for a phone number, though.

Festivus 2010: No Mediaite Festivus? What Gives?

Festivus, that annual celebration for the rest of us, is upon us, once again. But in 2010 Festivus just don't feel like, well, Festivus.

The idea was first introduced in Seinfeld, Jerry Seinfeld's long-running television comedy, as an alternative to what some perceive as the commericialization of Christmas.

But this time, Festivus doesn't feel like Festivus, and maybe that's because the idea was started by a long-cancelled TV show, rather than a religious event?

At any rate, I know Festivus isn't as huge this year, because Mediaite's not mentioning it at all. Last year, the online media watchdog publication had a Mediaite Festivus of the top 50 media influencers in 2009, and that I talked about in my vlog here:



This year, zip.  Nada.

And while Festivus is a Google Trend, some of the blogs and articles don't seem to be focused on it in the title heading.  Festivus is more the day that, say, an NFL football game is being played.

I think AOL's David Knowles got it right when he observed that Festivus lived on, although Seinfeld reruns were "dated."  I think Festivus is headed in the same direction.  But there's still Christmas, and always will be.

Now, for this blogger, Christmas is about giving, not necessarily buying. It's also a celebration of the time of Christ's birth.

That's forgotten.

An aside.

For some reason there are people who just want to be mean. They want to be mean 24 and 7, and so they hate Christmas. Can't stand it. Those people are sad sacks. There's nothing wrong with being nice to people and giving to them in honor of the birth of Christ, and because it's just a plain nice thing to do.

As I said to someone who explained the common rationale for not celebrating Christmas, in other words, it's commericialized, "Christmas is something you do with society. Why does it have to be about you?"

Don't be selfish. Get into the sprit. Give of yourself.

Happy Festivus and Merry Christmas!