Couch at 386 Euclid in Oakland Reflects Lack Of Pride Of Place

Couch at 386 Euclid in Oakland still there, originally uploaded by zennie62.

The couch you see in the photo that was at 386 Euclid Avenue near Lake Merritt in Oakland, California is gone now. But it was there for a good six days straight (at least), and is the latest in a totally awful set of examples of the overall lack of price of place that's exhibited in the Adams Point area.

Not that Adams Point is the only place in Oakland that exhibits this problem, but the one within my immediate sphere of influence. I took three photos of this couch and placed them on my Facebook page. But something should be done about this beyond my cyber-complaints. It's a clear sign that many people in the neighborhood just don't care how it looks.

It's not the first time this has happened.

The first time, for me, was last year, when someone left, in order as you walk up Euclid, a couch, two chairs and a table, and a mattress. All between 378 and 380 Euclid and right in the walk path.

What really galls me is we have a nice place to live. Many of the homes are classic Victorians that recall the days when such homes dominated the Lake.

And with this, you'd think someone would care enough to report this. Well,OK, I did. But I feel like the minority here because the first time I took note of the problem I complained to some one riding by on a bike, who came out of one of the homes on that part of the street. Instead of saying anything in agreement, the biker looked at me like I was nuts and said "It's not me."

Yeah, I know. I know.

That wasn't the point.

I just wish he'd have cared.

Red Riding Hood Reviewed

Sitting at Chunky's Cinema in Nashua, New Hampshire is a treat. The Cinema provides tables with big chairs and while watching the movie there is the ability to order food and have a waitress come and bring a meal and drinks during the movie. It was Saint Patrick's Day 2011 on a double date.

Red Riding Hood with Amanda Seyfried is rated PG 13 with some violence, a tad bit of gore and a steamy make-out scene which almost leads to sex but stops short.

The ending is the real kicker, because throughout the entire movie the audience is trying to guess who the wolf is. Which one is the wolf? Well, no one will be correct in guessing who the wolf is so just enjoy the movie to the end.

It was supposed to be a scary movie, but the movie wasn't frightening. It was actually quite suspenseful though and the movie definitely is almost four star quality (out of five stars).

Seyfried's character, Valerie, is arranged to be married to the sweet boy, Henry, who comes from money, but she has her heart set on the bad boy, Peter, that she used to catch rabbits with when she was younger. When the wolf kills someone in the town she runs to her grandmother and tries to figure all of this out.

The movie is directed by Catherine Hardwicke which explains why it is kind of Twilight-esque in reference to the directing of the first Twilight movie which was the only movie in the Twilight saga which was also directed by Hardwicke.

Currently on IMDB the movie is rated 4 out of 10 stars.

One thing is for sure picking between Henry played by Max Irons or Peter played by Shiloh Fernandez; while Henry may have the charming accent and sweet boy charm, Peter and his bad boy ways along with those sexy eyes that scream "Don't mess with me" makes it a very hard choice in the end for Valerie.

Rebecca Black Knows The Days of The Week

What better day than Friday to blog about Rebecca Black?

Rebecca Black is someone who was never supposed to get her own blog post on this blog, but alas the time has come and it is time to let loose about this lyrically-impaired 13-year-old. Rebecca Black sings the obnoxious song "Friday." She became a "youtube hit" and everyone on Tumblr knows who she is and has gifs of her and her awkward friends dancing in pink.

Yahoo News reported earlier this week about the background of Rebecca Black and the awkward girl in her video dancing in pink has her own Tumblr where she tells everyone she is a real life friend of Rebecca.

Yahoo News says: Honestly, we're not sure if these questions will ever be properly answered. But we do know that "Friday" is the churned-out product of a Los Angeles-based company called the Ark Music Factory, which sends out casting calls looking for singers between the ages of 13 and 17 to record its songs and, if all goes well, become overnight YouTube stars (a la Justin Bieber). Rebecca Black's "Friday" is Ark's first major hit--and after this, we sincerely hope it's the company's last.

Rebecca was completely obscure on Twitter until one day she started trending.

Mashable poses the question: What do you think? Is this a cruel trick to play on a teen wannabe singer or should Black embrace her sudden fame?

The lyrics to this song are horrendous, honestly. She is 13-years-old and even Willow Smith (10-years-old) is a much more credible performer with whipping her hair back and forth (granted she's the daughter of Will).

There's some random rapper guy in the video who looks like Ice Cube, but clearly isn't. It's kind of strange and confusing - where did he come from and why is he creeping behind a school bus?

Here are the lyrics, and yes these seriously are the lyrics:

(Yeah, Ah-Ah-Ah-Ah-Ah-Ark)
Oo-ooh-ooh, hoo yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah
Yeah-ah-ah
Yeah-ah-ah
Yeah-ah-ah
Yeah-ah-ah
Yeah, yeah, yeah

[Rebecca Black - Verse 1]

7am, waking up in the morning
Gotta be fresh, gotta go downstairs
Gotta have my bowl, gotta have cereal
Seein’ everything, the time is goin’
Tickin’ on and on, everybody’s rushin’
Gotta get down to the bus stop
Gotta catch my bus, I see my friends (My friends)

Kickin’ in the front seat
Sittin’ in the back seat
Gotta make my mind up
Which seat can I take?

It’s Friday, Friday
Gotta get down on Friday
Everybody’s lookin’ forward to the weekend, weekend
Friday, Friday
Gettin’ down on Friday
Everybody’s lookin’ forward to the weekend

Partyin’, partyin’ (Yeah)
Partyin’, partyin’ (Yeah)
Fun, fun, fun, fun
Lookin’ forward to the weekend

[Rebecca Black - Verse 2]

7:45, we’re drivin’ on the highway
Cruisin’ so fast, I want time to fly
Fun, fun, think about fun
You know what it is
I got this, you got this
My friend is by my right
I got this, you got this
Now you know it

Kickin’ in the front seat
Sittin’ in the back seat
Gotta make my mind up
Which seat can I take?

[Chorus]

It’s Friday, Friday
Gotta get down on Friday
Everybody’s lookin’ forward to the weekend, weekend
Friday, Friday

Gettin’ down on Friday
Everybody’s lookin’ forward to the weekend

Partyin’, partyin’ (Yeah)
Partyin’, partyin’ (Yeah)
Fun, fun, fun, fun
Lookin’ forward to the weekend

[Bridge]

Yesterday was Thursday, Thursday
Today i-is Friday, Friday (Partyin’)
We-we-we so excited
We so excited
We gonna have a ball today

Tomorrow is Saturday
And Sunday comes after...wards
I don’t want this weekend to end

[Rap Verse]

R-B, Rebecca Black
So chillin’ in the front seat (In the front seat)
In the back seat (In the back seat)
I’m drivin’, cruisin’ (Yeah, yeah)
Fast lanes, switchin’ lanes
Wit’ a car up on my side (Woo!)
(C’mon) Passin’ by is a school bus in front of me
Makes tick tock, tick tock, wanna scream
Check my time, it’s Friday, it’s a weekend
We gonna have fun, c’mon, c’mon, y’all

[Chorus]

It’s Friday, Friday
Gotta get down on Friday
Everybody’s lookin’ forward to the weekend, weekend
Friday, Friday
Gettin’ down on Friday
Everybody’s lookin’ forward to the weekend

Partyin’, partyin’ (Yeah)
Partyin’, partyin’ (Yeah)
Fun, fun, fun, fun
Lookin’ forward to the weekend

It’s Friday, Friday
Gotta get down on Friday
Everybody’s lookin’ forward to the weekend, weekend
Friday, Friday
Gettin’ down on Friday
Everybody’s lookin’ forward to the weekend

Partyin’, partyin’ (Yeah)
Partyin’, partyin’ (Yeah)
Fun, fun, fun, fun
Lookin’ forward to the weekend

Yes, that was not a joke. That was the lyrics.
And even better is the video:



Oh Daniel Tosh, Tosh.0, what have you done? Taking this girl from obscurity and bringing her into the light and all over the Media. Even appearing on television shows and claiming she'd like to work with Justin Bieber!

Since today is FRIDAY she was chosen to appear on Good Morning America TODAY, and that was a treat. Oh please, this is something that needs to stop. Seriously. She needs to go back to school, take some vocal lessons or maybe something else - but really, she should not think that she is on the same level as Bieber. Happy for her for getting recognized, but it just seems like a bad joke.

Here's a poll taken from the LAtimes as to what the consensus about her song is:

-Nikky Raney


And yes, Daniel Tosh is to blame.

NPR Funding In Danger

The House voted 228-192 to block public radio stations from spending federal funds on programming as reported by Wall Street Journal.

The bill passed by the House would ban NPR's local affiliates from spending any federal money on radio programming, limiting them to using taxpayer dollars only for administrative costs. The proposal, advanced by Rep. Doug Lamborn (R., Colo.), doesn't cut government expenditures, since public radio is funded through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

The long-running tensions burst into the open last week when a secretly recorded video tape showed NPR fund-raiser Ron Schiller describing the tea party as "xenophobic" and suggesting NPR may be better off without government funding. The tape was heavily edited, a review of the unaltered footage shows. The sound bites still prompted the resignations of Mr. Schiller and NPR President Vivian Schiller, who aren't related.

This would definitely take its toll on PBS in general, because the television and radio stations work together in many aspects like providing news and informations to the public.

The Berkshire Eagle reports:

If federal funding for PBS were cut, according to the general managers of the two PBS stations that can be seen in the Berkshires, some local employees would lose their jobs, program offerings would pale, and the public broadcasting system that evolves afterward will be a very different operation.

Congress should not do this. Let's see what Barack Obama does about this.

NY Times Junks Paywall For The Benefit Of An Advertiser: Lincoln

According to AdAge, The New York Times has worked a special deal with the Ford Motor Company, and such that Lincoln ads offer "Free, Unlimited Access to NYTimes.com." The value of the offer is reported to be around $150.

The new New York Times Digital Subscription System asks readers to pay $15 per month for total access to the news offerings at NYTimes.com. The announcement was panned on Twitterwhen the New York Times bought the promoted #hashtag #NYTimesOnline on Wednesday.

But if you go through Lincoln's new NYTImes ad, you don't have to pay anything at all.

Nat Ives of AdAge.com reports that the New York Times brought the idea to Ford and for the Lincoln luxury car brand. Lincoln's also sponsoring "parts" of the Times technology and design topics archives.

The question is will this open the flood gates for free-readers running around the NY Times webste? The Times is betting that will not happen, but I can't see how they can easily block it, really. Even if the ad period passes by, the links and code for free access can be saved and used again by a savvy web surfer.

Stay tuned.

Restaurants - Cafe Americano San Francisco Restaurant Has Kory Stewart

Kory Stewart, the Executive Chef at Cafe Americano Restaurant San Francisco, has done it again, and this blogger was the recipient of an impromptu exhibition of his newest offerings, and presented in this video above.

The reason is simple: Cafe Americano, located at 8 Mission Street in the Hotel Vitale at the corner of The Embarcadero and Mission Street near the San Francisco Bay, is known as an after-work, and Friday evening place to cocktail, watch and be watched, especially during the summer months. But the great flow of dollars for drinks doesn't always translate to food purchases, which is a shame because the food is great.

To make up for that dynamic and bring the food to the people hanging out on the expansive patio, Kory's tried the successful Porquetta Outdoor Grillfest (my term). I happened to be there on that Friday when he made it for the first time:



And now, all three dishes in the new video at the top are brand new on the Cafe Americano menu. Kory, again to my surprise, brought them out for me to try, not expecting that I would fire up my Flip Video Camera to make the vlog, but I figured why waste an opportunity to showcase a master chef at his best.  That's what video-blogging is all about.

So the result is the video, and this request from Kory and myself.  Visit Cafe Americano,  order something from the dinner menu, and when you're finished ask for Kory Stewart and tell him you saw the videos on Zennie62.   If you do that, he'll have something special for you.  Just what it will be is a surprise and will vary, but take him up on this.

And this closing note: the Porquetta Outdoor Grillfest will be back for another round of summer fun in San Francisco at Cafe Americano. Check it out and call (415) 278-3777 for reservations.

My Thanks to Bill O'Reilly

In the wake of the earthquake-induced crisis in Japan, O'Reilly let Ann Coulter demonstrate her willingness to talk about radiation and nuclear fallout - she has no apparent understanding of the risks inherent in either - thus further clarifying for his audience that Ms. Coulter is more interested in sensationalism for the sake of ratings and readers than she is in reality. (At least, reality as most people understand it.)

“There is a growing body of evidence that radiation in excess of what the government says is actually good for you and actually reduces cancer,” she told a very skeptical O’Reilly, citing her latest column on her website as filled with evidence of this being true.

From Ann Coulter On The O’Reilly Factor: ‘Radiation Is Actually Good For You’

Parts of the plume of radioactive ash may hit parts of the U.S. west coast very soon, and naturally enough concern and interest are running high. O'Reilly, who is not averse to taking provocative stands for the sake of exploring an issue himself, was earnest in trying to get her to back off, making references to sunbathing, and yet Ms. Coulter remained firm and basically said "it's the media's fault" (evidently she's not part of the media despite how she earns her living) for not covering the positive health benefits of radiation.

I'd love to see her sources if it didn't mean giving her even more time to mislead the public. I admit I understand that anybody who worries about the impact of energy production on climate has to at least give a nod to the nuclear industry in terms of greenhouse gas production -- but the argument against it has always been the risks from radiation, both at the plant and wherever the waste is stored. I'm a proponent of lower-risk solutions, which largely means wind, solar, geo-thermal, and so on, so I suppose you should consider my take on this might be less-than-perfectly objective.

Still, I'm up front about where I stand; unlike Ms. Coulter I'm admitting my personal ideology may temper my view. No pundit or journalist can be utterly objective, but when their income clearly benefits from sensationalism you have to be very, very careful to examine and think critically to sort what's truthful versus what's possibly self-serving, ratings-chasing nonsense.

“There is a growing body of evidence that radiation in excess of what the government says is actually good for you and actually reduces cancer...”

Ann Coulter On "The O’Reilly Factor"

Bill O'Reilly has just exposed a flagrant example of the ratings-chasing behavior that undermines access to reliable, trusted information. Unfortunately, it's hard to point such behaviors out without shedding even more attention on the culprit(s).

Thomas Hayes is a Irish-American Entrepreneur-Journalist, and former Congressional Campaign Manager; he's a follow-the-money communications strategist-consultant, photo-videographer, over-hyphenated union-supporter, and computer-geek (recovering) who writes on topics ranging from economics and politics to culture and community.

You can follow Tom as @kabiu on twitter. Tweet

No matter how long you are Unemployed: NEVER WAX YOUR HOO-HA

Words to live by: No matter how long you are Unemployed: NEVER WAX YOUR HOO-HA

For many of us, unemployment has removed our ability to laugh. Some of us are so board we may even try doing things our common sense has ruled out years before. Please allow me to perform a little social experiment, you see if this does not make you laugh then you are in serious trouble. I know this is a major departure from my usual 99er political articles, but chalk this up to the "I want to really know if anybody is reading these articles anyway" department. Enjoy.....

All hair removal methods have tricked women with their promises of easy, painless removal - The Epilady, scissors, razors, Nair, hot wax and now...the cold wax method. If you are at least 18 years old please read on.........

My night began as any other normal weeknight. Fix dinner, watch the grand kids come and go.

I then had the thought that would ring painfully in my mind for the next few hours: 'Maybe I should get the waxing kit from the medicine cabinet, as I had my first job interview in months the next day.

So I headed to the site of my demise: the bathroom.

It was one of those 'cold wax' kits. No melting a clump of hot wax, you just rub the strips together in your hand, they get warm and you peel them apart and press them to your leg (or wherever else) and you pull the hair right off. No muss, no fuss. How hard can it be? I mean, I'm not a genius, but I am mechanically inclined enough to figure this out. (YA THINK!?!) So I pull one of the thin strips out. Its two strips facing each other stuck together.

Instead of rubbing them together, my genius kicks in so I get out the hair dryer and heat it to 1000 degrees. ('Cold wax,' yeah...right!) I lay the strip across my thigh. Hold the skin around it tight and pull. Whoooo Hooo.... It works!

OK, so it wasn't the best feeling, but it wasn't too bad. I can do this! Hair removal no longer eludes me! I am She-rah, fighter of all wayward body hair and maker of smooth skin extraordinaire.

With my next wax strip I move north. After checking on the family, I sneak back into the bathroom for the ultimate hair fighting championship.

I drop my granny panties (I know - I know, TOO MUCH INFORMATION) and place one foot on the toilet.

Using the same procedure, I apply the wax strip across the rightside of my bikini line, covering the right half of my hoo-ha and stretching down to the inside of my butt cheek (it was a long strip). I inhale deeply and brace myself.... RRRRIIIPPP!!!!

OMG I'm blind!!! Blinded from pain!!!!..... OH MY GAWD!!!!!!!!! Vision returning, I notice that I've only managed to pull off half the strip. CRAP! Another deep breath and RIPP! Everything is spinning and spotted. I think I may pass out.... I must stay conscious... I must stay conscious. Do I hear crashing drums??? Breathe, breathe.... OK, back to normal.

I want to see my trophy - a wax covered strip (the one that has caused me so much pain) with my hairy pelt sticking to it. I want to revel in the glory that is my triumph over body hair. I hold up the strip! There's no hair on it. Where is the hair??? More importantly.... WHERE IS THE WAX???

Slowly I ease my head down, foot still perched on the toilet.I see the hair. The hair that should be on the strip... it's not! I reach down and OMG, I am touching wax. I run my fingers over the sensitive area, now covered in cold wax and matted hair. Then I make the next BIG mistake ... remember my foot is still propped upon the toilet? So I put my foot down.

BAD MOVE.... Sealed shut! My butt is sealed shut. YEP, sealed shut! I penguin walk around the bathroom trying to figure out what to do and think to myself 'Please don't let me get the urge to go.. as my head may pop off!'

OK - What can I do to melt the wax? Hot water!! Hot water melts wax, right!! I'll run the hottest water I can stand in the bathtub, get in, immerse the wax-covered bits and the wax should melt and I can gently wipe it off, right ??? *WRONG!!!!!!!*

I get in the tub - the water is slightly hotter than that used to torture prisoners of war or sterilize surgical equipment - I sit. Now, the only thing worse than having your nether regions glued together, is having them glued together and then glued to the bottom of the tub.... in scalding hot water (which, by the way, does not melt cold wax).

So, now I'm stuck to the bottom of the tub as though I had cemented myself to the porcelain!!

God bless the AT&T man who had convinced me a few months ago to have a phone put in the bathroom!!!!! I call my friend, thinking surely she has waxed before and has some secret of how to get me undone. It's a very good conversation starter.

“So, my butt and hoo-ha are glued together to the bottom of the tub!” There is a slight pause. She doesn't know any secret tricks for removal, however she does try to hide her laughter from me (which I greatly appreciated). She wants to know exactly where the wax is located, 'Are we talking cheeks or hoo-ha?' She's laughing out loud by now and I can hear her clearly losing control.

I give her the rundown and she suggests I call the number on the side of the box.YEAH!!!!! Right!! I should be the joke of someone else's night.

While we go through various solutions, I resort to trying to scrape the wax off with a razor. Nothing feels better than to have your girliegoodies covered in hot wax, glued shut, stuck to the tub in superhot water and then dry-shaving the sticky wax off!!

By now the brain is not working, dignity has taken a major hike and I'm pretty sure I'm going to need Post-Traumatic Stress counseling for this event. My friend is still talking with me when I finally see my saving grace..... the lotion they give you to remove the excess wax.

What do I really have to lose at this point? I rub some on and OH MY GOD!!! The scream probably woke the family and scared the dickens out of my friend. It's sooo painful, but I really don't care. IT WORKED!!

I get a hearty congratulation from my friend and she hangs up. I successfully remove the remainder of the wax and then notice to my grief and despair....THE HAIR IS STILL THERE.......ALL OF IT! @#!$@#!!

So I recklessly shave it off. Heck, I'm numb by now. Nothing hurts. I could have amputated my own leg at this point and not felt a thing. Even the years of unemployment seem trite by now - even the last year struggling to survive with no UI benefits income at all.

I doubt I will be able to sit through the interview tomorrow but then if it is anything like the last several, I won't be there long anyway, right?

Next week I'm going to try hair color......how bad can that turn out???

The purpose of this exercise is to try and convey that things could be worse. Take time to laugh every day as we never know what tomorrow will bring. Good or bad.

[If this made you laugh please consider making a donation so I can keep on fighting for the 99ers! Thank You!]

99ers CAN Make a Difference Here’s HOW...

99ers can make a difference, and according to 99ers.net - here’s HOW:

Today I stumbled across a website called 99ers.net and noticed a good idea posted there on how we can possibly move the 14 week extension bill (HR 589) out of committee limbo and get moving on the path to making this law now.

Believing that one person CAN make a difference, I have updated information on how each of us can work to help Congresswoman Lee achieve a 14 week extension, to Tier I, that will give at least some relief to all 99ers.

Her bill to add these 14 weeks is on hold in the Ways and Means Committee.

I am getting very tired of hearing “The Republicans aren’t doing this, the Democrats aren’t do that” We are none of the above…..just AMERICANS!

This bill #HR589 is critical to millions of Americans in need of any kind of financial help, whether it’s to pay a utility bill, a mortgage payment to help avoid foreclosure, food for the table, gas in a car or countless other needs. With the billions of dollars being spent on foreign aid and targeted pet projects; HELPING AMERICANS should be a number ONE priority with our Congress/Senate. With all the mismanagement of funds over the years, in both houses, this is One expense that should be approved, by everyone of our Employees…

The US House of Representatives, the US Senate and the White House!!!

I’m calling on everyone to help Congresswoman Lee; it won’t take much of your time, but it will take a little effort.

Contact every Member on the House Ways and Means Committee, Democrat and Republican. Below is a list of committee member names/numbers. Let your voice be heard direct to the 1st line of battle
.
The main number for this committee office: 202-225-3625

Then, contact Speaker John Boehner; 202-225-6205 and ask that bill HR589 be brought to the House floor for an approval vote and ask him to stand behind this bill and vote yes.

Why should he vote yes with all the other pressing issues in play? Just as we need a balanced budget for our future, we need immediate help for our countrymen, NOW.

The future is important, but the path to get there is NOT TO LEAVE ANYONE BEHIND. America is the first to be called when a foreign country or a local community is in trouble. The 99ers are in trouble and calling on America for help! If they need a reason to send in the financial troops-here it is:

This is a Nation Wide epidemic; affecting every community, town, business, city and state. It was created by bad government choices in spending our money. If the auto industry, banks & wall street can be saved with Billions of Americans hard earned money-TARP, and are now showing profits, then it’s time Congress use that return on their “investment” - To reinvest in Americans!

Since the government hasn’t been able to help increase jobs at the same pace they helped loose them, then it’s their responsibility to offer this temporary help that’s desperately needed. It’s painfully obvious that job creation is going to take a very long time, but this small amount of help can go a long way to raise the spirits of so many in need, that continue their search for a new line of work.

These are the members of the House Ways and Means committee represented by both Democrats and Republicans…Americans; it’s best to call the Washington DC offices; you get more help and reaction there; so start calling; there’s no time to waste:

Committee Chairman
Dave Camp (MI) 202-225-3561

MEMBERS:
Wally Herger, CA 202-225-3026
Sam Johnson, TX 202-225-4201
Kevin Brady, TX 202-225-4901
Paul Ryan, WI 202-225-3031
Devin Nunes, CA 202-225-2523
Pat Tiberi, OK 202-225-5355
Geoff Davis, KY 202-225-3465
Dave G. Reichert, WA 202-225-7761
Charles Boustany, LA 202-225-2031
Dean Heller, NV 202-225-6155
Peter J. Roskam, IL 202-225-4561
Jim Gerlach, PA 202-225-4315
Tom Price, GA 202-225-4501
Vern Buchanan, FL 202-225-5015
Adrian Smith, NE 202-225-6435
Aaron Schock, IL 202-225-6201
Lynn Jenkins, KS 202-225-6601
Erik Paulsen, MN 202-225-2871
Rick Berg, ND 202-225-2611
Diane Black, TN 202-225-4231
Sander Levin, MI 202-225-4961
F. Pete Stark, CA 202-225-5065
Jim McDermott, WA 202-225-3106
John Lewis, GA 202-225-3801
Richard E. Neal, MA 202-225-5601
Xavier Becerra, CA 202-225-6235
Lloyd Doggett, TX 202-225-4865
Mike Thompson, CA 202-225-3311
John B. Larson, CT 202-225-2265
Earl Blumenauer, OR 202-225-4811
Ron Kind, WI 202-225-5506
Bill Pascrell, Jr., NJ 202-225-5751
Shelley Berkley, NV 202-225-5965
Joseph Crowley, NY 202-225-3965

***************************************
HERE’S THE LINK TO THE BILL #HR589
***************************************

I will be making my calls first thing tomorrow morning. How about you?

[The donation button below is for Paladinette. If you like what I write please donate so I can keep on fighting for the 99ers! Thank You!]

NY Times #NYTimesNews Paywall Slammed On Twitter: Social Media Idiocy

The New York Times obviously didn't think twice about purchasing the hastag #NYTimesNews on Twitter, and in the process showed a new, high level of Social Media idiocy. As of this writing the vast majority of Twitter tweets are in protest of the New York Times plan for an online digital subscription process, with many tweets explaining that once the free 20 articles offered is done, that's it.

No paywall money for the New York Times.

But what gets this blogger is why the NY Times would be stupid enough to use Twitter for such an announcement? Buying that hashtag, thus insuring top Twitter Trend placement, was a direct route to criticism and hammering on Twitter. It's like PR suicide: the Times of New York serving itself up for lunch, to be eaten over and over again.

Yuck.

Check out some of these Twitter tweets:

Phitter Japhet
Interesting how #NYTimesNews has triggered larger discussion about value of journalism instead of attracting new subscribers. #CartB4Horse
1 minute ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Paul_Conrad Paul Conrad
My suggestion to #NYTimesNews, don't punish your loyal readers with a subscription fee when you're giving your stuff to Facebook for free.
1 minute ago Favorite Retweet Reply

jbrianhouston J Brian Houston
NYTimes porous paywall: Won't generate much $, so maybe just a "we must be paid" statement? http://bit.ly/hOMpbd #NYTimesNews

hirshsandesara hirshsandesara
@brianschwab time to become intimately familiar with the @newsobserver. This blows. #NYTimesNews
3 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

jerseyblueboy Karim Walker
#NYTimesNews will lose a lot of long time readers because of this new subscription plan.
4 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Esotericus J. Leif Johnson
$15 is too much for #NYTimesNews when you can get news for free elsewhere. Five dollars is reasonable, but not $15.
5 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Yes, $15 is a price per month that gives a number of people pause. That's a week's bus ride money for a lot of people. To charge that much is sheer arrogance, not to mention complete stupidity. (Of course, the two tend to go together.)

In "A Letter to Our Readers About Digital Subscriptions," issued on this St. Patrick's Day, and leading this blogger to wonder how much drink was already consumed at the New York Times, Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr., the NY Times Publisher (and hater of this blogger's constant jabs at his new media efforts and particularly his fear of Google - word travels) writes:

This change comes in two stages. Today, we are rolling out digital subscriptions to our readers in Canada, which will enable us to fine-tune the customer experience before our global launch. On March 28, we will begin offering digital subscriptions in the United States and the rest of the world.

HA! Dump it on Canada first! Nice. I'm sure the Canadians will appreciate being used in such a direct way. So, if the paywall doesn't work, look for Mr. Sulzberger to blame Canada!

Really, he should blame himself.  Whatever online good press the NY Times could have gotten was dashed by thousands of Twitterers, nastily tweeting about its paywall effort.

I'm reminded of my conversation with Salon's Scott Rosenberg, where he explains that journalists are just trying to pay the rent or mortgage.   I know, but this paywall isn't the way to go about it.

Follow Zennie62 on Twitter for re-tweets on this.

Happy St. Patrick's Day: Corned Beef and Cabbage In Oakland

Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone, and it's a lovely one at that in Oakland and in San Francisco. Which should make it all the more easier to enjoy the festivities. And before I mention them, please remember that everyone's Irish on St. Patrick's Day, even us black guys, so have a heart!

Speaking of heart, get down to the Oakland's City Center in the heart of Downtown Oakland between 12 noon and 1 PM for a special performance by Driving with Fergus. And it's certain Max's City Center will have some special St. Patrick's Day menu (and if they don't, they've really fallen off the way!), so check them out.

Also visit Crogan's Montclair in the Oakland Hills for a great time. It's at the corner of Mountain and LaSalle in the Montclair District. Crogan's has a great kitchen and a good version of Corned Beef and Cabbage!

In the evening, The Alley, at 3325 Grand Avenue, is all done up for St. Patrick's Day. While they don't have a special menu, there are a lot of four leaf clovers around as decoration.

There's also the "St. Patrick’s Day Rockridge Walk n’ Drink Oakland," where you are asked to "Meet at McNally’s at 6pm. Walk up Manilla Ave to stairways around Margarido Dr. Return to McNally’s around 7pm. Drink."

They don't tell you where McNally's Irish Pub is, so I'll help: it's at 5352 College Avenue.

With that, Happy St. Patty's Day, follow Zennie62 on Twitter, and watch for tweets of photos!

Congress Says “99ers are NOT an Emergency” - But Defunding NPR is?

Congress says “99ers are NOT an Emergency” but apparently defunding NPR is?

House Republicans escalated their war against National Public Radio, calling an "emergency" meeting Wednesday to consider a bill that would strip the organization of federal funds.

NPR, which operates 797 radio stations across the country, gets less than 2% of its annual budget directly from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which receives more than $400 million a year from Congress. But the CPB also gives money directly to NPR member stations, which proponents of the organization fear could be shut down without public funding.

According to a spokeswoman for Lamborn, Catherine Mortensen, the new standalone bill would only target NPR. And unlike the CR amendment would have defunded public broadcasting through the 2011 fiscal year, HR 1076 would permanently prohibit all federal funding to NPR and affiliate stations.

The House already passed a similar bill to defund both NPR and the Public Broadcasting Service through September, but the Senate defeated it.
The latest bill, spearheaded by Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.), is not likely to pass in the Democrat-controlled Senate.

House GOPers scheduled their “Emergency Meeting” to cut the miniscule amount of federal funding to NPR - yet Congress has allowed jobless 99ers to languish without any source of income for over a year now.

UI benefits accounted for 100% of the necessary income to survive for millions of UI exhaustees called “99ers” but it would seem that 2% of NPR funding is far more important to the FAT CAT Republicans and obviously Democrats as well.

This is the sort of CRAP that Congress gives “EMERGENCY” status to? I cannot believe that every American with a brain is not hounding Speaker Boehner with calls and emails demanding he get off of his ugly orange, golf playing, lazy butt and get to the business of the American people - NOW.

EMAIL: speakerboehner@mail.house.gov
Tweet Him: @speakerboehner

CALL SPEAKER BOEHNER TODAY and let him know that survival of 99ers/UI exhaustees is an EMERGENCY - defunding NPR is NOT! His West Chester OH office number is

513-779-5400, and his DC office number is 202- 225-6205.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

[The donation button below is for Paladinette. If you like what I write please donate so I can keep on fighting for the 99ers! Thank You!]