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Cal 30, Stanford 21 - Golden Bears will win Big Game

2009-11-21T10:51:00.000-08:00

The Cal Stanford Big Game day is here and Cal will beat Stanford 30 to 21.

I've got to get this and a few other blog posts in before I leave for Atherton and then Palo Alto, but man what fun this week has been. So much Big Game fun it curtails the work routine.

The problem of any content creator - with the exception of a game developer of which I also am (just run my Oakland Baseball Simworld) - is that you have to create it before you install it. In my case that means being out and about, then tired, and then again too tired to pull an all-nighter to enter anything. But that's ok.

Now to important Big Game matters, working backward in time from now.

If you're wondering why you've seen so many Stanford photos on the SFGate.com front page it's due in large part to the fact that one of the SFGate editors is a Stanford grad and dad who's shall remain nameless until Cal wins and he has to deliver what will be my prized bottle of Merlot. As I wrote to him, the wine represents Cardinal blood and will be well consumed by me after we (Cal) clobber Stanford!

Friday featured the playing of the 27th annual Little Game. This touch football mega-event is the brainchild of my friend Cal grad and now Yahoo Sports Senior Writer Mike Silver and is played every year on the Friday before the Big Game. We played from (well for me because I arrived late) 4 PM to dark and I made a video of it that you will see next week.

As for the game's outcome, it ended in a tie and with 10-year-old Zach Heywood running 98 yards to score a touchdown as a group of Old Blues tried in vain to find him in the dark!

After that we met at the famous Sacramento and Front Street Cal grad institution that's called The Royal Exchange to catch up with friends and have a decent cocktail, coupled (for me) with dinner at Globe Restaurant, then a jaunt to meet friends at Cafe Prague, then winding up at The Clift Hotel, then home.

Whew!

On Wednesday, it was the Guardsmen Luncheon at The Fairmount Hotel, where comedian Bob Sarlatte delivered his annually good monologue with an array of jokes and quips that included a little factoid that this was former Examiner and Chronicle Sports Columnist Glenn Dickey's 328th Big Game luncheon!

At the event, Stanford Head Coach Jim Harbaugh took the podium to a somewhat muted chant of "Go for two!" by Cal grads - including me. Cal Coach Jeff Tedford reported that star running back Jahvid Best is getting better rapidly and said that it was good he just had the concussion as it could have been worse.

Big Game Day! But a word on the protest

But now, it's time for the Big Game, but I have to say a few words about Friday's protest at Cal that resulted in the occupation of Wheeler Hall for 11 hours. I think one reason Big Game celebration seemed to lack the on-campus zest of the past (and why we went to San Francisco) was the feeling that the University itself doesn't support its students as they try to get an education.

Increasing tuition such that it will eventually cost over $10,000 per semester and in a recession is heartless. Moreover, not decreasing University staff incomes by 20 percent is equally a mistake.

There is a disturbing pattern developing where the people that run California government and education corporations want to tax and charge the poorest consumers of service, rather than feel some of the pain with an income cut.

This is especially true in Oakland with the parking tow sting that's still going on, taking in more Oaklanders in terrible ways that eventually will change the politics of the city. Meanwhile, a number of City of Oakland non-elected staffers enjoy incomes at and over $200,000 a year and with no cut in sight.

If you're wondering what all this has to do with the Big Game, that's just the point: everything! It's hard to have as much fun when your government and education leaders seem to be trying to stick it to you, but the show must go on!

GO BEARS! Beat Stanford!

OaklandSeen- Aimee Allison & Zennie Abraham on KPFA

2009-11-20T15:52:00.000-08:00

OaklandSeen is KPFA 94.1 KPFA Morning Show radio personality and twice candidate to represent Oakland City Council District Two (now-Councilmember Pat Kernighan won the race), Aimee Allison's new show where she talks about what's happening in Oakland. This was an interesting show in that it was produced at a makeshift studio within Revolution Cafe at 1612 7th Street in West Oakland, and across from the Oakland Main Post Office.

(As an aside, the cafe's real cool and has a nice collection of couches and overstuffed chairs. My only issue with Revolution Cafe is, at an 8 PM time, it closes too early. 10 PM would be great.)

Aimee Allison's 85-minute plus show featured Port of Oakland Board of Commissioners' member and 2nd Vice-President Margaret Gordon, Ronnie Stewart of the Bay Area Blues Society, Erica Torrence of People's Grocery, Aimee Allison, and me, Zennie Abraham. (The meat of the video starts about 20 minutes in; you can see and hear us set up before the actual show starts.)

The idea of this segment was to focus on problems and issues in West Oakland and Margaret Gordon , Ronnie Stewart, and Erica Torrence, who are activists in the area, were perfect. I learned a lot from them, but first and foremost I realized that the same problems we were working to solve in West Oakland during the 90s are still with us today: poor grocery stores with substandard food offerings and gentrification.

But it's also clear that in small ways West Oakland's becoming a better place to live and to be. As a result of Margaret Gordon's work, trucks must have special emissions-reduction retrofits before they can move through West Oakland. And more people like the owners of Revolution Cafe are discovering that they can do good business there. West Oakland is not, as some have said, a dumping ground any more.

We also talked about Oakland's World Cup Soccer bid and I learned that while 50,000 signatures are needed by December 4th, only about 2,500 have been collected. Margaret Gordon said that more people have to get involved in Oakland if Oakland is to improve.

While most of the time was used to talk about West Oakland, we also talked about the Oakland Parking problem and I explained that just yesterday a woman who drove down to Grand Avenue with her child watched in horror as her car was towed away for too many parking tickets; she was left to figure out how she was going to get her kid back home. (Remember, the "tow trigger" is five or more tickets and the City of Oakland's giving out more and more of them.)

I also talked about the Oakland Parking Initiative and what we were trying to do, but I didn't get enough time to talk about that more in depth.

(As a note, you should turn your speakers way up for the video.)

Miley Cyrus Tour Bus Crash leaves one dead

2009-11-20T10:58:00.000-08:00

For some reason Miley Cyrus name is coming up in a tragic way of late. The first time was a not funny Internet trick, "Miley Cyrus Dead" which scared the heck out of me when I saw it but for a second. This time and just days later, "Miley Cyrus Tour Bus Crash" is real, but thankfully she was not involved in it at all.

According to TMZ.com and People Magazine, one of four concert tour buses carrying the lighting crew for Miley Cyrus show crashed this Friday morning outside Richmond, Va. There was one death - believed to be the bus driver as of this writing - and nine reported injuries.

"It was one of our tour buses, but not Miley's,” Miley Curus manager said to TMZ.com. "It was one of our buses that transported our lighting crew."

Miley Cyrus website reports that she's is set to perform Sunday in Greensboro, N.C. Officials for the concert told TMZ that the show would go on.

Sarah Palin Newsweek Cover: Runner's World pans photo use

2009-11-20T07:41:00.000-08:00

Newsweek's in hot water with the editors of Runner's World Magazine, which did not approve of or like the use of their 'Sarah Palin' photo on Newsweek's cover. A photo that sparked a lot of complaints, including mine:

Runner's World wrote:

On the cover of this week's issue of Newsweek is a photo that was shot exclusively for the August 2009 issue of Runner's World, in which Sarah Palin was featured on the monthly "I'm a Runner" back page. The photos from that shoot are still under a one-year embargo, and Runner's World did not provide Newsweek with its cover image. It was provided to Newsweek by the photographer's stock agency, without Runner;s World's knowledge or permission.

And now that photo's all over the place and Newsweek, not Runner's World, is benefiting from it. OK, and so are a lot of publications and bloggers and vloggers. But, as I told my good friend Lars, Newsweek started it. That written, and regardless of the benefit to bloggers and vloggers, Newsweek was wrong and its not out of bounds for me to use their work to make a point against their actions.

Let's face it: it helped get my message out.

What will Runner's World do? Well, I think they've already done it. The question is what will Governor Palin do?

Stay tuned.

The Awl blog post not racist because it mentions black and white

2009-11-20T07:10:00.000-08:00

The Awl is a blog started by ex-Gawker folks Choire Sicha and Alex Balk. I've got to admit I'd never read the thing until I happened on a testy take by Robert Quigley at Mediate.com, the blog by Dan Abrams that I do read regularly.

Robert Quigley accused The Awl of playing "the race card" or the "Twitter race card" in a rather amusing post called “What Were Black People Talking About On Twitter Last Night?”

My immediate thought was that I'm glad someone's interested. What Quigley and others don't understand or try to do is realize that there are differences in what people do based on race at times. In other words there are blacks like me who are not racially-trapped and have multicultural habits; whites who are more interested in a certain part of black culture, and so on.

Big deal. Sharing perceptions of differences is how we learn; it's when the perceptions are racially insulting that problems start. I did not see that in the Awl post, even though it did seem borderline. But I took at as tongue-and-cheek and no further.

You know, there's one thing I'm sick of and its this over-used child-of-the-Regan-era term called "The Race Card" and is habitually used mostly by someone who doesn't want the topic of race mentioned, even if the person doing so is pointing out racism.

That term and the use of it must be destroyed. It's political correctness run-amok and used by Couch Potato Conservatives all too often. Robert Quigley is not that, but by using the term he has something in common with the Sarah Palin's of the world.

Sorry Robert Quigley.

Anyway, as a black blogger, I take no issue with the Awl's blog post. In fact, it was rather cool.

Chris Spielman's wife Stefanie Spielman passes at 42

2009-11-19T23:14:00.000-08:00

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Former Ohio State and NFL Linebacker Chris Spielman lost his wife Stefanie Spielman to breast cancer today. She was 42 years old.

Stephanie was 30 years old when the cancer was first detected. That's really sad and hard news for me to read. It really is.

I followed the Spielmans' story as in 2005 my own mother battled and eventually beat this cancer we all must work to defeat.

Talk about video - blogging with Sarah Austin

2009-11-19T22:43:00.000-08:00

Watch live video from Sarah Austin on Justin.tv

Want to learn more abour video-blogging? You've come to the right place for a start.

Videoblogger Sarah Austin and I are doing a live and recorded video talk on multiple platforms. We're talking about YouTube, vlogging, and Internet success and how to make money!

You can catch this at Pop17.com, Justin.tv, USTREAM.TV, and SFGate.com.

"Cocktails for a Cure" REAF benefit party through Dec 1st

2009-11-18T10:00:00.000-08:00

I just got a note from Ken Henderson, the Executive Director of The Richmond Ermet AIDS Foundation (REAF) in San Francisco and regarding "Cocktails for a Cure". Ken writes:

"We want to make sure everyone knows Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants' Cocktails for a Cure campaign is still going on across the country through Dec. 1st. Order a Red Ribbon cocktail at any participating property and $1/drink goes to a designated local AIDS organization. In SF Bay AREA, it's REAF. Invite your friends out for a few cocktails and know you're doing a good thing. Whodathunk? Bottoms Up! Go Kimpton!"

In San Francisco, the places to go are these hotels and restaurants: Hotel Monaco, Argonaunt, Tuscan Inn, Harbor Court Hotel, Hotel Palomar, Blue Mermaid, Chowder House & Bar, Cafe Pescatore ,Fifth Floor, Grand Cafe , Harry Denton's Starlight, Room , Ponzu, Postrio , Puccini & Pinetti, and Scala's Bistro

Check the map at this link for locations.

Twilight / New Moon holds 94 percent of online ticket sales

2009-11-18T09:46:00.000-08:00

Why is Twilight / New Moon so popular?

The Twilight / New Moon phenomenon has long past heated up and is red-hot. Just a day and a few hours before the midnight release of the second movie in the series based on the popular books, Deadline Hollywood Daily reports that Twilight / New Moon is responsible for a remarkable 94 percent of online ticket sales.

DHD's famous Nikke Finke ads that there are 200 sellouts in Los Angeles and New York alone and theaters in many cities have already sold out.

Oscar buzz? None so far; a lot of wishful fans. Stay tuned.

In Oakland, it opens at the Grand Lake Theater and Signature Jack London Square with both having Thursday midnight openings. I think I'll see what all the fuss is about.

Frank Schaeffer: "Old Testament, biblical equivalent of calling for Holy War."

2009-11-18T08:01:00.000-08:00

...against our President. It's arguably treasonous language and suggestions, coming from supposedly Christian sources, who are, according to Evangelical author Frank Schaeffer, lifting bible verses to trawl for assassins.

"Most Americans will just see the bumper-sticker and smile and think that it's facetious...

What surprises me is that responsible (if you can put it that way) Republican leadership, and the editors of some of these Christian magazines, etc., etc., do not stand up in holy horror and denounce this.

You know, they're always asking: where is the Islamic leadership denouncing terrorism?"
Frank Schaeffer
Author, Patience with God

Here's some video from the Rachel Maddow show. It starts with a discussion of Obama's trip overseas, and how his diplomacy and the observation of protocol has provoked criticism at home. She proceeds to a frank discussion with Schaeffer about veiled messages inciting violence against the President.

Trusting, faithful Christians are, it seems, being led astray by those with clearly political, anti-American agendas cloaked in carefully selected bible verses while waving American flags. Those who seek to create chaos and violence are neither Christian nor patriotic. They prey upon our most trusting, by manipulating scriptures for their own aggrandizement while accusing their counterparts overseas for engaging in the same selfish, godless goals.

Thomas Hayes is an entrepreneur, journalist, and political analyst who contributes regularly to a host of web sites on topics ranging from economics and politics to culture and community.

↑ Grab the Maddow Headline Animator

Sarah Palin Newsweek Cover: Palin not Carrie Prejean

2009-11-17T19:04:00.000-08:00

Well, just one day after Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin appeared on Oprah for what was a good interview and on the day her book "Going Rogue" was released (I have to admit I bought Star Trek on DVD instead), Newsweek helps keep Palin's name near the top of the public conversation (and makes her into Carrie Prejean) by using this cover photo:

The pict got the best of Governor Palin who took to her Facebook page to complain about it, writing:

The choice of photo for the cover of this week's Newsweek is unfortunate. When it comes to Sarah Palin, this "news" magazine has relished focusing on the irrelevant rather than the relevant. The Runner's World magazine one-page profile for which this photo was taken was all about health and fitness - a subject to which I am devoted and which is critically important to this nation. The out-of-context Newsweek approach is sexist and oh-so-expected by now. If anyone can learn anything from it: it shows why you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, gender, or color of skin. The media will do anything to draw attention - even if out of context.

- Sarah Palin

Palin's post - I can see her frowning as she wrote it - sparked a powerful reaction that's bound to keep her name up in online search results for another two months. (A momentary aside. Yesterday I wrote that Palin's Internet popularity was due to Oprah and not herself; today, it's due to Newsweek and not Palin.)

The LA Times asked if Palin was really concerned that the photo was sexist and used their entertainment blog for the Academy Awards to issue the observation, leading me to believe they're saying (or at least LA Times blogger Elizabeth Snead holds) that Palin's acting.

The Kansas City Star's headline was "It just goes on and on". Blog SheKnows.co asks if Palin is really offended or just seeking press. If she is looking for media coverage, she's getting it.

But aside from what Palin thinks, I will say it certainly is sexist.

Look, I'll use a revealing photo to get the readers attention in a second, so I know what Newsweek was doing and it was a ploy to sell magazines and draw web traffic in a recession. Governor Palin's no longer, well, Governor, which makes her tanned and fit good looks the perfect target for their intentions.

But the bottom line is Newsweek didn't have to employ the Runner's World photo and could have opted to just show Palin in the suits she's generally wearing in public appearances. Instead Newsweek wanted to grab a photo that really looks like one I'd expect to see on a truck with a gun rack.

Maybe that was the point.

Whatever the case, I thought Newsweek Editor Jon Meacham's explanation was massively weak:

"We chose the most interesting image available to us to illustrate the theme of the cover, which is what we always try to do,” Meacham said. "We apply the same test to photographs of any public figure, male or female: does the image convey what we are saying? That is a gender-neutral standard."

Sorry but that's the biggest bunch of horse manure I've ever seen. Jon Meacham obviously didn't want to explain that they realy wanted to make a real point, which is 'Sarah wants attention and this photo's the best way to make sure she gets it, focus on our point that we think she's an attention monger, and get a lot of buzz, magazine sales, and Internet traffic too.'

But all of this to me is another wound in the scaring of Sarah Palin. All of this - the book, the book tour, the Oprah Interview, etc. - is a way for Palin to heal. It's not a path to Palin 2012. No.

Sarah Palin is damaged.

Here's a young woman executive plucked from obscurity and thrust at warp-speed into the hyper-media spotlight. Then, when Senator John McCain and the GOP were done with her and lost the Presidential election to Barack Obama, they turned on Palin, cast her aside, and made her feel crappy in the process.

Remember the accusations that Palin was essentially stealing clothes given to her for use by the GOP and a lawyer had to fly to Alaska to get them back? Or how about the constant drumbeat of statements on her lack of understanding of policy from everyone including me.

Sarah's saying "You can't treat me that way and cast me aside." You know what; she's right.

Look, I don't agree with Governor Palin on a number of political issues, but in my way of living that does not mean I have to want to see her mistreated by anyone. Newsweek's actions were horrible. The Newsweek photo was totally off base and I think they should apologize for using a photo intended for an athletic publication in the way they did.

To be clear, I agree with using photos like the one of Carrie Prejean, but hey, she's a model. Ok? Sarah Palin's a government executive not far removed from office (and if she kept herself in it, this would not have happened).

Governor Palin is not Carrie Prejean nor should her image be altered to make her look that way. Again, she may be a Couch Potato Conservative, but at least let her relax on the couch in peace. Now, she's scarred all over again and we're not going to hear or see the last of her until she's healed and that's going to take a long time.

Count on it.

49ers San Francisco Stadium: Carmen Policy on KNBR today

2009-11-17T17:33:00.000-08:00

Carmen Policy (left) with Eddie DeBartolo

Just right on the heels of my blog post comparing the environmental impact reports (EIR) of the Candlestick Point and Santa Clara 49ers stadium development proposals, do I find the mp3 recording of an interview of former 49ers President Carmen Policy.

The show record link is here.

Carmen Policy is the spokesperson for the stadium effort and went on KNBR's Murph & Mac Show to talk about stadium progress to date and make his case for keeping the 49ers in San Francisco.

The conversation opened a brief talk about the Browns v. Ravens game on Monday Night Football, then moved to talk about the progress of the stadium and the redevelopment of Hunter's Point.

With the release of the EIR, Policy says the project can go forward without negative impacts on the community. "The curtain's drawn now. Everyone's ready to go ahead and get this ball rolling."

Policy says the Santa Clara project is "frustrating" but feels they should move forward with their project and "keep this situation on a parallel path."

I know what Carmen's thinking here without having talked to him. NFL politics is such that Policy knows the league will essentially want and have the Yorks pursue the best deal. From that perspective the NFL will use Santa Clara as a, well, pawn, in the creation of a deal that ultimately works for both the league and the 49ers.

In the interview, Policy said that in the end the 49ers will get the best deal. He believes the Hunter's Point project offers the best option.

What about Mayor Newsom?

KNBR asked about the roll of Mayor Newsom given his recent decision to drop out of the California Governor's Race and jet off to Hawaii (in fact Brian Murphy remarked that the "Chronicle was all over him" and called it a disappearing act) and how that impacted their efforts. Policy said the Mayor's actions didn't hurt the development process and that they were allowed to move forward.

Stay tuned.

Niners Candlestick Point stadium looks better with Santa Clara problems

2009-11-17T15:11:00.000-08:00

Candlestick Point

An interesting development occurred over the past few days and virtually under the radar of much of the media in the Bay Area. Two environmental impacts reports were released at almost the same time: one for the Candlestick Point / San Francisco 49ers Stadium development and the other for the SF Niners stadium proposed for Santa Clara.

I also must explain that I'm biased toward the idea of keeping the 49ers in San Francisco, but I'm not beyond telling it like it is with respect to how the enviromental impact reports are presented.

I've read both EIRs (it was part of my role as Economic Advisor to The Mayor of Oakland when Elihu Harris was Mayor and for Robert Bobb before I worked to try to bring the 2005 Super Bowl to Oakland) and while at 3,000 pages (I didn't read all of the pages), the Candlestick Point includes comments and a detailed and well-organized list of anticipated impacts and ways to work to dampen or eliminate them (called "mitagations"), the Santa Clara DEIR is not so well-written.

I've got to say the Santa Clara EIR's not very good at all. In fact, some of the responses to comments are irresponsible and don't show that the project's impacts are being well considered.

Many of the Santa Clara EIR answers to comments are defensive rather than technical and call into question to what degree this document was rushed into production to beat the City of San Francisco's Candlestick effort.

There's a threat of comments regarding the anticipated transit use that would be generated from a new stadium in Santa Clara. The problem with the Santa Clara DEIR is that it bases future estimates of use of cars, buses, and trains on the existing Candlestick Park stadium, which the Candlestick Point DEIR seeks to replace with a new stadium.

In other words, the use of trains versus cars is dependent on the design of the streets, roads, and buildings with respect to each other. The Santa Clara DEIR does not seem to reflect that.

Take this comment / response example:

Comment B-2: Table 15 indicates tbe modal split at the existing stadium is: 82% auto, 10% charter bus, and 8% transit for attendees; 90% auto and 10% transit for employees. For the proposed stadium, modal split is 74% auto, 7% cbarter bus and 19% transit for attendees; 80% auto and 20% transit for employees. Since Candlestick Park is situated within a rich public transportation network, it should have higher charter bus and transit modal splits compared to the proposed stadium. On the contrary, the proposed stadium shows higher charter bus and transit modal splits. What are the underlying assumptions to justify these modal splits tor the proposed 4gers Santa Clara Stadium?

Response B-2: While the City of San Francisco overall has a good public transportation network, the area where Candlestick Park is located does not. There is no rail transit of any kind available to Candlestick Park attendees. The only transit currently used is chatter and municipal buses. As explained in the EIR (pages 176-178), an extensive multi-modal transit system serves north Santa Clara. The assumptions for each type of available transit are described on pages 177-178, including subsections labeled "Bus and Light Rail" and "Heavy
Rail Service".

The Santa Clara DEIR states:

There is no rail transit of any kind available to Candlestick Park attendees.

Hmm....

If that's the case, why is it I can take either BART, Caltrain, or Muni Metro rail and step on the Candlestick Express bus? Yes, it's not direct to the stadium's front door, but its rail and its not far away. Moreover, an EIR is a technical report that's supposed to be devoid of such errors in wording. It's the one place where detailed, accurate description is expected and vital to the success of the project.

The Santa Clara EIR was written as if by a snickering, snipping bureaucrat who had no patience with questions from, well, other bureaucrats from Bay Area agencies, which are in abundance in the document.

By contrast, the Candlestick Point DEIR, while it does concern a much larger 700-acre development, does in detail explain transit impacts and professionally lists the answers to anticipated impacts. There's not the hint of schoolmarm whining that dominates the comment responses in the Santa Clara document.

All of this should make former San Francisco 49ers President Carmen Policy more excited over the prospects for the successful construction of a new 49ers Stadium at Candlestick Point in San Francisco.

But regarding Santa Clara, the San Francisco 49ers should be ashamed of themselves for allowing such a substandard EIR to be produced. I've seen a lot of EIRs in my time and this one's just plain terrible.

If this is an example of what we're to expect, 49ers owner John York should jettison his Santa Clara stadium efforts and work with the more professional team over the Candlestick Point development. Yeah, I'm biased, but it's not without justification.

The Big Game: Ray Ratto, forget it: Stanford will not beat Cal

2009-11-17T12:56:00.000-08:00

The Big Game

Hey Ray Ratto. I just read your column regarding possible Stanford bowl scenarios and the Emerald Bowl, and you write that the Stanford road to the Rose Bowl starts with the Cardinal beating Cal.

Forget it. It's not happening.

Again, Cal 30, Stanford 21. And yesterday I explained why this was possible here.

The bottom line is stopping the Cardinal running game and putting the contest in Stanford Quarterback Andrew Luck's hands. Cal wins, and smashes Stanford's Rose Bowl hopes.

Movie Theaters: Parkway Oakland founders start new business

2009-11-17T11:06:00.000-08:00

The Oakland Parkway Theater closure and restoration issue hasn't been in the main news cycle for a few weeks now, but that doesn't mean there's nothing going on. Catherine and Kyle Fisher, the now former owners of both the Parkway and Cerrito Theaters have done a lot of soul searching in the wake of their loss of both facilities and the controversy that followed.

When I interviewed them earlier this year they were at a cross-road in their life and it came out in our talk. Oh, and if you missed that talk, it's here below and it's a good idea to take a look at the video then read what their next move's going to be, which is presented in the email below the video.

Here's the email from Catherine and Kyle on their new venture:

Catherine and I have had our walk on the beach. We've licked our figurative wounds and are ready to start the next chapter in our lives for better or for worse. We're sharing this with you, our wonderful former patrons because our next endeavor concerns some of you.

Over our 13 years at Speakeasy Theaters many people approached us for information on how to start a business like Speakeasy Theaters that spoke as much to the needs of the community and the lifestyle of the operators as to earning a living. When asked, we gave the best answer we could under the circumstances of the encounter, but I fear that given our time constraints our responses were mostly inadequate. We would like to answer this question in the appropriate detail. What we also determined on our walk was that one of the things that we enjoyed most about operating Speakeasy Theaters was working with and nurturing the often fledgling independent contractors who held events at the Parkway, helping them bring their ideas into focus and executing them as well as they could.

To this end, Catherine and I developed Wild Card Circle. Wild Card Circle is several things each of which are intended to help entrepreneurs develop community responsive businesses that in turn allow the developer to live a lifestyle that is rewarding mentally, spiritually and hopefully financially. One of the main components of Wild Card Circle are workshops designed to help the individual find their inner entrepreneur and show him/her how to express it. If any of this seems remotely interesting to you, you can find out more about it at WildCardCircle.com or contact us at Kyle or Catherine @WildCardCircle.com, otherwise this is us signing off from your lives and wishing you well and thanking you for your years of support.

I wish them the best of luck. Regardless of the outcome of the theaters or how you may feel about them, they did give the Oakland and El Cerrito communities fun places that helped to define the East Bay's unique culture.

Michael Jackson - Janet Jackson and AEG blocking Jackson's doctor

2009-11-17T06:56:00.000-08:00

According to TMZ.com, relations are becoming more contentious between Janet Jackson, event producer AEG, and Michael Jackson's doctor, Dr. Conrad Murray.

Dr. Conrad Murray holds that AEG owes him $300,000, and is late paying for two months of service.

I wonder if that period includes the segment of time leading to Jackson's passing? If so, Murray not only may not see that money, it seems he should understand the circumstances surrounding AEG's actions and have some kind of insurance backup plan. His job was to keep Jackson not just working, but alive. Still, a contract is a contract.

In reading TMZ.com, I have to wonder why Murray's lawyer needs a publicist and who's paying the publicist? Only in LA.

Which leads to this new bit of related information: Janet Jackson doesn't want Murray to practice again. She says he was the only one giving drugs to Michael Jackson.

I think there's a connection between the non-payment by AEG and Janet Jackson, but that's just my gut.

Stay tuned.

Miley Cyrus: Seventeen’s Style Star of the Year

2009-11-17T06:37:00.000-08:00

Miley Cyrus bounces back! After getting the not-so-flattering AOL award as Worst Celebrity Influence of 2009...

...singer Miley Cyrus gets a more flattering award as Seventeen Magazine’s "Style Star of the Year".

Just Jared reports:

The 16-year-old starlet was chosen as the mag’s Style Star of the Year. The mag quotes, “She finally shed her Hannah Montana shell and showed the world she’s an A-lister with it-girl style, which is why Seventeen is honoring Miley as our Style Star of the Year!”

Great to see the Miley Cyrus PR Machine hard at work.

UCLA basketball shocked by CS Fullerton 68, Bruins 65 (2OT)

2009-11-17T06:11:00.000-08:00

The stage was set: UCLA basketball opening home game at legendary Pauley Pavilion with what was supposed to be fodder in Cal State Fullerton, making for an easy win coming off close games against Concordia and Humboldt State in preseason.

Right.

Someone forgot to tell Cal State Fullerton. They won in double overtime 68 to 65 and broke a nine-game string of losses to UCLA. With strength training and the Internet used to pass on coaching points, it's harder than ever to beat a non-ranked team without the ranked team playing its "A" game.

Teams don't just "see the name brand" and lay down anymore. If anything, "UCLA" or "Notre Dame" in football just fires teams up, in some cases causing them to play over their heads. Is CS Fullerton that good down the stretch? We shall see.

Lauren Bacall, Roger Corman, and Gordon Willis get first Oscars of season

2009-11-16T22:20:00.000-08:00

The first Governor's Awards were given Saturday night, kicking off the film awards season and marking the first time the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences gave out honorary Oscars at a ceremony separate from The Academy Awards. Lauren Bacall, Roger Corman, and Gordon Willis were honored. Let's take a video look at their work, staring with the legendary Lauren Bacall.

Lauren Bacall

Lauren Becall was introduced by Angelica Huston, who said "Lauren Becall once said 'Stardom isn't a career; it's an accident", then observed that for Becall, celebrity was no accident.

Becall took the stage to a massive ovation and looking at her Oscar said "I can't believe it. A man, at last."

Lauren Bacall is known for being statuesque, confident, and damn sexy. With a voice that could melt you as much as it commands your attention, Becall went on to star in the classic film The Big Sleep, and was best known for her relationship with Humprey Bogart. But to many Ms. Becall was associated with a then-new cigarette-cool class and style that was the hallmark of the post war feminine image.

Here's Lauren Bacall in The Big Sleep:

Roger Corman

Roger Corman was introduced by one of my favorite filmmakers Jonathan Demme (The Silence of the Lambs, Philadelphia) , said that Corman had a "mind-bloggling ability to create successful films under impossibly tight schedules and budgets."

Roger Corman is known as the "King of the B-Movie Makers." Some of Mr. Corman's films have come to define American Culture, particularly the bombastic yet creepy sci-fi / horror movie introductions of the day, like this one from Corman's It Conquered the World (1957):

Gordon Willis

Gordon Willis was introduced by actor Jeff Bridges, who remarked that Willis was being feted for his "unsurpassed mastery of light, shadow, color, and motion."

Willis said that he was fortunate that he was able to do "pretty much what I wanted to do" in his career.

Cinematographer Gordon Willis is best known for my personal all time favorite film, The Godfather, which I've seen 44 times now. Here's the final scene from part one of Francis Ford Coppola's modern epic:

In all the awards show was a success, even with the occasional flubbing of the introductory lines that one would not seen in an Oscar telecast. But then, this wasn't on television. The Governor's Awards had the feeling of a party at an exclusive club, but considering the legends in the room, that was the best way to do it.

Chabot Community College in trouble with Alameda County Taxpayers' Association over Calpine plant

2009-11-16T19:51:00.000-08:00

The whole Calpine Hayward Energy Plant story just got more interesting for me when I happened on a "Letter to The Editor" presented on the Oakland Tribune website and dated November 6th:

Inappropriate spending

FOR THE past 10 or more years, the Alameda County Taxpayers' Association has worked to shine a light on wasteful spending by public agencies.

We are deeply concerned about spending practices at Chabot Community College.

Deep budget deficits have forced Chabot to lay off faculty and staff, cut programs and increase student fees.

At the same time, Chabot has been spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to oppose a project that has no connection to the institution's educational mission.

It has hired a team of high-priced lawyers and consultants to comment on the construction of a new power plant in Hayward — a project that environmental regulators have determined has no impact to the health of the community.

In addition to having the first-of-its-kind limit on the emission of greenhouse gases, the project Chabot is trying to stop will create 650 jobs and generate $30 million in new taxes at a time when our public institutions are struggling to provide basic services.

The association believes it is irresponsible for public officials to spend taxpayer dollars in this manner, and they must be held accountable for their spending practices.

To determine how much Chabot has spent on this effort, the association has submitted a Public Records Act request.

Arthur B. Geen

Oakland

But who's Arthur B. Geen?

Mr. Geen is Executive Vice President of the Alameda County Taxpayers Association, so he's in a position to know what's going on, even though he didn't use the word "I" or "we" in his letter. But that aside, the question of why Chabot may be using taxpayer dollars to fight a new plant that's over a mile away from it is a question. But what's the problem? A brief recap.

Calpine is a Texas-based energy producer which specializes in the development of clean energy plants. In fact, it's website goes so far as to make the bold claim that...

Calpine has the most environmentally friendly power plant fleet in the world. All of its plants are either fueled by clean natural gas or renewable geothermal steam. Calpine has the largest, cleanest, most fuel-efficient fleet of gas-fired power plants in North America. In fact, the company's projects frequently exceed compliance standards for environmental and public health protections, going beyond the legal requirements, and notable environmental, health and consumer groups have applauded Calpine.

For about eight years, Calpine has worked to obtain approval for the construction of a 600-megawatt "Russell City Energy Center" complex in Hayward, California, which if built would be America's first one designed to adhere to the National Greenhouse Gas Limit.

To that end, Calpine partnered with General Electric and is now at a point where the Bay Area Air Quality Management District held a public hearing to obtain community comments on the plant proposal.

Even with such a statement as on their website, and frankly some pretty determined efforts to make do on their clean energy objectives with respect to the Hayward plant proposal, some in Hayward aren't convinced. That was much was obvious at the BAAQMD meeting:

But it seems opposition to the plant has taken an unfortunate turn. If the Alameda County Taxpayer's Letter printed in the Oakland Tribune is to be understood, Chabot Community College is taking unusual steps to block the plants construction.

While Chabot is claiming to be in a budget crisis, Geen is concerned that taxpayer dollars it should be using to help maintain student-related programs are going, in part, to a legal battle against a plant who's impact on the facility may not warrant such spending.

Moreover, what does not make sense to me is why Chabot would alledegly spend tax dollars to block a project that helps make tax revenue for it? That's a real head shrinker to me. An online petition gained only 94 signatures of Chabot students and staffers, so if there's not an overwhelming opposition to the plant, why all the expenditures by the college?

It's just the proximity. Even at just over a mile, the idea of a plant just doesn't sit well with some of the Hayward folks. I don't think it's an issue of not being able to be convinced eventually, but given the urban setting it's a hard task.

Still, I'm not understanding the whole tax dollar use - if it's true. If it is, the next question is how much and what in student services is being given up to do this.

Will Chabot reps have an answer for me?

Stay tuned.

Sarah Palin not "buzzing" in Internet search trends

2009-11-16T18:16:00.000-08:00

Ok, it's 4:12 PST and the long awaited interview between Sarah Palin and Oprah is on - and I'm missing it. I'm working online but had to click over and check Google Trends, expecting to find "sarah palin" among the top 10 search trends, but not. It's not there, and there's no derivative keyword term in the top 20 or 30 results.

Gov. Sarah Palin

It's not until number 39 that we see "oprah sarah palin interview" as a trend, and even then it's not a search trend that's "On Fire" or "Volcanic". Nah. It's just "Spicy". Moreover, its near the bottom of the list of 40 results, which means that since "sarah palin" hasn't been hot all day long, this term's going to drop from the list soon.

Why is it not a really hot search? Well, I think we're seeing a saturation of news and views on Sarah Palin. And while she's a top Yahoo Buzz search trend, that's for a longer period than just today and reflects the still respectable but not incredible level of interest in her. But Yahoo only controls at best 20 percent of the search market,

But there's interest in the interview. Oprah's instincts were correct. America's love of public displays of conflict and controversy created the desire to see Oprah and Sarah Palin together. It's no wonder Oprah, but not "Sarah Palin" or even "palin" is a top trend on Twitter. It's the interview more than Palin herself.

From a trend standpoint, this buzz surrounding her book Going Rogue will last for another month, then poof, gone. Without Sarah as Governor of Alaska there's nothing else to hang on to except the occasional blasts courtesy of newly minted porn start Levi Johnston.

A good source of evidence to support my claim is called "Google Insights for Search" (GIS) which is excelent at revealing long term keyword search trends. At GIS, a strongly searched or term is over 50. Sarah Palin didn't top that until last Thursday November 12th, peaked on Friday at almost 100 and then fell to just over 70 on Sunday.

If one drills down more, the two top terms containing "Sarah Palin" or "Palin" are some combination of sarah palin and oprah. In other words, again, it's not Sarah Palin herself, but the interview with Oprah fueling search trends.

All of this should give Sarah Palin supporters cause to question her real level of popularity as well as if it can translate into a Presidential run. I don't think she's as popular as some contend and I hold that her overall buzz-factor is weak on its own.

The best future course for Sarah Palin is as a talk show host but her future as a politician is just not there. A future Rush Limbaugh? For some reason I don't see that formula working in her favor. She has the capacity to build her own audience with its own unique flavor. It's just not going to translate into votes for the White House.

President Obama's bow: Fox News' silly attack on Obama

2009-11-16T15:37:00.000-08:00

Fox News. I'm not surprised the latest mainstream media attack on President Obama's bow to the Emperor of Japan comes from Fox News, and equally I'm not shocked to see the captions "Take a Bow" and "Sign of Subservience" used in their telecast. Further, I'm not at all taken aback to see the Fox and Friends female host wearing a real short skirt and sleeveless blouse. Goes right along with my video on Fox News' habits:

It proves the point I've crafted and made all along. The Couch Potato Conservatives have no interest in applying, clear, intelligent, critical thinking to political matters. They'd prefer to use "red meat reporting" to appeal to what they perceive as the "Angry White Male" demographic.

And if you think I'm making that up to be provacative, click on the link and you'll find it comes right from a "Freeper" (Free Republic blogger and reader), Douglas Turner. Turner also mentions Fox News as a key player in the effort to stoke the passions of "Angry White Males."

Opposing Republican senators acted out a version of Nixon’s “Southern Strategy” of appealing to angry white males, now backed by the drumbeat of hired brown-shirts wrecking Democratic town meetings in the August recess, racist cartoons flooding the Internet and the rant on Fox News that President Obama has a “deep-seated hatred for white people or the white culture.”

I can't figure out which one's I can't stand more: Angry Black Men, Angry White Men, Angry Black Women, or Angry Asian Men. Lot's of anger out there, but I digress.

The main point is right wing Fox News covers up the truth about the appropriateness of Obama's bow by showing its viewers a lot of female leg combined with a heavy dose of macho political ideology plus the creation of the idea that it's wrong to bow to a non-white monarch.

Unfortunately, this "Obama bow" issue is divided along racial and political lines, with black blogs like Jack and Jill Politics in agreement with me, and liberal blogs like the Daily Kos providing the evidence of Fox News' unfair and unbalanced reporting.

This Daily Kos video neatly displays the way Fox News distorts the "Obama bow"issue, and presents MSNBC's Rachel Maddow Show presentation of President George W. Bush holding hands with and kissing Saudi King Abdullah.

Fox News: they report and they decide for you.

Cal 30, Stanford 21 - Golden Bears win Big Game (here's how)

2009-11-16T14:52:00.000-08:00

The 113th annual Big Game is this Saturday at Stanford, and everyone's picking Stanford to wax California that evening. But I know the California Golden Bears are capable of beating the Cardinal and by the score of 30 to 21.

The Big Game

Here's how.

First, some sobering observations. The Stanford Cardinal carry the same 7 and 3 overall record into this game. Cal is 4 and 3 in the Pac-10; Stanford is 6 and 2. So in terms of record, Stanford and Cal are the same, but this game's important for Cal because it could place them at even with the Cardinal in the Pac-10 from a loss standpoint. And Stanford and Cal are 17th and 25th respectively in the BCS rankings. So Cal has motivation and a way to beat the Cardinal.

Stanford has one glaring weakness that Cal must take advantage of: Quarterback Andy Luck.

(Yes. Luck is the weak link for the Cardinal. I know some of you scoff at my claim and mightly, but I argue forcefully that Luck can't carry a whole game for the Cardinal and win. The running game makes him a better quarterback.)

Unlike Kevin Riley, who's completion percentage virtually dictates if Cal wins or loses, Andy Luck's numbers have nothing to do with Stanford wins; in his last three games, including the blow-outs of Oregon and USC, he was below 65 percent in pass completion rate. Against USC, he was 12-of-22 for 144 yards passing and two touchdowns. Not superhuman numbers.

What this tells me is I can develop a game plan that places the ball in Luck's hands and forces Stanford to throw, where they're not as successful as when they run. Stanford uses the run to set up the pass, but so much so it's better to use eight-defenders, play tight coverage, blitz one or two backers (not more) - smother the run game, and force the pass.

Stanford's receivers both have over 16 yards average per catch, so throwing short is not Stanford's habit; blitz the Cardinal. (And blitz on the offenses left side where Stanford has had protection problems all year long with the injuries to their left tackle Allen Smith.)

Toby Gerhard, Stanford's terrific running back, is second in the nation in rushing with 1395 yards on 262 carries for a 5.3 yard average and 19 touchdowns. Stop him and Cal stops the Cardinal.

But stopping Gerhard also means keeping the ball away from Stanford, and Cal can do that but it must be willing to commit to throwing the ball short and often. If Cal can concentrate on installing high-percentage passes and working toward a 60-40 run-pass play mix it can move the ball downfield to score.

Where Cal gets into major trouble is in trying to force the deep throw and what bothers me is some of the passing plays of that variety lack an appropriate safety valve for the quarterback; a running back just running a short pattern.

The most successful pass plays against Stanford actually come out of spread dive play fakes (as Arizona runs and Cal does have in its playbook), pulling the linebackers in. So, play action passing is the way to focus on gaining yardage against Stanford.

But again, Cal can't get greedy in trying to gain yardage. (Got that Cal Offensive Coordinator Andy Ludwig?) The Golden Bears must focus on gaining four to six yards per play and let the plays open the way for more yardage after the catch or a missed tackle on a running play.

The only place where I break that rule is the opening play. Cal must make a statement here. It must say to the Cardinal, "We're here to blow you out of your house." The best way to do that is open the game with a flea-flicker.

Cal Coach Jeff Tedford was once known for trick plays (in fact he opened his Cal career with a flea-flicker against Baylor seven years ago) but hasn't called many this year, really almost none. A dive-play, toss back to the quarterback who throws to the split end out of a running formation, will fire up Cal players and fans, and it might just work for a touchdown because Cal's not done it this year.

That's just the "punch in the gut" that will lead to a Cal victory. Anything less, even a reverse, is just not daring and not what this game calls for. After all, it's the Big Game.

Cal can win the game, 30 to 21. If my pattern is used, Cal will go up by as much as two touchdowns before Stanford's running game takes hold, but then and because runs eat clock time, it will be too late.

Bears win!

(Hey Alumni! It's BIG GAME week! Get fired up!)

Tom Hayes: Another gender barrier drops

2009-11-16T13:51:00.000-08:00

Royal Air Force Flight Lieutenant Kirsty Moore is the first non-male pilot to join the Red Arrows, the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team. Moore was already exceptionally familiar with the Hawk aircraft used by the Red Arrows as she's a Qualified Flying Instructor coaching "fast jet pilots" on that aircraft at RAF Valley in Wales.

That's Lietuenant Moore, second from the left in the image above, returning from a flight with team-mates at RAF Scampton on Nov. 12 in Lincoln, England. From the left: Ben Plank, Moore, Zane Sennett, Ben Murphy, and Dave Davies following the launch/unveiling of the 2010 team line-up.

For a dozen more beautiful images, see the article Red Arrows present their first woman pilot at the Sacramento Bee. To see any of the images here in a larger scale, just click the pictures.

Footage from the RAF Red Arrow exhibition over Weymouth Bay watched by an admiring crowd on the Weymouth Beach and Esplanade during Weymouth Carnival 2009:

Thomas Hayes is an entrepreneur, journalist, and political analyst who contributes regularly to a host of web sites on topics ranging from economics and politics to culture and community.

Colts shock Patriots 35 to 34, remain undefeated and rule Twitter

2009-11-15T21:14:00.000-08:00

I was watching the Colts v. Patriots game over dinner at 13 views at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco and saw my Twitter page light up with the Colts updates. It was better than ESPN. Before the Colts scored to shock Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, about 1,500 tweets were issued within a second; when the Colts scored, that number jumped to 9.648 tweets in a second.

Wow.

Twitter aside, that was one of the best games of the year. As the NFL Network's analyst seemed anxious to tell us, the Patriots passing game was giving the Colts Defense fits. On top of that, Quarterback Peyton Manning was throwing some ducks for a while there. But no matter because the Pats beat themselves.

In a game Tom Brady will relive in his dreams, New England thrice lost the ball on plays at the one or in the end zone. On top of that, New England Head Coach Bill Belichick thought his team was stronger than the Colts Defense and went for it on fourth and two - and didn't make it.

Why he did that is stuck in his fertile imagination, but he did it.

No matter. Colts win. But I have a feeling these two are going to see each other in the playoffs again. As a Colts fan, I can't wait. The Pats didn't get the Colts best game, and still lost.

Wow.