Tomorrow night's benefit for Haiti is more than Oakland artists coming together - it's an expression of our community's capacity to reach beyond our own troubles to help others. So says, successful artist and producer Dwayne Wiggins, who stopped by OaklandSeen to share his vision for the event.
Wiggins, who organized an impressive bill including Too Short, E-40, Kev Choice and other local artists, hopes to raise $100k. Here he invites the community to the event:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enIku_8zzd0
And he talks in detail about his hopes for the event, the backstory in his interview on KPFA 94.1FM this morning:
http://www.audioport.org/audioport_files/aimeeallisonlive@GMAIL.COM/10801-20100127-duaynewiggins_haitievent.mp3
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Draeger Construction rebuilds the Bay Area, is Haiti next?
Who makes the buildings of the San Francisco Bay Area? That's something this blogger's wondered about as, with a background in City Planning and a masters from Cal and undergrad degree from Texas-Arlington, the "who" behind buildings is as important as the building itself. Some times emals jog one's brain, and one I got on a Haiti-related building issue I can't go into now start me on to this path of interest.
So in going to cities like Burlingame and Emeryville, where apartment complexes are in abundance, the one question I've had is "who is building them."
In the case of some interesting venues, that answer is Draeger Construction company. According to its website..
In the wake of the Haiti 7.0 Earthquake, finding firms with experience in making quake-safe buildings like Draeger Construction become very important. The problem is most people don't know how to find companies that have such expertise; this blog post, and others to come, should help.
A Drager-built building in Burlingame
So in going to cities like Burlingame and Emeryville, where apartment complexes are in abundance, the one question I've had is "who is building them."
In the case of some interesting venues, that answer is Draeger Construction company. According to its website..
Draeger Construction is a full service contractor based in Northern California. For over 30 years this family owned and operated business has successfully performed thousands of reconstruction projects. Draeger Construction specializes in all aspects of multi-family and commercial reconstruction and in solving complex structural problems for it's clients. We have differentiated ourselves by obtaining licenses in the specialty trades, to offer our clients a cost saving advantage.
In the wake of the Haiti 7.0 Earthquake, finding firms with experience in making quake-safe buildings like Draeger Construction become very important. The problem is most people don't know how to find companies that have such expertise; this blog post, and others to come, should help.
Draeger Construction rebuilds the Bay Area, is Haiti next?
Who makes the buildings of the San Francisco Bay Area? That's something this blogger's wondered about as, with a background in City Planning and a masters from Cal and undergrad degree from Texas-Arlington, the "who" behind buildings is as important as the building itself. Some times emals jog one's brain, and one I got on a Haiti-related building issue I can't go into now start me on to this path of interest.
So in going to cities like Burlingame and Emeryville, where apartment complexes are in abundance, the one question I've had is "who is building them."
In the case of some interesting venues, that answer is Draeger Construction company. According to its website..
In the wake of the Haiti 7.0 Earthquake, finding firms with experience in making quake-safe buildings like Draeger Construction become very important. The problem is most people don't know how to find companies that have such expertise; this blog post, and others to come, should help.
A Drager-built building in Burlingame
So in going to cities like Burlingame and Emeryville, where apartment complexes are in abundance, the one question I've had is "who is building them."
In the case of some interesting venues, that answer is Draeger Construction company. According to its website..
Draeger Construction is a full service contractor based in Northern California. For over 30 years this family owned and operated business has successfully performed thousands of reconstruction projects. Draeger Construction specializes in all aspects of multi-family and commercial reconstruction and in solving complex structural problems for it's clients. We have differentiated ourselves by obtaining licenses in the specialty trades, to offer our clients a cost saving advantage.
In the wake of the Haiti 7.0 Earthquake, finding firms with experience in making quake-safe buildings like Draeger Construction become very important. The problem is most people don't know how to find companies that have such expertise; this blog post, and others to come, should help.
California state politics - Drawing state lines [Aimee Allison/OaklandSeen]
Apply for Commission to Redraw CA Election Lines - oh, yeah it pays $80K too. Get the scoop tonight 5:30pm.
Adam Briones of the Greenlining Institute is heading an effort to expand the pool of people of color applicants for a citizen's redistricting commission being formed (read http://bit.ly/9B6wxV for more). Redistricting is directly responsible for the amount of money that goes to schools, jobs and neighborhood in the community. It's one of those obscure but powerful groups that will define the political power and future of California communities like Oakland.
So apply - and for more information attend the Greenlining Institute's seminar TONIGHT at 5:30 pm at their office at 1918 University Ave, Berkeley. Or go to www.wedrawthelines.ca.gov and submit the short application.
From the Greenlining website's Q&A:
More at http://www.greenlining.org/resources/pdfs/CitizensRedistrictingCommissionFactSheet.pdf
Adam Briones of the Greenlining Institute is heading an effort to expand the pool of people of color applicants for a citizen's redistricting commission being formed (read http://bit.ly/9B6wxV for more). Redistricting is directly responsible for the amount of money that goes to schools, jobs and neighborhood in the community. It's one of those obscure but powerful groups that will define the political power and future of California communities like Oakland.
So apply - and for more information attend the Greenlining Institute's seminar TONIGHT at 5:30 pm at their office at 1918 University Ave, Berkeley. Or go to www.wedrawthelines.ca.gov and submit the short application.
From the Greenlining website's Q&A:
Q: What does redistricting mean?
A: Redistricting means to redraw the lines of an election district. In California these districts must be adjusted every ten years following the census.
Q: Why is redistricting important? What does it do for me?
A: Redistricting equals representation. It determines who is represented, how well they are represented, and what laws are passed.
More at http://www.greenlining.org
Journey to Haiti with Doc Gurley
14 days and counting. I got the message yesterday that a group would like me to go to Haiti. I'd already thrown my name in the hat in the beginning, but they all needed (appropriately) surgeons. Or nurses. But now the situation has morphed, and when the call came my insta-gut response was "yes." Afterward, a tiny flicker of stomach-butterflies set it. Maybe it was the fact that I don't (and maybe won't) have a confirmed return flight home. The estimated time for being there is a week (very do-able), but no guarantees on that estimate (um, less do-able?). Or maybe the butterflies were in part because of the way the lead doctor emphasized (three times!) the fact that we would always have Security with us (clearly said with a capital S). But I knew I wanted to go. When it comes to Haiti, so many of us want to do something. And so I thought you might like to go with me. Which is why I'm going to write about the trip, probably more openly and personally than anything I've written to you before. But first, just so we're all clear, here are the rules:
Doc Gurley's Haiti Manifesto
Rule #1: Why me? Altruism is a gift that benefits the giver. Never more so than when despair hovers. It is amazing how, when I told family, friends and co-workers that I was going to a life-threatening disaster zone, rife with disease and unspeakable deprivation, the uniform first response has been a blurted out: "You're so lucky!" followed a shocked moment of horror-filled realization as they heard their own words, then "Not lucky, I mean, it's going to be hard, really hard, it's just that I wish I could do something like that, well, you know what I mean..." Sometimes it's even difficult to verbalize exactly why we feel that spike of jealousy. I think it's because we all wish we could do something tangible. Something with our hands and our backs. Heavy lifting. Hey, we all know the checks are important (VERY important), but after a while they feel the same as handing your kid a twenty on her birthday. Like something crucial is missing in the act. Could that urge to do something, anything, be the reason I'm going? I've thought about it - am I taking the place of someone else who should go instead (keeping in mind that it can be too easy to think that maybe someone else ought to go, and, if we all do that - no one goes). But I don't think I am taking someone else's place. Here's why: a) I'm an internist, a grunt, a flea, a sickest-of-the-sick-adults'-doctor, one with extensive ER and hospitalist experience, the type of doctor (after the surgeons have left) that they need now, and b) I currently see patients in a homeless clinic with a strong culture of collaborative care so - while it's admittedly still not Haiti - I don't tend to have the typical easily-offended doctor amount of either ego or fastidiousness, and c) I speak good-enough French to have worked for three months in a monolingual medical environment, and d) I did those French-speaking healthcare months in a Third World country in Africa, a place somewhat like Haiti in that the generators turned off every night and mosquito netting and hungry bats were our major malaria interventions, and e) frankly I am lucky enough to have the job/benefits/luxury of being able to go on short notice while not paid to do so like a disaster team is, and f) while the fact is that I'm not a nurse (okay sure, I ran an IVAC once, but all I remember of the experience is a panic-filled blur of jabbing buttons while machines beeped at me in a decidedly contemptuous fashion), and would never claim to be a nurse, I can honestly say that if there's a bandaging, dosing, vital-sign-taking, bedpan-changing, spongebath giving, floor-mopping job to do, well, like most of us peri-menopausal moms, I'm your Gurley. All of which leads to Rule #1 - the better candidate goes. That means if someone more qualified or adept can take my slot, I step out. Even at the eleventh hour (that would be 4:30 am, February 15, in a United terminal at Chicago's O'Hare, in case anyone's keeping track).
Rule #2: We go there to work. There will be NO ethically weird moments when the camera swings, Gupta-like, in my direct and I orthodontially blind you while simultaneously performing surgery. I'm going there to work. As a doctor. I'll be sweaty, I won't waste suitcase space on make-up, and God knows what my hair will be doing. Sweaty doctor - that's it. There is no sub-clause, no asterisk, no employer, no other job title. There is no conflict-of-interest. The Chronicle/SFGate is not paying me anything, not transport, nada. Heck, I can't even get a satellite cell-phone out of them to make sure I can send and/or upload posts (but maybe! they're working on it!). Any sharing of the experience from me to you happens after the work is done. But as much as is humanly possible, we'll go together. Every step we can. Because whether you're frustrated, or despairing, or hungering to do something, or rage-filled about our own neglected problems at home, there are moments when it's best to share. And an epic disaster is one of them. Join me. We'll go together and do what we can to help.
Rule #3: HIPPA goes to Haiti. People the world over deserve their medical privacy. And no one - especially the very desperate - should have to wonder what their doctor's motivation really is. If I write/blog/video/audio record about a patient, or a situation, either that person will NOT be one of my patients, or their identity will be so changed that no one will ever be able to know exactly who that 12-year-old girl with a head injury really was.
Rule #4: It takes a village to help a village. It's been less than 24 hours since I found out I was going and friends have already stepped up. An Eagle Scout mom has an ultra-small sleeping bag for me (so I'll have more room for medical supplies in my luggage). Colleagues are pitching in to cover shifts they have NO obligation to work (thank you, Barry! thank you, Mary!). Churches - here and there - are helping with logistics and food. Total strangers are coming forward with airline miles for me to use, and a place for me to bunk in Chicago while I wait for my flight out. You too are welcome to go with me to Haiti in spirit. And if you would like to go with me in a more tangible way, I'll let you know of opportunities. But, when it comes to "stuff," I am limited to one 50-lb checked bag. In contrast, there is no limit on goodwill, or funds for those suffering there. I am not wasting time or energy picking apart anyone who wants to help - I don't care about your politics, religion or cash reserves. You want to roll up your sleeves too, well, you're my kind of Gurley...
So here we are, Day 14 and counting:
1) Told my kids I was going. Squeals, hand-flapping, "I'm so jealous," then silence while it sunk in. They're teens, they'll be fine. But I notice how the 15 year old wants to sit closer to me on the couch than she has in years, virtually sinking into my right side. I don't say anything about it, of course. I just let her sink into me too.
2) Shots today. I went to the phenomenal folks at the Traveler's Clinic at the Department of Public Health (conflict-of-interest disclosure: NONE. They don't pay me, I never saw them before today). Dropped in without an appointment at 12:45 pm, was asked by the receptionist in a stricken voice "Would 1:10 work?" After a stunned silence, I squeaked out a "You mean today?" and when she nodded (apologetically) "yes," I had to do a double-take to make sure I was actually standing in an American medical clinic. Who are these people? This is so NOT how medical care works. I got three shots - a hepatitis A, tetanus, and typhoid shot ("ooh, those are going to ache" the lovely NP said, as well as "too bad there's not time for the rabies series - you know it's rampant there, don't you? Just be sure and get airlifted out if anything furry breaks your skin"). The ooh-that's-going-to-hurt shots didn't seem to hurt at all. Being a macho internist, I nodded in agreement while thinking to myself good thing I'm stoic and not a big weeny like their other patients are. Three hours later, I promise you, I'm so sore I would not lift my arms up from my sides unless my hair caught fire. Even then I'd have to think about it. I'm getting a little panicky, in fact, about which side I'm going to sleep on - I'm imagining a night ahead of me composed of "ow" and then "ouch" muttered in the dark as I roll endlessly from side to side in my sleep.
3) Am now panicked about my "functional" French. I have been known on two prior occasions, when I spoke French in Paris, to provoke, from Gauloises-smoking, too-cool-to-sneer citoyens, a shocked guffaw of snorted laughter. One Parisienne laughed so hard she hiccuped. Apparently I tend to speak French with a thick West African accent. But see, French is the only foreign language it's almost impossible to use in the Bay Area (at least medically). Oh God, what if I've forgotten it all? So I ran to my town's fabulous library and checked out every single (non-beginner) French language item (yes, I am the pig who took them all, staggering out of the library under a teetering skyscraper of perilously stacked books): four textbooks - including one Haitian-Creole dictionary - and five massive boxed sets of CDs. Including one two-disc set from The Language Teacher To The Stars - Mel Gibson! Barbra Streisand! Woody Allen! Which makes me wonder what will happen if I visit Paris and speak french to sneering Gauloises-smokers in a thick Mel Gibson accent?
So, in the few moments while I'm not going ow and then ouch during the night tonight, I plan to be subliminally absorbing the nasal tones of a total 189 hours of French audio-lessons I checked out ("ne mange pas ce gateau"...).
But who am I kidding? Sleep is unlikely to occur. Because I've already started fretting over Ethical Haiti Dilemma #1. Let me lay it out for you:
Exhibit A: The supplies MOST in need in Haiti now are wound care, debridement/incision kits, rehydration and dressing supplies, as well as antibiotics and analgesics.
Exhibit B: Most of those supplies are too bulky for me to bring many of them in a suitcase. Except for pills (which are surprisingly heavy, but compact).
Exhibit C: Expiration dates on drugs are arbitrarily set by pharmaceutical companies (who have an obvious conflict of interest), and reliable sources have studied the issue and found that almost all pills and powders are still completely effective years after they "expire."
Exhibit D: I have a legion of eager-to-give-something neighbors, friends and acquaintances with bathroom medicine cabinets bulging with leftover pills.
Ergo: Should I take a half-suitcase of potentially expired, but still-effective antibiotics to Haiti? And...
Algebra Problem of the Day: If I board my connecting flight to Chicago, hurtling at 31,267 feet for 3.87 hours, while carrying a 4-liter grocery bag of donated 2 oz. pill-bottles labeled with 34 different individual names, and each bottle is 3/4 full of highly regulated narcotics, then please calculate how many DEA agents, on arrival at O'Hare, will force me to undergo how many body-cavity searches? Please express your answer in mucosal centimeters. Extra Credit: And, more importantly, given an estimated factor of X minutes per search will those body-cavity searches cause me to miss my Haiti flight? Hmm...
Should I "recycle" drugs for Haiti? Or is it ethically wrong to dump them on a people who have no choice? Share in the comments section - and tune in for the next in the series to get details about the Haiti trip - what will I panic about next? What DO they advise you to bring to a disaster? Keep up on the Haiti trip and the latest health issues in the news by signing up for a Doc Gurley RSS feed by clicking here. Look for future pics and other articles at Doc Gurley! Also check out Doc Gurley's joyhabit and iwellth twitter feeds - so you can get topic-specific fun, effective, affordable tips on how to nurture your joy and grow your wellth this coming year.
Doc Gurley's Haiti Manifesto
Rule #1: Why me? Altruism is a gift that benefits the giver. Never more so than when despair hovers. It is amazing how, when I told family, friends and co-workers that I was going to a life-threatening disaster zone, rife with disease and unspeakable deprivation, the uniform first response has been a blurted out: "You're so lucky!" followed a shocked moment of horror-filled realization as they heard their own words, then "Not lucky, I mean, it's going to be hard, really hard, it's just that I wish I could do something like that, well, you know what I mean..." Sometimes it's even difficult to verbalize exactly why we feel that spike of jealousy. I think it's because we all wish we could do something tangible. Something with our hands and our backs. Heavy lifting. Hey, we all know the checks are important (VERY important), but after a while they feel the same as handing your kid a twenty on her birthday. Like something crucial is missing in the act. Could that urge to do something, anything, be the reason I'm going? I've thought about it - am I taking the place of someone else who should go instead (keeping in mind that it can be too easy to think that maybe someone else ought to go, and, if we all do that - no one goes). But I don't think I am taking someone else's place. Here's why: a) I'm an internist, a grunt, a flea, a sickest-of-the-sick-adults'-doctor, one with extensive ER and hospitalist experience, the type of doctor (after the surgeons have left) that they need now, and b) I currently see patients in a homeless clinic with a strong culture of collaborative care so - while it's admittedly still not Haiti - I don't tend to have the typical easily-offended doctor amount of either ego or fastidiousness, and c) I speak good-enough French to have worked for three months in a monolingual medical environment, and d) I did those French-speaking healthcare months in a Third World country in Africa, a place somewhat like Haiti in that the generators turned off every night and mosquito netting and hungry bats were our major malaria interventions, and e) frankly I am lucky enough to have the job/benefits/luxury of being able to go on short notice while not paid to do so like a disaster team is, and f) while the fact is that I'm not a nurse (okay sure, I ran an IVAC once, but all I remember of the experience is a panic-filled blur of jabbing buttons while machines beeped at me in a decidedly contemptuous fashion), and would never claim to be a nurse, I can honestly say that if there's a bandaging, dosing, vital-sign-taking, bedpan-changing, spongebath giving, floor-mopping job to do, well, like most of us peri-menopausal moms, I'm your Gurley. All of which leads to Rule #1 - the better candidate goes. That means if someone more qualified or adept can take my slot, I step out. Even at the eleventh hour (that would be 4:30 am, February 15, in a United terminal at Chicago's O'Hare, in case anyone's keeping track).
Rule #2: We go there to work. There will be NO ethically weird moments when the camera swings, Gupta-like, in my direct and I orthodontially blind you while simultaneously performing surgery. I'm going there to work. As a doctor. I'll be sweaty, I won't waste suitcase space on make-up, and God knows what my hair will be doing. Sweaty doctor - that's it. There is no sub-clause, no asterisk, no employer, no other job title. There is no conflict-of-interest. The Chronicle/SFGate is not paying me anything, not transport, nada. Heck, I can't even get a satellite cell-phone out of them to make sure I can send and/or upload posts (but maybe! they're working on it!). Any sharing of the experience from me to you happens after the work is done. But as much as is humanly possible, we'll go together. Every step we can. Because whether you're frustrated, or despairing, or hungering to do something, or rage-filled about our own neglected problems at home, there are moments when it's best to share. And an epic disaster is one of them. Join me. We'll go together and do what we can to help.
Rule #3: HIPPA goes to Haiti. People the world over deserve their medical privacy. And no one - especially the very desperate - should have to wonder what their doctor's motivation really is. If I write/blog/video/audio record about a patient, or a situation, either that person will NOT be one of my patients, or their identity will be so changed that no one will ever be able to know exactly who that 12-year-old girl with a head injury really was.
Rule #4: It takes a village to help a village. It's been less than 24 hours since I found out I was going and friends have already stepped up. An Eagle Scout mom has an ultra-small sleeping bag for me (so I'll have more room for medical supplies in my luggage). Colleagues are pitching in to cover shifts they have NO obligation to work (thank you, Barry! thank you, Mary!). Churches - here and there - are helping with logistics and food. Total strangers are coming forward with airline miles for me to use, and a place for me to bunk in Chicago while I wait for my flight out. You too are welcome to go with me to Haiti in spirit. And if you would like to go with me in a more tangible way, I'll let you know of opportunities. But, when it comes to "stuff," I am limited to one 50-lb checked bag. In contrast, there is no limit on goodwill, or funds for those suffering there. I am not wasting time or energy picking apart anyone who wants to help - I don't care about your politics, religion or cash reserves. You want to roll up your sleeves too, well, you're my kind of Gurley...
So here we are, Day 14 and counting:
1) Told my kids I was going. Squeals, hand-flapping, "I'm so jealous," then silence while it sunk in. They're teens, they'll be fine. But I notice how the 15 year old wants to sit closer to me on the couch than she has in years, virtually sinking into my right side. I don't say anything about it, of course. I just let her sink into me too.
What is WRONG with these DPH Travel Clinic people? Don't they know medical visits aren't supposed to be (gasp) pleasant?
2) Shots today. I went to the phenomenal folks at the Traveler's Clinic at the Department of Public Health (conflict-of-interest disclosure: NONE. They don't pay me, I never saw them before today). Dropped in without an appointment at 12:45 pm, was asked by the receptionist in a stricken voice "Would 1:10 work?" After a stunned silence, I squeaked out a "You mean today?" and when she nodded (apologetically) "yes," I had to do a double-take to make sure I was actually standing in an American medical clinic. Who are these people? This is so NOT how medical care works. I got three shots - a hepatitis A, tetanus, and typhoid shot ("ooh, those are going to ache" the lovely NP said, as well as "too bad there's not time for the rabies series - you know it's rampant there, don't you? Just be sure and get airlifted out if anything furry breaks your skin"). The ooh-that's-going-to-hurt shots didn't seem to hurt at all. Being a macho internist, I nodded in agreement while thinking to myself good thing I'm stoic and not a big weeny like their other patients are. Three hours later, I promise you, I'm so sore I would not lift my arms up from my sides unless my hair caught fire. Even then I'd have to think about it. I'm getting a little panicky, in fact, about which side I'm going to sleep on - I'm imagining a night ahead of me composed of "ow" and then "ouch" muttered in the dark as I roll endlessly from side to side in my sleep.
3) Am now panicked about my "functional" French. I have been known on two prior occasions, when I spoke French in Paris, to provoke, from Gauloises-smoking, too-cool-to-sneer citoyens, a shocked guffaw of snorted laughter. One Parisienne laughed so hard she hiccuped. Apparently I tend to speak French with a thick West African accent. But see, French is the only foreign language it's almost impossible to use in the Bay Area (at least medically). Oh God, what if I've forgotten it all? So I ran to my town's fabulous library and checked out every single (non-beginner) French language item (yes, I am the pig who took them all, staggering out of the library under a teetering skyscraper of perilously stacked books): four textbooks - including one Haitian-Creole dictionary - and five massive boxed sets of CDs. Including one two-disc set from The Language Teacher To The Stars - Mel Gibson! Barbra Streisand! Woody Allen! Which makes me wonder what will happen if I visit Paris and speak french to sneering Gauloises-smokers in a thick Mel Gibson accent?
So, in the few moments while I'm not going ow and then ouch during the night tonight, I plan to be subliminally absorbing the nasal tones of a total 189 hours of French audio-lessons I checked out ("ne mange pas ce gateau"...).
But who am I kidding? Sleep is unlikely to occur. Because I've already started fretting over Ethical Haiti Dilemma #1. Let me lay it out for you:
Exhibit A: The supplies MOST in need in Haiti now are wound care, debridement/incision kits, rehydration and dressing supplies, as well as antibiotics and analgesics.
Exhibit B: Most of those supplies are too bulky for me to bring many of them in a suitcase. Except for pills (which are surprisingly heavy, but compact).
Exhibit C: Expiration dates on drugs are arbitrarily set by pharmaceutical companies (who have an obvious conflict of interest), and reliable sources have studied the issue and found that almost all pills and powders are still completely effective years after they "expire."
Exhibit D: I have a legion of eager-to-give-something neighbors, friends and acquaintances with bathroom medicine cabinets bulging with leftover pills.
Ergo: Should I take a half-suitcase of potentially expired, but still-effective antibiotics to Haiti? And...
Algebra Problem of the Day: If I board my connecting flight to Chicago, hurtling at 31,267 feet for 3.87 hours, while carrying a 4-liter grocery bag of donated 2 oz. pill-bottles labeled with 34 different individual names, and each bottle is 3/4 full of highly regulated narcotics, then please calculate how many DEA agents, on arrival at O'Hare, will force me to undergo how many body-cavity searches? Please express your answer in mucosal centimeters. Extra Credit: And, more importantly, given an estimated factor of X minutes per search will those body-cavity searches cause me to miss my Haiti flight? Hmm...
Should I "recycle" drugs for Haiti? Or is it ethically wrong to dump them on a people who have no choice? Share in the comments section - and tune in for the next in the series to get details about the Haiti trip - what will I panic about next? What DO they advise you to bring to a disaster? Keep up on the Haiti trip and the latest health issues in the news by signing up for a Doc Gurley RSS feed by clicking here. Look for future pics and other articles at Doc Gurley! Also check out Doc Gurley's joyhabit and iwellth twitter feeds - so you can get topic-specific fun, effective, affordable tips on how to nurture your joy and grow your wellth this coming year.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
City of Oakland stupidity: parking meters cost more than revenue gain
In this dramatic example of City of Oakland fiscal stupidity: the proposed 250 parking meter locations for new meters will cost more to install than the $146,000 revenue gain expected.
The previous Oakland Parking blog post on this focused on this email sent out by Oakland Councilmember Nancy Nadel's (District 3 - downtown Oakland, West Oakland) Office:
At the same Oakland City Council meeting of October 6, Councilmember Desley Brooks asked for an estimate of the cost to install parking meters; she did not receive an answer to her question that night.
Here's the answer:
In 2007 the City of Oakland arranged $4.8 million in financing to purchase 500 parking meters. At $4.8 million, it costs $2.4 million to install 250 new parking meters. That means the City of Oakland will spend $2.4 million just to raise $146,000.
That's stupid. There's no other kinder word for this, and its time for tough, no-holds-barred talk here. If the City has $2.4 million to spend, that means it does need to raise $146,000, it just needs to reassign the $2.4 million in spending. What's going on in Oakland City Hall?
Stay tuned.
The previous Oakland Parking blog post on this focused on this email sent out by Oakland Councilmember Nancy Nadel's (District 3 - downtown Oakland, West Oakland) Office:
From: Todd, Amber On Behalf Of City Administrator's Office
Subject: RE: Locating additional parking meters per Council direction on
October 6, 2009Dear Council Members:
To realize $146,000 in additional revenue in FY 2009-10, the Oakland
City Council directed staff at the October 6, 2009 meeting to identify
250 possible locations to install additional parking meters. Staff in
Parking Administration and Public Works worked together and produced the
attached list which suggests possible locations where additional meters
could be installed. To give flexibility in generating revenue, the
attached list contains 470 possible locations for additional meters.
Staff plans to return to the Finance and Management Committee in
February to obtain approval for installing additional meters. During
the month of January, Parking Administration and Public Works staff
would like to work with members of your staff to reach out to and seek
feedback from potentially impacted merchants and other stakeholders.
Parking staff will contact members of your staff this week to discuss
the development and implementation of outreach efforts related to
installing additional parking meters.
Should you have any questions, you may contact Tom DiSanto in Parking
Administration at 986-2687.
Sincerely,
City Administrator's Office
At the same Oakland City Council meeting of October 6, Councilmember Desley Brooks asked for an estimate of the cost to install parking meters; she did not receive an answer to her question that night.
Here's the answer:
In 2007 the City of Oakland arranged $4.8 million in financing to purchase 500 parking meters. At $4.8 million, it costs $2.4 million to install 250 new parking meters. That means the City of Oakland will spend $2.4 million just to raise $146,000.
That's stupid. There's no other kinder word for this, and its time for tough, no-holds-barred talk here. If the City has $2.4 million to spend, that means it does need to raise $146,000, it just needs to reassign the $2.4 million in spending. What's going on in Oakland City Hall?
Stay tuned.
City of Oakland Parking Issue: Oakland wants more parking meters
The City of Oakland's desire to earn more revenue on the backs of Oakland's poor continues. This email, sent out by Oakland Councilmember Nancy Nadel's Office, reveals the first hand insensitivity of the City of Oakland during what many are still calling an economic recession and in a city with 17 percent unemployment and even more not working or underemployed.
The email below calls for locating additional parking meters "as Per Council Direction" on October 6, 2009. This is in reverse of the desires of Oaklanders for fewer parking meters.
Parking meters call for the same kind of draconian ticketing and enforcement practices that have overloaded Oaklanders with parking tickets and resulted in the towing of cars after five tickets were accumulated. Here's the email that shows the City of Oakland's irresponsiblity toward Oaklanders, and why the Oakland City Council should reconsider its policies or risk losing office, one-by-one, when each councilmember's reelection time comes up.
From: Todd, Amber On Behalf Of City Administrator'
s Office
Subject: RE: Locating additional parking meters per Council direction on
October 6, 2009
Note the email does not consider Oaklanders, and impacted merchants don't want the meters either. As this blogger calmly told one Oakland Councilmember after that person yelled in my ear, there are other ways to raise $146,000, but on the other hand, the City Council will have to do what President Obama's doing, and ordering a spending freeze where possible. That should include a reduction in salaries.
It's about time the City of Oakland adjust to economic realities and stop trying to act like some thuggish gangster, throwing a fiscal choke-chain around Oaklanders, shaking them down and forcing them to cough up money they don't have.
Stay tuned.
Oakland City Council squeezes Oakland
The email below calls for locating additional parking meters "as Per Council Direction" on October 6, 2009. This is in reverse of the desires of Oaklanders for fewer parking meters.
Parking meters call for the same kind of draconian ticketing and enforcement practices that have overloaded Oaklanders with parking tickets and resulted in the towing of cars after five tickets were accumulated. Here's the email that shows the City of Oakland's irresponsiblity toward Oaklanders, and why the Oakland City Council should reconsider its policies or risk losing office, one-by-one, when each councilmember's reelection time comes up.
From: Todd, Amber On Behalf Of City Administrator'
s Office
Subject: RE: Locating additional parking meters per Council direction on
October 6, 2009
Dear Council Members:
To realize $146,000 in additional revenue in FY 2009-10, the Oakland
City Council directed staff at the October 6, 2009 meeting to identify
250 possible locations to install additional parking meters. Staff in
Parking Administration and Public Works worked together and produced the
attached list which suggests possible locations where additional meters
could be installed. To give flexibility in generating revenue, the
attached list contains 470 possible locations for additional meters.
Staff plans to return to the Finance and Management Committee in
February to obtain approval for installing additional meters. During
the month of January, Parking Administration and Public Works staff
would like to work with members of your staff to reach out to and seek
feedback from potentially impacted merchants and other stakeholders.
Parking staff will contact members of your staff this week to discuss
the development and implementation of outreach efforts related to
installing additional parking meters.
Should you have any questions, you may contact Tom DiSanto in Parking
Administration at 986-2687.
Sincerely,
City Administrator's Office
Note the email does not consider Oaklanders, and impacted merchants don't want the meters either. As this blogger calmly told one Oakland Councilmember after that person yelled in my ear, there are other ways to raise $146,000, but on the other hand, the City Council will have to do what President Obama's doing, and ordering a spending freeze where possible. That should include a reduction in salaries.
It's about time the City of Oakland adjust to economic realities and stop trying to act like some thuggish gangster, throwing a fiscal choke-chain around Oaklanders, shaking them down and forcing them to cough up money they don't have.
Stay tuned.
Oakland News: Glenview Neighborhood gets new website
The City of Oakland's desire to earn more revenue on the backs of Oakland's poor continues. This email, sent out by Oakland Councilmember Nancy Nadel's Office, reveals the first hand insensitivity of the City of Oakland during what many are still calling an economic recession and in a city with 17 percent unemployment and even more not working or underemployed.
The email below calls for locating additional parking meters "as Per Council Direction" on October 6, 2009. This is in reverse of the desires of Oaklanders for fewer parking meters.
Parking meters call for the same kind of draconian ticketing and enforcement practices that have overloaded Oaklanders with parking tickets and resulted in the towing of cars after five tickets were accumulated. Here's the email that shows the City of Oakland's irresponsiblity toward Oaklanders, and why the Oakland City Council should reconsider its policies or risk losing office, one-by-one, when each councilmembers reelection time comes up.
From: Todd, Amber On Behalf Of City Administrator'
s Office
Subject: RE: Locating additional parking meters per Council direction on
October 6, 2009
Note the email does not consider Oaklanders, and impacted merchants don't want the meters either. As this blogger calmly told one Oakland Councilmember after that person yelled in my ear, there are other ways to raise $146,000, but on the other hand, the City Council will have to do what President Obama's doing, and ordering a spending freeze where possible. That should include a reduction in salaries.
It's about time the City of Oakland adjust to economic realities and stop trying to act like some thuggish gangster, throwing a fiscal choke-chain around Oaklanders, shaking them down and forcing them to cough up money they don't have.
Stay tuned.
Oakland City Council squeezes Oakland
The email below calls for locating additional parking meters "as Per Council Direction" on October 6, 2009. This is in reverse of the desires of Oaklanders for fewer parking meters.
Parking meters call for the same kind of draconian ticketing and enforcement practices that have overloaded Oaklanders with parking tickets and resulted in the towing of cars after five tickets were accumulated. Here's the email that shows the City of Oakland's irresponsiblity toward Oaklanders, and why the Oakland City Council should reconsider its policies or risk losing office, one-by-one, when each councilmembers reelection time comes up.
From: Todd, Amber On Behalf Of City Administrator'
s Office
Subject: RE: Locating additional parking meters per Council direction on
October 6, 2009
Dear Council Members:
To realize $146,000 in additional revenue in FY 2009-10, the Oakland
City Council directed staff at the October 6, 2009 meeting to identify
250 possible locations to install additional parking meters. Staff in
Parking Administration and Public Works worked together and produced the
attached list which suggests possible locations where additional meters
could be installed. To give flexibility in generating revenue, the
attached list contains 470 possible locations for additional meters.
Staff plans to return to the Finance and Management Committee in
February to obtain approval for installing additional meters. During
the month of January, Parking Administration and Public Works staff
would like to work with members of your staff to reach out to and seek
feedback from potentially impacted merchants and other stakeholders.
Parking staff will contact members of your staff this week to discuss
the development and implementation of outreach efforts related to
installing additional parking meters.
Should you have any questions, you may contact Tom DiSanto in Parking
Administration at 986-2687.
Sincerely,
City Administrator's Office
Note the email does not consider Oaklanders, and impacted merchants don't want the meters either. As this blogger calmly told one Oakland Councilmember after that person yelled in my ear, there are other ways to raise $146,000, but on the other hand, the City Council will have to do what President Obama's doing, and ordering a spending freeze where possible. That should include a reduction in salaries.
It's about time the City of Oakland adjust to economic realities and stop trying to act like some thuggish gangster, throwing a fiscal choke-chain around Oaklanders, shaking them down and forcing them to cough up money they don't have.
Stay tuned.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Craigslist Founder on media, Obama, and Google Nexus One
On Friday, Craigslist Founder and SFGate.com blogger Craig Newmark was kind enough to open his cool Cole Valley, San Francisco home to me for a vlog interview on the future of media. This is the second "City Brights" video interview I've conducted; the first one was with Doc Jan Gurley, or "Doc Gurley."
For those of you who don't know Craig Newmark, he's a San Franciscan who 15-years ago started what was to be a simple website to help friends make connections with services, resources, and each other. It grew to a 500-city website system of which while he's the founder, is no longer the owner. By agreement, we did not talk about Craigslist business.
The talk with Craig (which was impacted by network problems that were vexing Craig when I arrived) really turned from a look at the future of media, to focus on a lot of pressing media problems today, then on Obama and the Google Nexus One. But to be sure, many people have been talking about The Future of Media. Just a Google search of the term reveals a number of relevant results out of the 199 million recorded.
When I asked Craig Newmark why this was the case -- why the concern? Craig said "A lot of people do realize that a trustworthy and viable press that asks questions is vital to the survival of our country, however, there's more and more problems that come up."
Craig Newmark does not consider himself a media expert, but says that he talks to a lot of people in media and journalists and from his base as a customer service rep for the Craigslist site, he has a view "from the ground."
Craig says there's a great concern for accuracy and fact-checking in media today. Craig also reports that, "In a lot of publications, there's a tendency to make things up...Even TV network or two seeks to propagate that disinformation." What he's talking about has many examples, the latest being the rumored breakup of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, or the fake news death of Johnny Depp. In politics, the Right Wingnuts propagated the view that President Obama was Muslim and Fox News helped spread the idea.
This blogger thought the blogsphere was supposed to take care of correcting such information problems, but Craig correctly states that blogs also put out false information. The problem will persist until more media institutions do something about it.
With this, Craig's view of the future is optimistic because more and more people are working in what he calls "Networks of trust", doing fact-checking and news curation. Craig says that the main problem in media and journalism today is money; there' so much media that revenue does not flow to the newspapers of the past or present, leading to staff budget cuts and in some cases closures of entire publications, like The Rocky Mountain News, or Editor and Publisher.
Craig says there are a number of new media business models unfolding that are interesting, most notably the new non-profit initiative funded with $5 million from San Francisco financier Warren Hellman, called the Bay Area News Project. The BANP - which came under fire from local traditional journalists because they see it as taking jobs away from them - just hired Lisa Frazier as its CEO, and new Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Weber; Frazier will reportedly earn $400,000 per year.
Nice for a non-profit.
At any rate, Craig looks favorably on the BANP effort, which will supply Bay Area stories to the New York Times. Newmark sees the New York Times as a bastion of media accuracy, which I disagree with, but this space is not the place for that. He points to the NY Times as one publication that focuses more on important stories than others, and derides the habit of reporting "non-important" stories over stories of importance.
I asked Craig about this because as a person who earns a living via the development of media traffic I will post a celebrity blog entry over a political blog entry because it's clicked on more. That's just human nature. Craig says that's OK as long as important stories are mixed in. "People need to make money," he says. But regardless of the type of story, he wants to see more accurate blogs and news sites.
Craig recommends a good 30-second Google "sanity check" to make sure a story is accurate, and avoiding putting someone on as a news guest or source who's intentionally putting out a false story. Now with all of this, you may think Craig doesn't like TMZ.com, the "Three-Mile-Zone" celebrity news site with the habit of breaking big entertainment-related stories and getting news that other publications wish they could have. Craig appreciates what TMZ has done, he just hasn't got around to reading it. "My focus is elsewhere, and I need a break."
On Barack Obama and the media
We turned to how the media has covered President Barack Obama. Both Craig and I were among the first to support then-Senator Barack Obama (for me, December of 2006), for President. Craig is saddened by what he sees as the media covering the "sensational" aspects of Obama's presidency, but not the substance of what Obama is doing or has done. "Most of the media has badly or unfairly covered Obama," Craig observes.
Craig calls for bloggers to promote the truth about Obama, and on matters of how Obama has insisted on accountability and transparency in government "There's been a lot more accomplished in the first year (of Obama's Presidency), than the last eight (under George W. Bush)."
On Craigslist and society
From his ground level view at Craigslist, Craig see a "benevolent" society. "The big change I think I've seen," Craig says, "is that using the net people see that they can help each other out, and its easy to do."
Google Nexus One vs. iPhone
Craig Newmark is testing the Google Nexus One against the iPhone, and had both out for view in the video. "Right now, I think I'm heading, I think, towards the Nexus. The iPhone is a great phone, but right now it's on AT&T. There a few year behind where they need to be in in terms of networks...I may wind up with an Android phone on the Verizon network. I like the Nexus. As soon as I can figure out Google Voice, I can network all of my phones and make my life a little easier."
The 25-minute video features a deeper conversation on governance and technology, which I will post later this week. But Craig has also agreed to do another video talk so we can better flesh out many of the topics we touched on today.
Stay tuned.
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie split news called false
The Internet was inundated with rumors that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were breaking up or had already split and were filing for divorce.
One blogger claimed to have been "vindicated" by the news from a UK publication, because he claimed Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie broke up last April.
The news originally came late Saturday night, from a British news website called News Of The World which reported a $205 million divorce settlement as in the works. But today, that news was declared false by People Magazine and TMZ.com.
TMZ:
The news by News Of The World was detailed and claimed that a divorce agreement was finalized.
The reason for the constant rumors of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's splitting up is that the two have heavy schedules that keep them on the road and apart. People Magazine reports that while Brad Pitt was in LA for the Hope for Haiti Telethon, Angelina Jolie was in New York city for a Vanity Fair photo shoot.
One blogger claimed to have been "vindicated" by the news from a UK publication, because he claimed Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie broke up last April.
The news originally came late Saturday night, from a British news website called News Of The World which reported a $205 million divorce settlement as in the works. But today, that news was declared false by People Magazine and TMZ.com.
TMZ:
There's a report out that Brad and Angie are calling it quits. One source -- who should know -- says, "It's B.S."
The news by News Of The World was detailed and claimed that a divorce agreement was finalized.
The reason for the constant rumors of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's splitting up is that the two have heavy schedules that keep them on the road and apart. People Magazine reports that while Brad Pitt was in LA for the Hope for Haiti Telethon, Angelina Jolie was in New York city for a Vanity Fair photo shoot.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Oakland News: Glenview Neighborhood gets new website
Over at Zennie62.com, Patsy Eagan announced that there's a new website especially for the Glenview Neighborhood in Oakland. The rest of this blog post is her presentation of the website GlenviewNeighbors.com:
(Glenview street banners, courtesy of Maja Brugos Design: www.brugosdesign.com)
Yesterday's clouds dumped another inch of rain onto Oakland. More t-storms may be in the stars for the Bay today, with more precip. into next week.
Some of the banners along Park Boulevard have buckled in the harsh weather, flapping in the high winds and in some places, coming loose from their streetlight mounts. Below them runs the garden median; the city nearly shut off its drip water system last year due to budget cuts. Today it's soaked. Water brims, then runs down the Glenview slope and into the sea.
Next spring, the Glenview Neighborhood Association (GNA) plans to host a gardening party on the median. But while winter still reigns in Oakland, they've been busy with a little virtual refurbishment.
Yesterday the GNA launched a new Web site, and invite you to tour their virtual home today: GlenviewNeighbors.com.
Visit your GlenviewNeighbors online and consider making a donation. Your membeship will go to feed the plants on the median; they will fund online projects with the neighborhood youth. It could also purchase new flags for the Glenview—a nice distraction from the potholes on Park.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Oakland's Lake Chalet reviewed by NY Times
In what's supposed to be a restaurant review, but comes off as more of a general commentary, the New York Times reviewed my favorite Oakland Restaurant, Lake Chalet. (As a note, Lake Chalet was where I had the Oakland YouTube Meetup and I've served as spokesperson which started because I just plain love the place.)
I had to read the review in an effort to get out of my Oscar funk in the wake of the very weird treatment by their communications staff, but I digress. I don't understand what the reviewer means by "inconsistent menu" because the food's quite the same and I might add the menu's new. They changed it about a month ago. The new Half Chicken is fantastic.
What I'm wanting and waiting for is the Zennie62 Burger. It's my dream burger and would consist of:
That's the Zennie62 Burger! Great with a glass of Merlot!
I had to read the review in an effort to get out of my Oscar funk in the wake of the very weird treatment by their communications staff, but I digress. I don't understand what the reviewer means by "inconsistent menu" because the food's quite the same and I might add the menu's new. They changed it about a month ago. The new Half Chicken is fantastic.
What I'm wanting and waiting for is the Zennie62 Burger. It's my dream burger and would consist of:
1 lb. ground italian sausage
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper
sliced mushrooms, drained
sloppy joe and salsa sauce
kaiser rolls, toasted
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese
Then...
In a large skillet saute sausage and onion, and bell peppers, then drain.
Then stir in mushrooms and special sloppy joe and salsa sauce
Heat until almost hot
Place mixture on rolls and top each with 1/4 cup cheese
That's the Zennie62 Burger! Great with a glass of Merlot!
Hope for Haiti Now concert performances and update
Last night's Hope for Haiti Now concert featured 19 performances from artists like Alicia Keys, Stevie Wonder, Shakira, Taylor Swift, Justin Timberlake, U2, Wyclef Jean, Jay-Z, Beyonce, Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, Mary J. Blige, John Legend, Christina Aguilera, Sting, Sheryl Crow, Keith Urban, and Kid Rock Jennifer Hudson, Emeline Michel, The Edge, Dave Matthews and Neil Young.
Here's the AP's video summary:
And Hope for Haiti Now attracted stars who worked the phones like Colin Farrell, Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Julia Roberts, Jack Nicholson, Charlize Theron, Steven Spielberg, Ellen DeGeneres, Brad Pitt, Tom Hanks, Robert Pattinson, Denzel Washington, Matt Damon, Clint Eastwood, Halle Berry, and Ben Stiller.
Bill Clinton, United Nations Special Envoy to Haiti, and head of the Bush / Clinton Haiti Fund, gave this speech:
The Hope for Haiti Now concert event was in Los Angeles, New York, and Haiti, where CNN's Anderson Cooper is working to report on the country's effort to recover from the 7.0 Haiti Earthquake. Hope for Haiti Now was organized by Up In The Air star George Clooney, who said to MTV, "I think it's the same message that everybody does, that churches do, that communities do — which is everybody participate, help out, whatever way you can."
Hope For Haiti Now as event planning was put together very rapidly, about the same time as the Haiti Earthquake itself ended. George Clooney explained to MTV how he came to be involved in forming Help For Haiti Now:
The list of participating networks was vast: CBS, NBC, FOX, CNN, BET, The CW, HBO, MTV, VH1, CMT, PBS, TNT, Showtime, Comedy Central, Bravo, E! Entertainment, National Geographic Channel, Oxygen, G4, CENTRIC, Current TV, Fuse, MLB Network, EPIX, Palladia, SoapNet, Style, Discovery Health, Planet Green, CNN en Español, HBO Latino and Canadian networks, including CBC Television, CTV, Global Television and MuchMusic. As of this writing, there's no official estimate of the television viewer count; that should come next week.
Hope for Haiti Now may have been the most media-exposed event in history; it was also streamed online at MTV.com, YouTube.com, VH1, and MySpace, Fancast, AOL, MSN.com, Yahoo!, Bing.com, BET.com, CNN.com and Rhapsody, and on cell phones by way of Alltel, AT&T, Sprint, Verizon and FloTV.
You can still help now by going to www.HopeforHaitinow.org or calling by phone at 877-99-HAITI. You can even text "GIVE" to 50555.
Here are some of the 19 performances from Hope for Haiti Now, Friday night:
Alicia Keys (video link):
Stevie Wonder: (video link)
Shakira (video link):
Coldplay (video link):
Taylor Swift (video link)
Stay tuned.
Here's the AP's video summary:
And Hope for Haiti Now attracted stars who worked the phones like Colin Farrell, Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Julia Roberts, Jack Nicholson, Charlize Theron, Steven Spielberg, Ellen DeGeneres, Brad Pitt, Tom Hanks, Robert Pattinson, Denzel Washington, Matt Damon, Clint Eastwood, Halle Berry, and Ben Stiller.
Bill Clinton, United Nations Special Envoy to Haiti, and head of the Bush / Clinton Haiti Fund, gave this speech:
The Hope for Haiti Now concert event was in Los Angeles, New York, and Haiti, where CNN's Anderson Cooper is working to report on the country's effort to recover from the 7.0 Haiti Earthquake. Hope for Haiti Now was organized by Up In The Air star George Clooney, who said to MTV, "I think it's the same message that everybody does, that churches do, that communities do — which is everybody participate, help out, whatever way you can."
Hope For Haiti Now as event planning was put together very rapidly, about the same time as the Haiti Earthquake itself ended. George Clooney explained to MTV how he came to be involved in forming Help For Haiti Now:
"I was in New York the evening it (the Haiti Earthquake) happened. It happened at four or five o'clock, and I got a message from Wyclef that he's gonna go into the Dominican Republic and that it was much worse than what's initially been reported," Clooney explained. "We knew it was bad, but who knew how bad. And he said, 'Is there anything you can do?' So the next morning, I woke up and called (MTV CEO) Judy McGrath at MTV, and Judy said, 'We were thinking about doing something too,' so I said, 'Let's do it.' And I flew back to L.A., and as soon as I landed we got the other networks involved. And now it's every major network, every single one. At some point, it got to a place [when] you couldn't be the network that didn't [join in]."
The list of participating networks was vast: CBS, NBC, FOX, CNN, BET, The CW, HBO, MTV, VH1, CMT, PBS, TNT, Showtime, Comedy Central, Bravo, E! Entertainment, National Geographic Channel, Oxygen, G4, CENTRIC, Current TV, Fuse, MLB Network, EPIX, Palladia, SoapNet, Style, Discovery Health, Planet Green, CNN en Español, HBO Latino and Canadian networks, including CBC Television, CTV, Global Television and MuchMusic. As of this writing, there's no official estimate of the television viewer count; that should come next week.
Hope for Haiti Now may have been the most media-exposed event in history; it was also streamed online at MTV.com, YouTube.com, VH1, and MySpace, Fancast, AOL, MSN.com, Yahoo!, Bing.com, BET.com, CNN.com and Rhapsody, and on cell phones by way of Alltel, AT&T, Sprint, Verizon and FloTV.
Hope for Haiti Now
You can still help now by going to www.HopeforHaitinow.org or calling by phone at 877-99-HAITI. You can even text "GIVE" to 50555.
Here are some of the 19 performances from Hope for Haiti Now, Friday night:
Alicia Keys (video link):
Donate Now: 1-877-99-HAITI in US/Canada, or go to www.hopeforhaitinow.org
Stevie Wonder: (video link)
Donate Now: 1-877-99-HAITI in US/Canada, or go to www.hopeforhaitinow.org
Shakira (video link):
Donate Now: 1-877-99-HAITI in US/Canada, or go to www.hopeforhaitinow.org
Coldplay (video link):
Donate Now: 1-877-99-HAITI in US/Canada, or go to www.hopeforhaitinow.org
Taylor Swift (video link)
Donate Now: 1-877-99-HAITI in US/Canada, or go to www.hopeforhaitinow.org
Stay tuned.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Chevron's noted Richmond Refinery closure seen as joke in Richmond
The news is all over that Chevron's planning to close its Richmond Refinery, but in Richmond, California and the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area, it's seen as kind of a joke. While Chevron reports that it would like to remain operating the 100-year-old facility, it also has been beset with a number of economic problems that have made the decision to remain in Richmond more of a business consideration and less of an emotional one.
First, the World's new export king, China has planned to slow its country's economic growth by tightening its bank lending practices to curb inflation. While China's inflation problems have resulted in a stronger U.S. Dollar (proof that Congressman Ron Paul is consistently wrong in his criticism of U.S. economic stimulus spending), its causing a drop in crude oil futures. China is the largest consumer of crude oil, so this news will hurt that industry.
Add to that the near-recessionary U.S. Economy and you have a problem that spells lower oil consumption demand. That impacts Chevron's operations around the World, and it hurts Richmond. But to read East Bay news organs like The East Bay Express, you'd think a city and a region was tone deaf to international economics, even as its exposed to it. The East Bay Express writes:
There's no mention of the Worldwide economic problem and how that impacts Richmond at all. Instead...
Chevron considered selling the Richmond plant as recently as a year ago, according to Reuters. While Chevron's not happy that such information is out there in the public, it is. The reality is that no one can conduct business as usual in this economic climate, and that includes Richmond. This blogger tried to ask Richmond Mayor Gayle McLaughlin why she did not work in more of a deal-making fashion with Chevron Richmond, and what was recorded was a constant activist anger against Chevron.
With that, and the World's economic problems, why should Chevron remain in Richmond, California? From a very cold business perspective, it seems like a total waste of money, and Chevron could always structure a kind of sale-lease back deal so it continues to gain revenue from a scaled down Richmond refinery. If Richmond hates Chevron as much as the Mayor of Richmond seems to express, why not leave Richmond? That would solve the problem.
Here's where the emotions run deep at Chevron.
Chevron has not just had the refinery in operation for longer than the City of Richmond has been an incorporated city, it's still the remaining employer of note. At present, Chevron Richmond employs 1,200 employees on its refining side and another 1,200 employees at its Richmond Technology Center. There are an additional 500 contractors working at the plant at any given time. That's a total of 2,900 workers active at any one time in Richmond.
Moreover, Chevron reports that Chevron Richmond is a giant 30 percent of the City of Richmond's revenue base. That means one-third of Richmond's municipal services are already paid for by Chevron. With that, it's not a stretch to report that perhaps greater than one-third of Richmond's economy depends on Chevron Richmond Refinery operations.
All of that is good for Richmond, which has lost 70 percent of its job base in the last three years and who's projected job growth is already a negative 2.9 percent, but some in high-places in Richmond still think its all a big joke, so Chevron should leave Richmond. That would end all of the complaint about pollution in theory, because the plant would have been closed or downsized.
Right?
Well, Chevron says not so fast. It's reportedly concerned about many of the crime and social problems in Richmond and realizes that a departure would be the death of the City, literally and figuratively. Here, Chevron's ties to Richmond are emotional and they may very well be the reasons why Chevron remains in Richmond, even as all international market signs point to a swift exit from Richmond in some form as the right decision.
Stay tuned.
First, the World's new export king, China has planned to slow its country's economic growth by tightening its bank lending practices to curb inflation. While China's inflation problems have resulted in a stronger U.S. Dollar (proof that Congressman Ron Paul is consistently wrong in his criticism of U.S. economic stimulus spending), its causing a drop in crude oil futures. China is the largest consumer of crude oil, so this news will hurt that industry.
Add to that the near-recessionary U.S. Economy and you have a problem that spells lower oil consumption demand. That impacts Chevron's operations around the World, and it hurts Richmond. But to read East Bay news organs like The East Bay Express, you'd think a city and a region was tone deaf to international economics, even as its exposed to it. The East Bay Express writes:
Oil market analyst Allen Good of Morningstar market research firm noted that Chevron’s West Coast properties are among its most profitable. In addition, California refineries typically make more money because of the state requirements on blending gasoline. Also, if Chevron were to close its Richmond refinery, it would no longer have a presence in the Northern California market, thereby forcing the oil giant to ship gasoline blended at its Southern California refinery and adding to its costs.
There's no mention of the Worldwide economic problem and how that impacts Richmond at all. Instead...
Chevron has said that it plans to cut jobs and that its domestic refineries are losing up to $600,000 a day, but has not disclosed whether those losses apply to its California plants. The rumored Richmond closure also could be nothing more than saber-rattling in an effort to convince environmentalists to drop their lawsuit which blocked a massive expansion of the Richmond plant last year because of concerns over increased pollution.
Chevron considered selling the Richmond plant as recently as a year ago, according to Reuters. While Chevron's not happy that such information is out there in the public, it is. The reality is that no one can conduct business as usual in this economic climate, and that includes Richmond. This blogger tried to ask Richmond Mayor Gayle McLaughlin why she did not work in more of a deal-making fashion with Chevron Richmond, and what was recorded was a constant activist anger against Chevron.
With that, and the World's economic problems, why should Chevron remain in Richmond, California? From a very cold business perspective, it seems like a total waste of money, and Chevron could always structure a kind of sale-lease back deal so it continues to gain revenue from a scaled down Richmond refinery. If Richmond hates Chevron as much as the Mayor of Richmond seems to express, why not leave Richmond? That would solve the problem.
Here's where the emotions run deep at Chevron.
Chevron has not just had the refinery in operation for longer than the City of Richmond has been an incorporated city, it's still the remaining employer of note. At present, Chevron Richmond employs 1,200 employees on its refining side and another 1,200 employees at its Richmond Technology Center. There are an additional 500 contractors working at the plant at any given time. That's a total of 2,900 workers active at any one time in Richmond.
Moreover, Chevron reports that Chevron Richmond is a giant 30 percent of the City of Richmond's revenue base. That means one-third of Richmond's municipal services are already paid for by Chevron. With that, it's not a stretch to report that perhaps greater than one-third of Richmond's economy depends on Chevron Richmond Refinery operations.
All of that is good for Richmond, which has lost 70 percent of its job base in the last three years and who's projected job growth is already a negative 2.9 percent, but some in high-places in Richmond still think its all a big joke, so Chevron should leave Richmond. That would end all of the complaint about pollution in theory, because the plant would have been closed or downsized.
Right?
Well, Chevron says not so fast. It's reportedly concerned about many of the crime and social problems in Richmond and realizes that a departure would be the death of the City, literally and figuratively. Here, Chevron's ties to Richmond are emotional and they may very well be the reasons why Chevron remains in Richmond, even as all international market signs point to a swift exit from Richmond in some form as the right decision.
Stay tuned.
Oakland Parking Problem causes Don Macleay for Mayor
The Oakland Parking Problem has a number of Oaklanders upset, yet the City of Oakland just doesn't seem to get it. The Oakland Parking Problem has its second political reaction: Green Party Member Don Macleay is running for Mayor. Don Macleay was one of the first to start working on an Oakland Parking Initiative, but like this blogger feels the City of Oakland just doesn't care.
For example, an Oakland Councilmember with an affinity for cocktails yelled in the year of this blogger at a downtown Oakland restaurant recently only because of the mention of the Oakland Parking Initiative and the desire to lower parking rates to more reasonable and affordable levels.
When this was said, the Oakland Councilmember turned and gestured with the cocktail glass with "IF YOU DON'T EXPLAIN WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO CUT, YOU'RE A LIAR!! A LIAR!!! I'LL CALL YOU THAT TO YOUR FACE!!! LIAR!!!
Yes. Yelling really loud in the establishment , and just as it was wrote. When the concern for Oakland's unemployed and poor was expressed, there was no response from the Oakland Councilmember. The name is withheld with the hope that the Oakland Councilmember gets the message and stops that kind of behavior in the future.
Oaklanders should be able to talk about policy differences without yelling at each other. But it's really disheartening to see someone that one supported turn around and yell at them for no reason at all, really.
This blogger never attempted to match the Oakland Councilmember's voice level; listening was the objective. The only concern here is that the Oakland Councilmember forgets that she represents the people of Oakland, first, not the maintenance of City of Oakland salary levels in a recession. Don Macleay says he will not be bound by any special interest:
On his website, currently at OaklandGreens.org, Don Macleay writes:
The email from his supporters reveals Don Macleay as a kind of "working class hero":
Don Macleay has what was reported to be a well-attended campaign kickoff of about 50 people, which isn't bad considering that he's as of this writing unknown. That's certainly about to change.
Oakland's Mayor's Race did not have a Green Party Candidate who officially announced his or her candidacy. Now it does. Give the political unrest both nationally and locally, Don Macleay just may find himself with more support for his mayoral run than he dreamed of.
But where Don Macleay could fail in his run is in the New Media area. Right now, when one types "Don for Mayor" they don't get Don Macleay on the first page of the search result, they get Don Perata. As is true for many people over 40, Don Macleay's misunderstanding of the importance of New Media could be his failure.
Few people read newspapers any more and the Oakland Tribune's parent company filed for bankruptcy protection.
Stay tuned.
For example, an Oakland Councilmember with an affinity for cocktails yelled in the year of this blogger at a downtown Oakland restaurant recently only because of the mention of the Oakland Parking Initiative and the desire to lower parking rates to more reasonable and affordable levels.
When this was said, the Oakland Councilmember turned and gestured with the cocktail glass with "IF YOU DON'T EXPLAIN WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO CUT, YOU'RE A LIAR!! A LIAR!!! I'LL CALL YOU THAT TO YOUR FACE!!! LIAR!!!
Yes. Yelling really loud in the establishment , and just as it was wrote. When the concern for Oakland's unemployed and poor was expressed, there was no response from the Oakland Councilmember. The name is withheld with the hope that the Oakland Councilmember gets the message and stops that kind of behavior in the future.
Oaklanders should be able to talk about policy differences without yelling at each other. But it's really disheartening to see someone that one supported turn around and yell at them for no reason at all, really.
This blogger never attempted to match the Oakland Councilmember's voice level; listening was the objective. The only concern here is that the Oakland Councilmember forgets that she represents the people of Oakland, first, not the maintenance of City of Oakland salary levels in a recession. Don Macleay says he will not be bound by any special interest:
On his website, currently at OaklandGreens.org, Don Macleay writes:
Oakland deserves a Mayor who works for citizens first. I want a city that serves all citizens with compassion, advocacy, and action.
The email from his supporters reveals Don Macleay as a kind of "working class hero":
Working-class, non-politician Don Macleay announced his intention to run for Mayor of Oakland earlier this week, urging Oakland voters to reject entrenched insider politicians and instead vote for a progressive advocate for people and policies that would serve the real majority in Oakland, not special interests.
Calling his campaign “Integrity and Vision for Progressive Change,” Mr. Macleay is a former machinist, current small business owner, father and progressive community and environmental advocate.
Mr. Macleay said he is an “insider” only to grassroots, community-based Oakland, and will put the “people first.” Mr. Macleay’s goal, as he will outline Monday, is to end the systemic
mediocrity that is Oakland's City government.
Don Macleay has what was reported to be a well-attended campaign kickoff of about 50 people, which isn't bad considering that he's as of this writing unknown. That's certainly about to change.
Oakland's Mayor's Race did not have a Green Party Candidate who officially announced his or her candidacy. Now it does. Give the political unrest both nationally and locally, Don Macleay just may find himself with more support for his mayoral run than he dreamed of.
But where Don Macleay could fail in his run is in the New Media area. Right now, when one types "Don for Mayor" they don't get Don Macleay on the first page of the search result, they get Don Perata. As is true for many people over 40, Don Macleay's misunderstanding of the importance of New Media could be his failure.
Few people read newspapers any more and the Oakland Tribune's parent company filed for bankruptcy protection.
Stay tuned.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Oakland Historic Landmark Rededicated Sunday
The First Unitarian Church of Oakland is one of the oldest and most storied buildings in the East Bay. Built in 1891, it just underwent an $8.1 million retrofit and renovation and the community will celebrate Sunday, Jan. 24th at 3pm. This historic church is a California state landmark and listed in the National Register of Historic Places. It's so old that its steeple was used as the model for UC Berkeley's famous Campanile.
It features incredible redwood arches and stained glass windows, and has been the site of many important events, most recently the memorial service for KPFA's Andrea Lewis. This Sunday, January 24, they are holding a rededication ceremony to officially reopen their sanctuary after the renovation work was completed late last year. It's at 3pm at the church, which is at 14th and Castro Streets -- right next to the 980 freeway -- in downtown Oakland.
There will be speeches, a performance by Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir -- which was founded at the church -- and the return of long-time First Unitarian ministers Rob and Janne Eller-Isaacs, who started the renovation project but moved to another church in the interim.
More information: http://www.uuoakland.org/a
The announcement:
First Unitarian Church of Oakland will rededicate its historic 119-year-old sanctuary on January 24, 2010 at 3 pm, capping a $2 million renovation and earthquake retrofit with musical performances, guest speakers and a formal rededication ceremony.
The 400-member church raised $2 million in private funds to seismically upgrade and renovate the previously unreinforced masonry landmark. Located at the corner of 14th and Castro streets in downtown Oakland, the church is California Historic Landmark #896 and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places (NPS-77000284).
The church was built in 1891 and designed by Oakland City Architect Walter J. Matthews in the “Richardsonian Romanesque” style of architecture, a radical departure in its time from wood frame church construction. The church is noted for its world-famous stained glass windows and for its arching redwood spans, made from first-growth California Redwood harvested in Berkeley and Oakland. The church’s steeple, which can be seen from the Interstate 980 Freeway in downtown Oakland, was the model for UC Berkeley’s Sather Tower (the Campanile).
The retrofit and renovation included steel-beam reinforcement of the redwood arches and the floor, replacing and upgrading the roof, updating the lighting and sound systems, and making the interior fully wheelchair-accessible.
The rededication ceremony will include a formal “key ceremony” in which the church receives the keys to the building back from the construction workers, as well as the presentation of a City of Oakland Proclamation. The event will also include a slide show and description of the retrofit and renovation work that was done to save this architectural landmark.
The Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir (which was founded at First Unitarian) and the Oakland Youth Chorus will perform. Speakers will include Revs. Rob and Janne Eller-Isaacs (past ministers at First Unitarian), Rev. Ronald Edward Swisher of Taylor Memorial United Methodist Church, and Swami Prabuddhananda Saraswati of the Vedanta Society of Northern California.
“First Unitarian Church has a rich history and remains a vibrant home of beloved community, liberal religious thought and social activism,” said Rev. Kathy Huff, senior minister of First Unitarian. “We feel so blessed to have secured our landmark sanctuary, a source of comfort and strength to generations of people going back more than a century that will now be here for generations to come in this new century.”
First Unitarian Church of Oakland is an intentionally multiracial, multicultural, multigenerational congregation of more than 400 children, men, women and transgender people. The churches welcomes – and counts among its members – people of all ages, sexual orientations, races, gender identities, classes, dis/abilities, theologies and religious heritages.
For much more information about the past, present and future of the congregation and the First Unitarian Church of Oakland building, visit www.uuoakland.org.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Oakland Police Chief Anthony Batts MLK Speech - Aimee Allison/OaklandSeen
Yesterday, the new Oakland Police Chief Anthony Batts set himself apart from other lawmen. He's been making the rounds in community meetings throughout the city, but yesterday he spoke of his life mission and love of young people. In his passionate and charming talk as keynote for the Martin Luther King community celebration at the Taylor United Methodist Church in West Oakland, he spoke with honesty about his difficult upbringing in South Central Los Angeles, losing a young person on the streets of Long Beach, and finding the answer to the question"God, why am I here"? The crowd of 1000 got on their feet when he asked people to take a pledge to do anything it takes to prevent violence like the kind that paralyzed Christopher Rodriquez (who was in the audience). He asked the crowd, "What would you do if failure wasn't an option" and rejected the complacency and numbness that seems to follow violent street crimes.
Could the police department finally have the kind of leader that will transform the conversation and reality of crime in Oakland?
Could the police department finally have the kind of leader that will transform the conversation and reality of crime in Oakland?
Oakland Police Chief Anthony Batts on MLK Day from OaklandSeen on Vimeo.
Mayor Dellums to Break Tie on Council Vote - for Port Nominee
[Aimee Allison] Mayor Dellums is finally using his city-chartered right to break a council tie by casting a vote for his appointee Michael Lighty to the Port Commission. The Mayor, who recently brokered a deal with port truckers and the state over tighter emissions regulations, is finally playing his hand at strong mayor.
The Port Commission is one of the most powerful groups in city politics, and plays a key role in approving development project like the BART extension and housing, environmental fights as in the ongoing stand-off between truckers and the port, and jobs - as in whether local people are going to get the 6,000 jobs that will be created by the project at the old army base.
More from Sanjiv Handa, East Bay News Service:
The Port Commission is one of the most powerful groups in city politics, and plays a key role in approving development project like the BART extension and housing, environmental fights as in the ongoing stand-off between truckers and the port, and jobs - as in whether local people are going to get the 6,000 jobs that will be created by the project at the old army base.
More from Sanjiv Handa, East Bay News Service:
Mayor Ron Dellums is still planning on attending the Oakland City Council
meeting Tuesday, Jan. 19, to cast the tie-breaking vote approving the nomination
of Michael Lighty to the Board of Commissioners of the Port of Oakland.It has
been so long since a mayoral tie-breaking vote was cast that many, including
some Council members, are rusty on the process.
Pursuant to the new
rules of procedure adopted effective May 1, 2003, mayoral tie-breakers appear on
the non-consent portion of the Council agenda — which cannot be called prior to
7 p.m.
Tuesday's Council meeting begins at 6 p.m. with open forum,
consent calendar items, closed session report, and ceremonial items. Four
ceremonial presentations, including two lengthy retirement honors, will be heard
during the 6 p.m. portion.
Deputy Police Chief Dave Kozicki and Chief
Technology Officer Bob Glaze are scheduled to be recognized for their long
careers with the city. Both retired as of Dec. 2009.
Councilmember Larry
Reid was quoted in local media as saying he might change his vote. Two local
blogs also indicated changes in the voting lineup, without citing names,
The official meeting agenda states:
Rule 29 [of City Council
Rules of Procedure] provides the following regarding the procedure: "Council and
public discussion is permitted on the item to be voted on by the Mayor; however,
Council members cannot change their vote unless the item has been properly
noticed for reconsideration. The Mayor must appear at the Council meeting to
cast his vote."
If the Mayor does not cast the tie breaking vote, the motion
fails.
The votes, according to draft minutes of the Jan. 5, 2010,
Council meeting was:
4 AYES — Kaplan; Kernighan; Nadel; Quan
4 NOES
— Brooks; De La Fuente; Reid; Brunner
Many speakers are expected to sign
up for the item. It is likely speaker time will be reduced to one minute per
person.
Upon approval, Lighty can take the oath of office on the spot if
he makes arrangements with the City Clerk's Office — or the next day in the
Clerk's office during regular business hours.
The Port has cancelled its
Jan. 20 Audit, Budget and Finance Committee meeting, which is chaired by Tony
Batarse, whom Lighty would replace. The next Port Commission meeting is not
scheduled until Feb. 2.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Oakland breaking up Friendly Cab's monopoly this week
The City of Oakland is in the process of breaking up the monopoly long-held by Oakland's Friendly Cab. According to a source who did not wish to be named, last week on Friday, Oakland Police Officers took taxi medallions away from Yellow Cab cars owned by Friendly Cab. The source reports that the cabs will be offered to the public "sometime around January 25th."
According to the source, Surrender Singh, the owner of Friendly Cab, was making as much as $250,000 a week from operations; that's $12 million a year. But allegedly Friendly Cab was "abusive" to its drivers," said the source, who did not elaborate on the claim, "Something needed to be done."
Before the City of Oakland's action to end their monopoly, you had to go to Friendly Cab to lease a taxi and the cost is $65 per day. All of the expenses are paid by the driver.
Friendly Cab has 100 cars, so the 11 Yellow Cabs that will be lost should not be a large impact on its fleet. But it's not clear how far the City will go in stripping Friendly Cab's fleet. It's the beginning of the end of Friendly Cab's vice grip on Oakland's cab industry. The overall objective, according to an obscure sentence in the Oakland Wikipedia entry is "to increase the supply of taxis by increasing the number of taxi licenses."
The problem is cars are needed to cause this to happen; they will come from downsizing Friendly Cab's fleet.
Perhaps this will mean better overall cab service, more cabs operating all day and night as many Oaklanders have wanted, and an end to the kind of driver abuse this blogger suffered last year:
Stay tuned.
According to the source, Surrender Singh, the owner of Friendly Cab, was making as much as $250,000 a week from operations; that's $12 million a year. But allegedly Friendly Cab was "abusive" to its drivers," said the source, who did not elaborate on the claim, "Something needed to be done."
Before the City of Oakland's action to end their monopoly, you had to go to Friendly Cab to lease a taxi and the cost is $65 per day. All of the expenses are paid by the driver.
Friendly Cab has 100 cars, so the 11 Yellow Cabs that will be lost should not be a large impact on its fleet. But it's not clear how far the City will go in stripping Friendly Cab's fleet. It's the beginning of the end of Friendly Cab's vice grip on Oakland's cab industry. The overall objective, according to an obscure sentence in the Oakland Wikipedia entry is "to increase the supply of taxis by increasing the number of taxi licenses."
The problem is cars are needed to cause this to happen; they will come from downsizing Friendly Cab's fleet.
Perhaps this will mean better overall cab service, more cabs operating all day and night as many Oaklanders have wanted, and an end to the kind of driver abuse this blogger suffered last year:
Stay tuned.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Racism rises in Oakland: patron writes anti-black slur at bar
Racism returned to Oakland Friday night. A patron at Oakland's popular Cafe Van Kleef wrote "Happy Nigger Day" on the bathroom's wall board. The person who discovered the slur was one of the establishments' employees, who came out to tell Cafe Van Kleef owner Peter Van Kleef as he was in conversation with this blogger, who's obviously black.
The group of us, Peter, Eric, and a person who's name I do not know, talked about it and agreed that Peter, as the owner, should make a defining statement and ask for the person who did it to identify his or her self.
Peter Van Kleef made the decision to go up and take time from the blues band that was playing to tell the patrons what was done and that "Cafe Van Kleef is not a place for that." While the sound did not carry well in the crowded bar, Peter's speech was loud enough for many to hear near the stage.
Peter asked for the person who wrote the slur to step forward; that person did not. But a number of people looked around at each other. Of the near capacity crowd of over 100 people, by my scan only four were African American, three Asian, and the rest largely white.
How did I feel? Sick. I just stood in the corner that I normally occupy when I visit Peter's establishment and wondered what kind of people were around me. I was really disappointed to see white patrons who just had white friends. That - to be really frank - is far more common than it is for people of color, even in Oakland. A person can't know who they are until they have friends who don't have their skin color. That's just a fact.
By that, I mean people they invite over to their house and talk to; not people they see at the gym or at work. I'm talking about real friends.
I walked over to the much more racially-mixed Luka's and talked to a friend of mine in law enforcement about what happened. He - who's black - shrugged and said "It's Van Kleef's", and seemed surprised that I was shocked about what happened.
Peter Van Kleef and his employees are fine people. But someone - some coward that may also be an Internet troll - in there felt comfortable enough to write a racial slur on the bathroom wallboard.
Speaking out against it was a welcome action on Peter Van Kleef's part and he's a good man and a friend of mine, but the damage was done. Racism is rising in Oakland.
Historically, Oakland has been a town known for its racial harmony. As far back as the 1960s, Oakland never had serious racial problems. And when the Watts riots broke out, it was feared by some that Oakland would be the next city to have a major conflict because of its large black population.
It never happened, and the shock that it did not, led the production of a classic book called Oakland's Not For Burning. But today, we have the death of Oscar Grant.
But Oakland's changing; last year some people of color thought Oakland was for burning in the wake of the Oscar Grant Murder, and that perception caused the riots that followed:
Oakland's downtown bar and dining scene has degenerated into a black versus white divide, with one Asian bar in the middle on Telegraph that draws a mixed crowd of mostly people of color: Luka's is predominantly black and Latino on the weekends, but not on weeknights. Cafe Van Kleef is mostly white. The eatery Flora's patronage is mostly white; Pican and Osumo on Broadway and Grand are mostly black. The bar "The Den at The Fox" is mostly black (and has security door people who act like thugs; a side effect of the patronage, I suppose). It's hard to find any place that's perfectly racially mixed, and that's sad.
There should not be such a pattern.
Fortunately, the bar scene on Grand Avenue - with The Alley and The Lucky Lounge - is far more racially mixed. Why that's the case may be that Grand Avenue draws much more of a local audience. This is also true at The Conga Lounge in Rockridge, and who's Haiti Benefit Party attracted a well-integrated audience, the perfect mix. While racism in Oakland is a problem, for the most part it's not generated by Oakland residents; outsiders and institutions have to be instructed on the rules of engagement in Oakland.
I write institutions because of the 2007 incident where Yoshi's Jazz Club in Oakland's Jack London Square released a CD without a single black jazz artist. For that to happen in Oakland was just incredible.
The City of Oakland needs to make a strong and powerful statement. To this date, the Mayor and the Oakland City Council have been silent on the issue of race. Oakland needs to have a diversity policy. A statement of effort to maintain a racially-integrated city that does not tolerate racism or the creation of images of racism.
Stay tuned.
The group of us, Peter, Eric, and a person who's name I do not know, talked about it and agreed that Peter, as the owner, should make a defining statement and ask for the person who did it to identify his or her self.
Peter Van Kleef made the decision to go up and take time from the blues band that was playing to tell the patrons what was done and that "Cafe Van Kleef is not a place for that." While the sound did not carry well in the crowded bar, Peter's speech was loud enough for many to hear near the stage.
Peter asked for the person who wrote the slur to step forward; that person did not. But a number of people looked around at each other. Of the near capacity crowd of over 100 people, by my scan only four were African American, three Asian, and the rest largely white.
How did I feel? Sick. I just stood in the corner that I normally occupy when I visit Peter's establishment and wondered what kind of people were around me. I was really disappointed to see white patrons who just had white friends. That - to be really frank - is far more common than it is for people of color, even in Oakland. A person can't know who they are until they have friends who don't have their skin color. That's just a fact.
By that, I mean people they invite over to their house and talk to; not people they see at the gym or at work. I'm talking about real friends.
I walked over to the much more racially-mixed Luka's and talked to a friend of mine in law enforcement about what happened. He - who's black - shrugged and said "It's Van Kleef's", and seemed surprised that I was shocked about what happened.
Peter Van Kleef and his employees are fine people. But someone - some coward that may also be an Internet troll - in there felt comfortable enough to write a racial slur on the bathroom wallboard.
Speaking out against it was a welcome action on Peter Van Kleef's part and he's a good man and a friend of mine, but the damage was done. Racism is rising in Oakland.
Historically, Oakland has been a town known for its racial harmony. As far back as the 1960s, Oakland never had serious racial problems. And when the Watts riots broke out, it was feared by some that Oakland would be the next city to have a major conflict because of its large black population.
It never happened, and the shock that it did not, led the production of a classic book called Oakland's Not For Burning. But today, we have the death of Oscar Grant.
Oscar Grant
But Oakland's changing; last year some people of color thought Oakland was for burning in the wake of the Oscar Grant Murder, and that perception caused the riots that followed:
Oakland's downtown bar and dining scene has degenerated into a black versus white divide, with one Asian bar in the middle on Telegraph that draws a mixed crowd of mostly people of color: Luka's is predominantly black and Latino on the weekends, but not on weeknights. Cafe Van Kleef is mostly white. The eatery Flora's patronage is mostly white; Pican and Osumo on Broadway and Grand are mostly black. The bar "The Den at The Fox" is mostly black (and has security door people who act like thugs; a side effect of the patronage, I suppose). It's hard to find any place that's perfectly racially mixed, and that's sad.
There should not be such a pattern.
Fortunately, the bar scene on Grand Avenue - with The Alley and The Lucky Lounge - is far more racially mixed. Why that's the case may be that Grand Avenue draws much more of a local audience. This is also true at The Conga Lounge in Rockridge, and who's Haiti Benefit Party attracted a well-integrated audience, the perfect mix. While racism in Oakland is a problem, for the most part it's not generated by Oakland residents; outsiders and institutions have to be instructed on the rules of engagement in Oakland.
I write institutions because of the 2007 incident where Yoshi's Jazz Club in Oakland's Jack London Square released a CD without a single black jazz artist. For that to happen in Oakland was just incredible.
The City of Oakland needs to make a strong and powerful statement. To this date, the Mayor and the Oakland City Council have been silent on the issue of race. Oakland needs to have a diversity policy. A statement of effort to maintain a racially-integrated city that does not tolerate racism or the creation of images of racism.
Stay tuned.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Haiti Earthquake News: Oakland Attorneys return to USA - Aimee Allison
[Aimee Allison, OaklandSeen] Oakland attorneys and activists Walter Riley and Barbara and Selena Rhine are back in the states after a harrowing experience in the aftermath of the quake in Haiti. For three days they dug through rubble and gave emergency medical care in the midst of the crisis. Longtime Haiti activists, their work continues now that they are coming home.
Riley and Rhine had been in the Port-au-Prince area touring service programs and schools as part of their work for the Haiti Emergency Relief Fund. On Tuesday afternoon, they were visiting Cite Soleil, a poor industrial area north of the airport. They joined Jean Van Kernizan, host and producer of Haiti's Radio Soleil, for dinner when the quake hit. At the the end of the shaking, his home was one of the few left standing in the area. Answering the need, Haiti Action set up a makeshift hospital in Van Kernizan's home to do what they can for the masses of injured people in the area. Until last night, Riley and the Rhines dug through rubble, dust and debris looking for survivors and cared for the injured including setting broken bones.
Riley and the Rhine arrived in New Jersey late last night and will arrive in the bay area tonight. They told follow Oakland's Haiti Emergency Relief board member Randall White about their experiences in the last hour. University students were among the survivors that came to the Van Kernizan home - for medical treatment. "We're calling these lawyers 'doctors' now," White said.
Randall White also spoke to the Riley about his observations of United Nation personnel immediately following the crisis. Apparently, they were riding around in their trucks but were not participating in relief efforts. In the critical hours after the quake, Riley said the state department was discouraging relief work because of security concerns, but on the ground Riley didn't witness violence or rioting. The UN headquarters collapsed during the earthquake.
Haiti Emergency Relief Fund workers have experienced losses, even while they as they try to help others. Radio Soleil Reporter Jean Ristil's two children were killed. The losses are still being counted as communication and aid is slow to reach many of the hardest hit areas.
Today, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and Senator Leland Yee will honor the Haiti Emergency Relief Fund and other local relief efforts in a press conference later today. Walter Riley and Barbara Rhine will continue raising funds for Haiti relief upon their return to the bay area.
Haiti Relief is receiving about $14,000/hour right now, money Randall White hopes will keep coming to help those facing incredible hardships in Haiti.
Donate at: www.haitiaction.net/about/herf/herf.html
***
Aimee Allison is Executive Producer for OaklandSeen.com. Join the facebook group here.
Riley and Rhine had been in the Port-au-Prince area touring service programs and schools as part of their work for the Haiti Emergency Relief Fund. On Tuesday afternoon, they were visiting Cite Soleil, a poor industrial area north of the airport. They joined Jean Van Kernizan, host and producer of Haiti's Radio Soleil, for dinner when the quake hit. At the the end of the shaking, his home was one of the few left standing in the area. Answering the need, Haiti Action set up a makeshift hospital in Van Kernizan's home to do what they can for the masses of injured people in the area. Until last night, Riley and the Rhines dug through rubble, dust and debris looking for survivors and cared for the injured including setting broken bones.
Riley and the Rhine arrived in New Jersey late last night and will arrive in the bay area tonight. They told follow Oakland's Haiti Emergency Relief board member Randall White about their experiences in the last hour. University students were among the survivors that came to the Van Kernizan home - for medical treatment. "We're calling these lawyers 'doctors' now," White said.
Randall White also spoke to the Riley about his observations of United Nation personnel immediately following the crisis. Apparently, they were riding around in their trucks but were not participating in relief efforts. In the critical hours after the quake, Riley said the state department was discouraging relief work because of security concerns, but on the ground Riley didn't witness violence or rioting. The UN headquarters collapsed during the earthquake.
Haiti Emergency Relief Fund workers have experienced losses, even while they as they try to help others. Radio Soleil Reporter Jean Ristil's two children were killed. The losses are still being counted as communication and aid is slow to reach many of the hardest hit areas.
Today, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and Senator Leland Yee will honor the Haiti Emergency Relief Fund and other local relief efforts in a press conference later today. Walter Riley and Barbara Rhine will continue raising funds for Haiti relief upon their return to the bay area.
Haiti Relief is receiving about $14,000/hour right now, money Randall White hopes will keep coming to help those facing incredible hardships in Haiti.
Donate at: www.haitiaction.net/about/herf/herf.html
***
Aimee Allison is Executive Producer for OaklandSeen.com. Join the facebook group here.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Help for Haiti after 7.0 Earthquake: donation list and information
This is the second update of two earlier blog reports at Zennie62.com on Help for Haiti after the 7.0 Earthquake. The organization list was updated such that new information was placed in alphabetical order. (If I made a mistake in an entry, please send an email to me.)
(And the reason for the delay was for me to take a break both physically and emotionally and also let the information accumulate until such time as I figured it would subside: Midnight PST. The outpouring of emails has been tremendous and it shows that people really can come together and help others.
This has become a resource page where information is placed in alphabetical order. I received one email that requested "top placement"; that's not what this is for at all. This order is fair to everyone. Where I received a press release or a specific request, I made a separate blog post.)
Haiti's an impoverished nation that is asking for fiscal help in the wake of the terrible destruction from the 7.0 Earthquake, the largest ever in that region of the World. Moreover the nation's being battered with aftershocks.
Power is out everywhere and people are in the dark and need help. The capital city of Port-Au-Prince has been catastrophically damaged.
Fortunately, legitimate online help efforts are being established. Here are some of them as of this writing:
American Jewish World Service - Has a special Haiti-relief effort underway. From the press release:
American Red Cross (Reportedly has contributed $200,000 to Haiti relief.)
AmeriCares Help For Haiti. Goes to their International Disaster Relief Fund.
CARE - Reportedly has an ongoing program that focuses on food, water, and health security in Haiti For program info: http://www.care.org/careswork/countryprofiles/61.asp (donation link is in the name itself.)
Chuck Simmins also has this blog - http://northshorejournal.org/haiti-earthquake-aid - of coverage of the Haiti Earthquake Disaster and where to donate, including any organizations that may not be listed here.
Compassion International - From email:
Direct Relief International - From email:
Doctors without Boarders - Updated web page to reflect their Haiti assistance efforts.
Famine Relief Foundation - From email:
HaitiArise - HaitiArise has provided education and relief for the past six years. It's a registered Canadian charity and reports that 100 percent of donated funds go directly to Haiti.
Haiti Emergency Relief Fund - by Vanguard Public Foundation in San Francisco. Established for Haiti before the Earthquake.
Life In Haiti - Founded in 2007 by R.J. (Bob) Davisson. They have a school in Chabin and report they're providing education to 400 children.
Life For The World - From an email:
Mercy Corps - Mercy Corps' website is devoted to the Haiti Earthquake Disaster; they're deploying a team bound for Haiti now.
Mountain Top Ministries - Based in Chicago, they're organizing a medical team to go to Haiti.
Partners in Health - You can use the drop-down menu to specify donations to Haiti.
Real Help for Haiti - From the website:
Three Angels Children's Relief - Reportedly has a school and medical clinic in Petionville.
Touch Ministries - Recommended but no Haiti-specific page or announcement as of this writing.
Yele Haiti - Wyclef Jean's Haiti initiative to assist his native Haiti.
UNICEF - UNICEF has set up a special page for donations for the children of Haiti. In an email, UNICEF's Alissa Pinck reports: "UNICEF’s country office in Haiti and the regional office located in Panama is on the ground and have already deployed emergency teams to assess the situation and determine what the additional emergency needs are for the people of Haiti."
What If Foundation - From the email:
World Vision - Has a Haiti-specific page with a range of donation levels. The organization says they're on the ground in Haiti already.
If there are any Haiti-specific efforts not listed here, please send an email to zennie@zennie62.com and this entry will be updated.
(And the reason for the delay was for me to take a break both physically and emotionally and also let the information accumulate until such time as I figured it would subside: Midnight PST. The outpouring of emails has been tremendous and it shows that people really can come together and help others.
This has become a resource page where information is placed in alphabetical order. I received one email that requested "top placement"; that's not what this is for at all. This order is fair to everyone. Where I received a press release or a specific request, I made a separate blog post.)
Haiti's an impoverished nation that is asking for fiscal help in the wake of the terrible destruction from the 7.0 Earthquake, the largest ever in that region of the World. Moreover the nation's being battered with aftershocks.
Power is out everywhere and people are in the dark and need help. The capital city of Port-Au-Prince has been catastrophically damaged.
Fortunately, legitimate online help efforts are being established. Here are some of them as of this writing:
American Jewish World Service - Has a special Haiti-relief effort underway. From the press release:
"We are assessing where the gaps in service are and putting a process in place to help specific communities that might not be immediately served otherwise," said AJWS's vice president for programs, Aaron Dorfman. "Because of the economic and political situation in Haiti, disasters like this have devastating consequences throughout the country. Our long-standing partnerships with grassroots organizations in Haiti allow us to reach the poorest and most remote populations with the speed necessary to save lives."
American Red Cross (Reportedly has contributed $200,000 to Haiti relief.)
AmeriCares Help For Haiti. Goes to their International Disaster Relief Fund.
CARE - Reportedly has an ongoing program that focuses on food, water, and health security in Haiti For program info: http://www.care.org/careswork/countryprofiles/61.asp (donation link is in the name itself.)
Chuck Simmins also has this blog - http://northshorejournal.org/haiti-earthquake-aid - of coverage of the Haiti Earthquake Disaster and where to donate, including any organizations that may not be listed here.
Compassion International - From email:
Compassion International is already established in the Haiti, with Nationals in position to distribute aid. Take a look at their web site at Compassion.com They are a highly rated child advocacy ministry. They would be a good addition to your list.
Direct Relief International - From email:
Direct Relief International is aiding Haiti. They have a fantastic record of supplying medical supplies and aid. (Based in Santa Barbara.)
Doctors without Boarders - Updated web page to reflect their Haiti assistance efforts.
Famine Relief Foundation - From email:
My Name is Pastor Mark Dreibelbis.
My Orphanage is in Citi Soleil, Haiti We are located down by the loading docks in Port Au Prince.
We are 7 miles from the epicenter of the quake.
We need donations badly!
Our organization is Famine Relief Foundation
The website is:
Faminerelieffoundation.com
Our orphanage is called Mission Ranch Orphanage
We are 501c3 here in the states and a registered NGO in Haiti.
Please get us on the donation list we need immediate help.
In His service
Pastor Mark Dreibelbis
President
Famine Relief Foundation
Mission Ranch Orphanage
HaitiArise - HaitiArise has provided education and relief for the past six years. It's a registered Canadian charity and reports that 100 percent of donated funds go directly to Haiti.
Haiti Emergency Relief Fund - by Vanguard Public Foundation in San Francisco. Established for Haiti before the Earthquake.
Life In Haiti - Founded in 2007 by R.J. (Bob) Davisson. They have a school in Chabin and report they're providing education to 400 children.
Life For The World - From an email:
My friends and my chldren at my orphanage and school are in deep trouble in Haiti. Eight years ago I built an orphanage and school in Source Matelas, Haiti called Maranatha Orphanage and School. We have 150+ children. We also feed thousands of the poor and befriend Haitians in Bon Repo and Port Au Prince. I personally know thousands of people that have been devastated by this disaster.
I am an American and you can go to our website at www.lifefortheworld.com and click on the lower right hand side to see the 50+ videos I have posted of our work and you will see me in at least half of them doing the work of feeding the poor in Port au prince and at our orphanage. We are seeking donations on our website to help the displaced with food, shelter and other necessities in the distressed areas of Port au Prince. You can also check out our facebook by searching facebook at "lifefortheworld".
Thank you for your support of our distressed brothers and sisters in Haiti!
Mercy Corps - Mercy Corps' website is devoted to the Haiti Earthquake Disaster; they're deploying a team bound for Haiti now.
Mountain Top Ministries - Based in Chicago, they're organizing a medical team to go to Haiti.
Partners in Health - You can use the drop-down menu to specify donations to Haiti.
Real Help for Haiti - From the website:
The missionaries of RHFH count it an honor and a priviledge to serve the Haitian people. We trust as you prayerfully consider how to support what God is doing among the Haitian people, you too will see the beauty of the Haitians and be challanged and changed as well.Sirona Cares - Has a trip scheduled for next Tuesday. Michelle Lacourciere's the Director. You can contact her at the link to the blog. The blog itself features posts on Haiti efforts and stories before the Earthquake struck.
Three Angels Children's Relief - Reportedly has a school and medical clinic in Petionville.
Touch Ministries - Recommended but no Haiti-specific page or announcement as of this writing.
Yele Haiti - Wyclef Jean's Haiti initiative to assist his native Haiti.
UNICEF - UNICEF has set up a special page for donations for the children of Haiti. In an email, UNICEF's Alissa Pinck reports: "UNICEF’s country office in Haiti and the regional office located in Panama is on the ground and have already deployed emergency teams to assess the situation and determine what the additional emergency needs are for the people of Haiti."
What If Foundation - From the email:
I read your entry regarding Haitian aid donations; the What If? foundation is heavily involved with a feeding and education program for children in St Clare parish. As of the last report they have not been able to reach their contacts but continue to try, and will doubtless be active in assisting the people affected by this disaster. Please view their website at www.whatiffoundation.org and consider including them on your list.
World Vision - Has a Haiti-specific page with a range of donation levels. The organization says they're on the ground in Haiti already.
If there are any Haiti-specific efforts not listed here, please send an email to zennie@zennie62.com and this entry will be updated.
Friday, January 1, 2010
Oakland is one of blog SFEater's best dining neighborhoods?
I just saw this in the SFEater blog and had to laugh:
This is what vexes Oaklanders like myself. Oakland is itself a collection of neighborhoods, from Glenview to Adams Point, and North Oakland, Rockridge, and East Oakland. To take the whole City of Oakland, all 400,000 people, and all 56.1 square miles, and think of all of it as nothing more than a mere neighborhood to San Francisco shows just how little people in the Bay Area know about Oakland.
This, well, ignorance, causes the media to just list crime in Oakland rather than where in Oakland the crime happened.
All of this is Oakland's fault and the City of Oakland's too buzy gouging people with nose-bleed-high parking fines to encourage people to come to Oakland to eat.
Geez.
Top topics this hour:
tebow cam, ephesians 2 8 10, hgtv dream home, dennis haysbert, lady antebellum, sugar bowl live
,www.hgtv.com/dream home, terrelle pryor, hgtv.com dream home 2009, bearcat, florida vs cincinnati, angus thongs and perfect snogging, watch sugar bowl online, ohio state football, buckeye, hgtv.com/dream home, jim tressel, rose bowl score, who won the rose bowl 2010, jeff demps
The Year in Eater continues in full force! Single Best Meals, Top Newcomers, Top Standbys and The Year in One Word were revealed earlier, and all will be answered by the time we turn off the lights on Thursday. Responses are related in no particular order; all are cut, pasted and unedited herein:
...Lissa Doumani, Terra/Ame: I don't know if it is best but it is certainly the fastest expanding, Oakland
This is what vexes Oaklanders like myself. Oakland is itself a collection of neighborhoods, from Glenview to Adams Point, and North Oakland, Rockridge, and East Oakland. To take the whole City of Oakland, all 400,000 people, and all 56.1 square miles, and think of all of it as nothing more than a mere neighborhood to San Francisco shows just how little people in the Bay Area know about Oakland.
This, well, ignorance, causes the media to just list crime in Oakland rather than where in Oakland the crime happened.
All of this is Oakland's fault and the City of Oakland's too buzy gouging people with nose-bleed-high parking fines to encourage people to come to Oakland to eat.
Geez.
Top topics this hour:
tebow cam, ephesians 2 8 10, hgtv dream home, dennis haysbert, lady antebellum, sugar bowl live
,www.hgtv.com/dream home, terrelle pryor, hgtv.com dream home 2009, bearcat, florida vs cincinnati, angus thongs and perfect snogging, watch sugar bowl online, ohio state football, buckeye, hgtv.com/dream home, jim tressel, rose bowl score, who won the rose bowl 2010, jeff demps
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