Sex rehab for sexual addiction: What is it, and how does it work?

With all the celebrities that have admitted themselves into ‘sex rehab’ centers recently, you might be curious about what goes on there. How does sex rehab work? Is it effective, or is this just an excuse to ask others for forgiveness? You might even scoff at the idea that someone needs to enter a sex rehab center. Perhaps you believe all they really need to do is come clean and stop cheating on their significant other, or choose to live a single life so as to not hurt others with lies and increased exposure to sexually transmitted diseases. This article serves to explain what sexual rehabilitation or ‘sex rehab’ is, and how a person with a sexual addiction might benefit from this form of treatment.

Treatment for sexual addiction tends to focus on two main areas:

1) Separating the addict from opportunities to continue harmful sexual patterns of behavior, much in the same way drug addicts need to be separated from their drug-filled lifestyle. This is why inpatient or residential treatment is often the suggested setting. An inpatient setting provides a controlled setting, which aims to eliminate opportunities for compulsive behavior.

2) Utilization of a safe, therapeutic setting with trained professionals to help individuals begin to face the guilt, shame and depression that is common amongst sexual addicts.

Sexual rehabilitation centers may vary in the variety of psychological treatment modalities they provide, but this list contains a broad overview of therapeutic strategies that have proven to be effective at helping people overcome sexual addiction.

12-Step Programs. Sexaholics Anonymous (SA) is a 12 step program which utilizes principles similar to those used in other addiction programs, such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA.) However, unlike AA, where the goal is complete abstinence from all alcohol, SA pursues abstinence only from compulsive, destructive sexual behavior. By admitting powerlessness over their addiction, seeking the help of God or a higher power, working the 12 different steps, seeking a sponsor and attending meetings consistently, many addicts have been able to regain intimacy in their personal relationships.

Cognitive-Behavior Therapy (CBT).
This form of therapy helps people to examine the relationship between their thoughts, feelings and behaviors as they relate to their addictive patterns. By targeting the triggers and reinforcers that perpetuate the addictive pattern, people can begin to short-circuit the process and make healthy changes. Treatment can include teaching addicts therapeutic tools such as thought stopping, behavioral substitution, and thought record keeping, as a means to prevent the relapse of addictive patterns.

Interpersonal Therapy. Traditional "talk therapy" or counseling with an individual therapist can be helpful in providing a space for individuals to sort through past experiences that shaped addictive behavior, as well as manage mood symptoms, increase the ability to cope with stressors, and learn healthier lifestyle patterns and behaviors.

Group Therapy
Group therapy typically consists mental health professional(s) facilitating a group of people that engage in dialogue around addiction issues, and learn from related psychoeducational materials. A group environment is thought to enable people to learn from others’ experiences, strengths and relapses. It is also an ideal setting for people to learn through the confrontation of denial and rationalizations common among addicts in various stages of their rehabilitation.

Medication
Recent developments in the literature suggest that certain psychotropic medications (antidepressants) may prove to be useful for many people in managing sexual addiction. In addition to treating mood symptoms common among sex addicts, these medications may have some benefit in reducing sexual obsessions and ruminations.

This article was composed by Dr. Christina Villarreal, Clinical Psychologist in Oakland, CA

References

1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_addiction_
2 The National Council on Sexual Addiction and Compulsivity - www.ncsac.org and www.sash.net
3 Defense Security Services - www.dss.mil
4 Patrick Carnes (1991). Don't call it love: Recovery from sexual addiction, (New York: Bantam, pp. 22-23, 30-34).
5 Michael Herkov, Ph.D., Mark S. Gold, M.D., and Drew W. Edwards, M.S., Feb 2001

Coming out as gay: 6 stages for understanding the emotional process

After years of fighting off rumors about his sexuality, Latin singer Ricky Martin has finally just posted the following message on his official Web site, coming out and telling the world he is gay.

“Today is my day, this is my time, and this is my moment. These years in silence and reflection made me stronger and reminded me that acceptance has to come from within and that this kind of truth gives me the power to conquer emotions I didn’t even know existed … I am proud to say that I am a fortunate homosexual man. I am very blessed to be who I am,” he wrote.

Coming out as gay, lesbian bisexual or transgendered is a process that for many, is experienced in stages of change. While there are different models and theories about coming out, the six-step process (The Model of Homosexuality Identity Formation) was created by psychological theorist Vivienne Cass in 1979 and is still an accepted model for understanding the experience. While many will not experience these steps in a linear course, the following steps capture essential components of the coming out process. These steps are not necessarily mutually exclusive, and can be experienced simultaneously. For example other theorists have said that it is not uncommon for people go back and forth in their sexual identity development.

Step One: Identity Confusion
“Who am I?” is the major question in this step. People in this stage of the coming out process start to notice their attraction to same-sex people and really question what it means. Am I gay? Am I a lesbian? Am I transgendered? Am I bisexual? Within this stage there may be a denial of inner feelings as a person continues to see themselves as a member of the mainstream, heterosexual population. Some may consider their behaviors as ‘just experimenting’. Some people in this stage might keep emotional involvement separate from their sexual activity; others may choose to have deeply emotional relationships that are non-sexual.

Step Two: Identity Comparison
At this stage, a person may try to find an explanation for why they are having the feelings they are experiencing. “Maybe I am gay. Or maybe I’m bisexual.” Feelings of isolation & alienation are common in this stage. A person might wonder “Is this a phase?” “Am I only attracted to this one same sex person, or is this going to be a permanent trend?”

Step Three: Identity Tolerance
In this stage, a person might begin to accept identifying as gay, lesbian or transgendered or bisexual. Some might come to terms with some parts of being a gay, but not fully embrace it. One might accept participating in sexual activity with woman and consider it okay, but may not be ready to identity as lesbian or bisexual for example, in public- thus, leading a ‘double life.’ Or a man may come to accept that he has fallen in love with another man, but considers this an isolated situation. At this stage, it is common for people to seek out a gay/lesbian/bi-sexual community or social group as a way to explore or experience identifying with other people of the same sexual orientation as a means for support.

Step Four: Identity Acceptance
In this stage a person has begun to accept, rather than just tolerate their sexual identity. People often begin forming friendships with other gay, lesbian, transgendered or bisexual people. Many begin to realize that being lesbian or bisexual is acceptable, and that their life can and will be happy and fulfilling. At this stage, it is common to begin coming out to a few trusted individuals.

Step Five: Identity Pride
People who are in this stage feel a sense of pride of their sexual orientation, and feel comfortable interacting in gay communities. They start coming out to others in their lives, by making their sexual orientation publicly known. It’s also common for people to feel angry and resentful because of the lack of legal and social rights that gay and lesbian people are not afforded by the majority culture. Some people may get involved in gay and lesbian activism. Others may feel the need to isolate

Step Six: Identity Synthesis
In this stage, a person’s sexual orientation is integrated into their whole identity. For many, this includes a holistic view of the self and people often feel equally comfortable in straight and gay, lesbian, transgendered or bi-sexual environments.

This article was composed by Dr. Christina Villarreal, Clinical Psychologist in Oakland, CA

Oakland A's Stadium News: MLB to reject Oakland for San Jose

According to a source Monday evening, Major League Baseball (MLB) is set to report that their MLB Baseball Stadium Commission formed to evaluate the Oakland A's stadium situation is going to recommend to MLB Commissioner Bud Selig that the Oakland A's move to San Jose.

The news came too late in the night Monday to check with appropriate key players for their reaction, but it's far to say one person who will not be pleased is Oakland City Attorney John Russo, who has openly said he's considering a lawsuit against both the Athletics and the City of San Jose.

The reasons why MLB would pick San Jose over Oakland will be listed in the report set to be released within three days (unless MLB elects to delay the release of the report after this blog post). But the array of information required and the template that information fits in is not complex or vast. One can guess that San Jose has a more complete stadium development plan. But if Major League Baseball even uses the term "marketing" or "ticket sales" as a San Jose advantage in the report then the stadium committee itself doesn't know what it's talking about.

Let's be more clear. If the stadium committee mentions that San Jose, which is just 30 miles from Oakland and in a smaller population center of the Bay Area, but still in The San Francisco Bay Area, and competing with the SF Giants Fan base for ticket revenue, then this blogger will assert that Major League Baseball itself does not understand marketing a stadium product in the 21st Century.

The Oakland A's fan base is really Worldwide. It just hasn't been tapped by the Oakland A's. The Athletics best marketing partnerships are with air travel agents, airlines, convention and visitors bureaus, and hotels. Getting tourist to make baseball-special trips and taking advantage of business travelers who will want to go to MLB rivalry games is the base for ticket sales. It's as important as local sales. Luxury boxes should be considered as right for a national market, where people in Boston can buy part of an Oakland luxury box for Red Sox games. Multiply that approach times the teams in Major League Baseball the A's will play and there's a submarket to go after.

The Oakland A's don't do this. I should be able to go online and find A's ticket sales in several different languages, but I can't. So the problem is 20th Century marketing in a 21st Century World. If the MLB Committee shows that in their evaluation report, they just weren't worth putting together in the first place. Or maybe they were just formed to rubber stamp the idea of moving to San Jose.

The Commissioner would say, as he did earlier this month, that the commission gathered a lot of information. But if their initial questions are wrongheaded, then it doesn't matter how much data they collect: the decision will be the wrong one.

Stay tuned.

5 common cognitive distortions- how our thoughts influence our mental health

What’s a 'cognitive distortion' and why do so many people have them? Cognitive distortions are ways that our thought patterns can convince us that something is true or false. These are typically thoughts that occur automatically, and are usually used to reinforce negative thinking or emotions. Our automatic thoughts can feel rational and accurate, and most of all, they can feel factual. But with examination, we can often find evidence that our thoughts are NOT factual, but based on a set of negative thought patterns that have developed based on our feelings, rather than factual evidence.



Cognitive distortions are at the core of what many cognitive-behavioral and other kinds of therapists try and help a person learn to change in psychotherapy. By learning to correctly identify distorted thoughts, a person can then respond to the disorted thoughts by balancing them with thoughts that are more balanced, and based on fact/reality rather than negative feelings. By refuting negative thoughts over and over again, they will slowly diminish overtime and be automatically replaced by more rational, balanced thinking.



Aaron Beck first proposed the theory behind cognitive distortions and David Burns was responsible for popularizing it with common names and examples for the distortions.



1. Filtering.

We take the negative details and magnify them while filtering out all positive aspects of a situation. For instance, a person may pick out a single, unpleasant detail and dwell on it exclusively so that their vision of reality becomes darkened or distorted.



2. Polarized Thinking.

Things are either “black-or-white.” We have to be perfect or we’re a failure–there is no middle ground. You place people or situations in “either/or” categories, with no shades of gray or allowing for the complexity of most people and situations. If your performance falls short of perfect, you see yourself as a total failure.



3. Overgeneralization.

We come to a general conclusion based on a single incident or piece of evidence. If something bad happens once, we expect it to happen over and over again. A person may see a single, unpleasant event as a never-ending pattern of defeat.



4. Jumping to Conclusions.

Without individuals saying so, we know what they are feeling and why they act the way they do. In particular, we are able to determine how people are feeling toward us. For example, a person may conclude that someone is reacting negatively toward them and don’t actually bother to find out if they are correct. Another example is a person may anticipate that things will turn out badly, and will feel convinced that their prediction is already an established fact.



5. Catastrophizing.

We expect disaster to strike, no matter what. This is also referred to as “magnifying or minimizing.” We hear about a problem and use what if questions (e.g., “What if tragedy strikes?” “What if it happens to me?”).



For example, a person might exaggerate the importance of insignificant events (such as their mistake, or someone else’s achievement). Or they may inappropriately shrink the magnitude of significant events until they appear tiny (for example, a person’s own desirable qualities or someone else’s imperfections).



6. Personalization.

Thinking that everything people do or say is some kind of reaction to us. We also compare ourselves to others trying to determine who is smarter, better looking, etc. A person sees themselves as the cause of some negative external event that they were in fact, not resposible for. For example, “We were late to the dinner party and caused the hostess to overcook the meal. If I had only pushed my husband to leave on time, this wouldn’t have happened.”



7. Control Fallacies.

If we feel externally controlled, we see ourselves as helpless a victim of fate. For example, “I can’t help it if the quality of the work is poor, my boss demanded I work overtime on it.” The fallacy of internal control has us assuming responsibility for the pain and happiness of everyone around us. For example, “Why aren’t you happy? Is it because of something I did?”



8. Fallacy of Fairness.

We feel resentful because we think we know what is fair, but other people won’t agree with us. We are convinced that “Life is always fair.” People who go through life applying a measuring ruler against every situation judging its “fairness” will often feel badly and negative because of it.



9. Blaming.

We hold other people responsible for our pain, or take the other track and blame ourselves for every problem. For example, “Stop making me feel bad about myself!” Nobody can “make” us feel any particular way — only we have control over our own emotions and emotional reactions.



10. Shoulds.

We have a list of ironclad rules about how others and we should behave. People who break the rules make us angry, and we feel guilty when we violate these rules. A person may often believe they are trying to motivate themselves with shoulds and shouldn’ts, as if they have to be punished before they can do anything.

For example, “I really should exercise. I shouldn’t be so lazy.” Musts and oughts are also offenders. The emotional consequence is guilt, which does not propel us to change, but only serves to make us feel badly.



11. Emotional Reasoning.

We believe that what we feel must be true automatically. If we feel stupid and boring, then we must be stupid and boring. You assume that your unhealthy emotions reflect the way things really are — “I feel it, therefore it must be true.”



12. Fallacy of Change.

We expect that other people will change to suit us if we just pressure or cajole them enough. We need to change people because our hopes for happiness seem to depend entirely on them.



13. Global Labeling.

We generalize one or two qualities into a negative global judgment. These are extreme forms of generalizing, and are also referred to as “labeling” and “mislabeling.” Instead of describing an error in context of a specific situation, a person will attach an unhealthy label to themselves.

For example, they may say, “I’m a loser” in a situation where they failed at a specific task. When someone else’s behavior rubs a person the wrong way, they may attach an unhealthy label to him, such as “He’s a real jerk.” Mislabeling involves describing an event with language that is highly colored and emotionally loaded. For example, instead of saying someone drops her children off at daycare every day, a person who is mislabeling might say that “she abandons her children to strangers.”



14. Always Being Right.

We are continually on trial to prove that our opinions and actions are correct. Being wrong is unthinkable and we will go to any length to demonstrate our rightness. For example, “I don’t care how badly arguing with me makes you feel, I’m going to win this argument no matter what because I’m right.” Being right often is more important than the feelings of others around a person who engages in this cognitive distortion, even loved ones.



15. Heaven’s Reward Fallacy.

We expect our sacrifice and self-denial to pay off, as if someone is keeping score. We feel bitter when the reward doesn’t come.

This article was composed by Dr. Christina Villarreal, Clinical Psychologist in Oakland, CA



References:



Beck, A. T. (1976). Cognitive therapies and emotional disorders. New York: New American Library.



Burns, D. D. (1980). Feeling good: The new mood therapy. New York: New American Library.

City of Oakland should make statement against racism

The City of Oakland, California's post-World War II history has been one of deep racial diversity and integration. Racist actions were few and far between but that's changing and it's happened in fits and starts over the last six years. This blogger has been in Oakland since 1974.

Never in less than a year (pay attention to that) have there been incidents like racist statements against Martin Luther King Day written on the bathroom walls of an establishment like Cafe Van Kleef in downtown Oakland, or even worse, a Swastika painted on the same Greek Orthodox Cathedral that serves as the home of the annual Greek Festival, an event I love to attend, or Yoshi's in Oakland making a jazz compilation of performers at the club without a single black jazz performer in it.

Something's going on. I personally think Oakland has been invaded by the "New Oaklander": the person who's only lived in Oakland as much as 10 years, from 2000 to 2010 at best, and does not know or really care about Oakland's proud racial history. This has produced an ugly pattern I was actually talking with a friend about who's very involved in local politics and is a business owner.

He observed that blacks and whites in North Oakland don't seem to mix. When he goes to a meeting on crime it's almost all white; when he' in the community he will see someone black. People who are active in North Oakland don't seem to have friends who are of color and by that he means black (and he's white). This is his observation. It's a view he shared as we were sitting down at Merritt Station Cafe next to Lake Merritt, and we both noticed the pattern and shared our views.

What covers this problem is the flip side and that's Oakland's open diversity. It's here and wonderfully out in the open, but so much so it masks a reality that blacks, whites, Asians, and Latinos don't mix as well as they did when the late Lionel Wilson was Mayor of Oakland.

Mayor Wilson set the tone: his was an interracial marriage. Mayor Wilson's wife Dorothy was white and had a wonderful zest for life such that she would dance in the Safeway Grocery Store on College Avenue at night. I know because I saw her do it. It was hilarious.

That Oakland was such that the Black Film Makers Hall of Fame was not just an African American event, it was for everyone. Todays Oakland is racially divided such that there are events like The Crucible which seems to be all white or events in The Fruitvale that are all Latino or restaurants like Flora that are mostly white where Pican on Broadway is mostly black.

(And one wonders why I'm such a fan of The Lake Chalet Restaurant. The owners are new to Oakland, but they do "get" Oakland.)

The point is that Oakland's quietly become racially divided. It didn't just happen. It started just over six years ago. And I wrote about the way patrons of color were treated at certain new bars that opened up. Bars that catered to a young white kind of punk and grunge crowd. But fortunately, the bar owners listened and the climate has improved greatly.

And that's the point. We're at the stage in our society where statements and policies against racism must be made. We can't go on with the idea that diversity and racial integration "just happen"; we have to make them happen.

Oakland's not for burning, but in the 21st Century Oaklanders must keep racial and ethnic intolerance from doing so. The City of Oakland should not just pass a resolution against racism but have a campaign to inform the world in an inexpensive way that racism is not tolerated.

How?

City emails signatures and literature should have a simple statement that Oakland's a hate-free city. The City of Oakland's website should have a section page that lists fines and jail punishment for hate crimes. Finally, a video statement by not just the Mayor, but each Oakland councilmember and anyone else who wants to make one should be up at YouTube channel devoted just to this issue in Oakland. And Oakland should have a week that is devoted to "mixing" - people deliberately going to places and events produced by folks who don't look like them. Oakland bloggers should point to racist actions as a matter of course, to expose and report them.

Perhaps you have other ideas, but thinking of what can be done without spending money. We need to do something to stop racist acts like that done to the Greek Orthodox Cathedral.

Oakland Marathon success means Oakland needs sports commission

Just a brief take on the Oakland Marathon and Oakland Running Festival held on this lovely weekend in Oakland and before the video's up in this space. First, congratulations to Race Director Gene Brtalik, who was a one-man band, meeting with officials, politicians, the media and people, even making sure that cups of water were filled for runners.

Regardless of who is named, Gene Brtalik of Corrigan Sports, and newly-minted Oaklander, made the Oakland Running Festival not just a reality, but a smoothly-running event.

What's annoying was the TV coverage by ABC Channel 7, who on Sunday afternoon ran a brief but oh-so-insulting clip that featured an unfortunately disabled and down-on-his-luck African American man saying that he essentially thought something bad was going on but saw something good, the event.

Then Channel 7 ran a story about another crime committed in Oakland - East Oakland.  Channel 7 didn't bother to talk to anyone else at the Oakland Marathon who was having a good time, African American, and obviously doing OK. Perhaps they will change this by the Sunday 10 PM news, but as of this writing what they did was to misrepresent Oakland.

The reality was that many Oaklanders and a lot of people from as far away as Denver, Colorado entered the Oakland Marathon and proved what I've said and tried to show for years: that Oakland needs a sports commission to follow on the Oakland-Alameda County Sports Commission I created in 1999, and to form the organizational seat for our bid for the 2005 Super Bowl.

The Oakland Marathon, like other large sports events in Oakland (the NBA All-Star game and the NCAA Elite Elight of 2006) happened by accident. (In the case of the All Star game it happened just because Oakland finished the rebuilt Oracle Arena. In the case of The NCAA Elite Eight, it was then-USF Athletic Director Bill Hogan who led the bid process; the City of Oakland had little to do with it.) Had Gene Brtalik not come to Oakland, the Oakland Marathon would not have happened. An Oakland Sports Commission can place Oakland in annual competition for events as well as house the intellectual and fiscal ability to stage the Oakland Marathon yet again.

While Oakland has a special events office, it's not focused on bidding for sports events. Indeed, Oakland's not a member of the National Association of Sports Commissions; it was after this blogger created the Oakland-Alameda County Sports Commission. But after my resignation from the City of Oakland in 2001, their was no effort to keep it going.

The Oakland Marathon's success should not surprise anyone and Channel 7's take was irresponsible and racist. What should surprise is that Oakland has no formal organization to draw, produce, and promote sports events.

Stay tuned.

Jean Quan for Oakland Mayor kickoff draws 200 supporters

Oakland Councilmember and candidate for Mayor of Oakland Jean Quan held her kickoff event Saturday at "Humanist Hall" one block from Broadway Auto Row (or what's left of it after the economic downturn).

The event was a rousing and surprising success.

Surprising to this blogger because of not just the number of people who came but the range of people from the perspective of well-known Oaklanders, like Assemblyman Sandre Swanson, Assemblywomen Mary Hayashi, and longtime Lakeshore Business representative and politico Pam Drake, a number of people from the Oakland School Board and the education community, and a lot of new Oaklanders.

The idea that Councilmember Jean Quan would lose votes to Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan always seemed silly in this corner, and because Kaplan's relatively new to Oakland, doesn't have the history of working with Oakland's school system, and is young. That was confirmed Saturday.

Quan's event was more like a "Jean-fest" with a Latino rap group opening it, and a group that made a song about Jean after the event wound up. Councilmember-emeritus Dick Spees was present and really showed a level of support that rivaled the young people in the audience when he led a chant for Quan. Spees was having a lot of fun.

There's a part two for this blog entry which will include the video, but it was important to report Jean's success. My only reservation is that Jean simply must develop a thicker skin when it comes to media criticism. The frank fact is many people in the room didn't care what Chip Johnson wrote about Jean or me for that matter, and probably didn't have it on their mind until she mentioned it to them and to me in the video.

The other problem was the few number of African Americans in the room. Swanson and others aside, the ranks were mostly white, Asian, and Latino - it's not enough to say "some blacks were there." What this says is Quan's not reaching the young African Americans who are politically involved in Oakland. That could be a weakness but right now, there's only Mayor Dellums to exploit that, and he's done an awful job of it. Running a stelth campaign for Mayor will not help.

If Jean can improve in those areas, she will be even more successful in the Oakland Mayor's Race. Indeed, she could beat Don Perata. I state that because Quan's got a great foundation of grass roots supporters and enough energy to fuel an election win.

Still, the Oakland Mayor's Race is still weak such that a name person like Van Jones or Robert Bobb could walk in and be the game changer. But the clock's ticking and Councilmember Quan's building support by the day. With that, the real star-in-the-making is Libby Schaaf, who's running for Jean's current seat in District 4. Her event's this Wednesday.

Stay tuned.

The Impact of Health Care Reform on Mental Health Treatment

Washington, DC - March 21, 2010

Congratulations to President Obama and Congress for the historic passage of the health care reform legislation, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590), along with the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010 (HR 4872) which makes improvements to the Senate bill. The reforms should provide quality, affordable health care to nearly all Americans for the first time in our nation's history.

So what does this mean for mental health care? As a Clinical Psychologist in private practice for the past 3 years, I have seen many patients struggle to afford the psychological treatment they needed for their mental health. When I first began my practice in 2007, essentially all of my patients were paying for therapy out of pocket, or without the help of their insurance benefits. In the Bay Area, the average cost is $150 per therapy hour, with some therapists allowing a sliding scale fee for therapy. My patients’ average length of treatment is approximately 4 months of weekly therapy, with some coming in for brief, specific types of treatment, and others choosing to engage in long term treatment for 2 years or more. While many of these patients have health insurance, their insurance benefits frequently do not cover their psychotherapy because their mental health diagnosis is not considered parity. (see What The California Mental Health Parity Law Means: AB 88.) Further, in the face of many job loses and the rapid decline of the American economy in recent times, many patients found themselves no longer able to afford to pay for psychotherapy out of pocket.

"These reforms will allow Americans to achieve full health and recovery through significant investments in expanded health care access, including mental health, substance use, rehabilitation and prevention services, as well as collaborative care and chronic care management," said Laurel Stine, director of federal relations at the - The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law. "This is particularly notable given that four of the ten leading causes of disability in the United States are mental disorders and 87 percent of Americans cite lack of insurance coverage as the top reason for not seeking mental health services," Stine added.

"Furthermore, these reforms are truly significant triumphs in the integration of mental health in health care," said Stine. "Building upon the recent congressional victory of mental health parity in 2008, millions of Americans will have parity benefits and the guarantee of mental health coverage and will not live in fear of being denied coverage due to a pre-existing condition, such as a mental disorder."

Only time will tell to what extent the health care reform will significantly influence the management of mental health problems in the United States. However, this appears to be a step in the right direction in addressing the dilemma of untreated mental illness in this country.

This article was composed by Christina Villarreal, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist in Oakland, CA

The psychological impact of being in the spotlight: the emotional struggle of celebrities

Most of us imagine feeling happy and content should we ever achieve the wealth, fame and notoriety associated with being a celebrity. However, the experience of being a person who is highly visible in the media can take a tremendous toll on one’s psychological functioning. Even the most grounded actors, musicians, professional athletes, and high-ranking officials are vulnerable to the deleterious effects of being in the media spotlight. In his research, Jib Fowles, author of Star Struck: Celebrity Performers and the American Public (Smithsonian Institute Press), found that the average age of death for celebrities overall, was 58, compared to an average of 72 years for other Americans. His findings also revealed that celebrities are almost four times more likely to kill themselves than the average American. This article serves to explore the negative psychological impact of being in the media spotlight, which leads many celebrities to struggle emotionally.

As you read the following points, consider which celebrities have exhibited these traits to their own detriment.

No privacy. Everything celebrities do is publicized for the world to see, discuss, and mock. We love reading about the gaffes and gossip of the rich and famous, the more embarrassing, the better. A celebrity’s natural response to this level of intense scrutiny is increased self-consciousness and paranoia. Many celebrities, particularly those in the political arena, grow weary of the unrealistic standards they are held to, and begin to feel resentful of the limitations of being in the public spotlight. They may “act out” in response to feeling suffocated by their carefully constructed public image. Self-destructive, acting out behaviors often include unsavory sexual appetites, scandalous liaisons, volatile outbursts, or other destructive patterns such as uncontrolled substance use. Exposure of their behaviors by the media can lead to overwhelming feelings of shame when their public image is destroyed.

Lost sense of self. Many celebrities feel unable to assert their individuality in a media world fraught with stereotypes. As the media and fans develop a false perception of a celebrity (which is often one-dimensional) a celebrity begins to lose track of the multi-faceted aspects of their own personality. This causes them to make choices that no longer reflect their true self, which further compromises their sense of identity. Over time, they feel increasingly isolated and alone and have difficulty trusting others.

Loss of challenges. The experience of reaching the pinnacle of your goals and realizing it’s not as fulfilling as you think can be disconcerting. You’ve landed your dream job and begin settling in after your first big break…at first it’s exhilarating, but then you eventually wonder, “Is this all there is?” When a celebrity begins to feel they have nothing left to strive for – i.e. they’ve “made it”, suddenly they are left struggling to fill that empty emotional space with something even more thrilling or risqué. Often celebrities turn to taking increasingly bigger and more dangerous risks, as a way to regain a sense of challenge.

Imposter syndrome. Some celebrities are bewildered by their fame, knowing that they are far from perfect. The feeling of being an imposter occurs when people don’t feel they deserve their success. Celebrities may also fear being discovered, i.e. that the public will find out that they’re not as talented, intelligent, or attractive as they are portrayed in the media. They become keenly aware that their fans have idealized them in a way that is impossible to match in real life. Consequently, celebrities can begin to feel their gifts are no longer enough, leaving them with a sense of inadequacy.

Quest for media spotlight immortality. Many celebrities fear their fame is fleeting, which leads them to constantly obsess about losing the attention of their fans and the media. After a celebrity’s fame peaks, it is often a brutal ride downward as they garner less attention from others. The loss of the spotlight can leave people feeling bereft of purpose and importance. As a result celebrities often become desperate to regain notoriety and in doing so, become prone to buffoonery. In the wake of this loss, they often turn to self-destructive behaviors as a means to cope with overwhelming feelings of failure.

This article was composed by Christina Villarrreal, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist in Oakland, CA

Golden State Warriors to SF just media chatter

The possible sale of The Golden State Warriors has got "Warriors to SF" fans excited once again. The last time there was this much interest in the possibility was 1997 through 1998, when the Warriors were temporarily playing their games at the HP Pavilion in San Jose until the newly refurbished Oakland (Oracle) Arena was finished.

Then, like today, the idea of the Warriors moving to San Francisco was floated in the media, and without checking with anyone in Oakland regarding the Warriors lease situation, and that's happening again today. The idea of the Warriors moving to SF has spread like wildfire online and offline.

Someone forgot to call Oakland City Attorney John Russo. Aside from representing the City of Oakland in legal negotiations with its sports teams, Russo was also an Oakland Councilmember and was there when the Warriors were waiting for the then-new Oracle Arena to be complete. Today, he says that the idea of the Warriors going to San Francisco is just "media chatter."

"Everything that's come up about the Warriors is just talk. No one who's an officer or an owner or a potential owner of the Warriors has said anything about leaving Oakland," Russo said Thursday. "It's quite different from the Oakland situation where the owner (of the Oakland A's) introduced the Mayor of San Jose at that mayor's State of The City Address, and that mayor saying he's trying to get them down there. No one who is lining up (to buy the Warriors) has said anything to me. There's nothing other than the speculation of different people. It's all media chatter."

Anyone with an idea of moving the Warriors anywhere would be wise to talk to Russo first. The City of Oakland's lawyer has openly stated a desire to file lawsuits against cities and organizations that try to pry Oakland's sports teams away from Oakland. Russo expressed it in my video interview with him last fall and regarding the Oakland A's brazen attempts to leave Oakland for San Jose. Russo sees it as economic tampering and tortious interference. The last legal term is when a third party tries to interfere in a contract between two parties. In this case, the "two parties" are Oakland and its sports teams.

In the matter of the Oakland A's lease situation of 1997 and the "East Bay Entities" clause allowing the City of Oakland to find a buyer that would keep the team in Oakland and the attempt to sell it to supermarket developer Bob Piccinini in 1999, Russo said "In the A's case that ("East Bay Entities" clause) was part of the workout of the lawsuit the A's brought against the City and the County by the Oakland A's. (Where the A's claimed the "leasehold", or their ability to gain value from using the Coliseum Stadium, was damaged by the return of the Raiders in 1995.) That settlement should have had a damage clause in case they (the A's or Major League Baseball) did not approve the sale of the team." Russo says that (aborted sale) was the only case where MLB did not approve a sale to an owner, and Russo's still smarting about it. Indeed, as Mayor Elihu Harris' Economic Advisor at the time, so is this blogger.

Russo says the Warriors lease contains provisions for what the Warriors have to do in consideration for the City of Oakland should they try to leave Oakland or are sold. Again, Russo has not had that conversation with Warriors owner Chris Cohan or anyone else connected in any way with the Warriors. He said he had one phone call from a sports executive who asked about the Warriors lease agreement, but Russo did not disclose who that person was.

Russo has a great deal of respect for Chris Cohan, who has had a great working relationship with Russo. "Cohan ownership has been easy to work with," Russo said. "I can't speak to why they had such a hard time putting a winning team on the court. They did put money into it. Gave two rich contracts to people. I feel bad for Chris."

Stay tuned.

Is sexual addiction a recognized clinical disorder? A Clinical Psychologist weighs in.

In the fall of 2009, people around the world became transfixed by world-renowned golf champion Tiger Woods, for reasons other than his golfing prowess, when his extramarital affairs became publicly known. Experts and laypersons alike quickly speculated that Tiger was a ‘sex addict’ as alleged details of his sexual endeavors were exposed for public consumption. Many of us read the headlines and watched the news clips with mixed emotion as he and his family struggled to cope with this difficult time. Some of us may have even scrutinized people in our own lives, wondering “could he or she be a sex addict too?” But truthfully, how many of us are actually familiar with the clinical definition of a sex addict? This article serves to clarify sexual addiction as defined by experts in the field of clinical psychology.


Is sexual addiction a recognized clinical disorder?


The American Psychiatric Association (APA) does not currently recognize sex addiction as a mental illness in the Diagnostic Statistical Manual (DSM IV-TR), which provides a common language and standard criteria for the classification of mental disorders. Therefore, no official diagnostic criteria exists for sex addiction.

However, the APA has created classifications that are helpful for understanding specific sexual behavior disorders. These disorders are called paraphilias. The most common include:

* Pedophilia — an adult’s sexual attraction toward children
* Exhibitionism — sexual excitement from exposing one’s genitals in public
* Voyeurism — sexual excitement from watching an unsuspecting person
* Sexual masochism — sexual excitement from being the recipient of inflicted or threatened pain
* Sexual sadism — sexual excitement from threatening or administering pain
* Transvestic fetishism — sexual excitement from wearing the clothing of the opposite sex
* Frotteurism — sexual excitement from touching or fondling an unsuspecting person

All of these disorders are characterized by recurrent, intense, sexually arousing fantasies, sexual urges or behaviors involving:

* Non-human objects
* The suffering or humiliation of oneself or one’s partner, children or other nonconsenting persons
* Clinically significant distress in social, occupational or other important areas of functioning caused by the behavior, sexual urges or fantasies.

The broad term of sexual addiction may include some of the obsessions and behaviors caused by these disorders. However, sexual addiction typically involves conventional, or nonparaphiliac, sexual behaviors that when taken to an extreme, like alcohol or any other vice, can interfere with daily functioning and produce guilt, shame and recurrent harm to oneself or others.

Symptoms of sexual addiction

While there is no official diagnosis for sex addiction, researchers and clinicians have attempted to define the disorder using criteria based on chemical dependency literature (see CAGE, or DAST both screening tests commonly used by clinicians). They include:

* Frequently engaging in more sex and with more partners than originally intended.
* Being preoccupied with or persistently craving sex; wanting to cut down and/or unsuccessfully attempting to limit sexual activity.
* Thinking of sex to the detriment of other activities such as work, or family or friends, or continually engaging in excessive sexual acts despite a desire to stop.
* Spending considerable time engaging in sexual activities such as searching for partners, viewing pornographic materials, or visiting pornographic web sites.
* Continually engaging in the sexual behavior despite negative consequences, such as failing relationships, unmet work obligations, or potential health risks.
* Escalating scope or frequency of sexual activity to achieve the desired ‘high’, such as increased number or variety of sexual partners, or more time spent at places such as strip clubs, or swingers bars.
* Feeling irritable or depressed when unable to engage in the desired sexual behavior.

You may have a sex addiction problem if you identify with three or more of the above criteria.

Experts in the field describe sex addicts as tending to organize their world around sex in the same way that heroin addicts organize theirs around heroin. Very often, the goal of people with a sexual addiction in social situations is obtaining sexual pleasure.

Cal Governor's Race: Jerry Brown pulls some CVS products off shelves

The latest news in the California Governor's Race is only indirectly related to the race itself, but still part of it. California Attorney General and candidate for Governor Jerry Brown has won a court judgement ordering CVS and other retailers operating in California to take Pro Choice Beauty Care products off their shelves.

Pro Choice is the largest distributor of professional hair and nail products in America.

According to Legal Newsline, the judgement, handed down last week, calls for Pro Choice to pay $1.25 million in penalties and costs and calls for CVS Pharmacy, Rite Aid, Long's Drug Stores, Walgreen Company, Ralphs Grocery Company, Kmart and Target to take Pro Choice products down immediately. In a statement Jerry Brown said:

"Pro's Choice sold thousands of containers of pollution-causing hair products to consumers who unknowingly exposed themselves and the environment to harmful pollutants," Brown said. "Today's agreement will remove products from store shelves that pollute our air and exacerbate respiratory diseases such as asthma."

Pro Choice's products contain levels of air contaminants that are above the states limits for volatile organic compounds, which contribute to Ozone at ground level. Contrary to Ozone in the upper atmostphere, Ozone at ground level is dangerous.

Pro Choice purchases domestic products overseas and then re-ships them to America, selling them below suggested retail value. The previous blog entry related to CVS concerned the problem of CVS selling expired products around the nation; this court order is related to pollutants in Pro Choice products, some of which may fall under the same expired products issue.

Regarding the California Governor's Race, while the California Attorney General filed suit against Pro Choice in 2006, any action taken by the AG's Office that results in a statement issued by Jerry Brown has to be seen via the lens of the Governor's Race.  Because of Brown's unique position, he can campaign just by doing the work of the office.

Stay tuned.

Cal ASUC passes bill urging University of California divestment in Israel

Cal ASUC - from 2008 meeting on fight

The Cal ASUC Senate (or The Associated Students of The University of California) passed a very controversial bill last Wednesday night, that called for the University of California campus system to divest from Israel.

The reason for the bill's creation was concern that the University of California was investing in companies that supplied Israel with materials used in alleged war crimes.

According to the Daily Californian, ASUC Senators voted 16 to 4 to pass the bill, following a hearing that drew 80 speakers and four hours of discussion.

According to the blog Desert Peace, Student Senator Rahul Patel said "In the 1980s the Berkeley Student Government was a central actor in demanding that the university divest from South African apartheid. Twenty-five years later, it is a key figure in shaping a nationwide movement against occupation and war crimes around the world."

He's right. This blogger remembers the riot that happened on campus surrounding South Africa. The difference was there was a more united front against South African apartheid and it was clear the UC system was standing in the way. But in this case, the matter of Israel is more complicated and comes with a divided audience at Berkeley. The same audience that saw a fight between Pro-Israel and Pro-Palestine Advocates in 2008.

But it's also clear that Israel's bombing and invasion of Gaza was horrible and criminal. Many American Jews have expressed outraged at the action, even though there's a tendency for the media to focus on American Palestinian views. It's also an action that has put many American Jews in a terrible spot, especially at Cal.

The problem is the bill comes at a time when there has been a bit of anti-Israel bashing at C Berkeley. It's not that tensions are so high that campus life is threatened, but it's also clear that they are impacted by the bill's vote.

Hopefully, the central debate does not escalate into a campus problem. Right now, what's clear is that the ASUC has made what it wants to be seen as an anti-war vote, and not an anti-Israel vote.

It's not clear as of this writing if ASUC President Will Smelko will veto the bill.   If anyone has an update and tips, please send an email here: zennie@zennie62.com

Stay tuned.   (and GO BEARS!)

Oakland News - new portal OaklandSeen.com [Aimee Allison | OaklandSeen]

Please join us as OaklandSeen proudly unveils its new online destination, OaklandSeen.com!

Official Launch Party for OaklandSeen.com
DJ fflood
Thursday March 25, 6-9pm
Somar Bar / 1727 Telegraph. Ave, Oakland
no cover / cash bar / donations gladly accepted

More About OaklandSeen

After building a solid foundation through radio and social networks, OaklandSeen presents OaklandSeen.com, a web portal dedicated to sharing genuine voices, striking images, investigative stories, and daily updates by and about our own community.

OaklandSeen forges a pioneering new model for media and community engagement. Its information network highlights issues important to working people, people of color, young people. OaklandSeen links radio broadcasts, social networks, community news, blogs, and web resources to share a compelling mix of Oakland’s most credible and exciting voices -- yours!

This spring, OaklandSeen presents OaklandSeen.com, a web portal that will locate Oakland's multiracial majority in the center of community, political, and social discourse. OaklandSeen.com will celebrate the city’s greatest successes, and shine a spotlight on citizens who innovate to address the city's most relentless challenges.

We're looking for reporters, bloggers, interns, video producers, photographers, culture mavens and people who know where to go on a Friday night.

OaklandSeen includes:

Aimee Allison|Aaron Baluyot|Byron Williams|DaveyD|Esperanza Tervalon-Daumont|Favianna Rodriquez|Jakada Imani|Jennifer Pae|Joel Tena|John Knox-White|Justin Warren|Kamika Dunlap|Leda Dederich|Ludovic Blain|Lupita Figueroa|Marc Tizoc-Gonzalez|Michelle Fitzhugh-Craig|Richard Wright|Rosie Torres|Scott Pearson|Steve Phillips|Steve Wright|Taj James|Tracy Watson|Vien Truong|Zach Seal

...and you

Volunteer | Write | Produce: editor@oaklandseen.com
OaklandSeen radio - Fridays 8:05am KPFA 94.1 FM

Oakland ordinance to set-aside campaign aide money hurts Libby Schaaf

A City of Oakland, California ordinance that would set-aside public campaign money and transfer it to what is called voter education about the new ranked choice voting system was delayed by the Oakland City Council last week. That's excellent. Really, there's no need for an ordinance that is really just a power-grab on the part of incumbent Oakland politicians.

The proposal, if it were implemented, would eliminate public financing for Oakland City Council elections. Think about that. The idea launched by Oakland Councilmember Ignacio De La Fuente (District 5) and by Oakland Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan (At-Large) would take election assistance money away from potential new political threats running for office - like Libby Schaaf who's running for Oakland Councilmember Jean Quan's seat in District 4 - and give it to a program that can be done for less than $225,000: educating voters about ranked-choice voting.

It does not take a quarter of a million dollars to do that and proves the people writing the ordinance didn't think in terms of using New Media, just creating a justification for starting a process that benefits their desires. Its not that educating voters about ranked-choice voting isn't important, it its. But the transfer of money from a program that helps create new political candidates to challenge the current ones is really just a power grab.

The last time Oakland's "Limited Public Financing" program was used was in the District Two special election in 2005. In that case, six candidates got a total of $28,347 in matching funds.

The program calls for candidates to get mandatory campaign training. That's perfect for any first-time candidate running for office. But it's also terrible for any incumbent who doesn't want the candidate to have a fighting chance. The ordinance doens't just harm Libby Schaaf - I use my friend as one example - but anyone running for office in any election in the City of Oakland.

Let's take first time mayoral candidate and Green Party member Don Macleay. The Oakland Limited Public Financing program would certainly help Don Macleay's election efforts and give him more of a chance against more seasoned politicians like Don Perata, Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums, and Oakland Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan.

Moreover, the Oakland "Limited Public Financing" program would help any Oaklander who's interested in running for office. In fact, it's a good system to maintain as incentive for those who think they can't afford to run for elected office, but want to do so.

Leave the Oakland "Limited Public Financing" program alone. Let the new political candidates have a fair shot at change.

Stay tuned.

Oakland Mayor's Race: Ron Dellums running; Rebecca Kaplan should not run

Oakand Mayor Ron Dellums 

In the 2010 Oakland Mayor's Race, this news: Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums is running for reelection.

This blogger learned the news from a good friend who's been involved in Oakland political and nonprofit circles for over 3 decades. In the "funny who you see on the same plane flight" book, this person was on the same San Francisco to Chicago flight late Tuesday night. That's when the information that's been largely hidden from the public was shared.

"Dellums is going to give it a go and see what happens" the person said. Also Mayor Dellums had a fund-raiser over the weekend. The foundation for Ron Dellums' campaign for reelection as Mayor of Oakland has started.

While, as of this writing, I still don't think Dellums can win, the Mayor does have three things going for him. First, he's the incumbent and he's theoretically able to defend his record better than anyone else. Second, and perhaps this may be the first asset, he's the only African American candidate for Mayor of Oakland as of this writing. Third, reportedly some Oaklanders are looking at the other current choices for the Mayor's race - Councilmembers Jean Quan (District 4) and Rebecca Kaplan (At Large), Green Party candidate Don Macleay, and the legendary former State Senator Don Perata and are taking another look, a more positive one, at Mayor Dellums.

Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan

In that field, I don't think Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan should run for mayor at this time. The reason is that Rebecca, from this view, is not the elected official she can be. The basic problem is Councilmember Kaplan does not hold herself in such a way that one can look and say "That person can and should be mayor."

Insiders I've talked to observe that the only thing she's known for is passing "Oakland Mai Tai Day." Moreover, personally, Councilmember Kaplan has been prone to not see the side of those who disagree with her.

This is not something personally seen in the past by this blogger; but it did become starkly obvious at an event at Ozumo's Restaurant. We were talking about the Oakland Parking issue, when I observed that it seems Oakland's trying to balance its budget on the backs of its poor.

Rather than disagree in a way I was used to, which is calmly and intelligently, the Councilmember yelled at me at the top of her lungs that I was wrong, and fired off several choice words.

I maintained calm and listened to her massive, unexpected rant. Rebecca Kaplan's best asset is her Chief of Staff Andre Jones. He's a reasoned, intelligent, excellent representative of her office. The fear in this space is that if Kaplan runs for Mayor of Oakland and wins, she will act in a way that's not fitting for the office.  In my case, Rebecca did not apologize to me and still has not as of this writing.

I've held back on this for some time because I really have supported and do like Rebecca. But being in the office - achieving the objective for which she's long struggled to obtain - has changed her. When Rebecca Kaplan the candidate needed this blogger's support, she never acted that way. And while some may get a childish kick out of this, it's a sad day when such behavior is rewarded in an elected official.  I don't mind being disliked, but being disrespected is uncalled for.

While others have stories, I'll not repeat them. This is written with the objective of causing Councilmember Kaplan to be a better Oakland elected official. A person who can not only want to be mayor, but have everyone say she should be mayor. I get that she has a powerful base in the Oakland LGBT community and the time has come for a person from the LGBT community to be mayor, but that does not mean Rebecca is ready to be mayor.

A good mayoral candidate listens to people and wants to represent all of Oakland, not just a part of it. Rebecca can be that person, but 2010 is not the right time as she needs to grow.

Here's hoping she does.

Oakland Teachers | East Bay Express wrong about teacher pay issue

As the news that the Oakland, California teacher's union's planned one-day walkout was moved to April 22nd from March 24th, this blogger ran across a paragraph in the East Bay Express that has information that was incorrect. In "Some Hard Truths About Oakland Teachers", Robert Gammon wrote:

...the City of Oakland has nothing to do with teacher salaries. Teachers are employees of the Oakland Unified School District, which is a completely separate legal entity that gets its funding from the state, not the city. So the city has no say in how much teachers make. And thus comparing teacher salaries to cops' salaries, as some commenters want to do, is ridiculous, because they're paid by different entities.

Gammon's wrong and he should look at Section 33678 Subdivision (B) of the California Health and Safety Code. The common misconception about California Redevelopment Law and Tax Increment Revenue, is that redevelopment revenue can't be used to provide services in city like Oakland. Redevelopment revenue can be used to augment teacher's salaries for schools within a redevelopment area if the redevelopment plan for that area was amended to do so.

So, the Oakland Redevelopment Agency could provide a grant to the Oakland Unified School District to be used for targeted schools within the 6,000-acre Coliseum Redevelopment Area, the largest project area in the state of California.

And a recent Court of Appeals decision could result in more money being passed through from redevelopment agencies to school districts, but the main point here is that, should it elect to do so, the Oakland Redevelopment Agency could work with the Oakland Unified School District to have higher teacher salaries in East Oakland, if only to reflect the additional problems teachers face in of working in a high-crime area.

Has Oakland used this provision in California Redevelopment Law before? Yes. In fact, former Oakland City Manager Henry Gardner informed me that the City of Oakland's redevelopment agency used it to form a program with the Oakland Police to remove crack houses in East Oakland.

Gardner and I had that conversation in 1997 when I was the Economic Advisor to then-Mayor Elihu Harris. During that time I was lobbying for the adoption of an idea I created called "Redevelopment Project Area Phasing."

Stay tuned.

The Richest person in the world: Carlos Slim Helu

The richest person in the world is Carlos Slim Helu, but who Carlos Slim Helu? The Richest Man In The World reportedly makes $30 million a month. Carlos Slim Helu, who tops The Forbes billionaire list, is the Lifetime Honorary Chairman of Telefonos de Mexico.

Mr. Helu, whom the Christian Science Monitor weirdly described as "the portly cigar-smoker", is the first man from a developing country to become Richest Man In The World. That's another way of saying Carlos Slim Helu is the first person of color to top the Forbes billionaire list.

How Carlos Slim Helu got there is by purchasing a controlling interest in Telmex in 1990, along with a group of investors, and used that to leverage the buying of as many telecom companies in Mexico and Latin America as possible. Now, his family owns 90 percent of Mexico's telephone lines and 80 percent of its cellphone. He's used that to finance his business operations around the World.

Carlos Slim Helu owns almost 7 percent of The New York Times and in 2009 gave the Times Company a $250 million loan. He's reportedly happy with his stake in the company and has no plans to increase it.

Stay tuned for updates.

Zennie Abraham in the Seattle P.I.

On March 18th The Seattle P.I., the website that was once connected to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, turns one year old.

This month of March, and to the total surprise of this blogger, his work turned up on the "City Brights section" of Seattle P.I.

It's great to at the Seattle P.I. (as it gives me a reason to focus on a city I love, Seattle) and at SFGate.com , and at Examiner.com, and at Zennie62.com, and the 100 blog network we have there, and on Youtube.com , Blip.tv, and five other video sites, and about 30 social networks and bookmarking sites and on CoLoursTV.

The one problem is the Seattle P.I. appears to be using the Zennie62 RSS feed but not formatting the result. Thus, the blog posts come out without paragraph breaks, leaving one long "go" of words all mushed together. The damage is done when it reads "posted by Zennie Abraham" - it wasn't posted by Zennie Abraham.

He's me, as you know.

Thanks, Seattle P.I.; please fix my blog posts!

Stay tuned.

Anquan Boldin signed by Baltimore Ravens; Oakland Raiders need him

Anquan Boldin, a fast yet powerful and sure handed, angry-running NFL wide receiver, was acquired in a trade from the Arizona Cardinals to the Baltimore Ravens during the NFL Free Agency period. The move is yet another score in the storied career of Ravens General Manager Ozzie Newsome.

The Ravens gave their third-round and fourth-round draft choices in the 2010 NFL Draft to the Cardinals for Boldin and a fifth-round pick in the same draft. But it's the Oakland Raiders who needed, and should have got, Anquan Boldin.

Of all NFL teams, the Oakland Raiders lack an experienced deep threat, sure handed wide receiver who's feared in the NFL. There's no one pass-catcher on the Oakland Raiders squad that has been effective for the Oakland Raiders. And while much of the problem is due to poor coaching in the passing game, Raiders receivers have done little when they've caught the ball.

Anquan Boldin would have been the perfect player around which to rebuild the Oakland Raiders passing game. But the Baltimore Ravens got him first.

Student Action Day March 4th - Daily Cal asks Where will you be?

Related searches: u.c. berkeley, california berkeley, uc action day, california education, student protests berkeley, berkeley, california, uc system protests

Tomorrow is March 4th, Student Action Day in Berkeley and around the University of California's statewide campus system.

Student Action Day is held to protest the dramatic tuition increases and budget cuts that have plagued U.C. system students. In the video below, The Daily Cal asks "Where will you be on March 4?" Many of the students presented said they would be in class or studying for a midterm.



But as one looks around the Internet, Student Action Day is a Worldwide happening, just on different days. For example, The University of Toronto had a student action day November 5th, 2008 and there was one November 5th at the University of Ottawa.

In fact, the Student Action Day was nationwide in Canada and all over the same issues that the U.C. Student Action Day is about: tuition and budget cuts. One day, some brilliant genius will start one Worldwide Student Action Day.

Where will you be on March 4th? Stay tuned.

San Francisco has takeover robbery on The Embarcadero today

Related searches: city of oakland, city and county of san francisco, california crime news, takeover robbery in san francisco, oakland eatery, restaurant news

If anyone needs a sign that the economy is not what it used to be, they got one today. According to SFGate.com, a San Francisco restaurant experienced an Oakland-style robbery.

Chaya Brasserie on 132 The Embarcadero was robbed by seven people, all men (no description), and all with knifes. They tied up the two people who were there at 12:15 in the morning today, Wednesday, and took money out of the cash register.

This is a robbery that, in the past, as little as three years ago, would have happened in Oakland. In fact it did. In April of 2006 Grand Avenue between Lake Park (where the Grand Lake Theater is) and Mandana Avenue was haunted by a robber who first hit Smity's bar, then Bangkok Palace Restaurant.

In the case of Bangkok Palace, one of the employees, 29-year-old Sonethavy Phomsouvandara, was shot inside by the robber, late, while he was working. Merchants wondered and feared which establishment would be hit next. The "takeover" robbers terrorized Oakland for the next two year, and there's no record of anyone being apprehended.

Correction: three people were arrested in 2008, who police believed were the takeover robbers.

Did they go over to San Francisco? Does this mean it's a new day in Oakland with all of the new eateries and no reported crime so far? Or does this mean the robbers know that Oaklanders have been so used to such activities that Oaklanders aren't afraid to knock the crap out of them? Or pack a gun to protect their business? Just wondering?

Stay tuned.