Uh Yeaahhhh. Ale echter Moustache-Fan bin ich natürlich Feuer und Flamme für folgende Illustrationen. Woe würden berühmte Character mit Bart aussehen? Mein Favoriten sind Batman und Robocop. Hell Yeahhh. Wer Arnold Schwarzenegger mit Vollbart sehen will und mehr zum Gesichtshaar gibt es auf Beard Revue.

Batman mit Bart

Robocop mit Bart

Für alle Fans solcher hübschen Haar-Kunstwerke. Hier gehts lang

De cateva luni incerc sa postez ceva despre cei din familia Simpsons.Data trecuta cand am vrut sa fac asta,mi s-a blocat wordpressu ,si s-a sters ditamai materialul.Deeeci .Vreau sa iau fiecare personaj in parte si sa scriu ceva despre el.Incepem cu cel mai important dintre toti:

-Homer J. Simpsons – La fel cum spune cineva in sezonul 4 ,Homer se prosteste din ce in ce mai tare in fiecare sezon.Isi iubeste nespus de mult sotia,aka Marge , pe care o iubeste de cand avea 10 ani ( prima lui prietena si ..ultima ) ,iar pe copii ( Bart ,Lisa,Maggie )mai putin.Uneori nici nu stie ca are 3 copii,Maggie fiind exclusa parca din familie.Iubeste rocku-ul ,isi schimba non-stop slujbele,face mereu chestii fail,iubeste mancarea ( aici cam semanam ) ,are momente geniale cand face : mmmmm…dognuts,mmmm…pizzaaaaa,mmmm…chockolatte chochollate chips ,mmmm…something..aghaaaaghaaaaght ,are probleme grave cu alcoolul,si o face mereu de ras pe Marge din cauza asta.A fost membrul mai multor trupe ,precum : Sadgasm , Barbershop Quartet si cred ca inca o trupa,nu la fel de celebra ca astea doua.Nu prea’si baga tatal in seama ,si considera ca e prea batran pentru a purta o discutie normala,fara ca aceasta sa nu adoarma.Are un frate geaman care este fix opusul lui : este inteligent,are noroc,este intr-o conditie fizica excelenta,are o casa superba,are par, si este un om important .Mama lui a fost o hippioata in anii ‘60-’70 , si ,ca sa nu fie prinsa de guvern pentru ca a oprit nu stiu ce chestie dintr-o fabrica,l-a parasit.

-Marge Simspon - Este timida,cu foarte mult sex-appeal ,isi iubeste nespus de mult parul,sotul si copiii.Pe vremuri era o artista in toate punctele de vedere ,iubea natura si invata pe rupte.Mereu si-a dorit sa picteze,insa ,din cauza ca a fost descurajata ,a incetat sa mai faca asta.Incearca de mai multe ori sa aiba o slujba stabila ,insa de fiecare data isi da demisia pentru ca nu i se potriveste,ii e frica sa isi lase copiii singuri ,sau pentru ca pur si simplu nu se pricepe la asta.Are doua surori insuportabile,Selma si Patti,dar o sa vorbim despre ele mai incolo.

-Urmeaza celebrul Bart Simpson : Spre deosebire de sora lui mai mica,Lisa,el nu poate sa se tina de scoala,chiuleste,e rautacios ,mai pe scurt : genul ala de bad boy care se da cu skateul.Prietenul lui este Milhouse,un tocilar wannabe care incearca mereu sa il copie.Daca nu se nastea el,Marge si cu Homer nu s-ar fi maritat probabil niciodata.Este cel mai mare fan al lui Krusty the clown ,are toata camera plina de jucarii sinistre cu el.

-Lisa Simpson :La doar 8 ani ai ei ,ea a reusit sa devina cea mai inteligenta persoana din Springfield.Canta la saxofon,scrie poezii,este draguta,si cu toate astea este foarte nepopulara.Incearca de mai multe ori sa intre in anumite grupuri ,dar de fiecare data realizeaza ca e mai bine fara prieteni.Iubeste animalele si natura,si ,la fel ca si bunica ei, incearca mereu sa opreasca  poluarea,uciderea animalelor ,s.a.m.d. Este vegetariana.Devine budista in ultimele sezoane.Se panicheaza si inebuneste atunci cand nu : citeste,merge la scoala,sau nu isi face temele.Uneori ma sperie.Ii plac irlandezii roscati cu spirit artistic ( va ganditi cumva la ce ma gandesc si eu ?).

-Maggie Simpson : Are mai mult de un an ,si inca nu stie sa vorbeaca sau sa merga cum trebuie.Abia in sezonul 20 zice primul ei cuvant : ya ya.Este un bebelus foarte violent,si aproape ca il omoara pe Homer in primele episoade,si il impusca pe Burns ( intentionat ).Dusmanul ei de moarte este un alt bebelus cu un dinte in fata si cu monospranceana.
-Abraham Simpson: Este tatal lui Homer :Nimeni nu’l iubeste pentru ca se repeta de foarte multe ori,uita ce zice,are logoree,si adoarme inainte de a termina o propozitie.Homer il ignora total,si il baga in seama doar cand are el nevoie.El vrea doar sa fie iubit de cineva.Prin sezonul 5 da peste o batranica ,se indragosteste de ea,dar aceasta moare ,lasandu’l pe Abe singur again.A fost razboi,si asta il face genul ala de om care se crizeaza din orice.

-Selma si Patti : Sunt surorile gemene diabolice a lui Marge.Sunt rele,fumeaza si il chinuie mereu pe Homer ,il jignesc si il fac sa sufere ,pentru ca nu o merita pe Marge ,nu are bani si..creier .Selma are mereu ghinion in dragoste,iar Patti este lesbi( o sa vedeti asta prin sezonul 15 )

-Moe Szyslak – Barman .Se uraste si incearca mai mereu sa se sinucida din cauza ca este urat si nimeni nu’l iubeste.Isi face la un moment dat operatie estetica,insa,printr-o minune,fata i se face la loc.Inca din tinerete n-a fost agreat de femei din cauza defectului sau ,insa da pe parcurs peste 2 femei care il plac asa cum este el.Din pacate o da in bara ,si ele ii dau papucii.O iubeste pe Marge de cand era copil ,mereu ii spune lui Homer ce i-ar face ei daca ar fi doar al lui,insa Homer nu isi da seama ca el vorbeste serios.Traieste intr-un apartament plin de gandaci si sobolani,unde scrie pe pereti tot ce simte el.

-Milhouse : Prietenul cel mai bun al lui Bart .Parintii lui divorteaza,si fac o scena foarte urata la o petrecere.Tatal lui e nevoit sa stea intr-un loc plin cu barbati singuri ,unde nu exista zi in care sa nu se sinucida cineva.Mama lui gaseste intre timp pe altcineva ,si este destul de fericita cateva sezoane ,pana cand se recasatoareste cu tatal lui Milhouse.Este un ratat ,n-are deloc succes la fete,incearca sa ii fure la un moment dat prietena lui Bart,si reuseste,dar doar pentru ca tipa respectiva vroia sa il faca gelos.O iubeste nespus de mult pe Lisa ,sora lui Bart,care nici nu il baga in seama.

-Sheriff Wiggum : L-au bagat pe el special ca sa vada lumea cat de ratati pot fi unii politisti din America.El lasa hotii sa fuga,pe motiv ca sunt prea departe,se contrazice cu echipajul lui , isi pune pistoalele in urechi cand nu vrea sa auda nimic,este gras,cat un porc,si mananca gogosi non-stop.Este tatal lui Ralph ,un baietel cu o imaginatie foarte bogata, care este la un moment dat cu Lisa.

-Lenny and Carl. Sunt colegii de serviciu,prietenii din copilarie ai lui Homer,insa Homer nu poate face diferenta nici la 40 de ani care este Lenny si care este Carl ( am spus cumva ca unul este alb si unul este negru?).Trei – patru sezoane au tinut oamenii in suspans,apopiindu’i pe acestia mai mult,daca intelegeti ce spun.Totul a fost inutil,pentru ca s-a dovedit pana la urma ca ei erau 100% hetero.

-Mr Burns si Mr. Smithers : Ii iubesc! Mr Smithers il iubeste in tot sufletul pe Mr. Burns,care,din pacate pentru Smithers,este hetero.Pe parcursul a mai multe episoade o sa vedeti faze cand Smithers o sa il viseze noaptea pe Burns venind spre fereastra lui ,cu o pofta nebuna de  …. imbratisare,cum o sa deschida el calculatorul si o sa se deschida un videoclip cu mr burns acoperindu’si trupul gol si schilod de om batran la 100 si ceva de ani care spune : ‘hi mr. smithers! i am mr burns! and you turn me on.’sau cand mr Burns vorbeste cu el si ii spune la un moment dat ca nimeni nu primeste ce isi doreste de ziua lui ,mr Smithers spune ca asa este , si isi imagineaza cum iese mr Burns dintr-un tort si incepe sa ii cante sexy happy birthday!In sezonul 9 ( parca ) raman toti oamenii uimiti cand mr smithers prinde curaj ( toti credeau ca este sfarsitul lumii si incepeau sa numere secundele pana vor muri ) si il saruta intens pe mr Burns.A fost pur si simplu speechless!Ca sa nu mai spun ca Smithers traieste intr-un cartier de gay ( ma intreb de ce ) si il aduce intr-o zi pe Homer sa ii arate nu stiu ce ,si toti prietenii lui il intreaba : Asta este Mr Burnsul despre care vorbesti tu tot timpul :>?’. Mr burns este foarte malefic,si foloseste mereu ‘excelent’ cand se gandeste la ceva malefic,si uraste hipiotii.Am spus cumva ca tatal lui a fost ucis intr-un accident la serviciu ,si mr Burns i-a ascuns asta toata viata , ca sa nu sufere,si l-a crescut de cand avea doar cateva saptamani?Anyway,superb!

-The Flanders Family – Ned Flanders este casatorit cu Maude Flanders,care moare din cauza lui Homer .Impreuna au ( avut ) doi copii :Rod si Tod.Ned este genul ala de vecin crestin,bun la suflet,care ajuta pe toata lumea ,jumatate din lucrurile din casa lui sunt imprumutate de Homer , care profita de acesta .Bart are momente cand isi doreste ca Ned sa’i fie tata ,dar Ned il convinge ca in Biblie scrie ca trebuie sa isi respecte parintii.Oricum,e simpatic,si este barbatul perfect.Dupa ce isi pierde sotia,Homer face un video cu el ,cand il arata cat de perfect gateste,cum planteaza florile,cum se roaga,cum face dus si este cenzurata ..chestia pana la podea,cum isi da tricoul jos si are niste muschi de te dai cu capul de pereti etc.Detine un magazin cu produse pentru stangaci.

-Nelson Muntz - Cred ca stiti si voi cat de obsedata sunt dupa el si rasul lui specific nelsonian.Este batausul scolii,si se ia de copii doar   pentru a se descarca de toate greutatile pe care el trebuie sa le indure.Mama lui este o prostituata ieftina,traieste intr-o casa improvizata,tatal lui l-a parasit cand avea doar cateva luni pe motiv ca vroia sa’si cumpere tigari.Este la un moment dat cu Lisa ,si amandoi au primul lor sarut ( a fost atat de cuuuuuuute ) ,dar din pacate ei se despart,pentru ca Nelson nu s-a tinut de o promisiune.Dupa ce pleaca Milhouse din Springfield ( pentru cateva saptamani ) ,acesta devine cel mai bun prieten al lui Bart.Bart se simte putin rau din cauza asta,si incearca sa se indeparteze cumva de el.Nelson insa isi da seama de asta ,si se cearta.Ii salveaza viata lui bart intr- excursie.In viitor ( episod special ) o sa le lase pe gemenele din clasa lui si-a lui Bart insarcinate,si le paraseste,folosind aceeasi scuza ca si tatal sau.

Burney Gumble : Betiv.S-a apucat de bautura in prima zi de colegiu.El statea si studia in camera cand,deodata ,a aparut homer si i-a intins o bere.Acesta a refuzat initial,spunand ca trebuie sa invete,dar Homer ‘nuu,ca nu’ti face nimic’,asa ca a luat o gura mica,si atata i-a trebuit.Incearca prin sezonul 8 cred sa se lase de bautura si ,dupa 2 sezoane ,se reapuca de baut ,pentru ca barmanul Moe ii toarna alcool in cafea,ca sa ramana fidel barului.

Comic Book Guy : Unul din cei mai inteligenti oameni din Springfield.De mic a fost mai grasut si mai obsedat de benzi desenate.Este fix genul ala de om care comenteaza pe forumuri lucruri legate de filmele SF .Are mereu tricouri gen : worst comic ever. , worst star wars movie ever. etc. A fost cu mama lui Skinner,dar s-a despartit.Poarta pantaloni de femei insarcinate,detine un magazin de benzi desenate ( macar face ce’i place ) .In sezonul 20-21 isi face propriul comic.

Principal Skinner and Superintendent Chalmers : Skinner este directorul scolii din Springfield, batausii scolii ii fac mereu feste,si isi bat joc de el pe fata, a fost cu Edna Krabapple,profesoara lui Bart,s-a logodit cu ea,dar s-au despartit.Ea se foloseste momentan de el pentru sex.Superintendent Chalmers a fost si el cu mama lui Skinner.I se adreseaza acestuia cu ‘Skineeeeer!’ ,si ii face observatii din orice.Skinner este baiatul mamei.

Mama lui Skinner: Doua cuvinte : curva batrana.

Edna Krabapple : Cum am spus si mai sus,a fost/este/va fi prietena/exprietena/logodnica/exlogodnica lui.Mereu de impaca si se despart.Crede ca are o viata de nimic pentru ca este profesor.Isi uraste viata,fumeaza non stop,o face cu toti.A fost in trecut cu Moe, si a trebuit sa plece cu el din oras,dar s-a razgandit si s-a facut profesor.Crede ca a fost cea mai proasta decizie din viata ei.

-Groundskeeper Willie : ‘Femeia’ de servici a scolii .Uraste ce face,si ii este dor de Scotia si de familie.Face statui din aparatele dentare uitate in banci.Bart este cel mai apropiat prieten al lui

-Krusty the clown : Uraste copiii .Era sa fie omorat de catre sideshow Bob,un asistent psihopat foarte cult ,care a incercat sa il saboteze.Sideshow Bob este insa demascat de Bart ,fanul no. 1 al lui Krusty,si incearca sa scape din puscarie si sa il omoare de mai multe ori.Fail,insa,ca nu’i iese niciodata .Actualul assistent al lui este sideshow Mel,care cred ca …l-a tras de claxon pe Krusty.

-Mayor Quimby – Primarul Orasului Springfield.Isi inseala mereu nevasta,si este destul de incompetent.Baga niste legi de te doare capul,si nu prea’i pasa de ce face.El este primar doar pentru ca stie ca atrage femeile asa.

-Doctor Hibbert and doctor Nick Rivera: Hibbert este genul ala de doctor care incearca sa te inveseleasca,indiferent de ce boala ai,rade simpatic si ia munca in serios.Are o familie destul de mare ( ma rog,3 copii ) ,si de fiecare data cand ies in oras cu masina,sunt fugariti de saraci care vor sa se uite la tv.Ce sa spun despre doctor nick? Este pur si simplu genial!Foloseste des : Hi everybody! si este un tip foarte de treaba .Totusi,ar trebui sa renunte la atitudinea asta la servici,pentru ca da niste diagnostice de te doare mintea.Faza din Simpsons : Homer vroia sa se ingrase ,ca sa nu mai mearga la servici,si s-a dus la tipul asta,pentru ca stia ca stia ca il va ajuta.

Nick-Deci uite,Homer.Daca vrei sa vezi cat de bogata in grasimi este o pulpa de pui,trebuie doar sa o freci de o foaie de hartie,si cand vezi ca devine transparenta ,o mananci!

Homer-Ahaaa.

Bart,in gluma ,cred- Da ,tata ,sau poti sa te speli in fiecare zi cu milkshake pe dinti!

Nick- Si tu ai absolvit Facultatea de medicina din X ?!

That jerk that says ‘Yeeeeeees?’ : Nu cred ca e nevoie ca scrie ceva despre el,o sa va dau doar link sa vedeti si singuri :

-Ottoooo : Soferul autobuzului pentru scoala.Are in jur de 30 de ani,si se comporta ca un adolescent de 15 .Asculta rock,fumeaza weed in prostie,se drogheaza cu tot ce prinde.Se indragosteste de o fata,dar o paraseste cand ea il pune sa aleaga intre ea si rock.Tragic,n-am ce sa zic.

-Apu : Lucreaza la un magazin numit Kwik-e-Mart ,si iubeste din tot sufletul de face.Uneori isi inseala nevasta cu magazinul ( tragic,nu? ) .Are octeti,si a incercat de mai multe ori sa scape de familie,si sa fuga in alt oras.Pur si simplu nu ii iubeste deloc! Atunci cand a trebuit sa se casatoreasca cu nevasta’sa ,s-a simtit obligat sa o faca,si a acceptat cu greu .

Ei bine,am pus cam cele mai importante personaje din ‘The simpsons’ .Trebuie sa stiti neaparat ca va uitati degeaba la film daca nu va uitati la cele 20-21 de sezoane sau macar cititi articolul asta.Eu m-am uitat la film acum un an,inainte sa ma uit la  serial,si  n-am inteles mai nimic din film,pentru ca nu stiam ce’i cu viata fiecarui personaj.Acum cateva saptamani am revazut filmul ,si pot sa spun ca am cazut de pe pat cand am vazut unele secvente din el.Partea cu haha si mama lui Nelson a fost priceless.

Asa,sper ca de data asta sa nu mi se starga din nou postul , pentru ca fac urat.Mi-am pierdut 5 ore din viata ca sa scriu articolul asta,si nu o sa mai las asta sa se intample.Nu acum.Asa.Primele 2-3 sezoane au fost cam cacacioase,pentru ca prezentau mai mult viata lor ,dar de la 4 in sus o sa faceti pe voi de ras,va aigur [-x

Pentru sfarsit : Sper sa va bucurati si voi de episoadele geniale a Simpsonilor,stand non-stop la calculator si savurand fiecare gluma ,in timp ce veti vea linistiti Sprite la doza si veti purta papucii vorstri preferati de casa cu Homer J Simpson!

Episode VI

Episode VII

Episode VIII

Episode IX

Episode X

Episode XI

Episode XII

Episode XIII

On their European tour, I’ve had the possibility to make photos of this great and fast rising group from ‘Nuevo York’ USA… La Excelencia. With their ‘Salsa Dura’ and incredible rhythms they put the whole crowd on fire! The location this time was the ‘Harmonie’ at Bonn, Germany. On their tour they also played in Berlin, Stockholm and Rome! For more info you can always look at their website!

Thanks guys… and enjoy the pictures!

Also a special thanks to Jean and Christopher to make all this possible!

To those paying attention to transportation issues, there is a growing consensus that the status quo is unacceptable. There are many recent examples of the city’s failure to adequately plan for transportation improvements. While the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plans enjoy staff members dedicated to ensuring their mandates are carried out, there is no other example of city plans with follow-through. The aborted Uptown parking lot is a great example of this problem: despite an Uptown transportation plan calling for diverting most car traffic off Telegraph at 20th St, the Redevelopment Agency proposed a major car infrastructure project on Telegraph below 20th. Only Chinatown organizations appear to have any contact with the City of Alameda regarding its huge proposed development on the former Naval Air Base. And beyond a single Bus Rapid Transit line, there is no major transit infrastructure improvement planned for Oakland.

These are issues of planning and follow-through. But there are also ongoing issues affecting transportation that are unaddressed or poorly addressed. The best example is the new Kaiser Hospital project at Broadway and MacArthur. Despite pleas from members of Walk Oakland Bike Oakland, the Planning Commission never held a separate hearing on the transportation aspects of this major project, and as a result, Building Services recommended sealing off a well-used pedestrian and bike route from Shafter Avenue to Mosswood Park. Only after a coordinated effort by bicycle and pedestrian advocates, and a great deal of goodwill from Kaiser Hospital, is the problem due to be fixed (the median will be cut through, and a pedestrian signal installed, early next year, and bike access is planned after all hospital construction is finished). All of this grief could have been avoided had there been a discussion of the transportation impacts of the project when it was moving through planning.

There are other examples of ongoing failures to address transportation issues. AC Transit finds it very difficult to work with Oakland to change bus stop locations, and so mostly doesn’t bother. BART and Oakland don’t talk to each other about issues like taxi stands and loading zones around or in stations. The Port doesn’t coordinate with the city on the ferry service that it has signaled it will stop subsidizing. There is only one inter-agency working group that I know of, which is the Policy Steering Committee for the Bus Rapid Transit project, and one of Oakland’s representatives, Larry Reid, hasn’t shown up for a single meeting despite being scolded publicly by Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates. Taxi stands go in and out on the whim of the City Administrator. Unlike most cities, Oakland doesn’t provide any city transportation services, ambulances are unregulated, and there’s no city agency with authority over transportation issues – even the Transportation Services Division of CEDA is hobbled by scant mandates over some important aspects of transportation policy, like Building Services’ authority over driveways and medians, and Planning’s jealous monopoly over the citywide rezoning.

The lack of coordination on transportation extends to the City Council level. Transportation issues are split up among different Council Committees, making it harder to have a coordinated policy: parking fees are at Finance, investments and most policies go to Development, most right-of-way issues go to Public Works, and taxi regulation goes to Public Safety. Meanwhile, Oakland’s representatives on major transit agencies are scattershot: Rebecca Kaplan is our representative to ACTIA (the County’s main funding agency for transportation), Jane Brunner is our representative to the MTC-ABAG Joint Policy Committee, and CM Reid is Oakland’s voice on the Congestion Management Agency, which is the County’s transportation planning authority. A casual observer of transit issues will know that these three Councilmembers don’t see eye-to-eye on transit issues.

Though Oakland’s economy and cityscape is defined by transportation more than any other factor, the city has ignored transportation planning and has no coordinated or formalized means of addressing a whole host of transportation issues, from parking ratios for new buildings to bus stop locations. There is absolutely no planning whatsoever for transit improvements, and, frankly, CM Reid seems to be intent on preventing Oakland from making any transit investments now that he has approval for the Airport Connector, using his positions on the Congestion Management Agency and the Bus Rapid Transit Steering Committee to undermine BRT without doing anything that his bus-dependent constituents would even notice. In 2006, the Mayor’s Transportation Task Force recommended creating a Transportation Commission “to develop. implement, and prioritize transportation strategies,” yet this idea was only half-formed and didn’t address many of the problems outlined above.

Can these problems be addressed with a Transportation Commission? Does the City Council have to restructure its own appointments and committee system in order to address transportation issues? Do City agencies need to be reorganized in order to create a Transportation Department, or can the Task Force’s suggestion of a “go-to person” and a working group be sufficient? Do you agree that the issues outlined above are real problems, or is Oakland doing just fine transportation-wise? Like almost everything else that came out of the Mayor’s Task Forces, the Transportation Commission idea has gone nowhere, but if the idea is worthwhile, there may be an opportunity to revive it. But that begins with identifying the problem. In this case, the problem may be bigger than the proposed solution.

Atticus Bart, Atticus Bede, Atticus Jago, Atticus Roan, Atticus Cillian.

Atticus Emeric Wolf

Atticus Guy Steven

Atticus Ira Thomas

Atticus Jasper West

Atticus Barnaby Jude

Atticus Jay Thomas

Atticus Leo Walter

Atticus Lysander Penn

Atticus Lev Henry

Atticus Reuben Francis

Atticus Benjamin Rex

Atticus Sebastian James

Atticus Nathaniel August

Atticus Henry Raphael

Atticus Jacob Paul

Atticus James Baxter

Atticus Baxter Rowan

Die spinnen die Texaner! Da hat tatsächlich so ‘n Freak das Haus der Simpsons 1 zu 1 in der Real World nachgebaut! Krank! Will nicht wissen was das gekostet hat. Und wohnen will ich da auch nicht – viel zu bunt! Ist aber bestimmt ne 1a-Touristenattraktion. Seht selbst!

via Design Fetish

Uiofobia: (grego huiós, -oû, filho + -fobia) s. f., aversão patológica aos filhos; receio de ter filhos.

O site Worth 1000 é muito conhecido pelas montagens e manipulações de imagens enviadas pelos internautas. Os criadores do site sugerem temas e qualquer pessoa pode mandar a sua montagem para entrar nas galerias que eles criam.

Uma das últimas é “Cartoons Reais” ou “E Se Fossem Reais?”. O resultado é bastante interessante.

Não, este aí de cima não é o Guile do game Street Fighter.

Vi no Jacaré Banguela

RELEVANT QUESTIONS–DON’T READ IF YOU DON’T WANT TO KNOW!!!

Question: Two weeks without any tips for my favorite show is way too long for me. What can you tell me that I don’t know about the remaining Gossip Girl episodes before the super-long three-month hiatus. And I already know Bart is coming back, so give me something new. —Sylvie
Ausiello: In next week’s eppy, it’s Thanksgiving Day! If you’re Serena, you’re especially thankful this year because you’ve had two not-so-bad-looking dudes pining after you. This Monday, she makes her choice and leaves her reject by the curb, literally.

Question: You’ve been really slacking on the Gossip Girl scoop, any exciting news? – JLa
Ausiello: Also in next Monday’s episode, someone finds out they’re pregnant. That’s considered “exciting news,” right?

Question: I need Gossip Girl info. —Jude
Ausiello: Hey, Jude, here’s what I got: You know the letter from Serena’s dad that Lily has been hiding? It’s going to fall into the wrong hands. (Hint: Said wrong hands belong to *a****n.)

Credit: EW.com

The holidays are the season of sharing. And there is nothing more precious to bloggers and commenters than one’s opinion. On Thanksgiving Eve, what could be more in tune with the holiday spirit than sharing one’s opinions?* There are several opportunities to comment on important plans and projects affecting Oakland, and thanks to email, your opinion can be shared even in the glow of tryptophan, with an unbuckled belt. Below are short summaries of major decisions seeking your input, with links and deadlines for comment.

Safeway on Claremont Environmental Impact Report

At a contentious meeting last week, the Planning Commission listened to public input on what should be studied as part of Safeway’s Environmental Impact Report for expanding their store at Claremont and College. Dozens of neighbors lined up to say that they don’t want outsiders coming to their neighborhood to do grocery shopping, and that somehow Rockridge’s small-shop character is best enhanced by a gigantic surface parking lot at a prominent intersection.

You can write a letter to Planning Staff and the Commission outlining what you think should be studied. If you support the new store, you could emphasize that the pedestrian impacts of the no-build option are important to study, and that study of land-use issues or impacts on all of North Oakland (as requested by some neighbors) is unnecessary. If you oppose the project, feel free to think of the craziest thing you can imagine, and ask that it be studied. You can find contact info for comment on the Planning Commission’s November 18 agenda (PDF).

Toll increase on Bay Area bridges

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission burns through billions like it’s monopoly money, and though constantly short-changing public transportation, can’t even manage its pet highway projects well. Thus, the MTC is facing a severe deficit for the seismic strengthening of many bridges, including the Bay Bridge. True to form, rather than look for more efficient solutions, the MTC just wants more money. Currently the Bay Area Toll Authority, which is more or less the same as the MTC, is seeking public comment on a toll rise for state-run bridges (eg, not the Golden Gate Bridge or Fruitvale Bridge). This would be the first toll increase in almost twenty years that would not be endorsed by voters and would not include funds for improving public transit. On the other hand, the MTC is considering congestion pricing, which is very efficient. Comments can be addressed to the Bay Area Toll Authority before Dec 21. And if you’d like to know more about why these toll increases are needed, consider donating to McSweeney’s Bay Bridge seismic retrofit investigation, pitched on Spot.us.

AC Transit Service Changes

V Smoothe has been covering AC Transit’s service changes extensively for several months, and today writes that the final adjustment plan, released last week, is a triumph for careful consideration of public input, providing a model for other agencies. By contrast, BART slashed off-peak service 25% without even a ridership survey, and the Oakland City Council tries their darnedest not to implement inevitable service cuts. Be that as it may, the final service adjustment plan is out, and it’s open for comment. Highlights include improving service along the 51 corridor by splitting the line in two at Rockridge (which I do not like at all), and expanding service to educational destinations in the East Hills, including new service to Skyline High School, the Oakland Zoo, and the Chabot Space and Science Center. You can provide comment online, or in person at a meeting on December 1.

Union Pacific Railroad Right-of-Way Feasibility Study

Union Pacific Railroad is in negotiations to sell its “Oakland Subdivision” right-of-way to Alameda County, which would use a portion of it to recreate passenger rail connections on the Dumbarton Bridge, in South County. Union Pacific would like to sell the entire subdivision, though, and so the County is looking at possible changes to the use of part of the subdivision, which in Oakland mostly runs below the BART tracks along San Leandro St. The main thrust of the study is to make bicycle and pedestrian paths, though I don’t find the underside of BART tracks to be very scenic. In any event, it’s an interesting idea, and planners are looking for public comment. They are particularly interested in whether bicyclists would prefer Class I (grade-separated) or Class II (on-street) bike lanes as part of the project. Check out the study and leave your comments, at Alameda County Public Works (it’s the first item under Community Updates).

Another incident on the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) hits YouTube, and the world is once again asking the question if BART Police are using too much force, the police acted appropriately, or if BART passengers simply recorded a snapshot in time that could be interpreted at a later date. In the past, to find out what happened during an incident such as the most recent BART scuffle, you would be dependent on a newspaper’s beat journalist to hang around a police station. He’d get a copy of the official police report, perhaps talk with one of his friends on the force, and transcribe what he gathered.

Now news and media are real time. You can get Twitter tweets and video feeds from mobile phones, laptop computers, and reporters on the scene with CNN (or other international news sources). In many cases even established news outlets are starting to heavily rely on “stringers,” or freelancers to provide on-scene raw video for later interpretation by news readers. Nearly every news outlet today asks for viewers to send their “i-Reports” and videos to supplement news reports, and to reduce the amount of time from incident to broadcast.

A very different world from the days of Walter Cronkite, when the evening news would be a well-edited account from a distant reporter, formatted for the time allotted by network news, and face news competition by only a couple other networks (in the United States that would include CBS, NBC, ABC, and PBS).

The Biased Media

Media outlets have changed as well, moving from being a 5WH (who, why, what, when, where, how) style of reporting to networks such as Fox, openly stating they present a “conservative” point of view (Huckabee, Hannity, Beck, etc). This means in many cases viewers who prefer a certain point of view will be presented with interpretation of news events which support their beliefs.

It is also becoming more difficult to determine whether a news story is actually a press release or advertisement, rather than hard news. Even when a government organization or company is interviewed following some event or incident, the person interviewed is generally a professional public relations specialist, who may not find presentation of fact as a desired outcome of the interview.

Citizen Journalism Tends to be Pure

In most cases, when a freelancer or citizen records an event, they provide that record of the even in its raw, or pure state. If you see a home video of a tornado on CNN, then most likely the person providing that video is not providing commentary, only the video. When we were receiving near real-time cell phone video from Tehran during the recent violence following elections, most of the video received came out as quickly as possible, and was then processed in its raw form through venues such as YouTube.

All we really ask from the citizen journalist, to give their story or record of an event credibility, is:

• An unedited record or account of the event
• A reference of the event recording’s origin
• A factual context of the event (who, when, where)

We do not always need a deep analysis of an event by a reporter or analyst who’s motivation may be based on how sensational they can make the event, which political or religious ideology they should promote when presenting an event, or their own personal opinion. The main thing we need is context, and enough information to allow us to respond to the news if needed (such as during an emergency or other condition).

Media Changes

David Sasaki, in a recent PBS IdeaLab article walked through the changes in media over the past 550 years. Starting with transcribing bibles for the Catholic Church and aristocracy, and walking through the social changes driven by innovations such as the Gutenberg press, radio, television, and newspapers, Sasaki presents a very compelling argument for embracing change. Whether it be eliminating unnecessary reporters and editors, or better understanding the impact of social media and “publics” created through a global-connected community, we need to understand the dynamics of media change to develop a vision of how news media and information transfer may evolve.

In the 1960s you would watch even local news stations for the “Evening News,” and you would get a solid 30 minutes of reporting on national, international, and local news. Today, if you watch news programs such as CNN’s Headline news, you might get 3 or 4 minutes of hard news, and then 25 minutes of human interest stories filling out the rest of a segment.

It is becoming increasingly difficult for us to interpret news from marketing, fact from advertising and public relations, or gaining access to raw news.

Chaos Theory and Media

Chaos Theory states that any system is vulnerable to changing conditions either within or encroaching on the system. If the current or historical media systems are an example, we can see innovation or technologies (such as the Gutenberg press, Internet, paper, radio) as a significant disruptor to the media “system.”

The Internet is currently a very disruptive element to traditional media, as it provides a platform for applications such as YouTube, Twitter, instant messaging, and other utilities to provide either real-time, or near real-time one-to-one, one-to-many, or many-to-many communications. On a global scale.

The other disruptor is the fact young people have internet-enabled technologies fully diffused into their education and life, allowing the new “Generation Z” visibility into new communication concepts that prior generations may not yet comprehend, or may never comprehend. What will come out of this diffusion of knowledge into Gen Z-ers? Impossible to know, but it will no doubt potentially be as huge an event as the Gutenberg press was to the world of the 1400s.

A generation where the people are the news, create the news, consume the news, and provide the news. There will be casualties as we re-organize media outlets which no longer adequately support the 21^st century, but the result will be really, really exciting.

Gen-Z youth are not mentally restrained by the technical limitations and legacy of existing broadcast and print media. With their diffused knowledge and operation of existing and emerging technologies, they have a “clean slate” to develop new models of media, news, social interaction, and global presence. As “baby boomers,” we need to continue creating the tools our fledgling Generation Z needs to envision ways to exploit our technology, and further build our global presence and instant access to that news and information they need to live in a wired world.

John Savageau, Long Beach

BartPE seria el equivalente a un CD-Live de Windows, que nos permite restaurar nuestro sistema operativo (si realizamos previamente una copia) Windows XP o Windows 2003 server, en este tutorial os explicaré como instalar Bart Preinstalled Environment en vuestro ordenador partiendo de la base de que hemos realizado la copia y de que nuestro ordenador no contiene ninguna partición ni sistema operativo, es importante esto pues Bart PE formatea el solo todo el disco duro sin permitir seleccionar partición alguna o dar formato, el se lo guisa y el se lo come, por lo que si disponéis de otras particiones en vuestro disco duro, este tutorial no os servirá de nada, pues está enfocado a la opción 2 que permite Bart Pe al instalar.

Introducimos el CD-Live Bart PE en nuestro lector e iniciamos el ordenador, veremos que la pantalla de carga es la misma que aparece en el sistema operativo Windows XP de Microsoft, sin embargo, al acceder a la interface gráfica veremos que dista mucho de la misma, eso tiene remedio, la opción “Explore shell“  del menú principal os permitirá pasar a la vista convencional de Windows XP, como podéis observar, Bart Pe incluye un seguido de herramientas acercando este CD a lo que se puede uno encontrar en por ejemplo Hirens Boot, con herramientas de particionado, reparación, clonación, seguridad…

La opción que nos interesa para instalar de nuevo nuestro sistema operativo es Install Bart PE to Hard disk ubicada dentro de la pestaña System del menú principal, aparecerá una ventana en MS-DOs que nos señalará las dos opciones posibles, que dispongamos de un Windows instalado en nuestro ordenador o que no dispongamos de un sistema operativo instalado, en este tutorial, trataremos la segunda opción.

Pulsamos 2 y a continuación cuando nos avise de que se destruirán todos los datos tecleamos YES en mayúsculas, comenzará la instalación del sistema operativo, cuando termine de copiar todos los archivos nos pedirá que pulsemos cualquier tecla para continuar, reiniciamos el ordenador para poder cargar el sistema operativo, esta vez desde disco duro.

Video posted to YouTube by lacotoba.

Fare went up to a dollar and a half as of midnight.” Line from Martin Scorsese’s film After Hours.

The movie is black comedy. Transporation fare increases and the general cost of living these days combined with a paucity of job opportunity is just sad. I believe NY MTA is up to $2.50, sometimes more. And New Yorkers aren’t happy, though they are promised no further fare increases until January 2011. There have been service cutbacks there just like everywhere else.  Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, transporation expenses have certainly increased as well. For all the fare increases, BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) isn’t what it used to be. There’s even a website called BART Rage where citizens vent their frustrations. Amazing that it is now often cheaper to take your car than to hop a train or bus.  Doesn’t bode well for the environment.

Gone are the days . . .When I left New York in 1977, I think a subway token was fifteen cents and you could ride as long as you wanted and go anywhere the train lines went. You could ride all day if you wanted to. I remember a time when subway tokens were ten cents and bus rides where five cents with a student pass. Transportation costs took up a smaller percentage of personal income than it does these days. The system was pretty reliable and the service pretty consistent. A bum could beg dimes from two or three people and surf the subway system to get out of the elements, or stop at a coffee shop to buy a cup of joe, or even make a phone call. Can’t do a thing with a dime anymore. 

They say we’re in recovery. I think it’s a recovery that benefits the haves, not the have-nots. Today a homeless gentleman was begging for dollars on a busy street here, trying to get enough money to go from Silicon Valley to someplace in the East Bay, where he might find some friends or relatives with whom to stay until he could get reestablished. Formerly employed as an engineer and unemployed or underemployed for most of the past three years, he had hiked and hitched from Santa Cruz. We talked. I always talk to the homeless. I want to acknowledge their humanity. Ever notice how many people avert their eyes or look right through a homeless person? Is this a fear of vulnerability, like looking death in the face? “That could be me tomorrow.” Is it a fear of being asked for help? Or is it a deeply rooted and unconscious Calvinism? If you are poor and homeless, a have-not, you’re unworthy and therefore invisible. If you are a have, you’re visible. As we talked, I watched the homeless gentleman watch a woman throw away half a hamburger not three feet from where we stood. Why not just offer it to him?

I recognize that this is late-night stream-of-consciousness, but you get my drift … The question used to be, “Buddy, can you spare a dime?” Now it’s, “Can you spare five bucks?” I can’t, but I did.  So did a man who didn’t look like he could really spare it either. Thanks to the addition of his five, our homeless friend hopped a bus headed for hope while the haves walked on by.

Fox network is unveiling big plans for January.

They include bringing back “American Idol” with a two-night season premiere Jan. 12 and 13.

Then the network starts the clock ticking for a new season of its suspense drama “24″ with a two-night, four-hour event airing Jan. 17 and 18.

Before all that, Fox honors “The Simpsons” on Jan. 10.

The night starts with the 450th episode of the animated series. Bart and his pal Milhouse try to kelp kids’ show host Krusty the Clown regain his popularity after network executives force him to hire a female sidekick. That episode will be followed by a one-hour retrospective documentary, “The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special.”

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

RELEVANT QUESTIONS–DON’T READ IF YOU DON’T WANT TO KNOW!!!

Matt in Montclair, Calif.: Is Southland really that good? Should I give it a shot on TNT?
We say yes, and so does Ben McKenzie: “People just need to watch it, and after 15 minutes, you’ll decide whether you like it or not. If you’re into a sort of grittier, darker cop show without the sheen that a lot of networks put on their shows, you’ll like it. It’s very character driven, it’s hard-hitting, there’s a lot of action, but there’s also some romance, so it’s a real show you can follow week to week.” And maybe if you start watching, TNT will take note and order up some more episodes (wink, wink, nudge, nudge).

Monica in New Orleans: Anything good coming up on Gossip Girl?
Chuck is going to visit Bart’s grave on the anniversary of his death, and when he gets there, he won’t be the only one paying his respects. Any guesses on who’ll pop up? I’m hearing that not one but two family members could be making surprising returns.

Brianna: How about something on One Tree Hill? Anything juicy?
How’s this: A source tells me Haley and Quinn’s sister Taylor is going to come back to Tree Hill.

Cian33: 90210 is so much better this year! I hope you are watching. What can you dish?
Agreed! It is way better than season one, in case any of you are missing it. I’m told there’s a sex scandal in the works: Naomi is going to accuse a teacher of sexual harassment.

Irene in Newport News, Va.: I’m loving White Collar! Any scoop?
Ever since the White Collar pilot, we’ve found that the everyday eps of this USA series have been a smidgen flimsier than we’d like, but the midseason finale on Dec. 4 is the sharp and snappy standard we’d like to see from the show. What happens? Well, Neal (Matthew Bomer) is finally confronted with a criminal nemesis worthy of his talents, Elizabeth Burke’s (Tiffani Thiessen) presence on the show starts to make sense, and there is a huge (huge!) reveal about Agent Burke (Tim McKay) that involves something pretty important from Neal’s past.

Credit: E! Online

***

Note: Bejamin McKenzie played Ryan on The O.C. and Tiffani Thiessen played Valerie on Beverly Hills 90210.

My lil’ list of stuff that I’m grateful for this Thanksgiving.

• Those pink donut boxes.  Every time I see one, I salivate like a Pavlov hound.
• San Francisco streetcars, they’re…that…adorable.
• Garlic, it really has many uses, don’t you think?
• Condoleeza Rice, no wait — Hilary Clinton.
• Vaginal metaphors.  Everywhere you wanna be.
• BART.  Why so expensive dude?
• Shoes, clothes, accessories:  mainline please.
• Never thought I’d say it:  Berkeley Bowl.
• Concept 2 rowing machine:  waaay better’n sex.
• Cultural appropriation:  Exhibit A good, cheap Asian food.
• Trains in the night, nails in the bedroom.
• Pandora:  the pre-ad version
• Breastfeeding.  Thanks for the formula.  Thanks for gypping me out of a key experience. I’ll have a glass of milk now.
• Blogging:  the most fun you can have legally.

The Content herein is Copyright to the Author, All Rights Reserved.

es ist nicht gut, wenn man am montagabend nicht mehr weiss, dass montag ist. das ist zumindest bedenklich.

die busfahrer-episode: er duzte mich. was mich einigermassen erstaunte, hatte ich mich doch schon länger nicht mehr rasiert. was mich, so dachte ich auf jeden fall bis zu diesem moment, älter macht. er aber duzte mich. 

er sah merkwürdig aus: graues langes haar zu einem engen zopf gebunden, ein bart, ebenfalls grau. und ein wenig gedrungen, beleibt, füllig. nicht übermässig. aber trotzdem, er hatte etwas imposantes, ja aggressives, schon rein äusserlich. ich war ein wenig eingeschüchtert. spürte dieses unangenehme ziehen in der bauchgegend. wenn man vor einer ungerechtigkeit steht, wenn man infrage gestellt wird in seiner integrität, wenn man beleidigt wird. dann fühlt man das. ich aber sagte nichts. wie meistens.

es ist montag. jetzt weiss ich es.

A map, albeit an ugly one, of the alternatives under study for BART to Livermore. If BART really wants to sell this extension, maybe use a background color that isn't charcoal?

This post will be the first of a two part look at ridership estimates in public transit: first, looking at the merit of BART’s Livermore Extension; then, a more formal examination of ridership estimates as a whole.

As Transbay Blog reports, BART has just released the Draft Program EIR for its latest extension to Livermore, outlining five alternatives fill the 5.1-13.2 mile “gap” in BART service from Dublin to Livermore, a wealthy suburb of roughly 85,000 people.  The cost? $1.12-$3.8 billion.

This extension is really the latest in BART’s expansion paradigm that seeks to complete the system’s original goals of a seamless all-Bay system, while rewarding suburban taxpayers in the process.  Livermore is just one piece of BART’s next wave of expansion that includes San Jose, Antioch, and the Oakland Airport. I’ve often discussed how BART is really the only system in the nation that defies logic by building miles and miles of costly heavy rail subway technology to stretch its system to outlying suburbs, but today I’d like to focus on how BART has managed to keep getting funding for these projects with its ridership projections.  BART has justified the merit of the Livermore extension with forecasts that project as many as 38,000 new riders by 2035, which is not bad at all for a suburban extension.  But, before we jump to conclusions with these “facts”, let’s take a look at the performance of BART’s ridership estimates in its last wave of extensions in the 1990s:

Pittsburg/Bay Point–achieved 53% of its projected ridership

4.5 miles  $506 million (1996 dollars)

Daily ridership: 12,000 (2005 est.) 6,300 (2005 actual) 6,600 (2009)

Dublin/Pleasanton–achieved 74% of its projected ridership

14 miles $517 million (1996 dollars)

Daily ridership: 11,000 (2005 est.) 8,100 (2005 actual) 10,100 (2009)

SFO/Millbrae–achieved 45% of its projected ridership

8.2 miles $1.5 billion (2003 dollars)

Daily ridership: 34,300 (2010 est.) 15,500 (2009 actual)

Total, BART’s extensions have achieved an average of 52% of their projected ridership.

The Livermore extension alternatives fall into two groups: a longer two station alignment expected to attract 33,000-38,000 riders in 2035 for a cost of $3-4 billion, and a shorter one station alignment expected to attract 23,000-25,000 in 2035 for $1-1.75 billion.  Here’s the catch: BART reports these numbers in the EIR as boardings and exits, so already you can cut them in half to compare them with other stations, leaving us with roughly 17,000-19,000 riders for the two-station alternatives and 12,000 riders for the one-station alternatives (remember that Livermore is a city of about 85,000, yet BART is projecting as many riders per station as stations in Downtown Oakland, Downtown Berkeley, and the Mission).  Given that BART has on average only reached 52% of its long-term projections and has never exceeded 73%, it’s reasonable to expect about 9,000-10,000 riders for the two station alternatives and about 6,000 for the one station alternatives.  For the sake of this analysis, let’s give BART the benefit of the doubt and assume that actual ridership will be 73% of its projection, yielding 12,000 riders and 8,000 riders, respectively.

Let’s take a step back for a second: At 7-13 miles, BART to Livermore will cost $3-4 BILLION for a best-case scenario of 12,000 daily riders? As Barney Frank would say: on what planet does BART spend most of its time? BART would say that these are the most accurate models possible for 2035 transportation behavior, so it’s unfair to compare them with current ridership figures and past projects.  I say, what credibility does BART have left to make such assertions?  BART has NEVER delivered on its ridership estimates, and when the stakes at hand are billions and billions of dollars for one of our most effective responses to climate change, peak oil, declining public health, congestion, and population growth, why trust them now? Even the simple 5 mile, $1.5 billion for a maximum of 8,000 riders is a complete ripoff–as I’ve written before, Salt Lake City is building 70 miles of rail for $2.8 billion in seven years, while Denver is building 140 miles of rail and BRT for $6.2 billion in seven years.  In contrast, add together the great triumvirate of BART’s Livermore, San Jose/Warm Springs, and Oakland Airport extensions, and BART is building about 35 miles of heavy rail for $10.5 billion over the next two decades.

The issue here is how the Bay Area will make the most of federal, state, and regional funds in the next 25 years to deal with an additional 2 million people.  Transit money does not grow on trees; every extra dollar we pour into BART’s heavy rail system is a dollar that could be going toward Geary light rail, ACE, Capitol Corridor, Dumbarton rail, a streetcar system in Oakland, a better VTA light rail system, a region-wide BRT network, and ultimately a second transbay tube.  Between the Dublin/Pleasanton, Pittsburg/Bay Point, SFO/Millbrae, Livermore, and San Jose extensions, as well as the Oakland Airport Connector, the question becomes:

How many billions must we spend before we realize that BART’s heavy rail system is the single most cost-ineffective technology available?

Guinovart. Roselles de Sió I, 1979-1996. Tècnica mixta sobre fusta.124 x124cm

El Saló d’Art de Barcelona BART 09 obrirà les seves portes del 10 al 13 de desembre a l’Estació de França. Aquest saló d’art vol impulsar el aquests tipus d’esdeveniments a Catalunya, davant els nombrosos salons que es celebren en altres ciutats. Així doncs, un grup de professionals i d’aficionats a les arts plàstiques van dedcidir l’any passat iniciar una via que oferés alternatives compatibles a les que ja estan establertes i en funcionament. En aquest punt es va constituir l’associació sense ànim de lucre BART amb l’objectiu de difondre i fomentar les arts plàstiques.

BART 09 és ara mateix l’únic saló d’arts plàstiques convocat a Catalunya. El saló manté la mateixa participació de la primera edició, fet que s’ha de tenir molt en compte si  atenem a la baixa generalitzada de participants a tots els salons que es convoquen arreu. La clau de l’èxit d’aquest saló és la bona acollida entre els professionals i la conjunció d’una organització d’alt nivell (muntatge, difusió publicitat, catàleg, etc.) amb uns costos de participació molt baixos comparant amb la majoria de certàmens a les grans ciutats. 

Guinovart. Les roselles i el blat, 1979-2001-2002. Tècnica mixta sobre fusta. 122x244cm

Com cada anys, el saló BART rendeix homenatge a un artista ja desaparegut, per tal de recuperar la seva memòria i difondre la seva obra. Aquest any el BART 09 organitzarà una exposició dedicada a a Josep Guinovart i Bertran. quan es compleixen dos anys de la seva mort, just en les dates en què es celebra el saló.  

A més de la inauguració, el dijous dia 10 de desembre,  es lliuraran uns reconeixements  a artistes i altres professionals del món de les arts plàstiques que per la seva dilatada i exemplar trajectòria són una referència per al món de l’art.

Més informació al proper número de desembre de la revista bonart

BEAT STAFF REPORT

A video posted onto YouTube Saturday night shows a BART Police Officer, attempting to arrest a drunken man, shoving the individual into a heavy duty glass window, shattering it, and bloodying both the officer and man at the West Oakland BART station Saturday evening.

Seen above, it’s already raising questions about whether the appropriate amount of force was used to arrest the man, identified by BART as a 37 year-old San Leandro resident, especially in light of the high-profile videotaped slaying of Oscar Grant by ex-BART Police Officer Johannes Mehserle.

BART held a hastily called news conference Sunday afternoon to discuss the incident and to ask the public not to come to any preliminary conclusions about whether the officer seen in the YouTube video acted inappropriately.

• SEE THE VIDEO: BART Police officer sends man crashing through glass (via cbs5.com)
• MORE: Oscar Grant BART Shooting Coverage

The drunk man was arrested and booked on several felony charges Saturday night. His family tells the San Francisco Chronicle that he suffers from a history of substance abuse and mental illness. He sustained injuries as a result of the shattering glass.

BART Police say that the officer suffered injuries as well, including a cut to the face and a concussion from the falling glass.

An investigation into the matter has begun, BART Police said.

This incident follows the videotaped slaying of Grant, which touched off massive rioting in Oakland and created a media frenzy over the multiple videos that surfaces showing Mehserle, the former BART policeman, standing over Grant and shooting the unarmed father to death on New Year’s Day at the Fruitvale BART station.

Mehserle is now charged with murder. Last week, an Alameda Co. judge decided to move the murder trial for Mehserle to Los Angeles County, where it is expected to start next year.

No word from BART as to whether this officer will return to his patrol duties soon. He was treated and released from a local hospital, and remains on “industrial leave” because of his injuries, according to BART.

What do you think about this new video? Post your comments below.

E-mail the Beat at californiabeat@gmail.com. Join the California Beat on Facebook, and get breaking news headlines, story alerts and previews when you follow us on Twitter.

Op zondag 22 november had in de Dilbeekse parochie Savio de show “‘t Savio leeft op muzikale toeren” plaats. De presentatie lag in handen van Ron Van Tienen. De optredende artiesten waren zanger Kenny, Inzo, Bart, Peter Rammeloo, Eric Flanders, Hanny D. en Tony Cabana. Al vlug zat de sfeer er goed in en leefde gans de zaal mee met de optredende artiesten. Er stonden dan ook heel wat top ambiancemakers op de affiche.  BO Studio’s maakte een beeldverslag. Wij maakte ook enkele fotoalbums. In de zaal hadden wij een ontmoeting met Danny Brendo die naar verluid volgend jaar te gast zal zijn bij ‘t Savio en al eens wat nader kennis kwam maken.

Bekijk “hier” onze fotoalbums.

Video posted to YouTube by lacotoba.

Fare went up to a dollar and a half as of midnight.” Line from Martin Scorsese’s film After Hours.

The movie is black comedy. Transporation fare increases and the general cost of living these days combined with a paucity of job opportunity is just sad. I believe NY MTA is up to $2.50, sometimes more. And New Yorkers aren’t happy, though they are promised no further fare increases until January 2011. There have been service cutbacks there just like everywhere else.  Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, transporation expenses have certainly increased as well. For all the fare increases, BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) isn’t what it used to be. There’s even a website called BART Rage where citizens vent their frustrations. Amazing that it is now often cheaper to take your car than to hop a train or bus.  Doesn’t bode well for the environment.

Gone are the days . . .When I left New York in 1977, I think a subway token was fifteen cents and you could ride as long as you wanted and go anywhere the train lines went. You could ride all day if you wanted to. I remember a time when subway tokens were ten cents and bus rides where five cents with a student pass. Transportation costs took up a smaller percentage of personal income than it does these days. The system was pretty reliable and the service pretty consistent. A bum could beg dimes from two or three people and surf the subway system to get out of the elements, or stop at a coffee shop to buy a cup of joe, or even make a phone call. Can’t do a thing with a dime anymore. 

They say we’re in recovery. I think it’s a recovery that benefits the haves, not the have-nots. Today a homeless gentleman was begging for dollars on a busy street here, trying to get enough money to go from Silicon Valley to someplace in the East Bay, where he might find some friends or relatives with whom to stay until he could get reestablished. Formerly employed as an engineer and unemployed or underemployed for most of the past three years, he had hiked and hitched from Santa Cruz. We talked. I always talk to the homeless. I want to acknowledge their humanity. Ever notice how many people avert their eyes or look right through a homeless person? Is this a fear of vulnerability, like looking death in the face? “That could be me tomorrow.” Is it a fear of being asked for help? Or is it a deeply rooted and unconscious Calvinism? If you are poor and homeless, a have-not, you’re unworthy and therefore invisible. If you are a have, you’re visible. As we talked, I watched the homeless gentleman watch a woman throw away half a hamburger not three feet from where we stood. Why not just offer it to him?

I recognize that this is late-night stream-of-consciousness, but you get my drift … The question used to be, “Buddy, can you spare a dime?” Now it’s, “Can you spare five bucks?”  And that five bucks may not buy you what ten cents used to buy. Well, anyway, I can’t spare five dollars, but I did.  So did a man who didn’t look like he could really spare it either. Thanks to the addition of his five, our homeless friend hopped a bus headed for hope while the haves walked on by.