"Commitment to Excellance"... not latly.

There once was an NFL team that struck fear into the hearts of opposing teams, a team with the best coach in football, John Madden, and players with nicknames like “The Snake”, Ken Stabler and “Hitman”, George Atkinson.

That team was the Oakland Raider’s and the year was 1976. That year Madden guided the Raider’s to a 13-1 record and beat the Minnesota Viking’s.

Fast forward to 2009

Since losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneer’s in Super Bowl XXXVII, The Raider’s have had five different Head Coaches who have combined for a record of 24 wins and 72 losses in the regular season.

This season the Raider’s are 4-8. You might be thinking, why is this team so awful?

Let’s go back to 1963.

In 1963 the Raider’s, then part of the American Football League, made Al Davis ,then an assistant coach for the San Diego Charger’s ,their Head coach and General Manager.

Since becoming GM Davis has had a history of controversy, part of this is Davis’ tendency to overrule head coaches. From 1963-1965 Davis took the Raider’s to a 23-16-3 record before being named Commissioner of The AFL.

On Showtime’s “Inside The NFL”, former All-Pro Defensive Tackle Warren Sapp said, "All the preparation that goes into a week of work is there, the practicing that you have to put in order to do these things, sometimes [Al Davis] messed with that part of it and that's what kills you,"
Davis has been accused of undermining coaches such as Mike Shanahan and Art Shell.

In 1988 only four games into the season Davis fired Shanahan, who later won two Super Bowls with the Denver Bronco’s, because players complained about Shanahan’s rules concerning team discipline.

As GM, Davis has had a history of Drafting players like QB Todd Marinovich in 1991, who was the worst bust in NFL history prior to Ryan Leaf, overpaying Free Agents such as cornerback Larry Brown and getting over-the-hill players like defensive tackle Ted Washington in 2004.

In 1982 Davis angered fans by moving the team from Oakland to Los Angeles in pursuit of more money.

After beating the Washington Redskin’s in Super Bowl XVIII, the Raider’s have made the playoffs a total of seven times in 25 years?

On May 14. 1992 former Raider’s Defensive end Lyle Alzado died of brain cancer.Alzado had been one of the first players to admit to using anabolic steroids.

Alzado’s death along with the drug problems of Marinovich contributed to the Raider’s image as criminals & malcontents. In 1995 the Raider’s moved back to Oakland but since then Davis has been at odds with Alameda County over the lease agreement to use the Oakland coliseum.

In 2002 family members of the late Ed McGah, an original owner of the Raider’s filed a lawsuit charging Al Davis with mismanagement of the team and sought to fire Davis.

Douglas MacCarther once said, “old soldiers never die, they just fade away.”

Perhaps aging owner’s die but in Oakland, Al Davis and his grasp on reality have already faded away.

America's Controversial Comedian

“This is not a book for the faint of heart, or the Politically correct, or the weak, or the extreme right wing or the left of center leftist Democrat or nuns or any member of any organized religion or New York Yankee’s fans.” --- Denis Leary about his book “Why We Suck”.

So start’s Leary’s Satirical treatise on 21 century American life.

Born in Worchester, Mass in 1957, Denis Leary is perhaps America’s top Comedian.

On route to a career which has included roles in such movies as: “Demolition Man”, True Crime” and “The Thomas Crown Affair.” Leary staked out his claim as George Carlin’s heir apparent with the 1993 CD “No Cure for Cancer” and his no b---s--- style of humor.

In 2005 Leary won a Golden Globe Award for his role as Tommy Gavin on his hit show “Rescue Me” on FX; which is in its fifth season. That same year Leary was honored with a PhD. from Emerson University, Leary’s alma mater.

“Why We Suck: a feel good guide to staying fat, loud, lazy and stupid” is brutally frank.

On the back cover Leary has several priceless quotes:

“If I could read a book, I’d definitely read one of yours.” --- Paris Hilton, upon meeting an author on the red carpet.

“Whenever I watch TV and I see those poor, starving kids all over the world I can’t help but cry. I mean, I would love to be skinny like that, but not with all the flies and death and stuff.”--- Mariah Carey

In his book Leary states, “Responsibility, research and actual factual thinking have gone out the window. If most people in this country see something on TV it must be true/news/necessary/important. Therefore, when things go wrong — how can the innocent citizen/TV watcher be at fault? “

Leary’s book drew criticism from actress Jenny McCarthy. In an Interview with Access Hollywood’s Billy Bush, McCarthy, the former Playboy Playmate and host of MTV’s “Singled Out”, blasted Lear’s book.

McCarthy, who’s son has autism, said, “This community has been through so much and to compare and use the world ‘dumb-a** lazy’ with autism, it’s just not fair.”; However McCarthy said, “I have not read his (Leary’s) chapter that he ( Leary) has said, he has been misunderstood.”

In chapter six, called - “Autism Shmautism” - Leary describes how he believes that many people who claim to have Asperger’s syndrome ( a high functioning form of autisim) are “Stupid or Lazy or both.”

Leary describes how autistic children “… Have individual talents and abilities that would lay your empty little tyke’s video game-addled soul to waste.”

As someone who has a friends with Asperser’s, I should take offense as McCarthy did, however the caustic critic Leary does separate those with autism.

Leary sites talents such as memorizing historical dates and song lyrics; However Leary’s description of autistic children is limited to what would be considered an Autistic Savant.

“ I recently heard an interview with the brother of acclaimed author Augusten Burroughs (John Elder Robison).” ,said Leary.

--- Robison was a sound technician with Pink Floyd and Kiss who designed the trademark exploding- guitar used by Gene Simmons. Later Robison went on the Oprah Winfery show to discuss his battle with asperger’s syndrome ---

Leary - “ Odd? Yeah- you became a roadie for a rock band that dresses up in superhero costumes and wears twenty-seven pounds of makeup? Where and when is that normal. AND you made money at it? Sorry, pal You don’t get to make guitars blow up for a living and then stake a claim as some kind of social retard. Lucky? Yes. Rain Man? No. Not on my planet.”

While Leary may be wrong in his criticism of Robison and of Aspergers, it is refreshing to know that there is at least one voice out there, who is willing to question politically correct thinking.

Controversy Follows Columnist Breton

Over the last six years Marcos Breton has carved out a career as one of the most read columnists in Northern California.

Breton who began his career at the San Jose Mercury news has never been afraid of controversy.

Since becoming a columnist for the Sacramento Bee’s sports section in 2001, Breton’s columns have frequently drawn criticism and praise from readers.

In 2006 the Bee ran a segment entitled “Breton has defenders, detractors.”

In the segment Steve Silva said , “It is good to see more people are writing to the Bee about Breton. His Columns are basic, devoid of thought or real analysis and generally shortsighted, and his opinions border on bitterness mixed with hatred.”

With strident criticism of such ballyhooed stars like Barry Bonds and Terrell Owens, Breton has drawn the ire of many a sports fanatic.

After Bonds retired amid the accusations of steroid use from the BALCO scandal, Breton wrote a column on Sept 14. 2005 where he described the effect on Giant’s fans at PacBell Park…

“Apparently, drinking the Kool-Aid and worshiping a false Messiah is not quite as appetizing as it once was to the masses that made this stadium the home office for sellouts, the headquarters of demand outstripping supply.”

Breton’s style is often abrasive and combative which can be attributed to his 15 years of experience as a Metro reporter.

In his column on Oct 18. Breton said, “advocates for the homeless such as Mark Merin are not actually solving the problem of homelessness by creating a “Tent City”

Breton says that many of the homeless “want to be free man.”

The “Tent City” that Breton refers to was organized by Merin an Attorney and Joan Burke of Loves & Fishes to provide a place for homeless people in Sacramento.  

Breton says,  “I’M Catholic, I’M as compassionate as the next person” but many of the homeless ”don’t want help.”

Breton also drew flack from Professors Stan Oden and Lila Jacobs in 2008 when Breton “commended President Alexander Gonzales on his Stewardship of the University” amid massive budget cuts to the university.

For his work as a reporter and columnist, Breton was given the Community Service Award by the La Raza lawyers association in 2007.

As a life long sports fan Breton likes competition and says that there are many people in the news-business who don’t like competition.

Breton says that part of the problem is that papers such as the Bee publish their employee cuts while other organizations like KCRA do not.

Breton says "this contributes to the perception that Newspapers are dying" ; however as newspapers struggle to adapt to the changing world of media in the new century Breton is optimistic.

“We’re not going away” he says, “There are 14,000 dailies and only 15 folded.”

While Breton’s style may not appeal to everyone he at least gives his readers something to chew on and occasionally pushes the buttons of the establishment which is the hallmark of a good journalist.

Running On Empty.

Their claim is “the Last Honest Pizza” and they operate Just about everywhere.

Yes I am talking about that ubiquitous Pizza magnet known as Round Table.

As a poor starving college student, on this occasion literally, I and some friends went to the Hornet’s nest, Round Table, to fill our starved bellies.

On this occasion the wait was only a few seconds and the place was practically empty.

I chose to order the Italian garlic supreme Pizza with a skinny crust.

Our wait time was not long, 12 minutes and the service was descant; however the first thing you notice are the astronomical prices.

$17.00 for a medium pizza? 

As far as quality goes, our food was fresh which was a relief, If your paying $17.00…

Why are the plates plastic?

What strikes me about this particular Round Table is the fact that there are no booths like a regular restaurant?

Not even any Round Tables to promote people to gather and stay.

Unlike a regular Round Table there is no Salad Bar so vegetarians are out of luck.

For a business operating at a four year university you would think a franchise would spend more money to make it look good and inviting, apparently not.

While the food is ok it certainly is over-priced and $ 4.00 for a 16 oz beer is a rip.

Ultimately though beyond the price gauging of students who are already being gouged with tuition and book prices, this really is more about how cheap the administration of president Alexander Gonzales is.

Is it too much to ask for a Papa John’s, which gives customers way more bang for their buck?

Is it too much to ask for more than four choices of Beer?

Is there no way to make a place where students can watch a game and drink a Beer look better than the cheap slap happy design of this place.

All I have to say dear reader is that if this is the best that students a Sacramento State university can get, it is a sad comment on the university?

When I was 13 I visited UC Santa Cruz ; all the restaurants blended into the campus and offered an array of goods at competitive prices.

They should at least have a Lunch special and offer student discounts.

It seams to me that an outfit like Round Table appeals to an administrator looking for a quick fix with no intention of providing a quality experience for the customer, which may be an allegory for everything at Sacramento State?

As for myself , I have started carrying lunches in an attempt to save the scarce money I do have, perhaps 30,000 people doing the same would create some change?

Danger,Danger.

Being a 30 plus single person you may find it shocking that I might occasionally peruse the murky world of online dating.

However living in a home in the rolling foothills of El Dorado County, close to a winery and  with a newly installed wi-fi connection, the temptation was too great.

As a regular Facebook user and cheap skate, I noticed an application, called “are you interested.” The purpose of this is to match up various single Facebook users who are not already matched up. So with nothing better to do I decided to give it a try.

One of the suggestions was a 28-year-old woman from Colorado named Ema Witte.

After an initial e-mail reply asking about me, the poor grammar of phrases such as “I not in state” instead of  “ I’m not in the states” should have been an automatic give-away, even if she was claiming to be German?

The lady in question told a story that her parent died and she was living with a friend in Colorado when she ran off with a man to his home country of Benin where he robbed her and left her with a $650.00 hotel bill?

As it turned out this damsel in distress said she needed $375.00 to pay the hotel in Benin so she could have her passport returned to her.

My curiosity lead me to do a googel search of the name Ema Witte; I wanted to know why she didn’t know anyone after growing-up and living in America?

It turns out that there is a well-known scammer by the name of Emma Jane Witte.

I was directed to a site, delphifaq.com where several men in France and the United States had been victims of this person.

After seeing the Information I copied it and sent it to the lady in question with the title “I saw something interesting”.

I received a reply in which they thought it was “funny”.

I began to wonder, was there even a person named Emma Witte or Emma Witter?

Apparently there is a 19-year-old model in London, England named Emma Witter whose face looks strikingly like that of the Ema Witte who has e-mail myself and others on Facebook.

According to dangersofinternetdating.com one of the hallmarks of a Nigerian 419 scam as they are called is that the scammers download photos from models’ websites and then use them to set-up phony accounts.

In fact there are 10 Facebook accounts with the name Ema Witte, Emma Jane Witte or Emma Witter or some variation.

According to the FBI’s press release of 04/03/08, in 2007 there were over 200,000 complaints of inter-net based fraud. These reported scams netted a total of $240 Million dollars.

So after all this, one might listen to the old Waylon Jennings song "looking for love (in all the wrong places)", and wounder if in fact it is possibale to find genuine relationships in our cyber world of hustles & scams.

It's probably safer to just go to the local bar and buy someone a round.

9/11 Revisited

Thomas S. Ball

This week marks the Eighth anniversary of a day that has defined this decade. On Sept. 11, 2001 the United States was attacked for only the third time in 225 years.

In the days and weeks that followed, our nation was united in a manner un-parallel since the assassination of  president John F. Kennedy.

In streets and cities across America, fear gripped our country.

Citizens who had become jaded and disinterested in government suddenly yearned for leadership from the new administration of President George W. Bush.

While some critics have complained about Bush’s slow response to the events on Sept. 11 2001, such a crisis could confound the greatest of presidents.

In the aftermath the Bush administration launched a war on terrorism.

However after eight years are we any closer to defeating Islamic extremism?

I talked to to professor Afshin Marashi who has been in the field of Middle Eastern studies for 20 years.
Marashi said,“what you notice is that an event such as 9/11 happens and then there is an intense interest in a region like the Middle East for a while and then that interest fades.” Marashi also said “my position was created as a response to 9/11.”

For example “after 9/11 Sac St expanded the teaching of Arabic but because of the budget crisis 2^nd year Arabic has been cut.” Marashi says, “a professor in religious studies who taught Islam has not been replaced and without a full time instructor it will be hard to maintain the minor (in Middle Eastern Studies).”

Through out much of our history with the Middle East policy makers have taken a shortsighted approach.

When asked what the United States can do to combat Muslim Extremism Marashi said, “There isn’t anything the United States can do” according to Marashi “ what needs to take place in the Middle East is an internal discussion … this is a long historical process.”

In the weeks that followed 9/11 hate crimes against Muslim-Americans increased.

Basim Elkarra the executive director of the Council of American Islamic Relations in Sacramento, Ca. said, “According to C.A.I.R.'s civil rights reports there was a significant increase in hate related cases nationwide. The cases kept increases until last year where they have come down. Unfortunately civil rights abuses continue to increase. In 2006, there were over 1900 cases, in 2007 over 2400 cases, and in 2008.”

Elkarra said, “These include cases of employment and government discrimination.”

Since 9/11 the United States has spent over $1trillon in Iraq.

Elkarra said, “Many in the Muslim world believed that the two wars were wars against Islam itself.

At first some saw the justification at the war against Afghanistan in retaliation for 9/11 but after the U.S. attacked Iraq many felt that Islam was now under attack because Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11.”

Since the election of President Barack Obama many in the Muslim community are hopeful that change in the region is possible.

According to experts such as Masarhi “ Obama has an opportunity that no other President has…” , Marashi says “He (Obama) symbolically undermines the history of colonialism…it is profoundly important that his middle name is Hessian; Because it makes it difficult for people like Bin Laden to demonize him and the United States."

For the United States to effectively combat Islamic fundamentalists such as Osama Bin- laden, policy-makers in Washington D.C. must stop trying to deny the effects of centuries of Imperial influence in the Arab world. This requires a sustained commitment to fostering relationships based not on the acquisition of resources but the development of opportunities for people in these impovershed nations.

Protest At Sac St.

Thomas S. Ball

“Well you say the budget’s cut, why don’t you tell me something new? I’ve been singing about the state budget cuts since 1992. Well it’s time to stop the nonsense and I’ve got some things that you can do, Cause we’ve got to work together to get out of these furlough blues.”--- The Furlough Blues

It’s that time of year again. As they start the fall semester, students used to being greeted with long lines at the financial aid office, and books not being in at the bookstore now are in for something extra.

This fall at Sacramento State and other CSU campuses students are being hit with a double whammy; 32 percent fee increases and a 10 percent reduction in class time.

This is a result of the new contract that the California Faculty Association agreed to as part of the budget agreement signed by Gov. Arnold Schwartsenegger and the Legislature on July 24.

According to the CSU budget office, in 2009 the average cost to under-graduate students will be $4,026.00, which is double what it cost students in 2003.

One of the provisions of the agreement, designed to save the state money, is the inclusion of Furlough days.

For many students this means classes being canceled and fewer days of instruction.

The Furlough day provision is at the heart of the current protests because they force teachers to take un-paid leave during the semester.

On Wed, Sept. 2. Students and faculty gathered together in the quad at Sac St. to protest the effects of the new contract.

Some of the protesters played instruments and sang protest songs, then they lead the crowd in chants of “they say cut back, we say fight back.”

CFA president Kevin Wehr said, “We’re talking to people spreading the message to the community that students & teachers need to be united and staff & students are paying 32percent more to get 10 percent less.” Wehr also said, “ we’re out here to make sure this doesn’t become bossiness as usual.”

The developments are vary troubling for students. One such Student is Kristina Lee who is the co-chair of the Progressive Alliance.

Lee said, “I understand the need to trim some fat from the budget, but I don't think that furloughs are the way to do it. I also think it hurts California in the long run because with decreased incomes, state workers will be buying and investing less. Additionally, stressing them out by decreasing their pay stresses them out, and (it) lowers (the) morale and productivity. Challenging state workers to come up with ways to decrease their departmental budgets and implementing viable ideas seems like a better way of cutting spending, even if it takes longer to do and costs a little more.”

As a result of the budget crisis Sac St, along with the other CSU’s, has already stopped accepting applications for new students in 2010. Un-fortunately it seems that now the students that are left are going to be receiving a lower quality of education at a higher price.