World Renowned Sculptor; Bruce Beasley Has No Reason to Leave His Home in West Oakland

"I love West Oakland," he said. "It is vibrant, real, varied and right in the heart of the whole Bay Area. It is a small town in the center of a metropolis," he said. "We are poor, well off, marginal, established, tolerant of each other and a bit suspicious of outsiders."

Click here to read more about Bruce's story

Al Davis, Jim Fassel, and The Oakland Raiders

Jim Fassel says he wants to coach the Oakland Raiders. I think he should hold off on that before he hears my take. To make it work, Mr. Davis, the Manager of the General Partner of the Raiders, needs to really give the head coach power to be...head coach. 

President-Elect Barack Obama On 60 Minutes Sunday

My take on President Elect Barack Obama's appearance on 60 miniutes Sunday.  He and Michelle -- First Lady Elect -- performed very well.  Well, performed is the wrong word, because they didn't seem to be putting on an act.  They were honest and forthright.  My only advice at this point is for Obama to tuck his suit in as he sits to do a YouTube presentation.  

Oakland Gun Violence Soars As Oakland Takes Eye Off The Sales Ball

I remember when then-Oakland City Manager made curbs on the sale of guns in Oakland a major priority; then Mayor and now AG Jerry Brown fired him.  Since then, Oakland's taken its collective eye off the ball of controlling gun sales.  And the lack of attention has been so severe that it's led to this article in today's Oakland Tribune :

OAKLAND — Seventeen-year-old Dominique Nubie stood on a West Oakland street corner talking about what matters in his life.

"Guns "... everybody here has guns," he said, motioning around.

Instead of the usual high school concerns about finishing homework or making the basketball team, Dominique worries most about survival in a neighborhood where many of his peers own guns.

Oakland is teeming with guns. They're easy to buy, easy to steal and seen by some young men as a necessary possession in certain Oakland neighborhoods where to be unarmed means to be vulnerable.

"If I got a gun, I feel like I can't be touched, like I'm the man," said one 18-year-old who said he never shot a gun, but has held one.

According to Oakland Police Department statistics, about 90 percent of last year's 127 homicides were caused by gunfire. The department confiscated 1,241 guns connected to crimes last year, but the number confiscated "is a small fraction" of the number of guns out there, said Sgt. Kevin Kaney of the department's weapons unit. He would not provide an estimate of the total number of guns in Oakland, but said there are "tens of thousands."

Star Trek Trailer Reveals Hit Star Trek Movie

 Well four days ago I had this music in a dream then in my head I could not figure out how it got there. It was sci-fi like and could either be in a horror movie or a sci-fi flim. Then I saw the second Star Trek trailer, and it was that music.

I kid you not.

The second Star Trek trailer reveals a movie that will be a sure-fire hit. J.J. Abrams, who directed the movie and co-produced it, and his staff aimed for a mix of realism and Star Trek and hit it right on the money.

I do hope we can see William Shatner in it, but I understand why he made this difficult -- he'll be sorry. But I hope he's in it with Leonard Nimoy.

Arab - Israeli Conflict...At Cal-Berkeley

Apparently Arab-Israeli aggressions are heating to boiling point in Berkeley.  The Daily Cal reports a Thursday night fight police may call a hate crime:

A fight that broke out last Thursday in Eshleman Hall may be classified as a hate crime pending further investigation by police.

Police said racial remarks were made during the altercation-a result of Palestinian flags that were hung from a second-floor balcony overlooking a pro-Israel concert-that may cause investigators to classify the fight as a hate crime.

"We're looking into the possibility of it being a hate crime, based on the statements (made to police by) Palestinian students," said UCPD Assistant Chief Mitch Celaya. "Clearly these two groups have some conflict."

Jing Hua Wu Who Shot Three Co-Workers, To Be Arraigned Wednesday

In what has to be the most unfortunate case of temporary insanity, Jing Hua Wu, who went berserk and shot three co-workers at the radio chip maker Si Port, is going to be arraigned in San Jose this Wednesday. 


I certainly hope this is the only case of it's kind for a long as there's a poor economy.  Wu killed his fellow employees, Marilyn Lewis, 67, of San Jose, the company's head of human resources; Brian Pugh, 47, of Los Altos, vice president for operations; and Sid Agrawal, 56, of Fremont, the company's co-founder and chief executive, after he learned he was going to be fired.   


I don't understand why this father of three would do that, but as TechCrunch put it , it's a sad day in Silicon Valley.