It’s like just 1:44 long. Click on it. Go for it, nobody’s looking. I’ll look out for your boss. You know, in HD.
There you go.
Ah, memories:
“Only 305 Views so far, but this one will end up with tens of millions of viewers, soon enough.
Ten minutes – full screen and 1080p please:
So that’s what was going on when the Bay Bridge was shut down that day.
I’m already looking forward to the director’s cut, you know, with outtakes and errors and broken stuff.
And just for the record, San Francisco Film Commission, the kids these days don’t want to see scripted drama crap like NBC’s Trauma, they want to see something interesting. So the sooner you stop subsidizing crap like NBC’s Trauma, the better off we’ll all be…
“DC and Ken Block present Gymkhana FIVE: Ultimate Urban Playground; San Francisco.
Shot on the actual streets of San Francisco, California, GYM5 features a focus on fast, raw and precise driving action. Filmed over four days, director Ben Conrad and his team are back to work on their second Gymkhana production and delivered the entire city of San Francisco as Ken Block’s personal gymkhana playground. DC Shoes also provided fellow DC athlete and longtime Ken Block friend, Travis Pastrana, to make a cameo appearance on his dirtbike, and S.F. resident Jake Phelps of Thrasher Magazine fame also makes a cameo as Block hoons S.F. in his most incredible Gymkhana yet. For more information check us out at http://www.dcshoes.com/auto
And here’s some context:
Jumping Taylor in a Fiesta. Wow:
And in the Financial, on California, near some fake cable cars:
More in Potrero Hill, on Bike to Work Day 2012:
And again in the Financial, being filmed by a radio-controlled chopper whilst being recorded by a Saturday-working, Financial District Dell Jockey:
Only 305 Views so far, but this one will end up with tens of millions of viewers, soon enough.
Ten minutes – full screen and 1080p please:
So that’s what was going on when the Bay Bridge was shut down that day.
I’m already looking forward to the director’s cut, you know, with outtakes and errors and broken stuff.
And just for the record, San Francisco Film Commission, the kids these days don’t want to see scripted drama crap like NBC’s Trauma, they want to see something interesting. So the sooner you stop subsidizing crap like NBC’s Trauma, the better off we’ll all be…
“DC and Ken Block present Gymkhana FIVE: Ultimate Urban Playground; San Francisco.
Shot on the actual streets of San Francisco, California, GYM5 features a focus on fast, raw and precise driving action. Filmed over four days, director Ben Conrad and his team are back to work on their second Gymkhana production and delivered the entire city of San Francisco as Ken Block’s personal gymkhana playground. DC Shoes also provided fellow DC athlete and longtime Ken Block friend, Travis Pastrana, to make a cameo appearance on his dirtbike, and S.F. resident Jake Phelps of Thrasher Magazine fame also makes a cameo as Block hoons S.F. in his most incredible Gymkhana yet. For more information check us out at http://www.dcshoes.com/auto
And here’s some context:
Jumping Taylor in a Fiesta. Wow:
And in the Financial, on California, near some fake cable cars:
More in Potrero Hill, on Bike to Work Day 2012:
And again in the Financial, being filmed by a radio-controlled chopper whilst being recorded by a Saturday-working, Financial District Dell Jockey:
BERKELEY — On Tuesday, July 27, the PBS POV documentary series will air “Presumed Guilty”,a riveting examination of the Mexican judicial system created by UC Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy doctoral candidates Roberto Hernández and Layda Negrete. In the Bay Area, the film will air at 10:30 p.m. on KQED.
Hernández and Negrete, both attorneys, document their struggle to free a wrongfully imprisoned man and to expose a Mexican criminal justice system that imprisons thousands of other innocent people like him.
PBS says this about the documentary: “Imagine being picked up off the street, told you have committed a murder you know nothing about and then finding yourself sentenced to 20 years in jail. In December 2005 this happened to Tono Zuniga in Mexico Cityand, like thousands of other innocent people, he was wrongfully imprisoned. ‘Presumed Guilty’ is the story of two young lawyers and their struggle to free Zuniga. With no background in film, Roberto Hernández and Layda Negrete set about recording the injustices they were witnessing, enlisting acclaimed director Geoffrey Smith (“The English Surgeon”) to tell this dramatic story.”
In Latin, qui means “lotta” and tam means “cashola,” or something like that, so that’s exactly what you get when you win as a whistle blower in a False Claims Act lawsuit.
Northrop Whistleblower and His Attorneys Comment on Company’s $12.5 Million Settlement
LOS ANGELES, June 23 — The fraud charges Northrop Grumman is settling today for $12.5 million were brought to the government’s attention by a company manager in its Salt Lake City, Utah, plant who filed a “qui tam” (whistleblower) lawsuit against Northrop in federal district court in Los Angeles in 2006.
After investigating the whistleblower’s allegations, the federal government determined that Northrop for nine years had failed to test certain electronic components it sold the military for use in the navigation systems of planes, helicopters and submarines.
Whistleblower: Allen Davis, formerly a quality assurance manager with Northrop’s navigation systems division in Salt Lake City. He will receive a reward of $2.3 millionas provided in the “qui tam” provisions of the False Claims Act.
Whistleblower’s attorneys: Eric R. Havian and Claire M. Sylvia, San Francisco lawyers with Phillips & Cohen LLP. Tel: 415.836.9000.
Statement from Claire M. Sylvia, Phillips & Cohen LLP, San Francisco.
“Allen Davis demonstrated a lot of courage in reporting to the government that his employer was failing to ensure that parts used in military products were properly tested. He did everything he could to raise his concerns with his supervisors, but they ignored his complaints. So he turned to us to become a whistleblower to force the company to address the problem. Mr. Davis is deeply committed to doing his part to keep our armed forces safe.”
Statement from Eric R. Havian, Phillips & Cohen LLP, San Francisco
“Northrop charged the government for tested parts and delivered untested ones. The government allows defense contractors to use commercial parts in military equipment only if those parts are tested to withstand the extreme temperatures and wear that can occur in combat situations. The military pays contractors extra money to cover the costs of those tests. Allen Davis alleged – and the government’s investigation found – that Northrop was knowingly failing to conduct required safety tests.”
Statement from Allen Davis
“If an everyday person such as myself can bring about change for the better, anyone can. I pursued this case because we owe the men and women of the armed forces our best efforts to provide them with the best equipment possible. They are risking their lives every day and depend on the equipment we build to stay safe.”
About Phillips & Cohen LLP
Phillips & Cohen LLP is the nation’s most successful law firm representing whistleblowers. Qui tam lawsuits brought by Phillips & Cohen have resulted in civil recoveries and related criminal fines totaling $5.3 billion. Phillips & Cohen also represents whistleblowers in cases involving major tax fraud and evasion as well as securities law violations. The firm’s attorneys are regularly recognized for their successful work on whistleblower cases with inclusion on such select lists as the Top 10 “Winning Attorneys” in the U.S., the “100 Most Influential Lawyers” and the National Law Journal’s Top 20 “Hot List” of plaintiffs’ law firms. See www.phillipsandcohen.com for more information.
The press release lays it out, the links have more detail.
(NB: “ca.” means “circa” – That’s how they roll in Euro-land.)
S.P. is broke no longer:
Click to expand
All the deets:
“Palin Fee to CSU Reported at Over $75,000 – More Than Double What She Charged Local GOP
As university violates state law, information continues to trickle out
SACRAMENTO – The Modesto Bee is reporting that a Sarah Palin watchdog website has uncovered Palin’s fee to speak at California State University Stanislaus. The Palingates blog reports that Palin will be paid up to $93,000 for her upcoming visit. The amount would be more than double what Palin charged a local Republican Party in Lane County, Oregon, when she appeared at an event for $35,000, according to documents accessed on the Oregon Secretary of State website.
“If these figures are accurate, clearly CSU got a bad deal and Sarah Palin gouged California students,” said Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco). “Celebrities should not be trying to line their own pockets at the expense of students, especially at a time when our public higher education system is in such dire straits.”
According to sources, the university transferred two payments of $37,500 each to the Washington Speakers Bureau – the entity in which the university contracted for the Palin event. In addition to the $75,000 speaking fee, the university is paying $18,000 for Palin to receive a hotel suite, first class airfare or a private Lear jet, and “bendable straws,” among other expenses.
“If Ms. Palin truly cared about our students, she should have waved her speaker’s fee or at least not overcharged,” said Yee. “Every dollar that goes to Palin is another dollar not going to the students at Stanislaus, who have already seen their scholarships lost this year. This is just the latest in a long series of bad decisions by CSU foundations and auxiliaries which demonstrate why we need greater transparency and accountability.”
“Last week, CSU Stanislaus released hundreds of documents that further show that university officials violated the California Public Records Act by not disclosing documents requested March 31 from Californians Aware and Senator Yee.
Among the documents uncovered is an email correspondence between CSU Chancellor Charles Reed and Bernie Swain, chairman of the Washington Speakers Bureau, that reveal documents were withheld simply to avoid “another round of newspaper stories.”
The documents disclosed also show hundreds of correspondence between university officials and a partisan public relations firm on how to handle the public scrutiny.
The scandal has spurred Attorney General Jerry Brown to launch a formal investigation and Californians Aware to file a lawsuit in Superior Court.
On April 9, CSU student Ashli Briggs was informed that suspicious activity (specifically, document purging) was taking place within the administration building. After seeing several administrators’ cars in the parking lot on the university’s scheduled furlough day, Alicia Lewis and other students found several public documents in a campus dumpster.
Many of the public documents were shredded, presumably by university personnel. Among the intact documents were financial statements, university spreadsheets, and staff assignments, as well as pages 4 through 9 of the Palin contract.
Today’s announcement from San Francisco’s McRoskey Mattress Company, that place on Market near Gough, talks about their new ”BASIC” line. So, temporarily, during “introductory pricing,” a low-cost queen mattress set will run you just $3500(!). But that’s not the funny thing.
The funny thing is that McRoskey is worried that this new “recession special” line will cannibalize sales of their even more expensive beds.
“This McRoskey is ideal for anyone looking for a new mattress and box spring set and is especially suited for kids’ rooms and guest rooms, or vacation homes. It is also a wonderful idea for newlyweds or first-time home buyers.”
(IMO, a “wonderful idea for newlyweds” would be for them to spend their money on something else, or maybe even not at all.)
NB: If you think you can get a good night’s sleep only on a McRoskey mattress, you’re delusional. Also, your salesperson thinks you have more money than brains. Sweet dreams!
San Francisco’s McRoskey Mattress Company Introduces the BASIC Mattress and Box Spring Set
The BASIC offers trademark McRoskey quality at a comfortable price
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 22 — San Francisco mattress maker McRoskey Mattress Company introduces the newest member of its mattress product family, the BASIC mattress and box spring. The set is available through March 14, 2010 at introductory pricing.
“We’re excited to introduce the new McRoskey BASIC. It’s made with our trademark attention to detail,” says McRoskey owner Robin McRoskey Azevedo. “This McRoskey is ideal for anyone looking for a new mattress and box spring set and is especially suited for kids’ rooms and guest rooms, or vacation homes. It is also a wonderful idea for newlyweds or first-time home buyers.”
The new McRoskey BASIC mattress is made with buoyant cotton and polyester fiber filling materials and is built to a medium firm comfort. It is a two-sided mattress that can be flipped for use on either side, extending the life of the mattress. The BASIC mattress is built with the signature McRoskey innerspring system providing supple yet strong support. The BASIC’s construction details include vented mattress and box spring sidewalls allowing for a cooler, cleaner sleep. The BASIC box spring is flexible, enhancing comfort and relieving pressure.
The new McRoskey BASIC comes in all standard sizes including California and Eastern king, queen, full and twin, and custom sizes are available. The BASIC set has a non pro-rated 8-year warranty. To learn more about the McRoskey BASIC mattress and box spring visit www.McRoskey.com/Basic.
About McRoskey Mattress Company
Family owned and operated, the McRoskey Mattress Company has been handcrafting mattresses and box springs in San Francisco, California since 1899. McRoskey mattresses are available in standard and custom sizes. McRoskey has showrooms in San Francisco and Palo Alto. In addition to mattress and box spring sets, McRoskey sells fine French blankets, luxurious down pillows and duvets, shipping worldwide
This was the scene over the weekend in the Financh where eight (or four, whatever) local police agencies teamed up for a DUI checkpoint on southbound Montgomery at Pine Street. Never seen one of these before – let’s take a look.
Click to expand:
Not all the traffic coming down from North Beach to SoMA last Friday night had to stop – lots of cars were directed straight on through. But those that weren’t had to pull over to the right for a brief convo with a peace officer of some stripe.
Like the driver of this Mercedes E350, for example. Don’t think she was a drunkie, but she had some sort of registration hassle it appeared (and that’s not all that uncommon in this age of shut-down, furloughed DMVs.) Stop sign holder graciously provided by PG&E:
Oh well. But let’s say you fail your field sobriety test on Montgomery Street. This is what’s in store for you – a trip into the huge mobile command post parked on the same block. No waiting:
Most people didn’t seem to mind, and the way that Montgomery is set up with three-way lights (to let the throngs of imagined evening-hour financial district peds scramble across Montgomery any which way they want) being picked to be a part of the checkpoint might not actually have slowed the journeys to the nearest freeway onramp:
“S.F. POLITICIANS USE SAME SEX MARRIAGE TO HELP LESBIANS ROB THE CRADLE”
O.K. fine. If it’s any help to try to understand the message, the car also has a couple flags flying, as seen in the upper left. (Maybe that’s not too much help.)
