The Daily Nugget

Adios Rent Control

2008-05-07T12:41:03Z

Well, not really. But a state measure is on the ballot that would end rent control as we know it in cities like Berkeley, Oakland and San Francisco. The measure has renters groups crying foul even though the passing of the measure would not affect current leases. Renters argue that a lack of rent control would lead to thousands of evictions in the city.

Proponents of the measure say rent control subsidizes units, not people, in that rich tenants get the same benefits as poor tenants. I for one know a managing director at a large firm that makes about $400k and lives in a rent controlled 4bd/3ba flat in Pacific Heights that says he has no incentive to ever buy a place in the city. His rent is $2,000 per month, while the market rate is about $8,000 per month. Keep in mind that this guy could easily afford the higher price without hardship. That's just nuts to me.

Read the entire Chronicle article to get deeper perspectives on both sides of this issue. It is a fascinating read that I think fairly represents the differing views.

Off to Orlando

2008-05-04T13:43:02Z

I am heading off to Orlando and will be there until Friday at a firm training event. The training will be held at the Caribe Royale Hotel just outside of Walt Disney World. I am happy not to be in Walt Disney World, since I think some of the coolest things in Orlando are outside of the Magic Kingdom.

Spam Turns 30

2008-05-03T16:51:41Z

Thirty years ago the first spam email message (unsolicited commercial email) was sent to 393 researchers on the Arpanet network. Nobody knew it was the first spam message and wouldn't call it that until 15 years later, but it was a harbinger of things to come. Now there's formmail spam, comment spam, trackback spam, and every other form of spam imaginable.

Back from New York

2008-05-01T23:40:51Z

View of Midtown Manhattan from my hotel room in HDR.

The Empire State Building from Rockefeller Center in HDR.

I returned from New York yesterday afternoon and had not a chance to post anything on the Nug until just now. I am glad that I finally had the chance to get a bunch of photos out of my camera, including photos to the Toyota Grand Prix, our sightseeing tour of Los Angeles, and more photos of my trip to New York.

Off to New York

2008-04-27T15:08:48Z

I am heading off to New York City until Wednesday. I am part of my firm's National Hispanic Network Advisory Board and we are having a meeting at my firm's Park Avenue headquarters. Hopefully I'll have a chance to do some touristy things around the city even though I will only be there a couple of days.

God Not Amused by Ballooning Priest

2008-04-25T14:24:24Z

A Brazilian priest wanting to break the 19-hour party balloon flight record took off from Sao Paulo, Brazil (see video) on Tuesday, apparently to never to be seen again. I am really not making this up! The priest took off strapped to hundreds of helium party balloons equipped with a satellite phone. High winds took him off course and he reportedly was 30 miles from shore when he contacted authorities. The Brazilian Air Force immediately went looking for him but suspended their search after two days. The moral of the story: if you strap yourself to nearly a thousand balloons not even god can save you.

SFIFF 51: Preview and Primer

2008-04-24T21:04:16Z

During the next two weeks, 177 films will screen from more than 50 countries. It's the largest film event in Northern California, and more than 10 percent of all movie tickets sold in San Francisco this year will be to a movie in this festival (kind of mind-blowing when you think about it – wow, SF really likes independent films!) Aw yeah, Nug readers – the SF International Film Festival is on. It's the oldest film festival of its kind in the United States, and considered to be one of the Top-10 film festivals in the world. Sure, it's a venerated, lauded institution and this is their main event, with a ton of notable world premieres, North American premieres and West Coast premieres scheduled -- like the scheduled world premiere of Andy Garcia's documentary on Cachao. Andy Garcia not only directs and acts as a lead in the documentary, but he is rumored to appear at the opening of the film.

But why we love it: because even in a post-Netflix world, occasionally movies are a once-in-a-lifetime event. In 2003, we watched a screening of Oliver Stone's movie about Fidel Castro, "Comandante." It was scheduled to air on HBO three months after the film festival – big whoop. It was presumed that if you missed it at the film festival, it seemed certain that you would be able to watch it a few months. But what happened next sealed the movie's fate: just a few weeks after the screening, Castro went on a rampage and executed a few people without proper trials. The international climate changed and for some reason, Stone was forbidden to screen the movie ever, anywhere, ever again. Stone, the only American film director ever granted permission by Castro to make a documentary about him, with exclusive months-long access to the reclusive revolutionary – all to be shelved like the McGruder film, and will need something like Freedom-of-Information-Act request to ever see the light of day. Who knew that one of Fabian's early posts to this blog would be one of the few things ever to be written about it?]]> Here are some tips to attending the film festival:

1. Buy your tickets ASAP
Tickets sell out. About 10 percent of all movies watched in San Francisco during the year are watched during the two-week festival. It can be Ferry Building on a Saturday morning packed; with "Rush tickets" lines (people trying to buy last-minute tickets) cued up along Post St. from Fillmore to Webster (a block long). Avoid the hassle and buy your tickets here:
[https://www.trilogyticketing.com/sffs/]

2. Try to attend the first screening of a movie if possible
That's your best chance to meet the director, producer, and/or principal actor(s) in the film. In previous years, we've been –this close- to Kevin Spacey, Parker Posey, Morgan Spurlock (his West Coast debut of Supersize Me), and dozens international film celeberati. (Woo Hoo, if you care about that sort of thing.)

3. Schedule your movies at least three hours apart if possible
Following the first screening of a film, there is usually a robust discussion after the film with either a film director, producer, or actor that discuss the plot, how the actor prepared for the role, the cinematographer's techniques, to how they raised money for their projects, and more. It's film school come to life. And you'll be really bummed if you have to bail to make it to the next movie.

4.Try to see at least five movies; ten is better
Why? Otherwise you don't feel the "international" aspect of the International Film Festival. It's only at the end of the week when you realized, "Hmm… I just learned about tea farmers in Mongolia, watched reenactment of a muay-Thai fighter fight in the most ferocious fight in all of Thailand in order to win enough prize money to have a sex-change operation(!), and was enchanted by a Australian stunt-double whose dream it was to meet Quentin Tarantino and star in one of his action films… How odd that I just experienced all of these different cultures in such a compressed time period. And yet, how rad!"

5. It's OK to arrive hungry – the Kabuki has great food
The Sundance restaurant is closed for the next two weeks, but if you haven't been to the newly renovated Kabuki, go for a movie and stay for a drink. The lounges are super comfy, and a wine list and cocktail menu that even an ultra-lounge snob would love. Just don't ask the servers what "mustard fruits" are that were part of the duck confit appetizer (oh yeah, the restaurant and two lounges are that nice.) Nice invention, Kabuki chefs! (After the server searched two floors for a manager to ask that question, it turns out their idea of a 'mustard fruit' was mustard seeds mashed together with some white wine. I think that's called Grey Poupon in my fridge, but I digress. Two big ups for the creativity, and creative menu over all – so unexpected for a movie theater! But I guess it's all part of the "Sundance Experience," who now owns the theater.

Of course, the cocktails are nice, but it's really all about the movies. Once you try attending the film festival, and Kevin Spacey sees you raise your hand and let you ask him a question about why he funded a documentary about a old piano player who travels around from nursery home to nursery home to entertain friends during all of their last days that made the audience both cry and laugh, you will be hooked. And fight us for our seats next year.

So don't miss out. But tickets to the Film Festival now at http://fest08.sffs.org/

Blade May Will Become 'Bitch' in Prison

2008-04-24T15:05:23Z

Wesley Snipes was found guilty of tax evasion charges in Florida in a case that started almost two years ago and is awaiting sentencing. The IRS claimed that he owed $12 million in taxes because he filed false refunds. Not only will Snipes have to pay these back taxes and interest, which have now been found to total over $15 million, but the Assistant Attorney General prosecuting the case wants Snipes to pay a $5 million fine and spend three years in prison!

Snipes attorneys say that probation is the appropriate punishment and submitted three dozen letters from friends of Snipes attesting to his character. Those coming to Snipes' aid included Denzel Washington and Woody Harrelson.

I think the most damning evidence is that documents filed by the IRS prove that Snipes shipped millions of dollars to accounts in Switzerland, Antigua and the Isle of Man to avoid paying taxes on that money. Blade is guilty and he should get some prison time if you ask me. Rich people shouldn't continue to get away with this shit. I pay my taxes, why shouldn't this bitch?

Update: Snap! Snipes was sentenced to 3 years in prison.

Crying 'Poor' at $200k+ per Year

2008-04-23T15:12:33Z

A chronicle reporter, Debra Saunders, was chastised by San Franciscans after she called people that earn between $200,000 and $250,000 a year "rich." One lawyer said that "salary cannot make one rich because a 'rich' person does not need to work. Like Bruce Wayne." I think this was an attempt by this lawyer to argue that the word "rich" pertains to a person's wealth and not their income. I mean really. How spoiled are these people that contacted the reporter to complain!?

If you make $200,000 or more you may not be wealthy now, but you certainly have the means to amass a decent level of wealth over 20 years of earning that much money. Over $4 million over 20 years to be exact. Add to that several shrewd investments and compound interest and those $4 million in earnings could conservatively double. That's not a bad deal. San Franciscans and the top income earners in the state just need to concentrate on what they have, rather than what they don't have.

The reporter points out that people in that $200,000 or more earn more than 93 percent of the people in San Francisco and more than 97 percent of the people in the entire country! She concedes that the top 5 percent of income earners pay 60 percent of the nation's taxes. These San Franciscans can argue that they pay too much in taxes, but they shouldn't cry poor because "it looks bad to the other 97 percent." I agree, be grateful for what you have and invest you spoiled babies!

Adios Casa!

2008-04-23T00:45:51Z

Foreclosures in the Bay Area are up 300% for the quarter compared to a year ago. The bleeding will likely continue in the months ahead too. Mortgage defaults, the first step to foreclosure, are also up about 150% for the quarter compared to a year ago. Granted, things are not that bad in San Francisco county where only 124 homes were foreclosed out of the 6,579 homes foreclosed in the entire nine-county Bay Area region.

Back from the LBC

2008-04-22T05:46:22Z

I took this photo of the Audi R10 TDI #2 as it flew
past us on turn 9 by aiming through a hole in the fence!

We are back from Long Beach but I haven't had any time to download all of the photos off the camera except for this one. Watching the American Le Mans Series race at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on Saturday was a highlight for me because I got a chance to photograph my favorite car in action (pictured here). It's funny that after playing Forza Motorsport 2 it totally felt like I had actually driven some of the Le Mans Series cars, but seeing (and hearing) them live made me realize that Forza is only a game. I will post the rest of the photos later this week.

Off to the LBC

2008-04-18T19:57:49Z

Melissa and I are heading to Long Beach to visit with family and friends and watch the Toyota Long Beach Grand Prix. We're returning on Monday. This race will be the last ChampCar race, since the open wheel racing leagues merged earlier this year. Unfortunately it will be missing all of the top ChampCar drivers, since they all made their move to IRL.

GTA IV to Make $400 Million in One Week

2008-04-16T20:46:37Z

Gamespot is reporting that pre-sales figures for the upcoming GTA IV video game are upwards of 6 million units and that the game is poised to generate $400 million in sales for the first week. With those types of numbers it may be able to surpass The Sims as the top selling video game of all time. GTA IV is scheduled for release on April 29th for the PS3 and Xbox 360.

Lakers Are Best in the West

2008-04-16T15:50:36Z

Nobody, absolutely nobody, would have picked the Lakers to be the top seed in the West heading into the playoffs. But guess what player haters!? The Lakers are the top seed in the West once again and will have home court advantage through the playoffs! The Lakers have held the No. 1 spot in the West total of 14 times since the conference format started in 1970. Kobe also had his 4,000th career assist in last night's game, making him only the 16th player in NBA history to move past that 21,000 points and 4,000 assists. I smell MVP and perhaps another ring! Go Lakers!

Lakers Clinch Pacific Division

2008-04-13T03:43:40Z

The Lakers could have traded Kobe when he had a meltdown, but they didn't. The Lakers could have traded Bynum when they received offers earlier this year, but they didn't. The Lakers could have given up on playing defense this year, but they didn't. The Lakers almost blew a 30-point lead last night against the Hornets, but they didn't. Where does that leave 'em!? Pacific Division Champs with home court advantage and with an opportunity to be the top seeded team in the Western Conference. I thought that they would simply miss the playoffs--again!

I was so happy about the news this morning that I dusted off my old Lakers shooting jersey (pictured here) that has been waiting to be worn until the Lakers were contenders again. I wore my jersey proudly today and even had four or five people to express their support with "Go Lakers!" In San Francisco! That's crazy! Not since the Kobe-Shaq days has there been this much excitement about these guys. If the Hornets lose one of their last three and the Lakers win two of their last three, including games against the Spurs and the Kings, they will be the top berth team in the Western Conference heading into the playoffs. Go Lakers!