michaelD: the bay area buzz report

Life outside the bubble: Haiti - Never give up

Why is the Bay Area Buzz Report writing about Haiti? BABR is mostly about lifestyle, and you can't address lifestyle without considering the human condition. The human condition in Haiti is something that needs both thought and action. The reality is that what we see in Haiti is a magnification of conditions that exist throughout the world in areas that aren't under the world's microscope every day.

This 5 year old boy beats the odds, generating both feelings of hope and despair.

Life outside the bubble: Haiti is not Katrina. It’s much worse.

My second post of the year, a slow start. I find myself riveted to the news channels as this story of devastation unfolds. I've started to learn more about Haiti, and initially I made the same mistake that I hear a lot of people making, comparing Haiti to Katrina. Not even in the same league.


More Photos - Time | Red Cross | CNN | Huffington Post 

Country & Population

• Population a little over 9 million.
• Nearly 40 percent of the country's population is under the age of 14.
• Haiti ranks as the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, with 80 percent of its people living below the poverty line and 54 percent existing in abject poverty.
• Most Haitians live on less than $2 a day.
• Haiti has one of the world's lowest life expectancy rates (181st out of 190 countries ranked by the CIA World Factsheet). The average Haitian lives only 60 years.
• Eighty percent of the country is Roman Catholic and 16 percent is Protestant; nearly half the population also practices voodoo.
• Approximately half of Haiti's population cannot read or write.
• The Haiti telecommunications infrastructure is among the least developed in Latin America and the Caribbean.
  

What's the rush? (Thanksgiving 2009)

I was thinking about the upcoming holidays, and then realized that I was beginning to make the same mistake that I made last year, and the year before, and the year before that...skipping over Thanksgiving.  I did a little better this year, and organized a volunteer effort among friends. Four years ago I wrote the following article a few days before Thanksgiving. It still applies...

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I was excited when I learned that the Embarcadero Center Holiday Lights Celebration was scheduled for this past Sunday.  Those of you that know me, know that Christmas is my favorite time of year (except for the short days…if Christmas had the long summer days I would be in heaven). Corny as it may sound, I love the decorations, the music…and the spirit. During the holidays people tend to act a little nicer, and just a little friendlier, even if only for one month out of the year. The Lighting ceremony would be my first official dose of holiday spirit, although I was sneaking it in before Thanksgiving.

Being the Christmas nut that I am, I had been thinking about the Lights Celebration all day, and around 3:00pm I started “to get ready.” It sounded like my kind event, what a great way to ring  in the holidays. I grabbed my camera (so I could share this momentous occasion with you), and headed out. Should I drive the bridge or take BART, BART or bridge? I always like to have my car, but then with all the masses of people, will I be able to find parking?  BART lets me off right there at Embarcadero, but I won’t be able to use my cell phone on the way over. Okay, I’ll survive - BART wins.

Serving Others This Holiday Season!

Received this from the Stanford Alumni association. Sounds like a great way to help someone else over the holidays.
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What: First Place for Youth: Thanksgiving Celebration & Graduation
When: Friday, November 20 from 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Where: 1601 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland, CA.
 
It is the mission of First Place to support foster youth in their transition to successful adulthood by promoting choices and strengthening individual and community resources. 
 
The Thanksgiving celebration is a community dinner for the youth at First Place for Youth.  Volunteers are needed to donate, cook and serve a traditional Thanksgiving meal including turkey, ham, dressing, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese and desserts. 

If you are unable to attend, you are also encouraged to consider donating a food item, beverages or other donation.  Please contact Lois Corrin (c/o '75) at lois.corrin@stanfordalumni.org to participate or if you would like to make a contribution.

For more information about First Place for Youth, please click here.

Michael D of The Bay Area Buzz Report joins Aimee Allison on new KPFA "OaklandSeen" weekly radio show

Hip Politics Radio Show & Blog Seeks Accountability and Involvement in City Government and Communities

"OaklandSeen" hosted by Aimee Allison
Starts Tues., Nov. 3, 2009, 11:00a.m., KPFA 94.1 FM
Listen live via radio or online at KPFA.org

"This show is a platform for new ideas and community activism.  I'll tap the Oakland we hardly hear from to discuss the most pressing local issues, to highlight great work in the city, and to keep our city leadership accountable."

Residents, tax payers, young adults are all seeking answers to the challenges facing Oakland, California; they want to know who to hold accountable when a problem arises; they want to know where to turn when all else has failed them.  Young people interested in the political climate and everyday issues happening around them need a platform to express their views.  They also want to feel good about the city they call home and celebrate the accomplishments they see taking place around them.

OaklandSeen, a new weekly radio show and blog launches Tues., November 3, 11:00 a.m., on KPFA 94.1FM, to address their concerns and fuel their participation in local city government. The show airs each week in the same time slot.   Aimee Allison is the creator and host of OaklandSeen.

Presently, Allison is the host and producer of the popular KPFA Morning Show, heard each weekday from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.  OaklandSeen will feature the voices of everyday Oakland - and has a new OaklandSeen line that will record thoughts and ideas from across the city.  The call in number is 510.848.6767 x 606.

Also featured "on air" with Aimee in a weekly segment, VIPLineup.com editor Michael D with The Bay Area Buzz Report.

Proud Papa!

Sorry, couldn't help it...

One of my two favorite girls. 22 months of ultimate, never ending, overwhelming joy!

Baby + Train. Even seeing is barely believing.

Why would I post this nearly horrific video, which by now most if not all of us have seen broadcast on the major news stations? Because I want to document this graphic reminder of how quickly our lives can change, how quickly those that are the nearest and dearest to us can be taken away in the blink of an eye. Can you even begin to imagine what this mother is thinking and feeling as she watches the train run over her son?

I think we're fortunate to have these "happy ending" yet powerful reminders that life is so very precious, and that we truly need to thank the Almighty for "every breath you take, every move you make, every step you make," as the song goes. Don't sweat the small stuff. Don't worry about things we can't control. Love your family, and then love them some more, and be sure they know it.

Sound corny? Ask any parent how they felt when they saw this video for the first time.

As always, thanks for reading - Michael D

This week's 5 sec poll...
SF/Bay Area residents: "What type of cell phone do you use?"

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Michael D is also editor of VIPLineup, a diverse and discerning online listing of selected top pick Bay Area lifestyle and entertainment activities in culture, food, fashion, music, dining & philanthropy.
Twitter: Michael D & VIPLineup | Facebook: Michael D & VIPLineup

[For top pick Bay Area events, visit VIPLineup.com  |  Subscribe to the weekly Weekend Lineup]

Speak Up: Give Oakland businesses a chance!

It ticks me a bit when I hear people dogging out newly opened bar and restaurant establishments because their service wasn't "perfect," or the food was a little off. Let me be the FIRST to say that I don't think the people of Oakland should have to settle for anything less than first class service and quality, on all fronts. However, can they spare the harsh destructive criticism, especially at these beginning stages? Are they trying to help or hurt?

First people complain that there's nothing to do in Oakland. Then they say that San Francisco is too cold, too far and too vanilla in comparison. Then they complain about how "people" have the wrong impression of Oakland -- that it's not as bad as the media portrays it. They then rattle on about how ineffective Mayor Dellums is, and how there aren't any major department stores in Oakland. Blah, blah blah...

Stuck: Too old to be young, and too young to be old

A funny thing happens to the young spirited person (translation: middle aged) as you approach 50. Fact: You're actually too old to hang out with the 30-35 year olds. You may be "cool with them," but they may not be "cool with you." Often they're just too polite to let you know it. Guess what, you're not a young adult anymore. Sorry.

Now boys will be boys, and at any age they're looking for that perfect combination of "short skirted, long legged, smart, capable, beautiful, sexy, money producing, domestic, working woman baby makers" (whew). And 30 something women, often seeing their male counterpart as immature and noncommittal, are looking for the "mature" male version of the same type. Sorry folks, but generally anything more than a 10 year gap challenges the compatibility a bit. I know, I know...you're the exception.

A great look at the Bay Area

Hadn't ever seen the Bay Area from this perspective before. Nice work Delrious!

Footage shot by Delrious the summer of 2009 mostly in the San Francisco Bay Area.

As always, thanks for reading.