Washington

California Vs Washington State Game Cancelled Because Of COVID-19

by
California Vs Washington State Game Cancelled Because Of COVID-19

California Vs Washington State Game Cancelled Because Of COVID-19 From YouTube Channel: December 12, 2020 at 04:11PM ONN – California Vs Washington State Game Cancelled Because Of COVID-19 Cal had already landed in Pullman, Washington when one player tested positive for COVID-19 and so in consultation with the PAC-12, the game was cancelled. That makes … Read more

Hunter Biden’s Ukraine Business? What About Eric Trump Over There Judging A Beauty Pageant?

by
Eric Trump Miss Universe Photo

Ok, so President Donald Trump’s latest “I’m pissed I post the 2020 Presidential Election to Joe Biden” act – aside from the completely racist and criminal move of ordering executions of innocent black prisoners on death row because African Americans didn’t vote for him in droves – is to sick his U.S. Justice Department on … Read more

LIVE: Jesse Collins, Stacy Sher, Steven Soderbergh To Produce 93rd Oscars / Academy Awards

by

LIVE: Jesse Collins, Stacy Sher, Steven Soderbergh To Produce 93rd Oscars / Academy Awards ONN – LIVE: Jesse Collins, Stacy Sher, Steven Soderbergh To Produce 93rd Oscars / Academy Awards – vlog by Zennie62 YouTube LIVE: Jesse Collins, Stacy Sher, Steven Soderbergh To Produce 93rd Oscars / Academy Awards Emmy®-nominated producer Jesse Collins, Oscar®-nominated producer … Read more

Washington Upsets Pittsburgh, 1972 Miami Dolphins Undefeated Season NFL Record Remains Intact

by
Washington Upsets Pittsburgh, 1972 Miami Dolphins Undefeated Season NFL Record Remains Intact

Washington Upsets Pittsburgh, 1972 Miami Dolphins Undefeated Season NFL Record Remains Intact ONN – Washington Upsets Pittsburgh, 1972 Miami Dolphins Undefeated Season NFL Record Remains Intact – vlog by Zennie62 YouTube Washington Upsets Pittsburgh, 1972 Miami Dolphins Undefeated Season NFL Record Remains Intact The Miami Dolphins remain still the only undefeated NFL team in history … Read more

President-Elect Joe Biden Announces Key Members Of Health Team Including Dr. Anthony Fauci

by
President-Elect Joe Biden

This deeply qualified, diverse team will be ready on day one to contain the COVID pandemic; ensure the safe, free, and equitable distribution of vaccines; make sure every American has access to affordable, quality health care; and guard against the full range of health threats facing our nation. Washington – Today, President-Elect Joe Biden announced … Read more

David Perdue Affirmed President Joe Biden Victory, Dissed Trump, In Republican Group Video Call

by
Senator David Perdue Talks Working With President Joe Biden As Kelly Loeffler Listens; Trump Dissed

Senator David Perdue Talks Working With President Joe Biden As Kelly Loeffler Listens; Trump Dissed ONN – Georgia Senator David Perdue Talks Working With President Joe Biden As Kelly Loeffler Listens; Trump Dissed – vlog by Zennie62 YouTube In this Washington Post video of a video call with a republican group, Georgia Senator David Perdue … Read more

Oakland City Council’s Natural Gas Ban Would Be More Gentrification As Costs Go Up

by
City of Oakland

The Oakland City Council’s set to consider legislation by District One Councilmember Dan Kalb District Two Nikki Fortunado Bas, and Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf to ban the use of natural gas in new buildings. But they’re doing so without any concern for how their legislation will impact your ability to live in Oakland in the … Read more

Montez Sweat Bats, Intercepts Andy Dalton Pass, Scores TD: Washington 41 Dallas 16, Thanksgiving Day

by
Montez Sweat Bats, Intercepts Andy Dalton Pass, Scores TD: Washington 41 Dallas 16, Thanksgiving Day

Montez Sweat Bats, Intercepts Andy Dalton Pass, Scores TD: Washington 41 Dallas 16, Thanksgiving Day ONN – Montez Sweat Bats, Intercepts Andy Dalton Pass, Scores TD: Washington 41 Dallas 16, Thanksgiving Day – vlog by Zennie62 YouTube Montez Sweat Bats, Intercepts Andy Dalton Pass, Scores TD: Washington 41 Dallas 16, Thanksgiving Day Note from Zennie62Media’s … Read more

NFL On Fox Pregame Thanksgiving 2020 Uses Zennie62 YouTube Video On Aldon Smith Without Credit

by
NFL On Fox Pregame Thanksgiving 2020 Uses Zennie62 YouTube Video On Aldon Smith Without Credit

NFL On Fox Pregame Thanksgiving 2020 Uses Zennie62 YouTube Video On Aldon Smith Without Credit From YouTube Channel: November 26, 2020 at 05:11PM ONN – NFL On Fox Pregame Thanksgiving 2020 Uses Zennie62 YouTube Video On Aldon Smith Without Credit Just about 15 minutes ago, NFL on Fox Pregame ran a feature story on Dallas … Read more

Biden Transition Post-Election Legal Briefing With Former White House Counsel Bob Bauer

by

Post-Election Legal Briefing with Bob Bauer From YouTube Channel: November 20, 2020 at 10:42AM ONN – Biden Transition Post-Election Legal Briefing With Former White House Counsel Bob Bauer For anyone who follows, or has been involved in Democratic Party politics and policy formation at any level, or who has covered the DNC, Professor Bob Bauer … Read more

Election Recount Supporters In Video Say “Donald Trump Is A Genius. That’s What The J Stands For”

by
Election Recount Supporters In Video Say “Donald Trump Is A Genius. That’s What The J Stands For”

Election Recount Supporters In Video Say “Donald Trump Is A Genius. That’s What The J Stands For” ONN – Election Recount Supporters In Video Say “Donald Trump Is A Genius. That’s What The J Stands For” – vlog by Zennie62 YouTube Now, this – Election Recount Supporters In Video Say “Donald Trump Is A Genius. … Read more

Georgia GOP, Dave Purdue, Commercial For Senate Runoff Mentions Washington D.C. Statehood – Why?

by

Georgia GOP, Dave Purdue, Commercial For Senate Runoff Mentions Washington D.C. Statehood – Why? ONN – Georgia GOP, Dave Purdue, Commercial For Senate Runoff Mentions Washington D.C. Statehood – Why? – vlog by Zennie62 YouTube Georgia GOP, Dave Purdue, Commercial For Senate Runoff Mentions Washington D.C. Statehood – Why? Note from Zennie62Media’s Zennie62 YouTube and … Read more

Will Gov Newsom Name Oakland Mayor Schaaf Or Former SF Mayor Brown For Kamala Harris Senate Seat?

by
Will Gov Newsom Name Oakland Mayor Schaaf Or Former SF Mayor Brown For Kamala Harris Senate Seat?

Will Gov Newsom Name Oakland Mayor Schaaf Or Former SF Mayor Brown For Kamala Harris Senate Seat? ONN – Will Gov Newsom Name Oakland Mayor Schaaf Or Former SF Mayor Brown For Kamala Harris Senate Seat? – vlog by Zennie62 YouTube Will Gov Newsom Name Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf Or Former SF Mayor Willie Brown … Read more

Ken Dilanian Says Cuss Words On Air On MSNBC With Craig Melvin – Melvin’s Reaction Is Priceless

by

Ken Delaney Says Cuss Words On Air On MSNBC With Craig Melvin – Melvin’s Reaction Is Priceless ONN – Ken Dilanian Says Cuss Words On Air On MSNBC With Craig Melvin – Melvin’s Reaction Is Priceless – vlog by Zennie62 YouTube Ken Dilanian Says Cuss Words On Air On MSNBC With Craig Melvin – Melvin’s … Read more

Full Text: The President Trump Election 2020 Update Speech The TV Networks Stopped Running

by

Here’s the full text of the speech President Donald Trump gave Thursday evening – one that shocked the nation, and even had veteran CNN anchor Dana Bash in nearly tears. And for good reason: What Dana pointed out was that Trump set up America – Democrats and his supporters – by saying to them don’t … Read more

Congresswoman Barbara Lee Wins Re-Election: Historic Figure In World Politics Issues Statement

by
Congresswoman Barbara Lee

Oakland-based Congresswoman Barbara Lee is to politics around here (California’s 13th Congressional District) like Stonehenge is to civilization: a monument. She will be celebrated forever as the only U.S. Congressperson to vote against The Iraq War , having done so on September 18, 2001, and after the horrific events of September 9, 2001 – what … Read more

Rick Gates Interview: Former Trump Advisor Talks 2020 Election Vote, His Time in The White House

by
Rick Gates Interview: Former Trump Advisor Talks 2020 Election Vote, His Time in The White House

Rick Gates Interview: Former Trump Advisor Talks 2020 Election Vote, His Time in The White House From YouTube Channel: October 30, 2020 at 07:41PM ONN – Rick Gates Interview: Former Trump Advisor Talks 2020 Election Vote, His Time in The White House To anyone who follows Washington Politics, Rick Gates is someone who needs no … Read more

Congresswoman Barbara Lee Delivers Weekly Democratic Address

by
Congresswoman Barbara Lee

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Barbara Lee of California delivered the Weekly Democratic Address. In this week’s address, the Congresswoman discussed the disturbing disparate impact of the COVID-19 health and economic crisis on communities of color and House Democrats’ demand for COVID relief that crushes the virus and helps working families. Video and audio of the Weekly Democratic Address can be downloaded here.

Below is a full transcript of the address:

“Hello, I’m Congresswoman Barbara Lee. I’m privileged to represent California’s thirteenth Congressional District, which includes Oakland and the East Bay area.

“I serve on the Appropriations Committee in the House of Representatives, Co-Chair of the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee and I serve as the Chair of the Majority Leader’s Task Force on Poverty and Opportunity.

“Today, I’d like to talk to you about what House Democrats are fighting for in order to crush the COVID pandemic and provide Americans with much needed economic help.

“Over 215,000 people have lost their lives to this pandemic, and unemployment rates are reaching record highs.

“This pandemic isn’t impacting everyone equally. If you are poor, Black, Latinx, Asian American, Pacific Islander or Indigenous, you know you’re at much greater risk – both from the virus and from the disparate economic impact. Indeed, while the stock market continues to deliver value for wealthy Americans, many working families are struggling.

“A recent study shows eight million more Americans – many of them Black and brown – have been forced into poverty since May, which can be directly linked to Republican inaction. And contrary to the talking points from across the aisle, the majority of working-age adults on SNAP have employment. This pandemic has made an even bigger impact on America’s working poor.

“American families are in desperate need of leadership. The Trump Administration has utterly failed in its response to this crisis. The President and Mitch McConnell have stalled negotiations, played politics with people’s lives and refused to compromise.

“House Democrats have risen to the occasion and passed two pieces of legislation to achieve two goals: save lives and assist working people and their families, especially for our most vulnerable communities.

“This pandemic has had a terrible impact on communities of color. Black people are dying at two and half times the rate of white people in the United States. Indigenous and Latinx people are both 50 percent more likely to die from COVID than white Americans. Mortality rates within the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities are also so high. Between January and July, the AAPI death rate rose 35 percent, compared to an increase of 9 percent for white Americans.

“Alongside Members of the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, our Native American Democratic Members, and my House Democratic Colleagues, I have worked diligently to ensure that this does not go overlooked.

“We are fighting to ensure the COVID-19 testing and tracing efforts, which were included in the Heroes Act, are made specifically available for medically underserved communities and communities of color. It’s crucial that these communities receive support from organizations and non-profits that have experience and relationships with the people living in the communities they serve – people that live in their neighborhood and speak their language.

“But we know that this is an economic crisis just as much as a public health crisis. Families need direct payments, Unemployment Insurance, small business loans and much more to weather this catastrophe. As more time passes, the relief millions and millions of Americans have relied on to keep them afloat has dried up, and the White House and Senate Republicans have looked the other way.

“One way to reduce poverty is to expand the Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit, which provides critical support for working families. However, Republicans and the Trump Administration would rather continue providing tax benefits for some of the wealthiest in America than give relief to those most in need.

“The latest White House coronavirus relief proposal takes one step forward but two steps back – it is not only insufficient; in many cases it would make matters worse.

“We urge Republicans to get serious about the health and economic crisis devastating millions, and join us to save lives, livelihoods and the life of our American Democracy.

“Thank you for listening, and please continue letting your representatives know how you feel. We are in this together.”

Post based on press release from The Congresswoman to Zennie62Media.

Bank Of America PPP Loan Mess Leads To Wrongly Asking Americans To Give EIDL Money Back

by
Bank of America

Bank Of America’s PPP Loan (Payroll Protection Program) Program Is A Horrible Mess

Early on, Bank of America was the focus of a lawsuit because the banking giant was not properly processing the Payroll Protection Program Loans that were applied for as million of businesses were being impacted by or fearing impact of the Coronavirus. The Charlotte Business Journal wrote:

Four businesses filed a lawsuit against Charlotte’s Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC) on Sunday, criticizing the way it handled loan applications for the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program. The suit was filed in federal court in Los Angeles.
The lawsuit alleges BofA prioritized applications for higher loan amounts because those would generate more origination fees for the bank. The SBA previously said PPP applications would be accepted and processed on a first-come, first-served basis.

“BofA has, once again, prioritized corporate greed at the expense of its small business customers,” the suit reads. “Had BofA been honest, small businesses could have (and would have) submitted their PPP applications to other financial institutions. … As a result of BofA’s dishonest and deplorable behavior, however, thousands of small businesses that were entitled to loans under the PPP were left with nothing.”

UPDATE: Bank Of America Should Stop Twisting SBA PPP Rules To Collect Money To Offset Losses

During the frantic push to get financial shelter from COVID-19, the Small Business Administration (or SBA) had one program for economic help during disasters called “Economic Injury Disaster Loan”. I signed up for the program, but received no word back. I didn’t even get an acknowledgement of my application.

Then, the PPP program was advanced, and I applied twice (filled out the application twice because they were not acknowledging my entry) and it asked me if I was eligible for the “economic help during disasters” or “Economic Injury Disaster Loan”, between January and April, and I said yes (why would I not?). I also had not received the Economic Injury Disaster Loan I applied for.

And what was the EIDL (Economic Injury Disaster Loan) described as, you ask? This:

In response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, small business owners, including agricultural businesses, and nonprofit organizations in all U.S. states, Washington D.C., and territories can apply for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan. The EIDL program is designed to provide economic relief to businesses that are currently experiencing a temporary loss of revenue due to coronavirus (COVID-19).https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/loans/coronavirus-relief-options/economic-injury-disaster-loans

So, the PPP I got was part the EIDL I should have received, or so I understood that case to be, since both were related to the Coronavirus problem.Now, Bank of America is saying that I got an EIDL, and the PPP contained an “additional” EIDL amount of money to refinance the EIDL they say I got – but I never got even though I applied for it, too. Now, they want me to give back something that I never got out of the PPP money Zennie62Media received and disbursed to contractors. And in 10 days!

That’s nuts.

Bank of America made so many changes in the PPP Loan Application it wasn’t funny, and eventually set up an online portal for business clients. The complicated stuff about seeking a refinancing of a loan I did not get was not said then – they simply asked if Zennie62Media was eligible, which means we should get one. And a simple ask at that, since we didn’t have one, and the SBA was not responsive because it was slammed. I guess memories are short.

So now, Bank of America asked to go into my account and, of the $23,750 PPP Loan, get the $10,000 in what B Of A is calling “extra money” that in point of fact I never got – and gave me the choice, “yes”, to allow it to get it, or “no”. There was no “HELL NO” option. If so, I would have selected it, especially since Bank of America’s attempted action to me is based on a rule that did not exist when I applied for the PPP and received the loan, EIDL and all, on May 4th, 2020. Yep, you read that right.

And to add to that, we’re talking about my firm, Zennie62Media, a Delaware c-corp approved December 30,2019, and with a Certificate Of Good Standing from the State of Delaware. A firm that’s paid out several thousand dollars to my family of vlogger contractors, some who are disabled or between full-time jobs, and really needed and got another way of making money and having fun in the process.

What’s SBA Procedural notice 5000-20032: Refinance of EIDL Loans with PPP Loan Proceeds and Lender Remittance of EIDL Refinance Proceeds to SBA?

According to an online document I found called “SBA Procedural notice 5000-20032: Refinance of EIDL Loans with PPP Loan Proceeds and Lender Remittance of EIDL Refinance Proceeds to SBA”, “The purpose of this Notice is to provide guidance for when Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan proceeds must be used to refinance SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) and to inform PPP Lenders of the procedure for remitting to the SBA any PPP loan proceeds designated for the refinance of an EIDL.”

And then it goes on to provide rules for handling of an EIDL in a refinancing situation that I was not involved in. And then, here’s the kicker: the entire SBA Procedural notice 5000-20032 was effective June 19th, 2020 – a good month after I received my PPP Loan on May 4th, and a full two months after I applied for it. https://www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/2020-06/5000-20032-508.pdf

So, not only did the SBA notice not exist during the frantic frenzy to get money out to help people (ostensibly) during the early days of the Pandemic’s economic impact, it also does not call for Bank of America to go raiding someone’s bank account to get money they never received to refinance in the first place!

As explained in an August 4th 2020 Journal of Accountancy post by Ken Tysiac, a lender like Bank of America was supposed to do this: “…if a borrower received an EIDL advance in excess of the amount of its PPP loan. Lenders must notify the borrower when the first payment will be due, and the loan must be repaid by the borrower before the maturity date, either two or five years.” Not 10 days – and even then, the EIDL advance in my case was not in excess of the amount of my PPP Loan.

All of this seems to have been made just so lenders like Bank of America can get back some PPP Loan money. That even as Gerri Detweiler in Nav.com writes that “borrowers generally don’t have to repay an EIDL grant”!

Since Bank of America was sued for favoring the rich, the action its trying to take against me seems to be right along those lines, and criminal. And at that, Zennie62Media is one of a total number of black-owned businesses and black American that represented two percent of the total number of people and firms who got PPP Loans! 83 percent of the PPP Loans issued went to white folks.

Congress should write a bill or provision that helps save the little guy: simply terminate any rule that allows a Lender to try and take PPP Loan-related money back from an American who rightfully received it.

If that person or business followed all of the basic guidelines of the criteria for the PPP, fine – then leave them alone. EIDL money (It’s disaster related, right?) should simply be part of the PPP: if it’s forgiven, so be it – plus the whole program is to be terminated June of 2021, anyway (Why that is, is yet another mystery considering how many millions of people still need help in America?)

But this way where lenders like Bank of America are left to write “we understand how hard this is during this difficult time” before they take part of your money must be terminated. It will contribute to a wrecking of the American economy to a degree far worse than what we’re already experiencing now.

Stay tuned.

EPA Boss’ Letter To California Gov Newsom Blasts State, LA And SF Waste From Homeless Problem

by
Trump EPA Director Andrew Wheeler (Chicago Tribune Photo)

Blockbuster Trump EPA Letter To California Gov Gavin Newsom Blasts State, Los Angeles and San Francisco Waste From Homeless Problem

A letter sent to Zennie62Media an hour ago is from the Office of United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Director Andrew Wheeler, under President Donald Trump. In it, Mr. Wheeler claims that he “is concerned that California’s implementation of federal environmental laws is failing to meet its obligations required under delegated federal programs.” Then, he details a number of examples, including one pointed, in a not too veiled political way, at San Francisco.

In the case of San Francisco, Wheeler writes:

California-Governor-Gavin-Newsom-
California Governor Gavin Newsom

The EPA is aware of the growing homelessness crisis developing in major California cities, including Los Angeles and San Francisco, and the impact of this crisis on the environment. Indeed, press reports indicate that “piles of human feces” on sidewalks and streets in these cities are becoming all too common.? The EPA is concerned about the potential water quality impacts from pathogens and other contaminants from untreated human waste entering nearby waters. San Francisco, Los Angeles and the state do not appear to be acting with urgency to mitigate the risks to human health and the environment that may result from the homelessness crisis. California is responsible for implementing appropriate municipal storm water management and waste treatment requirements as part of its assumed federal program. The state is failing to properly implement these programs.

San Francisco is also one of the few major cities with sewers that combine stormwater and sewage flows that is not under a federal consent decree to meet the requirements of federal law. The EPA is committed to helping the state address this problem. In fact, the EPA provided the San Francisco Public Utility Commission a loan of $699 million under favorable terms pursuant to authority under the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act in July 2018 for biosolid digestors and other related projects. However, these projects will not bring the city into compliance. San Francisco must invest billions of dollars to modernize its sewer system to meet CWA standards, avoid dumping untreated and partially treated sewage into the San Francisco Bay and Pacific Ocean where it can wash up on beaches and keep raw sewage inside pipes instead of in homes and businesses.

Even more troubling is the City of San Francisco’s years-long practice – allowed by CalEPA – of routinely discharging more than one billion gallons of combined sewage and stormwater into San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean on an annual basis. The CWA requires municipal sewage be treated to certain levels and to meet water quality standards. Nonetheless, although San Francisco’s combined sewer outfalls discharge to sensitive waters, these discharges do not receive biological treatment. Instead, San Francisco’s combined sewer overflows are designed to remove floatables and settleable solids only and do not always achieve even that low level of treatment. These discharges may be contributing to the state’s failure to meet water quality standards. By failing to maintain its sewer infrastructure, the city allowed raw sewage to back up into homes and businesses.

Here is the Trump EPA Letter from Andrew Wheeler in its entirety:

UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20460

September 26, 2019

The Honorable Gavin C. Newsom 1303 10th Street, Suite 1173 Sacramento, California 95814

Dear Governor Newsom:

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and California Environmental Protection Agency are responsible for working together to protect public health and the environment in your state. As a result of the authorization of state laws and the delegation of federal authority, California administers and implements the federal Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act among other federal programs. Congress designed these statutory frameworks for the states to take the lead role in implementation, with the EPA overseeing state actions.

Based on data and reports, the EPA is concerned that California’s implementation of federal environmental laws is failing to meet its obligations required under delegated federal programs. The cost of this failure will be paid by those Californians exposed to unhealthy air and degraded water. The purpose of this letter is to outline the deficiencies that have led to significant public health concerns in California and to outline steps the state must take to address them. To ensure that appropriate steps are being taken to protect Californians, the EPA would like a remedial plan from the state detailing the steps it is taking to address the issues raised below.

The EPA is aware of the growing homelessness crisis developing in major California cities, including Los Angeles and San Francisco, and the impact of this crisis on the environment. Indeed, press reports indicate that “piles of human feces” on sidewalks and streets in these cities are becoming all too common.? The EPA is concerned about the potential water quality impacts from pathogens and other contaminants from untreated human waste entering nearby waters. San Francisco, Los Angeles and the state do not appear to be acting with urgency to mitigate the risks to human health and the environment that may result from the homelessness crisis. C responsible for implementing appropriate municipal storm water management and waste treatment requirements as part of its assumed federal program. The state is failing to properly implement these programs.

San Francisco is also one of the few major cities with sewers that combine stormwater and sewage flows that is not under a federal consent decree to meet the requirements of federal law. The EPA is committed to helping the state address this problem. In fact, the EPA provided the San Francisco Public Utility Commission a loan of $699 million under favorable terms pursuant to authority under the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act in July 2018 for biosolid digestors and other related projects. However, these projects will not bring the city into compliance. San Francisco must invest billions of dollars to modernize its sewer system to meet CWA standards, avoid dumping untreated and partially treated sewage into the San Francisco Bay and Pacific Ocean where it can wash up on beaches and keep raw sewage inside pipes instead of in homes and businesses.

Even more troubling is the City of San Francisco’s years-long practice – allowed by CalEPA – of routinely discharging more than one billion gallons of combined sewage and stormwater into San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean on an annual basis. The CWA requires municipal sewage be treated to certain levels and to meet water quality standards. Nonetheless, although San Francisco’s combined sewer outfalls discharge to sensitive waters, these discharges do not receive biological treatment. Instead, San Francisco’s combined sewer overflows are designed to remove floatables and settleable solids only and do not always achieve even that low level of treatment. These discharges may be contributing to the state’s failure to meet water quality standards. By failing to maintain its sewer infrastructure, the city allowed raw sewage to back up into homes and businesses.

Overall, significant deficiencies are present, and the state has not acted with a sense of urgency to abate this public health and environmental problem. Among the other issues identified, the state’s years-long approval of the discharges referenced above under its authorized program raises serious questions as to whether it is administering a program consistent with federal law. The city’s practices endanger public health, and the EPA is prepared to take the necessary steps to ensure CWA compliance. Given the magnitude of the issues, I have asked EPA staff to consider all options available to bring the city into compliance.

The state’s lack of action in response to the homelessness crisis and San Francisco’s discharges of inadequately treated sewage prompted the EPA to review other programs administered by CalEPA for similar concerns. What we discovered after a preliminary review suggests the need for more formal and in-depth EPA oversight. For example, we are aware of numerous exceedances of state-issued National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits under section 402 of the CWA. Just in this past quarter, we identified 23 significant instances of discharges into waters of the United States in exceedance of permit limits. By way of example, the City of Los Angeles exceeded its permit limit for Indeno[1,2,3-cd) pyrene (a contaminant which is reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen) by 442 percent; the University of Southern California exceeded its permit limit for copper (a metal which can adversely affect human health and the health of aquatic life) by 420 percent; and Sanitary District Number 5 of Marin County exceeded its permit limit for total cyanide by 5,194 percent. These are serious matters that warrant a strong review by California.

California has the resources to address these problems. Apart from the state’s significant tax base, California received more than $1.16 billion of federal funds to implement CWA programs just in the last five years, including $253.5 million in FY2018 and $247 million in FY2019. In addition, California received more than $152 million in categorical grants over this time to improve compliance with the CWA.

The EPA also has concerns about CalEPA’s administration and oversight of SDWA programs and public water systems within the state. Indeed, we are aware of numerous recent health-based exceedances: in just the most recent reporting quarter of 2019, California had 202 Community Water Systems with 665 health-based exceedances that put the drinking water of nearly 800,000 residents at risk. These exceedances include:
• 67 systems with 194 serious health-based exceedances of arsenic levels, impacting more
than 101,000 residents;
• 210 lead action level exceedances in just the most recent 3-year interval at 168 PWSs,
impacting more than 10,000 residents;
• two systems with serious Ground Water Rule compliance issues, impacting more than
250,000 residents; 44 systems with 154 exceedances of the Stage 1 and 2 disinfection byproduct regulations,
impacting almost 255,000 residents; and
• 25 systems with 69 violations of radiological standards, impacting almost 12,000 residents.
These exceedances call into question the state’s ability to protect the public and administer its SDWA programs in a manner consistent with federal requirements.
Under this Administration, the EPA stands ready to assist California and CalEPA to protect the health and environment of Californians. However, it is time for the state to act decisively under its authorities to address the problems identified in this letter. For each of the delegated or assumed programs discussed in this letter, I request a written response within 30 days outlining in detail how California intends to address the concerns and violations identified herein. This response should include a demonstration that the state has the adequate authority and capability to address these issues and specific anticipated milestones for correcting these problems. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,
Andrew R. Wheeler

NOTES
The EPA first authorized California’s base Clean Water Act program in 1973. The EPA subsequently approved the state to regulate discharges from federal facilities in 1978, administer the pretreatment program in 1989 and issue general permits in 1989. California also has received primacy to exercise Safe Drinking Water Act responsibilities in the state.
2 See, e.g., Raphelson, Samantha. “San Francisco Squalor: City Streets Strewn With Trash, Needles And Human Feces, NPR (Aug. 1, 2018) available at https://www.npr.org/2018/08/01/634626538/san-francisco-squalor-city-streets strewn-with-trash-needles-and-human-feces (last accessed Sept. 22, 2019).
3 Human waste from homeless populations is a recognized source of bacteria in water bodies. See American Society of Civil Engineers, “Pathogens in Urban Stormwater Systems” (Aug. 2014); “The California Microbial Source Identification Manual: A Tiered Approach to Identifying Fecal Pollution Sources to Beaches” (Dec. 2013); Tools for Tracking Human Fecal Pollution in Urban Storm Drains, Streams, and Beaches (Sept. 2012). These reports are
Internet Address (URL) http://www.epa.gov Recycled/Recyclable Printed with Vegetable Oil Based Inks on 100% Postconsumer, Process Chlorine Free Recycled Paper
available on the website for the San Francisco Bay Beaches Bacteria TMDL available at https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/sanfranciscobay/water_issues/programs/TMDLs/SFbaybeachesbacteria.html (last accessed September 22, 2019).
+ The EPA’s current data also indicates that 15 major Publicly Owned Treatment Works are in significant noncompliance and 11 non-major POTWs are currently in significant noncompliance. These data are publicly available. See U.S. EPA, Enforcement and Compliance History Online water facility public search tool (https://echo.epa.gov/facilities/facility-search?mediaSelected=cwa).
5 The 2006 Ground Water Rule is a National Primary Drinking Water Regulation under the SDWA aimed at providing increased protection against microbial pathogens in public water systems that use ground water sources. See 71 FR 65574.
6 These health-based concerns are associated with unaddressed significant deficiencies” identified via an audit of the system, called a “sanitary survey,” and include, for example, an opening through which bacteria could enter a well head that the system has not repaired.

I have sent this to Governor Newsom’s Office for comment, as well as the Mayor’s Office’s of LA Mayor Eric Garcetti and San Francisco Mayor London Breed for comment. Keep in mind the interesting timing of the letter with respect to the November 2020 Election and the 30 day response time, which takes us right up to just days before election day. Moreover, Wheeler just blasted Newsom for his executive order to ban the sale of gas-powered cars in 15 years. This space wishes that Governor Newsom would apply large tax credits to electric-powered supercars, as a way to hasten the transition to an electric car world.

Stay tuned.

The letter from the EPA:

Trump EPA Letter To Califor… by Zennie Abraham

Amy Coney Barrett, Trump’s Nominee For The Supreme Court, Gets U.S. Chamber Support

by
Trump Chooses Amy Coney Barrett As Supreme Court Justice Replacement For Rbg

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce supports Amy Coney Barrett, and sent the following press release to Zennie62Media:

U.S. Chamber Supports President Trump’s Nominee Barrett for Supreme Court

September 26, 2020

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Chamber CEO Thomas J. Donohue issued the following statement today regarding President Trump’s nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court of the United States.

“We congratulate Judge Amy Coney Barrett and applaud President Trump for this nomination of an eminently qualified jurist. Because there has long been speculation that Judge Barrett could be the nominee, our legal team has reviewed her record in business cases, as well as her background and credentials.

Throughout Judge Barrett’s distinguished career, she has demonstrated careful fidelity to the Constitution and the rule of law. America’s free enterprise system depends on the fair application of the law, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has no doubt that Judge Barrett will treat all litigants – including the business community – fairly. She will make an excellent associate justice.”

About the U.S. Chamber of Commerce

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world’s largest business organization representing companies of all sizes across every sector of the economy. Our members range from the small businesses and local chambers of commerce that line the Main Streets of America to leading industry associations and large corporations.

They all share one thing: They count on the U.S. Chamber to be their voice in Washington, across the country, and around the world. For more than 100 years, we have advocated for pro-business policies that help businesses create jobs and grow our economy.

2020 NFL Season Week 2 NFL Predictions From Zennie Abraham Of Zennie62Media

by
2020 Nfl Season Week 2 Nfl Predictions From Zennie Abraham Of Zennie62media

2020 NFL Season Week 2 NFL Predictions From Zennie Abraham Of Zennie62Media
From YouTube Channel: September 20, 2020 at 01:40AM
ONN – 2020 NFL Season Week 2 NFL Predictions From Zennie Abraham Of Zennie62Media

Here are the games, and I’ll tell you who’s going to win and why:

Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns (Thu)8:20p (ET)8:20p
NFLN Sunday, September 20, 2020
New York Giants at Chicago Bears12:00p (CT)1:00pCBS
Atlanta Falcons at Dallas Cowboys12:00p (CT)1:00pFOX
Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers12:00p (CT)1:00pFOX
Minnesota Vikings at Indianapolis Colts1:00p (ET)1:00pFOX
Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins1:00p (ET)1:00pCBS
San Francisco 49ers at New York Jets1:00p (ET)1:00pFOX
Los Angeles Rams at Philadelphia Eagles1:00p (ET)1:00pFOX
Denver Broncos at Pittsburgh Steelers1:00p (ET)1:00pCBS
Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers1:00p (ET)1:00pFOX
Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans12:00p (CT)1:00pCBS
Washington Redskins at Arizona Cardinals1:05p (MST)4:05pFOX
Baltimore Ravens at Houston Texans3:25p (CT)4:25pCBS
Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Chargers1:25p (PT)4:25pCBS
New England Patriots at Seattle Seahawks5:20p (PT)8:20pNBCMonday, September 21, 2020
New Orleans Saints at Las Vegas Raiders (Mon)5:15p (PT)

Note from Zennie62Media and Oakland News Now: this video-blog post demonstrates the full and live operation of the latest updated version of an experimental Zennie62Media , Inc. mobile media video-blogging system network that was launched June 2018. This is a major part of Zennie62Media , Inc.’s new and innovative approach to the production of news media. What we call “The Third Wave of Media”. The uploaded video is from a vlogger with the Zennie62 on YouTube Partner Channel, then uploaded to and formatted automatically at the Oakland News Now site and Zennie62-created and owned social media pages. The overall objective is smartphone-enabled, real-time, on the scene reporting of news, interviews, observations, and happenings anywhere in the World and within seconds and not hours. Now, news is reported with a smartphone: no heavy and expensive cameras or even a laptop are necessary. The secondary objective is faster, and very inexpensive media content news production and distribution. We have found there is a disconnect between post length and time to product and revenue generated. With this, the problem is far less, though by no means solved. Zennie62Media is constantly working to improve the system network coding and seeks interested content and media technology partners.

via IFTTT
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-7AD3UPiok

Congresswoman Barbara Lee Statement On The Passing Of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

by
Congresswoman Barbara Lee

Washington, DC – Congresswoman Barbara Lee released the following statement on the passing of Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg:

“Our country mourns the loss of a giant, an icon, and a warrior for democracy, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. In her nearly three decades of service on our nation’s highest court, she fundamentally changed life for women in America, and changed our entire nation for the better.

“Justice Ginsburg was a pioneer for reproductive rights, civil rights, and equal protection under the law. Without her leadership and conviction, the world would be a different place for women, people of color, and other marginalized communities. Her tenacious fight for gender equality in the face of powerful opposition, and her historic opinions and dissents on the bench, bent the arc of history towards justice.

“As courageous as she was intelligent, her decency, her legal brilliance and her commitment to a democracy that serves all, rather than the few, make her a model for the next Supreme Court Associate Justice and for all justices that will follow her. This is a loss for an entire nation that was made greater by her life’s work.

“My thoughts and prayers go out to her family and loved ones during this difficult time.”

Congresswoman Lee is the Co-Chair of the Steering & Policy Committee, a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, former Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, Chair Emeritus of the Progressive Caucus, and Co-Chair of the Pro-Choice Caucus. She also serves as Chair of the Majority Leader’s Task Force on Poverty and Opportunity. As member of the House Democratic Leadership, she is the highest ranking African American woman in the U.S. Congress.

This post based on a press release from the Office of Congresswoman Barbara Lee

Annie Campbell Washington Oakland District 4 Councilmember On Oakland Sugar Tax In 2016

by
Annie Campbell Washington Oakland District 4 Councilmember On Oakland Sugar Tax In 2016

Annie Campbell Washington Oakland District 4 Councilmember On Oakland Sugar Tax In 2016
From YouTube Channel: April 7, 2016 at 02:24PM
ONN – Annie Campbell Washington Oakland District 4 Councilmember On Oakland Sugar Tax In 2016

Annie Campbell Washington is the Oakland District Four Councilmember and the leader on the establishment of The Oakland Sugar Tax Initiative.

Note from Zennie62Media and Oakland News Now: this video-blog post demonstrates the full and live operation of the latest updated version of an experimental Zennie62Media , Inc. mobile media video-blogging system network that was launched June 2018. This is a major part of Zennie62Media , Inc.’s new and innovative approach to the production of news media. What we call “The Third Wave of Media”. The uploaded video is from a vlogger with the Zennie62 on YouTube Partner Channel, then uploaded to and formatted automatically at the Oakland News Now site and Zennie62-created and owned social media pages. The overall objective is smartphone-enabled, real-time, on the scene reporting of news, interviews, observations, and happenings anywhere in the World and within seconds and not hours. Now, news is reported with a smartphone: no heavy and expensive cameras or even a laptop are necessary. The secondary objective is faster, and very inexpensive media content news production and distribution. We have found there is a disconnect between post length and time to product and revenue generated. With this, the problem is far less, though by no means solved. Zennie62Media is constantly working to improve the system network coding and seeks interested content and media technology partners.

via IFTTT
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X48orXHN2Lk

Oakland Schools OUSD Successfully Argues To Keep Education Funding In Federal Lawsuit

by
Oakland Unified School District OUSD

Oakland – An effort by the U.S. Department of Education to take public education dollars away from Oakland Unified School District and countless other Districts and give it to private schools in Oakland and elsewhere has failed, and leadership from OUSD had a role in defeating it.

OUSD Students
OUSD Students
OUSD Students
OUSD Students
OUSD Students
OUSD Students

U.S. Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, had created a rule that directed districts to give private schools a larger share of federal coronavirus aid – money that would otherwise have gone to public schools such as here in OUSD. If the rule had gone forward, OUSD would have been forced to distribute $1.8 million to local private schools through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act Private School Program. That would have been more than 10% of the $14 million in federal funding sent to OUSD. All told, it was DeVos’ plan to send $2 billion in federal education dollars to private schools.

According to the Washington Post, “Lawmakers from both parties said that most of the Cares Act’s K-12 education funding was intended to be distributed to public and private elementary and secondary schools using a long-employed formula based on how many poor children they serve. But DeVos said she wanted money sent to private schools based on the total number of students in the school, not how many students from low-income families attended. That would have sent hundreds of millions of dollars more to private schools than Congress had intended.”

California and other states sued the federal government to reverse the rule, and OUSD was a party to the lawsuit. Johanna Hoffmann, the District’s Middle School and Private School specialist in Strategic Resource Planning, submitted a declaration in support of the lawsuit. Included in the declaration was this powerful argument that OUSD deserved as much money as possible to support its students. “The transition to distance learning has been particularly challenging for OUSD’s lower income students and, because of the high percentage of low-income students within our district, OUSD is significantly impacted by these challenges. Low-income students lack technology access, which prevents them from accessing remote learning materials. OUSD serves a large number of students that lack access to devices and high-speed internet at home, leaving the students unable to learn remotely. From what we have seen, private school students are more likely to live in homes with good internet access and computers.”

After receiving a collection of information, a federal judge ruled that the move by DeVos violated the law, relying in part on the information included in Hoffman’s declaration. DeVos then dropped the rule. That means OUSD gets to keep most of the $1.8 million for District students, plus the rest of the $14 million.

“What a relief it is that the federal judge saw the DeVos rule for what it was, a way to take money from public school students who need it, and give it to schools that serve primarily students of great privilege,” said Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell. “When it comes to food insecurity, the need for technology in the home, and many other metrics, our students deserve all the support they can get from the federal government. I thank the State of California for leading the legal fight and I applaud Johanna Hoffmann in Strategic Resource Planning for the outstanding work she put in to help convince the court to rule on the side of our nation’s public school students.”

About the Oakland Unified School District

In California’s most diverse city, Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) is dedicated to creating a learning environment where “Every Student Thrives!” More than half of our students speak a non-English language at home. And each of our 81 schools is staffed with talented individuals uniting around a common set of values: Students First, Equity, Excellence, Integrity, Cultural Responsiveness and Joy. We are committed to preparing all students for college, career and community success.

To learn more about OUSD’s Full Service Community District focused on academic achievement while serving the whole child in safe schools, please visit OUSD.org and follow us @OUSDnews.

This post based on a press release from the Oakland OUSD to Zennie62Media.

NFL Sunday: Chase Young, Washington 2020 1st Round Pick, Twitter Trend Expected To Feast vs Eagles

by
Nfl Sunday: Chase Young, Washington 2020 1st Round Pick, Twitter Trend Expected To Feast Vs Eagles

NFL Sunday: Chase Young, Washington 2020 1st Round Pick, Twitter Trend Expected To Feast vs Eagles

ONN – NFL Sunday: Chase Young, Washington 2020 1st Round Pick, Twitter Trend Expected To Feast vs Eagles

NFL Sunday: Chase Young, Washington 2020 1st Round Pick, Twitter Trend Expected To Feast vs Eagles

Note from Zennie62Media and Oakland News Now: this video-blog post demonstrates the full and live operation of the latest updated version of an experimental Zennie62Media , Inc. mobile media video-blogging system network that was launched June 2018. This is a major part of Zennie62Media , Inc.’s new and innovative approach to the production of news media. What we call “The Third Wave of Media”. The uploaded video is from a vlogger with the Zennie62 on YouTube Partner Channel, then uploaded to and formatted automatically at the Oakland News Now site and Zennie62-created and owned social media pages. The overall objective is smartphone-enabled, real-time, on the scene reporting of news, interviews, observations, and happenings anywhere in the World and within seconds and not hours. Now, news is reported with a smartphone: no heavy and expensive cameras or even a laptop are necessary. The secondary objective is faster, and very inexpensive media content news production and distribution. We have found there is a disconnect between post length and time to product and revenue generated. With this, the problem is far less, though by no means solved. Zennie62Media is constantly working to improve the system network coding and seeks interested content and media technology partners.

via IFTTT
https://youtu.be/J00028UD_vs

Oakland, Utah, Wyoming: Subsidize Coal – Climate Change Is Due To Population Growth, Not Energy Type

by
Negative Population Growth

The largest single threat to the ecology and biodiversity of the planet in the decades to come will be global climate disruption due to the buildup of human-generated greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. People around the world are beginning to address the problem by reducing their carbon footprint through less consumption and better technology. But unsustainable human population growth can overwhelm those efforts, leading us to conclude that we not only need smaller footprints, but fewer feet.

– The Center For Biological Diversity

Oakland, Utah, Wyoming, and other parts of America involved in the debate over coal need a wake up call. In the ongoing policy debate about the Insight Terminal Solutions’ Oakland Bulk and Oversized Terminal, the words of America’s Power President Michelle Bloodworth are a sober reminder of the need to maintain the reliable and affordable source of energy provided by coal.

In The Washington Times (sad that Michelle has to go to a conservative publication to address a problem that should not be a political issue), she wrote:

Policymakers know that our nation’s fleet of coal-fired power plants play an indispensable role in powering our lives, helping ensure that the electricity grid is both reliable and resilient. The coal fleet contributes to the nation’s fuel security and diversity, and serves as an insurance policy against electricity shortages and price spikes.

These are the functions of critical infrastructure during the best of times. In the face of the current, unprecedented crisis, the role of the coal sector assumes even greater importance.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which has jurisdiction over the criteria that most of these policymakers rely upon to determine which segments of our economy represent essential enterprises, listed coal power as “uniquely critical” in guidance issued in March. Essential critical infrastructure like coal, DHS said, is “imperative during the response to the COVID-19 emergency for both public health and safety and community well-being.”

And while the nation’s power grid is diverse, no fuel source is more resilient than coal in the face of unexpected or extreme events. During the Bomb Cyclone of 2018, for example, more than 60 percent of incremental electricity demand was met by coal, while natural gas, wind and solar power faced outages.

Today, our fleet of coal power plants are playing an essential role in our nation’s response to the pandemic.

The Real Climate Change Problem Is Not Energy But World Population Growth

What is bothersome right now is that mob rule has come to have some say over America and the World’s energy future. What the mob should pay attention to is the very growth of, well, the mob. And by that, I mean world population control.

The simple fact is that climate change is due to a large and increasing Earth population density. Few want to pay attention to the real truth: we have to control future population growth. That has not been done, or pushed – reducing coal production and dreaming of a shift from traditional energy will not solve the problem; population growth control will. Calling for the “end of coal” is a silly pipe dream advanced by those who fear to see the real truth.

Stephanie Feldstein, population and sustainability director for the Center for Biological Diversity, one of the environmental groups that addresses the link between population and climate change in its work, said: “If we don’t address population growth, our efforts to reduce that pressure on the climate and habitat and water resources will always be an uphill battle.”

And the report called “Why PoPulation Matters to Climate Change” by Population Action International, had this to add to the discussion:

Areas of high population growth and high vulnerability to climate change impacts overlap. Evidence suggests that the poorest countries and poorest groups within a population are most vulnerable to climate-related hazards such as floods, droughts, and landslides.2 Many developing countries are currently experiencing rapid population growth, increasing the number of people who will be exposed to projected impacts of climate change. Other demographic trends, such as urbanization in coastal areas and encroachment of populations into ecologically marginal areas, such as hillsides or degraded land, can exacerbate climate risks.

Zennie62Media is proud to have been commissioned by Insight Terminal Solutions to use its vast media platform and technology to get out the truth about climate change, and de-politicize energy economic development so we can maintain an affordable and safe standard of living. Further, I am personally committed to an effort to change the argument to save the World. The current over-politicized energy policy environment dooms the World to an uncertain energy future amid constant climate change, completely undisrupted by decline in the use of transitional energy sources.

It’s possible to have what we are already creating: a cleaner traditional energy industry. But killing traditional energy will not solve the climate change problem – population control will. Any claim to the contrary is baseless. The simple fact that a room gets warmer with more people in it is all of the model evidence one needs to show the larger global problem. We have to stop dooming traditional energy jobs and start saving them via improving the plant and equipment used.

In closing, if you have never seen the 1973 movie Soylent Green starring Charlton Heston, that film provides a more realistic model of a future we don’t want than any other popular culture has provided:

Soylent Green is a 1973 American science fiction film directed by Richard Fleischer and starring Charlton Heston and, in his final film, Edward G. Robinson. The film overlays the police procedural and science fiction genres as it depicts the investigation into the murder of a wealthy businessman in a dystopian future suffering from pollution, overpopulation, depleted resources, poverty, dying oceans, and a hot climate due to the greenhouse effect. Much of the population survives on processed food rations, including “soylent green”.

Stay tuned.

Las Vegas Raiders Trade T David Sharpe To Washington

by

Las Vegas Raiders Trade T David Sharpe To Washington

ONN – Las Vegas Raiders Trade T David Sharpe To Washington

Las Vegas Raiders Trade David Sharpe To Washington

Note from Zennie62Media and Oakland News Now: this video-blog post demonstrates the full and live operation of the latest updated version of an experimental Zennie62Media , Inc. mobile media video-blogging system network that was launched June 2018. This is a major part of Zennie62Media , Inc.’s new and innovative approach to the production of news media. What we call “The Third Wave of Media”. The uploaded video is from a vlogger with the Zennie62 on YouTube Partner Channel, then uploaded to and formatted automatically at the Oakland News Now site and Zennie62-created and owned social media pages. The overall objective is smartphone-enabled, real-time, on the scene reporting of news, interviews, observations, and happenings anywhere in the World and within seconds and not hours. Now, news is reported with a smartphone: no heavy and expensive cameras or even a laptop are necessary. The secondary objective is faster, and very inexpensive media content news production and distribution. We have found there is a disconnect between post length and time to product and revenue generated. With this, the problem is far less, though by no means solved. Zennie62Media is constantly working to improve the system network coding and seeks interested content and media technology partners.

via IFTTT
https://youtu.be/MDGHH3WLixg

Next Gen Stats Route Recognition NFL Receiver Model Is Garbage, Here’s Why

by
nfl_100_logo_new

On August 25th, 2020, on NFL,com, the league’s “Next Gen Stats Analytics Team” posted “Next Gen Stats: Intro to new Route Recognition Model”. And, thus continuing the NFL’s fascination with the data pouring out of the new player-tracking technology, the Next Gen Stats Analytics Team has proven that the old computer industry saying “garbage in – garbage out” still applied today. The Next Gen Stats Route Recognition Model is evidence of that.

First, in explaining the raison d’tre behind the Route Recognition Model, the Next Gen Stats Analytics Team wrote this (which is a little like driving from Downtown Oakland, down to San Jose, then up the 101 in the West Bay, past Stanford and then SFO Airport, and Redwood City, to get to San Francisco, rather than just using the Bay Bridge):

Conventional counting stats like receptions and receiving yards provide a way to measure an individual player’s ability to catch and move the football, but they only tell part of the story. Advanced stats like depth of target, separation window and completion probability provide greater insight, but they still leave out an important factor. Namely, which route did the pass catcher run to get open before catching the ball?
With the help of player-tracking technology, the Next Gen Stats Analytics team set out to answer that exact question, decoding one of the key elements of an offensive play call by using player-tracking data to measure which routes pass catchers are running on any given pass play.
The Next Gen Stats player-tracking system records the x-y location, speed, acceleration, direction and orientation of all 22 players on the field in real time. Our new Route Recognition model leverages this data as inputs into a model that assigns a route type to every eligible receiver on every pass play, including tight ends and running backs. Our architectural approach uses a combination of convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and long short-term memory (LSTM) networks trained on Amazon’s SageMaker platform. CNNs allow us to engage with the spatial nature of our dataset (that is, where each player is on the field in a given play), while LSTM networks allow us to engage with the temporal nature of our dataset (what happens as the play develops over time).
We approached routes run by players aligned in the backfield separately from routes run by players aligned out wide, in the slot or tight, because of clear differences in route archetypes. Below are the 15 unique route types assigned to all route runners, based on their location when the ball is snapped. Note that while NFL playbooks have hundreds of variations of routes, we’ve narrowed it down to these high-level categories, including 10 routes for those in typical wideout alignments and five for those aligned in the backfield:
Wideout Routes (10): Screen, flat, slant, crossing, out, in, hitch, corner, post, go
Backfield Routes (5): Screen, flat, angle, out, wheel
Real-time route classification enables us to contextualize the passing game in new ways. We can study league-wide trends to gain a new understanding of offensive strategy and tendencies, and we can break down and rank individual players by advanced performance metrics.

The last sentence, “ we can break down and rank individual players by advanced performance metrics” is one I completely disagree with.

Got that? Ok, I digress here to point out that since the Halfback in my play “Eagle Right H Fly Motion Up, Shortout Swing Pass” (and part of my soon-to-be-introduced “Black Panther Offense”) runs an “up” pattern, the Next Gen Stats Route Recognition Model would have a problem fitting it into its analysis parameters. And that’s where I start my critique.

Eagle Right H Fly Motion Up, Shortout Swing Pass
Eagle Right H Fly Motion Up, Shortout Swing Pass

The Saints Michael Thomas Was The NFL Leading Receiver For 2019, Before The Next Gen Stats Route Recognition Model

Second, the Next Gen Stats Route Recognition Model that was introduced also came with the headlines for a post that reads Michael Thomas is the best route runner. Then, it goes on to say that he runs the crossing pattern better than anyone else, because his catch rate is higher. Right?

Well, if you actually look at Michael Thomas’ catches for all of 2019, you will see that when he did catch a crossing pattern, most of the time, he came out of a slot or a bunch set, or was helped by a “clear out” pattern. The problem with the Next Gen Stats Route Recognition Model, and its attempt to simply routes for the purpose of the model, is one loses any understanding of what the Saints do to get Thomas into a position where he’s effective so often. In other words, the reason for Michael Thomas’ great 2019 campaign was what head coach Sean Payton and his staff did to put Mr. Thomas in position to be great – and that was enabled by Teddy Bridgewater and Drew Brees as the quarterbacks for that year.

What I take away from Michael Thomas’ record-setting 2019 effort was the continued advances in using wide receivers as the focus of a ball-control passing game. (Something pioneered by Bill Walsh, but improved on by Bill Belichick during the 2006 NFL Season where the Pats nearly achieved a perfect record – but were stopped by the NY Giants in Super Bowl XLII). I also take away from Michael Thomas’ record-setting 2019 effort, the importance of designing plays that cause the quarterback to get rid of the ball faster.

The main question is this: can Michael Thomas’ record-setting 2019 effort be topped in 2020? I think it can if head coach Sean Payton introduces new formations continue to to give Thomas the “rub” and space from defenders to make catches. It’s clear the Saints have arguably the best passing game developed from a perspective of timing between quarterback and receiver. Don’t discount the role formations play in that outcome.

The missing element in the Next Gen Stats Route Recognition Model is any real consideration for formations. There’s no ability to determine which route came from a bunch set, for example, or a tight-slot lineup, to offer another.

In closing, as one who was the only media (other than NFL Media) to attend the NFL’s Big Data Event at the 2020 NFL Combine, I applaud the league’s effort to shine a light, a bright one, on game analytics. My only concern is that, in doing so, there is a tendency to forget the importance of knowing how the game works. For example, the winner of the 2020 Big Data Event was a very nice man named Matt Ploenzke who’s model was such that no one, not even himself, could clearly articulate how it could help the NFL beyond what we already know.

What he found was “Among roughly 40 input variables, a ball carrier’s “effective acceleration” was the most important for estimating yards gained on a handoff play.” Look, anyone who’s seen Dallas Cowboys NFL Hall of Fame Running Back Tony Dorsett hit the hole fast can tell you that. Dorsett will always be my favorite NFL ball carrier. Watch this:

 

Meanwhile, Graham Pash and Walker Powell of NC State, who…

used kinematic data such as player positions and velocity to determine zones of control for both the offensive and defensive teams at the time of the handoff. These zones of control predict the probabilities of yards lost or gained and quantifies the risk involved with plays.
Key stat: Robert Woods (Los Angeles Rams) and Raheem Mostert (San Francisco 49ers) outperformed the model predictions the most, averaging nearly three more yards than predicted over the 2017 and 2018 seasons.

…Came in second!

And Namrata Ray, Jugal Marfatia (Washington State University), who…

measured the open space of the rusher at three time intervals — handoff, after a half-second, and after one second — to understand the association between open space and yards gained. Results indicated that the difference in the open space between the time of handoff and after a half-second or full second was a strong predictor of the number of yards gained.
Key Stat: Yards gained by the rusher increases by four yards on average for every one percent increase in the additional open area created within a half-second of the handoff.

Came in third!

That was nuts.

What Namrata Ray and Jugal Marfatia learned, for me, should revolutionize running play design and formation use. Right now, too many NFL teams pay zero attention to line split variations in play design. Just saying.

Matt Ploenzke’s now working for the Niners. Remember, Matt: formations matter!

Don’t Forget The Name Ermal Allen, Dallas Cowboys Quality Control Coach

Tom Landry And Ermal Allen Ap Shutterstock Photo
Tom Landry And Ermal Allen Ap Shutterstock Photo

At the same NFL Combine 2020, I noticed that media types seem to think we’re in some kind of golden age of data. Even someone with the Dallas Cowboys (name left out) bought that kool aide. Then, I mentioned that the real pioneer of analytics was Ermal Allen, Dallas Cowboys Quality Control Coach under Head Coach Tom Landry. Allen used computers to scout team tendencies, and a did remarkable job with the limited technology of the age compared to today. But the point is, he set the tone for the analytics departments of NFL teams in the 21st Century.

This is from United Press International in 1981:

Allen played his college football as a quarterback at the University of Kentucky and coached there from 1948 through 1961. He and assistant head coach Jim Myers have the longest tenure under Cowboys head coach Tom Landry, who has coached the team since its inception in 1960.

NFL teams exchange films of their last four games for scouting purposes and Allen dissects those films in an attempt to learn everything there is to know about the opponent.

All the information he gleans from his studies is fed into a computer to try to predict what a club is most likely to do in certain situations. All of that information is ready for the rest of the staff by the first of each week to assist Landry and his assistants in the formulation of their game plan.

On game days Allen stays in the press box with three other assistants to chart the opposition’s plays with Tubbs.

Stay tuned.

Adrian Peterson Meets Chase Young And Because Washington Tried To Block Him With A Tight End

by
Adrian Peterson Meets Chase Young And Because Washington Tried To Block Him With A Tight End

Adrian Peterson Meets Chase Young And Because Washington Tried To Block Him With A Tight End

ONN – Adrian Peterson Meets Chase Young And Because Washington Tried To Block Him With A Tight End

Adrian Peterson Meets Chase Young And Because Washington Tried To Block Him With A Tight End

Note from Zennie62Media and Oakland News Now: this video-blog post demonstrates the full and live operation of the latest updated version of an experimental Zennie62Media , Inc. mobile media video-blogging system network that was launched June 2018. This is a major part of Zennie62Media , Inc.’s new and innovative approach to the production of news media. What we call “The Third Wave of Media”. The uploaded video is from a vlogger with the Zennie62 on YouTube Partner Channel, then uploaded to and formatted automatically at the Oakland News Now site and Zennie62-created and owned social media pages. The overall objective is smartphone-enabled, real-time, on the scene reporting of news, interviews, observations, and happenings anywhere in the World and within seconds and not hours. Now, news is reported with a smartphone: no heavy and expensive cameras or even a laptop are necessary. The secondary objective is faster, and very inexpensive media content news production and distribution. We have found there is a disconnect between post length and time to product and revenue generated. With this, the problem is far less, though by no means solved. Zennie62Media is constantly working to improve the system network coding and seeks interested content and media technology partners.

via IFTTT
https://youtu.be/zo_XULbKWJ0

Oakland Protest For Jacob Blake Draws A Lot Of Police For Just 100 Protestors

by
Oakland Protest For Jacob Blake

Oakland Protest for Jacob Blake
From YouTube Channel: August 29, 2020 at 04:58AM
ONN – Oakland Protest For Jacob Blake Draws A Lot Of Police For Just 100 Protestors
The most interesting part of this protest was the huge amount of police that showed up to keep an eye what was about 100 protesters. This protest was in solidarity with the march on washington and with Kenosha.

Note from Zennie62Media and Oakland News Now: this video-blog post demonstrates the full and live operation of the latest updated version of an experimental Zennie62Media , Inc. mobile media video-blogging system network that was launched June 2018. This is a major part of Zennie62Media , Inc.’s new and innovative approach to the production of news media. What we call “The Third Wave of Media”. The uploaded video is from a vlogger with the Zennie62 on YouTube Partner Channel, then uploaded to and formatted automatically at the Oakland News Now site and Zennie62-created and owned social media pages. The overall objective is smartphone-enabled, real-time, on the scene reporting of news, interviews, observations, and happenings anywhere in the World and within seconds and not hours. Now, news is reported with a smartphone: no heavy and expensive cameras or even a laptop are necessary. The secondary objective is faster, and very inexpensive media content news production and distribution. We have found there is a disconnect between post length and time to product and revenue generated. With this, the problem is far less, though by no means solved. Zennie62Media is constantly working to improve the system network coding and seeks interested content and media technology partners.

via IFTTT
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUALyz1kvr0

The 2020 March on Washington – 8/28 (FULL LIVE STREAM)

by
The 2020 March On Washington – 8/28 (full Live Stream)

The 2020 March on Washington – 8/28 (FULL LIVE STREAM)
From YouTube Channel: August 28, 2020 at 04:25PM
ONN – A civil rights rally timed to the 57th anniversary of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s seminal “I Have a Dream” speech is expected to bring thousands to the Lincoln Memorial on Aug. 28. Speakers include:

Rev. Al Sharpton
Martin Luther King III
Family members of several men and women who were killed by police

The Post’s Libby Casey will anchor full, uninterrupted coverage and be joined by reporters Rhonda Colvin, Nicole Ellis, Joyce Koh and Vanessa Williams.

Dubbed the “Get Your Knee Off Our Necks” March on Washington, organizers initially thought at least 100,000 people would gather. They now estimate about 50,000 people will attend given the constraints of the coronavirus pandemic. Read more: https://wapo.st/3lwHdeO. Subscribe to The Washington Post on YouTube: https://wapo.st/2QOdcqK

Follow us:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/washingtonpost
Instagram: https://ift.tt/1KluA1J
Facebook: https://ift.tt/1L93RjD

Note from Zennie62Media and Oakland News Now: this video-blog post demonstrates the full and live operation of the latest updated version of an experimental Zennie62Media , Inc. mobile media video-blogging system network that was launched June 2018. This is a major part of Zennie62Media , Inc.’s new and innovative approach to the production of news media. What we call “The Third Wave of Media”. The uploaded video is from a vlogger with the Zennie62 on YouTube Partner Channel, then uploaded to and formatted automatically at the Oakland News Now site and Zennie62-created and owned social media pages. The overall objective is smartphone-enabled, real-time, on the scene reporting of news, interviews, observations, and happenings anywhere in the World and within seconds and not hours. Now, news is reported with a smartphone: no heavy and expensive cameras or even a laptop are necessary. The secondary objective is faster, and very inexpensive media content news production and distribution. We have found there is a disconnect between post length and time to product and revenue generated. With this, the problem is far less, though by no means solved. Zennie62Media is constantly working to improve the system network coding and seeks interested content and media technology partners.

via IFTTT
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9FwZJx7aq8

2020 Virtual March on Washington | The March (LIVE)

by
2020 Virtual March On Washington | The March (live)

2020 Virtual March on Washington | The March (LIVE)
From YouTube Channel: August 28, 2020 at 02:51PM
ONN – Live Stream Commitment March

Convened by Rev. Al Sharpton and Martin Luther King III, the Commitment March will gather at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. to restore and recommit to the dream Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. defined in 1963.

Note from Zennie62Media and Oakland News Now: this video-blog post demonstrates the full and live operation of the latest updated version of an experimental Zennie62Media , Inc. mobile media video-blogging system network that was launched June 2018. This is a major part of Zennie62Media , Inc.’s new and innovative approach to the production of news media. What we call “The Third Wave of Media”. The uploaded video is from a vlogger with the Zennie62 on YouTube Partner Channel, then uploaded to and formatted automatically at the Oakland News Now site and Zennie62-created and owned social media pages. The overall objective is smartphone-enabled, real-time, on the scene reporting of news, interviews, observations, and happenings anywhere in the World and within seconds and not hours. Now, news is reported with a smartphone: no heavy and expensive cameras or even a laptop are necessary. The secondary objective is faster, and very inexpensive media content news production and distribution. We have found there is a disconnect between post length and time to product and revenue generated. With this, the problem is far less, though by no means solved. Zennie62Media is constantly working to improve the system network coding and seeks interested content and media technology partners.

via IFTTT
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBj-n8_6XW4

Kamala Harris speaks at March on Washington 2020

by
Kamala Harris Speaks At March On Washington 2020

Kamala Harris speaks at March on Washington 2020
From YouTube Channel: August 28, 2020 at 01:01PM
ONN – Sen. Kamala Harris’s message to the 2020 March on Washington.

Note from Zennie62Media and Oakland News Now: this video-blog post demonstrates the full and live operation of the latest updated version of an experimental Zennie62Media , Inc. mobile media video-blogging system network that was launched June 2018. This is a major part of Zennie62Media , Inc.’s new and innovative approach to the production of news media. What we call “The Third Wave of Media”. The uploaded video is from a vlogger with the Zennie62 on YouTube Partner Channel, then uploaded to and formatted automatically at the Oakland News Now site and Zennie62-created and owned social media pages. The overall objective is smartphone-enabled, real-time, on the scene reporting of news, interviews, observations, and happenings anywhere in the World and within seconds and not hours. Now, news is reported with a smartphone: no heavy and expensive cameras or even a laptop are necessary. The secondary objective is faster, and very inexpensive media content news production and distribution. We have found there is a disconnect between post length and time to product and revenue generated. With this, the problem is far less, though by no means solved. Zennie62Media is constantly working to improve the system network coding and seeks interested content and media technology partners.

via IFTTT
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDjFOsGLXXE

Washington Is Steeped In Scandal. Could Dan Snyder End Up Like Donald Sterling?

by
Washington Is Steeped In Scandal. Could Dan Snyder End Up Like Donald Sterling?

Washington Is Steeped In Scandal. Could Dan Snyder End Up Like Donald Sterling?

ONN – Washington Is Steeped In Scandal. Could Dan Snyder End Up Like Donald Sterling?

Twenty-five women, largely, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of nondisclosure agreements or fear of reprisal. detailed a culture that sounds more like “Porky’s or “Animal House” than it does a franchise worth north of nine figures.

Note from Zennie62Media and Oakland News Now: this video-blog post demonstrates the full and live operation of the latest updated version of an experimental Zennie62Media , Inc. mobile media video-blogging system network that was launched June 2018. This is a major part of Zennie62Media , Inc.’s new and innovative approach to the production of news media. What we call “The Third Wave of Media”. The uploaded video is from a vlogger with the Zennie62 on YouTube Partner Channel, then uploaded to and formatted automatically at the Oakland News Now site and Zennie62-created and owned social media pages. The overall objective is smartphone-enabled, real-time, on the scene reporting of news, interviews, observations, and happenings anywhere in the World and within seconds and not hours. Now, news is reported with a smartphone: no heavy and expensive cameras or even a laptop are necessary. The secondary objective is faster, and very inexpensive media content news production and distribution. We have found there is a disconnect between post length and time to product and revenue generated. With this, the problem is far less, though by no means solved. Zennie62Media is constantly working to improve the system network coding and seeks interested content and media technology partners.

via IFTTT
https://youtu.be/6ceJjJ1ZTU4

NFL 2020 Season Preview By David Squires For Zennie62Media

by

NFL fans are still hoping that the 2020 season will go ahead in some way shape or form. It has already been confirmed that some college football conferences have cancelled their upcoming seasons. What we do know is that if games are to be played capacities will be, at the very best, significantly reduced.

As it stands, nineteen teams have indicated that they will open their stadium to a reduced capacity. Six teams have stated that they will have somewhere in between a limited attendance or no fans at all. And three teams, the Giants, Jets and Raiders have said that they will not open their stadiums to fans, for the 2020 season while four teams have yet to decide or announce their intention as of this writing.

* The Miami Dolphins have announced that they will have a maximum attendance of 13,000, which is 20% of its capacity.

Of course, all of this and the season itself will be subject to change on a, week to week basis. The NFL can take heart from the fact that the English Premier league season was completed behind closed doors without incident. However, some parts of the States still have large numbers of ‘Covid‘ cases. Since teams will be playing in front of, at the very best drastically reduced capacity, could those teams in high-risk areas not play in a different city or even state?

Arsenal win the F.A cup at an empty Wembley Stadium.The league offered the players the chance to ‘opt out’ of the season and earn a reduced salary. $350,000 for a player who is deemed to be ‘high risk’ due to the pandemic and $150,000 for a player not immediately at risk. Sixty-six players opted out, just under 4% based on the fifty-three-man roster sizes for all thirty-two teams. One change for the 2020 season to assist with this situation is an increase to the size of the practice squads. These have now been increased from ten to sixteen, with four of those players being protected (unable to be signed by another team) on a weekly basis.

Could the NFL take a leaf out of the NBA’s book by playing all the games in one venue? The problem here is that the roster size of an NBA team is fifteen, whilst the NFL is fifty-three ,significantly higher. Baseball have made some adjustments too. A shortened season and a schedule re-jig cutting down on travel where possible. This scenario is more likely and much more possible than the NBA’s version of events. Again, as it stands, the scheduled season is due to go ahead on September 10th, despite the pre-season being cancelled completely.  The International fixtures have also been cancelled.

The lack of home crowds could make for a much more even playing field. Home field advantage will be less of, exactly that, an advantage. Without crowd noise, false starts and pre-snap penalties should be at an all-time low.  The NFL is looking into the possibility of ‘artificial crowd noise’ in stadiums, something that previously would have been against league rules.

Off Season Headlines:

  • Washington no longer to use the nickname ‘Redskins’.
  • Raiders move to Vegas
  • Rams and Chargers move into new stadium.
  • Playoffs extended to 14 teams.
  • Mahomes signs biggest ever contract.
  • Joe Burrow goes #1 to Cincy, Chase Young #2 to Washington.
  • Brady and Gronk re-unite in Tampa.
  • Receiver Hopkins traded from Texans to Cardinals.
  • Rivers to Colts, Newton to Patriots.
  • Gurley back in Georgia, signs for Falcons.
  • Super Bowl  LV will be held at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa.

The AFC probably has the best two teams in the NFL and with the Patriots seemingly facing uncertain times the Chiefs and Ravens will be looking to take advantage.

The AFC Frontrunners. 

The defending champion, Kansas City Chiefs and Quarterback Patrick Mahomes got married this off season. The Chiefs paid out the biggest contract in sports history when they gave the Super Bowl MVP a ten-year contract which could be worth up to $503 Million. $140 Million of that is guaranteed.

Aside from the large contract the Chiefs could be set to dominate the AFC in the same way the Patriots have for the last, nearly twenty years. The Chiefs also gave defensive tackle Chris Jones a new contract and didn‘t lose anyone of note in the off season. The addition of Clyde Edwards-Hillaire in the draft could pay off early. The Chiefs were first in the NFL on third down conversions and in Travis Kelce have the best tight end in the NFL. Kelce is the only TE history to have 4 straight 1000 yard seasons.

As for the New England, Brady is gone therefore the Patriots will start the season with a different QB for the first time since 2001. The last time they missed the post season was in 2008 when Brady missed 15 games through injury. Former Panther, Cam Newton himself recovering from a foot injury was brought in to compete with Jarrett Stidham. The Patriots could well be watching the playoffs from their sofa’s for the first time in twelve years. New England had the most mount of players who ‘opted out’ of the season due to the pandemic with 8.

The biggest challenge to the Kansas City Chiefs will likely come from Baltimore. The Baltimore Ravens had the NFL’s best record (14-2) last season but were left stunned by the Titans in the playoffs. If Lamar Jackson and the offense can continue to produce the way they did in 2019, then they will be tough to stop. Jackson may not find things quite as easy in 2020 as defensive coordinators will have been studying and scheming to try to limit his production. The Ravens ranked 2nd in offense but 27th in passing. Jackson led the team in rushing with over 1200 yards. The Ravens remain the second favourite in the AFC behind the Chiefs.

The Titans run to the AFC championship game in 2019 was something as a surprise. Tennessee went 9-7 and clinched a playoff spot on the last day of the regular season. Ryan Tannehill and more importantly, Derrick Henry have been resigned but Logan Ryan and Cameron Wake left in free agency. The Titans game plan of old school football won’t change as long as Henry is healthy. Receiver AJ Brown topped 1000 yards in his rookie season and could quickly turn into one of the league’s best wide outs.

It was the Texans who won the AFC South, but they lost one of the league‘s best receivers, DeAndre Hopkins in a surprising trade that sent running back David Johnson to Houston. Randall Cobb and Brandin Cooks were signed in free agency. DeShaun Watson remains a polarizing player but his numbers were slightly down compared to 2018. With the talent the Texans have they should be doing more on offense, they ranked 13th in total offense and 14th in scoring. The defense is a bigger problem and keeping JJ Watt on the field will again prove an important factor especially come playoff time.

Another front runner in the AFC could be the Buffalo Bills. The Bills went 10-6 and lost a wildcard game to the Texans that they probably should have won, extending their playoff win drought to 25 years. Quarterback Josh Allen needs to improve in the passing game that ranked 26th overall in 2019. The addition of former Viking receiver  Stefon Diggs should help. The Bills drafted quarterback Jake Fromm (Georgia) in the fifth round in an attempt to put some pressure on Allen. The Bills ranked second in overall defense and in Tre’Davious White have one of the NFL’s best corners and they signed veteran Josh Norman to play on the opposite side.

The Broncos and Drew Lock improved as the season went on, grabbing a respectable 7-9 record. Lock will have some more assistance in tis time around. Receiver  Jerry Jeudy (Alabama) was drafted in the first round and running back Melvin Gordon singed in free agency. Five time Pro Bowler Jurell Casey arrived from Tennessee and if he can be disruptive in the middle then Von Miller and Bradley Chubb can take advantage on the outside. AJ Bouye replaces Chris Harris at corner. A 10-6 record should be enough for a post season berth and certainly looks achievable.

Pushing for a playoff spot.

The Jets could be looking to take advantage of a Brady less Patriots. They will need more consistent play from QB Sam Darnold and although they have two good backs in Bell and the evergreen Frank Gore, the receiver position could be better. The Jets best defensive player, Jamal Adams was traded to Seattle.  Another middle of the road season looks likely.

The Cleveland Browns have it all in place to make their first playoff appearance since 2002. Baker Mayfield looked to have taken a backward step in 2019 but the offense has plenty of weapons and new offensive minded head coach, Kevin Stefanski should really help. The Browns made some really nice additions in free agency,  Austin Hooper (TE), Adrian Clayborn (DE), Jack Conklin (OT) and Andrew Sendejo (S) will significantly improve the roster. Despite the talent on both sides of the ball, both the offense and defense ranked 22nd overall and therefore improvement is needed if they are going to challenge for a playoff spot.

The Colts signed Phillip Rivers to effectively replace Andrew Luck after Jacoby Brissett failed to make the most of his opportunity. Washington and former Georgia QB Jacob Eason was drafted late on. Rookie RB Jonathan Taylor could hit the ground running behind one of the best offensive lines in football. Free agent corner Xavier Rhodes will improve the secondary but Rivers could be the difference maker.

The Raiders and now in Las Vegas. We will have to wait a little longer to see if their famous ‘black hole’ has gone with them. The Raiders went 7-9 in 2019 and will probably be somewhere between that or 9-7 in 2020. It’s a big year for Derrick Carr who will likely be out if he doesn’t take a good sized step forwards. The Raiders are one of the few teams that carry three quarterbacks on their roster. General Manager Mike Mayock  added speedy receiver Henry Ruggs (Alabama)but the rest of their draft was questionable.

Pittsburgh seem to be in something of a transition period, Ben Roethlisberger returns after injury and tight end Eric Ebron was added but the roster is mostly the same one that went 8-8 last year. If Big Ben can play 16 games the Steelers could squeeze a few more wins and a spot in the playoffs especially as their schedule looks favourable.

Looking to the Future.

Miami appear to have something that they haven’t had in a long time, a quarterback. Tua Tagovailoa (Alabama) was drafted fifth overall.  Shaq Lawson, Kyle Van Noy and Matt Breida were all nice free agent additions. Seven wins would be seen a successful season.

The Chargers have lost Rivers and Gordon and will go with  Tyrod Taylor or rookie Justin Herbert (Oregon) at QB. Safety Derwin James is back from injury but it’s hard to see much better than the five wins they managed last season.

Jacksonville will roll with Gardner Minshew at quarterback as Nick Foles is gone. The Jags drafted very well adding Corner CJ Henderson (Florida), edge rusher K’Lavon Chaisson and receiver Laviska Shenault in the first two rounds.  The Jaguars always seem to be a young team that are looking to build.

The Bengals only won two games in 2019 but if Joe Burrow (LSU) can perform like he did last year, winning the National championship and the Hiesman trophy then perhaps there is hope for the future. AJ Green will be back from injury to help and Joe Mixon is one of the league’s best backs but that’s about it.

Projected Records:

AFC East: Bills 11-5, Patriots 7-9, Jets 7-9, Dolphins 6-10 

AFC North: Ravens 12-4, Browns 10-6, Steelers 9-7, Bengals 3-13

AFC South: Titans 11-5, Texans 9-7, Colts 9-7, Jaguars 4-12

AFC West: Chiefs 12-4, Broncos 10-6, Raiders 8-8, Chargers 3-13

The NFC appears to be wide open with perhaps no obvious number one team but several very good teams that are all capable of putting a run together to be the best team in the NFC.

The NFC Frontrunners. 

Injuries have plagued the Eagles for several years but last year was worse than ever. Josh McCown played the majority of their wildcard loss to Seattle, throwing to receivers that not many people had heard of. If  Carson Wentz, DeSean Jackson and Alshon Jeffery can stay on the field Philadelphia should return to the playoffs. Jalen Hurts was drafted as more than just a backup and could be used in certain packages. Injuries hit them hard on defense too, especially in the secondary. Safety Will Parks replaces Malcolm Jenkins and free agent corners, Nickell Robey-Coleman and ball hawk Darius Slay will shore things up.

The 49ers blew a ten-point fourth quarter lead in the Super Bowl, something that’s becoming a habit for head coach Kyle Shanahan. The team returns eighteen starters from last year. San Fran replaced defensive tackle DeForrest Buckner with rookie Javon Kinlaw and tackle Joe Staley who retired with Trent Williams from Washington. Defensively the 49ers should still be top five. The offense ranked second overall in 2019 mainly thanks to their running game.  Teams will no doubt look to stop the run and see if the inconsistent Jimmy Garoppolo can beat them.

It felt like the Packers over achieved with a 13-3 record in 2019, the blow-out loss to the 49ers in the NFC championship game would seem to back that theory up.  The drafting of quarterback Jordan Love in the first round raised a few eyebrows both in and out of Green Bay. The team seems desperately short of receivers but didn’t manage to draft a single one. The defense wasn’t that good last year and there is no suggestion that it will be any better this time around.  One huge plus for the Pack was the play of running back Aaron Jones who rushed for 1,084 yards and added 16 touchdowns.

The Vikings lost some considerable talent in the off-season, Diggs, Joseph, Griffen, Rhodes and Sendejo all left town. Minnesota did draft well and their first four picks could see significant game time. Kirk Cousins appeared to get over a hump, putting together a winning drive on the road in New Orleans in the playoffs.  Running back Dalvin Cook has a shot to lead the league in rushing.  A lot will depend on how the team cope with replacing experience with rookies.

Jason Garrett’s time in Dallas is finally up, replaced by former Packers head coach Mike McCarthy. However as always there is still drama in Jerry World. Quarterback Dak Prescott and the Cowboys have yet to agree a new deal, as a result Prescott will play the 2020 season under the franchise tag. Jerry Jones couldn’t believe his luck and couldn’t resist the urge when Oklahoma receiver CeeDee Lamb fell in their lap in the first round of the draft. Add Lamb to Cooper, Gallup and Elliott and the offense could again lead the league like it did in 2019. Cowboys legend Jason Witten signed for the Raiders. On defense the cowboys added both Dontari Poe and Gerald McCoy at defensive tackle and added safety Ha Ha Clinton Dix and drafted corner Trevon Diggs (Alabama) in the second round.

How will another devastating playoff loss affect the Saints? Drew Brees is now 41 and has only completed one pass that travelled 35 ‘air’ yards since 2017 but only threw 4 interceptions in 2019. Teddy Bridgewater went 5-0 as a starter when Brees got hurt but left for Carolina and former Buccaneer, Jameis Winston is now the back up. Speedster Emmanuel Sanders signed as a free agent as did once former Saints safety Malcolm Jenkins. Alvin Kamara had something of a down year by his standards.  The defense probably played a little better than expected, ranking 11th overall.  The Saints have won the NFC South for the last 3 years.

Pushing for a playoff spot.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers haven’t made the playoffs in 12 years, Jeff Garcia was their quarterback and Jon Gruden  the head coach. Tom Brady is now the man and his former ‘go to guy’ in New England, tight end Rob Gronkowski came out of retirement to join him. Brady is 42 and looked on the decline last year, Gronk is one concussion away from a second retirement and hasn’t played a full season since 2011. The hype train should probably slow down a little. The Buccs do have weapons though, Evans, Goodwin and Ronald Jones racked up the numbers last season. On defense Shaquil Barrett lead the NFL with 19.5 sacks but the secondary needs a significant improvement.

Which Atlanta Falcons team will turn up in 2020? The one that started last season 1-7 or the one that finished it 6-2 grabbing impressive road wins in New Orleans and San Francisco. Head coach Dan Quinn is very much on the hot seat and only a playoff berth can save him. The offense is loaded with talent but the play calling could be better at times. Running back and Georgia ‘fan favourite’ Todd Gurley was signed to replace Devonta Freeman who was cut for salary cap purposes. On defense the team improved when Quinn gave up play calling duties and Raheem Morris is now the full time defensive coordinator. Another Former Ram, Dante Fowler JR was signed to help improve the improve the pass rush, defensive tackle Grady Jarrett is a legit playmaker.

Arizona had what looked like a bad season going 5-10-1, however there seem to be plenty of encouraging signs to suggest that they are on the rise. Rookie head coach Kliff Kingsbury has input his ‘Air Raid’ concept offense and his rookie QB, Kyler Murray passed for over 3,500 yards and rushed for over 500 in an impressive debut season. The Cardinals racked up a league high, 6,432 yards in 2019. Murray will be aided further by the addition of one of the league’s best receivers, DeAndre Hopkins who was acquired via trade. The Cardinals main problem is their defense, which ranked dead last overall.  Swiss army knife linebacker Isaiah Simmons was drafted from Clemson but they could and should have done more to improve this unit.

In 2019 Seattle finally solved a problem they’ve had since Marshawn Lynch left town in 2015, running the football. The run by committee approach led by Chris Carson was good enough for fourth in the league in rush yards. Quarterback Russell Wilson was again impressive throwing 31 touchdowns and just 5 interceptions. The Seahawks could not agree terms with defensive end Jadeveon Clowney so they brought back Bruce Irvin and drafted outside linebacker, Jordyn Brooks (Texas Tech) in the first round in an attempt to improve the faltering defense.

It’s all change for the Rams, a new stadium two new coordinators and new uniforms. They also lost several big names in Gurley, Cooks, Fowler Jr, Weddle, Matthews, Robey-Coleman and kicker Greg Zuerlein, mostly due to salary cap issues. The Rams did however, have a good draft despite not having a first round pick, given away when they traded for Jalen Ramsey towards the end of last season. Running back Cam Akers (Florida State) and receiver Van Jefferson (Florida) were both drafted in the second round.  Aaron Donald leads the defense which will likely be similar to last seasons number of 13th overall. The Rams may benefit from that extra playoff spot because they don’t appear to be any better than last year in which they went 9-7.

Looking to the Future.

Chicago seem to have lost a little patience with QB Mitch Trubisky, trading for former Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles. It feels somewhat unlikely that either player will start all 16 games. The Bears lost more good players than they gained and it’s hard to see an improvement on last years 8-8 record.

The Giants have yet another head coach, this time former Patriots assistant and the latest Bill Belichick  disciple Joe Judge takes the reigns and former Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett is the OC.  Eli Manning has officially retired and Daniel Jones is now the starter. The Giants have some talent on the offense and will again lean on running back Saquon Barkley. Have they really improved much on the team that won just four games last season?

In 2019 Washington ranked 31st in total offense and 27th in total defense, not a surprise that they finished 3-13 or that head coach Jay Gruden was fired. Former Panthers HC Ron Rivera is now in charge and another former head coach, Jack Del Rio is the defensive coordinator. The jury is still out on Dwayne Haskins, another former Panther Kyle Allen was acquired in a trade as Alex Smith is still recovering from injury. Ohio State ‘phenom’ defensive end Chase Young was drafted second overall.

Head coach Matt Patricia came close to getting fired in the off season after going 9-22-1 over the last two seasons. Quarterback Matt Stafford missed 8 games through injury and the Lions lost all 8. It is therefore some what impressive that the Lions ranked 17th in total offense last year. The problems really lie on the other side of the ball. Cornerbacks, Desmond Trufant (Falcons) and the third overall pick in the draft Jeff Okudah (Ohio State) are in as is former Patriot linebacker Jamie Collins. Detroit signed 13 new players in the off season and let the same number depart.

The Carolina Panthers have a new head coach, former Baylor man Matt Rhule comes in, and Teddy Bridgewater replaces Cam Newton at QB. The leader of the defense Luke Kuechly retired and veteran tight end Greg Olsen was let go. Thankfully for the Panthers running back, Christian McCaffrey is still around and shows no sign of slowing down.  This is definitely a rebuild which will be helped by the good draft the team had with Auburn defensive tackle Derrick Brown the pick of the crop.

Projected Records:

NFC East: Cowboys 10-6, Eagles 10-6, Giants 4-12, Washington 2-12

NFC North: Vikings 11-5, Packers 10-6, Bears 5-11, Lions 4-12

NFC South: Saints 11-5, Falcons 10-6, Buccaneers 9-7, Panthers 2-14

NFC West: 49ers 13-3, Seahawks 10-6, Cardinals 7-9, Rams 6-10

 

Written by: Dave Squires

@davefalconUK

 

 

Watch Kamala Harris’s full speech at the 2020 Democratic National convention

by

Watch Kamala Harris’s full speech at the 2020 Democratic National convention
From YouTube Channel: August 20, 2020 at 08:49AM
ONN – Sen. Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.) accepted her party’s historic nomination to be its vice-presidential candidate during the Democratic National Convention on Aug.19. Subscribe to The Washington Post on YouTube: https://wapo.st/2QOdcqK

Follow us:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/washingtonpost
Instagram: https://ift.tt/1KluA1J
Facebook: https://ift.tt/1L93RjD

Note from Zennie62Media and Oakland News Now: this video-blog post demonstrates the full and live operation of the latest updated version of an experimental Zennie62Media , Inc. mobile media video-blogging system network that was launched June 2018. This is a major part of Zennie62Media , Inc.’s new and innovative approach to the production of news media. What we call “The Third Wave of Media”. The uploaded video is from a vlogger with the Zennie62 on YouTube Partner Channel, then uploaded to and formatted automatically at the Oakland News Now site and Zennie62-created and owned social media pages. The overall objective is smartphone-enabled, real-time, on the scene reporting of news, interviews, observations, and happenings anywhere in the World and within seconds and not hours. Now, news is reported with a smartphone: no heavy and expensive cameras or even a laptop are necessary. The secondary objective is faster, and very inexpensive media content news production and distribution. We have found there is a disconnect between post length and time to product and revenue generated. With this, the problem is far less, though by no means solved. Zennie62Media is constantly working to improve the system network coding and seeks interested content and media technology partners.

via IFTTT
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wKnNGcKnDg

The Washington Football Team Moves On From Derrius Guice.

by
The Washington Football Team Moves On From Derrius Guice.

The Washington Football Team Moves On From Derrius Guice. ONN – The Washington Football Team Moves On From Derrius Guice. With the seemingly ageless Adrian Peterson, power-runner, Peyton Barber, 3rd down back, Bryce Love as well as RB/WR hybrids: J.D. McKissic and exciting rookie, Antonio Gibson on the roster, the stage seemed to be set … Read more

Democrats Announce Highlights or Night Three Of The 2020 Democratic National Convention

by
Democratic National Convention 2020

Wednesday Night’s Theme is “A More Perfect Union” MILWAUKEE—The Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC) today previewed the official program for night three of the 2020 Democratic National Convention, happening Wednesday, August 19 from 9:00-11:00 PM Eastern. The theme of Wednesday’s program is “A More Perfect Union.” America is not going back to normal, because normal wasn’t good enough. … Read more