Quality Blinds Can Make a Room

At Blinds Chalet they carry the finest quality window treatments at discount prices. These folks will never sacrifice quality just to offer a low-quality blind. Every one of their window blinds and shades must measure up to their high standards before they will ever sell them online. You will not find a better quality window covering for the price anywhere. With over 25 years of experience in the window coverings industry, they know that their customers will always be happy with their decision to choose Blinds Chalet. Good blinds can completely change and dramatically upgrade the look of a room. Give these guys a try.

A Rehab Miracle

If you’ve got a substance abuse problem, there’s a drug rehab center in Malibu where they can really help you. I had a fraternity brother who was badly hooked on drugs. I won’t go into detail, but he was on his way to an early grave. He went to this place called Cliffside Malibu and kicked his habit. The best thing about it is that he hasn’t relapsed. He’s been able to change his life and really turn things around. It’s a miracle, because he was pretty much lost to us before going into rehab. And now he’s back – for good!

Should Barry Bonds Play in the All-Star Game?

With the All-Star game at AT&T Park only two weeks away, the debate over whether or not Barry Bonds belongs on the field for the Midsummer Classic is gaining momentum. People in this town are buying into the all-star hype. There hasn’t been this much baseball-related excitement around here since the 1989 Bay Bridge World Series between the Giants and the A’s.

As Barry nears the record for career home runs, the local media is pushing for fans to vote for Bonds. But, it doesn’t look good. The voting closes on Thursday and Bonds is currently in fourth place among NL outfielders, trailing Alfonso Soriano of the Chicago Cubs by more than 120,000 votes. It would take a ballot stuffing frenzy of Jeb Bush-like proportions to get Bonds elected now.

So, the question at hand is – should he be selected by the NL manager (Tony LaRussa) to be on the squad? How can MLB keep the greatest hitter of the last 50 years out of a game being played in his own stadium? Doesn’t Barry deserve to be there based solely on his career stats?

The arguments are strong from both sides. From the opposition’s point of view, Bonds isn’t having the kind of season that warrants a spot on the team. Cbssportsline.com has him rated as the 10th best right fielder in the National League. He hasn’t fielded well, his batting average is less than spectacular and he’s playing for a last place team. If you also take into account that the guy is strongly disliked by many non-SF fans and part of the whole steroid controversy, it makes sense to keep him off the team.

Bonds supporters are saying that he needs to be an all-star because he’s a baseball legend, regardless of what he’s doing this year. In addition, they’re asking this question -- who else on the SF Giants deserves to be on the team if not Bonds? It’s a good point.

Every team has to be represented in the game. It’s a rule. Even Tampa Bay gets one representative. So, the next question is -- who is more qualified than Bonds to be the Giants’ lone all-star? Barry Zito surely doesn’t belong there. The only other player worthy enough to merit consideration might be starting pitcher Matt Morris (7-4, 3.38 ERA).

There’s little doubt that Bonds is by far the best player on a bad team. He’s played in 69 of the Giants’ 75 games and has made some decent defensive plays on occasion; including a great catch up against the wall recently against the Oakland A’s in interleague play. He also leads the league in intentional walks, which shows that he’s still one of the most feared batters in baseball.

I think the people of San Francisco deserve to see Bonds in the all-star lineup on July 10. Let him enter the game after the third inning and pinch hit. It will be the man’s final moment in the spotlight. With all the controversy and bad karma that surrounds Barry Bonds, he’s still entitled to be there when The City by the Bay is watched by the entire professional baseball world. It’s just the right thing to do.

Why Younger Women Should Date Older Men

I've been writing for a very funny blog called The 15-Minute Dating Blog. They just published my second piece entitled, "The Top 50 Reasons Why Younger Women Should Date Older Men." It's the new thing -- young hotties going for guys who are over 50. I'm engaged, so it's not a big part of my life. But, I can't say I'm opposed to it!

Yes, It's True. I'm Excited About Yard Markers!

The creativity and variety you’ll find in the wonderfully amazing, spectacular and ever-evolving world of yard markers is a truly something to behold. Not only do they allow you to distinguish your yard from your neighbors’, but they also tell people who you are and what your attitude about life is. If you want to be sophisticated, there’s a wide range of yard markers for you. If you want to show folks that you’re fun and have a great sense of humor, there are also some great yard markers for you to choose from. I know some of you might think I’ve gone crazy gushing about yard markers, but it’s true. I love them and I really don’t care who knows it!

It's a Monster Problem Called Monster Park

After a recent series of meetings between the NFL and San Francisco 49er officials, it looks like wherever the Niners finally decide to move, it’s going to be at least a decade before a new stadium is a reality. Whether it’s in Santa Clara or at Hunters Point, the team’s fans are going to have to be satisfied with clunky, unappealing Monster Park for a long, long time.

The whole affair is a travesty and a disgrace. Monster Park is old and should be put out of its misery. The bathrooms stink with flooding toilets, the seats are uncomfortable and the entire place looks like a mall from the '70s. They should put a dome over it and make it into a prison. The Giants were smart and got out of there a long time ago. They've been playing better ever since.

San Francisco is the only city in the NFL with a sub-par facility. Ten years ago, former 49er owner Eddie DeBartolo and General Manager Carmen Policy had a very workable plan for a new stadium. Then, DeBartolo got caught up in a Louisiana gambling scandal and was forced to sell his share in the team. Policy saw the writing on the wall and fled to Cleveland to become part owner of the Browns.

Everything has gone downhill for the Niners since then. Eddie DeBartolo won a ton of Super Bowls and built a legendary dynasty. He ran a first-class operation and his players loved playing for him. Now the team is owned by Eddie’s sister Denise and run by her husband, John York.

The Niners have spent the last decade being less than mediocre and the fans are getting antsy. With a new coach and a young promising quarterback, last season was a positive one for the team and the future looks fairly bright -- except for the stadium situation, which is looking bleaker all the time.

The major dilemma here is that it’s basically impossible to get public money for a sports facility in California. We have 15 professional teams in this state and not one of them plays in a stadium or arena that was built using state money. California can’t even build proper roads, so how the heck is it going to come up with the cash to build a stadium?

Cities aren’t any better. After three unsuccessful ballot measures, the SF Giants finally built a park with their own money. AT&T Park is the only new stadium in the Bay Areas since the Oakland Coliseum opened in 1966.

So, it’s pretty evident that any new stadium for the 49ers is going to have to be funded with private money. Anyone who knows Denise DeBartolo and John York is convinced that they’re way too cheap to kick down.

So, until the planets line up perfectly, the fans will have to sit in the cold and wind – stuck with a stadium that is outdated and unacceptable by NFL standards.

It’s a monster problem and it’s called Monster Park.

The Chris Daly Show Should Be Cancelled

Mayor Gavin Newsom categorically denied ever using cocaine Wednesday and blasted Supervisor Chris Daly for raising the allegation during a jammed Board of Supervisors meeting a day earlier, saying his City Hall tactics had brought San Francisco politics to a new low.
Newsom, who earlier this year entered rehab for a drinking problem, angrily responded to reporters' questions about whether he has ever used coke, saying, "Absolutely not."
"I am associated with something that I don't do, never have, not even in the realm of reason should someone even accuse me of this," Newsom said.
The Chris Daly show is getting really old. He has opposed everything Newsom has done over the last few years and has a personal vendetta against the man. It’s okay to fight for what you and your constituents believe in, but to make allegations like this goes way over the line. To accuse someone of doing illegal drugs without definitive proof is highly irresponsible.
Where is Daly’s proof? Did he see Newsom doing coke? Did our mayor have a little white stuff on his nose one day while in City Hall? Maybe Gavin had just eaten a doughnut with powdered sugar on it. Maybe he had just powdered his nose before going before the news cameras. Seriously, these are serious accusations that Daly is making here. If he doesn’t have conclusive evidence, than he shouldn’t make the charges.
Chris Daly is a jerk, in my opinion. He loves to get his name in the papers by saying outrageous things and now he is promoting a lynch-mob mentality by saying things he can’t back up. The man should definitely be censured for these latest remarks. He is turning City Hall into a circus and he wants to be the ringleader. Newsom should sue the guy for libel.
Daly, a former housing-rights activist who is praised by many for being a passionate advocate and disliked by others for having a volatile temper, raised the allegations during a speech Tuesday at a board hearing on $6 million in proposed cuts by the mayor's office to next year's Department of Public Health budget.
The supervisor, whose district includes the city's Tenderloin and South of Market neighborhoods, said Newsom was eliminating substance-abuse treatment funds for poor people while he "artfully dodges every question about allegations of his own cocaine use."
"Where does Gavin Christopher Newsom get his substance abuse services, and how much do they cost the city and county of San Francisco?" Daly asked. The question was met with enthusiastic applause from the people who had packed into the board chambers to oppose the budget cuts.
In February, after Newsom admitted to having an affair with an aide who also was his campaign manager's wife, he said he was pursuing treatment for alcohol abuse. After these revelations, Newsom, 39, gave a television interview during which he was asked about whether rumors circulating at City Hall about him using cocaine were true. Newsom, however, did not directly answer the question, instead calling the rumors "absolutely laughable."
But on Wednesday, Newsom fired back at his political rival for broaching the subject publicly and called the allegation "so gratuitous, so erroneous that it's just patently false." He also sent a letter to Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin requesting that the board address Daly's conduct.
The cocaine comments created yet another scandal in City Hall, overshadowing Supervisor Ed Jew's headline-grabbing legal troubles. Jew faces criminal charges for allegedly falsifying records to meet residency requirements to run for supervisor last year, and the city attorney is seeking approval from the state attorney general to file a lawsuit to force Jew from office for not being a resident of his supervisory district. He also is a target of a federal public corruption investigation for accepting $40,000 from businessmen facing city permit problems.
Daly's statements ignited a whole new brouhaha, with Newsom on one side infuriated about having to answer questions about drug use in an election year and Daly on the other, saying he stands solidly behind everything he said and will not apologize.
The comments were so controversial that they drew widespread media coverage and prompted some of Daly's colleagues on the board -- many of whom typically relish any opportunity to publicly chastise the mayor -- to distance themselves from him.
"I don't see how allegations about someone's personal life furthers the public policy goals he espouses to promote," Peskin said. "The entire episode is conduct unbecoming an elected official."
Barbara O'Connor, director of the Institute for the Study of Politics and the Media at Cal State Sacramento, said there is such a thing as below-the-belt in politics, and raising allegations of cocaine use without evidence to back up the claim certainly qualifies.
"This is why the public hates politicians," she said. "They view it as people playing by different rules and civility doesn't always prevail. It's almost like reality TV in City Hall. But this isn't Jerry Springer. It's a City Hall budget hearing."
It's hardly the first time Daly, 34, has been at the center of City Hall controversy. In 2004, he escaped censure by an 8-2 vote. The push came from Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier after he had told the audience at a board committee meeting to "f- off" and walked out.
Last week, Peskin booted Daly from his post as chairman of the powerful budget committee because Daly had been engaged in a bitter public conflict with Newsom over budget priorities.
On Wednesday, Daly said he appreciated the mayor's direct answer to questions about his alleged cocaine use but said he still believes Newsom uses or has used the drug.
During an interview in his City Hall office, Daly said he had heard the rumors about cocaine in City Hall, referred to the television interview in which Newsom was asked about cocaine and also mentioned a pending lawsuit by disgruntled San Francisco police officers whose lawyers want to depose Newsom and ask about his drinking and about drug use.
Asked if he thought he owed the mayor an apology for the remarks, Daly said, "No. Any more yes-or-no questions?"
He said Newsom's political team has engaged in a smear-campaign of its own. On Wednesday, the mayor's re-election campaign sent an e-mail to supporters calling Daly's behavior irrational and said he had turned the budget process into a political circus.
Daly, on the other hand, posted a link on his city Web site to a flyer that has a picture of Newsom standing behind a bar serving drinks under the headline, "Meet the real sicko! Drug treatment for the rich and famous."
"I'm going to do my job here to defend the things that I and my constituents care about and that includes trying to stop cuts to heath programs," Daly said.
Daly had said he would run against Newsom this year if no other challenger stepped up to do it, but the supervisor backed down because he and his wife are expecting their second child shortly before the November election.
Newsom called Daly's comments about cocaine offensive, sleazy, and the cheapest of cheap shots.
"That's how low politics now has gotten in this city, and I seriously thought it couldn't get much worse," Newsom said. "He's taken it to a whole new low."

What Are You Going To Do, Ed Jew?

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom turned up the heat on Supervisor Ed Jew Tuesday, proclaiming that there is evidence that suggests the embattled lawmaker does not live in the district he represents. Newson said that the anti-Jew bandwagon is rolling down the track a little faster every day and urged him to provide a reasonable explanation quickly. Jew is in trouble, there’s no doubt about it.

The fact that Ed Jew hasn’t resigned yet has a lot of people downtown scratching their heads. Does the man think that if he just hangs on for a couple of weeks and keeps a low profile that it will all just go away? He’s deluded if he does. His attorney has accused Newsom of rushing to judgment before getting all the facts. Well, what is Jew waiting for? If I wasn’t guilty, I would present the evidence of my innocence as fast as I could. Jew is stalling and it’s pretty obvious.

Ed Jew is like a guy who got caught crashing a party and won’t leave.

Newsom expressed apprehension about Jew continuing to cast votes while the legitimacy of his claim to his office has been called into question and said he is reviewing city law to understand exactly what power he has to force Jew out of his seat.

'"The fact that I am reviewing the charter and my role ... is suggestive of the fact that there are concerns," Newsom said, adding that he found the results of a city attorney's investigation into Jew's compliance with San Francisco's residency requirements "very damning" and "quite condemning."

He asked Jew to come forward quickly with evidence that he has lived in the district in which he was elected. "Prove it," he said.

Jew was present at the weekly Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday, the day after City Attorney Dennis Herrera took what is believed to be the unprecedented step of asking the state attorney general for permission to file a lawsuit to oust a sitting supervisor.

Herrera's investigation found that while Jew has claimed his primary residence is a home owned by his father on 28th Avenue in the Sunset District, the supervisor moved to the house only recently, after media reports began questioning his residency. City law requires supervisors to have lived in the district they represent at least 30 days before filing papers to run for office.
Jew's attorney, Steven Gruel, said the mayor should not be concerned that the supervisor continues to vote on board matters. "You're drawing a conclusion without all the facts," Gruel said.

The monthlong scandal involving the freshman supervisor is in the hands of Attorney General Jerry Brown, who will decide whether the city attorney's office can sue Jew to remove him from office. That decision could take weeks.

The supervisor's troubles began in May when FBI agents raided his City Hall office, his Chinatown flower shop, the home on 28th Avenue and another home in Burlingame where Jew says he and his family spend part of their time. The federal investigation is centered on $40,000 Jew received from Sunset District businessmen who were having permit troubles in San Francisco.

Last week, San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris filed felony perjury and election law charges against Jew for allegedly lying under oath and falsifying paperwork when he claimed in candidacy papers and other documents that he lived at 2450 28th Ave.

On Tuesday, Newsom was peppered with questions about Jew during a press conference on another matter.

Under San Francisco law, Newsom has the authority to suspend and eventually remove Jew for official misconduct through the city Ethics Commission and Board of Supervisors. But the mayor said he will not take action until Jew submits to the attorney general a response to Herrera's request for authorization to sue for the supervisor's removal from office.

Jew has 15 days to make his case to the attorney general, but Newsom said he plans to encourage Jew to respond to the attorney general well in advance of the July 3 deadline.

"He should step up to the extent that he feels he is in the right and explain it in a public way," Newsom said. "I don't know that it's that complicated to explain residency. I don't know why you need 15 days. You don't need 10 days. Just come forward. Prove it. It seems like an easy thing to prove."

On Tuesday, Jew voted on a variety of city matters during the board meeting. He refused to answer questions from reporters and had to be escorted to the board chambers by a sheriff's deputy who cleared a pathway for him to walk through a throng of media.

Gruel said Jew would like to be able to discuss the allegations against him with the mayor and resolve his concerns. However, he said, the filing of criminal charges by the district attorney makes that impossible because the supervisor would put himself at risk of saying something that could be used against him by prosecutors.

"If he did have a chance ... I think (Newsom) would have been satisfied with the explanation," Gruel said.

Gruel said he and Jew's other attorneys are considering going to court to bring a halt to the city attorney's investigation until the criminal case against Jew is resolved.
Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin has asked Newsom to step in and oust Jew from the board, but Newsom has repeatedly said that he was waiting for the various investigations to be complete. Now that the city attorney's investigation is finished, Newsom said he is waiting for Jew to provide a response.

"I've tried to be very independent-minded here, and I read that report, and it's not good," Newsom said.

Both the city attorney's report and similar evidence cited by the district attorney to obtain the arrest warrant against Jew seem to offer "overwhelming evidence" that Jew does not live in the Sunset District, Newsom said.

"The accusations are codified in two reports and suggest that Ed Jew needs to step up now and make it clear why they are both wrong," Newsom said. "And he needs to do that well before the 15 days because we need to make a determination sooner than later."

Brunching It Up in San Francisco

I just added two new brunch places to www.chowbaby.com's Top 10 Brunch Spots in SF. I love a good brunch! Here are the two restaurants with excellent brunches in this city:

MAMA’S
1701 Stockton Street
San Francisco, CA 94133
(415) 362-6421
Hours: (Tues-Sun) 8:00 am-3:00 pm
This legendary North Beach/Washington Square corner brunch spot always has a long line on the sidewalk out front but it’s more than worth the wait. The place is tiny, parking is sparse and they don’t take credit cards, but those are mere distractions when you consider that the breakfast offerings are amongst the very best in the entire city. Signature favorites include Cranberry-Orange-Walnut French Toast, Hash-Browned Redskin Potatoes, Crab Benedict, the Monte Cristo with Raspberry Jam and a wide range of fluffy omelets, poached egg creations, fresh-baked breads, to-die-for pastries and world-class pancakes. Service is fast and efficient in a spot that is constantly busy.

Estimated cost per person for Brunch: $10 - $20

Holiday Schedule: New Years Day-Closed, Valentines Day-Open, Easter-Open, Thanksgiving-Open, Christmas Eve-Open, Christmas Day-Closed, New Years Eve-Open

ANZU
Hotel Nikko San Francisco, Second Level
San Francisco, CA 94111
(415) 394-1100
Hours: Breakfast: (Mon-Sun) 6:30 am-11:00 am; Lunch: (Mon-Sat) 11:30 am- 2:00 pm; Dinner: (Mon-Sun) 5:30 pm-10:00 pm; Brunch: 10:00 am-2:00 pm.
Located on the second floor of the renowned Hotel Nikko, Anzu is fresh and different and cuts no corners when it comes to putting on the ultimate brunch. Their “Smooth Jazz Champagne Brunch” features the finest in local live jazz with a different theme and completely new menu every Sunday. Blending European and Japanese cuisines, it’s East meets West in a fusion explosion of flavors and textures at Anzu. Highlights include Louisiana Crayfish Potato Salad, Dim Sum, Sushi, Roast Ribeye of Beef at the carving station and an amazing Chocolate Fondue Fountain with a plethora of dipping options. Brunches include free fruit juices, champagne and mimosas. Service is professional and experienced and there’s two hours of validated parking, which is like gold in San Francisco.

Estimated cost per person for Brunch: Adults: $50; Children: $28 (Ages 5-12)

Holiday Schedule: New Years Day-Closed, Valentines Day-Open, Easter-Open, Thanksgiving-Closed, Christmas Eve-Closed, Christmas Day-Closed, New Years Eve-Open.

Tiger is Human After All!

All of the great golf legends throughout history can breathe a sigh of relief. No matter how great you are at this game, it always has the potential to jump up and bite you on the ass. Tiger Woods has spanked the golf world for a very long time. He wins major tournaments as effortlessly as John Daly downs beers.
Woods has continually made a mockery of a very difficult and demanding game. He’s snubbed his nose at the golf gods as if to say, “What’s all the fuss about?” Well, after this weekend the whole world knows – Tiger Woods is human after all. He’s not invincible. He’s capable of choking like anyone else. The man is infallible. Woods can get rattled. He can be had.
Angel Cabrera hit all the perfect shots when he needed them most to hold off Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk by a stroke on Sunday at the U.S. Open, shooting a 1-under-par 69 at an unforgiving Oakmont and giving Argentina its first major championship in 40 years.
For the second straight time in a major, Woods played in the final group and couldn't get the job done.
Woods squandered birdie chances with his wedge and his putter, and Furyk paid for a questionable choice of driver on the 306-yard 17th hole and fell out of the lead with a bogey.
That left Cabrera all alone at the end.
The only other Argentine to win a major was Roberto de Vicenzo in the 1967 British Open at Hoylake. He was equally famous for signing for the wrong score a year later at the Masters, keeping him out of a playoff.
"It is very difficult to describe at the moment," an elated Cabrera said. "Probably tomorrow, when I wake up with this trophy beside me, I will realize I won the U.S. Open."
Cabrera made his share of mistakes – no one played spectacular golf on this brutally tough course outside Pittsburgh - but he overcame late bogeys on the 16th and 17th holes with a perfect tee shot and a par that gave him the victory.
Woods, a runner-up to unheralded Zach Johnson at the Masters, played the final 32 holes at Oakmont with only one birdie. He missed a birdie putt from 6 feet on the 13th, and the only clutch putts he made on the back nine were for par.
"He put a lot of pressure on Jim and I, and we didn't get it done," said Woods, who closed with a 72 and extended his dubious streak of never winning a major when he wasn't leading going into the final round.
Furyk, the 2003 U.S. Open champion, ran off three straight birdies on the back nine and was tied for the lead when he opted to hit driver on the 17th, where the tees were moved up. He hit so far and enough left that he had no angle to the pin, and the lie was so deep that he didn't even reach the green. His 8-foot par putt caught the lip and spun away.
Needing birdie on the final hole, Furyk dropped the club after contact, and his long putt never had a chance.