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10:35 a.m. Library director kept main library open during protests
During the Tuesday afternoon rally, as about 500 people gathered outside the city's main library at 14th and Madison streets, organizers announced that police "called the library in anticipation of our gathering and asked them to shut it down. They said, 'No,' because they know what side they are on."
The crowd exploded into cheers. On Wednesday morning, library Director Carmen Martinez said the City had supported her decision to keep the library open.
In the early afternoon Tuesday, hours before the protest arrived at the library steps, City Administrator Deanna Santana called Martinez and asked how she wanted to handle the situation, Martinez said.
"I said that we are a symbol of civil society for a lot of groups, including this one, and the folks who protested against the libraries budget cuts, and we will remain open as along as service can be continued without disruption," Martinez said. "Deanna said she understood and respected that."
Police also called to ask if the library needed any help or backup, Martinez said, but she declined.
At about 5 p.m.
Nonetheless, Martinez said, the library remains "a symbol of gathering for 1st Amendment issues. We welcome everyone unconditionally."
-- Sean Maher
10:10 a.m. Plaza fenced off
A 6-foot chain-link fence is being put up by workers around Frank Ogawa Plaza, where the tent city was dismantled yesterday by police. A red sign on the fence reads "Please Keep Out of Planting Area".
8:25 a.m. Calm returns to Frank Ogawa Plaza
The protest seems to be dispersing, not growing. Some of the protesters said earlier that they were waiting for BART to open, and now appear to have gone home. Their numbers are holding steady at about a dozen people.
Charlie Mac, 20, is one of them. He was arrested last night, just got out of jail and is still wearing a wristband. Mac lives with his grandmother in West Oakland, but had camped out in the tent city since Oct. 18.
His grandmother is in the dark: "I don't know what she knows about this, because I haven't told her anything."
He was a protester at last year's Oscar Grant protest. "I was just there to be there -- I didn't know what it was about."
He's at this protest because he wants a job.
He says the police hurt him last night, and that he was one of the ones yelling at police. "I bet as soon as the media leave the cops are gonna start back up."
Lano Rice, 29, from North Oakland, was standing next to woman in a wheelchair when police threw a tear gas device under her chair.
They kicked it away. "But it kept sparking and smoking and me and another gentleman took her and went around the corner, but we came right back.
"I wasn't scared, I was disappointed that they would do something like that."
-- Hannah Dreier
7:10 a.m. Downtown returns to life without tent city
Light traffic now flowing on Broadway and a steady stream of people in and out of BART. Street cleaners are out and people opening shops. A man is pressure-cleaning the closed plaza.
Matt, who didn't give his last name, came here from San Francisco this morning to help out. He brought a broom and spent a while sweeping up broken glass.
"Some jerks that were here threw some bottles and just cause someone wants to mess things up doesn't mean we shouldn't take some responsibility. The point isn't to make a mess and trash the city," he said.
Filipe Arenas, 56, was waiting for a bus to Jack London Square (to Amtrak) next to the protest. He saw the "Cali united against policy brutality" banner hanging on the plaza barricade and assumed this was an anti- brutality event.
"It's not about police brutality? If it's about economic justice I'd think more unemployed people would protest."
Adam Alvarado, 31, lives around the corner. "They're protesting the bailouts, I think?"
He's taking BART to work. This station was closed yesterday, but he didn't mind going to the Lake Merritt station instead. "I have options, luckily."
A city worker, who didn't want to give her name, has been ignoring the saga outside her office.
"I guess I just come to work here and then I go home."
-- Hannah Dreier
6:25 a.m. 'Stupid people who were provoking the cops'
Michael Porter, 24, works full time selling DirectTV, has camped at the Occupy Oakland site for the last 8 days.
He was disheartened to see everyone disperse last night-- down to 30 people after 3 a.m.
"We lost a lot of them because of the tear gas. And it was because of stupid people who were provoking the cops. It's random people who see a big group and are like, 'let's start a riot.' All it takes is one thing and it's like let's gas everyone. And I kind of understand where the cops are coming from as far as responding to signs of aggression. That's why we've got to keep those people out."
He's hanging around hoping to educate newcomers this morning about not provoking the police. Then he's going to sleep in his own bed for the first time in a week and then, he says, come back down.
Why? "I've always been told to be the change you want to see; I want to see more people come out"
Up to a dozen protesters, all men right now.
A plate window across the street shattered around what looks like a rubber bullet hole. Protesters telling police one of them owes someone a new window.
-- Hannah Dreier
Wednesday, 5:45 a.m. The morning after
Protesters are outnumbered by media and police this morning at Frank Ogawa Plaza outside City Hall in downtown Oakland. There are 11 protesters, a dozen police and the same number of reporters and photographers.
The plaza is relatively quiet, with protesters milling about and lightly taunting police. One protester is advocating for California secession and another warning that the media have ties to Chevron.
One officer is patrolling the grounds outside City Hall with a police dog.
Barricades have been set up along 14th Street to prevent access to the plaza. The area has been cleaned up after yesterday's melees.
Snow Park, near Lake Merritt, is empty this morning and showing no signs of protesters.
-- Robert Salonga
Tuesday, 11:03 p.m. More tear gas
TV cameras show police using more tear gas, and a reporter on the scene says it was again prompted by protesters throwing bottles at police. People are dispersing toward 15th Avenue and Broadway. Flash grenades can be heard, as well. The back-and-forth between protesters and police is expected to go on through the night.
10:41 p.m. More than 100 arrested
Interim police chief Howard Jordan told reporters that 102 people have been arrested. Police from other agencies are involved in trying to disperse the protests. Some people are starting to reconvene near Frank Ogawa Plaza.
10:36 p.m. Police using tear gas
Police are using tear gas against protesters who have gathered again at Frank Ogawa Plaza, at least the second time on Tuesday they've deployed the tear gas. Witnesses at the scene say protesters threw bottles at police before the tear gas was released. Protesters dispersed to the east of Broadway, and the gas fumes were heavy in the air. Between 200 and 300 protesters gathered for an earlier round at Frank Ogawa Plaza before the confrontation took place.
Protesters continue to regroup, march toward Frank Ogawa Plaza
A group of protesters has regrouped and is now returning to Frank Ogawa Plaza, near where police deployed tear gas earlier.
10:10 p.m. Protesters regroup, march toward Frank Ogawa Plaza
A group of protesters has regrouped and is now returning to Frank Ogawa Plaza, near where police deployed tear gas earlier.
9:30 p.m. Police deploy tear gas two more times
Police have lobbed tear gas canisters into a crowd of protesters at 14th and Broadway.
8:35 p.m. Police cruiser windows smashed with a rock
Protesters have smashed a CHP car that was parked at 16th Street and Broadway.
8:30 p.m. Protesters marching toward City Hall
After scattering when police set off tear gas, protesters are marching again, heading down Broadway t on their way back to City Hall. Police are not following the crowd, but continue to stand sentry at Frank H. Ogawa Plaza.
7:55 p.m. Police continue threats as crowd grows again on Broadway
Police are continuing to threaten to use chemical agents against the crowd that is refusing to disperse on Broadway.
7:45 p.m. Police deploy tear gas
After repeated warnings, police have deployed tear gas and wooden dowells against the crowd of protesters at 14th and Broadway, near Frank Ogawa Plaza. As the tear gas canisters exploded in sparks, the crowd scattered toward 15th and Broadway.
7 p.m. Marchers pause at 20th and Franklin for rally
At 20th and Franklin streets in front of the California Nurses Association building having a rally. There are still at least 200 people in the street, blocking the intersection. At least three helicopters are circling overhead.
6:30 p.m. Protesters have five minute to leave
A man tried to start a fight with a police officer, sparking police to call an unlawful assembly. They have given the protesters five minutes to leave. Police have surrounded Frank H. Ogawa Plaza and are telling the protesters that if they refuse to move, they will be arrested. The protesters, possibly as many as 1,000 people, are all gathered at 14th street and Broadway. Over the last 30 minutes, police have launched wooden dowls and some concussion grenades into the crowds. It was not immediately known how many protesters, if any, were hit. An Oakland Tribune news photographer was hit with something launched by police. At least two people have been arrested since the rally and march kicked off at 4 p.m. Many in the crowd are wearing bandanas, possibly to protect themselve if the police use tear gas. Sirens are sounding, motorcycle police from many agencies are in downtown and there is general chaos as police try and clear out the massive amount of people.
6:10 p.m. Unlawful assembly declared
Police have declared an unlawful assembly and protests are heading toward Broadway. A few minutes ago, police pushed people away from the Oakland Police Department headquarters at 7th and Washington streets. Protesters tossed paint on riot police. At least one person has been arrested. There are reports that concussion gernades are being used on the protesters.
6 p.m. Crowd not obeying police orders, but nonviolent
At least 500 protesters continue to make their way toward downtown toward the jail. At 8th Street, a thin line of police officers on foot and on bikes held off marchers, who turned down Clay Street instead. There are more people marching right now than were ousted from the plaza Tuesday morning. The protesters are now at 7th and Washington streets and have crossed several thin police lines. They have now been blocked by a thicker line of police officers.
5:35 p.m. Hundreds of spirited protesters marching to jail and then to plaza
At least 500 people are carrying signs, flags and banners, and blocking downtown streets as they head to the Oakland jail and then back to Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, where crews continue to clean up overturned tents, garbage and put personal belongings in storage. Crews are logging property recovered from the plaza and storing them in a city warehouse until retrieved by the rightful owners. More information is at: www2.oaklandnet.com/oak031906.
Four helicopters are monitoring the march.
4:55 p.m. About 500 gathered in downtown
About 500 people have blocked 14th Street in both directions and are chanting "power to the people, and threatening to take over Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, about 12 hours after police rousted hundreds from their tents and arrested more than 1oo.
"We are going to march and reclaim what was already ours, what we call Oscar Grant Plaza and what they call City Hall,'' one marcher said.
Meanwhile, AC Transit buses have returned to their regular routes through downtown Oakland, except for the Line 26, which has been diverted from 14th Street between Broadway and Clay Street.
2:28 p.m. Arrestees being booked, held on $10,000 bail
Occupy Oakland organizers say arrestees are being booked at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin on $10,000 bail each and held until an arraignment on Thursday. Organizers are asking supporters to contact Alameda County Sheriff's Office and Mayor Jean Quan to "demand cite and release."
11:48 a.m. Labor council leader condemns encampment shutdown.
Josie Camacho, a leader in the Alameda Labor Council, is announcing a news conference at 6th and Washington streets right now, condemning the camp's shutdown as "an unprovoked raid on peaceful protesters."
Given the nation's fiscal woes, Camacho said in a prepared statement, "this outrageous act to silence the voices of the protesters puts Mayor Quan and the City Council on the wrong side of history. At a time when resources are stretched in Oakland it is shameful that City funds are expended to silence the voices of the people."
Camacho added, "We oppose the eviction and call on the City of Oakland to release the arrested, drop the charges, restore the occupation or otherwise reverse this silencing of the voice of the majority of Americans."
10:45 a.m. All clear issued for city employees and downtown employers
City Hall is now asking city employees to return to work and encouraging downtown businesses to open. City Administrator spokesperson Karen Boyd said city buildings surrounding Frank H. Ogawa Plaza are closed to the public "until public health and safety conditions can be improved; this includes debris, human waste and hazardous materials removal."
All City Council committee meetings have been canceled. Ironically, the shutdown of a protest about lack of jobs and economic opportunity for many Americans has also canceled the city council's meeting on economic development.
10:15 a.m. Occupy SF offers support
Occupy San Francisco protesters are offering refuge in their camp for protesters ousted from their Oakland camp this morning. The San Francisco group's Twitter account asks the Oakland group to let them know how they can offer support, and suggests sending people who need rest to the San Francisco camp in Justin Herman Plaza, just across the Bay Bridge from downtown Oakland.
Meanwhile, Occupy Oakland have put out the call on Twitter and elsewhere for supporters to gather at 4 p.m. at the Oakland Public Library, 14th and Madison streets.
9:30 a.m. City press briefing
At a press briefing at City Hall, Police Chief Howard Jordan said 75 arrests were made and the police operation went smoothly, without injuries to police or protesters. No children were found at the camp. Dogs and their owners were allowed to leave.
Tear gas was used, as well as bean bag rounds, officials said. The operation will be investigated and reviewed, according to Jordan.
The hundreds of law enforcement officers at the scene came from departments around the Bay Area, including the Alameda County Sheriff's Deapartment, Berkeley, UC Berkeley, Hayward, Fremont, Pleasanton, Union City Newark, Alameda, the CHP, Santa Clara, San Francisco and San Jose.
8:45 a.m. City officials survey the damage
City officials are conducting a walk-through of the Frank H. Ogawa Plaza aftermath to assess the condition of the plaza and the downtown area, according to a statement from the police department.
Officials plan to update advisory for downtown employers and city employees by 9 a.m. Earlier, they had urged employers to delay starting work downtown this morning.
Officials will be available for a media briefing this morning at 9 a.m.
Current road closures downtown: Clay Street between 12th and 14th streets and Broadway between 12th and 14th streets
8:30 a.m. Protesters remain downtown
About two dozen protesters remain across the street from City Hall, where the camp has been dismantled. Tensions escalated considerably when one protester pushed through a barricade and was taken away by police.
About 50 police officers are in place to keep any protesters from re-entering the plaza.
7:37 a.m. Downtown Oakland BART station reopens
The Oakland City Center 12th street station is now open, according to BART. Currently only the 11th street entrance/exit is open at this time.
7:15 a.m. Snow Park camp closed
Police have shut down the Snow Park encampment at 19th and Harrison streets near Lake Merritt.
Officers made numerous arrests, taking protesters away in vans, without any apparent violence.
Several protesters ran around into the nearby streets upending trash cans and Dumpsters, throwing trash into the streets.
The camp is now basically empty, with a few people standing around and the remainders of several tents lying haphazardly in the grass.
6:40 a.m. BART closes downtown station
The 12th Street BART station is closed because of the protests and police action and AC Transit is rerouting buses downtown.
6:15 a.m. Police descend on Snow Park camp
Dozens of police officers are moving into Snow Park near Lake Merritt. An officer is using a bullhorn to tell protesters to leave the small park. Police are ripping down the tents and protesters are yelling "go away, go away."
"Attention protesters at Snow Park, this is the Oakland Police Department, you are in violation of the law. You must comply with this announcement. It has been determined that you are illegally lodging and are subject to arrest. To avoid arrest, you must gather all your belongings and vacate the park. You must comply with this announcement now." Protesters are yelling "police state, police state" and "rise up, rise up, against your masters." Police are forming a line to protect the people who have been arrested and put in police vehicles. Protesters claim they have the right to assemble and yell "shame, shame, shame, shame,"
5:30 a.m. Protesters cleared from plaza, tent city gone
On a side street off Broadway between 14th and 15th streets, a police line is keeping about 20 or 30 people out of the plaza as the protesters chant: "rise up, rise up, come on people rise up." Police said there were about 200 police from Oakland and other agencies involved in the raid. Police said a few protesters threw bottles at first, but then stopped.
A large group of police are mulling around the plaza. There are no more protesters in the plaza. All have been pushed out or left on their own. Three helicopters continue to circle above the scene. Clean up crews will be moving in soon and they have a lot off work ahead. The place is a complete mess with a couch is on its side and carpet and tents strewed everywhere.
5:20 a.m. City issues warning to downtown businesses
The city is advising employers to delay the arrival of employees downtown until further notice. Police have cleared the protesters from the Occupy Oakland camp at Frank H. Ogawa Plaza and are now starting the clean up phase.
5:15 a.m. Tent city destroyed
Hundreds of police in riot gear continue to move into the camp and arrest people. Already dozens have been arrested and the camp destroyed. Most of the arrests seem relatively peaceful. Some have moved out on their own. There is massive amounts of destruction at the camp.
Police tore down tents and wooden stalls that had housed medical aid and food. Garbage cans are overturned. Some police have shotguns and all have clubs out. There is a small protest of about 50 people taking shape just off Broadway near 14th Street. People are banging drums and chanting "We are the 99 percent."
Media and TV crews everywhere. An officials with a bullhorn is issuing directive to campers. Police have now classified the area as a crime scene, but nothing violent has occurred. Looks like a hurricane has come through the camp. Entire raid was over in about 20 minutes. On the north end of the plaza, police have formed a line and are pushing about two dozen protesters into the street. Chaotic as the protesters yell at police. One protesters said "Police are the biggest gang in America."
5 a.m. Police move in
Police have donned gas masks and some kind of smoke has been released. There is a ring of police surrounding the plaza. In addition, police have blocked off the intersection of 14th and Broadway.
Police are dismantling the barricades and throwing them into the streets and also tearing down signs, ripping them up.
Protesters are sitting down, and police are now leading them away, handcuffed. Police in masks are moving into the camps.
4:50 a.m. Police surround camp
Police are now moving in from the street into the plaza, telling media to move. Police have set up security corridor, placing media behind them. Police are telling the protesters via bullhorn that "chemical agents" will be used and are repeating that they are illegally camped.
Using a bullhorn, police are announcing their intention to remove anyone from the plaza, repeating instructions over and over again. Taking out billy clubs, they are starting to move in. So far, police have not entered the actual encampment. A lot of television truck are parked nearby and media are assembling as well.
4:40 a.m. Police arrive
Several police cars have arrived. The protesters are running around, throwing things at the police. Riot police with batons full riot gear have assembled on the corner of 14th and Broadway.
Police are lined up from 14th to 15th, at least 100 riot police. Protesters are chanting "Police go home, cops go home " and banging sticks on anything they can find.
A helicopter is hovering over the plaza, shining a spotlight down on the camp.
Homeless people are leaving the camp, trying to get out.
Activists with Occupy Oakland report that police appear to be moving in early Tuesday morning near the encampment on the lawn outside of Oakland City Hall.
Police have been seen walking the perimeter of the camp, but have not gone in as of 3:30 a.m., according to the group, which has occupied a tent city for two weeks.
At the side of the camp near 14th Street and Broadway, people have put up at least two metal Dumpsters to block the area and wooden crates have been placed near the Clay Street side of the camp in an attempt to keep police out. In addition, people are covering their faces with bandannas and one made is carrying a giant shield he fashioned out of duct tape.
3 a.m. Camp braces for police raid
At about 3 a.m., the Occupy Oakland camp leaders sent out a text message, citing "heavy" police presence and then sent out another alert to supporters: "Get here immediately. Lines of riot cops marking toward camp."
More than 300 people have been camping in Oakland to support the Occupy Wall Street movement, which started on Sept. 17 in New York City to protest widespread unemployment and corporate greed.
The loose-knit group occupied the plaza two weeks ago to protest widespread unemployment and corporate greed, but the encampment has grown to encompass many other causes: support for state prison inmates who are on hunger strikes, housing rights, fair wages and against social oppression.
City officials began stepping up pressure on the protesters last week and on Friday upped the stakes by issuing a letter stating that the encampment on Frank H. Ogawa Plaza was "a violation of the law" and threatening violators with immediate arrest.
The "notice of violations and demand to cease violations" came a day after a preliminary letter that urged the residents to vacate the camp because of what the city said were a host of problems, including fighting, vandalism, public urination and other sanitation and public health issues. Officials said an existing rat problem in the area was being made worse by the encampment, which had about 100 tents at one point.
A spokeswoman for the mayor, Karen Boyd, said Friday that the protesters had shown themselves incapable of self-governance. "As a collective, they cannot maintain te plaza in a safe condition," she said.
Staff writers Sean Maher, Cecily Burt and Angela Woodall contributed to this report.


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I agree. Maybe someone could start a collection of plastic to sell on ebay or something. You are in our thoughts, get well bud.Abe Froman wrote:Grimm wrote:all the Whack-off money from the Whack-off in a couple weeks should be donated to Wieben.
Praying for a successful operation and recovery. This has nothing to do with DG and everything to do with what actually means something in life. Get well my friend


text: Journey back in time to the crisp Moscow autumn days of yesteryear. Grab a program and a seat on the fifty-yard-line for some old time college football, Vandals style! Witness the tradition of Idaho gridiron history as it unfolds through these rare, authentic reproductions of actual souvenir game program covers from the early 1900s to 1970s. The calendars are part of a collectible series that features a completely different set of carefully restored vintage covers each year.


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Person of the Year: Chubby You-Know-Who
By Kyong-Ae Choi and Alastair Gale
On New Year's Eve 2011, Park Jae-sang probably shared a bottle—or seven—of soju with friends while celebrating his 35th birthday (he was born on Dec. 31, 1977).
This year, he'll be one of the headline acts performing in New York's Times Square.
What a year it's been for Mr. Park, aka Psy, the undisputed person of the year in a poll of the staff of The Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones in Seoul.
He's held court at the UK's Oxford University, gabbed with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, performed with Madonna and for Barack Obama, and attracted criticism—followed by an apology–for an anti-American rant several years ago. Along the way he's gotten plenty of people around the world doing the nutty horse dance.
Second place in our poll went to Park Geun-hye, soon to be the country's first female leader. Ms. Park ultimately won December's presidential election comfortably, but has already run into criticism for some of the choices for her transition team, including a right-wing newspaper columnist as her spokesman.
She takes over the presidency at the end of February.
Last year's winner in our poll, Kim Jong Eun, finished in third place this year. Mr. Kim appears to have solidified his position as North Korean dictator by disposing of senior military figures, while his propagandists sell him domestically as a compassionate, accomplished leader in order to seek general acceptance.
But for all the showmanship and state media accounts of his supposed achievements, one year on from his sudden ascension to power, there's little to indicate Mr. Kim intends to lead North Korea out of isolation and poverty.
In fourth spot was doctor-turned-entrepreneur-turned-professor Ahn Cheol-soo, who dropped a bomb on South Korea's calcified political scene in September by entering the race for the presidency as an independent and promising "new politics".
That bomb remained unexploded, however, as Mr. Ahn blinked first in a stare-off against Moon Jae-in for the unified liberal candidacy, defeated by Mr. Moon's party machine.
The tussle with Mr. Ahn may have cost Mr. Moon, who finished fifth in our poll, a realistic shot at the presidency, although demographic and other trends make it increasingly harder for left-of-center candidates in South Korea elections.
Other figures who didn't make the top five include Ri Sol Ju, who was introduced to the world as Kim Jong Eun's wife this year but has reportedly fled the country, and film director Kim Ki-duk who won Golden Lion prize at the Venice Film Festival for "Pieta."
But top dog in our poll by a big margin was the chubby, feisty showman.
Happy Birthday, Psy.


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A nice Cheerios advertisement whose only discernible difference from other Cheerios commercials is that it depicts an interracial family was forced to disable its YouTube comments section today after it became inundated with virulent racism.
Despite the hate, Camille Gibson, vice president of marketing for Cheerios, told us in a statement, "Consumers have responded positively to our new Cheerios ad. At Cheerios, we know there are many kinds of families and we celebrate them all."
Segregationists still looking to tell the world how angry they are about a cereal commercial can do so at Reddit—"Shoving multi-culturism down our throats when we know it fails.. awesome"—or here, in Kinja.


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PC Makers Seek Software Boost
Asian PC makers are seeking to step up software offerings on their machines as content and services become increasingly important factors in winning over customers.
Microsoft and Google are breaking into the hardware segment, threatening the market share of traditional PC makers. At the same time, users of smartphones and tablets are increasingly looking beyond hardware specs to features that would help enhance their everyday experience with the devices.
While U.S. PC makers have been buying up software firms for a few years now in their transition to become technology service providers, Asian PC makers have only recently wised up to the opportunity.
China's Lenovo Group, the region's biggest PC maker, recently made its first purchase of a software developer. Lenovo said its acquisition of U.S.-based cloud-computing firm Stoneware Inc. is "critical" to its new strategy and will help expand services that allow customers to link devices directly over the Internet across an array of devices.
The move followed Acer's purchase of cloud software maker iGware Inc. in 2011, in an effort to tap the cloud computing market. Acer has also developed or licensed dozens of mobile applications, some preinstalled in its notebook PCs and tablets, as the struggling firm seeks a way to claw back some market share.
Taiwan's Asustek Computer is licensing a 3D motion control technology from U.S.-based Leap Motion Inc. that could allow a user to control a computer using gestures.
Jonney Shih, chairman of Asustek, said in a recent interview that buying software developers or licensing advanced programs makes more sense at the moment for his company than acquiring another PC maker.
"We think (acquiring software developers) is a more strategic reason in growing when we try to drive innovation," Mr. Shih said. He added he was particularly interested in cloud computing and "more human, perceptual computing."
A manager at the world's largest contract maker of laptop computers Quanta Computer, said the hardware industry is even starting to delve into software at the level of contract manufacturers, which traditionally focused on just putting metal bits together to make machines.
"We are talking more to software makers recently to do exclusive deals for our clients," said the Quanta manager, who declined to be named. "Now software is a more important differentiator and hardware makers are more open to the idea."
Yuanta analyst Vincent Chen said: "It's a stepping stone for [hardware makers] to really breach into the content area. But the question is whether they will be able to find a way to make money from it."


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Video Used a JagStings' video maker had shot a music video for the "Desert Rose" song. It featured Sting taking a trip through the desert in a stylish, chauferred car on his way to a nightclub to perform the song with Cheb Mami. The car they chose to shoot the video was a new Jaguar S-Type. In fact, when the video was completed, Sting's manager, Miles Copeland, thought it looked a lot like a car commercial. He then sent it to Jaguar's advertising agency and asked them to make their car commercial look like the video in exchange for free use of the song. The Jaguar people loved the tape as soon as they saw it. Sting then licensed "Desert Rose" to Jaguar and the two sides then collaborated on the project for developing the TV commercials, which were similar to the video. (Various versions of the video appear on You Tube and elsewhere.)
Jaguar's advertising agency, Ogilvy & Mather of New York developed two TV spots — a 30-second and a 60-second version in a campaign they titled, "Sting S-Type." It first began running on March 20, 2000 in the U.S. By August 2000, the ads began appearing in several international markets as well. The spots used footage from the Sting music video along with previous Jaguar footage. "Everyone dreams of becoming a rock star. What then do rock stars dream of?"
– Jaguar's 'Sting-S-Type' TV ad "To have Sting in our car and the 'Desert Rose' music behind the product is what marketing executives dream about," explained Jaguar's Al Saltiel, general marketing manager. "With the introduction of the S-Type last year and the upcoming launch of the X-400, one of our key strategic goals is to reach a broader market. We believe this campaign will help us do that." The voice-over in the spots and the ad's main line — "What do rock stars dream of" — grew out of the lyrics in Sting's song. "Desert Rose" is based on a dream," explained Ogilvy & Mather's Anton Crone, describing the ad's theme. "And from that we got the line, 'Everyone dreams of becoming a rock star. What then do rock stars dream of?' " The answer: riding in a Jaguar S-Type, of course.
". . .'Desert Rose' was a moderately successful U.K. single, but in the States it became a phenomenon, turning into one of the biggest sleepers for some time," explains one summary of the song at Sting's website. The song ran for a good six months on the U.S. music charts and had "top ten" showing all across Europe. "[The Jaguar] TV commercial proved an excellent piece of marketing, with the song being continually exposed to mainstream TV audiences, who got 30 seconds of prime Sting when they least expected it." The song ran for a good six months on the U.S. music charts and had "top ten" showing all across Europe. It became Sting's biggest hit in 10 years. It also lifted the album Brand New Day to become one of Sting's best selling ever. By January 2001, the album had sold more than three million copies (triple platinum). The album also won several Grammys for the year 2000. At the Grammy awards ceremony, Sting performed "Desert Rose" with his collaborator, Cheb Mami.
Desert Rose
I dream of rain
I dream of fire
This desert rose
And as she turns
I dream of rain
I dream of rain
I dream of rain
Sweet desert rose
Sweet desert rose
In September 2000, Sting performed the song with Cheb Mami, among others, at a Sting concert in New York's Central Park before 20,000 fans who were given free tickets by the chain store Best Buy, then making its debut in the New York market. Ann Powers, reporting for The New York Times, made the follow- ing observations on the concert and Sting:
…No one seemed the least bothered by Best Buy's ubiquity at Central Park; such deals do not undermine Sting's credibility because they are utterly congruous with his image. Sting's music is the sound of money well spent. His signature mix of torchy balladry and uplifting dance pop can absorb almost any outside influences, and he furnishes his songs with cosmopolitan touches like the Algerian rai music that underlies "Desert Rose" or the Cuban conjunto rhythms that occasionally enlivened Tuesday's show. It's the old colonialist way, updated for an age of corporate, rather than state, domination: if you love something, buy it up. It's possible to view Sting's genre-shopping as artistically commendable. After all, this is pop, whose essence is assimilation. In his groundbreaking band the Police, Sting rubbed reggae against punk to create a hybrid whose energy reflected the anxiety caused by such miscegenation. As he matured, Sting grew suspicious of rock's amateurishness and moved toward an ideal based in poised musical interplay instead of conflict. His belief in a true world music led him to form outstanding bands, including the one appearing Tuesday. It also pushed his music toward a rootlessness that can seem decadent.
His cosmopolitanism illuminates when it holds that seed of self-awareness. It's there in "Desert Rose," in the amazing second vocal by Cheb Mami, the Algerian rai vocalist who joined Sting as an opening act at the concert. Sting, the Englishman, can nearly match the North African's sinewy technique, but Sting's fairy-tale lyrics about a veiled seductress are undermined by the immediacy of Cheb Mami's voice. Performing the song with him, Sting finally surrendered, allowing his partner to lead its final crescendo. Humbly giving over to his inspiration, Sting proved himself a sensitive collaborator…
Sting also performed the song on the 2001 Superbowl pre-game show, reaching an audience in the millions. "Desert Rose" also became a regular song featured on Sting's 'Brand New Day' world tour. So in many ways, the Jaguar deal proved a powerful catalyst for Sting's new music; providing lift off for "Desert Rose" and the album.
Before making the deal with Jaguar, Sting's record company had planned on selling about 1 million albums. Their marketing and promotion budget had been estimated at about $1.8 million, including $800,000 to make the "Desert Rose" video. Jaguar, by comparison, shelled out about $8 million for the TV commercial time, and gave the song exposure to a global audience Sting might not have reached with its own marketing. To date, Sting's Brand New Day album has sold over 4 million copies.
Jaguar's Ad Music
Desert Rose
Jaguar for its part, was quite happy to have used the Sting song, and the experience appears to have had an impact on Jaguar's thinking about how to package itself thereafter. Owned by the U.S. auto giant Ford, Jaguar is the venerable U.K. car company known for its luxury cars, but also for its somewhat stuffy image. However, in the last several years, Jaguar has continued to use popular music in other car ads — from Deep Purple's "Hush", a 1968 hit, to Spoon's more current tune, "I Turn My Camera On." Songs by Clash, Queen, Moby and Propellerhead have also been used. Granted, not all of these have worked as well as Sting's "Desert Rose." Yet taken together, such pop and progressive music tracks are helping to give Jaguar a new brand image, which in turn helps the company reach into new groups of potential buyers.
New Song vs. Old Song
On the artist side of the equation, a few years after Sting's success using the Jaguar ad, other artists followed allowing their music and/or image to be used in product advertising, including Bob Dylan, Sheryl Crow, and Paul McCartney. However, some of the artists, like Sting, were using TV ads not so much to capitalize on older music, but as a way to help launch new songs or albums. Music fans are often offended to find their favorite old songs appearing in TV ads. They call it "selling out" and regard the advertising as a crass exploitation of the emotional connection built up over their years with song and artist. However, a new song used in a commercial, unknown and without a track record — no "emotional constituency," so to speak — might be seen somewhat differently. Artists argue that given the tougher climate in the music industry and the keen competition out there, a new song needs all the help it can get. And TV spots are a good way to get noticed. Still, one car company ad or beer commercial does not always mean immediate pop success for the artist. And the chosen sponsor can also carry baggage that the artists' fan base does not like. For the sponsor too, the chosen music can boomerang on the company or turn off other customers. Music fans, meanwhile, remain divided on the practice, whether old song or new, with some being more vehement about it than others.
For additional stories on music and marketing at this website, see, for example: "Nike & The Beatles, 1988-1989"; "Big Chill Marketing, 1980s-1990s"; and, "Google & Gaga, 2011". See also the "Madison Avenue" category page for more story choices on music and marketing and other advertising topics. Thanks for visiting – and if you like what you find here, please consider making a donation to help support this website. Thank you. – Jack Doyle
Please Support
Thank You
Date Posted: 27 September 2008
Last Update: 11 July 2015
Comments to: firstname.lastname@example.com
Article Citation:
Jack Doyle, "Sting & Jaguar, 1999-2001,"
PopHistoryDig.com, September 27, 2008.
Sources, Links & Additional Information"Song Details, Desert Rose," Sting.com.
Jaguar website, Jaguar.com.
Desert Rose Remix video at You Tube.
"In Rock Stars' Dreams — The Jaguar S-Type," Automotive Intelligence News, March 16, 2000.
Cherie DeLory, "Sting Rides a Jaguar S-Type," 'boards, March 23, 2000.
Ann Powers, Pop Review, "It's Sting's World: Exoticism, Torchy Ballads and the Good Life," New York Times, September 14, 2000.
Phil Patton, "Like the Song, Love the Car," New York Times, September 15, 2002.
John Schacht, "Sting Pioneers Revolutionary Trail to TV Commercials," Creative Loafing.com, published 09.01.04.
Bill Flanagan, "Selling Records Or Selling Out?," CBS Sunday Morning, February 26, 2006.
Janet Morrissey, "If It's Retail, Is It Still Rock?," New York Times, October 28, 2007.
"Jaguar TV Ad's Greatest Hits," Rhapsody Radish, February 20, 2007.
"Desert Rose," SongFacts.com.
"Desert Rose" and "Sting," Wikipedia.org.


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Roger Simon's SCATHING PIECE on congressional Republicans includes this telling passage:
Rep. Marlin Stutzman [above] said on Saturday: �Obamacare is based on limitless government, bureaucratic arrogance and a disregard for the will of the people.�
Except Congress passed Obamacare, the president signed it, the Supreme Court upheld it, Obama campaigned on it a second time and was reelected. So in what manner was the will of the people disregarded?
And since when did the extremists in Congress care about the will of the people? Is it the will of the people that government be closed, salaries stopped, services suspended?...
Read more


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Every now and then in the recording industry a classic comes along, a record with such vitality and creative genius that it endures for decades to come. Recorded on July 29, 1957 in New York City, Tito Puentes Top Percussion is one such classic.
This record was made during an Afro-Cuban musical renaissance that occurred in America roughly from the mid 1950s to early 1960s. Quite a few recordings were made which featured the small handful of Cuban master percussionists living in the U.S. at the time. The range of styles from this era included Afro-Cuban folkloric drumming to Latin jazz collaborations between Cuban percussionists and the leading jazz artists of the day. Unfortunately, there were also some watered-down and commercialized attempts made during this period to wed Cuban and American popular music.
Not to worry though, Top Percussion is anything but watered-down. the musicians on this record have given us a wonderful gift by showing what they are capable of doing. Because of its musical integrity, its as hip today as it ever was.
Even by today's standards, the sound clarity and high production quality of Top Percussion is note worthy. The late fifties was the era of hi-fi and the beginning of the stereophonic revolution of the LP. RCA promoted it as Living Stereo! This re-release on CD was digitally remastered directly from the original stereo analog tapes.
New York born, Puerto Rican-American Tito Puente is at his peak here, living up to his title as El Rey Del Timbal. Joining him are master Cuban percussionists Mongo Santamaria, Francisco Aguabella, Julito Collazo and the late American born Willie Bobo. Each of these artists are legends in their own right. On Top Percussion they are all young, in their prime, and hot!
Puente created two distinct parts to this record. One half consists of Afro-Cuban folkloric percussion with call and response singing, and the other features the heart of the latin bands rhythm section: congas, bongos, timbales and string bass.
On the first six cuts Julito Collazo and Francisco Aguabella demonstrate their expertise in the sacred music of the Lucumi (Yoruba in Cuba). We hear Bembe, Guiro and Iyesa. Collazo plays exquisite chekere and sings the lead on "Eleguara," "Bragada," "Oguere Madeo" and "Obaricoso." Aguabella sings lead on "Obatala Yeza" and "Alaumba Chemaché." These two also took a few artistic liberties within the traditional musical forms. For instance, on "Obatala Yeza" theres a Iyesa lead drum being played as well as a lead Bata drum(lya). Aguabella plays the Iyesa lead taking turns improvising with Collazo, whos playing the lead Bata drum part.
"Conga Alegre" is a Comparsa. This is the music thats played in the streets during the time of Carnaval; a sort of Cuban Samba. The smoking quinto heard on this cut is played by Mongo Santamaria.
I have to hand it to Tito Puente for giving his side-men the opportunity to shine like this. However, Ive always felt that one of the cowbells on the Iyesas and the snare drum on Conga Alegre were a bit too high up in the mix. Could these be the instruments that Puente is playing? If so, its a forgivable indulgence.
"Four by Two" and "Hot Timbales" are a couple of unique compositions that feature the timbales. The intensity is almost too much to bear. "Mon Ti" is a five minute timbale solo by Puente with Mongo holding down the bottom on congas. In my opinion this is one of the greatest timbale solos of all time. I dont seem to ever get tired of it.
"Ti Mon Bo" is a moderately slow number featuring Tito on timbales, Mongo on congas and Willie on bongos. Willie Bobo made a name for himself as a timbale player, but on this cut he shows what a gifted bongo player he is as well.
Finally, the CD bonus cut is "Night Ritual" from the LP Night Beat also recorded in 1957. "Night Ritual" is an Afro-Cuban Jazz suite played by a large band consisting of seventeen musicians. The "Afro-Cuban Jazz Suite" was made popular by Dizzy Gillespie and Machito and can be heard on Mario Bauzas recent release Tanga. "Night Ritual" is important from a historical perspective but its the only selection on the CD that sounds dated.
One consequence of the political polarity between Cuba and the United States has been a shortage of authentic recordings of Afro-Cuban percussion available in this country. Because of that sad fact, Top Percussion has been for many years, one of the few works of this type in American record stores. Many percussion teachers and performers today grew up listening and studying it.
Things started to change with the 1980 Mariel boat lift in which great scores of Cubans arrived in America. Since that time there has been more recorded Cuban music here as well as actual Cuban master percussionists. That has meant much more information has become available on Afro-Cuban percussion. However, it was those few records such as Top Percussion that paved the way and gave us all the foundation necessary in order to absorb the newer information.
Im very happy to have a CD of Top Percussion. My old LP was worn out.


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It's a sneaker. It's a boat shoe. It's both, and it's pretty amazing. The Converse Chuck Taylor Pro Leather Nautical shoes can be worn when you're taking your sailboat out on the water (or just enjoying time on a friend's), and need some traction back on the streets.
A spin off the Converse Classic Pro Leather shoes, these high tops play with the timeless classic design of the Pro Leather, but are equipped with moc toe construction and washed canvas upper.
What results is a Converse shoe style that's new and fresh, but that also has quality durability, especially with their thick rubber outsole. When the boat gets rocked you'll be ready.


text:
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Subscribe and save 5% with Regular Tea Rituals, our Auto-Delivery Program. Details


text:
- Apr 23:
- Boston bombing suspect's wife is 'nice,' 'sweet' American convert to Islam
- Boston bombing victim Martin Richard, 8, laid to rest privately
- Older Boston bombing suspect frequently visited jihadist websites, U.S. officials say
- Apr 21:
- Top cop says Boston bomb suspects likely planning more attacks
- Governor: Video shows Boston bomb suspect placing backpack
- Police: Boston bomber may have been killed by his own brother
- Apr 20:
- Doctor: Boston suspect had so many wounds he couldn't tell which was fatal
- Authorities arrest two in town where Boston bombing suspect may have lived
- Boston bombing suspect hospitalized following arrest
- Apr 19:
- Boston bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev's mother-in-law sickened by attack
- Boston Red Sox, Bruins postpone games during manhunt
- Boston bombings: Television can only 'hurry up and wait'
- Boston bombing suspect's U-Mass Dartmouth classmates: He was 'calm,' 'cool,' 'laid back'
- Boston bombing suspects' sister says she doesn't know what got into them
- Boston bombing suspects' uncle, 'ashamed,' asks nephew to turn himself in
- Boston bombing suspects spent night in Honda before carjacking a Mercedes
- Boston manhunt: MIT police chief says slain officer Sean Collier was dedicated, well-liked
- Boston manhunt: Chronology of chaotic search for suspects in marathon bombing
- Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev captured alive, police say
- Boston bombing suspects: Who are the two brothers?
- Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev captured alive, police say
- Apr 18:
- Boston bombing suspect on video sought; Obama at memorial: 'You will run again'
- Apr 17:
- Boston bombing: Feds deny reports of suspect in custody
- Source: Authorities recover Boston bombing pressure cooker lid
- Apr 19:
- Recovery fund established for Martinez boy injured in Boston Marathon bombings
- Boston bombings: TV networks plan prime-time coverage
- Boston bombings: Television can only 'hurry up and wait'
- Boston bombing suspects: Who are the two brothers?
- Apr 18:
- Boston Marathon bombings: Martinez boy takes 'huge step forward' in his recovery
- Boston bombing suspect on video sought; Obama at memorial: 'You will run again'
- Apr 17:
- Fremont manufacturer's battery was used in Boston bombings
- Boston Marathon bombing: Martinez boy's surgery a success
- Source: Authorities recover pressure cooker lid
- Apr 16:
- Oakland: Vigil, run planned to to honor Boston Marathon victims
- Restaurant manager Krystle Campbell, 29, ID'd as victim in Boston bombing
- Boston bombers will be found and punished
- Boston Marathon bombs were packed into pressure cookers filled with shrapnel
- Apr 15:
- Boston Marathon bombings: Martinez boy, 12, injured by shrapnel, expected to recover
- Purdy: Remember Boston bombing next time in line
- Google helping friends, family locate Boston Marathon runners
- At least one from Bay Area wounded at Boston Marathon
- Boston Marathon explosions: Bay Area marathon runners describe chaotic scene after detonations
- Boston Marathon explosion: Early photos from the scene
- Boston Marathon explosions: BART, San Francisco step up police presence
- Boston Marathon explosion: Other cities beef up security in response to explosions
- Security beefed up worldwide after bombs at Boston Marathon
- Boston Marathon bombing kills 3, injures over 140
- Boston Marathon: Ethiopia's Desisa, Kenya's Jeptoo win in Boston
Police say one of two suspects in the shooting of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer is dead and a massive manhunt is underway for another, who is believed to be tied to the Boston Marathon bombing.
Shortly after the MIT officer was shot dead Thursday night, police got a report of a carjacking in Cambridge, just outside Boston.
One of the two suspects in the officer's shooting was killed. The second got away and police described him as a "terrorist" who "came here to kill people."
The search for that suspect is centered on Watertown, a city west of Boston next to Cambridge.
One police radio transmission said that suspect was thought to be the man in the white hat shown in photos of suspects in the Boston Marathon bombing that killed three and injured more than 160 on Monday. The FBI released photos of the suspects on Thursday.
Early Friday morning, dispatchers warned police officers searching for that second suspect that the first had an explosive device in his possession. Residents of Watertown were also warned to stay inside their homes and to only open the door to police officers. A police bomb squad was looking for explosive devices along the route of the chase.
The FBI said it is working with local authorities to determine exactly what happened Thursday night.
The shooting on MIT's Cambridge campus was followed shortly by the reports of the violence in Watertown. Authorities said after the officer was shot, a carjacking took place. The carjack victim was let out at a gas station a half hour later, but police spotted the vehicle and chased it from Cambridge to Watertown, where apparently explosive devices were tossed from the vehicle and more than two dozen shots were fired.
Another police officer was wounded during the chase.
The MIT officer had been responding to report of a disturbance Thursday night when he was shot multiple times, according to a statement from the Middlesex district attorney's office and Cambridge police.
In Watertown, witnesses reported hearing multiple gunshots and explosions at about 1 a.m. Friday. Dozens of police officers and FBI agents were in the neighborhood and a helicopter circled overhead.
State police spokesman David Procopio said, "The incident in Watertown did involve what we believe to be explosive devices possibly, potentially, being used against the police officers."
Boston cab driver Imran Saif said he was standing on a street corner at a police barricade across from a diner when he heard an explosion.
"I heard a loud boom and then a rapid succession of pop, pop, pop," he said. "It sounded like automatic weapons. And then I heard the second explosion."
He said he could smell something burning and advanced to check it out but area residents at their windows yelled at him, "Hey, it's gunfire! Don't go that way!"
MIT said right after the 10:30 p.m. shooting that police were sweeping the campus in Cambridge and urged people to remain indoors. They urged people urged to stay away from the Stata Building, a mixed-use building with faculty offices, classrooms and a common area.
Hours later, MIT, which has about 11,000 students, said the campus was clear but the shooter was still on the loose.
Material from the Associated Press was used in this story.


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You may have noticed a new byline on the sports page yesterday. Forgive me; we haven't been properly introduced. In the immortal words of CBS broadcaster Jim Nantz, "Hello Friends."
What qualifies me as a sports writer and editor? I'm glad you asked.
Believe it or not, writing self-diagnosed sports junkie on your resume isn't enough. But with experience as a raft guide, ski instructor, football coach, kayaker, mountain biker, school teacher, freelance outdoor writer/photographer and journalism master's holder, I would like to think my resume holds up.
And then there was the time I almost became the University of Miami's mascot. One day in college, I came across a flyer advertising tryouts. Going to Miami Hurricane football games in 90-degree weather wearing a big fuzzy bird suit? Sign me up. This was the Willis McGahee, Clinton Portis era of Miami Football.
The tryouts were that same day. Practice? I took the Allen Iverson approach, "Practice? We're talking about practice." How hard could it be?
It turns out riding a bike in an oversized chicken suite with eye holes and giant feet is not the easiest thing in the world. Still, that wasn't the trouble. It seems practice may have helped after all. Had I been able to spell out "C-A-N-E-S, Canes" with my arms, YMCA style, there's a good chance I would have two national championship rings on my hand right now.
Now I know that has little to do with respectable sports journalism, and I may have also just lost any credibility I had to begin with. But our managing editor was a big fan of the story. I figure, no matter what your job, it's probably a good idea to listen to your boss in the first week.
In the coming months, look for some expansion to our sports and outdoor sections, in print, on the web and in social media. Our readers have demanded more outdoor and recreation coverage, and we're excited about the chance to deliver that. As we get closer to summer, we plan on starting new weekly series, regular columns and outdoor features, and don't worry prep sports fans, we haven't forgotten about you. We're renewing our commitment to strong, consistent high school sports coverage.
We are excited about the opportunity to take sports and recreation in a new direction. And we're looking for your help too. So if you have story ideas or tips, don't be afraid to shoot us an email or drop us a line. Let us know what's on your mind.
And if you see me in the street or on the trail, stop me. Let's talk sports.


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Under Armour Streamline No Show Men's Running Socks
The Under Armour Streamline No Show Men's Running Socks are designed to go mile after mile right alongside you. Signature Moisture Transport System keeps your feet dry and comfortable for all-day wear while anti-odor technology keeps things fresher longer. Your toes feel right at home with the seamless toe, and strategic cushioning provides increased shock absorption for a smooth ride. 2 Pairs Per Pack.


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The installation seemed to go smoothly, but PMS was unable to detect the Blu Ray and vice-versa. I went through the FAQ and everything checked out:
- My trace file has the line, "INFO 2012-11-15 23:03:11.371 [main] The server should now appear on your renderer," so presumably I'm dealing with a "After UDP Broadcast" issue.
- I've completely disabled Windows Firewall.
- I've completely disabled Windows Defender.
- I have no other firewall/anti-virus software running on my laptop.
- I've disabled User Account Control and run PMS as an administrator.
- I successfully pinged the Blu Ray from my laptop.
- I confirmed that I'm connected to my private network, not a public/guest network.
- I confirmed that both the laptop and Blu Ray are on the same subnet.
- I rebooted the laptop and Blu Ray player several times for good measure and also restarted my router.
- I previously tested Windows Media Player, Plex Server, and XBMC. All three of those "just worked" and were able to connect to the Blu Ray (and vice-versa).
- If I start Windows Media Player on my laptop, PMS "sees" WMP and vice-versa, and WMP "sees" the Blu Ray, but PMS still does not "see" the Blu Ray.
I've read through a variety of posts and haven't found any additional helpful information. I'm stumped. What should I try next?
It looks like PMS advertises all the features I was missing from other media servers I've tried, so I'm anxious to give it a go, but I don't know what to do from here. Can anyone help me?


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School districts have long wrestled with high school truancy. Now, some are beginning to notice how frequently some of their youngest students are staying home, falling further behind their classmates with every lesson they miss.
Counting excused and unexcused absences, about one in 10 kindergartners nationwide is out of school for at least 10 percent of the year, making them chronically absent, according to an estimate based on data from the Department of Education's Early Childhood Longitudinal Study. For the average district, that's 18 days.
"With almost no exception, it's the pattern I see everywhere," said Hedy Chang, director of Attendance Works, an initiative to bring attention to the role of attendance in student achievement.
Chronic absenteeism, while surely not new, is still largely a hidden problem. California school districts aren't required to track how many of their students are missing large amounts of school -- only to report daily, schoolwide attendance averages and unexcused absences.
That might soon change. The state's School Attendance Review Board recommended this year that districts identify and help students who are missing 10 percent of school days. And in the past few years, a small number of California school systems -- from the large districts of Los Angeles, Fresno, San Francisco and Oakland to the suburban districts of San Rafael, Redwood City and Albany -- have taken up that analysis on their own, looking at the total number of days each student is out of school for any reason.
As they do, Chang said, kindergartners rise to the top, along with high school students.
Kindergarten's image problem appears largely to blame for the trend. It doesn't have compulsory attendance, and families don't always take it as seriously as they do the other elementary grades. But it's not the carefree land of songs, Play-Doh and nap time that has made its way into popular consciousness. Before they start first grade, children are expected to write basic sentences and read words such as "what," "said," and "are." They need to be able to add and subtract numbers up to 10 and to know all of the phonetic sounds and upper- and lowercase letters.
A report published in 2008 by Columbia University's National Center for Children in Poverty found that children who missed 10 percent or more of their kindergarten year were the lowest-achieving group in first grade. A 2011 Applied Survey Research study of 600 children in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties found that poor attendance in kindergarten and first grade may erase many of the benefits of preschool, even among those who started kindergarten with strong skills. Only 13 percent of children with poor attendance in kindergarten and first grade tested at grade level in reading as third-graders, compared with 77 percent of those with good attendance in those early grades.
"By the end of kindergarten, kids are expected to be reading at a basic level," said Phil Lind, director of assessment and student services for the Redwood City School District. "It's pretty risky to keep a kid out of school."
Still, many do.
Oakland's civic leaders launched an early-grades attendance campaign this fall after a report showed 14 percent of the city's kindergartners and 11 percent of its first-graders were out of school for 18 or more days in 2011-12, making them chronically absent. The rate of chronic absenteeism in kindergarten was far higher than in the other elementary school grades, rivaling that of high school students -- the age group most associated with skipping school.
In Redwood City, 12 percent of kindergartners were chronically absent during the 2010-11 school year, the highest percentage of any grade, according to a study of Redwood City School District and Sequoia Union High School District that was published in April by Stanford University's John W. Gardner Center.
"I think that there is a misperception among parents that kindergarten is not that important -- that it's like day care that they can use or choose not to use," said Teresa Drenick, an Alameda County deputy district attorney who runs truancy court and is helping to coordinate Oakland's new "Every Day Counts" attendance campaign.
In addition to the welfare of their students, school districts have a financial incentive to reduce chronic absenteeism: They are funded based on the average number of children who come to school each day. To that end, the Oakland school district this year made sure every school had an attendance clerk -- a basic position that has sometimes gone unfilled because of budget cuts.
This month, Drenick stopped by Piedmont Avenue Elementary, a diverse school in North Oakland whose principal, Zarina Ahmad, is a former kindergarten teacher. Drenick handed Ahmad a packet that contained talking points about the importance of good attendance and ways to help families get their children to school.
"This is perfect," Ahmad said.
Piedmont Avenue Elementary was planning to address the problem this year, and the campaign materials would help their cause, Ahmad told Drenick. The school has recruited a group of "buddy families" to call each home (not only those of children with poor attendance) every month to impress the importance of sending their children to school on time -- and, if transportation is a problem, to coordinate carpools, she said. Classrooms will compete for the best attendance, and students with perfect attendance at the end of each marking period will be entered into a bicycle raffle.
Miya Partido, a kindergarten teacher at Piedmont Avenue, said she hopes the initiative resonates with families who might not otherwise think twice about keeping a child home because his older sibling is sick, for instance, or about coming to school hours late.
Students who weren't around to learn the letter of the day, she said, "weren't able to follow along with the curriculum as easily."
While their classmates are learning their ABCs, absentee kindergartners are at risk of soaking in a different lesson: that going to school is optional.
"It's a really hard lesson to unlearn," Drenick said.
Read Katy Murphy's Oakland schools blog atIBAbuzz.com/education. Follow her at Twitter.com/katymurphy.
By the time children finish kindergarten, they are expected to be able to:
Add and subtract numbers up to 10 (example: 10-9=1)
Recognize all uppercase and lowercase letters and corresponding sounds
Sound out simple vowel-consonant words and recognize commonly used words such as "like," "see," and "you"
Know dozens of "sight words" -- those that can't be easily sounded out -- such as "what," "said," "are," and "same"
Write a simple sentence that begins with a capital letter and ends with a period, such as "I like school."
Be able to count money, adding together the values of pennies, nickels and dimes
Write numbers (digits) up to 31
Know three-dimensional shapes: spheres, cones and cubes
Know the difference between fact and fiction, or real and make-believe


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OAKLAND -- The Warriors concluded the preseason Thursday with a 90-74 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers at Oracle Arena.
Golden State survived the exhibition season with no major injuries to its key players. The Warriors also began infiltrating new players into the fold and developing chemistry. But a major question has emerged.
Where will the Warriors get points off the bench?
The holes left by guard Jarrett Jack and forward Carl Landry, both of whom signed elsewhere this summer, stand out every time Golden State's second unit checks in. They were reliable weapons off the bench, Jack with his make-it-happen offense and Landry with his low-post game.
But none of the current backup guards -- Toney Douglas, Kent Bazemore or Nemanja Nedovic -- look comfortable creating offense. And the Warriors are getting nothing inside from the bigs off the bench. Marreese Speights seems married to his midrange jumper, though he shoots it well, and Jermaine O'Neal can't find a rhythm in the post.
Some of that will be alleviated with Harrison Barnes or Klay Thompson on the second unit (probably Thompson for this very reason). But the offensive struggles figure to put added pressure on the starters.
With eight minutes left in the game and his team down 17, Warriors coach Mark Jackson put four of his starters back in the game. Portland had gone on a 22-0 run in the third quarter as Golden State went ice cold.
Jackson said in a normal situation, he would keep at least one primary offensive player in the game with the second unit, but he might have to mix in one reserve with the starters.
"It is somewhat of a concern, but not overly concerned," Jackson said. "In a normal game, somebody would've been in there. (Someone with) a calming effect and not just a scoring mentality. Someone who can get us good looks and know when to stop the bleeding."
Golden State's starters were supposed to see a decline in minutes this season, but can the Warriors afford to go elongated stretches without scoring or have leads erased because they can't stop other teams' runs?
"We've got guys coming off our bench that can fulfill a role," Jackson said. "And we also went and got Andre (Iguodala) for that reason. So we're not going to overreact. It is a process. ... It'll play itself out, and we're going to be fine."
"We're going to stay true to the process," Jackson said before Thursday's game. "I guess you could say there's a possibility. We're not sure."
The Warriors, including Barnes, are mum on the details. Jackson said he didn't think it's from a previous injury and that the recourse for it is rest. According to one source in the organization, playing on it comes with some level of risk, so the Warriors are hoping to get it completely healed.
Barnes' last action was Oct. 7 against the Kings. He checked out for good not even six minutes into the game. He hasn't practiced with the team or played in any games since. If that pattern remains, Barnes will have 22 days of rest by the morning of the season opener.
"We want to make sure that he's healthy and whole," Jackson said. "And to his credit and to the staff's credit, he's doing everything he could possibly do to make sure that he's ready. But we want to be smart about this, also."
Jackson said he would decide his 15th man after the final preseason game. It sounds like, in the end, the Warriors will chose size. Dedmon, a 7-footer who Jackson said can play center or power forward, gives the Warriors a sixth big man.
Dedmon and Curry have agreed to play for the Santa Cruz Warriors should they not make the team.
The NBA Development League has a rule that allows up to three players cut from an NBA roster to be allocated to that team's D-League affiliate.
wednesday's game
L.A. Lakers at Warriors, 7:30 p.m. CSNBA


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The 28-year-old prince will travel to the U.S. East Coast as well as Denver and Colorado Springs, Colorado, to support veterans' charities and get in a bit of polo.
Harry, a longtime supporter of charities that rehabilitate war veterans, will attend several events at the 2013 Warrior Games, a competition in which veteran athletes from both Britain and the United States take part.
"Prince Harry wants to highlight once again the extraordinary commitment and sacrifice of our injured servicemen and women," said Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, Harry's private secretary.
Harry recently spent 20 weeks in Afghanistan as co-pilot gunner on an Apache attack helicopter.
His May 9-15 visit will include trips to Arlington National Cemetery, Walter Reed National Medical Center and an exhibition on Capitol Hill about land mine clearance, a favorite subject of his late mother, Princess Diana. He will also visit areas in New Jersey hard hit by Hurricane Sandy.
Harry will also play in the Sentebale Polo Cup in Greenwich, Connecticut. Sentebale—which means "forget-me-not"—is a charity founded by Harry and Lesotho's Prince Seeiso that helps children struggling with poverty in the tiny southern African country.
On his last U.S.


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rogerfederer.com - Roger in round three
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Roger in round three
Roger defeated Canadian outsider Frederic Niemeyer to advance 7-6 (3), 6-4 in the second round of the ATP Montreal Masters.
"I'm very happy with my game. I reacted well in my first match back," Roger commented. "I played the big points well. I'm very pleased. I'm happy to be back after the long break. We played at a very high level. Frederic has a big serve and is tough."
Our number one had a bit of adjusting to do. As the first set failed to produce a break, Roger then took the opener in a tie-break 7-3. Niemeyer continued to battle in the second until Roger finally wore down the Canadian, earning the only break of the match to go up 4-3 before wrapping it up after 86 minutes.
Next up is either fellow countryman Stanislas Wawrinka (ATP 22) or Andrej Golubew (ATP 66).


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I have just installed PS3 media server on my PC to be able to read my mkv thus no concerns to this level there.
But I noticed by crossing internet that it was also possible to look at the channels television of his internet supplier by way of pms.
Apparently pms contains from its download some address of webtv that one little to view by going on "Web" to the "video" section of the XMB of the PS3, but I do not find the "Web" section.
Concerning the connection, the PS3 is connected by WiFi with the modem and the PC is connected with the modem by Ethernet cable.
The only regulation which I have make on pms is to indicate my network card.
Could you help me please?
Thank you.
(Sorry for my grammar, I'm french)


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All Sorts of Weird Stuff offers news and information about George R.R. Martin, in particular about his A Song of Ice and Fire series.
"When I was young, I read all sorts of stuff. One week it would be Lovecraft, the next Vance. It was all imaginative literature, or as my dad called it 'Weird Stuff.' It was all 'Weird Stuff.'"
George R.R. Martin
New to the series? Read our spoiler-free review of A Game of Thrones.
Read our Privacy Policy.
Variety and CHUD.com report that HBO has acquired the rights to turn George R. R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" into a dramatic series! The plan is for each season to cover one novel. In the first season, George is set to script one of the episodes himself, with the rest written by the executive producers, David Benioff ("Troy" and D.B. Weiss ("Halo").
This is a major step towards bringing the series to the screen, but it should be noted that no production date has been set, and questions such as where the series would film are still open. Essentially, the series has been optioned by HBO as a possible prospect for production in the future.
George's S.O., Parris, has confirmed the news here, and even discusses some of the dreamcasting.
The Westeros network consists of several different sites, including a forum and a wiki, for all your A Song of Ice and Fire needs.


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Definition of eyespot in English:
1 Zoology A light-sensitive pigmented spot on the bodies of invertebrates such as flatworms, starfishes, and microscopic crustaceans, and also in some unicellular organisms.
Example sentences
- However, when the pigmented eyespot is absent, the light penetrates the body and the front-to - back contrast is reduced.
- They do not have image-forming eyes, but many species have pigment cells and photoreceptors concentrated into eyespots.
- However, pigmented eyespots are visible in wild-type larvae and late-stage embryos.
2A rounded eye-like marking on an animal, especially on the wing of a butterfly or moth.
Example sentences
- The bodies are light and ill-defended, except for the armored face, which is designed to draw attacks to it, like the eyespots on butterfly wings.
- The beautiful eyespots on butterfly wings are thought to rely on the principles described above, although involving more morphogens.
- The colorful eyespots on butterfly wings may be patterned by a mechanism similar to that used to organize the proximo-distal axis of the insect leg.
3 [mass noun] A fungal disease of cereals and other cultivated grasses, characterized by yellowish oval spots on the leaves and stems.
- The fungus is typically Pseudocercosporella herpotrichoides, subdivision Deuteromycotina.
Example sentences
- The percentage of stems affected by damaging lesions of eyespot at 22.1pc was the highest on record.
- The pathogen survives on corn debris, so reduced tillage and continuous corn create a high-risk environment for development of eyespot, especially if there is heavy residue and a history of it in that location.
- Where eyespot is over threshold the preferred fungicide would be cyprodinil although Punch and Landmark both have some activity against eyespot and can give useful control.
For editors and proofreaders
Line breaks: eye|spot
Definition of eyespot in:
What do you find interesting about this word or phrase?
Comments that don't adhere to our Community Guidelines may be moderated or removed.
= trending


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WATCH: Guy pours molten aluminum into ant colony to make sculpture
Posted December 13th, 2013 @ 10:35am
An amazing sculpture is made by pouring molten aluminum into a fire ant colony. The resulting cast is huge, weighing 17.9 lbs. and reaching a depth of 18 inches.
See some detailed pictures of the resulting display at http://www.anthillart.com/castings/043/


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Founded by a brother and sister duo, Rainbow Rescues of Chicopee, MA,
provides a safe haven for dogs, cats and rabbits. Since 2008, they and their
team of devoted volunteers have operated in the attempt to make the world
a better place, one adoption at a time.
Upon receipt of a new rescue, their animals are almost immediately placed
in a foster home. In fact, both Maria and her brother Shawn foster dogs
in their own homes, while overseeing and coordinating a network of volunteer
foster pet parents. None of their rescues spend time in cages or kennels,
which helps to soothe the rattled nerves of relocation.
Maria O'Brien spearheads the group's efforts to identify the perfect
long-term placement for every animal. Last year, they successfully adopted
out 40 companion animals to their forever homes. This rescue also takes
its place in the community seriously, working to educate the public about
animal welfare and other related issues.
Each animal taken in by their agency receives a complete health evaluation
and an emotional/temperament assessment, along with necessary vaccinations.
Additionally, all rescues are spayed or neutered. Their policy is to accept
all animals except for large livestock; when such cases arise, they provide
referral services to agencies or fosters who specialize in livestock surrenders. More...
If some of your best friends have been dogs, you've probably noticed
that they can be particularly attuned to your moods. This perceptiveness may have
less to do with mind-reading than face-reading. That's right! Dogs naturally observe
facial cues for information. But how do they develop this skill? Born of instinct
to read other dog's expressions, can they really adapt to accurately read the expressions
of humans? Even though this enigmatic mystery has confounded canine behaviorists
for decades, Dr. Sarah devotes this episode of Pet Talk to reveal the latest developments
in this area, demonstrating how you can use facial cues to improve your interspecies
For many American homeowners, the economic recession has dealt a harsh,
sustained set of blows. Unemployment rates remain perilously high, and foreclosures
continue apace. While most states have experienced their share of miseries,
Michigan in particular has borne the brunt of bad times. Fortunately, an
organization exists whose sole purpose is to assist those who desperately
need a helping hand.
Founded in late 2004, Community Sharing is a non-profit outreach agency
that serves food and provides support to hundreds of families and their
companion animals. While they do not rescue pets directly, they save them
every day. Community Sharing provides food, veterinary care and pet supplies,
allowing families in financial straights to keep their companion animals
at home, where they belong, keeping families together.
But that's not all. This compassionate group's greater mission is the
provision of food, clothing, educational and emergency financial assistance
to those in need while respecting their dignity and fostering their future
independence. The vast majority of their aid recipients include the recently
unemployed and the working poor. Overseen by a board of twelve members and
operated by a group of over 100 volunteers, Community Sharing provides support
to over 300 families and more than 1,000 individuals every month. Doing
their level best to keep up with the prolonged needs of their fellow citizens,
Community Sharing has pursued their mission of caring with unrelenting resolve.
When speaking about their work, Community Sharing shared the following
quote from Henry David Thoreau: "It often happens that a man is more humanely
related to a cat or dog than to any human being." They know too well that
when a pet parent is separated from a companion animal, especially due to
financial hardship, spirits can be broken. For people without any other
family besides a cat or a dog, losing this last emotional connection can
be devastating. As their volunteers have witnessed firsthand, hard times
become infinitely more difficult to bear without hope, without a positive
relationship to help keep you going. More...


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This information is provided by the Activities Office of St. James High School.
The idea of exploring the possibility of having the Saints move to another sports conference has been raised by members of the community.
Therefore, we are providing this information as a frame of reference for interested readers.
The numbers show St. James is one of the smaller schools in the conference.
According to Activities Administrator Les Zellmann it is St. James classification number (292) and Butterfield-Odin classification number (57) that makes 349 shown on the chart.
The explanation of how classification is determined is explained on the chart.
The Butterfield-Odin students participating in fall sports numbered:
Football - 6
Volleyball - 4
Girls Tennis - 2
Boys Cross Country - 2
Girls Cross Country - 0
Where St. James Area ranks in participation rates among the schools varies according to the sport.
Some of the larger schools in the South Central Conference have students out for soccer which dilutes the athletes available to play the fall sports the Saints play. St. Peter also has a girls swimming team.
Location, ST | website.com


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SUNNYVALE -- Wall Street bought the Ruckus on Friday, as the Silicon Valley enterprise wireless dealer exercised an initial public offering that raked in $126 million at a valuation of $1.2 billion. When shares reached the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, investors were less kind, however, with shares plunging more than 18 percent.
Ruckus Wireless sold 8.4 million shares at $15 apiece, the top of the proposed price range, and began trading Friday morning under the ticker symbol "RKUS." After opening at the $15 IPO price, shares immediately dropped, trading in a range between $13.50 and $14.50 until a sharp drop at the end of the session left the stock at its lowest point of the day for the closing quote: $12.25, a drop of 18.3 percent.
Sam Hamadeh, CEO of analysis firm PrivCo, said Ruckus had priced the shares too high by aiming for the top of the range when $13 or $14 a share would have been welcomed more warmly.
"Ruckus Wireless overreached on pricing despite weak market conditions, and stock fell today due to mostly overall market conditions," Hamadeh wrote in an email.
Wall Street's weakness in the past two weeks, as a diminished European economy and the "fiscal cliff" debate in the United States make investors nervous, should have factored into Ruckus' pricing decision, offering a lesson to other companies looking to go public this year, Hamadeh said.
"Here, management did get too greedy, and it should be a lesson for private companies with IPOs in the pipeline: Best to leave a little money on the table and a positive narrative than have us now talking about a 'busted IPO' -- which Ruckus Wireless is," Hamadeh wrote.
The company sells advanced wireless equipment to mid- and large-size businesses, mostly focusing on Internet service providers. While battling with large companies that offer similar products along with their more natural offerings, such as networking giant Cisco (CSCO), Ruckus must also compete with similar companies like its Sunnyvale neighbor, Aruba Networks, which has a market cap of about $2.2 billion while trading on the Nasdaq.
Ruckus has managed to build strong financials despite the competition, boosting revenues 41 percent between 2009 and 2010, then another 26 percent in 2011, when the company produced a profit of $4 million. So far in 2012, that rate of growth has sped up, with the first nine months out of the year showing 93 percent revenue growth with net income nearing $30 million and a customer base of 16,000 companies and counting, a majority of them overseas.
The company's cofounders remain as executives, with Bill Kish serving as chief technical officer and Victor Shtrom acting as chief wireless architect while president and CEO Selina Lo runs the business. Lo has a history of developing startups, with her last effort, Alteon WebSystems, selling to Nortel for $7.8 billion.
The 10-year-old purveyor of "Smart Wi-Fi" products sold 7 million of the IPO shares -- the rest were sold by early investors -- to add more than $100 million to its company coffers. The company has 559 workers, according to its website, which manages to show the company's sense of humor as well, announcing the company's favorite holiday is "Festivus" and favorite food is chili cheese dogs. It has received nearly $73 million in venture capital from the likes of Sequoia Capital, Sutter Hill Ventures and Motorola Ventures.
Contact Jeremy C. Owens at 408-920-5876; follow him at Twitter.com/mercbizbreak.


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Princess of Sylmar big upset winner of Kentucky Oaks
LOUISVILLE Princess of Sylmar was the huge, 39-1 long-shot winner of the 139th Kentucky Oaks.
Ridden by Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith for trainer Todd Pletcher and King of Prussia Stable (Ed Stanco), Princess of Sylmar is a Pennsylvania-bred, daughter of Majestic Warrior. She beat Beholder, trained by Richard Mandella, by a half-length after catching her deep in the stretch. Pletcher took three of the top four spots with Dreaming Julia in third and Unlimited Budget in fourth.
"We're pleasantly surprised with her effort and her win," Pletcher said. "She's a good filly. We knew that all along."
It was Pletcher's third win in the Oaks, but the first for Smith as he became the 36th jockey to win the Oaks and the Derby in his career. Smith can be the first jockey to win the Oaks and the Derby in the same year since Calvin Borel did it in 2009 on Mine That Bird in the Derby and Rachel Alexendra in the Oaks. It's been 61 years since a trainer, Ben "Plain" Jones won the Oaks (Real Delight) and Derby (Hill Gail) in the same year.
"We're the only ones with a chance, anyway," Pletcher said.
California connections had no excuses. Bob Baffert's Midnight Lucky set a blistering pace, and Beholder appeared to be wrapping up the race when she was caught by Princess of Sylmar.
"She ran great and I'm proud of her," trainer Richard Mandella said of Beholder, who was fractious in the paddock and the gate and finished second by half a length. "She may have lost the race in the post parade. She was so full of herself and so wanting to go."
Said Bob Baffert, who saddled Midnight Lucky: "We set a fast pace (22.84, 46.79 and 1:11.34), and she is lightly raced. She got pretty tired. We had an inside post so we had to go with her."
Scratch: Black Onyx, a 50-1 shot to win the 139th Kentucky Derby, was scratched Friday from the race due a "displaced chip in his left ankle," according to trainer Kelly Breen.
Crowd size: The crowd of 113,820 for the 139th Kentucky Oaks is the second-largest in track history to 116,046 in 2010.
Some advanced betting on the 139th Kentucky Derby showed a Louisville bias, with Goldencents, partly owned by University of Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino, and Revolutionary, who will be ridden by Churchill Downs' favorite Calvin Borel. Both are early co-favorites at 5-1.
Orb, who was made the morning-line favorite at 7-2, slid to 6-1, and Verrazano, who was 4-1 on the morning line, slid to 11-1.
Giant Finish was the longest shot on the board at 44-1.
Expensive mint julep: Woodford Reserve is selling a very, very special mint julep here for $1,000 a glass. It has gold and diamonds in the glass and the usual couple shots of Woodford Reserve bourbon, sugar water and mint in it. Woodford Reserve says it has raised over $354,000 for charities in the last seven years. This year's money will go to Old Friends Thoroughbreds Retirement Center for retired racehorses.


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OAKLAND -- The development team working to build a new Raiders football stadium has urged city officials to reject a lease extension for the Oakland A's because it would frustrate the football team's desire to tear down O.co Coliseum next year.
In a letter to Mayor Jean Quan and council members last week, the development team's attorney wrote that "the current proposal ... simply allows the A's to buy more time to find a site outside of Oakland ... and disrupt the ability to deliver a stadium for the Raiders and the ancillary developments adjacent to that stadium."
The attorney, Zach Wasserman, said Tuesday that his clients who are spearheading the multimillion Coliseum City project still hoped their concerns will be addressed in the final lease deal. But it appears that several council members are frustrated with the development team and don't view their concerns as deal breakers.
Opposition from the development team, which has already spent more than $4 million in public funds, comes as council members are still debating whether to approve a lease deal with the A's that could keep the team at the Coliseum through 2024.
Councilman Larry Reid said he walked out of a private council meeting on Monday in frustration that his colleagues, some of whom think the deal is financially generous to the A's, weren't ready to vote on it in public. Another closed-door meeting to discuss a financial analysis of the lease deal will be scheduled for later this week, Councilman Noel Gallo said.
While council members and the development team say they want to keep both the A's and Raiders in Oakland, Wasserman's letter underscores the challenge in satisfying both teams. The Raiders have pinned their hopes to building a new stadium by partnering with developers on the Coliseum City project, which aims to transform the Coliseum complex into a sports and entertainment center.
But A's co-owner Lew Wolff has said that if his team decides to build a ballpark at the site, it would want to be in charge of the development.
Because outdoor sports stadiums are often money losers and Oakland can't afford to help pay for them, any new stadium development in the city is expected to include shops, a hotel and offices to subsidize the project. Sports economists have questioned whether the A's and Raiders would want to work together because a second stadium would remove land that could be used for more profitable development.
"The probability of Coliseum City working financially and some team committing to it would be greater if there was only one team involved," Stanford University Economics Professor Emeritus Roger Noll said when asked about the development in April.
The development team, which includes real estate titan Colony Capital, is concerned by a clause in the proposed lease that wouldn't force the A's to vacate the Coliseum for a Raiders stadium development until after the 2016 baseball season.
Wasserman wrote that the Raiders plan to have a new stadium built in time for the 2018 season and play elsewhere while it is being built.
"It will be critical to demolish the existing stadium in 2015 not only to construct the new multiuse Raiders' facility but also to simultaneously construct the associated developments including a hotel, retail and office buildings," he wrote.
However, several council members said this week that they have been frustrated by the lack of progress on a Raiders stadium, which still faces a roughly $500 million funding gap, and did not expect the development team's concerns to impact their vote on a lease extension.
Councilman Noel Gallo said the development team had failed to meet key benchmarks in their contract with the city, such as getting an official letter of support from the Raiders and bringing aboard a major developer. "Their performance has been below basic and we should get another group to lead that effort," he said.
The Raiders did not respond to an interview request on Tuesday.
However, in an interview with this newspaper last month, Raiders owner Mark Davis said he didn't know what he would do with his team if the A's lease deal was approved.
"There's all kinds of options." he said. "But I want to make the best one."
Contact Matthew Artz at 510-208-6435.


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Calvary Baptist Church, 4605 West Ely, in Hannibal will be hosting a stop on the Watoto Children Choir's tour on Friday, April 12. The program will begin at 7 p.m.
The program, entitled Beautiful Africa: A New Generation, will feature original African music, dance routines and personal stories.
The Watoto Children's Choir has traveled internationally since 1994 as ambassadors for the millions of children in Africa, orphaned as a result of HIV/AIDS, war and poverty.
Each of the children in the choir has suffered the loss of one or both parents. They live in Watoto Children's Villages where they receive care and nurturing.
For information about the concert call Calvary Baptist Church at 221-1718.
Location, ST | website.com


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Elsa Peretti's archetypical shapes distill nature's creations to
their very essence. Subtle and sensuous, her designs are eternally
modern. Their affinity for the body's contours and tactile allure
create an intimate connection with all who wear them.
A Design Revolution
Elsa Peretti gave sterling silver its exalted place in the world
of fine jewelry. When Tiffany introduced her
silver jewelry, it was an unprecedented move that sparked
a style revolution.