Marty Mac on Vick: is there a point in there?

Michael Vick
Dogs were executed
by hanging, drowning,
and crushing

Can anybody tell me what Martin McNeal is attempting to say in today’s piece about Michael Vick? He talks a lot about the “race card” and how it doesn’t really exist. I haven’t really been paying much attention to the media coverage of this scandal. It seems like he’s trying to say that the Bonds home run chase and the Vick scandal point out that black and white people think differently, but I don’t understand what specifically he means. Are people saying that Vick is being unfairly prosecuted? And what exactly does Barry Bonds, who probably rubbed cream on his butt to make his muscles bigger, have to do with Michael Vick, who probably allowed his friends to torture animals and made money off it? I’ll assume they belong in the same sentence only because the scandals are “dropping” in the same calendar season.

Also, in his conclusion about war, is he saying that American soldiers or Iraqi citizens are equivalent to dogs? One or the other.

Chicken Little 2.0

Local blog, Flippers in Trouble, received a mention recently in a Forbes.com article about the best places to flip a home.

Watching asking prices drop on flipper properties–those bought and sold within two years, according to real estate agents–has become a sport in the Sacramento real estate blogosphere. By filtering official Multiple Listing Service (MLS) data, the blog Flippers In Trouble tracks every area flipper–those who bought a home in the last two years–and reports who is trying to sell his property for less than he paid.

So, uh, I guess congratulations are in order? After 1 or 2 or 1,348 listings don’t you sort of get the picture that folks are having a hard time flipping properties? It’s a down market, we get it. I wonder if sacbee.com sponsors this Web site because they love them some piling on about the housing market.

UPDATE: Turns out we aren’t the only ones with the market cornered on snark. The folks over at Sacramento Land(ing) are having some fun with this post, too. Nice work, guys.

Fair Fare

One thing I know to be true about the California State Fair is that there are so many booths, tents, lean-tos, shacks, plazas, pavilions, and chuck wagons, that it would be impossible to eat everything.  So, let’s start with the things that I didn’t even bother trying:  Mexican, Chinese, Greek, Thai, soft serve, cheesesteaks, onion rings, ribs, and corn on the cob.  Why, you ask?  Because, I respond, there’s very little point in chomping down on stuff that’s really, really easy to get anywhere in the city at any time of year.  You only have so much room in your tummy, and I won’t endorse binging and purging (unless it’s for charity), so I suggest that spend your limited stomach resources on the truly unique and special meals.  Here are those things, in no particular order: Continue reading “Fair Fare”

The heat is…on

A few weeks ago sac-eats wrote a post “encouraging” folks that read this here web log to vote for it as “Best Local Blog” and/or “Best Local Website”.  Local blogger FFT commented that this effort to garner votes was “shameless”.  Well, via FFT, we learn that there is “a major upset brewing” for Best Blog.  Jeff, over at Eyes for the Brambles, picked up on this post as well.

I can’t guess the upset. Sacrag and hecksac won last year. Have people grown tired of snark and food and rock show reviews?

Well, Sacramento, what local blogs do you think have a chance at taking home the top spot this year?  What makes a good local blog?  Random comments about comments?  Hard hitting local media watchdogging?  Food reviews?  Your random comments are welcome…

Since it’s been a while…

Allow me to give a few brief “Right Awn!” shout-outs to some deserving parties:

  • Thanh Thai, who saw smoke coming out of a neighbor’s garage, got out of his car, and pounded on the door until the occupants — a mom, her 16 year old daughter, three-year-old son, and FOUR of her daughter’s friends who’d spent the night — got out. Had it not been for his neighborliness and quick action, this story could have had much worse results than a gutted house (which is bad enough as it is.)
  • Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Sacramento: I read in today’s Metro section that the clubs are now accepting students for the after-school programs for the coming year. Not only do the clubs provide a safe environment for the kids, have required homework time before they can play, offer a multitude of games and activities, plus a hot meal, the cost is only $12 per child for the entire school year. Yes, you read that correctly. That’s not $12 per week or per month; it’s for the entire school year.
  • Did you know that Yuba County grows 99% of the plums for dried plums (formerly “prunes”) in the U.S. and 60% of the world’s supply? No wonder they come off as just regular folks there in Yuba County.  They are having a rough year, however, with warm temps in March hindering the ’07 crop.

Pronto- Farmer’s Market in a Bowel [sic]

Despite its insistence on using a grammatically flawed slogan, “Real Italian, Real Fast,” Pronto continues to deliver top-notch luncheon fare.   Today’s meal was the “Farmer’s Market” salad.  Mixed greens, arugula, corn, cornbread croutons, avocado, dates, almonds, goat cheese, and a citrus tarragon dressing.  Sweet, savory, crunchy and crispy.  This very well might be my favorite salad ever.  Continue reading “Pronto- Farmer’s Market in a Bowel [sic]”

An unique twist on a common occurrence

We’re at the point here at the Sac Rag that we don’t even bother reporting on “normal” crashes involving a vehicle and a living room (unless it’s a two-fer, of course), but this one is different. While Sacramento isn’t making a name for itself on any “best place to…” list, it does continue to bring its “A” game in this arena.

Sacramento police say around 9:20 p.m. one of its officers and the driver of a Honda crashed into one another on Village Star Drive and Franklin Boulevard. The impact sent the Honda into the living room of a nearby home.

Wow, huh? I wonder what happened. High speed pursuit? Drunk driver? Man, what could it have been? I must read on…

Police say there are no indications that speed or alcohol lead to the crash.

Oh, ok, Police, sure that’s enough for me. I’ll move on now.

Raging Bulls

OK, I don’t want to turn this into a discussion on whether rodeos are form of animal cruelty — I just want to point your attention to this story from the Bee’s website.

A couple bulls got loose at the fair and trampled an officer who was protecting fair-goers from said bulls. A rodeo clown also saved a young child from certain harm by scooping up the tot and hopping over a fence. The police officer suffered broken ribs, some abrasions, and a minor concussion. The clown remained unscathed (and I presume he piled into a Volkswagen with the rest of the clowns afterwards.)

While all of this had to be truly frightful for those involved and for those who witnessed the incident, I can’t help but smile when reading this quote, “Fair spokesman May said he was not aware of the child’s rescue and did not know the clown’s name.” Jingles? Sunshine? Patches?

It’s not quite as good as a quote about cleaning a chimichanga off a chandelier, but it does come close.

To Your Local Developer Write

It has come to my attention that the Red Lion Hotel (nee Sacramento Inn) is to be redeveloped by Capital Management Group. You can read about the proposed changes here, but there is one specific change that I would like to see. I took the time to email Jeffrey Berger, president of Capital Management, the following message, hoping that others would do the same. Continue reading “To Your Local Developer Write”