Victor Lei : Video Editor and Television Producer

Victor Lei : Video Editor and Television Producer

I’m looking for someone who wish to hire me as a video editor. If you or anyone you know needs help in some sorts of video editing projects, send me an email to lei_victor@sbcglobal.net, or leave me a message right here, I’ll be very happy to help. Thank you people!

My Latest Motion Graphics Project Showcase

Check'em out! For more information about my work, or have any question, visit my official website victorleivideo.wordpress.com

My Official Blog Is Now Online

People, I just posted my first blog post couple hours ago on my new official blog using WordPress. My new official blog features all my works and projects (yes, mostly video projects of course), as well as some of  the thoughts of my projects or projects of others in my own perspective. Visit http://victorleivideo.wordpress.com/, I'm sure you'll be amazed!

My Editor Reel

These are all the video projects that I was working either as an editor or working on some sorts of post-production positions. They may not be so great, but they're still my hard work.

Labor Of Transportation Version 2

I have just made another version of the same video project that I was working on recently. I chose different footage and edit the video a little differently, but the overall story idea is the same as the original one, I didn't change the story at all. I worked for a week to get this finished, and I think it's a great to keep training myself on video editing because this is what I'm heading toward.

Why I'm So Unpopular - I Must Review Myself

I'm so upset today. Yesterday was my cousin's 18th birthday, his friends setup a birthday for him at Pizza Hut. He's got a bunch of people celebrating his birthday last night and received so many gifts. Yes, Exactly what I saw at another party one month ago. 

I was sobbing after seeing that. I always envy the people who are popular and be loved by the others, I said I didn't understand why they're so popular, people setup parties for them for any occasion. Someone I've known for months is very popular, but the cousin who grew up with me is also very popular. I have to review myself, review the way I treat people, and ask myself why I 'm so unpopular, no one likes me. Did I do something wrong that made me being unpopular?

I have been here for 10 years, no one celebrates any occasion with me, not to mention my past 10 birthdays, I celebrated all those 10 birthdays virtually by myself and didn't received a single birthday gift. 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 24th birthday, no one celebrated with me. What about my upcoming 25th birthday in just one and a half months? I think I'll be celebrating my birthday alone once again, no one will celebrate with me and I won't receive any birthday gift. I'm unpopular, no one likes me. I'm the person who is not being loved by others, and that is all my fault.

澳門原創歌曲－《LOVER》by KAVH (MTV完整版)

It's time to introduce some great original Macau music here. The song "Lover" by a local singing group KAVH, is one of my favorite songs I have been recently listening. This is also one of the candidate songs for this year's TDM Music Award. Hope you'll enjoy it and support original Macau music.

May-December Love

I was reading a blog post of a fellow blogger about her point of view for May-December love, and it was quite interesting to bring it up right here. First I think some of you may not understand what May-December love is, I searched on the Internet, and I found the common definition of May-December love is "a couple who has a big age difference, either a romance between younger men and an older women, or younger women and older men". However, May-December love is commonly used for description of a romance between younger guys and older women.

Obviously May-December love is not something fresh already, I often learn those similar stories from the TV or newspaper. Even with today's opened society, many people still don't accept any kind of May-December love, they think May-December love won't last long, and it's a fruitless love. Interestingly I watched a several TV dramas about May-December love, whenever the male character fall in love with an older female character, the endings are always stereotyped - Either the male character or the female character proposes a breakup because of the pressure from his / her friends and family. Is May-December love really a nothing came love?

Now let's talk about what the blogger's thoughts about May-December love. On her blog she said she agreed that girls shouldn't fall in love with younger guys, but on the other hand she said if he does love the girl and the girl thinks he'll give her whatever she needs, then the age difference shouldn't be a matter. She also said we should cherish the moment, cherish the person we love. If he / she is your true love, why would you care about the age difference?

What about my thoughts about May-December love? Maybe I don't have the "qualification" to say whether May-December love is good or bad - I didn't have a lot of romances before, and I have never had any romance since I came to the U.S. - Another thing is I prefer my girlfriend is few years younger than me, but I can also say that love is blind. Trust me, whenever you fall in love with someone, you'll eventually accept anything good or bad about him / her, at that moment, would you still think how old he / she is? Just like my previous blog post, if you do love someone you should love him / her whole-heartedly, don't think anything else, just to love. Age should not be an obstacle of a romance.

There's Only Fall In Love, No Step In Love

I chatted with my old friend couple days ago on Facebook, and he told me he just broke up with his girlfriend. Maybe I was nosy and curious, so I asked him what happened? Then he told me that he saw his girlfriend and an unknown man inside a coffee shop, and they looked so intimate. My friend was furious about what he saw, and he couldn't believe why his girlfriend treated him like that. Later he asked his girlfriend who the guy was and why she was with him, his girlfriend said that guy was her common friend, she also said she had her own friends, guys, women. What my friend saw at the coffee shop was only a misunderstanding, his girlfriend continued to explain. However my friend thought she was lying, she fabricated a story to cover the fact that she was dating another guy. Of course, his girlfriend was upset also, she thought my friend didn't understand her at all. My friend thought he couldn't tolerate that kind of thing happened to himself, he said instead of continuing the arguments, the best solution was to break up peacefully.

After hearing my friend's break up story, I felt very pity, I felt pity not just because he lost  his girlfriend, but also some misunderstanding caused they breaking up. What I want to say is I didn't witness anything, I just heard what my friend told me, so I can't arbitrarily say who was right or who was wrong on this. But there is one thing that I can tell everyone here - what a couple needs is trust and honest. These two things are very important, whether they are boyfriend-girlfriend or husband-wife, being together is a fate, is a fortune. You trust her / him, then he / she will also be honest to you. Human relation is that intriguing, a good relationship is relied on the efforts of both sides. Why did you guys break up? Only because of some misunderstandings? This is not worth it. Back to my friend's break up story, he said he saw his girlfriend at the coffee shop with another guy, if I were my friend I would first understand what was going on, maybe that guy was really just a friend, they might not have other relationships. Everyone has his / her male or female friends, but it doesn't necessarily mean they have that kind of relationship. Opposites attract, (obviously I'm not) some people may really look attractive, some people may easily get attention from opposite sex. Again, in this opened society, it's not really big deal.

Trust is one thing, honest is another thing, and they are complementary. Let's talk about my friend's girlfriend again, I think she didn't have to cover anything, if she just went to meet her friend, she could tell my friend honestly where she was going and who she was going to meet, there is no need to disguise anything. If you really love her / him, you have to be honest to him / her.

Moreover, if you start a relationship, you should have it whole-heartedly, don't think anything else, just to love. Love the person you love, give your heart to him / her. If you can't love whole-heartedly, you probably can't continue the relationship, I mean you can have it for a while, but not for a long time. It just like a phrase that I recently learned from a drama "There's only fall in love, there's no step in love."

Rome Wasn't Built In A Day - So Were My Media Skills

Tomorrow I'll be done with the summer intensive field video production class at City College of San Francisco, and I have already gained some sorts of skills for planning and shooting video on location, not to mention that class has somehow refreshed and further strengthened my editing skills. Anyway, after tomorrow, I'll not only have the skills for creating and producing studio-based video programs, but I'll also be able to create, plan, shoot and edit a nice video package.

That is certainly something that I didn't think I could achieve before, and what makes me feel even more proud is that after finishing this class I'll have the eligibility to request "Television Production" certificate from the Broadcast Department. Besides this one, I have already awarded "Sound Design" and "Video Production / Editing" certificates, and I have also established the eligibility for the "Broadcast Motion Graphics" certificate. Hopefully I'll have five certificates by the end of this year, it just like the old proverb "Rome wasn't built in a day", certainly all my media skills were not built in a few days. I did attribute a lot of my own efforts to have today, everything is just hard-won.

All right, I still have one more final exam for my field video production class tomorrow afternoon, until next time.

My Bumpy Life In The US - No Way To Turn Around

Something that I wish I could continue right here... On the first few days after landing in the U.S. soil ten years ago, I have ever had a dream that I would have better achievement and better life than in my home place. But the fact is I can only live in a dirty and nasty neighborhood of the City, I wish I could change my life and get rid of the bad living condition, I was so naive, I was even thinking that my dream would come true on one day. Living in the financial difficulties and an unbearable neighborhood, my feeling of inferiority has become stronger and stronger...

I know I have no way to turn my life around, I can only endure my pain, keep my tears not falling out, and tell people that I'm living well right now. But who knows my pain? Sometimes when I lay down on bed I start sobbing, no one knows. Sometimes I feel down (the fact is I always feel down) and nobody is around, I can only tell myself, if I could leave this country someday, I would consider my ten years as a dream, a ten-year long dream, and I would wake up from that dream, I would say I have never been to the U.S., everything would be a dream, but the bad thing would be I have wasted ten years of my life.

Every time when I see or when I know someone who has achieved a better life in the U.S. even they have been in this country for only a few years, I keep blaming myself, why people can achieve something and have something they want but I can't? Why people can go anywhere they want to go but I can't? Why people don't have to worry about their money and living conditions but I have to? Why people can hang out with other people but I can't? Lots of similar questions that I wish to ask myself, but I know I can never solve these questions.

I don't have a lot of demands, I just want I could have worry-free life, my financial condition is stable, I don't have to fear about the place that I live in, and when it is possible, I wish I could travel around the country or any place that I have never been to, I really wish I can know this world better. Whenever I'm free I could talk freely with my confidant and best friends on everything and a glass of wine. We would all have an enjoyable talk, and my life would be getting better. Unfortunately, I never have the ability to make any of the above happens, never. My life is that bumpy... Nothing more than that.

Drive (Live at 2008 TDM annual music award) Video by (The) Real Us - Myspace Video

Drive (Live at 2008 TDM annual music award) Video by (The) Real Us - Myspace Video

Remember the days that we stand alone
forgetting where we should go
After all, it seems, the hopes and dreams we left behind are fading away
Somehow I believe...

Back in the time we strive, we fight
for all the tears we'd hide
To make sacrifice for the ones we love, they put their trust in us
Now that I believe in you

Take a rest and catch a breath, live my way and be who I am
the time has come, for us to shine, we sparkle like the starlight
The miracles have come so far, the dream has took us where we are
Believe in faith will take us high
I'm ready now to take the wheel and drive to life.


Its just too tiring, looking at the mirror with your own reflection, you see
its the past that we never take the chances to be

Deep down inside I realised
For the days have gone, and what am I suppose to do now, I can't see
Why should I believe

If that's the only words I said, I told the truth of my mind
The only thing you have to do is look into my eyes
Do you see the million color shine and the fairy tale that begin this story
The fire, the soul and the passion within, dress me up and live with dignity

Back in the time we strive, we fight
for all the tears we'd hide
To make sacrifice for the ones we love, they put their trust in us
Now that I believe..

Every time they point the finger at me and say,
"the world is looking and you gotta find another way to do this"
keep pushing me around and in the end I found nobody notice the way we sound.

Escape From My Life

No doubt about it, I have been feeling so upset for many days, or to say it more accurately, I have never been able to seek happiness for the days that I live in the U.S. I didn't find it yesterday, I don't find it today, and I don't believe that I would seek my happiness tomorrow.

I always tell myself that being in the U.S. is some kind of sorrows, because I feel like I'm living in an invisible prison. Since the first day of my residence, I have lived in the worst neighborhood of San Francisco. The neighborhood that I'm living is dirty, garbage everywhere, a lot of homeless with quite a number of drunks and drug dealers. Not to mention, the crazy guys or women who always yell out some fucking phrases on the street. Everyday I'm thinking how I can escape from this neighborhood, I tell myself if someday I can leave this neighborhood it will be my greatest relief.

For many people that you may not know me a lot, I'm a person who love traveling and hanging out in different places that I want to be, I also quite enjoy nightlife. Unfortunately, after I came to the country, I can't and I have never had an opportunity to do any of those because of my family's financial difficulties and the concerns of my own safety. I just mention that I live in a nasty neighborhood of San Francisco, I feel so scared every time when I get in and out from my home. I'm even more afraid to go outside at night, I want to protect myself from all the harassment and potential crimes in my neighborhood. Yes, it did help me to protect myself not being hurt, but it came with a price, I lost my social skills, having problem with people and becoming eccentric.

I really envy people who can travel around the country or outside the country, hanging out in many places with their friends, but except for envy, I can't do anything to have my dream becomes true, my dream is a distant dream, I can never realize my dream. Never, I was not able to realize it yesterday, I'm not able to realize it today, and I won't able to realize it tomorrow.

My life is always a song of sorrows. At this moment, what I really wish is to escape from the place that I'm living, escape from there means escape from my fucking life that I have suffered for many years, and it will be my greatest relief.


I feel down, and I guess the best way for me to smile again is to leave this nasty neighborhood forever. No other solutions can help me.

More about myself is still to come as I have decided to tell more about my story right here.

My Field Video Production Projects - Summer 2011

Since the beginning of this summer, I have been working on a number of video projects, I just want to share my two recent video projects, it may not be the best, but it is my painstaking effort...

BCST 145 Project 2 - The Labor Of Transportation Clean Version- Summer 2011

Hey, folks! I just decided to have you guys to watch something cool! This is the newest video project that I was working in a group. The title of the video is "The Labor Of Transportation", it is a satire of the flaws of different transportation tools. Hope you can enjoy it!

Self-Deception

I have not updated my personal blog for four months already. I was quite busy for my classwork, projects and even the management of the "IDTV Show" blog. Four months later, IDTV has already come to an end, everything has become good memories.


I think it is the time to focus on my personal life once again by writing my personal blog "Vicnetian", I don't know how many people would actually read my blog posts, but I can tell you everything I write here is from my heart, everything is truthful. Spade a spade, I really enjoy the process of writing something, every time when I sit down, I start thinking of something, and I always write what I think on a paper or this blog.


Look at the title of this blog post, it seems like I'm going to tell you something, indeed I do want to tell myself not to be self-deception. Why did I say I'm self-deception? I have been this country for almost 10 years, and I have been living under straitened circumstances. Not just living under the environment financial hardship, the neighborhood that I live also discourages me to contact with the outside. Over time, my eccentric personality became more and more obvious. When I see many people that I know have successfully reach their goals or dreams, I have accomplished nothing. Coming to this country was not my wish, I never want to come here, I lived in my place and I had my style of living, why should I come here and live in a dangerous area like a war zone? I still remember what I said about 7 years ago, I said, "if I could choose again, I would choose to leave San Francisco and back to Macau, living peacefully and happily." I still have this thought today, and I always remind myself intentionally and unintentionally that I don't want to live here anymore, I really want to quit this fucking place and move back to the place I was born and raised. I asked myself why I am self-deception? United States is not the place for me, why do I tell people that I'm living well here? If this is not self-deception then what is it?

Self-deception doesn't only hurt yourself, in many cases it also hurt people around you. It just like you don't love the girl, why didn't you say it boldly that you don't love her?! One person suffers the pain is better than two people suffer the pain.


I don't know what would happen if I move back to Macau, but at least that is the place I spent for my entire childhood and early teen years. Don't be self-deception, Victor Lei! Your life is under your control, not under other people's! You know what you want to do and just do it! I know I should not be self-deception anymore because if I'm still being that, I will make myself more pain.

Useless

A lot of thoughts these days. I always want to know a lot of things in both audio and video, I really want to know everything... Yes, everything in video production, motion graphics, and more intensive post-production. Everyone that I know has a lot of experience, and they can have independent study or special project on what they are interested in. Me? What can I work on?! I know so little of anything! I just feel myself like a useless person! Why other people can do it but I can't? Sometimes I think that I bear a lot things that I don't want to, I bear a lot of pressure...

Tell me, I really like to learn more for everything, what can I do?

New de Young exhibit features ancient Mexican art

New de Young exhibit features ancient Mexican art

- view video -
New de Young exhibit features ancient Mexican art
Video updated on: 2011.02.18 at 06:14 PM PST

Story posted 2011.02.18 at 06:10 PM PST

An exhibition of works from ancient Mexico opens Saturday at the de Young Museum in San Francsico. It may be some of the oldest art in the world.

They are stones that have been carved by the Olmec, a civilization that existed more than 3,000 years ago, before the Aztecs or Incas. They took stones, some weighing up to 48,000 pounds, and carved on them using simple stone and wood tools.

They tell a story of a culture of that period, but little about the Olmec lifestyle, where they came from, or where they went, leaving behind their creations. Excavation began 100 years ago and continues to today, and new art works are still being found.

The exhibition here comes from the collections of 25 museums around the world.

Story posted 2011.02.18 at 06:10 PM PST

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All material © 2011 ABC Inc., KGO-TV Inc. & 2004-2011 LSN, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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Víctor Lei

1 million people expected at Chinese New Year parade

1 million people expected at Chinese New Year parade

Story posted 2011.02.18 at 11:26 AM PST

Organizers of San Francisco's Chinese New Year Parade expect close to a million spectators to gather along the parade route Saturday evening to celebrate the Year of the Hare.

The annual parade, a city tradition that dates back to 1858, has nearly 5,000 participants, hundreds of volunteers, and will include 26 floats, marching bands, students, dance troupes, music, and lots of firecrackers, spokeswoman Karen Eng said.

"It's a noisy parade. It's a festive occasion. And it's a nighttime parade so it's unique," Eng said.

The Chinese New Year Parade will begin at 5:15 p.m. at Market and Second streets and will proceed down Geary and Post streets before ending on Kearny Street at Columbus Avenue.

The parade lasts about two and a half hours, rain or shine, Eng said.

Saturday's parade will cap two weeks worth of Chinese New Year events, including a flower market fair, a run for charity, and the popular Miss Chinatown U.S.A. pageant.

The winner of Feb. 10's pageant, June Quan, will be crowned tonight at a coronation ball and will be a featured participant in the parade.

There are a limited amount of bleacher seats available and tickets for those have already sold out, Eng said.

KTVU and KTSF televise the event but many of the spectators will be lining the streets along the route, Eng said.

The city has been hard at work preparing for the crowds. The Department of Public Works started their beautification project with a thorough steam cleaning of the Broadway Street Tunnel.

City workers spent three weeks removing graffiti, washing the iconic entrance to Chinatown on Grant Avenue, and manually and steam cleaning the streets in Chinatown and along the parade route, department officials said.

Story posted 2011.02.18 at 11:26 AM PST

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All material © 2011 ABC Inc., KGO-TV Inc. & 2004-2011 LSN, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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Víctor Lei

Storm brings snow to Bay Area peaks

Storm brings snow to Bay Area peaks

- view video -
Storm brings snow to Bay Area peaks
Video updated on: 2011.02.19 at 12:22 AM PST

Story posted 2011.02.19 at 12:22 AM PST

An unusual flurry of snow hit the Bay Area's highest peaks on Friday night. It snowed in Berkeley and at Grizzly Peak. The snow began coming down to elevation levels just under 1,800 feet. It also snowed at Mt. Tamalpais in the North Bay and on Mt. Diablo in the east Bay.

With the cold temperatures dipping in some areas to 37 degrees, the danger of black ice beginning to form became another hazard drivers had to watch out for Friday night and early Saturday morning.

On Friday at the Saratoga Gap it had been raining all day long, so people drove up, looking for snow and they were not disappointed. At the intersection of Highway 9 and 35, snow lovers were able to make snowballs and small snowmen out of the amount of snow that fell. It was also cold enough that it didn't melt that quickly so a lot of parents brought their kids to play in the icy mix.

In Marin County, the snow steadily fell atop Mt. Tamalpais. The light dusting started at around 2 p.m. Friday, but by around 5 p.m. the snow was coming down at a steady pace so that several inches accumulated. People made the trek to check it out.

Caltrans crews also expected a lot more snow and ice to fall overnight. Trucks and teams were all over the mountain, standing by, just in case. They spent a lot of their time on Friday just moving rain water out of the roads.

uReport powered by YouTube:
Take part in the news. Send videos and photos to uReport@kgo-tv.com , or visit uReport.abc7news.com .

Lisa Amin Gulezian contributed to this story

Story posted 2011.02.19 at 12:22 AM PST

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All material © 2011 ABC Inc., KGO-TV Inc. & 2004-2011 LSN, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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Víctor Lei

Fwd: Help Save CCSF!

We should tell those politicians in Sacramento that we deserve the right to receive higher education and pursue our dreams!!!

Víctor Lei

Begin forwarded message:

From: ascpresidente@gmail.com
Date: February 17, 2011 17:58:10 PST
To: wlei1@mail.ccsf.edu
Subject: Help Save CCSF!

Dear Associated Students:

The AS Council at Ocean is preparing for STATEWIDE ACTION at the state
capitol in Sacramento, the MARCH IN MARCH on March 14th, 2011.  All students
are invited to join in marching to the state capitol to protect STUDENTS'
RIGHTS and HIGHER EDUCATION.  PARTICIPATE in active resistance to the
impending budget cuts that could CHANGE the face of community colleges and
our own City College of San Francisco.

With Governor Brown's proposed budget, students face fee raises up to an
additional $10 per unit in the Fall semester 2011, cuts to student services,
loss of classes, and more stringent Financial aid eligibility requirements.
WE must present our UNITED front in student activism!  All CCSF campus
Associated Student Councils are collaborating to EMPOWER STUDENTS, with the
support of Chancellor Don Griffin, the CCSF administration, faculty, and
classified staff.

What YOU CAN do:

March in Sacramento on March 14th in UNITY with CALIFORNIA community
colleges!
Attend council meetings and statewide senate conferences!
Rally and attend teach-ins at CCSF on March 2nd for equity, access, and the
right to higher education!
Contact your local and state legislators!
Hold on to your DREAMS and keep HOPE alive for the students of CITY COLLEGE!


GET on the BUS and GET INVOLVED!
SIGN UP at www.ccsf.edu/mim...it only takes 30 seconds!

The MARCH IN MARCH PLANNING TEAM will meet MONDAYS at 3:30 PM in the Student
Union Conference Room 208 at Ocean Campus.  Please spread the word and
invite students.  Volunteers welcome!
Join us in the effort to LET THE STUDENTS' VOICES BE HEARD across the
state!

Important links:

http://www.studentsenateccc.org/

www.ccsf.edu/mim

www.ccsf.edu/vote

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbUtL_0vAJk&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1L8y-MX3pg&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vP6IWjqn8o


For more information contact:

Elizabeth Weinberg, ASC President, Ocean
asc.eweinberg@yahoo.com

Jeffrey Fang, Student Trustee
jfang@mail.ccsf.edu

Felix Cabrera, VP of Cultural Affairs, Ocean
fcabrera@mail.ccsf.edu

Diamond Dave Whitaker, Senator, Ocean
dmndv@hotmail.com

<dmndv@hotmail.com>
Katie Gelardi, Mission, Campus Outreach
kgelardi@mail.ccsf.edu

Mandy Lam, ASC President, Downtown
mlam_sfvs@yahoo.com

Kea Ngor, ASC Vice President, Downtown
*ngor5573@att.net* <ngor5573@att.net>

Leslie Smith, Vice Chancellor of Governmental Relations
lsmith@ccsf.edu


PRESERVE HIGHER EDUCATION AND OUR FUTURE!

Elizabeth Weinberg
President, Ocean Campus
ascpresidente@gmail.com

Fwd: FREE TAX SERVICES @CCSF

Do you need any help on preparing your tax? CCSF is available to help for FREE!*

* Certain restrictions apply, see the below message for details.

Víctor Lei

Begin forwarded message:

From: Misha Antonich <mishavideo@gmail.com>
Date: February 13, 2011 20:00:58 PST
To: Misha Antonich <mishavideo@gmail.com>
Subject: FREE TAX SERVICES @CCSF

It's tax time again!  We have FREE tax services at the Ocean, Mission, Southeast and Evans campuses now through April 18.  These sites can help you with your tax filings for both your Federal and California returns. The program is sponsored by Single Stop USA, United Way and CCSF Financial Aid Office.  All CCSF students and their families with incomes less than $49,000 are eligible to use the free tax services at any of the four campus locations.  If you're applying for financial aid (to complete the 2011-2012 FAFSA application), you'll need a current tax return so take advantage of this free service.

The program has IRS trained and certified tax preparers who will help you get your maximum refund.  Students who are dependents can file for a refund of their tax withholdings.  If you have earned income, and believe you do not need to file a return, you should check with the tax preparers in this program.  You may be missing out on certain tax credits that are available to individuals and families with minimum income.  The consultation is free and you may find that you're eligible for a refund.  If you prefer to do your own taxes, we have a free e-filing program that will not charge you for your Federal or California return.  We'll give you the url and you can prepare your own return while getting assistance from our tax preparers.  There are Chinese and Spanish bilingual speakers available at each location to assist taxpayers with limited English.

The sites are open Monday through Friday with daytime and evening hours through April 18th.  Call 415-391-7427 for an appointment or more information.  Walk-ins are welcome on a space available basis.  The locations are:

Evans - Room 220A
Mission - Room 120
Ocean - Student Union, Room 202
Southeast - Room 203

You can also request a benefit screening that will tell you if you're eligible for food stamps, health insurance, child care assistance, and other benefits.  In addition, financial counseling and opening of bank accounts and prepaid debit cards are available.

Jorge Bell
City College of San Francisco
Dean Financial Aid,  EOPS and CalWORKs Services
(T.) 415/239-3382
(F.) 415/239-3996

--
------------
Misha Antonich
City College of San Francisco
Video Editing & Production Instructor

E: mishavideo@gmail.com
T: (415) 452-5686 (Office only)
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Verizon to sell Sony's PlayStation phone

Verizon to sell Sony's PlayStation phone

Story posted 2011.02.13 at 02:24 PM PST

The first "PlayStation phone" is coming to Verizon Wireless in April, the CEO of phone maker Sony Ericsson said Sunday.

The Xperia Play phone will have a big touch screen and a pad that slides out to reveal control buttons similar to those on a Sony PlayStation Portable. The phone marks a change in strategy for Sony and a coup for Sony Ericsson, which has been trying to get its phones back into the U.S. market.

The phone looks similar to the PSP Go, a version of the PlayStation Portable released in 2009.

The Play phone will run Google Inc.'s Android operating system and play modified PlayStation games that won't run on other phones. It's the first time Sony has allowed its PlayStation games to run on hardware not made by Sony. The license isn't exclusive to Sony Ericsson, so other phone makers could follow, but Sony Ericsson will have a substantial head start.

Sony Ericsson CEO Bert Nordberg demonstrated the phone in Barcelona, a day ahead of the opening of the Mobile World Congress trade show there. He said he didn't know what the phone will cost.

Sony Ericsson is a joint venture of Sony Corp. of Japan and LM Ericsson AB of Sweden. They merged their phone-making businesses in 2001, and have faced calls to make phones that take advantage of Sony's strength in game consoles since then. Recently, touch screen phones, especially Apple Inc.'s iPhone, have become big game platforms in their own right, thanks to their large screens and intuitive controls.

Verizon Wireless is the largest U.S. wireless carrier, but it hasn't carried Sony Ericsson phones for several years. Last year, Sony Ericsson dropped the Symbian operating system, which is largely unknown in the U.S., in favor of Android, with the aim of penetrating the U.S. smart-phone market. Sony Ericsson's worldwide sales have continued to slide, but it's now able to sell more expensive phones, stemming some of the revenue decline.

Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications Inc. of New York and Vodafone Group PLC of Britain.

Story posted 2011.02.13 at 02:24 PM PST

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All material © 2011 ABC Inc., KGO-TV Inc. & 2004-2011 LSN, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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Víctor Lei

Possible end to buying junk food with food stamps?

Possible end to buying junk food with food stamps?

- view video -
Possible end to buying junk food with food stamps?
Updated on: 2011-02-11 22:57:06

Story posted 2011.02.11 at 07:51 PM PST

There is a push in Sacramento for the state to act as food police when it comes to food stamps. One lawmaker is proposing legislation that would prevent people from using those stamps for junk food and sodas.

With few exceptions, food stamp recipients in the CalFresh Program can buy virtually anything edible at the grocery store, even junk food. Now a lawmaker wants taxpayers to stop footing the bill for unhealthy eating.

State Sen. Mike Rubio, D-Bakersfield, is proposing to ban food stamps from being used to purchase things like chips, donuts and soda. In counties were it is allowed, he does not want benefits spent at fast food restaurants either.

"It moves towards a position where the government should give people what they need rather than what they want," Rubio said.

Rubio hopes to curb the obesity problem. Rubio says many food stamp recipients end up with medical problems from eating poorly and taxpayers are likely to also pay for their care.

But opponents say it is not fair to target just one group.

"We don't think that we should just be singling out low-income families, or the CalFresh Program, for that kind of attention," Western Center on Law and Poverty spokesperson Mike Herald said. "Everyone in society, this is a societal problem, not a low-income problem."

The idea, though, is not unheard of.

Rubio says the ban would be difficult to administer. The Women, Infants and Children Program (WIC) already limits purchases to healthy foods.

Still, food stamp recipients think limiting their spending is ludicrous.

"It's crazy because you're telling me what I can and cannot spend my food stamps on? If I'm the type of person that wants some chips, I should be able to buy chips with food stamps," Tamara Beverly said.

"They need to not make that a law because it's not fair to the kids," Adriell Coleman said. "Some kids, that's their only way of having any type of money."

Other states have tried to implement similar spending limits, but the federal government has never granted the waiver because of the cost to create a system that can weed out junk food.

Story posted 2011.02.11 at 07:51 PM PST

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All material © 2011 ABC Inc., KGO-TV Inc. & 2004-2011 LSN, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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Víctor Lei

Nokia CEO: Co. to get billions from Microsoft

Nokia CEO: Co. to get billions from Microsoft

Story posted 2011.02.13 at 01:10 PM PST

Nokia Corp. will get billions of dollars from Microsoft Corp. to ditch its current smart-phone software in favor of Windows Phone 7, Nokia CEO Stephen Elop said Sunday, in a defense of the deal.

Nokia, the world's largest maker of phones, and Microsoft announced their alliance Friday. Both investors and employees reacted with dismay: Nokia's stock dived 14 percent and Finnish employees used flex time to go home early.

On Sunday, a day ahead of the start of the Mobile World Congress cell phone trade show in Barcelona, Elop told press, analysts and industry players that apart from the benefits of the alliance that were laid out Friday, Microsoft is paying Nokia billions of dollars to switch to Windows Phone 7.

"This is something I don't think was completely explained," Elop said.

Elop, a former Microsoft executive, said Finland-based Nokia had been courted by Google Inc. as well, which sought to convince it to use its popular Android software for smart phones. Microsoft's payments are recognition that Nokia had "substantial value to contribute," said Elop.

Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft introduced Windows Phone 7 last year, on phones made by LG Electronics Inc. and HTC Corp., but has only captured a few percentage points of the smart phone market, according to analysts.

Nokia's worldwide market share in smart phones was just over 30 percent in last year's fourth quarter, down from 40 percent a year earlier. Those phones use Symbian, a relatively old software package that wasn't designed to be used with touch screens.

Money and in-kind contributions will flow both ways in the deal, Elop reiterated. Nokia will be contributing its Ovi mapping service and will be paying Microsoft royalties for the use of its software, as other manufacturers do. It will save money by not continuing development of its own software. The net benefit is still in the billions, he said.

Analysts believe Google pays manufacturers to use Android, but no figures have come to light.

Elop was hired in September to shake things up at Nokia, but he may face an uphill battle in getting employees on board. At the Barcelona event, Elop was asked whether he's a "Trojan horse" -- a Microsoft insider who's penetrated Nokia and steered it in a direction favorable to Microsoft.

"The obvious answer is 'No,"' Elop said. "Thanks for asking."

He said the decision to go with Windows Phone was unanimous in Nokia's senior management team. Nokia's board approved the deal Thursday night, a day ahead of the announcement in London.

Adding Nokia's market share to that of existing Android phones would have left the world with only two real players in smart phone software, Elop said. He didn't mention the iPhone, but it's the other dominant force in smart phones. A duopoly would have big ramifications for everyone, he said.

"A decision to go with Windows Phone creates a very different dynamic," Elop said. "It's an environment where now, Windows Phone is a challenger."

Microsoft has made smart phone software for more than a decade. Windows Phone 7 is an attempt to make a clean break with the past, and create an operating system designed for big iPhone-style touch screens.

Story posted 2011.02.13 at 01:10 PM PST

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All material © 2011 ABC Inc., KGO-TV Inc. & 2004-2011 LSN, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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Víctor Lei

Your Fate Of Life

Human's life just like a speciality dish with five different tastes, salty, sour, bitter, spicy and sweet. That's the fate of life, and you have to taste them all. Unfortunately, I never taste sweet. Many people look down on me, my relatives, my colleagues, they all think I'm useless. Every time when I heard that, it just tastes like something bitter and sour…

Víctor Lei

FW: Re: Amazon customer inquiry: Received Damaged, Defective, or Wrong item norman blumberg

what a poor guy... You are such a poor guy...

----Forwarded Message----
From: lei_victor@sbcglobal.net
To: wnwhhz51c08rt8c@marketplace.amazon.com
Sent: Wed Dec 1st, 2010 4:52 PM PST
Subject: Re: Amazon customer inquiry: Received Damaged, Defective, or Wrong item norman blumberg

Hi, thanks for your email.

First I would like to apologize anything that causes inconvenience and
misunderstandings. But if you take a look on the packaging slip that enclosed
in the shipment, at the "comments" line, I put on this statement in all capital
letters: "IMPORTANT: SCREEN PROTECTOR IS NOT INCLUDED" I'm selling the case
only, not with the screen protector.

I'm so sorry that something makes you misunderstand, I did not intend to cheat
or to do something like that, but it has been the problem of Amazon.com for
years, especially for those individual sellers. What I mean is that Amazon.com
doesn't allow non-professional individual sellers to create their own product
page or listings, while eBay allows sellers to do so. In many cases, sellers can
only list an item under the Amazon.com's pre-created listings. That's what it
happened. I could only list the item under the product with the closest
description. What I could do was to put a statement on the "comments" line and
tell the buyers what would be missing with the product, I also tried to keep the
price as low as possible to deduct the price of things that missed. I know that
it often causes problems of misunderstanding, I asked the people at Amazon.com
if there was a solution, they said I could create my own product page on their
website only if I sign up as a "Pro Seller", which cost me $40 a month. $40 a
month, that is a huge expense for me, I only sell two or three items a month on
average, With $40 a month, I have to sell about 45 - 50 of those protective
cases you bought each month to fully cover the monthly cost and other fees and
expenses.

Again, I'm sorry about that inconvenience. If you would like a refund, simply
return it to me before Wednesday 12/8, and I'll be happy to initiate a refund.

Thank you very much for understanding and wish you have a great day.

________________________________
From: norman blumberg - Amazon Marketplace
<wnwhhz51c08rt8c@marketplace.amazon.com>
To: marshallpgov <lei_victor@sbcglobal.net>
Sent: Wed, December 1, 2010 3:56:20 PM
Subject: Amazon customer inquiry: Received Damaged, Defective, or Wrong item
norman blumberg

Order ID 002-9841801-4771428:
1 of 4G Touch Twin Pack Black & Clear Silicone Protective Armour Case Cover +
Screen Protector Kit for New Apple iPod Touch 4th Generation - 8GB 32GB 64GB
[ASIN: B0041NO012]

------------- Begin message -------------

I got 2 pieces of gel that fit on the back of the ipod.I got nothing to protect
the screen--gel or screen protector. I ordered a screen protector and it was not
included and it says that on the invoice. What's the deal? I order something and
I don't get the full product. I want to return this but I'm not paying the
postage because it is not worth it. What I can do is give you negative feedback
about this product and the seller. I'm not that kind of person but I don't like
ordering something and not getting what I ordered.
If you send me a screen protector I will be satisfied. Otherwise, negative
feedback and a call to Amazon will be necessary.

------------- End message -------------

For Your Information: To help arbitrate disputes and preserve trust and safety,
we retain all messages buyers and sellers send through Amazon.com for two
years. This includes your response to the message above. Amazon.com uses
filtering technology to protect buyers and sellers from possible fraud.
Messages that fail this filtering will not be transmitted.
We want you to buy with confidence anytime you purchase products on Amazon.com.
Learn more about Safe Online Shopping
(http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?ie=UTF8&nodeId=10412241)
and our safe buying guarantee
(http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?ie=UTF8&nodeId=537868).

[commMgrTok:AW6EB4J6I09GH]

Scavengers cash in on illegal recycling around SF

Scavengers cash in on illegal recycling around SF

- view video -
Many cashing in on recycling rip-offs around SF
Video updated on: 2011.02.09 at 07:01 PM PST

Story posted 2011.02.09 at 07:05 PM PST

San Francisco lawmakers opened the debate on Wednesday over who should get the city's lucrative recycling contract. Trash is big business, but it's also a source of income for some and it's not always legal.

It's the night before trash pickup in SoMa and the recycling bins are being raided. Rikki Ercoli sent us uReport video he filmed earlier this month, and it infuriates him to see people taking recyclables from his bin.

"Here in San Francisco, we love recycling. I know I do, but 100 percent of my efforts are going directly into the hands of people I'm not doing the work for. If it was going to the city, great, but it's not," he said.

In fact, fewer bottles and cans for the Recology Company to pickup and sell is said to ultimately cost consumers about $5 million a year. Much of that theft comes from organized rings, and Ercoli said trucks pick up the ripped off recyclables on his block.

"So it affects increases in your garbage bill in future years. If that material is stolen, the money is stolen with it," Robert Reed from Recology said.

Stealing recyclables is illegal and state and local penalties are as much as $2,000. The District Attorney's Office recently put out a newsletter calling it, "The issue of the month." For many neighborhoods, it's a quality of life issue with noise and litter. One strategy being discussed is reducing the cash incentive and Supervisor Scott Wiener is considering pushing for a change in state law to require recycling centers to offer vouchers for food and other products instead of money.

"We've seen in the areas around some recycling centers some issues around alcohol abuse and drug dealing," he said.

Ed Dunn runs a recycling center and is critical of the proposal to swap cash for food.

"The vast majority are very middle class people who might want to use the money for rent or to fill up their tank again," he said.

The voucher program would be a change in state law, so Wiener wants to make sure he has enough support before he moves forward with that.

uReport:
Take part in the news. Upload videos and photos to uReport.abc7news.com , or e-mail them to uReport@kgo-tv.com .

Story posted 2011.02.09 at 07:05 PM PST

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All material © 2011 ABC Inc., KGO-TV Inc. & 2004-2011 LSN, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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Víctor Lei

Long lines expected for new Verizon iPhone

Long lines expected for new Verizon iPhone

- view video -
Long lines expected for new Verizon iPhone
Video updated on: 2011.02.10 at 12:03 AM PST

Story posted 2011.02.09 at 11:56 PM PST

Verizon will start selling the new iPhone on Thursday. Up until now, AT&T had an exclusive hold on the ubiquitous Apple device. So now many are wondering how this will affect the iPhone's performance on either network.

San Francisco users are hoping this new phone improves iPhone service if it means that fewer people will be clogging up AT&T's network. The consensus from many local iPhone users is that they love the iPhone, but hate the service.

The doors open early at 7 a.m., but workers at the Verizon store on Market Street are bracing for lines before the sun even comes up.

"We are expecting people to line up at wee hours of the morning and we are expecting it to be nuts," said Krysten Gregg, the Verizon store manager.

It could be as nuts as the worst kept secret in the tech world -- Verizon's iPhone launch. The phone goes on sale this week and many smart phone users have one word to say..."finally!"

"I came in to move from AT&T to Verizon," said James Roten, a San Francisco iPhone customer.

AT&T has been the exclusive carrier of the Apple iPhone and in San Francisco AT&T has become synonymous with dropped calls and complaints about service. Roten can't wait to make the switch.

"Their service is horrible, it's absolutely horrible. I can't tell you how many times a day my calls get dropped," said Roten.

"People have really looked to Verizon's as sort of the answer to their prayers," said Kent German, a CNET senior editor.

This cell phone columnist is testing the phone for a review and his take so far is that it is better.

"In our testing at CNET we found that the Verizon phone for right now does make better calls, connects faster, it can connect to more calls," said German.

But as to whether a Verizon iPhone will mean less demand on AT&T's network and therefore fewer dropped calls, German said it's too early to tell. It may also be too early to tell whether there will even be enough Verizon iPhones to go around on Thursday morning.

"People want to know will we have them in stock and will they be able to rely on our network? The answer is they will be able to rely on our network, absolutely," said Gregg. When asked if they will have them in stock, she said, "I'm not sure. We're excited to sell them like hotcakes."

So what might happen to Verizon's service if people line up to buy the new iPhone? Will all the new users flood the system as many say it has with AT&T? German said Verizon has likely learned from AT&T's mistakes and won't let that happen.

However, even if you wait in line, you may not be able to walk away with the phone. There's another catch -- iPhone users under contract with AT&T will have to pay to switch to Verizon service, and it may cost up to $325.

Story posted 2011.02.09 at 11:56 PM PST

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All material © 2011 ABC Inc., KGO-TV Inc. & 2004-2011 LSN, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

....

Víctor Lei

Job seekers hit pavement again at Concord job fair

Job seekers hit pavement again at Concord job fair

- view video -
ABC7 is co-sponsoring a free job fair in Concord
Updated on: 2011-02-08 15:25:34

- view video -
Job seekers hit pavement again at Concord job fair
Updated on: 2011-02-08 23:06:11

Story posted 2011.02.08 at 08:08 PM PST

There is some discouraging news, if you're hunting for a job. Employers advertised 3.1 million job openings in December -- that's a drop of 140,000 from the month before. Temp jobs, construction, manufacturing, education, even medical jobs all dropped off. Still, there were dozens of jobs available in Concord at an ABC7/Job Journal HIREvent.

Job hunters attended a job fair to meet with recruiters. Talking to a recruiter is a great first step; next is going to the company online.

"We are looking for individuals who love to wake up in the morning and come to work and make another person's day," says Ayana Stevenson from Umpqua Bank.

The lines are still long, but the opportunities are few. Unemployment in Contra Costa County is nearly 11 percent. Companies are offering jobs, but not as many as they once did.

"It's brutal because all the different companies are looking… they know they have the upper hand, so to speak," says Catrin Tiscareno, a job seeker.

Tiscareno has been out of a job for four months. The man standing in line in front of her has been looking for six months for a banking job, which has made his personal finances challenging.

At the job fair networking is important. Patience and a great resume are required.

"We try to determine why it may not be working for them. Then we try to give them pointers on how to strengthen the resume," says Linda Hamilton from Hamilton Resume Services.

State figures show there have been seasonal job gains, but it's still a tough market.

"The employers are coming out of a brutal recession. So they're slowly starting to hire more, but once again we would like to see more jobs out there," says Kathy Caricato from the Jobs Journal.

Next Job Fair
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
12 p.m. - 4 p.m.
Hotel Whitcomb
1231 Market Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
1-888-THE-JOBS

Story posted 2011.02.08 at 08:08 PM PST

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All material © 2011 ABC Inc., KGO-TV Inc. & 2004-2011 LSN, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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Víctor Lei

Woman billed $8,000 for cigarette back taxes

Woman billed $8,000 for cigarette back taxes

- view video -
Woman billed $8,000 for cigarette back taxes
Updated on: 2011-02-07 22:08:10

Story posted 2011.02.08 at 01:34 PM PST

The state is intensifying pressure on consumers to pay taxes on purchases made online. Shoppers who buy items from out of state retailers online don't get charged a sale tax, but are expected to pay them later. Many don't and now the state is stepping up efforts to go after those it finds out about.

"I'm pretty upset. I don't think it's fair. I mean, why should I be held responsible? They should already be charging the tax," Anita Dealmeida said.

She recently received final notice for the collection of about $8,000 in back taxes, including $2,000 in interest and penalties. The taxes were for cigarette purchases she made online for clients at Tia Maria's Family Home, an assisted living center she runs for the developmentally disabled.

"We have clients that smoke and we're on a limited income, so when we can find the cheapest, that's the route we go," Dealmeida said.

The Hayward resident purchased the cigarettes between 2005 and 2007 and she says the cigarettes were bought so long ago, she doesn't even remember where she bought them and wonders why the retailer didn't collect the tax back then.

Betty Yee, chairwoman of the State Board of Equalization, explains the law doesn't require out of state retailers to collect taxes, but those that sell cigarettes are required to report its sales to the state under the federal Jenkins Act passed in 1949.

"Often times, we have a lag of when the out of state retailer provides the information to us about the purchaser in California. We will work with any purchaser to reconcile what really took place," Yee said.

The Jenkins Act applies only to cigarette sales. Consumers are required to pay tax on other out-of-state Internet purchases including computers and electronics, but compliance is pretty much voluntary. In December, the Board of Equalization approved a new fine on all delinquent taxpayers.

"Those who still owe excise taxes and sale taxes on Internet purchases of cigarettes and have not paid their liability are subject to a new cost recovery collection, cost recovery fee," Yee said.

The fee ranges from $195 to $925 and the stakes are high. California estimates its owed $50 million in back taxes for cigarette purchases alone and $1.3 billion in back taxes for all out of state sales.

"I can understand if I owe the tax, I'll pay the tax. It's the interest and penalties I'm not OK with when I wasn't notified," Dealmeida said.

She says the final notice she received in late December was actually the first time she had been notified she owed the tax and just a few days ago, her bank informed her that the state had removed from her account nearly $8,000 in back taxes, interest and penalty.

"So I will definitely personally help her and if the invoices need to get resolved, I will certainly give her assistance to help her do that," Yee said.

Yee says out of state purchases can be reported on your state income tax form or via a use tax return. Since 2006, the state has collected about $6 million in delinquent cigarette sales taxes.

Story posted 2011.02.08 at 01:34 PM PST

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All material © 2011 ABC Inc., KGO-TV Inc. & 2004-2011 LSN, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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Víctor Lei

Lee, supes hope to keep Twitter headquarters in SF

Lee, supes hope to keep Twitter headquarters in SF

- view video -
Lee, supes hope to keep Twitter headquarters in SF
Updated on: 2011-02-08 21:34:25

Story posted 2011.02.08 at 07:15 PM PST

San Francisco's mayor and two supervisors emerged from behind closed doors on Tuesday and announced what they hope will be a deal to keep Twitter from leaving the city and entice new businesses to move in.

The social media company has outgrown its current location on Folsom Street. Twitter had 22 employees in January 2009 and has 350 today. The company has talked about leaving San Francisco for larger and possibly cheaper space.

San Francisco officials are now hoping to offer tax breaks to Twitter and any other company that relocates to the seedy side of Market Street. The area between 5th and 10th streets is in desperate need of revitalization and legislation proposed by Mayor Ed Lee, and Supervisors David Chiu and Jane Kim would exempt the companies who locate in that area from paying the payroll tax on any new employees hired for six years.

"I would be very disappointed if I didn't have the facts in front of me, but I'm fully confident," Lee said.

"What we're doing is saying there's going to be an opportunity if they grow jobs that don't exist, for those new jobs not to lead to a payroll tax," Chui said.

Gabriel Metcalfe is the director of SPUR, a public policy think tank that focuses on urban issues. He says as long as the deal isn't just for Twitter, he thinks it's a great idea.

"If it's the whole area, if it's geographically targeted for a place that needs the help, if it's for new jobs, it's a great idea," he said.

Supervisor John Avalos isn't so sure and worried the proposed tax break will set a bad precedent with other corporations threatening to leave town unless they get exemptions.

"We have an economic downturn. Do we have to give away all the stores so that we attract corporations to be here," he said.

Twitter had no comments other than an official saying, "We prefer conversations behind closed door and not in public."

Story posted 2011.02.08 at 07:15 PM PST

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All material © 2011 ABC Inc., KGO-TV Inc. & 2004-2011 LSN, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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Víctor Lei

Facebook moving to Menlo Park from Palo Alto

Facebook moving to Menlo Park from Palo Alto

- view video -
Facebook moving to Menlo Park from Palo Alto
Updated on: 2011-02-08 21:30:25

Story posted 2011.02.08 at 06:33 PM PST

Social media is on the move -- not just virtually, but literally here in the Bay Area. Facebook has outgrown its headquarters in Palo Alto and is moving to Menlo Park. Nine existing buildings on roughly one million square feet of space will make up Facebook's new campus in Menlo Park.

"Facebook has been looking for a place, a setting where we could plant some roots, pull together all our Bay Area employees in an area where they can work together collaboratively, feed off each other's energy and ideas and build the future of the company," Facebook CFO David Ebersam said.

Facebook struck a deal with Oracle to lease the complex for 15 years with an option to buy in five. The amount was not disclosed. Oracle purchased former tenants Sun Microsystems in 2009 and then laid off thousands of Sun employees. Facebook has started remodeling the first of the nine buildings.

"That building will hold about 500 folks and it will be ready in the June/mid-June time frame," Facebook Director of Real Estate John Tenanes said.

The goal is for Facebook to have most of its 1,400 Bay Area employees on campus within 12 months. The company will keep its Palo Alto facilities until the leases expire in 2013.

Facebook told reporters the company did not receive any tax breaks from the city. Menlo Park's mayor said with Facebook, the future looks good for the city.

"And we are going to be able to do some things that this city hasn't been able to do in years and that is bring more revenue and planning and ideas into that community," Mayor Richard Cline said.

Facebook also purchased a second 22-acre property across from the new campus. Both are connected by a pedestrian tunnel. That too will eventually be developed.

"We are in it for the long term and have every hope and expectation that the area around it can be a place that grows and offers and interesting amenities and service that our employees enjoy," Ebersam said.

Bez Zahedi owns a restaurant in downtown Menlo Park. He is worried any expansion in that area will affect small businesses, especially restaurant owners.

"I was excited to have them hopefully bring some business to small businesses in downtown Menlo Park and other areas, but hearing that they plan to have their own malls and facilities over there is a little concerning," Zahedi said.

On March 5, Facebook and city officials will hold a public planning session to get feedback on how Facebook will best fit into the community.

Story posted 2011.02.08 at 06:33 PM PST

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All material © 2011 ABC Inc., KGO-TV Inc. & 2004-2011 LSN, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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Víctor Lei

La Niña promises drier months ahead for California

La Niña promises drier months ahead for California

- view video -
La Nina promises drier months ahead for California
Updated on: 2011-02-03 22:31:08

Story posted 2011.02.03 at 07:20 PM PST

From unseasonably wet to incredibly dry. That sums up our rainy season so far this year. And with nearly half the season left and no rain in sight, is it time to push the water supply panic button?

What a difference a month makes. Before the new year, Northern California saw copious amounts of rain and snow. And then, as if someone turned off the spigot, it all stopped.

"We're in a La Niña," said UC Davis climatologist Bryan Weare.

Northern California's dry spell can be blamed at least in part on cooler ocean temperatures in the Pacific.

"People make so-called outlooks based on what's happened in the past during La Niña events and that outlook is for basically dry California, especially Southern California for the next couple of months," said Weare.

In January, statewide rainfall totals were just 30 percent of average for the month, but for the season 130 percent.

Meteorologist Jan Null says this water year will be defined not so much by what happened in January, but rather what comes next.

"I think it's a little too early to be worried," said Jan Null with Golden Gate Weather. "It's fairly typical that we have a mid-winter dry spell. I think it averages about 19 days of dry weather sort of sandwiched between our normal rainier periods."

What matters most is the High Sierra and whether the current snowpack will last, even if the rest of the season is relatively dry.

Currently, water content in the Sierra snow is 135 percent of average for this time of year. In the major reservoirs water supply is 111 percent of normal at Shasta, 109 at Pardee, and 93 percent at Folsom.

"There's a lot of carry-over storage from last year," said Jennifer Allen with the Contra Costa Water District. "There was a cool summer last year and we're optimistic that in the next couple of months we'll see some more rain and snow coming in."

Even with the optimism, water managers say it's always good for people to do what they can to conserve.

Story posted 2011.02.03 at 07:20 PM PST

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All material © 2011 ABC Inc., KGO-TV Inc. & 2004-2011 LSN, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

...

Víctor Lei

Bill aims to crack down on toll evasion loophole

Bill aims to crack down on toll evasion loophole

- view video -
Bill aims to crack down on toll evasion loophole
Updated on: 2011-02-04 22:04:26

Story posted 2011.02.04 at 07:08 PM PST

Electronic toll taking has made life more convenient for many people, but for some it has also made it a whole lot cheaper, too. A confidentiality law originally meant to protect police officers and other public servants means the state is losing out on millions in tolls and toll violation revenue.

Blow through a bridge toll booth without paying, and you will soon get a bill for it plus a $25 fine, unless you are one of the 1.5 million Californians protected by the confidential address program.

"The fact of the matter is it's very hard for us to find some of these folks," said Randy Rentschler with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), which manages Bay Area tolls and fines.

A bill working its way through the state Legislature aims to change that. A 1978 law designed to protect police officers and other public officials from harm keeps their home addresses secret, even from those government agencies who want to send them a ticket.

In Southern California where there are many toll roads, the confidentiality program caught the attention of Assemblyman Jeff Miller, R-Orange County, who says in the last fiscal year the state lost out on $13 million in uncollected tolls. He has authored a bill to change that.

"The goal is not to diminish any of the protection to any of these individuals, it's to simply make sure that nobody is above the law and that they pay their fines just like everybody else," he said.

There was a time when anyone could walk into the Department of Motor Vehicles with a license plate number and walk out with a home address for someone not in the confidentiality program. That changed after actress Rebecca Schaeffer was killed by a stalker who did just that. Now everyone's address is protected.

However, the program remained in place and continued to grow. The covered categories now include not only sworn and non-sworn law enforcement employees, politicians and bureaucrats -- their spouses and children -- but also categories like museum guards and park rangers.

"Oh, it's outrageous the amount of categories that are out there that are protected by confidentiality," said Miller.

In the two-year period from June 2008 to May 2010, more than 4,000 drivers in the confidentiality program went through Bay Area bridge toll booths more than 27,000 times without paying. Only about a third of those were collected. One of those drivers skipped a $4 toll and the associated fine 467 times in an 18-month period.

"There's very few, maybe a couple dozen folks who clearly know that they're not paying their toll," said Rentschler. "They use the bridges every single day and they're ether asking the state and us for an interest-rate loan or trying to get out of paying."

Miller's bill would make them easier to find.

"My bill would simply require a business address be put on the DMV form so in case they did get a ticket and did have confidentiality, they would have a business address to be able to mail the ticket to," said Miller.

"We don't believe that anybody is above the law," said Ron Cottingham, executive director of the Peace Officers Research Association of California, a lobby also known as PORAC. "We would support something that says we're going to collect this fine from you."

Miller's bill will be making its way through committee starting in February or March.

Story posted 2011.02.04 at 07:08 PM PST

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All material © 2011 ABC Inc., KGO-TV Inc. & 2004-2011 LSN, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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Víctor Lei

IDTV 2011 Behind The Scenes - YouTube Playlist

Happy Chinese New Year!

Today is the first day of the Chinese New Year, I wish everyone have a brilliant and prosperous year. Kong Hei Fat Choi!

Punxsutawney Phil predicts an early spring

Punxsutawney Phil predicts an early spring

Story posted 2011.02.02 at 06:13 AM PST

The world's most famous groundhog predicted an early spring Wednesday, but wasn't willing to go out on a limb to forecast whether the nearby Pittsburgh Steelers will win Sunday's Super Bowl.

Punxsutawney Phil emerged just after dawn on Groundhog Day to make his 125th annual weather forecast in front of a smaller-than-usual crowd who braved muddy, icy conditions to hear his handlers reveal that he had not seen his shadow.

Including Wednesday's forecast, Phil has seen his shadow 98 times and hasn't seen it just 16 times since 1887, according to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club's Inner Circle, which runs the event. There are no records for the remaining years, though the group has never failed to issue a forecast.

Two years ago, Phil's forecast also acknowledged the Pittsburgh Steelers' Super Bowl XLIII win the night before. This year, Sunday's game was mentioned in the forecast but no winner was predicted between the Steelers and the Green Bay Packers, who meet in Dallas for Super Bowl XLV.

"The Steelers are going to the Super Bowl," Mike Johnson, vice president of the Inner Circle, said just before the forecast was read, drawing cheers from the clearly partisan crowd gathered on Gobbler's Knob, a tiny hill in this borough of about 6,100 residents some 65 miles northeast of Pittsburgh.

The Groundhog Day celebration is rooted in a German superstition that says if a hibernating animal casts a shadow on Feb. 2, the Christian holiday of Candlemas, winter will last another six weeks. If no shadow was seen, legend said spring would come early.

In reality, Pennsylvania's prophetic rodent doesn't see much of anything. The result is actually decided in advance by 14 members of the Inner Circle, who don tuxedos and top hats for the event.

The celebration usually draws 10,000 to 15,000 spectators when it falls on a weekday, Groundhog club spokesman Luke Webber said. The area was under a winter weather warning and while heavier snows and sleet never materialized, rain falling in about 35-degree temperatures made for a below-average crowd, said Webber, who offered no specific estimate.

Story posted 2011.02.02 at 06:13 AM PST

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All material © 2011 ABC Inc., KGO-TV Inc. & 2004-2011 LSN, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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Víctor Lei

Job ad fronts for scam targeting unemployed

Job ad fronts for scam targeting unemployed

Page 1 of 2

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Job ad fronts for scam targeting unemployed
Updated on: 2011-02-01 22:04:21

Story posted 2011.02.01 at 07:01 PM PST

A Bay Area woman fell victim to a scam targeting the unemployed. With millions of people struggling to find work, it is a growing problem -- con artists are going after job seekers.

This is an old scam that has found a huge new pool of victims -- the unemployed. They should be warned scammers are out there taking advantage of the fact many folks are desperate to find work and they're taking what little money these job seekers have left.

Karina Jennings has been unemployed and searching for work for nearly a year now, all the while struggling to support her two year old son.

"It's been tough, I'm willing and ready to try anything," said Karina.

So Karina got pretty excited when she found a ad in the San Francisco Chronicle. It was an opening for a flight attendant, offering full training and an excellent salary package.

"I immediately jumped on it and got excited, 'Oh, something different…flight attendant,'" said Karina.

Karina called the number in the ad and with that seemingly harmless act, she took her first step into a big trap.

"Everything sounded great, the benefits, the money," said Karina.

The man on the phone told Karina she'd be a stewardess on a chartered jet, carrying wealthy passengers to private cruise ships. She'd earn up to $1,150 per week and be home each night by 6 p.m. So did she want to fly to Miami for an interview?

"I said, 'Wow, that sounds cool. Definitely, I'd would be very interested,'" said Karina.

With that, she took the second step into the trap. The man said she could buy her own plane ticket to Miami, or he would buy the ticket for her, at a reduced price of $372. Karina found the cheapest fares were well over $1,400.

"So I said, 'You know what? Let me just go ahead and call back and ask him what was the other option one more time,'" said Karina.

That was mistake number three. Karina agreed to let the man buy her plane ticket. He told her to wire him half the fare, $186. The man said she'd be reimbursed when she arrived in Miami.

"Gail Maxwell would meet me at the gate when I got there, she'd have a black suit on and as soon as I shook her hand, she'd put the reimbursement of the money that I just wired in my hand," said Karina.

Karina went to the nearest Western Union office and wired the $186 to Orlando, Florida. And yes, that was her final mistake. Later, when she checked the flight that was supposedly purchased for her, she found, there was no such flight. There was no such charter jet company. There was no such job.

"I had been officially, first time scammed and it hurt," said Karina.

Karina went from elation over believing she had finally landed a job, to the depths of realing she'd been conned.

"It really upset my husband and I," said Inez Jennings, Karina's mother.

Inez couldn't stand the idea that someone stole money from her struggling daughter and her grandson.

"I said to my daughter, 'We really need to call Seven On Your Side," said Inez.

Next >>

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All material © 2011 ABC Inc., KGO-TV Inc. & 2004-2011 LSN, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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Víctor Lei