Judge: Gay marriage trial can be shown on YouTube

Thursday, Jan. 7, 2010
By LISA LEFF Associated Press Writer

"SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The federal trial on the constitutionality of California's same-sex marriage ban beginning next week will be videotaped and uploaded to a video-sharing Web site, the presiding judge ruled Wednesday.

Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker, who first floated the idea of broadcasting the highly anticipated proceedings live several months ago, said he decided instead to have court employees record the trial for delayed broadcast on Google's YouTube Web site.

Walker did not explicitly say why he favored a system that could keep the proceedings from being aired for hours instead of one that allowed for simultaneous broadcast. But he said he felt strongly that "it's important for the transmission to be absolutely within the court's control...." (title link)

The world, my country and my state

Tomgram: Michael Klare, The Blowback Effect, 2020
Posted by Michael Klare at 4:10pm, January 5, 2010.



McCain Gets It, Obama Doesn’t
Posted on Jan 6, 2010
Obama and McCain
AP / Haraz N. Ghanbari

Facing off: Sen. John McCain looks on as President Barack Obama meets with members of Congress to discuss immigration last June 25 at the White House.
By Robert Scheer


KPBS discusses the State of the State

update: speech transcript

Privatizing prisons, getting more than 78 cents back for every dollar we send to Washington DC (NM gets back twice what they send to DC) spending more on Universities than we do on prisons and dealing with the 20 billion dollar budget shortfall. I could be wrong, but it sounded like the pensions for State workers will be changed. Hmm, what State pensions? Wall street already got their greedy fucking paws on the State pensions.

American on Purpose

by Craig Ferguson


I am a big fan of Craig Ferguson, I think he's hilarious on The Late Late Show , so I knew it was only a matter of time before I bought and read his autobiography American on Purpose.

It was going to be a gift for my neighbor who recently got her citizenship, but that's not going to work. She's such a foofy girl I think she would act shocked. It's hard to say if she really would be shocked, but I think for her kid's sake I'll get her something pretty and feminine. I don't mean foofy in a negative way, she's really nice, it's just going to be a baffling and miserable shopping trip for me. She's from a country that alcohol is illegal in, and she's still learning English, so the book would probably be a bit baffling to her.



I love the book, Craig Ferguson is really funny, and unlike me, a good writer.

I will probably read "Between the Bridge and the River," by Ferguson also.

Surprise! The Fed says don't blame the Fed

Paul R. La Monica, editor at large
January 4, 2010: 1:15 PM ET


Bwaaaah ha ha ha ha ha hahahahahaha


The Structure of the Federal Reserve System
Responsibilities

Religion sucks #21

UPDATED ON:
Sunday, January 03, 2010
20:57 Mecca time, 17:57 GMT
Egypt court upholds exam veil ban

"The government said it banned the niqab in part because students, male and female, were attending exams disguised as other candidates by wearing a face veil."

Why don't religious zealots have any common sense?

Starz Inside: Unforgettably Evil

Someone asked Javier Bardem who he thought of while trying to find inspiration for the character of Anton in No Country for Old Men ? George Bush. I would love to find the film clip, if there is one.

I liked watching this series of interviews. I never wanted to see the Kill Bill movies and I still don't, but watching this made me decide to stop questioning why Joel and Ethan Cohen and Quentin Tarantino are so popular. They're brilliant. I find most of their work revolting, and somewhat patronizing of their audiences, but they are good at displaying over-the-top characters who can be riveting and horrifying.

Suicide Attack in Pakistan Kills 75

* JANUARY 2, 2010
By ZAHID HUSSAIN

"A suicide bomber drove an explosive-laden truck into a crowd of people gathered to watch a volleyball game in a village in northwest Pakistan, killing at least 75 in an attack seen as a retaliation against locals who had formed a progovernment militia.

The attack -- in an area near South Waziristan, a center of Taliban and al Qaeda activities..."

Wow. The local people are already working with the government, do these turds think that killing 75 people is going to endear them to the locals?

AlQaeda and Taliban ain't the sharpest tools in the shed are they?


Pakistan suicide bombing toll nears 100
By Mark Magnier and Zulfiqar Ali
January 2, 2010 | 7:13 a.m.