One guy steals $50 Billion

Is it possible for one individual to completely destroy American's faith in capitalist financial markets? Check out this story.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/12/business/12scheme.html?hp

One guy accused of defrauding his clients out of $50 billion dollars. One guy. $50 Billion dollars is more than the GDP of dozens of countries in the world. And one guy stole it.

It's just unbelievable. Congress won't bail out automakers, but finance folks continue to get cash, even while these assholes are in charge of things. Just incredible.

"Senior officials authorized torture", so says the Senate

Well, the Senate has done their job. When's the last time you heard that? Senate Armed Services finally realized their report about "abusive techniques" (i.e. torture) that the US used, and the results aren't a surprise. Bi partisan agreement that we screwed up badly:

“Attempts by senior officials to pass the buck to low-ranking soldiers while avoiding any responsibility for abuses are unconscionable,” Levin said. “The message from top officials was clear: It was acceptable to use degrading and abusive techniques against detainees.”

McCain said, “The committee’s report details the inexcusable link between abusive interrogation techniques used by our enemies who ignored the Geneva Conventions and interrogation policy for detainees in U.S. custody. These policies are wrong and must never be repeated.”

So now the question is: who, if anybody, are we going to prosecute for this? Allowing only lower ranking service members or CIA agents to take the fall for this would be a disgrace. And now that Obama is president, we don't have to tolerate "disgraces" any more, do we?

Not only is this super cool, there's a mellow soundtrack to lighten your day.

Whales Blowing Bubble Rings @ Yahoo! Video

That *&^%$ Illinois governor

This guy is priceless. Check out what Rod Pop-off-a-vitch says about Barack Obama in the wiretap transcript:

c. ROD BLAGOJEVICH said that the consultants (Advisor B and another consultant are believed to be on the call at that time) are telling him that he has to “suck it up” for two years and do nothing and give this “motherfucker [the President-elect] his senator. Fuck him. For nothing? Fuck him.”

It is funny watching Republicans try to link Obama to this guy, at the same time that the guy himself is cursing Obama for wanting him to walk a straight line. Fucking priceless. Oops, sorry! Rod makes it sound so normal....

Jane Mayer

...author of "The Dark Side", should really win a Pulitzer or something for the work she did on this book. It's very, very good, and I've recommended it to lots of people, and even given away a couple of copies.

If you want to see how the US recently lost it's soul, then read it. Here's a good review.

Unnecessary censorship

Care of Jimmy Kimmel. Pretty funny.