Supreme Court: Franken wins Senate case

The Minnesota Supreme Court has rejected Republican Norm Coleman's appeal of a lower court's ruling that put his rival, Democrat Al Franken, ahead by 312 votes.

This means Franken is now one step closer to becoming Minnesota's next Senator--unless Coleman decides to petition the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, which may or may not take the case.

The court issued its highly-anticipated order Thursday, after 30 days of deliberation and more than seven months since Minnesotans cast their ballots at the polls.

About freakin' time!

Memorable quotes from the ball diamond

Pity, because ballplayers, in my experience, can be rip-roaringly funny, and they don't have joke writers to provide their material. Of course, often they're not even trying; it just comes out that way.

Fortunately, I've kept a file. To wit, baseball wit:

Some of these were hilarious! Enjoy.

'Ark of the Covenant' about to be unveiled?

The patriarch of the Orthodox Church of Ethiopia
says he will announce to the world Friday the unveiling of the Ark of the Covenant, perhaps the world's most prized archaeological and spiritual artifact, which he says has been hidden away in a church in his country for millennia, according to the Italian news agency Adnkronos.

Abuna Pauolos, in Italy for a meeting with Pope Benedict XVI this week, told the news agency, "Soon the world will be able to admire the Ark of the Covenant described in the Bible as the container of the tablets of the law that God delivered to Moses and the center of searches and studies for centuries."

The announcement is expected to be made at 2 p.m. Italian time from the Hotel Aldrovandi in Rome. Pauolos will reportedly be accompanied by Prince Aklile Berhan Makonnen Haile Sellassie and Duke Amedeo D'Acosta.

Interesting...

Crappy Wiping Product

I think I am in shock!

Iranian military said to charge family of dead son 'bullet fee'

The family of Kaveh Alipour, a 19-year-old Iranian killed amidst protests in Tehran, was allegedly charged a "bullet fee" by Iranian security forces, according to a report Tuesday in the Wall Street Journal.

"Upon learning of his son's death, the elder Mr. Alipour was told the family had to pay an equivalent of $3,000 as a "bullet fee"—a fee for the bullet used by security forces—before taking the body back," relatives purportedly told the Journal.

Details of Alipour's death remain unclear -- he was apparently not part of the protests and may have been killed in crossfire.

WTF???

Homeland Security drone patrolling NNY

A Predator B Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) has been temporarily based at Fort Drum since early June in an experiment by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office.

The Department of Homeland Security is using the extensive restricted air space over Fort Drum to test whether the drone could be a good fit along this stretch of the northern border.

I don't like the government spying on its own citizens.

How is this any different from Bush's ILLEGAL wiretapping???

Craigslist

Awesome!

PETA Says No More Fly-Killing, Sends Obama a Humane Fly Catcher

We support compassion for the even the smallest animals," says Bruce Friedrich, VP for Policy at PETA. “We support giving insects the benefit of the doubt.

You have got to be fucking kidding me!

The TV Business Is Toast

The traditional TV industry -- cable companies, networks, and broadcasters -- is where the newspaper industry was about five years ago:

In denial.

There are murmurings on the edges about how longstanding business models will come under pressure as Internet distribution takes over. But, so far, the revenue and profits are hanging in there, so the big TV companies don't really care.

I LOVE this!!!

Drake, former SBC officer, says he's praying for Obama to die

A former Southern Baptist Convention officer who on June 2 called the death of abortion provider George Tiller an answer to prayer said later in the day he is also praying "imprecatory prayer" against President Obama.

Wiley Drake, pastor of First Southern Baptist Church in Buena Park, Calif., and former running mate of American Independent Party presidential candidate Alan Keyes, said June 2 on Fox News Radio he didn't understand why people were upset with his comments quoted by Associated Baptist Press from a webcast of his daily radio talk show.

"Imprecatory prayer is agreeing with God, and if people don't like that, they need to talk to God," Drake told syndicated talk-show host Alan Colmes. "God said it, I didn't. I was just agreeing with God."

Asked if there are others for whom Drake is praying "imprecatory prayer," Drake hesitated before answering that there are several. "The usurper that is in the White House is one, B. Hussein Obama," he said.

How Christian!!!

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei orders probe as Mousavi rally held

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader ordered Monday a probe into claims of election fraud, one day after he stated the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was following a "fair" process. State television quoted Ayatollah Ali Khamenei directing the Guardian Council to look into charges by reformist candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi

Double holy crap!

Iran protest cancelled as leaked election results show Mahmoud Ahmadinejad came third

he statistics, circulated on Iranian blogs and websites, claimed Mr Mousavi had won 19.1 million votes while Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had won only 5.7 million.

The two other candidates, reformist Mehdi Karoubi and hardliner Mohsen Rezai, won 13.4 million and 3.7 million respectively. The authenticity of the leaked figures could not be confirmed.

Holy crap!

President Obama Visibly Shaken After Visiting Denny's Restaurant

LOL!

Heinz creates world's smallest microwave (and you can plug it into your laptop)

It is the world's smallest, portable microwave and can be powered via a link to the USB port on a laptop computer.

The turquoise device -called the Beanzawave - has been created in partnership with Heinz to allow workers tied to their desks to create a warm snack, or hot drink, to see them through the day.

However, it might also sustain a hard-working student through the many hours of lonely revision.

It reminds me of the 30 rock episode!

More ’sickening’ truths about torture soon to be revealed

A crucial CIA Inspector General’s report from May 2004 is expected to reveal some long-hidden truths about the Bush administration’s use of torture.

According to MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, “This report is sort of the big kahuna in terms of what we have been waiting to see from the government’s own files on torture. That report, which is long and has been described by people who have seen it as ’sickening,’ apparently stopped the torture program in its tracks.”

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) recently warned in a speech on the floor of the Senate that almost everything we think we know about the Bush administration’s torture program is wrong.

I almost don't want to know...

WHO raises flu pandemic to highest level

The long-awaited pandemic announcement is scientific confirmation that a new flu virus has emerged and is quickly circling the globe. WHO will now ask drugmakers to speed up production of a swine flu vaccine. The declaration will also prompt governments to devote more money toward efforts to contain the virus.

But don't panic!

Hitler: Up Close And Personal

Between 1936 and 1945, German photographer Hugo Jaeger was granted unprecedented access to Adolf Hitler, traveling and chronicling, in color, the Fuhrer and his confidants at small gatherings, public events, and, quite often, in private moments. Here, and in several other galleries on LIFE, we now present never-before-published photographs from Jaeger's astonishing -- and chilling -- collection.

Fascinating...

Text size: increase text sizedecrease text size Internet Radio Host Hal Turner Faces Connecticut Charges

Radio host Hal Turner, shown during his broadcast over the Internet from his New Jersey home, was arrested in that state Wednesday on a warrant obtained by Capitol police in Hartford. Turner, who also hosts a blog, is accused of inciting his listeners and readers to "take up arms," and of singling out two Connecticut lawmakers and a state ethics official.

O'Reilly should be next. He's got blood on his hands over Tiller.

Your Pew News IQ Score

I got 11/12. The only one wrong was the one about the DOW.

N.H. Legislature approves gay marriage bill

Gay marriage legislation gained momentum today in New Hampshire, with the passage of a revised bill by both the state House and Senate.

Governor John Lynch is expected to sign the bill into law later today, which would make New Hampshire the sixth state to allow gays to marry.

Shortly after 4 p.m., the House voted 198-176 for the bill. The bill had been passed earlier in the day by the Senate.

Lynch said in mid-May that he would sign a bill legalizing same-sex unions as long as the Legislature made it clearer that religious groups would not be forced to conduct "marriage ceremonies that violate their fundamental religious beliefs."

If Lynch signs the bill, Rhode Island will be the only New England state to bar gay marriage.

Great news! The times are changing!

Cheney Led Briefings of Lawmakers To Defend Interrogation Techniques

Former vice president Richard B. Cheney personally oversaw at least four briefings with senior members of Congress about the controversial interrogation program, part of a secretive and forceful defense he mounted throughout 2005 in an effort to maintain support for the harsh techniques used on detainees.

The Cheney-led briefings came at some of the most critical moments for the program, as congressional oversight committees were threatening to investigate or even terminate the techniques, according to lawmakers, congressional officials, and current and former intelligence officials.

Cheney's role in helping handle intelligence issues in the Bush administration -- particularly his advocacy for the use of aggressive methods and warrantless wiretapping against alleged terrorists -- has been well documented. But his hands-on role in defending the interrogation program to lawmakers has not been previously publicized.

The CIA made no mention of his role in documents delivered to Capitol Hill last month that listed every lawmaker who had been briefed on "enhanced interrogation techniques" since 2002. For meetings that were overseen by Cheney, the agency told the intelligence committees that information about who oversaw those briefings was "not available."

I said it before, Cheney needs to be in jail!

Falwell university’s tax-exempt status questioned after banning Democratic club

In a little-noticed letter to the IRS last week, Americans United for Separation of Church and State called for a formal review of the tax-exempt status of the university founded by Rev. Jerry Falwell in the wake of the school’s decision to ban a club for campus Democrats.

For an interesting insight into this university, I highly recommend The Unlikely Disciple, by Kevin Roose.

Who Is to Blame for the Next Attack?

AFTER watching the farce surrounding Dick Cheney’s coming-out party this month, you have to wonder: Which will reach Washington first, change or the terrorists? If change doesn’t arrive soon, terrorists may well rush in where the capital’s fools now tread.

A great read...

Cheney says he supports gay marriage

"I think that freedom means freedom for everyone," replied the former V.P. "As many of you know, one of my daughters is gay and it is something we have lived with for a long time in our family. I think people ought to be free to enter into any kind of union they wish. Any kind of arrangement they wish. The question of whether or not there ought to be a federal statute to protect this, I don't support. I do believe that the historically the way marriage has been regulated is at the state level. It has always been a state issue and I think that is the way it ought to be handled, on a state-by-state basis. ... But I don't have any problem with that. People ought to get a shot at that."

I actually agree with Darth Cheney on something???