According to this editorial, California's troubles may be bigger then we think: hell, we may be ungovernable. California's direct government system, two-thirds rule. and profoundly bizarre districts have turned the sunshine state into America's most sterling cluster-fuck, with the worst bond rate of the 50 states and a 42 billion dollar gap in revenue and spending. Arnie, meanwhile, spends much of time promulgating dire results if the ballot measures don't pass: fling open the prison doors! Sell our children to Thailand! Turn Yosemite into a Chinese mall!
I love my state, but it's impossible *not* to conclude that we're in serious trouble. I suggest we seriously considering splitting up into Hippie California and Silicon California and make the problem a little bit smaller. I'm certain 2/3rds would vote for that - right? Right?
14 Most Ridiculous Suits Filed by the RIAA and MPAA - Brainz.orgc
Brainz explores the most bone-ass stupid lawsuits put forth by the RIAA and MPAA, including measures targeting a 42 year old senior mother who didn't know how to use file sharing software, a retired dyslexic schoolteacher who could barely email, a 12 year old, and a homeless guy. Real nice, guys, real nice. The RIAA and MPAA claimed in December that they have stopped putting forth lawsuits to individuals, but apparently that may also be a bucket o' lies as well: according to this Wired article, the lawsuits are alive and well. (The RIAA claims the lawsuits were "already in the pipeline," which doesn't strike me as very compelling - how many cases do they have in the pipeline?)
My objection to the RIAA's behavior isn't so much for their reaction to music pirating - it is illegal - but the ridiculously excessive nature of their claims. Whacking someone for $600,000 dollars for downloading a few movies is simply obscene - and if the RIAA really wants to stop file sharing and convincing people it's bad news, they shouldn't make themselves look absolutely ridiculous in the process. Let's hope the RIAA's claim to change the course of their anti-file sharing strategy will hold water.
Omaha Boy to Live Publicly As a Girl - KETV
An Omaha family has decided to allow their 8 year old son to live publicly as a girl - drawing the ire of his Catholic school. Although the school hasn't outwardly said that allowing a boy to live as a girl sorta squicks them out, they have claimed that "having the child attend the school for three years as a boy, and then presenting as a girl would not be a good learning environment for the child or other students." I can just see a parent suing the school because that goddamn trannie made it impossible for little Bobbie to learn long division. As for the child in question, she/he is pretty happy about the decision: she notes, "“Now I can wear nail polish, get rid of all my boy clothes and not worry about that name."
I think it's kind of a fascinating cultural sea change that parents seem to be accepting transgender kids, rather then attempting to "change" them or sweep them under the proverbial carpet. Still, parents should (and I imagine do) understand that a kid is facing a pretty difficult road ahead if they choose to present as transgender early on - although sex-change surgeries are getting more advanced and are beginning to be done earlier. I wonder how long it'll take before transsexualism is accepted to the extent homosexuality is? (Not being an identified gay kid is a safe road to travel either, but its onset does tend to happen after puberty, unlike transsexualism...)
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