Saturday

YouTube - Willie Nelson on A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All DVD
People who wield power may lack compassion | Booster Shots | Los Angeles Times
The Associated Press: Conservatives win court case in Va. church dispute Although African-Americans were widely blamed for the success of California Prop. 8 and similar measures, at least one writer argues convincingly that African-American churches are no more homophobic than white churches (and the Episcopal schism is the most public evidence of that). Still, it's instructive to see yet another law originally intended to preserve institutional racism being applied in service of the gay-hating community.

Friday

Bloomberg.com: News

Bloomberg.com: News Shoe Hurled at Bush Flies Off Turkish Maker’s Shelves

Bloomberg.com: News

Bloomberg.com: News: "Bernanke is basing hundreds of billions in emergency lending on credit ratings from companies that gave AAA grades to toxic securities."

Thursday

UAW busting, Southern style - Los Angeles Times

UAW busting, Southern style - Los Angeles Times: "When one compares how the auto industry and the financial sector are being treated by Congress, the double standard is staggering. In the financial sector, employee compensation makes up a huge percentage of costs. According to the New York state comptroller, it accounted for more than 60% of 2007 revenues for the seven largest financial firms in New York.

At Goldman Sachs, for example, employee compensation made up 71% of total operating expenses in 2007. In the auto industry, by contrast, autoworker compensation makes up less than 10% of the cost of manufacturing a car."