I learned more about the amazing Global Voices Online at San Francisco Wordcamp on Saturday. They have contacts in countries worldwide that scan bloggers in their country looking for new and important news. Such news gets posted to Global Voices by country, subject, and author and is translated into English, if needed. They also have a number of sites in other languages. The site is exceptionally easy to navigate, with the ability to look up stories in any number of ways.

Most importantly, you’ll find a wealth of news and views on Global Voices not easily found elsewhere. Real journalism by real people living in the area. Check it out.

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The Independent Green Party of Virginia has apparently succeeded in getting the name of NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg on their presidential ballot with Ron Paul as the VP candidate. - and did so without Bloomberg’s consent.

Important. This is not the national Green Party but a splinter group that left the Green Party and allied themselves with the Independence Party in what no doubt was a spectacular frenzy of bad feelings and nasty schisms. However, they got way over the needed 10,000 sigs to put Bloomberg on the ballot, certainly quite an accomplishment.

However, did they do that via volunteers or are they bankrolled to the point where they can afford paid signature gatherers? If so, who are the donors?

PS Both major parties routinely pay for signatures. That’s not the issue. But, I’m wondering, are they a front group? if so, for who?

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So says billionaire LBO specialist Wilbur Ross.

This is probably a real good time to not have over the insured amount (generally $100,000) in any bank, especially not in a small bank.

The FDIC quite rightfully says no one has lost a penny in an insured account since they began in the 1930’s.

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Even the father of the murdered woman thinks the sentence is outrageous, saying Robert Chambers “gets 19 years for dealing coke to drug addicts and 15 for strangling my daughter — that’s pretty unjust”.

The New York Post says it’s a travesty, a “cheap publicity gimmick”, and that Chambers is going to prison again for the same murder.

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If no budget is passed by the end of the month, then hundreds of thousands of California state employees will receive $6.55 an hour instead of their regular pay.

Republicans in the assembly blocked a budget yesterday because it would have raised taxes for businesses and the wealthy. While such actions are utterly predictable from Republicans and some of the squabbling is political maneuvering, the real problem (which won’t go away soon) is that California is facing a gigantic budget shortfall due to the collapsing real estate market.

Politicians in both parties are blaming each other, but none of that will provide a solution.  Possible short-term fixes include borrowing against future lottery revenue (even though such money is supposed to go to schools) but that just mortgages the future and is no real answer at all.

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Proponents of Hawaii sovereignty recently broke into the palace of the last king and Queen of Hawaii. Kimo Akaka, aka Akahi Nui, who claims royal descent, wanted to chain himself to the throne. Except he couldn’t find it. Before he and others got arrested, that is. But then the authorities themselves did a bit of the old Keystone Cops routine themselves as they squabbled over who had jurisdiction.

The always level-headed Scott Crawford at Hawaiian Independence Blog says Akahi claims a spurious ancestry and that the attempt was a comedy of errors. “I mean come on, [the Palace is] open for tours, I’ve been in the throne room several times over the years.”

Most importantly, “I don’t recognize Akahi as the king but I support actions that help raise awareness of Hawaii’s illegal occupation.”

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