Peon's Place

Another sweet victory world-wide for homosexual couples, possibly allowing influence to other nations, including our own. Will California overturn the decision that we overturned on this issue?

Argentina’s Senate narrowly approved a measure early today authorizing same-sex marriages, making Argentina the first country in Latin America to allow gay couples to wed.

After 15 hours of debate, the Senate voted 33 to 27 in favor of the measure, which was sponsored by the government of President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. For weeks, she waged a bitter war of words with the Roman Catholic Church over the measure. The church organized large protests throughout the country on Tuesday night involving tens of thousands of opponents of the law. Some senators criticized the Senate leadership on Wednesday for not allowing a vote on an alternative bill to authorize civil unions for gay couples. The same-sex marriage measure will give gay people the same marital rights as heterosexuals, including adoption and inheritance rights.

Mexico City became the first jurisdiction in Latin America to legalize same-sex marriages last year. Two other countries in the region, Uruguay and Colombia, allow civil unions for same-sex couples.

Will Steve Jobs finally admit that his new phone has problems? I, for one, am still happy I stayed with my iPhone 3GS instead of paying to upgrade to this troubled new product.

Apple has finally acknowledged that its new iPhone has a serious public relations problem, and the company has responded by scheduling, with extraordinarily short notice, a Friday press conference on its campus in Cupertino, California (down the street from my office).

The plan is to get what it considers the key media outlets and opinion makers in technology in the same room with Steve Jobs, a man with legendary persuasive powers. His task, to use a phrase popularized by Dan (“Fake Steve Jobs”) Lyons:  To re-hypnotize the press. What will he say?

TechCrunch’s MG Seigler has sketched out a detailed scenario that includes a parade of antenna and wireless industry experts. Some are leaning toward the blow-by-blow posted on MacRumors by Will (“spblat”) Irace, a veteran systems engineer from Portland who likes to moderate discussions about taboo subjects like politics, religion and Apple Inc. This is what he envisions:

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San Jose’s 15th homicide this year means we’re edging closer to Oakland, woohoo! But seriously, that’s a nicer part of town (compared to many areas of the city). And police, why again aren’t you letting paramedics take care of someone with a gunshot wound? There was clearly no more threat upstairs, no one else was getting shot.

A woman who was attacked in an apartment complex near San Jose City College on Wednesday night has died, marking the city’s 15th homicide this year. The Santa Clara County coroner’s office has confirmed the death but is referring all calls to San Jose police.

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What do you think? Did he do it? Did she say she was 19?

Lawrence Taylor appeared in a New York state courtroom on Tuesday and pleaded not guilty to a rape charge levied against him in May. Taylor was arrested on May 6 when police alleged that he had sex with what they said was a prostituted 16-year-old girl. Taylor is accused of paying $300 to have sex with her.

ESPN reported that Taylor left the courthouse holding his wife’s hand and was asked if was looking ahead to a day in court. “Hopefully it don’t go that far, Taylor said. His attorney, Arthur Aidala, has maintained Taylor’s innocence since May. “I am saying that he did not have sexual intercourse, as it’s defined in the penal law, with this person,” Aidala told ESPN prior to Tuesday.

Before the hearing, the AP reported that Taylor told a reporter “grow up” when asked if he was guilty. Taylor isn’t due in court again until Aug. 24. Federal documents released in May said that the Pro Football Hall of Famer admitted to sex acts with the girl, but that Taylor claimed the girl said she was 19. Taylor’s agent, Mark Lepselter, told ESPN his client has struggled to deal with the stress since his arrest. “He’s been very subdued for the past two months from the day back in May,” Lepselter said. “I haven’t seen him like this. Mentally he’s trying to get through it.”