An 82-year-old film clip from a Charlie Chaplin movie premiere that appears to show a woman talking on a mobile phone has baffled movie buffs and caused an online sensation. George Clarke, a film festival organiser from Belfast, claims to have discovered the puzzling vision, shot in 1928, on a Charlie Chaplin DVD. Mr Clarke said he studied the black-and-white … Read More
Arizona’s Illegal Immigration Law Explained
NPR got to the bottom of Arizona's much-discussed controversial anti-immigration law — the one would require certain aliens to have documentation with them at all times, and gives the Arizona police broad powers to stop and detain anyone who appears to be an undocumented alien. The Arizona law would undoubtedly send hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants to prison in a … Read More
Stay Classy, Paulites
They beat up a MoveOn.Org person yesterday. As far-right ophthalmologist Rand Paul (R) arrived for the candidates' final debate, Lauren Valle of MoveOn.org tried to give him a satirical "employee of the month award" from Republicorp, a pseudo-entity created by MoveOn to draw attention to the merger of the GOP and corporate interests. But before Valle could reach the candidate, Paul supporters … Read More
I Voted Early
Took five minutes. In and out. Easy and kind of fun. In fact, I might do it again later this week. Didn't quite vote the straight Democratic ticket. Left a lot of positions blank. And if I knew the candidate (a neighbor, or a legal colleague running for the court), I didn't care about political party. Voted "yes" on the … Read More
O’Donnell Doesn’t Have A Prayer
I think O'Donnell may have put the final nail in the coffin that is her Senate campaign. With this: David Brody: How do you see God’s role in all of this because you’ve had some ups and you’ve had some downs. Where is God in all of this? How do you see all of that? Christine O’Donnell: God is the reason … Read More
2010 Elections: As Bad For The Democrats As Everyone Thinks?
Maddow on MTP about the so-called apathetic Democrats in 2010: "I think that the initial diagnosis that Democrats don’t care and were going to be–weren’t going to be able to turn out, that they weren’t going to be able to get off their hands and actually get out to the polls this year has turned out to be a little … Read More
Has Timothy McVeigh Become The Soul Of The GOP?
You would think so, sometimes: WASHINGTON – Republican congressional candidate Stephen Broden stunned his party Thursday, saying he would not rule out violent overthrow of the government if elections did not produce a change in leadership. In a rambling exchange during a TV interview, Broden, a South Dallas pastor, said a violent uprising "is not the first option," but it is "on the table." … Read More
Kudos To Obama For Doing An “It Gets Better”
I'm a little disappointed in my president for, well, for a number of reasons, but I'm glad he's still not above using the bully pulpit for good causes: What's more, the White House posted an item from Brian Bond, the deputy director of the Office of Public Engagement, who not only shared his own story about being taunted as a young … Read More
Sucks To Be Clarence Thomas
Imagine what it must be like to be Clarence Thomas right now. As opposed to 19 years ago. Nineteen years ago, Anita Hill, an employee of yours, testifies at your Senate confirmation hearings that you would make all kinds of off-color remarks when you were head of the EEOC. Stuff like public hairs on Coke cans. And obsession with porno. … Read More
An Open Letter to Katie Couric, Tim Winter, and Others
Katie Couricc/o CBS News555 West 57th StreetNew York, NY 10019 Tim WinterParents Television Council707 Wilshire Boulevard #2075Los Angeles, CA 90017 Dear Katie, Tim, and others occupying the fainting couch: There comes a time in every man's person's life when they are compelled to see Lea Michele's panties…. apparently. I know. I've been there. I didn't expect it. I didn't … Read More
Juan Williams And Bigotry
"Bill, I’m not a bigot. You know the kind of books I’ve written about the civil rights movement in this country. But when I get on the plane, I got to tell you, if I see people who are in Muslim garb and I think, you know, they are identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried. I … Read More
Olive Branch Fail
From CNN: Anita Hill, whose accusations of sexual harassment almost derailed Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ high court nomination, has no plans to apologize for the charges she made nearly two decades ago. The response from Hill, now a law professor at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, comes after a message left for her over the weekend by Thomas’ wife, Virginia, … Read More
Frontline Exposes Willingham Execution
I've written in the past — here and here and here — about the execution of Cameron Todd Willingham in the state of Texas, a state which has a disturbing record of getting it wrong when it comes to death penalty cases. For those unfamiliar with the story, Cameron Todd Willingham was executed by the state of Texas on February 17, 2004 after having … Read More
“It Gets Better” Broadway-Style
Sometimes these celebrity sing-along-for-a-good-cause deals can be embarrassingly bad or awkward — pale self-parodying imitations of "We Are The World". But I find this one to be pretty good, if only because it doesn't contain Broadway's big stars — instead, it's mostly people you've never heard of with tons of talent and singing their hearts out. Also the song rocks: