For Years, Anita Hill Was A 'Canary In The Coal Mine' For Women Speaking Out
Anita Hill testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Oct. 11, 1991, regarding Clarence Thomas' confirmation to the Supreme Court. AP hide caption toggle caption Anita Hill testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Oct. 11, 1991, regarding Clarence Thomas' confirmation to the Supreme Court.
Some States Spend Billions on Economic Tax Incentives for Little or No Return
By one estimate, state and local governments spend at least $45 billion a year on tax breaks and other incentives to lure or keep job-producing businesses and plants in their jurisdictions. New York, for example, plows billions of dollars into the Empire State Development Corp. and Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s signature Start-Up NY program.
Movie scenes that nearly killed Jackie Chan
The period piece Project A, in which Hong Kong police team up with the Coast Guard to fight pirates at the turn of the 20th century, is one of the first truly successful distillations of the Jackie Chan formula—pure slapstick comedy by way of blinding martial arts and insane stunt work. One of the most dangerous things Chan ever did on film appears not in the outtakes, but in the finished movie—and it may have been the first scene to give audiences the notion that Chan may be superhuman, because it just doesn't seem like something anyone should be able to live through. In the scene, Chan's character Ma dangles precariously from the face of a 60-foot clock tower. He strains to hold on, but loses his grip—and falls the entire six stories, through a couple of awnings and directly onto his head.
Macron condemned the rise of nationalism in front of Trump and Putin, warning that 'old demons are reawakening'
PARIS (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron used an address to world leaders gathered in Paris for Armistice commemorations on Sunday to send a stern message about the dangers of nationalism, calling it a betrayal of moral values. With US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin sitting just a few feet away listening to the speech via translation earpieces, Macron denounced those who evoke nationalist sentiment to disadvantage others. "Patriotism is the exact opposite of nationalism: nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism," Macron said in a 20-minute address delivered from under the Arc de Triomphe to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of World War One. "By pursuing our own interests first, with no regard to others', we erase the very thing that a nation holds most precious, that which gives it life and makes it great: its moral values."
Republicans rigged our democracy. Here's how Democrats can fight back
Donald Trump wasn’t elected because Democrats lost a policy fight in 2016. What Democrats did was lose a procedural fight that has been going on since the early 1990s, when Republicans began waging a relentless, brutal, and completely one-sided war, systematically using their lawmaking power to disadvantage their adversaries in elections and political mobilization. Gerrymandering, the Citizens United atrocity that declared money is speech, blocking US supreme court nominations and obstructing legislation are some of the Republican party’s tactics. Depraved, racist voter ID laws that obviously target people who are likely to vote Democratic, and the cruel way that many states prevent current or former felons from voting are others. Indeed, one has to grudgingly respect the single-mindedness with which the Republican party has pursued its advantage, even as we condemn the damage it has wreaked on our democracy.
The untold truth of Jackie Chan
After starring in dozens of martial arts and action movies in which he's done his own stunts, Chan has sustained a number of injuries. So much so that in 2013, his movie Raising Dragon was promoted with a poster that consisted of an image of Chan's body with arrows pointing to all of his injured body parts. Among the injuries Chan has suffered in the pursuit of art and entertainment: On Drunken Master, he damaged a bone behind his eyebrow, and it nearly blinded him. He dislocated his right shoulder on City Hunter. Chan fell out of a tree while filming The Armour of God and suffered a skull fracture, a bone cave-in behind the ear, and bleeding into his brain.
'A torrent of ghastly revelations': what military service taught me about America
My first and only war tour took place in Afghanistan in 2010. I was a US Marine lieutenant then, a signals intelligence officer tasked with leading a platoon-size element of 80 to 90 men, spread across an area of operations the size of my home state of Connecticut, in the interception and exploitation of enemy communications. That was the official job description, anyway.
Donald Trump: The Dress Rehearsal for Fascism
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump speaks at an event hosted by the Republican Hindu Coalition in Edison, N.J., on Saturday. (Julio Cortez / AP) Americans are not offered major-party candidates who have opposing political ideologies or ideas. We are presented only with manufactured political personalities. We vote for the candidate who makes us “feel” good about him or her.
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company, also known simply as Disney, is an American media and entertainment conglomerate, founded in 1923 by brothers Walt Disney and Roy Disney. [edit] J.R.R. Tolkien about Disney Throughout his life, J.R.R. Tolkien had a deep concern and strong opinions about adaptations of his legendarium. For Tolkien, the products of the Disney company were an especially prominent example of bad style.
The Root of All Cruelty?
The philosopher David Livingstone Smith, commenting on this episode on social media, wondered whether its writer had read his book “Less Than Human: Why We Demean, Enslave, and Exterminate Others” (St. Martin’s). It’s a thoughtful and exhaustive exploration of human cruelty, and the episode perfectly captures its core idea: that acts such as genocide happen when one fails to appreciate the humanity of others. One focus of Smith’s book is the attitudes of slave owners; the seventeenth-century missionary Morgan Godwyn observed that they believed the Negroes, “though in their Figure they carry some resemblances of Manhood, yet are indeed no Men” but, rather, “Creatures destitute of Souls, to be ranked among Brute Beasts, and treated accordingly.”
Ronald Reagan and The Great Social Security Heist : FedSmith.com
View this article online at Ronald Reagan was one of the most popular presidents in modern history. As a former Hollywood actor, he had an uncommon degree of charisma. The conservatives absolutely loved Reagan for his efforts to reduce the size of government, but most liberals hated him with a passion. Reagan is still revered by a lot of Americans. This reverence for Ronald Reagan helps to explain how he was able to fool most of the American people to a degree unparalleled by any other modern president.
Jackie Chan awarded with two new Guinness World Records titles
Action film legend Jackie Chan has today been presented with two Guinness World Records certificates during an event in Shanghai. GWR Greater China President Rowan Simons made the presentations for Most credits in one movie and Most stunts by a living actor to the star during the official launch of Chan's latest movie Chinese Zodiak. Chan carried out 15 of the major creative movie-making roles for the film, including Director, Producer, Actor, Fight Choreographer and Composer, breaking the previous record of 11 credits held by Robert Rodriguez. Speaking about the achievement, Chan said, "Achieving these Guinness World Records titles is recognition of all my life's work". The highlight of the event was the presentation of a second Guinness World Records title for Most stunts by a living actor, an accomplishment that reflects Chan's amazing career in which he has nearly lost his life several times and broken numerous bones.
John Oliver on Monty Python: 'inspirational idiots who changed comedy'
Writing about the importance of Monty Python is basically pointless. Citing them as an influence is almost redundant. It’s assumed.
