| Heath Ledger, Aussie actors and American machismo
It took a full-bodied, croaky-voiced Australian to breathe life back into that old American character, the committed, flares-wearing cop, who was a staple of '70s TV shows and cinema. And let us not forget Crowe's greatest cinematic moment, as General Maximus Decimus Meridius in Gladiator, a role many said was symbolic of the true American values of valour and loyalty over backstabbing corruption. Hollywood, if you need an American symbol, phone for an Australian. Australian men are called on to play Hollywood's edgier superheroes, too. Jackman's fearsome Wolverine, huge, hirsute and with sideburns to die for, is a spiritual leader. Surrounded by young men and women who experience their superpowers as mental and physical afflictions (all played by young American actors, of course), Jackman's cocksure and principled Wolverine is the natural American leader, the steady-minded figurehead of this band of freaky rebels.
No Cow Left Behind
USDA inspectors were at the Westland plant twice a day and saw nothing amiss, which is to say that these abuses simply constitute business as usual in America's abattoirs. But is this kind of institutionalized cruelty acceptable in our culture? Our pal Bonnie Powell over at the Ethicurean doesn't think so: As the massive outcry in response to the Humane Society's expose of a California beef-processing plant shows, Americans are extremely sensitive to the mistreatment of animals — even those we intend to eat. It would be nice if we showed we cared even half as much about the human-rights abuses that are epidemic in our cheap-food system. At least the animals have got the Humane Society working on their behalf to shame the USDA into action; if only the workers who are getting chewed up and spit out by the factory farms had an equally effective, well-funded watchdog looking out for them.
Obama extends streak with wins in Hawaii and Wisconsin
In fact Obama seems to be only a wrong solution in front of terrorism, wars, and whatelse. HRC seems to be more serious and effective for USA. USA do not need Mc Cain for our global world… but an Hillary should be the one who can solve obvious problems in Irak, Afganistan… Yannick Comenge (Paris, France) .
NFL hesitant to reinstate Pacman
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell indicated Friday that Adam “Pacman" Jones' suspension might not be lifted when it is reviewed sometime after the Pro Bowl.Goodell, speaking at his annual press conference at the Super Bowl in Glendale, Ariz., was asked about Jones' year-long suspension meted out last April.Goodell said his original message to Jones with the suspension was for him to change his behavior, which, Goodell said, reflected poorly on the entire National Football League.“If he needs more time to get that message, I can accommodate him," Goodell told a media gathering Friday.Jones had two misdemeanor charges dropped Thursday in Rutherford County, but still has an unresolved issue pending in Georgia from a 2006 incident. He pleaded no contest to a gross misdemeanor of conspiracy to commit disorderly conduct in Las Vegas last December, after originally being charged with two counts of felony coercion in a strip club fight last Feb.
Christian hatred toward Mormons shows no moral clout
One only need read any number of blog sites where "Christians" despise Romney as a cultist who might torture puppies and kittens before sacrificing them to Satan. They argue that anyone who could believe LDS doctrine must be like an insane man who believes that aliens abducted him and reprogrammed his brain. They argue this even though they should acknowledge that all religions have their supernatural features that seem absurd to a nonbeliever. They forget that Christ's biblical ascent to heaven with a resurrected body was the object of ridicule by the rationalist Greeks in early Christianity. Unwittingly, the evangelicals are exhibiting the same scorn with which secularists still deride Christians. Romney seemed to have been unprepared for the intensity of antagonism from those he thought would be his natural allies.
FLASHBACK: A young Bob Probert fights alcoholism
Yet he's been convicted of drunken assault on a police officer, has gone through several alcohol rehabilitation centers, and is one offense from being locked up for a long time.
A few weeks ago, after Probert skipped several Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, a judge slapped him in jail for a night. Quiet. Good-natured. Irresponsible. Troubled. Where's the sense to it? How can this be the same guy?
"I don't know why it all happened," says Probert, sighing, as he runs a fist through his wavy brown hair. "A lot of it started during my first year in the pros. . . . I got a little carried away with things. I was playing in Detroit, just across from my hometown (Windsor). It was a big thrill. A lot of eople were coming up to me, wanting to buy a drink. . . . I could have said no.
Ms. Dina on Kanye's "Homecoming"
Jessica Simpson; Music News; ben harper; Boss is back, plus CDs celebrate a birthday and AI's Jordin Sparks signs. ; Bruce Springsteen; cds; jordin sparks; Did Live Earth's mission derail because of Madonna, plus Snoop Dogg as Aussie and ringtone breakdowns. All this week in Sixty. ; Danielle Flora; Live Earth; Music News; Ring Tones; Snoop Dogg; http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1184801975http://www.brightcove.com/channel.jsp?channel=1125911414 .
Blog Posts related to Real ID
The Act would require possession of a new standardized drivers license for all sorts of everyday tasks, such as getting on a plane or train, and would create a vast national database linking all of the ID records together. Over time, the ID and aggregation of your personal information would facilitate a wide range of tracking and surveillance by the government and businesses. So far, 17 state legislatures have already expressed their opposition, and, just last month, an immigration reform bill was scuttled as Senators refused to end debate on a provision requiring every American to present a REAL ID in order to get a job. That's great news, but unfortunately REAL ID isn't dead yet -- keep the momentum going and tell Congress to repeal the Act now. [Permalink] .
Nomads in No-Man’s Land
Accounts of their lives and customs date back to the ancient Greeks, and although many of the earliest accounts are littered with myths presented as fact, there is still enough truth in them that the people being described are recognizable as the same tribes documented by later, less imaginative travelers. .
Your Hometown News - Pascagoula
To do that, Northrop Grumman will have to win a $3 billion contract to build the Global Hawk Unmanned Aircraft for the U.S. Navy. Northrop is already building Global Hawks for the Air Force. As Patrice Clark reports, adding a Navy contract would mean jobs and more recognition in a growing industry.
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Boll takes some luster off world table tennis champs
GUANGZHOU, China, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- Like living legend Jan-Ove Waldner, Timo Boll is always a crowd puller in table tennis-crazy China. The 26-year-old Boll has opted out of the world team table tennis championships which opens on Saturday, to rest an injured knee before cracking a shot at this summer's Beijing Olympics. "China regards Germany as its top rival in the men's team competition, but without Boll, Germany is not the same team," said Chinese Table Tennis Association's media chief Zhao Weizhen. "My patella tendon is inflamed and my knee needs a rest," Boll said in a statement released by the International Table Tennis Federation. "It is senseless to play there not fully fit and with permanent aches," the triple European champion said of the tournament in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou.
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