Dark Knight Rises actor set to take the lead in Scott’s forthcoming Old Testament saga, though there is competition to get the story to the screen Christian Bale is set to play Moses in Ridley Scott’s retelling of the story of the biblical hero, according to Deadline. The suggestion…
Shirley Phelps-Roper, Westboro Baptist Church Mouthpiece, Responds To Daughters’ Defections
Shirley Phelps-Roper, daughter of the Westboro Baptist Church founder, has responded to news that her daughters have defected from the hate-mongering, quasi-religious organization. She said on Thursday that “the New Testament is full of people that started right, but then fell away.”
Jeremy Hooper from Good As You, a gay rights blog, reached out to Phelps-Roper for a comment about her daughters Megan and Grace defecting from the Westboro Baptist Church this week. Megan and Grace announced their decision Wednesday in an online statement, in which they expressed regret for hurting so many people.
Phelps-Roper responded to the defection in a scripture-riddled statement on Thursday.
Kobe Bryant Dunk: Kris Humphries, Gerald Wallace Posterized By Lakers Star (VIDEO)
In the Old Testament, Moses accomplished several incredible feats between his first trip down the Nile in an ark of bulrushes and his final trip down Mount Sinai with those ten commandments. But, as far as biblical scholars know, Moses never posterized anyone quite like this.
With the Lakers and Nets deadlocked at 80 points in the final minutes of the fourth quarter on Tuesday night, Kobe Bryant parted the defense and threw down a tie-breaking slam dunk.
“I was pretty shocked that the lane was so wide open,” Bryant told reporters, via ESPN, after the Lakers’ 92-83 win. “I think everybody’s been drinking the Kobe pass Kool-Aid, so everybody kind of stayed on the perimeter on the shooters and it just parted like the Red Sea. So I felt a little like Moses.”
In China, a victory for women’s rights and the power of social media
Kim Lee, an American woman who used social media to go public with accusations of domestic violence against her wealthy and famous husband, Li Yang, has just scored a major victory for women’s rights and the rule of law in China.
As reported by Didi Kirsten Tatlow at the New York Times, Lee made history this weekend after a Beijing court granted her divorce on the grounds of abuse and issued a three-month protection order against her ex-husband, a first in the nation’s capital.
“It’s a very important case. All of society was paying attention,” Guo Jianmei, a lawyer, told the Times. “We’ve been waiting for this for a long time.”
And although censorship remains widespread in China, Lee’s court victory is also a testament to the growing power of social media to share information and avoid direct control by government censors. After Lee posted photos and an account of her experience of domestic violence on Sina Weibo, a microblogging service similar to Twitter, it quickly went viral
John Boehner Makes Peace With Conservatives At Republican Retreat
Republicans' debt ceiling proposal is the result of a détente reached in a Williamsburg resort that may not last long. One conservative aide see a Biblical comparison.
Via: speakerboehner
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — When Republicans rolled through the heavily guarded gates of the Kingsmill resort here Wednesday for a three-day annual Republican retreat, it was under a cloud of tension and infighting that had pitted House Speaker John Boehner against stubborn conservatives throughout the 112th Congress.
By the time the retreat ended, Republicans across the spectrum of conservatism had apparently come to an agreement on the most polarizing immediate fight that awaits them: the debt ceiling.
How was the détente, however temporary, reached? It depends on which side is doing the spinning.
One aide to a conservative member compared the fight between Boehner and Congressional conservatives with the Biblical rivalry between David and King Saul. According to the Old Testament, Saul (in this analogy, Boehner) was threatened by divinely-selected David (the conservatives), and tried repeatedly to kill him. Then, one night, David sneaked into Saul’s cave while he was sleeping, cut off a piece of his robe, and showed it to the King the next day to prove he had the upper hand.
“Saul saw that David could have killed him, and he was humbled by it,” the aide said, suggesting Boehner has recognized the power of the conservatives in his conference.
That may be wishful thinking on the conservatives' part, but the Republican proposal — hashed out between Boehner and conservatives over the course of the three-day retreat — to extend the debt limit for an additional three months seems to indicate some compromise on both sides.
The plan does not include spending cuts — which has always been a major sticking point for Boehner's conference. Rather, Republicans agreed to include language requiring the Senate to pass a budget and language that would withhold lawmakers' pay if they do not. It is far from clear whether that provision is even remotely constitutional, and the bill is unlikely to pass the Senate, but it's still a victory for Boehner, no matter how slight.
When asked if there were any hard feelings on display, Rep. John Fleming said “In fact, just the reverse.”
“Having open forums where we get up and talk in front of microphones and talk to the speaker and leadership and ad hoc committees, that's exactly what we want to do. So, no, if anything we're complimenting the Speaker,” Fleming said.
Lawmakers also said that conservative leaders in the House like Rep. Tom Price, who has been critical of the leadership of late, didn't turn the retreat into an extension of the fiscal cliff civil war, and instead played constructive roles in the debate.
And Reps. Tim Huelskamp, Justin Amash and Raul Labrador — who have all been very critical of Boehner — played no significant role in the retreat at all, according to multiple colleagues.
Much of the good will seems to stem from his handling of the short-term extension to the debt limit proposal leadership announced Friday.
Fleming said Boehner assured the conference he will no longer negotiate with the president and then bring a deal to the House. “Those days have ended,” Fleming said, noting that plan for the short-term extension came together as a result of hours of discussions between leaders and rank and file members.
The internal agreement allows Republicans to “reorder the fights to increase our odds of success,” a leadership aide said Friday, adding that “members appreciated the fact that leadership allowed an open robust discussion.”
And that's no small feat for Boehner and his leadership team, which ended the 112th Congress divided over the fiscal cliff, facing a growing revolt amongst Republicans, and holding virtually no serious leverage over Democrats and the White House.
Of course, even if a three-month delay of the debt ceiling is passed, it is far from clear that Boehner will be able to regain control of his conference. The fight over the sequester and a looming government shutdown remain, and Republicans have little political capital to use in fighting with Democrats.
The delay could give the Ohio Republican enough maneuvering room to regain his footing in the House and with Obama. But all the while, conservatives will be dangling a piece of Boehner's robe in front of him.
Jason Mraz to make historic appearance in Myanmar
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Jason Mraz will make history next month when he performs in Myanmar to raise awareness about human trafficking.Mraz will headline a free outdoor concert on Dec. 16 at People’s Square in Yangon, at the base of Shwedagon Pagoda.The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter is believed to be the first international artist to perform an open-air concert in the country. The show includes local acts and is hosted by MTV EXIT, the music channel’s initiative to raise awareness about human trafficking and exploitation.”That’s pretty exciting,” Mraz said of the history involved, “and I’m going there with an enormous amount of gratitude and respect, and I hope we can actually make a difference. I hope it’s also a testament to the songs. I’ve always wanted my songs to be about healing and self-empowerment, and if this is the way MTV is acknowledging that, then I am incredibly grateful.”The show, which will include local acts, will be broadcast on Myanmar national television and will air on MTV’s international network in 2013. Mraz hosted a similar concert in the Philippines last year. He first became interested in the issue about four years ago when he attended the Freedom Awards, an annual salute to those working against human exploitation put on by the organization Free the Slaves.Continue Reading… … Read More
Sienna Miller Channels Gwyneth Paltrow’s Tom Ford Oscar Dress (PHOTOS)
Sienna Miller is certainly a fashion figure in her own right, but that doesn’t mean she’s above taking inspiration from other stylish celebrities. In fact, the actress’ latest outfit is essentially a repeat of one of our absolute favorite looks of all time.While attending an event during the 20th Hamptons International Film Festival on Saturday, Sienna wore a white Alessandra Rich dress that instantly gave us déjà vu. A streamlined floor-length gown complete with an attached cape and cuffs? We knew we’d definitely seen that before. And we had — Gwyneth Paltrow wore virtually the same ensemble to the 2012 Academy Awards.We can’t really blame Sienna for borrowing the 40-year-old’s instantly-iconic look. After all, Gwyn was declared the “World’s Best-Dressed Woman” by People magazine this year and she’s been hand-picked by both Hugo Boss and Max Factor to shill their goods. So we see this homage as a testament to Sienna’s good taste. Read More…
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