By Stephanie Doctrow, RP Staff, on Fri Jul 1, 2011 at 12:00 PM ET Girl power! Now we finally have scientific proof that women are more likely to succeed than men in certain areas because they don’t take as many risks. [Time]
The New York Times busts this popular myth: Working out on an empty stomach does NOT help you burn more calories. [NY Times]
Watch out, beachgoers! The Natural Resources Defense Council is now advising people to check water quality alerts to check for bacterial pollution in ocean waters. [Wall Street Journal]
Why do your fingers get pruney when you step out of the bathtub? You know you’ve always wanted to know the answer. [Huffington Post]
Not only can exhaustion make you cranky, a new study reveals that it can also make you unethical. [Washington Post]
By Zack Adams, RP Staff, on Thu Jun 30, 2011 at 3:00 PM ET
Rusty Wallace gives his take on the philosophy of wrecks and aggressive driving during road races from the perspective of a fan, car owner, and NASCAR analyst. [ESPN]
Tony Stewart has thrown down the gauntlet once again after the incidents with Brain Vickers this weekend – if you block me, I will dump you. It doesn’t sound like he’s going to change his stance on it any time soon either – “If they want to block that’s what is going to happen to them every time for the rest of my career.” [ESPN]
How do you respond to those people who will claim NASCAR is full or rednecks and appeals to the lowest common denominator? Patrick Reynolds has an answer. [All Left Turns]
A 100-mpg Honda Insight has been banned from rally car racing for supposedly being too fast. What? [inhabitat]
I could easily cross-post this article to my Tech Web Gems. Click through to learn about the new, hidden tech that is changing the way we drive. [Wired]
By RP Staff, on Thu Jun 30, 2011 at 1:30 PM ET The Politics of Immigration “The fight isn’t over . . .” Several weeks ago in the RP, we pointed out the difficulties of being gay, an immigrant and in love and wanting to stay with one’s partner through marriage. Hey, straight people do it all the time. The landmark New York same-sex marriage bill passed this week changes the game on many levels. No Deportation for Immigrant in Same-Sex Marriage.
Last week, the RP highlighted Pulitzer Prize winning and, as it turns out, undocumented immigrant journalist Jose Antonio Vargas’s “coming out” piece in the New York Times. The strongest backlash this week has come primarily from an unlikely source: his fellow journalists. The media deportation of Jose Antonio Vargas
But, lest we forget, Vargas is still at risk for deportation after telling his story and giving a “face” to undocumented immigrants. NPR, in partnership with the Nation, published an excellent piece yesterday on where things stand for Vargas and the impact his story has had on the public. The Other Face Of Illegal Immigration
By Grant Smith, RP Staff, on Thu Jun 30, 2011 at 10:00 AM ET
BREAKING NEWS: Sarah Palin to run for President in 2012 according to “her man in Iowa.” READ MORE HERE. [LA Times]
Former Illinois Governor “Blago”: Yes, he was convicted, but was he really guilty? [Forbes]
Imagine he’s not liberal? Was former Beatle John Lennon a closet Reagan Republican? [Toronto Sun]
A generic republican candidate beats Obama by four percent in latest poll?? Read more here. [Rasmussen Reports]
Nine things you need to know about Facebook’s coming rival, “Google+” [Huff Post Tech]
By Zack Adams, RP Staff, on Wed Jun 29, 2011 at 3:00 PM ET
Not everyone is a fan of Obama. [picture]
Two motorcycle racers crash, then the scene turns into a Benny Hill sketch. [Youtube]
If you aren’t familiar with the concept of “first world problems” then this is a pretty good introduction. [Youtube]
Carrying things is one of the best methods. [comic]
By Robert Kahne, RP Staff, on Wed Jun 29, 2011 at 10:00 AM ET The Politics of Basketball The New Orleans Hornets are still smarting because their second best player, forward David West, has opted out of his contract and is moving teams. Where will he wind up? The Big Lead says that if it is New Jersey, big things could happen. [The Big Lead]
The NFL isn’t the only league facing a lockout soon. The NBA is in severe danger of work stoppage. This piece lays blame squarely on the shoulders of the owners–and I agree with him more than just a little. [Hoops Hype]
When North Carolina State won the NCAA men’s basketball championship in 1983, basketball changed forever. If you are a hoops fan, you have probably seen the video–a 30 foot heave falling short, a magical tip in, and Jim Valvano running onto the court looking for somebody to embrace. When Jim Valvano died in the early 90s, the run became even more magical. This week, the man who made the tip, Lorenzo Charles, also died. This is the NYT obituary, and a more personal piece from a man who writes for Gawker. [New York Times] [Deadspin]
John Calipari has kept my Kentucky Wildcats in the news recently. After receiving all kinds of press for getting a raise, he has been asked several times about how a system could be devised in which college athletes get paid. Deadspin calls his plan “shockingly logical.” I call it “just.” [Deadspin]
The NBA draft happened last week. Here is the ESPN discussion of winners and losers. My winners: Detroit, Washington, Utah, Cleveland, and John Calipari. My losers: Sacramento, Houston, and The Big East. [ESPN]
By Stephanie Doctrow, RP Staff, on Tue Jun 28, 2011 at 6:21 PM ET If you read nothing else today, read this. Former Washington Post reporter and Pulitzer Prize winner Jose Antonio Vargas writes of his life in America as an undocumented immigrant. [NY Times]
A little humor to brighten your day: The New Yorker contemplates how Al Qaeda can rebrand itself for the twenty-first century. [New Yorker]
Girl power! Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor discusses overcoming sexism as a law student and her path to an amazing career. [The Atlantic]
Something that will need some major recovery after the presidential election: Jon Huntsman’s waistline. Apparently he’s a big fan of street food, namely taco trucks. [Esquire]
How did Greece’s economic situation blow up into a mess that is affecting all of Europe? [Newsweek]
By Robert Kahne, RP Staff, on Tue Jun 28, 2011 at 3:30 PM ET
I went to see Cars 2 over the weekend. It is terrible. I don’t understand how Pixar, who up until this point had never made a bad film, did such a shoddy job with this film. The best part of Cars 2 was the preview for their next film, Brave, which will hit theaters next summer. You can watch the trailer at the link. [The Movie Blog]
The film world lost a key member last week when Peter Falk died. Falk was probably most famous for playing Columbo on television, but he earned back to back Best Supporting Actor nominees, and was also in two of my favorite films: The Princess Bride and It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World. [Film Junk]
Clint Eastwood has been slated to (re-)re-make A Star Is Born with Beyonce Knowles starring. The original remake (OXYMORON ALERT) starred Barbara Streisand and Kris Kristofferson. Which may be an even more random pairing than Beyonce and DiCaprio. [Guardian]
As a kid, I loved the Lois Lowry book The Giver. A film adaptation is apparently in the works with Jeff Bridges playing the old guy who feels everybody’s pain. I am excited about this. [/Film]
One time I asked my room mate what his favorite movie was. He thought for a second and replied “Quintin Tarantino.” I echo that sentiment–all of his films are amazing and I love everything he has ever directed. His next picture is entitled Django Unchained and is set during slavery in Mississippi. It’s the story of an escaped slave who meets with a German dentist-turned-bounty hunter and tries to rescue his wife. How Tarantino-esque! Christoph Waltz, who shined bright as Hans Landa in Tarantino’s last picture Inglourious Basterds will play the bounty hunter, and news has been released saying Jamie Foxx will play the escaped slave. I am excited about this, too. [Deadline]
Joel Courtney has received rave reviews for his work as the kid from Super 8. He has now been tapped to play Tom Sawyer in an upcoming adaptation of the Mark Twain classic. Since our last viewing of these stories involved Jonathan Taylor Thomas and Brad Renfro, I am also excited about this. [Movie Line]
By Kristen Hamilton, RP Staff, on Tue Jun 28, 2011 at 12:00 PM ET
Wow. It is almost here. In two more days, I will board my first flight ever and embark upon an unforgettable adventure. As I prepare to leave for Paris later this week, I am reminded of how much I despise packing. I was forewarned to not shop before leaving for Paris, but I could not resist consistently stalking Forever 21, Urban Outfitters, and American Apparel throughout the summer in hopes of turning my college-girl wardrobe, i.e. the typical t-shirts and jeans combo, into Parisian chic. Apparently, French fashion is a big deal (duh?!), so let’s just say I had to make some new additions to my already overbearing wardrobe. Outside of worrying about my hair (don’t judge me; I hear France has hard water!), one of my biggest concerns is looking fashionably cute. Vain, right? I know. But I can’t help it – I am going to the fashion capital of the world.
Read the rest of…
The Politics of Fashion: An American Girl in Paris, Part 1
By Stephanie Doctrow, RP Staff, on Tue Jun 28, 2011 at 10:00 AM ET Rest in peace, Nick Charles. CNN’s first sportscaster died on Saturday after a two-year struggle with bladder cancer. [CNN]
New York legalized gay marriage over the weekend, and you better believe that Twitter went crazy. Here’s a list of the 11 best celebrity tweets from the weekend. [Time]
Speaking of gay marriage… Jon Stewart let the New York Senate have it when, during the time they could have been working on passing gay marriage, they debated about making sweet corn the state vegetable. [NY Magazine]
Lindsey Lohan recently let cameras into her house to film a commercial for a penny auction website. It turns out, LiLo’s house is decorated with… photos of LiLo. [Gawker]
A viral news story this week reported that Jews couldn’t fly on Delta Airlines’ new flights to Saudi Arabia, and the story was completely untrue. Here’s how the story became a sensation. [Poynter Institute]
|
The Recovering Politician Bookstore
|
