home

Thursday Afternoon Open Thread

By Big Tent Democrat, Section Blog Related
Posted on Thu Sep 09, 2010 at 12:54:16 PM EST
Tags: (all tags)
Share This: Digg! StumbleUpon del.icio.us reddit reddit

Open Thread.

< 9th Circuit: No Relief for Ghost Air Detainees | Obama on Quran Burning: No Crime >

  • The Online Magazine with Liberal coverage of crime-related political and injustice news

  • Contribute To TalkLeft


    • Display: Sort:
    Thursday Afternoon Open Thread | 24 comments (24 topical)

    Readers Must Login or Create an Account to Comment

    The Girl Who Fixed the Umlaut (5.00 / 1) (#17)
    by ruffian on Thu Sep 09, 2010 at 03:56:15 PM EST
    Norah Ephron parodies Stieg larsson.

    funny!

    Anti-immigrant ordinance held unconstitutional (5.00 / 1) (#18)
    by Peter G on Thu Sep 09, 2010 at 04:23:23 PM EST
    by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, which sits in Philadelphia and supervises the federal courts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and the US Virgin Islands.  The invalid ordinance was adopted by the city of Hazelton, PA, near Scranton -- whose then-mayor is now running for Congress on an anti-immigration platform (surprise!).  The ordinance was based on a "model" proposed by the same reactionary Kansas law professor who provided the drafts for the Arizona statute; he also argued in court in support of his unconstitutional handiwork.   Unanimous 140+ page opinion by Chief Judge McKee, joined by two senior judges appointed by Republican presidents (i.e., not a "liberal" panel).  ACLU press release is here.

    Waiting for (none / 0) (#19)
    by jbindc on Thu Sep 09, 2010 at 04:24:45 PM EST
    Film of Jan Brewer's head exploding

    Parent
    Thank goodness... (none / 0) (#24)
    by kdog on Thu Sep 09, 2010 at 06:17:43 PM EST
    a few of the old checks and balances still function...great job ACLU!  

    Parent
    Court order invalidating Obama stem-cell policy (5.00 / 1) (#21)
    by Peter G on Thu Sep 09, 2010 at 05:35:42 PM EST
    has been stayed pending appeal.

    Great News! (none / 0) (#22)
    by squeaky on Thu Sep 09, 2010 at 05:43:39 PM EST


    Parent
    cool (none / 0) (#1)
    by Capt Howdy on Thu Sep 09, 2010 at 01:33:12 PM EST
    Awesome death spiral of a bizarre star

    But it's not fake. It's real, and it's the dying gasp of a very, very strange star system.

    The name of this thing is AFGL 3068. It's been known as a bright infrared source for some time, but images just showed it as a dot. This Hubble image using the Advanced Camera for Surveys reveals an intricate, delicate and exceedingly faint spiral pattern. It's so faint no one has ever detected it before!
    "Was the Afghan war worth it"? (none / 0) (#2)
    by oculus on Thu Sep 09, 2010 at 01:37:27 PM EST
    See TL sidebar.

    Did I miss U.S. Withdrawal?

    Scott Turow's "Innocent." (none / 0) (#3)
    by oculus on Thu Sep 09, 2010 at 01:42:58 PM EST
    Anyone read it?  First 42 pages not as interesting as bio of Mark Twain, which I just finished. Maybe a novel about the legal profession no longer interests me?

    pick up (none / 0) (#4)
    by Capt Howdy on Thu Sep 09, 2010 at 01:44:13 PM EST
    The Gunslinger

    Parent
    Turow's book (none / 0) (#8)
    by christinep on Thu Sep 09, 2010 at 02:54:35 PM EST
    About 3/4 of the way through it. Also found that it started slow, picks up in terms of "legal action," etc. The longer I stay with it, the more I like it...a very reflective work about his main characters and mixtures of intricate with elemental motives. The returned juxtaposition after 20+ years of principals Rusty Sabich v Tommy Molto is compelling in the personal redemption type of angle.

    Parent
    I happen to be listening to it now (none / 0) (#9)
    by ruffian on Thu Sep 09, 2010 at 03:17:57 PM EST
    Actor Edward Hermann reads the audio book. I'm enjoying it as more of a psychological study than a legal story at the point I am at in the book - about halfway. the themes of powerful men with self-destructive impulses, and also the longstanding Molto-Sabitch grievances are interesting dynamics.

    I have my theories about whodunit that I will not share.

    Parent

    I am having trouble suspending my (none / 0) (#10)
    by oculus on Thu Sep 09, 2010 at 03:25:47 PM EST
    disbelief re Sabitch ever becoming a judge/appellate chief judge/potential state Supreme Court justice.  

    Parent
    ha! Yes. I just let that kind of settle without (none / 0) (#14)
    by ruffian on Thu Sep 09, 2010 at 03:39:14 PM EST
    thinking about it. More or less assumed I had missed a book in the series.

    Parent
    If it helps, isn't his city and Kindle co. (none / 0) (#15)
    by ruffian on Thu Sep 09, 2010 at 03:41:13 PM EST
    modeled after Cook county and Chicago?

    Parent
    Yes. (none / 0) (#20)
    by oculus on Thu Sep 09, 2010 at 04:36:54 PM EST


    Parent
    what is it with NC? (none / 0) (#5)
    by Capt Howdy on Thu Sep 09, 2010 at 01:46:01 PM EST
    Sheriffs want lists of patients using painkillers

    Sheriffs in North Carolina want access to state computer records identifying anyone with prescriptions for powerful painkillers and other controlled substances.
    For years, sheriffs have been trying to convince legislators that the state's prescription records should be open to them.

    "We can better go after those who are abusing the system," said Lee County Sheriff Tracy L. Carter.

    Others say opening up patients' medicine cabinets to law enforcement is a terrible idea.
    A much bigger problem... (none / 0) (#6)
    by kdog on Thu Sep 09, 2010 at 01:54:49 PM EST
    than NC being NC...I'm sure Ray Kelly would love some of that action up here in NYC too...what police state soldier wouldn't?

    I think I got a better idea...lets just scrap the prescription system alltogether and let some freedom ring...so people don't have to play games to get their preferred buzz on...alleviates all problems but the ever present addiction problem, which no lawman in the world can solve...being a medical/personal problem and all.

    Parent

    Think of it as a local economy stimulus plan (none / 0) (#7)
    by Yes2Truth on Thu Sep 09, 2010 at 01:55:13 PM EST

    Don't be so quick to judge.  A ton of money will be
    generated and shifted around to Lord only knows how many (very) special interest groups.  

    NOW would be a good time to invest in some of them.
    (can you invest in law enforcement pension plans?,
    local bar associations?  CCA?  the list is a long one.  invest liberally.  do it today)

    Parent

    `The Tree of Life' (none / 0) (#11)
    by Capt Howdy on Thu Sep 09, 2010 at 03:31:04 PM EST
    Malik fans rejoice

    From the acclaimed director of such classic films as Badlands, The Thin Red Line and Days of Heaven, The Tree of Life is the impressionistic story of a Midwestern family in the 1950's chronicling the journey of the eldest son, Jack (played as an adult by Sean Penn), through the innocence of childhood to his disillusioned adult years - trying to reconcile the complicated relationship with his father (Brad Pitt). Jack finds himself a lost soul in the modern world, seeking answers to the origins and meaning of life while questioning the existence of faith.
    ooops (none / 0) (#12)
    by Capt Howdy on Thu Sep 09, 2010 at 03:32:37 PM EST
    link

    Over the past week there have been rumblings that Apparition was shopping the Terrence Malick film The Tree of Life  to new distributors. There was no word on who might bite, but for the past few days it has seemed like something was about to happen.

    And now Fox Searchlight has announced that it will distribute The Tree of Life, which will be released on a to-be-determined date in 2011.

    Parent

    I was hoping it was (none / 0) (#23)
    by jondee on Thu Sep 09, 2010 at 06:03:56 PM EST
    going to be a film treatment of Hugh Nissenson's wonderful historical novel The Tree of Life, which btw, would be right down Malick's ally..

    Alas, it was not to be.

    Parent

    Rejoicing ! (none / 0) (#16)
    by ruffian on Thu Sep 09, 2010 at 03:53:27 PM EST


    Parent
    hilarious (none / 0) (#13)
    by Capt Howdy on Thu Sep 09, 2010 at 03:37:57 PM EST
    LOL: No One Likes M Night Shyamalan

    The world seems to have gotten tired of M Night Shyamalan's films and the filmmaker does not understand why. College Humor has created a faux movie trailer for a Charlie Kaufman-esque film starring M Night as himself, trying to figure out the big twist t the end of his career. What could it be?
    Thursday Afternoon Open Thread | 24 comments (24 topical)

    Readers Must Login or Create an Account to Comment