Generating patterns

“Harry Potter” star Robbie Coltrane defended J.K. Rowling and said he didn’t “think what she said was offensive” following the author’s tweets that some deemed were transphobic. “I don’t think what she said was offensive really,” the 70-year-old actor reportedly shared during an interview with Radio Times , per Fox News in a piece published Wednesday. (RELATED: J.K. Rowling Launches ‘Harry Potter At Home’ While Schools Remain Closed Due To Coronavirus) “I don’t know why but there’s a whole Twitter generation of people who hang around waiting to be offended,” he added. Robbie Coltrane, who played Hagrid in ‘Harry Potter,’ defends J.K. Rowling’s transphobic remarks https://t.co/ofHhMMmLzw pic.twitter.com/0zENLEkY7p — New York Post (@nypost) September 15, 2020 The actor, who famously played Rubeus Hagrid in the “Harry Potter” film franchise, continued, “They wouldn’t have won the war, would they? That’s me talking like a grumpy old man, but you just … [Read more...] about ‘Harry Potter’ Star Robbie Coltrane Defends J.K. Rowling Trans Comments, Slams ‘Twitter Generation’ Waiting ‘To Be Offended’

Sign up to get our new weekly column as a newsletter. We're looking back at the strongest, smartest opinion takes of the week from CNN and other outlets. (CNN) "There are men of character in the U.S. Congress, both House and Senate. There are women of character, too. But the evidence for 'character' needs to be something other than the iteration of the word itself," writes Marjorie Garber in her book "Character: The History of a Cultural Obsession." That is a useful frame for trying to make sense of the dramas that proliferated on Capitol Hill this week as Congress took up multiple nominations to President Joe Biden's Cabinet and held its first hearing on the January 6 insurrection. As Garber notes, the translation of individual traits into a "national character" most often occurs at "times of stress, as a marker not so much of social progress as of social and cultural anxiety." We saw this. Conviction and commitment (and the lack of same), and in darker terms, … [Read more...] about Biden’s tricky tango with Congress

President Joe Biden will sign a number of executive orders Tuesday at the White House that aim to roll back a number of immigration policies held by the Trump administration. Senior White House officials told the Daily Caller that the orders themselves will outline three specific directives. (RELATED: Biden Signs Record Number Of Executive Orders in First Weeks As President) Create a task force to reunify families Stand up a “humane” asylum system and frameworks that study and address illegal migration patterns at the Southern Border Restore “faith in our legal immigration system” and promote integration of immigrants into American society US President Joe Biden meets with Republican Senators to discuss a coronavirus relief plan at the Oval office of the White House in Washington, DC, on February 1, 2021. (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images) “President Biden’s strategy is centered on the basic premise that our country is safer, stronger, and more … [Read more...] about Biden To Sign Three Executive Orders On Immigration Rolling Back Trump Policies

Cracks are emerging in the firewall that until now has protected some of the world’s powerful nations from being scrutinized and called to account for gross violations by the U.N. Human Rights Council. The executive director of Human Rights Watch, Kenneth Roth, called them the “untouchables.” “By that I mean governments that have managed to avoid any real critical scrutiny in the form of a resolution by the council.  And the foremost untouchables that I have in mind are China, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Russia,” he said. Addressing the untouchables, Roth said, is not only the biggest challenge facing the council, but is critical to its credibility.  He said efforts are underway to draft critical statements on Egypt and Saudi Arabia.  He added pressure is growing on Russia because of its alleged poisoning of opposition activist Alexey Navalny. However, of greatest interest, he says are emerging signs that China may no longer be untouchable. “It has been seen as politically … [Read more...] about Powerful Countries Come Under Fire at UN Human Rights Council

Photo-Illustration: retailers We write about hundreds of products a week. Here, in our version of the Sunday circular, we’ve plucked out some of our favorites — expert-recommended essentials, life-changing stuff you didn’t know you needed, newly launched gizmos, and the very good deals we uncovered while trolling the vast online-shopping universe this past week, including beginner-friendly CBD edibles, a better-than-Byredo candle, and “revelatory” tiny trash bags. Philips Hue Bluetooth Smart Lightstrip Plus 2m Base Kit $80 now 18% off $66 Though Daft Punk officially broke up this week, tech writer Jordan Bowman keeps seeing smart light strips that turn people’s desks into “Daft Punk–style, Tron- like mash-ups of alternating colors.” They’re everywhere — in the background of YouTube videos, Twitch streams, and, of course, TikTok. Turns out that these light strips “not only look cool but affect your productivity and … [Read more...] about 10 Products That Delighted Us Last Week: From Phoebe Bridgers’s Bedsheets to Pretty Pill Cases