If there was a pervading theme at this year’s Computex, it would be that gaming laptops can be powerful and slim too. From NVIDIA’s announcement of its Max-Q design to the flood of gaming laptops all claiming to be the world’s slimmest, PC gamers will actually have a problem of choice in trying to decide who to believe and which … Continue reading
One of Tennessee’s most conservative state senators has announced her candidacy for governor on a record that includes strong support for President Donald Trump and criticism of same-sex marriage, pornography and allowing transgender students to use the bathroom of their choice.
Republican Mae Beavers plans to formally declare her candidacy this week after releasing a statement about her run on Saturday.
“President Donald J. Trump is taking the lead in Washington to ‘drain the swamp’ there, but we have our own swamp in Tennessee, and I intend to do the same thing in the Volunteer State,” she said, according to Nashville’s WSMV-TV.
Beavers, first elected to the state senate in 2002 in a large district east of Nashville, has attracted attention outside of the state with her conservative agenda.
In a resolution that unanimously passed Tennessee’s Senate in March, she declared pornography a “public health crisis” that warps young people’s views about sex and deters men from marrying. The resolution called for research about pornography’s effects and other steps to discourage its consumption.
Earlier this year, Beavers introduced a bill to undermine the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2015 decision legalizing same-sex marriage. Her bill would “defend natural marriage between one man and one woman regardless of any court decision to the contrary.” A decision on this bill has been postponed till next year.
A third bill this year intended to force students at public colleges and schools to use only the restrooms and locker facilities that match the gender listed on their birth certificates. Beavers’ bill died without receiving any support in a state Senate committee.
In some ways it was a moot point because Trump had already taken an executive action that eliminated protections for transgender students against discrimination across the country.
Beavers and a colleague who introduced the same-sex marriage and transgender restroom bills in the state House abandoned a press conference about the legislation due to angry protests. Beavers later suggested that those demonstrators should be imprisoned under an arcane state law prohibiting disrespectful behavior while the Legislature is in session.
Restricting abortion rights and tackling the “terrorist threat from radical Islam” are some of Beavers’ other priorities, according to The Tennessean.
Beavers has been criticized for maintaining a private Twitter account. Her declaration for governor revived the #BlockedByMae hashtag.
One of her possible opponents in the 2018 Republican primary could be Mark Green, a state senator who withdrew his nomination to be Trump’s Army secretary after HuffPost first reported on anti-LGBTQ comments he’d made. Green had announced he’d run for governor before the Trump nomination. He said he will reveal later this week if he’s going to run.
There are two other declared Republican candidates: former Tennessee Economic and Development Commissioner Randy Boyd and Bill Lee, a businessman with no political experience.
Term limits prevent Republican Gov. Bill Haslam from seeking a third consecutive term.
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Stories about women in entertainment dominated the 2017 Cannes Film Festival news cycle, as Sofia Coppola became the second woman to win the award for best director award, and jury member Jessica Chastain spoke out about the “disturbing” depictions of women in cinema.
Chastain’s choice of adjective could certainly apply to the marketing campaign for an upcoming animated film that many spotted at the festival.
Journalists at Cannes tweeted photos of a billboard for “Red Shoes and the 7 Dwarfs” ― a Snow White parody that will reportedly star Chloe Grace Moretz.
The ad shows the tall, thin heroine wearing red high-heeled shoes next to a shorter, heavier version of herself ― barefoot and holding the shoes.
“What if Snow White was no longer beautiful and the 7 Dwarfs not so short?” the tagline asks.
The suggestion that a shorter, rounder Snow White is “no longer beautiful” attracted the ire of many parents with young kids.
On Tuesday, model and mom of two Tess Holliday tweeted a photo of the billboard at Moretz. “How did this get approved by an entire marketing team?” she wrote. “Why is it okay to tell young kids being fat = ugly?”
Many people shared their outrage in the HuffPost Parents’ “So You Want To Raise A Feminist” Facebook group. “What the hell??? So because she’s not a complete waif but actually normal size, she is no longer beautiful?!?! No way on this movie!!” wrote one parent.
“My kids will never see this,” added another.
“If it’s a kids movie it’s horrendous,” another mom wrote.
“Red Shoes and the 7 Dwarfs” is a product of South Korea’s Locus Creative Studios. The company’s website describes it as a “family-friendly” film and outlines the plot: “After seven handsome princes are magically transformed into seven ugly dwarfs, they set out on a quest to break the curse by getting a kiss from the most beautiful princess in all the land.” According to IMDB, the movie is “a parody with a twist.”
While Snow White is a German fairy tale famously published by the Brothers Grimm, the “Red Shoes” in the working title is likely a reference to Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale, “The Red Shoes” ― which tells the story of a girl with enchanted red shoes (though the magical shoes in that fairytale have a slightly more sinister effect than simply making one’s body tall and thin).
The Lotus website suggests the movie has a slightly more empowering message ― apparently the princess character is on a journey to find her lost father and learn “not only to accept herself, but to celebrate who she is, inside and out. And to let the beauty within … shine brighter than anyone else in the land.”
Still, the decision to describe the “normal” Snow White as “ugly” in the marketing campaign is questionable at best. The “family-friendly” designation is also questionable, as early trailers for “Red Shoes and the 7 Dwarfs” don’t seem particularly appropriate for children. One trailer shows two male dwarf characters secretly watching the heroine undress, while another shows a dwarf looking lustfully at her sleeping figure and then proceeding to violently thrash her body around in an attempt to remove her shoes.
“Red Shoes and the 7 Dwarfs” was previously scheduled for a summer 2017 release. Earlier this month, The Hollywood Reporter announced that Moretz was set to add her voice to the movie and that South Korean sales company Finecut would be introducing the film to buyers at the Cannes Film Festival.
The current status of the film is not entirely clear, though the billboard at Cannes states “2018 Coming Soon.”
Locus Creative Studios did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.
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A “Back To The Future” fan who purchased a DeLorean because of the film found out Doc Brown was right: “serious s**t” does happen when the car reaches 88 mph.
Spencer White of Saugus, California, purchased a DeLorean a month ago after pining for the 1980s-era sports car for 10 years.
The car is best known as the vehicle that takes Michael J. Fox through time, but on Friday night, White was just using it to drive his mom around, according to the Santa Clarita Signal.
White checked the speedometer and realized he was going 85 mph, three miles less than the speed the car in the movie needs to travel back in time.
“I thought, let’s take it up to 88 mph,” White told the paper. “I only got three more miles to go.”
White put the pedal to the medal to see what would happen.
Spoiler alert: White didn’t travel back in time. Instead, he’ll be making a future trip to traffic court.
“I was at 88 for about two seconds, and, immediately I saw a police officer behind me,” he told KTLA.
White said he and his mom couldn’t stop laughing after a California Highway Patrolman told them the speed of the DeLorean.
They even took a photo of the speed on the officer’s radar gun.
The officer also thought the coincidence was funny.
“He’s even got this big grin on his face like he’s won the lottery,” White told KTLA.
White wasn’t so lucky. The officer handed him a $400 traffic ticket before asking White if the car was carrying a flux capacitor, according to the Signal.
“Maybe if I had the flux capacitor he would have let me off,” White joked.
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In a win for anyone who has ever been frustrated by overpriced ink, the Supreme Court ruled today (PDF) that printer maker Lexmark can’t sue companies that refill old cartridges and sell them at a discount. More specifically, the court ruled that Lex…
BlackBerry and TCL have teased the KEYone for nearly half a year, and now Americans can finally see what all the fuss is about without jumping through hoops. The two have revealed that unlocked, US-friendly variants of the Android-powered BlackBerry…
If you’re in the market for a new 2-in-1 touchscreen laptop, I recommend you to check out this Dell Inspiron I7353-1951BLK. Featuring a 360-degree flip-and-fold design, this affordable convertible laptop is packed with a 13.3-inch 1920 x 1080 Full HD 10-point capacitive multi-touch display, a 2.30GHz Intel Core i3-6100U mobile processor, an Intel HD Graphics, an 8GB DDR3 RAM and a 128GB SSD.
Furthermore, it comes with a built-in HD webcam w/ two microphones, a media card reader, 3x USB 3.0 ports, 1x HDMI output port, a 3-cell Lithium-ion battery and built-in stereo speakers (w/ MaxxAudio).
Running on Windows 10 64-bit OS, the Inspiron I7353-1951BLK provides WiFi 802.11ac and Bluetooth for connectivity. Grab yours now for just $549.99. [Product Page]
The post Dell Inspiron I7353-1951BLK 2-In-1 13.3-Inch Touchscreen Laptop appeared first on TechFresh, Consumer Electronics Guide.
Share your movies, games and presentations using this mini DLP Android 4.4 projector ‘GP1SUP’. Powered by a 1.5GHz Cortex-A5 quad-core processor, this travel-friendly projector provides 800 x 480 native resolution (20 to 100-inch image size), 4:3/16:9 aspect ratio, 150 ANSI lumens brightness, 600:1 contrast ratio and up to 20,000 hours of LED lamp life.
Running on Android 4.4.2 KitKat OS, the GP1SUP is equipped with a Mali-450 GPU, a 1GB RAM, an 8GB of expandable internal storage (up to 16GB), 2x USB ports, 1x 3.5mm headphone jack, 1x HDMI (MHL) port, a built-in 1W speaker and a built-in 2500mAh battery.
For connectivity, the GP1SUP provides WiFi 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth. The GP1SUP will set you back just $184.98 (remote control included). [Product Page]
The post GP1SUP Mini DLP Android 4.4 Projector With 150 ANSI Lumens Brightness appeared first on TechFresh, Consumer Electronics Guide.
United Airlines seriously can’t catch a break.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday proposed fining United $435,000 for operating 23 flights in 2014 with a Boeing 787 that the government alleged was not in airworthy condition. The news comes about seven weeks after the fateful incident in which officers dragged a passenger off a plane when he refused to give up his seat for a United employee.
The FAA alleged that back in June 2014, United mechanics replaced a fuel pump pressure switch on the Boeing aircraft but failed to perform a required inspection before returning the aircraft to service. A United spokesman said, “The safety of our customers and employees is our top priority. We immediately took action after identifying the issue and are working closely with the FAA in their review.”
United has faced public backlash in the wake of April’s incident, which was followed by more public relations fiascos including the death of a large rabbit on a United flight. Last week, a gay dad said he planned to sue the airline after a flight attendant allegedly accused him of molesting his son.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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Archie Parnell, the Democrat running for the open U.S. House seat in South Carolina’s 5th District, now trails Republican Ralph Norman by 10 percentage points, according to an internal campaign poll.
The margin is an improvement from a 16-point deficit in March, according to a summary of the Anzalone Liszt Grove Research Group polling obtained by HuffPost that was first reported by The Washington Post.
The figures allow Parnell, a 66-year-old former tax attorney, to make the case for assistance from the national Democratic Party, despite the steep odds he faces. Parnell is due to square off against Norman, a conservative former state representative, on June 20, leaving him less than three weeks to pull off an upset.
The special election to fill the seat vacated by White House budget director Mick Mulvaney will occur the same day Democrats hope to take control of Georgia’s 6th Congressional District, where Democrat Jon Ossoff is up against Republican Karen Handel, with polls showing him ahead but in a close contest.
Parnell’s bid has received a fraction of the national attention and resources showered on the Georgia contest, which is on track to be the most expensive House race in history.
The political fundamentals of the South Carolina district make it clear why Democrats are wary of jumping in the race with greater gusto. Although President Donald Trump won by less than 2 percentage points in Georgia’s affluent 6th District, he won by nearly 20 points in South Carolina’s 5th. Mulvaney modestly surpassed that margin with his landslide win in November.
And in Montana, where Trump also won the state by 20 percentage points, Republican Greg Gianforte defeated Democrat Rob Quist by 6 points last Thursday despite being charged with assaulting a reporter the day before.
The Republican hold on South Carolina’s 5th District is relatively recent, however. Mulvaney, who took the seat in the tea party wave of 2010, was the first Republican to represent the district since Reconstruction.
Parnell is hoping that anger at Trump will energize Democrats, particularly the district’s sizable population of black voters, enough to drive up turnout in an off-year election where participation is normally low.
The internal poll shows that 50 percent of the district’s Democrats believe the election is “more important than most elections,” compared with 26 percent of Republican voters.
But Parnell is also betting that the passage of the Affordable Care Act replacement bill in the Republican-controlled House can help him win over some independent or even Republican voters.
Fifty percent of voters in the district oppose the GOP bill to replace Obamacare, compared with 42 percent who support it, according to the campaign’s poll.
Norman, who defeated a more moderate rival in a close primary, is an ardent proponent of Obamacare repeal and has said he would consider joining the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus if elected. (Mulvaney was a founding member of the group.)
Parnell, by contrast, has campaigned against the Republican health care bill and backs safe importation of prescription drugs as a way to lower drug prices.
The cerebral and soft-spoken Parnell hardly embodies the populist mood currently sweeping the Democratic Party; he most recently held a top post at Wall Street giant Goldman Sachs.
But Parnell claims that his colleagues at the liberal bogeyman called him the “policeman” for his work overseeing financial compliance and that his deep knowledge of the tax code equips him to fight for reforms that would make corporations pay their “fair share.”
In a new video advertisement released Tuesday, Parnell makes light of his wonkish disposition by contrasting himself favorably with Frank Underwood, the debonair, Machiavellian protagonist of the TV series “House of Cards,” whose fictional district resembles Parnell’s.
Parnell mixes goofy, Underwood-style one-liners with actual facts about Trump’s presidency as the theme music of the Netflix show plays in the background.
The ad concludes with text onscreen saying, “Archie Parnell is no Frank Underwood. And Washington shouldn’t be like ‘House of Cards.’”
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