Texas

Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke has reported a Texas lawmaker to the FBI after he tweeted that his assault rifle "is ready for you".Republican legislator Briscoe Cain's tweet was deleted by Twitter after the Democrat called it a "death threat".Mr Cain tweeted after Mr O'Rourke called during a live TV debate on Thursday night for a ban on semi-automatic rifles.He stated his plan to confiscate some types of guns."Hell, yes, we're going to take your AR-15," Mr O'Rourke, a former Democratic Texas congressman, said on the debate stage in Houston.In response, Mr Cain, using Mr O'Rourke's legal first name, tweeted: "My AR is ready for you Robert Francis."AR stands for Armalite rifle.Mr O'Rourke responded: "This is a death threat, Representative. Clearly, you shouldn't own an AR-15 - and neither should anyone else." Joe Biden rival denies veiled dig at his age Democratic debate: Who had the best one-liner? Some Texas lawmakers criticised Mr Cain's tweet, which Twitter took … [Read more...] about Beto O’Rourke reports Texas legislator over rifle ‘threat’

A palaeontology PhD student has shared an amazing image of a southern cassowary, claiming it is evidence that birds and dinosaurs are related.  Texas woman Sarah Davis, a palaeontology PhD candidate at the University of Austin, is using the bird to study 'avian anatomy, colour, and feathers as part of multiple graduate research projects' she wrote on her Twitter account.  'Holding the claws of a male southern cassowary... Just in case any of your friends still need convincing that [bird] equals [dinosaur],' she wrote with the post.  A palaeontology PhD candidate has shared an amazing image (pictured) of a Southern Cassowary claiming it was another piece of evidence that birds and dinosaurs are related 'I feel incredibly humble to be able to work with such a magnificent bird. Cassowaries are native to Papua New Guinea and Australia, and are fruit eaters. 'But, that doesn’t mean they don’t know how to use those impressive … [Read more...] about Is this proof Australian wildlife is related to dinosaurs? Incredible photo of a giant claw baffles the internet – but it’s not as rare as you might think

No matter how many times we were told, we wouldn’t let it go. And so Frozen is back. Not that the earworm of the century was going to die anyway, with the official YouTube video of Let It Go at 1.8 billion views and counting, six years on from the original film. This week sees the opening of Frozen II, a launch long awaited by seven-year-olds who want to be ice-pick-wielding princesses and long dreaded by parents who have only just about got over the psychological scars caused by the soundtrack of the first film: “I mean it’s crazy…” “What?” “We finish each other’s sandwiches...” How those words linger in what is left of my mind. The original 2013 movie took more than $1bn at the box office and more than that in merchandising, became Amazon’s bestselling children’s film DVD of all time, solely based on pre-orders, and pushed Elsa, the name of the ice princess who can’t control her powers, into the top 100 … [Read more...] about Anthems, girl power and redemption: how Frozen ticked all the right boxes

Be grateful you didn’t sit next to Fran Lebowitz on the plane from New York to Melbourne. The trip was the longest flight she had taken, and therefore the longest time she managed to go without a cigarette. When I ask if it is her first time in Australia, she says: “That makes it sound as if there’s going to be a second time.” She surprised herself by not being taken off the flight in handcuffs for assaulting fellow (first-class) passengers or smoking in the toilets. “I was like a child on the plane, asking the flight attendant, ‘Are we there?’ And she said, ‘Are you nuts? We’ve only been flying for four hours.’ The only people who live in Australia are those who came to Australia and couldn’t face the trip back – I’m actually one of those people.” Lebowitz has been invited to Australia several times but, as a longtime smoker, 30 hours on a flight without a cigarette was out of the question. But she was … [Read more...] about Fran Lebowitz: ‘You do not know anyone as stupid as Donald Trump’

Not content with singing karaoke with pop and movie stars, James Corden has bitten off a much gristlier and indigestible subject for his late-night US TV audience: gun control. After the most recent school shooting on Thursday at Saugus high school in Santa Clarita, California, which left two students dead and several injured, Corden took to the airwaves. While not known for political engagement – a range more typical of late-night rival Seth Meyers – the British host of CBS’ The Late Late Show with James Corden dedicated a portion of his usually fizzy talkshow to the incident. “We were so saddened to hear of the shooting,” he said with feeling. “We’re horrified that another place of innocence, learning and education has become instead a site of violence and trauma. Our hearts break for the families, they really do.” He then took on the nation’s politicians for their consistent inaction over the issue, no matter how horrific or … [Read more...] about ‘We’re horrified’: James Corden tackles US gun control on late-night talkshow