The latest wrinkle in the Prop. 8 whodunit blame game comes from FiveThirtyEight's adorkable Nate Silver, who breaks down the demographics on the California vote. "Certainly, the No on 8 folks might have done a better job of outreach to California's black and Latino communities. But the notion that Prop 8 passed because of the Obama turnout surge is silly", he claims. Instead, he says the numbers place the blame at the feet of older voters across all demographics:
The good news for supporters of marriage equity is that — and there's no polite way to put this — the older voters aren't going to be around for all that much longer, and they'll gradually be cycled out and replaced by younger voters who grew up in a more tolerant era. Everyone knew going in that Prop 8 was going to be a photo finish — California might be just progressive enough and 2008 might be just soon enough for the voters to affirm marriage equity. Or, it might fall just short, which is what happened. But two or four or six or eight years from now, it will get across the finish line.
ELIZABETH TAYLOR STILL PARTYING "Elizabeth Taylor, 76, doesn't get out much these days. But when she does leave home, she goes to the Abbey, West Hollywood's top gay bar. The wheelchair-bound screen legend … favors tequila shots and apple martinis …"
Don't kill the messenger, people. It was the kindly old lady.
WE'LL DIE YOUNG "The world's oldest man celebrated his 113th birthday on Thursday, telling reporters at his home in southern Japan about his joyful life and healthy appetite. [Tomoji] Tanabe, recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest living male last year, eats mostly vegetables and believes the key to longevity is not drinking alcohol."
OLYMPIC FEVER! "Two elderly Chinese women have been sentenced to a year of 're-education through labor' after they repeatedly sought a permit to demonstrate in one of the official Olympic protest areas, according to family members and human rights advocates. The women, Wu Dianyuan, 79, and Wang Xiuying, 77, had made five visits to the police this month in an effort to get permission to protest what they contended was inadequate compensation for the demolition of their homes in Beijing."
THE BATTLE FOR IDIOT BOX SUPREMACY "Fewer Americans are reading newspapers and are instead getting their news online, but television remains the leading source of news in the country, according to a survey released Sunday. Not surprisingly, younger people tend to get more of their news on the Internet, while older folks use traditional media such as television and newspapers, the Pew Research Center's biannual survey on news consumption habits said. … Pew found that the largest group of news consumers — 46 percent of those polled — have a 'heavy reliance' on television for their news at all times of the day. This group is the oldest, with a median age of 52, and least affluent, with 43 percent unemployed. They are unlikely to own a computer or go online for news."
Sunday papers continue to be the most popular source of coupons: 53 percent of households clip coupons from the Sunday newspaper, as opposed to 35 percent from advertisements that arrive in the mail, the next most popular source.
THE PASSING OF A LEGEND "An Australian woman described as the world's oldest Internet blogger has died at the age of 108 after posting a final message about singing 'a happy song' in her nursing home."
BLAME VIAGRA "Researchers … found that in less than a decade, STD rates had more than doubled among people ages 45 and older. And an author of the study thinks that figure may be low."
75 percent of the Golden Girls (Betty White, Bea Arthur and Rue McClanahan) got together for a rare public appearance at the TV Land Awards in Santa Monica yesterday. The beautiful old trio was hugging and laughing and generally being just as adorable as you'd expect. Sadly, the gang wasn't all there, as Estelle Getty now suffers from severe dementia and can't attend events. But rest assured, her heart remains true, she's still a pal and confidante (and she always will be).
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Our favorite person today is some 68-year-old man who fled Communist Romania and who now sits on the jury for R Kelly's child pornography trial.
He told the judge, "I'm probably not the smartest guy, but I will do what is best and fair."
Christ, what happened to my generation?
The annual Maxim "Hot 100" was released in full today, further imbruing the cultural landscape with rampant mediocrity and offensive thoughtlessness. At number one is a blond woman with disproportionately large breasts. Number two? That's right: a blond woman with disproportionately large breasts. The list also includes Britney Spears, who Maxim attests "oozes genuine sexiness."
Here, we again attempt to combat lad mag idiocy with our own list of beautiful and sexy women. Click through for a Simpson sister-free zone. And, of course, feel free to suggest additions or complain.
CONTINUED »
Bill Clinton went off on an Obama supporter who interrupted a speech he was giving in West Virginia yesterday.
With the support of a cheering crowd, the ex-president shouted down a silvery, batty old woman who attempted to declare that, as First Lady, Hillary Clinton didn't work for universal health care as hard as she and Bill claim.
Of course, the woman deserved to be silenced, because she doesn't really know what the hell she's talking about. Now, had she screamed, "You would have had a better chance at getting everyone in the nation health insurance if it hadn't been for your shady-ass real estate deals with the McDougals," then we might have gotten somewhere. Isn't it funny how the loudest ones are usually the dumbest ones, too?
To my surprise, the saddest article currently in The New York Times online edition has nothing to do with Africa or Iraq, but Oprah and Chicago. Cutely titled "This Old Thing? It Was Oprah’s!" the piece covers the unstoppable Oprah machine's new retail venture: the Oprah Store. There, along with Oprah's favorite books and kitchen accessories, one can also buy the perma-dieting talk show host's used clothes, many of which apparently make her seem like a freakish giant: "The pants are too long and the shoes are too big, but I will definitely be back for a sweater or a skirt," noted one top-heavy customer.
But the shop itself, which donates all of its proceeds to charity, is not the depressing part; its customers are. Customers who remember exact skirts Oprah once wore in a magazine and who say things like: "I like shiny stuff and a lot of her stuff is shiny … " And that's just the obsessives. The most excruciating quote comes from Barbara Jean Hoy, a retired housekeeper and a regular at this Oprah mall, who says shopping there makes her feel better about her life: "When you go in there, you just feel great, like you are somebody …" Ms Hoy once bought a $40 blouse from the store, undeterred by the high price because the garment had visible armpit stains, compliments of Oprah. Hoy won't wear the blouse outdoors and she keeps the tags on.
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