White-suited Mark Twain in Only Known Film Clip

As shared on the website Open Culture, which describes itself as offering “the best free cultural and educational media on the web,” here is the only known piece of moving picture film that includes Mark Twain. This was recorded in 1909, by Thomas Edison, a year before Twain’s death at age 74.

Zerlina Maxwell, Bravely Refusing to Let Haters & Rape Talk Ruin Her Day

Zerlina MaxwellYesterday I noticed an alarming retweet of a message from a woman named Zerlina Maxwell. She was determinedly reporting on verbal abuse and threatened violence flung at her by some offensive people online, and letting them and everyone else know she’d reported them. Seeing the screenshot of the vile Facebook message from a Jordan Mayer denouncing her and expressing hope she’d be raped, I quickly sent a supportive response to her, one that my tweeps would see, and thereby also learn about the situation. Screen shot 2013-03-10 at 9.29.05 PMI learned that the invective had been directed at her after an interview with Sean Hannity when she turned around the suggestion that women should arm themselves to be free of worries for their personal safety. Maxwell said, in effect, “No, let men learn not to rape!” Much of the background is given in this TPM story along with video from the interview, including the fact that she is herself a rape survivor. TPM’s article, like my tweet, was meant to heighten awareness of the incident, and shine a bright light on the haters. After I had sent her my supportive message. I looked at some of the messages on her Twitter feed and see that she’s enduring more abuse, but lots of people are also sticking up for her, as she tweets below.