A Tough Guy for Everyone

People 'sometimes hold themselves back,' use racism as 'excuse'

(NEWSER) - Herman Cain insisted in an interview yesterday that racism in America isn't significantly impeding economic progress for minorities. “I don't believe racism in this country today holds anybody back in a big way,” the presidential candidate declared on CNN . Many "have a level playing field," he added. "I absolutely believe that." But he acknowledged there are still "some elements" of racism. "It gets back to if we don't grow this economy, that is a ripple effect for every economic level, and because blacks are more disproportionately unemployed, they get hit the worst when economic policies don't work," he added. More»

James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender star in Matthew Vaughn's film

(NEWSER) - Critics are largely impressed with the latest installment in the X-Men series: X-Men: First Class is certainly an improvement over the last few. A sampling of reviews:

• “After a close call with franchise death, the X-Men film series has bounced back to life with its fifth installment, rescued with a straight injection of pop,” writes Manohla Dargis in the New York Times . The film “indulges in period nostalgia as it gazes into the future, using the backdrop of the cold war to explore how the past informs the present (while also blowing stuff up).”

But not minority women—they have kids

(NEWSER) - Illinois Republican leaders are calling for their state Senate candidate, Tea Partier Al Reynolds, to step down in the wake of his racially insensitive remarks at a candidate forum last week. Asked about the lack of diversity at public colleges, Reynolds explained that minority women were more motivated than minority men. “And it’s a pretty good reason. Most of the women who are single parents have to find work to support their family. The minority men find it more lucrative to be able to do drugs rather than do education. It’s easier.” More»

Silver Scorpion the brainchild of disabled US, Syrian kids

(NEWSER) - It's a bird, it's a plane, it's... well, this time it's something a bit different: The latest comic-book hero will be a wheelchair-bound Muslim boy who lost his legs in a landmine accident, reports the AP. The Silver Scorpion began to take shape when a US philanthropist, inspired by President Obama's outreach to the Muslim world, gathered a group of disabled American and Syrian kids to talk storylines. More»

Robert Downey Jr. saves flashy sequel, say critics

(NEWSER) - Iron Man 2 is clunkier than its predecessor and its self-destructive hero has succumbed to boozy overconfidence, but Robert Downey Jr. saves the film, not to speak of the world, say critics.

• This movie is "bigger, louder and dumber than its predecessor" but still plenty of fun, writes Bill Goodykoontz at the Arizona Republic , praising Downey's "enormously entertaining" performance as the Marvel Comics superhero.