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Judge Carlos Moore has a unique approach to the justice system in which he serves—one that many people find refreshing.

Moore is a municipal judge and attorney in Mississippi. He’s also the President-elect of the National Bar Association and is listed as a “Rising Star” in African-American Leadership Magazine’s 2020 Top 100 Influential African-American Leaders list. In 2017, he made national news when the first thing he did after being sworn in was remove the Mississippi state flag from his courtroom. (Up until this year, the Mississippi state flag had the confederate flag, widely seen as a symbol of white supremacy, as part of its design.)

Unafraid to take bold steps to ensure justice is served in a way that actually improves people’s lives. One way he does that is using alternative sentencing—giving unique, creative, individualized consequences instead of standard fines or jail time.

Moore wrote in an Instagram post:

“As a judge I love alternative sentencing especially for young people. Today I announced that I would give an 18 year old young lady a break on a speeding ticket if she brings me back proof that she voted in next Tuesday’s general election or writes 500 word essay on the importance of voting. Then I told a young 17 year old man that if he pulled up one of his Cs to a B by his next report card I would withhold adjudication on a misdemeanor ticket. Our young people are our greatest treasure and if I can encourage them to be their best and do their best I’m happy.”

“I believe in alternative sentencing especially when dealing with young people who have accepted responsibility for their wrongs,” Moore told Upworthy. “I believe that by giving the young people unexpected choices or alternatives to jail or a fine I can have a bigger impact on their lives and futures. I really favor rehabilitation over pure punishment.”

Moore’s approach has fans. As psychiatrist and author James Gilligan wrote in the New York Times in 2012, “If any other institutions in America were as unsuccessful in achieving their ostensible purpose as our prisons are, we would shut them down tomorrow.” Alternative sentencing such as community service or restitution—or more creative options such as Moore’s “get your grades up” or “show me you understand civic duty”—appeals to those of us who understand that punitive measures are not always the most effective. A study from the Macarthur Foundation found that when people are informed that rehabilitation is more effective than incarceration, people were willing to pay more in taxes to support it.

Rehabilitation also saves money overall. In an article in The Conversation, Siddhartha Bandyopadhyay, a professor of economics at the University of Birmingham, wrote that community sentences cost on average a quarter of the amount as prison sentences and reduce crime more than prison sentences do.

But for Moore, alternative sentencing is primarily about what’s going to be best for the young person in front of his bench.

“I want all that appear before me to be better upon and after meeting me than before doing the same,” he says, adding, “I think anyone who administers justice must also know how to show mercy.”

Justice must be served, but justice doesn’t automatically mean handing down harsh punishments. Providing young people an incentive to improve is perhaps the best way to prevent crime—it requires them to take responsibility while simultaneously instilling hope and faith in their own futures.

More of this wholesome, reasonable approach to criminal justice, please, and thank you for providing the example, Judge Moore. We love to see it.

Harrison Ford was only twelve years younger than Sean Connery when the latter played his dad onscreen, which he did in 1989’s threequel Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. But it was inventive casting, remaking the former James Bond as a bookish, bumbling but deeply loving father to the world’s most athletic archaeologist. After Connery passed away on Saturday, tributes poured in. But Ford, who is certainly not on or anywhere near social media, took a few days to respond. And it was worth the wait.

“He was my father … not in life … but in Indy 3,” Ford said in a statement, which was obtained by Deadline. He continued:

“You don’t know pleasure until someone pays you to take Sean Connery for a ride in the sidecar of a Russian motorcycle bouncing along a bumpy, twisty mountain trail and getting to watch him squirm. God we had fun — if he’s in heaven, I hope they have golf courses. Rest in peace dear friend.”

Ford was alluding to one of the more action-packed parts of the picture, in which Connery’s Henry Jones Sr. and his son — whom we later learn is really a “Junior,” having stolen his nickname from their dog — give chase to the fearsome Nazis. Henry Sr. is nonplussed at his untraditional archeological methods, but you can’t argue with success!

Connery reportedly died peacefully in his sleep in his home in the Bahamas. He retired, at least from onscreen appearances, after 2003’s The League of Gentlemen, though he made two more voice-only appearances in the years after. He made Last Crusade not long after winning the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for 1987’s The Untouchables.

(Via Deadline)

What is the most Star Wars movie with the most downer ending? Is it The Empire Strikes Back, which concludes with our heroes defeated but ready to, uh, strike back? Is it Revenge of the Sith, with Annakin Skywalker left a bad guy widower? Or is it Rogue One, the spin-off which leads right into the events of the original 1977 Star Wars but also leaves all of its heroes dead? They all end with partial optimism, but one of its stars is even more upbeat than that, saying her character could always come back from the dead.

Felicity Jones, Oscar-nominee and portrayer of Rogue One’s driven loner Jyn Erso, was speaking to The Hollywood Reporter (in a bit caught by The Playlist) when talk of her most money-gobbling movie came up. She was asked about a sequel, the reporter saying Jyn’s fate was “unclear at the end of Rogue One.” It wasn’t, really, but Jones picked up the slack. “I just keep saying that reincarnation is totally possible in the Star Wars universe,” the actress replied. If that’s the case, there could be some of freaky return, or maybe even a prequel. “I think it would be fascinating to see her getting older and wiser and fighting the dark forces in the universe, of which there are many it seems.”

A prequel would probably be more in fitting with the Star Wars-verse. After all, Jones co-star, Diego Luna, will soon return as Jyn’s co-conspirator Cassian Andor in his own Disney+ prequel. But beyond the likes of Obi-Wan Kenobi popping up as helpful spirits in the sequels, the franchise has not yet tried full-on reincarnation. Still, let’s not forget about Riz Ahmed’s Bodhi Rook, or Donnie Yen’s Chirrut Îmwe, or Jiang Wen’s Baze Malbus, or — the easiest to bring back — the Alan Tyduk’s voiced bot K-2SO.

(Via THR and The Playlist)

This weekend, many celebrities got into the spooky spirit as they celebrated Halloween with to-the-max costumes. Lil Nas X’s went all-out, disguising himself as Nicki Minaj, and The Weeknd was equally as unrecognizable in his Nutty Professor getup. Though he didn’t don a costume himself, Florida rapper Rod Wave had quite the scare this weekend when he his stage crumbled under his feet during a Halloween performance.

Rod Wave was scheduled to play a set in Atlanta this Saturday as part of his Girl Of My Nightmares show, a cheeky reference to his track “Girl Of My Dreams.” The rapper showed up with a huge entourage, bringing out over a dozen people with him on stage for the first song. However, things didn’t quite go according to plan, as the stage wound up buckling under the weight of his crew. Rod Wave fell to the side after the platform caved in, but he was immediately helped up by a crew member.

Aside from what looks like a twisted ankle, it seems like Rod Wave made it out unharmed. He even made light of the incident the following day, reposting a video of his fall on Instagram, writing “PIMP DOWN I REPEAT PIMP DOWN” in a since-deleted post.

According to TMZ, the remainder of the concert was reportedly canceled for safety reasons, leaving fans, who paid good money for their tickets, disappointed, especially since the accident occurred before he was able to perform a single song.

Check out a fan-captured video of Rod Wave’s tumble above.

Donald Trump and his minions have made a big huff about absentee ballots, arguing that the only ones that should count are the ones done in person. (Naturally, this didn’t stop Ivanka and Jared Kushner from sharing a picture of themselves, smiling as they held up their…absentee ballots.) The implication has been that the majority of those ballots would swing Biden’s way. But, as a new video made by the tag team pair of Project Lincoln and outspoken Trump critic Mark Hamill, there’s a large portion of the population the president appears to be overlooking. Or simply insulting.

The ad, caught by Raw Story, goes out of its way to remind voters that since, as Hamill’s narrator puts it, “elections have consequences,” that they can help put an end to “tyranny.” Elections are so important, the ad argues, that during the Civil War, legislators made sure that everyone, including soldiers away from home, had a way to vote. “This is how absentee voting began — sent from the bloody battlefield across the nation.”

But now, we’re reminded, that’s under siege. “More than 150 years later, tyranny is looking for a new foothold,” Hamill narrates, as a picture of Trump pops up. He points out that Trump and his team has been trying to discount votes that arrive after November 3 — this despite the United States Postal Service having become incredibly slow under the watch of Postmaster General (and Trump appointee) Louis DeJoy, and despite it being a law to count each and every ballot. “If [Trump] gets his way, many who cast absentee ballots will not have their vote counted.”

Then the ad really turns the knife, showing how Trump is targeting those he speaks of (though not always) fondly. “This will deny thousands of troops overseas of their most sacred right,” Hamill says, “stripping the men and women of our military of the very freedoms they served and sacrificed to defend.

“Nothing is more important than counting every vote, especially those that are serving our country,” Hamill concludes. “Suppressing any vote is un-American.”

This is (allegedly!) the final ad put forth by Project Lincoln, group of turncoat Republicans who’ve made it their mission to unseat the man who took over their party, before the election. If so, the combined power of one of Star Wars most iconic players (and arguably the best Joker) and the appeal to the military may make it a fine final push.

You can watch the PSA in the video above.

(Via Raw Story)

The United Kingdom isn’t the first place most people consider when thinking about the burger wars. However, McDonald’s and Burger King have developed a tense rivalry in the UK since they set up shop across the pond in the mid-’70s.

Currently, McDonald’s is the top-ranked fast-food chain in the UK with around £2 billion ($2.58 billion) in annual sales. Burger King is the second most popular burger joint with around £600 million ($774 million).

But in light of a major spike in COVID-19 cases, Burger King is calling a temporary truce and asking people to buy a Big Mac to help keep people employed. On Saturday, UK Prime Minister Boris Jonson announced a month-long lockdown in England to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.

So, Burger King extended an olive branch to its arch-rival on Twitter Monday with a statement titled, “Order at McDonald’s.'”

“Just like we never thought we’d be encouraging you to order from KFC, Subway, Domino’s Pizza, Pizza Hut, Five Guys, Greggs, Taco Bell, Papa John’s, Leon… or any of the other independent food outlets, too numerous to mention here,” the statement reads.

“In short, from any of our sister food chains (fast or not so fast). We never thought we’d be asking you to do this, but restaurants employing thousands of staff really need your support at the moment,” the statement continues.

“So, if you want to help, keep treating yourself to tasty meals through home delivery, takeaway or drive-thru. Getting a Whopper is always best, but ordering a Big Mac is also not such a bad thing,” the statement concludes.

via Burger King UK

The statement is as unbelievable as Coke urging you to buy a Pepsi. Or the Republican Party suggesting you vote for Joe Biden. But these are tough times in the UK and abroad, so Burger King is taking a moment to bury the hatchet in support of the loyal opposition.

The month-long lockdown will begin on Thursday, November 5, and extend until December 2. Under the new restrictions pubs, bars, and restaurants will be closed except for takeout and delivery.

The UK recently surpassed over 1 million total cases of COVID-19 with deaths rising to over 46,000. The country of 59 million reported a daily high of 26,7070 infections on October 21.

“The modeling presented by our scientists suggests that without action we could see up to twice as many deaths over the winter as we saw in the first wave,” Johnson said in Parliament on Monday. “Faced with these latest figures, there is no alternative but to take further action at a national level.”

One of the reasons cited for England’s huge uptick in COVID-19 cases is Johnson’s “Eat Out to Help Out” program launched in the summer. The program encouraged people to visit restaurants by paying people’s bills up to £10 pounds per meal every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday in August.

Diners could choose whether to eat indoors or outdoors and masks weren’t required.

UK health officials were horrified by the idea of encouraging people to eat indoors during a pandemic. Although there’s no concrete data that links the program directly to the recent surge in the virus, Toby Phillips, head of research and policy at Oxford University’s Pathways for Prosperity Commission, says it’s hard to deny the connection.

“Looking at the English regions, there is a loose correlation between uptake of the scheme and new cases in the last weeks of August,” Phillips wrote in The Conversation. “Again, this isn’t to say that the scheme caused those cases. But it certainly didn’t discourage those people from going out.”

By now we’ve been inundated — in a good way! — with celebrities, from Taylor Swift to Michael Keaton, making videos and tweets and other forms of content, trying to get out the vote. A lot of made them clear who they think you should vote for. But the important part has been making sure you’re exercising your civic rights in the first place. Even fictional characters are getting in on the act. As caught by ComicBook.com, Jay and Silent Bob — the dynamic duo first embodied by Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes in the 1994 no-budget smash Clerks — have released a video where they wildly speculate how other characters would vote if they could.

“We know you hate when famous people tell you who to vote for. But we’re not famous. We are fictional,” said Mewes’ Jay as his partner remained quiet, as is his wont. “We know how fake people think. So if you wanna know who your favorite fictional characters would pick for President, just ask me and Silent Bob.”

Being part-time comic book characters created by one of the world’s biggest comic book nerds, they mostly stuck to superheroes. “Who do you think Batman would vote for?” Jay wondered. That one’s not so obvious. “Yes, he’s a billionaire, an actual billionaire, so we think he would like those tax cuts. But we know he doesn’t like Jokers!”

Wonder Woman, though, is pretty clear-cut: “whoever doesn’t want to control her uterus,” Jay said.

There were a fair amount of puns. Spider-Men Miles Morales and Peter Parker need to get out and vote because, as Jay puts it, “in those swing states.” (They don’t, actually, both being New Yorkers.) He points out Black Panther can’t vote, being a king (and of a far-off land).

The two included some non-comic book figures, too, including Jaws the shark (“We’re gonna need a bigger vote”), Harry Potter (“he’s from England. Plus he’s a kid”). But by the end, they made sure their fans were thinking about the real world, not just the Marvel-verse and what have you. “Don’t be a fictional character, use your voice to vote.”

You can watch Jay and Silent Bob’s video in the tweet above.

(Via ComicBook.com)

It’s not news that Joe Biden’s a staunch adherent to wearing masks in public. It’s also not surprising that Donald Trump still can’t stand wearing masks, nor can many of his followers, and the president has even shamed a reporter for doing so during a press conference. Now, an ex-Trump official, Richard Grenell (who acted as Trump’s acting director of national intelligence) is trying to do Biden dirty for tweeting a photo of the former VP (who is maskless) on an airplane alongside his traveling national press secretary, Remi Yamamoto. It’s all for the purpose of labeling Biden as a “phony” and fraud, but there’s one big problem: the photo dates back to 2019.

“Washington, DC phony! @JoeBiden doesn’t wear a mask on a plane – but wears one OUTSIDE!?” Grenell (who is an RNC senior advisor) happily tweeted to his 671,000+ followers. (You can see the photos below.)

CNN K-File editor Andrew Kaczynski screen-captured the moment for Twitter before that tweet gets deleted, which might eventually happen, given that Twitter has labeled Grenell’s claim with a “manipulated media” tag. “A combined 27K RTs on photo from 2019 before there was a pandemic,” Kaczynski declared. “These people tweet in all caps about fake news.”

As CNN details, the 2019 unmasked photo was taken by Adam Schultz (who’s Biden’s official campaign photographer) and is dated as follows: “Yamamoto and Biden huddle on a flight to South Carolina in November 2019.” The photo recently appeared in a Vogue profile of Yamamoto, and now, it’s gone viral on Twitter after Grenell fake-labeled it, and right-wing talk radio host Mark Levin added fuel by retweeting it.

CNN also reports word from a Twitter spokesperson that the tweets “do not violate Twitter rules and will not have any fact check labels affixed to them,” although that status appears to have changed, given that Twitter has now added that “manipulated media” tag onto Grenell’s tweet.

(Via CNN & Vogue)

It’s been over a year since Clairo shared her Rostam-produced debut album Immunity, and fans have been anxious for its follow-up ever since. While Clairo has appeased her listeners with a handful of lo-fi demos, including a cover of The Strokes’ “I’ll Try Anything Once,” it looks like the singer has briefly pivoted from her solo project. Instead, Clairo announced the newly-formed band Shelly with the two breezy singles “Steeeam” and “Natural.”

The new group consists of Clairo, Claud, who recently shared a single off Phoebe Bridgers’ newly-minted label Saddest Factory, along with their good friends Josh Mehling and Noa Frances Getzug. Announcing the new project on social media, Clairo explained how the group came together. “My best friends and i made a band and put out an A/B side- ‘Steeeam’ and ‘Natural,’” she wrote. “We created everything during quarantine in LA, Chicago, Houston and Atlanta.”

In other Clairo news, the new group’s single arrives just over a week after the singer had a song make it into the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the first time. Clairo’s song “Sofia” landed in No. 98 on the chart dated October 24. While the song was released in 2019, it has recently seen an uptick in radio plays in the last few weeks. Clairo was ecstatic after hearing the news and thanked her loyal fans for their continued support.

Listen to Shelly’s “Steeeam” and “Natural” above.

By now, it’s become pretty common knowledge that Cardi B and Offset are back together and today, Cardi confirmed that the couple is giving things yet another chance by withdrawing her divorce case. Whether this is good or bad news probably depends on your personal feelings about the couple but apparently Offset is feeling solid enough again for some light social media teasing of his wife after she got his back during a recent police stop. In a new post on Instagram, Offset captured proof that Cardi B exaggerated some aspects of their life, calling her out for being a “Liar.”

Offset sneakily captured footage of Cardi sweeping the floor in their home (wearing a bonnet, bathrobe, and slippers, no less), telling her, “You need to stop lying on your songs, man. She be lyin’. She cleanin’. She got to clean.” Cardi just chuckles and playfully threatens him, “I’ma punch you in your head.”

The song Offset refers to, of course, is “WAP,” on which Cardi crows, “I don’t cook, I don’t clean / But let me show you how I got this ring.” In terms of rap fibs, it’s not exactly a bathtub that lifts up or losing 92 bricks but it’s a line which has amused fans to no end — especially with Cardi’s relationship drama making headlines just a couple of months later. Still, “WAP” proves to be the gift that keeps giving to pop culture, as Cardi recently revealed a “making of” documentary for the music video in which she confesses she wanted even more animals crawling on her and her co-star Megan Thee Stallion.

Check out Offset’s post above.