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Quite simply, the Punisher was cut into pieces, put back together by an underground community of monsters, provided with even bigger guns and sent to war against an army of monster-hunting samurai led by a skeleton in steampunk armor. That last sentence contains phrases that embody much of what's awesome about comics these days, and that was just the first arc. -- David Wolkin , speaking the truth.

Unfortunately, he'll probably just get a slap on the wrist because being a depraved, chauvinistic jerk is not illegal.

So he's re-releasing Star Wars (again!) in 3-D .

" There are truly lives at stake, and the idea that folks are spending more time finger-pointing than getting this solved is almost unbelievable ." Now he wants some kind of action . Bolton bolts . “The gross economic mismanagement by the government is at the heart of it,” said Rifaat Hussain, a professor of international relations at Islamabad University and a confidant of the military . “And there is the rising public disaffection with the Pakistani Peoples Party under Zardari and Gilani.” " I cannot get the sound of his voice out of my head, and I cannot forget the smell of his cologne, and I cannot forget the way he made me cry when I drove in his car on the way home, not able to take enough showers to get the smell of that man off my body ." “In this room and across the city, I think we share the same horror, the same outrage, and the same unwavering commitment to see justice done,’’ Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said at a press confer...

The problem with the media today is that jobs are being eliminated and you never know when you may have to go crawling to Uncle Rupert for a job, so everyone who works in the media treats Fox with kid gloves. -- MMFA commenter " worrierking ." The subject: Mean Ol' Obama is attacking FoxNews (read: The Media), something that George Bush never did .

How can people taut their religion as the best when a majority of their own members don't even understand it ? A new survey of Americans' knowledge of religion found that atheists, agnostics, Jews and Mormons outperformed Protestants and Roman Catholics in answering questions about major religions, while many respondents could not correctly give the most basic tenets of their own faiths. Forty-five percent of Roman Catholics who participated in the study didn't know that, according to church teaching, the bread and wine used in Holy Communion is not just a symbol, but becomes the body and blood of Christ. More than half of Protestants could not identify Martin Luther as the person who inspired the Protestant Reformation. And about four in 10 Jews did not know that Maimonides, one of the greatest rabbis and intellectuals in history, was Jewish. The survey released Tuesday by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life aimed to test...

People bitch and moan over Stephen Colbert going to Congress to testify, but where were the cries for professionalism when Elmo was at the mic ?

Oh, Max ... A Third Option for handling oil spill disasters? He must have done something good to keep the job for 18 years . Just because it doesn't involve as many real live American soldiers doesn't make it any less of a war . An issue of campus security .

Yes! Top Ten Conservative Idiots is back (for now)! A (married) sergeant contracted HIV while overseas, and decided to "share ." The Crisis Papers puts it better than I did , but essentially this November's election is about whether we want to live in Gotham City and work on cleaning it up or risk it becoming Sin City in order to teach a few risk-averse politicians "a lesson?" Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s connection to Star Trek . NFL = Masculine Reality Show .

Say it ain't so !

...you know, let's let Jon Stewart cover this: The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c Postcards From the Pledge www.thedailyshow.com Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

... are on their way, so take notes .

Didn't know peanuts had to declare themseleves .

" We have contingency plans in place to ensure we don't have difficulties paying people ." “We are very much looking forward to the end of ‘don’t ask, don’t tell,’ ’’ Faust said . “It will be a very important moment to us when that happens.’’ "Looking at her outfit is not that provocative. I think it's a protest against her portfolio of some of her songs ." "It's clearly just an attempt to propagandize the state's student population against the faith of Islam," said Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Washington D.C.-based Council on Islamic-American Relations . "Somehow they were getting too rosy a picture of Islam." “In a self-governing society, the only bulwark against the power of the state is the consent of the governed, and regarding the policies of the current government, the governed do not consent,” the Republicans wrote in the introduction . “An unchecked executive, a compliant legislature and an overreaching judiciary ...

Interesting . The Pew Research/National Journal poll finds that Republicans, in particular, favor politicians who don't give an inch, with 62% saying they admire leaders who stick to their positions. Democrats take the oppose approach: 54% said they prefer elected officials who compromise. While it's awesome to have a representative who is true to his/her convictions, without occasional compromise very few things would get done in politics. At the same time, trying to compromise with a group who really doesn't want to concede any ground will lead to minuscule and fragile progress. It's not about one side getting its way all the time; it's about finding a healthy, rational consensus. Sadly, what passing for "healthy, rational consensus" these days has been defined by one side who fears their base and another who continuously ignores their base. (Keeping in mind that the Tea Party pretty much hates compromising of any kind, the results of this poll plus the ...

“We want you to explain to us what you want from us,” the front-page editorial in El Diario in Ciudad Juárez asked the leaders of organized crime . “What are we supposed to publish or not publish, so we know what to abide by. You are at this time the de facto authorities in this city because the legal authorities have not been able to stop our colleagues from falling.” "By the nature of the study, it does not prove cause and effect. So it does not prove that the flu vaccine prevents heart attacks. But it does show that the flu vaccine is associated with the reduction ." "This is turning legislation related to our national defense and military preparedness into a vehicle to force a partisan agenda through the Senate, often on a party-line vote," said McCain, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee . "Their desperation – because they see a Nov. 2 election coming up – is palpable." “If this referendum passes, there is no doubt it will have a...

Some -like PricewaterhouseCoopers, who only made $20.26 billion last year - are classified as "small businesses" which has been used by some politicians who want the Bush Tax Cuts extended for the uber-rich .

Both Sadly, No! and MMFA light up blogger Jim Hoft for attacking President Obama for (wait for it) going to church .

... seems much like "Racial America" to me.

What's that about America being post-racial ?

( pic via ) Ten Things to love and hate about the NBA. Leave it to The Onion to get the scoop . I want some of these bumperstickers . Six rappers who wouldn't have been as popular if Tupac was still kickin' . Awesome . This and this proves that the their is a Dark Side of the Force. A twofer from CA: selective morality in comics .

Here's hoping he picked up some nuggets from hanging with Tarantino and Scott.

"Well, I've seen a lot of people run for office and say a lot of things and then when they have the burden of holding office and the responsibility that goes with it. I've seen them become very sobered, very quickly, about the challenges we face domestically and internationally." Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, on the recent primary results . This is why I'm not too worried, even if someone like Christine O'Donnell wins in the general election. Like many before her, she'll learn real quickly how "the world works" in Congress (incidentally, this is one of the reasons Barack Obama decided to run for president as opposed to staying in the Senate forever; the ability to make substantial changes were better). Changing two or three people won't cut it. Unless every incumbent is booted out (and that never happens) you're never going to scare the Political Machine. All you're doing is making minor roster changes and giving the pundits...

" Our argument is very simple : we either keep moving forward or we go back to the policies that got us into this mess." "It's a terrific performance, it's the performance of his career," Affleck tells reporter Michael Cieply, later adding tha t, "We wanted to create a space ... you believe what's happening is real." “I believe the battle over cap and trade in America is taking place in California on Nov. 2 of this year,” said Dan Logue, a Republican assemblyman from north-central California who wrote the ballot initiative . He added: “What we’re saying is, this is not the time for political correctness. This is a time for putting America back to work; let the experiments happen later.” "See you October 30 on the National Mall to spread the timeless message, 'Take it down a notch for America,'" he said . "A million Moderate march, where we take to the streets to send a message to our leaders and our national media ...

Can't wait to see this in a Cracked.com article : As any teenager will tell you, being popular is totally awesome. But it has a downside: According to a new study, popular people tend to catch the flu first. When the flu is going around, people at the center of social networks -- those who are named as a friend by others -- come down with the virus about two weeks earlier than a randomly selected group of people, the study found. Monitoring the health of these socially connected people could serve as an early warning system for flu epidemics and outbreaks of other infectious diseases, the researchers say. The study, which appears in the journal PLoS ONE, was based on a concept known as the "friendship paradox": When people are asked to name their friends, their friends tend to have more social contacts than they do. "If you take a random group of people and you ask them to nominate their friends, their friends will be more central in the network than t...

A fatty ingredient by any other name is still the same . "I never in a million years thought I'd have to walk what I just walked," Warner said at the cemetery after driving with his wife, Melissa, from their home in Canton, Ohio . "I never thought I'd have the stamina to do with my wife what I did today, to make sure this was our son." “I really think we need to get some new blood in there,” said Kathy Beckman, 44, an optometrist from Lodi, Calif., who spoke in an interview after participating in the poll . “Get them all out.” Apparently there are still places in Germany where the rules are strict . "Web sites escape liability when an ad on their site results in rape, prostitution and even death," Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) said . "Our priorities are out of balance, and perpetrators are taking advantage." “The companies appear to be linked to DeCoster, but we don’t know what role, if any, they played in the recall,’’ said Kar...

It's not exactly a TV Trope , and I haven't really written about the guy for awhile, but this is an (admittedly belated) epiphany nonetheless: How was Joe Biden able to walk the line between tough and sensible during the 2008 Vice Presidential debate with Sarah Palin, whose presence was really the only thing keeping the McCain candidacy alive ? It's no secret that one of the greatest fears amongst Democrats at the time was Biden, being known for "going off script," might, well, say something that would come off as mean to Palin, earning her a victory by default. Answer: his experience in the Delaware Senatorial Debate against none other than Christine O'Donnell , the Palin-anointed GOP nominee for 2010 Delaware Senate seat and current conservative darling ( Mileage May Vary ).

Long Story=Short : Daredevil when bonkers, became leader of a group of killer ninjas, used them to take over a chunk of NY, pissed off the other Marvel Street Heroes, and is now having his title of "Man Without Fear" moved to the men from Wakanda.

A new Idol . Victories for the Tea Party means a change for the GOP . Ben Affleck does it all for his new movie . I'm sure hip-hop lovers looked forward to that concert . Giving hope to the next generation . Not that Sharpe . What's "privacy" again ? Fenty's grand miscalculation .

... under a Democratic President and a Democratic Congress, no less . Seriously the Democrats could still salvage this and minimize the damage if they just give their base a reason to vote (and stop begging for cash).

Oh course he apologizes now that he's no longer in a position of authority . Because the GOP actually fears their base.

“ I don’t think it makes sense to raise any federal taxes during the uncertain economy we are struggling through .” " Iran has released US national Sarah Shourd ." "I started to think about where would I most want to go. Maybe I should take all of you with me to the other side of the world. We're going to Australia !" “Doctors have lost confidence in [continuing medical education] and the public has lost confidence,’’ said Samuels, who sees patients at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, where he heads the neurology division . “The feeling is that everything is tainted. We simply must have a new way of doing this.’’ "We are exploring all options as we speak . . . working through what will be a solution that will resolve this problem," Abdul Rauf said in an appearance before the Council on Foreign Relations . "Everything is on the table."

Stranger things have happened .

Keep talkin' . USA! USA! USA ! Who said all old people are conservatives ? A change in tactics . A win is a win (I guess). Why can't we be friends ? R.I.P., Kevin McCarthy .

The latest " Muslims are taking over " lie. Strange bedfellows . A peek into the world of Rev. Terry Jones . Well, I won't be eating "Chicken" McNuggets anymore. Lies you were told in history class . If liberals don't vote in November and Republicans take over Congress, they have no one to blame but themselves . For many, I'm sure this is a long time coming . If more celebrities were like this , I may actually consider getting a Twitter account. Five myths about prostitutes . Tea Party members blame Glenn Beck for their poorly-attended rally . The GOP's Dr. Hugo Strange , aka Newt Gingrich, has a new theory about Barack Obama .

He's OK , and as far as his vehicle..his new contract should cover it.

Well, he was around during the time , anyway.

He's President Obama's new head of the Council of Economic Advisers . TPM has more info .

“ It may perhaps help smooth the surface in the very short run, but it isn’t a good solution for Iraq as a viable state in the long run .” " Those pilots given compulsory retraining were, after a thorough inspection of their qualifications, allowed to resume their posts ." "My heart and prayers go out to the families and victims of this devastating tragedy. My office will ensure that the affected families receive the state and local assistance they need to recoup and recover from this tragedy. In the days and weeks ahead a thorough investigation will be conducted, but tonight our attention is on stopping any further devastation and helping this neighborhood and community ." " This lawsuit is another unfortunate situation where someone is trying to take advantage of the Spears family and make a name for himself . The Department of Children and Family Services conducted a proper investigation surrounding Mr. Flores' accusations and have closed the case...

I'd expect no less from a one-time genius who no longer has anything relevant to say about a world he chooses not to participate in. Dylan from ComicsAlliance, on Alan Moore's latest battle against his own sanity (hint: it's not going well ). Seriously; the guy's assumption that everyone in D.C comics is just riding his coattails is demeaning.

Rev. Jones says that his planned Koran burning will not take place . Mileage Will Vary on the reason , though. UPDATE: Glad I added the "for now" part. Apparently the Rev. caught wind that the "conditions" he thought existed never, well, existed, and has changed the status of the burning from "Canceled" to "Suspended." Which could mean they'll just do it anyway without cameras running. Oh, and let's not forget the likelihood that some other church in the country is being "inspired" by the whole spectacle.

...It doesn't exist anymore .

A giant bale crushed the car of a famous cellist .

That's because they are too busy waiting for the president to do all the work. They've been riding his fucking coattails since 2008. Before people say he's the leader of the Democratic party; YES, I know this. But they are given openings and opportunities, yet sit back and wait for the president to spoon feed them. Then they complain that he's not doing enough, or he should do it this way, or he should be explaining this or pointing out that. What the fuck? Why aren't they filling the airwaves, going on TV and saying what they want the president to say? How about they grab a mop too? -- It's Pat, responding to the TPM story about Republicans bucking a Republican-friendly tax cut ; more specifically, it's a response to the fact that many Democrats seem to be playing their usual "Let's wait until the 11th hour and see which way the winds are blowing instead of being decisive and aggressive."

"There's lots of speculation about why this one has not gotten the attention it deserves," Jolie said . "Even all of the wonderful coverage ... is not getting the response that usually it's able to get." “This is about long-term economic growth,” Robert Gibbs , the White House press secretary, said on Tuesday . “This isn’t about the next 60 days or the next 90 days. This is about how do we get our economy fully back on track, how do we get the millions that want to work back to work, and how do we repair the economic damage that’s been going on not just over the past two years but over the past 10 years.” "This was a very brief moment in time, just 40 seconds between first contact and the time of the shooting," Beck said . "He rushed the officers with a knife so he's controlling the timeframe. Sometimes officers can't create time or distance." " We are deeply concerned about all deliberate attempts to offend membe...

A very good piece of work by slate.com .

In a Cracked.com way .

Boy, this creates a very difficult choice for the Reich-wingers here on yahoo. On the one hand, you have an esteemed military commander and on the other hand you have a religious zealot who hates Muslims . Who to side with? Better go with the religious zealot... he's more likely to side with you on the next issue too. -- "Paul," commenting on the story that General Petraeus is warning groups against burning the Quran .

Remember when Hillary Clinton was a shoe-in for the 2008 Democratic nomination? Yeah, it's like that . Using Labor Day to push for legislation that would create more jobs ? Interesting. I don't think this means we'll ever see $1.50/gallon gas again, but whatever. The #1 in Women's Tennis stays in the game . When the tech industry is slow to hire , you know things are bad.

If you can't here's a handy (and cool) chart .

The best evaluation of Batman and where the Batman comics are going I've read in a long time . What happens when musicians ask the insane to make them an album cover . Tall women . Interesting take on race and tipping . Stephen Colbert: please do this . ( via ) The guy who makes a soundtrack of these songs will have the woman of his dreams. Demi Moore . Snoop . Dancing together on stage . Yes, people have been fired because of Facebook ... ... but it could be worse for fictional characters . “ The Making of a Terrorist-Coddling, War-Mongering, Wall Street-Loving, Socialist, Godless, Muslim President – who isn’t actually any of these things .” Some healthy Labor Day BBQ tips .

Everyone else? Not so much .

I'm stealing this one from Dave .

"Sleepless in Seattle" + "He Just Not That Into You" = ? "The Expendables" + humor = ? ( or maybe art imitates life? )

Rachel Maddow calls him on it. Visit msnbc.com for breaking news , world news , and news about the economy

" We had to have passengers moved out on the curbside ." We finally hear from New Yorkers on what should have been a New York issue. Never thought delivering pizzas would be so dangerous . It's gotta be the dog in him . BP has spent $8 billion (that we know of) on containing their spill.

Sure; why not ?

T.I. and his wife were arrested on drug charges .

" The World Bank is committed to helping the people of Pakistan during this time of need and has made US$1 billion available to finance immediate recovery needs and longer-term reconstruction ." “We are but five men,” Mr. Obama said Wednesday night . “But when we come together, we will not be alone. We will be joined by the generations of those who have gone before.” "It wasn't necessarily the best tennis, but tricky conditions out there," Murray said at a news conference . "It was very windy on the court, but I did enough to win in straight sets and that was the most important thing." "Because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing. Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the universe exists, why we exist ." “I think the only people who were paying attention before were those who were dealing with it personally,’’ said Jeffrey White, an entomolo...

Alrighty then .

" It had been bothering me for a while . ... In early summer, I had a really sore throat, early in the summer, and I actually went through a litany of doctors and tests and they didn't find anything." “I can’t see what’s happening in other boardrooms,’’ Termeer said . “But I can imagine, if history is a guide, people are trying to understand the value of Genzyme and what the strategic context is.’’ "The media represents arguably the leading sex educator in America today," said Dr. Victor Strasburger, the lead author of the paper . "We do such a poor job of educating kids about sex in sex education classes in school, and parents are notoriously shy about talking to kids about sex. The media picks up the slack." "We already knew intuitively that removing breasts reduces the risk of breast cancer, but this is the first paper that actually shows it contributes to a survival benefit," said Dr. Jane Kakkis, surgical director at Memoria...