Countdown to the Number One Comic, Cover, Character and Moment in Marvel History!

Countdown to the Number One Comic, Cover, Character and Moment in Marvel History!: "70 years of good versus evil means thousands of memories. To celebrate, we’re asking fans to vote not for their Top 10, Top 20 or Top 50, but rather – you guessed it – the Top 70 favorite comics, covers, characters and moments in Marvel history. Help us define 70 years of Marvel throughout 2009"

'Star Trek' sequel already in the works | AccessAtlanta

'Star Trek' sequel already in the works | AccessAtlanta: "With a May 8 release date, the new “Star Trek” movie is still more than a month away, but Paramount Pictures is already bolding going ahead with a sequel, Variety reports. The studio has already signed the first film’s director and producer, J.J. Abrams, to return as a producer for the sequel. Abrams is most famous as a co-creator of the science-fiction show “Lost.” Variety reports that there’s no word on who will direct the sequel."

Rush Limbaugh: The Man Who Ate the G.O.P. | vanityfair.com

Rush Limbaugh: The Man Who Ate the G.O.P. | vanityfair.com: "In an ailing radio industry, with a graying audience and a pro-government landscape, Rush Limbaugh should be shuffling off into irrelevancy. Instead, his ever more outrageous attacks have everyone debating whether he’s the G.O.P.’s de facto leader, while the party shapes its ideology to fit his needs."

Google's April Fools' Gags: A History (GOOG)

Google's April Fools' Gags: A History (GOOG): "More than any other Web company, Google has put together some of the most memorable and sophisticated April Fools' pranks, ranging from a toilet Internet service provider to a pagerank system based on pigeons.

Click here to see Google's gags from 2000 through 2008 →"

MSNBC's 10 PM Search "On Indefinite Hold," Will Continue Olbermann Repeats

MSNBC's 10 PM Search "On Indefinite Hold," Will Continue Olbermann Repeats: "MSNBC will continue airing Keith Olbermann's talk show twice each weeknight in prime time, putting on indefinite hold a search for a new 10 p.m. program.

That time slot has attracted attention ever since MSNBC chief executive Phil Griffin suggested earlier this year he was on the lookout for a new show. Fans of the Internet show 'The Young Turks' and of Air America's Sam Seder have openly campaigned for their favorites."

Honda connects brain thoughts with robotics

Honda connects brain thoughts with robotics: "Opening a car trunk or controlling a home air conditioner could become just a wish away with Honda's new technology that connects thoughts inside a brain with robotics.

Honda Motor Co. has developed a way to read patterns of electric currents on a person's scalp as well as changes in cerebral blood flow when a person thinks about four simple movements—moving the right hand, moving the left hand, running and eating."

Adam Hamilton: The church offers ‘what’s desperately needed’ | Faith & Leadership

Adam Hamilton: The church offers ‘what’s desperately needed’ | Faith & Leadership: "Mainline Protestants are uniquely positioned to reinvigorate the American church by bringing together the evangelical and social gospels, the Rev. Adam Hamilton says in an interview with local television news anchor David Crabtree."

Crew in Moscow to Simulate Part of a Flight to Mars - NYTimes.com

Crew in Moscow to Simulate Part of a Flight to Mars - NYTimes.com: "On Tuesday, six people will be voluntarily locked into a cloister of cramped, hermetically sealed tubes woven inside a Moscow research facility the size of a high school gymnasium. They will eat dehydrated food, breathe recycled air and be denied conversation with practically everyone else but one another.

And they must stay inside for 105 days.

In a small step in the direction of Mars, the international crew is embarking on a simulated flight to the planet to test the limits of human tolerance for the isolation and monotony of interplanetary travel."

Bernard Purdie’s Beat, the Purdie Shuffle, Is Everywhere, Including ‘Hair’ - NYTimes.com

Bernard Purdie’s Beat, the Purdie Shuffle, Is Everywhere, Including ‘Hair’ - NYTimes.com: "You’ve heard Bernard Purdie — better known as Pretty Purdie — perform his creation on Steely Dan’s “Home at Last,” from the 1977 album “Aja.” And you’ve heard variations on songs by Led Zeppelin (“Fool in the Rain”), Toto (“Rosanna”) and Death Cab for Cutie (“Grapevine Fires”).

Created with six bass, high-hat and snare tones, the Purdie Shuffle is a groove that seems to spin in concentric circles as it lopes forward. The result is a Tilt-a-Whirl of sound, and if you can listen without shaking your hips, you should probably see a doctor."

Disney’s TV Unit in Deal With YouTube - NYTimes.com

Disney’s TV Unit in Deal With YouTube - NYTimes.com: "Walt Disney’s television division became the latest media company to make a distribution deal with YouTube on Monday, saying that it would share short-form content with the world’s largest video Web site.

Disney refused to comment on reports that it has held talks with both YouTube and another video site, Hulu, about distributing full-length episodes of shows like “Lost” and “Desperate Housewives.” Disney is in negotiations with Hulu to take an equity stake in the site, which is a joint venture of NBC Universal and the News Corporation, according to a person close to the talks who requested anonymity while discussing internal deliberations. A Hulu spokeswoman did not respond to requests for comment.

For now, ABC seems to want to use YouTube to promote its programs, but not replace ABC.com as a destination for online TV viewing. The deal is similar to one signed last fall with CBS. With its revenue growth slowing, Google has been trying to add professional content to YouTube in an effort to lure advertisers. Professional videos are more appealing to advertisers than videos uploaded by users."

Critics' Picks: 'The Maltese Falcon' - Video Library - The New York Times

Critics' Picks: 'The Maltese Falcon' - Video Library - The New York Times: "A. O. Scott looks at John Huston's 1941 film 'The Maltese Falcon' in light of recent financial scandals."

Higher Prices for Popular Comic Books - NYTimes.com

Higher Prices for Popular Comic Books - NYTimes.com: "Comic book fans started to feel the pinch in January, when Marvel Entertainment began raising prices on a handful of its top-selling comics from $2.99 to $3.99. DC Comics, which is owned by Time Warner, will follow suit in June, with a small twist. The comics that the company increases to $3.99 will incorporate extra pages in the form of a backup feature.

Fan reaction has been mixed on the message boards of Web sites dedicated to comic books. “I have no problem paying $3.99 for a low-selling indie, but for something from the big two, I’m not buying,” wrote one poster on comicbloc.com.

Regarding DC’s backup feature plan, a poster at newsarama.com wrote: “At least we’re getting something for that dollar bump, as opposed to many other titles in the last few months.”"

'SPIDEY' SENSES TINGLING - New York Post

'SPIDEY' SENSES TINGLING - New York Post: "WHAT do you call a $40 million theatrical extravaganza that features gigantic, perspective-skewing sets, 3-D projections, more aerial acrobatics than Cirque du Soleil, a cast of heroes and villains from Marvel comic books and a rock score by Bono and The Edge?

The phrase 'Broadway musical' doesn't seem grand enough to convey the size and scope of 'Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark,' which is due to open in New York at the Hilton Theater in January 2010."

Whose Father Was He? (Part One) - Errol Morris Blog - NYTimes.com

Whose Father Was He? (Part One) - Errol Morris Blog - NYTimes.com: "The soldier’s body was found near the center of Gettysburg with no identification — no regimental numbers on his cap, no corps badge on his jacket, no letters, no diary. Nothing save for an ambrotype (an early type of photograph popular in the late 1850’s and 1860’s) of three small children clutched in his hand. Within a few days the ambrotype came into the possession of Benjamin Schriver, a tavern keeper in the small town of Graeffenburg, about 13 miles west of Gettysburg. The details of how Schriver came into possession of the ambrotype have been lost to history. But the rest of the story survives, a story in which this photograph of three small children was used for both good and wicked purposes. First, the good."

Editorial - John Hope Franklin - NYTimes.com

Editorial - John Hope Franklin - NYTimes.com: "Every death leaves a conversation unfinished. The one I regret not finishing with the historian John Hope Franklin, who died Wednesday at the age of 94, focused on what it was like to be a rising black intellectual in the Jim Crow South. In particular, I wanted to hear more about Dec. 7, 1941, the day he and his wife, Aurelia, drove from Charleston, S.C., to Raleigh, N.C. — covering the better part of two states — before they reached home and learned that the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor."

When Stars Twitter, a Ghost May Be Lurking - NYTimes.com

When Stars Twitter, a Ghost May Be Lurking - NYTimes.com: "In its short history, Twitter — a microblogging tool that uses 140 characters in bursts of text — has become an important marketing tool for celebrities, politicians and businesses, promising a level of intimacy never before approached online, as well as giving the public the ability to speak directly to people and institutions once comfortably on a pedestal.

But someone has to do all that writing, even if each entry is barely a sentence long. In many cases, celebrities and their handlers have turned to outside writers — ghost Twitterers, if you will — who keep fans updated on the latest twists and turns, often in the star’s own voice."

Space storm alert: 90 seconds from catastrophe - space - 23 March 2009 - New Scientist

Space storm alert: 90 seconds from catastrophe - space - 23 March 2009 - New Scientist: "Over the last few decades, western civilisations have busily sown the seeds of their own destruction. Our modern way of life, with its reliance on technology, has unwittingly exposed us to an extraordinary danger: plasma balls spewed from the surface of the sun could wipe out our power grids, with catastrophic consequences.

The projections of just how catastrophic make chilling reading. 'We're moving closer and closer to the edge of a possible disaster,' says Daniel Baker, a space weather expert based at the University of Colorado in Boulder, and chair of the NAS committee responsible for the report."

Design chosen for civil rights museum | ajc.com

Design chosen for civil rights museum | ajc.com: "A pair of interlocking terra-cotta-clad buildings as a metaphor for the linked arms of civil rights marchers is the winning design for the planned Center for Civil and Human Rights.

A jury of 13 civil rights advocates, architectural experts, local and national leaders helped the center’s board select the design by Freelon Group of Durham, N.C. / HOK of Atlanta. The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s collection will be installed at the highest point of the buildings, facing the downtown skyline."

Financial Safety Net of Nonprofit Organizations Is Fraying, Survey Finds - NYTimes.com

Financial Safety Net of Nonprofit Organizations Is Fraying, Survey Finds - NYTimes.com: "The financial health of the nation’s nonprofit groups is rapidly deteriorating, according to a survey of some 900 nonprofit leaders around the country.

Only 12 percent of those organizations expect to end the year with an operating surplus, compared with 40 percent who ended their most recent fiscal years with money on hand, according to the survey by the Nonprofit Finance Fund, a charity that provides loans and other financial services to nonprofit groups.
Almost a third said they did not have enough cash on hand to cover more than one month’s expenses, while roughly another third said they only had enough money to get them through the next three months."

Schott's Vocab - Schott’s Vocab Blog - NYTimes.com

Schott's Vocab - Schott’s Vocab Blog - NYTimes.com: "Schott’s Vocab is a repository of unconsidered lexicographical trifles — some serious, others frivolous, some neologized, others newly newsworthy. Each day, Schott's Vocab explores news sites around the world to find words and phrases that encapsulate the times in which we live or shed light on a story of note. If language is the archives of history, as Emerson believed, then Schott’s Vocab is an attempt to index those archives on the fly."

MGM gets its 'Stooges' - Variety

MGM gets its 'Stooges' - Entertainment News, Film News, Media - Variety: "MGM and the Farrelly brothers are closing in on their cast for 'The Three Stooges.'
Studio has set Sean Penn to play Larry, and negotiations are underway with Jim Carrey to play Curly, with the actor already making plans to gain 40 pounds to approximate the physical dimensions of Jerome 'Curly' Howard.

The studio is zeroing in on Benicio Del Toro to play Moe.

The film is not a biopic, but rather a comedy built around the antics of the three characters that Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Howard played in the Columbia Pictures shorts."

Christian Book Expo Attracts Few Customers - PW

Missed Connection: Christian Book Expo Attracts Few Customers - 3/23/2009 10:16:00 AM - Publishers Weekly: "Stacks of unsold books and glum publishers stood for three days inside the cavernous Dallas Convention Center this past weekend at the Christian Book Expo, a first-of-its-kind event designed to connect publishers and authors directly with readers in the evangelical Christian market. Only problem was there were few readers to connect with, despite the show’s location in Dallas, the buckle of the Bible Belt and a top market for Christian publishers. The show, sponsored by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association, attracted 1,500 consumer attendees; it had hoped for 15,000-20,000."

Good News for NPR: Its Most Listeners Ever - washingtonpost.com

Good News for NPR: Its Most Listeners Ever - washingtonpost.com: "At a time when newspapers, magazines and TV news continue to lose readers and viewers, at least one part of the traditional media has continued to grow robustly: National Public Radio."

That's funny? Jews in New Yorker cartoons - Articles of Faith - Boston.com

That's funny?Jews in New Yorker cartoons - Articles of Faith - Boston.com: "New Yorker cartoon editor Robert Mankoff tonight (3/24) is kicking off a New Center For Arts and Culture series with a talk on cartoons about Judaism. He was featured in Saturday's Globe talking generally about cartooning, but for the religion blog, I wanted to hear more about his thoughts about making fun of Jews, so I gave him a call..."

Explore the Spirit: David Crumm

Explore the Spirit: "Have you discovered Peter Wallace's wonderful series on the Psalms in another section of our online magazine? Throughout Lent, Peter is sharing daily reflections on the Psalms. He's the head of the Day1 radio network and a popular inspirational author himself.

Clearly, Peter's meditations have been working on my own heart and spirit this spring. As I am writing this reflection on holes in our walls — Psalm 90 keeps running through my mind."

Our Lent - Day 23

Our Lent Partners: "I invite you to read Psalm 89:1-18
'The heavens are yours, the earth also is yours; the world and all that is in it — you have founded them.' (Psalm 89:11)

True stewardship involves managing every aspect of life as a child of God, not just money. And it all starts with an understanding that is captured by the psalmist in today’s verse: It all belongs to God...."

Click to read the rest!

Pearls Before Swine Creator Negotiating Animated Film - mediabistro.com: GalleyCat

Pearls Before Swine Creator Negotiating Animated Film - mediabistro.com: GalleyCat: "In an exclusive interview, Stephan Pastis told GalleyCat that he is in negotiations with an unnamed studio to create an animated feature about his popular comic strip, Pearls Before Swine. As his eleventh comics collection 'The Saturday Evening Pearls' arrives this month, the cartoonist talked about the fine art of building a comics anthology."

MSNBC in Discussions With Radio Host - NYTimes.com

Arts, Briefly - MSNBC in Discussions With Radio Host - NYTimes.com: "MSNBC is in talks with Ed Schultz, the progressive radio talk-show host, about a permanent position, a source with knowledge of the negotiations said on Friday."

Investor's Business Daily: Stan, The Man Behind The Heroes

Investor's Business Daily: Stan, The Man Behind The Heroes: "MVL"

Obama on Jay Leno

Watchmen: A Clone without a Soul - Gareth Higgins - God’s Politics Blog

Watchmen: A Clone without a Soul - Gareth Higgins - God’s Politics Blog: "It’s a color photocopy of the source novel — a clone without a soul. The novel aims to tell the truth about violence, but the film wants us to be excited by it. In a world with vengeance-fueled superheroes running the show, people would be afraid to be afraid, but the movie made me feel afraid for how we often tell the story of human beings to each other these days. The book mourns how we so often see violence as a positive path. But the film celebrates it."

Sunday Comics on Wednesday? DC's New 'Wednesday Comics'

Newsarama.com : Sunday Comics on Wednesday? DC's New 'Wednesday Comics': "At a time when many newspapers are cutting back on their comics sections, DC Comics is looking to remind readers of the fun and excitement a full Sunday-sized comics section can offer.

Except they’re going to do it on Wednesdays.

The publisher today officially announced Wednesday Comics, a new 12-part weekly series launching this summer that will be presented in a 14” x 20” broadsheet format and will have to be unfolded and opened to be read. The 'Wednesday' part of the title refers to the fact new comic books go on sale at comic book stores nationwide every Wednesday."

Cisco Buys Pure Digital, Maker of Flip Cameras - NYTimes.com

Cisco Buys Pure Digital, Maker of Flip Cameras - NYTimes.com: "The tiny, eight-year-old start-up famed for its inexpensive and easy to use Flip video cameras has defeated a down economy. On Thursday, the 100-person company was bought by Cisco Systems, a technology infrastructure giant, for $590 million in stock. The deal caps off a bumpy and unpredictable rise for Pure Digital, which bested the Asian companies that dominate the camera industry from an office located above the Gump’s department store in the heart of San Francisco."

Obamas Prepare to Plant White House Vegetable Garden - NYTimes.com

Obamas Prepare to Plant White House Vegetable Garden - NYTimes.com: "Michelle Obama will begin digging up a patch of the South Lawn on Friday to plant a vegetable garden, the first at the White House since Eleanor Roosevelt’s victory garden in World War II. There will be no beets — the president does not like them — but arugula will make the cut."

Our Lent - Day 20

Our Lent Partners: "'As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God?' (Psalm 42:1,2)

In the depths of your heart, how motivated are you to know God? Where in your list of priorities is knowing God and being known by God? Do you hunger for God in your life, day by day, moment by moment?......."

Click to read the rest!

Magazine Publishers of America - ASME Announces 44th Annual National Magazine Award Finalists

Magazine Publishers of America - ASME Announces 44th Annual National Magazine Award Finalists: "The New Yorker, GQ, New York, Esquire and National Geographic Capture Most Ellie Nominations"

Gail Collins - The Grievance Committee - NYTimes.com

Op-Ed Columnist - The Grievance Committee - NYTimes.com: "Angry. So very, very angry. Unable to speak due to mega-anger washing over every pore and fiber of my being. Anger is in. (Hope’s so ... January.)"

Kristof - The Daily Me - NYTimes.com

Op-Ed Columnist - The Daily Me - NYTimes.com: "When we go online, each of us is our own editor, our own gatekeeper. We select the kind of news and opinions that we care most about.

Nicholas Negroponte of M.I.T. has called this emerging news product The Daily Me. And if that’s the trend, God save us from ourselves."

Time Inc.'s new made-to-order magazine lets readers tailor content - Yahoo! Canada Finance

Time Inc.'s new made-to-order magazine lets readers tailor content - Yahoo! Canada Finance: "Time Inc. is experimenting with a customized magazine that combines reader-selected sections from eight publications as it tries to mimic in printed form the personalized news feeds that have become popular on the Internet.

Called 'mine,' the five-issue, 10-week experiment also aligns readers with the branding message that its sole advertising partner, Toyota Motor Corp., has for its new Lexus 2010 RX sport utility vehicle: It's as customizable as the magazine carrying its ads."

Bush says it's 'essential' to help Obama

Bush says it's 'essential' to help Obama: "Former President George W. Bush, making his first public speech since leaving office in January, says he wants Barack Obama to succeed and that it's 'essential' to support the new leader.
Bush declined to critique the Obama administration in Tuesday's speech, saying the new president has enough critics and that he 'deserves my silence.'
Former Vice President Dick Cheney has said that Obama's decisions threatened America's safety. Conservative talk-show host Rush Limbaugh has said he hoped Obama would fail.
'I love my country a lot more than I love politics,' Bush said. 'I think it is essential that he be helped in office.'"

Dolphins play with bubble rings--too cool

The iPhone Is Gaining Some Editing Skills - NYTimes.com

The iPhone Is Gaining Some Editing Skills - NYTimes.com: "On stage at its headquarters here on Tuesday, an Apple executive announced that the iPhone would at long last be joining the cut, copy and paste party.

The news, which garnered applause from an assembled crowd of analysts, journalists and Apple employees, was much anticipated by iPhone owners. They will be able to select a piece of information in one program — say, a FedEx tracking number in an e-mail message — and then paste it elsewhere — on FedEx’s site in the Web browser, for example."

BBC NEWS- Magoo creator Kaufman dies at 92

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Magoo creator Kaufman dies at 92: "The creator of the bumbling cartoon character Mr Magoo, Millard Kaufman, has died at the age of 92.
Kaufman wrote for television and film earning Oscar nominations for Bad Day at Black Rock and Take the High Ground.
He created weak-eyed elderly Magoo for the 1949 animated short Ragtime Bear, which was voiced by actor Jim Backus.
The screenwriter published his first novel aged 90. Bowl of Cherries was a surprise cult hit and his second novel is due out in late 2009."

Our Lent - Day 18

Our Lent Partners- Peter Wallace: "I invite you to read Psalm 78.

'Yet he, being compassionate, forgave their iniquity, and did not destroy them; often he restrained his anger, and did not stir up all his wrath. He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passes and does not come again.' (Psalm 78:38,39)

How could God be so forgiving? How could God justify having compassion for people who turned their backs to God? How could God so totally love a people who refused to love back?"

Jokes - In One Ear and Out the Other - NYTimes.com

Basics - In One Ear and Out the Other - NYTimes.com: "Like many people, I can never remember a joke. I hear or read something hilarious, I laugh loudly enough to embarrass everybody else in the library, and then I instantly forget everything about it — everything except the fact, always popular around the dinner table, that “I heard a great joke today, but now I can’t remember what it was.”

For researchers who study memory, the ease with which people forget jokes is one of those quirks, those little skids on the neuronal banana peel, that end up revealing a surprising amount about the underlying architecture of memory."

Books of The Times - In ‘The Lost City of Z,’ David Grann Recounts Percy Fawcett’s Explorations - Review - NYTimes.com

Books of The Times - In ‘The Lost City of Z,’ David Grann Recounts Percy Fawcett’s Explorations - Review - NYTimes.com: "“The Lost City of Z” is at once a biography, a detective story and a wonderfully vivid piece of travel writing that combines Bruce Chatwinesque powers of observation with a Waugh-like sense of the absurd. Mr. Grann treats us to a harrowing reconstruction of Fawcett’s forays into the Amazonian jungle, as well as an evocative rendering of the vanished age of exploration, which witnessed feats like Livingstone’s finding of Victoria Falls, the Amundsen and Scott expeditions to the South Pole and Hiram Bingham’s discovery of the lost city of Machu Picchu."

This is on my list at the library.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Shifts to Web Only - NYTimes.com

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Shifts to Web Only - NYTimes.com: "The Seattle Post-Intelligencer will produce its last printed edition on Tuesday and become an Internet-only news source, the Hearst Corporation said on Monday, making it by far the largest American newspaper to take that leap."

Obama On Tonight Show With Jay Leno On Thursday

Obama On Tonight Show With Jay Leno On Thursday: "In a rare move, President Obama will appear on the 'Tonight Show with Jay Leno' this Thursday as part of his larger tour through Southern California. The president seems to be pulling out all the stops to garner support for next year's federal budget."

In the Blood: Why do vampires still thrill? The New Yorker

In the Blood: A Critic at Large: The New Yorker. Joan Acocella on the history of vampires and entertainment.

Our Lent - Day 17

Our Lent Partners-Peter Wallace: "'I will call to mind the deeds of the Lord; I will remember your wonders of old. I will meditate on all your work, and muse on your mighty deeds.' (Psalm 77:11,12)

Whatever happened to miracles?
Why are there no partings of the Red Sea today? Or feedings of thousands of hungry people with a few loaves and fishes? Or dead people being raised back to life? Is God still in the wonder-working business?..."

A Book Expo for (Some) Christians - ReligionDispatches

A Book Expo for (Some) Christians | Candace Chellew-Hodge - ReligionDispatches: "There’s a big Christian Book Expo being held in Dallas, Texas next week. Oddly, as a Christian author, I have not been invited.

As we have pointed out on this site before, the word “Christian” has apparently come to mean a very narrow definition of Christian – mainly religious right Christians (who by the way, no longer wish to be known as “the religious right” because, well, that’s just makes them seem mean and narrow). This narrow usage of the word “Christian” to describe only more conservative Christians is rife throughout the media..."

Sci Fi Channel Aims to Shed Geeky Image With New Name - TVWeek - News

Sci Fi Channel Aims to Shed Geeky Image With New Name - TVWeek - News: "In some universe, the name “Syfy” is less geeky than the name “Sci Fi.” Dave Howe, president of the Sci Fi Channel, is betting it’s this one.

To that end, the 16-year-old network—owned by NBC Universal—plans to announce that Syfy is its new name March 16 at its upfront presentation to advertisers in New York."

The latest idiotic move by a cable channel to destroy its niche.

Rare Superman comic sells for $317,200 | AccessAtlanta

Rare Superman comic sells for $317,200 | AccessAtlanta: "A rare copy of the first comic book featuring Superman has sold for $317,200 in an Internet auction. The previous owner of Action Comics No. 1 bought it for less than a buck.

It's one of the highest prices ever paid for a comic book, a likely testament to the volume's rarity and its excellent condition, said Stephen Fishler, co-owner of the auction site ComicConnect.com and its sister dealership, Metropolis Collectibles."

Frank Rich - The Culture Warriors Get Laid Off - NYTimes.com

Op-Ed Columnist - The Culture Warriors Get Laid Off - NYTimes.com: "What has happened between 2001 and 2009 to so radically change the cultural climate? Here, at last, is one piece of good news in our global economic meltdown: Americans have less and less patience for the intrusive and divisive moral scolds who thrived in the bubbles of the Clinton and Bush years. Culture wars are a luxury the country — the G.O.P. included — can no longer afford."

Without a Pastor of His Own, Obama Turns to Five - NYTimes.com

Without a Pastor of His Own, Obama Turns to Five - NYTimes.com: "President Obama has been without a pastor or a home church ever since he cut his ties to the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. in the heat of the presidential campaign. But he has quietly cultivated a handful of evangelical pastors for private prayer sessions on the telephone and for discussions on the role of religion in politics."

Our Lent - Day 15

Our Lent Partners: "'I have become a stranger to my kindred, an alien to my mother's children. It is zeal for your house that has consumed me; the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.' (Psalm 69:8,9)

Sometimes our life's path takes us far away from home, even from those we love. As we mature as adults, cutting our cords with our parents and family members, finding our own way, making our own decisions, living our own lives — things happen...."

Click to read more...

An Interview With Benjamin Pratt - James Bond 007 - CommanderBond.net - James Bond At Its Best

An Interview With Benjamin Pratt - James Bond 007 - CommanderBond.net - James Bond At Its Best: "A conversation with the author of 'Ian Fleming, James Bond, and 007's Deadly Sins'"

Roberto Bolano's `2666' wins book critics prize

The Associated Press: Roberto Bolano's `2666' wins book critics prize: "Stories and scholarship from around the world were honored by book critics Thursday night, including works about the ancient and modern Middle East and a novel set in Mexico, the late Roberto Bolano's '2666.'
The National Book Critics Circle awarded the fiction prize to Bolano, the Chilean author who died in 2003; the award for general nonfiction to 'The Forever War,' Dexter Filkins' reporting on the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan; and the autobiography prize to Ariel Sabar's 'My Father's Paradise,' which traces the author's Jewish roots in Kurdish Iraq."

Mickey Rourke, Scarlett Johansson suit up for 'Iron Man 2'

Mickey Rourke, Scarlett Johansson suit up for 'Iron Man 2' - Pair will play villains in superhero sequel - Zap2it: "Mickey Rourke will wrestle with Tony Stark.

The 'Wrestler' star has signed on to play villainous Crimson Dynamo in the 'Iron Man' sequel, sources say, which would pit him against Robert Downey Jr. as Stark. The casting had been rumored but not confirmed as early as January. Also joining the film is Scarlett Johansson ('He's Just Not That Into You'), who will play Stark's lover and rival Natasha Romanoff, also known as the Black Widow."

Google Voice May Threaten Other Phone Services - NYTimes.com

Google Voice May Threaten Other Phone Services - NYTimes.com: "Google stepped up its attack on the telecommunications industry on Thursday with a free service called Google Voice that, if successful, could chip away at the revenue of companies big and small, like eBay, which owns Skype, telephone companies and a string of technology start-up firms."

Obama’s To-Do List - The Conversation Blog - NYTimes.com

Obama’s To-Do List - The Conversation Blog - NYTimes.com: "Times columnist Gail Collins engages fellow columnist David Brooks and others in a dialogue about the pressing, and not-so-pressing, issues of the day."

Our Lent - Day 14

Our Lent Partners: "'Upon you I have leaned from my birth; it was you who took me from my mother's womb. My praise is continually of you.' (Psalm 71:6)

When did you first know God? When did you first feel God’s touch on your life, God’s invitation to your soul to come be with God forever? When did you first hear of God’s love for you? When did you first know that love in your heart?"

Click to read the rest of today's meditation.

Scientists discover the brain's 'God spot'

Scientists discover the brain's 'God spot'... and show that faith helps human survival | Mail Online: "Scientists searching for a 'God spot' in the brain have found three areas that control religious belief.

A study of 40 participants, including Christians, Muslims, Jews and Buddhists, showed the same areas lit up when they were asked to ponder religious and moral problems.

MRI scans revealed the regions that were activated are those used every day to interpret the feelings and intentions of other people."

MTV: ‘Star Wars’ Live-Action TV Series Casting Underway

MTV Movies Blog EXCLUSIVE: ‘Star Wars’ Live-Action TV Series Casting Underway: "A live-action TV series set in the “Star Wars” cosmos has been an elusive, tantalizing prospect for years. News of the potential production first surfaced in 2005 while George Lucas was promoting “Revenge of the Sith.” Work on the “Clones Wars” animated feature film and Cartoon Network series, though, took creative precedence. In late 2007, Lucas revealed that he and his team were about to begin writing scripts for the live-action show. Now MTV News has learned that casting for the series is currently underway."

Timeless Lincoln Memento Is Uncovered - NYTimes.com

Timeless Lincoln Memento Is Uncovered - NYTimes.com: "Confirming a rumor that has circulated for generations, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History opened a gold pocket watch that belonged to Abraham Lincoln on Tuesday and discovered a message secretly engraved there by a watchmaker who repaired it in 1861."

Dalai Lama Says China Has Turned Tibet Into a ‘Hell on Earth’ - NYTimes.com

Dalai Lama Says China Has Turned Tibet Into a ‘Hell on Earth’ - NYTimes.com: "The Dalai Lama delivered one of his harshest attacks on the Chinese government in recent times on Tuesday, saying that the Chinese Communist Party had transformed Tibet into a “hell on earth” and that the Chinese authorities regarded Tibetans as “criminals deserving to be put to death.”"

The Writer’s Notebook: Michael Chabon - Paper Cuts Blog - NYTimes.com

The Writer’s Notebook: Michael Chabon - Paper Cuts Blog - NYTimes.com: "Writers’ journals are like musicians’ scales: practice, but also play — a chance to keep limber and test new ideas. They offer a place for personal reflections, fictional sketches, observed anecdotes and flights of language. They’re also particularly well suited to the blog format. As an occasional feature, then, Paper Cuts will ask authors to share a journal entry with our readers.

This week: Michael Chabon, whose novels include “Wonder Boys,” “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay” and “The Yiddish Policemen’s Union.”"

Clergy Cowardice - Candace Chellew-Hodge - ReligionDispatches

Clergy Cowardice | RD Blog: The Devil's Advocate | ReligionDispatches: "The folks in the pews are more progressive and activist than their clergy, a new survey shows. And those clergy who are supportive of social change are often silent."

Clergy Cowardice - Candace Chellew-Hodge - ReligionDispatches

Clergy Cowardice | RD Blog: The Devil's Advocate | ReligionDispatches: "The folks in the pews are more progressive and activist than their clergy, a new survey shows. And those clergy who are supportive of social change are often silent."

Frank Schaeffer: Open Letter to the Republican Traitors (From a Former Republican)

Frank Schaeffer: Open Letter to the Republican Traitors (From a Former Republican): "Dear Republican Leaders: The Republican Party has become the party dedicated to sabotaging the American future. Check out the sermon I just delivered about the Republican Party on CNN when being interviewed by D.L. Hughley -- and/or read on."

Portrait of Shakespeare Unveiled, 399 Years Late - The Lede Blog - NYTimes.com

Portrait of Shakespeare Unveiled, 399 Years Late - The Lede Blog - NYTimes.com: "On Monday in London, Stanley Wells, the chairman of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, unveiled what he claims is the only picture of William Shakespeare painted during the playwright’s lifetime."

Best and Worst Mag Covers 2008

MinOnline :: Media Bistro Top Story 1: "In recent memory, there were four major news events that brought a run on the newsstand: (1) Oklahoma City bombing (1995); (2) Princess Diana's death (1997); (3) John F. Kennedy, Jr.'s death (1999); and (4) the September 11, 2001, attacks. November 4, 2008, election of President Barack Obama joined that 'club,' with nonperennial best-or second-best-sellers from Newsweek/Time/People/The New Yorker/Rolling Stone and, from Canada, Maclean's. History was made in a happy way, which separates Obama from the four tragedies. For the record... TNY's classic O cover (November 17) fell just short of the newsstand sales generated from July 21's Barry Blitt-drawn satire, which brought controversy (min, July 21, 2008). But it was O that made history."

Our Lent : Day 11

Our Lent Partners: "I invite you to read Psalm 56.

'O Most High, when I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I am not afraid; what can flesh do to me?' (Psalm 56:2b-4)

Fear chills the bones and stirs the gut. Fear is sourced in anticipation of an undesired situation or event. We expect to be harmed in some way—physically or emotionally. And we become frozen in that unwanted expectation...."

Most religious groups in USA have lost ground, survey finds - USATODAY.com

Most religious groups in USA have lost ground, survey finds - USATODAY.com: "When it comes to religion, the USA is now land of the freelancers.
The percentage. of people who call themselves in some way Christian has dropped more than 11% in a generation. The faithful have scattered out of their traditional bases: The Bible Belt is less Baptist. The Rust Belt is less Catholic. And everywhere, more people are exploring spiritual frontiers — or falling off the faith map completely."

Watchmen, X-Men, and Jimmy Corrigan: Putting Our Favorite Comics on the Kindle - Gearlog

Watchmen, X-Men, and Jimmy Corrigan: Putting Our Favorite Comics on the Kindle - Gearlog: "n my humble opinion, the best device for reading comics at the moment (besides, you know, old-timey comics themselves) is the iPhone. The screen on the device is small, sure, but it's brilliant, and the multi-touch capabilities make flipping through a book a fantastic experience.

Now that we actually have the new Kindle in the office however, it seemed like a good time to test out the hypothesis. There isn't really much in the way of comic books available through the Amazon store, so I took matters into my own hands and used the PDF import function. After the jump, check out a few of my favorite comics as seen on the Kindle, including Watchmen, Bone, New X-Men, and Jimmy Corrigan."

Charles Blow - Three Blind Mice - NYTimes.com

Op-Ed Columnist - Three Blind Mice - NYTimes.com: "According to the most recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, the percentage of Americans who view the Republican Party positively is at an all-time low. Meanwhile, President Obama’s positive rating is at an all-time high, and the Democratic Party’s positive rating is near its high.

Why? Because the Republicans have dissolved into a querulous lot of nags and naysayers without a voice, a direction or a clue, and we are not amused.

And who has surfaced as their saviors? Bobby Jindal, Michael Steele and Rush Limbaugh — the axis of drivel."

Our Lent - Day 10

Our Lent Partners: "I invite you to read Psalm 139:1-17.

'I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well.' (Psalm 139:14)

You are a complex creation. You will never be able to reach the depths of your existence, fully understand yourself, or ever finish exploring your being...."

New Star Trek Trailer

via Pop Culture Safari:


Find more videos like this on ENewsi.com

The 15 Best News Bloopers Of All Time (VIDEO)

The 15 Best News Bloopers Of All Time (VIDEO): "You know them, you love them and now they're all in one place. We are not here to judge, but to celebrate. A couple of the people on this video even seem more endearing to us now (Shepard Smith, the cockroach guy) but I think we can all agree that it would be scary to work for Nancy Grace and no one should ever go back to Glenn Beck's office alone."

For Young President, Flecks of Gray - NYTimes.com

For Young President, Flecks of Gray - NYTimes.com: "Well, that didn’t take long. Just 44 days into the job, and President Obama is going gray."

OurLent.info: Day7

Our Lent Partners: "I invite you to read Psalm 119:49-72.
'It is good for me that I was humbled (or afflicted), so that I might learn your statutes. The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces.' (Psalm 119:71,72)

How often have you acknowledged the good that is coming out of your pain, hardship, or affliction?

The psalmist could see the value in the suffering that humbled him. Because it forced him to turn to God. It encouraged him to study the word and find what God would say to him through it.

Without his difficult circumstances, lethargy would have set in. He would have taken life easier. Taken God’s word for granted. And coasted through life in a daze.

During times of suffering, God can truly speak to you. It’s a time when you can be genuinely open to God’s word, because you have nothing left to lose.

Despite his pain, the psalmist knew the priceless value of God’s wisdom—wisdom he could read, meditate on, think through, and work out personally in his life. Even when that life was difficult."

Google’s Digitized Book Project Hinges on a Retro Kind of Search - NYTimes.com

Google’s Digitized Book Project Hinges on a Retro Kind of Search - NYTimes.com: "Google, the online giant, had been sued in federal court by a large group of authors and publishers who claimed that its plan to scan all the books in the world violated their copyrights.

As part of the class-action settlement, Google will pay $125 million to create a system under which customers will be charged for reading a copyrighted book, with the copyright holder and Google both taking percentages; copyright holders will also receive a flat fee for the initial scanning, and can opt out of the whole system if they wish.

But first they must be found."

Amazon to Sell E-Books to Read on the iPhone and iPod Touch - NYTimes.com

Amazon to Sell E-Books to Read on the iPhone and iPod Touch - NYTimes.com: "Shaking up the nascent market for electronic books for the second time in two months, Amazon.com will begin selling e-books for reading on Apple’s popular iPhone and iPod Touch."

Microsoft boss Bill Gates bans his children from using Apple products... but his wife admits she'd like an iPhone | Mail Online

Microsoft boss Bill Gates bans his children from using Apple products... but his wife admits she'd like an iPhone | Mail Online: "Microsoft founder head Bill Gates has banned the use of products made by arch-rival Apple from his house, his wife has revealed.

But the blockade could backfire on Gates, 53, after Melinda admitted there are times she feels envious of her friends' iPhones.

She told Vogue magazine that the couple's three children Jennifer, 13, Rory, 10 and Phoebe, seven, are not allowed Apple products."

Space rock gives Earth a close shave

Space rock gives Earth a close shave: "An asteroid of a similar size to a rock that exploded above Siberia in 1908 with the force of a thousand atomic bombs whizzed close past Earth on Monday, astronomers said on Tuesday.

2009 DD45, estimated to be between 21 and 47 meters (68 and 152 feet) across, raced by at 1344 GMT on Monday, the Planetary Society and astronomers' blogs reported.

The gap was just 72,000 kilometers (44,750 miles), or a fifth of the distance between Earth and the Moon and only twice the height of satellites in geosynchronous orbit, the website space.com said."

New York Conference Minister, Geoffrey Black, nominated to lead UCC

New York Conference Minister, Geoffrey Black, nominated to lead UCC: "The Rev. Geoffrey Black, who has led the UCC's New York Conference for nearly a decade, has been nominated to become the UCC's next general minister and president. The nomination is scheduled to be voted on by the UCC's Executive Council at its March meeting.

Black was previously a program staff member in the UCC's Office for Church Life and Leadership. During his career he has served as assistant chaplain at Brown University, associate minister at St. Albans (N.Y.) Congregational UCC, lecturer in the Field Education Department of Union Theological Seminary in New York and protestant chaplain at Adelphi University. Black currently is a member of the board of trustees of Lancaster Theological Seminary."

Our Lent: Day 6

Our Lent Partners: Peter Wallace: "I invite you to read Psalm 48.
'That you may tell the next generation that this is God, our God forever and ever. He will be our guide forever.' (Psalm 48:13b,14)

That last part of that verse literally says that God will be our guide “to the end,” or “beyond death.”

Who knows what tomorrow may bring? Who knows how you will die, or when? Will it be sudden, at a younger age than you expected? Will your life be extended until you’re well up in years? Will death be painful? Could it have been avoided? How will it all end?

These are morbid questions, but most everyone asks them at one time or another.

There’s one more question: What happens after the end? That’s where the joy and the mystery are.

Today, think about some of these serious questions. As you do, remember that God is your guide right now. And tomorrow. And at the point of death. And beyond, forever and ever.

What’s more, God knows what’s best for you. God knows the days of your life and has known them from your mother’s womb. God knows everything about you. And God loves you enough to be your guide for every step you have left to you."

Life and Letters: The Unfinished: Reporting & Essays: The New Yorker

Life and Letters: The Unfinished: Reporting & Essays: The New Yorker

The sadness over novelist David Foster Wallace's death last September was also connected to a feeling that, for all his outpouring of words, he died with his work incomplete. Wallace, at least, never felt that he had hit his target. His goal had been to show readers how to live a fulfilled, meaningful life. (Mediabistro.com)

The TV Watch - With the Return of ‘Rules of Engagement,’ CBS Adds to Lineup of Comfort Laughs - NYTimes.com

The TV Watch - With the Return of ‘Rules of Engagement,’ CBS Adds to Lineup of Comfort Laughs - NYTimes.com: "Old-economy hits like “The Big Bang Theory,” “Two and a Half Men” and “How I Met Your Mother” on CBS are more successful than ever, suggesting that nowadays network viewers prefer comforting comedy to high-wire satire."

Our Lent Day 5

Our Lent Partners: "I invite you to read Psalm 52.
'But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever.' (Psalm 52:8)

A tree stands in the courtyard. Immovable. Unshakable. Its roots reach deep into the rich earth, drawing strength, support, and sustenance."...

Broadcasting pioneer Paul Harvey dies at age of 90 | AccessAtlanta

Broadcasting pioneer Paul Harvey dies at age of 90 | AccessAtlanta: "Paul Harvey, the news commentator and talk-radio pioneer whose staccato style made him one of the nation's most familiar voices, died Saturday in Arizona, according to ABC Radio Networks. He was 90."

Maureen Dowd - Spock at the Bridge - NYTimes.com

Op-Ed Columnist - Spock at the Bridge - NYTimes.com: "What can the disavowed dauphin possibly be thinking as Professor Obama strides up to the blackboard to erase everything W. stood for, while giving us crisp lectures about how we must get more educated, more equitable, more realistic, more responsible and more reasonable?

Mr. Obama may not be able to exit Iraq expeditiously; as Tom Ricks, the respected military correspondent and author of “The Gamble,” points out, this is the sixth plan he has covered that attempts to get U.S. forces out of Iraq.

But on Friday, the new president did exit from the inane and pernicious W. era of cartoon villains, simplistic linear thinking, and black-and-white cowboy bluster."

Television - Hosts of Late-Night Network Talk Shows Change Places but Stay Within the Safety Zone - NYTimes.com

Television - Hosts of Late-Night Network Talk Shows Change Places but Stay Within the Safety Zone - NYTimes.com

n a universe where a viewer can watch anything at any time, late night hosts like Jay Leno, David Letterman and Conan O’Brien form a comfortably familiar united front.