Nightwing

Yes, with all her oil money drying up, I'm sure Sarah Palin is going to turn down free cash.

James "the Adonis" Polk.

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Speaking of Anbar, a pair of interesting articles. Interesting mostly because the second one is another independent reporter laying into the other for giving a "deceptive" view on the province and the efforts going on there.

You mean his completely idealistic bullshit that he spewed out after claiming that this would be the "war to end all wars," and Europe would enjoy "peace without victory?" The same one who championed the Weimar Republic? The one who separated much of Europe into places that are still killing each other today? No, I meant the 14 Points, the League of Nations, and American leadership in world affairs. And it would have worked too, if it weren't for those meddling kids (i.e. the Republicans in the U.S. Senate). Wait a second, those Republicans are all wearing masks! *Dramatic reveal* It was really Britain, France, and (to a lesser extent) Italy that made all that go to waste! Come on, the League of Nations wouldn't have done anything more than reinforce the old habits through new means. I can't see it doing any good with Versailles still intact.

Someone is apparently suggesting that the Wings make a "Ville Leino for Mike Smith (TB)" Trade to shore up the goalie position. This person needs to be beaten within an inch of his life.

It didn't help that Truman (rightfully) dismissed Douglas MacArthur, who was ridiculously popular at the time.

I'm not sure this is the move that will save Jennifer Granholm's legacy.

Awesome game tonight. The Wings are starting look like they did last year; solid defense with overwhelming offense. Leino and Helm seem determined to show why they should not be in Grand Rapids. Oh, and that image is from ESPN.

Ah, I heard one of the Wings made that list. Thought it would be Chelios, though. And they didn't even say that most people call him "Cindy"? Come on! Edit: I just noticed this, but Nick Lidstrom was voted #2 for Leadership behind Iginla, and not THAT far behind, either (22% to 17%). I think that definitely shows that a European can truly be a respected leader and captain in the NHL.

Here's an article from over a week ago about the Sadr, who has basically fallen apart ever since his big gamble a few years back against US-Iraqi forces. He's basically fallen off the political map ever since then, which is certainly a good thing. As Iraqi Elections Loom, al-Sadr's Political Clout Fades Right now, it looks like al-Mailiki's party is going to win biggest. The election itself went off with barely any violence. Hopefully this signals future improvements in the region.

I picked it up today. Man, you gotta love Grant Morrison. Seriously, despite the failure of Countdown, he manages to bring out one of the best written openings to a story that I've seen in a long time. From the beginning (With Anthro and a cameo appearance by Vandal Savage) to the end (With Kamandi), you just want to read more. The leitmotif of "Gods" and "Mortals" is shown throughout this one, and you just get this absolutely epic feeling out of reading it, even though you are wondering where he's going to go with everything. I like Secret Invasion (Though the last issue was a bit weak). This, though, seems totally off the charts. What does everyone else think?

His parents. Except no one referred to his middle name until the campaign picked up. And no one refers to him as "John F. Kerry" anymore. It was the lamest attempt at trying to make a Kennedy parallel, nothing more. I'm not disputing it was a silly tactic, but it was not unheard of for him to use it (though usually while running for office in Massachusetts), since it really was what his parents named him. Okay, I'd never heard of him using it before. But we both agree it was silly. Maybe someone realized if she went any further she'd sound exactly like Joe McCarthy. Of course, Michelle Bachman didn't see the line quick enough...

Yep. This is my choice.

I agree. This game was okay for me. It had a few exciting moments, but the plethora of penalties and stuff just killed my interest. It wasn't until that huge swing that I actually got back into it.

Wow. Talk about an incredible minute and a half.

HUGE.

His parents. Except no one referred to his middle name until the campaign picked up. And no one refers to him as "John F. Kerry" anymore. It was the lamest attempt at trying to make a Kennedy parallel, nothing more.

I am. Just go on to the Detroit boards and see how many people say that they can't get into this team because of the amount of Europeans on it. Their TV ratings are actually down 21% this year. Our ratings are admittedly lower than most people would peg us. Then again, we have much more against us than Buffalo and Pittsburgh (Which is only recently high. It helps when you have Hockey Jesus in your town...). Being in the Western Conference is the biggest drain, especially since we're only one of two teams that are still in the Eastern Standard Timezone. I'm as much a fan as anyone, but I have trouble staying up on the West Coast runs that start at 9 and 10 PM. Especially now, when I have to get up at around 5 to get ready for work. I daresay that no US Team could do better than how the Red Wings are right now. We're also the top city that actually has the one sport that directly competes with Hockey: Basketball. Sure, the Pistons suck right now, but it's that unpredictable suck that people are willing to tune in to see what happens next. Buffalo has the Sabres and the Bills; that's about it. There's no other major regular team that you can follow on a daily basis (Which is why the NFL doesn't affect the NHL... or anything else, really. Two real days a week for games, and only 8 home games a year isn't going to hurt or help anyone. It simply on a different level of competition...), what else is there to do? The Pistons used to be pretty good, and even now people are watching just to see what the hell is going to happen. The way I'd interpret this year's rating drop is two ways: 1) "I'll watch in the playoffs." Of course, this is true just about every year now, but with the addition of Hossa, people aren't as excited for the regular season. There's simply no doubt as to how things are going to end up before the playoffs. 2) The trainwreck that is the Detroit Pistons. Why would people watch that more often than the Pistons? Because they honestly want to see what the hell is going to happen. That team is in its death throes, and with such desperation it is a bit more interesting than watching the Wings play well enough to win. I don't buy the European explanation, either. Plenty of people love the Euros, and you'd be surprised at the patience that they showed with Datsyuk. While I'll agree there isn't the same connection there was when Stevie Y was leading things, I think it's because we haven't truly attached ourselves to the new team yet. Of course, the celebration parade this last year was much bigger than any of the previous ones. So take it as you will...

It's hard to judge the others that I haven't really lived through, but Kerry's was enough of a God-awful wreck that it is at least in the top 2. His damage control was beyond atrocious, and his image marketing relied on the charisma of PAST CHARISMATIC DEMOCRATS (Remember "John F. Kerry"? Seriously, who thought that up?). It didn't help that the Republicans came up with the most obnoxiously simple way of labeling him.

Yeah, you can't ignore Superman Beyond and the two Batman tie-in issues. You can get away with not reading Submit, as it's sort of explained in the story.

You really can't have a thread involving the old show without that being posted. "I am Magneto, and I have the power... to call forth robotic dogs! Yeah, that's it!" I think those are supposed to be the Brood. However, why Magneto would be able to blast the ground, and cause the Brood to rise up, is another question for another day. Nice intro though. I dont think I've ever seen it before. They are? Wow, didn't look like that to me. The second one has the Phalanx, as well as an appearance from Spiral.

I'll try it. 'Nids are my favorite army, so I'm glad to see them finally get the RTS treatment.

You really can't have a thread involving the old show without that being posted. "I am Magneto, and I have the power... to call forth robotic dogs! Yeah, that's it!"

I dunno; the plot clicked with me for some reason. I didn't really have trouble following much of it at all. Then again, being ADHD might have helped me out in this situation. I can totally understand if you didn't like it, though. Definitely not for everybody.