On Sunday May 31, 2009, Dr. George Tiller of Kansas was killed in the foyer of his local church. Police took a suspect into custody shortly thereafter and charged Scott Roeder with first-degree murder on Tuesday. Dr. Tiller, 67, had provided reproductive services to women for over thirty years. Women nationwide were referred to him for his medical expertise. As reported by The New York Times, his willingness to perform late-term abortions also made him a frequent target of abortion opponents—protests outside his home and clinic, a bombing, and a 1993 shooting. Following his death, abortion rights advocates and anti-abortion groups alike decried the tragedy. The article quotes Peter B. Brownlie, president of Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri, as saying, “This is a tremendous loss on so many levels.”And it records the disappointment of Troy Newman, the president of Operation Rescue. Newman pointedly noted that his group denounced violence and used law suits and other...

Posted by JONNIELAW: rom Scott Sharkey at 1up comes this silly list. The Sharkster compiled a top ten of the worst video game politicians. Though I agree with most of them, there a definitely some missing: *Zelda, Legend of Zelda Series: I mean, c’mon! This is a no brainer, especially if you are going to include Princess “Peach” Toadstool. Just like here fungal friend, Zelda loves getting kidnapped, as it keeps her from having to actually govern. *The Covenant Prophets, Halo Series: Not only are they physically weak and dependent on usurped technology, but they are egomaniacal religious windbags. Hmmm, on second thought, they prolly wouldn’t be too bad off here . . . *Mickey Mouse, Kingdom Hearts: Though he looks a bit badass in this pic, we all know he’s just a high-pitched, shirtless rodent; Would kinda bring a whole new meaning to “government cheese.” *Me, in SimCity: God only knows how many times a spent hours creating the most perfectly...

Manohla Dargis of The NYTIMES movie review calls W: "The megamillion-dollar question that hovers over Oliver Stone’s queasily enjoyable “W.,” his Oedipal story about the rise and fall, fall, fall of George W. Bush is: why? Neither a pure (nor impure) sendup of the president nor a wholesale takedown, the film looks like a traditional biopic with all the usual trappings, including name actors in political drag — Josh Brolin plays the frat boy who would be king, while Richard Dreyfuss creeps around in a Dick Cheney sneer — alternately choking on pretzels and spleen, and reciting all the familiar lines and lies. History is said to repeat itself as tragedy and farce, but here it registers as a full-blown burlesque. Mr. Stone’s take on the president, as comic as it is sincere, is bound to rile ax-grinders of every ideological stripe, particularly those who mistake fiction for nonfiction. History informs its narrative arc from Texas to Iraq, but it should go without saying that...

It's one thing to watch the candidates battle it out for the hearts and minds of Americans via traditional media outlets and verbal assaults. However, it's quite another to introduce a drop-kick to Cindy McCain's face, or plant a sharp hockey stick directly into Obama's derrier. Thankfully, we can do all this and more with Atom's excellent game: Kung-Fu Election. http://www.atom.com/spotlights/kung_fu_election/