The blogosphere imploded today when Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO) appeared on a talk show to declare that women who are “legitimately raped” do not get pregnant. And therefore abortion should be illegal in all cases. Akin’s name and “legitimate rape” are now top trending topics on Twitter. Even the vicious teabaggers at Twitchy are appalled. Akin is running to unseat …

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange spoke today from his refuge inside the Ecuador embassy in London. Assange stood in the doorway of a small balcony to address dozens of supporters and many more reporters and police officers outside. He thanked the supporters, and the government of Ecuador, which has granted him political asylum and refuge in its embassy. He made no …

The above two billboards will be positioned near each of the convention sites in Tampa and Charlotte. World Net Daily’s commenters are ever so pissed, but they have exactly zero to say about the thousands and thousands of Christian billboards that promise eternal damnation in an unending lake of fire.

(Via Good As You)

Sanctity of marriage defenders NOM are cheering a contestant on ABC’s Bachelorette gangbang reality show. “Bachelorette” star Ryan Bowers tweeted his support for Chick-fil-A and the “sanctity of marriage” on the Appreciation Day: “Everyone is eating at chik fil-a today to support the Kathy family and their stand for the sanctity of marriage!!! Lv it!” He went on to tweet: …

Last week Chicago installed a historical marker at the site of where President Obama says he first kissed Michelle. Enter homocon crackpot Kevin DuJan: I also think there needs to be a “historic marker” affixed to Man’s Country Bathhouse up in the Andersonville neighborhood of Chicago, as well — since Barack Obama frequented this men-only sexual hotspot in the late …

The president has a wide lead among internet gamblers.

This weekend the Empire State Building is green for Ramadan. (Tipped by JMG reader Kevin) UPDATE: You guys called this.

Diana Nyad has held the world record for non-stop distance swimming for the last 33 years. At 62 she is about to make her third attempt to swim from Havana to the Florida Keys. Last year’s attempt was cut short due to jellyfish stings.

At the Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Warren, Minnesota. NOM is making hay of this on Facebook. Fishy, yes?

Get your weekend jumping with this great soulful house mix from NYC’s DJ Billy Pfeiffer. Setlist. Podcasts. Facebook. UPCOMING GIGS: This mix was recorded live at Body Rock, Billy’s occasional Saturday night house party for men of all shapes and sizes. Body Rock 7 – The Heat Is On goes off next Saturday, August 25th at Rockbar (formerly Dugout) NYC. …

“She lives in Seattle now.”(Tipped by JMG reader Fritz)

Will Libertarian Party presidential candidate siphon off enough Romney votes to swing a few states back into blue territory for President Obama? Fox News worries about a reverse Ralph Nader for the GOP: The Libertarian Party is now touting that possibility. An emailed statement from the organization earlier this week carried a rather sensational subject line: “Libertarian Presidential Candidate Gov. …

Today was the final Summer Streets for the year and Farmboy C and I biked from the Upper East Side to the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge, then toured through Chinatown to the Bowery for brunch. We cut through the East Village on the way home, stopping for Mermaid cones at Big Gay Ice Cream before pausing to watch some …

Six supporters of imprisoned Russian punkers Pussy Riot were arrested on Manhattan’s Upper East Side yesterday after protesting outside of the Russian consulate. The protest by about 30 people, several wearing Pussy Riot’s signature bright-colored balaclavas, was the latest in a wave of demonstrations around the world supporting the punk rockers sentenced earlier by a Moscow court to two years …

In a post on their Belief Blog, CNN’s Michael Pearson writes: In 2010, the FRC was widely denounced after blogger Joe My God published documents that appeared to show the FRC provided $25,000 for lobbying efforts to defeat a congressional resolution expressing opposition to a proposed law in Uganda, which called for the imprisonment of gays and lesbians and the …

Teen teabagger Caiden Cowger become a right-wing hero earlier this year after his YouTube clips claiming that President Obama was encouraging teenagers to turn gay became the target of hate speech flagging. His channel was reinstated fairly quickly and today’s he back to explain that evil liberals are brainwashing teenagers.

Rage Against The Machine member Tom Morello is not thrilled that Paul Ryan loves his band’s music. Via Rolling Stone: Paul Ryan’s love of Rage Against the Machine is amusing, because he is the embodiment of the machine that our music has been raging against for two decades. Charles Manson loved the Beatles but didn’t understand them. Governor Chris Christie …

And it turns out that the part of the San Francisco Chronicle story that most enraged some local Catholics wasn’t true. Sister Barbi Mitzah responds in the comments to the correction: You only wrote about this and the made-up story because it sensationalizes your story. Personally, I’ve seen better journalism on a box of cheerios. Next time you want to …