Most people who weren't actually there tend to think of WWII in terms of black and white. There aren't a whole lot of color photos of that era floating around. Here are a handful of them and they're pretty interesting.

WWII in color (may not be SFW because your boss might accuse you of being a skinhead for gawking at Hitler photos). via Digg

Here are excerpts from a couple of recent essays to enjoy at the McSweeney's Archives:

YOUR CHILDREN ARE DESTROYING THE NEIGHBORHOOD.:

"I know it is not politically correct to talk about it, but your children are terrible citizens. There is a 100 percent unemployment rate among them, and they endanger the neighborhood with their reckless behavior—running out into the streets without looking, going off with disreputable strangers and tying up the police force in fruitless searches, spreading disease with their dirty hands and mouths. They bring nothing of value to the neighborhood, and the programs that cater to their "development" plaster the subway stations and alleys with their ugly, unintelligible artwork and poetry."

YOUR NEW PERSONAL TRAINER:

"Great, now you think I'm weird. And you're about to resent me even more because there's a bunch of stuff I was supposed to mention before we got started. I got distracted thinking about how tough it was to motivate myself to even comb my hair this morning and how painful it is that no one's ever tried to tickle me. I should have also gone over some stretches, and now your rotator-cuff tendinitis will be on my conscience."

Volvo is working on a seatbelt breathalyzer, which won't let you drive if the seatbelt is buckled and your Blood Alcohol Content is above .08. Those gregarious Swedes probably already thought of this, but it sounds like you can always drive drunk without the seatbelt.

Interesting random point in this article: the legal limit in Sweden is .02 -- the equivalent of one drink. The cabbies who hang out around the bars must be rapid with the krona.

This week's comic to look for is Street Angel Vol. 1 by Jim Rugg and Brian Maruca.

For those who don't like their comics to take themselves too seriously but at the same time hate comics that are predictable, juvenile slugfests, I present Street Angel. With a sense of humor straight out of Adult Swim and a willingness to go anywhere with its story, Rugg and Maruca have created a new indie comic sensation. It plays on a lot of the standards of action comics combining things like ninjas and pirates and skateboarding and make it highly enjoyable for even the casual comics reader.

The heroine of the book is Jesse Sanchez, a homeless teenage skateboarder who defends the streets from "the forces of evil, nepotism, ninjas, and hunger!" Her story is populated with a colorful cast of supporting characters consisting of Spanish conquistadors, Irish astronauts, an aged Blaxploitation hero, and lots of ninjas and squids. It all sounds really stupid when you try to describe it but it works thanks to its tongue-in-cheek, self-referential humor.

Volume one collects the first 5 issues in an affordable format and it is a great introduction to this bizarre and still under-read new series. For more info go to the Street Angel website.

Check out your local comic shop today. If you don't know where your local comic shop is, find it here: http://www.the-master-list.com

You've all heard about the massive verdict against Merck. And even though it will be substantially reduced based on Texas law, it makes you think. What motivated these jurors to reward such a huge amount?

The closing argument by prosecutor Mark Lanier, as reported by the Wall Street Journal:

Two days later, facing the jury with his final argument, Mr. Lanier kept to his plan. He advised jurors that 51% confidence in Vioxx as a cause of death was good enough. He sprinkled the speech with biblical references, at one point using the tale of Esther to urge the jurors to do the right thing even if they were fearful. And he hammered home the point that they would be sending a message that would be heard widely. "I can't promise Oprah," he said, but "there are going to be a lot of people who'll want to know how you had the courage to do it."

I predict this verdict will be reduced on appeal. Note my previous predictions:

•Despite the hype, the Arizona Cardinals will still suck this year (7-9 tops).

•Gay marriage will one day be accepted by the public, and those who railed against it will sound like the "pro segregation" crowd does today.

At first, it seemed pretty crazy when Pat Robertson called on the US Government to assasinate the President of Venezuela. But then, when you get down to it, Pat's been saying crazy ass things for years:

With all due respect to those dear people, my friend, God Almighty does not hear the prayer of a Jew.

Many of those people involved in Adolf Hitler were Satanists, many of them were homosexuals -- the two things seem to go together.

The feminist agenda is not about equal rights for women. It is about a socialist, anti-family political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians.

The termites are in charge now, and that is not the way it ought to be, and the time has arrived for a godly fumigation.

I know this is painful for the ladies to hear, but if you get married, you have accepted the headship of a man, your husband.

More here (via Transbuddha)

"The 40 Year Old Virgin" review is laid bare right here.