Welcome to the Internet, HealthCare.gov—There Is No Cure

Buzzy dotcom start-up the United States government introduced a new Web site, HealthCare.gov, conveniently located at the Web address HealthCare.gov. (The July 1 launch of the site was actually written into the health-care reform bill.) HealthCare.gov allows users to input their personal information—for instance, New York residency, under-26 age bracket—and browse and compare available coverage plans. Let’s play around with this. So, for our fictive 22-year-old New York resident, option No. 1 suggests attempting to seek (or keep) coverage through a parent’s plan for the next four years. Check, and check. But what if you’re a senior who has a medical condition but is not sufficiently covered by Medicare? Option No. 1, in that case: use Medicaid to help pay for Medicare. (Hey, we never said this was a fun game.)

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Welcome to the Internet, HealthCare.gov—There Is No Cure

Al-Qaeda Launches Inspire, Its First English-Language Magazine

Probably a different Inspire magazine. Probably.Publishing powerhouse al-Qaeda has launched an English online magazine called Inspire, replete with all the bomb-making instructions and jihad-recruiting propaganda that traditional print journalism has traditionally shunned. Inspire also contains a piece by radical American cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, whose assassination President Obama recently requested. It’s called “May Our Souls be Sacrificed for You,” but the body of the article was left out of the magazine obtained by authorities. Still, judging by the title alone, though al-Awlaki may be a skilled rhetorician, it sounds like he may be a bit of an overripe prose stylist. According to the Daily Mail, “Tuesday’s launch did not go smoothly. The magazine was 67 pages long, but all but the first three pages were just garbled computer code, according to SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors jihadist websites and obtained a copy of the magazine.” Sixty-seven pages is thin, even for a July issue. We’ll hold out for the iPad app.

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Al-Qaeda Launches Inspire, Its First English-Language Magazine

The Top Five Most Outrageous Republican Primary Ads of 2010

With Tea Party momentum going strong and a whiff of grapeshot hanging around the midterm elections, G.O.P. primaries across the nation have seen an influx of homegrown candidates as well as a cascade of outrageous political advertising, as candidates vie to grab voters’ attention and prove their conservative bona fides. From taunts and tricornes to guns and God, VF Daily presents the top five most ridiculous Republican-primary campaign ads of 2010: 5. “We Are Better Than That!,” from former Alabama Agricultural Commission candidate Dale Peterson Peterson’s delivery is actually pretty great—just for a spaghetti Western, not a campaign ad. But despite his volubility, the sweeping strains of music in this commercial practically drown him out. A bit of trivia: Peterson, who failed to win his primary, went on to star in another highly entertaining campaign ad, this time endorsing his former opponent John McMillan, and also made a cameo in an additional outrageous video from the candidate who comes in at No. 4 on our list.

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The Top Five Most Outrageous Republican Primary Ads of 2010

Portland Police All in For Round Two of the Al Gore Sex Scandal Investigation

• President Obama will speak today about immigration reform—an issue which everyone widely agrees will not be touched by anyone until after the midterm elections. [The New York Daily News] • Police in Portland will re-investigate 2006 sexual abuse allegations against Nobel Peace Prize–winner Al Gore. Authorities did not indicate why they are doing so, though this will likely not stop everyone from trying to guess. [The Wall Street Journal] • A bitter, public fight between a Minuteman and Congressman Pete Stark (D-CA) is the Internet’s most prominent Controversy™ today. [CNN] • Hurricane Alex was nothing more than a common tropical storm by the time it hit southern Texas. [The Houston Chronicle] • M. Night Shyamalan’s new movie, The Last Airbender, is just terrible. This should not come as a shock, given The Village and The Happening. [Gawker]

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Portland Police All in For Round Two of the Al Gore Sex Scandal Investigation

Is the Liverpool Soccer Club Up for Sale?

Japan’s Princess Aiko, the eight-year-old daughter of Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako, hasn’t been in school for a week, but reasons for her absence are unclear. In an odd public statement, an Imperial Household official said that the Princess had been unwilling to return to Gakushuin Primary School after being bullied by boys in her second-grade class. Apparently, she has been suffering from anxiety and stomach aches. The school, however, held its own press conference and announced, “As far as we know, there was no violent behavior targeted at Princess Aiko.” Here’s hoping the little Princess makes it to class on Monday.

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Is the Liverpool Soccer Club Up for Sale?

Jon Stewart Compares Sarah Palin Obsession to Angel Dust

Last night on The Daily Show, Jon Stewart deconstructed the Sarah Palin press bonanza over the release of her memoir, Going Rogue. He summed it up best, saying, “What is it about Sarah Palin that makes the right in this country feel as though they’ve been sprinkled with angel dust, and the left in this country feel as though they had smoked something laced with angel dust? Because whether you love her or you hate her, you definitely love her or hate her.” The Daily Show With Jon StewartMon – Thurs 11p / 10cDaily Show: The Rogue Warriorwww.thedailyshow.comDaily Show Full EpisodesPolitical HumorHealth Care Crisis

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Jon Stewart Compares Sarah Palin Obsession to Angel Dust

The Decade in Covers: Pick the Best V.F. Cover of 2008

The April 2008 cover of Vanity Fair.In April 2008, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Sarah Silverman—dressed as the three graces of comedy—picked up Christopher Hitchens’s gauntlet to prove that, yes, women are funny. As the aughties give way to the teens, VF.com asks you to vote for the magazine’s 10 best covers of the decade, one for each year. Today, pick your favorite among the 12 covers of 2008. See a slide show of covers after the jump and vote for your favorite.

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The Decade in Covers: Pick the Best V.F. Cover of 2008

Which Shirtless Twilight Hunk is Your Hardtop Convertible?

This isn’t as stupid a question as it seems. While flitting about the country recently, I had the opportunity to sample three metal-roofed, two-door vehicles, all of which featured tops that retracted at the push of a button. And while attempting to come up with a pithy and creative rubric for comparing these convertibles (as is the Stick Shift way), I realized three things: a) the cars were all pretty good lookin’ b) the bifurcation/dualism endemic in their nature reminded me of certain creatures who, to quote a famed emperor of darkness, “crawl in search of blood/to terrorize y’alls neighborhood,” and c) I like thinking about hot dudes that remove their tops at my command. Voila: This Twilight hottie template. I’m going to insert some sacrilege here: I didn’t really like the first Twilight movie. I’m all about delayed gratification. But, in my opinion, the only thing that exemplifies a greater sense of deferred satisfaction than watching baseball is watching vampires not bite people, and this movie held up as one of its centerpieces non-biting vampires playing baseball. Bo-ring! However, I have high hopes for the sequel, mainly because it looks like it will feature more male nudity. Now, onto the cars and their correlative stars.

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Which Royal’s Crown Has Diamonds that Give Beyonce a Run for her Rocks

Fabled celebrity photographer Mario Testino, who snapped iconic portraits of Princess Diana, has revealed he hopes to photograph would-be royal Kate Middleton as soon as he can “pin her down.” This is not the first time the photographer has been linked to Kate, Prince William’s longtime flame. Last year, inaccurate rumors suggested the portraitist would train Kate in his art. Testino, whose work frequently appears in Vanity Fair, was presented with the Medal of Excellence by British luxury advocates Walpole earlier this week.

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Which Royal’s Crown Has Diamonds that Give Beyonce a Run for her Rocks

Tim Burton on His MoMA Exhibition: "It’s a Bit Morbid"

Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Tim Burton, and Danny DeVito. From PatrickMcMullan.com. How does Tim Burton feel about having a retrospective of his life’s work while he is still alive? “It’s a bit morbid,” said the director, standing on the second floor of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. “But I love morbidity, so it’s fitting.” Behind him, guests were filing to their seats at a lavish dinner in his honor. Among them were his wife, Helena Bonham Carter (who, like the filmmaker, appeared to have styled her hair with a cherry bomb), Burton’s frequent collaborator Johnny Depp, Anna Wintour, the Olsen twins, Brooke Shields, designer Zac Posen, actress Gabourey Sidibe, and Burton’s go-to composer, Danny Elfman. After dinner, the beau monde ambled through the extensive exhibition on the museum’s third floor, which contains around 700 works from Burton’s singular imagination. The creations range from concept art and sketchbooks to props and puppets for his animated and live-action films. Over 30 years and more than 15 movies—including Edward Scissorhands, Batman, Sleepy Hollow, and Sweeney Todd—Burton has created an immediately identifiable world. It is populated by characters who look undead, or at least poorly rested. His creatures are skittish, gaunt, and pointy. His skies are gray and his trees leafless, except for when they’re blindingly blue and green, and then it’s even eerier.

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