Apologies for our tardiness on this week's "Flashback" installment. John McCain's green screen adventures gave us a migraine last night. Now that Captain Walnuts and his running mate Sarah Palin (she's gone from "unqualified" to "Goddamn frightening" in the space of a week) have been formally nominated by the GOP, let's take a look back at previous Republican conventions. The second-ever GOP National Convention that nominated Abraham Lincoln was held in Chicago May 16-18, 1860......

Harry Potter fans from around the world will be converging on the Hilton Chicago Hotel this weekend for Terminus, a five-day conference revolving around all that is "wizard". Attendees can expect “academic presentations and lectures, educational workshops, a Quidditch tournament, a bon voyage ball, and certainly, lively discussion about Harry Potter.” Other planned events: a pre-conference Wrock (wizard rock) concert, featuring over 30 wizarding bands over three stages, and the chance to attend the wedding......