Monday Medley

What we read while demanding Indonesia refund our concert tickets…

• So that whole Facebook IPO thing turned out to be a real disaster, huh? With lawsuits and everything. Meanwhile, can Google beat Facebook at social networking?

• A GQ roundtable of TV’s most respected showrunners.

• Former Chief Justice Rehnquist tried to publish a novel. Former Chief Justice Burger wasn’t fond of female journalists. While you’re at it, read some other very interesting historical tidbits about Supreme Court justices at Kyle Graham’s new blog.

• In honor of Bob Dylan’s birthday, a collection of old Times articles about him.

• President Obama wants to extend his limitless power to use drones, but perhaps local governments can restrict drone surveillance. In other drone-related news, yet another article detailing the bipartisan consensus on foreign policy.

• Grantland breaks down Marc Maron’s WTF podcast.

• An elaborate marriage proposal.

• What has happened to the public intellectual in America?

• Slate defends Dharun Ravi’s sentence in the Tyler Clementi case.

• Phil Hartman died 14 years ago today. Our tribute.

Monday Medley

What we read while they protested Mark Zuckerberg’s wedding in Chicago…

• Though Community was picked up for a fourth season, Dan Harmon will no longer be the showrunner. Despite the prayers of cast members and fans, Sony did not renew his contract. It also does not sound like Harmon is open to returning in a lesser capacity. Can the show survive without its primary creative force (not to mention those leaving out of loyalty to Harmon)?

• What new shows look the most promising?

• A New York judge blocked part of the controversial National Defense Authorization Act for chilling speech. Also, a judge from the Ninth Circuit questioned the government on the existence of the “No Fly” List. In other judicial news, the origin story of the Citizens United case.

• Noam Chomsky compares Obama and Bush.

A Word of Advice to Environmental Advocates: Stop Saying “Game Over”

It’s not helping…

The phrase “Game Over” has recurred several times over the last few months when scientists talk about the environment: Most famously, James Hansen of NASA said it about the potential impact of the Keystone pipeline; recently, Jane C.S. Long told The New Yorker that it would be “game over” if Arctic permafrost started to melt; the phrase has appeared in headlines and op-eds about seemingly every environmental issue.

I’m not sure if one scientist said it first, and everyone else thought it sounded cool, or if some liberal Frank Luntz-type sent some memo about the phrase to environmental advocates everywhere, or if it’s just a coincidence. Either why, though, they should really stop, for at least six reasons:

 

1) Saying “Game Over” makes you sound like you are talking about a video game

Monday Medley

What we read while President Obama’s position on gay marriage was intelligently designed…

• Twitter tried to stand up for a user’s privacy, but was blocked by the courts. Speaking of Internet policing, a look at Anonymous, the online hacker collective.

• The Intelligence Squared debate on banning college football is worth watching, if only for the spectacle of Buzz Bissinger.

• In case you weren’t paying attention: On the heels of North Carolina’s constitutional amendment banning gay marriage and rights for gay couples, President Obama announced his personal support for gay marriage (just as John S predicted he would do three months ago). This is one of Obama’s better flip-flops. Posner and Becker opine on gay marriage.

• The NYPD released troubling numbers on its “Stop and Frisk” policy.

• Roger Ebert likes women.

• A DFW link to more DFW links!

• How did Wall Street kill Dodd-Frank?

• NBC surprisingly renewed all of its low-rated but well-regarded comedies. One of them, Parks and Recreation, aired its season finale last week. Showrunner Michael Schur broke down the season with Alan Sepinwall. Presumably, noted sabermetrician Schur would love this spinoff.

• Brewers’ closer John Axford sums up all postgame interviews in a note.

• Mad Men paid a small fortune for the rights to air a Beatles song last week, as I’m sure John Lennon would have wanted…

Monday Medley

What we read while praying for Mariano’s ACL…

• Adam Yauch, or MCA of the Beastie Boys, died last week at the age of 47. He was a founding member of one of the most influential and pioneering acts in hip-hop. Yauch was often cited as the conscience of the group, which was often noted for its conscience–whether they were calling out the widespread misogyny in hip-hop, or opposing American foreign policy.

• In other news from the music world, some thoughts on the recent anniversary of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.

• The Occupy movement mobilized for May Day last week, organizing a series of protests that were (shockingly) met with police resistance. The scenes were oddly familiar. In other Occupy news, the scenes from UC Davis last fall were actually not as bad as they looked; they were worse.

• Jeff MacGregor on the aged gracefulness of Rivera and Martin Brodeur.

• Junior Seau’s death just added to the unbelievable curse of the ’94 Chargers, chronicled back in 2008 by Les Carpenter.

• One of Mitt Romney’s former employees claims the rich aren’t rich enough. Meanwhile, what would a President Romney’s foreign policy look like?

• On the death of Community‘s beloved ancillary character, Starburns.

• The hypocrisy of Paul Ryan.

• Descriptions of Breaking Bad episodes that also describe the series.

• President Obama, as told by his ex-girlfriends.

• Who is Sarah Phillips? Or who was she, before she got fired?

• We want this Pontiac.