Monday Medley

What we read after deleting the AP from our contacts…

• The Obama Administration seized two months’ worth of phone records from the Associated Press, ostensibly to investigate a leak in Yemen. Understandably, reporters did not like this infringement on freedom of the press, citing the “horrific chilling effect on journalism.” The law behind the seizure is tricky (and may be changing), but the dangerous effects are already clear.

• Every recurring joke in Arrested Development.

• Angelina Jolie had a preemptive double mastectomy and spoke out about BRCA.

• How are the Yankees winning?

• A goodbye to Barbara Walters.

• What is “terrorism”? Does Benghazi count? And how does radicalization happen?

• The future of online education.

• Jaron Lanier on the Internet and the middle class. Also, a review of Lanier’s new book and other Internet partisans.

• Here’s what OWS is up to lately.

Monday Medley

What we read while remembering Mother’s Day, we swear…

• An in-depth look at President Obama’s handling of Syria.

• Stephen Hawking joined the academic boycott of Israel, opening himself up to predictable attacks from the nation’s defenders. But will Hawking’s support of the boycott send a message to Israel about the occupation?

• You’re probably using paper towels wrong.

• Breaking down a classic and polarizing episode of The Simpsons.

• An inside look (kind of) at Draft Day from Chuck Klosterman.

• Matt Walsh on Veep and the future of UCB.

• On Michigan’s emergency-manager law and whether or not it disenfranchises the poor.

• Who is the highest paid public employee in your state? Probably a football coach.

• The CIA really did edit the script for Zero Dark Thirty.

Monday Medley

What we read while celebrating Veinte y Nueve de Abril…

• Jason Collins became the first active professional athlete in one of the four major leagues to come out of the closet (well, sort of the first). Most of the sports world was supportive, including Collins’ former fiancee, though obviously there was a predictable share of ignorance and intolerance.

• Dzhokhar Tsarnaev could avoid the death penalty.

• The issue of Guantánamo Bay was raised again, thanks to the prisoners’ ongoing hunger strike. Some are now being force-fed, which is as bad as it sounds. President Obama reiterated his desire to close the prison, though once again took no tangible steps to make that happen.

• Read this, and you’ll never have to read anything else about Tim Tebow again.

• Grantland tries to match the NY Times when it comes to the visual presentation of stories inexorably tied to the cold.

• Would open borders end poverty?

• Good journalism.

• Scenes from the early days at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater.

• An interview with David Graeber, whose new book The Democracy Project was reviewed by John S yesterday.

• The fall of standardized tests in Texas.

• Jazz scholars analyze the new soundtrack for The Great Gatsby.

• Beards make you healthy and handsome.

Monday Medley

What we read while going undrafted yet again…

• Some follow up on the Tsarnaevs and the Boston bombing: Dzokhar Tsarnaev was charged with the crime and could face the death penalty (though Alan Dershowitz persuasively arguing against it here). But did the Surveillance State work as planned? Should the FBI have listened to Russia more? What happend to the wrongly accused Brown student? Should we, as NYC Mayor Bloomberg suggested, “change our interpretation” of the Constitution? And were drones part of the motivation?

• Speaking of drones, the harrowing testimony of a Yemeni citizen on the effects of drone strikes in his country. This also comes on the heels of Jeremy Scahill’s new book on the drone wars.

• Are trailer parks the future?

• Bradley Manning is not welcome at the SF Gay Pride parade, that alleged bastion of tolerance and freedom.

• To go to grad school or not to go…

• Matt Taibbi on yet another Wall Street scandal. Will this lead to the end of Too Big To Fail banks?

• Everyone loves Winnie Cooper.

• Don’t let the George W. Bush Library fool you into misremembering his legacy.

• Noam Chomsky on civil liberties under President Obama. And George Will weighs in on abridging the Constitution. But Canada can infringe on civil liberties too…

• Prisoners are now reviewing their prisons on Yelp.

Monday Medley

What we read while not being Mirandized…

• So, uh, not such a great week. The carnage at last Monday’s Boston Marathon, which is such a cherished event in that city, shocked the country and brought back memories of 9/11. Luckily there were countless examples of heroism in the aftermath of the tragedy, including an impressive response by Boston’s medical teams. The city went into lockdown in order to find the suspects. One was killed early Friday morning, and the other was found later that evening, capping a turbulent week for one of nation’s oldest cities.

• Of course, there were mistakes along the way, from the rush to blame Islamic radicals without any evidence, to the misidentification of “suspects” based on their nationality and skin color, to false reports from news outlets, to confusing Chechnya with the Czech Republic. Once the proper suspects were identified, Senators Lindsey Graham and John McCain rushed to abandon the Constitution, asserting that the Tsarnaevs should be treated as enemy combatants. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was not read his Miranda rights when arrested, with the FBI citing the “public safety” exception (despite repeated assurances from public officials that there was no more danger to the public). Emily Bazelton explains why this is so dangerous.

• Worth remembering this week: We just passed the 50th anniversary of MLK’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.”

• In other sad news, Pat Summerall, the greatest play-by-play announcer in football history, passed away at the age of 82.

• Joe Posnanski and Michael Schur wrote a baseball “preview” even though the season is already three weeks old. Posnanski also dismissed the notion of “pitching to the score.”

• A very interesting look at income inequality through New York’s subway system.

• How a meeting between Dickens and Dostoevsky that never happened became a part of scholarship.

• A long conversation between Julian Assange of WikiLeaks and Eric Schmidt of Google.

• Whatever happened to Allen Iverson?

• How 37 banks turned into four big ones.

• The top 20 Quentin Tarantino food scenes.

• Sabermetrics in tee ball, or: Why Mike Tanier Is the Best.

• Dove’s “Real Beauty” campaign is not feminist.

Monday Medley

What we read while disqualifying ourselves from the Masters…

• 42, the movie about Jackie Robinson breaking baseball’s color barrier, opened this weekend. Roger Angell and Joe Posnanski look back at Robinson’s legacy.

• Jonah Keri breaks down last week’s Dodgers-Padres brawl.

• McClatchy reports on the Obama Administration’s use of drones against “unknown” targets, exposing the lies the CIA and White House officials have told the public.

• A report on the OCC’s foreclosure review details the fraud behind the lackluster settlement obtained for Americans whose homes have been illegally seized by banks.

• Margaret Thatcher, the influential Prime Minister who changed Great Britain, backed apartheid, and helped support dictators all across the world, died at the age of 87.

• Also dying last week: Gus Triandos. David Simon discusses how Gus came to be mentioned on The Wire.

• A look back at Earth Day and the environmental movement.

• Atheism and Islamophobia.

• Why wasn’t the Super Mario Bros. movie a hit?

• Congress wants to protect Israel’s right to discriminate against Americans.

• The fake story of when Dickens met Dostoevsky.

• A chart of college nicknames.

Monday Medley

What we read while hiding from North Korea…

• Roger Ebert, the most famous movie critic in the country, died last week at the age of 70. His health troubles over the last few years had been well-documented, but his legacy and impact as a critic will persist for generations. Ebert, of course, was known for his enthusiasm for movies, but he was great to read when he hated a movie as well. He will be missed…

• Shane Carruth, the writer/director/star of Primer, has a new movie coming out.

• A guide to the Infinite Jest references in last week’s episode of Parks & Recreation.

• Matt Taibbi on the future of Too Big To Fail banks. Speaking of banks, what’s the future for Bitcoin?

• Apple’s latest endeavor: a new $5 billion office.

• Wondering what Hitler’s former food taster is up to these days? Then boy do we have a link for you…

Monday Medley

What we read while never watching replays again…

• The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two same-sex marriage cases. You may have noticed the effects on Facebook and Twitter. It’s worth revisiting how opinion has evolved on the issue (though Justice Scalia not so much).

• In honor of Opening Day, a fantasy draft of fantasy baseball players.

• Speaking of baseball, FanGraphs and Baseball Reference have finally put an end to this divisive WAR. Meanwhile, what do baseball stadiums do to housing costs?

• An oral history of one of March Madness’ defining moments.

• Buzz Bissinger is a shopaholic. Yes, that Buzz Bissinger. He’s in rehab.

• Is spring break an economic boon?

• The NYPD’s stop-and-frisk policy is facing a court challenge. Don’t worry, though, they’ve got plenty more programs aimed at harassing disfavored ethnic groups!

• On the appalling consequences of three strikes laws in America’s vast prison system. Of course the courts do go easy on some people….

• If you’re not following @Cmdr_Hadfield on Twitter, you’re missing some amazing shots from the International Space Station.

• Jay Caspian Kang on another school shooting.

• David Berman’s yearbook page. 

• Is Garfield even supposed to be funny? And memorable lines from a comic strip that was.

• In search of people who actually hate Jennifer Lawrence, Vice called hate groups.

Monday Medley

What we read while Aaron Craft took a “charge”… 

• Last Wednesday marked the ten-year anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. A dying veteran wrote a letter to President Bush. How our perceptions of the war’s opponents (including Republicans) has changed…

• The sabermetricians who run New York City.

• The Tonight Show will move back to New York when Jimmy Fallon replaces Jay Leno next year. But who will replace Fallon at Late Night?

• 20 things you didn’t know about Bob Dylan’s debut album.

• How Barrett Brown of Anonymous became a government target. In other tech law news: the awful Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.

• Will Leitch makes the case for the Yankees winning the AL East in 2013.

• How old is Paul Rudd?

Monday Medley

What we read while passing the eye test…

• March Madness is here! Yesterday was Selection Sunday, and following such a wild regular season in college basketball, people are predicting crazy things. Kansas earned a #1 seed, and Joe Posnanski wrote about what makes Bill Self great.

• A 16-year-old was shot and killed by the NYPD last week, inspiring anger and protests on the streets of Brooklyn. Outrage intensified when the autopsy revealed he had been shot seven times, including thrice in the back. The NYPD also allegedly arrested someone for criticizing stop-and-frisk. But, hey, at least New Yorkers can still drink large sodas!

• Kickstarter.com had a breakthrough, when a potential Veronica Mars movie was funded by fans on the site in less than one day. Some criticized it as “charity” for movie studios, but others see it as a hopeful sign of the future of movies. Series creator Rob Thomas is just happy to get to make his movie.

• Seinfeld vs. The Simpsons: The ultimate sitcom showdown.

• Rob Portman, who was almost Mitt Romney’s running mate last year, came out as a proponent of gay marriage last week, after announcing that his son is gay. Some called his move selfish, since he only did when it affected his own family.

• What was the new Pope’s role in Argentina’s Dirty War?

• Jack Kerouac: Sportswriter.

• Get ready for the most depressing 10 year anniversary ever.

• Is solitary confinement worse than death?

• Brandon McCarthy believes in chemistry.