Monday Medley

What we read while North Korea tried to book Toni Kukoc next…

• Larissa MacFarquhar’s comprehensive account of the life and tragic death of Aaron Swartz.

• Rand Paul spoke for 13 hours on the floor of the Senate, filibustering John Brenna’s confirmation to protest the Obama Administration’s use of drones and bringing attention to the country’s drone policy. Though Attorney General Eric Holder wrote a response to Senator Paul, there are still unanswered questions (as well as the unreleased report on CIA torture) about the program and Paul vowed to keep fighting. Meanwhile, the NYT ran a story on the killing of Anwar al-Awlaki, which was condemned by the ACLU for selective disclosure.

• A Mila Kunis interview went viral for showing why the actress is so beloved.

• Vulture is now trying to determine the best sitcom of the past 30 years. Will Leitch picked Cheers over Arrested Development.

• Speaking of bracketology, an account of Dick Vitale’s love for Duke.

• Longtime Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez died. What does that mean for Venezuela?

• David Foster Wallace on five common usage errors.

• On Jerry Brown’s second term as California Governor.

• Reflections on the 10 year anniversary of the Iraq War.

• Can one woman change the nature of Internet porn?

 

Monday Medley

What we read before the sequester cuts set in…

• Bradley Manning admitted leaking documents and explained his motivations in court last week, though his plea was hardly covered by the media. What will Manning’s legacy be? And what are the legal ramifications of his prosecution?

• MTA fares are going up yet again. This map shows the impact of the fare hikes.

• The Times weighs in on tenting at Duke.

• Pat Jordan on the pain and pleasure of spring training.

• A guide to literary references on The Simpsons.

• An interview with a figure behind the Anonymous movement.

• Wealth inequality with a visual aid.

• A nifty guide to whatever this “sequester” is.

• Details on the Chipotle secret menu.

Monday Medley

What we read while not searching for sugarman . . . 

• Thursday would have been David Foster Wallace’s 51st birthday. Here are 15 of his greatest quotes.

• Steven Brill’s excellent article on why health care is so expensive. Maybe Watson, the Jeopardy!-winning robot, can help.

• Joe Posnanski on the rise and fall of A-Rod. Meanwhile, the MLB has opened its vault.

• Why don’t point guards win Player of the Year? And can a Division II coach in West Virginia fix college basketball’s scoring problem?

• Yet another backdoor bank bailout. Also, the big banks’ real problem.

• Bradley Manning has now been in jail for more than 1,000 days, many of them in solitary confinement, which now even George Will is against.

• Why you need a college degree to sort files.

• A revealing story on the science of junk food.

• Louis C.K. and Nikolai Gogol.

• On suicide and gay porn.

• Reclining on an airplane: Evil or monstrously evil?

• The best places with books.

Monday Medley

What we read while adding “infallibility” to our résumés…

• A fascinating story about the soldier who shot Osama bin Laden.

• Yesterday was Michael Jordan’s 50th birthday, and Wright Thompson turned in a great profile on his life after basketball. Sports Illustrated published an oral history of his most famous dunk, but really it was a moment to reflect on Space Jam. Craig Ehlo on what it was like to guard Jordan.

• The Pope announced his retirement. How will he be remembered? And how does that crazy conclave work?

• Elizabeth Warren wondered why there have been no prosecutions of Wall Street banks. Matt Taibbi says that some banks are now simply too big to prosecute. Instead, they are still getting bailouts. And in other news of a corrupt banking industry, credit reports are apparently full of errors.

• Something is ruining steak.

• Grantland looked at Dan Harmon’s life after Community.

• On Ken Pomeroy. And Pomeroy on why you shouldn’t be so quick to foul up three late in the game.

• Some analyses of the legal and ethical defenses of the American drone program. Is it worse than torture?

• A tragic story on the death of a Nazi (it’s not what you think).

• The coolest winner of the Jeopardy! Teen Tournament.

• Could New York City cut its carbon footprint by 90%?

• An analysis of Darth Vader’s terrible plan in the Battle of Hoth.

• How to win Monopoly in four moves.

Monday Medley

What we read after shoveling snow…

• Community returned! And it actually had impressive ratings (for NBC). Speaking of which, can NBC ever rebound from its current slump?

• Pope Benedict XVI is resigning, which a pope hasn’t done in, oh, about 600 years. Undoubtedly, Charles V had something to do with this.

• Some reflections on last week’s Super Bowl blackout, and how it revealed the worthlessness of the CBS broadcast team.

• An excellent story on how Jay Williams bounced back from his career-ending motocycle accident.

• Eamonn Brennan on what Notre Dame’s five-overtime epic with Louisville says about college basketball.

• The Justice Department’s memo on the legal case for drone strikes against Americans was released last week, just days before John Brennan, the “chief architect” of the drone program, testified before Congress to become the new CIA chief. It was not the most grueling of job interviews.

• Why don’t bankers go to jail?

• My Bloody Valentine released their first record in 22 years.

• What IS the future of college?

• Roberto Bolaño on writing short stories.

• Probably the most interesting story about headphones you’ll read this week.

Monday Medley

What we read while tripping over the power cord at the Superdome…

• There was some sort of football game last night, though it was interrupted by a blackout. There was some fuss about the coaches and Ray Lewis, but frankly we were more interested in the oral history of the Super Bowl Shuffle.

• For the second time this postseason, Dan LeBatard lowers the hammer on the NFL — this time on the slippery morality of those who analyze it.

• The best Super Bowl photos of all-time.

• Yeah, it’s baseball season now.

• Ed Koch, the controversial former mayor of New York City, died last week at the age of 88. Eerily, it was on the eve of a new documentary about his life.

• Another great interview with George Saunders.

• The series finale of 30 Rock aired last week, and was one of the most well-received series finales of all-time. Of course, the show has always inspired awe in critics. In other TV news, Lorrie Moore analyzed the highs and lows of Homeland.

• On understanding introverts (a subject Josh tackled back in 2009).

• Is the future of education really online?

• The past, present, and future of drones.

• The evolution of the NRA.

• In defense of public nudity.

• Does Dr. Oz do no harm?

• The Boy Meets World spinoff is official!

Monday Medley

What we read that wasn’t about Michelle Obama’s hair…

• Did Nate Silver get something wrong?

• A veteran of the war in Afghanistan reflects on what he did.

• In defense of the post office.

• In the same week that PBS aired a great special on the lack of major prosecutions in the finance industry, President Obama nominated a new head of the SEC who illustrates the revolving door between regulators and the regulated.

• Some growing evidence of President Obama’s war on whistleblowers, as John Kiriakou was sentenced to more than two years in prison and a former government expert now works at the Apple store.

• Obama’s second inauguration was a significant moment for gay rights, but will his words translate into action?

• On the origin of Siri.

• Vanity Fair profiles the refreshingly candid Jennifer Lawrence.   And Roger Ebert discusses the year’s best documentaries.

• Fruitvale was the big winner at Sundance.

• Still more about the life of Aaron Swartz, his recent funeral, and the prosecutorial persecution that likely contributed to his death.

• Michael Weinreb on Donald Westlake, whose novels serve as the source for the new movie, Parker.

• Child labor and bonded workers help make your Apple products.

• Will the military ever stop growing?

• Slavoj Zizek on Zero Dark Thirty.

• A typical college syllabus.

Monday Medley

What we read while blood doping with Lennay Kekua…

• So Deadspin broke the biggest sports story of 2013, by outing the nonexistence of Mani Te’o's girlfriend. The story got weirder and weirder as Te’o's complicity came under scrutiny, though he denies being anything but a victim.

• In other sports revelations, Lance Armstrong finally admitted using PEDs and blood doping. His interview with Oprah only made people angrier, though, as he failed to show contrition for destroying lives for sake of his lie.

• Even more sad sports news, as baseball lost two legends: Earl Weaver (of the famously profane “Manager’s Corner”) and Stan “The Man” Musial. Joe Posnanski, who profiled Musial a few years ago, remembered The Man, whose statistics are still amazing.

• Robert F. Chew, who played Proposition Joe on The Wire, also passed away last week.

• Tom Junod with a fascinating look at injuries in the NFL.

• It’s been over a week since the death of Aaron Swartz, but people are still seeing the case as an example of prosecutorial overreach and outright abuse of power. The career of Carmen Ortiz is being examined, as well as the powers generally given to prosecutors.

• Facebook introduced a search tool.

• David Remnick with a frightening look at the religious right in Israel.

• On student debt.

Monday Medley

What we read while building our own Death Star in the private sector…

• Aaron Swartz, an Internet pioneer and activist, died this weekend at the age of 26. Though the causes were many, it’s hard to ignore the fact that Swartz was the target of a prolonged federal prosecution that some have called “bullying” in the name of intellectual property and emblematic of a broken criminal justice system. Swartz’s heroism has inspired many to combat the “intellectual property” racket.

• For the first time since 1996, no players were elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame this year. You’re not going to believe this, but Joe Posnanski had a lot to say about the shutout. But the best analysis of the vote was probably Jonah Keri’s at Grantland.

• Dan LeBatard and Jason Taylor team up to make you feel awful about enjoying the weekend’s NFL action.

• What happens when you cast Lindsay Lohan in your movie?

• With the Golden Globes last night and the Academy Award nominations now out, the debate over the morality of Zero Dark Thirty has resurfaced. Some are comparing it to Argo (besides John S, who did that last month).

• A conversation between George Saunders and his editor.

• Marc Maron goes over his favorite episodes of his podcast.

• In other comedy news, the cast of Arrested Development reunited to talk about the new episodes.

• Elizabeth Wurtzel wrote a…something…for New York last week. It has, predictably, generated some reaction. But what would Hannah Horvath think of it?

• The complicated questions behind imprisoning pedophiles.

• Remember Watson, the computer that dominated Jeopardy a couple years ago? Well, apparently he still does not get slang.

• On Mike Francesa.

• Where the characters from Full House would be today.

Monday Medley

What we read while getting used to writing “2013″…

• New Year’s around the world.

• A New Year’s Resolution from Norm Macdonald.

• West Virginia is finally being put on the map.

• Adrian Lamo tries to explain himself.

• As Lance Armstrong contemplates a confession, just how altruistic is LiveStrong?

• The 20th anniversary of one of the greatest playoff games in NFL history.

• Alan Sepinwall talks about his new book and the crucial episodes in the last decade of television.

• An unconventional example of criminal justice.

• Some thoughts on Quentin Tarantino’s revisionary history.

• George Saunders has ended the race for best book of 2013.

• Nobody does obituaries like The Economist, and this one, on British speaking clock Brian Cobby, shows why.

• This week in oral histories (two!): A look back at Otis Redding’s “(Sittin’ On) the Dock of the Bay”, plus an oral history of Good Will Hunting.

• The coolest iPhone case that doesn’t really work.

• Bill Wyman exposes the myth that Michael Jackson has sold “a billion” records.

• Matt Taibbi revisits the bailout over four years later.

• The best lede of the week, and it’s not even close.