Monday Medley

What we read while Joseph Kony stood up to his cyberbullies…

• Yesterday was Selection Sunday! St. Bonaventure stole a spot (which would have gone to one of six teams) on the final day, and Iona snuck in, but other than that, there weren’t many snubs. Start filling out your brackets…

• If you hadn’t heard of Joseph Kony, the Ugandan warlord and new Internet sensation, before last week, you almost certainly have by now, thanks to the video made by Invisible Children. Though Kony is certainly an evil man, there have been lots of questions raised about the video’s accuracy and intent, as well as the nature of online activism. (It’s only a matter of time before Malcolm Gladwell starts trashing it…)

• Speaking of war crimes, Eric Holder clarified the Obama Administration’s position on when it can kill you. Here’s a hint: Judicial process is not always necessary! This policy may seem unwise, but nobody bothered to ask President Obama about it the next day.

• On the other hand, Obama called Republican candidates on their bullshit regarding Iran. Of course, Obama has basically been doing everything the Republicans say they would do on the issue of Iran. Can you even tell him apart from George W. Bush? And would a nuclear Iran even be so bad?

• Grantland unveiled its bracket to determine the best character on The Wire. Michael Schur responded with his own bracket, and Grantland featured some highlights of the show’s characters. Meanwhile, The Village Voice unveiled a bracket of best musicians from New York.

• In other news of great TV, someone cut a video of all the Breaking Bad openings.

• Surprise! The TSA full body scanners are ineffective. The TSA can barely muster a defense.

• A very cool basketball graphic.

• Why didn’t Rush Limbaugh’s sponsors leave after he said all this stuff?

• Dennis Kucinich’s congressional career is likely over. Will he be missed? Or was he just “wacky”?

• The Gospel according to Louis C.K.

• Kate Hopkins offers some advice for traveling alone.

• An empirical look at the effects of Citizens United.

• Why Jonathan Franzen and the Internet will never get along.

This Day in Revisionist History

December 15:

“Without rules, there is no game. Without a game, there are no rules. Is any of this making sense?” – a rambling James Naismith to several confused, restless youths at the YMCA in Springfield, Massachusetts as he attempted to introduce the new game he called “basket ball.”

If there’s one thing every American knows, it’s that there’s nothing better than seeing two teams go head-to-head on the gridiron. But you may not know that in Europe, what we call “football” is actually called “soccer,” and at one point in the United States was called “basket ball.” The inventor of this sport was a doctor by the name of James Naismith, although his version of the game bears little resemblance to the fast-paced action of the modern NFL. He posted the original rules of his newly crafted game on the wall of the gymnasium, which NPI has partially reprinted with the permission of several United States courts, which over the years have firmly established that claims of copyright infringement cannot be filed in cases of “common knowledge”: