Monday Medley

What we read while blindly supporting Americans we’ve never heard of…

• Would James Eagan Holmes have been stopped if he were Muslim? Some in Colorado think so. Speaking of which, the story of how the NYPD’s Muslim surveillance program was exposed.

• Colson Whitehead’s advice on how to write.

• What are the real lessons from the life and career of Steve Jobs?

• It’s articles like this — on beach volleyball — that make us want to read The Guardian for diction alone.

• Aziz Ansari talks to Pitchfork about the maturation of his comedy.

• Obamacare may exacerbate the shortage of doctors over the next decade.

• What ever happened to leisure?

• This Week in Oral History: The ’96 Olympics bombing.

• Rahm Emanuel goes after free speech in Chicago.

• One of the Too Big To Fail pioneers suggests breaking up banks. Meanwhile, the government continues to try to protect the banking industry. And speaking of Wall Street: the worst of the 1%.

• Ugly covers for great books.

• Apparently your porn habits vary by season.

Monday Medley

What we read while rioting in Happy Valley, resigning in Italy, and, um, what’s the third one?

• The story coming out of Penn State is one of the worst we’ve seen in sports in a long time. We’ve read a multitude of takes on former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky’s abuse and the University’s oversight. Sara Ganim of the Harrisburg Patriot-News has spearheaded the coverage with the even hand so often lacking in the media these days. The paper overall has done a tremendous job in exposing the story and seeing it through to its climax over the last week.

• While ESPN has drawn its share of criticism for being late to the story, its secondary platforms have had a strong week. Jane Leavy’s introspective look at the ramifications of abuse is one of the best things we’ve read on Grantland. Michael Weinreb, a Penn State alum, also provided insight into the culture at State College on Grantland. Luke Cyphers, writing for ESPNW, wisely connected PSU’s oversight to a similar case with former women’s basketball coach Rene Portland at the school.

• NPI favorite Joe Posnanski finds himself in an awkward position, having moved to State College this fall to write his biography of Joe Paterno. Posnanski quasi-defends the coach at SI.

• Jonathan Lethem v. James Wood: It’s a Literary Battle!

• Malcolm Gladwell tries to figure out what made Steve Jobs so special.

• The passing of boxing legend Joe Frazier gives us a chance to link to two terrific SI profiles: Mark Kram’s in the wake of the Thrilla in Manila and William Nack’s retrospective on Frazier’s rivalry with Muhammad Ali two decades after it ended.

• John S and Tim’s inaugural Double Bonus podcast for the 2011-2012 season did not, unfortunately, discuss Storm Clonch or Dundrecous Nelson.

• Speaking of college basketball, we should find ways to play more games on ships.

• Rolling Stone details how the GOP became the party of the rich.

Monday Medley

What we read while–BOO!

• A great World Series concluded Friday night. As usual, the great series caused a lot of debate. Jonah Keri listed the 21 craziest things about Game 5 (only one of which was Bullpengate). That game alone was so fraught that Will Leitch needed an extra day to get over it. Of course, things got better for him in Game 6, with the Cardinals TWICE pulling off shocking comebacks, leading Tim McCarver of all people to come up with the call of the postseason. Plenty of writers tried to put the game into perspective, but perhaps Roger Angell’s scorecard sums it up best. Of course, St. Louis ended up coming out on top, and Keri tried to determine if the Cardinals were the most unlikely champion ever. Meanwhile, Joe Poz called all this back in August…

• Where did the seven-game series come from, anyway?

• In non-World Series news, Aaron Sorkin is writing a Steve Jobs biopic (“You know what’s cooler than an iPod? An iPod Nano!”), but has everyone forgotten his true masterpiece, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip?

• This satire of The Mentalist is funny even if you’ve never seen a second of the show.

• Matt Taibbi continued his coverage of the Occupy Wall Street protests, while also exposing Rick Perry’s ignoble reign in Texas.

• Don’t read this if you enjoy seafood.

 

Monday Medley

What we read while Al Davis told Steve Jobs to “Just win, baby!”…

• Steve Jobs passed away last week at 56. His influence on the world of technology was obviously unmistakable. But perhaps almost as great was his influence on people, including Bill Gates. His career was inspiring, from his introduction of the Mac in 1984, to his ouster from Apple a few years later, to his triumphant return and introduction of the iPod and iTunes. He was the “new archetype for the American businessman.” Not everyone was so laudatory.

• Al Davis, owner of the Oakland Raiders, also died last week. He was 82. A summary of his complex legacy.

• Breaking Bad‘s fourth season ended last night, and Vince Gilligan and cast members like Bryan Cranston, Dean Norris, and Giancarlo Esposito have been doing rounds of interviews to promote the finale.

• In other TV news, Harry Shearer made a plea for the cast of The Simpsons, who quickly folded in exchange for two more seasons of the show. And Dan Harmon of Community was profiled in Wired.

• A Google book review.

• Is Twitter a sustainable business?

• This profile will make you resent Michael Lewis.

Monday Medley

What we read while Irene thankfully didn’t affect the VMAs…

• NPI-favorite Michael Schur teamed up with The Decembrists to make a video based on the NPI-favorite Eschaton scene in NPI-favorite novel Infinite Jest by NPI-favorite writer, David Foster Wallace. NPI really enjoyed it.

• Speaking of DFW, the New York Times Magazine tried to blame him for bad blog writing.

• Steve Jobs resigned from Apple for health reasons. Whether or not you’re an official member of the cult of Jobs, there’s no denying his profound influence. This Rolling Stone interview, given during his decade-long exile from Apple, shows his intelligence and prescience. Apple, of course, is still in good hands, and new CEO Tim Cook has some great ideas…

• Miranda July has a new movie out, The Future,  which garnered a very positive review from Roger Ebert, who ranked July’s first film, Me and You and Everyone We Know, as one of the best of the Aughts. New York Times Magazine had a feature on July last month.

• The New Yorker details the politics and impact of Clarence Thomas and his wife. Reason Magazine points out Jeffrey Toobin’s inconsistent position on Thomas’s influence on the Court.

• Jeffrey Sachs discusses the dishonest debate about America’s deficit.

• Is the Colbert Super PAC funny or serious? Or both?

• Joe Posnanski talks about pitchers and the MVP award, Jonah Keri tries to figure out how the Angels keep winning, and Joe DeLessio tries to figure out if Jeff Nelson ever effectively used “the old Jeff Nelson.”

• An interview with Paul Rudd.

• Inspirational posters from The Wire.