Monday Medley

What we read while trying to find Ann Romney a job…

• The Trayvon Martin case took another turn last week, as George Zimmerman was arrested and charged with second degree murder. Meanwhile, a teacher in Michigan was fired for teaching the issue. And a little background on “Stand Your Ground” laws.

• Jonathan Franzen bashes the comma-then construction.

• Deadspin’s Drew Magary veers away from sports to detail the premature birth of his child.

• The Department of Justice sued Apple and several e-book publishers for price fixing in violation of federal Antitrust laws: here is a review of some key excerpts from the complaint. Amazon, of course, is thrilled.

• The Atlantic got more headlines with its cover story on Facebook and loneliness — “How Facebook and Twitter Are Saving and/or Wrecking the World” are easily marketable these days — we enjoyed their profile of video game innovator Jonathan Blow a tad more.

• Do drones make it too easy for America to wage war? There are already more wars than most Americans can keep track of…

• How liberals have turned their backs on Bradley Manning.

• Will Wilkinson and Bryan Caplan debate whether political/ideological labels are IQ-draining. Meanwhile, Will Wilkinson is (gradually) changing his career.

• Ashley Judd offers a scathing indictment of the media’s dissection of her face.

• Now that Rick Santorum has dropped out, making Mitt Romney’s nomination all but official, it’s time for the really important question about the 2012 election: Does it even matter?

• Ever want to live in an Ikea? How about a town owned and developed by Ikea?

• Matt Taibbi is no fan of President Obama’s JOBS Act.

• When even “good” schools fail to prepare students for college.

• When people cared about fonts.

• Has the NYPD turned on Commissioner Ray Kelly?

• A real love story…

• These animals aren’t mad, just disappointed.

Monday Medley

What we read while Mike Wallace didn’t throw out the first pitch…

• Baseball has begun! Opening Day was last week, and fans in New York and Boston are already panicking. Both teams are 0-3, and Baltimore is 3-0: The world is on its head.

• David Simon is sick of hearing about how much you love The Wire. Actually, as he later explained to Alan Sepinwall, he’s just sick of people reducing the show down to who is the coolest character.

• Speaking of showrunners, an interview with the head of Happy Endings. And Aaron Sorkin appears to have inspired a generation of political operatives.

• The American police state continues to expand with little outcry. Internet freedom continues to get squeezed, and cops can now patrol your hallway in New York City.

• Rand Paul is the most important anti-war politician.

• How is Sanford reacting to the Trayvon Martin case?

• E.O. Wilson explains political tribalism in terms of evolutionary biology.

• The worst of Park Slope.

• What does the word “blog” even mean?

Monday Medley

What we read while putting away our hoodies and Skittles…

• It’s been a week since the day that shook the world: The revelation of “A” on Pretty Little Liars, in an episode that broke social media records. The cast discussed their favorite “A” moments, while Morgan Glennon discussed the show’s feminism.

• Will the Democrats remove civil liberties from the 2012 platforms after Obama has spent four years dismantling them? Meanwhile, Michael Tomasky doesn’t think Obama should announce support for gay marriage until after he gets re-elected.

• This week in oral histories: Vanity Fair looks back at The Sopranos.

• Gizmodo wonders if Google has reached the point where it can’t follow its original slogan.

• Support our atheist troops! Speaking of atheism, Sam Harris wonders why more liberals won’t call Islam on its bullshit.

• Metacritic has 50 films to look forward to in 2012, which is basically like The Dark Knight Rises and 49 other films.

• A look at Craig James’ weird campaign for Senate in Texas.

• If you’re not already sick of hearing about Mad Men‘s return, here’s a video of the women of the cast singing (kind of). Also, a look at the double standard fans apply to Don and Betty.

• Should we tax the obese?

• Apropos of nothing, the short story that inspired Rear Window.

• Happy Birthday to the interrobang! We wish we could have phrased that sentence so that it could have reasonably been punctuated with an interrobang.

• Newt Gingrich or Kanye West?