What we read while the Egyptian government REALLY cracked down on Tebowing…
- Christopher Hitchens, a great writer whose passionate defenses of atheism and attacks on the sanctity of religion were a source of pleasure for some at this blog, passed away last week. His intellectual contributions were certainly impressive, and many will miss him, but Hitchens was also a profoundly controversial figure whose ardent support for the Iraq war was, in the words of some, an unforgivable mistake, which should not be glossed over. After all, Hitchens was never one to pull punches in the wake of someone’s death…
- In other death news, world leaders from both ends of the spectrum died this weekend: Vaclav Havel on the one hand, and Kim Jong Il on the other.
- Why to buy your books online.
- Alan Sepinwall delivers his 11 favorite television shows of the year. Meanwhile, Longreads has its 10 best, umm, long reads of the year.
- In the political world, a surprising endorsement for Ron Paul, and a history of Ron Paul. Meanwhile, 60 Minutes botched its interview with President Obama.
- IFC ranked the ten most underrated comedies of all time. Also, an interview with Anthony Jeselnik. And Louis C.K. answers plenty of questions on Reddit.
- For those who remember Lost, a character analysis via peanut butter sandwiches.
- Tim reviewed Chad Harbach’s The Art of Fielding last weekend. The Millions dives into one of the novel’s main plotlines and its relation to past works.
- Tyler Cowen on whether we are stagnating aesthetically.
- The website is in French, but these family holiday cards spell hilarity in any language.
