Monday Medley

What we read while making nostalgic Top Ten lists…

• David Letterman, the longest running late night host on TV, announced his retirement last week. Tributes to him poured in from the rest of television, which owes him a debt of gratitude. (If you’re curious what the fuss about Letterman is about, you can watch this or this or this or this or this or this.) Letterman was also the subject of the first short story David Foster Wallace published in a national magazine.

• Michael Lewis has a new book on the latest Wall Street scam.

• Was firing its CEO for opposing gay marriage the right thing for Mozilla to do?

• Emily Nussbaum on TV shows with bad fans.

• More tales from America’s absurd criminal justice system. Meanwhile, should juveniles be on sex offender lists?

• Ralph Nader weighs in on GM’s latest safety travesty.

• Shocking! A politician who actually agrees with most Americans on pot, gay marriage, and the NSA!

• In defense of modern language.

• The latest comic book movie is an attack on the Obama kill list.

• We owe rats an apology.

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Monday Medley

What we read while turning our music down in Florida…

• Michael Sam, SEC Defensive Player of the Year, came out publicly a few weeks before the NFL Draft, setting him up to become the first openly gay player in the NFL. NFL GMs immediately said it would hurt his draft stock. Outsports detailed the process that led to him coming out. A pivotal moment for professional sports even inspired Ellen Page to come out.

• In sadder sports news, this season will be Derek Jeter’s last. Some have been dreading this day for years.

• The Wells Report is in, and it turns out Richie Incognito isn’t such a great guy after all…

• What it’s like for a porn star in college.

• On Donald Trump’s political “campaigns.”

• Some David Foster Wallace links: A letter to an editor in which he threatens bodily harm, and a breakdown of his nonfiction.

• This week in oral histories: Street Fighter 2, the greatest arcade game ever.

Monday Medley

What we read while borrowing Joe Namath’s coat…

• Philip Seymour Hoffman, one of the greatest actors of his generation, died yesterday at the age of 46. He won an Oscar in 2006 for Capote, and was known for his incredible versatility as an actor, appearing in films from Boogie Nights to Doubt to The Big Lebowski.

• Another great cultural loss: Pete Seeger passed away at the age of 94. Seeger was a folk music icon, as well as a hero to the American left. His testimony in front of House Un-American Activities Commission is a testament to his idealism and bravery. Not that his legacy was uncomplicated or that his politics were perfect. But he was an educator and a believer in the folk tradition, and his impact on audiences for nearly a century is uniquely inspiring. (But he did not “write” “We Shall Overcome.”)

• The Super Bowl was yesterday and it was… anticlimactic. Even the “cold weather” location didn’t matter much. Perhaps it’s time to rethink the concept of host cities?

• A harrowing letter from Dylan Farrow about Woody Allen.

• Confessions of a former TSA agent.

• Facebook turned 10 years old last week.

• David Foster Wallace’s favorite words.

Monday Medley

What we read while our surprise album went completely unnoticed…

• Ryan Lizza’s excellent in-depth look at the growth of the NSA under Obama, and why attempts at “reform” are doing little. Also, Conor Friedersdorf on the lies the NSA has told.

• Speaking of which, Edward Snowden was TIME’s runner-up for Person of the Year, though some think he should have won, given his global impact. And Glenn Greenwald on what he’s learned.

• Ian Roberts and Jay Martel talk about writing Key & Peele.

• On Nelson Mandela and the value of nonviolence.

• Deadspin debunks arguments against paying college athletes.

• Against the idea of “guilty pleasures.”

• Two experts from Occupy the SEC weigh in on the new Volcker Rule, which turns out to be not that bad!

• David Foster Wallace’s bromance with his favorite grammarian.

• Was the trivia challenge episode of Friends not on the level?

• Roger Angell is going to the baseball Hall of Fame.

• Jeremy Scahill talks about Dirty Wars and the execution of bin Laden.

• 10 things to like about John Lennon, and 10 things not to like.

• Protest the NYPL’s Central Library Plan tomorrow.

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 the name “Sandy” took another big hit...

• Obviously everyone is still reeling from the shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, which killed 27 people, including 20 first graders. The latest in a series of mass shootings, President Obama decalred that something must change. There will be renewed calls for gun control, and debates about how to treat the mentally ill. But what can anyone really say?

• On the bright side, 26 things to cheer you up.

• Moments from last week’s 12/12/12 concert.

• D.T. Max on the origins of the title of his DFW biography.

• How gay marriage won at the ballot.

• If we were to pen a response to Sally Jenkins’ “Why I’m Not Angry at Lance Armstrong,” it would be called “Why We’re Angry at Sally Jenkins.”

• Forget everything you thought you knew about hoodies…

• What is the real legacy of David Petraeus?

• We only agree with about 19 of these.

• Mel Brooks talks about, among other things, playing Hitler.

• A short story of caveman love.

• Another reason to despise what ESPN has become.

Monday Medley

What we read while deleting our emails from David Petraeus…

• Joe Posnanski tackled last week’s MLB awards, from Rookie of the Year, to Manager of the Year, to the Cy Young, to the polarizing MVP debate, which divided the nation.

• Israel spent the week bombing the Gaza Strip after an escalation in rockets from Hamas, though it’s hard to tell who initiated the fighting. Some say Netanyahu’s motives are political, while others insist he’s simply misguided. Of course, the human toll is tragic as civilians and even the press are caught in the middle. But at least it’s making for some great social media fodder!

• Pete Wells penned the restaurant review of the year.  Language Log uses a review of the review to talk about misnegation.

• How sticky are toilet preferences?

• The incoherence of defending drone strikes.

• Why do teachers quit?

• The Petraeus scandal is having ramifications for the growing surveillance state as people question the legitimacy of the FBI’s intrusion.

• A history of Nintendo controllers.

• Man, this North Carolina academic scandal is getting so ugly, some of those players should start enrolling at Western Oklahoma State College.

• D.T. Max on a new collection of David Foster Wallace nonfiction.

• In case you still felt good about ESPN’s, ahem, journalism…

• Life as a New York Times trend story…

• Why marrying Jerramy Stevens was probably not Hope Solo’s best idea.