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 blood doping with Lennay Kekua…

• So Deadspin broke the biggest sports story of 2013, by outing the nonexistence of Mani Te’o’s girlfriend. The story got weirder and weirder as Te’o’s complicity came under scrutiny, though he denies being anything but a victim.

• In other sports revelations, Lance Armstrong finally admitted using PEDs and blood doping. His interview with Oprah only made people angrier, though, as he failed to show contrition for destroying lives for sake of his lie.

• Even more sad sports news, as baseball lost two legends: Earl Weaver (of the famously profane “Manager’s Corner”) and Stan “The Man” Musial. Joe Posnanski, who profiled Musial a few years ago, remembered The Man, whose statistics are still amazing.

• Robert F. Chew, who played Proposition Joe on The Wire, also passed away last week.

• Tom Junod with a fascinating look at injuries in the NFL.

• It’s been over a week since the death of Aaron Swartz, but people are still seeing the case as an example of prosecutorial overreach and outright abuse of power. The career of Carmen Ortiz is being examined, as well as the powers generally given to prosecutors.

• Facebook introduced a search tool.

• David Remnick with a frightening look at the religious right in Israel.

• On student debt.

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.

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.

The Double Bonus: Episode 3

John S and Tim are back with another college basketball podcast (No, they haven’t given up on writing posts… yet), and it’s the longest and most action-packed podcast to date! Today they’re discussing how many BYU honor code violations they’ve committed, the Brandon Davies story (including this story on Deadspin), Duke’s Senior Night, St. John’s and Steve Lavin’s “lack of class,” and the upcoming Duke-UNC battle. If you click here you’re in for the ride of your life….

Monday Medley

What we read while almost leading the Bears’ fourth-quarter comeback…

• NPI mourns the passing of writer and, for a lucky few of us, professor Reynolds Price. Price was an institution at our alma mater, someone who fought hard against the excesses of the University that have come to light all too often over the past few years. In addition to his work representing Duke University and the American South, he was also a frequent guest on Charlie Rose.

• Kim Clijsters became one of our favorite female tennis players with this post-match interview.

• You’re probably not going to believe this, but the real Baltimore Police Commissioner is not a fan of The Wire. Predictably, David Simon has a response.

• A couple long reads caught our eye this week, with Tom Junod’s exploration of FOX News’ chief Roger Ailes at Esquire and Gabriel Sherman’s profile of Deadspin editor A.J. Daulerio in GQ. (Here’s an SEO hint, kids: Look at GQ‘s URL for that story.)

• Tim hasn’t necessarily hid his Auburn fandom over the last few months, but things like this make him proud to say he’s an out-of-state Auburn fan.

• Murray Hill is rightfully mocked (it’s from a while ago, but it still applies).

• An easy way to acquire one million dollars?

• Could this actually be a reason to watch The Office (Probably not)?

• The Awl gives us much-needed guidelines when it comes to dating coworkers.

• I love it when I fall into the correct market segment…

Monday Medley

What we read while calling Klondike 5-3226…

• New York Magazine had a strong week, assessing our current libertarian moment, the Columbia (University) drug circle, and, of course, eats. Reason, mentioned multiple times in the libertarian moment article, comments on it. Reason also directs us to an exchange between Judge Alex Kozinski and libertarian writer (and descendant) David Friedman on jury nullification.

• In keeping with our tagline, a heartfelt look at Homer in “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire,” which reminds us of Tim’s exploration of The Simpsons‘ Season One.

• Speaking of judges, C-Span has just posted a lengthy interview with new Justice Elena Kagan.

• And speaking of New York, last week’s storm turned out to be a big embarrassment for the city.

• Facebook passed Google as the most visited website in America this year. Meanwhile, those stupid twins won’t shut up and go away. And the big question now is how long Facebook can hold off the totally up-to-date and not-in-any-way-untouched-since-1997 website for Space Jam. That gives us Geocities flashbacks.

• Is the relationship between age and happiness really U-shaped?

• This interview The Big Lead did with Deion Sanders can best be described as awkwardly unproductive, while over at Deadspin someone took Gregg Easterbrook to task for his preachy bullshit.

• We posted Roger Ebert’s best films of 2010 last week. This week he gives us is top ten foreign films of the year. And if that doesn’t slake your thirst for foreign cinema, take a peek at Empire‘s 100 best of all-time, compiled way back in June. John S mentioned two of the top 20 in Aught Lang Syne’s look at cinema.

• Yeah, there’s some irony here…

Monday Medley

What we read on our 48-hour sabbatical from MSNBC…

• The long wait for Conan O’Brien’s new show ends tonight, with the premiere of Conan on TBS. Jay Leno will probably not be a guest. Speaking of Leno and late-night TV, October saw The Daily Show beat its network rivals in the ratings, while Leno fell behind Letterman. I wonder if Dick Ebersol will call Leno an “astounding failure” now.

• Zach Galifianakis, in his early years, was sort of skinny. Also, a fascinating look at Woody Allen’s early years, including his stint on Candid Camera. Erik Voss at SplitSider, meanwhile, wonders if there’s ever a justification for a comedian to steal material.

• Tim wasn’t the only one spending some time on The Simpsons‘ Treehouse of Horror. In the spirit of Tim’s top nine, IO9 had its top 10 and 11 Points did its top 11.

• Speaking of Jews, one of the “numerous future” New York Times Articles comes to life.

• So, there was an election. Post-Citizens United Narrative Failure # 1: Democrats outspent Republicans on TV ads in House Races (and possibly in everything as well). Perhaps the most redeeming aspect of election coverage is Nate Silver’s incorporation into the mainstream media. He shows how unreliable and systematically biased (towards Republicans) Rasmussen Polls were during the campaigns. Oh, and Buzz Bissinger was clearly responding to John’s argument with this tweet.

• Speaking of fraud, comedian Bruce Baum has some pretty compelling evidence that Bruce Marder and Jerry Seinfeld are unjustly failing to attribute to him co-authorship of the hilarious Letters to a Nut series.

• Joe Posnanski had an even better week than usual, with posts on the weakest World Series winners of all-time, the currently active “certain” Hall of Famers, and the late Sparky Anderson.

• Why nobody can compete with the evil behemoth that is Ticketmaster.

• Zadie Smith offers a thoughtful new entry in the rapidly growing genre of “Distinguished Person Over 30 Complaining About Social Media’s Impact On Culture And Society.”

• The CFL–you’ve got to love it.

Monday Medley

What we read while admittedly forgetting…

• And then we were reminded!

• Week 1 of the NFL season, the amping up of the college football year, and the–at least to some–intriguingly tight pennant races in baseball led us to some excellent sports coverage this week. The headliner is the man who’s been making headlines for over a year now in New York, and quite frankly, we’re surprised it took even this long for Rex Ryan to land the cover of New York Times Magazine. Ryan wasn’t the only NFL coach, getting profile treatment, with Sally Jenkins tackling (get it?) Mike Shanahan in the Washington Post.

• John S wasn’t the only one writing about Boise State, with SI’s George Schroeder chronicling the Broncos’ amazing run to college football prominence and Smart Football taking a more technical approach to Chris Petersen’s high-powered (and not entirely Statue of Liberty-based) offense. BSU isn’t the only non-power crashing the party these days, of course, and Texas Monthly looks at TCU head coach Gary Patterson’s more defensive approach to football success. GQ doesn’t care which of those teams you root for; in fact, it encourages both. Michigan’s Denard Robinson gets the Heisman treatment, in photographic and verbal form.

• As for baseball, ESPN’s Tom Friend dives into the life and death of Eric Show–25 years after he gave up Pete Rose’s record-breaking hit. And friend of the blog Ben Cohen over at Deadspin analyzes Derek Jeter from the Yankee fan’s perspective–something John S has done…twice.

• Roger Ebert is bringing back At the Movies with new hosts and an expanded format. Luckily, he’ll be appearing on the new show. Meanwhile, as fans of both Ebert and food, this article obviously was appealing.

• Kate Hopkins debunks the concept of copyrighted cocktails.

• We’re not ones for promoting one-hit tumblrs, but here’s one we have enjoyed: 1001 rules for my unborn son.

• Tim revisited The Great Gatsby himself earlier this summer, but he didn’t get all righteous and write about it. He’s glad Sonya Chung at The Millions did.

• Have we mentioned before that we love Joe Posnanski? We have? Well then you could probably figure out that we loved the comment thread on this page (start at comment #5).

• Air expert Gary Leff, after the topic was broached by Tyler Cowen, discusses genuineness and flight attendants.

• God, we miss Calvin and Hobbes (well, one of us)(the one who wrote about a comic strip once).

Monday Medley

What we read while our goals were mysteriously disallowed…

• BP’s first smart move in the wake of its massive oil spill may have been lessening Tony Hayward’s role in the spill response. He had become one walking gaffe since the disaster–he probably doesn’t have a role in Damon Lidelof’s (fake) movie about the spill.

• As if we needed another reason to hate the World Cup, it is apparently distracting Billy Beane, who has become such a soccer fan that he almost missed Dallas Braden’s perfect game last month. Joe Posnanski is called it “the day Moneyball died,” which John S predicted last summer. That’s not the only way the World Cup is invading Major League Baseball, as seen at Sun Life Stadium on Saturday. Of course, we’d probably watch more of the matches if they looked like this live.

• Philadelphia Magazine (hey, we embarked beyond NYC!) tries to answer the question that has been bugging a lot of people who saw this or read this (what is a douche juice anyway?): Why is Buzz Bissinger so mad all the time? (We do find his absolute trashing of LeBron, with whom he just wrote a book, pretty fascinating. And in the interest of equal time, Deadspin‘s series with Tim Donaghy analyzing the officiating of the NBA Finals was compelling, as well.)

• Our pals at Dead Homer Society are busy reviewing the ninth season of The Simpsons, which is when, in their words, “the show started becoming more Zombie than Simpsons.” Here’s their take on “The Cartridge Family”–an episode every Simpsons fan we know has recently watched for its brilliant opening send-up of soccer. “Oh, I’ll kill myself if Portugal doesn’t win…”.

• Our favorite retrospectives on two fallen sports figures: Posnanski on John Wooden and Sam Mellinger’s premature eulogy for Manute Bol. That both work(ed) at the Kansas City Star may or may not be coincidental.

• We at NPI aren’t fans of this “fail” meme (we like grammar, remember?), but here are the 50 biggest hip-hop “fails” of all-time.

• Michael Ian Black defends selling out on Twitter. Amanda Rykoff attacks #ff (Follow Friday for the uninitiated).

• Psh…we’re pretty sure we can lose Monopoly in fewer than 21 seconds.