Morning Coffee (5/30/14)

Happy Friday!

Whoa. They're rebooting Stargate.

The Women of New York's City Hall

Businessweek's Piketty cover is the most amazing thing I've ever seen.

Fascinating, even if you don't really care about Jolie: Angelina Jolie's Perfect Game

My friend Christine is recapping the terrible "history" of Reign this summer and it's going to be amazing.

I will admit I desperately want Taylor Swift Keds.

And now a bunch of royalty-related things:

This profile of a second-generation royal reporter is quite interesting.

I hope this girl dines out on the time she made pizza with Prince Harry for the rest of her life.

Swedish cuteness: Princess Estelle carries out her first official royal engagement and Princess Madeleine shows off baby Princess Leonore, but scroll down on that one and take a look at Chris O'Neill in the Yankee cap, because it's cracking me up. (I know he's a commoner and they live in New York BUT STILL.)

I'm dying to see what Anmer Hall ends up looking like.

Look, a jelly bean portrait of the Cambridges. (Or Strathearns, since they were in Scotland.)

Morning Coffee (5/29/14)

Into the Fire: Will Investigators Bring Charges in the Back Bay Blaze?

Rebelling Against Abuse, Afghan Women See Signs of Change

Gillian Flynn is doing Hamlet for those Hogarth Shakespeare retellings and . . . hmm. That should be interesting.

The scholar who linked Dracula with Vlad the Impaler has died.

Interesting: Ukraine Faces Hurdles in Restoring Its Farming Legacy

Esther Dyson: Breaking through tech’s glass ceiling

What it’s like to win the National Spelling Bee

Perfect: The Hobbit, Improved

Morning Coffee (5/28/14)

Very important: Your Princess Is in Another Castle: Misogyny, Entitlement, and Nerds

Related: When Women Refuse

Eight facts about violence against women everyone should know

The Onion, but basically completely sincere: ‘No Way To Prevent This,’ Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens

Cornelia G. Kennedy, a Pioneering Federal Judge, Dies at 90

Once Allies, Ex-Obama Aides Face Off in British Campaign

The Fug Girls have highlights and lowlights from Cannes.

George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin may be getting married at Highclere. a.k.a. Downtown Abbey. Hee.

Morning Coffee (5/27/14)

Today's Google doodle: Rachel Carson.

Pick-Up Artist Site On Mass Shooting: ‘More People Will Die Unless You Give Men Sexual Options’

50 pols urge Redskins name change

Whoa: FBI: Confirmed Sightings of Missing Boston Artwork

Still Paying for the Civil War

David Schwimmer Helped Solve an East Village Crime

Meet the man who spent a year and a half of his life explaining the best episode of the West Wing ever made

Knitters, here's an app you may want to see.

Morning Coffee (5/23/14)

Yay holiday weekend! See you Tuesday.

First Native American Woman To Be A Federal Judge Takes Oath

This Rolling Stone list of the 40 best YA novels is surprisingly non-terrible.

Ontario man finds baby moose, takes it to Tim Hortons

Whoa, awesome Harry Potter-themed wedding.

Why Is There No Hyphen in This TV Show’s Name?

The 25 Greatest Homes in Literature (Whither Pemberley?)

It's a long weekend. Let's look at the world's best hotel balconies.

And eat dessert.

Morning Coffee (5/22/14)

There was a military coup in Thailand this morning.

Ta-Nehisi Coates: The Case for Reparations (I haven't actually read this yet, but everyone's talking about it, and it's on my plan for the day.)

With New Bill, Abortion Limits Spread in South

Of course this is in the Fashion & Style section. Sigh.

“Nuns Can’t Paint”: Sexism, Medieval Art, and Dudes on Mopeds

Here's an interesting article about Instacart, where my cousin works!

And here's a great profile of Anna Holmes.

Oldest National Park Ranger Shares 'What Gets Remembered'

Morning Coffee (5/21/14)

Make sure you check out today's Mary Anning Google doodle.

Ex-Players Sue NFL Over Use of Painkillers

There was another terrible article about romance novels going around yesterday and I'm not going to bother linking to it, but you should read Alyssa Rosenberg's response to men who are upset that women read romance, and also my friend Holly's tweets on the subject.

I Wanna Marry Harry premiered last night and was TERRIBLE, as you'd expect, but the A.V. Club review is worth a read.

Author Jennifer Weiner has some interesting thoughts on book blurbs.

West Wing fans, make sure you check out this site devoted to "Seventeen People."

Susie from Insatiable Booksluts has a nice guide to How to Write a Book Review.

"Have you ever received an email from an important man over the age of forty? They’re tremendous."

Morning Coffee (5/20/14)

Joe Biden: The best. (But stop inviting celebrities to prom, kids, it's weird.)

Interesting internal perspective: Abramson’s Exit at The Times Puts Tensions on Display

Sorcery at War

Ooh, Alan Sepinwall and Matt Zoller Seitz are writing a book.

Awesome: Rice lands verbal commitment after sending letter to quarterback's cat

The Masterpiece Mystery season starts next month, and here's a preview for The Escape Artist, a new mystery series starring David Tennant. It feels like he's suddenly playing All The Detectives, and . . . that is not an objection.

Need some free audiobooks this summer? Check out SYNC.

Sources Confirm That Thing You Said Really Was That Bad

Morning Coffee (5/19/14)

If you need a Monday time-waster, the Google Doodle is a functional Rubik's cube.

And I'm pretty sure your Monday needs 24 Babes Holding Babies.

This is not how to deal with dropping out of college.

Jill Abramson Will Never Know Why She Got Fired

The Worst Argument Ever Made Against Gay Marriage

The ‘journalist’ who just sexually harassed America Ferrera on the red carpet

Well, this is horrifying: Swarm of honeybees descends on central London Topshop

A Few Questions About Jill Abramson, From David Brooks For David Brooks By David Brooks

Morning Coffee (5/16/14)

First, some Jill Abramson links, because it's important:

Ken Auletta keeps having the best scoops.

I Sort of Hope We Find Out That Jill Abramson Was Robbing the Cash Register

Woman at the Top of the Masthead

Exclusive: New York Times Internal Report Painted Dire Digital Picture

And now your regularly scheduled happy Friday:

My friend Faythe has some good recommendations for YA novels with diversity.

Um: Morrissey invited to take guest role in BBC Radio 4's The Archers

If We Talked About Architecture Like We Talk About Writing

This early and accidental baseball picture is awesome.

I Just Ate Fruit for the First Time and It Kind of Sucked

I love reading about what people read. Here's Mallory Ortberg.

Observations From My Dad Upon Finally Watching The Devil Wears Prada Last Night

Morning Coffee (5/15/14)

Jill Abramson is out at the Times.

And for what it's worth, here's the New Yorker's take on what happened.

The European Court of Justice has given people the right to insist that Google remove certain links about them. Wow.

In a Cafe, Waiting for Word from Rwanda

Wondering if those "#nofilter" people on Instagram are lying? This site will tell you.

Check out the new Escape from Gringotts attraction at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

An Interview With The Alleged Purse Of Solange Knowles

How To Fall Asleep: A Step-By-Step Guide

Morning Coffee (5/14/14)

My cousin wrote this Open Letter to Anti-Vaxxers from the perspective of an autistic adult and it's amazing and you should read it.

What's So Scary About Smart Girls?

Teen Girl Ejected From Prom Because Horny Dads Can't Stop Staring

The New York Times's new cooking site is very pretty.

The Origins of "Privilege"

This West Wing oral history is fascinating.

America's real racism problem doesn't look like Donald Sterling

Powerful Modern Curses

Morning Coffee (5/13/14)

Oh no: Casey Kasem is missing.

Has the Santa Maria been found?

Castle fans, if you're reeling after last night's finale, here's a postmortem with Andrew Marlowe.

Broadchurch and/or David Tennant fans, here's the trailer for Gracepoint. Unpopular opinion: I'm fascinated to see how they start from the same place and wind up somewhere different.

Hieroglyph seems like this year's Sleepy Hollow, as in "FOX concept that sounds bizarre and terrible but might end up being awesome."

Why are people freaking out about Satanism at Harvard?

On Grief and Eating

The Onion: Stone-Hearted Ice Witch Forgoes Exclamation Point

Morning Coffee (5/12/14)

Check out the Google Doodle for Dorothy Hodgkin's birthday.

Eee, look, the first two chapters of Stephanie Perkins's forthcoming Isla and the Happily Ever After!

I was wondering when this sort of thing would start happening . . . Japanese man arrested for possessing handguns made by 3D printer.

Ugh. Tastykakes are made by the most Republican company.

Penny Dreadful creator John Logan has some interesting things to say about how his sexuality shaped the show and his writing interests.

New Yorkers Don’t Call Their Babies Brooklyn

Famous Authors’ Most Dramatic Breakups

William Carlos Williams In The Dorm’s Communal Kitchen

Morning Coffee (5/9/14)

Happy Friday!

The crazy musical from Orphan Black is real.

Pinocchio dinosaur!

Amazing: Paul Rudd and Jon Hamm Competed in Trivial Pursuit to Win Over a Girl

If "Tahmoh Penikett is a very lost, buff wizard" doesn't make you click, then Jed, I don't even want to know you.

Two Medieval Monks Invent Some More Art

This Orphaned Kitten Was Rejected By Its Mother. Guess Who Adopted Him?

These library barcode iPhone cases are nifty.

Wildly Inappropriate Internal Responses I Have Had To Perfectly Innocuous Statements

Whoa, the Air France luxury suite is . . . luxurious.

Morning Coffee (5/8/14)

The drug cocktail used in Clayton Lockett's execution last week? Banned for use on animals in some places because it's inhumane.

Sotomayor Finds Her Voice Among Justices

Interesting: Even as U.S. Hispanics Lift Catholicism, Many Are Leaving the Church Behind

A reality check from Linda Holmes: Once More Into The Jaws Of The TV Dinosaur Known As Upfrontasaurus

16th century 'vampire' grave unearthed in Poland

"In that way, Hillsong is a lot like the BuzzFeed of Christianity."

Fake Geek Guys: A Message to Men About Sexual Harassment

I loved Reza Aslan's Zealot, and this interview with him is great.

Why I Stopped Speaking to My Daughter in Hebrew

Morning Coffee (5/7/14)

Update: New Kidnapping Reported in Nigeria as U.S. Offers Help

Shocker: It's like universal health care helps people's health.

I have to figure out how to work an evening podcast into my routine, but I'm excited about Mike Pesca's new The Gist at Slate.

Well, this is awesome: The College of Arms has published rules for The Arms of Individuals in Same-Sex Marriages.

Huh: Monica Lewinsky is doing a Vanity Fair exclusive.

John Green in Cosmo: Can You Get Too Old for YA Novels? (No.)

Terrible news: One in five beers sold in America is a Bud Light

If You Knew Anne of the Island IRL

Morning Coffee (5/6/14)

Chasing Death Camp Guards With New Tools

Most of What You Think You Know About Sex Trafficking Isn’t True

Huh. Pemberley Digital's next project: Frankenstein M.D.

The Bechdel test is fine just the way it is

Is It Fair To Call A Band A Sellout? (Hint: No.)

I am also so over book guilt.

10 Great Authors Who Disowned Their Own Books

5 Well-Intentioned Phrases That Have Been Ruined by Assholes

Morning Coffee (5/5/14)

I periodically forget that the Free State Project people are still around, being annoying and terrible.

Important: Changed Life of the Poor: Better Off, but Far Behind

Why Has the Pentagon Turned Into a Robot When Asked to Explain Its Trans Ban?

Think what you may of "Blurred Lines" in general, but this video of Hugh Jackman, Michael Fassbender, and James McAvoy dancing to it is PURE MAGIC.

I don't understand these people who want to stay in New Hampshire and leave Connecticut.

Will fear of TV cancellations become a thing of the past?

Beyond net neutrality: The new battle for the future of the internet

Hee: PEI to bolster tourism with 300 ft Anne of Green Gables Roller Coaster (Warning: satire.)

Truth: Cider Is Fucking Awesome. End of Story.

Morning Coffee (5/2/14)

Happy Friday! Finally!

This Isn’t Just About Star Wars: The 5 Dumbest Arguments Against Gender Diversity

I only care about the NFL schedule to the extent that it affects The Good Wife, and yet this piece on how the schedule was made was completely fascinating.

How TV networks REALLY pick which pilots become series

Nifty: 22 Books You Should Read Now, Based On Your Childhood Favorites

I don't watch much reality TV but I will absolutely watch Lifetime's new convent show.

Go Emma Stone!

A People’s Most Beautiful list you don’t have to feel awful about

The French used to love taking baby names from US TV shows

The Onion: Woman A Leading Authority On What Shouldn’t Be In Poor People’s Grocery Carts

How Much Do You Hate People? (Spoiler: a lot. I hate people a lot.)

Morning Coffee (5/1/14)

How is it May? I don't understand.

Local note: Tonight is the Hippo's annual charity taco tour in Manchester.

If you missed this as it broke last night, there are more Rob Ford recordings and he's taking a leave of absence.

This New Yorker piece on the kidnapped Nigerian girls is a good overview, and make sure you read this update too.

How Fox News Shoved Shepard Smith Back Into The Closet

Oh, Joyce Carol Oates, no.

How Donald Sterling Violated The NBA's Unspoken Social Contract

"If you kill a person, you're a murderer. If you steal, no one would hesitate to call you a thief. But in America, when you force yourself on someone sexually, some people will jump through flaming hoops not to call you a rapist."

Why the gender gap in children’s allowances matters

"But an internal military document that a Navy official inadvertently e-mailed to a Washington Post editor . . ."