Morning Coffee (5/9/16)

Me elsewhere: TV news for the week.

An important new investigation from the Globe's Spotlight team: Private schools, painful secrets

The BBC's Rupert Wingfield-Hayes and his team have been expelled from North Korea but have made it safely to Beijing. I saw a news alert as I was falling asleep last night that they'd been detained in North Korea, so I'm very glad the situation was more or less resolved by the time I woke up this morning.

"It's understandable that a real estate developer might assume that what works in real estate would work in economic policy, but it's not true. And Trump hasn't bothered to check or ask anyone about it."

Important: “We would have paid her the same if she weighed 500 pounds”: Publishing, Weight, and Writers Who Are “Hard To Look At”

A Comprehensive Timeline of Carly Fiorina's Historically Short VP Run

Paging Jean Valjean: Stealing Food Isn't a Crime if You're Going Hungry, Italian Court Rules (No, dumb jokes aside, this is a good thing!)

A Former Girl Soldier in Colombia Finds ‘Life Is Hard’ as a Civilian

I find the pieces comparing Trump to ancient historical figures to be weirdly soothing. (I almost said "after all, Greece is fine now" but that's OBVIOUSLY NOT TRUE. But it's not because of Alcibiades.)

There's some interesting information here, but the headline made me laugh, because if you found really old hair in a church wouldn't you just EXPECT it to belong to a medieval saint?

I just saw Paul McCartney in concert so I was fascinated to read about Philip Norman's change of heart on him.

The Complicated Sisterhood of Jackie Kennedy and Lee Radziwill

How To Tell If You Are In An E.M. Forster Novel

Morning Coffee (2/4/16)

Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders Intensify Efforts in New Hampshire After Iowa Standoff

One of the reasons I support her: "Nothing is certain in life, but the odds in favor of a reasonably productive Clinton administration are decently high — it just wouldn't necessarily consist of an agenda progressive activists will be especially thrilled with."

And: More Signs Of Fuzzy Math In The Bernie Sanders Health Plan

!!!!!!!! Instagram adds multiple account switching for a lucky few iOS users

This story of what happened to Melissa Harris-Perry in Iowa is horrifying.

Taylor Swift is launching a mobile game and there are zero details on what it actually is but I'm sure I will try it!

Yesterday my friend Carrie discovered that the Trader Joe's site has a what's new page and THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING.

The Useless Agony of Going Offline

This is a sad and thought-provoking story about the treatment of parents with intellectual disabilities.

The Onion, barely: ‘I Think We Still Have A Shot,’ Carly Fiorina Assures Closest Inkjet Printer

Morning Coffee (1/23/16)

ICYMI: Yesterday's Oscar Project post was on World of Tomorrow.

Me elsewhere: I explained that Romeo and Juliet sequel in the works at ABC.

I can only assume this will increase his support: Trump retweets support from neo-Nazi ‘White Genocide’ account

Shocker: Putin ‘Probably Approved’ Litvinenko Poisoning, British Inquiry Says

Charlotte Rampling's comments on the Oscars and diversity are obviously terrible and disappointing but this sort of thing also always makes me think "Where are her PR people and why was she not prepared for this question???"

And here's another entry in "This is terrible and SURELY IT WAS SOMEONE'S JOB TO STOP HER:" Carly Fiorina accused of 'ambushing' children for anti-abortion rally

Who Poisoned Flint, Michigan?

Here's some good historical context for the A Birthday Cake for George Washington controversy.

SIGH: State Police drove Patriots game balls to Gillette after refs forgot

Hey Boston-ish friends, let's go to the Mapparium! That sounds really neat.

It will be interesting to watch what happens with this: Narrowing a Gap in the Sci-Fi Universe: One Fangirl Giving a Voice to Others

Women With Snake Boyfriends In Western Art History

Morning Coffee (5/5/15)

Ruth Rendell has died. I've been meaning to read her for years, so I finally just checked her first book out from the library.

Jack Ely, singer of "Louie Louie," has also died. Sorry, this is dark so far. Moving on!

Carly Fiorina is the latest example in "Dear candidates, just register all obvious domain names, COME ON."

Speaking of, Fiorina's claim that no regulations have ever been repealed is just as ridiculously false as it sounds.

I will never tire of stories of people hanging up on the Pope, thinking they're being pranked.

How Nellie Bly became a Victorian sensation and changed journalism forever

The Onion, and also the truth: Woman Can’t Wait To Get Home And Take Off Uncomfortable Persona

Classic Films, Summarized by Someone Who Has Never Seen Them