Morning Coffee (9/29/18)

Okay: first five links are Kavanaugh-related, second five are not, if you want to skip.

The Senate has agreed to an FBI investigation of Kavanaugh. Here’s what that means.

American Bar Association: Delay Kavanaugh until FBI investigates assault allegations

THIS guy: Lindsey Graham to Democrats: “You’d better watch out for your nominees”

Republicans Marched Into A Buzzsaw

Alexandra Petri, perfect as usual: HOW DARE YOU DO THIS TO BRETT KAVANAUGH?

Rand Paul’s Push to Lift Some Russia Sanctions Fizzles

Trump administration sees a 7-degree rise in global temperatures by 2100 AND THEREFORE THINKS THEY SHOULDN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT.

'We got really lucky': how novichok suspects' identities were revealed

I shouldn't laugh but A LOT OF THIS STORY IS PRETTY FUNNY: Elon Musk’s tweet about taking Tesla private has triggered a federal lawsuit

I didn't love the first one but I'm still kind of excited about this? Gal Gadot To Star In ‘Death On The Nile’ Redo At Fox

Morning Coffee (4/28/16)

(I'm traveling, so this post was written in advance. So if it doesn't seem to take recent news or events into account... that's why.)

This should be the biggest story in the country right now: former U.S. House speaker Dennis Hastert admitted under oath to sexually abusing children when he was their coach.

The Mixed Signals Coming Out of Trump’s Campaign Are the Message

Files Suggest Honduran Police Leaders Ordered Killing of Antidrug Officials

Head of British Spying Agency Apologizes for Its Treatment of Gays

It's time for Hillary to stop talking about Bernie and start talking about Trump

Ugh: Last Year's Hugo Award Drama Is Not Going Away Any Time Soon

This piece about Rand Paul's return to the Senate is interesting but mostly made me wish he'd waited until 2020 (or runs again, I guess) so we can make a million eye doctor jokes.

This this this: Economic Fundamentals That Indie Authors Sometimes Misunderstand

"For those who have never had fortunes deposited into their personal bank accounts with no obligations attached, this may sound suspicious."

"Ma’am, the library is CLOSED. You do not get special library hours just because you go to college. This security guard is doing his JOB and his shift is probably ending and he wants to go home and you can’t even use your words to tell him 'I’m just wrapping up, thanks'?"

Morning Coffee (2/17/16)

ICYMI: I liked The Danish Girl.

This "simple" chart of the war in Syria shows it's actually mind-bogglingly complicated

This is a fascinating look at the interplay between censorship and self-censorship and reasonable business decisions in Russian publishing.

Scalia Was Almost Never The Most Conservative Justice On The Supreme Court

Why nutty conspiracy theories on Antonin Scalia's death are already surfacing

And of course Trump is encouraging this.

Ha: Rand Paul: It’s A ‘Conflict Of Interest’ For Obama To Nominate A Supreme Court Justice

Emily Bazelon is always worth reading on legal matters: How to Bring the Supreme Court Back Down to Earth

What’s Really Behind Why Women Earn Less Than Men?

The Onion but also completely true: Female Presidential Candidate Who Was United States Senator, Secretary Of State Told To Be More Inspiring

"'The beach is named for the stranding of a whale in the 1800s but a whale cannot possess a beach,' reads a Municipal Design Committee memo on the subject."

Morning Coffee (2/1/16)

It's February! It's Caucus Day! This year is going very quickly so far!

Me elsewhere: TV news for the week; I livetweeted Grease Live and one of my tweets made it into this Mashable story.

Very well-written and important: If You’re Liberal and You Think Hillary Clinton Is Corrupt and Untrustworthy, You’re Rewarding 25 Years of GOP Smears

This is quite the headline, but I honestly think Sanders's lack of a real foreign policy team is concerning: Sanders military adviser briefed him once

The comparisons to GamerGate are very apt: The Bernie Bros Are A Problem And The Sanders Campaign Is Trying To Stop Them

How can there have been no one to say "Hey, this isn't legal"??? It boggles the mind. ‘Carmen Sandiego’ Singer-Songwriter Issues Cease and Desist Demand to Rand Paul Campaign

GOOD NEWS: Top of the Lake season two is filming soon!

If you, like me, were wondering why everyone was talking about a John Scott who was not the Fringe character yesterday, read this. I barely knew who he was before this week and I teared up a little anyway.

The Last Days of Target is a fascinating read about what happened with Target in Canada, and of course a lot of it came down to their PIM. Of course it did.

This is a difficult but important look at the Baby Doe case in Boston and the history of child abuse.

I will admit that part of me is tempted, but the science cited mostly made me realize I should make an effort to sleep more.

The Birth of Venus: Pulling Yourself Out Of The Sea By Your Own Bootstraps

Morning Coffee (1/21/16)

ICYMI: Yesterday's Oscar Project post was on Brooklyn, which I liked quite a lot.

Wait: The Grand Jury in the Tamir Rice Case Did Not Take a Vote on Charges (Reading the various updates since I first saw this story yesterday, it's unclear what actually happened, but I think it's important to be aware of anyway.)

My friend Chris is in a new comedy web series called Ride With Me and as of this writing I have not had a chance to watch it yet but Chris is great and YOU should watch it.

And my friend Jack went to the lesser-known candidates' forum this week and it was apparently quite something.

On to real candidates: "Look, let’s get this out there once and for all: It’s not that I don’t think Bernie can win, it’s that I don’t want him to."

Why Bernie Sanders is fighting with Planned Parenthood and the Human Rights Campaign

Is the Bernie Sanders Surge Real?

What a time to be alive: Rand Paul calls Donald Trump 'Gollum'

Whoa, look at this: Prehistoric Massacre Hints at War Among Hunter-Gatherers

New planet?!?! (I still miss Pluto.)

This is amazing: The Illegitimacy of Aragorn’s Claim to the Throne (Note: I have read Lord of the Rings but am not enough of a buff to know if everything in that piece is accurate; I just loved the writing.)

Morning Coffee (4/16/15)

Here's a profile of a Danish politician that involves both knitting AND Borgen so obviously she is now my favorite.

This article about jury selection for the Colorado theater shooting trial is fascinating. (I know one of the victims - he lived, thank goodness - so you may be seeing more links about this trial.)

Elsewhere in terrible but interesting things: Milk teeth of Irish famine's youngest victims reveal secrets of malnutrition

These issues of dementia and consent are so complicated: Sex, Dementia and a Husband on Trial at Age 78

Okay, let's move on to less depressing things, like the 404 error page primary.

Rand Paul has some . . . interesting . . . things in his online store, and my friend Jack has a rundown.

In Silicon Valley, Auto Racing Becomes a Favorite Hobby for Tech Elites

How to Tell If You Are in a Gilbert & Sullivan Operetta