Morning Coffee (6/14/19)

Time for Friday happy links! With some LATE-BREAKING HAPPY NEWS: Taylor's got a new single out, wherever you listen to such things! (And a new album in August.)

!!! ‘Orphan Black’ Storyline Continues With Tatiana Maslany Voicing New Audio Series for Serial Box

Ooh, Frozen II trailer!

The Times has a new puzzle game called Tiles and WARNING: very addictive.

SO CUTE: Tiny Prince Louis Makes His Trooping The Colour Debut…

The three original seasons of Veronica Mars will be on Hulu on July 1st if you want to catch up or rewatch before the new season!

I'm saving this to watch over the weekend but YAY: Sesame Street: Tiny Desk Concert

The Muppet Movie is coming back to theaters for its 40th anniversary

Ooh: FOR ALL MANKIND: Apple TV+ Reveals First Trailer for Alternate Reality NASA Drama

Once Threatened, Europe’s Night Trains Rebound

These Are the Craziest Milkshakes in Every State

Morning Coffee (3/22/19)

WHAT A WORLD: Pete Buttigieg is a Hufflepuff, husband reveals

This is a delightful update: We found the (actual) first Jewish woman to finish the Iditarod sled dog race

I am both excited and terrified! ‘Sesame Street’ Live-Action Movie Set for 2021

Progress! Buccaneers hire 2 female assistant coaches

Ooh: Oneworld snaps up Southon's 'dazzling' history of murder in Ancient Rome

Slate is now doing the very important work of telling us how scary movies are, starting with Us.

Leigh Bardugo reveals haunting cover, excerpt for adult debut Ninth House

This is so cute: Cover Reveal and Excerpt: HOW TO BE REMY CAMERON by Julian Winters

This is hilarious: How to Create Your Very Own Crossword Puzzle

Ooh, let's buy some sandals!

Morning Coffee (3/15/19)

Time for Friday happy links!

!! Emma Haruka Iwao smashes pi world record with Google help

Aw I love this story about Iditarod pizza delivery.

Ooh, interesting new research: Mary Rose crew might have included sailors of African heritage

U.S. Postal Service Reveals Additional Stamps for 2019 Sesame Street! Dinosaurs! Halloween!

I finally watched an Aladdin trailer and . . . sure!

Can't wait for this: It’s Live!! Cover Reveal: Michigan vs. the Boys by Carrie S. Allen + Giveaway

And this: Exclusive: Natalie C. Parker Reveals the Cover of 'Steel Tide'

Yay Steph Perkins!! Patrick Brice To Helm ‘There’s Someone Inside Your House’ Film For Netflix

New Interactive ‘Carmen Sandiego’ Caper Comes to Google Earth

Whoa: Daily Frolic: ‘Clueless’ lip gloss is like, totally available

Morning Coffee (10/18/18)

Chilling: "The Trump administration and the Saudi royal family are searching for a mutually agreeable explanation for the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi."

Audio Offers Gruesome Details of Jamal Khashoggi Killing, Turkish Official Says

THIS IS NOT GOOD: Ryan Zinke Has Fired the DOI Inspector General

If you're wondering what the deal is with the Proud Boys and Gavin McInnes, here's a good primer: Boys to Men

To Avoid Conflicts, Rick Scott Created a Trust Blind in Name Only

Ooh, this sounds interesting! Anna Burns Wins the Man Booker Prize for ‘Milkman’

Russian Orthodox church splits with Orthodoxy's leader in seismic rift over Ukraine

VERY SAD: Original Big Bird, Caroll Spinney, Leaves ‘Sesame Street’ After Nearly 50 Years

Good: Mary Bono, who had ties to a firm that helped protect Larry Nassar, is out as USA Gymnastics president

2018 is wild: Riverdale Actor Denies Conspiring With Courtney Love to Murder Frances Bean’s Ex-Husband

Afternoon Tea (8/19/18)

A Premature Attempt at the 21st Century Canon

Hijab in the Trump Era

This interview with a Sesame Street writer is getting lots of headlines because of his comments about Bert and Ernie, but the entire thing is really worth reading.

How an Unsolved Mystery Changed the Way We Take Pills

‘Pierce your heart’: Letters from Europe and North Africa by Indian prisoners in the Second World War

Morning Coffee (5/29/18)

Asylum seekers have flooded into Canada. The government is putting them to work.

After Ireland Abortion Vote, Northern Irish Ask, ‘Why Not Us?’

North Korea Nuclear Disarmament Could Take 15 Years, Expert Warns

This sounds like the worst TV season ever: ‘The only one’: In new West Wing season, Trump calls the shots and aides follow

The NFL’s “take a knee” ban is flatly illegal

Three Younger Veterans Stake a Generational Claim on the Democratic Party

Interesting interview: Chelsea Clinton: ‘I’ve had vitriol flung at me for as long as I can remember’

SO EXCITED: Tana French previews her thrilling new mystery The Witch Elm

‘Sesame Street’ Has Filed A Lawsuit Against The Raunchy Puppets Of ‘The Happytime Murders’

Heh: Rudy Giuliani went to watch baseball on his birthday and Yankees fans gave him the gift of boos

Morning Coffee (1/1/18)

Happy New Year!

Me elsewhere: This week's TV news.

Alexey Navalny and the Empty Spectacle of the Russian Election

This is great: MacArthur Grant Will Create ‘Sesame Street’ for Syrian Refugees

In News That Is Definitely Not Foreshadowing Anything, Melania Trump Says Her Favorite Show Is How to Get Away With Murder

lolol: John McAfee says his Twitter account was hacked

‘Anyone can change any habit’: the science of keeping your 2018 resolutions

Advice on New Year’s Resolutions from Kierkegaard and Nietzsche

This was going on for so long that I honestly forgot it was still happening: Liverpool’s Price for Van Dijk? A Wait, an Apology and $100 Million

Who's Stealing All These Goddamn Bees?

Westminster Abbey's attics yield a treasure trove of stained glass

I didn't even like the new Orient Express much but I do agree that what the world needs in 2018 is an Agatha Christie cinematic universe.

Morning Coffee (9/22/17)

Whew. We made it to Friday. As is tradition around here, we're going for links on the lighter side today.

Hey, Patreon patrons at the $3 level or higher! Our September hangout is tonight at 9pm ET! Get in touch with your Skype handle! And if you're not a patron yet, there's still time to join in time for this!

Aww, look at the Autumn equinox Google doodle!

Whoa: She's a Ballerina. And a Quantum Physicist. And Maybe an Astronaut.

Awesome: Once Teased For Her Love Of Bugs, 8-Year-Old Co-Authors Scientific Paper

This is perfect: If Bostonians Loved Other Local Institutions the Way They Love Their Local Sports Franchises

Ooh, Hank Green is writing a novel.

The best fashion headline ever: This Winter, It’s Chic to Look Like a Muppet

This is fun, from author Kevin Kwan: What to Buy to Look Like: A Crazy Rich Asian

Sold: This new novel set in an idyllic English country bookshop is as soothing as it sounds

Oh gosh: Chrissy Teigen’s Daughter Luna Got a Talking Elmo and Their First Meetup Is Just Adorable

Now I want to try spiced wafers.

CUTE GIANT TOTE BAGS.

Morning Coffee (9/1/17)

Happy September! You may have noticed that things look a little different around here this morning! I thought it was time for a change. I've got a few other changes in the pipeline too, so check back this afternoon to read all about it!

But first some Friday happy links...

Isabel Allende is going to be on Jane the Virgin!

This made me want to do a rewatch immediately: When Gossip Girl Ruled the World

Aaaah, Sesame Street made "Despacito" except about Rubber Duckie!!

From the Fug Girls: Queen Elizabeth Plots Some Twists For the Next Season of the Royal Family, TV's Longest-Running Soap Opera

!! Inside the Massive New Bookshop That Could Be the World’s Biggest

Hahaha: Things I Have Googled Trying to Guesstimate Men’s Heights from Their Tinder Photos

Sue Grafton from A to Z

Ooh fun: 20 Back to School Romance Novels

LET'S GO: New York’s fanciest – the city's increasingly dazzling ice-creams

The Search for the World’s Most Enchanting Greenhouses

Morning Coffee (7/11/17)

I almost can't believe it's so blatant: Trump Jr. Was Told in Email of Russian Effort to Aid Campaign

Iraqi forces declare victory over Islamic State in Mosul, but fighting continues

What Iraqi Women's Lives Look Like After ISIS

NY Mag has quite the Steve Bannon profile: Attack, Attack, Attack

The National Enquirer's Fervor for Trump

Interesting: This Chart Shows How Your State Government Is Funded

Nice! Sesame Workshop Debuts New Male Afghan Character Zeerak

I am skeptical, the Guardian: Author of mysterious Voynich manuscript was Italian Jew, says scholar

Skeptical! Newly discovered photo reignites Amelia Earhart conspiracy theory

Ancient Romans made world’s ‘most durable’ concrete. We might use it to stop rising seas.

Morning Coffee (3/21/17)

Oh wow: Martin McGuinness, an I.R.A. Leader Turned Peacemaker, Dies at 66

How a Sleepy German Suburb Explains Europe’s Rising Far-Right Movements

The FBI’s director just confirmed it’s investigating the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia

All of Trump’s wiretap claims have now officially been debunked by the FBI and NSA

Of course he does: Tillerson plans to skip NATO meeting, visit Russia in April

Dahlia Lithwick is always worth a read: The Case Against Neil Gorsuch

The Reclusive Hedge-Fund Tycoon Behind the Trump Presidency

I really hope Sesame Street brings back Donald Grump.

Speaking of: Sesame Street Will Introduce Its First Character With Autism in April

Why do the big stories keep breaking at night?

Have you read this crazy story about the Thinx CEO yet? Because it is CRAZY. (Younger friends: None of that is normal. I promise.)

The Cottingley fairy hoax of 1917 is a case study in how smart people lose control of the truth

Morning Coffee (1/13/16)

Current events aren't getting into Happy Friday posts much these days, but THIS ONE DOES: Obama surprises Joe Biden with the Presidential Medal of Freedom

YAY: For the First Time, Lady Liberty Depicted as a Woman of Color on U.S. Currency

Daveed Diggs did "Rubber Duckie" and it is amazing.

Heeeee: A guide to giving your cats their annual performance review

Whoa: Europe's first underwater museum opens off Lanzarote

Jane Smiley Explores Ancient Ireland’s Mysterious Tombs

I am very much enjoying this Winter Classical Playlist.

I want to go there: A Restaurant That Only Serves Pickles Is on the Way

9 Rich and Silky Vegetarian Soups to Help You Weather the Winter

Let's look at some ice castles.

I enjoy when actors do interviews solely about their cats.

Your Friday probably needs the Best Beards of the Golden Globes.

Morning Coffee (7/28/16)

Last night's convention speeches were great - Kaine won me over, Obama and Biden were phenomenal, my personal favorite Chris Murphy did well - but you're going to have to wait for the weekend for links about THEM because I AM SO TIRED YOU GUYS and so these are all things I bookmarked BEFORE last night.

A bit of entertainment news before we get to the politics: Gilmore Girls trailer and premiere date!! I have been less excited about this than... much of the Internet... but that trailer absolutely gave me some feelings.

THIS IS NOT GOOD: Donald Trump Calls on Russia to Find Hillary Clinton’s Missing Emails We are past joking here. This is very serious and way beyond partisan politics.

"Trump just coordinated with Russia in a way that would be illegal if Russia were a super PAC, in the hope that Russia will do something it would be illegal for a super PAC to do."

Aide: Trump 'will not be releasing' taxes

Related: Have we stopped to appreciate how crazy Donald Trump has gotten recently?

Oh hey, my tweet is in this BuzzFeed story: People Are Mad Hillary Was Left Off Some Front Pages After Making History

Bill Clinton explained Hillary’s political style perfectly — but disguised it as a love story

Rebecca Traister's take is also good. "It’s ironic that, in politics and other male-dominated public spheres, one of the roadblocks for women is objectification and sexualization, but when it comes to Hillary Clinton, whose ambition and brains have long rendered her bloodless in the American imagination, hearing her described as an object of desire could feel corrective and bizarrely just. So he did it."

Love this headline: Hillary Clinton’s husband wore a fetching pantsuit to honor her nomination for US president

SO SAD: Sesame Street has laid off Bob, Gordon, and Luis.

Morning Coffee (12/9/15)

This JUST happened - I saw it on Twitter while writing this post and the first time I went to Time's site the article wasn't even up, so I haven't had time to read it - but Angela Merkel is Time's person of the year!

Telling the Truth About ISIS and Raqqa

Exciting news from Orkney! Shifting sand dunes reveal large Bronze Age settlement

The Onion, technically, but not a word of it is untrue: ‘This Will Be The End Of Trump’s Campaign,’ Says Increasingly Nervous Man For Seventh Time This Year

I think this is really important, on Jessica Jones's Kilgrave and fandom: "It’s not that individual women and young girls are 'problematic' or 'fucked up' because they want to believe in these 'reformed abuser' narratives – it’s that these narratives are everywhere, so how can we possibly blame anyone for believing in them?"

Interesting: "What if 'womanwomanwoman' were the English word for rape, defilement, adultery?"

This is wild: I’m sorry, Taylor Swift: My one tweet set off a worldwide search for a “missing” pop star from Los Angeles to New Zealand

Diane Rehm is retiring!

Yes yes yes: How Elmo Ruined Sesame Street

Paintings Of Saul And David That Could Easily Be Mistaken For Angsty Romance Novel Covers

Morning Coffee (9/11/15)

(It is, of course, September 11th; I have nothing particularly original to say about that, so I'm going to continue with usual happy Friday links, with the assumption that today of all days making some cheerful distractions available is not a terrible thing.)

Ahaha: When Cookie Met Sally. (With the "I'll have what she's having" bit, and this is why Sesame Street is the best.)

A bunch of my friends are in a fun webseries called Social Medium and they have a nifty new trailer!

My friend Carrie wrote a great piece about The Young and the Restless and soaps in general that made me want to go watch my soap of choice (Coronation Street).

The best possible response to that Victorian piece: I Love 2012. So I Decided To Live In It.

The Martin Luther figurine was Playmobil's most successful new product ever, and I find that fascinating.

One of the main characters in the Captain Underpants books came out in such a refreshing, matter-of-fact way.

Heeee: Taylor Swift: A Socratic Dialogue

Tumblr of the day: Nihilisa Frank

All you wanted to know about Sherlock Holmes in 17 vintage charts

Morning Coffee (8/17/15)

Me elsewhere: TV news summary for the week.

This is a horrifying but very important read: ISIS Enshrines a Theology of Rape

This Jeff Flake profile is interesting.

‘Sesame Street’ goes to HBO and makes it clear why we should fund the arts

Not that I USUALLY understand the Bush family's choices, but as someone who also calls her grandfather "Poppy," the idea of using it as a child's name just BAFFLES me.

Man Poses as Target on Facebook, Trolls Haters of Its Gender-Neutral Move With Epic Replies

The new War and Peace looks super pretty.

TV critic James Poniewozik is leaving Time for the New York Times, and his retrospective goodbye post is worth a read.

If this happens, DC Comics will have shows on four of the five main broadcast networks.

Morning Coffee (4/7/15)

ISIS is really obsessed with the apocalypse

Fascinating: At Success Academy Charter Schools, High Scores and Polarizing Tactics

The Tehran Symphony Orchestra has been revived.

Headline of the day: Bride abandons wedding after groom can't solve arithmetic problem

"The monster is blue and full of errors." Hahahahaha.

Call the Midwife paper dolls!

Wow: Florida Hotel Wakes Guests by Blaring 'Lion King' Tune "Circle of Life"

“I think the yellow wallpaper looks best,” she said.
“How right you are.”
They were always happy afterwards that they had chosen the yellow wallpaper. It looked so much better than the green had.
– The Yellow Wallpaper

Morning Coffee (11/26/14)

The Thanksgiving Recipes Googled in Every State

Cheddar ice cream for apple pie?!?!

Russia is considering a reindeer police force, about which I really just want an adorable movie.

Awesome: Martha Stewart Launches Line of 3D-Printable Home Products

Follow That Bird is my favorite.

The Rice portrait and the great Jane Austen debate

I have always wanted to see Queen Mary's Dolls' House.

23 maps and charts on language

Morning Coffee (11/19/14)

People's new Sexiest Man Alive: Chris Hemsworth. I'll allow it.

The one basic thing men still don't seem to understand about women

Living on a Prayer: Why Does God Kill So Many Children in Idaho?

Ugh: Oprah Expects Hula Hoopers to Accept Payment in the Form of Exposure

At Brigham Young, Students Push to Lift Ban on Beards

Oh good: Twitter is allowing URLs in DMs again.

Lower Education: How A Disgraced College Chain Trapped Its Students In Poverty

Five ways Sesame Street changed the world

Morning Coffee (2/6/14)

Figure skating coverage starts tonight! Interesting read: The Real Reason Ashley Wagner Made The U.S. Olympic Figure Skating Team

9 Scandals that Rocked the Figure Skating World

Good news: CVS Will Stop Selling Tobacco Products by October

Clay Aiken is really running for Congress.

Charlie Chaplin's only novel is finally being published.

You probably want to see Benedict Cumberbatch on Sesame Street.

Having date night tomorrow? Olive Garden will pay for baby-sitting if you eat there.

What J.K. Rowling’s Ron And Hermione Bombshell Tells Us About True Love And ‘Harry Potter’