20 May 2009: Afternoon By The Morning News — 20 May 2009 Obama's Pakistan policy hopes to undo five Administrations' mistakes, though "opportunism and hypocrisy" still rule. Op: Obama-Netanyahu talks were terrible for Israel's Likud Party, who are out of step at every turn. Iran reports test-firing new missile; range extends to Israel and American bases. Field notes from a beheading in "Chop Chop Square" in Riyadh. Banks pump billions into "janitors insurance"--profiting from employees' deaths to finance employee benefits. "Going minimalist" is the new term when the formerly wealthy throw one-day auctions to sell off Ferraris, tiki bars, and aviaries. I count a black one, a white one, a white one, a white one. Report from a diversity conference. Winning team looks back on how they won Netflix's contest to improve its movie-suggestion algorithm. Accusing Dowd of plagiarism gets dull for reporters; arguments focus more on whether or not she's any good. Examples of the mainstream media "parasiting" political blogs Hitchens on Edward Upward: mentor to Auden and sufficiently Stalinist. Ebert's passionate, sound defense of Lars von Trier's diabolical Antichrist. Word from Cannes: Inglorious Basterds is an "armour-plated turkey from hell." Tweeting too hard: where self-important tweets get the recognition they deserve.
