Headlines from August 12, 2009

"They use their political allies to scare and mislead the American people." Obama enters the health-care fray at a town-hall meeting.
Op: With fascism in Iran, university presidents are again succumbing to tolerance and apathy when they could be taking influential stands.
Ehrenreich: In defiance of all reason and compassion, the criminalization of poverty has actually been intensifying.
Brazilian TV host investigated for organizing executions to boost ratings for lunchtime crime show.
In the shadow of the Taconic Parkway tragedy, Babble editor slams blog jokes about "better parenting through alcohol."
"We'll just be patient. But they will all go to hell." In Iraq, Shiites refuse to retaliate against Sunni attacks.
The common tool in keeping onions fresh, waxing skis, and growing melons: pantyhose.
Hoping to erase that telltale mileage, we raised the back on a pair of jacks. Edward McNally, who had 27 absences in his senior year, grew up on the same street as John Hughes.
For a special anniversary edition of "Of Recent Note" tell us: Where were you when the lights went out?
Misspelled signs in New York.
I felt a couple of tugs and looked to my left to see a couple of my fellow divers guiding her body up through the depths. A physician's account of working with cadavers.
The life of a B-movie zombie.
An analysis of "Choose Your Own Adventure" outcomes shows that most likely, you'll die.
News reports focus on the bruhaha about Clinton's husband comment, not the tough words she's delivering in Congo.
Clinton on her five hours in Goma: Overwhelmed, horrified, drained.
Instapaper for the commute: Adam Hochschild's inventory of appalling Congo crimes.
Beautiful African soil maps.
To map the brain--to draw a "connectome"--means finding paths between 100 billion neurons (probably not anytime soon).
Mean reversion is a bitch. Economic growth in China is not miraculous, and the bubble will burst soon.
Nepal offers $650 incentive if you marry a widow.
Pornography industry battered by free content, especially its "middle class."
Ringwald: John Hughes had "a heavy heart, deeply sensitive, prone to injury."
Fascinating anecdotal and narrative notes from the early '70s by J.M. Coetzee.
We actually want to read more slowly, but: How to read 300% faster in 20 minutes.
Graphic novels provide a slower, more involved reading experience, and no one should be ashamed of liking them.
Such a paraphrase, so slanderous. The best bits of "Snacks and Shit" are the labels.
Questions a stalker asks himself while staring at your bookcase.
Pictures of old rock dudes with Meg Ryan hair.