Headlines from April 30, 2012

Dozens wounded after suicide attacks in northwestern Syria.
One World Trade Center to become New York’s tallest building at some point soon.
People will forgive a short man with a beautiful wife if he seems sufficiently surprised. France likely to replace Sarkozy with a milky citizen king.
Report from the rust belt of France.
In India, solar energy is well on its way to competing with traditional fuel sources.
Cell phones may eliminate the need to carry cash and credit cards—who needs a wallet when we have the internet?
Brief history of the Mason jar.
It could have been Paul Newman. Facts about the nude Burt Reynolds Cosmo centerfold.
Long profile of Osama bin Laden as an overrated villain, “mode-locked to success by a series of random events.”
According to science, Florence Colgate is the most beautiful woman in England.
Tribute to the 1950s, a high point in American culture killed by highbrows. #opinions
The New Yorker almost got rid of its umlaut, but the style editor died before he could send out the memo.
How to make a very small knife. via
After a dramatic week of political history, the Dutch cobble together austerity measures.
Rodrik: National interests are slaves to economists’ ideas and their influence on policymakers.
Billionaire says Titanic II should be ready to sail in 2016.
When you look at America, you have to concede that we have failed… When the majority of citizens are not better off, the economic system is not working.
White House Correspondents dinner shows Obama’s wit; Romney “could never do a night like this.”
When you get lost, you’ll stay lost. Tour of London by the charming A.A. Gill.
Corrections to stories from the Middle East—e.g., “farewell sex”—that were too good last week to fact-check.
Report from inside a Pantone summit, figuring out which hues will dominate upcoming culture.
History of how the U.S. Army chooses the precise colors of its tanks and boots. #longreads #tmn
Profile of George Hotz, hacker who cracked the iPhone and Sony Playstation. #longreads
Study finds empirical evidence that homophobia can result, at least in part, from the suppression of same-sex desire.
Behind the scenes of a sex doll factory, with pictures of owners.
Photographs of actors’ apartments—Garbo, Brando, Bancroft—in New York City.
View from a bathroom constructed on top of a 15-story elevator shaft.
Monday poem: “In Colorado My Father Scoured and Stacked Dishes.”