Headlines from February 28, 2013

Beppe Grillo, whose movement now holds the balance of power in Italy’s parliament, rules out a coalition with the center-left.
Only half of Americans believe the U.S. is the no. 1 military power in the world.
South African paper The Daily Sun publishes amateur footage of police officers dragging a man behind their van.
If Nigeria’s Boko Haram is holding seven French tourists hostage, then it shows a local group becoming a more international jihadist outfit.
Newspaper baron Conrad Black on America’s prison system, which he now knows from the inside-out.
Great Texan pianist Van Cliburn, whose career was short but sparkled, dies at 78.
In case you missed it: The Morning News Tournament of Books, presented by NOOK® by Barnes & Noble, begins Monday. #tmn
Now available: Clinical psychologist who acts as a mediator when parents don’t know how to negotiate with their nannies.
National survey finds children who eat school breakfast score an average of 17.5% higher on math tests.
As dozens of U.S. corporations back gay marriage, how much longer can the NFL ask future employees if they like girls? via
Portrait of Bob “Rosebud” Butt, credited with inventing the Long Island Iced Tea. #video
Oxford defeats Cambridge in 60th contest where participants identify 12 unmarked wines by grape, country of origin, region, subregion, vintage, and taste.
In praise of concision and the world’s shortest, most effective poems.
In articles without datelines designating the writer’s location, be especially careful about your comings and goings, bringings and takings and heres and theres.
Dozens of U.S. companies, including Apple, Facebook, eBay, and Intel back same-sex marriage.
In addition to a photograph and fingerprinting, [should arrestees] be required to open up for an oral swab?
A beer monopoly may be imminent, and it’s perfectly legal.
“Harlem Shake” reaches the Middle East, where it’s a new form of political protest. #video
Iran promises to end nuclear program in exchange for detailed diagram of atomic bomb.
In Japan, where landlords often forbid pet ownership, cafes charge $11 an hour to sit with a cat. #photos
Related: A tour of Japan’s “love hotels.” #tmn
If the invitation was metallic, these words were inscribed in paint pen. The year I went to 60 bat bitzvahs.
Fans of TMN’s Jessica Francis Kane should watch her calendar: Events are headed your way (or thereabouts) this spring.
The evolution of the Ikea catalog from 1951 to today. #photos
The otter may have captured the internet’s collective heart, but back home, his swagger has been cut to size. #nature
Graffiti artists combine Neo-Romanesque and street art styles on the dome of a Barcelona church.