Headlines from April 8, 2013

Story of Nek Muhammad, enemy of Pakistan whom the CIA killed in exchange for access to Pakistan’s airspace.
New science teaching standards in the U.S. will include extensive lessons on human-made climate change; not so in the UK.
The science of carbon emissions is there. The politics is not. Nicholas Lemann on the disappearance of America’s environmental movement. #longreads
Vast majority of American aid pledged to Haiti went directly to U.S. groups; 1% went to Haitian groups.
Pandemic reporter offers tips and reliable sources for reading news about new bird flu.
The Economist’s obituary for Margaret Thatcher says what the world needs now is more Thatcherism, not less.
Man attempts to break record of visiting all 270 London Underground stations. #video
Basketball player breaks NCAA record of most points in a game and is celebrated by celebrities, also scorned for gluttony and poor sportsmanship.
The Davis Cup, among tennis’s greatest and rowdiest events, is generally played to very small audiences.
People known as “Hathahaters” despise actress Anne Hathaway for being “so affected and actressy.”
E.O. Wilson says great scientists don’t need to be good at math.
Carl Woese gave us the ability to inquire into deep mysteries of ecology, pathology, even the origin of life—and he should have won the Nobel. #opinions
Ruined Polaroids become abstract art. #tmn
Photographs of the landscape and residents along U.S. Route 23, between Asheville, N.C., and Johnson City, Tenn. #photography
Tour company experiences 400% increase in inquiries about trips to North Korea.
South Korea says the North may be planning to conduct another underground nuclear test.
NASA plans to use robotic spaceship to lasso asteroid and “park it near the moon.” #space
Uganda may ban above-the-knee skirts and broadcasting of Beyoncé.
Related: In Gaza, Hamas officials abduct men with “fashionable” hair or tight pants.
As Africans move into densely packed cities, they’re bringing livestock—and seeing a spike in animal-to-human disease.
Whether or not I would have an abortion was never a question. It was just a question of how soon I could get one.
Scientists identify how red meat influences heart disease: A chemical produced during digestion is linked to blood-vessel deposits. #health
How memoir writing can “hijack” the past, rendering truth unimportant. #opinions
I’ve never seen anyone die before. I was prepared for the sadness. The heartbreak. I wasn’t prepared for the beauty. The purity. The clarity.
Married men become friends, get divorced, find girlfriends, and build stunning contemporary houses on the same lot.
Mid-century modern dream homes that will kill your children.
In 1987, a 14-year-old budding movie critic received a letter of encouragement from Roger Ebert.
Roger Ebert’s New Yorker caption contest entries.