Every Friday we take a look back at the week’s headlines, centering on a theme we’ve singled out as particularly important. While “interesting” is diluted and obscured to the point of redundancy, “epic” continues to diminish in stature. Meanwhile, “unexpected” lurks in quiet inescapability. Amid all the hyperbole,
* Egypt blocks American pro-democracy workers from leaving. * Alan Gross, a 62-year-old U.S. citizen, has been imprisoned in Cuba since December 2009. * it is now a matter of fundamental faith among conservatives that the GOP went astray during the Bush years by betraying its conservative principles. * Former
* Wind and solar firms fear reduction in subsidies at the moment they're almost competitive. * No matter what Gingrich says, space sex is probably not a good idea. * Discovery in old textbook suggests da Vinci may not have been the originator of the Vitruvian man. * De Botton wants huge
* South Sudan shuts down wells, accuses Sudan of extortion, stealing its oil. * A rural school district in Texas turns off its Friday night lights until budgets and grades improve. * Lessons from the paperback revolution. * An extensive look back at Obama's first three years in office. * The weirdest thing
* Egypt's bloggers consider their year of revolution. * Iran begins arrests and intimidation of bloggers, journalists, prior to parliamentary elections in March. * U.S. military's use of unmanned drones proving costly and unreliable. * Nanotechnology is a $225 billion market, but scientists voice health concerns. * New study suggests
* Hostages in Somalia not rescued by same Navy SEAL team that killed bin Laden, as reported earlier. * Nonprofit intends to tempt children into reading via banned books. * Slaughterhouse in Texas dumps blood into nearby creek; amateur pilot snaps a pic. * "Nasal packing with strips of cured pork" [is]
* There are now more iPhones being sold than babies being born. * Paterno's death will weaken the case against two former Penn State officials who failed to report Sandusky. * Maria Popova makes the case for an information diet, becoming "selective about the information we consume." * Attending a
* France criminalizes the denial of officially recognized genocides, angering Turks, straining foreign relations. * With 163 boys born for every 100 girls in parts of China, gendercide isn't slowing. * Scientists estimate a 98% chance of an magnitude 7 quake in Tokyo in the next 30 years. * What Gingrich '
* Chicago Sun-Times, doubting its relevance, drops political endorsements. * What the left gets right, according to conservatives. * Though the Christian Right was cold-shouldered in 2008, and hasn't fared well in 2012, don't be too quick to dismiss its influence. * The moral laziness of fine print.
* Syria rejects new Arab League plan; Saudis withdraw, threatening the future of the League. * NBA legend Dikembe Mutombo falls for DR Congo gold scam that hands million to wanted warlord. * Frequency of laughter at Fed meetings is on the rise. * These days smuggling HDTVs and Dutch flowers to Iran on
