December 1, 2011: Morning
- White House decides Obama will offer no formal condolences to Pakistan.
- Study finds racial animus cost Obama three to five percentage points in the national popular vote in the 2008 election.
- Britons will be worse off in 2015 than they were in 2002.
- Story of the blind CIA agent—also climber, skydiver, downhill skiier—who pursued sight.
- "Two lesbians raised a baby and this is what they got."
- Bono: America has led an incredible fight to vanquish AIDS; now we've reached "the tipping point we have been campaigning for."
- Video of people dancing with a recently deceased baby tells us something profound about the psychology of grief.
- Highlights from UNESCO's 2011 Intangible Heritage List—e.g., "Equitation in the French tradition."
- Southern German city drops charges against the Pope for riding in his popemobile without a seatbelt.
- Greatest newspaper correction ever.
- Publishers' Weekly names Worst Book Ever: 1987 cookbook, Microwave for One.
- Fun to remember reviews of a previous worst book ever: How to Avoid Huge Ships.
- Check it: TMN launches new Kindle series, TMN Editions, with $3.99 holiday collection introduced by Sarah Hepola.
- Recent spy-novelist plagiarist blames his behavior on addiction, fails to sound contrite.
- Hunt finished for 10 sculptures deposited in Edinburgh's libraries and museums.
- Googly eyes in the wild.
- Behind-the-scenes tour at Banana Distributors of New York, where 20,000 cases of bananas are being persuaded they live in Ecuador.