February 16, 2012: Afternoon
- Frantic gestures by top Iranian officials arrive at tense time, and are read by some as provocations.
- Fake news of Putin's arrest goes viral.
- Italy's financial reforms can be praised, but political reform must follow.
- Sarkozy joins Twitter.
- Headlines editors shouldn't use to discuss Xi Jinping's visit to America.
- Sports reporter gets away with saying Jeremy Lin has a small penis.
- Gawker explains Jeremy Lin's rise and why you should care.
- The NBA's style of scouting talent could be just as lucky relying on a coin flip.
- Chomsky: American decline can perhaps be stemmed if we abandon hope for decent survival.
- Free copies offered (limited time) for book billed as In Cold Blood meets contemporary Tokyo.
- Chart shows how many Americans over 50 can perform division (very few).
- Chart: Dickens's sales figures in his lifetime.
- People are less grudging of entrepreneurs', artists', and athletes' wealth, whereas bankers' bonuses seem ludicrous.
- Notes on how to scare a tree into giving you fruit.
- Conversation in MMS on the merits of Las Vegas, New York, and having sex with sharks.
- Sophia Loren says young actors should kiss like Bergman and Grant in Notorious.