October 22, 2012: Morning
- Consensus of surveys points to a large, perhaps historic gender gap in this year's election.
- Nate Silver and Sam Wang explain why some political polls aren't worth tracking (e.g., Gallup).
- See also: Why national polls continue to look so close.
- Praise for Obama's secret achievements: Doubling of vehicle mileage and Race to the Top.
- Chinese Nobel-winning novelist wants to use his prize money to buy a house in Beijing, but can only afford an apartment.
- After 18 years of full democracy, South Africa is one of the most unequal countries in the world.
- France’s Socialist minister for industrial recovery poses for a pinup with lipstick and blender.
- Photographs of every named place in North Dakota.
- Q&A with Levi's traveling aesthete, pursuing inspiration for jeans.
- Notes on "urine wheels," designed to help medical practitioners create sensory profiles of patients' pee.
- Alan Rickman has an epic tea time.
- Rickman completists must see "Song of Lunch," in which he and Emma Thompson make a movie from a poem.
- Tumblr of favorable famous people spending quality time together.
- Eleven things learned from reading the latest issue of Field & Stream.
- Terrific treatise about pleasures and passions from man who has read over 6,000 books.