Morning Coffee (7/25/14)

Happy Friday! I'm going to be taking the next few weeks mostly off from posting because I've got a bunch of travel and work stuff coming up. So here's an extra long list for today, and I'll see you in August!

CAT DIALS 911 Is the Ultimate Summer News Story

Beetles Are Destroying a Memorial to One Of the Beatles

This is amazing: Mary Poppins Quits Because She's Only Making Federal Minimum Wage: A Revised Musical, Starring Kristen Bell

As is this: This Chris Pratt Interview Turned Into a French-Braiding Pop Quiz

But if you'd like some tears with your Friday, here's the new If I Stay trailer.

The Imitation Game looks good too.

New, Diverse Emojis Are Pretty Cool

Let's hope this is true: Why Seven Hours of Sleep Might Be Better Than Eight

I need these gorgeous books.

And this reading girl necklace. (Okay, I actually pre-ordered the necklace.)

Heh: Things I Learned from #WomenAgainstFeminism

Tips From My Forthcoming Medieval Lifestyle Blog

The Scourge of Upside Down Knitting

The Onion: New Anti-Abortion Legislation Requires Doctors To Scale 18-Foot Wall Surrounding Clinic

The Judgement of Paris

This Boston music map is nifty.

I kind of can't believe this is real: Queen's Guard Covers Game of Thrones Theme Song Outside Buckingham Palace

Morning Coffee (7/24/14)

Can you help reunite this sock with its knitter?

How Senator John Walsh Plagiarized a Final Paper

Shaneen Allen, race and gun control

College Party Mogul Threatens Female Journalist With Rape

Ugh: Women Can Succeed in Corporate America, as Long as They Don't Promote Other Women

No skin thick enough: The daily harassment of women in the game industry

The Horror of Earbuds

Ugh, leave Harper Lee alone.

Morning Coffee (7/23/14)

A Court Ruling Just Blew a Huge Hole in Obamacare

Grocery shopping around here has been interesting recently.

The New Yorker's Biden profile is worth a read.

Here's the Man Booker Longlist!

Idris Elba as a knight of the Round Table? Awesome.

Prince George is one!

This is the kind of week when you need to see a random picture of Taylor Kitsch carrying luggage, right? Right.

Here's Blake Lively's new lifestyle site, and I still can't believe they didn't use some sort of pun for the title. But it's pretty!

Morning Coffee (7/22/14)

The Cambridges have released three adorable pictures for Prince George's first birthday.

Speaking of royals, the Duchess of Cornwall visited a shortbread factory today, and I am basically showing you just because I would rather be visiting a shortbread factory than doing any of the things I need to do today.

Speaking of Cornwall, Lego pieces are still washing up on the beach.

Love this: life, filtered: thoughts on instagram and identity

Interesting: Publishers offer free/discounted ebooks of the print books you own with Bitlit

Instagram Deleted This Young Woman's Account After She Posted A Harmless Photo Wearing A Bra And Shorts

For Sale, English Mountain and Title of Lord, $3 Million. (There’s a Catch.)

Brigham Young’s Short-Lived, Experimental Mormon Alphabet

Morning Coffee (7/21/14)

The Russian Public Has a Totally Different Understanding of What Happened to Malaysia Airlines Flight 17

Why Poor Schools Can’t Win at Standardized Testing

And this New Yorker piece puts a human face on the Atlanta standardized testing cheating scandal.

I like Elizabeth Warren's 11 Commandments of Progressivism.

Watching this go down on Twitter was pretty surreal.

Let’s Stop Singing Songs About Women Who Don’t Know They’re Beautiful

Some of Boston Magazine's Hogwarts sorting is completely insane.

Also completely insane: this story about a blogger ordered by a court to take down/improve a bad restaurant review. I keep thinking there must be more to it, but . . . not that I've found so far.

Morning Coffee (7/18/14)

There are all sorts of terrible things going on in the world right now, but I am no expert, so I'm going to point you to the always-wonderful Guardian liveblogs and then continue with our normal happy Friday links in case you need a distraction.

If you only read one article about the German sausage cartel scandal, make it this one.

The kind of protest I can really get behind: borrowing hundreds of library books.

Yeah, I'll totally try the cappuccino chips if I come across them.

Ooh, Edith Cavell is getting a £5 coin!

I know these are fighting words, but: Here's Why Mr. Knightley Is WAY Better Than Mr. Darcy

Every Wedding You Will Ever Attend: A Field Guide

Fun: Are More Junes Born in June?

I would subscribe: Inside Magazine

Morning Coffee (7/17/14)

Jill Abramson did an interview with Cosmo, and I love how much high-profile serious stuff Cosmo has been doing lately.

Apparently Amazon is testing an ebook subscription program, and if it works for people, that's great, but I'm having trouble getting past my "OMG that's called a library, you guys, and it's free" reaction.

I'm slightly skeptical about the Rainbow Brite reboot, but we'll see.

Ooh, Ron Howard is doing an authorized Beatles documentary.

Dance School Diaries? I'm in.

What Happened When We Gave Our Daughter My Last Name

This scientific journal just had to retract 60 papers. How does that even happen?

This article is a few months old now, but I just came across it and it's really fascinating: The Devil and the Art Dealer

Morning Coffee (7/16/14)

Here's the Massachusetts response to the Supreme Court's buffer zone ruling.

Wow: Ex-dictator Manuel Noriega sues Activision over 'Call of Duty' game

Son of Dead Sea Scrolls Scholar Is Sentenced to Two Months in Jail

Wondering what's up with this whole "Thor becoming a woman" thing? Vox has you covered.

New Hampshire Clarifies: D.C. Residents Live In The U.S., Can Buy Alcohol

How Tinder co-founder Whitney Wolfe hacked Metcalfe’s Law

'Human props' stay in luxury homes but live like ghosts

Your Female Characters Are So Strong

Morning Coffee (7/15/14)

Nadine Gordimer has died.

M.L.B. to Recognize Glenn Burke as Baseball’s Gay Pioneer

Fingers crossed: Cancelled Fox Comedy ‘Enlisted’ Eyes Revival At Yahoo

Julia Turner is the new editor of Slate. Congratulations!

This wine and food pairing chart is awesome.

21 Actors Offer Their TV Characters One Piece Of Advice

What The War Within The GOP Means In Maine

Hee: Young Henry VIII Was One Benedict Cumberbatch-Looking Son Of A Bitch

Morning Coffee (7/14/14)

Wait. What? Clueless Man Claims Territory in North Sudan to Make Daughter Princess

High Schooler Files Human Rights Complaint Over ‘Slut-Shaming’ Abstinence Education Class

The Princess Effect: How women's magazines demean powerful women—even when they're trying to celebrate them.

And a perfect example (though there's some fascinating stuff here): Meet Google's Security Princess

The Emmy nomination process is completely insane

Important, from a lit agent friend: Spamvertisements Are Not Your Friend

Whoa, Harlequin is doing The Originals books.

Speaking of books, David Duchovny's sounds crazy.

Morning Coffee (7/11/14)

Happy Friday!

Let's start your Friday with a picture of Joshua Jackson and Colin Donnell and a rescued pit bull. I mean, really.

Why Readers, Scientifically, Are The Best People To Fall In Love With

Hee: The Thirteen Most Epic Adorable Lists That Only a List-Reader Will Understand!

Euphemisms For Body Parts In Romance Novels : A Ranking (Note: Also works for fanfic.)

Actually very helpful for us old boring people: "Turn Down for What": a guide

I love Scrivener.

Let the BBC’s rap battle teach you about the origins of WWI

Authors dress up as their favourite characters

Ha! How Many Beach Boys Songs Have You Heard?

And if you need a blast of cold on this July day, check out the trailer for Hallmark's Northpole. Tiffani Thiessen! Bailee Madison! Josh Hopkins!

Morning Coffee (7/10/14)

These Hobby Lobby "protests" that serve only to make life harder for the people directly affected by the ruling are so ridiculously selfish and stupid.

Sen. Robert Menendez seeks probe of alleged Cuban plot to smear him

Meet Del Harvey, Twitter's Troll Patrol

Ireland Is Having A Meltdown, And It's All Because Of Garth Brooks

Homestar Runner is coming back!!

I don't agree with everything in it, but Vulture's new TV advice column seems promising. "Disabuse yourself of the concept of guilty pleasures, because that puritanical garbage has got to stop."

Not Over Till Overtime’s Due? Met Labor Strife Bares Secrets

One of those celebrity profiles that's fascinating even if you don't care much about the subject: Justin Bieber: A Case Study in Growing Up Cosseted and Feral

Morning Coffee (7/9/14)

New Harry Potter story! "Does Hermione Granger prove that a witch really can have it all? (No – look at her hair.)" Hee.

Awesome: George Clooney takes on the Daily Mail.

Wow: The New Yorker is making everything available online for three months and then instituting some sort of metered paywall.

What I Learned From Talking to Tinder’s Justin Mateen About Women

I still haven't watched the Warren Jeffs biopic, but this liveblog is great.

xkcd is so good at what it does.

Yahoo is trying to purchase credibility with the Community renewal

Dirtbag John Milton

Morning Coffee (7/8/14)

Oh no: all the Crumbs stores are closing. As cupcake chains go, they were pretty good.

"If the goal of life was to eat cheddar cheese and maple syrup while drinking delicious craft beers that kind of taste like apricots, Vermont would be number one."

What Wisconsin's Teenage Girls Think About the Slender Man Stabbing

9000 people became US citizens last week. For one, it saved his life.

Why it’s time to stop the anti-spoiler paranoia

7 potentially awesome shows canceled before they premiered I would have watched most of these.

29 Times Tumblr Made "Harry Potter" Fans Cry All Over Again

Every Irish Novel Ever

Morning Coffee (7/7/14)

Well, back to our new reality:

Supreme Court Broadens Hobby Lobby Ruling to All Forms of Birth Control

Post-Hobby Lobby, Religious Orgs Want Exemption From LGBT Hiring Order

13 Reactions to the Hobby Lobby Case That Are Completely Misinformed

Hobby Lobby Supporters Insist Decision Isn't Sexist, Tell Women to Close Their Legs

It’s not just Hobby Lobby: the pro-life movement is winning

What I Learned as a Woman at a Men’s-Rights Conference

Okay, something fun: A look at "it's almost like another character."

Which Founding Father Are You? (Alexander Hamilton.)

Morning Coffee (7/3/14)

Happy Thursday! Yes, we're doing happy links today because I'm taking tomorrow off. Hope everyone has a great holiday/long weekend/regular weekend/whatever!

American Hero Proves White Men Have No Sense Of Humor

Hee: Someone changed the Wikipedia entry for U.S. Secretary of Defense to 'Tim Howard'

The trailer for the final season of The Killing looks amazing.

Happy first anniversary to The Toast!

Pop Quiz: Can You Identify These Hit Songs by Just Their First Second? I got 13/16. Can you beat me?

A new favorite Tumblr for fans of musicals: texts with collaborators

The Emma Approved actors doing Jimmy Fallon's lip sync challenge is the cutest thing ever.

The Arranged Marriage That Ended Happily Ever After

Heh: Pride and Prejudice vs. Star Trek Original Cast Movies: Epic Six-Part VHS Battle!

The Onion: Fireworks Safety Tips

Morning Coffee (7/2/14)

Does anyone know how it is possibly only Wednesday?

Everything is terrible: Why Ginsburg’s Hobby Lobby dissent might backfire

What ‘Beyoncé Voters’ really want

The Hobby Lobby ruling proves men of the law still can't get over 'immoral' women having sex

Seven reasons birth control pills shouldn't require a prescription

How a "Pro-Life" Makeover Fooled the Supreme Court

America’s Unseen Export: Children, Most of Them Black

Brutal Mississippi Primary Prompts College GOP Chair To Switch Parties

Michael Brown, 93, Dies; Industrial Musicals Gave Wings to ‘Mockingbird’ (I knew the Harper Lee story, but the industrial musicals sound fascinating too!)

Oh, how wonderful: At Angel's Place, child care can be like family

Morning Coffee (7/1/14)

The Hobby Lobby decision isn't narrow

(And here's the opinion itself, with dissents.)

And the ACLU's statement.

Amazing: Mistaken Identity: People Angry at Supreme Court Decision Vent at Blog

Back in Massachusetts: Anti-abortion protesters take advantage of Supreme Court ruling

I think it got lost in the Supreme Court din yesterday, but this Blackwater story is really important.

Men’s rights conference takes aim at feminism

Childhood vaccines are safe. Seriously.

The Royal Houses of Europe