Things I Think Are Kinda Cool

BRAIN: “Big week in the news, wasn’t it?”

YOU: “Woah, it sure was. Jon Gosselin was kicked off “Jon + Kate”, James Franco is guest starring on “General Hospital”, Khloe Kardashian’s wedding was a sham, and Justin Timberlake & Jessica Biel split up!!!”

BRAIN: “SHUT UP! That wasn’t what I was talking about…read these articles and posts…NOW”.

YOU: “Ugh. OK. Can I watch Melrose again this week?”

BRAIN: “Fine…but only because Jane Mancini is back.”

—

* An interesting piece about the delicate subject of preventative terror arrests. Are the deadly stakes in terrorism high enough to shift the balance of power away from public liberty towards police power? What rights, if any, are we willing to give up to fight terrorism? – NY Times

* The relationship between poverty and obesity has never been more prominent, thanks to the vigorous health care debate going on in this country. Does poverty make people fat, or is it the other way around? – Slate

* Art Historian Henry Adams claims Jackson Pollock hid his name in large, bold letters in the breakthrough masterpiece Mural. Take a look at his argument and judge for yourself. – Smithsonian Magazine

* Legal medical marijuana hasn’t been the smoky disaster that critics once claimed it would be. Instead, it may be the biggest argument for legalizing marijuana across the board. – Fortune

* Chill out, liberals. Rush, Glenn, and Bill-O aren’t nearly as powerful or influential as they’d like you to believe. David Brooks likens them to Wizards of Oz…puny men behind conservative curtains. – NY Times

BRAIN:  ”Help!  Feed me!”

YOU:  ”But I wanna zone out with more weird and crazy videos.”

BRAIN:  ”Please?  I’ll let you watch Melrose Place on Tuesday night…”

YOU:  ”I heard Amanda Woodward is coming back…it’s a deal!”

* Ever wonder why commercials on TV are annoyingly SO much louder than regular shows?  It’s more complicated (and interesting) than you think - Live Science

* Paul Krugman breaks down the true cost of being energy efficient, and reveals that it’s far less expensive than conservative critics are claiming – NY Times

* Explore some of the hidden meanings and motivations behind L. Frank Baum’s classic “Oz” books.  They’re about much more than just a girl from Kansas and her dog – Slate

* Find out how the Japanese government is actually PAYING people to have babies (insert obligatory Octomom joke here) – Global Post

* Glenn Greenwald explains why we should slow down with the newly-heated Iran rhetoric, and instead use some of the important lessons we learned in the Iraq debacle – Slate

It’s not always about cocktails, crazy vids, and cute animals…these are the most insightful articles and blog posts I’ve read this week. Come on, you know your brain wants some:

* Filmmaker Mitchell Bard makes an urgent plea to Democrats to grow some balls and stop getting their butts kicked by Republicans in the health care debate – Huff Po

* A fascinating look at Mohamed Atta’s (the architect of 9/11) thesis paper in urban planning, and how it might have influenced his role in the attacks – Slate

* What does it mean that a Harvard Business School study on social networks shows that two-thirds of all Facebook page views are of photos on women’s profiles? (Hint: we’re all creepy voyeurs) – Double X

* Evan Handler (Charlotte’s SATC husband) gives a refreshingly honest and raw reaction to what’s going on right now in the trenches of America – Huff Po

* A detailed and enthusiastic profile of the new Kandinsky retrospective at the Guggenhem – NY Times

* Melissa Harris-Lacewell (my new favorite commentator) shines a light on the long and painful history of racism in America and challenges us to remember the rallying cry, “Yes we can” – The Nation