1. Did Michelangelo conceal a drawing of the human brain within God’s beard? 2. Writer Susan Orlean briefly feared she was going to have to pay alleged Pooh-piddler Thomas Kinkade a million dollars. She’s not scared of that anymore. 3. Check out these breathtaking painted exterior walls of Orthodox monasteries in Romania’s Carpathian Mountains. Excerpt:…

I don’t closely follow the controversies over genetically modified seeds, but the Supreme Court ruling this week saying it was legal for Monsanto to go ahead with production of genetically modified seeds without an environmental impact study strikes me as unwise. Then again, Barry Estabrook says that Monsanto’s opponents are pretty happy with it ……

Last night, on our final night in Louisiana, I came into our bedroom to find Nora lying in her little mattress on the floor, staring at the ceiling, scowling — this, a half-hour after we’d put her to bed. “What’s wrong, baby?” I said. “Nothing.” “No, something is wrong. Are you upset?” “No.” “Are you…

I have no idea whether any criticisms Gen. McChrystal and his team made of the administration, the U.S. ambassador or anybody else have any substance (and I would strongly urge you not to make the criticism itself the subject of the comments thread). What gobsmacks me is that they were foolish enough to make those…

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