Sunday Papers #5 (a little early this time...)

Sundays are for waking up early, scrapping a Halloween costume together and thinking about all that good internet reading that you don't have time to read now but will probably read later. I'm so torn about Halloween. On the one hand, what a great holiday. On the other hand, it's such a pain to get ready for it...Happy Halloween everyone!

• So the WikiLeaks, ummm, leak has been all over the news this week. But what's been most interesting about it is how poorly it's been covered by the U.S. media. Gleen Greenwald is upset about this. FWIW, my host family sometimes watches Al Jazeera and I have been consistently impressed by the quality of their news compared to any of the mainstream US news channels.
• In that vein, it's been interesting that the Gulf Oil Spill immediately disappeared from the mainstream media when the well was capped. This is particularly alarming since there is still oil showing up all over the Gulf.
• Tim Burke has a very nice reflective piece about why he blogs and the future of blogging.
• Some excellent reading out of the Atlantic this week. First, bias problems in medical research. Second, Ta-Nehisi Coates on the culture of poverty.
• Crooked TImber is usually a little heavy on the ideology for my tastes and their relentless hate for Meghan McArdle is off-putting, but this post had some interesting thoughts on how the Citizens United case is changing US political strategy.
• One of the most accessible things I've ever read about economic incentives and how they work.
• I am consistently impressed by how weird the world actually is.
• On that topic, the Randi Paranormal Challenge is sufficiently batshit. Their applicant's forum is incredible.
• I find people's relationships with books fascinating. Penelope Trunk writes about her book collection. Also, what books do prisoners request?
• Mark Greif's piece "What Was the Hipster" may be the best thing written this week, period. I look forward to the universe instantly imploding when the hipsters get their hands on it and start to reference it to each other in their holier-than-thou, I'm-so-well-cultured way...
• I find myself consistently reading Sloane Crosley's NYTimes column. Her piece on Halloween is excellent. For some reason, though, (I think it's because of her name) I always imagine her as a man that looks something like a grumpier version of Norman Mailer. Then I get to the bottom of the page and see her photo, which is neither grumpy, nor Norman Mailer-y, nor male.
• Crows teach their kids to use tools. That's cool, I guess, but the mimic octopus is still my new favorite animal.
• And the most purchased item at Walmart last year was...the banana. What?!