5 smart reads for the weekend
A profile of John Boehner. A look at the long-running debate over fracking in Pennsylvania. And more compelling, of-the-moment stories to dive into
1. "Tanned, tested, ready: John Boehner"
Michael Grunwald and Jay Newton-Small, TIME
On Thursday, Ohio Republican John Boehner secured a second term as speaker of the House, despite rumblings that some members of his party might attempt to mount a coup. Boehner had long sought the position before he finally secured it in 2010, and served a tumultuous first term, facing intense criticism from both Democrats and Republicans. Here, a profile of Boehner written shortly before he first took the speaker's gavel:
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Read the rest of the story at TIME.
2. "America's real criminal element: Lead"
Kevin Drum, Mother Jones
In the weeks following the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, commentators offered several theories to explain America's high rate of violent crimes, ranging from lax gun laws to violent movies and video games. But some researchers have pointed to a far less obvious culprit that could explain a host of social problems plaguing the United States — lead, a chemical that continues to linger in the atmosphere despite a 1996 ban:
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Read the rest of the story at Mother Jones.
3. "The fracturing of Pennsylvania"
Eliza Griswold, The New York Times
On Friday, Gus Van Sant's Promised Land hit movie theaters across the country. The film stars Matt Damon as an energy industry employee seeking to obtain drilling rights from the residents of a small Pennsylvania town for a process commonly referred to as "fracking." The film takes the anti-fracking stance espoused by many environmentalists — but as this 2011 dispatch about a real Pennsylvania township shows, the question of fracking remains a polarizing and complicated one:
Read the rest of the story at The New York Times.
4. "New year, new Dish, new media"
Andrew Sullivan, The Daily Beast
On Wednesday, popular blogger Andrew Sullivan announced that he would be taking his blog The Dish off The Daily Beast, and launching an independent website that will be available for subscription for $19.99 a year. Sullivan's announcement prompted a flurry of commentary about the future of digital journalism, and whether or not his new venture would prove to be sustainable. Here, Sullivan explains his reasons for the risky decision:
Read the rest of the story at The Daily Beast.
5. "Dick Clark: 20 years of Clearasil rock"
Ben Fong-Torres, Rolling Stone
On Monday, millions of Americans celebrated New Year's Eve by tuning in to watch the ball drop at Times Square, an annual show that was hosted by "America's oldest teenager" Dick Clark for decades. Clark's death at age 82 in April 2012 made this year's telecast one of the only Rockin' New Year's Eve specials not hosted by Clark, who appeared on the show in every year since 1974 except for 2005 (when complications from a stroke prevented his participation). Here, a 1973 profile of Clark shortly before he began the legendary hosting gig:
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Scott Meslow is the entertainment editor for TheWeek.com. He has written about film and television at publications including The Atlantic, POLITICO Magazine, and Vulture.
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