Headlines from April 25, 2013

Round-up of senators who sided with the NRA’s lobbying against gun-control legislation approved by the vast majority of Americans.
Czech Republic reaches out to support citizens of West, Texas—in particular those who require a new gym—following plant explosion.
Analysis of how Phoenix became the only famous French rock band.
See also: TMN editor travels the U.S. with a clipboard, visiting five places called Paris to measure American feelings for the French. #tmn #longreads
Los Angeles reclaims honor of having the worst traffic in America.
Fantastic article by poet Tony Hoagland proposes a new canon of 20 poems (with examples and explanations) to save poetry in America. #longreads
Next month, Milton Berle’s joke files—multiple cabinets with thousands of jokes on 3x5 cards, indexed by subject—will be sold in LA.
As you can see, William Gibson talks just like his prose. It’s fascinating.
Recent photo album of our solar system as seen by our astronauts and mechanical emissaries. #photography
See also: Canadian Space Agency astronaut Chris Hadfield demonstrates the physics of tears in space.
Second compilation debuts of synth and drum machine tracks mostly recorded in bedrooms all over the world between 1980-89.
Assessment of new violent Midwestern fiction finds much capering after meth without much sense of motive.
Doctors report having less familiarity with overweight and obese patients.
TMN’s Sarah Hepola: New Bush Library further tethers Dallas to America’s good-old-boy tradition.
Finally, walk quickly past the Civil Liberties Nook. Related: Paul Ford’s tour of the George W. Bush Presidential Library.
Itemization of what you could reasonably expect from life if you were born in North Korea.
Terrific article from college student Park Ji Woo as she explains how she escaped from North Korea.
Congressional lawmakers and aides from both parties have been working quietly for months to exempt themselves from new health care exchanges.
UK avoids triple-dip recession with better than expected GDP growth.
Spain’s economic crisis evident in the declining quality of its ham sandwiches.
American overseas food aid mired in “scandalous” inefficiencies, appearing mostly to aid American farmers and shippers.
Virgin America passengers can use on-flight entertainment systems to send drinks and flirtatious texts to one another.
FedEx beats UPS for $10.5 billion account to carry postal-service mail between airports.
Elvis impersonator suspected of sending ricin to Obama says he was framed by local martial arts instructor.
Death toll from Bangladesh building collapse now at 194; huge crowd of onlookers obstructing rescue efforts.
I don’t feel comfortable walking through my own city. What it’s like to be Muslim in Boston right now.
Last week, a half-dozen orcas battled a pod of sperm whales off Sri Lanka. via
Among male basketball players, some have style, some are styled—and most lack the conviction of the game’s female players.
Compendium of saxophone solos performed in pop songs from the 1980s. #audio
See also: Nine minutes of Homer Simpson performing “Saxamaphone.” #video
After a string of highly publicized breakups, singer-songwriter Taylor Swift now dating the 22-foot Watertown boat.
Women on family-owned coffee plants in African countries handle 70% of maintenance and harvesting work, with little control of finances.
Round-up of 10 songs for coffee lovers. #audio
Top Chef blogger attends Top Chef cruise and lists everything he eats and drinks in three days.