I thinned out my Instapaper queue quite a bit over spring break. Which means I\u2019m way past due in sharing some of my favorites (along with a few I\u2019ve added in the past week).<\/p>\n
First, a couple pieces about the situation in Ukraine. As with any fast-moving current event, these are already a little out-of-date. I think they are still compelling reads.<\/p>\n
20 Days in Mariupol: The Team That Documented City\u2019s Agony<\/a> There is a greater-than-zero chance that the war in Ukraine could lead us down a path that we haven\u2019t had to consider in over 30 years: the use of nuclear weapons.<\/p>\n Here is a story I\u2019ve never heard before from the Cuban Missile Crisis, and how the Soviet\u2019s plan to send a probe to Mars was temporarily sidetracked so a missile aimed at New York City could be put on alert.<\/p>\n \u201cI received the order to open an envelope that has been stored in a special safe and to act in accordance with its contents,\u201d Kirillov told Chertok confidentially. \u201cAccording to the order, I must immediately prepare the duty combat missile at the engineering facility and mate the warhead located in a special depot, roll the missile out to the launch site, position it, test it, fuel it, aim it, and wait for a special launch command.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n That time when Soviet rocket scientists nearly nuked New York City<\/a><\/p>\n Two summers ago, during a Reds-Royals game in Kansas City, Reds broadcaster Thom Brennaman uttered a gay slur that viewers heard. I missed that, but about an hour later I heard his bizarre apology and exit from the broadcast (bizarre because he called a Nick Castellanos home run in the midst of his apology, a moment that launched a million memes).<\/p>\n This article, from Out Sports<\/em>, examines the path that Brennaman has taken since then and the debate, within both the broadcast and gay communities, on whether Brennaman deserves another chance on air.<\/p>\n With all that, Brennaman knows that mostly straight male decision-makers may never give him an opportunity to work in major sports broadcasting again. He says he hasn\u2019t engaged in all of this work to prove himself to them.<\/p>\n Instead, he\u2019s done it to undo the harm he now realizes he caused the LGBTQ community with his language that fateful night.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Who is the real Thom Brennaman, and does he deserve a second chance?<\/a><\/p>\n This is a fascinating look at the world of MBS, Mohammed Bin Salman, the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia and man most believe responsible for the death of Saudi-American journalist Jamal Khashoggi. It\u2019s one of the best pieces of international affairs writing I\u2019ve read in some time.<\/p>\n Absolute Power<\/a><\/p>\n I don\u2019t know that this song necessarily \u201cdefined the \u201880s,\u201d but it was pretty damn big. And I didn\u2019t realize how much it has stuck around. A terrific read about a Gen X classic.<\/p>\n \u2018Everybody Wants to Rule the World\u2019 Defined the 1980s. And Then It Wouldn\u2019t Let Go<\/a><\/p>\n The Crocodile Hunter<\/em> debuted 25 years ago this year. That seems crazy. An oral history of its development and early days.<\/p>\n Photography and Camera Operator, Steve Elkins<\/a> The Crocodile Hunter:John [Stainton] was coming to visit L.A. and said, \u201cWould you mind looking at this video? There\u2019s this crazy guy in Australia who goes out and captures crocodiles and relocates them.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\nThe Last Cell Tower in Mariupol<\/a><\/p>\n
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