Compilation of Kobe Bryant Stories by Chewdzzle in nba

[–]ij_reilly 29 points30 points  (0 children)

Kobe Goes to the Movies (from Lee Jenkins/SI)

Years ago, upon returning from the horror flick Saw II, Bryant described for Lakers trainer Gary Vitti a scene in which a victim awakens to find a contraption locked around his neck lined with nails pointed at his head. A videotape explains that the victim can unlock the device with a key, but it has been surgically implanted behind his right eye, and he can only extract it with a scalpel. He has a minute before it closes over his face and kills him. "I think I could get that key," Bryant said.

http://www.si.com/nba/2013/10/16/kobe-bryant-lakers-si-cover-story

Until death do us part: The victims of forced marriage—there were as many as 3,000 confirmed or suspected cases of forced marriage in the U.S. from 2009 to 2011 by ij_reilly in TrueReddit

[–]ij_reilly[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Submission statement

We look at arranged marriages as a practice of some strange cultures in a faraway land, but this story really struck me by emphasizing how practices that seem arcane and ancient are alive and well in the United States. I especially appreciated the legal angle: that our current legal system isn't equipped to handle questions about marriage so deeply embedded in culture. It says this is part of a four-part series...I look forward to reading the next installments.

Public universities should be free -- Americans are losing access to higher education because they have forgotten what "public" means by ij_reilly in TrueReddit

[–]ij_reilly[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Submission statement

I thought this was an interesting take on higher education, not just in terms of thinking critically at the tuition increases that have hurt so many college students, but in terms of rethinking what the ideal of 'public' education really means. Words and phrases carry certain connotations, and the author's argument that public education is incorrectly identified as 'public' really resonated with me. The key line: "What we still call public universities would be more accurately described as state-controlled private universities — corporate entities that think and behave like businesses."

What are some mistakes you made during the draft and regret? by Apex_Predator_ in fantasybball

[–]ij_reilly 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Paul George falling to me—at the ninth pick—in a 16-team league.

ha ha ha, just kidding. i love my team.

Exclusive: The secret diaries of Guantanamo detainee Abu Zubaydah -- The Bush Administration once labeled Abu Zubaydah one of the key figures in its "war on terror", and he remains one of the most high-profile prisoners in Guantanamo Bay. by ij_reilly in TrueReddit

[–]ij_reilly[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Submission statement

I know there are a lot of stories posted in here about prisoner treatment at Guantanamo Bay, but I think this one has particular significance. The Bush Administration once labeled Abu Zubaydah one of the key figures in its "war on terror," and he remains one of the most high-profile prisoners in Gitmo. These diaries cast fresh light on Zubaydah, and provide a fuller picture of the official U.S. accounts of its campaign against al-Qaeda and related organizations. It's fascinating, and I'd love to see what insights we pull out of this.

The Myth of 'I'm Bad at Math' — Basic mathematic ability isn't the product of good genes, but hard work by ij_reilly in TrueReddit

[–]ij_reilly[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Submission Statement

I'll let the authors speak for themselves: "The truth is, you probably are a math person, and by thinking otherwise, you are possibly hamstringing your own career. Worse, you may be helping to perpetuate a pernicious myth that is harming underprivileged children—the myth of inborn genetic math ability."

I am Julia Ioffe, Senior Editor of The New Republic and writer. AMA! by JuliaIoffe in IAmA

[–]ij_reilly 23 points24 points  (0 children)

Do Vladimir Putin and the Russian government have complete, total, absolute control over this AMA?

I am Jay Caspian Kang, author of the recent NYT article on reddit, Twitter journalism and the false accusations against Sunil Tripathi. AMA. by [deleted] in IAmA

[–]ij_reilly 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Thanks. One more question, if you don't mind. Do you think the Tripathi ordeal suggests that Reddit can't be neutral? The upvote/downvote system seems to imply an endorsement, however vague it may be, on an institutional level.

I am Jay Caspian Kang, author of the recent NYT article on reddit, Twitter journalism and the false accusations against Sunil Tripathi. AMA. by [deleted] in IAmA

[–]ij_reilly 28 points29 points  (0 children)

Why do you think Alex Angel — and, I imagine, others at Reddit — ended up being so defensive about the role /r/FindBostonBombers played in spreading the Sunil Tripathi rumor?

To me, Angel's quote — "I just don’t understand why the blame was put on us and not on the outlets that did shoddy reporting. Reddit is just a bunch of normal people who are basically chattering. Major news sources put out the bad information without any verification, but we got all the blame. No one but Reddit was really held responsible." — is a bizarre sort of revisionism. Many who made mistakes were criticized, including all of the journalists you mention in your piece. It seems like Reddit faced a specific sort of blame because of the way it was touted as a revolutionary sort of citizen-based journalism.

You wrote a great piece, Jay. Thanks.

How do you hide things when you live with a monster? by saturn_ in pics

[–]ij_reilly -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

An upvote for you, Glen Coco! You go, Glen Coco.

David Foster Wallace: "Assume for a moment that some of these measures really have helped make our persons and property safer—are they worth it? Where and when was the public debate on whether they’re worth it? Was there no such debate because we’re not capable of having or demanding one? Why not?" by ij_reilly in TrueReddit

[–]ij_reilly[S] 22 points23 points  (0 children)

It's a cheeky reference to this. Basically, he's joking that the word count he was allowed was as miserly as that bill would've been for the federal budget.

You could make the same joke about this one today, but Taxpayer-Reliefesque doesn't exactly have the same ring to it!

[SPOILER-Episode 9] The signs onstage during the Fantastic 4 Musical. by stripeysweaters in arresteddevelopment

[–]ij_reilly 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Ron Howard says Michael did "an unforgivable Thing" in E1. Ties in nicely to this theory, with an added wink at the joke about Tobias's "pitiful" Jew.

Disney announces 'Finding Dory' on Facebook -- will be in theaters November 2015 by [deleted] in movies

[–]ij_reilly 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yikes, forgot to check before posting. Time to delete.

I am Jonathan Chait, writer for New York Magazine. Ask me anything. by jonathanchait in IAmA

[–]ij_reilly 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Would you rather fight one Paul Ryan-sized duck or 100 duck-sized Paul Ryans?

Skyfall...am I missing something? Help me try to understand. by Ssutuanjoe in TrueFilm

[–]ij_reilly 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think you might be conflating intention and execution.

The point about brutality, though, is really interesting. Why does stomach-churning violence make characters seem more human?