Why ‘Mad Men’s’ depiction of alcoholism is important, Anne T. Donahue, Death and Taxes, May 9, 2014

Show runner Matthew Weiner has obviously worked hard to create flawed, realistic characters who necessitate attention and patience. Don isn’t likable. He’s sexist, he’s privileged, and he’s a product of his time. As seen with Roger Sterling, alcoholism is and was the name of the game, but instead of glamorizing how fun and free-wheeling Don once was, we’re seeing the reality of Don’s, well, reality — or more specifically, we’re seeing what we missed when Freddie Rumsen left and joined AA.

Black Dog Syndrome Teaches Us a Crucial Lesson About Science, Esther Inglis-Arkell, io9, May 12, 2014

Volunteers at pet shelters are generally not overjoyed at the arrival of a litter of black puppies, and they’re even less happy at the arrival of a large black dog. Being bleeding-heart animal lovers, they don’t have any objection to the dog itself. They’re anticipating a long stay, or even euthanasia for the animal.

Among shelter employees, it’s considered a truism that black dogs are notoriously hard to adopt out. The workers there have a nickname for the problem – Black Dog Syndrome. No matter how sweet-natured the animal, people see the dark coat and are hesitant to adopt the pet. For employees, who have to deal with the emotional difficulty of staying with an animal being stuck at a shelter for months, or even putting it down, black dogs are always a source of potential pain.

Ignorant Pandering at Washington Event, Ed Brayton, Dispatches from the Culture Wars, May 12, 2014

[John] Adams was a bit naive. He didn’t foresee the rise of extraordinarily dishonest politicians and Christian right pundits a couple centuries later, who would indeed pretend that those who wrote the Constitution were guided by God. They could use this as an instructional manual in how to pander to the most ignorant among us with lies and shallow emotional appeals.