What the world is reading

Michelle Cottle backs a New York judges order to make the Plan B contraceptive,known as the morning-after pill,available to younger US teens without a prescription. Cottle says the judges order was based on science while the US administrations opposition to this was based on politicsspecifically,the fear that conservatives would accuse President Obama of greasing the path to hot tween orgies. Do I like the idea of a 14-year-old sashaying in for some Plan B after a wild night with her boyfriend? Cottle writes. God,no. But I like it a damn sight better than the idea of that same 14-year-old winding up in an abortion clinic. Or,for that matter,in labour and delivery… The risks must be weighed against the alternatives often confronting young women rather than against some fluffy-bunny version of connubial paradise that exists largely inside Rick Santorums head.

The Christian Science Monitor

Black mark on Italy

Nick Squires notes that the appointment of Cecile Kyenge,born in Congo,as Italys minister for integration has exposed the deeply held prejudices of many Italians. She has been subjected to a tirade of racist abuse,with a minister calling her a Congolese monkey. Talking about another minister who said Kyenge would make a great housekeeper,but not a government minister,Squires writes: The racism directed towards Kyenge is by no means an isolated incident. One of Italys most talented soccer players,Mario Balotelli,who was born to Ghanaian parents,has endured years of racial abuse. Squires believes the answer lies in Italys history,that it has traditionally been a country of emigration,sending millions of migrants to other countries. Immigrants from Africa,Asia,Latin America,and the Middle East only began arriving in the 1990s,meaning that Italians have had much less time to get used to the idea of a multi-ethnic society.

The Huffington Post

The Soderbergh effect

Are movie stars dead? Christopher Rosen asks,and then proceeds to provide an answer. Quick,run down the list of biggest male movie stars from the last 20 years: Brad Pitt,George Clooney,Matt Damon,Johnny Depp,Tom Cruise,Tom Hanks,Will Smith,Robert Downey Jr and,now,perhaps Channing Tatum. What do half of the names on that list have in common? They all made films with Steven Soderbergh at key points in their careers. Which is a great tidbit for future leading men,save for one little problem: Steven Soderbergh is now retired. Rosens conclusion: Movie stars arent dead. Without Soderbergh,however,they just might be harder to find.

The New Yorker

Murakami on running in Boston

Haruki Murakami has run 33 full marathons. Six in Boston. He writes,whenever someone asks me,which is my favourite,I never hesitate to answer: the Boston Marathon. Whats great about marathons,Murakami says,is that you enter the race to enjoy it. Then it starts to get a little painful,then it becomes seriously painful,and in the end its that pain that you start to enjoy, Murakami writes. The most famous part of the Boston Marathon is Heartbreak Hilla four-mile series of slopes. In the 117-year history of the race,legendary stories have grown up around this unforgiving hill. The real pain,writes Murakami,begins only after youve conquered Heartbreak Hill. Youre through the worstand suddenly your body starts to scream. Emotional scars may be similar. In a personal message,from one who calls himself a runner,Murakami writes,Its through running,running every single day,that I grieve for those whose lives were lost on Boylston Street.