LongReads Round-Up Volume Twenty-Three

"The Robots that Saved Pittsburgh," by Glenn Thrush for Politico. I don't know a ton about robotics (other than that we should fear them and their inevitable takeover of society), but this long piece on how the robotics industry revitalized Pittsburgh while other industrial cities watched their economies crash is layman friendly. While I'd selfishly love for Pittsburgh to go unnoticed by the rest of the country so I can keep its low rents and post industrial culture to myself, this well researched article highlights the city's powerhouse-primed position in the national economy. "Improbably for a blue-collar town that seemed headed for the scrap heap when its steel industry collapsed, Pittsburgh has developed into one of the country’s most vibrant tech centers, a hotbed of innovation that can no longer be ignored by the industry’s titans."

This is relatively old news in the media world, but its worth a visit if you hadn't followed the story when it was published last month. "Dr. V's Magical Putter," by Caleb Hannan, released on Grantland, quickly gained notoriety and criticism for outing a trans woman who, prior to the publication, committed suicide. The article traces the journalist's fascination with a golf putter invented by an MIT physicist name Dr. Essay Anne Vanderbilt. As he researches her past, it comes to light that she is in fact lying about her credentials (though her putter still works as it claims). Along with discoveries about her education and work background, Hannan uncovers that Vanderbilt is in fact a transgender woman, and goes on to reveal this information to both her peers and the public at large with his article. This article is a sad reminder that mainstream media often mistreats and mis-reports on trans issues, and that society at large has minimal understanding of trans issues. After being met with vehement criticism, Grantland editor Bill Simmons published an apologetic "A Letter from the Editor," that addressed his own uninformed knowledge of trans men and women. Even better, ESPN writer Christina Kahrl, herself a trans woman, wrote an op-ed titled "What Grantland Got Wrong," that did an excellent summation of the problematic treatment of trans men and women in media.     "[Caleb Hannan's] essay on “Dr. V and the magical putter” figures to be a permanent exhibit of what not to do, and how not to treat a fellow human being."

"From Harvard to Webcam Girl," by Anna Katzen for Salon. A lackluster job and general malaise regarding the future sent Katzen in front of the webcam, where she stripped, masturbated, and discussed literature for strangers (and money). Katzen writes about her experience in a market driven by novelty ("pervs love new girls") and her worries that this choice in self employment will wind up being a regret later in life. Just enough voyeuristic details into the weirdness of camsex, but Katzen delivers with a sense of humor and self awareness, not titillation. "...some of my most popular performances entail me reading erotica, perhaps Anais Nin or the Marquis de Sade, in the buff...I have unwittingly created a powerful “brand” for myself: the wild intellectual, the bluestocking in garters."

"The Science and the Scam of the Séance" by Katie Heaney for Pacific Standard Magazine. The spooky spiritualism during the turn of the nineteenth century has been revealed to be mostly hoaxes and frauds (despite all the horror films that milk the séance trope). Heaney discusses one of the leading spiritualists of the day, who never let being exposed as a faker stop her from scaring the money out of curious folks' pockets. Heaney illuminates the tools for faking communication with the dead, and shares how even us twenty first century skeptics get the willies sometimes. "As much as I typically resent hoaxers for “ruining” many of the paranormal phenomena I hold dear, I am also impressed by anyone who can pull it off."
"The Academic Feminist: Melanie Klein on Yoga and Feminism," interview by Gwendolyn Beatham for Feministing. Klein discusses how she found yoga shortly after feminism, and the two practices have intertwined in her life ever since. This interview focuses on an upcoming book Klein edited with Anna Guest-Jelly, one of my favorite yogis who confronts body image issues in modern yoga practices. Their upcoming collection of body image centric essays tackles appropriation, racism, ageism, basically all the -isms with which popular Western yoga culture is fraught. Beatham includes a great round up of links and resources for those interested in the melding of feminist and yogic thought. "Feminism gave me my intellectual grounding and yoga provided the practice to embody and live these teachings."

"Himalayan Bath Salts Will Not Save Your Life," by Brian Palmer for Slate. Facebook is full of bad science, in the form of iStock photos overlaid with text that erroneously educates the masses that yes, the male brain hears music differently than a woman's, and blueberries cure cancer! Its not just science posts-misinformation gets spread around Facebook with the quickness of a "click share." A "science" website called Natural News is wildly popular, and wildly efficient at disseminating false information that feeds people's paranoia. Palmer reveals the misreporting and manipulation of information that happens in Natural News articles. Worse than instructing readers to eat lemon peels is the fearmongering it wages against the government, preying on fears of restricted liberties and conspiracies. "Natural News has an uncanny ability to move unsophisticated readers from harmless dietary balderdash to medical quackery to anti-government zealotry."

"Sexual Assault at Patrick Henry College, God's Harvard," by Kiera Feldman for The New Republic.  Oh, MAN. I have so many feelings about this piece and how it ties to fundamentalism's obsession with purity, conservatism's forced, unquestioning belief in authority, and my fears about how schools like PHC are feeders for politics. I attended one of those private schools with no federal funding (and no federal laws), and while I never witnessed the school administration cover up an assault case, I attended lectures that taught homosexuality could be "caught," like an illness, chapels that preached that women were meant to be wives and mothers, not leaders or careerists, and met several young women who blamed themselves for being assaulted. The culture at work in schools like PHC and Grove City College foster victim blaming and rape apology, placing responsibility on women's sexual, tempting bodies and not on the men who apparently can't control their raging testosterone. "'The entire line of questioning was basically like, ‘Did you make it up? Or did you deserve it in some way? Or was it consensual and now you’re just lying about it to make him look bad?’"

"Once Upon a Time," by Nicole Pasulka for Buzzfeed. I find this article incredibly stressful because, as a future hoarder, I could never throw away possessions with Pasulka's cavalier attitude. I even found myself thinking, as she bemoans losing a set of childhood books from her parents' home, 'you got what you deserved, lady.' This is a beautifully written, wistful essay on the memories she has of her most beloved books as a child. Buzzfeed isn't just for gif posts and "44 Things" lists. "The characters I remember the most show that bad can be good, that love isn’t reserved for those who do the right thing."

"How to Survive a Ten Hour Flight Like a Lady," by Hilary Fischer-Groban for The Hairpin. I've made the 'other side of the world' flight a few times now, and let me tell you, I looked HELLA ROUGH when I landed in America last summer. I had zero shame and wore my Peace Corps shirt and told myself people would let me slide for looking so beat/wolfing down a footlong Subway sandwich in a matter of minutes. Also, arriving home to the fanfare of friends and family also meant photos, photos of me looking exhausted, splotchy, and probably visible stink lines. If you're going to be picked up by loved ones at your next transpacific flight and don't want them to run screaming in the other direction, check out these tips, and the comments section too! "If this isn’t working for you, try thinking about how glad you are that you aren’t doing this journey by sea or worse, not at all, you spoiled brat."

LongReads Round-Up Volume Twenty-One

Sadly, my laptop has once again met its match in Indonesia. I'm not planning on getting it serviced until the New Year, so I can only offer some less than beautifully formatted links for the time being.





A school in Mexico is producing some of the country's highest scoring math prodigies, using radical classroom methods - http://www.wired.com/business/2013/10/free-thinkers/all/






In memorandum of Lou Reed - http://m.newyorker.com/online/blogs/culture/2013/10/heroin-was-our-heroin.html?






Last Round Up I posted about Jezebel as revolutionizing women's media. Newcomer Bustle would like to inherit the throne. http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2013/09/23/130923fa_fact_widdicombe?



I'm a big fan of the podcast WTF with Marc Maron, and this interview exemplifies why - http://www.vulture.com/m/2012/07/marc-maron-podcast-interview.html




Talking about video games in a high brow manner, always - http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/9713372/looking-back-game-myst-20th-anniversary




So fascinating! How the sex lives of Japanese young adults has tapered off into an apathetic shrug - http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/20/young-people-japan-stopped-having-sex




Talking about education reform methods, attempted solutions and unanswered problems - http://www.texasmonthly.com/story/%E2%80%9Cit%E2%80%99s-not-school-problem%E2%80%9D?fullpage=1






A science research council supporting big corporations, only to discover its funded by those same dark overlords!? No way! - http://motherjones.com/politics/2013/10/american-council-science-health-leaked-documents-fundraising





Angry feminists take to Etsy to craft their man hate. - http://www.salon.com/2013/10/27/fighting_sexism_with_cross_stitch_the_rise_of_misandry_crafts/

LongReads Round-Up Volume Twenty

"It Was Nice While It Lasted," by Rosa Brooks for Foreign Policy. This charming piece of dystopian satire comes from the year 2060. America is now a lawless land, bereft of government since the Tea Party shutdown of 2013. Canada has built a wall to keep out the hungry, uneducated Americans, as the wealthiest fled the country long ago. Hardworking American laborers in major cities can still find work at Chinese military bases, at least.  "In 2013, the new Tea Party wanted to put a stop to a government run by their own fellow citizens. Well, they got what they wanted: Now it's the Chinese who make the rules for Americans."

"White Girls," by Hilton Als for Guernica. Excerpted from Als's new essay collection on media and literature, race and relationships, this piece follows the story of a friendship he formed with another black man. Its a sprawling meditation on the intersections of race, privilege, and art. Als reflects on the character of a man he deeply loved and admired, and the lessons he learned from their friendship."Standing above me and around me I see how we are all the same, that none of us are white women or black men; rather, we’re a series of mouths, and that every mouth needs filling: with something wet or dry, like love, or unfamiliar and savory, like love."

"Den of the Dominatrix," by Maria Smilios for Narratively. Fascinating account of a woman's work as a fetish dominatrix in New York. From Catholic school girl to vegan activist to dominatrix, "Mistress Josie," as she is called in the article, has blasted boundaries and taboos from her childhood. Not for the squeamish, this article features some of the stranger kinks Mistress Josie deals out to her clients. "Everyone deserves kindness and nurturing, even the person with a most extreme or unusual fantasy."

"Jezebel Founding Editor Anna Holmes On Her New Book -- And How She Changed Women's Media," by Lori Leibovich for The Huffington Post. The pop culture and feminist politics website Jezebel has shaped the way women engage with the news over the past six years. With its range of subject matter, from celebrity gossip to serious reporting on issues such as rape culture and racism, Jezebel has pushed feminist discourse into the mainstream. In this interview Anna Holmes reveals some of the biggest challenges she faced as the editor, including the life-suck that working in social media causes. "We talked about feminism in a very matter-of-fact way, without apology, and hoped that the readers who were kind of like “eh” about it would come to regard it as a un-scary thing."

"Why I Stopped Writing Recommendation Letters for Teach for America," by Catherine Michna for Slate. Humanities professor Michna writes a scathing reproach of Teach for America and untrained young teachers entering underprivileged classrooms. Her critique of the program is similar in many ways to critiques of Peace Corps- how effective can it be to send generally young and inexperienced adults to a disenfranchised area for relatively short term work? She also explores the effects of charter schools on the education quality, and the way TFA furthers those negative aspects of charter schools. For once, I recommend reading the comments, which were overall insightful and provided a variety of viewpoints. "[TFA teachers] work in service of a corporate reform agenda that rids communities of veteran teachers, privatizes public schools, and forces a corporatized, data-driven culture upon unique low-income communities with unique dynamics and unique challenges."

"Love in the Gardens," by Zadie Smith for The New York Review of Books. Smith writes this beautiful essay on her love of public gardens for NYRB, that follows a parallel of her relationship with her father and his passing. Seeking the public gardens in Italy and France let her escape from some of the cross cultural confusions and conflicts faced during travel. A public garden offers a chance for a peaceful experience of space. "In Italy, where so many kinds of gates are closed to so many people, there is something especially beautiful in the freedom of a garden."

"Two-Hit Wonder," by D.T. Max for The New Yorker. This profile on Jack Dorsey, a co-founder of Twitter, tracks the rise of the social media tech maven since 2006. The particular and at times peculiar personalities of tech geniuses is a modern fascination. Dorsey does not disappoint, with his love of bare minimalism and public transportation. Charting Dorsey's interests and talents, with the knowledge that they will ultimately result in Twitter, is an intriguing game of foreshadowing. "Twitter—inspired by the text message—is all about immediacy and mobility, and so is Dorsey. "

"The Facebook divorce," by Amanda Fortini for Salon. Social media has impacted the way we express ourselves in all kinds of situations, including the end of relationships. Fortini explores the way divorcées rant, rave, and regret their dissolving marriages on the internet. She also discusses how Facebook and social media can affect legalities during divorce proceedings."Facebook is not like Las Vegas: What happens there rarely stays there."

"Meet the Fantasically Bejeweled Skeletons of Catholicism's Forgotten Martyrs," by Rachel Nuwer for Smithsonian's Past Imperfect blog. Just in time to inspire your glamorous Halloween dreams, this post on the new book Heavenly Bodies offers plenty of bejeweled skeletons that would be an excellent addition to a fabulous haunted house. Paul Koudounaris discovered the practice of bedazzling deceased Catholic saints while he was travelling in Germany. As a historian and photographer, the subject was fascinating, and he began to hunt down the catacombs and shrines that held these blinged out remains. "Each martyr’s skeleton represented the splendors that awaited the faithful in the afterlife."

LongReads Round-Up Volume Eighteen: Extra Long Weekend Edition

"Obamacare and the Conscience of a Radical," by Ta-Nehisi Coates for The Atlantic. Senior Editor and resident The Atlantic radical TNC writes about his frustrations with Obamacare and its limitations in reaching our county's most vulnerable and disenfranchised, in part because of systemic prejudice and oppression towards poor black Americans. TNC questions if Obamacare is essentially immoral because it doesn't provide services to those who need it the most. "...leaving the majority of the most vulnerable class of Americans uncovered, while the rest of the country enjoys the expanded safety net... is actively harmful. "

"Why the Agriculture Industry Hates Chipotle," by Tarini Parti and Helena Bottemiller Evich for Politico. Leaders of the agriculture industry in America resent the beloved burrito artistry that is Chipotle for its new non-advertisement advertisement, a short video bemoaning industrial farming tactics (GMO, hormone injections, etc). For the Ag industry, its nothing short of propaganda. Industry officials fear backlash in the form of new legislation, or worse, Americans taking their purchasing power elsewhere. "The agriculture industry fears that Chipotle, more than just influencing consumer behavior, could ultimately help drive policy either by bolstering the grass-roots good-food movement or by having the ear of members of Congress."

"You're a Fiction Writing Professor," by Justin Kramon for Glimmer Train. A short piece by Kramon that is better read than unnecessarily explained. "You think of your writing resume as one of the most creative pieces of fiction you've written. "

"In Praise of Idleness," by Bertrand Russel. In 1932, philosopher Bertrand Russell was pretty convinced we were working too hard. Its been eighty years, and America lags behind other countries in both amount of vacation and personal days, and productivity. Correlation? Russell provides a break down of work and morality that calls for a revolution in the workplace. "I want to say, in all seriousness, that a great deal of harm is being done in the modern world by belief in the virtuousness of work, and that the road to happiness and prosperity lies in an organized diminution of work."

"A Breaking Bad (and Beyond) Reading List," by Lauren Eggert-Crowe for The Millions. I'll probably never have children, because how could I punish them by bringing them into a world without new Breaking Bad episodes? As the world mourns the void left by the morally bankrupt Walter White, Eggert-Crowe offers some reads that will give us the dark, conflicted feelings we crave. From classic literature to memoirs and true crime, there's a little on here for everyone. "The books on this list range from the personal to the mythological to the journalistic, and some intertwine all three. "

"There's No God in Antarctica," by Jo Stewart for Vice. Stewart's travel essay and photo journal of a trip to Antarctica is brief, but the photos are stunning. Ranging from shots of massive icebergs to 1950s painted pinups on the walls of bases, Stewart captures scenes that aren't usually featured in National Geographic. "The lows are subterranean—sometimes it feels like you’ve arrived at the watery gates of hell. But the highs are stratospheric."

"Miley Cyrus: Confessions of Pop's Wildest Child," by Josh Eells for Rolling Stone. YES! Year of Miley! America's current "Hot Mess of the Year," Cyrus has been spinning heads with her love of weed, twerking, and bad hair cuts. Eells spent several days with Cyrus, observing her get tattooed, partying, even joining her for a skydiving trip. Cyrus displays an uncredited-by-bloggers insight into her public persona and calculated steps in progressing her career. Released in timing with her new album, Bangerz, the article gives a seemingly unvarnished look into the Twerk Seen 'Round the World. "Miley thinks people will be shocked when the ["Wrecking Ball"] video comes out, because it's the last thing they expect from her: real art."

"An Open Letter to Sinead O'Connor," by Amanda Palmer. Miley is so polarizing, she even has questionably culturally relevant Sinead O'Connor writing disses on her website. Palmer wrote a Defense of the Twerk on her own site, defending Miley's right to expression and the overall diversity of female performance and expression. "...we gotta give Miley (and every female) space to try on her artist’s uniform. It’s like a game of cosmic dress-up, but the stakes are high. If we’re allowed to play it, we’re empowered. If we’re not, we’re still in a cage."

"I'm 25... and I've wasted my life," by Cary Tennis for Salon. Tennis offers advice to a young adult who feels dissatisfied with life - he's worked hard, never "messed up," yet he feels unfulfilled and resentful of his flaky peers. Tennis makes me feel normal and validated as a rudderless young adult with his spirited cheers for taking the time to screw up. "The way you feel is completely normal. You’re not stupid. But you feel stupid because you’ve been taken in by a sucker’s system."

"America Has a Long Way to Go Before It's Fully 'Clitorate,'" by Anna Lekas Miller for Alternet. Sophia Wallace is a visual artist whose newest project is spreading "cliteracy," that is, knowledge about the human clitoris, to the masses. While the female body is sexualized in everything from advertising to porn, knowledge of female sexuality and female sex organs is still in infancy. After researching the misinformation and misunderstandings the average person has about the clitoris, Wallace was inspired to increase cliteracy through installations, street art, and internet campaigns. "Right now, you can’t even say the word clit, it’s too obscene and profane, but you can show the nude female body everywhere."

"My embarrassing picture went viral," by Caitlin Seida for Salon. After a Halloween photo of Seida as Lara Croft became part of a viral mockery meme, she fought back with copyright infringement warnings and calling out people for their hurtful comments. Her security and enjoyment of her body is really badass and patriarchy smashing, as is this quote: "But I refuse to disappear. I still go jogging in public. I don’t hide my flabby arms or chubby ankles for fear of offending someone else’s delicate sensibilities. "

"23 Dogs Who Really Love Their Best Friend," by Arielle Calderon for BuzzFeed. Babies + Dogs. That's all you need to know.

LongReads Round-Up Volume Fourteen: LongWeekend Edition

#Art

What its like to be an “art minion” working in the studio of a well known artist: http://theclustermag.com/blog/2013/01/making-someone-elses-art/

#Comedy

An interview from last year with Aziz Ansari http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-aziz-ansari-20120912,0,19600,full.story

#Education

A group of New York anarchists met and organized through a progressive adult education program: http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/01/the-strange-story-of-new-yorks-anarchist-school/266224/

“Democratic schools,” where students of all ages intermingle and hold voting rights in school and administrative decisions, are examples of radical education communities: http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/12/no-teachers-no-class-no-homework-would-you-send-your-kids-here/265354/

The democratic school in Britain, Summerhill http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/schools/summerhill-inside-englands-most-controversial-private-school-772976.html

#Energy

The way people around the world relate to weather and temperature directly affects their use of energy and productivity: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/27/magazine/what-does-it-mean-to-be-comfortable.html?_r=1&

#Essay

Repetitive, short-lasting labor brings a state of meditative transcendence http://thenewinquiry.com/blogs/the-beheld/the-impermanence-of-beauty-work/

100 Ways to Say I Love You: http://www.themorningnews.org/article/how-to-say-i-love-you

#Feminism

“If we're going to be honest with ourselves and our daughters, shouldn't we be teaching them early how utterly fucked the world still can be for women, instead of promising the moon and watching them hit the roof?” http://jezebel.com/5984059/you-cant-empower-girls-without-a-reality-check

#Film

Soderbergh on retiring from filmmaking, art, and Fancy Feast: http://www.vulture.com/2013/01/steven-soderbergh-in-conversation.html

“Kill Your Darlings” is all about the early years of the Beat poets: http://www.hitfix.com/awards-campaign/kill-your-darlings-director-on-the-fearless-daniel-radcliffe-and-ben-fosters-flaming-finger/  (see below article under #Literature)

#Health

Living with autoimmune diseases in an age that emphasizes capitalism and productivity http://theclustermag.com/blog/2013/01/how-to-be-a-person-in-the-age-of-autoimmunity/#

The ethical and economical weight that comes with “donating” eggs: http://www.salon.com/2013/02/03/selling_my_eggs_to_make_rent_partner/

It’s the fiftieth anniversary of Sylvia Plath’s death, and public stance and reaction to mental illness is still evolving: http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/2013/02/youll-love-her-shes-crazy.html

#Labor

Is it weird to include an article on the issues of unpaid internships under the tag I usually reserve for migrant workers and exploitation overseas? I don’t know. http://www.theatlantic.com/sexes/archive/2013/02/unpaid-internships-are-a-rich-girl-problem-and-also-a-real-problem/273106/

#Literature

Murder, homosexual love triangles, and the Beat poet who never was, Lucien Carr. http://magazine.columbia.edu/print/1220  (felt really maudlin after the end quote, “a literary lion who never roared.”)

Is Junot Diaz confronting harmful masculinity in his literature, or perpetuating it? http://politic365.com/2012/11/24/junot-diaz-and-the-cult-of-revolutionary-machismo

One of my favorite poems, “Aristotle” by Billy Collins http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/176050

Robert Bolano’s tips for writing short fiction: http://theparisreview.tumblr.com/post/42433729872/roberto-bolano-on-writing-short-stories-via

#Music

Tegan and Sara on their newest album and indie vs. pop music: http://www.spin.com/articles/tegan-sara-january-2013-cover-story-heartthrob?page=0

Maya Rudolph is in a Prince cover band called Princess: http://www.motherjones.com/mixed-media/2013/02/princess-maya-rudolph-prince-tribute-band 

Rio’s funk music scene, once tangibly interwoven with community, has changed and dimmed since government intervention has “pacified” high risk neighborhoods: http://theclustermag.com/blog/2012/05/ta-tudo-errado-the-future-of-funk-in-a-pacified-rio/

Frank Ocean should have won every Album of the Year countdown, awards show, amateur music blog post round up, in my opinion: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/10/magazine/frank-ocean-can-fly.html  

The Postal Service has released a new track. Your one song to listen to this week. http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-postal-service-releases-first-new-song-decade-20130211,0,6620089.story

#National

Forget political blogs and national printernet magazines, for the recap of the State of the Union address I’m sending you to Autostraddle: http://www.autostraddle.com/state-of-the-union-recap-heres-what-hope-change-look-like-in-obamas-second-term-156627/

This article on the struggling US postal system made me feel strangely patriotic: http://www.esquire.com/print-this/post-office-business-trouble-0213?page=all

TNR’s interview with President Obama as he begins his second term in office: http://www.newrepublic.com/article/112190/obama-interview-2013-sit-down-president#

Reading is an act of humanization and shared experience. Teju Cole critiques President Obama’s drone warfare in light of his situation as a “man of books:” http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/2013/02/a-readers-war.html

Examining the Department of Justice’s legal theory behind drone warfare: http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/02/05/death_by_loophole?page=full

#Religion

Who is the pope now? I have no idea. http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/johncassidy/2013/02/good-riddance-to-pope-benedict-he-was-a-disaster.html

#Sexuality

Rape culture and sexual pressure is trickling down and affecting teens and children: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/sex/9828589/Children-and-the-culture-of-pornography-Boys-will-ask-you-every-day-until-you-say-yes.html

#Technology

A new app allows for privacy of messaging and file sharing, disregarding government commands for “back door” access: http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2013/02/silent_circle_s_latest_app_democratizes_encryption_governments_won_t_be.single.html

GoodReads book recommendation and ranking service is the new book club in the digital age: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/13/books/goodreadscom-is-growing-as-a-popular-book-site.html

Aziz Ansari talking about social media and texting effecting relationships: http://www.avclub.com/articles/aziz-ansari-candid-about-love-elusive-sadly-ephem,92476/

#Television

Connie Britton is in the prime of her acting career when most actresses are considered “aged out” http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/17/magazine/connie-britton-is-a-late-bloomer.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&smid=tw-nytmag&&pagewanted=all

I just really like an article all about Duck Tales http://www.avclub.com/articles/ducktales-invented-new-animated-wonderlandthat-qu,92324/

#Theater

Theaters repeatedly favor white (the unmarked) actors, even in cases where characters are designated to be people of color: http://jezebel.com/5980419/many-major-theaters-believe-in-color-blind-casting-except-when-it-comes-to-people-of-color

LongReads Round-Up Volume Thirteen (aka The One All About Girls)

#Crime

Is there a scientific cure to pedophilia? http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2013/01/14/130114fa_fact_aviv?currentPage=all

#Development

Jared Diamond reviews Why Nations Fail, surveying economic policies, centralized governments, and natural resources along the way: http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2012/jun/07/what-makes-countries-rich-or-poor/?pagination=false

#Feminism #Literature

1993 article by Deborah Tannen about "marked" and "unmarked" in literature, in that to be female is to always be marked or derivative of the norm, which is male. Sadly, Tannen misses the mark (no pun intended) in how this also relates to intersectional forms of oppression such as race or sexualty. http://www9.georgetown.edu/faculty/tannend/nyt062093.htm

An argument that there is still a need and purpose for female-centric anthologies of literature, and other specially designated spaces: http://humanities.uchicago.edu/orgs/review/CR_532_Spahr_Young.pdf

#Health

Two part investigation into the troubling trend in labiaplasty and cashing in on physical insecurities:
http://www.guernicamag.com/daily/kirsten-oregan-labiaplasty-part-i/
http://www.guernicamag.com/daily/kirsten-oregan-labiaplasty-part-ii/

Elizabeth Wurtzel, author of Prozac Nation, on mental health and self help, and being disillusioned with life: http://nymag.com/thecut/2013/01/elizabeth-wurtzel-on-self-help.html

Obligatory "how can I relate this to Girls" response article: http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/2013/01/what-would-hannah-horvath-make-of-elizabeth-wurtzel.html

#Journalism

Catching up with former executive editor of GOOD on social media, and internet publications http://therumpus.net/2013/01/saturday-special-the-rumpus-catches-up-with-ann-friedman/

#Literature

This excellent interview with poet Megan Kaminski provokes a dialogue about women's place in the modern literary canon, and offers an abundance of further readings: http://www.themillions.com/2013/01/topographies-of-desire-the-millions-interviews-megan-kaminski.html

Ethics in reading literature in an ever-globalizing age: http://lareviewofbooks.org/article.php?type=&id=1244&fulltext=1&media=#article-text-cutpoint

Interview with James Franco about his poetry chapbook and his literary endeavors in general: http://lareviewofbooks.org/article.php?type=&id=1237&fulltext=1

Fan Girl interview with Margaret Atwood: http://therumpus.net/2013/01/the-sunday-rumpus-interview-margaret-atwood/

A series of links on New Narrative, modern female authors, and what is "women's literature," anyway:

http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2010/08/all-the-sad-young-literary-women/61821/

http://nplusonemag.com/female-trouble

http://thenewinquiry.com/essays/the-semiautobiographers/

Hannah Horvath's bookshelf: http://www.themillions.com/2013/01/ten-books-to-read-now-that-hbos-girls-is-back.html

Celebrating the anniversary of literary theory text Exercises in Style, with a new edition:

http://therumpus.net/2013/01/exercises-in-style/ 

http://www.themillions.com/2011/09/staff-pick-exercises-in-style-by-raymond-queneau.html

Jeffrey Eugenide's advice to young writers, winners of the Whiting Award, and a response from The Millions:

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/2012/12/jeffrey-eugenides-advice-to-young-writers.html 

http://www.themillions.com/2013/01/jeffrey-eugenidess-killer-advice.html

#Obituary

A round up of links after young internet and free access activist Aaron Swartz's suicide last month:

http://www.economist.com/news/obituary/21569674-aaron-swartz-computer-programmer-and-activist-committed-suicide-january-11th-aged-26-aaron

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/13/technology/aaron-swartz-internet-activist-dies-at-26.html?_r=0

http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2013/01/20/the-tragedy-of-aaron-swartz.html

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/why-did-the-justice-system-target-aaron-swartz-20130123

http://www.infodocket.com/2013/01/12/tragic-news-internet-activist-and-developer-aaron-swartz-dead-at-26/

#Religion

How the internet is shaping (and dissolving) fundamentalist religions: http://www.salon.com/2013/01/16/religion_may_not_survive_the_internet/

#Science

Rookie interviews Neil deGrasse Tyson, maintaing its position as coolest publication for girls in print or online:  http://rookiemag.com/2012/07/an-interview-with-neil-degrasse-tyson/ (I love when she asks, do you ever get really overwhelmed by the universe?)

#Sexuality

How the sexual revolution has developed since the 1980s: http://lareviewofbooks.org/article.php?id=1252

Growing up with Judy Blume: http://lareviewofbooks.org/article.php?type=&id=1201&fulltext=1

#Technology

You've got a friend in the world wide web, the new hub of social activism, do-gooders, and Likers:  http://nymag.com/news/features/internet-nice-2012-11/index1.html

#Television

Girls is back, and so are all the articles about HBO's most talked about twenty minutes a week: http://www.interviewmagazine.com/film/lena-dunham-february-2013#_

Emily Nussbaum writing about Girls and the tradition of provocative young women in literature http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/television/2013/02/11/130211crte_television_nussbaum?currentPage=all

Elaine Blair on the (oft non-titilating) portrayal of sex on Girls last season: http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2012/jun/07/loves-lena-dunham/?pagination=false

#Travel

Ploughshare winning essay on living in Jerusalem and attempting to understand Israel/Palestine issues as an American: https://www.pshares.org/read/article-detail.cfm?intArticleID=9725&src=longreads

Three essays from poets living in Gaza: http://lareviewofbooks.org/article.php?type=&id=1205&fulltext=1

LongReads Round-Up Volume Twelve

#Comics

Interview with the author of a historical account of Marvel Comics: http://www.theawl.com/2012/12/the-long-twisted-history-of-marvel-comics-a-talk-with-sean-howe

#Crime

Growing up with an adopted older brother and convicted murderer http://www.xojane.com/it-happened-to-me/larry-swartz-murderer-adopted

#Business

How Starbucks revolutionized coffee culture, and might be bringing the same popular oomf to tea http://www.themorningnews.org/article/a-spot-for-tea

How Walmart used bribes to get building permits in illegal zones n Mexico http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/18/business/walmart-bribes-teotihuacan.html?_r=0

Disney brand runs everything http://management.fortune.cnn.com/2012/05/09/500-disney-iger/

#Essay

Shelia Heti writing about why bother socializing http://www.sheilaheti.net/whygoout2.html

Emily Gould on "lady blogs," emotional women, and validity of said emotional women as writers http://www.emilymagazine.com/?p=837

The female writer's fear of being alone, the pursuit of solitude and self satisfaction outside of relationships http://thenewinquiry.com/essays/the-lonely-ones/

Making and keeping friends in late young adulthood http://thoughtcatalog.com/2012/faqs-re-friendship-in-your-20s/

Forgot just how much I love Rookie for a minute. Perennial goodie of an essay for the teenage girl inside of you http://rookiemag.com/2012/01/how-to-not-care-what-other-people-think-of-you/

#Fashion

Tavie Gevinson, child fashion blogger to culture pulse point (and masthead leader of Rookie) http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/09/20/100920fa_fact_widdicombe?currentPage=all

#Feminism

J. Jack Halberstam talks about the dissolution of traditional gender roles, and genders themselves, and how feminism needs to move beyond polarizing vagina/penis platforms http://lareviewofbooks.org/article.php?type=&id=981&fulltext=1

After Volume Eleven’s n+1 takedown of The Atlantic, I read this piece by LA Review of Books entitled “Is The Atlantic Making Us Stupid?” talking again about gender issue/”women’s interest” pieces http://lareviewofbooks.org/article.php?type=&id=918&fulltext=1

#Film

Interview with Mel Brooks http://www.avclub.com/articles/mel-brooks-on-how-to-play-hitler-and-how-he-almost,89843/

Interview with Corey Feldman http://www.avclub.com/articles/corey-feldman-on-child-actors-his-favorite-roles-a,89648/

#Health

On mental health, medical services responsibilities, and quality of life:

http://gawker.com/5968818/i-am-adam-lanzas-mother 

http://www.xojane.com/issues/a-response-to-i-am-adam-lanzas-mother-from-a-doctor-in-the-trenches-i-am-adam-lanzas-psychiatrist 

http://www.vice.com/read/the-right-to-die-is-the-right-to-live-0912348-v19n12?Contentpage=-1

Fertility trials and culturing the skills of waiting http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/6694/

#Language

A former DMV employee and self educated linguist endeavored to create the most precise and logical language ever http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2012/12/24/121224fa_fact_foer?currentPage=all

#Literature

Short fiction by Rebecca Schiff http://nplusonemag.com/men-against-violence

The opening lines of this interview with VS Naipaul are basically the best http://www.tnr.com/article/110946/vs-naipaul-the-arab-spring-authors-he-loathes-and-the-books-he-will-never-write#

Another great interview with Martin Amis http://www.vulture.com/2012/07/in-conversation-martin-amis.html

A historical literary moment, when the father of vampires met the father of American poetry http://www.neh.gov/humanities/2012/novemberdecember/feature/when-bram-met-walt

The Morning News finishes its year-long series on modern Russian Literature with this excerpt and interview with Mikhail Shishkin http://www.themorningnews.org/article/mikhail-shishkin

Review of Oprah: Gospel of an Icon that takes “followers of Oprah” to a new level  and explores the pseudo religious impact of Oprah in viewers’ lives.  http://lareviewofbooks.org/article.php?id=1142&fulltext=1

#Music

The fusion of rap music and traditional Mongolian music http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/witness/2012/10/2012103113231574635.html

Jay Zhttp://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/09/t-magazine/the-house-that-hova-built.html?_r=3&

Music round up that speaks to the soul http://rookiemag.com/2012/12/from-the-soul/

#Obituary

White girl privilege aside, I appreciate this piece by Lena Dunham http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/culture/2012/06/lena-dunham-remembers-nora-ephron.html

#Politics

How American tragedies affect presidencies (and how Obama reacts to tragedy) http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/12/17/a_president_we_can_believe_in

Interesting piece on the inside logistics that helped pass gay marriage bills in several states http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/12/the-gay-marriage-plot-inside-this-years-other-high-stakes-campaign/265865/?single_page=true

In a time where America is rife with gun control debates, a journalist steps behind the counter of a gun store http://www.gq.com/news-politics/big-issues/201209/gun-shopping-gq-september-2012

Ta-Nehesi Coates writing about race and the presidency, and the pressure of acceptable blackness http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/09/fear-of-a-black-president/309064/1/?single_page=true

Multiculturalism, liberalism, and questions of identity http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2012/nov/22/freedom-diversity-liberal-pentagram/?pagination=false

#Sexuality

Why Uganda's aggressive anti-gay laws have roots in American culture http://harpers.org/archive/2010/09/straight-mans-burden/?single=1

James Deen, America's sweetheart porn star  http://lareviewofbooks.org/article.php?id=1021&fulltext=1

Famous women talking about their first times http://rookiemag.com/2012/03/absolute-beginners/

Why you should never fake an orgasm (enjoyed the comment-versation about the heteronormative tone of the article as well) http://rookiemag.com/2012/02/a-real-good-time/

Attempts at online dating http://www.lrb.co.uk/v34/n20/emily-witt/diary

#Spirituality

Last month Rookie magazine's theme was Belief. A few of my favorite articles included building an altar, a conversation between atheists, and reconciling religion and feminism:

http://rookiemag.com/2012/12/anatomy-of-an-altar/http://rookiemag.com/2012/12/beyond-belief/http://rookiemag.com/2012/12/a-holy-allianc/

#Technology

How a Reddit query sparked a film treatment http://www.wired.com/underwire/2012/03/ff_reddit/

Forget cloud storage. Theoretical extraterrestrial storage is where its at. http://www.themorningnews.org/article/interstellar-hard-drive

Chemical weaponry developed in the Cold War http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2012/12/17/121217fa_fact_khatchadourian?currentPage=all

#Television

Sarah Nicole Prickett relates Alan Sorkin’s The Newsroom to the creeping fears of the fading “great American male” legacy http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/television/how-to-get-under-aaron-sorkins-skin-and-also-how-to-high-five-properly/article4363455/

LongReads Round-Up Volume Eleven

#Economy

Evaluating welfare programs in Britain that have now lasted an entire lifetime http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/politics/2012/11/cradle-grave

Into the holiday shopping subconscious http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-11-27/why-holiday-gifts-receive-more-ughs-than-oohs-.html

#Family

Essay http://therumpus.net/2012/11/osiris/

Community surrounding a woman who embarks on single motherhood http://therumpus.net/2012/11/the-we-of-single-motherhood/

#Feminism

Suzanne Venker’s job is telling other women they shouldn’t have jobs: http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/11/24/war-on-men/

Excellent response article from Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/compost/post/the-war-on-men--straw-feminism-101/2012/11/26/0ae5c158-37da-11e2-b01f-5f55b193f58f_blog.html

Another response from CNN http://edition.cnn.com/2012/11/29/living/war-on-men/

Devious straw feminists will burn your bras http://www.harkavagrant.com/index.php?id=341 #comics

Mary Miller has a hard time getting along with women http://therumpus.net/2012/11/i-am-sorry-women/

The panic of women’s issue think pieces, and sexism in journalism  http://nplusonemag.com/the-intellectual-situation-issue-15

#Film

Review of Rust and Bone  about an affair between a kickboxer and a legless orca trainer http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/movies/2012/11/rust_and_bone_starring_marion_cotillard_reviewed.html

New Vinterberg film on small town hysteria and false accusations http://www.newstatesman.com/culture/2012/11/hunt-film-about-society-thrall-its-children

El Médico won the New York International Latino Film Festival award for best documentary, about a Cuban doctor who also wants to be a reggae star http://therumpus.net/2012/11/the-rumpus-review-of-el-medico-the-cubaton-story/

Attica Locke on writing for Hollywood vs writing fiction and post racial America  http://www.themorningnews.org/article/attica-locke

The karmic outlook of Bill Murray http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/02/movies/bill-murray-star-of-hyde-park-on-hudson.html

#Health

A company in Denmark has developed programs to employ autistic adults for specialized tasks http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/02/magazine/the-autism-advantage.html?pagewanted=all&_r=2&

Forget diamonds. Jellyfish are forever. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/02/magazine/can-a-jellyfish-unlock-the-secret-of-immortality.html?ref=magazine&pagewanted=all

#History

Essay on the Oracle of Delphi http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/voices-in-time/deconstructing-the-oracle.php?page=all

#Humour

Ideas for the “traditional bride” to honor her “traditional background” http://therumpus.net/2012/11/funny-women-91-shower-gifts-for-the-traditional-bride/

Who needs a fictional apocalypse when we're living it? http://www.themorningnews.org/article/a-funny-thing-happened-on-the-way-to-the-apocalypse

#Literature

Publishing off the grid of the mainstream cultural hotspot (is Brooklyn mainstream hip now?) http://www.themillions.com/2012/11/dispatch-from-the-edge-of-literary-culture.html

The cultural retreat of Catholic writers http://www.themillions.com/2011/11/where-have-all-the-catholic-writers-gone.html

On Evelyn Waugh's conversion to Catholicism in life and literature http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2012/11/evelyn_waugh_as_catholic_novelist_brideshead_revisited_and_helena.single.html

The “scandal” at the center of Percy’s National Book Award boils down to a misinformed article http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2012/11/_1962_national_book_awards_scandal_the_story_behind_the_moviegoer.single.html

I love Kate Zambreno, I love Kate Zambreno, I love Kate Zambreno http://therumpus.net/2012/11/the-sunday-rumpus-interview-kate-zambreno/

The history of queer literature http://www.themillions.com/2012/11/the-march-of-progress-is-never-neat-merle-miller-and-on-being-different.html

Bonus: 50 Queer Writers of Color http://zahrawithaz.livejournal.com/12471.html

Tracking the effects of university literary theory classes in literature http://nplusonemag.com/the-theory-generation

The Post Catastrophe novel http://nplusonemag.com/the-end-the-end-the-end

Review of Edmund Love’s 1958 memoir on living on the streets and the eccentric transients of the NYC subway system http://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2012/11/29/twilight-people-subways-are-for-sleeping/

The Millions rounds up some of the NYTimes top 100 books and reviews http://www.themillions.com/2012/11/the-notables-2012.html

#Music

When Kathleen Hanna mentions Kathy Acker calling her an idiot for being a one dimensional feminist and Hanna owning up and I totally fangirl over it all http://www.avclub.com/articles/kathleen-hanna-on-bikini-kill-being-feminist-icon,88912/

Discovering an extensive collection of recorded performances of the Grateful Dead http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2012/11/26/121126fa_fact_paumgarten?currentPage=all

Sufjan loves Christmas, has feelings about commercialization, made a GIANT boxed cd set about it http://stereogum.com/1201912/deconstructing-sufjan-stevens-and-christian-music/top-stories/lead-story/

Eighteenth century essay on the transcendence of harpsichord music http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/voices-in-time/synesthesia.php?page=all

Who is the greatest rapper of all time? http://www.theawl.com/2012/11/andre-3000-vs-biggie

Best of Lists are the Best http://www.spin.com/articles/best-albums-2012 

#Politics

The Hillary Dynasty http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/comment/2012/11/hillary-clinton-2016.html

What does American democracy really mean?http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/preamble/feast-of-fools.php?page=all

#Religion

Statement from the Archbishop of Canterbury regarding sexual violence against women and the Church's responsibility http://www.newstatesman.com/lifestyle/2012/11/more-prayer-faith-communities-response-sexual-violence

Explaining the big step back for progressive religious leadership http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/comment/2012/11/the-fear-of-women-as-bishops.html

What's the queer student at a Christian college to do? Also, underground LGBTQ support groups. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-southwick/is-there-hope-for-queer-s_b_1829246.html (can speak from experience as an ally of the fledgling group at Grove City College, its a rough, less than Christian loving road to inclusion and support)

Church leadership is patriarchal because the Godhead trinity is patriarchal http://diannaeanderson.net/?p=1255 #sexism 

http://killingthebuddha.com/mag/confession/reading-the-st-louis-edicts/

Moderate Muslims are not an exception to the rule http://killingthebuddha.com/mag/dispatch/dear-america-moderate-muslims-exist/

#Sexuality

A frequenter of Australian brothels assembles the most memorable exchanges http://therumpus.net/2012/11/things-women-have-said-to-me-in-brothels/

Roxanne Gay writes about the complicated world of oversexualized children, especially girls http://therumpus.net/2012/11/eleven/

#Technology

“The iron Phone” and other battlegrounds in the kingdoms of Wester-net http://www.economist.com/news/21567361-google-apple-facebook-and-amazon-are-each-others-throats-all-sorts-ways-another-game

Hacking the cyberwar between Syrian government and revolutionists http://www.businessweek.com/printer/articles/82480-the-hackers-of-damascus

#Television

“[The Bachelor] is this generation’s Stanford Prison Experiment.” http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/02/magazine/the-life-lessons-hidden-in-reality-tv.html?ref=magazine&pagewanted=all

#Travel

Underground supper clubs hosted out of Los Angeles apartments are another evolution of the aging restaurant model http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2012/12/03/121203fa_fact_goodyear?currentPage=all

Partaking in the 685 mile dog sled race across Russia’s tundra http://www.themorningnews.org/article/twilight-on-the-tundra

LongReads Round-Up Volume Three

#Education

The issue with teaching self-expression in place of the mechanics of writing to children:

http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/09/how-self-expression-damaged-my-students/262656/

A series of articles on the supposed fall of the Liberal Arts in America:

The reflection of liberal arts in the pop culture mirror: http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/09/pop-culture-has-turned-against-the-liberal-arts/262955/ #LiberalArts #Media

The case for Entrepreneurship as the new Liberal Arts Degree: http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/09/how-liberal-arts-colleges-are-failing-america/262711/ #LiberalArts #College

I was really into the following article until this paragraph:

Soon [professors], in their hunger for relevance and their penchant for self-indulgence, began teaching books for reasons external to their intrinsic beauty or importance, and attempted to explain history before discovering what actually happened. They politicized psychology and sociology, and allowed African-American studies an even higher standing than Greek and Roman classics. They decided that the multicultural was of greater import than Western culture. They put popular culture on the same intellectual footing as high culture (Conrad or graphic novels, three hours credit either way). And, finally, they determined that race, gender, and social class were at the heart of all humanities and most social science subjects. With that finishing touch, the game was up for the liberal arts.”

http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/who-killed-liberal-arts_652007.html

Epstein’s apparent inflexibility to the diversifying of the cultural canon to make accords for those who have been historically marginalized and oppressed is just pathetic. He lauds himself as a defender of the liberal arts, but only as far as it extends to the brethren of Dead White Men of the Western World.

#Essay

What are ethics in the age of instant communication and constant change? http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/23/reinventing-ethics/ #Ethics

Bereavement Advice: http://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/six-pieces-of-highly-autobiographical-bereavement-advice #Mourning #Humor

The similarities between “extinction” sleep techniques and political torture: http://nplusonemag.com/torture-and-parenting  #Parenting 

The Left needs to get it together: http://www.thenation.com/article/170202/letter-my-liberal-allies# #Politics

You're Average, I'm Average, We're All Average. http://therumpus.net/2012/10/on-being-average/

#Feminism

One feminist is swearing off anymore books about the author's "naughty bits": http://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/the-f-word

Fawzia Koofi is Afghanistan's first woman parliamentary speaker and a serious contender for presidency:  http://womennewsnetwork.net/2012/08/27/afghanistan-woman-parliamentarian-dreams/ (this article is informative but almost frustratingly poorly written/edited.)

Article and accompanying photoset on women priests: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/30/opinion/sunday/women-as-priests.html?ref=world&_r=0 #Religion

Most Recommended Read about women in the workplace by feminist/mother/foreign policy expert Anne-Marie Slaughter: http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/07/why-women-still-cant-have-it-all/309020/?single_page=true

(and a follow up piece) http://www.salon.com/2012/09/27/anne_marie_slaughter_im_a_card_carrying_feminist/

“Men Explain Things to Me” http://www.tomdispatch.com/blog/175584/

#Film

Casablanca still has its swagger after all this time:

http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/09/happy-70th-anniversary-casablanca/263040/

Five lesser-known horror films to give you the willies: http://www.themorningnews.org/article/secret-horror

 

#Food

Brooklyn’s Foodie Historian, Sarah Lohman: http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/culture/2012/09/sarah-lohman-foodie-historian.html

Sarah Lohman’s blog: www.fourpoundsflour.com

#Health

New research from Washington University in St. Louis shows dramatic dip in abortion rates among  participants in a free contraceptive program

Summary from Mother Jones: http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2012/10/free-contraception-fewer-abortions-pregnancies-study

Summary from Scientific American: http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2012/10/04/free-birth-control-access-can-reduce-abortion-rate-by-more-than-half/

Link to primary source: http://journals.lww.com/greenjournal/Abstract/publishahead/Preventing_Unintended_Pregnancies_by_Providing.99945.aspx

Gonorrhea is evolving for the modern day hook up culture: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2012/10/01/121001fa_fact_groopman?currentPage=all&pink=GjJ6ve&mobify=0  #Sexuality

Cats Are Not To Be Trusted:
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/03/how-your-cat-is-making-you-crazy/308873/

TB should probably have its own horror film franchise: http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2003/03/patient-predator

We should fear rabies: http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/07/ff_rabies/

#Literature #Poetry #Comics

Art of Fiction interview with David Mitchell, author of soon-to-be-motion-picture-adapted Cloud Atlas:

http://www.theparisreview.org/interviews/6034/the-art-of-fiction-no-204-david-mitchell

Art of Comics interview with R. Crumb:

http://www.theparisreview.org/interviews/6017/the-art-of-comics-no-1-r-crumb #Comics

"October" by Charles Wright:

http://apoetreflects.tumblr.com/post/32654992480/october-the-leaves-fall-from-my-fingers #Poetry

Short story by Etgar Keret, the most popular author in Israel:
http://www.granta.com/New-Writing/Accident #ShortFiction

#Music

Rappers putting pen to paper for memoirs and autobiographies: http://nplusonemag.com/it-was-written #Rap

The lead singer of Against Me! recently began touring after her transition, becoming one of the most mainstream trans performers in America: http://prospect.org/article/laura-punk-rocker  #Sexuality #Trans

New CD coming from eternally cantankerous Mountain Goats frontman, John Darnielle: http://entertainment.time.com/2012/09/25/mountain-goats-john-darnielle-on-songwriting-for-tormented-souls/

#Religion

Cargo Cults and other incidental deifications: http://killingthebuddha.com/mag/dogma/accidental-gods/  

Religion, politics, and intrigue surrounds the volcano of Mt. Merapi in Central Java: http://killingthebuddha.com/mag/dispatch/burning-faith/ #Indonesia