I returned the cable box today – we are free. No TV. It’ll take some getting used to, but I have high hopes that we won’t just end up watching things on Netflix streaming every night. I’m only 15 books away from my first full Cannonball. There is much to do!

Speaking of things to do, why not check these out:

– Oh look: the policies of the NYPD don’t appear to be having an impact on crime. Shocking. SHOCKING: Bloomberg and Kelly Aren’t Going to Like the Latest Research on Stop-and-Frisk (via @NYMag)

– Hey! Management training guides perpetuating the idea that women are responsible for getting creepy men to stop being creepy to them: Manager Training Guide Blames Women For Coworkers Who Come On To Them (via @ThinkProgress)

– Go New Mexico! New Mexico County Clerk Begins Issuing Marriage Licenses To Same-Sex Couples (via @ThinkProgress)

– You know what they say – don’t ask the question if you don’t want to know the answer… Exclusive: Results of Congressional ‘Fishing Expedition’ Show Abortion Is Already Highly Regulated, Overwhelmingly Safe (h/t @laurenrankin)

– Well this is terrifying: Astronaut recounts near-drowning on spacewalk, says he felt all alone, felt like eternity (h/t @UNIXSA)

– UGH: Churchgoers Defend St. Louis Priest Accused of Sex Abuse, Pray in Private Meetup Group (h/t @rebeccawatson)

– This article. THIS ARTICLE. So good. Thin Women: I’ve Got Your Back. Could You Get Mine?

Finally, the last video in the Tropes vs. Women in Video Games ‘Damsel in Distress’ collection:

I’ve got some cookies cooling on the racks. We’ve just cancelled our cable and so will be TV-free (well, non-streaming-TV) as of tomorrow. It feels awesome, especially since now our internet is RIDICULOUSLY fast. All the better to load more articles …

– From the woman who started #SolidarityIsForWhiteWomen: On Feminist Solidarity and Community: Where Do We Go from Here? (via @Karnythia)

– Well this is fascinating. We have student loan debt in this house and right now it’s absolutely keeping us from buying a home. Can you imagine if undergraduate education in the US were free? How far to free? (h/t @fakedansavage)

– A critique of Orange is the New Black: Orange is NOT the New Black (via @feministegriote)

– Oh hey, something else the U.S. does with respect to crime that no one else does: The Ex-Con Factor (via @jbouie)

– I read one of Mr. Wise’s books and admit that at the time, I liked it. *shudder*: 9 Ways Tim Wise is Fugging Up (h/t @thetrudz)

– Good analysis of Mayor Bloomberg’s hypocrisy: Stop-and-Frisk City: Does Bloomberg Really Care About Kids’ Safety? (via @mollyknefel)

– Ruh Roh Raggy: US doesn’t know what Snowden took, sources say

– Hey. Dr. Phil perpetuates rape culture. Jackass: The vile tweet Dr. Phil deleted (h/t @JessicaValenti)

– Tonight’s FFS: An NYC High Rise Is Putting In Separate Entrances For Rich And Poor Renters (h/t @AngryBlackLady)

Let’s end on a high note – here’s part 2 of Anita Sarkeesian’s “Damsels in Distress” video (CN: this one has some graphic violence):

Last night the mister and I watched The House I Live In. It’s a fantastic documentary exploring the war on drugs and how that impacts different classes and races. It was phenomenal, and is available on Netflix streaming.

When I’m not watching movies, here’s what I’m reading:

– A different exploration of Bradley Manning: Story of a human being: Who gets to be Bradley Manning? (h/t @melissagira)

– Laurie Penny with a couple more words on sexism: Of course all men don’t hate women. But all men must know they benefit from sexism (via @PennyRed)

– Fantastic read on how to have a more diverse organization via hiring: Hiring Diversity 101 (h/t @shakestweetz)

– This isn’t the best discussion of being a childfree woman, but it’s something: The choice to be child-free is admirable, not selfish (via @jillfilipovic)

– The idea that breastfeeding  is morally superior sort of fascinates me. Here’s a take I’d not seen before: Explaining why, next time, I won’t breastfeed (h/t @TheMamaFesto)

– Oh FFS. Federal Judge Rules In Favor of Anti-Abortion Extremist Angel Dillard (h/t @shakestweetz)

– This is bizarre: Newspapers say their stories about same-sex marriage disappear from Facebook (h/t @fakedansavage)

– For those who roll their eyes at the harassment women get online: Getting to Know My Critics: Cecil Fuson, Sex Offender (via @rebeccawatson)

– An article about the importance of treating interns with respect! And compensating them! What?! Hired unpaid interns or thinking about it? Read this first (h/t @jennydavis)

– Stay classy, NYPD: Brooklyn Father Of 8 Suffers Fatal Heart Attack After Cops Storm His Home (h/t @JamilSmith)

– Not that I could fit into their largest sizes, but I sometimes bought scarves and accessories there. No more: Forever 21 Employees wake up to bad news UPDATE: Company Confirms (h/t @SarahBurris)

– Julian Assange may have done good things with Wikileaks, but don’t forget: He’s not a friend of women. So, you know, 50% of the population: Assange: Our Only Hope is Ron and Rand Paul, Drudge Report (h/t @AngryBlackLady)

– I should have paid more attention to this. It really is a feminist issue: Why Feminists Should Care About the Baby Veronica Case Read more at http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/08/16/why-feminists-should-care-about-baby-veronica-case-150894#.UhDizrw65DE (h/t @ChiefElk)

– More on vaccination: The truth about vaccinations: Your physician knows more than the University of Google (via @JenniferRaff)

– The mister shared this with me today. VERY good idea: Ethical dilemmas faced by software engineers: A request for real-world examples

– Finally, I just watched all of Anita Sarkeesian’s “Tropes vs. Women in Video Games” web series. It’s really great. Check out Part I here:

– Did you know that the gender gap is actually wider in Philosophy than Math? Also, sexual harassment: Philosophy has a sexual harassment problem

– So … this happened: WTF: Russell Simmons’ YouTube Network Releases ‘Harriet Tubman Sex Tape’

– Oh Wired. OH Wired. Ugh: Wired can’t find women on the Internet because it’s not looking for them

Another night, another movie. I just watched “Safety Not Guaranteed” on Netflix. It’s pretty fantastic. It’s a small movie but it feels big. It’s very sweet and interesting. I recommend it.

On with the links.

– Well that was a quick turnaround: Hospital agrees to put 15-year-old on transplant list

– An overview of the #solidarityisforwhitewomen tag, from the woman who started it: #SolidarityIsForWhiteWomen: women of color’s issue with digital feminism (via @Karnythia)

– Overview of the Indian Child Welfare Act. Man, I need to read up more on this: The Supreme Court’s War on Indian Children (h/t @ChiefElk)

– Okay. This is funny. Man Creates Very First Website for Women Ever (h/t taralconley)

– Finally, our irony for the evening: Leanin.org’s hiring an intern. An unpaid intern. Yay free labor! Way to limit the pool of candidates to those who have the resources to work for free: Top editor at Sheryl Sandberg’s foundation tries to lean on unpaid intern

Below are articles that have pretty much entirely come to me based on folks I follow on Twitter.

– Look who’s come around and embraced science: CNN’s Gupta: I Was Wrong About Marijuana

– Stop it, pro-British folks: Northern Ireland clashes leave 56 police, 2 civilians injured

– Do better, SSa: Social Security Payments Limited To Same-Sex Married Couples Living In States That Recognize Marriage Equality

– CA Legislature spreading ‘San Francisco Values.’ Sweet! CA Governor Signs Transgender Student Bill

– Oh so we’re denying organs to kids because they’ve had legal troubles? FFS Dying Teen Is Being Denied A Heart Transplant Because He’s Had Trouble With The Law

– Well that’s fantastic. Also, Mayor Bloomberg and Ray Kelly? You’re done. Just stop. Judge Rejects New York’s Stop-and-Frisk Policy

– No idea who HS is? You’re lucky: When Will We Stop Talking About Hugo Schwyzer? Whenever His Victims Want To Stop, Damn It.

– I’ve only just learned about him, and I’m embarrassed for how Big Feminism has handled itself: An Open Letter to Big Feminist Media Regarding Hugo Schwyzer

– Man, I wish I could have seen this live: Jessica Luther’s Talk from the Opening Plenary of Forging Justice

– Why do these disgusting places get *any* taxpayer dollars? The Trojan Horse of the Anti-Choice Movement

– In today’s “Football Player Rapist” news: Four former Vanderbilt football players charged with rape of unconscious woman

– Finally, if you’re on twitter, please go check out #SolidarityIsForWhiteWomen. It is an AMAZING tag started by a woman of color that is good for all of us privileged white women to read, understand, and learn from.

Friday fun on the Hill. Cider, rum and shuffleboard. But now back to some sobering stuff.

– Good discussion on sexual assault in Egypt: Exploiting Egypt’s Rape Culture for Political Gain

– You can’t hide behind the ideals of academic freedom if your piece isn’t, you know, academic: In Sheep’s Clothing: When Prejudice Hijacks Research to Justify Racist Policy

– Breastfeeding isn’t indecent, folks: Lucy Eades, Breastfeeding Mom, Puts Woman Who Asked Her To ‘Cover Up’ In Her Place

– Sexism and abuse isn’t only on Twitter: one woman’s gaming experience