The World Cup started today. I’m currently reading Dave Zirin’s “Brazil’s Dance with the Devil,” which is about the lead up to the World Cup and Olympics. It’s fascinating and disturbing.

– Speaking of the World Cup … Throw FIFA Out of the Game (via @EdgeOfSports)

– Not a perfect article, but some things to think about: Melinda Gates, and Why We Must Talk About Abortion in Feminist and Progressive Circles (via @rhrealitycheck)

– This week I told my boss that I’m not okay with supervising projects staffed with unpaid labor: The moral bankruptcy of the internship economy (via @SarahKendzior)

– And women inch closer and closer to being viewed just as a vessel: Vague Louisiana Bill Would Force Brain-Dead Pregnant Women to Serve as Incubators (via @rhrealitycheck)

– Industry, get your shit together please: There were more severed heads than women presenters at E3 2014 (h/t @femfreq)

– Seriously, get it together: Is ‘we don’t have the resources’ an OK excuse for keeping female heroes out of games? (h/t @femfreq)

Another day, another mass shooting. This time in Seattle.

– Speaking of guys who shoot: White guy killer syndrome: Elliot Rodger’s deadly, privileged rage (via @ProfessorCrunk)

– Oh MRAs. 5 Uncomfortable Truths Behind the Men’s Rights Movement (h/t @Karnythia)

– Diversity is an issue in the X Men films: The ‘X-Men’ Franchise’s Diversity Problem Is Getting Worse (h/t @DrJaneChi)

– Mistakes in policing? Miriam Carey Is Still Dead

– Did they really work 331 times as hard? CEOs Made 331 Times As Much as Their Workers Last Year (h/t @LowPayIsNotOK)

– Ha. Awesome. I Confronted Donald Trump in Dubai (via @MollyCrabapple)

– Man, sexism is the gift that keeps on giving: Female-named hurricanes kill more than male hurricanes because people don’t respect them, study finds (h/t roqchams)

– White as the beauty standard is not okay: Brown beauty: from TV to the high st the beauty industry is still racist (via @renireni)

– Nice! New York Removes Surgical Requirement for Gender Marker Changes on Birth Certificates

– And now for something completely different – fun with science! UK scientific panel backs potential ‘three-parent’ IVF babies (h/t @RebeccaSkloot)

Just got back from Philadelphia, where the weather was great until we were leaving. Taking off in a thunderstorm is not my idea of fun. But I’m happy to be home.

– I feel like everyone should read this before going to the 9/11 museum: The Worst Day Of My Life Is Now New York’s Hottest Tourist Attraction

– Whoa. Study on whether minorities and women are discouraged from applying to graduate school: Deep-seated bias, not lack of confidence, knocks women off the path to success (h/t @Blackamazon)

– Yeah. I think in general we need to just let people make decisions about how their family looks without judgment: Stop asking mothers when we’ll have more kids. It’s OK to have an only child (via @JessicaValenti)

– Long read (I’ve yet to make it through) but one I think should be read: The Case for Reparations

– I know it’s pretty naive but I kind of still can’t believe that people think this (and other Native American-based names) are still out there: 50 Senators to NFL: Change Redskins’ Racist Name (via @AP)

– Women in Tech speak out (as usual, don’t read the comments): These Women Are Tired of Being Nice. Read Their Badass Letter About Sexism in Tech. (via @MotherJones)

Summer visited again this week. It was pretty lovely.

– I’d love to see a study on the psychological impacts of these laws: When Open Carry Comes to Town

– I can see the author’s point on this one: Stop Describing Your Diet as “Clean Eating”

– What. The. Hell. Forced sexual relations between married couples not rape: Delhi Court

– Hey. Blackwater is horrible. Trying to Salvage Remains of Blackwater Case (h/t @ProPublica)

– Yup: An Open Letter to Bill Maher From a Muslim American

– Great take down of the horror show that is The Biggest Loser: 5 Details They Cut from My Season of ‘The Biggest Loser’ (h/t @Karnythia)

– Whoa: Columbia Students Are Writing The Names Of Accused Rapists On Bathroom Walls (via @ThinkProgress)

– But, to end the day on a high note … The 33 Best Chandler Bing One-Liners

This weekend I get to see a friend from grad school. It’s going to rain, but we will persevere. But first, what’s been going on this week?

– I wonder if this woman has a top hat and monocle: Mayor: People Are Homeless ‘By Choice,’ Won’t Use City Funds To Help Them (via @ThinkProgress)

– I have a colleague who does these. Nope. Another Solid Reason Not to Do a Mud-Obstacle Run (via @TheAtlantic)

– Interesting attempt by a woman to keep marketers from knowing she was pregnant: This Woman Tried To Keep Internet Bots From Knowing About Her Pregnancy (via @PopSci)

– Police violence. Grrrr. Cecily McMillan’s guilty verdict reveals our mass acceptance of police violence

– Bold. There is absolutely no reason to restrict women’s options for abortion access (via @JessicaValenti)

– Here’s a fucked up thing I’d never even thought about: New Study Documents the Human Toll of Unequal Abortion Coverage for Peace Corps Volunteers

– Great long-ish read about sexual assault and sports: Changing the Narrative (via @scATX)

But to end on a positive note:

– Mirah has a new album coming out!!The One-and-Only Mirah Talks About Her Brand New Album (via @BitchMedia)

It’s May Day, which means protest marches in Seattle. The Mayor announced a plan for a $15 minimum wage, but it doesn’t go far enough, so that’s … bittersweet? Disappointing? Unclear.

– Overview of how Sterling has been horrible for a long time, but the NBA has been okay with it until now: The real tragedy of Donald Sterling’s racism: it took this long for us to notice (h/t @EdgeOfSports)

– This is kind of bad ass: Google removes “deceptive” pregnancy center ads (h/t @JessicaValenti)

– Thinking through the White House sexual assault task force: “Not Alone” (via @Shakestweetz)

– The death penalty is wrong. Oklahoma’s horrible ‘botched execution’ shows again why the death penalty should be abolished

– What in the holy hell: Tennessee just became the first state that will jail women for their pregnancy outcomes (h/t @allisonkilkenny)

After two days at a local conference that offered some good information (and some super awkward moments, thankfully not due to anything I did), I’m happy to share my weekly dive into what is often the pit of humanity. BUT! If you stick with it to the end (or just scroll down), I have a treat for you.

– Let’s start with something good. Go Vermont! Vermont Will Require Labeling of Genetically Altered Foods

– Mostly good: “Here in Ireland, the presumption that all women will have children is so ingrained that child-free couples are referred to in the census as being ‘pre-family’.” Two is really company for childless couples (h/t @nothavingababy)

Aaaaand here we go [content note: rape, racism]

– This scene was horrible, and ended up being an opportune look at rape culture. Why are the Game Of Thrones showrunners rewriting the books into misogyny? (h/t @allisonkilkenny)

– More on the wage discussion. I’m attending the $15 now conference on Saturday, to learn more and get a few questions answered: The Terrible Fear of Paying the Poor Too Much

– Sad but true. Oof. Suffragettes Who Sucked: White Supremacy And Women’s Rights (h/t @studentactivism)

– “Think Lean In meets The Secret.” *shudders* : The female ‘confidence gap’ is a sham (via @JessicaValenti)

We paid the equivalent of two paychecks in taxes this week. Not going to complain about paying taxes, but will complain about some of the things the money goes to.

– Remember how last week, Germany prevented some emails after work hours? The French are going full strength on that: When the French clock off at 6pm, they really mean it (h/t @allisonkilkenny)

– I tend to aggressively roll my eyes when I see white people with dreads. Here’s one (white) woman’s take on why she got rid of hers: undreaded: why i decided to cut my locks (h/t @riotcurrrl)

– One of my favorite classes in London was called “Evidence, Objectivity, and Policy.” We spent time analyzing the idea of the “view from nowhere,” and ultimately I came away much more skeptical of it than I had been (especially since that view is usually synonymous with “view from older straight cis white man”). Here is a piece on why the latest new (white guy) news ventures are problematic: Objectively bad: Ezra Klein, Nate Silver, Jonathan Chait and return of the “view from nowhere”

– I had not thought of this – the same rules that protect us as patients also mean that health professionals can’t really defend themselves against online claims. Interesting read: Insult And Injury: How Doctors Are Losing The War Against Trolls (h/t @sherifink)

– Well this is infuriating: Americans Intuitively Judge Atheists as Immoral (h/t @ffrf)

– And speaking of infuriating: When ‘Liking’ a Brand Online Voids the Right to Sue (h/t @AngryBlackLady)

– Why not end on a fantastically infuriating note? “‘Are you sure you want to file a report? It will be very awkward, especially for a female.” Man, people suck. A Star Player Accused, and a Flawed Rape Investigation (h/t @scATX)

With the sun shining in the Pacific Northwest things look good – until you read things on the internet. Oi.

– “But my hope does not override my realism” ‘You Owe It to Other Women’: Why You Don’t Owe it to Anyone Else to Report Your Rape (h/t @ChiefElk)

– Go Germany! Out of hours working banned by German labour ministry (h/t @stavvers)

– Equal pay – why the hell is that controversial? Obama To Sign Executive Orders On Equal Pay (h/t @AIsForOrg)

– “Contrasting thoughtless lady emotions with hardened male objectivity: It’s not just a trick your ex-boyfriend used to win arguments.” Michael Hayden Accuses Dianne Feinstein of Being Too “Emotional” to Judge CIA Interrogation Programs (h/t @RepresentPledge)

– PLEASE make sure you are vaccinated: Measles At A Rock Concert Goes Viral In A Bad Way (via @NPRNews)

– Oh, NCAA. The UConn Huskies Win ‘NCAA Hunger Games Bingo’ (via @EdgeOfSports)

– Yet another reason Rick Perry is the worst: Rick Perry Dodges Measures to Address the Prison Sexual Assault Crisis (via @MollyKnefel)

I’ve spent the week in Atlanta, where it is sunny and hot. Seattle, what can you offer me by way of weather?

– Whoa. Pneumonic not bubonic? That’s news: Black death skeletons reveal pitiful life of 14th-century Londoners (h/t @andreagrimes)

– This writer started out on one of my favorite sites. It’s cool to see what she’s writing on now: Why It Matters When Asian Women Leave TV Shows (via @jowrotethis)

– What in the ever loving fuck: One Percenter Convicted Of Raping Child Dodges Jail Because He ‘Will Not Fare Well’ (h/t @schemaly)

– One of the writers left at the Nation who I enjoy reading (that was a poorly constructed statement): The Function of Black Rage (via @mychalsmith)

– Sweet! Anita Sarkeesian got an award at GDC: The 2014 Game Developers Choice Ambassador Award (via @femfreq)

– Oh Hobby Lobby. You continue to suck: Principles! (via @Shakestweetz)

– Fascinating: Truth in Ads (h/t @RepresentPledge)