Mar 20

Mar 20 Weekly Roundup #20: Free speech and fake food

I went on a mini vacay with friends to Jacksonville and Savannah for St. Patrick's Day this weekend, hence the late publication this week. Yes, I'm making an excuse again, but, hey, girl's gotta have a life. Hopefully I can do a little roundup of places in Savannah, at least, but, for my sake, please don't get your hopes up.

Meanwhile, anyone else's brackets completely decimated?

Reading

The Only Girl in the World, Maude Julien.

National School Walkout: Thousands Protest Against Gun Violence Across the U.S., The New York Times. I have so much respect for all the students who walked out on Wednesday. This is how change is brought about.

Stephen Hawking Dies at 76; His Mind Roamed the Cosmos, The New York Times. What a brilliant and mischievous mind.

Reddit and the Struggle to Detoxify the Internet, The New Yorker. I don't put much thought into Reddit. The format alone makes my need for organization and a nice aesthetic go haywire. After reading this, I may be even less likely to go to the site. However, this is a pretty fascinating piece on the social site overall. I'm shocked they let the writer sit in on a real time, policy update, and it's definitely my favorite part of the article.

How ISIS and Russia Won Friends and Manufactured Crowds, Wired. In the above story, there is a great quote on what free speech really means, particularly online. And this is just as applicable here. When social media giants become paralyzed to act against hate groups because of their commitment to free speech, there's a problem. Yes, free speech is extremely important, but there are still certain things that should not be allowed within that freedom. It's too dangerous to society as a whole. In all the manufactured news, accounts and voices, how are we going to know what's real? And this is not a future generations' problem. This is a very serious, here and now problem.

How Your Phone Can Keep You from Getting Depressed, Medium. I don't know how I feel about health care through your phone. I would think talking to a real person would be more helpful and successful, but if you're digitally connected to a licensed therapist, that has to help in some way, right? I think the danger is relying on this technology too much as well. For instance, if we're using it to prevent depression, but someone still gets depressed, will they think they're past help?

The skin care wars, explained, Vox. What happened after the Outline "skin-care con" article I shared some weeks ago went viral. I suppose we could have all guessed "self-care" would become a way for corporations to make a buck. "Skin care is about having pristinely clear pores and perfect porcelain skin tone, and while women en masse are not stupid or bad for aspiring to those goals (hate the game, not the player, etc.), it’s undeniable that setting those goals for women has made a lot of rich white men a whole lot of money." I love the callout in this article that our society worships the effortless girl, whose beauty, wit and other successes come naturally without her ever trying. As the writer says, none of this "war" is really about skin care. "It’s about a system that is designed to make women feel terrible no matter what they do. And the best way we can help women through that system is to refrain from judging their choices as they do their best to get through it anyway."

What It's Like to Die Online, Marie Claire. This made my heart hurt, but these women are inspiring. It can take so little for us to categorize a day as a bad one, but that is such a privilege. There are so many worse things that could be happening and to stay positive in the face of all that is truly strong and beautiful.

Male pill could be on horizon as trials yield positive results, The Guardian. But how popular would it be? Guarantee women would still be expected to take care of the birth control.

Am I Gay or Straight? Maybe This Fun Quiz Will Tell Me, The New York Times. Inside look at one person's confusing journey to accepting themselves.

Something Mysterious Is Killing Captive Gorillas, The Atlantic. And this is why we should never snatch wild animals from their natural habitats... So many beautiful creatures have been and are being sacrificed for our entertainment.

Fake processed food is becoming an epidemic in African urban life, Quartz. This is absolutely horrifying. "Recent research by the Confederation of Tanzania Industries estimates that over 50% of all goods, including food, drugs and construction materials, imported into Tanzania are fake. Anecdotal evidence suggests that rates could be between 10% and 50%, depending on the food category and the country." Malnutrition is already a huge issue in Africa and the thought that there are people falsifying ingredients, which exacerbates the problem, is disgusting.

GOP lawmakers warn Trump against firing Mueller, CBS. When both sides of the aisle agree...listen to them.

R. Kelly Abuse Allegations Have Been Ignored And His Accuser Wants To Know Why, Nylon. From #MuteRKelly leader Kenyette Tisha Barnes, "If R. Kelly was white, every civil rights leader would be marching in every street in this country. If the girls were white, every feminist group would be coming out enraged in droves of pussy hats to march against him. The bottom line is that R. Kelly and his victims are the perfect storm of people we don’t care about." So horrible. I've been reading stories on these accusations for years, and yet, here we are, still no one cares.

The Story of Queen Elizabeth's Wedding Day, Town & Country. I was doing some royal wedding research for work and ended up on this gem. Any Crown fans out there?

What Kind of a Monster Spritzes Perfume With Their Eyes Closed?, The Cut. If anyone is looking for a quick laugh.

FML, Highline. "This is what it feels like to be young now. Not only are we screwed, but we have to listen to lectures about our laziness and our participation trophies from the people who screwed us," preach. "Right now, rich people can write off mortgage interest on their second home and expenses related to being a landlord or (I'm not kidding) owning a racehorse. The rest of us can’t even deduct student loans or the cost of getting an occupational license." I...can I just smack someone? This article was so eyeopening, so depressing and so infuriating, but read the whole thing (yes, I know it's a doozy) and there's a glimmer of hope for us.

Tracy Morgan Is a Survivor. And ‘a Better Man Now.’ The New York Times. Sweet look into the depths of a man no one who expect had any.

When WhatsApp's Fake News Problem Threatens Public Health, Wired. This is so scary. What is the point in creating these ridiculous false videos and posts?? Unless, they're aiming to actually kill people by encouraging citizens to avoid the vaccines, which is terrifying on another level.

Toys 'R' Us will close or sell all US stores, CNN. One more childhood brand bites the dust.

March Madness: Texas A&M upsets reigning champ North Carolina, CBS.

Nevada upsets No. 2 Cincinnati in second-biggest comeback in NCAA tournament history, ESPN.

Democrat Conor Lamb apparent winner in Pennsylvania upset, deals blow to Trump, NBC. This is what happens when candidates don't go to extremes. I mean, don't get me wrong, I definitely lean more left, but I could be open-minded. However, if Democrats and Republicans continue to lean so far left and right, they will lose a huge chunk of the population, which is how we got in our current predicament.

How To Break Your Phone Addiction, FiveThirtyEight. Basically just get it out of sight.

Feminists have slowly shifted power. There’s no going back, The Guardian. GRL PWR.

Rex Tillerson found out he was fired as secretary of State from President Donald Trump's tweet, CNBC. Is anyone surprised? Also, probably the first time I've ever felt bad for Tillerson.

NRA sues Florida to block part of new gun law, CNN. You've got to be joking.

How Sincere Is “The Bachelor”? The New Yorker. Not at all.

What scientists found trapped in a diamond: a type of ice not known on Earth, Los Angeles Times. "They did not think it could naturally occur on Earth." Crazy. Every time we think we're getting closer to knowing more about our planet, it throws us a curveball.

Elon Musk, speaking at SXSW, projects Mars spaceship will be ready for short trips by first half of 2019, CNBC. Mind blowing. I also really like Musk. There was a great profile on him in the last six months or so, and it really tuned me in to what kind of person he is behind all these crazy ideas and spotlight-shy persona.

White House vows to help arm teachers and backs off raising age for buying guns, The Washington Post. Of course, they did. Also, they said they would provide training for SOME teachers...I'm sorry, what? Sure, why not. Throw firearms into whoever's hands and let's just hope for the best. This is exactly what doesn't need to happen and what people are fighting to stop. Instead, we'll have Federal Commission on School Safety, chaired by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who should never be in charge of any public education in the first place. Brilliant. They just don't want to piss off the NRA, shocker.

Putin on U.S. election interference: ‘I couldn’t care less,' NBC. Yeah, because your purpose has already been served... He then proceeded to suggest Jews, Ukrainians, or Tatars, aka minorities Russia has historically persecuted, could be behind it. Unfortunately, he is also expected to win Sunday's farce of a presidential election.