"Teacher to parents: About THAT kid (the one who hits, disrupts and influences YOUR kid)"

"I want to talk about THAT child, too, but there are so many things I can’t tell you.

I can’t tell you that she was adopted from an orphanage at 18 months.

I can’t tell you that he is on an elimination diet for possible food allergies, and that he is therefore hungry ALL. THE. TIME.

I can’t tell you that her parents are in the middle of a horrendous divorce, and she has been staying with her grandma.

I can’t tell you that I’m starting to worry that grandma drinks…

The thing is, there are SO MANY THINGS I can’t tell you about That Child. I can’t even tell you the good stuff."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/11/14/teacher-to-parents-about-that-kid-the-one-who-hits-disrupts-and-influences-your-kid/

"The dark side of viral rage"

"I have learned that when you write for a large audience, people will interpret your words in ways you never anticipated. This isn’t their fault — it’s just that communication is difficult. But in this game of Telephone times a trillion, we will communicate more efficiently, and solve social problems more quickly, if we err on the side of assuming good intent. The world will not end if you swallow that virtual vitriol, or if you take the time to read someone’s work rather than assuming that everything worth knowing about them can be contained in a Tweet."

http://www.stanforddaily.com/2014/08/25/the-dark-side-of-viral-rage/

I have so many reactions to arguments like this, most of them skeptical, possibly because I haven't had a friend who was wrongly vilified and DO see a LOT of people fail to be corrected, on the daily, and it is not uncommon for them to be talking to and/or about me.

I have a lot to say about 'over-sensitivity' (which is real, but on a society-level who are the real victims? And also, can there be any sensitivity without over-sensitivity given that we are not calibrated algorithms? And lastly, who is creating the over-sensitivity and who do we blame for it?); I have a lot to say about the reactions of the Internet (which I expect to become more tempered over time but right now the vast majority of the dangerous reactions seem to be happening to people challenging the status quo - sometimes by merely existing in their identity on the Internet). But these are all extraordinarily subjective and I am not sure if they help anyone. So I will just say that I want to live in a world where I can assume good intentions, and where I can apply my rage only where it is appropriate to do so, but right now I live in a world where my trust is broken in little ways and where my rage is very rarely socially acceptable even when directed at those who are deserving of it

"Africa Is The Future Magazine Covers"

"For the latest project, AITF “imagined Africa as the first world power through covers of a fictitious magazine.” The covers project highlights a near future in which a united Africa has become a superpower."
http://www.okayafrica.com/news/africa-is-the-future-magazine-covers-tumblr

I love these

“25 AMAZING #FEMINISTNEWYEARRESOLUTIONS WE CAN ALL ADOPT”

“All of these #FeministNewYearsResolutions make us excited for 2015.”
http://fembotmag.com/2015/01/01/25-amazing-feministnewyearresolutions-we-can-all-adopt/
These are pretty great — working on mine. I like the one about not being apologetic about having opinions.

"Prisons that withhold menstrual pads humiliate women and violate basic rights"

"That should not lead anyone to think that sanitary products are easy to come by in jail. At York, each cell, which houses two female inmates, receives five pads per week to split. I’m not sure what they expect us to do with the fifth but this comes out to 10 total for each woman, allowing for only one change a day in an average five-day monthly cycle. The lack of sanitary supplies is so bad in women’s prisons that I have seen pads fly right out of an inmate’s pants: prison maxi pads don’t have wings and they have only average adhesive so, when a woman wears the same pad for several days because she can’t find a fresh one, that pad often fails to stick to her underwear and the pad falls out...

The reasons for keeping supplies for women in prison limited are not purely financial. Even though keeping inmates clean would seem to be in the prison’s self-interest, prisons control their wards by keeping sanitation just out of reach. Stains on clothes seep into self-esteem and serve as an indelible reminder of one’s powerlessness in prison. Asking for something you need crystallizes the power differential between inmates and guards; the officer can either meet your need or he can refuse you, and there’s little you can do to influence his choice."
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jun/12/prisons-menstrual-pads-humiliate-women-violate-rights

oh nononono

"AUSTRALIAN ARMY CHIEF TO MEN: STOP BEING BYSTANDERS TO VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN"

"Last year, as you might remember, Australian Army Lieutenant General David Morrison — the top ranked man in the Australian armed forces — made a video addressing sexual violence in the ranks. He famously urged men in the armed forces to stop being bystanders to sexual abuse among their colleagues, and told them that “the standard you walk past is the standard you accept.” ...This week, Morrison has made headlines again after his remarks at an annual White Ribbon Day breakfast. Morrison is a White Ribbon ambassador, and took the opportunity to talk about the role that culture — and particularly what some might call Australia’s toxic masculinity — plays in perpetuating domestic violence."

http://feministing.com/2014/11/26/australian-army-chief-to-men-stop-being-bystanders-to-violence-against-women/

I LOVE this - the standard you walk past is the standard you accept. Yesyesyes

I also want to learn about how this guy was educated, and what inspired him to action.

"The Pope's Views on Evolution Haven't Really Evolved"

"the media perpetuating the faith-versus-science binary is tiresome, ignorant, and takes away from the issues the Church is facing that perhaps do call for revisiting, like marriage, the role of women in the Church, and its finances among others. The Catholic Church made its decision a long time ago: Science is not incompatible with faith. The world is just finally paying attention."

http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2014/10/pope-francis-evolution/382143/