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Link Roundup: May 21, 2016

   

Another week’s worth of links for your consumption. Enjoy!

Politics

  * [Bernie Sanders, eyeing convention, willing to harm Hillary Clinton in the homestretch](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/19/us/politics/bernie-sanderss-campaign-accuses-head-of-dnc-of-favoritism.html?_r=1) -- I don't see this as that big a deal, personally. He has enough support that he should have influence over the convention platform.
  * [Eyewitness: "Wire" star Wendell Pierce went crazy in hotel fight](http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/05/16/source-bernie-fan-stopped-wire-star-wendell-pierce-s-alleged-attack-with-knife-threat.html) -- I can understand people disagreeing with one another over which politicians they support, but coming to blows is totally unacceptable, no matter who you are.
  * [Oklahoma governor vetoes bill that would make it a felony to perform abortions](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/05/20/oklahoma-governor-vetoes-bill-that-would-make-it-a-felony-to-perform-abortions/) -- Not because she disagrees with the bill, of course, but because it's a poor use of political capital and would eventually be struck down anyway.

Health

  * [Heavy metal: water contaminated by lead is poisoning kids across New Jersey](https://news.vice.com/article/heavy-metal-water-contaminated-by-lead-is-poisoning-kids-across-new-jersey) -- And all over the country, in fact.

Film

  * [They call this Ghostbusters reboot feminist. Not for black women](http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/mar/08/ghostbusters-remake-not-feminist-black-women) -- A fair point that the new _Ghostbusters_ film is not as progressive or inclusive as one might be led to believe.
  * [The headless women of Hollywood](http://headlesswomenofhollywood.com/) -- Tracking the bizarre trend in which marketing materials cut off women's heads, leaving only men's faces visible.
  * [J.J. Abrams says Paramount will drop lawsuit against "Star Trek" fan film](http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/the-wrap/article/J-J-Abrams-Says-Paramount-Will-Drop-Lawsuit-7888634.php) -- A terrible decision given that the guy behind it is a huge asshole who is blatantly violating Paramount's copyrights. Small scale fan films are fine, but large productions like Alec Peters was attempting shouldn't be.
  * [Scarlett Johansson thinks it's "obnoxious" for her to complain about equal pay](http://jezebel.com/scarlett-johansson-thinks-its-obnoxious-for-her-to-comp-1769730894) -- The pay gap is real, even among women making millions of dollars, but it's a far more urgent crisis for women at the low end of the income scale, which is something Johansson aptly recognizes. (That said, I don't think there is anything wrong with actresses calling attention to it in their own careers, to help illustrate what a widespread problem it is.)

International

  * [Global migration? Actually, the world is staying home](http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/why-global-migration-statistics-do-not-add-up-a-1090736.html) -- While there are a lot of refugees and a good bit of migration happening, historically speaking, what's happening now is barely a blip on the radar. Keep it in perspective.

Science

  * [Only two kinds of sexual arrangements are possible among social animals](http://arstechnica.com/science/2016/05/only-two-kinds-of-sexual-arrangements-are-possible-among-social-animals/) -- The variety of evolution would suggest that there are potentially infinite varieties of sexual arrangements for social animals, but in fact evolution has settled on just two: only one female who mates (such species have huge numbers of offspring), or many females who mate (such species have relatively low numbers of offspring).

History

  * [Highways gutted American cities. So why did they build them?](http://www.vox.com/2015/5/14/8605917/highways-interstate-cities-history) -- Short answer: it benefited car manufacturers and the suburban explosion, and came at the expense of city dwellers.