Skip to content

Link Roundup: September 3, 2016

   

I’m on the road again, but I won’t leave you hanging without links!

Politics

  * [Colin Powell's foundation and Hillary Clinton's are treated very differently by the media](http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2016/8/30/12690444/alma-powell-clinton-foundation) -- Can you say "double standard"?
  * ['No vacancies' for blacks: how Donald Trump got his start, and was first accused of bias](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/28/us/politics/donald-trump-housing-race.html?_r=0) -- Trump isn't a guy who says racist things to get votes. He's a genuine racist with a long history of putting it into practice.
  * [Colin Caepernick is righter than you know: the national anthem is a celebration of slavery](https://theintercept.com/2016/08/28/colin-kaepernick-is-righter-than-you-know-the-national-anthem-is-a-celebration-of-slavery/) -- An examination of "The Star-Spangled Banner"'s lyrics that makes it quite clear that the song approves of slavery, and its author was a vehement defender of the institution.
  * [How race and identity because the central dividing line in American politics](http://www.vox.com/polyarchy/2016/8/30/12697920/race-dividing-american-politics) -- An excellent article describing how our political preferences ended up where they are today--and how Donald Trump is likely not an aberration, but a signal of an ongoing trend. There's a [good follow-up piece](http://www.vox.com/polyarchy/2016/8/31/12711922/race-identity-dividing-line), as well.
  * [How the alt-right became the party of hate](http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2016/08/how-the-alt-right-became-the-party-of-hate) -- Tracing the origins of the movement that ultimately gave us Donald Trump.

Health

  * [Full metal racket](https://newrepublic.com/article/135754/full-metal-racket) -- It turns out that the number one disability in America's veterans isn't PTSD, but hearing loss, and it's a problem that is continuing to grow.
  * [Trophy fury](http://www.alfiekohn.org/article/trophyfury/) -- This is the best category I could think of for this: an examination of just why people get so upset about the notion of "participation awards," and what false beliefs that outrage is based on.
  * [Gene Wilder was right: Gilda Radner didn't have to die, and we need to talk about why she did](https://medium.com/@abbymnorman/gene-wilder-was-right-gilda-radner-didnt-have-to-die-and-we-need-to-talk-about-why-she-did-b2797e01db28#.unkbzsjox) -- On the heels of Wilder's recent passing, an examination of his marriage to Gilda Radner and the ovarian cancer--at that time, a poorly-understood and often misdiagnosed disease--that took her life.

Humor

  * [Here are all the things young people have been accused of killing](http://fusion.net/story/339709/millennials-killing-are-killing-killed-on-trial/) -- We millennial snake people are a dangerous lot. When will our reign of terror end??
  * [I'm not fired, I quit: a user's review of Twitter as a lifestyle brand](http://theconcourse.deadspin.com/im-not-fired-i-quit-a-users-review-of-twitter-as-a-li-1785941662?utm_medium=sharefromsite&utm_source=The_Concourse_twitter) -- The funniest thing I've read this week.

Tech

  * [Kindle crashes and broken PowerShell: something isn't right with Windows 10 testing](http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2016/08/kindle-crashes-and-broken-powershell-something-isnt-right-with-windows-10-testing/) -- Microsoft seems to be experiencing some growing pains with its new continuous delivery model for Windows updates, much to the chagrin of users.
  * [The Dropbox hack is real](https://www.troyhunt.com/the-dropbox-hack-is-real/) -- If you had a Dropbox account in 2012 and haven't changed your password since, you may want to do so now--and retire that password from any other services where you may have used it, too.

Social Justice

  * [Naming America's own genocide](https://www.thenation.com/article/naming-americas-own-genocide/) -- Discussion of a new book that delves into the genocide of Native Americans that was part and parcel of the California Gold Rush. Not just the work of a few bad actors, but fully endorsed and event implemented by the state and federal government.
  * [Stop expecting women to be chill about sex](http://feministing.com/2016/08/30/stop-expecting-women-to-be-chill-about-sex/) -- A very worthwhile examination of how women approach sex in our culture, and what can be done to make things better.
  * [Welcome to the new America: straight-ish, heteroflexible, and pansexual](http://fusion.net/story/342665/new-queer-america-straight-ish-heteroflexible-and-pansexual/) -- A look at a growing trend among American youth: identifying as anything other than 100% straight and heterosexual.

International

  * [The decay of the Syrian regime is much worse than you think](http://warontherocks.com/2016/08/the-decay-of-the-syrian-regime-is-much-worse-than-you-think/) -- An intriguing (if disturbing) analysis of the current situation in Syria, in which Bashar al-Assad likely has much less real power than is widely believed.