Another Saturday, another batch of links. Enjoy!

Politics

  * [Obama and Ryan: Covert collaborators](http://www.politico.com/story/2015/10/barack-obama-paul-ryan-relationship-215398) -- Will newly minted House Speaker Paul Ryan and President Obama get along? Some people think so.
  * [Republican tax plans are all basically insane](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/republican-tax-plans_56315815e4b00aa54a4cb1b1) -- This is not surprising.
  * [The real winner of the GOP debate will surprise you](http://talkingpointsmemo.com/cafe/who-was-the-real-winner-in-the-gop-debate) -- Rubio won, which I don't find "surprising." He's been shaping up into a frontrunner for some time now.
  * [The 5 big confrontations between CNBC moderators and GOP candidates](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/10/29/the-5-big-confrontations-between-cnbc-moderators-and-gop-candidates/) -- Really, it's pathetic that asking difficult questions is viewed as unfair to the point that the Republicans are taking their ball and going home.
  * [2016 Presidential Primary Calendar](http://frontloading.blogspot.com/p/2016-presidential-primary-calendar.html) -- Necessary information if you plan to participate!
  * [Here's what you need to know about John Kasich](http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/07/john-kasich-candidate-president-background) -- The GOP Presidential candidate from Ohio is not who you might think he is based on his debate performances.
  * [The most likely next President is Hillary Clinton](http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-10-26/the-most-likely-next-president-is-hillary-clinton) -- Says Mark Halperin, who has a habit of being wrong (and a jerk.)
  * [Rebel PACs hit Republicans, and it pays](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/24/us/politics/conservative-pacs-turn-attack-on-gop-leaders-into-fund-raising-tool.html?_r=1) -- How unaccountable PACs solicit donations from GOP voters to enrich themselves and provide nothing of value to the political process.

Gaming

  * [Civilization Revolution 2 Plus comes to PS Vita December 3rd](http://blog.us.playstation.com/2015/10/30/civilization-revolution-2-plus-comes-to-ps-vita-december-3rd/) -- Civ on my Vita? That's an easy sell.

Thoughts

  * [The Predator's Bargain](https://medium.com/bad-words/the-predator-s-bargain-8d5c14be0a4d#.5s2te4s1l) -- Is the world really getting better, or is that just a comforting lie?
  * [Straw Freshmen: Why the war on campus PC culture is bullshit](http://sevenscribes.com/straw-freshmen-why-the-war-on-campus-pc-culture-is-bullshit/) -- 100% agreed, too.

Culture

  * [SXSW announces harassment summit](http://web.archive.org/web/20151229193216/http://www.sxsw.com:80/news/2015/sxsw-announces-march-12-online-harassment-summit) -- After canceling two panels (one about online harassment, the other a pro-Gamergate panel) and receiving a ton of flak for it, SXSW has announced a summit to fight harassment.
  * [I was on one of those canceled SXSW panels](http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2015/10/sxsw_canceled_panels_here_is_what_happened.html) -- A firsthand account of what happened.

Health

  * [WHO study shows 3.7 billion people infected with herpes virus](http://www.ctvnews.ca/health/who-study-shows-3-7-billion-people-infected-with-herpes-virus-1.2632915) -- Herpes really gets around.

Social Justice

  * [FBI, DoJ investigating SC police officer who threw student across classroom](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/education/wp/2015/10/26/authorities-investigate-video-of-police-officer-throwing-student-across-classroom/) -- There is simply no excuse for this kind of behavior from police.
  * [There's plenty of oppression to go around, Richard Dawkins](http://skepchick.org/2015/10/theres-plenty-of-oppression-to-go-around-richard-dawkins/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Skepchick+%28Skepchick%29) -- This is one of those topics where Dawkins would be better off just keeping his mouth shut, preferably forever.

Food

  * [Fortune cookies with little rice cats in them](http://www.boredpanda.com/fortune-cat-rice-crackers-felissimo-japan/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=BPFacebook) -- I want them!
  * [Grilled shrimp and pepper jack cheese nachos](http://www.barbellsandbellinis.com/2013/08/grilled-shrimp-and-pepper-jack-cheese.html?m=1) -- Sounds delicious!
  * [Aquafina admits it's just tap water](https://www.inverse.com/article/5819-aquafina-admits-it-s-just-tap-water) -- And yet, people will still pay over $1 a bottle for it.

Education

  * [Failure Factories](http://www.tampabay.com/projects/2015/investigations/pinellas-failure-factories/5-schools-segregation/) -- How Florida took five average-performing schools and turned them into the worst in the state.

Tech

  * [The stack that helped Medium drive 2.6 millennia of reading time](https://medium.com/medium-eng/the-stack-that-helped-medium-drive-2-6-millennia-of-reading-time-e56801f7c492#.ces5muw7w) -- Some technical information on medium.com's infrastructure. Interesting stuff.

History

  * [The Okinawa missiles of October](http://thebulletin.org/okinawa-missiles-october8826) -- How, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, a rogue major on Okinawa nearly started World War III.

Photo by DonkeyHotey