Fresh from my browsing history, here’s another set of links!

Politics

  * [The habits of highly cynical people](http://harpers.org/archive/2016/05/the-habits-of-highly-cynical-people/1/) -- An exploration of how political engagement is damaged by the relentless insistence that we can't change anything, so it's best not to even try.
  * [The end of empathy](https://medium.com/@stephaniewittelswachs/the-end-of-empathy-5d8383b066d3#.1vrmehjyl) -- This applies to politics as much as anything, so I'm putting it here. One woman elaborates on how empathy is devalued and chastised in our culture, and how easily we are cruel to one another.
  * [Marco Rubio warming up to Donald Trump](http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/the-buzz-florida-politics/marco-rubio-warming-up-to-donald-trump/2275308) -- A careerist, as always. Since Rubio doesn't like doing real work, I suggest he become Trump's VP pick.
  * [One chart proves that Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders voters aren't the same](http://www.vox.com/2016/3/31/11338806/trump-sanders-populism-voters) -- I don't need a chart to believe that, though. They are both motivated by frustration with the establishment, but that doesn't mean they are upset about the same specific issues.
  * [GOP clerk who wiped thousands off NY voter rolls suspended without pay](http://crooksandliars.com/2016/04/gop-clerk-who-wiped-thousands-ny-rolls) -- I hope this puts to rest any notion that the Clinton campaign was behind it, at least.
  * [Dennis Hastert, accused of abusing children, is still a-OK with former GOP leaders](http://fusion.net/story/294811/dennis-hastert-hush-money-tom-delay-porter-goss/?utm_campaign=ThisIsFusion&utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=social) -- He's actually been convicted and sentenced now. Interesting how the party of family values is still willing to support such a person, though.
  * [Hillary PAC spends $1 million to "correct" commenters on Reddit and Facebook](http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/04/21/hillary-pac-spends-1-million-to-correct-commenters-on-reddit-and-facebook.html) -- Probably not a great use of money.

Social Justice

  * [Re-examining, Monica, Marcia, Tonya, and Anita, the "scandalous" women of the '90s](http://fusion.net/story/292473/monica-lewinsky-scandalous-women-of-the-90s/) -- Definitely an era when women who made the news, more often than not, got mocked, derided, and dehumanized.
  * [Oklahoma's legislature is about to ban abortion by making it a felony for doctors](http://www.vox.com/2016/4/26/11510874/oklahoma-abortion-outlaw-felony-doctors) -- Won't hold up in court, but is no doubt designed to inflict as much misery and confusion as possible in the meantime, because fuck women, I guess.
  * [Sexual harassment in online videogames: what we found so far](https://vgresearcher.wordpress.com/2016/04/15/sexual-harassment-in-online-videogames-what-we-found-so-far/) -- Some interesting, if unsurprising, research into the issue.

Culture

  * [How to successfully dislike a fandom](https://medium.com/@saramichener/how-to-successfully-dislike-a-fandom-40873579666b#.9cfkp7drs) -- Don't be a jerk about it. Bring genuine critiques. Barring that, keep your mouth shut. Easy!

Gaming

  * [Slither.io](http://slither.io/) -- My son introduced me to this. It's basically a massively multiplayer version of [Snake](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snake_(video_game)). Strangely compelling.

Terrorism

  * [This new book explains why so many Islamist extremists have studied engineering](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2016/04/21/this-new-book-explains-why-so-many-islamist-extremists-have-studied-engineering/) -- And it's not just Islamists. Male engineers tend toward right-wing extremism in general, and the authors believe this is because such men are wannabe-elites who are angry and upset that they've not received the wealth and recognition they consider themselves entitled to. Male privilege is a hell of a drug.

Science

  * [Who's downloading pirated papers? Everyone](http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/04/whos-downloading-pirated-papers-everyone) -- The complex, closed-off world of academic papers is under threat by Sci-Hub, where anyone can download such papers for free.
  * [The Chernobyl conundrum: is radiation as bad as we thought?](http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/chernobyl-hints-radiation-may-be-less-dangerous-than-thought-a-1088744.html) -- Maybe, maybe not. It turns out that radiation can have therapeutic qualities for some people in some situations, so blanket rejections of radiation may not be the best approach.