Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2011

- NFL 2011
Feed me to the Detroit Lions!
Tommy Craggs, Josh Levin, and Barry Petchesky | sports nut |
Tuesday,
6:40 PM ET - There's Something I Need To Tell You, Sarge ...
A gallery of service members who came out the day "don't ask, don't tell" was repealed.
Katherine Goldstein | politics |
Tuesday,
6:23 PM ET - Gears of War 3
Bayoneting reptilian humanoids never felt so ... right.
Taylor Clark | technology |
Tuesday,
5:28 PM ET - Where It All Went Wrong
Ron Suskind's new book and the competing theories for Obama's collapse.
David Weigel | politics |
Tuesday,
5:26 PM ET
Edu-netics
What will Suri Cruise learn at her Scientology-influenced school?
Brian Palmer | explainer |
Tuesday,
4:45 PM ET- Eyes on an Execution
The Troy Davis case shows how wrong eyewitness evidence can be.
Brandon L. Garrett | jurisprudence |
Tuesday,
3:52 PM ET - Here Be Dragons
A history of map monsters.
Ken Jennings | Science |
Tuesday,
3:19 PM ET - Men Are Finished
How you can watch—and participate in—the live Slate/Intelligence Squared tonight at NYU.
intelligence squared |
Tuesday,
3:15 PM ET - Cleaning Out Ives' Closet
The tricky task of preserving an artist's life and work.
Jan Swafford | music box |
Tuesday,
3:09 PM ET - Attention Must Be Paid
How the Internet is changing how people listen.
Esther Dyson | project syndicate |
Tuesday,
3:01 PM ET - Romney's Iowa Problem
How best to neutralize front-running Rick Perry?
slate v |
Tuesday,
2:05 PM ET - Who Is Warren Buffett's Secretary?
Debbie Bosanek is not the talkative type, especially about tax reform.
Annie Lowrey | moneybox |
Tuesday,
1:27 PM ET - Do Evites Cheapen a Wedding?
Farhad Manjoo and Emily Yoffe debate the etiquette of paper vs. electronic wedding invitations.
Farhad Manjoo and Emily Yoffe | manners for the digital age |
Tuesday,
1:27 PM ET - The Britishism Invasion
Language corruption is a two-way street.
Ben Yagoda | the good word |
Tuesday,
12:57 PM ET - It's Only Natural
Why did Apple change the way we scroll?
Michael Agger | technology |
Tuesday,
12:10 PM ET
The First Trillionaire
How long until the world's richest person is worth more than $1 trillion?
Annie Lowrey | explainer |
Tuesday,
11:23 AM ET
Will Robots Steal Your Job?
Join Slate technology columnist Farhad Manjoo at the New America Foundation for an event about machines as doctors, lawyers, and creators.
future tense |
Tuesday,
11:16 AM ET
Should I Make My Friend Shave Her Head?
We made a pact that she wouldn't move in with someone unless she was engaged—and she broke it.
Lucinda Rosenfeld | friend or foe |
Tuesday,
6:56 AM ET- Permanent Record
Searching for Marie Garaventa.
Paul Lukas | permanent record |
Tuesday,
6:54 AM ET - Why Would Anyone Go to Burning Man?
People are nicer—and more naked—than they are anywhere else.
Seth Stevenson | well-traveled |
Tuesday,
6:51 AM ET - "Goodbye Billyburg"
A weekly poem, read by the author.
Spencer Short | poem |
Tuesday,
6:50 AM ET
Monday, Sept. 19, 2011

- This Time He Really Means It
Obama has been angry before, but he's never been able to stay angry. Will his latest economic plan be any different?
John Dickerson | politics |
Monday,
8:05 PM ET - New Girl
Zooey Deschanel brings her niche sex appeal to the small screen.
Troy Patterson | television |
Monday,
7:57 PM ET - NFL 2011
The Kansas City Chiefs' sad cavalcade of torn knee ligaments.
Tommy Craggs, Josh, Levin, and Barry Petchesky | sports nut |
Monday,
6:40 PM ET - Hang Up and Listen: The Legal Sucker Punch Edition
Slate's sports podcast talks to Dave McKenna about Redskins owner Dan Snyder dropping his defamation suit.
Stefan Fatsis, Josh Levin, and Mike Pesca | hang up and listen |
Monday,
5:59 PM ET - Is Netflix As Dumb As It Seems?
The strange logic of the company's decision to divide itself in half.
Farhad Manjoo | technology |
Monday,
5:13 PM ET
What Do Bears Have To Do With Toilet Paper?
A short history of bathroom-tissue marketing. Plus: Are bears really that soft?
Daniel Engber | explainer |
Monday,
4:56 PM ET
Cough It Up, Punk!
If a criminal swallows the evidence, how do police get it out of him?
Brian Palmer | explainer |
Monday,
4:45 PM ET- He'd Like a Virgin
Dear Prudence advises a woman who lied to her fiance about her sexual past—during a live chat at Washingtonpost.com.
Emily Yoffe | dear prudence |
Monday,
3:08 PM ET - DSK's Defense
Dominique Strauss-Kahn says the New York district attorney cleared him of sexual violence. Is that true?
William Saletan | human nature |
Monday,
2:31 PM ET - In Defense of Endless War
As 9/11 showed, civilization has enemies with which peace is neither possible nor desirable.
Christopher Hitchens | fighting words |
Monday,
2:19 PM ET - Dear Prudence: Father's Worn Out Welcome
A weekly Dear Prudence video.
slate v |
Monday,
1:44 PM ET - The You Decade
There's a new narcissistic pronoun in town.
Christopher Hitchens | fighting words |
Monday,
1:06 PM ET - How To Prevent a Depression
Eight drastic policy measures necessary to prevent global economic collapse. None of them will be popular.
Nouriel Roubini | moneybox |
Monday,
12:29 PM ET - Is China More Powerful Than America?
A fascinating new book argues that the United States has already been eclipsed as the world's dominant economic power.
Simon Johnson | moneybox |
Monday,
12:23 PM ET - Why Small Businesses Aren't Innovative
Everyone says small businesses are dynamic, market-shaking, job creators. But new evidence suggests that's not true.
Annie Lowrey | small business |
Monday,
7:15 AM ET - Young, Poor, and Desperate
The poverty crisis is devastating young Americans. Here's what the president can do about it.
Eliot Spitzer | moneybox |
Monday,
7:12 AM ET - Permanent Record
A trove of report cards from the 1920s and the surprising, inspiring, sometimes shocking stories they have to tell.
Paul Lukas | permanent record |
Monday,
6:54 AM ET - Why Would Anyone Go to Burning Man?
It's just unshowered vegans, jet-setting art freaks—and me.
Seth Stevenson | well-traveled |
Monday,
6:51 AM ET
Geography Wonks for $2,500
A Jeopardy! star explores the world of map obsessives.
Seth Stevenson | books |
Monday,
6:48 AM ET
Sunday, Sept. 18, 2011

Saturday, Sept. 17, 2011

Friday, Sept. 16, 2011

- Outlandish Acts of Daredevilry!
History's great stuntmen and stuntwomen.
LIFE Photos | gallery |
Friday,
6:30 PM ET - How To Make an Outrageous Runway Look
The craziest outfits at New York Fashion Week
Julia Felsenthal | fashion |
Friday,
6:05 PM ET
What's a Rogue Trader?
Someone who doesn't know his limits.
Julia Felsenthal | explainer |
Friday,
4:17 PM ET- The Gremlin Ankle-Biter Gabfest
Listen to Slate's show about the latest Republican presidential debate, a Democratic loss in New York, and the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis tapes.
Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz | gabfest |
Friday,
2:50 PM ET
Paying for Good Press and Pakistani Journos in Peril
This week's top MuckReads from ProPublica.
Braden Goyette | propublica |
Friday,
2:29 PM ET- I Don't Know How She Does It
Sarah Jessica Parker rides the rapids of upper-middle-class parenthood.
Dana Stevens | movies |
Friday,
1:10 PM ET - The After-Wife
Pat Robertson says Alzheimer's can justify divorce because your spouse is "gone." Is he right?
William Saletan | human nature |
Friday,
8:55 AM ET - Debating Extreme Human Enhancement
There are some places our "wetware" bodies just can't go.
Nicholas Agar, Brad Allenby, and Kyle Munkittrick | future tense |
Friday,
7:18 AM ET - The Playboy Club
Changing the world, one bunny at a time.
Troy Patterson | television |
Friday,
7:02 AM ET - Corrections
Slate's mistakes.
corrections |
Friday,
7:00 AM ET
Thursday, Sept. 15, 2011

- Rogue Author
Joe McGinniss stands by the more outrageous parts of his Sarah Palin tell-all.
David Weigel | politics |
Thursday,
8:38 PM ET - Rick Perry Prides Himself on Telling Truths
But just what kind of truths are they?
John Dickerson | politics |
Thursday,
7:20 PM ET - A Killer Issue
Republicans like Rick Perry are skeptical of everything the government does—except when it executes people.
Dahlia Lithwick | jurisprudence |
Thursday,
7:10 PM ET - Whitney and 2 Broke Girls
How much perky raunchiness can you stand?
Troy Patterson | television |
Thursday,
6:10 PM ET - Great Social Networks Steal
In praise of Facebook's thievery.
Farhad Manjoo | technology |
Thursday,
5:35 PM ET - Drive
Ryan Gosling's minimalist car-chase movie is painfully suspenseful.
Dana Stevens | movies |
Thursday,
4:35 PM ET
The Girl Scouts' Allegedly Radical Feminist Lesbian Agenda
What conservative Christian rumors about the group get wrong—and right.
Amanda Marcotte | doublex |
Thursday,
2:58 PM ET- Oh, Come On, Men Aren't Finished
Women are joining men as partners in running the world, not replacing them.
Christina Hoff Sommers | intelligence squared |
Thursday,
2:17 PM ET - A Better, Cheaper Way To Fight HIV
Bjørn Lomborg's new Copenhagen Consensus project to identify the most cost-effective ways to battle the disease.
Bjørn Lomborg | project syndicate |
Thursday,
12:29 PM ET - Crazy Bet, the Scourge of Civil War Richmond
Elizabeth Van Lew may have seemed insane, but she knew exactly what she was doing.
Andy Bowers | podcasts |
Thursday,
11:59 AM ET - Nice Try
Why the Poets & Writers MFA rankings are a sham.
Scott Kenemore | culturebox |
Thursday,
11:02 AM ET - A Great Year for Underground Rap
Tired of watching the throne? Give a listen to Lil B., Danny Brown, and Spaceghostpurrp.
Jonah Weiner | music box |
Thursday,
10:13 AM ET - Who Killed 3-D?
A box-office whodunit.
Daniel Engber | Science |
Thursday,
7:19 AM ET - Debating Extreme Human Enhancement
Why can't we enjoy being human just a little while longer?
Nicholas Agar, Brad Allenby, and Kyle Munkittrick | future tense |
Thursday,
7:18 AM ET - My Amanda Knox Obsession
Two innocent people are locked up because orgies are fun to talk about.
Katie Crouch | culturebox |
Thursday,
7:16 AM ET - Deadly Family Secret
My mother-in-law hid a life-threatening condition that could strike my child. How can I forgive her?
Emily Yoffe | dear prudence |
Thursday,
7:12 AM ET
Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2011

- College Prank
Why Pennsylvania's plan to reform the Electoral College is doomed.
David Weigel | politics |
Wednesday,
7:03 PM ET - NFL 2011
My team threw for 731 yards and lost.
Stefan Fatsis, Nate Jackson, Drew Magary, and Tom Scocca | sports nut |
Wednesday,
6:40 PM ET
How Rich Are Poor People?
The Census Bureau says there are more Americans in poverty than ever. Are the poor better off today than they used to be?
Brian Palmer | explainer |
Wednesday,
6:24 PM ET- Tennis: An Aural History
Victoria Heinicke, the sport's first grunter. Plus: Notes on the evolution of grunting.
Josh Levin | sports nut |
Wednesday,
4:36 PM ET
Angry Moms
A brief history of maternal indignation in American politics, from Mother Jones to Michele Bachmann.
Libby Copeland | doublex |
Wednesday,
3:15 PM ET- Slate Seeks Editorial Assistant
Join us!
slate fare |
Wednesday,
2:37 PM ET - Product Placement Goes Digital
How advertisers are fighting back against your DVR.
slate v |
Wednesday,
1:27 PM ET - The Culture Gabfest, "Stop Touching Your Face" Edition
Listen to Slate's show about Steven Soderbergh's Contagion, Anderson Cooper's new talk show Anderson, and the demise of the U.S. Postal Service.
Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and Julia Turner | culture gabfest |
Wednesday,
12:02 PM ET - That's Hot
What does it take to inflame a pyromaniac?
Jesse Bering | Science |
Wednesday,
11:23 AM ET
The Fantastic Realist
In the realm of the absurd, Steven Millhauser explores real feelings.
Claire Dederer | books |
Wednesday,
10:16 AM ET- Tarzan the Diaper Man
Testosterone shrinks when men become dads. Does that mean they're designed to nurture kids?
William Saletan | human nature |
Wednesday,
9:43 AM ET - Debating Extreme Human Enhancement
It's impossible to predict whether a technology will be a "good" or "bad" thing.
Nicholas Agar, Brad Allenby, and Kyle Munkittrick | future tense |
Wednesday,
7:18 AM ET - I Watched Every Steven Soderbergh Movie
Notes on one of the most varied careers in the history of cinema.
Dan Kois | the completist |
Wednesday,
12:30 AM ET - Ranking the Films of Steven Soderbergh
Three masterpieces, six worthwhile divertissements, three really fascinating films that get better with age, four interesting failures, and one movie that's all of the above.
Dan Kois | the completist |
Wednesday,
12:30 AM ET - Soderbergh: The Obscure Works
A closer look at the Oscar-winning director's shorts, TV series, plays, and the improvised movie he shot but has no plans to release.
Dan Kois | the completist |
Wednesday,
12:29 AM ET - Qatar's Football Dreams
Is the country's standout soccer academy a humanitarian project or a scheme to buy Africa's best players?
Brian K. Blickenstaff | sports nut |
Wednesday,
12:28 AM ET - Wine Drinkers of the World, Unite
You have nothing to lose but inflated bills and interrupted anecdotes
Christopher Hitchens | fighting words |
Wednesday,
12:27 AM ET
Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2011

- Awwwww
Up All Night may be the first great sitcom about babies.
Troy Patterson | television |
Tuesday,
8:26 PM ET - Political Inoculation
How Rick Perry can defuse the controversy over the HPV vaccine.
David Weigel | politics |
Tuesday,
6:49 PM ET - NFL 2011
Was Sebastian Janikowski's 63-yard field goal the NFL's longest 63-yarder?
Stefan Fatis, Nate Jackson. Drew Magary, and Tom Scocca | sports nut |
Tuesday,
6:40 PM ET - Hot Collars
I got three custom shirts online. I'll never buy off the rack again.
Farhad Manjoo | shopping |
Tuesday,
5:11 PM ET
When Do Gay Kids Start "Acting Gay"?
Sometimes when they're toddlers.
Brian Palmer | explainer |
Tuesday,
4:06 PM ET- "Let Him Die"
A debate question exposes the incoherence—and cowardice—of the Republican candidates' opposition to Obamacare.
Jacob Weisberg | the big idea |
Tuesday,
3:06 PM ET - An Exclusive Interview with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
The president of Iran on his release of the hikers, his next nuclear plan, the Palestinian statehood vote, and more.
Lally Weymouth | foreigners |
Tuesday,
3:05 PM ET - The Last Days of the American Male
An interview with journalist Hanna Rosin: Why she'll argue that "men are finished" at the Sept. 20 Slate/Intelligence Squared U.S. debate.
Elizabeth Weingarten | intelligence squared |
Tuesday,
2:14 PM ET - The Magnificent Ambersons
Orson Welles' original version may be lost to history, but even the compromised studio cut is a masterpiece—and it's finally on DVD.
Elbert Ventura | dvd extras |
Tuesday,
1:00 PM ET
How Fashion and Feminism Became Bedfellows
A former Teen Vogue editor explains how Tavi Gevinson's new magazine proves that the two are no longer mutually exclusive.
Kara Jesella | doublex |
Tuesday,
11:39 AM ET- Debating Extreme Human Enhancement
Even if we don't want enhancement, we might not be able to stop it.
Nicholas Agar, Brad Allenby, and Kyle Munkittrick | future tense |
Tuesday,
7:18 AM ET - Buy the Citizen Kane Blu-ray
You haven't seen the Orson Welles classic until you've seen this newly restored version.
Fred Kaplan | dvd extras |
Tuesday,
5:40 AM ET - "We Can Hear You Having Sex"
Farhad Manjoo and Emily Yoffe debate whether it's rude to send a message by renaming your Wi-Fi network.
Farhad Manjoo and Emily Yoffe | manners for the digital age |
Tuesday,
5:36 AM ET - "City Aubade"
A weekly poem, read by the author.
Vanesha Pravin | poem |
Tuesday,
5:34 AM ET - Hard Truths
In Tampa, Mitt Romney won the debate, and Rick Perry stumbled.
John Dickerson | politics |
Tuesday,
1:25 AM ET
Monday, Sept. 12, 2011

- Hang Up and Listen: The Football and the Flag Edition
Slate's sports podcast on the NFL and 9/11, Serena Williams, Michigan-Notre Dame, and a possible Red Sox collapse.
Stefan Fatsis, Josh Levin, and Mike Pesca | hang up and listen |
Monday,
7:10 PM ET - America's Tea Party Network
How the Tea Party Express took over both the Republican Party and CNN.
David Weigel | politics |
Monday,
6:54 PM ET
"The Captain Requests That All Zippers Be Returned to the Upright Position"
How are flight attendants supposed to deal with fornicating passengers?
Brian Palmer | explainer |
Monday,
6:51 PM ET- NFL 2011
Jay Cutler doesn't need to be loved by you.
Nate Jackson, Drew Magary, and Tom Scocca
| sports nut |
Monday,
6:40 PM ET - They're Breaking the Mold
The British artists who make museum pieces out of gelatin.
Kristin Donnelly | food & wine |
Monday,
5:16 PM ET - Am I Dating a Swinger?
Dear Prudence advises a woman who craves a monogamous relationship but can't seem to find one—during a live chat at Washingtonpost.com.
Emily Yoffe | dear prudence |
Monday,
3:30 PM ET - Dear Prudence: Hands Off My Long Hair!
A weekly Dear Prudence video.
slate v |
Monday,
11:19 AM ET - Bloody Personal
If you want to end the ban on gay men giving blood, tell us what you do in bed.
William Saletan | human nature |
Monday,
10:04 AM ET
Shooting Gallery
Why aren't there any civilians in military video games?
Michael Thomsen | gaming |
Monday,
6:53 AM ET
An Infinite Walk
Alfred Kazin's amazing 65-year journal.
William Deresiewicz | books |
Monday,
6:51 AM ET
Sunday, Sept. 11, 2011

Slate's most recent blog posts:
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Brow Beat:
posted by Nina Rastogi
on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2011, at 4:55 PM ET
Meek’s Cutoff’s Mysterious Indian, Translated
[Caution! Spoilers inhabit these territories.]
When Kelly Reichardt’s Meek’s Cutoff hitched its dusty wagon to cinema screens this past spring, Slate greeted the “stripped-down feminist Western” with both rapturous praise and rascally reporting. Unsatisfied by the film’s determinedly ambiguous ending, Brow Beat blogger Nina Rastogi sought out a translation of the Native American’s (unsubtitled) words in the film. Because the fate of the film’s settlers hinges on the Indian’s intent—is he leading them to water, or to their death?—his lines might help us interpret the ending of the film.
As the film arrives on DVD, we’re republishing Brow Beat’s original post—which contains several translations from a version of the film’s script—alongside clips of the Native American man’s lines in the film.
Read More
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Brow Beat:
posted by Jessica Grose
on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2011, at 11:35 AM ET
Charlie Sheen roast: tame in comparison to Charlie Sheen
Last night Ashton Kutcher literally emerged through a shower of Charlie Sheen's (fake) ashes on the sitcom Two and a Half Men. Since it was announced that Kutcher would replace Sheen in the aftermath of Charlie's ongoing meltdown in March and his ouster from the extremely popular show, culture critics have wondered how Men would handle the cast-change. The answer is: not well. Kutcher is a big, handsome block of wood in the middle of performers with much more verve (Holland Taylor and Melanie Lynskey are especially wonderful). Say what you will about Charlie Sheen, but he is not lacking in charisma, and his absence was definitely felt. Kutcher deserves some slack—after all, it was his first show—but Sheen's particular talent for playing a lightly fictionalized version of himself left a hole in the show.
Read More
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Brow Beat:
posted by June Thomas
on Monday, Sept. 19, 2011, at 1:10 PM ET
Can You Say Vagina on TV? Yes, Many Times.
At this time of year, anyone with even a half-serious interest in television starts to take on a glazed look. It’s pilot season, which means blowing off social obligations and spending some serious time with the schedule grid and a slide rule, figuring out how to see as many of the new offerings as possible. This is your chance to establish yourself as a TV tastemaker. You got away with watching The Wire years after it first aired, but you don’t want to get a reputation as a bandwagon-jumper, one of those dreadful DVD people.
Read More
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Weigel:
posted by David Weigel
on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2011, at 7:46 PM ET
Encore: The Fifth
Shutdowns have a way of looming, don't they?
Read More
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Weigel:
posted by David Weigel
on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2011, at 5:56 PM ET
Lamar Alexander's Advice for the Senate
Tennessee's senior senator announced today that he'd be leaving the GOP leadership in January. He'll remain in the Senate, and run for re-election. But he's done with leadership, and he explained why.
Read More
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Weigel:
posted by David Weigel
on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2011, at 4:59 PM ET
Team Obama: Winning the Suskind Spin
Kevin Drum is one of many people latching on to a decision Ron Suskind made with a dishy Confidence Men quote from Anita Dunn. Sam Stein talked to Suskind and Dunn to explain the controversy. Dunn told Suskind this:
Read More
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Trending News Channel:
posted by Slate Staff
on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2011, at 2:40 PM ET
Clemency Denied for Troy Davis; Georgia Death Row Inmate Scheduled to Die Sept. 21 (VIDEO)
Troy Davis is trending after the Georgia Pardons Board denied his 11th-hour plea for clemency.
Read More
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Trending News Channel:
posted by Slate Staff
on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2011, at 1:28 PM ET
Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Ends
The reign of "don't ask don't tell" has finally ended on Sept. 20, 2011.
Read More
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Trending News Channel:
posted by Slate Staff
on Monday, Sept. 19, 2011, at 4:55 PM ET
Ahoy! It’s International Talk Like a Pirate Day (VIDEO)
Avast Me Hearties! It's International Talk Like A Pirate Day and Twitter's going overboard with the arrrrguably important news.
Read More
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The XX Factor:
posted by Jessica Grose
on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2011, at 5:03 PM ET
Ron Suskind's "Confidence Man" raises the question: were women kept from Obama's inner circle?
Ron Suskind's buzzy new book, Confidence Men: Wall Street, Washington, and the Education of a President, contends that women in the early days of Obama's White House felt left out of important conversations and meetings. According to the Washington Post, the boys' club of former chief of staff Rahm Emmanuel, former chairman of the National Economic Council Larry Summers and Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner marginalized female staffers like former White House communications director Anita Dunn and former head of the Council of Economic Advisers Christina Romer. Suskind quotes Dunn saying: "This place would be in court for a hostile workplace. ... Because it actually fit all of the classic legal requirements for a genuinely hostile workplace to women." Ouch.
Read More
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The XX Factor:
posted by KJ Dell'Antonia
on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2011, at 2:00 PM ET
IUD Use Reduces the Risk of Cervical Cancer. Not to Mention Unwanted Pregnancy.
A group of researchers writing for Lancet Oncology found good news for fans and users of intrauterine devices for preventing pregnancy: For reasons that aren't yet understood, IUD use reduces the risk of cervical cancer by 45 percent. The NYT reports that the protective effect is apparent in the first year of use and beyond, and isn't associated with the fact that women who chose to have an IUD inserted are also more likely to have been screened for cervical cancer. This research—the result of compiling data from two large studies encompassing women in at least 14 countries—suggests that the IUD use offers its own protection against the cancer, but not against human pappillomavirus, its main cause. The researchers believe the insertion of an IUD "might provoke an immune response to HPV."
Read More
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The XX Factor:
posted by Amanda Marcotte
on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2011, at 10:33 AM ET
A ugly spate of stories showing that 50s attitudes about women are still with us.
Reading this story about the University of Northern Iowa's attempts to exploit misogynist stereotypes about women being "nutty and slutty" caused me to wonder sadly if we, as a nation, are still living in 1951 instead of 2011. The woman is suing the school, claiming it mishandled the situation when she successfully pressed charges against two football players for raping her. In response to the lawsuit, the school's defense is collecting information to show that the student worked as a stripper, that she's had mental health problems, and that she's had a generally hard life. I'm sure they can prove all these things--I'm often surprised if they don't turn up during a rape case, because rapists love a vulnerable woman like muggers love a dark alleyway--but I have to ask, "So what?" Do any of these things, separately or taken together, make it OK for a football player to rape a woman and then pass her off to his friend? No, they do not. That someone has mental health issues and turned to sex work to pay for college should make her sympathetic in a sane world, and therefore make us all the more disgusted that two men saw her and thought, "Easy to victimize."
Read More
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Future Tense:
posted by Torie Bosch
on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2011, at 5:53 PM ET
Film Editors, Beware: The Robots Are Coming
First they came for the sports writers. Then automation began knocking other reporters’ doors. Next in human-free media jobs: film editing.
Read More
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Future Tense:
posted by Torie Bosch
on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2011, at 2:34 PM ET
The Mind-Blowing Cost of Patent Trolling
Patent trolling—buying up vague or broad patents and then suing any business that inadvertently violates its intellectual property—is the scourge of tech firms. As was reported on an excellent recent episode of This American Life, no one will wants to call himself a patent troll. Instead, those companies that are plaintiffs in such suits claim to be protecting the property rights of innovators.
Read More
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Future Tense:
posted by Torie Bosch
on Monday, Sept. 19, 2011, at 6:40 PM ET
Players on the gaming site FoldIt solve in just three weeks an HIV puzzle that frustrated scientists for a decade.
That’s one small step for HIV research and one giant leap for innovation. A group of gamers on a site called FoldIt have helped solve a long-standing scientific puzzle: the structure of an enzyme found in an HIV-related monkey virus. “Scientists have struggled with the problem for a decade, but the gamers helped crack it in just three weeks,” says Jacob Aron on the New Scientist.
Read More