The Good, the Bad, and the Curious (Links for the Week)

I've seriously neglected the weekly round-up post, but I've missed doing it because it gave me a good recap of what I'd been reading and I'd often go back through old link round-ups to find something I remembered reading but couldn't remember where. I could go on and on about why I've been so remiss (dissertation, kid, work, dissertation, being sad about losing all my running ability while my ankle was healing, did I mention a dissertation?), but I'd rather just get back to it. So here they are: the links I read that made me smile (the Good), cry (the Bad), and think (the Curious).

Please feel free to add anything you've been reading or writing in the comments.

The Good

Caitlin over at Fit and Feminist explains that she doesn't care if you think she looks pretty while she runs, so you really don't need to catcall her to let her know. Keep it to yourself:

Because here’s the shocking thing – and I know this will blow your hair back, so hold on to your butts – but not all of us care about looking pretty all the time. (A lot of us don’t even care at all!) Sometimes we just want to go out in public and do our thing and not have to be reminded that there is still a segment of society that looks at us primarily as decorative objects meant to pretty up the place.

This review of Amy Poehler's new book reminded me that I'm going to have to cheat on my dissertation writing day sometime soon and sneak in a tiny bit of pleasure reading.

The gay marriage ban in my state (Missouri) was knocked down today!

This woman ran a 10k in under 40 minutes. . . while pushing a stroller!

I know Halloween is over, but this lovely story about the teens who are too old to trick of treat is worth a read.

This cover song exists (and I'm really upset that I didn't know that until today):

The Bad

I thoroughly enjoyed the reviews on this sexy PhD costume, but the fact that it exists puts it squarely in "bad" territory.

These cops were caught on a dash cam joking about rape.

Colorlines explains that there was some selective race-based editing in that viral catcalling video.

The Curious 

Did you know a lot of those old fairy tales are based on real-life events? One of them includes a father who, upon learning that his daughter had converted to Christianity, "decapitated her but was killed by a lightning strike soon after." Happily ever after indeed!

My iPod broke, and I really, really miss having all my music mobile and in playlists, so I finally checked out Spotify (I know I'm late to the party). That then prompted me to wonder about the ethics of it, and I read a series of articles that didn't help clear it up at all. Here's one from NPR that basically concludes that you should ask the band how they feel about it themselves. This one from The Verge has some interesting discussion, including the stat that the average American only spends $17 a year  on music (at least I'm above average at something). 

This NPR article discusses the faith required to further scientific study, and I find it fascinating:

If supersymmetric particles are found then, great: We will enter a new epoch of high-energy physics. But what if they aren't? My prediction is that there will be a split in the community. While some will abandon the theory for lack of experimental support, others will hold on to it, readjusting the parameters so that supersymmetry becomes viable at energies well beyond our reach. The theory will then be untestable for the foreseeable future, maybe indefinitely. Belief in supersymmetry will then be an article of faith.

There's a Rutgers class based entirely on Beyonce. 

This article about professional marathoners and how they handle their pregnancies shines light on a work/life balance discussion we don't usually think about. 

I haven't known what to think about the Lena Dunham controversy (having not read the book myself and seeing extremely different reactions from people I really respect), but I think this post from Love, Joy, Feminism brings up really good points about boundaries, consent, and labeling that are getting glossed over in the discussions I've seen:

Yes, children experiment sexually, and yes, children are curious about each other’s stuff. But that doesn’t mean that childhood sexual exploration is always and of necessity harmless and okay. We need to be able to draw lines between childhood sexual exploration that is harmless and okay, and childhood sexual exploration that is exploitative and coercive. Part of the problem may be the way we draw lines. You either are a sexual predator, or you are not. That is too all-or-nothing to describe reality; it forces us to label people as all good or all bad, and people are rarely so simple. Most would be loath to put the little boy who pressured me into showing him my bottom in the sexual predator box, but what he did was nevertheless not okay. It was exploitative and coercive, and it left me feeling dirty and used.