East or West? Iran’s uncertain future
When Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returned to Iran after 15 years of exile forty years ago this month, he rode high on the slogan: “Neither East, nor West – but the Islamic Republic!” Khomeini...
#WednesdayWisdom: Climate change is cancelled
I have a confession to make. I am grateful to all of the people taking to the internet to point out that if they see as much as one snowflake, climate change (or “global warming,” as they like to...
The Story of the XFL is How Donald Trump is Really Just Vince McMahon with Worse Hair
Watching ESPN’s documentary on Vince McMahon’s infamous failed football league, This Was the XFL, struck me in a lot of ways. In part because it’s an excellent and slickly-produced film, but...
Must reads: True crime, Tinder, Instagram, food, sex work
Welcome back to our weekly reading roundup. Before you see what we’re loving elsewhere, don’t miss Nanette Spurr's reminder that abortion is health care — and that's nothing to be ashamed of....
Assisted suicide is a danger to disabled people. RCP members must vote against it.
The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) is polling its membership of doctors over their support for assisted suicide. The status of doctors in the UK is currently that they have voted ‘against’ but...
Abortion is health care. Pass it on.
Abortion is in the news in the U.S. this week as two states pass legislation designed to reduce barriers to access for patients who need later abortion. The right is screeching about baby killing,...
Sharon Van Etten’s Remind Me Tomorrow Signals the Return of One of Music’s Best Songwriters
The first lyrics that Sharon Van Etten sings on her new album are “Sitting at the bar, I told you everything / You said, ‘Holy shit, you almost died.’” Her singing is framed by harsh, echoing...
The Resident Evil 2 remake is a saga of battered women
As I watched videos of Resident Evil 2 with a female friend before release we saw one of the two protagonists be chased, grabbed and clubbed by a huge indestructible masculine creature in a trench...
Must reads: Crime, culinary culture, urban design, Lorena Bobbitt
Welcome back to our weekly reading roundup. Before you see what we’re loving elsewhere, don’t miss E. Young's overview of spy TV you should be watching. As long as you’re here, why not...
“Feminist” transphobia and the Christian right
Occasionally, there are awkward moments in activism, and one of those is finding out that you appear to be on the same side as campaigners who should hate you. The homophobes or the anti-abortionists...