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Ongoing Investigations: Voltron Legendary Defender by Dreamworks, Kubo and the Two Strings by Laika, and Code Geass: Akito the Exiled by Sunrise.

Food for Thought: What is the most important thing for Otakon to get right its first year in D.C.?

Topics: Otakon 2016

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Last Goodbye

The gender gap is in and out of the news this election cycle. The 2016 election likely will have the largest gender gap in history, which could reach a 15-point difference between women and men in their choices for the country’s political leadership. More than ever before, women have the power to elect the next president, decide the makeup of Congress, select state legislators, and shape the national agenda.

Words written 30 years ago by Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority Foundation and Ms. publisher, ring more true today than ever:

“You’ve seen it in countless newspaper headlines; you’ve heard about it on radio and television. Republicans alternately deny its existence or worriedly announce plan after plan for ‘closing’ it. And Democrats, slow to recognize it as a political reality, are nevertheless counting on it to provide a windfall of votes for their party. It’s the gender gap—the measurable difference in the way women and men vote for candidates and in the way they view political issues. The ‘women’s vote,’ a powerful new voting bloc, will make the difference in political contests.”

This call to arms opened Smeal’s 1984 book Why and How Women Will Elect the Next President. After stepping down as president of the National Organization for Women, she was determined that the importance of the women’s vote not be buried in the election coverage, regardless of who became president. (See The Gender Gap Then and Now)

Then and now, the gender gap in voting exists in part because of the differing life experiences of women and men. Caregiving responsibilities fall mainly to women. The pay gap remains stubbornly wide; women are more likely to live in poverty and are the majority of those in low-paid jobs. Domestic violence and sexual assault against women run rampant. The gender gap offers a powerful tool in making women’s differing viewpoints visible, compelling politicians to address women’s concerns and demands for equality. The better informed the narrative—the more women’s voices and opinions and votes are respected— the more powerful the gender gap becomes.

“The gender gap offers a powerful tool in making women's differing viewpoints visible.”
_

Women in the U.S. won the right to vote in 1920, an accomplishment characterized by journalist Eleanor Clift as “the greatest expansion of democracy on a single day that the world had ever seen.” Over the next few decades, more women registered and voted so that by 1980, 5.5 million more women than men voted; by 2012, nearly 10 million more women than men voted.

Conventional wisdom through the early 1980s was that women voted the same way as their husbands. Politicians assumed if they focused on male voters, female votes would follow. But as the ranks of women voters swelled, the movement for women’s equality was growing larger, and with it the visibility and salience of issues of importance to women.

The drive to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) in the 1970s and 1980s accelerated the politicization of feminist issues. In key state legislatures, vote counts showed that a majority of Democratic legislators supported the ERA while nearly all Republicans opposed it. After the ERA ratification deadline passed in June 1982, three states short of ratification, the fall election results showed significant gender differences in voting: In state races, women favored Democratic candidates. Feminists speculated this was due in large part to the candidates’ positions on the ERA and abortion rights—and academic research confirmed these conclusions.

Since then, the gender gap has become a permanent fixture of U.S. elections, along with more women voting and with women more likely to vote for Democratic candidates. In the 2012 presidential election, the gender gap at 10 points was decisive in electing President Barack Obama, with 55% of women and 45% of men voting for him and 44% of women and 52% of men favoring Mitt Romney. In other words, if only men had voted, Romney would have been president.

“The gender gap has become a permanent fixture of U.S. elections.”
_

“It’s difficult, if not impossible to win a presidential election without a majority of women’s votes,” wrote Karen Beckwith, chair of the Department of Political Science at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, in a Philadelphia Inquirer op-ed. “Women of color have a particularly strong preference for Democratic candidates.”

The number of women registering to vote continues to outpace men, and women of color comprise the fastest-growing segment of women voters. African American and Latina women are important components of the gender gap. In 2012, black women voted at higher rates than other women—70.1% compared to 65.6% of white women—and they voted overwhelmingly (96%) for Obama.

The Feminist Factor

A critical driver of the gender gap is the feminist factor—meaning that voters’ views on feminism correlate with their choice of candidates. In a 2012 Ms. magazine/ Communications Consortium Media Center exit poll by Lake Research Partners, 55% of women voters self-identified as feminists, up by 9 points among a sample of those voters asked the same question in 2008. Among male voters, 30% self-identified as feminists. Almost three-quarters of Democratic women voters identified as feminists, as did more than one-third of Republican women. In addition, “among [all] feminist women, some two-thirds (64%) voted for Obama, as did 54% of feminist-identified men,” Smeal reported in Ms. after the election.

“In 2012, 55% of women voters self-identified as feminists, up 9 points from 2008.”
_

“The feminist factor cuts across race and ethnic lines, with a majority of Latina, African American, and white women voters considering themselves feminists,” continued Smeal. The feminist factor also cuts across generational lines, with a majority of both younger and older women voters self-identifying as feminists.

For the 2016 elections, the proportion of voters who identify as feminists is likely to increase even further. In a 2016 Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation poll, 60% of all women and 33% of men identified as feminists.

Voters Who Identify As Feminists

Different Lives, Different Views, Different Votes

Women and men often have different opinions on political issues, policy solutions, and priorities—and on their choice of candidates. “An important factor underlying the gender gap is the differing views of women and men on the appropriate size and role of the federal government,” explains Susan Carroll of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. “Men are more likely to favor cutbacks and reducing the size and scope of government; women are more concerned than men about preserving the social safety net.”

And women want greater representation in elected office. In a 2015 Pew Research Center report, almost 40% say that having more women in top leadership positions in government “would do a lot to improve the quality of life for all women.” By contrast, only 19% of men agree.

Here’s a look at some of the gender-gap issues that will shape the outcome of the presidential and congressional races this fall.

The Economy and Workplace: Women want an economy that works for them and their families, which means closing the gender pay gap and offering more workplace flexibility. A 2016 poll by the Center for American Progress shows that an overwhelming majority of African American women (87%) and Latina women (88%) want the next president to focus on improving the nation’s economic well-being. “There’s consensus between Latina and African American women on virtually every issue,” said Sylvia Manzano of Latino Decisions.

A National Partnership for Women and Families 2016 poll shows that significantly more women than men say it’s “important for elected officials to update the law to guarantee access to paid family and medical leave,” and 85% of women (compared to only two-thirds of men) say they favor a law that would create a national paid family and medical leave fund.

Equality and Equal Representation: Women are more likely than men to see sex discrimination as a problem. The 2015 Pew report noted that almost “two-thirds of women say there is [at least] some discrimination against women in our society today.” Only 48% of men agreed. Overwhelming majorities of both sexes support an equal rights amendment to the Constitution with women most enthusiastic. A 2016 poll by the ERA Coalition found that 94% of Americans support a constitutional amendment that guarantees equal rights for men and women, with 96% support among women and 90% among men.

“Women are more likely than men to see sex discrimination as a problem.”
_

Abortion and Health Care: The escalating attacks on reproductive rights by Congress and state legislatures and the critical appointments to the Supreme Court mean these issues will carry weight with women voters. Over the years, a majority of both men and women across all racial and ethnic groups have supported legal abortion in certain circumstances, but women feel more strongly about abortion and are more likely to factor it into their candidate preference. A 2012 Pew poll found that women voters favored Democrats as “better reflecting their views on abortion” by 52%, compared to 45% of men.

A 2013 landmark study by Belden Russonello Strategists for In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda examined abortion attitudes among African Americans. According to Marcela Howell, founder and executive director of In Our Own Voice, “Black women and men overwhelmingly support keeping abortion safe and legal.” Eight in 10 African Americans say abortion should be legal. Only 18% say abortion should never be legal.

Health care issues overall are of greater importance to women than men. According to a 2016 Kaiser Family Foundation poll: “Female voters (41%) are more likely than male voters (31%) to consider health care ‘extremely important’ to their vote” in the presidential election.

LGBT Rights: In the wake of mass murders in Orlando and reversals of LGBT rights in states like North Carolina, women’s views will make a difference. When asked in the 2012 Pew poll about which candidate is best on social issues like abortion and gay marriage, more women than men (53% to 46%) sided with President Obama. Decisive gender gaps emerged in 2012 exit polls in the three states with marriage-equality ballot measures; large majorities of women voted to support marriage equality in Maryland, Maine, and Washington state, while majorities of men were opposed. In Minnesota, women were decisive in defeating a state constitutional amendment to prohibit same-sex marriages.

Sexual Violence: Exposés of sexual violence on college campuses have exploded as an issue after high-profile cases at Stanford, Brown and other universities. A 2015 Washington Post – Kaiser Family Foundation poll of college students found that 41% of women rated sexual assault a “big problem or somewhat of a problem” compared to 33% of men. When asked whether a woman who reports a sexual assault will be criticized by other students, 42% of women said it was very or somewhat likely, compared to 29% of men.

Environment and Renewable Energy: Environmental issues have greater saliency for women, according to studies by Hart Research, VJBreglio and Lake Research Partners. Women voters more strongly value clean air and water and environmental protection when it comes to energy policy. Consequently, women, especially those younger than 50, are more supportive of renewable energy and want to make the transition to renewables as quickly as possible, while men are more divided.

“Environmental issues have greater saliency for women.”
_

National Security: Although women are more worried than men about the prospects of a terrorist attack, more women (50%) compared to men (44%) think “relying too much on military force to defeat terrorism creates hatred that leads to more terrorism,” according to a Pew 2016 poll. Women are more likely than men to oppose U.S. military intervention in other countries and more likely to support multilateral efforts and global cooperation.

Heading Back To The Future

“Those who predict the gender gap will one day totally disappear miss the point,” Smeal wrote back in 1984. “As long as women view public issues in a substantially different way than men do; as long as significant numbers of women are underpaid and discriminated against economically;…as long as such key feminist issues as abortion and the ERA, affirmative action in jobs and education, discrimination in insurance and in pay equity persist in the country without resolution…the gender gap will persist.”

“Women can—and do—lead in the political arena.”
_

For the gender gap to be decisive in elections, the differences between the candidates on the key issues of concern to women must be widely known—and shared among women and their networks. Just as important, candidates need to know that by committing to action on women’s concerns, they don’t risk losing the male vote. When the gender gap narrows, it is usually because men have moved in the direction of women’s positions on issues and candidates, which shows that women can—and do—lead in the political arena.

Let the 2016 countdown to the gender gap begin.

***

This piece appears in Ms. magazine’s summer 2016 issue as part of a larger series of features and interviews about the impact of women and feminism in politics. To read the issue, subscribe today.

Lead image: flickr/League of Women Voters

The post The Women’s Vote In The High-Stakes Elections Of 2016 appeared first on The Establishment.

Field notes on 32 NYC dining districts around the five boroughs

New York City has more than 200 major neighborhoods, along with dozens of micro 'hoods. You can spend a lifetime exploring and understanding your way around them. Here's a guide to 32 of our favorite dining districts, with notes about their local culinary superstars.

Manhattan

by Greg Morabito

East Village and Lower East Side: Don’t be fooled by all the frat-tastic bars and fast-casual restaurants — these two neighborhoods are where some of New York’s most exciting chefs are cooking right now. Top-notch East Village/LES dining establishments include Momofuku Ko, Oiji, Empellon Cocina, Dirty French, Wildair, Contra, Babu Ji, Hearth, Huertas, Mission Cantina, and Superiority Burger. For a taste of old-school NYC, head to Katz’s, Russ & Daughters, John’s of 12th Street, or Veselka.

Greenwich Village and West Village: The Village has tourist traps aplenty as well as some of the city’s most beloved neighborhood bistros, taverns, and trattorias. Highly recommended: Carbone, Annisa, Blue Hill, Lupa, Joseph Leonard, The Spotted Pig, Little Owl, Gotham Bar & Grill, and Minetta Tavern.

Tribeca, Battery Park City, and the Financial District: The best restaurants in these Downtown neighborhoods tend to be mid-priced and upscale establishments. For fine dining, consider booking a table at Batard or Atera. For something a bit less spendy but still very nice, head to North End Grill, Locanda Verde, The Odeon, Marc Forgione, Tribeca Grill, Nobu, or Little Park. Brookfield Place has a great food court as well as a location of Italian American crowd-pleaser Parm, and the new Eataly offers a little something for everyone.

Manhattan Chinatown: There are so many restaurants in this massive Downtown neighborhood that it’s sometimes hard to know where to start. For dim sum, Golden Unicorn, Royal Seafood, Oriental Garden, Nom Wah Tea Parlor, and Jing Fong are the titans, and all of them are worth checking out. Shanghai 456 has mind-blowing soup dumplings. Great NY Noodletown is a late-night classic. Nha Trang Centre is a solid choice for pho. Wo Hop and Hop Kee are the keepers of the old-school Chinese-American flame. And Peking Duck House is one of the city’s best BYOBs.

Soho, Noho, and Nolita: Somehow, these three zones retain an astonishing number of restaurants that are both trendy and absolutely worth your time and hard-earned cash. The hit list includes Lafayette, Il Buco, Mile End, Estela, Jack’s Wife Freda, The Dutch, Le Coucou, Il Buco Alimentari, Sadelle’s, and Balthazar.

Chelsea/Meatpacking District: This stretch of the West Side can be hit-or-miss, but the hits are very strong. Consider dining at Del Posto, Legend, Chelsea Market, Txikito, Sullivan Street Bakery, Toro, Santina, Nishi, or The Red Cat.

Flatiron/Union Square: One of the best places to try celebrity chef restaurants in NYC. Recommended: Gramery Tavern, Craft, ABC Kitchen, Eataly, Aldea.

Nomad/Gramercy: The city’s hottest hotel restaurants and bars are located in these two adjacent neighborhoods, as well as a few fine dining heavy hitters. Recommended: The Nomad, The John Dory Oyster Bar, The Breslin, The Clocktower, Upland, The Cannibal, Eleven Madison Park, Marta, Maialino, and Hill Country.

Midtown: A tough nut that's worth cracking. 39th Street has some terrific Sichuan restaurants. The Korean restaurants along 32nd Street are excellent for solo-dining or group outings. Ma Peche and Fuku+ bring some Momofuku thunder to an otherwise boring stretch of 56th Street. The Modern, Gabriel Kreuther, Betony, and Nobu 57 are fine expense account spots. Jimmy’s Corner is the greatest bar on earth. And Keens, La Grenouille, and 21 Club are the stone-cold classics.

Upper East/Upper West: The areas on either side of the park are home to many independently-owned restaurants that cater to a well-pampered clientele. Take-out spots and family restaurants abound, but there are some great eats if you know where to look. Check out Robert Sietsema's detailed guides to the Upper East and Upper West Sides before exploring.

Harlem and East Harlem: The east side is a bustling Latin community that has Mexican, Dominican, and Puerto Rican restaurants in spades, as well as a handful of great Caribbean cafes. East Harlem is also where you'll find NYC's only coal-oven slice parlor, Patsy's. To the west, Harlem's longstanding soul food establishments sit alongside new bistros, bars, and cafes — the area has seen a restaurant boom in recent years. Toward the northern tip of the Island, in Washington Heights, you'll find more terrific Domincan and Puerto Rican restaurants.

Queens

by Greg Morabito

Long Island City: A jumble of industrial zones and quaint residential blocks with some very good old-school Italian restaurants (Manetta’s, Bella Via, and Manducatis are standouts), plus a number of solid cafes (Cafe Henri). For barbecue, check out John Brown, and for gonzo-delicious Quebecois-inspired fare, hit up M. Wells Dinette or M. Wells Steakhouse.

Astoria: This bustling neighborhood has a diverse collection of restaurants, many of which are affordable or at least moderately-priced. This is an especially great neighborhood for Greek, Italian, and Middle Eastern restaurants, as well as pubs and beer bars. A few hits: Gregory’s 26 Corner Taverna, Rizzo’s, the Queens Kickshaw, Sac’s Place, BZ Grill, Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden, Pye Boat Noodle, Hinomaru Ramen, and King of Falafel.

Jackson Heights: With a wide array of mom-and-pop restaurants serving Indian, Thai, Brazilian, Mexican, Peruvian, and Himalayan fare, Jackson Heights is one of New York’s best neighborhoods for cheap eats. Some of Eater Critic Robert Sietsema’s favorite Jackson restaurants include: Phayul, Taqueria Coatzingo, Aroma Brazil, and Samudra.

Flushing: New York’s busiest Chinatown has a huge collection of restaurants. A few of Flushing’s greatest hits include the Muslin lamb chops at Fu Ran, the wontons with chile oil at White Bear, cold skin noodles at Xi’an Famous Foods, and the bamboo stir fry at Hunan Kitchen of Grand Sichuan. You could also spend an entire afternoon eating around the food court in the Golden Shopping Mall.

Brooklyn

by Greg Morabito

Greenpoint: An old Polish neighborhood with an ever-growing population of hipsters and condo-dwellers. Head to Karczma and Christina’s for traditional Polish fare. Alameda, Paulie Gee’s, Glasserie, and Five Leaves are the best of the trendy new places.

Williamsburg: Brooklyn’s quintessential hipster ‘hood. Although Williamsburg is rapidly losing its cool as more chains and high-end condos move in, the neighborhood still has some outstanding casual restaurants. New Brooklyn destinations include: The Four Horsemen, Egg, Emmy Squared, Lilia, Reynard, Marlow & Sons, Diner, Allswell, St. Anselm, Fette Sau, Meadowsweet, and The Commodore. For a taste of the old neighborhood, go to Bamonte’s, Frost, or Peter Luger.

Bushwick: An industrial neighborhood with excellent Latin-American restaurants and ultra-hip American establishments. Essentials: Taqueria El Fogon, Roberta’s, Faro, Santa Ana Deli, Arrogant Swine, and Okiway.

Bed-Stuy: A sprawling, largely residential neighborhood that’s rapidly gentrifying. Destinations: A & A Bake & Doubles, Peaches Hothouse, Saraghina, Royal Rib House, and David’s Brisket House.

Park Slope/Prospect Heights: Welcome to brownstone Brooklyn. All your bases are covered here in terms of decent take-out. But these conjoined neighborhoods also contain some of Brooklyn’s most lovely dine-in restaurants, like Franny’s, Olmsted, Talde, El Atoradero, and Al Di La.

Carroll Gardens/Cobble Hill: These charming Brooklyn neighborhoods have a lot of restaurants that cater to families, but you can also find some real gems along Court and Smith streets. Neighborhood superstars include: Frankies 457, Lucali, Wilma Jean, Prime Meats, Buttermilk Channel, Clover Club, Battersby, and Nightingale 9.

Crown Heights: West Indian cafes sit alongside hipster bars and bistros in this Brownstone-filled neighborhood bordering Bed-Stuy and Prospect Heights. Destinations: Gloria’s, Food Sermon, Berg’n, Silver Krust, Crabby Shack, Mayfield, and Glady’s.

Red Hook: A mix of docks, industrial zones, housing projects, and cobblestone streets full of ancient brick buildings, Red Hook has a flavor all its own. It also has one of the city’s most exciting and eclectic restaurant scenes. Recommended: Defonte’s, Hometown, The Good Fork, Baked, Home/Made, and Red Hook Lobster Pound.

Sunset Park: Brooklyn’s Chinatown is home to some of the city’s best dim sum restaurants, as well as the massive Industry City complex, which contains a food hall and a number of food start-ups and commissary kitchens.

Coney Island: In addition to crispy fried Boardwalk delicacies, diners can find solid pizza, tacos, and old-school candy in this seaside community. Totonno's is worth the trip, alone. Recommended: Nathan's, Totonno's, Gargiulo's, Williams Candy, and Dona Zita,

Brighton Beach: Home to America's largest Russian-speaking community, this neighborhood has a large collection of Eastern European and Asian restaurants. Five recommendations from Eater critic Robert Sietsema: Elza Fancy Food, National, Beyti Kebab, Skovorodka, Cafe Kashkar, and Piroshky Stand.

Staten Island

by Robert Sietsema

Port Richmond: Sloping down to the Kill Van Kull — the waterway that separates Staten Island from Bayonne, New Jersey, Port Richmond is one of the city’s foremost maritime neighborhoods. It is also one of the great pizza hotspots, boasting Denino’s (a former seaman’s bar) and Brother’s, famed for its Sicilian sheet pizzas, but also the master of many different pie styles, including deep-dish Chicago. For dessert, hit up the original Ralph’s Famous Italian Ices.

Ward Hill and Tompkinsville: A trip uphill on Victory Boulevard through these adjacent neighborhoods takes you by most of Staten Island’s vaunted Sri Lankan eateries, including New Asha, San Rasa, and Dosa Garden, but there are plenty of other interesting places along the way, including one of the city’s foremost taquerias, El Gallo Azteca.

Dongan Hills: Get off the Staten Island Rapid Transit light rail at the Dongan Hills stop and you’re right across the street from Lee’s Tavern, purveyor of distinguished bar-style pizzas (try the clam or Italian sausage!), and not far from Lobster House Joe’s, a real Maine-style lobster pound conjoined with a Sicilian seafood joint.

The Bronx

by Robert Sietsema

Arthur Avenue: Also known as Belmont or the Bronx’s Little Italy, the meat markets, bakeries, and old grocery stores are enough to draw you to this sainted old neighborhood, just south of Fordham University and the Bronx Botanical Garden. The restaurants are alone worth the trip, including those inside the Arthur Avenue Market, the old-guard Mario’s, and the modern Italian Roberto’s Restaurant. For a change of pace, check out one of the Slavic places, like Gurra Café.

Mott Haven: Get a flavor for New York City’s first suburbs at the southern tip of the Bronx, now one of the metropolis’ great Latin neighborhoods. Some of the city’s only food from Oaxaca, Mexico can be found at La Morada, while you can visit an old-fashioned lunch counter at Brook Luncheonette and a great working-class pizza parlor (with no seating) at Golden Pizza. Just north and east of the neighborhood find Venice Restaurant, a 65- year-old Italian restaurant that benefits from its proximity to the Hunts Point Market (in other words, order seafood).

Riverdale: This hilly Jewish and Russian enclave offers a relaxed atmosphere denied most of the city’s urban neighborhoods. Go right to Liebman’s Kosher Delicatessen for some of Gotham’s best pastrami, and some great hot dogs, too. For exceptional Thai in an unexpected place, try Siam Square. Try Greek Express for gyros and souvlaki in a relaxed atmosphere.

Sick of violent crime in his neighborhood, an Indianapolis pizzeria owner is hoping that people’s documented willingness to do almost anything for pizza will help get guns off the streets. Donald Dancy says the area surrounding D&C Pizza is “like a war zone,” so...More »

A collection of posters created to promote tourism to the national parks is part of the creative legacy of the New Deal developed by Franklin D Roosevelt. Between 1938 and 1941, the Works Progress Administration and its Federal Arts Project designed a series of artworks promoting, and inspired by, the landscapes and wildlife of the parks. The collection is housed in the Library of Congress

• ‘We need to preserve this beauty’: your memories of US national parks
  

Security is finally being taken seriously but the fact that we are increasingly entrusting our lives to self-driving cars creates unease

“Car companies are finally realising that what they sell is just a big computer you sit in,” says Kevin Tighe, a senior systems engineer at the security testing firm Bugcrowd.

It’s meant to be a reassuring statement: proof that the world’s major vehicle manufacturers are finally coming to terms with their responsibilities to customers, and taking the security of vehicles seriously.

Food halls for everyone

A new food and retail hall for the "modern urban consumer" is taking over a sprawling space on Canal Street. The Canal Street Market food hall will be debut in November in 12,000-square-feet of space on Canal between Broadway and Lafayette. The 11 vendors confirmed so far include cult favorite bubble tea purveyor Boba Guys, East Village’s Davey’s Ice Cream, and a new concept called Yori Nori from the team behind Chelsea Market Korean ramen shop Mokbar. A retail portion of the market will open in October and features nearly 30 "artist and brand booths" like home goods, ceramics, and flowers.

According to a statement, it’s a play for developer Philip Chong to bring the "gourmet-minded" and "young, energetic downtown creatives" to the street. The space previously housed retailer Necessary Clothing — also a play for "higher-end retail" — and when the deal closed in 2012, it was a sharp change from the typical storefronts on the street. Several small stalls occupied the stretch before, and Chong combined them in hopes of changing what retail looks like on Canal Street. Currently, Canal Street is known for narrow souvenir stalls, retailers, and mom-and-pop restaurants. Some might even call it a real life, outdoor food hall.

Porn and video games are replacing Christianity as the common language of American conservatives

These are good: Vladimir Putin. White identity politics. Star Wars. Austrian free market economics. Donald Trump. LOLs. Bitcoin. Darwinism. Silicon Valley. Science and technology. Transhumanism. Pepe the Frog.

These are bad: Islam. Feminism. Democracy. Black Lives Matter. The new Ghostbusters movie. Egalitarianism. Political correctness. God. Immigration. Hillary Clinton. Newspapers. Government. Academia. Liberalism.

Park rangers reassess how to manage tourist violations, staff burnout and ‘animal jam’ as number of national park guests peaked to four million last year

• 10 of the least-visited US national parks

Yellowstone national park is finding new ways to manage tourism after visits jumped by almost 600,000 between 2014 and 2015. After 15 years of steady growth, last year’s 4m visits was a tipping point, says park ranger Charissa Reid.

The park expects the number to rise in 2016. July is likely to be the first million-visit month in the park’s 144-year history.

Trial allows selected passengers to hail a computer-controlled car on their smartphones, with a backup human driver and co-pilot riding shotgun

The world’s first “self-driving” taxi service has been launched in Singapore – albeit with a human backup driver and co-pilot on board for the time being.

Members of the public selected to take part in the trial would be able to hail a free ride through their smartphones, said nuTonomy, an autonomous vehicle software startup.

Hundreds protested ‘campus carry’ law that permits licensed gun owners aged 21 and older to carry concealed handguns in most places at public colleges

It was a typical scene at the start of the new school year – student groups setting out tables and trying to sign up recruits for sororities, clubs and religious organisations. Until the end of the row, that is, where hundreds of people had gathered to pick up free dildos.

Wednesday’s Cocks Not Glocks protest against Texas’s “campus carry” law was held on the first day of classes at the University of Texas at Austin, which has spearheaded resistance to the new rule from students and faculty members at colleges in the state.

If you have ever enjoyed frustration-free, satnav assisted drives or the hissing serenade that preceded an important fax, then you can thank the city with no street names - Tokyo.

A capital city without road names is a huge handicap. Collectively, the Japanese (especially trainee post workers) and bewildered visitors have spent decades lost in Tokyo's labyrinthine arteries - most, literally, without a name.

The Chicago Tribune may have just stumbled upon a food-industry scoop for the ages. It sent a reporter to visit the Harland Sanders Café and Museum in Kentucky for what started out as a standard travel piece, but ended with a fried-chicken recipe containing “11 spices” and utter...More »

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been an unabashed comics fangirl. I’ve bought and devoured original comic book material, created cosplay around some of my favorite characters, attended conventions where I could meet and interact with other fans, and otherwise steeped myself in the magical world of comics make-believe.

In the ‘90s, animated adaptations of popular comics served as my entry point into this fandom, entrancing me with their stories of heroes and villains in fantastical worlds. In particular, I was drawn to Batman: The Animated Series. I loved the titular hero’s endless arsenal of gadgets, his double life, and of course, the Rogue’s Gallery of classic villains who are still central to comics culture today.

But what really drew me to Batman was the way that darkness played a key role in the story. This bleakness not only helped me deal with the rejection and violence that existed in my own life, but also provided cathartic escapism by revealing a world in which—in just 30 minutes—justice and righteousness could triumph.

But my ardor for Batman really intensified when I first met Harley Quinn.

***

Unlike the rest of the popular characters within the Batman series, Harley was created specifically for the television show, and wasn’t present in the original comics (she wouldn’t appear in the books until 1993, in The Batman Adventures #12). Her first appearance was in the episode “Joker’s Favor,” in which she causes mayhem across Gotham in order to show her love and devotion to the Joker. I can still remember watching her for the first time, immediately wanting to know more about who this strong, villainous woman was.  

Initially, the creators made it difficult to see beyond Harley’s character-defining relationship with a certain mayhem-loving villain. In this Complex article chronicling the origins and oral history of her character, co-creator Paul Dini says:

“When I was coming up with an idea for the Joker’s gang of hench people, I thought, I’d like to put a female character in there. I was going back and forth in my head about what kind of character she should be. ‘What if she’s funny? What if there is a little bit of a throwback to the henchmen from Batman in the ’60s? What if she gets laughs from the henchmen sometimes when the Joker doesn’t?’ He would get angry at her. She could be a little sprite around him. I’d never seen the Joker really in that dynamic.”

This depiction established Harley early on as a character of somewhat limited depth or agency—a secondary “henchman” to the real star of the show, designed to provide levity in a darkly patriarchal and toxically masculine world.

This narrative was further cemented in the 1994 spin-off comic, Batman Adventures: Mad Love, which revealed Harley’s full backstory: Once known as Dr. Harleen Quinzel, she worked as a psychiatrist who wanted to study the Joker; during their sessions together, he manipulated her to fall in love with him, leading her to abandon her life as a psychiatrist and become his partner in chaotic crime. 

If this portrayal of Harley—as lover and foil to a powerful villain—is the one you know, that’s understandable; to this day, it’s how many see the character. Promotional materials surrounding Harley in Suicide Squad have alternatively described her as the Joker’s “sidekick,” “love,” and “girlfriend,” and even a recent LA Times article ostensibly devoted to exploring her character in more depth described her as “[more than] the average henchman” and a “great device to lighten things up.”

More complex still is the fact that the relationship Harley has become defined by is indisputably a problematic one, with episodes of physical and emotional abuse. At times, this has raised valid questions about her character; in the lead-up to the release of Suicide Squad, an MTV News article quoted Dr. Wind Goodfriend, principal researcher for the Institute for the Prevention of Relationship Violence at Buena Vista University, who said:

“If she’s going to be portrayed as a victim of abuse who continues to embrace that abuse and continues to go back to that abusive perpetrator, I think that viewers who are currently or former victims themselves could be re-traumatized by that because they are going to personally respond to the abuse that they see on the screen.”

But while concerns like these are very valid, there can also be a tendency to forget that there’s more to Harley than her status as a victim of domestic violence. Reducing her to a “symbol of domestic abuse,” as she’s been called, is indicative of how victims are often treated . . . as a tragic trope rather than a complex, autonomous individual.

“Harley Quinn is often seen as nothing more than lover and foil to the Joker.”
_

These conceptualizations are all the more frustrating when you consider how nuanced the character of Harley actually is, especially in more recent depictions. From that first moment I saw her on TV to now, Harley has evolved into one of the most interesting and important comic-book characters this fangirl has ever come to love; a woman who, like all abuse victims, is so much more than that one descriptor. 

***

After Harley’s success on the small screen, she began appearing in her own comic books—and in more recent years, depictions of her character have changed in dramatic ways. In newer comics, she’s become more independent from the Joker, establishing relationships with other villains and eventually forming the Gang of Harleys, a crew she recruited to help clean up Brooklyn. She also took on new hobbies, like roller derby, and became a therapist again, serving a role somewhere between villain and hero.

She has also been depicted as one of the few openly polyamorous and queer women in the DC universe, engaging in a relationship with the Joker that was re-cast as lesbian, and flirting with fellow Gotham princess Poison Ivy, culminating in a kiss earlier this year. (AfterEllen has an excellent piece exploring more of Harley’s “crypto-queer history.”) 

Gang of Harleys

In light of this more nuanced characterization, it was in some ways disheartening to watch the depiction of Harley in Suicide Squad. The film relied heavily on romanticizing her relationship with the Joker, even going so far as trying to make him sympathetic (there are moments when the film pushes an agenda of making you think “he just really cares about her”), while simultaneously erasing most of her backstory pre-Joker.

But there are also flashes of the qualities that made fans like me fall for her in the first place—like her loyalty to her friends, the complex moral code that dictates her penchant for chaos, and her fully owned sexuality. Moreover, in some ways the film helped to challenge damaging stereotypes about victims; as Mic put it, “Quinn is not weak, malleable or oblivious, per most stereotypes of domestic abuse victims—she’s the opposite. She’s goofy, playful, athletic, confident in her sex appeal and highly skilled in all kinds of combat.”

“Harley Quinn has been depicted as one of the few openly queer women in the DC universe.”
_

The Suicide Squad depiction of Harley was by no means perfect, but it reinvigorated the need to familiarize ourselves with this powerful character. She can’t be solely defined by her relationship with the Joker. Nor can she be defined solely as a domestic violence victim—no one can, or should.

At her core, Harley Quinn continues to grow and adapt into a woman who cannot be easily defined, be it through her past life as Dr. Harleen Quinzel, her new relationship with Poison Ivy, or anything else—and that’s okay, perhaps even far more than okay. She works on her own terms, straddling the line between villain and anti-hero, all the while maintaining the freedom of self-expression. In this way, she encourages others to do the same—either on the fictional pages of a comic book with her, or in the real world.

“Harley Quinn continues to grow and adapt into a woman who cannot be easily defined.”
_

We owe it to ourselves and the Harley Quinns of the world to push past the limitations of her character. We owe it to ourselves to challenge our collective expectations of women who have experienced violence or hardship or marginalization.

Most importantly, we owe it to ourselves to crave to be defined by something more.

***

Lead image: deviantart/nightangel5431

The post Harley Quinn Shouldn’t Be Defined As A Domestic Abuse Victim appeared first on The Establishment.

In 1975, Helen Mirren was already an accomplished stage actress in the U.K.—a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company who was beginning to branch out into occasional television roles and was gearing up to play Lady Macbeth. As such, she was invited to appear on Michael Parkinson's long-running talk show Parkinson to chat about her on-the-rise career. Rather, that is what she probably thought she was being invited to discuss. Instead, the host welcomed Mirren to the stage after introducing her as "a sex queen" and quoting a theater critic, who wrote in one review, "She is especially telling in projecting sluttish eroticism."

If you thought that welcoming a young actress onstage by essentially telling her she is very convincing as a whore was as bad as it gets, guess again! While Mirren, soft-spoken and visibly nervous, did her best to brush off this insult, Parkinson continued, saying, "You are, in quotes, a serious actress." (Yes, Parkinson made air quote fingers while not noticing that his foot was now lodged calf-deep in his throat.)

"In quotes?" asked Mirren, trying to protest in the most graceful way possible. "What do you mean in quotes? How dare you."

"Serious actress," Parkinson explained, "as opposed to an unserious actress."

Mirren visibly winced, but kept listening.

"Do you find it to be fact that, what could be best described as your equipment," Parkinson continued, "hinders you in that pursuit [of being considered a serious actress]?"

Unable to let him off the hook, Mirren said, "I'd like you to explain what you mean by my equipment in greater detail."

"Your physical attributes," Parkinson said.

"You mean my fingers?" countered Mirren.

Once Parkinson finally spat out the word "figure," Mirren asked him, "Because serious actresses can't have big bosoms, is that what you mean?"

"I think it might detract from the performance," Parkinson hedged, "If you know what I mean."

"I can't say that would necessarily be true. I mean what a crummy performance if people are obsessed with the size of your bosom over anything else. I would hope that the performance and the play and the living relationship between all the people on the stage and all the people in the audience would overcome such . . . boring questions, really."

Although Parkinson said he would switch subjects, he later asked her about a comment she made stating that she was attracted to men with greasy hair and leather jackets. Laughing, she replied with another deserved dig. "It's not so much that I like men who look like that . . . but I strongly dislike men who look in another way," she said, glancing down at his jacket. "Like men who wear very nicely cut suits."

A few minutes later, Parkinson asked if she felt comfortable taking her clothes off for a film. Mirren replied, "There are lots of reasons for feeling uncomfortable about taking your clothes off in a movie. And one of them is that basically whatever the director says, basically it's being done for commercial reasons. It's a male chauvinist . . . "

With a glint in her eye, she interrupted herself to say, "You know that phrase, I'm sure." She added, "I do think that if girls have to take their clothes off on film sets then everyone should do it."

Decades later, the interview still understandably rankled Mirren. When it surfaced on YouTube, the Oscar- and Tony-winning actress watched it herself.

"That's the first talk show I'd ever done," she later told The Telegraph. “I was terrified. I watched it and I actually thought, bloody hell! I did really well. I was so young and inexperienced. And he was such a fucking sexist old fart. He was. He denies it to this day that it was sexist, but of course he was."

She told Bust that Parkinson was "an extremely creepy interviewer." And in 2006, Helen got the chance to tell Parkinson as much to his face. During an interview about her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II — is nothing sacred — Parkinson, again, brought up her breasts.

"I'm glad you mentioned that Michael," Mirren interjected. "Because you can't resist can you . . . This was the problem the first time we ever met." Briefing the audience, she said, "He had to talk about my breasts. Here we are full circle."

"Now to be fair to me, they were hanging out," Parkinson said. Outraged, Mirren corrected him, "No they weren't! Excuse me. I want to see a bit of that film. I swear they weren’t and anyway, breasts don't 'hang' out. That's a rude way to put it."

Although Parkinson tried to downplay the first interview, calling them both "a lot sillier" in their youth, Mirren would not let up in her correct memory of the confrontation. "I hated you," Mirren announced. "I thought you were a sexist person for mentioning my breasts."

Watch Mirren's exclusive MAKERS story in the video player above.

More From Vanity Fair:
• Helen Mirren Reveals the Movie That Made Her Regret Not Having Children
• Helen Mirren Gave Susan Sarandon This Career Advice
• Helen Mirren Has One Good Thing to Say About “Madame” Kim Kardashian
• Helen Mirren Boards Fast and Furious 8, Fulfilling Her Life’s “Great Ambition”

Photo Credit: REUTERS/Gary Cameron

Hailed as ‘America’s best idea’, the parks are hugely popular with the public but face political efforts to lift federal protection and allow private development

“It’s easy to feel besieged here,” said Wendy Ross, superintendent of the Theodore Roosevelt national park. Ross’s park, named after the “conservationist president” who helped to keep America’s natural treasures unspoiled, is surrounded by oil and gas drilling that has transformed the landscape.

Related: 100 years of America’s national parks – in pictures

Former Fox News host Andrea Tantaros filed a lawsuit in New York state court on Monday alleging that she suffered frequent and outrageous sexual harassment during her time at the network. The suit implicates former chief executive Roger Ailes and Bill O’Reilly—few surprises there based on recent and past history. But perhaps more damningly, the suit also claims that Bill Shine, one of the men who replaced Ailes as co-president of Fox News, enabled Tantaros’ mistreatment—and accuses former Massachusetts Republican Sen. Scott Brown of harassment. Here’s a deep dive into the biggest allegations in the suit.

As my Slate colleague Nora Caplan-Bricker noted, Tantaros’ complaint begins by declaring that “Fox News masquerades as defender of traditional family values, but behind the scenes, it operates like a sex-fueled, Playboy Mansion-like cult, steeped in intimidation, indecency, and misogyny.” It goes on to back up each of these claims, especially with regard to Ailes, whom former Fox star Gretchen Carlson sued for harassment this summer. Since then, at least 20 other women have accused Ailes of harassment; most have requested anonymity.

Among other transgressions Tantaros details in her complaint, Ailes allegedly:

• Told Tantaros to “come over here so I can give you a hug” asked her to “turn around so I can get a good look at you” (twice), and said, “I bet you look good in a bikini.”
• Asked Tantaros whether Greg Gutfeld and Dana Perino are each gay, then (puzzlingly) asked whether they were “sleeping together.”
• Called various female Fox contributors “easy,” “nuts,” “fat,” and “a stalker.”
• Said Dana Perino “is uptight. You get the feeling that she never lets her hair down, but if she did, she’d be a good time.”
• Said Kimberly Guilfoyle is a “Puerto Rican whore” and a “Puerto Rican streetfighter.”
• Asserted that Harris Faulkner “has the tendency to look like the angry black woman.”

Tantaros eventually confronted Ailes, criticizing his “upsetting” and “unprofessional conduct.” In response, Irena Briganti, head of the network’s media relations, allegedly retaliated. The lawsuit claims that Briganti blocked Tantaros from prime-time shows, and booked her for an interview that dwelt on her physical attributes, including her breasts. Briganti also purportedly created fake social media accounts to harass Tantaros online. Eventually, Tantaros asked Shine whether Ailes and Briganti were targeting her. According to the complaint, Shine:

told Tantaros that Briganti “is like a rabid dog on a chain that we can’t control. Sometimes that dog gets off the chain.” He then pointed to a magazine cover which had a picture of Ailes on the cover, and said: “You see him? He’s a very powerful man. This powerful man has faith in Irena Briganti.” He then told Tantaros that she should not “fight this” and that she “needed to let this one go.”

Briganti is still head of corporation communications at Fox.

In spite of this harassment, Tantaros believed she had a strong relationship with Bill O’Reilly, whom she viewed as a friend and a mentor. But in February of 2016, O’Reilly also allegedly “started sexually harassing” Tantaros by:

(a) asking her to come to stay with him on Long Island where it would be “very private,” and (b) telling her on more than one occasion that he could “see [her] as a wild girl,” and that he believed that she had a “wild side.”

When rumors of O’Reilly’s advances spread, the network informed Tantaros that she would no longer appear on his show.

The lawsuit also suggests that the network allowed guests to harass Tantaros with impunity. Here’s its description of Scott Brown’s advances toward Tantaros on-set at her show, Outnumbered:

On or about August 18, 2015, former Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown appeared on Outnumbered. Brown made a number of sexually inappropriate comments to Tantaros on set, including, and in a suggestive manner, that Tantaros “would be fun to go to a nightclub with.” After the show was over, Brown snuck up behind Tantaros while she was purchasing lunch and put his hands on her lower waist. She immediately pulled back, telling Brown to “stop.” Tantaros then immediately met with Shine to complain, asking him to ensure that Brown would never be booked on the show again. Shine said that he would talk to Scott. Thereafter, Shine and Scott ignored Tantaros’s complaint, and continued to book Brown on Outnumbered.

On Tuesday, Brown described this account as “completely and totally false.”

When Tantaros complained about the pattern of harassment at Fox, the network allegedly retaliated with vigor and celerity. Tantaros claims that Fox launched a “media assault” against her, excluding her from popular programs, vilifying her in the press, and barring her from promoting her book on air—a right guaranteed by her contract.

In May, Fox commenced arbitration proceedings, offering Tantaros a settlement that would prevent her from speaking publicly about “her experiences with Fox … from now until forever.” But Fox allegedly leaked information about the arbitration to the press, a violation of the proposed settlement’s terms. Tantaros now argues that because Fox itself breached the terms of arbitration, she may proceed with a lawsuit in court. She is suing for sexual harassment, as well as retaliation for reporting that harassment, in violation of New York City and state employment discrimination law.

Ailes, Shine, Briganti, and two other executives are named defendants in the suit, as well as the Fox News network itself. O’Reilly and Brown are not named. Tantaros is requesting millions of dollars in damages for lost income and mental anguish, as well as punitive damages against her alleged harassers.

When we did our pre-Otakon podcast, we felt like the Otakon staff were not dialing it in as was a concern for a number of people. There were guests both from Japan and from the U.S., premieres, concerts, autographs, and all the other things we’ve come to expect. Though most admitted to feeling like the con was missing a central, tentpole event, there was still a lot to look forward to.

Otakon 2016 was my busiest yet, in phenomenal ways, and yet I can’t pick out a singular favorite moment from the weekend. At least not one that was specific to the convention itself (amazing friends, amazing food don’t count). I’m proud of the interviews we did, but was personally less impressed with the overall presentation of the con as a whole. It was no one thing that contributed to the feeling either.

Something about this year just felt a little off. Maybe it was the impending move; that sense of change in the air, that seemed to pervade my mood over the weekend.

 You’re leaving your significant other due to moving half way across the world for a great new job. It was a no-brainer to accept the position. The new career pays more and is far more rewarding. You debated the move for such a long time but when push came to shove it was just too good an opportunity to pass up.  Your relationship with your partner was hardly perfect. You had your issues but none of them were toxic. They were all things that could have been worked through if you had the time. It was mostly just the fact your need to advance your career and your life with this new job was more than what you had invested in this relationship.

Just before the move you and your partner have one last meal together. It is not exactly a date or a celebration. It almost feels like a dinner after a wake. It is a ceremony to help deal with the upcoming feelings of loss more than anything else. The meal is pleasant. Nothing harsh is really said. There are even some wonderful moments that remind you why you and your partner were together in the first place. It is far from a miserable affair but it is still slightly awkward despite the best efforts on everyone’s part. You leave the restaurant with a mixture of sadness and fear tinged with some hope that the upcoming new beginning will make this all worthwhile.

I think it is fairly obvious all of this is a metaphor for the last Otakon in Baltimore. Kate’s conflicted feelings about the event summed up everyone’s feelings. Otakon 2016 has a so many clashing emotions and ideas that need to be unpacked to fully understand this convention. If you don’t mind too much we are going to try to work through our experiences in this post while we give a con report as a by-product.

Once the weekend got into full swing, it started to feel like Otakon was already leaving Baltimore behind. Before anyone had really touched down in the Inner Harbor we saw guest cancellations, completely out of the conventions control, kick things off. Some of the hottest and most humid weather ever wrapped the area in a haze the days and nights. Technical difficulties plagued panelist newbies and veterans alike. The overall quality of fan panels, which is one of Otakon’s strongest points, even seemed to have dipped a little.

Otakon’s 2016 attendance numbers made a comeback though from a stumble in 2015. It almost felt like last year, Otakon was saying, “Don’t worry about the D.C. move we are still putting on a great con!” But people didn’t come. Then, when everyone seemed to be over the shock of a move in the future, Otakon became the one under-delivering.

 I love Tamamo-no-Mae as a Fate Universe Servant and therefore being buried in the ample bosom of an aspect of the sun goddess Amaterasu is normally something that you would pray for. Sadly, in this case, it was merely torturing as the day-star poured down nothing but heat and humidity. It was supposed to rain but it never did. Theoretically, it could have taken some of the edges of the oppressive atmosphere but it also meant that we were never caught unexpectedly in the middle of a downpour as well. It definitely made it so you wanted to spend as little time outside as you could. Anyone hoping for a mild Otakon was going to be greatly disappointed.

It was also fairly obvious that the attendance numbers were more than 2015 but less than 2014. It was a rare occurrence to hit a major traffic jam at the critical choke points last year. The sky bridges occasionally were a little backed up last year but those instances were few and far between. The horrific traffic jams in 2013 and 2014 were infamous and often made crossing the convention center an ordeal. This year was clearly in between those two extremes. While it was not the sometimes oddly lightly traveled hallways of last year it was also not the crazy crowding of Otakon at its height.

It is also worth noting that mailing out badges made everything run like clockwork on Thursday. It was easy to miss mostly because not that many people commented on it. The thing was there was no army of fans who could not get their badges on Thursday, people angrily tweeting as they wait outside on Friday, or anyone loudly mentioning how they missed half of the day despite getting to the BCC early. In fact, no one was loudly proclaiming that this must be a convention for Naver’s application or for infinity long geometric objects. (OK, No one actually makes jokes like that. They just shout, “WELCOME TO LINE CON” and then just wait for a dozen other people to repeat the same stale shout meme but I would ask that you afford me a bit of artistic license.) It was a miracle.

It was also important to note that I also did not notice some insane uptick in the number of people at the convention with counterfeit badges like a reverse New York Comic Con. One of the major reasons (but not the only reason) Otakon has always been hesitant to mail badges has been that they were worried about a flood of counterfeit badges. While there might have been some amount of forgeries I never felt a flood of people at any time incongruous with the estimated attendance numbers.  I have a feeling while a certain amount of badge fraud is probably inevitable the only conventions that usually have a problem with it are conventions that sell out. It is scarcity more than cheapness that pushes attendees to buy fakes.

Random note: Does anyone know how much those tickets contained in the Omakase Box deal affected this year’s attendance?

The convention was packed, but it wasn’t crazy overwhelming. There seemed to be only one major incident of overcrowding. On Saturday in the middle of the day the skybridge between the BCC and the Hilton was shut down for a period of time forcing attendees out into the horrific heat. And one minor complaint, by Saturday evening it seemed nearly every down escalator in the BCC had been turned off and stayed off. Otherwise the venues seemed to be reasonably staffed to keep the people moving.

Because of my sort of weird schedule, I realize now that I never waited in a line at all during the weekend. I tended away from autographs, concerts, and premieres which all draw the biggest crowds. The one exception was the very end of the con attempting to get into closing ceremonies which I never knew were that popular! I was actually turned away from it.

 I was a little surprising that there was not a dominate cosplay this year. You saw One Punch Man, The Melodious Ladybug (Yes, I am continuing the running gag that I never remember the adjective with an M in the title), Harley Quinn and Steven Universe. The thing was while it was nearly impossible not to see one of those at least once an hour you never felt like you were lost in a sea of any of those characters as well. I am very curious if this is because in an increase of media choices prevent anyone from flooding the landscape or it merely because no franchise really has been dominating nerdom recently.

I really expected to see more Overwatch cosplay. I keep reading articles about how much there is at other conventions but overall it was no more represented than anything else that was popular. Actually, D.Va cosplay was fairly ubiquitous with a decent amount of Tracer but any other character from the series was actually sort of rare. Considering how every other table at artist alley had something Overwatch related I was a little surprised that it was not out in full force.

Also, you would think that there would be a little more Star vs. the Forces of Evil cosplay. It seems like something that would be everywhere at an anime convention given the magical girl aspects of the show. I can’t say I am shocked I did not see more of it. I’m more curious why I was completely correct in assuming it would not be prevalent.

Otakon 2016 wasn’t the best Otakon there ever has been, not every year can always be the most memorable, it will rank squarely in the middle of the road category. But many of us are probably feeling disappointment more acutely because the 2016 convention was the end of an era. This was Otakon’s last year (maybe forever) at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. The Inner Harbor had come to really embrace the con over the years.

Luckily, this isn’t the last Otakon though. Not by a long shot as the end of the convention was marked with an announcement that the con will be making its home in Washington D.C. through 2024.

Some have said they will not be going with Otakon as it moves, but for me Otakon long ago proved itself to be a stellar moment of the year for anime fans, even when it isn’t having its best year. So I will follow wherever it goes.

I am already looking to see how all of this effects 2017. Otakon is recovering from its drop last year. It is doing better than last year but it still a little anemic especially when you compare it the robust growth of Anime Expo (which people are going to do). When AnimeNEXT moved to Atlantic City I hear it had an expected slight reduction in attendance.  Nothing drastic but it killed their growth for a year with the promise that it would eventually lead to far greater growth later on. One has to wonder if the same thing will happen to Otakon.

As it stands I see next year either dropping back down to 2016 numbers or only having minimal growth. As it stands after the convention ended there were a whole bunch of people who went to social media to announce that they were not making the move to DC. Theoretically, there could be an eve greater vein of fans that will attend a DC convention as opposed to Baltimore convention but I am more likely to believe such a wellspring will only be effectively tapped a few years after the move. If nothing major changes I could see Otakon taking a year or two to really get back on track as the East Coast rival for Expo.

But there are a few major changes that could turn the tide. If Otakon was able to pull out a guest lineup like it had in 2013 it would do a lot to reinvigorate the convention. Oh, provided that they actually tell anyone they have that lineup more than a week before the convention. I’m not saying they have to announce guests as far in advance of something like SDCC but a little advanced notice would be helpful to draw in some people who might have otherwise been on the fence.

All of that aside I can’t see why we would not attend Otakon 2017. While this year was not our favorite year it was still extremely solid. There was a full and diverse panel selection, a healthy selection of creative and interesting guests, and a rewarding experience overall.

I won’t even hold the fact that they announced Vic Mignogna (noted fire alarm prankster) as their first guest. If they really want to make me happy they will get Kenjiro Hata and/or Takashi Takeuchi. Yes, I will cap off all of my con reports with that until I see both of them.

The Lifestage app invites Generation Z to create a series of selfie videos, but gives its young users no tools for controlling privacy and who sees the content

Facebook has launched a video selfie sharing app for teenagers which has no privacy settings. What could possibly go wrong?

Lifestage, which launched in the US on Friday, is restricted to users under the age of 21. It’s designed to make it “easy and fun to share a visual profile of who you are with your school network”.

As the National Park Service turns 100, a new campaign aims to make the country’s natural spaces more appealing to all Americans, regardless of race, over the next century. It’s vital they succeed

In the sweltering heat of a summer day, I walked along the visitor trails of Yosemite national park. I had just made the five-hour drive from my childhood home in Los Angeles to glimpse a vision of the future. There in the valley surrounded by high towers of stone, I watched as thousands of tourists from all over the world marvelled at the sheer granite walls of El Capitan, Washington Column and Half Dome. Like ancient cathedrals of divine architecture, these magnificent features stand as monuments to the notion that the natural heritage of our nation must be preserved for all time.

Throughout my life I have enjoyed spending time in the outdoors. Despite having grown up in the urban heart of LA, I frequently ventured into the wild places of California, from the slopes of the San Gabriel mountains to the summit of Mount Whitney. Though I was blessed, thanks to sacrifices of my parents, with a lifetime learning and playing in nature, on this occasion, as with many visits to the valley, I noticed that I was among the very few people of colour there. And though I felt no less welcome to enjoy the splendour of this magnificent place, I wondered how it might be possible to encourage tourism to Yosemite – and other national parks – that reflects the diverse population of the US as a whole.

As expected, the phenomenal Caster Semenya won a gold medal for South Africa in the 800 meters last week. Also as expected, there was hardly a mention of her victory without far more time given to the controversy that follows her whenever she competes.

From her first World Championship win in 2009 at the young age of 18 until now, her gender has been debated in the court of public opinion. Her body, her womanhood, and her identity have been brutally picked apart, and she has been subjected to constant violation and humiliation. All because she wants to run, all because she is faster than other runners, all because she is strong, all because she does not fit western stereotypes of female beauty.

And yes, the suspicion of Semenya that led to testosterone testing and the horrifically unethical release of her test results showing “higher than average” testosterone levels is racist and sexist in nature. Semenya was singled out because her physical strength was deemed “too manly,” because her speed was “too fast,” because her features were “too strong.” That a black, queer woman would find herself subjected to such treatment is no accident. Female champions—even those who dominate their fields, like Katie Ledecky—are never subjected to this same degradation when their physical presentation matches western stereotypes of femininity.

“That a black, queer woman would find herself subjected to such treatment is no accident.”
_

But all of the talk about Semenya’s testosterone levels and whether her presence is “fair” to sport misses a fundamental point: Yes, Caster Semenya is exceptional. She is supposed to be. She is an elite athlete.

I know that we like to believe in underdog stories. We like to see champions who started out as Plain Janes or Everyday Joes and somehow worked themselves up to legendary status and think, “That could be me.”

But it can’t be you.

Think you can be Michael Phelps one day? What is your wingspan?

Think you can be Simone Biles? Are you 4’8”?

Want to stand next to Brittney Griner on the U.S. basketball team? Better grow to 6’8”.

These athletes all have exceptional traits, and while these traits may indeed give them an edge over other athletes, we do not give these traits sole credit for their wins. We do not assume that every short woman will become a gymnastics champion or that every man with long arms will bring home swimming gold medals. We also do not demand that our Olympic swimmers have “average” wingspans or that our basketball players all have “average” height. We celebrate our elite athletes as champions, knowing that they took these advantages, added 80 billion hours of grueling training, and pushed themselves to the full and amazing limits of their potential.

“Yes, Caster Semenya is exceptional. She is supposed to be. She is an elite athlete.”
_

Semenya may be exceptional in her testosterone level—although what advantage this actually gives runners has not been proven, and we don’t have calculations for how uncommon high testosterone levels are in elite female athletes.

But do you know how else she is exceptional?

Semenya is exceptional for waking up at 3:30 every morning for years to train. Semenya is exceptional for being able to channel her heartbreak at being forced out of soccer because she’s a woman into an amazing running career. Semenya is exceptional because even under intense scrutiny, after horrific abuse by media and other athletes, even after being banned from her sport and forced to undergo gender testing, even after being forced to artificially lower her testosterone levels via harmful drugs—she continued to train and run and come back to win gold in Rio.

Caster Semenya is exceptional—in the best ways possible. And we should be celebrating her strength, dedication, and courage. We should marvel at the beauty with which she runs, knowing that it is the result of years of training and triumph through adversity. Yes, Caster Semenya is stronger and faster than other athletes, but the real advantage is that she is braver.

“Semenya is stronger and faster than other athletes, but the real advantage is that she is braver.”
_

***

Lead image: flickr/Jon Connell

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Would it be better to hit a granny or swerve to hit a toddler? It seems like a dilemma, but the designers of self-driving cars say otherwise

As self-driving cars move from fiction to reality, a philosophical problem has become the focus of fierce debate among technologists across the world. But to the people actually making self driving cars, it’s kind of boring.

The “trolley problem” is the name for a philosophical thought experiment created as an introduction to the moral distinction between action and inaction. The classic example is a runaway mine cart, hurtling down tracks towards a group of five oblivious people. With no time to warn them, your only option is to pull a switch and divert the cart on to a different track, which only has one person standing on it. You will save five lives, but at the cost of actively killing one person. What do you do?

A growing roster of ‘white hat’ hackers earn thousands finding chinks in the digital armor of the US government and companies such as Apple and Google

Nathaniel Wakelam became a bounty hunter when he was 18.

Now 21, it is his full time job. This month so far he has earned $21,150, in installments: he counted them out over the phone – “400, plus 400, plus 300, plus 100, plus 1,000, plus 3,000, plus 4,000…”

One of the surprising things about the Fox News sexual-harassment story is that the women who have come forward with allegations include several of the network’s better-known anchors and reporters. You might think that professional power could stave off the kind of spin-around-and-let-me-see-your-ass leering and straight-up demands for sex that Gretchen Carlson, Megyn Kelly, and others say they endured from former Fox News chairman Roger Ailes and other male supervisors. (Ailes and his lawyer, Susan Estrich, continue to deny the allegations.) But that does not seem to have been the case.

See the rest of the story at newyorker.com

Police shut down site that encouraged schoolboys to upload naked pictures of female students from about 70 schools

A parent of a student at Kambrya College, a state school in Melbourne’s south-east, says she was “mortified” by the way the school responded to victims of a website that carried sexually explicit images of underage female school students.

The college was one of 70 schools whose students were reportedly involved in uploading the images to the website, which was believed to be hosted overseas until Australian federal police said it had been shut down on Friday.

The Blue Cut fire east of Los Angeles has spread with a speed and ferocity that triggered chaotic scenes as residents scrambled to flee

An explosive wildfire fanned by a heatwave and strong winds has ripped through rural communities outside Los Angeles, unleashing fire tornadoes and triggering evacuation orders for more than 80,000 people.

Related: Share your photos and experiences of the California wildfires

Massive recovery operation begins as Red Cross reports flood that left 11 dead and damaged 40,000 homes is worst US disaster since Hurricane Sandy in 2012

Floodwaters in Louisiana have begun to recede, but the horror of the disaster continues to mount: on Wednesday afternoon more than 30,000 people had been rescued from the flood, 40,000 homes were affected and 6,000 people remained in shelters. At least 11 people have died.

Related: Louisiana floods: state begins recovery from devastating storm – in pictures

Automated mini-buses will carry people on open public roads in southern district of Finnish capital during month-long trial

Two self-driving buses have rolled out on to the public roads of Helsinki, Finland, alongside traffic and commuters, in one of the first trials of its kind.

The Easymile EZ-10 electric mini-buses, capable of carrying up to 12 people, will roam the open roads of Helsinki’s southernly Hernesaari district in a month-long trial, negotiating traffic for the first time.