Big Friday roundup

The heartbreaking story of an escaped fisherman slave and how to help those like him.

The Chamber of Commerce is pushing cigarettes around the world. Industrial ag is pushing industrial ag.

The NRA does not represent all gun owners.

There's no doubt what the Civil War and confederate flag are really about.

If slavery was ended in spite of how entrenched it was in the economy, can we do the same for our dependence on fossil fuels?

Gary Younge on having lived in the U.S. as a quasi-outsider.

I have no place commenting on the debate about whether black beauty-bloggers have a duty to incorporate activism into their internet presence, but I wanted to bring attention to it because it's an age-old issue for every writer, artist, etc.: is it possible to be apolitical in a world that forces you to choose sides, and what are the perils of speaking out?

Bree Newsome is AMAZING.

Misty Copeland is AMAZING.

Charles Blow remembers his cousin, victim of a hate crime.

The women transforming a Dhaka slum.

Dr. Francis on the shortcomings of the Nobel Prize, and the Royal Society on Tim Hunt. Phil Plait sums it up very well.

MRAs continue to lower the bar.

For those who cry "false advertising!" over make-up: women are being, not advertising; we're

not things for your consumption.

On anti-Americanism in Russia.

An interesting profile of the chef at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow (link in Russian). She talks aboutsushi (turns out it's everywhere because it symbolizes the era when the country first opened itself to the world), sanctions (she's using more local vegetables), fashion (yes, everyone wears high heels, no matter her age, dill (we sure do love that stuff).

If you're going to eat animals, think about that when you get outraged about dog meat festivals. Also, meat and dairy are exacerbating the drought.

I'm left out of the global conspiracy, too.

I have no use for Kim K., but I object to her objectification.

Comedians who don't understand the concept of punching up, not down.

About that dildo flag.

Single people are people, too.

I really feel for both people, this is such a heartbreaking story. I've written before and linked to pieces about feminism and weight (and written about associated complexities). People are attracted to different body types, and we can't help what we're attracted to (though time is supposed to help).

This is awful but I've done the same to a lesser extent (i.e., I've talked about cats and food politics to try to drive dudes away).

Wow are guys really this distracted?

I wanted to do them all. Men – young and old, thin and heavy, coiffed and shaggy – walked past my gate in Hartsfield-Jackson as I waited for my connection to visit my sister in Connecticut. Not all rated attractive, but I found the idea of sex with each captivating.

The young man with the tight shoulders, the bookish guy with Clark Kent glasses, the soldier in fatigues? Yes, yes and yes. The sweatshirt-clad-torn-jeans man was not my type, but I ogled him anyway.

I had been taking estrogen replacement therapy for four years prescribed after my hysterectomy at 36. But two weeks ago, my doctor added a special cream to boost my testosterone. She warned me of “odd symptoms,” but she didn’t mention this constant sexual distraction.

This woman is absolutely right that schools have no business asking about birth methods in assessing kids' behavioral issues; but she errs in suggesting that vegan kids may be any more vitamin-deficient than omnivores. That's just as baseless.

This vegan-cheesemaker used to hate vegans.