I share a lot of links on Twitter and Facebook that I don’t blog about because I don’t have much to add. The reading list is a periodic feature where I share those links with my blog audience too. Of course, you’re still welcome to follow me on Twitter.

Around FtB

• If you won’t pay people what they’re worth, you’ll get people worth what you pay–“Here’s another twist on the problematic trend to hire more temporary/part-time/adjunct faculty at universities.”
• The Age Old Cultural War and Broom Wielding Footsoldiers–“There exists a hidden apartheid in India where the former untouchables are still doing the duties allocated to them in traditional rural socio-economy.”
• A Thought Experiment for the Philosophy Dudebros–“All right, dude. Ready for a thought experiment? You’re always totally down with one, I’m sure, cuz you’re a philosophy dude.”
• I’ll be at Women in Secularism 3. Will you?–“Among the speakers are Ophelia Benson, Barbara Ehrenreich, Melody Hensley, Susan Jacoby, and many other spectacular secularists you won’t want to miss. Also, I’ll be appearing on the following panels on Friday, May 16.”
• The paper they don’t want you to read!–“The climate change denialists are a bit thin-skinned; they’ve also been exposed as a bit on the wacko side.”
• Interview with Rebecca Goldstein on Plato at the Googleplex, philosophy for the public, and everything–“It’s all the more gratifying because part of your point, as I understand it, is to show readers that philosophy has value and has not been rendered superfluous by science.”

The Wider Web

• 5 Shocking Realities of Being Transgender the Media Ignores–“I bet that, for most of you, nothing would feel weirder than having your dad or brother tell you he’s now a woman. And for a certain percentage of people, the reaction to that news would be violent.”
• One City’s 6 Month Quest To Take Its Sidewalks Back From Anti-Abortion Protesters–“Metropolitan Medical Associates in Englewood, New Jersey, has been a longtime target for abortion opponents both locally and nationally.”
• Desegregating Our Bookshelves Is A Good Start. Now What?–“Last week, The Independent announced it would no longer review books that were specifically marketed to either boys or girls.”
• Attractiveness studies are hot, or not–“Good-looking people seem to get all the breaks. They have the leg up on getting a date, a job, a leading role. You’d think that would be enough, but no.”
• Let Me Fix That For You, Thought Catalog–“In an effort to help young Colton on his literary way, we offer these edits. And, in the spirit of his post, we’re not holding anything back.”
• Mass Effect developer makes emotional plea to eliminate social injustice in games–“An hour-long speech delivered by Manveer Heir, a veteran of the Mass Effect series, laid out in stark relief the social injustices present in modern games and proposed ways to work against them.”
• Bioware’s Manveer Heir on Diversity in Games (YouTube)–Interview related to his talk.
• The Mako Mori Test: ‘Pacific Rim’ inspires a Bechdel Test alternative–“Fans of feminist film, or any lovers of media with strong female characters, might have a hard time justifying why they love certain movies.”
• Ex-Hijabi Interviews and the Underrepresentation of Ex-Muslim Women–“While I was glad to finally see a mainstream media venue tackle the issue of the hijab in a different way–without being needlessly apologetic, pandering to the sensibilities of Muslims, and giving undue focus on the perspectives of those privileged enough to have had free choice regarding the hijab and only those perspectives–I was dismayed that no women were interviewed for the purposes of this article.”
• How to be an ally: What Piers Morgan can learn from W. Kamau Bell–“W. Kamau Bell was performing stand-up in the city where he established himself, San Francisco, when he launched into a bit about the first time he ever met a transgender woman.”
• Tory aide: Feminists ‘need a good slap’–“An aide to a Conservative MP has resigned after calling feminists ‘whingeing imbeciles’ who ‘need a good slap round the face’.”
• Court Rulings “They” Don’t Want You to Know About–“It’s almost as if you can’t even trick people into giving you money in exchange for harmful advice over the course of three decades without the federal government stepping in and politely suggesting you stop, and then suggesting you go to prison when you don’t stop.”
• Nazi-themed dinner was actually held on MLK Day–“Previously it was believed that the Nazi-themed dinner was a holiday party in December, but several sources reached out to correct the record.”
• Linde Wasn’t Alone That Day–“The following video captures the moment when a Russian-American physicist learns that the ‘chaotic inflation’ theory, postulated 30 years ago, has been validated. What you learn afterwards about that physicist might surprise you.”
• If Hobby Lobby Wins, It Will Be Even Worse For Birth Control Access Than You Think–“The two plaintiffs in these cases object not just to covering specific types of birth control, but also to providing counseling about that birth control.”
• #557: That’s just one dude’s opinion/Annual reminder that “why did you break up with me?” is not a question you actually want answered.–“I want to shake your therapist. She fucked up when she counseled you to pursue more answers from someone who dumped you.”
• Black Small Business Owners Get Left Out Of Loans–“Before the recession, black-owned small businesses received 8.2 percent of all loan money through the Small Business Administration (SBA). That figure is now down to 1.7 percent, according to an analysis by the Wall Street Journal.”
• The Female Athlete Triad, part 2: The Right Stuff–“‘Did you know that your metabolism can slow up to 40 percent when you restrict calories?’ Well, yes, I’m learning that there are many things I’ve been doing wrong.”
• The Lessons of My Father – Nathan Phelps Speaks Out on Fred Phelps’ Death–“Let every mention of his name and of his church be a constant reminder of the tremendous good we are all capable of doing in our communities.”
• Crossfit’s “scientific” refusal to allow Chloie Jönnson to compete in women’s division not actually supported by science–“Unfortunately, CrossFit’s statements conflict strongly the current understanding of the physiology of transition and our understanding of the human genome, along with current standards of major sports rules making bodies.”
• My Experience With Obamacare, By Jen Sorensen–“A Freelancer in Texas Applies for Health Insurance”
• Writer Beware®: The Blog: Rights Concerns: Amtrak Residency Program–“Now, I personally can’t figure out why anyone would find this tempting. Then again, I’m a veteran of Amtrak’s overcrowded Boston-to-Washington corridor, where late arrivals and yucky restrooms are always a possibility.”
• American Schools Are STILL Racist, Government Report Finds–“Public school students of color get more punishment and less access to veteran teachers than their white peers, according to surveys released Friday by the U.S. Education Department that include data from every U.S. school district.”