This Week

• Hey! Guess who's not getting paid? 

You!
And your mom!
And your sister!
And your aunt!
And every other woman you know in the USA!*
 
Granted, the wage gap for younger women is smaller: Women under 35 who work full time earn around 90% of what their male counterparts earn. But it drops to 75% after age 35.

90% is not good enough. It should be 100% without question or hesitation.

2010: Still not getting equal pay for equal work. 

• Remember this charmer?

This week, we learn that continuing to be a white, rich, celebrity dude means the sanest and most rational of people will decide that it's totally OK to drug and rape a 13-year-old girl and avoid any kind of jail time. Because rich artistes are above silly things like law. But only if you're a dude.

To counter this, a look back at the great rebuttals of Amanda Hess over at the Washington City Paper, an alt weekly newspaper that allows a woman write about sexism, rather than perpetuate it. (Which is the point of alternative news and progressive viewpoints. Sadly, it is a rarity.) Amanda Hess deftly outlines and counters the myriad apologists who believe that because they like Polanski's The Pianist, Polanski is thereby an alright guy and totally deserves a break. Know who deserves a break? Amanda Hess, me, and everyone who else who fights such ignorant bullshit.

• Mel Gibson hates everyone. 

That, the rich bigwigs of Hollywood have decided, is one step too far. Oh! they lament, if only he could have stuck to hating women! Like Charlie Sheen! And that lovable Mike Tyson! We could still make money off of him! But no. He goes and hates on actual people, on different races, who would have totally paid good money to see him in Lethal Weapon 17 and Braveheart 2: Braveheartier!

Y'all. It's only Tuesday.

I'm going to have to start Googling "Cute Puppies!" like mad.

* Don't know any women in the States? Well, don't worry. It's not just America. You and your mom aren't getting paid all over the world for your hard work.

Also: Hi. I'm Natalie. It's very nice to meet you. I'm from the States, and I owe the States an exorbitant amount of money because of grad school. These may be just words on your screen, but you and I? We are acquainted. In fact: you, dear reader, are very important to me. This could be the start of a beautiful friendship.