Cutting the climbing chains at Uluru

Closing the climb was meant to be revisited once suitable alternative activities had been developed and climbing numbers declined to less than 20 per cent of visitors. These conditions appear to have been met, yet still the climb remains open.

We live in a world featuring multiple thinkpieces comparing and contrasting Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner’s careers post-Daredevil. How is that possible? On the other hand, as an Alias fan who saw Elektra in the cinema on opening day (Frank Miller’s scripts and art for Elektra: the ultimate problematic fave), Liz is okay with this.

First, Anne Helen Petersen, whose deconstructions of both contemporary and classic Hollywood PR and image construction are amazing:

How Jennifer Garner Went Full “Minivan Majority” and The Unbearable Sadness Of Ben Affleck

And then Forbes (you’ll need to pause AdBlock for this to work): Ben Affleck Survived ‘Daredevil,’ But Jennifer Garner Never Recovered From ‘Elektra’

[Warnings: rape, sexual harassment] Tabletop Gaming has a White Male Terrorism Problem

Amid the rise of lone wolf terrorism it is important for the ethical, responsible members of the gaming community to address and put a stop to it before anyone is harmed. Credit for foiling a potential mass shooting at the Pokemon World Championship goes to an unnamed forum moderator who had the sense to notice the dangerous, violent rhetoric of his posters and alert the authorities. How many sexual assaults could be prevented in the gaming community by men extending that same concern to women?

An important post that is regrettably applicable to lots of hobbies, nerdy and otherwise.

The Chinese Singaporean Way of Death

The truth about WebMD, a hypochondriac’s nightmare and Big Pharma’s dream

The article includes a bunch of WebMD alternatives at the end, but they’re all American. For an okay Australian health site, Liz recommends the BetterHealth Channel, which is overseen by the Victorian government. (Obviously the internet is no substitute for a trained medical professional, but this is better than a lot of other sites.)

Stand up and be counted: on how boycotting the Census is only good if you don’t need to be counted

There’s Now A Website That Gives Practical Advice On Fighting Public Transport Fines

Hospital accused of ‘incompetence or racial profiling’ in Gurrumul treatment

“Why was he left for over eight hours when the reason for his admittance was clearly evident in Michele’s explanation to A&E staff and was clearly in all of his notes?” Grose wrote.

“There are two assumptions I can make which are both very disturbing but which need answering: Was Gurrumul Yunupingu’s level of A&E care related to assumptions based on his race or is there a serious fault in the system which allows someone to be largely ignored in A&E while seriously ill?”

Stephanie has SO MANY QUESTIONS: Curtin University students shot in New Orleans during drug deal. A) MINING GAMES?! B) Australians, why must you insist on buying drugs in countries where you don’t fully understand shit? Just leave the drug taking for domestic purchase! C) Can anyone tell me if there’s a racial component to the dodginess of Bourbon Street?

[Liz says, yes, almost definitely.]

NASA Is Considering The Use Of Soft Robotic Squids To Explore Europa

Liz: Soft robotic squid is my aesthetic.

Random GoodReads thread of the week: Did others notice that Easter was portrayed as being in the autumn with the leaves falling and soon after school began? I found this very disconcerting and it colored the book for me. Don’tbooks havemeditors anymore? [sic]

Dear Jess, I Could Not Be Saving The Universe Right Now If I Were Not So Morally Certain You Should Be Fucking Me And Not Your Husband

This is quite old — 2007 — but reads like an extraordinary Mallory Ortberg ur-text. Except that it seems to be real? No, it cannot possibly be.

Australia is in crisis: of the six nominees for the Gold Logie, two aren’t white. This is shockingly discriminatory against white people.

Waleed Aly, Lee Lin Chin, and the sad ‘jokes’ about the Gold Logie

Waleed and Lee Lin have been nominated by popular acclaim; Waleed despite not campaigning for it, Lee Lin no doubt because she has threatened to kill all of us if she doesn’t win. There is no factual or rational basis for pointing to the colour of their skin or their ethnicity as having played any role at all in their ending up on the list.

Finally, a tribute to Melbourne’s ugliest piece of public art:

Hidden Vault: Tributes to ‘Yellow Peril’ sculpture found in public places across Melbourne

(NEEDLESS TO SAY, No Award does not endorse “yellow peril” as a nickname for Vault, or indeed, any other works of art. But we are in favour of hiding copies of super-ugly art all over the city.)