I’ve always thought unpaid internships were a scam and a further tool to privilege the privileged, but the New York Times is reporting that many of them may be illegal. It’s good to see some attention cast on this subject.

Just caught this in the New York Times:

Wearing the brown cassock of a Franciscan, Father Cantalamessa took note that Easter and Passover were falling during the same week this year, saying he was led to think of the Jews. “They know from experience what it means to be victims of collective violence and also because of this they are quick to recognize the recurring symptoms,” he said.

Father Cantalamessa quoted from what he said was a letter from an unnamed Jewish friend. “I am following the violent and concentric attacks against the church, the pope and all the faithful by the whole word,” he said the friend wrote. “The use of stereotypes, the passing from personal responsibility and guilt to a collective guilt, remind me of the more shameful aspects of anti-Semitism.”

That’s a ballsy attempt at PR. It’s offensive, craven, and recognizes no distinction between “faith” and “institution.” But it certainly is ballsy.

Matt Taibbi lights into the Catholic Church hierarchy and their continued rationalization and deflection surrounding the massive sexual abuse of children.

It’s hard not to despair when you read stories like this:

Three Seattle police officers were justified when they used a stun gun on a pregnant mother who refused to sign a traffic ticket, a federal appeals court ruled Friday in a case that prompted an incredulous dissent.

As Taser use is normalized, the police seem more and more happy to forcibly shock you for inconveniencing them. Chicago recently extended Tasers to all of their squad cars. I e-mailed the department to inquire about the terms of their use; I haven’t heard back nor do I expect to.

The Center for Neighborhood Technology has put out a pretty cool interactive map comparing housing affordability in 330 metro areas with and without transportation costs mixed in. Unsurprisingly, the results show that seemingly affordable areas away from urban centers become more unaffordable when commuting costs are factored in.

I’m surprised to see that my childhood home in Indiana is rendered unaffordable by transportation while houses just on the other side of the St. Joseph River (seemingly in the same transit space) are unaffected. Our old place in Pasadena falls under the same categorization, while our current apartment in Chicago is affordable under both measures (but just barely!). Same for our old places in Wrigleyville (public transit must really factor in).