Pismis 24, approximately 8,150 light-years from Earth
Welcome to the Overnight News Digest with a crew consisting of founder Magnifico, current leader Neon Vincent, regular editors side pocket, maggiejean, wader, Doctor RJ, rfall, JML9999 and Man Oh Man. Alumni editors include (but not limited to) palantir, Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse, ek hornbeck, ScottyUrb, Interceptor7, BentLiberal, Oke and jlms qkw.
OND is a regular community feature on Daily Kos, consisting of news stories from around the world, sometimes coupled with a daily theme, original research or commentary. Editors of OND impart their own presentation styles and content choices, typically publishing each day near 12:00AM Eastern Time.
Please feel free to share your articles and stories in the comments.
From the Washington Post: As Donald Trump surges in polls, Democrats cheer
For Democrats, Donald Trump amounts to a kind of divine intervention.
With the Republican Party on an urgent mission to woo Latino voters, one of its leading presidential candidates has been enmeshed for two weeks in a nasty feud over his inflammatory comments about Mexican immigrants.
“They’re bringing drugs,” Trump said in his campaign announcement speech. “They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists.”
The comments — and many more since — have prompted an uproar among Latino groups and acrimonious breakups between Trump and various corporate partners. His outlandish rhetoric and skill at occupying the national spotlight are also proving to be dangerously toxic for the GOP brand, which remains in the rehabilitation stage after losing the 2012 presidential race.
Univision said it would not air his Miss Universe and Miss USA beauty pageants; Trump sued the Spanish-language television network for $500 million. NBCUniversal severed all ties to him this week; he called the network “so weak and so foolish.”
From the
New York Times:
Cubans Greet Latest Step in U.S. Thaw With Hope Tempered by Reality
At the building along Havana’s seafront that will soon become America’s first embassy in Cuba in more than 50 years, life on Wednesday was yet unchanged: A lone Cuban flag flew in the forest of poles that obscures the building’s featureless facade — an official rebuke of the United States.
In a nearby square, a throng of Cubans waited in the broiling heat for appointments with American consular officers, part of the lengthy process of applying for a visa to visit or emigrate.
But amid the daily business at the building — currently operated as the United States Interests Section, a more limited diplomatic outpost than an embassy — Cubans pondered what change its new status, and the new era of engagement with the United States, would bring to lives marked by economic hardship and stunted prospects.
“This will benefit the country,” said Roberto, a parking attendant who minds cars near the interests section, giving only one name because he was discussing politics. “Maybe, I don’t know,” he added skeptically, “it will eventually benefit me.”
From the
Los Angeles Times:
Banks closed, vote looming, but Greeks take crisis in stride: 'We have tough DNA'
Pensioners mass outside a bank in Athens. Designated banks opened their doors to let retirees draw about $130 a week in benefits. Greeks are limited to $66 a day in ATM withdrawals.
In the land that gave the world the ancient Stoics, Konstantina Mantziorou was doing her best impression of a modern one as she sat outside her two small shops Wednesday.
She'll cast one of the most important votes of her life Sunday in a referendum that could determine whether Greece has a future in a united Europe. But Mantziorou was calm, even chatty, as she revealed her uncertainty about the plebiscite.
"It's very complicated and goes beyond a simple yes-no question. It is all very confusing," said Mantziorou, 45. She described her and her compatriots as being caught between "a cliff ahead and a ravine behind" — the Greek equivalent of a rock and a hard place.
From
Reuters:
Rihanna becomes recording industry's top digital singles artist
Grammy-winning R&B singer Rihanna is the first artist to surpass more than 100 million cumulative digital singles, the Recording Industry Association of America said on Wednesday.
Rihanna, 27, topped the list of artists with the most digital single awards, coming in ahead of Taylor Swift and Katy Perry in the second and third places respectively. The recording industry's digital single certifications count download sales and on-demand streams in the United States.
"She has not only surpassed RIAA's one-hundred million mark, but also is the first artist to do so. It's an historic feat and a testament to an extraordinary career," Cary Sherman, the association's chairman and CEO, said in a statement.
From
BBC News:
US airlines investigated over ticket prices
The Justice Department is investigating whether US airlines have colluded to keep prices high.
In a statement, the department confirmed an Associated Press report it was looking into "possible unlawful co-ordination by some airlines".
AP reported that it had seen a document revealing that the Justice Department had requested information from airlines as part of a competition probe.
It follows years of restructuring and mergers by US airlines.
Since the onset of the financial crisis in 2008, major carriers such as American, United and Delta, along with a host of regional airlines, have overhauled operations and stemmed heavy losses.
From
The Guardian:
US police killings headed for 1,100 this year, with black Americans twice as likely to die
Police in the United States are killing people at a rate that would result in 1,100 fatalities by the end of this year, according to a Guardian investigation, which recorded an average of three people killed per day during the first half of 2015.
The Counted, a project working to report and crowdsource names and a series of other data on every death caused by law enforcement in the US this year, found that 547 people had been killed by the end of June.
In total, 478 of those people were shot and killed, while 31 died after being shocked by a Taser, 16 died after being struck by police vehicles, and 19 – including 25-year-old Freddie Gray in Baltimore – have died after altercations in police custody.
When adjusted to accurately reflect the US population, the totals indicate that black people are being killed by police at more than twice the rate of white and Hispanic or Latino people. Black people killed by police were also significantly more likely to have been unarmed.
From
Vice:
One Area Where Republicans And Democrats Agree: Guacamole
President Barack Obama went after the New York Times during a Twitter Q&A Wednesday. And no, he didn't criticize the paper for helping the Bush administration beat the drum for the invasion of Iraq. Instead, he hammered the Grey Lady for its radical new stance on guacamole.
His beef was with Times food columnist Melissa Clark's suggestion in a recipe this morning that "adding fresh English peas to what is an otherwise fairly traditional guacamole is one of those radical moves that is also completely obvious after you taste it."
Clark has been catching flak for it all day online from all the conservatives out there, who stand athwart guacamole history, yelling "stop." So when @POTUS announced that people could #AskPOTUS, Justin Green of the Independent Journal Review asked him to weigh in ... And Obama responded in solidarity with Clark's critics.
From the
Chicago Tribune:
Episcopalians vote to allow gay marriage in churches
Episcopalians overwhelmingly voted Wednesday to allow religious weddings for same-sex couples, solidifying the church's embrace of gay rights that began more than a decade ago with the pioneering election of the first openly gay bishop.
The vote came in Salt Lake City at the Episcopal General Convention, just days after the U.S. Supreme Court legalized gay marriage nationwide. It passed in the House of Deputies, the voting body of clergy and lay participants at the meeting. The House of Bishops had approved the resolution Tuesday by 129-26 with five abstaining.
The Very Rev. Brian Baker of Sacramento said the church rule change was the result of a nearly four-decade long conversation that has been difficult and painful for many. Baker, chair of the committee that crafted the changes, said church members have not always been kind to one another but that the dynamic has changed in recent decades.
"We have learned to not only care for, but care about one other," Baker said. "That mutual care was present in the conversations we had. Some people disagreed, some people disagreed deeply, but we prayed and we listened and we came up with compromises that we believe make room and leave no one behind."
From
TIME:
TV Land Pulls Dukes of Hazzard Amid Confederate Flag Controversy
The 1980s show prominently displayed the flag on the roof of the featured car
TV Land is yanking the 1980s show Dukes of Hazard amid controversy over the Confederate flag, which is prominently displayed on the roof of the Duke Boys’ car, named the General Lee.
The move, reported by TheWrap, comes as the country debates whether the controversial flag has a place in media and public spaces. After a mass shooting at a historically black church in Charleston, S.C. last month, South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and President Obama have called for the Confederate flag to be removed from the South Carolina statehouse’s grounds.
From
CNN:
Women's World Cup: heartbreaking own goal ends England dreams at the death
Defending champion Japan advanced to the Women's World Cup soccer final with a 2-1 victory Wednesday over England in a semifinal at Edmonton, Alberta.
The winning margin was provided by an own goal from England defender Laura Bassett, who attempted to clear the ball but accidentally sent it into the England net in the 92nd minute.
Her coach said Bassett had played good football against Japan and throughout the tournament.
"She's epitomized all the values that English football fans want to see in that white jersey when you have three lions on your chest," coach Mark Sampson said. "Pride, passion, never-say-die (attitude) and play for the team."
Bassett's nightmare came as Japan's Nahomi Kawasumi sent a bouncing cross into the penalty area with about one minute left in the contest. Bassett, with a Japan attacker getting past her, lunged at the ball with her right leg and meant to send it out of bounds.
Instead, it looped past England goalkeeper Karen Bardsley, who had no chance as the ball sneaked in, hitting the underside of the crossbar and touching ground well past the goal line.
From
Al Jazeera:
Alabama's confused response to same-sex marriage ruling
Across Alabama, more than a dozen probate judges have refused to issue same sex marriage licenses following the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on Friday that same-sex marriage is legal across the country.
On Wednesday morning, U.S. District Judge Callie V.S. Granade ordered Alabama's 68 probate judges to begin issuing same-sex marriage licenses. However, as of Wednesday evening, 17 continued to refuse to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples or had stopped issuing any marriage licenses at all. The result is a state of confusion.
On Friday, Jennifer Kenney, 41, and her wife Hali Felt, 32, woke to their cell-phones buzzing with celebratory text messages that same-sex marriage was legal throughout the United States. They looked at each other and decided they should get married.
“I think both Hali and myself are both fairly optimistic people,” Kenney said. That same day the couple walked to the Tuscaloosa courthouse with some friends and asked the clerk for a marriage license. They were allowed to fill out a marriage application, writing one name under “groom” and the other under “bride,” but were not issued a license.
From
The Daily Beast:
New research out of the University College London suggest rats dream about the future
Humans aren’t the only ones thinking about a better tomorrow. Rats too spend their nights dreaming of their desired futures, according to new research.
The study, out of the University College London (UCL), says that sleeping rats “dream” of finding treats. Activity in the portion of rat brain cells used in navigation suggests that rats rehearse simulated quests to find food while sleeping.
The research has applications to human desire.
“Our new results show that during rest, the hippocampus also constructs fragments of a future yet to happen. Because the rat and human hippocampus are similar, this may explain why patients with damage to their hippocampus struggle to imagine future events,” senior author Dr. Hugo Spiers tells Science Daily.
From
US Weekly:
Girl Scouts Reject $100,000 Donation That Would Exclude Them From Supporting Transgender Girls
Girl Scouts of Western Washington rejected a $100,000 gift
When the Girl Scouts say they’re for every girl, they really mean it! A donor recently gifted the group’s Western Washington chapter a $100,000 donation, but with one caution attached: do not spend the money supporting transgender girls. So there was only one thing the group, which aims to empower all girls, could do: return the money.
“We wholeheartedly believe EVERY girl should have the opportunity to be a Girl Scout if she wants to,” Ellis told Us Weekly. “The only way we’re going to fulfill our mission of building girls’ courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place, is if we make sure there aren’t any barriers in place for girls’ success. We welcome all girls to join us, and get out there and make a difference in our world.”
But returning that large amount of money meant the chapter wouldn’t be able to help 500 girls join a troop and participate in other activities, so the Girl Scouts of Western Washington soft launched a fundraising campaign on Monday, June 29, to raise $100,000 to replace the donation it returned. By the next morning, the goal had not only been reached, but well exceeded.
From
The Indianapolis Star:
Humor, love, police a strange mix at Cannabis Church
A band pumped out Rick James' funky "Mary Jane," inspiring dancing in the aisles. Balloons were batted around in the pews. Ministers of Love, Music and Education were introduced to the congregants. The message on the offering envelopes read: "One Toke. One Smile. One Love."
There was even a comedian.
But for all the ways that Wednesday's neighborhood church service was not your typical religious gathering, the one thing that most sets this church apart — the thing that has given this new church national, even international notoriety — was missing: marijuana.
At least officially.
The First Church of Cannabis made its debut on the day Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act became law. But the one-hour, 40-minute church service was held without any use of the illegal drug. Doing so could have led to not only arrests, but also an anticipated court battle to test the law meant to prevent government encroachment on religion.
From
Entertainment Weekly:
10 things you need to know before downloading Apple Music
Beats 1 could change radio. Internet radio is nothing new. NPR shows, indie podcasts, music services like Pandora, and even some terrestrial radio stations can be accessed via the web rather than a traditional dial. But Beats 1 is different. It fuses talk radio with music streaming, while adding in a dash of curation from tastemakers to separate it from the bevy of our-algorithm-knows-you services out there today. And, by broadcasting live globally on an already massive network of devices, Beats 1 could become a cultural touchstone.
The other radio stations aren’t too shabby either. Beats 1 will have star power—musicians from Elton John to Dr. Dre to St. Vincent have signed on—but Apple also overhauled its radio streaming to go toe-to-toe with competitors. Most genres have corresponding radio stations with content curated by experts. Apple Music scans your library to see your listening habits and learns to tailor the streaming to your tastes—plus, you can skip the songs you don’t want to hear. A bit of a Pandora knock-off? You bet. But odds are that with a worthwhile radio feature, listeners won’t leave Apple Music to seek out other services.
For You provides immediate tailored listening. Along with New, Radio, Connect, and My Music, For You is one of the five tabs in Apple Music. Upon launching the service for the first time, users are greeted with a swarm of red circles with genres and artists to tap based on how much they like them. For You analyzes these responses and user libraries to immediately compile playlists and albums best suited for a specific listener. In addition to suggesting new music, it also digs into libraries to simply suggest old favorites that haven’t been played in a while.
From
Slate:
These Inadvertent Photographs Give an Unlikely View of New York
Mailmen, 1947
Early in Martin Elkort’s career, the New York photographer would walk out of his home and adjust his camera settings to prepare for a day of street photography, with the comparable success rate of an amateur meteorologist lifting a finger to test the weather.
There were days when he would come back home with nothing exposed. There were also days when the film was filled with images he had taken for which he had little or no explanation. It was only later in his career that he was able to see certain patterns for picture-making that had been following him.
“I supposed my subconscious mind was making decisions,” he wrote via email. “I began to realize that something was at work helping me to take pictures. Something subconscious that I didn’t understand.”
From
Salon:
“You are not welcome here”: At concerts and music festivals, fans with disabilities are too often shut out, endangered and ignored
Several years ago, I attended an outdoor music festival with a friend. I have a physical disability, cerebral palsy, that makes it difficult for me to walk long distances, and so we pulled up near the entrance to ask a parking attendant where the handicapped parking was located. Nowhere, we were told: There were no spots. Seeing as we were stopped near several rows of vehicles, we asked if we could just park there, as it was close to the front gate. That wasn’t an option, either: We could, but we ran the risk of being towed–and considering the festival was in an out-of-the-way location, in a state in which neither of us lived, that didn’t seem like a good option either. Luckily, because I’m a journalist, I had a contact at the festival that I could call. This person proceeded to find us, chew out the parking attendant for not allocating spots for handicapped parking–which was illegal, he was reminded–and led us to an area that was safe and close enough for me to get in and out with no problems.
While this was an extreme case of discrimination, it wasn’t the only time my disability unexpectedly became an issue when I was going to see live music. There was the parking lot attendant at another venue who asked me and my husband, “Do you need to use the spot?” when we asked about parking in the handicapped space we knew was near a door. (Um, why else would we be asking to park there?) Another time at an old theater, an employee looked skeptically at me when I asked to use an elevator to get up to the top level where my seats were, as if I didn’t necessarily need to. (Again, why else would I be asking?) And while attending SXSW some years ago, I had a bar actually tell my group we had to vacate the table and chairs at which we were sitting, as they had to be removed for the late-night shows that were scheduled to begin–which would’ve been fine had there been other chairs in the venue, but there weren’t. (Needless to say, we left and went elsewhere.) And these are just a few of the things I’ve experienced, as someone who’s been an avid concert-goer for nearly two decades.
Twenty-five years after the passage of the Americans With Disabilities Act, public places, buildings and streets are arguably far more accessible now than they used to be. In addition, these laws have given people with disabilities legal ammunition to use when they encounter discriminatory practices and regulations, or inaccessible spaces. But although the ADA requires facilities to make structural modifications to ensure all patrons have equal access to goods and services–a process known as “readily achievable barrier removal”–in practice, what constitutes reasonable accommodations varies wildly from place to place. The ADA itself admits this in its compliance materials: “Regulations do not define exactly how much effort and expense are required for a facility to meet its obligation. This judgment must be made on a case-by-case basis, taking into consideration such factors as the size, type, and overall financial resources of the facility, and the nature and cost of the access improvements needed.”
From
TMZ:
Ben and Jen Career Explosion Torpedoed Marriage
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner are getting divorced NOT because of his drinking and gambling, but because he's become such hot property in Hollywood, she felt neglected ... so say some well-placed sources.
There are clearly 2 views on the demise of the marriage. As we first reported, some sources with a bird's-eye view have told us Jen was fed up with Ben's booze and blackjack habits. But other sources who are also very familiar with the couple are saying when push came to shove, Jennifer made no mention of alcohol and gambling ... her beef was that Ben wasn't a "present husband."
Fact is ... Ben has had back-to-back film projects for several years, and spent much of his time out of town. The sources say Jen felt ignored and neglected, and they argued frequently over it.
These sources say this has nothing to do with Ben being a neglectful dad. Quite the opposite, they say he's a great dad who does everything he can for the kids. And, we're told, she didn't really have any beef about his parenting skills ... her problem was with Ben as a husband.
In the end, we're told the breakup was mutual. Ben felt he was a good husband, who was juggling his career and family, but it wasn't enough for her.
From
Variety:
ESPN Denies Report on Keith Olbermann Censorship
ESPN has denied a story by The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday that claimed the network wants host Keith Olbermann to suspend commentary from his program.
“Keith has never been told any topic is off limits for his commentary nor has continuation of it been part of any conversation about his future at the company,” the company said in a statement.
Olbermann, who hosts a self-titled show on ESPN2, is widely known for his outspoken behavior and has been reprimanded in the past by both ESPN and his previous employer, MSNBC.
In its story, The Hollywood Reporter wrote that ESPN management “signaled their discomfort with Olbermann’s commentaries” following Bill Simmons’ exit from the cabler this year. Simmons, like Olbermann, has been critical of several high-profile authorities in the sports world, including NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for his handling of the Ray Rice case.
From
/Film:
‘Steve Jobs’ Trailer: “Ladies and Gentleman, Please Welcome…”
Universal Pictures has released the first full trailer for Steve Jobs, the film starring Michael Fassbender, directed by Academy Award-winner Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours, Trainspotting) and written by Academy Award-winner Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network, Moneyball, A Few Good Men). You may recall that Sony released a one minute Steve Jobs teaser trailer during the final episode of Mad Men.
I still don’t get the full Steve Jobs vibe from Michael Fassbender, although all the quotes and moments sound very much like the character. I am personally surprised that so much of the trailer seems to be spent on Steve’s relationship with his daughter Lisa, as I wasn’t expecting that to be a huge storyline due to the keynote structure of the film.
Of course, the film is set at three iconic product launches, ending in 1998’s unveiling of the iMac, but as we first told you, the film also employs a series of flashbacks to show us some other key moments which thematically heighten the drama of the key notes.
From
Rolling Stone:
Male Stripper to Movie Star: The Evolution of Channing Tatum
It's hard to imagine — let alone remember — living in a world where it wasn't a universally acknowledged truth that Channing Tatum used to be a stripper. Today, that particular chapter of his origin story seems as inextricable from the 35-year-old actor's story as Ginger Rogers is from Fred Astaire's career, or Scientology is from that of Tom Cruise, or Michael Fassbender's penis is from that of Michael Fassbender. And yet, considering that the news only broke a few years ago, there's a pretty good chance that you were alive and present for such a blithely ignorant time in our history.
Before the news of his past life was made public, Tatum was just another Hollywood lunk with a square chin, an easy charm, and a body that most men took as a personal insult. Somewhat famous but far from a household name, recognizable but difficult to place, he played characters with names like Zip, Jake, Leo, Caine, Mark, and Rowdy. Just Rowdy.
His best early performances each worked to underline a singular quality that couldn't be replicated by the next vanilla talent in a casting agent's Rolodex. His breakthrough turn in 2006's Step Up showcased his history as a free-style street dancer, while his standout work in A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints — a Sundance coming-of-age drama from earlier that same year — hinted at an actor whose radiant sweetness was ready to be exploited by the violence indicated by his body (the perfect equation for a contemporary action star). His charm was easy to feel, even in endearingly lobotomized turns in films like the Amanda Bynes vehicle She's the Man (also from 2006). Though it raised questions about his limitations — such as: "Is this guy really doing enough for his first name to sound that much like an action verb?"
From
Pitchfork:
Prince Removes Discography From All Streaming Services Except Tidal
With the streaming music landscape shifting in a big way this week, it looks like the Jay Z-helmed service Tidal just got a major exclusive. Prince has removed his discography from all streaming music services except Tidal. "Prince's publisher has asked all streaming services to remove his catalog," reads a note on Prince's Spotify artist page. "We have cooperated with the request and hope to bring his music back as soon as possible."
Two months ago, Prince streamed his "Rally 4 Baltimore" concert live on Tidal.
Last year, Prince shut down his Facebook page, Twitter account, and yanked his music from YouTube. (He's back on Twitter now.)
Earlier today, he shared a new track. Listen to "HARDROCKLOVER."
From the
A.V. Club:
Rick And Morty’s season two trailer has weird science, the song from Weird Science
Even though it boasts Community mastermind Dan Harmon as one of its co-creators, it was hard to predict just how amazing the first season of Adult Swim’s Rick And Morty was going to be. But by the time the show introduced Mr. Meeseeks in its fifth episode, Rick And Morty’s amazingness was undeniable.
The show will be coming back for another season in a few weeks—on July 26, to be exact—and now Adult Swim has released a trailer that gives us a glimpse at some of the terrifyingly absurd adventures that Rick and Morty will embark on this year. There’s a watch that turns people into snakes, a “gross and weird” tentacle thing, and an alien assassin named Krombopulos Michael who’s voiced by Andy Daly. In other words, it’s the sort of crazy nonsense you’d expect to see in the season two trailer for Rick And Morty.
From
Billboard:
Wiz Khalifa No. 1 on Hot 100 'Again,' Selena Gomez Debuts at No. 9
"See You Again" is a week from tying the longest reign ever for a rap hit, while Gomez's "Good for You" launches as the week's best-selling song.
Wiz Khalifa's "See You Again," featuring Charlie Puth, tops the Billboard Hot 100 for an 11th week, moving to within a week of the record for the longest stay at No. 1 ever for a rap single.
Plus, three songs hit the top 10, by The Weeknd, Silento and Selena Gomez, with Gomez's "Good for You," featuring A$AP Rocky, blasting onto the Hot 100 at No. 9. It also enters the Digital Songs chart at No. 1.
From
Empire Online:
Teaser Trailer For 'London Has Fallen'
Gerard Butler is back in action as Mike Banning, Secret Service man with nerves of steel and the kidneys of an ageing thespian. Banning has tragedy in his past and skeletons in his closet – some metaphoric, some possibly real – but they’ve let him into the UK and, judging by the first teaser for London Has Fallen, thank goodness for that. He’s all that stands between us and a return to the dark ages.
He may have missed the Secret Service’s health and safety day but Banning is a ruthless practitioner in the art of defending his President, the highly incident prone Benjamin Asher (Aaron Eckhart). He’s seen off North Korean commandos in Olympus Has Fallen and now there’s another cadre of evildoers to fend off, this time on English soil. Not too many tourist attractions look like they'll be surviving this one.
The premise sees Asher and his fellow world leaders assembling for the state funeral of the British Prime Minister. The presence of so many big knobs in one place attracts some Very Bad People to the capital with a Very Nasty Plan. "Only three people have any hope of stopping it,” runs the official synopsis. “The President of the United States, his formidable secret service head, and an English MI-6 agent who rightly trusts no one.” Sounds like Eckhart, who spent the majority of the first film cuffed to a railing, is finally up and running in this one.
From
Cosmo:
Lick It Or Leave It
Every time a guy I meet says he loves going down on women, I act like I just found a 1960s Prada dress on the side of the road that fits me perfectly and there are lottery tickets in the pockets. Why is it so rare and exciting to find a guy who likes cunnilingus? Why are we still surrounded by guys who say they don't, as a rule, go down on women? Obviously, it's not my intent to force any guy to do anything they don't want to do. If he doesn't feel like going down on you at a certain moment, sure, whatever. Maybe he's all vulva'd out. But the idea that a guy would say he never goes down on women because our bodies are repulsive or confusing seriously needs to die. And you can help it die by refusing to date lamewads who say shit like this.
When I was in high school, every girl I knew was aware that she had better be amazing at giving blow jobs. It often seemed like that was the one thing that mattered above all else. It didn't matter how smart or funny or hot you were; if you didn't give ~gReAt~ blow jobs, what was the point? While that continues to revolt me because we were 15-year-olds who had no idea what any of that actually meant, it bothers me on a completely different level that we never once expected guys to go down on us in return. Blow jobs were so common that we had several terms for them (road head, head, dome, etc.), but cunnilingus never even came up in conversation.
That was probably for several reasons. It was hardly ever shown in TV and movies, they certainly didn't bring it up in sex ed, and what little info I did know about it (mostly via overhearing idiotic conversations had by 13-year-old boys in our class) was that vaginas smell like fish (Yes, because the penis smells like a kingdom full of Diptyque candles. OK.) and you should pretty much keep your legs closed for your whole life unless penetration was happening. The general consensus until our mid-20s was that we should just try to find oral sex joy in giving instead of receiving.
Well, let me shout with a vagina-shaped megaphone: STOP DOING THAT RIGHT NOW.