1. Virgie Tovar is claiming that episode four of Shrill plagiarized her story. It’s not true. Read what Ijeoma Oluo had to say on Twitter about it. You can also find another version of the discussion on VT’s Facebook page, which included this very interesting clarification:

2. Can We Start & Never Stop Talking about Samantha Irby?

3. Here’s How You Can Help People Devastated by Cyclone Idai from The New York Times. In related news, a GoFundMe fundraiser: Cyclone Idai Zimbabwe Relief.

4. ‘What Doesn’t Kill You’ Navigates The Challenges Of Existing While Black. “Damon Young says he’s spent much of his life waiting to be called by a name we won’t repeat, even though it appears in his new memoir — What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Blacker — a lot. His essays are pointed, ruminative, often barbed and funny reflections on how the fact of his skin color has posed particular lifelong challenges, questions, and anxieties.”

5. ‘I Loved Myself for the First Time’: Women Prisoners Heal Trauma with Dance. “High percentages of incarcerated women suffer from untreated PTSD. One quickly expanding program is successfully using dance to help them move forward.”

6. 9-Year-Old Girl Was Detained at Border for 30 Hours Despite Being a U.S. Citizen from The New York Times. In related news, ‘A nightmare’: flight attendant with Daca status held after flying for work.

7. Jury Acquits White Former Police Officer In Fatal Shooting Of Unarmed Black Teen.

8. Instructions on Not Giving Up by Ada Limón. Because this,

Patient, plodding, a green skin
growing over whatever winter did to us, a return
to the strange idea of continuous living despite
the mess of us, the hurt, the empty. Fine then,
I’ll take it, the tree seems to say, a new slick leaf
unfurling like a fist to an open palm, I’ll take it all.

9. Good stuff from Seth Godin: How big is your unfillable hole? and The minimum viable audience.

10. Is the Guru Model Broken? from Lion’s Roar. “Pema Khandro Rinpoche, Lama Rod Owens, Lama Rigzin Drolma (Anne C. Klein), and Lobsang Rapgay discuss the guru model in the Tibetan tradition, in which the teacher is central to the path. From the Winter 2018 issue of Buddhadharma.” In related news, My Spiritual Teacher Committed Sexual Assault. And He Saved my Life. What Does that Mean Now?

11. The magical thinking of weight loss. “On major weight loss & praying at the altar of thinness.”

12. The Message of the Buddha’s Four Noble Truths on Lion’s Roar. “The message of Buddha’s Four Noble Truths is that paying attention and seeing clearly lead to behaving impeccably in every moment, out of love, and on behalf of all beings.”

13. Cocteau Twins ~ Heaven Or Las Vegas ~ Full Album (video playlist). Austin Kleon’s newsletter this week reminded me how much I loved this album.

14. Thanks, a poem by W.S. Merwin. In related news, Poet W.S. Merwin, Who Was Inspired By Conservation, Dies At 91.

15. Women’s Tennis Association Rules Serena Williams Can Wear All The Catsuits She Damn Well Pleases.

16. Hundreds of US cities are killing or scaling back their recycling programs. “China stopped importing trash from other countries. Now, many cities in the US are facing a recycling crisis.”

17. Drag queen story time organisers quit over Christian death threats.

18. Gregg Breinberg (PS22 Chorus Director) on Facebook. The videos of his kids singing are the best.

19. 20 Must-Listen To Black Women Podcasts for 2019.

20. Knowing the Right Time to Say Goodbye to a Pet on The New York Times. “End-of-life decisions for animals are difficult. A veterinarian has developed a scale to help clear up the confusion.” In related news, Study Shows That Losing A Dog Can Be As Hard As Losing A Loved One.

21. Just like we can destroy our planet, we can also choose to restore it, (video), “And that is what this Brazilian couple did!”

22. The Do-Nothing Farmer’s Guide to a Perfect Harvest on Lion’s Roar.

23. ‘What we’re witnessing around the world is the death rattle of white supremacy.’ (video) “This Muslim journalist is warning Americans against ‘white ISIS,’ a ‘racist’ president, and the rising global ideology of hate.”

24. Buddhism Is Not a Treatment for Mental Illness on Lion’s Roar. “A new article in The Atlantic says more Americans with mental illness are turning to Buddhism for mental health treatment. Experts might advise otherwise.”

25. Parkland shooting survivor Sydney Aiello takes her own life. In related heartbreaking news, Leaders react and take steps after second tragedy at Parkland and Sandy Hook Victim’s Father Dies in Apparent Suicide in Newtown on The New York Times. Please don’t give up. Please don’t give up. Please don’t give up. Please don’t. Please.

26. FL Senate gives right to grow veggies in the front yard a green thumbs up.

26. New Zealand reformed its gun laws less than a week after a mass shooting. (video) “This gun reform advocate is wondering why the U.S. hasn’t done the same.” Nobody is trying to “take your guns,” just the ones there is no reason to ever have unless you are planning to murder large numbers of people quickly.

27. Rick Steves Wants to Save the World, One Vacation at a Time.

28. A Virginia Police Officer Serving a Majority Minority High School Has Been Identified as a White Nationalist.

29. Ahead of C2E2, a look at Chicago’s new wealth of black female comic book talent.

30. 6 Reasons Why Introverts And Pets Are Perfect For Each Other. #6 is the story of my life.

31. If You Really Love LGBTQ People, You Just Can’t Keep Eating Chick-fil-A. Not sure why we have to keep repeating this, but there you go.

32. Peloton is being sued for using music without permission in its video fitness classes.

33. CBD-infused jelly beans are *finally* here. (video)

34. The shopping mall where everything is recycled.

35. ‘Lady Liberty’ Patricia Okoumou Will Not Go to Prison for July 4th Protest.

36. 12 Things People Do That Actually Mean ‘I’m a Highly Sensitive Person.’

37. The Referee Who Forced A Black Wrestler To Cut His Locs Is Suing For Emotional Distress. Nope. Just, no.

38. St. Louis Store Asks Whether New Zealand Mosque Shooting Was Tragic or ‘Fucking Great.’

39. The Trap House-Busting Vigilante of Pine Ridge Reservation. “After Julie ‘Mama Julz’ Richards’s own family was nearly destroyed by addiction, fighting back against meth became a personal crusade.”

40. This 60-year-old single father has adopted 7 boys, after growing up in a foster home himself. (video)

41. 5 Powerful Reality Checks For Survivors Of Narcissistic Abuse.

42. Roxane Gay on the importance of taking up space and being heard.

43. Auntie Maxine on Mueller Report: ‘This Is Not the End of Anything’.

44. ‘A State of Emergency’: Native Americans Stranded for Days by Flooding.

45. FAT!SO?, “FAT!SO? has been a ‘zine, a website, a book, and it’s always an attitude. This is the online version.”

46. 11 Books By Phenomenal Black Women That Should Be Required Reading For Everyone.

47. This 19-year-old delivery driver was tackled to the pavement and arrested by plainclothes police because he parked his scooter in the wrong place. (video)

48. Hundreds of businesses have bought these genius gender neutral bathroom signs. (video)

49. A rare Tengmalm’s owl is seen in Shetland, “in what is believed to be the first sighting in 100 years.”

1. Shrill, available streaming on Hulu. This show is SO GOOD. I loved the book it’s based on, Samantha Irby is one of the main writers for the show, and Aidy Bryant does an amazing job as the lead character. In related news, Aidy Bryant On ‘Shrill,’ ‘SNL’ Thrills, And Not Feeling Bad About Her Body, and Lindy West Talks “Shrill” On Hulu, Abortions On TV, And Fat Representation, and In ‘Shrill,’ Lindy West Made The Body Positive Show That She Never Had, and Big as Life: Hulu’s Shrill Upends Pop Culture’s Fat Narrative, and Hulu’s Shrill is a quietly tender portrayal of learning how to love yourself, and Filling A Plus-Size Fashion Void On ‘Shrill.’

2. WordSmith Deck, “WordSmith Cards were designed to put you back in control of your creativity. Now, inspiration strikes when you tell it to. Inside your deck are 100 prompts that will help you get something, anything down on that blank page. They’re also particularly useful for people who are new to journaling and want to build a habit of writing every day. Keep your WordSmith Cards on your desk or wherever you do most of your writing. When you’re stuck, draw a card, read the prompt and write the first thing that comes to your mind.”

3. Campaign Zero. “We can live in a world where the police don’t kill people by limiting police interventions, improving community interactions, and ensuring accountability.”

4. Meeting the Buddha, one of my favorite poems, by Craig van Rooyen.

5. Rainbow Yoga For All Ages, a fun sequence from Yoga with Adriene.

6. Why Entrepreneurship Might Be The Best Career Path For Introverts.

7. Take Refuge in Your Body, “When the storms of life hit, your body can be a place of refuge and healing. Cyndi Lee says it starts with making friends with your body.”

8. The Man-Made, Floating Islands of Lake Titicaca. “Lake Titicaca in Peru is a lagoon made up of approximately 70 man-made islands. The central island serves as a hub, home to over 500 residents. Living afloat isn’t for everyone, but the Uros, a small South American tribe, have created and maintained this unique lifestyle for many years. The platforms are made using dried reeds and can be moved away from the mainland at any time. Home to the old and the new worlds, Lake Titicaca is a floating paradise welcoming visitors from around the globe.”

9. Napping is actually really good for your health, science finds.

10. Court ruling: Trump administration must take responsibility for all children it separated. In related news, A Honduran Father Is Reunited With His Daughter, 10 Months After Being Separated.

11. Activist EXPLODING at Sacramento City Council “after they ordered riot police to attack non violent Black Lives Matter protestors after the acquittal of the police officers who shot Stephon Clark, an unarmed Black man.” (video)

12. White Shamans & Plastic Medicine Men [1996]. (video) “This award-winning documentary deals with the popularization and commercialization of Native American spiritual traditions by Non-Indians. Important questions are asked of those seeking to commercially exploit Tribal rituals and sacred ceremonies…and those vested with safeguarding sacred ways. The film represents a wide range of voices from Native communities, and speaks to issues of cultural appropriation with humour, righteous anger, and thoughtful insight.”

13. Son Shares Photo Of His Dad, Sad That No One Is Coming To His New Donut Shop, It Goes Viral And People Flood The Shop.

14. White Supremacist Podcaster Fired From Job As EMT In Virginia.

15. Kratu running agility at the UK Kennel Club. (video) I AM Kratu.

16. These Heartwarming Illustrations Show That Dogs Make The Best Roommates. I wish this artist would make an animated film, one specifically for introverts where nobody gets lost or hurt. It’d be the best.

17. The most cost-effective way to help the homeless is to give them homes.

18. Science proved you and your dog fall in love when you look in each other’s eyes.

19. Celebrity College Bribery Ring Draws Attention To Incarceration Of Black Parents For Lesser Crimes.

20. When Civility Is Used As A Cudgel Against People Of Color.

21. Basically Good. “His Holiness the Dalai Lama on good heart, awakened mind, the causes of happiness and other basic principles of Buddhism.”

22. Micro prairies: No yard is too small to go with earth-friendly native plants.

23. 47 Things I Wish Other People Knew About Me As An INFJ.

24. This veteran lost both his legs in Iraq but found a sense of peace through teaching yoga.

25. Netflix Cancelled “One Day At a Time” Because “Not Enough People Watched.” Yeah, cause nobody wants to watch TV with good writing and acting that deals with important topics and makes you laugh…

26. New Zealand mosque attacks and the scourge of white supremacy. “Shootings at Christchurch mosques are only the latest on a long list of acts of white supremacist terrorism in the West.” In related news, On this heartbreaking day, Waleed reflects and calls for unity, (video), and Christchurch mosque shooting: The faces of the victims, and Christchurch mosque shootings: Who were the victims?.

27. Family Claims Bodycam Footage Shows Slain Rapper Was Asleep When Cops Killed Him. In related news, Florida Cop Relieved of Duty After Video Emerges of Police Violently Arresting Black Woman Who Called for Help, and ‘My Trust Is Completely Broken’: Dyma Loving, Brutally Arrested After Calling Police for Help, Speaks Out.

28. High school coaches gave cheerleaders awards for their breast and butt size at a banquet with parents. (video)

29. It’s Okay Not To Talk To Toxic Parents.

30. How I Feel As a Native Woman When Trump Idolizes Andrew Jackson. “OG History is a Teen Vogue series where we unearth history not told through a white, cisheteropatriarchal lens. In this piece, Cherokee Nation citizen, scholar, and writer Adrienne Keene talks about how history, and Donald Trump, have been too kind to Andrew Jackson.”

31. Couple brings food to stranded drivers. (video) “After they made it home from a three hour traffic jam, this couple hiked back to the freeway the next morning to bring food and water to motorists who were still stranded.”

32. These 21 Things Stress Out Highly Sensitive People The Most. Just reading this list stresses me out.

33. 7-year-old boy rescues hundreds of dogs. (video)

34. Kids singing. (video) So good.

35. A coalition of giant brands is about to change how we shop forever, with a new zero-waste platform.

36. Dog discovers a clam. (video)

37. Dad creates interactive sheets for kids in hospitals. (video) “After visiting a friend’s child in the hospital, Kevin Gatlin was inspired to make interactive sheets to bring a little joy to sick children.”

38. My boyfriend Roman makes a smoothie. (video)