Week(end) in Review

In this U.S.-centric edition of the Week(end) in Review: I celebrate our nation's independence by breaking bread with the enemy, women take a net loss on equality (but work so hard!), and the World Cup ends in thrilling, albeit violent, fashion.

And I Gladly Stand Up. I'm actually not that big a fan of the 4th of July. In fact, my most vivid 4th memories involve failed attempts at chasing down candy thrown from local parade floats. I hated those bastards for not throwing candy my way. Seriously. I am, however, a fan of grilling, drinking, and telling innocent Brit's to "eat it!" when it comes to U.S. independence. And these, my friends, were the driving forces behind hosting a 4th of July barbecue this week. Another American colleague and I invited 30 of our closest friends (what's your name again?) over to enjoy a classic 4th party, starring a wobbly Argos grill, a bathtub of beers, and even vintage sparklers. Only 3rd degree burns and the requisite trip to the ER were missing from the equation.

A Room of One's Own? It's been a confusing week for you women readers, hasn't it? First, you try to make sense of the All England Club pay scale, taking solace in the fact that only you can get away with weird isht like this on the tennis court. Now a few national studies, as well as statistics from the Department of MisEducation (NY Times article here), laud your increased prominence and strong performance on American college campuses. According to these studies, you're more likely to earn bachelor degrees than your male counterparts and wind up committing much more time to your studies overall. Unfortunately, while you're slaving away in the Grad Library stacks trying to make the grade, the dudes in your class are out socializing, trading firm handshakes, and practicing their signatures for when they sign your, oh I don't know, discounted Wimbledon checks perhaps. But at least we're not an oppressed British colony anymore, right?

So Doesn't This Mean...? Alright math nerds. Italy beat France 5-3 on penalties tonight to win the World Cup, shortly after French über Captain Zinedine Zidane received a red card for trying to score a header goal against Marco Materazzi's chest. There has to be a way our U.S. team can pose as internationally relevant given our group stage draw with the Italians, right? Simple transitive relationship mapping should do the trick...