inothernews:

Don’t you hate it when your product is used to murder people?

THIS IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF WHY WE NEED STRICTER GUN LAWS!!!

(via realworldnews)

faintfamiliarity:

sethriot:

queeraztlan:

He is currently the only one in jail for the attack.

The local news media is reporting him as going on a “stabbing rampage.”

This is the roommate of a dear friend of mine. I urge you please to read this and spread it far and wide.

it looks like the atlantablackcross site is down for bandwidth issues. go to http://letlukego.com/ for all the information you need.

oh okay.

(via realworldnews)

im lost..we all are.

(via eclectic69)

Reason/Rupe Poll results as reported by Emily Ekin in “Obama Leads Romney 52-45 In New Reason-Rupe Poll; In Three-Way Race Obama Leads Romney 49-42, Johnson Gets 6 Percent”

Relevant:

As Basilisc reported here on Tumblr:

Ezra Klein points to an intriguing polling result, above. Even though more people think they’re worse off today than four years ago, it’s also the case that more people think they’re better off because Obama won four years ago. In other words, a plurality thinks that, if McCain had won in 2008, they would be even worse off now. 

Not only are people’s ideas about whether/why they are/aren’t better off interesting, but so are the majority’s opinions on government influence, income inequality, and equality of opportunity as reported in the above quote. In all three cases, the majority favors the rhetoric we hear most often from the Republican side — and yet the same poll showed Obama with a seven point lead over Romney.

— Bonnie

(via election)

election:

whatiremembered:

Mitt Romney & Mitt Romney in brown face for Univision. Congratulations, you are now as racist as Peter Sellers. Next you should come out with a campaign ad on BET where you wear gold fronts and a fitted and rap in a perfect quarter note rhythm.

Wow, this actually happened. HuffPo reports: “One viewer pointed out on YouTube the difference in colour between his hands and his face, saying: ‘Only 47% of him is brown.’” Here’s another comparison photo:

Somebody got fired.

— Bonnie

(via gov)

(via realworldnews)

knowhomo:

LGBTQ* Insight, Education and Ally Conversations

From Oregon State

— Roommate Questions/Answers (You may want to pass this on to RAs in conversation)

Questions for Roomates

In the residence halls 
In a residence hall environment, we interact daily with a wide variety of people. Statistics have shown that at least 10% of the general population consider themselves to be lesbian or gay, and many more consider themselves to be bisexual. It is very likely that you will meet individuals who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) during your time at OSU. This page was developed to hopefully answer some of the questions you may have. Remember, you may ask these questions of your Residence Life staff as well.

Why do they flaunt their sexuality? 
“What people do in their own bedrooms is their own business, but I saw two guys walking across campus holding hands.”

One of the worst forms of oppression for a human being is to be denied emotional expression. Curiously, it is called “expressing love” when heterosexuals hold hands, but “flaunting” when LGBT people express their love. How would heterosexuals react if they could not hold hands, kiss, dance together, go to romantic dinners, or be married? LGBT people who are open with their affections are not trying to shock others, but are just doing what is natural to them and others.

What should I do if a friend tells me that he or she is gay? What does that say about me? 
Most LGBT people who “come out” would like the same sincere acceptance and encouragement you might want when you tell a friend something special about yourself. Because of many people’s “homophobic” attitude (fear and derision of same sex relationships), many gays are afraid of rejection from their friends. You might first honestly ask yourself how you feel about this news and then discuss it as a caring friend.

Some people who find out a close friend is LGBT wonder “What does that mean about me?” This is a natural reaction. What it probably means is that your friend trusts you very much. However, liking someone gay does not make you gay any more than liking someone smart makes you smart.

If my roommate “comes out” to me, does that mean that he or she thinks that I’m gay too? 
There is a big difference between “coming out” and “coming on.” As discussed above, most gay people who come out want to be accepted, not hassled. Sometimes a gay person might “come on” to you, tell you they are attracted to you, or want an intimate relationship with you. You can handle it in the same manner that you would handle a heterosexual approach. Gay love is as serious and legitimate as heterosexual love. Again, you should discuss it with your friend.

If I accept my LGBT roommate, will he or she bring in lots of LGBT friends and push me out? 
A formerly taboo subject will be out in the open. You may feel uncomfortable from a lack of experience dealing with gay people who are not “closeted.” The LGBT friends should respect non-LGBT people just as LGBT people expect to be respected. Visits by LGBT folks are a good opportunity to learn about this large and diverse segment of the population. However, be cautious about presuming that all your roommate’s friends are LGBT. His or her best friends may be straight.

Won’t my friends or parents think I’m gay if I have a gay roommate or friend or defend equal rights? 
Defending equal rights for gays is often a courageous stance to take. Some people may conclude that such a person has a vested interest to do so. It is up to you whether you feel that the people you are defending are worth the risk of occasional accusations or assumptions by others. Remember that a word from heterosexual friends and allies in defense or support of gay rights can go a long way to help change people’s minds.

Now that I know my roommate is gay, I don’t feel comfortable about nudity, dressing, showering, etc. 
More than likely, you have been living together long enough to trust each other. There is no reason for the trust to diminish now. Your roommate has been gay or lesbian all along! Bear in mind that gays are not always comfortable with non-gays, either. Gay people, just like straight people, are attracted to certain types of folks. Most gays and lesbians are not sexually interested in heterosexuals, just as the reverse is true.

anarcho-queer:

Walmart Heirs Have As Much Wealth As Bottom 40 Percent Of Americans Combined

Last year, Sylvia Allegretto, a labor economist at the Center on Wage and Employment Dynamics, found that as of 2007, the Walton family — heirs to the Walmart fortune — had a net worth equal to that of the bottom 30 percent of Americans. And due to the effects of the Great Recession that ratio has gotten substantially worse.

New Federal Reserve data analyzed by both Allegretto and Josn Bivens at the Economic Policy Institute shows that the Waltons now hold as much wealth as the bottom 40 percent of Americans combined:

Concretely, between 2007 and 2010, while median family wealth fell by 38.8 percent, the wealth of the Walton family members rose from $73.3 billion to $89.5 billion…In 2007, it was reported that the Walton family wealth was as large as the bottom 35 million families in the wealth distribution combined, or 30.5 percent of all American families.

And in 2010, as the Walton’s wealth has risen and most other Americans’ wealth declined, it is now the case that the Walton family wealth is as large as the bottom 48.8 million families in the wealth distribution (constituting 41.5 percent of all American families) combined.

Allegretto charted the change in wealth over the 2007-2010 period:

At the same time that the Waltons have amassed an ever larger fortune, Congress decided to cut the estate tax, a policy for which the Waltons have been pushing for years. And now that the estate tax cut is in place, conservatives are doing everything they can to ensure it doesn’t go away, allowing the Waltons to amass even larger amounts of wealth.

(via realworldnews)