In the News

Here is some stuff in the news today...

[Check-In: Is everyone still enjoying/valuing the In the News feature? Let me know in comments if it's a feature you appreciate. To be abundantly clear: I'm not looking for reasons to not do it! Nor am I seeking praise for doing it. I'm just taking the temperature, to make sure it's still something the community values and thus a good investment of my time, or whether I need to redirect that energy. Thanks!]

[Content Note: Discussion of white supremacy] Here is the brilliant Imani Gandy on talking to white women about white privilege: "The Funny Thing About Privilege."

[CN: Privilege] Because we always need "objective evidence" of marginalized people's lived experiences, since Maude forbid we allow marginalized people to be authorities on their own lives: "Research Shows White Privilege Is Real." THANK YOU, RESEARCH.

[CN: War on agency] As reproductive rights advocates have been saying for many years, a central feature of anti-choicers "chipping away at Roe" strategy is to create enough delays that the cost of abortion becomes prohibitive: "According to researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, more than 4,000 women were denied abortions in 2008 because they were past the gestational limit—largely because it took them too long to try to save up the money for it. Nearly six in ten participants said they couldn't get an abortion earlier because of travel and procedure costs."

In a truly amazing (and awesome) turn of events, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel was forced into a runoff election by challenger Chuy Garcia: "It's the first time Chicago has had a runoff campaign for mayor, which is what happens when none of the candidates eclipses the 50 percent benchmark in round one. With 98 percent of the city's precincts counted, unofficial results showed Emanuel with 45.4 percent and Cook County commissioner Garcia at 33.9 percent. ...Garcia sought to keep the pressure on by portraying himself as the populist progressive and attacking the mayor as a puppet of the large corporations and special interests he said filled Emanuel’s massive campaign fund. Garcia gleefully continued to embrace his role as Chicago’s underdog. 'Nobody thought we'd be here tonight. They wrote us off. They said we didn't have a chance. They said we didn't have any money while they spent millions attacking us,' Garcia said. 'Well, well, we're still standing. We're still running, and we're gonna win.'" I HOPE SO!!!

A new poll finds that "under-30s are noticeably less likely than their elders to say that they love America. 93% of over-65s and 90% of people aged 45 to 64 say that they love America, but only 71% of under-30s also say that they love America." Maybe that's because the older generations benefitted from the New Deal, and then turned around and gave the younger generations the Shit Deal. Just a theory!

[CN: Climate change] Oh fuck: "Sea levels along the northeast coast of the US rose by record levels during 2009-2010, a study has found. Sea levels north of New York City rose by 128mm in two years, according to a report in the journal, Nature Communications. Coastal areas will need to prepare for short term and extreme sea level events, say US scientists."

The South Suburban Humane Society of Illinois has an amazing volunteer named Sandy Barnett: "When the door opens to one of the cat rooms, and all the residents see Sandy Barnett, they flock to her. They know that her pockets hold tasty treats, her bag has soothing brushes, and her lap is warmth and love. But it's Sandy's notebook that says it all: Each day she volunteers, Sandy keeps careful track of each cat, and takes note of their likes and dislikes, and each cat's personality. She shares these notes with potential adopters, and helps perfect each cat adoption, and to help socialize frightened felines." Sandy's volunteer work has been nominated as South Suburban's Cat Shelter Volunteer of the Year, and if she wins, the shelter will win a much-needed $25k for a shelter makeover. Vote for Sandy here.

And finally! Here is just a great video of a bulldog puppy running around in the snow and getting all tuckered out. Aww!