In the News

Here is some stuff in the news today...

[Content Note: Anti-immigrationism; misogyny; hunger strike] What the fuck are we even doing? "About 500 women at the T.Don Hutto Detention Center in Liberty, Texas have undertaken a hunger strike to protest their treatment and to advocate for their release. 'There are grave injustices being committed—detentions spanning eight months, 10 months, a year, a year and a half,' Magdrola, a detainee from Guatemala, wrote in a letter. 'In the end, we are being told we have no rights and will be deported, with offensive words and gestures that make us feel worthless.' The protesters at T.Don Hutto join other hunger striking immigrants at two other detention centers in El Paso, Texas and LaSalle, Louisiana. Some at T.Don Hutto say they are 'dying of desperation.'"

The full text of the Trans Pacific Partnership trade deal has been released, and here is a decent primer on the TPP.

[CN: Misogyny] "Women in the United States are paid less for equal work than men in all industries and a new report released on Thursday showed the widest discrepancy in wages is between married men and women with children. Fathers earned the highest overall median salaries at about $67,900, compared to $46,800 for married mothers, and single women with children had the lowest median salary at $38,200. ...While men's salaries kept increasing until the age of 50 to 55, reaching a median salary of $75,000, the report showed women's wages hit a plateau between 35 to 40 years old at about $49,000. The gender pay gap widened further as the job level increased with male executives earning many times more than their female counterparts." And, as always, thin white straight able-bodied cis women on average fare much better than women who do not have those privileges.

[CN: Self-harm; racism] Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has no comment on the column he wrote in September, using the death of Illinois police officer Charles Gliniewicz to attack President Obama and "anti-police rhetoric," after it was revealed that Gliniewicz was an embezzler who killed himself and blamed a black man. Yeah. I'll bet he doesn't have a comment. I got a few comments for him, though. Asshole.

[CN: Homophobia] WHUT: "Congressman Louie Gohmert (R-TX) has repeated his calls for a test to prove his theory that homosexual relationships are unnatural and rolled it out again in a convocation speech last week at Liberty University. Said Gohmert: 'Let's just take a totally secular approach to this. Congress is good about having studies; how about if we take four heterosexual couples and put them on an island where they have everything they need to live and exist and we take four couples of just men and put them on an island where they have all they need to survive and then let's take four couples of just women and put them on an island and then let's come back in 100 years and see which one nature favors.'" Because making babies is the only point of human existence.

[CN: Video may autoplay at link] This is my favorite headline about Ben Carson's ridiculous "the pyramids were grain silos" theory: "Ben Carson's unusual theory about pyramids." Hahahaha! Yes, it certainly is "unusual." So polite, CBS!

In case you haven't heard Carson's "unusual" theory, here it is: "My own personal theory is that Joseph built the pyramids to store grain. Now all the archeologists think that they were made for the pharaohs' graves. But, you know, it would have to be something awfully big if you stop and think about it. And I don't think it'd just disappear over the course of time to store that much grain. ...[W]hen you look at the way that the pyramids are made, with many chambers that are hermetically sealed, they'd have to be that way for various reasons. And various of scientists have said, 'Well, you know there were alien beings that came down and they have special knowledge and that's how—' you know, it doesn't require an alien being when God is with you."

If that hasn't convinced you that Ben Carson should be the next US president, maybe this will! "Called 'Freedom,' the 60-second rap by the rapper Aspiring Mogul contains bits of Carson speaking throughout. 'Heal (vote, vote)/ Inspire (vote, vote) / Revive (vote, vote)/ Ben Carson 2016, vote and support Ben Carson, for our next president, it'd be awesome,' Aspiring Mogul raps."

[CN: Anti-immigrationism; racism; video may autoplay at link] Here are gold toilet aficionado Donald Trump's first ads! They are exactly as terrible as you would expect!

Here is everything you need to know about Marco Rubio's credit card scandal. This is one of many reasons Rubio should not be president!

Six photographers were told different backstories about their subject, and they took six very different portraits of him. Part of that is just down to different photographers having different styles, of course, but it's also an interesting look at how the narratives of photographs are shaped in meaningful ways by the people who take them.

And finally! This dog is VERY EXCITED to be watching his favorite movie, Bolt. LOL!