July 2011
“Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters...”
– Kahlil Gibran (via undercoverxxluv)
“Those of us who stand outside the circle of this society’s definition of...”
– Audre Lorde (via thepoliticalnotebook)
9 Mindfulness Rituals
dirtcrumbgoddess:
Ritual isn’t about doing a routine mindlessly. It’s a way of building something good into your life, so that you don’t forget what’s important. Done mindfully, a ritual can remind you to be conscious. Done mindlessly, a ritual is meaningless.
1. Sit in the morning. When you wake up, in the quiet of the morning, perhaps as your coffee is brewing, get a small cushion and sit on...
“My illness helped me to see that what was missing in society is what was missing...”
– Lee Atwater (February 27, 1951 – March 29, 1991) American political consultant and strategist to the Republican Party who, after being diagnosed with a brain tumor in 1990, issued apologies in the form of public and personal letters to people he opposed. (via keepsdiary)
Nursing Homes Seek Exemption From Employee... →
sundownsocialwork:
Many nursing homes do not provide health insurance for their employees and are lobbying for an exemption to the new health care law, which would require them to do so, The Times reports this morning.
The numbers are stark. Among workers who provide hands-on care to nursing home residents, one in four has no health insurance. Among those who provide care to people living at...
“As a result of this audit, we now know that the Federal Reserve provided more...”
– Sen. Bernie Sanders, on the report from the first-ever audit of the Federal Reserve. (via cognitivedissonance)
Hyatt Apologizes for Using Heat Lamps on Striking... →
jonathan-cunningham:
Hyatt apologized Friday morning for an incident in which heat lamps were turned on above workers on strike at the Park Hyatt Chicago hotel Thursday, saying a manager is responsible for the controversial move. Hotel workers on strike were taken by surprise Thursday morning when 10 heat lamps hanging above their picket line flipped on and stayed on for what they claim was...
“The next time you hear we must force America’s retired, aged, poor, sick and...”
– While Social Security is Under Attack, Billions are Lost in Afghanistan (via azspot)
WHJI Statement Condemning Drug Testing of Welfare...
fuckyeahfeminists:
Criminalizing Policies: Stereotypes, Myths, & Regulating the Lives of Poor Women
July 2011
Since the beginning of the year, we have witnessed a surge of legislative attacks targeting poor communities through bills calling for mandatory drug testing as an eligibility requirement to receive federal aid under the Temporary Assistance for...
“Every year since 1996, the Army has spent more than $1 billion annually on...”
– (via govtoversight)
Condolence letter for families of troops who... →
sundownsocialwork:
WASHINGTON - Acknowledging the mental strains wrought by America’s decade at war, the Pentagon and White House said Wednesday they will now begin sending condolence letters to families of troops who commit suicide in a combat zone.
The policy shift brings a bit of consistency to the long-standing practice of top U.S. leaders recognizing the service of those who died while...
“You know—just a thought. Jobs. Let me say it again—jobs. That’s what the people...”
– Madness and Politics (via azspot)
The term "check your privilege:"
dionthesocialist:
That doesn’t mean, “Your argument is automatically invalid because you’re white/male/able-bodied/whatever.”
It means, “There’s an aspect to this argument you are incapable of understand because you are white/male/able-bodied/whatever, and you should accept that and review your argument with that in mind.”
Minimum Wage Machine
ablossoms:
The minimum wage machine allows anybody to work for minimum wage. Turning the crank will yield one penny every 5.04 seconds, for $7.15 an hour (NY state minimum wage). If the participant stops turning the crank, they stop receiving money.
“One of the most characteristic and ubiquitous features of the world as...”
– from Oppression, by Marylin Frye (via revolutionnow)
First Openly Gay Federal Judge Confirmed
liberalsarecool:
Dana Milbank: “The remarkable thing about what happened on the Senate floor Monday night was that it was utterly unremarkable. The matter under consideration – the nomination of the first openly gay man to serve on the federal bench – would at one time have been a flashpoint in the culture wars.
But Paul Oetken was confirmed without a word of objection on the Senate floor and...
“The notion that we take something as broad as education and reduce it to a...”
– Dan Ariely (via azspot)
“When you teach adults and children sex-negative messages, sex becomes an...”
– Sex-Negative Education and the Spectre of Rape « Sex Positive Activism (via petitefeministe)
“For within living structures defined by profit, by linear power, by...”
– from Poetry Is Not a Luxury, by Audre Lorde (via revolutionnow)
child runs onto road, BLACK mother convicted of... →
fuckyeahfeminists:
The story of Raquel Nelson, an Atlanta woman who witnessed her four year old son killed by a drunk driver and was subsequently convicted of vehicular manslaughter is the ‘Outrage of the week’ over at Lenore Skenazy’s blog Free Range Kids. And, frankly, what I feel about it is a shit-ton of outrage.
…What isn’t mentioned in Skenazy’s account (although a link to this piece by...
“What I think the political correctness debate is really about is the power to be...”
– Toni Morrison (via restoried)
California Dream Act Lite
by Brian Leubitz
With the Legislature in recess, the days until August 15, when the Legislature comes back and the redistricting commission is due to return its final maps, are focused on looking at the Governor’s signings and vetoes. And, of course, lots of dog and pony shows for the media, as Legislators attempt to get some attention for their legislation.
One item that is of...
“Unexpressed emotions will never die. They are buried alive and will come forth...”
– Sigmund Freud (via thirdw0rld)
70% OF ANTI-LGBT MURDER VICTIMS ARE PEOPLE OF... →
sistahmamaqueen:
content warning: stories of injustice, violence, hate, and poc/trans/queer death
“It is not enough to say ‘We must not wage war.’ It is necessary to love peace...”
– Martin Luther King Jr. (via azspot)
Black men survive longer in prison than out: study... →
kameelahwrites:
(Reuters Health) - Black men are half as likely to die at any given time if they’re in prison than if they aren’t, suggests a new study of North Carolina inmates.
The black prisoners seemed to be especially protected against alcohol- and drug-related deaths, as well as lethal accidents and certain chronic diseases.
But that pattern didn’t hold for white men, who on the...
“Immigration is not just black and white, fueled by immigrants’ search of money...”
– Kemi Bello, Co-founder of DreamActivist, invoking the narratives of neo-liberalism and colonialism into current discourse of immigration to America, Running for Justice: The Story of the Mathe Family (via queerdesi)
Food Privilege Deniers Challenge
charlie-tango:
Think that poor people are just lazy? That maybe if they would just get something other than fried chicken for dinner they wouldn’t be so fat? Then boy do I have a challenge for you!
For a week:
You must walk or take public transportation for a week. What? Your town doesn’t have public transportation? HAHA, you lose and must walk EVERYWHERE!
If you work at an office job,...
“While grief is fresh, every attempt to divert only irritates. You must wait till...”
– Samuel Johnson (via brandicesays)
Hidden Beneficiaries of Federal Programs (link to... →
classragespeaks:
This post discusses an earlier post at the blog boingboing, regarding the strange fact that many people surveyed who answered “no” to the question of whether they had ever used or participated in a US government program actually had, but apparently didn’t think of it as such.
Mettler first asked survey participants whether they had ever used a federal U.S. government program....
