10 Newsy Things

I'll try to intersperse some light stuff but, let's face it, we're two weeks before the presidential election and one of those guys would actually be totally fine if, due to his policies, I died based on my income bracket and my possession of a vagina. I'm not sure how light I'm going to be able to be about that bullshit.

1. First up is a beloved bookstore here in New York. Due to a couple of simple snafus in a bad economy Books of Wonder, an institution in children's books, is in financial jeopardy. Here's their plea for help. This might be what everyone on my list gets for Christmas.

2. I'm sure you've seen this video clip. I waited until someone finally included a transcript and read that instead. It's a great comment on where the anti-GLBTQ movement is coming from. I'm worried that this clergyman is preaching solely to the choir, though.

3. There's been another outbreak of gun violence. Granted I was off Twitter at the time but even accounting for that there has been virtually no air time given to this. Oh, yeah, some guy just took a gun into a salon, killed his ex and her co-workers and then himself. It was only a few people. It was a domestic dispute. It doesn't change anything. Well, you're right there, it doesn't change anything, but it should.

4. It's breast cancer awareness month (I will not capitalize). I think everyone's pretty fucking aware at this point. Sometimes I downplay the breast cancer charities because I think they're overshadowing the ones for other kinds of cancers. Deb makes a good point in this post about her mom's death, though. It's another thing that needs fixing and until it gets fixed we can't simply go silent on it, or on lung cancer or pancreatic cancer or prostate cancer or anything else. The way we research cures is broken and our health care system may be moving toward a model where prevention isn't paid for. We cannot afford any of that, either financially or morally. Speak up every chance you get.

5. Aunt Snow went to this amazing library in Los Angeles. I absolutely want to go there next time I'm in LA. Can't wait.

6. Can you name the person that Christopher Columbus found when he arrived in America (without googling)? I couldn't. Shame on me.

7. Through Blogher I've gotten to know Wendi Aarons a little. She's one of the brilliant, funny voices over at Mouthy Housewives. Last week they got some press about their Twitter parody mashup of Vice Presidential candidate Paul Ryan and a Ryan Gosling meme. The parody is fabulous. The fact that someone, presumably from Ryan's ranks, actually accused them of impersonating him is...some combination of sad, horrifying, and fucking perfect.

8. Here's a map of where the 1% live. I don't know what to think of it but keep coming back to the idea that these tiny concentrations of folks have the ability to make or break a country founded on principles giving every citizen an equal voice.

9. Here is a quote that could have been written for me. I should be much stronger for all the weight I insist on carrying. (Hey, this one isn't light but at least it's not political, right?)

Just to prove I'm versatile I'm going to end us on a note that's both light and political. Watch me work this fucking magic!

10. My favorite comment on last night's presidential debate from a guy I went to high school with: "I'm worried Obama may have lost the Civil War Reenactors vote."

Thank you and good night.