[links] Link salad thinks about life

seanan_mcguire on poverty and books — This is important. Me, I didn’t grow up wealthy, but I certainly did not grow up in poverty either. Middle class white family with some unusual accretions of privilege due to my parents’ career choices. And I went to high school with some of the wealthiest people in the United States, on scholarship. As a result, in my life experience my exposure to wealth and privilege is much broader than my exposure to poverty and need. I certainly live perfectly well now, if still not wealthy by my own lights. So this is all the more important for people like me to read and try to understand.

On Refusing to Straighten Up — Julia Rios at Outer Alliance with a lot more on GLTBQ YA fiction issues, as a followup to recent events.

‘Tatooine’ Alien Planets Should Be Common, Scientists Say

Fingertip Microscope Can Peek Inside a Moving Animal — Think about that headline for a minute.

Eel removed from man’s bladder after entering penis during beauty spa — Gah!

Today I Opened My Last Unemployment Check — After 30 months of unemployment, 400 applications, and only three in-person interviews, I stood looking at my last unemployment benefit without a job in sight. I’ve been in this position, during the Bush recession when the bubble burst. I wish the Republicans in congress and their vicious voting base had the empathy and imagination to understand what it means to be unemployed. We might have a very different country even now.

The Ten Happiest Jobs

Free to Die — Paul Krugman on the conservative movement’s bone-deep lack of compassion.

“Let Him Die” — A debate question exposes the incoherence—and cowardice—of the Republican candidates’ opposition to Obamacare. — More on appalling conservative ‘thought’.

Republican Candidates Answer the Question: ‘Do You Really Believe That?’ — An open appeal to the candidates. Do you really believe that it’s appropriate to just let them die? As for my conservative friends, are you still proud of your Republican party?

Rick Perry, Accidental Civics Teacher — The Texas governor might be bad for the GOP and bad for Democrats. But the media relies on his brand of hyperbole to have any sort of public policy debate.

?otD: Have you been poor?

9/17/2011
Writing time yesterday: 2.0 hours (revisions to Kalimpura)
Body movement: 30 minute stationary bike ride
Hours slept: 9.5 hours (interrupted)
Weight: 221.4
Currently reading: Inversions by Iain M. Banks

Originally published at jlake.com. You can comment here or there.