“What If Black Women Were White Women?” and other links…
Shadow And Act: “White female features would be declared violent. Their ‘jagged’ thin lips, ‘knife sharp’ noses, and ‘harsh’ jaw lines would be nature’s way of expressing why men have a natural preference for the soft features of black women. Soft lips, soft cheekbones, and soft, round noses would be proof of natural femininity. Full, pink lips and large, dark eyes would become associated with virginal black girls whose purity must not be compromised. Black female features would thus be said to represent youth. …Straight, blond hair would be considered ‘wild and unruly’ because when the wind blew, it did not stay in place. Women with naturally straight hair would hide their ‘unruly’ and ‘wild’ stick-straight hair in public. The desire for ‘lightweight hair’ that defied gravity would permanently end the use of blow dryers. Keeping one’s natural blond hair wild and straight would become indicative of a political statement.”
“Victims of Foreclosure Check In to Shelters”
NYTimes.com: “Most people who become homeless because of foreclosure had been low-income renters whose landlords stopped making their mortgage payments, leaving them scrambling for new housing with little notice and scant savings, according to the survey and interviews with shelters. …But in recent months, there has been a visible increase in the number of former homeowners showing up in shelters. Like Ms. West, most have landed there after months trying to stave off that fate.”
“Your real tax rate: 40%”
MSN Money: “As a consequence, a 30-year-old couple earning only $20,000 a year has a marginal tax rate of 42.5%, while a 45-year-old couple earning $500,000 pays at 43.2%. There are some exceptions: A 30-year-old couple earning $50,000 a year, for instance, pays 24.4%, and a 60-year-old couple making $150,000 a year faces a tax rate of 47.7%.”