links for 2011-06-13

"[T]he egalitarian spirit of the War of Independence and the Federation Movement expresses itself in a number of ways and serves as a catalyst for vengeance, permeating new ideas of liberalism that substituted monarchies, remaining on the surface as a negotiating and horizontal attitude (…) nevertheless, a closeted discrimination exists, dragging along through these years, always with a grudge that brings the injustice that makes up the redistribution of material wealth.

"Venezuelans of dark, brown and mottled skin (…) occupy the most remote places of the structural floorboard; social, economic and educational advancements reach them little by little…"

"'The Brazilian government is systematically ignoring warnings from the scientific community, organized civil society, environmentalists, river communities, indigenous peoples, the Public Ministry and human rights organizations,' said Roberta Amanajas, spokesperson for SDDH. 'With the issuance of the installation license, Brazil is now going over the heads of the Inter American Commission on Human Rights, which is the principal defender of human rights of the Americas. How can a country defend its positions on the strengthening of multilateral entities of consensus on human rights, when it itself is systematically violating them, as with the case of Belo Monte?'”

"Johannes Mehserle was sentenced to two years in prison for the involuntary manslaughter conviction, but California law gave him one day of good conduct credit for each of the 365 days he served behind bars, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Robert Perry said in a court order he signed last week. Mehserle, a Bay Area Rapid Transit police officer when the shooting occurred, said at the trial that he intended to draw and fire his Taser rather than his gun when he fatally wounded 22-year-old Oscar Grant on New Year's Day 2009."

"About two thirds of students graduating with four-year degrees recently did so with loans hanging over their heads, and their average bill comes in at a whopping $23,186, according to FinAid.org. Of those, Kantrowitz estimates that about half will still be repaying their loans in 20 years — the traditional student loan period. And for many, that may very well mean they won't be able to buy a home, save for retirement or fund the next generation's education."

"Forty years after the civil rights movement, our level of representation in many fields lags severely behind our percentage of the general population."

"It seems that when it comes to sci-fi, cultural experiences of the melanin-inclined are merely reserved for exotic backdrop (ahem, “Stargate”) and half-assed tokenization (ahem, the horrible Mandarin in “Firefly”). But fear not! I have scoured the cosmos and unearthed 10 fantasmic films, books, and records to transport you to the unreal—while still letting you keep it real. Keep in mind, this is no “Billy Dee in Star Wars” list—I’ve chosen stories by people of color and about people of color. So enjoy. This is for all the disappointed moviegoers who felt the title “Minority Report” was misleading."