chumble spuzz

This is an interesting state-by-state look at gay rights laws in the United States from the Guardian. The regional breakdown is nice, and I like the way you can read a state’s general stance on gay rights at a glance once you understand the legend.

I was surprised by two things:

1) At least in terms of the rights analyzed in this graphic, Iowa’s as gay-friendly as any state in the country. I would not have guessed that.

2) Michigan stands alongside Mississippi and Utah as the only states to a) not have laws on the books for any of the listed permissions or protections and to b) specifically prohibit both marriage and adoption by same-sex couples.

Gay rights in the US, state by state

Gay rights laws in America have evolved to allow — but in some cases ban — rights for gay, lesbian and transgender people on a range of issues, including marriage, hospital visitation, adoption, housing, employment and school bullying. The handling of gay rights issues vary by state and follow trends by region.

(via guardian.co.uk)

2 women share 1st kiss at US Navy ship’s return

Petty Officer 2nd Class Marissa Gaeta, left, kisses her girlfriend of two years, Petty Officer 3rd Class Citlalic Snell, at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek in Virginia Beach on Wednesday, Dec. 22. It’s a tradition at Navy homecomings that one sailor is chosen by raffle to be first off the ship to kiss a loved one. Wednesday, for the first time, the reunited couple was same-sex.

(photo by Brian Clark / Courtesy of The Virginian-Pilot via msnbc.com)

Interesting report from the Life, Inc. blog about Americans living on $50,000 a year - which is the national household median income as reported by the Census Bureau.

This week, they’ll be profiling people from across the country whose annual household income is about $50,000.

We are the median: Living on $50,000 a year

Does $50,000 a year seem like plenty to live on, or not nearly enough?

If you said somewhere in between, that makes sense because $49,445 is the national household median income, meaning about half of all households live on more than that and half on less. The figure, based on 2010 calculations, was reported in September by the Census Bureau as part of an extensive report on income and poverty…

…Many of the readers who wrote to us say that on $50,000 a year they can put food on the table, pay for necessities and even splurge occasionally on a dinner out or a game for the family.

But others told us they have to watch their budgets closely and occasionally make sacrifices to get the bills paid.

“It’s not poverty. We don’t miss meals and we make MOST of our bills. However, we live paycheck to paycheck, and we carry debt,” wrote Brett Jones, 37, who lives with his partner in Texas.

(photo of Nathan Palmer, left, and Brett Jones at their home in Victoria, Texas, by Eric Kayne via Life Inc.)

Awesome moment between a mom and her daughter. I love this picture.

Fond farewell

Amber Simpkins and her daughter Elezia Simpkins rub noses during a farewell ceremony in Gulfport, Miss., on Sept. 18. Approximately 140 Mississippi Army National Guard soldiers are mobilizing for one year to Kuwait to support the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan. Detachments of the 1108th will serve in Iraq, Saudi Arabia and the Horn of Africa.

(photo by Tim Isbell / The Sun Herald / AP via The Week in Pictures - msnbc.com)

Nice to see the President of the United States highlight these steps as an accomplishment. Click here for a link to the full PDF version of the graphic.

Progress for the LGBT community

From hosting the first White House LGBT pride reception in 2009 to declaring the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional this February, here’s a timeline of steps President Obama has taken for LGBT equality since taking office.

(via BarackObama.com)

A really beautiful moment full of joy and love.

Military dad gives his son a surprise visit

Canton, Ill., High School graduate Wayne Decker, a specialist with the U.S. Army’s 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry, lifts his one-year old son Ethan after he surprised his children on a return to Peoria, Ill. on June 29, after a deployment in Iraq.

(photo by Ron Johnson / Peoria Journal Star via AP via PhotoBlog)

SPENT is a game from the Urban Ministries of Durham that takes you through a virtual month in the life of an unemployed American and forces you to make tough decisions to help your family survive. It’s probably the most depressing game I’ve ever played. I finished the month with $12 left and felt like a champion. Every choice is difficult and there’s no right or wrong answer in the conventional sense.

Over 14 million Americans are unemployed. Now imagine you’re one of them. Your savings are gone. You’ve lost your house. You’re down to your last $1,000. Can you make it through the month?

About UMD:

UMD distinguishes itself from other organizations that care for Durham’s homeless and indigent population by serving as a comprehensive service provider of food, shelter, clothing and supportive services for over 6,000 men, women and children annually. We offer an inclusive acceptance policy, welcoming clients with mental illnesses, active addictions and those seeking outside employment.

Learn more about UMD here: http://www.umdurham.org/

Guitar playing in southern Afghanistan

Private First Class Benjamin Brickman, from Albany, New York, of the First Battalion Eighth Marines, Alpha Company, is reflected in a cracked and discarded vehicle wing mirror as he practices on a guitar at an outpost in Kunjak, southern Afghanistan’s Helmand province, Feb. 16 (Finbarr O’reilly / Reuters).

(via Photoblog)