Afternoon News Bytes: Feb. 1, 2012 | Sojourners

Afternoon News Bytes: Feb. 1, 2012

THE HUFFINGTON POST: Searching For The Common Good In Political Discourse
In a political campaign among contenders for the Republican presidential nomination, it is striking that one central Christian religious theme seems absent: the theme of the common good.
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THE NEW YORK TIMES: Afghans Fear Downturn As Foreigners Withdraw
The anticipated withdrawal of most international forces is still two years away, but already Afghans who have depended on the decade-old foreign presence for their livelihoods are feeling tremors as the first troops leave and spending and aid money dries up. Many fear that the rumblings could be a harbinger of far worse things to come.
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REAL CLEAR POLITICS: Romney: "I'm Not Concerned About The Very Poor"
“My campaign -- you can choose where to focus. You can focus on the rich. That's not my focus. You can focus on the very poor. That's not my focus. My focus is on middle income Americans, retirees living on Social Security, people who can't find work, folks that have kids that are getting ready to go to college.”
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CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE: Reducing Poverty Will Help Bring About The Kingdom Of God, Bishop Says
While Jesus said we will "always have the poor" with us, "if each of us stops on his or her own journey to help a neighbor in need, the kingdom of God will come closer to realization each day," said Bishop George V. Murry of Youngstown, Ohio, in a pastoral letter on poverty.
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SLATE: Introducing The Ifactory
Apple reinvented gadgets. Now it should reinvent how gadgets are manufactured. CEO Tim Cook should launch a long-term plan to completely remake Chinese contract manufacturing—a plan that improves factory conditions, raises wages, and, over the long run, reduces the number of workers needed to make electronics. He should do so publicly, telling the world exactly what’s wrong with how we make gadgets now, and how Apple plans to fix the system.
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THE HUFFINGTON POST: Get Off Our Butts! (OPINION)
When we were kids, my mother -- Eunice Kennedy Shriver -- asked my siblings and me the same question at the end of every day: "What did you do to make the world a better place today?" It's a question to which I usually didn't have an answer. But, reflecting back, she wasn't really looking for one. It was a question that answered itself.
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THINK PORGRESS: Saudi Oil Minister Calls Global Warming “Humanity’s Most Pressing Concern”
In a speech at the Middle East and North Africa energy conference in London yesterday, Al-Naimi — who once called renewable energy a “nightmare” — hailed energy efficiency and solar as important investments, global warming “real” and “pressing,” and explained that drilling for oil “does not create many jobs.”
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CNN (BELIEF BLOG): Linebacker’s Faith Pulls Him Through Tough Spot
Gary Brackett's life reads like a movie. He was a walk on at Rutgers University; yet by his senior year he was named defensive captain and won the team's defensive MVP honors.
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THE HUFFINGTON POST: National Prayer Breakfast Gets A Rival: The People's Prayer Breakfast
Every February, the National Prayer Breakfast brings thousands of dignitaries, diplomats, politicians and clergy to Washington, D.C., for one of the most high-profile and exclusive networking events in the country for power-brokers and the faithful.
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