Afternoon News Bytes: Feb. 17, 2012 | Sojourners

Afternoon News Bytes: Feb. 17, 2012

MOTHER JONES: What War On Religion?
If Obama is hell-bent on waging battle with religious institutions—as his critics allege—he sure has a funny way of showing it.
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THE NATION: America's Youth Uprising
The uprising of February 2011 made a single word, “Wisconsin,” not just the name of a state but the reference point for a renewal of labor militancy, mass protest and radical politics. But it did something else. It signaled that a new generation of young Americans would not just reject the lie of austerity.
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OXFAM INTERNATIONAL: Ending Poverty Need Not Be At The Expense Of The Environment
Ending poverty need put no additional stress on the planet’s natural resources, according to a new report published today by international agency Oxfam.
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THE NEW YORK TIMES: The Jeremy Lin Problem (OPINION)
Jeremy Lin is anomalous in all sorts of ways. He’s a Harvard grad in the N.B.A., an Asian-American man in professional sports. But we shouldn’t neglect the biggest anomaly. He’s a religious person in professional sports.
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THE HUFFINGTON POST: Globalization 2.0: Democracy's Coming Demise (OPINION)
As the U.S. presidential election shifts into high gear, this week Washington hosts China's Vice President Xi Jinping, heir apparent of the emergent super power.
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THE ATLANTIC: A Blueprint For A 21st Century Workforce
In his State of the Union address, President Obama spoke directly to the need to create more high-wage jobs. “I want to speak about how we move forward, and lay out a blueprint for an economy that’s built to last," he declared. "This blueprint begins with American manufacturing."
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THE ATLANTIC: This Is What Job Creation Really Looks Like
In Washington, tax-cut conservatives face off against stimulus-now liberals to raise employment. In the real world, party orthodoxy crumbles and working solutions defy easy categorization.
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CNN: Contraceptives, Religious Freedom: Are We In A New Culture War?
Welcome to the culture wars 2.0, where the front lines now are religious freedom and contraceptives. Abortion? Gay marriage? Those are so last year.
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THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: From Bad To Worse In Egypt
Egypt's military rulers have spent the last several months provoking U.S. and European ire with their crackdown on civil-society groups. Last week they managed to ratchet up the diplomatic crisis further, by preventing a British aid worker from leaving the country on the eve of a visit by Martin Depsey, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff.
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CNN (BELIEF BLOG): Very Religious Rate Higher On “Well Being” Scale
Very religious people rate higher – compared to the moderately religious and nonreligious – on a Gallup “well being” survey released Thursday.
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