Afternoon News Bytes: March 21, 2012 | Sojourners

Afternoon News Bytes: March 21, 2012

CNN: Obama To Fast Track Southern Half Of Keystone XL Pipeline
President Barack Obama plans to announce in Cushing, Oklahoma Thursday that his administration will expedite the permit for the southern half of the Keystone XL pipeline, a source familiar with the president's announcement tells CNN.
Learn more HERE

POLITICO: 'Global Warming' Gets A Rebranding
There’s been a change in climate for Washington’s greenhouse gang, and they’ve come to this conclusion: To win, they have to talk about other topics, like gas prices and kids choking on pollutants.
Learn more HERE

CHICAGO TRIBUNE/REUTERS: DR Congo Forces Killed At Least 33 During Polls-UN
Security forces loyal to Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila were responsible for abuses and killings which left at least 33 people dead in the capital Kinshasa during last year's elections, a United Nations report accused on Tuesday.
Learn more HERE

MOTHER JONES: Is Walmart Really Going Organic And Local?
I live on an organic farm in North Carolina, so I don't spend much time roaming my local Walmart looking for produce. But on a recent trip to Austin, Texas, I decided to stop by a busy supercenter to see how the company was going about its well-publicized push to sell more local and organic food.
Learn more HERE

THE ATLANTIC: The Occupiers: A Liberal And A Radical Struggle For The Soul Of A Movement
Last fall, Daniel Murphy and Ben Zucker devoted themselves to Occupy Wall Street for very different reasons. Today, they represent two forces that threaten to pull the group apart.
Learn more HERE

THE HUFFINGTON POST: Makers, Takers and $2-a-Dayers
The number of U.S. households living on less than $2 per person per day -- which the study terms "extreme poverty" -- more than doubled between 1996 and 2011, from 636,000 to 1.46 million, the study finds... The number of children in extremely poor households also doubled, from 1.4 million to 2.8 million.
Learn more HERE

CNN: New Jersey Church 'Safe Haven' For Indonesian Immigrant
A bed, space heater and a place to put his clothes are all Saul Timisela has in a room he calls home. But his new refuge inside New Jersey’s Reformed Church of Highland Park is the only thing that stands between him and deportation.
Learn more HERE

BBC: Somalia's National Theatre Reopens In Mogadishu
Somalia's national theatre has reopened in Mogadishu, more than 20 years after it last shut its doors. The event was marked with the showing of a local play, traditional music and comedy performances for an audience of around 1,000 people.
Learn more HERE

THE HUFFINGTON POST: Keeping The Focus On Children In A Tough Economy (OPINION)
Sometimes people ask me what kind of work I would have done if I had not become a Salvation Army officer. I have been a Salvation Army officer for almost 41 years, and I truly relish how I am able to work for the Lord in this way. But if things had been different, I might have enjoyed being a teacher.
Learn more HERE

THE HUFFINGTON POST: Who Pays The Bill For Wall Street's Mess? (OPINION)
Yesterday, House Republicans rolled out their budget plan in the Washington version of a Hollywood movie opening. There was a star turn for Budget Chair Paul Ryan at a conservative think tank. Gaseous rhetoric -- "liberties endangered, time to choose" --- fouled the air. There were dueling videos, and furious salvos of partisan messaging. And a backup document - the Path to Prosperity - festooned with tables for wonks to wallow in.
Learn more HERE

CNN: Does Florida Law Let Killers Go Free?
Trayvon Martin went out to buy some Skittles -- and was shot dead before he made it home. The case is horrifying, maddening, grotesque. And -- perhaps worst of all -- there may be nothing Florida law enforcement can do about it.
Learn more HERE

for more info