1. Read the First Chapter of Harper Lee’s ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ Sequel
Happy Christmas in July! Read this excerpt of the much-anticipated Go Set a Watchman — due to be released on Tuesday. Or listen to the chapter, featuring narration by Reese Witherspoon, over at The Guardian.
2. Pope Apologizes for Catholic Church’s ‘Offenses’ Against Indigenous People
"I humbly ask forgiveness, not only for the offenses of the church herself, but also for crimes committed against the native peoples during the so-called conquest of America."
3. When Algorithms Discriminate
So there’s this, from the Upshot: "Research from the University of Washington found that a Google Images search for ‘C.E.O.’ produced 11 percent women, even though 27 percent of United States chief executives are women. (On a recent search, the first picture of a woman to appear, on the second page, was the C.E.O. Barbie doll.)"
"May you lead out of your identity as ones first and foremost loved by God, so you can give yourselves fully to God and others. If you get anything, please get this: your identity is not based on what you do, but who you are. All is grace, dear ones, and you are God’s beloved. As such, your mother and me will always love you, contend for you, pray for you, and stand with you no matter what choices you make or what you "do" or don’t do."
5. Two Christian Colleges to Offer Benefits to Same-Sex Spouses
Both Hope College in Holland, Mich., and Belmont University in Nashville are extending benefits after last month’s Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide.
6. U.S. Muslim Groups Launch Fundraiser to Help Rebuild Burned Black Churches
"To many, it is clear that these are attacks on black culture, black religion and black lives … It’s Ramadan, and we are experiencing firsthand the beauty and sanctity of our mosques during this holy month. All houses of worship are sanctuaries, a place where all should feel safe."
7. What Happens to Political Journalism When the Public Goes Straight to the Source?
A Pew Research poll shows that more and more Americans are using social media to get their information straight from politicians. Among registered voters 30-49, the number of people to do so more than tripled from 6 percent to 21 percent between 2010 and 2014. One of the main reasons people follow politicians? According to the survey, "the information they get via a politician’s social networking site is more reliable than what they get from traditional news organizations."
8. Minnesota’s Somali-Americans Urge New Treatment for Would-Be Terrorists
Deradicalizing young people swayed by terrorist messaging is a hot topic in Minnesota — specifically the Twin Cities, which harbors the largest population of Somali Americans in the United States — in light of a recent spate of plots connecting residents with Al Shabaab and ISIS. While three young men accused of plotting travel to Syria to flight for the Islamic State were ordered held in detention pending trial on Wednesday, some are arguing for releasing them back to their communities where they can be watched, encouraged, and deradicalized.
9. Number of Syrian Refugees Surpasses 4 Million Mark
"’This is the biggest refugee population from a single conflict in a generation. It is a population that needs the support of the world but is instead living in dire conditions and sinking deeper into poverty,’ U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres said in a statement."
10. A New Day Dawns
The flag has come down. And South Carolina newspaper The State devoted its front page to this poem by South Carolinia-born poet Nikki Finney. "We are not free to go on as if nothing happened yesterday, not free to cheer as if all our prayers have finally been answered today. We are free, only, to search the yonder of each other’s faces, as we pass by, tip our hat, hold a door ajar, asking silently who are we now?" Read the full text at the link.
Screenshot of 'A New Day Dawns'/The State, July 10, 2015
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