Why are white people expats when the rest of us are immigrants?

Why are white people expats when the rest of us are immigrants? (The Guardian, 13 March 2015)

Excerpts:

What is an expat? And who is an expat? According to Wikipedia, “an expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country other than that of the person’s upbringing. The word comes from the Latin terms ex (‘out of’) and patria (‘country, fatherland’)”.

Defined that way, you should expect that any person going to work outside of his or her country for a period of time would be an expat, regardless of his skin colour or country. But that is not the case in reality; expat is a term reserved exclusively for western white people going to work abroad.

Africans are immigrants. Arabs are immigrants. Asians are immigrants. However, Europeans are expats because they can’t be at the same level as other ethnicities. They are superior. Immigrants is a term set aside for ‘inferior races’.

Link: Why are white people expats when the rest of us are immigrants?

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The Woman who Ruled the Papacy

The Woman who Ruled the Papacy (Medievalists.net, 9 March 2015)

Excerpts:

Born between 890 and 892, she was the daughter of the Roman consul Theophylact, Count of Tusculum, and of Theodora, a senatrix and serenissima vestaratrix of Rome. This couple had risen to dominate Roman politics, and made their share of enemies. One of them was Liudprand of Cremona, a diplomat and historian. He called Theodora a “shameles harlot…whose very mention is most foul, was holding the monarchy of the city of Rome, and not in an unmanly way.”

When Sergius III became Pope in 904 Theophylact and Theodora made sure that their teenage daughter was introduced to the Pontiff – soon Sergius and Marozia were lovers, until she became pregnant and bore him a son named John. For the Pope to have any children was a serious embarrassment, but it probably gave the House of Theophylact political leverage. Meanwhile Marozia was then married off to Alberic I of Spoleto.

Link: The Woman who Ruled the Papacy

A Christian Nation? Since When?

A Christian Nation? Since When? (New York Times, 14 March 2015)

Excerpts:

AMERICA may be a nation of believers, but when it comes to this country’s identity as a “Christian nation,” our beliefs are all over the map. Just a few weeks ago, Public Policy Polling reported that 57 percent of Republicans favored officially making the United States a Christian nation. But in 2007, a survey by the First Amendment Center showed that 55 percent of Americans believed it already was one.

The confusion is understandable. For all our talk about separation of church and state, religious language has been written into our political culture in countless ways. It is inscribed in our pledge of patriotism, marked on our money, carved into the walls of our courts and our Capitol. Perhaps because it is everywhere, we assume it has been from the beginning. But the founding fathers didn’t create the ceremonies and slogans that come to mind when we consider whether this is a Christian nation. Our grandfathers did.

Link: A Christian Nation? Since When?

Why was a 9th century Viking woman buried with a ring that says ‘for Allah’ on it?

Why was a 9th century Viking woman buried with a ring that says ‘for Allah’ on it? (Washington Post, 18 March 2015)

Excerpt:

In the modern-era, Scandinavian countries have become known for their sometimes awkward embrace of migrants from the Arab and Muslim world. But the history behind that relationship goes back far further than you might expect.

Consider the case of a ring discovered in a Viking grave in Birka, a historic trading center in what is now Sweden. The woman in the grave died in the 9th century and was discovered around a thousand years later by the famous Swedish archaeologist Hjalmar Stolpe, who spent years excavating the grave sites around Birka.

The ring is unique. Made of silver alloy, it contained a stone with an inscription written in the Kufic Arabic script widely used between the 8th and 10th centuries. "For/to Allah," the inscription read. It was the only known Viking Age ring with an Arabic inscription to be found in the entire of Scandinavia. Exactly how the woman got the ring wasn't clear – she was found wearing typical Scandinavian dress, so presumably the ring arrived through trade.

Link: Why was a 9th century Viking woman buried with a ring that says ‘for Allah’ on it?

News Reports on Analysis on the Papacy of Pope Francis

Last Updated: March 13, 2015

Op-eds and analysis:

• Two years after Pope Francis' election, Latin America emerges as the new source church (National Catholic Reporter, 13 March 2015)
• Pope Francis has history, but not time, on his side in reform push (National Catholic Reporter, 12 March 2015)
• Pope Francis the Reformer? (America, 3 March 2015)

Pope Francis Speaks/Writes:

• Pope Francis on his Pontificate to date (Vatican Radio, 13 March 2015)
• In Mexican TV interview, Francis reviews pontificate, says to expect brief papacy (National Catholic Report, 13 March 2015)
• Pope Francis: I feel like my papacy will last only four or five years (Catholic Herald, 13 March 2015)
• Francesco: il mio pontificato sarà breve, ma potrei sbagliarmi (Vatican Insider/La Stampa, 13 March 2015)
• Los primeros dos años de la “Era Francisco” en entrevista a Televisa (Vatican Radio, 12 March 2015)
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• Pope Francis calls for abolishing death penalty and life imprisonment (Catholic News Service, 22 October 2014)
• The Pope: how the Church will change (La Republica, 1 October 2013)
• A Big Heart Open to God: The Exclusive Interview with Pope Francis (America, 19 September 2013))
• Pope Francisco writes to La Repubblica: "An open dialogue with non-believers" (La Republica, 11 September 2013)

Pope Francis' Trips/Travels:

• United States (July 2015)
• Sri Lanka & Phippines (January 2015)
• South Korea (2014)

Pope Francis & the Synod of Bishops

• Synod for Families (2014)

Pope Francis & the College of Cardinals

• Pope Francis is reshaping the geography of the college of cardinals (Pew Research Center, 8 January 2015)
• Pope Francis moves beyond Europe with first class of cardinals (Pew Research Center, 21 January 2014)

Remembering Selma: Fifty Years Later (1965-2015)

Last Updated: March 11, 2015

President Barack Obama at Selma:

• Watch the speech:
  
  (I) Full Speech
  
  
  (II) Excerpts:
  
  
  Also available on: C-Span
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• Transcript of President Barack Obama's speech at Selma: Huffington Post | Vox |
• Obama in Selma: Ferguson report shows civil rights 'march is not yet finished'  (The Guardian, 7 March 2015)
• Barack Obama Marks 50th Anniversary Of 'Bloody Sunday' With Powerful Speech In Selma (Huffington Post, 7 March 2015)
• Obama, at Selma Memorial, Says, ‘We Know the March Is Not Yet Over’ (New York Times, 7 March 2015)
• Thousands descend on Selma to hear President Obama mark the 50th anniversary of ‘Bloody Sunday’ (Washington Post, 7 March 2015)

Op-Eds/Analysis

• What Conservatives Willfully Ignore When They Cry 'Tyranny' (Talking Points Memo, 11 March 2015)
• The left’s racial dilemma: President Obama, Michelle Alexander & the nature of change (Salon, 10 March 2015)
• 50 years later, Selma’s struggle is not over (Washington Post, 8 March 2015)
• Race, History, a President, a Bridge Obama and Selma: The Meaning of ‘Bloody Sunday’ (New York Times, 8 March 2015)
• Finally I Hear a Politician Explain My Country Just the Way I Understand It (The Atlantic, 8 March 2015)
• Echoes From Selma... Struggle Is a Never Ending Process (Huffington Post, 7 March 2015)
• 50 years after ‘Bloody Sunday,’ see photos of Selma then and now (PBS Newshour, 7 March 2015)
• Assignment America: Selma (New York Times, 6 March 2015)
• From the Archives: Where’s the Spirit of Selma Now? (New York Times, 6 March 2015)

African American and Asian American:

• The Black And Asian Civil Rights Connection: Past And Present (Liberal America, 9 March 2015)
• Life of Kiyoshi Kuromiya: From Selma Marcher to AIDS Activist (NBC News, 7 March 2015)
• Fifty Years Later, Selma Marcher Still Fights for Civil Rights (NBC News, 7 March 2015)

African American and Catholic:

• The Selma effect: Catholic nuns and social justice 50 years on (Global Sisters Report, 9 March 2015)
• 54 miles to freedom: Catholics were prominent in 1965 Selma march (National Catholic Reporter, 7 March 2015) 
• St. Louis nun who marched in Selma looks back (St Louis Post-Dispatch, 7 March 2015)
• The now shocking words of a Catholic bishop on the Selma marches (Irish Central, 26 January 2015)
• From the Archives of the National Catholic Reporter:
• On the line in Selma with a Sister-demonstrator (24 March 1965)
• Why Sisters? (24 March 1965)
• Sister Alexine's story had to be taped (7 April 1965)
• Religious leaders refute orgy charges (5 May 1965)
• To Critics of Selma Marchers (6 October 1965)

African American and Jewish

• Remembering the African-American/Jewish Coalition of Support for the March From Selma to Montgomery (Huffington Post, 5 March 2015)

News Reports:

• How Selma changed the world: City honors 'LBJ' and voting legislation (The Guardian, 8 March 2015)
• Threats to Voting Rights Remain, Selma Gathering Is Told (New York Times, 8 March 2015)
• In Selma, GOP Lawmakers Explain Why They Don’t Support John Lewis’ Bill To Restore Voting Rights Act (Think Progress, 8 March 2015)
• Bloody Sunday 50th anniversary: Thousands crowd Selma bridge (Washington Post, 8 March 2015)
• From Selma to Ferguson, a lifetime of protests ends at 103 (St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 7 March 2015)
• John Lewis At Selma Anniversary: 'There's Still Work Left To Be Done' (Huffington Post, 7 March 2015)
• Remembering The Four People Of Faith Who Died On The Road From Selma (Huffington Post, 7 March 2015)
• Not one member of House GOP leadership to attend Selma 50th anniversary commemoration (Daily Kos, 6 March 2015)
• Fight over voting rights continues on Selma anniversary (USA Today, 6 March 2015)
• The road from Selma was paved with the blood of four unsung martyrs (Religious News Service, 5 March 2015)

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What Happened to America's First Muslims?

What Happened to America's First Muslims? (Huffington Post, 9 March 2015)

Excerpt:

What does it mean for a religion to be woven into American history? The presence of Muslims in the early United States is well known to scholars -- historians have put their population in the tens of thousands -- yet when President Obama noted last month that "Islam has been woven into the fabric of our country since its founding," he was greeted with incredulous outrage.

Link: What Happened to America's First Muslims?

Asian Americans in the United States

Last Updated: March 11, 2015
News articles, analysis, and discussions on Asian Americans in the United States:

Demographic Data

• Asian American Growth Faster than Expected (AAPI Voices, 12 February 2015)
• So you want to know the Asian Divorce Rate (Family Inequality, 13 November 2014)
• Survey: Asian American Voters in 2014 (AAPI Data) 
• Asian American Voters: The Nation's Fastest Growing Political Force (I Am Korean, 8 October 2014)
• National Asian American Survey (NAAS) - The NAAS is a scientific and non partisan effort to poll the opinions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

Asian American Adoptees

• In Search of Self, Chinese Adoptees Find Shifting Identities (NBC, 22 September 2014)

Asian Americans & Affirmative Action 

• Dear White People’s Naomi Ko: ‘People Don’t Think Asian-Americans Are Capable of Protest’ (Colorlines, 22 October 2014)
• The Problem With Time Magazine’s New Take on Asian-Americans in Tech (Colorlines, 20 October 2014)
• The Real Problem When It Comes to Diversity and Asian-Americans (Time Magazine, 14 October 2014)
• Asian-American Opposition to Affirmative Action May Be A Big Myth (Huffington Post, 25 September 2014)
• California Voters Support Affirmative Action (UCR Today, 24 September 2014)

Asian American History

• How Racism Created America's Chinatowns (Huffington Post, 11 November 2014)

Asian American Literature

• Great Asian-Pacific American authors: Amy Tan and more (USA Today, 22 May 2014)
• 7 Essential Books That Capture the Young Asian American Experience (Arts.Mic, 27 November 2013)

Asian American & US Politics

• Asian American Voters: The Nation's Fastest Growing Political Force (I Am Korean, 8 October 2014)
• The increasingly important Asian-American vote, in 5 charts (Washington Post, 7 October 2014)
• Asian american population boom to impact future elections and economy of the South (Asian Americans Advancing Justice, 26 September 2014)

Asian Americans and African Americans

•  The Black And Asian Civil Rights Connection: Past And Present (Liberal America, 9 March 2015)
• “Which side are you on?”: #Asians4BlackLives confronts anti-black prejudice in Asian communities (Salon, 8 March 2015)
• Life of Kiyoshi Kuromiya: From Selma Marcher to AIDS Activist (NBC News, 7 March 2015) 
• Fifty Years Later, Selma Marcher Still Fights for Civil Rights (NBC News, 7 March 2015)
• Yuri Kochiyama, Activist And Former World War II Internee, Dies At 93 (NPR All Things Considered, 2 June 2014)
• Rest in Power, Yuri Kochiyama: A Civil Rights Leader Who Inspired a Generation (Reappropriate, 1 June 2014)
• Not Just A 'Black Thing': An Asian-American's Bond With Malcolm X, by Hansi Lo Wang (NPR Morning Edition, 19 August 2013) 

Asian American and Latin@s

• Panel Highlights Korean-Latino Intersections on Immigration Reform (KoreAm, 7 November 2014)
• A Brief History of Political Collaborations between Latinos and Asians in America (Hyphen, 4 November 2014)

Asian American Christians

• Eugene Cho Leads the Quest for a Reconciled Church (Christianity Today, 7 October 2014)
• Asian Americans: Silent No More  (Christianity Today, 6 October 2014)
• The Many Models of the Asian American Church (Christianity Today, 6 October 2014)
• On Being An Angry __ Person (Christianity Today, 1 October 2014)

News Reports & Analysis: Michael Brown, Ferguson, #BlackLivesMatter

Last updated: March 11, 2015
Selected news reports, op eds and analysis on the urban uprising against police violence at Ferguson, Missouri:

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Sticky: Department of Justice's Ferguson Report [NEW] Read the Report: The Department of Justice's Report on the Investigation of the Ferguson Police Department (Released: 4 March 2015) Site #1 | Site #2 The Ferguson Report Was Damning, But It's Not Just A Ferguson Problem (Huffington Post, 9 March 2015) The 12 key highlights from the DOJ's scathing Ferguson report (Washington Post, 4 March 2015) Report: What Is Wrong With the Ferguson Police Department? (New York Times, 4 March 2015) Ferguson shows how a police force can turn into a plundering 'collection agency' (Washington Post, 5 March 2015) The Gangsters of Ferguson (The Atlantic, 5 March 2015) Ferguson's Conspiracy Against Black Citizens (The Atlantic, 5 March 2015) A City Where Policing, Discrimination and Raising Revenue Went Hand in Hand (New York Times, 4 March 2015) Ferguson Police Tainted by Bias, Justice Department Says (New York Times, 4 March 2015) . Analysis What's wrong with 'All Lives Matter'? (New York Times, 12 January 2015) . Occupy SLU (St Louis University) Twitter Updates: #OccupySLU Live broadcast of #OccupySLU via webcam from SLU Clocktower Occupy SLU Updates (maintained by St. Louis University) At St Louis U., Ferguson Protests Make for a Long, Tense, but Peaceful Night (Chronicle of Higher Education, 14 October 2014) . Timeline & Key Developments: “He had his hands in the air!”: New witnesses of Michael Brown’s killing come forward (Salon, 11 September 2014) Video recorded moments after the Michael Brown shooting (CNN/Anderson Cooper, 10 September 2014)  Timeline for a Body: 4 Hours in the Middle of a Ferguson Street (New York Times, 23 August 2014) . Resources for Teaching Ferguson in the Classroom Resources on Twitter: #FergusonSyllabus The Ferguson Effect, by Prof. Fumitaka Matsuoka (Wabash Center, 25 September 2014)  Ferguson, Bible, and the "Long Division" of Race (Wabash Center, 22 September 2014) How Professors in St. Louis Are Teaching the Lessons of Ferguson's Unrest (Chronicle of Higher Education, 26 August 2014) The Ferguson Syllabus (resources in sociology) 21 Numbers That Will Help You Understand Why Ferguson Is About More Than Michael Brown (Huffington Post, 22 August 2014) . Helping Ferguson From the Frontlines of Ferguson: A Community Organizer Explains How People of Faith Can Help (Huffington Post, 21 August 2014) Help Seek Justice for Michael Brown (18 Million Rising, 20 August 2014) . Comparative - Ferguson / Gaza Ferguson and Gaza: The definitive study of how they are and are not similar by David Palumbo-Liu (Salon, 22 August 2014) Palestinians express "solidarity with the people of Ferguson" in Mike Brown statement (Electronic Intifada, 15 August 2014) . Critiques of White Supremacy/White Privilege: Black is the New Black: White Privilege and White Fragility (Spokane Faith & Values, 13 October 2014) Ferguson is a story going back decades. And there is no new ending (The Guardian, 24 August 2014) White privilege: An insidious virus that’s eating America from within (Salon, 23 August 2014) Ferguson and Parallel Universes (The Nation, 22 August 2014). Self-Segregation: Why It's So Hard for Whites to Understand Ferguson (The Atlantic, 21 August 2014) White supremacy is the real culprit in Ferguson. The excuses just prove it (The Guardian, 20 August 2014)  Different Rules Apply (MZS, 19 August 2014) Henry A. Giroux: The Militarization of Racism and Neoliberal Violence (Truth-out, 18 August 2014) White People Commit the Most Heinous Crimes, So Why Is America Terrified of Black Men? (AlterNet, 13 May 2014) . Latino Perspectives: Latino communities must see Ferguson's fight as their own (MSNBC, 20 August 2014) . Asian American Perspectives: “Which side are you on?”: #Asians4BlackLives confronts anti-black prejudice in Asian communities (Salon, 8 March 2015) “Asian Privilege”: Racial Stereotyping 101 (Race Files, 28 August 2014) The black church taught our family the meaning of han (Religion. Ethnicity. Wired. 21 August 2014) Help Seek Justice for Michael Brown (18 Million Rising, 20 August 2014) Why Ferguson Matters to Asian Americans (Race Files, 20 August 2014) Following Ferguson: Asian Americans Can Choose 'Invisibility, Complicity, or Resistance' (Colorlines, 20 August 2014) . African Immigrant Perspectives: African immigrants must be Ferguson strong: we are black, and we're targets (The Guardian, 21 August 2014) . Workers who were witnesses provide new perspective on Michael Brown shooting (St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 7 September 2014) Audio recording allegedly captures at least 10 shots fired in Michael Brown killing (Washington Post, 26 August 2014) Ferguson Store Owner Says He Doesn't Believe That's Mike Brown on Surveillance Video (Counter Current News, 18 August 2014) What They Saw: 5 Eyewitnesses to the Michael Brown Shooting (The Root, 19 August 2014) Eyewitness: 'The Police Force in Ferguson Is Lying, and I Am Bearing Witness' (Sojourners, 18 August 2014) PHOTOS: The Shocking Images from yet another night of clashes in Ferguson (Talking Points Memo, 18 August 2014) Organization for Black Struggle & Hands Up Don't Shoot Issue Demands . Background on Ferguson:   Ferguson Feeds Off the Poor: Three Warrants a Year Per Household (The Daily Beast, 22 August 2014)  Ferguson: a blue collar town made desperate by years on the edge (The Guardian, 21 August 2014)

• October
  • It’s Time for Whites to Accept Responsibility for Racist Systems, by Jim Wallis (Time, 15 October 2014)
  • At Saint Louis U, Ferguson Protests Make for a Long, Tense, but Peaceful Night (Chronicle of Higher Education, 14 October 2014)
  • Arrested in Ferguson in Act of Repentance, by Jim Wallis (Sojourners, 14 October 2014)
  • Ferguson Protests Take New Edge, Months After Killing (New York Times, 13 October 2014)
  • St Louis protests: Ferguson activists reject religious leaders' platitudes (The Guardian, 13 October 2014)
  • Cornel West Arrested in Ferguson (Huffington Post, 13 October 2014)
  • In ‘Moral Monday,’ activists protest Brown shooting with acts of civil disobedience (Washington Post, 13 October 2014)
  • Black is the New Black: White Privilege and White Fragility (Spokane Faith & Values, 13 October 2014)
  • Jim Wallis on Ferguson: Repentance has not happened there yet (National Catholic Reporter, 10 October 2014)
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• September
• 8 Arrested in Ferguson As Protests Show No Sign of Slowing (Huffington Post, 29 September 2014)
• The Ferguson Effect, by Prof. Fumitaka Matsuoka (Wabash Center, 25 September 2014)
• Iraq War Veteran Warns Ferguson Is Our Future - and Our Past (Truth-Out, 23 September 2014)
• Ferguson, Bible, and the "Long Division" of Race (Wabash Center, 22 September 2014)
• This 11-Year-Old Perfectly Sums Up The Problems In Ferguson (Huffington Post, 21 September 2014) 
• “He had his hands in the air!”: New witnesses of Michael Brown’s killing come forward (Salon, 11 September 2014)
• Video recorded moments after the Michael Brown shooting (CNN/Anderson Cooper, 10 September 2014)
• Workers who were witnesses provide new perspective on Michael Brown shooting (St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 7 September 2014)
• The death of America's suburban dream (The Guardian, 5 September 2014)
• How municipalities in St. Louis County, Mo., profit from poverty (Washington Post, 3 September 2014)
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• August 28
• “Asian Privilege”: Racial Stereotyping 101 (Race Files, 28 August 2014)
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• August 27
• Police let their dog urinate on Michael Brown memorial, then drove over it (Daily Kos, 27 August 2014)
• Michael Brown's Mom Laid Flowers Where He Was Shot—and Police Crushed Them (Mother Jones, 27 August 2014)
• This Ferguson business owner is tired of Darren Wilson supporters and their bullshit (Angry Asian Man, 27 August 2014)
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• August 26
• How Professors in St. Louis Are Teaching the Lessons of Ferguson's Unrest (Chronicle of Higher Education, 26 August 2014)
• I was on the front lines of the violence in Ferguson. Militarized police caused the chaos (Washington Post, 26 August 2014)
• New audio in Michael Brown case: How important in whirl of narratives? (Christian Science Monitor, 26 August 2014)
• Audio recording allegedly captures at least 10 shots fired in Michael Brown killing (Washington Post, 26 August 2014)
• Why Civil Rights Groups Are Calling For The Ferguson Prosecutor To Step Down (ThinkProgress, 26 August 2014)
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• August 25
• Three quarters of whites don’t have any non-white friends (Washington Post, 25 August 2014)
• When youthful mistakes turn deadly (Washington Post, 25 August 2014)
• Amid Mourning for Michael Brown, Call for Change (New York Times, 25 August 2014)
• NY Times Writer Says He Was Wrong To Call Michael Brown 'No Angel' (Huffington Post, 25 August 2014)
• There Are No Angels — What The New York Times Won’t Tell You (Boston.com, 25 August 2014)
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• August 24
• Ferguson is a story going back decades. And there is no new ending (The Guardian, 24 August 2014)
• Liberal clergy want to challenge the religious right's power in politics (The Guardian, 24 August 2014)
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• August 23
• White privilege: An insidious virus that’s eating America from within (Salon, 23 August 2014)
• Ferguson protesters chanted, "Hands up, don't shoot!" Darren Wilson supporters replied, "Shoot!" (Daily Kos, 23 August 2014)
• In Washington, Second Thoughts on Arming Police (New York Times, 23 August 2014)
• Obama orders review of military equipment supplied to police (Washington Post, 23 August 2014)
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• August 22
• Ferguson and Gaza: The definitive study of how they are and are not similar by David Palumbo-Liu (Salon, 22 August 2014)
• Ferguson Feeds Off the Poor: Three Warrants a Year Per Household (The Daily Beast, 22 August 2014) 
• Researchers: Police likely provoke protestors — not the other way around (Salon, 22 August 2014)
• Obama’s remarks on Ferguson are tone deaf and disappointing by Michael Eric Dyson (Washington Post, 22 August 2014)
• For blacks, America is dangerous by default (Washington Post, 22 August 2014)
• Darren Wilson's Grand Jury is 75% white (Colorlines, 22 August 2014)
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• August 21
• Fundraising Effort for Ferguson Cop Who Shot Michael Brown Gets Ugly (Mother Jones, 21 August 2014)
• How Clergy In Ferguson Succeeded Where The Police Failed (Buzzfeed, 21 August 2014)
• St. Louis Archbishop Robert Carlson Calls To 'Dismantle Systemic Racism' In Mass For Ferguson (Huffington Post, 21 August 2014)
• Among Whites, Protests Stir a Range of Emotions and a Lot of Perplexity (New York Times, 21 August 2014) 
• Economic harassment and the Ferguson crisis (LA Times, 21 August 2014)
• Face it, black people. Michael Brown let you down (Culture Club, 21 August 2014)
• Police raid Ferguson church for third time. Platoon of cops claim people illegally sleeping there (Daily Kos, 21 August 2014)
• Ferguson, 11 days on: 'We are sitting on a powder keg' (The Guardian, 21 August 2014)
• 'I will f---ing kill you': Missouri police officer threatens protesters in Ferguson (Sydney Morning Herald, 21 August 2014)
• In Ferguson, young demonstrators are finding it's not their grandparents' protest (Washington Post, 21 August 2014)
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• August 20
• Help Seek Justice for Michael Brown (18 Million Rising, 20 August 2014)
• Why Ferguson Matters to Asian Americans (Race Files, 20 August 2014)
• Following Ferguson: Asian Americans Can Choose 'Invisibility, Complicity, or Resistance' (Colorlines, 20 August 2014)
• Why are white people scared of black people's rage at Mike Brown's death (The Guardian, 20 August 2014)
• The Fire This Time, by Bob Herbert (Demos, 20 August 2014)
• Why All Communities of Color Must Demand an End to Police Brutality (The Nation, 20 August 2014)
• The National Guard protects Ferguson's police, not its people (Al Jazeera America, 20 August 2014)
• A Former Marine Explains All the Weapons of War Being Used by Police in Ferguson (The Nation, 20 August 2014)
• Ferguson: Fifty Shades of Black and White (Huffington Post, 20 August 2014)
• Constructing a Conversation on Race (New York Times, 20 August 2014)
• In Ferguson, Scrutiny on Police is Growing (New York Times, 20 August 2014)
• Greater St. Mark Family Church, Shelter For Ferguson Protestors, Reportedly Raided By St. Louis County Police (Huffington Post, 20 August 2014)
• Missouri Highway Patrol Capt. Ron Johnson is not a gang member. He's just a Kappa (Washington Post, 20 August 2014)
• Police officer suspended for pointing rifle at protesters, threatening them (Washington Post, 20 August 2014)
• CNN Host: Nat. Guard said 'you never know' what Ferguson 'n*ggers' are going to do (The Raw Story, 20 August 2014)
• Don Lemon: National Guard Member in Ferguson Called Protesters the N-Word (The Root, 20 August 2014)
• The Crisis in Ferguson Is a Gospel Issue (Relevant Magazine, 20 August 2014)
• "Not Acceptable in a Civilized Society": Pastor on Ferguson Police Targeting Traumatized Youth (Democracy Now, 20 August 2014)
• Ferguson's Other Race Problem: Riots Damaged Asian-Owned Stores (The Daily Beast, 20 August 2014)
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• August 19
  • What is Ferguson doing on Europe's front pages? (The Economist, 19 August 2014) 
  • Different Rules Apply (MZS, 19 August 2014) 
  • Why the Fires in Ferguson Won't End Soon (Slate, 19 August 2014)
  • Ferguson, Watts and a Dream Deferred (New York Times, 19 August 2014)
  • The real looting of Ferguson: its black citizens never had a chance to get by (The Guardian, 19 August 2014)
  • Sharp black-white divide on perceptions of Ferguson as clashes continue (PBS Newshour, 19 August 2014)
  • The Ferguson/Palestine Connection (Ebony, 19 August 2014)
  • St. Louis Activist: Decades After 1968 Urban Uprisings, Key Economic & Race Issues Remain Unresolved (Democracy Now, 19 August 2014)
  • Michael Brown and the Danger of the Perfect Victim Frame (Colorlines, 19 August 2014)
  • Why Obama won’t give the Ferguson speech his supporters want (Vox, 19 August 2014)
  • National Guard Troops in Ferguson Fail to Quell Disorder (New York Times, 19 August 2014)
  • Urban Combat: Ferguson and the militarisation of police (The Conversation, 19 August 2014)
  • Voter Registration in Ferguson Called ‘Disgusting’ (New York Times, 19 August 2014)
  • Russia, Iran and Egypt Heckle U.S. About Tactics in Ferguson (New York Times, 19 August 2014)
  • Where were the soldier-cops at Bundy Ranch? (Reader Supported News, 19 August 2014)
  • German journalists arrested in Ferguson (The Local, 19 August 2014)
  • Police to Al Jazeera journalist near Ferguson: 'I'll bust your head (Al Jazeera America, 19 August 2014)
    .
• August 18
• In Ferguson the violence of the state created the violence of the street (The Guardian, 18 August 2014)
• In the Ferguson tempest, fury and resentment fuel protesters' fire (The Guardian, 18 August 2014)
• How the rest of the world sees Ferguson (Washington Post, 18 August 2014)
• Ferguson riot reveals US racial divide, human rights flaw (China Daily, 18 August 2014)
• Stark Racial Divisions in Reactions to Ferguson Police Shooting (Pew Research, 18 August 2014)
• Michael Brown shooting: Amnesty International sends team within US for first time as National Guard deployed (The Independent, 18 August 2014)
• The Limits of Everything (Esquire, 18 August 2014)
• Reparations for Ferguson, by Ta-Nehisi Coates (The Atlantic, 18 August 2014)
• Exiled Tibetan Monks Join Ferguson Protestors To Support Justice For Mike Brown (Huffington Post, 18 August 2014)
• Trayvon Martin’s Mom: ‘If They Refuse to Hear Us, We Will Make Them Feel Us’ (Time Magazine, 18 August 2014)
• For Michael Brown and Ferguson: Facing White Fears of Blackness and Taking Action to End White Supremacy (Everyday Feminism, 18 August 2014)
• Ferguson Protests Erupt Near Grave of Ex-Slave Dred Scott, Whose Case Helped Fuel U.S. Civil War (Democracy Now, 18 August 2014)
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• August 17
• Police Officer Threatens To Shoot Reporter Live-Streaming Protests in Ferguson (Think Progress, 17 August 2014)
• Michael Eric Dyson Spells It Out for White People: Police Won’t ‘Kill Your Child’ (AlterNet, 17 August 2014)
• A Movement Grows in Ferguson (The New Yorker, 17 August 2014)
• Autopsy Shows Michael Brown Was Struck at Least 6 Times (New York Times, 17 August 2014)
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• August 16
• What Combat Veterans See in Ferguson, Missouri (Vanity Fair, 16 August 2014)
• The Unacceptable Silence of Asian American Christians In Response to Ferguson (Feisty Thoughts, 16 August 2014)
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• August 15
• Ferguson police: a stark illustration of newly militarised US law enforcement (The Guardian, 15 August 2014)
• Ferguson: Gentrification and its discontent (Al Jazeera America, 15 August 2014)
• You Can't Understand Ferguson Without First Understanding These Three Things (New Republic, 15 August 2014)
• Itemizing Atrocity (Jacobin Magazine, 15 August 2014)
• Why isn't the Tea Party sending a militia to Ferguson? (Al Jazeera, 15 August 2014)
• Rubber Bullets in Missouri Clash Highlight Militarization of America’s Police (Scientific American, 15 August 2014)
• The Front Lines of Ferguson (Grantland, 15 August 2014)
• Police In Ferguson Let High-Profile Journalists Go While Charging Regular Folks With Crimes (Huffington Post, 15 August 2014)
• How we'd cover Ferguson if it happened in another country (Vox, 15 August 2014)
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• August 14
• To Terrify and Occupy (Common Dreams, 14 August 2014)
• Rand Paul: We Must Demilitarize the Police (Time, 14 August 2014)
• Editorial: For the sake of Michael Brown (The St. Louis American, 14 August 2014)
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• August 13
• What caused the Ferguson riot exists in so many other cities, too (Washington Post, 13 August 2014)

What scares the new atheists

What scares the new atheists (The Guardian, 3 March 2015)

Excerpts:

The resurgence of religion is a worldwide development. Russian Orthodoxy is stronger than it has been for over a century, while China is the scene of a reawakening of its indigenous faiths and of underground movements that could make it the largest Christian country in the world by the end of this century. Despite tentative shifts in opinion that have been hailed as evidence it is becoming less pious, the US remains massively and pervasively religious – it’s inconceivable that a professed unbeliever could become president, for example.

For secular thinkers, the continuing vitality of religion calls into question the belief that history underpins their values. To be sure, there is disagreement as to the nature of these values. But pretty well all secular thinkers now take for granted that modern societies must in the end converge on some version of liberalism. Never well founded, this assumption is today clearly unreasonable. So, not for the first time, secular thinkers look to science for a foundation for their values.

Link: What scares the new atheists

Pope Francis the Reformer?

Pope Francis the Reformer? (America, 3 March 2015)

Excerpt:

Pope Francis is a radical reformer who is facing enemies—inside and outside of the church—opposed to at least some parts of his agenda, said a prominent church historian. Massimo Faggioli, an expert on the Second Vatican Council and the author of several books, said the pope is not a liberal who exalts the individual as the center of the world and who sees a minimal role for the church in public life. Rather, he sees the church as having a role in society and indeed, "in everything humans go through," Faggioli said at the annual Anthony Jordan Lectures Series Feb. 28 at St. Joseph Seminary. "That is not a liberal thought; it's a radical Christian thought."

Link: Pope Francis the Reformer?