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Pope Francis Reinstates Revolutionary Nicaraguan Priest

John Hooper The Guardian
On August 1st Pope Francis reinstated Father Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann, the former Nicaraguan Foreign Minister and President of the United Nations General Assembly, as a practicing priest. Pope John Paul II had suspended Father d'Escoto from his ministry in 1985 for serving in the Revolutionary Sandinista Government of Nicaragua, and as part of his concerted campaign against the influence of Liberation Theology within the Catholic Church.

A Raised Voice

Claudia Roth Pierpont The New Yorker
How Nina Simone turned the movement into music.

Tidbits - August 7, 2014

Portside
Reader Comments - Gaza War - Israel, Palestine, the Jewish community and Zionism; Why Is Washington Risking War With Russia?; Labor - Kellogg Lockout and Coal Miners Anger; The Whitewashing of James Brown; Criminal Prosecution for Environmental Crimes; Bill Gates and the testing industry; Teacher Tenure (video); Celebrate the Life of Vito Marcantonio - Aug 9; 9th annual Dissident Arts Festival - Aug 16 - both in New York Today in History

School Librarian Cutbacks Widen Digital Divide

Alison DeNisco District Administration, August 2014
School libraries with more staff and larger collections lead to stronger academic performance, a study says. Yet one-third of public schools do not have a full-time, state-certified librarian. Often when education funding is cut, libraries and the arts are the first to go.

Child Migrants Have Been Coming to America Alone Since Ellis Island - And no, we didn't just send them packing

Tasneem Raja; United We Dream; Ian Gordon Mother Jones
Previously, unaccompanied child migrants were accepted by this country, sometimes even welcomed. Today, however, driven by racism, child migrants from Central America are being turned back, after risking their lives to free economic and political oppression, often fostered in their countries by the United States. Share the image below - Stand with the Children.

Another Professor Punished for Anti-Israel Views

Corey Robin; Ali Abunimah
Steven Salaita was fired from his position as associate professor in the American Indian Studies program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) apparently over views critical of Israel, especially its current massacre in Gaza.