The Overton Salon

What can happen when US immigration agents get too zealous in their duties – they may erroneously deporting a legal permanent resident (meaning he had a “green card”) (ColorLines).

A post from our favorite Conservative blogger, Raheim Salaam, on a different way to measure income inequality (National Review Agenda Blog).

A nice little article on Stephan Hawking’s recent pronoucement on God (The Choronicle of Higher Education).

Did you know that on July 30, 2010, 200 women were raped in a small town in the Congo, and with UN Peacekeepers up the road. How could this happen? (NY Times).

An article about our history of fear and subsequent un-American reactions toward “new” religious groups (Christian Science Monitor).

Laura Vanderkam‘s story about the pay gap higlights some insights that compliment Sarah’s post on the same topic last week (AOL News).

The president of Nomi Network, Diana Mao, looks at the similarities between the time of the trans-Atlantic slave trade and slavery today (Huffington Post).

Political activists are happy people – go figure! (The Globe and Mail)

Two  major reports were released by government agencies this week. HUD released the 5th annual homeless assessment report, and the State Department released the 10th Annual Trafficking in Persons Report (Read Hillary Clinton’s remarks on the report).

Did you know that 11 million barrels of oil spill into the Niger delta every year?! Neither did I! (New York Times)

At a speech at the Stamford Medical School graduation, Atul Gawande says that what is needed in the medical field is teamwork (The New Yorker).

Last week, Newsweek had a piece about the efforts of Hartford’s own Hispanic Health Council to craft outreach activities to address the public health needs of specific Hispanic groups. Yay HHC!

One Nebraska town is going to have a vote on whether homeowners can rent to undocumented immigrants (New York Times).

The Wall Street Journal returns to charging for access to online content (Bloomberg Business Week).

While “Blood Diamond” may have raised awareness about diamonds funding conflicts, “blood minerals” lie in all of our technological equipment (including Intel processing chips and iPods), and not a lot is being done. Essentially, this means when you buy a computer with an Intel chip, you are helping to fund a militia group. Several organizations have identified a space in the supply chain where it can be stopped (NPR).

Love your mom? Write a six-word memoir about why your mom is so great! (The One Campaign)

John McCain’s maverick score (The Washington Independent).

The Economic Policy Institute explains why it (accurately) predicted a rise in unemployment when the job market improved.

Could it be that the Internet actually fosters happiness, rather than depressive social isolation? Among some people, it does. (Time)

And depressing news of the week – the amount of oil spilling into the gulf could be four to five times greater than current government estimates. (New York Times)

Sadly, the standoff in Bangkok is turning more violent. (New York Times and BBC)

Each year, farmers, supermarkets, and restaurants in California throw away enough food to fill the Staples Center 35 times over (Huffington Post).

Food & Wine magazine released their list of 10 Best New Chefs 2010. Charlotte Druckman explores why great female chefs aren’t viewed with the same awe as great male chefs.

The Catholic Bishops of England and Whales release an apology for the abuse of children that has happened in the church. They say: “There can be no excuses” (Sojourners).

Daniel Gross points out that Wall Street always whines when there is a change that’s good for consumers, not so good for middlemen (Slate.com).

A new report finds that individuals who purchased homes by saving through an Individual Development Account were less likely to go into foreclosure than individuals in the same communities and with similar incomes (Corporation for Enterprise Development).

Decatur, Georgia, used a participatory process to create their strategic plan 10 years ago, and because of that, has reached 80% of their goals! Now 600 members of the community are engaging in the next round of planning!

An oldie Sarah brought up – making dialogue more rational (NY Times).

Can “slow food” feed the world? Robert Paarlberg and Anne Lappe (daughter of Frances Moore Lappe) try to convince us of why they’re right and the other is wrong  (Foreign Policy).

Is asymmetrical information inevitable? Elizebeth Warren – who should be the next president! – thinks not (The American Prospect)

The London School of Theology has a new edition of Insight on politics and faith

A writer over at Race-Wire writes a helpful article on the intersection of human trafficking and undocumented entry into the U.S.

Edmund Andrews takes on the Wall Street Journal’s dark warning (Capital Gains and Games)

Archon Fung on staging a Tea Party for Obama  (The American Prospect)

Can there be a rapprochement between the Neo-Reformed and the Wrightians? Maybe in song (Christianity Today)

Know any good arguments against the VAT? Bruce Bartlett knows some – although doesn’t take it (Forbes)

In case you thought dogs no longer saved little boys or grown men – you were wrong! (Huffington Post)

A powerful call to remember the stranger in our midst (Huffington Post)