| May 2006
Education
|Immigration | Media
| Multiculturalism/Multicultural Society |
Religion & Values | Social
Trends & Demographics | Seniors | Urban Society | Women| Youth Culture |
E1 - Lost in America
McGray, Douglas
Foreign Policy, May/Jun 2006., #154; pp40-48
"Speak two languages and you’re bilingual. Speak one? You must be American. So goes the old joke." The author discusses the President’s new National Security Language Initiative, which encourages foreign-language study as early as kindergarten, and requests new money to train and certify foreign-language teachers, particularly in so-called critical languages such as Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Hindi, and Russian. It also offers possibilities to subsidize foreign study for high school and college students, and bring native speakers from abroad to teach in U.S. classrooms. Douglas McGray, a contributing writer at FOREIGN POLICY, is a fellow at the New America Foundation. Fulltext
E2 - The Evangelical Mind Revisited
Wolfe, Alan
Change, Mar/Apr2006, v38, #2, pp8-16
"
The ways conservative Christian colleges respond to the world around them tells a great deal about the kind of country the U.S. is likely to be 30 or even 20 years from now. Not all conservative Christians are happy with the mainstreaming of their colleges and universities. Evangelicals are not the only ones creating colleges and universities determined to recreate an intensely Christian subculture. In a system of higher education as diverse as the one in the United States, there will be a niche for every taste, including those parents who want their children to be taught fundamental religious truths and exposed to traditional standards of moral conduct. Those attracted to newly created conservative Christian schools believe that their institutions need to resist the temptation to join the mainstream." Alan Wolfe is Professor of political science and director of the Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life at Boston College. Fulltext
E3 - Immigration Confusion: Illegal Substance
Judis, John
The New Republic Online, April 6, 2006
“Are illegal immigrants breaking the law? The answer to this question isn't quite as simple as it seems. […] The continuing protests by Latinos and other Americans, including high officials of the Catholic Church, against the House bill that would make crossing the border without papers a felony is a clear indication that many Americans don't believe that the immigration laws are good for society. They might admit that the people they call "undocumented workers" have broken a law, but they would not say they have done anything wrong and should be punished.” This article traces immigration laws from the 19 th century until today and proposes policy options regarding illegal immigration from Mexico. John Judis is a Senior Editor at The New Republic and a visiting scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Fulltext
E4 - Busted
Friel, Brian
National Journal, April 14, 2006, vol. 38, no. 15, pp20-26
”The justice system for illegal immigrants is arbitrary, confusing, and overwhelmed, critics say.” “Immigration advocates complain that the system detains immigrants too long and denies them due process rights. Others say that the system lets a large percentage of detainees slip out of its grasp. In 2004, Immigration and Custom Enforcement Agents caught 80,000 illegal immigrants inside the country – less than 1 percent of the estimated 12 million immigrants residing… [in the U.S.] illegally.” This article explores how America's judicial system is handling the immigration issue. Brian Friel is a staff correspondent for National Journal. Fulltext
E5- La Protesta
Maggs, John
National Journal, April 8, 2006, vol. 38, no. 14, pp. 34-37
“The article comments on issues surrounding the protests staged by Hispanic Americans against legislation pending in the U.S. Senate to tighten restrictions on illegal immigrants in Los Angeles, California on March 25, 2006. […] It's too soon to tell whether the March 25 demonstrations in Los Angeles, Chicago, and a half-dozen other cities will affect the immigration legislation pending in the Senate. […] Nevertheless, the demonstrations were an unprecedented public show of power by Latinos, who represent, by some estimates, one in three Californians. For immigrants' rights groups, the marches marked the dawning of a new era of political influence.” John Maggs is a staff correspondent for National Journal. Fulltext
E6- Immigration Policy in the United States
Congress of the United States, Congressional Budget Office. CBO Paper, February 2006. 31p.
”Immigration has been a subject of legislation since the nation’s founding. In 1790, the Congress established a formal process enabling the foreign born to become U.S. citizens. Just over a century later, in response to increasing levels of immigration, the federal government assumed the task of reviewing and processing all immigrants seeking admission to the United States. Since then, numerous changes have been made to U.S. immigration policy.” This paper focuses on the evolution of U.S. immigration policy. “It describes who is eligible for the various categories of legal admission and provides the most recent data available about the number of people admitted under each category. The paper also discusses procedures currently used to enforce immigration laws and provides estimates of the number of people who are in the United States illegally.” The Congressional Budget Office is a small, nonpartisan agency of the Congress that produces policy analyses, cost estimates of legislation, and budget and economic projections that serve as a basis for the Congress's decisions about spending and taxes. Fulltext
E7 - Attrition Through Enforcement. A Cost-Effective Strategy to Shrink the Illegal Population
Vaughan, Jessica M.
Center for Immigration Studies, Backgrounder, April 2006, 16p , online edition
”Proponents of mass legalization of the illegal alien population, whether through amnesty or expanded guest-worker programs, often justify this radical step by suggesting that the only alternative – a broad campaign to remove illegal aliens by force – is unworkable. […] The purpose of this analysis is to identify both the likely cost to the federal government and the expected effect in The report then details different aspects of immigration enforcement in the United States including detention and removal, alien smuggling and trafficking, document and benefit fraud, worksite enforcement, inspections at ports of entry, and patrolling the border between ports of entry. The report continues with a discussion of the role of state and local law enforcement in the enforcement of immigration laws. The report then presents a comparative analysis of the resources devoted to divergent immigration enforcement activities. It concludes with a discussion of crosscutting immigration enforcement issues related to the structure of the Department of Homeland Security.” All authors are affiliated with CRS Domestic Social Policy Division. Fulltext
E8 - Coming to America
Ackerman, Spencer
New Republic, May 1, 2006, v234, #15, pp18-21
"The article reports on a planned English-language version of Al Jazeera, the hugely popular Arab news television channel. Scheduled to begin broadcasting in the spring, Al Jazeera International has yet to find a U.S. distributor. The channel is attempting to gain credibility with its hiring of investigative journalist Dave Marash as Washington anchor." Spencer Ackerman is associate editor for the New Republic.
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E9 - The Diversity of Muslims in the United States: Views as Americans
Huda, Qamar-ul
United States Institute of Peace (USIP). February 2006, 20p, online edition
This report analyzes ways that Muslims in the United States understand their roles as Americans in combating terrorism, and their unique contributions toward conflict prevention and peacemaking. The author suggests that the assimilation and integration of American Muslims has effectively enabled the flourishing of dozens of national and regional organizations working in areas of civil rights, human rights, interfaith dialogue, education, charity, public diplomacy, political activism, and other religious and secular activities. Overall, despite the post 9/11 scrutiny of the Muslim community, American Muslim groups have devised sophisticated grassroots campaigns on counter-terrorism and anti-extremist ideology. (This report is part of a larger book project on American Muslim identity formation and Islamic approaches toward mediation and peace building.) The author is the Senior Program Officer in the Religion and Peacemaking Program at USIP. Fulltext
E10 - Hispanics and the Future of America
Tienda, Marta ; Faith, Mitchell [Editors]
Committee on Population, National Academies, 2006,online edition, various pagings
Over the past few years, there have been many long-term research projects dedicated to examining the role that Hispanics play (and will continue to play) in the transformation of American social, cultural and economic life. This volume, written and edited by noted sociologists, is divided into eleven chapters ranging across a broad spectrum of research interests to provide a comprehensive portrait of the Hispanic population in the United States. The book includes chapters on “Latino Civic and Political Participation”, “Hispanics in the U.S. Labor Market”, “The Demographic Foundations of the Latino Population”, “Hispanic Families in the United States,” and “Barriers to Educational Opportunities for Hispanics in the United States.” The editors of this book, Marta Tienda and Faith Mitchell, are sociologists with the National Research Council.
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E11 - Diversity Spreads Out: Metropolitan Shifts in Hispanic, Asian, and Black Populations Since 2000
Frey, William H.
Brookings Institution, March 2006, 28p, online edition
This report analyzes the Census Bureau population estimates detailing the distribution of racial and ethnic groups within and across U.S. metropolitan areas since Census 2000. Finding that Hispanic, Asian, and black populations continue to migrate to new destinations, increasingly living in suburbs, and in rapidly growing job centers in the South and West, the author concludes that this wider dispersal of minority populations signifies the broadening relevance of policies aimed at more diverse, including immigrant, communities. William H. Frey is a visiting fellow at the metropolitan policy program of the Brookings Institution. Fulltext
E12 - American Indians: Are they making meaningful progress at last?
Katel, Peter
CQ Researcher, April 28, 2006, v16, #16,pp. 361-384
"Winds of change are blowing through Indian Country, improving prospects for many of the nation's 4.4 million Native Americans. The number of tribes managing their own affairs has increased dramatically, and an urban Indian middle class is quietly taking root. The booming revenues of many Indian-owned casinos seem the ultimate proof that Indians are overcoming a history of mistreatment, poverty and exclusion. Yet most of the gambling houses don't rake in stratospheric revenues. And despite statistical upticks in socioeconomic indicators, American Indians are still poorer, more illness-prone and less likely to be employed than their fellow citizens. Meanwhile, tribal governments remain largely dependent on direct federal funding of basic services — funding that Indian leaders and congressional supporters decry as inadequate. But government officials say they are still providing essential services despite budget cuts. Peter Katel is a staff writer at CQ Researcher. Order Article
E13 - True Believers
Spalding, Elizabeth Edwards.
Wilson Quarterly, Spring 2006, v30, #2, pp40-48
This article debates the role of religious faith in politics in the U.S., specifically comparing the presidencies of Harry S. Truman, Woodrow Wilson and George W. Bush. Truman showed a deep religious faith and that faith played a big part in inspiring him to confront communism and lead the U.S. in the Cold War. Truman saw Cold War totalitarianism as the great threat to democracy. The author notes more generally, from the Founding era to the 19th century to the modern era, presidents have all spoken about God and looked to their respective faiths for guidance and that critics may be too quick in dismiss Bush's emphasis on religion as a “disturbing historical aberration.” Elizabeth Edwards Spalding is Elizabeth Edwards Spalding is assistant professor of government at Claremont McKenna College. Fulltext
E14 - Christianity, the Brand
Strawberry, Saroyan
New York Times Magazine, Apr 16, 2006, pp46-52
"The article reports on how A. Larry Ross helped turn religious public relations into business. He considers publicity, marketing and branding for Christian clients his ministry. Ross is considered the most powerful figure in Christian public relations in the U.S. Packaged Facts, a market research firm, predicts that Christian products, such as movies and books, will generate about $9.5 billion in sales by 2010. Ross opened his firm in 1994. He now heads a firm with 13 staff members and 20 to 30 clients." Saroyan Strawberry is a writer and journalist. Fulltext
E15 - The Return of Patriarchy
Longman, Phillip
Foreign Policy, Mar/Apr2006 #153, pp56-65
"For more than a generation now, well-fed, healthy, peaceful populations around the world have been producing too few children to avoid population decline. Fearful of a future in which the elderly outnumber the young, many governments are doing whatever they can to encourage people to have children. Patriarchy does not simply mean that men rule. Indeed, it is a particular value system that not only requires men to marry but to marry a woman of proper station. The historical relation between patriarchy, population, and power has deep implications. As has happened many times before in history, it is a transformation that occurs as secular and libertarian elements in society fail to reproduce, and as people adhering to more traditional, patriarchal values inherit society by default. Societies that are today the most secular and the most generous with their underfunded welfare states will be the most prone to religious revivals and a rebirth of the patriarchal family." Phillip Longman is Bernard L. Schwartz senior fellow at the New America Foundation. Fulltext
sENIORS
E16 - What Is Retirement For?
Achenbaum, W Andrew
The Wilson Quarterly, Spring 2006, v30, #2, pp50-57
"The Social Security system gave birth to the modern idea of retirement as a golden age of life after work. That concept was never very carefully thought out, and now that it is more than 70 years old it looks ripe for retirement. The author talks about retirement, its benefits and the life after work.” W. Andres Achenbaum is professor of history and social work at the University of Houston. Fulltext
E17 - Sweating the Golden Years
Shulman, Beth
The Wilson Quarterly, Spring 2006, v 30, # 2, pp57-62
"Dignified retirement is still a cherished part of the American dream, but for some that dream is only a fantasy. A rickety retirement system means more U.S. workers have to stay on and on at the job. The author talks about how a rickety retirement system has prevented most Americans from receiving the benefits of retirement they deserved." Beth Shulman e co-chairs the Fairness Initiative on Low-Wage Work and works with the Russell Sage Foundation's Future of Work and Social Inequality programs. Fulltext
E18 - Paying for It
Schieber, Sylvester J.
The Wilson Quarterly, pp6 v3, #2, pp 50-57
"There aren't many mysteries about the financial challenges posed by the aging of America's population. While America dithers, Sweden and other countries have pioneered creative and surprisingly hard-headed reforms to cope with the mountain of retirement costs that lie ahead." Sylvester J. Schieber is vice president and director of U.S. Benefits Consulting at Watson Wyatt & Company, a global consulting firm focused on human capital and financial management. Fulltext
Urban Society
E19 - San Francisco Then and Now
Dvorak, John
American Heritage, April/May 2006, v57, #2, pp. 55-60, online edition
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco. The article describes how the city recovered from one of the greatest natural disasters to strike the U.S., and the potential earthquake threats that lie ahead. The author, who studied earthquakes for 16 years at the U.S. Geological Survey, continues to monitor potential and real-time quakes. San Francisco is his favorite city and he gives a wonderful written "tour" of the architectural survivors. John Dvorak is a scientist and regular contributor to American Heritage, who currently lives in Hawaii. Fulltext
E20 - The Long Road Home: Race, Class, and Recovery from Hurricane Katrina
Cutter, Susan L.; Emrich, Christopher T., et al.
Environment, March 2006, v.48, # 2; pp. 8-22
"Hurricane Katrina was not the strongest of the three storms that reached Category Five intensity in terms of wind speeds or central pressures, but converging factors--primarily its strength and landfall location along the Gulf Coast--made it the most devastating and costly hurricane in US history. Here, Cutter et al highlight the challenging tasks of recovery and the implications of the reconstruction process of the region." Susan L. Cutter, is a Carolina Distinguished Professor and director of the Hazards Research Lab at the University of South Carolina. Christopher T. Emrich is the manager of the Hazards Research Lab. His research focuses on social vulnerability measurement and metrics at metropolitan scales of analysis. Fulltext
Women
E21 - The Future of Feminism: Are Women Returning to a 1950s Mindset?
Glazer, Sara
CQ Researcher, April 14, 2006, v16, #14,pp313-336
"The founders of the feminist movement some 40 years ago envisioned a glorious new era of equality for working women. But today more than half of employed parents can't take time off to care for sick children, and day care costs more than tuition at a state university. To be sure, women have made tremendous strides: Most mothers are in the work force today, and women account for half the managerial jobs and half the law-school graduates. But women still lag behind male counterparts in many ways, including wages. Many U.S. jobs are not “mother friendly,” leading some women to opt off of the career treadmill and forcing out blue-collar workers. Some sociologists are asking whether feminism has failed, particularly in its inability to transform domestic life, where women still do the bulk of household chores. Indeed, some disparage women for returning to a 1950s mind-set — when “a woman's place was in the home.” But some young feminists assert that child rearing should be respected work." Sarah Glazer is a staff writer for CQ Researcher. Order Article
E22 - The Friedan Mystique
Seligman, Dan
Commentary, Apr 2006, v121, #4, pp42-45
"A story often told by and about Betty Friedan is that in the decades after The Feminine Mystique, which sold around 3 million copies in the United States alone, women repeatedly came up to her on the street and gushed, "You changed my life!" It is hard to evaluate the literal truth of this tale, but there is no doubt that the many commentators who cited it after her death were collectively endorsing the underlying thought-namely, that their subject had in fact made a huge and beneficial difference in the lives of American women." This article profiles Betty Friedan, a contentious and controversial figure during her forty-odd years onstage in the feminism wars. Dan Seligan is a contributing editor of Forbes, writes frequently in these pages on cultural and political issues. Fulltext
Youth Culture
E23 - The Multitasking Generation
Wallis, Claudia
Time, March 27, 2006, v167, # 13; pp48-56
According to a 2005 survey of Americans ages 8 to 18 by the Pew Internet
and American Life Project
, 82% of American kids are online by the seventh grade. The survey finds that not only are kids spending a larger amount of time using electronic media, they are packing more media exposure into that time: 8.5 hours of "media multitasking" - listening to iTunes, watching a DVD and IMing friends all at the same time. Generation M has a lot to teach parents and teachers about what new technology can do. But it's up to grownups to show them what it can't do, and that there's life beyond the screen. Claudia Wallis is editor-at-large at TIME and founder of TIME for kids. Fulltext
E24 - Is Hip-Hop Already History?
Hira, Nadina A.
Smithsonian, May 2006, v37, #2; pp31-33
“Whether the Smithsonian will get jiggy is an open question, but the Institution has launched a new initiative to research hip-hop, the once outlaw street music that over three decades has grown into the driving force behind a multi-billion-dollar entertainment and fashion industry. The National Museum of American History announced the artifact-collecting effort at a February event in New York City attended by such luminaries as recording impresario Russell Simmons, rapper Ice-T, break dancer Crazy Legs, and hip-hop founders Afrika Bambaataa, Kool Herc, and Grandmaster Flash.” Nadira Hira is a writer and reporter for Fortune and does freelance work for Essence, Smithsonian and MTV News. Fulltext
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