| May 2005, #6
Immigration | Media
| Multiculturalism/Multicultural Society
| Senior Citizens | Youth
Culture
E1 - Immigration in an Aging Society: Workers, Birth Rates, and Social Security
Camarota, Steven A.
Center for Immigration Studies, Backgrounder, April 2005, 20p.
"It has become common in public discussion to assert that immigration can reverse the aging trends in American society and infuse the Social Security system with new revenue. A new study from the Center for Immigration Studies finds this is not the case. The study, based on an analysis of Census Bureau and Social Security Administration data, finds that the age and fertility differences with natives, though real, simply are not large enough to significantly change the nation’s age structure, either now or in the future.” Steven A. Camarota is the Director of Research at the Center for Immigration Studies. Fulltext
E2 - Fencing in Failure: Effective Border Control is Not Achieved by Building More Fences
Ackleson, Jason
American Immigration Law Foundation, Immigration Policy Brief, April 2005
Ackleson provides evidence underlining that the ”new proposals for more fencing and Border Patrol agents along the U.S.-Mexico border may only perpetuate an unsuccessful and counterproductive policy that does not effectively enhance national security or control undocumented immigration.” Jason Ackleson is Assistant Professor of Government at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces.
Fulltext
E3 - Necessary Conditions for Immigration Reform
Senate Republican Policy Committee (Jon Kyl, Chairman), April 15, 2005, 11p.
"The federal government’s failure to enforce existing immigration laws has resulted in a crisis on our southern border and growing disrespect for our immigration laws throughout the nation. … The result has been devastating: breakdown in national security, exorbitant financial costs to local, state, and national governments, and a decline in respect for the Rule of Law and the ability – and willingness – of government to protect it. … The federal government should address these challenges by (1) making a greater financial commitment to border security; (2) demonstrating through resources and effort that it intends to enforce immigration laws in the interior; (3) demanding better cooperation from the Mexican government; and (4) compensating states and localities for the financial burdens that illegal immigration places on the communities.” Fulltext
E4 - A New Century: Immigration and the U.S.
MPI Staff, Updated by Kevin Jernegan
Migration Policy Institute, February 2005
"Immigration, perhaps more than any other social, political, or economic process, has shaped the United States over the past century. As the next decades of the 21st century unfold, the rate of immigrant-driven transformation, which began in earnest in the 1960s, will continue to accelerate. … America's profound demographic and cultural transformation continues - and the policies that govern who can enter the US, and how, will affect every aspect of American life in the new century. Just how to minimize the challenges confronting this "nation of immigrants" while maximizing the attendant opportunities will continue to animate the US immigration policy discourse in the years to come.” The Migration Policy Institute (MPI) is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit think-tank located in Washington, D.C. Fulltext
E5 - Projecting Immigration: A Survey of the Current State of Practice and Theory
Jackson, Richard and Neil Howe.
Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS). April 2005, 45p.
"This report notes that most short-term projections of immigration statistics are rather unreliable. Unanticipated events can have major impacts on when and where groups of immigrants will go in the near-term. The authors urge demographers to refine their methodologies and to extend their projections … The authors also look at Eurostat’s latest projections, as well as the latest projections of three EU countries: Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.” Neil Howe is a senior adviser to the Concord Coalition and senior associate with the CSIS Global Aging Initiative. Richard Jackson is the director of the CSIS Global Aging Initiative; he is also an adjunct fellow at the Hudson Institute and a senior adviser to the Concord Coalition. Fulltext
E6 - The Collapse of Big Media
Wilson Quarterly, Spring 2005, v29, #2, pp40-59
Collapse is not too strong a word to describe what has happened to America's major news media. Stripped of their old economic and technological advantages, befuddled by the changing character of their audiences, and beset by new competeitors, they are reeling from the blows recent scandals have dealt to their credibility and prestige. Their old authority is gone, and with it, perhaps, their ability to define for Americans a shared realm of information, ideas, and debate.
- Starting Over (pp40-47)
Eastland, Terry
On the rise and fall. Terry Eastland is the publisher of The Weekly Standard and editor of “Freedom of Expression in the Supreme Court: The Defining Cases.”
- The Young and the Restless (pp48-53)
Mindich, David T. Z.
On the flight of the youth audience. David T. Z. Mindich, a former assignment editor of CNN, is an associate professor of journalism and mass communication at St. Michael's College in Burlington, Vermont and the author of “Tuned Out: Why Americans under 40 Don't Follow the News.”
- Seven Steps to Salvation (pp54-59)
Powers, William
On the future. William Powers is a columnist for National Journal and a former reporter for The Washington Post. Fulltext articles
E7 - The Ethical Dilemma of Blogging in the Media
Beeson, Patrick
Quill, April 2005, v93, #3
"Bloggers are a rough-and-tumble lot. They are the publishing cowboys of the media frontier. And like the untamed West, the blogosphere is full of mavericks who fail to think before they write. Even worse is that some of these cowboys refuse to adhere to a set of ethical rules. But this could change, as many notable bloggers push for a code ethics. Like town pastors, these bloggers are preaching the virtue and benefit of being honest, truthful and transparent with readers." Patrick Beeson is a graduate student of journalism at the University of Alabama. He is editor of DatelineAlabama.com, winner of the 2003 SPJ Mark of Excellence award for the nation’s best all-around independent online student publication. Fulltext
E8 - Arabs in Foreign Lands
Naím, Moisés
Foreign Policy, May/June 2005, no. 148, p. 96, 2p.
“People of Arab descent living in the United States are doing far better than the average American. That is the surprising conclusion drawn from data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2000 and released last March. The census found that U.S. residents who report having Arab ancestors are better educated and wealthier than average Americans.” Moisés Naím is editor in chief of Foreign Policy. Fulltext
E9 - Political Incorporation Among Immigrants from Ten Areas of Origin: The Persistence of Source Country Effects
Simpson Bueker, Catherine
The International Migration Review, Spring 2005, v39, #1, pp103-140
“Using four years of data from the Current Population Survey, this study examines the effect of country of origin on two types of political incorporation among immigrants - citizenship and voting - in the contemporary United States. Results show that country of origin is a statistically significant predictor of citizenship acquisition for nine often immigrant groups and for voter turnout for five of ten groups, net of income, education, length of residence in the United States, and other demographic characteristics. The findings also suggest that country of origin matters as much for how it interacts with other key characteristics, such as education and income, as for the independent influence it exerts on these two political processes.” Fulltext
E10 -
American Presidents and Their Attitudes, Beliefs, and Actions Surrounding Education and Multiculturalism
Baptiste, H Prentice: Heidi Orvosh-Kamenski: Christopher J Kamenski.
Multicultural Education, Spring 2005, v12, #3, p28, 13p
The authors assess the impact of the legacies of Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and William Jefferson Clinton in the context of education and multiculturalism. They examine how actions and policies of the last three American Presidents and how they impacted U.S. society through their office of power. This article is the sixth installment in a series of articles on various U.S. Presidents. Previous articles have covered: the administrations of Presidents George Washington, James K. Polk, and Franklin D. Roosevelt (Fall 2004); Presidents John Quincy Adams, Theodore Roosevelt, and Harry S. Truman (Summer 2004); Presidents Andrew Jackson, Woodrow Wilson, and Dwight D. Eisenhower (Spring 2004); Presidents Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Lyndon B. Johnson (Winter 2004); Presidents James Madison, Rutherford B. Hayes, and John F. Kennedy (Winter 2003). H. Prentice Baptiste is a professor of multicultural and science education and Heidi Orvosh-Kamenski and Christopher J. Kamenski are doctoral students in critical pedagogy -- all with the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico. Fulltext
E11 - Who We Are Now
Roberts, Sam.
New York Times Upfront, May 9, 2005, v137, #14, p12, 4p
Roberts highlights some statistics that tell the story of American history. For example, between 1950 and 2000, the US population doubled and immigration significantly altered the nation's complexion. Sam Roberts is urban affairs correspondent for The New York Times. This article is adapted from his recent book “Who We Are Now: The Changing Face of America in the Twenty-First Century.” (Times Books, 2004). Fulltext
E12 - Global Aging: The Challenge of Success
Kevin Kinsella, David R Phillips
Population Bulletin, March 2005, v60, #1; pp3-35
"Populations are growing older in countries throughout the world. While the populations of more developed countries have been aging for well over a century, this process began recently in most less developed countries, and it is being compressed into a few decades. By 2050, nearly 1.2 billion of the expected 1.5 billion people age 65 or older will reside in today's less developed regions." In this article the authors look at the health, labor force participation, family status, and other characteristics of older people, as well as recent demographic trends and the projected growth of the older population in major world regions. Kevin Kinsella is a writer and translator living in New York City.Fulltext
Youth Culture
E13 - Beyond Boganism
Brown, Beth; Brown, Doug
Journal of Popular Culture, May 2005, v38, #4; pp632-, 18p
The authors give the Australian street slang term "Bogan” an academic twist, applying it to a social phenomenon that is “two behaviors that increasingly define our culture today, unaware and irresponsible… by people who do not see the connections between what they are engaged in and its effect on their community, the environment, or others around the world.” Linking “boganism” to a "hypercapitalism" of globalization, the authors focus on U.S. youth at risk and conclude with recommendations necessary to shift people beyond boganism to a culture of sustainability. Beth Brown is a doctoral student in political science at Northern Arizona University. Doug Brown, professor of economics in the College of Business at Northern Arizona University. Fulltext
E14 - Full Activity, Study Schedules have Many Teens Just Saying No
Sylwester, MaryJo; Greg Toppo
USA Today, April 7, 2005, Section: Money, Pg. 01b
“Teens are studying more, are taking heavier course loads and are involved in more extracurricular activities than ever before.” As a result, the percentage of young people in workforce falls in the past 20 years. The article discusses the reasons and consequences of the decline in teens working. Fulltext
E15 - Youth Overexposed: Alcohol Advertising in Magazines, 2001-2003
Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth, April 7, 2005, 20p.
“Alcohol use is the leading illegal drug problem among America’s youth … Studies have shown that youth exposure to alcohol advertising increases awareness of that advertising, which in turn influences young people’s beliefs about drinking, intentions to drink, and drinking behavior.” The report analyzes the placement of alcohol advertising, in particular the placement in magazines that have a disproportionate youth readership, and discusses the consequences of the overexposure of underage youth to alcohol advertisements – see also the recent German debate regarding alcopops. The Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth at Georgetown University monitors the marketing practices of the alcohol industry to focus attention and action on industry practices that jeopardize the health and safety of America's youth. Fulltext
E16 - How Kids Set the (Ring) Tone
Thottam, Jyoti; Hollis, John; Masters, Coco; Pitluk, Adam; Whitaker, Leslie
Time, April 4, 2005, v165, # 14, pp40-, 4p.
“In a wireless world, teenagers are driving the hottest new technologies since the dotcom era.” The article looks at the influence of teenagers on the U.S. cellular telephone industry and describes the efforts of the cell phone industry to market their products and services to youth. Fulltext
E17 -
Generation M: Media in the Lives of 8-18 Year-Olds
Roberts, Donald F.; Foehr, Ulla G.; Rideout, Victoria
The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, March 9, 2005, 140p. (Executive Summary, 41p)
“A national Kaiser Family Foundation survey found children and teens are spending an increasing amount of time using ‘new media’ like computers, the Internet and video games, without cutting back on the time they spend with ‘old’ media like TV, print and music. Instead, because of the amount of time they spend using more than one medium at a time (for example, going online while watching TV), they’re managing to pack increasing amounts of media content into the same amount of time each day.” This is the second comprehensive study examining U.S. young people’s media exposure after “Kids & Media @ The New Millennium” which was conducted by the Kaiser Foundation in 1999. The Kaiser Family Foundation is a nonprofit, private operating foundation. Fulltext
E18 - Metal Missionaries to the Nation: Christian Heavy Metal Music, "Family Values," and Youth Culture, 1984-1994
Luhr, Eileen
American Quarterly, March 2005, v57, #1, p103, 26p.
“Luhr analyzes the cultural politics of Christian heavy metal music created between 1984 and 1994, a period when conservative Christians mobilized both political and cultural forces in an effort to extend their influence and power in American society. Popular music was vital to Christian conservatives' intervention into American public life because they emphasized the importance of changing hearts, a cultural issue, rather than votes, a political issue.” Eileen Luhr is currently a Kevin Starr Postdoctoral Fellow in Californian Studies at the University of California Humanities Research Institute. Fulltext
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