Sociological Images » “Rules and Regulations for Public Dance Halls”

Found this on one of the Contexts' blogs.

Stay tuned for a related upcoming assignment!!

http://contexts.org/socimages/2009/06/11/rules-and-regulations-for-public-dance-halls/

Sent from my iPhone

Twitter use better defined

The analysis of Twitter gets better defined as the media and general
public seeks to better understand the depth and impact of the "Twitter
phenomena".

On the news, talkshows, and all across the media, defining the use and
purpose of Twitter continues to be inaccurate and largely misunderstood.

What is Twitter for?

http://mashable.com/2009/06/10/twitter-users-inactive/

Sent from my iPhone

Near naked yard work

...so I'm pretty aware of my surroundings, and not a lot surprises me...

But seeing this guy a few blocks from my house today, mowing his grass in briefs (underwear), was something of a surprise.

--Via mobile bloggin'

McWordsmiths

I just wonder how long it took to derive this elegant phrase found on the box of a Big Mac; AND how much the creator got paid?

See any other elegant food phrases that provide the aesthetics to make the food go down easier and to take your thoughts from the potential for heart disease? Snap a shot with a caption and send it to me to post: chad.gesser@gmail.com

Champagne Glass Distribution of Wealth

...found from the Graphic Sociology Blog at Contexts.org

Another good visual of global distribution of income

Conley, D. (2008) You may ask yourself: An introduction to thinking like a sociologist. New York: W.W. Norton and Company. p.392.

Social connection and the formation of virtual identity

The New Socialism: Global Collectivist Society Is Coming Online
http://www.wired.com/culture/culturereviews/magazine/17-06/nep_newsocialism

Reading: interesting article on the emergence of social order online.

To reprieve or not to reprieve? To Reprieve!!!

Greetings bloggees, students, friends, and fellow humans.

Been taking a much need break, and am feeling so much better for it.

Got several items on the agenda in the coming weeks. Looking to try some new things with two summer classes which begin Jume 10th.

Also been staying in tune with national and international news and trends.

Stay tuned for more posts, likely to pick up in a couple of weeks.


--Via mobile bloggin'

This Blog tag/word cloud

This is a word cloud created from all the words appearing in this blog. This was created at Wordle. Very cool.

Obesity and the Fastness of Food

Obesity and the Fastness of Food - Economix Blog - NYTimes.com

An interesting graph of time spent eating per day vs. the national obesity rate.

What factors might explain the vast discrepancy in time and obesity rate between the U.S. and say, France?

Hans Rosling on Global Development

Came across this video presentation today, and totally geeked out! This is another look at the issues of global development, population, and health that most classes have been examining at the end of this semester. Very interesting look!

Centraal Station Antwerpen gaat uit zijn dak!

This video was sent to me by student John Dixon. This highlights items similar to contagion theory and collective behavior.

A similar phenomenon to this video here is called "flash mobs". Read a bit from wikipedia here.

A highly popular flash mob can be seen here, and here.

Interesting stuff!

Happy Earth Day?

Shopping Our Way to Safety: Sociology professor Andrew Szasz says 'buying green' may be lulling consumers into a false sense of security

A good article citing Sociologist Andrew Szasz regarding 'buying green' and false sense of security.

Bottom line: if we are to sincerely address environmental issues, we have got to focus on large scale infrastructure change.  Recycling cans and going green is not gonna make it happen.

When Did Your County's Jobs Disappear?

An interactive map of vanishing employment across the country. - By Chris Wilson - Slate Magazine

This is an awesome interactive map.  There is so much information to be discerned regarding job gain/loss over time, by county across the United States.

Durban Review Conference: Issues of International Inequality

This is the webpage of archived videos from the Durban Review Conference.  There are some fantastic insights into racial inequality from viewpoints around the world.

Must have Real Player installed to watch (and can be downloaded for free when prompted).

Try "Voices:everyone affected by racism has a story that should be heard".

The Beauty Breakdown

The True Cost of Lifetime Beauty Care

This is a wonderful interactive graphic from Newsweek about beauty and the modern girl/woman.

What norms lead girls and women to spend so much money on beauty and cosmetic products?

"China's birth limits create dangerous gender gap"

China's birth limits create dangerous gender gap

The news report above was sent to me by soc student, S. Tanner. 

After reading the article, what else is assumed about violent crime as it relates to men and women? 

Lastly, 5 extra credit points to the first student that can go to the Population Reference Bureau website, and post as a comment to this post the following information:

*  the top five most populated countries in the world
and
*  the number living in each of those countries

To Tweet or Not to Tweet Presentation

Keep in mind I have been sick with the flu the past three weeks. So cut me some slack!

The video watched in this presentation can be found here: Michael Wesch's Information R/evolution

Social Media is About Sociology not Technology

In light of the changes in society we've recently discussed in the Intro classes, this blog post from Brian Solis provides a clear understanding about the significance of Twitter, Facebook, etc...relationships between people.

Question:  Do you think social networking tools such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Blogs, and others will become important parts of our lives?  What function do they serve?

Pregnancy, poverty, and identity

Sociology professor delves into why poor women find redemption in having a baby | The Columbia Daily Tribune - Columbia, MO

The story above has highlights from some interesting research around poverty, pregnancy, and identity.

One question to consider:  why would having a child increase the sense of purpose for poor women more so than middle or upper class women?

Just a photo I saw, that made me think...

This pic appeared on the front page of one of the primary sections of today's local paper.

First of all, social service agencies and volunteers do what they can to provide skills training and education development to the inmate population.

But, this picture brings several questions to mind. The first I will pose: Is this an effort to train inmates to be circus clowns? This image strikes me in many ways.

What other questions does it bring up?

Did You Know Resources

I received a question today about whether the information in the Did You Know video were facts.

Here are some interesting links to the authors of the presentation. They are reputable folks, and yes I take the data to be accurate.

Karl Fisch

Scott McLeod

Public Knows Basic Facts About Financial Crisis

(Click image to enlarge)

Just saw this from the Pew Research Center; research regarding public awareness of the current financial crisis.

These numbers surprise you? They do me, seems like many folks in the U.S. are following along.

Early Childhood Investment in KY

The information to the side comes from a recent release from the Horizon report from the Kentucky Long Range Policy Research Center.

(Click the picture to see a larger version)

What is meant by "cost/benefits/rate-of-return analysis using human capital theory"?

What would investment in early childhood education look like? How do you think that that investment yield positive results?

Go here for a search on human capital theory economics

Web 2.0 ... The Machine is Us/ing Us

This is who I got to hear speak today. Dr. Morris sent me a link to his work last year.

Got any creative ideas as to how to get students engaged using Web 2.0?

Did You Know

While watching, or when you've finished, what comes to mind? What does this make you consider, to think about, to wonder?

Crowds and contagion theory

Any application of contagion theory?

Energy and Environment

ETA on our region "going green"?

Community Infrastructure

Love this bridge

NCAA Tourney and Crowds

Currently doing some annual reading about Collective Behavior and Crowds. I'm heading to Indianapolis on Friday for three days, lucky enough to catch the Louisville Cardinals play on Friday. And of course if they win, they will play on Sunday.

I'll be posting some pics from the Road to the Big Dance. In the meantime, check out some preliminary reading on Collective Behavior. Pay particular attention to "Theories of Crowd Behavior".

I'll be posting pics as well, and will offer questions through the weekend that you can answer for extra credit.

Soc Peeps: the Lesbian(s) and the Water Fountain

krogerchick on Twitter sent this to me today:

krogerchick@profgesser i saw someone refuse to drink from a water fountain after a lesbian drank from it. absolute chaos! made me think about soc

krogerchick@profgesser a man saw two girls all but makin out in front of the store & he went to get a drink later, but saw 1 girl get a drink 1st.

krogerchick@profgesser he says "i be damned if i is gonna drink outta the same fountain as some homo bitch!" she freaked. crazy.

So, in terms of getting a drink from the same water fountain, what do you think the man was worried about? Why?

"Synergy of the Arts..."

I'm currently reading through the Placemaking Initiative report regarding downtown development in Owensboro.


I'm currently President of the Board of Directors at Theatre Workshop of Owensboro, and we were hoping to acquire the Goldie's Opryhouse facility with the assistance of local government.

I have found interesting references in the Placemaking Initiative report about "synergy of the arts", and "historical preservation."

So the question is this: Is requesting $250,000 for the purchasing price for Goldie's too much in the face of a $79 million incentive plan to reinvent downtown Owensboro?

Should a public entity with a proven track record, and as the oldest arts organization in Owensboro, be shown preference to acquire the facility to "synergize the arts"? Or, should local government rely solely on the private sector?

The Turtleman

Would certainly be remiss if I didn't include a link to the Turtleman video that we watched early in the semester.

Posting this for entertainment purposes.

Daviess County Sheriff's Office "Methbuster"

I saw this picture today. This is the car I've spoken about in class. It is no longer in use as a marketing tool.

I believe it was originally donated.

Some questions we have explored in class were regarding the purpose and effectiveness of this vehicle. Does using it as a marketing gool do anything to curve, prevent, or have other impact on meth production and/or use?

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Pic of a painting made at the Nov. 2007 event. Just ended, will edit all posts into one later.

Suggested reading, The Next Form of Democracy

Now discussing deliberative democracy..integrating citizen voices into decision making

Emphasizing systemic solutions for systemic problems.

.highlighting Obama's Memorandum on Open Government: Transparency, Collaboration, and Participation

..now speaking to "Changing the Way Gov. Relates to People".

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..audience member questions

First question is regarding the role of technology in polling and gathering large amounts of data and making sense of it.

Taking questions and comments from the audience.
First question is regarding the role of technology in polling and gathe

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Placing significance on public space. What are the public venues for citizen engagement in decision making?

She started out citing the Jeffersonian ideal of by the people, of the people, for the people.

Dr. Lukensmeyer is now speaking. She has great words to say about O'boro's effort.

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Listening to Shelly Nichols, Exec. Dir. of We the People Owensboro. She's currently providing an overview of work conducted over the past two years. More info regarding their work can be found at their website. Will provide that link later, but can be found with a Google search.

Carolyn Lukensmeyer speaking at OCTC

In November 2007, Owensboro held an unprecedented event, the We the People Town Hall meeting, facilitated by the non-profit group AmericaSpeaks.

The founder of AmericaSpeaks, Dr. Carolyn Lukensmeyer, will be speaking at Blandford Hall in the Humanities Building at the community college on Thursday, 3/12.

In addition, an update will be provided regarding the local We the People activities.

The event begins at 7pm, and I do believe that all attendees will find the information meaningful as it relates to Sociology and community politics.

CNN - Tents on wheels give homeless people roof and pride

Sent from chad.gesser@kctcs.edu's mobile device from http://www.cnn.com.

Tents on wheels give homeless people roof and pride

Brenda Gardenhire shows off her new home with pride. It looks like an oversized shopping cart covered with a khaki canvas. But to her, it's "wonderful" -- a stepping stone to get her off the streets and get her life back in order.

"It's like your own home, your own apartment, your own room," she said, showing off the 7-foot-long living space on wheels. "No one else can come in here but me."

Gardenhire is talking about her makeshift home called an EDAR, which stands for Everyone Deserves A Roof. The units are being distributed to homeless people in the Los Angeles area by the Everyone Deserves A Roof nonprofit organization.

It's the brainchild of "Revenge of the Nerds" movie producer Peter Samuelson, who has spent much of his life working with charities to help impoverished children.

He got the idea to help the homeless in recent years as he rode his bicycle from Los Angeles to the beach at Santa Monica.

On those bike rides, he began seeing more and more homeless people. But he didn't just whiz by. He stopped to talk with them -- 62 people in all. One by one, he listened to their needs and what they wanted most: a roof over their heads. And the idea for the EDAR was born.

"If you had to define the value of a civilization, it's not how many SUVs you've got," Samuelson said. "To me, I think it's how well do we take care of our children, our homeless people, our mentally ill, those less fortunate."

He partnered with the Pasadena Art Center College of Design for a design contest and the current contraption was created. Each unit costs about $500 to make.

The four-wheeled home has an expandable base that stays off the ground and is covered by a canvas, giving it the feel of a tent. It extends 86 inches and is 32 inches wide, thin enough to fit through standard doorways. Each unit has a mattress and sleeping bag to provide comfort. It's also flame-retardant and sturdy enough to keep its occupants dry during heavy rains. A braking mechanism prevents the unit from rolling away at night. They also come with a chain and padlock to prevent it from being stolen.

Samuelson said he initially wanted to build more permanent shelters for all of the homeless people in the Los Angeles area. "But when you do the math, you're looking at $3 billion to get 60,000 people off the damp concrete, and that's just in L.A."

He said the EDAR isn't a perfect solution, but it's a good, economical stopgap. "This is $500 to get a man or a woman or a child off the damp concrete," he said. "I don't think it's the best. ... But for now, I think a little bit of privacy -- not being rained on, not sleeping on the ground, not getting pneumonia from the damp -- has a little bit of value."

Jose Font, 50, agrees. He got an EDAR late last year. He said he's been homeless off and on since 1979. He slept on a tarp with a blanket and worked on computer repairs before he became one of about 60 people to get an EDAR.

"Everybody calls it the hobo condo. Everybody envies me because I sleep on a mattress inside," he said. "It makes me feel like I've got something to come to. It feels more like a home than just a tarp and concrete."

He added, "It's light as a feather when I push it. I can put it anywhere."

Font keeps it locked to a telephone on public property when he's away.

James Ramirez, a social worker with the Venice Community Housing Corporation, said he has been able to use the EDAR as incentive to get people's lives back on track.

"What we're doing is using the EDAR as a carrot for them to come in to see us," Ramirez said. "They want the EDAR because they want to keep dry when it's raining and they want a place to stay at night that's comfortable. So we're using this to connect with them."

"For us, it's working really well," he said. "This is their home. This is what they're proud of at this moment. ... It means a step in the right direction to get back into society."

The EDAR organization says it's starting with baby steps. In addition to the 60 units already given out, another 110 units have been ordered. The units are distributed to shelters, churches and other organizations that help the homeless. Those groups then distribute the units. The EDAR group tries to stay in phone contact with its users every week or two. EDAR.org: How you can help

EDAR currently has about 30 people on a waiting list, plus another 10 shelters in the Los Angeles area. The organization is also looking at land provided by a local authority where they could let women and families stay on a site that also has functioning bathrooms.

EDAR has fielded dozens more calls from across the country and around the world about the units. Samuelson said they're "studying what works best" and looking at an array of options.

"People talk about the homeless as if it's some homogeneous group of drunken, unemployed, too-lazy-to-get-a-job men. They're totally wrong. They need to come meet people," he said. "What's the point in having a society if it's devoid of helping people less fortunate?"

He added, "As we raise money, we will get people off the concrete."

For Brenda Gardenhire, that means the world.

"It's a step up to you. It's like you're making progress," she said. "Now, I have me a little place to stay. I'm moving up."

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Has anyone noticed that the new Kroger parking lot was punk'd by innovative stripers, promoting a uni-directional parking design?

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a waste of school funds or a lesson for life?

Click the image above to enlarge.

This is an interesting piece of information just released by worldpublicopinion.org.

 

For more information visit here:

World Public Opinion Report

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Tricked out mopeds...the future of individualism

Interesting discussion between Chuck D and Michael Steele (Republican Party Chairman)

This is an interesting discussion about the black experience, identity, and the future political implications.

Report on foodstamps

Saw this on CNN, a report about foodstamps and meeting basic food needs.

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Does this restaurant sign violate cultural norms? Is it odd to see political expressions mixed with pizza?

Prof. Gesser's other hobby: dancin'

there i am, the blur on the left!

Disaster Sociologists Studying Katrina

In mid-September, John A. Barnshaw, a graduate student at the University of Delaware's Disaster Research Center, made his way to Houston and spent five days in the shelters in and around the Astrodome. He wanted to learn how families from New Orleans were making decisions about whether to return to their city.

To read the remainder of this article click here.

Welcome Back!!

Did I fail to say "Welcome Back!" to everyone?! Yes I did, so this is your welcome back to a new academic year.

I encourage you to keep your sociological perspective sharp by accessing some new additions to this "stuff" I call my work.

Sociology Interest Links This webpage is an extension of my class website. I keep this pretty up-to-date with some very good resources for the field of sociology. Don't forget to check it out. It's a good resource from writing term/research papers in the field of the social sciences, and of course, sociology.

My RSS Feeds Keep up-to-date with the current news events from around the world by visiting my RSS feeds. Before learning more about RSS feeds, check out these resources I have collected. Another good source.

If you don't know what RSS feeds are, go here.

Got additional resources I should add? Should me an email at chad.gesser@kctcs.edu.

Insights into New Orleans Flood

The devastation in New Orleans, LA has caught many people by surprise. For decades, New Orleans residents, elected officials, mimes, and musicians have suspected that such a storm as Katrina would cause utter destruction to the New Orleans metropolitan area.

For some up-to-date accounts to the rescue and recovery effort, click here.

To better understand how natural disasters result in collective trauma, and how communities and individuals deal with such circumstances, click here.

Break Time

Welcome all to the Blog that brings you exciting connections to items of sociological significance in our world. It's summer time here, and that means it is time for me to take a bit of a break. However, I'd love to hear any comments or suggestions you may have in my efforts to improve the offerings of this blog and its purpose useful. Send me a line at chad.gesser@kctcs.edu.

See you in Fall 2005, with maybe a few sundry items between now and then....

Social Class and Poverty: New report shows that child poverty is rising in rich countries

A new report published today by UNICEF finds that the proportion of children living in poverty has risen in 17 out of 24 industrialised nations of the OECD over the past decade. This amounts to some 40 -50 million children growing up below national poverty lines in the world’s richest countries.

To read this article in its entirety, click here.

To access related sociological websites, click here.

Social Class and the US Economy: The uneven burden of money's higher cost

By Ron Scherer
Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

NEW YORK – The cost of being a borrower is rising.

As the Federal Reserve raises interest rates - as it is expected to do again Tuesday - everyone from students to car buyers to anyone carrying a credit-card balance will start to notice that lenders are charging more.

To read the entirety of this article, click here

To access related sociological links, click here.

Social Class and the US Economy: The uneven burden of money's higher cost

By Ron Scherer
Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

NEW YORK – The cost of being a borrower is rising.

As the Federal Reserve raises interest rates - as it is expected to do again Tuesday - everyone from students to car buyers to anyone carrying a credit-card balance will start to notice that lenders are charging more.

To read the entirety of this article, click here

To access related sociological links, click here.

BRAZIL: Lack of Land Rights is Killing Indigenous Children, Say Activists

RIO DE JANEIRO, Mar 14 (IPS) - ”We don't want charity or paternalistic projects,” stressed the leaders of the Guarani-Kaiowá indigenous community in the midwestern Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul, where at least eight children have died so far this year from malnutrition.

To read the entirety of this article, click here.

For related sociological information, click here.

Globalization and Health

Mexico's Minister of Health talks about the role that disease, violence, and malnutrition play in the dialogue over global economic development.

Read this article in its entirety by clicking here.

For blank and related sociological terms and concepts,
click here.

Global Population and Urbanization

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The human race is expected to swell from the current 6.5 billion to 9.1 billion people by 2050, with populations exploding in hungry developing countries and stagnating in rich nations, the United Nations predicted Thursday.

To read the remainder of this article click here.

To access related sociological terms and concepts, click here.

Politics and Gender Equality in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, 2 Feb 2005 (IRIN) - Two independent reports on domestic violence against women in Pakistan have found that the country is suffering increasing levels of abuse in spite of legislation to provide women with protection.


Click here to read this article in its entirety.

Click here for related sociological terms on the Politics and Gender.

European Union and the Global Economy

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission unveiled a plan on Wednesday to relaunch the EU's drive for economic supremacy, but quietly dropped the 2010 deadline set five years ago for a program that has been 'blown off course.'

Click here to read this article in its entirety.

Click here for related sociological terms on the Economy and Global Stratification.

Politics: 1990 Constitutional Monarch, 2005 King-Less Republic?

BANGKOK, Feb 2 (IPS) - In May 1990, the winds of change that began with the collapse of the Berlin Wall and freeing of South Africa's Nelson Mandela, had reached the Himalayan Hindu kingdom of Nepal. The role of the god-king - the incarnation of Lord Vishnu - was challenged.

Click here for the entirety of this article.

Click here for related sociological terms on Politics.

Global economy: Free Trade Americas Agreement (FTAA) Sneaks into Summit Declaration

MEXICO CITY, Jan 13 (IPS) - The Summit of the Americas came to a close Tuesday in the northern Mexican city of Monterrey with a declaration asserting that the hemisphere-wide trade treaty should move forward according to plan because it will foment growth.

Click here for the entirety of this article.

Click here for related sociological terms on the Economy and Global Stratification.

Economy and Global Stratification: U.S. Reaches Pact With Central American Nations

WASHINGTON, Dec 17 (IPS) - The United States and four Central American countries reached a so-called free trade agreement (FTA) on Wednesday, a deal critics say will cost U.S. jobs and transfer wealth from the already impoverished Latin nations to U.S. corporations.

Click here for the entirety of this article.

Click here for related sociological terms on the Economy and Global Stratification.

Global Economy and NAFTA: North American Deal Dismal After a Decade

WASHINGTON, Dec 26 (IPS) - After 10 years a deal that all sides say transformed trade and investment rules in North America has still produced far fewer positive results than originally promised, according to its critics.

For more on this article click here.

Click here for links addressing the Economy and Global Stratification.

Argentina's Economy Makes Progress: Economy and Global Stratification

In Argentina, there are signs of solid financial recovery three years after the country suffered devastating political and economic crises.

To read more click here.

To read related sociological terms and concepts click here for the section on the Economy or Global Stratification.

Peacebuilders span North America: Social Change and Conflict Resolution

The recent creation of the North American Peacebuilders Program, one of the first exchange programs of its kind in the world, is giving students...

To read the entire article clicking here.

For related sociological terms and concepts click here.

Mexico's Once-Dominant PRI Split Over Candidate: Mexico Politics

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Once compared to the Soviet Communist Party for its monolithic grip on power, Mexico's Institutional Revolutionary Party is now in turmoil over how to win back the presidency it lost in the 2000 elections."

To read this article click here.

For related sociological terms and concepts, click here.

China: Strategic Policy and Marxism

BEIJING, Jan. 26 (Xinhuanet) -- Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) Leng Rong said here Wednesday that his academy would stick to Marxism for guiding academic research.

To read the remainder of this article click here.

For related sociological terms and concepts,
click here.

Citizens Against Government Waste: Politics and Special Interest Groups

I came across this site after reading a letter in the Jan. 23rd edition of the Messenger-Inquirer. Thanks to the reader for pointing this out! Below is the mission statement of CAGW.

"Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) is a private, non-partisan, non-profit organization representing more than one million members and supporters nationwide. CAGW's mission is to eliminate waste, mismanagement, and inefficiency in the federal government. Founded in 1984 by the late industrialist J. Peter Grace and syndicated columnist Jack Anderson, CAGW is the legacy of the President's Private Sector Survey on Cost Control, also known as the Grace Commission. "

To visit this site click here.

To see related sociological terms and concepts on politics click here.

'Hookem Horns' sign has different meanings: Culture and gesture

By Jack Douglas Jr.
MKnight Ridder Newspapers


FORT WORTH, Texas -- President Bush, who's had difficulty at times holding alliances together, may have inadvertently ruffled feathers overseas by flashing a "Hook 'em Horns" sign during last week's inaugural parade.

For the entire article click here.

For related sociolgical terms and concepts on culture and gestures click here.

Sudan and Southern Rebels Sign Deal Ending Civil War: Social Conflict and Politics

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan. 9 - To cries of "God is great!" in Arabic and "Hallelujah!" the Islamic government of Sudan signed a peace agreement on Sunday with a Christian rebel group in the south that called for an end to one of Africa's fiercest and longest-running civil wars.

Click here for the entire article.

click here for sociological terms related to social conflict.

Deforestation paves way in Brazil: Global stratification and culture

By Jan Rocha
BBC News, Brazil


Soya bean farmers in Brazil are demanding that a 600-mile-long stretch of highway, which runs due north through the Amazon region, should be paved so it can be used in all weathers. But environmentalists are alarmed at the plans to cut through the country's natural assets.

Click here for the entire article.

click here for global stratification and culture related links.

Letter From the Americas: Learn English, Says Chile, Thinking Upwardly Global: Culture and assimilation

SANTIAGO, Chile - In many parts of Latin America, resistance to cultural domination by the United States is often synonymous with a reluctance to learn or speak English. But here, where Salvador Allende was once a beacon for the left, the current Socialist-led national government has begun a sweeping effort to make this country bilingual. Click here for the entire article.

Click here for the related sociological terms on culture and language.

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: Long, hard road to democracy: Democracy and development

BANGUI, 6 Jan 2005 (IRIN) - Preparations for democratic elections and efforts to restore security across the country featured greatly in the Central African Republic (CAR) in 2004. Despite setbacks of insecurity and human rights violations, events in the year indicated that after years of instability, the country could be on the verge of democracy. Click here for the entire article.

Click here for the related sociological terms on politics and development.

The shifting politics of global giving: Stratification and Natural Disaster

A NEW BRIDGE: With the help of outside aid, Sri Lankans are rebuilding in Galle.Rumors and false information are complicating the clean up efforts along the southern coast.

Click here for the entire article.

Click here for the related sociological terms on stratification.

Latin American development: Immigration, economic development

BORDER ORDER: These three Mexican migrants crossed into the United States last April. They're some of the more than 10 million Mexicans currently in the US illegally. President Bush wants to pass a guest-worker program this year.


Click here for the entire article.

Click here for the related sociological terms on immigration, population, and economic development.

China: Population

By Benjamin Kang Lim
BEIJING (Reuters) - China named the first baby born at a Beijing hospital Thursday as the 1.3 billionth person of the world's most populous nation, more than two decades after a one-child policy was introduced to keep its numbers in check.

Click here for the entire article.

Click here for the related sociological terms on population and demography.

First hand account from Africa

Adventures in Africa: Saving the children

Part I of an ongoing series

Judy Lorimer has just returned from a month in Mali, West Africa, doing volunteer work for Save the Children. During her stay, she kept a journal, which we will run as a series of columns about Mali and Lorimer's work there. Her hope through this series is to educate our readers about what life in Rural Africa is like and to encourage you to consider sponsoring a child in the region, as she does, at the cost of $1 a day. Until last year, Judy was a teacher in Harvard. Now retired, she lives in Pepperell.

For the remainder of this article, click here.

For related sociological terms and concepts, click here.

The outsourcing of American jobs: a timeline

This is a quick and easy look at the history of how the outsourcing of American jobs has become a critical piece of our economic development strategy. Thanks goes out to a former student of mine for pointing this out! Thanks Wendy!!!

Click here to visit the site.

Click here to visit additional links related to the economy and global stratification.

Costa Rica rainforest at risk: ecotourism

Concern is mounting over the future of a pioneering eco-tourism development in Costa Rica - the Monteverde rainforest reserve in the country's north-western highlands.

Click here to read more.

For the section on the environment and related sociological terms and concepts, click here.

Economy and Personal Debt

WASHINGTON Dec 19, 2004 — Shoppers are racing from store to store this holiday season, with credit cards clutched tightly in hand and visions of future bills dancing in their heads. One-half of Americans say they worry about the money they owe, and many say they worry most of the time about their overall debts, an Associated Press poll found.

Click here to read more.

For the section on the economy and related sociological terms and concepts, click here.

Immigration and language differences

By LESLIE CASIMIR
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Paciano Pedro, a new immigrant from Mexico, has a severe language problem. Not only does he not speak English - he can barely speak Spanish." Click here to read more.

For related sociological terms and concepts, click here.

US energy proposal pushes toward center

By Brad Knickerbocker | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

The effort to craft a comprehensive national energy strategy got a significant nudge this week. After two year's work, the nonpartisan National Commission on Energy Policy, a panel funded by several foundations, issued what's likely to be an influential report addressing all aspects of energy policy: supply, national security, environmental impact, and diplomacy.

Click here to read more...

Also click here to apply sociological concepts to this issue.

Israle and Palestine: Behind the barrier

By Nicole Gaouette | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

QALQILYA, WEST BANK – Yusif Josef Ramsi is still farming, if you can call it that. The West Bank farmer, never a major landowner, once tended his seven-acre plot of fig and olive trees with pride. Click here to read more...

Also click here to apply sociological concepts to this issue.

The former child soldiers of Mozambique's civil war offer insights into morality and human resiliency

The children of war

By Wray Herbert

Alfredo Betuel Macamo and Joaquim Fernando Quive live only a couple of hundred yards from each other, and they share a lot of history and culture. These two 23-year-old men grew up in the same primitive village near Malehice in the rural Mozambican province of Gaza, and both still live there today. It's a poor place, and neither Macamo nor Quive is doing that great financially. Macamo is struggling to raise three kids--6, 3, and a 4-month-old--by harvesting reeds on a riverbank. Quive does odd jobs when he can find them, though these days he doesn't work much at all. They both live in small reed huts with dirt floors and no running water.

Click here to read more and click here to apply sociological concepts to this issue.

Conflict in Congo

By David Lewis
GOMA, Congo (Reuters) - Fighting between rival army factions has ended days of relative calm in eastern Congo where the United Nations say at least 100,000 people displaced by recent clashes have yet to return home. Click here to read more... Also click here for potential links to apply sociological concepts to this subject.

Afghan Culture

This is an interesting article about Afghanistan's culture.Click here to read more....

UNICEF

UNICEF is the United Nation's International Children's Emergency Fund. Their work is cited in the previous post "Global Poverty, Human Rights". The link below will take you to their website. There is a lot of very good information on their website referencing global poverty, the status of children in the world, children living in conflict nations, and related topics.

UNICEF Home Page

Global poverty, human rights

At risk: 1,000,000,000 of the world's children
One billion children are at risk today from war, poverty and hunger, failed by the world's governments

By Stephen Khan
10 December 2004

They are a billion strong. Diseased, malnourished, uneducated, they are a people on the run from wars that take the lives of their brothers and sisters. And they are all children - half the children on earth today. Click here to read more...

Global Economy: China and the EU

China and the European Union, meeting yesterday in the Hague, pledged to boost relations while signing more than a dozen cooperation agreements. To read more click here...

China: International Trade

BEIJING, Dec. 2 (Xinhuanet) -- The United States yesterday announced anti-dumping duties on imports of Chinese shrimp as high as 113 per cent, a move that will hurt both US consumers and Chinese shrimp farmers, China Daily reported Thursday.

This article highlights the dynamics of international economic relations and free trade issues. Read more by clicking here...