The Power of Being Outside

As another school year comes to a close, I start to think about going back into the open. By open I mean being able to spend my summer at beaches, riding bikes, and generally being outside more. The past two summers I have been able to experience the outdoors like never before- I was able to take a 7 day canoe trip in the Boundary Waters between the United States and Canada, as well as kayak the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore for a 5 day trip. The picture above is one of many caves kayakers can visit in the Apostle Islands in Wisconsin. All of the entry points for these trips were through State Parks; all of which allowed me to see the untouched, pristine natural beauty of the Great Lakes. This New York Times article reminded me of my trips greatly and also brought up some themes discussed in AS this semester. Being able to travel is almost a source of power so who is able to travel? And why does traveling benefit a person so much?

“Why Am I at a National Park?” by Eric Nagourney explains how baby boomers have been a constant, reliable stream to the National Parks in the United States while people aged 16 to 30 have decreased in visiting National Parks. The article quotes Jonathan Jarvis, the director of the park service. Mr. Jarvis said, “The parks must compete with high-speed, high-resolution entertainment, with instant access to seemingly everything in the blink of the eye.” While it is certainly true that children and young adults in 2013 may be captivated by “high-speed, high-resolution entertainment,” some other factors that may be influencing young adults not being able to visit National Parks are that a majority may not have the power to. Baby boomers are starting to become retired- free from the responsibilities of children and work.

The ability to visit National Parks or travel around the country in general takes a type of power in the sense that a person would need to take vacation days, spend money, and be away from their general responsibilities for the entire trip. This made me think of some class discussions and themes that we have seen throughout the year. More specifically, this made me think of social class issues and the certain powers that accompany the upper and middle classes.  The powers of traveling include new knowledge and experiences with cultures and different types of people. Similarly, further research into this from the National Wildlife Federation found that children had “stress levels fall within minutes of seeing green spaces” and that natural settings are “widely effective in reducing ADHD symptoms.”

As many issues in the United States fall into class, travel is no different. The benefits of travel have been shown but what steps can be taken to improve travel to National Parks as well as just around the country in general? Are we facing another true class issue or can this be resolved more simply? 

Back to 2004?

While not confirmed yet, multiple sources have stated that James Comey will be nominated under President Obama as the next FBI director. However, just like how many of President Obama's nominees for different important positions, this one is not without its controversy. Mr. Comey worked under President Bush in the Justice department but threatened to resign because of the Bush's administration use of warrant-less wire tapping.

Other interesting thing about this particular nomination is that he worked with Bush administration. In 2008, many people voted for Obama to simply get anyone who worked with Bush out of the White House. However, President Obama has brought in many people who also worked with former President Bush. It is interesting to wonder why President Obama has decided to do this. Surely, there is many more people who also could be suitable for this job. Also, it is not like during his first term when he had to satisfy swing voters so he could get back into the White House . What do you think President Obama's motivation is to bring these people into his administration?

Housing Disparities in Chicago

Less than a 45 minute drive from where I live is the city of Chicago. Called the most American city of all cities in the United States by Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Chicago has tons to offer. From the Gold Coast, to Lincoln Park, to Michigan Avenue this city is full of life and of course, full of wealth. As discussed in American Studies multiple times, the rich and powerful always have more then a less wealthy or poor person in terms of where they get to live, where they work, where they get their education and much more. In particular, where people get to live in Chicago and housing was discussed in this nine page article from the New York Times.

The article, named The Death and Life of Chicago by Ben Austen, goes into depth discussing the many problems facing poor residents of the southern and western suburbs of Chicago. The article mainly focuses on a group called the "Anti-Eviction Campaign" where members find vacant houses, refurbish them, and let homeless people live in them. As explained in the article, it is not as simple as just letting someone move into a house without that particular person paying taxes on the house or land. However, the author also provides startling statistics- "62,000 properties in Chicago were vacant at the end of last year" with a two-thirds majority of them clustered in the South and West side of the city.

The Anti-Eviction Campaign group is run by people who actually live in these neighborhoods effected by the vacant houses. I found it very interesting that the group was not run by anyone living outside these neighborhoods or by a government agency. What do you think about this group? How much of an effect do you think they have on the South and West side?

The two images provided in the article. The top left image is of Chicago's Gold Coast, a very expensive part of the city to live. This image is of a neighborhood in Chicago's South Side. 

Without Responders

Living in the north shore most of us don't think about what would happen if we or a family member had a medical emergency. An ambulance would only be a call away and we would be brought to a hospital in almost no time. Living in a rural or very urban area might be a different story but after reading this New York Times article on health care in Alaska it put things in a different prospective.

The article discussed the many decisions that must be made when an emergency call comes. First, the season must be taken into account. According to the article, during late may "the Kuskokwim River is choked with unstable melting ice" which broadens the isolation of people living across the river even more. The article even goes as far to say, "If you have a road, you're not remote." This provocative statement really shows how isolated people are from each other in certain parts of Alaska.

                                                           The Kuskokwim River


Similarly to other rural areas in the United States or the "lower 48" as referred to in the article, the lack of doctors or nurses in villages also proves to be problematic. In the village of Atmautluak, a women who is only 25 years old is the only community health aide. The continuing lack of education makes this problem constant from generation to generation. What do you think could be one possible solution to rural Alaska emergency responder problems?

Decade of Conflict

Today marks a day of remembrance for those who have sacrificed their lives as well as continue to think about those who are still deployed overseas. Traditionally every Memorial Day the President speaks to veterans and military families and today was no different;  President Obama addressed the Arlington National Cemetery with a strong message of remembering that the United States is still at war. One of the most memorable lines from President Obamas speech was when discussing conflicts and new chapters in the United States history. President Obama said, "...even as we turn a page on a decade of conflict, even as we look forward, let us never forget as we gather here today that our nation is still at war."

President Obama hints at multiple common themes that are recurring in America. Americans are always moving on to the next thing, whatever is most prevalent at the moment and often forget of things still happening like the war in Afghanistan.  Another theme is the one of that America is almost always at war and President Obama hinted at the fact of moving "forward" and hoping that we would not be in another decade of war.

What do you think of President Obama's speech? What else do you think he was hinting at?

A Historic Election

The 2012 presidential election was certainly historic for many reasons, but new data is coming out about the past election that has never happened before. According to a Census Bureau analysis, black voter turnout surpassed whites in the 2012 election. A Huffington Post article provided the statistics saying, "about 66.2 percent of eligible black voters cast ballots in 2012, up from 64.7 percent in 2008." The fact that more black voters came out to vote in this election did not only affect how President Obama won the election, but how future democratic candidates have a greater chance of winning based on the trends reported by the Census Bureau. The article also described how other minority groups in the United States turned out to vote and the affect that will have in future elections. 

I think it is very interesting how 2012 had a even higher black voter turnout then 2008 when Barack Obama was first trying to get elected. What do you think? Why did 2012 have the highest turnout in voting for this specific minority group?

Reading, Writing, and Mathematics

When thinking of the American dream, people often draw images of a single family house in a sprawling suburbs and children attending the good, local public school. While today that dream might be pictured a little differently, the children attending the best school nearby has definitely changed as well as what is learned in those schools. According to this New York Times article, new statistics have come out showing how children and teens in the United States are succeeding in mathematics, but lagging behind in reading skills.

The new data is not hard to believe but considering learning outside of school, it would make sense that reading skills would be better than math. Kids are read to at bedtime and are constantly surrounded by themes and skills that are need in reading classes. Most kids are not using math all the time in their house and with their friends. According to the article, "86 percent of students score at a proficient or advanced level in math, while only about two thirds reach those levels in reading over the same period" when taking data from different school districts on the East Coast. 

As educators across the country argue about how to improve math scores and how were lagging behind other highly developed countries in the world, perhaps it is time to start focusing on reading and writing skills. What do you think could be some ways to improve reading skills across the country?