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?

Advertising to Children

Many of us do not even realize how many ads we see every single day. If you live in a city, according to this New York Times article, you can see up to 2,000 ads every day. However, more information is now coming out on the effect of advertising and children. Even more specifically, how these ads effect what children eat and how it is directly related to the growing population of children who are overweight in the United States.

Everyday in the United States, "children and teenagers see 12 to 14 food ads on television" according to this other New York Times article. This does not even include the many other places children have the opportunity to see advertisements like billboards, the internet, and even in school. The repetition of seeing these usually unhealthy food ads played in front of children is now making researchers look at how this related to the obesity crisis in the US. 

Now some campaigns that are trying to fight childhood obesity are firing back with ads that directly show the effects of being overweight as a child. While some of these ads have come under criticism for bullying children and being to harsh others believe its time to really show the effect of obesity on this country. What do you think? Do you think these ads are to harsh?

The Biggest Problem

In the area I live sometimes its easy to forget the vast majority of problems most Americans face today. From the economy to enviroment, the north shore "bubble" provides a cover from many issues today. However, the issue I am reasearching for my junior theme is affecting 17% of children in the United States today; childhood obesity. The repercussions of this  many children being overweight or obese are numerous. Some lasting issues that the country will have to face are not enough healthy recruits to join the army, rising health care costs, declining life span, and a worse overall quality of life.

Many may write off the obesity problems as this generation being lazy and stuck in front of computers and TV screens all day long. While the number of hours children spend in front of a TV may have increased; according to this University of Michigan study, "kids aged 6-11 spend about 28 hours a week in front of a TV," the number of kids overweight can not be entirely blamed on this. Another thing to consider are food deserts: "a district with little or no access to large grocery stores that offer fresh and affordable foods." This means that parents may not have access to fresh, healthy, food instead of fast food like McDonalds or Burger King.

The solution to this problem is not one, many things must be done to make American children healthy again. Michelle Obama's main cause is fighting childhood obesity. However many people do not want the governement coming into this issue and take offence. What do you think? What do you think should be done to help fight this problem?