http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/sep/30/europe-migrants-dead
This article calls for the European Union to take note of all the people who had died trying to immigrate into the EU. What's most appalling is that the average number of deaths per day is 8. they calculated that over a 14 year period. The article explains that most of the people drowned in the Mediterranean Sea are classified as missing, not dead. What's more, even when bodies are found on shore, there isn't much done to identify them and tell their loved ones. The lack of resources and political backing make such efforts to bury and identify the dead impossible.
The article argues that because the EU has gotten so caught up in protecting its borders, it ignores the impact it has on real people. Those living near the sea are disillusioned with their governments, because they see both the live and dead washing up on their shores.
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Legal Representation for Young Immigrants
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/23/nyregion/groups-to-provide-lawyers-for-children-who-face-deportation.html?ref=us&_r=0
Very cool thing happening in New York. Two charities (the Robin Hood Foundation and the New York Community Trust) are working together to fund a program that would allow child immigrants facing deportation representation in court. According to the article, those without representation, technically being denied due process, are far more likely to be deported than those with lawyers.
The groups have acted very quickly in response to the government's accelerated time frame of hearing child immigrant cases. There are groups that represent these kids for free, but when the new mandate went into effect, there were too many cases for them to work on. One of the spokespeople explains how they couldn't stand aside and watch case after case being decided for these kids, who have no idea what's going on. Realistically, they probably don't know any English, nor the legal system, so how can they possibly represent themselves well enough to avoid being sent back home?
I think it's great that two charities were able to work together to put forward a million dollars to give these kids a fighting chance. Restores a little faith in humanity.
Very cool thing happening in New York. Two charities (the Robin Hood Foundation and the New York Community Trust) are working together to fund a program that would allow child immigrants facing deportation representation in court. According to the article, those without representation, technically being denied due process, are far more likely to be deported than those with lawyers.
The groups have acted very quickly in response to the government's accelerated time frame of hearing child immigrant cases. There are groups that represent these kids for free, but when the new mandate went into effect, there were too many cases for them to work on. One of the spokespeople explains how they couldn't stand aside and watch case after case being decided for these kids, who have no idea what's going on. Realistically, they probably don't know any English, nor the legal system, so how can they possibly represent themselves well enough to avoid being sent back home?
I think it's great that two charities were able to work together to put forward a million dollars to give these kids a fighting chance. Restores a little faith in humanity.
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Generational Change
http://www.voanews.com/content/russian-americans-on-ukraine-conflict/2449789.html
Above is a really interesting article about how Russian Americans in New York are conflicted about the Ukraine-Russia situation. The patterns are similar to some of what we discussed in class.
The first would be the younger generation being more Americanized and having more complaints about Russia's behavior. The argument being that these generations have gone through school and college here, they are used to being able to discuss matters and have spirited debates on difficult issues. They say the older generation tends to view Putin almost as a monarch. That strength in a debate involved destroying the opposition not discussing with them. The older generations are also the ones who aren't speaking English. This goes along with the idea that with each generation, more and more of the original culture is lost as people change to fit into the larger society.
Above is a really interesting article about how Russian Americans in New York are conflicted about the Ukraine-Russia situation. The patterns are similar to some of what we discussed in class.
The first would be the younger generation being more Americanized and having more complaints about Russia's behavior. The argument being that these generations have gone through school and college here, they are used to being able to discuss matters and have spirited debates on difficult issues. They say the older generation tends to view Putin almost as a monarch. That strength in a debate involved destroying the opposition not discussing with them. The older generations are also the ones who aren't speaking English. This goes along with the idea that with each generation, more and more of the original culture is lost as people change to fit into the larger society.
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
A little more meat from California History on the Missionaries
In the reading I saw the word ethnocide being used in regards to the methods employed by missionaries towards the Native Americans. I had a California History class last semester at CSM where my professor was quick to defend the missionaries against Indian genocide, stating the intentional wiping out of the Indian population was not part of their agenda. We did not, however, talk much about the cultural impact the Indian neophytes (think novices of a religion) had to deal with as a result of being Christianized. We glossed over the fact that while the neophytes were allowed visits to their families off the missions, they would be brought back against their will if they wouldn't return on time. Basically, the neophytes were not allowed to leave once they agreed to live on the mission and become Christians.
They were subject to working with different crops and creating tallow and cow hides (cow hides were California's big cash crop during the Californio period) but my professor argued this was not a cruel and unusual amount of labor. In addition, the neophytes were taught different skills which sounds nice, and perhaps a few of them taught their friends and family some of these skills, but they still weren't allowed to leave the missions. We also read of the instances of the missionaries trying to rid their neophytes of some of their cultures more vulgar practices. I assume that probably how the ethnocide began, having them shed the more disgusting behavior before slowly bringing them more and more into a European world view and behavior.
They were subject to working with different crops and creating tallow and cow hides (cow hides were California's big cash crop during the Californio period) but my professor argued this was not a cruel and unusual amount of labor. In addition, the neophytes were taught different skills which sounds nice, and perhaps a few of them taught their friends and family some of these skills, but they still weren't allowed to leave the missions. We also read of the instances of the missionaries trying to rid their neophytes of some of their cultures more vulgar practices. I assume that probably how the ethnocide began, having them shed the more disgusting behavior before slowly bringing them more and more into a European world view and behavior.
Thursday, September 4, 2014
Capitalism and Slavery
Was it just me or did anyone else notice how significant the triangular trade became? In most of my classes, that part gets a triangle shape on the board with a few arrows telling you which direction everything goes. I do not remember anyone ever connecting infant capitalism with slavery before.
But it makes sense. For the Industrial Revolution to be successful, it needed a large labor pool that could be paid cheaply and individual workers who were replaceable with the rest of the labor pool willing to do anything for a job. It's what made strikes so difficult and allowed a relative few to gain huge fortunes in a small amount of time.
But infant capitalism had a large labor pool that didn't even have to be paid. And whenever they died, depending on where in the New World they were taken, they could be replaced by one leg of the triangular trade. Meanwhile, the other two legs enriched the a colonial merchant class and the mother country. The system was self-sustaining.
According to the book, the wealth from this trade is what jump-started England's manufacturing. The same manufacturing that later became the first industrialized power. An industrialized power whose ideas were later stolen by its neighbors and former colonies to begin their own industrialization. Most of the time, history books teach us that slavery was particular to the southern economy. No one ever mentions the North's industrial power may not have even been possible without slavery. It certainly makes the fact that the North was industrialized being part of the reason it won during the Civil War a little ironic.
But it makes sense. For the Industrial Revolution to be successful, it needed a large labor pool that could be paid cheaply and individual workers who were replaceable with the rest of the labor pool willing to do anything for a job. It's what made strikes so difficult and allowed a relative few to gain huge fortunes in a small amount of time.
But infant capitalism had a large labor pool that didn't even have to be paid. And whenever they died, depending on where in the New World they were taken, they could be replaced by one leg of the triangular trade. Meanwhile, the other two legs enriched the a colonial merchant class and the mother country. The system was self-sustaining.
According to the book, the wealth from this trade is what jump-started England's manufacturing. The same manufacturing that later became the first industrialized power. An industrialized power whose ideas were later stolen by its neighbors and former colonies to begin their own industrialization. Most of the time, history books teach us that slavery was particular to the southern economy. No one ever mentions the North's industrial power may not have even been possible without slavery. It certainly makes the fact that the North was industrialized being part of the reason it won during the Civil War a little ironic.
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