Is immigration an issue you feel is important in the 2010 governor's race? Check out these links to find out more about this complex issue.
This first resource comes from an independant organization (procon.org) whose goal is to provide both sides of the issue. Take a look at this first to get an idea about why immigration has become a divisive issue. http://immigration.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000842
Now read some current issues in the state of MA. These are from newspapers reporting about policies and bills that the state has passed or is considering regarding immigration.
Article from the NY Times on the State Senate's approval of a bill.
www.nytimes.com/2010/05/28/us/28mass.html?_r=1
Boston.com's article on the Senate's vote
www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2010/05/mass_senate_pas.html
Immigration and health care in MA
http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=1&did=1830924011&SrchMode=1&sid=2&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1286203063&clientld=4399
Immigration and economic struggles in MA
http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=3&did=1783669541&SrchMode=1&sid=2&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1286203063&clientld=4399
Monday, October 4, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Massachusetts to lose a representative?
As you will soon learn in Social Studies class, the legislative branch is split into two chambers. Each state elects two senators to represent the state in Congress. The number of representatives in the House of Representatives, on the other hand, is determined by population. The larger the state's population, the more representatives it sends to the House. The following article describes a change that might occur for Massachusetts. Since Massachusetts has lost population since the last population census, our state may lose a representative to Congress in 2012. What does this mean for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts? What effect will this have on our lives? Why do you think Massachusetts is losing population?
Mass. may lose congressional seat in ’12
September 28, 2010
WASHINGTON — Massachusetts is expected to be one of 10 states to lose congressional seats in 2012 as a result of shifting populations, according to a new study.
Massachusetts would join Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania in losing one seat, projections from Election Data Services Inc. revealed. New York and Ohio would each lose two seats.
Texas would be the biggest beneficiary, gaining four seats, with Florida in line for two more seats, and one each for Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, South Carolina, Utah, and Washington.
The reapportionment process will begin after the census numbers are released, probably in late December. Each state will then have to draw new congressional districts in time for the 2012 elections.
The prediction is not a surprise for the Commonwealth. State officials and members of the 10-seat Massachusetts delegation have been aware of such a likelihood for months.
There were, however, some unexpected projections in the report. “We were most surprised at the shift of an additional district out of New York and down to Florida, even though that follows the population movement in this country since World War II,’’ said Kimball Brace, president of the election data firm.
No other state in New England would be affected, although Rhode Island is only narrowly expected to keep both of its congressional districts; if the census numbers come in lower than expected, it could lose one of those seats.
In Massachusetts, the Legislature redraws the districts, which could lead to two incumbents facing off in the primaries in 2012.
Election Data Services released the study this past weekend at a redistricting seminar of the National Conference of State Legislatures in Providence. — MATT VISER
Citation: Associated Press. "Mass. May Lose Congressional Seat in ’12 - The Boston Globe." Boston.com. 28 Sept. 2010. Web. 28 Sept. 2010..
Mass. may lose congressional seat in ’12
September 28, 2010
WASHINGTON — Massachusetts is expected to be one of 10 states to lose congressional seats in 2012 as a result of shifting populations, according to a new study.
Massachusetts would join Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania in losing one seat, projections from Election Data Services Inc. revealed. New York and Ohio would each lose two seats.
Texas would be the biggest beneficiary, gaining four seats, with Florida in line for two more seats, and one each for Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, South Carolina, Utah, and Washington.
The reapportionment process will begin after the census numbers are released, probably in late December. Each state will then have to draw new congressional districts in time for the 2012 elections.
The prediction is not a surprise for the Commonwealth. State officials and members of the 10-seat Massachusetts delegation have been aware of such a likelihood for months.
There were, however, some unexpected projections in the report. “We were most surprised at the shift of an additional district out of New York and down to Florida, even though that follows the population movement in this country since World War II,’’ said Kimball Brace, president of the election data firm.
No other state in New England would be affected, although Rhode Island is only narrowly expected to keep both of its congressional districts; if the census numbers come in lower than expected, it could lose one of those seats.
In Massachusetts, the Legislature redraws the districts, which could lead to two incumbents facing off in the primaries in 2012.
Election Data Services released the study this past weekend at a redistricting seminar of the National Conference of State Legislatures in Providence. — MATT VISER
Citation: Associated Press. "Mass. May Lose Congressional Seat in ’12 - The Boston Globe." Boston.com. 28 Sept. 2010. Web. 28 Sept. 2010.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
It's A New School Year 2010-2011
Welcome 8th graders of Arrupe! Think about putting in the extra time and effort this year and become a social studies scholar. Lunch meetings are every Day 2. Come on by anytime to check out videos, debate other classmates or even teachers, and just share in the love of history. Feel free to share your thoughts on this blog. See Mr. Kiely, Mr. Gartside, Mr. Ahmed, or Ms. Wilson if you have any questions.
Mrs. Wilson's Magis Assignment: Parents and students leave your thoughts about the 8th grade social studies course under the comments section of this post.
First question: What should be our first topic to learn about? Post your thoughts.
Monday, May 24, 2010
James Brown Saves Boston from Riots
After Martin Luther King was killed, residents in cities all over the country rioted for several days straight. Watch how Boston was spared much of this violence. What do you think it would be like to be in Mayor Kevin White's Shoes?
Friday, April 16, 2010
Great Pacific War story
If you are interested in WWII history and want a fascinating and captivating story from the Pacific front, then check out Ghost Soldiers by Hampton Sides. Below is a review of the book.
The Bataan Death March was just the beginning of the woes American soldiers captured by the Japanese army in the Philippines had to endure. The survivors of the march faced not only their captors' regular brutality (having surrendered, they were considered to be less than honorable foes), but also a host of illnesses such as dysentery and malaria. For three years these "ghost soldiers" lived in misery, suffering terrible losses.
When Army Rangers among Douglas MacArthur's forces arrived in the Philippines, they hatched a daring plan to liberate their captured comrades, a mission that, if successful, would prove to be a tremendous morale booster at the front and at home. Led by a young officer named Henry Mucci (called "Little MacArthur" for his constant pipe as well as his brilliance as a strategist), a combined Ranger and Filipino guerrilla force penetrated far behind enemy lines, attacked Japanese forces guarding Allied prisoners at a jungle outpost called Cabanatuan, and shepherded hundreds of prisoners to safety, with an angry Japanese army in hot pursuit. Amazingly, they suffered only light casualties.
In Ghost Soldiers, journalist Hampton Sides recounts that daring rescue, once known to every American schoolchild but now long forgotten. A gifted storyteller, Sides packs his narrative with detailed descriptions of the principal actors on both sides of the struggle and with moments of danger and exhilaration. Thrilling from start to finish, his book celebrates the heroism of hundreds of warriors and brings renewed attention to one of the Rangers' finest hours. --Gregory McNamee
The Bataan Death March was just the beginning of the woes American soldiers captured by the Japanese army in the Philippines had to endure. The survivors of the march faced not only their captors' regular brutality (having surrendered, they were considered to be less than honorable foes), but also a host of illnesses such as dysentery and malaria. For three years these "ghost soldiers" lived in misery, suffering terrible losses.
When Army Rangers among Douglas MacArthur's forces arrived in the Philippines, they hatched a daring plan to liberate their captured comrades, a mission that, if successful, would prove to be a tremendous morale booster at the front and at home. Led by a young officer named Henry Mucci (called "Little MacArthur" for his constant pipe as well as his brilliance as a strategist), a combined Ranger and Filipino guerrilla force penetrated far behind enemy lines, attacked Japanese forces guarding Allied prisoners at a jungle outpost called Cabanatuan, and shepherded hundreds of prisoners to safety, with an angry Japanese army in hot pursuit. Amazingly, they suffered only light casualties.
In Ghost Soldiers, journalist Hampton Sides recounts that daring rescue, once known to every American schoolchild but now long forgotten. A gifted storyteller, Sides packs his narrative with detailed descriptions of the principal actors on both sides of the struggle and with moments of danger and exhilaration. Thrilling from start to finish, his book celebrates the heroism of hundreds of warriors and brings renewed attention to one of the Rangers' finest hours. --Gregory McNamee
Friday, April 9, 2010
Remembering Kristallnacht
Why is it important to remember? Does it ever become overkill? What do we lose if we forget our past? Check out this article about the 60th anniversary of Kristallnacht. How can we as a society move forward and still honor the past?
THE RECORD (Hackensack, N.J.) Nov. 9, 1998, n.p. Reprinted with permission from Associated Press Newsfeatures. GERMANY JEWS REMEMBER KRISTALLNACHT by Anne Thompson Associated Press Writer BERLIN (AP)--With a "march of silence" and plans for new synagogues, Germany's Jewish community marked the 60th anniversary Monday of Kristallnacht--the "Night of Broken Glass"--when Nazi storm troopers burned and ransacked Jewish businesses and temples. Germany's Jewish community numbered 530,000 before the Nazis took power; it now is 70,000 strong and growing. But neo-Nazi incidents also are on the rise, and Jewish leaders are more determined than ever that the Holocaust not be forgotten--fighting what they see as a trend toward emphasizing Germany's future at the expense of remembering its past. Politicians, including Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, religious leaders and members of the Jewish community gathered for anniversary speeches in a cavernous, mosaic-covered Berlin synagogue where windows were shattered during the Kristallnacht violence that presaged the Holocaust. Topic No. 1: How to remember the past while moving Germany into the 21st century and its seat of government back to Berlin, Adolf Hitler's capital. Underscoring all the speeches was the theme that Germans still struggle for the right way to preserve the horrors of the Holocaust as a lesson for future generations. Ignatz Bubis, the leader of Germany's Jews, lambasted what he calls an "intellectual nationalism" represented in comments by a prize-winning German author who says repeated media references to Nazi atrocities are designed to perpetuate German guilt. Bubis contends novelist Martin Walser has given neo-Nazis mainstream arguments for anti-Semitic assaults, such as the small swastikas found Monday etched into a monument commemorating the mass deportation of Berlin's Jews to concentration camps. "Whenever someone who is counted among the spiritual elite of the nation makes such statements, they carry a weight of their own," Bubis told the audience of 2,000. "It is certain that right-wing extremists will refer to Walser." The Kristallnacht anniversary has particular significance this year, which saw the election of politicians too young to have memories of World War II. The generational change, coupled with the move to Berlin and the new government's emphasis on a forward-looking Germany has sparked concern that there is a desire to return to a "normal" Germany unburdened by the Holocaust. "For me, normality is to be a Jew and to be able to live in Germany again," Bubis said. "'Normality' cannot mean that we supplant memory and live with a new anti-Semitism and new racism." Berlin's Jewish community held its first "march of silence" Monday in remembrance of Kristallnacht. Some 2,000-3,000 people formed a sea of umbrellas on a dark, drizzling afternoon. A march also was held in Duesseldorf, along with ceremonies in Buchenwald, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Munich. The synagogue ceremony started with a description of Kristallnacht from historian Andreas Nachama, leader of Berlin's Jewish community. On the night of Nov. 9, 1938, Nazi leaders heard a Jew had shot a German diplomat in Paris. In reprisal, they ordered storm troopers into the streets in Germany and Austria, which Hitler had annexed earlier. They rounded up Jews and burned and broke windows in synagogues and Jewish businesses--calling it the "Night of Broken Glass." When the rampage ended on Nov. 10, more than 1,300 synagogues were destroyed and more than 30,000 Jews had been sent to concentration camps. Several hundred people were killed or committed suicide. Today, some say Kristallnacht risks being eclipsed by another watershed--the Nov. 9, 1989, fall of the Berlin Wall, which led to German reunification the next year. Nachama called it a "coincidence" that the events fall on the same date but saw commonality in both resulting from totalitarianism: Kristallnacht from the Nazis and the Berlin Wall from the communists. There was hope, too, in Monday's events. The eastern city of Dresden broke ground for a synagogue on the site of a Jewish temple destroyed in the war. And Berlin unveiled blueprints for rebuilding its temple in the Mitte neighborhood, a center of Jewish life before the war. While both prewar synagogues sat about 2,000 people, the new ones will have seats only for a few hundred. Of the 11 million people who perished under the Nazis, about 6 million were Jews. * * * GERMAN CITY BUILDING NEW SYNAGOGUE DRESDEN, GERMANY (AP)--Sixty years after Dresden's main synagogue burned to the ground in the Nazi pogrom Kristallnacht, officials on Monday laid the cornerstone for a new synagogue on the same site. The new building will be smaller to reflect the city's diminished Jewish community, but the leader of Dresden's Jews, Roman Koenig, expressed hope that it would stand as a sign of tolerance and vigilance. It is the first new synagogue to be built in former East Germany since reunification in 1990. The Semper synagogue, built in 1838 by the same architect who designed Dresden's famed opera house, was one of more than 1,300 destroyed by Nazi storm troopers on Kristallnacht, known as the Night of Broken Glass, on Nov. 9, 1938. But Dresden firefighter Alfred Neugebauer, responding to the blaze, saved a Star of David from the building and hid it in his attic until the war ended. He then returned it to the Jewish community. The star will be placed on top of the new synagogue, which will begin holding services in a year. The city of Dresden and Saxony state have contributed $6 million to build the synagogue. Another $2.4 million has been donated, including $110,000 collected in Columbus, Ohio, Dresden's American sister city. Frank Wobst--a Dresden native and now head of Columbus-based Huntington Bankshares Inc.--helped forge the sister-city relationship, and returned Monday to present the check and underline the American city's commitment to Dresden. "We wanted to be part of rebuilding the synagogue so Dresden's Jewish community would have a synagogue and be more complete," said Wobst, who was only 4 when the old synagogue was destroyed. He left his native city for West Germany in 1952, as the communists secured their hold on East Germany, and moved to the United States several years later. Wobst also brought with him a $30,000 check to help rebuild the city's central church, the Frauenkirche, which was destroyed in the war by Allied bombs.--Frank Ellmers, Associated Press Writer
Thompson, Anne. "Germany Jews Remember Kristallnacht." The Record (Hackensack, NJ) Nov. 9 1998: n.p. SIRS Researcher. Web. 09 April 2010.
THE RECORD (Hackensack, N.J.) Nov. 9, 1998, n.p. Reprinted with permission from Associated Press Newsfeatures. GERMANY JEWS REMEMBER KRISTALLNACHT by Anne Thompson Associated Press Writer BERLIN (AP)--With a "march of silence" and plans for new synagogues, Germany's Jewish community marked the 60th anniversary Monday of Kristallnacht--the "Night of Broken Glass"--when Nazi storm troopers burned and ransacked Jewish businesses and temples. Germany's Jewish community numbered 530,000 before the Nazis took power; it now is 70,000 strong and growing. But neo-Nazi incidents also are on the rise, and Jewish leaders are more determined than ever that the Holocaust not be forgotten--fighting what they see as a trend toward emphasizing Germany's future at the expense of remembering its past. Politicians, including Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, religious leaders and members of the Jewish community gathered for anniversary speeches in a cavernous, mosaic-covered Berlin synagogue where windows were shattered during the Kristallnacht violence that presaged the Holocaust. Topic No. 1: How to remember the past while moving Germany into the 21st century and its seat of government back to Berlin, Adolf Hitler's capital. Underscoring all the speeches was the theme that Germans still struggle for the right way to preserve the horrors of the Holocaust as a lesson for future generations. Ignatz Bubis, the leader of Germany's Jews, lambasted what he calls an "intellectual nationalism" represented in comments by a prize-winning German author who says repeated media references to Nazi atrocities are designed to perpetuate German guilt. Bubis contends novelist Martin Walser has given neo-Nazis mainstream arguments for anti-Semitic assaults, such as the small swastikas found Monday etched into a monument commemorating the mass deportation of Berlin's Jews to concentration camps. "Whenever someone who is counted among the spiritual elite of the nation makes such statements, they carry a weight of their own," Bubis told the audience of 2,000. "It is certain that right-wing extremists will refer to Walser." The Kristallnacht anniversary has particular significance this year, which saw the election of politicians too young to have memories of World War II. The generational change, coupled with the move to Berlin and the new government's emphasis on a forward-looking Germany has sparked concern that there is a desire to return to a "normal" Germany unburdened by the Holocaust. "For me, normality is to be a Jew and to be able to live in Germany again," Bubis said. "'Normality' cannot mean that we supplant memory and live with a new anti-Semitism and new racism." Berlin's Jewish community held its first "march of silence" Monday in remembrance of Kristallnacht. Some 2,000-3,000 people formed a sea of umbrellas on a dark, drizzling afternoon. A march also was held in Duesseldorf, along with ceremonies in Buchenwald, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Munich. The synagogue ceremony started with a description of Kristallnacht from historian Andreas Nachama, leader of Berlin's Jewish community. On the night of Nov. 9, 1938, Nazi leaders heard a Jew had shot a German diplomat in Paris. In reprisal, they ordered storm troopers into the streets in Germany and Austria, which Hitler had annexed earlier. They rounded up Jews and burned and broke windows in synagogues and Jewish businesses--calling it the "Night of Broken Glass." When the rampage ended on Nov. 10, more than 1,300 synagogues were destroyed and more than 30,000 Jews had been sent to concentration camps. Several hundred people were killed or committed suicide. Today, some say Kristallnacht risks being eclipsed by another watershed--the Nov. 9, 1989, fall of the Berlin Wall, which led to German reunification the next year. Nachama called it a "coincidence" that the events fall on the same date but saw commonality in both resulting from totalitarianism: Kristallnacht from the Nazis and the Berlin Wall from the communists. There was hope, too, in Monday's events. The eastern city of Dresden broke ground for a synagogue on the site of a Jewish temple destroyed in the war. And Berlin unveiled blueprints for rebuilding its temple in the Mitte neighborhood, a center of Jewish life before the war. While both prewar synagogues sat about 2,000 people, the new ones will have seats only for a few hundred. Of the 11 million people who perished under the Nazis, about 6 million were Jews. * * * GERMAN CITY BUILDING NEW SYNAGOGUE DRESDEN, GERMANY (AP)--Sixty years after Dresden's main synagogue burned to the ground in the Nazi pogrom Kristallnacht, officials on Monday laid the cornerstone for a new synagogue on the same site. The new building will be smaller to reflect the city's diminished Jewish community, but the leader of Dresden's Jews, Roman Koenig, expressed hope that it would stand as a sign of tolerance and vigilance. It is the first new synagogue to be built in former East Germany since reunification in 1990. The Semper synagogue, built in 1838 by the same architect who designed Dresden's famed opera house, was one of more than 1,300 destroyed by Nazi storm troopers on Kristallnacht, known as the Night of Broken Glass, on Nov. 9, 1938. But Dresden firefighter Alfred Neugebauer, responding to the blaze, saved a Star of David from the building and hid it in his attic until the war ended. He then returned it to the Jewish community. The star will be placed on top of the new synagogue, which will begin holding services in a year. The city of Dresden and Saxony state have contributed $6 million to build the synagogue. Another $2.4 million has been donated, including $110,000 collected in Columbus, Ohio, Dresden's American sister city. Frank Wobst--a Dresden native and now head of Columbus-based Huntington Bankshares Inc.--helped forge the sister-city relationship, and returned Monday to present the check and underline the American city's commitment to Dresden. "We wanted to be part of rebuilding the synagogue so Dresden's Jewish community would have a synagogue and be more complete," said Wobst, who was only 4 when the old synagogue was destroyed. He left his native city for West Germany in 1952, as the communists secured their hold on East Germany, and moved to the United States several years later. Wobst also brought with him a $30,000 check to help rebuild the city's central church, the Frauenkirche, which was destroyed in the war by Allied bombs.--Frank Ellmers, Associated Press Writer
Thompson, Anne. "Germany Jews Remember Kristallnacht." The Record (Hackensack, NJ) Nov. 9 1998: n.p. SIRS Researcher. Web. 09 April 2010.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Zimbardo Stanford Prison Experiment
Watch what happens when normal everyday people assume violent roles for "science" and society because someone else tells them to.
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