Education in Pennsylvania - Essay Example

?http www.usatoday.com/life/people/story 11-01/kim-kardashian-kris-humphries-divorce/51020246 The over-the-top wedding was not enough to make-up for the fact that Kris Humphries and Kim Kardashian had very little in common. Their 72 day marriage is nearly over. Kim Kardashian has filed for divorce and Kris Humphries is devastated. It is not the quickest celebrity marriage break-up. Brittany Spears may have se that record with her 58 hour wedding. But it is a shock and disappointment for many people. Lots of gifts were lavished on the couple and now there will probably be fighting about who gets those gifts. There is no talk about the emotional implications of the break-up. Most of the focus is on how this will affect the Kardashian brand. Considering that the Kardashian brand is build upon noting but a sex-tape and contacts in the entertainment industry, most observers feel the Kardashian family will be just fine. This article is interesting in a sociological manner because Kris Humphries is an individual that has a position of achieved status in our society. Through his skill, talent and effort he has become a successful basketball star in the NBA. His accomplishments are recognized as being legitimate. On the other hand, it is commonly recognized that Kim Kardashian has done nothing to deserve her celebrity image other than be born into a family with connections in the entertainment industry and gaining notoriety for making her own sex tape. She has a sort of ascribed status that is apparently very appealing to many people in our society today. http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=111458 More women are in the workforce than ever before, yet they are still doing the majority of the household chores. This is the finding of the Panel Study for Income Dynamics. Women still do the majority of what is referred to as “core” household work. “Core” household work includes things such as laundry, washing dished, vacuuming and cleaning bathrooms. It does not include home repairs and other household tasks that may be more enjoyable such as gardening. On average, it was found that a husband creates approximately seven hours of additional labor for a wife in a single week, while a wife saves a husband about one hour each week. This finding shows that even though women are increasingly the primary bread winners, they are still expected to do the majority of the household chores. This is important in a sociological context because of the idea of role strain. This phenomenon occurs when so many roles are placed on an individual by society that the person cannot adequately fulfill any of them. This leads to feelings of resentment towards the imposed roles. Adjusting roles is one way to lessen the strain, but this is very difficult to do. When well established roles are adjusted or reversed, a feeling of loss. When the rules are bent or broken regarding a particular role people can feel adrift and without guidance. This can affect the social structure unless new roles are established. If the new roles relieve role strain, then the period of adjustment has been worth it. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2011/11/30/bloomberg_articlesLVG0I86S972B.DTL The first free elections in Egypt were held this week. While there is controversy and suspicion surrounding the current military leaders of Egypt, many citizens turned out to elect members of the next parliament. The military leaders say that they will step aside completely when presidential elections are held next June. Early polling indicates that the Freedom and Justice Party may win the largest block of parliamentary seats. This is the party that is supported by the Muslim Brotherhood. This group was banned by the government of former dictator Hosni Mubarak. Some of the minority groups in Egypt, especially the Coptic Christian community fear that an Islamist political party such as the Freedom and Justice Party will not respect the rights of Christians or other Muslims that are members of minority groups. This relates to sociological discussions of power and authority. In a society, power is simply the ability to make people do what you want them to do. This is what the former government had. That power was taken away by the mass demonstrations witnessed as a part of the “Arab Spring” protests. Authority, on the other hand is sanctioned by society as a whole. In a democracy, legitimate authority is bestowed through voting. Egyptians are excited to have a government that is given authority in a democratic manner. There are still concerns, however, about how the power this government gets will be used. Simply because authority is legitimate in a democracy does not guarantee power will be used wisely. http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/story/2011-11-15/congress-wealthy-1/51216626/1 We are the 99% is the rallying cry of the Occupy (fill in the blank) movement. This is in reference to the fact that the 1% of richest people in America are growing wealthier while the rest of the nation sees their incomes decreasing or remaining stagnant. This article asks who are the 1%? Recent data shows that 11% of the current Congress of the United States is a part of the 1%. They have net worth that tops nine millions dollars. This wealth may be a liability for some member when it comes time for reelection. When the economy is sour, there is usually a surge in populism. This makes people of average and low incomes suspicious of the wealthy. Some of the Occupy Washington protestors indicate that this is the main reason they are protesting. They feel that Congress is too wealthy and they no longer care or understand how everyone else has to make a living. This relates to sociology because it speaks of social stratification along the lines of wealth. 11% of the people elected to represent average American are not just wealthy, but very wealthy. Elites in this sort of social stratification do not need to worry about issues such as making rent payments, saving for a college education or getting a car loan. In America, it needs to be noted that there is still a strong belief in the promise of equal opportunity and social Darwinism, therefore a highly stratified society is ideologically acceptable. http://www.economist.com/node/15908469 The American Dream is fairly simple. We are told that if we work hard, we will be upwardly mobile. The American Dream isn’t uniquely American. All societies that have undergone industrialization have experienced this phenomenon. But there are forces at work that may make achieving the American Dream more complicated than ever before. The recent economic downturn is shining a harsh light on some realities and myths associated with upward social mobility in the United States. Recent data are showing that the best determinant of social class is parental income. Simply stated, people tend to be less socially mobile in the United States than they are in many other countries. A possibility for this may be the tolerance for extreme differences in income stratification in the United States that is not tolerated in other wealthy, democratic nations. The inherent inequality in American society suppresses the ability to accomplish the American Dream. Upward social mobility is a key sociological concept. It is affected by many factors, including the job market, demographics and discrimination based on race and sex. Upward mobility is a tricky concept for many Americans because they can see the effects of their work when comparing their situation to the prior generation. They see that relatively, they are better off. What is more difficult to gauge is whether the rising generation is actually better off in an absolute sense. I could be that they are actually losing ground compared to the rest of the nation, but feel as though they are moving ahead when comparing generations. http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/prosecution-says-sham-marriage-led-to-montgomery-girls-murder/2011/11/18/gIQAyWdcZN_story.html Details were recently released in the slaying of a 12 year-old honor student in Montgomery County, Maryland. Jessica Nguyen was murdered in her basement. She was stabbed over 40 times. The man being accused of her murder is her step-father David Hang. According to investigators, Jessica’s mother, Kim Kehn Vu and David Hang married solely so she could become a U.S. citizen. He was paid $20,000 for his services. When time came for the pre arranged divorce, Kim Kehn Vu refused to divorce Mr. Hang. Instead, she sued him for child support. Mr. Hang moved to Denver with his girlfriend. He wanted to marry his girlfriend so she could be put on his health insurance. When Kim Kehn Vu refused, he returned to Maryland and killed Jessica to punish her mother. Sociologists study family units and violence within them. In this example, it could be argued that Jessica, Kim Kehn Vu and David Hang never really formed an actual family unit. The association was contrived with an ulterior purpose. But what this does show is that family ties can leave individuals exposed to violence and exploitation. Mr. Hang wanted to punish Kim Kehn Vu for not doing what he wanted. Instead of killing her, he chose to harm her daughter. This shows that family relationships are complex and layered with emotion. Mr. Hang probably thought that killing Jessica would cause more anguish for her mother than actually killing the mother herself. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/industries/machinists-union-reaches-tentative-deal-with-boeing-to-settle-govt-labor-dispute/2011/12/01/gIQAUJ0oFO_story.html Boeing and the Machinists Union have had conflict three of the last four times they negotiated a contract. The Machinists Union went on strike several years ago. Most experts agree that this strike hurt the Union as much as it did Boeing. In addition to the typical negotiations about benefits and pay, this round of negotiations included a surprise element. In order to reach a deal, the Machinist’s Union withdrew a complaint they had filed with the National Labor Relations Board. Boeing had opened a manufacturing facility in South Carolina that utilized nonunion labor. The Machinist’s Union alleged that this plant was constructed to divert work away from high paying union jobs to lower paying nonunion jobs. This is illegal. In exchange for concessions from Boeing that guaranteed keeping jobs in the Pacific Northwest, the Union dropped their opposition to the South Carolina plant. Labor unions are an important institution in our society. Sociologists view labor unions in several contexts. They are seen as balances to the power wielded by corporations and wealthy individuals. Organized labor has lifted millions of workers out of poverty and have given millions access to the American Dream. Sociology is interested in the globalization of labor because this will affect the labor market and economy in affluent, western societies with organized labor. Labor unions will need to expand into new territory and new occupations if it is to remain relevant in American society. http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/harrisburg_politics/Govs-duel-over-school-funding-PA-student-achievement.html In this article, different visions for funding education in Pennsylvania are expressed by a past governor and the present governor. Pennsylvania slashed nearly one billion dollars in funding for K-12 and Higher education last year. This has resulted in higher local taxes, teacher furloughs and larger classroom sizes. Now the current governor wants to take the cuts to public education to a new level. He is proposing a voucher system that will funnel money from public schools to private and parochial schools. By offering this choice, he will be using taxpayer money to support religious instruction and schools that are not held to state standards. Education systems are of great interest to sociologists. Education builds skills for society, but it is also a way of training young people to take on adult responsibilities and acculturating immigrants. 85% of American students attend public schools. There are real concerns about the quality of education in some of these schools, especially in poor urban school districts. 30% of the elite 1% in America has children that attend private schools. Sociologists are interested in understanding how a shift away from government controlled and funded public schools would affect the traditional role of education in society. Sociologists want to know if parochial schools can convey messages about the society as a whole that helps to unify a nation culturally, or if they actually create divisions within the society. If divisions are created, the question of government support for these schools must be raised. http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/14/affiliation-before-and-after-scandal/?scp=3&sq=religious%20affiliation&st=cse This article looks at how scandal affects adherents of a group. The current scandal at Penn State could cost the school billions of dollars in legal settlements and lost contributions over the next several decades if it follows the same course as scandals that have rocked various religious organizations. This article reports that nearly three million faithful Catholic parishioners have left the Catholic Church directly as a result of the sex abuse scandal that has been raging for the past several years. Many of these people have started going to different churches and claim they will never return to the Catholic faith. Interestingly enough, a scandal does not always spell the downfall of religious leaders in some organizations. In the case of Penn State, it remains to be seen if supporters follow the course of the Catholics that withdrew from the church or if there is actually an uptick in support, as has been seen in some Evangelical churches after a scandal is exposed. This relates to sociology because religion is a very large part of American society. Nearly 90% of American’s believe in God, but far fewer actually worship regularly in a church. Still, the importance of religion plays out in politics during every election cycle. Religion is big business as well. The Federal Government offers tax incentives for giving to nonprofit organizations. The majority of these contributions to nonprofit organizations go to religious organizations. The article was interesting because it took a look at the economics and societal outcomes of scandal, not just the personal. http://www.rrstar.com/news/x764850085/Automatic-federal-spending-cuts-put-areas-military-revenue-at-risk Businesses in the Rockford, Illinois area are bracing for automatic reductions in Federal defense spending triggered by the debt super committee’s failure to reach a deal last month. Across the board spending reductions must take place as outlined in a deal President Obama signed with Congress earlier this year. Defense spending is almost never cut, but the automatic cuts will hit the defense department this time. The Rock River Valley is full of businesses that manufacture as subcontractors for defense manufacturers. One such manufacturing operation is K-I Machine Tooling and Manufacturing. They were seeking a more dependable source of income several years ago. They decided to start bidding on government contracts. The work has been steady, but they realize that as less money is spent on defense, the larger defense contractors will keep more of the work instead of spinning it off to smaller firms like K-I. This article relates to sociology because it shows the conflicting feelings Americans have about the military and militarism. We claim to be a peaceful nation and have ideals about what peace looks like. At the same time, many of our citizens are engaged in manufacturing products and providing services that make war more of a possibility. Levels of militarism affect all sorts of aspects of the society. Every dollar spent on the military is a dollar not spent on education or helping the poor. Each society prioritized these needs. In the United States, these priorities are determined by elected officials. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/21/opinion/21turley.html Why is polygamy such a big deal? This is the question asked by the author of this article in the New York Times. He claims that the vast majority of polygamous families willingly enter into this sort of union. The numbers of women coerced into these families are a minority. The author says that every other group is gaining increased ability to live according to the dictates of their consciences in regards to marriage. He says that gay couples, mixed-race couples and other minority groups have all made strides. But this is not true for polygamous families. The author points out that this is bigotry on behalf of the Supreme Court and the states. Eight states are actively prosecuting people for living in polygamous marriages. These prosecutions are not for marrying underage girls or for holding young adults in a community against their will. The prosecutions are for consenting adults living in a family arrangement that does not conform to the norm. This is an important article for sociology because family structure and dynamics are very important in society. We know that the nuclear family is the most common family unit in America, whether that be headed by one or two parents. A polygamous marriage arrangement defies this norm. In a society that has stressed the importance of the family in building the nation and providing stability, anything outside of the norm can be viewed as a threat. Sociologists are interested in alternative family structures such as polygamy so they can see how they affect or may affect society as a whole. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/oct/04/apple-chinese-pollution-concerns Apple has proven to be one of the most successful developers of electronic gizmos in the 21st century. They are a notoriously secretive company that is fond of pomposity and spectacle when rolling out there latest i-whatever. In this article, the author shows that some of the shine has been taken of the Apple when questions started to be asked about their supply chin in China and the pollution it causes. Apple refused to identify manufacturers for months. But recently, a movement within China seems to be gaining traction. Collaboration between NGO’s in America and China are placing pressure on Apple to clean-up their act. The accusations state that toxic amounts of metals such as copper and lead are being discharged by factories making Apple products. These chemicals are being released as air pollutants and water pollutants. Apple pointed to their own in-house monitoring system to show it was in compliance, but it was exposed that there were no sanctions or punishments from Apple for environmental noncompliance. A sociologist would be interested in this article because it is an example of power within a society. Apple is a huge multinational corporation that has a vast amount of power. In this case, a coalition of much smaller groups have banded together to help counteract the power Apple yields. Environmental concerns are often imposed by the most powerful upon the least powerful, especially in societies where there is a lack of openness and accountability. http://www.10news.com/news/27471304/detail.html This article is reporting on a report issued by doctors in San Diego. They are making the claim that says illegal immigrants should receive free health care without fearing deportation. They say that health problems that may arise in the illegal immigrant community could spread to the general United States population. Without the treatment for diseases such as tuberculosis, illegal immigrants could act as a sizable population for harboring this illness. The doctors claim that not treating illegal immigrants actually makes all of America less safe and healthy. This article is a great one for examining two very contentious issues that are both of great interest to sociologists. The first issue is immigration. There are over 10 million illegal immigrants in the United States today. Many of them came during the economic boom years, when construction jobs were plentiful. Employers used their labor because they would work cheap, for cash. There were also plenty of jobs. But now that the jobs are gone, many people are upset that the illegal immigrants are here. How illegal immigrants live and how a person can legally become a United States citizen are both topics of interest to sociologists. Access to health care is the other interesting topic from this article. I question of who deserves to be treated with the best healthcare in a society is of great interest to sociologists. This is an important part of society to study because it can have a huge impact on everything from infant mortality rates to lost productivity hours at work. http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/donnes-world/2011/dec/3/christmas-festival-natchitoches/ Natchitoches, Louisiana is famous for their annual Christmas Festival. Since 1927, people have been gathering for light displays, parades and fireworks. There is great food and tours through the historic district as well. Trying to get lodging on one of the festival weekends in Natchitoches is impossible at this point, but some rooms are available if you just want to go and visit the light displays through the week. For weekends, it would be best if you stayed in Alexandria or Shreveport, both of which are about an hour away. Central to the festival is the Front Street light displays, which anyone can observe for free. Access to the parade route on weekends costs $8.00 per person. Come hungry, because Natchitoches is famous for meat pies and other great holiday treats. Sociologists are interested in things such as the Natchitoches Christmas Festival because they are traditions that give meaning to groups within the society. The Christmas Festival still favors the traditional use of the word Christmas, instead of Holidays, that is becoming more accepted. But the article makes clear that there is no great emphasis placed on the religious nature of the holiday. Instead of stressing the birth of Christ, the festival is obviously about food, fun and enjoyment. The light displays are billed, as is the cost of participation. Sociologists are interested in the interaction of the sacred and the secular in society. http://www.npr.org/2011/12/03/143081606/behind-unemployment-figure-a-nuanced-outlook?ps=cprs This article examines the recent drop in unemployment. 8.6% of the people in the nation are now unemployed. For the past three years, the unemployment rate has been at 9% or higher. This sounds like good news and it is, because over 100,000 new jobs were created. This is not good news, because that many jobs would not account entirely for the drop in unemployment. Understanding how unemployment data is collected is necessary to understand this. Unemployment figures are only counting the number of people actually seeking jobs. This lower number seems to indicate that many people have found jobs, but many more have simply quit looking. This is not a good sign for the nation, because people that are not looking for work are also not getting unemployment benefits. That means that some families that have lost jobs are now receiving little or no help from the government to meet their expenses. Sociologists are interested in this article because economic concerns have a great impact on society as a whole. Unemployment introduces stress that must be absorbed by individuals and families. This causes a host of other problems in the society. As unemployment increases, so does a host of societal ills such as divorce, child abuse and substance abuse. Sociology studies the economy as whole and certain economic realities such as unemployment within that economy. Sociologists study what sorts of families are most resilient when unemployment does happen and how possibly to best help others that are having a hard time coping. Read More