Sociology Commons^™

Early Observations On The 2000 Census, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"The 281.4 million residents of our country counted in 2000 exceeded census estimates of 274.5 by nearly seven million and 13.2 percent, was the largest numeric gain for a decade in the history of census taking, dating back to 1790 when the first one was taken. Swelled by immigrant numbers and holding a steady birth rate, this increase topped the previously highest increase of 28 million of the baby boom years of the 1950s."

Tiger Woods, A Herald For The Blending Of The Races In U.S., Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"Tiger Woods, perennial winner of gold tournaments, has a unique way of describing his ancestry. When asked his background, e claims to be a "Caublasin," i.e., Caucasoid, Black, Asian and Indian. But, in reality, the Tiger may not be unique in a country that is now moving toward becoming a blended multiracial society."

Time To Learn Spanish?, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"Americans don't take well to foreign languages.

But there is a change taking place in the nation that should cause us to question this reliance on English. the change is in the increasing numbers of new people coming into the United States who continue to speak their own languages."

Ethnic Mix Enriches Culture, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"Rhode Island is unique. It is the smallest state in the country, has a different religious majority, has one of the oldest populations and has one of the largest varieties of ethnic groups in the country."

Japanese-Americans Still Waiting For Payment, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"The Victory Day holiday, or 'V-J Day' as it's still called, was recently enjoyed as a long weekend in Rhode Island. It is the only state to recognize the end of World War II in this manner, and the practice still raises questions about its validity 44 years after the fact."

Color It Ethnically Diverse, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"The recent Rhode Island Heritage Festival held on the State House lawn is a good reminder of our immigrant legacy in this country. The hundreds of people who came to sample the food from 24 countries and to see dances from around the world also experienced a small United Nations of language and attire."

The Cities Do Need Help, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"The lead editorial in the Providence Sunday Journal of December 7, 1986 is completely off the mark and deserves to be answered. The attitude expressed by the writer conveys the specious view that because our nation's cities are not being burned down or torn apart by race riots at the present time then things are not really all that bad in our urban centers."

Minorities, Cities To Bear Brunt Of Federal Cutbacks, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"The sad story of the 4,500 Rhode Island families whose welfare benefits will be reduced or ended with this current 1982 fiscal year should make us profoundly aware of the plight of the poor. In the next few months government-mandated action will bring the federal budget closer to balance. Not yet noticed but soon to be realized, will be the impact on minority poor, and on the place where most of them live--the city."

Immigrants Can Contribute More Than Mere Numbers, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"The job advertisement might read like this: Waned -- married couple to operate a market in a neighborhood subject to arson and robbery. Hours 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week, with no vacations. Must know various languages to serve customers of diverse ethnic backgrounds. Benefits include satisfaction of knowing you are meeting needs of immigrants, poor and elderly in neighborhood and, maybe, earn enough money to pay for children's education. Investment of $60,000 required."

Roger Williams Project-Potential Industrial Site?, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"In a neighborhood analysis done in 1969, the Providence Department of Planning and Urban Development stated it succintly: "The Roger Williams public housing project contains some of the poorest quality housing in the area."

Tel Aviv--A Triumph Over Adversity, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"In March, the sun is still not too high, and under a clear blue Mediterranean sky in this seaside city, the daytime temperatures are int he comfortable 75-degree range. This is not the case in the summer when temperatures may go over 100 degrees, humidity is overpowering, and most activity stops during the heat of the midafternoon. The intense heat not only debilitates the body, but surprisingly, affects suburban development, concentrated within 15 miles of the city center. To drive more than a half-hour in the oven-like heat of a car's interior is too uncomfortable for long-distance commuting."

Glorious Pre-Industrial City, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

""There is Jerusalem" was the shout of joy as the convoy drivers crossed a low rise of the Judean Hills and saw ahead the outline of their destination. Bringing supplies into the city after independance in 1948 was a hazardous undertaking because snipers along the route were constant threats to the convoys that supplied this divided city, occupied by both the Jordanian army and the Jews. The stark reminder of that time is today memorialized by the numerous truck chassis found along the side of the highway and at which ceremonies are held to honor those drivers who died so …

The Most Disheartening Example Of City Decay, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"It has to be seen to be believed. And yet, two days after viewing it, one wonders if it were just a terrible dream that will somehow disappear with time. Is the South Bronx, that most devastated area of New York City, really as bad as they say it is?"

Despite The Heartaches, Urban Renewal Deserves High Marks, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"The term "urban renewal" draws a mixed reaction. For some, it has meant relocated families, destroyed neighborhoods and heartache, even years after the fact. For others it has meant new construction, new jobs, increased taxes, reconstructed neighborhoods and visible signs of process."

The Paradox Of Providence, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"Providence is a city of poor people, yet Providence is a rich city. This apparent paradox requires some explanation."

How Cubans Reshaped Downtown Miami, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"It was just this past week that the last flight of refugees likely to come out of Castro's Cuba arrived at Miami International Airport. The hightly emotional reunion of familites that had been seperated for years was a reminder of the freedom which we enjoy in this country and for which many others are still waiting to come here to also enjoy."

Soul City Deserves To Succeed, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream--a dream of equal opportunity and justice for all. An assassin's bullet prevented him from realizing his dream. His friend and well-known leader in the civil rights movement also had a dream--a dream to build a new town in which the injustices of society would be lessened. Today, in the rolling farmland country of North Carolina, Floyd McKissick is working to fulfill his long sought dream."

Residency Law Could Stabilize Local Economic Base, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"Should city employees be required to live in the communities which employ them? This is the question which more and more cities are seriously considering as they seek ways to stem the unabated flow of their residents to the suburbs and to raise needed tax dollars."

Suburbocentrics Leave Behind Concerns For City, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"The column written by Jean Slaughter Doty for this page, "Love Suburbia or Leave It Alone," recently was beautiful. Mrs. Doty, author, housewife and mother in a Connecticut suburb, aptly described the problem of groth, both planned but more commonly unplanned, that has taken place in American suburbs and which has too often destroyed the advantages these places initially offered."