Tag Archives: immigration

Two migration tales of strength, hardship, and tenacity

Far too often, certain pundits, politicos, and just plain bigots depict refugees and immigrants as criminals and/or parasites. That couldn’t be further from the truth for the vast majority of those people who are seeking a new life in another … Continue reading

Posted in Advocacy, art, book reviews, books, charities, civility, culture, diversity, education, entertainment, family, film, government, history, human rights, humanity, immigration, inclusiveness, injustice, Latin America, literature, movies, opinion, peace, politics, poverty, racism, Travel, Uncategorized, Welcome, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Metro areas most impacted by the new immigration ban

Interesting data from the Brookings Institutionis provided below which is related to existing immigrant residents in the United States from the recently banned seven (7) Muslim nations.  The data in the first chart shows those cities where these immigrant populations … Continue reading

Posted in Advocacy, cities, civics, civility, culture, demographics, diversity, geography, human rights, humanity, immigration, inclusiveness, planning, politics, Statistics, urban planning | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Two triumphant and ironic films – “Brooklyn” and “Trumbo” 

My wife and I had the pleasure of seeing two outstanding films over the past weekend. On Friday night, we bicycled to the charming Bijou by the Bay Theater in downtown Traverse City and watched Brooklyn. This beautifully crafted and … Continue reading

Posted in art, censorship, civics, civility, Communications, culture, entertainment, film, history, movies, peace, politics, racism, Religion, social equity, theaters, video, Women | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Largest American cities with world capital names – UPDATE

Below is a compiled list of the largest American cities that have the same name as a current world capital, along with each city’s 2010 population. Any additions and/or corrections are welcome. I did not include small towns, township, hamlets, … Continue reading

Posted in Africa, Asia, branding, cities, Communications, diversity, Europe, fun, geography, history, humanity, inclusiveness, Language, Maps, Oceania, South America, States, Statistics, tourism, Trade, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Review of “American Chinatown, A People’s History of Five Neighborhoods”

In American Chinatown, author Bonnie Tsui has written a compelling and reflective historical account of five Chinatowns in the United States. But, what truly brings this text to life are the lives and experiences of those residents who she interviews … Continue reading

Posted in architecture, art, Asia, book reviews, books, branding, China, cities, civics, commerce, Communications, Cuisine, culture, diversity, economics, entertainment, entrepreneurship, family, geography, globalization, historic preservation, history, humanity, immigration, inclusiveness, land use, literature, marketing, North America, placemaking, planning, politics, poverty, racism, reading, spatial design, third places, tourism, Trade, Travel, urban planning, Welcome, Women | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Dos puertas de la ciudad de China de America del Sur

I was rather surprised to find only two Chinatown gates in South America. They are located in Buenos Aires, Argentina and in Lima, Peru. Below are a photograph of each of these artistic structures: One would think with numerous megacities like … Continue reading

Posted in architecture, art, China, cities, Communications, culture, diversity, geography, globalization, historic preservation, history, immigration, inclusiveness, land use, peace, placemaking, planning, South America, third places, tourism, Travel, urban planning, walking | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Cherishing, not criticizing diversity

Every now and then I hear (or overhear) an offensive comment from someone that irritates the daylights out of me. Late Monday afternoon this happened when a person make the following obnoxious comment: “It’s getting to be like the intersection of Singapore Street … Continue reading

Posted in civics, civility, Communications, diversity, education, human rights, humanity, immigration, politics | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Pedal-powered recycling for those in need

Saturday morning (4/28/12) I was honored to volunteer for several hours with my friends from MSU Bikes and Share-a-Bike to receive donated bicycles for recycling at the local Spring Recycling Event. Bicycles were just one item, among many, that were being … Continue reading

Posted in bicycling, civics, culture, diversity, education, environment, fun, health, history, homelessness, human rights, immigration, peace, poverty, recycling, transportation, volunteerism | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Dayton got it absolutely Wright!

The city commissioners of Dayton, Ohio have voted unanimously to approve a plan to make the city more “immigrant-friendly.”  Entitled, Welcome Dayton Plan-Immigrant-Friendly City, the decision is an encouraging  step towards greater cultural and ethnic diversity, social and economic justice, and … Continue reading

Posted in cities, culture, diversity, economic development, economic gardening, entrepreneurship, history, planning | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Immigration mythbusting

A popular and entertaining show on the Discovery Channel is Mythbusters. This author hopes this post will help dispel some of the incorrect and downright cruel myths about immigrants that are cited by xenophobes and radical conservatives to frame the … Continue reading

Posted in immigration, politics | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments