Scholastic Update articles from March 1992

Scholastic Update archives from March 1992

End of an era? (hope of prosperity)(includes related article on economic buzzwords)
March 6, 1992... Over the past 50 years, the American dream of an evergrowing prosperity came true for millions of people in this country. Now, experts say, those days may be gone forever. When Troy Marshall finished high school four years ago, he saw...

The widening gap. (between social classes) (Illustration)
March 6, 1992... In the years following World War II, when the United States emerged as the world's dominant power, the American economy was like a series of department-store escalators. All the escalators, it seemed, were going up. Average families earned...

Is the American Dream still alive? (working to obtain a better life)(includes quiz on the state of the nation)
March 6, 1992... Twenty-three years ago, Hector Cruz's father risked his life and his family's fortune for the American Dream. "My father was 17, and all he wanted and all his family wanted was for him to get out of Mexico and live in America," says...

The legacy of Reaganomics. (Ronald Reagan's policies)
March 6, 1992... Ronald Reagan's policies triggered a huge economic boom in the 1980s, dramatically reshaping the U.S. economy. Why do some people say those policies are now haunting the U.S.? Everywhere you look, your can see the fingers pointing. With...

Brother, can you spare a dime? (caring for the poor)
March 6, 1992... At one time, government seemed committed to ending poverty. But today, few leaders talk about the issue. Why? Are the nation's needy being excluded from the American Dream? Frank Jones isn't pinning too many hopes on this year's...

Hard times for unions. (economy shifts away from heavy manufacturing)
March 6, 1992... In recent years, hundreds of thousands of union workers have lost their jobs. But despite the labor movement's current weakness, unions have had a lasting impact on the American workplace. To the people of Homestead, Pennsylvania, a union...

The corporate fat cats. (corporate executives make huge salaries)
March 6, 1992... While the average American struggles to get by, top corporate executives are making millions. Are their hefty paychecks deserved, or do they symbolize all that's wrong with U.S. business? The heads of Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors--the...

Dreams for a dollar. (playing the lottery)
March 6, 1992... More Americans than ever are playing the lottery, looking for an exit to Easy Street. Do these get-rich-quick games show the health of the American Dream--or its failings? When Augustin Jombo came to this country in 1980, he brought only...

How to keep up with the changing times. (preparing for the future)
March 6, 1992... Experts say that today's young people must take it upon themselves to prepare for tomorrow's workplace. Here's what you can do to help yourself. All 17-year-old Mark Frankel wants for graduation is a job. It doesn't have to be a fancy job,...

Winds of change. (North and South Korea)
March 20, 1992... The walls and barbed wire remain prominent as ever. But the world's sweeping changes may finally break the bitter deadlock between North and South Korea. As you head north toward the border separating the two Koreas, the lush green rice...

Can the Koreas unite? (Special Report)
March 20, 1992... More than a generation after the bloody war that divided the Korean peninsula, the legacy of that conflict lives on. The two countries technically remain at war and more than a million soldiers confront one another across the 151-mile long...

Two nations, one past. (North Korea, South Korea)(History)
March 20, 1992... For centuries, Korea has been like a rope in a tug-of-war between foreign invaders. Through it all, the people have fiercely held on to their identity. The SIGNS OF DIVISION BETWEEN THE TWO Koreas are easy to see: walls, barbed wire, mine...

America's forgotten war. (Korean War, 1950-1953)
March 20, 1992... More than 5 million people died in the Korean War, including 54,000 U.S. soldiers. But few Americans remember this chapter in U.S. history. In 1953, Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Black, an army ranger, returned home after three years of...

In the thick of it. (US policy still has influence in Korea)
March 20, 1992... Nearly 40 years after the end of the Korean War, U.S. policy and the American military still weigh heavily in the region's balance of power. A week after North Korean tanks rolled into South Korea in 1950, President Harry S. Truman sent U.S....

The rite of Spring. (student protests in South Korea)
March 20, 1992... It's a Friday afternoon at Seoul's prestigious Yonsei University and a rite of spring is about to begin: the demonstration of the day. To the stirring beat of cymbals and gongs, a group of students marches down the campus's tree-lined...

Culture clash. (tensions between Koreans and blacks in U.S. cities)
March 20, 1992... The growing number of Korean merchants here in black neighborhoods has touched off a storm of resentment on both sides. Why are these two groups at odds? On the morning of March 16 last year, Soon Ja Du was working the cash register at...

Study for your life. (South Korean high school students preparing for university entrance)
March 20, 1992... Teenage life in South Korea is marked by long hours of study for the pressure-packed "examination hell"--a cutthroat competition to join the ranks of the nation's elite. Imagine that you've studied from dawn to 2 a.m. for years to prepare...

Pressure in America, too. (Korean study patterns)
March 20, 1992... Young Na's face fell when she got her test back. Tears splashed on her geography exam. Her American teacher didn't understand. "Young Na, you did fine," she told the 16-year-old girl, "a B is a good grade." "Not in my house," said...

A taste of Korea. (cultural traditions)
March 20, 1992... Last summer, UPDATE editor Lee Kravitz spent two weeks in South Korea, attending an educational program at Seoul's Yonsei University. In between his forays to South Korea's temples, classrooms, and renowned leather markets, he caught a glimpse...