Latest news with #Bowdoin
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
A Bowdoin podcast on how government works is headed to Maine classrooms to boost civic learning
Bowdoin students and podcast hosts Natalie Emmerson and Larsen Van Horn whose "Pine State Politics: In Session" podcast will be turned into civics lessons for high schoolers. (Courtesy of Natalie Emmerson) In January 2024, Bowdoin freshman Natalie Emmerson collected signatures for U.S. Sen. Angus King's re-election campaign. Frequently, she was asked by voters, 'isn't he already on the ballot?' That's when she realized that by working on the campaign she was learning information about how elections and democracy work that most people didn't know. That lesson prompted Emmerson and classmate Larsen Van Horn one year later to create a podcast called 'Pine State Politics: In Session,' where they learn and educate listeners about basic civic processes, like how a bill becomes a law, the difference between state and federal government, the role of lobbyists and much more from some of the biggest names in Maine politics: former Congressman and U.S. Secretary of Defense Bill Cohen, current Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, and King himself. 'A lot of young people want to get involved, but don't know how,' Emmerson said of the political process. 'That's exactly what the point of the podcast is. We're digging into the mechanics of how everything works.' Van Horn, who is from out of state, said the podcast is a way for her to learn more about how Maine's government and elections work, for instance, concepts like ranked-choice voting and clean elections funding. He said this is especially important because, like other college students, he is able to vote in Maine elections. Next year, the podcast could be played in high school classrooms across Maine as part of a newly offered curriculum that Emmerson and Van Horn are partnering with the Maine Department of Education to develop. For example, in the first episode, the hosts asked Bellows and Washington, D.C. lobbyist and University of Maine adjunct professor Peter Madigan which issues are handled locally and which are federal: Who do you call about a road that needs paving? Which office handles disability payments? That segment will help prompt classroom discussion questions, Emmerson said, such as 'What issues can your congressperson help you with? What is a district office and what do the people who work there do?' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'Some of these questions will require the student to look some information up for a complete answer,' she added. 'The conversation in the snippet will help point them in the right direction. That way students stay engaged and are required to ask questions and think critically about the systems they're learning about ' The department hopes the collaboration will make the democratic process more accessible and engaging for young people, particularly because it's a resource developed by other young people. 'They're a great example of youth voice in civic education, which is something we want to be promoting because … there is very low youth engagement nationwide in civic life,' said Beth Lambert, chief teaching and learning officer at the Maine Department of Education. The podcast breaks down complex government processes in a non-partisan, approachable manner, Lambert said, which was another reason the partnership appealed to the department. 'They're not diving into polarizing policy debates in these podcasts,' she said. 'It really emphasizes how democracy works and encourages understanding across the political divides, which is key in our classrooms.' The lesson plans, which will be available this fall, will allow high school teachers to use specific segments in civics, U.S. history, and current events classes. Since Maine allows local districts to control curriculum, teachers in each district will be able to decide whether to use the lesson plans. But the initiative reflects the department's broader commitment to promoting youth-driven learning experiences that encourage students to understand and actively participate in democratic processes. Next year, the department will be rolling out another learning opportunity for elementary students — interactive town halls. These day-long events, developed in partnership with the Secretary of State and local municipalities, will immerse young students in democratic processes such as town council meetings. Students will participate in various roles, such as reporters, candidates, and voters, learning about local government, the role of the media and policy through hands-on activities. These new initiatives are part of 'broader efforts to support interdisciplinary, inclusive and relevant learning experiences,' Lambert said, which are a department priority. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Solve the daily Crossword
Roya News
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Roya News
Unearthed 2014 article shows Zohran Mamdani's early advocacy for Palestinian rights
A resurfaced college article has shed light on Zohran Mamdani's long-standing support for the Palestinian cause, years before he became a leading figure in New York politics. Mamdani, now 33 and the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor, co-authored the piece as an undergraduate at Bowdoin College, where he co-founded the school's chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP). Published on January 10, 2014, in Bowdoin's student paper, The Bowdoin Orient, Mamdani's article strongly endorsed the American Studies Association's (ASA) decision to join the academic boycott of 'Israeli' institutions, a move aimed at pressuring 'Israel' to end its occupation of Palestinian territories. 'The American Studies Association, a group of scholars on American culture and history, recently decided to honor the call of Palestinian civil society to boycott Israeli institutions,' Mamdani wrote. 'This academic and cultural boycott aims to bring under scrutiny the actions of the Israeli government and to put pressure on Israeli institutions to end the oppressive occupation and racist policies within both Israel and occupied Palestine.' The piece criticized 'Israeli' universities for what Mamdani described as active and passive complicity in 'Israel's' military occupation. He accused them of prioritizing soldiers in admissions, discriminating against Palestinian students, developing remote-controlled bulldozers for home demolitions, and conducting research for the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF), with some institutions operating from illegal settlements built on occupied land. Mamdani rejected claims that the boycott stifled free speech, arguing instead that it had sparked wider debate about 'Israeli' human rights abuses. He specifically challenged then-Bowdoin College President Barry Mills, who opposed the boycott, accusing him of ignoring Palestinian suffering: 'Mills regrettably makes no mention of Palestinians or Palestine… When Mills speaks of the 'free exchange of knowledge, ideas, and research,' he does so while privileging partnerships with Israeli institutions over basic freedoms for Palestinians, including the rights to food, water, shelter and education.' The mayoral nominee praised Bowdoin professors who supported the ASA resolution and urged students and faculty to sign a pro-boycott petition.
New York Post
07-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Zohran Mamdani's ‘radical ingratitude' to the city and nation that gave him everything
So many brash and contradictory assertions have been hurled at the Democrat's shiny new mayoral candidate for New York City, Zohran Mamdani, that his nickname should be 'Notorious Z.' Is Mamdani the youthful, charismatic face of the future for the Democratic Party? Is he a gift to the Republicans? Is he, as some conservatives insist, a communist? I am here to answer all questions. A pretty basic question concerns Mamdani's qualifications for office. He's 33, with a degree from Bowdoin on 'Africana' — which, on the face of it, doesn't bode well for the city. He was an unsuccessful rapper, so at least there's that. For the last four years, he's been a state assemblyman from Queens with a perfectly virginal record of achievement. In fairness, New York's recent mayors haven't exactly dazzled the world with their leadership. Back in the day, Rudy Giuliani could take credit for breaking the mafia. Michael Bloomberg kept the wolves of Wall Street well-fed. But Bill de Blasio and Eric Adams play-acted the role of mayor and hoped for the best — which, alas, rarely came about. Voters chose Mamdani despite his lack of qualifications for a good reason. The Democratic Party today resembles a dark crypt out of Edgar Allan Poe, full of rotten and disgusting things. The front-runner in the race for mayor, according to everybody, was a repulsive creature from the crypt, Andrew Cuomo. Voters went for Mamdani because at least he's alive and all too human. But is he really a communist? He calls himself a Democratic Socialist, which is a contradiction in terms, but some of his proposals seem to leave Bernie Sanders behind and move him closer to Fidel Castro. Famously, he plans to build a city-owned grocery store in every borough, on the Cuban model. Whether the ration cards on which that model depends will go over well with New Yorkers is an interesting question. Mamdani has also said that he's intent on 'seizing the means of production,' which sounds alarmingly like he wants to invade China. I think he's just spouting Marxist boilerplate because, to college-educated Millennials, those words possess an irresistibly transgressive charm. Mamdani isn't a Lenin-style communist. He's more of a Picasso-style communist. The renowned modern painter, Pablo Picasso, was a member of the Communist Party, even though he lived in a stately chateau near the Mediterranean, attended by his women, with millions in the bank. It never entered Picasso's mind that the vanguard of the proletariat would confiscate his property or redistribute his money to the needy. He was a communist for a singular purpose: to signal to the world his irreconcilable loathing of the system that had rewarded him with fame and bounty. The Spanish philosopher José Ortega y Gasset, Picasso's compatriot, coined a phrase for this mindset: 'radical ingratitude.' Mamdani comes from a wealthy family. His mother is a prominent film director — an industry not known for its generous sharing instincts. His father is 'Herbert Lehman Professor of Government' at Columbia — that would be Herbert Lehman, as in the Lehman Brothers banking family. Mamdani is a child of privilege who's eager to denounce the capitalist society in which he enjoys wealth and status without having lifted a finger to earn either. It's the best of both worlds. He condemns everything but surrenders nothing. Every morning, the NY POSTcast offers a deep dive into the headlines with the Post's signature mix of politics, business, pop culture, true crime and everything in between. Subscribe here! And since he's an immigrant of non-Western origins, his condemnations will thrill white progressives desperately seeking to atone for their genetic racism and colonialism — a racket first invented a generation ago by Edward Said, a Palestinian professor whom Mamdani's father befriended at Columbia. The mayoral candidate's actual communist principles are extremely simple to explain — an 8-year-old could understand them. The political goal is a kind of universal equality, but when Mamdani turns his leveling gaze on New York, all he sees is disparity. Some people own apartment blocks while others have to pay rent for apartments. That must be fixed. Some people are in jail while others wander around at will. That's surely an injustice. Some students get A's while others get F's. That's just plain racism. Who decides what amount to pay for goods and services? Why does anyone have to pay at all? Why not tax 'richer and whiter neighborhoods' and make lots of stuff free? Or even better, why not make the city a billionaire-free zone? Mamdani is too soft-headed to be a Stalinist. He won't start a gulag at Riker's and fill it with the super-rich. But a New York that refuses, on principle, to distinguish between property rights and government power, or economic reality and frat house fantasy, or excellence and mediocrity, won't resemble the socialist utopia of Millennial imaginings but rather a lunatic free-for-all devoid of any law but that of the jungle. There'll be no need for a violent purge of billionaires — they will self-deport to Palm Beach within minutes of Mamdani's inauguration. New Jersey will boom with relocated supermarkets, gas stations, and investment firms. The New York Stock Exchange will escape under the cover of darkness to Jersey City. And when crooks and malcontents take to the street, and Mayor Mamdani sends social workers to heal their souls, something fragile will break that can't easily be put back together. Probably the most troubling questions surrounding Mamdani have to do with the implications for New York's 1.4 million Jews of his obsessive hostility to Israel. He rejects — or, in Mamdani-speak, is 'not comfortable' with — Israel's identity as a Jewish state. He has attacked that nation for being 'apartheid' and guilty of genocide in Gaza and elsewhere. Since his days at Bowdoin, he has actively promoted a boycott of Israeli exports. While all of this can be dismissed as a stereotypical leftist attitude, with Mamdani it seems to slide into tolerance, and possibly support, of violent 'anti-Zionist' groups. When asked to repudiate the 'globalize the intifada' movement, which often targets American Jews, he pointedly refused to do so. Is Mamdani an antisemite? Not in a 20th-century sense. We shouldn't worry that he'll be unleashing the brownshirts or leading pogroms in Crown Heights. But the line between political anti-Zionism and cultural antisemitism, American Jews have learned, is faint and shifting. Whenever Israel acts in a way that is hated by the left, Mamdani, as mayor, is certain to make inflammatory statements. And if anti-Zionist night riders should decide to punish Hasidic neighborhoods for Israel's sins, I doubt he'll bother to send out the cops, or even social workers, to restrain them. Our last question, I'm sorry to report, involves the terrifying political monster that for years has fed on leftist brains — I mean, of course, Donald Trump. Because both men are supposedly charismatic and play well with social media, Mamdani has been put forward by some as the Democrats' younger, cooler answer to Trump. Can this be true? Well, Trump is a successful building magnate who ran for president three times, won twice and changed the politics of the country and the world. Mamdani won the nomination to run for mayor. Comparisons strike me as a bit hasty. Here's another way to look at the matter. Trump was a celebrity who entered politics as a neophyte. Mamdani is a neophyte who went into politics to become a celebrity. The two men are in fact mirror images of one another. The difference boils down to one of scale. Trump used his status as an amateur politician to build a national movement based on anti-establishment principles. Mamdani's reach, even in New York, will hinge entirely on the answer to the trivia question: 'How many socialist hipsters can be found in the United States of America?' That answer, I'm reasonably sure, is 'Not enough.'
New Indian Express
05-07-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Zohran Mamdani: Manhattan masala
Zohran Mamdani is fond of reminding the world that he 'exists' because his mother had travelled to Uganda to shoot Mississippi Masala. The masala packed in that tiny sachet of information gives a taste of the broth Zohran—now the Democratic nominee to be the mayor of New York—was cooked in. The mother, Mira Nair, is a Punjabi born in Rourkela who studied literature and visual arts at Delhi and Harvard universities. In an aside that speaks to her feistiness, Nair claims that while playing Cleopatra at St Stephen's College, she ate onions to keep Shashi Tharoor's Antony at a distance. In Kampala to shoot her second film, Nair met Mahmood Mamdani, a Gujarati-origin, Uganda-born scholar who had come back to research his Harvard PhD thesis. The rest is the rolling history of an immigrant family. Born in Kampala and given the middle name Kwame after Ghana's first president, Zohran moved to New York just after hitting his school years when Mahmood got a teaching job at Columbia University. In the US, Zohran first attended a posh Manhattan private school before passing through a Bronx public school and graduating in 'Africana studies' from Bowdoin, a liberal arts college. He dived headlong into politics after Bernie Sanders' 2016 presidential bid and won a seat in the New York state legislature in 2019. As a young assemblyman who had signed up as a democratic socialist—considered an extreme leftist fringe within the Democratic tent—Zohran championed affordable housing and debt relief for cabbies. But it was not until he announced his bid to be the mayor of America's largest city and surged from near-nothing to challenging Andrew Cuomo for the Democratic ticket that the political establishment looked closely at him. The task was indeed formidable. Zohran, 33, was an underfunded upstart facing Cuomo, 67, a former governor from a well-known political family who had millions of dollar in his war chest. There were also Democratic party members to charm. In a city with the largest Jewish population outside Israel, a majority of them Democrat voters, Islamophobia had peaked at a time when Israel was waging a brutal war in Gaza. As it would happen, the June 24 vote also came just two days after Donald Trump directed the US military to strike three nuclear facilities in Iran.
The Hindu
18-06-2025
- The Hindu
From The Hindu, June 19, 1925: Unexplored continent
London, June 18: An Arctic expedition headed by Mr. Donald MacMillan has started from Boston. It consists of two ships Bowdoin and Peary, the latter carrying three aeroplanes. It will proceed to Etah (Greenland) with the object of investigating the supposed existence of a vast unexplored continent between the North Pole and the North-west passage. The expedition, with which the United States Government is co-operating, has aroused particular interest in Canada in view of her claim to all the territory between Canada and the North Pole.
