Conn. leaders seek to halt deportation of Mexican

Conn. leaders seek to halt deportation of Mexican - National News - bellinghamherald.com

'HARTFORD, Conn. The state's highest-ranking elected officials are rallying to halt the deportation of a Mexican-born college student, wading into the national immigration debate with pleas for an undocumented youth the governor says is "for all intents and purposes" an American.
The student, 23-year-old Mariano Cardoso, has lived in the United States since his family entered the country illegally when he was a toddler. He is due to graduate next month from Capitol Community College in Hartford with an engineering degree.
In discussions with federal immigration officials, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and Sen. Richard Blumenthal, both Democrats, have highlighted Cardoso's personal achievements in asking for him to be allowed to stay. On Wednesday, Malloy wrote a letter formally asking the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to defer the deportation...'

Read more: http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2011/04/20/1977750/conn-leaders-seek-to-halt-deportation.html#storylink=mirelated#ixzz1KmCKtseU

Melia, Michael. "Conn. Leaders Seek to Halt Deportation of Mexican - National News - Bellinghamherald.com." Bellingham, Whatcom County News and Information / The Bellingham Herald. 20 Apr. 2011. Web. 27 Apr. 2011. .

Democratic senators want help for young immigrants

Democratic senators want help for young immigrants - National News - bellinghamherald.com

'WASHINGTON Twenty-two Senate Democrats are pressuring President Barack Obama to delay deportations of certain young immigrants in the U.S. illegally.
The senators ask in a letter for deferrals of any deportations of the young immigrants brought to the U.S. by parents who arrived or stayed illegally.
The senators also suggest smaller steps the president can take to help the young immigrants, such as making sure they know they can request deportation delays.

In the letter sent Wednesday, the senators acknowledge that Obama must enforce the law but say exercising prosecutorial discretion has a long history in the U.S. and is consistent with the rule of law.

Last year, the House passed the DREAM Act, which would have allowed the youths to stay in the U.S., but it failed in the Senate.'

The Associated Press. "Democratic Senators Want Help for Young Immigrants - National News - Bellinghamherald.com." Bellingham, Whatcom County News and Information / The Bellingham Herald. 14 Apr. 2011. Web. 27 Apr. 2011. .

Not targeted but not safe, young illegal immigrants push for a new policy

'ATLANTA Seven college-age Latinos gathered in downtown Atlanta and passed around a microphone, announcing to the world that they were coming out of the shadows as illegal immigrants.
Then, in an act of civil disobedience, they sat down in the middle of a busy street and announced it again to a large and chanting crowd. When they were hauled off to jail, they even declared their status to a pair Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers - who proceeded to do nothing.

After a night in jail, the seven were free again on April 6, clutching misdemeanor tickets issued by the city for blocking traffic.
So what, one might ask, does it take for an illegal immigrant to get deported in the United States of 2011?
That turns out to be a good question, particularly for immigrants who, like the Georgia youths, call themselves "the Dreamers" - that is, immigrants who might have achieved legal status through the federal DREAM Act...'

Not targeted but not safe, young illegal immigrants push for a new policy - Wire - Lifestyle - bellinghamherald.com

Fausset, Richard. "Not Targeted but Not Safe, Young Illegal Immigrants Push for a New Policy - Wire - Lifestyle - Bellinghamherald.com." Bellingham, Whatcom County News and Information / The Bellingham Herald. 27 Apr. 2011. Web. 27 Apr. 2011. .

14th Amendment

Amendment XIV

Section 1.

All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

Section 2.

Representatives shall be apportioned among the several states according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each state, excluding Indians not taxed. But when the right to vote at any election for the choice of electors for President and Vice President of the United States, Representatives in Congress, the executive and judicial officers of a state, or the members of the legislature thereof, is denied to any of the male inhabitants of such state, being twenty-one years of age, and citizens of the United States, or in any way abridged, except for participation in rebellion, or other crime, the basis of representation therein shall be reduced in the proportion which the number of such male citizens shall bear to the whole number of male citizens twenty-one years of age in such state.

Section 3.

No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any state, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any state legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any state, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.

Section 4.

The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the United States nor any state shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or any claim for the loss or emancipation of any slave; but all such debts, obligations and claims shall be held illegal and void.

Section 5.

The Congress shall have power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.

http://topics.law.cornell.edu/constitution/amendmentxiv 

June 23, 2006: Immigration and American National Identity

Scholars Examine Latino Immigration and American National Identity

'Washington, DC--Latino immigrants to the U.S. are more diverse, successful, and assimilating more rapidly than is widely assumed in public debate, scholars observe in recent research published by the American Political Science Association (APSA). While immigration, assimilation, national identity, and relevant public policy questions are rightly being discussed today, the research finds that much of the concerns regarding Latino immigration are rooted in inaccurate assumptions, oversimplifications, and poor data.

These conclusions appear in a research symposium entitled "Immigration and National Identity," edited by Gary M. Segura (University of Washington), in the June issue of the Perspectives on Politics--a journal of the APSA.  The symposium is online at /section_682.cfm and is comprised of four articles which consider different aspects of the social and political incorporation of Latino immigrants in the U.S. "The fight...over who is an American, and what constitutes 'American-ness,' is and has been an ongoing one for virtually the entire history of the United States," observes Segura in the introduction.

In "Culture Clash? Contesting Notions of American Identity and the Effects of Latin American Immigration," Segura and Luis R. Fraga (Stanford University) examine immigration and national identity in the context of American political development. Tracing immigration fears to the pre-Declaration of Independence era, Segura and Fraga agree that Anglo-Protestant culture shaped American national identity but question whether ethno-religious and linguistic traditions are the most critical "binding ties of nationhood" or "the erosion of in the dominance of Anglo-Protestant culture is inherently destabilizing...." They point to other successful multicultural democracies while cautioning against overlooking the less laudable aspects of Anglo-Protestant dominance which have historically negatively affected socially subordinate groups. Noting the role of the capacity for change in the longevity of the American republic--rather than the maintenance of a static, idealized Anglo-Protestant identity--they advocate a broader and comprehensive reading of American history in the immigration debate....'

http://www.apsanet.org/content_30230.cfm

Rajaee, Bahram. "June 23, 2006: Immigration and American National Identity | APSA." The American Political Science Association. 23 June 2006. Web. 26 Apr. 2011. <http://www.apsanet.org/content_30230.cfm>.

Immigration and national identity: constructing the nation

Roxanne Lynn Doty

Prompted by the integration of Europe, Derrida recently posed the following questions. ‘Indeed, to what concept, to what real individual, to what singular entity should this name be assigned today? Who will draw up its borders?’ While this question speaks of the political entity called Europe, it has much broader resonance. It echoes concerns about identity, boundaries, and the relationship between the inside and the outside of political entities, concerns that have not escaped the attention of critical International Relations scholars. Nor are these necessarily new concerns. The situation in post–World War II Britain prompted the same questions Derrida raises about Europe in 1992. To what real individuals, to what singular entity the terms ‘British’ and ‘Britain’ should be assigned was a question that prompted debate, political violence, and a series of increasingly restrictive and, some would suggest, racist immigration policies. The transformation of Britain from an empire to a nation–state was accompanied by a crisis of identity whereby early postwar proclamations that Britain ‘imposed no colour bar restrictions making it difficult for them when they come here’ and that ‘there must be freedom of movement within the British Empire and the Commonwealth’ were, rather quickly, to give way to exclusionary practices and a retreat to ‘little England’.

(Online publication July 1996)

Roxanne Lynn Doty is an assistant professor of political science at Arizona State University. She has written several articles that have appeared in International Studies and Millennium, and a book, Imperial Encounters: The Politics of Representation in North-South Relations (1996). Her research interests include IR theory, North-South relations, and race and immigration.

Footnotes

* I would like to thank the people who have made helpful comments and suggestions on earlier versions of this article: Michael Barnett, Thomas Biersteker, Daniel Deudney, Naeem Inayatullah, Alexander Murphy, David Strang, Alexander Wendt, and Cynthia Weber. I would also like to thank the following participants of the Comprehending State Sovereignty Conference, Brown University, 26–28 February 1993, at which an earlier version of this paper was presented: John Agnew, Hayward Alker, Jarat Chopra, James Der Derian, Craig Murphy, Donald Puchala, and Lori Gronich and Kent Worcester of the Social Science Research Council. My thoughts on this paper have also benefited greatly from various conversations with Richard Ashley. I would also like to thank three anonymous reviewers at the Review of International Studies for their critical comments and helpful suggestions. Finally, this paper would not have been possible without the research assistance of Shannon Bradley, Michelle Paz Soldon, and See Seng Pan.

A different version of this article is being published under the title of ‘Sovereignty and the Nation: Constructing the Boundaries of National Identity’, in Thomas J. Biersteker and Cynthia Weber (eds.), State Sovereignty as Social Construct (Cambridge, forthcoming April 1996).

http://journals.cambridge.org/abstract_S0260210500118534 

 Roxanne Lynn Doty (1996). Immigration and national identity: constructing the nation. Review of International Studies, 22, pp 235-255

Conn. Governor Joins Fight To Keep Student From Being Deported To Mexico

'NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — A Connecticut college student fighting deportation to stay in the United States is getting some high-powered support.

Governor Dannel Malloy has joined the grass-roots campaign to stop federal officials from deporting 23-year-old Mariano Cardoso, who is a month away from getting an engineering degree at Capitol Community College.

Cardoso was 22 months old when his parents left Mexico in search of a better life. They eventually settled in the Bronx. He now lives outside Hartford.

Cardoso said his dream is to become a math professor or civil engineer.

“Every part of it has been because I worked for it and my father worked for it,” he said.

However, Cardoso is in danger of losing everything because his parents immigrated to the United States illegally. In 2008, federal immigration officials discovered his undocumented status. Now he’s due to be deported within 60 days....'

Cardoso’s case got the attention of Connecticut’s top leaders. In a letter, Gov. Malloy asked federal immigration officials to hold off on deporting him.

“We’ve made a substantial investment as a society in this young man. I’d like to see that pay off for us,” Malloy said.

The head of the state GOP said illegal immigration is a strain on limited resources.

“We can’t have illegal immigration continuing to punish state and local governments with millions of dollars of health care costs and education costs and public safety costs,” Chairman Chris Healy said.

As for Cardoso, he said if he is deported, he’ll find a way back.

“I’ll try to get back. I’ll try to find a way to come back…because there’s nothing that is waiting for me over there,” he said'

 Article along with Video

CBS. "Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy Joins Fight To Keep Mariano Cardoso From Being Deported To Mexico « CBS New York." CBS New York - News, Sports, Weather, Traffic and the Best of NY. 25 Apr. 2011. Web. 26 Apr. 2011. <http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/04/25/conn-governor-joins-fight-to-keep-student-from-being-deported-to-mexico/>.

Georgia businesses fear impact of immigration law

 'Some Georgia business owners and farmers say they could have a harder time finding workers because of a bill passed by lawmakers to crack down on illegal immigration — among the toughest in the nation.
Republican Gov. Nathan Deal has pledged to sign the bill, which would require employers to use a federal database to make sure new hires are in the country legally. It also would allow law enforcement to check the status of people being investigated, even during a traffic stop, if they don't have an acceptable form of identification.
Business owners say the measure could make non-citizen workers reluctant to apply for jobs and make hiring new employees more expensive and cumbersome.
Atlanta chef Chris Hall, who said he relies on an immigrant workforce, opposes the bill in part because of fears his workers could be subject to racial profiling.'

 Metro Altanta

Brumback, Kate. "Georgia Businesses Fear Impact of Immigration Law  | Ajc.com." Atlanta News, Sports, Atlanta Weather, Business News | Ajc.com. 21 Apr. 2011. Web. 23 Apr. 2011. <http://www.ajc.com/news/georgia-businesses-fear-impact-920319.html?cxtype=ynews_rss>.

Local Hispanics Worry About Immigration Bill

'A new immigration bill has some Georgia residents on edge.
The state's legislature passed a measure that would crack down on illegal immigration. Governor Nathan Deal has to sign the bill before it becomes law. But some local Hispanics, like Lillian Sanchez, say, if the bill is enacted, it could do more harm than good.
"On one side, yes, I understand that they want you to correctly follow the law," Sanchez said. "But the only law we're breaking is not having documentation."
The bill's impact could be felt strongly in areas like Dalton.The Hispanic population has grown tremendously there in the past 10 years. In fact, the group now makes up more than 30 percent of Whitfield County's population, according to the U.S. Census.
Among some of its measures, the bill would let authorities check someone's legal status when they stop them for violations. It would also require employers with 10 or more workers to use a federal database to check the status of new hires.
Sanchez, and her friend, Irma Ibarra,volunteer for the local chapter of the Coalition of Latino Leaders. They believe the bill will unfairly target Hispanics and hurt the local economy.
"People who are here they want to work they don't care about what the job is because they have a family to support," Ibarra said.
Spencer Zeiger is the dean of social work at Dalton State College. He says he understands those worries but middle ground has to be reached.
"There should be equal access to employment and fair rights, but I think people do need to be here legally in order for that to happen," he said.
Governor Nathan Deal has pledged to sign the bill.'

Video on this page. 

Mitchell, Marissa. "Local Hispanics Worry About Immigration Bill | Bill, Local, Law." WTVC NewsChannel 9: Chattanooga News, Weather, Radar, Sports, Lottery. 22 Apr. 2011. Web. 23 Apr. 2011. <http://www.newschannel9.com/news/bill-1000532-local-law.html>.

Milan museum to test whether sketch is lost Leonardo da Vinci work

 '(CNN) -- Peter Hohenstatt was skeptical at first, especially when he learned the drawing dated to about 1500.
The sketch was "absolutely Leonardesque," the University of Parma art historian thought, but it was probably the product of one of the master's students, imitators or admirers. When a technical exam showed the drawing originated closer to 1473, his skepticism waned.
The reason? Leonardo da Vinci was an apprentice until the late 1470s. He didn't have any students, imitators or admirers of his own yet.
"I can't be sure it's a Leonardo drawing, not scientifically or any other way," said Hohenstatt, "but I'm highly convinced that we have here one of the first drawings. I'm quite convinced it's one of his first portrait sketches."
Hohenstatt isn't alone. Da Vinci expert Luigi Capasso told CNN there is a "very high possibility that this sketch is by Leonardo da Vinci."
The object of their fascination is titled simply, "red pencil drawing of a profile of a man's head looking to the left." It was found about 70 years ago tucked into a book -- and like many objects of artistic intrigue, it has a long and twisting story, regardless of whether it's the product of the Renaissance master....'

Leonardo rediscovered? 

McLaughlin, Eliott C. "Milan Museum to Test Whether Sketch Is Lost Leonardo Da Vinci Work - CNN.com." CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News. 20 Apr. 2011. Web. 21 Apr. 2011. <http://www.cnn.com/2011/LIVING/04/08/lost.davinci.sketch/index.html?hpt=C2>.

Veteran photojournalists killed in Libya

(CNN) -- Oscar nominee Tim Hetherington and acclaimed photojournalist Chris Hondros died Wednesday while chronicling the gritty violence in the war-torn city of Misrata in Libya, their agencies said.
    Two other photojournalists were hurt in the incident, according to news reports.
"The only thing we know is that he (Hetherington) was hit by an RPG with the other guys," said Cathy Saypol of Cathy Saypol Public Relations, Inc. An RPG is a rocket-propelled grenade.
    The journalists were walking in the front-line area at the end of Tripoli Street in the western edge of Misrata when the RPG exploded, according to a town resident who wanted to be identified only as "Mohammed" for safety reasons. The group was traveling with rebel fighters, he said.
   Hetherington's last Twitter entry appears to have been made on Tuesday: "In besieged Libyan city of Misrata. indiscriminate shelling by Qaddafi forces. No sign of NATO."

Two Photographers killed in Libya 

The CNN Wire Staff. "Two Photographers Killed in Libya - CNN.com." CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News. 20 Apr. 2011. Web. 21 Apr. 2011. <http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/04/20/libya.journalists/index.html?hpt=C1>.

Lives altered by oil spill

'It's been a year since the Gulf oil disaster captivated the nation and turned countless lives along the Coast upside down. We spoke with some residents of the region whose lives were connected and deeply altered by the events of April 20, 2010.
Here, to honor the anniversary, those forever-changed locals tell us how the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history has impacted their livelihoods and lives.
Prior to the Deepwater Horizon oil rig going up into a ball of fire last summer, Ryan Lambert, a 53-year-old charter fishing captain, could have never imagined this future for himself....'

news.yahoo.com/s/yblog

Dykes, Brett Michael. "A Snapshot of Lives Changed Course by Gulf Oil Disaster - Yahoo! News." The Top News Headlines on Current Events from Yahoo! News. 19 Apr. 2011. Web. 19 Apr. 2011. <http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110420/ts_yblog_thelookout/a-snapshot-of-lives-changed-course-by-gulf-oil-disaster>.

‘Tiger Mom’ daughter starts a blog, heads to Ivies

'America's best-known "Tiger Mother," Yale Law Professor Amy Chua, may soon face some literary competition from her daughter.
High school senior Sophia Chua-Rubenfeld, who along with her younger sister is featured in their mother's book advocating an intensely strict mode of parenting, started a blog earlier this month called "New Tiger in Town," where she sounds off on some of the controversy around her family. (Chua, whose memoir "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother" came out in January, says she's even received death threats for her parenting stance. NPR talked to a panel of mothers who were "horrified" at the restrictions Chua said she placed on her children.)
"When the whole world's calling you a mindless robot, you kind of get the urge to start talking!" Chua-Rubenfeld writes of why she started the blog. "Even though 'Sophia' in the book is much more impressive than Sophia in real life. I think I'm sullying my impeccable image one post at a time, but so be it."...'

news.yahoo.com/s/yblog 

Goodwin, Liz. "‘Tiger Mom’ Daughter Starts a Blog, Heads to Ivies - Yahoo! News." The Top News Headlines on Current Events from Yahoo! News. 19 Apr. 2011. Web. 19 Apr. 2011. <http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110419/us_yblog_thelookout/tiger-mom-daughter-starts-a-blog-heads-to-ivies>.

Historic Mansion Demolished

The Gold Coast mansion that may have inspired "The Great Gatsby" is being demolished. News 12 Long Island reports.

Local media and a Long Island architectural historian said the huge house at Sands Point was knocked down over the weekend. Five separate houses priced at about $10 million each will be built in place.
 
"It is sad because it was sort of a landmark," Paul Mateyunas, a Long Island real estate agent and historian, said. "It was one of the largest columned houses of that style on the waterfront."
 
Historians believe that Fitzgerald used the house as inspiration for the lavish backdrop to his 1925 book of money, love and broken dreams set in the Jazz Age of the 1920s.
 
"It's certainly something Fitzgerald, who was renting a house, would have been able to see if he went out on a boat or attended some of those parties. It was very much in his area," Mateyunas said.
 
Newsday, a local newspaper, said the house was the site of parties featuring everybody from Winston Churchill to the Marx Brothers in the 1920s and 30s.
 
However the building fell into disrepair during a period of vacancy and the prime land was seen as having greater value than the historic house itself.

Great Gatsby Mansion

 

 

The Fast Fix: What’s Obama’s new buzz word?

 As President Obama launches his 2012 reelection campaign"Compassion" seems to be the new "Change".  Just why is Obama talking so much about compassion?

Video on Obama's words.

Cillizza, Chris. "The Fast Fix: What’s Obama’s New Buzz Word? - Yahoo! News." The Top News Headlines on Current Events from Yahoo! News. 18 Apr. 2011. Web. 18 Apr. 2011. <http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_newsroom/20110418/pl_yblog_newsroom/obamas-new-buzz-word-the-fast-fix>.

Key from the speech: What’s in Obama’s deficit reduction plan?

'After largely staying on the sidelines during the fight over the deficit, President Obama today jumped headfirst into the fray, laying out a broad framework to reduce the federal budget gap by $4 trillion over the next 12 years.
In a speech at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., Obama proposed what he called a "balanced approach," a mix of spending cuts and tax increases "that puts every kind of spending on the table, but [...] protects the middle class, our promise to seniors, and our investments in the future." he said.
The plan contrasts with one released last week by Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, the Republican point man on budget issues. Obama derided Ryan's approach as "less about reducing the deficit than it is about changing the basic social compact in America."
Here's what Obama called for in his "Framework for Shared Prosperity and Shared Fiscal Responsibility":

• One quarter of the deficit reduction to be achieved through tax increases, with the rest to come mostly from spending cuts--a split that the president's liberal base may see as still too heavily tilted toward spending cuts
• An end to the Bush tax cuts for the 2 percent of Americans making $250,000 or more
• Tax reform aimed at closing loopholes that favor the rich, allowing for a lowering of overall rates, as recommended by the Bowles-Simpson deficit reduction commission
• Cuts of $770 billion by 2023 to non-security discretionary spending, another Bowles-Simpson recommendation
• Cuts of $400 billion to "security spending"--that is, defense--by 2023
• A rejection of the Ryan budget's approach to Medicare and Medicaid, which the White House believes would unfairly shift costs to seniors and the vulnerable while undermining both programs in the long term. Instead, Obama proposed reforms to reduce the growth of health care spending (beyond those in the overhaul last year) that would save $480 billion by 2023, and at least an additional trillion in the decade following
• Cuts to other mandatory programs--the White House listed agricultural subsidies, the federal pension insurance system, and anti-fraud measures--worth $360 billion by 2023
• A general effort to "strengthen Social Security for the long haul," without slashing benefits for future generations
• A "debt failsafe," to kick in by 2014. If long-term deficit projections aren't looking better by that time, the failsafe would trigger an across-the-board spending reduction (with exceptions for Social Security, low-income programs, and Medicare benefits)
• The creation of a committee chaired by Vice President Joe Biden and including members of both parties and houses of Congress, to begin meeting next month in order to "agree on a legislative framework for comprehensive deficit reduction"'

news.yahoo.com/ 

 Roth, Zachary. "Key from the Speech: What’s in Obama’s Deficit Reduction Plan? - Yahoo! News." The Top News Headlines on Current Events from Yahoo! News. 14 Apr. 2011. Web. 14 Apr. 2011. <http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110413/ts_yblog_thelookout/key-from-the-speech-whats-in-obamas-deficit-reduction-plan>.

Should basic citizenship test be part of voter registration?

'One of the requirements for becoming a citizen of the United States is passing a written civics test. Questions include: What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress? Who is Commander in Chief of the military? What is the highest court in the United States?
Pretty easy, right?
Well last month, Newsweek gave 1,000 Americans the U.S. citizenship test to see if they could pass it if they had to. 38% failed. Questions like why we fought the Cold War stumped 73%. Defining the Bill of Rights tripped up 44%. 29% couldn't name our current vice president. And 6% weren't sure when we celebrate Independence Day.
But it's not just civics and American history many Americans aren't "getting." There is a general disconnect between what many voters think and what actually goes on in Washington. According to a CNN poll, most Americans think that the government spends a lot more money on programs like foreign aid and public broadcasting than it actually does. Many Americans support cuts to those programs even though they amount to very little of the overall budget. When it comes to entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicaid - the ones that really cost our government the big bucks - most Americans want to avoid cuts.
In a column for CNN.com, contributor LZ Granderson says that too many ignorant voters in this country may be to blame for too many incompetent men and women in Congress. Granderson suggests weeding out "some of the ignorant by making people who want to vote first pass a test." He suggests the same citizenship test immigrants must pass.....'

Here are Questions to you.

Caffetry, Jack. "Cafferty File: Tell Jack How You Really Feel Blog Archive - Should Basic Citizenship Test Be Part of Voter Registration? « - CNN.com Blogs." Cafferty File: Tell Jack How You Really Feel - CNN.com Blogs. 12 Apr. 2011. Web. 13 Apr. 2011. <http://caffertyfile.blogs.cnn.com/2011/04/12/should-basic-citizenship-test-be-part-of-voter-registration/?iref=allsearch>.

Possible deal in works as shutdown deadline nears

 'WASHINGTON – Perilously close to a government shutdown, the White House and congressional leaders closed in on a possible deal to cut tens of billions of dollars in federal spending and avert the closure, officials said Friday night.
House Republican leaders summoned their rank and file to a late night meeting for what aides said would be an update on the talks.
Democrats said they were reviewing the details of a possible tentative agreement.
The developments unfolded as the administration readied hundreds of thousands of furlough notices for federal workers and warned that federal services from national parks to tax-season help centers would be shuttered without a deal by midnight.
"We know the whole world is watching us today," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., during a day that featured incendiary, campaign style rhetoric as well as intense negotiation.
Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, told reporters gathered outside House Speaker John Boehner's office there was no agreement yet, and there was no claim to the contrary from the White House or Senate Democrats.
But other Republicans said the framework of a tentative agreement was in place, ready to be outlined for the newly empowered GOP House majority that came to Congress determined to cut spending and rein in government.'

'Breaking News' 

Espo, David. "Possible Deal in Works as Shutdown Deadline Nears - Yahoo! News." The Top News Headlines on Current Events from Yahoo! News. 08 Apr. 2011. Web. 08 Apr. 2011. <http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/ap_on_bi_ge/us_spending_showdown>.

Ghost city symbolises cost of nuclear disaster

http://news.yahoo.com/

 PRIPYAT (AFP) – "Careful -- do not touch anything with your bare hands!" warned the guide as we entered the kindergarten and our Geiger counter hissed like an angry rattlesnake.
On the floor and shelves were plastic cubes and teddy bears and kiddies' books, just the things you would expect to find in a children's playgroup.
But these toys were coated in a thick leprous white dust, for they had lain undisturbed for almost a quarter of a century.
And scattered among them were infant-sized gas masks.
Something terrifying had made the toddlers flee their innocent corner of the world. Their home, Pripyat, once a model city, had become the set for a true-life apocalypse movie.
Cursed by the winds that blow from Chernobyl a few kilometres (couple of miles) away, Pripyat is a snapshot of the astronomical cost of the world's worst nuclear disaster. And its fate stirs chilling thoughts for Japan, grappling with its own nuclear crisis in Fukushima.
Pripyat's entire population of nearly 50,000 fled after Chernobyl's No. 4 reactor exploded in a devil's brew of caesium, strontium, iodine and plutonium on April 26, 1986.
"Pripyat was considered to be one of the best places to live in the Soviet Union," said Nikolai Fomin, a young Ukrainian who escorts visitors into the 30-kilometre (18-kilometre) exclusion zone around Chernobyl.
"It was considered a very happy place. It had good housing and schools, lots of young families, and the shops were filled with things you couldn't get elsewhere."
Today, trees thrust through the tarmac of the long-untended roads. Grass grows between cracks in pavements, where dry leaves click metallically in the sour wind. Apartment windows stare down on the streets like dark, lidless eyes.
"Everything here was new, everything was modern," said Fomin. "Pripyat was only 16 when it died."
Occasional visitors come by bus for a lightning tour, equipped with radiation dosimeters, hand wipes and water with which to decontaminate boots and clothing when they leave. But other than that, there is not a soul.
"Animals come, but they are not afraid of humans," said Fomin.
The city's swimming pool echoes to the crunch of broken glass and tile underfoot. In a fairground, the yellow gondolas of a Ferris wheel -- due to have been inaugurated on May Day in 1986 but never used -- creak in the wind. Dodgem cars rust at the spot where they stopped after their last ride.
In the main square, a rusting Soviet hammer and sickle overlook the Hall of Culture. In a back room of what seems to be a community hall are stacked placards of Lenin and Soviet leaders that had been prepared for the May 1 parade but were never used.
Resettling the people of Pripyat and other villages in the exclusion zone, sealing the crippled reactor, cleaning up the power plant, monitoring regions contaminated by fallout... the bill for Ukraine has been almost incalculable.
Even today, around five percent of its annual budget is devoted to Chernobyl-related benefits, including payment of a small sum, known darkly as "funeral money", to help people in contaminated regions buy clean food.
Belarus and Russia have also been badly hit. Together the three countries had relocated more than 330,000 people.
Up till 2005, the direct and indirect costs were "hundreds of billions of dollars", according to a 2005 report by the Chernobyl Forum, gathering those three countries, seven UN agencies and the World Bank.
In terms of the human toll and radioactive pollution, Fukushima is so far not remotely comparable with Chernobyl, said Malcolm Grimston, a nuclear specialist at Britain's Chatham House think tank.
But the duration of the evacuation zone around Fukushima remains unknown and the cleanup of the plant will surely last decades, he said.
The financial bill for Japan could eventually be comparable to Chernobyl, given the greater expense, disruption to business and higher cleanup standards compared to the former Soviet Union, he said.
"As a rule of thumb, the more developed the country, the higher the cleanup costs will be," said Grimston.
"However, it will be hard to separate out responsibility and costs between the earthquake, the tsunami and specific responsibility by TEPCO," the Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO), which operates the Fukushima No. 1 plant, he said.
In Tokyo, shares in TEPCO, have lost more than four-fifths of their value since the March 11 earthquake. On Tuesday, the price fell to a record low amid analysts' concerns it would face claims of more than 10 trillion yen (118 billion dollars/83 billion euros).

Ingham, RIchard. "Ghost City Symbolises Cost of Nuclear Disaster - Yahoo! News." The Top News Headlines on Current Events from Yahoo! News. 6 Apr. 2011. Web. 07 Apr. 2011. <http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110406/sc_afp/ukrainenuclearchernobyljapan>.

How to fix 'massive crisis' in immigration courts

 'The mother from Cameroon came to immigration court bearing scars: She'd been imprisoned back home, she said, beaten with cables, burned with cigarettes and raped repeatedly, contracting HIV. Her husband had died behind bars; her three children she'd left behind were struggling to survive.
She was seeking asylum, hoping to remain in Los Angeles and bring her children there. They were on their own after their grandmother died, living in a bamboo hut without water or a toilet, begging for food. For years, the mother, who'd fled Cameroon, had no contact with her kids, fearing she'd jeopardize their safety. When she finally did, her oldest son — gravely ill with malaria — sent her a letter:
"Ever since you left us mum, six years now, life has become so miserable, hope God intervains," the 20-year-old wrote. "Our greatest desire is to be beside you and ... acquire the love we need from you mama."'

Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://washingtonexaminer.com/news/2011/04/how-fix-massive-crisis-immigration-courts#ixzz1It20kz8g

Cohen, Sharon. "How to Fix 'massive Crisis' in Immigration Courts | The Associated Press | News | Washington Examiner." Washington Examiner | Breaking News, Local News, & Political News | Washingtonexaminer.com. 7 Apr. 2011. Web. 07 Apr. 2011. <http://washingtonexaminer.com/news/2011/04/how-fix-massive-crisis-immigration-courts>.

Dream and Doma: immigration reform and gay marriage, in two acts

'When the Obama justice department announced last February that it would no longer defend the constitutionality of the Defence of Marriage Act, or Doma, restricting the legal definition of marriage to heterosexual couples, immigration rights groups quietly held their breath that the administration's implied defence of gay marriage would also apply to gay binational couples seeking to preserve their marriage bonds.
According to unofficial estimates, about 36,000 such couples – usually, a US citizen and a foreign-born national whose visa has expired – currently reside in the United States. They are typically cohabitating couples, wearing wedding bands, sharing bank accounts, and in 47% of the cases, raising children together. In short, living just as married people everywhere do. But with an important difference: like other immigrants who lack permanent legal status, the foreign-born marriage partner lives in constant fear of detection and possible deportation....'

www.guardian.co.uk/ 

Lawrence, Stewart J. "Dream and Doma: Immigration Reform and Gay Marriage, in Two Acts | Stewart J Lawrence | Comment Is Free | Guardian.co.uk." Latest News, Comment and Reviews from the Guardian | Guardian.co.uk. 7 Apr. 2011. Web. 07 Apr. 2011. <http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/apr/05/gay-rights-usimmigration>.

New cries for immigration reform

'The issue of immigration reform has taken on added significance due to the arrest of a New York dairy producer for allegedly harboring illegal aliens.
On March 30, John Barney was arrested following the death of a migrant worker on his Henderson, N.Y., farm and the detention of eight other workers by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
According to a criminal complaint filed against Barney in U.S. District Court, the deceased worker suffered injuries to his head, neck and ribs, most likely sustained from a fall from a fence during dairying operations. A special agent with ICE says the death appears to be accidental in nature. ICE agents later determined that the deceased was a citizen of Guatemala and had illegally entered the United States. They interviewed other workers at the farm, and the workers allegedly stated that they, too, were citizens of Guatemala and were illegally in the U.S....'

dairyherd.com/dairy-news/latest/ 

Quaife, Tom. "Dairy Herd Network - New Cries for Immigration Reform - Latest News - Current Stories, Commentary, Markets." Dairy Herd Network - Dairy Herd Network - The Business Leader - Dairy News, Editorial, Resources. 7 May 2011. Web. 07 Apr. 2011. <http://www.dairyherd.com/dairy-news/latest/New-cries-for-immigration-reform-119338499.html>.

Law professors, others decode language in controversial law Experts go over SB 1070's key points

So I went ahead and took the liberty to go over the SB 1070 on immigration and find out a little more on why this has caused such a problem. Some of the key points that were brought out in this article are as follows:
         1. It requires police officers to determine the immigration status of everybody they arrest before that person is released.
         2. During any stop, detention or arrest, a police officer must try to determine a person's immigration status if the officer has reason to suspect the person is here illegally. An exception exists if making that determination might obstruct an investigation.
         3. People who officers suspect are here illegally must show one of four approved identification cards to prove they are in the county legally.
         4. In a change made Thursday night by the bill's sponsors, the law prohibits police from using race to establish reasonable suspicion that someone is here illegally. The original bill prohibited using "solely" race.
         5. The law makes it a state crime to transport, conceal, harbor or shield illegal immigrants. There is an exception for child-protective-services workers, first responders, ambulance attendants and emergency medical technicians.
         6. The law makes it a state crime for illegal immigrants to work in Arizona.
         7. The law also makes it a state crime for somebody to stop on the street and pick up somebody for work, although it may be hard to prove - and because of the way the law is written this may still be OK as long as the driver pulls off the road first.

azstarnet.com/news/article         

McCombs, Brandy. "Experts Go over SB 1070's Key Points." Welcome To StarNet - Tucson, Arizona. Arizona Daily Star, 2 May 2010. Web. 07 Apr. 2011. <http://azstarnet.com/news/article_a9006f6b-f9b6-59db-87b4-d54a09b4b786.html>.

Miyavi interview

Watching this makes me want to work harder at everything I do. This man is SO inspiring,  I hope one day I can be as hardworking and dedicated to my passion as he is. I love Miyavi ^__^

Public schools woo foreign students to boost ranks

 
'MILLINOCKET, Maine – Northern Maine is 7,000 miles and a world away from China, but that's not stopping a school superintendent from recruiting Chinese students to attend public high school in this remote mill town.
Faced with declining enrollments and shrinking revenues, public school districts from Maine to California are seeking out students from overseas, particularly China, to attend their high schools. At least two public schools in Maine have 10 tuition-paying Chinese students in classes this year, and the superintendent in Millinocket is the latest to set his sights on China.
It's a growing trend: Other schools are doing the same in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Ohio, Virginia and Washington, according to a student recruitment agency in San Francisco.
Next fall, Millinocket Superintendent Ken Smith hopes to have at least 60 Chinese students — each paying $13,000 in tuition and another $11,000 for room and board — at Stearns High School. Stearns at one time had close to 700 high school students, but enrollment has fallen over the years to under 200 this year.
The first-year batch is now being signed up, Smith said, with plans for more international students in the years ahead. Local students will benefit by being exposed to those from abroad, and Chinese students will gain from being immersed in the local culture, he said.
When Smith went on a recruiting trip to the cities of Shanghai, Beijing and Fuzhou last fall, students there had never heard of Maine. But they knew they wanted to come to America to enhance their chances of going to an American college or university.
"They didn't know where Maine was, but they knew where Harvard was," Smith said. "They all want to go to Harvard."
As Maine's overall population has aged, the student population has shrunk. That's particularly true in remote areas where jobs have disappeared, forcing young people to leave.
Millinocket's population has fallen 30 percent in the past 20 years. Two paper mills that used to be the lifeblood of the regional economy, employing more than 4,000 workers at their peak in the 1980s, are skeletons of their past selves — one is idle and the other employs about 450 workers.
With a fiscal crunch and projections for a continued slide in enrollment, Smith last fall joined the heads of three private schools in Maine on a recruiting trip to China.
Chinese students could be forgiven if they experience culture shock in a place like northern Maine....'

Article 

Canfield, Clarke. "Public Schools Woo Foreign Students to Boost Ranks - Yahoo! News." The Top News Headlines on Current Events from Yahoo! News. 4 Apr. 2011. Web. 05 Apr. 2011. <http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/ap_on_re_us/us_far_east_to_down_east>.

Obama opens bid for new term, no longer outsider

'WASHINGTON – No longer the fresh voice of change, President Barack Obama embarked on a bid for re-election Monday by asking a divided, anxious electorate to let him finish the job he won in 2008. He's getting an early start against a Republican field that's still undefined, but he's saddled with an ailing economy that still isn't working for millions of voters
Obama began with an effort to recapture his outsider's touch of 2008, bypassing a public statement from the White House in favor of an email sent to millions of supporters.
He offered a kickoff video in which official Washington is ignored and even Obama himself only makes a fleeting appearance. What the campaign wanted voters to see instead were people like them speaking of real-life concerns and their faith in Obama, against wholesome backdrops in every clip: a church, a farm, a family in a kitchen, an American flag.....'

Rest of the Article 

Feller, Ben. "Obama Opens Bid for New Term, No Longer Outsider - Yahoo! News." The Top News Headlines on Current Events from Yahoo! News. 4 Apr. 2011. Web. 05 Apr. 2011. <http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110404/ap_on_el_ge/us_obama2012>.

7 Secrets of Slim People

'Ever notice how some women seem to stay slim without ever stressing about missed workouts or counting a single calorie? It seems unfair—and frustrating!—but those ladies might have some secrets the rest of us can steal. Turns out, you don’t have to completely overhaul your diet or exercise regimen to see fast and impressive results on the scale. (Though if you want a great, easy-to-follow plan, register for the Drop 10 Challenge on Self.com to lose 10 pounds in just five weeks.) In fact, recent research shows that sometimes it’s little, practically effortless changes to everyday habits that make the pounds fall off fast and forever. Try incorporating some of these simple, science-backed steps into your day-to-day life—it’s your turn to become one of those “naturally” slim lucky few!'

Make time for tea
Women with the highest intake of catechins, antioxidants in tea that may accelerate fat burn, gained less weight over 14 years than those who sipped less, a study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reveals. White and green brews have the most catechins. Get brewing!

Move your workouts to the morning
Breaking a sweat before you sit down to breakfast can help you trim down faster, a study in The Journal of Physiology finds. Exercising on an empty stomach in the A.M. improves glucose tolerance, which spurs your body to shed fat.

Join the breakfast club
If you don’t already have regular morning meals, it’s time to start: Lifelong early eaters have a waistline about 2 inches smaller than that of breakfast skippers, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reveals. An A.M. meal may rev metabolism; plus, it may cause you to make less of an enzyme that raises cholesterol.

Savor your food
Eating slowly and steadily can help you stay slim. People who took 30 minutes to eat a bowl of ice cream created more fullness hormones than did those who ate faster, a study in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism notes. Whenever you can, ditch distractions like the television while you’re dining so you can concentrate on enjoying the yummy food in front of you.

Become a creature of habit
Eating at the same times every day and could help you drop pounds. When mice ate at scheduled mealtimes and fasted for 12 hours at night, their liver turned on genes that burned more sugar and fat, say scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California. No, we’re not mice, but if something as simple as sitting down to dinner at 7 P.M. every night helps speed weight loss, why not give it a shot?

Start with water
Downing two cups of H2O before meals helped people lose about 5 pounds more than those who said no to water, research from Virginia Tech reveals. Water is filling, so sippers ate 75 to 90 calories less. Enjoy a few cups of water while you prep a meal or before your entrée arrives at a restaurant to effortlessly keep calories in check.

Step on the scale
Dieters who weighed themselves at least weekly lost more weight than those who didn’t, according to research from the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation. Plus, the habit helped nondieters stay at a stable weight. Spotting scale swings early allows you to tweak your eating and exercise routine before pounds can pile up.
The new Self Challenge Drop 10 program just launched!  Join us in dropping the winter weight and you'll feel great for summer. Plus, this year we will email you the menu and workout plan free, every day.

Health.yahoo.net

Danziger, Lucy. "7 Secrets of Slim People." Yahoo! Health. 26 Mar. 2011. Web. 05 Apr. 2011. <http://health.yahoo.net/experts/healthieryou/7-secrets-slim-people>.