Polish Woman Becomes U.S. Citizen

Earlier this year, Barbara Kochanek, age 72, had a dream come true: she became a U.S. citizen.  The previous year, she had all but given up on this dream.  An immigrant from Poland, Barbara didn’t speak English very well and she was certain she couldn’t pass the citizenship test.

That was before workers at the International Institute of Metropolitan Detroit  walked her through the process.  They even picked her up—she doesn’t drive—and took her to appointments and even found a translator for her.

Barbara being interviewed by IIMD Executive Director Wojciech Zolnowski (Image via http://newamericamedia.org)

This came about because of a coalition of agencies called the Detroit New Americans Campaign provides pro bono assistance to help green card holders complete their applications for citizenship.

The best news of all: because she is a senior citizen, Barbara met the criteria to take her exam in Polish, her native language.

Ever since coming to the U.S., that had been her dream, to become a U.S. citizen.

In addition to the right to vote, there are scores of other benefits Barbara will no longer worry about: access to programs like Supplemental Security Income and Medicare, the ability to travel outside the U.S. on her passport, and many others, according to Susan Reed, supervising attorney with the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center.

Free citizenship workshops are offered in Metro Detroit.  For more information, visit the website of the Detroit New Americans Campaign at detroitnac.org.

To apply for citizenship, you need:

     • Permanent Resident Card (“Green Card”)

     • Two passport photos

     • Driver’s license or state ID

     • Social Security number

     • All marriage certificates and divorce records

     • Children’s birth certificates (if they are permanent residents)

     • List of residences for the past five years

     • List of employers/schools for the past five years

     • List of each trip taken outside the U.S.

     • Check for $680, payable to the Department of Homeland Security

In the meantime, we offer a hearty welcome to Barbara Kochanek, one of our newest fellow citizens!

WHA Refugee Simulation

Today’s news comes from across the pond in Geneva, Switzerland, where students at Webster University’s Geneva campus are getting a hands-on feel for the lives of international refugees.  The student-run Webster Humanitarian Association offers an intensive three-day simulation that participants will not soon forget.

Simulation participants begin their first day as refugees with a 5-km hike to the  Webster campus.  They are divided into “families,” given stories of fleeing from persecution, and even given sacks of flour to represent their babies they must care for.  They are treated gruffly by actors playing officials and guards.  They are separated, questioned, and searched. The lengthy interrogations often take place in a language they don’t understand. “Refugees” experience threats and a lack of food and water.  Participants are told that during this process, the women are often repeatedly raped.   

The second day of one particular simulation, the participants were awakened in the middle of the night, when the tents were entered, supposedly by the raiders who had chased them from their homes at the beginning of their flight.  They were dragged out into the cold night air and blindfolded, while other raiders re-entered the tents and killed their babies.

Although the refugee simulation was humbling and traumatizing, blogger Roberta Medrano Callejas said she would repeat the experience without hesitation because it had been so thought-provoking.

Webster Humanitarian Association at Webster University’s Geneva, Switzerland, campus promotes learning, human rights, and equality, marking special U.N. days such as the World Aids Day and World Refugee Day.  With its home campus based in St. Louis, MO, Webster’s Geneva campus boasts students from 90 different countries.

Today’s high-five, fist-bump, and tip of the hat go to Webster University for making us a little more aware of real issues going on in our world. 

For more information, check out Webster's site here.

Immigrant Entrepreneur Training

Michigan Launches Program to Help Immigrant Entrepreneurs

In a difficult economic period, there is good news coming out of Detroit.

A Dearborn-based organization is now helping entrepreneurial newcomers through classes, business coaching, and access to business incubators and financial services.

The organization, called ACCESS, recently held a graduation ceremony for the first class of its Immigrant Entrepreneur Development Program, an effort to encourage immigrant- and refugee-based organizations in the metro-Detroit area.

One success story is Dijana Bucalo, a Bosnian refugee who settled in the Detroit suburb of Hamtramck. She came to the United States with no English but with experience as a fashion designer.  The program’s classes and coaching helped her track her cash-flow and build her confidence.

Bucalo has goals to hire a couple of employees with sewing and fashion experience, which is precisely the purpose of the program: to foster entrepreneurs who will then create jobs and strengthen the region.  So, today’s salute goes to the people at ACCESS and the intrepid entrepreneurs they graduate!

Oops, Uh-oh, and Other Non-verbal Expressions

Non-verbal expressions

Would you know what I meant if I said “oops!”?  What about “uh-oh!”?  Sometimes Americans use words that aren’t really words to communicate basic thoughts.  Today's video teaches you seven non-verbal expressions that you will hear from your neighbors and co-workers.  If you see them written, they don’t look like words, but I assure you, they have meanings.  Some of them you may already know.

1.     Mmmm! – This is delicious. 

2.     Oops! – I made a mistake.  Maybe: I dropped something.

3.     Psst. – Come here. I have something private to tell you.

4.     Uhh (or: Ummm…) – I don’t know.  I’m not sure what to say.

5.     Uh-uh. – No. 

6.     Uh-huh. – Yes.  Sure.  I agree.

7.     Uh-oh. – Here comes trouble.  Something wrong is happening.

Several of these expressions are spelled similarly, so listen carefully.  There’s a huge difference between answering a question with uh-huh and uh-uh.  To practice saying them, ask a native speaker to help you practice the right intonation.

You can take a quiz on these expressions below.  (Don't peek above!)

Match these expressions with their meanings:

a) Mmmm!

b) Oops!

c) Psst.

d) Uhh/Ummm… 

e) Uh-uh.

f) Uh-huh. 

g) Uh-oh.  

____ I made a mistake.  Maybe: I dropped something.

____ Here comes trouble.  Something wrong is happening.

____ Yes.  Sure.  I agree.

____ No. 

____ This is delicious. 

____ Come here. I have something private to tell you.

____ I don’t know.  I’m not sure.

[To practice your listening skills, re-visit the What's Up? segment for the show with Paulo Saiani.]

Small Talk Topics

Do you know what questions are okay to ask Americans and which questions will offend them?

Making Small Talk with Americans

Americans are used to making small talk and will frequently strike up a conversation, even with strangers, for example, waiting in a check-out line. For newcomers to the U.S., it is in your best interest to learn the skill of having brief social exchanges with co-workers, neighbors, and people at parties.

Below is a list of possible conversation topics with American acquaintances. Which ones do you think are appropriate to bring up?  Let’s take a look at the first one.  In your culture, is it appropriate to ask someone his/her marital status?

Actually, it is not an appropriate question.  The question has a normative bias to it.  That is, it assumes that getting married is “normal” in society, and this is not true.  For starters, some people are quite happy by themselves and choose not to marry.  Others may be divorced or widowed and uncomfortable talking about it.  Still others may wish to be married but have never been asked.  And finally, it is still not legal in many U.S. states for gay and lesbian adults to marry, so again, this would make some people sad to have to answer “no.”

The other answers to these potential topics can be found in the list below.  Check them out before striking up a conversation with a stranger at a party.

TOPIC:                   APPROPRIATE OR NOT?

marital status        No, as discussed above.

age                        No, Americans don't talk about their age (unless they're students with you).

occupation            Yes, great topic.  "So, what do you do?"  Or: "What are you studying?"

salary                     No, Americans are uncomfortable talking about money.

education              Maybe. No: "Did you go to college?" Yes: "Where did you go to school?"

length of time in this area    Yes, great conversation topic!

weight                     No, this is too personal.

travel interests       Yes, this is a wonderful conversation topic.

family                      Depends. No: "Do you have children?" Yes: "Do you have brothers/sisters?"  

hobbies and pastimes     Yes, this is not only acceptable but also interesting.

political party membership     No, avoid politics with Americans you don't know well.

height                                 No, this is too personal.

cost of person’s watch      No. Remember: no topics related to money.

religion                               No, this is considered too personal.

who person voted for       Nope. Remember: no politics. 

person’s ethnic origin       Maybe. Yes: "That's an interesting last name. Where is it from?"

hometown                          Yes. You can learn a lot by asking about their hometown.

“One Today” – An Inaugural Poem of National Unity

In his Inauguration Day poem, Richard Blanco talks about the broad unity of this country and the forces that pull us together.  He also names the little details of various Americans as they experience daily life and work.  He mentions, as well, his own family: his brother, his mom, and his dad.  It is a deeply personal poem, at the same time, a celebration of the strength, and beauty, and diversity of his adopted country.  

With Richard’s kind permission, we have included the full text of the poem on this What’s Up? webpage.  You can read along with him as you listen to the recording of Richard in Washington, DC on January 21, 2013.  To help you understand his poem, we have listed the more difficult expressions and cultural concepts below the text.  We would love to hear your reactions to the poem.  Please share with us how Richard’s reading made you feel about country and belonging.

L to R: Michelle Obama, President Obama, Richard Blanco, Vice-President Biden, Jill Biden

“One Today”

Written by Richard Blanco for the 2nd Obama inaugural ceremony.  Watch him reading here.

One sun rose on us today, kindled over our shores,

peeking over the Smokies, greeting the faces

of the Great Lakes, spreading a simple truth

across the Great Plains, then charging across the Rockies.

One light, waking up rooftops, under each one, a story

told by our silent gestures moving behind windows.

My face, your face, millions of faces in morning's mirrors,

each one yawning to life, crescendoing into our day:

pencil-yellow school buses, the rhythm of traffic lights,

fruit stands: apples, limes, and oranges arrayed like rainbows

begging our praise. Silver trucks heavy with oil or paper—

bricks or milk, teeming over highways alongside us,

on our way to clean tables, read ledgers, or save lives—

to teach geometry, or ring up groceries as my mother did

for twenty years, so I could write this poem.

All of us as vital as the one light we move through,

the same light on blackboards with lessons for the day:

equations to solve, history to question, or atoms imagined,

the "I have a dream" we keep dreaming,

or the impossible vocabulary of sorrow that won't explain

the empty desks of twenty children marked absent

today, and forever. Many prayers, but one light

breathing color into stained glass windows,

life into the faces of bronze statues, warmth

onto the steps of our museums and park benches

as mothers watch children slide into the day.

One ground. Our ground, rooting us to every stalk

of corn, every head of wheat sown by sweat

and hands, hands gleaning coal or planting windmills

in deserts and hilltops that keep us warm, hands

digging trenches, routing pipes and cables, hands

as worn as my father's cutting sugarcane

so my brother and I could have books and shoes.

The dust of farms and deserts, cities and plains

mingled by one wind—our breath. Breathe. Hear it

through the day's gorgeous din of honking cabs,

buses launching down avenues, the symphony

of footsteps, guitars, and screeching subways,

the unexpected song bird on your clothes line.

Hear: squeaky playground swings, trains whistling,

or whispers across café tables, Hear: the doors we open

for each other all day, saying: hello, shalom,

buon giorno, howdy, namaste, or buenos días

in the language my mother taught me—in every language

spoken into one wind carrying our lives

without prejudice, as these words break from my lips.

One sky: since the Appalachians and Sierras claimed

their majesty, and the Mississippi and Colorado worked

their way to the sea. Thank the work of our hands:

weaving steel into bridges, finishing one more report

for the boss on time, stitching another wound

or uniform, the first brush stroke on a portrait,

or the last floor on the Freedom Tower

jutting into a sky that yields to our resilience.

One sky, toward which we sometimes lift our eyes

tired from work: some days guessing at the weather

of our lives, some days giving thanks for a love

that loves you back, sometimes praising a mother

who knew how to give, or forgiving a father

who couldn't give what you wanted.

We head home: through the gloss of rain or weight

of snow, or the plum blush of dusk, but always—home,

always under one sky, our sky. And always one moon

like a silent drum tapping on every rooftop

and every window, of one country—all of us—facing the stars

hope—a new constellation

waiting for us to map it,

waiting for us to name it—together.

New Vocabulary and Cultural Concepts

kindled = started a fire

Smokies = Smoky Mountains (southeastern U.S.)

Great Plains = the flat, open grasslands of the U.S. between the Rocky Mountains and the Mississippi

River (including the states of N. Dakota, S. Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas,

Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico)

charging = running/moving forward with speed and power

crescendoing = building to a peak, like the high part of a symphony

arrayed = spread out, arranged

teeming = actively full of, alive with motion

ledgers = accounting books

ring up groceries = work as a grocery cashier

vital = important, crucial, alive

“I have a dream” = the name of Martin Luther King’s famous speech about equality for all Americans

twenty children = the elementary school victims of a mass shooting in Newtown, Connecticut in 2012

stained glass windows = multi-colored windows of a church

sown = planted

gleaning = harvesting, collecting

trenches = long, vertical holes dug for laying cables and pipes in the ground

plains = large, flat, wide, open fields

mingled = mixed together

din = loud, continuous mixture of noises (as in a city)

screeching = loud, high-pitched noise

clothes line = the rope in people’s yards for air-drying freshly washed laundry

squeaky = the noise made when metal is rubbing with friction (without oil)

shalom = hello in Hebrew

buon giorno = hello in Italian

howdy = hello in rural or cowboy talk

namaste = hello in Hindi

buenos días = hello in Spanish

Appalachians = Appalachian Mountains (eastern U.S.)

Sierras = Sierra Mountains (western U.S.)

worked = moved, flowed

stitching = sewing, repairing

wound = cut, injury

Freedom Tower = new building in New York City to replace the fallen Twin Towers

jutting = sticking out, pushing forward

yields = gives way

resilience = ability to not give up, strong persistence

gloss = shine

plum = purple

dusk = moment between daylight and nighttime

constellation = group of stars in the sky

What's in a Name?

“The sweetest sound to the human ear is that of one’s own name.” — Proverb

Adjusting to life in a new culture can be especially difficult when it comes to using names. For newcomers here, U.S. names can be particularly tricky because of the many immigrant languages coming into this country.

On the other side, Americans who have foreign-born co-workers can also be confused by names which seem unfamiliar to them.  So, what to do? 

Well, the first thing NOT to do is to shorten someone’s name without permission.  Likewise, don’t give someone a nickname without asking them.  Instead, try to learn that person’s name.  Ask them for help in saying it.  Maybe you can write it down.

This past year, I learned about a great software program that helps in pronouncing tricky names.

It’s called audioname, and it can attach itself to your website or your email. Clicking on the link plays a recording of your voice telling how to say your name correctly. In the case of my friend Matthew Kushinka, I just click on the letter @ and he says his name.

For my American friends, please take the time to learn the names of your international co-workers. It shows respect for them and a willingness to honor that sweetest of sounds—their name.

Portmanteau Words

You probably also know that a motel (an inexpensive place to sleep) is a blend of the words motor + hotel .  Likewise, smog (the dirty air in a large city) comes from smoke + fog.

motel in Norway (source: Wikipedia)

These are called portmanteau words, a combination of two words to create a new meaning. Another common word is brunch (the meal eaten at 10 or 11 AM). It comes from breakfast + lunch.

Technology has added many portmanteau words to English. Perhaps the most famous of these are e-mail (electronic + mail) and blog (a periodically published online column) from web + log.

The word portmanteau comes from British author Louis Carroll, who invented many words in his own writing.  The word portmanteau itself is a combination of two French words: porter (to carry) + manteau (a coat or cloak).

Here are a few portmanteau words that most English speakers would know:

• netiquette (Internet + etiquette) = rules of behavior for the World Wide Web

• infomercial (information + commercial) = a long, story-like video on tv that advertises a product or service

• humongous (huge + enormous) = very large [emphatic expression]

• spork (spoon + fork) = a utensil that can either scoop or stab your food

Below are additional portmanteau words to help you be more fluent in English:

• podcast (iPod + broadcast) = programming that can be downloading to an MP3 player
• webinar (web + seminar) = taking a class on your computer
  
• breathalyzer (breath + analyzer) = breath test to see if you are too drunk to drive
• e-zine (electronic + magazine) = a magazine that arrives via email
• wi-fi (wireless + fidelity) = system allowing internet browsing without cables
• carjack = (car + hijack) = taking someone’s car away from them (under threat)
• Ebonics (ebony + phonics) = the spoken dialect of black U.S. Americans
• gaydar (gay + radar) = the social sensitivity to guess if someone is gay
• dumbfound (dumb + confounded) = to be so surprised as to be speechless
• guesstimate (guess + estimate) = an approximation, an imprecise estimate
• emoticon (emotion + icon) = keyboard symbols showing how a writer feels

emoticon for regret (source: Fotolia.com)

• glitzy (glitter + ritzy) = fancy, showy, flashy
  
• flounder (founder + blunder) = to be clumsy and confused
• glitzy (glitter + ritzy) = fancy, showy, flashy
• hassle (harass + tussle) = to bother, struggle with, or cause someone trouble
• snarky (snide + remark) = making critical or arrogant comments
• murse (man + purse) = a leather bag carried by a man
• murse (male + nurse) = a man in a nursing position
• sexting (sex + texting) = sending sexual messages or images via text messages
• televangelist (television + evangelist) = religious person who recruits you on TV
• gerrymander (Gerry + salamander) = revising boundaries of voting districts for the advantage of one political party
• sitcom (situation + comedy) = a humorous serial TV show based on everyday life

televangelist Joel Osteen (source: Wikipedia)

If you like playing with portmanteau words, here are many more for you to enjoy.

Short and Sweet: How We Make Things Quicker to Say

If you’ve lived or worked around Americans, you know their English is full of shortened ways to say things. You might believe this is because Americans are consumed with saving time.  But in fact, all languages have shorter, more efficient ways of saying things when they want to. Because human minds work more quickly than their tongues, speakers are always looking for ways to get out more information with fewer syllables.

Three ways of doing this in English are abbreviations, initialisms, and acronyms. Because these three types are often confused, let’s do a quick review.

Abbreviations are a shortened form of the entire expression.

•       TV – television

•       op-ed – opinion-editorial

•       Cal Tech – California Technological University

Initialisms are pronounced one letter at a time. Note that the names of the letters tend to link together as they’re pronounced, with stress falling on the last letter.

•       USA – United States of America

•       TGIF – Thank God It’s Friday

•       m.p.h. – miles per hour

Acronyms are said as one word.

•       NATO  – North Atlantic Treaty Organization

•       scuba  – self-contained underwater breathing apparatus

•       NASA  – National Space & Aeronautics Administration

For my international friends, you should know that many Americans don’t recognize the distinction.  They often call all three “abbreviations” when the expressions may be acronyms or initialisms.  If that happens, don’t worry; just consider yourself smarter now than most of your American friends and co-workers. 

Endangered Languages

Language extinction

Can you guess how many languages there are in the world?

a. 94

b. 307

c. 1,120

d. over 6,900

If you guessed d., you’re right. World linguists estimate there are close to 7,000 languages spoken across the globe. However, approximately half of these tongues could become extinct by the next century.

There are many reasons that a language dies out. Migration, globalization, and internet contact all move people out of their original locations, through either physical movement or communication. Extinction also comes about through social and political oppression and injustice.

Should we care if another language dies? What does it mean to speakers of Chinese, English, or Spanish (the world’s three largest languages)? Perhaps to them, the death of a small, “obscure” language is no big deal.

However, there are stories and knowledge wrapped up in the languages of all humans. And when we lose that, we lose the insights of one more lens on life.

The Endangered Languages Project is looking to document as many languages as possible so that these cultures’ traditions and experiences are not lost forever. This project has created a website for people to find and share comprehensive information about the over 3,000 endangered languages of the world.

Here is a short video of the Endangered Languages Project.

Oomph: Making extra effort in the U.S.

Every language has a word for hard work.  In English, we sometimes call it “energy” or “effort.”  We have another expression representing hard work, but it isn’t a real word.  The expression is “oomph.”  “Oomph” is what we say when we’re lifting a heavy sofa, for example.  Or maybe trying to loosen a stubborn lug-nut when changing a flat tire.

You might hear someone say, “You need to put a little ‘oomph’ into it.”  That means you need to try harder.  Exert yourself.

I was reminded of this expression when someone sent me this graphic the other day.

Now, Americans often say that just “trying” alone isn’t usually enough for success.  You have to work hard to succeed.  And that’s the meaning behind this message.

I like it when expressions sound like what they mean.  Remember that the next time you’re working hard but not quite succeeding.  Maybe you just need to put a little more oomph into it!

Reduplication? You Can Say That Again!*

As with many world languages, English uses a playful form of repeated sounds and rhyming sounds to express certain concepts in a creative, emphatic, or fun-loving way.  Linguists call this repetition “reduplication.”

There are three kinds of reduplication: 1) exact repetition, 2) rhyming, and 3) internal substitution. 

1.     An example of exact repetition is blah-blah-blah (which means lots of talking without much meaning or content).  A number of these forms are seen in children’s language (for example: go pee-pee) and have a kind of simple, friendly rhythm—encouraging children to learn verbal communication.  Other repetitions serve to intensify the meaning, as in “He’s a real dum-dum.”

2.     An example of rhyming is hub-bub (which means busy, noisy activity); in rhyming, the end sound stays the same and the first part of the word changes. 

3.   An example of internal substitution is topsy-turvy (which means upside down or all mixed up); the first and last sounds stay the same and part of the middle is changed. These expressions often appear to show a kind of back-and-forth movement, first this way, then that way.  When the second word is a repetition of the first, with only a change in vowel, this is technically called Ablaut (from the German word for vowel: Laut).

People’s names are sometimes reduplications.  Here are some better-known examples.

·       Sirhan Sirhan (the man who assassinated Robert Kennedy)

·       John-John Kennedy (boyhood name for John F. Kennedy’s son)

·       Chi-Chi Rodriguez (a professional golfer)

·       Ling-Ling (a panda bear)

·       Boutros Boutros Ghali (former Secretary General of the United Nations)

·       Yo-Yo Ma (famous cellist)

·     Dee Dee Myers (former press secretary to Bill Clinton)

Test yourself:

Write the number of these 10 English reduplications in the blanks with their meanings. (A longer list follows below.)

1.  wishy-washy                        ____ something you shouldn’t do

2.  nitty-gritty                           ____ a totally polite person with no bad habits

3.  goody-goody                      ____ the small, difficult details

4.  dilly-dally                             ____ somewhat artistic but trite

5.  no-no                                   ____ unable to make a definite decision or commitment

6.  hanky-panky                        ____ play equipment pushing one child up and one down

7.  teeter-totter                         ____ to say something is not important

8.  bling-bling                            ____ a secret romantic relationship (“fooling around”)

9. pooh-pooh                            ____ to waste time on a job or errand, not be focused

10. artsy-fartsy                           ____ expensive and showy jewelry

*Note: “You can say that again!” is an expression of affirmation.  It means “Amen!  I agree!”  It is used above with an intentional double meaning.

________________________________________________________________________

1. Exact reduplications:

blah-blah(-blah)                                        bling-bling

bye-bye*                                                    chi-chi*

choo-choo*                                                chop-chop

doo-doo*                                                    dum-dum

goody-goody                                            knock-knock

night-night*                                                no-no

pee-pee*                                                   poo-poo*

pooh-pooh (verb)                                     rah-rah

shi-shi                                                         so-so

tom-tom                                                  wee-wee*

yada-yada                                               yoyo

(A number of these are children’s language.* )

2.  Here are more rhyme-reduplications:

artsy-fartsy (arty-farty)                            boogie-woogie

chalk-talk                                                 chick-flick

chock-a-block                                         clap-trap

gang-bang                                               eency-weency

fancy-schmancy                                     fuddy-duddy

fuzzy-wuzzy                                            hanky-panky

harum-scarum                                        heebie-jeebies

helter-skelter                                          higgledy-piggledy

hob-nob                                                   hocus-pocus

hodge-podge                                          hoity-toity

hokey-pokey                                            hub-bub

hugger-mugger                                        hum-drum

honey-bunny                                            hurly-burly

itsy-bitsy/itty-bitty                                    jeepers-creepers

lovey-dovey                                              lub-dub

mumbo-jumbo                                          namby-pamby

nitty-gritty                                                  okey-dokey

Oompah-Loompah                                   pell-mell

rag-tag                                                       razzle-dazzle

Slim Jim                                                     super-duper

teenie-weenie                                          walkie-talkie

willy-nilly                                                    wingding

3. Here are more ablaut or internal substitution reduplications:

bric-a-brac                                                 chit-chat

click-clack                                                 criss-cross

dilly-dally                                                  ding-dong

fiddle-faddle                                             flim-flam

hip-hop                                                     jibber-jabber

knick-knack                                             mish-mash

ping-pong                                                pish-posh

pitter-patter                                             riff-raff

see-saw                                                  shilly-shally

sing-song                                               splish-splash

teeny-tiny                                              teeter-totter

tick-tock                                                 tip-top

tit for tat                                                 topsy-turvy

wishy-washy                                         zig-zag

In the Driver's Seat

Michigan Immigrants Celebrate New License Policy

There is good news this year for undocumented immigrant drivers in Michigan. Secretary of State Ruth Johnson directed branch offices to begin issuing driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children.  This shift in policy reflects enactment of the new federal DACA Program.  DACA, which stands for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, gives temporary legal status to this group of immigrants.

Michigan is home to approximately 15,000 youth who may qualify for the program and, until recently, was among a small handful of states with a set policy prohibiting DACA recipients from receiving driver's licenses or identification cards.

Now, DACA recipients will be eligible for new limited-term driver's licenses and identification cards.  These temporary IDs include a special DACA identifier but expire within a limited time period.  Hopefully, our national Congress will soon enact comprehensive immigration reform and make such stopgap policies unnecessary.

For more news on this story, click here.

Presidential Poultry Pardon Is Poetic, but Ultimately Paltry

Every citizen knows the President—along with state Governors—have the right to grant pardons to citizens who have committed a crime.  With one stroke of a pen, they can overturn convictions of people they think deserve a second chance.  And those convicted persons can go free.

This pardon procedure apparently applies to dinner birds as well.  Ever since George H.W. Bush in 1989, the U.S. President has given pardons to large turkeys just days before Thanksgiving, the holiday where Americans consume 45 million turkeys.

The story goes that this turkey pardoning actually started in the Lincoln administration when the President’s son begged his dad to let the holiday bird go, claiming it had as much right to live as anyone else.  The kind Mr. Lincoln gave in, and the bird was spared.

However, do you know what happens to the birds whose lives are “spared” by the Leader of the Free World?  You can read more about last year’s Presidential turkey pardon here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/20/presidential-turkey-pardon_n_2160129.html.  Spoiler alert: it doesn’t turn out so well for the turkeys.

Have a good holiday, everyone.  And remember not to gobble down your food at the Thanksgiving table!

President Obama pardons a turkey prior to Thanksgiving.

Immigrant Volunteers Joining Town Fire Departments

There’s good news and bad news in New York state.  The bad news: numbers of volunteer firefighters are dropping across the state.  The good news: in some towns, the opposite is happening because of the increase in immigrants.

According to the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York, immigrants from Central and South America are stepping up to volunteer.

Port Chester Second Assistant Chief Mike De Vittorio, called this wave of immigrants “a godsend.”

The department’s numbers are growing because of dozens of Latinos on the force.  The 2010 census showed 59% of Port Chester’s residents were Latino or Hispanic, with 45% foreign-born.

Village trustee Luis Marino is the first Latino to hold public office there.  He is happy getting involved, bringing in young guys who also want to serve: immigrants from Ecuador, El Salvador, and Guatemala.  “Each day, we’re growing,” he said.  And just to kid the natives, Marino sometimes says, “We’re going to take over.” 

For locals who are faced with a house on fire, I’m sure that’s just fine with them.

For details, you can read the entire story here.

Port Chester volunteer firefighters (source: New York Daily News)

November Doesn’t Honor All Veterans Equally

November in the U.S. is a time to honor the military veterans who served the country in times of war and peace.  As talks on immigration reform stall in Washington, a specific group of immigrants is holding its breath: ones who fought in World War II but whose children aren’t allowed to immigrate here.

One such soldier is John Aspiras, Jr., who fought in a guerilla unit against the Japanese army in the Pacific.  Aspiras is among tens of thousands of Filipino vets who got citizenship through a special immigration bill in 1990.

Along with his wife, Aspiras now lives in Los Angeles, but their 50-year-old daughter remains in the Philippines.  Lines are especially long for immigrants from the Philippines.  At age 86, Aspiras reminds legislators, “I'm not getting younger, if you know what I mean."

One person in Washington may have heard him. Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii is proposing a bill to exempt immigration limits on children of Filipino war veterans.  The rationale: if they risked their lives for this country, they ought to be able to spend their golden years with their children at their sides.

For the children of veterans like John Aspiras, let’s hope members of Congress stop their partisan bickering and push ahead with reasonable immigration reform this month.  Now, that would be a way to honor our veterans.

Read the full story here: http://bit.ly/1azpW81.

Immigration Reform Pushes Forward

On-camera:

Earlier this year, the U.S. Senate passed a compromise bill, S-744, the "Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act." There are a dozen areas targeted for change.  Let’s take a look at highlights of the 844-page bill. 

1.    H-1B specialty occupation work visas: Increase the visa quota to a minimum of 110,000 and a ceiling of 180,000, an increase in 2-3 times the current limits. 

2.   Legalization: Allow noncitizens who are unlawfully present and who entered the U.S. before December 31, 2011 to apply for Registered Provisional Immigrant (RPI) status. Under this provision, applicants would be required to pay a penalty fee and back taxes.  Importantly, DREAMers would be eligible for citizenship immediately after obtaining green card status. 

3.   New Non-immigrant Invest Visas and Immigrant Visas (green cards):     Create a new visa category for certain qualified entrepreneurs who can meet certain strict investment, job creation, and revenue requirements.   

4.   E-Verify: Require all employers to be using the national E-Verify database in a five-year period.  

5.  Asylum: Eliminate the one-year filing deadline and authorize asylum officers to grant asylum during credible fear interviews.  

As of this recording, the U.S. government is in shutdown, but legislators are still hopeful that, before 2013 expires, the House of Representatives will pass an immigration bill for the President to sign into law. 

More information:

The DREAM Act (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors) gives permanent residency to children who were brought illegally into the U.S. when they were children. They would need to be immigrants of “good moral character” who graduated from U.S. high schools, and lived in the country continuously five years before the bill's enactment.

Hallowe’en Traditions

The American holiday of Hallowe’en comes on the last day of October.  It is one of those holidays where schools and businesses are not closed, and not everyone celebrates.  However, if you want to join in the fun, I really encourage you.

If you’ve seen Hallowe’en, you think it’s all about costumes and parties.  But where did it come from?

Originally, the holiday is a recognition of November 1 in the Christian church as All Saints Day.  One of the meanings of “saint” is a friend or relative who has died before you.  Hallowe’en comes on the evening before All Saints Day and is spelled with an apostrophe between the two E’s.  “Hallowe’en” is an abbreviation of All Hallows Eve(ning).

In the United States, whether people do or don’t celebrate All Saints Day in church, they don’t usually think of Hallowe’en as a religious holiday.  It is just a day for dressing up in costumes.  Because the theme of the day was inspired by dead people, you will see lots of costumes related to death, for example, ghosts or skeletons.  At school parties and later in the evening, children can be seen dressing up like their favorite superhero.  

Flo (from Progressive Insurance Co.)

Adults often have competitions at parties to see who can dress up most creatively.  Last year, my nephew and niece went to a costume party dressed up as the spokespeople for two national insurance companies, Flo and Mr. Mayhem. (NOTE: Flo is short for Florence. Mayhem means chaos, confusion, complete disorder.)

If you are someone who likes parties or likes to dress up, ask your American friends about what they do to celebrate Hallowe’en.  Maybe they’ll invite you to a party!  

Mayhem (from Allstate Insurance Co.)

For more about Hallowe’en customs, click here.

Here is some advice on how NOT to dress for Hallowe’en.

Finally, here is somewhere to go if you are shopping for costume ideas.

Your Status If You’re Not “From Here”

During our conversation with Tigers catcher Brayan Peña, we learned about his 1999 defection to the United States to pursue his dream of playing Major League Baseball.  It turns out, many others have had this dream over the years since Cuba became a closed society.

Since Fidel Castro took power in 1959 in Cuba, dozens of professional baseball players have defected to the U.S.  Currently, 17 Cubans play baseball for the MLB, including two who defected just this year.  For professional ballplayers, the allure of defecting is to play a sport they love at the highest level—and for the potential of huge salaries.  Coming from a poor country like Cuba, this is a huge incentive.  The downside, as mentioned by Brayan in our interview is the risk of arrest, punishment, and losing all chances to play again.  A bigger risk is the possible harm to their families, or never seeing them again, if they stay behind. So America still remains a symbol of freedom to many, even though we continue on our journey toward a more perfect union. 

One question many of my students ask from this story is: “What is a defector?”  Let’s take a simple look at the ways internationals might come to the United States.

One-way ticket:                    Round-trip ticket:

Defector                                             Expatriate worker

Refugee/Asylee                               Migrant worker

Immigrant

Defectors, asylees, and refugees all move to another country because they are running away from something.  Refugees are escaping life-threatening events like war or famine.  Asylees (people seeking asylum) are escaping persecution because of their political or religious beliefs.  Defectors are escaping a country whose government is trying to keep its citizens locked up inside the country.  

Refugees fleeing Kibati, Democratic Republic of Congo (source: Julien Harneis)

Immigrants choose to move to another country for reasons of work, opportunity, or family.

Expatriates move to another country temporarily—for a few years—because of job training or education. 

source: fotolia.com

 Migrant workers move in and out of an area with regularity, often following seasonal work, with less opportunity to put down roots.

Foreign-Accent Mistrust

There’s news on the human nature front – a new scientific breakthrough that has to do with how we understand human prejudice.

Scientists have shown that the brain responds differently to accents they are not used to. It seems that we feel more at ease with people who sound just like us, because processing those sounds is easier for us - a phenomenon called “cognitive fluency.”

Not surprisingly, we listeners tend to assign negative judgments to an accented speaker, even when the speaker is quite knowledgeable.

On the positive side, studies show there may be benefits to wrestling with language that is difficult to process.  According to the research, making your brain work harder can make you smarter and help you remember information better. 

So, give unfamiliar accents another chance! It’s good for you!

For more details on this study, go here.