Qué es USCIS, qué hace y cómo contactar con una oficina

Quà © es USCIS, quà © hace y cà ³mo contactar con una oficina El Servicio de Inmigracià ³n y Ciudadanà ­a de los Estados Unidos (USCIS, por sus siglas en inglà ©s) es la agencia federal encargada de gestionar todos los trmites relacionados con la inmigracià ³n legal. Todos los migrantes legales deben hacer trmites con el USCIS, al igual que los ciudadanos americanos que desean pedir los papeles para un familiar. Por esta razà ³n, es importante conocer cules son los trmites de los que se ocupa USCIS, dà ³nde estn ubicadas sus oficinas,  cà ³mo contactar para obtener informacià ³n y, finalmente, en quà © consiste la verificacià ³n de antecedentes penales (background check, en inglà ©s) que realiza esta agencia y cà ³mo saber lo que esta agencia sabe de cada migrante. Qu hace USCIS y cules son los tiempos de espera en sus trmites USCIS se ocupa de asuntos muy variados. Por ejemplo, es el organismo que estudia y aprueba o deniega las solicitudes de tarjeta de residencia permanente, conocida  como green card, por peticià ³n de un familiar o de una empresa. USCIS gestiona las solicitudes de adquisicià ³n de la ciudadanà ­a estadounidense por naturalizacià ³n o la aprobacià ³n de visas temporales de trabajo. Tambià ©n se encuentra dentro de las competencias de USCIS aprobar permisos de trabajo (EAD, por sus siglas en inglà ©s), programas especiales de proteccià ³n a migrantes como, por ejemplo, VAWA para và ­ctimas de violencia domà ©stica, TPS, para ciudadanos de paà ­ses en situacià ³n de catstrofe humanitaria, o DACA, para jà ³venes indocumentados que llegaron a Estados Unidos siendo nià ±os. Asimismo, USCIS gestiona el programa e-verify para determinar que una persona est autorizada para trabajar legalmente en Estados Unidos. Por à ºltimo, entre otros trmites  frecuentes tambià ©n destacan la gestià ³n de los casos de asilo afirmativo, los de adopcià ³n internacional y  las solicitudes de advance parole, para permitir salir de Estados Unidos y su regreso sin problemas. En cuanto al tiempo de demora para que USCIS apruebe o deniegue un trmite hay que decir claramente que no hay una respuesta à ºnica, ya que depende del tipo de trmite. En su pgina oficial se pueden verificar tiempos aproximados, una vez que se sabe el centro que gestiona el trmite y el nombre del documento del tipo de peticià ³n o solicitud. Por ejemplo, I-130 para el caso de peticiones de un familiar, N-600 para la naturalizacià ³n, etc. En todo caso es necesario destacar que si se trata de una peticià ³n de familia donde hay un là ­mite  de solicitudes que pueden ser aprobadas por aà ±o fiscal, como es el caso de todas las peticiones de residentes o en las peticiones de ciudadanos para hijos mayores de 21 aà ±os o casados o para sus hermanos hay que esperar ms. Es decir, hay que esperar a que exista cupo para lo cual es ms indicativo verificar las fechas que publica el Departamento de Estado cada mes en el Boletà ­n de Visas. En relacià ³n a los trmites que se realizan con USCIS, se debe  recordar que todos los formularios oficiales son gratis y pueden descargarse de su pgina oficial, incluso admitià ©ndose casos de e-file. Adems, en ciertos casos es posible solicitar una exencià ³n para no pagar la tarifa que requiere el caso. Asimismo, se debe  insistir que todos los documentos que se presentan en espaà ±ol, como por ejemplo, las partidas de nacimiento o matrimonio, deben ir acompaà ±ados de una traduccià ³n al inglà ©s, que debe ser certificada. Por à ºltimo, tener en cuenta que cuando el USCIS deniega una peticià ³n es posible apelarla en algunos casos. Oficinas de USCIS y cmo obtener informacin En la actualidad, USCIS cuenta con ms de 19.000 empleados repartidos en aproximadamente 200 oficinas, algunas de las cuales se encuentran ubicadas fuera de los Estados Unidos. Desde el punto de vista orgnico, el USCIS pertenece al Departamento de Seguridad Interna, conocido en inglà ©s por sus siglas de DHS. Lo importante es enviar los formularios y la documentacià ³n de apoyo a la direccià ³n correcta, que va a depender de dos factores: el tipo de solicitud y el lugar en el que se reside habitualmente. Todos los formularios especifican claramente este punto, y tambià ©n se establece una distincià ³n segà ºn el tipo de envà ­o: ordinario o urgente. Tambià ©n es posible solicitar informacià ³n del USCIS. Si es de carcter general, se puede acudir a una de sus oficinas locales con servicio de atencià ³n al pà ºblico, aunque es recomendable que se abstengan de esto los migrantes indocumentados. Otra opcià ³n para no esperar es realizar una cita previa mediante el sistema de INFOPASS. Si la pregunta que se desea realizar es sobre un caso concreto se puede marcar  a USCIS al 1-800-375-5283 para lo cual es necesario tener a mano el nà ºmero de caso, que se puede encontrar en la carta en la que USCIS notifica que ha recibido los papeles para una peticià ³n o solicitud. Asimismo, con esa informacià ³n es posible obtener informacià ³n và ­a Internet. En qu consiste la verificacin de antecedentes penales que realiza USCIS Para realizar los trmites, USCIS pide frecuentemente datos biomà ©tricos, como foto y huellas dactilares de la persona para quien se solicita un beneficio migratorio. Esos datos le sirven para verificar los posibles antecedentes penales de una persona. Es lo que se conoce en inglà ©s como background check. Esto consiste en cotejar las huellas digitales con las bases de datos de otras agencias federales y tambià ©n enviarlas al FBI para determinar si la persona que solicita el beneficio migratorio ha sido arrestada o detenida en el pasado y, en caso afirmativo, la causa. Adems, se envà ­a informacià ³n biogrfica a otro departamento del FBI para que lleve a cabo la verificacià ³n del nombre para determinar si la persona es un delincuente, se tiene sospechas sobre ella o se le considera un riesgo para la seguridad de Estados Unidos. Todas las personas con un expediente presente o pasado en USCIS que desean saber cul es su contenido pueden solicitar dicha informacià ³n mediante lo que se conoce como FOIA. El formulario a llenar es el G-639. La direccià ³n a la que se debe enviar es: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration ServicesNational Records Center, FOIA/PA OfficeP.O. Box 648010Lees Summit, MO 64064-8010 Cmo evitar problemas con USCIS y fraudes En asuntos migratorios es fundamental llenar bien los formularios de peticià ³n y enviar a tiempo la documentacià ³n de apoyo. No es necesario usar los servicios de un abogado pero es recomendable, particularmente en los casos que no estn claros y pueden dar lugar a interpretacià ³n.   Datos sobre buenos abogados de inmigracià ³n pueden obtenerse en la base de datos de AILA. Tambià ©n se recomienda verificar la reputacià ³n de un abogado en el BAR (colegio de abogados) del estado. Finalmente, tambià ©n se puede obtener informacià ³n para buenas referencias o letrados pro bono en asociaciones de defensa de los intereses legales de los migrantes. Debe desconfiarse de los llamados notarios, que no pueden ejercer como abogados en Estados Unidos y de todas las personas que prometen resultados porque supuestamente conocen a alguien dentro de USCIS. Esos casos son fraudes. Finalmente, USCIS no se dedica a juzgar casos migratorios ya que eso es competencia de las cortes y del Board de Apelaciones (BIA, por sus siglas en inglà ©s). Tampoco se ocupa de arrestos ni de ejecutar deportaciones ni de guardar la frontera, que es competencia de ICE y la CBP. Este es un artà ­culo informativo. No es asesorà ­a legal.

The Transformation of the World By the Automobile Revolution Annotated Bibliography

The Transformation of the World By the Automobile Revolution - Annotated Bibliography Example The automobiles have made the economy as the core of the modern society. The cars have made the movement of goods and services from and to the market (Sutter, Driven Wild 09). In the offices, they make people are punctual. The automobiles take the perishable goods produced locally to the market (Raghnaill, 2014). This eliminates chances of getting losses. Secondly, automobiles have influenced the health of individuals in the society in cases of an emergency and non-emergency case to take the patients to the hospitals (McKinsey & Company, 2014). Today there are flying doctors without boundaries who spend most of their time in their offices waiting to utilize these vehicles to make the lives of the community better (Schensul, 2014). The automobiles have a unique way of bringing the people of the society together. With travelling over long distances made so easy and cheap, people can meet as if they live in the same village. Besides, today cars form part of entertainment in various form s. As a hobby, these people watch the rally games at their time of leisure making their life enjoyable. It is true that the impact of the automobile in the modern society is significant. It has brought about a better life and improved the quality of life. The automobiles role in the creation of economics autonomy is also marvelous. With the integration of the automobile to sport and health, it has also improved the quality of life. The automobile makes for almost all the aspect of the modern society.

Marketing Luxury Goods to Chinese Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Marketing Luxury Goods to Chinese - Case Study Example The prices will also assist in controlling market prices and competition from Chinese firms that have invested in making fakes. Finally, the luxury makers should also invest in strategic Chinese markets where most consumers are located. The places include posh areas and major cities where consumers can easily access the goods. The makers should also analyze markets to have knowledge on the consumer trends. The consumer styles will be used to highlight potential areas where the luxury makers make market entries. The Chinese market was not affected much by the recession; hence leading to an increased economic growth of up to 30% per annum. The increased growth led to an influx of rich Chinese individuals that were the main targets for the luxury items. Additionally, the country also had increased industrial growth causing employment to most Chinese. Most workers invested in fancy items due to influence from other rich societies. The consumers also preferred purchasing goods from outside China because they believed that the products were of high quality (The Economist, 2014). China’s efforts to surpass Japan and the U.S in consumer ratings also contributed to the taste and preference of luxury goods. The Chinese rich class was also not affected much by the recession; hence providing market for the luxury goods unlike in other hit countries such as the U.S. The luxury makers took advantage of the increased economic growth that meant most Chinese could save and purchase luxury goods. They also ensured good product quality than that provided in the Chinese luxury makers. The Chinese also invested in impulse buying whereby their purchasing trends surpassed those of the Japanese. Moreover, the makers observed Chinese consumer styles such as more men customers than in Japanese markets. The Chinese men were ready to purchase more of the luxury goods compared to the Japanese women; hence leading to increased imports. The Chinese

American health care since 1994 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

American health care since 1994 - Essay Example These efforts have thwarted efforts to attain affordable, effective and accessible healthcare for Americans. In the last fifteen years, the cost of American healthcare has increased by more than two times with the yearly growth rate being over double that of inflation. The costs have become a burden to the federal government, businesses, as well as families. Employers have had to cut back on their expenditure on healthcare so as to remain competitive against international companies that do not have such costs. Fewer companies are offering health benefits forcing individuals to look for coverage in the highly unregulated private market. This has affected Americans’ productive capacity as well as the country’s fiscal health. While there are varied reasons for the rising costs, the increase is attributable to excess costs of the country’s healthcare system and the underlying inefficiencies. In addition, the number of people who do not have sufficient insurance coverage or even any coverage at all has been increasing. It is noteworthy that the uninsured end up getting healthcare in an extremely costly way, thereby increasing the premiums of those with medical insurance. Unfortunately, this has not translated into quality healthcare or improved outcomes. These aspects underline the importance of pushing forward with the reforms. The American healthcare has been on its knees for quite some time. This calls for comprehensive reforms to enhance the delivery and quality of healthcare, provide accessible, comprehensive and affordable health insurance and reform payment so as to reward

Residual welfare model in Hong Kong

Residual welfare model in Hong Kong Residual view of social welfare Social welfare is a significant issue in a society. The social issues let us know which welfare should provide and to what extent the welfare can be provided. In fact, the ways to provide social welfare may vary between different societies. The social welfare system in Hong Kong is adopting the residual welfare model. Hong Kong has followed the big market, small government ideology for many years. It is based on the idea of the residual welfare model that there is no need for the government to engage in the distribution process of social welfare. This is because people can resolve the problems themselves. The needy can find support through the market mechanism, family or the nonprofit organizations. The government will only provide support to people when the needy really can’t solve the problems themselves. Therefore, according to the big market, small government principle, the government holds the belief that people have the ability to get rid of the difficulties. The government is the last and temporary resort of the needy. The government can provide the immediate support to the needy. However, in the long term, the needy have to find ways to help themselves. Due to the residual welfare model, the policies in Hong Kong are not universal. The social assistances in Hong Kong usually have the means test because the government just will help people who are under a very poor financial or living condition. I will use the education and housing aspects in order to show that the policies in Hong Kong demonstrate the ideology of residual welfare model. For education, the government provides funding in the form of loans and grants for students who live in the low income family. The students might get full grants of their tuition fee but they should undergo the means test first. Besides, in order to protect people’s basic living need, the government launches the public housing scheme. The government provides affordable housing for low-income residents. If people want to apply for the public house, they should pass the means test in the public housing scheme. From the policies of education and public housing, we can know that Hong Kong is under the residual welfare model because every policies are not universal and they will set some requirements for people to attain which this is match the beliefs of residual welfare model. Thus, the laissez-faire style and ‘positive non- interv entionism’ are regarded as two main features of Hong Kong’s policy. Despite the education and housing policies, the retirement protection system also demonstrate the ideas of residual welfare model. The aging population problem is becoming more serious in Hong Kong. The aging population of aged 65 and above is getting increasing from 12% to 17% in 2002 to 2012 (Census and Statistics Department, 2013). Hong Kong is experiencing the aging problems over the past decade. In my following part, I will focus on the retirement protection policy within the elderly welfare system. Three-pillar retirement protection approach In order to deal with the aging problems, the World Bank implements the multi-pillar-model. There will be three pillar approaches toward the retirement protection system when the World Bank first times to launch the scheme. The Pillar I is a public retributive and defined-benefit system. It is so called the ‘pay as you go’ approach. Besides, the Pillar II is a private, funded and defined contribution system. Also, the Pillar III is a private, voluntary and supplementary defined contribution system (Roller, 2012). The two more pillars were added in the models later which are the Zero Pillar and Pillar IV. The Zero pillar aims to protect people’s basic need. It holds the belief that everything should undergo the process of means test. It is also related to the Pillar I because both of them are wishing to alleviate poverty. Both of them believe that all citizens should engage in the welfare process (Castells, 2010). Moreover, Pillar IV is talking about some support f rom family which might not be related to the money (Chou, 2009). Even though the model of the World Bank has five pillars nowadays, Hong Kong is still adopting a three-pillar approach toward the retirement protection policy. First, the Zero pillar exists in Hong Kong which aims to provide the basic need to the elderly. In Hong Kong, when the elderly meet the age requirement, they can receive the CSSA and Old Age Allowance (OAA). The CSSA and OAA can act as spare money for the elderly to fulfill their daily living. Second, Hong Kong has the Pillar II which the example is the MPF. If you get a job, there is no doubt that every employee has to engage in the MPF. Third, Hong Kong has the Pillar III which is related to the voluntary private savings(à ©Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃ‚ ·Ãƒ ©Ã‚ ¼Ã… ½Ãƒ ©Ã‚ ³Ã‚ ´Ã‚ ¼Ã…’2011). In order to have a better living as a retired person, they might use their own savings to support their daily life. For the retirement protection policy, we can know that the government is obeying the rule of ‘big market, small government ’. It means that the government and the other institutions also have the responsibility toward the retirement protection policy. The Means tests are the primary method for determining eligibility when applying the CSSA and Old Age Allowance. Selective cash assistances are reserved for people defined within the context of the policy as in need. Means testing is used to identify people with limited resources. This selective process determines the eligibility for welfare benefits or services so it shows the ideas of residual welfare model. The government uses the three pillars approach in order to provide the basic need to the elderly. However, it is not problem free with the three pillars approach. Hong Kong Council of Social Service finished a statistic about aging population last year. There are a third of people aged 65 and over are living under poverty (à ©Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃ‚ ·Ãƒ ©Ã‚ ¼Ã… ½Ãƒ ©Ã‚ ³Ã‚ ´Ã‚ ¼Ã…’2011). They are regarded as very poor people among the world. Thus, people argue that if the CSSA and Old Age Allowance which the elderly rely on can really provide the basic necessities for them. Besides, people also argue that the MPF covers only working people. Housewives and others who are not employed are not covered by the MPF. There is little difficulty in understanding that people will feel doubt that how the retirement protection of the housewives is. Obviously, the existing retirement protection policy is trying to tackle the financial problems of the elderly. When the elderly really need help, the government can provide them with the basic need. The report from the Census and Statistics Department shows that the aging population will be increasing quickly in the coming years. The elderly aged 65 and above will increase from the 1.0 million last year to 2.6 million in 2041. This statistic suggests that by 2041, around one in three persons will be elders (Census and Statistics Department, 2013). Thus, due to the limitations in the retirement protection policy I mentioned, there is no doubt that the government should make improvement toward the retirement protection policy. Experiences from Taiwan Taiwan is the same as Hong Kong that it also has the aging population and with the similar geographic background as Hong Kong. As the retirement protection policy in Taiwan is quite well developed, it can be Hong Kong’s reference when improving the retirement protection policy. Taiwan follows the five-pillar approaches when dealing with the elderly policy. I will focus on talking about the National Pension Program in Taiwan because the other retirement protection policies in Taiwan are nearly the same as other countries. The National Pension Program aims to provide the elderly with the basic needs in their daily living. For the elders who want to apply for the National Pension Program, they ought to undergo the process of means test and there is a residency requirement that they have to pass. In order to maintain the sustainability of the National Pension Program, the government should not pay the money to the elders in one time. They should pay the money step by step, such as monthly (Roller, 2012). Urge for a universal retirement protection scheme Hong Kong and Taiwan have the similarities in the reform process. However, their pension reform is very different. Taiwan implements the National Pension Program successfully whereas Hong Kong just focuses on the CSSA and Old Age Allowance. With reference in Taiwan, some people suggest that Hong Kong ought to expand its retirement protection policy which is to introduce a retirement protection scheme which is for all citizens. This scheme is later explained by Professor Nelson Chow Wing-sun. He proposed to set up a universal retirement protection scheme in Hong Kong. In the scheme, HK$3,000 monthly pension will be given to people aged 65 and above (à ¥Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃ‚ ¨Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ °Ã‚ ¸Ãƒ ¦- °Ã‚ ¼Ã…’2013  ¼Ã¢â‚¬ °. In order to maintain the stability of the scheme, the employers and employees need to contribute and the government would be responsible for some of the fund. This new scheme eliminates means tests and other administrative procedures because age criteria are the only eligibility to decide if you can get the pension or not. I think that the retirement protection scheme proposed by Professor Nelson Chow has the same meaning as the National Pension Program in Taiwan because both of them focus on the people who are not in the labor market. They all want to protect these people from being poor. For the existing three pillar approach, I feel doubt of their effectiveness in meeting the needs of the elderly. With the low rates of return, the MPF can’t support people’s daily living. Thus, if the elder just rely on the MPF system, it is not rational for them. Due to the shortcoming of the three pillar approach, I have a quest for a universal retirement protection scheme as what Professor Nelson Chow proposed. However, based on Professor Chow’s proposal on universal retirement protection scheme, I think there should add the means test into the scheme. The aim of the universal retirement protection scheme is to alleviate elderly poverty. Thus, the poor people serve first. We should target on t hose with a genuine need and some form of means testing is necessary. There is no doubt that the elderly deserve a decent and better retirement. If we have the means-tested in the universal retirement protection scheme, some people can’t receive the public pension due to their income level. Thus, people might argue that it is not a retirement protection for all citizens so it is unfair. However, if there is no means test and everyone aged 65 or above can receive the pension, it might damage the economic development of Hong Kong and increase burden on employers. Moreover, any retirement protection scheme without means test is regarding as ‘welfarism’. This might cause the financially infeasible for the government to shoulder the burden of a universal retirement protection scheme over time. Therefore, in order to make a good use of the universal retirement protection scheme, I suggest that there should include a means test in Professor Nelson Chow’s proposal which is the same as the Taiwan’s National Pension Program. There is not a new thing when talking about the aging problem. Hong Kong and Taiwan have many similar characteristics toward the elderly policy. However, Taiwan developed its retirement protection policies at a faster pace. Thus, Hong Kong should learn from the Taiwan’s National Pension Program that to implement the means test in the universal retirement protection scheme. The advantage of the scheme is that it provides the protection to the non-employees. For the existing retirement policy, such as the MPF system, it excludes the protection of the housewives. Thu, a universal retirement protection scheme can complement this problem. Besides, for some people, they argue that the financial pressure will be mounted on working people under the universal retirement protection scheme because they have to bear the cost of the scheme. Thus, in order to make a good use of the fund, the universal retirement protection scheme should include the means test. Moreover, the means test can act as a resource distribution. This is because the needy elders can be found and they can get help from the government. Improvement of the three pillar approach Many people hold the belief that it is a huge concern for the population development that one in three people will be aged 65 years old and above in the coming years. This phenomenon threatens the economic growth because there will be more people but less that are working. Thus, fewer people will contribute to the economy. If we have more elderly people in Hong Kong, it is a must to review the retirement protection policy. For our future planning of retirement protection system, Professor Nelson Chow’s universal retirement protection scheme can be one of the measures. We can’t find a model answer to tell us how to set up a good retirement protection policy due to the diversity of different countries. Despite Professor Nelson Chow’s proposal, there is essential for the government to make changes on the three approach model toward the retirement protection policy. For the Zero pillar, CSSA and OAA act as a safety net for the needy elderly. However, there might have some problems toward the CSSA. When applying the CSSA, the elderly’s family members, such as her son or daughter, have to sign the declaration that they won’t provide financial support for the elderly. Thus, if the elderly is in bad relationship with her family members, here son or daughter might not able to sign the declaration for her. Thus, the elder can’t get the CSSA. Also, the money in the CSSA might not be able to provide basic needs for elderly because of the inflation. Due to the inflation, we have to pay more money when buying things. In order to help the elderly during inflation, the government should adjust the money in CSSA more frequently. In addition, we should improve the MPF system in the Pillar II. The employees should feel free to choose their MPF program due to the different sets of requirements. There should be no barriers for employees when choosing the MPF program. Furthermore, the government ought to offer incentives to encourage voluntary savings in Pillar III. The pillar III is related to the voluntary contributions to the MPF system. In order to encourage personal savings, the government needs to provide the tax incentives for people. For the three pillars approach, the government needs to assess the financial sustainability regularly. As suggestion before, the existing three pillars policies should be reinforced and enhanced. Future planning of the retirement protection policy Everyone agree that the universal retirement protection scheme is not implemented in Hong Kong for the elderly at this moment. The government only focuses on the Zero pillar. The government set some rules for the elderly to meet. If they can pass the requirements set by the government, they can get assistance. When planning the future policy for retired people, the scheme proposed by Professor Chow could be the way out. We should consider the concept of ‘responsibility’ when planning the future retirement protection policy. Hong Kong is under the residual welfare model that people solve the problems through the family and market. The government is the last way to help people. Thus, for the retirement protection policy, it is related to the concept of ‘who is responsible?’. Some people think that the old age living protection should be the responsibility of individuals and their family and not be laid on others nor should it be wholly financed by the governme nt. Thus, the role played by the government in retirement protection policy can be different from various parties. In the perspective of limited financial resources, the government should only provide for the financially needy elderlies and not for all senior citizens. On the contrary, with the level of Hong Kong’s economic development and the huge financial reserve, some people proposed that the government have the capacity and means to provide for basic livelihood protection for all senior citizens. The perception toward retirement protection policy will influence the role of the government. If people link the retirement protection policy with the income, it causes heavy burden on public finance and may have influence on the economy. On the other hand, people who universal retirement protection scheme points to a kind of benefit for all senior citizens, unrelated to their past work history or salary. They hoped for the setting up of some kind of universal livelihood protection grant. There is obvious that Hong Kong uses the three approaches toward the retirement protection policy. Many elderly received the cash assistances from the government. They still live under poverty. This might people argue that if the CSSA or other cash transfer programs are viable or not. Nowadays, people have a higher expectation on the welfare support. They have the quests for universal retirement protection scheme. The scheme supposed to provide better protection for retired people. However, how the scheme should be implemented is still under a negotiation process. There are many things we have to decide when implementing the scheme, such as to undergo the means test or not. The universal retirement protection in Taiwan implement in a very successful way. Even some people claim that Hong Kong is better developed than Taiwan, we still should learn from Taiwan’s experience and decide how to initiate a universal retirement protection scheme. We should launch the scheme according to the specific features of Hong Kong. In fact, some people claim that the political environment affect the implement of the retirement protection scheme. This is related to people‘s conservativeness toward a policy. Thus, we should be aware of the political issues when designing the retirement protection policy. The retirement protection policy is a very complicated subject which affects all HongKonger and has far-reaching impact on the fiscal sustainability in Hong Kong. In order to find a suitable way of the development toward retirement protection policy, people should clarify the concept which is related to ‘responsibility’. References à ©Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃ‚ ·Ãƒ ©Ã‚ ¼Ã… ½Ãƒ ©Ã‚ ³Ã‚ ´Ã‚ ¼Ã… ¡Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…  Ãƒ §Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ºÃƒ ¤Ã‚ »Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ ©Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¼Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…’à ¥Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚ ¨Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ °Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃƒ ©Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¼Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃƒ ¤Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ Ãƒ ©Ã… ¡Ã…“à ¥Ã‹â€ Ã‚ ¶Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¦Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ Ã‚ ¯Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¡Ã…’ ¼Ã… ¸ à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ã‚ ¼Ã…’à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…  Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ¡Ãƒ ¥Ã‚  Ã‚ ±Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ²Ã‚ ¡Ãƒ §Ã‚ ¶Ã¢â‚¬Å"à ¦- °Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ Ã… ¾Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ã‚ ¼Ã…’2011 à ¥Ã‚ ¹Ã‚ ´4 à ¦Ã…“ˆ4 à ¦- ¥. à ¥Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃ‚ ¨Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ °Ã‚ ¸Ãƒ ¦- °:à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…  Ãƒ §Ã‚ ¤Ã‚ ¾Ãƒ ¦Ã…“Æ’Ã ¦Ã¢â‚¬ Ã‚ ¿Ãƒ §Ã‚ ­-à §Ã… ¡Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒ ¨Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ µÃƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ã…’à ¥Ã‹â€ Ã‚ ¶Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¦Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ã‚ ¼Ã‹â€ 2013  ¼Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¼Ã…’à ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ­Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ Ã‚ ¯Ãƒ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃ‚ ¸Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ±Ã¢â€š ¬ Castells, M. (2010), The Shek Kip Mei Syndrome: EconomicDevelopment and Public Housing Development in Hong Kong and Singapore, UK. Pion Ltd. Census and Statistics Department (2013), Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Chou, L.K. (2009). â€Å"Retirement Income Protection in Hong Kong†. Ageing in East Asia Challenges and Policies for the Twenty-first century (pp. 105-137). London: Routledge. Roller, E. (2012). The welfare state: the equality dimension. The scope of government, New York: Oxford University Press. 1

John Philip Sousa :: essays research papers

JOHN PHILIP SOUSA John Philip Sousa was born in 1854, the third child of ten. He was born in Washington, D.C. His parents were immigrants. John Antonio Sousa was his dad. He was originally from Spain, even though his parents were Portugese in origin. His mom, Maria Elisabeth Trinkhaus came to America from Bavaria. John was a talented youngster. At the tender age of 6 he was studying music. He learned to play many types of instruments; the violin, piano, cornet, alto horn, flute, baritone. Like his father, who played the trombone in the U.S. Marines Band, John, too, learned to play the trombone. John also spent time studying voice. John was a rather mischevious teen. At the age of 13 John tried to run away to join the circus. Dad was not all that impressed with John and made him enlist in the Marines. While in the service he published "Moonlight on the Potomac Waltzes". That was his first published composition and the beginning of a very successful career. After spending 8 years in the Marines, he was discharged. John found the love of his life in 1879. Jane van Middleworth Bellis became Mrs. John Philip Sousa that year. Together they travelled to Europe four times. On one voyage back, John was inspired to write the "Stars and Stripes Forever". Three of their trips to Europe were for performances, another trip was as a vacation. While they were on vacation Sousa's promoter, David Blakely died. In 1892 John named his band "Sousa's New Marine Band". Needless to say, Washington was not pleased with the name and Sousa had to rename his band. He had a couple of great tours with the Marine Band but was convinced to go into the civilian sector to create another band. As stated earlier, Sousa was a prolific writer. He wrote 135 songs and conducted many , many more. His most memorable song was "Stars and Stripes Forever". It is song that many children remember by singing " be kind to your web-footed friends...". In his lengthy career he conducted over 100 operettas, 11 suites, and 2 concert pieces. Not a man to sit on the sidelines for long. Sousa joined the Naval Reserves at the ripe old age of 62. He sure was not in it for money. He went in as a lieutenant and only made a buck a month. It was only World War I.

Literacy Instruction

Language plays a critical role in literacy instruction. In fact, these two concepts are inseparable. Teaching a learner for the first time requires the use of a common language between the learner and the teacher. By sharing a common language, the two will be able to establish connection and achieve communication, thus lessening the barriers to literacy. Basic reading, for instance, requires modeling by the teacher of how the phonetic sounds of English are produced before the reader is able to decode a word. In addition, teaching reading involves communication between the teacher and the learner. In the pre-reading stage, the teacher needs to give instructions or guidance to reading, and in the post-reading stage, s/he needs to discuss with the reader regarding progress. In such cases, language is indispensable. Also, there are times when the teacher needs to explain what is being read, or determine the context for the reader to understand it better. The role of the language in facilitating learning in early childhood is very essential since â€Å"literacy skills are developed in conjunction with oral language skills.† (Shaughnessy, Sanger, Matteucci, Ritzman, 2004) In relation to this, it is the teacher's role to gauge the learner's oral skills at the beginning of the reading instruction. Knowing the learner's ability for language acquisition would help the teacher â€Å"recognize indications of delays in children's language development.† (Shaughnessy, Sanger, Matteucci, Ritzman, 2004) Likewise, this will also enable the teacher to determine whether interventions are necessary to avoid delays in literacy development. Literacy instruction for adults likewise suggests the importance of language. From giving directions to eliciting critical responses, language serves as a significant tool for acquiring and expressing ideas. Without it, other teaching tools and environment will prove useless. Literacy instruction does not end up in teaching a person how to decode or write words and symbols. The meaning of literacy has continuously evolved and so did literacy instruction. It includes not only basic reading and writing, but higher psychological processes of reading and writing. These two skills involve cognitive levels of thinking which start from the literal to the evaluative level. Reading can be characterized as a higher level of psychological process if it involves cognitive skills of identifying main ideas from minor ones, comprehending the selection, synthesizing central themes or message, analyzing truth in statements, and applying concepts to real-life situations. The last one which presents the evaluative level requires the highest psychological process. In the same way, writing also involves higher psychological process than merely identifying letters or symbols. For instance, writing an essay requires the use of the language to convey ideas in sentences, establishing coherence and unity in a paragraph, and applying past learning in writing activities. To ensure that students’ development does not stop at a certain point, teachers engaged in literacy instruction should guide students to aim for higher cognitive levels in consideration of their readiness. In his research, Morrow (1990) found that students who were provided with teacher guidance proved to display more literacy behaviors than those who were not given guidance. The same is true with adult-guided classrooms. Students tended to have more advanced literacy skills when guided closely. In both reading and writing, we see the role of critical thinking. Critical thinking is another skill involving higher psychological process. Mainly identifying ideas in a reading selection (those that answer questions like what, when, where) is not part of critical thinking. Critical thinking is present when the learners are asked to answer questions starting with â€Å"What if† or â€Å"If you were the character†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Essentially, these questions challenge the minds and response of the learners to their environment, and require the application of practical learning. In both reading and writing, critical thinking can be further enhanced through the method of collaboration in the literacy instruction. In this scenario, the learners’ role is taken to a higher level, from being passive receivers of instructions and information to being active reactors and players. â€Å"Proponents of collaborative learning claim that the active exchange of ideas within small groups not only increases interest among participants but also promotes critical thinking† (Gokhale, 1995). Collaborative learning involves the participation of students and the exchange of ideas among them. Through collaborative learning, the students’ critical thinking is enriched by their peers’ ideas and experiences, resulting in a more productive literacy instruction. Importantly, literacy instruction in the beginners’ level should involve planning by the teacher. In this stage, the teacher serves an active role in providing activities which would challenge the higher psychological processes such as reading, writing, and critical thinking. As such, the teacher should be well-informed of the learners’ background and their capabilities. However, in the pre-adult and adult levels, planning for literacy instruction should likewise involve the students. Students’ suggestions and inclinations should be taken into consideration to assure a more fitting instructional design and to achieve the goal of higher literacy. The rationale behind this is, the students will participate more if they can relate with the situation, and if their needs are addressed well for it is best to start with what they are prepared and interested in. Similarly, the teacher’s guidance in the learning process is valuable to produce the best results. Indeed, in every literacy instruction, working hand in hand with the learners is recommended. References Gokhale, A. (1995). Collaborative learning enhances critical thinking. Journal of Technology Education vol. 7, no.1. Retrieved December 11, 2007, from http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JTE/jte-v7n1/gokhale.jte-v7n1.html Shaughnessy, A., Sanger, D. Matteucci, C., & Ritzman, M. (2004, Feb. 3). Early childhood language and literacy: Survey explores kindergarten teacher's perceptions. The ASHA Leader, pp. 2, 18. Retrieved December 11, 2007, from http://www.asha.org/about/publications/leader-online/archives/2004/040203/040203c.htm ;