Chances are, you know nothing about this, but it is a very hot topic in your immigrant communities.
Right now is the entry period for the U.S.'s annual "Green Card diversity lottery." Congress approved the lottery program in 1990 as a means of diversifying the immigrant population, to help correct what some view as a nepotistic immigration system.
Immigration to the United States is based mainly on family sponsorships. Some countries remain underrepresented while immigrant contingents from high-admission countries such as Canada and India continue to grow.
Thus, the computer-generated, random drawing makes available 55,000 permanent resident visas annually to people from countries with low rates of emigration to the United States.
Every year, during the 30-day entry period -- from the first Monday in October to early November -- the visa lottery is a hot topic among immigrants in the United States, and in villages and cities worldwide.
The Tampa Tribune says, "Unlike most immigration-related processes, entering the lottery is relatively simple. And it's free for those who prepare their own entries."
"'This is a great opportunity for our people that we serve to become legalized,' said Jose Fernandez, director of immigration services for Catholic Charities.
"Immigration lawyers look forward to this time of year as much as their clients do. Tampa immigration attorney Robert Krug said he sends out letters to clients reminding them the application period is approaching."
TBO reports, "Most people believe lottery winners automatically receive green cards. But what they actually win is the opportunity to apply for the immigrant visas. Lottery winners are screened just like everyone else who applies for a green card.
"The government says sending in more than one entry will disqualify all entries from that individual.
"While many U.S. citizens never have heard of the visa lottery, its international popularity has spawned a host of 'official' green card lottery websites that charge people $50 to $150 to submit 'accurate' entries that will 'better their chances of winning.'"
According to the State Department's website, "The annual DV (Diversity Visa) program makes permanent residence visas available to persons meeting the simple, but strict, eligibility requirements. Applicants for Diversity Visas are chosen by a computer-generated random lottery drawing. The visas, however, are distributed among six geographic regions with a greater number of visas going to regions with lower rates of immigration, and with no visas going to citizens of countries sending more than 50,000 immigrants to the U.S. in the past five years. Within each region, no one country may receive more than 7 percent of the available Diversity Visas in any one year. For DV-2004, natives of the following countries are not eligible to apply because they sent a total of more than 50,000 immigrants to the U.S. in the previous five years:
Canada, China (mainland-born), Columbia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories, and Vietnam.
Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is -- Making campaign coverage interesting
Thanks to the Best Practices in Journalism project for covering elections, you can watch a really interesting and fun idea.
This summer, Twin Cities Public Television inaugurated "Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is," a regular feature designed to force candidates to make tough choices…and visibly weigh competing priorities. Minnesota currently has four legally qualified "major" parties.
1. Prior to the first debate, TPT asked each of Minnesota's Gubernatorial candidates to sit for a pre-debate interview. This was a requirement to participate in the debate.
2. Along with the normal background questions, each candidate was asked to sit at a table upon which were seven cards, each bearing the name of a state budget spending priority.
3. They were handed a pile of 100 single dollar bills and asked to treat this money as if it were the entire state budget for one year.
4. You can watch the video of TPT talking with the candidates as they divided the 100 bills among the seven competing "spending priorities."
On this page you will also see dozens of other interesting ways to cover a campaign.
Cuban Missile Crisis 40-Year Anniversary
Forty years ago today, the Cuban missile crisis started to unfold, quickly leading the United States and Russia to the brink of nuclear war. Go to this fascinating site from the Kennedy library, to hear audio recordings of President Kennedy, his top advisors (including his brother) during days of talks, deliberations and planning.
Much has changed in 40 years. We think of Russia in very different ways. And a few weeks ago, many states sent delegations to Cuba trying to sell them goods and services.
Gallup has found that Americans favor re-establishing diplomatic relations with Cuba. In seven out of eight polls asking this question since 1974, a majority of Americans have favored this change in policy. Most recently, in May 2002, Gallup found 55 percent in favor of normalizing ties with Cuba, and just 37 percent opposed.
Now, on this 40th aniversary, America is considering war with Iraq over a perceived threat. What is missing for many Americans are those "smoking gun" spy pictures that President Kennedy produced to convince the American public to act.
Ideas:
• What did Americans (and Cubans) know and feel during those 16 days? Recently, a study was released that showed the American public did not know an awful lot about what was going on.
• Look at what your states and local companies are trying to do to establish business relations with Cuba. President Bush said America would end its embargo if Cuba meets several pro-democracy and pro-capitalism conditions. Despite the fact that 50 percent of Americans favored the general idea of lifting the embargo, the same May 2002 Gallup poll found close to two-thirds agreeing with Bush's position. Only one-quarter believed the embargo should end even if Cuba does not meet Bush's conditions.
• The missile crisis also pushed Americans to talk about civil defense.
Details:
The "16 days in October" that have become known as the Cuban missile crisis began 40 years ago, on Oct. 15, 1962, when U.S. spy planes documented that Soviet missile bases were under construction in Cuba. The American public was first informed of the discovery a week later, when President Kennedy made a televised address to the nation, outlining his plan for encircling Cuba with U.S. Navy ships to prevent any further missile buildup.
Within hours following Kennedy's speech on Oct. 22, the Gallup Poll conducted a special reaction survey and found what Gallup analysts at the time called "overwhelming support" for the president's decision to impose sanctions.
A look back at the Gallup Poll archives reminds us that Americans gave President John F. Kennedy their overwhelming support for the U.S. military blockade of Cuba that he ordered to halt the Soviet missile buildup there. The public also rewarded Kennedy for the successful outcome of the crisis with enhanced job approval ratings.
