I don’t know about you, but as for me the lines seems to be a bit blurred with respect to what has happen over the past few years with adult content ratings and regulation of video games, movies, radio, music CD’s and television. Even many of the television commercial are as they say providing too much information. It seems all media is stretching the envelope to see how far they can go before someone calls foul. It is difficult to turn on the radio anymore without hearing talk show subjects that are not meant for kids of any age. While the change is a bit mind boggling the results are clear that the role of adult intervention has increased and become more technologically challenging to provide proper monitoring and supervision with the youth of 2010. There is no question that the industry has taken the approach that it is the parent’s role to set the standard for the products that they release to the mainstream. The movie industry as the example to follow is but one of the areas and the complexity associated with managing the viewing audience.
A motion picture rating system is designated to classify films with regard to suitability for audiences in terms of issues such as sex, violence, substance abuse, profanity, impudence or other types of mature content. A particular issued rating is called a certification. This is designed to help parents decide whether a movie is suitable for their children. Yet, the effectiveness of these suspenders is widely disputed. Also, in some jurisdictions a rating may impose on movie theaters the legal obligation of refusing the entrance of children or minors to the movie. Furthermore, where movie theaters do not have this legal obligation, they may enforce restrictions on their own. Ratings are often given in lieu of censorship. In countries such as Australia, an official government body decides on ratings; in other countries, such as the United States, it is done by industry committees with no official government status. (Wikipedia).
There was a major focus for a period of time on the internet because of the ease of getting to adult sites that were in many cases double X and triple X rated. This focus has beneficial in promoting the development of tools and technology that help control the ease of access. We are also seeing this with cable television and movie ratings with extreme violent and sex themes. However, there seems to be a movement toward expanding the definition of the ratings from what was once X rated, is now R rated and what was R rated is now with parental consent. And in here lies the fundamental issue of who is monitoring who with respect to how far media providers can go and put the responsibility back on us to manage.
Current (since 1990) MPAA movie ratings are:
G- Gender Safe
All ages admitted
(1968-present)
PG- Parental Guidance Suggested
Some material may not be suitable for children
(1972-present)
PG-13- Parents Strongly Cautioned
Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13
(1984-present)
R- Restricted
Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian
(1968-present)
If a film is not submitted for rating, the label NR (Not Rated) or Unrated is used. However, this is not an official MPAA classification. Films not yet rated by the MPAA, but that are expected to be submitted for rating, are often advertised with the notice "This Film is Not Yet Rated". (Wikipedia)
I believe first of all the ratings (Movies, Music CD's, Video Games and Radio Programs), at least where they exist need to be taken seriously in that someone has taken the time to gauge the appropriate participate age for the product. Too many parent’s leave it to friends and family members to say what is and isn’t ok for their children to engage in this area. If the rating is R then there was probably a good reason for it getting the rating and at a minimum I suggest an adult view it with their children or better yet prior to them allowing them to engage in it. Given the current trends in this area I can only believe it is going to get more, not less difficult to provide the appropriate counsel and guidance to our youth in these areas but turning our head to it and hoping it will manage itself is clearly not the answer.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
Immigration Employer Sponsorship
Eligible foreign nationals may be able to obtain a green card through employment. If a U.S. employer has a permanent job opportunity available for you and is willing to sponsor you for permanent residency, then you may be able to immigrate to the U.S. based on . A recent article writtern by a freelance writer Jennifer Mcfadyen (emplohttp://immigration.about.com/bio/Jennifer-McFadyen-43604.htmyment) provides insight to the question of employer sponsorship of immigrates for green cards.
To be eligible for employer-sponsored immigration, you must fall into one of the following four categories:
•EB-1 Priority workers
Definition: A category used in employment-based immigration to identify priority workers including aliens with extraordinary abilities in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics; outstanding professors and researchers, and certain multinational executives and managers.
Also Known As: EB-1 Visa
•EB-2 Professionals with advanced degrees or persons with exceptional ability
Definition: A category used in employment-based immigration to identify professionals holding an advanced degree (beyond a baccalaureate degree), or a baccalaureate degree and at least five years progressive experience in the profession; and persons with exceptional ability in the arts, sciences, or business.
Also Known As: EB-2 Visa
•EB-3 Skilled or professional workers
Definition: A category used in employment-based immigration to identify skilled workers capable of performing a job requiring at least two years training or experience; professionals with a baccalaureate degree, or members of a profession with at least a university bachelor's degree; and other workers, capable of filling positions requiring less than two years training or experience.
Also Known As: EB-3 Visa
EB-4 Special Immigrants
Definition: A category used in employment-based immigration to identify certain special immigrants including those in religious vocations.
Also Known As: EB-4 Visa•
Application Process:
Obtaining the visa is a multi-step process.
•Labor Certification: First, the U.S. employer must complete a labor certification request and submit it to the Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration. The DOL must determine that there are no qualified U.S. workers "able, willing, qualified and available to accept the job at the prevailing wage for that occupation in the area of intended employment and that employment of the alien will not adversely affect the wages and working conditions of similarly employed U.S. workers". The DOL will either grant or deny the certification request. (Note: This does not apply to foreign physicians who will practice medicine in an area of the U.S. which has been certified as underserved by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.)
•Petition: When the certification request has been approved, the U.S. employer (known as the petitioner) must submit an immigrant visa petition, Form I-140, Petition for Alien Worker, for the person wishing to immigrate to the U.S. (knows as the beneficiary).
After the petition has been approved, USCIS will send a notice to the petitioner and send the approved petition to the Department of State's National Visa Center where it will remain until an immigrant visa number becomes available. This applies to beneficiaries both within and outside the United States.
•Permanent Residence: Once you receive an immigrant visa number, you will need permission to live and work permanently in the U.S. This is achieved through conditional permanent residence.
If you are already in the U.S. when a visa number becomes available, you will apply to adjust your status to that of a lawful permanent resident by submitting Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status.
If you need forms or more information on the laws and procedures related to this subject everything you might want to know can be found at www.uscis.gov/forms.
To be eligible for employer-sponsored immigration, you must fall into one of the following four categories:
•EB-1 Priority workers
Definition: A category used in employment-based immigration to identify priority workers including aliens with extraordinary abilities in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics; outstanding professors and researchers, and certain multinational executives and managers.
Also Known As: EB-1 Visa
•EB-2 Professionals with advanced degrees or persons with exceptional ability
Definition: A category used in employment-based immigration to identify professionals holding an advanced degree (beyond a baccalaureate degree), or a baccalaureate degree and at least five years progressive experience in the profession; and persons with exceptional ability in the arts, sciences, or business.
Also Known As: EB-2 Visa
•EB-3 Skilled or professional workers
Definition: A category used in employment-based immigration to identify skilled workers capable of performing a job requiring at least two years training or experience; professionals with a baccalaureate degree, or members of a profession with at least a university bachelor's degree; and other workers, capable of filling positions requiring less than two years training or experience.
Also Known As: EB-3 Visa
EB-4 Special Immigrants
Definition: A category used in employment-based immigration to identify certain special immigrants including those in religious vocations.
Also Known As: EB-4 Visa•
Application Process:
Obtaining the visa is a multi-step process.
•Labor Certification: First, the U.S. employer must complete a labor certification request and submit it to the Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration. The DOL must determine that there are no qualified U.S. workers "able, willing, qualified and available to accept the job at the prevailing wage for that occupation in the area of intended employment and that employment of the alien will not adversely affect the wages and working conditions of similarly employed U.S. workers". The DOL will either grant or deny the certification request. (Note: This does not apply to foreign physicians who will practice medicine in an area of the U.S. which has been certified as underserved by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.)
•Petition: When the certification request has been approved, the U.S. employer (known as the petitioner) must submit an immigrant visa petition, Form I-140, Petition for Alien Worker, for the person wishing to immigrate to the U.S. (knows as the beneficiary).
After the petition has been approved, USCIS will send a notice to the petitioner and send the approved petition to the Department of State's National Visa Center where it will remain until an immigrant visa number becomes available. This applies to beneficiaries both within and outside the United States.
•Permanent Residence: Once you receive an immigrant visa number, you will need permission to live and work permanently in the U.S. This is achieved through conditional permanent residence.
If you are already in the U.S. when a visa number becomes available, you will apply to adjust your status to that of a lawful permanent resident by submitting Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status.
If you need forms or more information on the laws and procedures related to this subject everything you might want to know can be found at www.uscis.gov/forms.
Friday, August 20, 2010
FREE, well maybe
FREE, remember when the word free use to mean just that? While there are still a few things that fall into that category, free just doesn’t necessary mean free any more. The dictionary definition for the word free is obtainable without payment. It would seem marketing firms have redefined the word to mean it’s free as long as you buy something else. US News recently published an article entitled “15 Things You Shouldn't Be Paying For”. If we were to look at some of those items you would find free is just not what it use to be.
Computer software was one of the first items on the list with free software that can be downloaded to your computer. The internet is a fantastic resource for all kinds of free software to improve the performance of your computer, productivity and communication with friends and family. It is still important to do your homework because in a number of cases with a specific example being free virus protection software , while the basis package maybe free the full protection and version that actually cleans up your computer and removes the virus may come at a cost, so read the fine print as they say.
Annual credit reports are free upon request for anyone that has an established credit history in the US at
http://www.annualcreditreport.com/, but be sure it is this site because others that say free maybe attempting to sign you up at a cost for ongoing credit reports and your credit score at a minimum. Sounds great right a state of the art cell phone with a retail value of $xxx offered to you free with the purchase of a service contract, so compare the cost of the 2 year service contract, minimum service required for the phone to function as you want (smart/data phone usually require an additional monthly fee) and other phone service providers that don't promote a free phone, because then and only then can you be somewhat sure the free phone you are getting is actually free. The library has become our primary source for our teenage readers for books, videos, games and the like, however speaking from experience this is area where parents have to teach their kids responsibility, because if the items are returned late or lost (the library will suspend the use of your cards until late fees and items like DVD's are paid for) believe me in those cases they don't end up being free. Remember when we use to consider water to be free and the thought of someone charging for water or air for the matter was unthinkable. Well welcome to the 21th century where bottled water has become a fad and can cost as much as $2.00-$3.00 dollars or more a bottle. While you can still get fountain and tap water free at most places, what gets me here is the fact that many will drink fountain soda from a soda dispenser that has dispenser for water and yet they will purchase a bottle of water at the same place huh? Is there anything free about credit cards, debatable at best but you can get free amenities and no annual fee so shop around. The most recent freebies attached to credit/debit cards is annual fee that allows you to collect reward points with each purchase and in some cases depending on your use of the cards you can come out ahead but again it is important to do the math. It depends on how often and how much you spend when using the cards but if these are needed items and expenses, why not get some of it back in the form of a rebates or rewards? There are loads of free tools on the internet from budgeting, business plan development, tax preparation, legal forms, local/national and world news to mention a few. The trick here is spending a little time getting to know your way around the internet and you will be surprised of the number of free resources available. There are even sites that are specifically for researching freebies in every area you might imagine. However as was mentioned earlier many of the freebies come with a price and if the end fits the means then it might be for you? Almost everyday I receive advertisements offering free gift cards, computers and memberships of some kind. Almost all of these are quote free as long as you participate (silver, gold and platium purchase levels) in the purchase of promotional items like credit cards, netflix and free credit card reports. When you consider the possibility of paying 250.00 for participation items for a thousand dollar gift card at a store you shop on a regular basis it might just be worth it? So do the math and if you can actually come out ahead then why not? It all comes down to there is no better time than now to take advantage of every available freebie out there, and in most cases it just take a bit of your time to do the research and go fo it!
Computer software was one of the first items on the list with free software that can be downloaded to your computer. The internet is a fantastic resource for all kinds of free software to improve the performance of your computer, productivity and communication with friends and family. It is still important to do your homework because in a number of cases with a specific example being free virus protection software , while the basis package maybe free the full protection and version that actually cleans up your computer and removes the virus may come at a cost, so read the fine print as they say.
Annual credit reports are free upon request for anyone that has an established credit history in the US at
http://www.annualcreditreport.com/, but be sure it is this site because others that say free maybe attempting to sign you up at a cost for ongoing credit reports and your credit score at a minimum. Sounds great right a state of the art cell phone with a retail value of $xxx offered to you free with the purchase of a service contract, so compare the cost of the 2 year service contract, minimum service required for the phone to function as you want (smart/data phone usually require an additional monthly fee) and other phone service providers that don't promote a free phone, because then and only then can you be somewhat sure the free phone you are getting is actually free. The library has become our primary source for our teenage readers for books, videos, games and the like, however speaking from experience this is area where parents have to teach their kids responsibility, because if the items are returned late or lost (the library will suspend the use of your cards until late fees and items like DVD's are paid for) believe me in those cases they don't end up being free. Remember when we use to consider water to be free and the thought of someone charging for water or air for the matter was unthinkable. Well welcome to the 21th century where bottled water has become a fad and can cost as much as $2.00-$3.00 dollars or more a bottle. While you can still get fountain and tap water free at most places, what gets me here is the fact that many will drink fountain soda from a soda dispenser that has dispenser for water and yet they will purchase a bottle of water at the same place huh? Is there anything free about credit cards, debatable at best but you can get free amenities and no annual fee so shop around. The most recent freebies attached to credit/debit cards is annual fee that allows you to collect reward points with each purchase and in some cases depending on your use of the cards you can come out ahead but again it is important to do the math. It depends on how often and how much you spend when using the cards but if these are needed items and expenses, why not get some of it back in the form of a rebates or rewards? There are loads of free tools on the internet from budgeting, business plan development, tax preparation, legal forms, local/national and world news to mention a few. The trick here is spending a little time getting to know your way around the internet and you will be surprised of the number of free resources available. There are even sites that are specifically for researching freebies in every area you might imagine. However as was mentioned earlier many of the freebies come with a price and if the end fits the means then it might be for you? Almost everyday I receive advertisements offering free gift cards, computers and memberships of some kind. Almost all of these are quote free as long as you participate (silver, gold and platium purchase levels) in the purchase of promotional items like credit cards, netflix and free credit card reports. When you consider the possibility of paying 250.00 for participation items for a thousand dollar gift card at a store you shop on a regular basis it might just be worth it? So do the math and if you can actually come out ahead then why not? It all comes down to there is no better time than now to take advantage of every available freebie out there, and in most cases it just take a bit of your time to do the research and go fo it!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)