‘I am a rebel; therefore I am Russian’, to paraphrase Albert Camus
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Friday, October 24, 2014
10 REASONS TO QUIT YOUR BORING JOB & TEACH ABROAD
10 REASONS TO QUIT YOUR BORING JOB & TEACH ABROAD
1) See the world
One of the most common reasons for people to teach abroad is because they want to travel. Travel is one of the most eye-opening experiences a person can have. The problem with it, however, is that it can be expensive. Fortunately for you, by financing travel with well paying TEFL teaching jobs, you can see the most exotic places on earth. For example, Taiwan offers some of the most amazing sights and activities in Asia. But even more than that, it’s a central location to take a quick flight to China, Japan, Korea, Thailand, and the rest of Southeast Asia. Teach in South America or Europe, and you could visit as many countries by train or bus!
2) Broaden your horizons while you teach abroad
Just visiting a place for a few days is cool, but try living in a different country for months or years! The truth is, the food in many of our home countries just isn’t as tasty as in the markets of Asia or the kitchens of South America or Europe. And there is nothing that makes your friends back home more jealous than talking about an amazing trip to a place they’ve never even heard of. On top of it, you’ll notice that your ideas about your home town and life back home will change. You will come to truly understand how and why cultures are different. And your tastes of everything from food to friends to fun will grow in ways you’d never imagine.
3) Learn a whole new skill set
Tired of your menial job as a server, bartender, or cubicle monkey? Drop all that and do something that makes a difference in the world. Get experience in a needed and valuable field instead. Learning to teach gives you solid teaching skills you can use later. Not only do you learn how to manage a group of people, the ins-and-outs of education theory, and mastery of the English language, but you also gain skills in organization, leadership, and time management. All of these skills obviously transfer very well to other industries. Plus, it looks way better on a resume than “server at Applebee’s”.
4) Learn a new language
One thing about teaching abroad is that you’re doing it in a country where English is not the first language. Take some of that paycheck and sign up for a language class. Speaking Chinese can’t in our globalizing economy. Picking up decent Spanish gives you access to one of the biggest and most dynamic growing regions in the world. Plus, few things impress locals more than a foreigner who can hang with the language. And remember, adding a second language is another huge resume booster.
5) Make new friends
Hanging out with the same crew since high school is lame. While you teach abroad, not only will you meet amazing people from different places and speaking different languages, but you’ll also have awesome coworkers who share a lot in common. Those who teach abroad are usually adventurous, intelligent, and social, so you won’t have any trouble fitting in with that crowd. The people you meet will be more than just friends; they’ll have an impact on your decisions, beliefs, and overall outlook on life.
6) Make (and save) money
When you teach abroad, you’ll find the cost of living in many places to be lower than your home country. Paychecks will be more than enough to live comfortably and some schools will pay for housing and meals! TEFLers in East Asia frequently put away around $1,000 USD per month, and it’s not unheard of to save upwards of $1,500 with cash to spare. With that surplus, you can spend some cash on the finer things! Like more exotic vacations or nights on the town in a new city. Or even better, you could put it away to deal with those monster student loans piled up back home (you’re not alone!).
7) Become an Entrepreneur and/or get that Graduate degree
More and more expatriates start new businesses in their adopted homes. Many of these entrepreneurs are former English teachers who were ready to get creative and make those big bucks. Become a travel photographer or blogger, open up a coffee shop near the beach, or start that something you’ve always dreamed of.
It’s also common for TEFL teachers to attend graduate programs at world-class universities while teaching at the same time. Many of these programs, in fields from international relations to environmental sustainability, are much less expensive than their counterparts in your home country, and these go-getters are able to simply pay out of pocket for cutting edge degrees. Believe it or not, some countries give out scholarships to foreigners so high, that you’re paid to get a Masters!
8) Focus on your health
Forgot about your health with that busy schedule? That’s normal. Unfortunately, the western lifestyle stresses our minds and waistlines. Finally have the chance to get away and enjoy a healthier culture. While you teach abroad, you’ll often be paid a full time salary for 25 hours of work per week! With all that free time, you can take up new hobbies like Yoga in Bali, Kung Fu in China, meditate in Japanese Zen Temples, try Thai boxing classes, or even learn the ways to Enlightenment in the Indian Himalayas.
9) Full Healthcare Benefits
Health care costs in many western countries (read: the US) are out of control. Why not protect yourself while working in a country with better and cheaper health systems? For example, teaching jobs in Taiwan offer FULL healthcare AND dental in exchange for ONLY 6% reductions from your pay check each month! Got hurt climbing in the beautiful mountains on the weekend? No worries! Drop by the ER for a visit and pay less than $10 USD. Came down with a cold? Get a full week’s prescription of medicine from the clinic for $4 USD! Don’t worry, it’s not a hole in the wall neither. Hospitals there are state-of-the-art and run by some of the best (English-speaking) physicians in the world. Think about it…
10) Grow Independence
Teaching abroad will change you. You’ll see yourself differently after even a few months. Being far away from everything familiar forces you to reach, grow, and bend in ways you didn’t think you could. You will learn to approach strangers who don’t speak a lick of English and somehow communicate your ideas. You’ll try new activities and learn about things you didn’t even know existed. You’ll have to find an apartment, open a bank account, and work with people from all over the world. You’ll learn to navigate different languages, cultures, and expectations. So extend yourself – dive into a new culture, inspire hungry minds, and become a better you. Teach abroad.
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Increasingly, Retirees Dump Their Possessions and Hit the Road
Increasingly, Retirees Dump Their Possessions and Hit the Road
By DAVID WALLISAUG. 29, 2014
SOME call themselves “senior gypsies.” Others prefer “international nomad.” David Law, 74, a retired executive recruiter who has primarily slept in tents in several countries in the last two years, likes the ring of “American Bedouin.”
They are American retirees who have downsized to the extreme, choosing a life of travel over a life of tending to possessions. And their numbers are rising.
Mr. Law and his wife, Bonnie Carleton, 69, who are selling their house in Santa Fe, N.M., spoke recently by phone from a campground in Stoupa, Greece, a village on the southern coast of the Peloponnese. He explained that they roam the world to “get the broadest and most radical experience that we can get.”
They recently decided to fold their tent. “Hey, we’re getting to be too old for this,” said Mr. Law about camping out. But they intend to continue what he termed their “endless holiday” in a more comfortable and spacious recreational vehicle.
Between 1993 and 2012, the percentage of all retirees traveling abroad rose to 13 percent from 9.7 percent, according to the Commerce Department.
About 360,000 Americans received Social Security benefits at foreign addresses in 2013, about 48 percent more than 10 years earlier. An informal survey of insurance brokers found greater demand by older clients for travel medical policies. (Medicare, with a few exceptions, does not cover expenses outside the United States). While many retirees ultimately return home or become expatriates, some live like vagabonds.
Lynne Martin, 73, a retired publicist and the author of “Home Sweet Anywhere: How We Sold Our House, Created a New Life, and Saw the World,” is one. Three years ago, she and her husband, Tim, 68, sold their three-bedroom house in Paso Robles, Calif., gave away most of their possessions, found a home for their Jack Russell terrier, Sparky, and now live in short-term vacation rentals they usually find through HomeAway.com.
The Martins have not tapped their savings during their travels, alternating visits to expensive cities like London with more reasonable destinations like Lisbon. “We simply traded the money we were spending for overhead on a house and garden in California for a life in much smaller but comfortable HomeAway rentals in more interesting places,” Ms. Martin said by email from Paris.
Continue reading the main story
RELATED COVERAGE
Your Money: Saving for Bucket List That’s Likely to Evolve in Years Before RetirementJULY 11, 2014
ADVENTURE Meri Murphy has traveled to Serengeti National Park in Tanzania.Free From Work, and Seeing the World on a BudgetMAY 14, 2013
On her blog, Barefoot Lovey, Stacy Monday, 50, a former paralegal and mediator who lived in Knoxville, Tenn., wrote: “I used to dream about all the places I would go as soon as I was old enough to get away. But then ... life happened.” On May 1, 2010 — like many itinerant baby boomers Ms. Monday can quickly recall the date her journey started — she embarked on her dream trip. She “crisscrossed the U.S. three times” and visited Mexico, Ireland, France, Italy, Morocco, Spain and many other countries.
Continue reading the main story
Travel Tips for Vagabonds-in-Training
Make sure travel insurance covers medical evacuation to the United States. A rider or separate policy may be required.
Bring noise-canceling headphones for immediate access to peace.
Consider downloading the Point It app, a catalog of photos of items travelers need with translations in several languages.
Buy a few pairs of fast-drying microfiber underwear, which take up less space in luggage than conventional knickers.
“I sold everything I had,” Ms. Monday recalled earlier this summer from San Francisco before she headed to Las Vegas, Dallas, Memphis and Knoxville. “I paid off all of my debt. I have no bills and no money.” She estimates that she now spends $150 a month — sometimes less if she is saving up for a flight — and earns a modest income through “odds-and-ends jobs,” as well as the tip jar on her blog.
Continue reading the main storyContinue reading the main storyContinue reading the main story
To stick to her tight budget, Ms. Monday volunteers for nonprofits and organic farms in exchange for room and board or finds free places to stay through Couchsurfing.org. The company puts its membership of people 50 and older at about 250,000.
Ms. Monday monitors ride-share boards at Couchsurfing and Craigslist for free or inexpensive transportation, and she travels light. “I get away with a couple pairs of jeans, a pair of shorts, a skirt and four or five shirts and a pair of pajamas,” she said.
When she answers the ubiquitous question, What do you do? Ms. Monday notices that most women respond with encouragement, while many men are less supportive. “They say: ‘You should be home. That’s not safe. You are old.’ I get that from a lot of the men,” she said.
Hal E. Hershfield, an assistant professor of marketing at the University of California, Los Angeles who studies the influence of time on consumer behavior, observes that many “pre-retirees” still assume retirement is a “decrepit, sitting on a porch, maybe playing golf, ice-tea type of life.”
But current retirees are “changing the way they think,” he said, “because they are still healthy and sort of young at heart.” In the last 50 years, retirement “wasn’t this period that we spent years and years in,” Mr. Hershfield continues. “It really, truly was the end of life.”
Photo
David Law and his wife, Bonnie Carleton, on the Great Wall of China.
Galit Nimrod, a research fellow at the Center for Multidisciplinary Research in Aging at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel, says an extended postretirement trip can assuage a sense of loss from ending a career. Travel can “act as a neutral, transitional zone between voluntary or imposed endings and new beginnings” and “serve as a healthy coping mechanism,” Dr. Nimrod said by email.
Gary D. Norton, 69, acknowledges that he felt “afraid of retirement” when he left his job of 34 years as a science professor at a South Dakota community college.
In 2002, he and his wife, Avis M. Norton, 67, a retired farmer, sold their house, bought an R.V. and started volunteering full time for two nonprofits: Nomads on a Mission Active in Divine Service, or Nomads, and RV Care-A-Vanners, an initiative of Habitat for Humanity.
The couple typically rebuilds houses damaged by natural disasters, projects that usually last several weeks. Mr. Norton, who now specializes in drywall finishing, and his wife, who studied carpentry, say they cherish the chance to give back to society while seeing the country. “Now what we’re doing is so satisfying and fulfilling, even though we have some health issues, we say we don’t want to quit,” said Mr. Norton, who estimated that he and his wife had repaired damaged homes in 28 states.
The chance to volunteer on international conservation projects and the opportunity to live like a local inspired Danila Mansfield, 58, and her husband, Chris Gill, 64, to sell their house in San Jose, Calif., last year. They got rid of nearly everything they owned — the exceptions being two suitcases, clothing and a pair of guitars (Mr. Gill’s prized Gibson ES-335 electric guitar is stowed at a friend’s house, but he totes around a travel guitar) — and do not even rent a storage space.
The purge of possessions was “a little nerve-racking” at first, but ultimately “hugely liberating,” said Ms. Mansfield, who is currently in South Africa. She and her husband plan to volunteer on game reserves to protect endangered species and then study great white sharks.
So far, their travels have surpassed expectations. They drove from San Jose to Florida over five months, before cruising to Europe. High points included meeting a judge at a bar in Amarillo, Tex., who invited them to visit his drug court, catching crawfish with locals in Louisiana’s bayou country and making new friends in Austin, Tex., who invited the couple to stay with them in South Africa.
But Ms. Mansfield has also hit bumps in the road. In Galveston, Tex., and New Orleans, an acute respiratory illness required three visits to urgent care centers. “It was really dragging me down,” she recalled. At one point she cried for home, but then managed to brighten her mood. “I kept telling myself, ‘This is home,’ ” Ms. Mansfield said. “Where I am is home.”
By DAVID WALLISAUG. 29, 2014
SOME call themselves “senior gypsies.” Others prefer “international nomad.” David Law, 74, a retired executive recruiter who has primarily slept in tents in several countries in the last two years, likes the ring of “American Bedouin.”
They are American retirees who have downsized to the extreme, choosing a life of travel over a life of tending to possessions. And their numbers are rising.
Mr. Law and his wife, Bonnie Carleton, 69, who are selling their house in Santa Fe, N.M., spoke recently by phone from a campground in Stoupa, Greece, a village on the southern coast of the Peloponnese. He explained that they roam the world to “get the broadest and most radical experience that we can get.”
They recently decided to fold their tent. “Hey, we’re getting to be too old for this,” said Mr. Law about camping out. But they intend to continue what he termed their “endless holiday” in a more comfortable and spacious recreational vehicle.
Between 1993 and 2012, the percentage of all retirees traveling abroad rose to 13 percent from 9.7 percent, according to the Commerce Department.
About 360,000 Americans received Social Security benefits at foreign addresses in 2013, about 48 percent more than 10 years earlier. An informal survey of insurance brokers found greater demand by older clients for travel medical policies. (Medicare, with a few exceptions, does not cover expenses outside the United States). While many retirees ultimately return home or become expatriates, some live like vagabonds.
Lynne Martin, 73, a retired publicist and the author of “Home Sweet Anywhere: How We Sold Our House, Created a New Life, and Saw the World,” is one. Three years ago, she and her husband, Tim, 68, sold their three-bedroom house in Paso Robles, Calif., gave away most of their possessions, found a home for their Jack Russell terrier, Sparky, and now live in short-term vacation rentals they usually find through HomeAway.com.
The Martins have not tapped their savings during their travels, alternating visits to expensive cities like London with more reasonable destinations like Lisbon. “We simply traded the money we were spending for overhead on a house and garden in California for a life in much smaller but comfortable HomeAway rentals in more interesting places,” Ms. Martin said by email from Paris.
Continue reading the main story
RELATED COVERAGE
Your Money: Saving for Bucket List That’s Likely to Evolve in Years Before RetirementJULY 11, 2014
ADVENTURE Meri Murphy has traveled to Serengeti National Park in Tanzania.Free From Work, and Seeing the World on a BudgetMAY 14, 2013
On her blog, Barefoot Lovey, Stacy Monday, 50, a former paralegal and mediator who lived in Knoxville, Tenn., wrote: “I used to dream about all the places I would go as soon as I was old enough to get away. But then ... life happened.” On May 1, 2010 — like many itinerant baby boomers Ms. Monday can quickly recall the date her journey started — she embarked on her dream trip. She “crisscrossed the U.S. three times” and visited Mexico, Ireland, France, Italy, Morocco, Spain and many other countries.
Continue reading the main story
Travel Tips for Vagabonds-in-Training
Make sure travel insurance covers medical evacuation to the United States. A rider or separate policy may be required.
Bring noise-canceling headphones for immediate access to peace.
Consider downloading the Point It app, a catalog of photos of items travelers need with translations in several languages.
Buy a few pairs of fast-drying microfiber underwear, which take up less space in luggage than conventional knickers.
“I sold everything I had,” Ms. Monday recalled earlier this summer from San Francisco before she headed to Las Vegas, Dallas, Memphis and Knoxville. “I paid off all of my debt. I have no bills and no money.” She estimates that she now spends $150 a month — sometimes less if she is saving up for a flight — and earns a modest income through “odds-and-ends jobs,” as well as the tip jar on her blog.
Continue reading the main storyContinue reading the main storyContinue reading the main story
To stick to her tight budget, Ms. Monday volunteers for nonprofits and organic farms in exchange for room and board or finds free places to stay through Couchsurfing.org. The company puts its membership of people 50 and older at about 250,000.
Ms. Monday monitors ride-share boards at Couchsurfing and Craigslist for free or inexpensive transportation, and she travels light. “I get away with a couple pairs of jeans, a pair of shorts, a skirt and four or five shirts and a pair of pajamas,” she said.
When she answers the ubiquitous question, What do you do? Ms. Monday notices that most women respond with encouragement, while many men are less supportive. “They say: ‘You should be home. That’s not safe. You are old.’ I get that from a lot of the men,” she said.
Hal E. Hershfield, an assistant professor of marketing at the University of California, Los Angeles who studies the influence of time on consumer behavior, observes that many “pre-retirees” still assume retirement is a “decrepit, sitting on a porch, maybe playing golf, ice-tea type of life.”
But current retirees are “changing the way they think,” he said, “because they are still healthy and sort of young at heart.” In the last 50 years, retirement “wasn’t this period that we spent years and years in,” Mr. Hershfield continues. “It really, truly was the end of life.”
Photo
David Law and his wife, Bonnie Carleton, on the Great Wall of China.
Galit Nimrod, a research fellow at the Center for Multidisciplinary Research in Aging at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel, says an extended postretirement trip can assuage a sense of loss from ending a career. Travel can “act as a neutral, transitional zone between voluntary or imposed endings and new beginnings” and “serve as a healthy coping mechanism,” Dr. Nimrod said by email.
Gary D. Norton, 69, acknowledges that he felt “afraid of retirement” when he left his job of 34 years as a science professor at a South Dakota community college.
In 2002, he and his wife, Avis M. Norton, 67, a retired farmer, sold their house, bought an R.V. and started volunteering full time for two nonprofits: Nomads on a Mission Active in Divine Service, or Nomads, and RV Care-A-Vanners, an initiative of Habitat for Humanity.
The couple typically rebuilds houses damaged by natural disasters, projects that usually last several weeks. Mr. Norton, who now specializes in drywall finishing, and his wife, who studied carpentry, say they cherish the chance to give back to society while seeing the country. “Now what we’re doing is so satisfying and fulfilling, even though we have some health issues, we say we don’t want to quit,” said Mr. Norton, who estimated that he and his wife had repaired damaged homes in 28 states.
The chance to volunteer on international conservation projects and the opportunity to live like a local inspired Danila Mansfield, 58, and her husband, Chris Gill, 64, to sell their house in San Jose, Calif., last year. They got rid of nearly everything they owned — the exceptions being two suitcases, clothing and a pair of guitars (Mr. Gill’s prized Gibson ES-335 electric guitar is stowed at a friend’s house, but he totes around a travel guitar) — and do not even rent a storage space.
The purge of possessions was “a little nerve-racking” at first, but ultimately “hugely liberating,” said Ms. Mansfield, who is currently in South Africa. She and her husband plan to volunteer on game reserves to protect endangered species and then study great white sharks.
So far, their travels have surpassed expectations. They drove from San Jose to Florida over five months, before cruising to Europe. High points included meeting a judge at a bar in Amarillo, Tex., who invited them to visit his drug court, catching crawfish with locals in Louisiana’s bayou country and making new friends in Austin, Tex., who invited the couple to stay with them in South Africa.
But Ms. Mansfield has also hit bumps in the road. In Galveston, Tex., and New Orleans, an acute respiratory illness required three visits to urgent care centers. “It was really dragging me down,” she recalled. At one point she cried for home, but then managed to brighten her mood. “I kept telling myself, ‘This is home,’ ” Ms. Mansfield said. “Where I am is home.”
Thursday, July 24, 2014
Another Reason to Emigrate: US Cities, States Slashing Pension Benefits While Subsidizing Professional Sports Stadiums
As U.S. states and cities grapple with budget and pension shortfalls, many are betting big on an unproven formula: Slash public employee pension benefits and public services while diverting the savings into lucrative subsidies for professional sports teams.
Detroit on Monday made itself the most prominent example of this trend. Officials in the financially devastated city announced that current and future municipal retirees had blessed a plan that will slash their pension benefits. On the same day, the billionaire owners of the Detroit Red Wings, the Ilitch family, unveiled details of an already approved taxpayer-financed stadium for the professional hockey team.
Many retirees now face a 4.5 percent cut in their previously negotiated cost-of-living adjustments, which is part of a larger plan to cut $7 billion of the city’s debt. At the same time, the public is on the hook for $283 million toward the new stadium after giving the Ilitches key parcels of land for $1.
The budget maneuvers in Michigan are part of a larger trend across the country. As Pacific Standard reports, "Over the past 20 years, 101 new sports facilities have opened in the United States — a 90-percent replacement rate — and almost all of them have received direct public funding." Now, many of those subsidies are being effectively financed by the savings accrued from pension cuts.
The officials promoting these twin policies argue that boosting stadium development effectively promotes broad economic growth. But many calculations rely on controversial and dubious assumptions that have been widely challenged.
A landmark 1997 Brookings Institution study by sports economist Andrew Zimbalist concluded that "a new sports facility has an extremely small (perhaps even negative) effect on overall economic activity and employment" and that few facilities "have earned anything approaching a reasonable return on investment" for taxpayers.
That finding was confirmed by University of Maryland and University of Alberta researchers, whose 2008 review of major academic research found that "sports subsidies cannot be justified on the grounds of local economic development." In addition, a 2012 Bloomberg News analysis found that taxpayers have lost $4 billion on such subsidies since the mid-1980s.
At the same time, cuts to pension contributions are rarely described by public officials as negative for local economic growth, though economic data suggests otherwise. An analysis by the Washington, D.C.-based National Institute on Retirement Security notes that spending resulting from pension payments had "a total economic impact of more than $941.2 billion" and "supported more than 6.1 million American jobs" in 2012.
Since Detroit filed for bankruptcy protection, city and state officials have been demanding pension cuts to reduce the estimated $3.5 billion in outstanding pension obligations while at the same time reassuring the Ilitches that the subsidies will be preserved.
As Detroit's emergency manager, Kevyn Orr, put it: "I know there's a lot of emotional concern about should we be spending the money [on stadiums] but frankly that's part of the economic development. We need jobs. If it is as productive as it's supposed to be, that's going to be a boon to the city."
According to an analysis by the New York Times, Michigan is one of the top per-capita spenders on such subsidies, providing roughly $6.6 billion a year in taxpayer support to private firms. That includes millions on the Silverdome,Ford Field and now the new Red Wings arena. The money for the new arena will not come directly from the city's general treasury, but from a special tax districtcalled the Downtown Development Authority, which diverts public dollars into such projects.
Other cities and states that have coupled sports subsidies with pension cuts include:
- In Chicago, Mayor Rahm Emanuel recently passed a $55 million cut to municipal workers' pensions. At the same time, he has promoted a plan tospend $55 million of taxpayer money on a hotel project that is part of a larger stadium redevelopment plan for Depaul University.
- In Miami, Bloomberg News reports that the city "approved a $19 million subsidy for the professional basketball arena" and then six weeks later "began considering a plan to cut as many as 700 (librarian) positions, including a fifth of the library staff and more than 300 police."
- In Arizona, the Phoenix Business Journal reports that regional governments in that state have spent $1.5 billion "on sports stadiums, arenas and pro teams" since the mid-1990s. At the same time, legislators are consideringproposals to cut public pension benefits, while voters in Phoenix may face a pension-cutting ballot initiative in November.
- In Jacksonville, Florida, officials have not fully funded the pension system leading to a recent credit downgrade by Moody's. At the same time, city officials just approved a $63 million plan to upgrade EverBank Field.
- In New Jersey, Gov. Chris Christie is trying to block a planned $2.4 billionpayment to the pension system, at the same time his administration has spent a record $4 billion on economic development subsidies and tax breaks to corporations. That includes an $82 million subsidy for the construction of a practice facility for the Philadelphia 76ers.
- In Louisville, Kentucky, up to $265 million in state and local tax revenues were used to finance the construction of the KFC Yum! Center, which opened in 2010. Only a few years later, Kentucky legislators enacted major cuts to the state's pension system.
"Sports stadiums typically aren't a good tool for economic development," said Holy Cross economist Victor Matheson in an interview with The Atlantic. "Take whatever number the sports promoter says, take it and move the decimal one place to the left. Divide it by ten, and that's a pretty good estimate of the actual economic impact."
Friday, April 25, 2014
Turkish residency permit 2014 update
Turkish residency permit 2014 update
16th April 2014
Update regarding Residency permits, received by the British Consulate. UKinTurkey
The Turkish Ministry of the Interior “General Directorate of Migration Management (GDMM)” officially commenced operations in Turkey on 14th April 2014.
The GDMM will cover all aspects of migration controls ranging from resident permits, asylum, visa policy and illegal migration. They will not cover operations at passport controls or the physical border line, these will remain with the Turkish National Police (TNP) and Turkish military respectively.
In due course, the Law of Foreigners will provide a much more stable and predictable set of regulations for migration management in Turkey. It should see an end to the system of local control over resident permit fees and durations that often differed between province, city or even town.
However, the network of GDMM offices are not yet fully established and during the consolidation period, UK nationals should continue to apply for and renew their residence applications at the existing Turkish National Police (TNP) foreigners offices.
How do I apply for a residency permit in Turkey?
We recognise there are a number of outstanding questions about the operation of the new system which have been asked to the GDMM and we expect to learn more about these issues at an international briefing to be held by the GDMM on 16th April. The Ministry of the Interior website www.goc.gov.tr is currently being updated with new links, information and an English language option to be available soon.
UPDATES ;
The briefing held yesterday by the General Directorate of Migration Management (GDMM) did not cover any specific details regarding the new application processes for residency permits. The focus was on the GDMM’s structure and policies and questions on such details were not answered by their officials.
We have today submitted detailed questions in writing to the GDMM about the process and await their reply.
Until the full network of GDMM offices are open later in the year a transition period will apply. During this time all applications will be taken by the local Foreigner’s Departments of the Turkish National Police (as before) and sent to Ankara for processing.
First time applicants for residence permits will be able to submit their applications in Turkey during this period.
We are aware of reports that some of Foreigner’s departments have been refusing to accept applications whilst they await further instruction from the GDMM in Ankara. However, we have been informed by the GDMM that applications should now be accepted at all TNP foreigners department offices - FURTHER INFORMATION TO FOLLOW
The Turkish Ministry of the Interior “General Directorate of Migration Management (GDMM)” officially commenced operations in Turkey on 14th April 2014.
The GDMM will cover all aspects of migration controls ranging from resident permits, asylum, visa policy and illegal migration. They will not cover operations at passport controls or the physical border line, these will remain with the Turkish National Police (TNP) and Turkish military respectively.
In due course, the Law of Foreigners will provide a much more stable and predictable set of regulations for migration management in Turkey. It should see an end to the system of local control over resident permit fees and durations that often differed between province, city or even town.
However, the network of GDMM offices are not yet fully established and during the consolidation period, UK nationals should continue to apply for and renew their residence applications at the existing Turkish National Police (TNP) foreigners offices.
How do I apply for a residency permit in Turkey?
We recognise there are a number of outstanding questions about the operation of the new system which have been asked to the GDMM and we expect to learn more about these issues at an international briefing to be held by the GDMM on 16th April. The Ministry of the Interior website www.goc.gov.tr is currently being updated with new links, information and an English language option to be available soon.
UPDATES ;
The briefing held yesterday by the General Directorate of Migration Management (GDMM) did not cover any specific details regarding the new application processes for residency permits. The focus was on the GDMM’s structure and policies and questions on such details were not answered by their officials.
We have today submitted detailed questions in writing to the GDMM about the process and await their reply.
Until the full network of GDMM offices are open later in the year a transition period will apply. During this time all applications will be taken by the local Foreigner’s Departments of the Turkish National Police (as before) and sent to Ankara for processing.
First time applicants for residence permits will be able to submit their applications in Turkey during this period.
We are aware of reports that some of Foreigner’s departments have been refusing to accept applications whilst they await further instruction from the GDMM in Ankara. However, we have been informed by the GDMM that applications should now be accepted at all TNP foreigners department offices - FURTHER INFORMATION TO FOLLOW
New rules on extensions of residence in Taiwan
New rules on extensions of residence in Taiwan
The Ministry of the Interior announced amendments to the Regulations Governing Visiting, Residency, and Permanent Residency of Aliens (the “Regulations”) on 22 April. The amendments took effect immediately.
The amendments primarily benefit the adult children of foreign residents who grew up in Taiwan. They are now able to apply for two three-year extensions of residency if they meet certain minimum residency requirements as minors and apply during the 30 days before expiration of a current Alien Residence Certificate. Regulations §§ 8-9. The ARC extensions do not confer work rights.
Foreign white collar professionals also now have up to six months of extended residency to seek new employment in Taiwan after a job ends. Regulations § 22. The foreign professional must apply for extension of residence to seek new employment before his or her ARC expires or is cancelled. During this period, the foreign professional cannot work until her new employer has obtained a work permit for her.
Graduates of Taiwanese universities may also apply for a six month extension of residency. Regulations § 22-1.
Below is a translation of the amendments to the Regulation provided as a public service to the international community in Taiwan.
Article 8
Aliens applying for an extension of residency pursuant to paragraph 1, Article 31 of the Act, shall submit the following document and a photograph to the National Immigration Agency within thirty(30) days before the expiration of residency:
1. An application form;
2. The passport and the Alien Resident Certificate;
3. Other supporting documents.
2. The passport and the Alien Resident Certificate;
3. Other supporting documents.
An alien who is permitted to reside in the Taiwan region, is at least 20 years of age, and whose father or mother holds an Alien Resident Certificate or a Permanent Alien Resident Certificate may apply to extend residency if any of the following circumstances apply:
- [The alien] has lawfully accumulated ten years of residence and has lived in Taiwan for more than 270 days in each of those years;
- [The alien] entered Taiwan before the age of 16 and has lived in Taiwan for more than 270 days each year; or
- [The alien] was born in Taiwan, has lawfully accumulated ten years of residence. and has lived in Taiwan for more than 183 days in each of those years.
The alien in the preceding paragraph shall submit the following document and a photograph to the National Immigration Agency within thirty(30) days before the expiration of residency:
1. Application form;
2. Passport and the Alien Resident Certificate;
3. Documents proving relationship [to parent]
4. Other supporting documents.
2. Passport and the Alien Resident Certificate;
3. Documents proving relationship [to parent]
4. Other supporting documents.
Article 9
The validity of Alien Resident Certificate issued to the following aliens shall not exceed one year:
1. Anyone undertaking study in a school, or a Chinese language institute affiliated with an university, registered with the education competent authorities;
2. Anyone undergoing study or training with the approval of the education or other competent authorities;
3. A foreign missionary or Buddhist preacher;
4. First-time applicant of residency based on the marriage to an citizen ROC national;
5. Any others for whom such residency is necessary.
Where the alien stated in subparagraph 1 of the preceding Article is a recipient of a university scholarship award under the special approval of the Ministry of Education, the validity of Alien Resident Certificate thereof shall be exempted from the one year restriction.
2. Anyone undergoing study or training with the approval of the education or other competent authorities;
3. A foreign missionary or Buddhist preacher;
4. First-time applicant of residency based on the marriage to an citizen ROC national;
5. Any others for whom such residency is necessary.
Where the alien stated in subparagraph 1 of the preceding Article is a recipient of a university scholarship award under the special approval of the Ministry of Education, the validity of Alien Resident Certificate thereof shall be exempted from the one year restriction.
Where the alien in paragraph 2 of the preceding Article applies to extend that validity of an approved and issued Alien Residence Certificate, the effective period is extended for three years from the day following the expiration of the alien’s original period of residence. If necessary, the alien may apply for another extension once. The period [of the second extension] shall not exceed three years.
Article 22
An alien, the residency for whom is granted based on the investment in Taiwan, the employment in Taiwan pursuant to subparagraphs 1 to 7 of paragraph 1 of Article 46 or Subparagraph 1 of Paragraph 1 of Article 48 of the Employment Services Act, or the special approval by the Ministry of the Foreign Affairs, under special circumstances may submitted a written explanation to extend the length of stay from the National Immigration Agency prior to the expiration of the residency; spouses and underage children of the aliens who have been verified for residency can also apply through the same process. Upon approval, applicants can leave the State six months after the expiration of the residency.
Article 22-1
Before residency expires, an alien who has come to Taiwan to study may, if necessary, explain the alien’s reasons in writing and apply to the National Immigration Agency for an extension.
An alien who applies for an extension of residency under the preceding paragraph and is approved may have residence extended for six months from the day following the expiration of the previous period of residence.
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Signs That America Is Not The Greatest Country in the World
"We’re 7th in literacy, 27th in math, 22nd in science, 49th in life expectancy, 178th in infant mortality, third in median household income, number four in labor force and number four in exports. We lead the world in only three categories. Number of incarcerated citizens per capita, number of adults who believe angels are real and defense spending..."
In Sorkin's honor, here are 25 other things America isn't number one in:
- America ranks 13th in starting a business, according to the Doing Business rankings compiled by The World Bank.
- The U.S. ranks 47th in press freedom, according to Reporters Without Borders. So much for freedom of the press.
- The U.S. ranks 20th in international trade, according to the Doing Business rankings compiled by The World Bank.
- The U.S., which ranks 15th in dealing with debt insolvency according to the Doing Business rankings.
- The U.S. is ranked 10th in economic freedom, according to The Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal.
- The U.S. is 25th among 43 developing countries for the best place to be a mother, according to Save The Children.
- The U.S. is only the 11th happiest country in the world, according Columbia University's Earth Institute.
- There are 21 countries better than America in freedom from corruption, according to Heritage.org.
- The U.S. was ranked 24th in perceived honesty, according to Transparency.org.
- America is ranked 39th in income inequality according to the CIA World Factbook.
- Need a Hepatitis B vaccination? The U.S. is ranked 89th in percentage of children who have been vaccinated according to the World Health Organization.
- The U.S. is only 47th in infant survival? That's true, according to the CIA World Factbook.
- Want to live a long life? Don't live in the U.S., which is 50th in life expectancy according to the CIA World Factbook.
- How well is our economy growing? The U.S. GDP growth rate is ranked 169th out of 216 countries, according to the CIA World Factbook.
- Our GDP per capita is only 12th in the world, behind Qatar and Liechtenstein, says the CIA World Factbook.
- Our unemployment percentage is worse than 102 of the 200 countries listed by the CIA World Factbook.
- The U.S. is an embarrassing 142nd out of 150 countries in infrastructure investment, according to the CIA World Factbook.
- America's budget deficit is ranked 192nd in debt relative to GDP, according to the CIA World Factbook.
- The growth rate of our industrial production is ranked 79th, according to the CIA World Factbook.
- The U.S. is only 11th in oil exports, according to the CIA World Factbook.
- Our oil reserves is only the 13th most in the world, according to the CIA World Factbook.
- The U.S. is ranked 192nd, dead last, in the net trade of goods and services, according to the CIA World Factbook.
- Our reserve of foreign exchange and gold is ranked 19th, according to the CIA World Factbook, right behind Indonesia.
- The U.S. is ranked the 28th best soccer team by FIFA.
- In terms of the percentage of women holding public office, the U.S. ranks 79th out of 147 countries, says the IPU.
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/here-are-25-more-signs-that-america-is-not-1-2012-6#ixzz2zjWXgn2i
Friday, April 11, 2014
Global Rankings Study Depicts an America in Warp Speed Decline
Global Rankings Study Depicts an America in Warp Speed Decline
April 8, 2014 |
Harvard business professor Michael E. Porter, who earlier developed the Global Competitiveness Report, designed the SPI. A new way to look at the success of countries, the SPI studies 132 nations and evaluates 54 social and environmental indicators for each country that matter to real people. Rather than measuring a country’s success by its per capita GDP, the index is based on an array of data reflecting suicide, ecosystem sustainability, property rights, access to healthcare and education, gender equality, attitudes toward immigrants and minorities, religious freedom, nutrition, infrastructure and more.
The index measures the livability of each country. People everywhere depend on and care about similar things. “We all need clean water. We all want to feel safe and live without fear. People everywhere want to get an education and improve their lives,” says Porter. But economic growth alone doesn’t guarantee these things.
While the U.S. enjoys the second highest per capita GDP of $45,336, it ranks in an underperforming 16th place overall. It gets worse. The U.S. ranks 70th in health, 69th in ecosystem sustainability, 39th in basic education, 34th in access to water and sanitation and 31st in personal safety.
More surprising is the fact that despite being the home country of global tech heavyweights Microsoft, Cisco, IBM, Oracle, and so on, the U.S. ranks a disappointing 23rd in access to the Internet. “It’s astonishing that for a country that has Silicon Valley, lack of access to information is a red flag,” notes Michael Green, executive director of the Social Progress Imperative [3], which oversees the index.
If this index is an affront to your jingoistic sensibilities, the U.S. remains in first place for the number of incarcerated citizens per capita, adult onset diabetes and for believing in angels.
New Zealand is ranked in first place in social progress. Interestingly, it ranks only 25th on GDP per capita, which means the island of the long white cloud is doing a far better job than America when it comes to meeting the need of its people. In order, the top 10 is rounded out by Switzerland, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Canada, Finland, Denmark and Australia.
Unsurprisingly these nations all happen to rank highly in the 2013 U.N. World Happiness Report with Denmark, Norway, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Sweden among the top five.
So, what of the U.S? In terms of happiness, we rank 17th, trailing neighboring Mexico.
We find ourselves languishing for the very fact we have allowed corporate America to hijack the entire Republican Party, and some parts of the Democratic Party. This influence has bought corporations and the rich a rigged tax code that has redistributed wealth from the middle class to the rich over the course of the past three decades. This lack of shared prosperity and opportunity has retarded our social progress.
America’s rapid descent into impoverished nation status is the inevitable result of unchecked corporate capitalism. By every measure, we look like a broken banana republic. Not a single U.S. city is included in the world’s top 10 most livable cities. Only one U.S. airport makes the list of the top 100 in the world. Our roads, schools and bridges are falling apart, and our trains — none of them high-speed — are running off their tracks.
With 95 percent of all economic gains funneled to the richest 1 percent over the course of the last decade, and a tax code that has starved the federal government of revenues to invest in public infrastructure, America will be a country divided by those who have and those who have not. In The World As It Is, Chris Hedges writes, “Our anemic democracy will be replaced with a robust national police state. The elite will withdraw into heavily guarded gated communities where they will have access to security, goods, and services that cannot be afforded by the rest of us. Tens of millions of people, brutally controlled, will live in perpetual poverty.”
This week the Republican Party rolled out its 2014 Ryan budget. Robert Greenstein, president of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, noted that under the Ryan budget, "[affluent] Americans would do quite well. But for tens of millions of others, the Ryan plan is a path to more adversity." Greenstein pointed out that the plan would leave millions without health insurance through repeal of the Affordable Care Act and changes to Medicaid funding.
Greenstein also criticized the budget for its impact on anti-poverty programs, estimating that it would slash basic food aid provided by SNAP by at least $135 billion and convert the program to a block grant, make it harder for low-income students to attend college and make massive unspecified cuts to domestic non-military spending, which means cuts to social welfare programs.
The countries ranked highest in social progress are doing the complete opposite. They’re investing in schools rather than drones. They’re expanding collective bargaining laws rather than busting unions. They’re providing their citizens with universal healthcare and education rather than selling these basic human rights to the highest bidder.
“Those who care about the plight of the working class and the poor must begin to mobilize quickly, or we will lose our last opportunity to save our embattled democracy. The most important struggle will be to wrest the organs of communication from corporations that use mass media to demonize movements of social change and empower protofascist movements such as the Christian Right,” observes Hedges.
It’s your move, America.
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