Churches in the United States are collecting relief aid for Haiti. Many of them waited until the aid could be brought into the country. VOA's Deborah Block went to one church outside of Washington that is taking donations of food, water and medical supplies.
51. What are two rights of everyone living in the United States?
Situated on the West Coast of the United States, the city of San Francisco has long been home to many generations of Asians who immigrated to the United States. In a lot of cases, they are Buddhists, but since they are from a variety of cultures and countries, the way they practice Buddhism also varies. VOA Mandarin reporter Suli Yi filed this story of the many different forms of Buddhism in San Francisco. It is narrated by Ruth Reader.
10. What is freedom of religion?
You can practice any religion, or not practice a religion.
President Obama details how the Recovery Act and other funding is providing needed repairs and upgrades to the nations infrastructure, encouraging clean energy alternatives and creating new jobs across the country. January 27, 2010 (Public Domain)
President Barack Obama delivers the State of the Union Address to Congress and the American people Wednesday, 27 January 9 PM Wednesday Washington time, 6pm Pacific time.
The DREAM Act is a bipartisan proposal, which would create a pathway to citizenship for thousands of young students who were brought to the United States years ago as children. If Congress fails to act this year, another entire class of outstanding, law-abiding high school students will graduate without being able to plan for the future, and some will be removed from their homes to countries they barely know. This tragedy will cause America to lose a vital asset: an educated class of promising immigrant students who have demonstrated a commitment to hard work and a strong desire to be contributing members of our society. For more info, see DREAM TV on YouTube or DREAMActivist.
Four years from now, thousands of US Marines are expected to move to the US territory of Guam from Japan's southern island of Okinawa. The move will sharply increase the Pacific island's population and strain its infrastructure. Akiko Fujita reports from Guam.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in a policy speech Thursday, said the United States supports an uncensored global Internet to which all people have an assured "freedom to connect." She warned that Internet freedom is threatened by governments trying to build electronic barriers to the World Wide Web. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department.
Thousands of Haitians in the New York area, reeling from the devastation of last week's earthquake to family back home, found some help Wednesday at a briefing by U.S. immigration officials. VOA's Bernard Shusman explains.
On IN THE NEWS: He angered conservatives, yet some liberals saw him as too willing to compromise. Many Americans think his push on health care takes his attention from the economy.
Barack Obama entered the presidency one year ago amid sky-high public approval ratings and great expectations for change, in both domestic and foreign policy. But Mr. Obama's first year in office has proven to be politically challenging. The president's push for health care reform stoked fierce grassroots opposition on the right while some of his most loyal liberal supporters expressed disappointment that he has not been able to achieve more in his first year in office. VOA National Correspondent Jim Malone has more on Mr. Obama's political impact as he begins his second year in office.
USCIS 100:28. What is the name of the President of the United States now?*
This week, America celebrates the life of one of its most revered leaders, the late civil rights activist Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Each January, his birthday is observed as a national holiday. MacKenzie Babb in Washington has a report on how schoolchildren in the U.S. capital are commemorating Dr. King's work by memorizing his "I Have a Dream" speech, delivered 47 years ago on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
. . . I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.
This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."
And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!
Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!
Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California!
But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"
On January 18th, Americans will pay tribute to the legacy of slain civil rights leader The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the annual national holiday that celebrates his birthday (January 15th). Reverend King would have been 80 years old if he were alive today. More than 50 years ago, Dr. King campaigned across the United States, leading non-violent marches and demonstrations for equal rights for African Americans. VOA's Chris Simkins looks back at his life and the impact his work had on the country.
The President speaks about the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the importance of persistence in achieving broader goals in remarks at the Vermont Avenue Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. January 17, 2010.
by Ben Heine (Note : If you wish a print of this image, click "Buy This Print" )
USCitizenpod's MLK Day Special!
Today we will review the 96Qs (45) and the new 100Q (48, 84, 85, 100) related to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. You can get the MLK Day handout here. Also check out the following links.
In response to the destruction and devastation caused by the earthquake in Haiti, First Lady Michelle Obama has joined The Advertising Council and the American Red Cross to launch a series of national public service advertisements (PSAs). The television and radio PSAs are designed to encourage all Americans to support relief efforts for the Haitian citizens impacted by the earthquake.
The President expresses his condolences to the people of Haiti after a devastating earthquake and promises a swift, coordinated effort to aid rescue efforts and provide humanitarian relief. January 13, 2010.
1. Circle the names of the Countries, States, Territories, Rivers, & Oceans. 2. Write the name of the State next to its 2-letter Postal Code. 3. Answer the USCIS 100:88-95 Geography questions.
Today we continue our series based on the USCIS Quick Civics Lessons (M638). Each episode, we will review two questions plus practice a section from the N-400 related to the USCIS questions. Lets begin!
A few years ago, some marketing and advertising experts were asked to name the best nickname for an American city. The winner was the nation’s largest city, New York. The top nickname was The Big Apple. You might wonder how New York got this nickname...
U.S. lawmakers have approved a measure that would end what has become known as the -widow penalty- the government's practice of annulling foreigners' applications for permanent residency when their American spouses die within the first two years of the marriage. Immigrants' rights advocates are cheering the vote. Paige Kollock reports on one woman's struggle to gain legal status in the U.S.
Congress has passed sweeping legislation aimed at making the U.S. food supply safer.
The bill gives the government broad new powers to inspect processing plants, order recalls and impose stricter standards for imported foods. And, rather than having to waiting for an outbreak to start before it can order a recall, the Food and Drug Administration will now require producers to draw up detailed food safety plans to reduce contamination risks before food goes to market.
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