Immigration (2.3)

          Immigration has become a big discussion in today's news. Often we hear about protecting our borders, illegal immigrants, and many other words that are associated with the word immigration. One category that interested me was how the naturalization process works. Through my research, I was able to find the legal answer to this question but I also dove into the moral aspects of immigration and the sacrifices that one has to take to become a citizen of the United States.
         Naturalization is "the manner in which a person not born in the United States voluntarily becomes a United States citizen." This was the definition given on the website from US Citizenship and Immigration Services. While visiting this site I was given all the nitty-gritty information on exactly how to become a citizen. As I scrolled through the requirements and "Ten Steps to Naturalization" I noticed that the form N-400 which was the Application for Naturalization was everywhere. This twenty-one-page document is probably the most crucial part of the process and, by the looks of it, the amount of information that is required from a person is extremely detailed and would take time and patience to get approved. Finding this form and all the requirements that are involved in the process lead me to ask; how long might it take for one to become a citizen? I was able to find a website that lays out the step that would come after submitting the Application for Naturalization. Form the Citizen Path website I found that it takes approximately two to three weeks to get the receipt of the application and that approximately nine percent are rejected and many more are completely denied. Some parts of the process can take multiple weeks while others like the "appointment notice for naturalization interview" and the interview its self can take up to ten months after the preceding step has been confirmed. Overall the process can take from one year to many more depending on the situation. My research gave me the impression that the process is very much a  "waiting game," I tried to wonder what it might be like for people, that go through the process and what they have to sacrifice.
          Time moves fast, lives are always changing and there is no time to waste. The Naturalization process is a long and grueling. One might wait around to see if he or she filled out all the paperwork correctly or if they passed their test and interview. It is hard to know what the future might hold and in particular those going through the naturalization process. For some, the process creates a halt in their lives as they have to adjust. I read an article from the New York Times to learn about one specific journey to citizenship. There are many different timeline paths to naturalization; for the specific couple mentioned in the New York Times article, the husband was denied twice. They "invested nearly $4,000 in application fees." The same New York Times article also included information on a boy who was trying to gain residency with his mother. He stated that "It makes me angry when people say 'why don't they just have their documents in order' "If it were that easy, we wouldn't be having this problem" [refering to illegal immigrants]. His words express how difficult and frustrating it can be to become a legal citizen. The two instances mentioned in the article gave two reasons people might not want to legally become a citizen. For one, the process can be daunting and is complicated; it can also cost a family thousands of dollars. I believe that the process is too long but I also believe that it is important to protect the United States while also fulfilling the idea that America is free and a place where people can have a better life.
          As I was researching I came along an article titled " None of Us Deserve Citizenship" by Michelle Alexander. This article sparked my interest and I wanted to find what this person had to say about citizenship. The article dove into the moral aspects of being a citizen and addressed people that are labeled as "anchor babies."  This article was very opinionated and took a stand on the idea that Americans should not ridicule immigrants because "no natural born citizen did anything to deserve their citizenship." Mr. Alexander believed that everyone "deserves compassion and basic human rights."  He stated that he was not fighting for open or closed borders, but for a moral immigration process that "honors the dignity and humanity and the legitimate interest of all concerned." I found this interesting as Ms. Alexander did not make immigration a political topic but he discussed immigration for humans. I went on to research what countries have birthright citizenship and found that more than thirty countries have it. I found it fascinating that "many European nations grant citizenship on the right of blood. The moral right of all people should always be put into account and researching gave me a new perspective on immigration and the naturalization process.

At the naturalization ceremony people are required to take the Oath of Allegiance; here people in Atlanta, GA are taking the Oath. 

This was a map that neatly organized and summarized the steps that are taken to become naturalized in the Untied States.

This is a graph showing the number of people who have been nationalized through the years.  

U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services: Naturalization Information 

Citizen Path Immigration Forms Made Simple: What Happen After Filing N-400 Application for Naturalization 

NBC News: Citizenship application backlog 'skyrocketed' to near 730,000 under Trump, report finds 

The New York Times: None of Us Deserve Citizenship

Journal-News: Immigration process lengthy, costly

Boundless: Naturalization Explained 

Thinking About Sucess (2.2)

I think that hard work is the most important "ingredient" of success followed by opportunity, skill, and luck. I believe that one can be successful without luck or a special talent if she or he works hard enough. One must put in the time to achieve goals and be successful. I think opportunity is the second most important because when given an opportunity, it can drive one to want success. Opportunity is somewhat controllable, compared to luck which is not. For example, if one works hard, then he or she has the chance of an opportunity. When one works hard having an opportunity exceeds what one can do with only hard work. I have skill as the second to the last word because one can have the skill, but not efficiently use it and otherwise be lazy. You can have the skill, but if given an opportunity you might not know what to do with it. Luck was the last word on my ranking because luck is not always reliable. One can not just wait around for luck and hope that it will help one succeed, and like I stated before, luck is not controllable.

Rats and Empathy (2.1)

Here is how the experiment was set up 

Empathy is "having the ability to understanding and share the feeling of another." It was not until I read an article from Chicago.edu  I learned how rats display empathy. I read about an experiment that was conducted that tested whether or not a rat would free a rat stuck in a small constricting tube. One of the tests done was with one rat that was restrained in the tube and another that was in a cage where it could see the other rat but was unable to take action. The article explains how to rat in the cage, unable to take action, seemed "agitated", as it was not able to help the other rat. Here, the rat in the cage seemed to be experiencing "distress or even pain suffered by another subject. After several days, the free rat learned to open the cage and free the trapped rat. A further experiment was conducted to really test the rat's loyalty. This test "was designed to give the rat a choice." Chocolate was placed between the cage and the tube containing the free rat's companion. The article states the free rat generally saved the trapped rat before opening the chocolate container. Much to my surprise reading another article by the New York Times, explaining another experiment testing whether different colored rats would free each other, rats did not necessarily display what human empathy is. The conclusion of that experiment was it depended on what color group the rat was raised in, as for whether or not the rat would save another. The free rat would only save the other rat if the rat was raised with the free rat.

Heping your fellow rat: Rodents show empathy-driven behavior

The Kernel of Human (or Rodent) Kindness