Provoke Weekly - 5/22 The Stereotype Busters: America’s New Immigrants.
The Stereotype Busters: America’s New Immigrants. Forget what you think you know about immigrants to the United States. The new wave of immigration includes many highly educated, wealthy, and business savvy adults and their families. They are using their wealth, lawyers, and U.S. based companies to skip long immigration lines in order to apply for business related EB-5 (investor) or H-1B (highly skilled) visas. The story is the same – real people looking to have a better life somewhere other than their native land. But these immigrants have a different set of dreams, filled with multimillion-dollar luxury homes, high-end fashion, and the latest in electronics and other high-tech gear. As investors, entrepreneurs, and researchers, they are prospering and creating a boon for regional economies where they are settling. The new guy in the elevator just might be your new boss. Heidi Lemarr, Account Supervisor
A World of Cousins.
Chances are, if you have a famous ancestor far enough back that finding out about them is a surprise, you share them with a small city of other people. And the farther back you go, the truer that is. In 2004, scientists used a computer model of human genetics to show that anyone who was alive 2,000-3,000 years ago is either the ancestor of everyone who's now alive, or no one at all. Think about that: If a person alive in 1,000 BCE has any descendants alive today, they have all of us—even people from different continents and isolated populations. Now, there’s another important implication of genomic ancestry studies: Most of the people you are descended from are no more genetically related to you than strangers are. Given that people—especially those in melting-pot countries with only a vague sense of where they came from, this information might be a bit disconcerting. But genetics has shown that we’re more closely tied to our species as a whole than we might have realized. We’re all part of this enormous human fabric, full of fascinating tendencies and bizarre biochemistry.
How the US is Viewed from Mexico.
America’s image south of the border fell sharply in 2010, when Arizona passed a “show me your papers” law aimed at identifying, prosecuting and deporting immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally. But Mexican views have rebounded since then, and U.S. favorability ratings are now at their highest point since 2009. The prospects for U.S. immigration reform may be, at least in part, the source of renewed Mexican approval of their neighbor to the north. New research has found that 66 percent of Mexicans have a favorable opinion of the U.S., up 10 percentage points from a year ago and up 22 points from May 2010, immediately following the enactment of Arizona’s immigration law. The last time America’s image was as strong among Mexicans was in 2009, when 69 percent said they had a favorable opinion.
Where's Waldo?
We've seen quite a few geographic guessing games lately that build off of Google's immense Streetview database, but LocateStreet takes it to the next level. It's multiple choice, which makes it a bit easier, and it seems to provide a better level of geographic randomness than some similar games. But best of all, in addition to the "Worldwide" mode, you can choose from a number of different styles of gameplay. Want to play only within one city? You can do that. You can also play a guessing game for America's top metro areas, or National Parks. Or if you're really feeling like a challenge, play the guessing game that places you at a random Mexican archaeological site. It's practically impossible, but the scenery is great.
I Can Has Jobs Now?
Your inability to land a job might be blamed on the economy, your major or whatnot. For many, it's less about finding a job and more about finding a good job. Those are the underemployed in the Millennial generation who don't show up in unemployment reports. A new study shows Millennials are not entitled; rather, having a high-paying job is low on their list of priorities, underneath both helping others and being a good parent. What else is working against Millennial job seekers? A survey of recruiters found that 66% of hiring managers do not believe college graduates are ready for the workforce. Rather than hiring new grads for entry-level positions, recruiters are looking to bring in people with experience. The one piece of advice given is to get your foot in the door by taking a position that may not be ideal, but at a company where there's potential for growth. It's worth mentioning that paid work experience — even if it's freelance — can make a difference.
Getting to Know Millennials at Work.
Even if you're the kind of savvy networker who makes a habit of lunching with well-placed colleagues, you may be overlooking some key players at the office: your younger co-workers. Many midlife professionals make the mistake of gravitating to office friends in their same age group and level of seniority. As the folks in your circle retire or move on, however, this can leave you without anyone in a position to help you. Besides, "the millennials will be the people we will all be reporting to in the next 20 years." In other words, those up-and-comers are worth getting to know.
The Stress of Millennial Moms.
Millennial moms are more likely to say they have lost time and their sense of self because of parenting than their baby boomer counterparts are, according to research. More than 70 percent of millennial moms said the majority of their free time is taken up by their kids' activities, compared with 47 percent of baby boomer moms. And the term "helicopter parent" might better describe millennial moms than baby boomer moms. Only 39 percent of millennial moms said they usually let their children resolve problems at school or with friends on their own, compared with 61 percent of baby boomer moms.
Me, Me, Me, Millennials?
Joel Stein, in a cover story in Time Magazine, wrote that the incidence of narcissistic personality disorder is nearly three times as high for people in their 20s as for the generation that's now 65 or older, according to the National Institutes of Health; 58 percent more college students scored higher on a narcissism scale in 2009 than in 1982. About that. There is another paper over at NIH.gov that argues that that is kind of maybe completely wrong. Or, as The Atlantic writes, so is most of the thesis.
© dieste, inc. 2013