In the USA recently over 1 million immigrants, both legal and illegal protested at there lack of rights and residency in a country that many of them have spent years working in. The protests meant that basic, menial and often labour intensive jobs were not done that day. Hotel laundry was not washed and the streets not cleaned in many areas.
The US Senate has reached a deal that could see the approval of a stalled bill that would grant millions of illegal immigrants the right to stay. One of the Senate bill's key provisions is the opening of a path to eventual citizenship for about 11 million illegal immigrants.
The House bill would criminalise illegal immigrants and create a vast fence on the southern US border. It has sparked huge street protests from immigrant groups and put the issue high on the agenda for November's mid-term elections. The Latino's are the fastest growing minority and George Bush is keen to win their votes.
A similar debate is also raging in the UK regarding the influx of mainly Polish workers into the UK, along with Slovaks due to the enlargement of the European Union (EU) in 2004. This meant that the 8 Accession countries could come to the UK without visa's to work. Most European countries imposed a ban on these workers entering there job market without visas, but the UK saw this opportunity for labour migration and welcomed it with open arms.
The result was over 250,000 Polish workers coming to the UK over a two year period. This new, cheap, hard working labour is now propping up certain industries such as construction. The Anti-immigrant UK Independence Party leader hired Polish builders to work on his country mansion, the hypocrisy of some people beggars believe!! But he must confirm what a recent Joseph Rowntree Foundation research concluded which was that the study reveals that 75% of employers felt that European enlargement had been good for business and that employers valued highly qualified migrant workers for low-skilled and low-waged work. They also preferred benefiting from what they see as the "work ethic" and reliability of migrant workers to employing reluctant UK nationals who some described as "lazy".
But this low cost labour is means that wages are kept low nationally for the host population that are looking for employment. Those EU Nationals that are entitled to state benefits receive top-ups to their income via Working Tax Credits and other benefits.
So how much is the UK actually benefiting in monetary terms? I don't think anybody has worked that out just yet! The EU is about to decide whether to expand further and allow both Bulgaria and Romania to join, the UK had already hinted at some form of labour control to prevent the expected labour migration once again.


“ 'Online Learning', What Do You Mean?”
? 'Online Learning', What Do You Mean??
Did this ever happen to you:
You wake up one morning with your stomach in a knot. A vision of your future looms before you. What does it look like? -- the same old frustrations: rent and utility payments you can scarcely meet, car problems that won't go away, mounting grocery prices, medical bills that multiply, second-hand clothes for the kids, and a menial job that's taking you nowhere -- ?
What you would like to see is a bright new shiny career, and the satisfying lifestyle that goes with it . . . is that right?
Well don't despair. Believe it or not, you're one of a large crowd of folks like you who have no time, or means, for commuting regularly to a bricks-and-mortar school or college, yet realize they are in acute need of more education.
This could mean the young ninth-grade-dropout who wants a high school diploma; the stay-at-home mom who would like to help out with the family budget; the aspiring entrepreneur who happens to be physically handicapped; the retiree who is looking for a second career; and many student-wanna-be's living in rural or remote areas.
No matter who you are, or where you live, the solution to your problem is easier than you think:
Online Learning by Computer is a popular academic process developed in response to a burgeoning need ? just like yours.
A preliminary search will provide a list of fine specialty schools, colleges, and universities that are currently offering online learning via computer. That's right, anyone can earn a diploma, or certificate, as well as a bachelor's or master's degree right from the comfort and convenience of their own home!
Available online learning courses run the gamut from arts and crafts, secretarial skills, retail management, accounting, and such, to the bachelor's or master's degree program of your choice. Here's what you will need:
? A sincere desire to improve your circumstances and position yourself closer to your life goals;
? A focused effort to make the process work;
? A computer with internet connection (or convenient access to one);
? A modest space in your home to set up your own little corner of academia;
? A realistic schedule that dovetails with the requirements of your full-time job and your family responsibilities.

How does it work? Something like this:
You will be assigned a personal tutor after you select the course(s) you want to take.
Lectures can be heard through speakers or head phones, or recorded to be reviewed at a later time.
You will arrange to logon to the class site at a time convenient to you, for a specified number of hours per week.
Your instructors can be contacted by email when you have questions.
Assignments - and tests - can be handed in by email, graded by the instructor, and returned to you.
You might be surprised to find a ?chat room? where you can speak with your fellow students to discuss the course, and exchange ideas. There might be live audio chat, as well.
Among the advantages of online learning, you might have discovered that

? You are able to fit valuable online learning into a very busy schedule -- with little effort ? when your own personal ?classroom? is just a few steps away;
? You will have twenty-four hour access to course materials;
? Your schedule will let you work at the time of your choosing and at your own pace;
? You can continue to work a full-time job for as long as you need to.
It will be your responsibility, of course, to develop good work and study habits as well as to keep on top of your assignments, just as you would in any bricks-and-mortar school setting.
Finances need not be a problem. Usually, a financial program can be tailored to your individual needs through grants, loans, or other means.
How much time will all this take ? ? Instead of counting the months, maybe even years, ask yourself, ?Where will I be this time next year if I ignore the opportunity - ??
Is it worth it? When you're holding that piece of paper that says you've successfully completed your course ? and a great new career is within your reach ? you'll proudly say ?YES, it was worth it!?
Ask anyone who's been through it: Online Learning is a great way to go! Get started NOW.


Making Money on the Internet
Imagine a way where you can control your own education schedule, work through the material as quickly or slowly as you desire, and get more one on one help when needed? Welcome to the brave new world of distance learning or E-Learning!
There are many accredited elearning or distance learning programs available today from reputable colleges. E-learning is a way to obtain the education you need at your own learning speed by attending college through online classes and the use of college level examinations.
Many formal college organizations have even opened a distance learning programs to take advantage of this rapidly growing market. You can obtain not only a 4 year degree but also advanced Masters and Doctorate degrees almost completely online. There's even specialty certification type programs available from many colleges as well. The benefit to the college is they can support many more students without a large increase in cost for additional staff or physical space.
E-learning is not a shortcut in the quality of your education however. Rather, it's an educational material delivery method that allows your to work at your own pace. Distance learning uses a variety of strategies to help you learn. Textbooks are used of course as are videos or audio of lectures, along with discussion forums, email and direct support when needed. The big benefit here is that you can go as fast or as slowly as necessary to complete the coursework. This means that it's possible to complete semester classes in much less time.
E-learning also supports work experience. Many of the distance learning colleges are now accepting word experience portfolios and granting college level credit based on that knowledge.
In addition, if you're a self learner, you may also want to consider CLEP [college level examination program] exams to collect college credit for basic courses even more quickly. A CLEP exam is a subject matter test given by a nearby educational institution. These are usually undergraduate classes in basic subjects like English, Art, Math and others. The benefit here is that you can study for the exam on your own then simply schedule and take it. If you fail the test or don't get a high enough grade for your satisfaction, simply retake the exam.
There is no penalty so you can retake the exam as many times as you need to successfully pass the test. Pass the test in English with the minimum score, notify your selected distance learning college, and they award you x number of credits in that subject. I've known people who completed almost all their pre-requisite and under graduate courses using only CLEP and DANTES testing.
As distance learning becomes more popular, the number of colleges offering this type of educational environment continues to increase. Some however aren't as quick to embrace all the levels of distance learning available. For example some colleges won't give full credit for CLEP examinations though most do. Others require you to attend at least 1 class physically at their campus to be eligible for distance learning opportunities.
The best way to decide if distance learning is for you is to sign up at a local community college for a distance learning or computer based learning class. If you find that this type of educational learning environment is for you, the next step would be to find a college you are interested in attending. New York and New Jersey have several well recognized and accredited colleges that are fully supportive elearning and distance learning.

Abigail Franks writes on a variety of subjects which include family, home, and business. For more information on distance learning
and getting your degree visit the site at http://www.e-learning.educationtoday.org