This morning on NPRs Morning Edition I heard a fascinating story about schools in Tucson that are trying to address both the high rates of Latino student dropout from school, and the lack of bilingual interpreters in the city. The school is beginning to harness these children’s language skills by training them to be simultaneous [...]

I just found a really interesting article recounting the experiences of two BBC correspondents who spent two weeks traveling the length of the USA speaking only Spanish. The aim of the project was to see what kind of experiences, stories and adventures they would encounter and to get a sense of just how prominent Spanish [...]

Today Cape Verdians outside the island outnumber those who live on the island, and this dynamic which has been forming for years, even decades has transformed a nation and continues to redefine family and social ties. And yet Cape Verde is far from being the lone example of this new world order. Countries like Mexico [...]

A new technology is emerging in Zimbabwe, one that uses cell phone messages to exchange currency for goods. Mukuru.com is a company that has set up a system by which you can order fuel for friends and family in Zimbabwe and South Africa. Today, as people immigrate in search for opportunities, and are often force [...]

Today, Michael Pollan (author of “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” and “The Botany of Desire”) had a fascinating article in the New York Times Magazine about how the agribusiness is who determines what we eat, and how the farm bill, which passes Congress every 5 years, affect almost every aspect of our lives and in turn affects [...]

Today, The New York Times has an article about the rise in undocumented immigrants in the USA who are filing taxes. Since 1996 undocumented immigrants can legally file taxes with an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN). ITINs were created to allow both undocumented immigrants as well as foreign investors file returns, although it’s generally assumed [...]

This week I got to visit the Framingham Public Library to see their Newcomer & Neighbors Center. The city has seen a large growth in their immigrant populations, and currently about 20% of the city’s residents are foreign born. Because the local library saw a need in these new communities, and because it wanted to [...]

A couple of days ago, the UK’s Guardian published a story about record breaking remittances going to Latin America. The high numbers involved shouldn’t really come as a surprise to anyone who regularly interacts with immigrants. Immigrants, especially those who come alone often work well over full time and live in crowded homes in order [...]

I just read an article about proposed legislation making English the official language in Oklahoma, and how American Indians are opposing this move. American Indians point out that their languages are disappearing fast enough, and that legislation of this type could make matters worse. Proponents to the bill mention the same arguments always used for [...]

I just read an article on a new theme park in Mexico; a park that for about US$20 lets you live what undocumented immigrants trying to enter the USA experience during their travel. I can’t help but be fascinated by the clever business person who even thought up such a concept, as disturbing as this [...]