U.S.A.'s interesting latest news

The SBA is making it easier for small businesses to find lenders through Lender Match, a FREE online referral tool that connects small business borrowers with participating SBA lenders. Whether you live in rural America or a metropolitan area, SBA’s Lender Match can help you access capital for your business.   Learn more  Get Inspired: Small Business Success Story Taina Burgo’s path to small business ownership has not been an easy one. She dropped out of college and ultimately found work as a travel agent. At 21, being a single mom, she decided to attend massage school and found work as a massage therapist to help support her daughter. Read Taina's story Blogs Checklist for Choosing Business Software Good software can enable your small business to increase sales by saving time and money while expanding capacity. But you must choose wisely because the wrong software can be an expensive mistake. Here is my tried-and-true checklist for choosing software to support your business operations. Learn more The Continued Growth of Fitness Franchises According to a National Health Interview Survey, more than half of Americans reported that they got the recommended amount of leisure-time aerobic activity. Compare that to 2006, when only 43 percent of Americans hit that physical activity threshold. That means that more Americans than ever are focused on getting and staying fit. And, fitness franchise businesses are reaping the rewards. Could a fitness franchise opportunity be the right one for you? Learn more Strategic Planning This course covers why strategic planning is important and describes typical steps taken in the process. Get the tools to create successful strategic plans that will propel your business to success. Launch the course

The Summary of NLRB decisions for the week of June 18 - 22, 2018 is now available on the NLRB’s website. The summary can be accessed by clicking the links below.

https://www.nlrb.gov/cases-decisions/weekly-summaries-decisions/summary-nlrb-decisions-week-june-18-22-2018

WASHINGTON—This year, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will celebrate the 242nd anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, and our nation’s birthday, by welcoming more than 14,000 new citizens in nearly 175 naturalization ceremonies between June 28 and July 10.
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The Independence Day activities will kick off with a naturalization ceremony at the Bexar County Courthouse in San Antonio, Texas on June 28. During this event, USCIS Director L. Francis Cissna will deliver congratulatory remarks to 37 new Americans.

“The naturalization ceremony marks the end of the journey toward citizenship, just as it marks the start of new lives as American citizens,” said Director Cissna. “We are humbled to be able to share in this moment of pride, joy, and personal triumph.”

USCIS is committed to promoting awareness and understanding of citizenship by offering a variety of free citizenship preparation resources for applicants and teachers, including materials like the Establishing Independence (PDF, 2.41 MB) lesson plan in the Citizenship Resource Center. Immigrant-serving organizations can register to receive a free Civics and Citizenship Toolkit to help lawful permanent residents prepare for naturalization.

The importance of the Declaration of Independence and Independence Day in the United States is reflected in several places on the naturalization test. Prospective citizens may see them in six different questions on the civics test, including, “What did the Declaration of Independence do?” and “When do we celebrate Independence Day?”

To help applicants practice for the civics test, download the USCIS mobile app, USCIS: Civics Test Study Tools, which is currently available for download in the Google Play and iTunes stores. In addition to being the only official USCIS Civics Test application, the app keeps old tests for review, has a game to challenge your civics knowledge, and lists all 100 questions and answers that could be asked in the actual civics test.

To view a list of highlighted 2018 Independence Day-themed naturalization ceremonies, please visit uscis.gov/news.

We invite new citizens and their families and friends to share their experiences and photos from the ceremonies on social media using the hashtags #newUScitizen and #4thofJuly.

Small Business Responding to Societal Needs Today we celebrate Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day — a day designated to recognize and encourage actions to support small businesses around the globe. In Latin America and the Caribbean, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) account for 9 out of every 10 enterprises and are responsible for more than half of jobs in the region. Those numbers are even higher among emerging economies around the world, accounting for up to 60% of total employment and up to 40% of national income. Recent trends suggest that those numbers will continue to increase, especially in emerging economies. Several studies reveal that Latin America and the Caribbean is “the breeding ground for new businesses” and the second most enterprising region in the world, and young people are leading the way for new business. At the IAF, we support community led initiatives throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. Our grantee partners are creating solutions to the social and economic challenges they face. Last year (FY 2017), approximately 84% of the grants awarded to civil society groups facilitated social and economic inclusion. Current Projects Supporting Micro Enterprises Asociacion de Desarrollo Triunfeña (ADETRIUNF) is a grantee partner in the department of Choluteca, Honduras. Their project focuses on empowering young people to participate in community development and economic opportunities by providing training and financial support. They have been successful in generating employment with 61 youth micro-enterprises in metal works, carpentry, retail, honey making, leather works and other specialties. Mouvement Paysan de l’Acul du Nord (MPA) is a farmer association working with more than 700 families who produce, process and sell manioc, pumpkins, sweet potatoes and beans. MPA is using its IAF grant to train farmer members in agriculture management, administrative skills and marketing. They ensure that all participants — especially women — are part of the decision-making process. At the IAF, we work towards a more just, peaceful and prosperous region. Support for small and medium enterprises, local entrepreneurship and market development is essential to achieve these goals.  Find out more about current initiatives on our website. Learn more