The 144 citizenship candidates originate from the following 52 countries: Albania, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bolivia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Canada, Chile, People’s Republic of China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cote D’Ivoire, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, France, Ghana, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kosovo, Liberia, Mexico, Montenegro, Nigeria, Peru, Philippines, Republic of Serbia, Russia, Senegal, Singapore, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, St. Kitts-Nevis, The Gambia, Togo, Turkey, United Kingdom, Venezuela, Vietnam and Yemen. Of those naturalizing, two are currently serving in the U.S. Armed Forces.

This year, USCIS will welcome more than 10,000 new citizens in nearly 130 naturalization ceremonies between Nov. 7 and 13. Of those being naturalized, more than 250 are veterans, service members and military spouses. USCIS is asking new citizens and their families and friends to share the experience and photos at their ceremonies via Twitter using the hashtag #newUScitizen.

WHO:
USCIS New York District Director Phyllis Coven

WHEN:

Friday, November 13, 9 a.m. (media will be escorted in starting at 8:30 a.m.)
WHERE:
USCIS NY District Office
26 Federal Plaza (please use the entrance on Duane Street between Broadway and Lafayette)

CONTACT:
Katie Tichacek, USCIS Public Affairs Officer, 212-264-5098, 202-420-9581 (cell) katherine.tichacek@uscis.dhs.gov

NOTE:
Media interested in participating, please RSVP to Katie Tichacek (contact info above) no later than 9:00 am EST on November 13.

– USCIS –

News Release Nov. 9, 2015

USCIS Will Host Naturalization Ceremonies to Honor Veterans and their Families

WASHINGTON—Veterans, service members and military spouses across the country will become U.S. citizens this week as they take the Oath of Allegiance at special Veterans Day naturalization ceremonies. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will highlight the sacrifices that military members and their families have made while serving our country. From Nov. 7-13, USCIS will welcome more than 10,000 new citizens in nearly 130 naturalization ceremonies across the country and around the world. Of those being naturalized, more than 255 are veterans, service members and military spouses.

Many current and former military members and their families are eligible for citizenship, including expedited screening and overseas processing, under special provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Since Oct. 1, 2001, when data collection on military naturalizations began, more than 109,000 service members have become U.S. citizens, including individuals serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, South Korea, Germany, Japan and elsewhere. In 2015 alone, USCIS hosted nearly 175 naturalization ceremonies at military installations in the U.S. and abroad.

“On Veterans Day, we salute the men and women who have so courageously served our country and defended the freedoms that it was built upon. Among our brave veterans are thousands of immigrants, many of whom vowed to defend their new home even before they were citizens,” USCIS Director León Rodríguez said. “It is because of their extraordinary sacrifices, and those of their families, that we can enjoy the rights and liberties of living in this great country.”

USCIS has a robust military outreach program that provides information about immigration and naturalization to service members and veterans at military installations, Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals, universities and various military organizations. USCIS also has offices on multiple military installations, including Fort Benning, Georgia; Camp Lejeune, North Carolina; and Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. These offices identify recruits who may be eligible for naturalization.

USCIS’ Veterans Day activities this year will feature a naturalization ceremony at the USS Torsk and USS Constellation, located at the Inner Harbor in Baltimore, Maryland, on Nov. 11. During this event, Dan Renaud, USCIS associate director for the Field Operations Directorate, will administer the Oath of Allegiance, and Sgt. Maj. Mercy A. Diez of the U.S. Army Band will be recognized as an Outstanding American by Choice.

Other ceremonies include events at:
· American Heroes Air Show in Orlando, Florida, on Nov. 7.
· Cullman Performance Hall of Tryon Palace in New Bern, North Carolina, on Nov. 11.
· Joint Base Lewis McChord in Seattle, Washington, on Nov. 13.

In addition, 12 recruits will become new citizens at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego, California, through the Naturalization at Basic Training Initiative. Developed with the Department of Defense, this program allows enlisted service members to complete the naturalization process during basic training.

USCIS invites new citizens, and their families and friends, to share their experiences from the ceremonies through Twitter and other social media using the hashtag #newUScitizen.

For more information on USCIS and its programs, please visit uscis.gov or follow us on Twitter (@uscis), YouTube (/uscis), Facebook(/uscis), and the USCIS blog The Beacon.

– USCIS –

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Géza von Habsburg-Lothringen studied at the Universities of Fribourg and Bern (Switzerland), Munich and Florence and has a Ph.D. in History of Art and Archeology. He was Chairman of Christie’s in Switzerland and in Europe for 18 years; taught at the New York School of Design; at the Bard Graduate Center for the Decorative Art; at New York University; and lectured for a decade at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He published 15 books on the History of Collecting, Russian Art and Fabergé, and organized five international exhibitions attracting over 2 million visitors.

At present he serves as Visiting Professor at Shijitsu University, Okayama (Japan); Fabergé Guest Curator at the Virginia Museum of Art, where he wrote the catalogue of its collection of Russian Art and organized the exhibition “Fabergé Revealed”; and Curatorial Director of the Fabergé Company. As President of the International Friends of the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, he speaks regularly on Habsburg family history, artistic patronage and collecting.

He is President of the International Friends of the Budapest Museum of Applied Art; Advisory Board Member of the Hermitage Foundation; of the Fabergé Museum in St. Petersburg; and Board Member of the Friends of Dresden.

He forms part of the International Council of Museums (ICOM); American Association of Museums (AAM); Appraisers Association of America, New York (AAA); American Association of Jewelry Historians; of the The British Society of Jewellery Historians; and is member of the Vetting Committees of The European Fine Arts Fair (TEFAF) in Maastricht; The American International Fine Arts Fair (AIFAF) in Palm Beach; and The International Fine Art & Antique Dealer’s Show in New York.

CURRICULUM VITAE
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
VIRGINIA FINE ARTS MUSEUM, RICHMOND, FABERGÉ GUEST CURATOR 2010-present
FABERGÉ USA, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR 1994-2007; CURATORIAL DIRECTOR 2007-present
FABERGÉ ARTS FOUNDATION, CURATOR, DIRECTOR 1991-1994
HABSBURG FINE ART INTERNATIONAL AUCTIONEERS, CHAIRMAN GENEVA AND NEW YORK 1987-1991
CHRISTIE, MANSON & WOODS AUCTIONEERS, CHAIRMAN (SWITZERLAND) 1968-1984; CHAIRMAN (EUROPE) 1980-1984.

EXHIBITIONS CURATED (SELECTION)
KUNSTHALLE, MUNICH, 2003: Fabergé und Cartier, Rivalen am Zarenhof
VIRGINIA MUSEUM OF FINE ART, RICHMOND, 2001: Fabergé Revealed
METROPOLIAN MUSEUM, NEW YORK; FINE ARTS MUSEUMS OF SAN FRANCISCO; RICHMOND, VA; NEW ORLEANS, LA; CLEVELAND, OH, 1996/7: Fabergé in America
STATE HERMITAGE MUSEUM, ST. PETERSBURG; MUSÉE DES ARTS DÉCORATIFS, PARIS;
V&A MUSEUM, LONDON, 1993/94: Fabergé, Imperial Court Jeweler
KUNSTHALLE, MUNICH 1986: Fabergé Hofjuwelier der Zaren

BOOKS PUBLISHED (SELECTION)
“Fabergé Revealed”, Richmond Museum Press 2011
“Fabergé. Treasures of Imperial Russia”, The Link of Times Foundation, Moscow 2004 (Russian/English)
“Fabergé/Cartier. Rivalen am Zarenhof”, Hirmer Verlag, Munich 2003 (German)
“Princely Treasures”, Vendome Press, New York 1997 (English, French, German and Italian editions)
“Fabergé in America”, San Francisco Museum of Fine Art, 1996
“Fabergé. Imperial Jeweller” (co-authored with Dr. Marina Lopato), Zwemmer, London 1993 (Russian, French, English)

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Isabella is a student at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. As a high school student at the Convent of the Sacred Heart in Greenwich, Connecticut, she was the Senior Editor and Executive Director for the Broadcast Journalism Course and received many journalism awards including Finalist at the National Film Festival for Talented Youth in Seattle, Washington, in 2013 for I Love You Bear. She also created four public service announcements, and two documentaries: Natural Disasters: Haiti and Striving For Greatness: Twin Lakes Farm. She is fluent in French and received the La Comtesse Nathalie d’Esterno Prix d’Excellence 2014 for excellence in French Studies. In addition, she has won many equitation awards including Champion, Saugerties Children’s Hunter Division, Saugerties, New York, and Top Ten, Low Hunter Division and Top Five Children’s Equitation Division, Fairfield-Westchester Professional Horseman’s Association. Isabella was also the President of the Cleats for Kids Club at Convent of the Sacred Heart and a volunteer at the Padre Pio Shelter, a shelter for homeless men in the Bronx.

Miss Isabella Maria Luisa von Habsburg-Lothringen’s father, the Archduke Geza von Habsburg-Lothringen is an internationally renowned author and leading authority on Fabergé. He is the son of Archduke Joseph Francis of Austria and Princess Anna of Saxony, the grandson of King Frederick Augustus III of Saxony and the great-great grandson of Emperor Franz-Joseph I of Austria. Her mother, the Archduchess Elizabeth von Habsburg-Lothringen is the Managing Director of the Winston Art Group. Her great-grandfather, Albert Kunstadter, founded Formfit, and her family runs the Albert Kunstadter Family Foundation, a New York-based philanthropy.
The International Debutante Ball, founded in 1954, is considered one of the most prestigious debutante presentations. Young women of distinction from all over the country and around the globe are brought together at the ball and the surrounding parties with daughters of Diplomats, titled Europeans, Ambassadors, Governors and Presidents of the United States. Over the years, the ball has benefited numerous charities through the International Debutante Ball Foundation, including one of its major beneficiaries, the Soldiers’, Sailors’, Marines’, Coast Guard and Airmen’s Club of New York, which provides a home away from home for the men and women of our Armed Services

FORTY-SIX WOMEN MADE THEIR BOWS AT THE 60th INTERNATIONAL DEBUTANTE BALL Monday, December 29th, 2014

Forty-six women of distinction from the United States and abroad made their bows to society at the 60th Anniversary of the International Debutante Ball. The debutantes represented Austria, China, England, Hong Kong, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine and twelve American states. Each debutante was accompanied by her own escort in white tie and tails, and a military cadet who carried the flag of the country or state which she represented. This year there were five sets of sisters.

Sponsored by Piaget, and The Muriel McBrien Kauffman Foundation the Ball benefits go to The International Debutante Ball Foundation which supports numerous charities. The primary charity is The Soldiers’, Sailors’, Marines’, Coast Guard and Airmen’s Club, a home away from home for the military and their families. Partial support will go to the American Ballet Theater, Friends of Versailles and the American Theater Wing among others.

The ball was founded in 1954 by Beatrice Dinsmore Joyce as a charity and the tradition continues today directed by her niece, Mrs. Gregory Scott Hedberg, Director and General Chairman. This year the Honorary Chairmen were Ms. Anne Eisenhower, Mrs. David R. Hamilton and Ms. Julia Irene Kauffman and Ball Chairmen included Mrs. Andrew E. Beer, Mrs. Spencer Neville Brown, Mrs. Ryland E.D. Chase, Mrs. D. David Eisenhower, Ms. Susan Eisenhower, and Mrs. William Dean McNaughton

The post ARCHDUCHESS ISABELLA MARIA LUISA VON HABSBURG-LOTHRINGEN TO DEBUT AT THE INTERNATIONAL DEBUTANTE BALL appeared first on Good News!.

Fanny attends the University of Lausanne’s Faculty of Biology and Medicine in Switzerland. She plays the piano, and loves music, writing, art and sports.

Miss Fanny Tang’s father, Weixing Tang, is the President of the China Sales Group LTD. Her mother, Honglin Zhang, is the President of CAASC Europe.
For her debut, Miss Fanny Tang has chose to wear a strapless gown designed by Guo Pei, one of the most renowned designers in China. The dress features gold accents, including golden flowers embellished with Swarovski crystals.
The International Debutante Ball, founded in 1954, is considered one of the most prestigious debutante presentations. Young women of distinction from all over the country and around the globe are brought together at the ball and the surrounding parties with daughters of Diplomats, titled Europeans, Ambassadors, Governors and Presidents of the United States. Over the years, the ball has benefited numerous charities through the International Debutante Ball Foundation, including one of its major beneficiaries, the Soldiers’, Sailors’, Marines’, Coast Guard and Airmen’s Club of New York, which provides a home away from home for the men and women of our Armed Services.

FORTY-SIX WOMEN MADE THEIR BOWS AT THE 60th INTERNATIONAL DEBUTANTE BALL Monday, December 29th, 2014

Forty-six women of distinction from the United States and abroad made their bows to society at the 60th Anniversary of the International Debutante Ball. The debutantes represented Austria, China, England, Hong Kong, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine and twelve American states. Each debutante was accompanied by her own escort in white tie and tails, and a military cadet who carried the flag of the country or state which she represented. This year there were five sets of sisters.

Sponsored by Piaget, and The Muriel McBrien Kauffman Foundation the Ball benefits go to The International Debutante Ball Foundation which supports numerous charities. The primary charity is The Soldiers’, Sailors’, Marines’, Coast Guard and Airmen’s Club, a home away from home for the military and their families. Partial support will go to the American Ballet Theater, Friends of Versailles and the American Theater Wing among others.

The ball was founded in 1954 by Beatrice Dinsmore Joyce as a charity and the tradition continues today directed by her niece, Mrs. Gregory Scott Hedberg, Director and General Chairman. This year the Honorary Chairmen were Ms. Anne Eisenhower, Mrs. David R. Hamilton and Ms. Julia Irene Kauffman and Ball Chairmen included Mrs. Andrew E. Beer, Mrs. Spencer Neville Brown, Mrs. Ryland E.D. Chase, Mrs. D. David Eisenhower, Ms. Susan Eisenhower, and Mrs. William Dean McNaughton

For more information: www.internationaldebutanteball.com

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