Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with certificate

Undocumented alien needs documents!

fireoyster — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 14:48:42 -0800

Is it possible to get a replacement U.S. naturalization certificate fast, as in same-day pickup, provided the person can get to a large USCIS office? My mother--who has been a naturalized citizen since she was 4--has applied for a passport to go on a cruise this weekend. The passport office has yet to reply, and still has her birth certificate (filed as part of her adoption, isn't available except by mail through the state, and doesn't prove citizenship) and naturalization certificate somewhere in the bowels of the New Jersey office. She has nothing else proving citizenship except the highly unofficial copies she made of both documents before sending them off over 6 weeks ago. Since the cruise is "closed loop," she can use her driver license and naturalization certificate to re-enter the country, but that's somewhat hard to do since her certificate is several hundred miles northeast of her.

She lives near the big USCIS office in Dallas. Would it be possible for her to take two pictures and go down there tomorrow or Friday to get a new one on the spot, provided she has other identification (a driver license and so forth)? She says she did this 30 years ago when she needed one prior to going to work for a local police department, but I can find no information on if this is true now.

Can I become a minister and perform ceremonies if I am not an U.S. citizen?

Bearded Dave — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 13:56:41 -0800

I am a 'permanent resident', not an American citizen - can I become ordained as a minister and perform wedding ceremonies? I have been toying around with the idea of getting ordained as a minister in order to be able to perform wedding ceremonies (by getting a certificate from the United Live Church or The Church of the Latter-Day Dude, for example) for quite a while now. My wife and I got married by a friend who got ordained that way and I think it's a nice and intimate way to get married. We enjoyed that experience a lot.

However, I am a 'permanent resident' and not an American citizen (my citizenship is German), but I live in the USA and this is also my primary place of residence. This would also be the country where I would perform weddings. Is it possible for me to get ordained and perform legit wedding ceremonies?

Thanks!

Will S/MIME keep my email private even from me?

flabdablet — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 04:59:13 -0800

What happens to an S/MIME-encrypted email message when the certificate used to encrypt it expires? If, for example, I've got a bunch of S/MIME encrypted emails stored in a Gmail account that I use via Thunderbird and IMAP, and I have a certificate installed in Thunderbird which expires - do all those messages suddenly become unreadable?

Also: if I install an updated certificate, what happens when somebody I haven't heard from for a while sends me a mail encrypted using the public key from my old (but still not yet expired) certificate?

I need serious diplomas, people.

Baby_Balrog — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 21:08:10 -0800

How do I order some fancy certificates / diplomas? I have a group of young people completing a week long intensive leadership program. The idiots organizing this program are not issuing certificates. I managed to get nine kids through this program and I want to award them with certificates when I get home, but the only "diploma" / "award" / "certificates" google comes up with are these completely worthless print-at-home jobs. OR it's an ad for a diploma-mill.

I want to order something serious on thick paper that's made from seriously fancy trees. I need some SERIOUS diplomas, here. I'm willing to pay up to $15 per certificate of achievement.

I mean, how the hell did my graduate school get the fancy papers they handed us when we walked?

PMP A-OK?

parmanparman — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 19:54:44 -0800

Do you have a Project Management Professional Certificate? If so, how has it improved your earnings and/or employment opportunities and how do employers see the qualification?

What would it mean if Obama's birth certificate is a fake?

edavidoff — Fri, 29 May 2009 02:01:57 -0800

What would it mean if Obama's birth certificate is a fake? Some loonies are still trying to accuse President Obama as being an illegitimate President because they don't accept his Hawaiian birth certificate as being valid. I don't believe this for a second, but, just hypothetically, what would it mean if it were a fake, and he had actually been born in Kenya or somewhere else outside of the USA.

I don't think he could be impeached, because you can only impeach an official for a major crime committed while in office. Is there anything else according to the Constitution that could be done to remove him?

Quality TESL training in Los Angeles area?

no1un0 — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 06:57:33 -0800

I would like get a TESL certificate, move to Costa Rica, teach for 5-10 years, then retire there. From basic research, it appears that CELTA, Trinity and SIT are among the most credible facilities offering such certificates. However, I currently live in Los Angeles, CA and none of those programs are available within 100 miles. I have located two other venues in the area, the “Oxford Seminars” and “LC Coaching,” which are similar in content, price and duration. Can anyone speak to the quality of these programs, as compared to CELTA, Trinity, etc? Does anyone know of any better programs in the LA area for TESL training?

EV (Extended Validation) SSL vs Standard SSL Certificates

jakubsnm — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 20:53:44 -0800

EV (Extended Validation) SSL vs Standard SSL Certificates I would like to get an SSL certificate for my site to display and promote turst. I'm leaning towards an EV SSL even though they cost more expecially if I were to go with Verisign ($885/annum), I've done a little research and have found Digicert ($488/annum) to be much cheaper, technically they do exactly the same thing. What do you look for in an SSL? would a Digicert EV SSL satisfy you? Do you look for the SSL logo at the bottom of most sites when you plan on sending personal information?

Mass Online Gifting Suggestions

LongDrive — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 02:55:47 -0800

Gifting en masse. Looking for non physical holiday gift ideas that can be ordered online for 40+ people scattered throughout the world. Over the last year, my small business has employed about 40+ freelance artists across the world for jobs ranging from pro-bono pitch work to five-figure campaigns, and I'd like to spread a bit of holiday cheer to both them and other vendors we have worked with.

Logistically, I can't buy or make physical items and ship them all out, so I am looking for suggestions of a small gift that can be purchased and fulfilled online.

The biggest problem is budget, as I can really only afford to spend 20 (Australian) dollars maximum per person without breaking the bank.

I feel that doing a straight up Amazon or iTunes gift certificate with a dollar amount on it might seem a bit lame, so I guess am looking for something along those lines that might be a bit more thoughtful.

(previous gifts along this line that I have given are magazine subscriptions, relevant charity donations, planting a tree in someone's name, website gift accounts, a laser etched disc that was going to be blasted into the moon... etc)

Suggestions?

When to apply to graduate school and what skills are considered valuable?

cranberrymonger — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 21:13:28 -0800

How do I decide when the time is right to go back to school? I graduated in 2007 from a small Canadian university with an Honours BA in Psychology and Sociology. My average was a B and I did not enjoy my Psych courses, particularly in later years. I was extremely interested in my Soc courses; especially those that involved social inequality, feminism, class conflict, forms of oppression, etc.

I performed poorly due to anxiety, burnout, depression, disorganization, lack of focus (all of which is highly correlated with a really negative personal situation that I have since escaped and every student's favourite crutch: large amounts of marijuana).

If I can possibly say this without sounding unbearably conceited, I am intelligent and never had any difficulties understanding the material or comprehending the theories and concepts. Some professors approached me throughout my undergrad and asked if I had considered applying to graduate school. (I applied to four schools and was rejected for low grades). I do not believe that I had the work ethic necessary during my undergrad and at the time could be roundly classified as a smart slacker.

I took a year off and am gainfully employed in finance (unrelated to my interests but the company treats employees very well). I'm also taking a professional certificate for nonprofit management at a local university; I'll be done in 5 semesters of part-time study. I'm doing well so far and getting my work done on time, completing all my readings, getting good grades... so I know that my lack of success with school was due to the factors detailed above and not a lack of competence or ability.

My questions: When and if should I go back to school? Is it ever more valuable to go back to do graduate school after years of working? How successful are mature applicants? Will this professional certificate reflect well on me, should I apply again? Should I also take additional upper-level undergraduate courses to aid my application? What other qualities/experiences are considered valuable? Should I wait until I feel mature and focused enough or should I take a loan and push through the pain now?

Thank-you very much for your time, everyone; I do appreciate any thoughts and wisdom you may have on these issues.

What is the best wedding planner certification?

harleyq — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 14:19:06 -0800

I am interested in adding to my experience as an event producer with wedding planning and have noticed there are many certification programs out there. Is there one in particular that stands out among the rest?

What do you do in an advanced degree?

divabat — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 19:27:31 -0800

Those of you doing [post]graduate degrees...what exactly are you doing? I've been looking into various advanced degree programs (Grad Cert, Grad Dip, Masters, etc) but I'm finding it difficult to imagine what sort of work one does in an advanced degree.

My family comes from a science background: my sister did biotech research for her Ph.D and my dad did coursework in engineering for his Masters. Apparently my aunt did a Masters in Sociology but I don't know what this entailed for her. I'm getting a degree in the Creative Industries, and have been looking into advanced degrees in non-profit management, arts, or education.

What DO you do in your degree? Do you do a lot of reading? Is yours more practical? Do you get to do a project?
How academic is your degree? Do you have to do a lot of writing in a certain style?
How much opportunity do you get to travel, or do experiential learning? How about conferences?

I figure this would differ wildly between programs and schools, but my only concepts of advanced degrees are either sit in a library then write a long densely academic thesis, or do research in a lab and write a long densely academic thesis (research is fun, but writing long densely academic theses is my definition of hell).

Me speak English well! Look paper!

monocultured — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 07:08:22 -0800

What language certs have been most useful to you job-wise? I'm currently unburdened by employment (& money) and looking over my options. One of the stumbling blocks when applying for work in English speaking countries / positions is the necessity of proof of language proficiency.

Anyone in a HR position — or in an anecdotal mood — who can tell me which cert is the better one? CPE, TOEFL, IELTS, or CEFR?

I imagine that there's idiomatic difference between the US and UK tests - will a Simpson-damaged Queens English mark me down or doesn't style play into it at all? Would multiple tests be considered more awesome?

dc area part-time planning degrees?

Anonymous — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:44:01 -0800

Looking to do a part-time urban planning masters degree or a certificate in the DC area. I'm looking at going back to school part-time (I currently work in the federal government in transportation), and I would like people's thoughts on area schools and their programs (Catholic vs UMaryland, etcetera). Does anyone have positive or negative experiences (especially as a parttime student?), or can recommend any other area schools? This is anonymous because I would prefer my employer to know about my plans when I actually decide to make them.

Income Stream

kapec — Thu, 08 May 2008 09:00:09 -0800

What is the best investment vehicle for "income stream", i.e. where can you put your money and get a return that you could live off of? Any recommendations?

How to verify state-issued sales certificate/tax ID?

boygirlparty — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 14:18:41 -0800

How do you verify a state seller's permit/resale certificate and/or tax ID for US businesses? I know you can verify some state issued certificates online (like CA, TX and MN) to make sure that declared resale certificates and/or Tax IDs are legitimate, but is there a site or place where you can do this for any/every US state?

Having a hard time navigating Michigan's gov website in particular.

amazon.com --> amazon.de

freddymetz — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 21:28:33 -0800

amazon.com --> amazon.de transfer gift gertificate balance between sites? is is possible to transfer my funds from the us site to the german site?

Certify me. Or at least the site.

Tuwa — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 14:12:35 -0800

I need a cheap, trustworthy, reliable certificate for a web application for a non-profit, and a walkthrough on how SSL is set up and used. I'm in process of wrapping up a web app (read: much further away than I think) to prepare it for transfer off my local machine to the webhost, and it's only just now occurred to me that I need a certificate to have encrypted connections.

Currently none of the pages are accessible without logging in, and the passwords are both hashed and salted, but all that's for naught if the username/password pair is sent in plaintext. And, after thinking about it a bit, I decided I wanted all traffic to and from the site to be encrypted. (It's a database of local volunteers: real names, mailing addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, etc.)

I've looked through these posts and found this thread, this thread, and this comment useful for finding cheap certificate sellers. From those discussions I'm leaning towards GoDaddy for the certificate, though I'm wondering if there's anything more than the controversies listed at Wikipedia that I need to take into account in dealing with them.

Also I'd need a for-dummies level explanation of how certificates are actually set up and used: are there any particularly good books, sites, threads, other resources that will walk me through the installation process and help me set up the pages so that they're encrypted? I've never done this before, so the simpler/more painfully clear the explanation, the better.

Finally, am I right in thinking that if I buy the certificate for the site, then there's no way to test it on my local server? (And so it would be best to put up the database with fake data in some test location, at least until I've got the SSL working properly? I imagine that, as with most of the rest of this project, it isn't going to be a quick and easy task.)

Oh, Canada sigh

louche mustachio — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 00:22:05 -0800

I'm going to Canada this morning and cannot find my birth certificate. I applied for my passport in mid April, and of course, have not received it. So I'm left with nothing but my state ID, a chatty little statement that my passport is being processed, and a tremendous headache.

Are there any other documents I can bring with me to prove that I'm a US citizen? And... well, how screwed am I?

I need to prove that I was born

mustcatchmooseandsquirrel — Sun, 06 May 2007 16:21:56 -0800

I need a birth certificate. How do I make this happen? I was born in Russia. Then I moved to America. I live in Kansas. My parents lost my birth certificate. Throughout the years, I have been using my Certificate of Citizenship and/or passport when I have needed an official document; however, I foresee problems in my future if I do not actually obtain some form of birth certificate.

What do I do about this?

Just a little macro to help me dominate the world!

Salmonberry — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 19:15:12 -0800

I have written a template with a macro for Word, which I would like to share with a bunch of other people. But I don't have a digital signature and I'm wondering if there's an easy or free way to get one, or a workaround? This macro will be used by designers who typically despise MS Office. The macro on has it's own toolbar & button and to try to send people through the steps needed to duplicate it on their machines would take forever. I'm aware of the selfcert.exe program and apparently each machine would need the certificate installed on it. I don't know how that gets done.

Has anyone gone through the process of getting a digital signature or used selfcert to create a signature, for a Word template that they will distribute to a number of other people? Many work at home, so there's no way I'm going around doing the installs for them!

This is for Word 2003 and beyond, it'll be used on both PC and Mac computers.

Please turn my dollars into pounds using the magic of the internet

junkbox — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 06:30:13 -0800

I'm in the US, and I'd like to buy an Amazon gift certificate for someone in the UK... This is a belated wedding present; they had a wedding registry on amazon.co.uk, but it's been taken down since the wedding happened a month ago.

I've looked through gift card help and rules & regulations as well as help sections on Amazon.com, but I can't determine if I can just go to Amazon.co.uk and purchase a gift card in British pounds using my American Visa debit card. Will that even work? Will my bank (Wachovia) freak out if it gets a charge in pounds? Will they charge me a service fee for converting my bank account's dollars into pounds?

Help and suggestions appreciated. I searched through lots of other threads about buying gift cards for family and friends abroad, but didn't find any specific answers about payment.

[BondFilter]

yoyo_nyc — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 07:18:05 -0800

[BondFilter]: What is this bond and is it still worth something? I have this this bond certificate (I crossed out the number in the scan). Google never came up with any information but recently a Yellow Pages entry for "Bond award clearing house" shows up but the telephone number is not in service anymore.

* What is this certificate?
* Is it still worth something?

Moste Odiferouse Emissione

rossination — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 18:22:34 -0800

I'm looking for some (free) stock art borders to use on certificates that I'm printing on the computer (like this). They don't have to be fancy, or classy looking (these are for immature, jokey certificates like "loudest fart", etc), but variety is appreciated. I've been trying to look for stuff like this, but I'm not having much luck, surprisingly. I know that there are programs that have lots of "wizards" for this sort of thing, but .tiff or even .jpg to use as a background would be much, much easier.

Correlation between bonds and CDs

storybored — Tue, 16 May 2006 18:14:43 -0800

Investment finance question: Where can i find the historical correlation coefficients between Certificates of Deposits and US. Gov't bonds? Where can I find the equivalent info for Canadian GICs vs Canadian gov't bonds?