Macarons, Gun Purchasing, and Refugees

Today I Learned:
1) ...what a macaron is. They're really cute little cookies!

2) ...what's required to buy a gun in California*. You have to have documentation proving that you are a US citizen and a resident of California. There's also a 10-day wait period between purchasing the gun and acquiring it, which I assume is to give very angry people a chance to simmer down after deciding they really need a gun?

* No, I didn't buy one.

3) ...what's required to move to the US as a refugee. Firstly, a refugee has to have "fled from his or her home country and cannot return because he or she has a well-founded fear of persecution based on religion, race, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group". If you think you qualify, you can register with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). If the UNHCR thinks a potential refugee meets the appropriate criteria, then they can refer him or her to the US Resettlement Program (USRP). The USRP maintains nine Resettlement Support Centers (RSCs) around the world. The RSCs receive and process refugee requests. Refugees awaiting approval undergo personal interviews, security and background checks, and a medical examination (so they don't bring contagious diseases into the country). The process typically takes 18 to 24 months. I also learned that of the refugees that are accepted worldwide, about half of them are accepted by the US. That's also a very small fraction of the total number of people who request refugee status.