Implications of being on EAD

Another nice thread in the making at IV.
http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/showthread.php?t=16331

Craig Barrett Bats for High Skilled Legal Immigration

Craig Barrett of Intel fame has an excellent column in the Washington Post, expressing his disappointment at the Congress's reluctance to handle the crisis with Employment Based Immigration.

The article is linked here: A Talent Contest We're Losing

Some excerpts:

The EB green card program has an annual allotment of 140,000 visas; these are allocated equally across all countries around the world, regardless of population. The inflexible country quotas mean that professionals from countries such as China and India are almost always at a disadvantage, finding themselves stuck in a system -- often for five to 10 years -- in which they cannot seek promotions and raises. Spouses and children count against the quota, which has not been raised since 1990. And even though they count against the quota of foreign workers allowed to come here, spouses are inexplicably forbidden to work, no matter their level of education and skill.

The U.S. system forces thousands of valuable foreign-born professionals -- including badly needed researchers, scientists, teachers and engineers -- into legal and professional limbo for years. Not surprisingly, many are considering opportunities in competitor nations -- even those who have lived in the United States for years and have graduated from American universities.

To be competitive in the global economy, U.S. companies depend on specialized talent coming out of U.S. graduate schools. These scientists and engineers are often foreign-born, as more than half of U.S. engineering master's students and PhD recipients are international students. Yet America shuts the door on many of these highly educated graduates, forcing them to look abroad for opportunities -- and our competitors are capitalizing on our failed policies.

Blog on Air India Experiences

Novel effort to start a blog on the experiences faced by passengers of AIR INDIA with an intention of reaching out to policy makers, to improve EVERYTHING about AI. This has been started by "Campaign for Public Accountability in India (CPAII)".

The first stop should be
http://airindiastory.blogspot.com/

The comments and blog entries are here
http://airindiastory.blogspot.com/2007/11/tell-us-your-air-india-story-part-ii.html

Want proof of global warming? Here it is....

With EAD and AC21, want to open your own company?

Check Opening a company on AC21 for all the links.

Then do not forget to follow suggestions in the following links:

Starting a Business, Starting a Small Business

Answers to Your Startup Legal Questions

Additionally, do not forget to visit SCORE and do visit the following one-stop page there: Starting a Business.

I wish you the best of luck. Please do drop in a comment.

Using AC-21 for Job Portability

What you need to do is:
a) Look in your PERM or ETA750 for the DOL code.
b) Then go to
http://online.onetcenter.org/crosswalk/
c) Type in your occupation code.
(Eg: 039.162-014 will be the new 15-1021.00)

USCIS Guidance on AC21 is:
http://www.uscis.gov/files/pressrelease/AC21Intrm122705.pdf

Question 3. What is “same or similar” occupational classification for purposes of I-140
portability?
Answer: When making a determination if the new employment is the “same or similar” occupational
classification in comparison to the employment in the initial I-140, adjudicators should consider the following factors:
A. Description of the job duties contained in the ETA 750A or the initial I-140 and the job duties of the new employment to determine if they are the “same or similar” occupational classification.
B. The DOT code and/or SOC code assigned to the initial I-140 employment for petitions that have a certified ETA 750A or consider what DOT and/or SOC code is appropriate for the position for an initial I-140 that did not require a certified ETA 750A. Then consider the DOT code and/or SOC code, whichever is appropriate for the new position to make a determination of “same or similar” occupational classification.
C. A substantial discrepancy between the previous and the new wage.

Also
IV Spotlight Series on AC21

AC21 Resources

AC21 (American Competitiveness in the Twenty-First Century Act) is a landmark bill signed by President Bill Clinton.

You can read a FAQ at Murthy.

Memo from William Yates talking about AC-21 guidance.

The muti-facted word in English

See the entire discourse to understand the power of the most important word in English that is able to describe multiple scenarios - can be used as a noun or a verb.




REMEMBER TO SEE THE ENTIRE DISCOURSE.

Traveling on Advance Parole

Click here for Traveling on Advance Parole

If you want to learn experiences of people traveling back to the US on Advance Parole, read the following thread on IV.
http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/showthread.php?t=15708

Just remember, that if you travel via London to your home country and you do not visa stamped on your passport AND intend to return to the US on AP, then you will need UK Transit Visa (which involves a fingerprint).

Travel Through London

UK Transit Visa Information

A more recent experience from a traveler.

AP used in Chicago OHare

Stay on the Visitor's Line at the Port of Entry

EAD Renewal Not On Time

Do checkout this thread. Interesting to see creativity. :)

http://boards.immigration.com/showpost.php?p=1794365&postcount=13606

Additionally, note the following warning from Matthew Oh's website about applying for EAD renewal too early.

02/04/2008: USCIS to Deny EAD Renewal Applications Filed Longer Than 120 Days Before Expiration

* AILA has reported that it received a notice from the USCIS that any EAD renewal application which were received on or after 01/29/2008 that was filed more than 120 days from the date of expiration would be "denied" for filing too early. We need clarification, though, as to whether the consequences will be "denial" rather than "rejection." Considering the fact that the filing fee is expensive, if it is denial, the filers will lose the filing fees paid. Please stay tuned for the clarification.

IV: Employment-Based Quota Bulletin Movement for Indians Only

DOS Visa Bulletin and Quota Movement.


Great chart on a lawyers' website. The chart lists for Indians only.
http://www.jackson-hertogs.com/quota/eb-ind.htm

IV Spotlight: Using AC-21 on EAD

http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/showthread.php?t=4163

What is EAD?
EAD stands for Employment Authorization Document.

Shashi Taroor: Should we be proud of Bobby Jindal?

http://www.shashitharoor.com/articles/toi/jindal.php


It upsets me to read that Bobby plays the Indian Heritage card when he needs the support of Indian-Americans. But most of the time, he feels bad about his heritage and wants to be considered a Louisianian.

A 17-yr-old gives Ghazipur a radio station, admn says will help make it legal

An inspiring story about a 17 year old boy using his imagination to bring a radio to his rural set up. It is encouraging to see the Indian Administration willing to help and foster his adventure.

News Story

The irony is that the District Magistrate is asking for the boy to come forward and seek his help rather than the opposite, in supporting this boy wonder.

How to write a Business Plan?

BBC has a nice concise article on writing business plans. Here is the link.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/2943252.stm

The business plan captures the strategic operational and financial aims of the business.

Now if you want more information to run a small business, BBC has excellent reports.
Running a Business

Tom Skazy of Terracycle

ABC 2020 had an excellent piece on "Winning: Only in America:Immigrant Entrepreneurs Experience American-Style Success", of course hosted by the marvelous John Stossel. The summary was about Tom Skazy who runs a multi million dollar business in the organic recycling industry on a temporary work permit that he needs to renew each year. He is not even sure about staying in the US for a long time because of his temporary status.

The question I have is why is it difficult for an entrepreneur (who belongs to the Princeton cadre and is employing multiple Americans and contributing immensely to the well being of this country and the world), to convert his temporary status into a permanent status? The answer is that the immigration system for skill based employment category is broken.

This is what the non-profit organization working for Skilled Legal Immigration is working for, http://www.immigrationvoice.org

If you want to read more on the ABC 2020 special, the link is here:
http://abcnews.go.com/2020/Stossel/Story?id=3759864&page=1

I hope both Tom and John become aware of the issues facing high skilled legal immigration in the US and contact ImmigrationVoice.

Money Won't Buy You Happiness

An interesting article on Psychology in Forbes:
Money Won't Buy You Happiness

It's official: Money can't buy happiness.

Why should you sign up for Recurring Contributions at IV?

Look at Abhijit's frank and factual note here:

http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/showthread.php?p=196016#post196016

Also, take a look at Niloufer's new blog site:
http://helpniloufer.org

IV is this.....

This picture really represents the face of IV. We may hide behind our destinies, our fears but this picture represents us. What IV is....

Join http://www.immigrationvoice.org

This picture represents that IV is the face of skilled legal immigrants in Washington DC. Please do not draw inferences on the posture of Jay in the picture.

This picture really magnifies the voice of skilled legal immigrants against the backdrop of the Capitol.

What is Immigration Voice?
Immigration Voice is a non-profit organization (501 (c) (4)) . It acts as an interface between the set of high skilled legal US immigrants and the legislative and executive branches of the government.

Who runs IV?
Immigration Voice is a completely voluntary organization. All of our volunteers are unpaid. All monies collected by Immigration Voice go towards grassroots efforts and obtaining advice from our strategic counsel Patton Boggs. As a 501(c)(4) organization, Immigration Voice is obligated to file tax returns with the IRS and have its accounts audited by a CPA.

What is the Mission Statement of IV?
The mission of Immigration Voice is to organize grassroots efforts and resources to solve several problems in the employment based green card process including (a) delays due to Retrogression (visa number unavailability for certain employment-based categories) (b) delays due to USCIS processing backlogs and (c) delays due to Labor Certification backlogs. We will work to remove these and other flaws by supporting changes to immigration law for high-skilled legal employment-based immigrants. High-skilled legal immigrants strengthen the United States' economy and help maintain American technological superiority.

What can I do for IV?
Good question. If you are an applicant caught up in the retrogression mess and are unable to get your Permanent Residence Application approved, then you should join your local state chapter of IV. If there is not one, then please start one. There are local chapter meet ups happening, where you should try to attend.

Vivek from IV has put together the following block:

=========================================================
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Friends,

As an Employment-based (EB) Green Card applicant, or a future applicant, I hope you are aware of the following issues faced by us. Though Labor certification delays have been (almost) a thing of the past due to the PERM processing. Colossal backlogs exist at the third & final stage of GC - the so-called I-485 stage. The reasons being

1) 140,000 total numbers per year worldwide vs. 1 million applicants and their families waiting in the line. Some from 2001 and may be before that ! It's common sense that it will take at least 6 years to clear just the current backlog, if there were no per country quotas.

2) Per country quotas of 7% exacerbate the situation to applicants from high-demand countries like India & China. Approximately just 10,000 visa numbers are available to India where as it's estimated that at least 44% of the applicants may be from India ( based on USCIS statistics of around 44% of H1bs being granted to India every year). As spouse and children are counted, considering 4 members per family, on an average only 2500 Indian applicants get Green cards in a year. As you can see the numbers are dismal.

Meaning, if you are from India or China, you may have to wait 10 to 12 years to get your Green Card or more

3) Between USCIS and DOS (Department of State that runs the Visa bulletin) at least 20,000 visas get wasted every year, worsening the already BAD situation. For instance between 1994 and now 218,000 GCs were wasted by USCIS. If the trend continues, it may well mean 10+ years worldwide and 15+ years for India/China

Now I know the problems ! What's the solution?

1) Increase worldwide EB GC numbers to 290,000 per year or more
2) Eliminate country quotas or increase them to rational levels such as 10%-15%
3) Exempt spouses and children ( dependents) from the GC quota (this will effectively double the quota)
4) Since USCIS inefficiency cannot be fixed by us. Implement a 'Rollover' of unused visas to the next year(s)
5) Recapture the unused number of 218,000 visas . This may mean you'll get GC or at least see PDs jump forward by a few years (reducing your wait time tremendously)

I know the solution. But, pray, who'll bell the cat?

Fortunately for us, there is an organization that is working 100% exclusively for our cause. Immigration Voice ( http://www.immigrationvoice.org) a non-profit organization formed by EB immigrants to work for our cause. Starting with barely 200 members when it was formed in 2005, now it boasts a membership of 25,000 members and around 30 state chapters serving every US state with significant EB immigrant population.

Immigration Voice ( fondly called IV by it's members) lobbies the US Congress and USCIS to provide relief to us. They have hired a high-profile lobbying form Patton Bloggs to do lobbying for our cause. In addition they also do grassroots lobbying at State chapter levels with the local Congressmen.

What's Lobbying? Is it Legal for non-citizens ?

Lobbying or 'Advocacy' is the act of Petitoning the US Government to redress issues faced by any person living in the United States. It's a right guaranteed by US Constitution (First Amendment) to every person living in the United States, citizen or not.

Just like you can argue your own case in a court of law (if you choose to do it), you can also lobby or petition the US Government on your own. If you chose so, you can also hire a professional lobbying firm to do it for you, just like you can hire a lawyer to represent you in the court. Both are legally guaranteed rights. It's common sense that a professional does a better job - be it an experienced lawyer or a lobbying firm. Getting professional help greatly increases the chances of success.


Boy, It must be really COSTLY to hire those DC Lobbyists?

You are right. They are costly, but IV has been managing to keep the effort funded through sacrifices of it's Leadership (IV Core group), voluntary contributions from it's members, local fundraising campaigns by State chapters and selling IV-branded merchandise.

Contributions are what keeps IV ticking and working for you.

I understand IV has been doing all this? Have they had any success so far? I don't want to invest in a campaign destined for failure !

IVs success record so far in the order of significance to EB community

1) July Visa bulletin Reversal - Due to flip-flop by USCIS 350,000 applicants were denied the promised ability to file I-485 in July 2007. Chances are you might have been one of them ! We faced the grim prospect of losing thousands of dollars and countless hours of effort .

IV conducted 'Flower Campaign', i.e sending Flowers to USCIS director Emilio Ganzales to request redressal of this unfair decision (in the spirit of passive resistance movement of Mahatma Gandhi). It provided wide media coverage to the issue nationwide.

IV through it's California chapter, conducted the successful 'San Jose Rally' to highlight the issue to the Congressmen through the media. It also took an active role in petitioning San Jose Congresswoman Rep. Zoe Lofgren to help fix the issue. As it turns out Madame Lofgren, who also happens to be the Chairwoman of House sub-committee on Immigration, was instrumental in forcing USCIS to rescind (revert) it's prior unjust decision ! An IV effort that paid rich dividends.

IV actively participated in discussions with USCIS in deciding the modality of reversing the decision, and was the first group to announce it, even before USCIS and US Department of State !

IV Walked the Talk and helped the EB Community immensely

2) Sep 18th Rally in Washington DC. - Not content with the temporary relief of July, IV conducted the DC Rally which was attended by 2,000 IV members and others. IV members flew from far off states like California, Texas etc. to participate. 125 Congressmen were approached through 'Lobby Day' action carried out in parallel. Several prominent Congressmen participated in IV reception (held on 17th) and also spoke at IV rally, highlighting support from US Congressmen to the IV cause.

DC rally was a grand success strategically, and provided never-before visibility to the EB community in the Capitol.

3) Lobbying USCIS for administrative reforms - IV participated in the FBI Namecheck backlog reduction meeting ( currently approaching alarming figures with some waiting for 1-3 years), where USCIS announced increased FBI funding to expedite the checks and other process improvements to increase efficiency.

IV continues to lobby USCIS for the following reforms -

1) Increase validity of EAD/AP to 3 years from the current 1 year. It will result in a saving of at least $1400 per year for every EB immigrant family that has filed I-485
2) Relax USCIS strict determination of 'same and similar jobs' (defined by AC21 law) to provide job mobility and promotions

Great! IV has done so much for us. And I never knew ! But, why isn't it covered so widely in the mainstream media?

Media doesn't cover issues that really matter. You'll not see it the front page unless it's a celebrity visiting rehab N-th time or a wardrobe malfunction at a sports event.IV has grown stronger through word of mouth, spread mouth to mouth by EB immigrants like you and me.

Just spread the word. Forward this E-mail to all your friends waiting for GCs.

All right. I will forward it to all EB applicants known to me. Is there anything more I can do to help?

Definitely ! IV is an organization of volunteers just like you and me. There are several ways you can help IV

1) Join : IV website membership is FREE . IV forums are a good source for finding answers to Immigration related matters and exchange information. IV also conducts pro-bono (FREE) lawyer conferences for members on a regular basis.

Website link - http://www.immigrationvoice.org.
Member registration - http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/register.php

2) Contribute : As you have understood, Lobbying requires lot of funding. IV needs your support to keep the good work running.

You can contribute either one time or join as a monthly (recurring) contributor [preferred] here -
http://immigrationvoice.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=26&Itemid=44

You can send ANY AMOUNT to IV as a contribution. All you need to do it create a PayPal account (if you don't have one), register a bank acount/Credit Card with PayPal (if not already done). Send money to IV using E-mail id - donations@immigrationvoice.org

3) Buy IV merchadise : A major portion of the sale goes to IV and you get useful stuff such as T-shirts, coffee mugs , bumper stickers etc. - http://www.cafepress.com/immivoice

4) Volunteer : If you are upto it, you can join your local State Chapter of IV. State chapters conduct activities such -

a) Lawmaker meetings with Congressmen to discuss issues faced by EB immigrants
b) Fundraising at local Events
c) IV publicity through Flyers at public places & Events
d) Local media outreach to get media coverage for EB community

Benefits of joining : State Chapters provide more detailed coverage of IV updates issued from time to time than available at IV forums (restricted due to presence of anti-immigrants). They also provide updates early ( 2-3 days before stuff gets posted on IV)

How to join ? : Yahoo/Google groups for the State chapters are listed here.
http://immigrationvoice.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=72&Itemid=52 ( Scroll to the bottom !)

Submit a request to join your State chapter with your - IV id, Full Name, E-mail, Telephone number (mandatory to filter anti-immigrants). State chapter leaders will call to verify and you are in ! ( some states may ask for more info, and may ask you to answer surveys)

You have covered it in detail. Yet, I have many unanswered questions! Whom should I contact to get more info?

Ask IV !

Call - (202) 386-6250
E-mail - info@immigrationvoice.org

Thanks for spending time reading this. We sincerely hope that you'll join our team.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Geothermal Resources

http://www.terrapass.com/blog/posts/2006/08/can-you-afford-not-to-install-geothermal-power-for-your-hom.html

http://www.wednesdayjournalonline.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=6934&SectionID=3&SubSectionID=3&S=1

http://www.wednesdayjournalonline.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=7952&SectionID=3&SubSectionID=3&S=1

http://www.wednesdayjournalonline.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=6133&SectionID=3&SubSectionID=3&S=1

From Malcolm Gladwell,
http://gladwell.typepad.com/gladwellcom/2006/08/the_case_for_ge.html

Portability of PD across EB Categories

"(e) Retention of section 203(b)(1) , (2) , or (3) priority date. -- A petition approved on behalf of an alien under sections 203(b)(1), (2), or (3) of the Act accords the alien the priority date of the approved petition for any subsequently filed petition for any classification under sections 203(b)(1), (2), or (3) of the Act for which the alien may qualify. In the event that the alien is the beneficiary of multiple petitions under sections 203(b)(1), (2), or (3) of the Act, the alien shall be entitled to the earliest priority date. A petition revoked under sections 204(e) or 205 of the Act will not confer a priority date, nor will any priority date be established as a result of a denied petition. A priority date is not transferable to another alien."

This regulation allows a person with a priority date under the EB-1, EB-2 or EB-3 categories to retain their priority even after they change employers as long as they obtain the approval of a new I-140, or in Mr. Kumar's case, the approval of a PERM application and an I-140 petition.

http://www.trackitt.com/discussion-forums/i485-1/34840839/

IV forum "Macaca" lists IV achievements

http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/showpost.php?p=181953&postcount=216

Amazing 6-volt battery hack

Now go right ahead and save money!!!!

Running with the Bulls

An excellent article on the contribution of Indians in the Wall Street (and directly to the American Economy)

Running With The Bulls
A street where money talks and Indians trot.
By: Lavina Melwani

It's a place that Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth, would certainly approve of, devoted as it is to the creation of wealth and prosperity. When Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wanted to showcase his new economic policy, he made a pilgrimage to the altar of high finance, the New York Stock Exchange. Over the years, one of the highest honors in the financial world is to be called to ring the opening bell on the trading floor, and high-flying ministers, finance gurus and CEOs of companies like Satyam and Tata Group have done just that.

No wonder then that for ordinary Indian immigrants, who have migrated to America in search of financial success, Wall Street is the golden Holy Grail, the Street of Dreams. Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs, American Express - these names have been chanted in immigrant homes almost like a holy incantation and for a son or daughter to be hired by one of these major financial corporations is to see the crystallization of the American Dream.

What started out as a tentative foray into Wall Street more than two decades ago has now become a full-fledged flood and Indian Americans are major players in almost every major financial house, from Citi Group to Lehman Brothers to UBS. No longer delegated to the backroom, several Indian Americans have emerged in leadership positions at leading firms.

There's Ravi Akhoury, chairman and chief executive officer of MacKay Shields, a multi-product investment management firm, affiliated with New York Life, with approximately $ 40 billion of assets under management.

Read More Here:

Running With The Bulls - A street where money talks and Indians trot.

How to Start and Maintain a State Chapter of IV?

I have been the coordinator for the IL State Chapter since May 2006. I had to force IV to give me the permission to start a IL Chapter back then rather than the opposite. It was just that back then, the concept of chapters was not big and the footprint of IV was not as widespread as it is today. Based on this, I may be the oldest chapter leader at IV.

Prerequisites to be a Leader
Leadership is either in the genes or can be learned by following, reading or "just doing it". This country is the land of the free and the home of the brave. What this means is that this country cherishes people who are brave and show leadership in all walks of life. If you are contemplating starting a state chapter, then it is the right thing to do. Martin Luther King Jr. has said The time is always right to do the right thing.. That should inspire you.

Personally, in the last decade, I have had leadership roles at National Association of Graduate Professional Students (NAGPS), Chicago Java Users Group and ImmigrationVoice, a non-profit grassroots organization working for Skilled Legal Immigration.

How do you start a State Chapter?
* Inform the national coordinator (Paskal) that you want to start a chapter in your state. Start flaunting your new found role on the IV forums.
* Create a Google Group for your chapter and add it into your IV signature.

What do I do in the State Chapter?
* Keeping the State Chapter strong requires vision and help. You will get sufficient guidance from other chapter leaders and the core IV leadership. As your chapter membership grows, you will have many active members as well as dormant members in the chapter on the mailing list. So you will have help when you need it the most.
* Try to spread awareness and increase IV membership in your state. Place IV ads in various grocery stores, religious locations, work bulletin boards and apartment complex(es). Plan on a "Membership Drive" throughout the life of your chapter.
* ENSURE THAT YOU ADD PEOPLE TO YOUR MAILING LIST ONLY AFTER YOU HAVE CALLED THEM AND ASCERTAINED THAT THEY ARE GENUINE PEOPLE.
* Start establishing a working relationship with your local lawmakers' offices. The IV leadership will appraise you of the details.
* Form a core team of maybe 3-5 active members in your state chapter. Irrespective of the actual member count in your chapter, these few active members will be the drivers. You can have a separate mailing list for the core team at the chapter level.

Benefits of Being a Chapter Leader
* You will be current on what is happening in the political circles as the IV leadership passes down information to the chapter leaders.
* You will have great networking with other chapter leaders and they are both educational and fun.
* You can always flaunt your leadership role on your resume until you retire (maybe 30-40 years from now). You can use it if you want to pursue the management avenue (education and/or profession).
* When your GC comes, you will cherish it because you worked for it.:)

There is already a state chapter. Can I still be a leader?
Yes, by all means. There are usually anywhere from 2-5 leaders at individual chapters. Having more leaders is beneficial, because you can share work and still keep the chapter active when you are dealing with personal, family or professional issues. Remember you have a life beyond IV.

I am a Doctor and I am having issues with my GC. What do I Do?
Have you looked at the blog for IV Physicians? http://iv-physicians.blogspot.com/
Just the fact that this nation requires health care professionals and in many situations, you are serving in under-served regions, the thought that you are scampering to maintain your work permit status, is simply pathetic. You should
contact Paskal as he leads the IV-Physicians group.

For more information:
http://www.immigrationvoice.org


=========================================================
Since you have read this far, I want to also tell you that Global Warming and Climate Change depresses me for the simple reason that this planet is changing so much that kids and future generations may not enjoy all the benefits that we and our fore-fathers did.
I have a consolidating blog on Global Warming at http://savetheplanet4kids.blogspot.com. Check it out and take the survey on the right (in that blog). If you feel that Global Warming is not real but a natural phenomenon, I wish that you rot in HELL.

Compassion should be contagious

In this current rat race around the world, people tend to forget their brethren, tending to themselves or their families.

An hospital in India came to the rescue of a poor family which was trying to sell their son to cater to the medical expenses for their four year old daughter.

Hats off to the Kanpur hospital.
Hospital to the rescue

COMPASSION SHOULD BE CONTAGIOUS.

Getting Rich In America

Interesting read on how people pursued their dreams.
How to Get Rich In America

Arnold asks for more Skilled Legal Immigrants

This is a fantastic effort from Gov.Arnold Schwargenner and other Governors asking for the Broken Skilled Immigration system to be reformed.
Gov.Arnold's letter

This is priority #1 to keep America competitive and a global super power.

Budhia, you need to go to school

Now because he is poor, should he be allowed to drop out of School just like others in the slum where he lives?

Just shows how much the local government is helping out to groom this sensation.
Budhia is a school drop out

Come on. We need every kid in India educated.

What is wrong in having a daugher?

Why does this social evil called Dowry not getting eradicated in many parts of India? When India shines in many regions, this news article brings everyone back to reality.

Girls at risk amid India's prosperity

Vishwanathan Anand: The real Indian story is sweet & sour

n 2007, as we complete 60 years of Independence as Indians, we seem to have got a new sense of identity. Not just the kind of identity that comes from having Aloo Tikki burgers or Bollywood pop but a true sense of being a country. As we add to an impressive list of billionaires and top class corporates, Indians are extremely proud of seeing the Indian Tricolour fly high.

Read More at Story

Harsha Bogle, who revolutionized the art of Cricket Commmentary has written an excellent article on the win in England by the Indian cricket team, just in time for India's 60th Anniversary.
http://www.indianexpress.com/story/210781.html

Minting money from Garbage Management

It is possible as shown by Manish.

MBA-grad mints money from garbage management

Career Activism

Interesting read on the topic of Career Activism:
Why You Need to Be a Career Activist

It will keep you focused and it will get you where you want to land eventually from a professional point of view.

Steve Jobs and Bill Gates together

At WSJ D Conference.
http://video.allthingsd.com/?bcpid=716692140&bclid=909803988&bctid=958621973

Chandigarh declared smoke-free city

CHANDIGARH: Chandigarh was on Sunday officially declared a smoke-free city, claimed to be India's first, with a ban on having a puff in public places.

Smoking in public places has been banned with the implementation of the provisions of the Central Tobacco Control Act in all parts of the city with effect from Sunday, officials said.

Read more at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Chandigarh_declared_smoke-free_city/articleshow/2205457.cms

Response to USCIS Director Emilio Gonzalez’s Message

Response to USCIS Director Emilio Gonzalez’s MessageIn a posting at the USCIS website, Director Emilio Gonzalez has notified his decision that the flowers sent to him by skilled, legal immigrants will be forwarded to injured service members recuperating at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and at Bethesda Naval Hospital.

read more | digg story

Flower Campaign from Legal Immigrant Applicants:Message from USCIS Director

I understand that individuals are planning to send flowers to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) beginning on Tuesday, July 10. USCIS has made arrangements to forward those flowers to our injured service members recuperating at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and at Bethesda Naval Hospital.

read more | digg story

Legal Workers Lose Chance at Green Cards

Legal immigrants hoping to be first in line for employer-sponsored green cards lost time and money when the government suddenly announced Monday that no new applications would be taken until the fall, a lawyers group said.

read more | digg story

Here is the WSJ reporting on this:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118359095890657571.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Rep. Lofgren Issues Statement on Updated Visa Bulletin

Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose) today issued the following statement in response to the State Department’s update of the July Visa Bulletin and the subsequent rejection of applications for adjustment of status by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

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Global Warming

Excellent documentary with narrative by Sir Paul McCartney.
Devour the Earth

The Youth of India

I do not know what can be done such that the youth of India can move towards building a stronger life for themselves and the nation.

The following news story is heart wrenching. When will the so called economic wealth of India really reach the people who need it.
Kerala boy scores 91% and ends life

How clean is your Work Area?

It is debatable whether the cleanliness of your work area/table etc is a reflection of your abilities.

Here is Al Gore at work.
Al Gore at work

We have to respect Mr.Gore's efforts at reducing global warming. I do not think it was a recent stunt. He and his wife Tipper have been environmental activists since youth.

High Skilled Immigration Again

Ok, here is another new story in the press from Aman Kapoor from Immigration Voice.

High Skilled Immigration

The question is does the US really want to stay competitive or not?

They want people like Vinod Dham, Vinod Khosla, Kanwal Rekhi coming here or not? Well those are just Indians that revolutionized the tech industry. Then there are Chinese Skilled immigrants who have contributed immensely.

Well, Sun, Oracle, Microsoft,Intel, HP, Coca-Cola and other well known companies can not be wrong. Compete America Coalition

Return of the Cicadas

It is the time of the year.
Return of the 17-year Cicadas

It is really a nice feeling to learn about the mysteries of nature. The other heart-wrenching story is that of the Penguins, as portrayed in the classic documentary. "The March of the Penguins".

Mac 101 Troubleshooting

http://www.apple.com/au/support/mac101/help/1/#1
http://www.macattorney.com/tutorial.html#Anchor-38414

Creative Block

You heard the term "Writers block". Sometimes we have feelings of not applying creativity in life or in whatever we do or want to do.

Here is a nice link to tips for creativity.
Inheriting from the innovators

Can we help in reduction of Global Warming?

I have not yet watched "The Inconvenient Truth". But, if you are wondering about ways by which you can help in reduction of global warming, here are ten steps:
http://www.sierraclub.org/globalwarming/tenthings/

Also I heard that Exxon Mobil is pushing for anti-global warming theory propaganda. Well, now I will think multiple times before filling up at a Mobil pump.

Sudha Murthy, Infosys and JRD Tata

Magnanimity of Mr.Murthy and family of Infosys is well-known. But here is a great article about his wife and her thoughts on JRD Tata.

http://www.tata.com/0_about_us/history/pioneers/appro_jrd.htm

Flying during Holiday Season within India

Hope people in India adapt faster to a global economy with some civic sense.
Fun of Flying