News Bytes

H-1B opponents’ lawsuit rejected

A US Court in New Jersey has this week rejected a lawsuit filed by H-1B visa opponents, who wanted to put a stop to the US government’s extension of student visas, which would hav allowed foreign students a longer stay in the US. The lawsuit had been filed by a group of organizations such as the Programmers Guild and the Immigration Reform Institute. The group is concerned that an extension of student visas will increase the chances for foreign students to obtain the H-1B visa and thus compete for jobs which would otherwise be available to US citizens. “Instead of alleging concrete injury, plaintiffs assert a generalized grievance with a particular government policy,” Judge Faith Hochberg stated as opinion of the court and rejected the plaintiffs’ preliminary injunction.

The reason for the dispute is the extension of Optional Practical Training (OPT) from 12 to 29 months for qualified F-1 non-immigrant students, as planned by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This extension will be granted to students with a degree in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. “This rule will enable businesses to attract and retain highly skilled foreign workers, giving U.S. companies a competitive advantage in the world economy,” said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff in April. Also new is the automatic extension of residence and work permit for STEM students (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) in case of a pending H-1B visa application. In addition, extension applications can be submitted up to 60 days after graduation.

Out-of-the-ordinary farewell gift for George W. Bush

Government critics in California are preparing a farewell gift for George W. Bush. With a referendum they want the people to decide to name a sewage plant in San Francisco after the 43^rd President of the United States. So in the future, that plant would go by the name of “George W. Bush Sewage Plant.” “It's fair to say that we're going to be cleaning up a substantial mess over the next decade or more, thanks to Bush,” said Brian McConnell of the Presidential Memorial Commission. The initiative collected more than 10,000 signatures, 3,000 more than necessary to have it included on the ballot on November 4, the day of the presidential elections.

The search for the “American Dream” in a photo book

Since the early 16^th century, more than seven million Germans emigrated to the US. Today, they are the largest immigrant group in the land of opportunity: every third American has at least one German ancestor. What is it like for German immigrants today, living a balancing act between the Old World and the New World? Do they find happiness there, do they find their place in the new environment? And how did 9/11 and the war in Iraq change life in America, and especially that of the Germans who live there? In the new publication “Deutsche in Amerika” (German Americans) with photos by photographer Gunter Kloetzer from Berlin, German emigrants provide insights into their “new” lives. A lot of people from an old age and to the young, between rich and poor, hopefulness and disillusionment, from the Jewish war refugee on Long Island to the graffiti artist in the Bronx have been interviewed. Some well-known names such as the artist Josephine Meckseper, journalist and writer Alexander Osang or actress Nina Franoszek are among them. Quite frequently, the stories fluctuate between rejection and admiration of the new home country, a recurring theme is the search for the “American dream.” 62 brilliant photographic portraits by Gunter Kloetzer show the emigrants in their own individual American environment. This book does not just include beautiful photos, it is also a fascinating contemporary document of German-American relations at the beginning of the 21^st century.

For more information, please check http://www.gunterkloetzer.de/pages/contentframe.html

A John McCain children’s book

The election year 2008 brought forth a real flood of books about the two designated presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain. However, this one book is different from the others: McCain’s daughter Meghan wrote a children’s book about her father. “My dad, John McCain” is richly illustrated and aimed at an audience between five and ten years of age.

It narrates the top-ranking politician’s background from his war captivity in Vietnam up to the present and also offers a little insight into his family life. The book, which will be in stores soon, ends with a little prediction for the future: “In September 2008, the Republican Party had a big meeting, the Republican National Convention. And on that day, my dad was officially chosen as the Republican candidate for president of the United States.”