Immigration policy and skilled labor

Immigration Policy And Skilled Labor

The recent debate over immigration policy commonly depicts immigrants as undocumented, uneducated people who flood our borders without inspection.

Although many immigrants who enter this country are unskilled laborers who provide essential services in many sectors of our economy, of equal importance to the immigration debate are the highly educated foreign professionals whose skills play a vital role in the enrichment of our economy.

The U.S. economy has shifted significantly over the past 50 years. We are no longer the blue collar nation that we once were. The transformation from a manufacturing to a knowledge-based economy has created a growing demand for skilled technical workers. This demand has been accompanied by a decline in the number of native-born students seeking degrees in the fields of science, engineering and technology.

Our prestigious graduate institutions currently train more foreign nationals than U.S. citizens in these fields. To alleviate labor shortages, U.S. businesses must be able to recruit and hire additional foreign-born professionals.

We must retain the educated professionals whom we have trained internally in order to benefit from the unique skills that they possess. By sending the best and the brightest workers back to their respective countries, we only create competition for ourselves, thereby diminishing America’s economic clout.

In order to increase the number of highly skilled professionals in this country, it is necessary to reform the employment-based immigration system and provide a sufficient amount of avenues through which U.S. businesses can legally employ specialized workers. We must increase the number of specialized worker visas awarded.

H-1B visas, or temporary skilled worker visas, are currently capped at only 65,000 annually. Yet, this «cap» is reached in a couple of months, and U.S. businesses are barred from hiring foreign-born professionals for the remainder of the fiscal year.

At the same time, we must increase recruitment and training of U.S. students. H-1B visas accelerate this process; a hefty portion of the processing fees for the H-1B visas are directed to the education and training of U.S. students in science and technology.

It is important that skilled workers are not overlooked in the current debate regarding comprehensive immigration reform. Raising the H-1B visa cap is vital to maintaining our leadership in the world market. By retaining foreign nationals, we may ensure that U.S. businesses have the most highly qualified workers in their fields, helping America maintain its edge in an increasingly competitive global economy.

Deborah Notkin is president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. — NU

Knox associates: aig finally posts a profit

Knox Associates: AIG Finally Posts A Profit

American International Group the company that received the largest amount of money from the U.S government’s bailout money has posted a return to profit to the relief of their investors and the U.S government.

Knox Associates report that AIG share price has risen more that 10 percent today. Ending a losing streak of six quarters in a row.

Investors where happy with the results, many relieved that the company is finally turning itself around after being on the brink of bankruptcy. Insiders told Knox Associates that the rise in share prices has put a bounce in everyone’s step at the company, but many still remain cautious, as they are not out of the woods, but Knox Associates points out that is a good step in the right directions.

Knox Associates analysts believe the AIG stocks still holds some risks, as the company is still a major concern for the Federal Reserve. There are still many toxic assets in the company that need to be sold and if there was to be in major payouts due to natural disasters then the company will be stretched again.

Before the economic collapse AIG was by far the biggest insurance company in the world, the collapse of the sub-prime market saw credit defaults running into the billions that needed to be paid to banks around the world. AIG who are now mostly owned by the U.S government as they felt that it would be a global disaster if AIG collapsed.

Spokesperson from the U.S administration told Knox Associates that they where happy with this quarters profits, but warned that there was a very long way to go before everything’s is back to normal.

How to write a press release

How to Write a Press Release

Getting Started. To get started on your radio press release, think about who you will be pitching your show to. Ultimately your show is being pitched to radio hosts and producers who are inundated with press releases and phone calls every day. They are looking for the hottest show ideas that their listeners will enjoy.

So, come up with a show idea. Think about how you can tie your product and message to something that a producer or host would deem newsworthy. Think outside the box a bit…some of the best radio show ideas live there!

Now that you have your show idea there is something else to consider: why should they listen to me and not the countless other people who seemingly know more than me on the subject? Radio shows need expert, not guests sharing unqualified opinions. Remember, they can just as easily get these opinions by taking calls from their listeners.

You are an expert and you don’t even know it! Think about it: who knows your product and message better than you do? You can probably talk about your product with more knowledge and enthusiasm than anyone else out there. Later you’ll learn the press release tricks to position yourself as an expert.

Now you not only have a show idea, but you are an expert! Well done! Now it is time to start working on the release. Throughout this process do not forget the following vital piece of information: THE PRESS RELEASE IS YOUR TOOL TO GET BOOKED ON RADIO SHOWS!

The Five Pieces of the Press Release Puzzle The following are the important components of a radio press release which will make your show idea come to life for producers and hosts, as well as position you ahead of the pack.

1. Headline! Headline? HEADLINE!!! Arguably the most important aspect of your press release, headlines are so vital that there are entire books written and seminars taught on how to construct the most effective ones. Now, don’t let this scare you. Writing a killer headline is definitely a skill that can be developed; all you need is a clear and concise overview of your topic. Write down your show idea and look it over. Now look it over again.

What is your key message? Is your show idea newsworthy? Are there any well-known people that you can tie into your topic? Do you have any impressive statistics that are relevant? Is there anything controversial that ties directly into your subject? The answers to these questions will help you develop a headline which is ready for increased pick-up by producers and hosts.

Your headline must communicate the topic of the show instantly in an eye-catching way. It should not be longer than 1 sentence and will act as THE sound bite on your topic. Now that’s a lot of weight to put on a single sentence!

Sometimes to alleviate the weight of the headline, you may need a sub-head to support it. If your headline gives just a taste of your show topic, then a sub-head is useful to explain it further. When someone reads the headline and sub-head together it should immediately click what the concept of the show is. Do this correctly and you will definitely grab some attention!

2. Discussion Topic This is your chance to present a concise summary of your show topic. It should continue naturally from the headline to further expand the topic. The headline gets the attention and the discussion topic gives the reader more.

The length should be two sentences, tops. This forces you to present (and think about) your topic in a concise manner. Again try to tie your topic to current events, celebrity, or controversy! Don’t be worried about repeating yourself in the different sections of the press release. After all, you want to get a cohesive point across! (A great tip: try writing the Topic Summary and Headline together. It is a great way to save time!)

3. Talking Points/Questions These are an absolute must for talk radio as they are the shaping tools that guide the host through your topic. Funnily enough, most times the host will read directly off of the press release during the interview. This not only makes them look knowledgeable, but it saves them heaps of time! So why not have them read YOUR words?!

Yet again you will need to tie in current events and any controversy that will stir interest (are you tired of hearing this yet?). Generally it is good to give no more than 10 of these conversation shapers. If you do get your show picked up, the interviews generally last anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes…so concise is a word that you should familiarize yourself with right now!

Remember: the more interesting the questions — the more interesting the interview!

4. Topic Overview This is where the traditional press release that you may have seen before resurfaces. The reason it only appears now is because in radio you need to grab their attention quickly, something that the topic overview doesn’t. Keep in mind that you are pitching your show topic to inundated radio producers and hosts whose time is very limited. With hundreds of releases hitting their inbox, the more eye-catching and relevant your headline is, the more they will read on.

Once you have gained their attention with your eye-catching headline, topic summary and talking points it is time to present the full show idea. This is your opportunity to fully flesh out your topic to position you as an expert on the topic you are discussing. Do not write a sales piece here — write your show! Work your name, personal quotes and product name into the summary. Liberally use the following to build your topic and profile: statistics, testimonials, current news facts, professional title (which is real and honest). Use anything that will interest the producer, host and in effect THEIR AUDIENCE! Try to limit this to a page maximum, with an ideal range to be 4-6 paragraphs with around 4 sentences max in each one.

5. Biography Now this is the one element that people tend to forget, underplay or overplay. THIS IS ABOUT YOU! This is your chance to position yourself as the expert you are in order for your show idea to be picked up, with you in the driver’s seat. Use your qualifications, education, career, relationships, memberships, travel history, how many dogs you have….etc. Basically use anything that can help qualify you as an expert on the topic. If you are writing about religion, anything that you do in your life that pertains to religion is applicable and increases your plausibility as an expert on that topic.

A word of warning though: don’t sensationalize yourself. By doing this you will immediately turn-off producers and hosts. Instead, effectively communicate your achievements and expertise on the topic that you are presenting. Simply rehashing your resume with bullet-points is an absolute «no-no».

Don’t Forget! * The goal of a radio press release is to market you, the expert, and your topic to radio producers and hosts in order to get booked as a guest on their shows. All of the sections of the release should support each other and come together to present a clear view of your show topic. The best way to get someone to hit the delete button on your press release is by presenting them with a disjointed release that does not clearly present the topic or explain why you are an expert on the topic.

* Be concise at all times. If your release is «top-heavy» it will be dumped almost immediately, most times without even a glance. Make sure that the Headline and Topic Summary sections are top-notch, tight and straight to the point. With radio you have the freedom to be slightly more sensational than with print. By having an eye-catching headline and topic summary you will grab attention, and the rest of the release will feed it. Don’t just go for eye-catching statements if they do not communicate your topic. Be clear and get your idea across as best as you can.

* And guess what? All of this hard work means nothing if your show topic is flat. Put lots of thought into your show idea. Think about topics that will appeal to the masses rather than a small niche market. The broader the appeal and the more timely the subject matter, the more interesting you are to radio producers and hosts.

The radio press release is the best marketing tool to get you onto talk radio shows so you can publicize yourself and your product. If you take your time developing your topic and put lots of thought into developing your press release you can almost guarantee that radio stations nationwide will start biting! So get writing!

If your customer is costing you drop them

If Your Customer is Costing You Drop Them

A lot of time, energy, and money is spent on developing new customer relationships. Often you will find this to be a rewarding experience for you. You may even develop relationships that will last years into the future. Some of your customers might even become close friends of yours. But sometimes the exact opposite can happen and depending on how badly you need the business of that customer it can become a real nightmare for you. If this happens you might have to ask yourself just how badly do you need them?

It is during the early stages of building your business that every customer really counts but at some point in time you need to examine your relationships with you customers. You need to ask yourself if all the hoops you jump through for them are actually worth the sales that you receive. You might be surprised by how many aren’t. Does this mean they all need to be dropped as customers no? In fact it would be better if you could figure out a way to make the relationship more fruitful for you. But when you do realize that a customer is simply not worth the effort that you are giving them then you need to drop them.

Yes it is hard giving up on a relationship that you have worked so hard to develop but it needs to be done. This one customer can be taking up valuable time and resources by distracting from other customers that you can make money on. And the longer you wait to do something about the situation the more it is costing you. So how do you go about ending a relationship? Politely that’s how.

When ending a relationship with a customer there is no need to be rude to them or have them develop any hard feelings towards you. You need to take the time to explain the situation to them. No they may not like it. But you need to be truthful with them. Don’t be fooled into thinking things might change because this is often not the case. There are of course times when a relationship is worth salvaging and you’ll have to make that decision yourself. But try not to let past sentiment be an influencing factor no matter how hard.

Developing good long term customers is about developing relationships with them. But it is a two way street. They may think that you need them more than they need you and while at one time it may have been true. It is not always the case anymore. So just as you value your relationship with them hopefully the same can be said of them valuing that relationship also. If they don’t then you need to remember that your business comes first not theirs.

Iphone – the technology with a finger touch

Iphone – The Technology With A Finger Touch. Why We Need Insurance For It?

The iPhone is a remarkable invention in the field of computer and mobile sciences. It is a multimedia smart phone device that has an Internet connection to it. IPhone was designed by the famous Apple Inc. who marketed the product with some of the exceptional features that no one has seen or imagine before.

The iPhone is a multi touch screen device which also offers a virtual keyboard when necessary. A typical touch screen device uses a slender pointed stylus, but an iPhone requires you to use fingers. It can also detect multiple touch points simultaneously, which many existing touch-screens cannot do. An iPhone sometimes seems to be a palmtop computer rather than a cellular phone. The simple reason for this is the internet features that this smart phone carries with it. One can browse the net, listen to music, download videos, play games, receive or send emails and text messages, import pictures from your computer and even click pictures with the in-built camera. The Wi-Fi connectivity that comes with an iPhone allows you to access your web anywhere.

The first iPhone was announced in January, 2007 although it was introduced on 29th June, 2007 officially in the US. It was named the Invention of the Year 2007 by “Time” magazine. In the year 2008, Apple introduced the second generation of iPhone which can operate on 3rd generation (3G) cellular networks with a GPS receiver. The additional feature of the second generation iPhone was that it allows you to map and satellite data from Google maps.

Some of the interesting features of an iPhone are the 9 cm touch screen having a LCD with scratch resistant glass. It has an internal rechargeable battery providing up to seven hours of video, six hours of web browsing, eight hours of talk time, 24 hours of music or up to 250 hours on standby. The storage capacity comes in different sizes ranging from 8 GB to 16 GB and 32 GB variants. The data is stored in an internal flash drive. IPhone allows audio conferencing, call holding, call merging, caller ID, and integration with other cellular network features and iPhone functions. The iPhone can sort its media library by songs, artists, albums, videos, playlists, composers, podcasts, audiobooks and compilations. It uses a large font that allows users plenty of room to touch their selection.

With so many advanced functions, iPhone has attracted lots of phone thefts and related risks. Apple does not provide iPhone insurance for any such loss or damage. Hence, it is advisable to insure your iPhone. This delicate device is prone to loss by theft, water, accidental or fraudulent calls. Insure your product against all the possible threats. Check for the best insurance deals and plans and get your iPhone insured immediately once you have purchased it.