Decline of Science in U.S.

BBC article on Bush administration hostitliy to science, slashdotted 8/24/05. Bush Robert Samuelson (Newsweek, Feb. 24, 2006) thinks fears of U.S. decline are exaggerated.

Gift ideas

ThinkGeek catalog; Cool watches from Skagen. Harmony catalog has some nice things, like composters, but they're not cheap, and not exactly appropriate for birthdays.

Japanese

2005-02-26
Japan Times Book Club

2005-09-17
Yamasa Language Institute: fees for short intensive language acquisition courses. Teaching Japanese through music. JLTN (Japanese Language Teachers Network) Quarterly. National Council of Japanese Language Teachers, see esp. links page.

12/02/04
Handed out during LL: est. 14 hours to fill out conjugation practice sheet that will count for 20 percent of final exam.

Yahoo Japan during lab: Video News

10/14/04: JPN100 language lab. Not using Lab Recorder. Instead, playing with Web Subject Contents, or something. Practicing verbs. Genki CD set costs 18,000 yen (ca. $180). Later in the session we're encouraged to practice kanji here. Another good practice site, which actually seems a part of genki, is this.Reproduction in Modern JapanBeginning Japanese (J115) is to be taught at Yale by Michiaki Murata (in charge), Mari Stever, and staff. I need to email Murata-sensei to see if I may audit. There's an email directory on the East Asian Languages and Literatures website Here's the information: EMAIL: michiaki.murata@yale.edu SPECIALTIES: Japanese Language; Japanese History. PHONE: 2-8609 OFFICE: 432 Temple Rm. 302. HOURS: Mon & Tues 3-4. One can apply to be a Yale Special Student, and gain course credit, but then each course costs around $7,000. Maybe worth reconsidering the program at Southern even though they say the intro class is already filled beyond capacity. There's a bit more information in the course catalog. [Aug. 13, 2004:]Wait for email confirmation, then check back with Registrar Page to enter user ID and password for online registration. My SCSU is modified version of "Pipeline," and allows certain kinds of transactions to take place online (emailing professors, etc.). I can't seem to find any mention of what textbook to purchase. Also, I have no idea where the class is supposed to meet. Here's the website for SCSU's Dept. of Foreign Languages. Maybe I'll find some clues there. SCSU Audio Online will become important once sensei has the materials finished. Yoshikawa-sensei recommends kanachart in the mean time. Also recommends Hiroko Sato's Japanese page at Rice University website. Jerry Anne suggested I check Yale's Digital Audio Website to see what kind of Japanese language resources might be available there.

Green Card

[20060131]

I-797C Checklist

• Interview Notice and your Government issued photo identification.
  


• Completed medical examination(Form I-693) and vacination supplement in a sealed envelope (unless already submitted).
  
• Completed Affidavit(s) of Support (Form I-864) with all required evidence, including the following, for each of your sponsors (unless already submitted):

• Federal Income Tax returns and W-2s, or certified IRS printouts, for the past 3 years

• Letters from each current employer, verying current rate of pay and average weekly hours, and pay stubs for the past 2 months;

• Evidence of your sponsor's and/or co-sponsor's United States Citizenship or Lawful Permanent Resident status.
  

• All documentation establishing your eligibility for lawful Permanent Resident status.

• Any immigration-related documentation ever issued to you, including any Employment Authorization Document (EAD) and any Authorization for Advance Parole
  

• All travel documents used to enter the US including passports, Advance Parole docs (I-512) and I-94s (Arrival/Departure Document)
  


• Your Birth Certificate.
  

• Your petitioner's Birth Certificate and your pertitioner's evidence of United States Citizenship or Lawful Permanent Resident status.
  

• If you have children ...
  

• If your eligibility is based on your marriage, in addition to your spouse coming to the interview with you, bring:

• A certified copy of your Marriage Document issued by the appropraite civil authority.
  

• Your spouse's Birth Certificate and your spouse's evidence of United States Citizenship or Lawful Permanent Resident status;

• If either you or your spouse were ever married before, all divorce decrees-death certicates for each prior marriage/former spouse;
  

• Birth Certifcates for all children of this marriage, and custody papers for your children and for your spouse's children not living with you;
  


• Supporting evidence of your relationship, such as copies of any documentation regarding joint assets or liabilities you and your spouse may have together. This may include: tax returns, bank statements, insurance documents (car, life, health), property documents (car, house, etc.), rental agreements, utility bills, credit cards, contracts, leases, photos, correspondence and/or any other documents you feel may substantiate your relationship.
  

• Original and copy of each supporting document that you submitted with your application. Otherwise, we may keep your originals for our records.
  

• If you have ever been arrested ...

• A certified English translation for each foreign language document. The translator must certify that s/he is fluent in both languages, and that the translation in its entirely is complete and accurate.
  

[20050326]
Complete list of forms and fees direct from source: Some, e.g. G-325A (Biography data), can be filled-out electronically. Most of the others (for us, all of the others), must be filled out by hand: I-130 Petition for Alien Relative and I-864 Affadavit of Support and I-485 Petition to Adjust Status.

[2005-03-14]
Per shusterman.com, G-325 Biographical Information to be filed along with I-485 Green Card application. See also official list of service fees.

[2004 10 03]
Jacqui Bucar is an immigration attorney and a partner at Tyler Cooper & Alcorn. New Haven office is at 205 Church Street, a.k.a. the First Union Building. (8/31/04)

Important to have physical examination by INS-approved physician, e.g., Dr. Racuglia at 2 Church St. in New Haven.

Good information is available on Yale Office for International Students and Scholars

Need to make fingerprints.

Sarasota

Staying at the Jamaica Royale in Sarasota, Florida.

Continuing problems with United Airlines, which seems to change flight schedules once per week.

Now they've eliminated our final flight from Chicago to Newark. I specifically told them only to change the piece from Tampa to Chicago, for which we paid $220. Here's the latest itinerary from Travelocity:


UA649 18FEB DEPARTS NEWARK AT 245P ARRIVES CHICAGO OHARE AT 410P

UA1568 18FEB DEPARTS CHICAGO OHARE AT 710P ARRIVES TAMPA AT 1046P

UA1423 25FEB DEPARTS TAMPA AT 811A ARRIVES CHICAGO OHARE AT 1000A

Still, better I think to call United (1-800-864-8331) than Travelocity (888-709-5983, trip ID: 767490767780), since they're the ones I spoke with. United gives only busy signal, though, due to snowstorm possibly. Trying Travelocity now, left on hold for very long time. Pick up after about 10 minutes, told by agent to call again tomorrow afternoon, after things calm down. She understands problem and will look into it in the mean time.