INMIGRACION Alcanza la Cantidad Máxima Reglamentaria de Visas H-2B

USCIS ha recibido una cantidad suficiente de peticiones para alcanzar la cantidad máxima reglamentaria de visas H-2B establecida por el Congreso para el año fiscal (FY) 2016. El 15 de marzo de 2016 fue la fecha final para recibir nuevas peticiones de trabajadores H-2B que solicitan una fecha de inicio en el empleo de antes del 1 de abril de 2016. Qué sucederá luego de que se alcanzó el tope USCIS rechazará las nuevas peticiones de Visas H-2B que se recibieron después del 15 de marzo y que solicitan una fecha de comienzo en el empleo antes del 1 de abril de 2016, excepto las indicadas a continuación. Peticiones exentas de la cantidad máxima reglamentaria USCIS continuará aceptando peticiones H-2B que estén exentas de la cantidad máxima reglamentaria determinada por el Congreso. Esto incluye los siguientes tipos de peticiones: ·      Para el año fiscal 2016 únicamente, los trabajadores identificados como “trabajadores que regresan”, quienes estuvieron contados contra la cantidad máxima reglamentaria de los años fiscales 2013, 2014 o 2015 ·         Actuales trabajadores H-2B que están en los Estados Unidos y solicitan una extensión de estadía, si corresponde; cambiar los términos de su empleo o cambiar de empleador ·         Trabajadores de procesamiento de huevas de pescado, técnicos de procesamiento de huevas o supervisores de procesamiento de huevas y ·         Trabajadores ejerciendo labores o servicios desde el 28 de noviembre de 2009 hasta el 31de diciembre de 2019 en la Mancomunidad de las Islas Marianas del Norte y/o Guam. Peticiones que incluyen Trabajadores H-2B que Regresan A fin de evitar retrasos en el procesamiento de las peticiones, exhortamos a aquellos peticionarios que incluyen en su petición a trabajadores H-2B que regresan (“H-2B returning workers”), a escribir “H-2B Returning Workers” en un lugar prominente del sobre, así como en la portada. Usted puede encontrar más información en el alerta web, Trabajadores H-2B que Regresan Exentos de la Cantidad Máxima Reglamentaria para el Año Fiscal 2016. Para más información acerca del programa de visas de empleo H-2B, visite nuestro enlace uscis.gov/es/h-2b o llame al Centro Nacional de Servicio al Cliente al 1-800-375-5283. CONÉCTESE CON USCIS:     Servicios del suscriptor: Cambiar preferencias | Cancelar suscripción | Ayuda This email was sent to fernando@camacol.org using GovDelivery, on behalf of: USCIS Español · 408 St. Peter Street, Suite 600 · Saint Paul, MN 55102

Airbnb opens its doors in Cuba to visitors from around the world this April. Other American players follow ...

Cuban tourism is about to get a shot in the arm: Airbnb has announced that it will welcome visitors of all nationalities to the island nation starting April 2, reports the Associated Press.

The news comes shortly after US President Barack Obama touched down in the country with his family, the first time an American president has done so since 1928.

Airbnb received special authorization from the US Treasury Department before it expanded its service. It began allowing US citizens to stay with hosts in Cuba last April and had roughly 1,000 properties listed on its site.

Today, it says it has over 4,000 homes there and more than 13,000 guests from US have stayed with Airbnb hosts across nearly 40 cities and towns around the country.

American hotel chains Starwood and Mariott have also received authorization to begin running operations in Cuba; the former says it’s signed a deal to run three hotels properties there.

Cuba’s hotels have been run by the government for over half a century. It was only in the 90s that it allowed families to rent out rooms in their homes, many of which have been spruced up with the help of foreign investors. That’s right up Airbnb’s alley and it’s likely that its service will play a major role in encouraging tourism across the country.

HAVANA (AP) -- Online lodging service Airbnb is allowing travelers from around the world to book stays in private homes in Cuba after the San Francisco-based company received a special authorization from the Obama administration, Airbnb announced Sunday.

Airbnb was the first major American company to enter Cuba after Presidents Barack Obama and Raul Castro declared detente on Dec. 17, 2014. The service handles online listing, booking and payments for people looking to stay in private homes instead of hotels. Cuba has become its fastest-growing market, with about 4,000 homes added over the last year.

Airbnb had only been allowed to let U.S. travelers use its services in Cuba under a relatively limited Obama administration exception to the half-century old US trade embargo on the island. The expansion of that license gives Airbnb the ability to become a one-stop shop for travelers seeking lodging in private homes, which have seen a flood of demand from travelers seeking an alternative to state-run hotels.

Airbnb's new authorization was announced on the morning of an historic three-day trip by Obama to Cuba and a day after Starwood Hotels announced that it had signed a deal to run three Cuban hotels, becoming the first U.S. hotel company in Cuba since Fidel Castro took power in 1959 and took over the island's hotels. Airbnb said world travelers could begin booking in Cuba in April 2, the anniversary of the country's start of operations on the island.

Also on Sunday, Marriott International Inc. said it had gained Treasury Department authorization to pursue a deal in Cuba. The hotel company, which is based in Bethesda, Maryland, said it is in talks with potential partners on the island. Its CEO, Arne Sorenson, is in Cuba with Obama's delegation.

All hotels in Cuba are now owned by government agencies and many are known for poor service and decrepit infrastructure. Foreign hotel chains operate some of the island's larger and more luxurious hotels, which are running at full capacity thanks to a post-detente boom in tourism that saw visitor numbers surge nearly 20 percent last year.

One of the first openings in Cuba's centrally planned economy came when the government allowed families to rent rooms in their homes for a few dollars a night, starting in the 1990s. That has become a full-blown private hospitality industry, with many Cubans using capital from relatives abroad and even foreign investors to transform crumbling homes into the equivalents of small boutique hotels.

Many websites allow foreigners to book Cuban private homes, known as "casas particulares," but none has emerged as a dominant player. Many travelers still find it hard to guarantee bookings and make electronic or credit card payments. Airbnb is promoting its service as a solution to those problems in Cuba.

How Gut Bacteria Are Shaking Up Cancer Research

• Roche says it plans to study role of microbiome in cancer
• Vedanta expects more drug companies to enter the field

Top scientists at Roche Holding AG and AstraZeneca Plc are sizing up potential allies in the fight against cancer: the trillions of bacteria that live in the human body.

"Five years ago, if you had asked me about bacteria in your gut playing an important role in your systemic immune response, I probably would have laughed it off," Daniel Chen, head of cancer immunotherapy research at Roche’s Genentech division, said in a phone interview. "Most of us immunologists now believe that there really is an important interaction there."

Two recent studies published in the journal Science have intrigued Chen and others who are developing medicines called immunotherapies that stimulate the body’s ability to fight tumors.

In November, University of Chicago researchers wrote that giving mice Bifidobacterium, which normally resides in the gastrointestinal tract, was as effective as an immunotherapy in controlling the growth of skin cancer. Combining the two practically eliminated tumor growth. In the second study, scientists in France found that some bacterial species activated a response to immunotherapy, which didn’t occur without the microbes.

Human Microbiome

That’s increased drugmakers’ interest in the human microbiome -- the universe of roughly 100 trillion good and bad bacteria, fungi and viruses that live on and inside the body. Roche is already undertaking basic research in the field and plans to investigate the microbiome’s potential for cancer treatment, Chen said.

"Certainly, we are already scanning the space for interesting opportunities as the science continues to emerge," he said. "We are very interested in testing these in a controlled setting."

Some experienced investors are skeptical and see the possibility of an approved product for cancer to be at least five years away.

"To therapeutically influence the microbiome long-term in humans is a big hurdle," said Sander van Deventer, managing partner at venture-capital firm Forbion Capital Partners. "The microbiome is very stubborn. Everything we’ve done so far has only had a temporary effect."

Nestle’s Investment

Earlier in his career, van Deventer chaired the department of gastroenterology and hepatology at the Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam, the first clinic in the world to perform fecal transplants to fight hospital infection Clostridium difficile with good bacteria. Forbion hasn’t yet invested in any microbiome biotechs, "but we’re looking at all of them all the time," he said.

Efforts are under way to turn bacteria into regulated pharmaceutical products to treat illnesses of the gut, where the microbes reside.

Nestle SA last January invested $65 million in ambridge, Massachusetts-based Seres Therapeutics Inc., which is developing a treatment for Clostridium difficile, which affects the digestive system. That follows early efforts to harness the microbiome’s benefits, which spawned probiotic foods and supplements as well as transplants of healthy bacteria.

The promise in cancer will draw more large drugmakers into exploring the human microbiome, said Bernat Olle, chief executive officer of Vedanta Biosciences, a Boston-based startup.

Treatment Potential

"That’s the sense we get based on how we’re being approached by new pharma groups and how serious they seem to be about wanting to enter the field,” Olle said in a phone interview. Vedanta last year announced a license agreement with Johnson & Johnson on its experimental microbiome drug for inflammatory bowel disease.

Another startup, 4D Pharma Plc, in November said it had discovered a bacterium that produces a response comparable to that of an immunotherapy in animal tests for breast and lung cancers. The London-listed company plans to start trials in patients by the end of this year. To support research in autoimmune and neurological diseases, in addition to cancer, the company has raised over 100 million pounds ($140 million) from investors over the last two years, CEO Duncan Peyton said in a phone interview.

French biotech Enterome is taking a different approach: developing treatments based on bacterial secretions. Enterome plans to close a private financing round of about 15 million euros this month, according to CEO Pierre Belichard. More news may be on the way.

‘Active Discussions’

"We are in active discussions with the usual suspects in the immunotherapy space," Belichard said in an interview in London.

Those active in the field include a wide range of pharma companies including AstraZeneca, Roche, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., and Merck & Co.

"Personally, I think it’s a fascinating area," Susan Galbraith, head of oncology research at AstraZeneca, said in an interview in London.

Studies have shown that immunotherapies have varying degrees of success even in genetically identical mice, and the Science study from Chicago suggests that the diversity of the microbiome may help explain that variability, Galbraith said. AstraZeneca isn’t conducting its own research in the area and would prefer to wait to see evidence in human trials before getting involved, she said.

The sheer number of bacteria, some of which could actually switch off an immune response, and the question of how much bacteria is needed, make it a complex area of research, Roche’s Chen said. It’s possible that the same bacteria could induce both harmful and helpful responses, depending on the patient, he said.

Still, "it’s one of the most interesting developments we’ve seen in science over the last several years," he said.

Amnesty International: Human Rights Conference 2016

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Human Rights Conference 2016

The Conference

Dates: April 1st- 3rd 2016
Location: DoubleTree by Hilton Miami Airport & Convention Center in Miami, FL
711 N.W 72nd Avenue Miami, Florida, 33126 (Map)

Copyright 2016 Favianna Rodriguez, Favianna.com

The 2016 Annual General Meeting will bring together over a thousand human rights activists from throughout the U.S. and around the world to engage in networking opportunities, human rights actions, inspiring plenaries, outstanding keynotes and hands-on workshops, as well as to shape the policies of the organization. This year's conference is shaping up to be incredible, and through our conference, communities will be inspired to expand awareness, initiate change, and call the world to action. Our theme this year is "Change Our World." We stand shoulder to shoulder with activists in the United States and throughout the world to make a lasting human rights impact. We strive to embrace and reflect all identities that make up humanity in order to foster a world where justice, freedom, and dignity are recognized as central to the inalienable rights of all human beings.

"You cannot change any society unless you take responsibility for it, unless you see yourself as belonging to it and responsible for changing it. " - Grace Lee Boggs.

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Download our AGM App!

This year we are proud to announce that you can use the official AIUSA conference app on your smart phone. You can use the AGM App to check out the conference schedule and explore sessions, view a map of the venue, and build your own conference schedule. Best of all, you can even use the app to connect with your fellow attendees! Don’t forget to check back frequently and keep up-to-date with all your important conference details.

To get the app:

• Find & download the app for free in the Apple and Android store. Search for 'AGM App' or click here to get it now!

Our AGM App allows you to:

1. View the AGM 2016 schedule and explore sessions
2. Build your own personal conference schedule.
3. Stay up-to-date with program changes & updates
4. Learn about and connect with speakers & activists

We would like to give a special thank you to our 2016 AGM Program Committee for their hard work and commitment to the success of our Annual General Meeting and Human Rights Conference:

Michael Andrews- Area Coordinators Steering Committee Member, Thomas Benner- National Resolutions Committee Member, Rita Coeling- Mid-Atlantic Representative, Julie Ikeda- Western Representative, Lisa Konczal- Country Specialist for Nicaragua, Erin Nuzzo- Legislative Coordinator, Akriti Panthi- Mid Western Representative, Kendrick Perkins- Southern Representative, Gerry Carolina Riverdeneira- National Youth Area Coordinator and Diedre Stieglitz- Northeast Representative.

We would like to thank our Host Committee members for their work:

Reakman Afshar, Betsy Akin, Shaharazad Arteaga, Rocio Avalos, Emily Beck, Pabitra Benjamin, Emily Benner, Abbey Clark-Moschella, Sara S. Cleveland, Rodrick Colbert, Joshua Cooper, Erin Crockett, Maria & Miguel Del Carpio, Luis Diaz Quilotte, Ike Dimitriadis, Mara Domider, Lynsey Duncan, Laura L. Finley, Savannah Fox, Nick Geballe, Marselha Gonçalves Margerin, Oliver Hidalgo-Wohlleben, Tracey S. Kardash, Lisa Konczal, Alicia Koutsoulieris, Steve Latimer, Edward Lescurieux, Sterling Llwellyn, Laura Maida, Jiva Manske, Carlos Marin, Julio Melendez ,Blaine Mineman, Isaac Newton Kinityt, Stephany Noriega, Derin Oduye, Nick Ogutu, Falaye Rufus Olakitan, Rachel O'Leary, Theophilus Oluwatobi Achuba, Kamila Anastatia Orlova, Maura Padron, Sheena Patel, Ben Podnar, David Rendell, Estefania Rodriguez, Favianna Rodriguez, Lucie Ruffo, Mary Tam, Christopher Vichiola, Aquib Yacoob, Rania Zakaria.

Voting on Resolutions

Please note a change in our voting processes this year. In order to be eligible to cast a vote for resolutions at the AGM (April 1-3), you must be a current dues-paying member, which means that you must have joined or renewed your membership by no later than February 11, 2016 (50 days before the start of the AGM). To renew or become a member, please click here. AIUSA Membership is not included with any ticket purchase. If you have any questions about this process, please contact Michelle Menzel at mmenzel@aiusa.org.

Download the Group Voting Form here

Conference Registration

The Annual General Meeting registration is now available! Online registration will close on Monday, March 28th at 11:59 PM ET.

Zika Virus concerns: Please go to this link from the Center for Disease Control for any questions you might have about the Zika virus and your health while attending our Annual General Meeting in Miami.

Contact Us

For more information on this year's conference, contact agm@aiusa.org or 212.633.4168

Yahoo CEO Hopes to Stay in Job Even If Company Changes Hands

Yahoo CEO Mayer Wants a Role In Company’s Future

• Marissa Mayer makes comments on Charlie Rose's interview show
• Leader has been under pressure to drive turnaround of company

Marissa Mayer is hopeful of keeping her job leading Yahoo! Inc. even if the struggling Web pioneer changes hands.

Under pressure from investors and facing a potential proxy fight, the chief executive officer has pledged to do what’s best for shareholders as Yahoo reviews alternatives for separating its core Internet business from a stake in Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. There are many viable options for splitting the company, Mayer said during an interview Thursday on the “Charlie Rose Show.”

Those included being acquired by a strategic buyer or private equity, along with a reverse-spin to extricate the core Web operations from its Chinese holdings.

“I certainly hope the strategic alternative has a place for me,” she said. “But that said, we’ll obviously honor our commitments to our shareholders.”

Mayer is considering strategic options for the company even as she tries to drive a turnaround with a new plan for sparking growth. Activist investor Starboard Value LP, which has been critical of her efforts to restore growth and boost shareholder returns, has taken initial steps for a potential proxy fight that could recast the board with new directors, people familiar with the matter said last month.

Yahoo’s Future

“The primary issue is Yahoo, our technology, the employees, the services, the end-users -- how do we get that to the best possible place for Yahoo and find it the best possible future,” she said. “I’m secondary to that.”

Mayer expressed confidence in the turnaround plan, saying she can see success coming closer though most similar efforts can take five to seven years. Mayer said that, among other options, Yahoo going private may give her the opportunity to drive new recovery plans away from public scrutiny.

The company has said the turnaround includes cutting costs to drive efficiency and invest in more promising opportunities. Yahoo announced Friday it would shut down Livetext, a messaging app, at the end of the month. The service, which was rolled out with fanfare last year, enabled users to communicate via video -- without audio -- and text. The company will incorporate the “learnings and features” into products including Yahoo Messenger.

Yahoo also said it was closing regional media properties, including the astrology service in countries such as France and India.

These Are the Highest-Paying Jobs in America (BusinessWeek)

To become a high earner, hone skills that will protect you from automated competition

If a robot wouldn't be able to handle your job, then you might be in the rarefied group that got the highest paychecks in America last year. According to a new report from career website Glassdoor Inc., physicians, lawyers, and pharmacy managers had some of the top salaries in 2015. 

The firm compiled a list of the 25 highest-paying jobs in America based on job and company reviews from the beginning of 2015 until January of this year, and physicians topped the list. One thing that is quickly apparent is the more skills a role requires, the better chance it has at commanding a higher salary. "This report reinforces that high pay continues to be tied to in-demand skills, higher education, and working in jobs that are protected from competition or automation," said Dr. Andrew Chamberlain, Glassdoor's chief economist. "This is why we see several jobs within the technology and health-care industries."

Other roles that received at least 75 salary submissions and topped the list include software architects, software development managers, and strategy managers. Here's a full look at the top 25 and their salaries.

The report comes after the World Economic Forum (WEF) released a study earlier this year that predicted millions of jobs will be lost by 2020 due to technological developments. "[C]urrent trends could lead to a net employment impact of more than 5.1 million jobs lost to disruptive labour market changes over the period 2015-2020, with a total loss of 7.1 million jobs—two thirds of which are concentrated in the Office and Administrative job family—and a total gain of 2 million jobs, in several smaller job families," the report said.

Among Glassdoor's list of the lowest-paying jobs are a few from the office and administrative area that the WEF study referenced. Roles where technological advances have already caused staffing cuts in a respective field were likely to have been among the lower-paying jobs last year. "Unlike the highest-paying jobs, these lower-paying jobs typically do not require higher education, technical skills, and in some cases are being replaced by automation or technology," Chamberlain said. 

The report also dived into how many openings there are for each role on the firm's website. While there are nearly 8,000 listings for product managers, it might be tough to land a role as an information systems manager, given the mere 147 openings on Glassdoor. 

Man hacks Tesla firmware, finds new model, has car remotely downgraded

But Elon Musk says not on his orders; "Good hacking is a gift."

The image that hacker Jason Hughes found hidden in Tesla's latest Model S firmware.

It seems Tesla is set to bump the battery capacity of its Model S sedan up to a hefty 100kWh some time in the near future. We know this thanks to the work of a white-hat hacker and Tesla P85D owner named Jason Hughes. Hughes—who previously turned the battery pack from a wrecked Tesla into a storage array for his solar panels—was poking around in the latest firmware of his Model S (version 2.13.77) and discovered an image of the new car's badge, the P100D.

However, after letting Tesla (and the world) know what he found, Hughes alleged that Tesla used "some method I was unaware of" to downgrade his P85D to firmware 2.12.45. Musk has been known in the past to take criticism of Tesla quite seriously; he challenged a critical New York Times article with data pulled from the review car and cancelled a customer's order after being berated for being late to the Model X launch.

But it seems that in this case, Musk had nothing to do with the downgrade, replying to Hughes that he was innocent and that "Good hacking is a gift":

All's well that ends well. Hughes had backed up the more recent firmware (which should fix a charging bug he's been experiencing), and he told Musk via Twitter that they're still cool and he was off to enjoy his car.