I guess Ronald Reagan had it about right when it comes to politics with these words: "It has been said that politics is the second oldest profession. I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the first".
No surprise there. AEI is a Scaife-funded republican lie mill receiving
huge funding from Exxon-Mobil, Shell, Chevron, etc., etc. They're also
connected to right wing religious group operations for the purpose of
"undermining progressive religious organizations".
Washington – Potential visitors to the United States need to be told that the visa process has been accelerated and that America wants them to come, Jay Rasulo, the chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, told a Senate hearing recently.
He commended the U.S. government for improvements such as reducing the time visa seekers must wait for appointments with consular officials, but added, “We must also tell the world we did it -- because negative perceptions have a funny way of lingering long after the reality has changed.”
Since the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, travel to the United States has declined 17 percent, resulting in the loss of nearly 200,000 jobs, $94 billion in spending and $16 billion in tax receipts, according to a report, Blueprint to Discover America, submitted to the Senate at the January 31 hearing by a coalition of business leaders. The report makes recommendations for improving the visa process, enhancing security and efficiency at ports of entry and changing the perception that America is unwelcoming to international visitors.
Travel to the United States makes most visitors feel more positively about this nation, said Rasulo, who also chairs the Travel Industry Association and the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board. “If we can get people though the gate, we can change their perceptions of America,” he told the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.
The U.S. State Department says it has reduced the wait for a temporary business or tourist visa appointment to one week or less at two-thirds of its embassies and consulates. The wait is 30 days or less at fully 90 percent of U.S. embassies and consulates. Students and urgent business travelers receive priority appointments at all posts. Visas are issued within two days of the interview in 97 percent of cases.
These efforts are paying off, according to the State Department. The number of temporary business and tourist visas issued in fiscal year 2006 was up 12 percent over fiscal year 2005, and the number of student/exchange visitor visas increased by 14 percent. The Commerce Department has predicted record arrivals and receipts from international travelers to the United States in 2006. (See related article.)
Rasulo told the January 31 hearing that the Blueprint group conducted research to understand why some people avoid traveling to the United States. “It was very clear to us that confusion and misperceptions about the entry experience are a far bigger deterrent than the processes themselves,” he said.
The private sector Blueprint to Discover American shares the same goals as the joint vision articulated a year ago by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff: to protect the United States better while at the same time welcoming legitimate visitors as warmly as possible. (See related article.)
As part of the Rice-Chertoff vision, the United States has been working to test methods of collecting fingerprints and other data for select groups of applicants to be processed without having to visit an embassy facility and to create a one-stop redress center for travelers who have concerns about their treatment in the screening process.
In August 2006, the Department of State began issuing electronic passports to business and tourist travelers, and as part of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), the Department of State has proposed a PASSport card for border community residents. (See related article.)
As part of its commitment to welcome travelers, the State Department has added 570 consular positions worldwide, invested millions in technology and information sharing, and begun posting visa appointment wait times online, according to a State Department fact sheet.
The Department of Homeland Security has established the Consolidated Trusted Traveler Program (CTTP) to integrate all existing and proposed trusted traveler programs for international air, land and sea travel.
On January 23, the United States instituted a requirement that all travelers entering the United States by air, including American citizens, submit a passport or other secure document, which not only will enhance security but also facilitate travel by limiting the number of documents with which border inspectors must be familiar.
As of November 2006, the State Department required all nonimmigrant visa applicants to use the electronic visa application form, which allows consular staff to focus on higher-priority tasks. The Department of State is promising a new online application form by September 2007 that will permit greater screening in advance of the visa interview.
An example of the commitment to improve service was cited by another witness, Jonathan Tisch, chairman and of Loews Hotels: when wait times for visas in India reached as long as six months in November 2006, the State Department committed additional staffing and resources, processing backlogged applications and reducing wait times to less than one week in three of its four consulates. Tisch suggested creating “rapid response teams” that could be sent wherever heavy demand creates such backlogs.
The Wall St. Rescue package called the "LEGISLATIVE PROPOSAL FOR TREASURY AUTHORITY TO PURCHASE MORTGAGE-RELATED ASSETS" attempts to wrap the flag around the problems, hoping that no one will look closely or ask hard questions. The USA pioneered "flags of convenience" before WWII to prevent an sunken American ship from dragging the US into war prematurely.
The Secretary of the Treasury will be granted extraordinary powers for a period exceeding his term of office. It seems that the Secretary may have selected a contractor for evaluating The Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS) intends to issue a purchase order to Vero Capital Management for support services related to risk assessment and valuation of mortgage-related assets for a fifteen (15) month period. Vero Capital Management will provide their proprietary model used to assess the characteristics and risks of structured mortgage products as well as services related to risk assessment and valuation of mortgage related assets. This proposed purchase order is for services for which the Government intends to solicit and negotiate with only one source under the authority of FAR 6.302.
9/19/2008 Solicitation Number -- TOTS-D-08-Q-00113
Contracting Office -- Department of the Treasury, Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS), Procurement and Administrative Services, 1700 G Street, N.W., 3rd Floor, Washington, District of Columbia, 20552
Contracting Office -- Department of the Treasury, Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS), Procurement and Administrative Services, 1700 G Street, N.W., 3rd Floor, Washington, District of Columbia, 20552
The Navigant Consulting Inc. report that was commissioned by Chesapeake Energy on the amount of domestic natural gas reserves is important because it shows that the US has 10x more methane than the official Energy Information Agency acknowledges. The amount of gas from shale should be enough to be pushing down gas cost estimates, leading to lower gas & electric bills. But this time of year, the northern gas & electric utilities are all lined up to present their rate estimates to their regulators, and no one is paying attention. The public utilities have captured their regulators and no one seems to be holding their feet to the fire. NCI's natural gas reserve's report caused the Oil & Gas Journal to suggest that it would have unintended consequences. The only consequence so far has been to prove that the American public is asleep at the switch.
I guess Ronald Reagan had it about right when it comes to politics with these words: "It has been said that politics is the second oldest profession. I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the first".
No surprise there. AEI is a Scaife-funded republican lie mill receiving
huge funding from Exxon-Mobil, Shell, Chevron, etc., etc. They're also
connected to right wing religious group operations for the purpose of
"undermining progressive religious organizations".
_____________________
Submited by : Descargar Libros
Washington – Potential visitors to the United States need to be told that the visa process has been accelerated and that America wants them to come, Jay Rasulo, the chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, told a Senate hearing recently.
He commended the U.S. government for improvements such as reducing the time visa seekers must wait for appointments with consular officials, but added, “We must also tell the world we did it -- because negative perceptions have a funny way of lingering long after the reality has changed.”
Since the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, travel to the United States has declined 17 percent, resulting in the loss of nearly 200,000 jobs, $94 billion in spending and $16 billion in tax receipts, according to a report, Blueprint to Discover America, submitted to the Senate at the January 31 hearing by a coalition of business leaders. The report makes recommendations for improving the visa process, enhancing security and efficiency at ports of entry and changing the perception that America is unwelcoming to international visitors.
Travel to the United States makes most visitors feel more positively about this nation, said Rasulo, who also chairs the Travel Industry Association and the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board. “If we can get people though the gate, we can change their perceptions of America,” he told the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.
The U.S. State Department says it has reduced the wait for a temporary business or tourist visa appointment to one week or less at two-thirds of its embassies and consulates. The wait is 30 days or less at fully 90 percent of U.S. embassies and consulates. Students and urgent business travelers receive priority appointments at all posts. Visas are issued within two days of the interview in 97 percent of cases.
These efforts are paying off, according to the State Department. The number of temporary business and tourist visas issued in fiscal year 2006 was up 12 percent over fiscal year 2005, and the number of student/exchange visitor visas increased by 14 percent. The Commerce Department has predicted record arrivals and receipts from international travelers to the United States in 2006. (See related article.)
Rasulo told the January 31 hearing that the Blueprint group conducted research to understand why some people avoid traveling to the United States. “It was very clear to us that confusion and misperceptions about the entry experience are a far bigger deterrent than the processes themselves,” he said.
The private sector Blueprint to Discover American shares the same goals as the joint vision articulated a year ago by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff: to protect the United States better while at the same time welcoming legitimate visitors as warmly as possible. (See related article.)
As part of the Rice-Chertoff vision, the United States has been working to test methods of collecting fingerprints and other data for select groups of applicants to be processed without having to visit an embassy facility and to create a one-stop redress center for travelers who have concerns about their treatment in the screening process.
In August 2006, the Department of State began issuing electronic passports to business and tourist travelers, and as part of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), the Department of State has proposed a PASSport card for border community residents. (See related article.)
As part of its commitment to welcome travelers, the State Department has added 570 consular positions worldwide, invested millions in technology and information sharing, and begun posting visa appointment wait times online, according to a State Department fact sheet.
The Department of Homeland Security has established the Consolidated Trusted Traveler Program (CTTP) to integrate all existing and proposed trusted traveler programs for international air, land and sea travel.
On January 23, the United States instituted a requirement that all travelers entering the United States by air, including American citizens, submit a passport or other secure document, which not only will enhance security but also facilitate travel by limiting the number of documents with which border inspectors must be familiar.
As of November 2006, the State Department required all nonimmigrant visa applicants to use the electronic visa application form, which allows consular staff to focus on higher-priority tasks. The Department of State is promising a new online application form by September 2007 that will permit greater screening in advance of the visa interview.
An example of the commitment to improve service was cited by another witness, Jonathan Tisch, chairman and of Loews Hotels: when wait times for visas in India reached as long as six months in November 2006, the State Department committed additional staffing and resources, processing backlogged applications and reducing wait times to less than one week in three of its four consulates. Tisch suggested creating “rapid response teams” that could be sent wherever heavy demand creates such backlogs.
_____________________
Submited by : Bajar Libros
The Wall St. Rescue package called the "LEGISLATIVE PROPOSAL FOR TREASURY AUTHORITY TO PURCHASE MORTGAGE-RELATED ASSETS" attempts to wrap the flag around the problems, hoping that no one will look closely or ask hard questions. The USA pioneered "flags of convenience" before WWII to prevent an sunken American ship from dragging the US into war prematurely.
The Secretary of the Treasury will be granted extraordinary powers for a period exceeding his term of office. It seems that the Secretary may have selected a contractor for evaluating The Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS) intends to issue a purchase order to Vero Capital Management for support services related to risk assessment and valuation of mortgage-related assets for a fifteen (15) month period. Vero Capital Management will provide their proprietary model used to assess the characteristics and risks of structured mortgage products as well as services related to risk assessment and valuation of mortgage related assets. This proposed purchase order is for services for which the Government intends to solicit and negotiate with only one source under the authority of FAR 6.302.
9/19/2008 Solicitation Number -- TOTS-D-08-Q-00113
Contracting Office -- Department of the Treasury, Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS), Procurement and Administrative Services, 1700 G Street, N.W., 3rd Floor, Washington, District of Columbia, 20552
Contracting Office -- Department of the Treasury, Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS), Procurement and Administrative Services, 1700 G Street, N.W., 3rd Floor, Washington, District of Columbia, 20552
The Navigant Consulting Inc. report that was commissioned by Chesapeake Energy on the amount of domestic natural gas reserves is important because it shows that the US has 10x more methane than the official Energy Information Agency acknowledges. The amount of gas from shale should be enough to be pushing down gas cost estimates, leading to lower gas & electric bills. But this time of year, the northern gas & electric utilities are all lined up to present their rate estimates to their regulators, and no one is paying attention. The public utilities have captured their regulators and no one seems to be holding their feet to the fire. NCI's natural gas reserve's report caused the Oil & Gas Journal to suggest that it would have unintended consequences. The only consequence so far has been to prove that the American public is asleep at the switch.
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