IES Office OPT and CPT Workshop Schedule 

Spring 2014

All workshops take place in Admin 218

Immigration Options After Graduation Workshop: 

Learn from Immigration Attorney Lynn O-Brien about immigration options after F-1 status.

Monday, March 3, 12pm – 1pm, Admin 101

Battlelines are being drawn.

At the center of the conflict is a potential pipeline carrying “one of the dirtiest, most carbon-intensive fuels on the planet,”

Some see an environmental disaster-in-waiting. Others pooh-pooh the dangers and see instead an economic boon. 

Estimates of jobs created by the pipeline range from zero to more than one hundred thousand.

Oh, and the pipeline already exists. 

Confused yet?

The Keystone XL pipeline is designed to carry crude oil from Canadian oil sands to the Gulf Coast. Most of it has already been built. But because a portion crosses the US/Canadian border it has turned this business concern into an international concern requiring presidential approval. 

There are no doubts some benefits to the pipeline. Canadian oil sands can be refined to produce a healthy amount of conventional petroleum for US consumption or export. Plus the source is not an unstable Middle East supplier.  This is good news, but it comes with a catch: “well to wheel,” oil sands produce 17% more greenhouse gas emissions than traditional oil sources.

Extraction is both polluting and ecologically destructive.  Plus there’s the dangers of accidents and spills when in operation.

However, the State Department released a report last Friday declaring that  completion of the pipeline would not exacerbate climate change.

This is because the oil will probably reach the market with or without the Keystone pipeline. The suppliers with just use trains instead. In fact, if Keystone isn’t built, transporting the oil via train may actually increase total emissions.

Some who support the Keystone XL promote it as a job creator.

But estimates of Keystone-supported jobs vary wildly, in part because many more bodies are needed during construction than during the subsequent operation of the pipeline.

The State Department estimates the two-year construction phase of the pipeline will support 42,100 temporary American jobs. Regular operation will require about 50 employees. 

In the end, the critical question is whether the economic benefit is worth the environmental risk.

 So what’s your verdict? Don’t just tell us; the government is accepting public comment on the project until March 7.

Stock imagery is one of the toughest things to get right on a website. Hunting for the right image can be time-consuming, frustrating, and all too often fruitless. The key to getting it right is having access to the widest pool of stock images possible.

That’s why we’re delighted to announce that our sister-site, MightyDeals.com, has managed to bring back one of its most popular deals ever, on the fantastic stock images from Depositphotos.

Depositphotos has one of the largest libraries on the web, more than 20 million images to be precise, and it’s that kind of choice that makes this an absolute must-have deal.

The deal is for packs of 100, or 200 images. Meaning that you’re paying less than $1 per image. And the really cool thing is, that covers all image sizes, so if you want to embrace the large image trend you’ll have the photos to do it.

All of the images are royalty free and and can be downloaded at anytime over a whole year.

For a limited time you can get 100 images, of any size, for just $99. Or, if you really want to save some cash, get 200 from $160!

This is one of the most popular deals MightyDeals.com has run, and for a good reason. Head over there now and make sure you don’t miss out.

Did you grab the Depositphotos deal last time round? Which category of image do you find most useful? Let us know in the comments.

Contract Template Bundle for Creative Freelancers – only $39!

A new wave of inclusion seems to be sweeping through the media.

Most recently, two Super Bowl ads, Coca Cola’s “#AmericaIsBeautiful” commercial (See America the Beautiful, Por Favor) and Cheerio’s bi-racial family ad  have created quite a debate about American identity.

A similar campaign by Axe - Make Love, Not War – seems to have gone under the radar, but raises the same important questions surrounding culture, religion, ethnicity, and inclusion.

The face of Axe’s campaign features a turbaned Sikh model kissing a woman on the New York City subway.  In the post-9/11 era, Sikhs have been needlessly and unfailingly persecuted because of their personal appearance and (incorrect) resemblance to the stereotype of a Muslim.  (See Miss America isn’t an American?)

This was no exception.

Axe was slammed on Twitter and Facebook for featuring a “terrorist,” “towel-head” and “Muslim” in their campaign. 

Thankfully, those who were more culturally competent came to Axe’s and the Sikh community’s defense, eager to enlighten others who were outraged as to why they shouldn’t be. 

It’s long been said that America is not so much a “melting pot,” but more of a “tossed salad.”

A melting pot implies conformity and assimilation, with cultural differences melting away.   The tossed salad analogy is perhaps more appropriate – it allows unique pieces of cultural heritage to remain visible and intact. 

Let’s start appreciating the croutons.