I Like It !

Friday, November 18, 2011

Wikipedia needs donations to keep going

Google might have close to a million servers. Yahoo has something like 13,000 staff. We have 679 servers and 95 staff. Wikipedia is the #5 site on the web and serves 450 million different people every month – with billions of page views.


Commerce is fine. Advertising is not evil. But it doesn't belong here. Not in Wikipedia.

Wikipedia is something special. It is like a library or a public park. It is like a temple for the mind. It is a place we can all go to think, to learn, to share our knowledge with others.

When I founded Wikipedia, I could have made it into a for-profit company with advertising banners, but I decided to do something different. We’ve worked hard over the years to keep it lean and tight. We fulfill our mission, and leave waste to others.

If everyone reading this donated €5, we would only have to fundraise for one day a year. But not everyone can or will donate. And that's fine. Each year just enough people decide to give.

This year, please consider making a donation of €5, €10, €20 or whatever you can to protect and sustain Wikipedia.

Thanks,

Jimmy Wales

Wikipedia Founder

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

US Visa Classifications



A1 Visa Head of State or Government, Ambassador, public minister, career
diplomatic or consular officer assigned to the U.S., and members of immediate
family.


A2 Visa Foreign government officials on official business or employees of
diplomatic or consular missions in the U.S., and members of immediate family


A3 Visa Attendant, servant, or personal employee of A1 and A2 classes,
and members of immediate family.


B1 Visa Temporary visitor for business.


B2 Visa Temporary visitor for pleasure.


B1/B2 Visa Temporary visitor for business or pleasure.


C1 Visa Alien in transit through the U.S.


C2 Visa Alien in transit to the United Nations Headquarters District
under Section 11.(3), (4), or (5) of the Headquarters Agreement with the United
Nations.


C3 Foreign government officials, members of immediate family, attendant,
servant, or personal employee in transit.

C1/D Crew member/crew-list

E1 Treaty trader, spouse and children


E2 Treaty investor, spouse and children


F1 Student (academic or language training program)


F2 Dependent of F1


G1 Principal resident representative of recognized foreign member
government to international organization, his/her staff, and members of
immediate family on long-term assignment


G2 Other representative of recognized foreign member government to
international organization, and members of immediate family on temporary
assignment


G3 Representative of non-recognized foreign member government to
international organization, and members of immediate family


G4 International organization officer or employee and members of
immediate family


G5 Attendant, servant, or personal employee of G1, G2, G3, or G4 class
and members of immediate family


H-1B Visa applies to persons in a specialty occupation which requires the
theoretical and practical application of a body of highly specialized knowledge
requiring completion of a specific course of higher education. This
classification requires a labor attestation issued by the Secretary of Labor
(65,000). This classification also applies to Government-to-Government research
and development, or coproduction projects administered by the Department of
Defense (100).

H1C Registered nurses


H2A Temporary worker performing agricultural services unavailable in the
United States


H-2B Visa applies to temporary or seasonal nonagricultural workers. This
classification requires a temporary labor certification issued by the Secretary
of Labor (66,000).

H-3 applies to trainees other than medical or academic. This
classification also applies to practical training in the education of
handicapped children (50).

H4 Dependent of H1, H2 or H3


I Representative of foreign information media and dependents


J1 Exchange visitor


J2 Dependent of J1


L 1 Visa applies to intracompany transferees who, within the three
preceding years, have been employed abroad continuously for one year, and who
will be employed by a branch, parent, affiliate, or subsidiary of that same
employer in the U.S. in a managerial, executive, or specialized knowledge
capacity.

L2 Visa Dependent of L1


M1 Vocational student


M2 Dependent of M1


O-1 applies to persons who have extraordinary ability in the sciences,
arts, education, business, or athletics, or extraordinary achievements in the
motion picture and television field.

O-2 applies to persons accompanying an O-1 alien to assist in an artistic
or athletic performance for a specific event or performance.

O3 Dependent of O1 or O2


P-1 applies to individual or team athletes, or members of an
entertainment group that are internationally recognized (25,000).

P-2 applies to artists or entertainers who will perform under a
reciprocal exchange program.

P-3 applies to artists or entertainers who perform under a program that
is culturally unique (same as P-1).

P4 Dependent of P1, P2 or P3


Q-1 applies to participants in an international cultural exchange program
for the purpose of providing practical training, employment, and the sharing of
the history, culture, and traditions of the alien's home country.


R1 Religious worker


R2 Dependent of R1


TN Canadian or Mexican citizen working in a professional capacity under
the North American Trade Agreement


TD Spouse or child of TN