Playmate Wins 'Genius' Visa

Playboy Playmate granted U.S. 'genius' visa 

Shera Bechard, the Canadian-born former girlfriend of Playboy Enterprises founder Hugh Hefner, would not be an obvious candidate for the special visas that the U.S. government reserves for "individuals with extraordinary ability."

I'll easily trade her for a hundred of the people who are always threatening to run away to Canada when things don't go their way in elections or policy, but isn't she afraid of losing her "free" Canadian health care system?

Playboy magazine named Bechard Miss November in 2010 (NSFW), and she also started an online photo-sharing craze called "Frisky Friday." Neither seems quite on the level of an "internationally recognized award, such as a Nobel Prize," which the government cites as a possible qualification.

But Los Angeles immigration lawyer Chris Wright argued that Bechard's accomplishments earned her a slot. The government ultimately agreed.

As far as I'm concerned we can take all the hot women from Canada.  That ought to be a special visa category in and of itself, HCC-1.

The O-1 visa allows individuals of "extraordinary ability" to come to the United States for up to three years, and can be extended. British journalist Piers Morgan used one when he replaced Larry King on his late-night TV show, Wright said.

Taking your clothes off for Hugh Hefner takes extraordinary ability, one that require excellent genes, hence, the "gen" in genius visa.  I know I couldn't do it, at least and make any money.

The EB-1 is similar, but leads to a green card and permanent residency rather than a temporary stay, with "extraordinary ability" being one of the ways to qualify - along with being an outstanding professor or researcher, or a multinational executive.

She can wash dishes in my lab.

Foreign entrepreneurs have another option - the Immigrant Investor Program, or EB-5 visa - but it requires a capital investment of at least $500,000 and the creation of at least 10 full-time jobs for U.S. workers.

By contrast, no proof of personal wealth or investment in the United States is required for the O-1 or the EB-1.

There is also no cap on the number of O-1s that the government can award each year; about 12,280 were approved in 2011, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said, up from 9,478 in 2006. It issued about 25,000 EB-1s last year, below their cap of 40,000.

The Classical Liberal links to this in "Hot Legs!" Special thanks to Wombat-Socho who featured this in his weekly Rule 5 post "Touch and Go" over at The Other McCain.

Hong Kong marks 15 years since Chinese handover

Hu Jintao offered greetings to the people of Hong Kong

Hong Kong has begun marking the 15th anniversary since its handover from UK to Chinese control.

Chinese President Hu Jintao is leading the main events. He earlier swore in businessman CY Leung as the territory's new leader.

Small groups of protesters have tried to disrupt his visit.

One of their main complaints is that the system used to choose Hong Kong's leader is designed to install Beijing's choice.

A so-called electoral college of 1,200 business leaders and other influential citizens, mostly loyal to Beijing, chooses the leader.

At the swearing-in ceremony, Mr Hu offered "warm congratulations" to Mr Leung and his team and described the 15th anniversary as a "joyous occasion".

He reiterated Beijing's commitment to the "one country, two systems" policy whereby Hong Kongers are allowed many more political freedoms than Chinese people in the mainland.

A lone heckler stood and shouted at the Chinese president during the speech, referring to the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, but he was quickly bundled out of the harbourfront building.

Protest due

The ceremony took place under tight security.

The BBC's Juliana Liu, in Hong Kong, says Mr Hu's visit has been carefully choreographed.

But on Saturday police had to shield the president from demonstrators, and officers used pepper spray to disperse crowds who were demanding an investigation into the death in China of a Tiananmen activist, Li Wangyang, earlier this year.

It is a far cry from Mr Hu's last visit five years ago, when he toured Hong Kong in a blaze of pre-Olympic glory, says our correspondent.

His visit comes as public confidence in the Beijing government has fallen to a new low.

People are unhappy with record property prices, an increasing wealth gap, a lack of democracy and a string of political scandals.

An annual protest in support of human rights is due to take place later, with tens of thousands expected to attend.

Hong Kong, a British colony until 1997, has a comparatively high degree of autonomy from Beijing.

But China's leaders in Beijing have resisted public pressure for full democracy in the city.

News by BBC


Read current news at http://bbc-cnn-worldnews.blogspot.com

PSA - How Not to Use Expanding Foam

Great stuff, but you do have to watch what your doing with it...