black ops funny pictures
images Black Ops funny video
ItIsNotFunny
09-23 09:10 AM
I don't get it - where are the rest of the 2468 members?
Can we send out a blast (through Pappu) to everyone on this forum?
Our need will be felt much more strongly is ALL of us participate - right guys? I'm kind of shocked that the number is only 32!!!!
North East guys, please keep doing now!
Can we send out a blast (through Pappu) to everyone on this forum?
Our need will be felt much more strongly is ALL of us participate - right guys? I'm kind of shocked that the number is only 32!!!!
North East guys, please keep doing now!
wallpaper Black ops RG Elite101
hotscud21
11-01 10:48 AM
Thanks for the response.
IF I port to self employment will things be any better?
That way I can be a consultant and work in my field. I can generate enough work. Also, how would USCIS exactly know what kind of work a person is doing?
Thanks
IF I port to self employment will things be any better?
That way I can be a consultant and work in my field. I can generate enough work. Also, how would USCIS exactly know what kind of work a person is doing?
Thanks
optimystic
09-10 08:11 PM
Thanks for encouraging comments from everyone. I hope some one from core team also takes notice of this and gives it some consideration.
May be we could tie this campaign as part of gaining support for approval of 5882 (visa recapture)
May be we could tie this campaign as part of gaining support for approval of 5882 (visa recapture)
2011 This Weeks Creative Black Ops
eilsoe
10-15 07:27 PM
Yap me too! :)
I'm gonna go and download those brushes right now! :P
I'm gonna go and download those brushes right now! :P
more...
learning01
02-25 05:03 PM
This is the most compelling piece I read about why this country should do more for scientists and engineers who are on temporary work visas. Read it till the end and enjoy.
learning01
From Yale Global Online:
Amid the Bush Administration's efforts to create a guest-worker program for undocumented immigrants, Nobel laureate economist Gary Becker argues that the US must do more to welcome skilled legal immigrants too. The US currently offers only 140,000 green cards each year, preventing many valuable scientists and engineers from gaining permanent residency. Instead, they are made to stay in the US on temporary visas�which discourage them from assimilating into American society, and of which there are not nearly enough. It is far better, argues Becker, to fold the visa program into a much larger green card quota for skilled immigrants. While such a program would force more competition on American scientists and engineers, it would allow the economy as a whole to take advantage of the valuable skills of new workers who would have a lasting stake in America's success. Skilled immigrants will find work elsewhere if we do not let them work here�but they want, first and foremost, to work in the US. Becker argues that the US should let them do so. � YaleGlobal
Give Us Your Skilled Masses
Gary S. Becker
The Wall Street Journal, 1 December 2005
With border security and proposals for a guest-worker program back on the front page, it is vital that the U.S. -- in its effort to cope with undocumented workers -- does not overlook legal immigration. The number of people allowed in is far too small, posing a significant problem for the economy in the years ahead. Only 140,000 green cards are issued annually, with the result that scientists, engineers and other highly skilled workers often must wait years before receiving the ticket allowing them to stay permanently in the U.S.
An alternate route for highly skilled professionals -- especially information technology workers -- has been temporary H-1B visas, good for specific jobs for three years with the possibility of one renewal. But Congress foolishly cut the annual quota of H-1B visas in 2003 from almost 200,000 to well under 100,000. The small quota of 65,000 for the current fiscal year that began on Oct. 1 is already exhausted!
This is mistaken policy. The right approach would be to greatly increase the number of entry permits to highly skilled professionals and eliminate the H-1B program, so that all such visas became permanent. Skilled immigrants such as engineers and scientists are in fields not attracting many Americans, and they work in IT industries, such as computers and biotech, which have become the backbone of the economy. Many of the entrepreneurs and higher-level employees in Silicon Valley were born overseas. These immigrants create jobs and opportunities for native-born Americans of all types and levels of skills.
So it seems like a win-win situation. Permanent rather than temporary admissions of the H-1B type have many advantages. Foreign professionals would make a greater commitment to becoming part of American culture and to eventually becoming citizens, rather than forming separate enclaves in the expectation they are here only temporarily. They would also be more concerned with advancing in the American economy and less likely to abscond with the intellectual property of American companies -- property that could help them advance in their countries of origin.
Basically, I am proposing that H-1B visas be folded into a much larger, employment-based green card program with the emphasis on skilled workers. The annual quota should be multiplied many times beyond present limits, and there should be no upper bound on the numbers from any single country. Such upper bounds place large countries like India and China, with many highly qualified professionals, at a considerable and unfair disadvantage -- at no gain to the U.S.
To be sure, the annual admission of a million or more highly skilled workers such as engineers and scientists would lower the earnings of the American workers they compete against. The opposition from competing American workers is probably the main reason for the sharp restrictions on the number of immigrant workers admitted today. That opposition is understandable, but does not make it good for the country as a whole.
Doesn't the U.S. clearly benefit if, for example, India's government spends a lot on the highly esteemed Indian Institutes of Technology to train scientists and engineers who leave to work in America? It certainly appears that way to the sending countries, many of which protest against this emigration by calling it a "brain drain."
Yet the migration of workers, like free trade in goods, is not a zero sum game, but one that usually benefits the sending and the receiving country. Even if many immigrants do not return home to the nations that trained them, they send back remittances that are often sizeable; and some do return to start businesses.
Experience shows that countries providing a good economic and political environment can attract back many of the skilled men and women who have previously left. Whether they return or not, they gain knowledge about modern technologies that becomes more easily incorporated into the production of their native countries.
Experience also shows that if America does not accept greatly increased numbers of highly skilled professionals, they might go elsewhere: Canada and Australia, to take two examples, are actively recruiting IT professionals.
Since earnings are much higher in the U.S., many skilled immigrants would prefer to come here. But if they cannot, they may compete against us through outsourcing and similar forms of international trade in services. The U.S. would be much better off by having such skilled workers become residents and citizens -- thus contributing to our productivity, culture, tax revenues and education rather than to the productivity and tax revenues of other countries.
I do, however, advocate that we be careful about admitting students and skilled workers from countries that have produced many terrorists, such as Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. My attitude may be dismissed as religious "profiling," but intelligent and fact-based profiling is essential in the war against terror. And terrorists come from a relatively small number of countries and backgrounds, unfortunately mainly of the Islamic faith. But the legitimate concern about admitting terrorists should not be allowed, as it is now doing, to deny or discourage the admission of skilled immigrants who pose little terrorist threat.
Nothing in my discussion should be interpreted as arguing against the admission of unskilled immigrants. Many of these individuals also turn out to be ambitious and hard-working and make fine contributions to American life. But if the number to be admitted is subject to political and other limits, there is a strong case for giving preference to skilled immigrants for the reasons I have indicated.
Other countries, too, should liberalize their policies toward the immigration of skilled workers. I particularly think of Japan and Germany, both countries that have rapidly aging, and soon to be declining, populations that are not sympathetic (especially Japan) to absorbing many immigrants. These are decisions they have to make. But America still has a major advantage in attracting skilled workers, because this is the preferred destination of the vast majority of them. So why not take advantage of their preference to come here, rather than force them to look elsewhere?
URL:
http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/display.article?id=6583
Mr. Becker, the 1992 Nobel laureate in economics, is University Professor of Economics and Sociology at the University of Chicago and the Rose-Marie and Jack R. Anderson Senior Fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institution.
Rights:
Copyright � 2005 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Related Articles:
America Should Open Its Doors Wide to Foreign Talent
Some Lost Jobs Never Leave Home
Bush's Proposal for Immigration Reform Misses the Point
Workers Falling Behind in Mexico
learning01
From Yale Global Online:
Amid the Bush Administration's efforts to create a guest-worker program for undocumented immigrants, Nobel laureate economist Gary Becker argues that the US must do more to welcome skilled legal immigrants too. The US currently offers only 140,000 green cards each year, preventing many valuable scientists and engineers from gaining permanent residency. Instead, they are made to stay in the US on temporary visas�which discourage them from assimilating into American society, and of which there are not nearly enough. It is far better, argues Becker, to fold the visa program into a much larger green card quota for skilled immigrants. While such a program would force more competition on American scientists and engineers, it would allow the economy as a whole to take advantage of the valuable skills of new workers who would have a lasting stake in America's success. Skilled immigrants will find work elsewhere if we do not let them work here�but they want, first and foremost, to work in the US. Becker argues that the US should let them do so. � YaleGlobal
Give Us Your Skilled Masses
Gary S. Becker
The Wall Street Journal, 1 December 2005
With border security and proposals for a guest-worker program back on the front page, it is vital that the U.S. -- in its effort to cope with undocumented workers -- does not overlook legal immigration. The number of people allowed in is far too small, posing a significant problem for the economy in the years ahead. Only 140,000 green cards are issued annually, with the result that scientists, engineers and other highly skilled workers often must wait years before receiving the ticket allowing them to stay permanently in the U.S.
An alternate route for highly skilled professionals -- especially information technology workers -- has been temporary H-1B visas, good for specific jobs for three years with the possibility of one renewal. But Congress foolishly cut the annual quota of H-1B visas in 2003 from almost 200,000 to well under 100,000. The small quota of 65,000 for the current fiscal year that began on Oct. 1 is already exhausted!
This is mistaken policy. The right approach would be to greatly increase the number of entry permits to highly skilled professionals and eliminate the H-1B program, so that all such visas became permanent. Skilled immigrants such as engineers and scientists are in fields not attracting many Americans, and they work in IT industries, such as computers and biotech, which have become the backbone of the economy. Many of the entrepreneurs and higher-level employees in Silicon Valley were born overseas. These immigrants create jobs and opportunities for native-born Americans of all types and levels of skills.
So it seems like a win-win situation. Permanent rather than temporary admissions of the H-1B type have many advantages. Foreign professionals would make a greater commitment to becoming part of American culture and to eventually becoming citizens, rather than forming separate enclaves in the expectation they are here only temporarily. They would also be more concerned with advancing in the American economy and less likely to abscond with the intellectual property of American companies -- property that could help them advance in their countries of origin.
Basically, I am proposing that H-1B visas be folded into a much larger, employment-based green card program with the emphasis on skilled workers. The annual quota should be multiplied many times beyond present limits, and there should be no upper bound on the numbers from any single country. Such upper bounds place large countries like India and China, with many highly qualified professionals, at a considerable and unfair disadvantage -- at no gain to the U.S.
To be sure, the annual admission of a million or more highly skilled workers such as engineers and scientists would lower the earnings of the American workers they compete against. The opposition from competing American workers is probably the main reason for the sharp restrictions on the number of immigrant workers admitted today. That opposition is understandable, but does not make it good for the country as a whole.
Doesn't the U.S. clearly benefit if, for example, India's government spends a lot on the highly esteemed Indian Institutes of Technology to train scientists and engineers who leave to work in America? It certainly appears that way to the sending countries, many of which protest against this emigration by calling it a "brain drain."
Yet the migration of workers, like free trade in goods, is not a zero sum game, but one that usually benefits the sending and the receiving country. Even if many immigrants do not return home to the nations that trained them, they send back remittances that are often sizeable; and some do return to start businesses.
Experience shows that countries providing a good economic and political environment can attract back many of the skilled men and women who have previously left. Whether they return or not, they gain knowledge about modern technologies that becomes more easily incorporated into the production of their native countries.
Experience also shows that if America does not accept greatly increased numbers of highly skilled professionals, they might go elsewhere: Canada and Australia, to take two examples, are actively recruiting IT professionals.
Since earnings are much higher in the U.S., many skilled immigrants would prefer to come here. But if they cannot, they may compete against us through outsourcing and similar forms of international trade in services. The U.S. would be much better off by having such skilled workers become residents and citizens -- thus contributing to our productivity, culture, tax revenues and education rather than to the productivity and tax revenues of other countries.
I do, however, advocate that we be careful about admitting students and skilled workers from countries that have produced many terrorists, such as Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. My attitude may be dismissed as religious "profiling," but intelligent and fact-based profiling is essential in the war against terror. And terrorists come from a relatively small number of countries and backgrounds, unfortunately mainly of the Islamic faith. But the legitimate concern about admitting terrorists should not be allowed, as it is now doing, to deny or discourage the admission of skilled immigrants who pose little terrorist threat.
Nothing in my discussion should be interpreted as arguing against the admission of unskilled immigrants. Many of these individuals also turn out to be ambitious and hard-working and make fine contributions to American life. But if the number to be admitted is subject to political and other limits, there is a strong case for giving preference to skilled immigrants for the reasons I have indicated.
Other countries, too, should liberalize their policies toward the immigration of skilled workers. I particularly think of Japan and Germany, both countries that have rapidly aging, and soon to be declining, populations that are not sympathetic (especially Japan) to absorbing many immigrants. These are decisions they have to make. But America still has a major advantage in attracting skilled workers, because this is the preferred destination of the vast majority of them. So why not take advantage of their preference to come here, rather than force them to look elsewhere?
URL:
http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/display.article?id=6583
Mr. Becker, the 1992 Nobel laureate in economics, is University Professor of Economics and Sociology at the University of Chicago and the Rose-Marie and Jack R. Anderson Senior Fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institution.
Rights:
Copyright � 2005 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Related Articles:
America Should Open Its Doors Wide to Foreign Talent
Some Lost Jobs Never Leave Home
Bush's Proposal for Immigration Reform Misses the Point
Workers Falling Behind in Mexico
chnaveen
04-24 10:18 AM
I understand the pain beacuse of these RFE as we all are waiting for our GC.
There is no need to worry about these kind of RFEs. Just like and RFE asking for latest empolyment verfication letters and W2s, this RFE for Marrige proofs is also similar.
As there is a possibility of the couple getting divorced, USCIS wants to make sure, the couple are still married during the entire process time of their GCs.
It doesn't mean that, in every one's case, they send this RFE, It's just Random.
And in case, if any one of the couple, sends any information to USCIS that they are not living together and a chance of getting divorced, then in those cases, USCIS sends the RFE.
But in most other cases, it's just Random. We have to reply to that RFE with the documents such as, the Marriage certificate, any documents to show that you are still married and living together, like, any Bank statements with Joint accounts, Birth certificates of the recent kids born to the couple etc.
There is no need to worry about these kind of RFEs. Just like and RFE asking for latest empolyment verfication letters and W2s, this RFE for Marrige proofs is also similar.
As there is a possibility of the couple getting divorced, USCIS wants to make sure, the couple are still married during the entire process time of their GCs.
It doesn't mean that, in every one's case, they send this RFE, It's just Random.
And in case, if any one of the couple, sends any information to USCIS that they are not living together and a chance of getting divorced, then in those cases, USCIS sends the RFE.
But in most other cases, it's just Random. We have to reply to that RFE with the documents such as, the Marriage certificate, any documents to show that you are still married and living together, like, any Bank statements with Joint accounts, Birth certificates of the recent kids born to the couple etc.
more...
cjagtap
10-14 07:40 PM
Hello,
I have a same question. I have my EAD but my h1b is expiring in decmber 07 which i am not planning to extend. So do I need to take my EAD and current employment letter to DMV along with tons of other documents to prove the residence status.
Please respond if anyone has done the same.
I have a same question. I have my EAD but my h1b is expiring in decmber 07 which i am not planning to extend. So do I need to take my EAD and current employment letter to DMV along with tons of other documents to prove the residence status.
Please respond if anyone has done the same.
2010 call of duty lack ops funny
usdreams
05-16 01:11 PM
May 24 PD, still no change in status.
more...
miguy
07-19 10:18 AM
It depends on the hospital's immigration knowledge. Most of the hospitals in the NY/NJ/CT/MA/CA where there are a lot of immigrants are aware of EAD.
So they prefer EAD over H1/J1 as they can avoid the process of application.
This is from my personal experience. Some states like Maine, New Hampshre are not even aware of EAD. In such hospitals you can take a chance with the expectation of getting a Green card and convince them with the Social security number. Also apply for your social security number once you get your EAD. This really helps if you need to convince the hospital.
Overall having an EAD is a big plus when compared to H1. NEVER go for J1. The waivers are very difficult to get and you'd have a lot of mental tension. I dont think its worth it, if you are planning to stay in USA. My wife stayed home for a year, when she was matched for a J1 hospital. She again applied the next year and got a H1.
Thansk for your reply. In the Residency application(ERAS), there are two categories:
1) Visa - J1, H1, EAD etc
2) No Visa requirement - Green Card/US Citizen.
If we check EAD, they will think that we need a visa which we don't
If we check Green Card, technically we do not have our green cards yet
What is the best thing to do?
So they prefer EAD over H1/J1 as they can avoid the process of application.
This is from my personal experience. Some states like Maine, New Hampshre are not even aware of EAD. In such hospitals you can take a chance with the expectation of getting a Green card and convince them with the Social security number. Also apply for your social security number once you get your EAD. This really helps if you need to convince the hospital.
Overall having an EAD is a big plus when compared to H1. NEVER go for J1. The waivers are very difficult to get and you'd have a lot of mental tension. I dont think its worth it, if you are planning to stay in USA. My wife stayed home for a year, when she was matched for a J1 hospital. She again applied the next year and got a H1.
Thansk for your reply. In the Residency application(ERAS), there are two categories:
1) Visa - J1, H1, EAD etc
2) No Visa requirement - Green Card/US Citizen.
If we check EAD, they will think that we need a visa which we don't
If we check Green Card, technically we do not have our green cards yet
What is the best thing to do?
hair Black Ops Emblems Here!
sunny1000
01-09 09:49 PM
Can some body help with the below Questions?
1 . After getting Divorce in USA do we need to update the INS(is it Mandatory) to take away the wife from my Green card Process?
2. Planning to get remarried in India , while sending my new wife for H4 stamping , Is divorce doc alone is sufficient and if do not update the INS on my divorce , while my new wife goes to H4 stamping will that take care of evrything?
Please reply
thanks
It is necessary to update USCIS on your divorce so that you can add your new wife to the GC process.
1 . After getting Divorce in USA do we need to update the INS(is it Mandatory) to take away the wife from my Green card Process?
2. Planning to get remarried in India , while sending my new wife for H4 stamping , Is divorce doc alone is sufficient and if do not update the INS on my divorce , while my new wife goes to H4 stamping will that take care of evrything?
Please reply
thanks
It is necessary to update USCIS on your divorce so that you can add your new wife to the GC process.
more...
number30
02-23 08:50 PM
Employement history is on G-325. It is only for last 5 years. If it was before 5 years there is good chance that you need not answer that question. I-485 does not require your Tax returns. You can do that with your W2 forms.
What was length of the work?
What was length of the work?
hot CoD Black Ops: Preview, Funny
gcretroiv
07-09 08:54 PM
Hope "Flower Campaign" will not irritate USCIS and backfire on us, to tough the immigration process.
more...
house Funny Black Ops Pic
zCool
05-17 07:27 PM
you are going to have to do some type of litigation.. which court and how are questions for your lawyers.. This forum is probably not right place.. start with attorny.. make sure it's not your attornies who screwed up..
have proof of documents for all the facts
and then go file in one of the federal courts..
have proof of documents for all the facts
and then go file in one of the federal courts..
tattoo Call of Duty: Black Ops is
sertasheep
08-03 10:01 PM
If PA members can't make it to the rally, I suggest that members can atleast cheer and meet up with other members who are in transit (eg, provide moral support, refreshments, by meeting at some rest area in MD or DE)
Thoughts]?
Thoughts]?
more...
pictures lack ops funny pictures.
ComicDom1
December 21st, 2007, 01:11 AM
First I want to say hello to everyone because I have not been on this site for a while. Second, I want to wish everyone a happy holiday season.
Recently, I have been taking a good hard look at the Olympus E-3. I came to Canon Digital in the early days of the 1D after shooting many different digital cameras including Olympus.
I was well pleased using my E-10, E100RS, E-20, and UZI but when I got the 1D in my hands it was as if a whole new world opened up for me again.
Like many others, I have been following the development of Olympus Camera's. Many of us switched to other brands because we grew tired of waiting for Olympus to produce a DSLR that might be able to compete with the offering from Nikon or Canon. The move to producing a full frame 4/3's sensor was interesting as well. When Olympus finally did release the E-1, it offered a great build including a splash proof body, and some very high quality glass. Unfortunately it lacked in a few area's and although interesting, unless you shot at lower ISO, it was not a camera for people who liked to shoot in low light and sporting events.
I realize, that not everyone has the same requirements for a camera. There are many users the E-1 body worked for. I finally picked one up after the prices fell to a very low point, and I could not resist the deal. I have found the image quality very good if you stay within the limits of the camera.
Finally the E-3 arrived in November and Olympus had made many upgrades in this body. I was very curious as to how competitive IS built in the body of the camera would work. I was also interested in the speed and tracking of the new auto focus system, and if Olympus had really improved on the noise levels of the camera at Higher ISOs. Although many in the Olympus SLR forum at DPR will claim that Noise is no problem at High ISO, my experiences with the camera told me different.
I do have to say, I found the E-3 very well built. The viewfinder is very bright. With the Grip attached, the E-3 felt very similar in my hands to my Canon 1D and 1DMKII.
One of the promises that Olympus made was that the 4/3 system was going to provide us with a smaller lighter Camera body with smaller lenses. While this might be true for some of their mid range cameras, it is certainly not true for the E-3 or E-1 with the grip attached. When sitting on the floor next to my 1D and 1DMKII bodies, I did not find much difference in their size. Lenses might be another story but yesterday, I compared the Olympus 35-100mm to the 70-200 2.8 IS lens and found that the Olympus lens was actually slightly heavier. Unfortunately Olympus has not produced any faster primes like the 85 1.8 of Canon. You really do not have good comparisons of lenses because most of what Olympus produces are variable zooms with the exception of a couple of lenses. Olympus also seems to advertise that they cover the focal length of lenses better than any other manufacturer. Since they include lenses from Sigma and Lecia/pany in this claim, I find difficulty in accepting that. Certainly if I have to consider a lens, I would prefer it was from the maker of my camera, but thats just a personal preference based on past experience.
I do have to give Kudo's to Olympus for improving both the frames per second, as well as the Auto Focus tracking and speed. I found the E-3 will track pretty well in a poorly lit gym. The E-3 also appears to write to the CF card pretty quickly. Why they included a slot for an XD card is beyond me. They would have been much better off to include a slot for the SD cards because of their high capacity.
I also qualified to be an Olympus Global Professional member. What this means is that I can get equipment to evaluate just like what CPS offers. Olympus goes one step further than Canon here because they will even loan you equipment while yours is in repair. So I had them send me a few items to try out. Some of the items I received was the EC-14 tele-converter, 150mm F 2.0, 50mm F 2.0 Macro, as well as a ring flash, and Fl-50R to evaluate. I think I need more time with the FL-50R and ring flash to know how I feel about them.
One of the reasons I wanted the 150mm F 2.0 (effective focal length of 300mm on the E-3) to test is because I wanted to see how it compared in weight and Image Quality to my 300mm 2.8L lens. I also wanted to know how well the E3 in body IS would work with it. Unfortunately I got side tracked because I noticed that my E-3 images contained quite a bit of noise from the images I shot and got consumed looking at that. I can tell you that the 150 and E-3 with grip combination felt very unbalanced in my hands compared to the Canon lens. The 150mm weights 3.4lbs but of course has the effective focal length of 300mm on the E-3 because of the sensor size. If we wanted to compare apples to apples, 300mm to 300mm or actual focal length, we would find that the Olympus 300mm weighs in at a hefty 7.2 lbs compared to Canon's 300mm 2.8 IS lens which is 5.6 lbs. Also the Olympus glass is much more expensive as well.
The problem here is that we are paying more for effective focal length just because the camera sensor is different. So in my view, we are paying more for less in the physical sense.
I mounted the 150mm on a monopod as well. Again compared to the 1D with the 300mm, even though the E-3 combination was lighter, it was not balanced as well and was more difficult for me to steady. I do attribute some of this with me being more experienced with the Canon Gear. There is another issue that concerned me here. I did not feel that the Tripod collar of the 150mm lens was made as heavy or as well as the Canon version.
I am currently going though several hundred exposures I have taken with various focal lengths of Olympus lenses. Since I felt my body has some issues because of noise, yesterday I returned it, the grip, and the 12-60 SWD lens to my vendor. I am waiting now for Olympus to send me another body to try out, so I can find out if it was me or the camera at fault. In the mean time, it seems that my findings are similiar to what Phil found in his DPR review of the new Sony that included the E-3 as well as the D300 and 40D.
In closing, I need to say that this all came about because not only was I interested in the development and capability of the E-3, there were also the noted problems of the 1DMKIII. At this point, I think my 1DMKII will still do nicely for sports. Since I pretty much own the Canon lenses I need, I am considering the 5D, but I want to also give the Olympus E-3 a fair chance, so I am going to wait to see if Olympus follows through on their promise to me.
I also am aware that there is a possibility that a 5D replacement may be announced at PMA next month. Of course I am basically interested in the best image quality, I do not know if I will wait for the replacement. Since the 5D has large photosites, I would think that the replacement would have more pixels so the image quality may be affected.
Thanks for Reading,
Jason
ComicDom1@aol.com
Recently, I have been taking a good hard look at the Olympus E-3. I came to Canon Digital in the early days of the 1D after shooting many different digital cameras including Olympus.
I was well pleased using my E-10, E100RS, E-20, and UZI but when I got the 1D in my hands it was as if a whole new world opened up for me again.
Like many others, I have been following the development of Olympus Camera's. Many of us switched to other brands because we grew tired of waiting for Olympus to produce a DSLR that might be able to compete with the offering from Nikon or Canon. The move to producing a full frame 4/3's sensor was interesting as well. When Olympus finally did release the E-1, it offered a great build including a splash proof body, and some very high quality glass. Unfortunately it lacked in a few area's and although interesting, unless you shot at lower ISO, it was not a camera for people who liked to shoot in low light and sporting events.
I realize, that not everyone has the same requirements for a camera. There are many users the E-1 body worked for. I finally picked one up after the prices fell to a very low point, and I could not resist the deal. I have found the image quality very good if you stay within the limits of the camera.
Finally the E-3 arrived in November and Olympus had made many upgrades in this body. I was very curious as to how competitive IS built in the body of the camera would work. I was also interested in the speed and tracking of the new auto focus system, and if Olympus had really improved on the noise levels of the camera at Higher ISOs. Although many in the Olympus SLR forum at DPR will claim that Noise is no problem at High ISO, my experiences with the camera told me different.
I do have to say, I found the E-3 very well built. The viewfinder is very bright. With the Grip attached, the E-3 felt very similar in my hands to my Canon 1D and 1DMKII.
One of the promises that Olympus made was that the 4/3 system was going to provide us with a smaller lighter Camera body with smaller lenses. While this might be true for some of their mid range cameras, it is certainly not true for the E-3 or E-1 with the grip attached. When sitting on the floor next to my 1D and 1DMKII bodies, I did not find much difference in their size. Lenses might be another story but yesterday, I compared the Olympus 35-100mm to the 70-200 2.8 IS lens and found that the Olympus lens was actually slightly heavier. Unfortunately Olympus has not produced any faster primes like the 85 1.8 of Canon. You really do not have good comparisons of lenses because most of what Olympus produces are variable zooms with the exception of a couple of lenses. Olympus also seems to advertise that they cover the focal length of lenses better than any other manufacturer. Since they include lenses from Sigma and Lecia/pany in this claim, I find difficulty in accepting that. Certainly if I have to consider a lens, I would prefer it was from the maker of my camera, but thats just a personal preference based on past experience.
I do have to give Kudo's to Olympus for improving both the frames per second, as well as the Auto Focus tracking and speed. I found the E-3 will track pretty well in a poorly lit gym. The E-3 also appears to write to the CF card pretty quickly. Why they included a slot for an XD card is beyond me. They would have been much better off to include a slot for the SD cards because of their high capacity.
I also qualified to be an Olympus Global Professional member. What this means is that I can get equipment to evaluate just like what CPS offers. Olympus goes one step further than Canon here because they will even loan you equipment while yours is in repair. So I had them send me a few items to try out. Some of the items I received was the EC-14 tele-converter, 150mm F 2.0, 50mm F 2.0 Macro, as well as a ring flash, and Fl-50R to evaluate. I think I need more time with the FL-50R and ring flash to know how I feel about them.
One of the reasons I wanted the 150mm F 2.0 (effective focal length of 300mm on the E-3) to test is because I wanted to see how it compared in weight and Image Quality to my 300mm 2.8L lens. I also wanted to know how well the E3 in body IS would work with it. Unfortunately I got side tracked because I noticed that my E-3 images contained quite a bit of noise from the images I shot and got consumed looking at that. I can tell you that the 150 and E-3 with grip combination felt very unbalanced in my hands compared to the Canon lens. The 150mm weights 3.4lbs but of course has the effective focal length of 300mm on the E-3 because of the sensor size. If we wanted to compare apples to apples, 300mm to 300mm or actual focal length, we would find that the Olympus 300mm weighs in at a hefty 7.2 lbs compared to Canon's 300mm 2.8 IS lens which is 5.6 lbs. Also the Olympus glass is much more expensive as well.
The problem here is that we are paying more for effective focal length just because the camera sensor is different. So in my view, we are paying more for less in the physical sense.
I mounted the 150mm on a monopod as well. Again compared to the 1D with the 300mm, even though the E-3 combination was lighter, it was not balanced as well and was more difficult for me to steady. I do attribute some of this with me being more experienced with the Canon Gear. There is another issue that concerned me here. I did not feel that the Tripod collar of the 150mm lens was made as heavy or as well as the Canon version.
I am currently going though several hundred exposures I have taken with various focal lengths of Olympus lenses. Since I felt my body has some issues because of noise, yesterday I returned it, the grip, and the 12-60 SWD lens to my vendor. I am waiting now for Olympus to send me another body to try out, so I can find out if it was me or the camera at fault. In the mean time, it seems that my findings are similiar to what Phil found in his DPR review of the new Sony that included the E-3 as well as the D300 and 40D.
In closing, I need to say that this all came about because not only was I interested in the development and capability of the E-3, there were also the noted problems of the 1DMKIII. At this point, I think my 1DMKII will still do nicely for sports. Since I pretty much own the Canon lenses I need, I am considering the 5D, but I want to also give the Olympus E-3 a fair chance, so I am going to wait to see if Olympus follows through on their promise to me.
I also am aware that there is a possibility that a 5D replacement may be announced at PMA next month. Of course I am basically interested in the best image quality, I do not know if I will wait for the replacement. Since the 5D has large photosites, I would think that the replacement would have more pixels so the image quality may be affected.
Thanks for Reading,
Jason
ComicDom1@aol.com
dresses If your a Black Ops player,
desi3933
08-06 12:53 PM
I have 3 years degree (15 year education). I am not sure if I can file on EB2.
You have filed on EB3 & planning to file on EB2; could you please share the logic for this & why are you waiting end of 2008, please share the reason, so if needed I can also plan something like you.
Thanks,
Sanjeev
No, you can not. As one must have a single degree that is the "foreign equivalent degree" to a United States baccalaureate degree
Please refer to similar case
http://www.uscis.gov/err/B5%20-%20Members%20of%20the%20Professions%20holding%20Ad vanced%20Degrees%20or%20Aliens%20of%20Exceptional% 20Ability/Decisions_Issued_in_2005/NOV152005_02B5203.pdf
_____________________________
US Permanent Resident since 2002
You have filed on EB3 & planning to file on EB2; could you please share the logic for this & why are you waiting end of 2008, please share the reason, so if needed I can also plan something like you.
Thanks,
Sanjeev
No, you can not. As one must have a single degree that is the "foreign equivalent degree" to a United States baccalaureate degree
Please refer to similar case
http://www.uscis.gov/err/B5%20-%20Members%20of%20the%20Professions%20holding%20Ad vanced%20Degrees%20or%20Aliens%20of%20Exceptional% 20Ability/Decisions_Issued_in_2005/NOV152005_02B5203.pdf
_____________________________
US Permanent Resident since 2002
more...
makeup lack ops funny pictures.
qplearn
08-23 07:04 PM
I am wondering why it is that nobody knows whether a bill will be introduced in Sept. The house and senate have their timetables set long in advance.
Also, if it goes beyond Nov, and the Dems win, they might forget all about us; they care far more for the illegals, unfortunately.:(
We must try to get this passed before the elections in Nov.
qplearn
Its bound to happen. Everyone thinks others will do it, and they dont care(dont want to make any efforts) even though they really want GCs from their inside. Howver we will still find some people who care for this cause and will join the group. so its worth trying.
thanks again for at least trying.
Also, if it goes beyond Nov, and the Dems win, they might forget all about us; they care far more for the illegals, unfortunately.:(
We must try to get this passed before the elections in Nov.
qplearn
Its bound to happen. Everyone thinks others will do it, and they dont care(dont want to make any efforts) even though they really want GCs from their inside. Howver we will still find some people who care for this cause and will join the group. so its worth trying.
thanks again for at least trying.
girlfriend People in Black ops Ep.7
helpfriends
04-15 10:44 AM
Hi,
Is it legal to come here and work while waiting for an L1 visa. This person(not myself) arrived on an I-94 Visa waiver with full knowledge, worked during that week while waiting for their L1A non-immigrant application to be approved(week later). Please advise. What are the ramifications of this once its passed or immigration finds out?
Thank you for your assistance.
Is it legal to come here and work while waiting for an L1 visa. This person(not myself) arrived on an I-94 Visa waiver with full knowledge, worked during that week while waiting for their L1A non-immigrant application to be approved(week later). Please advise. What are the ramifications of this once its passed or immigration finds out?
Thank you for your assistance.
hairstyles Old but funny haha.
pa_arora
07-02 12:09 PM
Read that again..they said it right..."All numbers available to these categories under the FY-2007 annual numerical limitation" have been made available.
SO to say they have made available whatever they had for 2007..and they are now out of it.
-p
===================
Effective Monday July 2, 2007 there will be no further authorizations inresponse to requests for Employment-based preference cases. All numbers available to these categories under the FY-2007 annual numerical limitation
have been made "available".=============
================================
I think they meant to put UNAVAILABLE there....
bastards dont know how to spell !!!
SO to say they have made available whatever they had for 2007..and they are now out of it.
-p
===================
Effective Monday July 2, 2007 there will be no further authorizations inresponse to requests for Employment-based preference cases. All numbers available to these categories under the FY-2007 annual numerical limitation
have been made "available".=============
================================
I think they meant to put UNAVAILABLE there....
bastards dont know how to spell !!!
raysaikat
07-10 07:17 PM
Hi,
My friend has this scenario and want expert advise from IV members.
- On L1 for 3 1/2 years and H1 for 2 years 3 months. About to complete 6
years in 3 months.
- Filed Labor (approved. PD Aug 2004 EB3), I140 (applied in May 2007) and
I485 (July fiasco)
- I140 still pending
Question:
1. Does L1 period is counted for H1 extention?
2. Can he do H1 transfer using AC21 without I140 approval?
As 6 years are going to be expired?
3. What if the old employer revokes his I140 now? His GC process is invalid?
4. If we leave about GC, Can he do H1 transfer atleast?
Thanks for your valuable suggestions.
Ask him to request I-140 premium processing; I think he is eligible. He will get the approval/denial in 15 days.
My friend has this scenario and want expert advise from IV members.
- On L1 for 3 1/2 years and H1 for 2 years 3 months. About to complete 6
years in 3 months.
- Filed Labor (approved. PD Aug 2004 EB3), I140 (applied in May 2007) and
I485 (July fiasco)
- I140 still pending
Question:
1. Does L1 period is counted for H1 extention?
2. Can he do H1 transfer using AC21 without I140 approval?
As 6 years are going to be expired?
3. What if the old employer revokes his I140 now? His GC process is invalid?
4. If we leave about GC, Can he do H1 transfer atleast?
Thanks for your valuable suggestions.
Ask him to request I-140 premium processing; I think he is eligible. He will get the approval/denial in 15 days.
gcgreen
07-07 04:04 PM
to my knowledge, the first year that she started it would be no problem.
but in subsequent years you do need to pay estimated taxes or be subject to underpayment penalty. also, because estimated taxes are pay as you go, you do need to make payments on the payment deadlines.
for some really screwed up reason, the payment deadlines are not precisely three months apart: apr 15, jun 15, sep 15 and jan 15
the amount of estimated tax you need to have paid in order to have paid is calculated based on a worksheet that you can download from the IRS website.
But the general rule of thumb you need to follow is that you should have paid AT LEAST the previous year's taxes by this year including all withholdings and estimated tax payments. For example, if you owed $30000 in federal taxes in 2007, make sure the sum of all estimated taxes and withholdings for 2008 meets or exceeds 30000. I also think there is a rule that if your AGI was greater than 150K in the previous year, you need to pay at least 110% of prior year's tax amount. I am not sure of this one. But generally speaking, I think this rule is called safe harbor rule.
The other rule you can adopt is to ensure that you pay at least 90% tax that you will owe for 2008 by end of 2008. In other words, if you end up owing 40000 this year, make sure you have paid at least 36000 by end of this year.
You can find more info at:
http://www.fairmark.com/estimate/whomust.htm
http://finance.yahoo.com/taxes/article/101936/FAQs_on_estimated_taxes#howcalculate
I hope this information was helpful. Bear in mind, I am no expert on this, and all this info is just by reading various online sources, IRS docs etc.
Continuation..
My wife is working as an independent contractor(1099-misc) on an EAD. I am also on EAD on W2(full time employment).
We file our taxes jointly and hence instead of making advance payments/estimated tax payments quarterly, cant I just have my company withhold more money from my paycheck every month?
That would make things so much more easier..
but in subsequent years you do need to pay estimated taxes or be subject to underpayment penalty. also, because estimated taxes are pay as you go, you do need to make payments on the payment deadlines.
for some really screwed up reason, the payment deadlines are not precisely three months apart: apr 15, jun 15, sep 15 and jan 15
the amount of estimated tax you need to have paid in order to have paid is calculated based on a worksheet that you can download from the IRS website.
But the general rule of thumb you need to follow is that you should have paid AT LEAST the previous year's taxes by this year including all withholdings and estimated tax payments. For example, if you owed $30000 in federal taxes in 2007, make sure the sum of all estimated taxes and withholdings for 2008 meets or exceeds 30000. I also think there is a rule that if your AGI was greater than 150K in the previous year, you need to pay at least 110% of prior year's tax amount. I am not sure of this one. But generally speaking, I think this rule is called safe harbor rule.
The other rule you can adopt is to ensure that you pay at least 90% tax that you will owe for 2008 by end of 2008. In other words, if you end up owing 40000 this year, make sure you have paid at least 36000 by end of this year.
You can find more info at:
http://www.fairmark.com/estimate/whomust.htm
http://finance.yahoo.com/taxes/article/101936/FAQs_on_estimated_taxes#howcalculate
I hope this information was helpful. Bear in mind, I am no expert on this, and all this info is just by reading various online sources, IRS docs etc.
Continuation..
My wife is working as an independent contractor(1099-misc) on an EAD. I am also on EAD on W2(full time employment).
We file our taxes jointly and hence instead of making advance payments/estimated tax payments quarterly, cant I just have my company withhold more money from my paycheck every month?
That would make things so much more easier..
