“Operation Golden Orb”

April 28, 2023 Protima Daryanani and Paola Calero

Saturday, May 6th, 2023, will mark King Charles III’s Coronation. Although Charles became King the moment his mother, Queen Elizabeth II died, this coronation is a celebration and the formal investiture of Charles with his regal powers. Rooted in pageantry and traditions dating back a thousand years, “Operation Golden Orb” as the Coronation is aptly code-named, has been in the works for months and London is getting ready for its close up as the ceremony will be televised throughout world. Preparations have sprouted up along The Mall leading to the King’s residence at Buckingham Palace and as if on cue blossoms have filled St. James’ Park.

Financial Times: “Immigration is back in the US”

April 27, 2023 Paola Calero

According to a recent article by Tana Foroohar in the Financial Times “Immigration is back in the US.” Ms. Foroohar, a Global Business Columnist and an Associate Editor at Financial Times (“FT”) takes note that the country is returning to “pre-Trump, pre-pandemic rates of immigration” which is wonderful to news to fight inflation and promote economic and labor force growth. Ms. Foroohar’s research points to a 2020 paper by the Dallas Fed which notes that “the future of American growth exceptionalism (relative to Europe and other rich countries) may be largely down to the future of immigration.”

Undocumented Immigrants Also Paid Their Taxes

April 24, 2023 Paola Calero

April 18th marked Tax Day for citizens of US, but did you know that undocumented immigrants also pay taxes? According to the American Immigration Council undocumented immigrants are paying billions of dollars each year in taxes. In spite of their undocumented status, and lack of standing in our country, “these immigrants—and their family members—are adding value to the U.S. economy, not only as taxpayers, but as workers, consumers, and entrepreneurs as well.” Millions of people who lack social security numbers are filing taxes with Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (“ITIN”).

It Feels Like Home

April 24, 2023 Paola Calero

“The Bean” by Anish Kapoor

April 21, 2023 Paola Calero

Photos by Brianna Lenehan

Fifteen years after its commission, Tribeca has become home to British-Indian Sculptor Anish Kapoor’s New York version of “Cloud Gate”, aka Chicago’s “The Bean” in Millennium Park.

Weighing in at 40 tons, this gleaming reflective mini version of the Chicago sculpture lounges at the base of the sixty story tower at 56 Leonard Street, or the “Jenga Building” as it’s known. Basking in the NYC sun, the stainless-steel sculpture retains its shimmer and glow with regular wash days, as we were fortunate to witness.

Immigrants are American History

April 17, 2023 Paola Calero

NYC in Her Splendor

April 14, 2023 Paola Calero

Photo by Andrew Markey

Our weeks-long search has ended: NYC has come into bloom. A walk in Central Park heralds the change of seasons. Magnolias and Cherry Blossoms welcome spring as we enter an oasis full of blooms and Spring colors (complete with the melodies of car horns, construction drilling and squeaky brakes - it is New York City after all!!) This concludes our 2023 “blossom crawl.” Thanks for coming along.

Judge Upholds Right of Spouses of Certain H-1B Visa Holders to Work in the US

April 11, 2023 Paola Calero

US District Judge Tanya Chutkan dismissed a law suit brought by Save Jobs USA against U.S. Department of Homeland Security (15-cv-0015, US District Court, District of Columbia) which challenged the rights of certain highly skilled H-1B visa holders’ spouses to work in the US. Judge Chutkan upheld rule which grants certain H-4 visa holders the right for work authorization parallel to their spouses’ H-1B visa validity for employment in the US. The same Judge had previously dismissed the suit, ruling that Save Jobs lacked standing to challenge the H-4 rule. However, a federal appeals court reversed that ruling in 2019 and revived the case.

Humanitarian Crises

April 10, 2023 Paola Calero

"Geo" by Hou de Sousa

April 7, 2023 Paola Calero

Walking through “Geo”, New York based architecture, art, and design studio Hou de Sousa transports us to a multicolor passage of light. Created from steel frames and over five miles of fluorescent paracord, “Geo” transports us to another time and space away from the steel and concrete that encapsule it in Downtown NYC.