THEM'S THE RULES - US Immigration: Law & Border

US Immigration: Law & Border

05/31/21 • 45 min

One of the most controversial topics over the past few years has been immigration. The U.S immigration system is riddled with complexities, biases, blind spots, confusing criteria, and conflicts of morality. Rather than just sharing dull facts and figures, which don’t shed any light on the lived experience of what it is like to navigate this overwhelming system, we thought it best to humanize the topic. As an immigrant himself, today’s guest, Javier S., has in-depth knowledge on what it takes to immigrate to the United States. In this episode, we hear about Javier’s journey, the different times he has lived in the U.S, and the various visas he has held. Each visa comes with strict criteria, and many have limits, which Javier has experienced all too well. We also talk about hiring a lawyer to help you with your immigration process, the uncertainties that immigrants faced during the Trump era, and the intersection of immigration and identity. Tune in to hear it all!

Key Points From This Episode:

What research into the topic of immigration revealed to Bronwen.
Insights into a very recent change in the “immigration rulebook.”
Javier’s take on the label “illegal alien” and why it is such a complicated term.
The story of how Javier came to the U.S. and the complexity of gaining citizenship.
Some of the notable immigration policies that have been implemented since the U.S independence from Britain.
A look at the H1B Visa Javier got when he came back to the U.S and the caveats that come with it.
Some of the limitations that come with the U.S student visa.
Facts and figures about the Immigration and Nationality Act.
The difference between family and work-based immigration.
The long wait times that are synonymous with family-based sponsorship visas.
Details about the O-1 visa and the criteria.
Why the visa process is so dehumanizing, according to Javier.
What the term ‘anchor baby’ means, and the U.S’s unique birthright citizenship process.
Although the U.S immigration system is tough, it is still easier than in a lot of other countries.
The uncertainties that immigrants faced during the Trump administration.
There are so many subjectivities in the immigration process.
Why Javier decided to hire a lawyer to guide him through the immigration process.
The crossroads Javier faced deciding to pursue his relationship or his visa.
Immigration also calls your identity into question.
It is so important to humanize the issues in the immigration system going forward.

LINKS
US Visa Bulletin

FOLLOW THEM'S THE RULES: || WEBSITE || INSTAGRAM || FACEBOOK || TWITTER ||

Key Points From This Episode:

What research into the topic of immigration revealed to Bronwen.
Insights into a very recent change in the “immigration rulebook.”
Javier’s take on the label “illegal alien” and why it is such a complicated term.
The story of how Javier came to the U.S. and the complexity of gaining citizenship.
Some of the notable immigration policies that have been implemented since the U.S independence from Britain.
A look at the H1B Visa Javier got when he came back to the U.S and the caveats that come with it.
Some of the limitations that come with the U.S student visa.
Facts and figures about the Immigration and Nationality Act.
The difference between family and work-based immigration.
The long wait times that are synonymous with family-based sponsorship visas.
Details about the O-1 visa and the criteria.
Why the visa process is so dehumanizing, according to Javier.
What the term ‘anchor baby’ means, and the U.S’s unique birthright citizenship process.
Although the U.S immigration system is tough, it is still easier than in a lot of other countries.
The uncertainties that immigrants faced during the Trump administration.
There are so many subjectivities in the immigration process.
Why Javier decided to hire a lawyer to guide him through the immigration process.
The crossroads Javier faced deciding to pursue his relationship or his visa.
Immigration also calls your identity into question.
It is so important to humanize the issues in the immigration system going forward.

LINKS
US Visa Bulletin

FOLLOW THEM'S THE RULES: || WEBSITE || INSTAGRAM || FACEBOOK || TWITTER ||

Previous Episode

Feng Shui: I Just Don't Know What to Do With My Shelf

Today, we are talking feng shui and its perplexing rulebook of metaphysical measurements, methods, and machinations. Based on Western tendencies to commodify objects, practices, and philosophies from other cultures, we’re all pretty misinformed about what feng shui actually is. The internet, with its DIYs and clickbait, spins this ancient Chinese practice as either magic or superstition, which it is not, or a kind of interior design, which it also is not. In this episode, Bronwen dives into what feng shui actually means, how to maximize your access to beneficial chi and disperse negative chi in your home, and the basics of some of the various traditional schools of feng shui and how the western world has appropriated and bastardized elements of this ancient spiritual practice.

Key Points From This Episode:

Feng shui, meaning ‘wind’ and ‘water’, conveys a sense of invisible, flowing energy.
How feng shui has been used in architecture for thousands of years in China.
Learn about good chi and bad chi using the well-known yin yang symbol.
Some of the things that can cause negative chi in your home, including geopathic stress.
How to maximize your access to beneficial chi and disperse negative chi using feng shui.
The basics of some of the various schools of feng shui, starting with the compass school.
Find out how Donald Trump, of all people, first brought feng shui to the US.
How the western interior design world appropriated and bastardized feng shui practice.
Why decluttering and feng shui are not synonymous.
Modern interpretations, like “wallet feng shui” or “fashion feng shui”, that have nothing to do with the traditional practice of feng shui.
Bronwen shares a tip: be wary of useless commercial feng shui items.
The five natural elements that feng shui relies on; fire, earth, metal, water, and wood.
How the bagua energy map helps you enhance favorable flows of chi in your home.
The symbolic significance of the bedroom, office, and kitchen in your home.
How furniture with rounded edges can help with the flow of chi in your home.
The importance of keeping areas of work and rest separate, being intentional about color palette, and keeping your windows uncovered.
Feng shui rules for your kitchen, which is said to represent health, wealth, and abundance.
How a wrongly positioned toilet can cause infertility and other feng shui rules for bathrooms.
Why your front door and your back door should never be aligned.
Learn about auspicious directions according to what is know as your kua number.
How to deflect bad chi using mirrors, sound, and the presence of living things.
Find out how feng shui consultant Kartar Diamond uses feng shui to predict crime.
The surprising fact that feng shui has been outlawed in China since the mid-20th century.
Why feng shui might be more beneficial than ever during the pandemic, when the concept of ‘home’ has faced a crisis of identity.

LINKS

Feng Shui Nexus

Traditional Feng Shui Solutions by Kartar Diamond

FOLLOW THEM'S THE RULES: || WEBSITE || INSTAGRAM || FACEBOOK

Next Episode

Murphy's Law: The Luck Stops Here

Have you ever had the experience where the worst possible thing happened at the worst possible moment and tried to find some solace in the words 'Everything that can go wrong, will go wrong?'. In today’s episode, our host Bronwen discusses Murphy’s Law, one of the most well-known and oft-quoted eponymous universal truths in popular culture. We explore the various origins of its central thesis and how it was popularized in the 1950s during a press conference. We examine how the Law’s prominence continued to be fueled by its inclusion in works such as The Making of a Scientist, and Men, Rockets and Space Rats , and how the release of the book Murphy's Law and Other Reasons Why Things Go Wrong, which included various laws and aphorisms, was particularly successful at popularizing the expression on a global scale. Later we reflect on how Murphy’s law is intertwined with the concept of fatalism and why it has survived and thrived for decades in the public imagination. For all this and more, tune in today!

Key Points From This Episode:

What research into the topic of Murphy’s Law revealed to Bronwen.
Bronwen lists eponymous laws like Fulton’s law and Parkinson’s law.
Many of these adages like ‘Work expands to time allowed’ are considered universal truths but aren’t commonly known to have official names.
Eponymous laws like Occham’s razor that many of us are familiar with.
The most well-known of these laws is Murphy’s Law ‘Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.’
We explore the origins of Murphy’s Law and the figure it’s attributed to.
The various high-stakes technical activities that the concept of Murphy’s Law originated in like sailing, mountaineering, and engineering.
The story of Dr. Stapp and how his commitment drastically improved car safety.
How the term Murphy’s Law was popularized at a press conference by Dr. Stapp.
George Nichols disputes over the origin of Murphy’s Law.
The various offshoots of Murphy’s Law like ‘nothing is as easy as it looks.'
How these various offshoots apply to specific scenarios in life like relationships and productivity.
Murphy’s frustration with the colloquial application of Murphy’s Law in everyday scenarios.
Why Murphy’s law continues to remain a popular part of our collective knowledge.
How Murphy’s Law relates to fatalism.
Why Murphy’s law is correct and why it can’t be proven.