LUSUS Newsletter - April 2012

Working Today for Our Community's Tomorrow

The Portuguese-American Leadership Council of the United States

Established 1991

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LUSUS
The Online Newsletter of PALCUS
April 2012

In This Issue

PALCUS Launches Portuguese-American Gateway

Senator Menendez joins Friends of Portugal in U.S. Senate

Clarification of Changes in Immigrant Visa Applications by the U.S. Dept. of State

UPDATE on Potential Closing of the U.S. Consulate in Ponta Delagada

PALCUS INTERNSHIP PROGRAM 2012: Apply Now!

For Your Information

Names in the News

In Memoriam

Community Calendar

PALCUS LAUNCHES PORTUGUESE AMERICAN GATEWAY

Portuguese-American Gateway

PALCUS is happy to announce that the new and improved Portuguese-American Gateway has been launched. The Gateway, a national on-line directory of Portuguese-owned businesses, organizations, restaurants, non-profits, and professionals and other services, was conceived in collaboration with Mr. Carlos M. Caldas of International Trade Bridge, Inc. By consolidating our resources in one easily accessible location, the Gateway allows us to become a more connected community. Search for a bakery in Massachusetts or a lawyer in California. You can also submit your own listing - and it's FREE! To search or to submit your profile, visit: http://palcus.org/gateway/

H.E. Nuno Brito, Ambassador of Portugal, lends his support to PALCUS on the Portuguese-American Gateway

From the desk of H.E. Nuno Brito:

Ambassador Nuno Brito

We congratulate PALCUS on the new and improved Portuguese-American Gateway!

We welcome this powerful tool for an effective and powerful performance in communication and exchange among the Portuguese and Portuguese-American communities.

The online platform will bring together Portuguese and Portuguese-Americans from all walks of life, linking professionals with community centers and businesses, cultural associations, educational institutions, churches and all kind s of associations which help further integrate people of Portuguese descent.

This new technology will make information more accessible just a click away!

Nuno Brito

Ambassador

Embaixada de Portugal

Washington

Senator Menendez (NJ-D) joins Friends of Portugal in the U.S. Senate

PALCUS thanks Sen. Menendez for his support of Portuguese-American Issues

Robert "Bob" Menendez (D) is the junior United States Senator from New Jersey. In January 2006, he was appointed to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Jon Corzine, who resigned upon being elected Governor of New Jersey. Menendez was elected to his own full six-year term in the 2006 U.S. Senate election.

Bob Menendez

Prior to his appointment to the U.S. Senate, Menendez was a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing New Jersey's 13th congressional district. He previously served as Mayor of Union City (1986-1992) and as a member of the New Jersey General Assembly and the New Jersey Senate.

The Senator's committee assignments for the 112th Congress include:

Banking Committee
Chairman, Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development
Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Protection
Subcommittee on Securities, Insurance, and Investment
Finance Committee
Subcommittee on Health Care
Subcommittee on Taxation and IRS Oversight
Subcommittee on International Trade, Customs and Global Competitiveness
Foreign Relations
Chairman, Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Peace Corps, and Global Narcotics Affairs
Subcommittee on International Development and Foreign Assistance, Economic Affairs, and International Environmental Protection
Subcommittee on International Operations and Organizations, Human Rights, Democracy, and Global Women's Issues
Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs

Senator Menendez joins Senators Reed (RI), Toomey (PA), Whitehouse (RI), Blumenthal (CT), Brown (MA) and Akaka (HI) in the Friends of Portugal Caucus. PALCUS looks forward to working with Senator Menendez and the Friends of Portugal in the Senate and the Portuguese American Caucus in the House of Representatives to ensure that issues of concern to the Portuguese American community are efficiently and effectively represented.

Clarification of Changes in Immigrant Visa Applications by the U.S. Dept. of State

PALCUS has continued to investigate the status of the recent U.S. State Department notice that:

"Effective March 1, 2012, the U. S. Embassy in Lisbon and U.S. Consulate General in Ponta Delgada will no longer process immigrant visa (IV) or diversity visa (DV) applications. These offices will neither schedule nor conduct IV or DV interviews after March 1, 2012; all immigrant and diversity visa interviews and adjudications for residents of Portugal and France will take place at the U.S. Embassy in Paris, France..."

The PALCUS Government Affairs Committee has spoken with our State Department contact and learned that in an effort to streamline consular and embassy services, reduce costs and spending, the U.S. State Department is consolidating services and programs offered through its embassies and consulates abroad. This consolidation is not unique to Portugal and affects similarly situated northern European nations with relatively low volume of immigrant visas. According to State Department statistics, less that 150 immigrant IV and diversity visas (DV) were processed last year between the U.S. Embassy in Lisbon and the Consulate General in Ponta Delgada. Moreover the decision to move the processing of immigrant IV and diversity visas (DV) was made with the full advice and consent of the government of Portugal.

The State Department emphasizes on their website that "...this change only affects immigrant visa processing. The U.S. Embassy in Lisbon and the U.S. Consulate General in Ponta Delgada will continue to process nonimmigrant visas for business, tourism, education, and other purposes...." To learn more, visit: http://portugal.usembassy.gov/immigrant_visas.html.

PALCUS has voiced its opposition to the move on behalf of Portuguese Americans who are attempting to reunite families and will continue to follow-up on this matter.

UPDATE on Potential Closing of the U.S. Consulate in Ponta Delagada

PALCUS has been assured by our contacts at the U.S. Department of State that there are no plans to close the U.S. Consulate in Ponta Delgada at this time. Nevertheless, Congressman Dennis Cardoza (CA18 -D ), co-chairman of the House Portuguese-American Caucus addressed Secretary of State Hillary Clinton directly on this matter at the House hearing of the Foreign Budget for F.Y. 2013 on February 29th.

Congressman Cardoza expressed his concern regarding the possible closing of the U.S. Consulate in Ponta Delgada and the decision to move the application of I-IV and DV visas from the U.S. Embassy in Lisbon to that in Paris.

Secretary Clinton's reply in the record follows:

"CLINTON : Well, first, with respect to Portugal, I share your view that Portugal is a wonderful friend and not only a good partner in NATO and so many other areas, but the source of a lot of Portuguese-Americans, culture, food, so much else.I will have to take those questions for the record, Congressman, because I want to look into the two areas that you raised. But I want to assure you that we highly value our relationship with Portugal. And we'll be very careful in making any decisions that would affect the free flow of people and trade."

PALCUS would like to thank Congressman Cardoza for taking the question in person directly to Secretary Clinton on behalf of Portuguese-Americans in the United States. Meanwhile, PALCUS will continue to press the issue with its contacts at the State Department and through its letter-writing campaign.

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PALCUS INTERNSHIP PROGRAM 2012: Apply Now!

PALCUS is seeking applications from college students for the 2012 internships. Please contact Cynthia Russo, Internship Coordinator at internships@palcus.org for more information.

The PALCUS Internship Program, was established in 1994 to provide Portuguese-American students with work experience in their field of interest. Using its connections with government, civil-society and business leaders, PALCUS helps undergraduate and graduate students locate internships which will provide them with the experience needed for success in a future career. Since its inception, over 130 internship opportunities have been provided to university students throughout the United States and Portugal.

In 2010-2011, internships were offered at embassies, consulate offices, U.S. senate and congressional offices, PALCUS headquarters, large private companies, small businesses and practices, chambers of commerce, other government agencies, non-profit and non-governmental organizations.

Previous interns have been placed in Washington D.C., and at the district offices of congressional and state legislators such as Steny Hoyer, Devin Nunes, Patrick Kennedy, Barney Frank, Brian Bilbray, Lincoln Chafee, Albert Coutinho, and George Radonovich. Some have interned at Portuguese consulates in San Francisco, Newark, New York City and Providence while others have had the opportunity to travel abroad and intern at the Luso-American Development Foundation in Lisbon and the U.S. Embassy in Lisbon.

All interns receive a stipend to help cover their living expenses. Some select internships also include travel and housing expenses.

ELIGIBILITY

To be eligible for an internship, students must meet all of the following criteria:

are a college sophomore, junior, senior, or graduate student
have a minimum GPA of 3.0

REQUIREMENTS

Applications for 2012 internships are due by April 17, 2012. Along with their completed application (copy and paste below), students are required to submit:

current resume
three letters of recommendation
college transcript
written essay of no more than 500 words on the topic of the importance of your Portuguese heritage

Click here to download and print the PALCUS Internship Application

Students should mail their application and the other required documents listed above by the deadline, April 17, 2012, to:

PALCUS Internship Program

Attention: Internship Coordinator

9255 Center St., Suite 404

Manassas, VA 20110

POSITIONS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE FOR 2012 INTERNS:

Congressman Jim Costa: Washington, D.C. and California Offices

Job Description: Answering telephone calls, assisting constituents in obtaining information from various state agencies, researching legislation, drafting responses to constituent inquiries, coordinating meetings and scheduling items, and attending district events.

Vice-Consulate of Portugal in Providence, RI

Location: 56 Pine Street, Providence, RI

Hours: Two days per week during summer months

Description: Routine office duties

PALCUS Social Media Manager

Location: Work from home

Description: PALCUS is looking for a media-savvy intern to help manage our social media outlets - Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and YahooGroup mailing list. The position entails researching relevant information to post to these outlets, responding to posts and help cultivate our following. The candidate must be extremely detail oriented, a self-starter and trustworthy.

PALCUS Newsletter Editor

Dates: Immediate Opening

Location: Manassas, VA or work from home

Description: PALCUS is in need of an intern to help write its monthly newsletter. This positin entails collecting information about the organization's activities and member accomplishments, interviewing individuals, researching important topics and writing articles. Knowledge of the Constant Contact newsletter application is a plus.

NIELSEN COMPANY, world's leading market and media research company with 34,000 employees in more than 100 countries.

Positions Available: Finance Intern, GBS Intern, And Professional Services Intern

Dates: 10-week assignment in Operations, Technology, Engineering, or Measurement Science (research and statistical methodologies)

Location: Schaumburg, IL or Tampa, FL, June through mid-August internships.

Criteria: 1) Enrollment in an undergraduate degree program in Technology, Operations, Engineering, Quantitative Social Science, Economics, Math or Statistics or related field; 2) Fewer than two years' full-time work experience; 3) Leadership experience (classroom, campus, summer jobs); 4) Permanent work authorization in the United States; FL or Schaumburg, IL;

5) Coursework in financials, statistics or programming languages; 6) Initiative, creativity and passion to deliver results to our clients; 7) Ability to work independently and as part of a team; 8) Strong communication skills; 9) Effective decision-making and problem-solving abilities.

Duties: GBS Interns are challenged with high-priority summer assignments, business process improvement projects, leadership development, and networking opportunities.

LUSO AMERICANO NEWSPAPER

Dates: Immediate Opening

Location: Newark, NJ

Description: Answer telephones and respond to client's inquiries, input data into computer database, assist handling correspondence and work product, internal and external productions, attend local functions, and assisting journalists and staff.

NEED AN INTERN?
Are you interested in having an intern work in your office for the summer or during the year? Providing internships to young Portuguese-Americans is an excellent way to help our youth gain valuable real-world experience that will prepare them for a successful career.

Please contact PALCUS with the details of any available internship positions you have in your office and we will help to find a student that is a fit for your team.

Send your internship job descriptions to palcus@palcus.org or fax to 202-466-4661

Not a PALCUS member? It's easy to join on our website at http://palcus.org/join/membership-types and to pay by Pay Pal. Join today!

FOR YOUR INFORMATION

A Cow for the Holy Spirit by Rose Silva King is a novel about the life of a young boy from the Azores who dreams of coming to America. It centers on his promise to donate cows for the Pentecost festas should his dream come true. The story unfolds as he arrives in the United States and embraces a new way of life without letting go of his old values.

The book is available on Amazon and at portuguesebooks.org . (Also see www.rosesilvaking.weebly.com.)

Em português o livro chama-se Uma Promessa ao Divino Espírito Santo (A experiência de um açor-americano). Está disponível em Amazon. page break

NAMES IN THE NEWS

PALCUS Director Mary Louise Nunes CPA, has been appointed to the Professional Ethics Executive Committee of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).Nunes, the owner and principal of Mary Louise Nunes, CPA, PC, was selected by the chair of the AICPA Board of Directors to fill one of three openings in the 21-member committee. She is serving an initial term of one year, which began in January, on the senior technical committee charged with the responsibility of interpreting and enforcing the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct. Read more: http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20120311%2FNEWS%2F203110350%2F-1%2FNEWSMAP page break

IN MEMORIAM

Mary Fernandes

PALCUS mourns the passing of Hon. Maria D. Fernandes, first Portuguese-American mayor of Sea Bright, New Jersey and the third Portuguese-American mayor in the United States, at the age of 59. We extend our sincerest condolences to her family and to the community of Sea Bright.

To learn more about her remarkable life and public service, visit: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/mycentraljersey/obituary.aspx?n=maria-d-fernandes&pid=156178475&fhid=9492
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COMMUNITY CALENDAR

The Community Calendar is a free service provided by PALCUS. If you would like to post your event, please send name of event, date, time, location, price, details and contact information to palcus@palcus.org.

March 31, 2012: Education and Portuguese Language Fair