BharatPremi
09-25 07:46 PM
Well, somebody is saying that "preadjudication" may have a diiferent meaning too. See the following link.
Statistics of USCIS Preadjudication of EB-485 Applications and Prospects (http://pathrika.net/myknowledgebase/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=168:statistics-of-uscis-preadjudication-of-eb-485-applications-and-prospects&catid=44:immigration-law-news&Itemid=56)
Statistics of USCIS Preadjudication of EB-485 Applications and Prospects (http://pathrika.net/myknowledgebase/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=168:statistics-of-uscis-preadjudication-of-eb-485-applications-and-prospects&catid=44:immigration-law-news&Itemid=56)
wallpaper Melissa Joan Hart: #39;It#39;s
ramus
06-28 05:51 PM
June 6th.
Does someone know what date in June they started turning back EB3-Other WOrkers?
Does someone know what date in June they started turning back EB3-Other WOrkers?
tikka
07-03 11:09 PM
and counting...
http://digg.com/politics/Rep_Lofgren_Issues_Statement_on_Updated_Visa_Bulle tin
http://digg.com/politics/Rep_Lofgren_Issues_Statement_on_Updated_Visa_Bulle tin
2011 Enjoy the new cast of “Dancing
Legal
07-23 12:50 PM
Legal,
I hope you are right. But I am not convinced because there was a statement in USCIS testimony that they used up 65% of their target in first 5 months. So even if they used up just 30% in next 5 months, there will be very few Visas left over. If their target did not include the spill overs, then you are right. But in that case, a part of the spill over should also go to EB3. So EB3 should open up again. I am also EB2. So I hope you are right. But as of now, it appears that either there are not many visas left over or it can be that USCIS target was very low.
that EB3 quota has been used up for this fiscal and will re-open in October only. I assume you're wondering whether some FB spill over would go to EB3. If that's the case they wouldn't have announced EB3 quota is over.
I hope you are right. But I am not convinced because there was a statement in USCIS testimony that they used up 65% of their target in first 5 months. So even if they used up just 30% in next 5 months, there will be very few Visas left over. If their target did not include the spill overs, then you are right. But in that case, a part of the spill over should also go to EB3. So EB3 should open up again. I am also EB2. So I hope you are right. But as of now, it appears that either there are not many visas left over or it can be that USCIS target was very low.
that EB3 quota has been used up for this fiscal and will re-open in October only. I assume you're wondering whether some FB spill over would go to EB3. If that's the case they wouldn't have announced EB3 quota is over.
more...
michellezbb
07-03 06:37 PM
please at least send out to your state's senator.
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
Dear Mr. Senator,
My name is xxx, and I’m working as an xx in xx,xx.
I am sending this letter in strong protest of the outrageous bait-and-switch melodrama that the US Department of State and the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) have put on recently. Specifically, on June 13, 2007, the State Department announced that people seeking permanent residence based on employment would be allowed to proceed to file their applications starting on July 2, 2007
As a result, I took immediate action, spending a huge amount of time and effort preparing all the required documents and having them sent out to my attorney ASAP. However, on the very morning of July 2, the US Department of State announced that they just changed their mind and decided to reject all applications. This is such a ridiculous hoax, and it’s particularly shocking when you realize that such nonsensical and willy-nilly decisions came from the US Department of State!
As a hard-working student, I got my graduate education in this great country and was fortunate enough to get a job upon graduation. As a law-abiding individual, I have been waiting patiently in line for years to file my application for permanent residence. Yet what I’ve just seen and experienced is more than disappointing not only to me, but to thousands upon thousands of legal immigrants just like me who have struggled so hard to deal with all kinds of difficulties for years and have been doing it the right way.
I have below questions needed to be clarified:
1. How many applications have USCIS received during the period 6/14/2007 through 6/30/2007? This number is critical because apparently this number has changed the US Department of State’s opinion about the visa availability from available to unavailable in 15 days. And a more interesting question is that is this number predictable? In another word, did the US Department of US take this number in consideration when they determine that the visa will be available to all employment-based immigrants on June 13, 2007?
2. The announcement of the revised July visa availability was made in the earlier morning of July 2, 2007. Apparently, the decision was made before but not in the morning of July 2, 2007. Then, why didn’t the US Department of State release the news as soon as the decision was made in a good faith effort to inform all potential applicants at the first time? It should be anticipated that a lot of applicants would their application at the very beginning of the month. As you can imagine, all those effort are just wasted. And the worst of all is the feeling of being cheated and being fooled around.
3. My application was prepared to send to USCIS on July based on the best information available at that point of time. However, the application will be rejected/returned in accordance with the sudden announcement made in the morning of 7/2/2007. Does the US Department of State have the legal right to revise the cut-off date without going through certain procedures? Can we still trust and rely on the visa bulletin issued by the US Department of State to prepare our change of status application in the future?
Again, this is such a ridiculous hoax and it’s hard to believe the US Department of State just ate its own word like that. That is why I would like to take the liberty of writing to you about my outrage. I sincerely hope that you can take some precious time looking into this, and also at the current immigration system, which I believe is seriously flawed and patently unfair.
Thanks and best regards,
xx
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
Dear Mr. Senator,
My name is xxx, and I’m working as an xx in xx,xx.
I am sending this letter in strong protest of the outrageous bait-and-switch melodrama that the US Department of State and the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) have put on recently. Specifically, on June 13, 2007, the State Department announced that people seeking permanent residence based on employment would be allowed to proceed to file their applications starting on July 2, 2007
As a result, I took immediate action, spending a huge amount of time and effort preparing all the required documents and having them sent out to my attorney ASAP. However, on the very morning of July 2, the US Department of State announced that they just changed their mind and decided to reject all applications. This is such a ridiculous hoax, and it’s particularly shocking when you realize that such nonsensical and willy-nilly decisions came from the US Department of State!
As a hard-working student, I got my graduate education in this great country and was fortunate enough to get a job upon graduation. As a law-abiding individual, I have been waiting patiently in line for years to file my application for permanent residence. Yet what I’ve just seen and experienced is more than disappointing not only to me, but to thousands upon thousands of legal immigrants just like me who have struggled so hard to deal with all kinds of difficulties for years and have been doing it the right way.
I have below questions needed to be clarified:
1. How many applications have USCIS received during the period 6/14/2007 through 6/30/2007? This number is critical because apparently this number has changed the US Department of State’s opinion about the visa availability from available to unavailable in 15 days. And a more interesting question is that is this number predictable? In another word, did the US Department of US take this number in consideration when they determine that the visa will be available to all employment-based immigrants on June 13, 2007?
2. The announcement of the revised July visa availability was made in the earlier morning of July 2, 2007. Apparently, the decision was made before but not in the morning of July 2, 2007. Then, why didn’t the US Department of State release the news as soon as the decision was made in a good faith effort to inform all potential applicants at the first time? It should be anticipated that a lot of applicants would their application at the very beginning of the month. As you can imagine, all those effort are just wasted. And the worst of all is the feeling of being cheated and being fooled around.
3. My application was prepared to send to USCIS on July based on the best information available at that point of time. However, the application will be rejected/returned in accordance with the sudden announcement made in the morning of 7/2/2007. Does the US Department of State have the legal right to revise the cut-off date without going through certain procedures? Can we still trust and rely on the visa bulletin issued by the US Department of State to prepare our change of status application in the future?
Again, this is such a ridiculous hoax and it’s hard to believe the US Department of State just ate its own word like that. That is why I would like to take the liberty of writing to you about my outrage. I sincerely hope that you can take some precious time looking into this, and also at the current immigration system, which I believe is seriously flawed and patently unfair.
Thanks and best regards,
xx
Marphad
03-31 05:09 PM
Sanjay, just ignore them. These are the very same people who are taught from childhood to stab in back. They will not dare to put a post rather they type bad words in comments.
Here are the comments I got from people when I asked Marphad to add Modi name to the list.
* you racist hindu bastard...
* take this nonsense elsewhere
* xxxxxxx
* xxxx xxx.
* You get what you deserve. What's so "non-annonymous" about "sanjay"? You are now a minority in this country. Maybe Americans should treat you like Modi treats minorities. Maybe then you will understand the value of life. All life.
* ??
HUH ! ! ! Long live Democracy. And 18 people had polled for Modi as of now.
Here are the comments I got from people when I asked Marphad to add Modi name to the list.
* you racist hindu bastard...
* take this nonsense elsewhere
* xxxxxxx
* xxxx xxx.
* You get what you deserve. What's so "non-annonymous" about "sanjay"? You are now a minority in this country. Maybe Americans should treat you like Modi treats minorities. Maybe then you will understand the value of life. All life.
* ??
HUH ! ! ! Long live Democracy. And 18 people had polled for Modi as of now.
more...
gc4me
02-13 01:11 PM
Any of you want to join with me with this drive? Let's form a group and sue the USCIS for misallocation of visa. If any one is interested, please PM me.
immigration-law.com posted country wise EB visa allocation for the year of 2005. For example, Nepal used only 70 EB3 visas. Whereas country limit is 7%. In that case how EB3 Nepal is retrogressed?
Can we sue USCIS? Let's discuss.
In that case, let's hire an attorney.
immigration-law.com posted country wise EB visa allocation for the year of 2005. For example, Nepal used only 70 EB3 visas. Whereas country limit is 7%. In that case how EB3 Nepal is retrogressed?
Can we sue USCIS? Let's discuss.
In that case, let's hire an attorney.
2010 Melissa Joan Hart,
cmfirst
07-13 01:01 PM
Congratulations on a wise move. Those who adapt to changing circiumstance inherit victory, ALWAYS. All the best!
more...
voldemar
03-27 10:22 AM
My Q' was, if it becomes effective on 27th April, will USCIS reject all pending cases ?It depends on wording in final memo. Nobody knows what is there. The only text we know is that was published for comments. There could be changes after comments period. Without changes all pending sub cases (without approved I-140) will be denied.
Edit: It seems that Murthy doesn't agree with me :). Let's see.
Edit: It seems that Murthy doesn't agree with me :). Let's see.
hair Melissa Joan Hart?)
Caliber
09-04 09:37 PM
Now I think new people are running IV.
xxxxxxxx (Walden Pond) is not controlling now. That is the reason these idiots have got the admin previlages. Now they do nothing worthwhile. Bunch of jockers.
It was Jesus's decision to punish YSR for having used his name to kill innocent people. Do you want to be next in line? Learn forum rules. When you do not use your real name, you have no right to use other's real names.
Walden Pond spent US $ 65,000.00 of his own money for the sake of others and not for his personal benefit. You did not contribute single dollar and talk others with names?
Please behave yourself.
xxxxxxxx (Walden Pond) is not controlling now. That is the reason these idiots have got the admin previlages. Now they do nothing worthwhile. Bunch of jockers.
It was Jesus's decision to punish YSR for having used his name to kill innocent people. Do you want to be next in line? Learn forum rules. When you do not use your real name, you have no right to use other's real names.
Walden Pond spent US $ 65,000.00 of his own money for the sake of others and not for his personal benefit. You did not contribute single dollar and talk others with names?
Please behave yourself.
more...
vdlrao
07-21 11:43 PM
vdlrao, Thanks for the great analysis.
I am using DOS visa statistics and I arrived at EB quota numbers for 2008 as 162,707. There were 22,707 unused FB visa's in 2007 based on the DOS visa statistics @ http://travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/statistics/statistics_1476.html
Typically the actual EB quota for the FY is revised in the September bulletin. I am not sure if DOS has already taken into account the new EB quota number for the Aug bulletin. If they hadn't taken into account the new quota number then we should see some forward movement in the Sep bulletin.
However the 28,795 AC-21 recaptured visa's U are talking about has already been used in 2002, please take a look at the below mentioned link for details regarding the usage of those visa's.
http://travel.state.gov/pdf/FY2003%20AppD.pdf
All the AC-21 recaptured visa's has been used by now.
mpadapa, I am getting 31,100 unused Family Based Visas for 2007 fiscal year from
http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/statistics/publications/LPR_FR_2007.pdf
.
DHS bulletin is not updated correctly like Employment Based AC21 VISAS? Please let me know.
I am using DOS visa statistics and I arrived at EB quota numbers for 2008 as 162,707. There were 22,707 unused FB visa's in 2007 based on the DOS visa statistics @ http://travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/statistics/statistics_1476.html
Typically the actual EB quota for the FY is revised in the September bulletin. I am not sure if DOS has already taken into account the new EB quota number for the Aug bulletin. If they hadn't taken into account the new quota number then we should see some forward movement in the Sep bulletin.
However the 28,795 AC-21 recaptured visa's U are talking about has already been used in 2002, please take a look at the below mentioned link for details regarding the usage of those visa's.
http://travel.state.gov/pdf/FY2003%20AppD.pdf
All the AC-21 recaptured visa's has been used by now.
mpadapa, I am getting 31,100 unused Family Based Visas for 2007 fiscal year from
http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/statistics/publications/LPR_FR_2007.pdf
.
DHS bulletin is not updated correctly like Employment Based AC21 VISAS? Please let me know.
hot Melissa Joan Hart
add78
01-22 05:40 PM
I got the below email from multiple friends. I don't know what is the source, who wrote this analysis because there is no links. I did NOT mean to spread the fear. Just sharing the contents unaltered.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How this memorandum relates to the recent deportation events from NY and NJ airports?
There seems to be an anticipated link between these 2 events – Memorandum and recent Deportations – kind of an indication about the current level of government scrutiny and seriousness of the H1B program. Hence, there have been advices by others that – each employer and employee should operate by strictly following the H1B program requirements.
Please don't spread rumors or chain emails clearly written by antis or h1b haters who want to instill fear among the consultants working at client site. If you read the memo correctly, at the bottom it clearly states that it should NOT be used by CBP as a means of removal proceedings.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How this memorandum relates to the recent deportation events from NY and NJ airports?
There seems to be an anticipated link between these 2 events – Memorandum and recent Deportations – kind of an indication about the current level of government scrutiny and seriousness of the H1B program. Hence, there have been advices by others that – each employer and employee should operate by strictly following the H1B program requirements.
Please don't spread rumors or chain emails clearly written by antis or h1b haters who want to instill fear among the consultants working at client site. If you read the memo correctly, at the bottom it clearly states that it should NOT be used by CBP as a means of removal proceedings.
more...
house Melissa Joan Hart Dancing With The Stars Pictures
syzygy
07-12 04:57 PM
And also add the amount we are paying on regular basis to law firms to talking to their para legals, mental stress and percentage what contracting companies with hold along with amount we are losing because we are not in stable situation to invest in things like real estate.
I always has that question what is the real difference, hear people sayinig more taxes less salary and all that but don't know the actual difference yet.
Will appreciate if someone can shed more light or post a link.
I always has that question what is the real difference, hear people sayinig more taxes less salary and all that but don't know the actual difference yet.
Will appreciate if someone can shed more light or post a link.
tattoo Season 9 Melissa Joan Hart
deepakjain
05-29 11:04 AM
One of my friends came to US in 2002 applied for GC with PD of 2005 under EB3....looking at the situation he went back to India starting of Feb 2007...came back to US as Senior Project Manager [Virtual designation] he still does a developer work....applied for GC under EB1 in Aug 2008.....March 2009 he has got his GC.....
Yenjay Madi....I know of 7 cases who were with me 3 years back and now they have GC...
with current new fraud mantra EB1 will never spill over to EB2....soon EB1 for desis will have priority dates......
Yenjay Madi....I know of 7 cases who were with me 3 years back and now they have GC...
with current new fraud mantra EB1 will never spill over to EB2....soon EB1 for desis will have priority dates......
more...
pictures Melissa joan hart tv show :: joan melissa hart
logiclife
06-28 05:51 PM
Does someone know what date in June they started turning back EB3-Other WOrkers?
That was 5th June as per Oh's website and Oh's website was quoting AILA's memo.
That was 5th June as per Oh's website and Oh's website was quoting AILA's memo.
dresses Donny Osmond, Melissa Joan
jungalee43
11-08 02:57 PM
Sent e-mails to all the contacts. Immediately received some out-of-office auto replies. Looks like they would be out of office till Nov. 6 or Nov. 10.
Next up, posting message on change.gov
Next up, posting message on change.gov
more...
makeup Melissa Joan Hart tribute
sanju
09-23 11:03 AM
already bought a house in 2004.. so no immediate use for me! but I do like the idea! it will surely benefit me if the queue reduces even by 20%
although i wonder if there are people out there who really want to purchase a house in this financial crisis ?!?!
This is a great time to buy a house right now. The prices are the lowest. Government intervention will stabalize the credit crisis and more deserving people with good credit score will be able to secure loans/mortgages. If the government bail-out doesn't work, well, gc and any related discussion will be irrelevant. So we just have to expect (or shall I say assume) that bail-out will work, which will stablize the markets, that means this is the bottom of housing crisis i.e. lowest prices available to buy a house. There couldn't be a better times to start an American dream....
although i wonder if there are people out there who really want to purchase a house in this financial crisis ?!?!
This is a great time to buy a house right now. The prices are the lowest. Government intervention will stabalize the credit crisis and more deserving people with good credit score will be able to secure loans/mortgages. If the government bail-out doesn't work, well, gc and any related discussion will be irrelevant. So we just have to expect (or shall I say assume) that bail-out will work, which will stablize the markets, that means this is the bottom of housing crisis i.e. lowest prices available to buy a house. There couldn't be a better times to start an American dream....
girlfriend Natalie Coughlin, Melissa Joan
cinqsit
01-14 01:51 PM
V true.
Folks, the memo clearly empowers USCIS to crack down on consulting firms which don't have any in-house infrastructure (other than contractors) to execute projects.
H1B is misused for a long time now by these firms and it was high time they put the screws on these "job shops" as they call it. Unfortunately some talented workers will get impacted.
But if they are talented they will find opportunities elsewhere. Trust me on that. And better opportunities.
Nathan is exactly right. These firms have created a mess by bending rules everywhere.
Don't start speculating that USCIS is trying to throw out all immigrants from this country. I'm surprised that folks don't take a proper view of the situation (yeah..bring the reds on and call me an anti-immigrant).
I agree with a1b2c3.
USCIS is going after these "job-shops" nowhere do they have a blanket policy written down to stop all H1-B's or greencards.
Please dont get riled up and think that its going to affect your greencards etc too.
Actually if you have been following these forums, last two years have been tough for small consulting companies to get renewals/new H1's approved anyways. They were asking for client letter and denying renewals left and right. Some
were getting H1's denied saying the company office space is too small to fit 100 employees, your product/business plan seems to have been copy-pasted from online sources and what not. Please browse through H1 denied threads on this forums.
I know its harsh on the employees but they will have to find employment with direct vendors.
Contracting is a way-of-life for some big financial/insurance companies (if you are from NYC area you will know) its not going away nor is need for H1B's going away.
USCIS is simply laying down the rules on paper (or in this memo) for what it has already been practicing for more than 2 years now with respect to H1B processing.
I know its harsh on some employees who will be affected but you will soon realize that
you will find better paying jobs/contracts. If there is a need and you are good at what ou do you are going to land up a job/contract no matter what even when you are on H1.
These "job-shop" companies will be going away (good riddance) not you.
You will still find work you will still find contracts with better pay
If you are working on a contract directly for direct vendor isnt that much better than being 3-4 "layers" of these middleman "job-shop" companies who each take
a significant cut out of your share?
cinqsit
Folks, the memo clearly empowers USCIS to crack down on consulting firms which don't have any in-house infrastructure (other than contractors) to execute projects.
H1B is misused for a long time now by these firms and it was high time they put the screws on these "job shops" as they call it. Unfortunately some talented workers will get impacted.
But if they are talented they will find opportunities elsewhere. Trust me on that. And better opportunities.
Nathan is exactly right. These firms have created a mess by bending rules everywhere.
Don't start speculating that USCIS is trying to throw out all immigrants from this country. I'm surprised that folks don't take a proper view of the situation (yeah..bring the reds on and call me an anti-immigrant).
I agree with a1b2c3.
USCIS is going after these "job-shops" nowhere do they have a blanket policy written down to stop all H1-B's or greencards.
Please dont get riled up and think that its going to affect your greencards etc too.
Actually if you have been following these forums, last two years have been tough for small consulting companies to get renewals/new H1's approved anyways. They were asking for client letter and denying renewals left and right. Some
were getting H1's denied saying the company office space is too small to fit 100 employees, your product/business plan seems to have been copy-pasted from online sources and what not. Please browse through H1 denied threads on this forums.
I know its harsh on the employees but they will have to find employment with direct vendors.
Contracting is a way-of-life for some big financial/insurance companies (if you are from NYC area you will know) its not going away nor is need for H1B's going away.
USCIS is simply laying down the rules on paper (or in this memo) for what it has already been practicing for more than 2 years now with respect to H1B processing.
I know its harsh on some employees who will be affected but you will soon realize that
you will find better paying jobs/contracts. If there is a need and you are good at what ou do you are going to land up a job/contract no matter what even when you are on H1.
These "job-shop" companies will be going away (good riddance) not you.
You will still find work you will still find contracts with better pay
If you are working on a contract directly for direct vendor isnt that much better than being 3-4 "layers" of these middleman "job-shop" companies who each take
a significant cut out of your share?
cinqsit
hairstyles Melissa Joan Hart is pregnant
Ramba
02-12 02:25 PM
Yeah, Tell me about it!!!
Just two more months and mine would have been current!!!!
I wish your hopes comes true. However, one thing you should remember. There are many guys with PD before 2005 got stuck due to name check, particularly in ROW catagory. This big jump in PD for ROW and new name check clearance rule, will makes tons of 485s become eligible for approval in March.
As they mentioned in their comment, they may freeze the PD for ROW in APril or move back to 2004, depending on how many EB3-ROW gets GC in March.
Just two more months and mine would have been current!!!!
I wish your hopes comes true. However, one thing you should remember. There are many guys with PD before 2005 got stuck due to name check, particularly in ROW catagory. This big jump in PD for ROW and new name check clearance rule, will makes tons of 485s become eligible for approval in March.
As they mentioned in their comment, they may freeze the PD for ROW in APril or move back to 2004, depending on how many EB3-ROW gets GC in March.
mmanurker
03-29 03:10 PM
US just elected a President who father and step father are Muslims. And that is great and the world appreciates that because it shows that this country can judge a person by his skills or character and not get stuck in bigoted views about muslims or other minorities. And we love this country for that
But when it comes to India, don't you think of voting for Rahul gandhi because he might have some blood of either a parsi or ('god forbid') muslim in him. That certainly should dis qualify him, shouldn't it. Nepotism is certainly bad but this takes the cake. Dont vote for him because he might be 10% parsi/muslim (I am sure you have not forgotten about the italian heritage but you can raise that later). But certainly criminals and perpetrators of Genocide would be desirable PM choices. Rock on
you just proved how ignorant you are, coz US president's biological father is not a muslim.....His father is born in a christian family but was raised by a their neighbor who happened to be a Muslim family. His father never converted to Islam neither the family who raised his father tried to convert him but yes his father did adopt this Muslim family's name hence we see Hussain as his middle name.
But when it comes to India, don't you think of voting for Rahul gandhi because he might have some blood of either a parsi or ('god forbid') muslim in him. That certainly should dis qualify him, shouldn't it. Nepotism is certainly bad but this takes the cake. Dont vote for him because he might be 10% parsi/muslim (I am sure you have not forgotten about the italian heritage but you can raise that later). But certainly criminals and perpetrators of Genocide would be desirable PM choices. Rock on
you just proved how ignorant you are, coz US president's biological father is not a muslim.....His father is born in a christian family but was raised by a their neighbor who happened to be a Muslim family. His father never converted to Islam neither the family who raised his father tried to convert him but yes his father did adopt this Muslim family's name hence we see Hussain as his middle name.
JazzByTheBay
07-11 08:19 PM
Have heard good things about Maple Intl. We filed on our own without any agencies. It's not terribly complicated, and certainly not the nightmare that getting a US permanent residence is with its 3-step process of LCA, I-140 petition for immigrant worker and I-485 AOS (or CP).
At times I wonder why they continue with this terribly complicated process in the U.S. - it clearly isn't working, but as long as it keeps the hordes of DoL and USCIS folks employed, I guess it serves its purpose.
jazz
Maple International is very good if you are in the west
At times I wonder why they continue with this terribly complicated process in the U.S. - it clearly isn't working, but as long as it keeps the hordes of DoL and USCIS folks employed, I guess it serves its purpose.
jazz
Maple International is very good if you are in the west
