jorge.cortell.net

Today I was invited to the MoMA PS1 for K-HOLE#2 Release. Young people, “Brooklyn artsy”, holding beers and beards, with the careless attitude that the PS1 requires: either I don’t get it or I do, but in any case, it won’t show.

There were many works on display, too many (and too complex or infuriatingly simple) to comment here. What was definitely not worth mentioning, from my ignorant point of view, was the Alterazioni Video “The New Cinema Event”. Let’s say, sadly, it wasn’t even pretentious.

As always, the bookstore interested me as much as the museum itself, including the eFlux trailer coop-bookstore.

At least, on my way there I saw the “Ni Cristo” church (meaning in Spanish “not even Christ” [sic]), and on the way out I was rewarded with a new visual plane on the subway tunnel, for my patience with the 7 line (had to take the E train instead).

New York is full of Japanese art, and I am not only referring to the Asia Week NY or the architecture (New Museum’s SANAA, MoMA’s Yoshio Taniguchi, Japan Society’s Junzo Yoshimura…), interior design (Megu’s Yasumichi Morita, Morimoto’s Tadao Ando, Louis Vuitton’s Jyun Aoki…), sculpture (Red Cube’s Isamu Noguchi…), art collections (MET, MoMA, Japan Society, Morgan, Rubin…), food (Yasuda, Kajitsu, Minamoto Kichoan…), or shops (Makari, Toy Tokyo, JCC…).

Yesterday I had a chance to see two rare forms of Japanese art in NY.

First I watched amazingly humble (for a guy that has cut Cindy Crawford or Nicole Kidman’s hair, and has seen his work featured in Vogue Magazine or Calvin Klein ad campaigns) Manabu Unno (Garren) cutting a hair in the most delicate way possible. He danced around it, moved with every cut, and approached hair as in maintaining a dialogue with each strand. Absolutely amazing.

Then, at the Asia Society, Kamotaro Mukai performed an incredible butoh version of the popular Lafcadio Hearn’s (a.k.a. Yakumo Koizumi) “Koichi the Earless” kwaidan ghost story, accompanied by Kiyoshi Ohira (playing the saz) and Akiko Sakurai (narrating and playing the satsuma biwa), showing once again that in order to display a powerful and beautiful performance, you do not need a lot of props and decoration in a stage.

Omoshirokatta.

This is the story of an L1 Visa. I will try to make it short, although some details have to be explained to be believed…

In August of 2011 I thought of starting a US subsidiary of my software company in the USA, so I decided to move to New York to start it up and manage it. Since I needed a visa (form I-129) to live and work in the USA, I contacted an immigration lawyer (form G-28 and thousands of dollars) through a friend, and we started the whole process.

I sent the lawyer (David) all the papers he needed: business plan, letters from my company, contracts, job description, org. charts, company literature, office and employee pictures, bank statements, college diplomas, passport copy, translations, etc. He decided I should apply for an L1A Visa (“Intracompany Transferee” also known as the “International Executive” visa), which would automatically grant my wife the L2 visa.

In October my wife and I spent a week and a half looking for an apartment and offices in Manhattan, setting up the corporation (in a matter of a single day), and opening up bank accounts (that was fun: they will not let you open a bank account without a visa, and will not give you a visa without an account! so it took 5 trips to the bank and a little of my RDF magic to make it happen), and in November we moved to NY, entering the USA through the visa waiver program (after David assured me it was OK), so we had 3 months to get the visa before having to exit the country (the visa waiver program allows you to remain 90 days in the USA without a visa). More than enough, right?

The first problem arose when I decided to work from a co-working space (which is really cool, because there is a great energy and “community feel” to it) instead of a “regular office”. I read a NYT article about how co-working places were hot in New York, how the city had decided to support that option, so after I met Tony and the NWC crew (after visiting some other great places), I felt right at home and decided to join… WRONG, said David when I sent him the agreement. In his experience this would not be good enough, and would be rejected by Immigration, so I needed to get my own office in an office building.

So, another month of looking, before settling for one of the most expensive locations and newest/coolest offices in NY: the Viacom building (MTV’s HQ) in Times Square. That would definitely do it, right?

Problem number two: for some reason, even after submitting my signature and bank check, the management company took weeks to return the lease signed (same thing, by the way, with my apartment building). Time was running out…

Just in case, I applied for my visa (form I-907) through the “expedite process” (which means if you pay $1,500, they have to reply within 15 days). And they did, indeed, reply in time. BUT, they replied with the dreaded RFE (request for evidence). They asked us to provide (AGAIN) my job description, bank details, org. charts… plus new info, such as the college diploma of EVERYBODY working in my company!

David did an excellent job (another large invoice) collecting all those documents, and I spent hours answering absurd questions… so finally we submitted the reply, and kept our fingers crossed: they had 15 more days to reply (until February 17th), but we had to leave the country before February 15th, and I did not like the idea of having to leave without knowing if the process would take much longer or not.

Fortunately they replied (form I-797B) on the 10th, with a positive answer, and send me via mail the form I-797C needed to process the visa at the Embassy. For a moment I was scared, because I had received a link to a National Foundation for American Policy report stating the incredible increase of denied visas. Even more, after the whole process was over, somebody very familiar with the whole process confessed to me that:

USCIS is causing some immigration attorneys to change to another area of law and or retire early… everything takes 2-3X longer than it used to.

They are doing that [RFE] even to company’s like HONDA and TOYOTA ……and even issuing denials for top engineers ( “L1-b’s with specialized knowledge”).

The problem, though, was that they asked us to go to Madrid to get the interview in the US Embassy and to get the visa stamped on the passport. The only problem is that, according to the  US Department of State’s website, Madrid’s waiting time in order to go through the whole process would be 60 days for the interview and 5 for processing plus 2 for delivery… over 2 months! (they even scare you further saying that if they find the need for further investigation, it could take up to 6 more months).

[By the way, David had given me a site to check that info, and turned out that site was false and is now under investigation... good thing we realized before they tried to pull some scam on us!]

I compared embassies, and saw that both Mexico and Canada had processes that lasted between 3 and 4 days in total. So I decided to go to Mexico (that way I could visit my friend and client Germinal). But when I asked for an interview date, I noticed that they have an exception in Mexico’s embassy due to the increased narco-violence: you can not come from the USA to Mexico to get your visa interview for an L1A. So, Canada, here I go. But first, fill out a 7 page (it used to be just one) absurd and hypocritical DS-160 form, including things like the complete and comprehensive list of countries visited in the last 5 years (32 in my case), and pay $150 in order to get an appointment.

We left NY the very last possible day (February 14th) because the day before I had an unexpected business meeting in Washington DC (although I had already bought tickets for that same day to a Philip Glass & Friends concert at Carnegie Hall in support for Tibet House, which was enjoyed by my wife alone).

The trip to Ottawa was fine. Fly on Tuesday, appointment at the Embassy on Wednesday (they had us wait in line outside, snowing, freezing temperatures…), quite relaxed and speedy. They took our passports and told us “you will see on our website when you can pick up your passport from DHL/Loomis”. So back to the hotel and wait. And wait. And wait… Friday afternoon and I was already getting nervous: I had the return plane tickets for Saturday morning. I called, but the reply was: we can not give you further information. At 6:05 pm I receive an email stating the passport was ready. Great! So I call DHL: they close at 6:00pm, and do not open during the weekend PLUS Monday is a holiday so… no passport until Tuesday. What??!! You have to be kidding me!!! After carefully and very politely explaining the situation, they carefully and very politely replied: sorry, see you Tuesday.

So, stuck in Ottawa. Time to book new plane tickets and extend the hotel stay (which was not easy due to the Winterlude festival, but money seems to solve those problems more often than not). Finally on Tuesday we get the passports, and fly back, only to find a US Customs agent “not too awake” at the Toronto airport US border.

– Sir, why the deadline in that stamp? – I ask the agent, after he stamps my passport and writes down a May 2012 date on it – Don’t I get to stay longer with my new visa?

– Oh, do you have a Visa? – duhh!!?? – Oh, then you have to fill out an I-94 card, and I don’t have any, so you have to get out through security again, and ask someone from the airline to give you one.

– Only one?

– Yes, your wife does not need one.

– OK – I am surprised, but who am I to disagree?.

So I go out, get one, fill it out, return, and once I have it all ready to go, the agent asks:

– Where does your wife live?

– With me – I answer, not believing the question.

– How long is she going to stay in the USA?

– For a year at least, just like me.

– But, does she have a visa? – WTF!!!???, what is that big sticker in the passport for???!!!!! – Oh, then you have to go out and get her an I-94 for her too.

Ohm, Zen, breathe, smile, there are cute kitties somewhere, and the waterfall soothes your soul… welcome to the U.S. of A.

At least we can now finally clear customs with our stuff from the international movers, get health insurance, driver’s license (used as ID in NY, along with driving bikes in the summer), register as resident at the Consulate, get a work contract…

Some hypocritical and absurd questions found in the DS-160 form, needed to get a US Visa:

• Do you have a mental or physical disorder that poses or is likely to pose a threat to the safety or welfare of yourself or others?
• Are you or have you ever been a drug abuser or addict?
• Have you ever violated, or engaged in a conspiracy to violate, any law relating to controlled substances?
• Are you coming to the United States to engage in prostitution or unlawful commercialized vice or have you been engaged in prostitution or procuring prostitutes within the past 10 years?
• Have you ever been involved in, or do you seek to engage in, money laundering?
• Do you seek to engage in terrorist activities while in the United States or have you ever engaged in terrorist activities?
• Have you ever or do you intend to provide financial assistance or other support to terrorists or terrorist organizations?
• Have you ever ordered, incited, committed, assisted, or otherwise participated in genocide?
• Have you ever committed, ordered, incited, assisted, or otherwise participated in torture?
• Have you committed, ordered, incited, assisted, or otherwise participated in extrajudicial killings, political killings, or other acts of violence?

Due to my US Visa process (which was soooo long and curious that it requires a separate post), I have been “stuck” in Ottawa (Canada) for a week.

Sure, Canada would not be one of my priority travel destinations in the winter, particularly if (like me) you can’t ski or ice skate. But since I am here, let’s make the best of it: The National Gallery, Museum of Civilizations, Museum of War, Winterlude, and a few lovely food places (such as The Tea Store, Memories, or Oh So Good) and a bunch of mediocre ones, while staying in a very nice hotel/castle (with heated indoors pool and gym), will do the trick

Many interesting highlights (see the pictures) like:

• The frozen gadgets, beaver tail, cold-not-cool DJ-in-a-bubble, and live ice sculpting at the Winterlude festival
• The Inuit googles and poles at the M. of Civilizations
• The Enigma machine and piece of Berlin Wall at the M. of War
• The L. Bourgeois spider at the National Gallery

But looking forward to fly back to NY tomorrow.

On Monday, I met the Chief Information Officer of a large US Government Administration in Washington DC.

His office was surprisingly small and functional compared to European “big government” offices. A nice reminder of how European bureaucracy and public sector spending in administration itself is burying us. But what caught my attention the most was the largest picture in the office: it was not Obama’s, a diploma, a family picture, a flag… it was this:

I wish European (particularly Spanish, and particularly Valencian) public servants were so aware of and sensitive to the realities and constraints that should be ever present in their duty.

A few days ago, in a meeting at the Setai Hotel in NY, Michael (with over 3 decades of experience working with US and Spanish corporations) perfectly described what is like to do business between the USA and Spain:

A struggle between American arrogance and Spanish pride

Embarrassing. We should all be ashamed. At least we can access his words.

 After 36 years of democracy, [Spain] is the second country in the world with the most “disappeared” after Cambodia

Source Regional President Camps free, the Duke Urdangarín seems like is not going to be punished… and judge Garzon being judged. And you ask me why I say I am “European” rather than “Spaniard” or “Valencian”?

This morning I walked by the smallest art gallery in NY, 125windowgallery, on 47th between 3rd and Lexington Avenue:

The best thing about that gallery is that you do not need to “go in”