Travelling to USA

I might visit US this month..To make it sure, I consulted the US website in Germany for reliable informations..well, I can travel visa-free now. I can finally visit my sister there...see yah soon sistah..miz yah!!

Below are some important informations to travel in the United States...

Application Procedures
Who must apply for a visa?

The Visa Waiver Program

Attention: As of May 1, 2006, holders of German temporary or emergency passports who intend to travel to or through the United States must either obtain a valid, machine-readable regular German passport for Visa Waiver Program travel or apply for a U.S. visa to travel to the United States.

The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) permits visa free travel to the US, if you are a citizen of one of the following countries and the conditions mentioned beneath apply to you.

Andorra
Australia
Austria
Belgium
Brunei
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
Japan
Liechtenstein
Luxembourg
Monaco
the Netherlands
New Zealand
Norway
Portugal
San Marino
Singapore
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
the United Kingdom

Summary of guidelines for visa waiver travelers (pdf)

• You are travelling for business, pleasure or transit only.
• Your intended stay in the US does not exceed 90 days.
• You must hold a valid return or onward ticket. Onward tickets may not end in Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean.
• You will enter the US aboard an air or sea carrier that has agreed to participate in the program. This applies to most airlines and shipping companies (Private or official aircraft or vessels do not meet this requirement). You will need a visa if your carrier is not a participant.

Important Information for Travellers on the Visa Waiver Program

The Visa Waiver Program applies for the United States of America including Puerto Rico, Guam and the US-Virgin Islands.

After entering the US you may travel to Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean within 90 days and re-enter the US using any mode of transport. You may also enter the US without a visa traveling from Canada or Mexico for up to 90 days (please note that there will be a $6.00 fee, payable only in US dollars). You will have to show financial proof to finance your trip at the port of entry.

Please note:

Persons who enter the US on VWP then make side trips must retain their green I-94w card until the final exit from the U.S.. This is especially important if they plan to re-enter the U.S. from their side-trip using a non-signatory aircraft or boat. (If they re-enter by land or with a signatory carrier, they can just do a new I-94w, but if they return from the sidetrip by private boat, they're in trouble unless they have retained their valid I-94w from the original admission.)

Please do not apply for a visa, if your travel plans meet the VWP requirements.

You will then simply have to fill in a short form on board of the air or sea carrier.

However, please note that the following travellers will need a visa in any case:

• People, who intend to work in the US (paid or unpaid!). This includes work as an au-pair or intern.
• People who intend to stay in the US for more than 90 days.
• People who intend to attend school or university in the US.
• People who have been refused admission into, or have been deported from the US within the past five years.
• People who have ever been arrested or convicted for any offense or crime (including drug trafficking).
• People who have been afflicted with a serious communicable disease, or who are drug abusers or addicts.
• People who have participated in the persecution of any person under the control of the Nazi Government of Germany.
• People who have ever been a member or representative of a terrorist organization.
• People holding a blue German travel document (Fremdenpass).

If any of the above applies to you, you are not eligible for the Visa Waiver Program and will need a visa to enter the US. Please call the following number for further information:

Visa Information Service
• Live Service: 0900 1-850055 (EUR 1.86/Min from a German landline - additional charges may apply from mobile phones). 7am to 8pm, Monday - Friday.
• Credit Card Service for applicants from outside of Germany and callers who cannot access 0900 numbers: +49 (0)9131-772-2270. EUR 15 per call, MasterCard and Visa accepted. 7am to 8pm, Monday - Friday.

Last updated: October 2006

source: http://germany.usembassy.gov/visa/who_must_apply.html

Joke..Joke..Joke..

Divorced Barbie

A man walks into a store to buy a Barbie doll for his daughter. “How much is that Barbie in the window?”, he asks the shop assistant.

In a manner she responds, “Which Barbie? We have Barbie Goes to the Gym for $19.95, Barbie Goes to the Ball for $19.95, Barbie Goes Shopping for $19.95, Barbie Goes to the Beach for $19.95, Barbie Goes Nightclubbing for $19.95, and Divorced Barbie for $395.00.”

The guy asks, “Why is Divorced Barbie different from all the others?”

“That’s obvious,” the assistant states, “Divorced Barbie comes with Ken’s house, Ken’s car, Ken’s boat, Ken’s furniture…”

source: www.arcamax.com

Study: Bdelloid rotifers resist radiation

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they've found a common class of freshwater invertebrates called bdelloid rotifers is extraordinarily resistant to ionizing radiation.

Harvard University researchers said the animals survive and continue to reproduce after being exposed to doses of gamma radiation much greater than can be tolerated by any other animal species studied.

Because free radicals such as those generated by radiation have been implicated in inflammation, cancer and aging in higher organisms, Harvard Professor Matthew Meselson and graduate student Eugene Gladyshev said their findings could stimulate new lines of research into these medically important problems.

The researchers found bdelloid rotifers Adineta vaga and Philodina roseola -- about a half-millimeter in size and commonly observed under microscopes -- remained reproductively viable after doses of radiation roughly five times greater than other classes of rotifers and other animals could endure.

The research, supported by the National Science Foundation's Eukaryotic Genetics Program, is reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

source: www.arcamax.com
Copyright 2008 by United Press International

Study points to possible malaria vaccine

DALLAS (UPI) -- U.S. and British scientists said they might have discovered why some species can nearly never interbreed -- a key insight into the basis of reproduction.

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center researchers said their finding might point to a possible malaria vaccine, thwarting the disease that kills about 1 million people each year, primarily children in sub-Saharan Africa.

The researchers found sexual reproduction begins with two genetically different steps: First, two reproductive cells must latch onto each other with one protein, and secondly they must fuse their membranes to form a single cell using a different protein.

The scientists collaborated with malaria experts at Imperial College London and found the parasite causing malaria also uses that two-step process. When they blocked "male" and "female" malarial cells from fusing, spread of the mosquito-borne disease was stopped.

The research is to appear in the April 14 issue of the journal Genes and Development and is now available at the journal's Web site.

source: www.arcamax.com
Copyright 2008 by United Press International

Wordless Wednesday

The fountain in Roethenbach, Pegnitz, Germany..small but very nice town...
still with easter eggs decoration.

What's My Name's Hidden Meaning???Maria Ruby!!

I got this tag from my new found friend online, Marites.
thanks a lot for this tag...well I find this interesting....Almost are true (around 90% maybe hehehe) but some are not (guess the remaining 10%) !! I hope I can explain it further next time when I feel perfectly okey!! You are usually the best at everything!!! great!!, as said below, might be the reason why this blog is simply named SIMPLY THE BEST!!!

Hope to visit you next time again!! still feeling better but not so okey!! I went to my doctor today and have a check-up..will be back again on Friday to know the results of the blood examinations..Take care everyone!!!

Any friends linkies can grab this!!

What Maria Ruby Means

You are confident, self assured, and capable. You are not easily intimidated. You master any and all skills easily. You don't have to work hard for what you want. You make your life out to be exactly how you want it. And you'll knock down anyone who gets in your way! You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality. You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something. You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense. You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun. You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing. You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long. You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start. You are a very lucky person. Things just always seem to go your way. And because you're so lucky, you don't really have a lot of worries. You just hope for the best in life. You're sometimes a little guilty of being greedy. Spread your luck around a little to people who need it. You are full of energy. You are spirited and boisterous. You are bold and daring. You are willing to do some pretty outrageous things. Your high energy sometimes gets you in trouble. You can have a pretty bad temper at times. You are a free spirit, and you resent anyone who tries to fence you in. You are unpredictable, adventurous, and always a little surprising. You may miss out by not settling down, but you're too busy having fun to care.

hello !! hi !! hallo!!

Hi again dear friends!! sorry can't visit you all, till I am feeling perfectly okey!! Still a bit dizzy but very better...see you soon!! Thanks for all your visit and messages here!! Take care everyone and enjoy the rest of the weekend!!