Edition 85 of my email newsletter, Newley’s Notes, went out to subscribers Saturday.
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Hi friends, thanks for reading Newley’s Notes.
Apologies for the delay in sending this edition out. I missed a week, so this NN is even more action-packed than usual.
WHAT I WROTE IN THE WSJ:
I story I’d been working on for some time ran recently, and has provoked a strong response online, with more than 450 comments on The WSJ site, and more than 800 reactions, 230 shares and 150 comments on Facebook:
Indian Workers in U.S. Fear Trump H-1B Visa Crackdown.
TLDR: Foreign tech workers are concerned that under Pres. Trump, changes to the program might suddenly force them to pack up and leave the country. Many have put down roots in the U.S., buying homes and sending kids to school. I spoke with dozens of folks for this story. Please give it a read.
Other stories:
More on H-1B stuff: Indian Outsourcing Firms Look to Get Ahead of Immigration Curbs. The story begins:
Under pressure from President Donald Trump’s administration, Indian outsourcing firms are working behind the scenes to prevent potential immigration curbs in the U.S., their most important market.
India’s big IT services firms employ millions of people and contribute significantly to the Indian economy. And the U.S. is their biggest market, so a tightening of visa rules is a real threat to their business models.
Meanwhile a colleague and I on Fri. held a Facebook Live video chat on H-1B issues. We took questions from viewers and I discussed some of my recent stories. The video has been watched more than 85,000 times already.
And finally, in other news, I wrote this piece: Alibaba Raises Stake in India’s Crowded E-Commerce Market. It begins:
Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. is placing a big bet on India’s hotly contested e-commerce market, pouring $177 million more into Paytm as the Chinese tech titan chases growth beyond its shores.
5 ITEMS THAT ARE WORTH YOUR TIME THIS WEEK:
1) What will surely become of the most viral videos of all time was recorded yesterday. Yes, I’m referring to the kids interrupting the guy giving the BBC interview.. <– Give it a watch if you’re one of the few people who hasn’t seen it yet.
In my view, the video was an instant hit because it involved these key elements:
- A live TV #fail. Who doesn’t love one of those?
- A gif-able, funny, toddler strut
- The woman, apparently his wife, rushing in frantically
- The older kid yelping when run over by the younger kid
- The crawling door close
- The guy — the telegenic Robert E. Kelly, a professor at a university in S. Korea — trying to maintain a straight face
- Brevity — all of this happened within 45 seconds!
2) Barcelona staged one of the most amazing comebacks ever seen on a football field. Down 4-0 in the first leg of a Champions League round of 16 game, the Spanish side came back to beat Paris Saint-Germain 6-1 Wednesday, scoring three goals in the final seven minutes.
Here’ the NYT write-up. And The Guardian has a good roundup of the celebrations and reaction online.
3) Project Stardust: A well known jazz musician in Norway has pioneered, in a new book, methods for collecting cosmic dust in places like rooftops. Click through for the context.
Here’s more on the book and the man, Jon Larsen.
4) India PM Narendra Modi: MicroManager-in-Chief. My very talented WSJ colleagues here in New Delhi have written a fascinating deep dive with behind-the-scenes details on how the most powerful Indian leader in a generation goes about governing.
Highly recommended for those interested in India and South Asian politics.
5) “Jimmy Buffett Launching Margaritaville Retirement Homes.” That’s the headline on this Hollywood Reporter story:
According to the website for Latitude Margaritavile, the first of the communities is being planned in Daytona Beach, Fla., and it promises that the party will continue well into the golden years.
Amazing.
What’d I miss? Send me links, rants, raves, juicy news scoops and anything else! My email: n@newley.com
Thanks for reading.
Love,
Newley