Two outstanding U.S. Jazz Ambassadors trios will tour the Middle East in September and October, featuring their own compositions and works of jazz by the giant Duke Ellington. They will perform in styles ranging from traditional to modern.

Sponsored by the U.S government in conjunction with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Hot House Jazz Band Trio (Jim Smith, Paul Butler and Eric Henry) will perform in Syria (September 23 to October 2), Jordan (October 2 to 5), Bahrain (October 5 to 8), Qatar (October 8 to11), Tunisia (October 12 to 18) and Morocco (October 18 to 21). A second trio will visit Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the Palestinian Authority.

According to its program notes, the Hot House Jazz Band was formed in June of 1978. The musicians, who were between college semesters, began playing together as a summer job at an amusement park. The trio then found more steady work in the Manglina Cafe in Philadelphia. Following graduation, they continued playing together at festivals, fairs, private parties, weddings and concerts. Hot House has been on the artists roster for the Pennsylvania Council on Art since 1984. Placement on this roster affords the trio the opportunity to perform and teach as Artists in Residence in schools anywhere in Pennsylvania. In 1994, HotHouse performed at the First International Louis Armstrong Jazz Festival in LeHarve, France. Jim Smith, tenor guitar/banjo and vocals, has led bands for many years in some of the finest restaurants in the city of Philadelphia. He is from Horseheads, New York. Paul Butler plays the clarinet and hails from Mt. Airy, Pennsylvania. Paul teaches at Immaculata College and Up at Tina s High School. In addition to playing with HotHouse, Paul has recorded with David Darling and Benny and the Vildachayas. Eric Henry is the tubist. Eric performs in the Harrisburg and Lancaster Symphonies, and the Chesapeake Brass Quntet. Eric is from Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Hot House has two recordings, Pucker for Y All and Spetchin at the Tholik. A third recording is half completed.

In addition to their own compositions, the talented trios will highlight works by Duke Ellington in celebration of what would have been the Duke's 100th birthday (April 29) this year. Ellington, who was world renown as a bandleader, arranger, pianist, and jazz stylist, wrote an estimated 2,000 songs during a 50-year career (1924-74). His works include such jazz classics as "Black and Tan Fantasy," "Mood Indigo," "Take the 'A' Train," and "Black, Brown and Beige." He recorded with traditional jazz artists -- such as Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, and Coleman Hawkins -- and with the modernists John Coltrane, Charles Mingus, and Max Roach. Ellington's work was celebrated this year in cities across the United States, and he also was awarded a posthumous Pulitzer Prize.

Under the Jazz Ambassadors program, the United States sends a small number of gifted American jazz musicians on concert tours to countries abroad. The performers are auditioned by the Kennedy Center and their tours are funded by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The tours include workshops and master classes in addition to concerts.

Section 203(c) of the Immigration Act of 1990 makes available 55,000 permanent (immigrant) resident visas each year by random selection through a diversity visa lottery (DV-2001). The DV-2001 registration mail-in period will be held between noon on Monday, October 4, 1999 and noon on Wednesday, November 3, 1999. The Nicaraguan and Central American Relief Act (NCARA) passed by Congress in November 1997 stipulates that 5,000 of the 55,000 annually allocated diversity visas will be made available for use under the NCARA program each year.For 2001, high admission, countries are: China (mainland and Taiwan), India, the Philippines, Vietnam, South Korea, Poland, United Kingdom and dependent territories, Canada, Mexico, Haiti, Jamaica, El Salvador, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic. Persons born in Hong Kong SAR and Northern Ireland are eligible to apply for the DV-2001 lottery.

The visas will be apportioned among six geographic regions. A greater number of visas will go to those regions that have lower immigration rates.

Persons born in high admission, countries are, in most instances, not eligible for the program. High admission, countries are defined as those from which the United States has received more than 50,000 immigrants during the last five years in the immediate relative, family and employment preference categories.Each year, the Immigration and Naturalization Service adds the family and employment immigrant admission figures for the previous five years, to identify the countries which must be excluded from the annual diversity lottery. Since there is a separate determination made prior to each lottery entry period, the list of countries that do not qualify is subject to change.

An entrant must be a native of a qualifying country. He or she must also have either a high school

education or its equivalent, or within the past five years have two years of work experience in an occupation that requires at least two years of training or experience. There is no initial application fee or special application form to enter. The entry must be typed or clearly printed in the English alphabet on a sheet of plain paper and must include the applicant's full name; date and place of birth for both the applicant and for the spouse or any minor children who might also wish to immigrate; the applicant's mailing address and, if possible, a telephone number; the applicant's native country if it differs from the country of birth; a recent (preferably less than 6 months old) photograph (1 1/2 inches by 1 1/2 inches) of the principal applicant with the applicant's name printed across the back of the photograph. (The photograph should be taped to the application with clear tape, not attached by staples or paper clips which can jam the mail processing equipment.) The applicant must also sign the entry using his or her normal signature, regardless of whether the entry is prepared and submitted by the applicant or someone else. (Only the principal applicant, not the spouse and children, needs to submit a signature and photograph.) This information must be sent by regular mail or air mail to one of six postal addresses in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Applicants must use the correct postal zip code designated for their native region. Entries must be mailed in a standard letter or business-size envelope with the applicant's native country, full name, and complete mailing address typed or clearly printed in the English alphabet in the upper left-hand corner of the envelope. Postcards are not acceptable.

Only one entry for each applicant may be submitted during the registration period. Entries sent by .express or priority mail, fax, hand, messenger, or any means requiring receipts or special handling will not be Processed. Duplicate or multiple entries will disqualify individuals from registration for this program. Entries received before or after the specified registration dates regardless of when they are postmarked and entries sent to an address other than one of those indicated below are void. All qualified mail received during the registration period will be individually numbered and entries will be selected at random by computer regardless of time of receipt during the mail-in period.

The mailing address for all entries is the same, except for the Zip Code.

That address is: DV-2001 Program National Visa Center, Portsmouth, N.H. Zip Code (see below) U.S.A.

The Zip Codes are as follows: Asia: 0O210; South America/Central America/Caribbean: 00211; Europe: 00212; Africa: 00213; Oceania: 00214; and North America:00215.

The National Visa Center typically receives between 6 to 7 million qualified entries during the registration mail-in period. The massive amount of entries creates an enormous amount of work in processing and selecting successful registrants. Holding the registration period in the fall ensures successful registrants are notified in a timely manner. This gives both them and our Embassies and Consulates overseas a full fiscal year in which to process the necessary immigrant visas.

The decision to hire an attorney or consultant is entirely up to the applicant. Procedures for entering the Diversity Lottery can be completed without assistance following simple instructions. However, if applicants prefer to use outside assistance, that is their choice. There are many legitimate attorneys and immigration consultants assisting applicants for reasonable fees, or in some cases for free.

Unfortunately, there are other persons who are charging exorbitant rates and making unrealistic claims. The selection of winners is made at random and no outside service can improve an applicant's chances of being chosen or guarantee an entry will win. Any service that claims it can improve an applicant's odds would be promising something it cannot deliver.

Only successful registrants will be notified by mail at the address listed on their entry. The notifications will be sent to the winners between April and July 2000, along with instructions on how to apply for an immigrant visa, including a requirement for a special DV $75 case-processing fee payable at the time of interview by only those individuals whose applications are selected and processed for DV-2001 visas.Applicants must meet all eligibility requirements under U.S. law to be issued a visa.Being selected as a winner in the DV Lottery does not automatically guarantee being issued a visa, the number of applicants selected is greater than the number of immigrant visas available. Those selected will therefore need to act on their immigrant visa applications quickly. Once the total 50,000 visas have been issued, the DV Program for fiscal year 2001 will end. In any event, all DV-2001 visas must, by law, be issued by October 1, 2000 and September 30, 2001.

The Humphrey Fellowship Program was established in 1979 by President Jimmy Carter in honor of Senator and Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey. President Carter decided that the best way to honor Humphrey, who was known as a real 'people person,' was to establish a program which would invite the best and the brightest mid-career professionals from the southern hemisphere to spend one year of study and internships in the U.S. In the late-1980's, countries in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union were added to the program. Approximately 2300 Humphrey Fellows from 139 countries have participated in the program during its 30 year history. There have been two Fellows from Qatar during the history of the program and we would very much like to nominate a third partipant from Qatar for the 2000-2001 academic year.

The Humphrey Fellowship Program brings accomplished mid-level professionals to the U.S. for a year of academic and professional work. Fellows are nominated based on potential for leadership and commitment to public service. By providing future leaders and policy makers with experience in U.S. society, culture, and professional fields, the program provides a basis for lasting, productive ties between Americans and their professional counterparts overseas.

Humphrey Fellowships are granted in the following fields:

• natural resource management
• public policy and public administration
• economic development
• human resource management
• urban and regional planning
• technology policy and management
• educational planning and administration
• communications/journalism
• finance and banking

Humphrey Fellows are placed in groups of ten to fifteen fellows at competitively-selected Humphrey host institutions. Fellows take academic coursework at that institution related to their professional field, a specially-designed Humphrey computer course, and also attend a weekly Humphrey seminar.

Fellows are assisted by their Humphrey host institution in setting up internships for a minimum of six weeks with appropriate American institutions. Examples of past internships include U.S. government agencies such as the EPA, the Department of Labor, etc.; state and local government agencies; international organizations such as the World Bank; and private businesses. Fellows meet together in Washington in the fall and also attend conferences, workshops, and seminars throughout the academic year.

Only Qatari nationals are eligible to apply for this fellowship. The Humphrey Fellowship selection process takes place in two stages. Interested applicants should submit their paperwork to the American Center at the U.S. Embassy in Doha by October 15, 1999. Applications that meet the eligibility requirements will be forwarded to selection committees convened by the Institute of International Education in Washington, D.C.

Selected fellows should plan to arrive to the U.S. sometime in mid-August. The final arrival date depends on which Humphrey host institution the Fellow will attend since many U.S. universities begin on different dates. If the Fellow needs intensive English language training, he/she may need to arrive to the U.S. as early as May/June 2000.

The Humphrey Fellowship covers all academic coursework and tuition payments and includes a monthly stipend which covers living expenses in the U.S. Funds are also available for travel to workshops and conferences, and books and academic materials. Health insurance is provided for the duration of the fellowship. If possible, we would like to request that the round trip travel expenses to the U.S. be provided by the Fellow's nominating institution.

Humphrey Fellows may take family members with them, and many do. However, the monthly stipend is designed to cover the expenses of the Fellow alone. Fellows who do bring family members with them should plan to have enough funds available to them in the U.S. to support their family members. Fellows will also need to purchase health insurance for family members. The Humphrey Program cannot accommodate family members during pre-academic language training programs or during conferences or workshops. If you are planning on taking your family with you, please discuss the matter with cultural section staff to make sure that the appropriate arrangements can be made.