AZwolfman

OK y'all. I didn't want to post on this, for fear of it returning to the top. But since it has attracted some attention again, I just want to say to Bob: Welcome to the group, Bob, and I am glad to see that you are reading the old posts as well as the recent ones. The old posts will give you an idea of how this group has grown, the directions it has taken, the commraderie it has spawned, and the enormous efforts that our members have undertaken to get the results from our government that we have so far.

I would do this quickly (within only one or two letters). She needs to end this as quickly as possible.

Yes, remember "Black December", when there were virtually no visas and no information issued from about mid-December to mid February? The Nov to Jan interview group seems to be a kind of "post-BHOD" that is still experiencing delays. . . . along with the 'on hold' group. You all should get together and keep pressuring the officials. Don't let them forget you as they concentrate on the new cases.

Eric is right, but I suspect that your wait at each stage of the visa process will be much shorter than ours.

This is very sad, indeed, but it is the way of some worthless men. I have 2 words for her: "Dump him." If he has lied from the start and can't even be faithful before the marriage, how can you expect him to be different after marriage. He will not be more faithful; he will just be more careful to not get caught. Dump him now, cut your losses, and avoid later heartbreaks with a man whom you will never trust. There are other good men out there who would just love to have what he threw away. This man has been active and has updated his profile. After 2 years in a relationship with his fiance, he shouldn't even be a member of the dating service. The girl used another identity to check out if he was really on the prowl. She received a reply from him. That is proof he is not faithful and apparently does not value the relationship with her. My suggestion for her is to send him her picture, along with a "Dear John" letter. He will know he has been caught and move on to hurt someone else, but he will never know true love. Her love, on the other hand, is somewhere waiting to find her. She will never meet him unless she breaks clear immediately from this cheater.

© Associated Press - Federal researchers said they are beginning work toward a vaccine that could eventually help control SARS. They are already courting private pharmaceutical companies that might manufacture the treatments down the road.

Good grief! Who woulda thunk it Some of them are kinda cute, though. Major designer label masks could be next?

CFL has been a godsend for many of us, providing support, information, and friendship in a time of need. But many who could benefit from the services of this website cannot find it. If they do a search, the best they can do is find the "G7" website, which will censor even the word "candle". I am working with P.J. to make Candle more visible to search engines and thus accessible to those mired in the visa application process. What I need from each of you is tell me how you found Candle. If you used a search engine, please list the search words that you used to find Candle (or if you came from G7, the search words you used to find G7). Thank you all for helping to keep lit the "Candle of Love."

Yes. It never hurts But I thought the purpose of the letter was to actually get a meeting with FBI. That's why I said it won't work Oops! I missed that. Somehow, I was thinking the meeting request was for a meeting with Mara Harty's office- which MIGHT be possible. Still wouldn't hurt to send requests to FBI. Maybe enough letters would get their attention and cause them to direct someone to deal with us. Maybe they would even decide to prioritize these cases just so we would stop pestering them. I have searched and searched, but I could not find the thread where we discussed contacting the FBI in hopes of getting this 'on hold' issue addressed in their weekly online chats. I could not find it, but I did relocate the FBI CONCERNING THESE CHATS. I think that pursuing this may possibly be fruitful - if enough of the 'on hold' people pester them. And it might not hurt to first send the letters discussed in this current thread. So far we have little or no information or action on this. It's time to beat somebody's bushes and see what jumps out.

. . . and those that come to the boarding gate sneezing and coughing, are they going to get boarding passes anyway?

They might not get a meeting, but............they just might get their attention, and attention is something that they are not being given now. Remember way back when we were visaless, Eric? We constantly were writing, faxing, calling, etc., even in cases where hope of response was merely wishful thinking.

I think that each of you 'on hold' people should write a letter to her and request a meeting with a representative from your group.

Sounds like light at end of tunnel for you. After a nice helpful DOS lady called me and told me thata cable had been sent to GZ, we received EMS just 10 days later.

Thanks Tony, I bm'd that site as it seemed very informative. After reading some of it, it seems that it would not be much trouble to change names since she has no official docs in the U.S. yet, such as marriage, driver license, SSN, etc. Eric, I was thinking of the same thing - suggesting that she keep her family name which is short, as her middle name since she currently has no middle name. Her first name is also short and easily pronounced, so no need for a new American name.

Today, the 400th member has joined this group, meaning we have grown 25% in just over ONE MONTH. Membership has more than trippled since the Arizona Wolfman made his first post on CFL in mid-December. In the last several weeks, we have seen the results of all our efforts of the past several months both as members of CFL and as members of the G7 group (many of whom are now CFL members). The government has listened to us, and they have begun to get their act together. This is proof that we have strength in numbers. There is still work to do as we still wait for the few remaining BHOD visas, the 'on hold' visas, and some others that are being delayed. But the theme of most posts now seem to be relating to questions about the visa process, timelines, culture, travel, SARS, . . . contrast to about 6 weeks ago before the 'visa river' began to flow. I would have rather that my fiancée had received her visa at her interview (as is happening nowadays). But I am glad to have been a part of this group that has called the government's attention to and helped them fix the visa delay problem. I have met many friends here and have found much-needed support that I would never have found otherwise. If you are one of the last 200 members to join CFL, I would strongly suggest that in your spare time you should read the old posts. Some members (such as markimwaiting and ana) who have had quite an effect, have disappeared from CFL after receiving their visas. Not only might some of your questions be answered, but you may get more insight on what is used to be like before the visa stream began to flow. I still remember the 'Black December' and the couple months that followed when not only were there virtually no visas issued, but also no information issued us from the government.

Lurker, I like your solution, and this will work well for someone who wants to post a reply to or continue a thread that should be placed in the C&L forum. But what about the person who wants to start a new thread, unrelated to any other post (but still belongs in the C&L)? Perhaps we should post a topic in the most-frequented forum and get the feedback of the majority. This thread has 'percoloated' for some time in this forum and still not much feedback.

It was quite cold and very windy when we visited the Great Wall. But being the outdoorsy athletic type, I enjoyed it - And it was a great workout for working off the pounds I gained from the good cooking of my mother-in-law. I met more English-speaking people there than anyplace. It is almost exclusively Mandarin in Beijing.

Good! Now you have rattled their cages, and have gotten their attention. I agree with Eric - give them no more than a week, then keep after them.

bobm, Check out the Links and Resources, and the Contact List section. Use the pull-down menu at lower right of this page.

No matter how hopeless things seems or how helpless we feel, I still think that our continued contacts with the various government officials has helped to make this whole process work as well as it is. Now as before, I believe you have to keep after them and let them know the only way you will go away is for them to issue the visa. Just remember that only a couple months ago, everyone was on indefinite delay, and the gov't was giving out absolutely no info.

Thanks Tony, I think I will use that one.

Congratulations! It looks like GZ is finally back to normal.

I purchased one of those at Office Max. I use it when I go running or go to the lake. It allows me to keep my ID and a couple bucks on me, when I have no place for pockets. Glad you made it home, Mick and Li. What a forgettable trip! er. . . duct tape might be bad idea. . . isn't that what the extremists use to secure b***s to bodies?

very easy for Chinese woman to get job dealing in LV casino ($30k+/yr). B)