hypoclear

hmmm pretty harsh.. but if you want one for the true definention... the gov saw fit to cut reports on the Popes death from HK tv stations. Barbaric is one of a numer of words that comes to mind along with insane and heartless. Now, why is it they call this the middle kingdom?.. ohhh yeah.. Mark and Bea and Elizabeth

The thoughts of a wise man indeed!! You have learned well or are innately woooooooman wise a very good and lucky trait. Us lesser men have had to hobble along witrh the... "Now , what would my wife do?" as a simple but not always effect aid. Picture this. a skimpy red dress, high heels, blonde or brunette as you preferr and .. you know's out to here, who stops to say,... "Hi handsome, I'm new in town and have a few hours to kill at the Plaza..." You of course relay on your aid.. and start mop slapping your self while looking at your feet, mutter "yes dear, no dear and I wasn't looking.. honest!!" In the words of that southern gentleman of charm and wisdom.. "It don't get no better than this!" awww Mark and Bea and Elizabeth

Nope American Express via the GZ American Services.. hehe yup that's the guy and I'm thinking Growth and Human Development from my college days. This is all 101 and theory to give us a walk around the field so to speak. I just saw something that mentioned the USA and Canada as Individulistic societys where as a developing place such as Koera are collective... hmmm oh yeah it was in the NY Times editorial and how China's 25 th year of food aid was ending. So perhaps it is a cultural thing, or older people having a different educatioon or as Bea has mentioned the old Iron Rice bowl mentality but.. it seems many over here could not figure out how to put their shoes back on if some one else took them off.. And what 1 person from Japan could do in a day it would take 10 Chinese. But!! you only know what you know and it may not reflect what you can do or learn to do.. nature verses nuture? Or.. ask a fish about his enviornment and the last thing he will say is water. and.. I wouldn't join any club that would have me as a member.. Marx no not carl, groucho. Mark and Bea and Elizabeth

Well Jkm if she isa from the south.. I'd start on working up a nice layer of mold.. hmm just about every where.. lucky you.. disconnect the hot water heater and heck while you are at it just disconnect the pipes as well. Go and buy a number of brightly colored tub's pails and buckets and put in the bathroom.. when you think you could fit just one more in there..do it! than you know you have the right amount. Punch or drill a whole some where ion the floor.. closer to area where things might fall in the better. you can or can not leave the toilet.. your choice, but do remove the lid and seat although there is great debate regarding this last suggestion.. do what feels comfortable. Stove refridge.. yeah BUT.. your's are of course too big and not powerfull enough. Take them out!! bring in your gass grill strip the top off and remove the grills.. you want the bare gas rings and have those super charged. While you are having this done.. stop by your local greasey spoon dinner and do 2 things..find out where they bought their industral exhaust fan.. You by the stronger model andjust bring a bag and spatuala.. and scoop up some of the smokeysticky grease hanging on all the surfaces.. make sure your kitchen is like wise decorated.. ohh time for luch.. will add more.. hope this helps.. Mark and bea and Elizabeth

There you go.. that special trip is for her!! .. Now in your capasity as a child..? what age or grade is it that they move away from rote learning? When do they start to develope abstract lthought as it seems many people in china are weak in this. I do know that 40 and above students is the norm here. It could be the younger students in present day China have a more progressive education than the older ones or she isvery lucky in that she hit it at the right time and will move in that direction in the coming years like the rest of the American students. Either way she does have a very bright future and I'm sure pappa trigg will see to it she has a fun present.. Mark and Bea and Elizabeth

hmm what's a K 3 married visa? coz that would be 3 years from POE.. if it was not.. that would be a good question. Not sure if it is 5 years for that and or what effect getting the IR 1 would have on that.. Time for a quick call to somebody. Mark and Bea and Elizabeth

Squeak; Sounds like a plan and a darn good one since her family is right there. That 10 year card is worth it and in 3 years from her POE she can apply for naturalization (Citizenship). So you are right.. other than moving to a new address in the states and having to notifie the gov I'm pretty sure you don't have to do anything else. So since it is a family visit and right next door I don't see any downside and plenty of up side. I can not believe there would be a problem with the interview. Yup it's great when that day comes and you can say.. "Make 7 up yours!" Mark and Bea and Elizabeth

Hmm Good idea about horses.. but I believe it is a sheep will run from Trigg. Sorry guy.. but you know how things start.. Excellent news about your step-daughter. Do we see a special trip this summer for all her hard work or some other reward? Playing hard is the other side of the equation. Mark and Bea and Elizabeth

Ok.. just jumping back in on this thread. Where do we stand? Trigg sent out the snail mail to Harty and she has it for sure.. I copied that letter and added an intro to it along with my sig page and emailed it to both my Senators, Kennedy and Kerry as well as my congressman. So those issues are covered. Now this thread is about what issues? and has everyone sent the other letter by email out? I will keep sending emails and expand the list of people I will send too as long as the issues are new and dovetail with previously sent ones. HUH? What I mean is this is great and we should continue to write, but lets not wear out our welcome so lets make sure each one adds to and explains further the issues we want addressed. hmmm master of the obvious aren't we?? Mark and Bea and Elizabeth

Thank you Dan. What a great guy your Grandfather sounds like. From modest beginnings to a wonderful life. The pebble, again a simple, loving, respectful, rememberance., a gesture that says so much. These touchstones, rituals and thoughts capture the full experience of life and pass from generation to generation an unshakable meaning and strength. It's sad that those in power would ursurp this meaning and bring war death and destruction for... what??? possaible reason. The soapbox is now open.. Mark and Bea and Elizabeth

Dan R Can you tell us the story behind the pebble? I don't think the Cathlics have any ritual regarding this. I hadn't heard of the cars and things but do know of the money and golden papers that are burnt at the grave so that those who had passed have a good life. Ritual is good and sad to say we may be seeing the installing of a new Pope soon. Who was it here who's grandfather said "Any religion that makes a man do good has my vote." or somethig to that effect.. a very wise and simple man. My favorite scene in the "Grapes of Wrath." is when they bury grandpa on the way to CA. Simple, respectful, loving and human. Mark and Bea and Elizabeth

Southside Johnny and the Ashbury Jukes... huh?? now are they from Chiago or Jersey.. and what the heck is a Juke? Mark and Bea and Elizabeth

You can call the NVC again if you like. And maybe it was DOS that we called, but if you are waiting on the DS-230 you are well along. This will be part 1 of the Biographical Data form and I would assume you have already paid and sent back your affidavite of support? At this point after NVC recieves both forms they start the name check.. if memory serves me right.. than off to GZ. Hmm it maybe at that point we were calling DOS.. to find out status of name check. From what nooneufo says.. I'd check 001 as that is alot of CR1's! and Mengxin seems right on nthe ball and more current.. see there will come a day when you can look back on all this and have forgotten most of it.. it's called OLD AGE!!! heheh Mark and Bea and Elizabeth

Here is the letter I am emailling to both senators and my congressman... hmmm now if I could just find that post of the links.. Ok I googled this... http://www.house.gov/writerep/ congressmen http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_info...enators_cfm.cfm Senator Dear ???? Enclosed is a copy of a letter sent recently to Ms Harty by U.S. Post along with the signature pages of members. I am directing this to you so that you will be aware of and may be of service to her and in any up coming legislation. or should you wish to sponsor legislation. The members of Candle For Love represent a broad segment of society and are generous in their help and support, please feel free to contact myself or the Moderators at www.candleforlove.com if we can be of assistance to you. Thank you for your time and attention. Sincerely; Mark J Sullivan Binong Xu ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Dear Ms. Harty: We are writing to you as members of “Candle For Love” a growing online community of nearly 2,000 law abiding, taxpaying U.S. Citizens. We are joined together by the common bond of a lengthy and unpredictable wait to receive immigrant visas for our spouses, fiancé(e)s and children. The purpose of this letter is to address a few of the current immigrant visa processing issues at the American Consulate in Guangzhou. These issues have caused, what we feel are unnecessary hardships for our loved ones and us. We ask that you take a moment to read our honest and concise assessment of the current situation and of some problems that exist. We ask that you consider possible solutions. 1) Wait Times for K1 & K3 Visas: The wait time for the K-1 Fiancé(e) visa and K3 Spouse visa, being processed at the U.S. consulate in Guangzhou, is the longest in the world. Our members wait an average of 13-months without a good reason or an understanding as to why it takes so long. We would deeply appreciate your help in investigating, why this particular consulate has such long delays. Perhaps you can better help us to understand this situation, especially when considering K type visas processed in most U.S. consulates around the world are completed significantly faster than those processed at the U.S. consulate in Guangzhou. China has the world’s largest population. Isn’t it time that a country of this size and importance has more than one consulate to handle immigrant visas? There are countries of smaller populations and less immigrant demand, which utilize multiple U.S. consulates for this purpose. Recently, some of our members have had the pleasure of hearing you speak in Beijing about the improvements in handling student and business visas from China. Typically, over 180,000 student visas per year are processed and issued in a matter of days or weeks. We are sure that you would consider the petitions of U.S. citizens for their loved ones, to be at least of equal priority as those from Chinese citizens. 2) Denials without appeal: In our opinion, many of our member’s spouses and fiancé(e)s are being denied visas for no apparent reason. After the denial, the U.S. citizen is not permitted an opportunity to consult with a member of the IV Unit to help resolve the issues related to the denials. The specific reason for the denial is often unstated and unknown. Your help in resolving this communication deficit would be greatly appreciated. 3) White Slips changed to Blue Slips: There are a growing number of cases where white acceptance slips are being given to the wife or fiancé(e) of a U.S. Citizen upon completion of the interview. When they return the next day to pick up their visa, they instead receive a blue rejection slip and no visa. This is done without explanation or consultation. This is very confusing to all of us in the “Candle For Love” online visa community. We would like to give our support to your visa officers. This becomes increasingly difficult however, when they overrule themselves with no apparent or stated reason. In our opinion, this reflects negatively on the consulate staff. Again these cases directly affect the lives and futures of US Citizens and their loved ones. The above listed items are simply a few of the issues we wish to bring to your attention at this time. We ask for no special treatment. We ask only for the same and equal consideration, care and service, that anyone requesting a visa in China would and should expect. As the U.S. consulate in China is considered to be U.S. soil, we ask that everyone who enters be treated with the basic human rights of dignity, respect, and non-discrimination that is fundamental to our way of life. We appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule to read about our concerns. Collectively, our members have a wealth of information about the family visa process and how it interfaces with the U.S. consulate at Guangzhou. If there is anything that we can do to assist you in your monumental task, please feel free to contact us at any time. Respectfully, The Members of “Candle For Love.” +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ This is in regards to above letter, We, Mark Joseph Sullivan and Binong Xu affix our signature and endorsement. Dear Ms Harty: I am presently finished with the CR1 visa process and have procured a Visa for my wife through the consulate in Guangzhou China. I have enclosed below a copy of my Signature File on CFL which will give you an idea of the time frame and course my wife’s CR1 visa took. I would also like to add that her interview date was expedited with the help of Attorney William Powers, who works for Congressman Richard E. Neal of Springfield, MA. My interests are in assisting you in any way possible in order to bring parody and thoroughness to the spouses and fiancée’s of my fellow US citizens. If there is anything that I may do to help you or if you have any questions concerning this matter please feel free to contact me at: mark@markjosephsullivanphotography.com xubinong@markjosepsullivanphotography.com Binong Xu Mark J Sullivan xxxxxxxx Currently residing: xxxxxx Sincerely, Mark J Sullivan Binong Xu P.S. I have emailed a copy of this letter to my Senators: Kennedy, Edward Kerry, John And my Congressman: Richard E. Neal Binong (home town Huibong, residence Shenzhen, China) Mark (Springfield, Ma) ---------- I-130 CR-1 ---------- 11/02/2002 Returned to Shenzhen, China 12/12/2002 Married in Huizhou, China 12/17/2002 Filed I-130 Vermont fee check returned 01/21/2003 received notice of bounced check. 02/02/2003 I-130 accepted at VSC 03/05/2003 Feb. /march notice mailed, right to our building. Mailman return as didn't know address. 04/17/2003 Request for certified/notorial copies (notation remailed china April/2003) 07/09/2003 NVC approval notice receive, previous one returned from China. (This doc has Jan 3/2002 as receipt date of I-130 I assume) June 14/2003 Choice of agent form received June 14/2003 Affidavit of support fee bill July 19/2003 DS-3032 received 08/25/2003 Received AOS fee and enclosed I-864 Some where in here the DS 230 fee was sent and check was never received. 10/20/2003 second DS-230 Fee bill received and check sent. 10/20/2003 letter requesting new Affidavit of support as I was a member of the co-sponsors household. 02/14/2004 Bea is pregnant.. 04/04/2004 Letter from NVC case completed and sent to Guangzhou. 05/10/2004 roughly cleared GZ clearance delay 05/14/2004 emailed and few days later faxed expedited visa pregnancy 05/18/2004 GZ requested second name check. (I didn't know until called DOS) 06/03/2004 emailed senators 06/13/2004 called senator, they did not know of email, will check, email me. 06/18/2004 Called DOS, (First I heard of this) second name check requested. 07/17/2004 received P4 and interview scheduled 08/04/2004 interview date in at 8 am out at 12 noon.. Passed! 08/05/2004 Picked up Visa and brown thick envelope 4:00 PM.. WOOOOHOOOO! 10/21/2004 Elizabeth Mei born 5:09PM[

I think now that the group letter has been sent a copy of that and your sig page should now be sent to your congressman and your senators.. Kind of a 3 for one and a nice set up of cross checking. Also a better chance of hitting that person or persons who will take this issue under their wing and run with it. Don't stop when it is only half way done!! Mark and Bea and Elizabeth

I think now that the group letter has been sent a copy of that and your sig page should now be sent to your congressman and your senators.. Kind of a 3 for one and a nice set up of cross checking. Also a better chance of hitting that person or persons who will take this issue under their wing and run with it. Don't stop when it is only half way done!! Mark and Bea and Elizabeth

Hello and howdy, good gentle folks. I done runned across the reason we.. god fearing redneck loving, loves us cousins.. 'njoy. Woman sues over law against cohabitation Tuesday, March 29, 2005 Posted: 7:54 PM EST (0054 GMT) WILMINGTON, North Carolina (AP) -- A former sheriff's dispatcher who quit her job after her boss found out she lived with her boyfriend is challenging North Carolina's law against cohabitation. Debora Hobbs said she was told to get married, move out, or find another job after her boss found out about her living situation. The legal arm of the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina filed the lawsuit Monday on her behalf. The lawsuit seeks to abolish the nearly 200-year-old -- and rarely enforced -- law that prohibits unmarried, unrelated adults of the opposite sex from living together. North Carolina is one of seven states with such a law. Convicted offenders face a fine and up to 60 days in jail. "The government has no business meddling in the private relationships of consenting adults," said Jennifer Rudinger, executive director of the ACLU-NC Legal Foundation. Hobbs had been living with her boyfriend for about three years when she was hired as a Pender County 911 dispatcher in February 2004. The couple decided they didn't want to marry; Hobbs quit last May rather than be fired. Sheriff Carson Smith said last year that Hobbs' employment was a moral issue as well as a legal question. He said he tries to avoid hiring people who openly live together, but that he doesn't send out deputies to enforce the law. Hobbs declined to comment Monday. Rudinger said she is employed and still lives with her boyfriend. Neither the sheriff nor Pender County Attorney Trey Thurman would comment. dis her splains it all " The lawsuit seeks to abolish the nearly 200-year-old -- and rarely enforced -- law that prohibits unmarried, unrelated adults of the opposite sex from living together. North Carolina is one of seven states with such a law. " an cousins is l'ated so calls it what yu's will cousin, hu'band, wif.. it's all the same. we's just law 'bidden good folk.. das all. R.U Aredneck

Congrats David! Always liked your avatar photo.. hope the last steps run smoothly.. Mark and Bea and Elizabeth

here is an interesting editorial in the NY Times. EDITORIAL Walking in the Opposition's Shoes Published: March 29, 2005 The Senate will return from Easter vacation with nuclear options on its mind. Republicans seem determined to change the rules so Democrats will no longer be able to stop judicial nominations with the threat of a filibuster. If they're acting out of frustration, it's understandable. In the past we've been frustrated when legislators tried to stop important bills from passing by resorting to the same tactic. The filibuster, which allows 41 senators to delay action indefinitely, is a rough instrument that should be used with caution. But its existence goes to the center of the peculiar but effective form of government America cherishes. Since George W. Bush first became president, Democratic senators have used the filibuster 10 times to block the confirmation of nominees for federal court judgeships. They chose their targets cautiously - more than 200 other nominees were confirmed, some of them men and women whose records were extremely conservative. But surely it is not a matter of life and death to the White House if, for instance, a former lobbyist for mining interests with a reputation for anti-environmentalism cannot get a seat on the federal bench out West. The president might have taken this opportunity to fulfill his long-deferred promise to be a uniter, and replaced the rejected nominees with other candidates from the very large pool of competent people available. Instead, Mr. Bush has drawn a line in the sand and resubmitted some of the same unworthy nominees. If the Democrats resist, the Republican leaders have vowed to change the rules and eliminate the right of filibuster for judicial nominations. They may not have the votes to make this happen. Many of the wisest Republicans are well aware that their leaders are playing a dangerous game and that they are doing it for frivolous reasons. The judicial nominees can easily be replaced. But the sense that there are certain rules that all must play by, whether to their advantage or not, is something that cannot be restored. Senators need only to look at the House to see what politics looks like when the only law is to win at any cost. The Senate, of all places, should be sensitive to the fact that this large and diverse country has never believed in government by an unrestrained majority rule. Its composition is a repudiation of the very idea that the largest number of votes always wins out. The members from places like Rhode Island, Maine or Iowa know that their constituents are given a far larger say than people from New York simply by virtue of the fact that each state has two votes, regardless of population. Indeed, as a recent New Yorker article pointed out, the Democratic senators who have blocked that handful of judicial nominees actually represent substantially more Americans than the Republican majority that wants to see them passed. While the filibuster has not traditionally been used to stop judicial confirmations, it seems to us this is a matter in which it's most important that a large minority of senators has a limited right of veto. Once confirmed, judges can serve for life and will remain on the bench long after Mr. Bush leaves the White House. And there are few responsibilities given to the executive and the legislature that are more important than choosing the members of the third co-equal branch of government. The Senate has an obligation to do everything in its power to ensure the integrity of the process. A decade ago, this page expressed support for tactics that would have gone even further than the "nuclear option" in eliminating the power of the filibuster. At the time, we had vivid memories of the difficulty that Senate Republicans had given much of Bill Clinton's early agenda. But we were still wrong. To see the filibuster fully, it's obviously a good idea to have to live on both sides of it. We hope acknowledging our own error may remind some wavering Republican senators that someday they, too, will be on the other side and in need of all the protections the Senate rules can provide. well as they say.. "If you can't beat them... get a bigger stick!" Now in China there is NO Opposition.. and just give them a day or two to up date the books and records to reflect that. Hey... it's all good. Mark and Bea and Elizabeth

We wrote to GZ to have ours extended.. nope. use it or lose it. It was a CR1 and like yours good for 6 months Mark and Bea and Elizabeth

John... when she brought out the kitchen sink.. what was the VO's response? Mark and Bea and Elizabeth You had to have been a boy scout.. a double or tripple egale one at that! heheh

Hi Johs How's it feel to be back in jersey!!?? I'm still here after 2 1/2 years.. but did get a nice vacation back that way in feb. WOW loved every minute of it. Mark and Bea and Elizabeth P.S. ohh I think we went thru the "Line O, Sh*t" line

Hey Trigg.. so it is Tue morning here in China. I guess I should wait one more day before emailing a copy of this letter.. hmm hm hmm now just where did that letter go?? to both my senators and local congressman? Now what was it?? I should change my underwear EVERY day.. or was it I should wear my underwear EVERY day? hmmm yeah yeah that's it.. it sucks getting old.. ahh ohh hmmm the old suck?? Well I'm old I know that... Mark and Bea and Elizabeth

What I found out on this is that I can get 3 month zero, single or multi.. which in China means 2 entries here in Shenzhen for some what cheap and very easily because I am married. Bea also found out I could get a mutli entry visa for 6 months from the Hong Kong Chinese embassy for roughly 800RMB and another 400 RMB (est.) for same day. So basicly it doesn't amount to a hill of beans. As I haven't been out of the country other than last month, I was just picking up the 3 month no entry L visa's here in Shenzhen for around 440RMB. Being married made them not question my 5th or 6th time around as they usually only give you 3 of these extentions. Mark and Bea and Elizabeth

Hello all; found this: Another convenient travel agency is Shoestring Travel, on the fourth floor of Alpha House on the corner of Peking and Nathan roads, right next to CTS (tel. 852/2723 2306). Open Monday to Saturday from 8am to 7pm and Sunday and holidays from 8am to 2pm, it charges HK$150 (US$19) for a single-entry visa if you can wait 2 business days; HK$300 (US$39) if you need it the same day. I will be in the market for another visa end of next month.. I do have this from reliable sources that it is open and working. Call ahead to make sure if you might need this. I have also been told that the 6 month multi (F visa's) are now seen as 6, 30 day visa's which means you have to leave the country, (China) and re-enter every 30 days during this 6 month visa period. No problemo for us close to HK but a real pain for those up north... Can anyone up that way confirm this? Mark and Bea and Elizabeth