yuna628

Not as of yet, though I've heard musings something may be coming soon. One theory is that this is leaking now in an attempt to stop the administration from repeating this rather dumb idea again. Strange enough though is that this article mentions it was not the first attempt - there was another failed mission during the Bush admin. There were absolutely no details on the nature of that for this story, but I'd sure like to know more.

I'm a bit confused... So when my husband came here we got him his SSN before we married, there was nothing that needed to be verified. I added him to my bank account. He got his own phone plan and added me to it. I added him to my health insurance. I had no credit accounts to speak of, so by the time he was working he was the one getting his first secured credit card and adding *me*. No one, not the bank and certainly not the credit card company ever requested us to verify anything. You have an SSN it's yours and is a valid number. If a credit card company or a bank doesn't want to accept your business, go elsewhere. When we had issues with Chase giving us the runaround and demanding to physically see his SSN we told them to take a hike and got our visa elsewhere.

I thought that, but the NYT is specific that it is not coming from Bolton.

Sharing the CNN article here as the NYT's is paywalled. But the gist of it is that in 2019 we sent Seal Team to North Korea to plant a listening device. It describes the very dangerous mission and how it went completely wrong. It is easy to see how it went wrong and it is strange why no one in charge thought there might be significant risks which could culminate in nuclear war. The men arose out of the water to encounter a fishing boat, and promptly murdered innocent civilians who probably had just witnessed something strange but could have blown our cover. It's unclear how they thought they could accomplish planting the said device, if they had successfully landed, without detection. The NYT's article is gruesome in it's detail and specifics, but is also cautious about what it's revealing - as the information is classified. I wonder whom is spilling this tale? https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/05/politics/north-korea-navy-seal-mission-nyt

Asking people to write essays is a nonsense idea. Becoming an American isn't like writing a thesis to get into college of why you think you should be one. It's not an exclusive club reserved for who writes the best sentences. If you can answer the test questions effectively and pass the other requirements that's all is needed. Do I think that individuals should know a good basis of English? Sure, but I know everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses when it comes to learning languages. It's not like we're requiring potential citizens to take some kind of mandatory language classes. If essay writing becomes a thing I guarantee you will have letters written by other people or worse.. AI. Most Americans cannot answer the 100 questions.... but I made darn sure I drilled them into my husband.

There is a pinned thread about health insurance at the top of this forum section that you may find useful. The simple answer is someone is going to have to pay out of pocket for it. And that is going to be very very expensive. In some states now you cannot 'get' Obamacare until actually having the green card due to ongoing litigation and changes via the current administration.

So here's the thing, Cracker Barrel, while being a favorite of my in-laws many years ago, is no longer known for well... anything good, if it ever was. It was usually cheap food to grab after long car journeys, and you could find a million other mom n' pop places in the US that would eviscerate anything they ever served on a plate with love and good home cooking. As an example, dumplings and baos are all the rage here now and you can find a ton of corporate chains dominating the landscape - they pale in comparison to a small market stall in the UK run by a little Asian grandma that you could watch her make them, cook, and serve to you. She made her food with love and experience that a chain restaurant could never. Her food was the stuff of legends. The last time I went to Cracker Barrel, it was slow, dirty, and I ended up with food poisoning. It's become like many of our other chains that are pressing their luck. I remember Olive Garden back in the day vs now. What it boils down to is corporate America venture capitalists stripping restaurants for parts - and this is why so many restaurants and department stores we once loved have all fallen. Many have had 'cheap' and 'modern' redesigns in which they look like brutalist slabs, devoid of life. I can't think of anything about Cracker Barrel that made it really popular. It cannot be the food, because there are a million 'southern food' joints that are the epitome of excellence. If it was trying to be a 'greasy spoon' diner, others could do it better. The merchandise? Doubt it. It merely has always been corporate America's idea of what they thought country dinner is and now they want to market it to kids that have their faces plastered to their phones. The inside was ghastly to clean, much like another chain Bugaboo Creek, or Ruby Tuesday's which was also stripped for parts and canned here eventually. I won't be surprised if Cheesecake Factory, which used to be a favorite of mine back in the day is also gone sometime and I don't know how our local Friendly's hangs on. Why do you think ghost kitchens and Food Hubs (a weird sort of cafeteria with about 10 different "kitchens" in it that if you want Thai food on your plate but your friend wants Italian you can) are appearing now. Chili's is the only corporate chain restaurant in town that does a crazy amount of business, but it seems like people go there to use the bar - because the rest of the bars in town are filled with gangs. So honestly, yes it is ridiculous that people are faux outraging about corporate America and an out-of-touch CEO's changes to yet another dying franchise because they somehow have an attachment to it. It is very snowflake-ish. Are businesses not allowed to make changes to what they own? If you don't like it, don't go. Are her changes out of touch and ugly? Yep. But it's been all done before by so many others it's not surprising anymore. Because honestly there's millions of other small restaurants that need your patronage to stay alive. On the plus side I've heard that Red Lobster managed to somewhat turn things around by making changes. Back in the day you'd go there for some 'fancy' occasion, which was weird because living in the state we do there's a ton of places that simply do it better. Also cynical me has observed that Cracker Barrel has made attempts to reach 'influencers' to market their new image and 'food'. You ever think that sometimes the best marketing is what gets you talking about it? Never let a 'crisis' go to waste.

VJ hasn't connected all day for me. When I finally just got in, and it's very slow to load.. nothing else would really work except for this thread. Viewing more further down the page just kind of timed out. It's also very slow to make posts.

As far as I can tell we have exported coal for decades and it is a big business for states where the coal comes from. We are the top exporter to Africa, which is where I think this shipment was going. PoB handles many coal shipments. We became relied upon as the top exporter to other countries, especially in Europe because of the ban on Russian coal. With no other supplier, countries turned to us. The coal being supplied is for steel purposes and power. We also do import from other countries and we certainly use it for power. https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/coal/use-of-coal.php

Now I've read multiple different versions of this story and to me it sounds like the CBP discovered the containers were contaminated in July, after the product was already on shelves and we are just *now* saying something (press release is also full of conflicting info). Not sure how that happens but... anyway then it sounds like other testing of the product has been inconclusive some maybe testing positive and others not or at least degraded. Anyway, ummm wouldn't like everything the shrimp was sitting next to in the store and in homes be contaminated? Why are we just saying throw it away in the regular trash?!

Yeah my sister called me last night about this. Said it shook the apartment!

I can imagine what she's going through is a terrible experience. However, it is one that she got herself into. Sure, I could perhaps in a reasonable scenario after investigating the facts of the case find that she deserves grace. But that is not what the law does. It is doubtful that it will be given to her, and in this instance how can we get people to take their literal lives and status in this country seriously? No one thinks that they will be getting into an accident when they don't put on a seatbelt or drink alcohol.... and yet, it happens over and over again. And no, the government has never made things easy for people to understand or realize they are going to make a mistake beforehand. It's intentional I imagine. I don't think I could call it paperwork error... more like subject did not understand how these things work and in their ignorance failed to consider what would happen. Should we in some future world decide to give people some kind leniency for genuine mistakes? For instance some sort of penalty that would be less life altering? Good lord! Really? She's nearly going to beat the other guy's fund. Well I'm sure the lawyer will get paid.

People do indeed make mistakes. It's a pity that the government will never admit that they've made a mistake as they do many times. Despite this, the law is the law, and immigration law gives little wiggle room or forgiveness to a person's ignorance of their situation. In a fair world after reviewing this case I think many of us would say.. is this person somehow causing harm? Do they deserve grace? And are we justified in our behavior of this situation? Should we be wasting resources on this? Should we change the system to find and eliminate edge cases and odd scenarios caused by well-intentioned stupidity? Well.. that's not how things are now. It irked me to no end about the case of Kaspar Eriksen who was rightfully detained not merely out of his and his wife's immigration mistakes, but out of their pure disregard and negligence. They have used every trick for sympathy including their race, political affiliations, and religion. All desperately ignoring the root cause - their mistake. Like the individual this thread is about and numerous others.. go fund me's are started and there will be conflicting articles that do nothing to actually shed light on the disfunction in our system, the government's nonsensical responses, the difficult journeys many make to get here and stay, nor the way our actual system works. This lady and those that guided her to this position, like Eriksen, operate in a world of naivety, where they think the rules do not apply to them, that exceptions will be made because of their qualities, and that they are not like other immigrants on tv they are ignoring that could ever get into trouble.

This is problematic but I don't expect they won't care about that. The bond thing is a stupid idea, but this is where we're at at this point in time. Let's see if they ever suggest such a thing for VWPers. 😉

You listed four different options: CR1 - with you being married, as soon as you obtain your visa you have a head start in being able to work when you arrive in the US for good. K1 - looks like a faster option, but the biggest problem is you cannot work without adjusting status and that whole process is going to take quite some time. We chose K1 as the option for us, because it did work, but the inability to work followed by a long hiring process really put a severe strain on our life savings and the situation got pretty terrible as in nearly lost our health insurance. B2 - well you can try, but it's low chances and risky. You've got immigrant intent. VWP - nope. absolutely not. you cannot enter the US with the intent to stay and adjust status. You are certainly free to marry in the US and return home. Ultimately you're going to need to pick a path which enables you to keep your visiting privileges and never overstay your welcome. I know it's going to be hard with a baby coming. You could marry, go home, visit your new spouse off and on (but remember not too close together or overstay), apply for the CR1, continue saving funds for your new life together and once everything is done you are good to go - with a green card that prospective employers will accept.

Personally I think doing due diligence is important in immigration matters. Why should we as citizens count on our government officials to understand their own rules or even do the right thing? Getting extra documentation is like having an insurance policy.

I will always remember this guy in the waiting area when I did my colonoscopy. The nurse asked him how the prep went, and he said "Fine I guess. was something supposed to happen?" Alarmed, the nurse asked him if he had actually gone. "No.. was I supposed to?" Turns out his wife had given him a cough medicine cup filled with the solution 2x and expect that to do something. He had no idea, he never read the instructions, nor did she apparently. My doctor was so amused, but of course had to cancel his procedure for the day.

My dad has had many surgeries for the skin cancers + the Mohs + skin transplants on multiple sites, so I sympathize how much of a pain and painful they are. They are probably going to want to do some more again, but he doesn't want to. Can't get him to use sunscreen either. Good luck to you! Well the 2 stage does work better than the old Miralax prep, which can make all the difference in helping the doctor visually see things that could be missed otherwise. If they could just make it not taste like death, people would be encouraged to do it more.

Helped my husband get through his colonoscopy. He decided to do a three day mini liquid fast to make things easier. I told him how much people hate the prep. He said he'd be just fine. Well, he was pretty much 'over it' midway through his first 16oz. Once you get through the horrific taste the rest is pretty easy, though I did warn about the chills which can be quite severe. I reckon it's because the body thinks it has been poisoned, but I wrapped him in blankets. 4am dose two. Poor guy took a trip on the struggle bus. A long hour of encouragement needed to get the rest of it all down and stay down. Pro tip: ask your doctor if they can give nausea pills. The doctor was running late and I get really annoyed that they don't let spouses come back into the waiting area now. And that was problematic because they had a patient with so much anxiety they needed to spend 20 minutes of soothing (the doctor really is a great guy.. excellent bedside manner), pre drugging for relaxation before the other drugs, and getting their whole family to come back for reassurance anyway. Meanwhile my husband is freaking out alone and mad without his coffee. But like many of the patients the doctor saw yesterday he helped save lives. Had my guy waited until 45 screening age guidelines or when his symptoms got even worse? May have been too late. Precancerous polyps turn into cancer with enough time. The doctor says people are getting them younger and younger these days, so there's no excuse to not get checked if you have any issues at all. It's the patients without symptoms that worry him. Out of the facility and he immediately wants to go get coffee. He's complained about coffee so much the nurses are offering to get him some. He also got a giant sandwich but didn't eat a bite of it before he was fast asleep again. 😅

A white hobo looking nutjob with a knife? Well I don't think he's Amish. https://nypost.com/2025/07/27/us-news/traverse-city-michigan-walmart-stabbing-suspect-idd-as-bradford-james-gille/

He did a very popular and ultimately his final gig a few weeks ago. Raised a lot of money for charity, but in all of it something just didn't sit right with me. Long time fan.. and it was kind of sad to see him sort of wheeled out on stage and sing a few songs while others sang the bulk of the rest of the concert. Maybe that's what he wanted.. or maybe that's what his wife wanted. I don't know. But at some point I felt uncomfortable. People with his condition are vulnerable and deserve to be protected.

TB: Can you try a couple of antique shops to see if you can get any better counter-offers? Most of my grandparent's things were sold off at one of the big auction houses/estate traders, but there are times when I pop into antique stores and I almost swear some of their pieces have been sitting in these shops for years unsold. I have my grandmother's Lane chest and I do see those for sale frequently. The shops mark up quite a bit. Jewelry pieces usually do well.

TB: One thing I always made a point to do was promise my grandfather that I'd find out where he came from. Though he passed well before I had the answers, I stuck with it and now mapped everything out. Then I did the same thing for my husband. Maybe in sitting and listening to stories of the past from your mom, you could document stuff and write it all down. Later on, photos and keepsakes could be added to it. Your son might appreciate it some day. The memorabilia you find is a part of your family history, and it's some of the most precious stuff you have. Memories are irreplaceable keepsakes.. after all. It's not as insignificant as it seems. It sounds like you have done a lot for your mom, more than others would ask of their kids. And yes... there are times we feel guilty that it's never enough, even though we bust our butts to do so and we wonder if that will be us in many more years. My sister often talks about how easy it will be to sort through all the clutter and mess my parents have accumulated when they pass... but I remember knowing how difficult it was when we had to do it for our grandparents. How upsetting it was to find certain family members had taken items without asking or not handled things with care. How they only cared about the monetary value. It sounds like you have a good handle on things and have an invested stake in ensuring it's done right. It can be very overwhelming of course, but keep at it.

Did I mention we finally busted dad out of the old people's jail/nursing home? What a hellish place. It took some doing.. angry phone calls and everything, but we got his doctor to sign him out. Otherwise I think those people were content to keep him there for months laying in filth if they could. The wound is still not healed but supposedly enough time on the drugs had elapsed to clear whatever infections. He *says* he's going to follow doctor's instructions about getting up and moving this time... but he always *says* that. I've not yet seen any evidence of compliance. Since things had settled a bit, after much pleading, I took my husband to see a GI specialist. He's been complaining for years about his stomach and putting it off because he's scared about family history. He's missed most of his competitive races this year because of it. And this is where I warn you men to please don't ever delay getting checked out, either scans or a colonoscopy. He's reached the point where the condition is really affecting him and the doctor explained that surgery could be a possibility based on what he finds. The vet offered us another dog again. It kills me inside to say no.. but we just can't right now. Most of his stuff is still laying around and I've yet worked up the courage to pack it away. Every time I do, something comes up to take my attention away from it and so I take it as a sign that I'm just not ready yet.

Ah yes, for some reason I was thinking of the fiance to spouse process and not the spouse process. Still it seems silly why you'd want to pursue that course of action if the goal is to be eventually living in the US together. Typically if you had the spousal visa you'd want to live there long enough to get ILR and not rip up that process.