Alan and Noemi

There really IS a difference. We used Yahoo Messenger with video extensively before Magic Jack came around and while decent, our Magic Jack is much better.

Its like this. VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) breaks up your audio and or video into small packets of data. The protocol sends the data to its destination where the packets are reassembled and played. With Yahoo and most free services, the packets get routed rather dynamically. i.e. as links come up and down, the packets take different paths... sometimes delaying the data packet.. causing pauses and dropouts in the data stream. A packet of data could conceivably make several hundred hops (stops and retransmissions) before getting the the destination.

Magic Jack works the same way, with one exception. They have several major Hubs (Servers) where there is a direct pipe between major destinations. When the Magic Jack logs on it registers its presence to the hub. When you call, it sends data to the hub which has a MUCH more direct link to a major hub nearer your destination. Therefore, the number of hops is minimized and communication is more robust. This is possible because they charge a small fee. Lets face it... $20/year for unlimited calling is a VERY small fee.

That being said, we sometimes use our magic jack for voice (great cause we can use our cordless phone) and Yahoo messenger for video, though Skype video seems more fluid. If the video hangs or is slow... no big deal. If the audio cuts out... THAT is annoying.

It WILL keep call logs and it has voicemail... which will send the messages to your email to be played on the computer. For those less than computer literate (like my parents) , the ability to use a regular phone, have a dial tone, and just dial a number is a big plus.

Just our $.02

Alan & Noemi

We use Magic Jack a great deal, as does my sister-in-law Singapore and my Parents. None of us have ever had any real problems. Is it as robust and perfect as a regular phone?.... No. Is the service acceptable to talk to your loved ones? - probably. It may not be a great replacement for your long distance service, but as a $20 addition to talk internationally, it cannot be beaten.

Some people have reported problems with their Magic Jack. The truth is that Magic Jack is only as good as your internet connection. It will not work well with dial-up (too slow) or with Satellite (like Directway... there is signal delay (called latency) between the earth and the satellites). If you are running a wireless network, then that may also affect your call quality, though with a good signal and proper network this works just fine. If you have reliable broadband or DSL, you will probably get excellent service from Magic Jack. If you don't, your only out $20.

Magic Jack does not require software, but it does require the installation of a driver. If that fails, you can get the software driver from the Magic Jack web site, as I did. This means that if you download the driver, you can take you Magic Jack with you and use it on a different computer... i.e. the Magic Jack itself is registered with the servers, not the computer!

It not error free, as VOIP technology is still in its infancy. We may drop one call in 10... then just redial and all is fine. That seems a small price to pay for unlimited talk time.

As for dialing from other countries, well.... Magic Jack only lets you dial to the US and Canada for free. However, once you have a Magic Jack... it IS a US number (in the area code of your choosing). Therefore, all Magic Jacks can call each other as they are all considered US numbers.

Sometimes, we use Magic Jack for the audio and Yahoo Messenger for Video, as the audio in messenger is lacking due to the sketchy routing of the data packets. Magic Jack uses their own servers for routing which makes their connection more robust. We have found this combo makes an excellent video phone.

We love it!

Alan & Noemi

Welcome, Congrats, and best wishes for the future. We are in Seattle also... and even though this winter has been really strange.... its still a beautiful place to live!

Alan & Noemi

Finally, I am reunited with my loving fiance now . After the long visa process and 15 hours in the air, it is wonderful to be together with him again. Everything went smoothly. Flight was on time, the Immigration officers were very nice. It took me only 30 minutes to go through Immigration .

The first Immigration Officer asked me these questions:

> Why are you going to the U.S?

> What is your fiance's name

> How long have you known each other?

Then, he took my fingerprints and my photo, and instructed me to proceed to the other Immigration counter.

The second Immigration officer checked my visa packet and asked me the following questions:

> Fiance's name

> Is he divorced? Does he have any kids?

> Where did you meet him?

> Your parent's names?

> His age and your age?

He gave me back my xray CD and my passport. Then, he told me that I have 3 months to marry my fiance. Also, he wished me good luck in my marriage.

My fiance was there waiting for me at the baggage claim area.

I saw snow today for the first time in my life !!!

Who Caused the Economic Crisis?

October 1, 2008

The Real Deal

So who is to blame? There's plenty of blame to go around, and it doesn't fasten only on one party or even mainly on what Washington did or didn't do. As The Economist magazine noted recently, the problem is one of "layered irresponsibility ... with hard-working homeowners and billionaire villains each playing a role." Here's a partial list of those alleged to be at fault:

The Federal Reserve, which slashed interest rates after the dot-com bubble burst, making credit cheap.

Home buyers, who took advantage of easy credit to bid up the prices of homes excessively.

Congress, which continues to support a mortgage tax deduction that gives consumers a tax incentive to buy more expensive houses.

Real estate agents, most of whom work for the sellers rather than the buyers and who earned higher commissions from selling more expensive homes.

The Clinton administration, which pushed for less stringent credit and downpayment requirements for working- and middle-class families.

Mortgage brokers, who offered less-credit-worthy home buyers subprime, adjustable rate loans with low initial payments, but exploding interest rates.

Former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan, who in 2004, near the peak of the housing bubble, encouraged Americans to take out adjustable rate mortgages.

Wall Street firms, who paid too little attention to the quality of the risky loans that they bundled into Mortgage Backed Securities (MBS), and issued bonds using those securities as collateral.

The Bush administration, which failed to provide needed government oversight of the increasingly dicey mortgage-backed securities market.

An obscure accounting rule called mark-to-market, which can have the paradoxical result of making assets be worth less on paper than they are in reality during times of panic.

Collective delusion, or a belief on the part of all parties that home prices would keep rising forever, no matter how high or how fast they had already gone up.

http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/wh...mic_crisis.html

There is much truth in these words. Though, I believe that even this is a an oversimplification. Truth be told, the blame lies on nearly every member of congress and every president since the 1950's. As a society, we have a problem in that our priorities are messed up, AND most of us are collectively unable to see the world in the "big picture"... being stuck on things being the way we have been taught, and shying away from ways we do not know. The idea that Capitalism=good and Socialism=bad are uneducated and ignorant views. The truth is either can be good or bad and none can be solely implemented. There must be a combination for us to survive long term.

Ask members of congress or the president, and they will claim they are against war.

Then why do we have wars? (disregarding WWII, in which we had no choice)

Ask members of congress or the president, and they will tell you they are against poverty.

Then why do we have poverty?

Ask members of congress or the president if we want jobs to be sent overseas, and they will say no.

Then why are our companies sending jobs overseas?

You get the idea. Congress and the president are responsible for nearly all the bad things in society that we have. Period. This includes the Democrats and the Republicans, though not equally. The buck stops there as they are the ones with the power to change things. Ironically, they are to blame, but they should not be. Congress is elected to REPRESENT the wishes of their constituents... to be their voice in Washington. Unfortunately, this is not the case. They all feel they were elected to make decisions FOR us, and this is exactly what they do.

If the US and the world are to survive long term.... lets think about this for a minute. Most assume this is a given. It is not. Thinking so is very arrogant. Every society in history thus far has had one unlucky generation that had to witness the downfall and end of their civilization. This can and will happen again if we let it. Things can go horribly wrong from here. It is up to us. In fact, it is a prophecy in the bible that things WILL go terribly wrong and the end of the world will come. People have different beliefs on the subject, even though evidence of validity of the bible is either terrible, or non-existent.

The trouble is that people believe what they are told when they are children, whether its religion, or politics and they cling to it like a life preserver as it is part of their personal identity. They never realize that there just might be a better way to live.

There are three things that are responsible for the mess: Greed, Money, and Religious Fundamentalism.

Greed and Money tie together into this horrible mess called..... "Capitalism"

Capitalism in itself is not terrible, but our implementation of it is. The trouble is that people are not willing to live within their means.

Most households in the US have a lot of debt. They buy houses they cannot afford, they buy cars they cannot afford, they buy toys they cannot afford.

This cannot be done indefinitely, or bankruptcy occurs.

Also, as a society we are also unwilling to live within our means. Everyone wants things from the government... even those people claiming that capitalism and the free market are the best way to live do this. We want good roads. We want good schools. We want parks. We want social security (actually, we need it). We want a military to protect us. We want police protection. We want firefighters. We want, We want, We want. We just don't want to pay for any of it. Worst of all, we elect people into office that will spend beyond OUR COLLECTIVE means. This puts our very way of life at risk, and eventual collapse. Just how long can this go on?

On top of this, the federal government overspends. It borrow money every year just to survive. This cannot go on forever. The world thinks the US is the richest country on earth. It is not. Its essentially bankrupt. There is no extra money. Each time we send foreign aid, it is BORROWED money. We have no extra... and nobody wants to pay taxes.

"Free Market Capitalism" is the harbinger of death for our way of life. You do not have to be a scholar to realize that. Just look at how things work around you. Life has become all about the pursuit of money, things, and status. People need to realize that life should be about ... well.... life... family... communication and cooperation. How about loving our fellow human beings? How about feeling bad that others suffer even when they are hard working? (capitalism fueled by greed is DIRECTLY to blame for this). The US is a military and financial superpower. How about becoming a Humanitarian superpower?

Congress continually spends more than they have. They approve some insane version of a presidents budget. They are ALL to blame. Only President Clinton made a difference and balanced the budget, showing it can be done. Love him or hate him, he did an overall good job. Yeah, Yeah, ..... 8 years of peace, a balanced budget, and a booming economy... he must be punished.

Our current form of government, a "Democratic Republic ruled by free market capitalism" is not sustainable. This was meant to be a government BY THE PEOPLE AND FOR THE PEOPLE. But this concept has been lost. We are now a government by the people and for business. The truth is that business and business interests should have absolutely no say and no representation at all in our government. They should be banished from even speaking with our elected representatives. They represent the people, not the businesses. Business should simply be at mercy of the regulations put upon them by congress as a representatives of the people. If they do not like it, they can do business elsewhere. With all the consumers in the US, this is highly unlikely.

The lobby system has to go.

Line item veto's have to go.

The committee system has to go.

Lobbyists need to go.

Tacking one bill onto another to force members of congress to sign.... has to go.

Separation of church and state needs to be restored.

Civil rights need to be restored

Morality based laws have to go.

Two examples:

Roe vs Wade: Its the law of the land and has precedence. Almost all those wanting to overturn it do so on religious grounds. But.. we have separation of church and state. This is a civil rights issue. The issue is that nobody has the right to tell others that they cant. Period. All sorts of things happen that I don't like, but I don't have the right to tell others that they cannot.

Gay marriage: I don't personally like it. I don't personally want my children exposed to it at a young age. I also don't have the right to tell others that they cannot. Separation of church and state! This is between the two parties and God, or whatever deity they believe in. Open your mind... and think. In a government that has separation of church and state... why is the government in the marriage business at all? Why does the government tell you who you can marry? The sex you can marry? How many you can marry? It is not something that should even be part of government in a free society. As long as they are not hurting or interfering with others, people should be allowed to do what they want without government interfering.

This cannot go one. Our government does not need to be "fixed", it needs to be re-created into a form that is sustainable long term. Our current form has failed time and time again. How many times does it have to fail before we realize that it does not work. Patching it with duct tape and glue (bailouts and regulations) is simply postponing the problem that the plumbing is rotten. The rich in society keep patching it so they can keep draining it.

A sustainable form of government is, IMHO, a "Democratic Republic with a socialist core and free market for everything else". But there are probably other forms that are sustainable ... as I am not claiming to have all the answers or the best system. Just one idea. I do know that people need to be our focus, not money.

The idea is that the basics of human life and happiness are government supplied or government regulated. This is not the "government" we have now. It is a government "by the people and for the people", whose main interest is bettering the lives of the people in the United States. ALL of the people... and not at all for the benefit of the rich or business, which are almost synonymous.

The basics in life are either regulated severely or provided or become non-profit.

Energy

Housing (cost regulated)

Health Care (non-profit business)

Food

Education

Police

Fire

Military

Roads/infrastructure

Banking (which produces nothing for society... just drains money for pushing money around) - time for a national bank. Banking should not even BE an industry.

Possibly a few others. Keep in mind that we already have Military, police, fire, education, etc. Hence we ALREADY HAVE A SOCIALIST CORE. People just wont admit it. We simply need to add Energy, Health Care, etc to the list and concentrate on those. Just expand it a bit. Government exists to SERVE the people and the peoples interests. All the people. Not business and industry. Look at the oil industry. Oil is in the ground on US soil. That oil belongs to the people of the USA. 50% or more of the profits from that oil should be going back into government coffers. Oil companies should simply be paid a fee to extract and refine it. It they don't want to for that amount of money.. someone else will. Energy should also be a non-profit industry. Its a basic need.

People can still have businesses. Start a restaurant.... manufacture something... everything in society that is not a necessity is up for grabs. By all means, make your fortunes. Be rich! Just do not do it in the areas of basic needs, which drives inflation, drives poverty and crime, and causes suffering.

The essence of capitalism is that you pay people the least possible amount of money for the most work, so that you can maximize the profits of investors who really did not work at all. Their money worked for them. Money is not a worker... made no effort... and needs to be removed from the equation. If this continues, there will be just one very rich person or family at the top, and all others will be destitute. THAT is the goal of capitalism. The only thing that has prevented that so far are unions and those "socialist" anti-trust laws. If the free market actually worked, we would have no need for regulatory laws. Oh wait a minute.... people are greedy.

In essence we need to completely re-think our form of government... and reconstruct it to one that has the people at heart, first and foremost.

The health, well being, and happiness of ALL of the people of the United States is job 1. Nothing else matters, especially money.

I leave with a little light hearted, but thoughtful, comment from my father, who is one of the most intelligent men I know, who is now 84 and fought and lived through WWII in Europe. Having been in a real war, and not a police action for monetary gain..... he reasons this:

"Those with the most, have the most to lose, and the most to protect. From this point on, we expand the draft to include those 16-60, and.... WE DRAFT BY GROSS INCOME .... there will never be another war".

Genius... and very telling about our current mess.

Mahatma Gandhi was once asked: "What do you think about western civilization?

His response: "I think it would be a good idea"

Enough said.

OMG YAY! That means two more interviews, yours in 19 days and Alan and Noemi's in 5!!

GOOD LUCK!!!

WOOOOOOHOOOOOOO!!!! Noemi passed the interview today!!!!!

It was much the same as Perlin's Interview. Not really a big deal. But here is the scary part.... The medical clinic of doctors Horne and Chin did not send the medical report to the Embassy! So... like Perlin, the visa will be issued as soon as the medical is received. Sheesh... it's not like they didn't have the time as it has been a week and a half.

So if your in Singapore and reading this... don't use Dr's Horne and Chin or Gleneagles. That leaves one other choice on the list! Maybe there is one medical facility in Singapore that doesn't mess up!

I am feeling major relief as I think I was way more nervous than Noemi was!

I wish to thank everyone for every piece of help, advice, and encouragement.

“He believes in justices that have empathy,” said Kyl, speaking at a Federalist Society meeting in Phoenix.

...

Kyl said if Obama goes with empathetic judges who do not base their decisions on the rule of law and legal precedents but instead the factors in each case, he would try to block those picks via filibuster.

http://triangle.bizjournals.com/triangle/o...03/daily77.html

Oh great! Now Republicans are claiming empathy is a bad thing. Shouldn't the rule of law be tempered with empathy? It's amazingly twisted thinking. One one had, Republicans try to preach the rule of law and precedence... then want to overturn Roe vs Wade... even though there is precedence.

Get real. If precedence and rule of law was the only thing that mattered.... we would STILL have slavery in the United States, as was the precedence for many many years.

There will be no progress on energy independence during Obama's term. The honeymoon will be quickly over as the economy tanks with his misguided policies and he wont be able to point the blame at Bush.

Give Obama about 1 year and all the people whom are patting themselves on the back will be crying, Cuz their Hero just turned into a Zero.

To me Obama is a Socailist and reminds me of Karl Marx.

Oh come now. Does anyone really think that Obama will be able to fix all the ills of the government in 1 year? in 1 term? 2 terms? He has inherited a huge mess in the form of a governmental system that is not only corrupt, but not sustainable long term (capitalism). History has shown capitalism to fail over and over again in the largest, most successful of empires. We are no different. To think otherwise is beyond arrogant and will be our undoing. The idea is for Mr. Obama to make society more fair for all, because frankly, it is not. In essense, to just put us on the right track again and avoid total collapse.

On the surface it appears to be fair, but take a few history courses and or sociology courses... and throw in some finance... and anyone will quickly see the cards are truly stacked in preference of the rich. Want to really understand how the cards are stacked anyone? Read the books "Perfectly Legal" and "Free Lunch" by David Cay Johnston. Its not just corporate charity, is all sorts of benefits for the rich that most people know nothing about and once they do, they cannot imagine that these things are even happening in America. Arguments about how capitalism has worked so far are essentially baseless. America grew into a super power very quickly.. about 150 years. But it did not do so on its strength. It did so on the backs of exploited foreign workers. It started with the slave trade... then the railroads were built by downtrodden exploited Chinese workers... cities built by harshly treated and barely compensated Irish and Italian workers.... and the list goes on.

As for Obama being a "socialist"... maybe... but why is that a bad thing? Socialism is NOT communism. It does not stop anyone from being rich. They just have a few more restrictions from the form of socialism we have now. (yes.. we have it now). People would simply not become rich making money in the basic areas of human needs (health care, education, etc.). They may also make their fortunes a little slower.... awww.. so maybe they pocket 3 million a year instead of 6 million. How awful for them. Perhaps they should be grateful they live in a country where this is possible year after year? Does storing away millions upon millions benefit society at all? Or does it hurt society? Its not a big challenge to figure that one out. Why wouldn't everyone want to create a society that is fair and just, and where nobody is hurting or destitute?.... so a few people at the top can be rich?

As a society, should we allow the sick and elderly to simply suffer and die? That's insane. America has enough resources that everyone who is willing to do an honest days work can be prosperous. It is not that way at the moment, though a large number of people are in denial about this. Many people work very hard (harder than most all rich people) for a substandard meager living. All because capitalism dictates they get paid as little as possible so that investors can make as much as possible (for not actually working... it is for "investing")... that's just one way the rich get richer... at a certain point, they no longer work... are no longer productive members of society.

America is a democratic republic... not a democracy (which is nothing more than mob rule). It also has a socialist core. How many of us enjoy these socialist perks? : Protection of the armed forces... police service... fire service... highways....public schools.... social security...the list goes on. Imagine a world without all those "socialist" anti-trust laws. America would belong to one large corporation by now. ALL of these are paid for by public money pooled together and invested for the common good. What would it be like if you had to higher private police service for your home? Private fire service? What would society in the US be like if we did not have public schools? Obama is not talking about communism ... he is simply trying to expand our ALREADY EXISTING socialist core to include health care and make the opportunities more fair for everyone. The real perks for the rich are mostly hidden, not in the tax system, though that is a mess also.

People make ridiculous arguments that lowering taxes actually raises revenue for the government. This is a fallacy. Reagan lowered taxes and indeed, more revenue came in. HOWEVER... during his terms he also took the national debt from 500 billion to three trillion dollars. Most of this he spent on defense spending for the cold war. In 2008 dollars, this is almost 6 trillion dollars. If anyone were to inject 6 trillion dollars into today's economy in spending, for war or otherwise... of course jobs will be created and more people work and more revenue is collected... all at a terrible cost... the cost of indebting our progeny for generations. This is not sustainable. The money has to come from somewhere. This is also the major difference in the party's. The term "Tax and Spend Democrats" is nonsense. First of all... that is how the government is SUPPOSED to run. Collect taxes and provide services. Republicans now simply "Borrow and Spend" so that the rich can keep more of theirs at the expense of the public. Only the cost lasts for generations.

Before WWII, the average citizen in the US was much worse off and nobody except the rich had any hope of attending college. The "socialist" policies to get the economy going like the new deal changed that. It allowed the average citizen to prosper. The GI bill allowed hundreds of thousands to attend college... increasing our workforce with highly qualified people. None of this would have been possible without "socialist" polices. Everyone needs to stop just spouting what they have been told and look at the reality of the world. Without these "socialist" policies, America would not be the power it is today.... and it is the key to staying on top.

The KKK IS Americas first domestic terrorist and if given the chance they will continue.

Here here! Truer words were never spoken.

Although, I have a native American friend who would disagree with you!

"The Wampanoag Nation....... fighting domestic terrorism since 1620"

I guess its all in your perspective.

Now that the republicans got their fannys spanked, they try to seed fear and doubt. Funny that when Bush won... they told democrats it was time to put aside differences and support the president, no matter how much an evil, moronic buffoon he was. Face it... going into the election, there were only two men truly qualified to be president of the United States. George Bush and Bill Clinton... they have proved their qualifications. Everything else is just opinion. This also shows that being qualified does not mean you will be good or good for America. Some of the best leaders in history had little experience. A friend from England once told me "In England, George Bush wouldn't be trusted with scissors". Enough said.

For me it came down to this: Who is the better human being? Which one has compassion? Which one has more intelligence? Looking at them both, I truly believe that Obama is a really good human being that cares about people. McCain cares only for rich people and business interests and shows it through a nearly complete lack of regulation (until the end of the election, when he changed his mind) and support for Bush's policies 90% of the time. No joke. Its part of the congressional record. Also, for the record, getting shot down and taken prisoner makes you a victim of war, not a hero. Hero's risk their life and limb to save others or lose their life saving others or performing some important mission. McCain lost 2 or 3 planes before he was shot down. All evidence point to him just being a brash, reckless pilot.

George Bush has shown over and over that his only concern is big business and money for the rich. Trickle down theory? That has failed every time and made the gap between rich and poor even greater. Like my father likes to joke... "Bush is so crooked that when he dies, they will have to screw him into the ground". The man has done more damage to America and more to the Image of Americans in the world than anyone in history. No habeus corpus, search and seizure at will, wiretapping, reclassifying American citizens in prison as "combatants" in order to change their sentences, hiring private (mercenary) companies to fight in Iraq and to provide riot control in Louisiana (no kidding, the hiring of private companies carrying automatic weapons in our streets (think blackwater).... the list goes on and on. This is the closest to fascism that the USA has ever been. I pray its as close as we ever get.

Its ironic that the top 5% of citizens with 60% of all assets are mostly the religious right. Jesus absolutely hated rich people... scorned them... and told them they would have a very difficult time getting into heaven.

Obama was not my first choice, but my first choice of the two. He appears to be a true human being with kindness, compassion, legal expertise, and intelligence.

My first choice was Dennis Cucinich, who still has a paper on his website outlining the only health care plan that I see is sustainable.... by making it all non-profit organizations. What could be more important than the health and well being of American Citizens? NOTHING is more important. It should be taken by eminent domain laws.

Obama was my choice this time. So much so that I contributed some $ to a political campaign for the first time. I was independent, but now am leaning to the democratic socialists party. There is change in the air.... and I like the smell of it. It is the greedy and brainwashed republican supporters that support no matter how ridiculous the candidate that should be in fear for their days are numbered. Equality of opportunity is coming. We hope you are up to competing with the hard working middle class on an EVEN playing field for a change. Good luck.

I PASSED! I'VE BEEN APPROVED!!! OMG!!!!!!

Now I just need to call the clinic at Gleneagles and tell them to send the medical, because the embassy didn't get it #######. Why are people always screwing up on me lol. Anyway, I'm too happy to be mad at them.

This is my experience at the Embassy of The United States in Singapore. I got there an hour before my interview time (I arrived at 8am, interview was at 9am) and started queueing at the tent outside the entrance. You'll know what I mean when you see it. It was only five minutes before 9am did I realise that I was in the wrong queue! The queue was for typical travel and non-immigrant visas. Ours on the other hand, is an immigrant visa (like the lady at Counter 2 quite rudely told me so, when I had taken the wrong queue number), so I spoke to the security guard and he let me in.

A couple of things you have to note is, if you can, use a clear plastic bag, like the ones that the Duty Free Shop gives when you purchase stuff. Do NOT bring your mobile phone. If you do, no problem. They'll keep it aside until you come back out. I'm not sure who can enter, but I believe the person who is petitioning you can show up. I showed up alone, and I'm not sure of protocol, so don't quote me on that one.

Once you're in there, ask around and you'll see the room for (non)immigrant visas. Don't worry about your interview at this point; it's not going to be in a dark, stuffy, windowless room with a large table separating you from the interviewer. That was what I thought it was going to be like, hahaha. Go up to the queue machine and press the FIRST BUTTON. Do not press the rest, the first one is the one you want. If you press the last button you might get that grumpy lady at Counter 2

Your number would be 00-something, so watch out for it, should be at Counter 7. Have your Consulate letter and passport ready, along with your DS-156 and 156K, and submit them to her, along with your cashier's check if you haven't already sent it in (which I stupidly did lol). She also asked for the original and a copy of my birth certificate, after which she certified that the copy is true. She hung on to those for a while, and after asking me a few questions, like were we ever married, did we ever have any children. Simple questions, and to the point. She also asked me for the two 2"x2" passport photographs of myself which I provided, the affidavit of support I-134 and I provided it along with letters from his bank and employer, and some copies of his paychecks. She then told me to take a seat (there was like sooooo many other people in the room lol) and said that my name will be called in a while.

So after a while, my name was called, and I spoke to this American lady, who asked for further evidence. I provided photographs and testimonials that Karl's friends and parents wrote, as well as a couple of phone bills stating that we have indeed been contacting each other. She looked over everything twice, stuck my photographs on to some forms, told me to raise my right hand, affirm/swear that all the information I had provided is accurate and true, and I just looked her in the eye, and said "Yes." Then she told me to go to the next counter, and congratulations.

Soooo... yeah! Settled everything at the next counter, and I'm collecting my passport the following Friday!

I'M SO HAPPY!!!! :dance: :dance:

Don't lose hope, if there's anyone from April left... YOU CAN DO IT!!

Big hugs to everyone!

Congratulations! and... THANK YOU soooo much for posting your experience!

I don't know if you guys are still there...

But my interview is in the morning. Pray for me please...

Best of luck!

And... please post your experience with the Embassy in Singapore. Our interview at the Embassy in Singapore is in 13 more days!

Great topic!

Being 46 myself, and realizing I will be 47 at least before becoming a father, I have wrestled with this very question often. I think it comes down to just a few issues.

If your one of those people saying "Do you really want teenagers around in your 70's?"... and have that mentality, then think carefully. For me... having children around is a blessing. They bring life into an otherwise quite and mundane household. I guess I value family and relationships more than freedom. I can't think of anything better to keep one young and active!

However, I promised myself a couple of things. My fiancee will not have a valid means of support if something should happen to me. I also believe that if one is to bring a child into the world, you owe the child an education... through college.

So. We are going to have children. Hopefully two (though I tease her about "triplets" all the time). In any case, I will make sure I have enough insurance that should my life end prematurely, she will have a decent life without the need to work for the rest of her life, and the children will have enough for decent college educations.

After that... heck... life is a gamble. Here today, gone tomorrow. Just savor what you have today, prepare for the worst... and BE HAPPY!

Just my $.02

Its true. Magic Jack works quite well if you have a fast connection! I have installed several now.

You need a fast connection.

You will be disappointed if you have dial up and not at least DSL. Broadband is best.

Downloading a large test file via torrent is not an accurate test. Magic Jack uses a priority router system of their own.... so your test will not go through the same path. It will only verify your ISP is capable of fast rates.

I cannot say enough good things! It has saved me hundreds of dollars!

Hi Everyone

Noemi is in the process of filling out her DS230 part 1 and has hit a couple of snags. Maybe someone could offer advice?

Question #22 (List below all employment for the last ten years)

She remembers she had 7 employers (normal for her type of work) over the last 10 years, but is unable to remember the surnames of 2 or 3 of them. She is also unable to remember the exact months of the year that she changed employers that far back.

What is the solution to this problem? We certainly don't want to write down inaccurate information and it would be simple for the embassy to check records in Singapore.... but impossible for her!

Question #3 (Other Names Used or Aliases (If married woman, give maiden name)

I am assuming that they simply are trying to find out all previous names. She is divorced and now using her maiden name. So am I correct in thinking that we would just list her previous married name here?

Thanks!

Alan & Noemi

hey all of you,

just wanted to say im still reading all your posts and im rooting for everyone! i dont always have the time to respond but i do think about you all. its good to know others are going thru the same stuff cause our friends and family, and sometimes our fiance doesnt understand all these intricacies of the crazy US Govt!

muchos abrazos/many hugs

kathie

Hi Kathie,

Have you done the DHL tracking to see if your case has been sent to and received by the Embassy yet?

But I need some help...

I finally received Packet 3 (YAY!!) in a small envelope containing so many forms... I'm confused, do I sign the affidavit of support or not? I don't have any kids to bring with me or anything... RARR we're just sooooo close!!

- Perlin

Hi Perlin,

As it happens, we are using the same consulate... Singapore. We received Packet 3 just 2 days before you did! In the packet were the forms and 3 pages of instructions. Yes... I know.. they are not all clear. However, I have personally emailed the consulate 3 times now with multiple questions. The first time they responded in 17 minutes. The longest time was about 33 minutes! The consulate is impossible to talk to, but their email is terrific! Include the case number in the Subject line of the email and your name, address, phone, etc at the end.

I am sure our questions are different, but....

The part that says DO THIS FIRST: fill out and return to embassy immediately.

The part that says SECOND.. and all that follow.. you gather and then send the signed list back to them. You will take these later.

In most cases, the USC will be filling out the I-134 Affidavit of Support (unless you are self sponsoring) .... and... they send you an OLD version. We asked and it is acceptable to download the latest I-134 from the USCIS and send that. That way you don't have to send the included I-134 all the way to the US and back.

I hope this helps and good luck!

Port Ludlow, Washington

Originally from San Jose, Batangas on Luzon.

-Noemi

Ahhh... a question I can relate to!

My SO has a resistance to "technology". Oh sure, she can use email and yahoo messenger and skype, but ask her to transfer pics from her camera to her computer or write a word document or burn a disk... or even move a file between directories and she just refuses! Always says shes too busy to learn and then gets frustrated!

Grrrrrrrrrrrooooowwwwlllllllll!

Me being an engineer, this drives me insane!

On the other hand, I try to be patient. In reading all the other complaints, I try to remember my grandmother.

In 1986, my grandfather passed away. 3 days later we were all at her house and she was crying. She said "If only I could hear him snore just one more time, I would never complain again".

THAT hit me like a ton of bricks! To this day I may get frustrated, but always try to look at the bigger picture. I try not to let the little things bother me much. We are only on the planet for a short while... our loved ones could literally be gone tomorrow!

What I can't figure out is why cussing is considered to be such a big deal? Words, in any language, are just sounds. If someone cusses in say, Spanish, ... an English speaker is not offended. THEY ARE JUST SOUNDS! Any feelings or bad connotations are coming entirely from the listener and the listeners perception/background.

That being said, it seems to me that any particular cuss word is perceived differently by just about everyone... at least in their level of "offense".

So... since everyone perceives them differently and the fact that many words are now becoming a mainstream part of the English language, it is no surprise that more and more people are using them for emphasis or purely as habit.

Also, just what qualifies as a "cuss" word? Really, the only original cuss words were when taking the lords name in vein. The F word and words for excrement for example are technically just slang words. For those, it truly IS all in the mind of the listener.. and we all have different minds!

Just my $.02

WE GOT APPROVED!!!!!!!

thank you everyone who helped keep our spirits up over the last 6 months of waiting. all the encouragement and love really worked. hopefully i will be back in ecuador in 3 weeks or less!

muchos abrazos (many hugs)

kathie and chamy

Hey Kathie!

Congratulations! That is truly FANTASTIC news! We are sooooo happy for you!

Things move quickly from here on out .... more quickly than I had imagined!

We hope the rest of your journey is without delay!

Alan and Noemi

It seems to me that this bail out plan is yet another way of transferring public money into primarily private hands. (Very much like all the contractors rebuilding Iraq) Whats worse, the American people are being asked to make loans to companies that have proven themselves incompetent to the point of collapse. Does this sound like a good idea?

These companies should fail, as all companies do that cannot run their business. But we are told this will cause a recession or maybe even depression on a worldwide scale. That makes preventing this supposed catastrophe really really important, possibly the most important global issue there is. Therefore:

There is a solution no politician is talking about. One that prevents the meltdown and does not expose taxpayers to tremendous risk.

It's called: "Eminent domain"

If there has even been a clearer case of justification for acquisition by eminent domain, I have never seen it.

The government should simply seize and take ownership of the companies and all assets. (They should be bankrupt anyway). Money is spent to fix the problem, but the assets of the companies are used as collateral to limit or eliminate the risk to the taxpayers. When the companies recover and become successful again. Parts are sold off to responsible companies with a history of actual success in their business dealings.

The crisis is avoided.

Huge risk to the taxpayers is avoided

The companies are not rewarded for failure (and others think twice before looking for a handout again)

The companies do not go bankrupt... they get fixed. Since the government now owns them, they can stop foreclosures until people can refinance of sort out their problems.

Win-Win. Low Risk. Help for those in dire circumstances.

In the end, the government is out of the business with a profit.

The only ones who don't win are the greedy capitalist executives who caused this mess in their quest for the almighty dollar.

Does it really matter if it might be construed as unconstitutional? After all, since Bush took the white house, we haven't been using it anyway.

Patriot act... no habeas corpus... need I go on?

Just my $.02

Right below the password field there is a link to click if you forgot your login or password.

Like this: Forgot Your User ID or Password ?

Have you clicked it and followed the directions?

Hi Everyone,

Well, this morning I checked my email and checked case status and found nothing. But... when I arrived at work, I had an email from CRIS (Case Status Information for Receipt). We are APPROVED! Happy dance! I may actually sleep tonight!

Here is the email contents, for those still waiting:

*** DO NOT RESPOND TO THIS E-MAIL ***

The last processing action taken on your case

Receipt Number: WACxxxxxxxxxx

Application Type: I129F , PETITION FOR FIANCE(E)

Current Status: Approval notice sent.

On September 18, 2008, we mailed you a notice that we have approved this I129F PETITION FOR FIANCE(E). Please follow any instructions on the notice. If you move before you receive the notice, call customer service.

If you have questions or concerns about your application or the case status results listed above, or if you have not received a decision from USCIS within the current processing time listed*, please contact USCIS Customer Service at (800) 375-5283.

*Current processing times can be found on the USCIS website at www.uscis.gov under Case Status and Processing Dates.

*** Please do not respond to this e-mail message.

Sincerely,

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)

***** End of Email *****

Here is how it has progressed:

I-129F sent 4-18-2008

NOA1 4-28-2008

Touch 5-14-2008

Touch 9-16-2008

Touch 9-17-2008

NOA2 9-18-2008 (143 days. CSC)

Apparently, getting touched is a very good thing!

I can't explain how frustrating and nerve wracking it was to see others with similar circumstances (same country, etc) being approved that were submitted many days after our petition. But then, most everyone here already knows that frustration. So if you are waiting, hang in there! The wheels may move very slowly and illogically, but they DO move!

Time to celebrate, and of course, start gathering some paperwork!

Best of luck to those still in the queue!