================================================= Expat Worlds Monthly Digest ================================================= March, 2003 Vol. 5, Issue 3 .....IN THIS DIGEST..... ==== THE STORY =================== (Compliment from the Expat World Newsletter) -=How Do I Get a Second Passport=- ==== EW SPECIAL ================== -=camouflage Passports are Back=- ==== HUMOR, TRIVIA, NEWS AND MORE... == -=Trivia=- -=News Story=- -=Traveller's Tales=- -=Jokes=- ==== THE RESOURCE TIP ============= -=Snapshot Spy=- ==== INSIDE THIS MONTH EXPAT WORLD == -=Table of Content=- ==== THE STORY ================================== HOW DO I GET A SECOND PASSPORT? The first travel document was the Nansen Passport issued in 1917 to white Russian refugees in Europe. It was named after Fritzjof Nansen, the Norwegian explorer and delegate to the League of nations. This passport successfully served thousands of refugees as a document of identity for travel until the outbreak of World war II. When the International Refugee Organization (IRO) replaced the defunct Nansen Passport Office from 1930 to 1945, it had no authority to issue identity or travel documents to refugees. The 1951 treaty, Conventions of the Status of Refugees, defined the rights of refugees. It only became operative in 1960 after the required 35 countries ratified it. According to this convention, only those ratifying countries are authorized to issue travel documents to refugees. These countries are further authorized to determine which individuals are eligible to be recognized as refugees. The result has created a large refugee population and economic pressures from some of the ratifyers. In turn, some have refused to accept the legal responsibilities implied under the terms of the Convention when declaring these refugees eligible. In some cases , the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Office (established in 1945 to replace the IRO), has given without authority, the title "refugees-in-orbit" to those who are not recognized as eligible. International law's UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 13 states: " Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state. Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country," Article 15 says: everyone has a right to a nationality. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change it. But, countries the world over have spent most of their time restricting movement and making freedom of travel as difficult as possible. Hence, How Do I Get a Second Passport? The straight but arduous way to a new fatherland is via a prim and proper immigration procedure in the appropriate country, waiting the prescribed minimum period and subsequent naturalization. On average, this procedure takes about 5 years. Sometimes even 15 (Nepal). If you're lucky, one year is enough in Grenada and New Zealand 'in case of special circumstances." Canada makes it possible in three years. A few countries sell their citizenships very openly - like Belize for US$ 25,000 up and St. Kitts until recently did. And practically all Latin American states, less officially -- from US$ 5,000 (Bolivia) to US$ approximately US $19,000 (Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Panama). In other countries, you can get a foot in by rendering personal services instead of paying money - as in France, which issues passports to those who join the Foreign Legion. Kuwait also does the same for the candidates for its army. Israel will grant you citizenship without further ado if you are Jewish. You can get it by either having a Jewish mother or by showing proof of your conversion - you can get the latter from certain rabbis for a handful of dollars in the orthodox areas of Jerusalem. This religious trick can also be used for the monk's republic of Athos (Greek passport) or with the various Buddhist monasteries in Bangkok (Thai passport). Spain is also very generous, and this is where the US tax refugee, Marc Rich, got his new passport You can be naturalized in the twinkling of an eye if you prove you are a Spanish Jew (refer above to the rabbis who can be bought) or a citizen of a former colony with special passport rights. A tried and tested trick: buy a cheap passport (from US$ 6,000 up) in the Philippines, which makes you a citizen of a former colony and with that you are entitled to preferential naturalization within 2 years - - normally it takes 10 years. The same goes for most Latin American countries, as well Equatorial Guinea, Andorra or Portugal. On Portugal: regular naturalization is possible in 3 years here (the fastest in Europe) using usually a "men of means" route, or naturalization is practically immediate, if you step in through the ex-Portuguese colony of Brazil. We here at Expat World have an in- house report called Passports By Mail. It give you the real skinny on obtaining a second passport. Check our bookstore at: www.expatworld.net ==== EW SPECIAL ================================= CAMOUFLAGE PASSPORTS ARE BACK Protect yourself from terrorists and also have an alternative Passport ID which can be used in many unique identification situations. Well, the hopes of free men have been realized and the Camouflage Passport Biz has been purchased and moved offshore and we again can offer you the same range and quality of Camouflage Passports as before. Get the details at www.expatworld.net and select "Specials" from the top menu! ==== HUMOR, TRIVIA, NEWS AND MORE... ================ TRIVIA In 1922, Mahatma Gandhi was sentenced to how many years in prison for civil disobedience against the British rulers of India? (Answer below) ----- NEWS WEBSITE PISSEDUPASIA.COM The lifestyle website for the discerning drinker Welcome to pissedupasia.com, a site for the people who take their bevying seriously. My name is soppy and I am the guy who has the onerous task of supping and sampling the beers and bars on this site. It’s a dirty job and certainly not one I would wish on my best friend but I shall battle gamely on against the elements to produce what I hope will be a quality product. This site is still very much in it’s infancy but welcome aboard as we aim to develop it and, hopefully, become the number one site in Asia. Who’s it for? Anyone really but especially expats, business visitors, tourists, backpackers, locals, hashers, harmless drunks, career drunks, armchair drunks, serious drunks, social drunks, good drunks, stand up drunks, sit down drunks, fall over drunks, face in the hearth drunks, www.pissedupasia.com ----- TRAVELLER'S TALES WATER ON THE BRAIN: Walking on water is passe. Modern miracle-maker Mohammed Pericheri sleeps on the stuff. The Kerala man not only relaxes by lying flat on it, but he can also eat, read and sleep on ordinary water for long periods. On one occasion, he spent more than 100 hours continuously floating on a body of water, The Times of India reported. Developing the skill was a challenge. "I had to practise eight to 10 hours every day. I also learnt to draw water through my nose like fish," he told reporters. Now Mohammed wants others to learn the skill, and plans to start an institution where people can master the art of sleeping on water. One day, he may even think of a use for it. ----- I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free. -- Michelangelo ----- In this business, until you're known as a monster you're not a star. -- Bette Davis ----- A FARMER'S HI-TECH_GLOSSARY LOG ON: Make the woodstove hotter. LOG OFF: Don't add wood. MONITOR: Keep you eye on the woodstove. DOWNLOAD: Take the firewood off the pickup. MEGAHERTZ: What happens when you drop a log on your toe during downloading. FLOPPY DISK: What you get from piling too much wood. HARD DRIVE: Getting home in a snowstorm. SCREEN: What you need for the mosquito season BYTE: What the mosquitoes do to you if you don't have a screen. MODEM: What you did to the hayfields. MOUSE: What eats the grain in the barn. RANDOM ACCESS MEMORY: You can't remember how much that new rifle cost when your wife asks. ----- TRIVIA ANSWER In 1922, Mahatma Gandhi was sentenced to how many years in prison for civil disobedience against the British rulers of India? The correct answer: In 1922, Mahatma Gandhi was sentenced to six years in prison for civil disobedience against the British rulers of India. ==== THE RESOURCE TIP ============================ SNAPSHOT SPY "Why wonder what's going on behind your back when you can KNOW the TRUTH with Snapshot Spy" "Snapshot Spy is a Computer Monitoring Software package that sits discreetly on your PC watching it's every move" You can play back your systems activity similar to a VCR and see exactly what was being done on your system. No cheap spy software here.. Snapshot Spy is a quality advanced PC monitor and data capturing program. Get the details at: http://www.snapshotspy.com ==== INSIDE THIS MONTH EXPAT WORLD =============== EXPAT WORLD NEWSLETTER (VOL.15 ISSUE 3) Table of Content: - How Do I Get a Second Passport? - Bits and Pieces - Revealing Gas Information - A Cool Site - Think About This - Breast Implants and the Tax Man - Virus Alert - Privacy Policies - Around the World with Expat World - Taxing Matters - Proposed Bush Tax Plan Lets 39.5 Million Taxpayers Off The Hook - The Knowledge Box – Expat Resources - Expat Resources for all Expats or Wanabee Expats from Expat Worls - Snips and Clips - Passport Stuff - Minister Samuels of Belize has his USA Vise Revoked for Selling Passports - A Second Nationality, the Parachute We All Need - Attorney Wants Out in Rep, of Melchizedek Case - Crapper Rapper - A Few Chuckles - Viagra Marketing - Our Favorite Group of People YOU MISSING SO MUCH Each week the EXPAT WORLD DIGEST gives you just a smattering of what you can find in the EXPAT WORLD newsletter that we produce once a month. 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