================================================= Expat Worlds Monthly Digest ================================================= November, 2003 Vol. 5, Issue 10 .....IN THIS DIGEST..... ==== THE STORY =================== (Compliment from the Expat World Newsletter) -=A Second Passport - What Type Is Best For You=- ==== EW SPECIAL ================== -=FRRE FRRE FREE - The Big Breach=- ==== HUMOR, TRIVIA, NEWS AND MORE... == -=Trivia=- -=News Story=- -=Traveller's Tales=- -=Jokes=- ==== THE RESOURCE TIP ============= -=Password Safe=- ==== INSIDE THIS MONTH EXPAT WORLD == -=Table of Content=- ==== THE STORY ================================== A SECOND PASSPORT - WHAT TYPE IS BEST FOR YOU? Before Expat World answers that question let us give you a little "history" of second passports and Big Brother's position on them. A second passport can bring you freedom from the shackles of any one government! The fact that you are reading this proves that you have already realized that you are a tenant of Planet Earth and not the property of any “government”. However, as long as they can track you and your assets and detain both with growing ease you are effectively their property, whether you like it or not! Your government does not want you to be freely shopping the planet for a passport or citizenship program based on “features and benefits”. They would much rather have you continue producing fruits for them as “citizen slaves” in a relationship that, by definition and implementation, always benefits only one side - the State! They do not want your assets out of their reach - they want to be able to confiscate them at will. They want to be able to infiltrate any offshore banking institution, attorney’s office, and trust structure in order to “identify” the records and funds of “their” citizens! They do not want to allow you to freely travel wherever you want – but rather track and restrict your travel, limit your stays, and even be able to prevent you from travelling at all. So it should not come as a surprise they DO NOT want you to even be thinking about getting a second passport! So with that in mind, lets take a look at the different types of passports available. ILLEGAL-REGISTERED -- GHOSTING -- GRAY AREA -- WHITE AREA -- DIPLOMATIC ILLEGAL — The illegal passport market still exists today, in fact the majority of offerings that you may see being promoted on bulletin boards, or on web sites hosted on free servers, and even in the back of some economic and business magazines fit this category. This area is also the most dangerous for the consumer. Not only are the programs illegal - but those selling them tend to be the least reliable, and many (if not most) are simply rip-off artists. Of course there could be a need in a time of crisis, and it might be beneficial to know that this market exists, but once you understand the abundance of legal and easily obtainable programs you will find no need to deal in this marketplace. The types of illegal pp’s include: Stolen and Altered Passports -- Years ago a market existed for stolen and altered passports. The thief stole it to order and changed the picture. But due to the wealth of anti-tamper and security features built into a modern passport, getting a good quality and passable passport that has been provided in this way is almost impossible, This is another area where technology has made things virtually impossible. Check out your passport under ultraviolet light and you will see just how sophisticated today’s passports have become. Ultraviolet checks are now so commonplace at many border crossings that you would never get away with using a fake passport. These are exactly what the name implies - stolen and unregistered blanks. Some passport office worker, diplomat or embassy employee steals 10 or 20 blank passports and ‘“issues” them himself, without registering them in government computers. These usually work fine as long as you don’t enter the country of issuance, and as long as no one realizes that this particular passport is “missing”. REGISTERED — These passports are issued just like regular ones. The corrupt official simply goes through a regular application process and registers everything in government computers (usually at night). Of course, he fills out the application form himself on behalf of his “client”, and the details on the “birth certificate”, “Proof of address” etc. that he enters into the computer only exist in his imagination. This process results in a passport that is fully registered. Many countries have now introduced new procedures to avoid this kind of “secret business”. Applications are now checked and double-checked and the chance of such an application not being detected is very small in most countries. GHOSTING PASSPORTS — This is basically stealing the identity of someone else and usually involves acquiring the birth certificate of a dead child or a mentally retarded person, both of which are extremely unlikely to ever apply for a passport. An application for a passport is then sent off and if you are lucky a brand new passport arrives in the mail. Understandably this is a known method and passport offices are now starting to cross reference birth and death records when processing the application. GRAY AREA — EW is a big believer in traditions and customs, particularly when they support our privacy goals and objectives. And there exists today a wonderful opportunity in an area we refer to as “DISCRETIONARY PROGRAMS” -- this is the Gray area. How does it work? It works by: FRIENDLY BUREAUCRATS —Especially in third world countries, exchanging favors for favors is still an acceptable way of life. Bureaucrats in these countries often have the power to grant citizenship in exchange for a favor given by the applicant. Naturally, this favor can consist of a cash payment. These programs often include naturalization certificates and sometimes even birth certificates. While some have a knee jerk reaction to the idea of giving a direct payment to a politician in return for the granting of a discretionary favor, you need to understand that this is not only a tolerated situation in the countries allowing such discretionary power, but it is in fact one of the “benefits” of holding the political position and an acceptable subsidy to their otherwise subsistence level government salary. It’s the “good old boys” network in full glory: Buy them a drink, a good cigar, talk some business, and hand them an envelope! And the best part is they can openly do it - they have the discretion and they will use it when properly motivated. However, this is not a ‘free for all” process. If these people are going to exercise their discretion, they will only do so if it will not adversely affect their good name. So these types of arrangements typically involve a screening process by a trusted third party who then “lobbies” on behalf of the applicant. These passports work like any other legally issued passport and can even be used to live in the country of issuance. There is very little risk to this form of application but if the “power holdee” grossly abuses their authority or otherwise falls from political grace there is a remote chance that their discretionary decisions could be retroactively reviewed. This risk can be minimized by focusing on programs where the power holder is at one of the highest government levels and is very discreet in their use of authority. NATIONAL INTEREST — Most countries in the world, even first world countries, are more than willing to grant instant citizenship through fully legal means if it is in their national interest” that they do so. Singapore is an example of one country doing this in their bid to become a great sporting nation. To go through this route, just identify and influence the decision makers and you’re on your way! In first world countries they will not normally accept cash payments, but if you can offer the country a substantial contribution of a different nature you might have a reasonable chance to acquire their citizenship without spending any money at all. We list this in the “gray” area as this power to grant instant citizenship is not normally given to the bureaucrats through their country’s constitution. However, in this day and age it is normal practice for most countries NOT to obey their own constitution. They will usually claim that it is in their “national interest” not to do so. Do you see the parallel? WHITE AREA — Official Fast-Track Citizenship. There are a few countries that offer an economic citizenship program that enables you to acquire citizenship usually within a few days or weeks if you pay a certain amount of money to the government. Alternatively, you will be required to invest money in a certain type of business in the country in question. Countries offering such official programs have a clause in their constitution that enables bureaucrats to grant instant citizenship if certain requirements are met. It’s basically the same as “Friendly Bureaucrats” as above, only these programs are usually a lot more expensive and are fully backed by the country’s constitution. This ensures that once you have citizenship there is little risk that subsequent governments might reverse the process and kick you out again. But it has been done! (See page 14 for more on "white" passports.) DIPLOMATIC — An interesting variation of the white programs is a diplomatic appointment. Obviously, any government has the power to appoint honorary diplomats and issue them a diplomatic passport. In some cases they will even arrange for a naturalization certificate, but this usually falls into the gray area (see “National Interest”). So How do I choose? If you’re on a small budget you might be tempted to go for a “black” passport. If a country’s ‘White” program costs $2,000,000 and a bureaucrat offers to bend the rules and let you have it for $25,000, it’s not a bad deal even though it’s not legal. Many people seem to consider this option especially if they just need it for banking purposes, visa-free travel, or to hide money from the wife or ex-spouses. Nevertheless, EW strongly recommends that you stay away from these programs, instead, have a good look at the variety of readily available “GRAY AREA” programs first, and then ask yourself whether a “black” program is worth the risk! Generally, a “GRAY” program offers almost all of the benefits of the “white” programs, none of the drawbacks of the “black” programs, and often costs less than either. If you have a very high profile and a lot of money you might want to consider one of the “white” programs. Acquiring a gray “discretionary” program is much more reasonable. Unless you are very well connected and have substantial resources, you would normally focus on second and third world countries as they tend to make it pretty easy to get what you’re looking for, especially working through a “broker.” You should consider these programs if you want a second passport for travel, residency or banking purposes. Most programs are by naturalization only, but there are a few that will result in the issuance of a birth certificate and thus give you a completely new identity. You can get full citizenship in a good and peaceful third world country for around $15,000. Prices for second world programs usually start at around $25,000. Over all EW thinks the GRAY option is the best for MOST freedom seeker. But be cautious in the broker you choose for there are many scamsters out there. ==== EW SPECIAL ================================= FREE FREE FREE The Big Breach: From Top Secret to Maximum Security from Richard Tomlinson Comments of Reviewer: Nearly everything the public knows about spies is fiction. But Richard Tomlinson worked for the MI6 until he was fired for unknown reasons. According to the author, MI6 hunted him down all over the planet when he following tried to write an autobiography. They used and abused their connections with foreign intelligence services for intimidation purposes, stole his equipment, and had him imprisoned for several months. When the book was in the press despite MI6's vast efforts to prevent it, they took legal action to ban it. They failed spectacularly, and "The Big Breach" became freely available. Contrary to what many would believe, no government secrets are exposed in the book, and the few descriptions of MI6's working methods can surprise no one. The really interesting aspects of the book are an intriguing claim about a top UK politician, secret Serb donations to a British political party, and the degree of unfair treatment by the MI6, combined with alleged incompetence in personnel management. Countless claims and counterclaims have been made about the book. One such claim is that the Russian publisher is really a cover for what was formerly known as KGB, and that they have written sections of the book. An obvious counterclaim is that the MI6 have orchestrated a smear campaign to discredit the book and its author. Whatever the truth, here's a spy story that is as close to reality as we'll probably ever get. A complimentary copy of this book is yours if you subscribe to the Expat World newsletter. Subscribe today to the Expat World newsletter at www.expatworld.net ==== HUMOR, TRIVIA, NEWS AND MORE... ================ TRIVIA The Orient Express was legendary. What was its route? A: Rome-Hong Kong B: Vienna-Budapest C: Paris - Istanbul D: Munich-Bucharest (Answer below) ----- NEWS STORY French ministers 'found speeding' The government is trying to improve road safety Cars carrying two French ministers broke the speed limit while taking them to inaugurate a new speed camera, according to a French motoring weekly. Auto Plus magazine says both cars were doing 100 kilometres an hour (60mph) on a road near Paris where the limit is 70 (43mph). The French centre-right government has been cracking down on speeding drivers in recent months. A spokesman for the transport minister did not deny the incident. According to Auto Plus, Transport Minister Gilles de Robien's car was travelling at 103 k/ph on a road south of Paris. The Peugeot 607 carrying Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy - a tough law-and-order figure - was clocked at 103 k/ph. Both were driving to a Paris suburb to unveil a new radar speed trap last month. 'No excuse' Mr de Robien's office said the minister "did not contest the facts that seem to have been revealed". "The fact that he was running late on this particular day and being escorted by a security convoy is no excuse," his office said. Mr Sarkozy's office said in a statement that he was "verifying the conditions under which the speeds were recorded". It added that the "minister's vehicle was travelling in a secured environment behind two police motorcyclists who set the speed of the cortege". The radar initiative is part of a campaign by the government to try to improve safety on French roads, where about 8,000 people die every year. ----- TRAVELLER'S TALES BEING WATCHED: Closed-circuit cameras have been installed in a Bangkok temple, because the gods weren't scary enough to deter evil-doers. Visitors have got into the habit of abandoning cats and dogs at the 219-year-old Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Reuters reported. The presence of holy statues failed to stop people unloading unwanted pets at the site. So religious staff decided to go the hi-tech security route. "Offenders captured on camera will be banned from our compound," temple worker Thirarat Chandra-songkham told The Nation newspaper. ----- If the First Amendment means anything, it means that a state has no business telling a man, sitting alone in his house, what books he may read or what films he may watch. -- Justice Thurgood Marshall (1908-1993) US Supreme Court From a unanimous court opinion (1969) - "I never forget a face, but in your case I'll be glad to make an exception." -- Groucho Marx ----- Seinfeld Wisdom: Would somebody please explain to me those signs that say, "No animals allowed except for Seeing Eye Dogs? "Who is that sign for? Is it for the dog, or the blind person? - FAMOUS LAST WORDS: * I'll get a world record for this.. * It's fireproof. * He's probably just hibernating. * What does this button do? * It's probably just a rash. * Are you sure the power is off? * Yeah, I made the deciding vote on the jury, so what of it? * The odds of that happening have to be a million to one! * Pull the pin and count to what? * Which wire was I supposed to cut? * I wonder where the mother bear is. * I've seen this done on TV. * These are the good kind of mushrooms. * I'll hold it and you light the fuse. * Let it down slowly. * Rat poison only kills rats. * It's strong enough for both of us. * This doesn't taste right. * I can make this light before it changes. * Nice doggie. * I can do that with my eyes closed. * I've done this before. * Well, we've made it this far. * That's odd. * You wouldn't hit a guy with glasses on, would you? * Don't be so superstitious. * Now watch this. ----- TRIVIA ANSWER The Orient Express was legendary. What was its route? The correct answer: C (Paris - Istanbul. It must have been an interesting trip.) ==== THE RESOURCE TIP ============================ PASSWORD SAFE Many computer users today have to keep track of dozens of passwords: for network accounts, online services, premium web sites. Some write their passwords on a piece of paper, leaving their accounts vulnerable to thieves or in-house snoops. Others choose the same password for different applications, which makes life easy for intruders of all kinds. With Password Safe users can keep their passwords securely encrypted on their computers. A single Safe Combination--just one thing to remember--unlocks them all. Best of all it's FREE. Go to ==== INSIDE THIS MONTH EXPAT WORLD =============== EXPAT WORLD NEWSLETTER (VOL.15 ISSUE 9) Table of Content: - A SECOND PASSPORT - WHAT TYPE IS BEST FOR YOU? - THE PRIVACY AND FREEDOM CORNER - BIG BROTHER THREATENS PROPERTY RIGHTS IN AMERICA - PHARMACIES GOUGE U.S. CONSUMER ON DRUG PRICES - AROUND THE STRANGE WORLD with Expat World - SCAMS, SCAMS, SCAMS,EXPAT WORLD'S WORLD OF SCAMS - THE LOCAL SCENE - PENIS EATERS OF SINGAPORE - FREE FOOD FOR ALL -- THE POOR, THE RICH, STUDENTS, TOURIST AND WORKERS - INTERNATIONAL SNIPS AND CLIPS - Instant Citizenship in Peril - CRAPPER RAPPER - SO TRUE, SO TRUE - WHAT'S A BILLION 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. Why not get the whole story and subscribe now to our electronic version for just US $30 per year. Go to our website: www.expatworld.net to sign up. ********************************************************************* EXPAT WORLD - the newsletter of international living FREE Trial Subscription at http://www.expatworld.net/ URL - http://www.expatworld.net Email - office@expatworld.net ---------- End of Expat World Digest -------------------------------- To unsubscribe, write to unsubscribe-digest@expatworld.net