================================================= Expat Worlds Bi-Monthly Digest ================================================= 22 June, 2004 Vol. 6, Issue 09 .....IN THIS DIGEST..... ==== THE STORY =================== -=Panama is Hot=- ==== OTHER EZINES ================ ==== EW SPECIAL ================== -=Free DL with our most popular program!=- ==== HUMOR, TRIVIA, NEWS AND MORE... == -=Trivia=- -=News Story=- -=Traveller's Tales=- -=Jokes=- ==== THE RESOURCE TIP ============= -=Filseclab Personal Firewall=- ==== INSIDE THIS MONTH EXPAT WORLD == -=Table of Content=- ==== THE STORY ================================== PANAMA IS HOT - A WORLD CLASS RETIREMENT HAVEN THAT'S RIPE FOR PROFITABLE REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT If you’ve followed any of the major survey agencies around the world that rate places for retirement, Panama has been on top of the list in many, and for a few years running. So, if you're looking for a place outside U.S. borders to retire, Panama should be given very serious consideration. Panama has a lot going for it. And even if you don't plan on retiring or living in Panama, Panama has also rated the very highest in real estate investment opportunities for those of you who would like to make their money from a distance. Here's what is being said about Panama by some of the bigger players in the real estate market: "Real estate in both emerging and developed markets outside the United States offers some of the best investment opportunities in the world right now. " - Ricardo Griffin - the Offshore Guru at OMA. Ltd, international offshore consultants, located in Panama. "Global real estate will be the only major asset class that could deliver double-digit returns over the next five years." - Barton Biggs, Chief Global Strategist and Chairman Morgan Stanley Investment Management, Pensions and Investments "The good news in global real estate - it's no longer exclusively for the mega-rich!" - Lief Simon - Editor, International Living and Global Real Estate Investor One can invest in property or buy a place for investment in any region of Panama but for Expat World its money is on properties in Panama City. We've been there more than a few times and we personally rate Panama City in the top three metropolitan cities of world that one can afford to live in and enjoy a good life in. Panama City has world-class restaurants, five-star hotels, international banks, hundreds of multinational businesses, a Manhattan-type skyline, every imaginable luxury ... all at about half the price you'd pay in Miami. AND it's only a few minutes to a few hours to the beaches, mountains, country side of Panama itself. It has all the infrastructure one might want AT HAND and just a short distance from the romantics idea of paradise just a short distance away. On the esthetic side, few places in the world offer spring-like weather year-round, a low cost of living, safety, security, peace of mind, beautiful landscapes. It has mountainsides covered with flowers and planted with coffee and beautiful waterfalls ... not to mention the best pensionado program (retirement program for foreigners) in the world. We'll tell you more about that later. It's a real benefit for the retired expat, making your buck stretch a long way. And we do mean bucks, for the US dollar is the official currency of Panama. PANAMA'S A BARGAIN Since the U.S. military and Panama Canal personnel pulled out (in 1999), thousands of houses and apartments have flooded the market. Abundant supply ... limited demand. so prices are cheap. You'll find bargains galore. There are bargains in property, both for sale, for rental and for investment are readily available. You can find a three-bedroom, luxury apartment downtown with a deck, private parking, a pool, the whole ball of wax in the $70-$80,000 range and most properties in this range have an ocean view. EW discovered properties there that were smaller and a little away from the prime areas in the $25,000 to $40,000 range. And if you are the fixer-upper type you can find the proverbial steal. You can own your own apartment or bungalow or some investment property by heading to Panama and hitting the streets and looking for the bargains OR you can use a firm that EW recommends to look for you and offer you the best deal in properties to live in or real estate investment properties. More on that later but first let us continue with why we think Panama is THE place for the best real estate buys today. Panama is elite because of its sheer natural beauty and, most importantly to many, because of the privacy it affords in personal and financial matters combined with it's great retirement program for foreigners : RETIRE IN PANAMA AS A PENSIONADO AND SEE WHAT YOU GET - 50 % off entertainment anywhere in the country (movies, theaters. concerts. sporting events, etc.) - 30 % off bus, boat and train fares - 25 % off airline tickets - 50 % off hotel accommodation (Monday through Thursday) - 30 % off hotels from Friday through Sunday - 25 % off restaurants - 15 % off fast food restaurants - 15 % off hospital bills (if no insurance applies) - 10 % off prescription medicines - 20 % off doctor's consultations - 15 % off dental and eye exams - 20 % off professional and technical services - 50 % off closing costs for home loans We've presented our picture of "Why Panama?" Too add to this, here are a few reasons the international guru's think Panama is THE place: - Direct foreign investment in Panama for the 5 years ended 2001 was approximately $3.5 billion. - Currency is the US dollar - Low inflation - Excellent tax benefits - Secrecy laws strictly enforced - Equal treatment of foreign and local citizens - Favorable incorporation laws - Large bi-lingual labor force - Diverse economic base including banking, shipping, insurance, tourism and free zone - Ranked first in the region for low cost of living by the Tripartite Committee - Stable political system * The Organization of American States (OAS), the Interamerican Development Bank (IDB) and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) AND WHY PANAMA CITY AS THE SPECIFIC AREA FOR INVESTMENT - It is at the convergence of two continents at the Bridge of the Americas - Rated the most " International City " in Latin America - It is poised for tremendous growth in the next decade - It is within an hour of some of the finest fishing and or bird watching in the world - One hour drive from pristine beaches and cool mountain oasis - Located on the Pacific coast, yet it is only 45 minutes to the Caribbean - Increasing number of expatriates - One of the safest cities in the hemisphere - Excellent infrastructure (internet, telephone, roads, water, etc) Well you've listen to us now for two pages or so on our views on real estate holdings or investment in Panama. If you want to know the full skinny, with a low key approach to introducing you to what's available in real estate either for occupation, renting or investment, WITH NO HARD SELL TACTICS, shoot Expat World an email and we will get "the Company" (A real estate investment company established and licensed to do business in and by the Republic of Panama). Its business is to engage in the acquisition, management and sale of medium priced condominiums in Panama City, Republic of Panama.) to get back to you via email with the whole story. This is something you SHOULD do if you have any interest in overseas investment, overseas living, retirement in Panama or just want to be able to live the life of the rich and famous on a hot dog budget. Email office@expatworld.net with "PanCity" in the subject heading. We'll take care of you. ==== OTHER EZINES =============================== ASIAN TIMES ONLINE Asia most trusted source for news, business,commentary and analysis from throughout Asia and our world. (www.atimes.com). ----- Computer Help A to Z Get a free computer tips-kit and make working on your computer fun as well as productive. Discover and master the power of your personal computer without all the technical jargon. http://www.computerhelpatoz.com/ ----- japan-guide.com Extensive, up to date online guide on Japan living and travel related information. http://www.japan-guide.com/ ==== EW SPECIAL ================================= FREE DL WITH OUR MOST POPULAR PROGRAM! The EW Digest and it's parent Expat World newsletter have harped on for years about the need and reasons for a second passport/dual nationality.-- personal and financial freedom, freedom of movement, job opportunities, etc. The EW Digest can arrange for you to have a second nationality inclusive of passport for the lowest possible price ($14.5k). But thats not all! Special arrangments have been made with the authorities in this country and they will issue a DL with the standard package for FREE. This is a $1000 value with the already best-value-for-money program currently available. This special offer is limited till end of July 2004 so don't lose this opportunity. Contact EW today at office@expatworld.net! ==== HUMOR, TRIVIA, NEWS AND MORE... ================ NEWS STORY Cop's dummy partner not deductible SAN FRANCISCO — A police officer whom voters let patrol with a 10-pound wooden dummy partner can't deduct the campaign costs as a business expense, a court said. Robert Geary spent nearly $11,500 of his own money to get the measure on the 1993 ballot, a move designed to counter the brass who ordered the ventriloquist dummy to remain in a locker because they said it made the department look silly. San Francisco voters, though, approved of using the Howdy Doody look-alike, Officer Brendan O'Smarty, to calm children. Now, Geary must pay the Internal Revenue Service $3,500 in back taxes. --- Oops, that's our TNT! MONTREAL -- An airport security exercise went the way of a movie farce after TNT was planted in the luggage of an unwitting passenger instead of the bags of a security agent. The passenger arrived from abroad Friday night. At a friend's home, he found explosives labelled TNT had been concealed in a jam jar and placed in his bag. The man called Quebec provincial police. Officials said such exercises -- intended to test bomb-sniffing dogs at Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport -- are carried out every week. "Our investigation is going to reveal exactly what happened," airport security spokesman Pierre Goupil told TV network TVA. The passenger and his baggage were also able to leave the airport without security detecting the explosives. The TNT was not dangerous because there was no detonator. --- Bank Says Emphasize Sex, Sleep -- Not Money LONDON (Reuters) - A major investment bank is advising clients to have sex, get more sleep and stop equating happiness with money -- turning the industry image of hard-nosed dealmakers on its head. German-owned Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein offers the advice in a note to clients by its strategist James Montier. "I thought it was time that I reminded people there was more to life than watching screens every day," he told Reuters. The note recommends clients have sex, ideally with someone they love, reflect on the good things in life, give their bodies enough sleep and exercise regularly. But they shouldn't get too carried away. "I still need a little bit of money just to keep me happy," said Montier. ----- TRAVELLER'S TALES ALL CHANGE: A post-office employee faced with an armed robber gave him a bag of money--in very small change. The staff member handed a bag of cash to Yasuo Ishitobi, who was armed with fuel and threatening to burn down the post office in Hikawa, Shimane prefecture, Japan. Ishitobi, 52, fled with the bag, but was horrified to discover later that the entire haul amounted to 500 one-yen coins, equivalent to the grand total of $4.35. The staff member later told police they had prepared the bag of small change in anticipation of an armed robber, the Mainichi Shimbun reported. When police used a security camera photograph to track down Ishitobi, they discovered the bag of coins intact. The disgusted thief hadn't spent any of it. ----- Oxymoron: New improved ----- "The only way you can beat the lawyers is to die with nothing." -- Will Rogers ----- YOU KNOW YOU'VE BOOKED A CHEAP FLIGHT WHEN... 1 As you board the plane, you notice the co-pilot is frowning and wearing an "I'm with Stupid" T-Shirt. 2 The Captain announces over the intercom the Flight is delayed while he looks for his keys. 3 The Airline mechanics, wearing propeller beanies, seem to be pointing and laughing an awful lot, and drinking something from inside brown paper bags. 4 The Ground Crew are seen using pennies to check tyre wear 5 A man with an oily rag hanging from the back pocket of his dirty coveralls, and sadly shaking his head, turns out to be the airline's C.E.O. 6 A voice on P.A. system warns you to keep your heads and arms inside the aircraft at all times, while the plane is in motion. 7 The air sickness bags have the Lord's Prayer printed on them. 8 Jumper Cables are dangling from the door to the cockpit. 9 A man in clerical garb walks thru the plane, sprinkles all the passengers with water, mumbling something in Latin & exits. 10 A telephone with a really long cord connects the plane to the control tower. ----- A NEW SPORT? First man: My wife suggested that I take up a new sport this summer. Second man: Well, that's nice. It shows that she has your interests at heart. Did she make any suggestions? First man: As a matter of fact, she did. By the way, how do you play this Russian Roulette? ==== THE RESOURCE TIP ============================ Filseclab Personal Firewall Professional and powerful ability, individualized design idea, and it is FREE, so it is your good-selection of personal firewall. Kernel-level and high-level double packet filtering engine, it protects your computer from attacks from the Internet, and from Trojan horse etc. Get it at ==== INSIDE THIS MONTH EXPAT WORLD =============== EXPAT WORLD NEWSLETTER (VOL.16 ISSUE 06) Table of Content: - PANAMA IS HOT - A WORLD CLASS RETIREMENT HAVEN THAT'S RIPE FOR PROFITABLE REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT - BITS & PIECES - THE RED LIGHTS OF SEOUL - YOUR PRIVACY IS BEING SLICED, DICED, CUT, SHREDDED AND HOMOGENIZED UNTIL THERE IS VIRTUALLY NOTHING LEFT OF IT. - PASSPORTS BY MAIL UPDATE - ISLANDS LURED TO SELL PASSPORTS - DOMINICA PASSPORTS - SERBIAN CUSTOMS SEIZE FAKE BELGIUM PASSPORTS - EUROPEAN UNION SEEKS VISA-FREE TRAVEL TO THE USA FOR ALL EU MEMBERS - TURKS-CAICOS SERIOUSLY CONSIDER BECOMING CANADA'S 11 PROVINCE - THE EMPLOYEE TAX-FREE TAKE HOME PAY INDEX - AROUND THE WORLD WITH EXPAT WORLD - INTERNATIONAL SNIPS & CLIPS - CRAPPER RAPPER - THE PERILS OF BEER - HOUSE OF PRICKS - "JOHN" WAYNE 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 URL - http://www.expatworld.net Email - office@expatworld.net ---------- End of Expat World Digest -------------------------------- To unsubscribe, write to unsubscribe-digest@expatworld.net