================================================= Expat Worlds Bi-Monthly Digest ================================================= 20 July, 2005 Vol. 7, Issue 12 .....IN THIS DIGEST..... ==== THE STORY =================== -=The Passport Report=- ==== OTHER EZINES ================ ==== EW SPECIAL ================== -=The W.G.Hill 'PT" Collection on CD-ROM=- ==== HUMOR, TRIVIA, NEWS AND MORE... == -=Trivia=- -=News Story=- -=Jokes=- ==== THE RESOURCE TIP ============= -=Schredit 1.0a =- ==== INSIDE THIS MONTH EXPAT WORLD == -=Table of Content=- ==== THE STORY ================================== Over the next few issues we give an excerpt from 'The Passport Report' - one of the best books ever written from our favourite author W.G. Hill. Although written few years back the basic principles still apply. Part 1: Why you Need a Second Passport How it All Started The first refugee 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 hundreds of thousands of refugees as a document of identity for travel until the outbreak of World War II. While 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, Convention of the Status of Refugees, defined the rights of refugees. It only became operative in 1960 after the required 35 countries had 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 for some of the ratifies. In turn, some have refused to accept the legal responsibilities implied under terms of the Convention when declaring these refugees eligible. In some cases, the United Nations 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 the right to a nationality. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality." However, countries the world over have spent most of their time restricting movement and making freedom of travel as difficult as possible. Hence this report. Who Needs a Second Passport? You, if your present passport or travel document: 1. Makes you a target for terrorists. 2. Could be revoked, confiscated or suspended. 3. Restricts your basic human right to travel in any way. 4. Subjects you to tax on your worldwide income, to currency controls or other confiscation. 5. Allows your government to control, restrict or monitor your travels. 6. Causes you delays, harassment or denies entry at any border. 7. Prevents you from working or settling anywhere you prefer. 8. Requires visas to visit places where you want to go. 9. Forces you into unwanted military obligations. 10. Identifies you as a citizen of an unpopular, immoral, aggressive or despotic nation. 11. Needs to be renewed or validated more than once each decade. 12. Limits your freedom to invest your money or borrow when and where you please. 13. Interferes with your freedom to pursue any investment opportunities or any other activity that brings you happiness without harm to others. 14. Last but not least, if your present citizenship requires too much bookkeeping and paperwork, making life a hassle . . Then you may want to opt for more freedom. A second passport can be your passport to freedom. Do Americans Need a Second Passport? Perhaps people in countries facing civil war or political uncertainty, such as Hong Kong, may I need a place to go. But what about Americans? Don't Americans believe that everyone in the rest I of the world wants an American passport? The truth is, some huddled masses and the wretched refuse of some third world shores may want to become Americans. But according to knowledgeable international lawyers and passport consultants, wealthy people (even those who might want to live part-time in the US for tax reasons) know better than to seek American passports. In fact, wealthy Americans create the greatest demand for second passports. Does this mean that American citizens are giving up their birthright in order to become citizens of banana republics and tin-horn dictatorships? Far from it! During ten years of in-depth research and interviews the author has uncovered a fascinating story. The story of a trend by freedom-seeking individuals to imitate the multinational corporations. A surprisingly large number of these individuals are Americans. But they come from all over the world. Why Brits do it? Over 600,000 United Kingdom citizens have been driven into exile because of high taxes. Once domiciled abroad, in Italy, Portugal, Singapore, Bermuda (and hundreds of other locations favored by the English), many Brits at first came home like migratory birds to spend six months each year (tax-free) vacationing in England. The tax collector, Her Majesty's Inland Revenue, then passed rules making long stays by former Brits more difficult. Today if a Brit maintains a home or apartment within the UK, even a single day's visit results in full income tax on worldwide income. Without a home the allowable vacation visit has been reduced to 90 days per year (after a three year continuous absence). Many Brits found that if they entered and left the UK on a non-British passport, the record of their entry and departure was never linked up with their income tax files. They could come and go in greater freedom, without counting the days. Brits are individualists and freedom lovers. They don't like to be told they can't visit their old haunts or grandchildren unless they surrender up to forty per cent of their income for the privilege. Thus (ironically), Brits who love their Kingdom the most, those who like to spend time in the Motherland, are today most likely to have become citizens of another country. UK law allows unrestricted dual citizenship. When do Swiss Need a Second Passport? Swiss men who want to avoid lifetime military summer camps may wish to change citizenship. There are other reasons as well. Swiss citizens have found numerous instances where they are discriminated against. Switzerland does not permit foreigners to own land or hold a job in Switzerland (with a few exceptions). Thus, other countries playing tit-for-tat, have reciprocity laws. The Swiss are thus prevented from owning land or seeking employment in a long list of countries. This sort of restrictive legislation is of course stupid and self-defeating, but it goes on all the time. Beating the Computers Many countries have lately tried to trap more people in their tax nets. To do this they have shortened the periods that tourists or visitors can stay from the previously almost universal six months to much shorter periods. In the US after 1987, a foreigner who stays for over 122 days per year may be held liable for heavy US income taxes on his worldwide income. He will have to go through an unpleasant grilling to get a tax clearance before being permitted to leave. In that tropical paradise Thailand, a similar rule requires tax clearance and a $50 fee payable by those who spend over 90 days per year in the country. For Perpetually Tax-free Tourists who wish to avoid such paperwork and expense, all such problems and confrontations are avoided by having a second passport. One departs before the maximum allotted time on passport number one and reenters later on passport number two, thereby keeping the annual visits, as recorded in passport entry-exit stamps, to the short periods allowed - at least insofar as the computers which record such matters are concerned. Some individuals prefer name variations on their different passports to assure even greater privacy and freedom of movement. Avoiding Discrimination During the Falklands defense, British passport holders were discriminated against and detained in jails all over South America. There is scarcely a country in the world whose citizens are not regularly victims of international tensions. In 1986-89 any prospective visitor to France had to stand in long lines to get a French visitor's visa, unless he held an EU passport. Previously, before an outbreak of bombing and terrorism, France had allowed visa-free entry from a long list of countries. An individual who has a drawer full of passports can choose the most suitable for the time and circumstances. Why shouldn't you always travel with minimum inconvenience? Cutting Through the Red Tape Pakistan denied entry to hundreds of British tourists stranded at Karachi airport after the UK attempted to halt illegal Pakistani immigration by imposing visa requirements on Pakistanis. Brazil requires American tourists to get a personal letter of recommendation from the US Ambassador in Brasilia after the US imposed a similar requirement upon Brazilian tourists in the US. The diplomats and politicians play games while travelers must incur extra costs and spend hours in airport transit lounges and embassy queues trying to cope. Government officials are constantly throwing up more barriers to property ownership and freedom of movement. Insulation from bureaucratic harassment is sought by individuals. Those who have the intelligence and money to procure alternate travel documents will do so. Second passports can circumvent many miles of red tape. To be continued in next Expat World Digest issue ... ==== OTHER EZINES & BOOKS ======================== ASIAN TIMES ONLINE Asia most trusted source for news, business,commentary and analysis from throughout Asia and our world. (www.atimes.com). ----- SURVIVAL BOOKS Go to and check it out! ----- japan-guide.com Extensive, up to date online guide on Japan living and travel related information. http://www.japan-guide.com/ ==== EW SPECIAL ================================= THE W.G.Hill 'PT" COLLECTION ON CD-ROM Expat World has a five book set, all on a single CD, written by W.G. Hill of "PT" fame. This "Hill CD" will tell you things even your lawyer won't tell you even if he knew! The 5 books on the CD are: * PT (Perpetual Traveler, Past Tax-payer, Prepared Thoroughly, etc.) * The Passport Report * PTO - Portable Trades and Occupations * The Invisible Investor * How to Become an Honorary Consul General For details and book excerpts go to or website at or directly to the info page at ==== HUMOR, TRIVIA, NEWS AND MORE... ================ NEWS STORIES Now, this is one scary story... SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Grand juries across California have indicted 40 pilots for fraud after they falsified medical records to hide disabilities like schizophrenia and severe heart problems that would have grounded them, federal officials said on Monday.. The pilots claimed to be fit to fly airplanes but collected disability payments for medical and psychological conditions that would have disqualified them from operating an aircraft, according to a statement by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California. Other pilots failed to report they had prior criminal convictions, the statement said. Authorities said they found pilots who continued to fly even though they had disabilities including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, drug and alcohol addiction, disabling back pain and severe heart conditions. The indictments follow an 18-month probe of 40,000 licensed pilots in California by federal transportation officials, the Social Security Administration and the U.S. Attorney's office. The statement said a number of commercial pilots and airline transport pilots were among the people indicted, but it did not provide details. The pilots committed fraud when they didn't report their disabling medical conditions on their Federal Aviation Administration Medical Airman certificates, according to the statement. That certificate is the key document to obtaining and maintaining an active FAA pilot's license, the statement said. The FAA has revoked 14 of the pilots' licenses and medical certificates, the other 26 pilots may be suspended. --- Teenager launches own airline A BRITISH teenager has launched a low-cost airline from his bedroom, becoming possibly the youngest airline boss in the world. "I started flying lessons when I was 16 and my friends started joking about us buying a plane together and flying people around the world," said Daniel Reilly, an 18-year-old student, from Maghull, in Merseyside, northern England. "It was just a joke really but I took it a bit more seriously and decided to look into it," he said. Mr Reilly decided to explore how to establish an airline as part of a business studies course that he was taking as part of his high school A-Level subjects. "I called round a few airlines and asked how they had done it and I slowly realised it was quite achievable," he said. Mr Reillyl, who attends Deyes High School in Maghull, showed his project for Nexus Airline to a financial adviser who found backers for the business. Initially Nexus will operate services from an airport in Liverpool, northern England, to the Spanish Canary Islands destinations of Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. Customers will be able to book flights – which cost from £50 ($116) one-way – from Friday, with the first flights scheduled to take off on November 1. In the meantime, Mr Reilly was awaiting the results of his A-Levels in business studies, English language, sociology and general studies. "Most of my school friends are now going off to university but I'm in charge of an airline," he said. "I don't know if I will be the next (Virgin boss) Richard Branson but I certainly wouldn't say no." --- Restaurant serves dead horse A RESTAURANT'S move to serve horse meat - calling the dish "Mr Ed is Dead" - has incensed New Zealand's most famous stud breeder, Sir Patrick Hogan, who has reared scores of champions. He says the dish on the menu at the Canvas restaurant in the North Island city of Hamilton is "distasteful". "My life with horses has been my passion," he said. "I'm not impressed that horse meat is available as a delicacy. "If it was the last restaurant in Hamilton, I wouldn't be having it." Restaurant manager Rachel Oliver said she had notified police after an abusive and threatening message was left on her phone, though about 15 diners had ordered the dish since Monday. New Zealand has one of the highest per capita consumptions of beef and lamb in the world, but dead horses usually go to pet food manufacturers. ----- Porn drive makes audience sit up and notice NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Indian police forced around 200 people caught watching pornography to do sit-ups in public to shame them and keep them away from theaters that illegally screen smutty movies. The Hindustan Times reported Monday that police stopped the screening of a pornographic movie at a cinema in Balasore district in the eastern state of Orissa and made audience members -- some as young as 17 -- do 10 sit-ups each at a public square, watched by onlookers. The police made the all-male group vow not to watch pornography again. To make matters worse for the embarrassed teenagers who were caught, police called their parents to watch them doing sit-ups. Police officer Sanjeev Panda said authorities carried out the public shaming after attempts to get theaters in district not to show pornography had failed. "So we decided to crack down on the audience," Panda was quoted in the newspaper, which also reported that police in Orissa planned to integrate such public punishments into their general campaign against pornography. Exhibiting pornography is illegal in India, but it is screened in many cinemas. The latest craze is pornographic Multi-Media Messaging (MMS) clips, some of which allegedly show Bollywood actresses engaged in sexual acts. ----- Oxymoron: crash landing ----- Research is what I'm doing when I don't know what I'm doing. -- von Braun ----- Armor -- The kind of clothing worn by a man whose tailor is a blacksmith. ----- "I never married because there was no need. I have three pets at home which answer the same purpose as a husband. I have a dog which growls every morning, a parrot which swears all afternoon and a cat that comes home late at night." -- Marie Corelli ----- A woman recently lost her husband. She had him cremated and brought his ashes home. Picking up the urn that he was in, she poured him out on the counter. Then she started talking to him, and tracing her fingers in the ashes, she said, "You know that fur coat you promised me Irving?" She answered by saying, "I bought it with the insurance money." She then said, "Irving, remember that new car you promised me?" She answered again saying, "Well, I bought it with the insurance money." Still tracing her finger in the ashes, she said, "Irving remember that BlowJob I promised you? Here it comes..." ----- SAT score decay As we all know SAT scores have been on the decline for years. The following may be the reason why. A math problem in the 60's A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is four-fifths of this price. What is his profit? A math problem in the 70's A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of porduction is four-fifths of this price, or $80. What is his profit? A math problem in the 70's using New Math A logger exchanges a set L of lumber for a set M of money. The cardinality of set M is 100, and each element is worth $1. Make 100 dots representing the elements of set M. The set C of the cost of production contains 20 fewer points than set M, and answer the following question: What is the cardinality of the set P of profits? A math problem in the 80's A logger sells a truckload of wood for $100. His cost of production is $80, and his profit is $20. Your assignment: underline the number 20. A math problem in the 90's under Outcome Based Education. By cutting down beautiful forest trees, a logger makes $20. What do you think of this way of living? (Topic for class participation: How did the forest birds and squirrels feel?) ==== THE RESOURCE TIP ============================ Schredit 1.0a Schredit permanently shreds and removes confidential files images and data. Why use schredit? After all, Windows allows you to delete files, documents, pictures and other data by simply dropping them into the trashcan and when you 'empty the trash' those files are gone. Right? Wrong ! You just need to browse the internet, shareware libraries etc to find dozens, if not hundreds of simple utilities that can recover deleted files, folders and even whole harddrives. So, just because you delete something doesn't mean that somebody else isn't going to read it. Schredit sits on your Windows desktop just like trashcan. But that's where the similarity ends...... Files dropped into Schredit are not coming back. Get it at ==== INSIDE THIS MONTH EXPAT WORLD =============== EXPAT WORLD NEWSLETTER (VOL.17 ISSUE 06) Table of Content: - GETTING THE UPGRADES - BITS & PIECES - A SECOND PASSPORT - PANAMA INFO - THE KNOWLEDGE BOX - LIVING AND WORKING IN GERMANY, IT COULD BE A TAX DISASTER - RUNNING AWAY FROM HOME FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT! - BEATING THE BUREAUCRATS - THE LETTER YOU SHOULD ALWAYS CARRY IN YOUR POCKET - EXPAT WORLD'S PRIVACY WORLD - BEYOND "1984" - REAL ID ACT HAS PROBLEMS - CROOKED COPS ARE ENEMIES TO FREEDOM - A LETTER TO EXPAT WORLD - LETTER FROM AMERICA - MORE COVER UPS AND LIES - DAY 114 OF BUSH'S SILENCE - AMERICA'S LIMITS - THE OFFSHORE WORLD by EXPAT WORLD - CANADIAN COMPANIES STASH OVER US $88 BILLION IN THE CARRIBEAN - EXPAT WORLD'S WORLD OF PRIVACY - FIGHTING BACK - INTERNATIONAL SNIPS AND CLIPS - AROUND THE WORLD With EXPAT WORLD - SAINT-PIERRE & MIQUELON -- Where France Meets North America - CRAPPER RAPPER - NUDES & PRUDES - MURPHY'S LAW 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 --------------------------------