================================================= Expat Worlds Bi-Monthly Digest ================================================= 18 January, 2006 Vol. 8, Issue 01 .....IN THIS DIGEST..... ==== THE STORY =================== -=Big Brother in in your "Privacy Face"=- ==== OTHER EZINES ================ ==== EW SPECIAL ================== -=Bye Bye Big Brother=- ==== HUMOR, TRIVIA, NEWS AND MORE... == -=Trivia=- -=News Story=- -=Jokes=- ==== THE RESOURCE TIP ============= -=Attachment Analyser=- ==== INSIDE THE CURRENT EXPAT WORLD == -=Table of Content=- ==== THE STORY ================================== BIG BROTHER IS IN YOUR "PRIVACY FACE" MORE THAN YOU REALIZE The Latest in the Shocking Ways Big Brother Government is Invading Your Privacy With the latest revelations that G.W. is listening to and reading your private conversations , courtesy of the NSA (National Security Agency) even if you are a US citizen, you need to wake up and see the roses and start to find ways to keep Big Brother out of your private lives. If you're like most of the world's people today, your personal computer and the Internet are indispensable tools, both personally and professionally. Who today relies on sending letters to communicate except for special circumstances. Why bother? You can shoot off an e-mail and send it virtually effortlessly or easier yet pick up your hand phone and talk to the world cheaper then sending a first class letter via the post. Who wants to do much of their shopping in a store in person when a world of products is available over the Internet (and usually at better prices) , in the comfort of your own home? When was the last time you went to the library to do research, except to use a free Internet connection, when there are so much good online research available either by doing it yourself or using an online service, in the privacy of your home or office? Unfortunately, Big Brother governments, particularly the U.S. government-view the incredible conveniences afforded the Internet and the cell phone as an opportunity to snoop into your private affairs. It's not enough to have every aspect of your financial affairs and private affairs under continuous scrutiny of your snooping banker, librarian "reporting police" officer, Big Brother has the USA PATRIOT and similar laws checking into the color and size of your turds. Big Brother has gotten so brazen that even with the now disclosed spying on their own citizens in the USA with the NSA and no warrants granted, Big Brother isn't satisfied. He is now pressing for "back door" access to your e-mail messages, your Internet browsing habits and the precise location of your cell phone. And they are doing it in a sneaky, no disclosure, non-transparent way. EW can't prove this and provides this dialogue as conjecture and opinion only, but has a real hunch that this backdoor way of reading your emails and listening to your cell phone conversations (as well as tracking you) is already a done deal by methods secretly provided by the manufacturers when they build the chips, computers and cell phones. EW thinks the smoking gun in the present Congressional "hearings" on G.W. Bush and the NSA spying on US citizens is going to be the revelation that the manufacturers of the hardware including chip builders, the Internet providers and email services such as AOL, Internet Explorer, the phone companies and others have all been pressured successfully to provide backdoors in their products and services to make Big Brother's job that much easier. "Secret" Treaty Opens Your Computer to Foreign Snoops A treaty that most everyone has not heard of could force you to hand over to the government every secret on your PC - WITHOUT WARRANT! And that ain't all! The treaty is called the Council of European Convention on Cybercrime. Deep-pocket entertainment companies want it in force so they can crack down on "file sharing" and other supposedly "criminal" activities carried on (mostly) by teenagers. Big Brother authorities in the United States and Europe are using the red herring of "it's essential to fight the "War on Terror" to spy on you. The "King George "administration in the USA has endorsed its ratification by the U.S. Senate. However, there are serious reasons to question the assertion of one of the treaty's leading backers, Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN), who states, "Prompt ratification ... will help advance the security of Americans. What bull crappy that is. EW really thinks that even the Joe Six-Packs of America don't buy that ton of crap. Among other things, the Lugar's assertion is particularly questionable since the treaty both lacks a requirement for dual criminality (i.e., that an offense be illegal in both countries in order for an investigation to take place) and also permits one country to conduct covert surveillance on Internet users in another country. If the Senate ratifies the treaty, foreign governments could legally, conduct covert surveillance on Americans' Internet use and even require the US government to prosecute US citizens for violation of foreign laws! EDITOR"S NOTE: Under the noble red herring of national security and law enforcement, " Big Brother governments are stripping you of your personal freedoms-and the courts refuse to stop them. What should freedom loving individuals do to protect themselves? The best way EW knows is to get informed and activate processes. Where to find this info? Just turn to the BYE BYE BIG BROTHER info found below in this issue of EWD and get involved. In China, for instance, strict Internet censorship is reality. A reporter was recently put into a China prison for a 10 year term for posting a news report on a "blog" without prior approval from the Communist Party Propaganda Department. The news item wasn't sensitive information about China's nuclear weapons program. The journalist was imprisoned for sending foreign websites a copy of a message from Chinese authorities warning domestic Journalists about reporting on sensitive issues. Under the treaty being considered for ratification by the Bush administration, this could also require the US government to prosecute someone in the U.S.A. pressing for women's rights in Saudi Arabia or better treatment for Christians in Sudan, if these countries eventually ratify the treaty. There's more... Forget Encryption! Article 14 of this treaty requires countries to place a law into effect that would require disclosure of decryption keys. In other words, if you use a program like PGP on your PC to protect your files or e-mails from unauthorized access, the treaty would empower the government to ORDER you to release them. No probable cause, no warrant... just give up your keys (thus giving Big Brother investigators carte blanche to your files), or risk fines and imprisonment. Whatever happened to the Bill of Rights in the USA for example with its provision protecting your right to self-incrimination? Finally, the treaty contains ABSOLUTELY NO LIMITS on the authority BB governments have to conduct investigations of Internet users. If this treaty goes into effect, you will have absolutely no right to contest any investigative technique the U.S. Big Brother government or a foreign government takes to seize your computer files, decryption keys, e-mail messages, or any other electronic communications. WHERE IS THE FREE PRESS OF AMERICA? The opinion pages of every newspaper in the U.S. should be howling about this treaty-but the silence is deafening. EW has always screamed about the white bread press of America looking more for profit then their role as the 4th estate in protecting Americans from the tyranny of the government. It's a sad day when they report more on a movie star's pregnancy then news of citizens rights being squashed, albeit it sells more papers and ad space for advertisers and compliments the ignorance of the great populace of brain dead Yanks not interested in their civil liberties. Expat World would urge every US citizen brain dead or enlightened to contact the Senate Foreign relations Committee to express your outrage over this treaty (designated Treaty 108-11) CONTACT: U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510-6225 Majority Phone - (202) 224-4651 Minority Phone- (202) 224-3953. Big Brother Outsources to Little Brother There have been many comments by the US Big Brother government in how they protect your civil liberties - Fair Credit Reporting Act - Privacy Act - Right to Privacy Act BUT they are all SPUN to make you think Big Brother is looking out for your welfare. Big Brother's statements all sound good, BUT there is a tiny intsy, witsy loophole in the laws that is big enough to drive a Mack truck through. If an agency like the FBI or IRS seeks information on an "ADMINISTRATION SUBPOENA" these laws fold like a house of cards. But Big Brother has gotten so lazy in the recent years complaining about the trouble(burden) of issuing administrative subpoenas that they have come up with ways to avoid the messy paper work buy transferring the snooping to LITTLE BROTHER - getting private companies to do their dirty work for them. Banks, brokers, real estate agents, money services businesses, casinos and many other businesses have been required to report "SUSPICIOUS TRANSACTIONS" to the Treasury Department. But now outsourcing intelligence gathering on the financial and personal actions of US citizens has been handed to private enterprise firms. This is a whole new dimension. For instance, do you realize that when you send a package by FedEx you fill out paperwork, pay for the shipment, and then you think that's the end of it. No way! FedEx and an increasing number of other companies now keep your personal information on a data base and make it available to the FBI for "Homeland Security" purposes. No warrant, no probable cause, not even a administrative subpoena is required for the FBI to access the information. "Outsourcing" intelligence gathering to private companies has many benefits from a BB government point of view First, there are no messy laws or regulations to worry about because the customer consents to having the information released to the government under whatever contractual conditions apply . Second, private companies tend to do a much more efficient job than the U.S. government at spying on their customers. But that's just the beginning. A growing number of companies act as brokers for your personal information and sell it to the highest bidder. The most notorious of these is ChoicePoint, because its lax security recently allowed fraudsters to steal the identity of more than 145,000 persons whose records are in its databases. Among ChoicePoint's largest customers are law enforcement agencies. Although you are legally entitled to a free copy of a limited number of reports that ChoicePoint provides to insurance companies, landlords or prospective employers, you are not permitted to review the potentially much more damaging information provided to law enforcement agencies. What you can do to protect yourself * Foremost, read and implement actions found in the newest 3 set book called BYE BYE BIG BROTHER. See the article found in this issue of Expat World. * Use encryption programs in all correspondence while you still can. * Get a copy of your ChoicePoints's file on you * Review your contracts with Internet Providers, shipping companies, etc. to see if you are giving them permission to share info with the government. * Avoid the use of credit cards or checks for all but the most routine transactions. * When in doubt, use cash. But beware of using amounts over $3000 for you will probably be reported. * Finally, Get your money out of the country before your country gets your money out of you." Get the great majority of your cash and assets offshore in a safe tax haven, especially one with the best bank secrecy laws-- Panama, Austria being good choices. ==== 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 ================================= BYE BYE BIG BROTHER This new 3 volume set of Big Brother busting books is currently our top selling product. Check out the details at: ==== HUMOR, TRIVIA, NEWS AND MORE... ================ NEWS STORIES Wonder why he keeps forgetting.. SOFIA (Reuters) - Bulgarian police have arrested an elderly village priest on drug charges after he refused to stop growing marijuana, a spokeswoman said Wednesday. The 63-year-old clergyman from Kladensti, a mountain village with 10 residents near Bulgaria's border with Macedonia, was arrested Tuesday after police found ten pounds of marijuana in his house and numerous plants in abandoned fields nearby. Police had confiscated the drug at his house numerous times before and believed he was growing it for sale, said Valeri Georgiev, police spokesman of the southwest town of Blagoevgrad. "The police knew for sure that if they went to the priest's home, they would find drugs. We've seized marijuana at his house five or six times over the past three years," she said. "Apparently he refused to give it up." --- Sexy hijacker strikes again MELBOURNE'S train temptress has struck again. However police and rail officials have met to plan an end to her saucy crime spree. The woman broke into a cabin on a peak-hour Frankston train on Tuesday night and broadcast X-rated praise of the driver to stunned commuters. The husky-voiced intruder is believed to be the serial seductress behind a similar break-in and announcement on the Sandringham line last week. The trespasser evaded capture by authorities on both occasions. As her break-in broadcasts become more frequent, longer and more detailed, pressure is building for Connex to catch the profane prankster before more commuters are subject to her sexy speeches. "There was a woman on the address system. It was very graphic about how she was going to have sex with a driver for about three minutes," said Angela, a passenger on the Frankston-bound train. "I thought she was in cahoots with the driver." Angela said there were families on board unhappy their children were exposed to the content. Passengers on the trains during both incidents believed the woman was in the cabin with the driver or was a voice on a 1900 sex call. The broadcasts are now thought to be the work of a lone female hijacking the PA system in vacant train cabins. Police are scanning CCTV footage from stations to identify her. Ticket inspectors have been briefed to be on the lookout for the woman. "When the train comes to a stop at a station it is easy for them to slip out of the cab and merge with other passengers," said Connex spokesman Andrew Cassidy said. Connex yesterday discussed the incidents with Transit Safety Division officers. Connex has said some people are aware of a weakness that allows them to force their way into vacant cabins and hijack the PA. They said the flaw would be fixed this year. --- Stolen Corvette found after 37 years A CORVETTE sports car stolen when it was brand new in New York 37 years ago has been recovered in California and will be returned to its rightful owner, authorities have said. The 1968 car, which vanished from Alan Poster's garage in the borough of Queens on January 22, 1969, was identified as stolen as it was being loaded on a container ship for Sweden last November, US Department of Homeland Security spokesman Mike Fleming said. The car had recently been purchased for $10,000 by a man in Sweden who was unaware it had been stolen nearly four decades earlier, Mr Fleming said. Since Mr Poster's insurance at the time did not cover the Corvette's theft and he was never compensated, he is entitled to get it back. "When the California Highway Patrol contacted him, he said 'it's a miracle'. He's very excited about it. He's flying in tomorrow," Mr Fleming said. He said Mr Poster had since moved to California and long ago gave up hope of seeing the car again. The Corvette, which was originally painted blue with a matching interior, is now silver with a red interior. It is missing the gas tank, has a new engine and transmission and no longer runs, Mr Fleming said. California Highway Patrol officer Joe Zizi said investigators had determined the Swedish man purchased the car from a man in Texas, who in turn bought it from someone in New Mexico. None of them was involved in the theft or aware it had been stolen, Officer Zizi said. He said that after the Corvette was found to be a stolen car, detectives in New York were contacted and spent a month sifting through about 10,000 archived stolen car reports to find the original owner. --- Oxymoron: cheap gas ----- "A woman is an occasional pleasure but a cigar is always a smoke." Groucho Marx. ----- Jury: Twelve people who determine which client has the better lawyer. ----- A woman reported the disappearance of her husband to the police. The officer looked at the guy's photograph, questioned her, and then asked if she wanted to give her husband any message if they found him. "Yes, please" she replied. "Tell him Mother didn't come after all." ----- A man takes his sick dog to the vet. The vet lifts the dog onto the the operating table, looks down and says "Say ahhhhhhhhhhh!" The man looks at the vet and says "The dog can't speak". The vet says to the man "I was talking to YOU. The dog,s dead!!! ----- A sign seen over the toilet paper dispenser in a military "latrine" (bathroom): "Another quality product of the 3M company, sandpaper division." ==== THE RESOURCE TIP ============================ ATTACHMENT ANALYSER Analyse attachments and e-mail in your mailboxes, public folders or personal folder files. This free analyser will provide you with html reports you can use to help identify potential problem areas with respect to attachments within your e-mail system. Download it at . ==== INSIDE THE CURRENT EXPAT WORLD =============== EXPAT WORLD NEWSLETTER (VOL.18 ISSUE 01) Table of Content: - BIG BROTHER IS IN YOUR"PRIVACY FACE" MORE THAN YOU REALIZE - EXPAT WORLD'S OFFSHORE WORLD - DUBAI - A CITY OF GOLD, BOTH YELLOW, BLACK AND WHITE - MONEY WORLD BY EXPAT WORLD - FINANCIAL ANSWERS FROM A GUY THAT MIGHT-POSSIBLY-KNOW - EXPAT WORLD'S WORLD OF TRAVEL - AROUND THE WORLD WITH EXPAT WORLD - A BUSINESS IN A BOX - BYE BYE BIG BROTHER - INTERNATIONAL SNIPS AND CLIPS - AROUND THE SEXUAL WORLD WITH EXPAT WORLD - CRAPPER RAPPER - POTPOURRI FOR THE POTTY - HEADSTONE HUMOR 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 --------------------------------