================================================= Expat Worlds Monthly Digest ================================================= 29 September, 2006 Vol. 8, Issue 09 .....IN THIS DIGEST..... ==== THE STORY =================== -=Svalbard=- ==== OTHER EZINES ================ ==== EW SPECIAL ================== -=Expat Wordl Subscription=- ==== HUMOR, TRIVIA, NEWS AND MORE... == -=Trivia=- -=News Story=- -=Jokes=- ==== THE RESOURCE TIP ============= -=Australian Landscapes=- ==== INSIDE THE CURRENT EXPAT WORLD == -=Table of Content=- ==== THE STORY ================================== LIVE, WORK, VISIT, IMMIGRATE TO A EUROPEAN COUNTRY THAT HAS NO IMMIGRATION BARRIERS AND FREEDOM PERSONIFIED Expat World found a country in Europe that will let you in to live, work or visit without immigration restrictions. Just show up and basically you can live there for as long as you like and can support yourself either by being independently wealthy or find work in the country. This opportunity would be well suited to those that have a portable trade or occupation (as per WG Hill's book available through Expat World). This is a country not suitable to all, especially if you like the big city life or the beaches of a tropical destination. BUT it may fit into some peoples' lifestyle. They have new countrymen living there now from all over the world with a large number of Thais settling there. The Svalbard Treaty of 1920 gives the same rights as native Svalbardians to signatories of some 40 nations. Before we go on let EW give you a capsule version of a country with the arguably the most freedoms on the planet earth. SVALBARD How could you not like a country that has the motto: “ Dyslexic cows say OOM!!!” whose civil rights are very good and political freedoms are superb and that has no prisons. Svalbard is Europe's northernmost territory. It is administered by Norway. Svalbard is the name for the archipelago situated between 74N10E and 81N35E latitudes. It consists of the major islands Spitsbergen (the largest), Nordaustlandet, Kong Karls Land, Prins Karls Forland, Barentsøya, Edgeøya, Hopen, Bjørnøya and a quantity of smaller islands and islets. The archipelago has a total area of 62.700 km2, two thirds of which are covered by glaciers. Distance from the north pole is approximately. 1000 kilometers. Svalbard means the land with the cold coast, or more accurate only "cold edge". "Sval" is a Norwegian name for "cool", and "bard" is an old name for "edge". Now that EW has your interest, let me answer a few of the most frequently asked question about Svalbard and see if this place could be on your itinerary for some future use. How can I get to Svalbard ? -- There are regular flights from Tromsø and Oslo, Norway several days a week. The flying time from Tromsø to Longyearbyen is less than 2 hours. The airport is located close to Longyearbyen, about 5 minutes with a car. You may take a taxi or go by bus to town. Tromsø is located in the northern part of Norway, non-stop flying time between Oslo and Tromsø is approximately. 1 hour and 30 minutes. Flights can be booked at www.sas.no or www.braathens.no You may also contact the local tourist info office at http://www.svalbard.net?sel=0. All types of planes can land at the airport in Svalbard. The Longyear runway is 2140 by 45 metres, and is normally open every day of the year. You may also travel by boat in the summer. A boat uses two to three days from Tromsø. Private sailboats, as little as 20 feet, come from all over the world to Svalbard between 20 June till 20 August. If you do not have your own ship, we can recommend this site: http://www.spitsbergentravel.com How can I find email addresses for Svalbard? You may check at: http://forum.svalbard.com/email.php. This list is growing every day. The addresses that have location set to Longyearbyen are people that permanently work and live there today. How many inhabitants are there in Svalbard? -- There are several small settlements in Svalbard. The Norwegian main settlements are in Longyearbyen(1.700), Sveagrua(210) and Ny-Ålesund(40). The Russian/Ukraian settlements are in Barentsburg(900). There are 8 inhabitants in Hornsund. There are many nationalities represent in all these settlements. What is the Svalbard Treaty? -- Svalbard is Europe's northernmost territory. The archipelago is part of the Kingdom of Norway. The Svalbard Treaty from 1920 gives Norway a special responsibility there. Svalbard shall remain demilitarized. The Svalbard Treaty was signed at the Peace Conference in Paris on 9th Feb ruary 1920 and Norway was awarded sovereignty over Svalbard. There were nine signatory countries. On the 14th August 1925 Norway formally assumed sovereignty over the archipelago and the Norwegian flag was flown. The of 14th August has since been considered as an unofficial "national holiday" for Svalbard. On the 27th February, 1935 The Soviet Union adhered to the Svalbard Treaty. The Treaty is a so-called "open" treaty. About 40 countries have joined(1998). The Treaty ensures equal rights to the citizens of these countries on Svalbard. How many polar bears are there in Svalbard? -- Polar bears between Alaska, Svalbard and Canada count between 15000 - 18000. Polar bears in the Svalbard zone are approximately 3000, mostly in the northeastern areas ( Some insiders say up to 6000, but this represents an increase which is not easily reconciled. ) Polar bears upon the islands of Svalbard at this moment may be 500 plus mothers with nice small cubs in the snow caves waiting to climb out. When do you have 24 hours of Sunlight and also when do you have 24 hours of darkness? -- Longyearbyen has midnight sun in the period April 20 to August 23. The sun stays under the horizon in the period October 26 to February 15. What is the relation between Svalbard and Spitsbergen? -- Spitsbergen is the name of the largest of the four main islands of Svalbard. They are Spitsbergen, Nordaustlandet, Edgeøya and Bjørnøya. What is the weather like? -- Considering the high latitude, the west coast of Spitsbergen has a mild climate due to the Gulf stream, and the sea is normally free of ice from June to December. The average temperature in Longyearbyen in January is -15.8 °C, and in July 6.1 °C. How to get a job at Svalbard? -- You may add info about yourself in a forum page at www.svalbard.com or try to contact local companies directly and ask them, Download a list of companies in Svalbard from Svalbard Samfunnsdrift. You may also consider advertising in/subscribe to the local newspaper SvalbardPosten .(Norwegian) Are there any plans to create an ordinary Norwegian municipality at Svalbard? -- From January 1 2002 Longyearbyen has become a municipality, with an elected community council of 15 members. For the election period 2004 – 2008, these 15 members represent 4 parties: The Labor Party (6 members), The Local City Group(5 members), The Conservatives (2 members) and The Progress Party (2 members). Can I use use my mobile telephone in Svalbard? -- Yes, you can use GSM phones in Longyearbyen, Svea and Barentsburg. From March 2005 you may also use UMTS phones in Longyearbyen. Do I have to have a gun license when arriving Svalbard? -- (This question is posed for all you Texan gunslingers --editor EW) You do not need a gun license to be able to rent a rifle in Svalbard. You can rent a rifle for a period of maximum 4 weeks without any special permission. But we highly recommend that you practice shooting with a rifle before you come to Svalbard, for your own safety. One of the few laws in Svalbard is that you MUST carry a rifle when going outside the community boundaries. There can be hungry polar bears lurking about! Besides polar bears what other wildlife is present? -- The Svalbard reindeer, which has existed on the islands for millennia, is the smallest species of reindeer in the world. The legs are shorter and the fur thicker than reindeer in e.g. mainland Norway. A buck may grow to a length of about 160 centimeters and acquire a weight of 90 kilos in the summer and 60 kilos in the winter. The latest population counts shows the existence of some 10.000 animals. Other unique species of animals in Svalbard are arctic fox and the Svalbard-grouse. And maybe the mouse too. Other more normal animals are different kinds of seals, beluga, minke whale, walrus, ptarmigan, arctic owl, and a great number of different birds in summertime. What are the educational opportunities like in Svalbard? -- 10 years of primary school and 3 years of high school, with a total of approximately 210 students (2003). The University Courses in Svalbard (UNIS) opened in 1993 and has room for about 100 students. What kinds of cars and automobiles do people drive in Svalbard? -- Just like the cars you use all over the world. AMC, Mitsubishi, Honda, Toyota, Suzuki, Hyundai, Mercedes, GMC, Volvo, Saab, etc. Well winterized of course! Do many Svalbardians speak English and what languages are normally spoken in Svalbard? -- Like in Norway most Svalbardians speak English. Norwegian is the normally spoken language in the Norwegian settlements, and Russian in the Russian settlements. Is there any tourist information that is available to the public? -- You can contact Svalbard Reiseliv through their webpage at www.svalbard.net which is the official tourist information office of Svalbard. How would you be able to get a copy of the local news paper in Svalbard considering you live outside of it? -- By subscribing to Svalbardposten. The newspaper is written in Norwegian. What sports are played in Svalbard? -- Many kinds of sports. Skiing, snow boarding, handball, volleyball, badminton, football (soccer), swimming (25 metres indoor pool), miniature shooting, wind surfing, diving, snowmobiling, etc. Sports like basketball, hockey, gymnastics, wrestling and track events are not very popular in Svalbard. Some basketball and track events are done from time to time, but not on a regular basis. In the last weekend of January 1998 the Norwegian Championship in badminton was held in the Svalbard Sports Hall. Are there any concerts held in Svalbard? -- There are annual events in Longyearbyen, a blues festival (October) and a jazz festival(January). Most big concerts are held at "Huset". All kinds of concerts have been held there. The internationally renowned pianist and conductor Vladimir Ashkenazy played there in June 1990. Many of the big Norwegian bands and theaters have played there over the years. These concerts are not on a regular basis, but are normally connected to a big local event. E.g. the return of the sun on March 8th. Does Svalbard have any sort of policing units or public safety personnel? -- Svalbard is ruled by the Sysselmannen (the Governor of Svalbard), which also have a few Norwegian police officers employed. They have traffic controls etc. What is the main religion of the inhabitants of Svalbard if any? -- The Norwegians follow the Norwegian church, Protestants. What’s the history of “warfare” in Svalbard? -There was a "war" in the 1600`s between Holland and England. The fight was about the right to hunt whales along the Svalbard coastline. This "war" did not happen in Europe, but was a fight that solely took place in the Svalbard waters. It is said that in one battle between these countries at least 17 whaling vessel were sunk. The countries also destroyed each others small settlements on land. They destroyed so much for each other that finally they had to sit down and agree on dividing the coastline in hunting areas, where each country had exclusive righst on whale hunting. The next war that took place in Svalbard was the World War II. In 1941 900 Norwegians and 2000 Russians were evacuated from Svalbard. On May 14th 1942 Svalbard was recaptured from the Germans by the "Fritham" expedition. On September 8th 1943 the German battleships "Tirpitz" and "Scharnhorst" accompanied by nine destroyers razed the communities on Svalbard to the ground. People were killed, several wounded, and 70 prisoners were taken. In 1944 the little community Svea was razed to the ground by a German submarine. The first post-war shipping connection with Svalbard was established on June 27, 1945. Well, there you go. As we said before Svaldsbard might not be good for all but it certainly looks like a good hide- out from ex-spouses and lawsuits and debt collectors among others. Svalbard can be colder than a witches' tit but could be interesting for a "warm" season visit. ==== 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 ================================= FREE SUBSCRIPTION -- In honor of our 20 year in business, we are offering a FREE 3-month trial subscription to our primary newsletter: EXPAT WORLD -- "the newsletter of international living --showing you the world in a way you've never seen before." You can only get this offer as a reader of the Expat World Digest and the only way is to email: office@expatworld.com with "EW free sub offer" in the subject heading . You will be put on the sublist for 3 months (3 issues) absolutely free. You will receive the PDF formatted electronic copy on or about the 15th of each month directed to the email address you send the request from. This offer is to introduce you to our finest publication. Presently you receive the EW Digest and it only has tidbits of info from the REAL thing (EW). WE always reserve the best of the reports and articles for the Expat World Newsletter, just teasing you with the EW Digest hoping to get the miserly fee of US $30 out of you sometime to subscribe to the Expat World newsletter. Now you get to try EW for 3 month free. Just get those emails coming and we'll start your free sub. ==== HUMOR, TRIVIA, NEWS AND MORE... ================ NEWS STORIES Finger length linked to female sporting potential LONDON (Reuters) - The length of a girl's ring finger could be an indicator of her future sporting potential, researchers at King's College London said on Thursday. In the largest study of its kind, hand measurements of 607 female twins aged 25-79 from the UK were compared with the women's lifetime sporting achievements. The findings, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, found that women with ring fingers longer than their index fingers had performed better at running and associated running sports such as soccer and tennis. In women the ring finger is commonly shorter or the same length as the index finger, while in men the ring finger is generally longer. The report said detection of sporting potential by examining the ratio between the index and ring fingers "could help identify talented individuals at a pre-competitive stage." The reasons for the findings were unclear, said one of the report's authors, Professor Tim Spector from the Twins Research Unit at King's College, who said he was originally skeptical about the link to sporting ability. "Previous studies have suggested the change in finger length was due to changes in testosterone levels in the womb," he said. But he said the unit had found in a separate study of twins that finger length was largely inherited, possibly explaining why sporting parents often have sporting children. "We found that finger length was 70 percent heritable with little influence of the womb environment," he said. "This suggests that genes are the main factor and that finger length is a marker of your genes." He said no specific candidate genes had been identified for the link and that multiple genes were probably responsible. Previous studies looking at the link between finger length and sporting ability have mainly focused on men. A study published in 2001 of 304 English professional soccer players found they had a significantly larger ring-to-index-finger ratio than a control group of 533 other men. Other studies in men have shown the ratio of the ring finger to the index finger can be associated with varied traits such as sexuality, musical ability and vulnerability to certain diseases. --- Marmalade to cost $12,600 a jar A BRITISH company has produced what it says is the world's most expensive jar of marmalade. The 1kg jar costs £ 5000 ($12,600) and contains generous lashings of 62-year-old Dalmore malt whisky, Pol Roger vintage champagne and edible gold leaf. It is estimated it would cost £ 77 to spread a slice of toast, at about £ 11 a mouthful. Marmalade, a bitter jam made with oranges, first arrived in England from Portugal in the 15th century and rapidly became a favourite with the aristocracy, many of whom believed it had aphrodisiac qualities. Manufacturer Duerr's, who produced the one-off to mark the company's 125th anniversary, say the jar will be auctioned for charity on auctions website eBay later this year. --- Crickets jump up the menu for drinkers WOULD you like your crickets deep fried and crispy? Peppered and presented in a neat circle on a bed of green leaves? Breeders of crickets say the insects have become "finger food for beer drinkers" in an age of increasing prosperity in Vietnam compared with the recent past when they might have been food for the hungry or for wartime soldiers surviving in the jungle. Businessman Le Thanh Tung raises hundreds of thousands of the flying insects in barrels and sells them to restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City, the Southeast Asian country's largest urban area, or to other breeders in neighbouring provinces. "The taste is very particular, very special and it smells good and tastes delicious but it is very difficult to compare cricket to other meat," said Tung, 28, suggesting that crickets are an acquired taste. At his small farm and restaurant about 25 km (16 miles) west of the city center, a plastic-covered menu with photographs of cricket dishes offers "young crickets deep fried," "cricket salad," "breaded cricket," "cricket noodle" and "peppered cricket." --- Oxymoron: Highway ----- "There's no trick to being a humorist when you have the whole government working for you." -- Will Rodgers ----- Quote me as saying I was mis-quoted. ----- "In the beginning there was nothing... which exploded." -- The shortened Big Bang theory ----- Q: How does a man show he's planning for the future? A: He buys two cases of beer instead of one. ----- Four surgeons were taking a coffee break and were discussing their work. The first said, "I think accountants are the easiest to operate on. You open them up and everything inside is numbered." The second said, "I think librarians are the easiest to operate on. You open them up and everything inside is in alphabetical order." The third said, "I like to operate on electricians. You open them up and everything inside is color-coded." The fourth one said, "I like to operate on lawyers. They're heartless spineless, gutless, and their heads and their ass are interchangeable." ----- Only in America... Only in America...can a pizza get to your house faster than an ambulance... Only in America...are there handicap parking places in front of a skating rink... Only in America...do people order double cheese burgers, a large fry, and a diet coke... Only in America...do banks leave both doors open and then chain the pens to the counters... Only in America...do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and leave useless things and junk in boxes in the garage... Only in America...do we use answering machines to screen calls and then have call waiting so we won't miss a call from someone we didn't want to talk to in the first place... Only in America...do we buy hot dogs in packages of ten and buns in packages of eight... Only in America...do we use the word "politics" to describe the process so well: "Poli" in latin meaning "many" and "tics" meaning "blood-sucking creatures"... ==== THE RESOURCE TIP ============================ Australian Landscapes 01 This screensaver shows beautiful pictures of Australian landscapes. Dawnings and sundowns have a splendid view. Includes photo's from places all over Australia. Includes 20 amazing images. All pictures are in a resolution of 800 by 600 pixels, and they are in High Color. Go to . ==== INSIDE THE CURRENT EXPAT WORLD =============== EXPAT WORLD NEWSLETTER (VOL.18 ISSUE 07) Table of Content: - LIVE, WORK, VISIT, IMMIGRATE TO A EUROPEAN COUNTRY THAT HAS NO IMMIGRATION BARRIERS AND FREEDOM PERSONIFIED - SVALBARD - SOME GENERAL COMMENTS ON TRUSTS - ART LOVERS - WWW.EXPATARTIST.COM - PLANNING FOR YOUR RETIREMENT - A SHORT CUT TO IMMIGRATION TO THE USA BUT MONEY TALKS AND BULLSHIT WALKS - THE KNOWLEDGE BOX - CHECK OUT THESE PDF REPORTS!!!!! - AROUND THE WORLD WITH EXPAT WORLD - TROUBLE IN THE PAPUA JUNGLE - INTERNATIONAL SNIPS & CLIPS - LETTER FROM SINGAPORE - LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO LIVE, WORK, SETTLE IN, IMMIGRATE? THEN LOOK NO - FURTHER THAN SINGAPORE - SECRETS REVEALED BEAT THE BUREAUCRACY - CRAPPER RAPPER - A FEW TOUGH QUESTIONS - HOW OLD AM I? 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 --------------------------------