================================================= Expat Worlds Monthly Digest ================================================= March, 2007 Vol. 9, Issue 3 .....IN THIS DIGEST..... ==== THE STORY =================== -=Second Passport for Ecomomic Reasons=- ==== OTHER EZINES ================ ==== EW SPECIAL ================== -=Two Nations offering easy Second Nationalities=- ==== HUMOR, TRIVIA, NEWS AND MORE... == -=Trivia=- -=News Story=- -=Jokes=- ==== THE RESOURCE TIP ============= -=Portable Applications=- ==== INSIDE THE CURRENT EXPAT WORLD == -=Table of Content=- ==== THE STORY ================================== SECOND PASSPORTS FOR ECONOMIC REASONS Global capital and trade flows continue to increase, in fact they are accelerating. The monkey wrench to this acceleration is the labor market whose mobility always seems to lag behind. . Political and cultural constraints have slowed the formulation of economically driven migration policies. Consequently, people around the world have been resorting to a much more idiosyncratic means of migration: the pursuit of citizenship. A few weeks back, the border crossings between Hong Kong and mainland China became the setting for one of the most extreme reactions against one of the most extreme forms of this pursuit. According to news reports, Hong Kong immigration officers are now allowed to stop women in the final stages of pregnancy from entering Hong Kong from mainland China, even using tape measures to ascertain their medical status. The presumption is that they are trying to give birth in Hong Kong so that their children will have a right to residency, and greater economic opportunities, in the wealthy special administration region of China. This practice is by no means confined to China. Migrants and even tourists from around the world have long sought to give birth in the United States, where citizenship is the reward for newborns on American soil. Even workers planning to return to their countries may stay a little longer to ensure that their children become Americans. The European Union, too, is picking up new migrants via citizenship claims. In a lot of cases, a person whose grandparent is a citizen of a member can apply for citizenship as well, as long as his or her parent also obtains citizenship. So, for example, a woman whose grandfather was German can become a German citizen, providing her father does as well. This proviso has often come in handy for recruits to major soccer clubs from South America, who usually manage to find enough ancestry in the Old World to finagle a passport. It is also becoming easier to exploit as the European Union grows - and more attractive, too. At this point, a citizen of any member nation gets the right to live and work in 27 countries. A man born in Canada who claims Romanian citizenship, for instance, may do so only to take a job in France. Over the past several decades there's been a rise in dual and multiple nationality. There are increased economic opportunities when you're also national of more than one country. People are finally figuring out what multinational companies have know for years, the economic and tax savings of having multi nation bases. It is happening at both ends of the income spectrum, too. We have two global labor markets. One is at the top, and one is at the bottom. There are high-skilled people who use multiple nationalities to increase their earning power, and low-skilled migrants trying to avoid legal problems in their new homes. In other words, citizenship is becoming less and less about patriotism. In obtaining a second or even third nationality, earning a living is often a higher priority than confirming a sense of identity and belonging. Seeking a better deal from society can also be a prime motivation. People are shopping for bundles of rights nowadays. For example, most Iraqi refugees are trying to go to Sweden, because "the word is out" about the benefits offered to migrants there. The story may be the same for undocumented immigrants fighting in the American armed forces and hoping to gain citizenship. There are immigrants who have come to the United States, who have been willing to make some tradeoff: I will go and fight in Iraq, but in return I'm expecting X, Y, Z. And with the state of the US armed forces the US seems to be accepting them with open arms – no pun intended. These demand-side reasons for pursuing citizenship are fairly well known. But there are supply-side factors that are increasing the number of people eligible for multiple nationalties, too. More countries, especially in Europe, have begun allowing women to hold on to their original nationalities after marriage and then to pass them to their children. And more countries have also been allowing migrants of all types to keep their original nationalities after they obtain new ones in foreign countries. More Turks, for example, are pursuing German citizenship because Turkey allows dual nationality. "Now that they can have dual nationality, it makes them feel better about being Germans, because they can keep their land back home. The same is true in Latin America. The sending countries - Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Mexico - have granted their Diaspora voting rights in their national elections. You have a whole new, sovereign attempt to gain some traction on the overseas migrants, no matter how poor they are. Even though people may pursue multiple nationalities for economic reasons, the results do not necessarily serve the interests of the countries whose nationalities they gain. It may be that a mainland Chinese mother who gives birth in Hong Kong is economically ambitious, and will pass that spirit on to her child. But her action is likely to yield far more idiosyncratic results than the state-of-the-art in immigration policy: highly targeted programs that try to select the most talented immigrants whose skills match the needs of local industries. Move on to the next article concerning Singapore's quest to increase their population (albeit , their work force and "talent" overall numbers) . They have yet to offer the "dual" citizenship provision but EW knows there has been inner circle debates on the idea. We're betting its time will come. ==== 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 ================================= TWO NATIONS OFFERING EASY SECOND NATIONALITIES EW knows of two nations that are offering easy second nationalities/passports. They both have been running the program for a good number of years. In this respect EW must declare: We at Expat World DO NOT sell passports. We act as paid advertisers for immigration consultants in a number of countries where the opportunities exists for 2nd nationalities. Expat World, in some cases, collects your data, pics and payment and directs all to the immigration consultants in the country of issue. We do this to look out for your welfare in seeing that you get what you paid for as a principle of keeping our advertisers on a straight and honest keel. If you want the info on both projects email : office@expatworld.net with "2 nations" in the subject heading. ==== HUMOR, TRIVIA, NEWS AND MORE... ================ NEWS STORIES Finally, something good about being old... BERLIN (Reuters) - A brothel in Germany hopes to capitalize on the growing number of retirees by offering them a 50 percent discount for sex in the afternoon. The "Pascha" in the western city of Cologne has introduced reduced rates for sex sessions for clients aged 66 and above -- provided they can prove they are old enough. "All clients need to do is show us some proof of age," said a spokesman for the brothel's managing director Armin Lobscheid. "A 'normal session' costs 50 euros with us -- and we're now paying 50 percent of that for these older guests." "We don't earn as much money, but we're establishing ourselves across a broader range of age groups," he added. After testing the water with reductions for senior citizens once a week, the Pascha decided earlier this month to offer 50 percent off sex services between midday and 5 p.m every day. "There's been plenty of demand and people have certainly been taking advantage of the offer," the spokesman said. "Older folks are more active than you think." The brothel's Web site is keen to stress this point. "Life begins at 66!" it says in an advert for its "senior citizens afternoon" next to a picture of a motorcycle rider. --- Guatemalan Mayan priests to 'purify' sacred site after Bush visit GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Mayan priests will purify a sacred archaeological site to eliminate "bad spirits" after President Bush visits next week, an official with close ties to the group said Thursday. "That a person like (Bush), with the persecution of our migrant brothers in the United States, with the wars he has provoked, is going to walk in our sacred lands, is an offense for the Mayan people and their culture," Juan Tiney, the director of a Mayan non-governmental organization with close ties to Mayan religious and political leaders, said Thursday. Bush's seven-day tour of Latin America includes a stopover beginning late Sunday in Guatemala. On Monday morning he is scheduled to visit the archaeological site Iximche on the high western plateau in a region of the Central American country populated mostly by Mayans. Tiney said the "spirit guides of the Mayan community" decided it would be necessary to cleanse the sacred site of "bad spirits" after Bush's visit so that their ancestors could rest in peace. He also said the rites — which entail chanting and burning incense, herbs and candles — would prepare the site for the third summit of Latin American Indians March 26-30. Bush's trip has already has sparked protests elsewhere in Latin America, including protests and clashes with police in Brazil hours before his arrival. In Bogota, Colombia, which Bush will visit on Sunday, 200 masked students battled 300 riot police with rocks and small homemade explosives. The tour is aimed at challenging a widespread perception that the United States has neglected the region and at combatting the rising influence of Venezuelan leftist President Hugo Chavez, who has called Bush "history's greatest killer" and "the devil." Iximche, 30 miles west of the capital of Guatemala City, was founded as the capital of the Kaqchiqueles kingdom before the Spanish conquest in 1524. --- Husband takes half the house A 43-YEAR-OLD German decided to settle his imminent divorce by chainsawing a family home in two and making off with his half in a forklift truck. Police in the eastern town of Sonneberg said on Friday the trained mason measured the single-storey summer house - which was some 8 meters (26 feet) long and 6 meters wide - before chainsawing through the wooden roof and walls. "The man said he was just taking his due," said a police spokesman. "But I don't think his wife was too pleased." After finishing the job, the man picked up his half with the forklift truck and drove to his brother's house where he has since been staying. --- Oxymoron: Bug-Free code ----- For economists, the real world is often a special case. Ask five economists and you'll get five different explanations (six if one went to Harvard). -- Edgar R. Fiedler ----- "Anyone who eats three meals a day should understand why cookbooks outsell sex books three to one." -- L. M. Boyd ----- "We don't want to go back to tomorrow, we want to go forward." -- J. Danforth Quayle, former U.S. Vice-President ----- He asked me if I knew what time it was. I said, "Yes, but not right now." ----- Q: What can you assume when you find a lawyer buried up to his neck in cement A: Someone ran out of cement. ----- A little old lady sits at the luncheonette counter and orders a hamburger. The huge guy behind the counter bellows, "ONE BURGER!" The cook, who's even bigger, screams, "BUR-GER!" Whereupon he grabs a huge hunk of chopped meat, stuffs it in his bare armpit, pumps his arm a few times to squeeze it flat, and tosses it on the grill. The old lady says, "That's the most disgusting thing I've ever seen!" The counterman says, "Yeah? You should be here in the morning when he makes the doughnuts!" ==== THE RESOURCE TIP ============================ Portable Applications Convenient Now you can carry your favorite computer programs along with all of your bookmarks, settings, email and more with you. Use them on any Windows computer. All without leaving any personal data behind. 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Download it at . ==== INSIDE THE CURRENT EXPAT WORLD =============== EXPAT WORLD NEWSLETTER (VOL.19 ISSUE 03) Table of Content: - SECOND PASSPORTS FOR ECONOMIC REASONS - SINGAPORE TO INCREASE ITS POPULATION FROM 4.5 MILLION TO 6.5 MILLION - LIKE A DOG ON A LEASH - TRACK ANYONE VIA THEIR CELL PHONE - SCAMS, SCAMS, SCAMS, EXPAT WORLD'S WORLD OF SCAMS - THE IRAQI DINAR SCAM - LIVING IN THAILAND - LETTER FROM SINGAPORE - SINGAPORE WOMEN LOSING OUT - 2007 QUALITY OF LIFE INDEX - AROUND THE WORLD WITH EXPAT WORLD - INTERNATIONAL SNIPS AND CLIPS - EXPAT WORLD'S WORLD OF HEALTH - YET MORE PROOF -- MARIJUANA, THE WONDER DRUG - EXPAT WORLD'S WORLD OF TRAVEL - EXPAT WORLD'S ELECTRONIC WORLD - CELL PHONE SURFERS GET A CUSTOM-FIT DOMAIN - CRAPPER RAPPER - ANDY ROONEY'S AMERICA - BUSH BUMPER STICKERS 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 --------------------------------