================================================= Expat Worlds Monthly Digest ================================================= May, 2007 Vol. 9, Issue 5 .....IN THIS DIGEST..... ==== THE STORY =================== -=Expat World's WORLD OF TRAVEL=- ==== OTHER EZINES ================ ==== EW SPECIAL ================== -=8 Years of Expat World=- ==== HUMOR, TRIVIA, NEWS AND MORE... == -=Trivia=- -=News Story=- -=Jokes=- ==== THE RESOURCE TIP ============= -=A to Z Clipboard=- ==== INSIDE THE CURRENT EXPAT WORLD == -=Table of Content=- ==== THE STORY ================================== EXPAT WORLD'S WORLD OF TRAVEL BEATING THE LONG CHECK IN LINES -- Next time your at the airport and the economy class check in line is a mile and hour long. Just move to the always very much shorter business and first class check in. Approach the counter and ask the attendant what it cost to up grade your economy class ticket to business. When she checks and tell you , mock surprise at how much it is and say, "Geeze, my company will not approve that much." Then ask if she can check you in since you are here anyhow. Most times it's no problem and you've save a lot of time getting checked . Cheeky but , I think you will get over it! CHEAP BIKE RIDING IN HAWAII -- If you like to cycle and are staying at least a week on Oahu or Maui. renting a bike can be expensive, Take the bus to the nearest K-mart or Wall Mart and you can buy a new one ready to ride for usually under $70. Ride it during your full stay.. When leaving give it to a poor kid on the street or donate it to a thrift shop or for the really frugal put a sign on it, that can be read when you chain it to a tree, post, during your time there that says, "This new bike available at (some time) on (date) for only $25. Call (hotel number and your room number) to make arrangements for take over. It always works. GOING TO COSTA RICA -- Forget your malaria concerns. You have a much better chance of being eaten by a polar bear. CELL PHONES IN EUROPE -- If you coming from the USA and you're carrying a cell phone who's provider is Verizon . It will make a great paperweight in Europe. Don't even bother bringing it. A VERY DIFFERENT MUSEUM TO VISIT -- Singapore native Chang Yang Fa, an engineering consultant, still has his first toy, a Matchbox 73 RAF refueling truck he bought when he was 6. This month, at age 57, Chang officially opens the Mint Museum of Toys to hold the 50,000 pieces he's acquired since then. He believes his five-story glass building is the first purpose-built toy museum ever. Among the rarest objects in the collection is a water pistol from the 1950s based on the 1950s English sci-fi comic book hero, Dan Dare ("It's the only one known to exist in the world," says Chang). The toys, many in their original packaging, are arranged by theme , rather than by country. country "Toys from Brazil and Japan are next to each other to provoke visitors to ask: "Why are they so similar?" Chang Say: " The world of toys is universal." You can find this unique museum in Singapore at 26 Seah St. (Near the Raffles Hotel) tel: 65-6339-0660. IT HAPPENS IN CALIFORNIA ALL THE TIME -- It was a stormy week in Virginia Beach, Va., so my family was glad when the sun finally came out. When we went to the beach, however, people were screaming and running away from the water. We cautiously walked over and discovered lots of clear, round disks in the water. "Jellyfish!" we exclaimed. But after taking a closer look, we noticed that their tentacles were missing and they were all dead. Even stranger, the lifeguards were sitting at their posts as if nothing had happened, so we asked one what was going on. With a big grin, he said that during the storms the rough seas had caused a freighter to tip some of its cargo overboard-and what everyone thought were jellyfish were actually breast implants. SUPERSCRIPT???? -- The once-supersecret government nuclear-fallout shelter under The Greenbrier resort in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va., is open for tours again after two years of renovations (greenbrier.com, $30). THAILAND'S REDNECKS JUST DON'T HAVE IT RIGHT -- In Thailand, I was having a few beers with a friend when one of the locals asked to try my chewing tobacco. I happily agreed, explaining that he shouldn't swallow, but spit into a Pepsi can like I was doing. When I turned around a few minutes later, I saw that he was about to drink from the same can that I'd been spitting into. "Pepsi mai dee (Pepsi no good)! " I told him, but it was too late, and he was quickly running to the bathroom. RETIRING OVERSEAS -- I'd like to retire overseas, perhaps in Thailand or the Philippines. Where can I find information about Americans, who are living abroad? --Jo Jo the traveling Man. There is a newsletter out there called Expat World that covers many aspects of retiring abroad. They have recently stated a special area where low retirement income like teachers can find the best places to retire overseas. Find them at www.expatworld.org. Another source is Expat Focus that has online forums where users share stories, and, can browse real estate listings and links to expat-related news (expatfocus.com). Nonprofit groups such as American Citizens Abroad sends members a print newsletter with stories about Social Security and taxes as they apply to expats as well as regular e-mails on legislation affecting citizens overseas (www.aca.ch, $40 a year). International Living focuses on places to travel retire, and invest world wide, has a free daily e-mail newsletter and a monthly magazine for $40 per year. Expat Exchange, meanwhile, allows you to browse country- specific links to apartment rental, job postings, social events, and forums (expatexchange.com). THE REAL TRAVELERS OF THIS WORLD - THE BOONDOCKERS -- For 50 years, Arkansas native Nadine Anglin has been wintering in the California desert. Unlike the snowbirds who flock to Palm Springs, Anglin, 85, prefers an abandoned World War II naval base called Slab City, 170 miles southeast of Los Angeles. There's no electricity, no bathrooms, no formal law enforcement, no rent. Anglin is part of a community of people who call themselves boondockers- people who park their RVs together in remote spots (the boondocks), thereby forming temporary settlements. "When I go back to Arkansas, it always seems so dull," she says. Slab City, a 640-acre stretch of state-owned desert near the Salton Sea, is the most popular location in the country for boondockers to congregate. In the height of winter, the community is about 3,000 members strong. While official RV parks offer electrical hookups, cable TV feeds, and waste disposal facilities-for as much as $200 a week-the only amenities at Slab City are a weekly church service, a bulletin board on the main road with info on barbecues and other events, and a stage for open-mike nights. The closest working plumbing is in Niland, Calif. (pop. 1,200), a few miles west. "You have to love the outdoors," says Anglin, who's fond of dune buggying through the desert, "and you have to be able to handle problems like your RV's battery going dead." She counts on three other three other things for survival: solar panels to cut down on the cost of gas-powered generators; a CB-like radio to communicate with neighbors (Anglin's CB name is Colorback), and a big tank for "black water," the name given to the RN- occupants' waste. You also have to love the nomadic life. Many. boondockers spend the season moving from one settlement to another. "I get tired of sitting at a campground, looking at the same people day after day," says Bernard Schnieders, 73, who makes regular stops at Slab City. "I like the freedom." The three main websites for boondockers are escapees.com, boondocking.org, and desertdutch.org. The latter is maintained by Slab City "resident" Dutch Schaafsma. When asked how he'd advise potential boondockers, he says to inspect your neighbors closely before you set up camp. "If you don't like em," he says, "you can always move to another spot." The main entrance to Slab City is off Highway 111, four miles east of Nilan., -- www.slabcity.org. CAVIAR IN A TUBE -- Caviar for breakfast? It sounds like something out of a James Bond novel, but you can get it a many hotel buffets in Stockholm Sweden. It's creamed roe cut with potato flakes and tomato paste in a toothpaste-sized tube. They are also sold at supermarkets for US $1.40. Evidently, this "caviar" is a popular after-school snack (on bread) in Sweden. Somehow we don't think Skippy has much to worry about! TRAVELERS TALES: FREE LODGING IN TOKYO -- My friend and I left a bar in Tokyo, only to discover that we had missed the last train back to our hotel. We asked an officer in the station if there was a hotel nearby. He nodded and said, "Free"-and then he motioned for us to follow him. We were thrilled to find a free place to say-until he stopped in the middle of the train station, grabbed two pieces of cardboard, and placed them on the floor. Sure enough, we slept in the station. --TV Lawrence HOTEL BY THE HOUR -- After spending a few days on Vieques, on honeymoon, my husband and I headed to the central mountain region of Puerto Rico. We had booked a campsite, but when we at it all we found was a gate, two guard dogs and a sign telling us we were trespassing:- We finally located an open gas station. Marta, working the register, offered to escort us to a hotel that wouldn't be to expensive, and was "better than most. She led us to the gates of Hotel OK and waved good-bye. A man in a golf cart pointed us toward a garage. It wasn't until we pulled in that we realized the hotel rented by the hour. Exhausted, we paid for eight. The room was unique- mirrors on the walls and ceiling, a dirty heart-shaped tub, and our very own disco ball. The romantic atmosphere was completed when an anonymous attendant handed us sheets through a slot in the wall. Marta helped make our belated honeymoon very memorable, although the verdict is out whether she had good intentions or was playing a joke on the gringos. -- J. Strap WHAT A PICK-UP LINE -- Last February my friend and I -- both women getting a little long in tooth -- took a cruise along the Mayan Riveria. The last stop was Costa maya, and when we left the ship, the weather was drizzly. We found a table with an umbrella and sat down to decide what to do next. A tall, homely, elderly man approached me and said, "Are you sexually active?' Without a moment's hesitation I replied, "I don't remember." -- Dee Prune THE WONDERS OF SPAIN -- Our kids Emma (5 years) and Evan (3 years) were champs at eating on our ten-day trip to Spain. They gobbled down cured Spanish ham, calamari, Andalusian paella and boquerones - tiny fish native to the Mediterranean. After arriving in Barcelona we went to find a bite to eat. "look Mommy! Real Food!" Emma screamed -- and then pointed at a Mc Donald's. -- C. McNugget ==== 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 ================================= 8 YEARS OF EXPAT WORLD You can get the last 8 year's back issues of EXPAT WORLD newsletter on a CD formatted for both Mac and PC computers. For readers of the Expat World Digest this is your chance to get the real skinny on international events rather than just the crumbs we send you each week free in the EW Digest to peak your interest into becoming regular subscribers, either electronically or the hard copy version, to the REAL Thing, the EXPAT WORLD newsletter. So much has changed in the amount of freedom, personal and financial privacy, international loopholes and just the operation of the world community in the last 8 years that you need this CD to pretty much get you up to speed. But besides this instant education our newsletter is a cheeky, funny, and spot-on newsletter that leaves you waiting anxiously for the next issue. Don't miss out on this 8 year collection. It's available for only US $75. You can get it at www.expatworld.net. Get them while we still have this CD available. ==== HUMOR, TRIVIA, NEWS AND MORE... ================ NEWS STORIES N.Y. taxi license hits record price: $600,000 NEW YORK (Reuters) - The price of a license to operate a New York taxi cab hit a record $600,000 in May, according to a lending company which financed the purchase. Medallion Financial Corporation said it had financed the purchase of two medallions -- the license to operate a yellow cab in New York -- for a total of $1.2 million by a large corporate fleet operator. "Prices of corporate medallions have increased from $195,000 in 2001 to the record $600,000 this week," Andrew Murstein, president of the lending company, said in a statement on Tuesday. It said the previous record was about $550,000. New York has around 13,000 yellow cabs. A typical $10 fare would cover a trip from the Empire State Building in Midtown Manhattan to the Financial District at the south of the island, assuming no time stuck in traffic and without a tip. --- Your food or my tusks! Elephant robs motorists NEW DELHI (Reuters) - An elephant in eastern India has sparked complaints from motorists who accuse it of blocking traffic and refusing to allow vehicles to pass unless drivers give it food, a newspaper reported on Monday. The Hindustan Times said the elephant was scouting for food on a highway in the eastern state of Orissa, forcing motorists to roll down their windows and get out of the car. "The tusker then inserts its trunk inside the vehicle and sniffs for food," local resident Prabodh Mohanty, who has come across the elephant twice, was quoted as saying. "If you are carrying vegetables and banana inside your vehicle, then it will gulp them and allow you to go." If a commuter does not wind down his window or resists opening the vehicle door, the elephant stands in front of the car until the driver allows him to carry out his routine inspection. Forestry officials told the newspaper that the elephant is old and is therefore looking for easy food. "So far, it has not harmed anybody," said Sirish Mohanty, a forest ranger working in the state. "We are telling commuters regularly not to tease the elephant. But if people don't heed to our advice and harass the tusker, then it can retaliate." Elephants are a protected and endangered species in India, which has nearly half of the world's 60,000 Asian elephants. But conservationists say its population has fallen rapidly in recent years because of loss of habitat as a result of human encroachment into forest areas. --- Sperm: The new crack In perhaps the best titled article ever, "Crying Over Spilled Semen," Psychology Today reports on a study that basically says women are addicted to semen. Hilarious. The finding that women who do not use condoms during sex are less depressed and less likely to attempt suicide than are women who have sex with condoms and women who are not sexually active, leads one researcher to conclude that semen contains powerful—and potentially addictive—mood-altering chemicals. Study author Gordon G. Gallup, Ph.D., a psychologist at the State University of New York in Albany, also found that women who routinely had intercourse without condoms became increasingly depressed as more time elapsed since their last sexual encounter. There was no such correlation for women whose partners regularly used condoms. Gallup also found that women who did not use condoms were most likely to initiate sex and to seek out new partners as soon as a relationship ended: "These women are more vulnerable to the rebound effect, which suggests that there is a chemical dependency." Gallup also says he's planning on examining whether "semen withdrawal" places women at an increased risk for depression. Yeah. Well I guess the best way to avoid semen addiction is to never get started. I'm sure that will go over well. Posted by Jessica at feministing.com --- Oxymoron: new and improved ----- England and America are two countries separated by the same language. ----- "I went to watch Pavarotti once. He doesn't like it when you join in." -- Mick Miller. ----- Wise men never marry and when they marry they become otherwise. ----- Two cows were talking in the field one day. First Cow: Have you heard about the Mad Cow disease that's going around? Second Cow: Yeah, makes you glad you're a penguin, doesn't it? ----- Mrs. Ogden went to her doctor and said "Please give me a prescription for the Pill." "I don't think you need the Pill at your age." "It relaxes me." "But you know the 'purpose' of the Pill. It's not for relaxing," exclaimed the physician. "I know," said Mrs Ogden, "but my daughter dates, and every morning I drop one in her orange juice. Believe me, I feel more relaxed. ----- A woman with really hairy underarms boards a crowded bus. Unable to find a seat, she settles for hanging onto one of the poles. A drunk man next to her stares at her for three minutes, then tells her, "I love a woman that does aerobics." The woman replies angrily, "I don't DO aerobics!" The drunk man then looks at the woman and says, "Then how did you get your leg up so high?" ==== THE RESOURCE TIP ============================ A to Z Clipboard A to Z Clipboard is a free utility which allows you to copy up to 25 times before pasting. (Unlike the Windows clipboard which only allows you to copy once.) The small clipboard window floats above your work and you can see the first few words of each clip to remind you what they are. When you put the mouse over a clip, you see more of it in an optional popup preview window. Download it at . ==== INSIDE THE CURRENT EXPAT WORLD =============== EXPAT WORLD NEWSLETTER (VOL.19 ISSUE 05) Table of Content: - WHERE THE HELL IS THE CONCLAVE OF LLIVIA AND WHO SHOULD TAKE NOTE - BITS AND PIECES - EVEN THE IRAQI'S DON'T WANT THE US THERE, SEE: - ANTI-BIG BROTHER SITES - PT ARTICLES AND INFORMATION SITES - BULLETIN BOARDS WITH TOPICS OF INTEREST TO PTS: - A WOMAN'S ISSUE - LETTER FROM SINGAPORE - A LETTER FROM JERUSALEM - TWELVE WAYS TO AVOID BEING RIPPED OFF BY YOUR BANK - AN OPEN FORUM ON PT RELATED MATTERS: PT REFUGE. - INTERNATIONAL SNIPS AND CLIPS - THE WORLD'S GREATEST CONSULTANCY - EXPAT WORLD'S WORLD OF TRAVEL - CRAPPER RAPPER - TOP TEN THOUGHTS OF 2007 - SEVEN REASONS NOT TO MESS WITH CHILDREN 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 --------------------------------