Archive for January, 2008
« Previous EntriesSurf Anonymously with a “Virtual Private Network”
Thursday, January 31st, 2008I probably don’t need to remind you that courtesy of the "War on Everything," in the United States, basically everything you do online is subject to surveillance. Your e-mail, your newsgroup visits, your Web browsing history, your online chat sessions, etc. all are monitored. Much of the time, this monitoring occurs without any warrant or [...]
The Locksmith Police Come to Texas
Tuesday, January 29th, 2008In Texas, locksmiths must comply with "know-your-customer" requirements similar to those in effect with U.S. financial institutions. Really! No word yet on whether Texas locksmiths must notify the U.S. Treasury Department if a customer locked out of his or her car engages in "suspicious activities." But customers must now provide a laundry list of "proof" [...]
U.K. National ID Card Proposal Delayed
Monday, January 28th, 2008The Nazis had one, and so did the Soviets and apartheid South Africa. Communist China has one. And an increasing number of "free" countries have them as well. Residents of Hong Kong, Singapore and even the Netherlands now have to carry their cards at all times. What I’m referring to, of course, is a national [...]
Is Captive Insurance for You?
Thursday, January 24th, 2008The explosive growth in lawsuits mean that many U.S. businesses find it difficult or impossible to obtain liability insurance at a reasonable price. Perhaps yours is one of them. One solution to this problem is to form a "captive" insurance company. This is a company tailor-made to insure the risks of an operating business, or [...]
Hope You Had an Offshore Account for Monday’s Market Meltdown
Tuesday, January 22nd, 2008Monday, Jan. 21, 2008, was a bloody one for global equity markets. Yet, since most U.S. securities markets were closed for the Martin Luther King holiday, Americans were trapped in their securities positions. Except, of course, for those with offshore bank accounts in place. If you had an offshore account, when you awoke yesterday morning [...]
Instant Panamanian Passport—NOT!
Monday, January 21st, 2008At least once or twice a month, a reader contacts me to ask about an "instant passport" program from Panama. My response has always been the same. Panama does NOT have a legally sanctioned economic citizenship/passport program. However, there are several possibilities for residence in exchange for investment. Recently, though, a company in Panama contacted [...]
Retirement Crisis of 2008
Thursday, January 17th, 2008Nightmare on the Costa del Sol
Wednesday, January 16th, 2008In the last three years, an enormous scandal has slowly developed in Spain. It’s now led to the forced demolition, without compensation, of a home purchased by foreign retirees. And evidently, there’s much more to come. Spain is very popular with expats, especially from the United Kingdom. More than 800,000 U.K. expats now live in [...]
Take Your PC in for Repairs, Go to Jail
Tuesday, January 15th, 2008A Pennsylvania man learned the hard way that you have no right to privacy when your computer is repaired. On October 15, 2004, Kenneth Sodomsky brought his computer to a Circuit City store in Pennsylvania. When he arrived, he asked store technicians to install a DVD burner in it. To test operation of the burner, [...]
More Passport Scams
Monday, January 14th, 2008Alternative passport and citizenship scams are alive and well. I recently discovered a Web site offering second passports from several countries, including Switzerland, Belize, The Bahamas, and Panama. I’m also aware of a Web site offering second passports from two unnamed countries in the European Union. One clue that these passports are fraudulent comes in [...]
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