British Tourists's Turned away from the USA because of Tweets

Erin

03 February, 2012 11:54

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency is constantly looking for threats to the United States of America through it's use of full body scans, metal detectors... and Twitter? Time reports that the agency allegedly detained two British tourists recently after a questionable Twitter conversation. Leigh Van Bryan, 26, and Emily Bunting, 24, were surprised to be "taken aside by armed agents at Los Angeles International Airport and had their passports confiscated. They were reportedly questioned for five hours, put in a van with illegal immigrants and held overnight on suspicion of planning to commit crimes." (More)

We Like The World: half way around the world for a family

EasyExpat

27 January, 2012 14:41

Already 6 months around the world. Exactly 1 year ago, we were talking about the project of the Colas' family to go around the world from July 2011 to June 2012. More than a trip, 'We Like The World' is the name of one mission: to fund the building of a girls' school in Cambodia, thanks to the help of their 80.000 facebook friends and friends of friends living around the world. (More)

Expats Excluded from Scottish Referendum?

Erin

25 January, 2012 15:11

The Scottish government plans to only allow residents to vote in the upcoming independence referendum. Labour MSP Elaine Murray says:

"The fact is, with youth unemployment rising in Scotland, more young Scots are being forced to look outwith [sic] Scotland for jobs. It seems hugely unfair that they should be stopped from having a say in Scotland's future."

(More)

Australian Military Seeks Overseas Soldiers to Enlist

Erin

14 January, 2012 12:01

The military is an important element of pride in most modern nations. They earmark large portions of every national budget, protect the people, and safeguard a nation's boundaries. Many countries require military or civic service as an important step in developing national pride and giving back to the nation. So why is Australia recruiting British service personnel earmarked for redundancy? (More)

The Roots of Occupy Wall Street and Impact on Expats

Erin

09 November, 2011 12:27

The "Occupy Wall Street" movement made headlines in the USA after it started on September 17, 2011 in Zuccotti Park in the Wall Street financial district. An ongoing series of demonstrations against social and economic inequality, corporate greed, corruption and influence over government from the financial services sector and lobbyists, the movement has spawned a nickname (OWS), a website (http://occupywallst.org/), a twitter feed, and growing support around the world.

The theme of "We are the 99 percent" refers to the difference in wealth in the U.S. between the wealthiest 1 percent and the rest of the population. This sentiment is not unique to America in light of the worldwide economic crisis. Triggered by the collapse of the U.S. housing bubble in 2007, this led to questions regarding bank solvency and declines in credit availability. Economies worldwide slowed during this period as credit tightened and international trade declined. (More)

Expats Around the World Remember - 10th Anniversary of 9/11

Erin

09 September, 2011 11:12

We are under 48 hours from the anniversary of the terrorist attacks that took place on the Untied States on September 11th, 2001. However, I wouldn't say we are 48 hours away from remembering the event. As if you could avoid the non-stop news coverage, I don't think it has left many people's minds since the attacks occurred.

The September 11th attacks, also called 9/11, were a series of four coordinated suicide attacks against targets in New York and Washington, D.C. on September 11, 2001. On that morning, 19 al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four passenger jets, managing to crash two planes into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City causing both towers to collapse. Hijackers crashed a third plane into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia and in the fourth plane passengers attempted to take back control of the plane which prevented it from reaching its intended target in Washington, D.C, but did result in it's crash in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. In total nearly 3,000 people died in the attacks from over 90 different nations. (More)

London Riots: is it only about looting or shall we look for the reasons behind it?

Erin

09 August, 2011 16:18

The world looks on as media outlets report that London is burning. Rioting and looting that took place over the weekend have continued and spread out from the poorer sections of London to as far away as Birmingham, Liverpool, & Bristol.

What Happened

The event appears to have started after the shooting of Mark Duggan, a 29-year-old father of four, who was fatally shot last Thursday night in North London's Tottenham Hale section. It appears Duggan was a passenger in a minicab that was stopped as part of an initiative to recover illegal guns in the area. Details remain vague, but it appears an illegal firearm was found at the scene and shots rang out, though The Guardian asserts that ballistic reports now show that all of the gunfire came from police. A peaceful protest was planned for Friday evening with the family wanting to meet with police officials to get answers, but the protester's pleas were unanswered. It was at this point that frustrations boiled over and the protests turned violent. This is the worst outbreak of social unrest in Britain in 25 years since the Broadwater Farm riots.

(More)

Royal Wedding: Kate and William

Erin

26 April, 2011 03:16

"The Royal Wedding Approaches! The Royal Wedding Approaches!"

The news is hard to avoid, even if you want to. Prince William and Kate Middleton are getting married. Every aspect of the wedding is being broadcast to every corner of the world. Some British expats feel the pull back to lady England, while some expats in London would like nothing better than to never hear the words "royal" and "wedding" in the same sentence again.

(More)

Japan, the Disaster, and the Expats

Erin

23 March, 2011 12:50

The world has watched in horror as Japan struggles to stabilize after the catastrophic disasters of a 9.0 earthquake, massive tsunami, and possible nuclear meltdown. Japan's preparation has insulated the country from some damage, but on any scale, the 2011 To-hoku earthquake and tsunami are a diaster of mammoth proportions. (More)

Expatriates in Egypt

Erin

10 February, 2011 09:41

Expats look forward to an exotic life of excitement and surprise. Unfortunately, expats in Egypt are getting more than they bargained for. As the people of Egypt struggle for greater independence, some expats have chosen to stay, some have left, and some have been removed by their companies.

What happened?

Egypt has long been known as one of the most stable nations in a volatile corner of the world. That does not mean that everything has been perfect. Ruler Hosni Mubarak has enjoyed his 30-year rule, while many of Egypt's people have not. Mubarak and the National Democratic Party has been accused using manipulation, intimidation, and rigged elections to keep the party in power for over 30 years.

Resistance had been growing with groups using Facebook groups and Twitter accounts to rally supporters. The Muslim Brotherhood, which was officially banned, was partly responsible for motivating the people in this revolution. (More)

Eyjafjallajokull: summary of a volcanic ash cloud story

Erin

16 June, 2010 20:21

What is it?

Volcanic ash consists of small tephra (particles of rock and glass smaller than 2 mm). This ash can be spewed into the air during eruptions. Volcanic ash can be hazardous as it can affect breathing and cause malfunctions in machinery.

Eyjafjallajokull's Eruption in Iceland

The volcanic eruption in Iceland of Eyjafjallajokull (pronounced ay-yah-FYAH-lah-yer-kuhl) is believed to have started on March 20th, and led to a worldwide transportation disaster. The ash cloud hovered over the Atlantic Ocean and caused a week-long suspension of air traffic in Europe. Ash turned the sky hazy and tinted it a dirty yellow. Volcanic ash particles cans stay in the troposphere for weeks, and the finest tephra particles remain in the stratosphere for months. This suspended material can create spectacular sunsets. At its greatest height, the plume reached 33,000 ft (about 11 km) into the air. The controlled airspace of many countries was closed to instrument flight rules traffic resulting in the largest air traffic shut-down since World War II. (More)

Apartheid in Europe? How Belgium is divising

EasyExpat

04 April, 2008 18:28

Europe was founded on principles of tolerance and freedom of movement for the population and the business. Brussels was lobbying the European Community to become the host of most of the European institutions and is now broadly seen as the capital of Europe. Therefore, it is awkward to see that it is actually in the country symbol of Europe (one of the sixth founders), and mainly in the neighbourhood of the main city, that we observe now all the signs of communitarian and racism. (More)