In this July 4th News Update, the editors wish all Americans a happy 226th birthday and would like to present the following footnote on our national anthem.

The Russian-born composer Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) who had immigrated to the United States made his instrumentation of The Star-Spangled Banner in summer 1941, partly on the instigation of one of his students and partly because of a war-time regulation requiring the anthem be played at the start of all concerts. He dedicated the manuscript to Mrs. Roosevelt so that it could be auctioned for the war fund, but it was returned to him with an apology, the composer later commenting that "...my major seventh cord in the second strain of the piece, the part patriotic ladies like best, must have embarrassed some high of-ficial". His orchestration of the piece produced similar bafflement when it was first performed - in 1944 with Stravinsky conducting the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Although he was standing with his back to the orchestra so he could conduct the singing in the hall, the audience - caught out by the unusual harmonies - remained stonily silent throughout the performance. The following day, before the next concert, an officer of the law entered Stravinskyïs dressing room and informed him of a Massachusetts law forbidding any "tampering" with national property. He said policemen had already been instructed to remove his arrangement from the music stands. Stravinsky, however, remained adamant about the quality of his instrumentation: "...it makes the linear and harmonic best of the material, and is certainly superior to any other version I have heard".

On May 15, 2002 The National Symphony Orchestra Washington performed this arrangement of The Star-Spangled Banner at a concert dedicated in memory of the victims of 11 September 2001 at the 57th Prague Spring International Music Festival. The concert was under the patronage of the Embassy of the United States of America and U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic, Craig R. Stapleton, was present.

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Overseas Americans Week (May 6-9, 2002) provided the opportunity for strong cross-pollination of ideas among the participating individuals, their organizations and a wide variety of contacts in Congress and the Administration, as well as non-governmental organizations such as AARP and National Public Radio.

Representatives of four overseas American groups (American Citizens Abroad, Association of Americans Resident Abroad, the Federation of Women's Clubs Overseas, Alliance of Americans Overseas, American Business Council of the Gulf Countries) met with Census Bureau Director Kincannon, State Department consular affairs and public policy officials, and White House staffers, as well as with key committee staffers and Congresspeople on a wide range of issues affecting overseas Americans (taxation, trade policy, census, Medicare, Social Security, voting and others).

The effort had a three-pronged focus:

• Image: to enhance the image of the overseas American community as not only a hard-working and dedicated group of fellow citizens whose value is on par with compatriots at home, but also as the frontline exposure of America to the rest of the world.
• Issues: to work for reform of US laws and regulations which harm overseas Americans.
• Partnerships: to form connections with other organizations with special constituencies with whom we can work to achieve common objectives.

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President Bush signed into law on May 14, 2002 a border-security bill to strengthen US visa and border security initiatives. The measure requires that an electronic database of suspected terrorists be created for screening visa applicants and that foreign students accepted by educational institutions be tracked. It also requires tamper-resistant and machine-readable visas using standardized biometric identifiers by October 2004. By that time, border agencies will have to install scanners and implement an integrated entry/exit data system.

For more information see: www.govexec.com

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Ted D. Girdner, Assistant Associate Commissioner, Office of International Operations, US Social Security Administration conducted a Town Meeting recently at the American Embassy in Lisbon. He started off by saying there are 46 million recipients of US Social Security with 430,000 of them overseas. Only 45% of the overseas recipients are US citizens.

In order to qualify for US Social Security one must have worked 40 quarters (10 years) unless there is a Totalization Agreement with the overseas country where the recipient is a resident. According to present predictions, the US Social Security system will be solvent until the year 2041.

Automation is on its way for overseas recipients. In the US there are 1300 field offices with automation that can take care of any claim. International Operations cannot match the stateside performance. A stateside office can process a claim in 5 days while International Operations require 150 days. Lisbon has been authorized funds to automate operations by December 2002. Commissioner Girdner stressed that direct deposit is more important than ever since there have been delays in mail service following 9/11.

Mr. Girdner pointed out that most questions about US Social Security can be answered on the Internet by access to the website www.ssa.gov. It is also possible to send in questions to be answered by a human being. At the present time 3000 questions are being answered per day by a workforce of about 4000 people.

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Homeowners insurance rates in the US are on the rise and so are the number of policies that insurance companies are dropping or refusing to renew, according to a comprehensive article by Barbara Frew, author of Personal Finance for Overseas Americans.

Frew points out that if you have a mortgage on your US home, you have no option but to have insurance on it and if you are dropped you may have to pay triple what you now pay for coverage. The two causes for the radical change in homeowners insurance are the end of the 1990's bull market and the recent jump in homeowners claims. The result is that insurance companies are raising rates on policies and dropping customers who file "frequent" claims -- even if those claims are legitimate. It is not uncommon for a company to consider less than one claim per year too frequent. Computer technology allows companies to track and share individuals claim histories and thus identify individuals they think are likely to file future claims.

The article presents ways you can reduce insurance bills while reducing the chance of being labeled a frequent claim filer. The most efficient method is to use insurance as protection against major loss. Frew stresses the importance of maintaining a "self-insurance fund" in order to pay for small emergencies yourself. Fewer claims means you are less likely to be dropped as a customer and your coverage remains at a lower rate to insure your home against catastrophic losses. The complete article can be read at www.GILFinancialPress.com. Those dropped or denied coverage have the right to a copy of their claim history which the industry tracks. To obtain your claim history, visit www.consumerdisclosure.com or call +1 800 4566004.

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Who can forget the drama and suspense surrounding the last Presidential Election? If the election results in Florida taught us one thing, it's that your vote DOES count.

General elections for state and Federal offices will be held on November 5, 2002. Additionally, many states have primary elections throughout this year. When does your home state hold its primary? To see the 2002 Primary Election Calendar click here: www.fvap.gov/2002electioncalendar

Want to learn more? The Federal Voting Assistance Program maintains a website that is full of information about absentee voting. You can access it at www.fvap.gov.

Did you know that many states allow you to download your absentee ballot application? Check out the FVAP website at: www.fvap.gov/othertools and learn how to download your Federal Postcard Application (FPCA), along with instructions that are specific to your state for completing and sending in your application.

Remember: Your vote counts, but only if you vote!

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"Radical Sabbaticals" is a TV show which airs on the Fine Living Network in the United States. The show features passionate, inspirational stories about successful, professional people who have walked away from their careers to pursue a dream, e.g. the CEO of a multi-million dollar company who left to become a wine maker.

The show's producer is looking for people who have also given up their career to move to Europe to pursue their dreams. If you can refer any people or stories contact +1 818 7554800 ext. 207 or tseiler@wellergrossman.com

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   World headquarters: 

   American Citizens Abroad ACA
   5 rue Liotard
   CH-1202 Geneva
   Switzerland
   Phone: +41 22 3400233
   Fax: +41 22 3400448
   email: acage@aca.ch

   In the USA:
    
   American Citizens Abroad
   1051 N. George Mason Drive
   Arlington, VA 22205
   USA
   Fax: +1 (703) 5273269
   email: jacabr@aol.com