Thanks to American Citizen Services, US Embassy in Bern, Switzerland, which has circulated a number of websites providing continuously updated information and guidance regarding the ongoing spread of avian influenza (H5NI) viruses among domestic and migratory birds:

• www.who.int - World Health Organization (WHO) situation updates
• www.who.int - WHO frequently asked questions
• www.cdc.gov - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
• www.bag.admin.ch - Swiss Federal Office for Public Health (BAG - in German and French only)

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In the wake of Hurricane Katrina devastation, FirstGov, the US Government's Official Web Portal, offers a list of links on how to replace vital documents of all sorts, from birth, marriage and death certificates to replacing damaged money, federal civilian or military certificates, Social Security cards, tax returns.www.firstgov.gov

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The AARP Foundation Disaster Relief and Recovery Fund concentrates on helping Gulf Coast seniors in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama to secure basic necessities and begin to rebuild their lives.

Senior citizens who suffer from incapacity and illness, many dependent on medication for their very survival, are in a particularly perilous situation. And many seniors whose homes were destroyed have lost not only a place to live, but their largest retirement asset.

100% of proceeds from this effort will go directly to hurricane disaster relief for older victims today and as long as needed. For details check: givenow.ga4.org

TAX RELIEF FOR DONATIONS
Tax relief for those living in the disaster zones; tax relief for donations; encouraging employers to start "leave donation" programs, giving cash for disaster relief in exchange for employee- "donated" vacation and sick leave days. www.irs.gov

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The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has recently issued a report highlighting the reduction of US Treasury financial attachés abroad from a total of 90 in 1981 to 7 as of fiscal year 2006.

Financial attachés conduct monitoring and analysis of macroeconomic and financial issues, including those affecting the private sector. Typically, financial attachés interact with host government financial agencies such as the ministries of finance and central banks, as well as with private sector financial entities. Treasury officials stated that budget constraints have been a primary factor in determining the number of attachés in recent years.

International Finance: Treasury Has Reduced the Number of Attachés Overseas. GAO-05-1010, September 23, 2005 (24 pages). www.gao.gov

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The new US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS I-90 form reveals replacing a Permanent Residence Card (Green Card) has become more costly.

Filing for any of the following reasons will result in a base application fee of $185 and a biometrics fee of $70: the card was lost, stolen, destroyed, or mutilated; biographic information has changed since the card was issued; the card is nearing its expiration; the holder has taken up Commuter status; the holder was formerly on Commuter status and will now become a resident; the status of the holder has been converted to permanent resident; the card is an old edition.

Filing for any of the following reasons will result in a $70 biometrics fee: the holder has passed his or her 14th birthday since the issuance of the card.

There is no fee, but special instructions must be followed if the card was never received, or the card contains incorrect information due to an administrative error.

Effective as of October 26th, 2005, the base filing fee is increasing from $185 to $190 and proper payment must be submitted with the forms. (from Siskind's Immigration Bulletin of 15 October 2005 -- see www.visalaw.com)

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The Internal Revenue Service is alerting taxpayers in 13 states that approximately 30,000 estimated tax payments sent to a San Francisco post office box in early September have been lost in the aftermath of a traffic accident. The IRS estimates that approximately 30,000 of the estimated 45,000 tax payments on board the vehicle -- mostly Form 1040-ES quarterly estimated tax payments -- were ejected into the San Francisco Bay and are not recoverable.

Taxpayers who may be affected include:

A tip of the hat to Mort Bardfield, US Consular Warden for Sint Maarten, Netherlands Antilles, who alerted ACA to the fact that local residents were receiving faxed forms claiming to be from the IRS and requesting a substantial amount of person information (account numbers, PINs, mother's maden name, etc.). The W-8BEN ("Certificate of Foreign Status of Beneficial Owner for United States Tax Withholding") form can be found at www.irs.gov and IRS information on the scam at www.irs.gov

This and other scams can be checked out on sites such as www.snopes.com

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The Departments of Homeland Security and State formally submitted the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative proposal for public comment on September 1, 2005. To provide vital information to the general public, an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) on the plan to the public and requesting input and/or comment on the suggested documents and possible alternative documents that can meet the statutory requirements.

A more formal rulemaking will be issued later this year following review of those comments to implement the first phase of the initiative. This rulemaking will take into account comments received from the ANPRM as well as soliciting further comments on the rulemaking itself.

The passport will be the document of choice for travel within the Western Hemisphere or re-entry. However, another document that will likely be acceptable under the travel initiative is the Border Crossing Card, (BCC - or "laser visa"). Currently, the BCC serves in lieu of a passport and a visa for citizens of Mexico traveling to the U.S. from contiguous territory. Other documents that are being considered for acceptance under this initiative are the Customs and Border Protection Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection (SENTRI), NEXUS and Free and Secure Trade (FAST) program cards.

Those wishing to comment on the proposal may access the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal at www.regulations.gov and type DOS-2005-0004-0001 into the "keyword" box (thanks to the US Consulate General; Calgary, for this notice)

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All VWP travellers, regardless of age or type of passport used, must present machine-readable passports. In addition, depending on when VWP travellers' passports were issued, other passport requirements will apply:

• Machine-readable passports issued before 26 october 2005 -- no further requirements.
• Machine-readable passports issued between 26 october 2005 and 25 october 2006 -- requires digital photograph printed on the data page or integrated chip with information from the data page.
• Machine-readable passports issued on or after 26 october 2006 -- requires integrated chip with information from the data page (e-passport).

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The Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) has issued notices re:

• California To Hold a Special General Election on December 6, 2005 for Representative in Congress from the 48th District (Orange County)

• Virginia Announces Expedited Absentee Voting for Residents Assisting in Hurricane Relief (see also: www.sbe.virginia.gov.)

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This is just a start. Tell us your favourite websites on the subject: cooking and recipes.

At www.cooks.com they proclaim: "We may live without poetry, music and art; We may live without conscience and live without heart; We may live without friends, we may live without books; But civilized man cannot live without cooks."

What you will find there is recipes for American standards such as pumpkin pie, cranberries, fried chicken -- all the standard recipes, and hundreds more, from a wide variety of countries.

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This News Update is, like ACA itself, of, by, and for Americans abroad. ACA is staffed through the efforts of volunteers, with its primary income source being membership fees and donations from private American citizens around the world.

WAYS TO CONTRIBUTE HANDS-ON TO ACA WORK:

1. NEWS UPDATE EDITORS. ACA is seeking to supplement its News Update staff. Work involves actually writing the News Update 2 - 3 times a year, under supervision of a Senior Editor, and monitoring raw material considered for the newsletter on a regular basis. Calls for e-mail access and an ability to write/edit succinctly and against a deadline. ACA takes pride in the global spread of its editors.
2. BOOK REVIEWS/REVIEWERS. ACA is interested in discovering books of particular interest to Americans abroad. It also seeks individuals willing to review such books. Reviewers get to keep the book, and to see their contribution in print. Click here for a list of books or contact the ACA office.

WAYS TO CONTRIBUTE TO ACA'S FINANCIAL SUCCESS:

1. ORDER YOUR PUBLICATIONS THROUGH THE ACA WEBSITE and we get paid for your business - at no cost to you. Go to the Book Review section and click on any link to amazon-com (USA) or amazon-UK. Any purchases you make when you have entered through the ACA portal, whether of items reviewed on the website or not, will generate a small revenue for ACA; Please make this extra click-to-give gesture to help us continue to help you.
2. JOIN US FOR OUR ANNUAL AUCTION. The FUNdraiser evening produces the single largest annual contribution to ACA's working budget. And the highest bids are for items ingenious and/or exotic. It's a good bet that someone in the attending crowd of internationals will be intrigued by even the most distant and/or unusual of objects or services.
3. IS YOUR MEMBERSHIP CURRENT? Renew by secure online payment or contact the ACA office . Membership is only $40 a year ($30 for seniors). Of course, an outright contribution via check or charge card is the most obvious way to support the work of ACA and its worldwide volunteers working to help YOU. Secure payment via thru PayPal^®, or send a check to: ACA, 5 rue Liotard, CH-1202 Geneva, Switzerland.

Disclaimer: While ACA makes every effort to be accurate in the information it transmits, such information is not to be considered a substitute for specific and qualified professional advice.

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