Between a rock and hard place

It is getting rougher for expats.

The Swiss Post (which is also a bank) has sent out letters asking all those account holders with an American passport to provide them with officially certified copies of their FBars (the form all expats have to fill out that reports all their bank accounts and which carries heavy, heavy fines if not filed) since 2008.

Now Fbars are not certified. Even if someone sent them in return receipt required, that is still not considered an official IRS document.

Can you imagine if all 8000 or those Americans in Switzerland with postal bank accounts wrote the IRS demanding a document that said they filed their Fbars? Would the IRS send it. Ever try and get information from the IRS?

Other banks may be following suit in this demand.

Although I've renounced I tried emailing the Senate Finance committee to point out the damage FATCA legislation which requires banks all over the world to report on all their American account holders or face huge fines and/or be shut out of the US market. It is not reciprocal.

Countries are having to change their banking laws to meet US demands. That is why banks are choosing, not just in Switzerland but all over the world to not do business with Americans.

It also hurts American companies working overseas who want American employees in their foreign offices.

Many Americans with foreign spouses have put everything in their spouse's name. This creates a dangerous imbalance of power not to mention what will happen if that spouse dies.

Even if the American does not put everything in the spouse's name, the spouse, although not American and not having any money earned in the US, still is expected to report to the IRS.

And if the US can insist other countries change their laws, what happens when China makes the same demands?

There are two parts of this problem.

1. The damage it is doing to ordinary Americans.
2. A power grab that can affect the international finance system.

It was for the birds

“Let’s go to the lake,” Rick said. The sun was thinking about setting

We grabbed the stale bread. 
 

We wandered out onto the top dock and sat on the bottom stair leading to the bottom dock.

Rick had to stomp on the bread to break it into small enough pieces. 

The sky over the mountains had pink streaks. Several kinds of ducks circled near the dock. One male was more efficient than the rest and was able to garner more than his share.

The word went out by some unseen messenger. 

Gulls arrived in droves. The could hover like helicopters and quickly caught the bread before it hit the water. One even seemed to go in reverse. Between throws they would settle in the water as the ducks placidly swam among them. No territorial issues surfaced between the species.

Then all the gulls rose from the water and took off in the direction of the Jura mountains in a flock.

Rick and I looked confused as to why, but they turned in a perfect flight pattern and returned.

One thought hit me.

HITCHCOCK.

We were almost out of bread. All the birds seemed to know and as we stood up, they turned their backs to us and headed for wherever they would spend the night.

Their bedtime snack providers were of no more interest.

The sun was almost gone. We are coming up to the shortest day of the year. The lake had just a tinge of pink among the gray as we headed back to the house.

Note to Ginger...too bad Andrew wasn't with us.

Planning a trip

HB: Look at this. (He holds up a travel schedule for the TGV that the humans brought back.)

HH: There's rabbits on the cover. That means us. (rabbits hop up on couch and Scooby 2 and Petite Cougar jump up after them.)

HB: Let's plan a trip.

S2: Can I go, can I, can I, can I?

HH: Do you see any dogs on the cover? Or any cougars? This is only for rabbits.

PC: I don't think so. If the humans brought it back and it is for the French train system, that means that anyone can go. What you should be worried about is that they are planning to leave you two behind.

HB: They wouldn't do that. They are learning to love us.

PC: I wouldn't be so sure.

(HH and HB exchange looks. Together they say,) "We'd better be really nice to the Julia human. Otherwise we might be out in the cold.

Rapid shakes of heads. Meanwhile Scooby 2 is looking in a direction that means trouble ahead.)

First Review on Murder on Insel Poel

Kirkus Review 12/15/13
This title publishes MAR 2014
“A small island off the coast of Germany provides the picturesque setting for some nasty murders. The fifth in this capable series includes alternating World War II subplots about a half-Jewish woman and an RAF pilot with a connection to Insel Poel.”
****************************************
MURDER ON INSEL POEL
Author: D-L Nelson

Review Issue Date: December 15, 2013
Online Publish Date: December 8, 2013
Publisher:Five Star
Pages: 316
Price ( Hardcover ): $25.95
Publication Date: March 19, 2014
ISBN ( Hardcover ): 978-1-4328-2815-8
Category: Fiction
Classification: Mystery

A small island off the coast of Germany provides the picturesque setting for some nasty murders.
Annie Young makes a comfortable living as a multilingual tech writer, but her preference is historical research and translation. American-born but raised in several European countries, she’s engaged to a French police officer who’s none too happy with her penchant for getting involved in murder(Murder in Paris, 2013, etc.). Annie’s current job doing translations for a small museum on the island of Insel Poel is rudely interrupted when she finds the dead bodies of two Asian women on the beach. The ambitious local police officer is not interested in Annie’s opinions about his unidentified corpses, and her fiance warns her to stay out of it. In between finding bodies, she gets involved in the problems of one of the museum workers whose teen daughter, Greta, hates her stepfather, leading Annie to suspect the possibility of abuse. When Greta runs away, Annie helps find her. Trouble continues to come her way as she pokes into the murder investigation.
The fifth in this capable series includes alternating World War II subplots about a half-Jewish woman and an RAF pilot with a connection to Insel Poel. Although the main mystery is wrapped up, readers are left to wonder whether those other stories will continue in the next installment.

Edinburgh and Boston from an arm chair

I was so excited to see the latest in the Alexander McCall Smith's 44 Scotland Street series at the library I grabbed it and read it through almost in one sitting...

I love Bertie's battles with his OCD mother, Cyril the dog with his gold tooth, Big Lou, and how Matthew and Elsbeth are coping with the triplets. Will their au paar's au paar end up finding a Scottish husband? Not to mention Angus and blue spode cups and the Italian nun whose book of the obvious is set to be published. And there's always a smattering of real life writers who walk through the pages.

Mostly I love the feeling of visiting Edinburgh. I can imagine the taste of Irn Bru, smile as the characters talk about the problems with the tram, picture Princes Street. When they mention Napier University, I think of my daughter's graduation and the tent with the champagne on the lawn. I almost feel as if I can go to quiz night at Carter's with my daughter or have a healthy sandwich at Milk, the later two not mentioned in the book.

McCall Smith puts out one of these a year. I will have to wait until late 2014 before I know if Bertie's mother is released by the Bedouin chief who is impressed that when she organized a book club among his wives, the amount of dissatisfaction went down and will Stuart realize that his second son isn't his son. 

In the same way the Robert Parker Spenser mysteries lets me visit Boston. I can "see" the Indian in front of the Museum of Fine Arts, walk down Comm Ave, etc.

All from my arm chair, the bus, train or bed...wherever I've a few minutes to read.

What a treat.