Jonathan Warren's Scam Scope:
"Nightmare security issues with the new US Passport and e-Passport (Passport Card) call into question the compliance of these documents with even the most basic security issues.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090711/ap_on_bi_ge/us_chipping_america_iv
The U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security did much to avoid risk of hackers getting in to the database, by making the number a mere pointer to their own files grounded in DHS computers. But the very function of the RFID chip, broadcasting an ID number, is easily co-opted by the private sector (retailers), and combined with the other information the retailer collects.
No need to obtain the government's data file, just about anyone can buy the data collected by the retailer, including your identity, all of your buying habits and payment options, demographics information, etc. The data then is neatly wrapped up and tied together with your RFID number, then sold, legally, to any number of buyers.
Now you walk through the mall, with your new drivers license, passport or passport card in your wallet, and that Israeli chick at the kiosk with the Dead Sea soap calls you by name - from 30 feet away.
Worse, some creepy guy likes what he sees when you pull up next to him in traffic. He inputs your RFID on his mobile, and gets everything about you, including address. He may even add your license plate number to the database app on his iphone.
Worse again, you can be completely watched on cameras which turn on only when you are within 30 feet, anywhere in the world. You might not be worried about that at home, but what about when you are at a foreign airport, or in a foreign city? How about when you are crossing between two foreign countries?
It seems that RFID has no redeeming value. Please comment."
Showing posts with label honorary consul. Show all posts
Showing posts with label honorary consul. Show all posts
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Consular Chamber of Commerce Joins Forces with Project C.U.R.E. to bring you the First Lady of Ghana
The Consular Chamber of Commerce has partnered with Project C.U.R.E. to bring you Ernestina Naadu Mills, First Lady of Ghana.
Please join us in Denver and meet the First Lady herself.
Please join us in Denver and meet the First Lady herself.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
What is an Honorary Consul?
To understand what an Honorary Consul is, we must first come to understand what a Occupational Consul, or Career Consul is.
CAREER CONSULS
Career consuls are government representatives assigned to diplomatic posts in foreign countries, and are recognized diplomats. Each consul represents his or her government (the “sending country”) in a foreign land (the “host country”). A consul of Mexico in Los Angeles, for example, would be a government official of the country of Mexico, authorized to carry out specific duties on behalf of the Mexican government in the U.S. There are many thousands of consuls, residing in virtually every country in the world, representing their sending country’s interests in the host country.
Consuls operate from official offices called consulates. Consulates are part of the diplomatic foreign mission of the sending country, and are officially recognized by the receiving country as diplomatic in nature, and exempt from certain laws in the receiving country. You may have seen such things as consular license plates, flags or residences. These are used with specific permission of the receiving country in its recognition of the foreign mission of the sending country. Various immunities, exemptions and special treatments are designed to enable the consul to expeditiously carry out the duties required by both the sending and receiving countries, and in recognition of the importance of international business and diplomatic relations by most nations.
Larger consulates are headed by a Consul General. A Consul general typically reports directly to his or her ministry of foreign affairs, and their embassy in the receiving country. In the U.S, embassies are typically in Washington, D.C. Diplomatic duties carried out by consuls and consuls general are typically delegated by their embassies or ministries of foreign relations. Such duties may include such tasks as hosting the head of state, ambassador, business magnates or other dignitaries of the sending country when they are visiting the area of the consulate. These visits often involve a close working relationship between the consul and local government officials, as well as U.S. government officials such as the Secret Service.
Consuls advocate for their citizens located in the host country, including specific duties and privileges when criminal charges are brought against the citizenry of the consulate in the host country. In such events, consuls have a right to visit incarcerated nationals to be sure they have received legal representation, among other things.
Consulates may be very large, with hundreds of employees, or very small, with only the consul working from a small office, depending on the size of the sending country’s population in the area of the consulate, and depending on the budget of the sending country.
Most countries have diplomatic relations with each other. Those which do not have diplomatic relations do not send foreign missions to one another.
HONORARY CONSULS
Like their counterparts the standard consuls and consuls general (often referred to as “career consuls”), the honorary consul is an official of the sending country. Unlike regular consuls however, the honorary consul is not a government employee of the sending state, and therefore does not change posts based on changes of administration in the sending country.
Honorary consuls are generally dignitaries or persons of position in business and society in the receiving state, while having some connection to the sending state. Honorary consuls are not necessarily citizens of the sending states; rather, they are recognized by the sending states as persons of influence, capable of furthering the objectives of the sending state in the receiving state.
Honorary consuls may represent large and densely populated counties, or, as is often the case, small countries in the developing world which seek to promote business diplomacy. As big business often seeks to establish itself in the developing world, honorary consuls are often chosen for their acumen in such environs.
Most honorary consuls are people of means or independent wealth who do not receive monetary compensation for their service as consul. They may have other business interests. Many hold the title for life. Such long term establishment of official representation is invaluable to the sending state. Honorary consuls are often called upon to provide back channel information or communications, diplomatic advance team logistics, local reputation perceptions and government relations. Many come from previous careers in trade, business or elected office.
Honorary consuls are unique in that they are officials of both the sending state and the host state. Honorary consuls in the U.S. are confirmed by the State Department and issued a State Department Consular ID. They are provided many of the immunities of standard consular position. Most honorary consuls are appointed by the president of their sending state, rather than the minister of foreign relations as is the case with standard consuls. Effective standard consuls will often call upon honorary consuls to familiarize and introduce the standard consul within an area where the honorary consul resides.
Many honorary consuls have the same capabilities as standard consuls regarding identification and document legalization. This capability is referred to in the honorary consular community as “powers”. Those with powers legalize documents and provide identification (passport) assistance to the citizens of the sending countries. Honorary consuls without powers will often refer such needs to the nearest consul general of their sending state, or will help citizens obtain Hague apostilles when appropriate.
In cases when a developing or small country does not have the budget to maintain an embassy in a given country, they may establish an honorary consul instead. In such cases, the honorary consul fulfills the duties otherwise assigned to ambassadors or consuls general. Such individuals usually hold the title of Honorary Consul General.
CAREER CONSULS
Career consuls are government representatives assigned to diplomatic posts in foreign countries, and are recognized diplomats. Each consul represents his or her government (the “sending country”) in a foreign land (the “host country”). A consul of Mexico in Los Angeles, for example, would be a government official of the country of Mexico, authorized to carry out specific duties on behalf of the Mexican government in the U.S. There are many thousands of consuls, residing in virtually every country in the world, representing their sending country’s interests in the host country.
Consuls operate from official offices called consulates. Consulates are part of the diplomatic foreign mission of the sending country, and are officially recognized by the receiving country as diplomatic in nature, and exempt from certain laws in the receiving country. You may have seen such things as consular license plates, flags or residences. These are used with specific permission of the receiving country in its recognition of the foreign mission of the sending country. Various immunities, exemptions and special treatments are designed to enable the consul to expeditiously carry out the duties required by both the sending and receiving countries, and in recognition of the importance of international business and diplomatic relations by most nations.
Larger consulates are headed by a Consul General. A Consul general typically reports directly to his or her ministry of foreign affairs, and their embassy in the receiving country. In the U.S, embassies are typically in Washington, D.C. Diplomatic duties carried out by consuls and consuls general are typically delegated by their embassies or ministries of foreign relations. Such duties may include such tasks as hosting the head of state, ambassador, business magnates or other dignitaries of the sending country when they are visiting the area of the consulate. These visits often involve a close working relationship between the consul and local government officials, as well as U.S. government officials such as the Secret Service.
Consuls advocate for their citizens located in the host country, including specific duties and privileges when criminal charges are brought against the citizenry of the consulate in the host country. In such events, consuls have a right to visit incarcerated nationals to be sure they have received legal representation, among other things.
Consulates may be very large, with hundreds of employees, or very small, with only the consul working from a small office, depending on the size of the sending country’s population in the area of the consulate, and depending on the budget of the sending country.
Most countries have diplomatic relations with each other. Those which do not have diplomatic relations do not send foreign missions to one another.
HONORARY CONSULS
Like their counterparts the standard consuls and consuls general (often referred to as “career consuls”), the honorary consul is an official of the sending country. Unlike regular consuls however, the honorary consul is not a government employee of the sending state, and therefore does not change posts based on changes of administration in the sending country.
Honorary consuls are generally dignitaries or persons of position in business and society in the receiving state, while having some connection to the sending state. Honorary consuls are not necessarily citizens of the sending states; rather, they are recognized by the sending states as persons of influence, capable of furthering the objectives of the sending state in the receiving state.
Honorary consuls may represent large and densely populated counties, or, as is often the case, small countries in the developing world which seek to promote business diplomacy. As big business often seeks to establish itself in the developing world, honorary consuls are often chosen for their acumen in such environs.
Most honorary consuls are people of means or independent wealth who do not receive monetary compensation for their service as consul. They may have other business interests. Many hold the title for life. Such long term establishment of official representation is invaluable to the sending state. Honorary consuls are often called upon to provide back channel information or communications, diplomatic advance team logistics, local reputation perceptions and government relations. Many come from previous careers in trade, business or elected office.
Honorary consuls are unique in that they are officials of both the sending state and the host state. Honorary consuls in the U.S. are confirmed by the State Department and issued a State Department Consular ID. They are provided many of the immunities of standard consular position. Most honorary consuls are appointed by the president of their sending state, rather than the minister of foreign relations as is the case with standard consuls. Effective standard consuls will often call upon honorary consuls to familiarize and introduce the standard consul within an area where the honorary consul resides.
Many honorary consuls have the same capabilities as standard consuls regarding identification and document legalization. This capability is referred to in the honorary consular community as “powers”. Those with powers legalize documents and provide identification (passport) assistance to the citizens of the sending countries. Honorary consuls without powers will often refer such needs to the nearest consul general of their sending state, or will help citizens obtain Hague apostilles when appropriate.
In cases when a developing or small country does not have the budget to maintain an embassy in a given country, they may establish an honorary consul instead. In such cases, the honorary consul fulfills the duties otherwise assigned to ambassadors or consuls general. Such individuals usually hold the title of Honorary Consul General.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Consular and Diplomatic Representation for Small or Developing Countries
The Consular Chamber of Commerce is uniquely positioned to assist small or developing countries in selecting consular or diplomatic representation globally.
Many smaller countries thrive due to the number of honorary consuls they have put in place in countries where the sending state has interests. One needs only to search the consul.cc consul database to find that countries such as Austria have substantial representation, promoting the business of their states in business circles all over the world. Even the tiny nations of Comoros Islands and Nauru have high-profile, influential honorary consuls general assigned in such far-flung business and population centers and India and Ghana.
Other small and developing countries have yet to catch on. Some still believe that they are granting some, such as Panama and the US, seem to think they are granting some huge privilege to the consul, often allowing jealousy and suspicion of motives reign instead of good business diplomacy.
Still other countries appoint honorary consuls who might be consuls who only seek the title, and are not at all experienced or interested in business diplomacy or public diplomacy. This too is often fruitless.
The best possible honorary consul for a given country is the one who will best and most actively promote that country's cultural and business interests. Honorary consuls must be capable of working hours without pay, and investing funds when needed to play host and impress. Often acting in place of an entire embassy, honorary consuls must truly master the ancient art of business diplomacy.
As honorary consuls are generally not paid and cover their own expenses, small countries can do very well to place them at key locations around the world. A lack of proper vetting of a candidate, or government corruption in the sending state's consulate general as would undermine the proper nomination of a candidate are the primary risks for any country to appoint honorary consuls. These risks are mitigated by the Consular Chamber of Commerce.
With our own database of candidates for honorary consular positions, each of which has been vetted by other confirmed consuls, provided legalized passport identification, been subjected criminal and regulatory screening and provided numerous references, we are positioned to make recommendations to any inquiring country.
Because each of these candidates is a Consular Emissary and assists honorary consuls in their function, they are also experienced in the administration of an honorary consulate.
To become a Consular Emissary, or to obtain consular representation for your country in a given area, please visit www.consul.cc or contact us.
Many smaller countries thrive due to the number of honorary consuls they have put in place in countries where the sending state has interests. One needs only to search the consul.cc consul database to find that countries such as Austria have substantial representation, promoting the business of their states in business circles all over the world. Even the tiny nations of Comoros Islands and Nauru have high-profile, influential honorary consuls general assigned in such far-flung business and population centers and India and Ghana.
Other small and developing countries have yet to catch on. Some still believe that they are granting some, such as Panama and the US, seem to think they are granting some huge privilege to the consul, often allowing jealousy and suspicion of motives reign instead of good business diplomacy.
Still other countries appoint honorary consuls who might be consuls who only seek the title, and are not at all experienced or interested in business diplomacy or public diplomacy. This too is often fruitless.
The best possible honorary consul for a given country is the one who will best and most actively promote that country's cultural and business interests. Honorary consuls must be capable of working hours without pay, and investing funds when needed to play host and impress. Often acting in place of an entire embassy, honorary consuls must truly master the ancient art of business diplomacy.
As honorary consuls are generally not paid and cover their own expenses, small countries can do very well to place them at key locations around the world. A lack of proper vetting of a candidate, or government corruption in the sending state's consulate general as would undermine the proper nomination of a candidate are the primary risks for any country to appoint honorary consuls. These risks are mitigated by the Consular Chamber of Commerce.
With our own database of candidates for honorary consular positions, each of which has been vetted by other confirmed consuls, provided legalized passport identification, been subjected criminal and regulatory screening and provided numerous references, we are positioned to make recommendations to any inquiring country.
Because each of these candidates is a Consular Emissary and assists honorary consuls in their function, they are also experienced in the administration of an honorary consulate.
To become a Consular Emissary, or to obtain consular representation for your country in a given area, please visit www.consul.cc or contact us.
Monday, April 20, 2009
COMPENSATION FOR HONORARY CONSULS
INCOME OPPORTUNITIES FOR HONORARY CONSULS IMPLEMENTING AND MAINTAINING THE CONSULAR CHAMBER OF COMMERCE / IDENTIFY.NU IDENTITY VERIFICATION STANDARD OF CONSUL.CC
The Consular Chamber of Commerce and Identify.nu have developed an unprecedented accuracy in identity verification and delivery, for international and domestic use.
Utilizing new capabilities in established standards of authentication and transmittal of individual identities internationally, we anticipate partnership with government agencies globally, as well as with organizations of notaries public and the Hague Conference on Private International Law.
METHODOLOGY
Clients of Identify.nu complete an identity verification process which includes obtaining and providing a copy of their passport, certified by a consul and bearing a Hague Apostille or legalization by the issuing country (if the member consul represents the issuing country and has powers to provide legalization). Consul members of the Consular Chamber of Commerce are presented with, or assist in obtaining, passport copies which carry the legalization or the Hague Apostille.
Upon receipt of the apostilled or legalized passport copy in person, the member consul verifies that the document appears to be a true and correct copy of the original, then scan and uploads the document to the consul.cc secure online storage facility.
Once uploaded, the Identify.nu Due Diligence Department reviews the file for inaccuracies, then adds it to the identify.nu system.
FUNCTIONALITY
The document is stored securely on dedicated servers in Denmark, and becomes part of an image file which the identified person may authorize for release to any other Identify.nu subscriber, including Consular Chamber of Commerce confirmed members.
The Identify.nu system interfaces with OpenID.org, allowing for the secure and seamless integration of this unprecedented level of identity verification into existing internet uses, such as bank account logins, airline bookings, and age verifications and name checking on social networking sites, among thousands of other possibilities.
The ability of the Identify.nu system to provide on-location government-vetted individuals virtually anywhere in the world (consuls) to confirm the apostilled or legalized identifications, coupled with the ability to deliver the results securely by standardized method of OpenID.org or by membership in the Consular Chamber of Commerce, creates a new standard in identity documentation and verification.
CONSUL ELIGIBILITY FOR COMPENSATION
Members of the Consular Chamber who are certified by the Chamber as having been confirmed by their receiving countries, and who perform such identity verifications for other certified member consuls free of charge, are eligible to confirm identification for any identify.nu subscriber, for compensation.
Identify.nu will pay each consul US $10.00 for each identification confirmed by a paying member of identify.nu. Each such identity verification re-confirmed upon expiration of the passport verified will also provide a $10.00 renewal fee to the verifying consul.
Should the verification be for a paid member of the Consular Chamber of Commerce, the verifying consul will receive compensation of US $20.00 per verification and US $20.00 per year for every year that individual remains a paid and ID confirmed member of the Consular Chamber of Commerce.
CONCLUSION
With the clear and immediate need for confirmed identification transmitted digitally, the Identify.nu system of ID verification and delivery provided by the Consular Chamber of Commerce is likely to be utilized by millions of individuals around the world. Consuls are uniquely positioned to facilitate this necessary migration, and to be properly compensated in an ongoing fashion for doing so.
CONSUL ENROLLMENT
Go to www.consul.cc. Click where indicated to search for a consul, and see if you are presently enrolled. If you are, you will find your name listed and a page dedicated to you, with information you likely submitted some time ago. If you do not find your name in the search, simply click “Membership” and “Enroll” follow the steps to enter your information, then skip to step 3.
Consul.cc utilizes Identify.nu technology to provide protected login information for each member of Consul.cc. If you are presently a member, place your curser on “Membership” on the menu at the top of the page, then click “Log in” from the drop-down menu. Enter your email address and click the “Begin” button. You will then be transferred to the Identify.nu password page. If you do not know your password, place the curser over “Membership” and click on “Reset Password” from the drop-down menu. The system will then email you a new temporary password.
Check your email for your new password, and enter it where indicated on the login screen. Follow the prompts and instructions to allow the Identify.nu service to share the protected information with consul.cc for the directory.
From your member login, click on “User Info” at the top of the page, and complete the information you would like to publish.
From the member login, click on “Consul Info” and complete the consular data you would like to publish. Click “Save” at the bottom of the screen. You will then be transferred to a confirmation screen, from which you may request confirmation of your consular status by another member consul who is certified confirmed. The system will allow you to choose from several. If you do not know a consul on the list, request confirmation from Paulina Biggs Sparkuhl, Honorary Consul of Chile to the USA. This will allow Consul Biggs Sparkuhl to confirm your status, which will then be reflected in the directory. You will then be able to confirm other consuls you know as well.
Once your are in the system as a confirmed consul, you may request to confirm your identity. This will involve providing a copy of your passport, either legalized by the county of issue, or with a Hague Apostille. The Consular Chamber and Identify.nu are waiving the charge to document and securely store identification for the initial confirmed consuls in each country. This offer may cease at any time. To request a waiver of the $20. Identify.nu fee, please email Consul Biggs Sparkuhl at vegas@consul.cc . In order to have the fee waived for your own ID confirmation, you must agree to provide ID verifications for free to other member consuls as well. For faster completion, you may opt to simply pay the $20. fee, and have it refunded when you confirm your first identification of another member within the system.
When your identification and consular status are certified confirmed, you will automatically be one of the consuls listed as eligible to confirm identities of any member, as well as status of other consuls you know.
Each Identity confirmation you complete for paying members will provide you with payment of the fees detailed herein above.
Participants may begin now at http://www.consul.cc/
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