The World Joins Together for Earth Hour 2011

Earth Hour began only a few years ago in 2007 in Sydney, Australia when two million individuals and two thousand business turned off their lights for one hour to protest inaction on climate change. Since then, nearly every country around the world has joined in, and this past Saturday, April 26 at 8:30pm local time saw many major cities and homes using candles for light for one hour.

You can find more information on Earth Hour and stay up to date on future Earth Hours from the main website here. To answer any questions you may have, you can find a FAQ page detailing Earth Hour here.

The ExpatFinder blog is pleased to present some of the best pictures from Earth Hour today.

United States

Las Vegas saw some of the most iconic buildings and millions of homes darkening.

Canada

In Vancouver:

France

Even the Eiffel Tower in Paris was turned off for the hour.

Sweden

Russia

The Dvortsoi Bridge:

Greece

Even the lights on the Parthenon in Athens were shut for the period.

Egypt

Arguably some of the most iconic structures in the world, the pyramids at Giza were left unlighted for the hour.

China

A long stretch on the Great Wall:

Hong Kong

Even in the middle of the city, the difference in Hong Kong was notable.

South Korea

Indonesia

Indonesia took part as well, darkening their skyline for the hour.

While Earth Hour 2011 may have just finished, it’s never too late to begin conserving energy. You can browse the Earth Hour site for tips on how to save more energy during your daily life and start making a change today.

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Images for: main picture, Indonesia, South Korea, Hong Kong, China, Egypt, Russia. Sweden, Canada from Reuters.

Images for United States: Getty

Image for France: AFP

Image for Greece: AP

Japanese Disaster Relief From Around the World

(Photograph from Asahi Shimbun, Reuters)

As the devastation from the recent disaster in Japan becomes more clear, it is also becoming obvious just how much help is going to be needed to assist the millions of people affected.

Over the recent days, the world has been watching Japan. But no one has been sitting idly by, and Japan has seen aid rolling in from around the world. From personal monetary donations to rescue workers and relief supplies to just getting the word out, literally millions of individuals and organizations are working together to rebuild the nation.

If you would like to offer assistance but are unsure how, here are some resources to get you started.

• Country specific assistance- Nearly every country has set up specific resources to help citizens in sending donations, care packages, and other aid. A google search is all it takes to quickly find out how organizations in your areas are helping out and how you can get involved.

For US citizens and residents, you can find resources to help here.

For Singaporeans, you can find organizations listed here.

For those in the UK, links to help are found here.

Other links to assisting organizations can be accessed directly from the yahoo.com and google.com homepages, as seen below:

and

• Help people get in touch- Several sites have been set up to help those separated get in contact. If you know of the whereabouts of anyone in Japan, contribute to the listings. If you know of anyone looking for a relative or friend, you can help them find their loved ones by checking here or here.

• Let others know- Not everyone can afford to make donations, but that doesn’t mean you can’t help. Many sites and individuals around the world are offering donations per number of hits or clicks. Take advantage of these and spread the word.

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Photograph from Asahi Shimbun, Reuters

Rebuilding Afghanistan

Aside from the US and British-led coalition helping Afghanistan slowly recovers from the ravages of war, there are also a number of expats who continue to provide social rehabilitation for the local Afghans. “About half the population live below the poverty line, with major shortages in housing water, electricity and basic medical care, there are also civilian organisations involved in the action, aiming to help people whose day-to-day lives still go on, despite the fighting.”

Read more from Newmarket Journal

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Photo from isafmedia

The Year of the Tiger

Expats in Asia know Chinese New Year is fast approaching. This year is the celebration of the year of the tiger and the New Year will land on February 14th. You yourself might be preparing to celebrate and so are people all around Asia. Check out the images here MSN News

Expats Help Animals in Korea

Expats in South Korea are trying to help the local animal population in their region. There are a lot of interesting volunteering options for expats. It might help to volunteer if you are wishing to have an animal, but know you can’t have one full time because of your expat lifestyle. “Expats from Animal Rescue Korea volunteer at the shelter every Saturday. I meet with them at 10 a.m. at Seoul Station. From here we board a KTX for the roughly half-an-hour journey to Asan. As the snow-covered Korean countryside races past, American volunteer Natalie Crowe gives some background. “Asan is a privately owned shelter,” she explains. “It gets some funding from the city, but the expat group funds a lot of its endeavors.” She explains that while there are many government-funded shelters in Seoul, most lack the necessary resources to care for the huge numbers of stray and abandoned animals they take in. If they aren’t claimed, fostered, or adopted after ten days, most are put down.” Read more from The Korean Herald

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Photo by Niel Barker

Toyota Recalls Car In USA & Europe

Toyota has recalled nearly five million cars in the USA & Europe. The recall is slated to cost Toyota nearly $900 million dollars. PSA Peugeot Citroën in Europe is also beginning to recall cars that may have similar flaws to Toyota. “Toyota will announce details later on Monday of how it plans to fix defective accelerator pedals on eight models involved in a far-reaching recall, according to the Japanese car maker’s US subsidiary. The defective pedals have landed Toyota in one of the most serious crises in its 73-year history, resulting in the recall of millions of vehicles in the US and Europe, and a sales freeze on some of its most popular models, including the Camry and Corolla sedans.”

Read more from Financial Times

An Aussie Expat Gives Back In Jakarta

Marilyn Ardipradja, is an Aussie-born expat who moved to Jakarta more than 30 years. Although being a long time expat she has reached out into the local community to help. “Marilyn and her husband raised their three children in Jakarta, and although they had the expatriate luxuries of domestic staff, they embraced their local community, surrounding themselves with Indonesian friends and sending their children to Indonesian schools. Marilyn says it was difficult here in the beginning however; there were few facilities, fewer expatriates, and no support groups that she knew of. “You couldn’t even get a decent loaf of bread.” She acted as a translator for the embassy for a number of years, and then discovered expatriate support and social welfare group, ANZA (Australia & New Zealand Association). “It was a great support to have other foreigners around me.” Marilyn soon became involved in ANZA’s social welfare work. Growing up in a loving family with parents heavily involved in church and charity projects, Marilyn says she has always had a strong desire to help others.” Read more from Jakarta Post Read more from the Wall Street Journal

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Photo by Somewhat Frank

Rebuilding Haiti

It has been two weeks since the Haitian earthquake and now States are coming together to discuss how Haiti can be rebuilt. The discussions have begun in Canada are hoped to continue on in Davos. “The reconstruction of the Haitian economy will be the subject of a meeting of leading government donors in Montreal on Monday and at the forefront of discussions at the annual gathering this week of political and business leaders from around the world in Davos, Switzerland. The meeting Monday in Montreal, called by the Canadian government in the city which is home to an estimated 100,000 expatriate Haitians, will bring together more than a dozen foreign ministers with officials from the International Monetary Fund, the United Nations and other international organizations.”

Read more from The Wall Street Journal

Living as an Expat Wife in Thailand

Being an expat wife overseas can come with its own set of challenges. For expat wives it often means trying to settle in and find their own niche of happiness. One expat wife in Thailand discusses her trials. “We all know that the male Expats settle down well here in Thailand, but what of the wives and partners? I for one have only recently found the PILC, but prior to this, I found Thailand to be a pretty lonely place for the Ferang female. On our arrival, it was great, the best thing we ever did, but after the first six months, once the novelty had worn off and I’d shopped myself silly, I began to wonder what else was in it for me. My husband loved it then and still does today, but then he always did liked sitting with a beer in his hand doing nothing all day and night.”

Read more from PDN

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Photo by familie antic

Simple Passwords Beware

With the recent security breaches at Google, it’s more important than ever to try and keep your online personal information secure. One out of every five internet users use simple passwords like 123456. “Despite all the reports of Internet security breaches over the years, including the recent attacks on Google’s e-mail service, many people have reacted to the break-ins with a shrug. According to a new analysis, one out of five Web users still decides to leave the digital equivalent of a key under the doormat: they choose a simple, easily guessed password like “abc123,” “iloveyou” or even “password” to protect their data. “I guess it’s just a genetic flaw in humans,” said Amichai Shulman, the chief technology officer at Imperva, which makes software for blocking hackers. “We’ve been following the same patterns since the 1990s.”

Read more from New York Times

Hope Still Rising From Haiti

Refusing to give up hope as they race against time and terrifying aftershocks, rescue teams scouring Haiti’s earthquake-hit capital are rewarded with small miracles. “Two children were pulled from the wreckage of collapsed buildings in Port-au-Prince on Wednesday, eight full days after disaster laid waste to the city with the loss of at 75,000 lives. “The aftershock could have made the structures subside, but it might have also freed people trapped between two pieces of concrete,” said French firefighter Gilles Perroux. To make sure they are not missing anyone, the rescuers scan the streets, ask local people if they have heard signs of life and make final checks in the ruins of popular gathering places — schools, churches, cafes and restaurants.”

Read more from AFP

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Photo by Folletto

Wyclef Jean Defends His Non-Profit, Yele

Earlier this week ExpatFinder posted multiple organizations that expats could donate to for the Haiti relief effort. Yele was one of the recommended organizations. Since that time questions have surfaced regarding the, Yele foundation and the founder, Wyclef Jean has come out in defense and to re-assure that your donation will go to people in need. “Wyclef Jean defended his Haitian relief fund yesterday against critics who say there are more reputable charities to give to - especially in light of some questionable spending and his failure to file with the IRS. “My dad always told me, ‘If you’re a man with a clear conscience, speak with a clear conscience and the world will know,’ ” the superstar singer said. “Have we made mistakes before? Yes. Did I ever use Yele money for personal benefit? Absolutely not.” The scrutiny of the Wyclef Jean Foundation, also known as the Yele Haiti Foundation, comes as the son of Haiti has raised some $2 million since the quake struck.” Read more from Daily News

Donate To:

• Doctors Without Border/Medecins Sans Frontieres
• International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
• Partners In Health
• Yele Haiti
• World Food Programme
• American Red Cross
• Action Against Hunger

Expat Woman Want To Work

The Saudi Gazette has published an interesting article regarding expat women and work. Although the focus is on expat women in Saudi Arabia themes that it touches -interview questions, dependency on husbands, finding legal work - is something that many expat women can relate to. “Most workplaces refuse to sponsor an expat female employee, requiring her to be on her husband’s Iqama. “Generally, the husband will also be working in the same city as his wife. Very rarely is the wife sponsored by her company, as usually, her husband is her sponsor. As such, all of the expat female employee’s expenses, such as, visa, airfare, Iqama renewal, etc., are borne by her husband. She must, therefore, keep this in mind and negotiate well with her employer,” said Khan. School jobs are usually preferred by expat women as a school is considered to be a secure place with a safe environment. “There are fewer encounters with males, and the teaching profession is respected and is a culturally accepted job,” said Sana Obaid, a Pakistani teacher working in a private school in Makkah. However, a common issue in private schools that employ young women is their (the women’s) marital status. “Before a teacher is appointed in a school, she is asked during the interview if she is married, and if she is or is getting married in the near future she is rejected for some ambiguous reason even if she is highly qualified,” said Obaid. Most private schools prefer unmarried women considering that they are able to work for longer hours and with better concentration.” Read more from Saudi Gazette

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Photo by US Navy

How Expats Can Help Donate to Haiti’s Earthquake

Victims

As more devastating news comes out of Haiti many expats are wondering what they can do to help. Expats may have received scam letters asking for relief donations so it is important to donate directly to well known group and their official website. We have placed a few links below to help expats in their donation efforts.

• Doctors Without Border/Medecins Sans Frontieres
• International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
• Partners In Health
• Yele Haiti
• World Food Programme
• American Red Cross
• Action Against Hunger

More Info on the Google Nexus

The BBC reports from California on the new Nexus phone. There are a lot of benefits for expats for with this new Google phone from voice recognition to mapping.

Read and watch more from BBC

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Photo by dailyskiff

The Best Way to Begin Your Overseas Job Search

You have decided that it’s time to take the great leap and start looking for a job outside of your own country. One US expat living in Tokyo gives a few easy to remember tips for your search for a job overseas. “I’m a California girl living and working in Tokyo.  I had never aspired to move to a foreign country to make a living – never even dreamed about it, but, here I am.  And, in the year since I left the States, the question that I am asked the most is, “How do I get a job abroad?”  I wish I had a no-fail answer, but I don’t.”

Read more from Lindsay Olson

Life Abroad: Creating a Connection

Life abroad can mean finding the right overseas job, international school for your kids, health insurance for your family, and financial products for your money, but it can also open up a chance to become part of clubs and associations in your new country. Whether you decide to start up your own group or join one already established there is often times an opportunity for you to give back and connect with the community. A trio of Bangkok expats did just that, “…one group of expat women has taken literally. After the 2004 tsunami, the trio played a role in setting up fish farms to help poverty-stricken islanders earn a living. They raised funds and set off on field trips to see how it could be done. Soon, villagers were digging out ponds and filling them with fish. The ladies, who worked with several established charities, then stepped back and watched as the villagers farmed and then sold the fish.”

Read more from Bangkok Post

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Picture by Antic