US Citizens, Re-entry, and your Passport
If you are a dual/multiple citizen with US citizenship, or a recently naturalized greencard holder, you might not realize that you cannot enter the US with any passport but your US passport. If you try to return to the United States as a US citizen on a different country’s passport, airline security will probably decline to check you into your flight, instead referring you to the nearest embassy to get appropriate one-time travel documents or an emergency passport.
This happened to me on a recent trip to Paris, France. I entered Paris using my Finland passport (European Union) with no trouble. However, returning home when asked if I were a US citizen I replied that I was, and was required to present my US passport. As I had lost it at home on the way over, I had to get an emergency passport from the US Embassy in Paris in Concorde Square. It only took 2 hours and $100, but I would have rather understood the requirements first and avoiding missing my scheduled flight.
The rule of law that makes this possible is 8 U.S.C. sec. 1185(b):
Except as otherwise provided by the President and subject to such limitations and exceptions as the President may authorize and prescribe, it shall be unlawful for any citizen of the United States to depart from or enter, or attempt to depart from or enter, the United States unless he bears a valid United States passport.
Happy Pi Day!!
It’s pi day! That annual celebration of π=3.141592653589793238462643383279503 that happens on 3/14!
Go out and enjoy a math-filled day!
How to Detect a Facebook Spammer
Here are a few ways to tell if someone who has just friended you is really the hot girl you think she is, or rather just a marketing promotion who intends to establish herself as an account and spam you to death. Note: this is a real-life example!
1) All her recent activity is adding friends
Real people tend to do other things that just add friends…
2) You have no friends in common
Most of your real friends in life will know someone in your network. The rule of “6 degrees” aka the birthday paradox makes it extremely unlikely an actual friend doesn’t know at least one of your other friends.
3) You can find their profile pic on Tineye
Cute girl whose profile picture shows up on a “hot spring break party” website? Probably not a real girl…
4) They don’t belong to any networks
If you’re in a college network, it means you have an address @yourcollege.edu that actually works. Even this little bit of verification goes a long way in our age of spam.