Tink

We are located in Bretagne dep. 22 in a small town near Dinan. Does any of you have a child that would love to take care of a hamster? He's 1 year old, his fur is white with soft brown chocolate patches, he's friendly but will need to get used to a new person holding him. He comes with 2 cages, 1 big one 60x38x40 cm, black wire, blue bottom, with 2 platforms with ladders and a treadmill. The other cage is a smaller one and very futuristic, they are called `Hamsterland' with all kinds of tubes and houses you can attach to it. Because of our move back to the USA we would like him to find a good home. We don't think he will survive the journey, it would be too stressful. A family member promised to take him but pulled out because her husband wasn't didn't want a small cute hamster in the home. ;-( I'm sure any child will have loads of fun taking care of him and bonding with him, we love to watch him doing acrobatics stuffing his little cheeks with yummy things and running in his treadmill. He's healthy and very clean, he has his own hamster toilet were he does his business. He comes free with his both cages, all we ask from someone is to love this little animal for the rest of its live. Send me an email if you're interested. -- Tink

Hi, I use http://www.united-mobile.com . if you have an unlocked mobile, and now a days all mobile are suppose to be unlocked or it should be very easy for you to get it unlocked, this service is a good option. You buy a sim card from them, they will send you one anywhere in the world and you can easily update the sim card either by phone or on the web. The card will expire if there is no value on it after 9 months. The service is limited as but very suitable for me when I need to use my mobile phone and what was more important when we travel it works anywhere in the world, unlike the French pay as you go service. -- Tink

Hi, We have moved, not recently but 3 years ago, from California to Agde, a small town near Montpellier with our 2 dogs. We're moving back this October, to Oregon this time. In those 3 years we moved up North to Bretagne. Is there something specific you would like to know? -- Tink

According to EU law you're allowed to take up to 3 months medication for personal use with you. if you travel to the UK or other country it's wise to have the so called 'Export Statement' or 'Declaration d'Exportation' with you. This export statement needs to be filled out and signed by your pharmacien. This gives you permission to have medication for up to 3 months with you. You can find the form here: http://agmed.sante.gouv.fr/ang/index.htm Almost at the bottom of the page is a link to the Export Statement form, it's a .pdf file so you can save it do disk and print out as many as you'll need. The dextropropoxyphene I use is 400mg Paracetamol and 30 mg dextropropoxyphene. Just take your co-prox to your French dr. and ask for the French equivalent. Of course I assumed that you are living here, but even when you're here temporarily you'll have the right to health care. If they cut out your medication you have to find ways around it, after all it's _your_ quality of living that's at stake and you have a right to at least maintain the same level. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. -- Tink (22)

IIRC the French Dafalgan Codéine is the equivalent of co-prox. Otherwise try Dicodin or Dextropropoxyphène Paracétamol EG. The last one is Paracetamol with a light opioid similar to methadone. Although not codeine it sometimes works as good for me. It is important when taking opioids like codeine that you blood maintains a constant level of opioids to achieve the highest relieve of pain. Alternatively you could ask your French dr. to try Duragesic patches, the patch makes sure there's a constant level of medication and is easier on your stomach. When I arrived in France I had to find substitutes for my American meds. That wasn't easy, I tried the one listed above. However the best pain medication I know is Oxycontin also available in France. If you do an internet search for either one medication I mentioned I'm sure you'll be able to find more information. Hope this helps. -- Tink (22)

Hi, You can easily look that up by logging on to the Swiss embassy website in London and read their regulations about importing pets. If I travel with my dogs I never rely on the information of one department. It's unlikely they will have all the information from different countries up to date and at hand. I always contact that country's embassy to get the information directly. Unfortunately the link on their website isn't accurate anymore but the links at the bottom for downloading the .pdf files are. It contains all the information you will need. http://www.eda.admin.ch/accra_emb/e/home/chtrav/impani.html -- Tink (22)

>>Any thoughts on this would be gratefully appreciated, as I can see from the forum that several of you have already wrestled with this one, and we are just trying to find out if we are looking at losing 40% or 66% of our gross salary, before we leap in!

>>I do not think there is currently an arrangement between FR and UK, although this would need to be checked.

I can recommend the Burns as well, we feed our Border Collies the Fish and Rice and hey never have looked so good. The problem with commercial brands is the dubious source of protein, the so called DDD(Death, Deceased and Dying) source. They will use all kinds of meat they can get for rendering and tat includes, meat that isn't fit for human consumption and animals that died at a veterinarian clinic or shelter. if you do a search on the internet with 'what really is in pet food' you will understand. Second problem is the amount of corn and wheat they use in the food. Dogs are carnivores and will eat some greens in nature but it's not the largest amount of their diet. If you look on the bag or dog food you will see that in a commercial brand the largest part will be wheat and corn. feeding a life long diet like that will result in all kinds of health problems. Feeding a non commercial food like Burns may appear more expensive but is cheaper in the long run because you will save on vet costs. it's a bit like humans living purely on a diet of MacDonalds and Chips. Not healthy either. -- Tink (22)

I had one 2 months ago. However I can not comment on the Newcastle thing as I'm not from the UK. All I know and I discussed this with my CPAM exam physician is that they deal with this on an international level. Since it's possible in the EU to live in one country and receive your incapacity benefit or pension from another country the CPAM has been dealing with routine examinations. My dr. spoke excellent fluent English and even wrote the letter to invite me to the exam in English. I guess my country(netherlands) is really excellent at supporting people who want to live in another EU country as all my official mail always is trilingual as are all our official papers such as birth/marriage/divorce certificates. I regularly receive a form someone needs to fill out and it really saves a lot of time and hassle because all requests are also in French. The exam took about an hour and was very very detailed, my husband wasn't allowed to go in with me because of patient confidentiality. Overall it was a pleasant experience. -- Tink (22)

Britline's charges are online http://www.britline.com/g1/banking_info.htm and you should of received that info also when you opened up the account in the information package. At least we did, so those charges are no surprise to me. -- Tink (22)

I have a 100% disability and I have a different experience. Even though I had all my medical files with me my dr. seem to want rediscover the wheel. He said he wanted to make up his own mind and was very skeptical about my US dr's. He changed my medications and I was send to laboratories to have all new bloodtest, xrays etc. Why I don't know. I never receive a straight answer. I was pretty stable when I arrived here, could take short walks, go shopping but due to my medication change my condition has gone backwards to the fact that I need a wheelchair soon. I know some have good experiences here in France, my experience is that they're not open for anything that's not developed in France or for research that has been done outside France. But maybe I was just unlucky. Another problem is that France is not really a disabled friendly country. Little is done to make life more accessible for disabled. Only imagine having to go to the toilet or even access a restaurant with a wheelchair or a shop, let alone drive your wheelchair through town. About importing medication, according to the law you are allowed to take up to 3 months of medications with you when you enter France and you need to be able to provide copies of the prescriptions and a letter from your GP stating the medication your use helps. -- Tink (22)

[quote]Hi, We are planning to move to France in a couple of years when my husband retires at 55. He will get his pension from California and we understand we still have to pay US taxes. As an American is obl...[/quote] The US has a tax treaty with France on double tax, so there no need to be afraid to pay double tax. There are many accountancy firms who handle US tax for US citizens in France There are Taxpayer Service Specialists available for tax assistance on US income tax matters at the IRS office at the US Consulate in Paris, France. You can call also the International Customer Service Site in Philadelphia at: Tel. (215) 516-2000 (This is not a toll-free call.) Fax: (215) 516-2555. Phone service there is available from 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. (EST) Monday thru Friday. Per diem rates can be accessed on the internet: *The rates for travel within the continental US (CONUS) are at: http://www.fss.gsa.gov *The rates for travel outside CONUS are at: http://www.state.gov The US embassy website in paris has loads of information about paying taxes in France and has a .pdf available called 'Tax Guide for U.S. Citizens and Resident Aliens Abroad'. You can access the page at http://www.amb-usa.fr/irs/irs.htm and will find the link there on that page. Also a link on that page is the Tax Treaty between France and the U.S. Another interesting link on the US embassy guide is the Blue Book, Guide for U.S. Citizens Residing in France http://www.amb-usa.fr/CONSUL/guideoas/guidehome.htm Hope this helps. -- Tink (22)

[quote]sorry to veer off topic a wee bit but, re Profession Liberale (Tinks reply above): I am just considering the best way to set up to work in France. I can satisfy the critera to work as Profession Liber...[/quote] El, The 20% I mentioned are on top of you normally gross income i.e. before tax and other contributions. So if you gross income with an employer would be 20.000 per year you should add another 20% op top of that for contributions your employer normally makes for you. I'm not familiar with the tax and contributions paid in the UK but I can give you and example of German and other EU countries situation. In Germany/Netherlands and France about an average 35% of your gross salary goes to taxes and social contributions. So if your salary/income is gross 20.000 deduct 30-35% and another 20% for what now the employer pays. So total you would need to pay as being self employed in France would roughly be about 50% to 55% of your gross income. This is the advice our account gave us before my husband signed a new contract with his employer. I personally thought the 20% was a bit on the low side but so far it seems to work out. Although its hard to keep track because the figures change for year to year because of the leveling out you have to do. I guess we can definitely tell if it the right amount after 5 years. Hope this all makes sense to you ;-) If not let me know and I'll try again. -- Tink (22)

Lori, As an American doesn't he need a visa to work in the EU? Besides that, anyone staying or planning to stay longer that 90 days in france has to apply for a Carte de Sejour. That was the law. For EU citizens that has changed since this year and the need to apply for a CdS has gone. However we still applied for an extension and are awaiting our official document of denial so we can show that to officials who still ask for a CdS as identification. For a long stay visa for an American citizen(longer that 90 days) see the website of the French embassy at http://www.info-france-usa.org/visitingfrance/usvisas.asp and scroll down to Long Stay Visa. Also see http://riviera.angloinfo.com/information/1/cds.asp As I said the French law doesn't provide a solution for these new kind of workplaces. They will give you the option of either register a self employed or the UK employer must establish a subsidiary in France. We used an account to sort this out for us who's located at the Cote d'Azur . I will have to look up his name as my husband is on a conference at the moment. But I would think that Ernst & Young are more than qualified to do so. They know his situation and have his files so I would try them first if i were you. Please keep us posted, would like to know what they think his options are. -- Tink (22)

[quote]I understand that it was meant to be sarcastic but the blame cannot simply be laid at the door of socialism can it.No, it can't, but it's so very easy to do for some people... especially if you have h...[/quote] Dick, I did not grew up in a particular socialistic country(I'm not british, so I wouldn't know about the Daily Mail), although my dad was a member of the socialistic party. I've always been taught by my parents and by the system that socialism was a very 'fair' system. Everyone was to be cared for by the system, because everyone contributed. I know the self employed can buy insurance cover for unemployment and sickness. But to me it doesn't seems very fair that they should pay twice. Once by their monthly payments for unemployment and sickness towards the system(URSSAF) which they can't not enjoy but do have to make contributions to and than also pay for insurance. There are no tax benefits that make it attractive to obtain such insurance. -- Tink (22)

[quote]Shirley you mean "denigrating" ? regards Peter (degenerate ex-IT worker and member of the Campaign for Real Pedantry)[/quote] I 'shirley' mean 'denigrating'. No wonder my spellchecker didn't pick that one up. ;-) -- Tink (22) who's not a native English speaker

[quote]Tink, Was that a throwaway line, it has sod all to do with socialism. Socialism is what has has been helping lots of Brits to get RMI, low CMU contributions and a mile of other helpful handouts. I...[/quote] Mikki, To me Socialism is that everyone who has an income contributes to the system. I only find it strange that people who do contribute a lot, the self employed, do not get to enjoy that very same system. My remark was meant to be a little sarcastic. I guess that didn't come across well. -- Tink (22)

Translated from a Dutch press release: French authorities warned of a rabies outbreak in the south-west of the country after an illegally imported puppy was found to be carrying the deadly disease. The agriculture and health ministries have released a statement. They are looking for people and animals who came in contact with the dog including at least 7 people who were bitten by the dog in the Bordeaux and Périgueux area. Other people, who have possibly played with the dog in August and/or by have been licked, are advised to get in touch as soon as possible with a hospital. The hospital of Bordeaux has 300 anti doses ready. Beginning of August a young French person brought a not vaccinated dog illegally in the country from Morocco. It is very well possible that in Spain also people have had contact with the animal. Rabies can be deadly. Antidoses are very effective. The man has visited with the dog many popular and local festivals in the south west of France, where generally lots of tourists come. Eventually the owner has brought the dog to an refuge, where rabies was observed. The Internet site of the French ministry of public health has a photograph of the dog and other information. The European Commission has warned all EU-MEMBER states of the rabies case. French website: Alerte Rage dans le Sud-Ouest http://www.sante.gouv.fr/htm/actu/31_040827.htm -- Tink

[quote]Have been considering setting up a service going around sorting out peoples computer probs (home & business maybe?). Has anybody else tried a similar type of service, and with what outcome?Yes, severa...[/quote] I don't think it's necessary to be so degenerating about IT workers. A simple answer as yes that's possible or no sorry it's not will do. Being a registered graphic designer myself and a web designer I do not appreciate this. It's the customers own responsibility to check the credentials of the people they want to employ. So Matt, don't get discouraged. If you have talent for web design or are a computer whiz go for it. There are lots of people who do this kind of consulting. Especially to the expat community. Contact some of the people you see advertising and ask for their opinion. Contact small business and ask if they would be interested in a monthly or quarterly maintenance. Think of offering short workshops of how to use the internet in France etc.. if you think you can support yourself with that, go to the URSSAF and ask about being registered and how much it will cost you monthly. They do have brochures about that. -- Tink (22)

>>>I know that when hub was off work for 3 months last yr, he wasnt entitled to a penny (sorry cent!)

Lori, No that's not possible. The French system does not have a solution for that , yet. We had the same situation but with a German company. The French law states that is you live here, work here you should pay taxes here unless you can qualify as a border worker. Border workers are subject to strict rules and laws and working in the UK 'virtually' does not qualify as such. My husband is a Software Engineer as well and has his home office and works for a German Linux company. Only solution is that his employer opens up a subsidiary here or that your husband becomes self employed as a Profession Liberale, We chose the last option as his employer didn't want to go the other route. Make sure if he choses to become self employed that he adds 20% on top of his current income that he will need to pay to French taxes and social security. That part is now paid by his employer. The virtual office is becoming more and more popular with IT people. Lots of people see the benefit in working from home and choosing to live where you like. In the US it's very common to do so and the whole business society has accepted that. However Europe and France in particular are struggling to catch up with this especially since working in another country has become easier for IT people. Law and taxes are till way behind this new way of employment and they are working on new rules and law but so far no solution has been found. -- Tink (22)

[quote]Tink, I think you mean 'Internet Connect' - that's the icon of a phone in the top menubar, assuming you are using any system after 8. Click on it and you will get a drop-down menu. You will not use th...[/quote] Dick of course, I'm sorry. Must have been the late hour. ;-) The icon in the menu bar is not always there unless you check the box ' Show status in menu bar' in Internet Connect. That's why I wrote to start up the program 'Internet Connect'. BTW I have ADSL(via Ethernet) and do use Internet Connect to connect and disconnect. -- Tink (22)

[quote]Ok, well if you click on the pop-up menu at the bottom of the screen, then go to systesm preferences, then go to the network pane (should that be ai?) and click on the PPPoe jobby.. Once you've made i...[/quote] Diana, Tim is almost right. After you opened the network pane, select internal modem. Fill in you details and if you need help use Apple's excellent help system, it's there, it's easy and very helpful!. Close de preferences, look or do a search for a little program called 'Internet Contact'. Start it up. Your details should be there under the Internal Modem tab. Click connect and off you go. The PPPe option tim mentioned is used for an ethernet connection such as for an ethernet ASDL modem and not applicable to your phone connection. -- Tink (22)

Same here. I am a Mac user for 20 ears and never had any problems with my laptops while traveling (or with my macs at home). Using all kind of modem/phone cables where ever I was. My husband's linux laptop is a whole different story. Where Mac is basically plug and play he's configuring for hours before he can connect while I happily surf away. Any modem cable should work with a Mac, don't worry until you have tried it first. -- Tink (22)