You know the old saying that “if I had a penny for every time I’ve heard [fill-in-the-blank], I’d be rich.” Well, some day it’s a dead body – a corpse – that’s going to make me very, very rich. Lest you suspect … Continue reading →
In a recent public announcement to more than 1,500 cruise ship passengers (I was one of them) the captain spoke of the Army Corpse of Engineers so my mind immediately went to many a consular corps that’s also been called a … Continue reading →
A consul can be a head of post, but not head of a diplomatic mission (= embassy). The Miami Herald should have referred to the local Haitian consul-general as head of the (consular) post, but instead used the wrong term. You … Continue reading →
What motivates a foreign country to open a consulate in a particular U.S. city and state? This is a question often asked by business people and others who want to know why there isn’t a consul in their area to … Continue reading →
Diplomatic terms come in many shapes and in many contexts. I love it when I run into something new and unusual, like the recent digital diplomacy. And how about the “ambassador ladies” I just encountered on name-tags of people greeting me … Continue reading →
Jamaican honorary consuls are much appreciated by some of their government officials, who recognize that these consuls will “serve its economic and political interests globally.” As a particular example from the publication I read, Dr. Richard Bernal, Jamaica’s Ambassador to the … Continue reading →
When you want to contact your local consul (or his office, the consulate), nothing impresses him more than when you show an understanding of his position. You begin by using the correct title, not in a condescending manner but as part of your own … Continue reading →
The Consular Corps of Miami has a much longer history than most people believed. Long-time members of the corps used to say it dated “back to the 60s” but my research quickly took me back to the 50s. A little more … Continue reading →
I have heard of “mobile consulates” before but I think one on wings portrays really well how some countries handle the problem with servicing their citizens. A “consulate on wings” is a wonderfully descriptive term for when a consulate takes it … Continue reading →
Consuls and universities are natural partners in the search for global success for everyone involved. Long-established study-abroad programs have already made local consuls a natural resource for these purposes but expanded collaboration with the foreign consuls among us can reach … Continue reading →