Metro reported on a story (which The NY Daily News picked up) about a four-year old boy who decided to use his father's Chinese passport as a drawing pad. Kotaku makes a compelling argument that the story is a hoax, but documents another more likely example of a kid coloring on a parent's passport. Whatever the authenticity of these stories, it's an important reminder, especially in these busy summer months of travel, for all to keep their passports safe and secure--both from children's hands when they have a crayon and potential thieves. For foreign nationals who have passports lost or stolen, the State Department has instructions (first noting that copies should be made of the passport, visa stamp, and I-94): file a police report; request a replacement I-94 if applicable; contact the appropriate country embassy for passport replacement; contact the US Embassy/Consulate where the visa stamp was issued to report it was stolen; and lastly, to apply for a replacement visa stamp.

UPDATE: Further confirmation that the story (though a good one) was a hoax.

On July 26, 2013, the US Embassy Consular Section in the United Kingdom transitioned to a new appointment service for applicants applying for a visa to come to the US. Whereas previously applicants called to schedule their appointment, this new appointment service is online and coordinated through Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC), a third-party company. For applicants who have decided to handle the visa appointment themselves, here are ten tips to help with the process:

1. During the appointment scheduling process, first-time users of the CSC website must create an online profile before an appointment can be scheduled.

2. There is no additional scheduling fee to book the visa appointment through the CSC appointment website (there used to be a $16 fee to schedule appointments by phone).