Dan Saltman

How to Use a WordPress Theme

2011-08-16T15:21:00.000-07:00

Any website running the free WordPress software can make use of theme designed for the WordPress platform. When you first download the program you will be given one standard theme that serves the site until you replace it with something else. Your job then is to browse through the free themes offered on the WordPress site or to independent sites offering professional Wordpress themes from private designers.

If you go with a theme from a designer not connected directly to the WordPress website, make sure that the theme is compatible with the most current version of WP being downloaded. You should also make sure that the theme comes with complete instructions on how to successfully download the theme into your computer and then into the WordPress program.

Some free themes won't come with adequate instructions and can be complicated to download and make use of. If you pay for your theme, then you should have very detailed instructions telling you exactly how to download and use the theme.

Instructions can vary because there are different elements of different designs. Some may have files that others don't have and some may require you to preserve the directory structure when downloading. All of these special instructions must be provided by the designer, since WordPress won't be familiar with the features of a design not created by them personally.

Once you do find a theme that you want to use on your website, you will go through a process similar to this:

1. Download all files provided to make the theme functional. Follow the directions on how to save the files to your computer so you can correctly follow the next steps. You will extract various files related to the theme during this process. These files are what make different functions of the them work properly.

2. Create a directory that saves your theme. It will look something like this wp-content/themes. You will need an FTP client to get into your web host server to do this, unless the theme you purchase comes with the directory already created for you.

3. Upload the theme into that directory so it can operate on your web server.

That is the very basic process for getting a WordPress theme into your website, but there are further instructions to get the theme active using cPanel or an administrative panel. The differences are due to the different ways that these panels work and the different ways files are saved and uploaded.

As long as you purchased your template from a reputable designer, you should receive step-by-step instructions that walk you through the process in more detail. It is not incredibly difficult and the best designers now make sure all directories and files are created and organized for you, which simplifies the process even more.

You should be able to get details about how to download, extract and upload a theme before making a purchase. Most designers have similar instructions for most of their themes and will reveal these details somewhere on their website before you make a purchase. You should at least be able to determine what versions of WP a particular theme is compatible with. This ensures that the version you are running will work with the theme before you put your money on the line.

How to Choose the Right Technical College for You

2011-04-07T16:46:00.000-07:00

PC Pro Schools Technical college offer a wide variety of curriculum for a students at any stage of their career. It’s a viable choice for school leavers who want a specialized qualification. It’s also a viable choice for those in a job or career who want to change or advance.

They offer a lot for the student who wants to work hard, but choosing the right one is something to take time over. This article has some suggestions for what to look for when selecting a technical college. It doesn’t get into geography, as that’s very personal. It concentrates instead on the practical aspects of education.

1. Set realistic goals. It helps to have an idea of what you want to do with your qualification after leaving technical college. That way you can tailor the specifics of each course to achieve that goal.

2. Find the college that provides the path to your goal. A college by the beach might be nice, but you’re planning the rest of your life here. You can always move to the beach once you have finished your course. The right college in the wrong place is always preferable to the wrong college in the right place.

3. Double check that the college has the right credentials for the qualification you’re looking for. You would be surprised at how many new courses have yet to be awarded the accreditation to provide students with the qualification.

4. Visit. Go and see the college. Take the official tour, but also make time to have a wander around on your own. You will only be shown the shiny bits on an official tour, you need to see the whole deal before moving there.

5. Talk to students, lecturers, and sit in on a lecture if you can. It will all help to build a picture of the technical college in your mind. The clearer the picture, the easier the decision. It takes time and effort, but if you’re planning to be somewhere for a few years, a day or two investment is nothing.

6. Plan for afterwards. Talk to teachers about links with local businesses and opportunities available for those who graduate. Many colleges offer the chance to have work placements or internships with companies in the area. Find out what the post-graduation placement rate is. It’s always good to have a hand if you can get one.

7. Calculate the costs. Going to college is an expensive business. Technical colleges can be cheaper as the courses are sometimes shorter, but don’t bank on it. Get a full breakdown of how much money you’re going to need to attend. Then add 15 percent for the unforeseeable. If cost is an issue, check with the college to see if they have scholarships or financial assistance available for people in your situation.

Most of these tips are common sense, but are easy to forget once you get caught up in the excitement of college preparation. Bear them in mind, use them, and they will serve you well.

Five Reasons to Choose An Energy-Efficient House Plan

2011-03-06T15:44:00.000-08:00

Building a home in today’s difficult economy is a daunting task. What with rising material, energy and labor costs, we are all constantly looking for ways to minimize our expenditures as much as possible. That said, we are also morally obliged to use energy as efficiently as possible, so as to play our part in helping the environment.

One of the best ways to do both is to have an energy-efficient house. There are a number of other benefits that energy-efficient houses provide to their owners. Here are five reasons why choosing an energy efficient house plan is a smart choice:

1. Energy-efficient houses are environmentally friendly

Energy efficient houses are environmentally friendly because they are designed to conserve as much energy as possible mainly through energy-efficient temperature control methods. Energy-efficient houses are smaller in size and have more insulation. They have airtight windows and controlled ventilation systems. Weather-stripping and caulking methods are often used to seal the house from the outside.

All these techniques prevents energy from escaping through the walls. Energy-efficient houses also employ efficient home appliances. The end result is the conservation of a substantial amount of money.

2. Energy-efficient houses lower utility bills

The most power used in homes is used on temperature control: either heating in the winter, or air-conditioning in the summer. Because of all the insulation measures, it takes much less time (and smaller air-conditioning/ heating units) to heat or cool an energy-efficient house. This means lesser power consumption, and a drastic cut in your utility bills.

3. Energy-efficient houses are more comfortable

Because of their special features, energy-efficient houses have more even temperatures throughout the house, meaning more comfort. Also, it takes much less time (and smaller air-conditioning/ heating units) to heat or cool the house.

4. Energy-efficient houses have a great resale value

Although energy efficient houses can be more expensive to build initially, they are a sound investment because the owner benefits from the reduced energy costs over the years and can make up the initial investment many times over with the savings from increased efficiency.

For this reason energy-efficient houses usually have a high resale value. Therefore, if you plan to sell your house in the future, making it energy efficient could increase its value.

5. Energy-efficiency can make you self-sufficient.

Technologies like solar power and wind turbines are gaining traction in the residential market. They can be added to a home relatively easily, if a little expensively. They not only provide free energy to use in the home, they also offer security. Fossil fuel is a finite resource, and with oil rising in price all the time, our utility bills will also increase,

Generating your own power gives you the security of knowing you will always have electricity, and the knowledge that price rises won’t affect you.

So what are you waiting for? Opt for an energy-efficient house plans and go easier on the environment, and your pocket.

The best accessories a golfer can have to improve their skill and technique

2010-10-11T22:37:00.000-07:00

There must be thousands of different golfing accessories you can get. Some accessories may look fancy and colorful in design while others are more practical. Golfers, who are looking to improve their skill and technique, should consider these tips.

The first accessory that should be considered is an adjustable golf club. Tailor-made golf clubs are available, but they can be more expensive than regular clubs. Regular clubs however, cannot quite maximize your full potential. Buying an adjustable golf club gives you the ability to test out different feels and settings, letting you customize your own game.

Next option (which because of its efficiency should be required) is to purchase a Powerchute. It’s a training device that hooks up to your club, helping you create your proper form. With it, it’s hard not to create an almost perfect swing because your errors will be obvious. If you can’t tell when your balance is off, Powerchute will tell you. It’s designed to help you improve your swing and clubhead speed by driving it right through the hitting zone. Powerchute is made to generate resistance at the shaft and clubhead to speed up your swing and driving distance. It improves your sequencing, and helps you gain consistency. It’s a great training device made for golfers at all skill levels, not just for the new golfers.

Electronic devices made to improve your swinging and putting can be used at home. When using these devices, keep in mind your goal is to develop consistency, so make sure you aim to get the same results-even if they aren’t fantastic, consistency shows you have control over your swing. Some electric devices could be clubs themselves that give you the acceleration an angle of your swings, giving you the ability to improve them.

To practice putting, you have the ability to install some putting green in your home. As long as it is large enough for you to work effectively, it’s usually worth the money. Putt with the same putter that you bring with you onto the green so that you can easily apply what you’ve learned, and be comfortable.

Training lessons from private tutors are a good source of learning for your golfing needs. They can get rather pricy, but make sure you shop around to get the best deal and experience possible. Having your skill critiqued by a professional golfer can give you advice that you may never have even thought of. Even if you are above average in your golfing skill, do not be hesitant to hire a tutor. They are there to help and can possibly fix one small imperfection that had originally affected your entire game.

Settling for average skill or advance skill is a personal preference, but if you’re going to play, do it right. It doesn’t cost a whole lot of money to purchase training material so it’s definitely worth it. Explore what your other options are too. For instance, Powerchute can be purchased for free with a membership to all the golf tutorials, videos, tips and tricks you can get. Become a better golfer at a game you love playing, and if accessories are what it takes, do it.

Video production

2010-03-01T14:54:00.000-08:00

Video production is a huge area which has great demand on Internet. Naples video production is quite efficient and there are many successful ventures and projects of video production in RT design group. There are many good professionals who have good experience in video production and it is also a fact that, the video production is very much in coordination and combination with web design services. Provision of Ecommerce solutions and building good web site designs are some of the highlights of Naples video production companies. Naples Webmasters is a web design company that offers a complete package of web design services which includes video production.

Video production is not an easy job. It requires lot of technical knowledge and expertise and it also requires professional skill and knowledge to give perfect picture quality and design to appear on web site. Naples web design offers quality services in web hosting and in custom web site design apart from Internet marketing.

Videos are more effective in displaying its services such as, real estate buildings, complexes and apartments visuals are more effective to impress customers. Similarly, demonstration of products through videos such as mobiles, laptops and other electronic goods is also very effective in giving good results.

Naples video production has always been doing good service to its customers by providing excellent services in video production. It is also true that the growth of Naples web designing companies has also been due to video production as there are many good professionals in video production who can bring good quality pictures to the web site. It is very effective and will enhance to the business of web design at all levels.

Apart from this, video production encourages customers to take a quick look at the video in order to buy a product. For instance, if a customer has to purchase a mobile or a laptop, just by clicking on the video, customer can take a close look at the electronic good and can decide to purchase it. If a customer is satisfied about the product, with video as it displays the working and efficiency of the product, more and more customers will be willing to make a purchase.

In this pattern, video production also worked to the growth and prosperity of Naples web design business and it continues to grow for the years to come. As it is already evident that the working of RT group staff and professionals in video production are very good at working on web design and Internet marketing strategies.

Microsoft bans unofficial Xbox 360 memory units Latest 360 update shuts out third-party carts

2009-10-19T12:00:00.001-07:00

Microsoft bans unofficial Xbox 360 memory units
Latest 360 update shuts out third-party carts
By Adam Hartley

7 hours ago | Tell us what you think [ 0 comments ]
microsoft-bans-use-of-third-party-unofficial-memory-carts-on-xbox-360

Microsoft bans use of third-party unofficial memory carts on Xbox 360

<>

If you are using an unofficial memory unit with your Xbox 360 then you had better back up your data onto an authorised Microsoft 360 storage device quick sharp, as the next 360 update will shut-out third party devices from working with your console.

The new update is set to add a range of new features to your Microsoft console, including Last.fm, Facebook, Twitter and more.

Major Nelson advises

Xbox Live's Major Nelson blogs: "When Preview Program members start receiving the Xbox 360 system update next week, one of the changes is that unauthorized Memory Units will no longer work with the Xbox 360. If you've moved your profile or saved games onto one to "back it up," you'd better move it back onto an authorized Xbox 360 storage device prior to taking the update.

"If you continue to use an unauthorised Memory Unit after the update, you will not be able to access your stored profile or saved games."

If you want to know more about officially licensed Xbox 360 storage devices or accessories you can read more about the licensed accessories program on Xbox.com

So there you go. Consider yourself 'advised'...

in reference to:

"Microsoft bans unofficial Xbox 360 memory units
Latest 360 update shuts out third-party carts
By Adam Hartley

7 hours ago | Tell us what you think [ 0 comments ]

Microsoft bans use of third-party unofficial memory carts on Xbox 360

<>

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/* ]]> */

If you are using an unofficial memory unit with your Xbox 360 then you had better back up your data onto an authorised Microsoft 360 storage device quick sharp, as the next 360 update will shut-out third party devices from working with your console.The new update is set to add a range of new features to your Microsoft console, including Last.fm, Facebook, Twitter and more.Major Nelson advisesXbox Live's Major Nelson blogs: "When Preview Program members start receiving the Xbox 360 system update next week, one of the changes is that unauthorized Memory Units will no longer work with the Xbox 360. If you've moved your profile or saved games onto one to "back it up," you'd better move it back onto an authorized Xbox 360 storage device prior to taking the update. "If you continue to use an unauthorised Memory Unit after the update, you will not be able to access your stored profile or saved games." If you want to know more about officially licensed Xbox 360 storage devices or accessories you can read more about the licensed accessories program on Xbox.comSo there you go. Consider yourself 'advised'..."
- Microsoft bans unofficial Xbox 360 memory units | News | TechRadar UK (view on Google Sidewiki)

GetAFreelancer Hits 1 Million Users, Switches Name To Freelancer.com

2009-10-07T10:14:00.001-07:00

GetAFreelancer Hits 1 Million Users, Switches Name To Freelancer.com

* 29 Comments
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by Robin Wauters on October 7, 2009

If the Internet has made one thing crystal clear, it’s that physical borders and geographical distance are no longer necessarily an absolute barrier for conducting business.

More and more companies are getting accustomed to the idea of being able to do business with companies on the other side of the world using nothing but digital communication means, or to have entire business units or projects led by teams made up of people located all over the globe.

Hence the popularity of services such as oDesk and Elance, websites where you can outsource given projects to registered programmers, designers, writers, legal experts and whatnot. Another player in this market is GetAFreelancer, an Australian company that’s been offering freelance jobs online since it was founded back in 2004.

Today, the company is announcing that it has changed its name to the far better-sounding and undoubtedly more memorable Freelancer.com. They bought the domain name from a private individual who used to run a magazine called Computer Freelancer over 15 years ago, for a ’six figure sum’. All in an effort to increase its visibility and profile.

GetAFreelancer CEO Matt Barrie tells us that the site recently hit a big milestone and now boasts over 1,000,000 registered professionals and businesses from 234 countries and territories worldwide. Over 475,000 jobs have been posted on the website to date, for a sum of over $43 million.

Not too shabby for a bootstrapped venture.

in reference to:

"GetAFreelancer Hits 1 Million Users, Switches Name To Freelancer.com

29 Comments

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by
Robin Wauters
on
October 7, 2009

If the Internet has made one thing crystal clear, it’s that physical borders and geographical distance are no longer necessarily an absolute barrier for conducting business.
More and more companies are getting accustomed to the idea of being able to do business with companies on the other side of the world using nothing but digital communication means, or to have entire business units or projects led by teams made up of people located all over the globe.
Hence the popularity of services such as oDesk and Elance, websites where you can outsource given projects to registered programmers, designers, writers, legal experts and whatnot. Another player in this market is GetAFreelancer, an Australian company that’s been offering freelance jobs online since it was founded back in 2004.
Today, the company is announcing that it has changed its name to the far better-sounding and undoubtedly more memorable Freelancer.com. They bought the domain name from a private individual who used to run a magazine called Computer Freelancer over 15 years ago, for a ’six figure sum’. All in an effort to increase its visibility and profile.
GetAFreelancer CEO Matt Barrie tells us that the site recently hit a big milestone and now boasts over 1,000,000 registered professionals and businesses from 234 countries and territories worldwide. Over 475,000 jobs have been posted on the website to date, for a sum of over $43 million.
Not too shabby for a bootstrapped venture."
- GetAFreelancer Hits 1 Million Users, Switches Name To Freelancer.com (view on Google Sidewiki)

Wireless power system shown off

2009-07-24T14:08:00.000-07:00

Wireless power system shown off

By Jonathan Fildes
Technology reporter, BBC News, Oxford

Electric tech could make plugs obsolete

A system that can deliver power to devices without the need for wires has been shown off at a hi-tech conference.

The technique exploits simple physics and can be used to charge a range of electronic devices over many metres.

Eric Giler, chief executive of US firm Witricity, showed mobile phones and televisions charging wirelessly at the TED Global conference in Oxford.

He said the system could replace the miles of expensive power cables and billions of disposable batteries.

"There is something like 40 billion disposable batteries built every year for power that, generally speaking, is used within a few inches or feet of where there is very inexpensive power," he said.

Trillions of dollars, he said, had also been invested building an infrastructure of wires "to get power from where it is created to where it is used."

Witricity claims to be able to charge gadgets large and small

"We love this stuff [electricity] so much," he said.

Mr Giler showed off a Google G1 phone and an Apple iPhone that could be charged using the system.

Witricity, he said, had managed to pack all the necessary components into the body of the G1 phone, but Apple had made that process slightly harder.

"They don't make it easy at Apple to get inside their phones so we put a little sleeve on the back," he said.

He also showed off a commercially available television using the system.

"Imagine you get one of these things and you want to hang it on the wall," he said. "Think about it, you don't want those ugly cords hanging down."

Good vibrations

The system is based on work by physicist Marin Soljacic at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

It exploits "resonance", whereby energy transfer is markedly more efficient when a certain frequency is applied.

When two objects have the same resonant frequency, they exchange energy strongly without having an effect on other, surrounding objects.

For example, it is resonance that can cause a wine glass to explode when a singer hits exactly the right tone.

But instead of using acoustic resonance, Witricity's approach exploits the resonance of low frequency electromagnetic waves.

HOW WIRELESS POWER WORKS

1. Magnetic coil (Antenna A) is housed in a box and can be set in wall or ceiling.

2. Antenna A, powered by mains, resonates at a specific frequency.

3. Electromagnetic waves transmitted through the air.

4. Second magnetic coil (Antenna B) fitted in laptop/TV etc resonates at same frequency as first coil and absorbs energy.

5. Energy charges the device.

The system uses two coils - one plugged into the mains and the other embedded or attached to the gadget.

Each coil is carefully engineered with the same resonant frequency. When the main coil is connected to an electricity supply, the magnetic field it produces is resonant with that of with the second coil, allowing "tails" of energy to flow between them.

As each "cycle" of energy arrives at the second coil, a voltage begins to build up that can be used to charge the gadget.

Mr Giler said the main coil could be embedded in the "ceiling, in the floor, or underneath your desktop".

Devices using the system would automatically begin to charge as soon as they were within range, he said.

"You'd never have to worry about plugging these things in again."

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Safety concerns

Mr Giler was keen to stress the safety of the equipment during the demonstration.

"There's nothing going on - I'm OK," he said walking around a television running on wireless power.

The system is able to operate safely because the energy is largely transferred through magnetic fields.

Magnetic fields interact with everyday objects less than electric fields

"Humans and the vast majority of objects around us are non-magnetic in nature," Professor Soljacic, one of the inventors of the system, told BBC News during a visit to Witricity earlier this year.

It is able to do this by exploiting an effect that occurs in a region known as the "far field", the region seen at a distance of more than one wavelength from the device.

In this field, a transmitter would emit mixture of magnetic and potentially dangerous electric fields.

But, crucially, at a distance of less than one wavelength - the "near field" - it is almost entirely magnetic.

Hence, Witricity uses low frequency electromagnetic waves, whose waves are about 30m (100ft) long. Shorter wavelengths would not work.

'Ridiculous technology'

Witricity is not the first jump on the concept of wireless electricity.

For example, the nineteenth century American inventor Thomas Edison and physicist and engineer Nikola Tesla explored the concept.

"In the very early days of electricity before the electric grid was deployed [they] were very interested in developing a scheme to transmit electricity wirelessly over long distances," explained Professor Soljacic.

Intel showed off its wireless power solution in August 2008

"They couldn't imagine dragging this vast infrastructure of metallic wires across every continent."

Tesla even went so far as to build a 29m-high aerial known as Wardenclyffe Tower in New York.

"It ran into some financial troubles and that work was never completed," said Professor Soljacic.

Today, chip-giant Intel has seized on a similar idea to Witricity's, whilst other companies work on highly directional mechanisms of energy transfer, such as lasers.

However, unlike Witricity's work, lasers require an uninterrupted line of sight, and are therefore not good for powering objects around the home.

In contrast, Mr Giler said Witricity's approach could be used for a range of applications from laptops and phones to implanted medical devices and electric cars.

"Imagine driving in the garage and the car charges itself," he said.

He even said he had had interest from a company who proposed to use the system for an "electrically-heated dog bowl".

"You go from the sublime to the ridiculous," he said.

Ted Global is a conference dedicated to "ideas worth spreading". It runs from the 21 to 24 July in Oxford, UK.

Man Faces Life in Prison for Paying Employees in Gold Coins

2009-05-27T09:03:00.000-07:00

Man Faces Life in Prison for Paying Employees in Gold Coins

By JOAN WHITELY

Robert Kahre, who owns numerous construction businesses in Las Vegas, is standing trial on 57 counts of income tax evasion, tax fraud and criminal conspiracy. If convicted on most counts, he could live out his life in prison.

But attorney William Cohan paints Kahre as an American “hero” who believes his payroll system helped keep the U.S. monetary system sound, and was also a form of legal tax avoidance.

A self-made entrepreneur, Kahre, 48, paid his workers in gold and silver coin, and said they could go by the coins’ face value — rather than the much higher market value of their precious metal content — for federal tax purposes. He did not withhold taxes from their wages, and he provided the same payroll system to 35 outside clients, which were other local businesses.

Judge David Ezra is presiding over the criminal trial, which began May 19 in U.S. District Court. Joining Kahre as defendants are his longtime girlfriend, a sister who works in his businesses, and a former business assistant.

Three of the four present defendants were among the nine people tried on similar charges two years ago, but no convictions resulted. In the 2007 trial, four others of the nine defendants, including Kahre’s mother, were entirely acquitted. Two individuals were only partially acquitted, but dropped from the indictment that forms the basis for the trial before Ezra.

This time around, the only new defendant is Danille Cline, Kahre’s girlfriend of 19 years, and the stay-at-home mother of his four children. The government claims she obstructed the Internal Revenue Service by allowing Kahre to place several homes in her name, thus attempting to conceal his assets.

Cline’s former brother-in-law, Thomas Browne, also was indicted this time, for his role as broker in some of the real estate transactions, but has since reached a plea bargain. He is expected to testify against the defendants.

“This is a case about money, greed and fraud.” The line appeared on screen in court during the government’s opening statement by Christopher Maietta, a trial lawyer from the Washington, D.C., office of the Department of Justice.

According to the government, Kahre and others concocted a fraudulent cash payroll “scheme” and then peddled it to other Las Vegas contractors. Defendants did not report to the IRS any payments made to workers, “either at the true amount or at the bogus amount, … being the face value of the coin or coins,” according to the indictment.

The now-suspended payroll service handled about $114 million over six years, according to court records. Between 17 and 25 percent of that went to Kahre or his workers; the rest went to the 35 client businesses to pay their workers, court records show.

The government did not indict most of the outside businesses or their personnel as co-conspirators with Kahre; although on May 6, Daniel McCartan of Action Concrete, which was one of Kahre’s payroll clients, was finally sentenced in connection with a plea agreement reached in December 2006. McCartan received five months in prison and five months of home detention for one count of tax evasion.

Kahre contends his workers had agreed to be independent contractors, so he did not have to withhold taxes for them. His six businesses are in the trades of painting, drywall, tiling, plumbing, heating-cooling and electrical work.

Further, the $50 gold coins and the silver dollars Kahre used for payroll are designated by Congress as legal tender, so people are entitled to value them at their stamped denominations, he also contends. Taken at face value, each defendant’s annual coin income placed him below the threshold for filing a federal tax return.

Earlier cases on the question of how to value gold or silver coins have focused on collectible coins that had been pulled from circulation but still have value as property, according to the defense. Kahre used coins minted after 1985, which are allowed to circulate.

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“It’s not whether what Mr. Kahre did was legal under the law,” defense attorney Michael Kennedy told the jury in his opening statement. “It’s whether he believed what he did was legal,” in the absence of explicit instructions by the IRS — on its Web site, in its publications or in response to written correspondence from Kahre — on how to value post-1985 gold or silver coins.

“We’re not here to determine if moneys are owed,” said Kennedy on behalf of his client, Lori Kahre, who had relied on her brother’s tax theory. A tax mistake is different from a tax crime, so the IRS can still use administrative channels to force the defendants to pay back taxes, Kennedy has noted in the past.

A sincere, but mistaken understanding of the tax-filing process is different from adopting a “pretextual” belief system in order to dodge taxes, Ezra acknowledged in court Wednesday.

Cohan described Kahre’s payroll system as a “boycott of the Federal Reserve.” But when the lawyer attempted to elaborate on Kahre’s view that the nation has debased its paper currency by abandoning its former gold standard, Ezra added, “We’re not here to convince the jury that the … (U.S.) monetary system belongs to an international cabal.”

Contact reporter Joan Whitely at jwhitely@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0268.

Fake DHS "photography license" for fake no-photos laws

2009-05-15T16:19:00.001-07:00

Posted by Cory Doctorow, May 15, 2009 1:49 AM | permalink

All around the world, cops and rent-a-cops are vigorously enforcing nonexistent anti-terrorist bans on photography in public places. If you're worried about being busted under an imaginary law, why not download these templates and print yourself an imaginary "Photography license" from the DHS? Who knows if it's legal to carry one of these -- probably about as legal as taking away your camera and erasing your memory card for snapping a pic on the subway.

In the event you're stopped by overzealous law enforcement or security officials attempting to enforce fictitious laws, I've designed these fictitious and official-looking Photographer's Licenses. If you have Adobe Illustrator, you can download the EPS vector art file and print your own. You'll need a photo of yourself, and OCR (or a similar font) to fill in your personal information.

Diamonds pile up worldwide as consumers finally realize their worthlessness.

2009-05-15T14:07:00.000-07:00

Diamonds pile up worldwide as consumers finally realize their worthlessness.

By ANDREW E. KRAMER May 11, 2009

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Each day, the contents of the bags spill into the stainless steel hoppers of the receiving room. The diamonds are washed and sorted by size, clarity, shape and quality; then, rather than being sent to be sold around the world, they are wrapped in paper and whisked away to a vault — about three million carats worth of gems every month.

“Each one of them is so unusual,” said Irina V. Tkachuk, one of the few hundred people, mostly women, employed to sort the diamonds, who sees thousands of them every day.

“I’m not a robot. I sometimes think to myself ‘wow, what a pretty diamond. I would like that one.’ They are all so beautiful.”

It could be years before another woman admires that stone. Russia quietly passed a milestone this year: surpassing De Beers as the world’s largest diamond producer. But the global market for diamonds is so dismal that the Alrosa diamond company, 90 percent owned by the Russian government, has not sold a rough stone on the open market since December, and has stockpiled them instead.

As a result, Russia has become the arbiter of global diamond prices. Its decisions on production and sales will determine the value of diamonds on rings and in jewelry stores for years to come, in one of the most surprising consequences of this recession.

Largely because of the jewelry bear market, De Beers’s fortunes have sunk. Short of cash, the company had to raise $800 million from stockholders in just the last six months.

The recession also coincided with a settlement with European Union antitrust authorities that ended a longtime De Beers policy of stockpiling diamonds, in cooperation with Alrosa, to keep prices up.

Though it is a major commodity producer, Russia has traditionally not embraced policies that artificially keep prices up. In oil, for example, Russia benefits from the oil cartel’s cuts in production, but does not participate in them.

Diamonds are an exception. “If you don’t support the price,” Andrei V. Polyakov, a spokesman for Alrosa, said, “a diamond becomes a mere piece of carbon.”

In an attempt to carefully calibrate its re-entry on the global market, without forcing prices still lower, Russia is relying on two things: the Soviet-era precious gem depository — created to hold jewelry confiscated from the aristocracy after the 1917 revolution — and capitalist investors, whom Alrosa hopes will buy diamonds as an investment, like gold.

Russia is taking a leadership role in other ways, too.

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Sergei Vybornov, Alrosa’s chief executive, said that he had helped persuade the central bank of Angola — which, like Russia, is still relatively flush with oil money — to buy 30 percent of the production of Angola’s diamond mines, keeping these stones off the market.

And last fall, Alrosa began what it called the St. Petersburg Initiative, along with De Beers and other large producers, to invest collectively in generic diamond advertising, akin to De Beers’s promotion of the slogan “Diamonds are forever.” Russia assumed the task as De Beers has principally shifted to promoting its own branded gems.

Still, it is a precarious time for the Russian diamond company to assume leadership of the industry.

Until last year, De Beers produced about 40 percent of the global rough stone supply, and Alrosa 25 percent. But De Beers, which is prohibited under its European Union antitrust agreement from stockpiling, closed mines in response to the glut in rough stones. Russia is loath to do that, as authorities in Moscow, gravely concerned about potential unrest by disgruntled unemployed workers, try to keep workers on the payroll.

In the first quarter, De Beers reduced output by 91 percent compared with the previous year. The diversified mining companies Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton also curbed production.

Meanwhile, the market for wholesale polished diamonds, worth about $21.5 billion, is expected to fall to about $12 billion in 2009, according to Polished Prices, an analytical service for the industry.

Rough diamond prices have fallen even more, as much as 75 percent since their peak last July at some auctions.

The two markets are distinct. Typically, about 60 percent of a rough diamond is lost as dust or shavings in the cutting process.

Mr. Vybornov blames diamond traders who pledged diamond stocks as loan collateral for part of the world glut. When credit dried up last fall, banks and other creditors seized those gems and sold them, he says, flooding the market. By December, his company decided to withdraw entirely from the market rather than further erode prices.

Russia historically remained mostly a behind-the-scenes player, perhaps because Soviet authorities would have had to perform some ideological gymnastics to promote a product consumed principally by the rich of the capitalist world.

Instead, twisting politics, the Soviets concluded a semisecret agreement with apartheid-era De Beers to sell Siberian diamonds in a way that would not undercut the market.

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After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Russian diamond industry created a formal alliance with De Beers, selling the South African company half of each year’s production at a discount intended to subsidize De Beers’s generic diamond advertising undertaken in the 1990s, mostly in the United States.

Now, the Russians are in the driver’s seat.

Charles Wyndham, a former De Beers evaluator and co-founder of Polished Prices, said Russia had thus far managed the transition well: withholding gems to make more money in the long run rather than further depressing the market.

“Whatever one wants to say about the Russians, they certainly aren’t stupid,” Mr. Wyndham said.

Alrosa is seeking to jump-start demand by selling gems under long-term contracts to wholesale buyers in Belgium, Israel, India and elsewhere. Under these contracts, six of which have been signed, prices are set at a midpoint between the peak last August and this winter, and fixed for a period of several years.

“A diamond ring should not cost $100,” Mr. Vybornov said. “We don’t want that type of client.”

Alrosa is also working with a Moscow investment bank, Leader, a subsidiary of the Russian natural gas monopoly Gazprom, to market diamonds to investors. Under the plan, investors would buy diamonds but the gems would not be released to jewelers for several years.

It is a program, essentially, of outsourcing the stockpiling function to investors in exchange for the chance to profit from a possible recovery in the market.

At one of Alrosa’s cutting shops in one of Moscow’s outer districts, Aleksandr A. Malinin, an adviser to the president of Alrosa, showed a typical collection that might become the basis for such an investment vehicle.

The gems fit in a felt box about the size of a laptop computer.

The larger stones, a circular-cut 10 carat flawless white and a princess-cut yellow, were estimated at about $400,000. The smaller ones ranged from $16,000 to $100,000. But the value of the box, while surely several million dollars, is something of a mystery just now given the depressed market.

How the buy-in price for the stones will be set, and how the company will determine when the price goes up and down, is unclear, Mr. Malinin said.

“We have to tell people that diamonds are valuable,” he said. “We are trying to maintain the price, just as De Beers did, as all diamond producing countries do. But what we are doing is selling an illusion,” meaning a product with no utility and a price that depends on the continued sense of scarcity where there is none.

At the Alrosa unit that receives diamonds, called the United Selling Organization, where about 90 percent of the output of the Siberian mines arrives for processing, Elena V. Kapustkina pours about 45,000 carats of diamonds though a stainless steel sieve every day to sort them by size.

“It’s just a job,” she said.

When asked whether diamonds had lost their romance for her, Ms. Kapustkina paused, looked down at the pile of gems on her table and blushed.

In fact, she said, her husband, a truck driver, gave her a half-carat ring 22 years ago. “Of course I love it,” she said. “It’s from my husband.”

Nearly one in three US homeowners owe more on mortgage than their home is worth

2009-05-07T10:44:00.001-07:00

Nearly one in three US homeowners owe more on mortgage than their home is worth

May 7, 2009 | 10:39 AM

The downturn in home prices has left about 20% of U.S. homeowners owing more on a mortgage than their homes are worth, according to one new study, signaling additional challenges to the Obama administration’s efforts to stabilize the housing market.

The increase in the number of such “underwater” borrowers comes amid signs that falling prices are making homes more affordable for first-time buyers and others who have been shut out of the housing market. But falling prices also make it more difficult for homeowners who get into financial trouble to refinance or sell their homes, and for others to take advantage of lower interest rates.

For instance, fewer will qualify to take advantage of a key component of the Obama administration’s plan to stabilize the housing market. Under the plan, announced in February, as many as five million homeowners whose loans are owned or guaranteed by government-controlled mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac can refinance their mortgages, but only if the mortgage loan is a maximum of 105% of the home’s value.

Government officials are considering an increase in that limit. “It’s a question that we’re looking at,” said James Lockhart, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, which regulates Fannie and Freddie.

Real-estate Web site Zillow.com said that overall, the number of borrowers who are underwater climbed to 20.4 million at the end of the first quarter from 16.3 million at the end of the fourth quarter. The latest figure represents 21.9% of all homeowners, according to Zillow, up from 17.6% in the fourth quarter and 14.3% in the third quarter.

“What’s going on here is that you don’t have any markets that have turned around and you have new markets, like Dallas, that have joined the ranks” of communities where home prices have fallen, said Stan Humphries, a Zillow.com vice president.

Borrowers who owe far more than their home is worth may also be less likely to participate in another part of the government’s housing plan, which provides incentives for mortgage companies to modify loans to make payments more affordable. Thomas Lawler, an independent housing economist, said borrowers who owe 30% more than their homes are worth are far more likely to walk away from their property than those who owe just 5% or 10% more and expect prices to rebound. More than one in 10 borrowers with a mortgage owed 110% or more of their home’s value at the end of last year, according to First American CoreLogic.

There are some recent indications that the housing market could be beginning to stabilize. The National Association of Realtors pending home-sales index, for instance, increased 3.2% in March.

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Just how many borrowers are underwater is a matter of some dispute, with the answer depending in part on assumptions regarding home values and mortgage debt outstanding. Variations in home-price estimates can make a major difference in the number of borrowers who are underwater. In addition, borrowers who are already in the foreclosure process may be counted as being underwater if the title to their property hasn’t changed hands.

Kenneth Rosen, chairman of the Fisher Center for Real Estate and Urban Economics at the University of California, Berkeley, said underwater estimates can be too high if they use price data that includes a large number of foreclosures. Foreclosed homes tend to sell at a discount, he said, making it appear that prices have fallen more than they actually have.

Moody’s Economy.com estimates that of 78.2 million owner-occupied single-family homes, 14.8 million borrowers, or 19%, owed more than their homes were worth at the end of the first quarter, up from 13.6 million at the end of last year.

Part of the reason Zillow’s numbers are higher may be that it looks at mortgage debt taken out at the time the home was purchased and doesn’t adjust for any payments since made toward the outstanding mortgage balance. It also assumes that borrowers who took out home-equity lines of credit at the time of purchase have fully tapped the amount they can borrow. That approach can overstate the portion of borrowers who are underwater, Mr. Zandi said.

Mr. Humphries of Zillow calls his methodology conservative and said Zillow’s use of pricing for individual homes provides a better measure of home valuations than Mr. Zandi’s approach, which relies on market-level estimates of home values. He adds that Zillow doesn’t include foreclosures in its pricing models.

Write to Ruth Simon at ruth.simon@wsj.com and James R. Hagerty at bob.hagerty@wsj.com

"We've had some sex...set backs"

2008-12-12T11:21:00.000-08:00

Bill Clinton Sells the New World Order to US

2008-12-12T11:18:00.001-08:00

New World Order?

2008-12-12T11:10:00.000-08:00