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WikiLeaks – Next On Our Hit List Are Politicians & Companies That Evade Taxes

Should Politicians & Companies That Evade Taxes Be Exposed?

Here in the U.S. it is time once again when we start to put together our income and expenses for the annual ritual of filing our federal and state income tax returns. In a time when people on social security have not received an increase in two years, when millions are out of work, when politicians tell us there is no inflation, it makes one wonder who at the top levels of government and companies do not pay their far share. Most of us will agree that a simplified tax code of say a flat tax of 10% for all would be fair, we all know that this is not going to happen. As politicians protect the companies and individuals who contribute to their campaigns, one can only suspect how corrupt the system really is.

In steps WikiLeaks with some information that could expose thousands of individuals and companies who avoid paying taxes. In one recent article it states that:

Rudolf M. Elmer, who ran the Caribbean operations of the Swiss bank Julius Baer for eight years until he was dismissed in 2002, refused to identify any of the individuals or companies, but he told reporters at a news conference that about 40 politicians and “pillars of society” were among them.

He told The Observer newspaper over the weekend that those named in the documents come from “the U.S., Britain, Germany, Austria and Asia — from all over,” and include “business people, politicians, people who have made their living in the arts and multinational conglomerates — from both sides of the Atlantic.”

Mr. Elmer claims that he wished to educate the public by presenting evidence on how individuals, including politicians, and companies hid income from the tax man.

Most of us are familiar with the off-shore banks located in the Caribbean, that are used to hide income, whether legal or illegal, and do not cooperate with tax authorities who are conducting an investigation. It is also alleged that these same banks are used to launder money for both individuals and companies.

It should be interesting to see who is on the list, once the information is released.

How do you hide your illegal gains? Do you bury yours in a coffee can in the back yard? LOL

Comments welcome.

Source – NY Times

Comments welcome.

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The McWedding – Get Married At McDonald’s For Just $400

How romantic. Get married at McDonald’s for just $400. I saw this on one of the UK sites for a Hong Kong wedding so I am not sure if it is being offered in the U.S. yet. But  if it does well in Hong Kong the remainder of the world will be next. It is a deal. Invite up to 100 people but no champagne or alcohol allowed. McDonald’s wants to maintain its image as a family friendly place.

In a recent news article it also stated:

Couples can tie the knot at the fast food chain in Hong Kong from January 2011.

But while you may think any self-respecting bride would blush if she were to get married there, McDonald’s claims it has decided to offer the service only after acquiescing to public demand for it.

The danger of barbecue sauce squirting down the bride’s dress is seemingly inconsequential when compared to some people’s attachment to their local branch and the desire for a Big Mac and fries.

The idea first came about after one couple, who met at a McDonald’s, held their wedding reception at a branch in Hong Kong earlier this year.

And the bride shouldn’t expect any special treatment, such as walking to the front of the queue to collect her Chicken McNuggets, because she will have to vye for space with normal customers as McDonald’s plans to keep the branch open as usual.

But if, given the auspicious beginnings, the marriage lasts at least a year, the happy couple can return to celebrate their union again because the chain also plans to host anniversary parties.

So if you are deciding to get married, maybe you deserve a break today, at McDonald’s. LOL

Comments welcome.

Source -Mail Online

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Buy Your Apple iPhone or iPad Soon – Supplies Could Shrink In Coming Months

Foxconn, the company that produces the Apple iPhone and iPad, as well as other electronic products, could be moving its plants out of China. In what appears to be a twofold problem, higher wages for Chinese workers and suicides at its plant in Shenzhen, the company may idle some 800,000 workers if it closes the plant. In addition, the company indicates that the price difference of producing electronics in China vs. Taiwan shrank when the company offered wage increases of 30% or more to the Chinese plant workers.

A recent article also states:

Foxconn’s facilities in Taiwan tend to be highly automated, whereas on the mainland they are much more labour intensive.

This intensive labour model, with long working hours and rigid systems, is one of the reasons given for worker unhappiness in southern China.

Taiwan is also trying to woo companies back. Last month it cut business income tax from 25 per cent to 17 per cent, and it is planning to set up several free trade zones for tariff-free imports.

The fallout from the Foxconn crisis continues to mount. There are fears of a domino effect causing serious production disruption in Shenzhen, one of the most heavily industrialised cities in China.

If Foxconn does move its operations back to Taiwan and closes its plant in China, this could cause a disruption in the supply chain. Apple could be facing a short supply of its popular iPhones and iPads down the road. Exactly when this could happen is unknown.

Comments welcome.

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Can Old Copper Wires Support 100-megabit DSL Speeds? Maybe, Someday

Using some old networking tricks, Alcatel-Lucent has been able to push 100-megabit speeds through standard copper wires. In a recent article it states that these speeds were able to be sustained up to 1/3 rd of a mile. So what type of new technology was used to gain these speeds over POTS – plain old telephone system?

Well the technology being used was first invented back in 1886 by John J. Carty., an electrical engineer who eventually became a vice president at AT&T. In a recent article it states:

He examined the traditional method of sending digital signals over two wires twisted together (one positive, one negative), and discovered that it was possible to send a third signal on top of four wires arrayed as two separate pairs.

The negative part of the phantom connection goes down one pair, and the positive part travels down the other pair. Analog processors sort out the two real signals and one phantom signal at the wires’ final destination.

Any added bandwidth from phantom channels typically gets lost in the increased noise caused by electrical “cross-talk” induction among the bundled wires. But another method known as DSL vectoring was used to cancel out the noise by sending the exact opposite of the cross-talk signal.

A third trick known as bonding also treats multiple copper lines as a single cable, and boosts bandwidth by a multiple almost equal to the number of cables. Both vectoring and bonding have been used in certain urban areas of Europe and Asia, where the economics make sense.

But this technology will not become a reality for the next 5 to 10 years. If you would like more information about the governments plans for broadband, try this interactive tool at the FCC web site found here.

Source

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