Housing/Construction

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Making Money Without

Tomorrow we’re taping our second episode of “Ask a VC” where you email in questions and I ask them. Satish Dharmaraj of Redpoint Ventures is the guest. He’s a relatively new VC, having joined Redpoint after making them a lot of money when he sold Zimbra to Yahoo for $350 million– directly without a banker. Yeah, he’s kind of a bad ass.

Dharmaraj doesn’t mince words so expect honest answers. And there are a ton of things Dharmaraj is perfect to talk about including the sell-or-not-to-sell dilemma, his thoughts on the Yahoo drama, whether his copious operating experience is or isn’t that much of an advantage to entrepreneurs he invests in, the future of open source or business software, his angel investing in India, his absurdly tricked out Prius thanks to George Barris of Batmobile fame, and of course any practical questions on pitching Redpoint. (The car is above, see a video I did about it when I was at TechTicker here.)

We’ve already gotten a good number of questions, but to add yours email askavc(at)techcrunch(dot)com.

This post originally appeared on Forbes.com, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about social media, business and technology.

Why do web startups raise money? And how? These are two questions that account for a huge corpus of tech and financial discussion. Despite the complexity involved in these questions, their answers can be condensed into an eight-word statement: Someone somewhere thought he’d make his money back.

If you consider a few notable fundraising efforts from popular web startups, you begin to see how this aforementioned hypothetical “someone” might think his investment would be prudent and even profitable. Here are five popular web startups we’ve seen raising large amounts of money since the 2008 downturn, and a quick look at how they were able to do so.

1. Groupon

Groupon offers daily discounts for local businesses; these coupons can be redeemed only when a significant number of people choose to use them. For example, Groupon recently partnered with Gap to offer shoppers $50 worth of clothing and accessories for $25.

While daily deals and critical-mass coupons are fine and dandy for retailers and consumers, Groupon also takes its cut. The company usually keeps half of the coupon price and is expected to report $400 million in revenue for 2010.

Groupon has brought in increasing interest from investors. Since its relatively modest $1 million angel round in 2007, this startup has gone on to garner a total of $173 million over the past three years, the vast majority of which was raised after the 2008 economic crash. After collecting $6.8 million during its Series A round of funding, Groupon managed to bring in $30 million during its Series B round in December 2009, which was led by Accel Partners. Its headline-making $135 million Series C was led by Digital Sky Technologies, the famous investors behind Zynga and class='blippr-nobr'>Facebookclass="blippr-nobr">Facebook.

Without question, having a revenue stream as a core part of the company’s main product is a popular feature (with VCs) of funded startups. Groupon has that covered. Aside from the value the product offers, at scale, it also is intended to generate massive amounts of revenue. Unlike some social networking apps that require partnerships and advertising dollars to support an unrelated product for end users, generating revenue is Groupon’s most basic function.

2. Zynga

Zynga, creator of popular casual games, including FarmVille and Mafia Wars, boasts a revenue model based on small end-user transactions in virtual currency, which users spend on virtual goods. Zynga has proved that microtransactions at the scale of Facebook’s platform are big business worth serious investment.

Despite violating a core tenet of web startup wisdom: Never build your business on someone else’s platform, Zynga has racked up huge rounds and equally huge valuations. All told, Zynga has taken $519 million in funding, the bulk of which was raised after December 2009. In that month, the company closed a $180 million Series C from such firms as Andreessen Horowitz, Digital Sky and others. And in June 2010, Zynga took a $300 million Series D from class='blippr-nobr'>Googleclass="blippr-nobr">Google and SoftBank. With more than 56 million Americans playing social games, it’s no wonder why investors are putting down serious money in this industry.

3. Twitterclass="blippr-nobr">Twitter

Since its launch in 2006, micro-blogging service Twitter has become a social media darling, raising a total of $160 million since its 2007 Series A. The company raised $135 million over two rounds in 2009 from such firms as Benchmark, Morgan Stanley, Union Square and others.

Notably, all this money was raised before Twitter had found any significant source of revenue. This fact bucks a major trend in investment (that VCs like to see clear revenue stream before investing), but Twitter pulled it off because of one major factor: People.

Not only was the service growing exponentially, but it also had the endorsement (and daily usage) of pop culture celebrities such as Ashton Kutcher and Justin Timberlake. But nothing topped Twitter’s Oprah appearance, a watershed moment that brought a deluge of mainstream attention and a glut of new users.

Between the escalating adoption and increasing media attention, Twitter has become an opportunity investors can’t turn down.

4. Asana

Facebook Co-Founder Dustin Moscovitz and Facebook engineering lead Justin Rosenstein teamed up after leaving Facebook to found Asana, a startup that is reportedly building project management software. It is still in early development and hasn’t launched a product yet. This is one case where the product is presumed to be a sure bet because of the past experience and intellectual caliber of its creators.

Sometimes, a startup can raise money with nothing but pure pedigree. When a handful of big tech company engineers leave the mothership to found a startup, as happens in Silicon Valley from time to time, they can often drum up a round of funding before pencil meets paper.

Over seven months in 2009, the team was able to raise $10.2 million in two rounds of funding. In this case, investors are banking on Moscovitz’s and Rosenstein’s past successes. In a way, it’s as if they are investing in Beethoven’s next symphony or Van Gogh’s next canvas (i.e. the next Facebook).

5. Ustreamclass="blippr-nobr">ustream

Finally, there’s Ustream, a live interactive broadcast platform, which raised an impressive $75 million round of funding earlier this year from SoftBank. Previously, the startup had brought in nearly $13 million between a small 2007 seed round and a 2008 Series A. That’s a huge jump.

Despite a range of competitors in the online video world, including class='blippr-nobr'>YouTubeclass="blippr-nobr">YouTube, Ustream has made its mark on the live video market. Ustream has demonstrated mass-scale success in this arena by brokering deals to show live online footage of red carpet events, celebrity press conferences and even the 2008 Presidential Inauguration.

While challenging an industry leader like YouTube isn’t usually a prudent path to funding, doing so successfully through innovative technologies and user acquisition strategies can pay off.

More Business Resources from Mashable:

- 10 Emerging Social Platforms and How Businesses Can Use Them/> - 10 Free WordPress Themes for Small Businesses/> - The Future of Ad Agencies and Social Media/> - HOW TO: Run Your Business Online with $10 and a Google Account/> - 5 New Ways Small Business Can Offer Location-Based Deals

Image courtesy of iStockphotoclass="blippr-nobr">iStockphoto, Sage78

For more Business coverage:

class="f-el">class="cov-twit">Follow Mashable Businessclass="s-el">class="cov-rss">Subscribe to the Business channelclass="f-el">class="cov-fb">Become a Fan on Facebookclass="s-el">class="cov-apple">Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

ChampMan media scandals "would be fun" News - Page 1 | Eurogamer.net

Read our news of ChampMan media scandals. ... Latest News. "Rebuilt" iPhone ChampMan soon . Developer Beautiful Game Studios; Publisher Square Enix; Release Date Autumn 2010; More on Championship Manager 11 → ...

Sigma releases SD1 flagship digital SLR: Digital Photography Review

Sigma releases SD1 flagship digital SLR: Photokina 2010: Sigma has announced the SD1 digital SLR, which uses a brand new 46Mp 1.5x crop Foveon X3 sensor (4800 x 3200 x 3 layers). Designed as the company's flagship camera, the SD1 has a ...

Today in automotive news - Beyond The Commons - Macleans.ca

14832311 Responseshttp%3A%2F%2Fwww2.macleans.ca%2F2010%2F09%2F20%2Ftoday-in-automotive-news%2FToday+in+automotive+news2010-09-20+15%3A11%3A07Aaron+Wherryhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww2.macleans.ca%2F%3Fp%3D148323 to “Today in automotive news” ...

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ChampMan media scandals "would be fun" News - Page 1 | Eurogamer.net

Sigma releases SD1 flagship digital SLR: Digital Photography Review

Today in automotive news - Beyond The Commons - Macleans.ca

We’ve already gotten a good number of questions, but to add yours email askavc(at)techcrunch(dot)com.

This post originally appeared on Forbes.com, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about social media, business and technology.

1. Groupon

2. Zynga

3. Twitterclass="blippr-nobr">Twitter

Between the escalating adoption and increasing media attention, Twitter has become an opportunity investors can’t turn down.

4. Asana

5. Ustreamclass="blippr-nobr">ustream

While challenging an industry leader like YouTube isn’t usually a prudent path to funding, doing so successfully through innovative technologies and user acquisition strategies can pay off.

More Business Resources from Mashable:

- 10 Emerging Social Platforms and How Businesses Can Use Them/> - 10 Free WordPress Themes for Small Businesses/> - The Future of Ad Agencies and Social Media/> - HOW TO: Run Your Business Online with $10 and a Google Account/> - 5 New Ways Small Business Can Offer Location-Based Deals

Image courtesy of iStockphotoclass="blippr-nobr">iStockphoto, Sage78

For more Business coverage:

robert shumake

ChampMan media scandals "would be fun" News - Page 1 | Eurogamer.net

Sigma releases SD1 flagship digital SLR: Digital Photography Review

Today in automotive news - Beyond The Commons - Macleans.ca

robert shumake

ChampMan media scandals "would be fun" News - Page 1 | Eurogamer.net

Sigma releases SD1 flagship digital SLR: Digital Photography Review

Today in automotive news - Beyond The Commons - Macleans.ca

Saturday, September 18, 2010

managing your personal finances

Are you a fan of the GTD personal productivity system? Well if you like "Getting Things Done," here's GFD, Getting Finances Done, which shows you how to map David Allen's same principals to managing your personal finance and achieving your financial goals.

Applying GTD principles to your personal finances - Part 1 [Getting Finances Done]

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The good news | dooce®

And every day when we pick her up from school she says, "Do you want the good news or the bad news first?" I always ask for the good news so that I can prepare and physically brace myself for what is surely news that will grind the ...

PressThink: "Where's the Business Model for News, People?"

Rants, links, blog news, and breaking wisdom from Jeff Jarvis, former editor, magazine launcher, TV critic, now a J-professor at CUNY. Always on top of new media things. Prolific, fast, frequently dead on, and a pal of mine. ...

Scripting News: Yes, Virginia, there are two ways to read RSS

The kind of flow almost everyone agrees is suited to River of News are feeds from news orgs like Reuters, the BBC and Guardian, AP, the Washington Post. They're constantly publishing links to stories, many of them different views of the ...

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

personal finance manager

When I first arrived in Japan in 1974, international investors widely expected the country to collapse, a casualty of the overnight quadrupling of oil prices to $12 and the global recession that followed. Japanese borrowers were only able to tap foreign debt markets by paying a 200 basis point premium to the market, a condition that came to be known as “Japan Rates.”

Hedge fund manager, Kyle Bass, says that the despised Japan rates are about to return. There is nothing less than one quadrillion yen of public debt in Japan today. A perennial trade surplus powered high corporate and personal savings rates during the eighties and nineties, allowing these agencies to sell their debt entirely to domestic, mostly captive investors Those days are coming to a close. The problem is that the working age population peaked in Japan last year, and the country is entering a long demographic nightmare (see population pyramids below).

This year, the Ministry of Finance will see ¥40 trillion in receivables, the same figure seen in 1985, against ¥97 trillion in spending. Interest expense, debt service, and social security spending alone exceed receivables. The tipping point is close, and when it hits, Japan will have to borrow from abroad in size. Foreign investors all too aware of this distressed income statement will almost certainly demand big risk premiums, possibly several hundred basis points. That’s when the sushi hits the fan.

To top it all, no one in living memory in Japan has ever lost money in the JGB market, so expectations are unsustainably high. Need I mention that Japan’s Q2 GDP growth came in at an arthritic 0.1 %, not exactly a performance to run up the flagpole?

Both the JGB market and the yen can only collapse in the face of these developments. I know that the short JGB trade has killed off more hedge fund managers than all the irate former investors and divorce lawyers in the world combined. Read about my own recent, futile attempt to sell these markets by clicking here at http://www.madhedgefundtrader.com/august-6-2010.html .

But what Kyle says makes too much sense, and the day of reckoning for this long despised financial instrument may be upon us. How much downside risk can there be in shorting a ten year coupon of under 1%. I have included a breakdown of Kyle’s portfolio below, which you should note, has absolutely no equities anywhere in the world. Is Kyle trying to show us the writing on the wall?

To see the data, charts, and graphs that support this research piece, as well as more iconoclastic and out-of-consensus analysis, please visit me at www.madhedgefundtrader.com . There, you will find the conventional wisdom mercilessly flailed and tortured daily, and my last two years of research reports available for free. You can also listen to me on Hedge Fund Radio by clicking on “This Week on Hedge Fund Radio” in the upper right corner of my home page.

We've got a week to go before the District's Democratic primaries, and both Mayor Adrian Fenty and D.C. Council Chair Vince Gray are in the final push to claim mayoral victory in the contest.

But of the two campaigns, it seems that Gray's is throwing everything it has at unseating Fenty. Late last week, they rolled out two new TV ads, both of which appear to be in relatively heavy rotation on local cable stations. And today the Gray camp unveiled "Formerly Fenty," a website highlighting residents -- including former Fenty administration officials -- that have turned on Fenty over the last four years. The site has six YouTube testimonials from such individuals, and allows others to add their name and personal story to what is a growing list of the disaffected. (Gray campaign manager Adam Rubinson could probably add his name to the list; he was a Fenty volunteer in 2006.) The website even uses the color scheme and font used by the Fenty campaign, and copied the format of the Fenty's campaigns first TV ads.

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Pew: Online News Use Growing But Traditional Methods Hanging In ...

Print newspapers and radio are still slipping as sources but U.S. adults are spending more time with news these days when the internet and traditional platforms are combined. The amount of time spent on traditional platforms hasn't ...

Twitter To Look More Like Facebook's News Feed

We're trying not to be the type of people who hate change just because it's change.

Social networks as a source of daily news - Lost Remote

A new study by the Pew Research Center says that Americans are consuming more news than ever, with continued growth online — 34% said they went online for their news yesterday. When you add mobile, email and social networks to the ...

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Pew: Online News Use Growing But Traditional Methods Hanging In ...

Twitter To Look More Like Facebook's News Feed

We're trying not to be the type of people who hate change just because it's change.

Social networks as a source of daily news - Lost Remote

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Sunday, September 12, 2010

Help Making Money

Come next Tuesday, Michael D. Brown may well unseat incumbent Council member Phil Mendelson (D-At Large) because many voters think he's actually Council member Michael A. Brown (I-At-Large). But to fight the impression that he's simply riding the confusion over a name to office, Brown has put up some campaign signs around town and raised over $23,000 in campaign funds. Well, $15,000 of that was a personal loan from himself to the campaign, but hey, at least he's going through the motions.

Yesterday, Brown sent out an email to friends and supporters claiming he was close to making history, but he really needed their help to seal the deal. The email, in full:

Dear Friends;

We are in the final stages of what has been an amazing campaign. I started 10 weeks ago with no money and a few friends like you, and last week a city wide Washington Post Poll showed that I am ahead of the incumbent by 12 points among likely voters. If I win, I will make history. My opponent has spent over $200,000.00 outspending me 20 to 1. He has run TV commercials against me paid for by a political action committee funded with money from a DC businessman and has mailed and handed out tens of thousands of flyers against me. He is supported in this effort by the leading candidate for Mayor and several members of the City Council. All I have is you. Next Tuesday, September 14 is election day. My opponent will surely have people at every polling place handing out his literature and campaigning for him. I need your help now more than ever. If you can spend even a hour or two at a polling place for me, please let me know. I am working so hard and I have come so far. The friends and family that have stood up for me against great odds have made all this possible. It is incredible to me that we have accomplished so much. I know it is a lot to ask, but we are so close and we have so little resources I need your help in this final hour. If you can come to a polling place please respond to this e-mail as soon as possible. We will provide you with materials and assign you a convenient location by your home or office, Thanks for getting me this far. No matter what happens, I have been humbled by your love and support.

"Make history"? "Working so hard"? "We have accomplished so much"? Look, we know that Mendelson was hoping to cruise to victory on little more than his own name recognition, but at least there was no confusion as to which Phil Mendelson people would be voting for. And Clark Ray -- who we spoke to this week -- has actually run a campaign, spending the better part of a year raising over $150,000 and actually challenging Mendelson on the issues. Brown, well, not so much.

Sure, history will be made -- but it might be the type of history that you'd soon rather forget.

President Obama reportedly will propose two big corporate tax cuts this week.

One would expand and make permanent the research and experimentation tax credit, at a cost of about $100 billion over the next ten years. The other would allow companies to write off 100 percent of their new investments in plant and equipment between now and the end of 2011 at a cost next year of substantially more than $100 billion (but a ten-year cost of about $30 billion since those write-offs wouldn't be taken over the longer-term).

The economy needs two whopping corporate tax cuts right now as much as someone with a serious heart condition needs Botox.

The reason businesses aren't investing in new plant and equipment has nothing to do with the cost of capital. It's because they don't need the additional capacity. There isn't enough demand for their goods and services to justify it. Consumers aren't buying because they're trying to come out from under a huge debt load, including mortgage debt; they have to start saving because their nest eggs are worth substantially less; and they've lost or are worried about losing jobs and pay.

In any event, small businesses don't have enough profits against which to use these tax credits and deductions, and large corporations are sitting on over a trillion dollars of profits and don't need them.

Republicans and corporate lobbyists have been demanding tax cuts on corporate investments for one reason: Big corporations are investing in automated equipment, robotics, numerically-controlled machine tools, and software. These investments are designed to boost profits by permanently replacing workers and cutting payrolls. The tax breaks Obama is proposing would make such investments all the more profitable.

In sum, Obama's proposed corporate tax cuts (1) won't generate more jobs because they don't put any cash in worker's pockets (as would, for example, exempting the first $20,000 of income from the payroll tax and making up the difference by applying the payroll tax to incomes over $250,000); (2) will subsidize companies to cut even more jobs; and (3) will cost $130 billion -- money that could better be spent helping states and locales avoid laying off thousands of teachers, fire fighters, and police.

So why is Obama proposing them? To put Republicans in a bind. If they refuse to go along he can justifiably say they have no agenda other than obstruction. After all, the only thing they've been arguing for is lower taxes. On the other hand, if Republicans agree to support these corporate tax cuts, Obama can claim a legislative victory that will help Democrats neutralize their opponents in the upcoming elections.

The proposals also make it harder for Republicans to argue the Bush income tax cuts should be extended for the richest 3 percent of taxpayers because small businesses need it. Obama's corporate tax cuts would appear to do the trick.

The White House probably figures even if Republicans agree to the proposed tax cuts, nothing will come of it. Congress will be in session for only about two weeks between now and the midterm elections so it's doubtful these proposals would be enacted in any event.

But this cynical exercise could backfire if Republicans call Obama's bluff and demand the corporate tax cuts be put on a fast track and get signed into legislation before the midterms.

More troubling, Obama's whopping proposed corporate tax cuts help legitimize the supply-side dogma that the economy's biggest obstacle to growth is the cost of capital, rather than the plight of ordinary working people.

This post originally appeared at RobertReich.org.

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News - Mario Lopez Welcomes a Baby Girl, Gia Francesca - Moms ...

The Extra host's girlfriend gives birth Saturday in Burbank, Calif.

Breaking News: CDC Concedes Vaccines Result in Autism. - Fighting ...

I am sure this news report (ahem, truth) won't be sensationalized by the media or will be a 5 second blip that is forgotten or as my friend Ginger would say 'some sort of internet sewer alligator monster must have climbed up from the ...

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By MUHAMMAD HUMAIDAN | ARAB NEWS. Published: Sep 11, 2010 23:52 Updated: Sep 11, 2010 23:52. JEDDAH: Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal has strongly criticized what he called the “negative coverage” by the world media of the progress ...

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Dr. Eric Seiger Speaks On Tatoos Mdfliy

Dr. Seiger has helped to develop new techniques for the safe removal and treatment of veins. He has frequently been eric seiger published in medical journals and sought out by the media to provide expert advice and commentary.

As a leader in the field of cosmetic surgery and enhancements at The Skin and Vein Center, Dr. Eric Seiger has been designated a National Certified Physician Trainer by the makers of both Botox and Restylane. His national eric seiger reputation for the use of cutting-edge technology and science has led many of the country's best known medical equipment manufacturers to ask him to introduce new products and procedures in the State of Michigan

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As a board-certified dermatologist and long-term member of the American College of Phlebology , Dr. Eric S. Seiger has cultivated an expertise in the safe and complete removal and treatment of unwanted veins. Eric Seiger has written numerous articles on his successful techniques that have been published in medical journals, such as National Women’s Health Report.

Dr. Eric S. Seiger received his Bachelor of Arts in Biology from the University of Delaware in 1981. Dr.

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Thursday, September 9, 2010

foreclosure law

Problem: Want of truthful, complete, and accurate education is what causes opinions to become based more on hearsay and faulty conjecture. Over stimulation and mind-altering propaganda coupled with intellectual lethargy cause a want of intellectual power and acuity among "should-be" students, which subsequently leads to the contentment of being spoon-fed your own opinion by others rather than the active, fervent, and diligent search for truth that will truly set most of you free.

Solution: Force yourself, no matter how hard it seems to be, to truly think and cogitate by yourself, without the aid of others. Force yourself to form your own conclusions that are not altered or influenced by social acceptability. Remember, if you come across a nugget of irrefutable truth, and others persecute you for either discovering it, or speaking it, then you should really re-think where their motivation comes from. Darkness HATES the light.

Facts for you all to chew on:

1. It appears to be true that the phrase "sovereign citizen" has been used by individuals and groups who may or may not have "good" or "moral" intentions.

2. It also appears to be true that it is important to certain individuals and groups to ascribe and associate the words "sovereign citizen" and their meanings to individuals and/or groups who have a perceivable negative connotation about them.

3. No one here has asked why that is.

4. In 1913, the federal constitution was illegally and unconstitutionally amended by a de facto congress among highly suspicious circumstances to create the Federal Reserve Banking System. A central bank. An idea, made clear by their own writings to be abhorrent to the founding fathers and in no way by an authority granted by the People through the constitution. The word "bank" is nowhere to be found in the constitution. The writers knew of banks, knew of the word "bank," yet never included it in the constitution.

5. During the 1930s and 40s in particular, the congress, without authority, unconstitutionally granted essentially dictatorial authority and power to president in response to the dire circumstances created by the fraudulently initiated depression.

6. The depression was a direct result of the inflation/deflation caused by the very nature of the new banking system coupled with the market manipulation of the "elite" families of this country and their foreign friends.

7. In the 1930s, the president ordered the closing of banks (bank holiday). Private banks. Then he ordered the American People to surrender their gold, all of it except a very small amount (small jewelry).

8. The REAL money that the American People had used (gold & silver) since day one, was confiscated and replaced with FIAT paper money backed by debt/credit, not real valuable materials with inherent and stable value. Effectively and actually what was essentially done was Americans gave everything that gave them economic power, the private ownership of their own money, over to the PRIVATE owners of the "Federal" Reserve Bank. Which by the way is NOT OWNED OR OPERATED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES. The assets (gold, silver, real property, present and future LABOR/productivity) of the American People were pledged to international bankers in return for practically UNLIMITED CREDIT.

9. Around the same time period, the common law (the law UNDER which the constitution was written) was being extinguished and replaced by equity law. (ROMAN CIVIL LAW). Despite the information speard around about the "common law" and despite what attorneys are taught in their 3 years at law school, the common law is the system of law that allows the people of a republic to remain as free as possible. It is inherently an adversarial system that applies "real world" concepts, logic, and reason to issues for resolution or settlement. Equity law is a fictitious law system that is like playing Monopoly and making your own rules, and enforcing those rules your way. Civil law allows government to have power, sometimes more power than the citizens. Common law leaves ALL OF THE POWER in the hands of the People. That is why according to the original constitution, the founding fathers acknowledged the common law as the supreme law and made SURE it was made available through the courts to the people in all cases.

10. The fictitious "law" that equity or civil law is, is a needed tool to make things legal that ought not to be legal. Under the common law, there shall be a remedy for every wrong. Under equity/civil, the government can make murder and theft "legal." And in civil law, if there is no "law" against it, it's not a crime.

11. Under this equity law system, the government been able to make "legal" many unlawful and wrong activities perpetrated by individuals, agencies, corporations, governments, etc. Keep in mind that statutes, codes, and regulations, are called such BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT LAWS.

12. The American people existed long before the constitution or the United States. The constitution does NOT create a true nation or country. That is why there is no governor or ruler of the U.S.

13. The constitution creates a trust (corporation). That is why it has a president, vp, secretary, and treasurer, LIKE ALL CORPORATIONS.

13. Logic: according to the constitution of each State (republic/country), the People ordained and established the governments to manage the interstate and international commerce, defense, etc. of and between the states. Does it say "we the citizens" ordain and establish....? Clearly, citizens are a different term and mean something different. The term "citizen of United States" is interestingly not specifically defined as different from the common meaning until the 14th amendment in 1868. They are specifically defined as persons being born or naturalized within the united States, AND subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. This is the first time it is seen that the Federal Government has created subjects to itself. The federal government cannot possibly have jurisdiction over the people, because the people created it and are "sovereign" in relation to it. This new "entity" called a citizen of the Unites States was created right at a time coincidentally, when African slaves were now freed by law. The government created this subject entity to be a "status" to put the newly freed slaves into, so the slaves would not have the full freedom and power that the People have enjoyed. While they were at it, it did not take long for the idea to catch on that the elite could also subjugate the People using this system. People consent to it all of the time up to the present day. "Are you a U.S. CITIZEN"......"Yes, of course."

14. The People own the government, created the government, and cannot be subject to government or any acts, or "laws" it passes or propagandizes. That is why, when a crime is committed against another or his property, the government may catch the criminal and bring him/her to the GRAND JURY for indictment and trial, not to a government employee JUDGE. Because the grand jury represents and is comprised of PEOPLE, not citizens. The State and/or Federal Government has NO AUTHORITY to , itself, prosecute one of the People. UNLESS YOU CONSENT TO IT. Next time you get a traffic ticket (victimless equity crime) and go to court to fight it, tell me what you see on the docket or caption. It will say, "STATE OF MISSOURI v. JOHN SMITH, defendant." You're listed as the defendant, why is the state not listed as plaintiff? The state will NEVER declare itself as a PLAINTIFF. BECAUSE THE STATE HAS NO STANDING. IT DOESN'T ACTUALLY EXIST FACTUALLY, AND IT'S NOT SOVEREIGN RELATIVE TO YOU.

15. That is also why "arraignment" exists. The people are all sovereign. Therefore, if the government in any way wishes to prosecute you or punish you for breaking one of it's rules, especially one that didn't involve an injured party (adversary), they need to secure your consent (whether you or your attorney know it or not) to proceed in a court NOT OF LAW, but of civil rule. By entering any plea in a court that is not a court of record, (look that term up in Black's 4th) (a court of record is your birth right in this country, and it is what protects you from government oppression and tyranny) you have consented to be prosecuted according to THEIR rules and by THEM. Usually at arraignment, you are asked by a JUDGE, "You are charged with violating section 1410.9 of the California Penal Code and Title 3 section 328 of the California General Statutes, do you plead guilty, not guilty, or nolo contendere?" What he is REALLY saying is, "Do you give up your full right to a court of record, and all of your common law rights, and all of your constitutionally secured rights, and your right to NOT be under our jurisdiction by agreeing that the statutes and codes I have cited are VALID by entering a plea of any kind? Or do you object to this star-chamber kangaroo court and wish to be brought to justice in the highest and fairest court in the land?"

16. We live in a REPUBLIC. Not a Democracy. If you plan to argue this, at least look up the legal definitions of each of these terms. My guess is you won't even find the definition of "republican form of government." In a republic (esp. the one to which you pledged your allegiance) the people are free and fully sovereign. The government exists solely as an agency to aid in the affairs of the people and has no legal authority to tread in any way on your rights FOR ANY REASON.

17. A democracy is a society in which either directly or through representation, the majority has all of the rights and power and can do whatever they want, while the minority have no rights but only privileges granted to them by the majority. Individual rights do not truly exist. If the majority thinks you're a waste of air, then you are executed and your property taken. This is half a step away from pure communism.

18. So generally, the common law is the people's only real protection against the government exceeding it's authority. So don't scoff at it. If you only knew what it really was and how to use it, you might shut your trap and begin suing officials and agents who are obviously grossly out of line. They can't get off on technicalities and b .s. in your court. The shift toward Roman Civil Law (Equity/Statutes) represents an effort by the elite to crush your opportunity to protect your rights lawfully, and to bring into existence a system in which fake money, fraud, and unlimited credit can exist "legally." Ever notice "lawful" and "legal" are used together in the same sentence in some of the statutes and codes and other instances. That's because they have different meanings. Find out what they are.

19. As far as this whole "strawman" idea. I can't speak to that very much because I have not tried it or used it. But, the concept is fairly simple, it's just so obvious yet antithetical to everything we all have been led to believe, that it is a hard sell. But again, in terms of fact and logic, an accessible "trust" system must exist in order to facilitate the unlimited credit that the people bought back in 1933/35, and their must be a strawman or other corporate entity attached to you because the simple fact is, that in the equity and fiat money systems, everything is fictitious, and only fictions can interact with fictions. Think of it like playing a board game. You must have a token that represents you and your position in the game. It's all a game.

20. Also, check out the Internal Revenue Code, Title 26 U.S.C. Section 7806. Read it carefully and look up definitions if you have to. Related, did you ever wonder why it's called a tax "return" when all you seem to be doing is "paying" taxes out?

21. In ending here, I just want to be clear that my only wish is for people to seek the truth and stop arguing and asserting views like schoolchildren. Search for FACTS and use your brain to reach logical conclusions on your own. Then compare those facts with what you believe, and be better off for it. Because KNOWLEDGE IS POWER. And "he who slumbers on his rights, has none." (paraphrased)

-by digby

There's a lot of despair in these parts lately and it's perfectly understandable. The country is going to hell in a hand basket and the forces of corporatism and know-nothingism are dominating the political culture while the Democrats seem to be in a state of suspended animation. It's very tempting to just tune it all out and watch TV. But we can't. Not as long as there are progressive politicians like David Segal out there on the campaign trail fighting to change things every day. If don't support real progressive leaders with a track record of success, we are basically giving up.

David is running in a primary for the Democratic nomination for Patrick Kennedy's seat against two doctrinaire establishment hacks and an anti-choice zealot and he needs our help in the home stretch. (The election is September 14th.) His most formidable rival, the mayor of Providence is using his money advantage to run a deceptive ad and David needs our help to run this rebuttal to remind people who the real progressive in the race is:

I know it's hard to get excited about politics right now. But it would be foolish for us to fail to support a young, smart progressive with a proven track record in his run for congress. Unless we are prepared to simply surrender to the forces gathering around us we need to nurture future progressive leaders who understand this political environment and have ideas about how to prevail in it. David is one of those future leaders.

Here's what Howie wrote about him when Blue America endorsed him:

David Segal is one of us. He was elected to the Providence City Council in 2002 as a Green, and is now a lefty Democratic state Rep for Providence and East Providence. He has a very clear path to victory and he can win-- and if he does, he'll be among the strongest voices for progressives in the halls of the Capitol.

David's worked on the meat-and-potato issues: Jobs, the environment, housing, progressive taxes, all with success. He's successfully pushed for expanded renewable energy, more affordable housing, against predatory lending, and for foreclosure prevention measures.

But he's never shied away from the really controversial issues: He's been a vocal leader on criminal justice reform, standing up for the rights of immigrants and for gay rights, and has pushed as hard as one can from the state level against war spending. He's an ardent supporter of gay marriage, and was the sponsor of the last year's bill, which was passed over the Governor's veto, to allow gay partners to plan each other's funerals.

He's a co-sponsor of marijuana decriminalization, and just convinced the Governor-- after two years of vetoes-- to allow a bill to become law that ensures due process for people on probation.

He's sponsored the "Bring the Guard Home" legislation, and his first act on the City Council was to pass a resolution against the war in Iraq.

But, most importantly, he's an organizer at heart, who is committed to joining the Progressive Caucus-- and making it function better. Here's an excerpt from an interview with David:

"n Rhode Island I've tried to develop alternative structures for legislators to lean on when the leadership makes such threats. I am the lead organizer for our progressive caucus. I founded a political action committee to support members of our progressive caucus so that if funding from sources dries up at leadership's request because something was done to offend them, that we would have at least some, some degree of money to fall back on to help fund our campaigns nonetheless. We funded ten, twelve races relatively modestly in the last cycle and hopefully we'll be able to do something in the forthcoming cycle."

That's the kind of inside political organizing we desperately need in the US Congress. If you can help with a few dollars today the campaign can keep its ads on the air and compete. If he wins the primary, there's almost no doubt that he will win the seat. It could be one of the few progressive victories in this midterm election.
eric seiger

News of the World deserves no praise for John Higgins entrapment ...

Paper's sting operation on naive John Higgins was a disgrace.

AMERICAblog News: Stop The Press

An NBC News spokesperson says: "Our policy is to cover news events as they take place, and report on them with context and perspective. The determination about what images are appropriate and will be broadcast will be made by NBC News ...

News Roundup: Showtime Renews 'The Green Room,' Casting Intel and More

Showtime has renewed its comedy series 'The Green Room with Paul Provenza' for a second season. According to Deadline Hollywood, production on the 6-

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

how to lose weight fast for wrestling

build muscle mass depending on the type of exercise that you do. As you diet and exercise and ultimately lose bodyfat you want to have enough tone and mass to achieve that fit and toned look.

reintroducing some of the foods that were eliminated in phase one. You can have bread and pasta again, fruit and potatoes also.Some chocolate is you desire but in moderation.

First of you must know that you did gain all of those weight because of the foods you eat. Not only that but how and when you eat your food. The first thing that you need to do is overhaul your meal plans. Create a meal plan of your own if you don't have one. You must eliminate all of the unhealthy foods that you eat, especially foods that are rich on fats and oil. Include fruits and vegetables in your meals. These are very rich in vitamins and minerals that the body needs. It is also a great source of fiber. Most important of all that you don't ever skip a meal. When you miss a meal your body goes to what they call a "starvation mode". When the body experience hunger, it will make you rebound or eat more in your next meal then instead of using the food as energy it will store the food turning it into fats. Keep your stomach guessing on when is the next meal by eating more often during the day. That doesn't mean you have to eat more. What I'm trying to say is that you should have at least 2 or 3 small snacks besides your 3 regular meals.

Nothing works on How to Lose Weight Fast more than doing a regular exercise. Most people expect that you have to go to the gym when you do some exercise. There are many ways that you could do some exercise without spending money how to lose weight fast by going into a gym. If you have a treadmill at home you could use it and start running for at least 30minutes a day. If you don't have a treadmill then you could run on the park. It is more effective if you could have your exercise before eating your breakfast. Weight lifting could not only make your muscles work but is a great way to increase your metabolism rate.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

1. Groupon

2. Zynga

3. Twitterclass="blippr-nobr">Twitter

4. Asana

5. Ustreamclass="blippr-nobr">ustream

More Business Resources from Mashable:

For more Business coverage:

1. Groupon

2. Zynga

3. Twitterclass="blippr-nobr">Twitter

4. Asana

5. Ustreamclass="blippr-nobr">ustream

More Business Resources from Mashable:

For more Business coverage:

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

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Thursday, September 9, 2010

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

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