Bonita Web Design

How to Select WordPress Themes

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

Deciding to use a WordPress themes is the easy part of setting up a new website. It used to be that the themes offered directly through WordPress were all you had to choose from, but today there are thousands of different designs offered from private designers. How do you sort through them all and pick the one theme that will work for your website? This guide will tell you just how to do that.

Find Trustworthy Designers

Since the market for WP themes is exploding and thousands of people are searching for new designs every day, there are many designers interested in cashing in with their personal themes. Unfortunately, not all of them are fully functional and many aren't as professional looking as they should be. This is why seeking out reputable, high quality designers is always the first step to purchasing a theme for your website.

The top websites selling these themes will employ talented designers who come up with new themes on a monthly, or sometimes weekly, basis. You can visit their websites and get familiar with each designer. You will read clear-cut policy and guidelines on how to use their themes and will be able to view demos that show the designs in action.

You can also Google the name of the designer or website with the word "scam" or "review" to see what others are saying about these designers. Reading web design blogs that put up lists of their favorite designs can lead you to some reputable sources for themes as well.

Check WP Compatibility

Don't assume that all themes are compatible with the version of WordPress that you are running. The themes you want to purchase today should be ready for WordPress 3.0 and higher. If you can't find this information on a website ask the designer. If they can't answer it or the theme is not designed for compatibility with the recent versions of WordPress, then look elsewhere. If the theme isn't designed for the WordPress version you are running, it won't function properly and is a waste of your money.

Modification vs. Straight Run

If you don't know how to modify a WP theme and can't afford to pay someone else to do so, then you need to find a theme that you like just as it is. You should be able to figure out how to substitute the images for your own, but other modifications aren't that easy to do without any prior knowledge. Consider your options for making modifications or make sure the theme you purchase will work for your site without major modifications.

Features

Finally, you have to consider the features that you want on your theme. Some will have large spaces for image slideshows at the top while others minimize the heading to give more room for columns, images, videos and other content on the rest of the page. Some will have sidebars with blocks for plug-ins and others will not be readily enabled for any plug-ins. As you look through different templates you will educate yourself on the different design features available. Take note of those you really want on your final template, then you can find something that meets all of your needs.

Finding the right WP template requires a lot of searching around. You have to look at different designs and find one that has the right appearance and vibe with all the right design features.

Looking for a Website?

2011-06-24T13:54:00.000-07:00

Every business around the world needs a website to help them expand their base of customers into the world of electronics and virtual reality. Every business can benefit from the boost that a website can provide them, both in sales and in increased interest in the products and services displayed on a website. Any business that hesitates to create a website may find that they have created one too late and that they have lost a good deal of potential business that could have contributed to their growth and expansion.

Are you looking for a website to help your company grow, proper, and experience the true success that can come with online business? If so, you have come to the right place, and our Chicago-based web design operations is at your disposal to help you in the creation of a top quality website that will help propel your company to greater success.

We here at Thought Mechanics know the secrets to success in the online business world, and we will put all of our expertise behind creating the best website for you. Not only does the success of your business give you an edge in the success of your website, but our experts are some of the best trained web design professionals in the Chicago area. Every resource, trick, and ounce of knowledge that we have will be placed at your command in helping you create the website that will lead you to success.

There are many things that are important when creating a website, and our professionals will help you to:

- State the purpose of your company or organization clearly.

Instead of providing an overload of information that will confuse your readers as to your true purpose, our team of web experts will help you to create a simple statement for your website that elaborates on the purpose of your organization in as few words and as clearly as possible.

- Come up with a web address or URL that is easy to remember and catchy.

The domain name of your website is similar to the name of your brand, and you need a domain name that sticks in people's minds. Why are companies like Amazon.com or Monster.com far easier to remember than Books.com or Jobs.com? Because they have catchy names that stick in your head, and that is what our team of web experts will provide for your website.

- Create a site that is easy for your visitors to navigate.

Many websites have a tendency to make the navigation of their site too complex, and it can frustrate users to have to spend hours looking for a single product. We will provide your website with clear navigation bars, a search box, drop down menus, a navigation bar on the footer, and many more things that will ensure that your visitors can easily find their way around your site.

- Place your contact and purchase information clearly and visibly.

Many websites tend to obscure their contact and purchase information, thinking that will make them seem too pushy to customers. That is not the case, and our team of Chicago web design experts will ensure that your purchase and contact information is displayed prominently and easily available to make purchasing your product or service as easy as possible.

- Obtain customer reviews and testimonials for your website

There are few things as effective in selling your product as testimonials and reviews that substantiate your claims and proclaim your product or service to be a top quality one. We can help you find reviews around the internet to help you back up your claims about your business, and will add those testimonials on your page with a link back to the page of their origin. Our goal is to ensure the trust of your customers in your product, and having these testimonials is one of the best ways to do so.

- Optimize your web page

Your website will only be effective as a marketing tool if people can find it, and it can be hard to locate a single website among the millions of websites there are today. Our SEO experts will ensure that your website is ranked highly and that it is easy to find for people looking for your product. After all, we know that your website's being ranked highly is the key to your success, and your success is what we are after.

Email Archiving and Your Needs

2010-08-11T16:57:00.000-07:00

46% of medium and large businesses want a solution to assist them in routine email searches. The current search engine they have for their email accounts either does not work or does not perform correctly. Many email archiving software programs are a great fit for these businesses. Not only do they provide an easy to search dialog box but they are also quite useful for people who want to be able to multi task their email.

Many of these best sales people are those who know which clients are the most important. They know which clients are actually going to buy and which are not. For example, a software business could have 100 clients. There are only two or three that are typically really important to that software business. An email archival software program can save a sales representative from having to look stupid by searching through old emails for answers to their questions. Old emails can also be used as possible research to figure out their weakness and pitch to it.

42% of small businesses require that their users be able to restore old, missing and deleted emails. You might be saying, once you delete something isn't it deleted forever? It is not! There are still fragments of it left on the hard drive of the computer or server. Email archiving software programs also save everything regardless of whether it becomes deleted or not. They hold onto anything they come into contact with should it become relevant again at some time in the future.

Some companies take email archiving to the next level and offer what is known as "email backup". They use a software solution but they also go into the data management mode where they have dozens of servers that back up every piece of email ever sent at the company. This massive database is accessible so that others can learn from it. It is almost as if the database is trying to learn from itself. Staff should obviously be saving everything that they believe will be important to use later. Even the backup system of an email archive is not 100% safe. There have been rare cases where systems have crashed and failed. They have been unable to be repaired. However, this is extremely rare and with thousands of companies requiring email archiving solutions, there is no time to doubt that your company needs a solution now!

One of the very small risks that can occur with email archival software is that it can be used against you. For example, say that you were looking up a secret document. A hacker or criminal could gain access to your account and then download this document much quicker. They would be able to simply search for it and if there was no duplicate verification they would be in. Email archival software is one of the fastest growing markets in software today. Data management is very important and without email many of us would be driven crazy. Check out email archiving software for your business before you encounter a problem.

2010-04-09T00:14:00.000-07:00

The basic important features of web design are web content, usability and appearance. A beautifully designed web site will earn lot of reputation and will invite many visitors. Honestly, no one would like to miss a good web site and would like to participate in a discussion or forum when there is a discussion about a particular web site. This is quite common among software professionals, web designers and web developers.

For instance, if you are web designer, you would like to visit all of those web sites which are specially designed with good features on it and you will definitely make a good attempt to develop such web site for your clients. This means that a professional approach is available at every attempt when you deal with a new client. This is also quite good in web designing.

Some of the important products of web design include web design, web site creation, web site packages, and many other supporting software such as editors which will help in developing beautiful web designs for various purposes.

There are many successful web designing companies which offer good services from their web sites meeting various web design requirements of their clients. This is a very good feature and efficiency of web designing system. For instance Apdiweb.com is a very fast growing company which is fully specialized in web design and software development.

With plenty of access to free web design software and with creative skills in web designing, there is a huge and potential opportunity for many web designers to start their own web designing companies on web and they can render good services to the customers.

As a matter of fact, no two web designers are similar and each web designer will have a unique working style and a different software to design a web site. In this mode, if you choose a particular web designer, you can explain and describe what exactly required for your business or product and can evolve a new web design from a web designer.

It all depends on you how best quality work you achieve from your web designer which must give you complete satisfaction and must also facilitate excellent features for your business. In this way you can help the web designer to grow and you can also grow in your business.

There should be a mutual business relationship between a web designer and the client so that perfect quality web designs are made and when the web designs are completed, these must look outstanding on web and that is the actual purpose and aim.

The above discussion once again the signifies the importance of web design and its products and about the growing demand of web design and its products.

2010-03-10T15:22:00.000-08:00

Written By: Naples web design

Naples web sites provide custom web site designs, SEO and new Internet marketing techniques. This facilitates both small businesses and big businesses to take advantage from their web site to improve their businesses. Apart from this, Naples web site designing services help many businesses to take advantage from Internet platform and also ensures that there is wide and extensive network of small and medium businesses to grow through Internet.

In fact the medium of web site designing to have access to various customers is one of the best means to grow business on a fast pace and this has been made possible only with web sites on Internet. It is true that more and more businesses are commencing new businesses because of the advantage of web site.

Naples web design LLC uses latest web technology and ensures that it gives complete benefit package to its customers. This is the reason that more and more number of customers have been approaching Naples for web site designing services. It is also true that various features and web facilities enable businesses to prosper through Internet.

Apart from this, while large businesses have plenty of access to large number of customers, small and medium-sized businesses wish to have access to more number of customers and this is made possible only through web site as more traffic can be diverted to various web sites by SEO, custom designs and by various Internet marketing methods.

E-commerce, net work systems, network design and implementation and on line services being some of the important sources to improve business through web site, many new businesses which include from flower selling to jewelery have all been launched through a web site, to carry on their daily business on a regular basis. All that is required here is to, approach Naples web sign LLC and ask for their guidance to design a web site for your business and the rest of the activities are taken care of by them.

Naples web design LLC is a reliable source of IT company, which has plenty of skill and expertise knowledge which can meet the requirements of any client. More knowledge and more work experience have enabled the IT company to meet the growing demands of new and upcoming businesses.

For the future, definitely Naples will definitely prove to be an asset and it will have plenty of success and customer relationship management at all levels.

2010-03-10T15:17:00.000-08:00

You have a brilliant product in your kitty or offer superior services at a much better price than your competitors, but the only thing holding you back are poor out reach of your products or services. The best way to market yourself or your product in this present age is through the web and what better way to do it than by having a stand out website.

More than 75% of the people visiting a website are impressed first with the layout and presentation on the website than the actual quality of the product itself! Remember, the FIRST IMPRESSION IS THE BEST AND PROBABLY THE FINAL IMPRESSION a visitor to your website will have. At RT DESIGN GROUP, we know the significance of this age old adage and go all out to design the best possible web site for you and your company!

Have a look at the services we offer

Web Designing:

Our web designs are all about simplicity, ease of access and providing a mine of information with eye catching design. Our web designers are very much in tune with our client’s requirements and even exceed their expectations

SEO:

A good website is of no use if the traffic inflow from search engines is meager. We are acutely aware of this aspect and work all out to ensure that the website is search engine friendly and readily accessible thus ensuring a constant and massive influx from search engines which in turn generates more income and better product outreach.

Social Networking:

We know the power the web wields and how much influence various social networks have on products, websites and on you. Its keeping this phenomenon in mind that we are aggressively promoting websites and brands through all major networking sites thus helping you build a massive community base at the social networking level.

Video Production:

Something more dynamic is sure to be more eye catching than something which is static. That’s when our tailor made video commercials come in handy. In addition to lending your website and web page an exotic feel, it also gives you a unique forum to interact with the visitors to your website.

Portfolios and Testimonials:

You don’t have to take us on our word; you can go through all the testimonials of various satisfied customers who just can’t stop gushing on the difference we have made for them. You can also browse through our portfolio to have an idea of the variety of clients that we serve and to what lengths we go to please our customers.

If you are looking out for the best you can get for your business you have come to the right place. We look forward to working with you and helping your business grow.

True Saints Fans Look Like This on the Inside

2010-02-09T13:55:00.001-08:00

by 2010-02-09 – 21:52:26

post

If you’re wondering–yes, that X-ray is real, and no, it is not normal to have a fleur-de-lis in your throat, no matter how big a Saints fan you are. Unless of course you’re one of those fans who goes way too far in showing love for your team. Then yes, this would be normal for you.

But that’s not the case here. This is just a simple case of one Saints fan mistakenly swallowing one of her Saints earrings she had laying on her bedside table, sitting amongst the vitamins she normally takes before retiring to bed.

Florellen Rickard realized something was wrong when she took her nightly dose of vitamins on the night of February 1. She noticed a sharp pain in her throat after downing her pills, and her husband took her to the hospital after calling 911.

The doctors initial attempts at retrieving the earring only made things worse, with the piece of jewelry ending up being pushed down into Rickard’s stomach. The woman eventually was put under general anaesthesia while her stomach was pumped and the earring recovered.

Florellen is doing fine, except for a scratchy throat, and yes, she did wear the earrings while watching her beloved Saints win the Super Bowl on Sunday night.

And I’m just going to assume she cleaned the earring before wearing it–because that would be just gross if she didn’t.

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)

Google Sidewiki entry by Barry

2009-10-07T10:21:00.001-07:00

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

Posted By: admin

–>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.comPosted By: admin
–>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 « Bonita Web Design (view on Google Sidewiki)

NC sheriff's deputy uses Corvette to stop speeders

2009-07-24T13:34:00.000-07:00

At least one sheriff's deputy in North Carolina won't have any trouble catching speeders. Multiple media outlets reported Wednesday that the Wake County Sheriff's Department has a Chevrolet Corvette Z06. Chevrolet said the car has a top track speed of 198 mph, with a base sticker price of $74,875. Its V8 racing engine generates 505 horsepower.

Sheriff's spokeswoman Phyllis Stevens said the car didn't cost the county any money since it was seized from a drug dealer.

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Wake County isn't the first to used souped up cars.

Former Davidson County Sheriff Gerald Hege once had a Chevrolet Impala SS with a Corvette engine

Former Forsyth County Sheriff Ron Barker used several Camaro Z28s for traffic enforcement.

Opposites attract — how genetics influences humans to choose their mates

2009-05-27T14:22:00.000-07:00

Vienna, Austria: New light has been thrown on how humans choose their partners, a scientist will tell the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics today (Monday May 25). Professor Maria da Graça Bicalho, head of the Immunogenetics and Histocompatibility Laboratory at the University of Parana, Brazil, says that her research had shown that people with diverse major histocompatibility complexes (MHCs) were more likely to choose each other as mates than those whose MHCs were similar, and that this was likely to be an evolutionary strategy to ensure healthy reproduction.

Females’ preference for MHC dissimilar mates has been shown in many vertebrate species, including humans, and it is also known that MHC influences mating selection by preferences for particular body odours. The Brazilian team has been working in this field since 1998, and decided to investigate mate selection in the Brazilian population, while trying to uncover the biological significance of MHC diversity.

The scientists studied MHC data from 90 married couples, and compared them with 152 randomly-generated control couples. They counted the number of MHC dissimilarities among those who were real couples, and compared them with those in the randomly-generated ‘virtual couples’. “If MHC genes did not influence mate selection”, says Professor Bicalho, “we would have expected to see similar results from both sets of couples. But we found that the real partners had significantly more MHC dissimilarities than we could have expected to find simply by chance.”

Within MHC-dissimilar couples the partners will be genetically different, and such a pattern of mate choice decreases the danger of endogamy (mating among relatives) and increases the genetic variability of offspring. Genetic variability is known to be an advantage for offspring, and the MHC effect could be an evolutionary strategy underlying incest avoidance in humans and also improving the efficiency of the immune system, the scientists say.

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The MHC is a large genetic region situated on chromosome 6, and found in most vertebrates. It plays an important role in the immune system and also in reproductive success. Apart from being a large region, it is also an extraordinarily diverse one.

“Although it may be tempting to think that humans choose their partners because of their similarities”, says Professor Bicalho, “our research has shown clearly that it is differences that make for successful reproduction, and that the subconscious drive to have healthy children is important when choosing a mate.”

The scientists believe that their findings will help understanding of conception, fertility, and gestational failures. Research has already shown that couples with similar MHC genes had longer intervals between births, which could imply early, unperceived miscarriages. “We intend to follow up this work by looking at social and cultural influences as well as biological ones in mate choice, and relating these to the genetic diversity of the extended MHC region”, says Professor Bicalho.

“We expect to find that cultural aspects play an important role in mate choice, and certainly do not subscribe to the theory that if a person bears a particular genetic variant it will determine his or her behaviour. But we also think that the unconscious evolutionary aspect of partner choice should not be overlooked. We believe our research shows that this has an important role to play in ensuring healthy reproduction, by helping to ensure that children are born with a strong immune system better able to cope with infection.”

Home Loan Modification Will Help Stop Foreclosure

2009-05-27T14:21:00.000-07:00

Wikipedia defines foreclosure as the legal and professional proceeding in which a mortgagee, or other lienholder, usually a lender, obtains a court ordered termination of a mortgagor’s equitable right of redemption. Usually a lender obtains a security interest from a borrower who mortgages or pledges an asset like a house to secure the loan. If the borrower defaults and the lender tries to repossess the property, courts of equity can grant the borrower the equitable right of redemption if the borrower repays the debt. While this equitable right exists, the lender cannot be sure that it can successfully repossess the property, thus the lender seeks to foreclose the equitable right of redemption. Other lienholders can also foreclose the owner’s right of redemption for other debts, such as for overdue taxes, unpaid contractors’ bills or overdue HOA dues or assessments.

Unfortunately, the current housing crisis has greatly increased the number of foreclosures in many of the bubble states. California, Nevada, Las Vegas and Florida have all seen steady increases in the amount of foreclosures. When an individual or family cannot find a way to make their mortgage payment for several months, foreclosure is almost inevitable. I think we all have friends and family who have been through this troubling time and it is not a pretty sight.

Is there anything you can do to stop foreclosure? There are numerous resources on the internet to help stop foreclosure. Ultimately, the best thing anyone can do is educate themselves on what their options are. I have several close friends who would rather pay off credit card debt than make their mortgage payment. This is a VERY bad idea. If you default on your mortgage payment, it is going to be extremely hard to ever build your credit to a respectable level. If you cannot pay a credit card, your credit score will get hit but not nearly as much as with a foreclosure.

Therefore, your number one financial priority should be to make your mortgage payment each and every month. What if I don’t make enough money to make my mortgage payment? This is all to often the case with the amount of salary reductions and layoffs during the current recession. If you do not make enough money to pay for your mortgage you can look into the Making Home Affordable Plan and see what the government can do to help you out.

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No matter what you may think, the government wants to keep you in your home. The more homes that are foreclosed on the worse the economy is going to get. That is the exact reason that President Obama created the Making Home Affordable plan. He wants you to stay in your home, make your mortgage payments and live happily ever after. With that being said, you must find a way to budget your money to make your mortgage payments.

The Making Home Affordable Plan mandates that your mortgage is only 31% of your monthly salary. This is the case if your mortgage loan is backed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. Almost 70% of home loans in America are backed by these two companies. If only 31% of your monthly salary is going towards your home loan then you should definitely have enough money to pay for it. One of the hardest things you may have to do is to sit down and write out all the money you actually spend. I mean write down every single penny you spend for a month’s period. If you buy a $1.49 pack of chewing gum before work every Monday, you need to write it down. You do not realize how bad you get nickel and dimed until you actually write down every single purchase.

After you have figured out how much money you spend in a month, you are likely going to need to cut out some habits. Do you really need to buy three drinks every time you go out to eat. For that matter, do you need to go out to eat as much as you do? Is it mandatory that you get your nails done at the most luxurious spa? These are questions you need to ask yourself and be honest. There is a fine line between being happy and being wasteful. If something makes you extremely happy and you can afford it, by all means continue to do it. If you cannot pay for your mortgage, you might want to reconsider some of the things you feel makes you happy.

Another way to get through this troubling time is a home loan modification. This has been extremely important with stopping foreclosures. If you can find a way to get a lower mortgage rate then you are going to pay much less in a monthly mortgage payment. With this, you will also pay much less over the entire lifetime of your home loan. If you can save just $50 a month, that could lead a long way to stopping foreclosure on your home.

Getting a home loan modification is also all about educating yourself on what your options are. There are an unlimited amount of resources available on the internet to research home loan modification or mortgage refinance. Make sure to get information from relevant sites as there are a great deal of spam sites out there. If you need any help, just do a quick google search for mortgage refinance or stop foreclosure and I am sure you will get some great resources.

Ultimately home loan modification will help stop foreclosure. This is exactly what the President wanted and he will make sure it happens. Hopefully the number of foreclosures greatly declines through the next several months as this has been a hinder on the recovery of the economy. Having lower mortgage payments and more money to stimulate the economy will help us on the road to recovery. For more information on home loan modification and stopping foreclosure, make sure to come back to Subprime Blogger for future articles.

This is Not a Bull Market: Stocks Are Not Up, and They’re Headed Even Lower

2009-05-27T13:26:00.000-07:00

How do you measure wealth generation?

1) Average annual gains?

2) Gains relative to an underlying index (the S&P 500)?

3) Gains relative to inflation?

Of these three, the last is the only real means of gauging wealth creation or destruction. Commentators have been going bananas over the fact that stocks are up 20%+ since their bottom of 666. No one mentions that this rally may actually be induced by the Federal Reserve pumping trillions of dollars into the financial system.

Similarly, no one mentions that adjusted for inflation, stocks are still WAY down from their peak during the Tech bubble.

As you can see, stocks entered a bear market in earnest following the Tech Crash. Yes, in number or nominal terms, the Dow has risen. But you have to remember the dollar lost roughly a third of its value from 2001 to today. Measuring stocks or anything in dollars between now and then was like measuring with a ruler that was continually shrinking.

Also, bear in mind that the above chart is using the Government’s phony measure of inflation: the Consumer Price Index [CPI] which DOESN’T include food or energy prices. Using accurate inflationary data, stocks are down even more in real terms.

My main point is this: inflation is an ever-present reality in the post WWII era. Investors need to be protecting themselves from this beast at all costs. You can do this by:

Buying gold
Buying commodities or real assets
Buying companies that can offset inflationary costs by raising the price of their products

I suggest having some money in all three. It’s the only certain way to protect your wealth from inflation. The Feds are cooking up an inflationary storm of epic proportions, pumping TRILLIONS of dollars into the financial system. Stocks may rally like a rocket-ship from here. But in real terms they’re still tanking.

After all, if the Dow hits 30,000, but you’re celebrating by drinking a $150.00 coke… are you really any richer?

Diamonds pile up worldwide as consumers finally realize their worthlessness.

2009-05-15T14:07:00.001-07:00

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

Here's Bonita Web Design

2008-12-08T20:29:00.000-08:00

Bonita Web Design

Welcome to Bonita Web Design

2008-12-08T20:01:00.001-08:00

This is a test and only a test ;D