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To: TobagoJack who wrote (67781)	8/18/2005 10:12:58 AM
From: Moominoid	Respond to of 74559

That's what the right wing thinks. All the protests in Gaza have nothing to do with Gaza, they are to deter a pullout from the West Bank. I don't think Sharon really has a strategy, he is pushed both ways. Both the right and left hate the security fence in the West Bank but center public opinion likes it. So Sharon built some of it and tries to avoid completing it. That kind of thing....

To: TobagoJack who wrote (67781)	8/19/2005 3:57:29 AM
From: elmatador	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 74559

500 parlours, roughly 5,000 women adds up to a lot of lost tax money. And so HM Revenue and Customs is firm: “They make money. They should pay tax,” says a spokesman. “The nature of what they do doesn't remove them from their financial obligations.” Faced with new costs, working women will have to redouble their efforts. Massaging the figures Aug 18th 2005 From The Economist print edition The taxman investigates Britain's brothels ONCE upon a time, the biggest worry for brothels was the police. But the law has increasingly been turning a blind eye to the business. In 1990, there were 140 convictions for brothel-keeping. In 2002, there were fewer than 10. But those who service the nation's sexual needs have a new enemy to deal with, regarded by many as just as alarming as the police: the taxman. Ruth Morgan-Thomas, of the Scottish Prostitutes Education Project, says she has received many panicky calls from women in Edinburgh and Glasgow worried about tax probes this year. George McCoy, author of McCoy's Guide to Adult Services, the definitive guide to British houses of ill repute, says raids in Brighton, Manchester and Leicester signal a new, tougher approach. The trials of “Barry”, a parlour boss in Oldham, are typical. “I made a deal with the Revenue ten years ago, and have always paid my tax since,” he says. “But this year the ‘shadow economy team’ arrived at my door, wanting the names and addresses of my workers.” The business models of these barely disguised bordellos explain the unexpected interest. Selling sex is not strictly illegal in Britain. But other, related, activities such as brothel-keeping are. Parlour owners get round this by not employing anyone. They make money by charging entrance fees to punters and nightly rents to their workers. Sexual services are then negotiated privately in small, dimly lit rooms. And while the women who work in the parlours ought to register as self-employed and start paying taxes, a mix of self-interest, ignorance and stigma means most don't. Industry e-mail lists are alive with rumours of inspectors trawling parlour websites, or tracking the purchase of condoms as a proxy for taxable income. The taxmen deny that their inquiries have been so imaginative, saying that any visits are just part of their 30,000 yearly investigations. But 500 parlours and roughly 5,000 women adds up to a lot of lost tax money. And so HM Revenue and Customs is firm: “They make money. They should pay tax,” says a spokesman. “The nature of what they do doesn't remove them from their financial obligations.” Faced with new costs, working women will have to redouble their efforts.

To: TobagoJack who wrote (67781)	8/19/2005 4:54:42 AM
From: shades	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 74559

General you need to write andrew blackman, he has missed one of the premiere blog guys! online.wsj.com MONEY A Personal Guide to Personal-Finance Blogs By ANDREW BLACKMAN Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL August 18, 2005 The blogosphere, that smorgasbord of screeds, musings, news and advice, is doubling in size every few months. There are now 12.5 million blogs, up from six million four months ago, and almost 100,000 new blogs are created every single day, according to estimates from blog search-engine firm Technorati. Personal-finance blogs are still little more than a blip in the blogosphere, but are growing quickly: Technorati estimates there are about 5,000 of them, up 40% from six months ago. Some are written by financial professionals and offer investing tips or advice on financial planning; others provide links to and commentary on financial news; and many are chronicles of the writer's personal financial triumphs and failures. The most obvious attraction of blogs is their immediacy: A blog post can be published in seconds, as can reader comments, and the most recent post appears at the top of the page, so it is easy to see at a glance what the latest news is. A good blogger will also act as a filter of all the articles and stories on the Web, and will comment on them or post links to alternative points of view. And the personal nature of blogs affords a voyeuristic and often fascinating glimpse into other people's lives. The problem, of course, is in knowing whom to trust. After all, many bloggers post anonymously, especially those dissecting their own finances, and there's no guarantee they know more than you do. Here's a selection of some popular personal-finance and investing blogs, along with their pros and cons.