Drawing the Traditional Way With a Digital Drawing Tablet

For all artists everywhere who take pride in doing putting out their skill in an excellent way, the sure way to do this is to create their own art by themselves. This means creating it by scratch: sketching it in first – with a lot of erasures to go with it – before finalizing it and putting in the final details. But artists today have to catch up with the advancement of technology. They are then asked to submit electronic files of their artwork. If you are an artist – or just about any person who might need updated tools for their trade – and want to be in the know in technology without compromising their work, then you might want to consider getting for yourself a digital drawing tablet.With a digital drawing tablet handy, you get the ideal blend of art and technology. A tablet, such as this looks like a heavy, flat board with a large screen on it. Along with it also comes a stylus, which the user can use as an ordinary pen. With a drawing tablet, you still get the same feeling as using the old tools of pen and paper. You can automatically draw in your artwork right into the screen and immediately save yourself an electronic file of it, greatly saving you time and money in purchasing separate electronics to do the job. For graphic artists who prefer the old school pen and paper pair, they might warm up to the drawing tablet easier as it provides the same experience. And with a stylus in tow instead of a mouse, drawing in an artwork is more accurate, precise, and therefore more pleasing to the eye.Along with the screen and the stylus, a good digital drawing tablet also has a feature called pressure sensitivity. Basically, pressure sensitivity means that the boldness and the darkness of the lines drawn in are determined by how hard the stylus is pressed upon the screen. This gives more control and more variety for both the artwork and the artist. These tablets can also be used independently without having to connect it to the computer for file saving, making it portable and convenient to carry around. But in cases that a user has to connect the digital tablet to a desktop computer or a laptop, recent designs are made with a feature of a wireless connection through the Bluetooth technology. Other tablets can also be connected through a USB port and cables.For more selection for the users, some drawing tablets also come with their own wireless mouse, which is useful for navigation purposes. A typical digital drawing tablet can range from less than $100 to more than $1000, so you might want to shop around for a good one before making a decision. The sure thing about buying one for yourself is that it is a good investment for long-term use.

Posted in Digital Arts | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

Is Bank Secrecy Disappearing?

In recent months, news surrounding international bank secrecy has taken center stage across various media outlets and government discussions. From the UBS probe to the Stanford scandal, bank secrecy has been attacked and shrouded as illegal tax evasion or unsavory business practice. While certain individuals, including those at the heart of the UBS scheme and Alan Stanford, use offshore bank secrecy to break laws, many just business owners seek bank secrecy and offshore advantages for legitimate, legal reasons. Switzerland is just one nation currently on the chopping block regarding its bank secrecy laws. Swiss officials are playing a delicate balance of providing legal alternative banking options to principled persons while complying with international economic laws to avoid criminal activity.Why is Bank Secrecy Under Attack?
For many high-tax, big-government nations, like the U.S. and U.K., issues surrounding bank secrecy have always been controversial. When scandals arise, like the UBS issue of late, those who oppose bank secrecy come out in force. UBS was indeed acting in opposition to U.S. laws regarding the ability for U.S. citizens to seek private, offshore accounts in order to hide income from the IRS. However, the question became whether the Swiss government had a responsibility to turn over the names of U.S. account holders, and, more importantly, whether it had the legal right to do so.Until recently, Swiss law has been very clear that tax fraud is a crime while tax evasion is not. To the IRS, both are crimes. Tax fraud is knowingly filing incorrect or illegal documentation to avoid taxes; tax evasion, on the other hand, is the intentional non-payment of taxes. This small distinction in Swiss law upholds the bank secrecy of those who are acting to evade taxes regardless of their status of citizens in other countries. The question with UBS was whether or not Swiss authorities could legally turn over names of individuals who, under their current laws, had not committed a crime.Several factors elevated the significance of bank secrecy laws in recent months, drawing what is rarely more than a blurb on page 12 to the front page of major papers. First, this discussion came at the heat of multiple financial scandals which have been plaguing the world financial system. Additionally, a new Presidency in the U.S. has weighed in heavily on the issue of tax haven abuse; President Obama sponsored a bill as a Senator entitled the “Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act.” Finally, issues of private tax havens will be discussed in the upcoming G-20 summit this April.Because of these factors, the age-long question of legality of bank secrecy has again become a priority. Nations which have historically provided bank secrecy must rethink their practices to encourage international commerce and positive standing of their financial systems.How Will Bank Secrecy Change as a Result?
While many of us are participating in the bank secrecy discussion for the first time, there is a rich background of debates that took place before our current concern. Historically, despite these many debates, little has changed. The reluctance to change is mostly due to the fact international commerce relies on competitive advantages each nation can provide. For example, the U.S. acts as an offshore banking center for many foreign investors seeking both bank secrecy and tax reduction. Because every nation needs these competitive advantages to participate, particularly undersized nations like Switzerland and Lichtenstein, over the years, most discussions have ended in a stalemate.This time, however, there are some small, significant changes taking place in bank secrecy laws. The Wall Street Journal recently published a story on the current pledges taken by Andorra and Liechtenstein to relax their bank secrecy laws. According to the article, both Liechtenstein & Andorra are “committed to changing their laws to ensure bank transparency and to allow legal assistance according to OECD standards.” With the pending G-20 summit threatening to blacklist and sanction these nations, which it previously determined were compliant, changes are coming.In Switzerland, authorities have announced they will exchange information of those who are guilty of tax evasion in their host countries. This will require renegotiation of tax treaties with a multitude of nations. Sharing this information marks the first time Swiss authorities have stopped distinguishing between fraud and evasion, and it is likely other nations will follow suit. You will no longer be protected if you implement practices that allow you to avoid paying taxes you owe at home by setting up a private, offshore account.What Legitimate, Legal Options are there for Bank Secrecy?
If you intend on committing tax evasion, there are no legal options for you. If you, however, are concerned with bank secrecy to protect your private assets, your clients’ personal information, or other, non-tax-related strategies, not much will change.Switzerland has taken the lead in assuring the Swiss Banking Act of 1934 will not be amended in terms of bank-client confidentiality. Other nations cannot simply request a list of all bank customers who have accounts in Switzerland. Rather, they must first submit a request that details evidence a crime has been committed, names the individual suspected of the crime and details the branch of bank it has been committed in.At least in Switzerland, there are still no “fishing expeditions” for foreign account holders. If you have no intention of committing a crime, you will still be protected by Swiss privacy laws, and your bank secrecy will ultimately be upheld.As specialists in private banking with over 18 years in the field, we have seen many of these debates come and go. Most of the time, few changes result from the fist-waving of angered Senators. In some cases, though, like this current case, small changes are implemented to stop illegal abuses. Ultimately, changes that make it harder for people to break laws and avoid taxes have a positive influence on international bank centers. The more compliant these centers become in regards to tax evasion and money laundering, the more legitimate, offshore business will be seen for what it is: a legal strategy to provide private banking services for businesses with unique needs.

Posted in Banking Services | Tagged | Comments Off