[How-to Guide] Enable Wordpress MU In Wordpress 3.0

Already I have outlined some of the features and how to guides on wordpress 3.0. We all know that wordpress 3.0 will incorporate WPMU (wordpress mu) in it and with this feature you can run multiple blogs from one single wordpress installation. We assume that you already upgraded your wordpress blog and enabled the multiple site network option on your wordpress blog. Now in this post, I will help you out in installing multiple wordpress blog in wordpress 3.0.
Step 1
Go to Tools> Network, you will see the screen like this:

Once you click on the install button, you will be taken to next page, where your technical skills are being used, i.e., you have to play with two most important files of wordpress and if a mistake occurs, then you mess up all the things, these two files are wpconfig.php and .htaccess file respectively. Just follow the these useful steps and you will easily enable wordpress mu in your blog:

• 
  
  

  Create blog.dir Directory

Create a blogs.dir directory in /webguide4u.com/wp-content. This directory is used to store uploaded media for your additional sites and must be writeable by the web server.

• 
  
  

  Adding Codes to wp-config.php File

Open your wp-config.php file and copy paste the following code into it and save it.

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  Adding Authentication Keys

Add authentication keys into your wp-config.php file while adding this new code you have to replace the old authentication keys.

Adding .htaccess Code:

This is the last thing that you need to do in order to run wordpress mu. Open your .htaccess file and add this piece of code in it and save this file.

After doing all such technical work, you have to relogin into your wordpress admin panel and you will be surprised by seeing the new feature in your wordpress blog, it is “Super Admin in Wordpress 3.0”.

This is all, now your blog is MU compatible and you can add up any number of blogs in a single click.
In the meanwhile, do let us know your views on this? If you have any problem, then let us know through comments section or via contact me page.
If you like the efforts that are being made on this, then share the post on digg, twitter, facebook, etc.
Keep subscribed to our feeds so that you don’t miss a single article on wordpress 3.0

[How To Guide] Upgrade Wordpress To Wordpress 3.0

All of you know wordpress 3.0 is released and is available for download. Now it’s the time to upgrade your wordpress blog to the latest version but before this you make a complete backup of your wordpress blog before up-gradation because if something goes wrong then you can easily backup all the data.
Now, here comes the step by step guide on upgrading your wordpress blog.

• Login to wordpress admin panel, at the top you will see a notification which says “Wordpress 3.0 is available! Please update now”.

• Click on the “Please update now” and you will see the upgrade option like this:

• Click on the upgrade automatically button and if everything goes good you will see successfully upgraded to wordpress 3.0 like this:

• Now go back to your wordpress admin panel and you will see that it is running on wordpress 3.0

Wordpress automatic upgrade made upgrading wordpress very much easy even a newbie will easily upgrade it.

Caution

I recommend you to take complete backup of your wordpress blog before upgrading to wordpress 3.0. If you think that you can’t upgrade to wordpress 3.0, then take a help from me in upgrading your wordpress blog.
Keep reading we will update all the tutorials on wordpress and wordpress 3.0 that will help you a lot in blogging. Signup for the newsletter to get all the tutorials directly in your inbox
In the meanwhile do let us know that you upgraded your wordpress blog to 3.0 or not?

Self-publishing

10 Great New Features in WordPress 3.0

Ryan Stubbs on June 17th

• 3.0,
• Features,
• New,
• wordpress

WordPress is by far the most popular blogging platform available and with over half a million known websites running on the software, it’s no surprise there’s a big news surge when a new version is released.
And yes, you heard it right! WordPress 3.0 has been officially launched today and brings with it a tone of new features that aid WordPress plugin developers, theme designers and of course, bloggers. I’ve hand-picked the top 10 cool new features of the latest version of WordPress and will briefly explore their possible uses and benefits.

1. Custom Admin Username and Password

One of the simplest, but also one of the most important, features packaged with the new version is the ability to choose your own username and password during installation. It has always been a security flaw in past versions of the software because if you have a fairly weak password, your site becomes vulnerable to hackers who may try and attempt a brute-force attack — already knowing your username.
In 3.0, it is now possible to set your desired username and password during installation; also bypassing the rather pointless generating of a random password that you are then prompted to change. It is possible to have WordPress generate a random password for you if you wish and to do this, you can simply leave the password field blank.

Custom Admin Username and Password

2. New Default Theme

Along with WP3 comes a completely new default theme called “TwentyTen”. The over-used, and frankly unattractive, Kubrick has finally been ditched for a new sleek design by the WordPress team that shows off WordPress’ adaptability. The long-anticipated design has replaced the too far out-dated Kubrick that has been the face of new WordPress installations for five years, and unlike the previous default theme, this contrasted black and white design would fit perfectly with any new blog without much customization — providing the header image was altered to suit the content.
The design is simple enough to allow the reader’s focus to be fixated on the content rather than the design but also stands out enough for them to notice the theme’s simplistic elegance. Taking advantage of the new features in WordPress 3.0, TwentyTen sports its flexibility as it shows off the new ability to set custom backgrounds and menus.

WordPress 3.0 Default Theme: '2010'

3. Custom Headers

One of the other great new things about the latest version of WordPress is its extensive API that allows for even the most trivial of things to be easily customised to the blogger/developer’s needs. This includes custom header images. These can be added by a new section of the Appearance section of the blog; allowing for an image to be chosen from a pre-existing library and the ability to upload your own image. These custom headers can be easily integrated into your own WordPress themes using the header_image function. For more information, see the WordPress Codex.

Custom Header

4. Custom Post Types

Sometimes, when you want to add non-standard post types to WordPress, it can get a bit tricky. First there’s the task of finding a way to format the media to integrate into a standard WordPress post seamlessly and then the repetitive process of adding this new formatting to every post afterwards but this can take far too much effort and time. This is where the new Custom Post Types steps in.
Utilizing the WordPress API, it is extremely easy to create new post types for any type of content you wish. All it takes is a few lines of code that define the details of your post type to WordPress and you’re away. You can find out more about creating custom post types here.

Custom Post Types

5. Advanced Menus

Along with all of the other great features bundled with WordPress 3.0, there is the ability to create custom menus that can take the form of a selection of content you choose. The content available trumps the previous versions’ limitations to just pages and shows an all-new take on multi-level menus. With the ability to develop menus that consist of tags, categories, pages and several other forms of link with WordPress itself, it is now suddenly that extra bit easier to syndicate your content through your menus to enable easier navigation for your valued readers.

Custom Menus

6. Unified Updater

It is now possible to update the WordPress core, your custom plugins and themes all in one place. The new unified “Updates” section allows you to easily and quickly find any third-party plugins or themes that need updating and do so in a professional manner with Maintenance Mode automatically enabled during the update process.
This little feature is small but saves the blog owner the often irritating process of navigating to each section to update the code.

7. WordPress MultiSite

If you want to run a blogging network, in the past you would have had to install a branch of WordPress built specifically for multiple blogs; WordPress MU. One of the most beneficial tasks that the team over at Automattic have completed is the new merge of WordPress core and WordPress MU. It is now no longer required to install the seperate WPMU package as the code has now been integrated with the core WP package.
This crucial integration means that it is now easier than ever for existing WordPress users to add additional blogs under the same installation without having to install a completely seperate instance of WordPress MU. You can find out here how to enable MultiSite.

WordPress MultiSite Network

8. Universal Help Menus

In previous versions of WordPress, the Help section of each page was quite limited and the majority of pages merely linked to the WordPress website and documentation pages. In WordPress 3.0, this has all changed. Each page of the admin panel now has a contextual help menu that, when revealed, gives information and details regarding the specific section or page of the admin panel in question.
In short, it is now even easier to find help with anything you are stuck on and it is simply a case of clicking the Help button and you will find a detailed list of all sections of that page. This is a really helpful feature that once again, reiterates the fact that WordPress is the best blogging platform for new comers who may not be experienced in using CMSes.

Universal Help Menus

9. Simple Login Form

If you’ve ever wanted to add a login form to a page of your blog but didn’t feel up to the confusing task of dissecting the code, WordPress may have found the solution to your problem. Starting in 3.0, it is now possible to add a simple login form to any page of your website to allow for a seamlessly integrated login system for your blog.
With a simple PHP function that allows for the passing of arguments, you can display a login form on any section of your design to allow users to login to your blog without being sent to the standard WordPress login page. For more information, check out the wp_login_form template tag reference at the WordPress Codex.

10. Automatic Security Keys

To further add to the security of the new WordPress, the developers have added the functionality of automatically-generated security keys. In the past, it was only possible to change the security keys by manually editing the wp-config.php file in the root of your WordPress installation but this could often lead to inexperienced users never opening this file and noticing the fact that these values need to be changed; thus causing the neglect of their installation and rendering it vulnerable.
In the new version of WordPress, security keys are automatically generated; meaning that there is no need to edit the configuration file or generate the keys using the WordPress security key generation service.

Conclusion

The WordPress team has made great progress with the project since the early versions and this new version of the software is no exception. Perfectly evolved into one of the most popular and powerful open-source blogging platforms that exists, the software is a great catalyst for giving the world a voice.
The features in the new version really show how the project’s progressed and its added security, as well as the little features added to streamline the development process for theme and plugin developers; this all makes the package the perfect all-rounder. I can find no obvious flaws or faults in the latest version of WordPress but as it begins to roll out across blogs, we’ll see how it goes. Personally, I think this it the most promising and powerful version of the popular blogging software yet.

Your Favorites?

What are your favorite new features in WordPress 3.0? Share via comment below. Thanks!

WordPress 3.0 adds better customization

The open-source content management system WordPress turned seven years old last month. In its lifetime, it has attracted a devout following: More than 28,000 people download WordPress every day, with over 11.4 million active installations, including news outlets and corporate sites.


To commemorate the anniversary, WordPress is leaping forward this month with the release of Version 3.0, nearly five years after the debut of 2.0. The biggest change is integration with the previously separate WordPress MU (Multi-User) variation, which allows multiple blogs to be operated from a single WordPress installation and database.

The new version abounds in other new features while retaining the user-friendliness that has set WordPress apart from open-source alternatives Drupal and Joomla. (This review is based on the WordPress 3.0-RC3-15257 prerelease version, which came out a few days before Version 3.0; as far as I know, there are no significant differences.)

Installation

WordPress offers a Web-based interface for writing, publishing and consuming content, primarily text- and image-based content. It can be installed on any computer or server with at least PHP 4.3 and MySQL 4.1.2. Many hosting companies offer one-click installations of WordPress, though these packages are often a version or two behind the latest release.

Some basic configuration occurs during the installation, including naming the blog. Previous versions of WordPress automatically created an administrator account named "admin" with a randomly generated password. As a security measure, users were encouraged to create a new administrative account and delete the default one; otherwise, hackers would already know the username half of your log-in credentials. This security flaw has been rectified by allowing an administrator username and password to be manually defined during installation.

Incidentally, if you're already running WordPress 2.7 or later, upgrading to 3.0 is as easy as clicking the "Update Automatically" button -- but make a full backup of your current WordPress files and MySQL database first, just in case.

Multisite networks

The most dramatic change in WordPress 3.0 is the ability to host multiple sites. Using one installation of WordPress 3.0, thousands of users can each have their own blogs under a common domain name.

Most users of this configuration are large-scale entities that have previously relied on WordPress MU. For example, Best Buy uses such a setup to give each of its retail stores its own blog and event calendar. WordPress divides The New York Times beats across multiple blogs. And Harvard Law School uses WordPress to offer a free blogging platform to any of its faculty, staff and students.

WordPress 3.0 comes with support for these blogs to exist as either subdirectories (example.com/blog) or subdomains (blog.example.com). Unofficially, it also supports multiple domains via a domain-mapping plug-in.

Since one blog is enough for many WordPress users, the default installation supports only one site. Enabling the multisite function requires users to manually edit the wp-config.php file, activate a WordPress network and then follow on-screen instructions to apply further changes to both the wp-config.php and .htaccess files. It's not as tedious as it sounds, but these steps constitute a sufficient enough barrier to prevent unsuspecting users from stumbling across the multisite feature.

When I updated my testbed from WordPress 2.9.2 to 3.0, I was told that the subdirectory option was only available to new installs. Unfortunately, my hosting plan was not set up to use subdomains, which requires adding a wildcard subdomain to your DNS records. The choice between subdirectories and subdomains is given only once, and there's no easy way to switch between them afterward.

Once your network is enabled, a new menu of "Super Admin" options becomes available. Here, some general configuration of each site in the network is possible: name, URL, users, etc. Which themes and plug-ins are available for these other sites' admins can also be selected on a global scale. Using these simple but powerful options, it's easy to create multiple blogs -- or to create a gateway through which users can register their own blogs, thus creating a dynamic network that grows as your audience does.

A blog network is best suited for multiple sites run by multiple users. For a single person or entity who wants to oversee multiple blogs without delegation, it does not work so well. There is no global dashboard where themes and plug-ins can be configured for each site; instead, the network's super admin decides which options to make available to the individual sites. The ability to enable and configure the sites is done from each site's own dashboard. A super admin can log into each blog and individually configure it, but the larger the network, the more cumbersome this becomes.

Plug-ins and themes

If you're just getting started with WordPress, Version 3.0 makes it easy to bring your old blog with you from another platform. Although it might look like the number of formats WordPress' importer supports has diminished, that's because the importer has been spun out into a modular system that allows the installation of just the formats needed for your situation. Compatibility with the most common blogging services, including Blogger and LiveJournal, come preinstalled; others, such as Posterous and Vox.com, are just a click away.

WordPress' plug-in repository offers almost 10,000 ways to modify how your blog works and looks. If you're a WordPress user, you've probably installed several dozen such plug-ins already -- and if you're upgrading an existing blog, expect several of those plug-ins to break. Although any core update can introduce a change that an outdated plug-in doesn't expect, this is especially true for an upgrade as significant as WordPress 3.0. (That said, every plug-in I tried proved compatible with the default installation.)

Bulk updating of plug-ins was introduced in a previous version of WordPress but was squirreled away under the misleading "Upgrade WordPress" menu item. Now plug-ins can be updated en masse from both the plug-ins page and the renamed "WordPress Updates" page, which lists available theme upgrades as well.

Theme upgrades are tricky, since power users have often edited their templates to add, remove or modify features; a single upgrade can wipe out all those customizations. That's why WordPress 3.0 also introduces improved support for child themes, which are a way to override a theme's default files without overwriting them. When the default files are upgraded, the child theme's modifications are preserved.

Historically, WordPress came with a boring default theme, and many users never customized their blog with a different look. The new default theme, "Twenty Ten," is similarly Spartan but includes the ability to easily add a new banner image and border color. These simple options should let even unimaginative webmasters imbue their sites with more personality without the trouble of finding or designing a new theme.

WordPress themes can be further customized with a robust and dynamic widget system, through which sidebars and navigational menus can be displayed. The latest addition to this feature set is the ability to create custom menus. Essentially, the site administrator chooses pages, post categories or external URLs to link to, and a widget is created that compiles these links. When defining the contents of several such menus, a series of horizontal tabs lets the administrator choose which menu to expand and work with. Unlike Web browser tabs, these tabs have a fixed width; if you have more menus than can fit on your screen, arrows appear that allow you to scroll left and right to find the one you want.

The new custom menus are a user-friendly feature, but not a particularly innovative one; such listings have always been possible in WordPress by creating a blank "arbitrary text or HTML" widget and then hand-coding an HTML list. However, users who don't know HTML or prefer a more elegant interface will appreciate this feature.

Blogging

The basic act of writing a blog post has seen no overt overhaul. There are some renamed buttons and other minor tweaks, such as a sleeker interface for comparing changes between revisions of a blog post. Otherwise, the look and feel of the writing process is identical with the previous release, WordPress 2.9.2.

Hidden from the standard user is the ability to create custom post types and tags. A typical WordPress post is an entry in a chronological blog, with tags that serve as keywords. With WordPress 3.0, it's possible to create a database entry that represents not a blog post, but, for example, a film, with metadata that specifies the actors, director, film studio and release date.

The potential applications for this feature are vast, such as creating a cross-referenced and searchable film database, or a calendar that tracks event venues and costs, without a specific plug-in required for each purpose. But such applications are not obvious, which is likely why custom post types are not available out of the box, requiring either a plug-in or familiarity with editing WordPress's functions.php file.

Conclusion

WordPress 3.0 adds powerful features and additional complexity for those who go looking for them. Almost all the major changes are under the hood, while other changes are so minor that a casual blogger might not even notice the difference. Custom post types and multisite blog networks are versatile tools that are hidden from the average user but can give experienced administrators the tools they need to realize their visions.

However, these new features shouldn't get in the way of users who prefer the standard suite of tools. The basic package is no more difficult to use than before, and is in fact cleaner and more logical in many places. Power users will appreciate the additional features and tweaks, while others may consider this upgrade to be more evolutionary than revolutionary.

Although I run multiple and separate installations of WordPress, migrating them into a WordPress 3.0 network of blogs would prove difficult, if not impossible. That doesn't change the fact that WordPress 3.0 is a significantly more capable program than its predecessor. I'll upgrade my sites because each version of WordPress is more versatile than the last.

As with most software, official support for older versions of WordPress will eventually cease. If you're not already running 2.9.2, you'll want to upgrade to at least that to ensure a stable environment. Administrators with elaborate or esoteric needs should update to WordPress 3.0 immediately. Others without an immediate need could wait for the inevitable 3.0.1 bug fix, which will most likely come a month or two after the release.

Ken Gagne covers Macs, retrocomputing and electronic entertainment. Follow Ken on Twitter at @IDGagne, read his Computerworld blog, or subscribe to his news and features RSS feed.

Free Wordpress 3.0 Templates

As of yesterday, WordPress 3.0 “Thelonious” is out of beta and ready to be installed! There is a lot to look forward to in this point oh version, including a whole bunch of new features, a whole new default theme called Twenty Ten, integration of WordPress MU and multiple blogs into WordPress (boy that seems like such a huge goal from just a few years ago to compete with MT) and a whole slew of bugfixes. The WordPress produced video is embedded below. This is a big one and I am really looking forward to having our team dive into the nitty gritty of this release as soon as possible.
Six Revisions has an ultimate guide to the new features in WordPress 3.0, while Rohand Mehta tells us of the 10 features that he is looking forward to in WordPress 3.0. I also really appreciated Navjot’s list of Template Changes/Tags for WordPress 3.0
What other WordPress 3.0 resources are you reading to catch up?

Free WordPress WP 3.0 Themes

Atahualpa 3.5.1 released

This is a relatively good version. I suggest that you upgrade unless you’re completely happy with your current version. Updating just means uploading the new theme directory (/atahualpa351/) into /wp-content/themes/ so that you end up with /wp-content/themes/atahualpa351. Then choose the new theme (version) at WP Admin -> Appearance -> Themes.
This version has smooth animation for the page and category menu bars, and a new default style in addition to the existing new styles.Discuss this release at the forum

Downloaded a total of 8018 times

P.S.: The menu bar animation doesn’t display properly in IE, at least in certain cases. It will be fully browser compatible in the next Atahualpa version. Note: This animation is not turned on by default. See Atahualpa Theme Options.
How to import other styles: There are several additional styles in /atahualpa/styles/ such as “ata-round.txt” etc… You can start using these new styles by importing these style files into Atahualpa, see Atahualpa Theme Options.

May 27th, 2010
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Comments (43)

Atahualpa

Athualpa 3.5.0 released

This has fading header images as a new feature plus a new style, see /atahualpa/styles/ata-adsense.txt
Discuss this release at the forum

Downloaded a total of 980 times

Thanks for the Belorussian translation by Patricia
Check the languages section of the forum for this and other translations. I will update this list and link to other translators as well. Feel free to send me a PM on the forum if you don’t appear here within the next weeks.

May 26th, 2010
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Leave a comment

Atahualpa

Atahualpa 3.4.9 released

This works for me both locally and on the web server. If the new settings don’t get picked up try restarting your browser, it might be a caching issue. That’s not to say that this is guaranteed bug-free.

Downloaded a total of 2706 times

May 10th, 2010
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Comments (30)

Atahualpa

Atahualpa 3.4.8 released

Still some issues… 3.4.9 is coming Sunday May 9, 2010, late evening.

-> Monday May 10, 2010

Please try this version 3.4.8 as 3.4.7 didn’t use existing settings. (Additionally, the download link was broken due to a missing slash http:// )
The changes since 3.4.6 are rather huge so yet another update (3.4.9) may be required until everything runs smooth again.

Downloaded a total of 1181 times

Note: The first 8 downloads had one little image path issue (hardcoded path to widget lists bullets in default style ata-default.txt, using one of my domains). Please download again if you have no little round bullets in widget lists, in the new “default style”:

May 8th, 2010
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Comments (17)

Atahualpa

Atahualpa 3.4.7 released, with Import/Export feature

3.4.7 has several bug fixes http://forum.bytesforall.com/showthread.php?t=5279 and a long awaited new feature, a style import/export feature, including 2 extra styles (one being the old, “classic” style), and the DB queries are reduced from 200+ to 1 per pageview.

Downloaded a total of 1097 times

May 7th, 2010
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Comments (2)

Atahualpa

Atahualpa 3.4.6 released

The post thumbnail size couldn’t be changed, and this bug also affected the “Configure Excerpts” options, see http://forum.bytesforall.com/showthread.php?t=5750
Please ask questions at the BFA Wordpress Forum

Downloaded a total of 10189 times

February 11th, 2010
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Comments (48)

ThemeFrame

ThemeFrame at Beta 6 now

We are at Beta 6 now and moving forward quickly.
Get lifetime access to ThemeFrame with a donation of $80 at forum.bytesforall.com.
HowTo: Become a (free) member at forum.bytesforall.com first, then - while being logged in at the forum - make your donation by clicking the Donate button, then send a PM (Private Message) to Flynn to get added to the ThemeFrame user group (already over 300 users!).
Once the ThemeFrame Release Candidate 1 is available - which won’t take very long from now on - this opportunity for early adopters will be gone, and ThemeFrame will cost well over $100.
If you get in now you only pay the reduced price of $80 and get lifetime access to all future upgrades of ThemeFrame.
What is ThemeFrame? ThemeFrame is a WordPress Theme creation application for Windows & Mac.

• “WYSIWYG” (What you see is what you get) functionality
• Drag & Drop
• Live Preview
• Creates white-label, standalone WordPress Themes.
• No coding (neither PHP nor CSS) required.
• Thousands of settings, all done with the mouse - no coding

February 3rd, 2010
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Comments (12)

ThemeFrame

ThemeFrame Beta is available

The Beta version of ThemeFrame, a WYSIWYG WordPress Theme creator, is available at forum.bytesforall.com
We’re at Beta 3 at the moment and you can get lifetime access to TF downloads and the TF community & WIKI as a $40+ donor at http://forum.bytesforall.com/
Become a (free) member at the forum first, then click the donation link to make a $40 donation, to be added to the ThemeFrame member group.
The price will go up as ThemeFrame is being improved and extended. If you become a TF member now, you won’t be affected by this.

January 13th, 2010
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Comments (2)

Atahualpa

Atahualpa 3.4.5 released

Update: 3.4.5 wasn’t compatible with WP 2.8 and older (no check whether the new post thumbnails function is available). The first 4 downloads had this issue.
This is fixed in the download below - which is now version 3.4.5.1.
With Post Thumbnails, a new feature of WordPress 2.9, plus a fix for a drop down menu issue in IE 8.
Please ask questions at the BFA Wordpress Forum

Downloaded a total of 6006 times

For a preview see http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/atahualpa

January 13th, 2010
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Comments (32)

Atahualpa

Atahualpa 3.4.4 released

A few smaller bug fixes, see http://forum.bytesforall.com/showthread.php?t=3595
Please ask questions at the BFA Wordpress Forum

Downloaded a total of 12756 times

For a preview see http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/atahualpa
There will be no new version in Oct. I will be away for the first three weeks of October, with very limited internet access. The forum will be active but on the blog, comments will have to stay in queue until I am back.

Wordpress 3.0 arrives, with multi-blog support and new default theme

If you're running several Wordpress blogs, your life just got a lot easier. Wordpress 3.0, codenamed "Thelonious," has finally arrived, and it supports multiple Wordpress blogs. You can manage them all from a central dashboard, too, with no logging out and back in. There's also a sexy new default theme called 2010, which is highly customizable and lets you post small "asides" in addition to regular long posts.



Wordpress 3.0 also features extremely convenient bulk updates of plug-ins and themes, so you don't have to do them one at a time. On the widget front, the coolest new feature is custom menus, so you can do your site navigation your way. Because Wordpress can occasionally be confusing, there's also help on every page now, to help you get a handle on all the new features.



There are honestly too many improvements to Wordpress to do them justice in one post, so I suggest you check out the very useful overview video below.

Share

Tags: blogging, thelonious, wordpress, wordpress 3.0, Wordpress3.0

The Essential Guide to WordPress 3.0 Custom Taxonomies

In general, taxonomies are used to arrange, classify and group things. By default, Taxonomies in WordPress are tags and categories that WordPress is using for the posts. Apart from these two, WordPress makes it possible for theme developers to create their own taxonomies which are created within the functions.php theme file. This is what we are going to cover today. We will learn how to work with Custom WordPress taxonomies.
Recently, I’ve started working on my portfolio WordPress theme, and I needed to define different information for each project/template, like price, colors, style, etc. For this thing, I needed to create three more taxonomies which are looking like this:

Creating a new taxonomy

This is as simple as it is to look at the picture above. All you have to do is to copy the code below, in your functions.php. If your theme doesn’t have one, which I don’t think it hasn’t already one, just create the file yourself. Now, this is the code you have to write for each taxonomy you are creating:

<?php
 
register_taxonomy('test', 'post', array(
'hierarchical' => false,  'label' => 'test',
'query_var' => true, 'rewrite' => true));
 
?>

Just replace “test” with the name of the taxonomy you wish to create. That’s how you create custom taxonomies. The’ll just appear in the Dashboard below the Post Tags.

Using the new taxonomies

We have created them, but as well as tags and categories, you need some code if you want to output them in your article. That’s a little code snippet that goes into your WordPress loop, just like the post tags and categories:

<?php echo get_the_term_list($post->ID, 'people', 'People: ', ', ', ''); ?>

See it yourself

Below are some examples of what we were talking about in this tutorial:

• PopCritics.com is using custom taxonomies to output different details about the movies. See the Genre(s), Actor(s), etc…
• TypeChart.com is another great example of WordPress site that is making good use of taxonomies for finding font styling. You can see that in the sidebar.
• Soh Tanaka’s portfolio is also using taxonomies to output details on projects. Observe the Client, Date, URL, Tasks, etc…

I hope you have understood what taxonomies are. I’m sure you have heard about them before, but never wondered what they are, but what about using them for creating a nice t-shirt store?

Using Custom Taxonomies to create a T-shirt store

Now that you have learned how to use custom taxonomies, we will use them for creating a T-shirt store. This won’t be a fully functional one, we will just build up the part that is using custom taxonomies.

1. Preparations

First of all we need a theme. We will use the new WordPress 3.0 default theme, called Twenty Ten. In order to get this theme and have it properly working, you need to download WordPredd 3.0 RC2. To get this version, scroll down to the bottom of the page, and the last one should be WP 3.0 RC2. Do not be worried working with WP 3.0, it has the same template tags.
Next, you will need a local server, so the best way to create it, is using WAMP, or just build up your own environment following this previous tutorial on 1stWebDesigner.
Now that you have your local server up and running, just install WordPress.

2. Editing the Twenty Ten theme

Now we need to create our custom taxonomies. First of all, think about what custom taxonomies you will need. For a T-shirt store we need to provide:

• size details
• price
• brand

So, just open up the Twenty Ten functions.php file and create those custom taxonomies. I suggest to write the code at the end of the file for avoiding to break the default functions that the theme has. You can see the code that you will need and as It is, without any PHP tags:

// Custom taxonomy for Size
register_taxonomy('Size', 'post',  array(
'hierarchical' => false, 'label' => 'Size',
'query_var' =>  true, 'rewrite' => true));
 
// Custom taxonomy for Price
register_taxonomy('Price', 'post',  array(
'hierarchical' => false, 'label' => 'Price',
'query_var'  => true, 'rewrite' => true));
 
// Custom taxonomy for Brand
register_taxonomy('Brand', 'post',  array(
'hierarchical' => false, 'label' => 'Brand',
'query_var'  => true, 'rewrite' => true));

After creating the custom taxonomies, we need to modify the loop too. So this will be a little difficult, because you need to take care to not break any of the theme’s code. Don’t worry, I’ll guide you through this.
Modifying the loop. Open up the index.php file from the 2010 theme. After you have opened it, you will see a tag that is calling the loop.php file:

<?php
 /* Run the loop to output the posts.
 * If you want to  overload this in a child theme then include a file
 * called  loop-index.php and that will be used instead.
 */
 get_template_part( 'loop', 'index' );
 ?>

We will need to completely delete this, and create a our own loop. So, instead loop tag, copy and paste this following code:

<?php if (have_posts()) : while (have_posts()) : the_post();  ?>
<div id="post-<?<span class=">
<pre><?php the_ID(); ?>" ></pre>
</div>
 <h1><a href="<?php the_permalink(); ?>"></a>
<div>
 <!--Insert custom field and custom taxonomies code here-->
<pre><?php wp_link_pages( array( 'before' =>  '</pre>
<div>' . __( 'Pages:', 'twentyten' ), 'after' =>  '</div>
' ) ); ?>
 </div><!-- .entry-content  -->
</div>
<pre><?php endwhile; else: ?></pre>
<div id="post-<?<span class=">
<pre><?php the_ID(); ?>" ></pre>
</div>
 <h1  class="entry-title">Nothing here...</h1>
<div  class="entry-content">
Sorry, no T-shirts avaiable for  sale. Try coming back later.
 </div><!--  .entry-content -->
</div>
<?php endif; ?>

This is the loop that we will use. The ID and class are some theme specific styles. You have to notice that I have removed the meta data. Now, we will need to add the codes that will retrieve our custom taxonomies and we will need to make use of custom fields too, to retrieve t-shirt thumbnail. Add them exactly where you see the HTML comment in the above code. Now, here’s the code that we need:

<img src="ID, 'post-icon', true);  ?>" alt="Icon for Post #"  />
<ul>
<li><?php echo get_the_term_list($post->ID,  'Size', 'Size: ', ', ', ''); ?></li>
<li><?php echo  get_the_term_list($post->ID, 'Price', 'Price: ', ', ', '');  ?></li>
<li><?php echo get_the_term_list($post->ID,  'Brand', 'Brand: ', ', ', ''); ?></li>
</ul>
 
<?php the_content(); ?>

Notice that the custom field name is “thumb”. For using this custom field you need to create a new one with the name thumb, and the value of it is the link to your thumb. Now that we have everything set, what about trying to publish a sample post. Take a look at mine:

Conclusion

So, you have learned how to use custom taxonomies, and you have created a little T-shirt store. Well, not a fully functional one, but it’s a good start :)
If you have any questions regarding this tutorial please do not hesitate to ask via comments. I’ll try to solve all your problems. Thank you!

Download WordPress 3.0 Final with Twenty Ten New Theme

WordPress developers have released WordPress 3.0, codenamed Thelonious, is the thirteenth major release of WordPress blogging and CMS (content management system) platform. It’s also the first major release of WordPress since version 2.9, which was released almost half an year ago.



Features of WordPress version 3.0:

• A new sexy default theme – Twenty Ten with custom backgrounds, headers, shortlinks, menus, post types, and taxonomies support.
• New APIs for developers to easily implement custom backgrounds, headers, shortlinks, menus, post types, and taxonomies.
• Customize menus.
• Customize post types.
• Merging of WordPress and MU for easy creation of multi-sites from same installation.
• Lighter user interface.
• Contextual help on every screen.
• Bulk updates of WordPress core, themes and plugins.
• Custom admin login’s user name for better security.
• Built-in shortlink support.
• 1,217 bug fixes and feature enhancements.

WordPress TV has posted video to introduce new features in WordPress 3.0:

Download WordPress 3.0: wordpress-3.0.zip or wordpress-3.0.tar.gz

Free Wordpress 3.0 Themes

And Organic Themes has updated all of our themes for this exciting new release! Most people familiar with the WordPress platform have been eagerly awaiting the release of version 3.0 since its announcement. WordPress has come a long way from its humble beginnings as a simple blogging platform. With the release of 3.0, the platform has evolved in to an even better user friendly content management system. So if you still think of WordPress as only a blogging solution, think again. There are too many improvements with the latest release to mention all of them, but here are a few that we are very excited about:

Custom Menu Management

Now you can easily manage your menu directly within the WordPress admin. Pages, categories and external links can be added to the menu and organized with ease in a drag and drop fashion.

Custom Backgrounds

Changing the background of your site has never been easier. Simply select a background color from the color wheel, or upload your own image for a new background within seconds.

Custom Header

While Organic Themes already included this feature in our premium themes, it’s now integrated seamlessly in to the platform. Making it even easier to replace your logo.

“Taking advantage of these new options will require a theme that supports WordPress 3.0. Lucky for you, ALL Organic Themes have been integrated with new WordPress 3.0 features.”

In addition, we have tweaked our existing themes even further — making several improvements. And if you’re still using version 2.9, don’t worry. Our themes are backwards compatible with WordPress 2.9. If you’ve already purchased an older version of our themes, newer version can be found on our support forums. Listed below are a few additions to each of our themes:

The Magazine Theme | Purchase | Demo

The Magazine Theme received a heavy dose of TLC. We made several enhancements to the design and code. In fact, it’s practically a new theme:

• Custom Menu Integration
• Design Changes
• Custom Background Integration
• Widget Styling
• New Options
• And More

The Portfolio Theme | Purchase | Demo

The Portfolio Theme has also received some major updates, including the popular request to display the portfolio in a 1, 2 or 3 column layout:

• Custom Menu Integration
• Design Changes
• New Portfolio Layouts
• New Portfolio Page Templates
• Custom Background Integration
• Additional Widget Styling
• And More

The Block Theme | Purchase | Demo

The Block Theme received a basic makeover with the addition of Sticky Posts:

• Custom Menu Integration
• Custom Background Integration
• Additional Widget Styling
• Sticky Post Integration

The Bold Theme | Purchase | Demo

The Bold Theme Blue received a basic 3.0 makeover, while the Bold Theme Red received some tweaks to the design and code:

• Custom Menu Integration
• Custom Background Integration
• Additional Widget Styling
• Design and Code Tweaks

The Structure Theme | Purchase | Demo

The Structure Theme is solid, pun intended:

• Custom Menu Integration
• Custom Background Integration
• Additional Widget Styling

The NonProfit Theme | Purchase | Demo

The NonProfit Theme got a basic makeover with some improvements:

• Custom Menu Integration
• Additional Widget Styling
• Design and Code Tweaks

The Health and Beauty Theme | Purchase | Demo

The Health and Beauty Themes had several minor design and code tweaks in addition to the basic 3.0 makeover:

• Custom Menu Integration
• Custom Background Integration
• Additional Widget Styling
• Better Comment Styling
• Design and Code Tweaks

San Diego California Taxes on Mesothelioma Pay

Each state is free to makes their own decisions and tax laws concerning the taxability of lawsuit awards and settlement amounts. California is a state that suffers from financial turmoil although their residents make more than any other state in the United States. People who reside inside the city limits of San Diego have collected mesothelioma settlement cases and won lawsuits for their asbestos exposure. A tax on these funds could have a dramatic affect on the take home amount of each settlement.

Many citizens of California have filed claims against the mesothelioma trust fund. The fund was set aside by court order to help protect victims until each could recover the amount due them. The victim list is growing and the fund is shrinking, however. Payments are finally getting to the people who need them most and the lawyers who fought for the settlements are paid from these resources. California lawyers receive a payment only if the client receives a favorable award.

As the 2010 tax season approached, many of these families need to know if their settlement packages will be taxed as income in California. Also, San Diego residents need additional knowledge about the cities stance on taxing lawsuit and settlement revenue. A San Diego, California mesothelioma lawyer will be the best source for specific information.
California State Income Tax

Unfortunately, California has been cash strapped and wants to receive as much revenue from their citizens as possible. This would imply a tax be mandated on lawsuit and settlement awards. Thankfully, there has been a reasonable standard set in the state that only views the punitive damages part of the settlement as income for tax purposes. California has set a standard that lawsuit and settlement amounts must be taxed on the portion that is punitive in nature only.

This means any portion that is compensatory, will not be taxed. Also free of taxes are the amounts paid for emotional distress if the amount was to cover treatment for the emotional distress. The asbestos attorney can provide clients with specific advice and could possible give the advice free of charge in these cases. For planning purposes it is probably safe to assume, people who live in California will not have to turn over any of their lung cancer or mesothelioma settlement or lawsuit payments to the State of California.

Read more at Suite101: San Diego California Taxes on Mesothelioma Pay: Asbestos Exposure Lawsuit Settlements Count as Income Tax Purposes? http://personal-tax-planning.suite101.com/article.cfm/san-diego-california-taxes-on-mesothelioma-pay#ixzz0qxWvp5Ti

What About the City of San Diego?

The city of San Diego residents are responsible for California state income tax. The tax can be as much as 9.3% in 2010 with an additional 1% for amounts over a million dollars. The state does not count the mesothelioma lawsuit settlement payments for asbestos exposure for anyone regardless of which city they reside in. The only exceptions are the punitive amounts of any award. Settlements must specify how much is for compensatory damages and how much, if any, is for punitive damages.
What About Mesothelioma for Federal Income Tax?

The U.S. IRS (Internal Revenue Service) taxes punitive damage lawsuit judgments and settlement agreement amounts as income. The amount taxed is based on the amount of the award that is declared as punitive. The portions of any awards or settlements that are deemed compensatory are not typically taxed under the federal tax laws.

Punitive amounts must be declared for federal income tax purposes and taxes paid on some portion of the dollar amount. Most mesothelioma trust fund settlements and lawsuit awards have been recognized as compensatory funds. Ask a mesothelioma lawyer in San Diego, California about conditions specific to a case.

For more in depth information concerning the taxability of asbestos exposure payments under the federal tax system review: Are Mesothelioma Settlements Taxable as Federal Income?

Read more at Suite101: San Diego California Taxes on Mesothelioma Pay: Asbestos Exposure Lawsuit Settlements Count as Income Tax Purposes? http://personal-tax-planning.suite101.com/article.cfm/san-diego-california-taxes-on-mesothelioma-pay#ixzz0qxWxqKoN

Mesothelioma Attorneys San Diego

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It’s difficult to provide accurate asbestos lawsuit information, but we have gone through the rigor of putting together as much asbestos lawsuit related information as possible. Even if you are searching for other information somehow related to 1 hour teeth whitening, fistula dental, tooth bleaching gel or teeth whitening toothpaste this article should help a great deal.

For quick, painless and simple teeth whitening, laser teeth whitening is perhaps what you need. The biggest advantage of having laser teeth whitening is that it gives you instantaneous results. The dentist will first remove plaque then give your teeth the laser treatment to make them whiter.

Many people that want to have their teeth whitened go to the grocery store and purchase the product they think will work the best. These products often do more harm than good by making teeth and gums sensitive and changing the color of teeth to an unnatural shade of white.

Nowadays, dental in-office teeth whitening aren’t the only option. Numerous home teeth whitening kits are now dominating the market with unprecedented rate, as they are more beneficial products of teeth whitening treatments. Home teeth whitening system uses different teeth whitening kits like whitening strips, teeth whitening trays with whitening gels, and brush-on whitening.

Don’t forget that you are only a step away from getting more information about asbestos lawsuit or such related information by searching the search engines online. Search engines alone can give you more than enough results when you search for asbestos lawsuit.

To use the tooth whitening pen you simply rotate the bottom of the click pen to dispense gel gently and directly onto your teeth. Tooth whitening pen gel is specially formulated to penetrate into the hard-to-reach pores of your teeth where those ugly stains accumulate.

Media news have telecasted that participants of the hit television shows like Extreme Makeover and other stars come to Beverly Hills and do their teeth whitening from the leading cosmetic dentists. The innovative methods adopted by the Beverly Hills teeth whitening system are attracting numerous people to perform their tooth whitening from the cosmetic dentists in order to achieve that brite smile.

Dentists advise on the many methods of tooth whitening available in the market. Some of the methods of tooth whitening are the use of over-the-counter whitening systems; dentist dispensed at-home products, laser tooth whitening method; Loaded Tray Teeth Whitening method and in-office whitening methods. Dentists consider tooth bleaching using peroxide chemical as the best option for maximum whitening result.

Many people that searched for asbestos lawsuit also searched online for teeth whitening home, tooth whiteners, and even do teeth whitening kits.

About the Author

So here is chance to get your free tips on asbestos settlement and in addition to that get basic information on saving money visit Asbestos Encapsulation

Lawyers representing injured people

Experienced and aggressive, the railroad accident law firm of Yaeger, Jungbauer & Barczak gets results, in court and at the negotiating table. A specialized FELA attorney knows how to take on railroads, corporations and their well-funded insurance companies and have recovered millions on behalf of our clients.
FELA Lawyers
Railroad Injury
Personal Injury Litigation
Auto Accidents
Negligence Litigation
Products Liability
Aviation Accidents

The firm provides cutting-edge representation to injured railroaders throughout the United States in actions brought under the Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA), as well as the Federal Safety Appliance Act (FSSA) and the Federal Locomotive Inspection Act (LIA). Most recently, the firm has enjoyed great success in pursuing carpal tunnel claims against the railroads.

Our personal injury team provides exceptional representation to injured people in automobile, products liability, general negligence and aviation cases. Our many years of experience and nationwide presence means injured people and their families have access to the highest quality legal services at a moment’s notice.

When you are seriously injured it can feel like your whole life is out of your control. You may feel scared and vulnerable, you don’t know what is going on or who to believe. You need solid advice you can trust when it comes to pursuing a claim under the Federal Employers' Liability Act.

Yaeger, Jungbauer & Barczak is dedicated to representing railroaders and working people throughout the United States who have been injured due to the negligence of others.

If you or a family member has been injured in an auto, aviation or railroad accident, call a FELA attorney right away. We will help you understand your rights and explain what you need to do to make sure you get the medical treatment and financial recovery you need to put your life back together. In the event of an emergency after regular business hours, call our toll free number and we will have one of our staff contact you immediately.


Complete a Client Review

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Learn more
OUR LAWYERS WROTE THE BOOK!!

Why use a law firm where the attorneys have to consult reference books to understand the basic concepts of FELA? Bill Jungbauer, in collaboration with other attorneys in the firm and with James R. Loumiet, B.S.M.E., has authored “Train Accident Reconstruction and FELA and Railroad Litigation”. The book is published by Lawyers and Judges Publishing Company, Inc. Now in its 4th edition, the book is a reference manual used around the country.

Our attorneys have decades of experience in railroad law and work collaboratively with each other to share information, research, and new concepts. Using one of our attorneys provides you with a depth of experience unmatched around the country.

Even though this depth of experience is an important reason to select Yaeger, Jungbauer, & Barczak, PLC, our attorneys communicate with other attorneys around the country to assist them. In the writing of this book, Bill has followed the belief that: unlike some attorneys who do not believe in sharing the fruits of their labors in print for fear that other attorneys may learn their secrets, at YJB we believe that a full exchange of ideas and research will be of some assistance to all attorneys who practice in this field and make for better law.

Experienced Minnesota Personal Injury Attorneys

A serious injury or the accidental death of a loved one can be devastating emotionally, physically and financially. It is a vulnerable time as you try to navigate the road to recovery. If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, you should talk to an experienced Minneapolis Minnesota Personal Injury attorney as soon as possible.

Schwebel, Goetz & Sieben is the largest law firm in Minnesota focusing exclusively on personal injury. Our lawyers have successfully represented clients in more than 30,000 claims. We handle nearly every type of personal injury – from car accidents, and wrongful death to plane crashes and product liability. It’s our reputation for maximizing the compensation clients receive for their injuries and for minimizing the hassles of pursuing a claim.

Top Rated Personal Injury Attorneys

When you hire the Minnesota Personal Injury attorneys at Schwebel, Goetz & Sieben, you’re hiring some of the finest lawyers in both the city of Minneapolis and the entire state of Minnesota.
Eight of our attorneys were named to the prestigious “Best Lawyers in America” published by Woodward/White in the area of personal injury, more than any other firm in Minnesota. Eleven lawyers have also been repeatedly recognized in Minnesota Law & Politics annual Super Lawyer list, four of which were in the Top 100. Ten of our attorneys have been Board Certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. In addition, the firm and all of its eligible attorneys have been given the AV rating by Martindale-Hubbell. Only 12% of all attorneys in the world have been awarded this AV rating.

Complete Access to Extensive Legal Resources

Complete access to our legal resources is available to every client. A specialized legal team lead by several personal injury attorneys is assigned to each legal matter we handle. In house investigators, model makers, trial experts, demonstrative trial specialists, mock trial and jury consultants are among the highly sophisticated resources we devote to support our clients' Minnesota personal injury cases.
Full Compensation for Your Injuries

Several factors can affect the amount that you should reasonably expect to recover for your losses. The type and extent of your injuries are primary contributors, but the personal injury lawyer that you select to represent you may also significantly impact the compensation you receive for your injuries.

The Minneapolis MN Personal Injury attorneys at Schwebel, Goetz & Sieben aggressively protect the rights of our clients. Because we have handled thousands of personal injury cases, our lawyers can realistically assess the value of a potential claim and will fight to ensure their clients receive full compensation.

Our aggressive lawyers have handled – and won – some of the highest profile cases in Minnesota and the nation. Some of the cases have resulted in large verdicts and settlements.

Our lawyers will not hesitate to take a Personal Injury case to trial if necessary. Our 98% success rate in the cases the firm tries makes insurance companies and large corporations think twice about whether or not to settle a case fairly or risk going to trial.
You Don’t Pay Unless We Win

As contingency-fee based Minnesota Personal Injury lawyers, there are no initial fees incurred by the client. Compensation occurs only after money is recovered in the case, as regulated by law.
Focus on Your Recovery and Let Our Minnesota Personal Injury Attorneys Handle the Rest

Our Personal Injury attorneys fight everyday to ensure victims get the full compensation they deserve for their injuries. Call today for a free consultation with an experienced Personal Injury lawyer: 612-377-7777 or 1-800-752-4265 (toll free).

Based in Minneapolis MN, the personal injury attorneys at Schwebel, Goetz & Sieben serve personal injury victims and those affected by wrongful death throughout Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota and South Dakota. This includes the Twin Cities (Minneapolis / St. Paul), Rochester, Duluth, and Brainerd as well as Grand Forks, Sioux Falls and Hudson, WI.

Minnesota Personal Injury Powerhouse

 

The Law Office of Schwebel, Goetz & Sieben, P.A. in Minneapolis, MN is a Minnesota personal injury law firm that has championed the cause of the seriously injured for over three decades.

Since 1972, we have helped over 30,000 clients and recovered over $750 million in damages.

At the Law Offices of Schwebel, Goetz & Sieben, P.A., we bring an exceptional legal team to work on behalf of our clients. Our eighteen Minnesota attorneys have a combined total of over 440 years experience fighting for the rights of accident victims.

The most important aspect of our law firm is our commitment to our clients.

We understand the serious nature of the injuries that our clients sustained. We are 100% committed to helping our clients through the difficult times that they face.

Every client is important to our office. In every case, we fight to achieve the best possible result.

Mesothelioma

Introduction
Background

Malignancies involving mesothelial cells that normally line the body cavities, including the pleura, peritoneum, pericardium, and testis, are known as malignant mesothelioma, which may be localized or diffuse. Most, but not all, cases of pleural malignant mesothelioma (MM [lung cancer]) are associated with asbestos exposure.1 Of patients with pleural malignant mesothelioma, 77% have been exposed to asbestos in the past. Diagnosis is difficult because the results from fluid analysis of the effusion from the tumor are not usually diagnostic. Mesothelioma is more common in males than in females and it occurs most commonly in the fifth through seventh decades of life. Most cases (~90%) of malignant mesothelioma occur in the pleura.

Pathophysiology

The 3 major histological types of mesothelioma are sarcomatous, epithelial, and mixed. Pleural mesothelioma usually begins as discrete plaques and nodules that coalesce to produce a sheetlike neoplasm. Tumor growth usually begins at the lower part of the chest. The tumor may invade the diaphragm and encase the surface of the lung and interlobar fissures.

The tumor may also grow along drainage and thoracotomy tracts. As the disease progresses, it often extends into the pulmonary parenchyma, chest wall, and mediastinum. Pleural mesothelioma may extend into the esophagus, ribs, vertebra, brachial plexus, and superior vena cava.

Asbestos, amphibole asbestos, asbestos-crocidolite, and amosite asbestos in particular, is the principal carcinogen implicated in the pathogenesis. Exposure to chrysotile asbestos is associated with a lower incidence of mesothelioma. The industries associated with asbestos exposure include mining, ship building involving the use of asbestos, asbestos cement manufacture, ceramics, paper milling, auto parts (asbestos brake lining), railroad repair, and insulation. In Turkey, the use of the fibrous substance erionite (similar to amphibole asbestos) in building construction has led to an epidemic of pulmonary mesothelioma. Environmental exposure to asbestos in areas polluted by the substance may increase the incidence of mesothelioma.

Most malignant mesotheliomas have complex karyotypes, with extensive aneuploidy and rearrangement of many chromosomes. A loss of a single copy on chromosome 22 is the most common abnormality.
Frequency
United States

Approximately 2500-3000 cases are diagnosed per year. In the absence of occupational exposure to asbestos, the incidence is 0.1-0.2 per 100,000 population in both sexes. The risk is increased in polluted areas by 2- to 10-fold compared to nonpolluted areas. Of patients with malignant mesothelioma in the United States, 80% have been exposed to asbestos.
International

Incidence is 0.9 cases per 100,000 persons per year. Marked variability exists in the incidence of malignant mesothelioma in different countries. In some countries, the incidence is low even though asbestos exposure is high. The reasons for these differences are not known.
Mortality/Morbidity

* Median survival for patients with malignant mesothelioma is 11 months. It is almost always fatal. Median survival based on histologic type is 9.4 months for sarcomatous, 12.5 months for epithelial, and 11 months for mixed. Approximately 15% of patients have an indolent course.
* In a recent review of 64 patients undergoing pleurectomy the overall survival rate was 43%, 28%, and 10% at 1, 2, and 3 years, respectively. The overall median survival with epithelial histology was 21.7 months (n=56 patients), 5.8 months for sarcomatous or mixed type (n=28 patients, P=.0001). The causes of morbidity include atrial fibrillation, wound infection, prolonged intubation, pulmonary emboli, myocardial infarction, respiratory failure, deep vein thrombosis, and postoperative bleeding.
* Asbestos exposure is linked to at least 50% of patients developing malignant mesothelioma. Approximately 8 million people in the United States have been exposed to asbestos in the workplace. Family members are also exposed to asbestos embedded in the worker's clothing. Alcohol use, dietary factors, and smoking tobacco have no effect on the incidence of pleural mesothelioma.

Race

* Mesothelioma has no racial predilection. Asbestos exposure is the most important factor. Race is not a factor.

Sex

* Malignant mesothelioma is more common in men, with a male-to-female ratio of 3:1. It can also occur in children; however, these cases are not thought to be associated with asbestos exposure.
o For women with mesothelioma, a 1996 case series by Ascoli et al showed 86% of tumors arising from the pleura, of which most were the epithelial type. Of the patients in this series, 75% had a history of exposure to asbestos and more than half developed the malignancy secondary to household contact with a worker exposed to asbestos.2
o For men with mesothelioma, the same case series demonstrated 45.5% with a history of exposure to asbestos and 53% with occupational exposure to asbestos. Most who were involved were construction workers, railroad workers, naval mechanics, bakers, explosive workers, and automobile mechanics.2

Age

* Malignant mesothelioma has a peak incidence 35-45 years after asbestos exposure. Two-thirds of cases of malignant mesothelioma develop in the fifth to seventh decade of life.

Clinical
History

* Dyspnea and nonpleuritic chest wall pain are the most common presenting symptoms of malignant mesothelioma. (Approximately 60-90% of patients have symptoms of chest pain or dyspnea.)
o Chest radiographs show obliteration of the diaphragm, nodular thickening of the pleura, decreased size of the involved chest, radiolucent sheetlike encasement of the pleura, or a combination of these.
o A loculated effusion is present in more than 50% of patients, and a major portion of the pleura is opacified by the effusion.
* Chest discomfort, pleuritic pain, easy fatigability, fever, sweats, and weight loss are the other common accompanying symptoms.
* Patients may also be asymptomatic, with evidence of a pleural effusion noted incidentally on physical examination or by chest radiograph.
* Metastatic disease is uncommon at presentation, and contralateral pleural abnormalities are usually secondary to asbestos-related pleural disease rather than metastatic disease.
* Despite the ban or reduction of asbestos in the 1960s, incidence of mesothelioma continues to increase because patients develop mesothelioma 20-40 years after asbestos exposure. The long latency period adds to the complexities of early diagnosis and treatment of the condition.

Physical

* In patients with malignant mesothelioma, physical findings of pleural effusion are usually noted upon percussion and auscultation.
* In rare cases, malignant mesothelioma manifests as cord compression, brachial plexopathy, Horner syndrome, or superior vena cava syndrome. Death is usually due to infection or respiratory failure from the progression of mesothelioma.
* Primary sites include the pleura (87%), the peritoneum (5.1%), the pericardium (0.4%), and the right side of the thorax (more so than the left side, by a right-to-left ratio of 1.6:1).

Causes

* A substantial proportion of patients were exposed to asbestos in asbestos mills, shipping yards, mines, or their homes.
* The crocidolite in asbestos is associated with mesothelioma in miners, manufacturers (using asbestos), and heating and construction workers. The rod-shaped amphiboles are more carcinogenic than the chrysotile.
* Malignant mesothelioma has also been linked to therapeutic radiation using thorium dioxide and zeolite, a silicate in the soil.
* An etiological role for simian virus 40 in malignant mesothelioma has also been suggested. Asbestos exposure alone was associated with malignant mesothelioma, but simian virus 40 alone was not; thus, some epidemiological evidence exists that simian virus 40 is a possible cocarcinogen. Its direct role at this point is still controversial.3
* Interleukin 8 has direct growth-potentiating activity in mesothelial cell lines.
* Loss of one copy of chromosome 22 is the single most common karyotypic change in malignant mesothelioma. Other chromosomal changes commonly observed include 1p, 3p, 9p, and 6q. Several changes in the tumor suppressor gene p16 (CDKN2A) and p14 (ARF) and loss of function of neurofibromin 2 (NF2) or merlin are altered.4