Slices of Life

Clickbank - Someone Stealing Commissions?

2011-04-10T16:55:00.000-05:00

Most bloggers today and internet marketers (Affiliate Marketers) use Clickbank, Commission Junction, and a host of other intermediary service providers to enable the marketers and bloggers to advertise a product and get paid. The way it works is a blogger writes an article or creates a page on his or her website, then either puts an ad on the site, or a link within the body of the post advertising the product. If that ad or link gets clicked on, then the blogger will get paid a commission if there is a sale.

I have used both Clickbank and Commission Junction. The interesting thing is that while I get clicks, I've never once gotten a sale. I never paid much attention to it since neither of those sites were very high on my list of marketing arms.

But recently, I began to wonder.

First, I read an article somewhere about some guys who were literally stealing the commissions. It's way over my head, very "black hat" stuff, but apparently, it is doable. Not sure how, but it is being done. Second, I began to look at the stats and realized that there was a statistical probability that this was happening to me. Third, I discovered, inadvertently, that there were entities/producers of products, mostly digital ebooks, who were somehow gaming the system. You'd make a sale, but it never was registered as a sale. Somehow they are able to keep the sale off the Clickbank radar.

Maybe it's time to start rethinking the system. For me, I think I'll be pulling any Clickbank ads I have remaining. I'm way to busy to try and track it and find out who's doing what. Isn't worth it to me, frankly. But, I'll be looking closer at all of them I use, as well.

The best one so far is Google's Adsense, with a close runner up being Amazon. They're pretty straightup and I've not heard of anyone gaming the system. Probably being done. I just haven't heard of it, and have not experienced any problems.

I'm hoping that Clickbank and the others who have such a power position in the internet marketing arena will one day work closer to the Google and Amazon model. Otherwise, I'm convinced they're going to keep on losing advertisers like myself, which is no big loss in just myself, but multiply those like me by 100,000 and you have significant numbers leaving the ship.

North Carolina SB 31 bill seeks to turn healers into felons

2011-04-06T09:05:00.002-05:00

Recently, an article came to my attention done by one of my favorite web sites, Natural News. The article deals with the legislation being passed in North Carolina and creates criminal penalties and the prohibition of those who believe in natural healing as opposed to Big Pharma's "medicine only" approach. It's a heavy-handed piece of legislation. Anyway, this excellent article needs to be distributed and read, because it will (or already has) come to your state, eventually.
==============

North Carolina SB 31 bill seeks to turn healers into felons; but the health freedom backlash has already begun

Learn more:

Today, in North Carolina, if you claim to be "practicing medicine" (i.e. treating any health condition whatsoever) using any holistic modality (including nutrition), you are instantly a criminal felon. But if you don't claim to be treating anything, then there's no reason for people to visit you for health treatments then, is there?

A warning to those who would seek to crush the freedoms of the American people

I have a warning for the legislators of North Carolina and every other state that is persecuting natural healers, herbalists and homeopaths: What you are seeing right now in terms of the public backlash is just the beginning of the info war that will ultimately see the reestablishment of our health freedoms and the collapse of the pharma poisoning of our nation.

We, the health freedom movement, proclaim that no state, no government and no entity has any authority whatsoever to criminalize or imprison those who practice holistic healing modalities, and that any attempt to engage in a witch-hunt criminalization of those who practice natural medicine will result in a popular revolt against your false authority and your broken, bankrupt systems of chemical-based medicine.

Learn more: NATURAL NEWS - North Carolina Health Freedom

Earthquake Activity in Arkansas

2011-02-17T12:22:00.004-06:00

I subscribe to an Earthquake Notification Service

Over the years, the Arkansas area has always generated a frequent number of earthquakes. However, in recent days, from February 15-17, there have been a greater number than I remember seeing. But, what's even more interesting is the size of these quakes.

Most of the quakes have been small, ranging from the 1.0 to 3.0. These few days have seen at least two quakes at 4.0, with lots of high 2.0's. The intensity and frequency seems to be on the increase.

Guess I'm wondering whether this is something that the government ought to be sending out notice on to the populace. Is there a danger? I'm no geologist, nor am I even close to being an expert in such things. But, I am smart enough to see patterns. I'm seeing one here that is troubling. If I had more "smarts" in this area, I wonder if I'd be afraid?

The New Madrid Fault line runs through the Arkansas area. Contrary to a lot of "talking heads" about it being a "dead" fault, most of the experts hold otherwise. At the end of February 2011, the small town of Greenbriar, Arkansas was hit with a magnitude 4.7 earthquake

A Missouri state geologist named Joe Gillman said stated that an earthquake of the magnitude of the 1811-12 quakes is supposed to happen once every 500 years or so. However, a moderate quake, a 6.0 to a 6.5 magnitude quake is expected to happen every 90 years. The last quake in the New Madrid fault area was in the late 1800s. The Mississippi literally ran backwards. Lakes were created.

Gillman takes the position that a biggie quake is one the way. He said, “We are due, if not overdue, for a moderate-sized earthquake. Such a quake could devastate power lines and underground water and waste water pipes, and many buildings could crumble.”

Just passing along info to those who care.

Here's one of the 4.0 mag. reports I received:

Region: ARKANSAS
Geographic coordinates: 35.276N, 92.360W
Magnitude 4.0 M
Depth: 6 km
Universal Time (UTC):    17 Feb 2011 10:49:48
Time near the Epicenter: 17 Feb 2011 04:49:48
Local standard time in your area: 17 Feb 2011 10:49:48

Location with respect to nearby cities:
   6 km (4 miles) NNE (27 degrees) of Greenbrier, AR
   6 km (4 miles) SSW (203 degrees) of Guy, AR
   7 km (5 miles) SE (128 degrees) of Twin Groves, AR
60 km (37 miles) N (357 degrees) of Little Rock, AR
418 km (259 miles) SSW (207 degrees) of St. Louis, MO

Max Banner Ads Plugin for Wordpress

2011-01-06T10:34:00.001-06:00

MAX Banner Ads Plugin for Wordpress a Real Gem

I have been a subscriber to Max Blog Press for a number of years, and have had the Max Banner Ad plugin for Wordpress for about a year. Indeed, I have several of their plugins. (Definitely check out some of those free plugins MaxBlogPress has. They really are good.)

I like the Max Banner Ads Plugin for Wordpress for a number of reasons, but maybe the best is the fact that it is easy to set up. I'm a bit of a klutz, so when I went looking for a decent plugin for banner ads, I wanted something that was simple to use, but effective. I found it in the Max Banner Ads Plugin. This little plugin displays your ads in your posts where you want them - top, bottom, within the post, wherever. It can also rotate your ads. The plugin serves a real need for placing ads precisely. No other plugin I have used comes close to doing what Max Banner Ads does.

Now...if they'd just make this plugin available for Blogspot, I'd be even happier.

Oh, by the way. I'm not even an affiliate. :)

AT & T Email Scams

2010-12-20T10:28:00.001-06:00

If you get the following email purported to be from At & T, it is a scam and not from AT & T. Do not reply to it, but instead, delete it. There are a million bogus email cons all waiting for the unconscious, nieve victim to respond to their scheme to get your password. Dont' fall for it.
----------------

Dear AT&T Subscriber's,

We are contacting you to remind you that our
Account Review Team (ART) has identified some
unusual activity in yourAT&T webmail Account. As
a result,access to your account has been limited
in accordance with the AT&T Online User
Agreement. Your account access will remain
limited until this issue has been resolved. You
are therefore required to provide the
information below;

° AT&T Email UserID and Password (********)

*Important*
Please provide all these information completely
and correctly otherwise due to security reasons
we may have to close your AT&T account
temporarily. We thank you for your prompt
attention to this matter. Please understand that
this is a security measure intended to help
protect you and your AT&T Account. We apologise
for any inconvenience.

Thanks
The AT&T Technical Team
© 2010 AT&T All right reserved.

30 Lurking Dangers - Hilarious Urban Legends

2010-09-19T20:59:00.003-05:00

I wish I had the name of the individual who wrote this Urban Legend litany. It is so very creative, and fall-down-funny, with some real truth embedded. I laughed so hard I had tears in my eyes. Kudos to the author...- Enjoy
==============
As we approach the end of another month - I want to thank all of you for your educational e-mails over the past year. I am totally screwed up now and have little chance of recovery.

I no longer open a bathroom door without using a paper towel, or have the waitress put lemon slices in my ice water without worrying about the bacteria on the lemon peel.

I can’t use the remote in a hotel room because I don’t know what the last person was doing while flipping through the adult movie channels.

I can’t sit down on the hotel bedspread because I can only imagine what has happened on it since it was last washed..hmmmm

I have trouble shaking hands with someone who has been driving because the number one pastime while driving alone is picking one’s nose.

Eating a little snack sends me on a guilt trip because I can only imagine how many gallons of trans fats I have consumed over the years.

I can’t touch any woman’s purse for fear she has placed it on the floor of a public bathroom.

I MUST ALSO SEND MY SPECIAL THANKS to whoever sent me the one about rat ---- in the glue on envelopes because I now have to use a wet sponge with every envelope that needs sealing.

ALSO, now I have to scrub the top of every can I open for the same reason.

I no longer have any savings because I gave it to a sick girl (Penny Brown) who is about to die for the 1,387,258th time.

I no longer have any money, but that will change once I receive the $15,000 that Bill Gates/Microsoft and AOL are sending me for participating in their special e-mail program.

I no longer worry about my soul because I have 363,214 angels looking out for me, and St. Theresa’s Novena has granted my every wish.

I can’t have a drink in a bar because I’ll wake up in a bathtub full of ice with my kidneys gone.

I can’t eat at KFC because their chickens are actually horrible mutant freaks with no eyes, feet or feathers.

I can’t use cancer-causing deodorants even though I smell like a water buffalo on a hot day.

THANKS TO ALL OF YOU I have learned that my prayers only get answered if I forward an e-mail to seven of my friends and make a wish within five minutes.

BECAUSE OF YOUR CONCERN, I no longer drink Coca Cola because it can remove toilet stains.

I no longer buy gas without taking someone along to watch the car so a serial killer doesn’t crawl in my back seat when I’m filling up.

I no longer drink Pepsi or Fanta since the people who make these products are atheists who refuse to put ‘Under God’ on their cans.

I no longer use Cling Wrap in the microwave because it causes seven different types of cancer.

AND THANKS FOR LETTING ME KNOW I can’t boil a cup of water in the microwave anymore because it will blow up in my face.. Disfiguring me for life.

I no longer go to shopping malls because someone will drug me with a perfume sample and rob me.

I no longer receive packages from UPS or Fed Ex since they are actually Al Qaeda agents in disguise. And I no longer answer the phone because someone will ask me to dial a number for which I will get a phone bill with calls to Jamaica , Uganda , Singapore , and Uzbekistan

I no longer buy cookies from Neiman-Marcus since I now have their recipe.

THANKS TO YOU I can’t use anyone’s toilet but mine because a big black snake could be lurking under the seat and cause me instant death when it bites my behind.

AND THANKS TO YOUR GREAT ADVICE I can’t ever pick up a quarter dropped in the parking lot because it probably was placed there by a sex molester waiting to grab me as I bend over..

I no longer drive my car because buying gas from some companies supports Al Qaeda, and buying gas from all the others supports South American dictators.

I can’t do any gardening because I’m afraid I’ll get bitten by the Violin Spider and my hand will fall off.

If you don’t send this e-mail to at least 144,000 people in the next 70 minutes, a large dove with diarrhea will land on your head at 5:00 p.m. tomorrow afternoon, and the fleas from 120 camels will infest your back, causing you to grow a hairy hump. I know this will occur because it actually happened to a friend of my next door neighbor’s ex-mother-in-law’s second husband’s cousin’s best friend’s beautician . . .

Oh, by the way.....

A German scientist from Argentina , after a lengthy study, has discovered that people with insufficient brain activity read their e-mail with their hand on the mouse.

Don’t bother taking it off now, it’s too late.

PS: I now keep my toothbrush in the living room, because I was told by e-mail that water splashes over 6 ft. out of the toilet.

Criminals are Waging War Against Americans

2010-07-02T21:20:00.012-05:00

America is at war. Most Americans do not realize it. The statistics on this war are staggering. In 2008, nationwide, there were an estimated 1,382,012 violent crimes committed against us. If we were reading about our soldiers in Afghanistan or Iraq, and read that over a million of them had been assaulted by the Afghanistan or Iraqi people, we'd be enraged. We'd be for waging all out war, or getting "out of Dodge" in a hurry.

In the years from 1980 to 2008, individuals paroled from prison and living amongst us rose from 1 million to over 4 million. Think about that for a moment. Four million people who have commited a crime, living with us. Scary, yes? Have you done a crime? Have you broken the law and came out of prison? Most of us have not. This is not to say those who have a criminal past are all bad. But, we have to remember, their "goodness" didn't get them into prison. Somewhere, in the past, they saw, as a way to acquire a property, or to acquire a pleasure, or to settle a fight, or to make some money, that breaking the law was something that was acceptable to their conscience.

In the year 2009, there were 1,613,656 prisoners in state and federal prisons. Think about it. That's nearly two million humans living in a very controlled environment, some of them too violent to be loosed on the public. But, some of them will be loosed on us. Indeed, they are being loosed upon us every day. The "bad guys" are becoming our neighbors. From 1980 to 2008, individuals living amongst us who are on parole rose from just over 1 million to over 4 million people.

In 2008, around 2,737,166 people entered prison in the United States, and 2,701,561 exited. Over 5,095,181 people were reported as being under community supervision, which includes parole. So, that means that every year, we're getting a few million criminals sliding into our communities. Does anyone seriously wonder about the rising rate of crime?

In 1982, we spent annually, around $10 billion dollars on corrections, that is, the prison system. By 2006, we were spending over $60 billion dollars (an increase of over 660%). We spent, in 1982, around $20 billion on law enforcement. Today, that number is over $100 billion dollars. That is a staggering sum of money to spend on anything. But to spend it on crime? Like it or not, crime is a major part of our economic system. Lawyers make millions of dollars. Security companies make many more millions of dollars. Private prisons make employ thousands and rake in millions of dollars. (And some say, crime doesn't pay.)

According to FBI statistics, in the year 1994, around 544,880 offenses took place in the United States in which someone loved by some of us was murdered, robbed, or assaulted with firearms. In other words, nearly 1 out of 3 (31%) murders, robberies, and aggravated assaults collectively involved firearms as the weapons used. Keep in mind, these criminals had guns and there are those in high office who do not want us, the law abiding citizens, to have guns. Somehow, the logic of the liberal has never made its way through my simple mind. Criminals will get guns, regardless of what the law says. They have demonstrated that. So, we are to be denied guns because? Fortunately, our Supreme Court has not caved...yet, and the recent case overturning Chicago's Democratic Myoptic Gun Control Law pointed out that the Constitution trumps even the Chicago Machine.

We suffered losses from robbery totaling over $17 billion dollars in 2008. That's not millions. That's billions, with a GIANT B. And that's just one year.

It gets worse. In 2008, around 89,000 women were raped and only 22,584 persons were arrested. Most of them were not convicted. In the same year, 441,855 of us were robbed, while only 129,402 persons were arrested. That year saw 834,885 of us violently assaulted and 16,272 of us were slain or murdered. In total, the year 2008 saw 1,382,012 of us as victims of violent crime.

You tell me. Are we at war? Think about it. Do you hear a loud cry from Congress about crime? Do you see any help on the way? Or, do you hear, as I do, more "easy speak" and political meandering through the thicket of words, with most of the Congress playing a game similar to dodge-ball (translate: dodge the issue)?

The Democratic administration has geared up rhetorically with a war of words against Arizona, and with its legal muscle. They've completely ignored the statistics that show the greater part of the nation is FOR the stand Arizona has taken. The Obama administration has also ignored the fact that a staggering portion of the Arizona crimebudget (translate Arizona tax payer dollars) is spent on fighting crime committed by illegal immigrants. Those immigrants are importing crime into Arizona as though we were their most important trading partner.

Maybe we are.

Personally, I will never vote for anyone running for Congress who does not take a strong stand against crime. Unless and until we have a Congress that takes a view of criminals akin to that taken by the well known Sheriff of Maricopa County, "Joe" Arpaio, we will not act, as a nation, like we're in a war. It's a fight for survival, and we're losing.

Some amongst us are just too stupid to know it.

I've got pretty good survival instincts. I don't "think" we're in serious trouble. I know it. Millions of Americans know it, too. They also know that unless there are some serious steps (translate: all-out-no-holds-barred-war) taken by our government, by our congressional leaders, against crime, against the gangs, and against the hordes of illegal immigrants swallowing our dollars, devouring our jobs, and smothering our social services systems, we are doomed.

I say we start by dooming the careers of ALL political leaders who do not demonstrate an unwavering, aggressive stand against crime and criminals.

Joe, if you run for Prez, you got my vote, bro.

2010-06-26T20:06:00.000-05:00

I am dictating this in Dragon NaturallySpeaking. Although I'm a pretty good typist, with a better than average speed, it is really great to be able to type with my tongue, so to speak.

One thing I have learned about this program is that the more you use it, the better it works. I use it at work (legal work), and use it for personal notes. For example, if I want to take notes out of a book, instead of highlighting (my old method), and writing notes, I'll just open a page, create a file called "Notes on Whatever" and begin by saying: "Number 1 period." The program types "1." and I begin reading from the book, or I will summarize a note. Now and then I have to stop and train the program how to say a particular word. But, the good thing is that I won't have to do that again for that word. It is possible to add new words to the internal dictionary.

All in all, whether one is a writer of novels, writing western fiction, mysteries, sci-fi, an entire book, or even a legal brief, Dragon Naturally Speaking is a great tool.

Wars, Appeasement, Evil Men and the Future of America

2010-06-21T21:25:00.013-05:00

APPEASEMENT AT ANY COST

Wars bring out the best and the worst in people. History can teach us a lot about human nature, and how to deal with certain kinds of people. The sad thing is, it seems politicians never learned their history, nor the history of other nations. Clearly, they forgot the lessons on appeasement. If they ever knew it, they forgot it. They forgot the lessons, the sometimes hard lessons, learned by our forefathers.

Most of the English, especially the younger generations, are not very aware of the early efforts of appeasement by British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain to keep Hitler “happy.” On May 9, 1940, Winston Churchill became Prime Minister of England and the doctrine of appeasement was tossed out the proverbial window. England went almost immediately to a war footing, and not a moment too soon. Had England acted earlier and with firmness, there is every reason to believe Hitler would not have been able to continue his unrestrained aggression. But, appeasement was the word of the day, and it became a “brass ring” to grasp, regardless of the risk.

America knows about appeasement. It fought a war in the fifties that it tried to forget almost from the beginning. Indeed, one can say America deliberately tried to keep from remembering, or even acknowledging that war. It wasn’t called a war. It was called “The Korean Conflict” Some 40,000 Americans lost their lives and more were severely wounded. It’s only since the advent of the comedy series MASH that Americans are even now aware of that war. The politicians, particularly President Harry Truman, were desperate to escape that war, feeling it was leading to a larger conflict, namely a war with Russia and China. Harry Truman appeased the appetites of the Chinese and the North Korean despots, and negotiated a peace that was, in reality, merely a temporary halt to war.

APPEASEMENT: PEACE AT ANY COSTS

General Douglas MacArthur was fired and peace became the sole objective. It was a peace at any cost. Today, the result of our makeshift, appeasement policy of peace-at-any-cost has given us unending conflict between North and South Korea, strapped millions of Koreans into a bed of nightmares akin to living on Elm Street, and placed generations of those pathetic souls under the despotic dictatorship of a string of megalomaniacs. The current (as of 2010) leadership, Kim Jong-il, has redefined the art of brinkmanship. No act is too reckless for this man. He has recklessly fired missiles designed to provoke, openly marketed arms, seeks to arm himself with nuclear weapons, made hideous threats of destruction against America and South Korea, and even brazenly and recklessly sank a South Korean naval vessel.

Appeasement is enablement to dictators and despots

We’ve seen what megalomaniacs can bring us. They bring war, but more, they bring horrific living conditions to those whom they rule. We’re witnessing the rise of men who will risk everything to rule everyone. We’re seeing men rising in power who will risk everyone’s peace and everyone’s lives, if only they can snatch the ring of power.

Will we stand by and let them do it?

We let Hitler go, and he almost made it. But for the aggressive stand taken by England under the leadership of Churchill, and the subsequent involvement of American in the war, we’d all be goose-stepping, living in fear, brutalized in a myriad of ways, and walking zombie-like through life in total subjection to a system that strips away one’s humanity. We’d all have a different version of the same kind of life the North Koreans now endure. Appeasement almost cost us the freedom we now enjoy.

Ah, but there would be more. There would be no Jews left in the world if appeasement worked. We’d all be blond and blue eyed. All blacks would be servants. All other races and nations would be servile to the Nazi version of humanity. There would be no Islam, and Christianity would be a byword, a curious piece of history. Mysticism and the Occult would be the new religion. A consolation we’d never appreciate is the fact that there would be no Korean megalomaniacs. Kim Jong-il would be goose-stepping along with the rest of us, instead of being in a grandstand watching his troops do a Korean version of the goose-step.

We’d have suffered this fate, had we not been willing to fight...and die. That would have been our fate, if we’d not rose up and declared our willingness to not only fight, but die, if need be, to live free.

Appeasement is a narcotic that brings a stupor

We’re losing that willingness to fight. Few in America are willing to die for their freedom. They’re willing to negotiate, barter, and appease their enemies. Anything but fight.

There comes a time when we must stand against naked aggression and evil men, and declare that we will fight, to the death if need be, but we will not cower, and we will not back away.

The truly sad thing is that America has forgotten how to win a war. We want to deliver a knockout punch and then, we the enemy merely staggers, when we get him on the ropes, instead of doing what we set out to do, we fail to pummel him into submission. We give him terms. We don’t press our advantage. We don’t speak any longer about “unconditional surrender.”

Appeasement allows terrorists to exist and thrive

How unfortunate that we’ve allowed social, political and foreign interests to govern our policies about survival and forgot the lessons of appeasement.

We did that in WWII. We did that in Korea. We did it in Vietnam. We did it in Iraq I & II. We did it in Afghanistan. We’ve done it in Iran, and we’re insisting Israel do the same thing (ignoring the fact that if they practiced appeasement, they’d all be dead).

We just don’t get it.

One day, we’re going to wake and realize that those men who call us evil, who wish us dead, who call us the Great Satan, and who hate us, will relentlessly exterminate us without pity or compassion. Why, oh why, will we not take them at their word? Why is it that we refuse to believe what they say, when they declare they are going to destroy us?

Appeasement is alive and well.

Hopefully, we will be, too, a few decades from now.

I’m not real sure about that, though.

Firefox Not Responding...but I am

2010-05-28T11:12:00.001-05:00

I've given up on Firefox.

For years, I've loved using that browser. The little add ons that you can get with it are marvelous. However, for about a year now, I've been experiencing problems with Firefox. The biggest problem is a "not responding" message. Firefox just freezes for about a minute or more. If I try and click on it anywhere, the screen greys out. Eventually, it wakes up and all is well until the next frozen moment.

No more. I googled the issue and found several remedies. Nothing seemed to help. No doubt if I was a geek, I could fix the issue. I think I'll just wait until Firefox fixes the issue. Until then, Chrome wins the browser wars (with Opera coming in a close second). I like the speed of both those browsers.

Clean up the Oil Using Hay

2010-05-13T14:01:00.001-05:00

Cleaning up the oil spill in the Gulf is doable with a minimal cost impact and minimal environmental impact. This ole country boy has a great idea.

Bogus Phishing Fake Facebook emails

2010-04-27T09:36:00.003-05:00

Beware of the recent spate of emails posing to be from Facebook, telling you in essence that your password in your Facebook account has been changed, or that you need to do something. They either want you to click on a site or open a file. DO NOT OPEN THE ATTACHED FILE AND DO NOT CLICK ON THE LINK THEY PROVIDE.

Here's a sample of a recent email (I have gotten half a dozen). I've included the header information (absent my email and some other info) as well.
------------------

-------- Original Message --------
From: - Tue Apr 27 09:26:34 2010

X-Spam-Status: No, score=2.0 required=7.0 tests=BAYES_05,FH_HELO_EQ_D_D_D_D, HELO_DYNAMIC_IPADDR,RCVD_IN_SORBS_WEB,RDNS_DYNAMIC autolearn=no version=3.2.5
Received: (qmail 1085 invoked from network); 27 Apr 2010 01:19:29 -0500
Received: from wsip-24-249-244-66.oc.oc.cox.net (24.249.244.66)
with SMTP; 27 Apr 2010 01:19:28 -0500
Date: Mon, 26 Apr 2010 23:19:27 -0800
From: Facebook Service
Reply-To: comprisedthu7@balsamiq.com
Message-ID: <316815793.72402217762201@balsamiq.com>
To: vag@brevia.com
Subject: Facebook Password Reset Confirmation! Important Message
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="----------03680084AAD97B"

Dear user of facebook,

Because of the measures taken to provide safety to our clients, your password has been changed.
You can find your new password in attached document.

Thanks,
Your Facebook.

The National Debt is no Illusion

2010-04-25T21:46:00.002-05:00

The brain can be tricked. Illusions are transmissions of visual information to our minds (and sometimes sound) which, when interpreted by our brains, tell us things about the object we are viewing that simply are not true.

I guess I have to wonder what kind of illusions were are work when President Obama and the Democratic Congress put us into debt forever. They saw bailout, and jobs, and improved economy, and all kinds of good things. Only thing is, from where I was standing, I saw bailout as simply me paying for someone else's business debt, and the loss of jobs, because of the loss of business; and because of the loss of business and jobs, a crippled economy. I see nothing good. I say our national leaders have been looking at an illusion.

Check these illusions out:

Cosmetic Poisons - What Women are Wiping on Their Faces

2010-03-07T22:01:00.005-06:00

American manufacturers are poisoning us. They put chemicals on our crops, in our food, in our cosmetics, and in our drinks. We've been soaking up chemicals for many years now. The cancer rate and other metabolic disorders are soaring. But, of course the chemicals couldn't be the cause. After all, we know that the manufacturers would never harm us. Right?

Way back in 1909, a rather prominent scientist wrote the following: "[T]he administration of benzoic acid, either as such or in the form of benzoate of soda, is highly objectionable and produces a very serious disturbance of the metabolic functions, attended with injury to digestion and health."[1]

Now, over 100 years later, benzoic acid, sodium benzoate and related compounds--parabends--are still widely used in foods and cosmetics. The technical nomenclature is antimicrobial preservatives, which means they kill cells that might infect what we eat or put on our bodies. However, tests that have been peer reviewed and have drawn conclusive results reveal that these chemicals cause gastric irritation, hives and are a known asthma trigger. And, because they dissolve in water and are soluble in oil as well, they have become a tool of incalculable value for the cosmetics industry, which has strict controls on potential microbe contamination.

How ironic that the cosmetics industry would want to control the microbe contamination but not be concerned as to the serious threat to human health posed by the use of these chemicals.

Fortunately, there are some people who have taken note of these harmful chemicals in skin care products, makeups, creams, eye-shadows, lipsticks, and other personal products. Two organizations deserve kudos. First, Ava Anderson Non-toxic for her "zero tolerance" policy with respect to chemical additives in her cosmetic products. And second, to Skin Deep, an organization determined to show the public the deadly contents of thousands of cosmetic products.

May their tribe increase.

[1] Lindy Woodhead, War Paint: Madame Helena Rubinstein and Miss Elizabeth Arden : Their Lives, Their Times, Their Rivalry [book on-line] (Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2003, p. 204

Incredible Stats on the Internet

2010-03-02T20:37:00.002-06:00

Recently, I watched a fascinating video dealing with the internet and statistics. It is incredible to know that there are over 250 million internet users in America alone. The email we get daily (billions of emails around the world) is over 80% spam.

Watch this little video.

The Future of America: Consequences of Our Departure From God

2010-02-12T18:53:00.003-06:00

America is definitely on the decline. Economically, we are diminishing as the most powerful entity on the planet. China is the fastest growing economy in today's world. It will not be long before we will be overtaken.

What is America's Future? Is it to become a third-world nation? We certainly have seen the corruption that is typical of so many third-world nations invade our Congress, and it has engulfed our people. Every week it seems we hear about another scandal. We've seen national leaders who have lived double lives, speaking lofty words expressing lofty ideals, and living a lie. We've seen sports heroes whom we thought had great character, reveal a degraded side of themselves that was both disgusting, and disheartening.

As the leaders go, so go the people. Let's face it: we've become a corrupt nation. We've decided God has no place in our political arena. We've decided God has no place in government. We've decided God has no place in our schools. We've made laws forbidding God's entry into certain areas. We've posted "God Keep Out" signs around our nation, in our courts, and throughout the land. (Can it be that one day our government will decide that God has no place in our churches?)

Believe it or not, there is corruption to such a degree that there are national religious leaders who have put that very idea in practice. Church after church is little but a social event, or a political platform. Church, for them, is no longer about Christ, but about the the connections the church will bring, or about the influence the church and the pastor can have in the community or with the politicians. Church is not about worship, but about power and prestige and political presence. Church is often more about agendas that don't seek to glorify God, nor edify the people, but are about personal gains, ideas, and goals that have little to do with God.

The Creator of the Universe is relegated to a back pew (if He's let in at all).

Consider this. In the 28th chapter of the ancient text found in the book of Deuteronomy, the Jews are given a blessing and a curse. If they followed God, blessings would come upon them. If they rejected God, they would suffer many bad things. They would not be blessed, and instead, would suffer from diseases, crop failures, enemies and a host of other ills.

In the 6th chapter of the book of 2 Chronicles, King Solomon prays a prayer. It is a prayer that recognizes that it is possible to anger God. He says, in one part in verses 24 & 25: "And if thy people Israel be put to the worse before the enemy, because they have sinned against thee; and shall return and confess thy name, and pray and make supplication before thee in this house; (25) Then hear thou from the heavens, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, and bring them again unto the land which thou gavest to them and to their fathers."

Solomon understood that sinning against God has consequences. He mentioned pestilence, disease, enemies, and crop failures. But, Solomon also understood that repentance, turning to a merciful God, can turn those bad consequences aside.

Hopefully, America will learn that lesson some day, for we are certainly on the road to a lot of "bad consequences."

Kidnapped Christian Missionaries in Haiti

2010-02-04T20:06:00.002-06:00

The corrupt Haitian government hates Christians. They've made that clear. This, in spite of the millions of dollars in aid coming from thousands of Christian churches and people. In light of the recent arrests and charges leveled at the 10 misguided, but sincere American Christian missionaries, three things are rather apparent:

1. The Haitian government is not interested in the truth. It knows there was no kidnapping attempts made. It knows that these were people trying to help. Were they misguided? Clearly. But were they "kidnappers?" Hardly.

2. The Haitian government has been tolerant against a wide array of abuses against its own people for decades, and has turned a blind eye to justice. It has allowed corrupt individuals to run the government, without punishment and without intervention. Suddenly, there's a world stage and they want to show what? That they are a real government who cares for their children? That's a joke. A sick one, at that. They've impoverished their children and sent tens of thousands of them to early graves with their (government) greed and ineptness and corrpution.

Conclusion: The Haitian government has an agenda.

3. The American government knows there was no kidnapping attempt. Our government was quite willing to run the country, to pick up the pieces, to maintain control, and in some respects, to even police things. But suddenly, our government goes deaf and dumb and is without power? It knows there was no kidnapping by these 10 American Missionaries. And, anyone with half a brain knows our government could have sidetracked this and derailed this mockery of justice. One must wonder why. I know, as do most Americans, that the response that this was an internal matter for the nation of Haiti to decide is so much political mumbo-jumbo. We could have intervened without so much as a whimper from the Haitian government. Haiti is getting so much aid from America, that the misguided attempts by a handful of missionaries to give some kids a better environment would have been a non-issue two seconds after the Obama Administration told the Haitian government to make it go away.

I think sometimes people in "high places" think the rest of us are stupid. I really do.

Well, there's a lot of Christian voters out there who are watching this drama. We'll remember how our government reacted to fellow citizens in jeopardy in a foreign land, who happened to be Christians, in the coming elections. We really will.

Haiti, Chaos, and Fading Memories

2010-01-15T22:21:00.001-06:00

Haiti has become chaos layered with magnificent efforts to bring structure and organization there. Eventually, the chaos will subside. It will leave in its wake, bewilderment, confusion, and a deep, abiding sense of loss. But, it will not all be bad. For the first time in its history, the entire world is focused on this tiny little nation. Oh, there was great attention paid to it during the terrible coup years, when the government was in turmoil and the NATO forces were called in to help restore order. But, there was no real attention given to the needs of the nation, and the people. In that time, much aid was given, which had a strange way of disappearing. There was simply no accounting for the millions of dollars of goods and other aid that was brought into the country.

Now, it’s different (or so it is said).

Now, dozens of charitable organizations have focused in on the nation, and millions of dollars in aid from many countries have been promised. There will be more attention, this time, to how that aid is dispersed. There will be an insistence on an accounting (or so it is said). History will not be repeated (or so it is said).

There is a graphic, indelible image of the stark reality of the horror painted in the psyche of millions of television viewers, and of those reporters and others on the scene. For a short time, those images will be a driving force and will be of great benefit to Haitians. But, it will fade. Memories recede into the recesses of the mind. Life at home will blend into its sameness, and Haiti will become a piece of history, a bad time that happened to someone else somewhere else, like it did in Indonesia in 2004, when a tsunami rolled over its islands and people.

Sadly, in Haiti, evil will raise its ugly head as time passes.

The government is in a weakened state. The police force is minimal. Gangs already roam the streets. They will grow stronger. Some will see opportunity in the riches that flood the land. Some will see opportunity to loot, some to work the system, and others will see opportunity to gain power.

One can’t say for sure how it’ll all play out. We can hope that the thugs and the gangs will be intimidated and go away. Doubtful. We can hope that some true statesmen will arise from the rubble and put their country ahead of their personal desire for gain and power. Doubtful. Will the government, notorious for its corruption, change for the better, now that there are millions of dollars and goods at their disposal?

Perhaps an indicator of what is to come can be found in the angry words of one Haitian man: "Who is there to help us?" His words echoed the angry words of many others. These words display an ignorance that is widespread. He could not see the enormous efforts of strangers, could not see the generosity of tens of thousands of strangers who have sent money and aid, and could not see the inability to immediately solve the problems caused by the earthquake. He only saw the planes landing, and the loaded trucks, and the hundreds of strangers digging for survivors.

They just were not digging in his neighborhood.

They were digging for their own. They were searching for survivors from their own culture, co-workers, teachers, and others who had been in Haiti to help the Haitian people, but got caught in the earthquake.

Surely, they should have known to have dug for possible survivors in his poor neighborhood, first.

Missionary Puts Faith and Life on the Line in North Korea

2009-12-26T13:02:00.002-06:00

Robert Park, a 28-year-old Korean-American, crossed the border into North Korea from China on Christmas day, 2009. He brought a message to Kim Jong Il asking him to release the tens of thousands of political prisoners, many, if not most of whom are Christians, to shut down the concentration camps, and for the leader to step down from power.

Park carried a letter to Kim. The letter called on Kim Jong to release prisoners and change the government. As Park crossed the border, he said, in perfect Korean: "I am an American citizen. I brought God's love. God loves you and God bless you," Several activists associated with the Seoul-based group Pax Koreana, which promotes human rights in the North (of which Park is a member), watched and filmed the entry. Pax Koreana plans to release the footage Sunday in Seoul.

Pax Koreana posted a copy of the letter on its website. Part of it said: "Please open your borders so that we may bring food, provisions, medicine, necessities, and assistance to those who are struggling to survive.Please close down all concentration camps and release all political prisoners today."

One activist said Park also carried a separate written appeal calling for Kim to immediately step down, highlighting the starvations, torture and deaths in the North Korean political prison camps maintained by Jong. The second letter was addressed to the leaders of South Korea, China, the U.S., Japan and the United Nations.

We ought all pay honor to this brave man, and we ought all to pray for him. Few will place themselves in harm's way in the manner in which he has done. Pray for him.

The Dirty Little Secret of the NFL

2009-12-20T08:58:00.014-06:00

NFL players are physically abused every time they step out on a football field to play the game. It's taken a toll on many that is higher than they ever imagined they'd pay. One such player is Dave Pear who, in an interview with Jeff Pearlman in a Sports Illustrated piece: said: "I wish I never played football. I wish that more than anything. Every single day, I want to take back those years of my life ..." Pearlman calls the former NFL Pro-Bowl star a "football-inflicted train wreck."

Football players have been getting bigger with time. Linemen bulk up in order to be able to resist the charge of a player tearing at them through the line, and in order to have the weight to push back opposing linemen. Getting hit by a huge fullback hurtling 200 lbs plus at you can be brutal. Put several others hitting you at the same time from different directions, including your own teammates, can have horrific, physical effects.

Pear is one of several former NFL stars who are fighting back at the system that sends young men into battle, knowing the potential for serious, life-long injuries, and then does nothing to assist them when they're disabled.

I say to Mr. Pear and others like him: Fight on!

Adopt a Terrorist? For Prayer?

2009-12-09T10:54:00.005-06:00

Adopt a terrorist for prayer? That is the proposition advanced by Dr. Thomas Bruce.

My first impulse was, I must confess, less than Christian. I have other ideas about how to treat a terrorist. My inclination is to pray the prayer that David prayed in Psalm 109.

But, I read the site. And, I was impressed. I could not get around some of the logic used, since it was straight from the pages of Scripture. I thought of Peter, who tried to cut off the head of a servant of a terrorist, but who abandoned his sword and his hatred, and would later would help shake a world for Christ.

Bruce's proposal is a pretty tough one to get around. The concise argument is on the front page and is as follows:

Where is the Christian response to terrorism? If the struggle against violence done in the name of Islam is primarily spiritual, then defeating it requires a spiritual response.

This site features FBI and State Department identified terrorists and terrorism sponsors. Terrorism inspires fear. According to Jesus, the antidote to fear is love.

When we hate, we are reactive victims. When we love we seize the initiative. Love for country helps soldiers to risk their lives. Love for children enables parents to discipline them without being intimidated. Love for us took Jesus to the cross. Love for enemies will give courage to face, overcome, and transform them and the environment that breeds them.

Historically, Stephen was the first fatality in terrorism directed against Jesus' followers. As Stephen died from stoning, he prayed, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." Later, Paul, who had supervised Stephen's stoning, met Jesus in a vision and repented.

Can we pray today like Stephen prayed then? Would Paul have repented if Stephen hadn't prayed?

Adopt a terrorist for prayer and register to be tabulated in this spiritual initiative against violence that is sponsored and perpetrated by people who think that they are following God.

Dr. Thomas Bruce

ANOTHER SBCGLOBAL.NET EMAIL SCAM

2009-12-09T10:29:00.002-06:00

ANOTHER SBCGLOBAL.NET EMAIL SCAM - BEWARE. They are trying to get your private information. Here's one I just got (in red)

========================

Dear Sbcglobal Account User,

Because of the congestion of Sbcglobal Email Users, there will be closure of all routes Accounts You must verify your email account by completing your Login Information below after clicking the reply button, or your will be suspended within 48 hours for security reasons.

* User name:...................................
* Password:...................................
* Date of Birth:...................................
* Country or Territory:...........................

After following the instructions above, your account will not be interrupted and will continue as usual.

Thank you for your attention to this request. We apologies for any inconvenience.
Warning! Anyone who refuses to update his account after 7 days receiving this warning will lose his account permanently.

Copyright 2009 All rights reserved.
IP Policy - Sbcglobal Terms of Service - Guide to Online Security.

Warning !! Facebook Scam Emails

2009-12-09T09:45:00.004-06:00

Been getting a lot of these scam emails allegedly from Facebook. These emails are designed to scam your private information. Do not respond to them. They all say similar things. Facebook isn't going to contact you in an e-mail like this. Here's a sample of what one said (in red):

------------------------------------------

[facebook logo]

Dear Facebook user,
In an effort to make your online experience safer and more enjoyable, Facebook will be implementing a new login system that will affect all Facebook users. These changes will offer new features and increased account security.
Before you are able to use the new login system, you will be required to update your account.
Click here to update your account online now.
If you have any questions, reference our New User Guide.
Thanks,
The Facebook Team

Update your Facebook account
Update
This message was intended for [my email address]
Facebook's offices are located at 1601 S. California Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94304.

The Chinese People and Christianity

2009-11-20T19:36:00.008-06:00

I like the Chinese people.

The Chinese people are resilient. They seen brutal wars and seen destruction of their homes and cities in those wars. But, the Chinese people are also one of the most industrious people on the planet. No one can ever accuse the Chinese of being lazy. They are also vastly underpaid, as a labor force. But, ultimately it is this willingness to work hard and to produce a wide array of goods that has brought to the Chinese people great abundance. Capitalism is alive and well in China. May it continue to flourish.

But, I like the Chinese for other reasons, too. I like them because they are pro-family. They have great respect for their elders. They are a nation that has fought against great hardships and emerged stronger.

The government is not a form that I can endorse, since communism has too many components within it that I not only disagree with, but which have been proven, over time, to not work. Indeed, China has had to modify its version of communism to embrace capitalism. It’s only been with that embrace of capitalism that China has vaulted onto the world stage as an economic giant. It will continue to grow. The people are hungry for goods and hungry to earn a decent living.

I believe we are seeing the results within China of seed planted by Christian missionaries many years ago. There are estimates of over 80 million Chinese Christians in the country. The Chinese government has come to realize that Christianity has never posed a threat to it, but rather it is only through Christianity that it can truly grow and prosper. It is Christianity that made America great. It is Christianity that can make China great. Many leaders know this. Opposition to Christianity is not as fierce as it once was in China. They still have a knee-jerk reaction to hearty, unabashed Christianity, and people still go to jail and are still punished for evangelizing there, but it is not the extreme repressive nation it once was. There are some who are openly Christian, and whose proclamation of the gospel is unabashedly public.

There are many strong Chinese Christians in the land, and many who, though perhaps no longer alive, were pioneers, willing to pay the price of prison in order to make converts. Samuel Lamb is one such Chinese Christian. Lamb was born in 1924, the son of a Baptist pastor. He spent twenty years in prison for his faith, with 15 of those years laboring in a coal mine where accidents were common, deaths and serious injuries frequent, and illness abounded. He was never injured. He was never seriously ill. When released in 1978, he was alone. His wife died two years earlier. In 11 months, he would see his ailing mother die. The first thing Lamb did was to form a new house church, even installing closed-circuit television. The congregation grew to the hundreds. Between 1980 and 1990, he baptized more than 1000 new believers. He set up a tape-reproduction system for his sermons and even a private printing press to distribute teaching pamphlets. His ministry was very public.

In January 1986, an official from President Reagan came to China and presented him with a gift from the President, a pen. Astronaut Jim Irwin and Billy Graham visited his church in 1988.
As a result of the attention, authorities began to pay close attention to Lamb. He was called in to the Public Security Bureau 6 times and threatened with closure of his church if he didn’t register the church with what is commonly called the Three Self. (A government run organization which monitors and governs churches in China.) He resisted. In 1990, 60 police raided his church and confiscated thousands of Bibles, books and takes. They even took away his pen and a Bible given him by President Reagan, though they later returned those items. These raids and summons for interrogation continued through the nineties.

Lamb’s response to them was simple and direct: “I’ll not register even if you arrest me again because these laws [of registration] give us no freedom.” He also expressed a willingness to die as a martyr. The response to that from the government officials was: “Oh no, we’re not Romans.”

In 2002, during an interview with David Aikman, author of Jesus in Beijing, Lamb said, “The more persecution, the more the church grows.”

Samuel Lamb is, to the Chinese Christians, a genuine patriarch.

There are many such leaders amongst the Chinese Christians. We hear little about them here in America. But, they are there. I believe the Chinese government is slowly coming to realize that there is no inherent evil in Christianity, and that at worse, it might grow a few genuine fruitcakes (we have our share) who will pose more danger to themselves, than the government.

One of the most exciting books I’ve ever read, a book that gave me great hope and joy, was the Jesus in Beijing book. David Aikman, the author, was the former Time magazine bureau chief in Beijing. It is a tremendous book, one every Christian ought to read. It will give you hope and let you see what God hath wrought through the sacrificial work of decades of work by missionaries.

BPA - a Serious Health Hazard to Infants & Adults

2009-11-04T14:15:00.007-06:00

High levels of BPA exist in canned goods and even baby bottles. Tests have shown these levels have caused serious harm to animals.

Bisphenol A, a chemical used in producing hard plastics used in water and baby bottles was shown to be harmful to humans, causing abnormalities in reproductive systems, and causing breast and prostate cancer, diabetes and heart disease. As a result, people began tossing out their plastic bottles.
Now, the chemical has been found in various brand-named canned goods.

The chemical has also been found in certain name-brand canned foods, according to a study.
In its December 2009 issue, Consumer Reports tested soups, juice, tuna and green beans, and found that 19 name-brand foods contain some amount of BPA, which is used in the plastic lining in many canned foods. Even some organic foods didn't pass the test. Some labels also declared their cans BPA-free, but this claim wasn't necessarily true.

The Consumer Reports' study found that the highest levels of bisphenol-A were found in Del Monte Fresh Cut Green Beans - Blue Lake, Progresso Vegetable Soup, and Campbell's Condensed Chicken Soup. However, even more disturbing was that it was found in Similac Advance Infant Formula and Nestle Juicy Juice in a can.
It's already been shown that infants are at risk (High BPA levels found in hospitalized, premature infants)

Now, it seems we're all at risk.