Cashless society is not all positive.

Cashless society is  about control.

Loss of privacy – monitoring, tracking .

Gone are the days when we had silver and gold coins. We now have the option of carrying paper money, credit or debit cards And now we have electronic cash.

Sadly, all is not what meets the eye!

Electronic payment systems  ( e-currency) involves the computer. If a computer programmer or a.k.a hacker/s  gets  your passwords, your money is gone.

Electronic cash is  convenient, but it is not a foolproof system. The online electronic cash system has the same problems as your email account and personal computer. Hack Hack Hack.

  The online facility can be hacked or can also be infected with a virus.  Criminals who know computer technology can easily misuse it, hack it and steal all your money, cash or e-currency. Your funds can disappear.The person with the password is always the assumed owner of the e-currency account.

 In a cashless society , the access to your money, contrary to what you may be led to believe, is never under your control rather it is absolutely in the hands of  the  financial institution,bank,programer or government that you choose.

You may not  be able to  decide what amount you can withdraw or transfer as the financial institution can set a limit. The  transaction charges or  when you can  carry out your transactions are also not in your control. The  owner of the program i.e. – the bank, government-  will determine, the amount of money you can spend and when, simply by managing your money for you through the internet e currency system.  If you have an emergency cash situation and need to re-direct some funds, you may not have that choice.  

Cashless society is not all positive.

Cashless society is  about control.

Loss of privacy – monitoring, tracking .

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Last week,I went to San Diego to visit one of my best friends. She and her husband live on a 55 ft boat at the Coronado Cay Yacht Club. While I was there the club had it annual opening day festivities!

 Lovely, lovely day – the weather was perfect. First of all the sky was bright blue, on the lawn of the club facing the Pacific were the pure white tents, with folding chairs, and flowers every where! The Pacific was sparkling. Beautiful scene!

At the  entrance, they had a big reception table, serving Mimosas’s, fresh fruit, coffee and pastries.  The men were dressed in white trousers and navy blue blazers. Very old school.  The women were dressed up and most had on whimsical nautical hats, with white pants and navy blazers.  I even saw a few with white gloves!  Tradition – loved it – even the kiddos were all decked out in nautical blue stripes and white pants.

First they had the “Parade of boats. Sail boats, yachts, dinghy’s, all sizes and shapes. Decorated with banners, costumes, pirates, flags and commandos!

Each boat had its own cheering section,  and as they went past the reviewing judges, everybody on the boat snapped to attention and saluted. Very red, white and blue! I think the prize was a  case of beer for a boat dock party.

Then came the Marine band, the Navy color guard, and of course the speeches. The band was great!  The speeches not so much. A lot of people went to the bar – it was an open bar – no charges!! Excellent place to hang out while listening to the speeches.  I hung out with some Viet Nam vets, who were in some kind of motorcycle-sailing club. Great guys, leather attire, long hair – earrings and one of their members was from Texas. So we chatted about the difference between California and Texas, and Mexican Food.

I met a lot of really nice, fun loving, people whom I found out retired to the bar during the speeches to be first in line for the buffet! Smart bunch.

After the speeches. they opened the  buffet, which stayed open for  about 2 to 3 hours. Pasta, standing roast stations, sea food, dessert, sliders, grilled veggies – you name it they had it and it was good. I liked the pasta – fabulous!  

I had a great time. It’s a fun social club with a beautiful property, and I’am going back next year – already shopping for a navy blazer with gold buttons! Can’t wait – I just hope my friends don’t move!

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Today, the Colonial Bridge of Tequixtepec stands as one of few reminders of the Ruta Dominicana, a route connecting Dominican convents in the once-prosperous region of Oaxaca. Emigration from the region has reduced the population of Tequixtepec from roughly 30,000 inhabitants in the sixteenth century to just 914 in 2005, a reduction that has limited the economic resources available to conserve the bridge. The Coixtlahuaca Basin, in which the Tequixtepec Bridge is located, is subject to flash floods, causing structural deterioration threatening the bridge’s survival.

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I think this is  a very important topic which I have been researching- here are some of the things I found out.

 One of the things that I learned is that some credit cards and  some debit cards have the RFID tracker imbedded in the card. This coupled with an RFID reader in any store can track you and relay where you are and what you are doing. I think that is called a spy chip.

I am not encourgaged by what I have been reading.  I read a lot of articles, but found most of the information in wikipedia.

  I have also been researching e-currency. This is electronic money. Like direct deposit in a local currency, it is a deposit of e currency , which may be the fore runner of a global currency. Not encouraged by that either.  

Sooooo -

Implantable RFID chips designed for animal tagging are now being used in humans. An early experiment with RFID implants was conducted by British professor of cybernetics Kevin Warwick, who implanted a chip in his arm in 1998.

In 2004 Conrad Chase offered implanted chips in his night clubs in Barcelona^[47] and Rotterdam to identify their VIP customers, who in turn use it to pay for drinks.

In October 2004, the FDA approved USA’s first RFID chips that can be implanted in humans.

RFID Implants for Immigrants, and Guest Workers  but not criminals? Do we have to give permission or agree with this implant?

The chips from VeriChip Corp. can incorporate personal medical information and could save lives and limit injuries from errors in medical treatments, according to the company. Anti-RFID activists Katherine Albrecht and Liz McIntyre discovered an FDA Warning Letter that spelled out health risks. According to the FDA, these include “adverse tissue reaction”, “migration of the implanted transponder”, “failure of implanted transponder”, “electrical hazards” and “magnetic resonance imaging [MRI] incompatibility.”

 Hospitals are among the first users to combine both active and passive RFID technology. Many successful deployments in the healthcare industry have been cited where active technology tracks high-value, or frequently moved items. Medication and supplies.

Since 2004 a number of U.S. hospitals have begun implanting patients with RFID tags and using RFID systems, usually for workflow and inventory management. 

Why are they implanting patients? Children and babies too? 

Which leads up to -National Healthcare -

Since RFID tags can be attached to clothing, possessions, or even implanted within people, the possibility of reading personally-linked information without consent has raised privacy concerns.

 A primary RFID security concern is the illicit tracking of RFID tags. Tags, which are world-readable, pose a risk to both personal location privacy and corporate/military security. Such concerns have been raised with respect to the United States Department of Defense‘s recent adoption of RFID tags for supply chain management. More generally, privacy organizations have expressed concerns in the context of ongoing efforts to embed electronic product code (EPC) RFID tags in consumer products. This is mostly as result of the fact that RFID tags can be read, and legitimate transactions with readers can be eavesdropped.

How do you get rid of the chip in the clothing label?  Microwave it?

RFID tags are used in many industries. An RFID tag attached to an automobile during production can be used to track its progress through the assembly line. Pharmaceuticals can be tracked through warehouses. Livestock and pets may have tags injected, allowing positive identification of the animal. RFID identity cards can give employees access to locked areas of a building, and RF transponders mounted in automobiles can be used to bill motorists for access to toll roads or parking.

 Other areas of significant use are financial services for IT asset tracking and healthcare. RFID is becoming increasingly prevalent as the price of the technology decreases.

Payment by mobile phones

Since summer 2009, two credit card companies have been working with Dallas, Texas-based DeviceFidelity to develop specialized microSD cards. When inserted into a mobile phone, the microSD card can be both a passive tag and an RFID reader. After inserting the microSD, a user’s phone can be linked to bank accounts and used in mobile payment.

Asset management – Inventory systems- combined with mobile computing and Web technologies provide a way for organizations to identify and manage their assets. Mobile computers, with integrated RFID readers, can now deliver a complete set of tools that eliminate paperwork, give proof of identification and attendance. This approach eliminates manual data entry.

Inventory systems – An advanced automatic identification technology based on RFID technology has significant value for inventory systems. The system can provide accurate knowledge of the current inventory

Product tracking – like casino chips - RFID chips can also be used for supply chain management in the fashion industry. The RFID label is attached at the garment at production, can be read/traced througout the entire supply chain and is removed at the point of sale (POS).

Advertising

When customers enter a dressing room, the mirror reflects their image and also images of the apparel item being worn by celebrities on an interactive display. A webcam also projects an image of the consumer wearing the item on the website for everyone to see. This creates an interaction between the consumers inside the store and their social network outside the store. The technology in this system is an RFID interrogator antenna in the dressing room and Electronic Product Code RFID tags on the apparel item.

Passports

Standards for RFID passports are determined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and are contained in ICAO Document 9303, Part 1, Volumes 1 and 2 (6th edition, 2006). ICAO refers to the ISO/IEC 14443 RFID chips in e-passports as “contactless integrated circuits”. ICAO standards provide for e-passports to be identifiable by a standard e-passport logo on the front cover.

Since 2006, RFID tags included in new US passports will store the same information that is printed within the passport and also include a digital picture of the owner.

Transportation payments

In many countries, RFID tags can be used to pay for mass transit fares on bus, trams, or subways, or to collect tolls on highways.

Some bike lockers are operated with RFID cards assigned to individual users. A prepaid card is required to open or enter a facility or locker and is used to track and charge based on how long the bike is parked.

The Zipcar car-sharing service uses RFID cards for locking and unlocking cars and for member identification.

Identification

 There are some very good applications for RFID chips, inventory control, criminal activities, food supply tracking for illness, and wild life protection to name a few.

There also seem to be some objectionable invasive options as well. RFID chips in humans for example, credit cards with RFID chips for tracking?

If nothing else, we need to be aware of this new technology, how it is being used , and how it impact our right to privacy.

I am in favor of RFID chips in my luggage but only if I can remove it – after I retrive it at the luggage carosel.    No more lost luggage! 

RFID chips are something to think about….our future.

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When you book a business class seat on any airline, call the airline and ASK them if the seat is 180 degrees horizonal. Sometime they will advertise, 180 degrees, flat bed seat BUT it is not horizonal. The seat will be flat BUT it will have a 10 degree pitch which means that it is slanted. 

You cannot sleep on a slanted board! Even when you check it out on SEAT GURU, it is confusing.

Yesterday, I had to call 5 different airline, give them the date and the flight number to find out if the seats were truly, flat bed seats wtih a 180 degree horizonal, no pitch seat!

Only 1 of the 5 were truly flat bed, so if you have any doubt about the flat bed seat – CALL THE AIRLINE- HAVE THE DATE AND THE FLIGHT NUMBER .

Many of the airlines are updating their airplanes, but not all of them have been converted. If you are going to pay $5,000 to $8,000 USD for a business class seat – get a flat bed seat.  The food is not worth it!

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The weather was cool to cold, with a few days of drizzle but we had warm and sunny days as well.

We did the regular museum visits, rode the metro – always an adventure, took an illumination tour of the “City of Lights” at night and then a Seine cruise to see everything from a different perspective. Beautiful!

Had a lot of fun, eating on the street, so to speak, stopped by the vendors bought baguettes – they are so good! Found several places that sold baguette, drink and dessert for 7 Eur. Excellent price and great food!

One night, when we were starving, we went to a little cafe and paid 7.00US for a COKE!!  

We stayed in the Rue Cler area which is on the left bank and the area where I usually stay. It is not touristy, we had a lovely room with a balcony that over looked the garden, and a wonderful breakfast each morning. Of course, we took hard cheese and rolls in case we could not find anything to eat.

The last two nights we stayed at the Shangri La! They put us in the Eiffle View Deluxe room with a wrap around balcony. Amazing room and the VIEW- the tower was right outside! Oh yes, and Bulgari bath products!

We had a great time, and love love love Rue Clear – my favorite!

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You would think that by now I would have learned  to be VERY SPECIFIC rather than believing that everyone knows exactly what color Marigold Provence is. Sadly, that is not true, some people have no idea that Marigold Provence is a very specific tint of Marigold. Now, I just point -THIS COLOR. I want THIS!

And yes, one would think that this applies to lots of other things as well, like  your name. Is it SAM? Samuel? Samantha? Sammuel? or someother odd spelling that only you and your family know. I am not allowed to guess. 

 I assure you that if you are traveling, and you purchase an airline ticket, Homeland Security wants to know EXACTLY HOW DOES YOUR NAME APPEAR ON YOUR GOVERMENT ISSUED PHOTO IDENTIFICATION. Is it  Samuel Michael? Surely not Sammy Mike? It is NOT  JP, that would be Joseph Patrick or maybe Judith Patricia but NOT JP.  If your name does not match, you will not get on the airplane…… and your ticket will be no good.  Then you too will…LIVE AND LEARN.

It is very similar to pulling teeth. It even spills over to which seat do you want! Aisle seat, excellent, Aisle seat on the left hand side, up front, not close to the lavatory or galley, and on the two-seater side – I’m guessing that would be the cockpit. Most of the airline, block those exact seats for “elite” travelers. Seating is really out of hand in my opinion. I bought a ticket on your airplane, that alone entitleS me to a seat, and in the good old American tradation of -’first come, first serve, I get to choose a good seat and I should not have to pay extra to sit on the aisle. Good luck! LIVE AND LEARN.

One of my best friends ordered new tile installed in her bathroom, the tile was perfect, but she forgot to ask if the trim was from the same manufacturer and the same lot – GUESS WHAT?????

LIVE AND LEARN……………

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The Royal Hill of Abohimanga includes a complex of royal buildings and places of ritual, a highly protected forest, fortification systems, a series of sacred natural and manmade sites and bodies of water, and the seat of justice, which is located on an enormous granite rock and shaded by a royal fig tree. Inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2001, the site faces an uncertain future following political upheaval in 2009. Insufficient financial resources, unregulated development, and destabilization of management structures threaten Ambohimanga. Through international partnerships and community engagement, local advocates hope to build capacities to ensure the preservation of this sacred treasure.

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The Sami people live in the bare, cold tundra in northern Scandinavia. Those people are nomadic reindeer herders whose lives are shaped by the movement of the reindeer. The snow and the wind conditions determine in turn the movement and the route of the reindeer flock. The Sami people can spend up to nine months of the year in the mountains.

The Sami is believed to be one of the last indigenous groups in Europe. They live in Sapmi, an area that crosses the borders of four countries. Their territory stretches from central Norway and Sweden across the north of Finland to the east of the Kola Peninsula in Russia.

The exact number of the Sami people is unknown. However, some sources estimate the numbers of Sami who live in Sapmi between 60.000 and 70.000. Most of those people live in Norway.

The Sami has more than 400 words for reindeer, used to describe gender, age, colour, shape, etc. Although relatively only a small percentage of the Sami are now living a traditionally reserved Sami-life, so reindeer herding remains an essential part of their culture. Shepherds have irreplaceable and invaluable knowledge about the mountains and the snow-covered landscapes of the Nordic countries.

Due to climate change, so their traditional means of knowledge is no longer as reliable as it once was. Rising temperatures and mild winters have made the ice unsafe, and forests have spread into the reindeer grazing areas. In winter, the rain falls instead of snow, posing new problems for the Sami and their herds. When the rain hits the cold ground, it forms an extra layer of ice that prevents reindeer from reaching down to the low, as they feed.

The Sami are already living with the challenges thrown up by the global warming. The anticipated future rise in global temperatures poses a serious threat to both the reindeer and the Sami identity.

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Fast, Easy – try it and add your own twist to it,,

1 tube of gingerbread cookie dough

1 tube of peppermint cookie dough.

Roll little balls of each kind of dough, put the gingerbread on the bottom, put the peppermint dough on top – bake at 350 about 15 minutes. Mke them rather large and smash them flat, so they cook in circles.

On a dessert plate, or whatever, put the cookies on the bottom, add a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream, make a little hole in the ice cream, pour in a drop ( or two) of creme de menthe, top with red and green sugar sprinkles.

This is so good. Love this one.

Try it and for the kiddos, just skip the creme de menthe.

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