Happy Valley, USA
An Interesting and Worrisome Fact:
When you click on a web page, you usually see ads along the right hand side. Those ads were not there the second you clicked on the web page. They were added, in milliseconds, by either Google or a company called Rubicon Project. Through the use of algorithms, both of these companies have, over time, gathered a great deal of information about you. They know your buying habits, your income, your lifestyle and many other facts gleaned through cookies, answers you give to web sites and a host of other sources that spring, unknowingly from your computer. When you click on a web page, the computers of Google and Rubicon go to work and pluck out the ads most favorable to capturing your attention.
As noted in this space before, once you turn on your computer, you are fair game for all sorts of intrusions. And you never know about it. Your privacy, like it or not, is eroding. This can, inexorably lead to, "Big brother is watching you!" That's the worrisome thing.
As noted, you have to be very careful what information you leave on your computer. It is easily pirated. (Ala Dan Kenley)
As you sit at your computer and compose a very private email to someone, you are thinking that you are in your very private world with only the addressee taking part. Nothing could be further from the truth. Lawyers will routinely subpoena your emails in a court case. The government can subpoena your emails for whatever purpose they have in mind.
Thinking that you have deleted certain emails and data from your hard drive, does not get rid of them. Your hard drive merely parks the deletions in unused space. The information is still there even though you think it's gone. A company called, Readwrite.com will permanently remove any data you want destroyed from your hard drive. There are other companies that do the same thing.
Remember: Your home is your castle; your computer is not!
1. Three year old Dillan Warden was fined $2500 last week, in Oklahoma, for urinating in his parents front yard. An "alert" cop witnessed the act while driving by the Warden home and issued the ticket. Only in America!
2. Two year old Maddox Derkosh, visiting the Pittsburgh zoo, was placed on top of a railing, by his mother, 14 feet above an exhibit of African painted dogs. Maddox lost his balance, fell into the pit and was immediately attacked by 11 of the dogs. He bled to death from the attack.
3. If you are looking to get the hell scared out of you, grab a copy of the December, 2012, issue of Wired magazine and turn to page 180. Writer Matt Honan details how the hackers stole his photos, email, files and other assorted data. In gripping detail! He points out that passwords are a waste and suggests new ways of thrawarting the miserable bastards.
4. David Jimenez is suing the Catholic Church. He was cleaning a marble crucifix when it toppled over on him and crushed his leg. He is ticked, not only about the leg, but also that he prayed to the crucifix every day.
5. Despite the enormous medical possibilities of stem cell research, religious wackos continue to try to get such research banned. Such a suit was filed, in the State of Oklahoma, trying to get a ballot initiative which, if passed would ban all research. The United States Supreme Court ruled that granting Constitutional rights to human embryos, at the moment of conception, defining a fertilized egg as having a person with rights to due process and equal treatment, was, "repugnant to the Constitution of the United States." (Rest assured, these nut cases will be back)
6. The milk of human kindness suffered another blow last week. Michael Vercher of Woodstock, Georgia posted an online ad saying his family was giving away some of it's furniture for free before moving. People showed up in droves and ransacked the house of everything the Verchers owned.
7. During a fraternity drinking bout, at Ohio University, Jerry Kinsfatter assured all present that he could fly out of the third story window. He did and landed in bushes below with only minor cuts and scratches. Berating a fellow frat brother the next day for not stopping him, the brother replied, "Why, I had ten bucks bet you could do it."
8. Did you know that there have been 53 attempted terrorist attacks, in the US, since Sept.11, 2001? In many of these successful investigations, the would be terrorist was tricked into revealing his murderous plans to undercover agents. Civil libertarians claim that this is, "unethical entrapment." (Oh, Yawn!)
9. 15.3% of all newspaper readers get their daily news from the Internet. That's up from 9.8% a year ago. It is estimated that less than 1 in five newspapers will survive over the next five years unless they publish the paper online.
10. America's top business leaders, 80 in all, got together and sent an open letter to Congress demanding action on the deficit. (General Electric, Microsoft, Verizon, and many other top-of-the-line corporations) They suggested a series of tax increases and budget cuts and, "put their reputations on the line." (Their quote) However.........in reading the letter, there were no tax increases suggested for the biggies nor were there any budget cuts that would take away the corporate gimmies. The middle class caught it again. They also pushed for cuts in Medicare and Social Security. Isn't that just too precious? They want to shove it to us while they keep all of theirs.
11. The campaign for the White House needed 56 Republican primaries, with 11 Republican primary candidates, nearly $2 billion spent by the Obama and Romney camps, another $629 million in Super Pac spending, three debates, over 1 million TV ads and approximately 100 gazillion words of speculation, analysis, opinion and partisan bickering. Polls taken after the election showed that many people routinely hit the Mute button whenever a political commercial showed on the TV screen, no matter whether it was Republican or Democrat.
12. Donald Trump, the millionaire loud mouth, tweeted, after the election, "The world is laughing at us," conveniently forgetting that President Obama had won the popular vote. He called for a revolution in this country. Marching behind him will probably be two dogs, a cat and a couple of bums looking for a handout.
13. The former president of Penn State University, Graham Spanier and two other high ranking university officials have been charged with a "conspiracy of silence," for covering up the Jerry Sandusky sex scandal. All three face criminal charges of as much as thirty years. The once highly honored university is now being sneered at by academics nationwide, many of whom are calling for a drastic reduction in the status of big time football on college campuses.
14. If Germany could have voted in the American election, 90% of the votes would have gone to President Obama. German Chancellor Angela Merkel put it this way: "President Obama has brought to U. S. politics a spirit of solidarity and compassion." Portugal Prime Minister Daniel Oliveira put it this way: "Were a Republican to return to the White House, the world would get another round of, 'unilateral interventionism, bellicose arrogance, utterly irresponsible foreign policy and environmental hooliganism.'"
15. Chinese ranks of the rich are opting for greener pastures. A recent survey found that 16% of Chinese citizens worth over $1.6 million have obtained foreign residency in Australia, Canada and the U. S. An additional 44% are planning to leave citing pollution, corruption, and poor medical care as their reasons.
16. Hurricane Sandy has given Americans a powerful lesson in the benefits of big government. FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) within 72 hours of the storms arrival deployed over 2270 personnel, rescued over 700, provided shelter for over 11,000 people, delivered 660,000 gallons of water and fed 1.5 million people. House Republicans, however, want to cut FEMA's budget by 40% and turn disaster relief back to the states. That same philosophy led to totally inept - and deadly, response to Hurricane Katrina, during the Bush years. Remember, "Brownie, you're doing a helluva job." When disaster strikes, we need competent government.
17. Remember this, "In America anyone can become president. It's one of the risks we take." (Adlai Stevenson)
18. The Toyota Camry continues it's 15 year rein as America's top selling car. Followed by: Honda Accord, Ford Taurus, and Ford Escort.
19. Apple paid a corporate tax rate of 1.9% on it's earnings outside the U. S. It paid just $713 million on revenues of $36.87 billion. (Not nice, Mr. Apple; not nice!)
20. Nearly 2/3 of housing markets across the country are in worse shape than they were in 2008 when the bust began. Worst hit are: Atlanta, Tuscon, Salt Lake City, and Cook County, Illinois.
21. Deadbeat parents owe more then $100 billion in unpaid child support. Half are for children on taxpayer supported public assistance.
Thought for the day:
It's easy to live the expected and conventional.
It's when you live the unexpected
that you start having fun with your life.
That's -30-
