Personal Security

What Is Blunt Ballistic Trauma?

Admin — Thu, 17 May 2012 18:08:33 +0000

Many people wear ballistic armor because they want to protect themselves from puncture wounds. Broken glass, knives, or bullet rounds can cause puncture wounds. There is body armor available that can protect someone from all of the previously mentioned threats; however, there is another threat that they need to consider before purchasing any armor.

Blunt Force Trauma is trauma that is caused when the body is hit forcefully. Blunt Force Trauma is often seen in car accidents and a form of it is Blunt Ballistic Trauma which is often seen when a round strikes body armor. When a round is fired from a weapon, it travels at a very fast speed. When the round comes into contact with an object, the energy from the round spreads if the round is stopped. When someone is wearing body armor, the energy from the round will spread when the round hits the armor. The energy can cause someone to lose their breath for a few seconds or to have bruising behind the area where the round hit. This is only if someone is wearing great body armor. If someone is wearing black luster body armor, there is a chance that their vital organs could suffer extensive trauma from the energy exerted by the round.

Body armor is rated at different protection levels. The armor receives the designated level after testing has been done to prove that the armor can stop the impact of the round and not allow internal damage to be caused to the delicate organs that are behind the armor. It is important for someone to take the time to assess the level of danger that they think they could potentially face. If someone is not wearing body armor that gives them the protection they need, they could become severely injured even if the round does not puncture their body.
To avoid Blunt Ballistic Trauma someone needs to be sure that they are wearing well fitting armor as well. Body armor is made to stop at the belly button and the size should be chosen based on someone’s sex and height. Many people make the mistake of thinking that body armor is one size fits all and that they can swap armor amounts friends and it will be okay. This is not the case at all. Body armor needs to be a personal item that each person uses for their own use and does not share with others. The body armor could save their life if it is used properly. If body armor is not used properly, it does not serve its purpose and someone could become fatally injured even though they are wearing body armor.

If someone is shot while they are wearing their armor, they need to seek medical attention even if the armor protected them from a bullet going into their body. There is still a chance that they could have suffered Blunt Ballistic Trauma and only a medical professional will be able to determine if any damage was done when the round came into contact with the body armor.

Author: Jason Stevens

Are You Worried About Drug Related Crime Today?

Admin — Sat, 05 May 2012 02:04:05 +0000

What Americans worry most about today is public safety. They fear what illegal drugs are doing to our country. We hear of more crime and violence today than ever before, and most often than not drugs are involved. We hear of innocent children being killed because they got in the crossfire of drug dealers and gangs. We hear news of young teens being shot or stabbed to death because they have gotten caught up in gangs which are always participating in illegal drug activity. Our country has turned into one where people are in danger just going about their daily errands and activities. All the robberies that take place now are most of the time someone who is trying to get money for drugs. There are more home invasions now, all because of drugs. We are absolutely losing this so called "war on drugs."

There Are Many Ways Drugs Are Related to Crime

Drugs are related to crime in many ways. It is a crime to use, possess, manufacture, or distribute drugs that have a potential for abuse. Drug trafficking and drug production are crimes in the United States.

This is often controlled by gangs, organized crime, and drug cartels. Many state prisoners and federal inmates admitted that they committed their offenses to obtain money for drugs. Most cases of robbery and sexual assault are related to drugs. Many reports state that about 73 percent of felonies are alcohol related. One of the surveys taken showed that alcohol is usually present in child beating cases, wife beatings, stabbings, and homicides. 25 percent of federal and 29 percent of state prison inmates reported being under the influence of drugs when committing violent offenses.

Drug Trafficking

Trafficking in illicit drugs tends to be associated with violent crimes. Some of the reasons are:

Competition for the drug market and customers
Disputes or rip-offs among the people involved in the drug market
and simply the tendency of the people who participate in the illegal drug world to be violent

The illegal drug market in the United States is one of the most profitable anywhere in the world. Because of this it attracts the most sophisticated and ruthless drug traffickers. There is no way this country's borders can be protected properly. There is no way for United States Customs officials to check every single person who crosses the borders into the United States each year. People come into our country by air, sea, and land. Drug traffickers have figured out all sorts of ways to conceal drugs and get them into the many different United States locations. Criminal groups have smuggled illegal drugs into the United States since the early 1970's. Besides what is smuggled into the United States, domestic organizations cultivate, produce, manufacture, and distribute illegal drugs.

Prostitution

Another drug related crime is prostitution. There have been many reported cases of teens running away from home and ending up living on the streets in some large city. Here, they find their way into the lives of many individuals who do not have their best interest in mind. The girls end up in the environment of prostitution. Many times they are given drugs and become addicted to them. At this point, they have no choice but to stay in the profession of prostitution. They have to support their habit and they have no one to turn to for help. This has claimed many young girls' innocence and lives. Many prostitutes were first drug addicts. After the addiction got so bad they could not steal enough to support their habit, they turned to prostitution because they knew of no other way to get the money for drugs.

More has to be done in our country today to provide drug treatment and drug prevention among our citizens.

About the Author:

Joan works with http://www.thedrugrehab.com to educate people on addiction. She helps people understand the dangers of drugs and the signs to look for to determine if addiction is present and helps people locate addiction treatment centers.

Making Your Mark To Protect Your Property

Admin — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 02:44:26 +0000

Ask any crime prevention specialist about how to protect your property from burglary, and two recommendations are sure to come up:

1. Set up and use a home security system
2. Mark and inventory your valuable goods

Both of these suggestions require an investment of time and money—but they are well worth the effort. Any good security company can set you up with the right security system to protect your home and property against unwanted entry. The second idea, though—marking and inventorying your valuables—is pretty well up to you.

Most people think protecting their property by scribing an identifying mark on each piece is not something one can do for themselves. The truth is, though, it’s easy. All you need is an inexpensive engraving tool and a little bit of knowledge about the process.

It costs little, but gains much

When police locate stolen goods, the first thing they do is look for identifying marks.

Normally, that means engraving. Top-notch engraving tools are available for less than $20 (check out the Dremel 290-01), and they are easy to use. There is no less expensive, more effective way to protect your property than that.

You can write on the back of your new plasma screen television set with the Dremel tool almost as easily as on paper with an ink pen, and it comes with everything you need to get started. With it, you can engrave a personal code on anything you own, as long as it is made of metal, glass, wood, plastic or ceramic.

Contact your local police to get their advice about what you should use for an identifying mark, but it is most always best to use your driver’s license number. In that way, authorities can easily look up your address on their database, should they recover property stolen from you. Definitely do not use your name or social security number as an identifier.

Once you protect your property by engraving an identifying mark, it becomes much more difficult to sell. Thieves hate it when they pick up an engraved item. Chances are, they will set it right back down.

Don’t forget the paperwork

For each item you mark, list the serial number and a brief description (size, model, cost) on an inventory sheet. It is also wise to include a photograph of the item. It may be easier to create a spreadsheet for your inventory and do it all on computer—if you do, though, be sure to keep backups in a secure location. Otherwise, what will you do if your computer is stolen?

If you have items you don’t want to engrave (perhaps collector’s items or works of art), consider using an invisible marker. You can get one at most any stationery store. They don’t produce a visible deterrent to thieves, like engraving does, but invisible marks provide a means of identifying and claiming articles if they are stolen.

In order to adequately protect your property, you need to put in some forethought and follow that up with action, but should you ever find your new $1200 computer has disappeared, then get a call from the police, saying they have arrested the guy who tried to pawn it—the little bit of money, time and trouble you put into engraving will seem a small matter compared to the relief you feel.

Don’t make it easy for thieves to take the valuables you have worked hard to obtain. Protect your home . Protect your property. It’s really pretty simple to do.

Don Sturgill (Roadturn) is a writer with a focus on living with purpose. His topics are centered on Health, Spirit, the Environment and Entrepreneurship.

Japan Will Take The World’s Breath Away, Part II

Admin — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 18:43:13 +0000

Japan Will Take the World’s Breath Away, Part II

by MN Gordon

Economic Prism

The National Bureau of Economic Research marks June 2009 as the end of the Great Recession. That means the United States economy has been in recovery for nearly three years. Semantically this is accurate…all the stimulus and monetary easing has successfully pushed GDP into positive over this time. But just what type of recovery is this?

According to the latest CNBC All-American Survey, 36 percent of the American public believes the economy will improve over the next year. Apparently, this is a 9 percent increase over the survey results from November 2011. Yet, despite the marked improvement, what this means is, 64 percent of Americans still believe the economy will not improve over the next year.

Clearly, the populace has become aware that something has gone seriously wrong with the economy. Across the republic, people are coming to grips with the fact that it’s not possible for an economy to borrow and spend its way to prosperity indefinitely. Eventually the debts must be reckoned…either by default or inflation.

Earlier this week we scribbled some thoughts on the current pickle Japan finds itself in; namely, a debt to GDP level of 200 percent, its first annual trade deficit in over 30-years, and the likely propensity to cover the budget gap through debt monetization. Several reader comments requested a part 2, specifically detailing what they should do to prepare for the looming crisis. While we don’t have the answers, we do have some anecdotes…and we are glad to offer them…

To begin, the approaching Japanese debt crackup will be a warm up for the subsequent U.S. debt crackup. In fact, for a time, as Japan blows up, the U.S. may appear to be in good shape. When investors exit Japanese government debt it’s likely that some will enter U.S. government debt. This will push treasury yields down…giving the U.S. government a little more rope to hang itself with.

Nonetheless, the U.S. will eventually have its turn in the barrel. At some point, foreign creditors will exit their treasury holdings and the Federal Reserve will be forced to print money to paper over the government’s budget shortfall. This will be the ultimate conclusion to the dollar standard era.

During periods of rapid currency debasement, tangible assets, like gold, silver, oil, and farmland, are proven vehicles for wealth preservation. No doubt, those with the means to do so should consider diversifying some of their savings into established inflation hedges.

But for the rest of us working stiffs struggling to make ends meet – aside from purchasing food storage, stocking up on gravity flow water filtration systems, and planting a vegetable garden – the best thing to do is to try to stay out of the way. In a moment, we’ll provide some practical ideas, including a 12-point plan that anyone can follow to do so. But first some thoughts on what to expect, garnered from experiences visiting in-laws in Mexico City…

How Governments Impoverish their Citizenry

Mexico City, if you’ve never been, is quite a sight. It’s more than double the population of Los Angeles. What’s more, the pace of activity makes Los Angeles feel sleepy and southern California’s Highway system seem, calm, organized, and sound.

The juxtaposition of pre-colonial ruins, Medieval Spanish architecture, and modern skyscrapers is extraordinarily fascinating. But for us, with each visit, what we find fascinating is the ever present instruction of what happens when overzealous governments overspend…then inflate their currency to pay their debts. So, too, we find ominous warnings of what may come for the United States because of the government’s financial imprudence.

Like the United States, Mexico’s economy experienced robust growth during the mid-part of the 20th century. The period from 1930 to 1970 was later called the “Mexican Miracle” by economic historians for this reason. Mexico’s GDP increased 4.2 percent between 1929 and 1945 and then it accelerated to 6.5 percent between 1945 and 1972. Even during the inflationary 1970s, Mexico’s abundance of oil and other resources helped sustain a 5.5 percent GDP between 1972 and 1981.

But the high water mark for Mexico, culminating with the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, had already surged, and the flow of wealth had begun to recede, so that by the late 1970s living conditions were second rate for the broad population.

What went wrong?

During the 1970s, the successive administrations of Luis Echeverría Álvarez and José López Portillo, dramatically expanded the Country’s social development policies. In other words, they increased public spending and financed the spending with debt.

During this period, Mexico’s external debt soared over 300 percent from $6 billion in 1970 to $20 billion in 1976. The effect was many violent devaluations of the peso, from 12.50 pesos per dollar in 1954 to 20 pesos per dollar in late 1976, which devastated the middle class. In 1981-1982 oil prices crashed on the international market just as interest rates spiked. After that, the government really made a mess of things.

In 1982, President López Portillo, just before ending his administration, suspended payments of foreign debt, devalued the peso and nationalized the banking system, along with many other industries that were severely affected by the crisis. Any hope for a quick return to economic progress vanished.

But ten years later it looked like Mexico had finally turned a corner. After 12-years of economic malaise, it appeared Mexico was primed for an economic boom. NAFTA had been approved and everyone just knew that Mexico was going to be the next big thing. The world took note and foreign investment flooded into the country inflating the value of the peso.

The administration of then President Carlos Salinas de Goratri couldn’t believe their good fortune. Like any good government…they spent their bonanza – and then they spent some more. By the end of 1994 Mexico was running a deficit that was 7-percent of GDP and foreign investors had seen enough. They dumped their holdings and the peso crashed in spectacular fashion. In the space of one week the peso fell 44-percent against the dollar. Mexico’s economy crashed too.

Currencies, both north and south of the Rio Grande, ain’t what they use to be. Not long ago they were as reliable as a rooster at dawn; now they’re as crooked as a politician’s spine. We know this not by reading the history books, nor by hearsay, but by the honest, verifiable, silver dollar and silver peso we’re holding in our hands.

The Peace Dollar is a United States dollar silver coin minted in the 1920s. At the time of its mint, one coin equaled one dollar…and each dollar contained 0.77344 troy ounces of silver. The 1932 Un Peso is a Mexican silver peso. At the time of its mint, one coin equaled one peso…and each peso contained 0.3856 troy ounces of silver.

The exchange rate was real simple. Based on their silver content, two pesos equaled one dollar. Nowadays, both pesos and dollars are merely paper promissory notes from the government. Their value is derived by their government’s track record of stewardship and the international currency market’s acceptance of the government’s ability to make payments on their debt.

Today it takes about 13 pesos to buy one dollar. As you can see, until recently, the Mexican government has been less upright in managing its currency than the United States has over the last 80 years. But when you use silver as the measuring stick, the picture changes…

Where it took about $1.29 dollars to buy an ounce of silver in the 1920s, today it takes $31.98 dollars to buy an ounce of silver. This means silver costs 2,479-percent more in dollar terms. In pesos, however, it’s a downright disgrace. Where it took $2.58 pesos to buy an ounce of silver in 1932, today it takes $407.75 pesos to buy an ounce of silver. Astonishingly, silver now costs 15,804-percent more in peso terms.

Here’s the point…

It doesn’t take much time touring around Mexico City to discover that behind the hustle and bustle, not only has the government successfully vaporized their currency, they have successfully vaporized their middle class. You can actually see its nonexistence everywhere you look…and, if you squint your eyes just right, you can see the ashes of its prior existence within the cracks of decay.

Mexico is a textbook lesson on how governments impoverish their citizenry. One day, perhaps soon, similar consequences of government money mischief will be splattered across El Norte too.

What to do about it?

How to Survive the Economic Crisis

Several years ago, following many reader inquiries, we attempted to offer – from the heart – practical, discretionary advice on what to do to survive the economic crisis. At the time, it served our readers well. For your benefit today, and by reader request, we’ll revisit it…with some minor updates…

1. Always take what’s yours…plus a little bit more. You’ll undoubtedly need it with Barack Obama in office for another term.

2. Never shake hands with your right hand, without first crossing the fingers of your left hand securely behind your back.

3. Always look out for No. 1, save stepping in No. 2.

4. Never give a beggar your pocket change, except when to do so is to buy them a drink.

5. Know the difference between honesty with yourself and honesty with others. The former must be rigorous; the later must be flexible…especially when applying for insurance.

6. Never kick a man when he is down; so too, never hasten to help him up.

7. Always stiff your waitress…barring the rare occasion they actually earn the tip.

8. Never con widows and orphans; all others are fair game.

9. Do not worry about money; what you don’t have should be of little concern.

10. Never forget that there’s a fool on every corner and a sucker born every minute. Avoid being one of them when at all possible; for it is both demoralizing and expensive.

11. Do not take it personal when you lose your job…this economy stinks; a lot of other good people will have lost theirs too.

12. Remember always that this too shall pass; though never fast enough. So keep your head up. For even during a depression the birds still sing, the flowers still bloom, and those of sound mind and body get through it a little wiser…if not a lot slimmer.

Thanks for reading.

[MN Gordon (send him email) is the editor of the Economic Prism. Visit Economic Prism. The Economic Prism is published by Direct Expressions LLC. Subscribe Today to the Economic Prism E-Newsletter at http://www.economicprismletter.com]

Japan Will Take the World’s Breath Away

Admin — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 19:01:41 +0000

Japan Will Take the World’s Breath Away

by MN Gordon

Economic Prism

Last Sunday, in Long Beach, California, the impossible happened…it rained for the second consecutive weekend. Just ask anyone who lives here. That never happens.

We’re not complaining. Without the wet weather we would have never discovered the hole in the bottom of our shoe. Nevertheless, we bring this up to make the point that the seemingly impossible happens all the time.

Last August, for instance, something absolutely ridiculous occurred…during the summer twilight the world was preparing for mass inflation and mass deflation in tandem. This manifested for everyone to see when, in broad daylight, $1,820 per ounce gold and 1.98 percent 10 Year Treasury yields came into existence simultaneously. If we hadn’t witnessed this extreme and illogical price disparity with our own two eyes we’d say it was impossible. Yet it happened all the same.

By all accounts, what the world learned last summer was what happens when the Fed borrows vast quantities of money into existence and uses it to buy government debt. For a time, gold prices go up and bond yields go down. But what happens after such devious money games are played is what has yet to be discovered.

Perhaps, we will soon find out…

So far this year stocks have been going up nearly as fast as gas prices. Year to date the S&P 500’s up over 12 percent. Gold, on the other hand, has sagged to the mid $1,600s.

More ominously, on March 19th, yields on 10 Year Treasuries jumped above 2.37 percent. Could this be a signal the great government debt bubble, which has been continuously puffing up over the last 30-years, is coming to an end?

Insightful Instruction from Japan

Obviously, the Fed is determined to prevent this from happening. They’ve promised to keep the federal funds rate near zero until late 2014. Still, despite their ardent resolve, they may not be successful…particularly if the economy improves.

After years of heavy handed market intervention by the Fed, a perverse paradox has taken place. The Fed wants low interest rates to boost the economy. Yet an improving economy entices money to exit treasuries and chase higher returns in higher risk assets like stocks. If money flows out of government debt too rapidly, treasury investors may panic and dump their holdings causing yields to spike upward while depressing the economy.

In this respect, the sweet spot for the economy is growth ranging from 1-to-2 percent and a flat stock market. Anything less and the Fed will have to print money to keep debt deflation from taking over. Anything more and treasury markets could destabilize.

But before things really get out of hand in the United States we suspect there will be some insightful instruction offered up by Japan…

If you didn’t know it, Japan’s public debt is 200 percent of GDP. By comparison, that’s double that of the United States. Different than the United States, however, Japan has financed its debt domestically.

The way Japan has been able to get by without borrowing from foreigners is through its positive trade balance. By exporting more than they import Japan’s population could use their proceeds to support their government’s budget gaps. But those days may have come to an end…

Japan Will Take the World’s Breath Away

Years ago, when New Deal policies rocketed U.S. government debt into the stratosphere, the FDR brain trust came together to dismiss the concern. At the center of the brain trust was John Maynard Keynes…the grandfather of public spending. Together they came up with a new theory of public debt so indifferent, and cavalier, it excused the politicians in power and dumbfounded the opposition.

In a 1958 speech, the late William F. Buckley Jr. recounts the saga…

“Depicting the intoxicating political consequences of Lord Keynes’s discovery, the wry cartoonist of the Washington Times Herald drew a memorable picture. In the center, sitting on a throne in front of a maypole, was a jubilant FDR, cigarette tilted up almost vertically, a grin on his face that stretched from ear to ear. Dancing about him in a circle, hands clasped together, their faces glowing with ecstasy, the braintrusters, vested in academic robes, sang the magical incantation, the great discovery of Lord Keynes: ‘WE OWE IT TO OURSELVES.’

“With five talismanic words, the planners had disposed of the problem of deficit spending. Anyone thenceforward who worried about an increase in the national debt was just plain ignorant of the central insight of modern economics: What do we care how much we – the government – owe so long as we owe it to ourselves? On with the spending.”

Here at the Economic Prism, like Buckley, we take issue with Keynes’ insight. But, at the moment, that’s beside the point. For the point is, unlike the United States, Japan has owed their massive debt to themselves. But, alas, that may now be changing…

In 2011, Japan ran a trade deficit for the first time since 1980. What’s more, in January, Japan ran a trade deficit of $5.4 billion…its largest monthly trade deficit ever. If this keeps up Japan will have to turn to foreign investors to finance their government debt. That means Japan will no longer owe it to themselves.

Moreover, at a debt to GDP level of 200 percent, who in their right mind will buy Japan’s government debt…especially when their 10 year bond’s yielding just 1 percent?

No doubt, when push comes to shove, we fully expect the Bank of Japan will monetize the debt. What come after will take the world’s breath away.

A Blogger Tests The TSA’s Nude Body Scanners

Admin — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 23:31:11 +0000

The controversial nude body scanners, employed by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) at U.S. airports, have been further scrutinized by engineer-turned-blogger Jonathan Corbett. Corbett sued the TSA on the grounds that the x-ray machines violate his constitutional rights, and created a viral video on his blog, “TSA Out of Our Pants!” The video demonstrates how the nude body scanners are not only intrusions of our privacy, but are also ineffective. In the video, Corbett demonstrates how the scanning systems inefficiently detect smuggled explosives by sneaking a small metal case through not one, but two, of the TSA’s scanner stations. According to Corbett, the scanners reveal metal objects as black, on white body outlines. The backgrounds of the x-rays are also black, so if a smuggler carries a metal explosive on his/her side, the x-ray of the explosive will blend into the black background. “If you have a metallic object on your side, it will be the same color as the background,” Corbett said. “And therefore completely invisible to both visual and automated inspection.”

Corbett tested his theory by purchasing a sewing kit, stitching a small pocket into the side of his shirt and carrying an empty metallic case within it. The metallic box, which would have set off an alarm with the old metal detecting system, passed through the TSA security system at both Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport - and Corbett caught it all on tape. A smug Corbett stated, “It can’t possibly be that easy to beat the TSA’s billion dollar fleet of nude body scanners, right? The TSA can’t be that stupid, can they? Unfortunately, they can, and they are.” Though the metal case was empty, it could have easily been filled with “razor blades, explosives, or one of Charlie Sheen’s infamous seven gram rocks of cocaine.” Corbett claims that with a bigger pocket, he could have easily transported a firearm.

MailOnline refused to publish the video, because it gives thorough details on how to circumvent the safety precaution, but the video has already gone viral. Though Corbett admits that terrorists could use his technique, he believes that pointing out the flaw is the only way to reverse the situation and “how much danger the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is putting us all in.” He adds, “Now, I’m sure the TSA will accuse me of aiding the terrorists by releasing this video, but it’s beyond belief that the terrorists haven’t already figured this out and are already plotting to use this against us.”

The video, on Corbett’s blog, is accompanied by an FAQ section with answers from Corbett himself. Of particular interest is the question, “How do we know this is real?” Corbett responds that TSA’s non-denial in their official response is proof enough, but he will also be submitting a Freedom of Information Act request, which will grant him the remote video monitoring footage of the incident. He also encourages viewers to conduct the test themselves and includes specific further instructions.

Corbett’s video seems to come at just the right time for instigating the public’s outrage, as recent news of nude body scanners, using radiation-emitting, potentially cancer-causing X-ray technologies, have caused widespread concern. The European Commission has decided to put a halt on the use of the scanners, until a safety report is delivered. Already criticized for their invasion of privacy, these naked scanners seem to have caused just the right amount of controversy for Corbett to gain the leverage he needed to make a statement.

How To Effectively Plan Your Small Business Growth

Admin — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 18:19:16 +0000

Before starting your small business, you may already have your business plan. You could have used that plan when you sought capitalization from loan providers. As you operate your venture, you may already have realized that operating a small business is different. For sure, you may have discovered that no matter how rigorous you were on doing your research and how hard working you are in setting up your own company, some things could still go wrong.

Your daily business operations may be going smoothly for now. But how long would it do well in the future? Your small business need not get stuck in that level. It should grow and expand for it to cope with the times and to earn more income. As a small business owner, the responsibility is yours to make growth plans for you venture. Here are several recommended ways to effectively plan the growth of your small business.

Assess your small business so you could determine if it has been successful so far in bringing about its commitment to customers. As always, your products or services should be complemented by aggressive upfront sales effort. Be sure shortfalls and problems are fixed immediately.

Update your market research. Be reminded that thorough understanding of the market would always be vital to small business growth plans. For sure, you have reviewed the market during you startup stage. But again, market situations and conditions could have already changed. Your small business may have to adapt several adjustments.

Improve your marketing message. Your original market positioning and sales statement might need modifications. As you do so, find out the usual comments and complaints of our customers. Determine reasons they purchased, returned, or rejected your products or services.

Aim to make huge sales volumes. Sales should be converted to cold cash. You should collect receivables as immediately as you could. Thus, you have to come out with fast and accurate billing complemented by constant follow-ups especially to slow payers.

As you plan for growth of your small business, know what instruments or tools you need to invest in and which ones are already in your possession. Do you have all the necessary equipment to continue and expand your business? Do you employ the right people with the right skills? Are you dealing with reliable suppliers? Do you need additional capital?

Establish plans and strategies to reward your hard-working employees. It is important to make them feel that you highly appreciate the long hours and exemplary work. This way, you could be both an effective manager and motivator to your employees, which are the lifeline of your business.

Take note that your small business growth plan would not cure all of the weakness of your venture. But certainly, it could help get you a better fix. It could surely help improve and turnaround your business. Remember, your small venture would always need proper and right direction for it to further move forward.

Andrew has been blogging about short term business finance and business loans for the last 3 years.

5 Tools You Could Use To Improve Your Budgeting Skills

Admin — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 03:21:22 +0000

Are you wondering where all your money went? Many people face the same conundrum at the end of each month. After taking care of the bills and expenses, you find that there is no money left over. When you sit down to calculate where you spent it, you are unable to remember over half the transactions. This is why budgeting is an important skill to acquire. Keeping a monthly budget enables you to stay in control of your income and expenses. Else, you would end up facing the same situation month after month. Here are five tools you can use to improve your budgeting skills.

Mint.com

Mint.com is fast becoming a preferred money management tool for people looking to plan their monthly expenses. The level of security offered to users is high and all the information you store is safe. The best thing about the website is that it is extremely user-friendly in design and navigation. You can easily create a budget and enhance your skills. Mint.com is completely free to use which makes it even greater for use.

Save Benjis

Save Benjis is an application designed for your iPhone and iPod. You can download this app, which helps you to compare prices among online shops. Comparing prices can be a boring task for you if you do it manually. Save Benjis brings the best prices on offer in front of you. There is little doubt about the efficacy of this app and you will easily save some money by the end of the month.

Buxfer.com

Buxfer.com is a website as well as an app for the iPhone and iPod. It offers money management services for people looking to improve their budgeting skills. You can record each dollar you spend through Buxfer.com, either online or through the app. This makes it easier for you to plan your monthly spending.

Quicken

Quicken is the ideal software for people who have used Microsoft Excel for budgeting in the past. Quicken not only helps you record and plan your budget but also assists in setting goals for the future. Quicken is one of the best tools that are available to you if you want to improve your budgeting skills.

Wesabe.com

Wesabe.com is a budgeting tool and social network rolled into one. You can interact with the other members of this website and seek their advice on budgeting. The budgeting tools are highly competent and you can keep track of all your expenses. The information shared between users is a great feature of this website that makes budgeting easier for you.

These are five tools for improving your budgeting skills and gaining better control over your income and spending. The rising costs of living make it imperative that you start budgeting right away.

Although not a financial advisor, Allan has been offering tips on money savings strategies, savings accounts and retirement planning. Allan has been published in leading personal finance blogs.

The Need For A Survival Seed Bank

Admin — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 19:36:11 +0000

Now you can grow all the survival food you will ever need anywhere in the country with a kit that contains a special seed bank of hard to find, open pollinated... super seeds, grown by small, fiercely independent farmers. Let's face it. If the stories coming out on the world's food supply are even half right, we've got real problems and they aren't going to go away quickly. There is plenty of evidence that indicates private citizens, government agencies and businesses to name a few that are stockpiling food.

As the meltdown progresses, one of the first things to be affected will be our nation's food supply. Expect soaring prices along with moderate to severe shortages by spring.

Could you and your family get off the grid and survive in a panic? Do you have enough seeds to plant a survival garden and feed your family?

Here's What You Should Do Right Now...

First, you need to have the peace of mind knowing that if things were to get scary, that you and your family could still eat. Listen: having enough non-hybrid seeds to plant an acre or two could be the difference between life and death. With our new "Survival Seed Bank™," growing your own survival food becomes easy

These are NOT ordinary seeds... they have been chosen for their truly extraordinary germination rates!

Grown in remote plots, far from the prying eyes of the big hybrid seed companies, each of the Survival Seed Bank™ varieties have been hand-picked for germination rate, nutritional density and of course, storage life. These seeds are true heirlooms and produce extremely nutritious plants.

Each seed pack is individually packaged for maximum shelf life. Here's what we mean by that: We carefully dry each seed to the precise level of allowable moisture which "locks in" hardiness and maintains extremely long shelf life. Then, each seed package is sealed in a special foil packet with a very expensive desiccant designed to keep seeds fresh for 20 years at 70 degrees. However, if you freeze your "seed bank" you could increase the shelf life by five times or more beyond that.

Each Survival Seed Bank™ has a total of 22 varieties of OPEN POLLINATED "super seeds." Also included are detailed growing instructions for each variety which includes helpful information on harvesting of seed stock for the following year in a survival situation.

What will your family eat when the grocerty stores are empty?

To find out more about our high quality Seed bank please visit us directly at the link below.

http://greensurviving.com/seeds160

3 Ways To Avoid Being Hacked

Admin — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 18:19:23 +0000

Internet security has become a huge issue in the past couple of years. The recent Sony network hack has caused debates among many network security companies. Internet users are beginning to question the level of security for major sites, wondering if their personal information is truly safe. If you want to avoid being hacked, there are steps you can take towards protecting your information. Consider these tips....

1. Use A Strong Password

A strong password will prevent hackers from gaining access to your account information. Strong passwords usually contain 15 characters, a mix of numbers and symbols, and it must be a name or phrase that is not common. Never use your social security number, birth date, or names of friends and family.

If you have trouble creating your own strong password, you can use a strong password generator to create a strong password for you.

2. Never Select "Remember This Password"

This tip is more for Microsoft XP users. Often times, when you input a new username and password for a site, Windows will ask you if you want to save that password for that site. If you are not using your own secured computer, never select that option.

3. Clear all information and cookies

If you are using a public computer and need to access sites that require a password, make sure you always clear the history and cookies for that computer before you leave it. Another person can easily review the history of that computer and gain access to keystroke programs that record all of your keystrokes, including passwords and usernames. Of course, many public computers already have safeguards in place to prevent things like this from happening. Still, you must always take your security into your own hands, just in case.

Most of the time, if you stay conscious about your password security, you can avoid being hacked. Some simple measures are all it takes to keep hackers from gaining access to your personal information.

Pilot Program Encourages Deadbeat Parents To Pay Up

Admin — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 19:53:47 +0000

When a debtor simply doesn't have the means to pay all that they owe, lenders typically agree to accept part of the amount owed. While governments have long used a similar approach to managing monetary economics, states have historically lacked the freedom to use logic in their efforts to collect overdue child support. In fact, many states spend much more money hunting down, prosecuting and even incarcerating parents who owe back support than they could hope to collect from them. Now, a study shows that a pilot program in Wisconsin that offered parents for some of their outstanding debt were more likely to make payments on their current and past-due child support.

Non-custodial parents owe over $100 billion in back support to families and states. According to Brett Burkhart, one of the researchers who studied the pilot program for the University of Wisconsin's Institute for Research on Poverty Families, most of that money would be considered uncollectible by a private lender. The bulk of it is owed by impoverished noncustodial parents who don't have the means to pay it back and will likely never be able to pay it in full.

The study, led by Carolyn Heinrich working with Burkhart and Hilary Shager, examined the effects of a program implemented by Racine County, Wis., called Families Forward. Parents who were enrolled in the program received equal credit for every dollar in child support they paid. For example, parents who paid $1 in support got credit for the dollar plus credit for 50 cents towards their state arrearage and 50 cents towards the arrearage owed the custodial parent.

In spite of bureaucratic obstacles and resistance from custodial parents, the program was a success. Participants paid an average of $100 more each month and made 8.5 percent more payments than parents with similar circumstances who did not participate in the program. "Implementation of the program was the most challenging part," Burkhardt said. "Still, we did see the intended result, which was to get parents paying more on their child support debt."

Greeks Face Long, Uphill Climb To Economic Recovery

Admin — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 19:29:46 +0000

Although many areas have experienced financial difficulties over the past few years, the entire world has turned its eyes upon Greece’s current economic struggle. Massive debt has crippled the Mediterranean nation, which is experiencing a devastating recession.

After two long years of financial hardship made worse by austerity measures imposed from above by the Greek government, Greek citizens have expressed their discontent by staging at least 1,580 protests this year alone and voting in an economist, Lucas Papademos, to lead the country.

Papademos, who ran on a platform that included a promise to exorcise Greece’s economic demons through a program of tax increases and spending cuts, makes no bones about the difficult road ahead. "The exit from the crisis won't be easy," said Papademos during a parliamentary address. "The budget has difficult and ambitious goals."

Greece has recently pinned its hopes on a $170 billion bailout from the European Union (EU). Negotiations have been brutal, however, with many observers wondering how the struggling nation will bear the drastic measures that come as conditions of the bailout. Some have expressed concerns that the policy changes required by the EU will interfere with the Greek government's freedom to steer the country's monetary economics policy towards growth. Furthermore, the nation is still trying to get its private creditors on board with the idea of the bailout.

Greek citizens have already suffered through tax increases, public spending cuts and crippling unemployment. Prime Minister Papademos may be certain that there is a way through the darkness and into the light, but the Greek public seems less confident.

Attempts by the previous administration to salve the festering wound that is the Greek economy have done little but reduce the size of the public safety net and leave an already impoverished public poorer than they have been in generations.

A report from the General Confederation of Professional Craftsmen predicts that more than 180, 000 businesses will fold by summer, with many closing within the first quarter of 2012. A government poll revealed that one in four small business owners are worried they will go bankrupt in 2012.

Economist Timos Melissaris places much of the blame on a government grown too large for the private sector to support, as well as a topsy-turvy taxation system that siphons money from the ordinary citizens that can least afford it. "Even in Economics 101 you don't teach this kind of tax raid. Instead of catching the tax evaders or taxing the top executives and their bonuses, they continue imposing more taxes on the middle and lower classes," said Melissaris.

In return for the bailout, the EU is demanding reduced public salaries and pensions, cuts in social programs and tax increases. However, the Greek people are already reeling under the burden of salary, benefit and pension cuts, as well as three new taxes added in recent years, including a “solidarity” income tax of between one and five percent of gross income that was added on top of the country’s regular income tax.

Online Job Search Reduces Unemployment Time

Admin — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 21:44:12 +0000

A recent study by the University of Colorado Denver shows that job-seekers who look for new jobs using the Internet spend 25 percent less time on average between jobs than those who restrict themselves to more traditional job-search methods. However, the researchers noted that searching for jobs online does not garner higher-paying positions for searchers.

Researchers gathered information by asking job-seekers to complete surveys that asked questions about the methods they were using to look for work. These findings are at odds with the results of a 2004 study that found that individuals who used the Internet as part of their job search were actually unemployed longer than those who looked for work the old-fashioned way. This may be due to changes in the Internet and the way it is used, rather than to flaws in either study, however.

"In 2004 the researchers came up with two scenarios for their findings: The Internet was not an effective tool or that people who looked on-line for jobs were not as qualified," according to Hani Mansour, Ph.D., who co-authored the study. The earlier study was based on job-seekers who were using the Internet to look for work during the period between 1998 and 2000.

The original study found that 25 percent of young unemployed job-seekers conducted job searches using the Internet. By contrast, 75 percent of young unemployed people who are looking for work today use paid and free Internet resources in their job searches. The researchers believe that one key difference is the way today's job-seekers use the Internet. Networking has been identified as an effective means of finding a job, and today's unemployed are likely to use online social networking as they look for work.

According to Mansour, this was not the case over a decade ago when newly-connected young Americans tried to use cutting-edge technology to access a job market that had not yet learned to use the Internet to its advantage. In addition, today's job-search sites have benefitted from a decade of experience and become much more effective and user-friendly.

The findings help lay to rest some nagging questions that have puzzled experts since the earlier study showed that Internet job searches appeared to be counterproductive. "We speculate that significant improvements in technology over this period, ranging from better on-line job sites to network externalities associated with greater overall Internet penetration itself, might explain this change over time," Mansour said. "...In several new and low-cost ways it may be a more powerful tool in the job search process than it was a decade ago."

8 Must Have Items For Your Survival Kit

Admin — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 18:34:24 +0000

Everyone should have a survival kit in case of emergencies. It does not matter where you live; disaster can strike anytime, anywhere. While there are many "essential" items you can have in your kit, there is really only a need for eight items. Here they are and why they are important.

1. Water

You probably figured that this item would be the first on the list. Yes, water is very important. You should have at least a dozen fresh water jugs. A gallon of water is inexpensive at any grocery store. Some people purify their own water by boiling tap water. It does not matter how you attain fresh water, only that you have it in case of an emergency.

2. Wood Stove

Emergencies usually mean no electricity. Therefore, you should have wood stove for cooking during these times. Obviously, wood stoves require no electricity, making it ideal for a survival kit. Alternatively, many people use other types of non-electric cookers, such as BBQ smokers and charcoal grills. All of these are great for a survival kit.

3. Storable Food

This includes canned goods, dried foods and non-perishable items. You should have an abundant supply to feed your family through the course of an emergency. You should never have too many items that require deep freezing and refrigeration.

4. Flashlight

During the night, you will need flashlights for navigating. This is important for emergencies of all kinds. Whether your power is out, or you are stuck in the woods, you will need a flashlight. Make sure to store plenty of batteries, as well.

5. Lighters

Unless you know how to make fire from rocks or sticks, you will need a lighter to start a fire. Don't feel ashamed that your primal instincts haven't kicked in during an emergency. This is the 20th century, and people carry lighters to help start fires.

6. Radio

During an emergency, you need to constantly have a radio playing to hear updates about the situation. Staying informed will help you stay sane, as well as prepared for any further frustrations. Additionally, radios can bring some entertainment into the situation by playing music.

7. Swiss Army Knife

You will need one of these knives to help you accomplish tasks. You may not know how badly you need one of these knives until you run into a situation that requires it, especially for outdoor emergencies.

8. First-Aid Kit

If you are in the middle of a forest, you won't have access to a hospital. You should absolutely include a first-aid kit in your survival kit. Your first-aid kit should include bandages, gauze pads, hydrogen peroxide, rubbing alcohol, stitches, and various creams or lotions for cuts, scrapes, bruises, and bites.

Hopefully you never have to use your survival kit, but it is good to have it in case the time does come. Make sure you have these items and any other items that you want to include.

Happiness Is An Effective Crime Deterrent

Admin — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 03:22:38 +0000

A new study has revealed that happiness is an effective crime deterrent for adolescents. The report was co-authored by University of California - Davis sociology professor Bill McCarthy and UC Davis post-doctoral research Teresa Casey. In the report, "Get Happy! Positive Emotion, Depression and Juvenile Crime," the researchers found that adolescents who expressed happiness and well-being were significantly less likely to commit crimes and use illegal drugs.

The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health funded the study, the largest of its kind, to conduct a survey of 15,000 seventh-to-ninth grade students, from 1995 to 1996. Typically, much data about crime is found using an e-discovery tool, but in this case the survey asked the students to tell if they had committed non-violent crime, of which 29 percent indicated that they had at least once. 18 percent had used illegal drugs at least once.

The researchers then looked for correlations between the level of happiness the students expressed and their involvement in crimes and drug usage. They found that happier students were less likely to have committed crimes or used drugs, while depressed students seemed to be inclined toward these activities. Since adolescents are known to waver between happiness and depression, the study also found that adolescents who said they were happy more often than they were depressed had lower involvement in crime and drug use.

The implications of the study appear to tip the scales in favor of programs designed to help teens with depression and encourage overall happiness. Because of the wide range of issues that affect happiness, the findings could eventually impact everything from education to health care.

Researchers Use Math And Technology To Track Crime

Admin — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 00:27:07 +0000

A group of researchers at Tel Aviv University have developed an algorithm for tracking criminals based on the “digital trace” they leave behind in real time. Prof. Irad Ben-Gal, Dr. Eugene Kagan and Ph.D. student Aviv Gruber have come up with a way to use the digital traces that people leave behind as they move and interact with technology to catch criminals and strengthen homeland security.

The technique uses data from communication files along with the general data about the criminals to discern a pattern of movement and criminal activity. By aggregating information from emails, phone calls, and other data, the algorithm analyzes the patterns and variables and comes up with reasonable conclusions about possible locations of suspects and predictions about future movement.

The tracking system outputs a probability map that highlights zones where the suspects, criminals, terrorists, or persons of interest are likely to have been or could be operating. Every zone is assigned a level of statistical probability indicating the likelihood of a connection with the suspect. Law enforcement personnel can then concentrate their efforts on the higher level zones and work their way to lower level probability zones as their search continues.

The researchers work at the Department of Industrial Engineering at Tel Aviv University and have been using their algorithm to help officials locate criminals and also present other possible uses for the technology. Companies often need online e-discovery tools to help them better automatically generate recommendations for customers, track movement of digital downloads, and numerous other applications.

Come To The Aid Of The Blue Water Navy

Admin — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 04:01:36 +0000

Veterans of the Navy, Coast Guard and Fleet Marines (often referred to as the Blue Water Navy) who served in Vietnam in the offshore waters need your help and the help of everyone in your organizations. Veterans from this group who are currently disabled by diseases the VA links to the dioxin contained in Agent Orange are denied any health care and lost wage compensation. Ironically, any service member who can prove their boots touch the soil of mainland Vietnam automatically receives those benefits under a “presumption of exposure” rule. This rule allows those boots-on-ground veterans to claim their benefits without the need to prove any exposure to Agent Orange, the worst of the dioxin-based herbicides.

So, where’s the problem?

Between 1962 and 1971, the United States military sprayed 21,000,000 gallons of chemical herbicides and defoliants in Vietnam, eastern Laos and parts of Cambodia, as part of Operation Ranch Hand. The program’s goal was to defoliate forested and rural land, depriving the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army of places to hide. Another goal was to destroy the food crops, which affected both the Viet Cong enemy and the South Vietnamese “friendlies.” But no distinction was made between them. And, as the world now knows, the use of dioxin-based herbicide contaminated our own troops stationed in Southeast Asia.

Much of the massive application of the herbicides on the foliage eventually washed down streams and rivers, to the bays, harbors and offshore waters where the Blue Water Navy lived and worked, providing direct combat and combat support to the War effort. Their fresh water for eating, drinking and bathing was made from that water by techniques completely unable to eliminate any dioxin from the water. Several research studies show that the process of making fresh water aboard ships actually enhanced the toxicity of any dioxin trapped in the on-board water system by a factor up to 10 times.

There is currently a Bill in the Senate that would re-instate the health care and compensation to the disabled Blue Water Navy personnel, returning them to equal status with other Vietnam War veterans disabled by dioxin. That Bill was introduced on September 23 as S-1629, “The Agent Orange Equity Act of 2011.” But in order to get through the legislative process and be signed into law, the voters of America need to contact their Senators and Representatives to let them know there is strong support for this Bill. Methods for contacting Legislators by phone, fax and email are easily found on http://www.contactingthecongress.org/ and http://capwiz.com/military/dbq/officials/?lvl=C .

Agent Orange was a 50:50 mixture of 2,4,5-T and 2,4-D, and because of this combination, it was unlike anything that had ever been used in domestic agriculture. Agent Orange was manufactured for the U.S. Department of Defense primarily by Monsanto Corporation and Dow Chemical. The herbicides used to produce Agent Orange were later discovered to be contaminated with 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzodioxin (TCDD), the most highly toxic form of dioxin. Because of the large military demand for Agent Orange, the manufacturing processes were accelerated to maximize corporate profits, resulting in higher levels of dioxin contamination than in 2,4,5-T produced for civilian applications. It was given its name from the color of the orange-striped 55 gallon barrels in which it was shipped, and was by far the most widely used of the so-called “Rainbow Herbicides”. Prior to spraying, the contents of the 55 gallon drums were mixed in a 50:50 ratio with fuel oil to help the Agent Orange stick to the leaves. Because of the fuel oil, the Agent Orange and accompanying dioxin molecules were able to float much longer than otherwise.

John Paul Rossie, Executive Director
Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Association

Implications For The Continuing Economic Development Of Asia

Admin — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 03:13:10 +0000

ABC television recently screened a discussion on the Big Ideas show about the future of Asia. This screening is called "Q & Asia," and a panel of experts on the subjects involved were there to drive the discussion, which was moderated by Virginia Haussegger of ABC. The panel included Professor Andrew MacIntyre, Dr Kathy Morton, Professor Stephen Howes, and Professor Veronica Taylor.

The development of Asia is the definition of economics gone right. They have become a major economic player. What this means for the rest of the world was the first topic to be discussed. The balance of power between Asian countries, particularly China, and countries in the West, particularly the United States, has been the most prominent feature in world wide attention. However, the people of many countries in Asia have experienced a transformation as quality of life shifted away from poverty. Many of the problems currently in focus are short term issues, but there are some long term issues such as the future shrinking of China's population and existing instability in some regions. Also, despite general economic growth, there is still a great deal of variation culturally and in terms of government between countries in Asia.

Arguably, countries in the Asian market are described as developing rather than developed, so there is a potential for instability. However, this is more likely to be represented in the economic interaction with the population rather than the interaction between the Asian market and the rest of the world. Historically, more attention has been dedicated to countries in East Asia rather than more western Asian countries, so there has been some failure on the part of non-Asian countries to interact with these western Asian nations.

Generally speaking, the panel is optimistic about the increasing development of Asia. However, there are some reservations from all of the guests. Concerns cover a wide range of issues. There is still very little focus on Asia in terms of education. The prevalence of various Asian language studies and historical learning about Asia is very small compared to Western history. Also, Islamic Asian culture and growth is largely ignored in favor of East Asia. Additionally, despite the lack of dedication to Asian affairs, it is unlikely that the countries of Asia will wait for the rest of the world to catch up, so other countries may fall behind in political and economic interaction.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7Gwd7FuACs

A Doctor’s Visit A Week Keeps The Diabetes At Bay

Admin — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 04:03:58 +0000

In 2011, diabetes affects nearly 26 million people in America – more than 8% of the population. Most striking are the statistics inside those numbers. National diabetes statistics show that 7 million of these people are undiagnosed.
Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital recently released data that makes a diabetes diagnosis all that more important. Perhaps unsurprisingly, researchers found that more frequent visits with your physician actually help diabetes patients improve a trio of trouble areas that can lead to heart issues and stroke.

Frequent doctor visits benefits patients with diabetes by lowering the potentially deadly risks that come with high blood glucose levels, high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels. Improvements in these key areas are due in part to the increased level of attention received when you are in more constant contact with your doctor, as well as more opportunities for doctors to adjust medication levels and remind patients about positive lifestyle enhancements.

Alexander Turchin, endocrinologist and the study's senior and corresponding author, said that these meetings create a more consistent opportunity for doctors to prescribe new medications or adjust existing dosages. Additionally, physicians meeting more often with diabetes patients can more effectively persuade the patient to make important lifestyle changes in diet, exercise and overall weight – all of which can seriously hinder efforts to control diabetes.

These new findings might prompt an adjustment in the way standard maintenance care for a diabetic patient is defined. Normally, doctors test a patient’s blood glucose every 90 days or so. Based on the findings from the Brigham and Women’s Hospital study, researchers are now proposing that those with severe diabetes should meet with their physician every two weeks.

Based on analysis of approximately 26,500 patient records, Turchin and his team’s findings show that those with Type 2 diabetes who met with their doctor in person or via phone every week were the quickest to get their blood pressure, glucose levels and cholesterol levels in a healthy range.

The difference between patients seeing their physician every week as opposed to those patients who checked in every 90 days is as follows:

· Patients not taking insulin who visited every week took approximately 4.5 months to reach glucose goals, while non-insulin users who visited every 90 days took more than two years.

· Patients taking insulin and visiting every week took 10 months to hit glucose goals while those visiting every 90 days took almost 4.5 years.

· Patients seeing physicians every week achieved blood pressure goals in about 1.3 months, while those seeing physicians every 90 days took more than a year to reach blood pressure goals.

· Similarly, cholesterol levels in patients seeing doctors once a week reached goal in about 5 months and those visiting every 90 days took nearly 3 years to reach the same goal.

In fact, researchers found that extending the time between visits dramatically increased the amount of time it took patients to hit their glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol marks.

From our position as a pharmacy in Canada, the implications of this study seem to indicate a significant advancement in the management of diabetes and could signal a sea change in the treatment of diabetic patients, as well as how and when physicians prescribe appropriate medications.

The fact that more frequent interaction between doctor and diabetes patient usually means a much faster improvement in key health indicators is a boon for both physician and patient. However, this research underscores the importance of getting those 7 million undiagnosed diabetes patients in the U.S. on the road to treatment. And, furthermore, those remaining 19 million diagnosed patients would likely better manage their diabetes and overall health by meeting with their doctor more frequently than the standard 90 day interval.

Yankee, Come Home!

Admin — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 23:25:11 +0000

America must recognize it does not stand alone. Our present political and economic crises are as much a part of the natural order of world events as evolution itself, and cannot be viewed shortsightedly as just a national issue. We must perceive ourselves for what we are: an integral part of the global economy where our influence, massive though it is— roughly 25 percent of the world’s GNP—cannot be expected to turn this economic malaise around. As never before, we “fatties” sit in the same bathtub with the other slimmer nations of the world, and it is overflowing. Our combined productive capacity (the bathtub’s water) has outstripped our ability to consume it all, with the result that the goods and services of our labors are worth less than the value of labor itself. Now we witness our current depression hitting the working class disproportionately, as it always does. Only by reducing our fat can we stabilize the water level, easing the worldwide depression at the same time.

The trick is to do this carefully; otherwise, the toll of our weakness is the fatal consequence of war. And it is this choice, which we so recklessly use to empty the bath water, that we must step back from because global war could inevitably mean extinction or, as Jonathan Schell so vividly puts it, “the death of death itself.”1 So what alternatives do we have to ensure that the bathtub is emptied at a rate commensurate with the capacity to keep the international pain and suffering of the depression to a minimum?

Not many. But two, if simultaneously adopted, do come to mind. First, we must find the means of keeping American labor gainfully employed, for in the long run it is far less debilitating to the fabric of our society to keep people at work than it is to have them unemployed and paid less than subsistence-level dole-outs.2 Secondly, we must find the will to distribute the accrued wealth of our society more equitably across all strata of our society.3 The rich stay rich—they have the knack of doing so—but the poor must never be allowed to fall through the cracks, if for no other reason but the selfish one that in the future we would find it hard to endure the scorn of our children for being less than civilized.

But there is a third alternative, perhaps the most obvious and significant. If we are all together in the overflowing bathtub and since we cannot step out, no matter how much we would care to do so, working together to eliminate the overflow must become a collective priority. America must face global issues, not just parochial ones.

International bickering is childish. Talk earnestly, particularly with those who don’t like us: Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, etc. Our leaders must be discussing cooperation rather than conflict as if it were the only issue worth discussing, which it is. International agreements on eradicating nuclear warheads, working toward interfaith harmony, living beneficially with all life forms, limiting human population growth, preserving fresh water supplies—these are but a few examples—must be made and acted upon with national self-interest taking a back seat. Russia, China, and India must be full partners in this debate, since there is reliable consensus that these societies have built-in cushions that make the depression created by unbridled capitalism easier for them to endure. Most important, the West must refrain from the arrogant view that global capitalism as an economic model has everything to offer mankind, and instead pick over the pearls of wisdom of other far-from-moribund economic systems that we can utilize to our collective advantage.

The National Dilemma

Our first national responsibility must be to face the fact that we can no longer pretend to maintain a Defense Department when in reality it is a War Department. This would be the first but essential step away from the imperialistic tendencies we have cultivated since destroying the Native Americans’ way of life a couple of centuries ago. Only by eliminating spending on the wars we are presently waging, and never again engaging in wars (unless it is the legitimate will of the people), will we ever begin to attain a national maturity. And since our war (defense) budget has doubled since 2001, according to just-retired Secretary of War (Defense) Robert Gates, it is imperative that this national insanity be reversed immediately.

Well before 9/11, Osama bin Laden made it clear that as a citizen of the world he was opposed to three iniquities: infidel troops stationed on Arab soil (after the First Gulf War, America left troops stationed in Saudi Arabia), Israel’s rejection of United Nations Resolution 242, and US support of dictators ruling the Middle East, most notably Egypt and the Saudi royal family’s governance of his own homeland. While the world abhors the alleged outcome of bin Laden’s wrath, America’s irrational response, to invade both Afghanistan and Iraq on the flimsiest of reasons, inflamed that region. The result: the death of hundreds of thousands of Afghans and Iraqis, the uprooting of hundreds of thousands more over the whole region, now including Pakistan and Libya. It spurred the growth of Hamas and Hezbollah, the rise of the Taliban and militant Islam, and the decay of a once-proud nuclear nation we knew of as Pakistan, while sowing the seeds of our own economic chaos at home. Like a bear breaking into a honeycomb, America is now plagued by a furious horde of stinging bees we call terrorists, who in reality are expressing their outrage against our invasion and occupation of their countries. Like all nations with grandiose imperialist aspirations, America has to realize it is now at a turning point. Like Rome, its weakness comes from within. Our economic might has been exposed as a chimera.

To even begin to be able to call ourselves a civilized society, we must learn the meaning of humility. Our response must be the immediate pull-out of all foreign troops—US and NATO forces—from the entire Middle East. This in itself will still not negate the Theatre of the Absurd we adhere to: that a nuclear war is winnable. Why do we maintain the largest nuclear weapons arsenal the world has ever known, along with corresponding worldwide supersonic and underwater delivery systems? Reducing this colossal number of terrifying weapons unilaterally will be a welcome start to minimizing the risk that our human existence may be extinguishable by mistake. It will also put the world on notice that we are learning to respect it.

America still maintains a global empire of well over 700 acknowledged military bases with more than 2,500,000 US personnel serving across the planet. How many additional installations we maintain, using predominantly local forces and mercenaries under our command or influence, is unknown. But the size of our military empire must number well over 1,000 overseas bases, far greater than the British Empire in its heyday 100 years ago, and perhaps only comparable to the Roman Empire 2,000 years ago. Yet we are loath to label ourselves “imperialists,” even though much of the world witnesses our imperialistic ways each day. Since the end of the Second World War, both Japan and Europe have grown to tolerate the US presence only for the additional income it guarantees. It is time to come home from there too.

Firm realistic commitments to remove our global military presence and to remain behind our national borders must become the mainstay of our defense strategy. Nothing less makes moral or economic sense. America, as the greatest supplier of munitions the world has ever known, has a moral obligation to allow the world to cautiously dream of a future. If we are to live up to the standards of our freedom-loving forefathers, we must remember their intent, best stated by Thomas Jefferson: “Peace, commerce and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none.”

As Ron Paul states in The Revolution: A Manifesto, “the principles enshrined in the Constitution do not change. Today’s complex world cries out for the moral clarity of a noninterventionist foreign policy.”4

1. Jonathan Schell, The Fate of the Earth (1982–ISBN 9780394525594)

2. http://thepersonalsecurity.com/archives/fool%E2%80%99s-gold-of-u-s-foreign-policy

3. http://thedebtweowe.com/paying-the-piper

4. Ron Paul, The Revolution: A Manifesto (2008–ISBN 9780446537513)

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

The preceding was a guest article for Personal Security by author Jim Knapton. To know more about Jim Knapton’s new book, Changing Our World: Solutions for a Future, visit his website at http://www.ottolinepublishing.com/. You can send him mail at info@ottolinepublishing.com.

Through The Looking Glass

Admin — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 17:59:27 +0000

Bush and Cheney entered office in 2000, well before 9/11, ready to topple Saddam Hussein, according to then Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill in Ron Suskind’s The Price of Loyalty.(1) At their first National Security Council meeting, ousting Saddam was high on the agenda. After 9/11 no excuses were necessary. (Perhaps they knew it was coming?) So to get America into an imperialist war, contrary to the Constitution, both lied about Saddam’s nonexistent weapons of mass destruction. More than a decade later, with 4,000 dead and 50,000 seriously injured US troops, and at a conservative estimate, 650,000 dead and 1,000,000 displaced Iraqis, we are still there, stuck in alien territory. They even branched out to include Afghanistan, “surging” along attempting to “spread democracy.” Eight years later Obama took over. Instead of the promise of change he told us we could believe in, he widened the war, blowing up the Afghan campaign into a surge we were all made to believe in—meanwhile receiving the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize (sign on Texas gas station: “Free Nobel Peace Prize with Oil Change”)—while holding an election no one can believe in to select an Afghan head of government even he couldn’t believe in, and adding to Pakistan’s misery by getting them hopelessly involved. In this astonishing 21st-century New World Order campaign to control oil, drugs, and run the world, we’ve spent a trillion dollars we didn’t have. Potentially, it could require another trillion dollars just to get us out, as our incursions into Somalia, Yemen, and now Libya—perhaps soon Syria or Iran—perpetuate our continuous brutal behavior.

But if you think that’s lunacy, consider the consequences at home.

Out of nowhere in late 2008 we ran into a national financial crisis, reminiscent of the 1929 Wall Street Crash but caused this time by a sub-prime mortgage scare. Looking back now, how such a scam could have been considered legal is beyond comprehension. Apparently, with plenty of easy money sloshing about for customers with less-than-perfect credit, who cared? Certainly not the banksters and their friends, including the Securities and Exchange Commission and other federal regulators. So when variable mortgages began to shoot upwards, as they were designed to do, many new homeowners found they could not afford to pay their monthly bills and foreclosures grew rapidly. This led to home values in decline for the first time in years. Home sales sagged; real estate profits plummeted. So what did the Fed do to halt the oncoming recession? They cut interest rates in double-quick time. While this policy put more money into the economy, it ignored the fundamental flaw of the charade: there wasn’t any money. All we had as collateral was debt, the “pretense of money.” Bernanke hadn’t noticed that the economy was a house of cards on the brink of collapse. God knows why, because it was obvious to many others. Notwithstanding, Time magazine named him 2009 Person of the Year.

Now Bernanke is worried about inflation—the hidden tax on all of us, particularly the poor—and the next-to-useless dollar. The Dow Jones is all over the place but generally in decline. Our European partners are equally troubled with their sinking euro. Japan’s economy is in dire straits, not helped by a hugely devastating earthquake and tsunami with dreadful lingering consequences. Unemployment in both the US and the EU is at record high levels, showing little signs of improvement. Even China is grumbling, not surprising when it is beginning to wonder how the US is to pay off the $14 trillion debt which is being largely carried by China. Meanwhile, those in the know are hoping and praying that the floodgates are strong enough to hold back the self-inflicted increasing pressure caused by our past greed. It’s as if we all fell off our trolleys, running in the same tracks at the same time, and we haven’t a clue as to how to get back on.

The Soundness of Reason

If they want to be reelected, Washington politicians need to concentrate on two policies: creating sound money and caring for the welfare of the common people. Few of them realize this. Some are trying, but they have been brainwashed by the propaganda of economists who advocate getting out of the hole created in the autumn of 2008 by bailing out the banks, directly (Bush-Paulson) or indirectly (Obama-Geithner). Since these are reckless policies, relying on spending our future wealth now, they further the creation of unsound money in total disregard of the needs of the people. We see the rich winning at our expense and wonder why. Obama’s campaign mantras are quickly beginning to sound fraudulent.

Nobel Prizes for Economics (and now Peace) are a farce. Physics, Chemistry, Literature are all worthy endeavors. Economics is a game of chance predicting differing outcomes, none of which are certain. So why should Obama’s gang be any better than Bush’s gang? That’s why spending our future on a stimulus package that might work is not only risky, it’s criminal, particularly when it’s exactly how Bush tried and failed.

There are alternatives, Mr. Obama. Why not hone in on the problem and develop solutions? That’s what a physicist or a chemist would do. Economics is far too imprecise.

Answers to national problems are rarely found on the political Right or Left anymore but in the common sense of reason, the amalgam of principles and well thought through argument so necessary for our survival. Instead, contemporary debates are shouting matches on Sunday morning Fox TV programs, no longer the rational, lively discussion of disagreements presented on William F. Buckley’s Firing Line show thirty-odd years ago, particularly with guests such as Noam Chomsky or John Kenneth Galbraith. More recently, we could watch an engaging dialogue on Bill Moyers Journal on PBS on Friday evenings until Bill decided enough was enough. Now there is little that even approaches the intelligent discourse characteristic of a democracy that once was the pride and joy of the Western world. Nowhere is the present dearth of meaningful political discussion so conspicuous as on C-Span TV where congressional “debates” aired in three-quarters empty chambers are absolutely soporific, so different from the carnival atmosphere of the British House of Commons on Prime Minister’s Question Time.

So is the argument for getting back on the gold standard, or any other standard that does not create debt, the way forward?

To contemplate resolving such an enormous issue requires more than debate, even if we ever got around to it. It requires debts to be paid off, willingness to accept no new debt, everyone to live within their means, and exceptional hardship for a long time. In other words, it isn’t likely to happen because no one considers it a debatable issue, except Ron Paul. On the issue of even considering single payer healthcare, there was Dennis Kucinich until he gave up spectacularly by voting for the Obama healthcare bill at the very last minute, to squeak the president over the fence, the biggest about-face seen in politics in years. This is the decline of America in its most naked form.

Before the Lights Go Out

We need to listen not to economists (who bicker among themselves instead of providing any real guidance) or reactionary radio and TV pundits (who behave obnoxiously and enrich themselves at the expense of our penury) but to sound thinkers of uncommon rectitude—so far, the only one among contending presidential hopefuls being Ron Paul—with no axe to grind but, rather, consistent adherence to his principles as well as policies to steer America back to its worthy place as the hope of the world.

In addition, here is a blueprint for getting Americans back to work, a guarantee that eliminates the annual deficit, a plan for reforming America’s sickcare system, and an obvious change in the way we manage our wealth.(2, 3, 4, 5) An argument for a noninterventionist foreign policy is next in line.

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

1. Ron Suskind, The Price of Loyalty: George W. Bush, the White House, and the Education of Paul O’Neill (2004–ISBN 9780743255462)

2. http://thepersonalsecurity.com/archives/fool%E2%80%99s-gold-of-u-s-foreign-policy

3. http://thedebtweowe.com/paying-the-piper

4. http://organichealthadviser.com/archives/reforming-americas-sickcare-system

5. http://thedebtweowe.com/management-by-knowing

To know more about Jim Knapton’s new book, Changing Our World: Solutions for a Future, visit his website at http://www.ottolinepublishing.com/. You can send him mail at info@ottolinepublishing.com.

Fool’s Gold of U.S. Foreign Policy

Admin — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 01:12:30 +0000

***The following is a guest post for Personal Security by author Jim Knapton***

Fourteen trillion dollars is a lot of money. That is the size of our national debt. Someone said recently that if it were in five-dollar bills placed end to end, they would almost reach the moon. That’s what the USA owes the world, from the newest born to the oldest still with us: $45,000 each! Yet we’re at war in Afghanistan wasting billions on what? Fighting the Taliban and Al Qaeda apparently. If we are the greatest military machine the world has ever known and they are a bunch of “desert derelicts” (quoting Mark Steyn’s delicate words in America Alone: The End of the World as We Know It), after a hundred months of conflict, why is President Obama “winding it down”? Isn’t it because we can’t afford it? In other words, thirty-six years since the end of the Vietnam War, haven’t we lost again?

I am sure President Obama doesn’t wish to see it that way. Motivated by pressure from the military-industrial complex, whose only interest is its own profit and expansion, “benign imperialism”—or what George W. Bush proclaimed as “ensuring democracy”—is the fool’s gold of our foreign policy. Worse still, it is the cornerstone of our self-made slide into an unimaginable economic black hole, brought on by our shameless waste of resources and feigned ignorance of our own internal corruption. Come to think of it, hasn’t weaponry become the only substantial export we have left?

As Phyllis Bennis of the Institute for Policy Studies said on the PBS News Hour only two nights ago (6/21/11), “It’s time to leave Afghanistan totally now.” Surrounded by committed warmongering male think-tankers from the Center for New American Security and the Center for American Progress, it seemed fitting that it was the female among them that was the only advocate for peace.

We must be aware that we are the greatest manufacturer of munitions the world has ever known. Is this how we wish to be remembered? Not long ago we could afford this arms-manufacturing behemoth because US manufacturing also created exports for the world. Now we may feed ourselves, but we certainly don’t clothe ourselves or create wealth by making much else. We have given up domestic manufacturing; we decided, instead, to consume. We gobble up all that the world thrusts in our trough. And how do we manage this? We issue credit. If Nixon told us a dollar is as good as gold, does it matter if it is a paper dollar or just our scribbles on paper?

We do have other strengths, of course. The massive medical-pharmaceutical complex comes to mind, even though “healthcare for profit” is a contradiction in terms (20 percent of us have no health insurance coverage whatsoever). Wall Street and a few massive banks are doing well enough, propped up as they are with taxpayer bailouts. Software giants, such as Microsoft, IBM, and Google; enormous sales enterprises, such as Wal-Mart; and food distribution giants, such as McDonald’s and Coca Cola, are known the world over, for better or worse. At the same time, Hollywood’s media industries are distributing largely dumb-downed dollops of the barbaric, inane trivia they call entertainment to the masses.

All these, and much more, cater to the country and the world. But do they add wealth? Of course they do, but enough to pay off the national debt? Get us over the upcoming baby-boom hump? Cover the dollar outflow of our trade imbalance? Not likely, based on their performance right now. With little manufacturing among these giants we are not bringing

home the bacon. What’s left of Big Business appears massive, but manufacturing and service sectors are much smaller. Making products, particularly for export, has been (for the last century) the major source of the nation’s wealth. It has meant jobs at home and income from abroad. Instead, many businesses, even with labor-intensive back-office revenue streams, are outsourcing most of their labor overseas. What remain of US labor interests is being marginalized. Our wealth is pouring out of the country while unemployment here at home grows. It’s time to bring it back.

We begin by abrogating, slowly and carefully but with absolute determination, all international trade agreements we have signed. With equal care and deliberation, we add tariffs on all incoming manufactured goods. This will encourage American business to begin relying on quality manufacturing here at home. For that to be realized, local manufacturing must be given free rein to rebuild, with total cooperation among all parties—government, business, and unions. In addition, we must organize a massive internal reconstruction of our national infrastructure—transit systems, bridges, dams, solid waste disposal systems, roads, drinking water, wastewater, hazardous waste, navigable waterways—all graded D by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 2007. Crowded schools and traffic-choked roads are our way of life. It’s time to take care of ourselves, instead of meddling in the affairs of the Middle East. Besides, the skills lost by American workers will now be regained, basically paying for this national reconstruction, as demonstrated by Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1930s.

Furthermore, this is unlikely to be necessary ever again if done right the first time. Every one of us must be the beneficiary; no one must be left out. Moving away from reliance on others—whose only value was cheap prices and the creation of profits for the fortunate few—will not be easy, but the long-term gains will be immense. We will begin again to take pride in a secure economic well-being that will remedy many of our current national maladies while slowly absolving ourselves of a debt well beyond our present means ever to pay off. To make sure we get it right this time, immediately stop all wars. Channel the savings resulting from cutting defense spending into the recovery of the domestic economy, that is, the infrastructure of peacetime America’s space, energy, aeronautics, metals, transportation, housing, textiles, and electronics industries. By giving full support, within strong regulatory guidelines, to domestic production incentives, we could soon again become proud of the “Made in the USA” label. Promote research and development programs, particularly in clean energy projects, which are funded now at disastrously low levels. Exclude defense industries from this money flow. The logic will follow: if you know how to stimulate one section of the private sector, you can equally well stimulate another. Better still, we will stop shipping whatever wealth we thought we had to others everywhere else.

The buck stops here, at America’s shoreline. This will generate the reindustrialization of America. It means more than the equitable distribution of profits, it means re-creating national wealth. It is preposterous to continue our present policy of industrializing Asian countries at the expense of our own. Since transnational industrialists hold no allegiance to any nation, they naturally seek the cheapest source. When those are offered by countries whose national policies are geared exclusively to industry, our competitiveness is diminished since our national policies have been exactly the opposite, with our specialty being weapons of war. Because the quality of their goods is exceptional, and unbeatable from the standpoint of cost, we can do one of two things: give up and rely on their resourcefulness—hardly the American way—or turn around and recapture the industrial edge. Only we can reclaim our legacy.

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

To learn more about Jim Knapton’s new book, Changing Our World: Solutions for a Future, visit his website at http://www.ottolinepublishing.com/. You can send him mail at info@ottolinepublishing.com.

Birds Do It, Bees Do It, Even Educated Fleas Do It

Admin — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 05:41:21 +0000

Birds Do It, Bees Do It, Even Educated Fleas Do It

By Barbara Fix

For the trivia buffs out there, "Let's fall In Love" was first recorded in Paris in 1928, and the words held true until the honeybees began to disappear in late 2006. Befuddled honeybee keepers remain alarmed over the sheer magnitude of the problem that is a staggering 30% to 90% loss, with the hardest hit beekeepers reporting a nearly total loss of their colonies. As the scientific community became involved, the bee loss was given the term of Honeybee Colony Collapse Syndrome.

The US is not the only country to suffer honeybee losses. Canada, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal, Italy, and Greece also reported heavy losses, and soon Switzerland, Germany, South and Central America and Asia reported losses with their honeybee colonies as well.

Honeybees pollinate approximately one third of our fruit and vegetable crops, including almonds, apples, blackberries, cantaloupe, cherries, cranberries, cucumbers, peaches, pears, raspberries, soybeans, strawberries, pumpkins, squash, cucumbers and watermelon. The total value of US crops dependent upon honeybee pollination that routinely services commercial growers is over 15 billion. Not only is Honeybee Hive Collapse Syndrome financially crippling for growers both here and abroad, but beekeepers as well. For everyone across the globe, what is potentially at stake is the food chain.

Over the years there have been wildly differing views over what may be causing Honeybee Hive Collapse Syndrome: neonicotinoid (nicotine based) pesticides, Varroa mites, other insect diseases, environmental stress, malnutrition, migratory beekeeping, GMO'S and cell phone towers.

The good news is studies may have recently revealed the mystery. The Invertebryte iridescent virus and two fungus’; Nosema apis and N. ceranae appears to be the culprit. This toxic cocktail was found in both healthy and afflicted hives impacted by Honeybee Hive Collapse Syndrome. Treatment for effected hives appears to be working, but it may take some time before beekeepers and growers are breathing easy.

If you have been following this developing story and have concerns over your garden's production, look for articles on the Internet for instructions on Hand Pollination in the garden, or you can make a habitat-friendly environment for pollinators. And what better way than to start with the regal butterfly!

Bees aren't the only insects that pollinate gardens. Butterflies are great contributors to pollination as well. But first you must attract them to your garden. Butterflies are drawn to vibrant colors such as purple, red, orange, pink, and yellow. In the vegetable garden, planting anise-hyssop, which is a member of the mint family, will attract butterflies to your garden with its tall spikes of purple flowers. Another popular plant that attracts butterflies are Monarda, also known as bee balm. It has tall mop-headed bloom that will dazzle butterflies and jazz up the garden with its hot pink and red blooms.
The butterfly has a unique adaptation. They can taste through their feet. This likely evolved for the butterfly to detect nectar. When they find this sought after food source, their proboscis naturally uncoils to feed.

Butterflies are not finicky except when it comes to insecticides, as they are lethal to the butterfly. Even "benign" insecticide will kill the developing caterpillar. Other than that, they require only a few basic things to be happy in their habitat;: a place to lay their eggs, food plants to feed their larva, a place to form a chrysalis and nectar for the adult butterfly. If you want to provide the "Hilton" of accommodations, place flat stones in a sunny location for butterflies to visit and soak up some sun and warm their wings. You could go a step up and provide a "spa". Butterflies enjoy puddling, which is butterfly vernacular for gathering in a group on wet sand or mud to drink and extract minerals from the water. You can replicate natures "puddling" by placing a shallow pan filled with moist sand on the soil of your habitat.

Once you have provided a livable habituate, be sure to enjoy the butterflies' graceful beauty while you can, for most butterflies live for only 10 to 20 days. The exception is the monarch, which lives for six months.

By introducing winged friends to your vegetable garden, you will not only benefit from pollination of your pumpkins, squash, cucumbers and other Fruits and vegetables, butterflies will also help eliminate harmful insects from your garden and they improve the condition of garden soil.

If there was an unexpected emergency, do you have a 72-hour emergency kit in your car that will get you home safely? And when you arrive is there enough food, water and medical supplies to see you and your loved ones past a short-term or long-term crisis? If the answer is no, Survival Diva offers common sense, drama-free advice on bullets, bandages and food storage that won't break the bank!

http://www.survivaldiva.com/index.html

Survival Diva Available for E-Book Download $3.95
Join the fun at Survival Diva blog for more heads-up on current events and budget-saving advice on food storage and all things preparedness related http://www.survivaldiva.com/

How The U.S. Government Will Seize Your Retirement Account

Admin — Fri, 27 May 2011 02:14:02 +0000

Following in the footsteps of a rather ignominious list of nations like Argentina and Hungary, the government of lreland is set to take its ‘fair share’ of private retirement funds. Drowning in debt and faced with unpopular, unrealistic, ridiculously unpopular austerity measures, the government has announced that it will now tax private pension savings in order to raise 470 million euros (roughly $675 million) per year… a lot of money in a country of only 4.4 million people.

Somehow, the government expects to be able to create 100,000 jobs to bring down an unemployment rate at 14.7%. Perhaps they plan on hiring 100,000 new workers to go around the country and collect the tax.

It reminds me of what I saw in Bolivia a couple of weeks ago– there’s a tax or toll or fee for nearly everything you do. Driving on the highway (if you can call it that) outside of Santa Cruz, you pay a toll… obviously not for the maintenance of the road, but to pay the salary of the toll collector.

At the airport, you have to pay an airport tax before departure… obviously not for the upkeep and efficiency of the airport (it took 2-hours to make it to my gate), but to pay the salaries of the guys who collect the airport tax.

This is what politicians consider ‘job creation,’ yet these positions only serve to destroy value. That they would stick up the retirement funds of hard working people is even more immoral.

Here’s the best part, though. If you are a government worker in Ireland, your pension is exempt. They’re only going after people in the private work force. It’s truly disgusting logic to force private workers to pay for years of political incompetence while absolving government employees.

Coincidentally, there are a few other loopholes as well, particularly for non-residents and non-resident funds. Apparently those Irish who saw the writing on the wall and got busy moving themselves and their assets offshore will get to keep all of their savings.

Ireland is not the first country to call this play, nor will it be the last. Pension funds are attractive targets for politicians who have wide eyes and the most carnal thoughts at the site of any large pool of cash.

Think it can’t happen where you live? Think again. Late last year, the French government went through an elaborate process to change its pension laws, ‘legally’ allowing politicians to steal retirement funds from the public in order to pay off other debts.

In the US, public pensions have been raided for years, Congress routinely ‘borrows’ from Social Security to make up budget shortfalls. This is what talking heads mean when they play down concerns of a $14 trillion debt “because we owe it to ourselves–” $4.6 trillion of the debt is owed to intragovernmental agencies like Social Security.

Chances of this money being repaid to Social Security in full? Slim. The trend is more debt, not paying off existing debt. In fact, I’m convinced that politicians have their eyes firmly fixed on the trillions of dollars in private, individual retirement accounts (IRAs) in the United States to fund new spending.

Here’s how it will go down:

First, there will be some event… some sort of financial cataclysm, similar to the market meltdown we saw in 2008 after Lehman.

Bear in mind that most IRAs are managed by boneheads at big financial institutions; they get compensated not based on the performance of their portfolio, but on the total amount of assets under management. Your interests and their interests do not align.

As such, most IRAs are callously tossed into S&P index funds or some such generic vehicle, citing the safety of broader market diversification, as if that nonsense they teach in MBA finance classes is how the real world actually works.

When a big crash occurs, these unhedged broad market positions get hammered the most. Don’t worry though, your fund manager will still get a big fat bonus check, because his performance is irrelevant.

This is when Congress will step in. Citing its desire to ‘protect’ the American people from future market shocks, the politicians will mandate that a portion of all managed retirement funds be invested in the ‘safety and security’ of US Treasury bonds. And, just to be on the safe side, let’s park them in 30-year bonds that yield 4.35%.

Sound fair? Well who asked you anyways… just be a good citizen and turn over your money already. The important part is that the big financial institutions still get their big fat fees, and the government gets its hands on the mother lode.

This is how US taxpayers will end up being forced to loan their hard earned retirement savings to the government at rates far below any expected inflation.

Right now, there is a window of opportunity to take action; US taxpayers with retirement accounts can set up a special kind of IRA structure that allows you to take control of your retirement savings, and even ship it offshore if you want to, completely legitimately.

After taking control of your IRA, you can do any number of things– buy and store gold and silver coins overseas; hold foreign currencies in an offshore bank account; buy securities on international stock exchanges; purchase agricultural property overseas, or even a beautiful apartment on the beach in some sunny country.

The possibilities are incredible… but the most important thing is that you get this retirement money off the radar of the politicians before they pull an Ireland and announce some new measure, virtually overnight. These things can happen very, very quickly.

I’ve talked about this before a number of times, and every time I read the news of yet another country taking this approach, it serves as a reminder to take action.

If what I’m saying makes sense to you, my recommendation is to check out Terry Coxon’s book on this subject, Unleash your IRA. As one of the world’s foremost experts on this strategy, Terry walks you through the process of protecting your retirement savings quickly and legitimately. You can read more about it here.

I’ll be out tomorrow looking at some fantastic deals on agricultural property in Chile’s beautiful Central Valley, stay tuned for more.

Original article can be found here: http://www.sovereignman.com/expat/how-the-us-government-will-seize-your-retirement-account

Simon Black, a.k.a. SovereignMan, is a permanent traveler, international businessman and, most importantly, a free and sovereign man. Tens of thousands subscribe to the Sovereign Man’s excellent free newsletter, which is short, actionable and comes out daily.

Is There Financial Security To Be Found In The Stock Market In 2011?

Admin — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 00:22:23 +0000

Under the Big (Market) Top

Courtesy of Phil of Phil's Stock World

1,332.

That is a 100% in the S&P since it's March 2009 low of 666 (see David Fry's chart). Does it matter? Can we expect even a LITTLE pullback after a 100% run or is it "to the moon Alice" and maybe Mars and Jupiter while we're at it as the Federal Reserve's multi-Trillion Dollar thrusters send us to the stars, breaking the bonds of gravity(and logic) as they send stocks every higher in an expanding universe of freshly supplied money. As fellow stock market physicist, Art Cashin said yesterday:

The Newtonian Rally Continues – A mild paraphrase of one Sir Isaac Newton’s laws of force and motion (inertia) says that a body in motion will stay in motion unless acted upon by some counterforce. That seems to be the guiding rule for the QE2 rally since it started with the Jackson Hole speech before Labor Day.

Yesterday, the Dow rallied for the sixth straight day. Simultaneously, treasuries fell for the sixth straight day. It was a low volume levitation, however. The NYSE volume failed to make it to 900 million shares.

Does the low volume indicate we are losing thrust or was it merely a function of the end of the Fed's current POMO schedule forcing us to coast on momentum for a day as they prepare to fire stage three thrusters to help the S&P achieve final escape velocity? As I said to Members yesterday:

The Fed can feed $3.5Tn into the thrusters and you can have a spectacular launch that looks like it’s heading straight to the moon but it’s right at the peak, when you need to fire that second stage perfectly, that you have the highest probability of failure. When a market escapes gravity – you will know it. Like the Nasdaq in 1999 and oil in 2008 – not just a little up every day but spectacular gains that go unpunished. That’s what we’ll see if they hyperinflation begins to creep into the markets.

As I had pointed out years ago in our educational post on "Stock Market Physics":

What we have in this chart, along the dotted line, is an actual picture Kepler’s third law of motion in action as the Nasdaq forms an elliptical orbit as it attempts to escape. By simply applying the following formula we can see where the Nasdaq is going:

T = time since the last crash

a = total number of points gained

G = bearish sentiment + bad news

M = total value of the global market

m= total value of the Nasdaq

In absence of new fuel (inflows), we can expect some sideways drift – something has to change in the formula (kidding about being able to predict where we are going by the way!) for us to break orbit.

What the Fed has done with their $3.5Tn meddling in the markets is introduced a new factor: The ever-expanding money supply and, like our expanding universe, it means that we have an outside force acting on the markets that make all our other measurements invalid. It's kind of like saying "How fast will you fill a one gallon container using an 8 ounce glass of water if you can pour one glass every 30 seconds?", which has a straightforward answer. What the Fed has done by drowning us in money is added to that question "...if you are standing at the bottom of the ocean." See, makes a difference in an otherwise straightforward calculation, doesn't it?

But (and it's a Big But), what if the question is "How many 8 ounce glasses can a gallon container hold?" Now it doesn't matter if you fill that gallon container at the bottom of the ocean or back on the moon - the answer is always going to be 16 glasses. So, while the Fed may be able to affect the rate at which stocks return to their "full" value, it remains to be seen whether or not they can affect the FACT of what that full value should be. To some extent, we expect inflation to expand the bottom lines of the companies we invest in - so they "expand" in "value" along with the expanding universe of money that the Fed is creating.

The Fed, as we know, claims there is no inflation. If there is no inflation, then those rising input costs that companies are reporting must be something else and the idea that they can pass those costs along to the consumer is also an impossibility because, if there is no inflation, how will the consumers get money to pay more for everything? See, even in a market universe awash with cash - we still have to balance our equations, don't we?

It's going to be a loony day on our lunar market mission as Ron Paul (aka 'Gravity")squares off against Ben Bernanke (aka "The Bernank - Pilot who Sits in the Bubble") about the wisdom of applying more thrust (aka "Quantitative Easing") to the expanding economic ship (aka "Mass") which is already moving at a dangerous speed (aka "Inflation"). Doctor Paul seems to be the only one concerned about the fact that the economic ship took off without any passengers, or at least only 10% of them and that's why today's hearing is titled: "Can monetary policy really create jobs?" We will be hearing testimony from Austrian-school economist Thomas DiLorenzo,whose testimony includes the great lines:

As applied to today’s economic situation, it is obvious that the artificially low interest rates caused by the policies of the Greenspan Fed created an unsustainable boom in the housing market. Thousands of new jobs were in fact created – and then destroyed – giving an updated meaning to Joseph Schumpeter’s phrase “creative destruction.” Many Americans who obtained jobs and pursued careers in housing construction and related industries realized that those jobs and careers were not sustainable after all; they were fooled by the Fed’s low interest rate policies. Thus, the Fed was not only responsible for causing the massive unemployment that we endure today, but also a great amount of what economists call “mismatch” unemployment. The skills that people in these industries developed were no longer in demand; they lost their jobs; and now they must retool and re-educate themselves.

In summary, the Fed’s monetary policies tend to create temporary and unsustainable increases in employment while being the very engine of recession and depression that creates a much greater degree of job destruction and unemployment.

Ohio University's Richard Vedderwill read the following into the record:

On the fiscal side, politicians unfettered by rules behave like unsupervised alcoholics in liquor stores. Thus we need some sort of constitutional constraints on governmental fiscal actions.

I said last week, as we prepared for the upcoming testimony: "In the words of the immortal Flounder: "Oh boy, is this great!" We rarely get an opportunity to have this kind of political fun - I can only hope that Ron Paul doesn't disappoint us by selling out and rolling over for the Fed, as so many wannabe game-changers have done in the past.

There's nothing new going on here,the cartoon on the right is from the Chicago Tribune in 1934, expressing concern over how much money the government was spending to bring us out of the depression. Note the "kids" drunk with power in cart? They are called "Pinkies" from Columbia and Harvard, a reference to the far left of the day. You can see a menacing Joseph Stalin on the right edge saying, "How red the sunrise is getting". As it turned out we could not borrow and spend our way out of the depression, the government measures only insured that it lasted a few extra years.

Today it is all about G (from the equation above), which is Sentiment. Right now, there are no bears. They have all been taken out and shot and are as extinct as moose would be if Sarah Palin had more free time and helicopters to hunt them down with. Helicopter Ben has murdered the bears, pushing bearish sentiment to the lowest levels since the great capitulation of 1999 when even the most value-oriented investor began to say: "$1Bn for a sock puppet that sells dog food on-line? Sure, sounds great."

We're paying $2Bn for a company that doesn't even have a sock representing them but does allow you to make a reservation with your IPhone (OPEN) - a mere 168 times projected 2011 earnings will buy you a share.
We paying $11.5Bn and 73 times earnings for a company (NFLX), also with no puppets, that charges $8.95 a month to watch movies on-line, which is nice but my cable company has hundreds of movies and TV shows on-demand included in their service for free and, of course, there are at least 6 other companies offering or planning to offer the same service and they all think they will get 50% of the market while holding their margins. Good luck!
We are paying $22Bn and 48 times earnings for a company that does not have a sock puppet,but does have Captain Kirk, whose acting ability has, on occasion, been compared to that of a sock (PCLN). What does Priceline do that is so unique that they deserve a p/e ratio 150% higher than Apple Computer, who earn in a week three times more than PCLN does in a year? Why they have on-line travel reservations. Isn't that BRILLIANT? I mean, who else could possibly do that?

Things are a little crazy out there and I think we're getting into a dangerous place where sentiment could change and that could, however briefly, cause us to pull back off our lofty highs but, then again - if we're filling a jug of water at the bottom of the ocean - it's not a good idea to bet that no one will get wet. Until Uncle Ben is actually forced to turn off his money hose - this rising tide will continue to lift all ships.

What Do The Protests In Egypt Mean To America?

Admin — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 01:43:05 +0000

What Egypt means to America?

That ultimately we too will fall…

By Jack E. Lohman

Americans do not like to talk of this, but it is inevitable. They are throwing rocks but we have guns. Ours won’t be as nice.

We at least have a semblance of fair elections, but increasingly they are controlled by the top 3% of the wealthy and the politicians that benefit from the payola. And the fact that our Constitution has been construed to make money = speech and corporations = people has made matters worse.

The Fat Cats have their personal vote, but they also control the purse strings that excite the politicians.

Looking at the Egyptian protests it is too soon to tell whether they are going to be ahead or behind when it’s all over. In any gathering of this type the Bell curve tells us that there are some very good people at one end and some very bad people at the other.

Who prevails will dictate whether or not the “fix” has longevity, but other Middle East countries will tumble as well.

Only free and fair elections can move Egypt forward. And for emboldening Iran? Yea, perhaps the group that protested earlier will start up again.

But that’s true of the U.S. as well

Let’s hope that our politicians see the handwriting on the wall. They surely must know that they’ve pushed Americans too far.

They’ve allowed the bankers to violate security laws and thus far have refused to prosecute them. Isn’t having money great?

They’ve allowed the bankers and financial institutions to rip off taxpayers and effectively transfer wealth to those at the top. Wealthy people got even wealthier as assets from 401(k)’s, retirement plans, and housing values transferred from our pockets to theirs.

They’ve allowed corporations to send our jobs to countries whose wages are 1/10th ours. In fact they’ve subsidized them with taxpayer cash.

Good guys these. Our congressmen are this nation’s board of directors yet they are protecting only those at the top, because those at the top fund their campaigns. Can that be called anything but bribery and payola?

Only public funding of campaigns will get these jerks working for us rather than them.

Tidbits:

Like Egypt, President Obama is currently seeking permission to shut down the Internet in a national “cyber attack.” But will it stop there?
And, why are gas prices increasing so much? Because they CAN. The speculators saw our economy recovering and Egypt was a good excuse to get a piece of it. So they did.
Now the pro-Mubarak citizens are out. One side or the other are probably paid agitators.
What do the polls say? Where is the majority on this? What’s wrong with calling immediate, internationally supervised elections, without the U.S. being involved? Even let Mubarak run and see if he is the better-liked candidate!

Jack Lohman is a retired business owner from Colgate, WI and author of "Politicians - Owned and Operated by Corporate America." He is publisher of http://MoneyedPoliticians.net and can be reached at jelohman@gmail.com

Turning The Clock Back Isn’t Enough: The Nasty Surprise Awaiting The GOP On Health Care And The Deficit

Admin — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 20:03:52 +0000

Today we have a wonderful guest article from Scott Bittle and Jean Johnson. They are the authors of a new book entitled Where Does the Money Go? Rev Ed: Your Guided Tour to the Federal Budget Crisis. What they have to say about Medicare, Social Security and the coming federal government debt crisis should be a huge wake up call for all of us. The truth is that the U.S. government is looking at a sea of red ink for as far as the eye can see, and our politicians are just going about business as usual as if our entire financial system was not about to come crashing down on our heads. I think that all of you are really going to enjoy the tremendous insights that Bittle and Johnson have shared with us in this article....

*****

Turning the Clock Back Isn't Enough: The Nasty Surprise Awaiting the GOP on Health Care and the Deficit By Scott Bittle and Jean Johnson, Authors of Where Does the Money Go? Rev Ed: Your Guided Tour to the Federal Budget Crisis.

The Republicans who will take control of the House this January have made it clear there are two things they hate: deficits and President Obama's healthcare reform. They've promised to reduce the first and repeal (or at least hobble) the second. But if you're worried about deficits, repealing the Obama plan won't do any good unless you've got a better idea. In fact, the numbers say repealing it could make the government's budget problems worse.

Despite the outrage over spending on the Wall Street bailout, the stimulus or the Iraq war, at least these costs are temporary. But the combination of an aging population and health costs that keep rising faster than inflation means that spending on Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security are going up - - and they'll keep going up for years on end. With an aging population, there will be more older people eligible for these programs. The health care they need will cost more on top of it.

When people argue about the costs of an aging America, they often lump Social Security and Medicare together like they were the identical twins of public policy. If they are twins, they're more like the 1980s movie Twins, featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito as the world's most improbable pair of brothers. Maybe you remember the iconic movie poster. It shows the two dressed alike, but with an enormous Schwarzenegger looming over DeVito. In the budget world, Medicare and Social Security are both problems, but Medicare is definitely played by Arnold. Here's why.

Health care spending has been rising faster than the inflation rate for decades. In 2007, the Consumer Price Index went up 2.8 percent, and health spending went up 6 percent. In 1997 inflation went up 2.3 percent, and health spending went up 5.4 percent. In 1990, when inflation was 5.4 percent, health spending climbed nearly 11 percent.

That's why Medicare is the real budget buster. The Government Accountability Office likes to explain the budget problem by talking about the $56 trillion in "unfunded liabilities," the country faces over the next few decades, commitments the government has made to provide Social Security and Medicare for people paying into these programs now. About $34 trillion of that is Medicare alone.

That's a mind-boggling number. You could throw out the $700 billion Wall Street bailout, the $787 billion stimulus package, the more than $1 trillion spent on Iraq and Afghanistan, even the $4 trillion the government will take in if we let the Bush tax cuts expire, and in the long term, we'll still be in trouble if Medicare stays as it is now.

That means – and so few people in politics will say it flat out –that the government will go broke if it doesn't either change Medicare or the broader health care system to control costs. That was true before the Obama plan was ever passed.

And after? Yes, the Obama plan costs more than $800 billion over the next decade to expand coverage and implement other changes. But the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office says because the plan reduces Medicare spending, it will trim the deficit slightly over the next decade ($143 billion by 2019) and by $1 trillion or more after that. Plus, the Medicare trustees say the changes in the bill extend the life of Medicare's trust fund by 12 years, to 2029, which is significant.

How can that be? Well, the Obama plan cuts what Medicare pays to doctors and hospitals down the line, raises some fees and taxes, and pays for research on ways to provide health care more cost-effectively. The projections depend on Congress following through on these changes planned in the law. If it doesn't, there obviously won't be any savings. What's more, the projections assume the law actually succeeds in making the health care system more efficient, such as through new research into the best ways of providing care. If that doesn't work - - and critics, including Medicare's own actuary, are skeptical - - Medicare will cost more than projected.

So if we just repeal the Obama plan, and don't find another way to cut Medicare's costs, we're back where we started: on our way to national bankruptcy. The same is true if Republicans go through with their plan to block the various provisions in the law. Given the way Washington often works, it would be easy - - all too easy - - for Congress to jettison the unpopular cost-cutting provisions of the Obama plan and keep the expensive (but more popular) parts that will expand and improve coverage.

In today's hyperpartisan political climate, too many people believe it's enough to block the other guy's plan. That counts as a victory. But the truth is the status quo is not an option. And it's not at all clear that the Republican ideas on health care, such as a voucher system for Medicare or eliminating the tax breaks to employers to provide insurance, are going to be any more popular with the public than the Democratic plan or do any more to reduce costs. The Republicans have mostly ridden the wave of "not this." They haven't done the hard work of preparing the public for "what now?" But "what now" on health care is the question that really matters on the budget. If we don't answer it, a lot of the other ideas might turn out to be Band-Aids.

Author Bios

Scott Bittle, author of Where Does the Money Go? Rev Ed: Your Guided Tour to the Federal Budget Crisis, is the executive editor of Public Agenda Online and has won two Golden Quill awards for feature articles and was honored by the Philadelphia Press Association for daily newspaper writing.

Jean Johnson, co-author of Where Does the Money Go? Rev Ed: Your Guided Tour to the Federal Budget Crisis, is the Executive Vice President of Public Agenda, Jean Johnson has more then 20 years of experience understanding public attitudes on a broad range of issues. She has also written for various publications such as USA Today, Education Week, and the National Institute of Justice Journal.

For more information please visit PublicAgenda.org and follow the authors on Facebook and Twitter

The 10 Best Self-Defense Gifts For The 2011 Holidays

Admin — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 18:57:57 +0000

Are you looking for some practical self-defense gifts for the 2011 holidays? Well, you came to the right place. We take personal security very seriously. The reality is that most people give gifts that end up getting returned to the store or that end up sitting on the shelf collecting dust. Instead, why not give gifts this holiday season that could literally save the lives of those receiving them? All of the self-defense gifts below are extremely practical and are also extremely affordable. The truth is that as the U.S. economy continues to collapse, crime is inevitably going to rise. Do you really want your wife or your daughter to be running around out there without any protection? Do you want to be running around out there without any protection?

The world is getting crazier every day. People simply are not as moral as they used to be. There are literally millions of criminals and predators out there, and at some point either you or a member of your family could encounter one of them. Are you and your family ready for that day?

The following are 10 of the best self-defense gifts for the 2011 holidays....

#1 Black Cat Self Defense Keychain - This is great for anyone, but especially for women. It only costs a few bucks, it is very easy to carry, and in a tight spot it can be an absolute life saver.

#2 Streetwise 700k Volt Stun Gun w/ Alarm and Holster - There are very few things that will do more to get potential attackers to back off than showing them that you have a stun gun on you.

#3 Point Blank Patrol II Body Armor NIJ Level II size Medium 44R ONLY - Bulletproof vest - Body armor can literally save your life. If you think you will ever be in a position where people will be firing bullets at you, then you should really consider investing in some body armor.

#4 Combatives for Street Survival: Volume 1: Index Positions, the Guard and Combatives Strikes - A great book with some very practical tips on how to survive in street fight situations.

#5 Get Tough - This is an old book but it is an absolute classic when it comes to self-defense techniques.

#6 SABRE Compact Pepper Spray with Pink Key Case - Supports National Breast Cancer Foundation- By purchasing this small pepper spray unit, you can defend yourself against attackers and support breast cancer research at the same time.

#7 4 oz. Ounce Pepper Spray With Nylon Holster - This pepper spray unit is a bit more "manly" and it is for those who think they may need something a little more "serious".

#8 Expandable Self Defense Baton 16 Inch Black - When it comes to self-defense, you want something that you can carry with you anywhere but that can also pack a big punch. This expandable baton definitely does the trick on both accounts.

#9 Hardcore Self-Defense - The title of this book says it all. There is a reason why so many of these books have been sold.

#10 Slap Hat Extreme Self Defense Cap - These caps look like regular baseball caps, but they make very versatile self-defense weapons in a pinch.

Personal Security? The Debate Over Full Body Scanners And Privacy Continues To Grow

Admin — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 16:28:29 +0000

All over the United States, new high-tech full body scanners are being installed at airports, and we are told that this is for our own good. Apparently it is in the interest of national security that we all be subjected to what amounts to "virtual strip searches" before we get on an airplane. But are these full body scanners actually going to make us safer? Are they actually needed for our personal security? Or are they just dehumanizing us and blasting us with needless amounts of dangerous radiation? Well, the debate continues to rage on but the Transportation Security Administration continues to install them anyway. At this point the TSA has spent more than $80 million for about 500 full body scanners. 133 have already been installed at U.S. airports, and the TSA plans to install about 1,000 more by the end of 2011.

But the debate about these full body scanners continues to grow. In fact, some travelers are getting downright angry. Just consider the following quote from a recent USA Today article about these machines....

"The system takes three to five times as long as walking through a metal detector," says Phil Bush of Atlanta, one of many fliers on USA TODAY's Road Warriors panel who oppose the machines. "This looks to be yet another disaster waiting to happen."

But the truth is that "inconvenience" is only a small part of the debate.

Security officials admit that these full body scanners can see the most intimate details of our exposed bodies right through our clothing, and now there comes word that these machines may be far more hazardous to our health than previously believed.

Scientists at Columbia University have found that the dose of radiation from these new full body scanners could be up to 20 times higher than originally estimated.

Yet the TSA is not even slowing down their installation of these machines. Federal authorities seem to have no concern that millions of travelers could soon be getting fried with massive doses of radiation by these scanners.

What in the world is happening to America?

The truth is that it is getting downright humiliating to travel by plane in America.

Just watch the video news report about TSA security abuse below.

What you are about to see will blow your mind.

Is it worth going through this type of abuse just to get on an airplane?....

Yes, personal security is important, but isn't human dignity important as well?

What does it say about our society when we all line up and allow gawking security officials to examine our entire naked bodies just so that we can get on an airplane?

Okay, so perhaps you say that you just aren't going to fly.

Well, what happens when these full body scanners start being installed in bus, train and subway stations all across America?

You don't think it could ever happen?

Think again.

The truth is that our country is changing.

In fact, a new bipartisan bill introduced in the U.S. Senate would require all U.S. airports to use the new full body scanners.

Once we get used to them there, could one day they be required for every bus station and train station as well?

Yes, very easily.

We are on a very slippery slope and our land which once cherished freedom and liberty so much is rapidly turning into a locked-down Big Brother police state.

But at least we will all feel safe, eh?

The United States Leads The World In One Unfortunate Statistical Category: Crime

Admin — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 19:40:36 +0000

The United States leads the world in one very unfortunate statistical category - crime. The truth is that we are not nearly as "moral" and "law abiding" as we would like to think that we are. In fact, more crimes are committed in the United States than anywhere else in the world, and more people are in prison in the United States than anywhere else in the world. The U.S. is experiencing an epidemic of murders, rapes and robberies, and that is only going to get worse as the U.S. economy continues to come apart. That is one reason why so many people are stocking up on home and personal security equipment. When people are desperate, they will do things that they never even imagined that they would do. As more people lose their jobs and lose their homes an increasing number of them will turn to crime.

The following are some really sobering statistics about crime in the United States....

*There are nearly 12 million crimes committed in the United States every single year. That is by far the worst in the world. No other country has more than about 6 million reported crimes per year.

*There are currently over 2.2 million people in prison in the United States. The U.S. leads the world in the number of prisoners and in the percentage of the population in prison. The United States has 5% of the world's population, but 25% of the world's incarcerated population.

*The United States also has 100,000 rapes every single year. That is the highest number for any of the countries in the United Nations.

*There are approximately 500,000 robberies in the United States every single year. However, this is only the second highest number among the countries belonging to the United Nations.

*There are about one million police officers in the United States - the highest number in the world.

*There are over 17,000 murders in the United States every single year, and that number is only going to go up as the economy crashes and people become more desperate.

*There are over 1.2 million car thefts in the United States every single year - by far the most in the world.

*One out of every five people is a victim of a crime every year in the United States. Once again, this is the worst rate in the world.