Prevent Online Identity Theft

by Richard F. Hill
© Richard F. Hill – All Rights reserved

Identity theft rates one of the fastest growing crimes in America today and the Internet can make it even easier for
some criminals to take your good name and drag it through the mud.

Identity theft involves criminals stealing your personal information such as credit card numbers, social security
numbers and other information, usually to buy things on credit or to empty out your bank accounts.

Through your financial liability with your credit cards may be limited to $50 to $500, it can take years for you to
clean up the mess online identity thieves leave behind.

As with any crime, an ounce of prevention may just cause the would-be identity thieves to leave you alone and move on to an easier target.

The following tips can help you avoid having your identity stolen.

1. Never give out your social security number, online or otherwise. No company you buy things from needs your social security number.

If you do business on the web, obtain a a Federal Tax ID number to use instead of your social security number.

Once criminals have your social security number, along with your birth date and address, they have virtually everything they need to start wreaking havoc in your life.

2. Use a good anti-virus program. One of the ways criminals get your credit card numbers, passwords and other sensitive information is through “Trojan horse” viruses that log your keystrokes and transmit information to the evil doers.

The “Bad Trans” virus that has caused so much havoc is just such a virus.

3. Always use a “secure” server when transmitting credit card information over the web and know something about the company before handing over your information.

You can feel pretty confident that you are using a secure server if a little lock displays in the status bar on the
bottom of your web browser.

4. A popular new way to pay for goods and services online is to “use your checking account just like a credit card”.

Be extremely cautious about paying this way through the web. By giving a company your checking account numbers you give away much of the information necessary to empty your bank account!

5. Never give out information such as your birthday, marital status, education level or other personal information.

This additional information makes it extremely easy for criminals to make themselves appear legitimate when they
pose as you. Websites should ultimately only require you to provide your name, email and billing information for a
purchase.

You should avoid any site requiring more information than that.

These criminals prey on people’s ignorance and you can usually defeat them simply by making it too hard for them to get your information.

If you do find yourself a victim, immediately contact police and get legal help. Do not wait because you feel embarrassed or “stupid” over what happened.

Waiting only lets the trail grow cold and limits how much law enforcement can do to help you.

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Richard Hill is the author of the popular "My Personal document
System", an invaluable resource in case of a family emergency.
Visit www.MyPDS.Info now.
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Working out is a moving meditation. It is the largest chunk of dedicated ‘me’ time that most of us have available to ourselves all day. So why, oh why is it so difficult to drag yourself to the gym?

Hmmm … let’s explore this phenomenon.

Rewind the clock to the third week of January. Your new year’s resolution to get into shape has survived the post-party hangover. You went so far as to actually become a member at the local gym. You’ve bought the new gym towel and you’ve had your body fat measured. The results were shocking, but what did you expect … just more fuel for the motivational fire.

Every morning (or evening) you dutifully haul your behind to the gym, working up a sweat on the circuit or in the spinning class and you walk out of there feeling great. You measure your portions, drink your shakes and avoid the temptation of the Chocolate Gateau at your weekly coffee date with your best mate. In short – it’s going brilliantly. And it goes really well in week two and three. It even lasts well into week five.

Come week six, you’ve had a lousy day at the office – your hard drive crashed, you’ve lost everything and the IT support guy will only get to you sometime next week. You’ve got the worst case of PMS blues you’ve had in years. Oops – the workout today will have to wait – you just can’t face that too.

And tomorrow, the workout gets shunted again because your best friend’s called, she’s getting a divorce and you need to be the shoulder to cry on – after you’ve popped into the local bakery to get some really decadent chocolate croissants on the way over to her place. Feeling a little guilty, you promise yourself that you’ll get to the gym next week Monday – this week’s over and done with and it’s better to start fresh.

Next week Monday rolls around and this week is worse than the last … so you’ll get to the gym next week … You can see the cycle by now.

So what happened?

It was Einstein who said that it takes a lot of energy to get a stationary body moving. And in the beginning, you invested that energy to get your body moving. You were fired up and raring to go. It was fun and exciting because it was something new. But just like gravity will eventually bring everything back down to earth, the reality of expending all that energy on a daily basis can wear you down and bring you back down to earth with a bump. The alternative is that something or someone else brings you to an abrupt standstill. And you just can’t quite seem to work up the energy needed to get yourself moving again.

Don’t feel despondent – we all have those days. There is a way to get over this little hurdle.

“Little hurdle? Little?!? It’s a huge problem!” – is usually the first reaction I get to that statement. “I’ve fallen off the bus, I’ve blown it” is a close second. Here’s the secret – you’ve only stumbled; it’s only a minor setback.

You will only ever really fail if you allow this to derail you entirely.

And you are the only one that can make that choice. Money is very rarely enough of a motivator to get you moving again. Yes, the fact that you’re paying for your gym membership and you’re wasting money if you’re not using it can help to keep the momentum going if and only if you’re already in motion. The same goes for any ‘rewards’ that you’ve put in place e.g. “If I lose 20 lbs, I’ll treat myself to a full day at the luxury spa”. The rewards are the icing on the cake, a little extra incentive when you’re in the swing of things.

The most difficult part of getting back on track is showing up. Not the work-out. Simply getting in your car, driving to the gym and showing up. If you manage to get that done, you’re more than half way there. You’ve started the ball rolling … and every day you just show up is another day you add a little more energy. Before you know it you’re back on track.

Simple, isn’t it?

Beware though – simple does not always equal easy. It will still require some discipline from your side. You will still need to exercise will power. Nothing happens by magic. If it did, you wouldn’t appreciate it half as much!

So what does this have to do with Zen? Zen is at its core the art of meditation – becoming profoundly still within yourself and just being. The pace of today’s hectic lifestyle does not allow for much time to fall still without scheduling it in your diary. (And if you do, how many of us have the discipline to actually keep that ‘me’ time sacred?) So, being the fantastic females that we are, we can multi-task.

Your workout becomes your moving meditation – the time where it’s just you, your body and your inner being.

To keep in shape: Body Building Workout

Staying Fit with Yoga Exercises

Yoga exercises are the best way to free your mind and to concentrate deeply. After you have experienced a stressful situation, your mind, body and spirit is worn out and fatigued.

The cause of these might have been from the interaction with other people or something that have caused a frustration, anger, depression and disappointment in you. These feelings created out of these circumstances should be released so that you will live a happier life.

One effective way and method to express your outpoured feelings and emotion is by doing yoga exercises.

When you feel like shouting out loud or cracking the television, you can instead release your tension through yoga exercises that are effective and helpful.

This type of strategy has worked in many ways for different people. Those who don’t find enough time for themselves can do yoga exercises in order to relieve themselves.

To learn more about Staying Fit with Yoga Exercises click here…

Essential advice for planning an outdoor wedding

Your wedding day is probably the biggest day in your life. And like everyone else you want the perfect wedding. One that you can treasure in your memories for years to come. Each couples expectation of their wedding day is completely unique and should be planned as they envisioned it. Of all the places to hold a wedding my favorite is an outdoor wedding. It takes extra planning but if you can pull it off it will definitely be a day to remember.

The benefits of planning an outdoor wedding

The possibilities are endless when you are planning an outdoor wedding. Some great ideas come to mind and you can choose from a multitude of locations such as hidden romantic parks, spectacular mountain resorts, an intimate seaside summer home, and the most popular location, a gorgeous beach setting. Outdoor weddings give you the opportunity of celebrating this once-in-a-lifetime moment in a truly unique setting. Picture yourself next to your betrothed and with all of your cherished guests, exchanging vows on a beach at sunset.

I cannot think of a more romantic way to start a new life together. Also when planning an outdoor wedding, you can invite as many people as you want. You won’t have to worry about the space, about air conditioning and so on. It will be much more comfortable than an indoor wedding. It will bring comfort to your guests, and the idea of freedom will help anyone relax and have some quality time. There are several advantages of planning an outdoor wedding, there is the low cost. It can be much cheaper to rent someone’s outdoor property than to rent a hotel ballroom or banquet hall with costs running well into the thousands of dollars. You could even rent someone else’s backyard and it would cost less than a ballroom.

Some of the disadvantages

Planning an outdoor wedding is fraught with uncontrollable factors. The first and most obvious disadvantage is the weather. You need to have a contingency in place in case the weather is not as you had hoped. The risk of ruined wedding because of bad weather conditions such as rain or storms, high temperatures, cold temps is always present. You also need to be aware that there are people who are allergic to sun, pollens, bugs and so on.

Fortunately, much of this can be mitigated. For example, to prepare for the rain, set up some sheltered space, to make sure your guests will be protected from it. Also, you can choose to have large white tents that can keep your reception away from the hot sun and the rain. This will protect your guests and also the tablecloths, disposable cups and plates or napkins from any dust or sand.

I conclusion, planning an outdoor wedding can be a wonderful idea. Moreover, with the proper foresight and investigation of your options, the planning process can be pleasant and fun. If it your wedding goes off as planned then you will have memories to last a lifetime, but also remember, the unplanned things are what make great stories to share with your family in the years to come.

Real Christian Parenting

There are a few types of parenting, called Christian parenting that has caused a big debate. Some people actually link Christian parenting with child abuse. This is not the case. In fact, many people don\’t have the facts straight, and do not know what Christian parenting is all about.

On this issue of spanking, the rumor is that all Christian parenting encourages spanking, yet this is very inaccurate information. In a world where everyone in conscious of abuse and child neglect, many people are reluctant to apply physical punishment to their child. While years ago spanking a child was found as suitable punishment and was accepted widely, today it is looked at in an almost fear. Child abuse today can take a child out of his or her home and away from their parents. There are two different views on spanking a child with any parent, even Christian parents. There are those who think that this method is effective, and isn\’t abusing the child. Then there are those who think that spanking their children will lead to abuse later, and that they could get their child taken away from them.

About ten years ago the parenting practice of �Growing Kids God\’s Way�. This method was originally accepted but quickly sprouted controversy. There are three main parts of this kind of parenting. The three are infant feeding, first time obedience, and servant hood.

Infant feeding is a technique that is supposed to show a child that he or she is not the center of the world. That his or her needs will be met, but maybe not at the time that they want it met at. This is almost the exact opposite of what most experts and parents believe, and that is that a hungry child should be fed when he or she is hungry.

The next part of �Growing Kids God\’s Way� is Servanthood. Servanthood is taught by modeling that the relationship between Mom and Dad takes priority over the children in all circumstances, and that Dad is the head of the household. Dinner is served to Dad first, and his needs and desires are most important. This creates a family hierarchy that places the children at the bottom.

The next is First Time Obediance. This is the thought that the child is to obey the parent the first time the parent asks the child to do something. If the child does not obey, then it is considered sinning, while if a parent asks the child again, the parent would be sinning because it would, it turn, be encouraging the child\’s behavior.

People believe that Christian parenting, or people who accept it, are agreeing to the �Growing Kids Gods Way� program. In reality, this way of raising children has become less and less popular with Christian parents for the same reason it is becoming out of favor with any �average� parent.

Because of a few ill-advised Christian parenting programs, and because Christian parents are stereotyped as harsh, spanking disciplinarians, Christian parenting principles are rejected. Christian parenting isn\’t child abuse. It\’s simply parenting by Christians, who are looking for the same answers and guidance everybody else is.

Learn more proven parenting advice at parenting.matinganddating.info/

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