29 JAN 2015 :: Poverty, crime, and the Internet

It is always a pain to be a poor person... you don't have the ability to protect yourself as easily, or as much, as those with more money.  Usually the poor are considered the criminal population, rarely are they seen as victims...except, maybe, in low-income housing complexes.  This blog is about something else... it's about the increasing vulnerability of computer crimes.

When I checked my emails today, there was one asking me to verify a Facebook account application.  I am not the most literate computer person, so I had no idea how or why someone with a foreign-sounding name would try to start a Facebook account with my email information.  It was a scary thought that all kinds of accounts can be created using our personal information.

At first, I wasn't sure how to stop it, so I tried to reply to the email.  That didn't work.  Finally, I discovered the bottom of the email and clicked the link that said it would PREVENT an account being made.  It also made me wonder if I will ever be able to use the account in question to get a different Facebook page.  It felt like that email has been permanently banned from Facebook status.  What if the email I got was one of the fake emails that do all kinds of terrible things to us?  I hope not.


I spent most of my time on the computer today trying to catch up with my Etsy duties. It was a long day of exploring shops to find items I thought were more exceptional for some reason.  These items are marked as a favorite of some kind, with what I call a "like" or with the highest value (in my view) of a "heart."  This seems to be the main networking process at Etsy, along with creating threads in forums, adding comments to threads in forums, blogs, and teams, and linking to outside pages like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and other sites.

I was trying to network with different kinds of teams and shops previously. Now I am trying to change my focus to mostly Christian sellers, and the only way to find Christian sellers on Etsy is through the teams.  As I go through the team shops, I am find the people I might want to network with in the future.  I am also learning what they have to teach me if they've been a seller on Etsy for a longer time.

When you join a team, you can sign up to receive an email with updates of the team activity.  These are called "digests," and include new listings links and other information about team members.  Today I tried linking with shops I found on the Etsy team digests instead of going through the team pages.  It is a LOT of work, it takes a long time, but seems to be necessary.  In other businesses, someone is hired just to do social media and networking activities.  I look forward to that day myself.  :-)

Over time, I hope to find those who are committed to Christ, to the things of GOD, and to helping each other as the End Times (needs) increase. I would like to support other Christians and be supported by them... just as other groups network with each other.

I hope that my efforts won't be violated by people who misuse my personal information for their own criminal activities... and that I will one day be able to afford more protections against those who do choose that kind of life.



28 JAN 2015 :: Another day...and the healthcare issue

It's early for me to be writing a blog post, but I am up and trying to decide whether to go back to bed.  :-(  Not a good thing.  I thought I better do my best for now and see how the day goes.

I remember seeing a post on Facebook about the present administration saying that Obamacare costs would be less than expected... I added my comment about that statement and about the journalistic ability of the site that entered it.  How easily fooled we are, or how easy it is to be an information source and pretend you don't know anything, to believe a statement like that !   I am still angry just thinking about it.

One of the expected battles of the next two years is Obamacare.  Does it bring up any questions when the administration suddenly offers the view that costs won't be a large as expected?  When another news item is that the forced payment levels for government recipients (Medicare, Medicaid, etc.) will be made lowered, doesn't it seem like the two may go together?  That the estimates of the administration might be manipulated just a little?  AND  that the future of government mandated healthcare might have some problems?

We forget the deficit in the middle of all these financial equations.  We are told the deficit figures for the current year in glowing terms, but not reminded that they are added to the TOTAL deficit for the whole country --  which is a seriously dangerous amount !   ( I spend a lot of my personal time trying to figure out ways to reduce the deficit to make America a bit more financially flexible, but without a change in the way it is spent, all the efforts to save America are pointless.... so I try to find a way to save America outside of the government. )

One party likes to blame all our financial problems on people who cannot fight back :: the poor, the immigrant, or the increasing regulation of businesses that are very large and may endanger our future.  The other party like to spend more than we have to create additional tax burdens that are unnecessary... do we really need universal healthcare or do we need healthcare options for those who can't find them elsewhere?  Can we change the way we operated the tax systems to provide more access?  If Social Security is dying because the failing "young and healthy will help to support the old and dying" foundation isn't working anymore, how will the same view provide for the healthcare mandate?  

Add to that cry the election battles and fury over Super PACs when the "wrong" party has more money in them. 

So many problems are gathering there won't be a way to overcome them pretty soon... and then we will have global meltdown instead of national meltdown.  The cry for peace that will allow the Antichrist to take power will find it's source in the battles that men will wage just to survive.

I really got going...and would continue, but I don't want to keep talking about the financial and governmental problems America is facing. 

One citizen has no power. 

Where does one citizen register their complaints about systemic issues, make suggestions about solutions, or try to protect the ones they love in a country that is heading for disaster???

If you figure it out, please let me know.


27 JAN 2015 :: Not a good day, trying to make it through

I hope these kind of days won't be the norm... If it becomes that way, I will change to a weekly format.  Sorry for all the difficulty and limited posts.

I may try to find a morning routine, or earlier in the day.

Pray for GOD to guide my efforts.

Thanks.


If I feel better later, I may visit again and write more.

26 JAN 2015 :: Monday lists and goals

Mondays are definitely a hard day... the start of a long "to do" list for the week. 

Setting better priorities for my time is becoming a more important part of my goals.  It is easy to get distracted, to spend too much time on emails, checking on websites, writing, reading, and dealing with everyday needs like meals, laundry, cleaning, etc.  Finding a way to organize these parts of the day seems to be a continual challenge.

I realized this weekend that the month had gotten away from me.  I wasn't anywhere near my foal to create 25 listings a month.  For the month of January, I still have 25 to go!  Not good.  I am trying to find a way to get as many done by Saturday... but not sure I can, or what would help me to reach that goal so quickly. I am searching for some good answers to this quest.  :-)

The activities that have taken my attention away from my goals haven't been wasted time. They have helped to move me toward the future.

I am trying to focus on what I can control,
not the things I can't change.
 

 
When you are in the middle of your life, you see possibilities and make the best decision you can.  Each decision leads you to another set of circumstance, and new decisions.  There are many elements to success, including resources, personality, family, friends, our competition, and our enemies.  Finding GOD's way to those goals is another part of that search.
 
It's another Monday... the search for answers continues.