James L. Paris's Blog, page 174
March 8, 2016
The ���Internet of Things��� and Child Safety
As more products become connectable to the Internet, the universe of the so-called ���Internet of things��� continues to grow almost exponentially. The ���Internet of things��� refers to products and devices of all kinds that are connected to the Internet. Although computing devices like tablets and laptops are technically included as components of the Internet of things (or IoT), the term really refers to those goods that do not have Internet connectivity as a principal function of their overriding purpose, but which nevertheless have both the hardware and software installed that enables them to be connected for collateral purposes. For example, ���smart��� appliances are an example of the Internet of things; a ���smart��� dishwasher might allow you to start, stop, and otherwise control the appliance from your smartphone while you are out and about running errands. While such web-connected products have the potential to improve our lives in a multitude of ways, their Internet accessibility means that there exists the potential for these devices to be hacked, and for our safety and privacy to be compromised.
As practically everything produced now is a part of the IoT, security and privacy experts are growing acutely concerned over the heightened risks to children posed by toys and other kid-oriented products that are now manufactured with Internet connectivity features. I have written previously about how baby monitors have been hacked, hacks on toy software have led to photos of children being stolen. There is now a Barbie doll available that is Wi-Fi enabled, which confirms that even some of the most innocuous (supposedly) children���s toys now offer nefarious actors the opportunity to do harm, one way or another, to children.
Although legislation is in the midst of trying to keep up with all of this, many experts believe that it is unrealistic to expect new or updated statutes to be able to effectively thwart the innumerable threats that now exist. The Federal Trade Commission has publicly declared its concern over the risks to the public, including children, because of the IoT, but the Children���s Online Privacy Protection Act, which falls under the jurisdiction of the FTC, has been assailed as both unconstitutional and ineffective.
So as the Internet of things is increasingly populated by just about anything now manufactured, it is the case that this includes goods principally used by children, which is something many may not have previously considered. While a great answer (one I happen, to like, frankly) to staying safe from the threats posed by ���smart��� everything is to simply not buy any of it, the reality is that all of us, even kids, are still nowadays going to have to be online in a variety of other ways. To help you stay safe in this often-frightening new world, a resource you may find helpful is an ebook called The Patriot Privacy Kit, which we have recommended in this space previously. It provides a wealth of useful information on how to stay safe online, including how to secure your computer hardware and software platforms, how to be a good steward of your all-important passwords, how to use email more securely���even how to surf the web anonymously.
This ebook also looks at what you need to know to be safe as a regular user of social media, including the ubiquitous Facebook, and also includes great information on how to secure your sensitive information offline (even in this ���Internet age,��� most ID theft still takes place that way, from the compromise of documents in a physical form). Something else - The Patriot Privacy Kit comes with a fantastic money-back guarantee, which means you can read and use the information through and through���and if you���re still not satisfied, you can get all of your money back, with no fuss. If you want to learn more about The Patriot Privacy Kit, Click Here.
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
March 7, 2016
Where You Can Buy A Home For Under $50,000
ChristianMoneyPlus Member's Only Podcast Is Produced Two Times Per Month.
Due to the collapse in oil prices, the price of gas is now well under $2 in most states. What is good news for the masses, is bad news for people working in the oil business. In fact, America's boom towns are quickly becoming bust towns. On this episode, Jim and Bob discuss three states hurt most by the oil collapse, and homes for sale in two of these states for under $50,000. Also on this episode, the exploding opportunity of becoming a firearms instructor, and can you build a $1 million nest egg staring at age 50? (and do you really need a million bucks to retire anyway?). Members click here to listen/download or Click Here to become a member.
Mitt Romney���s Attack on Trump Actually Illustrates Why The Donald is So Popular
Last week, Mitt Romney made a special point of going after GOP frontrunner Donald Trump in the supposed interests of the Republican Party, but did his effort do more than harm than good?
In a high-profile national address delivered at the University of Utah this past Thursday, Romney laid out in detail what he sees at distinct shortcomings in both the Donald���s personal and business existences. Among many points made, Romney cited numerous failures of Trump���s entrepreneurial efforts, and was also highly-critical of behaviors Romney called ���absurd third-grade theatrics.���
Count me as one who actually agrees with much of what Romney said. However, whatever justifiable righteousness and correctness may have been contained in the message is ���trumped��� by both the messenger and the arrogance his ilk within the party have come to represent���and I do not appear to be alone in this assessment; if there is support for what Romney did, it is difficult to find much evidence of it anywhere.
The biggest problem with Romney���s posture here is that it telegraphs the idea that party elites clearly know better than the rank-and-file electorate what is best for them. Some additional, anecdotal proof of that came in the form of Romney���s post-speech interview with Fox News��� Neil Cavuto; when Cavuto challenged Romney at one point to defend why it is his place to insert himself in the race this way and try to circumvent the apparent will of the people, Romney responded by saying that, ���I don���t think a lot of people understand who the real Donald Trump is.��� It was an answer that smacked of elitism, and clearly suggested that ���I know better than you, lowly citizen.��� That may be a bit of an exaggeration, but there is no question that Romney���s speech, as well as his tenor about Trump, more generally, fairly gives further credence to the idea that party elites believe not only that they know better than the GOP electorate, but that it is their divine right to alter the path being taken by voters, if they do not like what appears to be that path���s ultimate destination.
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
Brother of Slain Civil Rights Icon Medgar Evers Endorses Trump
While the mainstream media seems bent on portraying Donald Trump as a KKK-loving racist, Charles Evers, brother of Medgar Evers, one of the civil rights movement���s most iconic figures, isn���t buying it.
Charles Evers, whose own claims to civil rights fame include the fact that he became the first black mayor of any city or town in the state of Mississippi since Reconstruction, told the Clarion-Ledger newspaper of Jackson, Mississippi that he hasn���t ���seen any proof of him (Trump) being a racist.���
According to Evers, lack of jobs is among the most pressing issues besetting Mississippians presently, and says that he believes in Trump expressly because of his demonstrated business acumen.
As some might imagine, the endorsement of the controversial GOP frontrunner has ignited more than a bit of a firestorm around the 93-year-old Evers, but going against the political grain is hardly new behavior for him: Back in 1980, Evers made headlines for doing something very similar, when he switched parties, from Democrat to Republican, and endorsed Ronald Reagan.
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
March 2, 2016
Power Grid Can Be Taken Down via Remote Manipulation of Home A/C Units
We have been talking a lot lately about the overall risk to the power grid posed by rogue states like North Korea, as well as by non-state actors like the Islamic State. Much of the discussion has centered on electromagnetic pulse, or EMP, attacks, as the source of perhaps the most dramatic form of a widespread compromise to the power grid, but the fact is that the grid is vulnerable from a wide variety of threats���and now we have learned of one more.
According to two researchers who presented their findings recently at the Kapersky Security Analyst Summit, the energy-saving (and money-saving) devices that many utilities customers now opt to have installed on their air conditioning units by their providers, devices which allow the energy companies to remotely regulate air conditioner use during periods of peak demand, can be accessed and manipulated by hackers. The threat is that a mass hack of cooling systems in this way can allow the nefarious group responsible to create a surge that, in turn, causes a blackout.
The reason these devices are so vulnerable to hacks is because the signals used by the energy companies to control them are unencrypted, and no authentication is used to prevent outside parties from communicating with the systems. This means any group that simply generates a stronger signal than that used by the energy company���can control the air conditioning units through these devices.
I���ve written before about the Alive After the Fall digital information package, and I���m doing so again in the wake of this latest revelation about just how vulnerable we are to threats to the power grid. While the basis of Alive After the Fall is the author's premise of (what he believes to be a Scripturally-foretold) electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack that can plunge an affected area into darkness, and the practical steps you can take to make it through the event should it strike the area in which you live, the manual also dispenses a lot of additional, terrific information that pertains to persisting through a distressed environment, more generally; information on subjects like proper food storage, methods of water purification, which plants are edible (with photographs), how to make your own solar-powered cooking device, bugging out, alternative forms of transportation in a post-EMP environment, and much, much more.
This said, as great as the information is that���s contained in the actual Alive After the Fall ebook, that is only one part of the total package; anyone who purchases Alive After the Fall receives, in addition to the Alive After the Fall ebook, the following 14 bonus reports:
Nuclear Attack Survival Guide; Surviving a Biochemical Attack; Survival Mindset; Secrets to Sanitization After the Fall; Food After the Fall; DIY Greenhouse; Simple Survival Canning; Setting Up Your Survival Seed Bank; Power After the Fall; Safety After the Fall; Survival Guide to Trapping; Survival Guide to Hand Crafted Weapons; Where to Start Prepping; and Self-Defense for Women.
All together, the material received in the complete Alive After the Fall package comes in at just under 600 pages. What���s more, your purchase comes with a 60-day, money-back guarantee, so if you find it necessary, for some reason, to ask for a refund, you can have one for as long as two months after you purchased the product. To learn more about Alive After the Fall, Click Here.
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
University of New Mexico Students OK with Being Defenseless; Really??
There continues to be a frightening ignorance about the general topic of self-defense in our society among the average person. Even as more and more leaders within the law enforcement community come out and say that it is basically ���every man for himself,��� and that citizens simply cannot rely on cops to remain safe when threats unfold in real time, still far too many remain very na��ve about how dangerous things really are out there, and what it takes to protect oneself.
For instance, note this recent, informal survey of University of New Mexico students in the wake of the student government body���s decision to vote down a resolution that would have allowed stun guns on campus ��� take a close look at the comments made by these students:
Amazingly, despite the obvious access each of them has nowadays to information about the events of the day, the general opinion is that having even a stun gun as a student is ���too much,��� and ���that���s what we have the police for.���
Nevertheless, an anti-weapon environment is one in which far too many people find themselves living in this country, in one way or another. Your child may be a student on a campus that forbids possession of weapons of any kind for self-defense, or you may even live in a community where such weapons are largely outlawed. For that matter, you may not always have a weapon on you, even if you do live someplace that is ���gun-friendly.��� In cases like these, should you expect to remain entirely unprepared to defend yourself?
I certainly hope not. On that note, I encourage you to take a look at a great piece of unarmed self-defense instructional material called 15 Brutal Fight Enders. 15 Brutal Fight Enders is a two-DVD set that teaches simple moves designed to quickly and effectively end a street conflict. A wide variety of techniques are demonstrated by a host of quality instructors, including former U.S., Israeli, and Russian military special operators, hall of fame martial artists, even a one-time federal prison inmate. There are so many scenarios and defenses covered that it���s not possible to describe them all in this space, but they include techniques to defend against punches, bear hugs, headlocks���how to respond to an attack using head butts and bites (that���s right, I said bites)���even how to effectively use improvised weapons, including a comb, to defend yourself. The total length of the video trainings is a little over an hour and a half.
Free DVD Set - 15 Brutal Fight Enders
One of the best features of 15 Brutal Fight Enders is the price - you pay just the cost of shipping. You not only receive the 15 trainings, but four more bonus trainings, as well as another bonus item all about the application of non-verbal cues in a threat environment. Additionally, not only do you receive the physical DVDs, but you also get immediate access to the material through digital downloads, as well. All free, just pick up your own shipping cost ��� Click Here To Learn More.
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
Creative Strategies To Save Money On Health Insurance And Medical Care
http://medicalsharing.christianmoney.com On this episode Dr. Elaina George joins Jim Paris to discuss her book, Big Medicine. Dr. George shares a myriad of strategies on how to save money on health insurance and medical care including: how to legally opt out of Obamacare (without fines) and join a medical sharing plan, low costs options to cover specific illnesses and accidents, how to get huge discounts when paying cash for medical services, how to comparison shop prescription drugs and even get them for free, how get medical providers to competitively bid on a procedure you need, and new membership programs called 'concierge care' for the little guy (direct primary care).
The Pope's 34 Year Old Pregnant Receptionist Was Found Dead In Her Home
On this episode Jim discusses the latest controversies involving Donald Trump, including the David Duke endorsement and Trump University. Also, the mysterious death of Pope Francis' receptionist Miriam Woulou, why banks see Bitcoin as their number one enemy, Disney's new surge pricing raises theme park ticket prices once again, and falling mortgage rates make refinancing an attractive option again for many.
March 1, 2016
Defending Yourself With A Gun Is Much Different From Target Shooting
An increasing amount of attention is being paid to mindset when it comes to self-defense confrontations, particularly those involving the citizens��� use of firearms. As conditions around us become increasingly dangerous, and the prospect of having to draw one���s weapon in a real-life combat situation grows ever-likelier, professional firearms instructors are coming out and saying that basic downrange gun training is insufficient.
Of course, it is always a good idea to stay sharp with your weapon through regular range training. However, according to the professionals, that is just not enough for most people, should an actual self-defense situation flare up.In this piece on defensive gun safety by Huntsville, Alabama���s WHNT-19 News, self-defense expert Cameron Bucy says that practicing nothing but downrange training will likely imbue the average person with a false sense of security that could prove deadly (for the wrong person) in a self-defense encounter involving a firearm.
As Bucy points out, ������you have to get out of the concept that everything is always going to be in front of you. It may be left and right, it may be behind you.��� This is but one of the many challenges you may encounter if a real-life, self-defense emergency befalls you. Bucy���s comments serve as another reminder that, when it comes to defending yourself, survival is as much, or more, about your mental readiness as your physical readiness. To that end, I recommend the terrific book Counter Violence, a highly-informative, 138-page physical book that deals largely with the subject of mindset as it pertains to violent encounters. From that perspective it is a thorough work, and one that belongs on the shelf of anyone who seeks to become completely prepared to defend him/herself, as well as those innocent parties nearby, from the kind of violent attacks that have become an all-too-regular presence in our communities, across the country, and around the world nowadays.
The author of Counter Violence is E.J. Owens, the founder and president of Legally Concealed. Owens��� specialty as an instructor is in the area of concealed carry and home defense scenarios. His background is impressive, and includes service as a U.S. Army infantry officer, as well as CQB (close quarters battle) instructor and hand-to-hand combat instructor with the military.In addition to receiving a great book on self-defense preparedness, your purchase of Counter Violence will give you access to four bonus videos/PDFs:
Anti-Carjacking Scenarios (video)
Home-Defense Shotgun (video)
The Ultimate ���GO��� Bag (PDF)
The Definitive Guide to Concealed Carry (PDF)
Stunningly, all of this great material is available for just the cost of shipping and handling - $5.97 (plus any state tax you might have to pay). What���s more, even at that unbelievable price, you also enjoy a 60-day, money-back guarantee on your purchase (which I highly doubt you���ll feel the need to use). If you would like to learn more, or just pick up your copy of Counter Violence right away, Click Here.
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
More Government Auctions Move to an Online Format, Making the Bidding Easier for YOU
Auctions held by government agencies at all levels have traditionally been held in-person, and at specific sites at which you have to be present if you would like to bid on any of the items. That, however, is changing, as evidenced by an auction held recently by the Nevada State Treasurer���s Office. That agency recently held its first online auction, which meant that people from all over the world had the chance to bid on a variety of interesting, valuable items, including collectible coins and jewelry.
These are exciting times for people seeking bargains on anything from the smallest incidentals, to automobiles and even real estate. The auction ���mechanism��� has gone into overdrive with the evolution of technology, including (obviously) the Internet. However, as great as these auction opportunities can be, they���re of little use to anyone who cannot find them in an efficient, useful manner. Enter Gov-Auctions.org, a site devoted to providing its members with accurate, constantly-updated information on all kinds of auctions in every state.
Aside from in-person, traditional auctions���Gov-Auctions.org has comprehensive information on online auctions of both the government and non-government variety. In addition to providing more outlets for companies and agencies to auction their wares, online auctions are a good alternative for those who, for whatever reason, prefer not to do their bidding in person.
Although much of the orientation of Gov-Auctions.org is vehicles, that is by no means all that you can find at the site. The tremendous number of links to both offline and online auctions includes access to all kinds of merchandise; if you can think of it, is likely due to be auctioned somewhere, and that includes a wide variety of personal property, real estate���you name it! There���s a ton here, including some great tutorials on the auction process for those new to it. You can grab a two-year membership to Gov-Auctions.org right now for just under 40 bucks. To learn more about this comprehensive auction resource, click here.
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
