James L. Paris's Blog, page 197

Which Internet Browser Is The Most Secure?

Outside of the absolute basics (family, money, etc.), Internet security is perhaps the most important issue in your life���and you likely don���t realize it. We have all borne witness to high-profile compromises of the databases of various, well-known merchants over the last several years, compromises that have put millions upon millions at risk of identity theft in a variety of forms and fashions. In addition to those types of assaults on the security of your online information, there is, of course, the ever-present threat that one of your devices will become the victim of a direct attempt to pilfer valuable, sensitive information from it.

The matter of Internet security is something to which the diligent person will always give careful thought, and there���s a lot more to it than just making sure you have tough-to-crack passwords (although that���s important, too ��� read a previous article here on the topic). For example, do you know that your level of online safety can vastly improve just by choosing the right browser?

According to The Patriot Privacy Kit, an outstanding 114-page digital publication devoted to helping you stay safe and ���invisible��� when going about your business both online and offline, not all browsers are created equal when it comes to Internet security; while so many continue to use Internet Explorer, Google Chrome is more secure, being designed in such a way that it provides extra ���insulation��� against a Trojan or malware attack, should one of those get past your antivirus program.

The Patriot Privacy Kit has a complete section on this, and has a ton more information on a wide variety of issues related to staying safe online these days, including how to protect yourself from NSA spy efforts, how to use email more securely, what you need to know to be safe as a regular user of social media���even how to secure your sensitive information offline, something people don���t consider as often in this day and age. The Patriot Privacy Kit even discusses how you can become basically invisible on the Internet���while still using it!

If you���re interested in staying as safe as you possibly can while soaring through cyberspace���and you should be, given that the threats are greater than ever���then do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of The Patriot Privacy Kit today. 

What Is Going On With The Stock Market?

By ChristianMoney.com Staff

A pullback in the stock market has been predicted for some time, but even many of those expecting something in the way of a retreat are surprised to see how far and fast the equities markets have declined here recently. 

One Year Chart Of The Dow Jones Industrial Average

First of all, the market was due for a ���correction,��� which is a term that���s used to describe market declines that principally occur when it���s realized by the broad investor population that stock prices have far exceeded the actual, present-day values of many companies; in a simplistic sense, it���s easy to spot markets that are especially due for corrections ��� they���re the ones that rise steadily for several years in a row, without any noticeable dip along the way. Corrections occur, on average, about every 18 months, so when you have a market that has risen for years without one, you know it���s coming. When that happens, the decline that invariably occurs is typically bigger and more painful than the smaller ones that would have been easier to take, but which would have resulted in a lower market valuation, by comparison (note that corrections, by definition, are markets that decline at least 10 percent from their highs, but not more than 19 percent; once a market comes off of its high by 20 percent, that means it has become, officially, a bear market).

The all-time closing high for the Dow Jones Industrial Average (we���ll use that index because it���s the one most familiar to people) came earlier this year, on May 19: 18,312. As of Tuesday���s close, the Dow had sunk to 15,666, which means it has dropped a little over 2600 points since the all-time high reached in May���and about 1,800 of those points fell out just this last week and the first two days of this week. This means the Dow is presently down a little more than 14 percent from its high, and, as of Monday���s close, the other two key U.S. indices, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq, had joined the Dow in reaching the ���correction��� stage.

Other issues have conspired to trigger the massive here recently, including: continued concern on the part of the global investment community that Chinese growth is slowing at an even faster pace than has been indicated; the collapse in the price of oil ��� as of this past Friday, oil prices dropped below $39 a barrel for the first time since 2009; and the Federal Reserve has been most unclear about what will happen to rates in the near term, and markets hate Fed uncertainty. Put all of this together, and you have a stock market that���s had enough, and wants to take a deep breath.

The question for many people now is, where do things go from here? Is the bloodletting almost done, or do we have a ways to go? There���s not really a basis for a massive collapse such as that witnessed in 2008-09, when the Dow dropped a stunning 54 percent from a then-peak of 14,164 reached in October 2007. However, while it���s suggested that we may not see a continued, substantial drop in points before things begin to stabilize somewhat, a lack of clarity in several areas (like China and Fed decision-making, for example) may well result in a ���sloppy��� market here in the near term.

Wayne Allyn Root - The Power Of Relentless

Businessman, former Libertarian candidate for vice president, and author, Wayne Allyn Root shares his personal secrets of sucess. He takes us through his amazing career including being a sports betting expert, former TV news anchor, motivational speaker, and more. Root shares a down to earth approach that he says motivates him to succeed every day. Root also shares how he motivates his children to achieve their goals, how he stays on top of his game with fitness and supplments, and how he stays RELENTLESS.

Stock Market Collapse And The Shemitah

On this episode Jim discusses the latest stock market drop, the Shemitah, and economic factors influencing the markets. Subway's Jared facing more than 10 years in prison, finding a great hotel deal without using the Internet, and the Ashley Madison fallout.

How To Earn Great Money As A Mystery Shopper Without Getting Ripped Off

by Robert G. Yetman, Jr., Managing Editor,  The James L. Paris Report

Are you familiar with mystery shopping? While you may have had no direct experience with it as yet, it has been around for a long time, and is something that can provide a way for you to earn reliable ���side��� money. With mystery shopping, you are essentially working as an undercover shopper for the benefit of a given retail establishment, so that the customer experience can be evaluated and improved upon by that same business.

 

Mystery Shopping Provides Valuable Feedback To Businesses

Each of us has, at one time or another, been lured to a store or restaurant on the basis of reputation, a great sale, whatever���only to have the in-store customer experience prove less (in some cases, much less) than satisfying. Retail corporations know the bit of ���inside baseball��� that says that the vast majority of customers who leave a store or restaurant dissatisfied with the experience���will never say anything, will never voice a complaint, nothing; they will simply decide not to return. This is where the great value of the mystery shopper comes into play for the business, where compensated undercover shoppers are deployed for the specific purpose of providing that feedback. Now, in these cases, the shopper will not interact with the sales clerk or store manager to express his or her approval or disapproval with the experience, but will, instead, submit a report to the company for its evaluation. One of the particularly great things about becoming a mystery shopper is that you only need be yourself to be able to do it; that is, if you have ever shopped for anything in a store, you���re qualified!

Sign Up For Mystery Shopping Gigs While You Are Traveling (Source: USA Today)

Why on earth would you want to spend your vacation mystery shopping? Because mystery shopping companies often have mystery shops in airports and trouble getting them filled. Sinclair Customer Metrics is almost always looking for people to mystery shop major airports. You might even make more money per shop, too, because retailers are so desperate for the feedback. If you have a long layover, you might even be able to earn as much as $100 on mystery shopping gigs. You could end up scoring some free food, too.

Don't Fall For The Mystery Shopper Scam

Now, one of the ���knocks��� against mystery shopping is that it���s something that can lend itself to seeing scammers try to co-opt the opportunity in a way that puts money in their pockets���without leaving you any benefit, and perhaps saddling you with a significant financial loss, to boot. For example, one of the more ���popular��� mystery shopping scams involves being solicited to mystery shop on behalf of places like Western Union, where you will be sent a cashier���s check and told to cash it for the purpose of using Western Union or another ���like��� service to wire the money back to the entity supposedly in charge of conducting the mystery shop for the money wire service; your benefit comes in the form of keeping a portion of the funds for yourself. In cases like this, what typically happens is that after you���ve sent the wire, the cashier���s check bounces, and so not only do you not receive your cut, but you���re also fully responsible for the amount you transmitted. Also, unsolicited emails you receive for mystery shopping opportunities can often be fraught with risks, as well ��� you���re smart to avoid answering any of those.

*** Jim Paris recommends the mystery shopping program below, and asked me to pass along that he personally purchased the training and completely checked it out himself. He suggests that you start with this site first if you are interested in finding a legitimate mystery shopping gig. What is especially useful is that they provide 187 companies that you can sign up with for legit mystery shopping gigs. Click Here

All of this said, mystery shopping, in general, is quite legitimate, so long as you���re using due care in evaluating any mystery shopping opportunities that come your way. One of the ways to put yourself in a solid position to engage mystery shopping is through a comprehensive service that not only gets you started in the right way, but is, itself, very proactive in warning you about mystery shopping scams.

On Top Of Everything Else, Jared's Charity Was Also A Sham (Subway)

Jared Fogle, the former Subway pitchman who recently pleaded guilty to charges related to child pornography, is now being accused of having set up a high-profile charity that, ultimately, did basically nothing of what it said it was going to do.

The Jared Foundation, which was supposed to be giving millions to schools and other youth-oriented groups for the purpose of teaching good dietary habits to young people, apparently never made even one grant. Although it collected donations for years, the charity never brought in all that much money, and now, according to records obtained by USA Today, what relatively little it did bring in was mostly used to pay the salary of the charity���s director, Russell Taylor, who was himself arrested back in April on child porn charges (his case is still awaiting resolution).

It is theorized that Fogle set up the charity solely for the purpose of enhancing his image, and never intended to take its stated purpose seriously. Based on the fact it appears to have done practically nothing in the way of charitable endeavors, it���s difficult to quarrel with that assessment.   

High Paying College Internships - Who Knew?

By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large

Internships have long been a great way for college students to get their feet in the door at companies in the industries toward which their degree programs have been marching them. The trade-off has typically been that while the student has an opportunity to actually work, at a very young age, in the realm in which he or she would like to find himself employed full-time upon graduation, that sort of ���fast pass��� opportunity comes with the heavy-duty burden of being one that pays either nothing, or so little that it might as well be nothing.

Well, the times they are a-changing, at least when it comes to the field of high-tech. Students and recent grads armed with tech backgrounds and degrees are in such high demand that internships at companies like Apple, Twitter, and Microsoft will pay them well over $5,000 per month.

A few of the deals are pretty extraordinary; in the case of Apple, not only do some Apple interns earn up to $6,700 per month, but they also receive a $1,000-per-month housing stipend (or can live for free with other interns in Apple housing, which I���m sure is very nice). What���s more, if an intern needs to relocate to take the job, Apple will pay up to $3,300 in relocation expenses. Wow!

LinkedIn, Facebook, eBay, Google, Amazon���they���re all doing stuff like this. If you or someone you know has a strong tech background, or is going to school now to study in a tech-related program, I would, by all means, keep an eye on what���s going on with these companies (and the many others like them) in the way of available internships.

Self Defense That Actually Works

Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large

One of the common mistakes made when self-defense is taught is that the instruction too often ignores the simple ���basics��� of defending oneself, and instead focuses on the teaching of detailed, multi-step techniques that are not practically learned or applied by average people who do not devote themselves to ongoing, intensive training. Fine motor skill and complex motor skill techniques, like joint locks (fine motor skill) and multi-step techniques (complex motor skill) are tough for people to functionally learn and apply. The problem is threefold: First, fine motor skill moves are very difficult to effectively apply in the fast-moving, unpredictable, hyper-kinetic environment that quickly characterizes a self-defense situation - the ability to sharply execute such moves in real life, even if you���ve come to do so in practice situations, diminishes as stress levels increase; second, it can be particularly tough for a smaller person to effectively execute such moves against a larger one, even if the smaller person has achieved some mastery of the techniques; lastly, they are just difficult to learn to an appropriate level of proficiency. In short, they are not very useful for the majority of people.

What will always be a better option is to learn the ���down and dirty��� fighting techniques that are completely divorced from fine and complex motor skill movements. Biting is a great example of one, and so is scratching, particularly for women with their finely-honed nails. I have previously talked in this space about a self-defense presentation, called 15 Brutal Fight Enders, that features a lot of basic, effective techniques which are very simple to learn; in one of the instructional segments, James Painter, featured because of his mastery of a prison-based fighting system, discusses the application of biting in self-defense situations. Although he walks through different scenarios in which a bite can be applied, he also makes the point that biting itself is not something any of us has to practice ��� we each bite every day, all of the time. Anyone who has been bitten accidentally knows how painful it can be, so if you were to bite someone with great ferocity and determination, not only could doing so cause blinding pain, but the resulting damage caused to an assailant could be very significant.

Biting as a self-defense technique is a good example of how one can properly equip himself when he���s willing to ���re-think��� the concept of self-defense. Too many consider self-defense in terms of learning how to fight. That���s not what it is ��� self-defense is about learning to prevail over a threat as quickly and as effectively as possible, in any way necessary, so that you may extricate yourself from the situation and immediately relocate to a safe environment.

Free DVD Training

Of course, the James Painter segment is but one of a bunch of trainings presented in the 15 Brutal Fight Enders DVD package (there���s more than 15 in all). The trainings are presented by a wide variety of self-defense experts, and the whole two-DVD package, which totals about an hour and a half, and which includes bonus materials on non-verbal communication techniques that are so essential to effective self-defense, is available for just the cost of shipping - $7.95. What���s more, there���s a money-back guarantee that comes with it, so if you decide that all of this material really isn���t worth even the cost of shipping, you can get that back, if you want. Click Here

 

Pope Francis: Those Who Do Not Work���Should Not Eat

By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large

Although Pope Francis has been taking a lot of heat from conservatives and other traditional thinkers lately in response to a variety of ideas that have a clear progressive orientation (to say the least), it is worth noting his echoing of the words of Saint Paul, during his weekly Angelus message this past week, that those who do not work should not eat.

It is unclear how Pope Francis might reconcile his expressed thoughts in this regard with the ideas of wealth redistribution he has declared even recently, but it comes as some relief to those who understand the influence the Pope retains over such a large segment of the world���s population���that he still believes that the work ethic is something to be highly prioritized both by the individual and society.

Pope Francis, in his words, referred to the symbiosis between work and the spirit, stressing that they do not live in opposition to one another, but, rather, that ���they can and should go together in harmony,��� and that ���the lack of work also damages the spirit, just as the lack of prayer damages every practical activity.��� The Pope characterized work as something which is ���sacred,��� and that ���to cause a loss of jobs is to cause serious social harm.���

As to that last point, President Obama was unavailable for comment.

4.5 Million In Gold Coins Found Near Florida Beach

I read this story a couple of days ago and was really amazed. Most notable was that this gold was found in shallow water (only about 6 feet deep). They also believe that there is $400 million more in these gold coins yet to be found! I started wondering how common this was, and how many people are actively working today as 'treasure hunters.' I read another news report right after this about two individuals that claim to have found a Nazi treasure train in a buried tunnel in Poland. The contents of this train could be worth billions.

$4.5M worth of sunken Spanish treasure recovered in Vero Beach | Local News - WPBF Home

VERO BEACH, Fla ���Queens Jewels, a historic shipwreck salvage operation that owns the exclusive rights to the remains of the 1715 Treasure Fleet, has recovered gold coins off the Treasure Coast valued at $4.5 million.

New Book Shares How To Become A Treasure Hunter

I found a very interesting book that discusses the whole process of becoming a treasure hunter. The book was written by Jack Thompson, a real treasure life hunter himself. It looks absolutely fascinating, and he even offers a free sample chapter. I find it astounding that treasures, like the one found in Vero Beach, can still be discovered today. I would be very interested in reading stories of any other individuals that have been involved with treasure hunting. Please use the comments section below and we can start a conversation on this.

Helping you make the most of God���s money!  

James L. Paris 
Editor-In-Chief ChristianMoney.com 
Follow Me on Twitter Twitter.com/jameslparis
Christian Financial Advice 
Jim Paris 24 Hour Radio