Click here for the CNN story that ticked me off.
I am trying to work up the emotion to actually care about President Obama’s half-brother, George. Hmmm… it isn’t working…. nope.. not one ounce of interest…
In today’s news, CNN is reporting that President Obama’s half-brother (who lives in Kenya), was arrested on drug-possession charges. Great… yippie… so sorry to hear about that.. but he really is just one more person in this great big world. I don’t care if he is the President’s half-brother - that alone does not make him special. Especially considering that President Obama has only met him a few times.
I find it amazing that the media thinks people care about some man half-way around the world, who may share a portion of our President’s DNA, but does not share any real personal connection. In fact, the article states that George Obama wasn’t even AWARE of his half-brother until the primaries last fall.
That the media is now delving into the life and times of George Obama is, at best, a stretch. I found this particular line of the article quite funny:
George Obama was one of the president’s few close relatives who did not go to the inauguration in Washington last week.
I guess the question arises of how you define “close relatives”. If you are strictly speaking of where this person’s name falls in the Obama family tree.. then sure.. he would be a close relative. His name would be right next to Barack’s. But I think many would agree that the term “close relatives” would imply that a familiarity and tight-knit relationship exists between the two individuals. That is surly not the case here. Is anyone really surprised that good ‘ole George wasn’t invited to the inauguration?
I wish the media would spend a bit more time contemplating what the public wants to know, instead of spoon-feeding us this drivel.
What are your thoughts on this?
Online dating is a hot topic - it has been for years. It started with sites like Match.com and eHarmony.com, targeting men and women who were tired of the dating scene and looking for long-term love.
Next came the dating sites whose target markets were men and women looking for fun, casual relationships. Nothing too intense, just good old-fashioned, need someone to party with type dating.
Then came the specializations. There were dating sites designated by race, religion, and sexual persuasion. Really, it makes sense - if you are going to search out a mate online, you might as well make sure that your core beliefs or sexual interests or racial preferences are in agreement.
All of this sounds great… until we get to the newest online dating site… SugarDaddy.com. This site specializes in connecting hot, money-hungry young women with rich old guys. Well, let me take that back. See, the commercial for SugarDaddy.com shows a hot YOUNG rich guy. I’m absolutely sure that this truly reflects their male membership. After all, there is truth in advertising….. right?
I mean, really… if you are young and hot and looking for a man with money.. you might as well weed out those poor guys whose wallets just don’t measure up. If you are old and rich, just can’t seem to find a date, and really want to KNOW that the woman you are with is only after your money… you have a whole menu to choose from. Take your pick… blond, brunette, red-head… doesn’t matter.. they all want the same thing - your money.
Of course, perhaps there is an upside to this site. Women can be open about their gold-diggin’ ways instead of pretending to love a wobbly old geezer - till death do they part. Men can be honest about their desire to buy the company of a hot woman for an evening or a year, instead of earning her love and respect and forging a relationship with a lasting bond.
I expect the next generation of online dating sites will push the envelope even further. HookUpForSex or SexWithoutDinnerAndMovie might be just be the next big thing. Hmmmm. wonder if those domains are available?
I haven’t been keeping up with my blog as well as I hoped to, but I will do better.
Today, I want to share an extraordinary message with you. I came across this video while surfing, and so many of his messages really hit home. It is about 10 minutes, but it will be worth it.
I hope you enjoy Dr. Pausch’s message. Drop a comment and let me know how it left you feeling.
Anyone who has been online for more than a minute has heard about phishing. For those of you who just crawled out from under a rock… phishing is when identity thieves use fake e-mails and websites to get usernames, passwords, and account numbers from you. They use the information to gain access to your identity and go on enormous spending sprees. Thieves figured out pretty quickly that in order for people to fall victim to phishing, the fake websites need to be completely believable. Phishing websites duplicate the colors and the logos of the financial institutions they are mimicking and some even have the legitimate bank website open in the background, and a small extra window open in the foreground prompting for the user/pass. It is, of course, the small window that is the phishing website.
Unfortunately, the criminal element is getting smarter by the moment. They have found a new way to trick joe-public into releasing private data. This time it’s called Vishing. Vishing is very similar to phishing, but instead of using e-mail and websites, the would-be thieves use the phone line (specifically VOIP - Voice Over IP). Because VOIP is incredibly inexpensive, thieves are able to create mass voice-mail messages and send them out across the phone lines. These messages alert people to a problem with their account, and urge them to call an 800 number immediately. The 800 number is set up with elaborate automated systems that request private information to verify the account.
One of the biggest problems with this racket is that people typically trust the phone. Before VOIP, it was too expensive for thieves to use the phone to mass-message. People became trusting of the phone system, the same way they became wary of the Internet.
Bottom line…. don’t reveal account numbers and social security numbers unless you dialed the number that YOU have for your financial institution. If you receive a phone message about your account, don’t trust the 800 number given in the message. Pull out your credit card and dial the number on the back of it. Your financial institution can transfer you to any department, you shouldn’t need to dial directly.
Don’t get Vished or Phished. Stay alert and suspicious, but most of all… just use common sense.
[tags]vishing scams, phishing scams, identity theft[/tags]
[dels]vishing scams, phishing scams, identity theft[/dels]