Saturday, October 22, 2011

CHANGING INTERNET PROVIDER AND EMAIL ADDRESS

Rarely bouncing from Internet provider to another often, I forget the waste of time to change email addresses on everything using them. I decided this to be my last, many wasted hours informing all in my email address book needing to know the change.  Individuals, family and friends, are not difficult.  It is harder to be in touch with credit cards companies who notify you by email to pay your bill.  (I don't trust even God to grab it from my bank account every month.) Other bills paid monthly include utilities.  Taxes, insurance companies, news sources, media, Pay Pal, Transponder,and email subscriptions are some of the others.  I have four pages of passwords, most of which use my email address to communicate with me..  There is also the long list of firms, from whom I have made contact, who nicely pop themselves on my email address list. Mt fantasy is there will be a shorter list soon.

There is no consistency on websites,  Hunt and waste time finding how to change your email address on a website.  A couple of my utility providers were the easiest.  They actually had a menu down the left side
which said 'update email addresses'  Sometimes, if you hunt long enough, you luck out in in manage your profile, your account, your preferences, and sometimes you might just give up and try later if you aren't one who easily looks in obscure places and doesn't lack intuit ability with objects.

The moral to my story is that it is not simple if you use your computer for lots of things other than an occasional email or Facebook entry. It would behoove everyone to get their own domain if they have gone through this obstacle course.

The MA Department of Revenue would access your email if you subscribed to having it send reports.

TJX has a pretty clear route via managing profile. 

 Fast Lane was, perhaps, the most straightforward.  On the opening page it had a category :  UPDATE YOUR ACCOUNT INFORMATION which included address, email and other demographic info.  (Change then hit submit.)

After many minutes of frustration, I was not able to get Facebook to take my new email address for notifications.  I will have to breathe deeply, clear my schedule for hours while reviewing my profanity lexicon.  I find Facebook very unclear with most of their instructions and do not intend to make it the longest expenditure of time in my day.  It rates up there with the constant error message I get from places that my password doesn't meet their standards or something has changed from the last time I logged on, which makes my written down ID and password not work.though it did not too long before.

Every business should hold a focus group to let folks try their website for the things that people might need to do, or can remember as their most perspiration-producing contacts with previous websites.

Now I see why having your alma mater host you is probably neither frivolous nor showing off.
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Friday, October 21, 2011

INSTABILITY IS NOT HARD TO FIND TODAY ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD

Protests are harbingers of revolution.  We've watched revolution in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, To understand the Mideast revolutions of 2011, click here. Written is:  "The wave of revolutions sweeping the Middle East bears a striking resemblance to previous political earthquakes. As in Europe in 1848, rising food prices and high unemployment have fueled widespread popular protests. As in Communist Europe in 1989, frustration with corrupt and unresponsive political systems produced defections among elites and the fall of once powerful regimes."

Another interesting premise by one blogger is that all revolutions are caused by the economy, the price of food and the lack of jobs  Other nations who are put into austerity levels intolerable to its people, like Greece, have their options closing in on them.  Protests abound, once again when the frustration and anger builds for the many reasons it does.

Meanwhile, our single minded Republicans whose only goal is to make Obama a one-term president blissfully ignore all else in the world.  Boehner, McConnell, Cantor seem oblivious  to polls and protests which indicate the majority of the public want jobs, some stability in their lives, and a reasonably comfortable life style...one that assures some safety for their family, education, and health care.  The Republicans do not seem to share that vision.  The rest of us can only hope their dirty tricks will not win them another election though they are trying with massive attempts to drive people from the polling booths, to brainwash them with radio hosts like Limbaugh and Beck, and to frighten them for a more divisive America. 

Thursday, October 20, 2011

ANOTHER REASON WHY PROHIBITION DOESN'T WORK

The people helped by the marijuana prohibition are the people who benefit financially as long as it stays illegal.  Obviously, there are many for whom history has no relevance.  There are people placed where there is an advantage.  Here is a story of one of them.  Written in it is:  "Between 2003 and 2010, 129 US customs officers and border agents were arrested on corruption charges, according to the Department of Homeland Security." 

 This is the face of one who could not resist the temptation of making money where it was easily available.  We have statistics to prove he is a tiny speck at the tip of an iceberg. 

Why people think it is preferable to see all the deaths in Mexico by the cartels rather than allowing people to obtain illegally what keeps the cartels in operation and  gives nothing to our economy.  It should be clear to those resisting legalization that it does not eliminate the use.of marijuana which remains easily available illegally.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES FOR PRESIDENT DEBATE ON THE LEVEL OF MIDDLE SCHOOLERS

While the BBC reports fierce clashes in the Republican debate, the only thing which seemed to keep the audience awake was when they cheered at Herman Cain for insisting that he still felt that anyone without a job could have had one.  Additionally, they were clearly Republicans who were oblivious to all issues facing the country and its people and would have voted for a Republican regardless of the most transparent fact that not one of the candidates is ready for prime time.

Some had ideas but they were clearly not thought out as to consequences any more than Bush's war on Iraq was.  Bachmann said she had plans to do everything but stopped before anyone asked if she had a cure for cancer. Despite her stated plan to right the ills of the economy, regulation overload, wars, excessive money given to foreign countries, and some I may have omitted there was no sign as to what those plans are nor any readon given why she has waited so long with so much hardship to so many without sharing these plans with  the rest of the House.

Having watched almost all of it and then listened to pundits repeat their versions of it, I could not believe that none of them came up with any useful plan.  Herman Cain pushed his 9-9-9 plan which was rebutted by others but did not deter him at all, simply insisting that he was speaking of apples and oranges though others made it clear they didn't know which were the apples nor which were the oranges.  In all, the debate was carried out by candidates directed towards a goal which they carried out as a group of mental lightweights as compared to Obama, or in fact, anyone capable of dealing with the state of our country and economy.

None offered a cure; only euthanasia to all Departments of the government, our democracy, and the middle class.  May their Gods help them; they certainly need it.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

HOW WILL TROUBLEMAKERS FOR "OCCUPY WALL ST' BE RECOGNIZED

In my mind, there is no question that there is infiltration going on in Occupy Wall St.  We have reports of plain clothes police mixing in but there has been little written about trouble makers planted to destroy the movement.  It would come as a surprise to me with all the dirty politics we have been enduring that those against the message being presented would restrain from playing dirty on something as important as the direction the protests are going.

The Huffington Post reports that the movement has collected $300,000.  Obviously there are people out there ready to try to lend support to this grass roots movement.  Like all movements, leaders will appear and those who think they can bully their way into being in control will also rise up.  Hopefully the group will recognize the proper and most capable people to keep the protest non-violent and do as little to irritate the communities in which the protests are held.

With the dirty tricks the Republicans have been using to date, it is unlikely they will be passive and allow the public their non-violent verbal protests with messages that do not make them look good to the world.  Right now it is being reported that there are similar protests in 86 countries in the world and on five continents.  We are not alone, we 99%ers.

Monday, October 17, 2011

HEARING BI-LINGUALLY EARLY IN LIFE

Years ago, working in a mental hospital I listened to a couple of Viennese doctors saying that a second language would make children schizophrenic.  I laughed at the thought since I was raised bilingually and am certainly not schizophrenic. Now research is showing how infants brains get wired in for distinguishing sounds made from each language.

While not formal research, I can say that my nephew (not yet 3 years old then) ran up to me and started to speak (in Greek) about a parade a block away.  He noticed a girlfriend of mine was there and instantly switched to English, never making an error by confusing either language.

An added advantage in a bilingual household (at least it was for me) is that I was taught to listen more carefully to my parents, who spoke a accented, broken English as it was not their first language and both were in their teens when they started to learn it.  This ability carried over to all accents, making it easier for me to understand English in foreign accent than my monolingual friends were able to do.  In fact, one of my neighbors could not understand the Indian computer 'help' person and called me in.  When the problem wasn't solved by that person, the next person was clearly a black, Southern woman with a heavy, drawling accent.  He had to hang up and dial another person as he could not understand her while I had no difficulty.

These are interesting findings that educators need to understand more fully as well.  Teaching young children may be quite different than with an older person.  Today's use of  computers in school allows students to keep their own pace as well as to learn languages interactively.


OCCUPY WALL STREET SPREAD GLOBALLY

While the majority in the House of Representatives and the minority in the Senate have continued to deny the issues felt and expressed by the 99%, the emotions and issues expressed by them cannot be indefinitely denied.  For information on some more about the global spread, click here.

There is no surprise to hear the word 'revolution' spoken if you click here   Violence has been enacted on the protesters by the police but the protesters have continued to refrain from being violent.

It was reported that the police chief promised no protester would be arrested as long as they kept moving.  As usual, those mostly endangered on a job by budget cuts are the ones who have acted most violently towards their brethren..  It makes as much sense as poor people voting for Republicans today.  Obviously, the police who have been violent are a) improperly trained, 2)are  thinking their seniority will protect them, or 3) just cruel and sadistic; assuming their job definition will protect them regardless of how they treat people.

The list of grievances against corporate greed continues.  The movement is beginning to form.   Leaders are being recognized and are speaking out for those who are unable to do so.  That the movement has remained peaceful, despite the abuse many have received, should say something to which politicians should listen.  Frustration levels rise and go over the top, eventually, if those with power continue to ignore legitimate and valid requests for consideration of their grievances.