Jerky Direct | March Newsletter | Feedlots

Posted on March 31, 2009 by Rio

Be advised. The information contained in this post will make you think twice before ordering your next steak.  By the way, chickens are treated the same way.

“Why we don’t use corn-fed meat in our jerky” By Jerky Direct.

“For the first time in history, because of cheap, subsidized corn production in this country, millions of animals are now raised in close confinement and fed on diets that are not healthy for them.

In these huge feedlots animals are forced to live mainly on corn, not grass. Why? Because it’s cheaper. Instead of grazing four or five years from birth to slaughter, animals are now  brought to slaughter within 14 to 16 months. They are fed tremendous quantities of corn and an arsenal of drugs.

Animals can’t live on such diet for very long. It would blow out their livers and kill them. So they are bred and fed to get to slaughter quickly, and the antibiotics keep them alive long enough to slaughter. They would not survive on this diet without antibiotics.”

The meat from these animals is “definitely not right for your health”  And the animals themselves live a miserable life.

“Jerky Direct uses only grass fed and/or certified organic beef not raised in these huge industrialized feedlots. The organic certification states that not only the animal itself, but its mother must have been fed an organic diet free from all the unnatural chemicals and additives.”

Advertisement

Filed under: Health | Tagged: , , , , , , | Comments Off on Jerky Direct | March Newsletter | Feedlots

Domains Renewal Group | Scam | Unethical

Posted on March 27, 2009 by Rio

I just received a letter today (resembling a bill) from Domains Renewal Group. As soon as I read it I knew they were not a reputable company; they don’t host my domain.

Sure enough! I goggled their name and the first five pages (I didn’t have to continue) gave me entries reporting the company as unethical and deceptive. There is no need to write another detailed post regarding their behavior–most of what I read was well explained and documented. But if you get a letter from them (resembling a bill), asking you to renew your domain name for only 30.00 dollars a year, I recommend you to toss it in the garbage and do a google search … or vice versa.

“The only thing more powerful than all the armies in the world is an idea whose time has come.”–Victor Hugo

Filed under: Scams etc... | Tagged: , , , | Comments Off on Domains Renewal Group | Scam | Unethical

Computer Security | Digital Dave | ComputorEdge

Posted on March 24, 2009 by Rio

“In the last issue of ComputorEdge, Digital Dave gave one of his readers (and us subscribers) some interesting advice on keeping our computers safe. You too may find it useful.

Here it is:

“Since you are a “security nut,” I assume that you have antivirus and anti-spyware software running on your computer. In addition, you should have some sort of firewall protection for your Internet connection. If you haven’t already done so, put in a router between your DSL modem and the computer. The firewall in the router will give you added protection, plus it makes it easy to share the connection with trusted friends and family. This will make it harder for intruders to get onto your network and your computer.

By default, the drives on your computer are not shared. That means that even if someone is on your network, they cannot access the drives on your computer. If you do have reason to share a drive on the network, be sure to add password protection with a strong password.

Generally, your firewall software and the protections built into Firefox should do a pretty good job of blocking outside intrusions. However, once someone gets inside the wall to your computer, either through a virus or spyware, there is little to protect your drives.

Most viruses get in through trickery and our own lapses in judgment. There is no software that will protect us from ourselves. The most important steps to take are in preventing yourself from allowing something nefarious into your system.

• Never download (save) an unverified attachment in an e-mail, link on a Web page, or from a pop-up at a Web site. If it’s an unexpected e-mail from a friend, talk to that friend under separate cover to verify the document sent.

• The Internet browsers have built-in protections to prevent the Web sites from accessing your computer. If you are merely surfing the Web, you are in little danger of being infected. However, if you click on a link, then allow something to be downloaded, the risk begins. There are some add-ons for browsers, such as Adobe Reader and Flash, that can enhance the Web experience and need to be downloaded. Rather than downloading the software from any site that may determine that you need it, you should go directly to the parent site for the software.

• Be suspicious of everything, especially windows that pop up offering to solve your virus problem.

• Only install software that you know comes from a legitimate source. Even then, be cautious. If you are downloading software, be sure that it’s coming from the correct site.

• If you are not sure about something, do a Google search for reviews on the questionable item.

• If reading files is a concern, to further protect your files, you can encrypt files or entire drives to make them unreadable for people without the proper key, which can be kept on a thumb drive. This should stop reading, although not deleting or altering.

The best protection is to prevent problems from ever getting on your computer in the first place.”

Digital Dave at: www.computoredge.com

Filed under: Computer Stuff | Tagged: , , , , | 4 Comments »

Inspirational | Nick Vujicic | Giant of a Man

Posted on March 20, 2009 by Rio

Life without limbs!

Maria Eves sent me this video on Twitter.  Need I say more?

“Mentoring… is why you should get up every day–to teach and be taught. Every time you greet the grocery store checker with a smile, or pick up a piece of litter or pat someone on the back, you very well might be mentoring someone that is watching you.”—Coach John Wooden

Filed under: Inner growth | Tagged: , , , | 4 Comments »

New Age Music | Marcome | Singer | Producer

Posted on March 17, 2009 by Rio

river-of-soul-200

I was just listening to Marcome’s music…the piece titled, Yeku. Since I couldn’t do her justice with a description I want to encourage you to visit her site.

About Marcome (Marko-may):

” Marcomé blends lyrics with a wordless language that creates a soothing and ethereal world. Marcomé is a master at blending the manydifferent sounds of her voice in orderto create vocalharmonies that are richly textured. Marcoméincorporates dreamy keyboards, fretless bass, jazzy guitar riffs, traditional world beat percussions and instruments, while layering her ethereal voice into hercompositions. Presently, quality New Age music is making a strong resurgence in global popularity; as music lovers are searching for a type of uplifting, spiritual music that is a companion for their everyday lives.

Marcomé is a gifted independent, female recording artist who will grab your attention after one listen (I can vouch for that).”

To know more visit:  http://marcome.com  and http://marcome.com/blog

“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”–Plato

The amazing amazon kindle 2; the next generation !http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00154JDAI?tag=thenet-20

Filed under: Dance and Song | Tagged: , , , , , | Comments Off on New Age Music | Marcome | Singer | Producer

Buddha | Prajnaparamita | Anne Bancroft

Posted on March 14, 2009 by Rio

250px-sermon_in_the_deer_park_depicted_at_wat_chedi_liem-kayess-1There is a tiny book out there that can fit in anybody’s shirt pocket. It is titled, the pocket Buddha reader. It was edited by Anne Bancroft; and it has outstanding selections of the Buddha’s teachings. Below, I am adding an interesting excerpt (pg 33) to give you an idea.

“…the infinitely varied forms of this world, in all their relativity, far from being a hindrance and a dangerous distraction to the spiritual path, are really a healing medicine. Why? Because by the very fact that they are interdependent on each other and therefore have no separate self, they express the mystery and the energy of all-embracing love. Not just the illumined wise ones but every single being in the interconnected world is a dweller in the boundless infinity of love”. –Prajnaparamita (The perfection of  Wisdom)

A note from Wikipedia: “The Perfection of Wisdom Sutras or Prajñāpāramitā Sutras are a genre of Mahayana Buddhist scriptures dealing with the subject of the Perfection of Wisdom. The term Prajñāpāramitā alone never refers to a specific text, but always to the class of literature.” www.wikipedia.com

“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.”–Mohandas Gandhi

Amazon.com Widgets

Filed under: The Sages | Tagged: , , , , , | Comments Off on Buddha | Prajnaparamita | Anne Bancroft

Business Websites Mistakes | Optimal Webworks

Posted on March 11, 2009 by Rio

I found this useful article published by Optimal Webworks. I think you will enjoy it too.

Are You Making These 9 Common Business Website Mistakes?

Sep 16th, 2008 | By Optimal Webworks | Category: Web Business Development

A company’s website is the most powerful and inexpensive marketing tool you can possibly use. So why is it that so many businesses pay little attention to making the website function properly? If you operate a website, or are in the midst of creating one for your website, study the following list of business website mistakes and compare these items to your site.

9 COMMON BUSINESS WEBSITE MISTAKES:

1. YOUR WEBSITE IS ABOUT YOU AND YOUR COMPANY Focusing your website on you and your business is no fault of your own. We often want to use our company website to discuss our services and tell our company story. Sadly, our company story isn’t the most sought-after information customers want. You company’s website should take aim at providing for your customers and site visitors. If your website fulfills a need, your audience has the potential to expand, exposing your company to new clients and customers.

2. YOUR WEBSITE DOES NOT SOLVE A PROBLEM  Web users seek out businesses that can solve problems for them, not tell them what problems they have. Your customers know what problems they have. They want solutions. When writing about a service your business offers, rethink the content and instead write about the problem your service or product targets. In your content, explain possible solutions to the problem, including explaining how your product can help. But remember what we learned in mistake No. 1: Your website should NOT be all about YOU!

3. VISITORS NEED MORE THAN 4 SECONDS TO UNDERSTAND YOUR WEBSITE  Are you a company that sells soups or soup bowls? Your website visitors won’t wait to find out. Website users often judge a website’s usefulness within a matter of seconds, and if you’re not ready, you may not get a second chance. Your business’s website must explain its purpose clearly and quickly.

4. YOUR WEBSITE DOES NOT TELL SITE VISITORS WHAT TO DO What is the purpose of your website? Why do you want people to visit? A better question is “What do you want visitors to do?” If the reason for your website is to get new customers to contact you, make sure your website leads users to the contact form. TELL VISITORS to contact you. Don’t make them guess what you want them to do. Obviously, we don’t want to order all of our new friends around, but we do want them to know exactly what they should do to get the most out of our website. Know what you want out of your website and help visitors perform accordingly.

5. VISITORS MUST LEARN HOW TO NAVIGATE YOUR SITE  Website users don’t want to spend time learning how to use your website. Navigation must be intuitive, otherwise, new visitors may not be able to find what their looking for. Imagine that you have the perfect content on applying your wood sealer to an outside porch. However, a user must navigate through a number of pages just to find your “deck care” page. If your navigation isn’t intuitive, how many clicks do you think a new user will make before deciding to click back to Google?

6. WEBSITE DESIGN TAKES PRECEDENCE OVER CONTENT  We all love great looking websites. We enjoy bright colors, sharp images, fancy text. It’s where business websites get into style over substance that they get into trouble. Building an website with an interesting design could get people to pause on your website a second longer. That’s true. But if a website visitor doesn’t understand what your site is about because content is overrun by distracting images and the visitor fails to find how your website addresses their problem, that visitor will likely think to themselves ‘that’s a good looking site’ and then return to Google to find another site that can fulfill their needs.

7. YOUR WEBSITE IS BUILT ENTIRELY IN FLASH  Flash is GREAT! It’s really an amazing technology. But it’s not one that should build your website. Flash creates a number of problems, one of them main hindrances being that search engines have a tough time navigating your website. Flash also depends on users to have Flash plugins enabled in their browsers. Websites built in HTML and utilize CSS play much more nicely with search engines and increase your chances of being indexed. The better you rank in search engines, the higher your potential traffic. Building your website entirely in Flash greatly limits your website’s potential traffic.

8. YOUR WEBSITE IS OPTIMIZED FOR ONLY ONE BROWSER  About 30 percent of all web users use the Mozilla Firefox browser. If 100 people visit your site in one day, potentially 30 of those visitors use the Firefox browser. If your website isn’t optimized to display properly in that browser, that’s 30 people that could likely be turned off by your website right off the bat. Already, we’ve seen a number of factors that can work against your website, from visitors’ short attention span to poor navigation to the wrong content. Make sure you website designer tests your website for proper display in all the recent browsers.

9. YOUR WEBSITE IMAGES CONTAIN TEXT  Images are for visual accents, not text. And not search engines, because they can’t read text in images. Text is for your readers, and it helps search engines understand the purpose of your website. If any of your important text lies inside an image, search engines likely won’t be able to read your text and add any value to your page for keywords you may be targeting.

To contact them: www.optimalwebworks.com 

“Every failure  carries with it the seed of an equivalent advantage”.–Napoleon Hill

Filed under: Internet Marketing | Tagged: , , , | Comments Off on Business Websites Mistakes | Optimal Webworks

A Way With Words | Martha Barnette | Grant Barrett

Posted on March 10, 2009 by Rio

Recently, I came across the Public Radio show, A Way with Words with Martha Barnette and Grant Barrett, and I am finding it not only educational but also interesting and entertaining. If you are interested in improving or getting to know your language better, I highly recommend it.

Show excerpts:

“A fish stinks from the head down.” When an Indianapolis woman is quoted saying that, she’s accused of calling someone a stinky fish. She says she wasn’t speaking literally, insisting that this is a turn of phrase that means “corruption in an organization starts at the top.” Who’s right?

Good news if you’ve wondered about a word for recognizable images composed of random visual stimuli—that image of Elvis in your grilled-cheese sandwich, for example. It’s pareidolia.

Dude, how’d we ever start using the word “dude“? The Big Grantbowski traces the word’s origin–it’s over 125 years old. Here’s a poem about dandy dudes from 1883, the year the word zoomed into common use. Ben Zimmer at Visual Thesaurus also has a very good summary of what is known about “dude.” 

You can also listen to their recorded shows or subscribe to their pod cast at:  www.waywordradio.org

Filed under: Useful Links, Tips and Ideas | Tagged: , , | Comments Off on A Way With Words | Martha Barnette | Grant Barrett

Google Search | Five Pillars | Titus Hoskins

Posted on March 8, 2009 by Rio

Interesting update from Titus Hoskins, an excerpt and link:

For many of the most competitive, profitable (I like to call them moneyed keywords) Google is displaying a whole
range of search results that can be divided into 5 groups, classifications, types of listings… knowing and targeting
these 5 different areas can make a big difference to how well you rank in Google.

These 5 Pillars of Google Search also has many ramifications for webmasters and especially for online marketers. I believe they will be much more importance as Google moves forward and makes more changes to its ranking system and how it displays those results.

Anyway, I have written a very detailed article on this subject and placed it on my site. The piece discusses
these 5 areas and how you should both know and target  them in your own marketing or with your website. I believe
it will help you get better rankings for your site or keywords. It’s too long to put here so you can read it here:

http://www.bizwaremagic.com/5_pillars_of_google_search.htm

Filed under: Google Marketing | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on Google Search | Five Pillars | Titus Hoskins

Financial System | Mess | Wired Magazine

Posted on March 4, 2009 by Rio

Jack Dunning, the publisher of Computor Edge, just wrote an excellent compendium (the original articles were   published in Wired Magazine) about the reasons our financial system is in shambles. Something else we have to consider, however, is the selfish greed and the lack of integrity, which caused the causes. We have to consider that a lack of morality can, and will, wreak havoc in our financial system and in our society as a whole.

The Compendium:

“There is an excellent article in Wired Magazine that goes a long way toward explaining how the financial system became the mess we see today. It seems that there is a formula that was devised for calculating risk for the complex securities being manufactured by financial institutions. It simplified the risk decision-making process. It was used almost everywhere to evaluate complicated packages. The formula was fatally flawed.

The problem is that the risk involved in these complex mixes of financial instruments have too many dependencies on seemingly unrelated events to properly evaluate them. The fact is that the vast majority of people, including the “financial analyst,” didn’t have the math skills to evaluate the paper they were trading. The formula was used as the panacea. While the times were good, it seemed that the financial markets could do no wrong—and the formula seemed to work. But once there was a kink (bad mortgages), the house of cards collapsed. The formula is now useless, and there is nothing to replace it—yet.

Most of the problem paper in the financial markets does not have a value of zero, but banks are reluctant to buy or sell them precisely because they don’t know how much they are worth. The buyers don’t want to pay too much, while the sellers fear getting too little. Part of the complication is the fact that even individual mortgages have been divided between numerous packages. If you tried to track down who actually owns the mortgage on your house (not the bank who collects the payments), you could find that pieces of your mortgage are in hundreds, if not thousands, of different securities.

People are screaming for more government oversight, but there is no evidence that hiring more civil servants will help resolve anything. It’s been admitted at the SEC that once they get information, they often don’t know what to do with it. Nor is the problem the lack of information. It’s been argued that there is so much information available through regular mandated disclosure that the useless boiler plate overwhelms the buried, more vital figures. The government has mandated transparency through disclosure, yet the mountains of disclosed data overwhelm analysis. Who is capable of sifting through it all?

A companion article in the same issue of Wired argues that the only real requirement for fixing the financial mess is full disclosure of all the data, not to the government, but to the public. Once the data gets into the hands of geeks and nerds everywhere, the process of turning it into useful information begins. No oversight body will ever have the wherewithal, or talent, to provide information that will actually protect the public from the stupidity of financial institutions. There will always be ways for financial managers to beat the government regulations and march down a lucrative, yet dangerous, road.

Last week’s column by Dawn Clement about the massive networks of home computers chugging away in kitchens all over the world working to solve complex problems may demonstrate a model for future financial analysis. If the government tries to do it, it won’t get done—although they will spend billions while not doing it. Plus, the task may be too daunting and expensive a proposition for private enterprise. A distributed system of home computers each doing its piece of a financial analysis problem could provide more computing power than the biggest supercomputer, while offering up true transparency to those who really need it—the people. All that is required is for the data to be made available to everyone. Someone will start doing something with it. Then the oversight of our financial and securities markets will truly come from the people.

Jack is the publisher of ComputorEdge Magazine. He’s been with the magazine since first issue on May 16, 1983. Back then, it was called The Byte Buyer. His Web site is . He can be reached at www.computoredge.com or ceeditor@computoredge.com

Filed under: Current Affairs | Tagged: , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Next Page »
%d bloggers like this: