My Pets Online

In this case study, we will explore why a company needs a Print Management and Advanced Print Spooling solution like OM Plus to manage enterprise printing in their Windows Server Environment. The Windows Spooling System (WSS) is ubiquitous in large-scale Windows Server installations but there are very clear business cases where an advanced print management and spooling solution adds tremendous business value to document driven business processes.

Company - For the purposes of this case study, we have consolidated multiple companies’ Windows printing challenges in order to present a more comprehensive “picture” of the benefits that OM Plus delivers.

Business Problem - Most business processes require some type of output to be initiated and/or considered complete. This output is created by business applications (ERP’s Financial Applications, HR Applications, Payroll Applications, etc.), and includes things like invoices, checks, financial reports, shipping and manufacturing related documents, etc. The output is usually “delivered” to its end destination (most commonly a printer) to initiate and/or complete the business process. Enterprise-based output printing is most often batch oriented and is distinguished from normal desktop printing by the fact that it is mission critical. It is more demanding; time sensitive and business processes can fall apart if the printing is not successfully completed and managed. It is extremely important to the completion of a business process to know that a document has printed. Cash is not collected if invoices don’t print, goods are not shipped if the pick lists don’t print, and vendors don’t get paid if A/P checks don’t print. What is the impact on your business if invoices don’t get sent out even though your application sent them to the printer and assumes they printed?

The key business problem faced in a Windows Server environment is the lack of a robust print management and spooling system that has advanced, post-spooling functionality. The Windows Spooling System (WSS) works fairly well in terms of performing the duties for which it was designed, spooling print jobs and delivering them to a printer. However, advanced, post spooling functionality is virtually non-existent in WSS and this causes business problems. The Windows Spooling System lacks the post-spooling, batch printing tools that are needed to streamline document centric business processes in an “enterprise class” print management environment.

Key Technical Challenge - Unfortunately, none of the Windows Server Operating Systems’ WSS’s have been designed to handle the production delivery of documents across an enterprise or provide advanced “post spooling” document delivery functionality. These shortcomings of WSS impact business processes and add unnecessary support costs. Due to these shortcomings, problems arise with reliable and confirmed document delivery, centralized print management and control across dissimilar systems, document integration with electronic forms, and the supportability of the entire enterprise’s document delivery systems. Documents are lost, not delivered correctly or in a timely fashion and customer satisfaction or business processes suffer.

Additionally, because the Windows Spooling System (WSS) lacks post-spooling tools it cannot provide the following functions that are often necessary to successfully maintain an “enterprise class” print management environment. WSS does not provide:

Confirmation of the print job landing in the output tray-Assuring to the application that a document has been successfully printed

Automatic addition of print specific finishing commands without user intervention-Users can request finishing commands but this is not usually practical in large batch printing

Server level accounting-Who printed what, where and how much around the whole enterprise

Scalability of print infrastructure-After more than 150 print queues WSS scalability is questionable

Load Balancing-WSS can provide overflow load balancing but to get true “round robin” printing where all printers are shared equally, not just when the first one is busy, requires OM Plus

Document re-printing without having to re-create or re-spool the job-Since WSS purges the job after delivery to the printer buffer, there is not an easy way to re-print the job or portions of the job, without re-creating it and re-spooling it

Job priority controls-If a large job is dominating a printer, it is difficult to stop the job and allow others to print, then re-start the large job where it stopped with WSS

Auto fail-over and re-routing of jobs around failed printers-WSS can not automatically re-route a print job around a failed printe

Viewing in WYSIWYG after spooling, prior to printing-If a user wants to view the job without printing it, WSS does not provide a WYSIWYG view. This can be very useful and provide cost savings for jobs that only need to be viewed but not actually printed

The ability to block jobs automatically that are too large, unauthorized, or not to be printed on the mounted form-Business rules can not be set up in WSS so that jobs can be re-directed or put on hold when they are sent to a printer not suited to print the job, i.e. 1000 page report being sent to a desktop printer cannot be stopped, re-routed to a production size printer and then an e-mail sent to the report requester notifying them of the re-routing. With OM Plus this is possible

Re-printing from a specific page after the job has been delivered to the printer buffer-WSS will purge it when it is finished delivering the job to the printer, not when the last page is successfully printed, making it difficult to know exactly what page needs to print next. Critical need in check printing to print the next check correctly after a printer problem

Technical Solution -The technical solution implemented at our customers with these business problems is OM Plus, the Advanced Print Spooling and Print Management solution from Plus Technologies.

At the heart of the OM Plus suite of product solutions is the OM Plus Server. It monitors all system activities and performs the core tasks associated with the delivery of documents such as, job scheduling, queue management, security, job status, printer administration and other system functions. It is constantly aware of all relevant system elements, queues, printers, fax servers, e-mail servers, pagers, web pages, archive systems, e-forms, document types, user authorities, servers, and priorities.

End-to-End Confirmation

OM Plus provides end-to-end confirmation all the way to the final destination. It can even confirm the delivery of a job because it can tell when the paper has landed in the output tray for PJL compliant printers. End-to-end confirmation allows the administrators to locate the problem area when delivery interruptions and failures occur. OM Plus is fully SNMP compliant and can capture data provided by SNMP devices. This allows users to see more detailed information on device status (i.e. the printer is low on toner). OM Plus can even talk directly to web enabled devices to gather detailed status information.

Automated, event based processing

Events such as printer problems can be defined so that OM Plus automatically notifies an administrator via pager or e-mail of the printer problem. Other events such as a printer is busy or the form the job requires is loaded in another printer can trigger automatic re-routing of a print job.

Printer & Print Management

According to industry experts, a typical organization can spend as much as fifteen percent of its total revenue on printing and print management. Organizations that proactively manage their print output can reduce the high costs associated with printing.

OM Plus’ superior print management functionality improves productivity and reduces cost.

OM Plus:

Allows central control and monitoring of the status of printer devices and jobs across the entire organization from a single status screen improving help desk productivity.

Ensures delivery of output to its final destination in the correct format.

Greatly reduce help desk calls.

Maximizes printer availability.

Reduces costs associated with manual bursting and distribution of reports with electronic bursting and bundling of reports (with RD/RB Plus options)

Users can add or remove printers themselves from their own class of printers

Audit and Accounting Logs

The OM Plus accounting log tracks usage data that is required in charge back environments. The audit log assists with troubleshooting and problem resolution. Both are viewable, searchable, exportable and customizable making problem resolution faster.

Document Viewing

The viewer in OM Plus views all text documents and simple PCL. OM Plus will automatically launch additional viewers to view more complex document formats.

Printer Status Monitoring

OM Plus captures a rolling log of PJL statements from the printer. This log allows a user to view the actual status of a printer.

Implementation - On site services including installation, system configuration, testing and user training was delivered by service engineers from Plus Technologies to all of these customers. In all cases, the implementation was completed and in production within two to three weeks of the order.

Rick Ferguson

Ashopstoreq
Bagsbykirsty

There’s a new route into your company’s secure data. It’s the Blackberry PDA. A hacking program has been developed which exploits the relationship between the Blackberry itself, a company’s internal server and the network connection to which both are attached. The hacking program works because the data tunnel between the Blackberry and the server is encrypted. Intrusions can’t be detected because the protective systems, such as firewalls, exist at the perimeter of the network. This begs the question of all business owners whose employees use a Blackberry: Is your company data secure?

The hacking technique is successful because there are very few companies equipped to detect and intrusion from the inside of the network. Another reason for hacking success is the fact that companies don’t see the Blackberry as a potential attack vector. The Blackberry is not your normal handheld device. It’s a continuously running code machine that’s always on and always connected to your internal network. It has constant direct access to whatever you give it access to and most company structures allow complete access to the internal network for their employees who use Blackberries.

BBProxy is the name of the Blackberry hacking program. It can be loaded on the Blackberry either physically or via e-mail as a Trojan horse. Once loaded, the Blackberry will call back to the hacker’s system and open communication channels between the hacker and the internal network of the company. This process runs in the background behind the safety of the company’s firewall scanning for hosts with vulnerabilities in security and is generally undetected.

Recently, an ad on eBay sold a Blackberry “AS IS” for approximately $15.00. While the device didn’t come with a cable, synching station, software or manual, it did come with something far more valuable. This Blackberry came with a stockpile of corporate data all there for anyone to read as soon as the device was turned on. Many employees are insufficiently trained concerning security issues for the electronic devices they use on a daily basis.

Company data is stored as attachements on a server, rather than the Blackberry itself, so if a device is ever lost or misplaced someone could easily read sensitive documents. The Blackberry lacks encryption capabilities and relies instead on users locking the device with a password. Unfortunately, anyone with hacking abilities could discover the password and let themselves into the network.

The beauty of the Blackberry is that it’s a do it yourself type of device. It basically allows you to take your office with you wherever you go and not be caught unprepared or without the correct documents of a given meeting. However, for individuals and companies who handle and funnel much of their business dealings through these wonderfully useful devices,both internal and external server security must be taken into account.

Rebecca Welch is a successful Webmaster and publisher of BestCameraCellPhone.com. She provides researched information on http://www.best-camera-cell-phone.com and other mobile communication devices.

Kifedh
Sitemap

In order to explain the importance and features of bad credit cash advance loans, let’s imagine a situation that the person is falling short of money and his payday is far, what will the person do in such circumstances? Now, what if he is also tagged with bad credit, most of the times it is seen that people facing such situation feel helpless but now financial market will provide them a helping hand by means of bad credit cash advance payday loans.

Bad credit cash advance payday loans have been specifically designed to meet the financial needs of the person tagged with bad credit.

Generally, the lender providing bad credit cash advance loan asks for certain proofs and documents, such as:

• Source of income

• Bank account proof

• Post dated cheques

Bad credit cash advance loans can also be applied through online. Applying through online makes the task easier and simpler, as the person can apply as per his convenience that is by sitting at his house or from his office. The person is only required to fill an application form on the internet which only takes couple of minutes. After submitting an online application form, the lender will verify the application submitted and if he finds the information satisfactory, then he will get back to the person to ask certain things. And, finally he approves the loan amount and transfers the loan amount to the account of the person.

Either the person applies in the physical market or through online, he is required to do certain things before he finalize the bad credit cash advance loan deal.

• Conducting proper and thorough research in order to know the market.

• Try to find other cheap sources of finance as bad credit cash advance loans carries bit high rate of interest.

• Compare annual percentage rate of each offer of bad credit cash advance loan.

• Thoroughly, go through terms and conditions of the loan.

• Don’t forget to negotiate with the lender in regard to the cost involved in the loan

• Clear all the cost involved

• Ensure there are no hidden costs

Usually, bad credit cash advance loans enable the person to borrow an amount without collateral, this is the only reason that why the lender charges high rate of interest.

As Bad credit cash advance loans carries bit high rate of interest, so the person must avail this loan in an emergencies only, when no other option is left.

Daniel Robinson has done his masters in finance from Georgetown University. He is engaged in providing free, professional, and independent advice to the people needing loans. He works for the ModernCashAdvance. To find bad credit cash advance loan ,fast cash loans,payday cash loan,quick cash loans,cash advance payday loan visit http://www.moderncashadvance.com.

Board
Ajordynqab

The Bad News: Identity theft is escalating at a torrid pace. It has become one of the country’s top problems. The bad guys are finding more ways to steal YOUR identity.

The Good News: You can take control of the situation, become both reactive and proactive guarding yourself against identity theft.

Identity Theft Is Spreading Faster Than The Worst Case Of The Flu!

First, let’s understand just how bad identity theft has become in this country:

· The Federal Trade Commission says that there is an underground market for credit card numbers, social security numbers and ID documents - organized gangs or web mobs use and sell these documents for as little as $10 each. Some of these groups contain thousands of members. The amount of goods and services purchased with fraudulently obtained personal identity exceeded 52-billion dollars in 2004.

· US Department of Justice states identity theft is affecting millions of households in the U.S. each year. The cost is estimated to be six-point-four billion per year. According to the FTC, an estimated 10 million adults become victims of identity theft each year.

· The Department of Justice goes on to say that the most common misuse of identity was through credit cards, accounting for 50 percent of all identity theft. Next in line were banking and other types of accounts at 25 percent, personal information was 15 percent, and a combination of several types of identity theft was at 12 percent. The average loss for each identity theft was $1,290.00. Two-thirds of those surveyed said the theft cost them money despite credit card coverage.

· A recent State of the Net survey by Consumer Reports which covered more than 2000 households with Internet Access projects that American consumers lost more than eight-billion dollars over the last two years to viruses, spyware and various scams. The report also shows consumers face a one-in-three chance of becoming a “cyber victim” about the same as last year. It goes on to say that consumers lost $630 million over the past two years to e-mail scams.

· The average person today suffers through two or more “incidents” with their computer each year - the computer slows to a crawl, crashes altogether, viruses or spyware take over systems and more. It’s getting worse as computers become more complex and as we do more with them.

So, Who Is At Risk For Identity Theft?

According to the Department of Justice there are three groups that are most at risk for identity theft: young adults 18 to 24, adults who earn $75,000 per year or more and households in urban and suburban area. Interesting to note that about five percent of adults who earn $75,000 or more a year are hit with identity theft.

The continued growth of online fraud and identity theft are putting an enormous strain on the existing infrastructure for the Internet as well as our social structure. For example, the banking community has been complacent about security upgrades required by the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council. They report that every bank in the country has not complied with their guidelines set for now. In an article titled, “U.S. Banks Complacent Toward Identity Theft Solution,” by PR Web, the single largest national security threat is a terrorist attack on our banking system. An attack aimed simultaneously at millions of user names and passwords within banks would shut down our banking system. This would instantly shut down banks worldwide. Credit/debit cards, checks, calls to the bank, would not work for at least a matter of days causing tremendous hardship and a ripple effect from no gas to “I simply have to take this baby food.”

Consider for a moment some of the potential social effects from this identity theft problem. What if citizens developed a lack of confidence in our credit card and monetary system causing economic upheaval similar to what we saw in the “Great Depression?” I know this sounds radical, but what if you couldn’t trust your identity to anyone anymore? What if you feared that your money, your identity was going to be stolen? It’s not unthinkable that you would store your money under your mattress at home or in a safe in the closet rather than possibly losing it to identity theft. If millions of people lost faith in our monetary system and the ability to keep their identity safe and then took all of their money home where they believe it would be safe, what would happen then?

We generally can’t control what happens outside of our personal environment, what happens at a bank, corporation or the government seems so far out of reach. There are, however, steps that we can take that will give us a better chance of protecting our personal information. The first step is identifying the threats and then taking steps to protect ourselves.

Below, I have identified nine identity theft threats and nine steps to protect our identity in today’s society.

Nine Threats To Your Identity

Here are nine of the most popular ways for thieves to steal your identity. Some of these are personally preventable and others are out of our control:

1. Stolen Company Data. Your personal information is stored on computers at stores where you shop, at your insurance company, your accountant, and more. It almost seems like a common occurrence where a company is hacked into and their customer’s information is stolen. This happens so often now that the crimes are rarely reported and don’t make the front page anymore.

2. Social Engineering. Identity Thieves are very clever. They will invent any way possible to fool you into giving your identity out. It’s called social engineering because the thief uses common social situations to get the information they want. Like a seemingly innocent phone call supposedly from your credit card company asking for your personal information.

3. Dumpster Diving. Identity thieves get a lot of their victims’ information out of garbage cans and recycle bins from old credit card statements and other personal documents thrown out carelessly.

4. Mail Theft. Your mail can contain valuable information: bills, banking information, credit cards, investments and more. Personal mail can often be stolen right from a mailbox.

5. Financial Account Hijacking. Once a thief has your personal information they can take over your personal accounts. You might not know about their activity for months.

6. Credit Card Magnetic Strip Theft. These clever crooks have tools to steal information off the magnetic strips on your credit card.

7. Discarded Computers. Your old computer really can tell stories. Even though you erased your hard drive crooks have tools to reclaim your personal information and use it against you.

8. Spyware and Viruses on Computers. You may not be familiar with the term ‘malware.’ It’s a term that covers all of the hacker tools that can cause harm on your computer. These tools include spyware, keylogger tools, Trojan horses and more.

9. E-mail and Internet Scams. Cyber thieves are getting more and more creative using scams like Phishing, Pharming and fancy come-ons to entice you to give them your personal information.

There Are Four Ways You Can Approach Protecting Your Identity…

One way is to do nothing and hope that identity thieves don’t harm you.

Second, you can be reactive. Reactive simply means that you are responding to all the material that comes your way. You are checking your credit card and bank statements to make sure nothing peculiar is on them. And if you do find something strange you contact your bank or credit card company immediately. Reactive also means that you are checking your credit report when you apply for credit or a loan.

Third, you can be proactive. A proactive approach is a more aggressive way of protecting yourself against the bad guys. You are constantly looking ahead and evaluating before giving out valuable information.

And fourth, combine reactive and proactive approaches. This is the best way to ensure you identity protection.

Nine Critical Steps To Proactively Protecting Your Identity…

Here are your ‘Nine Proactive Steps To Identity Protection:”

1. Begin to operate on an “I have to know everything” approach when you give out your personal information. Only give out your personal information to people you know and trust.

2. Protect your Social Security Number, credit card and other financial information. Do not give this information out over the phone unless you initiated the call or as we stated above are talking to a trusted individual from a trusted company.

3. Cancel all of your unused accounts including banking, credit card, licenses and permits.

4. At least once a year, if not more often, update and check your credit report and Social Security Earnings and Benefits Statement to make sure everything appears as it should.

5. Protect your mail. Make sure you have a secure locked mailbox to receive all of your mail. Always mail your payments and checks from a secure Post Office Box or from the Post Office. And, if you have a Post Office Box at the Post Office never discard your mail in a garbage can. Always bring your entire mail home.

6. Always crosscut shred all bank statements, credit card applications or information and important documents before discarding to recycle or the garbage. It is best to stir up the shredded documents to make it even harder for identity thieves to steal your information.

7. Purchase identity theft insurance. This will cover any losses incurred while recovering your lost identity once a crook has stolen it.

8. Invest in professional grade protection for your computer. The best protection available today comes from Managed Internet Security Service providers. The best security services include best-of-breed corporate grade security software for your computer, as well as unlimited service and support from trained security pros. Make sure it is the same kind of service that is used by major corporations around the world. Frankly, the over-the-counter and free security software programs available don’t keep up with today’s professional cyber thief. If those popular programs worked, why do we see the cyber-crime problem growing at a progressively faster pace?

A managed professional Internet security program should have the following technologies installed: A bi-directional or dual Firewall that prevents information from coming in or going out of your computer without your permission, anti-virus protection that is updated daily, and malware protection that is updated daily. Malware consists of spyware, adware, Trojan horses, keyloggers and more. It constantly changes so you will need a technology that keeps up with the professional hackers who want your identity. Your best bet is to find a professional security service that affordably manages all this for you.

9. Beware of e-mail scams like Phishing and Pharming. Phishing is an e-mail that looks like it came from a bank or business claiming you need to take care of a problem or your account will be closed down. It takes you to a page to fill out your personal information. Meanwhile, Pharming is redirecting your computer from a legitimate to a fake web site. For example, you may think that you are going to your banking site, but instead are redirected to a site that looks like your banks web site, but is hosted by an identity thief.

Identity theft continues to grow at a torrid pace. Millions of people in the United States will lose their identity to thieves in the coming year. Many of them will suffer for years trying to clean up the mess that was left behind.

The bad news is we can’t control all of the identity threats we face each day. The good news is there are reactive and proactive steps we can take to protect ourselves against personal tragedy.

Warren Franklin is engaged in the cause of educating and protecting people who use the Internet about the threats they face and the inadequacy of the solutions they trust, and over a two-year period has become an expert on PC Security and a passionate advocate of Internet safety. Find out more his campaign for personal and Internet security go to his web site at http://www.completeinternetprotection.com.

Lungcancer
Funshopg

The 2007 Atlantic Hurricane Season is now upon us. And for those of us in the Southeast Region of the United States, it is a time when we begin to think - how bad is it going to be this season?

Although 2006 was a relatively calm year with only 2 named storms hitting the U.S., the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center is projecting a much more active Atlantic Hurricane Season for 2007. Based on the current oceanic surface temperatures, the scientists are predicting between 13 and 17 named storms, 7 to 10 of which will become hurricanes, and of those 7 to 10, 3 to 5 could be major hurricanes, a Category 3 or higher.

If the predictions are true, we only have to look back to 2005 to realize what we may have to look forward to here in Florida. We had widespread evacuations. Many of us experienced days, even weeks without electricity. There was property damage and destruction everywhere. If it happens again, are you prepared?

If you haven’t done so already, now is the time to get your family ready in case a disaster strikes. Waiting for the first hurricane watch is too late. The Florida Division of Emergency Management website has an excellent online Family Disaster Planning tool which can be found at -

http://www.floridadisaster.org/family

With it, you can create a personalized Family Plan, which will include:

* Amount of food and water needed for your family and pets
* Evacuation maps
* Local emergency contact information

The system creates checklists of recommended items and specific quantities of water based on your size family. It also emphasizes the importance of keeping copies of important documents such as insurance papers, birth certificates, and bank account numbers in a dry, plastic container for easy retrieval.

But what if disaster does strike your family home

If you need assistance in settling a hurricane insurance claim or any other insurance dispute or denial, call one of our Board Certified Civil Trial Attorneys at 800-235-7060, or you can email us at info@whkpa.com.

Ajordyntab
Yorki

Legalities and Documents required for Getting Married In Cyprus:

We put your mind at ease firstly by saying that your marriage is definitely legal also in the U.K. , Cyprus law does however require the following legal ’stuff’ to proceed and allow your marriage to take place without any problems:

Absolute essentials:

Þ You will need to be in Paphos for at least 3 working days (we suggest 5) before the actual wedding takes place. This is excluding the day you arrive, weekends, public holidays etc.)

Þ Each of you need a valid 10-year passport not due to expire within 6 months.

Please have photocopies of all pages related to the contents / information in your passports.

Þ Each of you need to have your own ‘Single Status Declaration’ which confirms that you are free to get married.

This must include:

- your name, address, nationality, religion, passport number and occupation

- must state whether you are single, divorced or widowed

- must state that you intend to get married in Cyprus

- must be signed by a U.K. solicitor, stating ‘Solicitor’ on the document.

Þ Scottish Nationals should obtain a ‘Certificate of Impediment’ from the local registry office in place of the declaration.

Þ If divorced, please have a copy of the ‘decree absolute’ and if Catholic please have a copy of the marriage annulment.

Þ If widowed, you need a copy of the death certificate.

Þ If under 18, please have parental consent stamped and signed by a solicitor.

Þ Proof of name change will be needed by Deed Poll stamped and signed by a solicitor.

Þ Birth Certificates

Þ Adoption certificates if adopted

Þ For Anglican weddings and Catholic weddings:

- at least of the two must be baptized or christened into the Christian faith.

Þ Irish Nationals and passport holders require a ‘Freedom to marry’ Certificate from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Irish Embassy in England.

We want your wedding to run smoothly and effortlessly for you and our aim is for bride and groom to be happy and joyful on this sacred day. We ask you to please provide us with photocopies of all the relevant documents at least 6 weeks prior to your arrival in Cyprus. Originals must be brought with you.

George Georgiou has been a professional wedding coordinator for over 8 years now. Our company http://www.skarvelisweddings.com is considered t be one of the leading wedding planning companies in the Island of Cyprus.

Bikesd
Charlien

1. 12 million illegal immigrants did not appear overnight. Actions by Congress - or the lack of action - created the environment for illegal immigration to exist.

2. The main drive behind legal immigration is family reunification, a holdover from WWII. Is it time to give preference to nurses and computer engineers over brothers and sisters of U.S. Citizens? What we need is not what we get.

3. Actions by Congress always have unintended consequences. Congress put annual limits on the number of H-1 visas that could be given to temporary professional workers. Registered nurses were split off into H-1A and others were put into an H-1B category. The H-1A program ended in 1996, and now we have a nurse shortage just as the Baby Boomers need more health care.

4. At the time of the last amnesty, employer sanctions were imposed as a compromise. Let the last group of illegals get green cards in 5 years, but make it tough for the next group. As we have seen, sanctions don’t work. Fake documents are cheap, and many small employers don’t keep the paperwork anyway. But the fundamental question was never addressed: “Why should employers be forced to spend their time and money doing the U.S. Government’s job of controlling immigration?”

5. A recent trend is a test of a system where employers can call a number to see if an applicant is eligible to work in the U.S. Do we really expect massive mistakes not to be made here? Who protects the legal immigrant when immigration authorities give the wrong answer?

6. All of this is leading to a place that politicians and bureaucrats have wanted to go for years but which has been resisted by the people - a national ID card. Internal passports. “Give me your papers.” Security after 9/11. Citizens should not have to prove their identities unless involved in crime. Bet that this will be our next loss of privacy and personal liberty.

7. If the government cannot stop illegal immigration at the border, why are we forced to put up with all the hassles of airport security? Are they just trying to fool us in to believing they can do something? The 9/11 hijackers all came in with legal visas.

Congress is so divided on the subject of what to do about 12 million illegal aliens living in the U.S., working, attending school, and creating new U.S. citizen children.

Congress is as much a part of the problem as the solution.

More to come.

Charles Lamm is a retired immigration attorney and unrepentant gamer. To fight illegal aliens, demo Prey at: http://www.playtriton.com/prey/

Kirkayandr
Roberto Coin Style

It’s that time of year.

This is when we all start getting those emails that want to steal our secret codes and passwords. You know the ones: “Your Account Is About To Be Closed,” “There’s A Block On Your Account,”, “Congratulations - You’ve Won The Lottery (that you never entered).”and my favorite “Could You Help Me Claim My Funds?”.

This is also the time of year when we start shopping for gifts and the last thing you need is for your bank or credit card accounts to be stolen by “cyber grifters”. They are counting on some of us to follow the instructions in the email.

First and foremost, DON’T FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS IN THE EMAIL! If you think there might be a problem, access the account in question as you normally do on your PC and not with the link supplied in the phony email.

I’ve had some very authentic looking email supposedly from banks, that even went so far as to copy the colors of the bank logo and stationery style. But, don’t fall for the scam. In fact, don’t even open the email, because many are just set to loose a virus program on your computer by being opened. Simply forward the suspicious email to the “spoof email” address supplied by your bank, or credit card company.

Identity Theft is a worldwide epidemic. According to the Better Business Bureau and Javelin Research, almost 9 million Americans fell prey to identity theft this year with fraud costing businesses and individuals over $56 billion dollars.

There are ways to reduce your chances of identity theft:

1. Understand debit card dangers: When it comes to fraud, debit cards carry much greater personal liability than credit cards, depending on how quickly you report the loss of the card. If you fail to report unauthorized use within 60 days of receiving your bank statements, you could lose all the money in the account and be held responsible for the amount of money that has been tapped from your line of credit.

2. Rethink check writing: That little slip of paper has way too much information. Some experts advise against check writing because it gives away your address, bank account number, signature and license number to complete strangers. On top of that, there’s no federal legislation to limit your liability for forged checks (each state has its own set of rules). Experts advise that you look into automating your bill paying.

3. Secure your mail: Your mailbox is a goldmine of information. Between bank statement, bills, and all those pre-approved credit card offers, your mailbox is loaded with personal data which identity thieves can use to easily apply for a credit card in your name. Unless you diligently check your credit report, you may never even know about it. One way to avoid this is to have your mailbox under lock and key, but most of us in Santa Clarita have our mailboxes at the curb in front of our house and the postman frowns on carrying dozens and dozens of keys around. The other solution is to have a rented mailbox, or to foil “dumpster-diving” thieves by buying a shredder and destroy documents before discarding.

4. Go virtual: For shopping online, there are “virtual” card numbers. These are randomly generated credit card numbers that are disposable and that on-line shoppers use once and throw away. It’s linked directly to your real credit card account so purchases show up on your monthly bill. The service is easy to use - and it’s FREE! All you need to do is register with companies offering the virtual card, and they are MBNA, Discover, and Citigroup.

5. Create an emergency identity kit: Would you know how to contact your credit card company in an emergency? Create an emergency kit that contains: your account number, expiration date, issuing company name, and emergency contact number for each card you own. While you’re at it, make copies of your driver’s license, social security card, birth certificate and passport and store them in a locked box or file cabinet, or a safe deposit box. I like the safe deposit box best, because this gives you protection in the event of a catastrophe such as fire, earthquake, etc.

This may all seem like a lot of unnecessary work, but if you’re ever the victim of identity theft - even just once - you’ll realize that it’s well worth the effort.

Many of us forget that were it not for what we carry in our wallets or in our purses, we’re all John and Jane Doe’s if we can’t speak due to injury or are unaccompanied by someone who knows us. How much less stressful is it to know that in a bank box, no matter where you are, there are items that can verify your identity. Better to be safe, than sorry!

Daryl Campbell invites you to check out http://fightidtheft.winthemarket.com.

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Who would suspect that sleep overs, where children stay overnight at the homes of their close friends and extended family members, could be risky - even dangerous. Many parents have allowed and even encouraged children to sleep overnight at their friends’ homes as a way of helping them build closer relationships and develop social skills. Even those parents who aren’t sure about the homes involved may give in to their children’s pleas to be allowed to go.

But the reports of adult survivors of childhood physical and sexual assault place the innocent looking sleep overs in a very different light. While away from home in settings that their parents believed were completely safe, they report being severely traumatized by atrocities that they never told their parents about - perhaps because they could not bear to remember them or because of severe threats of what would happen if they did tell.

The distressing reports of courageous survivors can help today’s parents be more street smart about how child predators work. Armed with more information about predators, they will be more cautious about where their children are allowed to go overnight.

Parents must first abandon common stereotypes about child predators. Parents know that some predators, such as pedophiles, are driven by sexual attraction to children. However they may not be aware that others are motivated by sadism or hunger for power. Still other predators act out of social and financial incentives. They may be young or old, male or female, extroverted or shy.

What all committed predators have in a common is the set of skills needed to acquire the trust of parents. Obviously trust is an essential prerequisite to gaining access to victims. To secure that trust many predators hold high positions in their professions, are married with children and have excellent social skills. Many live in suburbia, having well kept homes, immaculate yards, and all of the outward trappings of respectability. Many predators attend church regularly and serve actively.

Inwardly they are raving wolves, but parents never see that side of them. Only their children do, and only when the predators are alone with them. Then the rules change. Then all of the once-respected boundaries are dissolved. What happens is governed by who has the power and the predators have it all.

Parents have learned that in this complex society they must limit their trust to protect themselves from being scammed or exploited. They may shred documents to prevent identify theft, delete emails telling them they have just won the sweepstakes in Nigeria, and withhold information from strangers who call on the phone asking questions. But placing limits on their trust of friends, relatives, neighbors, coworkers and members of their church congregation may seem excessive or overprotective.

However, in our modern society parents must set limits to protect their families, because today’s child predators ply their trade with incredible cunning by exploiting the naivety of those friends, relatives, neighbors, coworkers and fellow church members who might be persuaded, if the circumstances were right, to allow them access to their most precious possessions - their children.

How can limits be placed on trust without offending - without implying that parents suspect someone of being a closet predator? The best way, perhaps the only way, is to establish the family rule that no sleep overs are allowed with anyone. Then when someone asks if a child can stay overnight at their home the answer is “no” regardless of who asked. The answer is “no” because that is a family rule, not because the person extending the invitation is suspected of something. Eventually, if enough parents use this approach, a new community standard will be established. A time honored tradition, the sleep over, will be another casualty of our society’s loss of innocence. And our children will be safer.

Jerry McMullin has a Bachelor’s Degree in history, a Masters Degree in Library and Information Science, and a Masters Degree in Professional Counseling. http://www.saferchildren.net

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Since the Shih Tzu breed first became known to the western world there has been a variety of colors. The first and second prize winners at the Shanghai Kennel Club Show of May 30, 1930 were all black in color. These two solid black Shih Tzu were probably among the first Shih Tzu to ever appear in a western show ring. Their photographs can be seen in the China Journal June and August 1930 issues.

Black and white Shih Tzu was also frequently seen of the early days in the western world. Black and white Shih Tzu can still be “very” striking and are still a favorite of many Shih Tzu fanciers.

There are different opinions as to exactly what color was the favored color at the Imperial Palace. It has been said often that the golden-yellow, sometimes described as honey was the favorite color and only kept in the palace. There are countless entries in our passages of Shih Tzu history that tell us the Empress Dowager’s favorite Shih Tzu of all times was a solid black she called “Sea Otter.” There are also accounts that three of the Empress Dowager’s sleeve dogs were greyish-white.

The mention of solid white Shih Tzu in later standards reflect the fact that there was a leading French breeder in Peking who had a large number of all-white Shih Tzu. There has always been questions as to whether or not it was probably more the westerners who appreciated the solid white, as the Chinese saw the color white as a color of mourning.

It would be safer to say and believe that since yellow was the imperial color, a fact readily known by the golden-yellow tiled roofs of the Peking Palace. Yellow dogs were also more lion-like in appearance. The word “Shih Tzu” means “Lion” in Chinese. The Chinese tried to breed the Shih Tzu to resemble the lion, at least it was their idea of what a Lion looked like. Yellow was more likely to have been the Chinese favored color.

The white blaze, collar, socks and tail-tip combine to create a highly prized ensemble.

It is most likely that westerners had a very difficult time acquiring the yellow-colored Shih Tzu since it was regarded as being so precious. Therefore, the first Shih Tzu to appear in the west were the black and white, grey and white, brindle and white and a few solid blacks. Very few of the precious yellow-colored Shih Tzu were first acquired by the westerners.

The same holds true for the very small sized Shih Tzu. The small size Shih Tzu, which were most likely the Imperial and Teacup Shih Tzu, as many of us commonly nickname them today, (the Shih Tzu under 9 pounds in weight) were not readily available for the westerners. The westerners had access mainly to the larger size Shih Tzu that the Imperial Palace had sent out as rejects of their breeding program. There were a few able to get hold of the very tiny Shih Tzu we now commonly nickname the Imperials and the Teacup size, but not many, as this was the favored and most treasured size of the Imperial Palace breedings. The smaller size in Shih Tzu was a major goal of the Imperial Palace breedings lead by Empress Dowager.

Today’s AKC standard, however, states the weight of a Shih Tzu in order to qualify for the show ring championships must be between 9 and 16 pounds.

This article is FREE to publish with resource box.

Connie Limon is a Shih Tzu breeder. She publishes a FREE weekly newsletter. A professional newsletter with a focus upon health and wellness for you and your pets. Discounts are offered to subscribers. Sign up at: http://www.stainglassshihtzus.com

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