Oklahoma Tornadoes: What THEY Want You to Feel

news.yahoo.com

First, I want to say that I feel deeply sorry for all of those people who lost their loved ones in this horrible tragedy. I have and will continue to pray for the comfort and resolution needed to deal with that sort of loss.

I have been watching the news quite a bit lately (as always), and I have been very surprised by some of the ways that the media has tried to spin public interest. When did we get to the point that we needed the media to tell us how to feel about a devastating tornado or other tragedies?

When I was watching CNN about two days ago, I saw a woman come on and complain about FEMA. She said that the money that people would be getting from FEMA would be better used to build storm shelters for each home. She at least pretended to think it was wrong that the organization would help people rebuild their houses without providing them the added benefit of something they didn’t have before. Would insurance cover it? Why should FEMA be responsible for upgrading your home? Is it their fault that you didn’t build some sort of shelter the last time a tornado hit? Is it the tax payers’ fault? If I were involved in something that catastrophic, I would hope to think that I would be grateful for anything I got.

Another thing that the media has forgotten to talk about is insurance. If you live in a place that constantly has natural disasters, you should probably invest in it. I don’t want to sound cold, but if you decided not to cover yourself with homeowner or rental insurance in order to save a little bit of money, I consider that irresponsible and I have a very hard time feeling sorry for your material losses.

Later on another broadcast, the anchors were talking to an expert of some sort (probably simply survived a natural disaster at some point in their lives) and asked why the state or local governments did not require storm shelters or storm cellars to be built for every home. Really? Now you want the government telling you another criterion for living your own life? Just take your FEMA money or insurance claim and build one yourself. That is what I would do (aside from moving). If you feel like your insurance company is trying to cheat you out of money after filing a claim, you should probably get a good attorney (they already did).

Why is it that during and directly after the tornadoes, the major cable networks were pretending to be talking to the actual people on the ground during the coverage? They said things like, “Please take cover and protect your families” and “Do not go outside for any reason.” Did anyone else recognize the false show of support that the news anchors were showing toward people without working electricity to power their televisions? Some people didn’t even have natural gas to warm water or anything. They did the same thing with the flooding that happened the next day. We see what you are doing there, news guys.

What do you guys think about it? Am I going overboard here? Does anybody else notice that the media capitalizes on tragedies in order to increase ratings? Let me know in the comments section down below.

9 Reasons to Use Google for All Your Blogging Needs

If you are thinking about starting a blog, it is very important to research and plan your product. There are many vendors and platforms out there that offer blog hosting, but none can match everything that Google is willing to offer. Keep reading for 9 reasons to use Google for all your blogging needs.

1.  Blogger: Google’s Blogger is very easy to set up for beginners. The step-by-step wizard makes the initial layout a snap. The best part is, it is also powerful and flexible enough for the advanced bloggers, which can save you future migration headaches. There are also many add-ins available to make your blog more unique and gain traffic.

2.  Adsense: If you have done any research on blogging for profit, you already know that Google’s Adsense is a must. Setting up Adsense to work with Blogger is easy by design to encourage new bloggers to use as many of Google’s features as possible.

3.  Google+: One of the easiest ways to gain traffic on your blog is to incorporate social media into your marketing and promotion plan. The good news – Google has that covered as well with Google+, which is constantly gaining popularity. Similarly to how Facebook was considered the “mature alternative to MySpace” at one time, Google+ is becoming the more mature and professional alternative to Facebook. Additionally, Googe+ already has many communities for research, discussion, and collaboration purposes.

4.  Gmail: Almost everyone already has a Gmail account. When used with other Google applications, Gmail gives you the ability to have an email account that is directly tied to your blog, advertisement platform, and social media outlet. It gives you the professional appearance of having a specific account for your blog as well.

5.  Hangouts: Google’s Hangouts is a new feature of Google+ that allows you to collaborate with other bloggers or even your readers through text, voice, and video chat. Just imagine having the capability to hold chat sessions with your audience to discuss issues, let them know more about you, or even make suggestions about your content. Google Hangouts is the ultimate way to stay connected to your fans.

6.  YouTube: If you are anything like me, you might also be interested in trying out a video blog (vlog). With YouTube, you can set up your own channel to talk about whatever you desire. If you are smart, you will also use YouTube (with Adsense) to promote your blog and use your blog to host links to your YouTube videos.

7.  Cross-Authentication: One of the biggest advantages to using Google applications is the cross-authentication. When you log into one Google product, your credentials pass on to the next application. This saves you time and effort associated with creating, maintaining, and remembering multiple user accounts.

8. Search Engine Optimization: Many bloggers and webmasters spend so much of their time trying to figure out creative ways to get their blog to the first page of Google. Luckily for you, your blog is already hosted by them! In other words, they already see your blog – something that can be difficult to initiate, otherwise.

9. Cost: What is the absolute best reason to use Google applications for your blogging endeavors? You probably guessed it already. Google applications are free. You can’t beat that with a stick.

As you can see, there are quite a few reasons to use Google for all your blogging needs. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions about getting started or making the switch, please feel free to use the “comments” section below.

-BCS

5 Simple Steps to Get the New iPhone for FREE! (Seriously)

original photo

What do you guys do with your old iPhones? What if I told you that I have always had the newest iPhone and I only paid for the first one? If you have AT&T, you could upgrade to a new iPhone for FREE by following the 5 simple steps below (and maybe even get a good case for it, too)!

1.  Check to make sure that you are eligible for an upgrade by logging into your AT&T account or calling customer service.

2.  Look on eBay to make sure a FACTORY UNLOCKED version of your current iPhone is selling for $200 or more.

3.  Go to the AT&T or Apple Store and upgrade to the new iPhone.

4.  As soon as you get home from the store (don’t talk and drive), call AT&T and tell them you would like your old iPhone UNLOCKED. They might give you a link to a website that doesn’t work and takes weeks. Tell them, “I have tried to use the website many times before and it has never worked for me. The last time I tried to do this, the person told me to just call from now on.” They should do it for you the same day and give you instructions on how to unlock it. If not, you may have to do the website thing and wait a week. (Note: AT&T will not unlock your iPhone if it is currently being used on your account. You have to upgrade first.)

ebay.com

5.  When your phone is unlocked, sell it on eBay (if you have never done this before, CLICK HERE to learn how!). I always say free shipping and avoid international buyers, but that’s just what works for me. I also set the reserve to just under what you expect to get ($200 or $250 in this case. Try not to get greedy). The key is to get the payment for your old iPhone as quickly as possible. Since you already spent the money on the upgrade, think of it as a 100% rebate! (Note: If you plan on doing this again, SAVE YOUR BOX! iPhones sell faster, easier, and for much more if you include the original box and accessories, especially close to holidays.)

That’s it. I have done these 5 simple steps to get the newest iPhone for free for every version of the iPhone (except the iPhone 3GS, which I never owned) and it has worked for me every time. A few years ago, AT&T made this process much easier when they started unlocking phones. Before that, we had to jailbreak and unlock them ourselves.

If you have any questions or other methods of performing this awesome process, please let me know in the comments section below!

- BCS

Link Between IRS "Scandal" and Obamacare... Really Guys?

photo from netrightdaily.com

Until now, I haven’t said anything about the Internal Revenue Service issue going on right now because I haven’t really had an opinion. What they were doing was clearly wrong and someone should be punished. Obviously, the key leadership who really ordered or influenced the headache that was served to Tea Party political groups will not be tried or punished. We have scapegoats for all that. Unless the people being questioned have real political ambitions, I seriously doubt they would take it upon themselves to play in the political game of thrones.

Now we have conservatives like the Minnesotan representative, Michelle Bachman, trying to tie the IRS issue with Obamacare. Suddenly, I have an opinion on the matter.

First, I want to apologize to the Associated Press about my comment on their Twitter post “GOP hoping scandal over IRS will grow to include Obama's health care law”, where I claimed that it was the most ridiculous thing that they said yesterday. I thought at the time that it was just a liberal political stunt, aimed at making the members of the GOP look silly. Thank you, Ms. Bachman for stepping up and taking that responsibility head on.

If any of you didn’t know, my political views sway to the left.  

I don’t like Obamacare. That said, the supposed tie between the IRS “scandal” and Obamacare is Sarah Ingram, who used to be the commissioner of the tax-exemption department of the IRS. In December 2010, she was laterally transferred to head the Affordable Care Act office, but has openly indicated that she worked both positions until 2012.

photo from riehlworldview.com

I did some research on the topic because I didn’t understand what the IRS had to do with Obamacare. I found out that the IRS is responsible for collecting income information from their tax activities and forwards that information to the people who enforce Obamacare.

I really don’t see that much of a link, other than she now collects income information and forwards it. I think this tie is a stretch, at best. So far as I can see, the position she holds doesn’t have much influence on Obamacare legislation. She was simply in charge of formulating and executing a plan to deal with the legislation.

This example comes to mind: I am in charge of an organization’s computer helpdesk. Corporate releases a new information security policy that states all systems will be scanned weekly for personal photographs and my supervisor asks me to find a feasible way to make the requirement happen.

Later on down the road, it is suspected that someone on the helpdesk has been stealing company-owned computer keyboards and an investigation ensues. Someone who doesn’t like the corporate security manager or their new security policy sees that I was in charge of the helpdesk and also worked to make sure that the corporate security policy was executed as ordered. They try to formulate a link between the stolen equipment and the security manager in order to attack them.

photo from georgiapoliticalreview.com

Am I getting this all wrong? Even though I find value in following politics, sometimes it just makes me sick. 

Now the Tea Party is suing the IRS for maltreatment. I’m not surprised about this and I don’t think it is really a story. The only reason I am mentioning it is because the media thinks it adds more drama to the situation. If anyone else was put through the ringer in this way, they would probably sue as well.  I would if I could afford the legal fees.

Let me know what you guys think. I always welcome feedback, even if it contradicts my opinion.

- BCS

Force Feeding and Hunger Strike at Guantanamo Bay (GITMO)

One of the biggest stories right now has to do with the prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. According to an article in the Miami Herald, the prisoners are striking due to mistreatment by the guards.

Some examples of this mistreatment provided are the confiscation of personal items (such as Religious CDs, personal letters, blankets, and hygiene items), and disruption or disrespect during prayer times. Their books and Qur’ans have been searched for paraphernalia and their exercise times have been reduced significantly.

At the time of this writing, there are currently over 100 prisoners participating in the hunger strike and 30 who are being force-fed.

An attorney for some of the prisoners has described the situation as being “barbaric” and says the prisoners are being treated unfairly and that these innocent men are being denied the right to die (instead of continue to endure the conditions).

Dr. Gerald Thomson, former president of the American College of Physicians goes on to describe the force-feeding as a form of torture.

I am just trying to sum this up for any of you that aren’t already following the story. Let’s take a minute to talk about the history of force-feeding:

- In the United States, people being treated for psychiatric or eating disorders are often force-fed. When this happens, everyone just calls it sustaining life.

- Hunger strikes throughout history (all over the world) have resulted in force-feeding.

- On December 6^th, 2006, the United Nations War Crimes Tribunal approved the force-feeding of Vojislav Šešelj, a Serbian politician who was being held and refusing to eat. In their statement, they said it is not “torture, inhuman or degrading treatment if there is a medical necessity to do so...and if the manner in which the detainee is force-fed is not inhuman or degrading.”

- The Connecticut Supreme Court authorized force-feeding for a prisoner who refused to eat voluntarily in the 2009 case, Lantz vs. Coleman.

- The “shoe bomber” terrorist, Richard Reid attempted to perform a hunger strike in 2009 and was force-fed.

My first reaction to this story was simple – offer them food three times a day and if they don’t eat it, that’s their problem. Then I saw the political issues behind that idea. As soon as someone died or word got out that prisoners were going hungry, there would be a public uprising.

Here is how I see it now: if someone is refusing to eat, they are probably suffering from some sort of mental issue (psychosis, an eating disorder, dementia, retardation, etc.). In that case, the only responsible thing to do would be force-feeding them. That is how the medical world treats these issues, and I stand behind their judgment.

When it comes to the confiscation of their personal items or limitation of exercise times, I have one thing to say. They are prisoners. They are there because they are either being detained or punished for their participation in terrorist activities. These aren’t purse snatchers or money launderers here – they are terrorists. Stop trying to give them rights that they don’t deserve.

Let me know what you guys think. If you are influential enough, you might change my mind (but I doubt it).

- BCS


References:
One Hundred Days of Hunger Striking at Guantanamo http://dissenter.firedoglake.com/2013/05/17/one-hundred-days-of-hunger-striking-at-guantanamo/
Force-Feeding Facts http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Force-feeding