Please Rob Me . . . lists all those empty homes out there. Is yours one of them?
http://www.pleaserobme.com/
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Actual message on School Answering Machine in Australia
A must view for anyone with kids of any age.
This is the message that the Maroochydore High School, Queensland ,Australia, staff voted unanimously to record on their school telephone answering machine. This is the actual answering machine message for the school.
This came about because they implemented a policy requiring students and parents to be responsible for their children's absences and missing homework. The school and teachers are being sued by parents who want their children's failing grades changed to passing grades - even though those children were absent 15-30 times during the semester and did not complete enough school work to pass their classes.
Way to go, Aussies!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pwghabw4N80
Note: after this post was made, we learned the above event was a hoax. Even so, it's pretty funny. Don't you just wish that all of our schools operated like this?
This is the message that the Maroochydore High School, Queensland ,Australia, staff voted unanimously to record on their school telephone answering machine. This is the actual answering machine message for the school.
This came about because they implemented a policy requiring students and parents to be responsible for their children's absences and missing homework. The school and teachers are being sued by parents who want their children's failing grades changed to passing grades - even though those children were absent 15-30 times during the semester and did not complete enough school work to pass their classes.
Way to go, Aussies!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pwghabw4N80
Note: after this post was made, we learned the above event was a hoax. Even so, it's pretty funny. Don't you just wish that all of our schools operated like this?
Friday, February 19, 2010
Perfect Solution to Airport Scanning
Here's a solution to all the controversy over full-body scanners.
I think the Transportation Security Adminstration is making things way too complicated.
Have a booth that you can step into that will NOT x-ray you, but will detonate any explosive device you may have on you.
It would be a win-win for everyone. So simple.
I think the Transportation Security Adminstration is making things way too complicated.
Have a booth that you can step into that will NOT x-ray you, but will detonate any explosive device you may have on you.
It would be a win-win for everyone. So simple.
Click on photo to enlarge
Friday, February 12, 2010
The Top Ten Gross Things People Do On Airplanes
We all know about the rare instances of airline passenger misconduct that make it to the headlines, like the case of the naked, angry flyer or the fighting Lohan, but every day little instances of pure gross occur unnoticed or just unreported.
Perhaps you've spotted someone getting a little too frisky beneath their $5 on-board purchase blanket or going about some hygienic business, but chances are you haven't seen all Top Ten Gross Things People Do On Airplanes:
10. Browse dating websites over the in-flight WiFi
We know that having in-flight WiFi is new and great and magical, but it's best to keep your private profile and your preferences for "18/F/Asian" private.
9. Sleep on you/sleep on the floor
It's a long flight back from Hawaii and your seatmate had two too many Mai Tais. Before you can say "Mauna Loa," he's conked out on your shoulder and speedily producing a lava flow of glistening drool.
8. Use the main aisle as a space to do sit-ups, push-ups or change your child's diaper
The aisle is not your gym, nor is it a changing table. No one wants to see your lunging butt centimeters away from them as you attempt calisthenics.
7. Read Hustler, or other "adult" magazines
We realize that airport bookstores and newspaper kiosks sell adult magazines, but that doesn't mean you should immediately "read" them on the plane; those are for after the flight.
6. Attempt to join the Mile High Club
Although it seems flirty and adventurous to get in a mood with your partner and try to see things through while in-flight, keep in mind that you're in a public space.
5. Attempt to join the Mile High Club solo
The provided (or purchsed) airline blanket does not mean you have complete privacy and carte blanche to do what you will underneath it.
4. Eat fried chicken
Don't bring it on a bus, don't bring it on a train, and definitely don't bring it on a plane: smelly, greasy, messy food.
3. Tend to foot hygiene
There are foot fetishists and then there's everyone else. Feet just aren't the sort of thing that you want spending 8 hours a few inches away from the side of your face, especially if they're not your own feet (doing some yoga there?).
2. Vomit into something that is not the supplied barf bag
Thanks. We have a gross image of this in our head: "Saw someone use the plastic wrap from an airline blanket as a barf bag...didn't really work."
1. Sneeze open-mouthed/neglect to wash hands after using lavatory
This in-flight offense takes the number one spot because it happens most frequently and can affect the most passengers.
See more details at: http://bit.ly/ccXhQ7
I just verified the above address and got a warning - probably because the regular address is very long. Don't worrk, it works.
Perhaps you've spotted someone getting a little too frisky beneath their $5 on-board purchase blanket or going about some hygienic business, but chances are you haven't seen all Top Ten Gross Things People Do On Airplanes:
10. Browse dating websites over the in-flight WiFi
We know that having in-flight WiFi is new and great and magical, but it's best to keep your private profile and your preferences for "18/F/Asian" private.
9. Sleep on you/sleep on the floor
It's a long flight back from Hawaii and your seatmate had two too many Mai Tais. Before you can say "Mauna Loa," he's conked out on your shoulder and speedily producing a lava flow of glistening drool.
8. Use the main aisle as a space to do sit-ups, push-ups or change your child's diaper
The aisle is not your gym, nor is it a changing table. No one wants to see your lunging butt centimeters away from them as you attempt calisthenics.
7. Read Hustler, or other "adult" magazines
We realize that airport bookstores and newspaper kiosks sell adult magazines, but that doesn't mean you should immediately "read" them on the plane; those are for after the flight.
6. Attempt to join the Mile High Club
Although it seems flirty and adventurous to get in a mood with your partner and try to see things through while in-flight, keep in mind that you're in a public space.
5. Attempt to join the Mile High Club solo
The provided (or purchsed) airline blanket does not mean you have complete privacy and carte blanche to do what you will underneath it.
4. Eat fried chicken
Don't bring it on a bus, don't bring it on a train, and definitely don't bring it on a plane: smelly, greasy, messy food.
3. Tend to foot hygiene
There are foot fetishists and then there's everyone else. Feet just aren't the sort of thing that you want spending 8 hours a few inches away from the side of your face, especially if they're not your own feet (doing some yoga there?).
2. Vomit into something that is not the supplied barf bag
Thanks. We have a gross image of this in our head: "Saw someone use the plastic wrap from an airline blanket as a barf bag...didn't really work."
1. Sneeze open-mouthed/neglect to wash hands after using lavatory
This in-flight offense takes the number one spot because it happens most frequently and can affect the most passengers.
See more details at: http://bit.ly/ccXhQ7
I just verified the above address and got a warning - probably because the regular address is very long. Don't worrk, it works.
Feds push for tracking cell phones
Two years ago, when the FBI was stymied by a band of armed robbers known as the "Scarecrow Bandits" that had robbed more than 20 Texas banks, it came up with a novel method of locating the thieves.
FBI agents obtained logs from mobile phone companies corresponding to what their cellular towers had recorded at the time of a dozen different bank robberies in the Dallas area. The voluminous records showed that two phones had made calls around the time of all 12 heists, and that those phones belonged to men named Tony Hewitt and Corey Duffey. A jury eventually convicted the duo of multiple bank robbery and weapons charges.
Even though police are tapping into the locations of mobile phones thousands of times a year, the legal ground rules remain unclear, and federal privacy laws written a generation ago are ambiguous at best. On Friday, the first federal appeals court to consider the topic will hear oral arguments (PDF) in a case that could establish new standards for locating wireless devices.
In that case, the Obama administration has argued that warrantless tracking is permitted because Americans enjoy no "reasonable expectation of privacy" in their--or at least their cell phones'--whereabouts. U.S. Department of Justice lawyers say that "a customer's Fourth Amendment rights are not violated when the phone company reveals to the government its own records" that show where a mobile device placed and received calls.
Read more of this interesting story at: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10451518-38.html
Even though police are tapping into the locations of mobile phones thousands of times a year, the legal ground rules remain unclear, and federal privacy laws written a generation ago are ambiguous at best. On Friday, the first federal appeals court to consider the topic will hear oral arguments (PDF) in a case that could establish new standards for locating wireless devices.
In that case, the Obama administration has argued that warrantless tracking is permitted because Americans enjoy no "reasonable expectation of privacy" in their--or at least their cell phones'--whereabouts. U.S. Department of Justice lawyers say that "a customer's Fourth Amendment rights are not violated when the phone company reveals to the government its own records" that show where a mobile device placed and received calls.
Read more of this interesting story at: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10451518-38.html
New Malware Threat for Sale
The global black market for financial services malware now includes a new player, for sale to hackers who want to target the financial credentials of customers of large and mid-sized U.S. banks, according to SecureWorks.
The Atlanta-based online security specialists have given the Trojan the name “Bugat.”
Jason Milletary, a SecureWorks security researcher, said his firm believes the new malware was developed to compete with more costly or hard to buy Trojans such as Zeus and Clampi.
“The emergence of Bugat reinforces that there is a strong demand for new malware to commit financial credential theft and that ACH and wire fraud remains a profitable venture for criminals,” Milletary said.
SecureWorks has posted a research blog note on the find. It’s at www.secureworks.com/research/blog.
The Atlanta-based online security specialists have given the Trojan the name “Bugat.”
Jason Milletary, a SecureWorks security researcher, said his firm believes the new malware was developed to compete with more costly or hard to buy Trojans such as Zeus and Clampi.
“The emergence of Bugat reinforces that there is a strong demand for new malware to commit financial credential theft and that ACH and wire fraud remains a profitable venture for criminals,” Milletary said.
SecureWorks has posted a research blog note on the find. It’s at www.secureworks.com/research/blog.
FSCC awards CUs for stopping over $1.1M in fraud
Financial Service Centers Cooperative (FSCC) announced that it gave awards to 12 credit unions for stopping more than $1.1 million in fraud activity during 2009. The credit unions garnered about 50 Fraud Buster Awards. The awards were presented to credit unions on a quarterly basis during 2009.
Award recipients included credit unions that participate in the FSCC Shared Branching Network. The recipients of the Fraud Buster Awards were recognized for protecting their credit unions, their members, and members of other credit unions from fraud.
FSCC maintains an Operations Advisory Committee comprising of stockholder credit unions. The committee reviews activity and looks at ways to prevent and detect fraud through rule changes, training, products and services. In the nine years the awards have been presented, credit unions have stopped more than $7.5 million from fraudulent activities. FSCC has presented more than 280 awards.
Financial institutions in the U.S. lose about $12 billion a year in check fraud, and the retail industry loses a similar amount resulting in losses of $24 billion as a result of check fraud. The Federal Trade Commission also reports that financial institutions and businesses lose more than $48 billion annually from fraudulent activities, according to statistics FSCC cited from U.S. News and World Report.
FSCC maintains an Operations Advisory Committee comprising of stockholder credit unions. The committee reviews activity and looks at ways to prevent and detect fraud through rule changes, training, products and services. In the nine years the awards have been presented, credit unions have stopped more than $7.5 million from fraudulent activities. FSCC has presented more than 280 awards.
Financial institutions in the U.S. lose about $12 billion a year in check fraud, and the retail industry loses a similar amount resulting in losses of $24 billion as a result of check fraud. The Federal Trade Commission also reports that financial institutions and businesses lose more than $48 billion annually from fraudulent activities, according to statistics FSCC cited from U.S. News and World Report.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
ID Theft at All-Time High
The number of identity fraud victims in the U.S. increased 12% to 11.1 million adults in 2009--the highest increase since 2003, according to a new ID theft study. The total annual fraud amount increased by 12.5% to $54 billion.
The high is probably due to the economic downturn, Javelin Strategy and Research said in its study, "The 2010 Identity Fraud Survey Report," which was co-sponsored by Intersections, a CUNA Strategic Service, that specializes in I.D. theft prevention services.
Average fraud resolution time dropped 30% to 21 hours. Nearly half of new victims file police reports, resulting in double the reported arrests, triple the prosecutions and double the percentage of convictions in 2009.
Thirty-nine percent of identity fraud victims reported fraudulent new credit card accounts, up from 33% in 2008. New online accounts opened fraudulently more than doubled over 2008, and the number of new e-mail payment accounts increased 12%.
Financial services companies continue to excel in detecting fraud and alerting their customers. More than one-third of victims first learned about the fraud from their financial institution, the report said.
Other findings:
> Identification most likely to be compromised in a data breach continues to be full name (63%) and physical address (37%). Compromised health insurance information increased 4% over the last year.
> About 75% of existing card fraud incidents came from credit cards, an increase of 12% over 2008. Existing debit cards fraud incidents represented 33% of total existing card fraud in 2009 and decreased by 2%.
> Eighteen to 24-year-olds are the slowest to detect fraud--they take nearly twice as many days to detect it as other age groups. They were found to be less likely to monitor accounts regularly and the least likely group to take advantage of monitoring programs offered by financial institutions. However, they are the most likely group to take action such as switching primary institutions or switching forms of payment if fraud occurs.
> Identity fraud victims in the U.S. grew to 4.8% of the population, with a projected total of $54 billion in crime.
> Small business owners suffer fraud at one-and-a-half times the rate of other adults, because small office and home office business owners use personal accounts when making business transactions and make more transactions than typical adults.
"Identity fraud continues on the upswing, and we believe it will continue to rise if consumers fail to take proactive steps to prevent fraudsters from taking advantage of their offline and online transactions and their increasingly exposed personal information on social networks," said Michael Stanfield, Intersections chairman/CEO. "In addition, consumers need to protect themselves and their computers from sophisticated malware, and well-conceived and executed spam and phishing attacks."
Intersections offered several tips to reduce identity fraud, including the use of direct deposit, installing software to protect against viruses and spyware, turning off Bluetooth or Wi-Fi when not in use, monitoring accounts weekly, and acting quickly when fraud is suspected.
The high is probably due to the economic downturn, Javelin Strategy and Research said in its study, "The 2010 Identity Fraud Survey Report," which was co-sponsored by Intersections, a CUNA Strategic Service, that specializes in I.D. theft prevention services.
Thirty-nine percent of identity fraud victims reported fraudulent new credit card accounts, up from 33% in 2008. New online accounts opened fraudulently more than doubled over 2008, and the number of new e-mail payment accounts increased 12%.
Financial services companies continue to excel in detecting fraud and alerting their customers. More than one-third of victims first learned about the fraud from their financial institution, the report said.
Other findings:
> Identification most likely to be compromised in a data breach continues to be full name (63%) and physical address (37%). Compromised health insurance information increased 4% over the last year.
> About 75% of existing card fraud incidents came from credit cards, an increase of 12% over 2008. Existing debit cards fraud incidents represented 33% of total existing card fraud in 2009 and decreased by 2%.
> Eighteen to 24-year-olds are the slowest to detect fraud--they take nearly twice as many days to detect it as other age groups. They were found to be less likely to monitor accounts regularly and the least likely group to take advantage of monitoring programs offered by financial institutions. However, they are the most likely group to take action such as switching primary institutions or switching forms of payment if fraud occurs.
> Identity fraud victims in the U.S. grew to 4.8% of the population, with a projected total of $54 billion in crime.
> Small business owners suffer fraud at one-and-a-half times the rate of other adults, because small office and home office business owners use personal accounts when making business transactions and make more transactions than typical adults.
"Identity fraud continues on the upswing, and we believe it will continue to rise if consumers fail to take proactive steps to prevent fraudsters from taking advantage of their offline and online transactions and their increasingly exposed personal information on social networks," said Michael Stanfield, Intersections chairman/CEO. "In addition, consumers need to protect themselves and their computers from sophisticated malware, and well-conceived and executed spam and phishing attacks."
Intersections offered several tips to reduce identity fraud, including the use of direct deposit, installing software to protect against viruses and spyware, turning off Bluetooth or Wi-Fi when not in use, monitoring accounts weekly, and acting quickly when fraud is suspected.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
CURE 1-Year Old
Credit Union Retired Executives (CURE), at http://www.curetiredexecs.com/ is pleased to announce the celebration of the 1st anniversary of its unique new online service, which offers free and confidential advice that is tailored to questions from credit union professionals.
During this inaugural year, the 26 Advisors have answered more than 250 questions from credit union professionals nationwide.
Friday, February 5, 2010
What can private corporations do to employees? Just about everything
Toni Bowers with Tech Republic writes an interesting. Details are at: http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/career/?p=1706&tag=nl.e101
In his new book Can they do that?, Lewis Maltby says that employees are often surprised at the reasons over which they can be fired.
With all that you hear today in the news about employees suing former employers, you’d think that it would be very difficult for an employer to actually fire someone. But the reality is different in the private sector.
In a recent interview on NPR, Maltby said, “Freedom of speech is protected by the First Amendment - but only where the government is concerned. What most Americans generally don’t know is that the Constitution doesn’t apply to private corporations at all.”
Private corporations can fire someone for almost anything. Maltby related an incident when a worker was fired for having a bumper sticker that expressed a political view that did not jibe with the CEO’s.
The only thing that a corporation cannot do is eavesdrop on a personal oral conversation. Anything else, Maltby said, “is open season.”
I’ve written before about how employers-potential and existing-are within legal limits to peruse individuals’ personal blogs or Facebook pages, and to watch what you put there. Maltby says employers do this regularly and can fire someone over what they see.
And it doesn’t stop there. In his book, Maltby relates stories of employer abuses that include tracking employees through cell phone GPS locators to placing hidden cameras in restrooms. He says that 20% of employers now require employees to agree before being hired not to go to court if the corporation violates their legal rights.
While most people would agree that a private company has the right to run itself any way it sees fit, you can see how this right could be abused. Maltby is pushing for the Bill of Rights to apply to the private sector. In the book appendixes, he provides sample letters to elected representatives and human rights organizations as well as an Employee Bill of Rights.
In his new book Can they do that?, Lewis Maltby says that employees are often surprised at the reasons over which they can be fired.
With all that you hear today in the news about employees suing former employers, you’d think that it would be very difficult for an employer to actually fire someone. But the reality is different in the private sector.
Private corporations can fire someone for almost anything. Maltby related an incident when a worker was fired for having a bumper sticker that expressed a political view that did not jibe with the CEO’s.
The only thing that a corporation cannot do is eavesdrop on a personal oral conversation. Anything else, Maltby said, “is open season.”
I’ve written before about how employers-potential and existing-are within legal limits to peruse individuals’ personal blogs or Facebook pages, and to watch what you put there. Maltby says employers do this regularly and can fire someone over what they see.
And it doesn’t stop there. In his book, Maltby relates stories of employer abuses that include tracking employees through cell phone GPS locators to placing hidden cameras in restrooms. He says that 20% of employers now require employees to agree before being hired not to go to court if the corporation violates their legal rights.
While most people would agree that a private company has the right to run itself any way it sees fit, you can see how this right could be abused. Maltby is pushing for the Bill of Rights to apply to the private sector. In the book appendixes, he provides sample letters to elected representatives and human rights organizations as well as an Employee Bill of Rights.
Technology Brings Double-Digit CU Member Growth to Mexico
Technology Does Pay. Believe me.
Thanks to the installation of high-powered computer servers and the use of handheld transaction devices like PDAs, Mexican credit union Caja Yanga is experiencing a 15% monthly growth rate.
In anticipation of the launch of Caja Yanga's first ATMs last month, the credit union installed a new information technology infrastructure and moved its principal data center. In addition to bringing the credit union into compliance with federal regulations, the move drastically improved data transfer efficiency, providing the capacity to support projected growth.
The credit union also implemented a WOCCU outreach model in which field officers bring savings-focused financial services to members on foot or motorcycle and use PDAs to conduct transactions and transmit data. Last year, field officers performed 80,960 PDA-based financial transactions for remote members.
Thanks to the installation of high-powered computer servers and the use of handheld transaction devices like PDAs, Mexican credit union Caja Yanga is experiencing a 15% monthly growth rate.
In anticipation of the launch of Caja Yanga's first ATMs last month, the credit union installed a new information technology infrastructure and moved its principal data center. In addition to bringing the credit union into compliance with federal regulations, the move drastically improved data transfer efficiency, providing the capacity to support projected growth.
The credit union also implemented a WOCCU outreach model in which field officers bring savings-focused financial services to members on foot or motorcycle and use PDAs to conduct transactions and transmit data. Last year, field officers performed 80,960 PDA-based financial transactions for remote members.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
In The News The Year You Were Born
Click on the year you were born and read the news for that year.
http://www.oldhippie.com/forums/ice-house/8883-news-year-you-were-born.html
http://www.oldhippie.com/forums/ice-house/8883-news-year-you-were-born.html
Monday, February 1, 2010
CU Information Security Conference Set for May 19-21
One of the biggest needs in credit unions today is security. The 10th annual credit union security conference is set for May 19-21, 2010 at the Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas. This popular conference offers one of the highest dollar values of any other conference serving credit unions. Your registration fee includes the first two nights lodging FREE - No Extra Cost. Check out the program agenda, schedule, a site visit to an area credit union, speakers and more at: http://bit.ly/cusecurity2010.
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