Will Astrology choose your premiums?

Allstate Insurance company is launching a “fun” ad campaign that is supposed to make people more aware of their driving habits. There is no plan to take the astrological predictions into consideration when looking for a premium, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be doing it soon.

Okay, so those at the top of the list would be happy with lower premiums, but what about those at the bottom? It’s pretty funny to me that anyone would ever consider astrology as a viable way to predict driving behaviour.

If Allstate does actually decide to use this information, do you think they would disclose it? I don’t. I think that they would keep it under wraps and adjust people’s premiums accordingly. If you are a Virgo with Allstate, watch out. If your prices rise all of a sudden, you might just be on that so-called nonexistant astrological scale!

Man Dictates, Women Must Procreate

With the last appointee that Bush has approved being head of Family Planning, women are being threatened. Dr. Eric Keroak is public enemy number one right now because of his stance against abortion and birth control.

I am all for getting the kids to stop having sex out of wedlock and killing millions of babies by aborting them each year, but if I am married I want the option to NOT have children! The general tone of Keroak is to say that having a load of children while married is okay, even if you don’t want them or cannot afford them. It’s fine even if it is detrimental to the health of the mother…just as long as the children don’t result from premarital sex.

I don’t know about you, but this line of thinking is totally skewed. I am married. I don’t want any more children than I already have. Must I be forced to take care of more children while working my fingers to the bone so as to not become a burden on the very government that put me in this predicament? Lack of birth control will cause a sharp increase in spousal and child abuse. If Keroak cared to take a look at ALL the factors that go into the reasons why we have birth control in the first place, then maybe the nation wouldn’t be up in arms and ready to take action against him.

Source

Privacy, have they none.

Surveillance is at an all time high and the people are being cheated out of their privacy. This article shows which cities are at their highest and lowest levels of surveillance, Canada ranking near number one. I cannot help but notice that the United States is nipping at their heels in their efforts for total control.

The U.S. scored a 2, putting it in the “extensive surveillance society” category. In terms of statutory protections and privacy enforcement, the U.S. was ranked the worst in the democratic world.

This is significant when you think about the efforts of the War on Terror and how it is affecting U.S. citizens. It’s more than alarming that these overt practices are going on every day and we cannot seem to realize that this is a blatant attack on our privacy. No person is safe from the probing technology that is available to the government.

Want an example? Look, briefly, at the maps Google provides. I zoomed in onto my own house and could see the exact placement of everything on my property INCLUDING where my mailbox is…in astonishing detail. That is just one minor player in the game of surveillance. Think about all the satellites and telescopes that are hovering around in space. None of us has a clue how many are out there, but someone does. Do you have any clue how close they can get to your face? Tracking your every move, knowing your purchases from how you use your credit cards and check books, marking everything and everywhere you turn.

This isn’t to make you paranoid, only aware. There is a system of control out there. We have to stand up and tell them that we shall not allow our rights to be infringed upon.

Capitalizing on sickness

Yes as always, the world has found a way. During the passed month, there were many retailers and manufacturers who made pink products to “support” Breast Cancer Awareness Month. They were selling pink products and giving a portion of the proceeds to cancer research. The problem lies in how much of the profit was actually going to the research centers. If I go and buy a pink item and only about ten cents from each dollar spent hits the research centers, how much is that really? It’s not enough, that’s for sure.

AIDS awareness also went by with many a red item being bought up at record speeds in order for people to support research for an AIDS cure. Again, only about ten dollars per purchase was hitting the research centers.

A friend of mine wrote about this phenomena for the AIDS awareness campaign. Her take on the story was this:

My idea?

Take the full purchase price and send it directly to the fund.

I couldn’t agree more.

Big business in small words

I found this article on a fellow reader’s blog:

Anyone here ever heard of Acorn Systems? I have, but never really understood their function. If you read the synposis they have on their site about what they do, you will see something like this:

Acorn Systems enables meaningful and sustained profit improvement by providing continuous enterprise-wide visibility into business performance. How? Acorn combines a unique and proven consulting methodology with a highly scalable, sustainable software platform to provide a superior profit improvement solution.

Know what they do yet? Me neither. So I did some research to see if I could find a plain english “Acorn Systems for Dummies” type of explanation of the company and what it does.

the rest of the article

Yes, this company distributes costing software that will allows a business to see where their funds are coming from and where they are going. They service large to mid sized businesses.

My issue: Why in the world do big companies that distribute to other companies feel the need to use the most astounding word combinations to explain what it is that they do? Is it to keep the little people like you and I from the truth? What do they have to hide?

Flush the First Amendment & Sterilize the Crazies

In recent news, it has come to the attention of Americans all over the nation that our First Amendment rights are being syphoned in new ways. In the article found here, you will see that a bill has just been passed that crosses the line between church and state.

The bill has only one purpose: to prevent suits challenging unconstitutional government actions advancing religion.

This takes us to a whole new level of intrusion. The government now has the right to advocate or disavow any religion it chooses. This is definitely NOT what our forefathers were thinking when they first put this nation together. I am sure if they could, they would be turning in their graves at the outrage.

This isn’t the end to the debauchery. We now have members of said government who are speaking out against the bad behavior of children. Doesn’t sound too bad, right? Everyone knows that children act out and behave irreverently sometimes. The trouble comes when this specific councilman decides to state that he believes people who will make unfit mothers and fathers should be STERILIZED! Don’t believe me, believe the facts. Councilman Shirley is advocating a vicious trend that only just ended in the Unites States a mere thirty years ago. Who will be next to pronounce judgment on said parents? Who is next in line for sterilization?

If you believe in a higher power, start sending your prayers and vibes out for this nation. God knows we need all the help we can get.

The Washington Post 

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Widow nearly nailed

After September 11, 2001, the September 11th Victims Compensation Fund was created for those who lost loved ones in the attack. The Fund is a no-fault system designed to maximize compensation to the families of victims, which means that any fee a lawyer would get for winning a case based on the sum of judgment no longer applied. The lawyers would only get a standard fee. A widow of a man who died in the attacks was being railroaded by the lawyer she had represent her in front of the board for the Victims Compensation Fund. The attorney that the widow had contracted thereafter asked for $2,000,000 as a contingency fee! The attorney had the nerve to file suit in federal court for this fee. Simmons, jannace & stagg stood on the behalf of the grieving widow and moved to dismiss the federal action, based on the fact that the contingency fees were disfavored. They won. Thank goodness someone was looking out for that widow.

Jobs require more education

Watch out! The days of getting entry level positions with only a high school diploma or GED are nearly numbered. More and more companies are requiring that you have at least a Bachelor’s Degree in order to even apply for the position. Many people are getting a rude awakening.

If you are one of those people who needs more skills, but also needs to continue working at your present position…or you have no skills to even obtain a job, then you should definitely check into online courses. Most of the schools allow you to work at your own pace in your own time. In many cases, you can get a degree in less than four years.

Accredited programs, like those at Cappella which was founded in 1993, are your best bet. Capella University, for example, offers 76 graduate and undergraduate specializations and 16 certificate specializations within the categories of business, information technology, education, human services, and psychology, and bachelor’s degree programs in business and information technology.

Remember, when looking at schools for degree online programs, check them out for accreditation before you apply. Nothing is worse than going through a lot of classes and putting out money just to find that your degree is useless.

Being ripped off?

RipOffReport.com is a worldwide consumer reporting website & publication for consumers, by consumers. It is where people can file and document complaints about companies or individuals who have ripped them off. The site would be worth a look, but it has come to light that people have been abusing the system. False claims have been entered on a number of occasions in order to hurt marketability of rival companies.

As with anything, there is always a balance of truth and fiction. Ed Magedson,the owner of RipOffReport.com, has been sited for his company trying to make other companies pay for play. In other words, extorting money from companies so that they will have top billing on the website. and it seems like many companies are looking for him and are tying to sue him for posting fraudulent information.

If you or anyone you know has been unfairly criticized by a RipOff Report ranking, contact them through the above link and they will help you.