When most people know their lives are about to end I would imagine they hope that they have left their mark and will be remembered.
Dolore Aguilar certainly made an impression on her family, judging by her obituary -
Dolores Aguilar
1929 - Aug. 7, 2008
Dolores Aguilar, born in 1929 in New Mexico, left us on August 7, 2008. She will be met in the afterlife by her husband, Raymond, her son, Paul Jr., and daughter, Ruby.
She is survived by her daughters Marietta, Mitzi, Stella, Beatrice, Virginia and Ramona, and son Billy; grandchildren, Donnelle, Joe, Mitzie, Maria, Mario, Marty, Tynette, Tania, Leta, Alexandria, Tommy, Billy, Mathew, Raymond, Kenny, Javier, Lisa, Ashlie and Michael; great-grandchildren, Brendan, Joseph, Karissa, Jacob, Delaney, Shawn, Cienna, Bailey, Christian, Andre Jr., Andrea, Keith, Saeed, Nujaymah, Salma, Merissa, Emily, Jayci, Isabella, Samantha and Emily. I apologize if I missed anyone.
Dolores had no hobbies, made no contribution to society and rarely shared a kind word or deed in her life. I speak for the majority of her family when I say her presence will not be missed by many, very few tears will be shed and there will be no lamenting over her passing.
Her family will remember Dolores and amongst ourselves we will remember her in our own way, which were mostly sad and troubling times throughout the years. We may have some fond memories of her and perhaps we will think of those times too. But I truly believe at the end of the day ALL of us will really only miss what we never had, a good and kind mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. I hope she is finally at peace with herself. As for the rest of us left behind, I hope this is the beginning of a time of healing and learning to be a family again.
There will be no service, no prayers and no closure for the family she spent a lifetime tearing apart. We cannot come together in the end to see to it that her grandchildren and great-grandchildren can say their goodbyes. So I say here for all of us, GOOD BYE, MOM.
Originally, Dolores Aguilar’s obituary which appeared in the Vallejo Times-Herald was believed to be a hoax.
It turns out, however, that the obi was very real.
You’ll not be able to find it in the online version of the paper though - it was swiftly pulled as commentators became progressively nasty in their responses.
What so you make of such an obituary?
Is it completely tasteless to talk ill of the dead, or do the deceased’s relatives have every right to vent their true feelings?
Last year I wrote a post about the apple patch diet.
Whilst I personally don’t like multi level marketing, I was actually quite impressed with the product.
One year on and there are still very few negative comments to be found online about the apple patch diet.
In fact, there were only 4 minor issues raised with the BBB and all had been resolved.
However, just in case anyone has bought the patch and failed to lose weight, here is a single graphical tip that shows where you may be going wrong -
That’s right - you’re meant to put the patch on yourself, not an apple dummy!
So, one year on, and this anti-mlm’er still likes the apple patch diet.
Maybe the pro-mlm’ers will think there’s hope for me yet!
Have you got a gas guzzling car?
Are you worried about rising fuel prices?
If so, then using your body to pay for gasoline may not be the answer.
ANGELA EVERSOLE
Last month Angela Eversole, a 34 year old woman from Kentucky, was arrested by police officers who claim she was trading sex for gasoline.
Officers in the Fort Wright area set up a sting operation in an attempt to catch prostitutes.
Angela Eversole, 34, was one of the suspects that they arrested.
It is alleged that the Fort Wright woman engaged in sex in return for a $100 gasoline card as well as other gifts.
Eversole was promptly charged with prostitution, in addition to conducting business without an occupational license.
She pleaded not guilty at her arraignment.
A 50-year-old man, Kenneth Nowak, was also arrested in connection with the alleged act of prostitution.
With rising oil prices do you think people will really be tempted to sell their bodies in order to pay for the gas they need?
I would imagine that most auto dealers are completely honest.
However, there are a significant number who give the industry a bad name through the use of a variety of scams.
Therefore, you should keep your wits about you, even if you believe that a dealer that you are in negotiation with has a spotless reputation.
After property, a new car is likely to be one of the biggest purchases you are ever likely to make.
It is, perhaps, unsurprising then to realise that car dealers have spent many years coming up with new strategies designed to get more than a fair price for the autos they sell.
Here are a few of the more common auto scams that you may be faced with when looking for that new car -
THE SPOT DELIVERY SCAM
Also known as YOYO selling, this scam is probably the one most used by less than honest dealers.
What happens is that the dealer will appear to quite happily agree to all of your terms and will allow you to drive away in the vehicle you have purchased.
A little while later, however, they will call to say that there has been a problem and that the terms haven’t really been approved.
Upon you return to the dealership they will then re-write the whole deal, and it will end up being a far less favourable proposition than when you originally made your purchase.
The end cost will be much higher, and the dealer may also couple this scam with the ‘risky credit rating scam’, detailed below.
The best way to avoid this scam is to ensure that all aspects of the deal have been finalised before you drive away.
Make sure that any financing is in place and confirmed and that all paperwork has been duly completed.
THE RISKY CREDIT SCAM
In this scam the dealer will imply that your credit rating is less than perfect and poses a risk.
Of course he offers to take a chance - by offering credit at a higher interest rate.
Naturally, the dealer will profit from this higher rate of interest.
The best means of defending yourself from this type of scam is to either shop around and compare the credit deals on offer, or to be prepared by checking your own credit rating in advance.
THE REDUCED TRADE-IN SCAM
Many people shopping for a new vehicle will use their existing one to offset part of the cost by trading it in.
Dealers are prepared for this and so will use a variety of methods to undervalue the trade-in.
This includes simply undervaluing the vehicle in the first place or suggesting that there will be a lot of expense necessary in order for them to re-sell it.
The best solution to avoid getting ripped off in this instance is to have a good idea of your car’s trade-in value before you present it to a dealer.
SUMMARY
There are many auto scams to be aware of though, luckily, they are perpetrated by a small number of dubious dealers.
If you apply common sense then you should be safe in your search for a new, cheap auto.
When you type something on your computer keyboard can you be sure that you are the only one who reads your words?
Even if you appear to be alone your privacy may not be intact.
WHAT IS A KEYSTROKE LOGGER?
A keystroke logger is one of the most dangerous forms of spyware.
Dangerous because not only can it snoop on your computer-related activities but because it can also relay all that you do back to a remote computer.
From there, the owner of the keylogger can likely discover your name, address, credit card and bank account numbers, Social Security number,…, you get the picture.
A keystroke logger can give so much information about you away that identity theft will be just around the corner.
Of course keystroke loggers are not a new phenomenon - they have been around for a great many years.
However, with all the other threats to be found online, such as scams, spam, viruses, etc, key loggers are no longer at the forefront of people’s minds.
Considering the devastation they can inflict, they should be!
3 TYPES OF KEYSTROKE LOGGER
Here’s a brief description of the types of keystroke logger that you may encounter -
Windows Hook
Windows operating systems have an in-built function called ‘SetWindowsHookEx’.
As you may be able to guess, this function monitors key strokes.
Whilst there are legitimate uses for this function, a hacker could utilise it for their own nefarious purposes if given the opportunity.
Kernel / Driver Loggers
This type of keystroke logger is, perhaps, the hardest to detect.
A kernel logger will receive information directly from an input device, such as a keyboard, via the operating system.
Such a logger can be used to read key strokes and is often executed at the beginning of the boot sequence, before anti-spyware programs, allowing it to remain undetected.
Hardware Loggers
A hardware logger is a physical device that is usually places between the computer and it’s keyboard.
Typically, it will be small enough to go undetected for some time.
A hardware logger may be a surefire way to capture key strokes, though physical access to the target machine is quite obviously required for installation to be successful.
5 WAYS TO DEFEND AGAINST KEYSTROKE LOGGERS
The following 5 basic and common sense tips should help you avoid having a keylogger installed onto your system -
- Scan your entire system for viruses and spyware on a regular basis
- Question the origin of every email you receive, even if they appear to be from friends
- Never, ever, open email attachments unless you are 100% certain they are safe
- Always have a firewall running to block unauthorised traffic
- Avoid clicking on pop-up windows on websites
Spyware is an ever-increasing problem, and one which may surpass viruses as the biggest threat and nuisance in the online world.
It may well be worth investing in a quality anti-spyware package to bolster your defence against keyloggers as well as a whole host of other undesirable side effects of the world wide web.
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Thursday, August 28, 2008
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