| One Woman's World
The recent flap over the raunchy remarks of radio talk-show host, Don Imus, is, once again, much ado about very little. And the infallible truth of that remark is based on Simple Psychology 101: Words cannot wound us unless we let them. There is rarely a day that passes in my free-woman life that somewhere, some man makes some derogatory remark like "them f--king women libbers." His actions can hurt me. His words never will. I get the word-opinions in e-mails: "You make me sick." "Women like you are what's wrong with the world." "If you women would stay home where you belong there wouldn't be so many unemployed men." I line my birdcage with the mail or work it into the fertilizer for my rose bushes - and then I stand up and loudly defend any man or woman's right to say what they please about you, about me, and about how impossible it is these days to find a poor politican.
Seahawks two-minute drill
25 Yards Shaun Alexander ran on a fourth-and-one in the first quarter, his longest run this season. 20 Interceptions by Seattle's defense this year. The Seahawks had just 28 in the two previous seasons combined. 10 Men on the field for the Seahawks on the final play of the first half, and still Jordan Babineaux managed to intercept Kurt Warner's heave toward the end zone. 5 Consecutive victories for Seattle, tied for the second-longest winning streak in coach Mike Holmgren's time as Seahawks coach. 4 Consecutive division titles for Seattle, which won only two division titles from 1976 to 2003. Injury Report Arizona: TE Leonard Pope suffered an ankle injury and did not return. Seattle: WR Bobby Engram bruised his hip, but was on the field to start the second half.
Cell phone conversations may be overheard by prying ears
DEAR ABBY: While dining out these past couple of weeks, I have noticed something troubling. I have overheard several elderly people talking very loudly on their cell phones and giving out personal information. I overheard one woman from across the restaurant tell someone on the other end where her checkbook and deposit slips were located and repeat her account number. She even revealed her account balance. (There was well over $11,000 in her checking account alone.) Abby, anyone could have followed that woman home and robbed her blind. Please print this as a reminder to everyone — but especially the elderly — that conversations like this should be conducted in a private setting, away from prying ears. This has happened the last three times I have dined out, and I'm concerned for their safety.
ACLU Wants Terrorism Bill Rejected
The House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a bill recently to prevent homegrown terrorism. The bill says that the U.S. will have to deal with homegrown terrorism, so it has to come up with a way to understand it, identify it and do something about it. It also creates a commission charged with investigating homegrown terrorism. But, the American Civil Liberties Union and local peace groups say the bill doesn't define homegrown terrorism. They say the bill could curtail rights and create what they call a thought police. "This creates a definition of terrorist that is way too broad, and actually is leading to overseeing anti-war activists, activists who disagree with policies of the United State government," said Brian Lenzo of Rochester Against War. They are urging New York State senators to reject the bill when it comes to the Senate.
PayPal, E-payments Gain Online Ground
Burt Reynolds is an unlikely choice for the role of Santa's helper. That didn't stop computer-maker Dell (DELL) from casting the actor in a series of commercials aimed at the social networking set. In the videos, launched on Nov. 16, Reynolds encourages viewers to buy Dell products online as holiday gifts for friends and family. The star of Smokey and the Bandit and Cannonball Run isn't the only surprising casting choice. Playing the part of payment collector is eBay's (EBAY) PayPal. Dell typically lets customers purchase computers with their Visa or MasterCard (MA) credit cards. But with this new service, all payments must go through a PayPal account. "People are moving to using different payment options, and looking at this one in particular opened up a lot of opportunities," says David Clifton, a spokesman for Dell's consumer group.
Wikipedia Used to Test Stolen Credit Cards The Washington Post
Nov 27 2007 : The Wikimedia Foundation, the parent company of the Wikipedia online encyclopedia, is being targeted by fraudsters seeking to test the validity of stolen credit cards, reports the Washington Post. The online dictionary had to increase the minimum value of donations that it would accept recently, after it was inundated with a large number of donations for 1 U.S. cent each. The cost of processing small donations is far more than the value of the donations themselves, Wikimedia spokesperson Sandra Ordonez told the Washington Post. Moreover, PayPal, which processes donations made to Wikimedia, refused to process donations of under 32 cents, she said. Sites belonging to online charities, non-profit bodies or political candidates who accept donations online are used by criminals because they have weak fraud protection capabilities, says the Washington Post.
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