Links to make you think

Can you hide from the world? Not if they have your phone number.

You know how easy it is to get someone’s phone number. If it’s not in the book, you can call directory assistance, or do a search on the web. Phone numbers are easy to find. Did you know someone with your phone number can get a map to your house? 

To see if your phone number is mapped, go to http://www.google.com . Type your phone number in the search bar and hit enter. If your number comes up, you can click the map link and it will take you directly to a map to your house. 

Think about someone weird you met in the last year. Is there anyway they could know your full name? If so, they can find your house. Believe me, online maps are VERY detailed.

On the screen where your phone number comes up from the search, click the “phonebook results” link. It will take you to a screen where you can request that your phone number be removed from the database.

Ever filled out a form to enter a drawing, or apply for an account? How many companies have your phone number in their records? Even if you didn’t put your number  on the form, you probably put your full name and address, at least the town/city you live in. Very simple to get a phone number with that info.

Think about who might have access to your number. Then go protect your family.

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There is an email going around that is attributed to Andy Rooney, which praises older women. Andy Rooney didn’t write it, and admits that he doesn’t like older women. But the article is great anyway!

Sample: "Older women are sublime. They seldom contemplate having a shouting match with you at the opera or in the middle of an expensive dinner. Of course, if you deserve it, they won’t hesitate to shoot you if they think they can get away with it."

Read the rest here. It’s a very touching story.

Check it out here. I check all my links to make sure they are active right before I send out the newsletter. When I went to this site, it started me laughing aloud, and I had to read the whole thing over again. Do you have the eNetiConAppliance yet?

If you would like to get a good laugh in your emailbox every week, slip over and subscribe to Chandra Clark’s newsletter. She has a very strange view on the world, but I love it! You can read her column on the site too. Visit her here.

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I don’t know if you’ve heard about Project Prevention or not. It has been very controversial. The program is also called Cash for Birth Control, and C.R.A.C.K. (Children Requiring a Caring Community). The program offers drug addicts cash if they get a long-term method of birth control, such as Norplant, Depo Provera, IUD, tubal ligation or vasectomy.

The controversy arises over the sterilization. Some people feel that this program is akin to Hitler’s search for a perfect race. I can’t figure out where that comes from, but most people seem to think that this program pushes involuntary sterilization of drug addicts. There has been quit a bit of controversy in RGQ lately and, of course, I had to put my two cents in…more then once.

Personally, I am in favor of this program. The less drug-addicted babies born the better, in my opinion. But I’ll let you check it out for yourself here.

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I haven’t checked this out carefully yet, but since there is no money involved, I’m going to share it with you anyway.

http://www.free-ed.net/

There are many interesting courses listed here. You have to check out their course catalog. You can’t get a degree here, but you can learn a lot! New languages, GED prep, science, social studies, engineering and even medical courses. Learning isn’t all about college degrees. If you don’t use your mind it will get weaker, just like your muscles. Keep learning, and keep your mind sharp!

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Are you sick and tired of telemarketers bothering you? Visit http://www.donotcall.gov/ and put your name on the list. (For US citizens only.)

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Does Jesus tell you not to pay your bills? Deion Sanders says he does.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/news/2003/0714/1580339.html

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Do you ever say something that just doesn’t come out the way you meant it? Relax! Many famous people do the same thing.

Speech goofs

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Have you met Salam Pax, the Baghdad Blogger? If not, you’re missing a very interesting man! Salam lives in Baghdad and kept an online journal for the last couple years. Daily updates during the war, and he is still at it. I discovered his site during the war, and found it riveting. You can read his thoughts and experiences here, and a story about him in the Guardian, a leading British newspaper. AP journalist Peter Maas has discovered exactly who Salam is, and tells his funny story here. Salam has been hired to write a weekly column for the Guardian.

So there is a recipe for success. A 29-year-old, unemployed architect has now become one of the most widely read, most sought-after men in the world. See what can happen when you share your thoughts with others?

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