Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
A Digest of Urban Survival Resources
ISSN 2161-5543
In This Issue:
1.
Why develop multiple income streams?
2.
The Social Security Scam – thanks to Democrats
3.
Is Privacy Dead in America? Vanishing in the
Digital Age
4.
For smart consumers, ‘trading in’ is the new
trend
5.
Free credit and money management resources
"No man has ever ruled other men for
their own good."
-- George Herron
-- George Herron
Documents Expose World
Market for Off-the-Shelf Surveillance Technology
The Wall Street Journal has collected and made available more than
200 marketing documents by surveillance software companies, all of
which advertise products that enable governments to spy on their
citizens. The software manufacturers claim that their products are
designed to catch criminals, though they also state they are not
responsible for the products' end uses. Many of the applications
discussed in the documents facilitate surveillance through installation
of fake software updates and other types of malware.
The Wall Street Journal has collected and made available more than
200 marketing documents by surveillance software companies, all of
which advertise products that enable governments to spy on their
citizens. The software manufacturers claim that their products are
designed to catch criminals, though they also state they are not
responsible for the products' end uses. Many of the applications
discussed in the documents facilitate surveillance through installation
of fake software updates and other types of malware.
conference in Washington, DC, into five categories: Hacking, Intercept,
Data Analysis, Web Scraping, and Anonymity. The United States has
strict rules on the sale, export, and transfer of defense articles and
defense services, though the companies claim they are compliant with
all export regulations. The nonprofit group Privacy International*, in
conjunction with the Bureau for Investigative Journalism, has
initiated a similar campaign, called "Big Brother Incorporated," with
a database of companies that sell surveillance products.
surveillance, including with the National Security Agency and the
Department of Justice.
WSJ: Document Trove Exposes Surveillance Methods (Nov. 19, 2011)
http://epic.org/redirect/112911-wsj-surveillance-piece.html
Wall Street Journal: The Surveillance Catalog
http://projects.wsj.com/surveillance-catalog/#/
*The
Poor Man has been a contributor this publication in previous years.
Potatoes soaked in salt water for 20 minutes before
baking will bake more rapidly.
PM’s
Compendium of Useful Resources
Why Multiple
Streams of Income?
In addition to being
the title of a popular book, the concept of multiple streams of income is just
plain a good idea. Let's take a closer look at this financial metaphor.
That much is easy to
understand, even if you haven't yet started working on developing those
multiple streams of income. But the other part of the metaphor is found in the
nature of the stream itself. It flows automatically according to gravity,
bringing an ever fresh supply of water. This is very different from a lake or
pond, isn't it?
Is Privacy Dead?
There are so many threats to privacy that many people think that privacy is dead. There is no doubt that those threats to privacy are serious and could have disastrous effects on personal freedom. But there are many hopeful tools and developments that might overcome those threats. Taking advantage of those tools can keep the heart of privacy beating.
There are so many threats to privacy that many people think that privacy is dead. There is no doubt that those threats to privacy are serious and could have disastrous effects on personal freedom. But there are many hopeful tools and developments that might overcome those threats. Taking advantage of those tools can keep the heart of privacy beating.
Vanishing In A Digital Age
Wired magazine writer Evan Ratliff experimented with maintaining an online presence while protecting his offline identity. He did a lot of things right, but made some mistakes that you don't have to make. Learn exactly what to do to avoid his simple mistakes.
Wired magazine writer Evan Ratliff experimented with maintaining an online presence while protecting his offline identity. He did a lot of things right, but made some mistakes that you don't have to make. Learn exactly what to do to avoid his simple mistakes.
For smart
consumers, 'trading in' is the new
buying in 2012.
It’s never been easier
for consumers to unlock the value in past purchases.
Consumers have always
resold large, durable goods like cars and houses; but in 2012, almost
anything is ripe for resale, from electronics to clothes, and even experiences.
Novel brand buy-backs, exchange schemes, online platforms and mobile
marketplaces offer smart and convenient options for consumers keen to ‘trade in
to trade up’, alleviate financial strains (double dips, anyone?), and/or quell
environmental and ethical concerns.
Three drivers behind
the RECOMMERCE phenomenon:
NEXTISM: Consumers will forever crave new and exciting
experiences promised by the ‘next’.
STATUSPHERE: The growing status boost that comes from being savvy
and shopping (environmentally) responsibly.
EXCUSUMPTION: Cash-strapped, recession-stricken consumers
embracing creative solutions to spend less and still enjoy as many experiences
and purchases as possible. More at:
Credit and
Money Management - Free Resources
Earn money for paying
off your debts…set your goal for zapping debt and earn ‘badges’ for making
budget-friendly moves at:
Get a payment plan
from this site which acts like a credit counselor -
Lower your interest
rates and save some bucks by using this site:
It is a great saving to have bars of soap dry. Dry,
hard bars will last longer when used. It should be bought in quantity.
The Nanny State Updates…
The
Washington-Wall Street Cartels continue to rule the world…
A recent University of
Zurich study that found that a "super-entity" made up of 147 gigantic
corporations basically dominates the entire global economy....
"Corporations not only completely dominate the
U.S. economy, they also completely dominate the global economy as well. A newly
released University of Zurich study examined more than 43,000 major
multinational corporations. The study discovered a vast web of interlocking
ownerships that is controlled by a "core" of 1,318 giant
corporations.
But that "core" itself is controlled by a
"super-entity" of 147 monolithic corporations that are very, very
tightly knit. As a recent article in NewScientist noted, these 147 corporations control approximately
40 percent of all the wealth in the entire network"
According to
the Economic Policy Institute, between 1979 and 2007 income growth for the top
1 percent of all U.S. income earners was an astounding 390 percent. For the bottom 90
percent, income growth was only 5 percent over that same time
period.
Anticipating “Insider Threats” Research trying to find treasonous persons
Anticipating “Insider Threats” Research trying to find treasonous persons
Can treason be
predicted? A team of scientists from Georgia Tech, Carnegie Mellon, and other
institutions has launched a two-year, $9 million project to find out.
Principal investigator
David A. Bader and his colleagues are looking to extrapolate meaningful
patterns from very large (zetabyte) data sets--including the e-mails, text
messages, and file transfers--of individuals in operational environments. The
team will use machine learning, anomaly detection algorithms, and other tools
in hope of revealing the likelihood of a soldier or government employee turning
into an “insider threat.“
“Our goal is to
develop a system that will provide analysts for the first time a very short,
ranked list of unexplained events that should be further investigated,” said Bader.
The project is being
supported by the Defense Advanced Project's Research Agency (DARPA) and the
Army Research Office.
The Parting Thought –
Social Security & Other Lies
Your Government Promised
Our onerous income tax
began in 1913 and it was promised in public that it would never affect anyone
other than the top one percent of income earners. One could file a ‘return’ on a postcard.’ Witholding of taxes from your paycheck began
in WWII as a ‘temporary’ measure…how long does temporary last?
My Social Security card states it’s "NOT FOR IDENTIFICATION" purposes.
Franklin Roosevelt, a Democrat, introduced the Social
Security (FICA) Program. He promised:
1.) That participation in the Program would be
Completely voluntary,
No longer Voluntary
2.) That the participants would only have to pay
1% of the first $1,400 of their annual
Incomes into the Program,
Now 7.65%
on the first $90,000
3.) That the money the participants elected to put
into the Program would be deductible from
their income for tax purposes each year,
No longer tax deductible
4.) That the money the participants put into the
independent 'Trust Fund' rather than into the
general operating fund, and therefore, would
only be used to fund the Social Security
Retirement Program, and no other
Government program, and,
Under Johnson the money was moved to
The General Fund and Spent
5.) That the annuity payments to the retirees would never be taxed as income.
Under Clinton & Gore
Up to 85% of your Social Security can be Taxed
Since many of us have paid into FICA for years and are
now receiving a Social Security check every month --
and then finding that we are getting taxed on 85% of
the money we paid to the Federal government to 'put
away' -- you may be interested in the following:
------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ----
Q: Which Political Party took Social Security from the
independent 'Trust Fund' and put it into the
general fund so that Congress could spend it?
A: It was Lyndon Johnson and the democratically
controlled House and Senate.
------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --
Q: Which Political Party eliminated the income tax
deduction for Social Security (FICA) withholding?
A: The Democratic Party.
------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -----
Q: Which Political Party started taxing Social
Security annuities?
A: The Democratic Party, with Al Gore casting the
'tie-breaking' deciding vote as President of the
Senate, while he was Vice President of the US
------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -
Q: Which Political Party decided to start
giving annuity payments to immigrants?
AND MY FAVORITE:
A: That's right!
Jimmy Carter and the Democratic Party.
Immigrants moved into this country, and at age 65,
began to receive Social Security payments! The
Democratic Party gave these payments to them,
even though they never paid a dime into it
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1 comment:
We'd like to 'trade in' our government in DC; those pirates have been looting the Social Security fund for decades. We should try them in court as the thieves they are.
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