Pondering Many Things....
I’ll be the first to admit. I do not know or understand what this protest was about. If you have some information regarding this, please let me know.
What I do know is that some people from Turkey seemed to be angry that I posted this video on youtube. I don’t really understand why they would be angry. So, if you are someone who can shed light on this situation, please do let me know.
I’m all for people standing up against injustice. If there is more to this than that, please do let me know.
Have you ever wondered if your information is really safe with one of the many VPN companies out there?
VPN – stands for “Virtual Private Network”. The idea is that you create a secure ‘tunnel’ between your computer and the VPN service. This can have the double effect of encrypting the data sent and received as well as ‘hiding’ your physical location from the sites and pages that you visit.
A VPN can also be useful if you are accustomed to using open wifi systems – for example at the airport or at Starbucks. Even if you are at home, your ISP (Internet Service Provider) could potentially see all of the data that you transmit. With a VPN you can take some of that worry away.
For example, even amateur hackers can easily see what you are doing at the local Starbucks if your data is not encrypted and protected. Their are even free tools such “FireSheep” that makes it easy to see what everyone is doing on an open Wifi network. They can even login through your browser as YOU on Facebook or any other sites that you happen to be using.
You have little protection against such acts on an open wifi network. Therefore, A VPN can sound attractive.
In addition, they can be used to get around blocks and firewalls. For example, if you are in Europe, many royalty based songs and videos that are available in America are not available in Europe because of royalty issues that have not been worked out yet. If your VPN company has a server in Montana, for example, you can appear as if you are surfing from the United States and therefore access the videos and music that are blocked to those in your country of origin.
As this point, you might be thinking: “Sign me up, this sounds great.” The problem is can you trust the VPN company itself? They can see your data since they are responsible for encrypting it. They all claim that they never look at that data. Of course, all that would change if there were a court order mandating that they turn everything you are doing or have done over to a government agency!
They tell you that you are safe, but how safe are you really?
In fact, I have a sneaky suspicion (feel free to take it with a grain of salt) that some government agencies have been granted unmonitored back door access to all such companies that provide this service.
Why do I think that? Well, take the case of the NSA (National Security Agency) whistle blower who has come out and said that the NSA has a collection of all the emails that you have ever sent ( at least for many years). (you can search the internet for the whistle blowers video interviews.)
In addition, there has been much speculation that the same agency has unrestricted access to all telephone calls via all the major telephone companies. No warrants required. (you can search for information about this on the Internet as well)
In order for them to keep collecting all of the information that you send over the internet, they would need to be able to get a copy of what you are sending. Therefore, I started wondering about VPN companies.
Read This Conversation And See What You Think About VPNs and Safety
When it was time for me to renew a particular service that I was using, I became even more concerned. In the process of paying for the renewal of this service, I was asked to input my telephone number! I happen to be a merchant I can tell you for a fact that this is not needed to approve transactions. They then used an automated system to call the number I gave them and gave me a pin number that I would have to enter in order to finish paying for the service.
When I asked their online agent about this, he said it was necessary to verify credit card payments. Only problem with this ‘intentional or otherwise’ deception is that I was using PayPal to check out. And most people know from personal experience that paypal doesn’t need to verify your identity via a phone number with every purchase. They already know who you are via your login credentials. So, why are they verifying your identity with phone number verification?
This experience has let me to suspect that ‘they’ are using this telephone verification to positively identify everyone who is using a VPN (or at least the one I am using) service.
Here is the conversation I had with their agents about this and more – to avoid potential problems with them, I have removed all identifying information about their company name and even the agents’ names that I talked to:
Now online:
ME:
trying to read the terms of service and privacy policy but the link takes me to a sale page?
You are currently being served by
Agent 1:
Agent 1:
Hello
ME:
hello
Agent 1:
what URL are you visiting
ME:
I’m in the checkout
the link took me to this page: https://www.Company-Name-Removed.net/
why did I have to verify my phone number?
Agent 1:
ok give me a momement please
ME:
you must be working with government agencies, right?
there is no reason for you to verify a phone number unless they require you to do so,
that would make the service rather pointless, wouldn’t it?
Agent 1:
yes but let me double check for you
You are currently being served by
Agent 2:
Agent 2:
Hi ME:-
we aren’t part of any government agencies.
ME:
HI Agent 2:
Agent 2:
the phone # verification system comes as part of the credit card process
it’s annoying for sure
but you can use any landline globally almost
ME:
why would you need to verify a phone number? I didn’t use a credit card to checkout
Agent 2:
even if long distance
ME:
I was usng paypal
Agent 2:
creditcard/paypal
it’s a real easy process
ME:
also, I am a merchant and there is no need to verify phone numbers.
Agent 2:
even if you are long distance it will call you and give you a 4 digit code
ME:
that’s what the zip code and card pin are for
so that answer doesn’t work for me
Agent 2:
it’s something we are stuck with via the credit card processing co
understood
ME:
no, I am a merchant and I guarantee that is not needed to verify a legit purchaser
also, I was using paypal.
not a credit card.
Agent 2:
understood, we are a bit diferent
ME:
so these answers don’t work for me.
Agent 2:
sorry, I wish I could help here – I don’t have control over this process
ME:
your terms of service and privacy policy link in the checkout are not valid either
Of course you don’t, as I said, you are under the dictate of government. that makes this service pointless.
I am a merchant and no credit card company requires me to verify a phone number.
Agent 2:
if you feel that way I certainly understand your hesitancy to purchase
ME:
what you said is totally false.
Agent 2:
ok.
sorry
ME:
and I wasn’t using a credit card anyway
so, that makes it doubly false.
Agent 2:
i wish I could help out here, we can speak about it but unfortunately it’s not something I can change
ME:
so, which agencies are you working with?
Agent 2:
we don’t work with any
ME:
I think we just established that you do.
Agent 2:
ok.
can I help with anything else?
ME:
I told you , there is no link to the privacy policy and terms of agreement, it takes me to a sales page.
Agent 2:
so if I provided you a link to these items you’d be ok?
but I think there’s a trust issue here anyhow
so even if I provided these links I am not sure it’s going to help
did you need anything else?
i know I wasn’t very helpful
ME:
oh, yes, I want to read the terms of service, and no you are not be helpful,
you are being deceptive and evasive.
and the privacy policy.
Agent 2:
ok. I’ll give you what I have
one sec
https://www.Company-Name-Removed.net/legal/
so you’ll find the privacy policy
and terms of service there
as well as copyright polocy
ME:
my honest opinion is that you should be honest with your customers about who has access to see what we are doing online.
Agent 2:
ok
ME:
and I am disappointed to discover that you are working with government and that you are not telling the truth about it.
that’s very deceptive and dishonest.
Agent 2:
ok, well we don’t but I am not going to convince you otherwise it seems
so, I wouldn’t work with a VPN provider that I knew was working with the govt either
so I don’t blame you there
ME:
yes, you do, it would just take a single court order and you would turn all over.
however, I am sure the agencies out there have bypassed that altogether.
and they can get your information even without that.
Agent 2:
we are a US based company
ME:
exactly
Agent 2:
if we are given a subpoena we have no choice
ME:
subject to the laws there.
Agent 2:
so you are correct
so perhaps you need to find a foreign based VPN that is not subject to US laws
ME:
they don’t even need that, I’m sure you have given them a back door into the system.
Agent 2:
ok.
ME:
so what is the point of having a VPN then?
Agent 2:
ME:, did you need anything else?
ME:
LOL, yea, you don’t want to talk about it. I understand, most people don’t enjoy lying when they know that they are.
did you need anything else ME:?
ME:
you never explained why I have to use the phone verification when checking out with paypal.
want to hear your answer on that…
Agent 2:
we use the telephone to verify the creditcard (or Paypal) account that is being used belongs to the person ordering
ME:
wouldn’t the fact they can login to paypal accomplish the same purpose?
Agent 2:
not sure…
ME:
again, I am a merchant, credit card companies DO NOT require a phone verification.
Agent 2:
understood
not all companies are like yours
not all companies use the same processor either
ME:
yes, with some, the government needs to get people’s information
Agent 2:
need anything else ME:?
———
So, what do you think about this conversation?
Do you think your data is safe. Does the NSA or government agencies have routine and untethered access to your information?
Comment below
The evidence is clear, it is conclusive and it is overwhelming. In China, organs are being harvested from healthy, live prisoners and labor camp victims, effectively killing them and reaping a profit from their organs.
It is wrong on so many levels that it is absolutely sickening.
There is currently a petition on the White House site – 25,000 signatures are needed to get attention.
A mountain of work has been done to show that this really is happening. The proof is concrete and rock solid. In short, there is no way to deny this is truly happening in China and has been for some years now.
Here is a video that briefly touches on the overwhelming evidence:
This is an extremely serious situation and I hope that you will give it the attention it deserves.
It takes just a few brief moments of your time to sign the petition. Yet, those few brief moments can help bring enough exposure to this issue to stop this horror for good.
It’s very simple, sign the petition: https://wh.gov/5Jmn
Why Is This Happening?
It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever, does it? It is highly irrational. Why would any government on Earth allow this? The answers can be found in a document called The Nine Commentaries
But, you don’t need to take the time to read it (unless you want to). It’s pretty clear that no matter what completely irrational excuse anyone gives, this is completely wrong.
Therefore, it is clear that this MUST come to an end.
You can help: https://wh.gov/5Jmn
Just Horrible! Watch this video.
The only way this will stop is when enough people are talking about it. Like and share this page / video. Let’s get this into the public awareness.
Thanks for your help in advance. Share it now and get the word out.
Illegal Organ harvesting – Organs taken from healthy people – effectively killing them — and making a big profit for the lowlife of the Earth… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvAOOwvJMZs
Share This Now: Don’t forget this moment. Share it now and help these people… Let as many know as you possibly can… Going on since 1999…. Too long! Take action now…
These is an audio file from many years ago – but it is still relevant today. So listen to it and share it far and wide.
There are a number of forced labor camps in China today. Most people are still completely unaware that the Chinese Communist Party still routinely uses forced labor to punish / brainwash people in China. I have heard that there are still over 300 of these camps in existence.
Wikipedia entry. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laogai
These labor camps are also known as : Laogai
They are not just about forced labor, torture is routine. They also employ torture in ‘brain washing’ centers and in other detention centers in China.
They have a number of ways to torture a person. Many leave permanent damages and scars. They have other methods that induce great pain but don’t leave many visible marks. Although these methods can often lead to damage of the internal organs.
The bottom line is that there are many SEVERE human rights violations occurring today in China.
You seldom hear about these violations, unfortunately. They are not widely publicized by any major media in the world – even if they are aware of them.
It is important that China change for the better.
As a rising power, these type flagrant violations need to cease in that country.
The population of China exceeds that of the United States by about 3 times if not more.
If we can change the human rights situation in China, that would have a significant and positive impact on a large part of the world’s population.
If you can, spread this audio file far and wide.
* You can learn about more human rights abuses in China at https://FalunInfo.net
You can learn more about the hidden history of the Chinese Communist Party at https://ninecommentaries.com
Take It Easy?
One of the lessons I have been forced to learn is that I must ‘take it easy’.
I have been through a grueling three and 1/2 years since I was laid off from my job. I have worked almost non-stop at all hours of the day and night.
During this time, I let the important things in life slip a little. I did not meditate as much as I should have.
I did not help out as much by volunteering my time to help fix the world’s tragic situations.
All Work And Very Little Play
I worked and I worked trying to push my online business to the next level. I did not take vacations, I did not do much of anything besides work, work and more work.
In the end, I have realized that I must stop this.
My online work is still not to the point that I want it to be. But it is sufficient (at the moment) for me to live and I should be thankful that I have that. I am thankful for that.
But, I also know that doing more of the important things in life, like working against the persecution of Falun Gong in China, is going to require that I reach the ‘next level’.
Must Refocus on What Is Important
If I don’t get back to meditation and the important things in life now, when will I? The answer is, possibly never.
That means I need to stop worrying about what I am able or not able to achieve and refocus.
If I don’t take the time for the important things, I may not be able to tomorrow.
I do not want to forget what is important to me. If I do, what is the point of everything I have tried to accomplish to support those goals?
Take It Easy
Perhaps, I have finally learned the lesson that needed to be learned. I need to take it easy and stop stressing about my business and the 1,000 other things that come into our minds during the day.
I appeared to have entered a vicious cycle where I extrapolated and concentrated my worry on things that might never happen.
That is really a kind of mental torture.
I have been forced to realize that not everything I worry about will come true. In addition, I have also been forced to come face-to-face with the reality that I do not, nor do any of us, have the level of control that we think we have.
So, why not take it easy?
Now that I am learning to take it easy, I am making more time for what is important in life to me. This is a breakthrough for me.
I learned that I do not and cannot have the level of control over life events that I want to have. Perhaps, there is a reason for that?
We are humans and we live within a framework of limitations.
The answer to breaking free of that doesn’t exist within our limited field of perception. We need to go outside of that.
Very Little Control
Maybe I cannot do or achieve everything that I want to, so why not focus more on what is a priority for me. I can spend less time on my business and I think I should.
As human beings we believe we have a certain level of control over our lives. But in reality, we have far less than we think we do.
Human beings live approximate 100 years or so and currently, they tend to die somewhere around or before that 100 year mark. Perhaps in the future we will love longer.
But, how much can we really accomplish even with 100 years?
It seems like our lives are over in the blink-of-an-eye.
That’s an interesting thought. I want you to think carefully about it before leaving your thoughts and comments below.
Some other posts you might enjoy:
Announce Your Business, Blog, Website, Cause or Non-Profit
We are still living in very dark ages. Generally speaking, the collective ‘level’ of our human race is still quite low.
A case in point is leadership. What a ‘leader’ is today is completely backwards from what a leader should be.
Today, the leader is the boss, the one who gives the marching orders. He is there for his own benefit, not for that of others. This is exactly the opposite of what it means to be a true leader.
A true leader recognizes that the world doesn’t exist for himself or for his wishes. A leader’s true duty is to sacrifice and work for the benefit of those he leads.
A leader’s job is to help all of the others get what they want, to find what they are looking for. This is the real purpose of a leader.
Deep down inside we all know it too. We get angry with our politicians who use words to manipulate us into voting for them. Once that happens, it is all about them. They focus on their agendas and what THEY want out of life. We know it and we resent them for it.
Seldom do you find one who sacrifices for the benefit of others. It’s all about me, me and me – that is what a leader in this world thinks to himself.
Can you imagine the difference that a true leader could make? Envision the power of being there for everyone else.
Can you fathom what it would be like if a true leader took the reigns? Such selfless people are not the norm and that is unfortunate. One person like that could do a whole lot of good in this world.
We are stuck with the impure of heart for now.
What characteristics do YOU think a true leader should have?
If you think others would like or benefit from this post, share it:
Also, read Zhuan Falun – a truly good book.
J
ohnny Farmer was a good man. He had a kind heart and always tried to do right by the people in his life. He was even kind to the strangers that he would occasionally encounter as they passed through his farming community and the nearby town.
He would help strangers who were stranded. Everyone who knew him saw him as a ‘Good Joe’.
Johnny Farmer was not a worldly man. He believed in God, family and raising children.
Of course, he believed in earning his living from farming the land and raising livestock too. He was proud of his connection with the Earth. This is the kind of connection that only those who work the land for a living and have a spiritual sense about them can feel.
All-in-all if you were to measure Johnny Farmer by most ordinary standards, his chance of having a joyful afterlife would seem to be high.
One year, the farm ran into a little trouble. They had bad weather that year and the farm just couldn’t produce enough to make ends meet.
So, Johnny did what many farmers did when they had a little trouble. He went to see the local banker in the nearby town. His town. This was the town he grew up next to. He went to school there and married his high school sweetheart in a little church in that town.
Now, to be fair, we must not blame Mr. Rogers, the banker, for what was about to happen to Johnny. Mr. Rogers was just following the policies of the banking corporation he worked for.
These were established banking procedures and methods that have been around for a long time. Mr. Rogers was just a worker for that banking corporation.
Banks like this one have share holders. The pressure to make money is often high in that type of situation.
Anyway, Mr. Rogers was happy to loan Johnny Farmer some money. He was glad that he could help out his old friend that he had known from the time they grew up together.
According to banking policies, Mr. Rogers had to make Johnny Farmer sign a form saying that his farm property would be used as collateral in the ‘unlikely’ event that he should default and not pay his loan back.
Johnny had no problem with that. He was sure it would be no time at all before he had that loan paid back. No big deal.
Johnny didn’t know much about ‘financial systems’ and how they worked. He worked on a farm and he really had no need to know about such matters. His education did not include much on this topic either.
Mr. Rogers understood a little more, because that was his profession, after all. He had a vague sense that the way ‘the system’ worked was very cruel and unfair. But, like most people he thought there wasn’t much he could do to change things. That’s just the way things were!
For example, he knew that the money he was loaning Johnny Farmer wasn’t ‘real’ per se. He understood that banks were ‘allowed’ to lend out far more money than they actually had on hand. This is just the way ‘the system’ worked.
The fact that banks were allowed to create money ‘out of thin air’ like this was something that he thought about sometimes. But, that’s just the way things are and have been for a long time. Everyone excepts it, why shouldn’t he?
Well, the farm ran into more trouble the following year. The interest on the loan grew bigger with each passing year. This made the loan itself even bigger because sometimes Johnny Farmer had all he could do just to pay the interest on the loan, let alone the principle.
After about ten years went by, the loan had grown quite a bit. Mr. Roger’s supervisors, who were actually from other parts of the country and had no connection to the local area, were reviewing Johnny’s loan one day. They told Mr. Rogers that he would have to foreclose on Johnny’s farm so that the bank could recoup ‘its’ money.
Poor Mr. Rogers. He had to actually go to the property and tell Johnny Farmer that he would have to leave because this land belonged to the bank now.
They had been long time friends but it seemed like this was something that few, if any, friendships could survive. Mr. Rogers knew that he lost a good friend. But, he couldn’t go against bank orders. The bank would just fire him and find someone else to do the deed. [Pun Intended]
Mr. Rogers went home after that in low spirits and laid in his bed reflecting on what had happened. He thought how unfair and morally reprehensible it was that the bank loaned ‘fake’ money in the first place, money that didn’t actually exist. Then, they took away REAL property that actually did have value in exchange for that ‘fake’ money.
The irony and evil of this struck him hard that night. He had thought about these things briefly in the past. But, never had the reality hit so close to home for him before. What happened was just plain WRONG.
Mr. Rogers was very sad. You can imagine how Johnny Farmer, his wife and children felt. This was awful.
If you found this story to be interesting or to be something that others should read: Share it with them:
I am not posting the video here because it is fairly graphic. The daughter Hillary is now 23 and this happened when she was 16 in the year 2004.
Even though I won’t post the video, I did see that it was posted on YouTube. At the time of this writing it has 312 views but I am fairly certain there will be many more very soon. Here is the link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wl9y3SIPt7o The video has been flagged as ‘age restricted’.
Update: As of Wednesday Afternoon on Nov. 2nd 2011 – this video has over 619,000 views.
Oh, Judge Adams, what does all of this mean? Do you see this as normal? Will you try to defend your actions as just and good? Or will you capitulate and publicly apologize?
Spanking a child is not always a bad thing, but this appears to have gone beyond normal discipline and does not appear to be a purposeful, good-intentioned spanking.
Listening to his language and witnessing his rage raises the question of whether this is more about control and abuse than discipline.
Real discipline is about love for the child. This seemed more like an expression of hostility and rage. It probably had more to do with the Judge feeling bad about his own life and very little to do with Hillary – except that she was a convenient excuse.
Sixteen seems to be an age when a teenager can and should be reasoned with utilizing normal language.
According to what I can gather, the Judge is about 51 years old now. He was apparently born in 1960.
At the time of this video he was in his forties.
His wife divorced him long before this video became public.
I wonder if the Judge will have to answer for this to his peers? Will he be removed from his position?
It will be interesting to see if Judge Adams will remain a judge in the near future.
Or, will his fellow Judges agree with his behavior, seeing nothing wrong with it?
We are now entering a time where there will be more and more things like this exposed on the Internet. You never know when you are on camera.
If you believe in spiritual or religious traditions, then you probably believe that there is a higher power that sees everything. There may be a permanent record of everything you ever did or said that has nothing to do with earthly video recordings. Regardless of whether you believe in a higher power or not, if there is one, perhaps that permanent record really does exist.
That would mean that it is only here on Earth that you think you can do things that no one knows about or will ever find out about.
I would suggest reading the book Zhuan Falun, to gain a deeper understanding of what human life is about and for. You can find the book at FalunDafa.org
If you liked this post or think others can benefit from it, do share:
Over the years the Chinese communist, non-elected government has blatantly disregarded human rights on what amounts to a daily basis. This is atrocious and must cease.
Aside from the over 100 active ‘forced reeducation through labor’ camps that exist in China, they have recently banned another human rights activist from attending the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony which is being awarded to another jailed (in China) human rights advocate.
Imagine that, the Chinese government does not want anyone spreading the truth to the people living in China about the Nobel Peace Prize being awarded to a jailed human rights activist. Control of radio and television isn’t enough. We want to control your mind and thoughts too!
I am reminded of a line in Star Wars where Princess Leia says, “The more star systems you tighten your grip around, the more will slip through your fingers”. That is a lovely metaphor – Good work George Lucas!
The problem in China is complicated, or so they say. No, it is not complicated. Stop putting people in labor camps. Stop jailing people who don’t agree with the Government. Stop torturing people who adhere to peaceful spiritual beliefs, like Falun Gong meditators.
There is NOTHING complicated and it is very straightforward. In fact, it is just as easy as simple as using the Hydro Floss Oral Irrigator to help improve dental health.
It is no harder than combatting bad breath through therabreath or through essential oils like those contained in oramd.
In short, there is nothing hard to solve about China’s human rights problems. Simply stop abusing human rights. Simple solution and the end of the story.
What makes things complicated is back room deals with Western governments who agree not to ‘push the human rights issues to hard’ in exchange for some other kind of concession. I bet it is just a matter of time before WikiLeaks exposes these deals too. Cannot wait for that to happen!
If you want some real insight into what is going on in China, read The Nine Commentaries. They are not hard to find at NineCommentaries.com
Just be prepared to have your eyes opened. You will feel sad for the Chinese people and what they have had to put up with for over 60 years now.
Go out and do some good today!