The office affair. File it under “it seemed like a good idea at the time” or perhaps “I should have known better.”
While I have worked with a handful of couples who met at work and ended up living happily ever after – at least so far anyways – having an office affair in my opinion is not a great long-term career decision.
Especially if it’s a clandestine affair.
And it could be a career limiting decision with your employer if it goes REALLY bad.
I’m not referring to when two co-workers start seeing each other and where one or both of them are married to other people. If you need to be told that this is not a good idea, then an article probably isn’t going to help you see the light.
I’m specifically referring to when two co-workers who are both single start seeing one another.
Certainly it can be difficult to meet that special someone and it’s reasonable that when two single co-workers spend a great deal of time with each other that they might become attracted to one another.
Rather than trying to prove a point, I will instead list several possible outcomes of two co-workers having an office affair that you should think about before doing anything you may regret later on:
Think about the worst case scenario that could occur if things end poorly.
- Does the company have a policy against office relationships and if so, can you be fired if it becomes public knowledge (which it most likely will)?
- Could becoming involved with a co-worker create a possible conflict if you end the relationship badly? Will you still have to work closely with them in the future?
- If you are planning on having an office affair without letting anyone know, how will co-workers and management react if and when they find out especially if there is a company policy against it? How will it then look if it appears the two of you were also deliberately hiding it?
- And if you are thinking about having an affair with a subordinate, consider the possible legal ramifications if this person gets fired and blames you.
Having an office affair can be considered by some employers to be a case of very bad judgment on the part of the people who take part in them. It could be grounds for firing especially if the position you hold is high profile enough to possibly become a public embarrassment to the company.
What would you tell a future potential employer about why you left your last job if it was because you were fired for having an office affair?
I’ve read some statistics that indicate that many couples admit to having met at work so certainly it does happen. Understanding your employer’s policy and what the possible consequences are for having an office affair before starting one are paramount.
Even if you aren’t fired, it could end up being a career-limiting move that lowers the opinion that co-workers and superiors have of you especially if things go bad and the gossip starts.
Carl Mueller is an Internet entrepreneur and professional recruiter. Carl has helped many job searchers find their dream career and would like to help clear up some of the job search myths that exist while helping people avoid common mistakes that cost them jobs.
Visit Carl’s website to separate yourself from other job searchers: http://www.find-your-dream-career.com
Ezine editors/Webmasters: Please feel free to reprint this article in its entirety in your ezine or on your website. Please don’t change any of the content and please ensure that you include the above bio that shows my website URL. If you would like me to address any specific career topics in future articles, please let me know.
Making Money Online is a really HOT phrase these days. It’s one
of the most popular search phrases for on Google, MSN and Yahoo!
It conjures up images of being able to sleep in on a lazy, rainy
Monday morning, or taking a leisurely stroll in the park,
knowing that your online business is raking in the cash! It’s
about being free from the volatile job market and having the
financial and personal freedom to work anytime, anywhere, anyway
you want. But at the back of your mind, you’re asking yourself,
“Is it really that easy to set up an Online Business?” Well
folks, the answer is YES… and NO. If you’re considering
joining the millions of folk who are clicking on the net hoping
to make a quick buck, here are a couple of YES’s and NO’s you
need to know:
It’s easy-peasy to set up an online business
YES! - Setting up an online business is ridiculously easy
these days. Technical innovations make it possible to have your
business up and running in a matter of minutes complete with a
ready inventory of stuff “guaranteed” to make you tons of money.
NO! - It’s what comes AFTER the setup that’s difficult.
Other than the fact that your business operates in cyberspace,
everything else about running an online business is the same.
You still need a business and marketing plan, advertising and
promotional campaigns. It takes hard (brain) work - initially at
least!
I’ll be swamped with orders from all over the world!
YES - The beauty of an online business is that your
market world-wide! Even if you manage to sell an e-book for only
10 dollars to a fraction of this market, you’d be a very rich
man/woman indeed!
NO! - Setting up a website is pretty much like building a
hotel on an exotic island. You may have the best beaches,
services and products, but nobody’s going to know you exist
until you shout it out to the world. That’s probably the hardest
and most frustrating aspect of promoting an online business.
Building a substantial web presence can be expensive if you want
it done quickly OR a long, lonely and tedious journey if you’re
on a budget!
Tons of people will visit my website!
YES! - If you have a VERY unique website, product or
service, people will quickly pick up on it and you will see
other websites and sources driving (people) traffic to your
site.
NO! - One SEO (Search Engine Optimization) report
estimates that Google well over 5 billion web pages a day! Yours
is probably one of many thousands (if not millions) vying for
that coveted top spot in search rankings for your category.
Unless you have professional SEO people looking into this for
you or you are into SEO, you will probably be languishing in
page 20 or more for quite a while. Be prepared for this!
Making money online is dirt cheap
YES! - You can get by with free or cheap web hosting,
free email, and a battery of free tools to run your online
business. There are many people who have made millions with very
little investment, but these are the EXCEPTION rather than the
rule.
NO! - Eventually, as your online business grows, you will
require specialized services like faster web hosting,
autoresponders, link management and SEO tools - just to mention
a few. The online business arena is a fiercely competitive one
where you will be competing with the big boys so you have to be
prepared to invest in your online business. It takes money to
make money.
My online businesses will guarantee me passive and residual
income
YES! - If you’re hardworking, persistent and you approach
your online businesses with the same fervor as you would your
career, the results will be quite pleasing indeed, hopefully not
just for yourself, but for your family and generations to come!
NO! - Statistics show that about 85 % of people who
attempt to run an online business eventually give up after a
year. These are the folk who either went into it believing the
promises that riches will come quickly (and easily) or those
that just gave up too soon.
I can relax while my online business makes me tons of
money
YES! - Like I said, if you’re persistent, done your
homework and invested in technology to automate your online
business, you WILL be sleeping in on a lazy, rainy Monday
morning and taking long leisurely walks with your kids in the
park while others are stuck in a job they hate!
NO! - Like every successful online business owner, you
WILL hunger for more success! I love the fact that online
businesses allow you to be anywhere in the world at any time of
day, to make money! Once you get into the groove, you’re not
going to want to sit still while there are money making ideas
floating around in that brain of yours!
Multiple streams of income IS possible
Too many people believe that building multiple streams of income
is as easy as setting up a website. The truth of the matter is
that it takes a conscious and consistent effort to make things
work. Many people fall into the trap of trying to do too many
things at once. They join a bunch of affiliate programs thinking
that they’ll be able to work on all of them at the same time.
Most successful Internet Entrepreneurs will tell you that the
best way is to work on one specific online business (or website)
until you’ve achieved some level of success before you move on
to building the next one. Work on a schedule and give your
online business time to grow. Eventually, you will have a
network of money making ventures creating multiple streams of
income!
In closing, remember this - the online business pie continues to
grow at an incredible rate everyday. There’s enough for everyone
so dig in and enjoy! Here’s to your success - and mine too!
Debt consolidation is not a loan. It is a process where you work with a Debt Repayment Representative who negotiates with your creditors on your behalf to reduce your interest rates and may even be able to have late fees and penalties reduced. With your accounts all brought up to date, you will begin making one, lower monthly payment that will allow you to pay off debts in just 3-6 years!
Will a debt consolidation program instantly renew your credit rating? No, but it can greatly improve your payment history and put you on the path to a debt free future.
The first step in debt management is finding a debt management program that provides superior customer service and who will deal directly with your creditors.
Debt consolidation allows you to pay off your current debts in an average of 3-6 years. Paying just the minimum monthly payments on those same debts without the help of debt consolidation could have you repaying bills for the next 15-45 years!
The Debt consolidation Process
1. You submit a no-obligation free debt consolidation quote form.
2. A Debt Consolidation Repayment Representatives will contact you and will work out a debt management plan.
3. The Debt Consolidation Representative will then contact your creditors, negotiating the lowest interest rates and reduced fees possible.
Your bills will be combined into one, lower monthly payment that allows you to easily pay off your debts in just a few short years!
The Debt consolidation Process is that simple!
Free Debt Quote Provides Free Debt Consolidation Quotes and information about debt consolidation, online debt consolidation applications and more. Visit Free Debt Quote Now!
Death by spam is now possible with a new device by Microsoft. The device when implanted in the user’s skull allows downloading of email directly into the brain.
Niles Bookbinder, 37, an assistant working for Jon Hanson, author of Good Debt, Bad Debt was accidentally spammed to death Tuesday morning using a beta version of a new email device called, “MS Mind.” A Microsoft spokesperson said, “We don’t have all of the bugs worked out yet, but this is the first death we know of.” Mr. Bookbinder had unwittingly “unchecked” the spam filter in the MS Mind control panel. Without the spam filter, apparently Niles unleashed the entire world of spam into his “medulla interface” and was literally spammed to death. It’s likely the last words Mr. Bookbinder heard were, “You’ve got mail!”
Wireless Medulla Interface providers are popping up everywhere. Dr. Jack Kevorkian sees the new Wireless “G” Medulla cards as a real advance for him. With these systems, euthanasia supporters predict quick, painless death by simply bypassing the filters and downloading thousands of spam emails quickly. Kevorkian said, “I have been looking forward to killing patients by email.” Kevorkian expects his prices to be competitive with AOL.
While it is not a victimless crime, it would be a crime without a knowable perpetrator. You would have no way of knowing whether your “loved one” was finished off by the breast enlargement, Viagra softabs starting at $2.99, or $ave $$$ now refinance emails.
A PETA spokesperson, Ima Chihuahua, said she found the idea disturbing because it could lead to so-called Spam Collars that would be used to kill pets as they aged, or “convenience” killings, such as when a young couple could not find a kennel on their way to Vegas or they simply change their minds about having a pet.
PETA may be right. It has long been rumored that KFC has been testing the effectiveness of spamming chickens to death versus simply whacking off their heads. In earlier tests, chickens were forced to watch Gili and Ishtar until they simply cut off their own heads, but this experiment was discontinued because of the cruelty to experimenters.
Spamicide, accidental or not, will undoubtedly set off a bitter debate in America as Anti-Spammers and Right-to-Spam groups rally to raise money and jockey for political clout.
George W. Bush seemed bewildered at this morning’s briefing. He looked to his press secretary and said, “Are we Right-to-Spam or Anti-Spammers?” Elsewhere, Jesse Jackson, finding it difficult to be Right-to-Spam said, “It should be the choice of the spammee. Spamicide should be legal, available, and rare.”
NEXT WEEK: Partial Spam Deletion. Should this barbaric practice be outlawed? Are thousands of viable spams being killed in spam filters, just before being downloaded? The debate continues…
Jon Hanson
www.gooddebt.com
jon[at]gooddebt.com
Jon Hanson, is the author of “Good Debt, Bad Debt: Knowing the Difference Can Save Your Financial Life”
His web site is http://www.gooddebt.com jon [at] gooddebt.com
For a bit of audio comic relief go to: http://gooddebt.com/debtdowns.htm
Available for interviews radio, print, TV, contact Jon through the website http://www.gooddebt.com
Review of Good Debt, Bad Debt:
USA Today February 7, 2005 http://www.usatoday.com/money/books/reviews/2005-02-06-debt-usat_x.htm
You have lovingly made a website and put it online on the World Wide Web. Now, all you have to do is wait and see who visits.
Right?
No!
You have to do something to make people come to your website.
There are plenty of ways that you can generate traffic towards your website, but I am going to concentrate on only 3 of them; that tend to produce very quick (if not instantaneous) results.
The three strategies are:
1. Buy Traffic for your website
2. Send offers and information to individuals in your mailing list
3. Request reciprocal links/endorsements
1. BUY TRAFFIC FOR YOUR WEBSITE
As the name suggests, this strategy would require you to dole out some money!
You can place advertisements of your website on other websites that are similar to yours or you can place advertisement of your website on search engines. This way, when some one is searching for a product similar to the one that you are selling/promoting, your website’s ad will come up in front of them. Therefore, you will be able to target people from your niche, and these “targeted” people have a higher potential of buying your product because they were already looking for it.
You have to pay for the advertisement ONLY when they click on the link. Such ads are known as Pay Per Click (PPC)advertisements. Some of the highly recommeneded PPC ads sites are:
Google Adwords
Yahoo! Search Marketing
Miva (formerly findout.com)
Goclick
When you choose a PPC, do make sure that it offers a tracking software that helps you find out how useful it is to you. This way you will be able to choose the ones that are more profitable and get rid of those that are not.
2. SEND OFFERS TO MAILING LIST
Brian Campbell (A successful Internet Marketing Guru and best selling author) says that the 1st Internet Marketing Commandment is: “You can’t promote anything online without first capturing the email address of your website visitors.”
He says, “You shouldn’t attempt to get even one visitor to your website without having a mechanism in place to capture the name and email address of the website visitors that come to your website.”
You need to capture most of the email addresses of your in-coming traffic because it is more than likely that they will not buy anything from you on their first visit to your website and they might never come back again! To prevent that from happening, you offer them something that they would like to sign up for (like some valuable information for FREE and its VERY important to deliver what you promise!). After that you keep their attention by sending them more free content, and sandwich promotional offers in between. One e-mail from you will bring most of them back to your website!
A word of caution here: do NOT overwhelm your e-mail list clients with too many promotional offers, you will lose your credibility. You should send them valuable free stuff in between offers, so that they would want to read your emails.
3. REQUEST RECIPROCAL LINKS/ENDORSEMENTS
There are thousands of websites out there that are selling products similar to yours. Instead of thinking that they are your competition, instead think of them as your potential partners; ask them to promote your product in return of you promoting theirs. These website owners can help you in several ways:
They can put links and banners of your website, in exchange of you putting theirs on your website. Or, they can just add your link to their website and you can then pay them a previously agreed commission when they produce a sale for you.
Or; they can send an email to their email list, endorsing and promoting your product, while you do the same for them.
Such “deals” are known as Joint Ventures (JV deals) and these are one of the most powerful strategies that you can use to send more traffic to your website.
Try out these strategies for your websites. Better results are produced when all three of these marketing approaches are used together. You might want to try these out and then see which one works better for you and then concentrate more on that one. These three strategies, combined with other marketing methods can sky-rocket your website popularity and sales and make you a very happy online business person.
Humaira Aslam is an internet entrepreneur
Find out much more about Internet Marketing and receive a
spectacular 100+ page report for making profits online, visit:
You will receive a complimentary copy of Perpetual Profits ($87 value, free for you)
What Is Mesothelioma?
Mesothelioma is a rare cancer that occurs in the tissue covering the stomach and bowels (peritoneal tissue) or in the tissue covering the outside surface of the lung (pleural tissue). 90% of the cases of Malignant Mesothelioma are caused by exposure to Asbestos.
What Is Asbestos?
Asbestos is a silicate mineral made up of masses of tiny fibers that are as strong as steel and are highly resistant to heat and chemicals. Fibers of Asbestos are inhaled or swallowed and are able to penetrate to the outside surface of the bowel or to the outside surface of the lung where they become trapped. These trapped fibers can cause a reaction that leads to Mesothelioma Cancer. Mesothelioma symptoms may not appear until about 20 or 40 years from first exposure to airborne Asbestos fibers.
Mesothelioma Treatments
Mesothelioma treatments include radiation to shrink cancer tissue or cells, chemotherapy to stop the reproduction of cancer cells, photodynamic therapy and some times, surgery to remove cancerous tissue.
You Are Entitled To Compensation!
People who, faced with Mesothelioma Diagnosis are entitled to compensation from the manufacturers of any asbestos-containing product to which they were exposed in sufficient quantities to cause disease.
You can look for a qualified Mesothelioma lawyer in the Internet. Most law firms and Mesothelioma lawyers have their own sites.
Itzik Keidar writes about various topics. This article is free to re-print as long as nothing is changed, all links remained intacked, the bio remains in full and the rel=”nofollow” tag is not added to any of the links. Thank you!
Read More Here
He who mounts a wild elephant goes where the wild elephant goes. Randolph Bourne
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) has incubated in relative obscurity for over 60 years, quietly changing our lives with scant attention outside the technology community. First used to identify Allied aircraft in World War II, RFID is now well integrated in building security, transportation, fast food, health care and livestock management.
Proponents hail RFID as the next natural step in our technological evolution. Opponents forewarn of unprecedented privacy invasion and social control. Which is it? That’s a bit like asking if Christopher Columbus was an intrepid visionary or a ruthless imperialist. It depends on your perspective. One thing is clear: As RFID extends its roots into common culture we each bear responsibility for tending its growth.
For Your Eyes Only
RFID functions as a network of microchip transponders and readers that enables the mainstream exchange of more — and more specific — data than ever before. Every RFID transponder, or “smart tag”, is encrypted with a unique electronic product code (EPC) that distinguishes the tagged item from any other in the world. “Smart tags” are provocatively designed with both read and write capabilities, which means that each time a reader retrieves an EPC from a tag, that retrieval becomes part of the EPC’s dynamic history. This constant imprinting provides real-time tracking of a tagged item at any point in its lifespan.
Recognizing the potential commercial benefits of the technology, scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) began developing retail applications of RFID in 1999. Install a reader in a display shelf and it becomes a “smart shelf”. Network that with other readers throughout the store and you’ve got an impeccable record of customers interacting with products — from the shelf to the shopper; from the shopper to the cart; from the cart to the cashier, etc.
Proctor & Gamble, The Gillette Company and Wal-Mart were among the first to provide financial and empirical support to the project. Less than five years later RFID has eclipsed UPC bar coding as the next generation standard of inventory control and supply chain management. RFID offers unparalleled inventory control at reduced labor costs; naturally the retail industry is excited.
Katherine Albrecht founded the consumer advocacy group CASPIAN (Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering) to educate consumers about the potential dangers of automatic-identification technology. She warns that “smart tags” — dubbed “spy chips” — increase retailer profits at the expense of consumer privacy.
RFID provides a continuous feed of our activities as we peek, poke, squeeze and shake tagged items throughout the store. Advocacy groups consider this electronic play-by-play a treasure for corporate marketing and a tragedy for consumer privacy.
Albrecht’s apprehension is understandable. However, shopping in any public venue is not private. It’s public. The decision to be in a public space includes a tacit acknowledgement that one can be seen by others. That’s the difference between the public world and the private world.
What if those worlds collide? CASPIAN and other consumer groups are concerned about retailers using RFID to connect public activities with private information. Because each EPC leaves a singular electronic footprint, linking each item of each transaction of each customer with personally identifying information, anyone with access to the system can simply follow the footprints to a dossier of the customer and their purchases.
Again, we must be clear. RFID does enable retailers to surveil consumers and link them with their purchasing histories. As disconcerting as that may be, it is neither new nor unique to RFID. Anyone who uses credit cards agrees to forfeit some degree of privacy for the privilege of buying now and paying later. Credit card companies collect and retain your name, address, telephone and Social Security numbers. This personal information is used to track the date, time, location, items and price of every purchase made with the card?
Don’t use credit cards? Unless you pay with cash, someone is monitoring you too. The now familiar UPC bar codes on nearly all consumer goods neatly catalogue the intimate details of all check and bank card purchases. Cash remains the last outpost for the would-be anonymous consumer. Of course, all things are subject to change. RFID inks may be coming soon to a currency near you, but that’s a discussion for another day.
If RFID is no more intrusive than a curious fellow shopper or a ceiling mounted security camera, what is the downside for consumer groups? If RFID is no more revealing than a bank or credit card transaction, what is the upside for the corporate suits? There must be more.
Indeed, there is. Bear in mind that “smart tags” are uniquely designed to pinpoint tagged items anytime, anywhere from point of origin through point of sale. And, theoretically, beyond.
Ah, the great beyond. RFID’s potential is limited only by our imaginations. And not just our imaginations; the imagination of anyone who has a reader and a transponder. Wal-Mart. Your employer. The government. Anyone.
Everything Costs Something
Members of German privacy group FOEBUD see shadowy strangers lurking in the imagination playground. Their February 2004 demonstration in front of Metro’s RFID-rigged Future Store was intended to raise public awareness of the implications of RFID.
“Because the spy chips are not destroyed at the shop exit, they continue to be readable to any interested party, such as other supermarkets, authorities, or anyone in possession of a reading device (available to the general public)… The antennas used for reading are still visible in the Future Store, but soon they will be hidden in walls, doorways, railings, at petrol pumps anywhere. And we won’t know anymore who is when or why spying on us, watching us, following each of our steps.” 1
Freedom is Slavery
Dan Mullen would call that an overreaction. Mullen is the President of auto-identification consortium AIM Global. He cautions that unrealistic fear can obscure the very real benefits of RFID: “Many of the concerns expressed by some of the advocacy groups are frankly, inflated. The technology can be set up so that identifying information is associated with the item, not with the people interacting with the item. Tracking individuals? That’s not how the technology is used.”
When asked, “Could it be used that way?” Mullen was doubtful. “I don’t think so. Not at this point. And I don’t see a benefit to anyone.” We ’d like to think he’s right, but someone obviously sees a benefit. RFID has been used exactly that way.
Wal-Mart is one of the retailers who have tested photographic “smart shelves” in some of their U.S. stores. The technology did what it was supposed to do — photograph customers who removed tagged items from a display. Unfortunately, Wal-Mart didn’t do what they were supposed to do. Goliath didn’t tell David about the camera.
The most disturbing aspect of the project was Wal-Mart’s emphatic denial that they had secretly photographed their customers. They weren’t confused. They didn’t make a mistake. They chose to lie. It was only after Albrecht exposed the evidence that Wal-Mart finally admitted conducting the pilot tests in an effort to combat shoplifting and employee theft. After all, the argument goes, this type of inventory shrinkage costs U.S. retailers as much as $32 billion each year. 2 Don’t feel too sorry for our friends in blue. The bill for this hefty loss is passed on to you and me).
The public was unmoved by Wal-Mart’s defense, and the project has been aborted. At least for now. Wal-Mart’s smiley face logo belies the arrogance wrought by its success, and we will likely see the photographic “smart shelf” again. Or it will see us, anyway.
Wal-Mart is somewhat like a spoiled child, a casualty of indulgence, who is accustomed to doing quite what he wants when he wants to and rarely anything that he doesn’t. It hardly seems fair to expect the child to accept “no” when he only vaguely recognizes the word, and even less so, it’s finality
Bear in mind that RFID does not create opportunities for consumer profiling. We do. Every time we enter a store we expose ourselves to scrutiny. Every time we purchase goods or utilize a service we are assimilated, Borg-like, into the collective revenue stream. Everything costs something.
Worldwide spending on RFID is expected to top $3 billion by 2008, almost triple the market of a year ago. 3 Wal-Mart’s decree that its top 100 suppliers must be RFID compliant by 2005 told the rest of the world to either get on the train or get off the track. The U.S. Department of Defense has since issued a similar mandate, and falling technology prices coupled with the establishment of uniform RFID communication standards are making it easier for other industries to do the same.
The War on Drugs
It’s no longer enough to just say no to the schoolyard crack jockeys. We have new enemies in the war on drugs. Our increasing reliance on chemical relief — born of a pervasive spiritual poverty as much as our aging demographic— has made us attractive to drug counterfeiters.
Counterfeit drugs are sub-potent or inert imposter pills that are channeled into the prescription drug pipeline and sold as legitimate medication. The World Health Organization estimates that in less-developed countries as many as half of all prescription drugs dispensed are counterfeit. 4 The economic cost to defrauded and dying consumers is staggering. And it is almost meaningless compared to the emotional cost.
In February 2004 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Counterfeit Drug Task Force released its report “Combating Counterfeit Drugs”. FDA Commissioner Mark McClellan directed the group’s six month review of America’s prescription drug channels.
Its conclusion? The supply of prescription drugs in the United States is overwhelmingly safe. The FDA’s complex system of regulatory oversight insures that with rare exception, the pills we pop have been manufactured to the highest standards of purity and potency, distributed safely and dispensed as the doctor ordered.
However, later in the same report McClellan warns that drug counterfeiters are better organized and more technologically sophisticated than ever before. According to McClellan, the FDA’s current system can not meet the evolving challenges of the new century, and he recommends full-scale implementation of RFID technology by 2006. 5
Without question, RFID is a more formidable guardian than our present paper-based drug audit system. The savviest saboteur will find RFID tags extremely difficult to counterfeit and almost impossible to do so at a profit. EPCs afford flawless accountability, which is a distinct impediment to illegal diversions and substitutions. And no doubt every overworked, carpal tunnel-strained pharmacist would welcome RFID’s promise of tighter inventory and simplified service.
Does this justify the enormous expense of a complete system overhaul? Do the benefits outweigh the privacy concerns? Are you comfortable enlisting RFID in the battle against drug terrorism?
Before you decide, consider this: The FDA may incorporate “at least two types of anti-counterfeiting technologies into the packaging and labeling of all drugs, at the point of manufacture, with at least one of those technologies being covert (i.e., not made public, and requiring special equipment or knowledge for detection)…” 6
“Not made public, and requiring special equipment or knowledge for detection”. Hmm… so, RFID tags can be hidden in our prescriptions without our knowledge or consent… and we will be unable to detect or remove them.
Consider, too, that companies in the U.S., Canada, Sweden and Denmark have developed electronic blister packs that monitor pill removal and automatically notify the physician’s computer when a patient has dispensed (or neglected to dispense) the medication as scheduled. 7
Here’s a better idea. The FDA should explain how concealing information from me about my prescriptions makes the world a safer place. And then they can explain how spying on your medicine cabinet — and tattling to your doctor — thwarts drug counterfeiting.
The FDA’s prime directive is to protect and advance the public health. They have done this remarkably well for over 140 years at an annual cost to taxpayers of only about $3 per person. 8 When evaluating any policy change the FDA must always preserve that which is most fundamental to its success — indeed, its very existence — the public trust. RFID may prove vital for the continued integrity of our prescription drug pipeline, but never more vital than the continued integrity of the FDA.
RFID is in its spring. These tiny chips, sown by science and nourished richly by corporate support, will burgeon beyond imagination, penetrating our lives like the roots of a willow. This is the time for discourse. This is the time to shore our boundaries. If we cede the opportunity to deliberate, we accept surveillance as a norm. Our indifference will do nothing to stem its growth.
Endnotes
1. www.foebud.com
2. www.retailindustry.about.com
3. Jennifer Maselli, “ABI:RFID Market Poised for Growth,” RFID Journal July 18,2003.
4. www.who.int/en/
5. www.fda.gov/oc/initiative/counterfeit/report02_04.html
6. www.fda.gov/oc/initiative/counterfeit/report02_04.html
7. www.idtechex.com
8. www.fda.gov
Copyright ©2005 by Dennis and Sally Bacchetta. All rights reserved.
About the Author
Dennis Bacchetta is a Marketing Professional who writes on a variety of topics, including emerging technologies.
Sally Bacchetta is an award-winning sales trainer and freelance writer.
Contact her at sb14580@yahoo.com or visit her website at www.sallybacchetta.com.
1. The ‘Chew Then Crunch’ Myth
Crunches are good exercises for toning the abs and stomach if done properly and combined with a low fat diet. However many people think they can continue to eat what they want and end their day with 100 crunches to “work off” all the bad stuff they put in their body throughout the day.
If you’re not lowering your fat intake by watching what you eat, it doesn’t matter how many exercises and crunches you perform. Not only will you see zero results, but you may actually see your stomach increase in size!
This is because you’re building muscle on top of the existing fat. We all have flat stomachs, it’s just that for some of us have layers and layers of fat on top of that muscle we must get rid of first.
You’ve got to work off that existing fat first by training and toning your abs and stomach area.
I had this problem when I first started exercising. I didn’t lower my caloric or fat intake much but I started doing crunches. For three months straight I did my 8-minute ab routine like clockwork. I couldn’t understand why I wasn’t seeing results. In fact, my stomach started protruding even more.
Well after doing lots of reading I discovered that I was going to also change my diet if I was going to see the results I wanted.
2. The Numbers Myth
Twenty-five good, quality crunches are much better than 250 half-done crunches. Many people just want to get it over with so they lie down and do as many fast crunches as they can while lacking in quality.
The best thing to do is perform 4 sets of 20-25 solid crunches while resting 90 seconds in between each set. That is a much more effective way of training your abs than 250 lackluster crunches in a row.
3. The Spot Toning Myth
This is the one that frustrates me. I have always been very thin and recently started gaining weight in my hips and thigh area. I welcomed the added pounds because it gave me a curvier figure. Unfortunately it also left we with a slightly flabby stomach.
I wanted to keep the hips and thighs but lose the stomach so I started exercising my stomach and abs by doing pilates and crunches.
Well, I didn’t see any results. I discovered through reading that you can’t just spot tone because if you only focus on one area (ie. your tummy), you won’t raise your metabolism enough to burn that extra belly fat. So the key to flattening your stomach area is to increase your body’s metabolism so it can effectively get rid of those layers of excess tummy fat.
A total body exercise is the key to slimming your waistline.
4. The Six Pack Myth
Whether you’re a man or woman, we’d all love to have that solid six pack to show off when we’re at the pool right? Well, what most people don’t realize is that solid abs don’t start in the gym, they start in the kitchen. If your body contains a lot of fat, your abs won’t show no matter how much you exercise.
Your first goal should be to lose that fat, and it starts with your diet. Decrease the amount of fat and calories you consume and increase the amount of protein. Protein is an absolute necessity for ridding fat and building muscle.
5. The Running Myth
Did you know that running does very little when it comes to toning your stomach? This is because it can cause your pelvis to pull forward and arching of your lower back.
Don’t get me wrong, running is good for you and can burn a lot of calories, but if you aren’t doing any other stomach toning exercises in conjunction with running you’ll see little if any results.
Conclusion
Hopefully you’ve learned that flattening your stomach is not about doing 100 crunches per day. It’s about total body fitness and changing your overall diet.
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Lisa Irby is the author of http://www.flat-stomach-exercises.com, a site that encourages people to understand their bodies before they begin that ab workout.
When choosing a satellite TV service people tend to ask, what gives DIRECTV System an edge? First of all, a DIRECTV System uses nationally manufactured hardware in a patriotic and business respective way.
The DIRECTV System is adaptable to different needs for different kinds of people throughout the US. The DIRECTV System delivers high-quality digital experience unlike any other satellite TV service in the country with the latest in hardware possibilities.
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All directly related satellite system hardware for the home owner that is used in the DIRECTV System is all manufactured inside the United States of America.
The point of developing a DIRECTV System is to make the life of the homeowner more relaxed when changing to a new service, for better rates and when they are unsatisfied with other services.
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DIRECTV System Has DVR Technology
Of course, Satellite TV has a parabolic dish that captures digital transmissions from a satellite in geosynchronous orbit around the equator (what a mouth full). But what technology is superior in a DIRECTV System?
The DIRECTV System Dish was an innovating factor when it came out as it used a smaller frequency with better reception than larger dishes. The great thing about a DIRECTV System is that they are always on the cutting edge and innovating, that’s why the DIRECTV System has DVR technology.
Linked to the IRD (integrated receiver/decoder) device that is used to translate channel frequencies for the television system, some DIRECTV System IRDs can translate up to three different channels at once.
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DIRECTV System Delivers High-Quality Digital Experience
Also, the DIRECTV System delivers high-quality digital experience through HDTV. High quality means crystal clear image and sound, wide screen Movie Theater like accommodations and exiting new technologies the more and more this kind of technology becomes common place.
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The DIRECTV System like all developing entertainment technologies, in the end, means being prepared for the future of television. Some outstanding technological ideas have come and gone throughout our very lifetimes. Some might say that digital TV is the system of the future and will end the business of Video Rental once and for all within the next 25 years. In fact one Satellite Communications technician was quoted recently in response to the question about digital broadcasting and how long it would take to end Video Rental business, he said “about 25 years.”
“The DIRECTV System is a telecommunications solution of the future.”
Gary Davis is owner of http://www.dtv-satellite.com an authorized DIRECTV retailer, has over five years experience in the Satellite TV business and has written numerous articles on the subject.
