LIBERTY: The Federal Reserve ain’t

Wednesday, May 9, 2007

http://www.lewrockwell.com/woods/woods66.html

Why Do They Love the Fed?
by Thomas E. Woods, Jr.

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The Fed doesn’t just benefit the well connected; it also harms those who aren’t so well connected. We know inflation hurts people on fixed incomes (since their incomes stay the same while the prices for the goods they buy go up), but what people usually overlook are the distribution effects of inflation. More money in the economy normally means higher prices. But when the government spends billions of dollars created out of thin air (yes, the Fed can do this) on the defense industry, for example, defense firms get the money at the very beginning of this process, before prices have commensurately risen. In effect the economy doesn’t yet know how much the money supply has increased, and prices have not yet adjusted accordingly. By the time the new money makes its way through the whole economy, prices will have risen throughout most if not all sectors. But while this process is taking place, the privileged firms that are lucky enough to get the new money early benefit from being able to make their purchases at the previously existing price level – thereby silently looting those from whom they buy. By the time the new money finally makes its way to the average Joe, prices have already been rising for quite a while, and he’s been paying those prices all this time on his existing income.

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The Federal Reserve Bank ain’t.

It ain’t “federal”; it’s as “federal” as FedEx. It ain’t a “reserve” of anything; except maybe paper. It ain’t a “bank”; try and transacts some business there.

So what is it? It’s is a tool of the banking industry and the old money elite to allow inflation to erode the value of money. It also destroys savings, the savings ethic, and out moral fiber.

Good for Ron Paul to point this out.


PRODUCTIVITY: How many email accounts?

Wednesday, May 9, 2007

http://www.itsecurity.com/features/
25-common-email-security-mistakes-022807/

http://tinyurl.com/3brc5e

The 25 Most Common Mistakes in Email Security
25 tips to bring newbie Internet users up to speed so they stop comprimising (sic) your network security.

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1. Using just one email account.

Individuals new to email often think about their email account like they do their home address, you only have one home address, so you should only have one email. Instead, you should think about your email address like you do your keys, while it may be okay to use the same key for your front and your back door, having a single key open everything is both impractical and unsafe.

A good rule of thumb for the average email user is to keep a minimum of three email accounts. Your work account should be used exclusively for work-related conversations. Your second email account should be used for personal conversations and contacts, and your third email account should be used as a general catch-all for all hazardous behavior. That means that you should always sign up for newsletters and contests only through your third email account. Similarly, if you have to post your email account online, such as for your personal blog, you should only use your third email account (and post a web friendly form of it at that).

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I have 25 active email accounts.

Not counting “shadow accounts” at gmail. For me, a “shadow account” is one that received email from a real account, allows GMail to subtract all the spam, and then me to retrieve it into my email client. (Currently Outlook or its evil twin LookOut. But, eventually Thunderbird.)

I have one dedicated to just the financial aspects of my life. This makes any phishing attempt funny when the email comes in on the “wrong account”.

The accounts represent the various personas or purposes I have. I think it makes me more productive.


RANT: Gooferment loses a disk drive?

Wednesday, May 9, 2007

http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,131603-c,privacy/article.html

TSA Hard Drive Missing
PC World – 21 hours ago

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The airport security agency acknowledges it can’t find an external drive storing personnel records. The US agency responsible for securing the nation’s airports says it can’t find an external hard drive packed with the personal records of about 100000 …

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Ahh, yes, your gooferment at work. And, you want to give these bozos your “real id”?