DNA Identity Theft! The Identity Theft of the Future

This article wil appear in www.ezinearticles.com. I'm an "expert author" y'all!

I’m going to take a leap of faith and write about something I know nothing about! I have immersed myself in identity theft for over a year now and have talked to hundreds of people explaining our growing ID theft crisis and how to protect themselves and their family. I always talk about five specific areas of identity theft, which are financial, social security, drivers license, medical and character/criminal. Lo and behold, I stumbled on an article about DNA identity theft! I was overcome with curiosity, and some healthy skepticism, and set out to see what I could find.

Why would someone want our DNA id? What could they possibly do with it? Well, as our high tech world continues to expand at the speed of light, one of the pieces of information that will be found in your medical records (maybe even employment records) will be your DNA. A criminal could use your DNA genetic code either to make others believe he is you, or to create false whereabouts for you (such as being at a crime scene when you actually were not).

In one Hollywood version of DNA theft, in the 1997 movie Gattaca the movie tells a futuristic story about a man played by Ethan Hawke. The character has a congenital heart condition which will not allow him to travel in space. He takes on the identity of an athlete so that he will be genetically able to pursue his dream.

“The potential for DNA identity theft is enough to make us all wear a gauze mask and keep our hands in our pockets. DNA can of course be easily copied -- after all, its architecture is designed for duplication -- but that is the least of its problems. Unlike a credit card number, DNA can't be retired and swapped for a new sequence if it falls into the hands of crooks or snoops. Once your DNA identity is stolen, you live with the consequences forever,” according to Paul Saffo, a writer for the Washington Post.

Biometrics, which is used by many corporations to identify an individual, can be duplicated too. Again from Paul Saffo, “DNA is the gold standard of biometrics, but even DNA starts to look like fool's gold under close inspection. With a bit of discipline, one can keep a card safe or a PIN secret, but if your DNA becomes your identity, you are sharing your secret with the world every time you sneeze or touch something.” Scary stuff!

To all my readers (Mom, Emily, Donald and Michael Owens!), please spread the message of love and peace in your every day conduct. I will try and do the same.

Sara Abrams





USE OF ANY OF THE IMAGES IN THIS BLOG IS BY PERMISSION ONLY! THESE ARE COPY RIGHTED IMAGES AND NOT PUBLIC DOMAIN. Contact Sara Abrams at Abrams Media Group, Inc., 704-543-8843, abrams.sara@gmail.com. Thank you!

Network Marketing – A Good Place to Begin Your Road to Financial Freedom?

This is an article that will be published on www.ezinearticles.com!

My name is Sara Abrams and I am a network marketing addict!! There, I’ve admitted it to the world. I’d like to share with you some of my adventures in the world of multi-level marketing and hopefully spare you some heartache and loss of cash!

Let me start by stating that I really believe in multi-level network marketing. If you can find a product that you LOVE and believe in, and you can buy in for under $200 you might just be able to build a money generating business. The problem is that you’re going to have to weed out the enterprises that are only going to cost you time and money and dash your hopes of entrepreneurship.

Let’s start with the positive. If you’ve never sold anything in your life but work in an office with a safe, but not very lucrative, paycheck, the beauty of network marketing is that you will learn invaluable sales tools and gain major self esteem. Every time you go to a “rah rah” meeting, or listen to a group phone call with your upline and their upbeat message of financial freedom, you are learning tips and tools that will help you in life, and hopefully in your business. I tend to be a glass is half empty person, and I hate that about myself. One of the wonders of MLM literature and verbal rhetoric is the unstoppable enthusiasm in the power of the product and how every individual in America, and sometimes the world, must have this product to make their lives complete. For myself personally, it is always a good reminder that I can be that upbeat, positive person, and that’s a good thing for my self esteem and outlook on life. You will also meet people just like yourself who have a dream of bettering their life and their family’s life and you’re likely to form some wonderful friendships.

Here are a few tips to save you some heartache. When you are looking at a product ask a few important questions:

1. Would I use this product? Do I believe in this product? If you do, put your money where your mouth is and go ahead and buy the product! Someone at some point is going to ask you if you use it and you’d better be! Otherwise, how will you be able to truly recommend it?

2. How much money out of pocket will I need to begin this business? Include the membership fee and all materials. If you’re not careful you can lose your shirt on training costs, brochures, logo inscribed clothing, and handouts.

3. How many levels deep is my downline and what is my commission when they sell? This will help motivate you to build a team and let the team begin to work hard for you.

4. If I develop a team, can they surpass me in earnings, i.e., if they do more sales than I and get to a management level above me, will I lose any potential earnings? For myself there is no incentive in seeing someone I brought into the company end up succeeding wildly and my not being able to participate in the earnings outcome.

5. Who is my upline? Will I be provided with good support? Will someone be there to train me and answer my questions?

6. Find some people who are NO LONGER involved in the company and ask them why they left. Most people currently involved will only paint a rosy picture, which is what they are supposed to do, but sometimes you need to peek behind the smiles in order to see if this is the right product for you.

7. Do not believe the people who tell you that they spend 1 or 2 hours a day and reap unbelievable financial wealth. It’s just not true. The people who I have seen who succeed in MLMs spend many hours of hard work, at least in the beginning, to get their money making machine well oiled and producing.

Use this as a primer if you decide to get involved with an MLM email me at abrams.sara@gmail.com for some specific MLM companies that I would recommend to you. Good luck!

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To all my readers (Mom, Emily, Donald and Michael Owens!), please spread the message of love and peace in your every day conduct. I will try and do the same.

Sara Abrams




USE OF ANY OF THE IMAGES IN THIS BLOG IS BY PERMISSION ONLY! THESE ARE COPY RIGHTED IMAGES AND NOT PUBLIC DOMAIN. Contact Sara Abrams at Abrams Media Group, Inc., 704-543-8843, abrams.sara@gmail.com. Thank you!

It's Snowing in Charlotte and a "Historic" Photo

The snow's falling very lightly in the Queen City. It's not that cold out and it may or may not stick, but it's a magical thing for a late Saturday afternoon. I'm snug and warm in my beautiful house, with the three cats and a fake fireplace. My bills are paid and my heat is turned on. I think 2008 will be a great year for me (God willing) and I'm feeling very peaceful and blessed.

Here's a photo, finally, of the bad cat sitting on my lap. Look how happy, tame and mellow he is. My oh my. Not even a trace of the bad boy who used to saunter on up to the front door and demand to be fed, or else! He did bite me a little this morning, but really just a love tap. Just a reminder that he's still got those wild ways.

Now for the "historic" photo. My new roommate Jonah was upstairs, my former roommate Dan came by to get something and my FIRST roommate Gary, just happened to be in the neighborhood and actually wanted something that he had left in the garage. I had to memorialize this once in a lifetime event with a photo! I have been in Charlotte 2 3/4 years and Gary moved into my house after about a month. He's from Chicago by way of India. Has been in the US for many years. He was a great roommate. Polite, clean, nicer than can be. Then he moved out after a year and a half and Dan moved in. Dan is big guy with a big personality. He walks into a room and demands attention. He was lots of fun and kind of knew when to hang out with me and when to leave me alone. When Dan moved in with his girlfriend, Jonah arrived. Jonah moved to Charlotte from Orlando and is looking for a job as a graphic designer. He's also a musician and photographer. We emailed and talked and he pretty much moved in right after Dan moved out. He's very quiet but sweet and so new to the city that it's been fun to take him around and try to make some job introductions for him.

I feel really blessed that I've had such good experiences with roommates. I did do background checks, etc., but that never will let you know if someone is compatible with your personality. I grew up in a family of girls and I feel like my three roommates are surrogate brothers. I know that if I'm in a pinch I can count on them to help me and I hope they feel the same way toward me.

To all my readers (Mom, Emily, Donald and Michael Owens!), please spread the message of love and peace in your every day conduct. I will try and do the same.

Sara Abrams




USE OF ANY OF THE IMAGES IN THIS BLOG IS BY PERMISSION ONLY! THESE ARE COPY RIGHTED IMAGES AND NOT PUBLIC DOMAIN. Contact Sara Abrams at Abrams Media Group, Inc., 704-543-8843, abrams.sara@gmail.com. Thank you!

Happy New Year and My PC Finally Died

I decided to throw a New Years Eve party, rather than sit at home moping. And as it turned out - it was a smart thing to do! A lot of people I know had absolutely no plans of their own and were excited to come by. I had about 20 people stop by at different times throughout the evening and we partied like rock stars. Okay, I kid. We partied like middle age fogies, but we still had a marvelous time! I picked up my friend Mimi around 2:30 and we did some additional food shopping at Sam's Club, came back to the house, and we proceeded to start toasting each other around 3:30. Let me preface that with, small toasts, but for me, the non-drinker, always in control, control freak, it was a fun, fun way to bring in the New Year. Mimi brought Taboo to play but we were able to generate enough conversation to keep the party lively without playing a board game. One of the disappointments was that I had invited a new friend who teaches Salsa but he didn't make it. Mimi and Terry were hoping he would teach us some salsa dance moves. Instead I played some Marc Anthony (English and Spanish) but I guess it just wasn't a dancing kind of party.

I do feel that I am well entrenched in the south now that I've been in Charlotte for 2 1/2 years. We talked about NASCAR and the race track controversy in Concord, a comedian named Bubba, and the use of mayonnaise in a spam sandwich. As we approached the countdown to the new year, while watching Dick Clark of course, I announced to the crowd that I was getting married in 2008! The fact that I don't even have a boyfriend will hardly deter me. I was immediately offered a marriage proposal, but it came with a request for a green card. Good start, in my opinion!

Now, to the bad news, my PC is dead.... I think fixable. I could see out of the corner of my eye throughout the night that the computer kept re-booting. This morning I turned it on and realized I had a serious problem. So, here we go, starting off the New Year with a financial hassle. Luckily I have the MAC Powerbook, but there are things that I have to do on my PC.

But let's not dwell on the negative. Let's find me a husband in 2008 (good to me, smart, financially secure, hot, passionate and Jewish would work too), let' s get me on a good financial track this year. It's time for me to make money! And let's try and get back on that peace train! Time's a wasting if there's going to be peace in this world in my lifetime, so com'on! Let's do it.

To all my readers (Mom, Emily, Donald and Michael Owens!), please spread the message of love and peace in your every day conduct. I will try and do the same.

Sara Abrams





USE OF ANY OF THE IMAGES IN THIS BLOG IS BY PERMISSION ONLY! THESE ARE COPY RIGHTED IMAGES AND NOT PUBLIC DOMAIN. Contact Sara Abrams at Abrams Media Group, Inc., 704-543-8843, abrams.sara@gmail.com. Thank you!