Jane's Place

"Not my kid!"  is what all parents think when they hear about kids being solicited by weird and dangerous people on the internet.      But I read that,  1 out of 7 kids are being solicited inappropriately online.     And 9 out of 10 parents will never know that any inappropriate contact has occurred.     Had they known they would have been able to protect them.

I came across this site that allows you to monitor your child or teens' activity online from any computer, so the parent could keep watch even if they are not home.

I am not sure it is morally ethical to monitor your child IM's or private MySpace pages, but on the other hand if your child is the 1 out of 7 at risk, their safety should outweigh the question of whether snooping is right or wrong.      I also wonder if suspicious people use this type of site to secretly watch the activity of their spouse or employees.  

What is your opinion on this?

Jane

Anyone know why Rosanna was moved to daytime?    I have never seen such a winning team as Rosanna & Ernie before!   They complimented each other so well.  The little digs at each other were so cute, and funny too.     That's what made them like being part of our family.....and so different from the stuffed suits on other news channels.        I think Dari is very pretty and talented, but she and Ernie will never have that unique on-screen rapport that Ernie and Rosanna took years to develop.    Ernie should have went to daytime with Rosanna.    Just curious of what could have prompted Fox to decide to lose a good thing.

Jane

Please read this article from WebMD:

No Labels for Genetically Engineered Food FDA Says

Labels Won't Be Needed for Products Made From Genetically Altered Animals By Todd Zwillich
WebMD Health News Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Sept. 18, 2008 -- New rules proposed by federal regulators don't require consumer labeling of many genetically altered animals that are expected to soon reach grocery story shelves as meat, poultry, or seafood.

The proposed regulations govern a wide range of genetically altered animals, including some already under development and some that are expected to come to market in the next few years.

Biotech companies and livestock producers are keenly interested in DNA engineering as a way to breed larger or healthier animals for food, and also as a potential source of pharmaceuticals produced in milk or animal's blood.

FDA officials say they will require public hearings before companies can sell genetically modified animals as food to the public. They say the process would bring transparency to a form of food production that could make some consumers uneasy.

"We'll need to do a full evaluation of food and feed safety," says Randall Lutter, PhD, FDA's deputy commissioner for policy.

But the agency also says producers would not be required to label most genetically engineered meat, poultry, or seafood. The rules treat altered DNA inserted into livestock as drugs.   Companies are not required to alert consumers when antibiotics, hormones, or other drugs are used in raising the animals.

"There is no special labeling requirement simply because the animal itself was engineered," Lutter says.

One exception is if genetic engineering alters the makeup of food. For example, companies are developing DNA that causes pigs to produce more omega-3 fatty acids in their muscles. Officials say the proposed rules would require a label indicating the product as high in the fatty acids, but not that it is genetically modified.

"The labeling will be based on the changes in the composition of the product," Lutter told reporters during a conference call.

The decision does not affect cloned animals or their offspring, which earlier this year were declared safe as a food source by the FDA.

Michael Hansen, PhD, senior scientist at Consumers Union, praised the requirement of public hearings before genetically altered animals are sold as food.

"It is positive that unlike with [genetically engineered] plants, they are going to require a safety assessment," he tells WebMD.

But Hansen criticizes the agency for taking what he says was a lax approach toward consumer labeling of such products.

"It's outrageous that they would not require these things to be labeled. Come on, they require orange juice to be labeled if it's from a concentrate vs. fresh-squeezed. Milk is labeled homogenized vs. not. That's enough to label, but an engineered animal isn't?" he says.

The Biotechnology Industry Organization, an industry group, says it supports the proposed rule.

"Animals that are genetically engineered can have improved food production capabilities, enabling them to help meet the global demand for more efficient, more nutritious, higher quality and lower-cost sources of food," says Barbara Glenn, PhD, the group's managing director for animal biotechnology.

Dozens of genetically altered animals are under development. For example, researchers at the University of Illinois are experimenting with cow DNA that increases hormone production in the milk of pig sows. The hormone can cause piglets to grow faster and reach a higher body weight.

Researchers are also developing genes for pigs so their waste contains less phosphorus, an environmental pollutant. Genes from spiders can even get goats to produce spider silk in their milk for use in bullet-proof vests.

SOURCES:

FDA: "The Regulation of Genetically Engineered Animals Containing Heritable rDNA Constructs."

Randall Lutter, PhD, deputy commissioner, FDA.

Michael Hansen, PhD, senior scientist, Consumers Union.

Barbara Glenn, PhD, managing director for animal biotechnology, Biotechnology Industry Organization.

Looking at my son’s school books and homework; it looks exactly like my mother’s did 60 years ago!  

No disrespect intended, but; does today’s school board think the 1940’s school board knew better of what kids should be learning today?   

For all of the years I have studied in school, I can’t think of even one instance of how ancient history helped me in life.    If you are not planning on being a game show contestant, what will you ever do with all of this dead, worthless information stored in your brain?  

My mother’s answer to that was, “Well you don’t want to look stupid if these topics come up at a party,” “But I have been to hundreds of parties Mom, and have yet to see a party where the topic of ancient history came up in conversation!”    We live in a different world now.   If you go to a party and talk about Abraham Lincoln, you are a propeller head!

Who really gives a rat’s tail about George Washington at any age?    Why do we spend more time on the past than the present and the future?   Our kids don’t need to be quizzed on his wooden teeth; where he lived; where he slept, etc.    A simple briefing on all prominent people in history would suffice now, leaving more time to learn about things that will be useful to them in their upcoming adulthood.   

If I had the power to change what my son learns in school, I would streamline the curriculum to be conducive to his future.   Yes, it will cost lots of money to make these revisions, but I don’t want my son to be insecure in life because instead of teaching reality, our schools are frozen in time.     The 1940’s were simpler times.    We live in a much more complex world now, and we need to stop preparing our children to live in a 1940’s scenario.       

Today we optimize our computers, but leave our children’s learning un-optimized, as if the brain of our computer is more important!

I believe the school system fears change because of the uproar it may cause in different communities and cultures.     But, what if there were “optional” classes for parents who want their kids to have an education that will let them enter today’s adult world with more confidence?     This class could teach things that will make them more “street smart,” “technology inclined,” “business savvy,”  and develop better problem solving skills,  by teaching valuable tips and tricks and alerting them of common pitfalls and scams in today’s world that people fall victim to; and ways to avoid them.     

By learning about mistakes others have made in “this decade,” our kids can avoid repeating the same “trials and errors” and avoid all the bumps, bruises and set-backs that could lead them to a path they did not plan.

It would be great if kids looked forward to learning because it pertains to them, instead of feeling like some classes are punishments because we owe ancient people glory and respect?     

With this hypothetical class of the future, our kids would actually look forward to being there, because it will shed light on, and optimize their thoughts as they develop plans to create their individual path through life, avoiding obstacles that lead them astray.   

Jane

Way to Go Doctor!!!      Finally a doctor willing to put it on the line to save a child!!!    

My family doctor told me that she will not take babies as patients because she refuses to give the vaccinations as well.

When my son was born in 1991, we were told the odds of having an autistic child was 1 in 10,000.     Over the last 16 years that ratio gradually progressed into an epidemic!  

One out of every 150 babies will be Autistic, and 1 out of every 94 male babies will be Autistic, because it is more common in males.

New research has proven the link between these vaccinations and the onset of Autism.    My son was normal, until he had his shots at age 17 months old,  just the same as all the other cases.     After the shots, he lost the 30 words in his vocabulary and became silent for a few years.   In addition, he had most of the classic symptoms, and he suffered his entire childhood.

Through therapy, special education and persistence, he made a huge emergence from Autism, and he appears to be about 95% recovered, but he  still struggles, trying to fit in to a world he doesn't completely understand.

The symptoms of Autism are a perfect match to the effects of mercury poisoning.   Mercury is in these vaccinations.      It is believed that babies whose immune systems are not fully developed yet at the time of receiving these shots, are the ones that get Autism from the mercury poisoning.   

Here is a link to an article of recent information linking the two:    

http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_anthony_
_
080422_tipping_point_in_aut.htm 

If I were to have a baby knowing what I know now, I would NEVER allow my baby to have the vaccinations.    I would home-school the child instead, to save the child's soul before it is stolen from him.

Jane

Elliot...

Really?   You thought a politician could have a private deceitful life?   If so then you are not smart enough to be a polititian in the first place!

Devastating and humiliating your wife and daughters, just for a cheap thrill, shows you are out of control of your life-----so how can you possibly govern New York, if you can't even govern your own life.

It seems like people in power are totally tripping these days!  Somehow the power leads to them to believe they are resillient from everything!    Whether it be politics or Hollywood------I don't get it.

All you politicians should either get your act together, or quit now, to avoid the embarrassment and destruction to your families.     Am I wrong?   It would make sense to me.    

Jane

You might think, "I am not in the real estate industry, so this won't affect me"---------WRONG!    The mortgage sector is the main strength of our country's economy, and we may be heading for a melt-down!

As an insider in both the real estate and mortgage industry, let me offer you this as a consumer advisory:

Back in March I posted a blog about how the subprime mortgage industry lost all of their investors due to the super-high forclosure rate in 2006.   Of course they created this mess themselves, by offering mortgages to anyone who can breathe, to make a quick 1 to 2% of the loan amount in a conduit Wall Street trade to the investor.   Sheer greed got in the way of banks even caring about the fraud involved to misrepresent the loan to the investor.   The most common types of fraud are stretched appraisals, phoney employment, phoney stated income; although there are many other types as well.

For those not aware, the banks may service your mortgages, but 98% of them were funded and owned by rich investors in mostly Korea.   These investors stopped investing in our mortgages because the high rate of forclosures, made them take a huge loss.   Now most banks can only fund loans out of their own resources, and the designated amount loaned to them by the federal reserve.    It seemed as if we would be okay with just the subprime lenders shutting down, but now seeing A-credit lenders shutting their doors, is very shocking!

American Home Loans, is / was a very large wholesale mortgage lender, that I have brokered many A-credit loans through myself.   I was surprised to learn that they closed their doors two days ago.  Their stock dropped 90% that day.

I was told at my real estate office that last week;  right at the closing tables in two separate incidences, Countrywide Bank recalled their loans, and left the homebuyers sitting at the closing table in shock and helpless!   They actually wired the mortgage money to the closing attorney, then requested it back!

I am receiving emails daily from large wholesale banks stating their new limitations and stricter guidelines, while defending how much money they have in reserve, so we don't give up on them.  

I am not sure why the public isn't being alerted to what is happening, and how it could ramify into a much weaker economy-----hopefully not a crash;  but I sold all my personal investments last week just in case.   I am in no way recommending to anyone to sell off their investments, that was just my personal choice.   I can always reinvest if a solution to this problem somehow comes about.   I just don't see one in sight.

Not to create a panic, but I am advising you to do your own research, and stay alert to what is happening in this industry, because it will affect you, no matter who you are.  

Jane

It's been a while since I went to school for medical billing, but I clearly remember being taught:  "It is the medical billers who know the ins-and-outs of defrauding insurance companies, that earn the largest salaries."    A medical biller that knows how to "up-code" can earn 90k a year, as opposed to the entry-level biller earning 25k. 

Every doctor visit is coded as a level 1, level 2, level 3, as well as procedural coded.  For example, a level 1 visit might mean the doctor didn't see you, only the nurse.  But the medical biller writes level 2 or 3 on the chart anyway, to get the doctor paid much more money from the insurance company.

Another example; a patient goes to a doctor because he wants to lose weight, but the doctor knows his insurance won't pay for that reason, so he writes "respiratory infection" on the chart, and treats him for weight loss.

In this course, the teacher emphasized:  "It is illegal to defraud medicare or medicaid, because they are governmental--------however it is not illegal to defraud all other private insurance companies; only unethical"   "Knowing how to upcode will make-or-break the doctor."

When I learned that medical billing is partially about fraud in my 10-week course, I decided not to go into that field, and went into mortgages and real estate instead.   Not that my industry is free from fraud, we all know thats not true, but at least I have some control, so it doesn't happen in branch office.  My mother didn't offer me a lot of advice growing up, but I do remember her saying:  "If you do everything honestly, you never have to worry about anything coming back to you."   I think that's the best advice you can give a child.

I  think a good way to keep healthcare costs down, would be to have the patient sign-off on the chart to verify what was done, and explain the level 1, 2 or 3 codes to the patients.   In my opinion, this is a big portion of the health insurance money leak, that can be fixed.

Jane

As we already know;  New Jersey property taxes are the highest in the United States because of poor judgement in budgeting.   I'm not blaming John Corzine, because he became governor long after the fact. 

Just to be a real estate agent, New Jersey requires 75 classroom hours, and passing a difficult 3.5 hour New Jersey State exam.   But New Jersey State Governors never had to study to pass any state exam.   Why not?  Aren't they responsible for a much larger task in the state?   I believe they should be tested on budgeting skills before being allowed to run for office.  High test scores can take the place of millions spent in campaign advertising.   Let's be realistic; popularity alone does not guarantee a good governor.  I'd like to see something more substantial before voting.

Jane 

Following my usual morning routine, I woke up, prepared a pot of coffee, went to brush my teeth while it was brewing.   I always look forward to fresh coffee in the morning, because I don’t function well without it.  I then went to pour a cup, and found the coffee decanter was empty!   Still a little groggy because I didn’t have my coffee yet, I was now trying to figure out where my coffee was.   The coffee grounds were wet and steaming, so obviously the coffee did brew.  There was no spilled coffee on the counter.  My husband was still sleeping so he couldn’t have drinken it.   I stood there puzzled.   Then I noticed my roll of Bounty standing on the counter was brown instead of white.   Still groggy, I looked at the Bounty towels and tried to remember buying brown towels. 

It took me a minute to realize that Bounty drank 10 cups of coffee!   But how?  Apparently I didn’t slide the coffee decanter all the way into the machine, and the roll of Bounty that happened to be standing a few inches away from the coffee maker had literally sucked up the entire pot of coffee before it had a chance spill out onto my counter and floor.  The white roll of Bounty was brown from top to bottom, and not a drop of coffee on the counter!  If I didn’t have that roll of Bounty on the counter, the tile grout on the floor would have been ruined.  Good save Bounty!

As predicted by experts years ago, it's happening now!   Many sub-prime mortgage lenders have closed up shop over the past month due to forclosure rates being more than 25% higher in 2006.    Most of the B/C credit lenders that stayed open, tightened up their guidelines, making it very difficult for a person having sub-prime credit to get a mortgage without a large down payment.  

Although banks and lenders service our mortgages, U.S. mortgages are mostly owned by rich investors in Asia.   Before you even get to the closing table your mortgage was already sold by the bank---except for a small amount of mortgages that banks decide to keep in their portfolio.  These investors have taken a financial beating because of the high forclosure rates, and have decided to invest there money elsewhere.  Not having investors, put many subprime lenders out of business. 

The reason this was easily predicted, is because of the abundance of investors leading lenders to produce as many loans as they could.  The only way to produce more, would be to loosen the qualification guidelines.   If they put a mirror under your nose and it fogs, you virtually qualified.  Last year, a person could have a bankruptcy one day and qualify for a new mortgage the next week.

Because of these recent events, I strongly urge anyone with credit scores under 700, to obtain their credit report and work on credit repair by disputing any inaccuracies.  Building new credit can help offset derrogatory credit as well.    Do not pay for your credit report.  The only web site that is authorized for consumers to access their annual credit report free is www.annualcreditreport.com.   

If you'd  like me to forward you a copy of a credit repair guide, email me at jmax123@aol.com

Jane

Ready, set, go in blazing!  

As home values continue to drop more than .5% monthly; lurking real estate investors are waiting in the wings for an indication that it is time to go in blazing and buy while the market is low.  Like an animal waiting for it's prey,  they are polishing up their credentials, and observing.  The big question is:  When?  Some experts predict the market will botttom and rebound in mid-2007, while others believe it will continue to decline.   

This reminds me of when "day trading" stocks was huge 1999.   People were quitting their jobs to day-trade as a full time job.  Buying a stock and selling it seconds, minutes or hours later, to make a fraction on a large quantity of shares added up to a nice day's pay.   But the coast to coast ramifications were causing stocks to trade 50-times higher than their book value.  The stock market was turning into a casino!   Did Mr. Greenspan see this happening and intentionally cause a market crash to put the day-traders out of business?   It seems that way.    The reason it reminds me of the real estate market is because it seems as if "flipping houses" became the new day-trading, and the same way stock was trading at artificially inflated prices, it was now homes selling at artificially inflated prices.   The same way stock prices were corrected in a decline, home prices are in the midst of a correction now.  But as water always rises to water level, home prices will level out to where they should be as well.

Jane