psycheclone - an annoying web bot advisory

Over the past few days, a web bot is running all over the web trying to gather emails for spam harvesting. It uses links for new servers to hit and it is continuing to gather emails at astounding rate. On my web site alone, it's had 880 hits. Maybe it couldn't find things the first time? Who knows. Here's some IP address info on this bot:

208.66.195.2
208.66.195.8
208.66.195.7
208.66.195.5
208.66.195.3
208.66.195.9
208.66.195.10
208.66.195.11
208.66.195.4

How to block this from your site using .htaccess:

<Limit GET POST>
order allow,deny
allow from all
deny from 208.66.195.0/28
</Limit>

Research on ARIN reveals that this web bot is owned by a company called Digital Infinity Ltd located in Moscow, Russia. The mailing address is listed as: Ostrovityanova str, 14, 200, Moscow, Russia.

If you would like to kindly tell them to stop harrassing the Internet, you can call them at these "supposed" numbers: Phone +495.9806635, Fax +495.9806635. The name of the owner is "Elena Balkina" and has been connected to spam before with linalinks.com. Please note the current owner of linalinks.com is no longer this person or her company. Elena's company has been used to send spam for online pharmacies and who knows what else.

Remembring Brad Keckler

Exactly one year ago, my friend Brad Keckler died from a heart attack at the age of 30. It was "stressed induced". He was a good friend and a good mentor to me while working for him at CallTech/Teleperformance. He will always be remembered as someone who could always sell anything. A common joke we had at Fort Myers was, he could sell ice to Eskimos.

Exactly a week before he died, I drove him to his house in Ohio. This was after everyone hit each other with Star Wars light saber swords at Trevor's backyard (long story). While driving to his house, I asked him about marriage because I was getting married in a week and a half. Simply stated, he said marriage was one of the best things that happened in his life. He dearly loved his wife (Mandy), his daughter (Jenna), and his future unborn baby. We also talked about God as we passed by his church.

Sadly, I could not come to his funeral seeing as I was getting married 10,000 miles away; however, I think I prefer remembering as who he was, a person that always smiled, always joked, and always worked hard to sell. See you in heaven old friend, I still owe you a foosball match.

Sears Tower was a target in terror threat

As you may have heard, six people were arrested in Miami today as well as one person from Atlanta. The group wanted to attack federal offices in Miami and also the Sears Tower in Chicago. Lacking resources, they attempted to contact al Queda for help, but in actuality, they were contacting undercover agents of the U.S. government.

The group is said to be home-grown, coming mostly from a radical Islam group composed mainly of African-Americans. This comes shortly after a similar sting operation in Canada; where a home-grown terrorist group attempted to attack government buildings in Toronto.

I'm a happy tax payer today! I'm very proud of the FBI and I hope they will continue to be fruitful in their human intelligence gathering and undercover operations.

Civil effects: Paranoia against Muslims
I previously posted about the dangers of home-grown terrorism and the paranoia effects it has on society. I want to continue to reiterate that the Islam religion is roughly 1 billion in the world; hence, 7 people should not be a reflection of that religion as a whole. Most Muslims are moderate and do not follow the Koran 100% -- thankfully they ignore the verses that says kill the infidels and concentrate more on the aspect of love and mutual respect.

So before we go crazy on discriminating groups of people based on their religion or nationality, we must remember our lessons of the past. Let us not take people's civil liberties as we did in the past with Japanese-Americans.

Just in! President Bush creates largest marine sanctuary in the world

As a boater and as a fisherman, you come to respect marine ecosystems that help the fish population. Without proper care of reefs and fish habitats, fishermen around the world wouldn't be able to catch fish. This is why I'm so happy with President Bush's decision to declare the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands as a national monument.

Previous presidents have tried their best to protect this marine sanctuary; however, until now, they were blocked by lobbyists and special interest groups when they tried to declare the area as a sanctuary. Bush initially wanted to do the same thing; however, it would take at least one year to review. Knowing that it was too much red tape, he invoked a special 100-year old executive power that was given to the presidency in the National Antiquities Act. The president was able to declare the area as a national monument! Good move.

Pro's: This move has some awesome benefits:

1. Immediate relief of multiple Pacific marine habitats not found anywhere else.
   
2. This will increase the population of fish in the immediate area by protecting it from commercial fishing.
   
3. Within the next few years, fish populations will increase outside of the area and will actually help commercial fisheries.
   
4. Wildlife such as endangered seals, sharks, dolphins, lobsters, and the surrounding reef systems will flourish.
   
5. This has some global effects as well as migrant birds use this area as a stopping point and nesting area.
   
6. Also, the more marine plants exist and flourish, it will better our atmosphere.
7. If you've ever wanted to monitor bird flu, this area needs to be successfully protected and monitored.
   

Con's:

1. Commercial fishing to stop within five years, this will hurt a small group of companies and families on a short-term basis. On a long-term basis, they will be able to reap the benefits of a lively fish habitat.
   

If you have ever seen Jean-Michel Cousteau's film on PBS, you'll find the underwater wonders of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. You will be amazed at the wildlife underneath an area that seems to be just a link of barren islands.

Why Hate Your Own Country?

A colleague of mine just got off a discussion group from the Big Arts community center in Sanibel, FL. Lawyers, doctors, and professors attended the session. He commented how people kept complaining about the country. The discussions varied and jumped from topic to topic. They talked about education, the economy, the Iraq war, health care, and gas prices. I'm dumbfounded why some citizens born here hate this country so much.

Are we too spoiled?
I don't think those who complain about this country have lived any significant length of time in another country. Whether it's Europe, Asia, or other continents -- if they actually lived there as an average worker, they would know the difference quickly.

Most people that are naturalized (those that are foreign born and became US citizens) are happy with this country. They may disagree with policies and what not, but in general, they love this country for giving them a chance to live a better life. While in Asia, people seek their best to pay bills and are living on $200/month USD or less, we have people here that complain because their Social Security checks are only a few thousand a month.

Last year during the hurricane season, some people I knew were complaining about not getting ice from the government on time. While in Italy and other European countries that my family stopped by last year, they don't even serve ice in restaurants! Plus, they charge money if you use the rest rooms!

Come on now. Why are we so spoiled? We complain about gas prices but we drive big SUVs, trucks, luxury sport cars, etc. Don't complain about gas prices if your car burns 25 miles per gallon! Why do we have high gas prices? Because you keep burning the supply away. Duh.

Why do we complain about health care? We eat over 3 teaspoons of salt everyday and wonder why we have high blood pressure. We don't exercise as a nation and wonder why we have diabetes. We smoke tobacco and wonder why we get lung cancer. We get drunk every weekend and ask why we are getting complications as we grow old over some of our organs. Overzealous wine drinkers tout the benefits for the heart, but kill their liver. Great trade, try natural wine in the Bible (unfermented grapejuice - no alcohol) and benefit the heart and the liver!

Why do we complain about the economy? When we have the lowest unemployment compared to any of our neighbors and have one of the highest wages in this hemisphere. Why do we complain about unemployment when we have thousands of people just loitering the streets, taking unemployment / welfare checks?

I read a gripe complaint by an online eBay seller stating he was sad that his child would lose tuition grants from the government because he made too much money. He was looking to see if he could legally "fake" his income to show that it was lower. Hey buddy -- those tuition grants aren't free -- they come from me and every other person that works and pays taxes.

Why do we complain about people immigrating here when so many of the natural born citizens hate their own country? Care to trade places with someone in France when they are suffering 30% unemployment for their young adults? Wake up America. Be patriotic about the country you live in.

Be thankful about what you have. We are not in a perfect country, but we are better off than most. If you don't like the situation you're in now, do something about it: improve.

Zarqawi died the same way he killed

Jordan-born Abu Musab al-Zarqawi tried to scare the Iraqi people with roadside bombs and beheadings, yet he himself ended dying from the same methods he instilled on others. God said once: "If you live by the sword, you will die by the sword". He killed with bombs and he died by bombs. And he didn't die quickly, because he was hiding under the basement, he was mortally wounded but was left to experience pain for quite some time before his body finally gave out.

The announcement of his death came around the same time the prime minister of Iraq received approval for key Cabinet posts. It seems the dream of a free Iraq is close to becoming a reality. Iraqi police and the Iraqi military were dancing in the streets, and the Iraqi people were cheering -- even Sunnis. The U.S. military celebrated with a cautious tone, stating they are happy but they know there are more rough days ahead. Beneath the silent facade of caution, the military knew this was a big hit -- a big hit against Iraqi insurgency, and a great morale boost for the allied troops.

Though everyone knows the terrorist attacks will continue, there is hope abroad and in Iraq that this is the beginning of the end of organized terrorist cells. I can't shake the feeling that this has turned the tide of the hearts of the Iraqi armed forces and the Iraqi people. Terror cells will no longer be able to deify a single person as the untouchable jihadist, and the Iraqi people will no longer fear them. After all, it was an Iraqi citizen that led to al-Zarqawi's death. This action sends a clear message to terrorists that intends on killing civilians: residents will strike back by telling the government where you are hiding.

A short biography of al-Zarqawi
Zarqawi is not his real name, but his surname. Zarqawi means he is a man from "Zarqa". He was born in Zarqa, Jordan almost 40 years ago. He was a high school drop out and was considered a petty criminal. Most people that knew him stated he was hot-tempered, but reserved. He wasn't able to read well and had others read for him or translate for him. Hearing propaganda from clerics and the CIA, al-Zarqawi joined a group of disillusioned men in Afghanistan to fight against the Soviet Union. Receiving some weapons training and guerilla tactics from Afghan training camps (which allegedly were also backed by the CIA), he learned quickly how to fight the communists that invaded Afghanistan. After campaigns against the Soviet Union, he returned to Jordan with renewed confidence and a new vision: through aggression and war, you can win against large countries through a holy jihad and instill an Islamic nation.

He started trying to recruit for his vision until he was jailed by Jordanian authorities. For seven years he was in prison, he became a prison "gang leader" and had a following of disciples that believed in his vision. At times, he gave overexaggerations of his campaigns against the Soviet Union to energize his group. After his release, he knew he was in danger as he was a marked man in the kingdom. He quickly left the country and traveled throughout the Middle East and parts of Europe. In the end, he found his "base" in Iraq after he was kicked out of Iran. He didn't stay in Pakistan and Afghanistan because he wanted to have an independent operation from Osama Bin Laden's influence.

Though he pledged himself as a loyal member of Al Queda, he wanted to make a name for himself. And so he did...Zarqawi the bomber....got bombed.

Lesson in History: Don't Give Up Freedom Because of Fear

Democrat President FDR ordered all Japanese-Americans to be imprisoned. Without charges, without warrants, they were placed in concentration camps like the one here. Ignoring freedom because of fear!

Canada's recent arrest of 17 citizens and residents allegedly wanting to bomb Canadian buildings has shocked some folks in the intelligence community. This group of alleged Muslim extremists doesn't seem to have a direct connection with any known international terrorist organization. Despite the success of this anti-terrorist operation, there are undoubtedly questions in Washington being asked. Should we fear our own citizens becoming terrorists? If so, how can we prevent that from happening?

The Truth Test of Democracy: Should We Give Up Freedoms In Times of Peril?

In a country where freedom of religion, freedom of privacy, and freedom of speech exists, you will always have the possibility that someone will exchange and believe in the wrong idea. This is the risk of democracy. Thank God that people who want to kill and terrorize are only a minority in our society. Though terrorists account only about 0.00004% of the population in the USA, they are shown about 60% of the time on the news (rough estimates from last night's news broadcasts)!

What this unbalance creates is an environment of fear. Congress has recently passed anti-terror laws and the NSA has admitted to having domestic eavesdropping programs. These laws and programs would have never passed before 9/11. But because 0.00012% of our population died in a single attack, 99.99988% of our population are now subject to new laws and new programs that pushes the limit of restricting our freedoms. The attacks on 9/11 were unfair, uncalled for, and the people involved in them should be brought to justice. However, the anger we have and the fear that we have should not drive us to give up our freedom.

Don't Let Fear Overcome Freedom

As a democratic nation, we have been tested in times of great peril in the past. Some of which we succeeded in protecting our freedoms despite the danger, and some we have failed.

For instance, in the surprise Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Democrat President Franklin D. Roosevelt authorized the mass expulsion and incarceration of Japanese Americans by signing Executive Order 9066 on February 19th, 1942. U.S.-born citizens were arrested with no charges, and no warrants. Expelled from their jobs, and removed from their communities, they were locked up in camps and treated as if they were criminals just because of their ancestry. On the first set of incarcerations, there were 92,785 Californians arrested because they had Japanese parents or grandparents.

The nation, because of fear, stood silent as the Constitution was ignored, basic human rights violated, and international laws broken. Our founding fathers would have turned over in their graves.

Another example of "fear" that made the nation ignore civil liberties was between 1954-1968 during the civil rights movement. Thousands of black Americans were beaten, killed, and detained by white gangs and law enforcement officers a like. Most of the South feared that black Americans would change the cultural and racial landscape of the USA. Once again, "fear" made us ignore basic constitutional rights of equality. Even church organizations like the Southern Baptists supported segregation against black Americans. In fact, local Southern Baptist church leaders at the time were the leaders of a secret white terrorist organization called the KKK or the Ku Klax Klan. Their mission was to disrupt blacks from exercising their rights to vote and their right to be integrated in schools.

Conclusion

The flavor of "fear" has changed over the years. In the past, it was Japanese, Germans, Russians, black Americans, and now Arab/Muslim communities. What's next? American citizens born from illegal aliens? Our freedoms should always be protected no matter the climate of fear. We as a country are stronger than this. We should not ignore the freedoms and rights of religious liberty, privacy, and speech.

Let's teach ourselves and our children to never ever give up freedom just because of fear.

More Job Growth in Southwest Florida

More job growth is coming in Southwest Florida!

The U.S. Postal Service wants to hire a hundred new carriers in Southwest Florida. Postal officials told FOX NEWS the area's tremendous population growth is putting a strain on the carriers who already do the job, especially in Cape Coral, where the USPS needs to hire at least 100 people to deliver the mail.

You have to pass a background check and have a clean driving record. Carriers told FOX NEWS the benefits are solid and the starting pay is pretty good, around $13/hr! If you're interested, call 239-277-3317. You'll probably get an answering machine if you call, but if you leave your name, number and address, they'll send you the packet.

Reduce health care costs: stop smoking or chewing tobacco

A recent World Bank report in 1999 published that by 2030, the single and most effective killer of adults is tobacco. Right now, 1 out of every 10 deaths are caused by tobacco. That's right -- for every person that dies around the world, 1 out of 10 is caused by someone smoking tobacco or chewing it. By 2030, with the current trends, it will be causing 1 out of 6 adult deaths.

We don't need a truth commercial to tell us that tobacco kills. Every smoker I've ever met knows the facts about tobacco's dangers to their health and to other people (second hand smoke). But what many don't know, is many healthy people around the country that doesn't smoke are paying for this unhealthy habit.

Tobacco Users Raise Health Care Costs
According to the CDC, about $89 billion a year is spent on public and private health care for tobacco related illnesses alone. And this number is expected to rise as more than 500 million smokers around the world are expected to die from tobacco within a few decades. Health care companies raise premiums based on how healthy their subscribers are and unfortunately, the more smokers are in a policy, the higher the cost for everyone -- including those that do not smoke.

That's a lot of money for a vice that isn't necessary!

Conclusion
I'm not trying to attack smokers out there, but I am saying that there are certain, undeniable truths in the world, one of which is smoking raises health care costs. The control of health care costs still belong to the individual in a democratic, capitalistic country.

The cost of health in this country is a direct reflection of our society's physical well being: whether we smoke, whether we exercise, whether we are drug dependent, whether we eat a healthy diet, whether we sue doctors for every minor infraction, and so forth.

Blair and Bush talk about Iraq and mistakes

Blair and Bush held a press conference tonight and answered questions about Iraq. Reporters asked about troop deployments, progress, mistakes, etc. It was essentially the same old questions and the same answers, except one: I was impressed with President Bush, he mentioned that one of his biggest mistakes was talking too "tough" and it made him look arrogant to other parts of the world. That was a surprising, humble reply.

My thoughts on the attack
The execution of the war and the technological victory against Saddam's forces was incredible. That was one of the fastest (and one of the most expensive) wars in earth's history.

We know WMDs weren't found; however, for me removing Saddam was the reason I supported the decision of our government. Why? Saddam was a dictator that conducted genocide against his own countrymen and conducted hostilities against other countries like Kuwait, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Israel, and tried to kill a former U.S. president. To say that he was dangerous was an understatement. His continued interference against UN inspectors and blatant ignorance of international law was a shameful disgrace -- thankfully a handful of countries stood up to topple him.

My thoughts on the restoration
Prime Minister Blair called for a balance perspective on Iraq. Not everything is perfect, and not everything is wrong. If the restoration project was simplified to a scale of a 100 percent, we would probably be sitting around 60% of goal. The major part of the last 40% is Iraq's ability to enforce the rule of law. If they are able to keep the peace, civilian infrastructures can be built.

Whether you agree or disagree with the decision to go to war, we all agree that we should finish the job and go home as soon as possible. As an American, what can you do to help in this goal?

The Gospel of Judas - Trash Before, Trash Now

Over the past few months, there's been a lot of news regarding the Gospel of Judas. There was a lot of speculation that it could change Christianity's point of view on Judas and of God. But in actuality, the Gospel of Judas is nothing more than a gnostic's integration of Jewish mysticism and Christianity. It's a heretical book and will always be a heretical book.

The history of this book
Contrary to what the U.S. media suggests, the Gospel of Judas has been known to exist for a very long time. It was not "found" -- it's been rejected and thrown away. There's a difference between a lost book and a rejected book. It seems like those that "found" this book was hoping people would forget about the book's history -- since it reduces its significance and market value.

The truth is, it was written after all of the gospels of the Bible has been written and nearly 160 years pass the time of Jesus. Judas was already dead by the time this book was written. It was rejected by the Christian church as heretical and will continued to be rejected.

Early church leader rejected this book
A Christian theologian and church elder by the name of Irenaeus (130-202 AD) wrote about the Gospel of Judas: "They declare that Judas the traitor was thoroughly acquainted with these things, and that he alone, knowing the truth as no others did, accomplished the mystery of the betrayal; by him all things, both earthly and heavenly, were thus thrown into confusion. They produce a fictitious history of this kind, which they style the Gospel of Judas."

Irenaeus clearly recognized the heretical problems of this supposed new gospel. He was a student of Polycarp, who was a student of the apostle John. He knew the Gospel of Judas did not meet the standard Christian faith.

Specific problems
There are some very specific problems with this book:

1. This book does not recognize Jesus as one with God. He is considered a "lesser" being. This does not match the faith of the apostles and the foundational belief of the Trinity.

"“The twelve rulers spoke with the twelve angels: ‘Let each of you [52] […] and let them […] generation [—one line lost—] angels’: The first is [S]eth, who is called Christ."

2. Gnostic beliefs usually pursue mysticism or "special knowledge" (gnosis) as the central goal of life. In the Gospel of Judas, the Cainites wrote that Judas alone received the "special knowledge" from Christ. This conflicts with the rest of the gospels that clearly show the Good News as transparent, open, and inviting to the world. Additionally, contrary to this book's ideas, there are no different spiritual realms.

Jesus said, “[Come], that I may teach you about [secrets] no person [has] ever seen. For there exists a great and boundless realm, whose extent no generation of angels has seen, [in which] there is [a] great invisible [Spirit],

3. The book conflicts with Old Testament's account on Creation. God created the world by Himself and not with angels.

“Then Saklas said to his angels, ‘Let us create a human being after the likeness and after
the image.’

4. The book talks about new realms, and rulers of spiritual levels. It also talks about twelve angels ruling over chaos and the underworld. All of which contradicts with Biblical accounts.

“The multitude of those immortals is called the cosmos— that is, perdition—by the
Father and the seventy-two luminaries who are with the Self-Generated and his seventytwo
aeons. In him the first human appeared with his incorruptible powers. And the aeon
that appeared with his generation, the aeon in whom are the cloud of knowledge and the
angel, is called [51] El. […] aeon […] after that […] said, ‘Let twelve angels come into
being [to] rule over chaos and the [underworld].’ And look, from the cloud there
appeared an [angel] whose face flashed with fire and whose appearance was defiled with
blood. His name was Nebro, which means ‘rebel’; others call him Yaldabaoth. Another
angel, Saklas, also came from the cloud. So Nebro created six angels—as well as
Saklas—to be assistants, and these produced twelve angels in the heavens, with each one
receiving a portion in the heavens.

Truth revealed

The Gospel of Judas...it was trash before and still belongs to the trash today.

One of the Largest Malls in the World Opens in Manila, Philippines

This is the third largest shopping mall in the world, beating out West Edmonton Mall, the largest North American mall built in 1981. Here is the rest:

1. South China Mall, China (7.1 mil square feet)
2. Golden Resources Shopping Mall, China (6.0 mil square feet)
3. SM Mall of Asia, Manila, Philippines (4.3 mil square feet)
4. West Edmonton Mall, Canada (3.8 mil square feet)



All Headline News

Manila, Philippines (AHN) - Philippines' biggest mall opened on Saturday with Philippines President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo present.

Arroyo joined Mall developer Henry Sy in a ribbon cutting ceremony at the Mall of Asia. The mall sits on 148 acres of land looking over Manila Bay.

The 4.3 million square foot mall features an Olympic sized ice skating rink and the Philippines' first IMAX movie house.

Dell Inc. even has 145,000-sq.ft for a call center at the mall. It is Dell's second contact center in the country.

Hans Sy, son of Henry Sy, said, "We are a nation of mall-lovers with millions flocking to our air-conditioned malls daily and more so on weekends."

Bush's immigration speech: a balanced approach

Bush's 16 minute speech about immigration tonight was clear:

Supplement border security with National Guard troops until DHS can hire more border security agents.

Create process for illegal immigrants to register themselves, pay current and back taxes, and move themselves from the dark shadows of illegal immigration.

This is a good start to comprehensive immigration reform. You are protecting the borders and registering the illegal immigrants.

Happy Mother's Day!

To all the mothers out there...Happy Mother's Day! Day in and day out, mothers provide for their family. They work, they cook, and they make sure that their children gets the best. Without their care and guidance, who knows where we would be.


Exodus 20:12
"Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God commanded you, so that your days may be long..."

Ephesians 6:2
"Honor your father and mother," which is the first commandment with a promise...


The Bible promises a long life if you honor your father and mother. Honor is of high respect as if you were to honor an award to someone. It also means to give credit for someone's tasks or profession. The word is also used to glorify or to recognize, and the very last to signify the dignity of that person's position in your life.

How can a person have a longer life if they honor their parents?
We know a lot about early child development and the human psyche. We know that if you have a good relationship with your parents, you have a better emotional and mental life. A good physical, emotional, and mental upbringing is better than a bad one. Common sense right?

As an adult, we should continue to honor our parents even if we disagree with them. We should continue to recognize what they've done for us. We can never truly repay them for bringing us up into this world. As birth or adopted parents, they gave us life. That's the gift that is hard to ever repay.

Importance of this law in the Ten Commandments
As we know, the Ten Commandments is active in the New and Old Testament (Matthew 5:17-18). Whenever Jesus quoted a law from the Ten Commandments, He calibrated the Jews. He taught them to not only follow the letter of the law, but the spirit of it. Here's some examples of Jesus calibrating the Jews...

Matthew 12:10: You can't heal or help people on the Sabbath -- the Jews made that up. Jesus corrected them.

Matthew 5:21-22: Not only shouldn't you murder someone, you shouldn't even be wrongfully angry at them or call them names!

Mark 2:27: Man wasn't made for the Sabbath but vice versa. The Sabbath was made for mankind (that's a universal statement in Greek, meaning the whole world not just Jews alone).

So what did Jesus say in terms of honoring your father and mother? He corrected the teachers of the law and told them not to be hypocrites. "Jesus in the gospels of Matthew and Mark reminds the religious Jews that lip service isn’t all that is required in the honoring of parents. But making sure also that they are loved and financially and physically cared for in their old age." (Source: www.ywamconnect.com)

Prosper.com: The New Trend in Lending, Customer Service Getting Better

Lending Revolution: The Individual Investor

I was reading a news article about Prosper, the newest auction-style marketplace...but you're not buying shoes or books, you're lending or borrowing money!

If you have extra cash, you can lend it to people. Prosper will show you their credit rating, their debt to income ratio, the reasons they need the money, and what return you are going to get back. If the borrower doesn't pay, they'll incur penalties and if they default, they will get a flag in their credit report and a collection agency starts calling. You can calculate your risk by understanding the default rates based on the person's credit rating. You'll take more risk from someone that has bad credit, but the interests are usually higher -- meaning greater reward.

How can this web site make me money? Consider this layman's example. A bank gives you 4-5% interest on your savings account, while they take that money and lend it to other people at 10-14%. They profit the difference.

You now have the ability to lend to people and cut out the bank. You will be the one earning the 10-14% interest. I took a quick glance at one Prosper auction: a homeowner needs $15,000 to fix up a house and re-sell it. He has AA credit and he is offering 10% interest. 136 people funded his $15,000 request and they'll be getting interest on their money for the next 3 years -- more than a normal savings account would get. The fact that the consumer has AA credit reduces your risk as well.

Lending Revolution: The Borrower

If you're on the opposite end of the spectrum, Prosper makes it easy too! You don't have to go to the bank and fill out dozens of forms. With Prosper, you sign-up, and get verified through a credit report and you're done. A profile will be built based on your credit report results. Lenders will start bidding on your request. The better your credit is, the better.

If you have bad credit, you'll probably want to raise the interest rates higher to attract more lenders. Additionally, Prosper submits payment history to the credit agencies; hence, getting a loan (no matter what size) from Prosper actually helps in rebuilding your credit!

Prosper.com: Bad Customer Service

There is one missing thing about Prosper.com. In a brick and mortar lending institution, if I need something done quickly, I can go to their office; however, with Prosper.com, you can't do this.

Their call center operators in the Philippines (they number around 12 agents), do not have authority to manually verify your credit report. If there is a problem verifying your identity, U.S. operators need to verify you. However, you cannot reach a U.S. operator directly -- a phone rep needs to send a message to Prosper's California headquarters for a callback. I got somewhat irritated when I didn't get a callback for almost 72 hours.

I talked to Karen Appleton, Vice President of Development for Prosper to see if she could help to improve the manual verification process. She said that they are "...working diligently with our customer service team to prevent situations like yours from occurring." Within 24 hours, Karen and her team started changing the process to make it more user friendly. As of May 12th, 2006 -- the manual verification process has been changed to where the customer can manually fax the needed documentation without having to wait for a callback.

Awesome! I give Prosper.com an A+ for process improvement and they have one new lender on their boat (me)!

Prosper's Karen Appleton

Business Tip: Labor Intensive Businesses Should Adjust With Market Conditions

If you're the CEO of a labor intensive, skilled business such as a services firm, one of the biggest challenges you have is recruitment. In Southwest Florida, where we lead the state with a 2.2% unemployment rate, it is an incredible challenge for a labor intensive business.

Many employees are "job shopping" for greener pastures. Over the course of this blog entry, I'm going to comment on some mistakes that I've seen labor intensive companies make and how you as a business owner can avoid it.

Understand Market Conditions
Market conditions change for a variety of reasons. The more growth a region has, the harder it is for you to recruit. Supply and demand. The more jobs available, the less inventory of applicants. As the number of jobs grow, the wages have to increase in order to compete.

If you are finding that your business is now competing at the same level of pay as unskilled workers like fast food chains, you know you have a problem. The problem won't disappear and if the future forecasts state that growth isn't slowing anytime soon -- start changing.

Don't get me wrong, you can still hire people even if your wages are below the industry average in the area. But you are not attracting the best and brightest, but rather the unskilled or those that may require significant coaching and training.

Increased Wages and Margins Sacrifice
The major reason that companies do not increase wages is due to profit margins. Your customer may not be willing to pay anything extra to address your labor cost. So profits stay the same but the cost of wages go up. This is actually normal as your business industry is maturing: more choices for the customer, and less profits for you. Come on now, we learned that in business school. :-)

The truth is, you need to seriously look at your options:

Increase the wage and sacrifice parts of your margins

Continue to be underperforming in terms of wage levels and have a slow death through a labor crunch, or have an unqualified workforce handling skilled jobs

Look for other income streams

Close shop, look for other regions that are more competitive -- you'll probably face this same issue when the market conditions change in that area

Conclusion
Some profit is better than no profit -- don't get too greedy. If you don't invest in your workforce in a competitive and growing region...consider yourself dead. About seven years ago I gave the same advice to a services company. Listen to market conditions, adjust your labor. Sadly, it fell on deaf ears, and they closed down in a few months. Labor issues affect morale, and if you are not addressing it head on, you are a sinking ship. Don't panic, don't play politics, don't push other people, just fix the obvious problem: listen to the market.

Fishing Report: Estero Bay 05/07/2006

After fishing some artificial reefs in the Gulf of Mexico and trying out the Caloosa River, we found little to no fish entertaining our bait. As we came closer to the marina, I didn't want to give up yet... I started casting near the docks and from 3pm-7pm, we couldn't keep up with the fish!

Over 30+ mangrove snappers with the average size of 12 inches or more, crevalle jacks (great fighters), and scamp groupers. We also had some rare Atlantic spadefish giving us a fight on the line.

For sure, this was the best day of fishing for all of us this year. We caught so much fish, it was incredible!

Movie Review: Mission Impossible III...and Keri Russell?

Director Abram's vision of Mission Impossible III was done well! Lots of action, good twists, character development, and a solid cast. Furthermore, the movie didn't carry an R-rating and most Christians movie watchers would appreciate this: it had limited profanity and sensual scenes were limited.

Good vs. Evil
I'll try not to spit out any plot spoilers here. The consequences of Ethan's actions in this movie carry a heavier price compared to the previous installments of MI. In the past, there was a bad guy wanting to do bad things. As shown in the previews, Ethan now has a personal reason to make sure the mission is successful: his new wife is in danger! And the line between good and evil start blurring gray.

Keri Russell's debut
I haven't seen Keri Russell in any major production for almost four years. It was a good surprise to see her in this movie. Gone is the old petite, innocent girl image from her old TV series, Felicity. In this movie, she's a secret agent sent on a mission. And if you're a martial artist, you'll appreciate this -- she was praticing a form of Filipino martial arts (escrima) in one of the movie's flashbacks.

Russell was one of my favorite TV stars and I'm glad to see her comeback to the screen.

Tom Cruise's performance
Cruise can jump the couch on this one -- his acting on this film was like his previous projects: superb. Paramount is correct in assuming that Cruise is a bankable actor. His films will always go past $45 million on a box office weekend even if he jokes around that he is going to eat his baby's placenta. By the way Tom, congrats on the baby.

California Trip

Just got back from California! Destinations: Long Beach, Seal Beach, Glendale, Loma Linda, and Los Angeles. Overall my trip was good -- really no major problems except my group was delayed on the first leg of the trip (we had to stay overnight in Minnesota because we missed a connecting flight).

Los Angeles International Airport or LAX seems to be a lot better than what I experienced in the past. Good landing, quick luggage checkout, and it was easy for me to find the shuttle bus for the rental cars. Once I hopped onto the rental cars and referenced maps, I was able to find my way to my destinations. I'm happy to say that it was easy to navigate California's highways, despite the fact they don't have mile markers like Florida does. I saw a few traffic mishaps where four lane highways were a dead stop due to an accident -- thankfully I was on the other side.





What I like about California
The weather in California is comfortable. There are some stunning views to be seen through the Pacific Coast Highway, especially near the U.S. navy depots. The boating activity there reminded me of Southwest Florida. The business activity in the area is also great -- commerce is California's biggest strengths along with a higher wage average.

What I don't like about California
As we were driving through some upscale neighborhoods, we were surprised to find $800,000 homes that were not very attractive. In fact, our friends that live in the area said a lot of the homes are 2-3 bedrooms and are 10+ years old. Some of the homes didn't even have driveways. But hey, to each his own right?

Loma Linda University
We also drove to Loma Linda University. It's about an hour and a half drive east from Los Angeles. The university is one of the most famous universities in the world in relation to health sciences. It's associated with the Seventh-Day Adventist Church and is a leading provider of doctorate and professional degrees in the nation.

To think the entire organization was started with a single vision from one lady by the name of Ellen G. White. She didn't even have a high school education! But through her guidance, she started not only the church but the organizations and health system that formed Loma Linda to what it is today.

It was encouraging to see that a Christian organization like Loma Linda has been blessed with so much, and is recognized for its achievements in science. Many scientists believe Christianity and science do not mix -- but in Loma Linda, they make it happen. And according to the National Geographic, the people that live by the health principles provided in the Bible live longer than most people in the world. In fact, Loma Linda's population has a good number of people that live over 90+ years old (and they're still active!).

Nothing Like Home
I have to say though, despite having an oceanfront hotel room in Long Beach, I still prefer my bed. Once I got home, I instantly fell asleep. Florida might not have the population or economic clout like California, but it has relatively affordable housing, boating, and it is home sweet home.

Immigrants: Legal & Illegal Show Their Strength

Over 1 million people throughout the United States have gathered on Monday to march against recent immigration reform bills proposed in Congress. Some like Bill O'Reilly (FoxNews) and Lou Doubbs (CNN) have commented that these immigrants who have marched together are not helping their cause. I respectfully disagree.

By coming out and marching, they effectively sent a message that they are people too. They've put a face to the United States' labor force.

Are illegals paying taxes?
One of the biggest complaints that uninformed individuals have against illegals is that they assume they do not pay taxes.

This is untrue. While many use fake social security numbers and they pay taxes through their employers, there are others who pay taxes through legal tax IDs provided by the IRS. Since 1996, the IRS has opened the way for illegal immigrants to pay taxes. Unlike most people, most hard working illegal immigrants are actually thankful of the opportunities in the United States and are willing to pay taxes.

Are illegals taking our jobs?
The overall answer is no. The country doesn't have enough willing citizens to work certain markets.

For those that understand the principles of macroeconomics -- you understand that cheap, effecient labor will result in a net gain for the economy. Let's face the truth: agriculture, housing, and construction industries of America are laid on the backs of illegal immigrants. The cheap labor that illegal immigrants provide bring the costs down. Can you imagine if house builders can no longer hire illegal immigrants? Can you imagine fruits and vegetables jumping up as fast as gas prices?

Are illegals becoming a burden on our social programs like education?
If an illegal family is hard working and is paying their taxes, they are NOT a burden to our society. If an illegal family is not paying their taxes, absolutely, they are a burden to our social programs.

Do you support illegal immigration?
The term illegal immigration is largely based on what Congress labels as legal. In fact, most people don't understand how HARD it is for someone to be a legal immigrant if they are coming from a developing country.

Congress does not make it easy and technically, the bills they have passed have been discriminate against poor people. Only rich countries can come into the country freely. Take a look at Canada -- they can come in with a driver's license to the United States while Mexico, you'd have to sacrifice life and limb before you can get a visa.

We should not be discriminate because a country is poor. America in its infancy accepted everyone with open arms and we became stronger because of it. The immigration process should be the same for ALL countries (except those that we are at war with or have sanctions on). My point is: if a person is hard working, makes a contribution to society by not committing any crimes, and pays their taxes -- they are making the country better. They should be allowed to work, and stay in this country. That's how this country was built.