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From time to time, we all need a little help from our friends, as the song goes. Artesia360 is no exception. We have
found helpful tips in our travels around the web and have decided to share some with you. Your technical questions
are welcome here - and whilst it is highly unlikely Artesia360 can answer highly technical questions, we will find out
who can and share the solutions!
ONLINE AUCTION FRAUD - Don't Let it Happen to You
From the Federal Bureau of Investigation
One in four complaints in 2008 to the Internet Crime Complaint Center involved online auction fraud.
Computers, sports memorabilia, rare coins, designer fashions, and even cars. These are just a few of the items
offered for sale every day on legitimate online auction sites. They’re also just a small sample of the items used to
lure unsuspecting victims into online auction fraud schemes.
Most of the one million-plus transactions that take place each day on these websites are legitimate; just a fraction
actually result in some type of fraud. But even that fraction adds up. According to the latest report of the Internet
Crime Complaint Center (IC3), more than 70,000 complaints made to IC3 last year—about one in every four—
involved online auction scams.
There are a variety of auction frauds, but here are some of the more common ones to watch out for:
* Overpayment fraud targets the seller. A seller advertises a high-value item—like a car or a computer—on the
Internet. A scammer contacts the seller to purchase the item, then sends the seller a counterfeit check or money
order for an amount greater than the price of the item. The purchaser asks the seller to deposit the payment,
deduct the actual sale price, and then return the difference to the purchaser.
* Wire transfer schemes start with fraudulent and misleading ads for the sale of high-value items being posted on
well-known online auction sites. When buyers take the bait, they are directed to wire money to the crooks using a
money transfer company. Once the money changes hands, the buyer never hears from them again.
* Second-chance schemes involve scammers who offer losing bidders of legitimate auctions the opportunity to buy
the item(s) they wanted at reduced prices. They usually require that victims send payment through money transfer
companies, but then don’t follow through on delivery.
And needless to say, in all of these schemes customers never get what they pay for.
2008 Top 10 Complaint Categories (Percent of Total Internet Crime Complaints Received) Non-delivery, 32.9%
Auction Fraud, 25.5% Credit/Debit Card Fraud, 9.0% Confidence Fraud, 7.9% Computer Fraud, 6.2% Check Fraud,
5.4% Nigerian Letter Fraud, 2.8% Identity Theft, 2.8% Financial Institutions Fraud, 2.2% Threat, 1.9%
Who is behind the scams? Mostly individuals. However, there are exceptions: criminal enterprises from West Africa
are especially fond of the overpayment scams, while Romanian crime groups favor the second-chance schemes.
We’re working to address the problem. We’ve had a number of successful auction fraud investigations, worked
collaboratively with other agencies, including one in Virginia and one in Texas.
What to do if you’ve been victimized. Go to the Internet Crime Complaint Center or the Federal Trade Commission
websites and submit a complaint. The more we know about the extent of the crime—including the specific methods
being used to perpetrate it—the more effective we can be in preventing and investigating these scams. You can
also report incidents to your local police and to auction companies.
So, how can you avoid being a victim of auction fraud? A few tips:
* Ask the seller for a phone number and verify it.
* Beware of buyers who insist on wire transfers as the only form of payment they’ll accept.
* For big-ticket items, use a legitimate online escrow service that will hold the payment until you receive what
you’ve ordered.
* If you receive an overpayment as a seller, don't cash it but instead ask for the exact purchase price.
* Don’t ever give out your social security or driver’s license number—a legitimate seller wouldn’t ask.
* Be skeptical if the price sounds too low.
For more advice, see our Internet fraud webpage.
Trend Micro: Security Spotlight: Top Ten Ways to Stay Safe on Facebook
1. Make sure you are on the real Facebook site.
To ensure the safety and privacy of your Facebook account, never enter a password unless you are sure you are
on the real Facebook web site. To enter the site, use your own bookmarked link or type in the name on your
browser—don't follow links to Facebook, even if from a friend. Advises Rik Ferguson, Senior Security Advisor for
Trend Micro, "To prevent phishing, only log into legitimate web sites where you have an account. For example, "www.
facebook.badguy.com" is not a legitimate Facebook page on the "www.facebook.com" domain." Because domain
names are configured in a "tree structure," reading from right to left, www.facebook.badguy.com indicates the page
you landed on is within a site called Badguy.com. When in doubt, type "www.facebook.com" into your browser to
enter the legitimate Facebook site.
2. Set privacy settings to secure.
Within Facebook are privacy settings that allow you to control who can see your profile and personal information.
According to Ferguson, "For example, you may choose to allow only 'friends' to view your personal information but
you might allow your 'networks and friends' to see your profile. Facebook automatically defaults to the most open
settings so it's best to visit the privacy settings page so you can make your own decisions about what people will be
allowed to see about you."
3. Set search settings to secure.
Within the privacy settings on Facebook are search settings where you can control who can find you. You can
narrow security settings to "friends only," minimizing the chance of a criminal finding you. The negative aspect of
increased security, of course, is that people who are not already your "friends" (like long-lost high school friends) will
not find you. You can, of course, still find them! You can also use this feature to control what people can see about
you, such as your profile picture, friends list, and other items. You can also control how people can contact you after
finding you in search. By limiting who sends messages, you can decrease the chance of a cybercriminal sending
you malware. There is also a public search listing setting to control whether your search result is available outside
Facebook. (Facebook defaults to allowing public searches of members that are then submitted for search engine
indexing).
4. Never click on unknown or suspicious links.
Unfortunately your buddies may unwittingly send spam, viruses, or malware through Facebook if their accounts are
infected. Do not click on links or attachments you do not recognize and do not run any ".exe" files on your computer
without knowing exactly what they are and what they do.
5. Create a secure password.
Create a password for Facebook that is completely unrelated to passwords for online financial transactions and
accounts. Do not, for example, use the same password for your email account, your online bank account, and your
Facebook account. If criminals discover your password, they will then try the password on other accounts. And when
you create a new password, use a combination of upper and lower case letters, numbers, and symbols.
6. Download the most current browser version.
Updated browser software contains important security features and protection capabilities. Current versions of
Firefox and Internet Explorer, for example, warn if you have navigated to a suspected phishing site. Always upgrade
your browser to the most current version and immediately patch all desktop software and browser plug-ins such as
Flash, QuickTime, and others.
7. Only download applications from trusted sources.
Imagine what would happen if a cybercriminal created a fake account and a rogue application, which was then sent
to people befriended on Facebook. These users would then send it to their friends and so on. To prevent this from
occurring, visit the section on Facebook called "Application Settings" where you can edit the settings attributed to
that application. Some Facebook worms actually steal users' contacts so you may receive a link from a "friend,"
which was actually sent by a worm. For this reason, be careful of all applications—even those from "friends." Read
the application's description before you install it and look for feedback on the application's discussion board to see
what others are saying. If you are suspicious, type an application's name into a search engine and see what has
been documented. Finally, if you are not actively using the application, delete it.
8. Do not divulge personal information.
Within the last few months, a popular note was circulating on Facebook called "25 Things About You," which
requested that recipients who were tagged within the note complete a questionnaire listing 25 items about
themselves. Although the note was probably harmless, beware of any notes or requests for personal information.
Said Rik Ferguson, "Use this rule of thumb—do not divulge any information on Facebook that you would not provide
to a stranger who called on the telephone. Cybercriminals can use personal information from Facebook—birthdates,
pets' names, maiden names, where you went to school—to hack into financial accounts and many other online
facilities."
9. If you think your Facebook account has been compromised, change your password.
If you think you may have installed a rogue application or clicked on a malicious link or if you are suspicious that
someone may have raided your account, immediately change your password, notify Facebook and run a full anti
malware scan of your computer.
10. Always keep anti-malware software up-to-date.
Install and run updated security software, such as Trend Micro Internet Security Pro or for businesses Trend Micro
Enterprise Security solutions for a multi layered approach to complete protection from the latest Web threats.
All my Faves - a cool site recommended by my sister
This is the coolest thing since the invention of the TV remote control and peanut butter (except the ecoli version).
It's such a handy tool and it works so you might want to bookmark this one!
CLICK HERE: http://www.allmyfaves.com
Just pick a site, point and click, and "BOOM" there it is!
UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES … well, let us hope so.
By R H Gaylor
ARTESIA - Have you ever wondered why it is that people complain about the schools … but no one ever does
anything about those complaints? As an educator (OK a librarian but it is much the same thing) since 1971, I have
often listened to the complaints … and I have read about all sorts of so-called fixes. I have even advocated for
change. But it seems to be to no avail. Nothing seems to work to make schools improve their drop-out rates by
lowering them, or to improve student performance. The same general complaints about education that I was
exposed to almost 40 years ago are still the same today. I might even suggest that, if anything, education is less
effective than it was 40 years ago. When I was in high school we were bored … today kids in high school are
bored. Some then, as now, mitigated that boredom by having some sort of 'other' activity. For me, back then, it was
reading and band. Frankly had it not been for band, I would have never made it through high school. And if my
teachers had kicked me out of class for silently reading in the back of the room and generally ignoring them, I would
have been kicked out of school. Instead of dealing with the boredom the response is do what we say or go away.
The response is almost never why is this student acting this way? How can we change the behavior so the kid pays
attention? It always becomes the kid who is not doing something … it is never that the teacher or the school is not
doing something.
When I look around Artesia High School, I see the same things here today that I lived through then. AHS is NOT
worse than other schools … and it could be argued that AHS is moderately better than some … but most of the
teachers are bored, most of the students are bored, and the things that keep most of the kids going are either extra
activities or the fact that they have dreams for their own futures. Some dream of the day that, if they can just
endure the day to day grind, they will be able to go on to college, or into the world of work, and actually DO
something. Others survive simply because their parents make them come or they are here because their peer
group is here … and it is even more boring home alone than it is at school. There are exceptions, of course. There
is always a teacher here or there who is passionate about something and that passion attracts some students …and
there are some students who actually enjoy school … or at least seem to. So it isn't 100% one way or the other. I
would even say that there are some teachers who universally like students … and while rare, they do make a
difference. I won't name names … but the students know who these people are and the teachers can self-identify.
(Most teachers, ironically, will identify themselves as superior … as enlightening … as exciting and engaged. Just
read their self evaluations!)
So, if any of the above is true then why do we not change?
There is a theory, which I admit to liking because it is cynical, that suggests that the schools are the way they are
because that is the way we actually WANT them to be. In other words, we want kids to be bored … we want a high
drop out rate … we are not interested in student success. In short, despite all of the complaining and posturing to
the contrary, we LIKE the way the schools are and we LIKE the out put.
The question then becomes, if we want the schools to perform poorly, why?
Well, there is the fact that in some ways an ignorant, passive, bored population is easier to manipulate. Politicians
can get away with more because, frankly, no one cares because they were trained to be bored. Start with the local
government meetings and work your way up the political feeding chain to the very pinnacles of power and you will
find politicos who do some pretty dastardly stuff and we let them because it is just too much trouble to bother.
Worse, it seems the best we could do in the recent presidential election was come up with two goof-balls (Obama
and McCain) who ran negative campaigns because as a society we really don't care about issues. And, back to the
local, look at how many candidates are running for school board in the up-coming election? It isn't a question that
those people care … it is a question … are they the only ones?
Since it may be true that in some ways an ignorant, passive, bored population is easier to manipulate, who else
would benefit? Well, let us consider the large corporations that are constantly trying to get us to spend more and
more and more. Even when we don't have more to spend, they are conning us into credit schemes that help us
spend more and more and more … and a passive, bored population is good for that type of business. That type of
business is good for the businesses that supply them and so on and so forth right down the supply chain. The
advantage of a poor education system is to create the impression that we have an educated population when in fact
we have a bunch of poorly informed and rather infantile consumers.
Another beneficiary of an ignorant and passive population is religion. At the risk of ticking off ever reader in Artesia,
the only way religion sells is when one looks at the fact that religion is just another mythology. Religion, by
definition, fears the rational … religion is NOT falsifiable (you can't prove it wrong because it is based on faith and
the assumption it is true) and depends on symbols and ignorance. Generally speaking, the better the education,
the less likely one is religious. There is a correlation … and there are, as usual, exceptions. But the exceptions do
NOT change the underlying reality. In fact, I would suggest, that it is the exceptions that help to prove the rule.
So, what do we do?
Nothing.
We have proven to be very adept at doing nothing. But there are some students and some teachers who will make
a difference … and sadly that is about as good as it will get until YOU get off of your sofa, turn off the TV and get
involved.
Er, something like that …
R H Gaylor is the library guy at Artesia High. He periodically writes something to attempt to provoke change. As
such he is pretty much a dismal failure … except, of course, he sponsors the Super Computer Challenge and those
kids seem to always do well because … it isn't boring.
Internet Safety law will benefit NM kids
SANTA FE - Attorney General Gary King says newly signed federal Internet child predator laws are welcome news
for New Mexico's Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force.
ICAC Units are a cooperative group of law enforcement agencies on the international, federal, regional, state and
local levels. The Attorney General's Office facilitates the Internet Crimes Against Children federal grant in New
Mexico.
"The bills signed by the President this week now ensure recognition of ICAC statutorily and will provide for the
education of more law enforcement officers, leading to the apprehension of a greater number of child predators,"
says AG King.
U.S. Senate Bills signed into law include:
· S. 1738, the "PROTECT Our Children Act of 2008," which requires the Department of Justice to create and
implement a National Strategy for Child Exploitation, Prevention, and Interdiction; statutorily establishes the existing
Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force Program; and makes other amendments to Federal child
pornography laws.
· S. 431, the "Keeping the Internet Devoid of Sexual Predators Act of 2008" or the "KIDS Act of 2008," which
requires: sex offenders to provide Internet identifiers, including e-mail addresses, to State sex offender registries;
and tasks the Justice Department to establish and maintain a system that allows social networking Web sites to
compare Internet identifiers of its users with those provided to the National Sex Offender Registry;
Attorney General's Office ICAC Special Agent Lois Kinch says the new laws will provide for:
1. Tripling funding authorization for the ICAC Task Force Program.
2. Expanding dedicated federal computer forensics capacity each year for five years.
3. Bringing about new criminal penalties for broadcasting live images of child abuse and modifying an image of an
identifiable minor to produce child pornography.
4. Requires the National Institute of Justice to conduct a study to identify investigative factors that reliably indicate
whether a subject of an online child exploitation investigation poses a high risk of harm to children.
found helpful tips in our travels around the web and have decided to share some with you. Your technical questions
are welcome here - and whilst it is highly unlikely Artesia360 can answer highly technical questions, we will find out
who can and share the solutions!
ONLINE AUCTION FRAUD - Don't Let it Happen to You
From the Federal Bureau of Investigation
One in four complaints in 2008 to the Internet Crime Complaint Center involved online auction fraud.
Computers, sports memorabilia, rare coins, designer fashions, and even cars. These are just a few of the items
offered for sale every day on legitimate online auction sites. They’re also just a small sample of the items used to
lure unsuspecting victims into online auction fraud schemes.
Most of the one million-plus transactions that take place each day on these websites are legitimate; just a fraction
actually result in some type of fraud. But even that fraction adds up. According to the latest report of the Internet
Crime Complaint Center (IC3), more than 70,000 complaints made to IC3 last year—about one in every four—
involved online auction scams.
There are a variety of auction frauds, but here are some of the more common ones to watch out for:
* Overpayment fraud targets the seller. A seller advertises a high-value item—like a car or a computer—on the
Internet. A scammer contacts the seller to purchase the item, then sends the seller a counterfeit check or money
order for an amount greater than the price of the item. The purchaser asks the seller to deposit the payment,
deduct the actual sale price, and then return the difference to the purchaser.
* Wire transfer schemes start with fraudulent and misleading ads for the sale of high-value items being posted on
well-known online auction sites. When buyers take the bait, they are directed to wire money to the crooks using a
money transfer company. Once the money changes hands, the buyer never hears from them again.
* Second-chance schemes involve scammers who offer losing bidders of legitimate auctions the opportunity to buy
the item(s) they wanted at reduced prices. They usually require that victims send payment through money transfer
companies, but then don’t follow through on delivery.
And needless to say, in all of these schemes customers never get what they pay for.
2008 Top 10 Complaint Categories (Percent of Total Internet Crime Complaints Received) Non-delivery, 32.9%
Auction Fraud, 25.5% Credit/Debit Card Fraud, 9.0% Confidence Fraud, 7.9% Computer Fraud, 6.2% Check Fraud,
5.4% Nigerian Letter Fraud, 2.8% Identity Theft, 2.8% Financial Institutions Fraud, 2.2% Threat, 1.9%
Who is behind the scams? Mostly individuals. However, there are exceptions: criminal enterprises from West Africa
are especially fond of the overpayment scams, while Romanian crime groups favor the second-chance schemes.
We’re working to address the problem. We’ve had a number of successful auction fraud investigations, worked
collaboratively with other agencies, including one in Virginia and one in Texas.
What to do if you’ve been victimized. Go to the Internet Crime Complaint Center or the Federal Trade Commission
websites and submit a complaint. The more we know about the extent of the crime—including the specific methods
being used to perpetrate it—the more effective we can be in preventing and investigating these scams. You can
also report incidents to your local police and to auction companies.
So, how can you avoid being a victim of auction fraud? A few tips:
* Ask the seller for a phone number and verify it.
* Beware of buyers who insist on wire transfers as the only form of payment they’ll accept.
* For big-ticket items, use a legitimate online escrow service that will hold the payment until you receive what
you’ve ordered.
* If you receive an overpayment as a seller, don't cash it but instead ask for the exact purchase price.
* Don’t ever give out your social security or driver’s license number—a legitimate seller wouldn’t ask.
* Be skeptical if the price sounds too low.
For more advice, see our Internet fraud webpage.
Trend Micro: Security Spotlight: Top Ten Ways to Stay Safe on Facebook
1. Make sure you are on the real Facebook site.
To ensure the safety and privacy of your Facebook account, never enter a password unless you are sure you are
on the real Facebook web site. To enter the site, use your own bookmarked link or type in the name on your
browser—don't follow links to Facebook, even if from a friend. Advises Rik Ferguson, Senior Security Advisor for
Trend Micro, "To prevent phishing, only log into legitimate web sites where you have an account. For example, "www.
facebook.badguy.com" is not a legitimate Facebook page on the "www.facebook.com" domain." Because domain
names are configured in a "tree structure," reading from right to left, www.facebook.badguy.com indicates the page
you landed on is within a site called Badguy.com. When in doubt, type "www.facebook.com" into your browser to
enter the legitimate Facebook site.
2. Set privacy settings to secure.
Within Facebook are privacy settings that allow you to control who can see your profile and personal information.
According to Ferguson, "For example, you may choose to allow only 'friends' to view your personal information but
you might allow your 'networks and friends' to see your profile. Facebook automatically defaults to the most open
settings so it's best to visit the privacy settings page so you can make your own decisions about what people will be
allowed to see about you."
3. Set search settings to secure.
Within the privacy settings on Facebook are search settings where you can control who can find you. You can
narrow security settings to "friends only," minimizing the chance of a criminal finding you. The negative aspect of
increased security, of course, is that people who are not already your "friends" (like long-lost high school friends) will
not find you. You can, of course, still find them! You can also use this feature to control what people can see about
you, such as your profile picture, friends list, and other items. You can also control how people can contact you after
finding you in search. By limiting who sends messages, you can decrease the chance of a cybercriminal sending
you malware. There is also a public search listing setting to control whether your search result is available outside
Facebook. (Facebook defaults to allowing public searches of members that are then submitted for search engine
indexing).
4. Never click on unknown or suspicious links.
Unfortunately your buddies may unwittingly send spam, viruses, or malware through Facebook if their accounts are
infected. Do not click on links or attachments you do not recognize and do not run any ".exe" files on your computer
without knowing exactly what they are and what they do.
5. Create a secure password.
Create a password for Facebook that is completely unrelated to passwords for online financial transactions and
accounts. Do not, for example, use the same password for your email account, your online bank account, and your
Facebook account. If criminals discover your password, they will then try the password on other accounts. And when
you create a new password, use a combination of upper and lower case letters, numbers, and symbols.
6. Download the most current browser version.
Updated browser software contains important security features and protection capabilities. Current versions of
Firefox and Internet Explorer, for example, warn if you have navigated to a suspected phishing site. Always upgrade
your browser to the most current version and immediately patch all desktop software and browser plug-ins such as
Flash, QuickTime, and others.
7. Only download applications from trusted sources.
Imagine what would happen if a cybercriminal created a fake account and a rogue application, which was then sent
to people befriended on Facebook. These users would then send it to their friends and so on. To prevent this from
occurring, visit the section on Facebook called "Application Settings" where you can edit the settings attributed to
that application. Some Facebook worms actually steal users' contacts so you may receive a link from a "friend,"
which was actually sent by a worm. For this reason, be careful of all applications—even those from "friends." Read
the application's description before you install it and look for feedback on the application's discussion board to see
what others are saying. If you are suspicious, type an application's name into a search engine and see what has
been documented. Finally, if you are not actively using the application, delete it.
8. Do not divulge personal information.
Within the last few months, a popular note was circulating on Facebook called "25 Things About You," which
requested that recipients who were tagged within the note complete a questionnaire listing 25 items about
themselves. Although the note was probably harmless, beware of any notes or requests for personal information.
Said Rik Ferguson, "Use this rule of thumb—do not divulge any information on Facebook that you would not provide
to a stranger who called on the telephone. Cybercriminals can use personal information from Facebook—birthdates,
pets' names, maiden names, where you went to school—to hack into financial accounts and many other online
facilities."
9. If you think your Facebook account has been compromised, change your password.
If you think you may have installed a rogue application or clicked on a malicious link or if you are suspicious that
someone may have raided your account, immediately change your password, notify Facebook and run a full anti
malware scan of your computer.
10. Always keep anti-malware software up-to-date.
Install and run updated security software, such as Trend Micro Internet Security Pro or for businesses Trend Micro
Enterprise Security solutions for a multi layered approach to complete protection from the latest Web threats.
All my Faves - a cool site recommended by my sister
This is the coolest thing since the invention of the TV remote control and peanut butter (except the ecoli version).
It's such a handy tool and it works so you might want to bookmark this one!
CLICK HERE: http://www.allmyfaves.com
Just pick a site, point and click, and "BOOM" there it is!
UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES … well, let us hope so.
By R H Gaylor
ARTESIA - Have you ever wondered why it is that people complain about the schools … but no one ever does
anything about those complaints? As an educator (OK a librarian but it is much the same thing) since 1971, I have
often listened to the complaints … and I have read about all sorts of so-called fixes. I have even advocated for
change. But it seems to be to no avail. Nothing seems to work to make schools improve their drop-out rates by
lowering them, or to improve student performance. The same general complaints about education that I was
exposed to almost 40 years ago are still the same today. I might even suggest that, if anything, education is less
effective than it was 40 years ago. When I was in high school we were bored … today kids in high school are
bored. Some then, as now, mitigated that boredom by having some sort of 'other' activity. For me, back then, it was
reading and band. Frankly had it not been for band, I would have never made it through high school. And if my
teachers had kicked me out of class for silently reading in the back of the room and generally ignoring them, I would
have been kicked out of school. Instead of dealing with the boredom the response is do what we say or go away.
The response is almost never why is this student acting this way? How can we change the behavior so the kid pays
attention? It always becomes the kid who is not doing something … it is never that the teacher or the school is not
doing something.
When I look around Artesia High School, I see the same things here today that I lived through then. AHS is NOT
worse than other schools … and it could be argued that AHS is moderately better than some … but most of the
teachers are bored, most of the students are bored, and the things that keep most of the kids going are either extra
activities or the fact that they have dreams for their own futures. Some dream of the day that, if they can just
endure the day to day grind, they will be able to go on to college, or into the world of work, and actually DO
something. Others survive simply because their parents make them come or they are here because their peer
group is here … and it is even more boring home alone than it is at school. There are exceptions, of course. There
is always a teacher here or there who is passionate about something and that passion attracts some students …and
there are some students who actually enjoy school … or at least seem to. So it isn't 100% one way or the other. I
would even say that there are some teachers who universally like students … and while rare, they do make a
difference. I won't name names … but the students know who these people are and the teachers can self-identify.
(Most teachers, ironically, will identify themselves as superior … as enlightening … as exciting and engaged. Just
read their self evaluations!)
So, if any of the above is true then why do we not change?
There is a theory, which I admit to liking because it is cynical, that suggests that the schools are the way they are
because that is the way we actually WANT them to be. In other words, we want kids to be bored … we want a high
drop out rate … we are not interested in student success. In short, despite all of the complaining and posturing to
the contrary, we LIKE the way the schools are and we LIKE the out put.
The question then becomes, if we want the schools to perform poorly, why?
Well, there is the fact that in some ways an ignorant, passive, bored population is easier to manipulate. Politicians
can get away with more because, frankly, no one cares because they were trained to be bored. Start with the local
government meetings and work your way up the political feeding chain to the very pinnacles of power and you will
find politicos who do some pretty dastardly stuff and we let them because it is just too much trouble to bother.
Worse, it seems the best we could do in the recent presidential election was come up with two goof-balls (Obama
and McCain) who ran negative campaigns because as a society we really don't care about issues. And, back to the
local, look at how many candidates are running for school board in the up-coming election? It isn't a question that
those people care … it is a question … are they the only ones?
Since it may be true that in some ways an ignorant, passive, bored population is easier to manipulate, who else
would benefit? Well, let us consider the large corporations that are constantly trying to get us to spend more and
more and more. Even when we don't have more to spend, they are conning us into credit schemes that help us
spend more and more and more … and a passive, bored population is good for that type of business. That type of
business is good for the businesses that supply them and so on and so forth right down the supply chain. The
advantage of a poor education system is to create the impression that we have an educated population when in fact
we have a bunch of poorly informed and rather infantile consumers.
Another beneficiary of an ignorant and passive population is religion. At the risk of ticking off ever reader in Artesia,
the only way religion sells is when one looks at the fact that religion is just another mythology. Religion, by
definition, fears the rational … religion is NOT falsifiable (you can't prove it wrong because it is based on faith and
the assumption it is true) and depends on symbols and ignorance. Generally speaking, the better the education,
the less likely one is religious. There is a correlation … and there are, as usual, exceptions. But the exceptions do
NOT change the underlying reality. In fact, I would suggest, that it is the exceptions that help to prove the rule.
So, what do we do?
Nothing.
We have proven to be very adept at doing nothing. But there are some students and some teachers who will make
a difference … and sadly that is about as good as it will get until YOU get off of your sofa, turn off the TV and get
involved.
Er, something like that …
R H Gaylor is the library guy at Artesia High. He periodically writes something to attempt to provoke change. As
such he is pretty much a dismal failure … except, of course, he sponsors the Super Computer Challenge and those
kids seem to always do well because … it isn't boring.
Internet Safety law will benefit NM kids
SANTA FE - Attorney General Gary King says newly signed federal Internet child predator laws are welcome news
for New Mexico's Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force.
ICAC Units are a cooperative group of law enforcement agencies on the international, federal, regional, state and
local levels. The Attorney General's Office facilitates the Internet Crimes Against Children federal grant in New
Mexico.
"The bills signed by the President this week now ensure recognition of ICAC statutorily and will provide for the
education of more law enforcement officers, leading to the apprehension of a greater number of child predators,"
says AG King.
U.S. Senate Bills signed into law include:
· S. 1738, the "PROTECT Our Children Act of 2008," which requires the Department of Justice to create and
implement a National Strategy for Child Exploitation, Prevention, and Interdiction; statutorily establishes the existing
Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force Program; and makes other amendments to Federal child
pornography laws.
· S. 431, the "Keeping the Internet Devoid of Sexual Predators Act of 2008" or the "KIDS Act of 2008," which
requires: sex offenders to provide Internet identifiers, including e-mail addresses, to State sex offender registries;
and tasks the Justice Department to establish and maintain a system that allows social networking Web sites to
compare Internet identifiers of its users with those provided to the National Sex Offender Registry;
Attorney General's Office ICAC Special Agent Lois Kinch says the new laws will provide for:
1. Tripling funding authorization for the ICAC Task Force Program.
2. Expanding dedicated federal computer forensics capacity each year for five years.
3. Bringing about new criminal penalties for broadcasting live images of child abuse and modifying an image of an
identifiable minor to produce child pornography.
4. Requires the National Institute of Justice to conduct a study to identify investigative factors that reliably indicate
whether a subject of an online child exploitation investigation poses a high risk of harm to children.
Free "Thank You" cards for
service members in Iraq
If you go to the website
LetsSayThanks.com you can pick out
a thank you card like the one on the
right that Xerox will print and send to a
soldier that is currently serving in Iraq.
You can't choose who gets it, but it will
go to a member of the U.S. armed
services. How AMAZING it would be if
we could get everyone we know to
send one!!!
service members in Iraq
If you go to the website
LetsSayThanks.com you can pick out
a thank you card like the one on the
right that Xerox will print and send to a
soldier that is currently serving in Iraq.
You can't choose who gets it, but it will
go to a member of the U.S. armed
services. How AMAZING it would be if
we could get everyone we know to
send one!!!
