Your Sexual Legacy

Fathers are ultimately responsible for their sons' sexual development. It takes more than one talk--it takes honesty, courage and positive role-modeling.

Your son looks to you as a model in every area of his life. Have you ever considered whether or not you are modeling healthy sexuality for him?

I have spent countless hours counseling men whose fathers' sexual role-modeling was either absent or, worse still, destructive. The absent role model never discusses sexuality with his son. He doesn't know what to say about it, so he says nothing and hopes for the best.

This Christian role model has to be honest with other adult men about any lust issues in his life. He responsibly blocks the Internet, and he monitors TV and media intake for himself and his family. He is emotionally connected to his son enough so that they can talk about sex. This father is a good, general role model for male sexuality.

Wired to Admire

Hard-wired into man's genetic code is a strong desire for beauty. But unrealistic expectations are short-circuiting God's design.

Let's face it, there's just something wired into the male psyche that causes the passionate admiration and pursuit of beauty.

Virtually every man has at least once in his lifetime fantasized about snagging the "perfect woman." And while any gathering of red-blooded males might stir up a healthy argument over which woman deserves the title, author and Christian "sexpert" Doug Rosenau says that most men have a hard time narrowing it down to one person.

"The confusion I see in guys is that they have about three or four different ideas of a perfect woman," Rosenau says. "They're confused as to which one is the one that they really would like."

INTERNET AND TEXTING RULES FOR COUPLES

The Internet can pose a significant threat to any relationship if misused. The Internet has led to a dramatic increase in use of pornography, which can become habitual, even addictive behavior that will have a negative impact on your own relationship with your partner. In addition, the Internet allows individuals to make contact with strangers and encourages inappropriate intimacy. It can lead to both emotional and physical infidelity.

Because some people view online relationships as harmless, they engage in behavior they would never consider in a face-to-face relationship. Many marriages and relationships have broken up when one member of a couple discovers that his/her partner has been involved in a relationship online or regularly visits pornographic or other inappropriate websites.

Here are a set of rules that will help each couple avoid the trauma that comes from discovering hidden relationships and porn use on the computer.

Can Your Child Find Porn on Your Phone?

By AMY O'LEARY

David Maxwell for The New York TimesSome parents neglect to consider how their children might access Internet content differently on mobile devices, versus a desktop computer.

Whether a six-year-old is tapping on Grover in “The Monster at the End of This Book” on an iPad, or a teen is blowing through “The Hunger Games” on a Kindle Fire, some parents don’t realize that many devices, marketed for reading, music listening or gaming, also provide Internet access — and sometimes a back-door to unwanted content.

When I was interviewing parents for “So How Do We Talk About This?”many said they had carefully set up parental controls on a home computer. But when I asked about the full range devices in their home like Wiis, PSPs, Nooks, and iPod Touches — all of which can access the Web—few of the parents had closely considered trying to extend those controls.

Teenagers and the Internet

In the 60's, Christian parents were outraged over the "shocking" youth culture.  However, parents today may wish for the "good old 60's," because on all levels, kids today are into far worse stuff, thanks mostly to the Internet. 

Who would have ever thought that the Internet would beat out television and movies as the most time-consuming form of entertainment for teens? It has! 96% of all teens in the U.S. daily access the Internet, averaging more than four hours online every day. It now affects every family in some way, since it can be accessed in many more ways than it once could, and it is being used by teens in ways that may shock some less Internet-savvy parents. So, it is especially important for parents to know how their kids are interacting via digital media today, while also understanding that completely removing it isn't always the best move.

Internet Pornography Leading to 'Unhealthy' Attitudes about Sex

By Myles Collier , Christian Post Contributor

There is new concern among parents and researchers alike that easily accessible pornographic material available on the internet leads many kids to get the wrong idea about sex, which in turn leads they to underestimate the emotional aspects involved in mature relationships.

William Struthers, an Associate Professor of Psychology at Wheaton College, stated that adolescents in the 12- to 18-year-old range were "rampantly" searching and viewing pornography on the internet.

With the ease of internet access coupled with the simplicity granted by smartphones, more and more young adults are curiously seeking out questionable content.

"It's not a question of if my 10-year-old son is exposed. It's a matter of when," Struthers said during a discussion of pornography at Wheaton College.

Struthers explained that few decades ago, there were few options that adolescents had to view pornographic material. Now, the internet era has essentially made pornography "intrusive" in these information-abundant days.

There is also a growing trend among young adults who use email and text messaging to send and receive explicit content with little understanding of the results of such actions. Feelings seem to be changing how those individuals view the appropriateness of pornographic material.

According to Struthers, 67 percent of men and 49 percent who view pornographic material feel that it is an acceptable and normal expression for sexuality. The nature of these attitudes is allowing young adolescents to be "groomed into unhealthy attitudes to sex," he said.

These unhealthy ideas about sex puts added pressure on young people as they compare themselves with those whom they see involved in such content.

"They can see it, they know how to do it, but they don't know how to emotionally respond to the consequences of those actions," Struthers said.

Pornography is giving young people "unrealistic attitudes about sex and sexual relationships", he said, leading to girls having self-confidence and insecurities about their body as well as young men having the wrong ideas as to the role sex should play in their lives.

Struthers explained that there is a trend that is seeing young people learn sexual morality and behavior not from family members or church communities, but from watching pornography. This, in turn, leads to an accepted understanding of sex as a "physical" act, instead of an emotional and intimate one.

"Pornography is teaching them that sex is available on demand, whenever, wherever and however they want it," Struthers said.

"They are looking for intimacy and think that pornography is helping them [but it's] junk food. Sex is about connecting with others … Pornography has co-opted this," he continued.

Struthers encourages parents to be open with their children about the seriousness of sexual relationships and the commitment that is needed. He also says that parents should talk to their children in an effort to provide a level of comfort so that adolescents can talk to them should they come across explicit content.

He also recommends that parents become familiar with the technology their children are using in an effort to filter the content they are exposed to by setting internet browsers with parental restrictions.

"The effect of pornography can be counteracted when you challenge those beliefs," he said.

How the iPhone got its name, and what droid and kindle really mean

Did you wait for hours to be one of the first to own the iPhone 4? If you think people who stand in line for new devices are silly, fill in the blank: “I can’t live without my ——————” 

You may not be a super early adopter, but your gadget/gizmo/doohickey/thingamajig/mobile device of choice is probably more essential to your day-to-day existence than you care to admit.

That little machine that feeds you emails, videos, Facebook updates and even some useful information now and then has a name. The author Philip K. Dick once said, “If you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use the words.” Names, and words in general, have a meaningful history that influences their use, whether you know it or not. Let’s briefly look at the story of some of these ubiquitous names.

For Teenage Girls, Facebook Means Always Being Camera-Ready

By RANDYE HODER

It used to be that the only people concerned about getting caught in grungy sweat pants, sans makeup, were starlets stalked by the paparazzi. But in today’s hyper-public Internet age, young teenagers are relentlessly living their lives camera-ready — and it’s not a pretty picture.

I first noticed this while looking over my 14-year-old son’s shoulder at photos of his “friends” on Facebook. Girls, in particular, seemed to be always posing — in some cases vamping — for the camera: hair swept back, hand on hip, dressed just so. In at least a few instances, they looked as if they were auditioning for a Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, clad in bikinis that left little to the imagination.

Creating a persona via Facebook is nothing new. Kids have been doing this since the site was first launched eight years ago (and even before that with MySpace and LiveJournal). By carefully selecting their own profile pictures, making public comments, and curating the photos they post, younger teenagers have become quite adept at managing their image.

Facebook reveals revenue, profit slide ahead of IPO

(Reuters) - Facebook Inc reported its first quarter-to-quarter revenue slide in at least two years, a sign that the social network's sizzling growth may be cooling as it prepares to go public in the biggest ever Internet IPO.

The company blamed the first-quarter decline, which surprised some on Wall Street, on seasonal advertising trends.

"It was a faster slowdown than we would have guessed," said Brian Wieser, an analyst with Pivotal Research Group.

"No matter how you slice it, for a company that is perceived as growing so rapidly, to slow so much on whatever basis - sequentially or annually - it will be somewhat concerning to investors if faced with a lofty valuation," Wieser said.

Facebook isn’t making us lonely. It’s making us anxious. Get over it.

How I learned to stop worrying and love the Zuck

As a masterpiece and a cultural catastrophe at once, Facebook is distinctly American. It represents a social regime that’s scintillating and hideous. The values intrinsic to it—velocity, wit, growth, exhibitionism and “connectivity”—can seem superficial, but they’re ours.

This week, the Facebook brass are making housecalls to investors, using razzle, dazzle and astral projections to justify valuing the eight-year-old company at a big, round $100 billion. This comes in preparation for Facebook’s midmonth initial public offering—what’s expected to be the biggest I.P.O. in the history of the Internet.

At the same time, government officials have started to cast a cold eye on Facebook, making sure it—and Apple and Google—don’t get a regulatory pass from Washington just because they’re cute. Facebook not long ago had to agree to a 20-year settlement with the Federal Trade Commission over allegations that the company violated users’ privacy.

Want to Be Sexually Successful?

Douglas Weiss, Ph.D. New Man - eMagazine

I believe that God wants every Christian man to be sexually successful. He desires all of us to enter into the holy of holies where spirit, soul and body intimacy occurs with your wife on a regular basis. His desire is to equip each one of us with the skills to be spiritually and emotionally intimate outside of the bedroom so that we can be sexually successful inside of the bedroom.

Are you wondering what a sexually successful man is and how you can become one? Let me be perfectly clear. Sex is by far one of God's best ideas! Don't you agree? I imagine the Creator could have made procreation a behavior that brought little pleasure and only engaged our bodies, completely detached from the wealth of a soul and spirit experience. What a bummer sex would have been if that were the case.

Humor : The Young Man and The Cowboy

To lighten things up a bit on the blog this week, here’s a short story that a friend sent me.
–
A cowboy named Bud was overseeing his herd in a remote mountainous pasture in California, when suddenly a brand-new BMW advanced out of a dust cloud towards him.

The driver, a young man in a Brioni suit, Gucci shoes, RayBan sunglasses and YSL tie, leaned out his window and asked the cowboy . . .

“If I tell you exactly how many cows and calves you have in your herd, will you give me a calf?”

Bud looked at the man, obviously a yuppie, and then looked at his peacefully grazing herd. He calmly answered, “Sure, why not?”

The yuppie parks his car, whipped out his Dell notebook computer, connected it to his Cingular RAZR V3 cell phone, and surfed to a NASA page on the Internet. He then called up a GPS satellite to get an exact fix on his location which he immediately fed to another NASA satellite that scanned the area in an ultra-high-resolution photo.

The young man then opened the digital photo in Adobe Photoshop and exported it to an image processing facility in Hamburg, Germany.

Within seconds, he received an email on his Palm Pilot saying that the image had been processed and the data stored. He then accessed a MS-SQL database through an ODBC connected Excel spreadsheet via email on his Blackberry, and after a few minutes, he received a response.

Finally, he printed out a full-color, 150-page report on his hi-Tech Miniaturized HP LaserJet printer and finally turned to the cowboy named Bud and said, “You have exactly 1,586 cows and calves.”

Bud replied: “That’s right. Well, I guess you can take one of my calves.”

Bud watched the young man select one of the animals and looked on amused as the young man stuffed it into the trunk of his car.

Then Bud said to the young man, “Hey, if I can tell you exactly what your business is, will you give me back my calf?”

The young man thought about it for a second and said, “Okay, why not?”

“You’re a Congressman for the U.S. Government,” said Bud.

“Wow! That’s correct,” said the yuppie, “But how did you guess that?”

“No guessing required,” answered Bud. “You showed up here even though nobody called you. You wanted to get paid for an answer I already knew to a question I never asked. You tried to show me how much smarter than me you are, and you don’t know a thing about cows . . . this is a herd of sheep . . .

Now give me back my dog.”

http://frankviola.org/2012/02/22/acowboynamedbud/#more-7660

My Social Media History Came Back to Haunt Me

By Georgia Makitalo | Yahoo! Contributor Network


It happened a few years ago, but my social media activity came back to haunt me when what I wrote on my Myspace account came between me and a new job.

Seven years ago, I had been part of a professional organization that elected me the leader. Although I enjoyed this position, I found that it was assumed I would continue to grant special favors to a select few, which was something that previous leaders had done. This made my position very uncomfortable and compromised many of my personal values.

When the same people eventually prevented me from leading effectively, I made the mistake of expressing my dissatisfaction with the situation on my Myspace account, along with details of the favors I had granted and some foul language. 

Job Applicant Privacy And Social Media

By Lewis Humphries | Investopedia

As we enter into a brand new financial year, there appears to be little chance of stopping the unprecedented growth of social media . By the close of 2011, Facebook had amassed 845 million active users worldwide, which showed a significant increase of 45 million in just three months since the previous financial quarter. Twitter was another social media website that continued to break new ground during 2011, as it was reported in September that the site had reached 100 million active global users.

However, these figures do not tell the whole story when it comes to social media and the significant challenges that they are facing. To begin with, the market is beginning to reach the point of saturation, as Facebook prepares for a continued fall in its monthly user growth, while only 27% of global Twitter accounts were reported as being active between September 1st and November 30th last year. More significant than this, however, was the recent news that a New York job seeker was asked to provide his Facebook username and password for inspection during an interview. This raised further concerns over the misuse of social media, and the protection of each individual's privacy rights.

E-Recruitment and Social Media Screening: Taking a Step Too Far While the use of social media to screen and hire applicants is nothing new, historically this has only been applied to public accounts that were without privacy restrictions. When e-recruitment rose in conjunction with increased social media usage in 2011, it became common practice for employersto review their applicants' public profiles as part of the hiring process, while the use of professional networking site LinkedIn allowed candidates to be recruited directly through social media interaction

With more than 60% of all U.S. and U.K. Internet users active on Facebook, social media screening emerged as an insightful and time-effective method of confirming a candidate's suitability for a role. With no way of accessing an applicant's private account, employers were forced to either befriend their potential employee or conduct a more traditional evaluation of their attributes. However, now that public and private employers are looking to take a more direct and invasive approach, worried job seekers are facing up to an impossible choice that compromises either their opportunity to work or their privacy.

The Reaction: The Stance of Facebook and Individual Users
Privacy issues are nothing new with Facebook, which was criticized as being little more than a global photo identification database by research carried out in 2011. Despite this, they have taken a firm stance on this latest issue, by threatening to take legal action against any employers who force users to compromise their own online privacy. The sharing of sensitive account information violates the core principles of the Facebook user agreement, and could potentially end in lawsuits and counter lawsuits between account holders, employers and even the social media giants themselves.

One of the main issues is the content that a Facebook password affords to employers . Not only would they be able to view an applicant's profile and timeline, but they would also be able to view private messages, conversations and deeply personal information about individual users and their family. If this information is accessed in the course of a failed application, the employer could be accused of discriminatory action. Aside from this, there is the wider issue that job seekers do not have the leverage that they need in a competitive employment market, with the result that many may agree to privacy violations under duress.

The Future for Facebook and Social Media as a Whole
U.S. lawmakers are also looking to take a stand on this issue, with the aim of protecting social media account holders from these invasive screenings. Senator Blumenthal has already began to develop legislation that opposes the practice of requesting job seekers' social media account details, which could well be introduced into the U.S. senate in the near future. A California state senator, LeLand Yee, is looking to create similar legislation for his own state, declaring the practice as unnecessary, unconstitutional and a gross invasion of privacy in the process.

Without swift action from lawmakers across the globe or Facebook themselves, the social media giant and its contemporaries could see their numbers of active users drop significantly over the next 12 months. After all, there have been reports of Facebook experiencing reduced growth in individual countries since 2010, and with more than 845 million active users, there is a danger that Facebook and similar social media outlets will soon reach their saturation points. Any significant threat to user and job seeker privacy could hinder growth further, and even encourage existing users to deactivate their accounts.

The Bottom Line
The reaction of U.S. lawmakers, Facebook users and the social media giant themselves suggest that there is growing concern for the freedom and privacy of job applicants with social media accounts. These personal rights are core to the fabric of any civilized nation, and no employer or organization should ever have the right to access the personal information of applicants and infringe on their privacy. Social media sites have a duty to protect users against the misuse of their personal information. Failure to uphold that duty may result in a significant reduction in the number of existing social media users, as well as diminished growth and a tarnished reputation for these websites.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/job-applicant-privacy-social-media-171806450.html;

Who's Watching You On Facebook?

By Rachel Brown | Investopedia

There can't be many Internet users who haven't heard of Facebook – the social network site, brainchild of U.S. college student Mark Zuckerberg. But worryingly, it's not just our friends who are keeping up with what we're doing online. Debt collectors, potential employers and even lawyers could be finding out much more than you'd want them to. Here we examine the worrying trends on the social network site and consider how you can take steps to avoid being spied on.

Debt Collector Watch
It seems that debt collectors have caught on to how difficult it is to hide on Facebook. According to MSN Money, debt collectors are infiltrating social network pages, contacting you, your friends and family through the site to force you to pay what you owe.

One debt collection agent, Michelle Dunn, confirms that this is a strategy used by debt collection agencies today. "If you look like a really good-looking girl, a lot of people would accept a friendship even if they don't really know the person," she explains. Luckily the The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, designed to protect consumers against abusive practices by the debt collection industry, does offer you some protection in this area. Although it is not forbidden for collectors to post on your Facebook wall or ask your contacts of your whereabouts, they cannot post about your debt, because that is a serious breach of privacy. Nevertheless, it should be common practice not to accept friend requests from people you don't know, and of course, if you do owe money, in order to avoid being found and potentially harassed on Facebook, you should answer mail or calls or from collection agencies in the first instance. Ignoring the problem will not make it go away.

Job hunting
When you're applying for a new job, polishing up your resume may not be enough anymore. Rather, you should check what information is out there about you on the web. Facebook profiles are routinely being checked by your future employers. According to a survey carried out by Careerbuilder in 2009, 45% of employers check your social media presence when hiring, and some 35% of employers reported that they have found content on social networking sites that meant they did not hire the candidate. As social media has only grown over the past few years, we can only imagine that this figure would be much higher today.

More than half of the employers questioned said that provocative photos were the biggest factor contributing to a decision not to hire a potential employee, while 44% of employers pinpointed references to drinking and drug use as no-go areas. While this might seem obvious, you can never know what a company might deem "provocative." It seems wise to keep all content absolutely clean, otherwise who knows what job prospects you are thwarting.

Passwords Please
In an even more worrying development in Maryland, a man has recently been asked to hand his Facebook login details over to his employee. He was outraged and made a complaint to the American Civil Liberties Union. As a result the updated policy at the Maryland Department of Corrections states that job candidates won't be asked to share their login or password information, but job applicants will be asked to log into Facebook "voluntarily" as an interviewer looks over their shoulders.

Legal Snooping
Beware what you post on the web, because, as a Staten Island woman recently discovered, the legal profession is snooping too. Dorothy McGurk claimed that she couldn't work, rarely left home and didn't socialize because of injuries from a 1996 car accident. The dancer, on disability, had been seeking lifetime alimony of $850 a month from her husband due to this accident. Unfortunately, Facebook revealed that all was not as it seemed, and showed that she was in fact working as a belly dancer. When the Facebook evidence came to light as evidence in court, the alimony was lost.

The Bottom Line
Unfortunately, many of us fail to realize that content we post on the Internet is really out there in the public domain. If you do want to continue using Facebook, what can you do to protect yourself from unwanted prying eyes? Be sure you've checked those privacy settings. It is sensible to keep any personal content away from the public eye. Also, be careful what you are making available to your networks. It might seem safe enough to let people who graduated from the same college as you view your profile, but this will include several thousand – if not tens of thousands of – people who you have never met nor know, and who may have ulterior motives when checking out your profile. Keep it clean and professional. Ask yourself: would you want your future employer to read this? If the answer is no, don't post it. There's really nowhere to hide on the world wide web.

gotquestions  http://finance.yahoo.com/news/whos-watching-facebook-213557740.html

What is mSpy? How does it work?

mSpy is a background smartphone application that secretly records and logs SMS messages, Call history, calendar tasks and memos; bugs meeting rooms or whatever surroundings; tracks GPS locations of the phone in real time and displays all routes on a convenient map. The software installs directly into the phone you wish to spy on. 
However, physical access to the device is only needed for initial download. All settings may be adjusted remotely anytime online right from your web Control Panel. 
After the installation process is completed, as soon as in 20 minutes, all data, even those deleted, are uploaded to your private Control Panel account which is available from any PC or phone browser.

Immediately after making a purchase, you will receive an e-mail with detailed instructions for installation and setting up.

NB: The target phone must have access to the Internet, and be compatible with mSpy. Check if your mobile device is supported. Please note, mSpy works on a range of platforms including BlackBerry and iPhone!

gotquestions http://www.mspy.com/faq.html#q2

Cheap and Effective Ant Control : A True Story

Once there was a kitchen in a home where meals were prepared, crumbs were dropped, food was spattered and pets were fed. Although it was kept relatively clean, it became a favorite dining establishment for a colony of ants.

After several years of unsuccessfully battling the ants with purchased bait and spray, the homeowners called an exterminator. The exterminator seemed knowledgeable and experienced about the homeowners’ pests: slab ants, he called them. He said they enter houses searching for food and a warm environment to build their colony — and this kitchen with its warm pipes and easy access to food was ant paradise.

The exterminator proposed injecting a sweet bait where ant activity had been observed that would attract the worker ants, laced with a substance that they would carry back to the nest, which would poison the entire colony. The plan sounded good to the homeowners, so they agreed to the treatment and the $130 price tag, which gave the exterminator 30 days to rid their home of the ants. The exterminator left them with the assurance that, “If you still see ants after after ten days, we’ll try a different bait.”

Ten days passed and, although there was some interest in the bait, ants remained. The homeowners contacted the exterminator who administered a second treatment, this one a ‘protein based’ bait which was likewise supposed to utilize the worker ants to poison the colony. At first, the ants came out in droves to ingest the protein-based bait. The homeowners rejoiced, certain their infestation problems were behind them. Thirteen days later, however, they observed more ants then ever! The exterminator returned with the ‘last resort’ treatment — a spray poison that was supposed to put an end to the colony once and for all.

The homeowners were guardedly optimistic about the final treatment, and proud of themselves for getting all the treatments to which they were entitled according to the agreement with the exterminator… Until the ants returned.

That’s when the homeowners turned to the internet for assistance. They knew a few things already: they were unwilling to pay another $130 — especially for ineffective treatment — and that their particular ants preferred the protein-based bait. With a little research, they discovered a ‘recipe’ for ant bait that has proved every bit as effective and considerably less expensive than the exterminator’s.

High-protein peanut butter boric acid ant bait
⅓ cup peanut butter (100% peanut; no carbohydrates added)
2 teaspoons boric acid powder
Abundant patience

Blend peanut butter with boric acid with disposable utensils in a disposable container. Label conspicuously as “Ant Bait” so it’s not mistaken as edible. Distribute in areas where you see ants, either directly on the floor or on 2″x2” pieces of cardboard placed where they’re crawling.

You may observe a lot of ant activity if the ants are attracted to it! Replace the bait every two days to keep it fresh. If the ants remain after a couple weeks, add another couple teaspoons of boric acid to the recipe and try again. This is where the patience comes in. Continue this process for several weeks until the ants are gone.

That’s what the homeowners have done and in five weeks from the initial application, they are currently ant free. This technique comes with no guarantee but it’s much cheaper than paying an exterminator (each batch costs only a few cents) and — so far — at least as effective as the ‘professional’ treatment.

The moral of the story is, if you’re willing to put forth the effort and patience, a homemade remedy for ant control can be effective and much cheaper.

ttp://couponshoebox.com/tips/cheap-and-effective-ant-control-a-true-story/#comments

Online banking: Is your money safe from hackers?

By Marcie Geffner | Bankrate.com

When you log in to your online banking account, you presumably know that you are yourself. But how does your bank know you're you and not an unauthorized family member, friend or hacker trying to gain access to your account?

The answer involves something called authentication technology, or methods to identify a computer's user, and it's about to get more sophisticated thanks to new federal guidelines that require banks to be more diligent about their online banking security.

Most of the changes will happen behind the scenes, but bank customers might notice a few tweaks as well, according to Cary Whaley, vice president of payment and technology policy at Independent Community Bankers of America, a banking industry group in Washington, D.C.

"Consumers have to be sensitive, and I think they are, to the fact that banks are extremely concerned with making sure it's them doing the transaction and not somebody else," he says.

Real risk

The new guidelines for banks were issued in June 2011 as a supplement to regulations originally promulgated seven years ago by the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council, or FFIEC, an interagency group that prescribes uniform principals, standards and reports for federal bank examiners.

According to "Supplement to Authentication in an Internet Banking Environment," a FFIEC document, the new guidelines include the following.

• Reinforce expectations that financial institutions should perform periodic risk assessments.
• Identify controls that are now less effective, given that the online banking environment has become more "hostile," to use the FFIEC's description.
• Identify minimum elements that should be part of banks' consumer awareness and education efforts about banking online.

The risks of online banking fraud are real. More people are using these services. And more online fraudsters are using more sophisticated, effective and malicious methods to perpetrate their crimes, the FFIEC says. Organized criminal groups have been identified as well, and some now specialize in financial fraud, using kits of automated "attack tools" that can be downloaded from the Internet.

Banks that make substantive changes to their security protocols may send new terms to their customers, Whaley says.

That will create opportunities for both customer education and fraud, the FDIC says. The concern arises because scammers took advantage of the original guidance issued in 2005 to try to trick bank customers into "enrolling" in new security measures.

Simple isn't sufficient

Banks have used simple identification technologies, such as usernames, passwords and computer cookies (small files that websites store on users' computers for identification purposes), for many years. But now more sophisticated techniques are expected to be employed for banking online, Whaley says.

"Simple authentication -- a password and username -- is just not sufficient enough to protect," Whaley says. "That's a good starting point, but you need more."

Among other possibilities, the newer techniques are likely to include the following.

• Complex device identification such as PC configuration (how a computer is set up), Internet Protocol, or IP, address (a unique number that identifies each computer connected to the Internet) or geolocation (the identification of a device's physical whereabouts in the real world).
• Challenge questions for which the answers can't easily be found online through Google or social media.
• Nonsensical questions designed to confuse anyone other than the authorized user.
• 
  

Consumer tips

Implementation of enhanced controls should make online banking more secure, according to Greg Hernandez, a spokesman for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. in Washington, D.C.

Still, Hernandez says most unauthorized bank account access occurs not as a result of a weakness in the bank's security system but due to malware, or malicious software, installed on the consumer's computer.

That means consumers shouldn't rely solely on the bank's technology but also be vigilant on their own when banking online to ward off financial cyber crimes.

"The most important thing consumers can do to protect themselves is to practice safe computing at home," Hernandez says. "They should use a firewall and anti-virus/anti-malware software and keep it updated. They should be on the lookout for suspicious emails and avoid suspicious websites. They should not click on links contained in suspicious emails or download software from questionable sources."

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/online-banking-money-safe-hackers-070122238.html

The Strangest Things You Can Buy Online

By Joe Mont | TheStreet.com

In rough economic times, people used to resort to selling blood or apples.

Now, thanks to the Internet, they are selling nail clippings, dead mice and the naming rights to their unborn children to help make ends meet.

It's not just people taking advantage of the Internet's potential as a global flea market who are showing that pretty much anything someone could want -- from the mundane to the bizarre -- can be found online. Companies can now connect directly to buyers of their esoteric and exotic wares.

[Related: 10 Unusual Things You Could Rent]

The scientifically minded, for example, can now easily buy skeletons (human, animal or fossilized),owl vomit, snake venom and scorpion poison -- items even the best Wal-Mart can't be expected to keep on its shelves.

Looking to intimidate that smug neighbor with a new Prius? Mortar Investments, a Web site based in Prague, lets you add, for example, a $72,000 SU-100 soviet tank destroyer to an online shopping cart (don't count on an Amazon Prime type of shipping discount).

The marketplace for unusual items can be separated into two categories: "Huh?" and "Wow!" That Russian tank may fall into the latter category, while a cornflake that looks like Jesus fits with the former.

Sites such as DudeIWantThat.com offer a portal for the cool and extravagant. Those looking for the downright strange might find more success hunting on Amazon or Etsy. eBay goes the extra step of categorizing nearly 22,000 head-scratching items as "Weird Stuff," "Slightly Unusual," "Really Weird" and "Totally Bizarre."

DudeIWantThat.com is run by the brother and sister team of Ryan and Erin Carstens. It launched last summer with its first featured product, a see-through canoe.

Erin Carstens says their hope for the site is to be the "definitive curator of everything from slick gadgets and sick oddities" and highlight "truly innovative designs and ideas that merit making it big."

"Or at least those that merit a flurry of idle Web chatter," she adds.

In choosing what products to feature, Carstens says she and her brother try to achieve "a balance between fads and novelties we're fairly sure people will drool over" and more "inspired, and industrious -- but maybe not so obvious -- needful things we hope they'll take the time to explore."

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Among the popular items featured on the site that have an "artful weirdness" to them, Carstens says, are lights designed to look like a skinned codfish, zombie head bowling balls and "anatomical leggings" that create the illusion of visible muscle and bone.

We took a look at some of the most unique items -- from one-of-a-kind specialties to the strange and often disturbing -- you can buy online.

Stone foot
Have a million dollars tucked away that's just demanding to be spent on either geological formations or a foot fetish? Have we got a deal for you!

On eBay, a seller is offering a naturally formed stone foot described as "truly an amazing piece."

"I feel I must pass this on to someone who will cherish it as much as I have over the years," the seller writes, adding "please do not offer if you do not plan to pay; we have had to re-list due to nonpayment."

The rock, comparable to a size 15 shoe, comes with a story. It was discovered by the owner's great-grandfather while he was on a Sunday walk through the woods of Maine.

"As he was walking his normal route he saw something he has never seen before up ahead," the tale is recounted. "It was two huge trees that were arched as though they were a doorway or passageway to somewhere. As he got closer he could see a glow of shimmery light reflecting out."

As one is expected to do when encountering an otherworldly portal, he stepped into the light (casting aside any wisdom that might be gleaned from watching the movie Poltergeist).

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"When he opened his eyes the sight he saw amazed him," the seller writes. "He described it to be like Emerald city. The ground was covered in a green soft shimmery moss that was so beautiful and so soft. The sky was bright blue, all most like he was in a fairytale. As he started to walk further he noticed these big footprints in the moss. He started to follow these footprints what seemed to be miles until, they stop abruptly. He looked up and saw that the footsteps stop directly at a stone. When he picked this stone up, in amazement he couldn't believe it was an actual foot. A foot with an ankle toes, arch and even the outline of the toe bones."

"What was this place? What is the meaning of the Stone foot? And what where those foot prints in the moss? Or better yet who or what did they belong to? This is the story that has been passed down in our family. We are not sure what this magically beautiful place was. My family jokes and says maybe big foots home or even another realm," the writer adds.

To quote a popular Internet meme: "Not sure if serious ..."

Zombie apocalypse protection
Need a gift for that special someone who worries the dead will soon walk the earth?

Gerber Legendary Blades, a 72-year-old company that specializes in outdoor, tactical and industrial gear, offers a $349 Zombie Apocalypse Survival Kit, a weaponry sampler that includes an assortment of knives, axes and machetes in a convenient travel pack.

"What if it happens? What if our worst fears are realized? If the Dead walk, the continuation of the human race will become a daily struggle," the product's online sales pitch warns. "Are you prepared to protect and defend your family and friends?"

In October's second-season premiere of AMC's series The Walking Dead, characters discover a stash of the Gerber-made blades and used them to dispatch the brain-eating ghouls. A behind-the-scenes look at these and other props is posted online by AMC here.

The Throwdown Bed
Not so much strange as supercool (at least to some, and you know who you are) is the Throwdown Bed sold by WeRMMA.com, a company that specializes in Mixed Martial Arts and Ultimate Fighting Championship gear, clothing and other similarly themed products.

Made for kids or adults, the $1,250 bed lets you or your kids drift off to dreamland in a steel cage match setting. It includes stairs leading to the ring/mattress, foam padded rails and the Throwdown anvil logo. (For the uninitiated, Throwdown is a famed mixed martial arts training facility in Las Vegas that has branched out into a branded clothing line.)

No word on plans for the next logical step -- building a kitchen fashioned after "The Octagon."

Mail a toenail
An eBay user recently put a toenail up for sale with a minimum bid of $9.99.

"This fell off my foot last night in the shower," he wrote (in all caps, originally). "I'm selling most of my belongings because I lost my job and I need money to pay bills. My friends said, 'Go for it!'"

Yes, that is how bad the economy has become. Was anyone during the Great Depression ever forced to sell toenails? We think not!

Two things are certain: death and taxidermy
Dead animals + Internet = profit.

Surf eBay, Amazon and Etsy and you'll find a wide range of stuffed and preserved critters placed in post-mortem poses for your enjoyment. Mooseheads, squirrels, birds and fish are common.

On Amazon, for example, you can buy a dead raccoon "rowing" a tiny canoe.

We spared you the heebie-jeebies by not including this $80 item on Etsy: a severed mouse head fashion accessory.

"This large, eye-catching hair-pin was inspired by the glamorous world of burlesque," the seller writes beneath a picture that had us imagining Stuart Little as a serial killer. "It features a white taxidermy mouse head sat atop a four-inch-long hairpin. The mouse head is placed on a row of real onyx beads, features a beaded 'necklace' finishing in a large satin bow on the rear, and surrounded by a fan of black feathers ... This unusual and glamorous piece is a definite one-of-a-kind and a real conversation starter. It is sure to add a unique twist to any hairstyle."

Also available, for $25, is the "Taxidermy Duckling Drunken Ducky Little Party Animal."

The "stuffed baby articulated duckling" is mounted on a wooden base, "surrounded by bottles with a cigarette in his mouth."

In a similar vein, "Quack the Ripper" poses a tiny duckling in a bowler hat, scalpel in hand, amid pools of "blood" and the severed duck parts of his victims.

Pee power
Japan's inventors have a knack for taking the mundane and making it surreal. Case in point: batteries.

While unimaginative American consumers probably don't think much about their standard AA and AAA batteries, someone overseas had the creativity to create rechargeable ones -- powered by urine.

The imported NoPoPo Eco Water-powered batteries cost about $57 for a six-pack.

Actually, urine is just one of the liquids -- including plain old boring water, as well as beer or blood -- that can carefully fill these rechargeable batteries using an eyedropper.

Pillow tie
For every problem, someone has a solution. For the Utah-based makers of The Pillow Tie, the need waiting to be filled was for a convenient and comfortable way to sleep at your desk during work.

It may look like a regular tie, but breathing into a concealed nozzle turns the ol' corporate noose into a puffy headrest.

The ties themselves are made of a microfiber/silk blend, and the inflatable piece that rests within the necktie is made of a durable PVC plastic with a small "plug-in hole" valve at the base for easy inflation and deflation.

"The inflatable piece is completely undetectable when worn and not inflated," the company says. "Even in the most formal attire, people will never suspect you're packing a personal pillow."

Not just for slackers at the office, the company Web site adds: "When you rest your forehead on the soft, woven fabric, you will not be left with any incriminating lines from the pew in front of you, nor will you have to lay your face in someone else's drool an a communal airplane pillow."

What Lincoln can get you
The Web site Fiverr posts thousands of things wiling members are willing to do for $5. Among the more typical tasks offered are simple Photoshop work, copywriting and webcam-aided foreign language tutoring. That sort of thing.

But things also get weird ... very weird.

One gentleman offers to send a video of himself singing Happy Birthday in Welsh, wearing only a thong and wooly hat.

A young lady offers to "create a video or Skype of me talking with my mouth full."

"Don't you hate when people talk with their mouth full?! Making noises, grunting, slopping their food while you can see and smell what their eating? What a way to get back at them," she writes. "I will gladly create a video or Skype of me talking with my mouth full grossly and disgusting. You pick the topic or what you want me to talk about and I will do the rest."

A street performer will juggle knives at your request (adding a chainsaw will cost you extra) while reciting up to 15 words of your choosing.

"I will do the best Donald Duck voice ever for $5," boasts another job-seeker, while another offers to carry a personalized sign while recording a video of himself balancing things on his chin.

Ever want a time-lapse video of your message with a bunch of mealworms crawling over it? For just $5 you can make that dream come true.

Fans of the band LMFAO might want to take up one woman on her offer to create a parody song from Sexy And I Know It for you or your business.

"I will let you beat me at Words with Friends," writes another seller of the Scrabble-like game. "I don't often lose, so this should make you feel extra special. I will take my turns slowly, so that you can savor the victory."

Other offers that caught our eye:

"I will go to the store of your choice and videotape dancing behind a random stranger without them knowing."

"I will ask Furry Freddy a teddy bear to be your boyfriend on Facebook for one week. He will tell you how he loves you but will not use adult content."

"I will punch myself in the face one time with my own hand in the cheek just for 5 bucks. And if you are not satisfied i will punch myself again till you are satisfied ... no eye punches though."

"I will create a video with pads and tampons about PMSing. I mean, seriously? How many of you get sick of hearing a girl complain about PMS? It's just an easy way to get back at them, I'll give you some good jokes and let you in on all the abbreviations that PMS 'stands for' ha ha. I can write names, businesses or shout outs on the tampons and pads."

"I will write the message of your choice in 'alphabetti' spaghetti on toast, photograph it and email you the jpg image for you to use as you wish."

"I will pull a condom over my mouth an blow it up with my mouth until it explodes. Then, i will say whatever you want as your message, a joke, a noise, or even say Happy Birthday to one of your friends."

"I will take a full force kick in the nuts from my brother and record my reaction afterwards for a minute or two. I am from Ireland so there will be lovely green grass out in the garden while we are doing it."

Selling souls
Got soul?

The Web site Demonical.com claims to be the Internet's premiere online exchange for the buying and selling of human souls.

If you need quick cash, and don't mind trading eternal damnation for it, they are there to facilitate the process (and no, consumer watchdogs, this isn't a payday loan operation).

This ectoplasmic eBay also claims to let users bid on famous souls, including Henry Kissinger and Bill Gates. We wonder if the latter's spirit comes with security updates and anti-piracy measures.

Buyer (not so) beware
To get the full scope of the unusual items for sale online, it may help to look at one of the most prolific buyers of the bizarre.

Among the infamous items bought by the gambling Web site GoldenPalace.com over the years, often via online auctions: $650,000 for the naming rights of a monkey species; $28,000 for a grilled cheese sandwich some say bears an image of the Virgin Mary; $10,000 for the right to tattoo its Web site address on a woman's forehead (the site also bought advertising space on another woman's pregnant belly); and, in 2006, paying actor William Shatner $75,000 for his kidney stone.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/strangest-things-buy-online-123000378.html