Another lovely plan by Facebook....

For all of you out there who are Facebook lovers, this is a must read article. It's titled: 3 Ways Facebook Plans to Exploit Users. Here is just a tidbit of the article.

In a move hitting the front page of nearly every newspaper in the world, social networking giant Facebook took the first steps toward an initial public offering (IPO) yesterday by filing what's called an S-1 form with the Securities and Exchange Commission.


But folks desperate to buy shares still have to wait at least another three months until before see the company debut on a stock exchange under ticker symbol (FB).

So why all the fuss? Because despite all we think we know about a company that counts a membership equal to more than 10% of the earth's population, Facebook's filing was the first chance for outsiders to see the different ways FB profits from users. A careful read of the S-1 reveals Facebook's plans to make even more money from members using the free service to connect with old friends.

Earlier today my co-host Matt Nesto and I discussed 3 ways Facebook plans to exploit you the user, in order to justify their plans to increase revenues, profit, and valuation. The list may disturb you.

1. Facebook is going to "sell" users for $120 each


According to their filing, Facebook had 850 million Monthly Active Users (MAU) at the end of 2011. From that user base the company generated roughly $3.7b in revenue, or just under $4.50 for every member. Nearly 90% of this number comes from selling your information to advertisers who, in turn, try to sell you things Facebook says you want.

That may seem like a reasonable trade until we get to the IPO. "If this thing goes public at the price they're expecting (Facebook) will get $120 per user," Matt Nesto notes. Said another way, Facebook is going to sell you for 120 bucks. Wall Street bankers will get a cut of this figure, with Facebook getting the bulk of the money. FB users get nothing.

2. Facebook users are about to become billboards

In the first line of a 2,000 word letter from Mark Zuckerberg, the Facebook founder announces the following: "Facebook was not originally created to be a company. It was built to accomplish a social mission — to make the world more open and connected."

Noble stuff from a guy about to be worth nearly $30 billion. Regardless of the original inspiration, once Facebook goes public Zuckerberg's job is to create value for shareholders. That means getting more than $4.50 a year for selling each user's information to advertisers. One of the ways Facebook is going to go about this value extraction is turning your every click into a sponsorship.

If you feel exploited now, you ain't seen nothing yet. Post-IPO, everything you "Like", suggest or link is going to be packaged and sold. Anyone you "Friend" will be pitched stuff you like. People with whom you have common friends will be sold goods on the basis of your unwitting recommendation. You won't just be connecting with people anymore, you'll be infecting them with spam, pop-ups, and network. If that sounds something like a social disease it's because that's exactly what it is.

3. The IPO is as much a Public Relations coup as a Share offering

Typically when a company goes public it gives the shareholders something in return. Under normal circumstances that means management giving up some degree of control, either in the form of voting rights or via an independent board of directors charged with looking out for shareholder interests. At least that's the basic idea.

In the case of Facebook, the company is surrendering nothing. Zuckerberg will retain control of the company both in matters of day-to-day business as well as anything requiring a shareholder vote (buyouts, mergers etc). Should Zuckerberg become incapacitated his controlling interest will pass "to a person or entity he designates as his successor." Mark Zuckerberg could bequeath control of Facebook to his dog, Beast, and there isn't thing one shareholders could do about it.

Regardless of the company line about enhancing user experiences and fostering openness, the Facebook IPO will result in more ads and exploitation of user information. The shares may go up or down upon issuance but that's almost an afterthought. Buyers of the stock are simply cashing out VC's and funding the exploitation of whatever information they and their friends choose to share.

Like it or not, your Facebook experience is about to change in a way that makes more money for the company. It's not a reason to avoid the shares, just a reason to be realistic about any idea of Facebook having a lofty mission.

Is Facebook selling out by going public? Let us know what you think in the comment space below; I personally promise not to sell your observations to the highest bidder.

To read the article in full by the publisher, please click the link below and listen to video as well as read the article:

http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/breakout/3-ways-facebook-ipo-exploit-users-172215377.html

Baby Squirrel gets help....

Here is a cute video about being willing to help out and lend a helping hand. Check it out, you'll enjoy it.

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http://www.godvine.com/Baby-Squirrel-Gets-Help-from-an-Unlikely-Place-217.html

Truey...hooey? Something worth thinking about...

Pam’s Story
In a recent email, I read about a woman named Pam, who knows the pain of considering abortion. More than 24 years ago, she and her husband Bob were serving as missionaries to the Philippines and praying for a fifth child. Pam contracted amoebic dysentery, an infection of the intestine caused by a parasite found in contaminated food or drink. She went into a coma and was treated with strong antibiotics before they discovered she was pregnant.

Doctors urged her to abort the baby for her own safety and told her that the medicines had caused irreversible damage to her baby. She refused the abortion and cited her Christian faith as the reason for her hope that her son would be born without the devastating disabilities physicians predicted. Pam said the doctors didn't think of it as a life, they thought of it as a mass of fetal tissue.

While pregnant, Pam nearly lost their baby four times but refused to consider abortion. She recalled making a pledge to God with her husband: If you will give us a son, we’ll name him Timothy and we’ll make him a preacher.

Pam ultimately spent the last two months of her pregnancy in bed and eventually gave birth to a healthy baby boy August 14, 1987. Pam’s youngest son is indeed a preacher. He preaches in prisons, makes hospital visits, and serves with his father’s ministry in the Philippines. He also plays football. Pam’s son is Tim Tebow.

The University of Florida’s star quarterback became the first sophomore in history to win college football’s highest award, the Heisman Trophy. His current role as quarterback of the Denver Broncos has provided an incredible platform for Christian witness. As a result, he is being called The Mile-High Messiah.

Tim’s notoriety and the family’s inspiring story have given Pam numerous opportunities to speak on behalf of women’s centers across the country. Pam Tebow believes that every little baby you save matters. I pray her tribe will increase!
May the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you always!

Dr. Gerald B. (Jerry) Kieschnick
President Emeritus, The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod
Presidential Ambassador for Mission Advancement, Concordia University Texas

Solar Storm is going to hit the Earth...what to expect.

Strongest solar storm since 2005 hitting Earth - By SETH BORENSTEIN (Associated Press)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The sun is bombarding Earth with radiation from the biggest solar storm in more than six years with more to come from the fast-moving eruption. The solar flare occurred at about 11 p.m. EST Sunday and will hit Earth with three different effects at three different times. The biggest issue is radiation, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center in Colorado.

The radiation is mostly a concern for satellite disruptions and astronauts in space. It can cause communication problems for polar-traveling airplanes, said space weather center physicist Doug Biesecker.

Radiation from Sunday's flare arrived at Earth an hour later and will likely continue through Wednesday. Levels are considered strong but other storms have been more severe. There are two higher levels of radiation on NOAA's storm scale — severe and extreme — Biesecker said. Still, this storm is the strongest for radiation since May 2005. The radiation — in the form of protons — came flying out of the sun at 93 million miles per hour. "The whole volume of space between here and Jupiter is just filled with protons and you just don't get rid of them like that," Biesecker said. That's why the effects will stick around for a couple days.

NASA's flight surgeons and solar experts examined the solar flare's expected effects and decided that the six astronauts on the International Space Station do not have to do anything to protect themselves from the radiation, spokesman Rob Navias said.

A solar eruption is followed by a one-two-three punch, said Antti Pulkkinen, a physicist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland and Catholic University.

First comes electromagnetic radiation, followed by radiation in the form of protons. Then, finally the coronal mass ejection — that's the plasma from the sun itself — hits. Usually that travels at about 1 or 2 million miles per hour, but this storm is particularly speedy and is shooting out at 4 million miles per hour, Biesecker said. It's the plasma that causes much of the noticeable problems on Earth, such as electrical grid outages. In 1989, a solar storm caused a massive blackout in Quebec. It can also pull the northern lights further south. But this coronal mass ejection seems likely to be only moderate, with a chance for becoming strong, Biesecker said. The worst of the storm is likely to go north of Earth.

And unlike last October, when a freak solar storm caused auroras to be seen as far south as Alabama, the northern lights aren't likely to dip too far south this time, Biesecker said. Parts of New England, upstate New York, northern Michigan, Montana and the Pacific Northwest could see an aurora but not until Tuesday evening, he said.

For the past several years the sun had been quiet, almost too quiet. Part of that was the normal calm part of the sun's 11-year cycle of activity. Last year, scientists started to speculate that the sun was going into an unusually quiet cycle that seems to happen maybe once a century or so. Now that super-quiet cycle doesn't seem as likely, Biesecker said.

Scientists watching the sun with a new NASA satellite launched in 2010 — during the sun's quiet period — are excited. "We haven't had anything like this for a number of years," Pulkkinen said. "It's kind of special."

To read the article in full from it's source, please click on the link below:
http://news.yahoo.com/strongest-solar-storm-since-2005-hitting-earth-163628746.html

Natural Toxins - How to keep your pets safe.

Keep your pets safe from natural toxins - By Sarah D. Bunting / Pets

We've all heard the expression, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" -- unless you're a dog or cat, in which case a crunchy Golden Delicious can prove poisonous! Lots of "people food" and pretty plants can have harmful, even fatal effects on our furry friends. Keep them safe with this checklist of natural toxins; you might be surprised at what you find.

FOODS

Apples: All the non-meat parts of an apple -- the stem, leaves, and seeds -- contain cyanide, which is poisonous to animals and humans.

Avocado: Avocadoes contain persin, a toxic fatty-acid derivative that can cause gastrointestinal and respiratory distress, fluid around the heart, and even death. All species -- domesticated animals, cattle, even fish -- are susceptible, so keep the guac well out of reach of your pets.

Baby food containing onion or garlic: Baby food is often recommended for ill felines. Layla Morgan Wilde, a cat behavior guru and founder of the Annex Cat Rescue, notes that it's "excellent for cats that have lost their appetite, but check the ingredient labels first to make sure no onions lurk within."

Bread dough: Cindy Wenger, animal communicator, comments that "a little bit of bread dough can cause a big problem." Why? "A dog’s stomach creates the perfect warm environment to allow bread dough to do what it does best, and that’s rise," Wenger says. "Bread dough can quickly expand in a dog or cat’s stomach, causing it to distend beyond its capacity, cutting off its blood supply." On top of that, fermenting yeast can produce ethanol; once that's absorbed into the bloodstream, your pet may appear uncoordinated and disoriented. (Drunk, in other words. Not good.)

Chocolate: Large amounts cause stomach cramping and vomiting in dogs and cats. (Keep in mind too that, for a cat or small dog, a couple of mini Special Dark bars is a large amount relative to their size.)

Grapes/raisins: It's unclear how many grapes or raisins your pet would need to eat to cause kidney failure -- some sources think it could take as few as four -- but why risk it?

Mushrooms: All kinds -- not just the sketchy-looking ones in your back yard -- are poisonous to dogs.

Nuts: Macadamias and walnuts contain a toxin that affects the digestive and nervous systems of dogs, and could cause seizures.

Onions: In raw or cooked form, onions -- and their cousins, like chives and leeks -- are toxic to cats and dogs. They contain thiosulphate, which can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and shortness of breath in pets. What's worse, says pet expert Steven May of The Daily Growl, "Typically the symptoms won't show up for a day or two." May recommends taking your pet to the vet right away if you think she's eaten onions; better safe than sorry.

Sugar-free gum and mints: Sugar-free snacks and candy sometimes contain Xylitol, an artificial sweetener that's the enemy of your dog's liver.

PLANTS

Aloe: A wonderful topical treatment for humans, it's bad for cats and dogs.

Baby's breath: Also poisonous to cats and dogs. Keep bouquets out of pets' reach, or just pull this "filler flower" altogether before putting flowers in a vase.

Bulbs: Including tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths.

Carnations.

Chamomile: Toxic to dogs, cats, and horses.

Grass: "But my dog/cat eats grass all the time! It's what dogs/cats do!" And usually it's fine -- unless, says Wilde, "it's sprayed with pesticides." Natural grass is okay, she says. But if you don't know what the lawn guy put on the grass, don't let your pets nibble it.

Hyacinths: Not just the bulbs; the rest of the plant is poisonous as well.

Hydrangea.

Lilies: Bruce Silverman, VMD of Chicago, IL deems lilies "probably the most common natural toxin I see ingested by cats." Lilies "are toxic to a cat's kidneys after a cat licks or chews on any part of the plant or flower," Silverman says, and the cat will need IV fluids and other professional care "to try to get the kidneys back into healthy condition."

Poinsettias: Now that the holidays are over, poinsettias pose less of a danger, but some folks do replant them outdoors.

OTHER OUTDOOR AGENTS

Insects: Often harmless, but Dr. Silverman relates a funny story about dogs and cicadas: "A few years ago half the dogs in the Chicago metro area went crazy scarfing down cicadas during their 13-year-cycle. Between the diarrhea and vomiting, and the twisted ankles from all the dogs jumping into the air to catch the cicadas mid-flight, the veterinary community had its hands full." The occasional moth shouldn't be a problem, but if your pet is snacking on a pile of bugs -- or you live in an area with poisonous spiders -- keep an eye on any bug snacking.

Rock salt: De-icing salt can cause burning and cracking to paws. If it gets stuck between your pet's toes and he licks his feet to work it loose, it could irritate his stomach. If your pets go outdoors (and cats generally shouldn't), add a quick paw rinse to your wintertime post-walk routine, and check the animal's feet to make sure uncomfortable boluses of salt or dirt haven't gotten trapped.
COFFEE, BOOZE, AND CIGARETTES

Alcohol: "Some people think it's cute or funny for a pet to drink, i.e. a beer, not realizing alcohol is toxic to both cats and dogs," Wilde says.

Caffeine: Could cause collapse and seizures, among other symptoms, in pets.

Nicotine: Smoking kills -- secondhand smoke is bad for pets, too -- and nicotine in any form, whether cigarettes, patches, or gum, can cause heart and respiratory failure in pets.
MEDICINES

Acetaminophen, ibuprofen, prescription drugs, and medications intended for use by humans should never be given to pets. Topical preparations for humans -- sunscreen; bug repellent; rubbing alcohol, e.g. -- should also be kept well out of their reach.

And drugs and medicines that are intended for your furry friends should be administered as directed. Do not borrow prescriptions from friends, or freelance the dosage; do as your vet advises, and if you aren't sure how to give a medication, call and ask.
SYMPTOMS TO WATCH FOR

Excessive thirst
Lethargy
Panting or shallow breathing
Seizures
Vomiting/diarrhea

If your pet doesn't display these symptoms, but you saw the cat nibbling a daffodil or the dog is behaving oddly after digging in the trash, don't take chances. Call your vet, an emergency-care clinic, or an animal poison-control hotline (here's the ASPCA's) right away.

To read the article in full by it's source, please visit the link below:
http://shine.yahoo.com/pets/keep-your-pets-safe-from-harmful-natural-toxins.html