Root and Stomp it !

The best proactive defense against basic identity theft is through the placing of an “Initial Fraud Alert” on all three of your credit reports. This “Initial Fraud Alert” accomplishes three important factors:

1.)Your name and personal information can no longer be sold by the credit bureaus to ANY third parties for any marketing purpose (i.e. credit card offers, loan solicitations or credit pre screenings).

2.)No one can be approved for credit with your personal information until the creditor personally calls you at the telephone number you list on your consumer credit report.

3.)Requesting this initial fraud alert entitles you to a free copy of all three of your credit reports (one copy from each of the three major credit reporting agencies). Please be advised that this is an “Initial Fraud Alert” which lasts only 90 days. To extend the fraud alert and obtain the above mentioned benefits for 7 years you will need to write to each credit bureau at the address provided within your initial fraud alert confirmation letter (Note: It is likely credit bureaus will make the extended alert harder to obtain as a great deal of their revenue comes from the third party rental and sale your information).

Taken from : THE CREDIT SECRETS

The following is a completely different approach to preventing and protecting yourself from identity theft. It is based on the reality that we live in a world now where there is zero privacy of personal data. Meaning that your name, address, phone number, social security number, date of birth (even your mothers maiden name) can be obtained by ANYONE for a fee.

If you’re one who feels this is paranoid thinking let me tell you about Amy Boyer. In 1999 Miss Boyer had an old high school classmate (Liam Youens) come back into her life many years later. Mr. Youens obtained Amy’s SSN and other personal information after paying Docusearch Inc. $150. After Youens shot Miss Boyer to death he then turned the gun on himself. Today the company tells visitors to its website that “not all searches are available to the public” and some are reserved for the investigative and legal industry. How’s that for homeland security?

With this “different” approach we break down identity theft into two distinct categories. 1.) Basic Identity Theft, and 2.) Credit Hijacking. By definition “Basic Identity Theft” is when the perpetrator steals your identity and then uses it to obtain NEW credit accounts for their personal gain. “Credit Hijacking” falls under a criminal stealing your identity in order to access and use your EXISTING credit accounts. Each type of fraud is different and therefore so is your plan of defense.

Taken from : THE CREDIT SECRETS

Contrary to popular belief statistics show the majority of identity theft does NOT result from the internet as most consumers have been led to believe. In fact, less than 10% of identity theft cases (where data compromise can be determined) originated online. In almost 50% of cases consumers are the ones who detect the breach. In nearly 40% of cases the criminal was someone who was in close contact with the victim (friend, relative, neighbor, coworker, in-home employee, waiter/waitress or financial institution employee). In then end, nearly one third of identity theft cases come from a stolen wallet/purse, checkbook or credit card.

More interesting, the age of the primary victim has lowered. If you are between the age of 25 to 34 you are now the largest target for the crime (65+ has become the smallest). The bad news is that while identity theft nationwide is on the decline (8.9 million victims last year down from 9.3 million in 2005) the dollar amount per victim is going up ($6,383 last year, up from $5,885 in 2005) and so are the number of hours victims spend cleaning up the mess (40+ hours last year, up from 28 hours in 2005).

We’ve all heard the saying “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. Yet, no one is practicing it in the pandemic of identity theft. Credit monitoring is nice but only 11% of consumers ever catch identity theft through this means. Identity Theft Insurance (according to many experts) is even more of a hoax. A product marketed by playing on the fears of American consumers which does nothing more than assist them in cleaning up the mess only AFTER their identity has been stolen.

Taken from : THE CREDIT SECRETS

The FBI has called it “The fastest growing crime in America.” Close to 10 million Americans every year are victimized by it and the costs are estimated at 50 billion dollars annually. Many criminals get off easy while the victims spend years working to restore their damaged credit reports and reputations. Worse yet, there seems to be no end in sight.
“The popularity of the crime is simply growing faster than the solutions to stop it” many experts conclude. The task of recovery is so time consuming and tedious, multiple states have resorted to creating “Identity Theft Passports” for victims in an attempt to ease the pain for them as they endure the lengthy and frustrating clean up process.
By the end of this article I will share with you the secrets of making yourself virtually identity theft proof in 60 minutes or less (for free). I use the term “secrets” because less than 1% of the country are aware of these techniques (let alone practicing them). If you are interested in learning more about these and other “secret” techniques, you’ll want to check out the Credit Secrets Bible—the authority on credit and credit repair.

If Americans took these preventative steps up to 99% of all identity theft would be eliminated. However, “why” this beneficial approach is not being made common knowledge in the mainstream media is something I will not disclose in this article (more on that another time). For the moment I believe the biggest crime one can commit is to not share this information with their friends and family (by the end of this article you will understand why).

Unlike other authors covering this subject I will not insult your intelligence by sharing common sense tips like “Don’t carry your SSN Card or ATM PIN# in your wallet or purse” or “Keep all data sensitive documents like credit card and bank statements locked up in your home or office”. This is elementary advice at best. The key to protecting yourself from identity theft is to look at what the masses are doing and then do the opposite (to say the least).

Almost 70% of Americans are now shredding all their mail and documents and many are even subscribing to credit monitoring services or buying identity theft insurance in an attempt to protect themselves from becoming victims. While this is better than doing nothing it’s a far cry from TRUE security.

Taken from : THE CREDIT SECRETS

Bonsai is not an art of perfection. It is an art of scope and personal preference. You will make mistakes. This is normal and occurs even with bonsai masters.

You will kill trees. This is a sad fact of the activity, especially as you start out. You are dealing with living things, and you must be respectful of that. Commit yourself to understanding why every tree dies and what can be done to prevent it. Learn from your mistakes and do your best to prevent them in the future.
Perhaps most importantly, understand that when you put a tree in a pot you are committing yourself to the care of that tree. You cannot simply ignore it or it will die. Bonsai is a responsibility as well as a hobby. If you practice it with care and patience, he rewards are tremendous.

If you want to know all about bonsai order the ebook: „Bonsai Trees: Growing, Trimming, Sculpting And Pruning”, available at:
www.nykonnet.com/Bonsai/bonsaitree.html

Taken From : BONSAI SECRETS

Watering might seem like an easy technique, but it is the second most common cause of Bonsai-related problems. Under watering or allowing the compost to dry out completely will instantly kill or badly damage most trees; however over watering can just as equally cause ill-health and eventual death from root rot and disease.
The most important rule to remember is that trees should be checked for their water requirement daily but should only be watered as required. You should never water to a routine. This can lead to continually sodden compost which literally suffocates the roots.

And much, much more… in the ebook: „Bonsai Trees: Growing, Trimming, Sculpting And Pruning” www.nykonnet.com/Bonsai/bonsaitree.html

Taken From : BONSAI SECRETS

With the large number of tree species commonly used for bonsai and the wide variation of climates in which readers will be wiring, it is impossible to state exactly when your tree should be wired.

There are also pros and cons of wiring at any particular time of the year with any particular type of bonsai. Theoretically, most tree species can be wired at most times of the year though trees wired during the winter may need frost protection in certain climates.

For more details about this things visit:
www.nykonnet.com/Bonsai/bonsaitree.html
After spending so much time making your bonsai look the way you want it to, you must, of course, take care of it!

Taken From : BONSAI SECRETS

Wiring is an important part of the process of styling your bonsai and nearly all well designed bonsai have been wired at some point in their development.

Though at first a daunting technique to master, it gives the bonsai enthusiast better control and manipulation of the trunk and branches of his/her bonsai.

By coiling wire around the limbs of the bonsai, the enthusiast is able to bend the tree into a desired position upon which it is held by the wire. In a matter of weeks or months, the branch or trunk ‘learns’ and stays in position even after the wire is removed.

When is the best time to wire your tree? That depends!

Taken From : BONSAI SECRETS

A great deal of pruning is often necessary if starting with a nursery plant. Only excess foliage and undesirable limbs should be removed. Make all cuts above a bud, a side branch, or a main fork of the tree.
Remove all buds except those on the outside of the trunk to force growth outward and upward. Leave stubs flush with the stems. Avoid cutting back so far that the main branches are weakened.

Do not shear bonsai as you would a hedge; the objective is to make the plant look like a replica of a mature tree. Keep branches growing toward open space and away from each  other. Do not prune too zealously; plants must have sufficient leaves for photosynthesis.

Heavy pruning usually only takes place once in the life of the bonsai. Once the basic form is established, shaping is done by nipping or pinching back. This procedure controls new growth. Nipping is done to shape the plant and to develop luxurious foliage. Nip off tiny spurs that appear on the trunk before they are large enough to leave scars when removed.

And much more… in the ebook: „Bonsai Trees: Growing, Trimming, Sculpting And Pruning”
www.nykonnet.com/Bonsai/bonsaitree.html

When the plant has been pruned to your satisfaction, it can then be wired.

Taken From : BONSAI SECRETS

Since bonsai trees are meant to be grown in a container, you’ll want to select an appropriate one to foster the growth of your tree. The bonsai with its container and soil are physically independent of the earth since its roots are not planted in it. It is a separate entity, complete in itself, yet part of nature. This is what is meant by the expression “heaven and earth in one container”.

A bonsai tree should always be positioned off-center in its container, for not only is asymmetry vital to the visual effect, but the center point is symbolically where heaven and earth meet, and nothing should occupy this place.

In the e-book „Bonsai Trees: Growing, Trimming, Sculpting And Pruning” you will find much more about this thing. www.nykonnet.com/Bonsai/bonsaitree.html You’ve got your tree, you’ve got its container, now let’s look at how to prune and shape your bonsai.

Taken From : BONSAI SECRETS