Business, economic development - the unofficial Chamber of Commerce

In a word, no - an email message has always been nothing more than a simple text message sent unencrypted to a recipient we choose. So all the email that we so blithely send all over the Internet everyday is neither private nor secure. Every birthday greeting or Dear John email, every complaint, rant or verbal purge we may have sent to our employers, credit companies, congressman or customer service rep is subject to delivery errors or outright interception.

How can this be? To answer that we need to understand how email works. For the vast majority of email users today, the email system they use consists of two servers providing incoming and outgoing services, SMTP and POP3.

The SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) server handles the outgoing email. SMTP was designed years ago when plain ascii text was all there was to send via email. So, when you push the “Send” button in your email client, the SMTP server at your ISP (Internet Service Provider) connects with the incoming POP3 (Post Office Protocol ver. 3) server where you are sending the email. The servers have a short “chat” verifying that the email address you are trying to send to exists on the incoming POP3 server. Then the SMTP server passes the message to the POP3 server and the POP3 server puts the message into the recipient’s email box. At no time during the process is your email encrypted to protect your privacy. The message could be intercepted at anytime during the process and read by anyone.

On occasion, email sent to you or by you may even be delivered to the wrong inbox and your private message is no longer private. A single misdirected message could expose you to all kinds of trouble depending upon it’s content.

Well, no one wants to read your email right? Wrong! Have you ever heard of Carnivore? That’s a system that the FBI uses to harvest all email traffic going through a network. How does this affect you? When the FBI hooks Carnivore up to your ISP’s network because they suspect someone of dealing drugs or some other crime, Carnivore will filter through ALL email looking for keywords that relate to the crime in question. And because the search has to be intentionally vague, you may be sending a request for information about a prescription drug you take and Carnivore will harvest your email to be read by a human agent. Suddenly, the drugs you’re taking are now public knowledge. Spammers have also been known to harvest email addresses via captured emails.

OK - so now that you know the problem, what should you do about securing your privacy? It was hinted at earlier on… encryption! Learn how to use PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) to encrypt your email.

PGP uses a Public/Private key method to encrypt email. First you create a “Public” key. This is the key that others will use to encrypt email sent to you. Send this key to everyone you want to receive encrypted email from. Then you create a “Private” key. This is the key you use to decrypt any encrypted email sent to you. Safeguard this key well. It is the only thing that can decrypt your messages. If you tell someone what it is or loose it, your privacy is again compromised.

For more information on PGP and a free download visit: http://www.pgpi.org.

Next Time: Incorporating PGP into your email…

Michael Ameye has been developing web sites since 1995. He started writing about online privacy issues to answer questions from family, friends and co-workers. Visit http://www.canyourspam.com to see his latest work.

He is also the chief editor of PSS Online, A Privacy, Safety and Security eZine dedicated to bringing important information to people in order to foster a safer more secure environment - online and off. Visit http://www.pssonline.info to subscribe.

The motivation behind hackers has evolved noticeably over the last couple of years. Developing harmful viruses is less about “bragging rights” or satisfying the creator’s ego and is becoming more and more about generating profit or commercial return.

The destruction of data on your computer or corruption of programs you use is a common side effect and what people have traditionally associated with a computer virus. The reformatting of your computer “c: drive”, especially at work, and the loss of valuable data used to be an incredibly painful experience.

The widespread deployment of data back up solutions within companies to comply with legislation and other factors means less and less valuable data is now stored on your computer’s local hard drive. More importantly for the virus writer this attack does not generate much tangible profit so there is not much motivation to develop more sophisticated programs to counter improved anti virus applications and corporate network security.

However, there is profit for the virus writer in turning your computer into a spam distribution machine. “Spam” is email sent without the permission of the person receiving the message. Hackers gain control of your computer through a Trojan Horse which gives them the same access rights as the user. Once your computer is controlled by the hacker it becomes known as a “Zombie.” A group of zombie machines is known as a “botnet.”

By controlling a botnet a hacker can generate profit in a number of ways. The botnet can be used to exhort a ransom from a company by threatening launch a damaging “Distributed Denial of Service” (DDoS) attack against its web site. The botnet can also be hired out to other hackers.

The most common way of profiting from a botnet is to use it to send out spam email. According to the security software company Sophos over 50% of all spam email now originates from botnets. Hackers use spam email to drive traffic to pay per click advertising sites or distribute virus programs further. Using a zombie computer helps cover their tracks.

The drive for generating profit is clearly evident in a new form of virus dubbed “Ransomware” by security experts which started to appear in 2005. Ransomware, as the name suggests, holds data on your computer “hostage.” Files on your hard drive are encrypted with a password. The user is then contacted and asked to pay a ransom to release the file.

Here are some simple tips and strategies to help prevent your computer turning into a “Zombie.”

• Keep your computer up to date with the latest software patches for Windows and other Microsoft programs. Most viruses and other malware exploit vulnerabilities in widely used programs.
• Install a reputable anti virus program. Keep the definitions up to date and scan your computer regularly.
• Install a personal firewall or buy a router with a hardware firewall. Ideally you need a firewall solution which filters both incoming and outgoing traffic from your computer to the internet.
• Never open spam email or associated email attachments which is frequently used to distribute virus programs. Use a spam filter to help reduce the amount of spam you receive.

Richard Rogers runs a number of computer-related sites offering Spyware Remover and Anti Virus Software help.

Do you really have to know how feeds work? Not really. But you do need to understand how they can benefit you as a consumer or as an information seeker.

Feeds are simple, really. What’s even more exciting is that they are extremely easy to use, and even better, they are completely safe from Viruses, being Spammed or receiving Junk Mail. How? Basically because there is no transfer of information to your computer.

Unlike e-mail, which is a transfer of information (data), feeds are read from files stored on someone’s server out in cyberspace. There is no transfer of data to your hard drive at all.

Even better than e-mail, you control what information you read.

Here’s an example of how you would find, add and use a feed.

Let’s say you are browsing the web and you come across a site you are interested in, let’s say a fashion site. Most sites are still using mailing lists, but will be using feeds in the very near future. If you sign up for their mailing list for example, because you may want to know when they have a sale, you will receive information via e-mail. But there could be a few problems with this.

First viruses, spyware, adware, etc. are transferred via e-mail, many times without the knowledge of the person who sent it.

Second, you may want to unsubscribe from the mailing list but the company may have made it difficult to do that.

Third, you may want to actually read their e-mail but it gets recognized as Spam or Junk Mail by your mail program and you may never see it, or you may delete it because you are not sure if you should open it.

Although many companies have used mailing lists successfully, they are now finding it frustrating because of Spam and Junk Mail filters, and unwanted Viruses, Spyware, Adware attachments, etc. Additionally the fewer places you leave you e-mail address, the better.

If the same fashion site has a feed however, you can use it to read their information any time you want, and you can delete the feed if you find that it’s not want you want.

The first thing you will do is to use a reader. We have a free reader that is easy to set up, and easy to use. Once you have the reader set up you simply add feed URL’s to your reader.

When you open your reader the top menu will have some options for you. With our free reader a small window opens when you start up the program. From that small window you can add a feed. The top menu as well will allow you to add a feed under the “File”, “New” option.

If sites are offering feeds they should give you the URL of the feed. For example our “OneFeed” feed is http://1feed.com/onlyfeed.xml.

Simply copy the above URL, and paste it into “New Feed” window and name it. It is automatically added and updated. You can add categories such as sports, news, weather, fashion, and home decor, whatever you want. You can start to add feeds to the different categories. The reader will update the feeds each time you start the program so that you have the latest updated information. You can even choose to just update certain feeds instead of all of them at once.

When you are viewing the feed you are viewing a file, a RSS or XML file, on a someone’s server. No information is transferred to your computer. The file contains information (items). Each item will contain a title, a short description and a link. A feed may contain one item or many items. For example one item may be titled “Lingerie Sale”, the description ,may read “40% off our winter stock of brand name lingerie”, and the link may point you to their home page or a sales page.

Another item may be an article on spring fashion, and yet another item may be a link to a top designer, etc.

You decide whether you view one item, some items or no items!

The best part is that the feeds are updated by the person or company on their server. When you view the feed tomorrow, it may contain different items or news of more sales, etc. You stay updated and you can receive information as it is posted.

You control the feeds in the reader. You can delete any feeds at any time. Unlike Spam or Junk Mail they never return because you have to add them to your reader yourself.

This is an example of the way I may use feeds in the near future. If I need to go shopping I will check my reader for feeds from my local grocery store for sales and specials, and other retailers in my community. If I want to know about registration for minor baseball for my kids or what winter programs my local continuing education organization is offering I can check the feed of those community organizations. If I want to book a trip I can check the best online deals from the feeds of travle companies I use. I will save time and money by using my reader to find the best prices on the products and services I want and need, in my community, and from anywhere around the world.

The best part is that I control what feeds I view. I can delete any feeds that I want at any time. This puts me, and you in control!

Once you start using feeds to gather information, whether from online only sources, or from business and organizations in your community that will be using feeds, you will not want to get your information any other way!

To get a free reader and see exactly what feeds are, how they work, and how they can benefit you as a consumer, for organizations or for busines, go to our web site at “1feed.com”. You will find links to information on feeds and what they can do for you.

Bob Power has been an online entrepreneur for more years tha he would like to remmeber. Bob is the president of http://1feed.com and http://ClubRSS.com, sites dedicated to the education on the use of feeds for consumers and business.

The above article may be used for publication without revision or changes.

Self-Generating Flashlight

Have you seen them on the TV: the shaker flashlights that need no
batteries? Lots of people want to buy one. Now here’s where that gets tricky.



I have combed thousands of booths at trade shows, specifically looking for the
manufacturers of those very flashlights. These durable LED lights run by gently
moving a magnet back and forth through a simple copper coil to create electricity.
The longer you shake it, the more light you get. But this is gentle movement, so
even those with arthritis should have little or no problem. The casings are clear so
that you watch them work while you shake them. It’s cool retro-back to basics. Old
cars used to have those coils for energy. The technology is not at all new, though
applying them to everyday flashlights is. Do I love them? Yes and No.


I love the very few I’ve found that are dependable. I despise the majority I’ve found
that are junk. Out of the several I have found, hefted, shaken and had sent to me as
demos, there are only three that I would ever buy or recommend to my customers.
But those three are really good products! You can view these on my
Web site: www.bereadyinc.com. You can find other versions elsewhere, but you’d be
wasting your money.

I’ve looked carefully, tested many, and found out for myself. Most require too much
shaking for too little light, and some were already broken by the time they arrived at
my office. I even found that some of the least dependable were selling for the
highest price. No thanks!



At Be Ready, Inc., we have three inexpensive self-charging flashlights: the 12″, T’
and 5″. The 12″ and 5″ flashlights have double coils-the only ones I found that do-
and are well-constructed for durability and dependability. But it’s the single coil,
middle-sized flashlight that has my buyer’s heart. We have carried these self-
generating flashlights for a year and a half and have never opened a box to
demonstrate one to customer that it wasn’t already working without our ever even
shaking it. I can shine that light up on the IS-foot high ceiling panels next to my
fluorescent lights in the middle of the day and still see the light. Only 7″ long, this
compact no-battery flashlight truly shines among the competition.


Word of caution: do not store self-generating flashlights or any magnets around
your computer or appliances with computer chips. You’ll have to be careful where
you store this one, but not having to ever have batteries for your flashlights again is
worth it!

I’ve shared my best ideas; what are yours? Write me at Erica@bereadyinc.com. The
best ideas will be shared in my newsletters and updates. Together we’ll keep
families safe.

Erica Cabacungan is the mother of 7 children. She has a BA degree in English/
Elementary Education and a M Ed degree in Secondary Education. She and her
husband have owned and managed Be Ready, Inc. (formerly Be Ready Disaster
Preparedness) for 15 years in Oceanside, CA. She has taught at elementary school
and college levels, has a LSP degree in bookstore retailing, and is the buyer for Be
Ready, Inc. As such, she attends many trade shows and conventions to purchase
the best new products. She and her husband currently teach seminars to adults in
Southern California under a grant from the California Earthquake Authority and were
highlighted in Entrepreneur Magazine. She also writes reference articles for various
web sites, ask-an-expert sites, and her own website: http://www.bereadyinc.com.

About a year back, I was impressed by the offer of one established internet marketer who styled himself as an search engine optimisation expert and was offerring a mentoring program on website creation and promotion for Adsense, for an entire year, with a full return of payment guarantee if his services were unsatisfactory within the 12 months.

Since he belonged to a member of an established forum and was an active member who had posted well over 1,000 forum posts he was not someone who was a newbie or unknown.

I ran a check on him for his experience and discovered he had made numerous other contributions as articles to some online web sites.

Here was a model online marketer who was keen to help others succeed online. Like many others who joined him on his offer, and who paid his susbcription fees for the mentoring regularly, I was shocked and dismayed that this established online marketer “disappeared” suddenly one day, together with his hosting facility, so that we lost not only our websites hosted with him, but also out trust in him.

Of course, this incident dented the trust of many who believe in the whole community called the internet and many of its operators…the online marketers.

Is it really a wild jungle out there? Where are the ethics that rule the community? What is in place to ensure guarantees made are to be fulfilled?

Without a stated code, the internet community is self-regulating to a great extent where users need to apply caution and to check the background of any online marketer thoroughly before hand.

Run a search of the person you wish to check by putting his name into the major search engines such as Google search and check for any reported occurrences of fraud, scam or complaints. Check his name against any forum on the internet, again using search engines, to make sure there are no grouses in any forum relating to the marketer. Also ask opinions of others on the program he is promoting. Form a reasonable opinion of the marketer and his programs.

Although doing so cannot guarantee you that the marketer will not disappear, you will have removed a large part of the possibility that he will abscond without fulfilling his commitments to you.

In my particular case, there was really no warning that this marketer would disappear without a word and without a trace. All I knew was that he had “retired” to an island somewhere in the far east, with a satellite dish hooked up and wired up to the internet and enjoying himself on the tropical beach.

But then we know, his entire online career is already gone to the dogs. Unless he resurfaces, and adopt a psuedonym or another identity, he cannot hope to find others believing him or his name.

An online marketer is as good as his name. His name is his reputation, and when he has a bad record, he cannot command any trust from wary buyers.

Is there any ethical code on the internet? Until there is, it is to our best interests to be just extra careful in vetting any claims from any online marketer, and be safe rather than to be sorry.

Peter Lim writes often on internet marketing topics and provide free resources for niche marketing at http://www.cashflowpc.biz/niche-marketing
He researches often into these niche markets and put up the best ideas on the website http://www.cashflowpc.biz for free referral by the online community.

Spyware is a category of malicious software that secretly obtains information about a computer user’s and sends it to a third party without the user’s consent. For example, a piece of spyware running on an infected computer can obtain the user’s bank account number when online banking, user’s username and password when online trading or the user’s credit card number when shopping online.

No computer user is 100% safe from spyware, however it is primarily a concern for users of Microsoft Windows operating systems. The safest bet to avoid being a victim of spyware is to use an alternative operating system like Linux or Mac OS X, however if you are unable or unwilling to leave Windows, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself.

Ditch Internet Explorer

Internet Explorer contains a technology called ActiveX that allows malicious web sites to install software on the browser’s computer without the user’s consent, this ability has been a boon for spyware writers and distributors. Alternative browsers include Firefox and Opera.

Ditch Outlook Express

Outlook express contains several security vulnerabilities spyware distributors use to infect computers. Instead of Outlook express you can use an online email system like GMail or Yahoo mail, or install an alternate email client like Thunderbird.

Install Anti-Spyware Software

There are some tools that will scan your computer and detect and remove spyware. Some of the most popular ones include Spybot-Search and Destroy and Ad-Aware.

Install a Firewall

Hardware firewalls can be obtained for a reasonable price these days, most routers (both wired and wireless) provide firewalls in addition to their primary purpose of allowing multiple computers to share broadband internet connection. Software firewalls can be installed on Windows computers as well.

Conclusion

While nobody is completely safe from spyware, by taking these simple measures the risk of getting infected are greatly reduced.

David Heffelfinger is a software engineer with over 10 years of experience developing enterprise software applications. He is editor in chief of Ensode.net, a technology web site providing information about Java, Linux and other technology topics. He can be contacted via email at dheffelfinger@ensode.net

There are some phone taps that are not true taps at all. They
are more like bugs that only allow you to listen to one end of
the conversation. While one end can be very useful, the fact is
that it can also be very incomplete, leaving a lot of things to
conjecture. The most effective phone taps allow you to listen to
both ends of the conversation so that you can get as much
context from the conversation as possible.

Usually hard taps, soft taps, and advanced cell phone bugs are
the phone taps that can allow you to listen to both sides of the
conversation. These are taps that get you “into the system,” so
to speak, so that you are in the middle of the communication.
The best and most advanced taps are not noticeable by the
parties being listened to, and so the eavesdropper can hear
whatever needs to be heard without letting the others know she
or he is there.

Hard phone taps are those that make use of an actual physical
line. They consist of a secondary line hooked into the primary
line and then bridged to another location. The person listening
can be at the location of the tap, or they can use a “slave” to
send a transmission. This type of phone tap is extremely
difficult to detect, as it is hardwired and usually at a
location away from the phone, so sweeping the room for bugs will
not be effective.

Soft phone taps are those that take place inside the software of
the phone company. The listener gains access to the digital
network by hacking in or receiving permission. Most phone
companies today now incorporate digital lines into their
service, even if the person has a land line. This means that the
listener only needs to know which line is associated with the
conversation he or she would like to listen to. These are
relatively easy to find if someone knows how to look in the
software, but virtually undetectable to the parties having the
conversations.

Cell phone taps are another matter altogether. They make use of
a special cell phone that allows you to dial a secret number to
activate the phone for listening. The user is usually
unsuspecting and has no idea you are listening to the
conversation when you use cell phone taps.

(c) 2005 Copyright www.spyassociates.com. This article is about:
Phone Taps.

The keypad is the device you and your loved ones will interface with daily. It is typically placed at one or more of the following locations:

* House to garage door hall.
* Front door
* Master bedroom
* Inside garage

You need at least one keypad to communicate with the control panel. If you elect to have only one keypad you should have it installed as close to the door you use most often as possible. Even if you or others sometimes use a different door, you can put it on its own delay zone and have a longer entry time to get to the keypad from that door.

There are different levels of keypads available for each model of control panel. The one that the dealer uses as their basic model varies by company. The choice of keypads is usually made for you as sales persons tend to stay away from technical discussions even if they do know the difference. If you know that you have a choice and find out what your options are you can make sure that you get the keypad that will work best for you. Following is a general list of the main differences:

* LED- (light emitting diode) This keypad has many lights to tell you what is happening such as a green light for ready to arm, a red light for armed, a yellow light next to a zone number to show you which zone is open if it is not ready.

* LCD- (liquid crystal display) This keypad uses a display window to tell you what is happening such as “System armed”, “Zone 4 open”

* ALPHA(alpha-numeric readout) This Keypad can be programmed to give you descriptive readout of what is happening with your system such as
“Tommy’s window is open”, “Alarm violation, Basement Motion”

* Large display area is important so that you don’t have to squint to read it.

* Some windows are not back –lighted so you have to turn a light on to see what’s happening. Make sure your window and number keys have lights built in.

* One touch arming lets you turn the alarm on the way you want without entering a code such as Away, Stay (bypass motion detectors), Instant (Make delay doors instant) etc.

* Exit buttons on some keypads allow you to open a door for 30 seconds if the alarm is on. This is handy for letting your pets out and back in without having to disarm the system. This is also a great feature if someone in the house has to exit in the middle of the night.

* Panic buttons for Police, Fire and Ambulance are on most keypads. Make sure you don’t have to contort your fingers into strange configurations to use them. The better-designed keypads are the easiest to use.

* Your keypad should have the ability for the alarm owner to program in a code for each user. Some people use one general code for the whole family and have a different one for the real estate agent, builder, maintenance companies, boy or girlfriends that they don’t expect to be around that long, baby sitters and so on. You can easily remove a code at will, and the more sophisticated systems have a timer on how many times a particular code can be used before it erases itself if desired. Having different codes for employees at your business is important for obvious reasons and many high-end systems can track what time a code user entered and exited. Some like this feature at home to track what time the cleaning service or their teenagers entered and exited. (you would need an alpha keypad to read such information) Some systems can hold up to 40 different code users.

* A “distress code” should be able to be programmed into your system. This is a code that will be easy to remember for the whole family. When the system is turned on or off with this code it simulates normal function while notifying your monitoring company that you are in a hostage situation. Almost all systems have the ability to have this programmed in and it amazes me how many people I have consulted that didn’t know they had a distress code. Make sure this is discussed when you are choosing an alarm, as it is one of your systems greatest features.

(HOT TIP!)
Write your distress code on the inside of your keypad cover door with a marker so that it is there as a reminder for you at possibly the worst time of your life. If a burglar breaks in and sees this code they will think to themselves “look how stupid these people are to write their code down” and they will turn your system off. A dispatch will promptly be made to your local authorities as a hostage situation or holdup in progress. This is the highest priority response you can get. Who’s stupid now?

Lets take a look at how easy it would be to use your keypad by reviewing some common every day scenarios. The flexibility and complexity of how your keypad can be programmed often scares people into thinking that an alarm would be hard for them to operate. It is important to remember that once your alarm system is set up to your specifications by your installer, it is quite easy to use. Most of the keypads on the market are designed for use by anyone who is older than 7 years old. The systems will even have your bypass requirements for motion detectors and interior traps pre-programmed so you can make several things happen with the push of a well- defined button.

When I think about how many pages of paper it would take me to create scenarios for every keypad on the market, I envision an empty forest somewhere with no wildlife in it. In an effort to show you how easy your alarm is to use I will give you a general set of situations that would pertain to my system of choice. The slight differences you might see if you used a different keypad are often subtle things like having to press two buttons instead of one. So in the interest of me doing my part for earth conservation today, I will limit myself to a general use mode.

Leaving the house- If all the devices on your system are ready to be turned on meaning doors are closed, windows are closed, nobody is walking around in front of a motion detector etc. Your system will display “Ready”. If any thing is not ready on your system your keypad will display its location so that you can know where to go to make it ready. The keypad would say “Zone 2 open” or “Back door open” if you have an Alpha keypad.
If multiple areas are not ready it will scroll through all of them.

Press “AWAY”- This will tell the control that you are leaving the house and want all devices including the motion detectors armed. The keypad will begin to emit a beep at 1-second intervals. This is your systems way of saying to you “Have a great day, goodbye!”
The exit counter is usually set for approximately 60 seconds but can be longer if your lifestyle requires a longer exit time. Once the exit time has expired your system is “ARMED” and is protecting your house or business.

Returning home- When you come home you will enter through a door that has been pre-assigned as a delay door. As you open the door the keypad emits a steady welcome home tone. This entry delay time is usually set for approximately 30-seconds but once again can be tailored to your lifestyle. The system needs you to enter your complete code (3 to 8 digits) to turn off your system so it will not go into an alarm condition.

If you entered through a delay door first the system will let you walk in front of a motion detector if needed to get to the keypad, for the complete entry delay period.

Turning your system on for the evening- When you are staying at home you will want to turn on your perimeter system but not your interior devices such as motion detectors on the main floors.

Press “STAY”- This will let the system know that there will be activity inside the home so it will turn off the assigned motion detectors and any other interior traps you may have. It will arm the perimeter doors, windows, glass break detectors and any other perimeter devices you may have.

In the STAY mode the system knows nobody is leaving so it does not emit a goodbye countdown from the keypad. If nobody leaves through the doors within 60 seconds or so, the system will remove the entry delay time from your usual delay doors. This means that if someone opens even a delay door while you are armed in the stay mode the alarm will sound instantly. If someone does leave within 60 seconds or so, the system will activate the entry delay so they will get a welcome home tone and time to disarm upon their return.

Disarm in the morning- When you are ready to turn your alarm off simply enter your code. The red armed light turns off.

Returning home to a violated system- If your system was violated while you were away the siren will sound for a pre-programmed period of time. After this alarm time expires the systems will re-arm preparing for a second attempt. When you return home the keypad will be emitting a high pitch and rapidly beeping tone. The keypad will also tell you where the security breach occurred in the order of violation. If you hear such a tone on your return you should LEAVE IMMEDIATELY! as the burglars may still be in the house. Go to a neighbor’s house and make sure the authorities clear your home as safe to enter before re-entering. When it is safe to return just enter your code to reset the violation alert.

This is yet another way that your system protects people as well as property. This feature coupled with the distress code is for me the best reasons to have a system. When you are thinking about what is irreplaceable in your home I hope you are placing your loved ones and yourself at the top of that list.

On the lighter side there is the opportunity to eliminate another future worry from your life. There is nothing better than returning home and knowing as you unlock your door that nobody has been or still is in your house. If you open the door and hear a normal welcome home tone, all is well. If your keypad was removed forcefully by an uninvited quest, you will not hear your tone and you will still suspect that something is wrong.

The scenarios I have just gone over with you will pretty much cover your daily use of your security system. As you can see the system is not complicated for you to use.
The Percentage, by which you decrease your likelihood of being a victim, far exceeds the inconvenience of having to learn something new.

Matthew Francis Alarms@expertsknow.com

22 year veteran of the alarm industry
Installer, salesman, licensed alarm company owner, monitoring station designer, promotions and marketing director with one of the worlds largest security dealers. He now works as a consumer advocate, teaching consumers how to buy or get systems for free (without being taken). He is committed to being unbiased.
His web site is http://www.expertsknow.com

During the turbulent birth of our country, our forefathers gave us the right to bear arms via the 2nd Amendment of the Constitution. There are many ongoing debates, pro & con on this topic.

I for one, am grateful for the 2nd Amendment. Having worked in the law enforcement field for several years, I fully understand that most often, police respond to a call well after the crime has been committed. Crime prevention is relinquished to the individual.

In those States that offers the privilege of offering conceal carry licenses, the crime rates have shown to be substantially less than those States with stringent gun control. New York & Washington D.C. Are prime example of States with strict anti-gun laws, yet their crime rates are well above average. Would you dare to stroll Central Park in the dark hours? One thing is for certain, Criminals will never have shortage of guns, no matter what State they happen to be in, and very often their firepower exceed those of our law enforcement agencies, we are however making great progress in that aspect.

Long ago, I made the decision that my home and family would be protected via firearms. This is a decision that may not be viable for all. Believing that brandishing a weapon toward an intruder will be all that is needed to safeguard your family, could be a fatal error! Protecting with a firearm requires a mind set of being able to use that firearm, to pull the trigger if the situation requires it, and continue to do so until the threat has been dealt with. This may sound harsh, but seasoned criminals will often be able to tell if home owner is using his weapon for show or is actually serious about using it.

There have been many instances where a home owner did not have the mind set to actually use his/her weapon, only to have it snatched by the intruder and get injured or killed by their own gun.

In my case, should an intruder invade my home and poses a threat to myself or loved ones, I will not hesitate to shoot him/her until the threat has been dealt with. My aim will be for center of mass, a double tap will be fired (2 shots), then I will evaluate the situation and if the threat persists will again fire until there is no more threats and the intruder if able follows my instructions. If a member of my family has not called 911 by that time, a call will be made for police help & medical services for the intruder.

All those living under my roof, have received training in the use of firearms and are quite proficient in their use. Having firearms in the home also requires extensive precautions in terms of safety. All my weapons are kept in either my large gun safe or in handgun safe boxes, out of reach from little fingers as well as out of sight. Only at bed time will I have handguns/shotgun out by our bed, a charged cell phone is also next to our bed during that time.

Protection of one’s family is a very important decision which should involve all adults in the home. Firearms are not the answer for everyone. Many people feel that they will never become victims in their own home & that if need arises, their local police agency will be there to protect them.

My reality does not follow that line of thinking, therefore I am prepared should problems arise. I hope and pray that the day for the use of my training never materialize.

These are the weapons that we would use and are proficient with should trouble comes knocking on our door.

HK USP45 = full size pistol in .45acp
Glock 23 = compact .40SW (wife’s)

Mossberg 500 Defender model = 12gauge loaded with #4 buckshot
Ruger Mini 30 = 7.62×39 (20rds mags) in unlikely case where shots would be needed past 30/40 yards.

My conceal carry favorite pistol is the Kel-Tec P11 in 9mm, followed closely by a Walther PPKS in .380.

When fishing or hiking in areas where dangerous predators reside, a SW Mountain Gun in .44mag is always carried in my shoulder holster.

I suggest that home protection be a subject discussed at home among adults, that a plan be decided upon should trouble find you, if it involves firearms make sure that SAFETY is your first objective and followed by proficiency with whatever weapon you choose. Do not get weapons that are too much for you, it is much better to be able to hit your target with a smaller caliber than to just miss and make loud noises.

Wishing All a Great & Quiet Life.

By Daniel A. Daniel AKA Lil’Moosenose Firearms, Hunting, Fishing, Camping and more. www.moosenosebrothers.com

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(c) 2005 Copyright www.spyassociates.com. This article is about:
Spy Surveillance Product.