Codejnki's Journal

Just a random song I wrote.  Enjoy

Took the day off from work today.  It has been fun listening to the cell phone ring from the other room.   I feel the need to post something elaborate.....but I just don't have the energy.

So by now you have probably seen the video of Lauren Caitlin Upton answering a question concerning "U.S. Americans" lack of geographical knowledge.  Her answer to this question was given less than eloquently.  I've watched this video a few times and I feel compelled to write about it.  But the question is where to begin.

Do I start with the use of the term "U.S. Americans" in an attempt to sound inclusive to "Korean Americans" or "African Americans" or even "Latino Americans"?

Maybe we talk about "The Iraq."  Not "The War In Iraq", or "The Iraq War", just "The Iraq".

Maybe I need to ponder the inclusion of "South Africa" in to her response.  I grew up during a time where anyone who was anyone included South Africa in to a speech to win "world awareness" points.  But at 18 years of age, Ms. Upton was only a year old when Nelson Mandela was released from jail, and I seriously doubt her long term memories' ability to remember apartheid as anything other than just a strange funny word she is required to remember for a history class.

Or maybe I simply muse on the failure of Rand McNaly's lobbying group to make "An atlas in every home" a Republican talking point during the last election cycle.

The truth is that this is the success of the No Child Left Behind Act in all it's glory.  You see no child has ever been left behind under George W. Bush's watch because we've failed to leave for anywhere.

I blame the lack of a good map.

So the ex-wife messaged me today to tell me that her name along with her sister-in-law, and her sister-in-law's sister were all found in an IRS  identity theft sting in West Virginia.  Apparently for the past three years these fools have been trying to file a tax return using her information but hadn't been getting very far because they didn't realize that 3 years ago we got married and she changed her name last name.  There is currently a fraud watch on her credit report which will make things a little more difficult for her for the next few months, but for the most part it looks like she got away unscathed.

Now, in the ex-wife's infinite wisdom she chose to post a MySpace bulletin about it.  I present to you, cut an pasted directly from MySpace, the BIRTH of an internet chain e-mail: (btw all spelling errors are her's)


Now internet chain e-mails have been around for as long as I can possibly remember.  I never quite understood the thinking behind the people who felt the need to forward me on the latest virus threats, cancer hopes, or free trips to Disneyland provided I don't break the chain.  But the part that always puzzled me more was who was the individual who bothered to sit down and write it in the first place?  They are always full of spelling errors, horrendous grammar, and factual inaccuracies out the ass.  Well my friends, here we have it, the birth...no the genesis of a chain e-mail.

But this brings me on to the real topic that I would like to piss and moan about for the next few paragraphs, and that is this whole concept of identity theft and identity theft protection.  The three major credit reporting companies are all willing to sell me credit protection services.  These are usually at some prearranged monthly service fee that if I agree to pay, they will actually pay closer attention to their jobs.  That's right, I can pay them extra because they do not have the facilities to do due diligence at their jobs.

There is no check and balance on the credit reporting industry.  They are allowed to collect and report what ever information they desire and are under zero obligation to verify any of it with me, the consumer.  I think some serious talk about some legislation on this topic is due.  With our economy slipping further and further to being entirely funded by "funny money", we as individuals need to step up and demand that we get some protection.

Posting this over here for the RSS deficient.

http://www.codejnki.com/index.php/2007/05/12/my-splurge/

I'm testing a track back over to http://www.codejnki.com/index.php/2006/08/21/nuke-the-blog/ so please ignore this.

Well my geek tendancies have over taken me once again.  I've finally realized that I have more fun running blog software than I actually do writing a blog.  The truth of it is that I like running my own server.  My website at codejnki.com is now running a Ruby on Rails blog software that is fairly simple to use and the back end technology is very interesting.

So for my two LJ addicted friends dolphyngyrl and vsherbie you are going to have to get yourself some sort of RSS feed or just periodically check out my site over there to hear my latest ramblings.  This doesn't mean I'm going to stop commenting on your lives...I'm just ready to try something different for a while.

Peace out.