So thank you to the sites that borrow my articles and releases to promote other greeting card companies, I’m flattered! Especially greetinggallery.com, jh183.com, and davickservices.com…there are probably more out there, but you get the spotlight here. I will share your handy work later on in this article.

They are certainly not lazy. I can’t imagine taking the time to “borrow” someone elses work, create a website based on that work, and ask the competitors to my work to pay to advertise on that site.

It would seem to me that if a person is that creative and industrious, they could spend their precious time, not stealing, but developing something amazing, legitimately. Because they are obviously very capable.

I use the term “stealing” because my articles are being reprinted, sometimes re-titled, sometimes left wholly in tact, without my permission. And without my knowledge. You could always ask someone if you could reprint their work without payment — as added publicity. You know? I was never asked or paid for them. Of course, if I were paid, then they could re-print them as they see fit. I think it’s called copyright infringement, which has to do with intellectual property laws…blah blah blah. Anyway…

I am always stunned by the amount of time and effort people take to create chaos. If only we could find a way to help these creative minds to channel that energy into something good. The possibilities!

First, I want to give acknowledgement to the concentrated and determined “spam” that keeps recurring, in an attempt to destroy my site using you know what… you are persistent!

Name: \’)/* | URI: ekibastos | IP: 87.118.116.150 | Date: July 17, 2008
ekibastos…
ekibastos…

online poker | E-mail: d34s_test660@hotmail.com | URI: online-poker-mo.lookera.net#0 | IP: 148.60.248.250 | Date: June 29, 2008

black jack | E-mail: d74s_test252@hotmail.com | URI: black-jack-mo.lookera.net#0 | IP: 194.36.163.160 | Date: June 29, 2008

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d47s_test137@hotmail.com | URI: urlser.com/?IQpnn#0 | IP: 90.153.128.13 | Date: June 29, 2008

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Second, again, thank you to greetinggallery.com, jh183.com, and davickservices.com… Here’s your official debut on my blog (please don’t take this to mean it’s okay to continue “borrowing” my work without permission):

Greeting Gallery – Greeting Cards | All About Postcards
All About Us Greeting Cards has recruited former Wide Receiver, Charles “Jabari” McKee to write a new greeting card line. The selection entitled, “Word by..
www.greetinggallery.com/all-about-postcards.php · Cached page

Show more results from www.greetinggallery.com
Greeting Cards – Shopping and Services – Web Directory – JH183 All About Us Greeting Cards partnered with Powell’s Books to introduce “A Good Book” Summer Reading Series. Thu, 31 Jul 2008 09:13:09 GMT You As A Pop Up Greeting
- Stand-Up Doll …

jh183.com/shopping_and_services/Greeting_Cards · Cached page Mom’s Card Saves Foreclosure Victim’s Life
When All About Us Greeting Cards introduced their new line of cards this past Spring, the goal was to generate consumer interest; saving a young …

www.davickservices.com/moms_greeting_card_saves_.htm · Cached page
All Regions (Including International) Press Releases and News – PR.com All About Us Greeting Cards partnered with Powell’s Books to introduce “A Good Book” Summer Reading Series. – July 31, 2008 – All About Us Greeting Cards for the 21st Century
www.greetinggallery.com/all-about-holiday-cards.php
http://jh183.com/shopping_and_services/Greeting_Cards/

admin(AT)greetinggallery.com

Third, and finally, kudos to the “collections” or whoever you are, who apparently want me to know that you’re on to me…I don’t know your motives or agenda as far as what response you are seeking from me. Paranoia? Intimidation? Run and get that trunk of gold under my bed and send it to ya? Heh? Or I’ll bet you think I’m gonna run and get my passport and try to sneak out of the country. Maybe if I really owed you anything, who knows. But since I don’t, it isn’t working.

The power of suggestion to intimidate and manipulate only works if the person is guilty of something, or weak and stupid. Nada here.

So, unfortunately, all I got is that I “get it” when you plant 100’s of 1000’s of Debt Collection ads all over my site and blog, the constant emails, the relentless links around my press releases, and the debt relief marketing calls, really?…

Kinda got that stalker thing going on, huh?

Here’s an example of one…
Eliminate My Debt Consolidate My Debt Call MY Debt Relief…it goes on and on and on and on and on and on, every link, every ad, every email spam. Obviously, its your full time job, but really dude.

Suggestion: read my article “The Debt Thing”. Take the advice there because I believe in the legal way of doing things. Anything else is just insanity. And I’m gonna let you do that all by yourself.

Now, that I’ve finally aknowledged all of your presence and you succeeded in getting my attention and response, my little children, let’s try and find something positive and productive to do to keep us busy. I’ve found something worthwhile to pursue that isn’t bothering anyone. Now you try. Use those brains for good, okay?

Let’s get out there and create and mind our own businesses! YEAH!!!

In conclusion, my only real wish is that you would stop hiding in the shadows, and if anyone has a beef with me, I’m a nice person. Easy to talk to. If you like my work so much and want to be a part of it, Let’s talk it out. If you don’t and it’s annoying, what about not coming to the site anymore? But I guess that wouldn’t be any fun would it?

It’s only fun for demented people if they are bringing people into their dark world.

Whats that saying? With friends like these, who needs enemies? Glad you got my back fellow human beings. And how does a person acquire enemies if they don’t reveal they are your enemy? Was it your childhood dream to grow up and be creepy? Congratulations! You are a success!

Have a nice day!

Debt is becoming an ugly, ugly, ugly word. It has opened the door for some very nasty people to take advantage of people at their lowest. Let’s take a poll.

How many people do you think go into debt planning NOT to pay their bills?

Logically, people go into debt because they want to live better, they want more of what they see and a lot of the time, cannot afford, but really do need. Such as medical expenses, not even major ones. But everyday things, like dental emergencies, eyeglasses, appendix removal, car repairs. Utility company, cable company, phone company prices exceed your salary. Voila! You’re in debt!

How do you avoid debt? Get a better job with a higher paying salary. Easier said than done for most people. Go to college. We’ll come back to that one. Sell drugs. Prostitute. Those are options for the not so faint of heart. No one in debt plans on not being able to pay their bills anymore than they plan on not being on this planet the next day. They are in debt primarily because of predators.

Credit is BIG BUSINESS. It’s everywhere you look. Banks, PayDay Loans … and Credit Cards are being offered by everyone from stores, gas stations, schools .. you name it and they probably offer credit cards.

We are made to believe if you get credit, it will make your life better. Your credit score will go up. You will have access to just about anything you need and want. Yet, there is all that small print. What’s that all about?

It’s about chain yanking. Loop holes you will eventually have to jump through. Surprise tactics and strategies that will put a strangle hold on your finances. Think foreclosure crisis.

And then the devil invented Collections. The collections industry is just a legitimate form of loan sharking. Few people realize that most collection agencies are law offices. Yeah. Attorneys. Ambulance chasing didn’t exactly dry up. They just found a new prey. And it’s a racket!

These collection firms often hire ex-cons as field workers (and sometimes, ex-cops, especially the corrupt ones). They get them through probation officers. These “ex-con field workers” are permitted to break the law, specifically, the Fair Debt Collections Act, by violating your rights, harass you, stalk you, slander you, terrorize you, … and obtain as much valuable personal information about you as possible. (Fringe benefits)

They can do whatever they want with that personal information, like use it to re-establish their own personal identity. Yeah. Since attorney’s have gotten into the collections business, identity theft is at an all time high. These field workers who like to refer to themselves as “Operatives” can run up all kinds of debts in your name and you are responsible for it. And no one can ever trace these people to the law firms that employ them. They are already criminals. They work on commission, paid under the table, and those fringe benefits.

Credit is Big Business because of the added incentive …the interest rates. That becomes the money maker. There is even more of an incentive if you default on your debt. It becomes a write off for tax purposes. Huge money maker! At the taxpayer’s expense!

It is in their best interest that you will default on your debt.

Now, back to student loans. One of the biggest rackets around. Here’s a nightmare story for you:

I returned to school in my early 30’s, after losing my long time job. I thought I would be a teacher. The word — was that teacher’s were needed. It was a noble profession that I could do well into my retirement years. And the pay was far and above my previous office support employment. I couldn’t lose, right?

I bought into the dream. Although I understood that nothing is guaranteed, I jumped in, made the sacrifices, worked very hard. A higher education is promoted as the ticket to better employment, better salaries, better life. I now know that is false advertisement.

There are only so many people who will benefit from a college degree. It’s like they are the chosen ones. The rest of us are just in it to support the institutions, unbeknownst to us. There are many PhD and MBA recipients bagging groceries at your local supermarket.

I am not the only person disappointed by that fact. Doctors and lawyers are prime examples of that disappointment. They became the ultimate professional’s believing that life would be golden. It wasn’t.

They glutted the market because of the promise. Especially lawyers. Finding and securing a high paying, prestigious position as a doctor or lawyer turned out to be just as difficult, and competitive, as becoming a supermodel.

It’s critical when you think they come out of law school and medical school owing $100’s of thousands of dollars. This explains a lot of corruption, especially relating to lawyers. Desparate times calls for desparate actions.

When I finished all of my requirements, the school, my university, suddenly lost my last semester of grades and informed me that I would have to repeat the courses. However, I was informed that I no longer qualified for student loans and that I would have to re-apply for admissions, only they were no longer accepting new applications. Hmmm.

I was not alone. There were approximately 100 students standing around in the admin building being forced to jump through these fantasy loops.

The catch here, is that all of the other students were freshmen, low-income minority students from ghetto communities across town. They had been lured to sign on the dotted line for loans, which the bulk of the money went primarily to the school.

And now, they were being systematically “forced out”. It’s called “sifting”. The Carter Administration caught many schools committing this offense and had to forgive large sums of money – at taxpayer’s expense.

The game is played like this: The kids sign for government loans, the school receives 90% of the money, the school fills an affirmative action “quota” for the term, and when the students are “sifted out” through this scam and “drop out”, they have no choice but to default on their loans.

Q: What kind of legal employment can an 18 – 22 year old low-income, minority dropout find that will pay for today’s living expenses and loan debts?

Collection Agency’s (mostly law firms) are then contracted by the Department of Education. They are given government (taxpayer’s) money to buy off these debts for low costs, and then they can pursue the loans incurring huge commission fees.

But you see, the school has secured thousands of dollars for admissions and other fees, which they are not accountable for. The dream, the promise, was to include the less fortunate, to give them a leg up, to level the playing fields. We all bought into it.

The reality was for colleges and universities to find a “scapegoat” to sign on the dotted line for those loans. After they default, collection law firms were enlisted to snatch as much money as they could — (Desperate times call for desperate actions, remember?) to make it look like it was all serious business, and they were given carte blanche by our government to do this, by any means necessary, for as long as necessary — for the life of the individual in many cases. Because these were people who would most likely be unable to ever pay off those loans. They could collect every penny these poor unfortunate souls ever made — forever!

And the kicker, is that the rest of society is encouraged to look at the defaulted borrower as mince meat to be devoured. As if they chose to borrow money they had no means of repaying, only to default on it on purpose! As though they were never serious about attending school — to achieve the dream, but, instead just to steal money from taxpayers. Most of these unsuspecting souls have no idea they are being scammed. Victimized. They have no background that would prepare them how to fight this battle.

And yes, there are many success stories. Determined young men and women who for whatever reason, know how to play the game, and accomplish their goals. But for those large numbers of victims (preyed upon) that do not know how, it adds up to a lot of taxpayer money that is misused and abused by a corrupt system.

If the system had been fair, and just, there is no telling what those young victims could have contributed to society. Or what I may have contributed to some student’s life. I’m great with kids.

Q: If the majority of student loan borrowers are not qualified for regular bank loans without collateral, how is it that they were able to qualify for student loans without collateral, credit, and no means to repay those loans — with only the promise of a degree and better career opportunities?

That’s the hype. The program is a farce.

No one ever really says, “there are no guarantees”. It’s never even implied, that when, or if you obtain your degree, there most probably will not be better opportunities available.

They never offer small business loans that easily. Which would make more sense. At least, with an SBA loan, there is the possibility of success and an income.

This scam unfolded completely after I realized I would not receive my degree. I applied and received a six month deferment to pay my loans. Two months later, not six, my deferment was cancelled and I was demanded to pay the loans in full.

I owed a total of $10,000 (4% rate) for three years of study. I had worked three jobs and reduced my living expenses to almost nothing. I was unemployed. Obviously, I could not afford to pay a balance of $10,000 or the 4 percent interest on that balance.

Plus, Dept. Ed policy promised affordable payment plan options. I was denied those options.

My loans went into default immediately. $26,000 was added to the principal, and another $23,000 added for commission fees. A grand total of $59,000 was being demanded for payment in full.

I was hounded unmercifully. Telephone calls all day and throughout the night. My credit was destroyed. It was difficult obtaining a place to live. And some jobs would not consider me because of my credit. The collections reported over 10 pages of defaulted student loans, which was false. Some of the loans dated back to 1964, when I was a little kid. It gets worse.

People (ex-con and ex-cop fieldworkers) impersonating federal agents were going to my neighbors, local stores, my chuch, my banks, my doctor, saying that I was under investigation by the government for fraud, in order to get information about me and my finances. People believed them! I was humiliated and embarassed — and angry.

I found an entry level administrative job eight months after leaving school and wrote and called repeatedly, attempting to get a payment plan, based on my income, but was refused.

Unfortunately, a few years later, I acquired a chronic illness and was placed on disability. These collection agents pretended to be IRS Treasury Agents and offset $5000 of my disability. They never obtained a legal court order for this offset, but used blatantly fake Treasury stationary.

The $5000 disappeared into a black hole never to be seen again. None of it was applied to my loans or the interest fees. I still owed $59.000.

Eventually, I wrote enough letters to government officials and they were able to stop the offset. But not the harassment. I never obtained my degree, although I completed all my requirements. Obviously, I never became a teacher. My loan status made it impossible to afford school without assistance, so I have never been able to attend another school to repeat those classes (all A’s and B’s by the way).

The Moral of this story?

I learned a lot anyway. Mostly about myself and about the system of things. Despite the corruption, going to college was worth it. I understand so much more about being alert and observant. About predators. About reading the small print. About fighting and standing up. About never giving up or giving in. About a corrupt, broken system that needs to be changed, and how it is hurting everyone in our nation.

Corruption is just the cowards way out, preying upon vulnerable people to make a living or rather a killing, instead of looking for meaningful ways to improve society.

My disability did not cause me to sit at home and collect a check. Or, to pursue criminal tactics. Or to cheat the government or other people. It allowed me an opportunity to establish my own business, which would have been more difficult if I had been working for someone else. It certainly hasn’t been easy, and the business is not close to what I hope it will be.

But the key is to find something that you love and care about, that will be of use to others, and find a way to make it happen.

More importantly, debt is just a four letter word that small, petty, greedy people are making into a bad word. All that should ever be done is take a person to court or arbitration, and work out an affordable plan. If they still do not pay, go back into court and see why. The court fees are under $100. Which explains the corruption. Why pay $100 to resolve a problem when so much more can be stolen? After all, no one is watching. Taxpayer’s are too busy and too easily misled.

The bottom line is there is generally a logical, human reason a person is not paying their debt. Therefore, there should always be a logical, human way to resolve the debt. Ultimately, there are options like hardship or forgiveness of debt.

The current collections and foreclosure crisis shows that debtor’s prison was more civil.

And now that you know that, join the club…Forget texting! Add Romance and Mystery to your relationship. Pass a cute little love note to your special someone, slip it in a pocket, briefcase, or purse, make ‘em smile.

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What do you think is the number one reason that causes people to be unhappy? Money Problems? Relationships? Work?

None of the above. Why? Because rich people can be unhappy. Couples that are very much in love can still be unhappy. A person with the greatest job in the world can still be frustrated and unhappy.

The number one reason for unhappiness is a lack of personal fulfillment. When we are not fulfilling our purpose on this planet, we may not realize it, but it leaves us adrift — idle. Sort of in a state of “waiting” for “it” to happen. That thing that makes it all come together, makes life worth living, centers us, calms us, motivates us to get up every morning with a spring in our step.

That’s the hardest thing in life to find.

And very few people on this planet ever find it. There are a number of reasons why.

Of course, we cannot go into the full discourse here in a blog, that’s best left for a longer version, perhaps a book later on.

Basically, we tend to get caught up early on with the basics of life. Finding a “job”, marriage, children. And we never take the time to find out what we’re supposed to be doing. And that is the vital ingredient for being here on this planet.

No one tells us that. College is an opportunity to search for that perfect career, to earn a good salary, and create a solid foundation. But most of the time, graduates end up taking jobs that have nothing to do with their major, or minor. They are not much better off than the high school graduate who accepts the first full time job. Only more in debt.

Personal fulfillment requires something most people are too impatient to try: Stopping everything, Sitting down quietly, alone, and brainstorming. That’s because we live in an instant gratification, now now now faster faster faster world.

We don’t believe we can afford to stop and sit down and listen to our hearts. The truth is, we can’t afford not to. The consequences already prove how disastrous our lives and the world at large have become.

Idle hands are the devil’s workshop. Ever hear that before? We take that to mean laziness, or slackers. What it means is what most people are — miserable souls. Souls in misery are souls unfulfilled.

You may be busy, but busy doing things you don’t really want to do. Or, you may not be busy enough. Both cause frustration. And frustration causes all kinds of trouble. Meddling, pettiness, vindictiveness, controlling, manipulation, jealousy, excessive behaviours like addictions or eating disorders, crime and violence, and the list goes on. It’s on the News every day.

Unfulfilled Souls are yearning for what they came here to do. And we mistake that to mean we’re all supposed to be Brad Pitt’s or George Clooney’s, or Jay-Z’s, or Obama’s. Or Oprah’s. Famous, rich, beautiful, and powerful.

If fame, wealth, beauty, and power were the answer, Princess Diana would never have had a moment of unhappiness in her short life. Neither would John F. Kennedy, Jr. Yet, we all know they had many dark days. Just like the rest of us.

And if you achieve that perfect career, that dream relationship, and have all the creature comforts, and still find something missing…it’s because there’s something else you’re supposed to be doing.

Yes, we have to do things we don’t want to do a lot of the time, but the key is finding that one thing you’re supposed to be doing and try to find a way to get to do it, at least some of the time.

How do we find it? It’s easy and it’s hard. We look inside and we look outside of ourselves. We observe the things we do easiest, without thought, that perhaps we’ve sort of been doing all of our lives. We pray about it, we meditate on it, and the mystery will start to unfold.

Your purpose will reveal itself. Most probably, you’ll ask, “that’s it?” But you’ll also discover, “yeah, that’s it.”

And your world will forever be changed.

There is a scripture in the Chrisian NIV Bible, which reads:
“Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you.” Jeremiah 29:12-14

And the verse right before that states:
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jer.29:11

That was a declaration! Which means to “make known formally, or explicity!” I am sure all other religious texts possess something similarly. Search for it. Ask your spiritual advisers about it. It’s there, somewhere.

Our Spirit Souls may be invisible to us, but they are real. As real as our thoughts. And we know our thoughts are invisible, but just as real because we have them 24/7, even while asleep. They never leave us.

Our Spirit Souls know something that perhaps we once knew, but forgot on the journey here. Therefore, it’s not really a secret. It’s just buried, lost in the harddrives of our memory banks by the recesses of time. It’s there. Your purpose.

Find it, and you’ll find happiness. And all true happiness comes down to is personal fulfillment.

Boredom, frustration, anger, fear, loss and lack and all the negative things we encounter in our lives and our thought world, all come from an idle Soul yearning for peace. That peace will come when the Soul knows it has found it’s true purpose.

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It’s just a really cute baby eating broccoli. A nice way to say hello, thank you, or just let friends and family members know you’ve gone GREEN!

They make nice gifts, too.

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