Asha Anujeeva's Attitude

In today’s economy, more consumers are relying on credit cards to help them get through these rough times.  I like to use credit cards to help me keep track of where my money goes, and I like to use my cards that give me cash rewards.  I don’t usually carry much cash around with me, so if a business does not accept credit cards, chances are that I won’t do business with them! 

A vital part of doing business nowadays is accepting credit cards, and one of the best places for a company to get a merchant account (which means accepting credit cards) is with the online company called Merchant Advisors.  Their website address is onlinecheck.com.  They don’t charge any fees, require no contracts, and will give their customers a free credit card machine.  What more could you ask for?

I was surprised to read on the BBC website an article about how some American cities are trying to (or have) pass(ed) a law against baggy jeans that sag to the point where the wearer’s underwear shows.  The article was talking about a case in a Florida town where a teenager was arrested for having baggy pants that sagged and showed his boxer shorts, and that a judge threw out the case calling it unconstitutional.  I didn’t realize that America was now formally embracing “fashion police!”

What I found very interesting to read in the article, however, was the claim that it is believed that this particular fashion trend (which I don’t like) started in prisons, where inmates are given baggy prison uniforms without belts.  i think that is disturbing – fashion trends start in prisons?  That is a sad commentary on today’s society!

I like to send out Personalized Christmas Cards during the holidays.  The Christmas cards at the christmascardsdirect.com are the most customizable Christmas cards that I’ve seen for sale over the Internet.  These cards you can have your signature put on them, not just your names imprinted.  I was really excited to see that they offer the customer the opportunity to upload their signatures!  I have always hesitated to buy those pre-printed cards with the names imprinted.  I know that those are personalized and customized, but the signature just makes it seem more sincere to me.  They have a wide selection of really nice cards with foil printing, and embossing that make the cards seem really special to send and receive. 

I found out that this company is donating 180,000 blank holiday cards to the Soldiers Angels organization this year.  The Soldiers Angels organization will distribute those cards to deployed members of the United States military for them to use to send home to their loved ones.  I think that is a really nice donation!   I cannot even imagine for a moment how horrible it must feel to be so far apart from friends and family during the holiday season, staying in a war torn area.  I can only imagine how great the families will feel when they receive their cards from their loved ones serving overseas!

My brother was talking to me last night about the different Antivirus Software Programs that are on the market today.  There are so many of them, it is really hard to make a decision about which one really is the best one to get!  My brother was concerned about making sure that he has the best one out there because one of his best friends recently had his computer hacked into and now his friend is having identity theft issues AND his computer isn’t working right.  He had to take his computer to a repair shop for them to clean it up and is going through some major credit problems because of the identity theft issue.

So now we have been spending a lot of time on the Internet trying to come up with the best possible solutions for the security of computers that are on the Internet almost all of the time.  Personally, I think it would be wise to turn your computer off when you are not using it, as I think that most of the time the hackers get into the computer in the middle of the night.  But viruses can sneak into your computer in a lot of different ways, so that really is not the complete answer.  One good option we are looking into is a suite of software that we found on the cyberdefender.com website.  They sell a suite of software that includes anti-spyware, anti-virus, anti-spam, and anti-phishing protection.  It also has an identity theft toolbar to help protect your identity.

Last night the Dow tumbled again, the worst news in a very long time.  People are scared of where the economy is going.  I hope that when the Presidential election is over the economy will improve.  I know that many of my friends and relatives are frequently talking about just keeping their money hidden someplace at home and not placing it anywhere – no banks, no stocks, just at home in where they think it is safe.  That kind of talk scares me because I know that if and when a house gets “robbed” there really IS no safe place for money to be hidden, and the thieves usually get it all!  So one has to wonder WHAT exactly is the best place to put your money!