How To Delete Yourself From the Internet

SOURCE:  USA TODAY
by Kim Komando, January 25, 2013

(Photo: ThinkStock)

Story Highlights

• Google yourself to see if anything questionable comes up
• Remove yourself from data broker databases
• Delete your profiles on big social networks with Account Killer

Are there days when you wish you could just disappear from the Internet?

Maybe you’re haunted by things you’ve said on social networks, or you’re just sick of having companies track and catalog your every digital move.

Yeah, it’d be nice to pull the plug on the whole thing, but it would be easier to stop a runaway train, right?

Actually, it’s not terribly difficult to pull the Internet equivalent of escaping to a deserted island.  All it takes is time and tenacity.

A good place to start is with a Google search of your name to see if anything unsavory pops up.  Remember that Google isn’t your enemy; it’s just the messenger.  If you want to remove some embarrassing things you’ve said in a forum — or bad things that have been said about you somewhere — you need to get it removed from the original source.

Find an email address or phone number for the website in question and talk to a person who has the authority to grant your takedown request.  Most websites have a Contact Us link at the bottom of their home pages.

If you can’t find contact information, a “Who Is” Google search will tell you who registered the site.  Type “whois http://www.name-of-site.com”; in quotes.

Website operators are under no obligation to remove content unless they get a court order.  But most will give you a fair hearing if you’re polite and explain that the content is untrue, hurts your reputation or is making it hard for you to get a job.

If it is a site’s policy to not remove content, ask whether your name can be removed from the post or whether the content can be blocked from appearing in search engines.

If you succeed at changing a site, it can take Google a while to show updated search results.  Fortunately, you can speed up the process using Google’s URL Removal Tool. You need to have a Google account to make the request.

Google isn’t the only information collector around. Anybody who’s willing to pay online information brokers — also known as people-search sites — can learn your phone number, address, criminal record and a lot more.

Primary data brokers like Intelius collect information from public records. Secondary data brokers like Spokeo aggregate information from primary brokers and add data collected from social networks and other online sources.

If you truly want to disappear from the Internet, you should search for yourself on these sites and remove yourself from their databases.

The privacy company Abine maintains a list of 25 major data vendors and instructions for opting out of each one.

Each site’s opt-out procedure is different.  Some even require letters and faxes.  But it’s the same routine that Abine’s data-removal specialists follow if you sign up for the company’s Delete Me subscription service.  It just takes a bit more time.

Don’t let your guard down after you opt out.  Keep searching for yourself on people-finder sites every few months to make sure the data collectors haven’t added you again.

When an amateur sleuth wants to find you, the first place they’ll look is Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Flickr and other social networks.  It’s easy to delete your profiles on all the big networks.  You can find full instructions on sites like Account Killer.

If you can’t bear giving up a network, go into your account settings and at least make sure your profile is private and can’t be found by search engines.

If you come up against a website that won’t delete your account, there’s a workaround.

Go into the account and remove all of your personal information. If a site won’t let you leave fields blank, fill in with fake information.

Make sure your real email address isn’t associated with the account.  If it is, create a new, free email account with a random user name. Associate your fake email address to the account.  After the site emails you to confirm, cancel your fake email account.

When you feel the urge to go back online — and you will — be smart about protecting your hard-fought online privacy.  Use an alias to hide your real name and identity and use a disposable or alias email address to go with your online persona.

Kim Komando hosts the nation’s largest talk radio show about consumer electronics, computers and the Internet.  To get the podcast, watch the show or find the station nearest you, visit www.komando.com.  E-mail her at techcomments@usatoday.com.

Which Food Additives Make Children Behave Badly?

SOURCE:  Food Matters

by TIM UTTON, Daily Mail, UK

Research has shown that the food additives used in hundreds of children’s foods and drinks can cause temper tantrums and disruptive behavior. A Government-funded study confirms what many parents have long suspected about the effect of chemicals put into sweets, biscuits and foods. Colorings in products such as Smarties, Jelly Tots and fizzy drinks could spark behavior changes in up to a quarter of toddlers.

Research into a group of three year-olds found they were more likely to lack concentration, lose their temper, interrupt others and struggle to get to sleep when they drank fruit juice dosed with colorings and preservatives.

Following the study, food watchdog the Food Commission has found that 200 children’s foods and drinks contain one or more of the additives called into question by the research.

The Commission is calling for the additives to be removed from the everyday foods and drinks which appeal to children. Even youngsters with no history of hyperactivity can be affected, said the scientists. They concluded that all children could benefit from the removal of specified artificial food colorings from their diet.

The Food Commission claims it is the first time a Government-sponsored scientific study has corroborated the link between food colorings and preservatives and changes in children’s mood and behavior.

A group of 227 three-year olds from the Isle of Wight took part in a month long project by the UK Asthma and Allergy Research Center. For two weeks the children drank a daily fruit juice dosed with 20mg of artificial colorings and 45mg of preservative, which are either equal to or below permitted levels. The additives tested were the artificial food colorings Tartrazine E102, Sunset Yellow E110, Carmoisine E122, Ponceau 4R E124, and the preservative Sodium Benzoate E211. All five were given at the same time in a single drink.

For the other two weeks the children drank a fruit juice which was identical in appearance but without the additives. Parents filled in reports assessing their child’s behavior on criteria such as interrupting, fiddling with objects, disturbing others, difficulty settling down to sleep, concentration and temper tantrums. The report said the results showed the artificial food colorings and sodium benzoate preservative had ‘substantial effects’ on behavior.

The scientists concluded that significant changes in children’s hyperactive behavior could be produced by removing colorings and additives from their diet. They added: ‘The findings suggest that benefit would accrue for all children from such a change – and not just for those already showing hyperactive behavior or who are at risk of allergic reactions.’

The Food Commission wants a ban on the additives and says the colourings tested have been restricted in other countries to protect children.

A spokesman for the Government’s Food Standards Agency said the research was not conclusive. Nestlé Rowntree, which makes Smarties, Fruit Pastilles and Jelly Tots, said food additives it used were permitted by European and UK laws and any additives or colours had been tested to the highest standards. GlaxoSmithKline, which produces Ribena, said: ‘We certainly wouldn’t use any additives unless they were approved as safe.’ Burton’s Foods, which makes Jammie Dodgers, said its biscuits contained only half the amount of Carmoisine stated in legal guidelines. Cadbury Trebor Bassett, which makes Maynard Wine Gums, said: ‘Carmoisine is a permitted colouring which has been used for many years.’ Campina UK, which produces Yazoo Milk Drinks, said it used only approved ingredients.

Source: www.dailymail.co.uk/health…

Which Additives Do We Need To Look Out For?

Artificial Colors

(in sweets, drinks, takeaways, cereals and many processed foods)

• 102 tartrazine,
• 104 quinoline yellow,
• 107 yellow 2G,
• 110 sunset yellow,
• 122 azorubine,
• 123 amaranth,
• 124 ponceau red,
• 127 erythrosine,
• 128 red 2G,
• 129 allura red,
• 132 indigotine,
• 133 brilliant blue,
• 142 green S,
• 151 brilliant black,
• 155 chocolate brown Natural colour,
• 160b annatto (in yoghurts, icecreams, popcorn etc, 160a is a safe alternative)

Preservatives

• Preservatives200-203 sorbates (in margarine, dips, cakes, fruit products)
• 210-213 benzoates (in juices, soft drinks, cordials, syrups, medications)
• 220-228 sulphites (in dried fruit, fruit drinks, sausages, and many others)
• 280-283 propionates (in bread, crumpets, bakery products)
• 249-252 nitrates, nitrites (in processed meats like ham)
• Synthetic antioxidants – in margarines, vegetable oils, fried foods, snacks, biscuits etc
• 310-312 Gallates 319-320 TBHQ, BHA, BHT (306-309 are safe alternatives)
• Flavour enhancers – in flavoured crackers, snacks, takeaways, instant noodles, soups 621 MSG 627, 631, 635 disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, ribonucleotides

Table compiled by Sue Dengate, author of the bestselling book and film ‘Fed Up: Understanding how food affects your child and what you can do about it.’

Our food has changed so drastically in the last few decades it is no wonder that food-related behavior and learning problems in children are increasing. Contrary to what many parents think, additives – more importantly than just sugar – are to blame for behavior problems. Reactions are related to dose, so the more additives children eat, the more likely they are to be affected.

Additives are now used widely in foods such as bread, butter, crackers, yogurt, juice and muesli bars as well as in junk food. Parents who say ‘we eat healthy food’ are generally shocked to find that their children can be consuming 20 additives or more per day.

Irritability, temper outbursts, oppositional defiance, restlessness and difficulty falling asleep are the main behavioral effects of additives. But parents rarely realize that food chemicals can be associated with many other effects including arguing with siblings, making silly noises, speech delay, anxiety, depression or difficulty concentrating. Additive-free children are generally calmer, happier and more cooperative.

Rashes, headaches, bed wetting, stomach aches, sneaky poos, constipation or asthma can also be a problem. Parents of asthmatic children are usually unaware that sulphite preservatives (220-228) in foods such as dried fruits, sausages, cordials and some fruit drinks can irritate airways.

So what can we eat? Read ingredient labels. Choose preservative-free bread. Buy color-free yogurts, ice creams and lollies such as caramels and toffees. Choose plain rather than flavored chips, crackers and noodles. Encourage your children to drink water as their main drink.

Source: www.fedupwithfoodadditives.info

DNA Results of Tiny ET

This video gives a brief update on the 6″ “alien reportedly found in the Atacama Desert in Chile a few years ago.   This blogger has no idea about the true validity of this story, but it’s an interesting one just the same.  You can find more information about this ongoing story on the Internet and elsewhere.  For example, here is one of those accounts by Steven M. Greer, MD, dated April 22, 2013.

DOJ: We don’t need warrants for e-mail, Facebook chats, Twitter

“An FBI investigation manual updated last year, obtained by the ACLU, says it’s possible to warrantlessly obtain Americans’ e-mail ‘without running afoul’ of the Fourth Amendment.”

This is from a news article dated May 8, 2013, about current U.S. Department of Justice policy.  To read more, go to CNET.com.

Black-Eyed “People”: Do These Entities Really Exist?

Do you have an interest in aliens, entities, demons, serpents and/or the Biblical Book of Revelations?  If so, then you might find the following articles and interview worth checking out.

“Black-Eyed People:  A Race in the Shadows”

http://usahitman.com/black-eyed-people-fact-fiction/

(If the usahitman site is down, you might check back later at usahitman.com, as it appears this site is changing its server location.)

“The Black-Eyed Children”