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From / Date: |
Question / Answer: |
| 8081. |
Phillip
Athens, GA
Age: 39
Sep 22, 2010
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Postage stamps from Spain?
Hi. Does anyone know where we can buy current and unused postal stamps from Spain? I have a Canary Islands address and sometimes I would like to have some stamps on an article. Thanks.
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Yes, contact me by email. By the way, I can arrange to have your letters and packages mailed from Spain.
For example, if I want to be sure that a query to a new literary agent will be opened before the other mail, I have it sent from Spain, with interesting stamps.
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| 8080. |
Hu
Ayutthaya, Thailand
Age: 55
Sep 21, 2010
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Invisiblity
Here is an article that I found that is similar to the one in your book - How To Be Invisible - where you were looking for a way to repair your watch and you found someone named Anthony. This one delivers Grilled Cheese Sandwhiches and is done by word of mouth/text messaging.
Submitted Link #1: http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/201...
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| 8079. |
Seth
Collbran, CO
Age: 50
Sep 21, 2010
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Dating - My Home Address?
"Often on a first date I'll have a woman come to my current home address and we'll go out from there. Since I hardly know these women obviously, is this unsafe?
... Is flashing a roll of cash in Cuidad Juarez safe?"
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...only if you're a well-armed drug lord...
To elucidate a bit on JJ's succinct answer, numerous robberies and assaults have been committed upon credulous men by women, and their cohorts, invited to the man's house. Craigslist is a notorious source for contacting women who show up with a couple of thugs and proceed to rob and/or thrash the man.
And any woman who would agree to meet a strange man on a first date at his, or her own house, is either too naive to survive or has an ulterior motive in mind.
Must we really remind everyone of the "Risky Business" methodology? Unlike the movie, here in the real world, "Ralph" would have ended up with an empty house and no hot hooker with a heart of gold to help him buy it back from her pimp.
Inviting perfect strangers to your house ought to be anathema to anyone with a lick of common sense, much less anyone concerned with personal privacy. Heck, some of my friends don't even know where I live.
...
Right on, Seth!
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| 8078. |
Seth
collbran, co
Age: 50
Sep 21, 2010
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Facebook ID Theft
The notion that an official at Interpol, or any law enforcement officer or agency would put ANYTHING of a confidential nature on Facebook, or that any other government agent would RESPOND to anything from Facebook by transmitting confidential information only goes to prove that even Interpol agents can be complete idiots when it comes to informational security.
Like any digital social networking site, or even email, never put anything on it that you would be uncomfortable having published on the front page of the New York Times.
Sheesh...
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| 8077. |
Josh
Sacramento, CA
Age: 26
Sep 21, 2010
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Dating - My Home Address?
Often on a first date I'll have a woman come to my current home address and we'll go out from there. Since I hardly know these women obviously, is this unsafe?
...
Is flashing a roll of cash in Cuidad Juarez safe?
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| 8076. |
Brad
Woodstock, IL
Age: 26
Sep 21, 2010
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Andie DL
I have my DL in another state then the one I live in; they asked for certain forms of ID, such as Birth Certificate, SSN card, Passport, old DL, ATM cards, etc, etc, etc...
In my case, however, the DMV never scanned or made copies on any of the documents I used for my DL. If they did, I would run for the hills! I think it depends on the state or perhaps on the local DMV policy.
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| 8075. |
Brad
Woodstock, IL
Age: 26
Sep 21, 2010
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Facebook ID Theft
The head of Interpol has warned that cyber-crime is the 'most dangerous criminal threat we will ever face' after fraudsters stole his identity on Facebook.
Security chief Ronald K. Noble revealed that two fake accounts were created in his name and used to find the details of highly-dangerous criminals.
The embarrassing security breach saw one of the impersonators used the false profile to obtain information on fugitives convicted of serious crimes including rape and murder.
Submitted Link #1: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-...
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(That is a very interesting URL, Brad, but it would not work until I added http://)
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| 8069. |
Dave
Greensboro, NC
Age: 30
Sep 20, 2010
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Fitness centers
After reading Denise's complaints about gyms and ID, I thought I'd offer my general opinion about gyms after having a membership for 2 years: they're a privacy risk and not worth the money!
Lockers are a theft target because the popular combo locks are easily picked, and a lot of people don't lock them at all. I NEVER leave my wallet in my locker. Your information is available for any employee to see, so heaven help you if they hired a stalker. If you're allowed to bring a guest, they make your guest show ID and fill out a form. Then you have the weirdos in the locker room who want to strike up conversation with you while you're butt-naked.
In the long run, you'll save a LOT of money by buying some basic used fitness equipment on craigslist and working out at home. I'm convinced that anyone can get a good workout without fancy machines, just free weights, an elliptical, fitness books, and workout DVDs. You can even make your own weights out of concrete and metal dowels, or lift jugs of water. Personal trainers hired through your gym are a big ripoff, too. My wife's trainer confided that out of the $50 a session she paid, the gym took $35 and paid him $15. Plus you'll be more likely to exercise regularly if you don't have to pack a bag and drive to the gym.
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Excellent advice, Dave!
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| 8068. |
Debbie
Pensacola, FL
Age: 57
Sep 20, 2010
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Comment om 8067
I moved back to Florida about a year ago and I had to do the same thing when applying for my Florida DL. I had to show proof of address, my birth certificate, Marriage and Divorce Decrees and Social Security Card. They also asked me at the same time if I wanted to register to vote.
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Remember to never use your DL for indentification. Passport only!
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| 8067. |
andie
Nashville, TN
Age: 66
Sep 19, 2010
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DL
I rencently had to update my DL and they requested my birth certificate and ssn card, both to be scanned and liked with my new DL. What is your opinion of this JJ? I know for passports they require this also. Which states do NOT require this yet?
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This is the first time I have heard of such a requirement. Let's see if anyone else has had such an experience.
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| 8065. |
Drake
LA, CA
Age: 35
Sep 19, 2010
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Blackberry smartphone intercept
Recent news of a Middle Eastern country's plan to black-out Blackberry service unless the government was given access to the network resulted in a review of how various countries use their electronic communications intercepts.
This is more relevant to corporations, investors, journalists and inventors than average individuals.
Submitted Link #1: http://www.ioltechnology.co.za/article_page.php?fr...
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| 8064. |
Denise
San Francisco, CA
Age: 33
Sep 18, 2010
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Finger Check-In at 24-Hour Fitness
Dear Mr. Luna (and others):
I'm a member at 24-Hour Fitness, and go to several locations in my city several times per week.
They've just begun using finger-touch ID'ing instead of ID cards, which I have declined (and am in the minority). They claim that they only use 5 points on the fingerprint, and that they don't store our actual full fingerprint. Is there a privacy risk here? They have to take the full fingerprint in order to map the "5 points"...why would whatever company/software that does that for them not keep the full fingerprint? And if they do, is there any danger in this private company having that info on me?
Here's a quote from the website: "Neither we nor MorphoTrak store your fingerprints, nor can the data we store be re-created into a fingerprint image. Additionally, we do not sell, lease, rent, trade or otherwise transfer the data to any third parties."
As I said, I have declined, but now I must present ID, verbally tell them my phone # & make the clerk have to manually search for me in the system each time. Much more cumbersome than the old scanner ID cards AND the new finger thing...I feel like *I'm* the inconvenience now! I will stick to my guns, though, if there's a good reason to!
P.S. I already have not given them my actual DOB, by the way; which as of yet, in all these weeks looking at my ID, no clerk has even noticed!
Thank you for any info!
Submitted Link #1: http://www.24hourfitness.com/health_clubs/cardless...
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Regardless of the fingerprint issue, the main thing is that no one should have your home address.
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| 8063. |
Danny
Concord, CA
Age: 32
Sep 18, 2010
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RE: 8052
Alejandro,
To clarify, they gave you a cashier's check - right? Cashier's checks are practically as good as cash, so any bank should be happy to cash it for you - whether you have an account or not.
The bank may need to place a hold on the check until they've confirmed it's legitimacy. When you go in, ask to speak to a "banker" rather than going to a teller window. With the amount in question, you want to go to someone who knows what they're doing.
Whether or not they put a hold on the check, you will likely need to give them your DL (or passport) before they cash it.
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| 8062. |
Danny
Concord, CA
Age: 32
Sep 18, 2010
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RE: 8050
Brad,
Paysafe cards don't seem to be any different than a VISA pre-paid gift card - which are available at Wal-mart, Safeway, Lucky's, or practically any other major retailer in the US.
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| 8061. |
Seth
collbran, co
Age: 50
Sep 18, 2010
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DHS can now scan irises from 6 feet away
I see a market for reflective sunglasses and contact lenses with bogus iris patterns. Any venture capitalists out there?
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| 8060. |
Seth
collbran, co
Age: 50
Sep 18, 2010
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Inheritance Money
The bank is only "offering" a bank check so that they can meet federal requirements for tracking amounts more than $10,000. However, a check is a promise to pay, and you can DEMAND that they pay you in cash, immediately, once you've accepted the check. In other words, they issue a check to you, and you turn around, walk to the teller's window and demand that they cash the check. They cannot refuse to do so, although they may make you wait till they can obtain sufficient cash to cover the check if they don't have it on hand.
They will then disburse the cash and fill out the form that they have to send to the IRS for any cash transaction of more than $10,000, which will show that they disbursed the cash to you.
Since this is a legitimate cash transaction, and the origin of the funds is known and verifiable, the "paper trail" you create is no different than it would be if you took the check and deposited it in another bank. The IRS knows you received the cash and WILL EXPECT you to account for it on your tax return. But they would have the same information anyway, so there's no "security breach" greater than you'll experience in any event when getting an estate disbursement from an estate executor.
HOWEVER, be careful if there are multiple inheritors, because if YOU take all the cash and then distribute it to the other heirs, YOU may end up paying taxes on the whole shebang, and THEY may end up paying taxes on the "gift" you gave them. Check with a qualified tax attorney if that's your plan.
For multiple inheritors, the bank should issue a separate check to each person in the amount they are due under the will, and each person should cash their check separately, that way no one person takes constructive control of the entire amount for any period of time, and thus it cannot be argued that there are "transfer" (gift) tax implications when the amount is distributed.
The key is that you are NOT required to leave the bank with a check and no cash. If the bank issues you a check, you are fully within your rights to demand IMMEDIATE payment in cash, provided they have the cash on hand.
HOWEVER, if they delay in order to gather the cash, be aware that they may report the "suspicious" event and you may end up walking out the door of the bank into the arms of the DEA or other law enforcement who will ask you pointed questions about why you are carrying so much cash (which you do not have to, and should not answer, of course). There is some small potential that some overzealous DEA agent could then have your cash "sniffed" by a drug dog, and since some 80 percent of US cash has detectable traces of cocaine on it, your cash might be seized by the DEA as "drug proceeds" and you might find yourself thrown into court trying to get your money back. Since it's a legitimate disbursement from an estate, you would likely win, but it could cost you an enormous amount of money to get your money back.
If you must have cash, you should specify to the bank that you want only new, uncirculated bills directly from the Federal Reserve, to ensure that it's not potentially tainted with cocaine residue. Explain to them why you demand uncirculated bills and see if you can get them to cooperate.
This contamination issue is a serious one, and no small number of innocent people have ended up forfeiting their large sums of cash seized at airports and bus stations to nosy DEA agents because the costs of fighting a seizure exceeds the value of the cash seized. This is one of the primary disadvantages of trying to hoard large sums of paper currency. While the Supreme Court has ruled that merely carrying large amounts of cash ($80,000) even concealed in a hidden compartment in a vehicle is not in and of itself probable cause that the money is the result of illegal activity, street cops, particularly the DEA, will use the contamination issue to go ahead and seize the cash anyway, and then challenge you to file a suit to get it back, knowing full well that most people will just default and forget about it. It's legalized theft and it's a heinous abuse of power, but there's little anyone can do about it other than to make sure cash stashes are comprised of new, uncirculated, untainted bills...or gold.
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| 8059. |
Helen
Seattle, WA
Age: 52
Sep 17, 2010
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NM LLC banking in Florida
We (my dad's heirs) have a NM LLC which will be used for handlig a property and its expenses in Florida. I went to a local Florida bank today and they said that I also need to register with the State of Florida at sunbiz.org. I have now looked at that site and it appears to me to apply to Florida LLCs only. Has anyone located something in writing that points out that an out of state LLC not actually doing business in Florida would not need to register at sunbiz? We want to move the property into the name of an LLC once the current trust expires.
Submitted Link #1: http://www.lawserver.com/law/state/florida/statute...
...
My understanding is that if you are not doing any business in Florida, just purchasing property, then no Florida registration is required. Please check the website I listed below for detailed information.
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| 8058. |
Randy
Johnston, IA
Age: 47
Sep 17, 2010
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DHS can now scan irises from 6 feet away
Dept. of Homeland Security is testing new technology that can scan irises at a distance of six feet and then store the images in a government database. Iris scans can be taken of people who merely walk by a special camera.
Submitted Link #1: http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/surveillance/201...
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| 8057. |
Moses
atlanta, GA
Age: 26
Sep 17, 2010
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USPS Forwarding
I recently tried to forward my mail via the U.S. Post office website. I began filling out the application as you said making sure I highlighted temporary. However on the next portion of the application, they are now asking for a email address and access my visa card in order to charge my account 1.00$ all in the name of Identity Verification.I found that to be very strange. I wanted to know if you knew any way around this Mr. Luna? Thanks in advance
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Avoid doing it online. Print out the form, or get one at the post office. Then mail it or turn it in at the counter.
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| 8056. |
Mike
Worcester, MA
Age: 50
Sep 16, 2010
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Inheritance - 8052
Alejandro - have you considered going to the bank with your lawyer and having him/her ask a few pointed questions about the legality of not giving you your money in cash?
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