INTERNET SHOPPING SECURITY CHASE & VISA LEADING THE WAY?

Today was another one of "those" days.  Everything seemed complicated, even paying a bill online seemed to be an impossible feat, until it turned into finding out a bank is actually doing more to protect us and keep our Identity Protected and our finances safe, while enhancing the Shopping Experience by offering more security online, through a partnership with Verified By Visa.  

Identity Theft is one of, if not the most quickly growing crime, and it leaves behind literal disaster for the victims that can drag on for years and years.  My husband and I are all to familiar with being victims of Identity Theft, so we have worked very hard over the years to make sure we are beyond protected. We learned you can do things like have your checks mailed to the bank so you can pick them up in person.  This avoids thieves stealing your boxes of checks from the mailbox and ever obtaining your account information.  We also learned about more secure programs our bank offered to help people like us who were afraid to bank again.  Before Chase bought them out, we banked with WAMU because they offered so much in regard to banking security.  Today I learned that our new bank, CHASE, has taken this issue even more seriously and stepped up the Protection Services!

We couldn't pay the bill, something was wrong and we were being directed to call the bank.  Oh, the aggravation when all you want to do is quickly pay a bill and move about your day!  Then as I was directed to: 

CHASE VERIFIED BY VISA

https://www.securesuite.net/chase/registration/welcome.jsp

We needed to complete and update information by first calling our bank directly or any online purchases or bill payments would continue to be declined for our safety.

This is the kind of aggravation I appreciate!  The, "How can we help and protect your finances" kind! I still did not realize what a wonderful service this really was until I started researching the site.  

CHASE & VERIFIED BY VISA have connected with businesses, and all kinds of companies across the Internet to really work this Internet Shopping Security program and make doubly sure that customers are protected from would be Identity Thief Criminals.

Some of the companies participating in this safer Internet Shopping Security Program include:

WALMART http://www.walmart.com/

HOTWIRE.com http://www.hotwire.com/

JET BLUE AIRLINES http://www.jetblue.com/

VERIZON http://www.vzw.com 

DELTA http://www.delta.com/

DELL http://www.dell.com/

SPORTS AUTHORITY http://www.sportsauthority.com/home/index.jsp

TOYS R US & BABIES R US http://www.toysrus.com/

ZALES http://www.zales.com/

TIRE RACK http://www.tirerack.com/

and a whole list of other's you can look up at http://usa.visa.com/personal/security/visa_security_program/vbv/shop.html

It took us close to an hour today to straighten it all out and pay a bill, but it was so worth it to learn that Internet Shopping Security is at the forefront of what is most important to corps like VISA and banks like CHASE that partner into this program.  I would rather jump through hoops to pay one bill and rest confident that we are financially protected on a more stringent level now, than ever be without this kind of Internet security and safety.

I am also so glad to report this list of Companies who respect their customers so much they want them to be safe and join this program.  These are companies I know I want to do business with because they are showing us they see the problems and want to do all they can to help prevent it from ever happening to their customers.  That alone, is all I need to make me want to be a customer.  

That is the definition of Customer Service.  How can we make your life financially safer, more secure, and enhance your Internet Shopping experience all at the same time? 

They figured it out! I am sure more banks are part of this program, or can easily become part of this program, but all I was able to find online today was in reference to CHASE and VERIFIED BY VISA.  If you are aware of other banks who are participating in this wonderful Prevent Identity Theft measure while Internet Shopping and "please keep security tight and thank you for doing all you can to make the Internet a safer and more secure place to shop", like CHASE please comment and let us know which banks are doing more to protect their customers! I know I definitely want to know, so I can help sing their praises also.

Learn more about VERIFIED by VISA and the wealth of information they share about Identity Theft and how to keep yourself safe here:

http://usa.visa.com/personal/security/visa_security_program/

Wishing you a safer, more secure, and pleasant future Internet Shopping Experience!

Sandra Bonadonna

Zonepolitical.com

1985, YouTube & Social Networking

1985 * YouTube & Social Networking

I was listening to Bowling For Soup's hit song, 1985, on my desktop Verizon Rhapsody Account while working one day on my many Social Networking sites, and writing outlets - and really paid attention to the lyrics.  With my 40th birthday, (yeah I put it print now, so it's as official as it gets), this song really started speaking to me.  I was 15 years old in 1985 and I have two teens in high school and two other kids not far behind them.

I wanted to see the video.  I headed off to www.youtube.com which is where I always go to find and watch videos these days, because MTV, as we all knew it way back in the day - the ‘80's day - no longer exists for us.  The awesome news is that YouTube has picked up where MTV left off!

The cool thing about YouTube is it allows people to partner up and make an investment to bring these AMAZING, Songs and Videos back to us.  The people who participate in this hope to earn a return on that investment through views, ad-clicks and stuff, but hopefully by people clicking on that purchase the track now link through Digital Music Downloads on Amazon
or which-ever music source allows you to purchase the track.   The tracks usually cost about .99 each.  This is how I purchase my music, by Digital Internet Downloads
.

I started to really think about that Bowling For Soup song, 1985, and all that it spoke about.  I wondered how many others, like me, truly miss the days of music videos and good old fashioned "musical fun".

I started a Twitter account, mainly to start singing the praises of Vegas because I live here and I love this City.  Then I realized that everyone deserves to be treated as if they matter because they do! Everyone matters if they are breathing! So I created various lists, including one called OthersWhoCount2, for those who I couldn't find a specific place to list, but they still mattered! My next decision was to see if people missed music & music videos from the past as much I did, so I decided to throw "Zone Flashback Vegas Music Party's' using YouTube links, provided by people on www.YouTube.com that I subscribe to.

My purpose for choosing as many regular people links as I can find is to help support the little people in their efforts to eek out a living in today's tough economy while at the same time entertaining my followers and friends, and of course myself!  I miss the music & videos too!

Imagine my surprise when I hold the Zone's first "Flashback  to 1985 Music YouTube Link Vegas Twitter on ZonePolitical Party" and it was a hit! People really miss the Music Videos, just like me! The next one was a Rock Show, and wow that was a blast! Even Dallas Cowboy's Offensive Tackle, Marc Columbo joined in because he too is a Vegas fan, and a Rock Music fan & ENTERTAINER! He is currently the lead singer and plays rhythm guitar in a metal band called Free Reign! (You can also find them on Twitter & other Social Networking Sites, or click on any of the pre-set links throughout this this article.) Music simply speaks to people, all people from all walks of life, and is a uniting force, which truly is a beautiful thing.

So I guess Bowling For Soup really hit on something with that song 1985, because we former kids of the 80's, 70's, 60's, 50's  - we love our music and the videos! We are ever grateful that YouTube exists and has picked up where MTV left off, and allowed the people to take over and entertain us!

The music world has much to be to grateful for when it comes to YouTube and all those "YouTuber's" out there who work so hard to keep those Music Videos we love so much and never want to forget or lose, coming our way.  We thank you.  I thank you! I can assure you, I will definitely continue to support the YouTube people.  VEVO, is another big part of YouTube, and what a cool Music Video service they are too!

When all is said and done, when you need your music fix of the good old days of "your kind of music", look no further than www.YouTube.com my friends.  There is an entire world of Entertainment just waiting to be explored by us - the lost generation who watched it all change.  The kids who played Atari Space Invaders, then moved onto Zork on our Commodore 64's, learned how to type on type-writers with no letters, took computer classes that required binary stuff and punch cards with holes in them (remember that crazy stuff?), went to Arcades at the mall when the cool color versions of video games came out, and WOW when Windows made C prompts a thing of the past?  Then Mac? Now we can walk around and watch www.Youtube.com videos in the palm of our hands on our CELLPHONES! All in the SPAN of OUR lifetimes, we people who totally get every word of that song, Bowling For Soup sings, 1985.

So here's a hurrah to 1985, Bowling For Soup, and one heck of a THANK YOU to the Owners, Operators, and USERS of YouTube who keep us Entertained with the Music & Video's we love!

Sandra Bonadonna

Zonepolitical

Oh and that picture on the cover of this story.. Yes, that would be me way back in the GREAT 1985

Words.. Uniting or Dividing?

Writing is what I do, it is who I am, and it is the very nature of my soul - my inner being.  I use words every day of my life.  I have come to love and appreciate words, but I have also learned quite a bit about words.


Words are simply the tool that a writer will attempt to use to describe feelings and emotions to express to the reader, listener or intended audience, the thoughts and emotions within the soul that the writer wishes to convey.

Words are meaningful in life for more than writers, however.  People use words every single day.  Words can be uplifting, healing, helpful, kind, caring, and sweet, perfect for the moment, and words can also be very damaging.

In my life I have witnessed many instances where people, including myself, don't stop and think before they speak.  The thing about words is that once they are spoken, they have been put out there into the World and they can't be taken back. 


Sometimes we people would like to think that an apology will wipe away the things we wish never came out of our mouths, but the reality is once spoken, words have been given life and any potential damage has already been done.

When I was a child in elementary school I had a teacher that taught us little children a poem that went something like this:....
"Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me."

This is probably this biggest untruth told to all of us in life, and most of us already know this.  Words, especially negative, mean and purposely hurtful words are damaging to others.  There is no realistic justification for utilizing hurtful words against another human being simply because we can. 


There has definitely been a time in our live's when we have been on the receiving end of hurtful words, and I would encourage anyone, all of us - self included here -  who has experienced this pain to stop and remember those moments before preparing to use words to hurt or wound another.

In the animated film, Bambi, the character Thumper states that his mother always told him, "If you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all."  These are words to live by, and bless the writer who chose to put this statement out into the World for us to hear.

Life is full of pain on so many different levels.  Just turn on the evening news and you will find pain and suffering all around the World.  In our tiny circles of life, the places where we group together to socialize, to congregate, to hang out together, to work together is where we can start!


In all of these smaller circles of social settings we can truly make a difference by allowing our example of how we want the World to be a better place, simply by and through the use of our words.  Negativity breeds negativity, where positivity breeds positivity - or rather kindness breeds more kindness. 


All of this requires the use of words, and it is up to us which words we will choose in order to bring out the desired outcome in our surroundings.

Words will write and sell a novel,

Words will write and sing a song,

Words will unlock hidden mysteries,

Words will help some get along,

Sometimes words can wound and hurt,

Words can cut the heart just like a knife,

Once stated you can't take them back,

Words once spoken now have life!

Words truly are a gift in this World,

Our words are ours to use forever,

Shouldn't it be time to see that our words are uniting?

Isn't it time to use our words to bring us all together?

Let our words that we speak today be the words that we are proud to have our children repeat tomorrow, in our honor. 




Sandra Bonadonna
Zonepolitical
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