Category: Ad

Identity Theft Protection With Lifelock

On By Michel McDonaldIn AdLeave a comment

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of LifeLock Twitter for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

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My very first experience with identity theft was when I had just turned 18 years old and went to get a job.  The interviewer asked me how long I have been in this country and asked me for my green card.  They did a credit check and that said that I wasn’t me.  I had to schedule a new interview where I had to bring my social security card as well as my birth certificate and my California ID card to prove that I was me.  That was in 1988.  I wrote about this experience in my book.

My second experience was in 2004 when I tried to get our utilities turned on with PG&E, they told me that I had to bring in my ID card and my social security card because according to their credit check, I wasn’t who I said I was again.  This time I asked and they told me the first name was Marsha.

Many years had gone by and I started seeing these commercials where a man was telling the world what his social security number was and daring people to steal it.  That company was LifeLock.  I decided that I did not want my prior experiences to happen again, so I signed up with Lifelock.  I only pay $10 a month and my name and social security number has never been safer.  I have been a member since January 2008.

As a member, Lifelock will send you a credit report every year and they will put restrictions in place so not even you can sign up for a credit card or buy a car without showing proof.  They will send you email and/or text alerts when someone is trying to use your credit.

Here are some interesting and alarming stats.  Households that make $100K per year have the highest fraud rate at 7.4%.  The average cost per person who loses their identity is $1,513.  11.6 million adults were victims of identity theft in 2011 and $18 billion dollars was lost.  6.6% are smart phone users, 6.8% are people who interact with apps in social media websites, 8.2% “checked in” on websites with their smart phone with GPS and 10.1% are LinkedIn users.

How hack-friendly is your password?  If you have a password that is only 6 characters without any symbols, a hacker will figure that password out in .000224 seconds, but if your password is 10 characters and uses a symbol (&%$#@), it could take them 20 days which gives you enough time to change your password every couple of weeks.  How safe do you feel now?  If they can figure out your email password and send emails on your behalf, imagine them stealing your bank account password and draining your account without you even knowing it.

If I were you, I would sign up with Lifelock today.  Check out their website and LifeLock on Twitter.  It’s nice knowing that my credit is safe.

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Free MLM Marketing Ebook For Your Home Business

On By Michel McDonaldIn AdLeave a comment

If you have a home business that isn’t doing very well because you don’t know where to start with marketing, this Free Ebook will help.  Just click the link and sign up and download the free Ebook on the right side of the screen.  Read the post while you’re at it so you are more clear what you are getting.

Professional Photo Albums

On By Michel McDonaldIn AdLeave a comment

Have you or anyone in your family recently have a bar mitzvah, bat mitzvah, christening, wedding or anniversary party that was so special that you wanted to preserve it forever?  If so, did you or they have a professional photographer?  Did they print out a photo album?  If so, what was it like?

Wouldn’t you just love to have a book made that shows the beautiful colors in all of your pictures from your special event with a beautiful hardcover and thick pages that will last many lifetimes?

I would suggest heading on over to Photo Productions because they make quality photo albums that you will cherish forever.

I was looking at the slideshow in their front page and they really do look awesome.  I’m not gonna lie, they are pricey, but they are quality and that is what you look for when you are preserving these wonderful memories.  You wouldn’t get married in a cheap wedding dress you bought at Wal-Mart, so why would you buy a cheap photo album to put your biggest memories in?  Basically, you get what you pay for.

They come in eight different album sizes, two orientations and three design styles.  You can choose anywhere from 10 to 35 pages giving you 12 to 212 photos for your album.

They are in the United Kingdom and they offer free delivery.  Like I said, you get what you pay for.  If you aren’t in the UK they do ship internationally at an extra charge.

Check them out and see how awesome their albums look, well don’t let me stop you, go for it!

Kia Rio Scavenger Hunt

On By Michel McDonaldIn AdLeave a comment

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Kia Rio for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Can you imagine being chosen to take part in a Kia Rio Scavenger Hunt to meet a famous celebrity in Los Angeles.  Wouldn’t that be a hoot?  These people had the opportunity so they started at the famous Griffith Park Merry-Go-Round which has been a historic landmark since 1937.  Did you know that that is where Walt Disney brought his children before he built Disneyland?

They went to Amoeba Records which is the most famous historic music store in Los Angeles.  Hmmm, I didn’t even know they still had record stores.  Apparently you can buy all of your music there on Vinyl, CD’s and Tapes.  No 8-track?  Next stop, Rodeo Drive where they had to count how many palm trees there were.  That’s not easy to do because you know you can get distracted easily by all the pretty women…  They got to eat at Pink’s Hot Dogs.  I’ve been there, the hot dogs are pretty good I must say.  Their final destination was the Roosevelt Hotel on Hollywood Blvd. where they met their celebrity Christina Milian.

That was a ride, wasn’t it?  I love scavenger hunts and that one was pretty good.  I think it would be cool to go on a scavenger hunt like that to meet a favorite celebrity.  If you were given the chance, which celebrity would you like to meet?  I can think of a few, but I think the one that I would most like to meet is Neil Patrick Harris.  I just think he’s awesome.

Nevermind the scavenger hunt, can you imagine driving a Kia Rio?  They have such awesome features like the USB Jack, bluetooth, navigation, rear camera and most notable UVO Technology from Microsoft.  You know you can have one right?  Just go to the Rio Explorer Page and check out their new 2013 5-door cars.  I think it’s an awesome piece of machinery, I think they should just call it a 5-door awesome.  But that’s just me.

If you and a friend could Zip and Dash anywhere, where woud it be?  I would love to take this car to the beach, any beach is fine by me.

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Wills and Estate Laws

On By Michel McDonaldIn AdLeave a comment

Owning property is a very big responsibility, especially if you have a huge family, you are going to need a will to make sure that everyone gets what you want them to have.  Even if you are young because you never know when your time will come.  I know it’s a grim thought, but it has always been something that I have had to worry about because I have some family members who would clear my room out in 2 minutes like a pack of wolves and leave nothing but bones for Darrin despite the fact that our bridges have all burned to the ground.  Luckily I don’t own property.

If you are in Barrie and Toronto Canada, Stewart Esten Law Firm is the way to go.  They have experienced estate lawyers who are ready to help you create your will, power of attorney and the administration of your estate or the estate of a loved one who has recently passed.

I am not too familiar with estate law, it is way too complicated for me.  I know about trusts because Chips mother had created a trust before she passed away.  She had to make someone the executor of the trust to take care of all of the bills for all of the houses that she owned, and any money that was made on the sale of any property went into the trust.  The rent for the houses goes into the trust and that pays for the mortgage and any upkeep of the houses.  I’m not sure if an estate will is the same, but I’m pretty sure it is.

At any rate, if you own property and you have family members who you know are going to fight over every little thing, be sure to have a will so you know everyone is getting what you want them to have.

Funny story, I think my mother was a bit psychic because when I was 19 she told me that I need to make out a will so that when the day comes that I have burned all of my bridges with my sisters, I can will them $1 so they cannot contest the will.  Isn’t that funny that she would tell me that?

Lenovo M0520 Speaker

On By Michel McDonaldIn Ad4 Comments

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Lenovo for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

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Let’s face it, the built in speakers on all of your devices suck.  You know it and I know it.  I have a brand new monitor for my desktop with built in speakers and the sound is ok for when I hear specific PC sounds, but I really don’t care about those sounds.  When I want to watch Netflix, I have to plug my computer into my HDTV with the HDMI cable because of how bad the monitor speakers are.  Chips iPhone speaker is ok for hearing the ringtone when someone calls him, but when he wants to watch a YouTube video, he has to hold the speaker up to his ear because he can’t hear it, and then he misses the video entirely which defeats the purpose of watching a YouTube video.

What you need is a Lenovo speaker.  It is (as you can see in the image above) a little red speaker and can be attached to any device that needs a speaker like a desktop, laptop, phone or mp3 player.  The speaker may be small, but the sound it produces is big and bold.  It has 4-watts of power for high-quality full sound, a USB that charges it and it has an energy saving function, and it has a speaker wire that spools for easy storage.  It is also a very a elegant yet substantial presentation.

I would love to have this because it is small enough that I can plug it in to any device that needs it like my Dell DJ, my CR-48 or my Desktop.  Darrin would love one for his iPhone.  I think this would make a great gift for anyone who has a birthday coming up (hint hint wink wink).  Click the link for more details.

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Nopalea The Wellness Drink

On By Michel McDonaldIn Ad1 Comment

I heard about this Nopalea (pronounced No-pah lay’uh) last year, but I haven’t tried it yet.  I would like to try it because of the claims on their website.  They say, do you suffer from inflammation and it’s related health problems?  Then they list a few things like muscle, joint and body inflammation which causes joint, muscle and body pain.  Respiratory inflammation which causes allergies and breathing difficulties (which I have).  Arterial inflammation which causes heart health problems.  Digestive tract inflammation which causes bloating, cramps and burning (I assume for women, obviously I don’t get cramps or bloating).  And widespread body cell inflammation which causes overall fatigue.  Well, I have a few of those things, especially the last one because I’m always tired even though I haven’t exerted any energy.

Do you or anyone you know suffer from any of those?  Nopalea contains rare and potent antioxidants that are scientifically proven to help the body reduce inflammation.  When you take Nopalea daily, it can help your body reduce inflammation, cleanse itself of daily toxins and promote optimal health.  I think that is worth buying.  It is not clinically proven to reduce any pain you might have, but it has proven nutrients to reduce inflammation which we all know is the leading cause of pain.  It also contains rare antioxidants (Betalains) that have been scientifically proven to reduce inflammation.

Nopalea has already sold 3 million bottles of its anti-inflammatory wellness drink, so why not give it a try and see if it works for you?  You can get a free bottle (only pay $9.95 for shipping) by calling 1-800-203-7063.  Do your body a favor, try this drink.

Homemade Dog Food

On By Michel McDonaldIn AdLeave a comment

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of homemadedogfood.com for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Do you know what is in your dog’s food?  Do your dogs even like their food?  Go look at the ingredients on the bag of dog food, you can only pronounce a few words.  What’s frustrating for me is that no matter what brand or flavor dog food, my dog won’t even eat it unless it is her last resort.

I have a friend who is a chef who told me many years ago that she has a recipe for dog food, but I didn’t have a dog so I didn’t really pay too much attention.  Now that I have a dog, it’s time to find out how to do it so I turn to this website Homemade dog food.  Not only do they have a recipe my dog will eat, but it only has a few ingredients. Ground beef, rice and eggs that you bake like meatloaf.  What more can you ask for?

Check out this Easy cooked dog food recipe.  They are very precise and to the point and even have pictures and a video in case you are unclear how to do it.  The chef also shows how much of the supplements to add when he feeds it to his dogs.  And look at the dogs eating this food, look at those tails wagging.  Those are some happy dogs.  I know my dog would much prefer to eat this dog food.

Take a minute and think about something.  When you see animals in the wild, you don’t see them eating hard round nuggets or bone shaped food, instead they eat raw meat from animals they have killed.  That’s what your dog wants, but of course they can’t go out and kill their dinners because there isn’t any game in your house for them to hunt.  This recipe gives them the meat they desire and the added supplements they require that they aren’t getting from the cooked hamburger meat.  I know that this is what my dog would love to eat so I am seriously thinking about making her food.

It says in the website to fast your dog for 24 hour to flush out the dog food, well my dog doesn’t eat her food, she eats people food which I know isn’t good for her, so she doesn’t have to flush anything, she can go right ahead and switch to this new diet.  This also makes it easier to add worm medicine to her food.  I hate having to go out and buy wet dog food just to add medicine to it, I can just add it to her regular meals now.

From now on I don’t have to share my dinner with her cause she will have her own.  She’s happy, I’m happy, we’re all happy and that is what it’s all about.

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Best Songs To Play With The Windows Rolled Down

On By Michel McDonaldIn Ad1 Comment

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Kia Rio for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

When you are driving, what songs do you like to listen to with the windows rolled down?  I personally don’t drive, but I do like to listen to music when I am in the car with Darrin.  I remember when I was a teenager in the 80’s and we used to drive with music blasting so the whole world could hear it, now of course I just have whatever is on the radio playing, but I’m too old to blast it now.  The only time we ever blast the music is when we’re showing off.  So which song do you think that I would blast if I were driving in a car?  The answer would probably surprise you.

Kia has a new Rio for 2012 which has amazing features that I think you will love, like for example the 40MPG which is probably the best reason to buy a car, but they also have heated leather seats, a button to start the engine, blue tooth wireless technology for your hands free and UVO voice-activated Infotainment system by Microsoft, I’ve never heard of that but I’m intrigued.  They don’t stop with the inside, they have LED lighting instead of light bulbs for your back lights. Check out this ad for more information.

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So getting back to what I was talking about at the beginning, you can enter your favorite song in the Kia Rio “Best Songs with your Windows Down” playlist” on Facebook and have it added to a playlist on Spotify.  What did you think I picked as my favorite?  If you guessed “Queer Nation” by Elephant you were correct.  I know it’s explicit but I think I would blast that mofo for shock value, I mean besides it being an awesome song of course.  I chose that song because I am newly addicted to Elephant, I mean they are gay twin rappers, who wouldn’t be intrigued by that?

You can add your favorite song as well by going to the “Best Songs with your Windows Down” playlist on Facebook and typing in your favorite artist and/or song and clicking the search button, choose a track and submit it using your name and email address.  If I had to choose another band with another song I’d have to go with Justin Utley’s song Room to Breathe, or really any of his songs for that matter.  I chose those 2 artists, Elephant and Justin Utley because they are out loud and proud gay artists and I support my community.

Hey I know, you should pick a song too, make sure you have Spotify installed so you can add a song and see if your song made it to the playlist, and if you do, tell me what song you chose and why.  Check the playlist every day to see what new songs are being added, you might find something new to listen to.  Oh and if you get a chance, go out and buy a new 2012 Kia Rio, it’s a sound investment… Get it?  Sound?  Cause… the music… it was funnier in my head.

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Information Regarding Walgreens, Express Scripts and Tricare

On By Michel McDonaldIn AdLeave a comment

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walgreens for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Walgreens

I have been going to Walgreens ever since we moved to Bakersfield in 2000.  What I didn’t know was that Walgreens and Express Scripts are in the middle of a dispute.  Apparently over the last year, Walgreens has been negotiating for a new contract for 2012, but they were not successful.  What does that mean for you?  It means that if you are a part of the Tricare network, you will not be able to fill your prescriptions at Walgreens, which is totally unfair, not to mention uncool.

If you are unaware of who Tricare is, which I was until now, they are for military personnel.  How does this affect military?  Well, it makes getting your prescriptions difficult if you are constantly moving around because of the military.  As long as you are a member of Walgreens, you can go to any Walgreens to fill your prescriptions.  I’m sure it’s the same for other pharmacies, but if you are used to and loyal to Walgreens, you won’t like this change.

Express Scripts is saying that you will not have to pay more for your prescriptions through them, but that just isn’t true because they will just raise their prices.  It’s the same rule as movie theaters and airport food, if you are forced to buy it through them, they will raise their prices.  They want you to get your medicine directly through them and they are just the middle man in this whole thing.  They are doubling their profits which is unfair to Walgreens.  If they raise their prices, then they would more than double their profits and who loses in all of this?  Not just Walgreens, but you do too.

If you are part of the Tricare network then you are being affected by this, if not then you don’t have to worry about anything.  If you are affected, join the Prescription Savings Club at Walgreens and cut out the middle man.  Why should you have to put up with unfair practices by Express Scripts?  Life is difficult as it is, there is no reason that we as a society should have to pander to these 1% fat cats.

Raise your voice in this issue by contacting the local media and telling them how pissed off you are.  Follow Walgreens on Twitter and become a fan of Walgreens on Facebook and let them know that you still support them.

We as a society are who pay these fat cats their salaries, so if we (and I don’t mean me because I don’t have Tricare) don’t stand up for what we believe in, then they will just get richer and we will get poorer.  Let them know you aren’t going to take their abuse by boycotting them and going directly to Walgreens.  They will get the message when their profits are no longer doubling, and in fact decreasing and they will change their practice.  You have a voice, use it!

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