Who's Watching and What are They Looking At?

When was the last time you waded through a privacy statement? Be honest now. Any site that requires a login has a privacy statement. Some of the data is kept in cookies on your computer and other data is kept and shared offline. At PrivacyChoice you can choose from a list of home pages and find the short version, as well as the long one, concerning your terms with any particular site. Click on a URL from a long list on the left. The right side displays a thumbnail of the home page and four buttons below it to explain the sites privacy policy and what software is being used as well. PrivacyChoice also provides the ability to opt-out of various info gathering online gathering services. For the privacy minded this is a must visit.

Setting Google Preferences

Whenever a new program is installed on our computer, there is usually an option that allows us to see the tools available for modification. We go to something like Tool/Options or Apple/Program Preferences. We make a couple changes from optional ways for the software to run and the program becomes more useful than it was before. Google also has preferences that we can set. As long as the machine we use has cookies turned on, we can tell Google exactly how we want it to run on our computer. To explore some of the possibilities read the article "Setting Google Preferences."

Veteran's Day in the Classroom

As a youngster in grade school, I remember Veteran's Day as being a day off between Halloween and Thanksgiving. I didn't know much more than that. I did know that if I was with my parents on that day, we would stop and be quiet for a minute or so at 11:00 AM. I didn't know why but I figured as long as I got out of school it was okay and I could keep my trap shut for a minute or so. Needless to say, I've learned a bit more about Veteran's Day and what it's all about over the years. But it still has a tendency to be an overlooked holiday--and it shouldn't be. Men and women have fought and died to preserve our way of life in this country and the least we can do is celebrate their gift to us. If you're a teacher or work with young folk help educate them about Veteran's Day. Let them understand why the holiday exists and what it means to our way of life. If you'd like some ideas for classroom activities, visit "Classroom Suggestions for Veteran's Day." The photograph here is of the Moving Wall, a 1/2 scale replica of the Vietnam War Memorial from Washington, D.C. It travels around the country and is displayed at various festivals, events, American Legion, V.F.W. posts and other locations. Visit the Moving Wall schedule to see when the wall may be appearing near you.

Replace Missing Military Medals

Veteran's Day is almost here. For various reasons many vets no longer have the medals, ribbons, and commendations they earned while serving in the United States military. Sometimes they get lost, stolen, or even destroyed in a catastrophe like fires or floods. The military keeps a record of everything--including the medals earned by the men and women of the armed forces. To find out how to get these medals replaced at no charge, read: "Request to Replace Missing Military Medals."