Sadly, it's a fear that modern life has taught us to carry around...
Whether we're catching a movie, having dinner at a local restaurant, or part of any gathering of folks, events like the recent attacks in Paris and San Bernardino force us to look around and wonder... What if it happened to me?
Don't become a fraud victim this holiday season...
This time of year, you will undoubtedly receive a call from a charity asking for donations. You might hear a sad story about children struggling with cancer or abused animals about to be euthanized.
There's little I enjoy more than helping someone have a new experience with food or wine.
And around the holidays, I used to be the first one to share spoons, forks, and glasses with friends and family...
Internet retailers have a creepy new way of tracking your behavior...
Worse, you won't know they're doing it, and even if you did, you couldn't stop it.
We all know by now that technology has enabled businesses to collect detailed data about our buying habits.
No one likes this. At its worst, it's an intrusion of privacy.
Until now... one of the biggest problems for these businesses is something called the "multi-device problem."
You probably use a handful of Internet-enabled devices: A desktop computer or two, a smartphone, a tablet, etc. For Internet-based companies to get a full sense of your buying habits, they've got to figure out how to connect all those devices to the same person.
According to a complaint filed with the Federal Trade Commission by the Center for Democracy and Technology, more than a dozen marketing companies have recently started using inaudible audio signals to communicate between your devices.
Here's how it works... If you visit a website that's using this technology, it puts a cookie on your computer – a piece of code commonly used for tracking users. This code then plays an "audio beacon" through your speakers that you can't hear. It's silent, like a dog whistle. But the beacon transmits information that your other devices can pick up.
These beacons can communicate between a smartphone, desktop computer, or tablet and figure out that they all belong to you. Even some television commercials broadcast these noises so the companies can determine what you watch.
This technology is not disclosed to users and cannot be turned off.
One of the main providers, a company called SilverPush, is used by 67 apps and installed on 18 million smartphones. Other companies are known as Drawbridge and Flurry.
I'm generally not in favor of more government intrusion... but these companies should be required to disclose the data they collect from users. At least then, consumers would be aware of which companies are gathering this kind of information.
It's shocking... But over and over, the medical establishment is denying people the right to die peacefully or with dignity.
The facts about the end of life are alarming.
One of the simplest ways to improve your health is also one of the most fun...
We're talking about listening to music.
Veterans were always my favorite patients...
In all of my medical experiences, my favorite moments were doctoring to active and retired servicemen and women at the Veterans Administration (VA) hospital. There was something humbling and beautiful about knowing I might help people who had served to keep me safe. There was also a wonderful culture of deep respect I rarely saw in other hospitals.
In addition to pensions, the VA offers veterans a variety of other little-known services.
Free grave markers and burial plots. The VA will cover the cost of a headstone and a burial plot for honorably discharged veterans. Burial sites include state and national cemeteries. That's easily $2,000-$3,000 toward the cost of a funeral. And these services extend to spouses and dependents.
Antibacterial soap isn't just a useless marketing gimmick... it could actually stop your heart.
Each flu season, many folks reach for antibacterial soap to "protect themselves." Don't be one of them...
Stop worrying so much about your weight... It turns out, there are far more important ways to take control of your health than fretting over the number on your scale.
Researchers from the University of Cambridge recently found that increasing activity could cut mortality rates in their study by 7.5%, while losing weight only reduced mortality rates during the study period by 3.6%.