NORTON Security is it a Scam?

  Between my freshman and sophomore years of college here at Marshall I happened to have a new HP laptop. This laptop had nothing of protection on it after purchase, so I took initiative to get the software from Norton Security online. Well in doing so I put in my debit information to get the online subscription. What happened afterward was something I had feared when entering account information "overcharges." It was until my bank PNC called to let me know there had been activity charging my account rapidly at $40 a piece that I became aware of what this security company's online subscription was doing. In the end had to cancel my card, did not get my money back after being charged three times.

To better combat this issue and better protect others from this same instance I am letting you know if this happens to you go to the attorney general of your state and the better business bureau in your state. Make your claim to these entities you will have a better chance at getting your money back than just going through the company Norton. Not only go through these two avenues also continue with Norton and the regional office if it is near your proximity or do the claim via the phone. I was charged 120.00 dollars for my mistake make sure to read and recheck but for full safety just have the store computer employees put the bought software on your computer instead of getting it online. But if it is to late for that go through your state and the attorney general and better business bureau first to up your chances of at least recouping some of your money.

Is this a scam? In my eye it was for me taught me a valuable lesson on internet buying with your cards safe to say I will not be buying from Norton for the time being since that incident and haven't touched a Norton product for two years now. But follow the short steps that I suggested to help ease the fight to get your money back.

STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS Huntington, WV

    Huntington Mayor Steve Williams opened the 2015-2016 annual State of the City address with unveiling the proposed budget for the next fiscal year.

    The mayor said the city is vibrant and teeming with optimism, but revealed that the revenue for the city is projected to be $1,613,455 less than what was originally projected for the current fiscal year. The mayor’s written statement in the speech said “the budget does not contain raises for our employees” the statement continued “by the time our upcoming contract negotiations mature, we anticipate that there may be a clearer picture of our revenue projections than we have today.”

    After the State of the City the mayor said “The 1.6 million is not less than the 45 million, that it is actually $500,000 more than what the city reduced the revenues down to in October.” He stayed on the topic of budget after the address stating “ He reduced the budgets of three departments public works by $50,000, police by 150,000 and fire by 150,000.”

    The address pushed on after the first part of the speech revealed the budget revenue losses Mayor Williams forged ahead in the speech to talk about the upcoming projects the city had in store. Four projects are being combined for one effort Hal Greer Boulevard corridor, which includes Northcott Court, the west end of Huntington centered on the River Rail area, the brownfield industrial area just east of Marshall University, adding a proposal to deploy high-speed broadband to Huntington were some of the projects to help economic expansion the mayor said in a statement a part of the state of the city speech.

      The speech progressed to the Mayor office Drug Control policy. The mayor statement from his speech started with” since January 1, we have had 87 over doses and witnessed 12 deaths due to overdose.“ The mayor said, ” It’s time to establish a comprehensive plan.”  The mayor then proceeded to acknowledge the youth the importance of this group to the revitalization of the city. In particular the mayor pointed out a group the Wellness Council of Huntington High.  The mayor expressed,  “Our communities health has been called into question.”

       The mayor verbalized later on in his speech that he has organized a coalition to continue to improve upon race relations in the city of Huntington especially with the black community by promote diversity and dialogue between police stations and the community. The mayor also vocalized in the state of the city address a new council the LGBT Advisory Council to create open dialogue between the LGBT and the mayor’s office, as well as with the fire and police departments.

        The mayor’s state of the city address Wednesday, Feb.17 provided a look at what economic expansion projects are in the works, true budget numbers and reductions, property to be used and explored for finical prosperity, race relations, drug addiction and communication with LGBT community to make sure there voices are heard in the city. The mayor in his annual address proposed many projects; in a year that finds Huntington in tight straits with a budget consisting only 45 million.

      

New Jersey Shield Law...Protection for Reporter's in the Garden State?

In the state of New Jersey to protect reporters and there sources the state enacted a shield law to protect the sources of the journalists and news materials a part of the story.  N.J. Stat. 2A:84A-21 states that a person engaged on, engaged in, connected with or employed by news media for the purpose of gathering, procuring, transmitting, compiling, editing or disseminating news for the general public has a privilege to refuse to disclose before any investigative body …”

http://www.rcfp.org/new-jersey-privilege-compendium/ii-authority-and-source-right

The statute also states that the news media means newspapers, magazines, press associations, news agencies, wire services, radio, television, and photographic or electronic means of disseminating news to the general public as defined by New Jersey shield law. As long as you have a relationship with one of the news media before you are covered under the law as disseminating news.

New Jersey shield law protects not only the identity of a source, but also any information that would lead to identification. According to the law in the Garden State publishing some information does not eliminate the law’s protection of the sources identity, stating that you do not have to promise the source confidentiality in order to protect the source identity with the shield law.

The Pros of the shield law protects reporter’s privilege.  As long as the reporter is engaged in investigative journalism, gathering the news and that the intent is to disseminate such information to the public.  The pros of true protection are under the New Jersey shield law. The Con’s are that student journalist are not covered under Jersey’s shield law, as well as, non traditional journalists are not securely protected under the law because the investigative reporting part of reporter’s privilege could present a problem for some reporters of under those sections to protect the sources of there stories.

The law should have student journalists under the protection of the law. Students can have investigative pieces or stories, without protection sources can find themselves identified if asked by a court.  Students and non-traditional journalist a part of reputable sites should be put under the reporter’s privilege standard of newspapers and television that reside in New Jersey. 

I have not had any experiences of having to use the shield law in the state of New Jersey. The law has not been used in my life or those of other’s student journalists I know in the state of New Jersey. The law is present in Jersey but for those reporter’s that  have a connection to a reputable medium outlet.

STATE OF THE UNION...DID I GET IT RIGHT?

    President Obama’s State of the Union address hit on a couple of my predictions but went left on the others. The president’s speech highlighted race, Cuba, tax reform and the middle class, but I predicted that the economic growth, education with and emphasis on community college, immigration would be his strongest point made the night of the address.

    I predicted that the president would talk strongly about the economy; the president addressed the topic first in his address. The president said, “Tonight, after a breakthrough year for America, our economy is creating jobs at the fastest pace since 1999.” The economy growth was suggested in the previous column on the GDP growth rate in the past year. The president went as far to convey his economic growth and middle class proposal by inviting Rebekah Erler to the address to highlight the middle class needed help by the government. In that same section of the address my prediction ended up being the broad look at the middle class. The previous column written focused on the economic growth not the proposals the president would make on helping the growth of the middle class.

     One of the points I completely missed the equality of gays and gay marriage that the president made a topic in the night. The president acknowledged that the country’s progressive stance on the issue has seen that he said, “seven in ten Americans call home.”

     Another left turn that I found myself missing to predict happened to be the president’s voice on the race issues in the country in the matter of Ferguson and New York, a topic that eluded my thoughts when trying to put my predictions together. How the president himself wanted a more unified country acknowledging the cops and families fear for them and also the minority parents that have a fear for there sons as well, a definite oversight as a possible talking point with the address.

     Education and the president’s proposal to congress about the free two years of community college predicted presented in the speech for congress to be ready for in the near future. Granted what made this prediction easier the president’s spoiler the two weeks prior to the night of the address. Now the presented brought up the idea of affordable college as sticking points.

     The point of energy and the country ability to efficiently cut down pollution and add to federal lands presented as achievements under the president’s administration in the address. He did not go into depth though went as a point of acknowledgement and proceeded with the rest of his. Thought that the president might have gone a little deeper in what the administration would plan or propose to help the energy strategy.

      A missed prediction of the president bold claim of unity between his administration and the Republican leadership also missed my list of proposed points and even though this point happened later in the speech, it posed as a rallying point for bipartisanship and a better effort of communication between the president and republican leadership.

      In whole the President did talk about some of my predictions but besides education and the economy, the president breezed over the rest of my points. As in terms immigration the president did not go into as large of depth or proposal on the issue. The State of the Union address predictions were of some success but failed to hit the tougher point that the president made a part of his agenda for the upcoming final two years of his administration and presidency.

WILL THE PRESIDENT ADVERT LAME DUCK STATUS

In this year’s State of the Union address President Obama will try to convince not only Congress but the American people that his final two years in office will not be labeled as his lame-duck years. Trying to get to an early start and get to work quickly the President has already hosted top Republican officials to the White House heading up to the address.                                            

    The previous year State of the Union address highlighted Higher Education and the White House College Opportunity Summit, Tax Code Reform, an Energy strategy to bring more jobs and reduce American dependency on oil, Immigration Reform and Equal Pay for Equal Work to close the inequality of women’s pay to men.

     In 2013 the President’s address had a different tune returning troops from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, the revisited idea of Tax Reform and jobs growth.

     The address this year will have the President highlighting the economic growth of the country under his administration. According to US Bureau of Economic Analysis the country had an all time high GDP Growth rate at 16.9 percent in 2014.  Making way for the President to outline economic proposals for Congress and possible executive actions President Obama hinted at the end of 2014.  Apart of that idea of growth could be applied to the Auto Industry stability again with more manufacturing happening in America.

     Another point is Education and Higher Education at that. The President has put education in the State of the Union Address in years past this year has the same feeling. A week ago the President unveiled little of what could be a proposal for Congress on making community college first two years possibly free. It can be a spoiler as to the President’s possible point on education in the address.  The mantra Affordable College has been on the Presidents Education Agenda going back to last years address. With the proposal already announced the President would sure make the argument for the idea of affordable College.

      Now Immigration has been a hot button issue between Congress and the White House for quite sometime. With the midterm elections resulting in Republican control of the House and Senate one of the top priorities for the Republicans is Immigration reform.  Immigration reform being high up on the list of the party in control the President will have to talk about that point in the Address. WhiteHouse.gov finds that there are 11 million undocumented workers and people living in the United States.  Homeland Security put out the department’s statistics for 2013 a total of 662,483 undocumented individuals happened to be apprehended.

      Another section that would be brought back as another topic in the State of the Union address the Presidents energy strategy first proposed in 2014. With the gas prices low and energy having efficient cost for the time being look for the President to highlight the accomplishment of energy cost to Americans in the address. It will push the presidential agenda back to the renewed effort for alternative forms of energy either from the air or high on the list natural gas.

       The Presidential State of the Union Address will contain proposals and points that not only point out the administrations accomplishments in the past year but what the administration want to get done going forward.