Tag Archives: Google

How to erase all of the data Google knows about you

Once again I am experimenting with processes to use on my websites to benefit my followers and readers.  In particular, I am posting an article that shows others how to delete all of the information on you used by Google to track you for various reasons.

This experiment is with using, Press This, a WordPress feature used to post a link to an online article directly into a blog post.  And, yes, if I am blessed with you taking the time to read this post, I am including you as one of my readers and hopefully a follower (please sign up below if you are not a follower).

The linked article on “How to Erase All of the Data Google Know About You” may be of interest, even if your participation on this website is related to issues surrounding mass incarceration in America, affiliate marketing, social issues, or any other topics I write about on StraightfromthePen.com.  For instance, such as the blog I wrote to help others to be more informed about some of the scams and threats related to online activities: The Phish Who Got Away | STRAIGHT FROM THE PEN

Thanks for reading and for following me on StraightfromthePen.com.  Here is the article you may find useful if concerned about the data mining used by Google.  If you prefer not to use this link, you can find the article by Digital Goddess, Kim Komando from USA TODAY who wrote the article by searching KimKomando.com.

“You’d be shocked to find out just how much data Google has on you. Thankfully you can delete almost everything you’ve shared with Google.”

Source: How to erase all of the data Google knows about you

Revising a Life by Wayne T. Dowdy

Image captured at McDonough Goodwill Store and Donation Center

Revising a Life

While walking with a friend at the McDonough Goodwill Store and Donation Center, I snapped the above photo of Kirklands’ Autumn Plaque and two pictures. Snapping quality photos is a natural skill for me, as is evident by my 18-million views on Google Maps displayed in the screenshot below.

Revising a Life by Wayne T. Dowdy relates to a variety of aspects from my life (affiliate marketing, relationships, my writing career, and my overall successful reentry into society). More of which I will write about in Life After Release-9.

On Writing: A month ago I came up with the idea for an eBook, Revising a Life, because that is what I am in the process of doing. I am the author, editor, and creator, at least, to the point of where my Higher Power, whom I choose to call God, allows me.

One day He will elect to End the Story. For now, though, I am writing the story as I go along one day at a time, accepting that everything will be okay.

I am a good writer and will focus more on my writing career than what I have been doing since my release.

Affiliate Marketing

At this point, I am not impressed with the whole affiliate marketing process. I question whether the companies are getting sales from my promotions and not paying me what is due, so …. I am moving on to other companies.

However, I would be more successful at it if I advertised and followed suggestions better than I do when it comes to posting content and mass advertising to market what I promote.

Successful Reentry

Since my release on August 28, 2018, I’ve actually accomplished a lot but don’t feel like I am where I should be in life by this time. However, I know things work according to God’s will, whether I like it or not.

What is of greatest importance is that I continue to work and to live my life without resulting to old behaviors, such as getting high on mind-altering substances, and then becoming a walking crime spree in action.

Not my style anymore. I retired decades ago.

Picture Perfect: At five million photo views on Google Maps, I was in the Top One percent. Now that I am up to 18-million, can’t be too many others who outperform me. Unfortunately, my success in that area only strokes my ego because it hasn’t earned me a cent!

Now, I am in the Top Ten percent as a Google MAPS American Restaurant Reviewer. That stat may benefit me in some areas but still hasn’t made me rich and famous. 🙂

Relationships

Still lacking in that area, too. Maybe I need to quit playing hard to get, and focus more on the women who want me and are worthy of my love, rather than chasing others who are so filled with themselves that there is no room for anyone else.

In A Prisoner and a Poem for a Princess shown below (also available in Essays & More Straight from the Pen), I wrote about the only fiancé that I’ve had in decades, which left me with a broken heart when she died from Congestive Heart Failure at the age of 47.

Broken my heart may be, but I am okay with it. Some things are just meant to be for reasons unknown to me.



Conclusion

Once again, in A Prisoner and a Poem for a Princess, I mention hearing a song that made me wonder if it was what was fixing to happen (losing my lover). At the time I did know know Pearl Jam was the group who had redone the old song I heard in my head, before hearing Pearl Jam’s version on the radio.

If you want to hear a great song and witness something special, click to open the YouTube video where Eddie Vetter and Pearl Jam gives three men a wonderful opportunity who came out of prison after being wrongly convicted.

Pearl Jam Concert, May 27, 2006, Camden, NJ

Watch “Mix – Pearl Jam – Last Kiss” on YouTube

Massive Change by Wayne T. Dowdy

Stock Moe’s Penny Stocks

Massive Change for me involves all my recent activities by trading in the stock market, as well as taking more time to work on my websites to create more traffic in hope of earning additional income. In this blog, I am dedicating most of it to promote Stock Moe, a great person who helps others.

Stock Moe taught me to use the word “Massive” in a title for Search Engine Optimization (SEO), which is what bloggers and others use to make their website more visible to search engines, such as Google and Bing.

Stock Moe used Massive about YouTube videos but that doesn’t mean it only works for YouTubers. I am using a SEO technique in this blog by repeatedly using his name and placing his name in headings.

Stock Moe qualifies as my favorite YouTuber because his actions prove that he wants to help others and isn’t doing the YouTube videos strictly for profit.

Stock Moe does promote WEBULL to get free stocks to help support the channel, as will I if someone uses the link in this paragraph to go to Webull to create a stock trading/investing account, and then funds it with a minimum of $100.00.

Get free stocks by signing up now, and then if you also promote WeBull, you will get more free stocks when a referral opens and funds the account within the specified time range with $100 or more.

WEBULL Promotion Good Until March 1, 2021

In my WEBULL promotional case, I am assuming that I will reap a benefit if someone uses the above link (or that one) to create and fund an account. Because I just posted it for the first time and have never used it in this type of communication, I am not sure. Please leave a comment if you do sign up so I will know I am being credited for the referral. Thank you in advance!

NOTE: From my limited understanding, most Penny Stocks classified as so not because they sell for pennies, but because of their overall price or corporate value. Over the Counter (OTC) stocks, meaning that they aren’t listed on the NASDQ or other stock exchanges, are not available on Webull. Several trading platforms do not allow users to purchase OTC stocks. My personal favorite for buying OTC stocks is Charles Schwab.

STOCK MOE THE PRO

Watch and listen to this YouTube video by Stock Moe and then you will know why I used the heading, Stock Moe the Pro. He is someone who knows what he is talking about on the YouTube channel, as a former teacher, stock broker, etc. A very impressive person, him and his Tesla Cat!

To understand Tesla Cat, please watch Stock Moe’s YouTube presentations, then you will know what I mean. 🙂

Listening to the second video will reveal more about the Real Stock Moe who also hangs out on Twitter, where I, too, also post links to these blogs.


I am learning more tricks of the stock market trading and investing practices from Stock Moe and a few other people who do YouTube videos. In the near future I will promote some other favorites that I find reliable but Stock Moe does hold the title as The Best!

Stock Moe Teaches

Marketing and learning Search Engine Optimization is a big part of any successful website or social media platform used to make money. Stock Moe explains more about the processes in his teaching platform. Enjoy!

Political Censorship

Photo by Mathias P.R. Reding on Pexels.com

Politically Incorrect I may be, but I have a right in America to be however I choose, regardless of what public opinion may dictate as proper or improper, offensive to a particular group or party, providing I do not physically harm someone; or what supports their agenda and makes me a dedicated supporter, worthy of praise.

To be clear, at one time in my life, I may have wanted to burn down the White House, but not anymore. I prefer to live in peace and to treat others the way I want to be treated, no matter who they are or what their occupation is in life. We are all in this together.

I do not support and was saddened to see what happened at the White House on January 6, 2021; nor the events that led to the attack, which, in my opinion, may be legally attributed to outgoing President Donald Trump, based upon what he said to the crowd gathered near the White House before the attack began. (I will not go into all of that because only a caveman wouldn’t know what I am referring to and cavemen can’t read anyway.)

Censorship

As someone who has been censored, I am censor-sensitive and feel a lot like Patrick Henry, whom I have written about in previous blogs, but I am not willing to die to defend your right (or President Trump’s) right to say anything. That is just asking a little bit much: I will speak out, though, and fight to prevent our words from being silenced by censors.

On one level, nothing going on in the political arena matters to me, but I do feel obligated to express my opinion and view of what I see happening.

What I don’t feel is right is all the politically driven censorship by Facebook and Twitter, which I am sure was influenced by the recent Congressional actions against Facebook, Amazon, Google, and other technology companies dominating the market.

More recently, Facebook removed ads for guns and weapons because of more political interference. Click Here

The new controlling party doesn’t like guns, so how strange that Facebook suddenly makes a decision to stop advertising the sale of items frowned upon by the Democrats in particular.

At what point does the First Amendment of the United States Constitution protect Freedom of Speech? With today’s political environment, it doesn’t in most circumstances, as can be shown by Facebook and Twitter shutting down President Trump’s accounts.

Though private companies and not really protected under the provisions of the First Amendment, I see the situation as the beginning of the disappearance of another of the Writings on the Wall. To understand that statement, read Animal Farm by George Orwell (buy from this link and I earn a commission).

Most people in modern society fall within the Sheep category written about in Animal Farm, who supported and could not accept that the controlling party (Pigs) were removing the Writings on the Wall; illustrative of the disappearance of what was voted on during the revolution (animals taking over the farm and running off the farmers who killed and used animals and their parts). Also reflective of what would be the Constitution or controlling documents agreed upon by the Animals/People.

FACEBOOK

On Facebook, I posted a link to an article written on April 2, 2005, Patrick Henry’s take on American values and wrote the following:

Would Patrick Henry have defended President Trump’s right to say all of the controversial statements and claims? As a writer and one who has written many words that some found offensive and decided to not follow my blog because I supported issues different from their beliefs, I think of who will be the one to decide what you may read?

The power of the media was shown when its false allegations of the Spanish attacking one of the American ships started the Spanish-American war (see below for link to History).

If Freedom of Speech does not matter, go to China and Russia where the governments exhibit total control and have a history of making people disappear who speak out against the establishments.

Freedom of the Press

Is the news media responsible for what happened at the White House, because the news outlets provided the platform for the inciteful speeches made by President Trump? No.

Some politicians are wanting to hold Facebook, Twitter, and other private companies responsible for hateful content that leads to violence, so what it the difference? There isn’t.

Starting with control over the private sector is only the start for the erosion of America’s Freedom of Speech protections.

Next in line of attack will be the news media outlets or reporters who report on issues that result in violence or political upheaval.

Real Fake News helped start the Spanish American War in 1898 by falsely reporting the Spanish attacked the USS Maine in Cuba. A lie that fed the mass frenzy to attack the Spanish and to defend the Nation!

More Fake News led to the attack on the Capitol when the Commander in Chief encouraged his followers to take a stand, promising to be there with them when they did. He lied.

Oh, Sheep, where does it end?

(For more evidence of the political pressure involved in censorship that threatens the information technology of today, read Capitol Hill Attack Could End Section 230 As We Know It by Daniel Howley·Technology Editor, Wednesday, January 13, 2021.

The problem arises when a particular group of people (controlling party) will determine the information available for people to read or not read, much as what goes on in communist countries.)

Video Test of Audio

Google Assistant created the melody that I hope catches your ear and makes you smile. 🙂

This post is test-based for ad content needed to attract advertisers to generate income for this website: its purpose is to test audiovisual effects and other factors associated with supplying quality content.


Please read “About Your Host and Straight from the Pen” to understand the importance of generating an income to support this site.

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BLOGS and MORE

blogging for dollars 2

by Wayne T. Dowdy

Originally posted July 7, 2017

[Update April 8, 2019: I am taking two online courses now to learn how to generate an income from blogging.  What I’ve learned thus far is that it takes money to update my WordPress and Weebly blogs with all the tools I need to monetize the blogspots.  I am accepting all personal donations.  Contact me by email to contribute: waynedowdy@straightfromthepen.com, if interested.  Thanks!]

A friend read a few books and magazines on Positive Psychology and become a psychologist, at least, in his mind he did.  He does offer some periodic, beneficial advice.  In a conversation about my blogs and desire to increase the web traffic, he suggested I blog on more positive topics.

I learned a similar principle about writing when I took a writing course through the Long Ridge Writers Group, almost ten years ago.  Life contains enough pain and negativity for each of us; many read to escape the realities of life, or want to read things to make them feel good about themselves or their environment.

Doom and gloom feeds the news channels, so why doesn’t it work for bloggers?  Well, maybe it works for some.  Not me.  Actually, I don’t feel I write much doom and gloom in my blogs; however, I do confess that many are based on negativity.  Hey, to create lightning, it takes a negative charge.  Did I hear it thunder?

BLOG:  According to Mr. Google, a blog is a “regularly updated website or web page, typically one run by an individual or small group, that is written in an informal or conversational style.”

I write in an informal and conversational style.  I get a lot of local conversation based upon my blog content, unfortunately, my biggest audience cannot go online to click to “Like” or comment on my blog posts.  Hundreds of my readers can only read my blogs from the “inside view,” through TRULINCS, and cannot access the Internet because most prisons prohibit us from doing so.  (TRULINCS is the system Federal prisoners pay to use for emailing and phone services.)

HELP!  My fan base continues to grow but I need your help to make it grow enough to attract advertisers so the blog pays me instead of me having to pay to blog (I pay $0.05 per minute to type the blogs to send to my publisher/friend, who converts it into the proper format and posts it online for you to read).  Please share my link with others.  Thanks!

BLOGGING FOR DOLLARS:  In 2015 I wrote a blog titled the same.  I am still working on how to blog for dollars, but as stated, I do need your help to increase traffic/page views, because without the web traffic, advertisers will not want to pay to advertise on my sites.

Bloggers may use Google Adsense to attract advertisers.  If you are reading this on straightfromthepen.wordpress.com, you may see a periodic ad posted by different businesses.  I am not sure about the waynedowdy.weebly.com blog.

Maybe my publisher already listed the website with Google Adsense and I’m earning a few nickels to help pay the bills and I just don’t know it.  🙂

WHAT DOES BLOG MEAN?  The Internet Slang says, “BLOG means ‘Weblog, online diary.'”

A log of online posts/Web entries, I reckon it is, something burned into the memory of the deep blue web, where “WEblog.”

The Acronym Finder shows BLOG as an acronym for “Web Log,” “Better Listing on Google,” “Buy Locally Owned Group (Canada),” and my favorite, “Big Load of Gossip.”  Copyright 1988-2014, AcronymFinder.com.

With the help of one of my dear sisters, I investigated what a blog is because numerous people have asked me over the years.  I knew what a blog was and what it meant to me, since I have blogged for the last few years, but I was unaware of the actual meaning or if “BLOG” was an acronym for some mysterious online organization.

Now that we know the official definition for “Blog” (according to the referenced sources), I present a blog on my Independence Day at this facility (holiday events vary between prisons).

INDEPENDENCE DAY & GRATITUDE:  One blog a lot of people liked in the free society and on the inside, staff and inmates alike, is “Gratitude & More” (12/19/16).  I wrote it from a positive perspective, so maybe what my friend suggested is true?

I need to turn over a new leaf and let signs of a positive life flow from my fingertips.

Lightning flashes and then it thunders.

I began the day with instant coffee and watching videos on CMT and MTV-2.  I’d switch from Country music on CMT to Pop to Rap to Hip Hop, and whatever else MTV plays.

COUNT TIME:  at 10:00 AM, we were locked in our cells and then stood to be counted.  During the count, I listened to my antique Sony Walkman radio as I worked on math problems in preparation for the tests I’ll take to graduate WorkKeys next week.  Nineteen Eighty-two was the last time I worked on Advanced Math in college, and trying to relearn it has been a challenge, but one I have accepted and succeeded at handling.

After the count cleared and we were released from our cages, I stood around watching but not listening to any of the ten televisions, wondering why our unit hadn’t been released for chow.  Two and a half hours later, we got to go eat.

Any change in the regular routine creates drama in here.  The staff are “supposed to” follow a set schedule to let each cellblock out to eat.  The one I live in was supposed to get out fourth in the line of twelve listed on the Weekly Rotation.  The rotation ran awful slow or we didn’t get out in the scheduled order.  I had skipped breakfast and was ready to eat by the time the cellhouse officer yelled, “Main Line.”

CHOW TIME:  Over a hundred of us took off walking fast, like a bunch of hungry critters heading for the food trough, trying to outrun the others to get first choice.  I didn’t outrun everyone in this cellblock but I did outrun a few.  🙂

I stood in line for the noon meal and was happy to see peaches being served.  I love peaches, especially, Georgia Peaches, the two legged kind and the ones that stimulate the taste buds.

The serving line ran out of peaches with the person before me.  Peaches were replaced with watermelon.  I love watermelon!  I can eat half of a large watermelon by myself.  The Inmate Server put a tiny piece on my tray, one so small that the edible content would not fill a 12-ounce glass.  I did not feel grateful.

I still smiled and said thank you, as I customarily do, even when I don’t feel so thankful.  I try to be polite and treat people the way I want to be treated, not the way I may feel they deserve to be treated.

When I first arrived at this institution in 2004, I noticed ethnically-different, inmate servers, looking up to see who’s next in line.  And if the person was white, and not one who pays for larger portions, sort through the food to select a smaller piece while staff watched.  I experienced violent thoughts about using a serving tray as an assault weapon.  Not now, though.

I smile and say thank you and tell myself the person is trying to help me fight high-cholesterol I do not have, by finding a smaller piece of fried chicken or meat to give me and any other non-paying person.

THE HOLIDAY MEAL:  For lunch today, I had a chunk of beef so tough that a pit-bull would have struggled to chew it.  Tough or not, it tasted good and I am grateful to have had it to eat.

Too many people in the world, who are not in prison, did not have any food to eat yesterday and today.  Why haven’t we figured out how to feed everyone in the world or big cities in America?

I also had corn on the cob that I gave away, sour cream, baked potatoes, broccoli, and a tasty little apple pie, to go with the piece of beef and micro-watermelon slice.  Who but a whiny prisoner would complain about a meal like that?

Most people who paid for the meal would have wanted a refund on the terribly-tough, tasty beef.  Regardless of that, though, we got fed and filled our bellies, so I can’t rightfully complain, even though I did.

Prison is not supposed to be a pleasurable experience.  The meal we had was better than what millions of people around the globe ate that day.

GRATITUDE:  While sitting at a table eating, I suffered from Watermelon Envy as I eyed the peaches and slices of watermelon on the trays of my peers, their watermelon slices larger than mine.  A friend must have saw the look in my eyes and gave me his watermelon.  After eating it, I felt better before leaving, my belly full of gratitude for a moment.

Leaving the chow hall, I walked with a Mexican and African-American.  We were given a paper sack lunch for our evening meal: cold cut slices of various meat, a slice of cheese, four slices of bread, and pastries.

The African-American says, “I got two cinnamon rolls.  Did you get two?”

I peeked into my sack and only saw one.

The Mexican said, “Yeah, I got two of ’em too.”

I said, I only got one.  A cracker ain’t got nothing coming, I somewhat joked.

I returned to the cellblock and thought about the experiences during the meal and then remembered the premises I wrote about in Gratitude & More.  As I did so, I took everything out of the bag, then noticed I did have two cinnamon rolls.  The two packages were stuck together, which I didn’t notice when peeking into the bag.

GOD-SHOT:  I felt a God-Shot when I realized how things changed when I thought to be grateful for what I had, rather than complain about what I did not.  God gives me lessons each day.  I grow each time He does, if I learn what He wants me to learn.

It thunders when He speaks; oftentimes, it takes lightning to get my attention.

CONCLUSION:  I spent the latter part of the day studying more math and listening to music, periodically venturing out of my cell to look at the televisions.  Later in the evening, I went to the recreation department to walk the asphalt track and to print a draft copy of an earlier version of this blog.

Several of my peers ran the track, others screamed and shouted as they played basketball, softball, handball, and various other games.

Dark clouds filled the horizon and approached fast, pushed on by strong winds as a storm approached that caused the staff to close outside recreation.  Children cannot play outside when it storms; especially, those with a history of misbehavior and absconding from justice.  We rushed inside before it rained.

I did succeed at printing the draft and walking a few laps before returning to work more on this blog and read legal news on the electronic bulletin board.

While on the computer terminal, I watched the movie, Mr. Church, staring Eddie Murphy, in a much different cast.  After the computer kicked me off after 30-minutes, I watched the rest of the movie from my cell.  Some darn gnats or something kept getting in my eyes near the end of the movie when Mr. Church died.  I don’t know where those gnats came from.  🙂

My day concluded with a shower, talking with my cellmate, listening to the radio some more, and reading before counting off another day from the calendar.

All things considered, it was a good day.  I did something for the mind, body, and spirit.  What more can a person ask for in life?  Well, right now I can think of a few things I’d like to be different, but I will close without complaining.  We get what we need and things work according to God’s will, not Wayne’s.  Darn it!  However, the positive side is that if things went according to Wayne, I wouldn’t be “here” to entertain you with this blog.  Thanks for reading my writings!

______________________________

Note: I postponed writing the second eBook in the Fiction Crime Series, Guns, Drugs & Thugs.  Purchase Guns, Drugs & Thugs: Drug Store Spree in paperback or as an eBook at  https://www.amazon.com/Guns-Drugs-Thugs-Store-Spree/dp/1797068466/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=guns%2C+drugs+and+thugs&qid=1554732767&s=books&sr=1-1

Murder Slim Press also publised Guns, Drugs & Thugs: Drug Store Spree.  Another printed version is available in the magazine, Savage Kick # 9.

Purchase ESSAYS & MORE STRAIGHT FROM THE PEN ($8.95 USD) and UNKNOWN INNOCENCE ($12.95, USD) from your favorite bookseller; also available as eBooks from Smashwords.com, Barnes & Noble, Amazon.kindle, and many others.

Autographed copies available through the author.  Contact by eMail: waynedowdy@straightfromthepen.com