Ramblings Magazine Issue #2 Podcast
Ramblings Magazine Issue #2 pdf file
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Why have beards become so popular?
Hello, this is TomT2.0. I have wondered why beards have become so popular. Therefore, I went to the local the AI for some comments. This is what AI came up with.
Ah, the great beard renaissance of the 21st century! Here’s why humanity has decided to embrace the facial fur with such fervor:
- Masculine Identity: In an era where traditional masculine norms have been under scrutiny, beards have become a symbol of masculinity. It’s like men are saying, “I’m not just a guy; I’m a man with a beard that could house a small ecosystem.”
- Cultural Trends and Media Influence: Remember when every TV show had at least one character with a beard so majestic it could be seen from space? Shows like “Duck Dynasty” or the rugged looks of actors like Tom Hardy have set the trend. If TV says beards are cool, well, who are we to argue with the small screen?
- Perceived Health and Dominance: There’s a notion, backed by some studies, that beards make men look healthier, older, and more dominant. It’s like nature’s way of saying, “This guy might have survived a few more winters than you think.”
- The Hipster Effect: Beards became a staple in hipster culture, symbolizing a rejection of mainstream grooming standards. If you’re going to be different, why not start with your face?
- Historical Cycles: Beards go in and out of fashion like bell-bottom jeans. We’ve seen cycles where beards were all the rage, then vanished, only to return with a vengeance. It’s almost as if facial hair has its own sense of fashion timing.
- Social media and Beard Envy: Platforms like Instagram have turned beard care into an art form. Men see these beards, think, “I could be that guy,” and thus, the beard trend spreads like wildfire.
- Backlash to Grooming Norms: There’s a bit of rebellion in growing a beard. It’s like saying, “I refuse to conform to the clean-shaven corporate look.” It’s facial hair as a statement of individuality.
- Scientific Reasons: Some studies suggest beards might have evolved as a signal in mate selection, indicating good genetics or health. Plus, there’s the theory that beards might have protected men’s faces in fights, making them more appealing to potential mates.
- Economic and Lifestyle Changes: After economic downturns, there’s often a trend towards more rugged, ‘survivor’ looks. Beards fit into this narrative of resilience and toughness.
So, why are beards popular? It’s a mix of fashion, rebellion, science, and a dash of wanting to look like you could survive a zombie apocalypse. But remember, while beards might be in vogue now, give it time, and we might all be back to smooth faces, wondering what the fuss was about. Human trends, much like beards, are cyclical and often, delightfully unpredictable.
In conclusion, my blogging offers audio or reading, your decision. Have a nice day. Contact me at mail@tomt2.com.
Black Widow Spiders
Not too long ago I was watching The Discovery Channel or National Geographic Channel about black widow spiders. This brought back memories about my experience with black widow spiders throughout my life. This series also caused me to dream about the spiders for a couple of nights after the show. I guess the show was pretty authentic.
Anyway, my parents built their home where a cherry orchard was before. For the first years the home was infested with black widow spiders. The screen doors did not fit very tight in those days and the spiders could crawl in under where the doors hung over the floors. There was I suppose more than a half inch opening between the floor and the bottom of the screen door.
During my young years I remember my grandma taking the broom and knocking the spiders off of the outside of the screen in the door. There were occasions where my mother would pull open a drawer in a dresser or kitchen drawer and she would discover a black widow spider in the drawer. The most dramatic event was one evening we were getting ready for bed and my mother found one of these spiders climbing up the bed spread at the foot of the bed. This was a scary event for a young child under five years old. I don’t remember if it took me a long time to get to sleep after that event or not.
The TV show I was watching was about a young child that was bitten twice by a spider that crawled into her bed between the sheets and bit her twice before she realized what was happening. That could have happened to me when I was young. That is probably why I had dreams after that show.
The house did not have a basement; it just had a crawl space of about three feet. I remember when I got older my dad and I would go in the crawl space, and he showed me all the spiders between the rafters that died when he got a unit call “Hari Kari”. It was a small electrical pot that you would put these pills in and the heat from the heating element would cause the pills to evaporate and emit a poison gas into the air and kill the spiders. Those rafters were just covered with carcasses of those spiders. That Hari Kari eliminated our spider problem. Before my dad passed away, we were talking about the Hari Kari and then he told me they had to take it off the market because it emitted cyanide gas and it was considered too dangerous.
Another event happened in a field we used to walk through to get to Alameda and Federal. One day we were walking through the field and got curious about this piece of wood that was there for a long time. It looked like some kind of door where three pieces of wood was fastened together with hinges on one side. It was lying flat on the ground, and I decided to pick it up and see what was on the other side. I put my fingers under the edge and stood it up on its side. No more than an inch away from my right index finger was a bright shiny black widow spider. That was a scary moment. I could have been bitten so easily.
On occasion I run into black widow spiders in the garage now. Sometimes I was washing something down with the hose and disturb a web and one comes crawling out looking very mad. They sure are black and shiny. Black widow spiders have given me some uneasy moments.
Ramblings Magazine Podcast
Since the end of March, I have been combining my postings from various platforms and producing a twenty-page series of magazines named Rambling Magazine. Since I have been posting on Word Press since 2009, I have a collection of over 200 postings. I am also on Sub Stack and posted many articles on YourHub.com when it was owned by The Rocky Mountain News. Also, I was a participant of a local writing group.
I was told I should write a book with my comments about anything postings. Writing a book and compiling it may take a year or more. That is why I went with the magazine platform. Since I am in my senior years, I may have 10 days left or 10 years. I did not want to start a book and never finish it.
My podcast page is my most popular area. The current buzz word is podcast, and it has become a great addition to my site. That is why I have composed a podcast for Rambling Magazine Issue #1. We will see how the response will be.
ABOVE IS THE PODCAST FOR RAMBLINGS MAGAZINE ISSUE #1
Link to podcast page https://tomt2.com/audio-files/
There are times when I wish I was twenty years younger. I believe I could make a career out of this challenge. This blogging journey has been exciting and satisfying.
Peace
Throughout life you start to accumulate stuff. You get material things. You learn, you have encounters with other beings. You collect all this stuff in this short span of your life. Society promotes that material possessions are the most important in life. Many have a worth more than I cannot comprehend. Do they have it all? That is up for debate.
Little over a year I had a near death experience. I was on the operating table, and I heard an aide say, “doctor his blood pressure is dropping”! I was feeling really bad. I could not inhale or exhale. I thought, this is it! My life is over! After that I felt something, I never felt before in my life. I felt peace, no fear, no anger, nothing, just peace. This peace is very hard to explain. But it is a peace I want to feel again. No, I did not see a light at the end of the tunnel, no angels, no music, just peace, Total peace.
After a period of time, I started to hear operating room noises, I am still alive! What a shock, I thought I died. For a period of time, they did things to me and then the doctor started talking to me. He said, “Tom we got most of the clot removed and things look promising.” I said that I heard my blood pressure dropping and I asked him how low did it go? There was a pause, and he said, “you don’t want to know, and I am not going to tell you.” To this day I don’t know how low the blood pressure was. Continuing the conversation he said, “Tom I think we made the right decision to keep you awake during the procedure instead of anesthesia. I am afraid that if you would have gone under anesthesia, we would have lost you. I feel I had a preview of time after death. Total peace!
My conclusion is that “having it all” is obtainable, but it will happen during the time after death.
I recently discovered a website Near Death Research Foundation. It is an interesting site. I am going to enter my experience on this site sometime.
They are Just Material Possessions
Everyone has stuff. Many have lots of stuff. Others have more stuff than they need. You get attached to a new car or new home. Small mementos from someone you are attached to may mean a lot, but they are just stuff. This world is full of stuff, and many are necessities for a comfortable life. Money just buys stuff but that does not guarantee happiness. I have no material possession that I want to put in my coffin when I pass on.
What I do value is my memories played out in my living days. I value the family and friends in my life and all the wonderful memories that they were a part of. Memories of grandma, my parents, my sons, my spouses, my stepchildren, and everyone who has entered into my life is what I cherish. Maybe they could put a thumb drive in my coffin with all of these cherished memories.
Yes, I Have Collections
I have all kinds of collections. Do they have any monetary value? Not much. My collections are items I have collected over my life. I always think, “can I use this at some later point?” With that in mind I started collecting.
My first collection is my nut a bolt collection. Since I have been a homeowner since the early seventies I have done many projects around the home. You always don’t have the correct nail, bolt, screw, so you trot off to Home Depot and get what you need. You always end up with leftovers. So, I started collecting them. I also had projects that I recycled. I removed every nut, bolt, screw, washer, nail, that I could save. My collection has expanded to five- or six-gallon containers. Bolts in one container, nuts in another and so forth. This collection has saved me many times when I needed a couple of bolts and nuts to repair or finish a project.
The next collection is coins and paper money throughout my life. I have silver dollars, Indian head pennies, buffalo nickels, old quarters, silver certificates of paper money. I also have a stack about an inch high of two-dollar bills. Are they valuable? I don’t have a clue. I have just been collecting them through my life. I also have some World War II savings bonds my parents took out for me. Sure, they could be cashed in, but the paper bond and the age of them is worth more to me than the monetary cash in value.
Third collection is photos. I have photos my parents have accumulated over the years and the photos I have also collected over the years. Many black and white photos and color with my dad’s collection of slides. The last time I looked at the slides they are starting to discolor and fade. I don’t know how long they will last. Digital photography came into existence, and I don’t have a clue how many thousands of photos I have. I have the problem of finding a photo. I never bothered to catalog them. Therefore, I must use the hunt and search method.
Another collection is my rambling writings about my life and experiences. This collection is the most valuable to me. Whether it is valuable to anybody else is up for debate. WordPress contains a large portion of these ramblings. https://tomt2.com/ I have a collection of all the articles that were printed in the Rocky Mountain News insert of YourHub.com. During that time, they published over seventy-five of my posts. This was the motivation to start writing stories and tales down.
My newest project is Ramblings Magazine https://tomt2.com/magazine I have had comments that I should write a book. I thought about it, but a book may take years to do so I thought a magazine would be better since I am in my senior years and my warranty ran out many years. ago.
My Legacy
I never thought much about a legacy until after my near-death experience in February of 2023. My Bloodclot (Podcast). After the event I started to reconcile my life and thought, “why was I given a second chance?” I must have some unfinished business to do before my journey is over. I am just a mere mortal. I do not jump over tall buildings or stop speeding bullets. All I have is over eighty years of life on this earth. Searching for the purpose of a second chance I have decided to write about events and experiences in my life. Last August I remembered I had a site on WordPress and became active in the site. Since then, I have posted many events. Is this the purpose for the second chance? Who knows for sure.
The legacy I want to leave behind is, He was a good man. He tried to do the right thing. He was fair and didn’t take advantage of his fellow man. His faith of God and life after death was strong.
I hope my two sons remember me as a good father who did what he thought was right and necessary so they can live a good and productive life.
I hope my spouses do not regret that the years they spent with me was good years together and do not regret the years together.
I hope my stepchildren do not regret that I came into their lives and can call me stepdad with pride.
I hope all the other people I have come in contact with can say, “he was a good man!”
The Grok Platform and me
I have been a X user (Formerly twitter) since 2010. I have fun with X and have enjoyed this trip. Some have negative feelings after Elon Musk made the purchase. I can’t really see much difference. Recently they introduced The Grok. I do not really understand the platform or why I have access to it because I am not a premium+ member. I just have a blue check mark. Grok is an AI platform where you can ask questions and AI comes up with the response by accessing the information from X. I have just asked stupid questions and I am having fun with it.
I asked Grok, “what is the purpose of Grok?” AI replied, ” The Grok platform, developed by xAI, is an AI-powered chatbot designed to assist users in various domains, including Blockchain technology, Crypto, and more. It is specifically built to help with tasks such as no-code smart-contract programming, debugging, market analysis, and even creating NFTs. Grok distinguishes itself by offering a unique and fundamental advantage: real-time knowledge of the world via the X platform. This allows it to provide up-to-the-minute information and insights into trending topics and conversations.” Do you understand that? I don’t.
I then asked Grok, “who is Tomt 2.0?” This was the response. “Tom T2.0 is a persona behind various online platforms, including tomt2.com and a blogspot domain. He seems to be a senior individual with a rich history, reminiscing about his past and sharing his experiences through his writings. Tom T2.0 has a strong interest in reminiscing and has over seventy-five years of memories, experiences, and good times to draw from. He is also a proud American, expressing his love for his country and the American dream. His online presence includes posts about personal experiences, such as memories of Thanksgiving and Mother’s Day. He has also shared information about his life, including his military service and his regret for not appreciating the love of his mother more. Tom T2.0 has mentioned being involved with the wrong crowd in his youth but was fortunate to avoid long-term consequences. Additionally, Tom T2.0 has discussed his health, mentioning a near-death experience and his ongoing battle with allergies. He also shared an anecdote about his love for olives, which he attributes to a past life as a Roman soldier. In summary, Tom T2.0 is an individual who shares his life experiences and reflections on various online platforms, with a focus on reminiscing about his past and his love for his country.“
I have no concerns what Grok found on me. However, it is concerning how fast this information was retrieved. In less than thirty seconds AI composed this paragraph. Just think of all the information that could be retrieved on you after a longer amount of time.
In conclusion, I will continue to ask Grok dumb questions until they want me to become a premium+ member.
A Leader and a Follower
I have been a leader and a follower. In my growing years I was a follower. You learn to lead by following. Throughout my growing years I was never a head boy or the leader of a school club. It was easier to follow in army period than lead.
After army life I decided it is time for me to move forward in a private industry. I became a team lead and worked my way up to swing shift supervisor. Two or three years later I became a department manager for a large electronic manufacturer. I held that position for over twenty years. I think that could be classified as a leader.
During that time, I hired and fired for a department of over fifteen employees. We had office workers, warehouse personnel, delivery drivers, and outside salespeople. There was also a building. I had to get the contractors to maintain the building, lease delivery vans and have a solution for any unforeseen problem. The only requirement from corporate office was to show five percent net profit every year.
It was an experience and sometimes very stressful. Unfortunately, when I was only forty-six the corporation closed 13 warehouses across the nation, and I became unemployed. I survived the transition from a high paying executive to a person that had a difficult time finding a second career.
Now it has been over eighteen years since I retired, and all things worked out well.
Vicks VapoRub and Toenail Fungus
Some years back a nurse friend of mine were talking and I mentioned that I had some pain and discomfort on the top of my big toes. She said I could have fungus underneath my toenails and that more than likely is the reason for my discomfort. She suggested using Vicks VapoRub to help alleviate the discomfort. I thought “what are you smoking?”
Anyway, I gave it a try. After showering I put lotion on my calloused heals and started applying VapoRub on the top of my big toes and around the cuticles. After a week or so I started to feel the difference and in a couple of months I had no discomfort at all.
At my next wellness exam with my PCP when she was checking my feet, I mentioned about the VapoRub procedure and she said, “oh that is an old wife’s tale that has been around a long time.” She didn’t recommend it or discourage it.
When writing this story, I thought about going to the internet and found this.
Vicks VapoRub is a topical ointment that may help treat toenail fungus1. Its active ingredients, camphor and eucalyptus oil, have been found to have a “positive clinical effect” in treating toenail fungus1. To use Vicks VapoRub for toenail fungus treatment, you should2:
- Thoroughly file the nail.
- Rub the Vicks VapoRub on the toenail, the affected part, and the edges of your toes.
- Wear socks to prevent the ointment from soiling your sheet.
- Do this continuously for at least nine months to completely get rid of the toenail fungus
I am not suggesting or recommending this procedure. I am just sharing this story.
Past experiences
What gives me direction in my life? Everything that I have learned or experienced in my life.
From birth until now everything that I have learned or experienced in life gave me direction. I learned the necessities in life like going to the bathroom in the toilet instead of my diaper. My mother raised me as a Catholic and that gave me direction in my young years. Going to kindergarten and twelve more years of schooling added on to this direction of life.
Army service gave me a vast source of knowledge of how to deal with many different personalities and cultures. You meet hundreds of people from different parts of the country, and this was a great help in my later years dealing with people. This learning experience was very helpful in my journey of life and do not regret it one bit.
Employment in private industry, marriage, raising children, divorce and the heartaches and hurt involved in all of the above made me realize that the perfect life I have dreamed of may not come true. These events made me realize that my dreams may not be the purpose for my time on this planet.
After a period of time, I found a new direction with a new loving wife and her loving family. This told me there is light at the end of dark tunnels. Following this I retired and discovered that “Every day is Saturday.” and the stress of full-time employment is over. We also moved into the home of my dream. These events also gave me a direction in life.
A little over a year ago I was standing in front of deaths door and Dr. Death was holding the door open. I survived and as my wife says, “your room was not ready yet.” Again, another life experience has changed my direction in life. Life is not over and according to statistics the survival rate of my illness was three to five percent.
In conclusion, many events in my life and learning experiences has changed my life. I believe the purpose in life is to learn, and one should learn as much as then can in this short visit on planet of earth.
Reminiscing is My Interest
I think of the past more than the future. I am in my senior years and have over seventy-five years of memories, experiences, and good times. I am sure this is obvious in my articles I post. If it wasn’t for my past, I would have nothing to write about.
I am just a mere mortal. I don’t jump over tall buildings or stop speeding bullets. I have not done or accomplished anything spectacular in my life. I love my country and I am experiencing the American dream. I am praying that the American dream continues for many generations to come. I have been retired for over fifteen years and my American dream is close to being over. If you have read previous postings, you see that most are about memories or past experiences.
Friends and relatives have said I should print out my articles so they would not be lost. I said, “that is the purpose of TomT2.0 on WordPress.” However, that did make me think and that is when I came up with this Ramblings Magazine idea. Where this ends up only time will tell. I started with the WordPress postings and the next resource will be articles from a writing group I was a member in and then articles from Yourhub.com published in the Rocky Mountain Newspaper that was closed around 2012. I estimate that I have enough articles for over fifteen issues. What happens after that who knows?
Therefore, if the people who said that they would be interested in having a printed copy they have the facilities to order a copy of the magazine and it will be mailed to them. Talk is cheap and will see how many put down money for a printed copy.
https://www.blurb.com/b/11951453-ramblings-of-tom-treloar
X, formerly twitter and their Grok feature.
I am a X member and use it very often. I noticed on their feature column a new box called Grok. What is that? I do an internet search and copilot comes up with this explanation.
Grok is indeed an AI chatbot developed by xAI, which was founded by Elon Musk. Unlike typical chatbots, Grok has a quick wit and a rebellious nature. It can answer questions about current events, pop culture, and more. But what sets Grok apart is its willingness to delve into topics that are usually off-limits for other chatbots, including polarizing political theories and conspiracies. Plus, it doesn’t shy away from using less-than-polite language when responding. Grok’s most significant selling point is its ability to access real-time data from X, something no other chatbot can do. For instance, if you ask it about AI developments today, Grok will provide up-to-date information, while other models might offer more generic answers based on their training data
I don’t have a clue what a chatbot is. I am not a premium+ member and don’t have a clue why I was allowed to access it. It appears that it similar to a Wikipedia format. You can ask any question about anything. out of curiosity, I asked, who is TomT2.0? In a few moments Grok came up this explanation.
I was surprised at the response and somewhat impressed. However, it is kind of spooky knowing that AI can come up with so much information in such little time. The only glaring error was that I have never been involved in cryptocurrency. I guess it goes to show that whatever is put in cyber space it never disappears.
This is too good to not to share it.
Retirement Years
The big day came in September of 2006. That big day was retirement. I had good thought and bad thoughts. For example, the absence of the stress of a responsible job will be good. I won’t have to get up or be at work at a specified time. I can plan and do things that I never took time to do when I was working. I could go on and on about the benefits of reaching and being able to enjoy retirement.
On the other hand, I had reservations about retirement. Will my financial planning be adequate? Will I fall into the rut of being bored and not have enough interest in my idle times? I also thought about that I am now on the downside of my life and the inevitable will happen sooner than later. Also, will my health remain to be good?
In reality, I am enjoying retirement very well. over seventeen years since I retired and people ask me, “what do you do?’ I respond, “I am recuperating from the last forty-five years. Sure, I still have stress in my life and things don’t go as expected. I have had two medical issues in retirement. The first happened in 2018. I had an eleven-millimeter kidney stone in my right kidney and had to be removed by going up from the basement. I peed chocolate milk for twelve hours after the procedure. The next issue was a large pulmonary saddle embolism (blood clot) between my lungs. I thought I was going to breath my last breath during the removal. But I survived and it has been over a year now since that event with no long-term effects. (LINK TO MY BLOOD CLOT)
However, every day is Saturday and what I don’t get done today I can do tomorrow. My outlook remains to be good, and I pray that I retain this outlook as retirement and the later years of my life evolve.
Easter Thoughts
Here it is the Saturday before Easter. Dee and her granddaughter Danielle are busy in the kitchen making Easter pie. It is an Italian tradition to have Easter pie for the Easter meal. It is basically sausage, eggs, flour and a crust. We bought twenty dollars of ricotta cheese yesterday and Danielle is bringing the sausage and eggs. How many pies will they make? Too early to tell. I would guess four or more.
Reflecting on my past Easters. I was born and raised a Catholic. I remember the forty days of Lent. No eating meat on Fridays. During Lent having to fast, the last two meals could not be more than breakfast. You were supposed to give up something for lent. Just like making a New Years resolution. I gave up on both and no longer even think about them. Stations of the cross every Friday during lent. You were reminded many times you were a sinner, and it was a job to get to heaven. Dressing up for Easter service and a family meal after. The churches Easter guidelines have eased up quite a lot.
The Easter Bunny was around with the Easter egg hunt. You had to hard boil the eggs and then color them. Does anyone do that anymore? All I have seen is the plastic-colored eggs. Surely some of the eggs were hidden so well they weren’t found until the middle of summer.
Easter has become commercialized so much these days and the real meaning of Easter is becoming an afterthought. I just saw that the president just banned religious-themed designs from White House Easter egg art contest. So many American traditions are on someone’s agenda to change or remove them.
ANYWAY!
Inserted after our Easter Dinner. I am so blessed.
I Survived the March 14 Record Snowstorm
For three days the news media has concentrated on the gigantic storm coming to Denver metro area. It finally started to rain last afternoon and turned to snow sometime during the night. Woke up with five inches of snow this morning. Some foothill locations got forty inches. During the day the lights flickered occasionally but never went out. However, there were reports that around 50,000 were without power due to broken trees taking out power lines.
We live in a community of forty-four homes and the HOA handles snow removal and received an email that snow removal will be done after the snow stops. Well, it has been snowing all day and I hope there is not a medical emergency in the circle. There have been very few auto tracks on the street, and I don’t know if a fire truck or ambulance could navigate the amount of snow on the streets. plus, none of the driveways or walks are cleaned. Wonder if someone has a medical emergency and emergency treatment cannot get in, can the HOA be sued for neglect of duty? Since this post was started Thursday night I will finish it Friday.
Here it is Friday morning, no power outages, no fallen trees or branches. We still are snowed in though. The HOA crew has not done a thing on the snow removal. I have thirteen inches of snow on the front porch. The city did plow down the middle of the street. However, that leaves a twenty-four-inch pile of snow in front of the driveway. No way could I drive over or through that pile. I am over eighty and no way can I remove that pile of heavy wet snow. I guess I am snowbound for a while.
I Do Not Have a Favorite Shoe
Sorry, I did not have a favorite shoe. To me a shoe is a necessity not a luxury. Life would be tough without shoes. Looking at scenes during Jesus’s era and seeing those open sandals and bare feet. No Thank You!
I remember when going to grade school high top tennis shoes were the type to have. You just didn’t fit in if you did not have high top tennis shoes. My mother would shop at Thom McAnn’s shoe store, and we always got our shoes there. Are they even around anymore? A new pair of shoes always gave you a blister somewhere on your foot. When I started in corporate management Florsheim shoes were the brand to have. I had one pair, and they were the worse shoes in my life. After a short period of time, they were not comfortable and lasted less than six months. That was the last Florsheim I bought.
In the army I received two pairs of combat boots and one pair of class A shoes. Since I have a small foot, size eight, I received combat boots made for WWII They had a date of 1944 in the boot, and this was twenty years after the war. The boots received the most attention in my entire life. They always needed to be shined and one pair had to be spit shined for guard duty. They lasted many years after I got out of the army. Probably the reason they lasted was because I did not wear them that often.
I never did get into all these designer shoes or sport shoes like Nike, New Balance, Adidas or others. After I married, I accepted shoes from Target, K-Mart, or Walmart. Cared less about brand name but how they feel and wear. I am still in that position now.
In conclusion, I never had a favorite pair of shoes and never walked “The Yellow Brick Road” in them.
Daily writing prompt
Tell us about your favorite pair of shoes, and where they’ve taken you.
February 7, 2023
Not much to remember on February 7th. In 1940 the movie Pinocchio premiered. General MacArthur returned to Manila in 1945. President Kennedy blockaded Cuba in 1962. Not much has happened throughout history on February 7th. However, February 7, 2023, is a day I will never forget.
This is the day I dodged death. I was standing in front of deaths door and Doctor Death was holding the door open for me to enter. Here I was laying on the operating table with a massive blood clot between my lungs. The doctors said they had better results if the patient stayed awake, so I went with that option. About 30 minutes after the start, I was really feeling horrible. I was having trouble getting a breath and there was the time I thought, “this is it, life is over”. I must have passed out, but a while later I woke up and slowly started to feel better. I survived and spent the next three days in ICU.
Many times, while lying flat on my back, in ICU I thought many times, “Why was I given a second chance?” It has been a year now and I am still searching for the reason I dodged death on February 7, 2023. Until the reason reveals itself, I will just do what I do best, and this is just be me and enjoy these bonus days and hopefully bonus years.
FLU SHOT, YES OR NO?
Since 2006 when I retired getting a flu shot has not been an issue. This year is different. Thanks to the Covid pandemic I no longer have confidence and trust in the medical governmental agencies. Are the pharmaceuticals more interested in making billions instead of what is best for the population. Older medications that may have helped in the pandemic were suppressed or even made illegal.
The CDC, Center for Disease Control, was far from being consistent. One day you would hear recommendations and a while later they would be saying the exact opposite. My trust and confidence in this branch of government has disappeared.
Then you hear about the NIH, National Institutes of Health, and their highest paid government employee. Anthony Fauci. Also, you hear the rumor that the Covid virus may have escaped from a lab in China and the NIH may have helped fund the lab in the past. Naturally it is denied. One will never know.
The FDA gives an emergency approval of the covid vaccine, knowing that there may be medical side effects. My question is, how did a vaccine become available so fast. Did someone know way ahead that the virus would become a pandemic? Again, one will never know. Hydroxychloroquine and Ivermectin which may have helped but they are demonized and sometimes outlawed. Is it because the pharmaceuticals had a vaccine to sell to the government and make billions? Recently Pfizer lost billions because they did not have a vaccine to sell this year.
We all go through the quarantines. Can’t go to church. Restaurants are closed. Small retail businesses are shuttered. Millions start working from home. The country is shut down except the big box stores and outlets classified as necessities remain open. What made them immune from the virus?
The first time in my life I heard that people are getting fired from employment, the military, health care providers and others. I went through the Swine Flu epidemic in the late 1970’s and I never heard of firings for not getting the shot. Freedom of choice has been stomped on.
It is a known fact that older people died from Covid than younger people. But suddenly it is decided all ages need to receive the vaccine. Then we are starting to hear that younger people are starting to experience myocarditis at higher rates than normal. The government agencies are saying that the vaccine has no relation to the problem. Also, blood clots are on the rise. I received the first two shots of Covid when the pandemic started. About ten months ago I had a life-threatening blood clot between my lungs. I thought was this clot because of the vaccine. Common sense tells me more than likely not because it was two years after the shots.
Many of my friends and relatives received the Covid shot. However, after a period many contract Covid anyway even after they were inoculated. What was the purpose of the vaccine?
With all this I am still undecided whether to get a flu shot or not. I know for a fact I will not get the combination flu and Covid booster shot.
HOW MANY COMPUTERS DO YOU HAVE?
Audio file for listening instead of reading.
How many computers and laptops do you have in your home? In my home I have four. One is my primary laptop. The second is an older laptop that the hard drive crashed, and I replaced the drive, the third is a desktop in my workshop. Finally, my wife has a desktop she uses. I suppose I do not really need four computers at the same time. It just migrated that way. Now I have found a use for all of them.
Back in 2008 I purchased new a HP2000 laptop to replace Dell laptop because support for the Windows operating system has expired and I did not want to just upgrade the operating system since it was about seven years old, and we all know how fast technology has changed. I forget where I bought the new laptop but that was the last new computer I bought. This laptop served me well for about nine years with no large complaints.
This has been a good backup laptop for my primary computer. About a year ago the software sent out an alert that the hard drive was going to crash. How the software can predict that is beyond me. Anyway, I got a replacement hard drive for about 25 dollars and went to YouTube and got instructions how to replace the hard drive and keep all the information and operating system from the defective hard drive. After that I thought I might as well put it to use. So, I installed Audacity software which is an audio editing program and started adding music to thumb drives I can use in my vehicle sound system and make audios for podcasting. This is a good backup laptop if for some reason my primary laptop crashes.
In 2016 we moved into a new home for us. After being in our new home for close to a year and the HP laptop was in service for me for about eight years and I decided to look for a replacement laptop. The problem I had was I didn’t want to spend the money on a brand-new laptop since the one I had worked fine. I read or heard somewhere that refurbished computers and thought I might as well give refurbished a try. In my search for a refurbished laptop, I found refurbished laptops on Office Depot’s website and purchased a Dell laptop for less than half the retail price, around 300 dollars. It arrived in about a week and has been working great. I upgraded from Windows 7 to Windows 10 since Microsoft offered the upgrade free and support should be available until 2025.
As I previously stated we moved in 2016 and our new home had a workshop. Since I had such good luck with my Dell refurbished laptop, I started to shop for a refurbished computer to be used in the workshop. I found an HP desktop from micomp.com for one hundred dollars with prepaid shipping and a one-year warranty. They purchase computers from corporations when they upgrade their systems. And they are a Microsoft certified refurbisher. It has been working great since 2017. The only thing that went bad, the CPU cooling fan started to squeal, and I had to replace it. I also updated the operating system to Windows 10, free of course from Microsoft. I have CAD software on this computer and an electronic microscope to look at bugs. Also, I install questionable software on this computer to make sure it is safe before I install it on my primary computer.
The last computer we have is the one my wife uses. In 2022 we replaced an HP desktop with a Dell desktop for the same reason. The support for the operating system ended and it was time for a hardware upgrade. It was working fine when it was shut down for the last time. We got another desktop from micomp.com for $150 dollars, free shipping and one year warranty. It has been working just fine.
In conclusion, I have had good luck with refurbished computers. I have been retired since 2006 and on a fixed income and I do not need a top-of-the-line computer. These refurbished prices fit well in my budget. I am not a computer expert, but I do have more technical knowledge than the average person and that could be a problem for some. The largest problem I have is my wife, she gets in a bind many times on the computer, and I must rescue her.
CATARACTS A FACT OF LIFE
Audio file for listening instead of reading.
Here I am over eighty and twenty years ago I had my first cataract removed. Seven years later my second one was removed. As you age a large percentage of people can expect to experience cataracts. It is just a part of the aging process. As you get older your body parts just don’t function like they used to and start to wear out. What causes cataracts? Professionals say that there may be a variety of causes. In my case I speculate that I have lived most of my life in the Denver area and the altitude exposes you to more ultraviolet radiation than lower altitudes. Also, when I was a youngster, eye protection was not that common. All summer we ran around with no sunglasses and no shirt. Now, I am starting to pay for this unawareness of the dangers of sunshine. I have had two cataracts removed and one suspicious spot on my nose has been removed. My back looks like the moon surface and my doctor have told me to keep a close eye on my back and call him if I notice any changes in those craters. What you did in the past starts to catch up with you sooner or later.
Cataracts are clouding the lens in the eye. When I first started to notice them, my sight started to show a tint of yellow. Driving at night becomes difficult because the oncoming headlights start to sparkle brightly, and a lot of your view is lost. I think they call that, headlight blooming. After a period of time, it becomes intolerable, and you know it is time to get something done.
Fortunately, cataract surgery is relatively simple now. I remember in the late fifties my uncle came from Meeker Colorado and had cataract surgery. We went to see him in the hospital, and he was laying there with sandbags placed on both sides of his head to immobilize his movement and he was in a lot of pain. He spent a week in the hospital. In those days they didn’t have implants and he had to wear big thick glasses to replace the cloudy lenses.
The surgery now is an outpatient procedure. The whole procedure shouldn’t take more than four hours. This consists of pre-op and post-op time. The surgery probably doesn’t take over twenty minutes. The procedure twenty years ago was very similar to today’s procedure. Infection is the main concern. I started antibiotics in the affected eye the day before and continued them a week after surgery. You are sedated and your eye is numbed up. However, you are awake and aware of what is going on around you. You do have an IV in your arm and can be put under immediately if needed. You also are fitted with oxygen apparatus just in case. They put this fabric type material over your face and cut a hole in it over your eye. This exposes your eye to the surgeon. I speculate that somehow your eyelid is secured so you can’t blink. Your eye is numbed, and you can’t feel anything in the eye area. The surgeon does his thing, and the most annoying thing is the bright light in your eye. Your cataract lens is removed, and a replacement lens is inserted. The incision is so small that no stitches are normally needed. The surgery is over, and you may spend forty-five minutes in post-op. You are ready to go home, and you need someone to drive you home.
On the first surgery, I experienced clear vision the first time I opened my eye. The second time I was not as fortunate. It took about a week for my vision to clear up. Now it is clear, and I had to be fitted for new prescription glasses. I am just amazed how technology has progressed and how a complicated procedure has become a simple common event. After a period, the time varies with the patient, the clear tissue that covers the implant may become clouded and a laser is used to remove that tissue so that clear vision will return. It has been twenty years since my surgery, and I have not experienced this yet.
Finally, if you live to be over sixty, you will more than likely experience cataract surgery. I am confident it will become simpler and simpler as time goes by.
Originally Published 11/11/2007 Yourhub.com, modified to fit this this format.
WHAT IS THE ATTRACTION?
Ever wonder why you are attracted to someone, more than someone else? I have wondered about that through my years. It must be more than just physical even though that plays a part in some parts of life. In my opinion, interaction between other humans is the most important segment of our lives. Memories are built from these contacts we have throughout our life. Friendships, marriages and unfortunately enemies come from human interactions. As life continues you meet a large quantity of people. A relation is started when two people are attracted to each other. I am not an expert. I am just quoting my experiences and opinions.
As you begin to grow up your world expands. You meet neighbors, new people from church gatherings and school that expands your life. Why was I attracted to Doris the neighbor from Lola. I do not have a clue. All the boys in first grade had a crush on Miss Lee the first-grade teacher. Our hearts were broken when she married the math teacher. In second or third grade I met Sandra. She was special. I was attracted to her, and she was attracted to me. We were very close friends through elementary and junior high and most of high school. What happened is a story for another publication.
As you continue your life you may find out that the attraction that someone shows to you may have selfish reasons. For example, I went into the army and was shipped over to Germany for almost two years. In an orientation meeting we were warned that many of the German young women will do anything to get a ticket to America. That included lying to you, sex and getting pregnant. This wasn’t attraction, this was a planned plot to get to America. You may be attracted to her, but she may just be desperate to improve her life. One had to be very careful.
For close to twenty years, I hired and fired hundreds of employees for a large corporation. This included women to work in an office environment. On rare occasions during the interview the prospect would offer services outside of the office to get the job. This wasn’t attraction, this was desperation to get the job. That killed her possibility of becoming hired. Qualifications are important but I also found out attraction is also an important part of the decision process. This also applies to male applications. I don’t mean sexual attraction. All my life I have been a normal healthy male and have not had any sexual attractions to my fellow males. I also consider ease of conversations to be a part of the attraction. Some individuals are so easy to have a conversation and continue the conversation. Others, not so easy. Eye contact is also important. I was surprised how many could not look you in the eye during the interview. It made me think, “what are they hiding from me?” I discovered I had more success in hiring individuals that had this attraction and would stay on the job for a longer period of time.
There is physical and sexual attraction. Those hormones are powerful chemicals affecting your decisions and your body. Most humans are driven to marriage or having a significant other. Most want to leave the legacy of children. That is just life. Most healthy males enjoy the eye candy offered by the sight of the human female. I would speculate females are attracted to the male eye candy available too. So, you go through life, and maybe get married or find a significant other. But these physical attractions are still knocking at your front door. Do you stay loyal or let temptation take over? That is a decision you must make throughout your hormone driven years. Been there done that. Yes, it is tough to decide at times what avenue do you want to travel down. Feelings and hurt can be devastating. I remember telling my sons when their hormones were starting to flow. “Son, don’t let your hormones lead your life, there are other important things in life, that must be considered, such as compatibility, comfort, trust and love.” I guess it helped, they both appear to be happy with their lives and relationships.
I also discovered there can be attractions in the cyber world too. I have been on twitter, now X, since 2010 and have acquired over 5000 followers and I follow around the same amount. Most are silent but there is the small amount that you start conversing quite often and the attraction starts to emerge. In many cases you do not have a clue what they look like because many use avatars instead of actual photos and they are spread all over the country. You can tell the gender by name, but the eye candy luxury feature is not there, and you do not know the age gap. After some conversations you can figure out the age gap though. Now I am fantasying that it would be nice to meet these attractions face-to-face and see if the attraction is real. I am quite sure this will never happen though.
Have you ever considered that these attractions may happen more than just coincidence? Do you meet these people for some unexplained reason? Are you meant to learn something from these attractions? Many times, I have the feeling that I meet a person for a reason. Of course, the reason for this encounter is the difficult part to figure out. Life has been an adventure and there must be a reason for this life of many learning experiences.
In conclusion, I more than likely will never know why I am attracted to someone and not another. This is just one of those mysteries of life that will never be answered. It has been interesting writing about it though.
TALES OF A FORMER SMOKER
Colorado in 2008 was having a debate to outlaw smoking in public establishments. Casinos say that the smoking ban will more than likely affect their business. Approximately twenty percent of Colorado residents are smokers. Bar owners ask appeals court to overturn the state smoking ban. These are all headings of stories about the statewide smoking ban. Smoking is still an issue. The major majority voted for a smoking ban in recent years. There are still twenty percent who feel they are being unfairly treated with the smoking bans. I have been on both sides of the issue. I was a smoker and quit many years before any smoking ban took effect.
I started smoking when I was in the eighth grade. Why did I start? I would say because of peer pressure. Everyone I ran around with started smoking about the same time. It was cool! Many movie stars smoked. You would go to a movie and smoking was always featured. Fred Flintstone and Barney smoked and advertised Winston cigarettes. Smoking was the thing to do if you wanted to be cool. My Dad smoked. The local parish priest smoked. Many neighbors smoked. This was all before the adverse effects of smoking were known. No one cared about the addictive effects of nicotine, or the tar build up in your lungs. I remember when I first started smoking. You would inhale and suddenly become dizzy. I never did get sick to my stomach though. After a period, the dizziness went away and the addiction to nicotine took over. You were hooked.
I smoked through high school and beyond. I was drafted into the army in 1964 and at those times most of the new recruits smoked. I recall the saying, “smoke them if you have them”. A cloud of smoke would rise from the company of troops where only a half a dozen or so did not smoke. The red butt can with an inch of water in the can lined the center of the barracks. Sometimes I think cigarettes were more important than bullets.
I was still smoking when I got out of the army and continued to smoke for a few more years. At that time there were no regulations about smoking. I would smoke one to two packs a day. That was when a pack was around twenty-five cents. I smoked everywhere. I would smoke in the grocery store checkout line. I smoked in the house and the car, throwing out the butts through the window. I was a rude ruthless smoker. I didn’t care about anybody’s rights. I stunk from cigarette smoke and my fingers would turn yellow from the tobacco-burning cigarette. Nicotine really had me hooked.
Here I was twenty-five and I would huff and puff going up a flight of stairs. The effects of smoking were becoming known, and I was beginning to experience the effects. I began to realize smoking was affecting my health. I decided that I wanted to live a long healthy life and continuing to smoke was going to hamper this desire. I decided to quit. For the next two to three years, I must have quit two hundred times or more. I finally succeeded; I no longer am addicted to nicotine. It took me about a year before I did not have that nicotine urge. Two more years passed before the smell of smoke ceased to smell good and I wanted to have just one cigarette. I knew if I had one, I would be hooked again. I was 28 when I finally succeeded in quitting. Stopping smoking was the hardest thing I ever did in my life.
Where am I now? It has been over fifty years since I finally quit smoking. I speculate that if I did not quit smoking, I would be dead from heart disease or lung cancer. In the late seventies my father was having circulation problems in his right leg and his primary doctor referred him to a specialist. The first question the specialist asked my father was, “how long did you smoke?” We asked why he asked that, and he responded by telling us that circulation problems in the legs are characteristic of smokers. Well, the specialist was not able to save my father’s leg and the last five years of his life was without his right leg. My father was seventy when this happened. I was forty-five and I am hoping I am not going to continue the legacy of my father. I see people my age that are dependent on their oxygen tank. Seeing these people makes me very thankful that I can still breathe on my own. Maybe I quit soon enough in my life to bypass these bullets.
After reading this you may think, “he is really anti-smoking, he wants stronger no smoking laws.” I don’t really agree with the current smoking laws. In my opinion I feel that smoking or no smoking should be up to the individual business owner. If a business owner wants to cater to the twenty percent of the smoking population, they become a smoking establishment. If they want to do business with the eighty percent of the non-smoking population, you become a no-smoking establishment. Businesses are either smoking or no smoking, no combination establishments would be allowed. As a consumer I can elect to go to the establishment I want to. Let the market forces determine whom you want to do business with.
In conclusion, I made a big mistake when I smoked that first cigarette. You become addicted to nicotine faster than you imagine. There is no easy way to quit once you become addicted. If you are young and consider smoking that cigarette, think twice and say no, it may save you a lot of pain and suffering. No, I did not follow my father’s legacy of passing away at seventy-five. I am now over eighty and still very thankful that I was successful in quitting smoking when I was twenty-eight.
About two years ago my son who was forty-six years old at that time had a life-threatening heart attack to realize that smoking can shorten your life. He has not had a cigarette since that life threatening event.
This was originally published by me on yourhub.com in 2008. I have edited it to fit the times now.
John Hill sent me a message
World Bank /INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND (IMF)
Milbank Tower, 12th Floor 21-24;
Milbank London SW1P 4QP ENGLAND
Direct Phone: +44-703597.
Fax: 44-87-1247-.
From The Desk of: Mr. Andrew Tweedie,
Finance Department Director
International Monetary Fund(IMF)
Attn: Beneficiary,
Broadway Securities and Finance Limited.
53 Lyvenden Road,
Greenwich East, Greenwich,
Email:info@bsfl.com
With regards to your mail, I want to clearly explain this in detail to
you, that it is two options stated in this formant sent to you
officially, one is to clarify you if you are interested to receive
loan, to finalize any of your outstanding project, the other one is to
let you know that we have been empowered to use our diplomatic
delivering system, to dispatch card delivering to your residence
address in your country of origin.
so you must clearly state which of the options you need, our company
has the ability to work on this two options, we decided to give this
offer, because of the fraudulent activity that is going on in the
global society, that a lot of people are victims, that is why we have
decided to give these two options, in order for you to benefit in any
of the one that suites you, as soon as we hear from you confirming
which of the options your require, we shall give you the necessary
process, in order to accomplish our obligation .
it is very clear, for your indication and confirmation, on which one
you require, it is a confirm process that must be worked in accordance
to the UK policies and your country of origin, as we have been
empowered to carry out this obligation, from the government agencies.
Pleas you can direct your email response to these email address, for
confidential reasons
Thank you for your cooperation.
Sincerely,
Sir, John Hill.
Appropriate Unit.
For: Broadway Securities and Finance Limited
atmunitintercontinentald.card@gmail.com
NAME IN FULL………………….
YOUR CELL NUMBER………………….
CONTACT ADDRESS ………………NOT P.O BOX
OCCUPATION……………………
—————————————–WARNING————————————
This communique is from the International Monetary Fund, beneficiaries are
advised to adhere strictly to directives. Any fund beneficiary who ignores
instruction will be doing so at his/her own risk.
A spooky scenerio
I don’t know if this is true, but it is spooky.
You’re sound asleep when you hear a thump outside your bedroom door.
Half-awake, and nearly paralyzed with fear, you hear muffled whispers.
At least two people have broken into your house and are moving your way.
With your heart pumping, you reach down beside your bed and pick up your shotgun.
You rack a shell into the chamber, then inch toward the door and open it.
In the darkness, you make out two shadows.
One holds something that looks like a crowbar.
When the intruder brandishes it as if to strike, you raise the shotgun and fire.
The blast knocks both thugs to the floor.
One writhes and screams while the second man crawls to the front door and lurches outside.
As you pick up the telephone to call police, you know you’re in trouble.
In your country, most guns were outlawed years before, and the few that are privately owned are so stringently regulated as to make them useless..
Yours was never registered.
Police arrive and inform you that the second burglar has died.
They arrest you for First Degree Murder and Illegal Possession of a Firearm.
When you talk to your attorney, he tells you not to worry: authorities will probably plea the case down to manslaughter.
“What kind of sentence will I get?” you ask.
“Only ten-to-twelve years,” he replies, as if that’s nothing.
“Behave yourself, and you’ll be out in seven.”
The next day, the shooting is the lead story in the local newspaper.
At least two people have broken into your house and are moving your way.
With your heart pumping, you reach down beside your bed and pick up your shotgun.
You rack a shell into the chamber, then inch toward the door and open it.
In the darkness, you make out two shadows.
One holds something that looks like a crowbar.
When the intruder brandishes it as if to strike, you raise the shotgun and fire.
The blast knocks both thugs to the floor.
One writhes and screams while the second man crawls to the front door and lurches outside.
As you pick up the telephone to call police, you know you’re in trouble.
In your country, most guns were outlawed years before, and the few that are privately owned are so stringently regulated as to make them useless..
Yours was never registered.
Police arrive and inform you that the second burglar has died.
They arrest you for First Degree Murder and Illegal Possession of a Firearm.
When you talk to your attorney, he tells you not to worry: authorities will probably plea the case down to manslaughter.
“What kind of sentence will I get?” you ask.
“Only ten-to-twelve years,” he replies, as if that’s nothing.
“Behave yourself, and you’ll be out in seven.”
The next day, the shooting is the lead story in the local newspaper.
Somehow, you’re portrayed as an eccentric vigilante while the two men you shot are represented as choirboys.
Their friends and relatives can’t find an unkind word to say about them..
Buried deep down in the article, authorities acknowledge that both “victims” have been arrested numerous times.
But the next day’s headline says it all: “Lovable Rogue Son Didn’t Deserve to Die.”
The thieves have been transformed from career criminals into Robin Hood-type pranksters..
As the days wear on, the story takes wings.
The national media picks it up, then the international media.
The surviving burglar has become a folk hero.
Your attorney says the thief is preparing to sue you, and he’ll probably win.
The media publishes reports that your home has been burglarized several times in the past and that you’ve been critical of local police for their lack of effort in apprehending the suspects.
After the last break-in, you told your neighbor that you would be prepared next time.
The District Attorney uses this to allege that you were lying in wait for the burglars.
A few months later, you go to trial.
The charges haven’t been reduced, as your lawyer had so confidently predicted.
When you take the stand, your anger at the injustice of it all works against you..
Prosecutors paint a picture of you as a mean, vengeful man.
It doesn’t take long for the jury to convict you of all charges.
The judge sentences you to life in prison.
This case really happened.
On August 22, 1999, Tony Martin of Emneth, Norfolk , England , killed one burglar and wounded a second.
In April, 2000, he was convicted and is now serving a life term…
How did it become a crime to defend one’s own life in the once great British Empire ?
It started with the Pistols Act of 1903.
This seemingly reasonable law forbade selling pistols to minors or felons and established that handgun sales were to be made only to those who had a license.
Their friends and relatives can’t find an unkind word to say about them..
Buried deep down in the article, authorities acknowledge that both “victims” have been arrested numerous times.
But the next day’s headline says it all: “Lovable Rogue Son Didn’t Deserve to Die.”
The thieves have been transformed from career criminals into Robin Hood-type pranksters..
As the days wear on, the story takes wings.
The national media picks it up, then the international media.
The surviving burglar has become a folk hero.
Your attorney says the thief is preparing to sue you, and he’ll probably win.
The media publishes reports that your home has been burglarized several times in the past and that you’ve been critical of local police for their lack of effort in apprehending the suspects.
After the last break-in, you told your neighbor that you would be prepared next time.
The District Attorney uses this to allege that you were lying in wait for the burglars.
A few months later, you go to trial.
The charges haven’t been reduced, as your lawyer had so confidently predicted.
When you take the stand, your anger at the injustice of it all works against you..
Prosecutors paint a picture of you as a mean, vengeful man.
It doesn’t take long for the jury to convict you of all charges.
The judge sentences you to life in prison.
This case really happened.
On August 22, 1999, Tony Martin of Emneth, Norfolk , England , killed one burglar and wounded a second.
In April, 2000, he was convicted and is now serving a life term…
How did it become a crime to defend one’s own life in the once great British Empire ?
It started with the Pistols Act of 1903.
This seemingly reasonable law forbade selling pistols to minors or felons and established that handgun sales were to be made only to those who had a license.
The Firearms Act of 1920 expanded licensing to include not only handguns but all firearms except shotguns..
Later laws passed in 1953 and 1967 outlawed the carrying of any weapon by private citizens and mandated the registration of all shotguns.
Momentum for total handgun confiscation began in earnest after the Hungerford mass shooting in 1987.
Michael Ryan, a mentally disturbed man with a Kalashnikov rifle, walked down the streets shooting everyone he saw.
When the smoke cleared, 17 people were dead.
The British public, already de-sensitized by eighty years of “gun control”, demanded even tougher restrictions. (The seizure of all privately owned handguns was the objective even though Ryan used a rifle.)
Nine years later, at Dunblane, Scotland, Thomas Hamilton used a semi-automatic weapon to murder 16 children and a teacher at a public school.
For many years, the media had portrayed all gun owners as mentally unstable, or worse, criminals.
Later laws passed in 1953 and 1967 outlawed the carrying of any weapon by private citizens and mandated the registration of all shotguns.
Momentum for total handgun confiscation began in earnest after the Hungerford mass shooting in 1987.
Michael Ryan, a mentally disturbed man with a Kalashnikov rifle, walked down the streets shooting everyone he saw.
When the smoke cleared, 17 people were dead.
The British public, already de-sensitized by eighty years of “gun control”, demanded even tougher restrictions. (The seizure of all privately owned handguns was the objective even though Ryan used a rifle.)
Nine years later, at Dunblane, Scotland, Thomas Hamilton used a semi-automatic weapon to murder 16 children and a teacher at a public school.
For many years, the media had portrayed all gun owners as mentally unstable, or worse, criminals.
Now the press had a real kook with which to beat up law-abiding gun owners.
Day after day, week after week, the media gave up all pretense of objectivity and demanded a total ban on all handguns.
The Dunblane Inquiry, a few months later, sealed the fate of the few side arms still owned by private citizens.
During the years in which the British government incrementally took away most gun rights, the notion that a citizen had the right to armed self-defense came to be seen as vigilantism.
During the years in which the British government incrementally took away most gun rights, the notion that a citizen had the right to armed self-defense came to be seen as vigilantism.
Authorities refused to grant gun licenses to people who were threatened, claiming that self-defense was no longer considered a reason to own a gun.
Citizens who shot burglars or robbers or rapists were charged while the real criminals were released.
Indeed, after the Martin shooting, a police spokesman was quoted as saying, “We cannot have people take the law into their own hands.”
All of Martin’s neighbors had been robbed numerous times, and several elderly people were severely injured in beatings by young thugs who had no fear of the consequences.
Indeed, after the Martin shooting, a police spokesman was quoted as saying, “We cannot have people take the law into their own hands.”
All of Martin’s neighbors had been robbed numerous times, and several elderly people were severely injured in beatings by young thugs who had no fear of the consequences.
Martin himself, a collector of antiques, had seen most of his collection trashed or stolen by burglars.
When the Dunblane Inquiry ended, citizens who owned handguns were given three months to turn them over to local authorities.
Being good British subjects, most people obeyed the law.
When the Dunblane Inquiry ended, citizens who owned handguns were given three months to turn them over to local authorities.
Being good British subjects, most people obeyed the law.
The few who didn’t were visited by police and threatened with ten-year prison sentences if they didn’t comply.
Police later bragged that they’d taken nearly 200,000 handguns from private citizens.
How did the authorities know who had handguns?
Police later bragged that they’d taken nearly 200,000 handguns from private citizens.
How did the authorities know who had handguns?
The guns had been registered and licensed.
Kind of like cars. Sound familiar?
WAKE UP AMERICA ; THIS IS WHY OUR FOUNDING FATHERS PUT THE SECOND AMENDMENT IN OUR CONSTITUTION.
“…It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people’s minds..” –Samuel Adams
If you think this is important, please forward to everyone you know.
You had better wake up, because Obama is doing this very same thing, over here, if he can get it done
WAKE UP AMERICA ; THIS IS WHY OUR FOUNDING FATHERS PUT THE SECOND AMENDMENT IN OUR CONSTITUTION.
“…It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people’s minds..” –Samuel Adams
If you think this is important, please forward to everyone you know.
You had better wake up, because Obama is doing this very same thing, over here, if he can get it done
The UN Small Arms Treaty that Hilary is negotiating would take away our 2nd Amendment rights.
And there are stupid people in congress and on the street that will go right along with him.
And there are stupid people in congress and on the street that will go right along with him.
——————————————————————————————————————-
Just remember – the reason the Japanese didn’t invade the USA is because they knew that Most of the Citizens were armed.
I don’t even have a Runescape account
Dear Player,
We have collected convincing evidence that you tried to trade your RuneScape account or sell your virtual items outside of the game environment.
Such real-world trading is destroying the economy of RuneScape and is in violation with our policies. Therefore any player that continues to engage in the illegal activity has no place in our community.
All of your accounts are now on our watch-list and will be automatically monitored for real-world trading. Regardless of who you are or how long you’ve been with us, if you continue to real-world trade we will have no hesitation in: (1) permanently banning your account from our community in order to protect the game, and (2) naming you as a defendant in Jagex Limited vs you, which is a lawsuit based on antitrust law violations that is currently pending in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California (Civ. Action No. SANC-V13-00342-CGH).
If you decide to ignore this email and instead continue Real-World Trading, we (Jagex Ltd) reserve our rights to pursue statutory damages against you for between $200 to $2,500 per act of past, present, and/or future real-world trading in accordance with 19 U.S.C. 1307(c)(3).
In addition, we have temporarily changed your RuneScape account’s status.
Please fill in the following security form to monitor your account’s status or to appeal the infractions you have recieved:
http:// blocked out
Please note: Due to recent technical problems with our automated detection systems, some accounts have been unfairly punished. Most of the void infractions should have been removed. Please visit the appeal section to appeal any unjustified infractions received due to system errors.
Sincerely,
Mod Mark.
© 2012 Jagex Ltd. Jagex® and RuneScape® are registered trademarks of Jagex Ltd in the United Kingdom and trademarks used in other countries of the world.
View our Privacy Policy, Terms And Conditions: http://www blocked out
St. John’s Innovation Centre, Cowley Road, Cambridge, CB5 1WS, England.
This looks fishy to me
ERICK MOORE Lagos-Nigeria. Tel : 234-1-7774535 ATTN: Sir /Madam I know this will come to you as a surprise but never mind, I got your Contact in my search for a reputable and trust worthy person/Company,Who can stand confidently with me in this successful business Arrangement. Before I proceed, I will like to introduce my humble self To you. I am the Auditor General of a Government Accredited Oil Company here in Nigeria. Certainly, the prompting of this letter to you is anchored on my strong desire to solicit your sincere understanding and co-operation in this Transaction that would certainly boost the financial stand of both parties involved when completed. As a matter of fact, we want to transfer to overseas (US$52,000.000.00 USD) fifty two million Unite States Dollars) from the Oil Company’s operating Bank account here in Africa, I want you to quietly Look for a reliable and honest person who will be capable and fit to Provide either an existing bank account or to set up a new Bank A/C Immediately to receive this money, even an empty account can serve to Receive this money, as long as you will remain honest to me till the end Of this important transaction, trusting in you and believing in God That you will Never let me down either now or in the near future. In all honesty, during the course of our auditing I discovered a Floating fund of the above mentioned amount in account opened with the Bank in 1990 and since then; nobody has operated on this account again, After going through some old files in the records I discovered that the Money in the account was mapped out for the refurbishment of the Oil Company’s Machineries. Meanwhile, Mr. Magnus Leon, the President of the Oil company was the Only signatory to the account, but unfortunately he died after a brief Illness in 1993. And no other person knows about this account or any Thing concerning it, and the account has no other beneficiary. And my investigation proved to me that Mr. Magnus Leon, until his death Had wanted to siphoned that money into his personal account in New York Hence he did not disclose the operating devises of the account to the Board of Trustees. I am only contacting you in this regard, based on the fact that you are A foreigner because, this money can only be approved to any foreigner Who can present all documents that will prove that he/she is the Next of Kin/Beneficiary to the account base on the fact that Mr. Magnus Leon The owner of this account is a foreigner, and the money can only be approved into a foreign bank Account. Therefore, if you are capable of handling this transaction with me, lets Make the necessary arrangement for the hitch-free transfer of this Money to any safe bank account that you may nominate, on a share Percentage bases. However, we shall sign a binding agreement, to bind us Together as partners in this regard. I am revealing this to you with believe in God that you will never let Me down in this business, you are the first and the only person that I Am contacting for this business, so please reply urgently and indicate Your sincere interest, so that I can inform you on the modalities Already mapped out for the hitch-free transfer of the money out of Africa here.I will require your direct phone and fax number for easy contacting you I need your full co-operation to make this work adequately. Upon your Positive response and once I am convinced that you are capable and Willing to meet up with the instructions of the top bank official that is deeply involved with me in this business, I shall commence actions Immediately to process the payment of the money in your favor as the Beneficiary With my influence and the position of the bank official we can transfer This money to any reliable foreign bank account, which you can provide. I am looking forward in anticipation to hearing from you soon as Possible. Yours truly, ERICK MOORE
Money transfer from Western Union?
I just don’t think this if for real. Why would a Western Union representative use a hotmail email address? This is a major giveaway that this is more than likely a scam.
How are you today? The below payment has been awarded to you by the Nigeria Government/World Bank to compensate you on the past experience had with the Nigeria scammers. I write to inform you that we have already sent you $10,000.00 through Western Union as we have been given the mandate to transfer your full compensation payment total sum of $250,000.00 via Western Union by the Government. I have on a good authority email you the MTCN and sender’s details to enable you pick up the first $10,000.00,USD and confirm receipt to us so as to enable us wire the next USD10,000.00 by tomorrow and subsequent ones since we can only send USD10,000.00 a day. Please pick up this information and get to any western union in your country to pick up the $10,000.00 and email the Western Union outlets incharge of the payment so that they could send you another payment tomorrow. Western Union contact information: Manager: Mr. Paul Ben Email: paullbenn2012@hotmail.com Call or Email them once you picked up the $10,000.00 today, if there is any problem with them paying you make sure to contact this Western Union outlet with the information given to you Below. Below is the western union information for pick up: MTCN: 017-591-6070 Sender’s Name: Micheal Wells Question: Colour Answer: Pink Amount: $10,000.00 They will be expecting your call once you pick up $10,000.00. Best Regards, Terry Scott Outlet Manager WESTERN UNION MONEY TRANSFER
This sounds like a fishy FBI letter
ANTI-TERRORIST AND MONITORY CRIMES DIVISION
FBI HEADQUARTERS IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION
J. EDGAR HOOVER BUILDING
935 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE, NW WASHINGTON, D.C. 20535-0001
Phone/Fax: 206-337-5630
This is to officially inform you that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has wired the sum of Ten Million, Five hundred thousand U.S Dollars ($10,500,000.00) into the United States of America in your name as the beneficiary.
The said fund is still under intense investigation from this office regarding its source.
The CBN knowing fully well that they do not have enough facilities to effect this payment directly into your account, used what we know as a secret diplomatic transit payment (S.D.T.P) to pay this fund through wire transfer.
However, Secret diplomatic transfer payments are normally funds related to drug/terrorist and money laundering system of payment.
The Question now is why must your payment be made in such secret transfer? If your transaction is legitimate and not related to drug/terrorism, why cant the CBN effect direct transfer into your account than secret diplomatic payment transfer?
Due to the increased difficulties and thorough scrutiny by the American authorities when funds come in through such payment process from Europe, Africa and Middle East and based on the records we have had in the past, such method of payment has always been identified as drug/ terrorist/money laundering funds.
However, in line with the United States policy on funds transfer, as soon as these funds are transferred into the United States, it is our compulsory obligations to establish the credentials and official recognition of these funds before final crediting into your account.
For these reasons therefore, you are advised to contact the United States Funds Monitoring unit, a sub-division of the US Treasury department for the certificate of funds legality. They are still waiting for confirmation from you on the already transferred funds which was made in direct transfer so that they can do final crediting to your account.
Failure to provide this document within 3 days will warrant us to confiscate these funds and further charge you for money laundering offense.
We will allow the funds to be released into your account as soon as you make provision for the essential document.
Yours faithfully,
Robert S. Mueller, III
Director Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
2011 in review
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 3,800 times in 2011. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 3 trips to carry that many people.
EBAY secret shopper scam
Recently received this email about a secret shopper. It sure sounds inviting, however it is a scam to get your hard earned money.
Here is another link also reporting on this scam http://www.ripoffreport.com/work-at-home-business/ebay-secret-shopper/ebay-secret-shopper-llc-david-a34db.htm
ABOUT US EBay Secret Shopper® LLC is the premier mystery shopping company; serving clients across America and Canada with over 500,000 shoppers available and ready to help businesses serve their customers better. Continual investment in the latest internet and communication technologies coupled with over 18 years of know-how means working with EBay Secret Shopper® LLC is a satisfying and rewarding experience. Mystery shoppers are either paid a pre-arranged fee for a particular shop, a reimbursement for a purchase or a combination of both. Secret Shopper® is available for immediate assignment, an inspection of the customer service of any Wal-Mart in your area. You are to shop secretly and invest just a little time to get things done. This fee will be paid upfront. During this shop you will visit the location and make several observations as regards the customer service.You will be required to interact with the shop clerk.The assignment will pay $300.00 per duty Kindly Fill Out the application form below and we will get back to you shortly with the assignment:
1. Full Legal Names:… 2. Mailing Address: City: State: Zip-Code….3. Telephone Numbers( Cell & Home )
Thank you for your help. We look forward to working with you .
Sincerely,
Jack Carpenter Employment Manager
EBay Secret Shopper® LLC
This must be a Windows Live Scam
Some scamers want your Paypal info
I just received this email and the date on the bottom of the email is dated 3/12/2011. These phishing mails must be floating around for a long time. No, I did not get concerned and follow their instructions and I would recommend that if you receive the same just delete it.
This e-mail has been sent by the PayPal Account Review Department. Unusual charges were recently detected to a credit card linked to your PayPal account. Due to this, access to your account was limited. There were numerous log-in attempts by an unauthorized user to your account. To ensure greater security, we have limited access to your account. We have attached a file in this e-mail for you that will verify that you are the legitimate account holder (owner). Please download and open it in your browser. (This security breach issue may be found under reference PP # 283-448-105)
Thank you for your immediate attention to this matter. Please understand that this is a security measure taken by our security team intended to protect you and your account. We apologize for any inconvenience. Sincerely, PayPal Account Review Department – 03/12/2011
Another Nigerian e-mail
These scammers just don’t give up
BRITISH HIGH COMMISSION
NIGERIA HIGH COMMISSION, 9, NORTHUMBERLAND AVENUE,
LONDON WC2N 5BX, UNITED KINGDOM
ATTENTION:
The BRITISH HIGH COMMISSION in United Kingdom, Nigeria,Benin Republic,Ghana
and Bokinafaso received a report of scam against you and other British/US
citizens and Malaysia,Etc. whom the country of UK, Nigeria/Benin,Bokinafaso
And Ghana have recompensed you due to meeting held with Four countries
Government and the world high commissions against fraud activities by the
Four country Citizens.
Your name was among those scammed as listed by the United Kingdom Financial
Services Authority (UKFSA).A compensation has been issued out in ATM CARD to
all the affected victims and has been already in distribution to all the
bearers. Your ATM CARD REF(# TNY/478593G9/19) was among those that was
reported undelivered as at last Friday and we wish to advise you to see to
the instructions of the Committee to make sure you receives your ATM CARD
immediately for your usage.
The United Kingdom Financial Services Authority further told us that the
use of Nigeria Couriers and the Benin was abolished due to interception
activities noticed in the above mentioned courier services in Benin,Nigeria
and Ghana and thereby have made a concrete arrangement with the KENEX
COURIER SERVICES for a safe delivery to your door-step once the beneficiary
meets up the demand of the conveyance.
Due to the security, we ask that you keep all information confidential until
your claim will be processed and your money remitted to you.
THIS IS PART OF OUR SECURITY PROTOCOLS TO AVOID UNWARRANTED ABUSE OF THIS
PROGRAM BY SOME UNKNOWN PARTICIPANTS.
THE BRITISH HIGH COMMISSION has discovered a huge number of double claims
due to beneficiaries informing close friends relatives,
attorneys and third parties about their Awards. As a result of this, this
close friends relatives,
attorneys and third parties try to claim the prize on behalf of the real
recipients.
We advise that you do the needful to make sure the UKFSA dispatches your
recompense on Friday. You are assured of the safety of your ATM CARD and
availability and be advised that you should stop further contacts with all
the fake government officials online who in collaboration scammed you.
Your Full Name:………………….
Your Delivery Address………………..
Your phone Number………………….
Your occupation ……………………
Yours in Service,
Agent Steve Morrise
CONSULAR/DIPLOMAT
BRITISH HIGH COMMISSION
Visa/MasterCard scam
Visa / MasterCard FRAUD
Just a heads up for everyone regarding the latest in Visa fraud. Royal Bank received this communication about the newest scam. This is happening in the Midwest right now and moving.
This one is pretty slick since they provide YOU with all the information, except the one piece they want..
Note, the callers do not ask for your card number; they already have it.
This information is worth reading. By understanding how the VISA & MasterCard telephone Credit Card Scam works, you’ll be better prepared to protect yourself. One of our employees was called on Wednesday from ‘VISA’, and I was called on Thursday from ‘MasterCard’.
The scam works like this:
Person calling says – ‘This is (name), and I’m calling from the Security and Fraud Department at VISA. My Badge number is 12460, Your card has been flagged for an unusual purchase pattern, and I’m calling to verify. This would be on your VISA card which was issued by (name of bank). Did you purchase an Anti-Telemarketing Device for $497.99 from a marketing company based in Arizona ?’ When you say ‘No’, the caller continues with, ‘Then we will be issuing a credit to your account. This is a company we have been watching and the charges range from $297 to $497, just under the $500 purchase pattern that flags most cards. Before your next statement, the credit will be sent to (gives you your address), is that correct?’ You say ‘yes’.
The caller continues – ‘I will be starting a Fraud Investigation. If you have any questions, you should call the 1- 800 number listed on the back of your card (1-800-VISA) and ask for Security. You will need to refer to this Control Number. The caller then gives you a 6 digit number. ‘Do you need me to read it again?’
Here’s the IMPORTANT part on how the scam works – The caller then says, ‘I need to verify you are in possession of your card’. He’ll ask you to ‘turn your card over and look for some numbers’. There are 7 numbers; the first 4 are part of your card number, the last 3 are the Security Numbers that verify you are the possessor of the card. These are the numbers you sometimes use to make Internet purchases to prove you have the card. The caller will ask you to read the last 3 numbers to him. After you tell the caller the 3 numbers, he’ll say, ‘That is correct, I just needed to verify that the card has not been lost or stolen, and that you still have your card Do you have any other questions?’
After you say no, the caller then thanks you and states, ‘Don’t hesitate to call back if you do’, and hangs up. You actually say very little, and they never ask for or tell you the card number. But after we were called on Wednesday, we called back. Within 20 minutes to ask a question. Are we were glad we did! The REAL VISA Security Department told us it was a scam and in the last 15 minutes a new purchase of $497.99 was charged to our card. We made a real fraud report and closed the VISA account. VISA is reissuing us a new number.. What the scammers want is the 3-digit PIN number on the back of the card. Don’t give it to them. Instead, tell them you’ll call VISA or Master Card directly for verification of their conversation..
The real VISA told us that they will never ask for anything on the card as they already know the information since they issued the card! If you give the scammers your 3 Digit PIN Number, you think you’re receiving a credit; however, by the time you get your statement you’ll see charges for purchases you didn’t make, and by then it’s almost too late and/or more difficult to actually file a fraud report.
What makes this more remarkable is that on Thursday, I got a call from a ‘Jason Richardson of MasterCard’ with a word-for-word repeat of the VISA Scam. This time I didn’t let him finish. I hung up! We filed a police report, as instructed by VISA. The police said they are taking several of these reports daily! They also urged us to tell everybody we know that this scam is happening. I dealt with a similar situation this morning, with the caller telling me that $3,097 had been charged to my account for plane tickets to Spain , and so on through the above routine..
It appears that this Is a very active scam, and evidently quite successful.
Pass this on to all your family and friends
A new twist on an old Nigerian scam
I just received this email and I just don’t trust Rev Paul William. As usual, I posted here for others to see and then deleted.
Dear Confidant,
I am Mrs. Sharon Crawford a Charity organization officer; I am a US citizen, 48 years Old. I reside here in New Braunfels Texas. My residential address is as follows. 1811 Teal Run Place Dr. Fresno, New Braunfels TX 77545, United States. I am one of those that executed Compensation in Nigeria many years ago and they refused to pay me, I had paid over USD15,000 while in the US, trying to get my payment but to all no avail.
So I decided to travel down to Nigeria with all my compensation documents, and I was directed to meet REV.PAUL WILLIAM, who is the member of COMPENSATION AWARD COMMITTEE, and I saw him and he explained everything to me. He said whoever is contacting us through emails are fake.
He took me to the paying bank for the claim of my Compensation payment. Right now I am the happiest woman on earth because I have received my compensation funds of USD5,500,000.00 Moreover, REV.PAUL WILLIAM, showed me the full information of those that are yet to receive their payments and I saw your name as one of the beneficiary, and your email address, that is why I decided to email you to stop dealing with those people, they are not with your fund, they are only making money out of you. I will advise you to contact REV.PAUL WILLIAM.
You have to contact him direct on this informations below.
COMPENSATION AWARD HOUSE
Name: REV. PAUL WILLIAM
Email: rev.paulwilliams190@skymail.mn
Phone number:+234-7070202543
Office Address: 13,Cole Street,Ikeja Lagos Nigeria.
You really have to stop dealing with those people that is contacting you and telling you that your fund is with them, it is not in anyway with them, they are only taking advantage of you and they will dry you up until you have nothing.
The only money I paid was just USD215, take note of that. Once again stop contacting those people, I will advise you to contact REV.PAUL WILLIAM so that he can help you to deliver your fund instead of dealing with those liars that will be turning you around asking for different kind of money to complete your transaction.
Thank You and Remain Blessed.
Mrs.Sharon Crawford
This must be a Facebook scam
I recently received this email saying that I have not signed onto Facebook for a while. I am on Facebook almost every day, so I suspect this is some sort of scam and would never click on any link in an email like this
How to fix Congress
*The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote for
18 year-olds) took only 3 months & 8 days to be
ratified! Why? Simple! The people demanded it. That
was in 1971… before computers, before e-mail, before
cell phones, etc.
Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven (7)
took 1 year or less to become the law of the land…
all because of public pressure.*
*I’m asking each addressee to forward this email to a
minimum of twenty people on their address list; in
turn ask each of those to do likewise.
In three days, most people in The United States of
America will have the message. This is one idea that
really should be passed around.
Congressional Reform Act of 2011
1. No Tenure / No Pension. A Congressman collects a
salary while in office and receives no pay when they
are out of office.
2.. Congress (past, present & future) participates in
Social Security. All funds in the Congressional retirement
fund move to the Social Security system immediately.
All future funds flow into the Social Security system,
and Congress participates with the American people.
It may not be used for any other purpose.*
*3. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan,
just as all Americans
do.*
*4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise.
Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.*
*5. Congress loses their current health care system and
participates
in the same health care system as the American people.*
*6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose
on the American
people.*
*7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen
are void effective1/1/12. ****The American people did
not make this contract with Congressmen. Congressmen
made all these contracts for themselves.
Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The
Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours
should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work.
*
*If each person contacts a minimum of twenty people
then it will only take three days for most people
(in the U.S. ) to receive the message. Maybe it is time.
*
*THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS!!!!!*
*If you agree with the above, pass it on.
I’m sure Mr. Moore wants to give me a million bucks
Another email I am very suspicious of. It must be my nature.
Dear Friend,
How are you today? Hope all is well with you and your family?
I hope this mail meets you in a perfect condition. You may not understand
why this mail came to you. But if you do not remember me, you might have
received an email from me in the past regarding a multi-million-dollar
business proposal which we never concluded.
I am using this opportunity to inform you that this multi-million-dollar
business has been concluded with another person who financed it to a logical
conclusion but i know that people has been using my identification to
contact you as a fraud act so i want you to decease from contacting them
because I know they just making earns out of you. I thank you for your great
effort to our unfinished transfer of fund into your account due to one
reason or the other best known to you. But I want to inform you that I have
successfully transferred the fund out of the security company to my new
partner’s account in London that was capable of assisting me in this great
venture.
Due to your effort, sincerity, courage and trustworthiness you showed during
the course of the transaction I want to compensate you and show my gratitude
to you with the sum of $950,000.00. I have left an international certified
bank draft for you worth about $950,000.00 cashable anywhere in the world.
My dear friend I will like you to contact Barr. George Williams for the
collection of this international certified bank draft have authorized to
release the international certified bank draft to you as soon as you contact
him regarding this issue because as soon as you contact them the package
will be forwarded to the delivery company.
At the moment, I’m very busy here
because of the investment projects which myself and my new partner are
having at hand. Please I will like you to accept comply with Mr. George
Williams so that he will send the draft to you without any delay.
CONTACT: Barr. George Williams
ADDRESS: 102 Daytona ave. Holly Hull, City 32 Abuja.
EMAIL: barrgeorgewilliams@globomail.com
TEL: +234 81 53 671 539
Therefore, you should send him your full Name and telephone number/your
address where you want him to send the draft to you I want you to give him a
call as well for verification.
Thanks and God bless you and your family. I am very busy now i may not reply
to any email for sometime.
Best Regards
Mr. David Moore
Petroleum Company of Trinidad says I have money
This sounds suspicious to me.
The Manager
Petroleum Company of Trinidad and Tobago Ltd. (Petrotrin)
Trinidad, West Indies
Dear Sir,
It is a fact that we have not met before neither have
we had any previous business dealings, but I strongly
believe that with understanding and trust we can have
a successful business relationship.
For your information I am employee of Petroleum Company
of Trinidad and Tobago Ltd. (Petrotrin), for more
information you can visit our link
http://abarrelfull.wikidot.com/pointe-a-pierre-refinery-project
I have access to very vital information that can be used
to move a huge amount of money out of the Petrotrin's
continuous catalyst regeneration (CCR) platform project
account to a secured account. If it were possible for me
to do it alone I would not have bothered contacting you,
Ultimately I need a foreigner to play an important
role in the completion of this business deal. Please,
do not take this vital issue as the numerous scam mails
you received nowadays, but a serious and mutually
beneficial transaction.
The funds in question was sourced from over an invoiced
billings and contracts of the;
REVAMPING OF FLUID CATALYTIC CRACKING UNIT (FCCU) AND
UPGRADE OF THE PETROTRIN’S GASOLINE OPTIMIZATION AT THE
POINTE A PIERRE REFINERY.
I have done my homework very well and have machineries
in place to ensure that this venture succeed and I
therefore asked of you if:
- You have a well serviced bank account that can receive
huge transfer without suspicion from your bankers
- You have a good relationship with your bankers?
- You can guarantee the safety of these funds in your
account pending my arrival for disbursement?
If YES, then I will need more information about you such as:
------Your Full Names
------Your Contact Tel
------Your Office /Residential Address:
------Your Occupation
------Any form of ID
This information will confirm that I am dealing with
the right person as you know I have to be careful to
avoid dealing with an impostor.
Kindly get back to me at your most early convenience
so that I Can Brief you on the next line of action. On
acceptance, Our Identities and total business plan package
will be relayed to you in details.
I look forward to to meeting with you where I hope to
do good business with you.
Treat this as confidential and Please respond to this
email using my personal confidential mail at
themanager@inMail24.com
Best Regards,
Manager
Petroleum Company of Trinidad and Tobago Ltd. (Petrotrin)
Social Security information
| History Lesson on Your Social Security Card Social Security Cards up until the 1980s expressly stated the number and card were not to be used for identification purposes. Since nearly everyone in the United States now has a number, it became convenient to use it anyway and the message, NOT FOR IDENTIFICATION,was removed. An old Social Security card with the “NOT FOR IDENTIFICATION”message. Our Social Security Franklin Roosevelt, a Democrat, introduced the Social 1.) That participation in the Program would be No longer Voluntary 2.) That the participants would only have to pay Now 7.65% on the first $90,000 3.) That the money the participants elected to put No longer tax deductible 4.) That the money the participants put into the Under Johnson the money was moved to The General Fund and Spent 5.) That the annuity payments to the retirees would never be taxed Under Clinton & Gore Up to 85% of your Social Security can be Taxed Since many of us have paid into FICA for years and are ———— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— —- Q: Which Political Party took Social Security from the A: It was Lyndon Johnson and the democratically ———— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— — Q: Which Political Party eliminated the income tax A: The Democratic Party. ———— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— —– Q: Which Political Party started taxing Social A: The Democratic Party, with Al Gorecasting the ———— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— – Q: Which Political Party decided to start AND MY FAVORITE: A: That’s right! Jimmy Carter and the Democratic Party.Immigrants moved into this country, and at age 65, began to receive Social Security payments! The Democratic Party gave these payments to them, even though they never paid a dime into it! ———— — ———— ——— —– ———— ——— ——— Then, after violating the original contract (FICA), And the worst part about it is uninformed citizens believe it! If enough people receive this, maybe a seed of awareness will be planted and maybe changes will evolve. But it’s worth a try. How many people can YOU send this to? Actions speak louder than bumper stickers |
Lets withhold elected officials pay
PLEASE read and forward to all your e-mail contacts, and post on your Face-book page if you have one… This is getting serious
Dear Mr. President, I heard you say you will not guarantee SS checks if the debt ceiling isn’t raised.
Why is it the threat always has to do with SS, Medicare, & our Soldiers pay? …trying to scare those who’s needs are greatest?
Why not stop YOUR pay, your staff, or Congress and the Senate to save more money for our country?
If that isn’t enough, how about withholding foreign aid?
Why use Seniors, Soldiers, & our Needy as examples?
Take the money from those who take no risks and reap the benefits!!
Instead of threatening to withhold Social Security, VA and disability payments of people who really need the money….
Lets hold the paychecks of all house & senate members, then see how fast they resolve the debt ceiling crisis !!!!!
If you agree, repost this & keep it going across the whole USA.
Thank you
A PayPal Phishing scam
I recently received this e-mail which was supposedly from PayPal and
I was am immediately suspcious when it says I need to update my
account with a link to update. I right clicked the link and retrieved the
address from the properties. I then Googled this address 82.114.94.182
and came up with this link https://safeweb.norton.com/report/show?name=82.114.94.182
Surprise surprise, Norton shows this address as a Phishing attack threat.
Therefore, if you receive a similar email, don’t click on their link.
Dear PayPal Costumer,
It has come to our attention that your PayPal® account
information needs to be updated as part of our continuing
commitment to protect your account and to reduce the instance
of fraud on our website. If you could please take 5-10 minutes
out of your online experience and update your personal records
you will not run into any future problems with the online service.
However, failure to update your records will result in account
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A new tax on home sales
Received this in an e-mail and just passing it on!
Did you know that if you sell your house after 2012 you will pay
a 3.8% sales tax on it? That’s $3,800 on a $100,000 home etc.
When did this happen? It’s in the health care bill. Just thought
you should know.
SALES TAX TO GO INTO EFFECT 2013 (Part of HC Bill) Why
2013? Could it be to come to light AFTER the 2012 elections?
REAL ESTATE SALES TAX
So, this is “change you can believe in”? Under the new health
care bill – did you know that all real estate transactions will be
subject to a 3.8% Sales Tax? The bulk of these new taxes don’t
kick in until 2013 If you sell your $400,000 home, there will be
a $15,200 tax. This bill is set to screw the retiring generation
who often downsize their homes. Does this stuff make your
November and 2012 vote more important?
Oh, you weren’t aware this was in the obamacare bill? Guess
what, you aren’t alone. There are more than a few members of
Congress that aren’t aware of it either.
I hope you forward this to every single person in your address
book. VOTERS NEED TO KNOW.
So much for the promise that “we are not going to raise taxes,
not one thin dime, for anyone making under $250,000 per year.”
IF this is incorrect, someone please enlighten me!
Who is World Debt Recovery Committee?
This must be some kind of scam. It has been over two years
since I have flown in an airplane.
WORLD DEBT RECOVERY COMMITTEE (WDRC)
Address: Head Office: 3, Kofo Abayomi
Street, Victoria Island, Lagos-Nigeria
YOUR-UNCLAIMED FUND NOTIFICATION
I am Mr. Desmond EKE of the newly inaugurated World
Debt Recovery committee (WDRC).in conjunction with
U.S.A Government My committee has a mandate to
recover unpaid debts associated with NNPC contracts,
Lottery fund, inheritance fund, loans and grants etc
ranging from
$1M-$19.5M owed to various beneficiaries and
companies across the globe
(Asia, Europe, USA,
Africa, and Australia) and submit the list of the unpaid
beneficiaries/companies to the 2 appointed official
paying Banks for
immediate payment of the fund.
In the course of our investigation, your email
address/particulars were short listed among the first
fifteen individuals yet to be paid hence this email.
However, we received a petition today from one Mrs.
Christina Morgan that you are dead. According to her,
you died in a plane crash as such your fund should be
paid to her as the apparent heir. She has also submitted
her Bank account with Federal Reserve System for the
transfer of the fund to her.
To avoid undue delay or paying the fund to wrong
individual/beneficiary, I have decided to contact you
for confirmation. If I fail to hear from you after 72
hours, it will be assumed that the petition of Mrs.
Morgan is true
and the fund will be paid to her without further delay.
Therefore, if you are still alive, reconfirm your particulars,
(1) Your full name.
(2) Phone, fax and mobile #.
3) Company’s name, position and address.
4) Profession, age and marital status.
5) Copy of int’l passport or any scanned identity to prove you.
6) The country where your fund was originated
NOTE: IF YOU KNOW THAT THIS FUND DOES NOT
BELONG TO YOU, OR YOU CANNOT BE ABLE TO
COMPLETE THE TRANSACTION. PLEASE DON’T
BOTHER TO REPLY THIS MESSAGE.
Yours Sincerely
Mr. Desmond EKE
OF (WDRC
Now Yahoo says I won a million bucks
CONGRATULATIONS!!!
YOU WON ONE MILLION UNITED STATE DOLLARS ( $1, 000. 000.000 USD)
Dear Lucky Winner,
We are Pleased to inform you that your email was selected among the
winning numbers of the recently Lotto conducted from the Lottery Company
and we shall be glad if you can claim your prize,
please respond to this mail within 72 hours otherwise we will assume that
you are not interested.
We conduct the Lotto using Lotto as part of our tax relief program set up
by the International Lottery Board and Yahoo Inc, on this note we
congratulate you and wish you best of luck as you claim the prize attached to this Lotto.
HOW TO CLAIM YOUR PRIZE
These are your identification numbers.
Ticket number…………………085-12876077-09
Serial number…………………..51390-0
Lucky number……………….03-05-12-14-28-38
Ref number……………….N.EGS/3662367114/13
You are to send the completed verification form below to the coordinator
whose email address is given above so that you will be advised on what
to do to get your prize money. Congratulations once more!!
1.FULL NAME………………………..
2.COUNTRY OF ORIGIN………………….
3.PRESENT ADRESS…………………….
4.POSTCODE………………………….
5.DATE OF BIRTH……………………..
6.OCCUPATION………………………..
7.SEX……………………………….
8.TELEPHONE NUMBER……………………
9.FAX NUMBER(IF ANY)………………….
10.MARITAL STATUS……………………..
Remember, all prize money must be claimed not later than 30 days of receiving
this notification. Any claim not made by this date will be returned to
HER MAJESTYS DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY. And also be informed
that 10% of your lottery winning belongs to (THE PROMOTIONS COMPANY).
Because they are the company that bought your ticket and played the lottery
in your name.
Note also that this 10% will be remitted after you have received your
winnings prize, because the money is insured in your name already.
THAILAND CONTACT PERSON: MR. KANE IVA.
(Winner?s directorate office)
E-Mail: officelottery10@yahoo.com.hk
TEL:+ (66)835481357
Office Fax: + (66) 261-382-62
LOTTERY CO-ORDINATOR.
Sincerely,
Yahoo! Customer Care
Yahoo-Thailand Online Lottery Org
Regd No: 79472002
Secret Shopper, yea right!
I get the feeling this is a scam and so does this site http://www.scamwarners.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=20741&p=58652 Chase Secret Shopper® LLC 2123 West industrial Estate Santa Clara, CA Chase Secret Shopper® LLC is a company that conduct surveys and evaluate other companies. We get hired to go to other peoples companies and act like customers in order to know how the staffs are handling their services in relation to their customers. We all shop, and many of us enjoy shopping. But very rarely does opportunity present itself to do what we enjoy doing and getting paid for doing it. Imagine earning extra income just for going shopping and filling out a questionnaire! Your job will be to evaluate and comment on customer service in a wide variety of shops, stores, restaurant and services in your area. No commitment is made on this job, and you would have flexible hours as it suits you. Confidentiality is also very important. In most cases, the establishment is not to know that a mystery shop is taking place. Additionally, the questionnaires may be protected by copyrights. Often, the employee evaluated will be informed of the results of your evaluation later and may even be allowed to read your comments. But this is for management to determine. The information most often requested by management concerns employee to customer relations, employee performance, product quality or presentation of the establishment including cleanliness and convenience. This information helps management to identify areas of strength and weakness so they can take steps to correct the problem or potential problems before business is lost. Most of the time, the compensation for the assignment is established in advance and paid after the questionnaire is returned. As a mystery shopper, you are not an employee of the company that provides you an assignment-- but rather an independent contractor. As such, there is no employee benefits and no taxes will be withheld from your pay. You are responsible for reporting your own income. However, you may want to consult your tax advisor as some tax breaks may apply. You will be provided funds in advance for any upcoming Evaluation in form of United States Postal Money Orders to cover wage and evaluation. Which you will cash at your financial institution and you use the money to carry out the Evaluation . You do not have to use any money from your pockets. We will provide you the money for all your assignments. EARNINGS Pay can range from $200 to $300 per job assignment, with an average of $100 per assignment. Additionally there is a stipend for purchases. The number of assignments per day vary but if you are assertive in seeking work-and work for several mystery shopping companies-you could garner up to 20 assignments per month. While most mystery shoppers consider this a part time or "hobby" job, if you approach the work as a full-time job, you can earn $4,000 to $5,000 per month. ==================================================== If you are interested do send in these information: FULL NAME:........................ CONTACT ADDRESS..(PLS NO PO BOX ADDRESS)................... CITY............... STATE............. ZIP CODE ................ TELEPHONE NUMBER:................... MOBILE NUMBER:...................... OCCUPATION:........................ EMAIL:........................... So we can look at your distance from the locations which you have to put your service into, and your address would also be needed for your payments. Great Pay** Fun Work** Flexible Schedules**No experience required.If you can shop-you are qualified! No start off fees is required Must be above 18years old Must be computer literate Must be very honest and committed pls note that this is a part time job James Hodege Chase Secret Shopper® LLC 2123 West industrial Estat
1% tax on all bank transactions HR4646
1% tax on all bank transactions HR4646
Watch for this AFTER November elections; remember this BEFORE you VOTE in case you think Obama’s looking out for your best interest.
1% tax on all bank transactions HR 4646
This government just cannot think of enough ways to hurt the American people! I sure hope this dies!!!!!
FORWARD THIS TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW!
1% tax on all bank transactions HR 4646 – ANOTHER NEW OBAMA TAX SLIPPED IN WHILE WE WERE ASLEEP. Checked this on snopes, it’s true! Check out HR 4646.
Check it out on Snope: http://www.snopes.com/politics/taxes/debtfree.asp
President Obama’s finance team is recommending a one percent (1%) transaction fee (TAX). Obama’s plan is to sneak it in after the November elections to keep it under the radar.
This is a 1% tax on all transactions at any financial institution – banks, credit unions, savings and loans, etc. Any deposit you make, or even a transfer within your account, will have a 1% tax charged. ~If your paycheck or your social security or whatever is direct deposit, it will get a 1% tax charged for the transaction. ~If your paycheck is $1000, then you will pay Obama $10 just for the privilege of depositing your paycheck in your bank. Even if you hand carry your paycheck or any check into your bank for a deposit, 1% tax will be charged. ~You receive a $5,000 stock dividend from your broker, Obama takes $50 just to allow you to deposit that check in the bank.. ~If you take $1,000 cash to deposit at your bank, 1% tax will be charged.
Mind you, this is from the man who promised that, if you make under $250,000 per year, you will not see one penny of new tax. Keep your eyes and ears open, you will be amazed at what you learn about this guy’s under-the-table moves to increase the number of ways you are taxed.
~Oh, and by the way,if you receive a refund from the IRS next year and you have it direct deposited or you walk in to deposit that check, you guessed it. You will pay a 1% charge of that money just for putting it in your bank. Remember, any money, cash, check or whatever, no matter where it came from, you will pay a 1% fee if you put it in the bank.
Some will say, oh well, it’s just 1%. Are you kidding me? It’s a 1% tax increase across the board. Remember, once the tax is there, they can also raise it at will. And if anyone protests, they will just say, “oh,that’s not really a tax, it’s a user fee”! Think this is no big deal? Go back and look at the transactions you made from last year’s banking statements. Then add the total of all those transactions and deduct 1%. Still think it’s no big deal?
Check it out on Snope: http://www.snopes.com/politics/taxes/debtfree.asp
Go ahead and close my account
I don’t even have a Warcraft account. Go ahead close it! This appears to be a scam of some sort
Greetings,
It has come to our attention that you are trying to sell your personal World of Warcraft account(s). As you may not be aware of, this conflicts with the EULA and Terms of Agreement. If this proves to be true, your account can and will be disabled. It will be ongoing for further investigation by Blizzard Entertainment’s employees. If you wish to not get your account suspended you should immediately verify your account ownership.
You can confirm that you are the original owner of the account to this secure website with:
Login to your account, In accordance following template to verify your account.
If you ignore this mail your account can and will be closed permanently.
Once we verify your account, we will reply to your e-mail informing you that we have dropped the investigation.
Blizzard Entertainment SAS
TSA 60 001
Service Administration des Comptes
78143 Velizy Villacoublay Cedex
If you wish to review our current Rules and Policies for World of Warcraft and Battle.net, they can be found at:
http://www.wow-europe.com/en/policy/
http://us.blizzard.com/en-gb/company/about/termsofuse.html
Regards,
Game Master Dunarthra
Customer Services
Blizzard Entertainment
http://eu.blizzard.com/support/article.xml?articleId=35726
Please retain all history if you reply to this mail
TomT2.0 