Phishing from the Ebay Pier

Today, I got this e-mail. It is representative of those that I get almost daily:

A complaint has been filed against you in the Fraud Reporting Form at eBay.

============================================
FRAUD COMPLAINT
Complaint Tracking Number: 4205848966
By: x x@x.x
Item #: 2996804910
Winning Bid: $126.00

Nature of Complaint:
I sent a payment but never received any merchandise.
Text of Complaint: I won an auction for a $500 Pep Boys Gift Certificate. It was a certificate number which you entered after ordering online. We were told by Pep Boys, that the certificate number was stolen and not valid.

============================================

In the next 3 days, please visit the Fraud Reporting Form to resolve this complaint with caseylynncarroll.

...blah, blah, blah. Someone is trying to get my log-in info, and I'm supposed to be stupid enough to click on the link they supplied and log into my Ebay account.

But, it's not that so much, because I can delete the e-mail. What I'm really upset about is that someone thinks I'm stupid enough to sell a $500 Pep Boys gift certificate for $126.

The Searchers

I continue to be amazed by the Google searches that bring people to this sick outpost. The most recent one inspired a haiku:

You did a search for
Michelle Wie underpants, but
found my blog instead.

If I could add another line, I would, but I think you could add one on your own. Michelle, on behalf of Google and the staff of My Sick Mind (me) I apologize. Although, since you have now fired both your caddie and your agent, I'm sure it won't be long before you realize that $20 million you've been raking in and actually win a tournament.
Here's some free advice: Stop trying to play on the men's tour until you prove that you can play on the women's tour.

Meanwhile...

Shaun Rogers of the Detroit Lions was suspended by the NFL: The NFL suspended Rogers without pay for the next four games for violating a league rule on banned substances. The league said Wednesday the violation involved an NFL policy that covers anabolic steroids and related substances.

The story appeared on page E5 of Thursday's Philadelphia Inquirer sports section. Page E5. If it had been Barry Bonds, it would not only be on the front page of the sports section, but the front page of the NEWSPAPER as well. Why does the NFL get a free ride for steroids suspensions when Major League baseball gets the heat?
Do you think those giant linemen and defensive backs got to be that way from eating Wheaties every day? No. They're juicing, just like lots of baseball players. But baseball is somehow Saintified by America, and their players aren't allowed to do the same things that guys in other sports do. So much so, that they have to appear in front of Congressional committees and wave their fingers in denial. What a country.

ROME - A priest acknowledged Thursday that he was naked in saunas and went skinny-dipping with Mark Foley decades ago when the former congressman was a boy in Florida, but denied that the two had sex.
OK...for the record, I've never had sex with Foley either, although I think about it every day. Does that make me a bad person?

NEWARK, N.J. - A Bible camp counselor and a Boy Scout leader were among 125 people arrested nationwide in an Internet child pornography case in which subscribers purchased photos and videos of children engaged in sex acts with adults, federal authorities said Wednesday. "When I say 'hard-core' pornography, I am talking about child pornography that includes images of children as young as six months involved in bondage and sodomy," U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie said. "This type of depraved conduct is something a civilized society cannot tolerate."
That's where you're wrong, Chris. It isn't a civilized society. It's a society based on lawlessness, and if you weren't around to stop it, it would continue unabated, civilization notwithstanding. While it is depraved, by society's standards, it is still part of society.
We are not civilized. If we were, we wouldn't need laws to protect us against grown-ups having sexual contact with six-month old's. It sounds to me like Mr. Christie is a bit naive, especially for a U.S. Attorney.
Civilized society does not tolerate it, but civilized society is the least of your worries. It's the non-civilized you are charged with prosecuting.

Even in our civilized society, the superstition continues...

BUFFALO, N.Y. - Last week's snowstorm in Buffalo brought down countless tree limbs, causing widespread damage to homes and other property. But two large limbs that fell on a statue of Jesus Christ landed in such a way that they formed a cross. Video shows the branches leaning against the statue in such a way that it appears Jesus is carrying a wooden cross. Verrastro told a TV station that her home didn't suffer any damage or lose power during the storm, and she believes the nearby Jesus statue is proof that a higher power was watching over her family last week.

It's all a matter of perspective. From the camera's point of view, the limbs formed a cross. From another, they look like two sticks. The higher power that was watching over HER family apparently didn't extend to the thousands of other heathens who lost power during the storms. How can someone be so egotistical to believe that God was watching her and not other people? Is that a basis for a religion or a superstition that teaches good fortune over real faith?

I suppose God wasn't watching over the Bible camp counselor that was arrested in the child pornography case? I guess that God takes Wednesday's off.
A statue saved her home. OK ... I'll run out and buy a hunk of steel that looks like Superman so that lightning strikes it instead of my home. Thanks, man of steel.

What year is this?

Thursday Thirteen v.6

Thirteen Things About Me in High School

Since the theme this week among one of my Blogger buddies is the high school experience, I decided to glom off of her idea, since I had none of my own.
Visit Pam for more tales from her personal teenage wasteland, and wish her a safe journey south to attend her 20th high school reunion.

1. I never attended a dance. Even the Sadie Hawkins dance, where the girls were supposed to ask the boys, or the Senior Prom. Since I never had a girlfriend, the choice was pretty easy.

2. There is no picture of me in the Yearbook. I protested the idea, and subsequently wound up in the back of the book with the wasteoids and losers. I had offers of neckties and jackets on photo day, but stood my ground. I can't recall why, but it just wasn't something I wanted to do.

3. I graduated #104 out of 277. Debbie Powers, the girl next to me in home room, (who thought she was so much smarter than anyone else), finished #105 and wondered, "Who came in 104?" I didn't have the heart to ruin her day.

4. I was in the "College Prep" program. I didn't attend college until 1998. Apparently, there is no statute of limitations on the program.

5. I was 17 when I graduated. Not because I was skipped a grade, just an odd calendar twist that had me starting Kindergarden at age 4, a month before my 5th birthday.

6. I had to walk a mile to get the bus. A real mile, not a "grandpa" mile. Now, I see the bus stopping every block to pick up kids. I did a lot of walking through rain, sleet and gloom of late afternoon. Kids today are soft.

7. I missed my last reunion to get married. I think I covered this, but the odd thing about my 15th reunion in 1990 was that it would be the last we would have. Someone is trying to organize something now, but I'm not holding my breath.

8. I was in the No-Pep Club. A small group of us were renegades who didn't want to take part in the Friday afternoon Pep Rallies for the football team. We sat in the back, seemingly not bothering anyone. Once, the band director yelled at us with a bullhorn, ordering us to stand. We sat. I felt like Rosa Parks.

9. I never missed a day. You could look it up. I attended every day of school from 7th grade until the last day. Several of my fellow students were so amazed that, unbeknownst to me, they used to place small bets that I wouldn't show up at homeroom. They lost a lot of bets. By my count, it's 1,080 straight days. Screw you, Cal Ripken.

10. I still have all my report cards. Mom saved every one, from Kindergarden onward, in this little book, with pockets and spaces to write the teacher's name. I'd scan one for you, but they're still at her house.

11. I was in two plays. One, for English class, in which I played a kid terrorizing an airplane full of passengers, that we wrote ourselves. I guess I got the part because I was skinny like Gilligan. It was hysterical. I was supposed to spill a cup of water "beside" Carol, but I decided that the comedy was in the spill, not the near-spill, so it wound up all over her. It was funnier my way, but she did not agree.
The other one was a band pageant, where they ran short of bodies and needed someone to play an Navy seaman (no jokes). I went out there with "my hair tucked up under my hat" (a-la The Five Man Electrical Band), and garnered several chuckles from the audience with my phony portrayal.

12. No Activities. The non-photo in the yearbook was accompanied by a home address and nothing else. I wasn't interested in sports, and I didn't play a "band" instrument. Although I was asked to audition for bass guitar in the jazz band. I declined, since I didn't really play the bass (I played the guitar) and felt like I was stealing a spot from a deserving person, just because my friends wanted me in the band. Good Karma for me.

13. I had no idea what I wanted to do when I graduated. Seemingly, my guidance counselor lost my file, because I really didn't have a clue what to do when June 1975 rolled around. Due to a quirky set of circumstances, a friend got me a decent job in a field I would stay in for the next 15 years. I've only had two jobs. That one and the one I have now.

Flintstones and Fried Coke and Burke, Oh My.

Every now and then, I go and get all political on your ass. It's like one of those pressure cookers. The heat builds up, and eventually the steam causes the lid to blow off. Mine went off yesterday. Today, I found a site that has a map of Springfield, where the Simpson's live, so the part of my brain that lives in TV is complete, and the pressure has been relieved - for now.

Meanwhile, it is raining here, and I'm reading that Vince Vaughn is pissed. According to statement released by a London law firm, the 36-year-old actor would be filing a "legal complaint" against a tabloid trio — the New York Post and the Britain-based Daily Mirror and The Sun. I've seen a couple of his movies. I'd like to file a "legal complaint".

And, your president has continued to sign his name much in the manner in which a person signs a rest room stall:

WASHINGTON — President Bush signed a sweeping terror interrogation and trial law this morning, creating a legal process for trying terrorism suspects and giving the president the power to determine whether interrogation methods violate international treaties.

I have this "thing" that sticks in me whenever I read or hear the word "alleged". I imagine myself being accused of some heinous crime, and the local news anchor reading my name with "alledgedly" after it, and before the crime, as though I had been convicted, which of course, I have not.
Now, the president has made a law that says that the government can do as much as it deems necessary when interrogating alledged terrorists, in spite of the fact that interrogation is not known to be a deterrant to crime.
But, before I go and get all political on your ass, go to Pam's blog and read about a little known use for a table with two funny legs.

Now, I'm going to throw this in for my pal FIRESTARTER5, as a little token of my appreciation for giving me a shout out on his blog on Monday. I know, he'll say she's wearing too much, but, hey - the boobs look fake, so I figure it's a wash.

And, if this happens, I swear I'm packing the cat and heading west. If it does, maybe we should just build a big fence around Nevada and color one of the stars on the flag red in their honor.

Fried Coke? Somebody fill me in. It's the latest hit at state fairs, and it's supposed to be really bad for you, which means it must be delicious. Supposedly, the folks in Texas find it tasty. Maybe my Blogger buddy Trojan knows what's going on?

Lindsay Lohan wants to get married before she's 30, as part of her 10-year plan. OK, Lindsey, I want to get married before I'm 50, so let's kill two birds with one stone - so to speak.

I just got the first season of The Flintstones on DVD. I bought it through Kate's Amazon link box, which sounds dirty but it's not. I watched the first two episodes tonight, and immediately started grinning when I heard that stupid music and the voices of Fred and Barney. Sadly, the Cartoon Channel doesn't show it anymore, so the only way I know to get it is to buy it.
If you have kids, don't let them grow up without the experience of stuff like The Flintstones, Bullwinkle and The Jetson's. It beats the Hell out of that junk on Nick Toons, or whatever it's called now.

I only watch that goofy Dancing With the Stars show long enough to see Cheryl Burke. Then, it's off to baseball or hockey.


I'm totally blocked on a topic for this week's Thursday Thirteen. If you have an idea, drop it in the comments box.

How to Spell Miserable Failure

R-E-P-U-B-L-I-C-A-N

Some of the grand schemers in this so-called party (I've been to parties, and this ain't one) would lead us to believe that America is the land of great morality. It is what we want, since twice we have elected someone who stands for the great morality that the party leaders preach. Never mind that the guy is a former coke-head and alcoholic. That's in his past. We're talking about the present. OK, so let's.

UNMARRIED HOUSEHOLDS OUTNUMBER MARRIED ONES IN U.S.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - It is by no means dead, but for the first time, a new survey has shown that traditional marriage has ceased to be the preferred living arrangement in the majority of US households. The findings, which were released in August but largely escaped public attention until now because of the large volume of data, indicated that marriage did not figure in nearly 55.8 million American family households, or 50.2 percent.
36.7 million belonged to a category described as "nonfamily households," a term that experts said referred primarily to gay or heterosexual couples cohabiting out of formal wedlock.

Ooops. Gee, it seems that maybe people don't want to be married, unless they're gay. Non-family households? I thought that "Family Values" were one of your themes? Shouldn't they be increasing? I guess not. What was that you said?

"We stand for a culture of life in which every person matters, every being counts. We stand for marriage and family, which are the foundations of society. We stand for the Second Amendment."

-- Dubya offers here an interesting combination of support for family values and firearms, Portsmouth, Ohio, Sept. 10, 2004

Oh well, what's one little slip-up in policy? But we must be influencing Americans on the ideas of not using drugs, right?

STUDY FINDS CAFFEINE ABUSE AMONG YOUNG AMERICANS

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Young Americans searching for a legal high or just trying to stay alert may be abusing caffeine pills, sending some to the hospital, a study said on Monday. The average age of those who had abused caffeine supplements over the course of the three years studied was 21. The research did not involve caffeine drinks such as coffee or cola.

"Part of the problem is that people do not think of caffeine as a drug but rather as a food product," said Dr. Danielle McCarthy, who led the Northwestern University study.

"And so here's our goal, here's the goal by which we'll be measured - here's the goal which I'll be measured first, and then John will definitely be measured if I'm measured."
-- Dubya announces drug control strategy, White House, Feb. 12, 2002

Well, I'm sure that drug control strategy only concerned the illegal drugs, right? After all, if people are addicted to prescription drugs or use over-the-counter drugs, they must be OK. Maybe the president isn't supposed to be measured?

But, at least the people we are electing to office are above reproach, right?

FBI RAIDS HOMES OF WELDON, CHILD & FRIEND

MEDIA, Pa - The FBI raided the homes of Rep. Curt Weldon's (R-PA) daughter and a close friend Monday in an investigation of whether the congressman improperly helped the pair win lobbying and consulting contracts.
Agents searched four locations in the Philadelphia area and two in Jacksonville, Fla., said Debbie Weierman, an FBI spokeswoman in Washington. The congressman's home and his offices were not among the locations searched, she said.

I suppose that's only fair, since the guy is a 10-term Representative. Yes, ten terms. So, why would we think that he would use the name of Weldon to help his daughter get some big contracts? He must be innocent, since we only elect people of the highest moral character in the post-Clinton era. But at least the guy is a schooled expert on foreign policy.

Well, c'mon, it's only the FBI. How serious can it be? Oh, wait ... wasn't Weldon the guy who said North Korea was going to give up on nuclear weapons? Maybe it was in January of 2005?

19 January 2005 -- A senior member of the U.S. Congress has returned from a visit to communist North Korea with a relatively optimistic assessment of prospects for ending the international dispute over its nuclear capability.

Curt Weldon (Republican, Pennsylvania), vice chairman of the House of Representatives' Armed Services Committee, told journalists in Tokyo that he believes Pyongyang is serious about abandoning its nuclear program.

Well, I guess a guy can't be right all the time? Anybody for eleven terms? He's in a battle with Joe Sestak on November 7. Let's hope that the good people of the 7th district make the right decision this time. One out of eleven?

But I should relax. At least the economy, environment and the War in Iraq are in good shape.

Oh.

Thanks to dubyaspeak for the wonderfully appropriate quotes. Stop by for a chuckle.

Happy Birthday to Me

In honor of the beginning of my 50th year on this dying planet,
here are 49 things:

1 - By the time I'm 50 I hope to have a new job.
2 - If it is in my favorite city, I hope to move there and abandon my money-devouring vehicle in favor of public transit and my feet.
3 - I could take a year off and follow Gov't Mule around the country if I had the bucks.
4 - I have been weight-training and exercising for more than half my life. I hate to think I've wasted all that time.

5 - I've started to fear the day that I no longer have my 16-year old cat. He's a "senior" now, and I don't know how I'll deal with his ultimate passing.

6 - I'm not sure I like those artificial corks they're putting in wine bottles now.
7 - Among other things, the Australians make some damned good wine.

8 - My giant change jar is about two-thirds full.

9 - When I was nine, my father died.
10 - Don't wish that on any kid.
11 - I want one of those Dell Axim handheld PC's but I have no idea what I'd do with it.
12 - I have a box full of old cassette tapes that I need to transfer to CD.
13 - Herr's Kettle-Cooked Salt and Vinegar potato chips are the best snack food available in the world today.

14 - I have a box full of old VHS tapes that I need to transfer to DVD.
15 - Try Chipotle Ranch dressing on a ham sandwich.

16 - I have a box of old CDs that I need to transfer to mp3.
17 - I'm old enough to have gone through way too many music formats. I hope this digital thing is the last one, but I fear it is not.
18 - Weyerbacher's Blithering Idiot beer is fantastic. True to its name, it is 13.5% alcohol.
19 - Why do I have to pay for the Spanish channel and the shopping channels on my cable? I don't speak Spanish and I don't buy anything on TV.

20 - I really like those girls on the spanish channel.
21 - Can you believe there's a whole channel devoted to the weather?
22 - I kept all my college text books.
23 - Know anyone who needs some used college text books?

24 - I'd love to be able to afford to hire someone to come in and do my housework.
25 - When my soul needs soothing, I go to Washington and visit the East Building of the National Gallery of Art and the Hirshorn. I wish they were closer.

26 - I need to go soon.
27 - I don't like Monday Night Football on ESPN. It seems wrong, somehow.

28 - I don't like that Pardon the Interuption show, either. Michael Wilbon is a jackass who hates Philadelphia, and the other guy is a JBA - Jackass by Association.
29 - I just bought a digital camera. The last person in America, seemingly.
30 - I'm getting tired of Deal or No Deal faster than I got tired of Who Wants to be a Millionaire.
31 - Maybe one of the reasons I dislike George W. Bush so much is that I haven't had any since he has been president.
32 - I have also never had coffee.

33 - My Name is Earl is the best show on TV, but hardly anyone I know watches.

34 - Making up a list like Earl's would make a good Thursday Thirteen.
35 - There may be a few other reasons I dislike George W. Bush
36 - I took 4 of the photos on this post.

37 - I find it amazing that TV can advertise online gambling but not cigarettes.
38 - The Class is a very good show. It's very funny and has at least one hot babe. Monday on CBS.

39 - I think it's funny the way TV promotes Patricia Heaton as a "regular mom" who shops at Acme. She's really cool and everything, but I bet she hasn't been in a supermarket in 10 years. Do they think we're that stupid?
40 - I see bigger and bigger homes being built every day, and the storage facilities proliferate. How much stuff can people have that they can't fit it in their huge homes?

41 - I'm starting to get irritated at TV ads for state lotteries.
42 - I'm thinking about going to grad school. I should lie down until the feeling passes.
43 - I haven't had a real vacation since 1998, when I spent two weeks crusing the desert southwest.

44 - If I were younger, this list would be shorter.
45 - I'm 49, but I feel like I'm 30.
46 - When I was 30 I felt like I was 21.
47 - I don't remember how I felt when I was 5.
48 - Although, I remember hating to go to school and my mother tells me I couldn't wait to go.

49 - Next year, I hope I have something really good to put up for number 50.