The Argonauts Jason & Medea

The words all around us can take on different meanings when we least expect it.  I love Greek myths and I acquired an old, over-sized, water-damaged book.  It is a book for children, but, like animated stories and movies today, there are words for adults only.

For the sake of not losing the original impact, here is the passage:

"...Circe was a dangerous sorceress who amused herself by changing men who came to her island into the animal nearest the nature of each man.  Some became lions, some rabbits, but most of them were changed into pigs and asses."

Reference

D'Aulaire, Ingri and Edgar Parin.  (1962).  Book of Greek Myths.  New York, NY:  Bantam Doubleday Dell PublishingGroup, Inc. 

 

Too Late Vision

By Patti Wolf

Creeping through an endless tomb,

The entrance no longer exists,

No ending in sight,

No beginning and no end.

Seeing the light now,

Would only mean,

I had been blind to change,

Too late to change my path,

Vision too late is just regret.

Inspiration When Least Expected

It was just a bottle of shower gel that I received as a gift.  It smelled so good that I wanted body spray to go with it.  While searching the internet for the product, I decided to explore the creator, as well.

Kenneth Cole is the creator and his product is Kenneth Cole Reaction (for Her).  The two body sprays were named White and Black.

Although I was able to get the products, it was Kenneth Cole's life and philosophy of living that attracted me the most.  He inspires me to be pro-active in achieving my goals--just by reading his own story.

Here's the story that hooked me.  In 1982, Cole wanted to start his shoe business (his father was a shoe manufacturer, too, by the way).  Market Week at the Hilton in New York was the place for entrepreneurs to have their products previewed.  Unfortunately, Cole did not have the money to rent a room in the Hilton to display his shoe line.

Instead, Cole requested a permit to put a trailer two blocks down the street where he could display his line of shoes as Kenneth Cole, Inc.

Again, Cole was denied a permit.  He was told that trailers on the street were for "productions," as in filming, and not for selling shoes.

Instead of giving-up, the fashion designer changed his business name from Kenneth Cole Incorporated to Kenneth Cole Productions.  He got his permit.  Next, he hired a filming crew to produce a film entitled, "The Birth of a Shoe Company."

Now, the fashion designer Kenneth Cole was in business.  Not only did he sell 40,000 pairs of shoes, but he had a film chronicling the genesis of his company.

References

Wikipedia contributors. (2019, July 15). Kenneth Cole (designer). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 01:40, September 22, 2019, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kenneth_Cole_(designer)&oldid=906450747


   

Ladies Beware! Romance Bill Payings

Ladies Beware!

I just heard a report that I would like to share.

A woman “met” a guy on the internet.  He said the right words to 

gain her trust. He supposedly “paid” a bill for her. But, in order to 

pay the bill which happened to be a credit card, he had to have her

info to get online to “pay” it.  She gave him all of the account information

in order to pay the bill online. The account showed a zero balance. 

The woman was so happy. However, she now cannot log on to the 

account.  She did not change the password and now cannot get 

into the account to do so.  

LADIES, THIS IS A SCAM AND A FRAUD--AND THE WOMAN IS 

ALSO A PARTY TO THE FELONY CRIME!!!  The guy may or may

not pay the bill with the money he scammed from other women who 

fell for this online scam, but he has all the information and control of

the account.  He can request a credit line increase. Now the woman

is responsible not only for the amount he supposedly “paid,” but for 

the credit increase which he will, subsequently, max-out on the card. 

Also, items the woman purchased on the card can be repossessed.  

This is considered a 2-party scam and the woman is just as much a

partner to the felony theft as the scammer--whether the woman knew

it or not. Needless to say, the woman’s credit is destroyed, she loses

her hard-earned money and possessions, and can serve a term in prison. 

Remember:  Romance scammers are good at what they do…. 

NEVER GIVE ANYONE YOU MEET ONLINE YOUR 

PERSONAL ACCOUNT INFORMATION!

The Midnight Raiders

Sorry, I haven't been keeping-up with my posts. I have been out of sorts....

The Midnight Raiders

When a person lives solo, night sounds seem louder than usual.  The later the 
time, the more clamorous the sounds grow.

On this particular night, the power had gone off.  I was in darkness and heard 
outside noises like shuffling feet scraping along the back door steps. No house
phone and no cell phone. What to do?

Candles were lit and flickering.  It was creepy and I was frightened.  But, I couldn’t
just sit and wait. I had to act.

I grabbed a battery-operated LED lamp with three levels of brightness.  I walked 
to the back door. The scraping was still continuing. Should I open the back door 
or run-out the front door to a neighbor’s house?

If I opened the door, would I be fast enough to close it before someone came 
inside?  What if they had a weapon? I wasn’t over-reacting because recent 
reports stated that a person had kicked-in the door of the vacant house next 
door.  The same person had tried to enter another house--with the residents 
still inside!

Again, what to do?  I recalled a hint I heard years ago.  If a person attacks you, 
scream-out, “Fire, help, fire!”  People are more likely to come running when a fire
is happening than for attacks.  Would I find my voice when I needed it most?

With the lamp in one hand, I unlocked the door and grabbed the door handle. 
I eased the wooden door open.  Lights were still out and I gazed into total darkness.

I flicked-on the lamp and aimed its beam through the outside screen door.  And, 
there on the steps were three masked…Raccoons!

Earlier in the day, I had placed a take-out box overflowing with refrigerator scraps 
on the landing of the back door deck.  The felines had not found it to their liking. 
However, the raccoons did. The container was licked clean and the raiders had 
even washed their paws in the water dish.

I now understood why the cats did not often stay on the deck at night.  The three
midnight diners seemed to be asking, “You looking at us?” 

Like the cats, I was not going to step-out onto the deck steps either.  With a sigh of 
relief, I closed the back door.

Watching Chopped

 

Said the Irish girl:

"I never met a potato I didn't like."

Ladies Beware!

In the current issue of American Association of Retired People (AARP The Magazine), 

investigative writer Doug Shadel explains the processes behind scammers and gift cards. 

Shadel interviewed a scammer named Yu Zhang who explained how gift cards are used

to scam people out of their money.  Here are the steps scammers use:

• Texts using social apps to entice people to pay their bills using gift cards.  
• “Launders” the money by obtaining smaller denominations of gift cards from places like Target, Walmart, Best Buy, Google Play, Nintendo, and other places.  
• He legally sells these lower denomination cards at a discount over the internet.  

Scamming with gift cards is a profitable business.  A scammer can wash gift cards and

earn 2% to 5% for his (or her) work.  On a typical day, a scammer can launder $10,000 to

$30,000 worth of cards.  For $10,000, the take can be $200 to $500 for about an hour’s 

worth of work.

Although Shadel’s article discusses scamming as applying to us all, it is important for women to be aware that Mr. Soul Mate you met online just may be taking you for your money in the same manner.

It is from the perspective of women and their money that I would like to address.  By nature, the vast majority of us women are wired to GIVE--time, money, and resources.  Believe it or not, there are men, especially on the internet, who are aware of our trait of giving to a fault.

Recently, I was informed of another method for scamming too-trusting females:  

• A woman meets Mr. Wonderful online.  
• Mr. W starts telling her that he is having a hard time financially.
• Often, the woman will initiate offering the money before he “asks.”  
• It begins with a small amount which increases over time.
• The woman stops or lowers her “donations” to his wallet.
• Mr. W becomes angry and breaks-off the relationship--saying you are treating him badly.  
• He moves on to another woman and starts the process again.  
• Often, Mr. Wonderful has several women to whom he extracts funds.

Here is what I would like to share with you.  Due to all these scamming and fraud tactics, when money is transferred through places like Western Union, the person receiving the funds on the other end has to show identification to get the money.  Scammers and Mr. Wonderfuls do not like this--especially if the funds are going to other countries.

Presently, government agencies are “watching” money transfer places like Western Union. When there are too many funds going to a particular country, the transfers are flagged, and agencies are notified to follow-up.

How do scammers like Mr. Right avoid being investigated?  They request money be sent on a card. There is no flagging for suspicious activities.  And, there is no need for confirmation and identification on the receiving end. Of course, the scammer will tell you he doesn’t have current ID, no car to driveto a money transfer office, and so on.

Ladies beware!  You are not a walking, talking ATM.  Ask yourself this: If Mr. Right provided for his own self before you showed-up, do you want to continue paying for his existence now that he has latched onto you?

Resources

Shadel, Doug.  (June 2019). An Insider’s Tale:  How Crooks Use Gift Cards. Retrieved from AARP The Magazine.

Words of wisdom often appear in the most unlikely places.  A person

needs to be receptive and willing to “see” beyond the concrete world.

As I was doing my usual channel-surfing, these wise words 

caught my attention.  Think of the greater picture and 

open-up to how these insights can be applied to other situations.

On Facts vs. Fiction:

“Science doesn’t lie, but people do.”

                          TV ad - 5/22/2019

On Forgiving, but Unable to Let It Go:

“It’s not that it is so easy to remember; it’s just so hard to forget.”

                                 “Secrets of the Morgue” E121 / 3/30/2019

                         Investigator describing death of college student,

                              Katherine Foster,Mobile, Alabama University

It’s Over and Cannot Be Fixed:

“Like a bandage on an amputated leg.”

                               “10 Streets that Changed America”

                                7/10/2018 - Speaker re: Street &

                                Mall & Cars

Why Do Humans Hate?

Each day, I read, hear, or see another example of how cruel and heartless the human race can be. Why do some of us feel so threatened by others living their lives?

And, on top of it all, these same evil people will breed and groom another generation of hateful people to carry on their legacies of pain and suffering.  

Recently, I was shocked by such behavior. I am a Royal watcher and couldn’t wait to see Harry and Megan’s new baby.  The baby is just too precious.

Later, I was looking through other Royal news on the internet.  I came across a search that said “Royal Baby.” When I clicked on the site, I was appalled by what popped-up.

What appeared was a photo from the 1920s and shows a couple standing in front of some stairs of a building.  Standing between them is a well-dressed chimpanzee.  The picture caption read ‘Royal Baby Leaves Hospital.’  A reference to Megan’s dual heritage.

The person who posted this photo and caption is a British DJ named Danny Baker.  Baker claims he is not racist, did not mean to offend anyone, and apologized for his mistake.  He even claimed he did not know that Megan had had a baby.

Baker was fired for his behavior.  But, is this enough? Or, should we be “thankful” to see this type of mindset and behavior out in the open--as opposed to what lies beneath others who hide their hatred under false civilities?

I am reminded of the saying, “Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer.”  

Why should these beliefs even exist?  Isn’t it time that all of this stops for the good of humanity? Will it ever end? Perhaps not. At least not in my lifetime.

Carrion-On Mother Nature

Easter weekend, I made a trip to Austin to visit my children and grandchildren.  

It seemed I was traveling the route the recent tornado took.  My little town 

had been spared the complete destruction that nearby towns had experienced.  

How easy it is to overlook the extent of pain and suffering when it happens in

other places.

As I drove along the country roads, it seemed I had stepped into another 

reality--one of destruction--like a war zone.  I was horrified at the devastation 

the tornado had wreaked across the area.  Trees were stripped of their leaves 

and cast about like spilled boxes of broken matches.

I fought back tears, realizing how vulnerable humanity is in the scheme of 

living in this world.  There were all kinds of people working to make things 

better for those who were impacted.  Road crews with their machines and 

relief workers handing-out supplies.

Beyond this observation, I now understood we humans are just one type of 

creature residing on earth.  There are other creatures feeling the loss from a 

tornado wiping-out their basic living needs.

I looked up to the sky.  It seemed about every 10 miles or so, a collection of 

buzzards floated above, spiraling, twisting, and turning.  Too many to count.

Then, the realization hit me--these carrion birds were surveying the tornado 

damage and, in their manner, were clearing the roads of the debris, too. 

Expanding this insight further, I asked myself how many creatures lost their 

lives and their homes in the woods and trees when the tornado passed 

through their world?

Perhaps we humans should consider the other creatures when they, too, 

are ravaged by nature’s fury?  

 

Propaganda Fuels Hatred--Again

Recently, I was pumping gas and noticed these 

“business cards”lying on the ground around the 

pump areas.  I was appalled and frightened that 

such beliefs continue to permeate our world.  

Have we forgotten?

I will not go into an in-depth discussion of the writings

on the cards (front and back shown).  Each one of us 

will have a unique perspective on how these words can

tear the fabric of our Nation--again.  I welcome comments.

My only fear is that by placing these words on

Facebook, it will only help spread the hatred.  That is not my intention.

I just could not ignore the implications. We can no longer turn a blind 

eye to ignorance and injustice.    

There is a saying that people should “keep their friends close,

but keep their enemies closer.”  It is human nature to desire

living in peace.  And, it is easier to take the mindset that one

person does not have the power to make changes except in

each person’s immediate environment.

 

This is exactly what evil is looking for--apathy--to infiltrate

society and take control.  Over time, the peaceful are

exterminated in one way or another and the power-hungry

will rule the nation.

Following the Holocaust, in 1946, Pastor Martin Niemoller

presented the following poem he wrote to remind people

that we all must stand-up and defend each other.  To not

do so, makes us guilty of the evil as well--and can lead to

our own individual and collective demises.

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—

Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—

Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—

Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

References

Latz, Rabbi Michael Adam. (2019).  First They Came.  [Online Blog].

Retrieved from https://www.truah.org/resources/first-they-came/

Looking Out My Window

This morning, I was standing at the sink and looking out the window. The weather over the last few years has been rough on the backyard. The sheets of plastic placed over lawn items have deteriorated and are falling-off in strips and pieces.

The cats were outside and roaming about the backyard. A very enterprising bird darted just out of reach of the felines, grabbed a long strip of plastic sheeting, and flew to the highest tree top. It happened so fast!

After I thought about the snatch-and-fly event, I realized that even the birds are getting tired of the rain and cold. On the other hand, Spring must be close because the birds are feathering, or "plastic-lining," their nests.

The day is still gray, but soon we humans will be complaining about the heat....

 

Was Granny Right, Or What?

Grandmother said there are three things a person does not discuss 

in polite company: politics, religion, and another word that begins 

with an ‘s’ (sex).  She couldn’t even say the word.

Today, I took a glance at my horoscope on Yahoo.

“Do your best to avoid conversations about politics, religion, or 

any other potentially volatile topics today.”

Say, What?!

How Do You Salt Your Oats?

No matter what age a person may be, no one wants to be told what to do.  In fact, when confronted with the truth, humans will cling to their false beliefs instead.  So, how does a teacher, counselor, or giver-of-advice steer misguided individuals to manifest appropriate beliefs and behaviors?

Many years ago, we teachers attended an outdoor training session at a horse corral.  The presenter was an old cowboy who used his horse to explain the effective process of teaching others.  

The cowboy expanded upon an old saying which still applies to us all even in today’s world:  

“You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.  But, you can put enough salt in its oats so that it has to.”  

Perhaps we stop short of completing the transference process.  Yes, we can offer words of knowledge, but we fail to give ownership for the other person to find awareness on his or her own terms.  

In truth, all we can do as educators is salt the environment with wisdom and let each

learner walk the path on his or her own time-frame.