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....