Sidetracked Again!

As I sit here at my computer I have to wonder if I'm the only one or are others subject to the problem of getting sidetracked?

I have seen an email making the rounds of a person who decides the plants need watering and while going to get the water notices the remote control for the TV is in the kitchen and really needs to go in the living room by the TV and on the way to the living room finds the missing pair of glasses along with yesterdays mail and there is a bill that must be paid today or there will be late charges so where is the checkbook?... It goes on until the day is over and nothing is done.

I can really relate to that email.

I'll set down to list some items on eBay and decide to search the name of the book and check what other booksellers are selling it for. Next thing you know I'm purchasing some other book by the same author to add to my collection. A few days later I am the proud owner of two books and still have not listed the first.

So when I do get a round to it I'll list them together. That means I'll save a lot of time. I need to save time to make up for all the time I waste.

For my auctions I take pictures of items and upload them to the internet so I'm not dependent on EBay's costly service. Plus I use the same service for the items I sell at YardSale Pirate. Real easy. I take the pics, crop and size them and place the finished .jpg's in a folder reserved for them. Go to Ranchoweb.com and upload them. Nothing to it.

BUT

Ranchoweb.com has a message board I frequent. I have to check the boards before I upload my pictures. One of the members there had posted pics of a huge model plane she has had for years. But, she says, no identifying marks, it has no propellers or any way you could attach an engine for flying it. Plus it is much heavier than any model she has handled. It is not plastic or balsa wood. Much too heavy to ever actually fly. "What is it?", she asks. Ideas are flung about as people weigh in as to it's make etc. It is a DC-3 says one friend who posts a picture as proof. Another suggests it was a wind tunnel model. That set me off.

To Google I go! A bit of playing with a few keywords and shazammm I find a picture of a DC3 in a wind tunnel. Did you know they place the test model planes upside down for wind tunnel tests? Learn something new everyday as the saying goes. So I get to take the picture back to Ranchoweb, post it and the next day when the model's owner visits the board she agrees it is her plane or one like it.

In the meantime I sit with a pile of books next to me. The pictures are still on my computer instead of uploaded to the internet. Very few items actually listed and it is time to hit the hay.

I've come to the realization that I will never get anything done if I continually allow myself to be distracted like this. So now I've decided I must prioritize my life. How to do that? One way that has been suggested to me is to make notes of things I must do and number them 1 - 2 - 3... THEN STICK TO THE LIST!

I've got a pad of paper and pencil (in case I need to change the order of the numbers) Oh! The pencil needs sharpening. Have to go to the kitchen drawer for the sharpener. As long as I'm going to the kitchen I really should get some water for this plant by my bookshelf.

Cute Pic

I saw this entitled

- WAITING FOR THE MAILMAN -

& thought I'd share it. -

Thanks to ebarry for this post...

Piglet Must Go!!!

The American Princess has posted a piece on, of all things, piggy banks and piggy toys. - Quite a wonderful read. You will have to go to her site to catch the whole story and conclusions I agree with.

It seems that pigs are being banned from ever appearing anywhere a muslum might show up. Heaven forbid they might die at the moment their eyes focus on a pig and the be denied their 72 virgins.

By the way. What do muslum wimmen get when they die?

David E. Napstead - Con Artist Loose in California

Attention visitors to this post. Feel free to comment!
- It can be done anonymously - Your message might help someone else down the line.
Thanks - prying1 -

9 AUG 08 had a hit from N. Las Vegas via a Yahoo Search for David Napstead - PLEASE - Leave a comment if you would.

Good news for Kentucky that David E. Napstead was last seen working out of the Los Angeles area of California. - [UPDATE] Anonymous left a message that David E. Napstead was seen working (if you want to call it that) in Reno Nevada - [End Update] Kentucky Parole Board released David Napstead from Adair County prior to 9/14/2005 - According to this link (best seen through Internet Explorer and perhaps subject to change)- Kentucky Parole Eligibility Listing - July 2005 - David E. Napstead was given parole from prison in Kentucky for:

NAPSTEAD DAVID E CD178893 04CR00014 THEFT FAIL MAKE REQ DISP/PROP >$100 09/20/04
NAPSTEAD DAVID E CD178893 04CR00095 THEFT BY DECEPTION > $ 300 12/28/04

The name "Napstead" comes up close to a blank in Google.

I have a feeling Kentucky was scammed by an alias!

I work in a printing shop near the LAX airport - L.A. California -

On 9-26-05 a man identifying himself as David E. Napstead came in and ordered business cards for Primetime Cellular - The name on the card is David Napstead

- He first paid the down payment ($20.00) with cash and asked if he could redeem the cash with a check for payment in full when he picked up the cards. Trusting souls that our shop was we agreed.

Needless to say the check bounced big time with "Account Closed" on it.

Calling the number on the card gets a message that the owner of the number "is not accepting calls at this time." - That message might change as he utilizes more scams.

The reason I am posting all of this is to let people typing David Napstead or David E. Napstead into Google know that they have dealt with or are dealing with a small time scam artist. "Primetime Cellular" as of this date and time (via Google search with quotes) does not appear to be a real company in any way shape or form.

Our shop apologizes for allowing this scammer to have the business cards and we should have known something was fishy but that is the problem with small time thieves. They often times appear to be honest and trustworthy but in reality their hearts are filled with some of the most vile of the seven deadly sins. Greed and Sloth are evident in David E. Napstead's life.

I would suggest if you have knowledge of his whereabouts or have been one of his victims you contact your local police department and file a report. Hopefully your loss was small and I pray that you pray for his salvation.

That will be the only way his life is changed! And the only way others will not be scammed...

Update: - Comments have a way of disappearing sometimes So I thought I'd bring them into the post content. -
Comments follow:
~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have a guy named David Napstead chained to the wall in my cellar.I've got a recording down there playing old Barry Mantilow and Beach Boy songs 24/7.
Quantumthought | Homepage | 10.28.05 - 6:21 pm | #

This guy turned up in Reno, Nv. Scamming people in local bars.
Anonymous | 11.14.05 - 7:57 pm | #

QuantumThought - Switch from the Beach Boys to Tom Jones -

Anonymous - Would be nice to have a pic. - Any chance??? -
prying1 | Homepage | 11.14.05 - 11:44 pm | #

This gentleman is in Reno, NV ripping off car dealerships and running the same scams. Steer clear!
Nichoel Seymour | 11.18.05 - 5:36 pm | #

Recent visitors to this posting show that Carmichael, California has someone searching through Google for the name David Napstead. Hmmm. Who will snatch a pic of him for me to post?
prying1 | Homepage | 11.30.05 - 11:35 pm | #

Saw Napstead in Las Vegas 12/4/05, dining at Okada at the Wynn Casino. He ordered the $150 kobe beef teppanyaki. He told us he played for the Oakland A's for seven years before a motorcycle accident a couple of years ago sidelined his career. Said he was staying in a parlor suite at the Wynn while he was opening his 12th Primetime Cellular store--this one at the Fashion Show Mall. He claimed the other stores were in the SF South Bay. He tried to sell us (and the people at the next table) $400 Sprint Samsung phones that just came out--but at his cost of $150. I don't think anyone bit. Very interesting to read that he's a scammer! I didn't get a photo of him, but he looks like a light-skinned hispanic man, of average or less than average height and slight build.
Anonymous | 12.07.05 - 5:04 pm | #

We were sitting across the table from him and can verify the above womans comment. So obvious a braggard we were embarrassed for him, smart looking him up "Ms. bureaucrat" before falling for a scam, good job. Who the hell would pay $150 for a piece of meat unless you were rich or using free money. My wife commented to me that night why this guy would not sign the dinner check to his parlor suite with the 50" plasma as he was bragging about. Look at the above comments description and add short crewcut close to balding (very thin on top) and fast talking squeaky/high pitch voice. Definitely raised our attention when he said he played for the A's as he did not look the tall athletic type at all. Beware anyone of this description trying to sell you cell phone delivered to your door.
anonymous | 12.07.05 - 6:32 pm | #

Mr. Napstead was arrested on the evening of Tuesday, December 6, 2005 at the Wynn Las Vegas Hotel. Kentucky authorities are on their way to pick him up and take him back to prosecute.

Wynn Las Vegas Company Official
Anonymous | 12.07.05 - 9:35 pm | #

Thanks Mr. Wynn Las Vegas Company Official - I do hope the Kentucky Authorities do a better job of checking this joker's past and find out who he really is. I have a feeling the Napstead name is an alias.
prying1 | Homepage | 12.07.05 - 10:52 pm | #

Gravatar I'd also like to thank the two anonymous commenters for their part in seeing this character removed from the streets.

A prayer for Mr. Napstead:

Lord, Reach this man and change his heart. - Amen.
prying1 | Homepage | 12.09.05 - 11:22 am | #

I say reach him, but rather with a very blunt object to the side of the head!
Reach his victims by repaying their losses!
anonymous | 12.19.05 - 8:42 pm | #

anonymous - I agree up to a point. A bip upside the skull might get him to think a bit but in the long run he would be back to his old ways in no time.

This character is only going to continue costing society unless he gets a change of heart or until someone really gets pissed off and kills him. I do not think he deserves the death penalty. From my experience the change of heart only comes through a relationship with the Living God.

He is intellegent and could make a very decent living without stealing but has chosen the easy way out. Con artists really do not have to work because the impulse in men's hearts is to get something for nothing (or very little). With that promise a gullible person will part with the contents of their wallet every time.

I know this because I had a good friend that worked all kinds of scams.
Getting free money was like taking drugs to him. He was addicted and refused to get Jesus in his heart because he knew that God did not want him to steal. (he did believe but would not receive...)
prying1 | Homepage | 12.19.05 - 10:56 pm | #

~~~~~~~
*****
Update 9 Aug 08 - Bringing comments onto the main page in case they get lost. *** 9 AUG 08 had a hit from N. Las Vegas from a Yahoo Search for David Napstead - The following comments reach back to Sept, 06

~~~~~~
Quite a few visitors from Vegas lately coming through this page - (6-15-06) - Leave a comment if you've found this info useful in any way. -

Really I'm just curious of why the sudden resurgence of interest in Mr. Napstead?
prying1 | Homepage | 06.15.06 - 5:33 pm | #

Gravatar Well Kentucky did not do a good job of holding him then. Mr. Napstead was back in Las Vegas his past few weeks running scams about he does debt consolidation and promising people to help them pay a bill and then you giving him half and the paying the rest when you can. He targeted people that where in debt bad. But the scam is he would pay from a Bank of America bank account with check debit and show you that the balance was 0, get your money and then leave. Problem was 2 days later these people where contacted and told there was insufficent funds in that account. And that there payments needed to be paid again, on top of this he was stealing stuff from the houses of the people he befriended. But he was once again discovered due to this board and was arrested at Denny's on W. Sahara today. He has several warrants for his arrest in Kentucky and is in the Clark County Jail without bail, and the exradition hearings to take place. But anyone running into him his birthdate is 3/30/1971 as listed on the Kentucky Parole Board website. He was carrying a California drivers license listing his adderess of 37089 Spruce St still. Everyone beware, this individual has no conscience about taking your money.
Anonymous | 06.16.06 - 4:03 pm | #

Gravatar Thanks Anonymous - Curiosity satisfied - Anyone who has a claim against Mr. Napstead might want to contact the LVPD. Not that you necessarily will collect anything but your testimony might keep him behind bars a bit longer!
prying1 | Homepage | 06.16.06 - 5:29 pm | #

Gravatar Your welcome, and here is the record from Clark County Detention

Inmate In-Custody Status
ID: 01198815
Name: NAPSTEAD, DAVID EDWARD
Age: 35
Race: White
Sex: Male
Case: 06F11490X
Charge: FUGITIVE
Status: Active
Related Case:
Arrest Date: 6/16/2006
Detainer: N
Cash Bail: $0
Surety Bail: $0
Housing: Call (702) 671-5700
Sched Department: INITAL HEARING
Sched Action: FUGITIVE REVIEW
Sched Date:6/20/2006
Sched Time: 7:30 AM

Courtesy of this website:
http://redrock.co.clark.nv.us/ cc...todySearch.aspx
Anonymous | 06.16.06 - 7:23 pm | #

Gravatar Mr. Napstead is in jail in las vegas as of 6-19-06 thanks to Nationwide Realty. They did a number on him he'll never forget. This man was finally coned and was left with nothing but problems. It was done VEGAS style just like the movies. I even felt bad for him, the poor guy is looking mighty funny these days. God forgives the brotherhood dosent.
Steve | 06.23.06 - 1:32 am | #

Gravatar Now I've had a visitor from Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada - Sep 17 2006 7:31:37 pm - 8 minutes 11 seconds spent on the page - Referred from a Google search - Buzzwords = david napstead -

Don't tell me he is up to his old tricks again but has left the U.S.A.

God save the Queen! (or whatever line they use up there...)
prying1 | Homepage | 09.17.06 - 9:17 pm | #

Search Engines and Blogging

Just stopped by Sitemeter.com and checked some of the records they keep. One thing they do is keep track of some of the ways visitors are referred to my pages. For example I could see that my posting called Katrina Pics pulls up one of my posts quite often. Sorry to all the visitors. All I did was link to aka.alias and mentioned that there were some Katrina pics there but The Photo Album had some really beautiful pics. I Hope they check out some of the photographs there. Much prettier than Katrina Pics...

My post on the scam called the Rife Bare Cancer treatment gets a couple hits a month. - I hope it keeps some people from wasting their money and may the perps starve for lack of customers...

Terri Schiavo is one of the main news items I've blogged about that people look for through various search engines. I've a few post concerning her and the ungodly way she was murdered and I guess some of the search engines still have me near the top concerning her.

AOL search has me third in line for the word Muslum. I had some joker tell me I misspelled the word. All I can say is that I can show him books from the last century where they were called musselmen. (I believe it was pronounced Moo-sell-men at the time.) So the name is not written in stone. I replied to him that I was spelling it the right way for the next century. - - He was not amused. - - I'll keep on spelling it the way I want to. I'm self centered that way.

A couple of posts I did on toilets - 1 - and - 2 - Get hits from the term Toilet Humor being typed into the searchers. Looking back on one of those posts I see that Yahoo has removed the pages and the pics are no longer available. - Guess next time I'll save the pics and upload them to Ranchoweb. - Be sure to click on number 2 above and save to favorites for a slow day. Quite a wonderful read. Really funny stuff!

Sometimes it is obvious what the person is looking for. 'Katrina Pics' is a perfect example of that. I've got to wonder what the visitors from 'Toilet Humor' searches are really looking for.

As for one recent searching visitor who came through Yahoo's engines I'm not even going to speculate the motives. At least not for too long. Why would anyone type in - 'eBay Auctions Spankings' - ??? - Oh well! The prying1 blog placed number 10 on the list. Whoo Hoo! Just wish they had left a comment. Maybe my post just wasn't what they expected or hoped for...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
prying1 sez - Check the sitemeter link at the bottom of the page if you would like to get an idea of where your traffic comes from. - It can be entertaining and it is free.

Sorry About That Chief!

Don Adams has passed away.

The closest I could say I've been to the man was on a day my mom came home from Hollywood Park Race Track

- We take this moment to divert your attention to this Advert - Check out Hollywood Park Memorabilia here! -

Sorry for the interruption. I have to make a buck here and there for buying shoes and milk for the baby...

OK! Mom came home from Hollywood Park. She tells me that Don Adams was at a table near her. In the 'super star section' reserved for heavy bettors. She was invited to this section by a friend that made bets like Don Adams was doing on this particular day. Both her friend and Don Adams were tearing up tickets with disgusted looks.

Meanwhile Mom was just betting the way anyone should. - Sample of WINNING BETTOR'S THINKING - Hmmm. Forge Up in the 5th race - Hmmm. When I was in the fourth (which sounds sort of like Forge) or fifth grade (fifth race) I remember learning that Excelsior meant "Ever upward" that should place the horse in first because up is on top - And Aimed 4 First Hmmmm... Aimed... Amy... I remember Amy in fourth grade got second place in the spelling bee
- That must be place. -

Here boy!

Back in the 60's in L.A. from whence this story comes The term 'boy' had no evil nor racial connotations to it. The boy answering was not upset with the term. We don't even know his ethnicity. He was only the quickest runner waiting nearby in hopes of a tip. Upon his receipt of the $6.00 and the bidding slip I'm certain his hopes faded but he fulfilled his duties. Others in the area in which mom sat placed bids with hundred dollar bills. Both she and they would receive their wagering ticket prior to the gate opening. All wager tickets would have the race number and the horse's number stamped on it. All would have different values attached. That is prior to the race.

But

Only until after the third horse crossed the wire and the judges affirmed that not too much hanky panky went on would it be decided which slips of paper increased in value. The others would become worthless.

My mom came home with more money than she had left with. She had gathered from the torn tickets she had seen on the ground around the tables about her that her method of betting had worked this time. She doubted it's efficacy for the next. Chance can take directions as can a bird in flight. That is the main point I had learned from her tale.

Her mention that Don Adams had been there is the closest I have ever personally come to the man. I will say that impersonally, through his legacy of film, he has left us all closer than a table away.

Used Books are a 2 Billion Dollar Industry

Buddy of mine has an Internet Auction Site Blog. Lot of news items for those who like to purchase stuff online. In fact it motivated him to start the YardSalePirate.com site you can see advertised on my right hand column. Thanks to the Bidreaper for the heads up on this story from 28Sept2005 WWW.Boston.Com

Used Books are a 2 Billion Dollar Industry - Highlights from the article are:

- Quote (italics are mine) -

...a landmark study released Wednesday confirms what publishers, authors and booksellers have believed -- and feared -- since the rise of the Internet: Used books have become a modern powerhouse, driven by high prices for new works and by the convenience of finding any title, new or old, without leaving your home.

According to the Book Industry Study Group (BISG), used book sales topped $2.2 billion in 2004, an 11 percent increase over 2003. Much of that growth can be credited to the Internet. While used sales at traditional stores rose a modest 4.6 percent, they jumped 33 percent online, to just over $600 million.

"I think consumers are increasingly starting to notice that they can get used books in good condition, in a timely manner," says Jeff Hayes, a director at InfoTrends, a market research firm that served as the principal analyst for the BISG study.

More than 111 million used books were purchased last year, representing about one out of every 12 overall book purchases. By the end of the decade, the percentage is expected to rise to one out of 11, a troubling trend when sales for new works are essentially flat; authors and publishers receive no royalties from used buys.

"Obviously, these are not statistics to warm the heart of publishers," says Simon & Schuster spokesman Adam Rothberg.

The BISG, a nonprofit organization supported by publishers, booksellers and others in the industry, reports that price is the greatest appeal for choosing used books over new ones. While hardcovers often cost $25 and higher, used books purchased in 2004 averaged $8.12 -- except for text books, which averaged $42.31.
~~~~~
The BISG study raises other questions, such as how publishers can respond to the used market. Jane Friedman CEO of HarperCollins rejects the idea of lowering prices, but acknowledges that she has no specific solution. "It's something we've looked at for a long time," she says.

The study also does not resolve a fundamental dispute over used books: Are they hurting the market for new books, as many publishers and authors believe? Or, as retailers say, do they simply enable customers to acquire books they otherwise wouldn't have purchased?

"But there may be an upside, because a consumer might buy a used book by a certain author, and like it enough to buy the author's next book. So at this point, the impact is hard to quantify."

prying1 sez: Thanks again to Bidreaper and especially toBoston.com for the story!

- Raising prices to make up for lost profits will only lead to more lost profits. These outfits like the one Jane Friedman runs ought to jump on the bandwagon instead of watching the parade go by. - Is HarperCollins any relation to Tom Collins? Might think so from her quote...

Why Spotty Cell Phone Reception!

NewsMax.com sends out a newsletter with highlighted news articles. - Subscribe here for free. - This is from one email I received in my mailbox that I though I would share.

Cell Phone Woes: Here's Why They Don't Work

Wonder why cell phone reception can be so bad in the U.S.?

Don't blame technology - it's a matter of economics, several experts maintain.

"Carriers would rather spend money on ads starring Catherine Zeta-Jones than on improving infrastructure," Christopher Null, editor in chief of Mobile, told the publication Wired.

"Instead of expanding into areas where coverage is spotty, companies are increasingly taking the cheap way out by leasing equipment and tower space from other companies.

"The result is that, eventually, your service will sound pretty much the same no matter which carrier you subscribe to."

Consumer advocate Morgan Jindrich, director of HearUsNow.org, has a similar view.

He said there's no economic incentive for carriers to improve service once they have a customer locked into a long service contract.

"So consumers have to be smart and take advantage of the trial periods that companies offer," he told Wired.

"You generally have 15 days from the time you sign up to make sure your phone's reception is OK in the areas you need it."

prying1 sez: Perhaps complaining to the phone companies about the wasted money going to airhead stars might help. Seems that a simple ad blitz showing towers going up would be cheaper and more effective.

Maybe It's a Guy Thing

This pic is making the email rounds. Thought I'd post it in case you missed getting it. If your Browser has the pic under the right hand panel you might be able to right click on it and click 'view image'.

Tag line is:

Why Texas had no looting during Hurricane Rita

I'm willing to bet that whoever held the camera had a gun too...

I Hear but Don't Believe

On the news tonight I heard concerning the threat of BOMBINGS on New York subways, "'High level officials' downplay the threat..."

I ask, "What are the names of these 'High level officials'?

The TV News did not say...

Do the 'High level officials' really know more than I do? Do the NewsReaders know more than I do?

I place these 'High level officials' in the same categories as I mentally place whatever groups give out the medals and ribbons in the 'Award Winning Newscasts' from which I heard this tidbit of news. Three steps down from Used Car Salesman Awards...

Personally I place more faith in the awards given out by Road and Track Magazine than I do with the TV News Awards.

Perhaps I've become a bit too cynical but I would be more apt to believe that the TV NewsReaders would prefer the subways be full to capacity and have the bombs go off so they can report it than to have the people be wary, the bombers captured and no-one hurt.

I would blame Dan Rather for my cynicism but it started long before his getting caught doing what he did best. That is, fooling his avid fans (They still say the memo's were forged but the info was true. And we are supposed to nod our heads yes...). I knew they were lying to me in the 70's but since I'm conservative I'm evil and want to control the world with cameras in every bedroom and guns for every one who is not a southpaw. Why should I be listened to?

I'd rather trust a liberal blogger than a NewsReader on TV. They may both be lying but with the liberal blogger you at least have it in writing. Unless you record the newscast there is no proof of what they said and your head is too full of mush to really put it together. Unless you walk out in the middle of a sentence as I did.

"'High level officials' downplay the threat..."

I ask again, "What are the names of these 'High level officials'?

Film at 11!

Caught in a Scam!

Ok, the deal so far is this. I received a 419 Nigerian scam letter. I answered and signed the email as Winn D. Seety. The scammer has replied.

His first letter said that MY money was in jeopardy because some woman controlled by criminal forces had come forward to claim it. I replied that the email was sent to me by mistake, the money was not mine, the situation sounded important and he should go through his records to find the true owner.

Second letter A paltry $850,000 USD is involved and the real owner cannot be found. IBRAHIM DURU wants me to claim the money so a hospital can be built near his poor hometown. I replied that I had no claim to the money and he should do his job and find the true owner.

Third Letter - quote -

ATTN:PAUL.

HOW ARE YOU DOING?

I ACKNOWLEDGE THE RECIPT OF YOUR MAIL AND I MUST TELL YOU TRHAT DISPITE THE CONTENT IT GLADENS MY

HEART THAT YOU ARE SO SINCERE.

BUT MY FRIEND THE REASON I MADE THE PROPOSITION IN THE FIRST PLACE WAS THAT WE HAVE TRIED OUR

POSSIBLE BEST TO LOCATE HIM WITHOUT ANY SUCCESS.

YOU SEE I COME FROM THE POREST REGION IN MY COUNTRY AND I HAVE ALWAYS WANTED TO BUILD A COMMUNITY

HOSPITAL FOR MY PEOPLE AND THAT I CAN NOT DO WITH MY EARNING.

YOU NOW SEE WHY I CHOOSE THIS GOLDERN OPPURTUNITY TO ACHIVE THAT GOAL. ALL I WANT IS YOUR

ASSISTANCE TO MAKE THIS A REALITY AS IF I DONÂ’T DO ANY THING OTHERS WILL USE THAT WOMAN AS A STOGE TO

CLAIM THE FUND AS HER NAME IS ALREADY ON OUR PAYING COMPUTER SYSTEM.

PLEASE I WILL BE VERY GREATFULL IF YOU ASSIST ME AS I HAD ALREADY TOLD YOU THAT I WILL PROVIDE YOU

WITH ALL THE NECESSARY DOCUMENTS TO FACILITATE YOUR CLAIM AND WITH MY POSITION AS A DIRECTOR YOU

WILL ENCOUNTER NO PROBLEMS WITH THE CLEARANCE.

PLEASE DO GET BACK TO ME AS I AWAIT YOUR RESPONSE

REGARDS,

IBRAHIM DURU

~~~~~~~~~

Note the "Attention Paul" - I had forgotten my emails went out with my first name in the from email bar. I had stopped it in my signature but... Oh Well! Liver and loin as the butcher says.


My Reply -

Good News!

I did an online search for "**** ****" and found him
for you.

If you click on this link you will see that he is
playing football/soccer for the Grimthorpe City team.

**** Google Search cache link was here ****

I'm certain that his gratitude for your protecting his
money will extend to sharing part of his 850 million
dollars to help you build the hospital. Let me know
when it is built. Hoping your doctors will be able to
help my daughter. - Winn D. Seety -

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Since he wants to build a hospital I figure he will need patients hence the daughter is brought into the picture. And perhaps I can get a discount for helping him find the real owner.

I have plans to let this person know that my daughter suffers from Groschnozzosis - Unusual growths on the end of the nose causing it to extend daily. - Also known as Pinochiosis -

Don't laugh. Groschnozzosis (Pinochiosis) is very painful and the growth must be removed weekly (A painful process that involves putting the nose to a grindstone) or else the nose will extend into other peoples business. -

I'm also hoping that by taking time from his busy day to answer my emails he might not take the time to advance other scams to the unwary.

Terminating Identity Theft!

Once again I find a new internet friend's blog post a real must read for anyone that ever thinks about or worries about, or has been a victim of Identity Theft. Here is a real opportunity to do a bit to help yourself and others. Fraud, Phishing and Financial Misdeeds, a blog by Ted Richardson has come up with a great post about the matter. Entitled, Terminating Identity Theft in California this post has some great news from a corner of politics I have never voted for. That is, Dianne Feinstein (D. CA). She is the second to least favorite politician in the score book I keep in my head. Barbara Boxer is first. However Feinstein has come up with some doozies of laws to combat identity theft and I support her efforts...

Quote - "The Privacy Act - A comprehensive bill that would set a national standard for protecting personal information such as Social Security numbers, driver's licenses, and medical and financial data, including information collected both online and offline. Modeled on California'’s financial privacy law, it requires companies to let consumers “"opt in" before their most sensitive information is shared."

"The Social Security Number Misuse Prevention Act - This bill would regulate the use of Social Security numbers by government agencies and private companies by prohibiting the sale or display of Social Security numbers to the general public, and by requiring Social Security numbers to be taken off of public records published on the Internet."

"The Notification of Risk to Personal Data Act - Modeled on California's database security law, this bill would define as personal data an individual's Social Security number, driver'’s license number, state identification number, bank account number or credit card number; require a business or government entity to notify an individual when it appears that a hacker has obtained unencrypted personal data; levy fines by the FTC of $5,000 per violation or up to $25,000 per day while the violation persists; and allow California's privacy law to remain in effect, but preempt conflicting state laws."

The post also has a list of laws The California Governator is working on and should be coming to a state near you. They can if you bring this to the attention of your local politicians. Please check out this post and put a few minutes work into forwarding the link to your favorite (or least favorite) politician. Let them know that you think this is important. Links for U.S., U.K. and Governor Schwarzenegger's site are in the title and at the bottom of Ted's post.

You might also consider sending the link to all on your email friends. I did and am getting quite a response!

This settles the problem!

Received this in an email today so that must make it true!

BATON ROUGE, LA. - The White House announced today that President Bush has successfully sold the state of Louisiana back to the French at more than double its original selling price of $11,250,000.


"This is a bold step forward for America," said Bush. "And America will be stronger and better as a result. I stand here today in unity with French Prime Minister 'Jack Sharaq', who was so kind to accept my offer of Louisiana in exchange for 25 million dollars cash."

The state, ravaged by Hurricane Katrina, will cost hundreds of billions of dollars to rebuild.


"Jack understands full well that this one's a 'fixer upper,'" said Bush. "He and the French people are quite prepared to pump out all that water, and make Louisiana a decent place to live again. And they've got a lot of work to do. But Jack's assured me, if it's not right, they're going to fix it."


The move has been met with incredulity from the beleaguered residents of Louisiana. However, President Bush's decision has been widely lauded by Republicans.


"This is an unexpected but brilliant move by the President," said Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist. "Instead of spending billions and billions, and billions of dollars rebuilding the state of Louisiana, we've just made 25 million dollars in pure profit."


"This is indeed a smart move," commented Fox News analyst Brit Hume. "Not only have we stopped the flooding in our own budget, we've made money on the deal. Plus, when the god-awful French are done fixing it up, we can easily invade and take it back again."


The money gained from 'The Louisiana Refund' is expected to be immediately pumped into the rebuilding of Iraq.

prying1 sez: No matter what your feelings are about anything, if you don't laugh you will end up crying! - So go ahead and laugh!

Just Peachy!

Hat Tip to NewsMax.com
The New York Post has a story by Deborah Orin (registration required) that has the catchy title, "IF THAT DON'T BEAT AL". My comments will be in blue. All the rest will be quotes from the Post article. -

AS SEN. Hillary Clinton ratchets up her attacks on President Bush, some Democrats think they smell an explanation: the threat of a 2008 Al Gore presidential bid that could come at her from the left on Iraq. - Smell? Is that the proper word to use concerning our former V.P.??? -

The former vice president is suddenly re-emerging as a vocal and visible Bush-basher - he's slated to star at a Democratic National Committee fund-raiser for big donors in Washington next Tuesday. - Bush bashing is very popular amongst the ultra rich liberals that would rather give their money to politicians than Katrina victims. -


"He's keeping a very strong public profile. He was the first major Democrat to oppose the Iraq war. He's keeping in touch around the country and doing a lot of speeches. You don't do all that if your goal is to play celebrity golf," says a Democratic fundraiser. - How about if your goal is to fill your pockets with something other than golf balls. -

A top Dem strategist adds: "Americans love comebacks and Gore could come back as a real human being instead of a wooden guy. He could come back as the new Nixon - somebody who went into the wilderness and found himself." - Now let me get this straight. The lefties are now saying Nixon was a "Real Human Being"? AND they want to compare Gore to him? AND they admit Gore is a "Wooden Guy" that needs to change appearances. Which does not mean he must really get a 'heart of flesh' but just appear to do so? Now this is the Real LeftWorld uncovered (again). -
.......
Would Gore really run against his ex-boss's wife? Way too early to know. - I'll bet he would if he knew he could rake some dough in! I mean really! Would Gore have distanced himself from Monica's boyfriend in his losing run had he any real loyalty to others. What loyalty does he have besides to his own selfish ambitions? -
.......
- prying1 sez:
There is little doubt in my mind that the Democrats must start getting honest with themselves and the rest of the country. Do Democrats really want the Move-On Dot Org and Michael Moore crowd running the country? (Please SERIOUSLY consider the outcome before answering that. - Imagine Michael Moore stepping out on the front porch of the White House and saying, "OK folks! Here's the way it's gonna be!") If so ALL Democrats should step forward and claim what they stand FOR and not just rant against Bush. I have not heard an Anti-Bush speech say anything new for a coons age. The rhetoric is tired.

- Do we really want Socialised Medicine where the government runs ALL aspects of our health care? Vote for Hillary!
- Do we want a Neville Chamberlain type to stand back and watch terrorists regrow their organizations? Vote for Gore.
- Do Democrats want to see socialists continue to lead their party away from JFK's ideals? Just stay seated.


- -

Donna Brazile Writes an Article

This is one of the things I have been waiting/wanting to see. Someone from the left to see and say that what President Bush wants to accomplish is to enable people to stand up. Not just to fill his pockets and the pockets of his 'friends'. Thanks to AubreyJ for the heads up on this (please visit his site) -

The article is from the WashingtonPost.com site. and is entitled, "I Will Rebuild With You, Mr. President" -

Quotes from the article -
I know, maybe better than anyone, that there are times when it seems that our nation is too divided ever to heal. There are times when we feel so different from each other that we can hardly believe that we are all part of the same family. But we are one nation. We are a family. And this is what we do. When the president asked us to pitch in Thursday night, he wasn't really asking us to do anything spectacular. He was asking us to be Americans, and to do what Americans always do.

and

Bush talked about how we bury our family and friends. We grieve and mourn. We march to a solemn song and then we rejoice and step out and form the second line. That line is now open to every American to join us in rebuilding a great region of this country. New Orleans will rise again. My hometown is down but not out, and with the help of every American, it will be back on its feet, bigger and brighter than ever.

Mr. President, I am ready for duty. I am ready to stir those old pots again. Let's roll up our sleeves and get to work. - end quote -

prying1 sez:
I'm glad that Donna Brazile is willing to stand up for what is so obviously the correct thing to do. (Notice I did not use the word 'right'.) There has been so much mud slung at Bush often times for obvious partisan reasons that the Secret Service must need to keep a garden hose handy. In this tragedy and crisis it is time for the left to quit their bellyaching and lift a hand to help.

If you belong to a group, club, church or just have a favorite hobby consider finding a victim in need and mail 'em some of your excess.

prying1

How about this for a solution?

It seems that spam, fraud and phishing emails are on the rise recently. The amount of monies stolen through this means of conning people cannot really be calculated because often times people that are taken to the cleaners will not report the crime due to embarrassment. I propose that we set up a world wide clearing house to stop this type of activity.

Initially I thought we could run it through the U.N. (I'm including you in on this 'cause I don't want all the credit) but on second thought "Old Kofi" (whom nobody seems to want to fire) would probably have his son running the show so perhaps we should use INTERPOL.

Here is the scenario. A tried in absentia and proven spammer is sitting before his computer. The system is suddenly taken over by INTERPOL through remote access. A smiley face comes on the screen and says, "For a good time put your face real close the screen!" A signal goes out to a killer satellite and before the spammer has a chance to stand up from his chair (if he decides to not put his face close to the screen) a laser beam cuts through the ceiling and fries his system and any electronics within 10 feet. Hopefully he won't be set up in the basement of a 10 story apartment...

Hmm. That could be a problem. OK. I guess that won't quite work without a few safeguards. Last thing INTERPOL needs is a bassinet or Pop's easy chair in the way.

The real reason for this post is because I've been getting pretty much the same phishing emails for eBay passwords from apparently - Germany, Thailand and China. The links lead to the same page supposedly at - superclean-tech.com - (nonexistent per Google and browser bar) and since the 13th of Sept. eBay and assorted phish/scam fighting sites have given me NO return to my many emails telling me why.

??? Hmmm... ???

prying1 sez: -
Perhaps INTERPOL has already started a program and this is part of it. I might be interfering with an ongoing investigation and thereby be subject to arrest. Or worse yet. They might decide to stop my interference with one of their lasers. Excuse me for ending this post before I'm really finished. I have a baseball cap I'm going to cover in tinfoil and I need to get it done real quick...

prying1

Should be interesting!

A friend has started a new blog - Renassiance Wench

At the age of 55 i will be doing a job of my dreams that i never got to do in my youth! image this old lady selling garlands at the renassiance fair...

Pictures will be added as the event gets rolling. - Be sure to drop by her site and give her encouragement. - Might want to stick her address in favorites/bookmarks to keep an eye on the little wench. -

prying1

What I'd like to see...

When FEMA hands out the checks to people, say for 2 grand or so, they should be waving a second check and saying, "You'll get this one when you've joined the clean up work crews and have put in a week..."

Of course I'm not suggesting that disabled or elderly be put to work although they might not mind pushing a broom or supervising a bit if able. What ticks me off is I've seen pictures of a lot of strong bodies just sitting around.

prying1

What About Fingerprints?

NewScientist.com has what I thought to be an interesting article. Some might even call it an arresting article. It is entitled, "How far should fingerprints be trusted?". I found this New Scientist page to be well worth a read. - It seems that fingerprinting has yet to be established as a reliable form of evidence.

- Quote - No one disputes that fingerprinting is a valuable and generally reliable police tool, but despite more than a century of use, fingerprinting has never been scientifically validated. This is significant because of the criteria governing the admission of scientific evidence in the US courts.

The so-called Daubert ruling introduced by the Supreme Court in 1993 set out five criteria for admitting expert testimony. One is that forensic techniques must have a known error rate, something that has never been established for fingerprinting. - End Quote -

~~~~~~~
The pressure is building to come up with some accurate numbers on the error rate of fingerprint experts. -
~~~~~~~

- Quote from article - The reliability of fingerprinting is at the center of an appeal which opened earlier this month at the Massachusetts Supreme Court in Boston. Defense lawyers acting for Terry Patterson, who was convicted of murdering an off-duty policeman in 1993, have launched a so-called "interlocutory" appeal midway through the case itself to test the admissibility of fingerprinting. Patterson's conviction relies heavily on prints found on a door of the vehicle in which the victim died. - End Quote -

A study was done by Stephen Meagher of the FBI's Latent Fingerprint Section in Quantico, Virginia in which 50,000 fingerprints were involved. It was shown that for any one of the prints to be mistaken for any other of the 49,999 prints would be 1 in 10⁹⁷.

Critics said this was fine for nice clean images but the smeared and partial prints found in real life situations don't always match up neatly to archival prints of criminals. Meagher's reply, to New Scientist included the words, "This is not a study on error rate, or an effort to demonstrate what constitutes an identification,". This statement is now being used by critics to show that the '50k study' does not prove the infallibility of fingerprinting something the courts, the FBI and prosecution lawyers have claimed.

The New Scientist article also shows how some examiners were influenced to make wrong decisions concerning prints they themselves had testified about in court.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

prying1 sez: I would suggest that if you are going to pull any shenagigans that you continue to wear gloves. Oh! And don't scratch your skin or drop any hairs or leave any footprints. Also watch out for hidden cameras and don't drive a getaway vehicle with a For Sale sign that has your phone number emblazoned on it.

prying1

Will Gmail EVER make reporting with full headers easier?

This is an Open Letter to the powers that be at Gmail. - I have sent a copy via the process they provide to them and thought I'd share it with you, that is, whoever reads this post. - I have been using Gmail for quite a while now and am quite satisfied with their (free) service. Except for one area that I think Yahoo (another free service) has them beat. That is the ability it gives the user to forward emails with full headers.

The only times I wish to do this is when I receive spam, scams, and phishing emails. BUT! I report each and every one I get as soon as I find them. With Google's Gmail I must open another window to get the requisite full headers and I cannot just cut and paste the info into the forward but I have to adjust the email format to accept the paste. I'm not exactly stupid when it comes to some of this stuff but Why?, I ask, must Gmail make it so complicated?

Here is the recent letter I wrote to them regarding this matter.

Will Gmail EVER make reporting with full headers easier?



It seems that each time I get an email from a phisher or scamster I have to jump through hoops to forward it to the powers I wish to notify. Tonight I got an email from an obvious phisher and it seems that Gmail had dx'ed the link so I could not even see if the false site was still up. Had I wished to forward the headers (to eBay) Gmail had them all messed up with their own lines letting me know to be careful.

I gather Gmail is conducting a security course that has me left out of the loop of reporting phishers and scams which is fine by me IF they would say so at the top of the email. Instead I get:

- quote from email - Warning: This message may not be from whom it claims to be. Beware of following any links in it or of providing the sender with any personal information. - end quote -

MAY NOT BE??? The darn thing was obvious from the get-go! And what can I do about it?

I cannot report it to Ebay. I cannot click on the link to see if it is still active (I have the safety steps taken care of). I cannot get the full headers.

The message should have been - Quote - This email has been reported and treated as a scam or phishing message. Praise the Lord (or what ever divine entity you trust in) that Google/Gmail has your best interests at heart and will protect you from the dark side. - end quote -

Don't get me wrong. I love Google and have since the day I first heard of it. I would prefer if they would be up front with a touch of humor regarding steps like this.

P.S. Attn: anyone at Google. If you need a semi-literate humourist to write messages to your adoring public please inquire. I work cheap! - prying1 -

prying1 sez: - As a matter of full disclosure I did adjust a couple things in the message sent to Gmail due to spellcheck.

prying1