Maudlin Monday

There is nothing better than starting the day realising you have forgotten the niece's birthday.  Not only forgotten but forgotten from two weeks ago!  The same thing happened last year.  Is it any wonder she never talks to me?  So in spite of the mirk outside, making the place inside appear dreich, I was forced to enter Sainsburys in search of a gift card suitable for a woman who has everything and more.  Naturally I was there about 11 am when the whole town discovered it also had run out of bread and so we stood waiting at the checkout while grasping our baskets (men) and trolleys (women) as if our lives depended on them.  Noting the quickest checkout I joined in, the lass i front making space, and we both considered we would soon be out of there.  No!  Instead one of those women who question everything was questioning everything as we waited, the bill, the voucher ticket, the weather, she went on in spite of the checkout lass doing her best to subtly move her on.  By the time she left half the other lines had dwindled away.  Grinning cheerfully the next lass moved in and soon we were paying over the top for the directors fat pensions.  I once tried to get such a job as checkout staff but I am not sure my temperament would be suitable for that work. Working in the museum shop is very different but does have its moments, however I have not yet slaughtered anyone the way I would in a supermarket.

  
Anyway the card was purchased, a suitable note explaining (lying) concerning the reason for the delay will be included and my favourite niece will soon be ignoring me again. 
However the gift cards must be perused again soon as Christmas chopping is under way, cards being the easy way out of that chore.  However it is beginning to worry me regarding the shop cards that are available.  So many shops are closing down and others being taken over plus the Brexit disaster all combining to mean the cards might be worthless by the time I send them.  Will any company still exist?
I suppose there is always Amazon, that is one organisation that will exist as the man who owns it has more money than most governments these days.  After Brexit this government will have nothing and he might well take over, of course his money is already (allegedly!) running the 'Leave' campaign so he will not mind whatever happens.

I had a new type of spam the other day.  A nice chap claimed he had put  a 'trojan' on my computer a while back and had been watching what I was doing.  If however I did not put $500 into his account he would show everyone on my address book what I had been up to.  He implied this was something 'interesting.'  I was intrigued, however I failed to pass on money, anyone who has hacked me would at least know my name, but I was hoping he had sold my dirty secrets around the land but there appears to have been no response so far.  If you get the dirt on me let me know, I might want to look at it again...

Spam Art

During the past couple of weeks I have begun to relieve around 20-30 spam a day from clearly one crook.  He uses several names as addresses and changes them almost daily.  Among the names are  @cisco.com, @excellentcalls.net, @life.net, @claims.co.uk, @SYNTAX_ERROR and around thirty others.  Some contain my first name, others offer the usual trash.  This sort of thing happens now and again and I suspect it is the same people responsible from times past.  No idea what they are after, I doubt anything they sell is genuine, and I have not clicked on them to see what they offer.   However it is annoying to get so many constantly from the same crowd of crooks.  Sending millions of these worldwide is fine if people respond but how many actually do respond?  I suppose someone somewhere does or they would not bother.  Surely folks would realise they are chancers?
I came upon this piece by a spammer telling folks how to grab the unwary's attention.  Sugar
This may be someone selling legitimate items unlike my visitors but non the less I could do without so many at one time.  These are easily deleted by the system but it does annoy having to link each name. 

As you may be aware my opinion on 'art' and much of what is offered as 'art' is far from what can be called appreciative.  Similarly the enormous time squandered on 'wimmen' when it is not required can cause some a reaction however the Edinburgh Evening News, a rag that died many years ago has informed those still bothering to read it about an exhibition of wimmin artists at the National Galleries of Scotland.
Now I do like portraits and this one caught my eye.  It is by one Dorothy Johnstone and this, and indeed many of her other pictures, are well worth a look.  One or two of the other girls mentioned look quite interesting also but some are clearly mental, like so many other 'artists!'  So much did I appreciate this that if I lived in the capital city I would pop along and see this for myself, even paying at the door if required.  Some of these girls did have a fair bit of talent and this must be worth seeing.

Now I'm Not One to Complain....

Now I am not one to complain, everyone knows that.  However in the months leading up to Christmas I have been inundated with chancers informing me that I must re-insert my details, so the thieving crooks can rib me.  Ninety percent of these pretend to be from Nat West Bank in some form or another. Not only do I get them daily I am getting three or four at a time some days, all Nat West! Occasionally they change to 'Smile,' or 'HSBC,' but mostly it is 'Nat West' customers who appear to be so stupid as to reply to a document that does not contain their name, account number or any other authenticating details.  We all for for them at times but come now!

Eusebio one of the great footballers has died at the age of 71 from heart problems.  A sad end to a great player and a great man.  Mozambique born he qualified to play for Portugal where he spent his time playing for Benfica, making them one of the 60's most powerful sides.  He played in cup finals, European Championships and was regarded as second only Pele!  During the 1966 World Cup Portugal found themselves three nothing down to a then popular North Korea.  I was one of many who saw Eusebio take the game by the scruff of the neck, score four of Portugal's five goals and rob Pak Do Ik and all of their moment.  It was an astonishing feat at the time.  Only rarely were football matches televised in the 60's but a friendly between Manchester United and Benfica was shown one night. Nothing much about this friendly game sticks in the mind bar one free kick.  The ball was placed about fifteen yards inside the Benfica half and Eusebio lined up to take it.  I recall commentator Kenneth Wolstenholme exclaiming, "I think he is going to shoot, he is!." The Manchester United goal was in the other half off the field!  Eusebio did indeed have a seventy five yard effort on goal and this shot went straight and true slipping a few inches past the post!  He would never have scored but it was a fabulous effort!  This man played 745 matches scoring 733 goals, a feat few will ever equal if any!  One of the world's great players.

George is laughing again!  He has told of his intention to cut £12 .5 Billion mostly from the Welfare budget.  How interesting that the 'Daily Mail' readership, who vote for this, will be impressed but not as much as the corporate tax dodgers who will be left untouched with their millions.  Robbing the poorest is easier than taxing the rich, who are Georges friends. There is around about £100 Billion available if George stooped tax dodging, but this is easier and a sure vote winner!  Rob the poor and pay the rich, it's the Conservative way!

Is climate change causing problems?  Around 1966 I noted a small story in the 'Edinburgh Evening News, in the days when that was a newspaper, mentioning that the Polar Ice Caps were melting. How come it has taken so long before action results?  Many time politicians have gathered to discuss the climate, notes were made, agreements reached and almost nothing has occurred, except climate change!  The US is suffering a great ice age this week, the weather stream comes all the way across the Atlantic and reaches far into the Mediterranean.  Snow, rain, storms, mixed with high tides, all bring trouble and yet we still think climate change is a lie.  We have had our share of rain, but no floods, and I feel for those who have seen large areas of normally dry land disappear under four or five feet or river water.  The ongoing effects will never leave them.  Oh and it's raining as I speak!

  

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The Bad Boy

For the past while I have been suffering forty anonymous Spam from the usual chaps.  However the past few days have offered me a hundred or so claiming to be from a doctor specialising in 'Lyme Disease.'  Today it claimed to be a holiday resort on the German border.  "Enough!" I cried! A quick movement to the settings page, a click on "Registered User," meaning no more "Anyone," and I have prevented the scallywag getting through.
However I remain unsure whether all correspondents will be able to comment if they do not use Blogger?  I am perturbed here.  So can I suggest if you post a  comment and it does not reach me you post a comment to inform me of this?  Thanks.


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Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud.

Typical UK summer.  The sun shines brightly, the sky is blue, and a chilly wind blows the big gray clouds in front of the sun and continues right up your trouser leg.  So it was today as I rested from my paperwork trials.  I have three lots of paperwork to deal with.  Each needs info from the other, half the info is not available, none of it is easy for my wee mind to follow.  Financial stuff goes over my head, counting my change is OK, but beyond that I struggle and today my mind has been wearied much.  I managed to get two important, but incomplete, excuses into the post this afternoon, the third one is just beyond me.  Hard work in the morning for me.  

I may put the horrid word verification back on for a while.  This morning I had 19 calls from Mr Anonymous waiting for me as I looked up the email.  Several more came during the day.  His broken English was added to by broken German at one point!  If he keeps this up I might go round to Peking or Vladivostok or wherever and break something he possesses!  I also had an offer from someone attempting to get another $20 million out of their country, probably our Chancellor George Osborne.  I ignored him.

I'm off to look for a calculator.....

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Anonymous Spam

Because by nature I am a sweet, kind, thoughtful sort of neanderthal I decided to lose the moderation and word verification bits.  Within 24 hours I was besieged by Spam!  The Moderation is now back on!  Mr 'Anonymous,' has so far offered me handbags, Jaques Vert, whatever that is and what looks like Russian porn.  Each day several attempts to spam old and new posts arrive.  To accompany this I note a rise in Spam on the e-mail also.  The Nigerian Prince must be in Jail at the moment as he has not been around for some time however several employment agencies wish to discuss executive jobs with me, some worth £30-50,000 at that.  Others offer me financial deals and several are keen to 'enlarge me,' for reasons I fail to understand.   It appears nothing can be done to stop the Spam industry, especially when daft folks actually buy from them!  I can appreciate people in the US buying cheap drugs form Mexico and Canada but are they genuine I wonder?  Are they safe?  The blue tablets might be genuine but you will only find out one way, and if not the real deal what will they do to you?  

In one sense I can understand legitimate companies offering their services this way, after all the leaflets that come through the door may annoy many folk but they do work!  That is why Royal Mail send three each week and wish to offer nine each week!  People buy from the leaflets, and Spam which appears genuine finds a buyer somewhere.  However much is junk, some dangerous, most porn.  I added the moderation at first because Chinese porn began to be a pest, the Chinese government soon after closed down thousands of such sites, but there are always others.  The Chinks did irritate by only offering their goods in Mandarin, which as you know appears only as little boxes for most of us.  Poor marketing their I think.    No doubt it will all fade away again, but until then the moderation remains,  and this also helps stop rude American males sending their greetings also.  That is useful innit?

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Spammers eh!

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The intelligence of spammers really amazes me. Some will send you e-mails claiming to be your bank asking politely if you would please remind them of your details. A dozen years ago, when new to all of this, I nearly fell for one such e-mail from AOL. It was a perfect copy of the real thing but I managed, just, to avoid falling for it. Others write pleading letters from Nigeria or Kenya asking help to get $24,000,000 dollars out of the country. "Can we please use your bank for this?" they ask politely. Much as I was tempted I avoided this also, others however have appeared on telly whining about the £20,000 taken from their bank accounts by Prince Adebede and his mates. The fact that they were willing to rob another country just to land a million or so leaves me lacking sympathy for them. Do they really believe a politician needs to ask help to get money out of Africa? That has been a well practised art for many years there. Of course politicians in the UK would never do such a thing, they are all honest, upright, and do not have their fingers in the pie. No they don't, really they don't, no they don't, honest. 


Today however this arrived and I had to laugh! This type of false info often appears, usually from companies that do not operate in the UK. This one claims to be from DHL, which obviously it isn't. They never deliver to the likes of me, not even Royal Mail deliver packets these days, just letters from the bank demanding money, and I call that spamming too! However when I previewed the thing using Mailwasher, and I recommend folks use some such device, I had  to laugh at the inefficiency of these master criminals.


Dear customer.


The parcel was send your home address.


And it will arrice within 7 bussness day.




More information and the tracking number


are attached in document below.






Thank you.




 2011 DHL International GmbH. All rights reserverd.

Now my spelling is greatly improved by using the spellchecker. The criminal classes of Russia,  China or Albania or wherever however really must be so hard up they cannot afford to buy a free spellchecker! I am not convinced such persons are fit to represent the criminal classes of today. In times past people wearing arrow covered uniforms were much better educated than this. I blame the schools! (I will not mention that I misspelt 'educated') This one may well come from the Russian Federation and if it arrives you will of course be clever enough not to open it, that way leads to a Trojan. I say 'Trojan' but Ivan may well spell that 'tragen' depending on his accent!


Sophos


Coras


The Hoax Slayer report!


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Friday Evening Musings

I really like the wee blue flowers that pepper the area just now and no matter how hard I try I just cannot get a decent picture of them. The fact that most of them are two feet off the ground at most does not help! This feeble effort, hindered and not helped by the flash being on when I thought it was off, is the best of today's effort! Shameful innit?  I understand yellow flowers abound at this time of year to attract insects, why do so many blue ones appear also? I do like them and Susan has some in her garden, and a few better pictures than my talent camera can obtain.   

I had some dumb spammer, or his PC, send a dozen unreadable spam messages onto my comments today. Most went to items going back yonks. What is the point in sending out spam that nobody can read? I suspect it originated in China or somewhere in the far east as my PC is not set up to translate their doodles but I am not sure. It just wastes my time deleting the stuff and their millisecond sending it out. If you must spam, spam in English, then at least most folk will know what kind of porn you are offering.

What me? Cynical? Never!

Craig Levein hopes England will win the World Cup? He claims this will improve football in England, and Scots players earning large sums of cash there. Or is he just following the Rangers backed SFA line, which is 'support our team in spite of a thousand years of English oppression as it keeps the Ulster folks happy?' If this turns out to be the case then Craig can go now. He has already brought back self obsessed Rangers players, on his 'own decision' he claims. he is willing to play anyone with a tin of shortbread willing to be called 'Scots' even though this is not necessary in my view, nor is it right! The future makeup of 'Scotland' is being altered out of our control by suits and people on the make!

SPAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What's with this outburst of SPAM?

Yesterday I had fourteen 'Penis enlargement' spam alone! FOURTEEN! There were Six more waiting this morning! All this in twenty four hours? Why? it shows how little these folk know of me, when she was around she often referred to me as 'Animal,' and it was not because of my monkey like looks.
There were several offering 'Replica Watches,' or bizarrely, 'Replica handbags?' Who buys replica handbags for crying out loud? One or two offered nothing but made up nonsense stories just to see if the address was live. But why now? It has been down to two or three a day until recently, now it seems an attack of spam is doing the rounds.

Now 'junk mail' through the door is a good advert for a commercial enterprise. Much as we hate it, the 'junk mail' sells! It is one of the cheapest and most convenient forms of advertising. Let us admit it, folk somewhere want the stuff on offer. However laws ensure we know who is sending the 'junk' to us, and where we can contact them, such info must be included on all leaflets in the UK. This is not so with 'spam.' If it was merely commercial enterprises it would not be so bad, but most of it is porn and much of the rest is dubious also. Companies selling medicines show the failings of the US medical system, the 'penis extension' adverts show the insecurity of far too many men, and the complaints of too many women. By the way, you don't need to extend it, just try 'loving' the bitch! It will make things better quicker. It is not just insecurity in men, it is lack of knowledge of the woman! 'Love her' and things improve for you both. (Didn't stop mine running off but that's another story) Anyway I am annoyed by these this morning. Here are a couple of things to help fight Spam. I suppose we ought to make more use of those that fight the stuff before spam blocks the Internet altogether.

http://www.spamcop.net/

http://www.spam.cl.cam.ac.uk/spam/

http://www.mailwasher.net/