The
Squamidian Report – Jan. 28 / 12
Issue #505
Including:
The Ontarion
Hi All,
I hate telemarketers, and I despise scammers, those lowlifes who try to cheat or trick as a way of steeling from others. And when the two are combined, it really sets me off. Our wired world of computers and Internet instant transferring of personal data has created the perfect incubation environment for these creeps. They are on about the same level as maggots crawling out of a putrid carcass lying in a contaminated ditch somewhere. But, you can have some limited fun at their expense as long as you recognize them for what they are. Now here’s the trick, real, legitimate companies DO NOT EVER phone or email regarding alleged problems with YOUR computer. It just does not and will not happen. So if you were to get a phone call from someone claiming to be from ‘the office of Windows’, or ‘the so-and-so Security’ company, or any other ridiculous place, you can be 100% sure they are criminal creeps after your information. But, like I said, you can have some fun at their expense.
Inevitably, their English will be a bit hard to understand and that can actually throw you off a bit because you are trying very hard to understand them and the things they are saying can slip right past you. But, you’ve already figured out they are a fraud so when they tell you that your computer is sending out error messages, you know that its pure bullshit. For one thing, your computer would never be sending out error messages, let alone error messages that would contain your name and phone number and somehow end up on the desk of some caring and understanding company who would like nothing better than to help you fix the situation. What they are actually doing is simply going through the phone book, or some other data base of names and cold-calling numbers and then delivering their load of garbage. What they want is information, like a credit card number so they can ‘authorize repairs’, or for full remote access to your computer so they can ‘fix it’, as they actually plunder it for all the personal data it contains.
Now, you can do several things. One is just hang up but these creeps have been calling people all across the country and they will just keep on calling, including you again at some point. Another thing you can do is put the phone down and let them waist time talking to no-one. It’s more fun to ask for their name and phone number so you can forward it to the police. Sometimes that results in them hanging up immediately, and sometimes they will offer to comply (with fake information) in hopes of throwing you off balance and therefore achieving their goal before you ‘catch on’. Another thing you can do is listen to their crap for a while, and then say something like “that’s really interesting, considering we don’t even have a computer”. Anyway, creeps like that are not going to go away any time soon, so just be aware of them and be prepared to deal with them, and have some fun doing it. Come right out and insult them if you want because their existence is an insult to you and everyone else. And, have some fun with it.
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I was out for a walk the other afternoon with the dog, and I saw a small kid on a bicycle fall off his bike. He was out with his mother who was pushing a stroller. The kid’s front tire slipped on the sand that is all over the roads. The same kind of slippery sand we are so concerned about when on our motorcycles. Anyway, luckily for the kid, he was NOT wearing a bicycle helmet. If he had been, he would have been hurt very badly. Instead, he was wearing a small motocross helmet. Those are the full face helmets that guys racing off road machines wear. They cover the back of the head, face and chin. This kid did a full face-plant onto the sidewalk. Those silly bicycle helmets are just padded beanies and would only protect someone who landed right on the top of their head. The full-face motocross helmet protected his face and chin. Aside from being shaken up a bit, he was fine. The outcome would have been very different without the better protection he had on.
I don’t know whether the mother had insisted he wear a motorcycle helmet, or if the kid had chosen it over the typical half helmet bicycle type, but it had been a good choice. We can all learn a lessen from it.
doug
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THE ONTARION REPORT
Hello everyone!
I’m keeping my fingers crossed that we make it all the way through January without any significant amount of snow falling and staying. It’s been wonderful to be able to drive on clean roads for most of this winter. Now I know what it’s like to live in Vancouver in the winter! Every time it snows it’s like the first day of winter all over again. The drivers panic and forget how to control their vehicles like it’s something they’ve never experienced. I guess most years our drivers get good at it after the first few days and the rest of the winter they can be trusted for the most part to behave! Not this year, each time we get a sprinkling they turn into Vancouverites on a snow day. LOL! Oh well, I’m sure we’ll get whacked with a good dump before long and we’ll all get back to normal winter conditions here in Ontario. It’s amazing that we’re not getting any snow but I guess we have el-nino to thank for the mild weather. It’s been a nice change for sure.
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Since we aren’t spending the month of February this year in Pensacola Beach it’s going to seem like a longer winter anyway. We really enjoyed it when we were there over the past two February’s. I wasn’t even thinking about it until I talked to an old friend today for the first time in a year and he said he and his wife were heading to Kissimmee Florida this Saturday to spend a week in the sun. I’m sure they’ll enjoy it since it’s their first trip to Florida ever.
We also have friends that live in Florida six months of the year and New Brunswick the other six. They of course write about 5 times a week to tell me how beautiful the weather and beaches are in Florida just to rub our noses in it a little. Kind of reminds me of a similar situation we’ve all endured for about the past 10 years when we read a weekly report sent from Squamish BC and have to read over and over about the mild winters out there while “Onterrible” suffers through snow storm after snow storm!
I guess after this year’s weather out there, we may have a couple of years of silence regarding that nose rubbing! LOL! Doug’s used his snow blower more this year than I have for sure so I’m sure he’ll be a tad more humble from now on when bragging about their year round “spring like” weather! I do wonder how many umbrellas he has scattered about the house and vehicles. I’d hate to think of that fuzzy beard of his dripping all over the house after coming in from a good rain soaking. On the other hand maybe Willow can teach him how to give it a good shaking right beside Sue to remove the water when she lets he and Willow back in the house after their morning constitutionals in the rain. LOL! I can just picture them, one on either side of Sue shaking and laughing as they give her a good shower! Anyway, it’s all in good fun to have such an imagination but can’t you just picture it? I can!
Being we’re half way through the winter already, we can all rest easier thinking we only have a couple of months to go before everything turns warm and sunny once again. This sort of winter with the rain and mild on and off again temperatures tends to breed colds and the flu much more than a good cold snowy winter. Carole and I have had chest colds and coughs two or three times that have lasted a couple of weeks each this winter and I blame that on the perfect climate for such illnesses. Unfortunately there is nothing one can do to shake such an illness but keep warm and drink lots of chicken soup till it goes away! I went to the Dr and he told me just to grin and bare it that there’s no medication to help cure a virus. He said cough syrup for the cough and Tylenol 3’s for the pain will at least ease the discomfort till time does the healing. We’ve made good use of both and seem to be getting over this last bout. I hope we don’t pass it to each other for a fourth time after we’re done with this round. The only way to keep from doing that is to stay away from each other as much as possible but that’s hard to do when you live in the same house. Guess it’s just a matter of keeping things and ourselves as germ free as possible until we’re better!
That’s it for this week folks!
Thanks for tuning in and I’ll look forward to talking to you all again next week in The Ontarion Report!
Bye for now…. Greg.
PS: Something To Think About>
If we’ve had so little snow over the winter, will we have any ground water supply come this spring and summer?
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Have a good one..
the doug
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