Spam Email report online

Internet is up, initial comments on Dover are forthcoming in an entry later this week, but for now, I wanted to comment on an interesting national article I saw splashed across the internet this afternoon dealing with spam and scam emails: Operation GreenDot, Following the Spam.

Since these emails pervade even the most diligent internet savant's inbox, I think it's important to understand why these scams should not be taken. Because Delaware takes great steps in trying to prevent its citizens from insurance fraud and other internet scams, I think this article about investigating a purchase from a spam email is worthy of a short commentary in the hopes that it prevents anyone from actually falling for these "too good to be true" emails.

The article is actually pretty comprehensive and worth the read. Basically, it explains where the initial email came from, where it actually came from, and what happened after he bought something from one of these scammers. In the end, unsurprisingly, he didn't get what he ordered. Just like this recent ad campaign explains it in visual terms, save yourself a giant headache and just delete these scam emails. Don't be another statistic.

Just so I am clear, I am not saying don't conduct business online. Frankly, I would buy everything online, including groceries, if I could and they could deliver it without breaking any eggs. (And in a few years, doing so probably will be more commonplace than it is now). My point is that you just need to be smart about it. Online companies like Amazon and online storefronts for Wal-Mart, Target, and the like are legitimate. Phishing emails from paypal or ebay or some bank that you don't have an account with (or even one that you do) that request very confidential information are not.

There is a funny commercial on tv now that has a ratty looking man go up to a woman on a bus asking for her credit card information, basically reading some lines from some of these spam/scam emails. While the company sponsoring the ad escapes me at the moment and I can't find it online, the point and conclusion is obvious and stated at the end of the commercial: you wouldn't fall for this in real life, so why would you do it online. If I find the video online, I'll post the link.

I think I listed some sources before, but the bottom line is to be sure to investigate any "too good to be true" deals before falling for them. While some may be legitimate, most are not. Snopes is usually my best first resource for checking such fantastic tales out.

Tags: scam emails, phishing information

Socks the Cat returns to the spotlight

At long last, celebrity first cat "Socks" has returned to the headlines. Astute reporting from across the pond has revealed that upon President Clinton's exit from the White House, the decision on who was going to take Socks the cat didn't wind up in front of any family court judge, but rather, to "Betty Currie, Bill Clinton's personal secretary, who also had an embarrassing clean-up role in the saga of his relationship with the intern Monica Lewinsky." Well, the whole thing reeks worse than a litter box.

First, how can someone who can't even take care of a cat run for office? I mean, give me a break. The President should be able to juggle Monday Night Football with taking the garbage out or cleaning up after his/her pet like everyone else. Second, it is obvious that her ability to take care of animals isn't just limited to the cat. The article also reports that Buddy the dog got run over once he was taken outside the gate on 1600 Pennsylvania Ave (well, a little bit of time passed, but you get my point). If taking care of animals is any indication of her ability to take care of her constituents, then our country is in bigger trouble than England believes, right??

All kidding aside, it's amazing that this story even made headlines. In fact, it's sad. This election isn't going to be about a woman, or a Mormon, or a minority, or even about a Delawarean attempting to run for office. It's bad enough that with still over a year to go until the clock to replace the president restarts, the news is filled with Tonight-Show type bits that mock a candidate for how they treat their pets.

Britain's subtle knock about how Senator Clinton has handled some of her personal affairs shows the type of respect that our country is getting nowadays. Will she able to overcome all this if she is elected? Even if she is, her victory would ensure for four more years of these catty stories. Personally, while I believe that a woman could run this country just as well as anyone else, I just don't think that Clinton is going to be this country's first woman president. To me, she just polarizes too many people. The Socks the cat story is a good example.

Whoever wins will have to figure out how to return this country to the forefront of the world economy. The winner will also need to start mending fences between the US and everyone else who has started to shift sides toward this reportedly anti-cat environment. And if the winning candidate can make my dollar a little stronger along the way, that would be great also. I would rather not have to start trading in euros; our funny money is quite enough.

Tags: socks the cat

Biden's idea to decentralize Iraq gains some steam

Senator Biden has argued for over 18 months that any success in Iraq necessarily requires the country be split into three sections, each run by their respective religious group. The sections would be unified by a central hub in Baghdad. Sen. Biden's idea, first posed in an op-ed essay in the New York Times (USA Today condensed version here), is (in some respects) similar to how the Allies decided to split up Germany in the aftermath of World War II. And while some may argue that the division of Germany led to greater implications, it did solve the intermediate problems facing that country in those tumultuous times. And now, 60+ years later, Germany is a thriving hub of the European economy. Obviously they still have problems also, but that is beside the point being offered here.

Biden's plan is one realistic solution to the Iraq problem, and, not surprisingly, has gained tremendous momentum, particularly today when the Senate, by a 75-23 vote, passed a non-binding resolution echoing Biden's decentralization plan. Will this have a positive effect on the war? Perhaps. At the very least, it is a feather in Biden's cap that may help him begin to climb the mountain that confronts him in trying to gain the national Democratic nomination.

More realistically, however, it gives whoever the next president is, GOP or Democrat, a solid reason to appoint him as the next Secretary of State. Obviously, I realize that if the Republicans (speculatively through Fred Thompson) are able to keep the White House, it is highly improbable that any such party lines will be crossed. And why should they? As a non-sequitur, I will save my developing belief that we don't really even have a distinct two-party system anymore for another day.

Nevertheless, given the inability for the currently Democrat-controlled Congress to do anything productive since gaining both houses two years ago, maybe such a West Wing-esque party line crossing should be considered. And while our senior Senator has ruled this position out, I have to question whether he would turn it down if the opportunity presented itself 18 months from now.

Tags: biden decentralization of iraq idea, biden plan to split iraq, senate resolution to split iraq