Hometown Celebration

Independence Day in Modesto was one of my favorite childhood events. Each year, we were excited about watching the parade. The night before, Dad and a friend would park one of their pickups along 10^th street to reserve a spot to view the parade.  Early the next morning, the two families would arrive in another vehicle, park as close as possible, unload and haul folding chairs and ice chests to the waiting truck.

Regardless of when we arrived, it was always hot. The temperature would reach 100° and continue to climb, but we kids ignored that.  We were too excited about the parade.  We wanted to wave at the people on the floats, hear the bands and maybe pet the horses. Mom was a not a fan of the heat and to please her, Dad rigged a shade awning over the top of the open truck bed.  It successfully created an illusion of cool rather than a reality, but Mom appreciated his efforts.

After the parade, family and friends would gather for grilled food, home-made ice cream, juicy watermelon and games to last until the lights went out at Del Webb Field and fireworks lit the sky.  Each 4^th of July, I remember those wonderful low-cost, but cherished celebrations and wish I was there again.

 

Bank Robber Escapes in Wheelchair?

While checking the news, I read a story that jump-started my brain faster than a jolt of caffeine. A man in New York succeeded in an activity not expected of him.  He robbed a bank while in a wheelchair and escaped. Wow! Although stealing is morally and legally wrong, I’m still inclined to applaud his accomplishment.

The story gives few details and creates many questions. Did this fearless thief display a weapon, if so how?  I had to use a wheel chair for a few days and learned that it’s difficult to maneuver one handed.  Do newer wheelchairs have cup holders easily adapted to hold guns?

How did the robber reach the counter?  A seated adult cannot see over the top of most bank counters.  Was he able to stand briefly, have an accomplice, or did a good Samaritan pass his note to the teller?  Banks train employees how to survive robberies, in this case could the teller have refused to comply or walked away to find a manager. Then it would be up to the robber to move to a new line or take his business to a different bank

Was the bank so busy that no one noticed what was happening?  If the bank was crowded, how did the man get away? Turning and maneuvering a chair in a group takes time. The photo shows that the chair is not a motorized model. Most adults can walk faster than a wheelchair can be hand propelled.

I’m still impressed that he had the chutzpah to wheel into a bank, hand the teller a note demanding cash and get away with over $1,200. I don’t condone what he did, but this is a unique example of wanting something bad enough to go against the odds and so far succeeding.

Freedom to Agree to Disagree

To those who are upset because I do not share your political opinions. I respect your right to believe what you choose and request that you do the same for me. Since I refuse to argue politics or religion, you may not know what I believe, so here it is.

Political:
Regardless of party affiliation, politicians at all levels must make deals to get anything done; thus the phrase, “Politics are a dirty business. The deals would at the minimum embarrass the politicians in front of their parents and at most require lawyers to keep their butts out of jail.

So for whom do I vote? Generally, the candidate who spent campaign dollars announcing how they hope to improve things, instead of badmouthing their opponents. Since current news media favors yellow journalism. I ignore it and take time to research candidates’ previous actions. Duh, I think for myself, there’s a novel idea.

Religion:
There are even more choices of deities than political groups. Again, I don’t care who you pray to, if at all, as long as you treat others with kindness and equally. If anyone deserves preferential treatment, I vote for children, the disabled and elderly, veterans, and animals.

No one has to agree with me, but don’t complain because I don’t agree with you.

Rats Steal Money in Their Underwear

Each day we receive too many telemarketing calls and most do not apply to us; mortgage refinancing, merchant charge card fees, national advertising, etc. This week, I got something I thought was original. A man called the office asking for my husband, James.  Since Jim was with a client, I offered to take a message.  The man refused to give his name, but said he was a process server and by law had to make a courtesy call to announce he was coming by with a court summons.  Since I thought process servers generally surprise their targets, I was immediately suspicious.

Mr. No Name claimed Jim had committed multiple felonies by failing to pay a bill, but if I called Mr. Klein, a private detective at a New York telephone number and arranged payments, then Jim could avoid court trial and possible jail sentence. I admit over 35 years of marriage, not every bill was paid on time, but ALL were paid. I was beginning to smell a rat.

The man refused to answer questions as to who was owed the money, the amount owed, or when the debt was incurred.  I hung up and planned to ignore the call.  Then wondered if his incorrect information would affect our credit, so I called the number to the head rodent.

PI Klein claimed Jim obtained a payday loan a few years ago and the check used to pay it off, bounced.  I said his information was wrong, that Jim didn’t use payday loans. His smug reply was that most husbands use payday loans to hide cash from their wives. With interest and penalties added to the original loan, Jim now owed over $1800.00.  Klein offered me the convenience of paying the debt with my credit card. How kind of him and how stupid of me if I agreed!

Even if Jim did get the loan, since I do the bookkeeping, I would have noticed a bounced check. Klein ignored that fact and threatened both Jim and me with jail.  He said deliberately defrauding a financial institution was a felony.  Maybe it is, but we are not guilty. The call ended with me refusing to pay and Mr. Smelly Rat promising to call repeatedly until I do.

Those who know me can guess what I did next, Internet research! The call was original to me, but not to law enforcement, the BBB, and the Internet Crime Complaint Center. I learned a lot about how to steal money without holding a gun to the victims. Criminals can easily get rich without leaving home or getting dressed and no stocking mask required.

So far, Klein has called back once.  I ignored the message to call him immediately. Maybe he is too busy to harass me because he has too much money to count.  I hope not, but sadly, there are many who threatened with jail would give out their financial information. I wonder if the villains will only withdraw the amount of the debt they claim is due or will empty any account they can access.  Be aware some rats use the internet to bite.

A Kiss from Mr. Nimoy

In 1975, Leonard Nimoy wrote his first autobiography, “I am Not Spock.” One stop on the book’s promotional tour was at Modesto Junior College where I was a student. I loved everything about Star Trek, so I skipped a class and sat star struck listening to Mr. Nimoy. He explained that despite the book’s title, he truly enjoyed playing the iconic character. His hypnotic voice and husky laugh cast a spell on the mostly female audience. He spoke of his youth and shared stories of his early acting career. He told of his other joys; photography and poetry. It was fascinating to learn that he was more than just my favorite alien.

After the talk, I deliberately waited at the end of a very long line for an autograph. Mr. Nimoy signed my book and patiently answered my questions. When I asked for a hug, he smiled, then stood. I would have thought the gentle kiss on my cheek was a dream except I was definitely awake.

Over the years, I lost my book, but not my memories. If I close my eyes and focus; I hear his mesmerizing voice, feel the camaraderie of his hug, and a whisper soft kiss.

Mr. Nimoy, thank you for sharing your many talents over the years with everyone and for the memorable moments when you focused them on me.

Blessings to you, your family and to those who never met you, but felt you were a friend.

 

 

Ridiculous Parking in New York City

Mr. Sol Chaimovits with the New York City Finance Dept just sent me a thank you email for paying $7900 in parking fines over the internet with a credit card ending in 7587.

First thought, how did I get added to a New York City database? Second, who did run up this excessive bill in parking fines? Third, if they can afford to pay thousands in fines, can I get a loan?

I have NEVER been to New York City. If I had visited that city, I would NEVER drive a car … maybe a tank.  If I parked a tank, the fees may result in $7900 of fines, but I couldn’t pay that amount in one lump sum.  Also, the credit card listed doesn’t match any of mine.

The link in the email does match the legitimate one used by New York City to pay parking fines on-line.  I didn’t click it (I’m not that stupid, remember I can drive a tank) but I did Google it.  The problem is the attachment.  Many folks would open it and receive a virus or be hacked or whatever devious reason this fraud was sent.

I usually succumb to curiosity except when it affects the safety of my computer. Using safe research, I discovered that a Mr. Sol Chaimovits lives in Brooklyn, but according to his LinkedIn account, he doesn’t work for New York City.  I feel sorry for Sol if this scam is causing him problems. But, if Mr. Sol is really sending out these bogus emails, he deserves whatever repercussions occur.

The moral of this story is to be careful opening emails.  Unless you are in the habit of paying $7900 to anyone, beware.

Photo from
dailymail.co.uk

IRS Tax Scam

If you received an email from the Internal Revenue Service (service@irs.gov), before reading it would you fortify your coffee with liquid courage? As a bookkeeper, I wasn’t concerned. I’ve bookmarked irs.gov to help me navigate the “Bermuda Triangle” of tax laws. After reading the email, I still wasn’t concerned, I was angry.

This is a scam to gain access to your computer and your personal information. It is NOT from the IRS. Because of my tax experience, I knew immediately that the email was phony.

“The IRS doesn’t initiate contact with taxpayers by email, text messages or social media channels to request personal or financial information. This includes requests for PIN numbers, passwords or similar access information for credit cards, banks or other financial accounts.” Except from IRS.gov

How many people would believe the email was official? Those who followed the e-mail’s instructions could be victims of identity theft and have their bank accounts raided. The least serious impact would be the need to have their computers debugged.

It is inexcusable to prey on others. If clever criminals devoted their creativity to legal ventures, they could stop worrying about jail. Ok, I admit that doesn’t disturb their sleep. There are too many electronic cons for any agency to investigate and prosecute even if they managed to find the bad guys.

It is up to us to be cautious when opening emails. Filters may dump suspicious emails into a junk file, but it is not 100% accurate. Tax season is beginning and there will be more attempts to steal from you and not just electronically. Here is a link to the real IRS site with warnings and what to do about suspicious emails and identity theft

Thank you for your service

Leon was stubborn.  Months earlier, his mother, Clara marched into an Army recruitment office, interrupted his physical and ordered him to leave with her. During the Korean War, young men under 18 could enlist with a parent’s permission.  Leon had talked an older sister into forging their mother’s name and Clara learned what they had done.  Now Leon was 17 and still determined to join the Navy. “Americans are dying in Korea.”  Leon appealed to his mother’s sense of patriotism.  The United States supported South Korea in the war with North Korea.

“You’re not going to be one of them.”

“I’m going this time.”

Clara had to look up to see her oldest son’s face. She realized he was a grown man. She understood he was not arguing, he was stating fact.  She knew he would find some way to do what he wanted.  “Son, I’ll sign the paper.”  He was not going to war with bad feelings between them.

Seaman Apprentice Leon Vaughn reported to the U. S. Naval Training Center in San Diego.  He was aboard the Desplaines River, a rocket launcher, going to Japan.  At the Naval Base in Sasabo, he worked in ships stores.  When he was not on duty, he explored the country.

He loved the noise of the cities with people hurrying under the bright lights.  The farm areas were quiet and green with crops or muddy brown with rice fields.  Everywhere he traveled, he could still smell ocean air.  It was nothing like home and that was exactly why he liked it.  With a big smile and an eagerness to try new things, he met the people and asked questions about their lives, their culture.

Leon liked being in the Navy and often said he wanted to return to Japan for a visit. For many of the men and women who serve during a war,  good memories are rare. May the knowledge that  your service is respected help in some way. To all who have or are serving in the military, I thank you for your  willingness to leave your homes and families.  Thank you for your combined intelligence, bravery, strength and skills that protect us all.  May God bless everyone

To my beloved father, Pierce Leon Vaughn, you are my hero.

I am humbled to be your daughter.

 

Modesto Murder

Dead Red Oleander is a murder mystery based in the Modesto area. Author Rebecca Dahlke was raised on an almond ranch near Ceres. She writes of Lalla Bains, a former model, current crop dusting pilot, and persistent pain to the local law enforcement. Her previous escapades should have taught her caution, but she flunked the test.

Once again Lalla is courting danger even though she is days from marrying Sheriff Caleb Stone. An employee dies during a party at her home near Modesto and his widow Nancy is arrested. Lalla ignores caution and last minute wedding plans to find the real killer.

Rebecca is offering Dead Red Oleanders in the kindle version FREE for a limited time. This is number three in her Dead Red Mystery Series, but each is a complete story and easy to enjoy without having read the previous books.  Warning; this series is addictive, you will want to read the earlier books too.

Dead Red Oleander

Rebecca Dahlke

Dear Hacker

Computers and e-mail accounts get hacked constantly.  Typically, your list of contacts receives an e-mail supposedly from you, that offers weird products and you get the blame. Last night I received a suspicious e-mail.  The creepy aspect was that it came from my e-mail address.  Someone hacked my account to send me an e-mail.  It was not to sell me anything, but to direct me to information on a topic, that I’d been researching.

Big Brother as written in  George Orwell’s novel 1984 is possible. Governments and other entities can and have used electronics to watch various populations.   Who is watching me and why?

 

Dear Hacker/Watcher,

Help me understand why you chose to hack me.  I’ve listed the most common reasons and would really appreciate learning why I peaked your interest.

1. Money ~ I am poor. My bank accounts are not worth your trouble.  Transfer fees would eat up the balances.
2. Identity theft ~ my credit history is almost non-existent as I avoid using credit.
3. Blackmail ~ there is nothing on my computer that would embarrass me. For past jobs, I’ve passed FBI background checks and been told that my record is totally boring. I’ve never been arrested, sued, or photographed with a wardrobe malfunction. I’d hate to see the bad hair photos posted in Times Square, but there is nothing of an adult nature.
4. Prestige ~ serious hackers enjoy the challenge of getting into something governmental, military or financial. Your hacker friends will laugh if you try to brag about hacking an old  mature lady.
5. Power ~ I have none to usurp. Even my dogs ignore my commands.
6. My contacts ~ See number 3. You would consider my friends boring too.  They are honest people who take care of their families and rarely get arrested. If any have secret identities or are spies, they are good at their jobs.  I don’t know their secrets and I’m annoyingly curious.  So I’m asking you, why hack me?

Since I don’t know your personal email, I’ll send this to myself, I’m sure you’ll get it