Memorial Day Memories

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Memorial Rock, taken 2010

Memorial Day was a big event in my little town. A parade weaved through several streets and the route took the police officers, bag pipers, baton twirlers, and boy and girl scouts straight past my house. 


My dad’s Super 8 movie and SLR cameras were ready to capture the event. The parade concluded at the nine plus foot high Memorial Rock that sports plaques honoring those who served during various wars. A ceremony was held there commemorating the day.

Yes, I'm in the photo.

I was especially proud to be in the parade as a Brownie. And while I don’t remember the details of our activities at home, I’m sure that we had a fringed red and white striped vinyl table cloth covering our redwood table for catching crumbs as my family chowed down on hot dogs, hamburgers, and corn on the cob.


The memories started my mind churning…when did we start recognizing this day?


Initially, this was time set aside to specifically honor those that had died in the Civil War (1861 to 1865). At that time it was known as Decoration Day. In later years as the number of Americans observing on this day increased it became known as Memorial Day and while this term has been used since the 1880’s it actually wasn’t the official name until 1967. The observance itself grew to encompass all of those in military service who lost their lives during war time.  I have to say as a youngster I thought we were honoring all those who served; wonder if our teachers ever explained the day to us?


While there wasn’t an official date during the earlier years of observance, May was commonly the chosen month. 


The dates for Memorial Day, Washington’s Birthday (now known as President’s Day) and Veteran’s Day were officially changed by federal law in 1971 (passed in 1968). The main thrust of rationale was to create three day weekends. Prior to this, Memorial Day was observed on the 30th of May and nowadays we know it as the last Monday in May, close enough to the real start of summer to declare it the “unofficial” start.


And the true meaning of the day has drifted away from the original intention a bit. Yes, it’s a great opportunity to catch up with friends and family since most have the day off, however, remember that people’s lives were lost in honor of this country. These brave souls gave in order to make our lives better and the thought of that gives me chills. It’s a gift.


I’m proud to say that my father served, both my brothers served and my nephew is now in the Navy. 


Curious me; would love to know if small towns like my home town have parades and ceremonies today. A quick search tells me that the local American Legion post will lead a ceremony in a local cemetery but I see nothing about a parade. That’s sad. When I participated in the Memorial Day parade, it gave me a sense of pride at a tender young age. 

Another view of the parade.

Wishing you all the best for Memorial Day.

Phishing, Herring and You. Part 2.

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For part one, click here.


So, yes, I responded to that wonderful, too good to be true, job offer:


Hello Patrick,


The "proposition" sounds simply wonderful. 


Just a quick request to you before I fill out the form. I don't see your information on the email; no company name, no phone number. Even your email doesn't reference a company.


Please provide that information and I'd be more than happy to proceed. Honestly, I have never seen such mystery before so let's clear that up first before I provide my information.


I'm also mystified by the fact that while I do have an account on beyond.com, my profile is 0% complete; therefore I'd like to know what criteria was used to base your selecting me for this opportunity.


Many thanks.


I never expected to hear from Patrick Brown again. But I did:


Hello,


Here is more information about the job position with IT-Prime Ltd.


Our company creates a positive outlook and prosperity of businesses and individuals across the world. Managing Information Technology Outsourcing lands a great possibility for growth and development.


The position being offered is for Financial Forwarding Coordinator.


Job requirements:
- Minimum 18 y.o.;
- constant internet access;
- home or mobile phone number;
- regular bank account (checking/savings) or a Verified Premier or Business PayPal account.


Employment benefits (upon completion of 30 days trial period):
- Paid holidays;
- Dental and Health;
- Professional development programs


Refer to the links below for additional information: http://www.itprimeltd.com/job/finance2?lang=us


Frequently Asked Question: http://www.itprimeltd.com/job/finance/faq


Key points:
- No investment of funds on your part;
- Not a sales position, base pay along with commission is guaranteed;


For further information and inquiries you may contact us at job@itprimeltd.com


Limited Time Offer with a Sign On Bonus! Please follow the link: http://www.itprimeltd.com/job/finance-bonus?lang=us


Thank you for your time and interest with our company.


Best Regards,


Patrick Brown
Phone: (phone # with a Michigan area code) Fax: (phone # with a New York area code) 

Whew! Sigh of relief! There’s links, email addresses and phone numbers. Now, they’re only asking that you have a bank account or PayPal account because they want to direct deposit your pay, right?


Financial Forwarding Coordinator; sounds important. And it’s a company that manages IT outsourcing. Wow. They must be making some money then since that’s a growing trend (one that I’m not big on supporting, but nevertheless, it all sounds legi). The website looks professional, though some of the copy appears to be written by someone who is not native English speaking.


And here is a highlight from the job description from their website:


In an everyday situation, once the money is deposited into your account via internal bank transfer system, your responsibility would be to withdraw the funds right away, subtract your commission, and send the remaining balance to the appropriate recipient as directed by your supervisor.


If you haven’t been convinced by now that this is a scam, seriously folks, the paragraph above better clinch the deal! If you truly want to be a Financial Forwarding Coordinator and you have money in your bank accounts, kiss it goodbye!


It appears to be a new twist on the Nigerian lottery or the long lost relative leaving you millions. Don’t be suckered into this one. 


Have you seen anything similar to this scam? Probably not, so let this serve as a warning. 


Millie Small sang about suckers, well, lollipops, but this one isn’t tutti-frutti or cherry flavored, it’s more like the chilly seas of Norway (not the Norway in Michigan). 

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Phishing, Herring, and You. (Part One)

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Sometimes when I get to the point  where I can't think of what to write about, subject matters falls right into my lap. So here we go: Received a most interesting email last night:


Title of email: Today is May 23, 2012 2:58:12 AM, Dear (my first and last name were inserted here)


Patrick Brown (from a Gmail address) 


Good day (my first and last name were inserted here),
Congratulations! Based on your resume on beyond.com we We are delighted to offer you the following proposition..


The opening we are proposing is that of a FF Coordinator at a wage of $2300 per month based on a trial period. Your working timetable will be Monday thru Friday for 2-3 hours a day.
Probationary period - 30 working days from the day you apply.
Employee Benefits Include:
- Dental Care
- Health care
- Vacation - 4 weeks per annum
- And others


All benefits take effect only after trial period.
We would hope to start working with you as soon as possible. Please report to Patrick Brown as soon as you receive this offer, for documentation and orientation.
Please fill out and send us the form below with your Contact information to verify your identity and interest in this position.
---------------------F O R M _________F O R M------------------
Full Name: ____________________
Address: ____________________
Phone: ________________________
Preferred call time: _______________
---------------------F O R M _________F O R M------------------
Look forward to working with you.
Thanks,
Patrick Brown
Recruitment Manager


What’s wrong with this picture? Several things:

• I don't recall signing up with anything called beyond.com. Went to the site, and sure enough, I had a sign-on and password (probably checked it out years ago), however, my profile was never filled out. My resume was never posted there, yet Mr. Brown claims he’s seen mine!
• Mr. Brown fails to identify the company where he is employed. A quick search didn't reveal any hint at who he may be working for.
• Mr. Brown never reviewed his communication to me prior to sending. I’m specifically referring to his “we We” typo in the message.
• What’s an “FF Coordinator” anyway? Would I be in charge of sending out well-deserved Follow Friday tweets to Twitter followers perhaps?
• And dig this: They’ll even pay me to take four weeks off when the job is only 2 to 3 hours per week? And all those benefits besides. Folks, you know the old saying “If it’s too good to be true, it probably is”. 

And all I have to do is fill out a simple form? That’s it? Now, I’m not a security expert, so I don’t know exactly what they are phishing for here. 


After all, Mr. Brown is only asking for my address and phone number which is something they could find on their own if they poked around a bit. Regardless, the offer reeks of rotten herring.


Now, being me with a curious nature and a need to research and find answers, I responded. And, there’s more to the story beyond my answer email. But since this post is getting lengthy, I’ll save that for part two. 


I’ll leave you with a song about creatures that swim:

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A Dollar? 99 Cents? The Trend for “Cheap”.

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Ah, these are the days of discounted merchandise, outlets, and close outs. Around here, that’s Big Lots and also Tuesday Morning, where I once found a sheet set for $350, marked down from $1,100. Wonder if anyone bought them.


Now it seems like our shopping experience has come to mere pennies now. Did the copper coin suddenly go up in value? I’m thinking it did because I’m finding myself counting them out to a cashier to pay for a container of household cleaner.


What was your first experience at a dollar/99 cent store like? Mine was actually pretty good and it happened about four years ago. Not sure what the name of the store was but I found myself grabbing things off the shelves in a bargain fueled daze.


About two years later, I strolled into a Dollar Tree. I bought rubber bands that were dried out and they snap me to this day since I mistakenly mingled them with fresh ones. Other treasures included candle holders, Italian ice (FOUR for $1!) and plastic table cloth covers. Wow. 


The condition of Dollar Tree stores varies; the one closest to me is fairly well kept while the one that’s another mile or so down the road is a disaster and could use a major gutting.


Now, I thought Dollar Tree was the king of them all. Until yesterday when I set foot in a 99 Cent Only store that had just opened, replacing the late lamented local discounter, Mainly Seconds. This chain is only (for now) in California, Arizona, Nevada, and Texas and seems to be growing at a fast clip. 


The parking lot was jammed. Uh oh.


I expected to see the former interior of Mainly Seconds, just rearranged and holding cheaper merchandise. I was in for a surprise. The store was shiny and clean with linoleum checks on the floor and crisp white walls. The interior looked much larger than I remember. Classic Pop/Rock ‘n Roll was pumping in from speakers up above.  Hmmm…was I part of the target demographic?


So I set out on my journey to pick up just a few items: Household ammonia, colored pencils, and a sketch pad. Found all three with ease. 


Moving towards a rear corner of the store, I hit a bottleneck. A crowd had gathered around an employee unboxing big, beautiful marigolds. Hands reached out (gimme gimme1) for each one as she pulled them out of the box. 




Wiggling past the excitement to the far corner I found “that right size” of plastic tray I was looking for. Flipping it over I was stunned to find that it was made in Israel.




Then I found the uniqueness that guaranteed this store my business again. Fresh produce! Almost giggling, I scooped up a large plastic container of fresh organic spinach. The fresh area of the store resembled a supermarket; frankly, I was blown away by it. They even had 99 cent blackberries!




I also came upon a brand name I hadn’t thought of in ages:

Didn’t buy any, but next time. Then I saw yet another interesting brand:





Marcal. That's a brand name I grew up with. Paper products proudly manufactured in East Paterson, New Jersey (now known as Elmwood Park). I remember passing their factory many times as a child too and seeing that huge neon sign that said Marcal Paper Company on it. They were front runners in those days using recycled paper in their products. Had no idea they went national.


Sadly, it was time for the fun to come to an end. Only three registers were open, and the lines were five people deep. But my line moved quickly. Lots of people grabbing helium balloons; had to step out of the way several times. 


A satisfied customer. Now to get to my sketching.

Facebook IPO: Are You Social Enough?

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Ha ha! An opportunity to use an Initial Public Offering to rant! 


Do you want to be part of the largest tech IPO in history? The buzz is all about a slice of Zuckerberg at $38 a share. 


Is it a deal?


Think about it. Does Facebook ever get any GOOD publicity? Yes, I mentioned them in a positive light in a recent blog, because I read that they will defend your privacy. And guess what? A lawsuit was just filed by users of Facebook on this issue of….privacy! Okay, maybe they’re not so good at security issues then.  


Speaking of the not-so-good publicity...


For starters, there’s this whole Timeline thing. Wasn’t counting, but I can easily say I’ve seen over 100 friends groaning about it. People don’t like change, but they’ll get used to, just like anything else.


On the business side of things, General Motors decided not to run Facebook ads anymore. That’s no big deal. Facebook ads work for some and not others. It’s not one size fits all.


But here’s the thing I find really annoying about Facebook. Control. Whose show is it anyway, Facebook? Why do YOU get to pick and choose which posts, both personal and business page ones, get to show up in somebody’s newsfeed? 


As far as what you see in your newsfeed, you can grab that control back by using lists. Make lists that include those people and pages that you want to see. You can also select how many posts you want to see from an individual: Just hover over “friends” on their page and select all updates, most updates, or mostly important. You can also select what kind of posts you want to see from that person; if you’re not a gamer for example, then games-be-gone!


If you have a page, there’s nothing you can do about posts not showing and yes, that is frustrating. Worse yet, sometimes it happens in “batches” when three or four posts just aren’t seen. The good news is if you’ve done a good job of engaging your fans some of them will check in directly on your page. I’ve also received messages many times from people asking where the posts are with my Groovy Reflections page. Nice to know that people miss it when they don’t see it!


There are lots of other things we don’t like about Facebook too, yet they continue to grow. Can 900 million plus people be wrong? Yes, admit it, you've met some great people there!


And now you’re wondering; am I buying? The answer is no. I tend to look for up and coming companies that will increase my portfolio long term. To buy Facebook today would be more of a folly; if I were one that practiced buying an IPO and selling a few days later to make a quick buck, then sure there’s potential there. The question is: How quickly will the stock stabilize?


Would love to hear your thoughts on this topic! And if you are truly bored and need a little excitement now and then, find me on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+. Would love to chat with you and I won't wear a hoodie.

Skechers Lawsuit: Not Walking Tall.

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I saw the advertising. I believed the claims...perhaps you did too. Many times when I make a purchase, I ponder the question “should I or shouldn’t I” in regards to how much value will I get. 


Sometimes, I even ask my friends about it. So, in this case, I posted on Facebook and asked my closest friends. And let it be known that I never saw any advertising of this product with a Kardashian in it; that campaign must have started later.


The replies were all favorable, with a few friends already sporting the product. Except one, who stated her doctor recommended them and she thought they were not helping her situation.


Uh…just one negative. Okay. That did it. And off to DSW I went, cheerfully plunking down my $100 for my Skechers; eyes glazed over the prospect of slender thighs emerging like magic.


Learning to wear the sneakers was another story. They felt wobbly. My local trail, consisting of a hard packed sandy substance, added to the feeling of potentially toppling over. At the end of a 45 minute to one hour walk the bottom of my left foot always ached and I felt really tired. I did enjoy the notion of walking tall; I think they add about 2 inches to your height. 


I found myself gravitating back towards my “normal” sneakers. And my gray with pink trimmed Skechers wound up at the bottom of my closet. I became more annoyed about my sneakers when I saw them at Costco not too long ago for $50. Sigh.


Until today when I saw a friend’s post on Facebook. A partial refund? Cool. Filled out the form and because of heavy traffic on the site was bounced out several times. Sure hope the photo I attached as proof stuck to my claim because when they emailed my completed form to me my pic appears not to be a part of it.


So we shall see.


If you are one of the millions that expected miracles from this product much like I did (tone up, lose weight and all that other unbelievable stuff), stake your claim for a few bucks by clicking here. 


Looks like I’m getting $40 for my Shape-ups; another model is at $42 and the rest are a bit less.


There’s a lesson in marketing to be learned here and it’s a classic one; if something appears to be too good to be true, it probably is. And now Skechers has to pay the price.


But wait a minute! I’ll still be out $60. So I guess Skechers wins after all. Double Sigh.


Jose Feliciano sang about tall sneakers in 1968: 

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Electric Vehicles Have Current! Part 3

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Welcome to part Three (the last part in this series). Here's links to part One and Two.

The EVS-26 show floor was larger than I expected it to be, suggesting that this is one area of alternative fuel that’s heating up. And the range of vehicles was quite expansive, ranging from personal transportation, like the Nia EV products pictured on the left, to electric shuttle buses (see below).

Volkswagen had a large display at the show. The brochures, however, were for the 2012 lineup and not about future vehicles. I was somewhat snubbed at this exhibit; no one approached me yet all the guys looking around received attention. I overheard the year 2013 in a discussion taking place close to one of the vehicle on display so we can assume that Volkswagen will be offering something soon. 

The Up, “A small car full of great ideas”, was originally introduced as a concept about five years ago. Articles do suggest that the vehicle will be available as an all-electric in 2013 however it's won't be coming stateside. Scratching my head on this one; why was it on display?  Sure, it’s a city vehicle, but if micro-cars like Smart can be sold here, why not this one that offers greater efficiency and cleanliness?

Among the currently available cars there was the Nissan Leaf in all its hatchback glory and immediately on the other side of the wall I found a more luxurious offering from that corporation:


This is the Infiniti LE concept, similar in size to the G37. The car is expected to, obviously, have lots of luxury features. 


There are hints that this car may be available in about two years, however do keep in mind that this is a concept. Perhaps the niftiest idea surrounding this vehicle was the wireless charging pad that could be parked over, made all the easier by a self-parking system that would position the vehicle into the correct “hovering over” spot for charging. 


The Infiniti LE is expected to have more power than the Leaf (which is 80-kW) and a driving range of about 100 miles.  Don’t keep us waiting too long for this one Nissan!


Ah, but it's not all about cars...


It’s about time to introduce a magazine for the industry, right? Charged is aimed strictly towards folks in the industry and is mostly technical. Best yet, it was free so I walked away with a copy. How long will it be before we see a consumer publication to raise awareness of current and upcoming products as well as explain the methodology behind electric power to consumers?


And two last interesting tidbits:


Even the parking lot at the convention center was exciting. The orange vehicle in the featured photo spot for this article is a Tesla that I had the pleasure to park close to.


And outside of the show, near where the test drives were, I found this vehicle:




And when will you plug in?