Good One

Britain tells the European Union (EU) to push off.

How heartening, to see a prime minister put his country above the collegiality, the groupthink and the peer pressure that characterises Europe.

The Good Old Days Were Rotten

A news story reminds us that dramatic rises in gas prices are not new in history. Bob Welch writes of back in the 70s gas took off and doubled in priced from 0.45 cents to 0.70 cents a gallon (note keep in mind $2.00 was often the starting wage.)

We've gone thru this before and survived and we'll survive our current spike too.

Email Scam

I just received an offer from the Nigerian scammers, while I certainly have to give them points for being able to ramble on and on:

ANTI TERRORIST & MONITORY CRIME DIVISION
ATTENTION: FUND BENEFICIARY

THIS IS AN OFFICIAL ADVICE FROM THE FBI FOREIGN REMITTANCE/TELEGRAPHIC DEPT. IT HAS COME TO OUR NOTICE THAT THE H.S.B.C BANK LIVERPOOL DISTRICT, HAS RELEASED 49,500,000.00 U.S DOLLARS INTO YOUR ACCOUNT HERE IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, BY ATM MEANS.

THE CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA KNOWING FULLY WELL THAT THEY DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH FACILITIES TO EFFECT THIS PAYMENT FROM UNITED KINGDOM TO YOUR ACCOUNT, USED WHAT WE KNOW AS A SECRET DIPLOMATIC TRANSIT PAYMENT S.T.D.P TO PAY THIS FUND THROUGH ATM ,THEY USED THIS MEANS TO COMPLETE THE PAYMENT, AND INSTEAD OF PAYING 49.5 MILLION, THEY PAID $10,000,000.00 THEY ARE STILL, WAITING FOR CONFIRMATION FROM YOU ON THE ALREADY TRANSFERRED FUNDS WHICH WAS CONVERTED TO ATM SO THAT THEY CAN DO FINAL CREDITING TO YOUR ACCOUNT.

SECRET DIPLOMATIC PAYMENTS ARE NOT MADE UNLESS THE FUNDS ARE RELATED TO TERRORIST ACTIVITIES WHY MUST YOUR PAYMENT BE MADE IN SECRET TRANSFER, IF YOUR TRANSACTION IS LEGITIMATE, IF YOU ARE NOT A TERRORIST, THEN WHY DID YOU NOT RECEIVE THE MONEY DIRECTLY INTO YOUR ACCOUNT; THIS IS A PURE CODED, MEANS OF PAYMENT? RECORDS WHICH WE HAVE HAD WITH THIS METHOD OF PAYMENT IN THE PAST HAS ALWAYS BEEN RELATED TO TERRORIST ACTS, WE DO NOT WANT YOU TO GET INTO TROUBLE AS SOON AS THESE FUNDS REFLECT IN YOUR ACCOUNT IN THE U.S.A, SO IT IS OUR DUTY AS A WORD WIDE COMMISSION TO CORRECT THIS LITTLE PROBLEM BEFORE THIS FUND IS DELIVERED. DUE TO THE INCREASED DIFFICULTY AND UNNECESSARY SCRUTINY BY THE AMERICAN AUTHORITIES WHEN FUNDS COME FROM OUTSIDE OF EUROPE, AND THE MIDDLE
EAST, THE F.B.I BANK COMMISSION FOR EUROPE HAS STOPPED THE TRANSFER ON ITS WAY TO DELIVER PAYMENT OF $10,000,000.00 TO DEBIT YOUR RESERVE ACCOUNT AND PAY YOU THROUGH A SECURED DIPLOMATIC TRANSIT ACCOUNT (S.D.T.A).

WE GOVERN AND OVERSEE FUNDS TRANSFER FOR THE WORLD BANK AND THE REST OF THE WORLD. WE ADVICE YOU CONTACT US IMMEDIATELY, AS THE FUNDS HAVE BEEN STOPPED AND ARE BEING HELD IN OUR OFFICE HERE , UNTIL YOU CAN BE ABLE TO PROVIDE US, (WITH THE ENCODED F.B.I ORDER FOR TRANSFER),WE ADVICE YOU PRESENT US WITH A DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY SEAL OF TRANSFER WITHIN 3 DAYS FROM THE BANK WHERE THE FUNDS WHERE TRANSFERRED FROM FOR US TO CERTIFY THAT THE FUNDS THAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO RECEIVE FROM NIGERIA ARE ANTITERRORIST/DRUG FREE OR WE SHALL HAVE CAUSE TO CROSS AND IMPOUND THE NAME WE HAVE ON THE FUND AS THE RIGHTFUL BENEFICIARY IS YOUR NAME THAT IS WHY WE HAVE DECIDED TO CONTACT YOU DIRECTLY TO ACQUIRE THE PROPER VERIFICATIONS AND PROOF FROM YOU TO SHOW THAT YOU ARE THE RIGHTFUL PERSON TO RECEIVE THIS FUND, BECAUSE THE ABOVE MENTIONED AMOUNT IS A BIG AMOUNT OF MONEY, THAT IS WHY WE WANT TO MAKE SURE IS A CLEAR AND LEGAL MONEY YOU ARE ABOUT TO RECEIVE BE INFORMED THAT THE FUND HAVE HIT YOUR ACCOUNT , BUT RIGHT NOW WE HAVE ASK THE

YOU ARE TO FORWARD THE DOCUMENTS TO US IMMEDIATELY IF YOU HAVE IT WITH IN YOUR POSSESSION, IF YOU DON'T HAVE IT LET US KNOW SO THAT WE WILL DIRECT AND INFORM YOU WHERE TO OBTAIN THE DOCUMENT AND SEND TO US SO THAT WE WILL ASK THE BANK HOLDING THE FUNDS THE BANK OF AMERICA TO GO AHEAD CREDITING YOUR ACCOUNT IMMEDIATELY. THIS DOCUMENTS ARE TO BE ISSUED TO YOU FROM THE PLACE WHERE THE FUND WAS TRANSFER FROM, SO GET BACK TO US IMMEDIATELY IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE DOCUMENT SO THAT WE WILL INFORM YOU THE PARTICULAR PLACE AND WHAT IT WILL TAKES TO OBTAIN IT IN FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA, BECAUSE WE HAVE COME TO REALIZE THAT THE FUND IS TRANSFERRED FROM THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA.

AN FBI IDENTIFICATION RECORD AND CERTIFICATE OF OWNERSHIP OFTEN REFERRED TO AS A CRIMINAL HISTORY RECORD OR RAP SHEET IS A LISTING OF CERTAIN INFORMATION TAKEN FROM FINGERPRINT SUBMISSIONS RETAINED BY THE FBI IN CONNECTION WITH ARRESTS AND, IN SOME INSTANCES, FEDERAL EMPLOYMENT, NATURALIZATION, OR MILITARY SERVICE. THESE CONDITION IS VALID UNTIL 6TH OF JUNE 2008 AFTER WE SHALL TAKE ACTIONS ON CANCELING THE PAYMENT AND THEN CHARGE YOU WITH THE FOR ILLEGALLY MOVING FUNDS OUT OF NIGERIA.

GUARANTEE: FUNDS WILL BE RELEASED ON CONFIRMATION OF THE DOCUMENT.: DOCUMENTED PROOF OF OWNERSHIP .final instruction: 60f credit payment instruction: irrevocable credit guarantee 61e beneficiary has full power when validation is cleared 62 beneficiaries bank in u.s.a. , can only release funds- 62 upon confirmation from the world bank/united nations.

Regards

Robert S Mueller 111
Director FBI Washington DC

Yes! I am. Thank You for Asking

Just so you know the cute cartoon face hides a secret:


How evil are you?

Cars for Me, but NOT thee

The school of social economics, which subscribes to the theory of zero sum (e.g., if I have a refrigerator then you most not), has come out against the Tata company's Nano car for India. The best quote that captures this selfish view is: "we'll get into a situation where we'll have to compete with them for gasoline, $4, $5 a gallon. Who knows how high we could go?" said Peter Beutel."

How said it is for the world that we've come to the point of begrudging the poor of the world their chance to drive to town instead of walking.

Let us all turn our minds for a minute to the early 1900s when the miracle of the Ford Model T liberated our kinfolk form the farm. Let us stop being small and start welcoming the rest of the world into the machine age. Let us look upon the poor people in undeveloped lands as individuals who can bring their dreams and hopes to life.

Instead of disaster, I see a future where one evening in a village in India dad will finish the wax job on his Tata Nano and sit down and admire the way the lines on his ride shine in the setting sun and look so good. Sitting next to him will be his son who also looks at the Nano and dreams of the day when he can take it for a drive too.

The Nano won't bring about the end of world, bring about a beginning. A beginning the world will be better for.

Signing Bad Car Loans

I have a feeling that these folks who roll over money owed on previous car loans are also the same folk who go for sub prime loans with adjusted rates, as related in the LA Times: New cars that are fully loaded — with debt

I feel like an underachiever. The most costly car I ve ever bought was $18K for my 1996 Plymouth mini van.

My advice for people who must have a cool car?

1. Check the rental return market. Almost new cars, in pretty good shape, and the rental company has already eaten the depreciation for you.
2. Wake up! Smell the coffee. A car is just a tool to get to work and get home. Stop buying new cars every two to three years.

Deadly to All

Hi-tek is good in war, but now it seems it can go wrong. Soldiers were killed and wounded by a computer aimed and tracked anti-aircraft gun in South Africa:

Robot Cannon Kills 9, Wounds 14

Of course, as friend in the Ordnance Corps would commented when people accuse their equipment or munitions of malfunctioning his replay was, "No it worked. Just at the wrong time and in the wrong place. It's made to kill and it did it's job"

UPDATE: Darn scientists ruining a good story. It seems this wasn't a case of software gone murderous, but a mechanical accident.