Hi, I am taking a brief break from blogging for the moment...

But can I recommend some blogs?

Sinead - Sinead's blog

Rick, who is Mostly harmless apparently...

The award winning Twenty Major

That girl... as not pictured in the Irish Times

The Lovely Ms. Kitty New York's Finest

A conforming Monkey... May not actually be a monkey...

Apparently my last post was on Valentine's Day... how sweet...

Anyway, I return with some more gems from my spambox...

This one shows particular attention to detail in the addressing, like those cvs I get sent, entitled, "Dear Sir or Madam, I would like to be a journalist..." Good God people, if you want to be a journalist the least you could do is find out if I'm either

a) Sir

or

b) Madam

I can only imagine what good you'd be on some big investigation... "Em, he might have murdered her... or maybe not, or maybe she murdered him..."

When can you start?

Anyway, back to the spam... Enjoy



Date Sent: 16 Feb 2006 11:19

Subject: hello dear,

hello dear,
my name is mr david XXXXX from cote d'ivoire.i have a business proposal which i would want you to help me carry out. you can contact me back at (david_XXXXX01@yahoo.fr)so that i will give you the full details.
expecting to hear from you.
best regards from
david

No, dear... Thanks

I am increasingly fascinated by the spam that floats through my mailbox... I have shared some of it here...

There seem to be four or five fairly definite strands that I attract...

1) The ever hopeful, tragic near millionaires who just need my bank details
2) Slightly odd emails offering advice on the stock market, full of poor grammar and punctuation
3) Medical supplies... of one particular type... yes... hmm
4) Odd, personal ad type emails from people who really, really want to be my friend...
5) Email from my bank / credit card company...

The funniest thing is when you bounce from hotmail account to hotmail account and see the identical mail in each junk mail folder... The question is I suppose, who clicks on these things? And why?

Take this one... Apparently from my credit card company...

Good afternoon, unfortunately some processings have been cracked by hackers,
so a new secure code to protect your data has been introduced by XXXX.

You should check your card balance and in case of suspicious transactions immediately contact your card
issuing bank.

If all transactions are alright, it doesn't mean the card is not lost and cannot be used. Probably, your card
issuers have not updated information yet.
That is why we strongly recommend you to visit our web-site and update your profile, otherwise we cannot
guarantee stolen money repayment.
Thank you for your attention.

Again, outstanding use of English... I was completely convinced... Have you ever clicked on these things?

Now, that I think about, a former associate of mine did once open an email promising a holiday to the Carribean... She was so excited by the free holiday, that she gave her credit card details to them and ran up $800 worth of tiny little extras...

So, maybe I do know what kind of people click on these things...

I know, we've been down this road before...

But today has been a good spam day...

I got an email from "horny granny" - yep, horny granny... and the subject? "I'll give head til I drop dead"... I think we passed some kind of internet landmark today people...

Here is a letter from the brilliantly named Charity

Subject: hello

Hello,please write me at (charity4XXXXX@XXXX.com)
I am writting this letter with due respect and heartful of tears since
we have not known or meet ourselves previously I am asking for your
assistance after I have gone through a profile that speaks good of you. I
want to find out if it's possible for you to deal with individual as to
investment. My dear i will be so glad if you can allow me and lead me
to the right channel towards your assistance to my situation now.I will
make my proposal well known to you. I would like to use this
opportunity to introduce myself to you. Well I am charity 22yer old girl from
Liberia in west Africa,i am a daughter of late Dr Tunde XXXXX My late
father was the personal advicer to the former head of state president
Charles Taylor who is now in exile, before the rebels attacked our house
one early morning killing my mother and my father It was only me that
is alive now, and i managed to make my way to near by country,
The main reason why I am contacting you now is to seek your assistance
in the area of my future investment and also to help me to transfer the
money that he deposited in finacier company over to your possession.
the amount is (US10.5 Million dollars) he made this deposit some years
back,the money was deposited as a family tresure which i am the nest of
kin.I am now asking you to stand on my behalf as my partner, and in time
of claiming the money and investment as well. I have made up my mind to
offer you 25%of the total money, while the remaining will go into a
productive business for me or you take me as your daugther to manage the
money, As I have mention earlier I will make the procedure to this
transaction to be well know to you. Pls attach your direct and full contact
address as you reply to me. please contact me with this e-mail addrerss
so that i will give you the full information.
(charity4XXXXX@XXXXXX.com) Thanks and God Bless you,

Wow, I've never had an orphan with 10.5 million dollars ask to be adopted before... Hmm, what should I do? I've always wanted a daughter obviously...

And yet, I feel a little bit, like I imagine, Angelina Jolie might, because look whats next in my inbox...

From: Helen XXXXXXX
+225 XXXXX XXXXX
Email: helenXXXXXX@XXXXXX.com

I know that my message will come to you as a surprise
since I don’t know you in person or met with you
before, but I am of the believe that you would obliged
to come to my assistance .

I was, until recently, a Medical student of the
University of Abidjan, Ivory Coast West Africa. Late
last year October 2004, the Rebels in my Country
Struck our township and killed my parents and my only
sister in one of their attacks. My late Father, Guei
Kolonga being the former president.

Before his death he had a domicilary account with a
bank in Côte d'Ivoire, up to the tune of (Nine Million
Five Hundred Thousand dollars) . Please I need your
assistance getting this money tranferred to you for
investment and to be my guardian in investment.

You can reach me on this email:
helenXXXXXX@XXXXX.

Your Sincerely
HELEN.

Now I know Helen only has 9.5 Million dollars, but doesn't she seem sweeter?

Which one do you think I should adopt?

The Media...

Yes, I know I'm part of the sick media collective that is ruining society... and I'm familiar with the hazards that those who live in glass houses associate with the flinging of projectiles... But it seems like there is some kind of tabloid war going on and I'm not happy...

Friday morning, open the Star, flick through the pages, there's a picture of the aftermath of a suicide bombing, I think in Iraq? The picture featured concerned and heavily armed policemen standing in a scene of chaos... Oh yes and the disembodied head of the suicide bomber in the middle of the street...

Gratuitous, unnecessary and frankly something I don't think I'll ever be able to get out of my head... Now, I know that in the vast world of the internet, if I were so inclined, I could see hostages being beheaded, autopsies, car crashes etc... But I have a choice - and if I don't want to see them I don't have to...

When did The Star become a snuff paper? Do I get to have a choice about whether I have to look at the head of a suicide bomber lying in the street?

Lets consider it rationally... Ok, so I don't have to buy the Star or read it... True. In fact I don't buy it... But surely I have a right to expect that I can flick through a paper without stumbling across pictures of heads in the street?

This kind of macho, full on, gore filled reporting seems to have been building up for a while.. the picture of the Dublin gangster shot dead in his car in grim, grainy black and white seems to be more and more frequent... This of course is the front cover... so, on that day you don't buy the paper... but random shots of heads in the street seems to me a step too far...

I've mentioned the internet, but consider for a moment TV or Radio... In TV there is a very firm 9pm watershed and news organisations are very careful about warning that images in the next report may be disturbing etc... In Radio there's a pretty firm code on language and obscenity, which is monitored regularly...

Even on the covers of CDs there are warnings that state this cd contains explicit lyrics... Regularly pornographic magazines are banned, or at the very least forced to wrap their covers...

So, who regulates the tabloids? Who decided whether decapitated suicide bombers are suitable for publication? It seems like nobody does...

And that leads on to the way the tabloids have behaved this week over the trial of Wayne O'Donoghue - from the accusations they have printed, to the speculation and campaigning that they engage in... None of this helps the family of Robert, none of it makes anything clearer, none of it will bring back a young life so tragically cut short... All the papers want to do is sell more copies...

JUST SAY NO TO TABLOIDS!

Hello again...

The spam comment people have raised their game, they seem to have worked out a way around Bloggers psychedelic dictionary thing... I now have some spam in my comments about Laser Surgery... as if there weren't enough references to Laser Surgery and my damn eyes...

You can add Jonathan to the list of people moaning about eye references by teh way if you were keeping count... His blog is the Mckenna McCrea blog - linked to in the side bar, can't be arsed inserting a proper link...

Some pictures from Amsterdam...

Tonight for your delight and delectation an unsolicited and obviously odd email that found its way to my gmail account...

Olga, whose email is printed below, without her permission - or indeed her knowledge clearly learnt English from some lost Victorian handbook - but it has a strange poetic quality to it...

Enjoy... and in answer to your potential questions...

1) No, I do not know who she is
2) No, I do not know how she thinks she knows me
3) No, I do not know what "restriction of the girl" is either...


I searched here for you very long and already
thought, that was not existing for
I suitable person. But when I saw your profile, me
At once it became interesting and that it in my
heart has pricked. I thought,
That it - the mark from above also has decided to
write to you this letter...
My name - Olga. I still very young, but very much
restriction of the girl.
Life of me checked up very much and now I write
you this letter.
Who knows, what with us will be tomorrow? But I
want to get acquainted with you and
Is simple to continue a stream of life.
I very lonely girl also search for the same
The lonely person who will steal my heart and will
open for me doors
In heart. My very serious purposes. I believe in
love in, and I believe this
The love always will carry out(spend) fortunately
and to creation fine families.
Certainly, the love may bring and is torn, but I
want it, these tears were only
Tears of happiness. Probably you may represent
me happiness, and I shall answer you
The same happiness.
I have chosen you from a set of people because
you seem to me such person,
With which it is possible to continue edge of light
and to not be afraid for life. You seem
To me very interesting and very clever person. I
think, that you have feeling
The humour and with you it will be never boring.
The same as well as with me...

I shall look forward to hearing from you very
much. Please, write to me on mine e-mail:
XXXXXX@hotmail.ru
I necessarily shall answer you, and I shall inform
more about me directly, and also I shall send
Photos. I have made a choice and it - YOU. Now
you make a choice and
Do not leave my letter without the answer. Will
entrust to heart, and listen only
Directly.
Have good time of days, it is sincere and with the
big interest, to you - OLga.