Sweet Little Lies…
Posted on December 10, 2008 - Filed Under Blogging, are we idiots?, assclowns, bullshit, burn in hell, dasterdly deeds, evil bloodsuckers, liars
As many of you probably know, there is a blogger who has recently ‘come clean’ about some pretty serious lies she has been telling us. Specifically she claimed to have cancer, dead relatives and parental abuse in her life. With the recent coming clean post we have learned that she has none of the above. And is, in fact, a drop out slacker who says she gets depressed so she has to get people to feel sorry for her about imaginary illnesses and life circumstances in order to have friends.
This is the type of person we are all warned about prowling the internet. The liar. The one who invents some sort of pathetic and sympathy-inducing life so that people will pay attention to them. Now, I don’t suppose I have too much trouble with someone embellishing or even creating a personna on the internet - in a way, the blogosphere does liken show business, it certainly has those types of elements to it. However, when the embellishment and personality doctoring actually uses a terminal disease as it’s punch line and dupes unsuspecting people into caring for the person, I have to say it makes my stomach turn.
Perhaps that this person chose cancer as the illness d’jour - and I happen to have several friends who are cancer survivers and one who actually died about three weeks ago - is what kind of got to me. You know there are people out there who have lost loved ones, lost body parts, or somehow managed to survive the hellatiousness that is cancer - so to pretend - well it’s just not cool. In fact, it’s downright evil.
Perhaps some of you would disagree and think I am over-reacting but I don’t think so. The intent is what you have to look at here folks - her intent was to trick you and use your good intentions against you in order to get something for herself. Sorry but I can’t see that as anything but evil. I will not accept excuses like depression (she just admitted that she doesn’t have cancer but we believe her when she says she has depression?) or drug abuse or being a drop out or slackerdom. The coming clean post was a joke - and honestly, how is it that she went from having horrible grammar and punctuation and syntax to suddenly writing a clear, concise and clean post about how she tricked us?
No, this person is not at all who she says she is. She wasn’t then and she isn’t now. I suspect the coming clean post was just about whatever her next scam is going to be. Last time it was cancer, now it’s depression. I say bullshit. Who wants to bet it is some 35 year loser who lives in his parent’s basement and searches for pictures of little kids on the internet? Think about it. Those weren’t sweet little lies she told and the next ones won’t be either. She’s in my spam box and shall remain there forever. Maybe you should think about it too.
Users, Abusers & Losers
Posted on October 27, 2008 - Filed Under Deep thoughts, dasterdly deeds, evil bloodsuckers, temporary insanity
I don’t know about you, but I’ve had a few notable “users” in my journey through life. They are very wiley creatures and often hard to spot. Mainly because they have the ‘dodge’ down pat.
Some of them are so good that it seems no matter what they do to you (or others) they always receive forgiveness. Only to do it all again. And again. Because you see, they have perfected the ability to use your good intentions against you.
My most notable user was a woman, let’s call her A, okay? We met while working in the same restaurant and the woman was absolutely mystifying to me. She had a certain charm and wisdom about her that drew people to her and I was one of them and soon became one of her disciples. Spitting out chunks of her philosophy at everyone else in my life. Alienating several real friends, who, thank God, later forgave me my insanity.
This particular connection was years long and there were several attempts on my part to break away. Crazy as it may sound, I felt powerless to remove her from my life even though I knew I had to, I just couldn’t sever the tie. It was as though, despite all the abuses (such as constant demeanment, selling my possessions, telling others I was untrustworthy, criticisms of my goals, informing me that my dream of being a writer was ridiculous, among others) I feared I would somehow cease to exist if I broke away from her. Co-dependent does not begin to describe this relationship.
The final straw came when I arrived home (we were room mates) to discover that many of my possessions were in the driveway being tagged for sale. While I’d been at work, she took what she thought I didn’t need and was adding those things to her pile of stuff for a garage sale the next day. Something just snapped in me and I saw this woman for what she really was - a self-absorbed, conscienceless creature who would do anything to anyone to feed her need for self-importance. Someone who would never be truly happy unless everyone around her was under her control.
A user and abuser, but in truth a loser because she would never understand, appreciate or experience true friendship and mutual respect.
After that, it was easy to break away and never feel the inclination to reconnect. Although it took years to repair the many bridges I’d burned with others, I was happy to make amends to my real friends and God bless them, for their forgiveness.
And I’m here to tell you, having a person like this in your life can ruin it and you. Life is too short and too wonderful to have this type of person around. And while I’ve encountered a few others of this ilk since then, their shelf life was considerably shorter because I saw them for what they were. Moving them out of my life without a thought, which resulted in the almost instant return of my well being and joy in life.
How about you? Any of these folks in your life? If so, maybe it’s time to clean house.
Why Conspiracy Theories are Fun
Posted on June 30, 2008 - Filed Under Just For Fun, adventure, dasterdly deeds, my opinions
Ive always been fascinated by conspiracy theories. In fact, in my early twenties I was constantly reading books on the topic. Anyone remember, “None Dare Call it Conspiracy”? Though now, I can’t remember a single detail of that book, it served to wedge into a corner of my mind that there are conspiracies everywhere. Naturally, one of my favorite movies is The Conspiracy Theory. I only wonder why it took so many years for them to make it.
The great thing about conspiracy theories is that there is one for every paranoic thought that exists. From disenfranchised voters to age discrimination. In fact, without conspiracy theories, Snopes would be out of business. Not to mention other booming businesses, hundreds of thousands of websites and blogs, publishing companies, most newspapers and magazines and television shows.
In the words of Muldaur, The truth is out there. Or is it?
Following, are some of the most popular conspiracy theories - my editorial comments in italics.
Dinosauroid-like Alien Reptiles Dominate the World
Christine Fitzgerald, a confidante of Diana, Princess of Wales, claims that Diana told her that the Royal Family were Reptilian aliens, and that they could shapeshift. She may have a point, it could explain why they all look so weird
David Icke’s, a BBC reporter, claims that humanity is actually under the control of dinosauroid-like alien reptiles who must consume human blood to maintain their human appearance. Icke theorizes that the reptilians came here from the constellation Draco. Apparently, this dude has been reading too much Anne Rice
Apollo 11 Moon Landings were faked by NASA
This is an oldie but a goodie and has been around as long as I can remember. It was all a hoax pulled off by NASA and CIA spooks - on some sound stage in Hollywood. The so called evidence includes:
- The astronauts could not have survived the trip because of exposure to radiation
- The photos were altered: the Crosshairs on some photos appear to be behind objects, rather than in front of them where they should be
- The quality of the photographs is implausibly high.
- There are no stars in any of the photos, and astronauts never report seeing any stars from the capsule windows.
- Identical backgrounds in photos that are listed as taken miles apart.
- The moon’s surface during the daytime is so hot that camera film would have melted.
- No blast crater appeared from the landing
- The launch rocket produced no visible flame.
- The flag placed on the surface by the astronauts flapped despite there being no wind on the Moon.
Well, let’s say they have a point - the question I have to ask is why? Why bother? What would be the point? So the martians would know we were hot on their trail?
September 11th: Inside Job
This one gets me personally. Again, why, why, why. Theories are:
- The U.S., Israel or Iraq government orchestrated the attacks themselves. Because?
- The Twin Towers fell straight down, at close to free-fall speed. This is a similar characteristic of a controlled demolition. The dust cloud and its make up are considered un-characteristic of a gravity-driven collapse. Not if you actually read the final report on why it fell that way - not to mention the fact that surely the thousands of people who worked in that building would have noticed great piles of explosives all over the building.
- It is often pointed out that no steel building before or since the 9-11 attack has collapsed as the result of fire.
- The rubble of the Twin Towers smoldered for weeks after the collapse. This claim is meant to point out that steel could only have smoldered as a result of pre-placed explosives.
- Some consider photographic evidence of the plane lying on the grounds of the Pentagon to be ambiguous and unconvincing, citing a visual lack of burnt metal, human remains, passenger’s luggage or seats.
- The Pentagon was struck in a newly renovated, reinforced section. Some speculate this location, the west side of the complex, to be indicative of government involvement, noting it as an attempt to reduce casualties.
- Flight 77 was able to fly in the direction of the DC and Pentagon area for approximately 40 minutes without interception. This is thought to be unusual given the Pentagon’s close proximity to Andrews Air Force Base.
- There are claims that anti-missile batteries at the Pentagon should have intercepted Flight 77.
- The FBI confiscated a video, which may have captured the impact, from a nearby gas station attended by Jose Velasquez. This video has not yet been released. And if it’s not yet released then how does anyone know what’s on it? Eh
Barcodes are really intended to Control people
Some conspiracy theorists have proposed that barcodes are really intended to serve as means of control by a putative world government, or that they are Satanic in intent.
Mary Stewart Relfe claims in “The New Money System 666″ that barcodes secretly encode the number 666 - the Biblical “Number of the Beast”.
This theory has been adopted by other fringe figures such as the “oracle” Sollog, who refuses to label any of his books with barcodes on the grounds that “any type of computer numbering systems MANDATED by any government or business is part of the PROPHECY of the BEAST controlling you.” Frankly, I’m thinking we have plenty of other really obvious attempts of control going on - that to worry about this is too anal for me.
Charlemagne never existed, is a fictional character
Phantom time hypothesis is a theory developed by Heribert Illig which suggests that the Early Middle Ages (614-911 CE) never occurred, meaning that all artifacts attributed to this time period were from other times, and all historical figures were outright fabrications.
One consequence of Illig’s hypothesis is that Charlemagne never existed but is a fictional character. The vast majority of historians believe this theory to be complete fiction, as all cited evidence can be considered circumstantial. So, do you think he believes Batman and Spiderman are make believe too?
Area 51
And speaking of Muldaur…do any of you remember that alien autopsy they showed on public televsion at the height of the popularity of The XFiles? This place is the holy grail of UFO phenom and legend. Highlights of this theory are:
- The storage, examination, and reverse engineering of crashed alien spacecraft (including material supposedly recovered at Roswell), the study of their occupants (living and dead), and the manufacture of aircraft based on alien technology.
- Meetings or joint undertakings with extraterrestrials.
- The development of exotic energy weapons (for SDI applications or otherwise) or means of weather control.
- Activities related to a supposed shadowy world government.
Microsoft sends messages on Wingdings Font
And if you listen to “I am a Walrus” backwards, Satan has a special message for you.
The Wingdings Font included with Windows has a history of controversy. In 1992, only days after the release of Windows 3.1, it was discovered that the character sequence “NYC” in Wingdings was rendered as Skull and crossbones symbol, Star of David, and thumbs up gesture. This could be interpreted as a message of approval of killing Jews, especially those from New York City.
Microsoft strongly denied this was intentional, and insisted that the final arrangement of the glyphs in the font was largely random. Various other combinations of Wingings characters are alleged to have special significance by conspiracy theorists, but these results are likely purely coincidental.
The Nazis had a Moon Base
Esoteric Hitlerists and conspiracy theorists interested in Nazi mysticism and World War II have speculated that the Germans landed on the Moon as early as 1942. I think they need to talk to the folks at the Apollo Hoax Center Hotline
According to other theories it is believed that the Nazis had made contact with ‘half a dozen’ alien races, including the malevolent Reptilians. Or perhaps this is just a smokescreen designed to prevent people from knowing that they were/are the blood sucking reptillian aliens seeking to take over the world?
Princess Diana’s Murder
Within hours of Princess Diana’s death on Aug. 31, 1997, in a Paris highway tunnel, conspiracy theories swirled. As was the case with the death of John F. Kennedy, the idea that such a beloved and high-profile figure could be killed so suddenly was a shock. This was especially true of Princess Diana; royalty die of old age, political intrigue, or eating too much rich food; they don’t get killed by a common drunk driver. Unlike many conspiracy theories, though, this one had a billionaire promoting it: Mohamed Al-Fayed, the father of Dodi Al-Fayed, who was killed along with Diana. Al-Fayed claims that the accident was in fact an assassination by British intelligence agencies, at the request of the Royal Family. Al-Fayed’s claims were examined and dismissed as baseless by a 2006 inquiry; the following year, at Diana’s inquest, the coroner stated that “The conspiracy theory advanced by Mohamed Al Fayed has been minutely examined and shown to be without any substance.” On April 7 of this year, the coroner’s jury concluded that Diana and Al-Fayed were unlawfully killed due to negligence by their drunken chauffer and pursuing paparazzi. As fun as it would have been to be true because, well it would make a heck of a novel - personally, I always thought the Paparazzi should have been thrown in jail instead of skating because the limo driver had been drinking. Suckers!
Subliminal Advertising
This baby has been around since I was a kid. Apparently advertisers, splice in images of coca cola, popcorn, candy and hotdogs into films shown at movie theatres. Naturally, the movie theatre owners don’t mind because that’s where they make their dough. Then over time, it has apparently morphed over to the small screen, broadcast, cable, direct tv, dish tv, the internet. Watch out man, they’re fricking everywhere. Really, why show subliminal advertising when everybody is used to regular advertising?
Paul McCartney’s Death
According to many stories and conspiracy theories that circulated in the late 1960s, Beatles guitarist Paul McCartney died in 1966. The remaining members of the Beatles–along with their manager and others–conspired to keep McCartney’s death a secret, going so far as to hire a look-alike and sound-alike to take his place in the band. Well, kind of: In a case of seriously twisted logic (even by conspiracy theory standards) the conspirators in this case took great pains to keep the press and public from finding out about McCartney’s demise–yet they also wanted fans to know about it, and placed clever clues in album covers and music giving details about McCartney’s death. For example, on the cover of the Abbey Road album, all four Beatles are photographed striding across a zebra crossing, but only McCartney is barefoot, and out of step with the other three. This must mean something, right? Despite public denials by the band, fans couldn’t just let it be, and came together to look for more clues. Once again, start playing “I am a Walrus” backwards - the truth is out there.
Who Shot JFK?
John F. Kennedy was killed in 1963 in a Dallas motorcade. Who killed Kennedy? Most (though not all) conspiracy theorists acknowledge that Lee Harvey Oswald shot Kennedy from a book depository. Beyond this fact lies a vast area of conspiracy theory that has spawned endless speculation and hundreds of books, articles, and films. Was there a second assassin, perhaps one at a nearby “grassy knoll”? And if Oswald did act alone, who gave him the orders? Activists against Fidel Castro? Organized crime bosses? A jealous husband upset with Kennedy’s philandering? Though the Warren Commission report concluded that Oswald acted alone, a 1979 report by The House Select Committee on Assassinations suggested that there was in fact a conspiracy, and likely more than one shooter. In such a complex and sensational case, the conspiracy theories will live on. Yet, we still don’t feel like we know, do we? What is up with that Kennedy family anyway, the strangest things happen to these people.
Protocols of the Elders of Zion
“The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion” is a hoaxed book that purported to reveal a Jewish conspiracy to achieve world domination. It first appeared in Russia in 1905, and described how Christians’ morality, finances, and health would be targeted by a small group of powerful Jews. The idea that there is a Jewish conspiracy is nothing new, of course, and has been repeated by many prominent people including Henry Ford and Mel Gibson. In 1920, Henry Ford paid to have half a million copies of “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion” published, and in the 1930s, the book was used by the Nazis as justification for its genocide against Jews (in fact, Adolph Hitler referred to the “Protocols” in his book “Mein Kampf”). Though the book has been completely discredited as a hoax and forgery, it is still in print and remains widely circulated around the world. This one stymies particularly since in the not too distant past Jews were almost anihilated from the planet - and have one of the tiniest countries in the world - yet they are the threat? Interesting.
Pearl Harbor Was Allowed to Happen
This theory states that President Roosevelt (FDR) provoked the attack, knew about it in advance and covered up his failure to warn the Hawaiian commanders. FDR needed the attack to sucker Hitler to declare war, since the public and Congress were overwhelmingly against entering the war in Europe. It was his backdoor to war.
Theorists believe that the US was warned by, at least, the governments of Britain, Netherlands, Australia, Peru, Korea and the Soviet Union that a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor was coming. All important Japanese codes were broken. FDR and Marshall and others knew the attack was coming, allowed it and covered up their knowledge. Gee, this has an oddly familiar ring to it. Makes you wonder, don’t it?
The Philadelphia Experiment
The Philadelphia Experiment was an alleged naval military eperiment at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, sometime around the date of October 28, 1943, in which the U.S. destroyer escort USS Eldridge was to be rendered invisible to human observers for a brief period of time. It is also referred to as Project Rainbow. The story is widely regarded as a hoax. The U.S. Navy has stated that the experiment never occurred, and furthermore, details of the story contradict stated facts about the Eldridge.
According to some accounts, the experiment was conducted by a Dr. Franklin Reno (or Rinehart) as a military application of a Unified Field Theory. The theory, briefly, postulates the interrelated nature of the forces that comprise electromagnetic radiation and gravity. Through a special application of the theory, it was thought possible, with specialized equipment and sufficient energy, to bend light around an object in such a way as to render it essentially invisible to observers. The Navy considered this application of the theory to be of obvious military value (especially as the United States was engaged in World War II at the time) and both approved and sponsored the experiment. A navy destroyer escort, the USS Eldridge, was fitted with the required equipment at the naval yards in Philadelphia. Personally, I’m a little disappointed that this is a hoax. How cool would it be if we could make our military invisible? I think we could use some of that now.
Flat Earth Society
In 1956, Samuel Shelton founded a society that subscribed to a theory about the shape of the Earth — namely, that it’s flat. Shelton based his theory upon what he called common sense and personal observation. He called the scientific evidence for a globe-shaped Earth “dogmatic,” meaning scientists were making this claim without adequate evidence. Later, when people showed him pictures of the Earth taken by satellites, Shelton claimed the photos were fake. He and the members of his society continued to support the idea that the Earth is flat and that those who disagree are part of a conspiracy to keep the truth about the Earth hidden.
Shelton died in 1971, and leadership of the society passed to Charles Johnson. Johnson led the society until his death in 2001. Without leadership, the society fell apart. Critics of the Flat Earth Society say that its members simply deny any evidence that conflicts with their world view without offering real alternative hypotheses. Well, you can lead a conspiracy theorist to geometry but you can’t make him grok it.
Planet X (didn’t they make a movie about this in the 50’s?)
This theory says that our solar system has a 10th planet (if you count Pluto as a planet, otherwise the mystery planet is no. 9). The planet is supposed to be enormous and on an orbital path that will bring it close to Earth soon. Proponents of this theory cite earthquake and weather data as evidence of this planet’s growing influence on Earth. They also claim that the government is forcing observatories to close to keep the planet’s approach secret and prevent panic. Several astronomers have said that there’s no evidence for the Planet X theory, and that if the planet did exist, humans would be able to see it even without a telescope. Wow, all this time we thought it was global warming that was screwing with our weather and now we find it’s a giant planet with a big red x on it. Who knew?
Illuminati and Majestic
Supposedly, the Illuminati is another secret organization with ties to space. There are hundreds of different theories about the Illuminati, some of which say it’s the organization to which all other secret governments report. In what is possibly the strangest theory on this list, some people claim that the Illuminati are the descendants of the union between humans and an extraterrestrial reptilian race.(Here come those giant reptilian aliens again, anybody else sensing a theme here?) According to this theory, these hybrid descendents have infiltrated the highest levels of government in countries around the world. The supposed goals of the Illuminati range from simple world domination to preparing the Earth for extraterrestrial colonization. Skeptics say there’s no evidence to support the existence of the Illuminati, but conspiracy theorists say that the lack of evidence actually proves the group exists. Believers say the Illuminati is so effective, they’ve erased almost all evidence of their existence. LOL - don’t you love that the lack of evidence is the evidence? Too funny.
Shifting Poles
Some people believe that the Earth’s North and South poles weren’t always located where they are now. They believe the Earth once rotated on a different axis. Others say that the Earth always rotated about its polar axis, but that the Earth’s crust shifts so that the land located at each pole changes. Climate change, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions result from stresses on the Earth’s crust during the shift. Some claim that the Earth will soon experience another dramatic polar shift, and that, as a result, entire continents might sink while new ones emerge from the sea.
The polar shift hypothesis enters the world of conspiracy theories when some claim that top governments and scientists know of the impending shift but refuse to share the information with the public. Supposedly, they’re keeping it a secret to avoid causing a panic. Well, I guess Algore has let this one out of the bag, eh?
The Dead Cosmonaut
Model of the Russian satellite Sputnik I on display at the Soviet pavilion during the 1958 World’s Fair.
During the 1960s, the Soviet Union and United States raced to become the world leader in space exploration. The winner would be able to claim technological superiority over the other. The Soviet Union had the early edge: In 1957, it launched Sputnik, the first man-made satellite. In 1961, the Soviet Union dealt the American space program another blow when cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space. But, according to the Judica-Cordiglia brothers from Italy, Gagarin wasn’t the first.
The brothers set up a listening station in Italy to intercept communication transmissions between ground operations and spacecraft for both American and Soviet missions. Weeks before Gagarin’s successful flight, the brothers claimed to have detected and recorded radio transmissions of a cosmonaut slowly dying while adrift in space. The Soviet Union denied the brothers’ claim. Supporters of the theory believe the Soviet government hid the cosmonaut’s death to preserve the country’s reputation as a leader in space exploration. The truth remains a mystery, though the recordings are available online, if you’re curious to hear for yourself. Gosh, do you think the Russians really might have lied? I’m stunned.
Jimmy Hoffa
Jimmy Hoffa earned a reputation amongst peers as a tough and effective negotiator. After negotiating the union’s first national contract with trucking companies, the Teamsters Union membership grew to more than two million under his leadership. With time, this raised the ire of many, as Hoffa became the subject of many government investigations and prosecutions that ultimately led to his imprisonment in 1967.
Hoffa left prison in 1971, but disappeared four years later. The last time he was spotted was at Machus Red Fox restaurant in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and we have no reason to think that it was the food that killed him. Eight years later, he was finally declared legally dead. And as Angie the loan shark likes to say, ‘he’s swimmin’ wit dah fishes, now.”
While I’m sure I didn’t hit all the conspiracy theories out there, I think we got a good cross section of crazy, whacky, large scale paranoia from the above. How about you? What’s your favorite conspiracy theory?
Gobsmacked - Scammed Again
Posted on June 21, 2008 - Filed Under bad hair day, copywriting, dasterdly deeds
I consider myself an intelligent person, so whenever someone manages to trick me I feel utterly gobsmacked. A couple of months back, I was contacted by an internet marketing company to which I’d submitted a resume. The man I spoke to was charming, funny and you got a sense right off that he was regular folk. Someone you could be friends with. Good, right?
After we hung up, he immediately sent a contract and some tax forms, which I filled out and sent back the next day. Then I didn’t hear from the fellow for over a week - just when I was about to give him up for lost. Again, he was charming and offered reasonable excuses which I accepted. After all, I wanted the work and he complimented me quite a bit on my blog which he said he had been reading.
Then a couple more weeks went by and again, as I was about to give him up for lost, the phone rang. He had work for me. And wasn’t I delighted to hear about that? He offered me a price, which I accepted and told him to send the info and it turned out to be a pretty healthy chunk of work, which I finished in about three days. They were press releases, not the main type of work he had called me about but some ‘extra’ work that he thought he’d throw my way. He also told me there would be no delay on the pay and that I had only to send him and invoice and as soon as he got it, he would write me a check and send it off. Okay, this is the part that gets dicey. A few days go by and no check. He is only two states over from me and 5 days certainly should have been enough time, since I emailed him the invoice with the last press release. Oh, and he’d already assured me that the client loved the work. So, what was the problem?
The client was out of town and they hadn’t paid him yet - but oh the other work was going to be a go in a few days and again being the anxious writer I was, I let the fact slip that our agreement was that he would pay the invoice on delivery, not when his client paid him. Stupidly, I began the other work and worked on it flat out for four days and go it to him 4 days ahead of schedule. No acknowledgement, no thank you for the work, nothing. When I finally called him he said he hadn’t had time to look at it - which was odd since the deadline he’d given me had passed. If that was the deadline wouldn’t it have made sense for him to have looked at it/edited it? I started to get a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach but I’d invested time and work (all of which he had) and I had to continue to believe this was all going to work out fine.
The next day he sent me the pages with his edits, but he also sent me the pages of the other writer on the project and I saw that our pages were vastly different. It worried me that he hadn’t mentioned it - he hadn’t given me any guidelines, though I’d asked for them. But since he seemed okay with the pages I let it pass. He told me that once the client approved, he’d send out a check (which was the agreement). I also asked him about the check for the previous work and he said he was still waiting for his client to pay me.
Then I got a somewhat hysterical call from him two days later, saying the pages were wrong and claiming I’d lifted copy off another dentist’s website - which not only shocked me but made me feel sick to my stomach, as I didn’t lift anything from anywhere. I assured him that wasn’t the case and I offered to rewrite the pages more to the style of the other writer and he said okay. I rewrote the pages (50 of them) in about 36 hours. Just as I was ten pages from completion he called again and apologized for being so worked up and claimed he’d quit smoking and that’s why he’d been so anxious. I told him not to worry about it and finished the pages. I sent them the next day.
The day after that I recieved a cc of a mass email sent to all the writers saying payment had been scheduled and would be sent out Monday. Well, as it turned out it took 10 days for the payment to reach me and it was only for the previous ‘extra’ work - not for the pages.
When I called him again, he said the client was paying on the 15th (of May) and he would cut the checks the next day. The 15th was only few days away so I agreed, even though he’d had the pages for three weeks and they were already on his client’s website.
Well, and the rest of the story is this, after continually calling and emailing and getting false assurances that the check is on the way time and again, there is no check and I’m pretty sure there won’t ever be a check and that he never intended to pay me in the first place. Quite possibly the only reason he paid me the first check was in order to get me to do the work on the bigger project, realizing he couldnt’ stall me any longer and I wouldn’t deliver on the bigger job if he didn’t pay me the small check.
After reading this, you’re probably thinking, duh. And you’d be right to think so. You’d think that all the signs were pointing in the wrong direction and I should have seen them. And I did, sort of…but the guy was just so darn likeable and I just didn’t want to believe he was a shit. I just didn’t want to believe that somebody I liked would do something so shitty - that I’d been so naive and easy to take in.
So, what I’ve learned from this experience as well as a few others is this: Writers are often treated poorly, especially those who are striking out on their own newly and needy for work, the pay offered is close to being an insult and then not getting the small amount offered is even worse. From here on out, I don’t care if the person is charming or not, in fact, I may just shy away from charming perspective clients, I may just look for the just the facts, kind of client who sticks to business and keeps his word. And I will never ever work again on spec - if that means I get less offers than I guess it does. If that means I get no offers, that’s fine too because I can always go get a conventional job if I have to. But from here on out, a deposit is required for my services.
My advice to any writers out there, looking for work, don’t fall for this type of scam - they treat you nice and act like your friend but all they really want is work for free - even if he does utlimately end up paying me, it’s now been seven weeks since I completed the work and turned it in to him, yet he was paid by his client over a month ago. Is this the kind of client you want? I don’t think so.
As a writer you have to value your own work before someone else will. This writer has just begun doing that, as of now. I hope you do too.
Angry Renters Unite
Posted on May 31, 2008 - Filed Under Current Events, dasterdly deeds
A couple weeks back, my chum sent me this link - for the Angry Renters in America. An excerpt from the site explains their beef:
All we hear these days is whining from reckless home borrowers and their banks.
But did you know that renters are 32 percent of American households? And that homes in foreclosure are less than 2 percent?
So why is Congress rushing to bailout high-flying borrowers and their lenders with our tax dollars?
Unfortunately, renters aren’t as good at politics as the small minority of homeowners (and their bankers) who are in trouble. We don’t have lobbyists in Washington, DC. We don’t get a tax deduction for our rent and we don’t get sweetheart government loans.
Quite simply, we are just Angry Renters. And now it is our time to be heard: no government bailouts!
I have to say, they do seem to have a point. I’m a renter myself and it’s bad enough that every cent I pay in tax dollars goes to something that I’m not really interested in supporting - well, mostly anyway. I guess it boils down to this - if a group, no matter how small a fraction of the population screams loud enough or makes a good enough victim, it seems our government is more than happy to pander to them. And this isn’t a partisan issue either - it happens recklessly and frequently on all sides of the political spectrum and personally, I think it boils down to buying votes. Which in a word, sucks.
I highly recommend you check out the website and sign the petition if you’ve a mind to. As they say, ‘It can’t hoit.’ And the vids are pretty good too.
Mywireless.org Update
Posted on February 5, 2008 - Filed Under Current Events, Dear Readers..., dasterdly deeds, my opinions
I just received this in my inbox - I highly recommend you check it out. It is something that will affect us all unless we put our collective foot down. WC
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It’s a Cottage Industry
Posted on October 29, 2007 - Filed Under WTF?, assclowns, brain farts, dasterdly deeds
I’ve come to think that racism, as we know it today, is a cottage industry. And until we get rid of those who make it so, we will always have it. These two particular jokers diminish real racism and bigotry by following every media friendly incident they can muster and bloviating until we turn blue in the face.
The thing that gets me is how did either of these two gentlemen become ‘leaders’ of any community? Both reverands have what you might call checkered pasts and much questionable behavior and hypocrisy has been brought to light about each of them.
I’ve witnessed real bigotry and hatred based on race and these two manage to get it wrong nine and a half times out of ten. I find it insulting that either of these two men are given any face time or credence by the media and or the public at large.
My feeling is, that if these two fellows set their sights on something other than the limelight, there would be a lot less bullshit and a lot more healing. Just my opinion.
WC
Rip Off Alert
Posted on October 16, 2007 - Filed Under WTF?, assclowns, dasterdly deeds, little rants, rat bastards
Hey Guys,
Here’s a quick note - a reader alerted me to the fact that this blogger had taken my content and posted it on her Wordpress blog. I was quite astounded since the only thing she changed was the title - cripes she didn’t even change the picture.
I was going to contact wordpress support -but apparently it’s closed and has been for a while. What is up with that?
You might want to stop by and make sure she hasn’t ripped you off as well.
deleted so as not to drive traffic to her website
And ’simplylea’ if you’re reading - you are lower than low. You steal a fellow bloggers content and post it as your own. I hope people stay away from you in droves.
Stay away from my blog and my content - and if you can’t think of your own words to say on your own blog, maybe you should look for another hobby.
Unbelievable!
WC
PS: Thanks so much to the blogger who alerted me to this - much appreciated.
Beware!
Posted on August 26, 2007 - Filed Under WTF?, bad hair day, dasterdly deeds, evil bloodsuckers, rat bastards
So, the other day I turned on my cell phone (I only turn it on when I’m going to call someone or when I’m driving, in case there is an emergency) and I saw that I had a bunch of text messages. This was odd, since I don’t send text messages and only get them if Verizon has some dumb new thing they want me to buy from them.
So, I pull them up and they are from this company . Joke a day, text messages? Are you kidding? I erased them all and went about my business, only to get another a few seconds later. Annoyed. I went to the Verizon website to see if I could block these suckers and couldn’t figure it out. So I called the 800 number.
While I was waiting, I decided to check my account details and lo and behold what do I see? A charge for $10 for a text message. So, when I get on the phone with the rep at Verizon, I find out that they can’t reverse the charges because I’ve subscribed to some service.
Of course this is bullshit, since I don’t subscribe to crap like this and I NEVER give my cell phone to companies, much less one like this. The Verizon rep gives the company’s 800 number where I finally get through to a rep who explains that I subscribed to a service. I explain to her that I didn’t subscribe to any such thing and I want my money back. She explains that the number I’ve called is the parent company and the company that charged me is a sister company, but they no longer exist. What? But she’ll give me another 800 number to call to see if I can cancel my subscription.
I lose it and tell her once again I didn’t subscribe and that I shouldn’t have to chase down phantom companies to give back money they had no right to take. Bottom line, she won’t help me, so I give her a good dose of insults and hang up.
I called Verizon back and explained the situation to yet another Verizon rep and she was very helpful and explained that somehow someone had gotten my number and the company debited my phone, just like a merchant would from an atm card and that the company had to give it back. She tracked down the number and gave me the website. I tried the phone and I couldn’t even hear the recording so I went to the website and filled out a form demanding my money back.
I have little hope that they will do the right thing and return my money. And writing the complaint to them did little to relieve my angst and writing this post probably won’t do much for it either - but at least you can be warned about them.
Also, the Verizon rep told me another thing that really freaked me out. Though i had them block text messages on my account, she said when it comes to premium text messages that the blocking is useless. They can still do it. So, it seems my choice is to chuck this phone and get another one. It’s a shame but in the end I may have to do it.
What I can’t figure out though is how they got my cell number. Literally, only about 10 people have it. I can’t imagine any of them giving it to something like this or doing this as some sort of practical joke - not funny.
I’m telling you there is no justice in the world. I know I’m out of luck and if I get any sort of response it will be bull and they will not give me my money back because that’s how this sort of company works. It’s not even the money so much as the violation of privacy. I feel like somebody sneaked into my house and took something from me without my consent. It sucks.
So, there you have it. Another good reason to not text - aside from carpal tunnel thumbs and losing the ability to spell properly.
WC
10 Things to do With a Dead Spouse
Posted on June 20, 2007 - Filed Under Humor, Just For Fun, acts of idiocy, brain farts, dasterdly deeds, my opinions, really stupid shit, satire, tips, tricks and advice
Okay, so last week I did a post about posts I never did. Still with me? Good. Well, I did a little re-thinking and with a little encouragement decided to actually take up one of the topics. Now, contrary to popular opinion, I did indeed, once have a spouse. So I know of what I speak. Obviously it didn’t work out - no chemistry. None of that stuff that keeps you with a person despite all the many things that drive you nuts about them and prevents you from killing them.
I bring this up only because in order to know what one can do with a dead spouse, logic dictates one would have had to have had a live spouse, once…right?
Here are my ten suggestions of what to do with a dead spouse:
1. Fertilizer: This is pretty obvious - once you have the dead spouse there is always the issue of smell. Hence the whole concept of organic gardening comes into play. It gives a new meaning to the phrase, ‘I love you so much I could eat you with a spoon,’ doesn’t it? Tip: Mix 50/50 with steer manure which helps to mask the sweet smell and has plenty of nitrogen for good green growth.
2. Coat Rack: I don’t know about you, but I’m short on closet space. However, I do have an empty corner near the door. Tip: Position arms before the set in of rigor mortis, then wrap in gauze dipped in embalming fluid to discourage insect infestation. Alternate tip: Research taxidermy before endeavoring to do this project.
3. Unique Christmas Tree: Nothing warms the heart more that spending the holidays with loved ones. Especially when they are decked out in sparkly garland and plastic santas. Tip: Spray paint dead spouse with either silver or gold - it enhances the shine & sparkle, especially if you have a roaring fire going.
4. One-of-a-kind Coffee Table: Have your dearly departed hermetically sealed in a pine box with glass top. You can paint the box or use danish oil to seal in a natural finish. It is a non-stop conversation piece and because of it’s size can comfortably facilitate a dinner party of eight. Tip: Have body clothed before installation or the conversation will get out of hand.
5. Fed-Ex Him Back to His Mother: Nothing makes a mother happier than to learn that the tramp her son married no longer wants him. Plus, moms don’t mind dusting or hand feeding and have an endless supply of air freshners. Tip: Check with Fed-Ex for custom sized boxes - may require a special releases and waiver form.
6. Soylent Green: Don’t know what I’m talking about? Rent the movie.
7. Cat Scratcher: Why have your pampered feline scratch up your furniture when you have a perfectly good dead spouse for them to use. Tip: Using this option before going onto option #1 could be a winning combo.
8. Fix Them up With Paris Hilton: She’ll never know the difference and I hear she enjoys really edgy guys. Tip: Attach castors to bottom of feet, to make moving and posing a snap.
9. Trellis for Tomato Plants: I don’t know about you but I can never find a trellis strong enough to hold the beefsteak tomatoes. The vines cover and climb nicely and pests will opt for them, not your tomatoes. Tip: Dress dead spouse in plaid shirt and blue jeans so he will blend in with your garden motif.
10. Put in Green Trash Bin and Let Somebody Else do the Heavy Lifting: We all must do our part to save the planet and recyle and repurpose our waste, so this is a win-win situation. You will probably also get some extra carbon credits for this and your tax dollars will finally be doing something for you. Tip: If dead spouse is over 4 1/2 feet tall, you will have to fold before putting into bin.
Okay, those are my suggestions - what are yours?
WC
PS: Yes, I know I’m a sick, sick individual.