Pointers to employers, part 2

Two "phishy" e-mails in two days. I feel so . . lucky? The e-mail below was sent after I received three other e-mails almost like it. See if you can spot what makes this one a scam:

1) Be sure the city in which the job is located is spelled correctly throughout your e-mail (it's Glendale, not Glandale as stated in the first paragraph.

2) Grammatical errors make these sorts of e-mails smell "phishy". In the first paragraph, find ". . "

3) "Will an interview be required? No". Really? Is this the sort of job where a human resources staffer with mind reading capabilities just stare at me for 60 seconds to determine if I would make a good match? Seriously, perhaps the statement just means that the employer uses some other means of determining who to hire. If this is the case, it is always best to sell as an employer what you feel is a more positive screening process instead of saying what you will not do.

4). The section below speaks for itself:

NO EMPLOYER EVER needs one's Social Security number in full unless they are doing a background check (which is rare - other info should suffice) or verifying one's citizenship status. If that is what the employer wants to do, that is what they should say they are doing and it only should be given in person once you are sure the employer is making a legitimate job offer to you (for the background check).

Have a laugh when you check out the site from which the e-mail was sent (it is in the signature section of the e-mail). No head shots can be found, no names of owners, founders, CEOs, etc., could be found either. Perhaps you'll have better luck -- just don't give any of your own info.

I'll keep my eye out for any more of these types of e-mails. Please let me know if you spot one yourself.

Aren't Fridays supposed to be slow news days?

So much to chew over. Let me start by giving a couple of sentences to another unique way where folks can help people in need in Haiti.

I've had a link off to the left to the Grameen Foundation for a while. Grameen has a presence in Haiti through a group called Fonkoze. In a post on their website today, there was

a grant recently made to Fonkoze to operate a "mobile bank branch" which will meet bank members wherever they are in Haiti. Fonkoze, like Grameen and other microfinance group, is a bank. Loans are given to the poor based on a skill they have to manufacture and sell something and/or provide a service to others. Borrowers are charged interest and are given a plan to pay back the loan with interest as long as they are willing to work with other borrowers in a peer-support system. They keep the profit they make and are invited to open savings accounts with Fonkoze, etc.

As long as people are thirsty, hungry and in need of medical care and shelter, donations to organizations that provide this service will be needed. The long-term challenge is to support the work done by groups like Fonkoze who, instead of fostering dependence on aid, are raising the poor up from desperate poverty and giving them and their children to rebuild their nation bit by bit. While grants may be needed for one-time programs and to grow new branches, the branches support themselves after just a couple of years.

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I'm writing and watching MSNBC's "President's Question Time" special with President Obama answering questions asked from Republican legislators. What's nice about it is that the question and answer is about 95% unedited so that one can watch this event, unique to the U.S, in bite-sized pieces. The "no teleprompter for the President" aspect is just wonderful! It was nice to see him speak off the cuff and I'm looking forward to more of that. I don't know if what happened in Baltimore today is the start of something we'll see every couple of months, but what a fresh way to approach the whole "politics versus the facts" thing that MSNBC and Fox News spend hours a day, Monday-Friday, chewing over and pontificating.

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Finally, a few folks in California moved one step closer to doing something that will, no doubt, start a snowball of controversy. Nearly 700,000 signatures were collected and around 143,000 of those delivered to the Los Angeles County Registrar's office in Norwalk to add a proposition to the November 2010 ballot to legalize personal possession of up to one ounce of marijuana by those age 21 and older, permit those 21 and older to grow enough marijuana for personal use and "..would also allow cities and counties to permit marijuana to be grown and sold, and to impose taxes on (sales of marijuana)".

This isn't just a few thousand stoners in a state with 36 million residents trying to get their habit legitimized. While the amount of money raised to campaign for this proposition so far isn't jaw dropping, it's not just as much money those same stoners found under the sofa cushions. While the case for medicinal use of marijuana has been made by those with something to gain, the city of L.A. has been trying to reign in the proliferation of cannabis clubs recently. Delivery of these signatures is a bit out there in contrast to the relatively modest moves in the state to carry out medicinal use of cannabis. On the other hand, I can take a quick stroll at lunchtime and pass two such clubs within a couple of blocks of each other (see the photo above for a sign for one such club -- the green cross with caduceus). These clubs aren't just in the funkier neighborhoods in LA County, either.

I don't use marijuana. Yes, there is a fairly liberal gay person in California that doesn't use the stuff. On the first smell I took of the smoke I was turned off and haven't found a reason to be turned on to it since. That said, if marijuana is regulated, used privately and penalties for impaired driving, use while at work, etc., are as strong as drunk driving, being drunk at work, etc., then any health concerns just go out the window for me.

What makes this proposition likely to succeed? If the backers have enough sense about this, it'll become about money. Money to be made by growers, retailers and, as tax collector on every sale of the weed, the state government. For all three groups, the promise of legitimate profits/revenue to be made may prove too irresistible to vote down.

What the hail?

Ooh, I've been waiting so long to say that!

It's not rock salt or my personal stash of diamonds cubic zirconia strewn on the ground and photographed at night for maximum visual effect. I "got lucky" being in LaHabra for a haircut earlier this evening when a teeny, tiny yet strong cell of heavy rain/lightning/thunder passed by and created a small hailstorm. I'm having so much fun documenting the wacky state of weather in Southern California, I'm almost forgetting all about the state of politics in the Supreme Court, the Congress and the White House.

Almost.

Keep your finger on this one

This was all over MSNBC tonight, so take it with a grain of salt.  However, have a look at this Newsweek article from late last week.  The quotes I was able to read through before I had to stop from either boiling over with anger and going green with queasiness (red and green all at once - only a truly unique story could do that) are enough to sell me on the need to sort everything out over the interrogation program.

Maybe it's much ado about not much at all.  Maybe there are just a few arrests, trials and convictions of the lowest of the low-level flunkies who actually carried out the horrifying torture of detainees to get a bunch of unusable nonsense.

Ever the glass-half full blogger, perhaps there's a serious top-down investigation with those in the highest positions of power being taken to task for their behavior.

The trail of whacky news leads to my backyard

Most days, nothing fires my creativity.  Somedays, I struggle to pare down the fascinating news down to three stories:

Yes, I know this story is now weeks old, but I saw it in full for the first time earlier today.  Did you know that there are a few states in the U.S. that are charging their prison's inmates a nightly rate for staying in the prison?  Apparently, some prisons have hiked the price of junk food in the snack bars, started charging for regular meals and/or lessened the portion of food served in each regular meal?  The Christian Science Monitor does a good job of sampling the various fund-raising efforts in states that are otherwise hurting for funding to support their state's prison population.

It does beg the question: What happens when an inmate has no source to tap for money to pay the nightly usage fee, buy food or otherwise pay for their keep?  Outside of prison, when one cannot pay the rent, the property manager can evict the tenant.  Might inmates strapped for cash have their parents, spouses, brothers and/or sisters tapped for cash to support the inmate in the prison?  If someone other than the inmate is directly funding the inmate's stay in prison, what new rights does the . . uh . . patron (?) have? 

If I had to pay for a relative's stay in prison, shouldn't I have the right to ship my inmate relative to a cheaper prison?  Would married inmates face a greater percentage of divorce to cut the tap off to the state for the inmate's stay?  What about the victim(s) of the inmate's crime? If they still want justice for their attacker/thief, perhaps they could chip in to cover the tab??

The endless meandering imagination of a liberal like me can take this argument to the Nth degree.  The depths of ridiculousness . . just no end.

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A pair of men from Britain have been languishing in Santa Ana City Jail since July 2008. (Santa Ana, CA -- in the middle of Orange County).  For what reason?  Have they been charged with something? They can't afford bail?  Is the City Jail pitching in to keep a tight hold on detainees in the War on Terror ??

I'll quote the author of this article from the L.A. Times, Dana Parsons:

The men, known as the "heretical two" to supporters, aren't in U.S. custody because of their world views. Nor have they committed any crime in America. Their lengthy detention is largely the product of the asylum-seeking process that Sheppard and Whittle brought on themselves when they entered the country. They and their original attorney acknowledge that motions they filed helped prolong the case.

They were 
convicted in Britain of "disseminating hate speech" on a website one of them ran.  The men figured they could receive political asylum in the U.S. as our country is well known for supporting free speech.

The L.A. Times does a good job of bringing the facts on this.  So, now for my righteous liberal indignation for the ugly words and thoughts these two decided to spew on line:

What a bunch of hooey!  That's right.  Hooey!!

It may turn my stomach to read/hear the absolutely nutty ravings of people who seek to blame everyone else but themselves for their own perceived misfortune.  That said, I would rather be free to read/hear those nutty ravings.  Short of their diatribes encouraging violence and vehement, in-their-face ugly words in the faces of those these "writers", I say let them at a keyboard.  All the better to see them with.  

The article writer seems quite doubtful their stint in Jail is due to end anytime soon.  11 months could well turn into several years, unfortunately.  Should the U.S. give these two political asylum?  Well, yeah!  There is some measure of difference between posting ones thoughts on-line and the horrors physically brought on others in recent years based on twisted beliefs.

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and, finally . . in my backyard, sort of:

One of the newest medical marijuana dispensaries in California will be opening in Whittier, CA!  Seems the city's Planning Commissioners saw fit to go counter to the City Council's vote in April 2009 where

 " . . the council by a 3-2 vote asked staff to draft an ordinance banning the medical marijuana dispensaries. Councilmen Owen Newcomer and Bob Henderson were the dissenting votes."

In what has traditionally been a conservative corner of Los Angeles County, the City Council couldn't even get unanimous consensus on this issue.  My guess is that this more a function of the state of the economy rather than a genuine concern for those who were prescribed marijuana for treatment of their ailments here in our fair city.

I'm going to go ahead and give some of the credit for this moderate shift in the city government's mindset on the grassroots group which started months ago (and who, sadly, I have not met with for a couple of months now.  I knew something had to give when I started a full-time job working away from home again).

Soon enough, when you need to smoke 'em, you'll soon be able to get 'em . . locally . . uh, as long as the Council votes to OK this next month.  Who knows?

The trail of whacky news could continue to wind about for some time to come.

Week's end news roundup

Lots of e-mails and interesting news to wrap up and clear off.  Here we go!

Just got my first e-mail from El Tinklenberg.  If you don't recognize the name, perhaps this blog will jog your memory.

Got it?  There's an "oust" link on the left so you can click and donate when possible.

We've got a decent 16 months to help raise funds for Mr. Tinklenberg.  I'll keep socking away a few bucks a month and try giving him what I can when I can.  And, I'm a good 2000 miles from western Minnesota.  Their current Representative is nothing short of an embarrassment, plain and simple.

Can't wait to see her go!

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From the VoteVets.org folks, a 62 second statement video on torture.  The link also gives everyone the chance to sign their name to a petition to continue encouragement to close the facility at Guantanamo Bay.

The arguments for keeping this facility are, plainly, laughable.  With an empty "supermax" style prison available in Montana and the folks affiliated with the facility all but begging to take on the detainees, what's the holdup?

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Finally, Nicole Belle does a nice wrap-up-for-the-week's-end post at C & L on this week's CA Supreme Court ruling on Proposition and what one of our state's first legally married same-sex couples had to say about the issue.

And, most importantly, there is a link in her post all can access to get to a form which, once completed, would give same sex couples (or anyone else, for that matter) the right to visit each other in the hospital. 

I'll add my own two cents to this and urge everyone to search for more information on either a Living Will, Health Care Power of Attorney and/or Health Care Directive.  Pretty much anyone of legal adult age may give the authority to make health care decisions to a person of their choice (including girlfriends, boyfriends, lovers, partners, spouses, etc.).  This document (which is called by one of these names in your state) also gives one the opportunity to specify health care decisions from the moment one becomes incapacitated to the moment one dies.

When you search, be sure to include the name of your state as the forms vary slightly from state to state and states have differing requirements on whether one of these documents needs to be witnessed, notarized, both or neither.  If you get stuck or think your situation may be more complex than a downloadable or template-style form can handle, check out Gaylaw.org.

Here's a toe-tapper that will drill into your ears and stay in your head.  I've not heard such a chipper song with a slap-across-your-face chorus.  Enjoy Lily Allen - it's definitely how I'd utter the song's title -- with a smile on my face and a perky late 70s/early 80's sitcom theme melody.

NOM, R-NC and ST

Three is the magic number for me when it comes to stories.  Here we go:

Our delightful new Miss California is insisting on continuing her affiliation with the National Organization for Marriage (NOM).  This will make me sound catty, but good luck sweetie getting one of my tribe to fix that hair, apply that makeup and pick attractive clothing for you from now on!

North Carolina Congresswoman Virginia Foxx (R) had some . . . well, the kindest way to put it is "ill informed" . . . words about the pending federal hate crimes bill (which passed the House today).  Read the explanation from Foxx herself and, if you must throw something, make it something soft and safely stow away your fine breakables first.

I just cannot fathom this -- a Representative who chooses to cite skewed news "reports" about the crimes committed against Matthew Shepard instead of just . . . reading . . the . . . freakin' . . COURT TRANSCRIPTS!!  She could have found any number of other reputable sources and may have even had a good argument against passing the bill.  I have no problem with a solid, well-sourced conservative/right-wing point of view -- it's such a shame that so often the arguments formed by right-wing mouthpieces are no better than a gaggle of hausfraus spinning gossip at the laundromat.

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The new "Star Trek" movie had its premiere at Graumann's Chinese Theatre tonight.  I snapped a few pics before the festivities begun.  Hollywod Blvd was closed down all day today and the photo/interview section plus bleachers were set up right in the middle of the boulevard in front of the Theatre (it's part of the reasons the photos are as close up as they are).

Sadly, I had to make my way home and could not stay long enough to check out the stars.  Still, it is not often that a studio hires a DJ to spin vinyl prior to the arrivals.  I hope the movie is nearly as good as the hype!

GSR

What does the Easter Egg Roll, the White House Christmas Tree and the U.S. House of Representatives all have in common ?

Government Sponsored Religion!

The hard-boiling and dyeing of eggs and the hiding and seeking of those eggs all have to do with Pagan celebrations of fertility.  "Easter" seems to have originated from the goddess Astarte.  So how much is the government spending on this annual Pagan festival?

No, really, I'd like to know how much.  I can tell you the tickets are handed out for free and that for this year's festivities the tickets were only available on-line.  My guess is that taxpayers are picking up the tab for the port-a-pottys, extra security, some extra groundswork on the South Lawn of the White House, etc.

Now, maybe the farm from which the White House Christmas Trees are delivered picks up some or all of the costs of shipping and set up.  But, consider the money spent on electricity, maintenance of the tree (don't want those needles drying up), decoration and un-decoration (staff to do this instead of, well, whatever that staff would be doing instead) and everything else I cannot think of associated with those trees.

Here, the link to this tradition and the Pagan celebration of the Winter Solstice and the Yule tree gets a little fuzzy.  To be fair, perhaps the costs associated with this tradition should be split between the Pagans and Christians 50/50.

Congress?  As this ".gov" brochure says, their unity with religion starts from this country's very beginnings!   I would say we'd never even have a prayer of dividing these two institutions, but even I try to steer clear of that sort of cornball wordplay.

Oh . . . .

So, it's not really keeping religion and government separate that should concern us - - the fix is in on that already.  The concern is how to keep our country's laws from turning into some version of Sharia law.  Interestingly, a 2007 University of Maryland poll indicated:

. . more than 60 percent of the populations in Egypt, Morocco, Pakistan and Indonesia responded that democracy was a good way to govern their respective countries, while at the same time, an average of 71 percent agreed with requiring 'strict application of (sharia) law in every Islamic country.'

Comparing this to what is happening here, I found an article from 2004 which talks about American's willingness to do something similar to our country's laws -- namely, establish Christianity as the official religion (and more of religious slant to new legislation would surely follow).  Though, having 32% of respondents in favor of this is not much about which to get worked up.

As long as "faith-based" organizations, our government and our citizens agree to help those in our country who are in need and we can come to some consensus on how that should be accomplished, I have a really tough time mustering any great concern.

However, we all need to be ready and willing to fence in this enmeshing of two of any social gathering's biggest taboos -- government and religion.  My hope is that we have the tools we need to make this happen before some type of Bible-based laws are enacted.  Though, I have to admit, it might be interesting to see how some would handle the laws described in Exodus 23:1-9 or, yikes!, all of Exodus 21.

One more nail in the coffin

I was trying to find text of an essay read on Mike Malloy's radio show this past Wednesday from the point of view of a soldier on guard duty in Iraq in 2004, but I've had no luck finding it!

I have found in the Opinion section of the Washington Post this rather lengthy article once again making the case that torture of prisoners does not turn up any useful intelligence.  Early last month, I posted links to a case of rendition.

And now Spain is putting together a case to try six of Bush 43's administration for war crimes.

An arraignment, Grand Jury indictment, a trial of these six and those above them in the previous administration, needs to start almost immediately here in the U.S.

Enough stalling, posturing and every thing else-ing.  Our country now has an opportunity to reassert ourselves as a leader in human rights and justice.

A happy start to the weekend

With very rare exception, I have never understood the need to sentence convicted criminals to death.

If sentencing as many people as the U.S. does to death acted as a deterrent to crimes like murder, I could easily support this.  It just doesn't.

One silver lining to this economic mess is that states (like New Mexico just yesterday) are starting to get rid of the death penalty under the reasoning that this sentence just costs the state too much money.  Life imprisonment without parole is more cost effective.

The last few months have been an opportunity as a country to rethink our approach to so many things.  It will be interesting to see how much further changes in the justice / correctional system will go.

Watch history being made on March 5, 2009

Starting at 9 am Pacific on 3/5/09, the California Channel will broadcast on most every cable system (just not mine, even though I'm in California!) the oral arguments to be made toward whether or not to overturn Proposition 8.  The arguments will be for/against finding this Proposition unconstitutional.

Click here to view this as a live webcast.

The night before, several candlelight vigils and other gatherings are planned in California's larger cities and some locations outside of California to help draw attention to what is happening the following morning.

I will, at least, be on-line Thursday morning to see/hear what happens.

Green politics and irony

Was wide awake for several hours in the very early morning today and found these two stories:

First up:  One of California's newest State Assembly members Tom Ammiano introduced a bill yesterday to legalize marijuana for recreational use, much as alcohol and tobacco are now in the U.S.  The idea would be to generate somewhere in the neighborhood of $1 billion in tax revenue, as you can read in this San Francisco Chronicle article (yes, I chose that site purposefully).

Dollar and cents wise, no arguing with raising tax revenue these days.  And, as long as driving under the influence and use on the job, like is now enforced with alcohol, is kept illegal with regular enforcement, I still don't have a problem with this bill.

At this point in the argument, most who support the continued ban on marijuana growing/selling, etc., will site health risks to users and the likely risk to those in the vicinity of the smoke.  As a recovering alcoholic, I could use the same soap box to sermonize banning alcohol production and sales as I have never had positive experiences with alcohol.  I doubt I'd last two minutes on that box before someone yells at me to chill out.  Frankly, they would be right to do so. 

As is the case with tobacco, if individuals prohibit use in public places and in their homes, they can just as easily avoid marijuana as they now do with tobacco.  On the other end, cigar bars are still open in various places around the country with all those who enter the premises having full knowledge to what they are being exposed.  I would expect marijuana bars/clubs/houses to also sprout up overnight (yes, the imagery is intentional), creating still more tax revenue (could you imagine the money made from selling users all sorts of munchies?)

I'll let the other side of this argument speak for themselves -- I just can't argue against their points.

and, speaking of changes to the environment:

File this under ironic:  A satellite which was launched early this morning from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California failed to reach orbit and crashed into the ocean near Antarctica.  What was the satellite designed to do?  Measure CO2 levels in the earth's atmosphere.

Hmm, I guess these two stories don't tie in together -- I'm just pulled in all sorts of directions when I'm surfing the 'net for news.

Follow up on "Disappeared . . ."

Nothing on any of the government's websites, but I'm not surprised and I just don't have the focus to hunt around for hours on end.

I did find, off of the ACLU biography of Mohamed Farag Bashmilah, a "reply brief" regarding the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit filed by the plantiffs (ACLU attorneys, etc.) to ask the court to overturn a previous decision in the case.  The document was signed on 9/25/08.  I'm not an attorney myself, but from what I could make out, they did a great job convincing me to overturn the decision, if I was that Court, of course.

What I was most curious about was the timing of today's post on Huffington Post.  Best I could figure was that the timing had to do with a press release issued by the ACLU on 2/9/09 and another one released yesterday.  My guess is we'll hear soon about what action is coming soon.

It's one thing to hear in abstract about renditions and the role our government and the corporate world may have played.  When I read first hand accounts from a survivor of rendition and one of the soldiers at Gitmo, it makes it so much more difficult to keep treating this as just another news story.  

I'm wondering who else might be feeling the same as I am and if they're in a better position to do something about it.

Reasons to celebrate today

This week is Freedom to Marry week with many civil disobedience-style actions taking place in several states having occurred yesterday, even here in California.

It looks like all of the efforts may have actually paid off, at least for one lesbian couple.  A little legal turmoil has been started in Arizona and, while there is little optimism that their marriage will remain legal, I congratulate these two women as well as others who showed up at their City Halls to apply for and try to successfully obtain a marriage license.

If no one showed up to these sorts of events, nothing would happen. The more that show up to demonstrate, the more likely change will be affected.

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I heard a new song by a very new band (just together for one year this month) Gloriana called "Wild at Heart" (click here for lyrics). The only other country artists I listen to with any regularity is Dolly Pardon, so for me to happen upon this was entirely by chance.

Enjoy a little happy dance, do-si-do or whatever you'd like while we skip along into the weekend.

More updates from post #100

On HR676:  I'll let Huffington Post explain.  Just one comment:  Yay !

On Alberto G:  Here is an interview done earlier today on NPR with the man himself.  I have multiple questions here: What the blazes is this guy thinking?  Is there a store where one purchases egos the size of Texas?  When one becomes this delusional, who is there to keep everyone safe?

Where's our money . . part 2

I was listening to Thom Hartmann on Wednesday.  He had a man named Jerry Lucas on his show who has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Senate, House of Representatives and the President regarding the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 and the lack of oversight on the money loaned to financial institutions.

I am not letting the fact the .pdf copy of the complaint is found from Mr. Lucas' main website, malenursemagazine.com, throw me off.  Save a couple of typos, it looks like the lawsuit is legitimate.

With any luck, the suit will lead somewhere and this will point out to the committee who is reporting on the results of this Act that there is at least one person in the U.S. who is seriously upset enough to write up and file a lawsuit about this.

Homework?

Here are three items I found interesting this morning.  Choose one, two or all three to peruse.  Would love to read what your thoughts were on any/each of these.

Greta Christina's Blog.  I found this as a link from pageoneq.com (look to the left column of this blog - page one is one of my daily "go to" blogs).  Before you panic, I was not converted to either of the things she discusses.  However, what I read left me curious to read more and, after all, what more could a write ask of their readers than the desire to read more?

Governor Blagojevich's attorney.  I caught a little of Genson's requests in front of the Illinois legislature.  I found myself feeling sympathetic toward Genson.  If, in fact, he has not had access to the conversation recordings on which the legislature is making its case for impeachment.  While the legislature made the case that it is not a court, I cannot see how an attorney could mount some kind of defense or provide some kind of perspective without having access to the source material which is driving the impeachment.

"When (Adolf) Hitler needs a birthday cake . ."  Yes, on the surface, this is news fluffernutter. Any time someone stirs up the proverbial racism pot, everyone who hears/reads the story takes a few minutes to check their own level of racism.  Need a test to do so?  Try this one.  Read the blog entry first, then click on the link in the blog entry to proceed.