Archive for May, 2010

Fake PayPal Scammer

Today when I was cleaning out one of my older Yahoo e-mail accounts I came across this gem of an e-mail.

Every once in a while I’ll receive fake e-mails from companies, and sure enough, somebody was once again trying to exploit PayPal customers.  I didn’t know this, but apparently my “account access has been limited” and I’m supposed to click on the link provided in the e-mail to log-in and verify that claim.

Of course, the odds of a link like that going directly to the official PayPal website are next to nothing, if even that high.

Notice how this e-mail was sent by somebody calling themselves “Pay-Pal” and not “PayPal.”  The hyphen makes a world of difference between a fake name and a real one.  Do take note that adding or removing a hyphen could also refer to an older spelling, like how Walmart once went by Wal-Mart.  However, all real company e-mails will have the correct spelling (including punctuation) of the company.  Strike one! Read more…

2010 Indianapolis 500

Yesterday we had the annual running of the world famous Indy 500 race, also known as The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.

For the most part, it was an entertaining race full of crashes and excitement throughout the race.  Despite the incredibly lame fuel-efficiency ending, I was glad to see Dario Franchitti put his car in Victory Lane.  Perhaps one of these years he’ll win it without help of rain or a yellow flag at the end of the race.

Of course, the big questions are, would Dan Wheldon have had enough time to catch up to Franchitti on that final lap?  Did Franchitti’s car have enough fuel to go around one more time, even if he was averaging over 20 miles-per-hour slower than at full speed?

It’s too bad that this wasn’t a case where all the cars needed fuel to make it to the end, forcing everybody in for a splash of ethanol and letting them go full speed to the finish line.

The Mike Conway / Ryan Hunter-Reay crash at the end of the race was nothing short of spectacular.  Apparently Conway had a fractured lower left leg and will have to wear a back brace for a few weeks, putting him out of action in IndyCar for the next few weeks.  It’s amazing that he wasn’t injured more seriously and no fans were hurt in that accident.

And then there was Danica Patrick, megastar of IndyCar Racing and star of numerous GoDaddy and Peak antifreeze TV commercials.

DO YOU THINK THEY AIRED ENOUGH GODADDY COMMERCIALS DURING THE RACE??? Read more…

The Start of Summer Break

Earlier today we crossed the invisible boundary where the school year officially became the lengthy summer break, something that nearly every school student looks forward to during the year.

It is the season of traveling, warm weather, cookouts, going to the ball game, lounging by the pool, taking up a number of different hobbies, and of course, getting bored and looking for things to do.  Later summer breaks during the high school and college years involved working part-time jobs, going to the free summer concerts downtown provided by the 99x radio station, and generally driving all over the metro Atlanta area.

Nonetheless, summer was still something enjoyed, even with the hot and generally muggy weather.

I’ve noticed that the summer break generally goes through three distinct phases. Read more…

Oklahoma Tornado Outbreak Aftermath – May 19, 2010

For the second time in less than a month, central Oklahoma experienced another tornado outbreak.

A total of twenty-five tornado reports were made yesterday:  sixteen of them in Oklahoma, eight in southwestern Kansas, and one in Washington.  As wild as the weather was, it’s even more impressive that so far only two reports of injuries have come out of Oklahoma.

Despite being in the middle of the forecast zone, Oklahoma City was spared from the deadly weather.

Here are several video highlights of yesterday’s action.

May 19, 2010 – A day in the life of a stormchaser.  Features tornado videos from near Cordell, OK and Norman, OK. Read more…

Battlezone – Oklahoma City, OK

Another day in the spring, another round of severe weather.

The only difference today is that instead of focusing on severe weather in the southeastern part of the country, the storms are being forecast for northern and western Oklahoma.  Oklahoma City lies right smack in the middle of the current prediction and probability map.

The National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center has issued a public statement concerning the likelihood of tornadoes over this part of the country.

UPDATE – As of 2:05 pm CST, the National Weather Service has issued a Particularly Dangerous Situation (PDS) tornado watch for most of central and eastern Oklahoma valid until 10 pm CST.  This is going to be a long afternoon for those living throughout the state.

PDS Tornado Watch #190 - Oklahoma - valid until 10 pm CST

Part of today’s Public Severe Weather Outlook from the Storm Prediction Center: Read more…

Four More Days . . .

. . . until the start of summer break.

Yes, believe it or not, but many students in the metro Atlanta area only have four more days of school.  Summer vacation begins on Friday afternoon.

But for the students, when will it feel like being on summer break?

• A) That last day of school including the bus ride home.

• B) On Sunday night when you don’t have to go to bed early.

• C) On Monday morning when you’re sleeping in and not heading out to the bus stop.

• D) A few days into the break when you’re making use of your freedom, not worrying about homework, tests or school projects.

• E) Anytime in July, from fireworks on the 4th of July to the peak of summertime heat at the end of the month.

No more class! Hooray!

You’ll get a different answer no matter who you ask. Read more…

Mega Blueberry – A Marketing Review

Here we go again.

Late last night I saw another grow-your-own-blueberries-and-buy-the-plants-only-through-us commercial, only this one was not for Little Giant Blueberries.

No.

This new commercial was for something called Mega Blueberry.

I can see the confusion since the new Mega Blueberry commercial was virtually identical to the incredibly bad Little Giant Blueberry commercial, just with a different announcer, different actors and a slightly different offer in the end.

Hell, even the two websites are eerily similar.

Mega Blueberry – www.megablueberry.com

The main differences here are that Mega Blueberry is based out of North Carolina (Little Giant Blueberries was out of Michigan), Mega Blueberry is not listed in the Better Business Bureau (a fly-by-night company?), and the total cost is a little bit different.

So what exactly are we seeing here with Mega Blueberry? Read more…

Immigration Politics at Kennesaw State University

More fuel to the growing illegal immigration debates with the recent arrest and release of Jessica Colotl, a college student at Kennesaw State University.

What makes Jessica’s case special is that her parents supposedly snuck themselves and her into the U.S. when she was 10 years old, and Jessica Colotl graduated from Lakeside High School with a 3.8 GPA.  She applied for and was accepted to Kennesaw State University, even qualifying for in-state tuition.

The problem is that Ms. Jessica Colotl is an illegal alien.

But when you read the various articles behind the debate and pick up pieces of information here and there, it looks like there’s a whole lot more to the story not being talked about in the media (yeah, what a shocker!). Read more…

Little Giant Blueberries – Follow-Up Review

On March 6, 2010, I wrote the article “Little Giant Blueberries – A Marketing Review.”

The article took a look at the TV marketing campaign and based on that alone analyzed if the Little Giant Blueberries was a good product or a scam.

While the company does send out plants as advertised, it has been noted from multiple sources that the plants themselves are incredibly small and most likely will not produce anything for the first year, and a full yield won’t happen for probably two or even three growing seasons (years) from now.  That is, assuming that the plants you receive are even alive by the time you receive them.  The general consensus is that you’re better off going to a local nursery and picking out healthy plants, not taking any chances on having “miracle” plants (or “sticks” as referred to by many unhappy customers) shipped to your home.

It’s no coincidence that many people are uncertain about whether this company is offering a good deal or not.  87% of the search terms for my previous article involve the word “scam.”  The sheer volume of people accessing the article has literally been off the chart.  I have yet to see that kind of skepticism to products in my other marketing reviews, and quite a few of them appear to be useless pieces of junk. Read more…

Poor Advertising – Atlanta Beer Pong

Last night at Wild Wing, my brother and I noticed advertisement flyers for Atlanta Beer Pong, one of the feeder leagues where the overall winners compete in the World Series of Beer Pong in Las Vegas.

The flyers themselves are laminated and flashy, but once you get past the badly pixelated images (enlarging graphics without sharpening the edges results in poor quality), one will find a grammar error or two or three throughout the advertisement.  Actually, by the time you add in all of the punctuation and continuity problems, the entire back of the advertisement is one giant mess.

And that’s not even counting the incredibly lame rules that completely ruin the game of beer pong. Read more…

Cinco de Mayo 2010 – What Does It Mean?

The 2010 Cinco de Mayo (5th of May) came and went with a fury.  In fact, we’re still seeing the aftermath in the terms of new protests and even a teacher going on an anti-capitalism rampage.

Was this the work of a few loony people, or are we seeing fundamental change throughout the southern and southwestern parts of the country?

My own belief is that the protests and actions carried out were the results of youth anger along with general misinformation and clean, old fashioned hate.

The signing of the Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act (Arizona Senate Bill 1070, the now infamous anti-illegal immigration bill) was a major milestone in the war on illegal immigrants and those who support and employ them in the state of Arizona.

Is the bill a “witch hunt” against Mexicans? Read more…

Driver Error – BIG TIME!

The saga with my neighbor’s teenage driver continues.

Instead of hitting the usual empty garbage cans or grinding the bumpers on the curb on the other side of the street, the sixteen-year-old kid ran over his dad’s leg!

I was inside the house when all of a sudden there was a lot of yelling from next door.  Naturally, I went out onto the deck and heard the remainder of a one-sided yelling contest as the dad yelled at him for not looking and for running over his leg.  It sounded like nothing was broken and he just needed a minute or two before getting back up on his feet.  Boy, was he furious!

As of right now  no ambulance has arrived, nor have they taken him to a doctor’s office.  He may still appear in a cast and crutches in a day or so.

The kid is a menace behind the wheel.  His parents should revoke his driving privileges for at least a year.  He’s obviously A) not mature enough to handle the responsibilities of safely driving a car, and B) a total moron.  How could you possibly miss not seeing an adult laying on the ground doing some work when you’re walking up to the car?

Then again, when observing the parents and children in action outside throughout the year, he’s not the only one who shows a lack of intelligence, integrity and good judgment in that family.

Attempted Car Bomb – Just A Warning?

As we all should have heard by now, last Saturday night there was an attempted car bombing in the Times Square / Broadway part of New York City.

Faisal Shahzad, a Pakistan native and naturalized U.S. citizen, was captured while trying to escape on an international flight to Dubai with a connection to Pakistan.  According to news reports, and telling the authorities what they want to know.  He claimed to have recently been to Pakistan and while there he received bomb making training.

Earlier today it was announced that several men in Pakistan have also been arrested in connection with the attempted car bombing, establishing the international connection to a terrorist organization, not the “lone wolf” theory previously stated by other people.

But after hearing the reports about what happened on Saturday night, I can’t shake the feeling that this “attempted” car bombing wasn’t an attempt at all.  The SUV was just to get our attention; not necessarily kill and injure hundreds of people. Read more…

PDS Tornado Watch #125 – Central / Eastern Arkansas

The National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center has issued a Particularly Dangerous Situation (PDS) Tornado Watch for most of central and eastern Arkansas along with portions of eastern Texas and northwestern Louisiana.

The tornado watch is valid until 10 pm CST and includes a HIGH likelihood of EF2+ tornadoes (Enhanced Fujita 2 and above).

Earlier today the Storm Prediction Center issued an ominous statement “forecasting a major severe weather outbreak today and/or tonight.” Read more…

Battlezone – Memphis, TN

Another day in the late Spring, and another day of severe weather threats.

Today’s tornado outlook puts the bullseye right on Memphis, Tennessee and the surrounding area.

Right now the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center already has a few tornado watches covering part of Arkansas and most of Tennessee and Mississippi.

Tornado watches - May 1, 2010

Read more…