People actually do fall for those Nigerian scams!
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Watch out for single shifty looking men around parks. With cameras often, and obviously not associated with a particular child. If you spot one, just go and stand in front of him and look him in the eye like you can see his soul. It wont take long before he runs away.
Truth is the subjection of reality to an individuals perception
Note: I recently found out that if you can find out what country the person is, and get some identifying info from them, you can contact the US embassy in that country, and they will have the person arrested. Nigeria takes this stuff very seriously, but they are a country with few resources, and can't go chasing after these guys randomly. With information, they will go after the people. The penalties are very severe. These people are ruining Nigeria's reputation in the world, and the government doesn't like that one bit.
"Quality Software since 1983!" http://www.smoothjazzy.com/
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There are no decent examples around, of what makes people decent these days. The word decency is hardly ever babndd about these days. The media has alot to do with the way society has evolved. Evolution in this case is not a good thing. It makes me sick when I see all these "Real life" televison programme, where these contestants "act" as outrageous as they can be just to get "noticed" and win. There is also a constant reference to sex, when trying to sell products. A world obsessed with Celebritism(if thats how you spell it) Society is more caught up with looking good and getting rich, that it doesn't take time to reflect on itself. All of us here are probably guilty of all the issues we are speaking of here, but instead of doing something about it, we vent our frustration by complaining about it. How many of us complain about the content of TV? Yet we still watch TV. How many of complain about Kids Clothing? Yet the we still buy them. Complain about the results of consumerism, yet still consume. It is the constant "pressure" to get rich, that drives the criminals out there, the pressure derived from the media and other organisations out there. I could go on and on about this, but it's friday morning, and this subject is way too deep for a friday!!
"a fool will not learn from a wise man, but a wise man will learn from a fool" "It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed." - Theodore Roosevelt "Success is going from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm." - Winston Churchill
cykophysh39 wrote:
Yet we still watch TV.
I don't :-)
cykophysh39 wrote:
Yet the we still buy them.
I don't. That is, my daughter dresses her age.
cykophysh39 wrote:
yet still consume.
Well, there's no way around that :-)
cykophysh39 wrote:
It is the constant "pressure" to get rich, that drives the criminals out there, the pressure derived from the media and other organisations out there.
I think it's more the media pushing hte idea that everything you do, you can blame on someone else ( my childhood, the company that signed me up to a contract, etc ) that has eroded the feeling of personal responsibility.
Christian Graus - Microsoft MVP - C++ Metal Musings - Rex and my new metal blog
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cykophysh39 wrote:
How many of us complain about the content of TV? Yet we still watch TV.
My family and I don't watch TV *at all* -- there's nothing, absolutely nothing on worth watching. If there ever is, we wait for it to come out on DVD and either by it or rent it.
cykophysh39 wrote:
How many of complain about Kids Clothing? Yet the we still buy them.
We never have bought such clothing and we never will. We also teach our kids standards and how to judge between right and wrong.
cykophysh39 wrote:
Complain about the results of consumerism, yet still consume.
Again, as a family we are always striving to consume less. It's difficult though.
Silence is the voice of complicity. Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. -- monty python Might I suggest that the universe was always the size of the cosmos. It is just that at one point the cosmos was the size of a marble. -- Colin Angus Mackay
ahz wrote:
If there ever is, we wait for it to come out on DVD and either by it or rent it.
Agreed. WE do the same. I am not a target market, nor are my kids. We will not watch advertising. To me, it's annoying. To the kids, it's manipulative. Seriously, since we stopped TV, the sort of Xmas presents requested has become much more tied in things they actually like, and not things they saw on TV.
ahz wrote:
We also teach our kids standards and how to judge between right and wrong.
That's the most important thing IMO, having a sense of personal responsibility ( in this case regarding your kids ), and passing that on. The media teaches the opposite - if you do wrong, it's not your fault.
Christian Graus - Microsoft MVP - C++ Metal Musings - Rex and my new metal blog
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Christian Graus wrote:
I recommend a book by Neil Postman, whose name escapes me, could be 'the end of childhood'.
The Disappearance of Childhood, perhaps?
"Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed" - 2 Timothy 2:15
"Judge not by the eye but by the heart." - Native American Proverb
If that is a book by him, then that's the one.
Christian Graus - Microsoft MVP - C++ Metal Musings - Rex and my new metal blog
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Christian Graus wrote:
Well, that's true, but you could always give them the option of going nekkid and see what they do
Wouldn't work with my kids, they'd go naked out of spite. I just won't allow it to be bought, most parents give in.
Michael Martin Australia "I controlled my laughter and simple said "No,I am very busy,so I can't write any code for you". The moment they heard this all the smiling face turned into a sad looking face and one of them farted. So I had to leave the place as soon as possible." - Mr.Prakash 24/04/2004
Amusingly, you're telling us that you are stubborn, and your kids are too :P But, good on ya, that's the way to do it, don't let the kids run the house.
Christian Graus - Microsoft MVP - C++ Metal Musings - Rex and my new metal blog
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Christian Graus wrote:
They are on the internet, learning about 'nature', or playing video games
Not my kids. They're allowed 1/2 hr per day of computer time. Period. The rest we kick them outside to play.
Silence is the voice of complicity. Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. -- monty python Might I suggest that the universe was always the size of the cosmos. It is just that at one point the cosmos was the size of a marble. -- Colin Angus Mackay
I'd love to say the same. My kids have limited DVD/PC access as well, but getting them outside is virtually impossible.
Christian Graus - Microsoft MVP - C++ Metal Musings - Rex and my new metal blog
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Well this is certainly is encouraging finding other people like myself out there. Do you think we are a small minority?
"a fool will not learn from a wise man, but a wise man will learn from a fool" "It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed." - Theodore Roosevelt "Success is going from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm." - Winston Churchill
cykophysh39 wrote:
Do you think we are a small minority?
Yes, but it's growing.
Silence is the voice of complicity. Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. -- monty python Might I suggest that the universe was always the size of the cosmos. It is just that at one point the cosmos was the size of a marble. -- Colin Angus Mackay
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I'd love to say the same. My kids have limited DVD/PC access as well, but getting them outside is virtually impossible.
Christian Graus - Microsoft MVP - C++ Metal Musings - Rex and my new metal blog
Christian Graus wrote:
getting them outside is virtually impossible
Yes, well we live in something of a paradise. Mountains, forests, streams, fields of waving grass. Lots of things to explore.
Silence is the voice of complicity. Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. -- monty python Might I suggest that the universe was always the size of the cosmos. It is just that at one point the cosmos was the size of a marble. -- Colin Angus Mackay
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Christian Graus wrote:
getting them outside is virtually impossible
Yes, well we live in something of a paradise. Mountains, forests, streams, fields of waving grass. Lots of things to explore.
Silence is the voice of complicity. Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. -- monty python Might I suggest that the universe was always the size of the cosmos. It is just that at one point the cosmos was the size of a marble. -- Colin Angus Mackay
ahz wrote:
Mountains, forests, streams, fields of waving grass.
We have 11 acres. Some of the above would be an exaggeration for me, but we do have a hill, a stream, some grass, and lots of bush :-)
Christian Graus - Microsoft MVP - C++ Metal Musings - Rex and my new metal blog
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I'd love to say the same. My kids have limited DVD/PC access as well, but getting them outside is virtually impossible.
Christian Graus - Microsoft MVP - C++ Metal Musings - Rex and my new metal blog
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I have threatened to move all TVs to a room on the other end of the property. They can watch for 30 minutes at a time, then they have to report back here.
Christian Graus - Microsoft MVP - C++ Metal Musings - Rex and my new metal blog
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Amusingly, you're telling us that you are stubborn, and your kids are too :P But, good on ya, that's the way to do it, don't let the kids run the house.
Christian Graus - Microsoft MVP - C++ Metal Musings - Rex and my new metal blog
Christian Graus wrote:
Amusingly, you're telling us that you are stubborn, and your kids are too ;P
Strange, isn't it.
Christian Graus wrote:
But, good on ya, that's the way to do it, don't let the kids run the house.
The difficult time is birthdays and Christmas when the Aunties and friends mothers buy crap. A lot of it fits the description of stuff you don't want your daughter wearing.
Michael Martin Australia "I controlled my laughter and simple said "No,I am very busy,so I can't write any code for you". The moment they heard this all the smiling face turned into a sad looking face and one of them farted. So I had to leave the place as soon as possible." - Mr.Prakash 24/04/2004
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During my time of unemployment I have become addicted to trashy daytime television including the Dr. Phil show. Today they had women who had fallen for men over the internet and WAIT! they need money to get back to the United States, so could you please send me some? This one guy said he was from Buffalo, NY and they talked on the phone. You could obviously tell the guy had a west African accent. She sent money for a ticket, and even waited at the airport and WAIT! the guy didn't show up. Later the "hospital" called to tell her that he was in a coma and could you please send money for his expenses. She said she didn't have anymore money. But then they called back because WAIT! he suddenly woke from his coma screaming her name! Oh, the love between them! Just as good as Days of Our Lives! (BTW, after 15 years they felt the need to bring back Patch and Kayla. Good lord.) They had to have a private investigator give her the (obvious) evidence that it was all a scam. At the end of it, I really couldn't feel sorry for the 'victims.' On another note, I'm glad I don't have kids. On Oprah they had tricks that pedophiles use to seduce kids. This guy from the FBI infiltrated NAMBLA for 3 years and it was so sick some of the stuff these guys say and do. (For example, I guy at the park was watching a girl of about 5 doing cartwheels and he thought this was her way of seducing him. Skin now crawling.) All you parents keep your kids safe.
I'm involved in forensic computer investigations for the police in the UK and yes - people fall for this stuff all the time. Interestingly, direct mail through your letter box usually has a response rate of about 3%. It's been determined that spam has a similar response rate, but with far less of the overhead - so this kind of spamming seems to make sense for the "direct marketers" from a cost point of view. We've investigated cases where detectives have approached a guy about to be ripped off and warned him he's being scammed - only to be told to mind our own business and that he'll invest his money where he wants. All this despite providing him with documentary evidence of others being ripped off by the same suspect. People get so blinded by greed they just don't see sense. I saw in another post in this thread someone referred to seeing a dodgy looking bloke with a camera hanging around a childs park - don't confront these people - they will just slink off and find other victims. Call the police and ask to speak to a child protection officer or a member of a child protecton team. This stuff is taken *very* seriously and when officers arrive they will inspect his camera on the spot. If it's a digital camera and it contains photos of children and he can't provide a valid excuse why he has these photos, he'll be arrested on the spot.