One thing that she was concerned about was the issue of having to wear a uniform to work each day.  Linda is a total fashion and accessories freak and has more clothes then one woman would ever need in her life time and would be miserable having to wear only uniforms at work. So she was happy to find that the other woman working there have turned her onto a great website that offers a a nice variety of scrub clothing that they have been ordering from lately and are thrilled with the quality of their products as well as their prices. Since Linda is so busy with her new full time job and still has the kids and my brother to deal with, shopping online is very appealing to her.

I’m so happy that she has found a great new career with some nice people and I wish her all the luck in the world. I also look forward to hearing some funny and entertaining stories that I’m sure she will come up with in time about the people and the place that she is now spending so much of her time with.

Once I discovered all that you can experience on YouTube.com and started composing my “Favorites” list, it didn’t take long to get up to triple digits which can be time consuming and a good amount of them are stating that they aren’t available any longer, that really bites. But all in all YouTube.com is awesome and I can’t imagine computer life without it there, along for the ride.

I have a good friend Donna who moved over to the U.K. years ago. We keep in constant contact with emails, Face Book, IMing and cell phones, I’m so grateful for all of today’s technology that is making it easier to keep in touch with so many people in so many ways, it is so enriching all the way around.

Anyway Donna on occasion will send me a picture or a joke along with her emails, but she has never sent me a video before and we decided that it was time to try and attempt it. So she went onto YouTube.com and found this video featuring Digby Jones and got it to me with the first try. It can be a bit overwhelming learning some things on the computer, especially when you are on your own and have no one close by to ask for help. She lost her husband over 5 years ago and is still on her own, but she is doing pretty well all things considered.

She is currently shopping for cheap funeral insurance, which threw me for a loop, funeral insurance isn’t something that people our age are generally looking into, but probably should be. You never know what will happen and when. She sent me a link to realinsurance.com.au, which is a well established insurance company there, so I took a gander at it for a bit of time last night. It is interesting to see the different types of insurance that they have to offer over there. I mean they have the typical home, auto and real life insurance policies to offer, as one would expect, but they also have Pay As You Drive car insurance, Bicycle insurance, Landlord’s insurance, which I thought was pretty cool.  

I wish that we could talk on the phone, but neither one of us can afford those types of phone bills. I’d love to know if she has picked up an accent yet and would love to hear it. I’m sure it would make me giggle! She always had a cute voice to begin with, so I’d love to hear how she sounds now.

Now that the kids are getting older and are in middle and high school it has really turned ugly. I’m just no good with Statistics help with their Statistics problems that they seem to keep bringing home. Anything but math and we would be good to go.

I’ve been doing a bit of research online in finding a Statistics tutor that can step up to the plate and lend a hand, when needed. Tutorvista.com has a complete line of tutoring assistance from the earliest of grades all the way up to the college years. You can try them for free, to see what they are all about and then sign up for further assistance if warranted.  They offer an unlimited monthly package for a really decent and affordable price, worth checking into.

It was right about that time that I started seeing commercials for a local attorney who has been advertising his services for people that have been diagnosed with Mesothelioma Cancer. It was a ten dollar word that I had no idea of it’s meaning, until my discussion with my co worker. Since then I have been hearing more and more about Mesothelioma and I’m glad that people are becoming aware of this particular type of cancer. I’ve run across a web site about Surviving Mesothelioma, that offers a free book that is a patient’s guide and available by signing up at  Survivingmesothelioma.com.

It is my intention to help pass this information along in my blog to anyone who may need this type of information or know of someone in need. It’s all good.

I’ve done a bit of research on the Internet about Recovery Center’s in her part of Florida and found The Orchid Recovery Center to be the one that I would consider, if the need be. I spent a good amount of time reading The Orchid Center Charity Blog and am urging her to do the same, it had some cool things to say that I think she might appreciate.

I’m hoping that I’m not going to piss her off. One has to be careful on how they approach folks on subjects like this, I just want to help in any way that I can. That’s one thing that I’m good at, or so I’m told from time to time.

My mother forwarded an email to the immediate family that she had gotten from her aunt who lives in North Carolina. This email was informing my mother that her aunt had just been diagnosed with Mesothelioma. She has been in bad health for some time, something not that unusual for some one in the late 70′s, but now she has been tested and is being treated for this type of cancer.

We don’t know many details on how she contracted this, but I’m sure more information will be forth coming at some point. Right now my mother is asking us all to keep my Great Aunt in our prayers and to send her a card or two from time to time to let her know that we are all thinking of her, which we all certainly will do. I’m glad that my Great Aunt has several close family members that live close by so that she won’t have to go through this experience all on her own and it looks like we may be taking a trip to North Carolina soon for a visit with her.

In the mean time it has been suggested that they look into using the Internet for information on Mesothelioma Cancer, the more you know about certain illnesses the better off you are and the Internet is a wonderful and useful tool for everyone to use. Survivingmesothelioma.com is one site that was recommended, they even offer a free copy of the book “Surviving Mesothelioma” which would be a useful guide for them to turn to.

New Credit Card Scam Snopes.Com says this is true. To verify see this site: http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/creditcard.asp

This one is pretty slick since they provide YOU with all the information, except the one piece they want. Note, the callers do not ask for your card number; they already have it… This information is worth reading. By understanding how the VISA & Master Card Telephone Credit Card Scam works, you’ll be better be prepared to protect yourself.

One of our employees was called on Wednesday from ‘VISA’, and I was called on Thursday from ‘Master Card’.. The scam works like this: Caller: ‘This is (name), and I’m calling from the Security and Fraud Department at VISA. My Badge number is 12460. Your card has been flagged for an unusual purchase pattern, and I’m calling to verify. This would be=on your VISA card which was issued by (name of bank). Did you purchase an Anti-Telemarketing Device for $497.99 from a Marketing company based in?’

When you say ‘No’, the caller continues with, ‘Then we will be issuing a credit to your account. This is a company we have been watching and the charges range from $297 to $497, just under the $500 purchase pattern that flags most cards. Before your next statement, the credit will be sent to (gives you your address), i s that correct?’

You say ‘yes’ The caller continues – ‘I will be starting a Fraud investigation. If you have any questions, you should call the 1- 800 number listed on the back of your card (1-800 -VISA) and ask for Security.’

You will need to refer to this Control Number. The caller then gives you a 6 digit number. ‘Do you need me to read it again?’

Here’s the IMPORTANT part on how the scam works. The caller then says, ‘I need to verify you are in possession of your card’. He’ll ask you to ‘turn your card over and look for some numbers’. There are 7 numbers; the first 4 are part of your card number, the next 3 are the security Numbers that verify you are the possessor of the card. These are the numbers you sometimes use to make Internet purchases to prove you have the card. The caller will ask you to read the 3 numbers to him. After you tell the caller the 3 numbers, he’ll say, ‘That is correct, I just needed to verify that the card has not been lost or stolen, and that you still have your card. Do you have any other questions?’ After you say No, the caller then thanks you and states ‘Don’t hesitate to call back if you do, and hangs up.

You actually say very little, and they never ask for or tell you the Card number.. But after we were called on Wednesday, we called back within 20 minutes to ask a question.. Are we glad we did! The REAL VISA Security Department told us it was a scam and in the last 15 minutes a new purchase of $49.99 was charged to our card.

Long story – short – we made a real=fraud report and closed the VISA account. VISA is reissuing us a new number. What the scammers want is the 3-digit PIN number on the back of the card Don’t give it to them. Instead, tell them you’ll call VISA or Master card directly for verification of their conversation. The real VISA told us that they will never ask for anything on the card as they already know the information since they issued the card! If you give the scammers your 3 Digit PIN Number, you think you’re receiving a credit. However, by the time you get your statement you’ll see charges for purchases you didn’t make, and by then it’s almost too late and/or more difficult to actually file a fraud report.

What makes this more remarkable is that on Thursday, I got a call from a ‘Jason Richardson of Master Card’ with a word-for-word repeat of the VISA scam. This time I didn’t let him finish. I hung up! We filed a police report, as instructed by VISA.. The police said they are taking several of these reports daily! They also urged us to tell everybody we know that this scam is happening.

Please pass this on to all your family, friends and neighbors. By informing each other, we protect each other.