PHISHING and Internet Orders from Lee Taylor and others

Misty Hollow Carving

This BLOG is sponsored by “Misty Hollow Carving”. You are welcome to visit Misty Hollow and see all of my carvings.

                                                            

My Web Site is a like a Gallery – please drop in for a stroll through.

To help me promote my Web Site please copy this URL address and email to someone today http://www.murraylincoln.com/  

PHISHING and Internet Orders from Lee Taylor and others

I am in business as many of you know. The business is wood carving.  The customer base that I have is growing locally and in other parts of North America.  But it is also growing in other parts of the world.

It has been working well.

But there are days that people try to screw you over. Actually they give it a better name than “screw you over”. It is called Phishing.

Here is the email that I received from a Mr. Lee Taylor from Taiwan this morning. It is typical of the beginning of a Phishing attempt.  And following Mr. Lee’s email is my email in reply.

Mr. Lee Taylor’s email (leet75488@gmail.com) to me…

Good Day,

I will like to place an order from your store,  do you accept Mc/Visa cards securely for payment and ship to Taiwan?

Awaiting your response so as to proceed.

Warmest Regards,
Lee Taylor.

My email to Lee Taylor

Hello Lee Taylor...my best regards to you as well.  The answer is that I do and do not accept Mc/Visa - but do work with PayPal who works with Mc/Visa.

Your email is typically p-h-i-s-h-i-n-g at this point. 

My prices would be so high - in excess of $500 and the upper end of $1000 - that I doubt that you would purchase anything.  But I may be wrong.  

Shipping is also very high to most places in the world when you ship a 150 to 400 pound wooden bear.  In that you have not indicated what you are buying this all that I am willing to send.

I am not saying that I would not do business with you - but highly doubt that you would deal with me.

Further to that I will not be carving another Bear until next spring (April or May 2013) but if you are willing to wait that long I will be willing to place you on the waiting list that I now have.  If you miss your waiting list spot, maybe having to go to the bathroom or attend a wedding or are in the hospital - you will be waiting until 2014 or 2015 at this point.

The deposit that is required is $750 on a $500 Bear that stands 5 feet high... and $1500 on a $1000 Bear that stands 7 feet high.  It is required NOW – not in a few months but NOW.

When I get the Bear that you order complete I will ship by UPS and it will be insured fully.

But I will warn you that the last Bear that I sent to Asia didn't arrive in the best shape. Its paw was broken off and its nose was heavily damaged.  There was also sea water damage to the back side of the Bear as the idiots that had it on deck on the old ship let it fall over when the sea became rough.  

However any carving that I do comes with a full list of instructions that show you how to glue broken pieces back on or paint over ugly stains from sea water.  There is also a YouTube Video on how to do the work.

Shipping and handling costs at this point are running around $5000 for the smaller Bear and about $10,000 for the large Bear.

You are required to pay that in advance as well. If you could find it in your generosity to pay that now I would very much appreciate it.  But if you are not generous and cannot pay the money upfront... the deal is off now.

So the total of the Carved Bear is $7250 for a five foot Bear... and $12,500 for a seven foot Bear.

Oh and one more thing... my wife and I would like to take a long vacation to Tahiti to prepare for my next carving season. We are expecting to take that trip in January through to the end of March as winters in Canada are very cold. Estimated cost this trip is $18,500.

If you would like to bring your order for a Carved Wooden Bear to the top of the list, it will happen if you pay me for the entire Vacation to that tropical Island Paradise of Tahiti.

I wait for your quick reply. Please do not delay. There are a number of other people like yourself that suggested similar things over the last few months.  All offers will be carefully considered and then notified of the possibility of their acceptance.

Murray Lincoln

The best Carver in the cotton picking world and specially in Misty Hollow

Murray Lincoln

www.murraylincoln.com

Neat Stuff from Facebook – seeing the way that people think

Misty Hollow Carving

This BLOG is sponsored by “Misty Hollow Carving”. You are welcome to visit Misty Hollow and see all of my carvings.

                                                            

My Web Site is a like a Gallery – please drop in for a stroll through.

To help me promote my Web Site please copy this URL address and email to someone today http://www.murraylincoln.com/  

Neat Stuff from Facebook – seeing the way that people think

I love the Facebook program for a number of reasons… and for others I hate it…. But I need not go there with the hate.

Here is my love for the Facebook – I meet hundreds of creative people!!  The way they think is so much fun… and then they let everyone see.

Add to that you can get almost instant updates and simply be there, even though you are a long, long distance away.  Like yesterday when one of my nephews and his wife presented ‘Kate Frances’ to the world for all of us to see.  We had waited 7 days and a bit for Kate to arrive and my Mom was very anxious for her arrival.

Kate arrived at 12:40 AM and just a short time after that all her relatives across Canada were able to see Kate with her mom together. Since that time her dad and grandma are sending all kinds of photos to let us see more of her.

The best part is for my Mom to see her new Great Granddaughter.  Via Facebook Kate’s 91 year old Matron Saint is coming by the computer every hour or so to see if there are more photos.

I had mentioned that I meet people that are creative.  Here are some examples of photos that have helped me to see the creative side. These first two are a bit twisted – you need to find the kitties in the two photos – one is a really BIG Kitty and the other is SMALL. Can you find them? (Hint: To find the Kitties - you might like to Click on the Photo to make it bigger and easier on your eyes) 

Kitty One is BIG

Kitty Two is small

Then there are the people that with a little thinking have produced some amazing stuff. Here is a photo that you need to look at the dot on the face for 15 seconds steadily(on the left) – then shift your gaze to the right side to see what happens. Whoa! That is too weird!

Now comes to the kind that you can post when your wife is still in bed and you will be gone when she finally checks her computer… dare I do this… sure why not!?!

See, Facebook is plain old fun.

“How do you get these photos on Facebook?” you ask.  Simple.  After you click on it to make it larger… then right click to ‘save the image as’ – and place in it a file – likely your Download file would be a good idea. Give it a name that you can remember and it is then yours.

Saving the photo gets it out of files that someone else – that may enjoy things that you don’t… and sue language that would never… ahem.

Have a great day!

Murray Lincoln

www.murraylincoln.com

Legionnaires' Disease and public places

Misty Hollow Carving

This BLOG is sponsored by “Misty Hollow Carving”. You are welcome to visit Misty Hollow and see all of my carvings.

                                                            

My Web Site is a like a Gallery – please drop in for a stroll through.

To help me promote my Web Site please copy this URL address and email to someone today http://www.murraylincoln.com/  

Legionnaires' Disease and public places

On Sunday when I was looking around the church building, I looked up. I discovered that “You shouldn’t look up in Church”.

No – No – nothing to do with God or Angels.  It was everything to do with the way things looked.

I often look around in the church I am attending on any given Sunday. I look for water stains, and maintenance problems. It is the “old Pastoral mind set” wondering what the Board of the Church is like and how much they care about the physical.

Often there are old water marks on the ceiling that are left from the time that the church has had major problems with its building.

But Sunday was different in that church. When I looked up I saw that the plastered ceiling was super dark and dirty around the air vents.  These air vents blow down the cool air in the summer and the warm air in the winter.  And apparently the air coming from the air vents since 1980 is kind of dirty.

Mind you like any heating and cooling system it has been sucking up the used air from people sitting below each week… and then heating it… and reusing it to warm up or cool the dear Saints below.

That used air being picked up and then sprayed down is not clean.

Now I am not the Howard Hughes kind of guy that worries about the cleanliness of people around me, then makes me isolate myself in a sealed environment to avoid germs.

BUT and it is a BIG BUT… for the last few weeks there has been a huge amount of information about the Legionnaires’ Disease that has killed a number of people in Quebec first and now it has been reported in Ontario as well.  Actually the reports of this disease has also being released from an outbreak in Europe in June 2012.

Once you start reading about this stuff and these bacteria you can see Howard Hughes wasn’t that nutso after all.

These “bugs” are in the air  all the time – everywhere.  They have been for a long time.  The “bugs” that cause the Legionnaires’ Disease apparently were in the air handling system in large hotels… the air conditioning and air heating vents.

When I read over the Symptoms Found for the Legionnaires’ Disease I started to look up more and more.

For a while this church had hand cleansing stations at each door… but that has now gone away.

When I watched a couple of old men using the urinals and then walking out to the church service… without washing their hands… the hand shaking was less appealing when it came around.

BUT I can shake the hands of someone, then go wash right afterwards. Right?

(More fun yet – is to wash your hands just before hand shaking time and then don’t dry your hands completely… and watch the look of people’s faces when they hit your wet hand with their dry one! Too Funny!!!)

The fact that the church does have old people sitting in it that could be susceptible to these kinds of atypical pneumonia raises my concerns about this kind of air handling system!

All the used air that is down below is sucked up to the vents and then redistributed.  All the air breathed out, all the burps, all the farts, all the B.O., all the perfume and anything else that it can pick up it will… then that stuff lays in the pipes and the crevices of the system.  Then it incubates and grows as the conditions are right… and “Legionnaires” breath it in!!! Oh boy!

I am a Howard Hughes type after all. This morning I awoke with a sniffle and had to blow my nose! Was that a cough that I just felt coming on?

Hokey Mokey… I am old enough now to have breathed in buckets of bad and very ugly used air!

My heart goes out to the Legionnaires and the people that have lost loved ones to this disease… to the pneumonia that they were taken down by.  Nothing funny about this at all.

So next time you are in church… look around and take a look at the condition of the air vents. Are they dirty?  How much of the air have your breathed in?  Sorry – oh boy. Then there is the coffee shops, the Mall, and the Restaurants… oh boy – oh boy.

Murray Lincoln

www.murraylincoln.com

References

http://www.symptomfind.com/diseases-conditions/legionnaires-disease/

Finding Freedom in Church when I used to be so bound in church!

Misty Hollow Carving

This BLOG is sponsored by “Misty Hollow Carving”. You are welcome to visit Misty Hollow and see all of my carvings.

                                                            

My Web Site is a like a Gallery – please drop in for a stroll through.

To help me promote my Web Site please copy this URL address and email to someone today http://www.murraylincoln.com/  

Finding Freedom in Church when I used to be so bound in church!

It is funny how I came to the realization of what I like doing. It is odd how it all came about.

What is it that I like doing?   That something is attending church.

I say it is odd the way that I came to the realization that I like this.  The odd way it came about was by listening to some one that virtually hates church… or the way that it operates today.

I have to agree with my friend that I am not overly impressed with what I have seen in the past. But I also have to disagree with some things that are being said about church today.

So you are not a church goer or attender – or maybe you even hate some Christians or what Christians have done to you.  Please don’t read further if that is the case. I might turn you off even more.

Yesterday it came to me… I like people.  I like my friends that sit near me in church, that shake my hand and that greet me. They want to talk about life and what they are doing. Many are lonely and just need a friend.  I saw that happen in church yesterday.

I specially appreciated the Pastor of the church I attended yesterday. He allowed us to fellowship and talk a long time. Maybe the fact that was when he turned people loose to greet each other they wouldn’t return to their seats. What fun that was!  Pure pandemonium – but in a great way!

Now I have discovered that I love a number of churches over this past year. I have made friends in each church. In almost all of them people were very friendly and open.  They love us for what we are – just ordinary people like they are.

In some churches it is easier to just be an ordinary person... in other places it is harder to be ordinary in that they still know me as a “Pastor” – maybe even their “Pastor”.  I have avoided that title for a while now… and it is feeling better as I pull away to become “Murray”.

I have come to the realization that if you use the “F” word all the time you will likely keep using it so often that you will not be able to hear or know when you use it. That is true too when you are around people that swear bitterly all the time… you can’t hear when you start using the same language.  It is also true if you are around people that hate something or someone – you will start hating too. It is easy to do.

When you let someone that hates be in your life you can pick up the hate real easy.

I was in church yesterday sitting in a familiar pew. For 14 years a person that hated had sat in one of the pews up ahead of where I was sitting. It dawned on me yesterday that she is gone now… never to return again… and I no longer have to cringe when I see her – because she is not there.

It was another revelation at a kind of a funny moment… I was free of that misery – forever.

My second thought was, I hope that no one has to feel that way about me – EVER!  What can I do to make sure that I am never to become a grumpy old senior that causes misery in every other person’s life?

During the shaking of hands I was surrounded by the new college and university students that smiled broadly and were shaking my hand. They had no idea who I was. They were just filled with freedom and joy… so innocent and so full of love.  Many are not allowed to do shake hands in church or may have never done this before… and they were loving it thoroughly!

When we sat down I smiled. “I like this” came to my mind.

I have liked this in the Presbyterian, Baptist, Brethren, Catholic, Charismatic and a number of other churches.  And when it doesn’t happen I know that I don’t need to be there each week… and move on.

Mind I know that if I was stuck in an unfriendly place and had one of two miserable old biddies or buddies to glare at me – I wouldn’t want to come back either!!!

So today I toast freedom in church… my freedom. Wahoo – it feels so good!

My wife looked at me yesterday and said with a smile, “I think I would like to go to a Black Church someday soon.”  It is no in the plan… I say with a big smile on my face. I am free now – so very free!

Murray Lincoln

www.murraylincoln.com

The Old Mind is amazing – did I inherit one like it?

Misty Hollow Carving

This BLOG is sponsored by “Misty Hollow Carving”. You are welcome to visit Misty Hollow and see all of my carvings.

                                                            

My Web Site is a like a Gallery – please drop in for a stroll through.

To help me promote my Web Site please copy this URL address and email to someone today http://www.murraylincoln.com/  

The Old Mind is amazing – did I inherit one like it?

My Mom is 91 years and 232 days old today – Happy non-Birthday MOM.

I mention that because this date is another important one in her life… or at least it could be.  Another Great Grandchild will possibly arrive today, or tomorrow, or the next day for her.  Already the baby is 5 days past due.  And Great Grandma Lincoln is excited for this new little one that will arrive soon.

The new baby will be amazing I am sure – all babies are!

But what is amazing is that a 91 year old with 232 days complete in her 91^st year is connected to her world and interested in all the things in her world.

We invited the new young couple that just took possession of their home next door… over the other evening for a quick look at what we have done with our home – flooring and changes etc.  Mom came out to meet them.  She has been watching what is taking place next door with the changes to the house.

On Thursdays I take Mom to one of the Senior’s homes in Peterborough.  She is the youngest in the group.  And all of these folks are very much with it. They want to know about what is happening in the world around them.

They talk about everything and are so bright.  It is quite amazing to listen in to the “New Friends” group as they join me for a conversation.

This past week as we came together after a two month shut down Mom was very excited to get to the group again.  (I had taken the summer off with so many things to do.)

Mom leaned over and said to the ladies that coming back to the group again was “like coming home”.  The others agreed.

Not everyone at 91 years old is as sharp as my mom and her friends in the group.

The group is not large. They do invite others to join us but most forget after they are invited at lunch time… and the group starts at 2 PM.  Most are struggling with what happened at their last meal.  The “New Friends” group should be renamed, “The With it Group” – “TWIG” – hmmm?

Today I write this with awe about the memory ability of my Mom.  She truly is amazing in this department.  Other things are failing in her body and but the mind is working very well.

So today we wait for news of a new little Schindel that should arrive at a hospital in Calgary.  And within days via Skype my 91 year old Mom will be able to see her new Great Grandchild.

We are excited to say the least – and very much with it!!!!

Murray Lincoln

www.murraylincoln.com

Reflections of the old days – I miss it – yet I don’t

Misty Hollow Carving

This BLOG is sponsored by “Misty Hollow Carving”. You are welcome to visit Misty Hollow and see all of my carvings.

                                                            

My Web Site is a like a Gallery – please drop in for a stroll through.

To help me promote my Web Site please copy this URL address and email to someone today http://www.murraylincoln.com/  

Reflections of the old days – I miss it – yet I don’t

Every once in a while I get the old feelings back again from my Pastoral Days of mild pressure. Today is one of them.

There is a mixture of delight together with sadness.

Today our Granddaughter Emma has her first football game of the season. She is the kicker for the Steelers Football Team which is part of the Kinsmen Minor Football Club.  She has been named the Captain of her team. She is also recovering from four broken bones in her left foot this summer… but kicks the football with her right foot.

It sucks that soccer is out of her scope this year – but Football will do for now.

Immediately after the Football Game I am meeting the family of dear lady that passed away. Later in the afternoon I will take part in her memorial service.

The contrast of emotions today will be more than the normal person will have experienced by 4 PM.  But pretty normal for what the Minister of a church has often.

There is mixed feelings inside now. I kind of miss it… but also don’t. The old pressure to be what the people need you to be is rising as the day goes on. There is pressure in the family dynamics of this family as well… that need to be tipped toed around.  By 4 PM that will be over for me – but they will have to sort it out for the rest of their lives if they even try to do so. Mom was the glue – and take mom away and well… it kind of falls apart.

So first I concentrate on Football and one beautiful granddaughter that is going to kick butt.  Then I will deal with the rest later.  I may sleep restlessly tonight… but I have known that feeling before… many times before as I rehearse the things that happened today.

I don’t miss this part at all.

How do you get by it and not have the feelings?  You don’t. But you can focus on what is coming next week. And it looks very good from the vantage point of this week!

Thanks of for listening to me – that helps.

Murray Lincoln

www.murraylincoln.com

I need, I need, I gotta have…the Shopping Compulsion - Addiction

Misty Hollow Carving

This BLOG is sponsored by “Misty Hollow Carving”. You are welcome to visit Misty Hollow and see all of my carvings.

                                                            

My Web Site is a like a Gallery – please drop in for a stroll through.

To help me promote my Web Site please copy this URL address and email to someone today http://www.murraylincoln.com/  

Samsung 60" Full HD 3D TV

I need, I need, I gotta have…the Shopping Compulsion - Addiction

I stopped into the Future Shop to look at a few things yesterday.  They had sent a flyer to our house and I wanted to know more about one product that they are selling now.

Oh my… looking at the new things that are on display was so tantalizing. I am sure that I need one these and at least two of those.

Instead I bought three other things that I truly needed – but not what I wanted.

How in the world do they create this tremendous, deep craving for that something new that they are selling? I know that what I have works just great – but I ‘really need’ a new one. Think of what the new one can do that the old one cannot do!

I am writing about the compulsion that drives me crazy at times.

Zoom back with me…

I was 15 years old and had my very first job working for my Uncle Neal on his farm. It was a guaranteed job for the whole summer. My other friends were picking up bits and pieces here and there… but mine was for the whole summer.

Uncle Neal had promised pay me $5.00 per day and we worked six days a week. WOW!  $30.00 per week for 8 weeks was $240 total. I could only dream of that kind of money at the time but never, ever thought I would have that much in my pocket.

I had my sights set on buying a new Transistor Radio that I had seen in another shop that my Uncle Phil worked in.  The radio cost $40!  It was a major expense.

Each day I drove the tractor or loaded bales of hay for my Uncle, the thought of when I would buy the radio – kept me going.

Having next to nothing and having to work towards my goal was a great feeling.  It kept me on track.

Zoom forward…

My trip to Future Shop yesterday made me realize that it is so much easier to make the purchase now.  You don’t have to wait any longer.  You can buy it NOW.  You have the money now. There is no need to think about it, drool over it, dream about it… you need only place your credit card down and BINGO – it is yours.

If not a CREDIT CARD – the DEBIT CARD works very well too.

I only need to think a little bit before making the purchase.

BUT what is lost is the simple question, “Do I really need it… or just really want it?”

Yesterday as I passed the wall sized television that was only $1200 or so…I wanted one… NOW.  But realizing the wall that I would like to put it on is not big enough for the size of the TV.  I walked away. When the sales person asked if there was anything he could do to help me I said, “No – I am just dreaming…” 

The poor guy looked puzzled. I don’t think that answer was in his sales training book.

I had a friend who was also a Minister.  We worked together in the same office.  He came to work the next morning very excited.  On the way home he saw a billboard that declared to him that the product that was shown could be his… gave the telephone number and the address of where the product was located.

My friend stated that he felt God had spoken to him at that divine moment.  He turned two corners from where he was driving and there it was!  The Brand New Honda Gold Wing – which by the way was completely Gold in colour – just like the billboard had shown.

On the spot he bought it and was to pick it up that night.  AT THAT TIME it was a $15,000 purchase that he had made.

Did he tell his wife or talk it over with her?  Not right away.  He did it on his own and felt strongly that God has spoken to him.

My mouth dropped open as he told me the story. I couldn’t believe him!!!

MY wife would kill me if I had done that kind of thing. But I drove over to see the special billboard and nothing came to me from God… Darn it!

What did I buy yesterday that I needed?  One 16 GB memory stick on sale for $9.95 with “Duracell” written on the side, one Dynex four port USB hub, and one camera case – all cheap.

I walked out proud and happy that the TV was still there on the stand.  The new Apple Computer was still there, the three different Apple i-Pad were still there… and my small bag was all that I bought.

Admittedly it was alike an alcoholic walking around inside a Liquor Store and only buying a book mark for charity.

Sheesh!

Murray Lincoln

www.murraylincoln.com