An aquaintance of mine in Chicago wrote an article about the misuse of the word 'tragedy' for CBS Chicago's 670 The Score site. The piece has received a fair bit of a backlash since it concerns the recent death of IRL driver Dan Wheldon at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway this past Sunday.
Tim Baffoe / CBS Chicago
While any accidental death can be considered unfortunate, as the author points out, using tragedy to define it is an innacurate application of the word. The article is well written and concerns itself not with making a controversial statement, but with simply conveying the fact that tragedy has become one of those often abused terms.
Enjoy the article and if you will, seperate yourself from any emotional attachment to an unfortunate death, and simply understand the writer's perspective.
Thanks for reading.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Monday, October 3, 2011
Scams, Albeit Entertaining Scams
Tony Sales is a 37-year old Londoner who is known to be one of England's largest and most successful fraud artists.
Vice Magazine tracked him down in London and spoke to him about his years as a fraudster and the various means by which he successfully robbed banks and other businesses of between 15 and 30 million pounds.
Rule Britannia: Fraud [Parts 1 - 3]
The three part documentary of sorts follows Sales as he shows examples of fraud and just how easily they can be carried out. Sales comes off as a likable individual, blurring the lines between criminal and a modern-day Robin Hood of sorts. It is an entertaining look into the changing nature of crime.
My hopes are that this brief documentary will entertain and inform. Identity theft is the fastest growing crime worldwide, and according to rough approximations, of a value greater than the Gross Domestic Product of England, France and Canada.
Vice Magazine tracked him down in London and spoke to him about his years as a fraudster and the various means by which he successfully robbed banks and other businesses of between 15 and 30 million pounds.
Rule Britannia: Fraud [Parts 1 - 3]
The three part documentary of sorts follows Sales as he shows examples of fraud and just how easily they can be carried out. Sales comes off as a likable individual, blurring the lines between criminal and a modern-day Robin Hood of sorts. It is an entertaining look into the changing nature of crime.
My hopes are that this brief documentary will entertain and inform. Identity theft is the fastest growing crime worldwide, and according to rough approximations, of a value greater than the Gross Domestic Product of England, France and Canada.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Scams, Scams, Everywhere are Scams.
No more than two years ago, I received an email from a British telecommunications company O2, claiming that I was eligible for a prize of roughly $400,000 (CDN) because my mobility provider (Fido) was working alongside O2 in attempts to spread the brand continentally. According to the professional-looking corporate email equipped with legitimate masthead and the like, I was selected at random to receive the prize and possibly take part in an interview for a Toronto news channel sharing the story of my fortune, and hence, providing a little street-level marketing for the British telecommunications provider.
Before I continue further, for those of you who are not a friend or acquaintance of mine and know me solely from these pages, I consider myself to be a bright, self-aware individual who is not easily coerced into believing things without a physical representation or scientific explanation - essentially, my tendency towards skepticism has truly hindered my imagination.
I had heard of the Nigerian Bank scams and the increase in email related frauds, and I was aware of just how little information was required for an identity theft. Nonetheless, I couldn't fight the urge to follow through on this email from O2, at least until the point when I had to put forward precious details that could be used to take advantage of other gullible innocents. To truncate an already lengthy story, I was told that in order to receive my winnings, I had to either a) fly to England, more specifically O2's offices in London or b) send an English lawyer $800.00 (CDN) to cover the taxes and tariffs on a foreigner winning a British-based contest and other fees related to having a barrister sign for my winnings, yadi yadi yadi, followed by some dense lawyer-speak. In other words, now I had to pay, one way or another, to receive my prize.
At this moment, I knew it was a scam. After feeling rather angry that I had actually considered the proposal, even if for but a second, I decided to do a little backyard detective work if you will. I phoned one of the numbers listed as legal representation. An African man with the thickest and deepest of accents answered, claiming that he was such and such, a reputable English lawyer based in Surrey, just outside the London proper. At first, he was quite polite, but following minutes of poking and prodding on my part, he became frustrated with the endless stream of questions. I told the gentleman that I would call him right back. Before doing so, I googled the name he gave me, and found the website of an actual Surrey-based lawyer who had received dozens of local awards and commendations for his work. Digging a little deeper, I was able to locate both a photograph and a home phone number for the lawyer. He was as white and frail as a snowflake. Clearly, this was not the man I spoke to on the phone, and now, I was in a position, based solely on the fact that I had myself done a little digging, to help this man 3,000 miles away, and in turn, help others avoid being scammed as well. Despite the cost of a trans-Atlantic midday cell phone call, I rang the lawyer (who'll remain nameless) and spoke to him for about ten minutes about this elaborate scam and how his identity was being used to facilitate said scam.
The lawyer was extremely gracious, and promised to contact Scotland Yard. Three days later, I received a wonderful email from the man saying the police had begun an investigation to track-down the individuals responsible, and that as of that moment, it turns out it was one of the largest scams in Europe, speculatively run by a group of Nigerian men based in England. Last week, I received another email from the lawyer outside of London. Despite nearly forgetting about the entire ordeal, he wrote to inform me that the investigation has finally come to an end and that nearly a dozen Nigerian men with English papers had been arrested and charged with a host of fraud-related charges.
If there is a message to be had from the entire ordeal; with each passing day, crime is becoming a more digital and invisible practice, where identities and financial histories are being stolen or ruined for the benefit of others. Where years ago a criminal could walk into a bank with a mask, pillowcase and Colt 45, now security has crippled physical thefts, giving rise to a new group of young, enterprising scam artists.
Before I continue further, for those of you who are not a friend or acquaintance of mine and know me solely from these pages, I consider myself to be a bright, self-aware individual who is not easily coerced into believing things without a physical representation or scientific explanation - essentially, my tendency towards skepticism has truly hindered my imagination.
I had heard of the Nigerian Bank scams and the increase in email related frauds, and I was aware of just how little information was required for an identity theft. Nonetheless, I couldn't fight the urge to follow through on this email from O2, at least until the point when I had to put forward precious details that could be used to take advantage of other gullible innocents. To truncate an already lengthy story, I was told that in order to receive my winnings, I had to either a) fly to England, more specifically O2's offices in London or b) send an English lawyer $800.00 (CDN) to cover the taxes and tariffs on a foreigner winning a British-based contest and other fees related to having a barrister sign for my winnings, yadi yadi yadi, followed by some dense lawyer-speak. In other words, now I had to pay, one way or another, to receive my prize.
At this moment, I knew it was a scam. After feeling rather angry that I had actually considered the proposal, even if for but a second, I decided to do a little backyard detective work if you will. I phoned one of the numbers listed as legal representation. An African man with the thickest and deepest of accents answered, claiming that he was such and such, a reputable English lawyer based in Surrey, just outside the London proper. At first, he was quite polite, but following minutes of poking and prodding on my part, he became frustrated with the endless stream of questions. I told the gentleman that I would call him right back. Before doing so, I googled the name he gave me, and found the website of an actual Surrey-based lawyer who had received dozens of local awards and commendations for his work. Digging a little deeper, I was able to locate both a photograph and a home phone number for the lawyer. He was as white and frail as a snowflake. Clearly, this was not the man I spoke to on the phone, and now, I was in a position, based solely on the fact that I had myself done a little digging, to help this man 3,000 miles away, and in turn, help others avoid being scammed as well. Despite the cost of a trans-Atlantic midday cell phone call, I rang the lawyer (who'll remain nameless) and spoke to him for about ten minutes about this elaborate scam and how his identity was being used to facilitate said scam.
The lawyer was extremely gracious, and promised to contact Scotland Yard. Three days later, I received a wonderful email from the man saying the police had begun an investigation to track-down the individuals responsible, and that as of that moment, it turns out it was one of the largest scams in Europe, speculatively run by a group of Nigerian men based in England. Last week, I received another email from the lawyer outside of London. Despite nearly forgetting about the entire ordeal, he wrote to inform me that the investigation has finally come to an end and that nearly a dozen Nigerian men with English papers had been arrested and charged with a host of fraud-related charges.
If there is a message to be had from the entire ordeal; with each passing day, crime is becoming a more digital and invisible practice, where identities and financial histories are being stolen or ruined for the benefit of others. Where years ago a criminal could walk into a bank with a mask, pillowcase and Colt 45, now security has crippled physical thefts, giving rise to a new group of young, enterprising scam artists.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Hume Hits Nail On Head
For all the bashing of The Toronto Star that's been found on the pages, they do still employ a handful of talented writers. Christopher Hume covers Urban Affairs and Architecture for the paper. His concepts for the revitalization of the city's waterfront are both practical and cost-effective, and his understanding of the plight of the urban motorist and worker is without comparison.
In today's GTA section of The Star, Hume tackles an issue concerning Mayor Rob Ford that has angered me to no end; his blatant refusal to cater to the wants and needs of the suburban Torontonians and those living in the peripheries of the city. The crux of my beef centres around the Ford's cuts and further proposed cuts of the TTC (Toronto Transit Commission) not in the downtown core or affluent uptown neighbourhoods, but in Scarborough and West and North Etobicoke. The problem with such proposed cuts is that many of the people that live in said areas do not work 9 to 5 hours. These people work in kitchens or other occupations that require an effective transit system to get them home at all hours.
Mayor Rob Ford cares not for the people who were suspicious of his motivations and were abhorred by his bigotry and vaguely racist remarks. He cares about the white, middle to upper class Torontonians who supported him based solely on his fiscal policies.
Christopher Hume eloquently shares a similar opinion in today's paper, while pinpointed reasons beyond the TTC for why the Mayor has turned his rotund backside on many a Torontonian.
Toronto Star, September 26th
Enjoy and check back real soon ya hear!
In today's GTA section of The Star, Hume tackles an issue concerning Mayor Rob Ford that has angered me to no end; his blatant refusal to cater to the wants and needs of the suburban Torontonians and those living in the peripheries of the city. The crux of my beef centres around the Ford's cuts and further proposed cuts of the TTC (Toronto Transit Commission) not in the downtown core or affluent uptown neighbourhoods, but in Scarborough and West and North Etobicoke. The problem with such proposed cuts is that many of the people that live in said areas do not work 9 to 5 hours. These people work in kitchens or other occupations that require an effective transit system to get them home at all hours.
Mayor Rob Ford cares not for the people who were suspicious of his motivations and were abhorred by his bigotry and vaguely racist remarks. He cares about the white, middle to upper class Torontonians who supported him based solely on his fiscal policies.
Christopher Hume eloquently shares a similar opinion in today's paper, while pinpointed reasons beyond the TTC for why the Mayor has turned his rotund backside on many a Torontonian.
Toronto Star, September 26th
Enjoy and check back real soon ya hear!
Friday, September 16, 2011
Ghosts On The Underground
A brilliant website titled Top Documentary Films was recently brought to my attention by a fellow Internet junkie. The site is a database of documentaries that have been reviewed and categorized into various sub-headings and new docs are posted daily.
Since my discovery of this site, I have become semi-obsessed with consuming as many documentaries as possible in my free time. One that I would like to share and encourage all to watch is Ghosts On The Underground , a 50-some odd minute portrayal of spirits in the London tube system.
During my extended stay in London last summer, I spent a great deal of time riding the tube, randomly connecting at a hub station only to be dropped-off in a section of the city I had never been before. The documentary describes how the London tube system is the oldest functional set of tunnels in the world and that its construction beneath the streets of the capital unearthed many a mass burial ground and cemetery.
The brilliantly-produced documentary interviews many drivers and track supervisors, as well as tube riders who have seen ghosts whilst riding the trains. To temper the mass hysteria surrounding the witnessing of ghosts, the narrator introduces a scientist of sorts who measures the tubes for various low pitch sounds that can lead a person towards a sense of anxiety (i.e. a cold sensation where the hair stands-up on the back of your neck). Even he cannot deny the sense of somebody watching him while taking readings throughout the underground tunnels.
The documentary is also able to partially substantiate many of the claims by indicating deaths or burials that occurred in the area and their subsequent relation to sightings. I'm not one to become enveloped in urban myths or ghost stories, but the eerily accurate presentations made in this documentary had me asking myself questions I typically would not waste a second to consider.
Should you have 50 minutes to spare, I suggest checking out this documentary. Enjoy the site and all it has to offer, it really is a gem of the Internet.
Since my discovery of this site, I have become semi-obsessed with consuming as many documentaries as possible in my free time. One that I would like to share and encourage all to watch is Ghosts On The Underground , a 50-some odd minute portrayal of spirits in the London tube system.
During my extended stay in London last summer, I spent a great deal of time riding the tube, randomly connecting at a hub station only to be dropped-off in a section of the city I had never been before. The documentary describes how the London tube system is the oldest functional set of tunnels in the world and that its construction beneath the streets of the capital unearthed many a mass burial ground and cemetery.
The brilliantly-produced documentary interviews many drivers and track supervisors, as well as tube riders who have seen ghosts whilst riding the trains. To temper the mass hysteria surrounding the witnessing of ghosts, the narrator introduces a scientist of sorts who measures the tubes for various low pitch sounds that can lead a person towards a sense of anxiety (i.e. a cold sensation where the hair stands-up on the back of your neck). Even he cannot deny the sense of somebody watching him while taking readings throughout the underground tunnels.
The documentary is also able to partially substantiate many of the claims by indicating deaths or burials that occurred in the area and their subsequent relation to sightings. I'm not one to become enveloped in urban myths or ghost stories, but the eerily accurate presentations made in this documentary had me asking myself questions I typically would not waste a second to consider.
Should you have 50 minutes to spare, I suggest checking out this documentary. Enjoy the site and all it has to offer, it really is a gem of the Internet.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Arsenal Manager Forecasts The Doom of European Markets
Say what you will about Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger's stubborn tactics and fandom of teenage prodigies, it cannot be denied that the man is one of the sharper minds in football today.
His typically thrifty spending in transfer markets derives not just from the confidence he has in home-grown academy talents, but also in fear of the developing nature of football finances and the impending threat of a crash of the European markets.
Have a quick look at the article linked below and ask yourself why you know less of economics than a football manager. In the article, Wenger attempts to draw parallels between the spending habits of clubs like Barcelona and Real Madrid and other companies whose debts are too great and possess too few liquid assets to have a legitimately healthy outlook for the future.
Arsenal Manager Forecasts The Doom of European Markets
And by the way, Arsenal @ Borussia Dortmund 2:45pm ET (Champions League Group Stages)
His typically thrifty spending in transfer markets derives not just from the confidence he has in home-grown academy talents, but also in fear of the developing nature of football finances and the impending threat of a crash of the European markets.
Have a quick look at the article linked below and ask yourself why you know less of economics than a football manager. In the article, Wenger attempts to draw parallels between the spending habits of clubs like Barcelona and Real Madrid and other companies whose debts are too great and possess too few liquid assets to have a legitimately healthy outlook for the future.
Arsenal Manager Forecasts The Doom of European Markets
And by the way, Arsenal @ Borussia Dortmund 2:45pm ET (Champions League Group Stages)
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
The Death of the English Language: Science Talk
For some unknown reason, whilst deeply entrenched in a near-comatose state, I was scanning an article pertaining to science in one of our national papers. Seems the writer was uncertain about an issue, and like the editors over at Bill Simmons' incarnate Grantland.com, instead of opting for some fact-checking or the use of a copy editor, decided instead just to write something completely sophmoric.
Bacteria is the plural representation of the single organism bacterium. This addresses the first fault in the article. Secondly, Bacteria and viruses are two completely different entities.
Bacteria are fully living, single-celled organisms that have a varied trove of functions, most notably, the ability to independently reproduce. Inversely, viruses are not independent living organisms. They are much more minute than a bacterium and or not able to reproduce independently, rather with the assistance of the living cell they have invaded.
It should be expected that any writer entrusted with writing an article pertaining to science, even if they are simply a beat reporter or a 'current affairs' coffee-fetching device, should do a little fact-checking when putting together a piece.
Thanks for reading and my apologies for the lack of posts these last few months. I have something special planned for my readers the next little while, so check back in tomorrow if you will and follow the re-emergence of badnewsblog.
Bacteria is the plural representation of the single organism bacterium. This addresses the first fault in the article. Secondly, Bacteria and viruses are two completely different entities.
Bacteria are fully living, single-celled organisms that have a varied trove of functions, most notably, the ability to independently reproduce. Inversely, viruses are not independent living organisms. They are much more minute than a bacterium and or not able to reproduce independently, rather with the assistance of the living cell they have invaded.
It should be expected that any writer entrusted with writing an article pertaining to science, even if they are simply a beat reporter or a 'current affairs' coffee-fetching device, should do a little fact-checking when putting together a piece.
Thanks for reading and my apologies for the lack of posts these last few months. I have something special planned for my readers the next little while, so check back in tomorrow if you will and follow the re-emergence of badnewsblog.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)