Wednesday, 31 May, 2006. 01:06:45 AMMay was my biggest spam month ever. By the end of the day, I'll have
received about 120,000 spam messages during this month. My spam filters
are so good that I'm seeing about two-hundreths of 1% of those in my
inbox. In absolute numbers, out of those 120,000 spam messages I received,
I saw only 33 of them.
Sunday, 28 May, 2006. 10:27:27 AMThe Fedex flight eluded me again. They flew north of my house over Round Rock.
Sunday, 28 May, 2006. 10:05:44 AMThe Fedex DC10 has eluded me until now, but I will catch it today. Right
now it's about 100 miles west of Austin, flying in from San Antonio.
Kristiana and I will be outside waiting for it with a camera.
Sunday, 28 May, 2006. 12:22:18 AMFound a great band and a great record: We Are Scientists record called
"With Love and Squalor"
Friday, 19 May, 2006. 09:20:33 PMThe Senate voted to make English the official language of the nation.
This page does an excellent
job of explaining just why this is such a terrific idea.
Friday, 19 May, 2006. 06:23:36 PMI got another e-mail from First Texas Honda, to the spam-trap address:
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From mmmailer@mmserver.com Fri May 19 16:52:47 2006
Return-path: mmmailer@mmserver.com
Envelope-to: digitalcamera4freecom@pdrap.org
Delivery-date: Fri, 19 May 2006 16:52:47 -0500
Received: from mail2.mmserver.com ([208.178.167.109])
by oxygen.pdrap.org with esmtp (Exim 3.36 #1 (Debian))
id 1FhCtq-0004C0-00
for ; Fri, 19 May 2006 16:52:46 -0500
Received: from mustang.autorevenue.com (mustang.autorevenue.com [127.0.0.1])
by mail2.mmserver.com (8.13.1/8.13.1) with ESMTP id k4JLqFfD032731;
Fri, 19 May 2006 17:52:15 -0400
Received: (from mmmailer@localhost)
by mustang.autorevenue.com (8.13.1/8.13.1/Submit) id k4JLq9ZU032730;
Fri, 19 May 2006 17:52:09 -0400
Date: Fri, 19 May 2006 17:52:09 -0400
To: digitalcamera4freecom@pdrap.org
Subject: First Texas Honda Announces Our Significant Savings May Promotion
MIME-Version: 1.0
From: reagan@firsttexashonda.com
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;
boundary="=_a988fa34ae2c1bc571af75a808fcf641"
Message-ID:
X-SpamProbe: GOOD 0.0001668 9728b820f85a243a1c892c307d39b68b
Content-Type: text/html; charset="ISO-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Dear Patrick,
Finally, a solution to high oil prices: First Texas Honda has
pre-owned models that can significantly lower your cost of living! Let
me explain. You know, with today's high gas prices, you've got a
choice: You can continue to line oil company pockets with your hard
earned money, by buying gas for that expensive older, or 8 cylinder
vehicle. Or, like the smart person you are, trade in that old gas
guzzler for a great pre-owned vehicle from First Texas Honda. When you
do so, you'll have an IMMEDIATE INCREASE IN DISCRETIONARY INCOME!
Think of it this way: By trading in your 1996 Honda Del Sol for a
great, newer fuel efficient model, you keep more of your hard earned
dollars in your pocket. When you trade in your older, or larger
vehicle, and purchase a vehicle from the list below, it's like getting
an instant cost of living reduction! Check out the Significant Savings
May Promotion vehicles below:
2002 Honda Accord EX. Sunroof, alloy wheels, alarm. Previous
Offering Price $14,995.00, Now only $13,493.00*
2003 Volkswagen Beetle GLS. Aluminum wheels, one owner, auto,
leather, sunroof, alarm. Previous Offering Price $16,495.00, Now only
$13,888.00*
2003 Honda Civic EX. One owner, sunroof, alloy wheels, alarm.
Previous Offering Price $16,995.00, Now only $15,988.00*
2000 Mazda Miata Convertible. 5 speed, sport wheels. Previous
Offering Price $12,995.00, Now only $10,995.00*
Right now, First Texas Honda is anxious to help our loyal, or new
First Texas Honda customers get into one of our quality, pre-owned
vehicles, we're offering the best deal possible on on your trade in
right now, in addition to great purchase prices.* Doesn't it make
sense to keep more of your money, than give it to the oil companies?
Come see us today. The time to start saving money, and get your best
deal possible, is right now!*
Don't delay! Your Instant Cost of Living Reduction vehicle is waiting
for you, and is specially priced for the Memorial Day weekend, ending
on May 31, 2006. For more information, simply stop by the dealership,
or give me, Reagan Dickerson a call at 512-458-2511, ext. 1218. For
your convenience, our dealership hours are Monday - Friday 9:00am to
8:00pm Saturday 9:00am to 7:00pm.
Sincerely,
Reagan Dickerson
Pre-Owned Manager
First Texas Honda
P.S. Don't forget to print out this email and bring it with you.
*Cannot be combined with any other offer. Not valid on prior sales.
See dealer for full details.
If you want to visit our web site [1]click here.
First Texas Honda - 1301 W Koenig Lane - Austin, TX 78756 -
512-458-2511
______________________________________________________________________
This email is being sent to you, Patrick Draper because you either
purchased or service your Del Sol VIN# JHMEG2179TS000076 at First
Texas Honda. We send these emails to benefit you with savings,
factory recall information and timely servicing information. If for
some reason you would like to be taken off this email list for your
Del Sol please click [2]here and you will no longer receive these
emails regarding your Del Sol. Should you have any suggestions or
comments regarding our email program, please feel free to call us at
512-458-2511. Your feedback is important to us! Thank you!
References
1.
+http://images.mmserver.com/rdir.php?url=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.firsttexashonda.
+com%252F&cid=14145614&qnid=176554171
2.
+http://images.mmserver.com/rdir.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Foptout.mmserver.com%2Fopt_
+out.php%3Fqnid%3D176554171&cid=14145614&qnid=176554171
This is my response:
---------------------------------
I spoke with John Scurlock about these e-mails on April 27th at about
10:00 AM. I've also e-mailed Gary Coen about this too. I'm going to copy
this e-mail so that all parties are aware of what's going on.
I informed him that your relationship with @utorevenue.com is shady
because @utorevenue.com is purchasing e-mail lists from spammers. They
are matching spam e-mail lists to your customer lists, and making First
Texas Honda look really stupid.
Notice that the e-mail below was sent to the e-mail address
digitalcamera4freecom@pdrap.org. That's a spam trap that I set on the
website http://www.digitalcamera4free.com to see where the address would
wind up. So far I've received spam from pornographers, Internet gambling
establishments, Nigerian inheritence scams, penis pill manufacturers,
and First Texas Honda. Notice the company that you're keeping?
I've very disappointed that your dealership is continuing to associate
with @utorevenue.com, but I am even more disappointed that your
dealership has chosen to ignore my advice provided to John Scurlock, and
my request to send e-mails only to my proper e-mail address, which is
pdrap@pdrap.org.
I'm disappointed that you continue to believe that I still own a Honda
del Sol, when I've informed you that I own a Honda Civic, and have for
years now. It seems to me that listening to your customers is the simple
thing to do, so can I really trust you with the repairs on my Honda
Civic which are certain to be needed in the future? The folks at Lamb's
seem awfully eager to get my business, and frankly they are cheaper and
closer to my house.
I'm an expert in Internet protocols, so I know how to track down where
spam mails are coming from. That's how I discovered your relationship
to the @utorevenue.com organization. Frankly, I think they are ripping
you off, and making your dealership look really bad. The e-mail address
that they matched to my record in your database was provably acquired
from spam organizations. They didn't even match the records correctly.
The entire situation should cause your dealership a great deal of
concern because it has created a direct, traceable connection between
First Texas Honda and criminal organizations which advertize questional
products such as pornography, drugs, solicitations for sex, fraudulent
medical cures, Internet gambling, and herbal erection pills.
Sincerely, Patrick Draper 512-xxx-xxxx
Wednesday, 17 May, 2006. 06:00:04 PMA "credit card company" left a message on my answering machine asking
me to call to verify some recent purchases. Then they left a telephone
number for me to call.
This is a VERY dangerous thing for them to do. I called the phone
number, and the first thing they wanted was my social security number.
I eventually talked to an operator and she asked me for my information.
Instead of giving my information, I asked for hers. She said that she
couldn't give it out because I might be trying to scam her.
I told her that the proper procedure for the credit card company would
be to call me, indicate which credit card they were calling from, and
instruct me to call them back on the number which can be found on the back
of the credit card.
When I get a phone call from someone who doesn't properly identify which
company they represent, who provides a phone number for me to call back,
which then asks for my 9-digit social security number, I get a little
steamed. What credit card company would use such terrible procedures
when identity theft is so widespread?
Tuesday, 16 May, 2006. 10:35:30 AMWhy's Bush so keen to send National Guard units to the Mexican border?
Why did he fund only 210 border guards last year, cutting 9,790 agents
from the border? As the administration calls for more border security,
they cut their funding to almost nothing. Actions speak louder than words.
Tuesday, 16 May, 2006. 10:27:27 AMI haven't seen anything in the news to substantiate the rumors of a Rove
indictment.
Sunday, 14 May, 2006. 10:15:13 AMThere's a FedEx DC-10 that flies over my house on the weekends. It just
flew over, and flightaware says that it's FDX 612. It flies into Austin
every Sunday.
Saturday, 13 May, 2006. 10:06:45 PMEarly reports indicate that Karl Rove has been indicted! I'm changing
my e-mail address back to the man of the hour. I'm also going to go get
a beer and check out the news.
Tuesday, 09 May, 2006. 09:47:31 PMThe steps that an idea takes in politics are:
--Unthinkable
--Radical
--Acceptable
--Sensible
--Popular
--Policy
The idea is to move the frame of public opinion further and further
to the right, to change society a little at a time, over decades. The
Republicans have been doing this for decades. It's called moving the
Overton Window.
Example: Homeschooling
Used to be unthinkable. Everybody laughed at the hicks who homeschooled.
It was even illegal. Now, it's an acceptable option to most people,
sensible to some people, and popular among the people who form Bush's
base. Quite a number of Republicans say that they'd like to move money
away from public schools through vouchers, and the most radical ones are
talking about eliminating public schools.
Example: Making Birth Control Illegal
It's unthinkable, but the religious right is working on it. That's the reason
that groups such as the CWA (Concerned Women for America) are coming out
loudly against it. They're the pioneers who are purposefully drawing the arrows,
in preparation for the day when making birth control illegal will become a
merely radical, and then an acceptable idea.
More info at Swordscrossed.org
Sunday, 07 May, 2006. 07:01:20 PM'Sir, pay no attention to the people who say the glass is half-empty. Because 32 percent means it's two-thirds empty. There's still some liquid in that glass, is my point. But I wouldn't drink it ... The last third is usually backwash.''
How would you rate this joke?
Hit 68%
Miss 32%
Total Votes: 86,785
32% of people think Colbert's joke that Bush's glass is 2/3 empty wasn't
funny. You can't buy comedy like that!
Sunday, 07 May, 2006. 11:23:52 AMThe Daily Kos has an interesting article about the right wing and their
drive to increase state control over people's sex lives. Now that they
believe that victory in the abortion battles is close, some of the more
extreme elements are gearing up for the next fight -
the battle against contraception.
Wednesday, 03 May, 2006. 10:56:42 PMI'm in Columbus Ohio for the next couple days for a meeting with the client.
I'm going to visit Bram, Marcia, and the rest of the family tomorrow
night. Once the project moves up here in August, I'll be able to visit
them all the time.
Tuesday, 02 May, 2006. 04:35:03 PMWhen GW Bush was inaugurated in 2001, the ceremony featured Jon Secada
singing the national anthem in Spanish. GW Bush and his family joined
Secada on the stage and sang along with him in Spanish. Just a few days
ago, the President said that he thought that the anthem should only be
sung in English, and that immigrants should be required to learn English.
Monday, 01 May, 2006. 10:31:55 AMI am looking for the lyrics to the Star Spangled Banner in Chinese, Russian,
French, and Arabic. Google hasn't turned up anything at all.
Monday, 01 May, 2006. 10:29:35 AMOh, decidme, ¿veis a la primera luz de la aurora
La que izamos con orgullo al último rayo del crepúsculo,
Cuyas anchas bandas y brillantes estrellas, en la fiera lucha
Contemplamos ondeando gallardas sobre las murallas? El resplandor rojizo de los cohetes y el fragor de las bombas
Probaban que por la noche nuestra bandera aún estaba allí.
Oh, decidme, ¿flota todavía la enseña estrellada y listada
Sobre la tierra de los libres y la patria de los valientes?
En la costa apenas perceptible entre las nieblas del mar
Donde la altiva hueste enemiga reposa en temeroso silencio,
¿Qué es lo que la brisa al soplar oculta en parte
Y en parte descubre su elevado pedestal? Ahora recibe el destello del primer rayo matutino
Reflejado en todo su esplendor, y ahora se destaca en el aire
¡Es la enseña estrellada y listada! Que ondee largos años
Sobre la tierra de los libres y la patria de los valientes.
¿Y dónde está aquella banda que engreída juraba
Que el torbellino de la guerra y la confusión del combate
Nos privaría para siempre de patria y hogar?
La sangre ha lavado la mancha de sus pasos desleales.
Ningún refugio pudo salvar al mercenario y al esclavo
Del terror de la fuga o de la lobreguez del sepulcro.
Y la enseña estrellada y listada ondea triunfante
Sobre la tierra de los libres y la patria de los valientes.
Así sea siempre, cuando los hombres libres se interpongan
Entre sus amados hogares y la desolación de la guerra:
En la victoria y la paz, este país, socorrido por el cielo,
Alabe al Poder que nos creó y conservó como Nación. Hemos de triunfar, pues nuestra causa es tan justa,
Y sea nuestra divisa: "¡En Dios está nuestra confianza!"
Y la bandera estrellada y listada flotará triunfante
Sobre la tierra de los libres y la patria de los valientes.
(Traductor desconocido)