Each Day Already is a Challenge

Whining on Wednesday

Grrrrr!

I never took any debating classes in school, nor was I ever a member of a debating team. But...I think I know that debates or discussions require a give and take. Well, don't they?

I really hate (okay, my mom said never to use the word hate...so I strongly dislike) it when two people - defined as me and one other person - are engaging in a discussion or debate when he/she says, "I can't believe you said that!"

Looks over shoulder to see what it was that I said that was unbelievable. Finding nothing, I respond, "Is there something I said that you don't understand?"

"No. I just can't believe you said that."

With a bit more give and take, it is determined that the person with whom I am discussing/debating has a different point of view. Well, duh! That's why we're having this discussion!"

The other person is stuck in the, "I can't believe you said that" mode and cannot climb out.

I am left scratching my head, wondering what went wrong. And the other person is left feeling that he/she has somehow won the debate. Huh?

Another thing that really gets to me is the person who refuses to answer quesitons I pose while discussing/debating and, instead, asks a question of me. I calmly and accurately answer the new posed question, then head on back to the original discussion. What is his/her next commnent? "I can't believe you said that." Grrr.

Imagine if you will:

I have just given an illustrious speech about the importance of eating blueberries, for instance. The most recent studies have found that this is one of God's best foods, because of the anti-oxidants found in blueberries. Etc., etc., etc.

Second person: "Hmmm. Interesting. Do you like oranges?"

Me: "What???? We were discussing the benefits of eating blueberries."

#2: "Yes, but I don't like them."

Me: "Surely you understood the importance of eating them, though, right? You did hear what I had to say about blueberries?"

#2: "Yes, but I don't like them."

Me: "You know that.... Oh, never mind. Why don't you like blueberries?"

#2: "Well....they're blue. But not really. And I just don't like them."

At this point, I might back-pedal and repeat what I've already shared about how we should be thinking about food as being the fuel to feed our bodies and be searching for the best fuels. (After all, we do that for our cars!) Blah, blah, blah.

#2: "Hey, how about apples?"

Me: "What about apples?"

#2: "Do you like them?"

Me: "YES I LIKE APPLES! And they are a part of a good diet as well. But we were discussing blueberries."

Again, I retreat a bit and mention all the benefits of all fruits and veggies, of eating a limited amount of red meats, etc. Again I bring up the fact that Americans are way too fat and unhealthy and why that is. Etc., etc., etc.

#2: "I can't believe you said that."

Me: "Said what?"

#2: "What you just said."

GRRRR!!!!!

The above is not a real discussion. It's just being used as an example of what has happened to me in recent months - on a number of different issues and in a number of different locales.

By the way...do you like pomegranates? Hey, watch your mouth. I can't believe you said that.

**********

Okay, on an entirely different matter...

Most of you have probably gotten one of those scam emails supposedly from someone in another country wanting you to deposit sales moneys for them, keeping your share and sending the rest back to them. The scam is that the checks you deposit will be no good, and you'll be sending your own money. Most folks look at those emails and know right away that they're trash.

But did you know that there are some "companies" preying on people who have resumes posted on some of the Internet resume posting sites - like Monster and Yahoo Hot Jobs and others? I only found this out because I still had a resume out there somewhere that I had completely forgotten about.

The company writes to you and praises your resume. Then they ask that you fill out one of their online applications so that you can be scheduled for an interview. They seem to have jobs that match your job skills, because they search your resume for key words. If your resume says something about training, the job is about training. If it mentions sales, the job is about selling. Etc. The money they are proposing to pay is just a bit above what might be normal for the area, but it's not so outrageous that you would laugh at the money. Or run the other way.

I got one of those emails a while back and something about it just didn't "feel" right. For one thing, I have not been actively looking for a job - at least not a responsible high-paid full time job - for quite some time. But it was more than that. Instinct just said that the email and the company was probably bogus.

Still, I clicked on the link and was sent to a job application. Again, bells and whistles went off in my head. The name at the top of the application didn't match the name in the email I received. I thought that was strange.

I hit the "about us" link on the home page and discovered that this outfit supposedly provides professional Internet applications for lots of companies. Hmmm. The application appeared to want just a bit too much information.

So, I decided to Google both the name in the email and the name at the top of the application. What I discovered what that both of them are bogus. They're using the information they collect to solicit, to send spam emails, perhaps even to steal identies (since one of the application pages wanted way to personal information).

What I find as odd is that while there are pages and pages about this particular scam on the Internet, I have not heard it being reported by any major TV networks or newspapers.