"Valuable Lessons" For Those Without Common Sense

A Rock Hill, South Carolina woman was swindled out of $175 on Sept. 9th, as she was leaving her local Burger King. 

According to the Rock Hill Herald, Queen Strickland, 84, was conned by a man who fancied himself a mechanic/liar. Apparently, 36 year-old Donald Ray Altman (not actual photo) approached Ms. Strickland, informing her that her Buick was leaking water, and that meant she needed a new water hose. He then had her drive him to an auto-parts store where she gave him $40 for the hose. They then drove to an ATM so she could pay him an additional $135 to fix the car. Finally, they headed back to Burger King, where Altman walked away with the money...and Queen's dignity.

Queen then stated, 

"I've learned a lesson. I really have."

-I don't even know where to begin here. I find it fascinating that the elderly are so gullible. I have seen this first hand, as I have had to explain to my Nana that she will not win a trip to the Bahamas by clicking on a pop-up ad and that Microsoft will not send her a check for $2,000 if she forwards a chain email.....Sigh. 

  Ms. Strickland, where is your common sense? One minute, you are enjoying a healthy, balanced meal at your local BK, the next, you are handing a stranger $175 in cash to repair a faulty hose he detected while your car was parked?!? Also, isn't it common knowledge that air conditioning units in cars drip water when they are running? Aside from all that, she let a strange man into her car with her! 

It is sad that Ms. Strickland lost her money, and it is despicable what Mr. Altman did...But seriously, should this woman even be driving? If she falls for this lame act, she very well could be convinced that stop signs are now optional. I bet she even has a drawer full of ShamWows at her house. 

Footnote: My favorite part of the article was a quote from Detective Keith Dugan, who is handling the case. Dugan has a knack for stating the obvious,

"This guy targeted elderly people because he knew they probably wouldn't be as perceptive."

Duh.

Flu Season About To Get More Confusing Than Cell Phones, Digital Cable, Driving...

Flu Season is creeping upon us. This means that my Nana will get sick about five times this winter, undoubtedly passing one mystery flu-like illness on to myself and my family. Last year, it was the stomach flu taking down each member of our family one by one. This year might be different, though, as a new study shows that people over 60 are more likely to be immune to the H1N1 virus. 

According to the AARP, the elderly are still atop the list for general flu vaccines, but they do not have priority for Swine Flu Vaccines due to recent results from CDC testing. The results show that one third of blood samples from people over 60 contained antibodies to Swine Flu. Also, a recent article published in Nature reported that those who lived through the 1918 flu pandemic posessed even higher levels of antibodies. These findings parallel the fact that most fatal cases of H1N1 occurred in children and young adults. Therefore, pregnant women, small children, and emergency workers get top priority. 

John Murphy, M.D.,  chairman of the American Geriatrics Society, seems to know how this is going to pan out,

"I think the fall is going to be very confusing for people, and we’re going to need a lot of education about this."

Dr. Murphy knows what is going to happen. He is just trying to break it to us gently. He knows that old people's sense of entitlement (e.g. "I'm 84, I deserve handicapped parking!" - Nana) is going to lead to an H1N1 vaccine disaster. They won't understand why they aren't getting passes to the front of one line, but not the other. These people aren't used to having immunity to ANY illness, let alone a potential pandemic. I expect to hear a lot of whining about this come winter.

Note to the Elderly: Don't worry, the CDC just wants to focus on keeping our youth alive, since they still have the potential to contribute something to society.....Zing!