{"id":5635,"date":"2020-09-04T10:39:31","date_gmt":"2020-09-04T14:39:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=5635"},"modified":"2020-09-04T10:51:53","modified_gmt":"2020-09-04T14:51:53","slug":"episode-108-robberies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=5635","title":{"rendered":"EPISODE 108 ROBBERIES"},"content":{"rendered":"
EPISODE  108  ROBBERIES<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
No  doubt most readers  have been robbed at one time or another.  Shocking in the past.<\/div>\n
Common in the present with internet exposure.  Trust is difficult because internet robbers<\/div>\n
are so sophisticated.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Play the game called \u2018FIND THE TOURIST\u2019 at the end of these tales of woe.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Old  time robbers were not as sophisticated  as modern summers.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Robbers?  Below<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
1) Like the robber our dog treed one winer evening.  We heard a hullabaloo in the back yard<\/div>\n
where Sonny was put out for a \u2018walk\u2019.   What was he barking at?  Unusual for Sonny since<\/div>\n
he was such a placid dog\u2026big, super friendly Labrador.  At first we saw nothing<\/div>\n
then noticed a tall thin man with his back to one of our trees.  Almost invisible.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cGet the dog away.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cDog is friendly\u2026will not bite.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWhat are you doing in our back yard?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cI have been drinking\u2026got lost.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWhere do  you live?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cOver there on Hurontario.\u201d<\/div>\n
(He waved in the right direction. He was stumbling in that direction.<\/div>\n
We had  no lock  on our gate and a deep back wilderness that eventually<\/div>\n
linked up with Hurontario.)<\/div>\n
\u201cWhat is your name?\u201d  No answer, slurred<\/div>\n
\u201cWhere is your house?   No answer, or slurred<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
And away he went.  Fooled us.  We really thought<\/div>\n
he was drunk.   A  few minutes later we changed  our minds\u2026likely<\/div>\n
a break and enter person.  Do  not know really.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
2)  Like the robber who got into my workshop and stole<\/div>\n
some of my power tools\u2026.electric saw, electric drill, etc\u2026.<\/div>\n
a full arm load gone.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
It was winTer time with fresh snow so I was able to track the thief<\/div>\n
down through our backyard, across the little creek, up through the<\/div>\n
wilderness  park, out to Hurontario.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
And right to the bus stop where the tracks ended  and the thief<\/div>\n
got away.   Ridiculous.   He probably sold all the tools for five<\/div>\n
or ten dollars.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
But what would  I have done if  I found him?  Think about that.<\/div>\n
Best he was  not found  and confronted.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
3)  Like the robber who got my cellphone from our truck.<\/div>\n
Stupid of me to leave it there but such stupidity is common<\/div>\n
in men. Less so in women, my wife says.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
The cell phone was gone.  Then we heard  from neighbours<\/div>\n
that they had been robbed as well.  Much bigger take from<\/div>\n
them.  My cell phone was worth nothing so it was thrown<\/div>\n
away in the road ditch where it was  found by me.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
I checked the calls.  Turned out there were  five calls<\/div>\n
to the robbers friends.  Names given.  Clues  given.<\/div>\n
Long conversations registered.   What to do?<\/div>\n
I  visited the local police station.  <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cI think the thieves  can be traced, officer\u2026information<\/div>\n
on my cell phone.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWe do not have time for small incidents like this.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWhat if I do  the tracing?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cI would not recommend that.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
4)  Like the time we parked our car in Marseilles, France.<\/div>\n
All of us\u20266 people.  Relieved to find such a nice parking spot.<\/div>\n
Tired and hungry.  Looking around.  <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cCan you help me?\u201d  (might have been in French)<\/div>\n
\u201cSorry,, we just arrived here ourselves.\u201d<\/div>\n
(followed  by  some brief small talk\u2026MEANWHILE<\/div>\n
on the other side of the car a thief made a<\/div>\n
quick clutch  and  grab \u2026got Marjorie\u2019s purse<\/div>\n
with a little money but, worse, all her cards and<\/div>\n
I.D.   There were ripples  of that robbery long after due<\/div>\n
to the info the robber may  have sold to computer thieves.)<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
It happened so fast\u2026done in less  than a few seconds.<\/div>\n
The nice person talking with us was the front man or woman\u2026not<\/div>\n
sure which sex but I think female\u2026we did not even suspect the front person until long<\/div>\n
afterward.   What we learned, however, was that the choice parking<\/div>\n
spot in the City of  Marseilles was  part of the scam.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
5) Like the time Marjorie was  sort of mugged  by women thieves<\/div>\n
in Slovakia.  That also  happened quickly.  Kevin  noticed  me in trouble<\/div>\n
first. <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cDad is  being mugged out there\u2026quick, I\u2019ve got to get to him.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
I wasn\u2019t being mugged.  Just surrounded  by a bunch of middle<\/div>\n
aged women.  Pressing in on me.   Gabbling. Pretending something.<\/div>\n
Maybe getting into my pockets with skilled hands.  Nothing happened<\/div>\n
though. <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cNo problem, Kevin\u2026kept my hand on my wallet.”<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
The real robbery was happening in the Women\u2019s washroom<\/div>\n
where Marjorie had  gone.  As  slick as a banana peel a cluster<\/div>\n
of women pressed Marjorie.  When they got what they thought was<\/div>\n
her wallet they vanished fast.  <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cI was mugged in the washroom.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWhat did they get?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cMy glass case\u2026I think they thought it was my wallet.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
 Talking in Slovak which was natural.  Tough looking<\/div>\n
women suspected  later as being Roma (Gypsies).<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
As  fast as  a  whistle they frisked Marjorie and got what<\/div>\n
they thought was her purse.  Then Kevin, our son who was teaching<\/div>\n
English in Slovakia just when the Soviet Union was in collapse,<\/div>\n
then Kevin came running out cursing\u2026and the women shot off<\/div>\n
in various  directions.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cMom, do not stand around\u2026you look like a tourist.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWhat do you expect me to do?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cStick  with me.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
6, 7, 8\u2026LOTS of little robberies.  We have all had them.  Scams<\/div>\n
are now as common as fleas on the neighbours dogs and cats.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
GAME:  FIND  THE TOURIST FROM PICS BELOW.  (HINT: MARJORIE<\/div>\n
SEEMS TO LIKE THE COLOUR RED<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
WHERE IS THIS STORY GOING?<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Next Episode 109:  OUR BIG ROBBERY\u2026DEVASTATED BUT WHAT TO DO<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

EPISODE  108  ROBBERIES No  doubt most readers  have been robbed at one time or another.  Shocking in the past. Common in the present with internet exposure.  Trust is difficult because internet robbers are so sophisticated. Play the game called \u2018FIND THE TOURIST\u2019 at the end of these tales of woe. Old  time robbers were not […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5635","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5635","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5635"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5635\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5635"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5635"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5635"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}