Word of Warning about Census Scams

At your door:

An official Census enumerator will never, ever insist on coming into your house. A real Census enumerator can do everything they need to do there at your front door. Anyone who tells you that they're a Census employee and absolutely has to enter your home is a fraud. Always ask to see ID and proper Census credentials. If in doubt, contact the Census Bureau Regional Office or call the police.

On the phone:

If you receive a phone call from the Census Bureau, the call will originate from one of their regional offices or the national processing center. The caller should have stated in the message from which place they were calling. If in doubt, terminate the phone call and then contact the National Processing Center (301-763-INFO or 301-763-4636) and they will assist you.

By email:

Like most phishing scams, the email will attempt to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, social security numbers, bank account or credit card details by masquerading as a trustworthy entity and direct the email recipient to a fake website. Also, don't open any attachments which may contain code that could infect your computer. Before deleting a fraudulent email, the Census Bureau asks that the bogus email be forwarded to their fraud reporting division at ITSO.Fraud.Reporting@census.gov.

Census scams in OKC

New Student Loan Initiative

New measures being signed today will revamp the student loan program to help more Americans earn a college degree. Under the change, private banks and processors are to be taken out of the loan origination business and will no longer collect fees for acting as middlemen.

The savings, estimated at about $68 billion over 10 years, would instead be used to boost Pell Grants, reduce interest rates and stretch out repayment periods. Pell Grants help low- and moderate-income families pay for college.

For More Information see Businessweek

Internet's Most Successful Scams

1. Online Dating Scams
2. Fake or "Rogue" Anti-virus Scams
3. Facebook Impersonation
4. Becoming a Bot (Highjacked home computers)
5. The fakosphere

For more info, follow the link above to the full article.

Americans Support Healthcare Bill's Passage

The Gallup Poll reports nearly half of Americans give a thumbs-up to Congress' passage of a healthcare reform bill last weekend, with 49% calling it "a good thing." Republicans and Democrats have polar opposite reactions, with independents evenly split.

Good thing 49%

Bad thing 40%

No opinion 11%

For more information go to Gallup

March 8th Tornado in Hammon, OK

National Weather Service Information on the March 8th Hammon Tornado.

A relatively long tracked tornado touched down in a rural area to the southwest of Hammon around 5:20 PM CST, and then tracked to the northeast towards the town of Hammon. This tornado was on the ground for around 40 minutes, moving mainly over rural areas. Near the end of the tornado track, the tornado clipped the southeastern edge of Hammon, destroying several barns, and damaging several homes. The tornado finally dissipated to the northeast of Hammon.

C-SPAN Video Archives Online

C-SPAN has announced uploading their entire video archive to the Internet for free. C-SPAN is the only cable station that records and broadcasts every Congressional session, White House press briefing and other official activities from Washington, D.C.

How much information are we talking? That's 23 years of political history, 160,000 hours of video footage and 5 presidential administrations. Also included, video footage from "Book TV", featured programming on C-SPAN2 which documents public appearances of top non-fiction authors.

An archival feature for this web site, the Congressional Chronicle shows which members of Congress have spoken the most in the House and Senate. This ranking feature includes a profile page with biographical information, number of appearances, recent appearances, appearances with other notable figures, total floor time, committee assignments, and a photo gallery.

Besides searching for members of Congress, web site users can track information and actions on Congressional bills.

Wallet Stolen? Seven Steps to Follow.

There are seven things to do (before and after) your wallet is stolen. Click on the blue title above to help protect yourself. This article is from a camping website, but it has some excellent tips for anyone who owns a credit card.

This Friday! C-SPAN Civics Bus to Visit Weatherford Public Library

C-SPAN Civics Bus will arrive at the Weatherford Public Library on Friday, March 19 from 2:30p-4:00p.

The C-SPAN Civics Bus is a 45-foot mobile multimedia experience that brings the world of public affairs to communities nationwide. Visitors can tour the bus, see how interviews are produced and learn about C-SPAN's unique public affairs programming.

Going To Mexico on Spring Break?

There are a few things you should know before leaving the country to make sure your trip goes well and that you don't have any trouble coming back through customs. Click on the blue title above to peruse the Top Ten Traveler Tips for traveling abroad.

Jim Thompson: Oklahoma Author

Legendary crime writer Jim Thompson was many things: hobo, bellhop, roughneck, boozer, factory worker, Marine, devoted father and husband, and, for a brief time, a registered Communist. That last role is rarely mentioned in Thompson’s story as one of America’s most fearless purveyors of pulp-fiction-as-art—in the same league as hard-boiled luminaries like James M. Cain, Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, and Chester Himes—decades before Quentin Tarantino made the genre fashionable.

For more information: JT

Motivational Books & Videos

Mac Anderson, the founder of "Simple Truths", was previously the founder and CEO of McCord Travel (one of the largest travel companies in the Midwest) and part owner and Vice President of Orval Kent Food Company (the largest manufacturer of prepared salad products in the country). Desiring to share his insights about leadership, he developed his current company. Mac is also a motivational business speaker. Purchased to provide encouragement to our business and computer students, this book and video display showcases these motivational books. Take a look at the videos, then check out one of these books for your reading pleasure.

Alice in Wonderland

Take a journey down the rabbit hole and watch the first ever film version (1903) of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, restored with it's original color tints by the BFI National Archive.

Click here to watch the 10 minute film for free: Alice in Wonderland

Ready To Quit Smoking?

The Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust is pleased to offer the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline, a FREE service for all Oklahomans with a desire to stop smoking or using other tobacco products.

If you'd like to quit tobacco, we invite you to begin your journey with this quality, professional service, and give yourself every chance to make this quit attempt a successful one!

Through the Helpline, callers receive one-on-one quit coaching, specialized materials, and referrals to community resources. Callers interested in receiving follow-up can enroll in the Helpline's multiple call program in which they will receive a series of telephone based coaching sessions with the same Quit Coach throughout their quitting process.

Participants in the multiple call program may also receive free nicotine patches, or gum, or they may be referred to their health insurance plan or health care professional for additional treatment.

1-800-QUIT NOW (784-8669)

1-800-793-1552 (Spanish)

Hours of Operation: Monday - Sunday 7 a.m. - 2 a.m.

Iditarod XXXVII

The Iditarod, also known as the "Last Great Race", is one of the biggest sporting events Alaska has to offer. There are about 50-100 teams involved each year, but the number varies from year to year. The race starts in Anchorage, Alaska and ends in Nome, Alaska. The official start is from Willow, Alaska, but since Anchorage is the biggest community in Alaska, the mushers start from Anchorage the day before the actual start as part of the ceremonial process. The race is comprised of one human on the sled trying to guide the dogs the right direction. Then there about 16 siberian husky dogs, but teams can have as many as 12 dogs.

Come check out the display that is across from the computers on the first floor. There you will find a listing of the mushers participating in the race, the calendar of events as well as some great books on the race and about Alaska.

For more information go to www.iditarod.com