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Show CHioopta! I'm a millionaire July 31, 2002 - The Springville Herald - Page Seven byNorleyHall I came as close recently to being a millionaire as I probably ever will. It started with an intriguing-looking letter with a foreign for-eign stamp and an unpronounceable unpronounce-able name, in the return area. Inside, this supposedly ultra-wealthy ultra-wealthy Arab living in Nigeria proposed to make me instantly wealthy. All I had to do was furnish him with a safe checking account in my name, and the people he represented would deposit $60 million in it - at absolutely no risk to me. For my efforts I was to receive 30 percent per-cent of all they deposited. At first dollar signs flashed before my eyes, then what little reason I had left crept in and I remembered what the AARP has constantly advised: "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is." When I took the letter back to the post office I was told that this was just one of many such letters flooding the area and that the Inspector General was conducting con-ducting an investigation. At best it was a money laundering attempt at-tempt and if I had answered I would have been told I must make a "token" deposit of several thousand dollars myself. Oh well, I would have hated to pay all that tax anyway. Actually, this is only one of many such scams being constantly constant-ly perpetrated against anyone who will fall for them. It is also sad but true that none of us are immune from them. Remember P.T. Barnum? The notorious flimflam man of yesteryear was himself swindled out of considerable consider-able fortunes - twice. The AARP has constantly warned seniors, the leading target group for con artists, to be constantly con-stantly on guard. There are a few key phrases which should alert us to investigate closely anything that sounds like it is too tempting to be true. Some of these expressions expres-sions to watch for are: get rich quick; something for nothing; keep this secret; this is your last chance, you must act immediately; immediate-ly; and big money guaranteed, no risk. When you hear these and similar phrases in a proposed money making scheme, the chances chan-ces are you are talking to a professional pro-fessional scam artist who has unhealthy designs on your money. Unfortunately, there are a multitude of fraud schemes floating float-ing around. According to the US Postal Inspection Service, some current mail swindles are the age-old age-old chain-referral schemes, self-employment self-employment offers such as "Make up to $50,000 per money from your own home." Another lucrative one plays on our fear of poor health and disease. The prevailing crop of "Miracle Medical Med-ical Cures" feeds on that fear and costs the unwary multimillion dollars each year. Others are charity rackets and fake contests. Besides the outright criminal fraud schemes there are some legitimate but highly risky ventures ven-tures which are almost borderline criminal. These can include the so-called high yield investment areas, business franchises, retirement retire-ment sites and opportunities, etc. It is a dog-eat-dog world out there full of unscrupulous crooks who are more than willing to take advantage of anyone. Again, the best advice may be the AARP warning to, "Be cautious j of unsolicited offers and do not be rushed into hasty deals. Take the time to discuss and understand contracts and to investigate fully before you sign anything." A mom's midsummer prayer fflelp keep sir elesii by Debbie Farmer Prayer of a stay-at-home mother in mid-August. Dear God, grant me the strength to last until Back-to-School Night. Give me the energy to drive the swim team carpool, take knots out of wet shoelaces with my teeth and untangle the dog from the sprinkler hose. Grant me the wisdom to remember re-member the name of the kid from down the street who hasn't left our house since July. Walk with me through the backyard over piles of wet bathing bath-ing suits and empty ice cream cups, to rescue my good lipstick from the bottom of the wading pool. Give me the courage to accept that everything in the refrigerator either has a bite out of it, a finger fin-ger stuck in it or is reproducing in the vegetable crisper underneath under-neath the expensive cheese. Guide me down the hallway to the laundry room, where I can experience five minutes of peace and quite by turning the lights out and climbing on the dryer so the kids can't see my feet underneath under-neath the door. Help me accept the fact that even if I take the kids to the circus, install a pool in the backyard, back-yard, go on a safari and carve a redwood tree into a canoe and sail down the Congomy children chil-dren will end each day with "I'm bored. " Grant me the serenity to smile when my husband insists on tossing the hamburger helper on the gas grill because "everything tastes better barbecued." Give me the fortitude to sit through eighty-five hours of swim lessons and watch as my children backstroke around the pool the same amount of miles it would take to reach Communist China. Smile down on me the day my husband decided to take the family camping in the wilderness for three days with nothing but a tent, a few sleeping bags and a cooler full of potato chips and Pepsi. And when it rains (and you know it will, God) lead me to the nearest 7-Eleven to buy the umbrellas um-brellas my husband refused to pack because "only an idiot" would expect a storm in the middle of the summer during a drought year. In your infinite wisdom, show me how to disconnect the video game console that hasn't been turned off since June twenty-second. twenty-second. Grant me patience to not rip the car stereo out of the dashboard dash-board with my teeth when my husband listens to "Louie, Louie" for the hundred and eighty-sixth time, cranked up at full volume. Comfort me when I realize the color of my earthtone carpet has changed into a mixture of melted blue Popsicle and the remains of somebody's purple slush. And if I ask too much God, just give me the foresight to know that one day the barbecue, television and sprinkler hose will be off; the refrigerator, front door and garage will be closed and I will wonder where my children-and the little redheaded boy with the glasses-went. Every calling is great when greatly pursued. An injurious truth has merit over an injurious lie. no Summer is the time when ozone, an invisible gas formed mostly from vehicle emissions in the presence of heat and sunlight, begins to form along the Wasatch Front. As the primary ingredient in summer smog, ozone is a major health and environmental problem. Ozone can cause breathing problems, but it can also damage plants and trees and reduce visibility. visi-bility. According "to the Utah Department Depart-ment of Environmental Quality, we can all breathe easier by choosing to keep Utah's andean. an-dean. It's the things we do individually indi-vidually that collectively make the biggest difference in keeping our skies blue. Clean air enhances our quality of life by contributing to gpod health, a healthy economy, and the ability to enjoy the area's beautiful vistas.'" v w Vehicles cause about 50 percent per-cent of our air pollution, so 'the best thing you can do is to leave your vehicle parked for the day, especially on high ozone days. If you can't do that, make sure you're driving smarter and taking other steps to help "spare the air." Things you can do are to drive less, carpool, take the bus or ride TRAX, walk, ride a bike or telecommute. You can walk to lunch instead of driving, or pack a lunch and eat in. Postponing errands that can wait and then combining them into one trip is a good idea. Or you might park in a central place and walk, or conduct your business by phone or e-mail. It helps to drive a vehicle newer than 1996. And you can keep your vehicle well-tuned, replacing the air filter on a regular regu-lar basis and keeping your tires properly inflated. Other ideas are to commute during non-peak driving times; choose a route to avoid traffic delays; avoid drive-through lanes; accelerate gradually; obey the speed limit; use cruise control on the highway; limit your car's idling time; and wait to gas up until evening, hours. At home it helps to use a push mower, sweep your leaves and use electric lawn mowers and trimmers. If you do use small gas motors, keep them well tuned and use them only on low pollution days. Buy less toxic or non-toxic products; avoid consumer spray products; properly dispose of hazardous materials; keep all solvents and paints in airtight containers; wait to paint on low polution days; conserve energy; and maintain your central air conditioner are also things we can do to keep the air clean. Opportunity for writers Writers from Utah are invited to share their own experiences of the power of prayer and faith in an anthology to be published in the latter half of 2003. The anthology, "A Matter of Faith," is being compiled by Arrowhead Publishing to provide examples of the positive power of prayer. Writers are invited to submit essays of up to 750 words that share their own experiences of how their faith has helped them meet major challenges in the journey through life. Those whose works are selected select-ed will share in the royalties from the book sales. Information on this project is available at www.arrowpublish-ing.net www.arrowpublish-ing.net or by sending a stamped self-addressed envelope to A Matter of Faith, Arrowhead Publishing, PO Box 1472, O'Fal-lon. O'Fal-lon. MO 63366. Z3 ri r"i fri ii jfl nA du mbbhmbbnsmS MTC DELIVERY SERVICE Mow available at The Springville Herald 161 South Main, Springville 489-5651 Packages $150 - Letters $100 t i $oo Extra Large Packages $300 Packages in by 4 p.m. weekdays delivered to the MTC the same day. No balloon bouquets. Flowers must be boxed up. No perishable foods accepted. No Special Packaging Necessary No Saturday delivery! Mr f? ff XZH , 1 .ookiiip" ror a new ljiealtliG a CPs V'1 v mm 1 1 III! T 1 Sue Dyle, FA-C, b izw zccepting new patients at the IIIC HeCi Ccntrr - Springville for: V.'.r . : 1 c " . ' r-.h care services r -; .-C, recti . . I i.er butk d"ree in 1 33, ir. J urti u a i Lystian Axltaat in 1""4. SU has : 4 tl C !C Sprir-Ce HeJi Center ca 1996. . ' v . .tk a FA A r,-Ciir1iysicuii Assistant, Certli FAs ar; Llrn proficauls licensed to , pnrt' .. i.'rLst r t jApida's supervidon. Tl : c-l ' . ! . r-j, t-socs iad treat Cr.res, orbf izi L:zr( r& tests, cktjcI i MpimntiTeLKlic,tinsar;rft andr .sprrsT-j' iCertlT-jd"i i thtf the PA hs illzl educate tzi ta , passed an en to beccne board certed Office hours are 8:30p.m. to 5 p.m. Monday though Friday. Most insurance flans accepted. I h IHC Health Center I H C A Serrict of Intermountam Heahh Out Springville Health Center 385 South 400 Ea, Springville, Utah 84663 489-3244 Doctors, hospitals, and health plans working together for you. Utah Valley State College SPANISH FORK EDUCATION CENTER FALL 2002 Join 350 other UVSC students who are taking classes In Spanish Fork Close to home Small class size 15 evening classes Excellent instructors General Education classes Friendly People classes begin Wednesday, August 21st Fall Semester 2002 Class Schedule August 21 - December 12 SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES, ARTS & SOCIAL SCIENCES AVC 1020 S61 Basic Drawing R 6:00pm - 9:30pm COMM1100 S61 Intro Public Speaking R 6:00pm - 8:30pm ECFSPSY1100 S61 Human Dev Life Span M 6:00pm - 8:30pm ENGL 1010 S61 Introduction to Writing T 6 00pm 8:30pm ENGL 2010 S61 Intermed Writing: HUSS R 6:00pm - 8:30pm HIST 1000 S61 American Heritage T 6:00pm - 8:30pm HIST 1700 S61 American Civilization R 6:00pm - 8:30pm HUM 1010 S61 Introduction to Humanities T 6:00pm - 8:30pm PHIL 2050 S61 Ethics & Values W 6:00pm - 8:30pm SCHOOL OF SCIENCE & HEALTH ASTR 1010 S61 Astronomy W 6:00pm - 8:30pm BIOL 1010 S61 General Biology T 6:00pm - 8:30pm GEOL1010 S61 Intro to Geology M 6:00pm - 8:30pm MATH 1050 S61 College Algebra TR 6:30pm 8:20pm PE-S 1300 S61 Fitness for Life W 6:00pm - 7:40pm PE-S 1300 S62 Fitness for Life W 6:30pm -8:10pm LEARNING RESOURCES A SERVICES MAT 0950 S61 Foundations Algebra TR 6:00pm 8:05pm MAT 0990 S61 Introductory Algebra MW 6:00pm - 7:40pm MAT 1010 S61 Intermediate Algebra MW 6:00pm . 7:15pm Location: Spanish Fork High School - 99 North 300 West UVSC Evening School Office - BU 1 Old863-8449 www.uvsc.educonted |