Scam hits seniors; guest attorney Jeff Weinstein

LISTEN

A new Better Business Bureau report says that sweepstakes, lottery and prize schemes bilked at least $117 million from people in 2017.

The report found that seniors are the most frequent targets and suffer the largest losses by far in these scams. They are targeted through direct mail, cold calling, social media, text messages and smartphone pop-ups.

After learning of the report, attorney Jeff Weinstein renewed his vow to help people avoid being victims of these scams.

“Please run these opportunities by me before you send the money,” Weinstein said. “It’s almost impossible to ever get any of this money back. Once you send it, it’s gone. We don’t charge anything for a call to find out whether these requests are legitimate or not.”

Call Weinstein Law at 903-677-5333.

Read the blog post here.

Gaining perspective means maturing as a Christian

I forgot what real cold was like even though I spent three years in Alaska, but pumping gas New Year’s morning with the temp at minus-8 was a quick reminder.

I was leaving O’Fallon, Missouri after a holiday visit with friends. The cold was so intense it froze the gas pump number pad making my credit card unusable. I had to go inside to pay, which served to emphasize how much I didn’t want to be outside.

I needed gas again a few hours later in Forrest City, Arkansas where the thermometer read 19. The air felt balmy even though it was still 13 degrees below freezing.

Restraint is the secret when it comes to angry outbursts

My 8-year-old son, Sean, let loose a burst of anger today. Some bit of strategy went wrong in his computer game, so he punched his tablet.

The screen broke.

This was not the first time he punched his device, nor was it the first time I talked to him about anger management. It was the first time his outbursts had such permanent repercussions, however.

I used Proverbs 14:29 to discuss the incident with Sean: “Whoever is patient has great understanding, but one who is quick-tempered displays folly.”

A good attitude can overcome a bad sense of direction

I stood in an intersection taking photos of a Christmas parade, something I have done dozens of times for various news outlets.

But this event marked the first time I ever saw some of the floats go the wrong direction.

It was near the beginning of Malakoff’s annual parade, which had a change to its usual route. I guess the new instructions didn’t reach everyone and the band, the sheriff and a couple of floats missed a turn.

I don’t think anyone watching realized the mistake until the rest of the parade went off in a different direction. We all sort of looked at each other with a quizzical “whaaaaa” expression on our faces and then had our attention pulled back to the present by the appearance of Santa.