Be Careful with those FIREWORKS!!!!

When it comes to fireworks everyone has a favorite.And with all the options it's not suprising American's spend millions each year on fireworks. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, fireworks can cause serious injury, even death when mishandled.

"You never know what's going to happen when you light that fuse." said father of 3 Johnny Rich. Rich bought fireworks Monday with his son. He said he teaches children fireworks safety each year. "Stay back and let me hanlde it and don't get too close." said Rich.

The most dangerous firework for children under the age of 5 is the simple sparkler. "The problem with sparklers is they burn over 1,200 degrees and will in fact cause third degree burns." said Chief Officer Bill French with the Tulsa Fire Department. Compare this temperature with the fact that glass melts at 900 degrees and wood burns at 575 degrees. A sparkler will melt clothing and burn skin instantly.

Officer French says to always shoot fireworks at least 25 feet away from any structure. According to recent studies, fireworks are the number one cause of serious eye injuries.

Last 4th of July EMSA responded to 3 calls related to this in Tulsa.

HAVE A HAPPY AND SAFE INDEPENDENCE DAY

Using a Pill for Sunblock?

Potentially deadly skin cancer and premature wrinkles are just two of the reasons sun is bad for our skin. The best way to avoid sun damage is with regular use of sunscreen. But is there more we can do? Maybe.
One product is Advanced Skin Brightening Formula by GliSODin. The manufacturer says just take two of the rather large pills each day and you can “enhance the strength of your topical sunscreens and not have to worry about reapplying after a dip in the pool”. Does this sound too good to be true? We asked internist Dr. Robert Zaid to take a look.
He told us it’s not exactly sunscreen in a pill. Dr. Zaid said, “This medication works on the inside to reduce the damage done by the skin.”
Specifically, it promises to reduce skin reddening from the sun and photo aging.
“When the sun hits us we have what’s called oxidative stress, “ according to Dr. Zaid. “Basically there’s damage to the DNA which can then cause cancer. It doesn’t protect you from that. From behind the scenes, it’s trying to minimize the damage done by the sun.”
But Dr. Zaid says the best ways to minimize damage, are the ones we already know.
“Avoid sun from 11am to 3pm, when its strongest.
Wear SPF 15 or greater and wear protective clothing on your skin.”
Bottom line – the product isn’t likely to hurt you… and it may provide some benefit. But it’s not time to throw away your sunscreen.
Click here for more information.

Facebook e-mail scam targets members

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Amazon Kindle vs Sony Reader

Best book readers

Electronic book readers are catching on. Some say they’re going to revolutionize the way the world reads. Amazon’s Kindle and Sony’s Reader are the two biggest sellers.

Consumer Reports ran a side-by-side comparison.With the Kindle from Amazon, Karen Taggart says her whole library is at her fingertips.“I keep it in my car for carpool with the kids. I take it everywhere with me. It’s in my bag, everywhere.” Consumer Reports’ Paul Reynolds is also impressed with the Kindle 2.“The type is crisp and you can easily change the size. Turning the page is about as fast as turning the page on a real book, and if you get tired of reading, the Kindle will read to you.” And, he found the Kindle surprisingly simple to use. “No computer is needed. You connect wirelessly to Amazon’s huge collection of e-book titles, pick the book you want, and it downloads directly to the Kindle in less than a minute.” There’s no connection charge, and a bestseller costs about ten dollars.Sony has an e-book reader too called the Reader. The newest one has the same screen size as the Kindle and costs about the same, around 350 dollars. Sony’s bookstore has fewer titles, but you do get easy access to Google’s library of free classics. But with the Sony, there are a lot more steps. You have to install software on your computer, then download the book. Then you have to transfer it with a USB cord.

For e-readers on the go like Karen Taggart, Consumer Reports says the wireless Kindle is a lot easier to use. Amazon is planning to introduce a new Kindle, the DX, this summer. The company says it will have a bigger screen than the Kindle 2, and is designed for people to read newspapers easily. It’ll have a bigger price too, 489 dollars. Consumer Reports will be checking it out as soon as it’s available.

I have not been able to try either as of yet, but am waiting patiently for my day to come.

Have a Super Day... Keep Smiling... that stranger you smile at, MAY BE ME!!!

Colleen

The Beauty of Nature

Taken during ice storm in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

January 2009

Crystal Darkness: meth addiction

(Graphic By Russell Mills)

Reported by: Marla Carter
Melissa said meth took her for a ride she'd never imagined,"It was fast, and it was powerful."
All things that had Melissa coming back for more, until she handed over control, to a controlled substance.
"The drugs were doing me. I wasn't doing the drugs anymore," said Melissa.
Drugs were a part of Melissa's life for decades. She started using drugs when she was just 12-years-old, but didn't turn to meth until her late 20's. "A very tragic event happened in my family's life, and I turned to meth to deal with the feelings. I didn't want to feel."
Soon she said she didn't feel anything, as she sat back and watched life go into overdrive.
"It wasn't uncommon for me to stay awake for 5 or 6 days at a time," said Melissa.
But the high only lasted for a few months before she crashed. She lost her son and her home, "I had to steal my food. I was homeless. I showered at truck stops," she said.
"Nationwide meth is probably one of the worse drugs to ever come out," said David Hale with the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics. Hale said a 2004 state law limiting Pseudoephedrine sales cut meth labs by 90%, but Hale said the number of users hasn't changed because people are bringing the drug up from Mexico.
Hale said Melissa's story is a common one. He says the need for a fix causes users to do just about anything.
"They have to do burglaries, or robberies, or fraud, forgeries, any number of things so they can support their habit," said Hale.Just a year after starting the drug, Melissa found herself behind bars, weighing just 100 pounds at 5 foot 7.
"I detoxed in jail. I had so much drugs in my system it took me about 7 and a half weeks to completely clean out my system," said Melissa.
After going into treatment in Tulsa, Melissa says she stopped using and says this month marks her fourth year of being clean.
Still, Melissa said what took just a moment to destroy, has taken years to rebuild, "Overnight I didn't get the house, and the job, and the car, and the fiance. It took me two years to get my son back."

WHO WOULD HAVE EVER THOUGHT???????

Dog DNA test

A lot of people consider their dog a member of the family. But when people ask "what kind of dog is he?", many families can't answer. Now, local vets are now analyzing your pet's DNA.

When Jaime Chasen's family went to find a pet at the Tulsa Animal Shelter, breed wasn't an issue. But then came the question: what kind of dog is he? Through a friend, she heard about Dr. Patrick Grogan, veterinarian at VCA Woodland East Animal Hospital. Chasen said, "When I asked Dr. Grogan he seemed to be the only one who knew about it in town, at the time, I couldn't find anyone else who was even aware of it."DNA testing for pets has been around for about a year and just recently gained popularity.

While most pet owners use the testing for fun, Dr. Grogan says it can really teach families a lot about the pet's temperament and behavior. It also helps vets since certain breeds are predisposed to certain illnesses.

Pet DNA testing costs about $150.

MONEY SAVING TIP#5

Money saving tip #5: Rethink your christmas cardsRather than buying those expensive cards, consider making your own or send a postcard. You will spend significantly less on postage. And to cut out postage completely, if possible, hand deliver your cards or send an e-mail. It's still personal but saves you valuable money.But, if you just can't imagine cutting cards out, remember Christmas cards often go on sale in December. This is one time the early bird does not get the best price.Make a short phone call. With the wide variety of calling plans, a short 5 minute call would still cost less than a postage stamp, and your loved ones would probably much rather hear your voice than receive a card in the mail.

MONEY SAVING TIP#4

Give the gift of memories.Consider passing on an heirloom or family treasure to the next generation. Write a short note explaining the history or significance of the heirloom to go along with the gift. You'll be preserving family history and won't spend a dime.Another way to give the gift of memories is to interview an older relative and make a cd or dvd copy for each member of the family. Ask about their childhood and young adult memories, family history and their perspective on historical events that occurred during their lifetime. It will be a priceless gift, family members will cherish. You can also give grandparents a child's artwork. Have your children draw a picture, frame it, and grandparents will fall in love with it. Chances are it will find a new home on the wall and your children will love seeing it there.

THINK BEFORE ACTING

Whether it's something you want or something that simply pulls on your heart strings scammers know how to dangle an offer that makes you act before thinking and then they've got you.

Rick Brinkley, President and CEO of the Tulsa Better Business Bureau says "I can guarantee you that these scams are out there trying to target you and your family members."

1. The "Son Scam" Brinkley: "What is happening is kids today are very used to posting their resume online. So not only do they post their resume online that has a lot of information they probably shouldn't be handing out to absolute strangers but it also makes them targets."Scam artists know they've got someone who needs money by the fact they're looking for a job. Many fake jobs involve asking you to pass cashier's checks at a bank and wire part of the money somewhere. Those checks turn out to be forged so you're on the hook for a lot of cash and could face jail time.Brinkley says "You're the only one on video tape walking into a bank and cashing forged documents so you've got a whole set of legal issues there."

2. The Daughter Scam This scam burned Katy Lasater. She's expecting her first child and was anxious to find a nice place, quickly. She says she found what she wanted on Craigslist. Lasater says that "ended up not being a good idea."In her case there were numerous e-mail exchanges. Katy says the man even sent a scanned copy of a passport. Then she wired $1,200 to the man claiming to own the house. He said because he's in Africa the only way to get the money was by Western Union.Lasater says "I had talked to the guy so much. I mean, he sent me his passport. Everything seemed legit. We had gone by the house, it was cleared out. So I figured everything would work out ok and it did not." She never heard from the man again.In every scam targeting your family Brinkley says he and his staff see the same exact thing: "The common thread is you've got to act right now."

3. The dad scam Dad gets an e-mail claiming some sort of insider information on a stock ready to go sky high. Dad buys, the scammers sell, Dad loses.Brinkley led a BBB investigation into one of these e-mails to show what a bad deal it really is. "And we opened up a trade account and we bought $1,000 worth of this stock at 91 cents. Now, about six months later it's trading for 34 cents a share. We've lost about $600 on the deal."

4. The mom scam This one aims to steal your money and your identity. Mom gets an e-mail claiming she can get free tickets to a talk show. The most common one says you'll get into Oprah's "Favorite Things" taping where audience members get tons of free stuff.The trap is laid according to Brinkley "All you have to do is fill out this information. And it's really just a mechanism to steal your identity."The protection is to follow the simple rules of keeping your personal information safe. Never give out your social security number, mother's maiden name or banking information by phone or on the internet.

5. The grandparents scam Brinkley calls the scammers who target our grandparents "the slimiest of the slime."In this one a senior gets a call, usually in the middle of the night, claiming their grandchild is in big trouble and needs money wired, immediately, to help them out.

Brinkley explains "Common sense goes out the window and you run down and wire the money and it's long gone."Whether it's an emotional plea or promises of big rewards, never leap before you look closely.Always do your homework before replying to an e-mail or letting loose of your money.Scammers rely on people being too embarrassed about being scammed to do anything about it. If you do fall victim report it to the BBB and police.