Newspaper Page Text
Page 2A,The Lee County Ledger, Wednesday, November 17, 2010
^Leesburg Air
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Ice Machines
Refrigeration
Commercial Cooking Equipment
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Howard Craven
John 3:16
Identity Theft
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Special to Ledger
by Sheriff Reggie Ra-
chals
In the course of the day,
you do many activities that
put your personal informa
tion at risk — from writing
a check at the store to
charging merchandise in
person or over the phone.
You may not think twice
about these transactions,
but others might. Identity
theft — when a perpetra
tor assumes someone’s
identity for personal or
financial gain, like steal
ing a credit card to make
financial transactions in
the victim’s name — is
the fastest-growing crime
in America. According to
the U.S. Postal Inspection
Service, there were almost
10 million cases of identity
theft in 2004, which cost
consumers $5 billion.
Here are some tips you
can follow:
Do not give out your per
sonal information unless
you initiate the contact or
know the person or com
pany with whom you are
dealing. Do not disclose
your credit card number
to an online vendor un
less it is encrypted and
the site is secure. Do not
write your Social Secu
rity number or telephone
number on checks or credit
card receipts. Remove all
documents with personal
information from your
hard drive before discard
ing your computer
or sending it in for
repair.
Shred discarded
documents, includ
ing preapproved
credit card ap
plications, bank
statements, store
receipts and utility
bills.
“Dumpster
divers” can gain
access to your
personal information if
such items are thrown in
the trash. Cancel all credit
cards that have not been
used in the last six months.
Open credit is a prime tar
get for thieves. Order your
credit report at least twice
a year and report any
mistakes to the credit
reporting agency in writ
ing. If you
are a victim
of identity
theft, contact
your local
Police or
Sheriff’s
Office as
soon as pos
sible. This
information
was obtained
from Na
tional Crime
Prevention Council’s.
For more information
contact Capt. Keith Hous
ton, Lee County Sheriff’s
Office at 438-2294, or
E-mail khouston@lee.ga.us
Sheriff Reggie D.
Rachals
Mr. Man is Scrooge
Professional Offices For Rent
1150 sq. ft., $800 Per Unit
Shared Office Space For Rent
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A A
Special to the Ledger
By Jan Wells
Christmas is in the air
at my house.. .wreaths and
stockings are hung,
the tree is trimmed,
and cookies are bak
ing in the oven, while
Mr. Man diligently
practices his part for
our holiday play...
Scrooge.
The drama started
when my computer-
spitting, spewing and sput
tering— finally shut down
on me.
“It’s your own fault.. .you
have too many windows
open all the time.. .remem
ber, less is more, except
when it comes to your dogs
or your biddies.”
“I need my computer to
check emails and write my
little story,” I shouted in
desperation.
“Move out of the way,
and I’ll fix it,” sighed Mr.
Man. Then, after hours
Jan Wells
■ uyu if <110 A 0 TYBFU T€ tftU Setup and take down no charge in Lee & Douqherty B ,
of horsing around—er, I
John C.
Durham
Durham & Lewis
Law, LLC
Attorneys at Law
Civil Litigation
Construction Law
Family Law
Wills & Estate Planning
Julee Brooke
Lewis
mean checking disks and
drives— he pronounced
the motherboard dead, then
set up his spare computer
in my office.
“Ooh,” I purred,
“this one operates
like a dream.”
Unlike my now
deceased machine,
this one opened in a
split second, zipping
around the Inter
net, slicker than a
greased pig.
“This is great! I’ll just
keep it.”
“Oh, no you won’t...
that’s my backup.”
Let’s lay all the facts on
the table. Mr. Man is the
proud owner of not one,
but two, top-of-the line,
state-of-the art, custom-
built computers. Willing
to loan one to me for a day
or so, he refused to give it
up permanently.
Later that day, he made
a special trip to Wal-Mart,
and brought home a com
puter that is at least three
steps beneath the one he
loaned me.
“I don’t want a computer
from Wal-Mart, I want this
one,” I squealed... like the
spoiled brat that he says I
am.
And that is how he came
to be known as “Scrooge.”
I wouldn’t stoop so low
as to call Mr. Man “self
ish.” He would, after all,
literally give me the shirt
off his back if I needed it.
Once, I was stranded at
a gas station without my
wallet, and the gauge hand
sat dead on empty. Like
a gallant knight, Mr. Man
drove 40 miles to pay for
the gas.
No, “selfish” isn’t a word
I would use to describe
him, but when it comes
to his high-tech equip
ment—his computer or his
iphone—he’s definitely not
in a sharing frame of mind.
Discovering that I’d left
my phone in the car yester
day at lunch, I asked to use
his to call my biddy.
“No,” he barked. “I don’t
want your grimy paws on
it.”
My grimy paws? My
GRIMY PAWS?
Why so grumpy, I won
dered. Then I realized that
Mr. Man had been in an
unusually sour mood lately,
particularly since all the
news about cutting social
security benefits.I can’t
disclose the details of his
response— only that it in
volved a high-powered rifle
and some buckshot— but if
the FBI comes around ask
ing questions, you didn’t
hear that from me.
Who can blame him for
being angry? He paid in
thousand upon thousands
of dollars over the years,
both for himself and his
employees, so I understand
why he gets his back up
when a politician refers
to social security as an
“entitlement,” or a “welfare
program.”
“The dirty rascals want
to squeeze Seniors, and
we’re not going to stand for
it,” he wolfed.
Oh. It turns out that Mr.
Man doesn’t approve of the
new computer, and I get to
keep this nice one a while
longer.
Perhaps he’s not such a
Scrooge, after all.
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Lesters Tractor Service
Food Plots? Gardens,\Bush Hogging, etc
. ■ Lester Vinson
\ 229-344-6237
I lfvinson2459@ yahoo .com
Firewood
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Call
886-5647
Special to the Ledger
LCMS was truly and
deeply honored by the
wonderful turnout at its
Veterans Day program last
Thursday. Between 350
and 400 veterans from all
branches of the military
blessed the students and
faculty with their presence
and allowed us all to pay
them tribute for their ser
vice to our country and for
securing the freedoms we
so often take for granted.
The guest speaker for the
occasion was SFC Bradley
D. Berry III, whose mili
tary service, awards, and
decorations fill an entire
page. He currently is serv
ing as a ranger instructor
at the U. S. Army Ranger
Course. In addition to the
presentation by SFC Berry,
the LCMS Chorus and the
LCMS Band offered musi
cal selections; the LCMS
Drama Club performed
“Voices from the Past;” and
the LCMS Faculty Ensem
ble presented the “Armed
Forces Medley” as mem
bers from each branch of
the service rose while their
anthem was sung. The
visitors enjoyed a reception
in the school’s media center
following the performance.
Thanks to everyone who
participated and contribut
ed to making this Veterans
Day such a great occasion.