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Every year, scammers and con artists capitalize on national, international and local situations to steal consumers’ personal information, time and money. While many scams reported to Better Business Bureau (BBB) are prevalent year-round, such as employment, online purchase or phishing scams, others surface in response to prevailing situations. To help anticipate when scams may leverage issues of public concern, BBB provides the following list of some contextualized scams that occurred in 2022:

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My mom, nearly a year after her passing, has gone viral. It all started just before Thanksgiving. I was in avoidance mode, as best I can recall. Avoidance mode is where, as an adult, your undiagnosed, or self-diagnosed, ADHD kicks in, but only at the very moment you’re supposed to be doing something you’d rather not do. Take laundry, for instance. Runners up include, but are not limited to, mopping the floor, dusting, and cleaning out the cat litter box. For the sake of this story, we will assume the cat litter box was in desperate need of a thorough cleaning. I didn’t want to do it. So, I turned to the bane of my existence, my phone, specifically Instagram. In case you’re remotely interested, here’s my run down on the various social media formats. Facebook is for complaining, where we go to voice our disdain on everything from politics to healthcare to traffic. Once reserved strictly for the college students of the early aughts, you’re more likely to find your elderly Aunt Gladys on Facebook than any other site, due to the share tactic, a phrase I have expertly coined. You don’t have to do anything on Facebook to stay relevant. You can just share things. Missing puppy? I certainly need to share that post. Political upheaval solved by adhering to the ideologies of John Wayne (something my mother would have surely promoted)? I mean, the world needs to know this – share. What dog breed does Aunt Gladys most resemble? That one deserves a double share. None of these things are wrong, I attest. It’s just facts, ma’am. Moving over to Instagram, you encounter the snobs of the social media world. Grammers cannot be bothered with the opining of others. They are far too busy creating art, sharing other’s art, and making a variety of things look their debatable version of prettier. We grammers are most likely all enneagram 4s, caught in our moody feelings and needing an outlet for expression. Then, there’s Twitter. I cannot. Someone needs to explain Twitter to me. I have never been a Tweeter. I don’t Tweet well with others. It’s a mystery. But, Pinterest, on the other hand, is the thrift store of social media. Long forgotten favorites from years go by remain buried in an infinity of created boards where snippets of all the projects you wanted to do, all the haircuts you planned on getting, and all the outfits you intended on piecing together go to die. YouTube is basically a visual Pinterest, though it is the oldest of the social media formats. I issued a formal mental apology to YouTube recently. I didn’t care for it much, until I realized I am a visual learner who needs to see someone else do the thing I’m trying to figure out how to do. A great example is the flat iron curl. All the young girls curl their hair with a flat iron. Ask them how and they’ll all tell you the same thing. “You know, you just put your hair in the flat iron and it just curls.” But, flat irons are for straightening! YouTube to the rescue. Look long enough and you will find a video where a your age grown woman explains, and demonstrates, the way your wrist must flex and where your other hand needs to be in relation to your hair, the moon, and which direction the tide is heading. Finally, there’s the newbie to the group, the dreaded TikTok. Whether it’s really a result of China taking over the planet or the downfall of civilization by corny dance moves, Tik-Tok is the great melting pot of social media. Want to know what day to day life in prison is like? There are thousands of 3-minute videos where someone will look you in the eyes and tell you. Need to see how the interior design trends of 2023 are shaping up? Infinite designers are waiting to take you on tiny tours of Home Goods. But, be careful, so very careful. As you swipe up from video to video, seasons change outside. Days can go by in a flash. And, your brain will hurt - chicken dish, crazy dance, Bluegrass cover of a Metallica song, Parisian makeup, live police stop….. it’s bizarre but addicting. So, where does my mom fall in all of this?

“Before the Passover, Jesus said to Peter, ‘Let me wash your feet,’” says Mary Jane, 8. “Peter replied, ‘I’m not worthy.’” In respectable homes of ancient Judea, slaves or servants washed the feet of guests. People wore sandals as they walked on dirt roads mixed with horse dung and sewage thrown into the street. Indoor plumbing didn’t exist.

Worried About Inflation? Consider These Moves

Volunteers, researchers and horticulturalists come together to help rebuild traditional grass house after tornado

The ubiquitous nature of weeds can make them seem like they can grow anywhere, and that’s because they can. Weeds can grow anywhere there’s room for them to sprout, including gardens, sidewalks, driveways, and parking lots. One of the things that helps weeds spread so much is how productive they can be at producing seeds. An actively growing weed plant will produce thousands of seeds and disperse those seeds throughout the season. One of the more recognizable weeds is the dandelion. During its growing season, a dandelion can effectively spread its seeds thanks in large part to the wind, which can blow seeds all over, thereby allowing a single dandelion to spread its seeds far and wide. Penn State Extension notes that successful weed plants share many characteristics, including an ability to reproduce both sexually and asexually. Successful weed plants also are clever in terms of getting around, as their seeds can attach to people and animals and even float on water. Weeds also put up a fight when they’re confronted by humans. Humans who try to pull weeds may instead break them. The broken weeds can then resprout, ultimately spreading their seeds again. The resiliency of weeds also is evident in their ability to stay dormant for long periods of time. For example, weeds can stay in the soil for years before germinating, proving that these unwelcome guests aren’t just pesky, but also patient.

The kid is an artist. He stands behind the flat top grill, flipping eggs.

Few individuals in American history have made an impact as sizable as Martin Luther King, Jr. King wore many hats throughout his tragically short life, from minister to activist to scholar, leaving behind a legacy that is worthy of celebration.

Pruning dead plant material can cause more harm through winter

Angelo State University Announces Fall 2022 Dean’s List

Texas Republicans helped elect U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., as House speaker in the early hours of the morning Saturday after four days of bitter infighting within their party that kept Congress at a historic standstill.

Long-time Teacher, Cristal Jocoy, Recognized