Talk to the Jacket
I actually witnessed a man talking into his suit coat last week at the Homeland Store on N May during a visit by U.S. Secretary of Health Mike Leavitt.
Leavitt is high enough on the Washington food chain that he travels with his own security detail, and I got to watch a couple of them in action during a quick visit to the local Homeland.
The show started when Leavitt arrived in a black SUV and was escorted into the store by Homeland executives and flanked by the “suits.”
Let me say that I assume they were Secret Service agents or something similar because they were way overdressed for the occasion, had distinctive ear pieces with wires that disappeared into their jackets and had those blank expressions that said “don’t mess with me. Or my man.”
Plus, I saw one of them pull open the top part of his jacket and speak into it.
The secret service agents were outnumbered about 10 to two by local television news cameras that were scared up by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services PR machine. Whenever Leavitt moved from one part of the store to the next, the whole herd of cameras moved en masse, making for a pretty funny scene.
There were some bemused looks from shoppers as they maneuvered their carts through the mob, trying to reach the produce counter or talk to a pharmacist.
At the end of the 15-minute tour, Leavitt stopped at a microphone set up at the front of the store and faced a large semicircle of cameras and reporters, who fired off questions like “did you come to this store because it’s called ‘Homeland’ and it might tie-in to the Homeland Security Department?”
Leavitt said “no,” but that it was certainly was lucky coincidence, or something like that. Actually, he was here to drum up public interest in import safety.
After he took the last question, Leavitt was escorted out the front door where the black SUV awaited. The two “suits” with the earpieces disappeared with him as the police-escorted procession pulled out of the parking lot and headed toward the airport for the next event on his agenda.
Jim Stafford
Business News reporter
Phishers of men (and women)
The scammers trying to steal your personal information sure are getting gutsy.
In the past few years, it’s become increasingly common to get fake e-mails from people posing as banks and companies like eBay, Amazon or Paypal, trying to trick you into giving out your personal information. They use this to steal your identity, money, husband, your summer home in Monte Carlo or pretty much anything they can get their hands on.
But today I got a phishing e-mail here at work that surprised me. Someone out there is pretending to be the Internal Revenue Service.
According to this e-mail, I am eligible for a tax refund of $109.30. All I have to do to get the money is submit a tax refund form, but strangely enough, the form is on a server in South Korea.
If that weren’t phishy enough, they contacted me and are promising six to nine days to process the refund. Obviously these folks have never dealt with the IRS before.
Fortunately more and more computer users are getting wise to these tricks. What I don’t understand is why anyone would think posing as a federal agency might be a good idea.
Here are some tips from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to avoid becoming a victim:
1. Call the company or organization listed in the e-mail to verify whether they need information from you. Don’t use any phone numbers listed in the e-mail, but look up the number yourself.
2. Don’t click on any links in the e-mail. It could take you to a fake Web site or install harmful programs on your computer.
3. Improve your Internet security, especially if you conduct any business online. Not all Web sites that appear secure actually are.
4. Review statements from each of your accounts every month. Check into any transactions that you didn’t make and report fraudulent charges.
5. Learn more about phishing scams from the Anti-Phishing Working Group. Their Web site www.antiphishing.com includes lists of scams and ways to protect yourself.
Beth Gollob
Staff Writer
Remember pet safety during summer
The World Wide Pet Industry Association recently provided a list announced of tips to keep pets safe during summer.
“Summer is great in that it gives consumers more time outside with their pets. However, it also brings lots of risks including high temperatures, exposure to outdoor elements and an increased threat of fleas and ticks,” said Doug Poindexter WWPIA executive vice president.
Vehicle safety
— Use proper restraint: Pets should be properly restrained for the safety of the pet and humans. During accidents, dogs may weigh up 30 times their weight during impact while traveling at 35 mph.
— Don’t leave unattended in vehicles: Leaving window open an inch does not provide adequate ventilation. Some states are signing laws that prohibit leaving your pet alone in your automobile.
— Bring water: Traveling in a vehicle may make pets feel anxious and cause them to nervously pant.
— Take frequent breaks.B during trips to allow pets an opportunity to rehydrate.
Outdoor safety
—High temperatures often change your daily routine with your pet. Take steps to make sure pets are adequately hydrated and not overheating when playing outdoors.
— Avoid paved surfaces during hot weather. Dog have sensitive paw pads and hot surfaces can burn them. Walk pets on grass and plan walks during the early morning and late evening.
— Know symptoms of a heat stroke: Dogs can’t cool down as easily as humans and are more likely to suffer a heat stroke. Symptoms include excessive panting, drooling, sluggish and unresponsiveness. Dogs with thick coats, short muzzles and heart or breathing problems are at greater risk for heat stroke and should remain indoors with air conditioning during extremely hot days.
— Use medications to repel fleas and ticks. Insect populations increase during the summer, escalating the chances that pets will come into contact with ticks and fleas.
Water safety
— Buy a life preserver: Pets face the risk of drowning from not knowing how to swim or not being great swimmers.
— Limit pool access: Many dogs can’t swim. Fence off pools from the rest of your backyard and make sure entry gates are always closed when people enter and leave pool areas.
— Limit time in water: Dogs that are overexerted and can’t swim to shore are susceptible to drowning.
Brian Sargent
Staff Writer
V-J Day
Aug. 14 is the 62nd anniversary of V-J Day, or Victory Over Japan Day. What do you remember about V-J Day? Do you have photographs? Any stories to tell? Contact staff writer Ken Raymond at 475-3331 or by e-mail at kraymond@oklahoman.com.
What’s in a name?
There’s a testy editor somewhere at the offices of The New York Times. Seems the staff has experienced more than a little trouble correctly spelling the last name of the current U.S. Attorney General:
An article in some copies on Wednesday about Congressional efforts to pass legislation to expand the government’s electronic wiretapping powers misspelled — yet again — the surname of the attorney general of the United States, in three of four references. He is Alberto R. Gonzales, not Gonzalez. (The Times has misspelled Mr. Gonzales’s name in at least 14 articles dating to 2001 when he became White House counsel. This year alone Mr. Gonzales’s name has been misspelled in February and March, and in two articles in April.)
A quick search of The Oklahoman’s electronic archives found just a few instances when we misspelled the attorney general’s name, including twice on NewsOk.com polls and once on the opinion page. Our Washington correspondent, Chris Casteel, appears to be a good fact-checker when it comes to official names.
Not that we don’t make mistakes. The Oklahoman runs corrections on page two of the newspaper more days than not. I once wrote a column about Social Security that used “billion” when I meant “trillion.” To quote Willy Wonka, “Strike that. Reverse it.” (and I darn near misspelled ‘Willy’)
As USA Today noted, even the Justice Department can get it wrong.
Don Mecoy
Business Writer
Not so vicious
It’s not so much that I couldn’t eat more, instead I chose not to get sick. Or at least that’s what I’m telling everyone in the newsroom today.
On Saturday, I participated in a hamburger eating contest in Tulsa. Money raised went toward the Muscular Dystrophy Foundation.
The rules: the first to eat seven burgers in seven minutes is the winner of $500. No one ate seven but someone did inhale 5.5 to become the winner. That person moved onto Memphis, Tenn. to represent Oklahoma in the national competition.
There was one unappetizing rule. No “reversing” for two minutes. I’ll let you decide what that means.
To see the video, go to http://newsok.com/video/232518 (I promise, no “reversing” shown).
Chad Previch, Staff Writer
The news quiz
It’s time to see how much attention you’ve been paying to the news in the past week or so. From The Oklahoman’s news copy editors and designers, here’s a quiz:
1. The Texas Rangers dealt which two players before the Major League trade deadline?
a) Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa
b) Mark Teixeira and Eric Gagne
c) Mark McLemore and Eric Davis
d) Mark Grace and Eric Young
2. The Minnesota Vikings’ Adrian Peterson left practice with an injury to what?
a) Knee
b) Ankle
c) Hip
d) Shoulder
3. More than a half-century after completing the requirements, Walter Hart, 88, of Florida:
a) Was ordained a Catholic priest.
b) Received his first driver’s license.
c) Was awarded journalism degree by the University of Missouri.
d) Became an Eagle Scout.
4. Where has the British army formally ended a 38-year peacemaking mission?
a) In Northern Ireland
b) In the capital of Belize
c) Outside Manchester United’s stadium
d) Along a five-mile section of Abbey Road
5. Retired Army Lt. Col. Steve Russell said what about the Iraq war during a speech in Oklahoma City?
a) The U.S. is winning the war.
b) America must sacrifice along with her soldiers.
c) U.S. troops will succeed in Iraq if they aren’t abandoned at home.
d) All of the above.
6. Who attended a movie premiere in Oklahoma City to raise money for The Children’s Center in Bethany?
a) Tom Cruise
b) Matt Damon
c) Ben Affleck
d) Macaulay Culkin
7. Where did Scouting Sunrise, a celebration of the centennials of Oklahoma and the scouting movement take place?
a) Pawhuska
b) Tulsa
c) Guthrie
d) Norman
8. What did the director of Oklahoma’s emergency management agency tell a congressional committee that the Federal Emergency Management Agency was most interested in doing?
a) A good job
b) Helping people
c) Buying trailers
d) Saving money
9. Tulsa County voters will decide Oct. 9 whether to approve a four-tenths-cent sales tax increase over seven years. What would it pay for?
a) Downtown improvements.
b) Building an NBA arena for the Seattle Supersonics.
c) Improvements along the Arkansas River.
d) Building of an artificial island.
10. Bethany teacher Rick DeRennaux finished third in a reality series competition. What television show did he participate in?
a) “So you think you can dance”
b) “American Idol”
c) “American Inventor”
d) “Survivor”
11. College football fans are getting excited. What happened last week?
a) Athletes resumed practice in preparation for the 2007 season.
b) It was announced that all games would be played in 75-degree weather.
c) The Sooners and Cowboys agreed to play nice when they meet in November in the spirit of Thanksgiving.
d) The Sooners said they would return to the Wishbone era.
12. Oklahomans are urged to help reduce the ozone levels by doing what?
a) Carpool and fill up your car’s tank at night
b) Avoid mowing the lawn or using gas-powered engines on alert day
c) Avoid cooking or grilling outdoors
d) All of the above
13. What state leads the nation in the number of structurally deficient bridges since at least 2000?
a) Arkansas
b) Florida
c) Oklahoma
d) Pennsylvania
14. Who threatened to bomb Pakistan if it did not help track down terrorists hiding out on its western border?
a) Hillary Clinton
b) John McCain
c) Timothy Leary
d) Barack Obama
15. What movie was the top box office draw for the week?
a) “Flicka”
b) “The Simpsons Movie”
c) “Hairspray”
d) “BRATZ”
How did you do on the quiz? Here are the correct answers:
1-B; 2-C; 3-D; 4-A; 5-D; 6-B; 7-C; 8-D; 9-C; 10-C; 11-A; 12-D; 13-C; 14-D; 15-B
Fake Steve Jobs Unmasked
For the past year, reading the blogger known as Fake Steve Jobs has been a not-so-secret obsession of mine.
Written in the voice of Apple Inc. co-founder and chief executive officer Steve Jobs, Fake Steve has entertained and educated readers while slaughtering more than a few sacred cows of the high-tech business world. He is funny, insightful and more than a little profane.
I call him my guilty pleasure. Fake Steve has become an everyday ritual for me.
The identity of Fake Steve has been debated almost as long as his blog has been in existence. Uneducated guesses have ranged from the real Steve Jobs to a Wired magazine editor to a technology writer from England. All missed the mark.
However, Fake Steve Jobs has been unmasked at last.
An enterprising reporter with the New York Times put bits and pieces of what was known about Fake Steve together and came up with Forbes magazine technology editor Daniel Lyons. When confronted with the evidence, Lyons ‘fessed up.
Fake Steve wrote in Sunday’s blog post: “Well it had to happen. Honestly I can’t believe it’s taken this long. But as you may have heard, I’ve been busted by a newspaper reporter. My cover has been blown. Guy named Brad Stone, who works for the New York Times. Have you heard of him? Well, tip of the hat to you, Brad Stone. You did the sleuthing. You put the pieces of the puzzle together. You went through my trash, hacked into my computer, and put listening devices in my home. Now you’ve ruined the mystery of Fake Steve, robbing thousands of people around the world of their sense of childlike wonder.”
A book deal that Fake Steve signed to write a novel (about himself, of course), led to his undoing. The good news, however, is that Fake Steve will continue to write the blog, which the New York Times reporter said was going to be moved to the Forbes Web site.
Fake Steve lives to write another day.
Business news reporter
Week in review
Another week has passed, and here is your chance to catch up with what you may have missed.
- More than 200 state law enforcement officers swooped down on a horse racetrack near Thackerville where illegal betting is suspected. About 100 people, mostly Hispanics from Texas, were arrested.
- Iraqis celebrated the country’s soccer team winning Asia’s most prestigious tournament, but four people were killed by celebratory gunfire.
- It was reported that state House Republicans, who gained control of the chamber less than three years ago, received more than half the $120,000 spent by lobbyists on individual legislators during the first six months of the year.
- The sixth-annual Diversafest music festival presented more than 100 local and national bands on 13 stages in the Blue Dome district of downtown
Tulsa. - More than 100 people gathered at the Cao Nguyen Supermarket in Oklahoma City to see one of two remaining “Freedom Boats” used during the “boat people” exodus from Vietnam following the war. Later the boat was moved to the Oklahoma History Center for public display.
- Vice President Dick Cheney, who has a history of heart problems, had surgery to replace an implanted device that monitors his heartbeat.
- On the National Day of the American Cowboy, the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum unveiled a larger-than-life bronze statue of John Wayne.
- Slow-moving thunderstorms produced heavy rains across Oklahoma. A storm dumped 3 inches on Kingfisher during a three-hour period, causing flash flooding.
- Cosmetic surgeon Dr. Ivan Wayne operated for the third time on 3-year-old Shelby Ostrowski’s face and lip, repairing damage and scarring caused by a pit bull terrier attack 14 months ago. Shelby’s face will be restored to 95 percent of its original appearance if all goes well during two or three more surgeries, the doctor said.
- Death claimed three legends of sports, broadcasting and film. Longtime NFL coach Bill Walsh, 75, and former TV talk show host Tom Snyder, 71, both succumbed to complications caused by leukemia, and filmmaker Ingmar Bergman, 89, died in his sleep.
- Marina operators, who estimate they will lose about $2 million income this year, are beginning to clean up as Lake Texoma water recedes after registering a record 22 feet above normal because of excessive rain.
- Problems caused by underage drinking in 2005, including youth violence, traffic fatalities and alcohol treatment, cost $778.1 million, the state Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Department reported.
- Scouting Sunrise at Guthrie’s Mineral Wells Park drew about 100 people who were marking the centennials of Oklahoma and Scouting.
- Albert Ashwood, the director of Oklahoma’s emergency management agency, told House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform that the Federal Emergency Management Agency is more focused on saving money than helping people, recommending the agency should be independent of the Homeland Security Department.
- Walt Disney World Resort invited Oklahoma to showcase its cuisine and heritage at Epcot International Food and Wine Festival from Sept. 28 to Nov. 11 in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
- Oklahoma City Council approved a multiyear rate increase for trash pickup, which will raise the monthly rate from the current $14.41 to $17.20 by the end of 2009.
- Actor Matt Damon and producer Frank Marshall attended a benefit premiere of “The Bourne Ultimatum” at Harkins Bricktown Cinemas 16, raising about $192,000 for The Children’s Center hospital in Bethany.
- An interstate bridge in Minneapolis broke into huge sections and collapsed into the Mississippi River, pitching dozens of cars 60 feet into the river. At least five people were killed. Officials said the bridge was being repaired and several lanes were closed when the incident occurred.
- A Bethany teacher fell short of winning $1 million in ABC’s “American Inventor” with his remote controlled vehicle kit. Rick DeRennaux was the first of the finalists to be eliminated from the game show. He did, however, learn that a Canadian toy company was interested in helping him develop his product.
- Richard Gray, a former district attorney in Eastern Oklahoma, was ordered to stand trial on a charge that he embezzled money his office had taken in a drug case. Associate District Judge David Martin ordered the trial on one count of embezzlement. Gray was indicted in October and is accused of taking almost $9,000 in seized drug money. Gray had served as district attorney for Adair, Cherokee, Sequoyah and Wagoner counties.
- A day after the deadly bridge collapse in Minneapolis, officials in Oklahoma said no bridges here are unsafe or in danger of imminent collapse, but
Oklahoma leads the nation in the number — nearly 6,300 — of structurally deficient bridges. Of those, 989 bridges are on the state highway system. - The Senate sent to the White House a bill that would require lawmakers disclose more about their efforts to fund pet projects and raise money from lobbyists. The bill passed the Senate on an 83-14 vote. Sens. Tom Coburn, R-Muskogee, and Jim Inhofe, R-Tulsa, voted against the bill.
- The state Department of Human Services needs to do more to protect children in day care, a state House committee was told during a hearing that often drew tears and disagreement.
- Officials searched for a neutral meeting place that would be safe for both South Korean negotiators and Taliban captors to hold face-to-face talks about the release of 21 South Koreans held hostage in Afghanistan.
- The first ozone alert of the year was issued for Tulsa on Thursday and continued Friday, renewing fears that Oklahoma’s skies will fall out of compliance with federal clean air standards.
- The Oklahoma County sheriff’s office teamed up with Sunbeam Family Services to fill 400 backpacks with school supplies for students being raised by their grandparents.
- University of Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops said he senses more confidence from his Sooners in their first practice.
Phone fear
I woke up this morning worried about a story, so I called a source before I even left the house. He wasn’t in, so I got the familiar female voice that occupies so many voice mail systems. “To leave a message, press …” I didn’t want to leave a message, so I simply hung up.
While the phone was still in my hand, it began to ring. Nothing immediately came up on the caller I.D., but I answered it. The familiar female voice said “Are you still there?” That made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I felt like a character in a “Chuckie” movie, fearful of an inanimate object.
This time I did as she instructed. I pressed 1 to hang up, and disconnected the call. Audrey Audix, you leave me alone!
Business Writer
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