Rao bulletin 15 April 2016 html edition this bulletin contains the following articles

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  Start by experimenting with vinegar and baking soda, Kellner suggests. Here are Mother Earth News magazine’s comments on the subject:
  

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  All-purpose cleaning solution http://www.motherearthliving.com/health-and-wellness/homemade-all-purpose-cleaner-zmrz12jjzdeb.aspx#axzz2xlSkr1Cj
  
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  Tips for using vinegar and baking soda http://www.motherearthnews.com/green-homes/homemade-cleaners-zb0z11zphe.aspx#axzz2z5F1zE83
  

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  Expensive “produce wash” products are unnecessary. “Don’t use soap, detergent, bleach or commercial produce washes,” says FoodSafety.gov at http://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/basics/clean.
  
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  This Colorado State University Extension guide gives instructions for washing individual types of produce. Produce lasts longer if you wait and wash it just before use, it says. To access the Guide refer to http://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/nutrition-food-safety-health/guide-to-washing-fresh-produce-9-380.
  
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  Real Simple magazine has uses and recipes for household cleaners at http://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/cleaning/all-natural-cleaning-solutions
  
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  For 18 cheap stain removers you can make at home go to http://www.moneytalksnews.com/18-cheap-stain-removers-you-can-make-home
  
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  Check out how to make dishwasher detergent and more at http://www.moneytalksnews.com/how-make-dishwasher-detergent
  

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  You are buying a home, and everything is ready for your closing. Then, your real estate agent or title company emails with new instructions. Instead of bringing a check to your closing, you need to wire your closing costs to a bank account.
  
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  Don't do it! You'll be wiring thousands of dollars into a scam account. Hackers have been breaking into the email accounts of real estate professionals. They search for information about upcoming transactions. After figuring out the closing date, the hacker sends an email to the buyer, posing as the agent or title company.
  
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  Never accept a change to an agreed transaction based on an email. If someone tells you to deviate from a previous plan, especially one that involves thousands of dollars, check it out before you send a dime. Call your agent or title company and make sure the new directions are legitimate.
  

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  Be wary of unexpected emails that contain links or attachments. Do not click on links or open files in unfamiliar emails.
  
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  Consider how the company normally contacts you. If a company usually contacts you by phone, be suspicious if you suddenly start receiving emails or text messages without ever opting into the new communications.
  
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  Don't believe what you see. Just because an email looks real, doesn't mean it is. Scammers can fake anything, from a company logo to the "Sent" email address.
  
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  If something seems suspicious, check the company's website or call them. Err on the side of caution and confirm before taking any action. DON'T click on any links or call a number in a message you suspect is a scam. If you want to look on the company's website, look for the URL on your statement or do a web search.
  
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  Email is not a secure way to send financial information. Your real estate professional or title company will know that. They will not send nor ask you to provide banking information via email.
  

Read the full alert from the Federal Trade Commissionat https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0003-phishing. For real estate agencies, mortgage firms, and other companies interested in protecting their business from hacking, check out BBB's 5 Steps to Better Business Cybersecurity at https://www.bbb.org/council/for-businesses/cybersecurity/the-5-step-approach. To find out more about other scams, check out BBB Scam Stopper www.bbb.org/scam. To report a scam, go to BBB Scam Tracker at https://www.bbb.org/scamtracker/us. [Source: BBB Scam Alert | April 1, 2016 ++]

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  You need cash, so you stop at a gas station with an ATM. You head to the back of the shop and insert your card into the machine. You may not notice anything strange, but scammers have attached a skimmer to the card reader. These devices "skim" your card's information off the magnetic strip.
  
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  Many times, scammers also set up a camera nearby. It's pointed at the ATM in order to capture the user typing their PIN into the machine. With these two pieces of information, scammers can access and withdraw money from your account.
  
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  Many police departments are reporting higher than normal cases of ATM skimming. The spike may be tied to banks rolling out new chip cards, which have encryption technology to make them much more difficult to hack. Until the new technology is fully implemented, scammers are taking full advantage of the current situation.
  

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  Use ATMs at banks whenever possible. Avoid ATMs in a low traffic or low light areas. It is typically more secure to use ATMs at banks rather than standalone machines.
  
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  Protect your PIN. Place your hand or a piece of paper over the keypad when entering your number.
  
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  Look for signs of skimmers. Tape is often used to attach the skimming devices; if something looks odd, wiggle it to make sure it doesn't come loose.
  
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  Be wary of strange signs. Some con artists attach signs to ATMs providing alternate instructions, such as telling users to swipe their card on a separate reader first. If something looks out of place, find a different ATM and report it to the bank or store manager, or to the police.
  
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  If someone offers to "help" you use the ATM, immediately decline and leave. If you feel uncomfortable with the individual, go somewhere well lit or lock yourself in your car and call the police emergency number.
  
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  Be cautious of ATM failures. If the machine doesn't give you money, or gives you an immediate message that the machine malfunctioned, call the financial institution and let them know.
  
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  Report any problems. Only call a number you know is real, such as the one on the back of your card. Don't call a number posted next to the ATM, as that could be part of the scam. If you aren't sure, call the police non-emergency number.
  

The article at www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2016/03/is_that_atm_safe_to_use_watch_a_team_rig_a_cash_ma.html provides a thorough overview of how skimming works and provides more tips for how to protect yourself. To find out more about other scams, check out BBB Scam Stopper www.bbb.org/scam. To report a scam, go to BBB Scam Tracker at https://www.bbb.org/scamtracker/us. [Source: BBB Scam Alert | March 21, 2016 ++]

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  You receive a letter in the mail informing you that you've won the Publisher's Clearing House (PCH) Sweepstakes. It says that PCH has even included a check to cover the taxes on your winnings. All you have to do is deposit the check in your account and wire or use a prepaid debit card to send the "taxes" to a third party. Then it claims Publishers Clearing House can release your winnings. 
  
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  Sound too good to be true? That's because it is. This scam has nothing to do with Publishers Clearing House. If you deposit the check, and transfer the "tax" money, you will end up owing the bank. Even though the money seems to immediately appear in your account, it takes the bank a few days to completely clear the check. In cases where the check is fake, you are responsible for any money lost. 
  

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  Don't pay up to claim your prize. You should never have to pay money or buy products in order to receive a prize. Be especially wary of requests to wire money or use a prepaid debit card. 
  
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  Be wary of email announcements. Major sweepstakes organizations sometimes email about smaller prizes, but for big winners they usually show up at your house with a big check (and a camera crew).
  
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  You can't win a contest you didn't enter. You need to buy a ticket or complete an application to participate in a contest or lottery. Be very careful if you've been selected as a winner for a contest you never entered.
  
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  Verify -- but not by using a source scammers give you. Check if an offer is real, but don't call the phone number in the email or website you suspect may be a scam. If it is a con, chances are the person on the other line will be involved, too.
  

To find out more about other scams, check out BBB Scam Stopper (bbb.org/scam). Read more about scams posing as Publishers Clearing House on their website. https://info.pch.com/consumer-information/tips-a-warning-signs. [Source: BBB Scam Alert | September 11, 2015 ++]

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  Homestead exemptions up to $50,000
  
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  $500 widows and widower’s exemption
  
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  $500 disability exemption
  
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  $5,000 disability exemption for ex-service member
  
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  Service connected total and permanent disability exemption
  
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  Exemption for totally and permanently disabled person
  
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  Additional homestead exemption for persons 65 and older
  
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  Homestead property tax discount for veterans age 65 and oler with a combat-related disability
  
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   Homestead tax deferral
  
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  Installment payment of property taxes
  
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  Personal property 
  

The homestead exemption for all residents applies to all property taxes, not just city and county taxes. Annual increases in the assessment of homestead property are limited to 3% of the prior year’s assessed value, or if lower, the percentage change in the Consumer Price Index for the prior year, as long as there was no change in ownership.

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  Navy Recruitment. Check out this Vintage Adult Cartoon from 1940s Post-WW2 Era - US Navy - SAILOR AND THE SEAGULL at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4w7FI2pYWc.
  

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  Car Muncher. Tired of your old jalopy. At http://www.liveleak.com/ll_embed?f=c83358ee7d5c is one solution.
  
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  Symbol of Freedom. The 400 foot tall flagpole at http://www.mortenson.com/milwaukee/projects/acuity-insurance-flagpole displaying the Stars and Stripes is an engineering marvel.
  
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  Facebook. More than 90% of adult Americans devote 15 to 18 hours per month—two workdays!—to the social network. (The measurement company comScore collects data from two million users in its monitoring program, as well as tracking software participating companies install on their web pages, apps and other digital content.)
  
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  Active Duty Suicides. The Pentagon reported 1 APR that 265 active-duty service members killed themselves last year, continuing a trend of unusually high suicide rates that have plagued the U.S. military for at least seven years. The numbers of suicides among troops was 145 in 2001 and began a steady increase until more than doubling to 321 in 2012, the worst year in recent history for service members killing themselves.
  
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  USO. The USO will permanently close its lounge and reception area at Frankfurt Airport later this month after nearly 41 years in operation, citing dwindling visitor numbers and the changing security environment in Europe.
  
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  VA Exec Pay. Senior health care executives at the Veterans Affairs Department could earn more money, but also could be fired more easily under draft legislation that Secretary Bob McDonald has sent to Capitol Hill. The proposal would create a new personnel system under Title 38 for senior executives in health care leadership at the department, with new rules on hiring, setting pay and disciplining those accused of poor performance or misconduct.
  
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  BP Oil Spill. Nearly six years after hundreds of millions of gallons of oil started to gush into the Gulf of Mexico, creating the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history, a federal judge has formally approved the largest environmental settlement in history, which was determined in July of last year. $20 billion over the next 15 years.
  
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  Military Spending. Global military expenditures topped $1.6 trillion in 2015, an increase of about 1 percent from the previous year, according to a new report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). That represents the first increase in global military spending since 2011,
  
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  Military Discounts. NCOA at www.bradsdeals.com/blog/military-discounts provides a list by category of 230 stores. restaurants, companies, etc. that offer military discounts.
  
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  Blood Alcohol Levels. On 4 APR, the military lowered the allowable blood alcohol content level to 0.03 percent for all troops operating vehicles on U.S. bases in Japan. That's less than half the 0.08 legal limit most states set for drivers in the U.S. and the same as it is in Japan for all drivers. That means troops who have one drink before getting behind the wheel in Japan could be near or above the new blood alcohol limit.
  
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  MOH. At http://taskandpurpose.com/watch-marine-wwii-ace-describe-downing-7-japanese-bombers-first-combat-patrol you can watch a Marine WWII Ace describe downing 7 Japanese Bombers on his first Combat Patrol
  
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  Quiz. Take the 25 question quiz at http://www.billoreilly.com/quiz?categoryID=4&quizID=757 to see how well you know our country.
  
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  Kamikaze Attack. To view footage of the USS Laffey fighting off a kamikaze attack off Okinawa refer to
  

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  Safes. How safe are your hotel and home safes. Not very. To see how easy it is for someone to access yours check out http://digg.com/video/lock-pick-hotel-safes & http://digg.com/video/magnet-opens-hotel-safe.
  
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  Warning to America. Great Britain’s Paul Weston at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-hPCnel0qc delivered a warning to America. Something to ponder.
  

[Source: Various | April 15, 2016 ++]

The Census Bureau collects occupation, wage, and industry data over time using the American Community Survey in Poway CA.

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