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what
you
can
do
•••
TIMELY
Tips and
Helpful
Suggestions for YOU and YOUR
FAMILY
•
Bewa re of
11
Send Money
11
Schemes
Con artists thrive on multimillion-dollar-a-year "send
money'' business schemes. They tbrive because thousands of
gullible citizens trustingly send money through the mails to
an unknown person or address in
h~pes
of a "bargain."
What the individual actually receives might even be hu–
morous, if it weren't so tragic. One scheme claimed: "We can
help you make more money." The .reader needed only to send
one dollar.
If
he did, the following response came back: "Get
out and go to work
!"
An ad offering information on "How to Keep the Gas
BiU Down" instructed people (for a dollar) to "place the gas
bill on a flat surface and put a weight on it." A third get–
rich-guick guip offered to "double your money for a dollar."
The reply? "Just fold it."
Other shysters aren't so humorous. Many merely make
an offer, then say "Rush
$1
to Box
." As soon as
enough people send their dolla.rs, the con artist pockets the
money and leaves town. Other con games will use your name
(Smith, Jones, or Allen) and purport to be a relative in need
of help, an executor of a wealthy relative's estate, or an orga–
nizer of a family reunion. The plea for $20, or more, fools
many gullible people.
To avoid fall ing prey to "send money" scl1emes, the Bet–
ter Business Bureau advises:
Don't send money in advance to unknown mail order
firms, especially to a Post Office box with no home or office
address. Deal only with reliable firms you recognize or know.
Remember:
nobody
gets "something for nothing." People
just don't give away a ten-dollar value for one dollar. And
"money-back guarantees" don't work
if
the business ''flies by
night."
If
you are ever in c¡uestion about a particular ad or
mail order firm, contact your local branch of the Better Busi–
ness Bureau for further information.
•
Flammable Clothing
Most consumers fail to real ize that many articles of pop–
ular clothing are highly flammable, especially garments like
children's cotton-flannel sleepwear. An effort has been made
to reduce this hazard, by making 1ire-resistant clothing avail–
able in sorne stores, but the danger is still serious, according
to experts.
Unfortunately, the water-soluble chemicals used to retard
fire in dothes often wash out during the
first
washing.
U.
S.
Government legislation reguiring that children's sleepwear re–
main fire-resistant for
50
washings doesn't go into effect until
July
30, 1973.
Present fire-resistant clothing doesn't sell well, since the
chemicals that alter the fabric often sacrifice desirable proper–
ties sucb as comfort, washability, ironability, and durability.
Modacrylic fibers like Dynel and Verel are inherently fire
resistant, but Jack the desirable properties mentioned above.
More popular synthetics, like nylon, polyester, and acrylics,
resist fire. But accord ing to the National Safety Council, "can
actually melt as they buro, and the sticky syrupy substance
that is formed produces deep localized burns." Among natu–
ral fibers, wool is the most fire-resistant.
Flowing robes, loose fitting clothes, flared ski rts, blousy
sleeves, ruffies, and frills on garments are more likely to catch
fire near any open flame than more close-fitting garrnents.
Children should be taught early, when they first begin to
crawl and walk, that fire is dangerous. They also should be
taught to avoid matches or heat.
Should someone's clothes catch on fire, force him imme–
diately to the ground.
If
a rug, coat, or wool blanket is avail–
able, roll the person into it to smother the fire.
If
such
materials aren't available, rip burning clothes off
doll'lm'aul
away from the face or carefully roll the person over and
over on the ground or floor until the flames are out.
•
Use Sight-Saving lllumination
Nearly 85% of what we learn comes through the eyes,
making the eyes the most important sense by which knowl–
edge comes to a human. Yet, tragically, about 2 out of 3
people in developed, literate nations need corrective leos.
Many of these individuals begin losing vision dur ing youth,
at the height of interest in books, TV and learning.
Here are some eyesight-saving principies reconunended
by the National Society for the Prevention of Blindness.
R..EAD!NG AND DESK IPORK
- When reading,
writiog, sewiog, or doing other close work, always have suf–
ficient illumination. Proper Jighting should be diffused evenly
over the entire reading or wo.rking area to eliminate glare.
In addit ion, there should always be another light in the
room besides the desk Iight. The entire room should be as
bright as the page you are reading or the work you are doing.
To eliminate shadows while writing, or otherwise working
with the hands, have direct light coming over your left shoul–
der if right handed, or over your right shoulder if left handed.
WATCHING
TV
OR MOVIES
- View TV at eye
leve! and at least
10
feet away, if possible. Avoid viewing
TV at too great an angle - from above or from the side.
Avoid having children watching TV while sitting or standing
directly in front of the set or watching a distorted, vibrating,
or snowy pictme.
Be sure to have sufficient light in the room, located to