International Lottery Scams

This week's $1.3 billion Powerball prize may have given you a case of lottery fever, but this page from the Federal Trade Commission can help you avoid getting caught by an international lottery scam:

http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0086-international-lottery-scams

Whenever you get a solicitation that sounds tempting, just keep in mind that it's against federal law to play a foreign lottery.

There's additional information from the U.S. Department of State here:

http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/emergencies/scams/lottery.html

And from OnGuard Online here:

https://www.onguardonline.gov/articles/0002c-lotteries-and-sweepstakes-scams

Even when you gamble, you should try to minimize your risks.

National Wildlife Refuges

You may have heard on the news that a group of armed individuals has taken over part of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon. The reason they've done this seems to be a dispute over the use of federally-owned lands. If you're curious about what uses the federal government is making of that land, see this site from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the agency that runs the National Wildlife Refuge System:

http://www.fws.gov/refuges/about/

The Malheur Refuge is closed for the time being, but every state has at least one Refuge and Oregon has 17 in addition to Malheur. Feel free to visit one near you, and don't forget your bird-watching binoculars.

Santa Tracker

One of the more whimsical services offered by a government agency is the Santa Tracker provided each Christmas eve by NORAD (the North American Aerospace Defense Command):

http://www.noradsanta.org/

According to the site, "For 60 years, NORAD and its predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) have tracked Santa’s flight. The tradition began in 1955 after a Colorado Springs-based Sears Roebuck & Co. advertisement misprinted the telephone number for children to call Santa. Instead of reaching Santa, the phone number put kids through to the CONAD Commander-in-Chief's operations 'hotline.' The Director of Operations at the time, Colonel Harry Shoup, had his staff check the radar for indications of Santa making his way south from the North Pole. Children who called were given updates on his location, and a tradition was born." The tradition continues this year.

Happy holidays to one and all.

U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness

As the colder weather and the holidays approach, people often think more about helping their fellow man. If the season has you wondering exactly what the Federal government is doing to help the homeless, then exploring the site of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness may answer many of your questions:

http://usich.gov/

The Council's mission "is to coordinate the Federal response to homelessness" and it's composed of "19 Federal Cabinet secretaries and agency heads." One of the many resources available on the USICH site is a database that's "a searchable source of up-to-date information drawn from around the country that federal, state, and local partners can use to further their collaborative efforts to end homelessness." So, even if you can't afford to donate money to a charity, your tax dollars are already at work helping your fellow man.

Driving in the U.S.A.

If your plans for the upcoming holidays include out-of-town travel, lower gas prices may have you thinking about driving rather than flying.  This page from the USA.gov site offers driving safety tips, information for foreign drivers, and links to pages about drunk driving, car seats, older drivers, and more: 

https://www.usa.gov/visitors-driving

There aren't any links to pages about what to do if your relatives are driving you nuts, but I bet USA.gov has one of those too.

O*NET OnLine

Whether you're trying to pick a first or a second career O*NET OnLine, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor, may be just the tool you need: 

https://www.onetonline.org/

It allows you to browse descriptions of occupations based on your interests, skills, abilities, and knowledge, as well as on the amount of preparation needed.  It also provides a list of jobs in the "Green Economy Sector."  Each occupational description includes information about tasks performed, tools and technology used, knowledge, skills, and abilities required, work activities, work context, and education needed.  It's often said that if you find a job you enjoy, you'll never have to "work" a day in your life.  Good luck with finding your own work-free job! 

Consumer Action Handbook

As usual, at the stroke of midnight on Halloween, Santa chased away the goblins and the holiday shopping season officially began. If you'd like to be a smart shopper this year, you might want to download or order a free copy of the Federal Citizen Information Center's Consumer Action Handbook:

https://www.usa.gov/handbook

The Handbook includes tips on buying cars, managing credit, going green, privacy and identity theft, travel, and even things like wills and funerals. It also provides information on how to file a complaint if that becomes necessary, along with a directory of corporate consumer contact numbers. If everyone had a copy of the Handbook, the saying might become "retailer beware" rather than "buyer beware."