| Lessons our children learn too early
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Who's Blogging
Another popular e-mail scam tells the recipient he needs to download and use an attached IRS form in order to properly file their taxes, or that the recipient is the subject of an IRS audit and should view the attached document. The attachments almost invariably contain spyware that tries to steal passwords and financial data from the victim's computer. "These scams appear to be growing in both variety and sophistication," said J. Russell George, head of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, which provides oversight of IRS activities. "Taxpayers must be aware that, as a rule, the IRS does not send out unsolicited e-mails, and under no circumstance requests credit card information and pin numbers either by email or telephone. Anyone who receives an email claiming to be from the IRS should not open the attachment or attempt to visit any Web site contained within the email." The IRS is urging anyone who wishes to access its Web site to do so by typing the www.irs.gov address into their Internet address window, rather than clicking on a link in an e-mail or opening an attachment.
Ugly Betty's Bogota
FOR MOST people, the prospect of holidaying in Bogota is about as appealing as taking a mini-break in Baghdad. The capital of Colombia is more famous for cocaine, corruption and crime than for its swinging nightlife. But though things in the Latin American city certainly were bad - in the 1990s it had a homicide rate of 80 per 100,000 - Bogota has cleaned up its act. And now, obsessed with soap operas and the birthplace of the series Ugly Betty, it is reaching out to new fans. Beyond the grinding poverty, crime, gridlocked traffic and choking smog, there is a lot to recommend Colombia's capital. And a growing number of tourists, eager to get off the beaten track, are flocking to experience South America's fourth largest city. Bogota is one of the continent's most splendid repositories of colonial architecture and art and the home of one of its most vibrant cultural scenes.
Wild Card -- Weekend
He became Santa Claus when donning the suit at shopping malls, church and community Christmas parties and for several years on Christmas Eve when we'd surprise the winner of the newspaper's Letters to Santa contest with a personal visit. For the rest of the column by Kerri Thoreson/Coeur d'Alene Press about Santa Claus (aka, the late Ron Rankin), click here. .
Aging Mesa outlet mall nears dubious milestone
VF Factory Outlet remains open at Power and Baseline roads. But 15 of 31 retail spaces surrounding the anchor store now sit empty. One more closure, and the 24-year-old mall will be half empty. Its a shame, said Joe Brown, a winter resident from Canada who has shopped at the mall for years. This used to be a really nice place. Closed storefront windows in one desolate wing of the mall show signs that read: Another Exciting Outlet Opening Soon! But Nicole Ganatos, an assistant manager at Dress Barn, said the wing has sat empty since she began working at the mall more than three months ago. She said part of the malls problem has been its prolonged lack of a food court or snack bar. People dont want to shop if they cant get something to drink, Ganatos said. Creative Ice Cream used to operate the snack bar, but the vendor shut down its services in March leaving the mall without a source of refreshments for almost a year.
IAC's shares jump 2% amid turmoil
IAC/InterActiveCorp, owner of the HSN home shopping network and Ticketmaster, rose almost 2 percent in U.S. trading on speculation billionaire John Malone will fail to wrest control of the company from chairman Barry Diller. Malone's Liberty Media Corp., which holds 30 percent of IAC's shares and 62 percent of its voting power, asked a court to let it oust Diller and six directors from IAC's board, according to a complaint filed Monday in Wilmington, Del. Liberty, the Douglas County-based owner of the QVC and Starz channels, wants to name three directors to IAC's board to fill the vacancies. IAC and Liberty traded lawsuits last week over Diller's plan to split IAC into five publicly traded companies and to halve Liberty's voting power. IAC rose 48 cents to $25.65 in Nasdaq composite trading, the highest since Jan.
Super Bowl's Big Day for TV, Pizza Sales
Best Buy targets Super Bowl shoppers with specials such as no interest for 2 to 3 years on certain TVs and guaranteed delivery in time for the game. The retailer also tries to push shoppers to buy additional accessories by offering discounts when audio equipment or a DVD player is added to a purchase, and by offering full home theater packages, including installation, for one price "Some people will start up with a TV, and then they want to get the surround-sound experience," Mrozowski said. "And then, of course, furniture to put it on. And then ... they'll start looking into the new gaming systems. And then that of course will roll into, 'Well, maybe let's incorporate that into an audio system.'" Once a football fan starts completely redesigning their TV viewing experience, they also often decide the old threadbare sofa no longer makes the cut.
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