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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 15, 2009)
Page 6 The INDEPENDENT, October 15, 2009 Beware of phony IRS email scams Can You Dig It? By Schann Nelson OSU Master Gardener Back in the day, Rodale Press and Organic Gar- dening magazine were THE reference for trying to feed your family higher quality, greater variety food than what was avail- able in stores. The other day I pulled out one of the first books I bought, Or- ganic Orcharding – A Grove of Trees to Live In by Gene Logsdon (1981, Rodale Press). My cur- rent obsession with controlling the mites, white- flies, scab, powdery mildew, and black spot led me to the opening sentence of Chapter 12, “We customarily look upon fungal diseases as aber- rations on the face of nature.” Holy Moly! This was considered an organic attitude! Logsdon goes on to give what now seems a narrow explanation of the value of fun- gi in the ecology/environment, words he does not use. He correctly encourages buying resist- ant cultivars whenever possible. Limiting dam- age to beneficial insects seems to be a main concern. I agree that copper (as Bordeaux mix- ture) is “perhaps the least objectionable” of the fungicides he mentions which include: Captan, Cyrex, DDT, Phenyl mercury, and Thiolux most of which are no longer available. How different our world after thirty more years of dedicated re- search. The array of methods, cultivars and equipment to gar- den in harmony with the ecosys- tem would astonish even the most dedicated “organic” garden- er of that time. Integrated Pest Management, botanical oils, drip irrigation, row covers and who know what else, were simply not available to the home gardener fifty years ago. We are privileged to have a wide variety of products with increas- ing levels of toxicity and a system to define what “organic” means – in the garden and in the gro- cery store. As readers know, I treated several parts of my yard with Neem over the summer and achieved good control of targeted pests and diseases on clematis, hops, roses, apples and berries. Both the tomatoes and cucumbers recovered from de- bilitating mold infestations, grew vigorously after treatment and produced higher yields from few- er plants (6 and 4 respectively) than I ever had before. However, the fruit tree and ornamentals in the yard need further intervention to reach a level I find tolerable, especially with scab. I haven’t gotten the oil spray on yet, but I hope to pour vegetable oil in the hose-end sprayer and get a thin coat on before harvest. I’m determined to get a good two applications of copper on the apples BEFORE the leaves fall off. I love the hose-end sprayer. Spraying any of the ‘–cides’ may be a necessary evil, but spray- ing fertilizer is way cool. Plants green-up almost in front of your eyes from a weak foliar application of fertilizer. I used fish fertil- izer to avoid an excess of nitrogen (especially on tomatoes!) and immediate infusion of potassi- um and phosphorus. The lawn turned a vivid dark emerald after an applica- tion of liquid kelp – wow! Enjoy the colors of fall! Rake leaves! Move/divide perenni- als and shrubs and water liberally until the rains come. Bait for slugs. Plant bulbs (in- cluding garlic) for spring flowers or forcing in- doors. Take a moment to watch for salmon, soak up any sun that comes your way and breathe! Happy Halloween VERNONIA INN Enjoy a quiet weekend with us. FULL SIZE, IN ROOM HOT TUBS Queen Beds • Private Bath • Separate Entrance Cable TV • Phones • Handicapped Access • Commercial Rates FOR RESERVATIONS CALL 1-800-354-9494 / 503-429-4006 Gift Certificates Available 900 MADISON AVE., VERNONIA, OR 97064 Just one block off scenic Nehalem River Hwy. (Oregon 47) Attorney General John Kroger is warning Oregonians about fake Internal Revenue Service e-mails, which ask re- cipients for personal financial information to receive addition- al stimulus checks. The IRS never uses e-mail to initiate contact with taxpayers, and will never ask for personal informa- tion through e-mail. To date, the IRS reports that taxpayers have forwarded them more than 33,000 of these scam e- mails. Taxpayers who receive unsolicited e-mails claiming to be from the IRS can forward the message to: phish@irs.gov. The most pervasive IRS scam e-mail in circulation re- lates to economic stimulus pay- ments. Actually, most taxpay- ers had to do nothing except file their federal tax return to re- ceive the stimulus payment. Criminals pose as IRS repre- sentatives to trick taxpayers into revealing personal finan- cial information to receive the stimulus money; often referred to as a “rebate” in these scam e-mails. The alleged IRS e-mails, so- liciting personal financial infor- mation, are classic “phishing” scams. Phishing is a tactic used by internet-based thieves to trick unsuspecting victims into providing personal finan- cial information, which is then used to access the victim’s ac- counts. Thieves use the vic- tim’s information to liquidate fi- nancial accounts; apply for loans or credit in the victim’s name; and sell this valuable in- formation to other thieves. Here are some tips to spot scam e-mails: Phishing e-mails often pur- port to be sent from prominent financial institutions or govern- ment agencies, but the web- sites associated with the e- mails do not match those of the real website. If you suspect an e-mail to be fraudulent, do not click on the embedded website, rather, search for the company or agency independently on the internet. Contact the company or agency through the “contact us” option link, from your inde- pendent web search. No financial institution or government agency will ever ask you for sensitive personal financial information via e-mail. Nor will any financial institution or government agency ask you to verify information via e-mail. Be wary of “urgent appeals.” Neither the government, nor fi- nancial institutions, will make e-mail contact with you regard- ing “urgent” actions. Phony e-mails often contain broken English and grammati- cal errors. Remember, “if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.” Common “too good to be true” scams include foreign lottery win- nings; work-from-home scams; secret shopper; and, “high return” investment opportunities. Church Directory N EHALEM V ALLEY B IBLE C HURCH S EVENTH D AY A DVENTIST F IRST B APTIST C HURCH Gary Taylor, Pastor Grant & North Streets, Vernonia 503 429-5378 Sunday School 10:00 a.m. Morning Worship 11:00 a.m. Nursery available Wednesday Service 7:00 p.m. Gary S. Walter, Pastor 2nd Ave. and Nehalem St., Vernonia 503 429-8301 Morning Worship, 11:00 a.m. Sabbath School 9:30 a.m. 359 “A” Street, Vernonia 503 429-4027 Sunday School 9:45 a.m. Sunday Worship Service 11:00 a.m. Wednesday Prayer Meeting 7:00 p.m. A SSEMBLY OF G OD S T . M ARY ' S C ATHOLIC C HURCH Wayne and Maureene Marr 662 Jefferson Ave., Vernonia, 503 429-0373 Sunday School 9:45 a.m. Morning Worship 11:00 a.m Rev. Luan Tran, Administrator 960 Missouri Avenue, Vernonia 503 429-8841 Mass Sunday 12:00 Noon Religious Educ. Sunday 10:30 a.m. V ERNONIA C HRISTIAN C HURCH V ERNONIA C OMMUNITY C HURCH Sam Hough, Minister 410 North Street, Vernonia 503 429-6522 Sunday School 9:45 a.m. Sunday Worship 11:00 a.m. (meets in Youth & Family Center) Home Group Meeting throughout the week at various locations Grant Williams, Pastor 957 State Avenue, Vernonia 503 429-6790 Sunday Breakfast 9:00 a.m. Morning Worship 9:45 a.m. Children and Nursery 10:00 a.m. Youth Group 6:00 p.m. Preschool Mon. & Wed. 9:00 a.m. Wednesday Prayer 6:00 p.m. Tues. & Fri. Adult Volleyball 7:00 p.m. V ERNONIA F OURSQUARE C HURCH Carl Pense, Pastor 850 Madison Avenue, Vernonia 503 429-1103 Sunday Worship Service: 10:30 a.m. Children’s Sunday School C HURCH OF J ESUS C HRIST OF L ATTER D AY S AINTS Marc Farmer, Branch President 1350 E. Knott Street, Vernonia 503 429-7151 Sacrament Meeting, Sunday 10 a.m. Sunday School & Primary 11:20 a.m. Relief Society, Priesthood and Young Women, Sunday 12:10 p.m.