Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, February 29, 2020

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 Mountain Views News Saturday, February 29, 2020 


BEWARE OF POTENTIAL 2020 
CENSUS SCAMS

Dear Savvy Senior:

Can you offer some tips to help seniors guard against 
census scams? With the 2020 census gear-ing up, I’ve 
read that there are a lot of potential scammers out there looking to take advantage of older people and 
I want to protect myself. Cautious Judy

Dear Judy:

Unfortunately, scams have become a persistent problem when the U.S. Census Bureau does its 
once-a-decade count of the U.S. population. Here’s what you can expect from the 2020 Census in 
the coming weeks, and how you can protect yourself from potential scams.

What to Expect

In mid-March, you and nearly every other U.S. household will receive an invitation in the mail 
to respond to the 2020 Census. This year, you will have the option of completing the 2020 census 
questionnaire either online, by mail, or by phone. The invitation will include detailed instructions 
of what you need to do.

If you don’t respond to this invitation letter, you will receive several follow-up postcard remind-ers 
from the Census Bureau by mail. If you still don’t respond by late April, a census worker will come 
to your door to collect your response in person. 

It only takes a few minutes to complete the census questionnaire. 

While census participation is very important and required by law, you also need to be vigilant of 
census-linked scams. This is especially important for seniors who tend to be prime targets. 

The Census Bureau warns against phishing email scams as well as con artist masquerading as cen-
sus workers who will try to solicit your personal financial information. Here are some tips that can 
help you protect yourself.

Guard Your Information

Don’t give out your personal or financial information. The Census Bureau or a legitimate census 
worker will never ask for your Social Security number, bank account number, credit card number, 
money or donations. And they will never contact you on behalf of a political party. If you’re asked 
for any of these, whether it be via phone, mail, email or in person, it’s a scam and should be reported 
to rumors@census.gov.

Avoid Online Scams

The Census Bureau will not send you an unsolicited email to request your participation in the 2020 
Census. So, ignore any emails you get that may direct you to a census website that looks real but 
is fake – and may be infected with malware. Also, don’t reply to the email or open any attachment 
because they could contain viruses that could infect your computer. Forward the email or website 
address to the Census Bureau at rumors@census.gov. Then delete the message.

Be Safe at Home

If someone visits your home to collect a response for the 2020 Census, make sure you verify their 
identity. A legitimate census taker must present a field badge that includes a photograph of themselves, 
a Department of Commerce watermark and an expiration date. Census workers will also be 
carrying a Census Bureau laptop or cellphone, as well as a bag with a Census Bureau logo.

Also, remember that a census worker will only ask you the questions that appear on the question-
naire – your name, gender, age, race, ethnicity, phone number, type of residence and number of 
people living with you. They will not ask for sensitive personal information, such as your Social 
Security or credit card number. 

If you have questions about their identity, you can call 800-923-8282 to speak with a local Cen-sus 
Bureau representative. If it is determined that the visitor who came to your door does not work for 
the Census Bureau, contact your local police department.

For more information on the 2020 Census, visit 2020census.gov. 

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.
org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” 
book.

SENIOR HAPPENINGS

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! …February Birthdays*

Beatrice DaRe, Cathrine Adde, Hilda Pittman, Anne-Marie Stockdale, Susan 
Henderson, Allie Attay, Ursula El-Tawansy, Gladys Moser, Sylvia Lorhan, Ana 
Ptanski, Winifred Swanson , Janet Gillespie, Marian DeMars, Vickie Vernon, 
Mary Beth Knox, Sharon Lefler. 

 * To add your name to this distinguished list, please call the paper at 
626.355.2737. YEAR of birth not required


HART PARK HOUSE MONTHLY PROGRAMS: 

Unless listed differently, all activities are at the Hart Park House (Senior Center) 222 W. 
Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre

Hawaiian & Polynesian Dance Class: Every Tuesday Morning from 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. 
Join the class with Instructor Barbara Dempsey as she leads you in the art of Hula!

Bingo Time: Every Tuesday beginning at 1:00 p.m. Cards are only $0.25 each! Everyone is welcome to play! Activity may 
be canceled if there are less than five people.

Free Blood Pressure Testing: 2nd Tuesdays Monthly from 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. No appointment is necessary.

Brain Games: Every third Thursday of the month at 12:45-1:45pm Join us for Scattergories, a creative thinking game by 
naming objects within a set of categories; or Jenga, a block-building challenge that keeps you stacking and bal-ancing 
your tower. Everyone is welcome, and no experience is needed. A great way to strengthen your mind and make new 
friends... Games are facilitated by Senior Volunteers. 

Free Legal Consultation: Wednesday, February 12th from 10:30 a.m. - Noon. Attorney Lem Makupson is available for 
legal consultation. Specializing in Family Law, Wills, Trusts, Estates and Injury. Please call the Hart Park House for an 
appointment, 626-355-5278 ext. 704.

Senior Club: Meets Saturdays, Weekly at Hart Park House Brown Bag Lunch, great company and bingo at 11:30 a.m.

Chair Yoga: Mondays & Wednesdays 11:00 - 11:45 a.m. with Paul Hagen. Classes include Yoga and balance exercises. 
All ability levels are encouraged and welcomed!

Birthday Celebration: Every 2nd Thursday Monthly at the Hart Park House. Share free birthday cake and ice cream 
kindly provided by the Senior Community Commission!

Game Day: Every Thursday Monthly 12:00 Noon come into the Hart Park House and join a lively poker game with 
friends!

Free Strength Training Class: Fridays 12:45 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. with Lisa Brandley Light weights, low impact resistance 
training and body conditioning. Class equipment provided.

Gentle Yoga for Active Seniors: Every Monday & Wednesday from 8:15 - 9:45 a.m. with Andrea Walsh at the Hart Park 
House. Classes include complete floor relaxation, standing and floor postures, balancing, and featuring extended 
meditations on the fourth Wednesdays of the month! Call (626)-355-5278 for more information.


MEALS - ON - WHEELS PROGRAM

The Home Delivered Meals Program provides healthy meals to homebound Seniors 60 and above. 
Seven frozen meals, milk, bread and fruit are included and delivered once a week. $3 Donation per 
meal is suggested but remains completely anonymous and voluntary. Clients must be eligible and we 
invite you to contact YWCA Intervale Senior Services at 626-214-9467. SUBJECT TO CHANGE 
WITHOUT NOTICE SUGGESTED DONATION $3.00 1% LOW FAT MILK INCLUDED


SENIOR CINEMA 1st & 3rd Wednesdays at 1:00 p.m.

February 5th “Moonstruck” PG; 1 
hr. 42 min.

Loretta Castorini, a bookkeeper 
from Brooklyn, New York, finds 
herself in a difficult situation when 
she falls for the brother of the man 
that she has agreed to marry

 

February 19th “Hope Floats” 
PG-13; 1 hr. 54 min

Birdee Calvert choose between 
her morals and her heart after 
her husband divorces her and a 
charming young man, who her 
daughter disapproves of, comes 
back into her life.


AUTRY MUSEUM (LOS ANGELES)—LOS ANGELES

*Date: Thursday, February 20th *Time: 9:00 a.m.-2:30 p.m. *Cost: $20 per 
person

Don't miss a visit to this historic museum and the once in a lifetime exhibit Master 
of the American West Art Exhibition and Sale. See paintings and sculptures by 
more than 60 nationally recognized, contemporary Western artists. A one hour 
docent-led tour of the exhibit will be given upon arrival.

* Lunch will be on your own at the Crossroads West Café at the Autry;

* Participants should bring money for lunch & souvenirs;

* Level of Walking: Medium;

* Bus departs from the Hart Park House Senior Center at 9:00am and returns at 2:30 p.m.

 Please arrive 15 minutes prior to departure. 

Sierra Madre Resident Registration starts Monday, January 27, 2020 through Tuesday, February 4, 
2020. Non-Resident Registration starts online or in-person on Wednesday, February 5, 2020.


OUT TO PASTOR 

A Weekly Religion Column by Rev. James Snyder

IN MY HUMBLE OPINION 

It was a busy week last week. I was chasing my tail so much, I thought I would actually 
catch it. What I would do after I caught it is beyond my imagination.

However, I was quite busy, and then the mail came.

Whenever the mail comes, I’m always expecting “the check.” Rarely do I get it, but my 
expectation is that I will get a $10,000 check. I don’t know from whom.

“What are you going to the mailbox for?” The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage would ask. “Are you 
looking for your $10,000 check?”

One of these days, I am going to get a $10,000 check and rub it in her face before I take it to the bank.

This time the mail brought me a package from one of my relatives. It turned out to be old pictures of my 
family from decades ago. Most of them were black-and-white, so you can imagine how old they were.

As I was going through these photographs, I could hardly recognize most of them. According to the letter 
in the package, they were my relatives. Most had been dead for 40 to 50 years. I cannot re-member what I 
had for breakfast this morning, let alone a relative 50 years ago.

Then I hit that “aha” moment. There was a picture of a relative I had long ago forgotten about. Why I forgot 
about him, I will never know. He actually died almost 50 years ago.

When I saw that picture, I had to call my wife over to show her.

“This is a picture of Uncle Frank.” I leaned back and smiled, thinking of him and all the antics as-sociated 
with him.

“Have I ever met your Uncle Frank?”

I looked at my wife, smiled, and said, "No, my dear, you would have remembered him if you did."

The memories of good old Uncle Frank began marinating in my head, and stories began develop-ing. If 
anybody could screw up a situation, it was good old Uncle Frank.

He was a good person in many regards; very congenial and generous and happy all the time. How-ever, 
his timing was not really that good, and what he said never aligned with what was happening at the time.

His wife, Aunt Betty, always got frustrated at her husband when he was interrupting her conversa-tions. 
He did that quite often, much to her chagrin. And believe me, her “cha” didn't grin that much.

In the middle of a conversation, Uncle Frank would break in and say, “In my humble opinion…” Then he 
would take the conversation off in the direction nobody could have ever expected. He had the knack of 
messing up conversations to the point that nobody knew what anybody was talking about.

If, for example, somebody was talking about politics, Uncle Frank would say, "In my humble opin-ion, the 
Red Sox are going to win the World Series…" And for the next five or six minutes, he would be talking 
about baseball, which had nothing whatsoever to do with the conversation he in-terrupted.

By the time he was done, nobody could remember what in the world they were talking about be-fore.

I never really knew if Uncle Frank did that on purpose or if it just came naturally to him. I would have 
liked to have gotten to know him a little better because I am suspicious that he did it most of the time on 
purpose.

One time, I wish that I could have been there then, it all came to a head.

I think it was in a church setting, but a group of people was together talking about something. I do not 
know what the conversation was about, and I wish I‘d been there. But it was at that point that everything 
came to a head with good old Uncle Frank.

As the conversation was getting along all of a sudden, Uncle Frank said, “In my humble opinion…” At that 
moment, Aunt Betty had enough, jumped in, and took control of the situation.

"Frank," she said in a very stern voice, "you are not humble, and nobody is interested in any opin-ion you 
might have."

According to the report I was given, everybody went silent and tried looking in the opposite direc-tion 
because Aunt Betty was staring at Uncle Frank as he had never been stared at before or since.

From that moment on, nobody ever heard Uncle Frank ever say again the words, “In my humble opinion…”

My wife laughed rather heartily as I told her this story. I wish she could have met him because he was quite 
a character. I must say, as I think about that situation, my wife reminds me a lot of good ole Aunt Betty.

Later on that day, we were involved in something; she was talking about the plans that we needed to make, 
and I interrupted her by saying, "In my humble opinion…" That is as far as I got because she immediately 
jumped in and said, “Now I know who reminds me of Uncle Frank.”

A verse of Scripture came to my mind at that time. “Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the 
elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, 
and giveth grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5).

What I have learned is that humble people rarely give their opinion.

Dr. James L. Snyder is pastor of the Family of God Fellowship, 1471 Pine Road, Ocala, FL 34472. 


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com