Desert Messenger

22 www.DesertMessenger.com August 17, 2022 READER'S OASIS BOOKS 690 E. Main - Quartzsite (one block east of Family Dollar) P��� 22 ���.D�����M��������.��� A����� 3, 2011 PUZZLE PAGE (page 20) ANSWERS CAN‛T FIND "THE MESSENGER"? JOIN THE THOUSANDS READING IT ONLINE! Sign up for FREE VIP alerts when the next E-edition of the DESERT MESSENGER is available @ www.DesertMessenger.com From June 29-July 28, 2011 there was 23,028 page views! ing ends meet, some possibly at a small profit, others slowly being forced out of business due to politics or lack of patrons, or sadly, both. We should be very appre- ciative of these businesses staying open to serve our community even though they know they will be losing money ($) in the summer. Some of our owners are residents, others not, but still care to do business here. We have a wonderful town, a safe town, a town at the start of great growth potential. The possibilities exist for many good things to come, good things to nurture in our future genera- tions who have a great place to advance the growth of Quartzsite. Yes, we need many more services, more stores, more homes, more, more…let's start by help- ing ALL of the businesses in town. They are here for the right reasons. And, we would like Quartzsite to succeed, and grow. Our 'Quirky' Quartzsite should open its arms and say, "Welcome, enjoy our uniqueness, come and stay awhile, or, move right on in." If you have stories, comments or ques- tions of interest and/or would like to be interviewed, please write to me at: Per- spectives: Violet Kiss, PO Box 4883, Quartzsite, AZ 85359-4883. PERSPECTIVES FROM PAGE 15 dictions where liability depends upon ownership, this principle possibly could be determinative. Holding land owners responsible when cats on their property prey on protected bird species would encour- age responsible cat management and localize the problem to a great extent. All concerned agree, the behavior of cat owners toward their pets must be addressed in order to get this problem under control. There would be no feral cats without careless or irresponsible pet owners who either purposely or in- advertently allow their unaltered cats to roam free or "dump" them. The po- tential for unaltered cats to reproduce in exponential numbers when sup- plied with a sufficient food source is staggering. Under the circumstances, legislation, at least at the local level, pertaining to the licensing, and con- trol of pet cats is in order. Many, if not most municipalities have ordinances addressing the responsibility of own- ers toward dogs. Such ordinances can be used as models for cat laws. Do you happen to know off hand, does the Town of Quartzsite have such an ordi- nance? Feral cat colonies exist only where there is a human-supplied food source. While colony managers are well aware that an increase in the number of cats requires an increase in the amount of food that must be provided, it is equal- ly true that an increase in food results in an increase in the number of cats, where the cats are unaltered. Stated otherwise, the population number of feral cats is a function of the amount of food available to them. The basic bio- logical reality that birth rates decrease where food is scarce and increase where it is plentiful should lead us to focus on how residents in and around Quartz- site are feeding free-roaming cats. A critical area of focus in Quartzsite should be the elimination of open con- tainers containing edible garbage. An entire colony of cats might exist in and around a single garbage dumpster be- hind a store or place of business. The cats are generally not there looking for food; they are there because they FERAL CATS FROM PAGE 18 have found food and are protecting it; this is what defines a feral cat colony. Several generations of cats within the colony have survived potentially off of this one dumpster. By properly seal- ing such containers from access by cats, the birth rates within the colony will decrease and the colony will reach a sustainable size. Although policing dumpsters is hardly a priority of our local police and code enforcement of- ficer, rethinking waste management policies could be critical to feral cat population control. People must deal with cat overpopula- tion both by refusing to created more wild cats in the first place through aban- donment, blocking, stopping or getting rid of the feral cat shelters (abandoned building, sheds, open canisters, dump- sters etc), and by preventing the feral cat population growth which occurs where food is made abundantly avail- able to the feral cats. 1. Arizona State Statutes. BBB- When coping with a disaster like flooding, wildfires, tornadoes and other weather events, victims find themselves at a loss for where to begin when rebuilding and re- placing belongings. Replacing vital documents like birth certificates, drivers' licenses, Social Security Cards, etc., is another task that can seem daunting. Better Business Bureau warns victims to beware of unsolicited offers of assistance in replacing these essential docu- ments for an upfront fee. You could be dealing with a scammer. How the scam works Recently in Kentucky, following devastating floods, state transpor- tation officials warned about fake texts offering replacement drivers' licenses to flood victims. Some texts appeared to be from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC). Clicking on the link provided in the text would have led to a fake web- site asking for personal information and money. Note: the real website for KYTC's driver licensing is drive. ky.gov. Consumers have submitted reports to BBB Scam Tracker about "looka- like" websites that offer to help with everything from updating postal addresses to renewing or replacing ID cards and documents for an up- front fee. In many instances, they later discovered they could have ac- complished their goal for little or no money… and have provided person- al information to an unknown third party. Learn how to identify a fake website. Scammers also continue to call and text people stating they need to re- place Medicare, Medicaid or Social Security cards. Those agencies do not operate that way! Here's how to spot a fake text. BBB warns you to be mindful of any links you click on when searching for information, so you are not led to a site pretending to be the official agency. How to avoid falling victim to a fake document replacement scam Confirm the URL before entering personal and financial informa- tion. It can be easy to click on a sponsored ad or impostor website without noticing. Before typing any sensitive information, double- check that the website and the link are secure. (Secure links start with "HTTPS://" and include a lock icon on the purchase page. Learn more at BBB.org/BBBSecure.) Be wary of third-party websites. There are legitimate passport assis- tance services but check with BBB. org first to ensure you aren't shar- ing your personal or financial infor- mation with a scammer. Make online purchases with a credit card. Users can dispute fraudulent charges made on a credit card, which might not be the case with other payment methods. Unfortu- nately, there is no way to get back the personal information you may have shared. Some state and federal agencies will replace certain documents free of charge when an emergency is in effect. People can find information on replacing cards and documents at USA.gov's Replace Your Vital Re- cords page. In Canada, see the Gov- ernment of Canada's Help Centre to replace stolen, lost or destroyed documents. For more information If you have been the victim of this or another scam, make others aware by filing a report on BBB.org/Scam- Tracker and contact the Federal Trade Commission to recover from possible identity theft. In Cana- da, report to the Canada Revenue Agency. Learn more about similar scams in- volving change of address services and lookalike DMV and passport sites. Visit BBB's Spot a Scam page for more tips. Avoid disaster scams

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