2010 Census Bureau

2010 Census Cautions from the Better Business Bureau

Be Cautious About Giving Info to Census Workers, by Susan Johnson


With the U.S. Census process beginning, the Better Business Bureau (BBB)
advises people to be cooperative, but cautious, so as not to become a
victim of fraud or identity theft. The first phase of the 2010 U.S.
Census is under way as workers have begun verifying the addresses of
households across the country. Eventually, more than 140,000 U.S. Census
workers will count every person in the United States and will gather
information about every person living at each address including name,
age, gender, race, and other relevant data.

The big question is - how do you tell the difference between a U.S.
Census worker and a con artist? BBB offers the following advice:

If a U.S. Census worker knocks on your door, they will have a badge, a
handheld device, a Census Bureau canvas bag, and a confidentiality
notice. Ask to see their identification and their badge before answering
their questions. However, you should never invite anyone you don't know
into your home.

Census workers are currently only knocking on doors to verify address
information. Do not give your Social Security number, credit card or
banking information to anyone, even if they claim they need it for the
U.S. Census.

REMEMBER,
NO MATTER WHAT THEY ASK, YOU REALLY ONLY NEED TO TELL THEM HOW MANY
PEOPLE LIVE AT YOUR ADDRESS.

While the Census Bureau might ask for basic financial information, such
as a salary range, YOU DON'T HAVE TO ANSWER ANYTHING
AT ALL ABOUT YOUR FINANCIAL SITUATION. The Census Bureau will NOT ask
for Social Security, bank account, or credit card numbers, nor will
employees solicit donations. Any one asking for that information is
NOT with the Census Bureau.

AND REMEMBER, THE CENSUS BUREAU HAS DECIDED NOT TO WORK WITH ACORN ON
GATHERING THIS INFORMATION. No Acorn worker should approach you saying
he/she is with the Census Bureau.

Eventually, Census workers may contact you by telephone, mail,
or in person at home. However, the Census Bureau will NOT contact you
by Email, so be on the lookout for Email scams impersonating the Census.

Never click on a link or open any attachments in an Email that are
supposedly from the U.S. Census Bureau.

For more advice on avoiding identity theft and fraud, visit www.bbb.org
<http://www.bbb.org/>

PLEASE SHARE THIS INFO WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS

Saggin Pants

Saggin Pants

Pass this on to Our Youth, Our Parents, Our Black Men and Women
Letter from a college student
The other day, a friend of mine visited me in the lobby of my dorm just to chat while her laundry was drying. As we were chatting, two young freshmen came by. One of the 2 boys wanted to 'talk' to my friend (as in date). She asked him how old they were, and both of the boys replied 18. My friend and I both laughed hysterically because we are both 22 years old.
After my friend left, the young men were still hanging around and one wanted to know how he could gain her interest.
The first thing I told him to do was to pull up his pants! He asked why, and then said he liked saggin ' his pants. I told him to come over to my computer and spell the word saggin'. Then I told him to write the word saggin ' backwards.
S-A-G-G-I-N
N-I-G- G-A-S
I told him the origin of that look was from centuries ago. It was the intent of slave owners to demoralize the field workers by forbidding them to wear a belt as they worked in the fields or at any other rigorous job. In addition, men in prison wore their pants low when they were 'spoken for'. The other reason their pants looked like that was they were not allowed to have belts because prisoners were likely to try to commit suicide. And, saggin' pants prevents you from running.
We as young Black people have to be the ones to effect change. We are dying. The media has made a mockery of the Black American. Even our brothers and sisters from Africa don't take us seriously. Something as simple as pulling up your pants and standing with your head held high could make the biggest difference in the world's perception of us. It is time to do right by ourselves. We need to love and embrace each other. No one is going to do that for us.
It all comes down to perception. What people perceive is what reality to them is. We have to change not only the media's perception of us, but we need to change our perception of ourselves.
Remember all eyes are on you Black Man. All eyes are on you Black Woman. All eyes are on your Black Child. People point the finger at us and expect us to engage in negative and illegal activities, to manifest loud, boisterous behavior, to spend our hard earned money in their stores, buying goods we don't need, or really want. We have allowed not only the media, but the government and the world to portray us as a 'sub-culture. ' They have stripped our culture down to the point where the image of Black people is perpetuated as rappers, athletes, drug users, and consumers of junk food, expensive tennis shoes, expensive cars, expensive TVs, cell phones and not investing in homes for our families.
We are so much more!!!!!!!
To all our Black Men : It's time to stand up. There are billions of Black Women who want to do nothing more than worship the ground that you walk on. We are so in love with your potential. We want to have your back, we want to love, support20and cherish every ounce of your being. But with that you have to show that you are willing to be the head of our households. You have to prove yourselves worthy of our submission. We need you to be hard working...Not a hustler. We need you to seek higher education, to seek spirituality. We need you to stand! And trust us; we will have your back. We know that it gets hard. We know you get weary. Trust and believe that there is nothing that a Black Man and a Black Woman can't handle with GOD on their side.
To all our Black Women : It is also time for you to stand up. It is time for you to stop using our bodies as our primary form of communication. It is time to be that virtuous woman that Proverbs spoke of. You cannot sit by the wayside while our men are dying by the masses. You are the epitome of Black Love. It starts within you. You need to speak with conviction to let not only our Black Men know, but the world, that you are the Mothers of this world. You are so powerful. You are so beautiful. You need to love and embrace every blessing God has given us physically, emotionally and spiritually.
For all our Black Children : We need to love them. We need to teach them. We need to stand up for them. We need to protect them. We need to show them that there are no 'get rich quick' schemes. We need to tell them that they WILL die trying if they submit to a life of crime and deceit. We need to teach our children that no one will love them the way we can. And be ing a basketball player, a rapper, or a drug dealer is not reality. It's not realistic and only a small percentage of people ever make it as a rapper or professional athlete. We need to teach our children that we can be more than rappers and athletes. We can be the owners of these sports teams. We can be the CEO's of OUR fortune 500 companies. We need to believe in literacy.
Please Keep This Going & Have a wonderful day
'This is the year of empowerment. ' God will empower us to accomplish things this year that will be mind blowing'.
GOD BLESS,