Commentary

Words fitly spoken

We all know the old adage, “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” Not true, in my opinion. Words can indeed be very hurtful and long remembered. I have counseled with adults in many situations who remember word for word things said to them as a mere child. Some very young children can clearly recite something that a parent or other supposedly loving adult said to them when they were younger than school age.

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Fun with digital images on JibJab

This past week, three of my family members had birthdays. Rather than send them traditional paper birthday cards, or canned e-cards, I decided to do something a little different. I created a series of humorous musical videos using their faces in the videos. Some of the videos I e-mailed directly, while others were posted on Facebook as a public celebration of their birthdays. The Web site that I used to create these videos is JibJab (jibjab.com).

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After accident, you’re owed for all of your ‘loss’

Q. My family was involved in a car accident. It was the other driver’s fault. We are attempting to settle but the insurance company only wants to pay for medical bills and damage to our car, even though we went through a lot of stress and other financial loss. What can I do to have them compensate us?

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More free utilities to clean your hijacked PC

Hardly a week goes by that I do not get a call from a friend or co-worker asking for help with a computer that had been hijacked by one of the thousands of variants of a type of malware generically known as “rogue antivirus.” Last weekend was busy for me in this respect in that I received multiple frantic calls for help on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

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Singing electrician galvanizes

Jake’s Place in Nederland is a classic Texas beer joint, located near the end of Spurlock Road in a part of town that manages to be both residential and semi-industrial at the same time.

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This contractor can’t put a lien on your property

Q. A contractor came to see me and gave me a verbal quote for work I wanted done. His total price was $2,000. I received the invoice in the mail and promptly paid it. I then received another invoice for $3,200. He said it was for extra work he had to do. I told him I would only pay the amount he quoted me. Now he has sent me a letter stating he is going to put a lien on my house if I do not pay the additional $3,200. Help! I don’t know what my legal options are.

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Prepare, file federal taxes for free

It is that time of year again. We are in the process of receiving W-2 forms, 1099s of various types, and other documents that we will need in order to prepare our income taxes.

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KSET goes silent

Radio station KSET, the Beaumont news-talk outlet that broadcasts at 1300 AM, has gone silent. A hastily scribbled note posted on the door of the KSET studio at 5550 Eastex Freeway read “KSET RADIO HAS TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED OPERATIONS. OWNER HAS TAKEN OVER MANAGEMENT.” A second note provided employees an address to e-mail their timecards.

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Fuzzy’s Taco Shop targets Beaumont

Fuzzy’s Taco Shop has arrived in Beaumont. Greg Lee, whose restaurant resumé includes Sonic, and Chuck McCarty, who has Chicken Express outlets here, are partners in Baja Tacos Amigos 1 LLC. They have acquired franchise rights to build and operate Fuzzy’s Taco Shops in Jefferson County and the cities of Galveston and Lake Charles, La.

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H2O Seafood and Grill opens

The new H2O Seafood and Grill restaurant at 7675 Memorial Blvd. in Port Arthur quietly opened in December and is already making a splash on the local restaurant scene. The location is in front of the Medical Center of Southeast Texas, sharing a strip center with Sertino’s and the King Buffet, but the space created where the old bookstore once operated is a cut above.

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