Friday, August 30, 2019

Passing of Dan Tarpley



Dear Neighbors,
We are sad to report the passing of Dan Tarpley, who lived in Captains Cove, has many friends in Tantallon, and whose wife “Poss” has remained active in the Tanta-Cove Garden Club. Please keep Dan and his family in your thoughts and prayers.
Jerald Dan Tarpley, Jr. "Dan” (Age 77)  
Of Alexandria, Virginia, passed away on August 22, 2019 surrounded by his family. He was born July, 1942, in Lubbock, Texas, to Dan and Moselle Tarpley. He married Hallie Beth Pierce "Poss," March 31, 1965. Dan is survived by his wife, Poss, of Alexandria, VA; two children, Sarah Tarpley of Reston, Virginia and Susannah Monteith of Alexandria, Virginia; brother Stephen Tarpley of Freeport, Maine; sons-in-law Joseph Cox of Reston, Virginia and Eric Monteith of Alexandria, Virginia; and grandchildren Ian and Isla Monteith of Alexandria, Virginia. Dan earned a Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics at Texas Tech University followed by a PhD in Astrogeophysics from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Dan was the Chief of the Land Surfaces Branch of NOAA/NESDIS, for whom he worked for over three decades. He focused on using weather satellites to study the land surface for weather and climate applications before retiring in 2007. He enjoyed reading, playing bridge, canoeing, following the Washington Nationals, taking walks and participating in shooting competitions. His favorite pastime in retirement was time spent with his loving wife Poss and their grandchildren. Funeral services will be held Friday, August 30, 2019 at 11 a.m. at St. John's Episcopal Church, 9801 Livingston Road, Fort Washington, Maryland 20744. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Holt International, at www.holtinternational.org

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Robocall Scams Get More Sophisticated and Costly

(Click on the image for the Consumer Reports article)

Imposter scams are rising because criminals are doing more research—especially on social media—to target and earn the trust of victims they think might result in a big payday.
The elderly are still the prime targets because, according to the FTC, older victims tend to lead to bigger paydays for crooks.
4 Popular Phone Scams:
  1. The Tech Support Scam
  2. Family Emergency Scam
  3. Government Imposter Scam
  4. Medicare Scam

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Invitation from The Conservancy of Broad Creek - Sep 14

Note: Waterside Court is near the River Bend Estates Community

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Travel Websites Mislead by Falsely Declaring Few Rooms Remain

(Click on the image for Washington Consumers' Checkbook report)

  • It’s the oldest sales trick in the book: Tell customers demand is high and supply low, and if they don’t act quickly an offer will disappear. Many hotel-booking websites take this tactic to extremes. Shop for rooms on many of them, and search results issue constant warnings about scarcity.
  • Among sites we tested, Priceline had the most claims of room shortages. For the 10 searches we conducted using it, on average 21 of its first 25 listings had warnings about low availability. Orbitz was the next-worst in this department, with more than half the listings giving warnings about shortages. And the other six websites also advertised shortages that typically don’t really exist.
  • We found several sites don’t try to stress out their customers: Google.com/travel, Kayak, momondo, Travelzoo, and trivago don’t display these kinds of warnings. But it’s difficult to give them much credit, given that all these sites are operated by Booking or Expedia, which also own the websites that do display misleading claims about availability. Plus, Kayak, et al., often send you to sister sites that deceive.