Glee Club

I see a Bad Moon Rising has never sounded so…….. much fun. Do you hear the People Sing? The neighbours certainly did and we’re sure they enjoyed it.

OUR BASIL FAWLTY EXPERIENCE

We were greeted by “Well you just made it in time, we shut the doors at 6.30pm.” Our hostess placed a typed menu in our hand and we sat down. Impressive dining room, 6 other couples.

There was knocking on the closed glass entry doors – aha, more customers. Our Hostess appeared from behind large swing doors and yelled “We’re shut, we shut at 6.30pm - come back tomorrow” It was 6.35pm!

Again the swing doors flew open and with huffing and puffing out she came with meals, saying “Is this yours or yours?” Then wiping her brow, out she went.

Woooosh the doors flew open again - it was drinks time. She grabbed two casks and went from table to table saying “Red or White” and poured from the plastic tap on the cask and disappeared though those doors.

The fellow at the next table thought his glass had only been half filled. He grabbed the casks off the bench and with exaggerated huffing and puffing and wiping of his brow, topped us all up - again and again! He sat down just as she burst in to take tea and coffee orders.

Should we try the silver service coffee – why not. Out it came - two brown arcoroc cups and saucers with unmatched teaspoons. Beautiful silver coffee pot filled with boiling water and a jar of instant coffee on the silver tray.

Back she went, you know where! We all huffed and puffed, wiped our brows and pushed imaginary swing doors – we were living dangerously! Best night ever we all agreed as we laughed our way to the car park. A Nonnymouse

Next Month –Another Mystery Guest Article.
Do you have any amazing/fascinating/funny tales to tell – or do you know someone with such a tale?
Send it on to the Editor.

Outings 2009

January: Wed 28 11.00am Celebrate Australia Day Option: Dress as an Aussie! BYO everything, BBQs available or purchase fish and chips. Venue: Thurecht Park, Scarborough UBD 81Q10 Keith B– Outings Co-Ordinator

Xmas Shockers

- 'CHRISTMAS' was the theme at Alfinas - Served with a great deal of 'GOOD CHEER' and laughter - Enjoyed were 'you beaut' sandwiches -home made scones and to top it off individual christmas patty cakes decorated with holly leaf . Great morning with Great company. HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL

Xmas Raffle

Yes – “Let’s Make It” is providing the raffle prizes for the Xmas meeting. We’re calling it “A Lazy Cushion Christmas.” There, I’ve given you a good hint. So, come prepared – these prizes will make great Christmas gifts.
Usual raffle prices – 3 tickets for $2.

Dining Out Tempters

With the first outing of restaurant visits for Christmas having taken place it’s now time to plan for the outings in 2009.

In early February plans are underway for a Chinese Banquet. Other ideas for outings are Breakfast in Café at Shorncliffe, an Indian Buffet (all you can eat), a Saturday lunch at Flinders on the Park – Sandgate and the very popular Polaris Restaurant at the TAFE at Bracken Ridge.

If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know as I welcome any input. Helen C.

ACTIVITIES-OUTINGS

As advised previously, your former committee has decided to discontinue bus type outings due to the current costs which has resulted in lower support. Your new committee at its first meeting in October has ratified this decision.To be able to enjoy each other's company, we will hold a series of Bring Your Own activities in local venues. Accordingly, initial plans are under way for a series of functions for the year. Updates will be published in the newsletter. PROPOSED ACTIVITIES FOR NSA ALBANY CREEK 2009 January: Wed 28 11.00am Celebrate Australia Day Option: Dress as an Aussie! BYO everything, BBQs available or
purchase fish and chips. Venue: Thurecht Park, Scarborough UBD 81Q10 April: Wed 29 11.00qm Celebrate May Day Sausage Sizzle supplied by club,
bring your own extras and comforts. $10.00pp, bookings essential Venue: Bullocky Rest, Joyner UBD 97M4July: 1 11.00am Celebrate 1/2 way thro’ year BYO everything, BBQs available. Venue: Sweeny Reserve off Old Dayboro Rd
Petrie UBD 98K4
October: Wed 29 9.00am Brunch with the Birds BYO everything, BBQs available Enjoy brunch, watch the birds,
visit Osprey House (opens 10.00qm) For more details of Osprey House visit
www.ospreyhouse.asn.au
Keith Banks – Outings Co-Ordinator

Happy Snappers

No Meeting in December. Next meeting on 2nd Wednesday in January (9th) at 7.30pm

Monthly Entertainment

December 12: - Christmas meeting – Vince Nash

'The Eager Readers'

We will meet at a restaurant in December for a meal with no book being issued. We might discuss the good and bad reads this year. Our next group meeting will be in January to discuss books we have read over ‘the break’.
We eagerly await the New Year.

Let’s Make It

We’ve Made It .We’re having a break for Christmas and resume in late January. Watch out for more interesting ideas and projects.Keep an eye out for the great crafty Christmas raffle. We’re making it. Phone Linda S.

"The Riotous Readers".

What a great ending to the year. Would you believe “Harry Potter, Prof. McGonagall and other look-alikes”? We watched HP and the Philosopher’s Stone, ate, drank, laughed a lot, and yes, we did indeed discuss the book “Beloved”.

CHRISTMAS IN THE CREEK

Jacaranda Park, Albany Creek
Sat 6 December 2008 6.00pm – 9.30pm

There’s no entry fee . . . . so
make this a date claimer for your Christmas festivities!


National Seniors Albany Creek will combine with Lions, Apex, Rotary and the Uniting Church to provide a band, carols, entertainers and even Santa with goodies for the children.

National Seniors provide a wheel barrow to fill with donated prizes for a raffle. There are also prizes for the best decorated table in several categories and we National Seniors have been winners of the Group prize

Bring chairs, rugs, and refreshments. Sausage and drinks are for sale from the Lions, or grab a coffee from the Van.

This is a family night that you will really enjoy!

NEW STOCK MARKET TERMS for 2008 & beyond

STANDARD & POOR – Your life in a nutshell.
MARKET CORRECTION – The day after you buy stocks
PROFIT – An archaic word no longer in use.
BROKER – What my broker has made me
VALUE INVESTING – The art of buying low & selling lower

Arts Festival

Congratulations to Brian Mathiesen 2nd place in the black and white photography division
And to Peter Sullivan - colour photography– Matt Campbell Acquisition
And to Avril Towerton - painting - Matt Campbell Acquisition
And to Marion MacLaughlin

Exhibitors at the inaugural Pine Rivers Arts Alliance Festival and Rotary Bookfest.
What a fabulous display of talent. Bush poets, Pine Rivers Musical Association, Act One Theatre group, Mic Travers Celtic group, dancers, singers, great talks on self-publishing – and all free. Can’t wait for next year.

Some of the Riotous Ones

From National Seniors

More than 22,000 low income self-funded retirees will lose access to their Commonwealth Seniors Health Card (CHSC) from July next year under a cost cutting plan by the Government. The Rudd Government is tightening access to the CHSC by implementing more stringent income definition requirements. Gross income from superannuation incomes streams from a taxed source, and income that is salary sacrificed to superannuation, will now be included in the card's income test. In losing the CSHC older Australians will no longer receive: access to pharmaceuticals at a concessional rate; bulk-billed Medicare services (at discretion of the GP); the seniors' concession allowance ($514); telephone allowance ($139); and the seniors' lump sum bonus of $500 (if this is paid again next year). National Seniors CEO Michael O'Neill said it was a real shame that older Australians were being targeted. "Self-funded retirees do not
get any other taxpayer funded benefits and they have payed taxes all their lives so to take away their only government entitlement is goingto be really tough for them,'' O'Neill said. The changes to the income
test were contained in the 2008/09 budget and confirmed at a Senate Committee Hearing in June but it wasn't until this week that is was raised by Senator Ron Boswell in the Senate.

Golf

' Us golfers are still enjoying our game and fellowship however because it is getting hot we have decided, during the Summer months, to tee off at 6.30am while it is still cool . New players are always welcome.

Golf Club

The NS Golfers are thoroughly enjoying their weekly game and it is always great to see those who have been away for one reason or another return for a game and good fellowship. Anyone who would like to join us for a 7am teeoff each Monday will be most welcome. Trevor H

National Seniors Website

www.nationalseniors.com.au


This new site gives everybody access to general information about National Seniors eg. Travel; Insurance; Policies.

However, if you want to:
* check/amend your personal profile,
* renew your subscription,
* look at the rewards programme,

* find out about other branches.
Then you need to LOG ON.

To do this you will need to have supplied National Seniors with your current email address. If you have not supplied an email address or have recently changed your email, please email it to: web@nationalseniors.com.au.
In the login area click on ‘forgot password’ and then fill in your ‘membership number’ and ‘current email address’. They will then forward to you by email your password. Having done that then you can log in and view the areas restricted to National Seniors members.

Meeting Dates for 2008

Why not write these dates in your diary now?
December 12

FREE LEGAL ADVICE.....THIS IS NOT A JOKE!!

ATTORNEY'S ADVICE (NSW) - NO CHARGE (for a change)
A corporate attorney sent the following out to the employees in his company: 1. Next time you order cheques, have only your initials (instead of your first name) and last name put on them. If someone takes your chequebook, they will not know if you sign your cheques with just your initials or your first name, but your bank will know how you sign your cheques. 2. Do not sign the back of your credit cards. Instead, put "PHOTO ID REQUIRED". 3. When you are writing cheques to pay on your credit card accounts, DO NOT put the complete account number on the "For" line. Instead, just put the last four numbers. The credit card company knows the rest of the number, and anyone who might be handling your chequeas it passes through all the cheque processing channels won't have access to it. 4. Put your work phone number on your cheques insteadof your home phone. If you have a PO Box, use that instead of your home address. If you do not have a PO Box, use your work address. Never have your Centrelink Number printed on your cheques. You can add it if it is necessary, but if you have it printed, anyone can get it. 5. Place the contents of your wallet on a photocopy machine. Do both sides of each licence, credit card, etc. You will know what you had in your wallet and all of the account numbers and phone numbers to call and cancel. Keep the photocopy in a safe place. I also carry a photocopy of my passport when travelling either here or abroad. We've all heard horror stories about fraud that's committed on us in stealing a name, address, Social Security number, credit cards. Unfortunately I, an attorney, have first-hand knowledge because my wallet was stolen last month. Within a week, the thieves ordered an expensive monthly mobile phone package, applied for a VISA credit card, had a credit line approved to buy a Dell computer, received a PIN number from DMV to change my driving record information on-line, and more. But here's some critical information to limit the damage in case this happens to you or someone you know: 1. We have been told we should cancel our credit cards immediately, but the key is having the toll free numbers and your card numbers handy so you know whom to call. Keep those where you can find them2. File a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where your credit cards, etc., were stolen. This proves to credit providers you were diligent, and this is a first step toward an investigation (if there ever is one). 3. But here's what is perhaps most important of all: (I never even thought to do this.) Call the three national credit reporting organisations immediately to place a fraud alert on your name and Social Security number. I had never heard of doing that until advised by a bank that called to tell me an application for credit was made over the Internet in my name. The alert means any company that checks your credit knows your information was stolen, and they have to contact you by phone to authorise new credit. By the time I was advised to do this, almost two weeks after the theft, all the damage had been done. There are records of all the credit checks initiated by the thieves' purchases, none of which I knew about before placing the alert. Since then, no additional damage has been done, and the thieves threw my wallet away. This weekend someone handed it in. It seems to have stopped them dead in their tracks.Now, here are some numbers which you might need to contact if your wallet etc has been stolen.

1.Visa Card Australia 1800 621 1992. Visa Card International 1800 450 3463. Lost Travellers' Cheques 1800 127 4774. MasterCard Australia (02) 9466 37005. MasterCard International 1800 120 1136. Bankcard Australia (02) 9281 66337. Medicare 132 0118. Centrelink Fraud 137 2309. Seniors Card 1300 364 75810. Passport 131 232 ANZ FREECALL 1800 033 844BankWest 131 718Citibank 132 484Tamworth Coles/Myer Source 2340 1300 306 397 Commonwealth 132 221CUSCAL- MyCard 1300 135 538GE Capital 1300 369 904Members Equity 1300 654 998National 132 265St George 1800 028 208SydneyVirgin 2000 1800 080 000Westpac 1800 230 144Woolworths Ezy Banking 137 288

You might like to update this list to cover your important documents.
“We pass along jokes in the newsletter; we pass along just about everything, but if you are willing to pass this information along, it could really help someone."

Identity Theft

Our guest speaker at the October meeting was Detective
Senior Constable Ron Sheldon from The Fraud and
Corporate Crime Group of The Queensland Police.
Rod has kindly provided a copy of his notes for us all to
study and learn from.

IDENTITY FRAUD
Dishonesty offences involving the use of a false identity

FALSE IDENTITY
Three Methods of obtaining false identity.

n The creation of a false identity.

n The alteration of one’s own identity.

n Stealing or assuming of a pre-existing identity (identity theft).

IDENTITY THEFT
The use of another’s identity whether dead or alive for dishonest purposes.
Identity Theft one of the world’s fastest growing crimes.

TYPES OF CRIMINAL ACTIVITY INVOLVED WITH IDENTITY THEFT
n Skimming and counterfeiting of credit cards.
n Use of stolen credit cards or credit card numbers to obtain goods.
n Fraudulently obtaining money, loans, finance and credit.
n Fraudulently obtaining benefits, pensions, entitlements or tax returns.

COMMUNITY COSTS OF IDENTITY CRIME
Australia in 2003-2004 is estimated at $3 billion.

WHAT IT COSTS YOU!
n Loss of money from your accounts.
n Being suspected of committing a crime.
n Damage to your reputation and credit rating.
n Money and time taken to convince financial institutions and/or police that you were not responsible.

WHY IS IDENTITY CRIME OCCURRING?
n Globalisation/ Terrorism (Sept 11)
n Personal information on computers and computer hacking;
n Technologies, such as skimming devices, scanners, desktop publishing and the Internet to assist in the counterfeiting fraudulent documentation
n Growing awareness by criminals, especially organised crime,. Criminals learn from one another, and when a crime is successful, others soon catch on. ;
n Inadequate systems for establishing and authenticating identity;

HOW DOES IDENTITY THEFT OCCUR?
n Theft of a wallet containing personal identification or credit cards
n Burglary of residences and vehicles
n Credit card skimming
n Theft of mail containing personal identifying information and cards.
n “Shoulder surfing” in public places where personal information can be viewed
n Internet sources
n Public record information (Birth, Deaths, Marriages)
n Employee theft of information from the workplace
n Dumpster (Rubbish Bin) Diving
n Scamming information via the telephone, email, internet or posing as a legitimate company or government employee

TRENDS
Burglaries to obtain personal documents not other property.
Credit cards being stolen from post boxes and residential addresses.
3. Credit card skimming and counterfeiting increasing.
4. Counterfeit credit card use by organized gangs in Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Far North Queensland .
5. Production of forged birth certificates, drivers licenses and utility accounts.

INDIVIDUAL PREVENTION
n Order a copy of your credit card statement regularly and check
n Place different passwords (PINs) on all your important accounts
n Secure your personal information
n Don’t carry personal information unless you have to
n Destroy personal information before disposal (use a shredder)
n Avoid giving personal information out over the telephone, by mail or the internet
n Secure your mail
n Limit the amount of credit you have in accounts
n In the event of a lost wallet, contact your bank and cancel all cards and freeze all accounts
n Beware of helpful strangers and shoulder surfers

WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE A VICTIM
n Immediately report matter to your financial service
n Report matter to police
n Close all unauthorised accounts opened in your name and if necessary change all your accounts

SKIMMING
n Skimming is a process whereby the data from a card's magnetic strip is electronically copied onto another card to be used without the victim's knowledge.
n Is the fastest-growing fraud in Australia.
n This fraud is often carried out in restaurants, shops and petrol stations - you hand over your card and a replica card is produced and used, sometimes on the other side of the world.
n You should treat your card like it is cash and make sure you never lose sight of it. If possible, don’t give your card to a waiter or shop assistant and let them walk out of your sight.
n Most card skimming happens at retail outlets, however, there was an incident at a bank ATM in Queen St in February 2006.