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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2006-04-05, Page 17Wednesday, April 5, 2006 Exeter Times–Advocate 17 IdentityTheftWorkshop statistics shock residents The South Huron Chamber of Commerce held an IdentityTheftWorkshop March 29 at Exeter's Ranch House Inn. From left are guest speakers Carey Brooks and Andrew Plum of PPL Legal Care of Canada Corporation. (photo/Nina Van Lieshout) By Nina Van Lieshout TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF EXETER — Residents from Exeter and area were shocked to hear of statistics presented at an Identity Theft Workshop March 29 at Exeter's Ranch House Inn' "Theroblem is The South Huron Chamber of Commerce p hosted the workshop in commemoration of here to stay.There March being "Fraud Prevention Month" in are no laws in Canada and around the world. Canada dealing Guest speakers Carey Brooks and Andrew Plum of PPL Legal Care of Canada with identity theft Corporation presented several articles from yet. It's a slap on newspapers on fraud, saying it is a huge the hand basically." problem everywhere. RCA EY BROOKS They explained to the full room just how ppL LEGAL CARE OF easy it is to commit identity theft by taking a walk to a stationary store and finding all of CANADA CORPORATION credit theft. They also detailed each one, explaining how danger- ous they can be for the victim. For instance, with the character theft it was explained, someone could commit a crime in the victim's name, which could cause serious trouble for the victim. "It's scary stuff where it can lead to," says Brooks. Two myths surrounding identity theft were also acknowledged, including that it is only about money, which according to Brooks is untrue. "Only 26 per cent is financial," he says. The second is that the victim of identity theft can't actually lose any money. Plum says the key to identity theft is edu- cation. He also says people need to be prepared for what to look for before, during and after. Plum says one out of four people in Canada this year will be a victim of identity theft or know someone who has been a victim. Another scary statistic given by Plum was that only one in 700 criminals actually gets caught. "The biggest problem is proving things," says Plum. Some tips given for safeguarding your identity includ- ed watching what you throw away, not carrying your social insurance number in your wallet or purse and frequently changing your passwords or personal identi- fication numbers. Brooks and Plum are encouraging members of the area to get involved in helping to prevent identity theft. the items needed to perform this crime. "It's happening everywhere," says Brooks. He mentioned E -bay scams are popular and says 70 per cent of identity scams come from companies. "The problem is here to stay," says Brooks, adding that,"There are no laws in Canada dealing with identity theft yet. It's a slap on the hand basically." He also told a story of a man living in Toronto. "His house was sold while the gentleman was still liv- ing in it," says Brooks. There are several areas of identity theft but five main ones. These include the theft of the driver's license, social insurance number, medical theft, character theft and South Huron updates "Romeo and Juliet" for spring production By Scott Nixon TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF EXETER — South Huron District High School stu- dents and staff are busy getting ready for their annual production, which this year will feature one of William Shakespeare's most popular plays. The school will present "Romeo and Juliet" May 9-12 at 7:30 p.m. in the small gym. Director Beth Jantzi said rehearsals have been held since the end of October. The cast is now getting ready for complete run-throughs in rehearsal and is working on polishing their performances. Jantzi said she's pleased with the progress the pro- duction is making. "We have a really good cast and crew," she said. "They're fun kids to work with." Jantzi said the students wanted to work on a Shakespeare play this year and "Romeo and Juliet" was chosen in part because it's well known and the audience is familiar with the story. But South Huron's production of "Romeo and Juliet" will have a twist — the play has been updated to take place in 1967 Italy. Jantzi said she wanted the play to have a contempo- rary hook, but also be set in a time of conflict between teens and their parents. "Romeo is a hippie who wants to make love, not war," she says. To keep the text up to date, some jokes from the orig- inal play, which are now outdated, have been pulled, and some elements have been added to help tell the story. A live rock band will also play during the production, in some cases being part of the action and in others helping the transition from one scene to the next. Songs played by the band will include "Twist and Shout," "Paint it Black" and "Unchained Melody." Sword fights have been replaced by knife fights and flashlights will be used instead of torches. Students involved represent all grades this year and while most of them have previous acting experience, they're not all necessarily Drama students. This year's performance has a double cast, with some actors per- forming one night, with others performing on the other nights. Technical director Jan Beitans, also a math and sci- ence teacher at the school, will come up with the design and oversee the set building. He said the props crew have been busy getting ready for the play. The woodworking, shop departments and visual arts class- es will also be involved. Volunteer Shelley Gardiner is also doing a lot of work on the play, helping with set design. All told, Jantzi says there are about 100 people working on the play and she says the school's annual productions receive "tremendous support" from school staff. The community also donates a large number of props and the fact that the play represents a lot of hard work from a large number of people makes it "fun and rewarding," Jantzi said. "People are putting their heart and soul into this," she added. The school's annual production is a major time com- mitment for students and staff, with rehearsals held Tuesdays and Thursdays after school and on occasion- al Sundays. New this year is the fact the production will take place on a stage in the small gym instead of on the floor. Beitans said this will give the performance more of a theatre -like feel. Tickets are $7 and will go on sale during the week of April 17-21 and will be available at Village Vines Florists (235-0009) or through Jean Mason at the high school. Curves for Women in Exeter has donated 3,634 lbs of food to the Exeter Food Bank.Their campaign goal for the March fundraiser was originally 2,000 lbs but that was raised in the first week.Above, from left are Curves manager Sid Reaburn and employees Jaime Drouillard, Spring Robinson, Joyce McDonald, South Huron District High School co-opera- tive education student Amy Parsons and Joan McCullough. Behind, exercising from left are Susan Leishman, Doreen Regier and Audrey McGregor. Missing are Curves owners Matt and Yvonne Gamble and employee Jamie Reaburn.Yvonne and Sid are pleased with support from the members of Curves and the Exeter community. Last year the average Curves in Canada raised 1,644 lbs. (photo/Nina Van Lieshout) Busy month of April planned HENSALL - Ladies of the Hensall Legion provided assistance and prizes for the bingo players Monday afternoon. They have sponsored the bingo games each Monday throughout the month of March. Lori Burt, Registered Massage Therapist brought her soothing touch to several Residents during her regularly scheduled Monday at Queensway. Breakfast group met Tuesday morning over ham and eggs, toast, fruit, coffee and tea. Volunteer Lillian Beer assisted at the pro- gram which several Residents, new to Queensway attended. It was an excellent way for them to get acquainted in a smaller group set- ting. In the afternoon Shirley Luther of the Salvation Army led worship with her husband Eric as volunteer pianist. Julie Grimminck, Director of the retirement residence took a few guests along to the Zurich Dining for Seniors to enjoy lunch and a visit with some old friends. Those attending were pleased that there happened to be a Penny Sale going on during their visit. Euchre was the focus for some gentlemen Wednesday afternoon when a few games were played. Thursday, Lisa Stewart, Music Therapist presided over her group of music lovers in the lounge and then worked with several Residents individually throughout the morning gearing her visit to each one's specific musical prefer- ences. Nursing Home Resident Council met Friday morning to discuss upcoming events and give input into the program planning. In the afternoon Retirement Residence Operations group held their monthly meeting. They are looking forward to rebooking the Red Hat Lunch that had been cancelled in November due to poor weather. Coming events Tues., April 4 at 9 a.m. Volunteer Auxiliary meeting Fri., April 7 at 7 p.m. Friendship Friday with Andy Rau and Friends Sun., April 9 at 2 p.m. Gospel Music with The Fellowship Singers Mon., April 10 - Retirement Residence "Men's Breakfast and Tour of Antique and Oak Furniture Factory" St. Joseph's Tues., April 11 at 7 p.m. Christian Reform Singers