SRA E-MAIL NEWSLETTER*
Issue # 50
January 2007
Ron Violette, Editor
Welcome into 2007. All of us on the newsletter staff (Len and I, although I haven't checked with Len to see if he wants to be included) wish you and your families the best for the New Year. For any of you who may have been stranded in a snow storm or who spent the vacation period in a coal mine, I will bring you up to date in the sports world. ROSE BOWL: USC 32 MICHIGAN 18. Just to show you how fair I am, I will also give you this score, Emerald Bowl sometimes referred to as the Nut Bowl, FSU 44 ucla 27.
NEWS FROM THE SRA PRESIDENT
Happy New Year's to all!!!
We are back in active mode after a wonderful Holiday Celebration on December 11 in the new Galen Center. Betty Redmon arranged a terrific program with Parmer Fuller of the Thornton School. We "sang along" and were treated to the musical talents of two of his students. Thanks, Betty.
We will have another "All USC Retiree" Galen event in February ---- USC Men's Basketball team meets Stanford on Thursday,
February 22 at 7:30 p.m...
Tickets are $15. Members may take no more than 1 guest.
PARKING: Parking Structure "D" (Corner of Jefferson & Figueroa) or Parking Structure #2 (behind Radisson Hotel).
Tickets are limited, so it's first come, first served. Make reservations by sending a check payable to USC-SRA
to:
USC-SRA
Emeriti Center
GERO 220
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA 90089-0191
We will confirm reservations by phone when checks have been received.
Additionally, we have reserved a room at the USC University Club for an OPTIONAL dinner prior to the game at 5:30
p.m. There is a choice of 2 entrees:
Braised 1/4 chicken w/ tomatoes, red wine & olives, mashed potatoes & spinach ($30.24)
Or Grilled rosemary skewered salmon with wild rice and seasonal vegetables ($36.55)
Both entrees include salad, rolls/bread, dessert, and drink (coffee, tea, lemonade, or iced tea). Prices include
tax and gratuity and MUST BE PAID FOR ON CREDIT CARD AT THE UNIVERSITY CLUB. INCLUDE CHOICE OF ENTRÉE WITH YOUR
CHECK, AS WE MUST PRE-ORDER THE DINNERS. But please note, this is an extra only if you wish to join others for
dinner prior to the basketball game.
Leibovitz Award --- Nominations are encouraged. If you need a form (included in December EC Newsletter), please let me know.
Check out the SRA and Emeriti Center Web pages for updated information on what is happening, and please send me any thing that should be changed or added.
Upcoming Events include:
March 15 ---- SRA Recognition Luncheon for new retirees
March 21 ---- Borchard Lecture with 3 follow-up lectures on health issues (March 28, April 4 and April 11)
April 1 ---- "Pajama Game" --- matinee performance
April 25 --- "The Hopscotch Game" performance & commentary at USC Orange County Center
May 24 ---- Tour of Griffith Observatory
Watch for more information on all of these.
Hope to see you soon!
Carole Gustin
A FEW HOPEFULLY HELPFUL TIPS
LEASING TELEPHONES: I hope none of you are still leasing a telephone but in case you are, STOP IT. As the article in the December issue of AARP the Magazine, page 3, suggests, if you have a lease charge on your phone bill, you are leasing a phone and possibly have been for several years. The thing to do is to buy a phone from Circuit City or some such company and get rid of the lease. The lease charges by the phone company are ridiculous compared to what you can buy a good phone for today.
GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE: If you, or someone you assist, are wondering about government programs you may be eligible for, check <http://www.benefitscheckup.org>. You should be able to find the information you need on this site.
INVESTMENT FRAUD (Again): One way many seniors are being sold bad or inappropriate investments is through these invitations to lunch or dinner free seminars that we find in our mail box every week. I think that the best idea is to toss them in the trash immediately. If you give in and go, be careful. Also, we get a lot of other unsolicited mail that suggest deals that will make us rich. My suggestion is toss them in the trash. As to cold callers suggesting a get rich scheme that can't lose, be rude, hang up. If you hear TV pitches for "IRA Approved" investments, change the channel. As also recommended by Kiplinger's Retirement Report of Dec. 2006, page 3, when you are told by a salesperson that you have to act immediately, you should not act at all without serious checking.
WORKING FROM HOME: If you are even thinking of checking into one of the possible job offers from someone you do not know, please check out the AARP Bulletin, January 2007, page 24. On the referenced page is one example of a possible fraud in which you could get involved. <http://www.aarp.org/bulletin/> (When the Victim Stands Accused).
AGE FRIENDLY EMPLOYERS: <http://www.simplyhired.com/> is a search engine that has joined with <http://www.retirementjobs.com/> to create a resource for job seekers 50 and older. The firm says that it makes sure companies on the site have been successful in recruiting and retaining older people. (Kiplinger's Retirement Report, December 2006, page 8).
NEED A LAWYER? If you find yourself needing a lawyer, possibly the best thing you could do is check with family and friends. Another possibility is to check into the AARP Legal Services Network. You will find easy access to a large directory of attorneys. You can search for lawyers by area of practice, location or both. In most states the attorneys provide services at reduced rates, including a free half-hour consultation. Call 1-866-330-0753 toll free or go to <http://www.aarplsnbyge.com/>.
THE FOLLOWING IS FROM BOB STALLINGS who designed our current Web site and keeps it
<http://www.usc.edu/org/emeriti_center/sra/> up to date
among other more important responsibilities.
Volunteers Sought for USC Retiree "Geek Squad"
Bob Stallings, USC Emeriti Center Webmaster and Retired Faculty Association board member, is seeking volunteers to assist
USC retirees with computer and Internet-related questions and problems. The idea is to create a retiree "Geek
Squad" that can help others take advantage of the digital resources offered by USC via the Internet and on the World Wide
Web as a whole.
Volunteers need not be an "expert" at anything, just someone willing to try to help a nearby colleague with basic questions
such as "How do I send an e-mail message?" and "How do I find the SRA Web site?"
USC retirees with a computer-related problem (e.g., "I don't know how to download files from the Internet") would contact
one of the "Geek Squad" organizers. If the problem cannot be solved by the organizers, a nearby volunteer would
be contacted, briefed on the nature of the problem, and asked to contact the retiree. Emphasis is on identifying
volunteers in as many different locations as possible because previous experience suggests that the most effective way to
help retirees with problems such as these is to make a "house call," that is, to visit retirees in their homes, sit down
with them at their computers, determine the exact nature of the problem, and do the best that can be done to show how the
problem may be solved.
If you would like to participate in this effort, send an e-mail to Bob Stallings at
<rstallin@usc.edu>. Share a little bit of information about yourself
such as where you live, the kind of computer that you use (e.g., PC or Mac), the type of Internet connection that you have
(dial-up, DSL, cable, etc.), the kinds of applications (software) with which you are most familiar (e.g., Adobe Photoshop),
any peripheral devices that you use such as a scanner, and anything else that might help the organizers make meaningful
matches between volunteers and retirees.
SOME CLOSING THOUGHTS TO PONDER
Do you realize that in about 40 years, we'll have thousands of old ladies running around with tattoos?
Why do they lock the doors to restrooms in service stations? (I think it must be so no one can get in to clean them.)
It's hard to be nostalgic when you can't remember anything.
PLEASE NOTE: If you know someone who would like to receive this newsletter, have him or her send an e-mail to Len Wines at <len@winesland.net> asking to be added to the list. After you are on the list, you will remain on it until you unsubscribe. To do that, simply send an e-mail to Len at <len@winesland.net> with the word UNSUBSCRIBE SRA in the Subject.
*The content of this Email Newsletter is for the information of the members of the USC SRA. It is not a University of Southern California official publication. There is no intent to promote any particular product or point of view. Personal decisions regarding health, finance, exercise, or other matters should be made after consulting with the reader’s own professional advisors.