The Public Awareness Thread

[Courtjester]

If you have any information everybody could benefit from knowing, how about sharing it with us here? To get the ball rolling, here is my first contribution:

Attention All Travellers

While travelling ignorance can be particularly costly. The first step towards avoiding the loss of valuable items is an awareness that nothing is safe in checked baggage. If you have to any of them with you, keep them in your hand luggage where you can constantly keep an eye on them.

The video shows how thieves easily open locked suitcases and bags, at airports or anywhere else, without the owner ever finding out. That’s why so many people have had things missing from their baggage, even when they received them at the arrival port – only seemingly unopened and untouched! How do the thieves go about it? With the greatest of ease!

Take this thought forward to your hotel room! Many lock their valuables in their suitcases when they go out, thinking that they will be safe. After watching the video with the help of the link below you are sure to never do that again either.

Break into and reseal a locked suitcase demonstration - YouTube

[JosephB]

Don't run with scissors.

[Courtjester]

Don't run with scissors.

Thank you! I shall bear it in mind.

[Courtjester]

From Beware of scam gift voucher & product offers on social networking sites comes the following:

Beware of scam gift voucher & product offers on social networking sites

SCAMwatch is warning social networking users to beware of scam posts which offer fake gift vouchers or products for free. The vouchers are offered in exchange for personal details and passing on a scam link to friends.

How the scam works

• You see a post on a social networking site such as Facebook or Twitter offering free gift vouchers or products. Recent scams have offered fake vouchers for supermarkets and coffee shops. Other have offered free products such as smartphones, tablet devices and laptops.
• This scam abuses brand names and logos of well-known companies and products in order to make the offers look legitimate.
• To claim the voucher or product you may be asked to first “Like” a Facebook page, share the scam post with friends and follow a link to complete a scam survey. The survey will ask for personal details which scammers can then use to commit identity theft.
• If you fall victim to the scam you will never receive the product or voucher. If you print an online voucher it will be a fake which is not honoured or of any value.
• In more sophisticated versions of this scam, clicking on links may cause your social media account to become hijacked or compromised. A hijacked account will spam your friends with more scam post. If your Facebook page has been compromised use this Facebook page to re-secure your account. If your Twitter account has been hijacked see this Twitter information on how to re-secure your page.
• Similar scams also are perpetrated via email with links to online scam surveys.

Protect yourself

• Never click on suspicious links on social networking sites – even if they are from your friends. Remember if an offer seems too good to be true it probably is!
• Be very wary when filling in surveys linked to via social networking posts and pages. Scammers commonly use these surveys to steal your valuable personal information.
• If in doubt about the authenticity of a free offer always contact the company on their official customer service number to verify that it is genuine. You can also search the internet using the exact wording of the offer as many social media scams can be identified this way.
• Keep your personal details personal - be careful what information you share and post on social networking sites and with whom you share it– expect that people other than your friends can see it.
• Set your online social networking profiles to private, never give out your account details and regularly update your computer’s security software.
• Protect your accounts with strong passwords and change them regularly - have a different password for each social networking site so that if one is compromised, not all of your accounts will be at risk.
• Don’t accept a friend request or a follow request from a stranger - people are not always who they say they are and the best way to keep scammers out of your life is to never let them in.
• If you think you have provided your banking or credit card details to a scammer contact your bank or financial institution immediately.

Report

You can report scams to the ACCC via the report a scam page on SCAMwatch or by calling 1300 795 995.

More information

See our social networking scams page for more information.
Coles Supermarkets have also issued a warning about this type of scam via the Coles website homepage.
If your account has been compromised:

• If your Facebook page has been compromised use this Facebook information to re-secure your account.
• If your Twitter account has been hijacked see this Twitter information on how to re-secure your page.

Stay one step ahead of scammers, follow @SCAMwatch_gov on Twitter or visit SCAMwatch_gov_au (@SCAMwatch_gov) on Twitter.

* * *

[Courtjester]

The time of year when the danger of catching the common cold or its most severe form, flu, has come round once more and with it the need for refreshing our memories about natural ways of protecting ourselves and our loved ones against all manner of airborne bacteria, including any flu viruses that may be at large. Let me begin with the story one of my friends told me some time ago of how when, as a child, he was in hospital and near dying. His Italian/African grandmother came to visit him and she told a family member to go buy her a large onion and a clean pair of white cotton socks. She sliced the onion open, then put a slice on the bottom of each of his feet and pulled the socks over this. In the morning when he awoke and the socks were removed, they found that the slices of onion had turned black and his fever was gone.

The following has been reported from the year 1919 when a flu virus is believed to have killed forty million people. One of the doctors, who visited people to see if he could help them, came upon a farm where, to his surprise, everyone was very healthy. When the doctor asked how this was achieved, the wife replied that she had placed an unpeeled onion in a dish in the main room of their house. There would probably not have been more than two rooms in any case. The doctor couldn’t believe it and asked if he could have one of the onions and place it under the microscope. She gave him one and when he did this, he did find the flu virus in the onion. Clearly, through absorbing the bacteria, the onion had kept the family healthy.

Another story I heard from a hairdresser. She said that several years ago many of her employees were coming down with the flu and so were many of her customers. The next year she placed several bowls with onions around in her shop. To her surprise, none of her staff got sick and that certainly convinced her that it works. And no, I am not sharing this information with you because I am in the onion business. So, how about buying some onions and placing them in bowls around your home? If you work at a desk, place one or two in your office or under your desk or even on top somewhere. Try it and see what happens. The friend who sent me this says they did it in their home and they never got the flu.

If this helps us and our loved ones not to become sick, what could be better? But even if you do get the flu, because of the healing influence of the onion it will probably be only in a mild form. What is there to lose, apart from a few pence or cents on onions?

One lady reports as follows: ‘I contracted pneumonia and needless to say I was very ill. I came across an article that said to cut both ends off an onion put one end on a fork and then place the forked end into an empty jar, placing the jar next to the sick patient at night. It said the onion would be black in the morning from the germs. Sure enough it happened just like that. The onion was a mess, but I began to feel better.’

Another thing I read somewhere was that onions and garlic placed around the room saved many from the black plague in times gone by because of their powerful antibacterial, antiseptic properties.

Following the advice, I placed onions strategically all over my home, and I have to say, they do look quite decorative. One stands in a small wooden bowl in my living room and creates the impression of a sculpture. And by the way, because the onions do not have to be peeled, no unpleasant smells linger.

After reading the above, one of my friends contacted me with this: ‘I have tried both onion and garlic on ear infections. At one time my ear drum had actually burst, and even though I had been to see the doctor twice, each time she refused to prescribe antibiotics. This was because there was no redness in my ear canal thanks to the onion and garlic I had placed over it. I think she only believed me when, on my third visit, a discharge was evident.

‘My Grandmother used to place an onion in a bowl of water in rooms that had been painted and decorated, to take away the smell of the fumes.’

From Dian Dincin Buchman’s excellent book ‘Herbal Medicine’ come the following two remedies: ‘Coughs: An old pioneer remedy consists of simmered honey and onion syrup. The onion may be juiced first and added to the honey, if this seems desirable. If available, add a pinch of thyme and ginseng powder, as both are very helpful in chest complaints.’

‘Coughs, Bronchitis, Asthma: Make an onion broth. Cut up a large red onion. If you haven’t got one, a white one will work, too. Add a pint of cold water, a pinch of salt and a pat of butter and simmer until the onion is soft. Place the broth in a hot bowl and eat it as hot as possible, without removing the onion pieces. Minerals from the onion and its mucilaginous properties help soothe the inflamed mucous membranes and induce perspiration. This helps to reduce the chest congestion and causes the release of toxins.’

I have been fortunate enough not to need the above two remedies as yet, but a friend of mine did and was delighted with the results. Should you have any experiences of your own to share, please forward them to me, so they can be added here.

From ‘Our World In Crisis’

[Courtjester]

Gravity holds water in the lower part of our bodies when we are upright. Upon lying down all parts of the lower body are on the same level as the kidneys. They then find it easier to remove the water from our system.

As most people appreciate by now, a minimum amount of water is required to flush the toxins out of our bodies. The correct time for drinking it is very important. According to one cardiac specialist, doing so at certain times of the day maximises the water’s effectiveness:

2 glasses of water after waking up help to activate internal organs.
1 glass of water 30 minutes before a meal aids digestion.
1 glass of water before taking a bath helps to lower blood pressure.
1 glass of water before going to bed aids avoiding strokes and heart attacks.

Water at bed time also helps to prevent night time leg cramps. When we wake up with a cramp, our leg muscles are in need of hydration.

Worth A Try!

[The Backward OX]

Don't shelter under a tree during an electrical storm. Trees attract lightning. If caught out in the open during a storm, lie down, if possible in a depression in the ground.

Never walk across behind a horse that doesn't know you're there.

The way to cure 99% of computer problems, after battling for an hour to do it yourself, is to waste money on a phone call to your ISP. While waiting in the queue, the problem miraculously fixes itself.

If you're Irish, always use three condoms. To be sure, to be sure, to be sure.

[Courtjester]

The way to cure 99% of computer problems, after battling for an hour to do it yourself, is to waste money on a phone call to your ISP. While waiting in the queue, the problem miraculously fixes itself.

My experience has shown that in most cases, if I just leave the computer and get on with something else, an idea from my inner guidance pops into my mind: 'Try so and so...' Almost every time that puts things right.

[Cadence]

I've got one! There's a thread about public awareness in the writers' lounge!

I'll get my coat.

[Brendan M]

Assume everyone in Scotland who's wearing a tracksuit carries a knife and intends to casually steal all your money with it.

[Bloggsworth]

Early to bed and early to rise always makes you sleepy and tired...

[The Backward OX]

When out walking in New York City and you see a group of muggers approaching, you take on or assume some form of mad act, such as erratic body movement, tearing at your clothing or shouting at the sky. The muggers will invariably cross to the other side of the street to avoid you.

[theorphan]

The Civil Air Patrol is credited with an average of 100 finds a year. (Search and Rescue)

[Courtjester]

Early to bed and early to rise always makes you sleepy and tired...

Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy and wealthy and a father.

[Olly Buckle]

When riding a motorcycle and approaching a junction never assume that, simply because he is in the left hand lane and indicating left, the driver just in front and on your left is going to turn left. Bitter experience tells me sometimes they turn right, suddenly. Equally do not assume that others will stop because you have legal right of way.