Fair Tax

Do you live in the Southern suburbs? Want to explore what the Southern suburbs has to offer? Or are you just interested to catch-up with like-minded people? Once a month Steph hosts our Southern socials. It is a great opportunity to meet others. Our emphasis is on fun whilst helping and supporting each other. The socials include drinks and chats, casual coffees, dinners and other activities suggested by members from time to time. Our socials are informal and open to all. We pay for own food and drinks individually and there is no charge for the organisation of the events. We hope to see you!

Join us for some games of (Japanese) Riichi Mahjong at Good Games Box Hill. We welcome beginners and seasoned players alike; let us know ahead of time if you are a beginner. We play with WRC rules with red fives. Please see the following website for more information regarding rules ([https://www.worldriichi.org/wrc-rules](https://www.worldriichi.org/wrc-rules)). Games are timed at 75 minutes + 1 additional hand and scores are tracked on https://scores.vicriichi.org/. Have the best 12 consecutive games between 1 November 2025 and 31 January 2026 to earn a $50 gift card to spend at Good Games! Entry fee: $5. If paying by cash, please pay at the counter. This money is used to pay for our use of the store space, maintaining equipment and other meetup services, and organising larger events open to everyone! Please change your RSVP to not going if you're no longer able to attend. This will give the next person on the waitlist the opportunity to attend. There is free parking available in the Care Park on Watts St next to the store. Want to support Victorian Riichi Mahjong and receive exclusive benefits? Then become an official member! For $30/year, members receive an extensive benefits package that includes: -Eligibility to discuss and vote on Club matters during live Club meetings, and to vote and run for Leadership Officer positions. -Complimentary Vic Riichi merchandise every membership year. -Early access and discounted entry fees for events and tournaments. -Mahjong coaching, workshops, study sessions, and online log reviews. -Access to exclusive members-only merchandise and events. -Access to meetup benefits such as discounted loyalty cards. Please see [here](https://www.vicriichi.org/membership) for more info! If you would like to connect with other Victorian/Australian Riichi Mahjong players online, check out our website, [https://www.vicriichi.org](https://www.vicriichi.org), and join the [Victorian Riichi Mahjong Association (VRMA)](https://vicriichi.org/discord) and [Australian Riichi Mahjong Association (ARMA)](https://discord.gg/m8rYv4fS4F) Discord groups!

Ever wondered how humanity would respond to an asteroid heading for Earth? Or how the world might react to first contact with aliens? Welcome to **The Thought Experiment** — a new kind of meetup where we explore big *“What if…?”* scenarios in a fun but thoughtful way. Each session, we’ll pick one scenario (from global crises to wild sci-fi situations) and work together to imagine solutions, strategies, and possibilities. This is for **curious minds of all kinds** — students, professionals, creatives, or anyone who enjoys thinking differently. Some people might bring research, others just bring imagination. Either way, we’ll brainstorm together and see where the discussion takes us. **We ask everyone to Buy a drink at the venue** **Format:** * Quick intro to the scenario * Small-group discussions * Share back with the group * Wrap up + (optional) post-discussion drinks For our first meetup, we’ll introduce the format, get to know each other, and jump into a scenario together. Keywords: Morality, End of the World, Survival, Debate **Scenario: Judgement Day (ENCORE)** ☢️ The sirens have begun. A nuclear strike has been confirmed. The city will be vaporized in one hour. 🚨 Deep beneath the streets, there’s a single bunker — a relic of the Cold War — sealed, powered, and stocked for a handful of survivors. Only a few can enter before the blast. ⏳ The rest… will face the fire. 🧩 Who gets a place — and who is left behind? Do we save the strongest, the kindest, the most useful… or the most innocent? ⚖️ Every choice has a cost. Every argument, a consequence. 🕯 And along the way… there will be twists.

Arrive at 11:15 for a 11:30 KO. Bring boots, sunscreen and water. Slide tackling is strictly prohibited and will result in a penalty awarded to the opposition - stay on your feet.

Looking to get outside, clear your head, and connect with good people? Join us for a relaxed walk around the promenade of Port Melbourne during the golden hour. The route will start at the meeting point and heading towards St. Kilda. After 40m aprox we will turn around and back to the meeting point. This is a casual meetup, no pressure. Just a friendly stroll, good conversation, and a reason to step away from screens and into the fresh air. Whether you’re new in town, working from home, or just want a social reason to walk, you’re very welcome. Come as you are. Comfy shoes, water bottle, and curiosity are all you need. **Optional:** After the walk, some of us might grab a coffee nearby — feel free to join if you’re up for it!

Please join us this Sunday as we explore the topic of Mental Health. This session will be moderated by Glenn. We will meet at the **CAPTAIN MELVILLE**, 34 Franklin St in Melbourne CBD, at 2.00pm for 2.15pm start sharp. There is no pre-requisite preparation necessary, nor a philosophical background; all that is required is a curious mind. These discussions are both a Socrates Cafe style discussion and lively metaphysical dojo, in the spirit of learning and friendly debate, so please feel free to challenge assumptions and be prepared have your own assumptions challenged! Find below some questions to consider, however these are free-ranging events and the below serve merely as a springboard towards a deeper discussion in waters unknown... Some points and questions to consider before the event: * Is there a Mental Health Industrial Complex? * Are mental health illnesses best understood as diseases, disorders, patterns of behavior, or socially constructed categories? * What distinguishes mental health issues from ordinary psychological distress, grief, or unhappiness? * Is there a meaningful boundary between mental illness and personality, or are we medicalizing temperament? * Are current diagnostic categories discovering natural kinds, or carving up a messy continuum for human convenience? * What would a society that took mental health seriously actually look like—in work, education, and law—and what trade-offs would that require? * In what sense, if any, are people responsible for thoughts or actions that arise from mental illness? * What do we gain, and what do we lose, when we describe a problem in medical rather than moral, social, or political terms? * How confident should we be in claims about prevalence, treatment effectiveness, or rising rates of mental illness, given how these are measured? * What was Thomas Szasz's argument in 'The Myth of Mental Illness?'. * Are identity disorders, such as transgender, mental health issues? * What role does loss of meaning in the world have to do with mental health? Hope to see you there!

Please join us this Sunday as we explore the question of the Mental Health Industrial Complex. This session will be moderated by Glenn. We will meet at the **CAPTAIN MELVILLE**, 34 Franklin St in Melbourne CBD, at 2.00pm for 2.15pm start sharp. There is no pre-requisite preparation necessary, nor a philosophical background; all that is required is a curious mind. These discussions are both a Socrates Cafe style discussion and lively metaphysical dojo, in the spirit of learning and friendly debate, so please feel free to challenge assumptions and be prepared have your own assumptions challenged! Find below some questions to consider, however these are free-ranging events and the below serve merely as a springboard towards a deeper discussion in waters unknown... Some points and questions to consider before the event: * Are mental health illnesses best understood as diseases, disorders, patterns of behavior, or socially constructed categories? * What distinguishes mental health issues from ordinary psychological distress, grief, or unhappiness? * Is there a meaningful boundary between mental illness and personality, or are we medicalizing temperament? * Are current diagnostic categories discovering natural kinds, or carving up a messy continuum for human convenience? * What would a society that took mental health seriously actually look like—in work, education, and law—and what trade-offs would that require? * In what sense, if any, are people responsible for thoughts or actions that arise from mental illness? * What do we gain, and what do we lose, when we describe a problem in medical rather than moral, social, or political terms? * How confident should we be in claims about prevalence, treatment effectiveness, or rising rates of mental illness, given how these are measured? * What was Thomas Szasz's argument in 'The Myth of Mental Illness?'. * Are identity disorders, such as transgender, mental health issues? * What role does loss of meaning in the world have to do with mental health? Hope to see you there!

We will have our certified mediums available and you can receive 3 10-minute readings for $20. To keep you safe, we will be following all CDC and Health Dept. guidelines at our psychic fair today. Sitters and readers required to wear a mask. We will maintain a minimum of 6 foot physical distance during readings. Please, if you can, bring your own portable chair to use during your readings. Please note that we are at our wonderful new home at Unity of Columbus, 4211 Maize Road, Columbus, OH

Join us for lunch at True Food Kitchen in Easton as we celebrate the New Year and our friendships!

Our January program is privileged to have Kristen Tregar as our speaker. Ms. Tregar is the co-author with John de Lancie (the actor who portrayed the character Q on Star Trek next generation) of a radio play depicting the events surrounding the Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District trial. The trial decided the issue of some of the Dover school district board members attempting to insert creationism disguised as "intelligent design" into the 9th grade biology curriculum. She will discuss the trial and the process of writing the play. (Bob Leonhard has seen the play and it is riveting and tense). Ms. Tregar's bio is below: Kristen Tregar is a dramaturg, director, playwright, and theatre teacher. She earned her Ph.D. in Drama and Theatre from the UC San Diego and UC Irvine joint program. In addition, she has a MS in Forensic Science from City University of New York- John Jay College of Criminal Justice and a MA in Educational Theatre from New York University- Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. In 2013, in collaboration with Irish colleagues, she founded *The Ireland Project*, an intercontinental devised theatre work with high school students in New York and Tallaght, Ireland. Her original short story "Far From Here" was recently published in *Stay Awhile Longer: More Scenes From Temecula Valley*. She has two rescued dogs (Kira and Harry) and she rides, competes, and foxhunts with her horses, Andromache and Baker Street Irregular. Food and drinks will be provided at the event. Feel free to show up a little bit early to hang out and talk. Going forward our meetings will be hybrid. You can meet us in-person or attend online Join Zoom Meeting [https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87836564953?pwd=4Mi57ElZkDIFlb1fnlNwOJ0NiOK4tP.1](https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87836564953?pwd=4Mi57ElZkDIFlb1fnlNwOJ0NiOK4tP.1) Meeting ID: 878 3656 4953 Passcode: 760812 One tap mobile +19292056099,,87836564953#,,,,\*760812# US (New York) +13017158592,,87836564953#,,,,\*760812# US (Washington DC) The formal presentation will start at noon

If you are interested in selecting investment choices for your 401(k) or other workplace savings plan, minimizing your income tax liability, or identifying the most effective investments for your brokerage account, we are the group for you. We are a local chapter of Bogleheads, whose investment strategy can be found here: https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Bogleheads%C2%AE_investment_philosophy Or you can peruse the Boglehead forum here: https://www.bogleheads.org/index.php I look forward to seeing you there. Mark Vonder Haar

Join us to discuss our January read: Midnight in Everwood Marietta Stelle longs to be a ballerina but, as Christmas draws nearer, her dancing days are numbered – she must marry and take up her place in society in the New Year. But, when a mysterious toymaker, Dr Drosselmeier, purchases a neighbouring townhouse, it heralds the arrival of magic and wonder in Marietta’s life. After Drosselmeier constructs an elaborate theatrical set for her final ballet performance on Christmas Eve, Marietta discovers it carries a magic all of its own – a magic darker than anyone could imagine. As the clock chimes midnight, Marietta finds herself transported from her family’s ballroom to a frozen sugar palace, silent with secrets, in a forest of snow-topped fir trees. She must find a way to return home before she’s trapped in Everwood’s enchanting grip forever. In the darkness of night, magic awaits and you will never forget what you find here…

Some trained COUNT volunteers work together once a month at RMH (http://www.rmhc-centralohio.org/volunteer.php) as Housewarmers (usually on the 1st Sunday from 1 – 5 PM). Some schedule other shifts at their convenience. You may try this out with less fuss by following a "Fast track" or go through the normal process. Fast track • Arrange a time to shadow a COUNT volunteer. Call Dave Nohle at 614-268-9558 (cell). • Show up and try it out. • Complete application, etc. later. Normal process • Complete an online application (http://rmhc-centralohio.org/volunteer/). • Attend orientation in advance. • At orientation you will complete forms agreeing to keep family/patient info private and allowing a background check and tour the facility. • Complete one training shift. Daily shifts are: morning 9 AM - 1 PM, afternoon 1 - 5 PM and evening 5 - 9 PM. • Schedule shifts online using the on the RMH scheduling system (http://www.volgistics.com/ex/portal.dll/?FROM=32895). The Ronald McDonald House (RMH) provides housing and meals for families with sick children. The Columbus RMH is the largest in the world with 137 rooms. COUNT has been volunteering there since May 2014. Housewarmers work with RMH guests to provide a home-like environment - greet, assist with family needs, answer phones, give tours, assist with checkin/checkout, prepare guest rooms after checkout, clean facility, laundry, restock supplies and staff the front desk. RMH Housewarmers volunteer at least one four-hour shift a month. All Housewarmers must complete an application and agree to a background check before they can be full fledged volunteers.