Eradicating Fraudulent Charities

Natural calamities have struck various parts of the globe as of late and it left thousands of people displaced and needing help in even the most basic of services. Many homes have either been flooded or crumbled into the ground as they can’t withstand the force of Mother Nature’s wrath. It comes as no surprise that many supposedly charities came popping up soon after these tragedies in the guise that they are collecting donations to help the victims move on from these disasters. Meanwhile, actual charities suffer.

Giving isn’t the issue here but the fact that these people or organizations had to use the misery and pain of other people to make money is simply just unacceptable. Actual people are suffering but they can still take advantage of this situation to make money. It’s a good thing that a few have been identified and are no longer allowed to use charity giving to disaster victims as an excuse for taking cash from strangers.

Seven shops have stopped marketing themselves as charity outlets after it was discovered they were not registered, a report from the Charities Regulator reveals.

The report also revealed that one charity shop owner had been prosecuted and three had ceased trading.

The seven shops which changed their signage to comply with the Charities Act 2009 were Munster Furniture Shop, Waterford; Sana, Galway; Christina’s Creations, Laois; Good Cause Way, Dublin; the former charity shop, Co Cavan; Share 2 Second Hand, Mayo; and the former Bandon Ataxia, Cork.

The report said the Second Chance Boutique, Co Mayo, the Charity Boutique, Kildare and the Carrick-on-Suir River Rescue, Tipperary, had closed following the receipt of letters from the regulator.

(Via: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/seven-shops-forced-to-stop-calling-themselves-charities-1.3232446)

Organizations can’t just easily ask for donations without qualifying first to certain guidelines. This regulation has been put in effect in order to protect the public from scrupulous individuals posing as charity outlets. We continue to battle the elements each year and it seems that they only keep on getting stronger as the days pass by. Families are continuously displaced and we are not even including here manmade disasters and political/religious wars that have brought down entire nations into shambles. The presence of charities makes a whole lot of difference in disaster relief and recovery and enable the affective people to bounce back faster.

Scam artists use a host of tactics--bogus websites, emails, social media accounts and fake crowdfunding campaigns--to capitalize on Americans' generosity after major crises.

The Justice Department's National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF), which was established to crack down on scams following Hurricane Katrina, released a statement on Wednesday warning of post-Harvey charity fraud.

"Unfortunately, criminals can exploit disasters, such as Hurricane Harvey, for their own gain by sending fraudulent communications through email or social media and by creating phony websites designed to solicit contributions," the statement said. Attorneys General in Colorado, Ohio and Arizona have also sent similar warnings.

(Via: http://money.cnn.com/2017/08/30/news/harvey-charity-fraud/index.html)

While authorities were able to close down some of these deceptive charity outlets, there are actually many more scattered all over the web. They have developed a tactic on how they can easily fool people into giving them donations by setting up fake websites months before disasters are expected to hit, come hurricane season in the US. That way, they can already tap the public for support using the names of those expected hurricanes to hit the country. And we are not talking about petty donations here but of thousands in dollars given to these fictitious charities that were discovered in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in years past.

If you really want to help out in times of need, better be sure and share your blessings to known charities that have really devoted their time and existence to public service and in helping the needy. You can be sure your money gets to its intended recipients and you are not tricked into a scam by crafty criminals out to get your money.

The article Eradicating Fraudulent Charities is courtesy of Newinfluencers.com

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Microsoft’s Gearing Up Coding For The Quantum Leap

Technology is fast evolving and it seems that it can’t be stopped by any of us. After all, we live and breathe technology these days. That’s just how dependent modern life has become to tech advancements. You think you’ve seen it all but no, there is so much more to explore and develop when it comes to technology. We are just at the brink of its further evolution and experts aren’t even sure humanity is ready for what is awaiting us in the years to come.

There is one thing for sure though, we don’t have to wait for long to see for ourselves how these new technologies unfold and become a part of our daily lives. And we can count on Microsoft to ensure we don’t have a hard time coping with these new changes because they’ve already prepared a coding program for quantum computing as early as now. The average Joe probably finds it impossible to grasp how quantum computers work, which makes Microsoft’s initiative more instrumental in helping people understand the inner workings of quantum computing so we won’t have that much of a hard time adjusting once it becomes accessible to the public.

Microsoft is effectively building a language for computers that don't really exist yet. The most advanced experimental machine, a 16/17 qubit model, was built by IBM and has run over 300,000 experiments. It's far from being ready for commercial applications, though. Big Blue recently unveiled an initiative to build commercial quantum computers called IBM Q, and has already released its own programming tools via an API called the IBM Quantum Experience.

Microsoft's programming language doesn't have a name yet, but the company already has plans for quantum computing in AI. In particular, it thinks that the machines could be used to train its Cortana digital assistant in days instead of months. "Even if everything else was the same, Cortana would improve 30 times faster," Microsoft's research chief Craig Mundie says.

(Via: https://www.engadget.com/2017/09/26/microsoft-new-coding-language-is-made-for-quantum-computers/)

Many of today’s brilliant minds in all aspects of science, computer, and technology have teamed up in further developing this program because it’s not an easy feat to do, that we can be sure of. If you look at it, this program is actually made for a device that isn’t available to us yet. The company has not even coined a name for it yet, so it’s pretty much anonymous up to the time being.

At the Microsoft Ignite conference today, the expert panel on stage burst into laughter. “This box right over here behind us – nothing! That’s a quantum joke, that’s an excellent joke,” said Microsoft Technical Fellow Michael Freedman as the curtain failed to open to reveal it.

It being a quantum joke, the audience in Orlando, Florida, was a little slow to catch on. Quantum computing uses qubits, which unlike conventional bits can be in a superposition of one and zero at the same time, enabling the extremely rapid parallel processing of data. A box that is both present and not present, how appropriate.

Math problems that would take a lifetime on today's computer architectures to solve may be cracked in hours using a quantum machine, enthused the Windows giant. “It would be so powerful it’s able to model nature itself.”

(Via: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/09/25/microsoft_talks_quantum_computing_and_ai/)

Experts are hoping that even though quantum computing is still not entirely our reality, it will hopefully be realized in the coming years and solve many of today’s problems that are still without a solution until now. It may even offer the solution to climate change problems we are facing today along with agricultural and health issues that plague our daily existence. If quantum computing has its pros, it also has its cons. Encryption comes to mind as it is something quantum computers can easily crack but is also a measure that enforces cyber security right now, so that may raise some red flags when the time comes. But some would rather cross the bridge when we get there.

Artificial intelligence is the direction we are all heading. It is inevitable for that time to come and Microsoft just wants to establish themselves as an innovative and cutting-edge company that is ready to take on this new and uncharted path all the while making preparations as early as today.

Microsoft’s Gearing Up Coding For The Quantum Leap is available on TNI Blog

source https://www.newinfluencers.com/microsofts-gearing-up-coding-for-the-quantum-leap/

Shopping For Christmas Gifts On A Budget

Not everyone has the luxury of shopping without even taking a quick glance at the price tag. I’m sure most of us look at the price tag first before we even consider buying something for ourselves much more for our families, friends, and others. And come Christmas time, you need to do more shopping as there is usually a long list of people you have to give gifts to especially to kids in the family and your godchildren if you have one or more already. After all, Christmas is for the kids and the kids at heart. We have the fondest memories of the holiday season since our childhood and it often involved gifts no matter how much we want to deny that material things are not that important.

If you belong to the majority where money is still an issue when it comes to your Christmas shopping, then you’re definitely reading the right article (this is a great guide, too). It might take a little resourcefulness and creativity in pulling off the perfect present for the people who mean a lot in your life but it’s still possible to do that even if you stick to a certain budget. A lucky few have mastered this technique and they’ve elevated it to an art that many people are wondering if it’s really possible and how do they even do it. Well, it takes just a lot of planning and knowing what to do, where to go, and when to buy. They had to learn the hard way too but has certainly learned from their mistakes and now keep these tips in mind as well to save your wallet from dying once Christmas comes knocking on your door.

For many of us, while we have the lights up and the tree decorated, there isn’t anything under the Christmas tree yet. You may not have bought a single present or even budgeted for presents. Here are nine easy, last-minute Christmas shopping tips for busy people trying to do their shopping on a budget.

1. Make a shopping list

Write down the list of people you plan on buying gifts for. Critically consider who should be on your gift list and don’t be afraid to trim it. Start with your immediate family and close friends, and selectively add to your list from there.

2. Set a spending limit

Many people overspend on Christmas gifts by letting their emotions get the best of them. It’s easy to feel guilty when it comes to holiday spending. Do you need to spend $50 on every one of your nieces and nephews? Definitely not.

(Via: https://scottalanturner.com/christmas-shopping-on-a-budget/)

The first thing you need to remember is to write a list of all the people you are giving gifts to, every single one of them. Then, think of an appropriate gift they will like and how much you are willing to spend in buying that particular present. Do this as early as possible, so you don’t miss out on great deals before the holiday season even starts and discounts are gone. Most malls and shops have different sale schedules all year round, take note when you can go to these places and how much you have money with you and what you can buy from your list. For those who hate being in a crowd of shoppers, you can also shop online like the majority of people do these days. You’d be surprised at how many do this now and the deals aren’t bad either.

Start Early

Don’t wait until after Thanksgiving to start buying holiday gifts. Keep your eyes open all year round for items friends and family would like; it’s often when you’re not looking for something specific that you stumble across the perfect gift for Dad or your best friend Jenny. Once December hits, you’ll be glad that you already have some people crossed off your list. Just make sure to keep all your advance gifts in a designated (and hidden, if necessary) spot so that you don’t forget a purchase you made months in advance.

And yes, I can’t stress it hard enough to start your shopping early whenever possible. You have more sales you can buy from and you don’t have to buy everything in one go, thus it’s more friendly to your wallet. You also have the luxury of time with you. You won’t unnecessarily stress yourself about petty things because you have more time on your hands to finish your Christmas shopping unlike those who prefer to buy when Christmas is almost there. And of course, you can take advantage of shopping at super great deals during Black Friday, perhaps among the last major discount, you can get from the biggest shopping spree of the year.

Hit Up Black Friday (If You Dare)

If you’re looking for great deals and aren’t afraid of battling large crowds, the day after Thanksgiving is a shopping must. Get a head start on fellow shoppers by checking a website like Blackfriday.org before the big day. The site compiles Black Friday ads from various stores and updates the information as it becomes available, allowing you to plan out which stores to hit and what products you intend to buy. Some stores even offer advance “Black Friday” sales before Thanksgiving, so it’s worth it to peruse the listings early. Be warned, though—some so-called “Black Friday” deals aren’t any cheaper than the regular sale price, so do some extra research before you camp out in the store parking lot at 2 a.m.

(Via: https://www.realsimple.com/holidays-entertaining/holidays/christmas/money-saving-holiday-shopping-tips#holiday-shopping-black-friday)

Now, it’s not all over after the Black Friday sale. What follows is it another epic shopping experience comes Cyber Monday. If people line up outside malls, shopping centers, and shops on Black Friday, you’d be needing your computer this time as you’d be placing your orders online. I’m sure many are no longer new to online shopping as it has evolved to become the preferred way of shopping for most consumers because of its sheer convenience. Imagine all the money you can save from gas/transportation, food, and all the hassle of having to go out there and spend hours looking for things you like when you can simply do it online in the comfort on your own homes. Best of all, you’d get your orders delivered to your doorsteps. Cyber Monday is one of your last resort to enjoy amazingly big discounts for potential Christmas presents you can buy for all those people on your list.

The following article Shopping For Christmas Gifts On A Budget Find more on: https://www.newinfluencers.com/

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ShopDisney: Disney Fans, Rejoice

Most of us watched Disney movies and television shows growing up. It’s the perfect past time for us because we get entertained with these shows while passing time and our busy parents can finish whatever they need to do at home or work without us constantly bothering them. And as we (young children) grew up, we also made our kids watch the same shows (and more) we watched growing up, but this time, we also buy them Disney-related merchandise being sold in Disney stores in various parts of the globe.

Disney-themed apparel, toys, accessories, and so much more has captured the fancy of both parents and children alike. They are favorite gift ideas for just about any occasion and can be given to both the young and the old. As more and more people favor online shopping over traditional shopping, shops like that of Disney learned to innovate and embrace these new changes to reach a bigger market. Now, online stores can sell to virtually everyone on the planet who has access to the Internet, which means bigger profits too but it also meant a decline in sales in actual retail outlets.

Disney today launched its reimagined e-commerce site, ShopDisney, featuring a curated selection of Disney, Pixar, Star Wars and Marvel products for fans of all ages across fashion, accessories, toys and home. At the same time, the entertainment megabrand is testing a new retail prototype in select locations around the world, including a 3,200-square-foot shop in Westfield Century City in Los Angeles that is set to bow at the mall’s grand reopening on Oct. 3.

“No one creates experiences like Disney and our pilot stores will be testing grounds for interactive features that will differentiate the Disney shopping experience in the changing retail landscape,” said Jimmy Pitaro, chairman of Disney Consumer Products and Interactive. “Online, ShopDisney is the ultimate destination for the most extensive collection of curated merchandise from our stores, parks and licensed partners. This combination creates a powerful omnichannel experience that represents the next generation of Disney retail.”

(Via: http://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-scoops/disney-new-e-comm-platform-shop-disney-century-city-prototype-store-11004599/)

People aren’t just buying the merchandise but the memories they have of these characters and what they mean in their lives. But this time, shoppers will also get to purchase all things Disney from their select reimagined shops in different parts of the planet that are now made interactive for a better shopping experience. Their dream of offering the ultimate one-stop-shop is here and every Disney fan can’t wait to see what these shops have in store for them.

The redesign makes Disney’s stores a bit more like Disney’s theme parks. For instance, daily parades at Disneyland in California and Walt Disney World in Florida will be streamed live to those colossal video screens. During the parades, store personnel will put out mats for shoppers to sit on and roll out souvenir carts stocked with cotton candy and light-up Mickey Mouse ears.

The screens could easily be used to stream other events, such as red-carpet arrivals for Disney movie premieres. That kind of programming could bolster foot traffic and thus sales — while also turning the stores into a more potent promotional platform for Disney’s films, television shows and theme parks.

(Via: https://www.thestar.com/business/2017/09/26/disney-store-revamp-aims-to-lure-customers-with-theme-park-experience.html)

Perhaps this move will not just improve the performance of physical Disney stores but as well as uplift the mood in the part of town where they are in and in turn trigger a domino effect that will also benefit neighboring businesses. To stay competitive in this day and age, Disney is proving to be aggressive in knowing the pulse of the people, so they can better meet their needs and stay relevant in the process. It is actually a win-win situation for them. After all, that’s how a business grows. You grow alongside all the changes in society and you fade into oblivion if you do not learn to innovate. Many stores have since closed down because the public no longer feels the need to make their purchase personally when they can do so from the comfort of the own homes.

ShopDisney: Disney Fans, Rejoice is courtesy of NewInfluencers.com

source https://www.newinfluencers.com/shopdisney-disney-fans-rejoice/

Sports And The American Life

Many people are into all types of sports wherever you are in the world. Usually, a certain country has that one favorite sport but still, the citizens enjoy a wide assortment of athletic activities that bring about enjoyment not only to the athlete/player himself but to the audience too. Watching sports activities is a favorite past time of many and it is something most Americans can relate to. Many like spending their free days either lounging at home in front of the television watching a game or two or heading out to the venue itself and watch a game played live.

These sports events do not come cheap, though. Getting a seat in a much-awaited game can hurt your wallet. Despite the financial challenge, many sports fans willingly shell out their hard-earned money and cheer for their idols from the bleachers. And you don’t only spend for the ticket itself but also for transportation/gas, food, and some nice hats to protect you from the harsh rays of the sun, among others. If you are an average Joe, it is unlikely for you to ever set foot inside big game venues like the NBA or the NFL because of ludicrously expensive ticket prices.

Did you just drop a few hundred bucks or more going to a professional sporting event over the weekend? You're not alone.

Consumers shelled out $56 billion to attend sporting events over the past year, according to a new study by CreditCards.com. The amount includes the cost of tickets, transportation, and food and drinks. By way of comparison, that's more than double the $27 billion-plus that Americans spent on book purchases in 2015, according data from the Association of American Publishers.

"The fact that people are spending this amount of money on sporting events shows the emphasis they're putting on experience and memories instead of just stuff," said Matt Schulz, senior industry analyst for CreditCards.com.

(Via: https://www.cnbc.com/2017/09/11/americans-spend-56-billion-on-sporting-events.html)

As this trend goes on, it becomes obvious then that lower-income generating families tend to avoid live game events and would rather watch from the comforts of their home. Sporting events are a multi-billion dollar industry that not everyone can afford but it continues to attract big audiences from the middle and upper class of society. Not only that, people spend on sporting goods and equipment too and this is more evident now as more and more people want to become fit and healthy and lead an active lifestyle.

The $2.6-billion stadium Rams owner Stan Kroenke is building in Inglewood will be the world’s costliest venue with a ticket pricing plan that would offer the most expensive seats in NFL history.

According to a document obtained by The Times, the highest priced personal seat licenses for Rams games could range from $175,000 to $225,000 per seat. It would far eclipse the $150,000 PSLs offered by the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium.

The license only entitles the owner to purchase a Rams season ticket after paying the one-time fee, which in a first for the NFL will be refundable — without interest — after 50 years. The buyer must then purchase a game ticket with the best club seats tentatively priced between $350 and $400 a game. The PSL can be sold to another party with permission from the Rams, a standard practice in the league.

(Via: http://www.latimes.com/sports/sportsnow/la-sp-rams-psl-20170831-story.html)

You don’t have much choice either but to spend a lot if you are a sports fanatic. Pay-per-view is as costly as a real live game. Both has its pros and cons. It’s all up to you what you like most. If it’s your favorite team, you’d likely go watch it live so you can support them in person but either way, watching on TV is great as well for those who do not want to inconvenience themselves with long lines and mingling with a big crowd. Whichever of the two, you’d still pay for it just to be able to watch your favorite sports game when you want it.

The following post Sports And The American Life was first published to https://www.newinfluencers.com

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Senior Health: As Fragile As Their Aging Bodies

We understand that becoming sickly is quite expected as you age because your body degenerates over time. It is a fact of life. However, it does not mean that your quality of life deteriorates as well simply because you are aging. We are all expected to age, yet some manage to age gracefully and live a quality life in the twilight of their lives compared to others. Yet the majority of the elderly struggle in doing even the most basic of tasks and it has given everyone the notion that getting old is a major bummer.

Well, it is true in most cases since you move slower as you age as your physical body becomes more fragile than ever. It is the reason why the elderly are included in the vulnerable groups together with young children and pregnant women. It does not also come as a surprise that most elderly people take a lot of maintenance medications for a variety of health conditions they are diagnosed with. Most of us think that it is better for older people to take many meds to ensure they live longer and beat whatever diseases they have but it seems we are actually mistaken. Medicine is not always the cure nor is aggressive medical treatment.

Geriatricians like Taler come in, talk to the patient, examine their pills and make recommendations that ideally are aimed at the whole patient, not just his or her heart or lungs or pancreas. With a frail elderly patient who may not have many years to live, some of the established drugs and procedures don’t make sense anymore.

Are a diabetic patient’s other doctors pushing too hard to lower his blood sugar, raising the risk of a faint, which could result in a broken hip? Is an orthopedist recommending arthroscopic surgery—a procedure, research shows, that doesn’t cure arthritis? All those expensive Mohs procedures to remove precancerous growths—given how slow-growing they are, is it always worth the time, expense and strain on the patient to remove them so carefully?

“A lot of what we do is try to prevent harm by other providers,” said Sei Lee, associate medical director at the University of California Center for Geriatric Care in San Francisco. “The cultural norm in geriatrics is that we are trying to do more with less. We try to protect our patients from some of the iatrogenic harms. We were the choir when Choosing Wisely came out.”

(Via: http://www.politico.com/agenda/story/2017/09/27/choosing-wisely-medical-care-costs-000527)

Doctors are changing their management approach when it comes to treating elderly patients. If you look closely at the long list of drugs and treatments that many elderly patients receive over the years, a lot of them are deemed unnecessary and may even be detrimental to the senior’s life (and health) one way or the other. Sometimes many medical providers push for aggressive treatment that the frail body of an elderly person can no longer take, making them more prone to certain accidents or infections rather than making them well again.

“Aging itself is not inevitably associated with a decline in mood and quality of life,” says Karl-Heinz Ladwig, summarizing the results in a release. “It is rather the case that psychosocial factors such as depression or anxiety impair subjective well-being.” Helmholtz Zentrum München, head of the Mental Health Research Group at the Institute of Epidemiology II, and professor of Psychosomatic Medicine at the TUM University Hospital adds, “And in the case of women, living alone also plays an important role.”

For the current study, Ladwig and his team relied on data derived from about 3,600 participants with an average age of 73 who had taken part in the population-based KORA-Age Study. “What made the study particularly interesting was the fact that the impact of stress on emotional well-being has barely been investigated in a broader, non-clinical context,” says Karoline Lukaschek, epidemiologist in the Mental Health Research Group and lead author of the paper. “Our study therefore explicitly included anxiety, depression and sleep disorders.”

(Via: http://www.sleepreviewmag.com/2017/09/elderly-sleep-disorders-negative-effect-well-psychosocial-factors-biggest-impact/)

We can’t stop the hands of time. Your body goes through various changes as you live your life and the stress of all the past years takes its toll on your body. It is not just the wrinkles that line your face that causes you to feel down but the lack of sleep as well that often accompanies aging aside from all the other bothersome and painful symptoms of the conditions most seniors are diagnosed with. But with prompt and proper holistic treatment, the elderly people can still live independently and not always succumb to sickness.

Doctors should not just prescribe the first drug that comes to mind and think of the elderly patient in a context that is not limited to their condition but as a living and breathing human being that needs a balance of tender love and care along with the appropriate medical intervention.

Senior Health: As Fragile As Their Aging Bodies is courtesy of The New Influencers

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