Alerts CC

Experts Weigh in on Charitable Giving Dos and Don’ts for the Holiday Season

With the holiday season underway in the United States, many Americans are looking to help the less fortunate by donating to local and national charity organizations. But experts are warning donors to be cautious with their resources this year, in order to make sure that their donations have the maximum positive impact.

Some Americans may choose a charity simply for the tax deduction their contribution will provide at the end of the year. But this kind of quick thinking and lack of research is exactly what some less reputable charities benefit from.

Dr. Ronald Pitcock teaches an honors course on the nature of giving at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth. He warns that a “bad” charity will quite literally bank on the sympathy of others. “They know many donors will almost immediately give from trusting hearts before ever checking the organization,” he says.

Pitcock and other experts say that putting a bit of time into researching an organization can help put an end to abusive, not charitable, practices and redirect donations to more responsible organizations.

Jim Hegarty, president and CEO of Nebraska’s Better Business Bureau, explains that the organization also rates charities on its affiliate site, Give.org, to help donors with that research.

Hegarty says the process is fairly straightforward in the BBB’s ratings. The BBB applies 20 standards for charity accountability in the areas of governance, finance, effectiveness, fundraising, and transparent information.

In order to qualify for a BBB accreditation, Hegarty says organizations need to meet those 20 standards. Additionally, “Sixty-five percent of all the money [they] take in needs to go to the actual services the charity is supporting,” Hegarty says, without using too much of those funds on solicitors or for fundraising efforts.

Anna Helhoski, a writer for blog NerdWallet, suggests choosing a charity that uses approximately 80% of their funding for programs, as all groups need to pay for administrative costs and fundraising efforts. Helhoski cautions donors to stay away from organizations that use vague language, like saying only that “a portion of your donation” will be used.

Whether or not the organization reports to the BBB, donors should look for transparency when researching charities. Many organizations display their tax return information online to give the public an idea of how their funds are used.

Donors should also look to give to a cause that means something to them personally. There are over 1.4 million charity organizations in the United States, according to the National Center for Charitable Statistics, so there should be something for everyone.

Many organizations are looking for monetary donations in order to help others get through the winter. Michael Smith, the president and CEO of Goodwill of Southwestern Pennsylvania, says that his organization receives more donations during the winter months than other times of the year, even though they accept donations year-round.

Those who don’t have extra cash to spare can consider other ways to donate, such as giving clothing, household goods, food, and toys for children.

U-Va President Promises Action, But Will the Plans Be Enough?

In the wake of a staggering controversy that rocked the campus, the University of Virginia plans to move ahead with plans to improve campus security, rein in alcohol abuse, reform its Greek life culture, and stop sexual assault.

According to U-VA President Teresa A. Sullivan, the university has several measures planned. First, it plans to deploy uniformed “ambassadors” around campus to escort students home or provide other help on weekends. Second, it plans to hire more counselors to help students work through any traumatic sexual assault experiences. Third, U-VA plans to revise its written agreements with fraternities, ensuring that safety becomes the top priority.

“When you have more officers and more eyes and ears there, it can help with all kinds of difficult situations,” said Sullivan.

These were just a few of the action items Sullivan discussed in a one-hour interview with the Washington Post, which was her most comprehensive interview since the Rolling Stone article that launched the controversy. In that article, Rolling Stone accused the U-VA of responding with apathy towards sexual assault victims. Recently, the magazine had to publish an apology for “discrepancies.”

Alcohol, however, has proven to be a trickier issue. While Sullivan did say she was sympathetic to those want to crackdown on underage drinking, she fears a heavy hand might have unintended, devastating consequences.

“I don’t want students to be so afraid of police that they won’t call police when they’ve got a friend who’s in trouble,” she said. “But I think respect for the law is also an important thing for us to instill in our young people.”

Though she does have a point, the issue of drinking certainly does need to be addressed. Not only is alcohol abuse a crisis across the nation, it’s an issue plaguing the microcosm of campus life. Alcohol is the number one drug problem in the United States, after all. And what’s more, a study from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism found that about 40% of college students binge-drink.

The reason it needs to be addressed is because it’s been linked time and time again to sexual assault on college campuses. A 2013 study titled “The Relationship Between Alcohol and Sexual Assault on the College Campus” states that “As alcohol use became more problematic, the chances of a student reporting that they had been sexually assaulted increased as well … Conversely, experiencing [sexual assault] may impact drinking rates, as those who answered, ‘Yes’ or ‘Not Sure’ to being a victim of [sexual assault] were more likely to be high-risk [drinkers] (33% and 29%) and problematic drinkers (9% and 8%).”

While these action items are certainly a good step forward, they may not prove to be enough. If U-VA wants to accomplish its goals, it’s likely going to have to tackle underage drinking, too.

Americans: Be Prepared to Use the Credit Cards That the Rest of the World Already Uses… by Next October

American credit card holders have long been used to swiping their cards to pay for purchases, with their data being read from the magnetic stripe on the card. But by next year, credit card issuers plan to roll out the computer-chip-based cards that the rest of the world uses for their credit card transactions.

The switch will be part of an effort to curb the fraudulent transactions and consumer data breaches that often occur from magnetic stripe cards.

The Aite Group, a financial research firm, reports that as much as 37% of credit card fraud in the United States is attributed to counterfeit magnetic stripe cards. Because those cards contain unchanging information, the data can be copied to other cards easily and used in fraudulent transactions.

The magnetic stripe card has been replaced by with a small integrated circuit embedded within the card in most other countries in the world. These are similar to the cards used in electronic voting machines in the U.S.

Those credit cards are referred to in other parts of the world as EMV cards, which take their name from the three financial companies that introduced this new standard — Europay, MasterCard, and Visa. The latter, Visa, is the most popular brand worldwide, accounting for roughly 52% of all payment volume globally.

The cards generate new data with each transaction, effectively making counterfeiting impossible. They are used the same as the magnetic stripe cards: they are inserted into the machine and require a customer signature or a PIN (personal identification number) in the case of debit cards.

The proposed change comes at a time when the payments industry is undergoing big changes. One major player, Apple Pay, has introduced convenient mobile payments in a way that doesn’t compete directly with existing credit card issuers, and which allows companies to keep their merchant fees.

MasterCard, Visa, Discover and American Express have established an Oct. 1, 2015 deadline to make the switch to EMV cards. At fuel pumps, however, the deadline for the switch won’t occur until 2017, due to the complexity of EMV compliance.

Once the deadline arrives, the liability for credit card fraud will shift to the least EMV-compliant party in the transaction. In many cases, this will be the merchant — if they haven’t switched their old PIN machines to new EMV card machines.

Stretch of Highway 62 Closest to Arizona Border Found to Be 12 Times More Deadly Than the Average Road

On Feb. 18, 2011, a black pickup truck sped through a red light at Highway 62’s intersection with Yucca Mesa Road. The truck crashed into the left side of bus driver Johannes Gysen’s minivan, pinning Gysen inside his vehicle.

The pickup, driven by Kimberly Mendelez, had been speeding through the desert at 70 mph.

Marijuana, which was found in Mendelez’ bloodstream following the crash, is known for triggering neurogenesis — but when combined with the cocktail of painkillers and psychoactive drugs also present in her bloodstream, it’s unlikely that any brain cells were being generated.

It took approximately 20 minutes to cut Gysen out of his vehicle, and he succumbed to his injuries in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. Mendelez and her five-year-old daughter were uninjured in the crash.

While it may have been a tragedy, it certainly wasn’t an uncommon occurrence on Highway 62’s winding pathway through the desert between the Arizona border and the Coachella valley. The crash that claimed Gysen’s life was just one of an astonishing 182 deaths that have happened on Highway 62 since 2002, a new investigation by the Desert Sunreports.

The stretch of Highway 62 that runs between Parker and Twentynine Palms may be the deadliest area along this road. With 16 vehicle fatalities taking place from 2002 to 2012, Parker’s portion of Highway 62 is 12 times deadlier than the average road.

The Desert Sun’s investigation found that drugs and alcohol, despite having a hand in the crash that killed Gysen, wasn’t that common of a cause for crashes on the highway. In fact, a mere five of the 16 Highway 62 incidents near Parker involved alcohol, and only two of them involved drugs.

The investigation found that 11 of the 16 crashes to take place near Parker happened between Memorial Day and Labor Day, which is peak season for Californians who travel to Parker for river recreation.

With the majority of these crashes taking place during the daytime — meaning most drivers weren’t being blinded by a rising or setting sun — and with speed ruled out as a major contributing factor, what could be the reason for this highway’s disproportionate body count?

The answer, the Desert Sun reports, may be Highway 62’s lack of a meridian to separate the two directions of traffic and prevent head-on collisions, or barriers and rumble strips to prevent cars from drifting off to the right. That means vehicle drift is the likely reason for many of Highway 62’s crashes.

The news isn’t all bad — the Desert Sun’s report showed that fatalities on Highway 62 are in fact decreasing, thanks to bolstered efforts by cities like Parker to improve the road’s safety.

In addition, California’s Department of Transportation, Caltrans, said it plans to have spent about $50 million in the period from 2008 to 2018 on safety improvements, lane additions and expanded shoulders on the highway’s most dangerous segments.

Even so, it may be worth it for Parker residents to consider alternate routes that don’t involve driving on Highway 62 — it just might save your life.

U.K.- Based Aviva Promises To Compensate Victims of Annuity Calculation Error

A recent investigation conducted by the U.K. news publication The Telegraph revealed that the British insurance company Aviva shortchanged about 250 customers who bought annuities; Aviva is now stating that there was an error in sales calculations, and that the company plans to compensate every customer affected by the mistake.

Because an annuity functions like a regular paycheck for retirees — i.e., it provides a regular income for people after retiring — it is usually intended to last for many years, if not for the person’s remaining lifetime. The cost and value of an annuity, therefore, is based on multiple factors regarding the person’s health history, current health status, and changes in rates and inflation.

The recent investigation uncovered that Aviva sold annuities in 2013 that didn’t accurately reflect the health statuses of 250 separate customers. All of these customers had poor health conditions, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and a history of smoking, which often contribute to shorter lifespans.

Normally, when an annuity is concerned, the seller will offer a better annuity package if the customer is predicted to have a shorter life expectancy. In this case, Aviva should have offered its 250 customers an annuity that guaranteed regular income for life, based on its own customer policies.

The Telegraph noted that, based on previous studies, about 60% of Aviva’s eligible customers should have been given lifetime annuity plans automatically; in reality, Aviva has only given extended annuities automatically to about 7% of its eligible customers.

This isn’t a rare occurrence, as many people are finding out. Although quite a few people are eligible for lifetime annuities, it’s estimated that only one out of every four eligible people actually have these annuities.

It comes as no surprise that Aviva has decided to compensate each of its 250 customers, and to make the compensation announcement very public. Even though the company is Britain’s largest insurer right now, and even though most annuity owners are fairly loyal to their seller — with over 90% of annuity owners stating that they still own their first annuity — Aviva could have even more problems down the road if the issue isn’t addressed swiftly. Economic experts are already predicting that a “floodgate of claims” could appear, as more people realize that they’ve been shortchanged by their annuity sellers too.

Unfortunately, Aviva’s mistake can’t be solved with simple financial compensation, since quite a few affected annuity owners have already passed away. It’s likely that the company’s “error” will be investigated thoroughly, since a “mistake” of that gravity is not likely to go unnoticed for well over a year. However, perhaps the silver lining in this situation is that annuity owners across the globe are paying attention and are taking a second look at their own financial plans.

Mozilla Chooses Yahoo to Be Firefox’s Default Search Engine

Studies estimate that 93% of all internet experiences begin with a query on a search engine. In most cases, that search takes place on Google: a March 2014 analysis showed that the popular service controls 67.5% of the search engine industry, placing well above its competitors, all of whom own less than 20%. However, thanks to a new deal, that superiority may be at risk: Yahoo! will replace Google as Mozilla Firefox’s default search browser.

For the past 10 years, Google has been the default search browser on Firefox’s Web browser in the United States. But despite this arrangement, tensions have been high ever since Google unveiled their Chrome web browser in 2008, drawing a considerable number of users away from Firefox. Despite a loyal audience that conducts over one billion search annually, experts say that Firefox has no choice but to become more competitive, and with Google’s contract with the company expiring at the end of November, the search engine will be replaced. The new agreement with Yahoo! is planned to last for five years.

This opportunity comes at an advantageous time for Yahoo!: the search engine is reportedly responsible for a mere 10.1% of searches, and the company’s own website has used Microsoft’s technology to generate its search results since 2010. This deal could be the perfect chance for Yahoo! to become a bigger threat to Google, and the company is duly taking action: CEO Marissa Mayer has announced that Yahoo! will unveil a redesigned search engine in December, before adding the same model to its own site in 2015. As part of their 10-year deal, the technology will continue to be supplied by Microsoft.

Despite these plans, however, it will likely be difficult for Yahoo! to overcome the legacy of their predecessor: in 2012, Google accounted for 90% of Mozilla’s royalty revenue. The company has yet to release its financial report for 2013. Likewise, the financial details of its partnership with Yahoo! have not been disclosed.

In addition to supplanting Google with Yahoo! in the U.S., Mozilla plans to switch to Baidu in China and Yandex in Russia. Firefox users around the world still have the choice to opt out of using the default browser and switching to another choice, such as Google.

New Study Finds That Hormones Play Minor Role In Menopausal Women’s Sexual Desire

A woman’s interest in sex isn’t completely hormonal, as is often the case with men, a new study reveals. In fact, the research suggests that a woman’s sexual desire is more complicated than originally thought.

Conducted in Michigan and six other clinical locations across the United States, the study concluded that naturally occurring reproductive hormones, including testosterone, play a much smaller role than previously thought in influencing menopausal women’s sexual desire and function. Though testosterone is the main sex hormone in men, a woman’s ovaries naturally produce small amounts of it.

The objective of the study was to explore the relationship between menopause and sexual function. Menopausal women still want sex; however, their desire is not influenced by hormones or the innate drive to reproduce, as younger women’s sex drives are. In fact, relationship satisfaction and other psychological factors play a larger role in a menopausal woman’s sexual desire than hormones do.

According to study leader John Randolph of the University of Michigan Medical School, testosterone and sex hormones play a secondary role compared to a woman’s emotional well-being and quality of her intimate relationship. The study’s researchers examined data from 3,302 female participants in order to determine the relationship between hormones and sexual function during menopause.

Participants weren’t only asked about their desire for sex; they also had their blood drawn to measure testosterone and other sex hormone levels. It was determined that women who had higher levels of sex hormones reported having more sexual desire as opposed to women with lower levels. Most surprising was that women who reported having higher levels of relationship satisfaction and fewer sad moods also had higher levels of sexual desire. The study recommends that menopausal women lacking sexual desire should consider other factors besides hormones.

It’s often been said that body’s largest sex organ is the brain. Though the average woman begins experiencing perimenopausal and menopausal systems between the ages of 40 and 58, many women find greater sexual confidence, desire, and satisfaction with age. This is due to both emotional maturity and confidence. While post-menopausal sex serves no reproductive or biological function, sex is an integral part our well-being as humans.

Number of Uninsured Tennesseans Has Decreased 25% Since 2013, Study Says

A new study conducted by the University of Tennessee shows that the number of people in Tennessee without health insurance has dropped by 25% in the last year. This represents the lowest number of uninsured Tennesseans in a decade.

According to the study, released Nov. 17, 7.2% of the state’s 6.5 million residents do not have health insurance. About 2.4% of children are uninsured, which is a 35% drop since 2013.

“The declines coincide with the establishment of the Health Insurance Marketplace, which was put into place in early 2014 through the Affordable Care Act,” a press release from the university notes.

Study Methodology

The survey, administered by the university’s Center for Business and Economic Research in a contract with the Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration, has been conducted each year since 1993. This was the final year of Medicaid before the adoption of TennCare in the state.

Data was collected from telephone interviews with 5,000 heads of households between May and July 2014.

The study’s purpose is not only to determine insurance status, but also to compile data on use of medical facilities and to collect satisfaction reports.

Insurance in Tennessee

Of those surveyed, 93% said they were satisfied with the medical care provided by TennCare, marking the sixth consecutive year that satisfaction ratings have topped 90%.

While health insurance rates are rising, other vital kinds of insurance are still neglected by many Americans. For example, three out of 10 American households have no members with life insurance.

The study also sought to understand the underlying causes for people remaining uninsured. These reasons, according to the report’s authors, have for the most part stayed consistent since TennCare’s 1994 implementation.

“The major reason that people continue to report being uninsured is their perception that they cannot afford insurance,” the report reads.

One notable change, however, is that 12% said that they did not have insurance because they do not need it, more than twice the percentage who gave that reason in last year’s survey.

The full report, titled “The Impact of TennCare: A Survey of Recipients, 2014,” is available online.

Millions of Children on Medicaid Aren’t Showing Up for Free Checkups

According to a new report out of the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Inspector General, millions of low-income children on Medicaid still aren’t getting the free screenings and exams they qualify for, and the government isn’t acting sufficiently to fix the problem.

The report was released Thursday, and claims that although the Obama administration has boosted participation rates in Medicaid, it still has to work harder to get children into their regular wellness and dental checkups as well as vision and hearing exams.

According to the report, 63% of children on Medicaid received at least one medical screening in 2013. While this is an improvement from the 56% who made it into the doctor’s office in 2006, it’s still far lower than the 80% goal. Iowa and California were the only states to exceed that goal last year, while Alaska and Ohio dropped under 40%, and several other states hovered between 40-45%.

A few missed doctor’s appointments may not seem like a big deal, but not taking children to the doctor on a regular basis can, in fact, have major consequences. “We end up with kids who are sicker, with more long-term, serious medical issues that are more expensive to treat,” Jennifer Clarke, the executive director of Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia, told Kaiser Health News.

Child health advocates are pointing to several different causes for the low attendance rates. There aren’t enough doctors treating Medicaid patients, especially since they could end up on the OIG’s List of Excluded Individuals/Entities if they misuse federal health care programs or mistreat patients. States are also failing to support medicaid providers, and parents aren’t sufficiently aware of the importance of regular visits.

Other experts are blaming state officials for the low screening rates, since the most the federal government could do to force a change is withdraw Medicaid funding.

“The federal government is working hard on this,” Jane Perkins, legal director of the National Health Law Program, told Kaiser Health News. “But the only power they have over states is to take away their funding and that is highly unlikely.”

Professional Athletes Fall Victim to Debilitating Back Problems

They may be some of the best athletes in the world — but that doesn’t make them immune to the same back problems and spinal conditions that affect the rest of us.

Rafael Nadal, currently ranked as the third-best male tennis player in the world, suffers from chronic back pain after injuring his back during the Australian Open — and, according to the International Business Times, his back problems have kept him from playing to his full potential this season.

In the world of hockey, Columbus Blue Jackets forward Nathan Horton’s career is all but over after a degenerative back injury left him unable to stand or walk. He now faces the choice of waiting for his back to heal itself before returning to the rink, or undergoing a surgical procedure that would leave him unable to play professional sports ever again,Lighthouse Hockey reports.

Many pro athletes are able to seek out chiropractic therapy for their back ailments — in fact, back pain is what brings 35% of all patients to chiropractic therapy. But this isn’t the case for Nadal or Horton, whose conditions are too serious to be healed by a chiropractor.

According to the International Business Times, Nadal has turned to stem cell treatment for his back problems. Stem cell treatments, while not yet scientifically proven to work, are being used by some athletes to help repair damaged tissue and bone in the body.

For Horton, who at 29 has played on a Stanley Cup-winning team in 2011 and has a contract with the Blue Jackets worth $37 million, the decision to undergo a surgery that would repair his back, but end his career, seems impossible. He has yet to choose whether or not he will undergo the surgery, according to Lighthouse Hockey.

Regardless of the results for Nadal and Horton’s respective treatments, one thing is clear — failing to care for one’s spinal health can produce disastrous effects, especially when one’s entire career relies on a healthy, pain-free body.