Category: CONSUMER NEWS

Philadelphia Bar Association’s LGBT Rights Committee to Host Legal Name Change Clinic

for Area Transgender Community

Free Clinic for Philadelphians Seeking a Legal Name Change Due to Gender Transition to be Held this Saturday, February 1

st

at 1pm

PHILADELPHIA, PA –

On Saturday, February 1

st

, 2020 at 1:00 pm the

LGBT Rights Committee of the Philadelphia Bar Association

in partnership with the Community

College of Philadelphia will be hosting a free clinic open to the public for members of the Philadelphia-area community seeking a legal name change due to a recent gender transition.

Clients of the clinic are required to register by Thursday, January 30, 2020 at 12:00 PM. A link to the online registration can be found at this web address:

https://forms.gle/aaTZaPvkNBpGbNzp7

.

The clinic will be staffed by volunteer attorney members of the Philadelphia Bar Association and will offer pro bono, culturally competent legal services to those transgender, non-binary and gender nonconforming individuals seeking a legal name change.

Prior to the clinic, from 10:00 am – 12:15 pm the LGBT Rights Committee will be hosting a continuing legal education (CLE) training for members of the Philadelphia legal community, “Legal Name Change in Philadelphia: Serving Low-Income Members of the Transgender, Non-Binary, and Gender Nonconforming Community.”

The training will focus on equipping local attorneys on how to provide pro-bono representation to low-income Philadelphia residents seeking a legal name change relating to gender identity.  The CLE training is free only to those attorneys who commit to volunteering for the free legal name change clinic and will also take place at the Community College of Philadelphia’s Center for Business & Industry.  Attorneys wishing to participate in the CLE training can

register online

.

“For many members of the trans, non-binary, and gender-nonconforming community, a legal name change is not merely a choice, it\’s a necessity,”

said Robert Ian Evans, co-chair of the Philadelphia Bar Association’s LGBT Rights Committee.

“Presenting identification documents that do not match an individual\’s identity can lead to confusion, discrimination, harassment, and even violence. Although some individuals may have the resources necessary to proceed through the legal requirements, many members of our community often face barriers limiting access to a name change and the benefits the come with it.”

WHAT:

Free Legal Name Change Clinic for Philadelphia Area Transgender, Non-Binary and Gender Nonconforming Individuals

WHO:

Hosted by the LGBT Rights Committee of the Philadelphia Bar Association and the Community College of Philadelphia

WHEN:

Saturday, February 1

st

, 2020 from 1:00 pm until 5:00 PM

WHERE:

Community College of Philadelphia

Center for Business & Industry

1751 Callowhill Street, Philadelphia, PA 19130

Fun Learning Activities for Kids You Can Do at Home

Gloucestercitynews.net (January 29, 2020)–Are you trying to give your kids a little advantage at school? Or are you just interested in finding fun ways you can bond at home and learn a little something along the way? Well, there are so many amazing activities you can do with your kids and teach them plenty of useful things while having

courtesy of unsplash.com

fun.

Doing experiments

Kids are fascinated by the world around them, so you can take easy advantage of that and turn their curiosity into a fun learning opportunity. There are easy experiments you can conduct at home to spark your kids’ interest in science. With only a few ingredients you can find in your pantry or grab at a store, you can create a volcano, make your own lava lamp, make slime or write invisible letters. Kids will learn a lot about material and ingredient properties and have fun in the meantime.

Playing with educational toys

Toys are always fun, but also a great educational material if you know where to look. You can easily fill your kids’ rooms with toys like Legos, building blocks and jigsaws which are great for motor skills and creativity; music instruments for artistic expression; connect four for logical thinking; and many more. These are all fun both for kids and parents and they are a great way to incorporate engineering, math, reading and measuring lessons.

Painting and drawing

Artistic expression is one of the rare fun and useful activities your kid can safely pursue at home. If you just provide them with plenty of (non-toxic) supplies like markers, water colors and different types of material, they will experiment for hours. And you can easily find the best crayons (and toys) at this site –

Home

and provide your kids with all the fun they need from an art supply. Try giving them drawing ideas and allow them to explore them and add their own details. In order to make the situation even more fun, play some music and try drawing what you feel.

Cooking

If you’re often short on time and have a busy schedule, you can use your time spent in the kitchen to encourage your kids to learn and acquire new skills. There’s nothing more fun for kids than handling dough, measuring ingredients and stirring bowls of pasta or cream. Older kids can even get their own knife (there are kid-friendly kinds) and help you chop veggies and fruit. All of these activities will incorporate math (measuring and counting ingredients), reading (recipe books), motor skill practice (stirring and chopping) and learning vocabulary.

Reading before bed

This classic activity is perfect for hard-working parents who come home from work exhausted. No matter how long your day was, you can always tuck your kids in, grab a book and have some quiet time reading and relaxing. Kids love stories, so you can’t really go wrong with any sort of fairytale, pop-up book or kids’ poetry. Make sure to show them pictures, discuss different scenarios and talk further about characters. This activity is great for developing reading and vocabulary skills as well as exercising creativity.

Talk about numbers

Kids are never too young to start learning about numbers. Numbers are present all around us and you don’t have to limit kids’ learning to math books. Calendars, remote controls, phones, registration plates all have numbers, so you can study them from your home. Come up with fun games like Find the Number and ask your kids to go around the house and search for certain numbers. It’s a great way to keep them busy and learning at the same time.

Who says kids can’t have fun and learn at the same time? And the best part, they can do all of that right at home where you can keep a watchful eye on them.

How to Cook Wild Game Meat

Gloucestercitynews.net (January 29, 2020)–When talking about wild game meat, it’s important to remember that we’re not talking about a single type of meat. Instead, wild game meat can come from all sorts of animals – from quail and hare to wild boars and deer. That’s why it can be a bit tricky to discuss general ways you can cook the meat as not all of them require the same treatment or temperature.

image courtesy of unsplash.com

That being said, we will try to give some guidelines on how to cook wild game meat the right way, which generally apply to most cases. Here, you will find some tips as well as some of the most common mistakes to avoid for a great cooking experience and delicious results. Check them out.

Temperature plays a huge role

The sous-vide cooking technique is definitely the preferred approach when it comes to cooking game meat. This low-temperature long-time cooking technique enables you to control the way in which your meat is being cooked to ensure that everything is cooked evenly. Since the game is usually best when served slightly pink this technique will allow you to avoid overcooking it as you will be able to control the temperature of the environment the meat is cooking in at all times.

The way you cut the meat is very important

Another thing you need to pay attention to is the way you cut the meat before you start preparing it. While there are some animals whose meat is similar to one of the domesticated breeds and doesn’t really require special skills, there are some animals that will require not only special skills but the right tools as well. That’s why you will need to ensure that you have the right equipment for the meat of your choice in particular. If you’re not sure where you can look for such utensils, you can always do some online research and find more information at this website –

https://thegearhunt.com/

.

Choose the meat carefully

Furthermore, in order to prepare a great dish, you first need to ensure that your main ingredient – the meat – is of the appropriate quality. If you are not the one who hunted the animal yourself, you will need to find a reliable vendor. This way, not only will you ensure that the meat you bought is actually the meat you intended to buy and that it’s safe for you to use, but you can also rest assured that the meat was treated properly. If you’re not sure how or where you can buy fresh game meat you can always resort to the frozen options.

Avoid common mistakes

In the end, you should get to know some of the most common mistakes people make when cooking wild game so that you can easily avoid them. The first and arguably the most important mistake to avoid is not letting the meat age properly. Since this process allows the enzymes in the meat to improve the flavor of the meat, it should definitely not be overlooked. Additionally, not marinating the meat can arguably destroy it. Since juiciness plays a huge role in wild game meat, it is very important to allow it to soak up all the juices and flavors from the marinade.

Even though cooking wild game meat will require somewhat of a different approach than cooking regular meat, it really is not too difficult to do it right, once you master the basics. One of the best tips for cooking game is to keep the dish simple and not overwhelm it with different spices. Instead, you should allow the quality and the taste of game to shine in its full glory.

Maple Shade PD Alert: Beware! Phone Scammers are Active in the Area

MAPLE SHADE, NJ (January 28, 2020)—-Authorities have reported an increase in various scams across the country which typically involve telemarketing scammers posing as

lawyers, customs, or lottery officials targeting residents with fraudulent promises of large cash prizes, vacation getaways, vehicles, or other prizes.

The perpetrators tell “winners” they can claim a prize if they pay for shipping, insurance, customs duties, or taxes, by providing bank or credit card information, or by wiring the money.  In some situations, the scammers ask their victims to send a check.  When they have the bank routing number, they use it to make unauthorized withdrawals from the account.

**There is no Prize**

The scammers keep their victims money.  They can be threatening, relentless and manipulative.  They commonly prey on older adults.  If you have older friends or relatives, remind them to be careful and seek another opinion before giving money to anyone under these circumstances.

REMEMBER

:

o If someone claims you have won a foreign lottery, it is a scam. Hang up immediately.

o Beware of solicitations asking you to send money to another country.

o Do not believe statements that you need to pay money to “collect your winnings.”

o Do not be rushed into sending money by a sense of urgency or threats.

o If it sounds too good to be true, it is.

Address/Location

Maple Shade Township Police Department

200 N Stiles Ave

Maple Shade Township, NJ 08052

Contact

Emergency: 9-1-1

Non-emergencies: 856-234-8300

Brigid Harrison, Candidate for Congress, Calls for Van Drew\’s Resignation

[January 27, 2020 – Longport, New Jersey] – As first reported in the

New York Times

on Sunday, an unpublished manuscript by former National Security Adviser John R. Bolton confirmed that President Trump directly told Bolton in August that Trump planned to freeze $391 million in security assistance to the country of Ukraine until officials helped with investigations into Democrats, including the Bidens.

The following is a statement from Brigid Callahan Harrison, Democratic candidate for New Jersey\’s 2nd Congressional District:

\”I began this campaign to challenge Jeff Van Drew for one reason – because he put his self-interest ahead of the people of the 2nd Congressional District.  This issue has now become far deeper and more serious than the self interest of a career politician.

\”Van Drew chose to violate the trust of those who voted for him, including me.  He ignored the voices of New Jersey\’s second congressional district, the progressives, moderates, and independents who united to get him elected.  He then accepted a backroom Trump handshake that has already brought him hundreds of thousands of dollars of support.

\”But with the recent revelations by John Bolton, it is now clear that this issue is far more severe.

\”Van Drew chose to obstruct Congress\’s rightful authority to investigate very serious allegations and assisted in withholding crucial information related to the 2020 election, and with Mr. Bolton\’s account, there is now a clear smoking gun.

\”These actions are no longer just disgraceful or disrespectful or based on self-interest, they have now evolved to the point that Van Drew clearly helped conspire to help Trump get away with a crime.

\”I was the first to publicly suggest that Van Drew deserved a primary challenge for his actions, and now it is clear, with this breaking and developing information, it is time for him to step aside and resign.

\”Oligarchies are created when citizens are denied access to information – the very tactic that Van Drew sought to use to enable President Trump to use the federal government to influence the outcome of the 2020 election.  Van Drew has not only been a pawn to Donald Trump but is now a clear co-conspirator to a crime and can no longer serve our community effectively.”

H1 – Is PayPal cracking down on online casino players?

Gloucestercitynews.net (January 28, 2020)–PayPal has been a cornerstone payment method for online casino players for many years now. From its beginnings, in the early 2000s, this service has processed billions of online transactions. Of these, using the

PayPal payment method for online casinos

deposits and withdrawals account for a fair chunk.

source unsplash.com

But now as we enter a new decade it seems that PayPal is following the recent trends of other payments providers with a tightening of its rules and regulations.

What could be the possible effects of this for online casino players and what will the future shape up to be? We’ll attempt to answer these questions and more below.

H2 – German online casino payment crackdown

The early warning signs that PayPal was about to make a move towards more stringent regulations for casino players started to show in 2019. Around halfway through the year PayPal announced plans to stop supporting payments to and from online casinos in Germany from October 21, 2019.

This came after a warning was issued in June 2019 by the Lower Saxony state in Germany to an unnamed international payment processor. The warning was concerned with the payment provider being used to fund illegal online casino transactions in that region.

PayPal’s terms of service in Germany were quickly updated following the warning to say that they would not process payments for “offers that are not legal in your respective whereabouts, including some online gambling offers.”

This move reflects a wider game change regarding casino licencing in Germany. At the current moment, only the state of Schleswig-Holstein is able to offer legal gambling licences but all this is set to change.

Countrywide gambling licences will be issued in early 2020 but only on very strictly limited terms for sports betting. Given this, the future of the online casino industry in Germany looks very uncertain indeed.

H2 – Will there be a worldwide PayPal casino crackdown?

The above case from Germany is for a very specific region and payment provider but it does highlight a wider trend. For many years online casinos have been viewed by some as being the ‘wild west’ of the internet. The wider industry is making drastic moves to smarten up their image and operations which in turn affects payment providers.

Now that states, governments and even trading blocks seek to enforce ever tighter rules and regulations for the gambling industry, all involved must be seen to comply. In the case of PayPal, their actions in Germany show us that they are willing and able to play by the rules when they need to.

As a business with a reputation to maintain across continents, PayPal cannot afford to be seen to be connected with any illegal activities or wrongdoing. If doing so means pulling out of one of Europe’s big casino markets then it looks as though they will do it without fear.

H2 – How does this affect casino players?

From the point of view of casino players, it means that they might have less choice of which payment provider to use in the future. Millions of casino fans around the world rely on PayPal to process their withdrawals and deposits. Not having their service as a payments option at any casino would be a major blow.

That said, let’s not forget that tighter rules and regulations should be working in favour of online casino players. If it forces PayPal and other payments providers to up their game then it is a good thing. In turn, this creates a safer and more secure playing environment which can be seen as a positive.

Gustafson Thrilled To Learn Pelosi Is Coming To Support Norcross

Pelosi visit is a near perfect illustration of the difference between Norcross and Gustafson

COLLINGSWOOD – Claire Gustafson, Republican candidate for Congress in New Jersey’s first congressional district, said she was “thrilled” to learn Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi is coming to Camden County to support Congressman Donald Norcross next month.

“Nancy Pelosi coming to Camden County to support Donald Norcross is a near perfect illustration of the differences I have with Congressman Norcross,” Claire Gustafson said. “Pelosi and Norcross support sanctuary states, abortion on demand, a sham impeachment and continually attack the Second Amendment. In Congress I’ll say no to sanctuary states, no to abortion as a form of birth control, no to this impeachment nonsense and no to the assault on our Second Amendment.”

“I found it almost laughable that in

one report

it was said that, ‘Congressman Norcross is a key member of Speaker Pelosi’s leadership team and is widely recognized for his leadership on job creation.’” Gustafson added, “It was Norcross who, in February 2014 when he first ran for Congress,

proudly proclaimed

he ‘led the charge on getting the Economic Opportunity Act passed into law’ and promised it was ‘a game-changing law that will help create thousands of jobs in our region.’”

Gustafson asked, “If Congressman Norcross is such a leader on job creation where are the thousands of jobs he promised nearly six years ago?”

“Perhaps Pelosi or Norcross will explain why he now downplays his role in getting the Economic Opportunity Act passed.” Gustafson said, “I’ll be looking forward to the Congresswoman’s visit and hope we finally learn where the thousands of jobs Mr. Norcross promised are.”

How To Make Your Business Look More Professional

Gloucestercitynews.net(January 28, 2020)–Running a business is not an easy task, and it is down to every business owner to make choices that are going to benefit the company in the long term. Some of these choices will be about how to make the business look more professional to the outside world – to customers, suppliers, and investors – in order to make more sales and increase profits.

It can be hard to determine just what is going to help do this, especially when you are working in the business and are close to what is happening. Ideally, you will want to take a step back and reassess what you are doing to ensure that your business is as professional as possible. Here are some ways to achieve this.

A Good Website

When a potential customer comes across a new company and thinks about buying from it, the first thing they are going to do is check its website.

It is expected that all businesses would have a website

(if there are no results when a name is searched, it will look highly suspicious), but that website also needs to look professional in order to win business.

image courtesy of unsplash.com

There are no excuses for a poor looking website; there are many web designers who will be able to help you decide what you are looking for and create something that works perfectly for your business. Even if you choose to do the job yourself, intuitive programs such as

WordPress

mean that you don’t have to understand coding to have a great looking and user-friendly website. This is essential if you want to look professional.

Your Premises

Some people choose to

work from home

, but others would prefer not to, or they don’t have a choice; if they own and operate a customer-facing business, then working from home is not going to work for them. If this is the case and you need premises to sell items from or to meet customers in, then you need to ensure it looks good and is well maintained. A shoddy-looking building is not going to inspire confidence in any potential customer, and an investor might not want to give you any money either if you can’t look after your office or warehouse space properly.

Installing a brand new building in place of an old one, such as

a steel building from Armstrong Steel

, will help you to look more professional. Everything will look clean and well maintained, and you will be able to specify exactly what you want, ensuring that your employees are comfortable too. This will give a great first impression to anyone who visits your business.

Have Business Cards

Ordering business cards

may seem like an unnecessary expense, especially when you are just starting out, but they can show your business in a much more professional light.

Networking

is an essential part of business, and if you don’t have business cards to hand out, what will you do when you are meeting new people who might be able to help you? You will either miss the opportunity or write your details on a scrap of paper – both ideas are unprofessional, and a business card would solve these problems.

NEST Integrated Facilities Management Names Shannon Puckett Chief Operating Officer

GLOUCESTER CITY, NJ—January 27, 2020

—NEST, the leader in integrated facilities management and technology solutions serving enterprises in the United States and Canada, has announced the addition of Shannon Puckett to their executive suite as

Chief Operating Officer.

In her new role, Puckett will oversee NEST’s network of over 26,000 independent service providers (ISPs), ensure their compliance to local and national requirements and manage quality assurance, product sourcing and service execution.

“We’re thrilled to have a veteran leader like Shannon joining the NEST family,” said Rob Almond, CEO at NEST. “After a year of continued growth and expansion of our services, 2020 felt like the perfect time to grow our executive team.”

Puckett draws on over two decades’ experience in the facilities management space where her leadership fostered growth internally and externally by implementing innovative techniques to meet organizational goals and process improvements.

She previously served as SVP of Strategy at Amazon for C&W Services and Managing Director at CBRE. She has also held roles at The Home Depot and Toyota Motor Corporation.

“I’m excited to hit the ground running with the NEST team in 2020,” said Puckett. “It’s great to be joining a company that has seen so much growth over the last few years, even as the industry becomes more consolidated than ever. I’m looking forward to seeing us maintain that upward trend.”

###

About NEST Integrated Facilities Management

Since 1994, NEST has been transforming the way modern, multi-site businesses manage their facilities and construction programs by pairing financial acumen and business analytics with a strategic consultative approach.

Real-time data, reporting and analytics technology empower business leaders with the informed insights they need to make smarter decisions. And with access to an extensive network of vetted independent service providers (ISPs) across the country, multi-site organizations with a national footprint experience exceptional service, regardless of where they are located. With NEST, businesses are equipped to address the full range

of their facilities maintenance

and management needs.

NJPP: Public Charge Rule is a Discriminatory Income Test

Earlier today the U.S. Supreme Court voted 5-4 to allow the Trump administration’s “public charge” rule change to take effect. The new rule makes it more difficult for immigrant families to obtain legal permanent residence if they have used, or are deemed likely to use, public health benefits. In response to the Supreme Court’s decision, NJPP releases the following statement:

Erika Nava, Policy Analyst, New Jersey Policy Perspective:

“The Supreme Court decision is a devastating blow to working-class immigrant families in search of the American Dream. The new rule imposes a discriminatory income test to the immigration system and will force many immigrants to choose between having their basic needs met and being separated from their family. Penalizing families who qualify for public assistance runs counter to this nation’s values and must be stopped. In the meantime, immigrant families should not be fearful, but educated on the new public charge rule so they can make the best decisions for themselves and their families as they navigate the immigration process.”

For more info on the “public charge” rule change, read NJPP’s Public Charge FAQ from December 2019:

FAQs: The Public Charge Rule Change