7 tips to avoid lottery scams

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(BPT) -  You think this is the happiest day of your life. Before you is a letter, email or text message informing you that you've just won the lottery. You might even receive a check with the letter stating it is part of your winnings. The communication states all you have to do is pay the processing fees or taxes and provide proof of your identity - and then the money will be yours. It seems too good to be true.

That's because it is.

What you are looking at is the first correspondence of a lottery scam, intent not on giving you the money it promises, but instead on taking as much of your money or personal information as possible. Thousands of people each year fall victim to scams such as these, and scammers are constantly altering the ploy to keep it new in the hopes of tricking people just like you.

The good news is there are some things you can do to help protect yourself from falling victim to a scam. Keep these tips from Western Union in mind:

* Never hand over your personal information. If the correspondence starts asking for personal information, this should be your first clue that it might be a scam. Never provide your personal and banking information to people or businesses you don't know.

*Never send money to someone you have not met in person. Western Union Money Transfer is a great way to send money to friends and family near and far, but you can be at risk of becoming a victim of fraud if you do not know the person you are sending the money to.

* Look for unprofessionalism. Many scammers give themselves away with the nature of the letter, email or text they send. If the message is poorly written, contains typos or sentences that lack professionalism, it has the red flags of a scam.

* Always avoid foreign lotteries. Many lottery scams offer high dollar winnings to the recipient from a foreign lottery. This is most likely a scam. Furthermore, playing legitimate foreign lotteries via the mail or over the telephone is illegal under Federal law.

* Look for that personal touch. If the letter, email or text claims you're a winner, then they should know who you are. Look for the personal touch in the correspondence. How does the communication start? Is your name included? Is it spelled correctly? Or does the message begin with a more general 'Hello' or 'Dear Valued Customer.' If the header is general like this, it is because it has been sent to millions of other people, too, promising each that they have won as well.

* Remember the rules of the lottery. Many scams can be spotted immediately because they do not clearly disclose the terms and conditions, including the rules and how to claim your winnings. You will never have to pay money in advance if you've won a legitimate lottery. If you received a check with the lottery letter and deposited it into your bank account, never send funds from the deposited check until it officially clears, this can take weeks. Under Federal Law, financial institutions have to make the funds available to account holders within days. Just because the money is available in your account, doesn't mean the check is good. Lastly, always remember that in order to win a lottery, you must enter in the first place.

* Call for help. If you fear you have been scammed, don't wait to find out - take action immediately. If you believe you have been a victim of fraud using Western Union, call Western Union's fraud hotline at 800-448-1492. Additionally, contact authorities and other applicable financial institutions and notify them you think you've been the victim of a scam. If you sent a money transfer through Western Union and it has not been paid, you can generally receive a refund. Once the scammer picks up the funds, the money is gone and you generally may not receive a refund.

Good, smart people across the country fall victim to scams every single day because they get swept up in the excitement of the message in front of them. If you receive a claim of lottery winnings, take a step back and look at the situation rationally; if it's too good to be true, it probably is. To learn more about how to protect yourself from lottery scams, visit www.WesternUnion.com/stopfraud.

Customized knee implants offer advantages to patients

(BPT) - By 2030, the number of people turning to knee replacement surgery to end pain and regain mobility will likely increase to 3.5 million annually, according to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. For many patients, recovery from knee replacement surgery is painful and slow, and the results are often not what people expect. Multiple clinical studies have found that on average one in five patients who have a knee replacement are dissatisfied with the result because of pain after surgery or because their new knee feels unnatural.

Seventy-two-year-old Ohio resident Tedd Boomershine went from running daily to having trouble walking and completing day to day tasks. When the pain became so severe it was debilitating, he decided to look into replacement surgery for both of his knees. His doctor told him about his options, including a customized implant from ConforMIS, Inc. called iTotal(R) that is now available for total knee replacements. He liked the idea that the implant would be specifically designed to fit his anatomy based on a CT scan of his knees.

"I had no second thoughts about surgery at all. I wanted to get back to my active lifestyle and enjoy my evening walks with my dog, Stella, again," says Boomershine. "Two weeks after my bilateral surgery with the ConforMIS customized knees, I was walking without the assistance of a cane or a walker and I was able to drive. Now after eight months, my knees are pain free and have total flexibility, my legs are straighter, my stride is better and I no longer have lower back pain. The best part is that I have been able to resume my evening walks with Stella."

Seven weeks after surgery Boomershine was able to walk to his fitness center, ride the bike and do weight machines and then walk back home, a total of three miles daily. Dr. Dan Dunaway, of Far Oaks Orthopedists in Dayton, Ohio reports that Boomershine's recovery is similar to other iTotal recoveries he has seen.

"Tedd has had an outstanding recovery, which is something we are now regularly seeing for patients who have both total and partial knee replacements with ConforMIS customized implants. Patients are able to get back to their normal routines much faster and with less pain. With an implant that is designed to fit that patient, the surgery often involves less blood loss and we can retain more of the patient's natural knee. This is a major advance in knee replacement surgery," says Dunaway.

Dunaway suggests that all patients ask their surgeon some important questions before making a decision about knee surgery:

* Is a customized knee implant that is designed based on my own anatomy an option for me?

* Could a customized knee mean less pain and a faster recovery?

* Will I be able to enjoy an active lifestyle again?

For more information about ConforMIS customized implants please visit: www.conformis.com.

National Dog Appreciation Day

According to the recent “Milo’s Kitchen Dog Happy Survey” — a national survey of 3,000 U.S. dog parents by the popular Milo’s Kitchen dog treat brand — our four-legged friends enrich our lives in surprising ways that we often don’t fully appreciate:

A BETTER LIFE

* 86% of dog parents say their dog “comforts me immeasurably”

* 71% say their dog “reminds me to seek out more joy in life”

* 64% say their dog “makes me look forward to going home more than anything else”

* 63% say their dog “makes me much more patient and responsible”

As a result, it’s no surprise that 73% of dog parents buy their dog a special gift (especially dog treats) at least once per month.

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This can help find your lost keys

A couple of Christmases ago I received a gift from my daughter and son-law called a Tile. While I expressed great happiness with the gift I honestly had no clue what it was.

Looking at it It's a small, plastic, white rectangular piece about 1.5 inch square, maybe a quarter inch thick that you attach to things your concerned you might lose. It's not so much for use with your grandchildren though I don't see why it wouldn't work with them. It's really intended for attaching to things like your keys, camera, phone anything that your worried about losing.

If something you have attached a Tile to goes missing you can find it using an App on your Smart Phone or your kids phone. It's extremely easy to use and fairly inexpensive to buy. They cost $25 or less and there is no on going cost. The technology is very cool but it's better left to someone else to explain it.

Below is a link to more information    

 --TG       

Clck here for more info on the Tile                                                       

Some italian humor

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation—Movie Review

by Peter J. O'Connell

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation. Released: July 2015. Runtime: 131 mins. Rated: PG-13 for sequences of action and violence, and brief partial nudity.

Is it possible for films in the “Mission Impossible” franchise not to be huge hits? Maybe, but that hasn't been the case for the past 20 years, and it isn't the case now with the fifth entry in the franchise, Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation.

This entry, directed by Christopher McQuarrie, finds the Impossible Missions Force imperiled by two other forces. One is the CIA, whose head, Alan Hunley (Alec Baldwin in the type of bureaucratic role he does so well), succeeds in having the IMF disbanded and absorbed into the CIA, which exposes IMF agents to great danger. The other, and very deadly, enemy is the Syndicate, an international criminal and terrorist organization.

Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise), the key IMF agent, is captured by the Syndicate but escapes from a torture chamber with the help of Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson), a quondam British intelligence agent and putative Syndicate operative. Searching for Solomon Lane (Sean Harris), whom he believes to be the head of the Syndicate, Hunt, in a lengthy sequence at an opera house reminiscent of Hitchcock's The Man Who Knew Too Much, seeks to foil an assassination attempt. Events go awry, however, and Hunt ends up pursued by both the CIA and the Syndicate. But other IMF agents (Simon Pegg, Jeremy Renner, Ving Rhames) seek to find and aid him.

A suspenseful underwater sequence and spectacular car chases, shootouts and hand-to-hand combat follow as plot complications (including ones involving the relationship of Hunt and Ilsa Faust) unfold. Identities and allegiances are in flux until the dramatic climax. Are bad guys foiled? Does Hunt survive? Is the independence of the IMF restored? Does Tom Cruise actually do some of his own stunts, such as the spectacular sequence of hanging off a plane in flight that begins the movie?

The answer to the last question, at least, is yes. Cruise, now more than old enough to be in AARP, still is in great shape and does, in fact, do many of his own stunts in the film. The standout performance in the movie, however, is by Rebecca Ferguson. Ferguson, with British parents but raised in Sweden, emanates an aura of intelligent beauty, rather than “glamour,” which has led to her being compared to the great Swedish star Ingrid Bergman. Yet Ferguson also handles herself quite convincingly in fight and stunt sequences. Interestingly, her character's first name is the same as that of the character Ingrid Bergman played in the classic Casablanca—and part of Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation is set in . . . Casablanca.

Jack Lynn Sings the Music of Dean Martin "A Tribute to Dino"

Jack Lynn 

“Dino’s Back – A Tribute to Dean Martin” 

“I don’t drink anymore – I just freeze it and eat it like a Popsicle”, 

Dean Martin, Sands Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, 1967.

Dean Martin, the consummate performer.  Dino did it all – recording artist, comedian, actor, TV star and night club performer.  No one else could put across a romantic, Italian love song like Dino and he is still one of the most beloved singer/crooners of all time.  Who can forget the character persona Dean created as the loveable drunk who chased women and always had a devilish twinkle in his eye?  Even today, Dino’s memory lives on and there has been a recent revival of his music (some 18 years after his death) with re-released albums, new posthumous duets and of course, the DVD's offered for

sale of his TV show.     

Jack Lynn was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut at the time Dean Martin’s career was beginning to “take off”.  Jack, born of a Sicilian immigrant mother, was raised in the atmosphere of a typical Italian family of the 1950’s.  “There was always lots of love, lots of food and lots of great music”, Jack notes.  Walk into Jack’s house at anytime back then and you would hear the Hi-Fi playing all the Italian greats – Sinatra, Lanza, Como, Bennett, Connie Francis and of course, Dean Martin.  “Dino was Mom’s favorite singer”, Jack will tell you.  “She loved his music and never missed his 10pm Thursday night TV show – in fact, I never missed it either.  I developed a love of Dino’s music just as my Mom had and at age 13, started mimicking his voice. As years went on, everyone would tell me how much I sounded like him.  Although I went on to have a successful career in banking and would sing Dino tunes just for fun, a part of me always wanted to be up there entertaining folks just like Dean.”

With the urging of friends, family and other area singers, Jack developed his “Dino’s Back – A Tribute to Dean Martin” show.  Jack will tell you, “I don’t consider myself an impressionist although people tell me if they close their eyes, it’s like listening to a Dean Martin CD.  I really don’t think there could be any greater compliment for me.  My goal is to honor and pay tribute to the memory of Dino’s sound and great sense of humor – and maybe have some fun along the way”.

Jack has been doing his tribute to Dino show at various clubs, restaurants and private parties in Connecticut and the Tri-State Area.  He recently appeared in a one man show at the Warner Theatre in Torrington, CT, Lincoln Center as a part of a show with Jazz great Monty Alexander and is a part of the annual Frank Sinatra’s "posthumous birthday bash" at Patsy’s in New York City.  

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