DELEITURAS

Millennials are spending more on near-term fun like Halloween candy, decor, and costumes while putting less into retirement savings and hard assets than other demographics according to a recent survey.

The new Harris Poll showed that Millennials expect to spend 2.5 times more than Gen Xers and 8 times more than Boomers on Halloween related items. However, just 38 percent of Millennials say they are preparing for retirement, falling behind Gen Xers (62 percent) and Boomers (48 percent).

“Millennial consumers continue to demonstrate how they value experiences and are spending and saving accordingly,” said Ravi Kumar, head of Internet Banking at CIT Bank. “From costumes to parties, Halloween is all about enjoying the moment and has become one the most popular celebrations for those between the ages of 18-36.”

While the average consumer is expected to spend about $80 on Halloween products this year, Millennials say they will spend an average of $183.

As the 18-36 demographic continues to value experiences over hard assets like owning a home or saving for retirement, retailers are adapting. Macy’s started hosting miniconcerts and cafes in 2016 to draw in the younger consumers.

A 2016 Harris poll showed that Millennials view ownership differently than previous generations did. While young adults have traditionally placed high value in a car and home, many younger adults now see them as major commitments.

As tax filing season begins, the Department of Justice warns taxpayers to beware of unscrupulous tax return preparers. The Department of Justice applies both civil and criminal tools at its disposal to shut down illegal tax return preparation activity. Taxpayers should always remain wary of tax return preparers who claim they can obtain larger refunds than others or engage in other unscrupulous practices.

While most tax return preparers are professional and honest, some prepare returns with false information in order to improperly boost a taxpayer’s refund or reduce their liability or to increase business and preparation fees. But, under the law, taxpayers are responsible for what is reported on their returns. When the IRS uncovers the falsehoods, the taxpayer can face penalties and interest and, if circumstances warrant, criminal prosecution.

“Fraudulent tax return preparers harm taxpayers, legitimate businesses, and the American public,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard E. Zuckerman.  “The Justice Department is committed to working with our partners at the Internal Revenue Service to protect the law-abiding American public and the treasury by stopping this fraud.”

Every year, the Justice Department’s Tax Division, in collaboration with U.S. Attorney’s Offices, files dozens of civil actions throughout the United States seeking court orders to shut down tax return preparers who allegedly prepared false tax returns, and to punish dishonest tax return preparers for their fraudulent activities. When the evidence supports criminal enforcement action, the Department of Justice and U.S. Attorney’s offices pursue criminal prosecutions of tax return preparers.

In 2019, the Justice Department has already obtained several injunctions barring individuals from filing returns for others, and filed actions against numerous others:

• On Jan. 4, 2019, a federal court in Indianapolis, Indiana, permanently enjoined Antonio Chappell and G & A Tax Service LLC, from preparing federal tax returns for others. The court noted that the defendants had prepared tax returns with a wide range of scams, including falsifying reported income or losses to wrongfully increase or claim the Earned Income Tax Credit, fabricating education expenses to obtain the American Opportunity Credit for certain educational expenses; misrepresenting a taxpayer’s filing status; and reporting non-qualifying dependents to take advantage of the Additional Child Tax Credit.
• On Jan. 7, 2019, a federal court in Orlando, Florida, entered a preliminary injunction barring Erotida Harden, Michael Harden, Aida Cortes, Yahaira Claudio, Tamika Robenson, Natasha Williams, and Certified Taxes LLC, from acting as tax return preparers and directing them to immediately close all tax return preparation stores that they currently own directly or through any entity and not to reopen them without a court order.
• On Jan. 16, 2019, a federal court in Orlando, Florida, entered a preliminary injunction barring Marcgenson Marc, Tiana Character, LeNorris LaMoute, Dosuld Pierre, Shirleen Thales, Advanced Tax Services Inc., Genson Financial Group LLC, and Character Financial Solutions LLC from acting as tax return preparers and directing them to immediately close all tax return preparation stores that they currently own directly or through any entity and not to reopen them without a court order.

Examples of some recent criminal convictions obtained by the Tax Division include:

• On Jan. 28, 2019, a Minneapolis-based tax return preparer was sentenced to serve 121 months in prison for managing and directing a fraudulent return-preparation business, which prepared returns that reported false dependents, fake business income and losses, inflated deductions, inflated credits, and false filing statuses, in order to get customers inflated refunds.
• On Nov. 14, 2018, a Las Vegas, Nevada, tax return preparer was sentenced to 37 months in prison for aiding and assisting in the filing of false tax returns that included multiple false items, including charitable contributions, capital loss deductions, energy tax credits, and unreimbursed employee expenses—such as business meals and transportation expenses.
• On Sept. 13, 2018, a resident of Winton-Salem, North Carolina, who was licensed as an attorney in Georgia, was sentenced to 13 months in prison for aiding and assisting in the preparation of fraudulent tax returns.

In the past decade, the Tax Division has obtained injunctions against hundreds of unscrupulous tax preparers and tax scheme promoters. Information about these cases is available on the Justice Department’s website. An alphabetical listing of persons enjoined from preparing returns and promoting tax schemes can be found here. If you believe that one of the enjoined persons or businesses may be violating an injunction, please contact the Tax Division with details.

In addition, when selecting a tax return preparer:

• Be wary of tax return preparers who claim they can obtain larger refunds than others can.
• Avoid tax return preparers who base their fees on a percentage of the refund or who offer to deposit all or part of your refund into their financial accounts.
• Ensure you use a preparer with a preparer tax identification number (PTIN). Paid tax return preparers must have a PTIN to prepare all or substantially all of a tax return.
• Use a reputable tax professional, who enters their PTIN on your tax return, signs the tax return, and provides you a copy of the return (as required).
• Consider whether the individual or firm will be around for months or years after filing the return to answer questions about the preparation of the tax return.
• Never sign a blank tax form.
• Check the person’s credentials. Only attorneys, CPAs, and enrolled agents can represent taxpayers before the IRS in all matters, including audits, collections, and appeals.

The IRS has some information on its website about selecting a return preparer and has launched a free directory of federal tax preparers and a list of tips for choosing a tax preparer.

Holy Guacamole! Customers can now order an 8-oz. side of guacamole, or a large guac and chips; Chipotle releases new guac-themed stickers, filters on Instagram and Snapchat this weekend in honor of National Guacamole Day

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG) is now offering customers the option to purchase a large-sized guacamole side, just in time for National Guacamole Day on September 16. Previously, the guacamole side only came in a 4-oz. size, but guac fans will rejoice as they can now purchase an 8-oz. large guac as a side item or with a large order of chips at participating restaurants.

“Guac has long been one of Chipotle’s most beloved items,” said Chris Brandt, chief marketing officer at Chipotle. “In fact, customers order nearly 50 million pounds of guacamole from our restaurants per year, and we use more than 450,000 avocados in our restaurants every single day. Many of our customers can’t get enough of our guac, and we’re thrilled to give people even more options to get their guac fix.”

In further celebration of National Guacamole Day, Chipotle will roll out an expanded Giphy sticker set on Instagram this Saturday. On Sunday, celebratory Snapchat filters and guacamole-themed stickers will also be released.

Pope Benedict XVI sudden resignation brings with it history, health, and heroics. He is the first Pope to resign in almost 600 years. His age, declining health, and strength were all reasons for his resignation.

The 85 year old head of the Catholic Church stated, “After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry. I am well aware that this ministry, due to its essential spiritual nature, must be carried out not only with words and deeds, but no less with prayer and suffering.”

He continues, “However, in today’s world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to govern the bark of Saint Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me.”

The words The Pope chose were very revealing. At one point he talks about the physical strength it takes to lead the Catholic Church. On the other hand he reveals the emotional toll it has taken on him as well. When one feels as though they are fighting a battle that doesn’t seem to be getting any easier it has a profound affect on them; especially the elderly.

When The Pope talks about questions in deep relevance he is referring to America turning their backs on God as a society. The rapidly changing world he is referring to is the speed at which more Americans than ever are denouncing the Church by switching from the Catholic faith to the religion of Social Justice.

The practice of Social Justice by the Catholic Left has been gaining in political power in America and around the world for years. From embracing Gay Marriage and homosexuality to the acceptance by many Catholics of the practice of abortion the Catholic Left has been gaining in influence. The sanctity of life has devolved into the rejection of capital punishment while simultaneously negating the value and rights of the unborn. The dignity of every human life has been distorted by the practice of euthanasia for unwanted babies and the elderly infirm.

Fighting for your values is not an easy task. It can be draining both psychically and emotionally. It is also not a young man’s game either. Pope Benedict XVI realized this and understood that in order to help the Catholic Church move forward that he would need to take a step back.

So who should replace him?

Given the factors that lead to Pope Benedict XVI decision to step down the next Pope should be younger, healthier, and stronger both psychically and emotionally. He should be more charismatic and possess more passion. He should be able to fight to preserve the Catholic Church and its teachings worldwide and never back down from an ideological challenge.

There has never been an American Pope in the entire history of the Papacy, but maybe that could change. Although history and long odds are stacked against him, the perfect replacement for Pope Benedict XVI would be the current Arch Bishop of New York Timothy M. Dolan.

Cardinal Dolan is relatively young at age 63, he is in seemingly good health, and he has already proven to be a much needed and reliable conservative voice for not only the Catholic Church but more importantly for our Judeo-Christian nation as a whole.

Cardinal Dolan has been on the frontlines in the battle for religious freedom. He was a leading voice against the Obama Administration’s far reaching mandate on contraception. In a CBS interview, Cardinal Dolan condemned the interference of the government in what he viewed as the outright dismissal of the right to religious conscience and freedom. His position lead to the Obama Administration slightly changing their policy in regards to the contraception mandate.

Cardinal Dolan is also staunchly pro-life. During the 2008 Presidential Election, Cardinal Dolan strongly rebuked then Senator Joe Biden and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi for misrepresenting timeless Church doctrine on the issue of abortion. He also criticized the University of Notre Dame for allowing the most radical pro abortion President in the history of the United States to give the graduating class its commencement speech, calling it a “big mistake.”

Cardinal Dolan is also a big supporter of traditional marriage. He understands the dangers of changing the definition of traditional marriage and the far reaching consequences it can have on society. In a 2009 New York Post interview he said, “There is an in-built code of right and wrong that is imbedded in the human DNA that defines marriage between one man and one woman for life. If we go tampering with the definition of marriage than we will be in big trouble.” For more on the importance of preserving traditional marriage see http://www.examiner.com/article/why-the-defense-of-marriage-act-should-never-be-repealed

There are a host of other great reasons why Cardinal Dolan would be the best choice as the new Pope but the main reason is he has been a proven fighter against the left and particularly the Obama Administration. He has been that constant thorn in the side of Barack Obama and the rest of the leftist ideologues in America. He will not back down in the battle between traditionalism and secularism. He understands the threat the Catholic Church is facing from Socialism, Communism, Marxism and Islamofascism here in America and around the world.

America and the rest of the world need a new spiritual leader with the capability, charisma, and intellect to change disbelieving hearts and minds. Our religious freedoms and long standing traditions are under constant threat from an enemies both foreign and domestic. Having someone like Cardinal Dolan in our corner will give us the strength and determination to endure these battles and emerge victorious.
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WASHINGTON, Feb. 19, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — February is Cancer Prevention Month. The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) is leading a national campaign to help Americans separate the myths from facts about cancer risk. Throughout the month, AICR will debunk cancer misperceptions and empower Americans with accurate, evidence-based advice on cancer prevention.

MYTH 1:
Cancer is often genetic – I can’t do anything about it

FACT:
Experts say, not true. Even if someone has a genetic mutation known to significantly increase cancer risk — such as the BRCA1 gene that is known to cause breast cancer — it is not certain that the person will eventually get breast cancer. AICR estimates, around 40 percent of cancer cases are preventable. Eating a healthy diet, being more active each day and maintaining a healthy weight are, after not smoking the most important ways you can reduce your cancer risk.

MYTH 2:
Drinking red wine is good for me

FACT:
The headlines around red wine make it tempting to believe that alcohol can be healthy. But the fact is that all alcohol, regardless of the source, is a carcinogen. AICR’s latest report showed that drinking alcohol of any type links to increased risk for breast and several other cancers.

MYTH 3:
Drinking coffee can cause cancer

FACT:
A recent court case in California perpetuated the myth that drinking coffee can cause cancer. Scientists say coffee does not need to carry a cancer warning. In fact, research shows that coffee reduces risk for liver and endometrial cancers.

MYTH 4:
Eating organic fruits and vegetables offer extra protection against cancer

FACT:
Eating a diet rich in plant foods can help reduce the risk of cancer – whether organically or conventionally produced. Research so far has not shown that organically grown foods are more cancer-protective than those grown conventionally.

MYTH 5:
Eating soy increases breast cancer risk

FACT:
Studies have shown that eating whole soy foods may actually reduce risk of cancer for some women. Soy foods can be healthy alternative to meat.

A blast of Arctic air traveling across the U.S. is expected to hit the Northeast Sunday evening and Monday, freezing melted snow and causing extremely hazardous conditions in a number of states.

Meteorologists project that frigid winds will “flash freeze” any water melted from the weekend’s massive snow storm that hit both the Midwest and Northeast U.S. over the weekend, causing hundreds of flight cancellations and delays.

“Any water that remains on the road will freeze into a sheet of ice and make conditions quite hazardous,” National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologist Rich Otto said, Reuters reported Sunday.

Flash freezing occurs when above-freezing temperatures drop quickly and precipitously to below-freezing temperatures.

“Those kind of winds blowing on those power lines and trees that are already stressed from the weight of the ice, I think, is going to be problematic,” Otto also said, according to The New York Times.

“Heavy snow up to 2 feet will be possible across interior Northeastern areas,” the National Weather Service posted in a Sunday alert. Southern New England is also expected to see mass accumulations of ice, bitter cold, and strong gusts of wind.

Otto attributed much of the winter storm to “cold air that has been dropping south from Canada,” according to Reuters. He added that the northeast can expect wind gusts between 20 and 30 miles and dangerous windchills of 10 to 30 below zero, Reuters reported.

NWS has issued warnings for Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York among other east coast states. Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire are also expected to experience flash freezing.

Nearly 1,500 flights have been canceled due to dangerous conditions from the winter mix, according to FlightAware.com, Reuters reported.

Travel is expected to be difficult Monday, given the federal holiday.

One of fastest shrinking ice glaciers in the world is reversing course and starting to accumulate ice at an alarming pace, a new NASA study published Monday finds.

The Jakobshavn glacier, located in Greenland, began thinning around 2012 to nearly 130 feet annually. It’s now growing again at about the same rate in the past two years, a study in Nature Geoscience noted. Scientists reacted with surprise, noting that they grew accustomed to the glacier receding.

“That was kind of a surprise. We kind of got used to a runaway system,” Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland ice and climate scientist Jason Box told AP reporters Monday. “The good news is that it’s a reminder that it’s not necessarily going that fast. But it is going.”

Jakobshavn is “arguably the most important Greenland glacier because it discharges the most ice in the northern hemisphere. For all of Greenland, it is king,” said Box, who was not part of the study. The lead authors of the Nature Geoscience study claimed the natural cyclical cooling of North Atlantic waters was likely the catalyst for the reversal. They also say the phenomena is probably temporary.

This is ultimately bad news on the long-term because it suggests ocean temperature is a bigger player in glacier retreats than previously thought, NASA climate scientist Josh Willis, told reporters. Throughout the next several years water will be warming from climate change, he noted, adding that more than 90 percent of the heat greenhouse gasses trap folds into the ocean.

The study comes on the heels of research in 2017 showing that some of the largest non-polar glaciers in the world are either stable or growing due to a “vortex” of cold air over a 1,200-mile section of the greater Asia. Climate models have been unable to reproduce the phenomenon, an August 2017 study published in Nature revealed. The system is keeping Karakoram mountain range glaciers from melting.

Still, many scientists and activists have sounded the alarm on Antarctic ice melt. A recent assessment of Antarctic data found that ice melt had dramatically increased in recent years, but critics said that work did not take into account modeling errors of the movement of the Earth beneath the ice sheets.

Funds are often available and affordable to people with good credit history. Those who do not have good credit are on the risk of being denied with approval or to pay huge interest rates. It sounds unfair when the person who needs the cash is the one who does not qualify for it. Fortunately, there are different ways that this can have a solution, one of which is getting loans with no credit check.

Getting Personal Loans without Credit Check is Possible

Not a lot of businesses know this but there is an easier and quicker way to get the funds that they need. It is possible to request a personal loan without credit check. Through loans with no credit check, it is possible for a business to get the money it needs, while also having enough time to pay it back. Personal loans without credit check certainly open completely a new world of lending.

This type of personal loan comes in unique design so business owners can get the funds that they need that are usually unavailable to them because of their credit history. Aside from the fact that credit is not necessary, the request process for this type of loan is also easy. Usually, the business owner only needs to fill in the request form with necessary information, such as the income.

Most of the time, it does not even need to send in documentation making the request process quick, simple and easy. In addition, loans with no credit check often give up to 18 months to pay the loan back. In that way, business owners can have enough time to pay back the huge sum of money that they will borrow. They can pay it in their next accounting schedule or even next month when they have less constricted funds.

Business Owners with Bad Credit Can Get This Type of Loan

Before, bad credit is the biggest thing that makes it hard for business owners to get the funding that they need but not today anymore. If before it seems completely impossible to secure a loan when you have bad credit, getting cash loans is now possible with less documentation, no credit score check, and shorter waiting period.

This is possible with online loans, an easy and quick source of emergency funding. You can get loans available right away without having to wait for days or weeks. Online lenders make it possible by keeping processes simpler and straightforward. Typically, getting loans without credit check simply needs the business owner to indicate the amount of money that they need to borrow.

In addition, they need to indicate the length of time they need to pay the loan back. With only that, online lenders easily provide the funding business owners need to get back on their feet financially. There are different interest rates, terms and other options available for loans with no credit check. With that, careful and thorough research is vital to ensure one has seen all available choices.

It is greatly advantageous to get loans that do not need a credit check especially for business owners who made mistakes in their credit before. It gives them a chance to get the funding that they need as well as repair their credit history. As such, it is not surprising that many small business owners feel attracted to get a personal loan with no credit check.

 

From Warner Bros. Pictures and director James Wan comes an action-packed adventure that spans the vast, visually breathtaking underwater world of the seven seas, “Aquaman,” starring Jason Momoa in the title role.  The film reveals the origin story of half-human, half-Atlantean Arthur Curry and takes him on the journey of his lifetime—one that will not only force him to face who he really is, but to discover if he is worthy of who he was born to be…a king.

Oh, and Dolph Lundgren is in the film.

“It is good to be king. Basically, I try to keep the peace down there along with Amber Heard, who plays my daughter,” Lundgren said in an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “She’s trying to convince me to join the right side. Then you have Nicole Kidman as Aquaman’s mother. We’re trying to avoid war between the surface [dwellers] and the people of Atlantis.”

The film also stars Amber Heard (“Justice League,” “Magic Mike XXL”) as Mera; Oscar nominee Willem Dafoe (“Platoon,” “Spider-Man 2”) as Vulko; Temuera Morrison (“Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones,” “Green Lantern”) as Tom Curry; Dolph Lundgren (“The Expendables” films) as Nereus; Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (upcoming “Baywatch,” Netflix’s “The Get Down”) as Black Manta; with Patrick Wilson (“The Conjuring” films, “Watchmen”) as Orm/Ocean Master; and Oscar winner Nicole Kidman (“The Hours,” “Lion”) as Atlanna.

The film is being produced by Peter Safran, with Zack Snyder, Deborah Snyder, Rob Cowan, Jon Berg and Geoff Johns serving as executive producers.

Wan’s team behind the scenes includes such frequent collaborators as Oscar-nominated director of photography Don Burgess (“The Conjuring 2,” “Forrest Gump”), his five-time editor Kirk M. Morri (“The Conjuring” films, “Furious 7,” the “Insidious” films) and production designer Bill Brzeski (“Furious 7”). They are joined by costume designer Kym Barrett (“The Matrix” trilogy; “The Amazing Spider-Man”), along with Oscar-winning VFX supervisor Charles Gibson (“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest,” “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 & 2”) and VFX supervisor Kelvin McIlwain (“The Fast and the Furious” franchise).

As is fitting for the king of the sea, the shoot will take place mainly in locations spanning the stunning Gold Coast of Queensland, Australia, with extensive filming to be accomplished at Village Roadshow Studios. The production will utilize the facility’s sprawling backlot and all nine VRS soundstages, including its newest, Stage 9, the largest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere. Filming will also take place in Newfoundland, Sicily and Tunisia.

An icon for over 75 years, Aquaman is known by fans of DC Comics as the ruler of Atlantis but committed to protecting the entire globe, both land and sea.

Aquaman will hit theaters December 21, 2018.

Amateur video reportedly shot near Raqqa, Syria during U.S.-led airstrikes against ISIS targets in the area.