South Carolina Ranked As 2019’s 5th Most Vulnerable State to Identity Theft & Fraud

Charlotte Stories
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South Carolina Ranked As 2019’s 5th Most Vulnerable State to Identity Theft & Fraud

With businesses such as WhatsApp, Quest Diagnostics, Microsoft, ASUS and Capital One experiencing data breaches this year, the free credit-monitoring website WalletHub today released its report on 2019’s States Most Vulnerable to Identity Theft & Fraud.

To determine where Americans are most susceptible to such crimes, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 15 key metrics. The data set ranges from identity-theft complaints per capita to average loss amount due to fraud.

South Carolina came in as one of the most vulnerable states in America at #5 and North Carolina didn’t fair much better at #13;

States With the Most Identity Theft & Fraud

Overall Rank* State Total Score ‘Identity Theft’ Rank ‘Fraud’ Rank ‘Policy’ Rank
1 District of Columbia 70.30 6 5 1
2 California 67.72 1 19 42
3 Nevada 65.41 13 2 22
4 New Hampshire 63.82 4 24 17
5 South Carolina 63.43 9 8 17
6 Delaware 63.26 24 1 33
7 Louisiana 62.45 2 38 42
8 Texas 62.43 3 28 42
9 New York 62.12 8 11 42
10 Florida 61.57 12 6 33
11 Georgia 61.05 5 27 42
12 South Dakota 60.66 14 10 5
13 North Carolina 60.12 15 9 15
14 Tennessee 58.71 27 4 22
15 Montana 58.28 10 20 42
16 Minnesota 57.13 17 13 17
17 Oregon 56.70 30 3 28
18 Illinois 55.87 7 42 49
19 New Jersey 55.73 19 21 1
20 Connecticut 53.40 11 45 33
21 Alabama 52.60 22 25 17
22 Pennsylvania 52.57 23 26 5
23 Arizona 52.56 26 12 49
24 Colorado 52.49 31 7 22
25 Maryland 52.45 16 29 38
26 Rhode Island 50.94 18 35 33
27 Massachusetts 50.13 20 44 5
28 Mississippi 49.96 28 31 5
29 Idaho 49.63 32 22 5
30 Utah 47.97 33 17 42
31 Ohio 47.89 25 47 17
32 Indiana 47.58 21 49 33
33 Virginia 46.70 34 18 51
34 Michigan 45.18 29 46 28
35 Wisconsin 43.87 36 41 15
36 Alaska 43.87 45 16 28
37 Washington 43.78 35 33 38
38 New Mexico 43.67 41 23 22
39 Nebraska 43.49 42 30 5
40 Iowa 43.39 44 15 38
41 North Dakota 42.97 48 14 5
42 Missouri 42.86 38 43 5
43 Maine 41.50 46 36 1
44 Arkansas 41.00 40 34 38
45 Hawaii 40.57 37 50 28
46 Kansas 40.33 43 37 28
47 Oklahoma 39.90 39 51 5
48 West Virginia 39.39 47 39 1
49 Vermont 37.45 49 32 22
50 Wyoming 34.80 50 40 5
51 Kentucky 31.86 51 48 22

Horrific Event Unfolds As Hundreds of Birds Mysteriously Fly Into The NASCAR Hall of Fame

Steve
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Horrific Event Unfolds As Hundreds of Birds Mysteriously Fly Into The NASCAR Hall of Fame

As the Hunter Moon loomed over the Queen City, a horrific scene unfolded at the Nascar Hall of Fame when hundreds of birds flew full-speed into the side of the building.

At around 9pm several pedestrians began noticing an ever increasing number of Chimney Swifts flying directly into large glass windows facing East M.L.K. Boulevard.

One Charlotte resident started recording on their cell phone after they noticed the birds flying into the windows;

Carolina Waterfowl Rescue was called and they arrived on scene at roughly 11pm.

The organization said that out of the 310 birds that were found, roughly 1/3 were dead when the arrived, 1/3 had broken legs or other serious issues, and 1/3 were simply stunned and would be released into the wild shortly.

At this time, its unknown why the birds suddenly flew into the side of the building.

According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, “Up to about 1 billion birds die from window strikes in the U.S. each year.”

The lab recommends the following tips to homeowners who want to avoid tragic bird collisions;

  • Tempera paint or soap. Mark the outside of the window with soap or tempera paint, which is inexpensive and long lasting. You can use either a grid pattern no more than 4 inches by 2 inches (see above), or get creative and paint patterns or artwork on your window.
  • Decals. Put decals, stickers, sun catchers, mylar strips, masking tape, or other objects (even sticky notes) on the outside surface of the window. These are only effective when spaced very closely (see above). Note that hawk silhouettes do little to deter birds. Remember: placing just one or two window stickers on a large window is not going to prevent collisions—they must cover most of the glass with the spaces between too narrow for birds to fly through.
  • Reflective BirdTape. This long-lasting tape offers an easier way to apply the correct pattern across your window. More about Reflective BirdTape.
  • Acopian Bird Rods. Also known as “zen curtains,” these closely spaced rods hang down over your gutters or windows. They do the work of tape or decals but are easier to install and can be aesthetically pleasing. You can order them to fit your home or make your own.
  • Screens. Installing mosquito screens over your windows is very effective, as long as they are on the outside of the window and cover the entire surface.
  • Netting. Cover the glass on the outside with netting at least 3 inches from the glass, taut enough to bounce birds off before they hit. Small-mesh netting (around 5/8″ or 1.6 cm)  is best, so that birds don’t get their heads or bodies entangled but will bounce off unharmed. You can mount the netting on a frame, such as a storm-window frame, for easy installation and removal.
  • One-way transparent film. One-way frosted glass window film permit people on the inside to see out, but makes the window appear opaque on the outside. They can reduce the amount of light that comes in your window (this can also reduce your cooling costs).

Annual Cybersecurity Symposium To Be Held in Charlotte

Scott Byerly
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Annual Cybersecurity Symposium To Be Held in Charlotte

Hackers attempt to breach business cybersecurity systems every 39 seconds, but new research suggests that many employees lack training in protecting themselves. A recent survey from GetApp revealed that 43% of staff in government and business organizations are not receiving regular cybersecurity training. From not picking secure passwords to opening unsolicited emails, employees are constantly placing their company at risk. UNC Charlotte is attempting to educate workers by hosting the Annual Cybersecurity Symposium on October 16th of this year. The conference will promote online safety to Charlotte-based businesses as an integral part of a broader focus on physical security.

Cybersecurity in Charlotte

News of the Annual Cybersecurity Symposium has highlighted the problem that Charlotte, as well as other cities in the United States, have with cybersecurity. North Carolina is the 5th worst state in terms of losses due to online security breaches, amounting to $137 million in losses every year. It isn’t just the money stolen, however. Entire reputations of companies are also on the line, which damages the trust levels of customers.

North Carolina isn’t alone when it comes to online safety at work. Almost half of employees are not receiving regular cybersecurity training. 60% of companies which are successfully attacked will subsequently go out of business, so teaching security is essential for Charlotte’s economy. Moreover, small companies are most commonly affected, which is why this year’s Annual Symposium will focus on making cybersecurity easier and cheaper to learn.

Combining Physical and Online Security

Securing your physical building is just as important as protecting non-physical data. Hiring office security staff, installing commercial security camera systems, and fitting the latest alarm technology are vital components of any small or medium sized business. This strategy should be integrated with investing in the best online security systems and ensuring that staff are fully trained to use them effectively. Just as staff should know how to maintain and operate security cameras, they should be competent in working with cybersecurity systems.

The UNC Annual Cybersecurity Symposium is a chance for Charlotte based businesses to make much needed online safety improvements. A little bit of training and integration of physical and online security strategies will ensure that data is protected. This will save millions of dollars each year and stop smaller companies from going out of business after a breach.

For more information about cybersecurity in general, check out the comprehensive guide entitled; Cyberwarfare statistics: A decade of geopolitical attacks.

Tips for Planning Your Charlotte, NC Wedding

Roddy B
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Tips for Planning Your Charlotte, NC Wedding

Charlotte is the ideal place for a wedding, thanks to the four seasons as well as a mixture of city and country landscapes. In Charlotte, there are wedding seasons during which you will face competition when looking for a wedding venue. Here are some tips that will come in handy when planning your Charlotte wedding:

Be Flexible

If you find that your dream venue is already booked by the month of October, you should be willing to move your wedding date to November. Being flexible on your wedding date will make life much easier for you and help you to avoid stress. Would it be better to choose a subpar location just because you want to wed in October or wait until November to have your dream venue?

Research

You should consider talking to friends who have recently tied the knot about the lessons they have learned and attending bridal shows. When hiring a wedding planner and vendors, you should look for people who are professional and know what they are doing. Look beyond the pretty pictures to find a professional who has the qualities that you and your fiancé want.

If you are unfamiliar with the location that you have chosen for your wedding or are too busy with other things, hiring a wedding planner is the best option. When choosing a planner for your wedding, you should pay attention to his or her disposition to ensure that your personalities will go together.

Consider Off-season Dates

If you are planning a July or January wedding, you will not face much competition when choosing vendors and the venue. In fact, you will get the first pick of each category, including flowers, wedding planner, caterer, etc. Moreover, an off-season wedding allows you to have fun with new ideas that people do not usually see at spring and fall weddings.

When planning an off-season wedding, you will need to consider the dress that you will wear. For instance, if you are planning a winter wedding, you should choose a heavy wedding dress such as this product at Azazie.

Set up a Wedding Site

Creating a website for your wedding is the best way to keep everyone in the loop. You should include all the necessary information that pertains to your wedding. For instance, you should include the date, venue, and travel information.

To create a buzz around your wedding, you should come up with hashtags for social media. Your friends and family can use the hashtag on your wedding day to create social media buzz.

Book Vendors

On average, couples hire a dozen vendors to help them on their wedding day. Although this might seem like too many vendors, you need to hire the right people if you want your big day to go smoothly. You need to adhere to a timeline when booking each vendor to avoid last-minute problems.

For instance, you should book your wedding planner a year before the wedding, so that you can work on the entire wedding together. You can hire a florist, caterer, videographer, and photographer ten months before your wedding. Six months to the wedding, you can hire the hairstylist, makeup artist, and stationer – for making wedding invitations.

To end up with the best of the best when it comes to vendors, you should read online reviews about each professional. You should not just believe that a caterer is good because she says so; reading online reviews and asking for references is important.

Conclusion

To plan your Charlotte wedding properly, you need to book vendors, create a website, be flexible, research, and consider an off-season wedding date. 

Video of UFO Sighting Over NC’s Outer Banks Now Going Viral

Steve
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Video of UFO Sighting Over NC’s Outer Banks Now Going Viral

A new video of a UFO sighting over the outer banks is now going viral.

The video was filmed by William Guy when he was on a ferry just of the coast of North Carolina near Beaufort.

The video was originally uploaded to Youtube on September 28th and has since been viewed over 1.3 million times.

In the video, Guy pans the camera back and forth over the horizon, then pans back to the lights, which appear to be hovering stationary in the sky. “Look nothing in the sky at all, then all of a sudden…Anybody tell me what that is? We’re in the middle of the ocean, on a ferry, nothing around. Look. Nothing around. No land, no nothing.”

A spokesman from North Carolina’s Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, just north of Beaufort, told Fox News that no US planes were in the area on that day.

What do you think the lights in the sky were? 

South Carolina Ranked The Least Energy Efficient State In America For 2019

Charlotte Stories
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South Carolina Ranked The Least Energy Efficient State In America For 2019

Happy National Energy Awareness Month!

With the U.S. Department of Energy estimating that the average American household spends at least $2,000 per year on utilities and another $2,109 on motor fuel and oil, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2019’s Most & Least Energy-Efficient States.

To gauge the financial impact of doing more with less energy, the site compared the auto- and home-energy efficiency in 48 U.S. states. Due to data limitations, Alaska and Hawaii were excluded from our analysis.

South Carolina ranked dead last according to the report, and North Carolina ranked in the bottom half at #33;

Most & Least Energy-Efficient States for 2019

Overall Rank* State Total Score ‘Home Energy Efficiency’ Rank ‘Auto Energy Efficiency’ Rank
1 New York 88.47 3 1
2 Rhode Island 85.82 5 2
3 Utah 84.29 1 10
4 Massachusetts 80.82 8 3
5 Vermont 79.06 4 11
6 California 78.15 13 4
7 Colorado 76.62 6 13
8 Minnesota 76.29 2 30
9 Wisconsin 75.64 7 12
10 Connecticut 72.85 16 6
11 Nevada 69.59 15 17
12 Michigan 68.77 21 14
13 Illinois 67.73 22 16
14 Maine 67.09 9 33
15 Washington 66.00 27 8
16 New Hampshire 65.90 14 29
17 New Jersey 65.55 19 24
18 Oregon 63.22 25 19
19 Pennsylvania 62.48 26 20
20 Maryland 61.68 30 9
21 Arizona 60.58 29 15
22 Idaho 60.34 18 36
23 Florida 59.94 34 5
24 Iowa 59.48 12 42
25 Kansas 58.56 32 18
26 Delaware 58.37 28 23
27 Ohio 57.23 31 21
28 New Mexico 56.63 23 37
29 Montana 55.01 17 43
30 South Dakota 53.78 10 46
31 Nebraska 53.35 24 40
32 Indiana 52.34 33 25
33 North Carolina 51.43 38 7
34 Virginia 48.87 35 27
35 North Dakota 47.70 11 47
36 Missouri 43.86 37 34
37 West Virginia 39.22 40 32
38 Wyoming 38.85 20 48
39 Oklahoma 37.30 39 38
40 Kentucky 36.97 42 35
41 Texas 36.48 36 45
42 Georgia 36.12 44 22
43 Mississippi 33.40 41 41
44 Arkansas 33.38 43 39
45 Tennessee 32.18 46 26
46 Alabama 31.27 45 31
47 Louisiana 29.19 47 28
48 South Carolina 18.96 48 44
N/A** Alaska
N/A** Hawaii

 

What do you think is the most important thing Carolina residents can do to reduce their energy spending? 

Charlotte To Host The World Premiere Of Local Holocaust Survivor’s Story

Charlotte Stories
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Charlotte To Host The World Premiere Of Local Holocaust Survivor’s Story

Protective Custody PRISONER 34042 is a raw new play, written by Charles LaBorde and based on the memoir of well-known Charlotte Holocaust survivor Dr. Susan Cernyak-Spatz.

Protective Custody PRISONER 34042 brings the audience on Susan’s personal experiences as a young woman in Europe during the rise of Nazism and her riveting survival of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camps. A universal story of survival and the strength of the human spirit in the most extreme circumstances, is told beautifully by a two-person cast as they bring Susan’s story to life and reflect on the current rise of antisemitism.

The world premiere of Protective Custody PRISONER 34042 will be presented by Three Bone Theatre under the direction of famed Charlotte director Dennis Delamar. The first public reading of the script was presented on December 13, 2018 at the second anniversary celebration of the Stan Greenspon Center for Peace and Social Justice. The evening celebrated all of our Charlotte community’s more than three dozen Holocaust survivors and the successes of the Greenspon Center’s first two years.

Protective Custody PRISONER 34042 contains some adult language and disturbing content related to the Holocaust, recommended for ages 16+

There are six performances of Protective Custody PRISONER 34042- November 1-3 and 7-9 at 8:00pm at the Duke Energy Theatre at Spirit Square. Tickets are $22 in advance and $28 at the door. Groups of 10 or more can purchase tickets for $18 through the Blumenthal Box Office. Discounted pricing is available for students, teachers and ASC Connect with Culture cardholders, see the Three Bone Theatre website for more details.

This project is supported by the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.

For more information, please visit https://www.threebonetheatre.com/protective-custody

Where to Buy Cheap Essay Online

Steve
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How Rabbu Is Generating Millions In Passive Income For Charlotte Homeowners

Steve
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How Rabbu Is Generating Millions In Passive Income For Charlotte Homeowners

Ever thought about Airbnb-ing in Charlotte?

As a homeowner, organizing the logistics of running an Airbnb can be daunting. But, if you get it right, Airbnb can turn into a reliable source of income. Hosts in Charlotte earned an average of $2,000 in revenue last month, according to short-term rental data company AirDNA.

Homeowners and property investors across Mecklenburg county are catching on to the gold mine that is Airbnb. In the last 3 years alone, the number of Airbnbs has grown by 272%. According to Airbnb, hosts in Mecklenburg county earned $16.4 million in 2018 from 141,000 guests, nearly doubling the $8.7 million that was earned in 2017.

Usage of the short-term rental platform will only continue to grow, with projections of a billion bookings per year by 2025. “Charlotte is unique in that the city not only attracts traditional guests, but also a large number of business travelers that are using Airbnb as their accommodation while they are here for work,” says Emir Dukic, founder and CEO of Rabbu, a local start-up that helps other Charlotteans make money off Airbnb.

Dukic never expected his first Airbnb to grow into what it is today. In 2015, Emir was considering leaving his full-time job to pursue starting a new venture. Before taking the leap, he needed to find an additional source of income to start building some financial runway. When he and his wife Sarah purchased a home with a spare room above a detached garage, turning the unused space into an Airbnb made the most sense. As avid travelers, Airbnb had always been their preferred type of accommodation. “We thought it was exciting to welcome people to Charlotte and extend that same hospitality that we had received in Airbnbs across the world to our own guests.”

Soon after listing the spare apartment, the couple was making enough extra money to pay their mortgage. Airbnb was revealing itself to be more financially lucrative than they first assumed. Dukic began researching how he could scale this initial success.

“I was looking online and came across this real estate investing tactic called ‘rental arbitrage’. Essentially, it allows you to start generating income off real estate without actually owning any.” Emir would go to long-term landlords and propose that they rent their properties as Airbnbs, under his supervision and expertise. The landlord would gain a reliable business tenant to pay rent, while he would pocket the difference made from Airbnb bookings.

“We used this method to grow a portfolio of around 10 units before realizing we needed some extra man power.” Like most hosts do, they saw the money from Airbnb was really good, but the workload was really high. Emir and Sarah began assembling a team to help handle operations, cleanings, and guest communications. What started as a side hustle for discretionary income quickly evolved into a full-scale short-term rental operation. That’s when Rabbu was born—a property management company that makes hosting easy for everyone. Rabbu offers Charlotte homeowners and property investors full-service management that simplifies the process of earning money from an Airbnb listing. They really handle everything for homeowners—from creating the listing, to conducting all the guest communications, optimizing pricing and bookings, and scheduling cleanings between every turnover.

“I knew that other people could also make money off renting their home, and we could help them do it.”

Rabbu has since hosted over 5,000 guests and managed over 80 Airbnbs across Charlotte, Atlanta, and Savannah. With the help of a strong internal team and a suite of proprietary in-house technologies, the managers have earned their owners over $2 million in passive income.In Dukic’s opinion, Airbnb is an easy to enter market for first time investors, and partnering with a property management company to handle the work makes the income as passive as it can get in real estate.

One of the most rewarding parts for the Rabbu team is watching what their owners are able to do when they have this extra dependable flow of income. “We recently had one of our owners reach out to us while they were on vacation—a vacation they were able to take because they knew we’d be generating them income off their property at the same time.”

Rabbu’s goal is to continue empowering other Charlotteans in achieving financial freedom through real estate investing. “Charlotte is still an extremely lucrative real estate market with plenty of opportunities to generate ROI. It’s our mission to help people capitalize on the market and use short-term rentals to build long-term wealth.”

If you’re curious to see how much money your home could make as an Airbnb, you can use Rabbu’s free rental income calculator for monthly revenue projections.

Panthers Showed Incredible Creativity and Defensive Dominance In 37-26 Win Against The Bucs

Charlotte Stories
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Panthers Showed Incredible Creativity and Defensive Dominance In 37-26 Win Against The Bucs

Yesterday the Carolina Panthers chalked up their 4th win in a row during their first away game in London against the Tampa Bay Bucs.

The 37-26 win was the result of our dominating defense our offense showing impressive creativity to put points on the board – and a refreshing departure from a sole reliance on McCaffrey.

The Carolina defense forced a total of 7 turnovers, compared to the Bucs measly 1, and the Panthers were able to capitalize on most of them, scoring a total of 20 points off our forced fumbles and interceptions.

The game put Kyle Allen in the record books as the first QB in NFL history to win his first 5 starting games without throwing 1 interception;

During the game, the Panthers also performed one of the NFL’s only “fair catch free kick,” which hasn’t been attempted since Phil Dawson tried it unsuccessfully for the 49ers in 2013. The last time the move was successfully converted was 1976.

The extremely rare “fair catch free kick” is available as an option after a team fair catches a punt, then decides to send out its kicker. When this is done, the defense isn’t allowed to rush the kick on the next play. If the kick goes through the uprights, it counts for three points just like any other field goal.

Here is a full recap of our 4th win of the season;

What did you think about yesterday’s game?

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