Daily Archives: June 24, 2020

Weve had a lot of readers recently ask, Wait, you have a travel forum? While it might not be the most advertised and talked about aspect of our online publication, the answer is a resounding yes!

Fodors forums are going strongweve got explorers from all walks of life giving their expert advice on all things travel, the only thing missing is you. Looking for your starting point? Why not dive in with our monthly photo contest.

To join in on the forum-fun, simply upload your favorite travel photo here (while we all have favorite travel photographers, these photos do have to be your own). For those not quite used to the forum yetit looks more than a little different from our main sitewe have a helpful how-to for uploading a photo.

Dont forget, after you upload your photo, go through and give your other favorites a likethis is a competition where the winner is chosen by you after all. And while were on the topic of winners, one photographer (amateur to professional, all are welcome!) with the most likes will get not only their choice of a Fodors Guidebook, but theyll also get a Fodors swag bag full of exciting surprises!

Enticed? Have a travel photo in mind? Just make sure to check out the official rules before getting started! And, though it probably goes without saying, make sure to keep your travel photos safe for work (while were sure skinny dipping in Greece was thrilling and wed love to hear about it, we should be upfront and say: thats not this website).

Take to your phone, your cameras, whatever it is you snap a photo with, and pick your all-time favorite! And dont worry, because this happens monthly, if you have a few photos you just cant choose between, youll have your chance to share them all over time. So please, head to the forums because we want to hear what you, our favorite travelers, have to say.

Read more here:

Win Big in the Fodor's Forums - Fodor's Travel

Karma Yoga: Sri Krishna has also said in the Gita, has Yoga: Karmasu Kaushalam means to work efficiently. The principle of Karma Yoga is that everything we experience in the present is based on our earlier deeds. Hatha Yoga: These days the prevalence of hatha yoga has increased considerably. By doing this you can stay physically healthy and mentally peaceful.

Ayush Minister Shripad Naik announced that Prime Minister will lead the program on 21 June 2020. International Yoga Day 2020: The main national event to commemorate the 6th International Day of Yoga (IDY) will be held in Leh, capital of Ladakh on June 21, 2020. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be leading the event. This in itself will make the International Yoga Day 2020 celebrations unique and different.

Like every year, this year hardly we will be able to celebrate Yoga Day outside the houses.You all know very well that Yoga has a special place in Indian culture.It is such a power that possesses the art of rooting out the biggest diseases.On June 21, celebrating International Yoga Day began.

It turns out that June 21 is the biggest day of the year.Yoga also gives longevity to humans.The Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, took the initiative to celebrateInternational YogaDay on 27 September 2014 on 21 June.

This time the whole world is ready to celebrate the sixth International Yoga Day on 21 June 2020. The day was declared International Day by the United Nations General Assembly. This year Prime Minister Narendra Modi is fully ready to celebrate International Yoga Day in Leh on 21 June 2020. Around 20000 people will be invited to this event. During the COVID-19 epidemic, it was seen that everyone wants to become familiar with yoga at this time.

Ministry of AYUSH has organized an international competition called My life, My yoga You can participate in this by uploading a 3-minute video while doing yoga at your home. In such a video, you have to do something similar yoga that you do daily.

In this speech he said

Yoga is an invaluable gift of the ancient tradition of India. It symbolizes the unity of mind and body; harmony between man and nature; is thought-provoking and fulfilling and also provides a holistic approach to health and well-being. It is not about exercise, but about the feeling of unity within ourselves, the pursuit of the world, and nature. By becoming this consciousness in our changing lifestyles, we can help in tackling climate change. So lets work towards adopting an International Yoga Day.Narendra Modi, United Nations General Assembly

Yoga is such an effective form ofwww.realfoodieidea.com/2020/05e-exercise, through which the balance is created not only in body parts but also in mind, brain, and soul. This is the reason that apart from physical ailments from yoga, mental problems can also be overcome. To know what yoga is, we have to go to its core. The word yoga originates from the Sanskrit word Yuj, which means to connect.

There are basically two meanings of yoga, first- joining and second- samadhi. Until we can connect with ourselves, it is difficult to attain the level of samadhi.Yoga is beyond religion, faith, and superstition. Yoga is a direct science. Is experimental science. Yoga is the art of living life. Yoga is a complete medical practice. A complete route is Rajpath. Actually, religion binds people with pegs, and yoga shows the path of liberation from all kinds of pegs.

Raj Yoga:The last stage of yoga is called samadhi. It has been considered the king of all yogas because there is definitely a specialty of all types of yoga.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

More:

International Yoga Day 21 June 2020: Will it be online? - WhaTech

Kangana Ranaut is constantly in the news in recent days. After the tragic event of Sushant Singh Rajputs death, Kangana Ranaut took to her social media and released a video in which she slammed nepotism in Bollywood. She then went on to pay tribute to martyred soldiers in India-China faceoff at Galwanvalley. Here is what Kangana Ranaut has been up to this week from June 14 to June 20, 2020.

After Sushant Singh Rajputs death, Kangana Ranaut uploaded a two-minute long video on her social media in which she talked about nepotism in Bollywood. In her video, she questioned about Sushant Singh Rajputs movies being ignored in award shows. He also praised his movie Chhichhore.

Also Read |Kangana Ranaut Slams Nepotism Over Sushant Singh's Death, Asks 'why Didn't He Get Awards?'

Kangana Ranaut took to her Twitter and shared the list of martyred jawans who lost their lives in violent clashes at India China border. It was reported that 20 Indian Army personnel lost their lives while 43 casualties were reported on the Chinese side. In her tweet, she saluted the brave hearts and said that their sacrifice will never be forgotten.

Also Read |India-China Faceoff: Kangana Ranaut Pays Tribute To Martyred Soldiers

Kangana Ranaut took to her Twitter and shared a post about Rani Laxmibai on her death anniversary. She remembered the brave queen of Jhansi and said that people have grown up learning to stories Manikarnikas bravery. She also added that her courageous story must be passed on to future generations as a role model.

Also Read |Kangana Ranaut Remembers Rani Of Jhansi On Death Anniversary, Shares Story Of Her Valour

Kangana Ranaut stirred up a storm on social media when she uploaded another video to talk about Sushant Singh Rajputs death. In the latest video by the actor, she called out the blind items that were written on Sushant Singh Rajput in the past and also referred to his death as a murder. She further questioned that why such blind pieces which are intended to defame a certain celebrity are never written on nepo kids?

Also Read |Kangana Ranaut Calls Out Blind Items On Sushant, Asks 'Why Are They Never For Nepo Kids?'

After Sushant Singh Rajputs sudden demise, Kangana Ranaut was one of the celebrities who talked about the nepotism in Bollywood. Her recent videos about the late actor and nepotism in Bollywood have gained her millions of followers on social media. The Bollywood actor has gained more than 1.7 million followers after uploading her first video about Sushant Singh Rajput.

Also Read |Kangana Ranaut's Instagram Gains Millions Of Followers After Nepotism Video; See Responses

Get the latest entertainment news from India & around the world. Now follow your favourite television celebs and telly updates. Republic World is your one-stop destination for trending Bollywood news. Tune in today to stay updated with all the latest news and headlines from the world of entertainment.

Read more:

From paying tribute to speaking her mind, here is what Kangana Ranaut was upto this week - Republic World - Republic World

No piece of technology is going to solve deep-seated trust issues in a community with the police

After a significant increase in calls for its officers to be equipped with body-worn cameras, the RCMP announced last week, on June 8, that it would begin work on a broad deployment of the devices nationwide.

But experts who study these devices say their potential benefits will depend on what plans and policies are adopted by the RCMP for their use.

A common mistake when adopting body cameras is rushing into them, said Aili Malm, a professor of criminology and criminal justice at California State University Long Beach.

Malm provides technical assistance and training for police departments on body-worn cameras throughout the United States, where the devices have been used for longer and are more widespread.

One of the first things we ask departments is, why do you want to do this? What are your goals? she said.

If you dont have clear goals, you dont have a good policy. Youre just implementing technology and no technology is a panacea to all the problems were seeing in policing right now.

When David Qamaniq, Nunavuts MLA for Tununiq, raised the issue of body-worn cameras earlier this year during the winter sitting of the legislature, he did so in favour of methods and technologies which can safeguard us against acts of violence.

Concerns have been raised about violent interactions between police and Nunavummiut. We have read about it in newspapers and seen video clips posted on social media. The concerns are real, he said.

Less than a week later there was an RCMP-involved shooting in Kinngait.

Including that incident, there have been three RCMP-involved shootings in Nunavut since Qamaniq spoke.

Two were fatal and all involved Inuit.

Since then, others have joined the call for cameras, including Nunavut Senator Dennis Patterson and MP Mumilaaq Qaqqaq.

On June 2, the same day that Iqaluit Mayor Kenny Bell expressed his interest in equipping the RCMP with body-worn cameras, a video surfaced on social media that showed a Kinngait RCMP officer knocking down an Inuk man with a vehicle door.

The incident made national news at a time when widespread protests against police brutality had begun in the United States and Canada.

Following that, Amanda Jones, chief superintendent of the Nunavut RCMP, also lent her support for the cameras.

I think we are all on the same page that we would like to bring in the body cams, she said.

On June 8, less than a week later, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, after speaking with RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki about the issue, also voiced his support.

It is something that is, in my opinion, what we need to move forward with, he said.

Im committing to raising this with the provinces this week, so we can move forward as quickly as possible.

Later that day the RCMP responded with a statement: The commissioner has confirmed that the RCMP will engage in work and discussion with policing partners and the NPF [the RCMP union] on a broader rollout of body-worn cameras.

One of the recurring hopes expressed by those in support of the cameras is an increase in trust.

But for Malm, thats problematic.

No piece of technology is going to solve deep-seated trust issues in a community with the police, she said.

That being said, it can be an important piece of the puzzle, if implemented correctly.

Prior to the RCMPs commitment to roll out the cameras nationally, the obstacles in the territory repeatedly flagged by Jones and by Nunavuts minister of justice, Jeannie Ehaloak, were the durability of the devices, their cost and the logistics of video storage.

When Qamaniq first asked about the implementation of body-worn cameras in the legislature during the fall sitting last October, one of the answers he received was a concern about the durability of the devices themselves.

We know that in the wintertime, if you have a camera, because of the harsh climate, we dont know how these cameras will withstand within the weather or in the vehicles, but we are checking into it, responded Ehaloak.

The City of Iqaluit bylaw enforcement has been using body-worn cameras in some capacity for roughly five years, first as a trial and now all four bylaw officers are equipped with one.

According to Rod Mugford, the citys chief enforcement officer, the weather isnt an issue.

They dont freeze up. They dont go dead, he said.

The cold doesnt affect them.

Mugford also said that the devices arent even prone to fogging when transitioning from cold environments to warm ones or vice versa.

Another concern about the cameras was their price.

According to Malm, that concern is shared by many police departments. Its a huge cost.

Often, its not the devices themselves, but the file storage thats expensive.

Most of the large vendors will offer the cameras for free as long as you sign a contract for their storage, said Malm.

The City of Iqaluit uses a vendor called Axon, which uses its own proprietary cloud-based storage system called Evidence.com.

While this requires a reliable internet connection, Mugford said that using the Axon cameras and uploading videos to their storage system hasnt been an issue, particularly given the citys policy of uploading all videos at the end of each shift.

With the logistical obstacles cleared, the question for many departments then becomes whether or not the cost is worth it.

Its a really complicated question, said Malm.

Despite the growing number of studies done into the effectiveness of body-worn cameras, Malm says there havent been many that have done a cost-benefit analysis.

In cities like Las Vegas, the cost-benefit of body-worn cameras comes in the form of reduced litigation against the police, says Malm.

But in Nunavut and across Canada, that wouldnt be the case.

You dont have legal suits against the police that they do down here, so your [financial] benefit is likely to be reduced, said Malm.

The other challenge around the cost-benefit analysis of the cameras is putting a dollar amount on goals.

How much value does the department of the community put on increasing trust in police and how do you accomplish that? asked Malm.

Is it always worth it? No. Should all departments implement body-worn cameras? No, but you should carefully consider what the issues are and if body-worn cameras could help.

When Qamaniq brought up the topic of body-worn cameras again during the winter sitting of the legislature, Ehaloak advised him that although the RCMP and the Department of Justice at this time will not be looking at those options, the Kativik Regional Police Force in Nunavik are doing a pilot project in their territory.

Once that pilot projects results are received, we will be looking at their results and the research, and the pilot project itself, and we will be reviewing our [options], she said.

In May, the KRPF said that the pilot project has seen some success.

KRPF Chief Jean-Pierre Larose reported that the six cameras worn by different officers during the pilot project have recorded video footage from 48 police interventions, with 15 of those videos later used as evidence in criminal files.

Most recently, on June 12, KRPF officers equipped with body-worn cameras arrested an intoxicated man outside the Kuujjuaq hospital for obstruction of a peace officer and for resisting arrest after he refused to cooperate with the officers instructions to leave, and was putting his cell phone near the officers face, said a KRPF news release.

Ive viewed the body-camera footage and the actions of the police officer are appropriate and within our policies, said Capt. Maxime Mercier in the release.

The recording shows that the individual was waving his camera within inches of the officers face, even though the officer repeatedly told the person to stay at a reasonable distance.

The release also states that the recording of the incident has been submitted as evidence to a Crown attorney.

While this may satisfy one of the KRPFs goals of the pilot project, providing additional evidence to the court, it may be harmful to others, said Erick Laming, a Shabot Obaadjiwan First Nation Ph.D. candidate in criminology at the University of Toronto.

The other goals of the KRPF body-worn camera pilot project include increasing police accountability, transparency, public trust, confidence and the efficiency of resolution of complaints against police officers while reducing use of force incidents by and against the police.

Most of the research [on body-worn cameras] suggests that complaints against officers do decrease [when theyre used], said Laming.

But theres a problem with that, because we have no way of knowing if thats a change in officer behaviour, citizen reporting behaviour, or something else.

In his experience researching police use of force and oversight, Laming has asked Indigenous community members if they would be willing to file a complaint against the police after body camera implementation. They said no way.

While this cant be generalized, Laming said that part of the reason behind that may be because theyre already targeted to begin with.

Now if they put in a complaint, everything is going to be captured in the camera. The police have that. Its a little bit more power. Its more surveillance for the police. So that person is going to feel even more vulnerable, especially if it comes back and its found that the police are investigating, said Laming.

So thats not going to really increase any trust. It actually pushes those people away from reporting.

Laming also ties this issue to transparency.

If somebody doesnt want to make a complaint or theyre fearful or they distrust the system to begin with, and its captured on video, are we ever going to know whatever happened if the RCMP dont release it? he asked.

The issue also extends to policies governing the use of the cameras and disciplinary actions if those policies arent adhered to.

In Calgary theyve had cameras for over a year on all officers and we cant even get access to that policy publicly, wed have to go through an FOI [freedom of information request], said Laming.

So if we dont even know what the policy says publicly, how can we trust whats going on?

The KRPF policy regarding camera use is also not publicly available, though when asked via email, Mercier stated, police officers wearing the body cameras must record every intervention involving violence, impaired driving and any other extraordinary circumstances. The goal, as the project progresses, is to eventually record every intervention.

Mercier also noted that Failing to respect the internal procedure on body cameras can result in disciplinary sanctions going from a warning to a dismissal.

For both Laming and Malm, community involvement in the creation of body-worn camera policy is critical.

It cant be just the police department sitting down and saying this is going to be our body-worn camera policy because the policy deals with a lot of different things: How often is footage going to be reviewed? [H]ow are we going to release it to the public? How are we going to deal with instances of abuse when we see it on camera? said Malm.

If you dont get the perspective and the voice of the community in those policies and if the policies arent being enforced, if the department isnt accountable to those policies, then youre going to see much less effect on trust and accountability and transparency.

Despite both being police forces in Inuit Nunangat, what works for the KPRF in Nunavik may not work for the Nunavut RCMP, a national police force operating under a 20-year contract in the territory.

Context is everything. We see such dramatically different [body camera] results in different departments, said Malm.

The Arctic is much different than the City of Montreal or the City of Vancouver and those two cities are different from one another as well, and thats really, really important to keep in mind.

Despite this, the policy for body-worn cameras for the RCMP will be used across the country.

Its something that we have to address on a national level, said Jones.

With that said, Malm, who began her policing career in Canada before moving to the United States, does see the advantages of a national police force and a national body-worn camera policy.

The United States has 18,000 police departments that are all independent from one another, and there are no national guidelines for these police departments, says Malm.

I think the RCMP could be a nice uniting force with the understanding that every jurisdiction is going to have its own challenges and should be able to refine that national policy to suit their needs and their problems, she said.

For Laming, the issue isnt so much with a national RCMP policy on body-worn cameras, its with the inconsistencies within and surrounding the RCMP.

You have specific communities in Nunavut that are wildly different from a municipality in B.C., where the RCMP [also] deliver policing but theyre run under the territorial and provincial governments so they have to abide by the policies in those jurisdictions. But at the same time, the RCMP has its own legislation and policies, so it could conflict in a lot of ways.

This is most apparent in police oversight, says Laming.

If the RCMP shoots and kills somebody in B.C. you have the IIO [Independent Investigations Office of British Columbia] who investigates. If an RCMP officer shoots and kills somebody in Nunavut, another police service investigates, he said.

So you have these inequities and that, from my experience and from talking to a lot of residents, doesnt build trust, if you dont even have a consistent way of dealing with police abuse or serious major incidents.

According to Ehaloak, a new model for civilian oversight of the RCMP in Nunavut could be announced at the legislative assemblys fall sitting.

For Laming, this is something that needs to come before the cameras.

If you implement body cameras without a proper civilian oversight agency, its counterproductive because its still the police investigating the police when it comes to reviewing the footage, he said.

Laming also believes that any proper oversight agency needs to consist of members of the community, leaders and Indigenous leaders that investigate all use of force cases from the video evidence, not just those that resulted in injuries or deaths.

That way we have that independence that can come in and say, Yeah, they were justified or theyre werent justified, heres why and heres what we would recommend for disciplinary mechanisms, said Laming.

Thats the only way we can really, truly, at least improve accountability.

Read this article:

Effectiveness of RCMP body cameras will depend on clear goals, policies, say experts - Nunatsiaq News

Reading Time: 5 minutes

In the last decade, a wave of technology, specifically artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and automation, has swept over every possible industry. Wealth management and tax are no exception. Gone are the days when advisors and accountants are expected to pore over heaps of data and manually mine through it all.

The introduction of automation tax software has made it easier for financial practitioners to leave repetitive processes to technology and shift their focus to skill-based managerial and administrative roles. The rise of robo-advisors means big things for the industry and is changing the face of tax as we know it. In a few years, its safe to assume that many financial companies will invest in tax automation software to some capacity, so lets explore what this brings to the table:

Tax filing is complex and notoriously time-consuming. And with constantly changing regulations, even the best advisors can find it hard to keep an accurate account with minimal errors or anomalies. This problem of labor-intensive, repetition has plagued the industry for years, and with the development of innovative robotic automation software, the scope for automating everything from data collection to filing returns is immense.

Perhaps the biggest and most impactful benefit of automation software is the accuracy it brings to processes. For accurate reports, calculations and data management, data has to be accurately collected at its source. Manual collection of data is always prey to human error and is one of the biggest banes to tax professionals. An article by Accountancy Age aptly explains how automation can change this.

Automated tools can collect data from multiple systems, store the information in a common format and then scan and check the data for inconsistencies and mistakes. Then, multiple compliance engines can use this data repository to automatically populate forms, thus removing the need for transposition and reducing the capacity for error and financial risk. This is especially useful for business tax filing because accurate data collection ensures accurate tax calculations.

Implementing tax automation software is a huge investment. While statistics from Deloitte show that automation software can save companies anywhere between 15% to 90% of their current advisory costs; a 2017 report from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) states that using robotic process automation (RPA) costs less than 50% of the cost of offshore processing. Additionally, RPA offers up to 80% total cost reduction and results in virtually no money being spent on customizing existing or new systems. Finally, there is also a case for saving in terms of future costs by mitigating errors and therefore saving on the expense of fixing them.

When it comes to certain expenses like healthcare or housing and real estate, the data is large and the documents are many. Automated software can avoid backlog by retrieving data from third parties and uploading it straight into repositories, saving both clients and accountants a significant amount of time. For smaller businesses, hiring a managed payroll service that utilizes automation can prove to be beneficial.

The tax industry is infamous for long hours of manual labor, often resulting in high staff turnover for tax teams. In fact, an ACCA survey found that Across the Big Four, only 25% of respondents thought their role provided a good work-life balance, compared with 38% in mid-tier firms and 49% across all sectors. The survey also found that 85% of respondents viewed technology as a way to free up time so as to focus on more value-added opportunities.

Enter tax automation software: It does the prep work and leaves the skill-based work to the professionals, thereby breaking old perceptions of the tax industrys notoriety for long hours and poor work life balance. In turn, this can attract a younger, savvier workforce.

We now know how tax automation software can do wonders for financial advisors but what about their clients? Considering that many individuals dread the approach of tax season, tax automation software can be a boon to business owners. However, this software is only successful if clients can navigate it, understand it and actually enjoy using it. Heres where UX plays a major role:

Its simple: no one wants to use an app they dont like. If it doesnt make their lives easier, they dont stick around and companies that invest in UX for a seamless user experience, reap the benefits. This article by Appnovation puts things in perspective: Tinder, the dating app designed on the same premise as ex-market leaders OkCupid and Match.com, did one thing the latter two didnt. They made the product easier to use. No longer did you have to fill in long forms for your ideal match, you just had to link your social media and voila a 100 new matches!

Another example in the tax world is that of TurboTax. In an article on Forbes, Eunie Kwon, who is the Director of Design at Intuit, states, When we went out and asked thousands of consumers about their tax preparation, most responded with emotions of fear, uncertainty, and doubt. Once we started to unpack their reasons for these feelings, we found opportunities to influence their experience by applying some basic psychological principles and laws of UX heuristics to simplify through mindful design. This approach has led to great success for TurboTax, with clients feeling 100% confident about their tax outcomes through the platform.

The lesson here is simple: if the user experience of the technology doesnt have the customer in mind every step of the way, it reduces its chances of success almost instantly.

If technology has done anything, its allowed brands and firms to tailor the customer experience. Todays mantra is no longer one-size-fits-all. With unprecedented amounts of data being collected, UX can be designed in accordance with customers preferences.

For instance, taking the data you have and applying it to your UX could mean sending certain customers customized notifications for tax filing or timely reminders, or even allowing customers to be constantly in touch with a chatbot as they file their documents so they clear every query they have.

Automation allows tax professionals to finally turn the spotlight onto adding more value to their client relationships through planning, strategy and problem-solving. Technology and convenience is a welcome change in this sector, and while tax automation is certainly the way ahead for financial advisors, its functionality alone wont determine its success. A UX experience that predicts and meets the needs of customers is the key to the triumph of this technology and a strong determinant of its future success.

By: Indiana Lee, BOSS contributor

Continued here:

Tax Automation and User Experience - BOSS Magazine