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The Clean Cut: 10-year-old girl with autism, ADHD sings powerfully beautiful rendition of Halleluja
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No Caption - photo by Herb Scribner
Weve heard the song Hallelujah covered time and time again. From Leonard Cohens original to the more recent cover from Pentatonix.

Kaylee Rodgers may have just set the new bar when it comes to the melodic masterpiece.

Rodgers, a student who has autism and ADHD and attends the Killard House School in Donaghadee, North Ireland, recently sang a cover version of the song (using alternative lyrics from Christian rock band Cloverton) at her school choir concert, according to The Huffington Post.

The video, which has gone viral this week with close to 950,000 views on Facebook, shows a confident and poised Rodgers, 10, singing with her classmates.

Kaylee's mother, Tracy Rodgers, said that it was the school's music teacher, Lloyd Scates, who taught the young Kaylee how to be more confident with her musical talents.

She always loved singing, but it wasnt until she started at Killard House School that she really came into her own, she told BBC. [Mr. Scates is] like her safety blanket hes amazing.

Similarly, school principal Colin Millar told Belfast Live that it was Mr. Scates who brought Rodgers out of her shell.

(Scates) got her to sing a few solos and she performed at the Easter and Harvest concerts, which helped her confidence to grow, Killiads principal, Colin Millar, told Belfast Live. Kaylee is a lovely child; shes very quiet and shy, but when she opens her mouth to sing, something wonderful happens.
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New Medicare cards are in the mail and scammers are on the prowl
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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has begun mailing new Medicare Health Insurance ID cards. The program no longer uses Social Security numbers to identify people. - photo by Lois M Collins
The federal government is beginning to send out new ID cards to the 58 million Americans who benefit from Medicare. But since many of the people who will receive them don't know they're coming or why, scammers are already gearing up to take advantage.

An AARP survey shows as many as three-fourths of Americans 65 and older have no idea the cards are coming, so some individuals may be duped with claims that they're supposed to pay a fee or provide personal information that will be used, instead, to defraud them.

The new cards are the first reissue in years, and the most striking part of the redesign is that the cards no longer carry the beneficiary's Social Security number. Congress mandated the removal of that number as an identifier for Medicare beneficiaries by next April. Instead, the card has a Medicare Beneficiary Identifier number, an 11-digit combination of numbers and letters.

The new Medicare cards are now being mailed out in batches, starting with the Eastern seaboard and moving west. Most Medicare beneficiaries will receive their cards over the next six months, as long as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has their correct mailing address. Once the cards are in hand, people can share the new identification number with their health care providers. During a transition period, either card is valid.

The old cards, which used Social Security numbers as the personal identification number, should be destroyed.

AARP recently launched an education campaign to warn consumers about scams related to the new Medicare cards.

The membership organization's "Fraud Watch" consultant, Frank Abagnale reformed con man, scammer and the subject of the movie and book "Catch Me If You Can" tells senior citizens the only time they need to carry the actual Medicare card is to health care appointments. Otherwise, it should be left in a safe place. If they want to carry one in their wallet or purse, he says, make a copy and black out the first seven numbers.

Since the cards were announced, scammers have already:

  • Called seniors and asked for their bank account information so that money on their old card could be returned. There is no money on the old card and CMS never asks for personal information over the phone.
  • Offered to send the new card after Medicare beneficiaries pay a $25 fee to cover expenses related to the card. The card is free.
  • Said the card will be mailed out as soon as the older person verifies his or her Social Security number, mailing address and other personal information. CMS already knows the beneficiary's Social Security number and it's no longer being used in conjunction with health care.
AARP and the Federal Trade Commission will hold a free online seminar about the cards and the fraud attempts they have spawned on Thursday, April 19, at 7 p.m. EDT. Register at: www.aarp.org/FraudWebinar. CMS also offers a "frequently asked questions" guide to the new cards.

The AARP Fraud Watch Network says consumers can sign up for its Watchdog Alert emails that deliver breaking scam information, or call a free helpline at 877-908-3360 to speak with volunteers trained in fraud counseling. Abagnale also hosts a weekly podcast for AARP, called The Perfect Scam.
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