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Video: Disney unveils a first look at the new Star Wars park at Disneyland
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Disney representatives released a short flyover drone video that shows off the new Star Wars Land, which is set to debut next year at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resort. - photo by Herb Scribner
Wondering how to get to a galaxy far, far away? Dont worry. Disney has you covered.

Disney representatives released a short flyover drone video that shows off the new Star Wars Land, which is set to debut next year at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resort.

The video specifically depicts the Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge at Disneyland.

The Star Wars Land will be one of the most detailed and immersive lands ever created in Disney Parks history, according to a Disney representative, who spoke to Travel and Leisure.

See the video here.

People who visit the attraction will be placed on the planet of Batuu, home to adventurers and smugglers. The planet is based in the outer rim, hence the attraction's official name: Galaxy's Edge.

The park will have two sections: one to promote the First Order and the other the Resistance, according to the Deseret News.

As you move through the areas, you might be recruited to join one side or the other, Scott Mallwitz, executive creative director at Walt Disney Imagineering, told The Orange Counter Register. Are you a spy? Are you part of the Resistance or willing to join the First Order? Its up to you. And your role inside of that will be defined by how you choose.

A marketplace will exist inside Star Wars Land, and it will even include a creature called a Toydarian (you remember Watto from The Phantom Menace, right?), who will sell people items in various stores.

The land will come at the same time that Disney launches a new immersive Star Wars-themed hotel, where visitors can interact with characters from the galaxy far, far away.

The company has already launched a Guardians of the Galaxy attraction at Disneyland and in Epcot. A Toy Story Land is also in the works.
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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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