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Based in Warsaw, Poland, CD Projekt Red, the developers behind the popular video games, Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher, have taken the initiative to help their brothers and sisters across the border. They have made the decision to donate 1 million PLN to help the victims of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The group has decided to support the Polska Akcja Humanitarna (PAH) or the Polish Humanitarian Action, which is currently focusing their efforts on the crisis in Ukraine. They announced the donation on Twitter on February 25, 2022. 

A screenshot of CD Projekt Red's donation announcement on Facebook

The Polish Humanitarian Action gives support to those who are affected by humanitarian crises to become self-reliant again, as soon as possible. Their mission is “to make the world a better place through alleviation of human suffering and promotion of humanitarian values”. They strive to provide humanitarian aid regardless of nationality, race, religion, or political views. 

The team at Altruisto has teamed up with PAH, to support their initiative “SOS UKRAINE''. The foundation is raising money to support those who have been wounded as a result of the attack and those who are fleeing their homes, whether it be within the country, or migrating across the border. Ukrainians will be in need of shelter, food, clothes and medical supplies. Anything can help and if you can, please donate. You can find the link to the fundraiser here.  

 Altruisto is a free browser extension that helps you effortlessly raise money for causes you are passionate about, all while shopping online at no extra cost. Once you are signed up and shopping with one of Altruisto’s 1000+ supporting partners, simply make a purchase and 2-6% of the total goes to a charity focused on an issue of your choice! Donate to Covid-19 relief, reduction of animal suffering, or eradication of extreme poverty and aiding global health efforts. Add to cart, save the world, one purchase at a time. 

CD Projekt Red, the developers behind CyberPunk 2077, make a generous donation to Polish Humanitarian Action, a charity supporting relief to Ukrainian victims.

The Company Behind The Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077, Donates $240,000 To Ukraine Relief

CD Projekt, the developers behind CyberPunk 2077, make a generous donation to Polish Humanitarian Action, a charity supporting relief to Ukrainian victims.

As of January 5, 2022, animals in Spain are no longer considered as ‘objects’ under the eyes of the law, but rather as ‘sentient beings’. In less technical terms, this means that the state recognizes animals as being capable of experiencing feelings and emotions. This new legislation, protects all animals, domesticated or wild, from being abused and treated as mere objects. Spain has a huge number of abandoned animals each year, so many will call this a huge victory for animal rights in the country. 

This new legislation helps sort out a common issue faced in the courtrooms, deciding who receives custody of pets in case of a divorce or separation. Prior to this new law, when pets were viewed as objects, a large deciding factor of who would get custody would be whomever the pet was registered under. Now, like children, pets can be granted joint custody to the animal parents.

Several other countries have made similar moves in recent months, including France and Portugal. In November 2021, the UK had recognized lobsters, crabs, and octopus as sentient in the British Animal Welfare Bill. This comes after new research found that the crustaceans have a central nervous system and can feel pain. Even though fishing laws have not been changed yet, their welfare will be taken into account when determining new ones. Increasing animal rights in human society is lovely news for animal lovers around the world.

One group of animal lovers is hard at work for a future free from animal suffering. Anima International is a charity that focuses on reducing the animal suffering in the most efficient way possible. They are big supporters of effective altruism - the pursuit of using evidence and reasoning to choose the best ways to help others. Their team specializes in corporate campaigns, investigations, and securing legal milestones that benefit animals. 

You can donate to Anima International via their website or install Altruisto, a browser extension that helps you effortlessly raise money while online shopping - at no extra cost to you. Once activated, and shopping on one of Altruisto’s partners’ websites, simply buy anything and 2-6% of the purchase total goes to a charity of your choice such as Anima International!

As of January 5, 2022, animals in Spain are no longer considered as ‘objects’ under the eyes of the law, but rather as ‘sentient beings’. In less technical terms, this means that the state recognizes animals as being capable of experiencing feelings and emotions.

Spain Passes New Law Dubbing Pets as Official Family Members

As of January 5, 2022, animals in Spain are no longer considered as ‘objects’ under the eyes of the law, but rather as ‘sentient beings’. In less technical terms, this means that the state recognizes animals as being capable of experiencing feelings and emotions. 

A new vaccine against dog allergies could make sneezes and sniffles a thing of the past. Researchers in Japan have identified specific molecules in our furry friends that may be the trigger for allergic reactions in people around dogs. 

Seven distinct dog allergens have recently been discovered, they are molecules or molecular structures that bind to a human’s antibody cell and produce a strong immune reaction under normal circumstances. These seven allergens are named “Canis familiaris allergens 1 to 7”. Of the seven, “Can f 1”, makes up most (50-75%) of the reactions in people allergic to dogs. The “Can f 1” allergen is found on the tongue tissue, salivary glands and skin of dogs. By artificially inducing immune tolerance to the molecules that make up dog allergens, a possible "dog allergy vaccine" could soon be developed. 

A ‘hypoallergenic vaccine’ would not just be a first for dog allergies, but also would be progress on vaccines for any allergic reaction. When the researchers' work is used to develop a dog allergy vaccine, the principles behind it could be applied to other allergies as well. We're still in the very early stages of development here, so allergy sufferers may have to avoid dogs for a while. With this being said, it could be seen as the first important step toward a working vaccine one day.

A vaccine could be a big step in reducing the number of pets surrendered to shelters due to allergies. Allergies in the family account for 8% of abandonment to animal shelters. People who struggle with allergic reactions can one day opt for a vaccine instead of giving up their pets.  

One animal protection group is fighting for a world without animal suffering. Anima International is a charity dedicated to reducing animal suffering. They are big supporters of effective altruism - the belief in or practice of doing good in the most efficient way possible. Their team specializes in various corporate campaigns, investigations, and securing legal milestones that benefit animals. 

You can donate to Anima International via their website or install Altruisto, a browser extension that helps you easily donate money while online shopping - at no extra cost to you. Once activated, and shopping on one of Altruisto’s partners’ websites, simply buy anything and 2-6% of the purchase total goes to a charity of your choice. If you choose to raise money for the reduction of animal suffering, Anima International will receive the funds from your purchase at no cost to you!

The research has been published in the Federation of European Biochemical Societies Journal.

There may be relief for those who suffer from a dog allergy. Scientists in Japan may have made some breakthrough discoveries regarding an effective vaccine for allergies.

Will Dog Allergies Soon Be A Thing Of The Past?

A new vaccine against dog allergies could make sneezes and sniffles a thing of the past. Researchers in Japan have identified specific molecules in our furry friends that may be the trigger for allergic reactions in people around dogs. 

As the former Twitter CEO announces his step down from the company, he is in the media for another reason. Jack Dorsey sells his tweet as an NFT for a whopping $2.9 million. The tweet, which reads, “just setting up my twttr”, was posted on March 1, 2006, where it all began, over 15 years ago. Doresy chose to auction his tweet on the NFT platform “Valuables”, backed by a blockchain-based social media application by Cent. 

Cent states that there was a bidding war between two “whales” (heavy-hitting crypto investors). Justin Sun, founder of the crypto platform, TRON, versus Sina Estavi, CEO of the crypto bridge token, Bridge Oracle. In the end, Estavi’s $2.9 million bid won. After the auction, Sina spoke with CNBC Make It, “I wanted to encourage involving in charities in the crypto space”. 

The funds from the sale were immediately converted to Bitcoin and donated to a charity called GiveDirectly. They focus on helping those in need who are living in poverty. Jack’s gift was specifically donated toward GiveDirectly’s Covid-19 response in Africa. 

GiveDirectly is a unique organization on the charity landscape, as it lets you wire funds directly to people in need. You can donate via their website or install Altruisto, a browser extension that helps you easily donate money while online shopping- at no extra cost to you. Once activated, when shopping on one of Altruisto’s partners’ websites, simply buy anything and 2-6% of the purchase total goes to a charity of your choice.

Although the tweet itself now has a rightful owner, it will remain available to the public on Twitter on Jack Dorsey’s official page. It is great to see the world of blockchain tech and charities colliding for a purpose.  

Jack Dorsey sells his tweet as an NFT for a whopping $2.9 million. The tweet, which reads, “just setting up my twttr”, was posted on March 1, 2006, where it all began, over 15 years ago. Dorsey chose to auction his tweet on the NFT platform “Valuables”, backed by a blockchain-based social media application by Cent. 

Jack Dorsey Sells His First Tweet for $2.9 Million and Donates it to GiveDirectly

Jack Dorsey sells his tweet as an NFT for a whopping $2.9 million. The tweet, which reads, “just setting up my twttr”, was posted on March 1, 2006, where it all began, over 15 years ago. Doresy chose to auction his tweet on the NFT platform “Valuables”, backed by a blockchain-based social media application by Cent. 

At the beginning of a crisis, everyone is eager to donate. But more often than not, the worst effects or results of it are usually weeks, months or even years after the dust settles. Commonly, it is the aftermath of a disaster that needs the most of our attention, humanitarian aid charities often see a huge spike in donations when the crisis starts and as it develops, less and less is given.

It is important to remember that victims need immediate emergency assistance after a crisis. But charities do need donations all year round, especially to cover overhead costs of operation. However, victims need long-term care as well. If you were not able to donate immediately following a particular crisis but still want to help, find a charity that focuses on the long-term effects and needs of victims. In the short term, victims need shelter, medical supplies, clothes, blankets, water, and food. Longer-term they may need things like rehabilitation, medical treatment, relocation, safe transportation routes, and educational funding in hope of returning to a normal life. It is never too late to help and your donation matters no matter when you give.

The best way to support an organization's work is to make recurring donations, rather than one large, annual donation. By doing this, the charities are provided with a steady supply of cash, so they do not have to rely as heavily on end-of-year donations. Recurring donations work for donors too, as opposed to one large sum once a year, breaking up the donations into increments is also more affordable for anyone. You can set up recurring giving with your bank and a charity of your choice.

As soon as a disaster occurs, we often see images or footage of the affected areas plastered all over the TV and online. This may push you to want to give clothing and blankets to keep people clean and warm, or food to feed the hungry. Of course, helping any way you can is best, but in reality, money is usually the most effective gift. By donating money, the charities on the ground can quickly purchase the supplies they need to respond to the ever-changing needs of those affected. 

Luckily, you can donate every time you purchase something online. By downloading the Altruisto browser extension and shopping with one of our 100’s of our partners, you can donate to a charity helping those in need at no extra cost to you. Whenever you shop with the browser extension, 2-6% of your purchase goes directly to a well-researched and evidence-based charity, supporting a cause of your choice. Altruisto has also teamed up with the Polish Humanitarian Action (PAH) to help support the victims in Ukraine and the refugees that have fled to Poland. You can find their initiative “SOS UKRAINE” and donate here. 

What Is The Best Way To Donate During A Crisis?

Altruisto has compiled a list of initiatives where you can donate to help the people of Ukraine during this attack by the Russian army. 

A charity formed by the citizens of Ukraine’s neighbor, Poland, is collecting donations for relief and support to those affected by the Russian attack. Their initiative “SOS Ukraine” is providing direct aid (food, medical, etc.) to people who are forced to flee their homes and affected by the attacks. Your support will aid those affected by the conflict, including refugees coming to Poland. The Polish Humanitarian Action has been providing help in various crises since 1992.

Altruisto has teamed up with PAH (Polish Humanitarian Action) to support their initiative SOS Ukraine. You can find the link to the fundraiser here.  

Save The Children focuses on delivering life-saving support for children and their families by distributing winter and hygiene kits, providing cash grants to families so they can meet basic needs such as food, rent and medicines. They also support children to overcome the mental and psychological impact of the conflict. You can donate to them here.

The British Red Cross focuses their efforts now in the rapidly evolving crisis in Ukraine, your donation could help someone affected get food, medicines and basic medical supplies, shelter and water.

They help supply medical treatment and supplies for those who are hurt during the war. The money collected also goes towards helping the families of those who have lost loved ones due to the war in Ukraine. 

Your donations to Revived Soldiers Ukraine help in several ways. The foundation focuses on assisting injured soldiers to receive medical help and rehabilitation in other countries. Helping hospitals treat those wounded in military conflict by providing emergency medical aid and supplies. Supporting children and women in their right to a healthy living. Satisfying housing needs to soldiers of Ukraine and their families.

If you are in the tech space and would like to offer your skills to help, this foundation is a voluntary movement of tech companies to help social impact organizations around the world implement digital solutions.

How You Can Support The People Of Ukraine

A recent study in the United States titled, Baby’s First Years, has shown that providing financial support to new mothers increases their children's brain activity. Compared to many other parts of the world, the United States does not currently have any paid maternity leave laws in place for new mothers. 

“This is a big scientific finding,” said Martha J. Farah, a neuroscientist at the University of Pennsylvania, who reviewed the study for the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. “It’s proof that just giving the families more money, even a modest amount leads to better brain development [in children].”

The study goes as follows, Dr. Noble and a team of researchers from six universities rounded up mothers and their newborns who were within days of birth. They were then randomly divided into two groups, receiving a payment of either $20 a month or $333 a month. The payments will continue until the children reach at least 4 years old, with further testing planned. Baby’s First Years were designed “to assess the impact of poverty reduction on family life and infant and toddlers’ cognitive, emotional, and brain development”.

By using an EEG (a test that measures brain activity) to evaluate the children once they have reached their first year, the researchers learned that those in the group where mothers were receiving larger payments had experienced more brain activity compared to those with smaller payments. This increased brain activity has often been linked to more advanced cognitive development. In the chart below, it is seen that across the alpha, beta, and gamma ranges of high-frequency brain activity, the levels of activity were higher.

Results from the EEG test measuring brain waves for the study. Image: PNAS

MRI results of the infants’ brains have shown differences in the size of the cerebral cortex between the two groups. The cerebral cortex is responsible for complex brain functions, such as language and information processing.

It is still unclear why money correlated with altered brain development. More funds for the mothers means it could have been used to purchase healthier food and better health care, reduce levels of parental stress, or allow mothers to work less so they would have more time to spend with their children.

On average, less-privileged children start their educational journey with weaker cognitive skills. Neuroscientists now have evidence that can prove the differences that extend to brain activity and function. Although it has not been made clear whether those differences come directly from lack of funds or from other factors, like parental education or neighborhood, the study offers evidence that poverty can hold children back from development in their earliest moments. It is important to remember that in any group case study, there are outliers. There are plenty of cases where children who come from poverty have greatly succeeded in life. 

“This is the first study to show that money, in and of itself, has a causal impact on brain development,” explains Dr. Kimberly G. Noble, a physician and neuroscientist at Teachers College, Columbia University, who helped lead the study.

Children are impacted by poverty all over the world. By downloading Altruisto and shopping with one of our 100’s of partners, you can effortlessly donate to a charity helping those in need at no extra cost to you. Whenever you shop with the Altruisto browser extension, 2-6% of your purchase goes directly to a vetted evidence-backed charity. For example, from a purchase of only $40, $2.40 gets donated and gets 2 children cured of parasites. Download today and help your fellow human, one click at a time. 

A recent study has shown that providing financial support to new mothers increases their children's brain development.

New Study Finds Link Between Poverty & Brain Development in Children

A recent study has shown that providing financial support to new mothers increases their children's brain development. 

Back in 1989, Tim Berners-Lee was hard at work coding the World Wide Web, basically inventing the internet. Did he know how much it would impact the world? Probably not. Did he even know what an NFT is? Also, probably not.

Since then, the internet has rapidly changed the way the world works and how we communicate, conduct business, and make money. Newer to the scene is blockchain technology, which has brought us cryptocurrencies and NFTs. NFTs, or Non-Fungible Tokens, are essentially digital assets linked to contracts on a blockchain network that authenticates proof of ownership. Recently rising to mainstream media with the help of the NBA’s Top Shot NFT Collection, CryptoPunks and its countless celebrity supporters, literally anything can be sold as an NFT now. 

Tim Berners-Lee and the first published internet page in 1994

More recently, art auction houses like Sotheby's and Christies have joined in on the bull market. Sotheby's auctioned off the World Wide Web’s source code (with timestamps) as an NFT, titling it “This Changed Everything”. The piece was starting at $1,000 USD, but also available to pay for in crypto. An anonymous buyer finished off the auction in the last ten minutes beating out 51 other bids with a final price of $5.4 million plus fees. The money has since been donated to charities and initiatives supported by Tim Berners-Lee, like his own, World Wide Web Foundation. 

The WWW Foundation focuses on many efforts but their main contributions go toward creating digital equality for all. They strive to establish the open web as a basic right and a public good, mainly in developing nations that may not have universal access to the internet yet. The World Wide Web Foundation also places its interest in supporting regreening in Africa, women’s rights online, and lobbying for affordable internet. 

Although the source code has been free and available to the public for a long time and will continue to be, this is a milestone for the progress of how far the internet has come, and where it has yet to go. Mr. Lee describes NFTs as “the most appropriate means of ownership that exists”. It is exciting to witness the growth of technology and see how it will take our generations further. 

Photo Source: https://geekweek.interia.pl/internet/news-tim-berners-lee-i-25-lat-powszechnego-dostepu-do-internetu,nId,2256756

Info Source: https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/this-changed-everything-source-code-for-www-x-tim-berners-lee-an-nft/source-code-for-the-www

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