Thousands of people have taken the
streets in Moscow and similar demonstrations in two other Russian cities were
called as the government plans to introduce tighter restrictions on the
internet.
Last month, Russian parliament
backed the controversial bill.
The government says the bill, which
allows it to isolate Russia’s internet service from the rest of the world, will
improve cyber-security.
However, campaigners say it is an
attempt to increase censorship and stifle dissent.
Activists say more than 15,000
people gathered in Moscow on March 10, which is double the estimate given by
the police.
Some protesters chanted slogans such
as “hands off the internet” and “no to isolation” while
others gave speeches on a large stage.
Opposition figures said that a number of protesters were detained in Moscow,
but the police have not confirmed this.
The government says the so-called digital sovereignty bill will reduce
Russia’s reliance on internet servers in the US.
The bill seeks to stop Russia’s internet traffic being routed through
foreign servers.
If it is passed, the bill will eventually need to be signed by President
Vladimir Putin.
Russia has introduced a swathe of tougher internet laws in recent years. On
March 7, parliament passed two bills outlawing “disrespect” of
authorities and the spreading of what the government deems to be “fake
news”.
Last year, campaigners took to the streets to protest the media watchdog’s
attempt to shut down the encrypted messaging service, Telegram.
Russia’s main security agency, the FSB, said at the time that Telegram was the messenger of choice for “international terrorist organizations in Russia”.
An Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max-8 has
crashed shortly after take-off from Addis Ababa, killing all on board.
According to the airline, 149 passengers and eight crew members were on
flight ET302 from the Ethiopian capital to Nairobi in Kenya.
Ethiopian Airlines said 32 Kenyans, 18 Canadians, 8 Americans and 7 British
nationals were among the passengers.
The crash happened at 08:44 local time, six minutes after the plane took
off.
Another jet of the same model was involved in a crash less than five months
ago, when a Lion Air flight crashed into the sea near Indonesia with nearly 190
people on board.
The cause of the disaster is not yet clear. However, the pilot had reported
difficulties and had asked to return to Addis Ababa, Ethiopian Airlines said.
“At this stage, we cannot rule
out anything,” Ethiopian Airlines CEO Tewolde Gebremariam told
reporters at Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa.
“We cannot also attribute the
cause to anything because we will have to comply with the international
regulation to wait for the investigation.”
Recovery operations were under way
near the crash site around the town of Bishoftu, which is 37 miles south-east
of Addis Ababa.
The plane was delivered to Ethiopian
Airlines on November 15, 2018. It underwent a “rigorous first check
maintenance” on February 4, the airline tweeted.
Tewolde Gebremariam said at news
conference that passengers from more than 30 countries were on board the
flight.
He said they included 32 Kenyans, 18
Canadians, 9 Ethiopians, 8 Italians, 8 Chinese, 8 Americans, 7 Britons, 7 French
citizens, 6 Egyptians, 5 Germans, 4 Indians and four people from Slovakia.
Three Austrians, 3 Swedes, 3 Russians, 2 Moroccans, 2
Spaniards, 2 Poles and two Israelis were also on the flight.
There was also one passenger each from Ireland, Nepal, Saudi Arabia,
Djibouti, Belgium, Indonesia, Somalia, Norway, Serbia, Togo, Mozambique,
Rwanda, Sudan, Uganda and Yemen.
One person held a UN passport, Ethiopian Airlines said. The airline believed
some passengers could have been heading to a session of the UN Environment
Assembly which begins in Nairobi on March 11.
A UN source also told AFP that “at least a dozen of the victims were
affiliated with the UN”, and that this may include freelance translators.
World Food Program executive director David Beasley said seven members of agency staff had died in the crash.
According to recent reports, North Korea may be
preparing to launch a missile or a satellite.
Satellite images suggest an increased activity around a site known as
Sanumdong, where North Korea assembled most of its ballistic missiles and
rockets.
It comes after reports earlier this week that North Korea’s main rocket
launch site at Sohae had been rebuilt.
Last year, North Korea started to dismantle Sohae began but stopped as US
talks stalled.
On March 8, President Donald Trump said he would be disappointed if North
Korea was to resume weapons testing.
He said: “I would be surprised in
a negative way if he did anything that was not per our understanding. But we’ll
see what happens.
“I would be very disappointed if
I saw testing.”
According to analysts, it is more
likely at this stage that North Korea is preparing to launch a satellite rather
than test a missile.
However, the US said earlier this
week that this would still be inconsistent with the commitments Kim Jong-un has
made to President Trump.
Large vehicles have been seen moving
around Sanumdong, activity which has in the past indicated that Pyongyang was
at least preparing to move some kind of missile or rocket to a launch area.
The satellite images were published
by the public radio network NPR.
A much anticipated meeting between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un in Hanoi last week ended without a deal over differences in how much North Korea was willing to limit its nuclear program before it was granted some sanction relief.
The Sohae launch facility at the Tongchang-ri site has been used for
satellite launches and engine testing but never for ballistic missile launches.
This week’s satellite images, coming from several US think tanks and
testimony from the South Korean intelligence service, appear to show rapid
progress has been made in rebuilding structures on the rocket launch pad.
US National Security Adviser John Bolton has said North Korea could yet face
more sanctions if there is no progress on denuclearization.
A historic first meeting between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in 2018 in Singapore produced a vaguely worded agreement on “denuclearization” but little progress.
Education is
about knowledge gain. Knowledge is the most essential tool used for personal
growth. There is no doubt that good education has the power to change lives. One
should be educated to have a happy and prosperous life by gaining respect from
society and obtain a successful career. However,
when you look at the bigger picture, education also helps countries to grow
economically and cherish with prosperity. As governments have understood the
importance of offering education solutions to their citizens to sustain a
bright future for future generations, they are investing more than ever before
for it. Education is important for children as they are the future of the world
and represent the pillars a nation develops on. It is the most powerful tool to
make the world a better place.
Yet, the
biggest challenge for education policymakers is to provide access and ensure
the process of education in unprivileged areas. Developing countries are
dealing with poverty and isolation which eliminates any chance for young and
older individuals to have access to education. Those areas have kids who do not
even know what it is like to step inside a classroom leading to lack of written
communication skills and poor intellectual baggage.
Poverty and education are strongly linked leading to a vicious circle. Individuals living in poor areas do not attend schools so they can work and earn money or essentials for survival. The extreme disparities in educational opportunities among different schools, areas, or students develop into serious social and economic tensions and an unequal world.
Educational specialists suggest using technology to reduce the education gap between poor and wealthy areas around the world. Some people believe that there are a lot of drawbacks of technology, but there is no doubt that when it comes to education, it offers huge potential. Nowadays, the digital revolution which we live in has offered access to the internet and electronic devices to billions of individuals from all over the world. Young generations from today are born in a world where social media, mobile technology, and other online communities are essential for learning, communicating, and developing. As technology is a powerful development tool, it should be used in the global battle for uniformizing educational opportunities around the whole globe.
How poverty affects education
In
underdeveloped areas, where individuals are struggling with poverty and low
resources of any type, the cycle of poverty has tremendous long-term effects. The
education system is usually for free almost in every corner of the world.
However, the additional costs linked to education seem to be the problems that
lead to the lack of educational opportunities. Costs for uniforms, books,
transportation, and even the salaries of professors eliminate the chance for
poor areas to have access to proper education.
The fact
that public education is less available influences the lives of numerous
individuals who are unable to broaden their horizons and develop into
well-shaped adults. Also, by analyzing the cycle of poverty and education, we
are able to notice that areas where access to education is limited tend to
remain poor. Societies lack educated individuals who can invest and find
solutions for the problems of their communities as they do not have the
knowledge and skills necessary for it. Poor
communities remain undeveloped as they lack the leaders who can make changes
for modernization and growth.
Technology to overcome the education gap
While for some students going to school or university seems like a normal thing, others from unprivileged areas do not even understand the concept of education. Educators from all grade-levels have realized the ways education can benefit from technology in the classroom. The rise of educational technology might be the best chance to help individuals from developing countries to have access to knowledge.
Reducing or even eliminating the education gap between wealthy and poor communities has become a global challenge that more and more people, companies, and organizations are joining. Several tech companies have launched global initiatives to increase access to technology for individuals who live in poor areas. Nonprofit organizations are encouraging individuals to join their cause and travel to those areas to help young generations get educated. A global community of teachers, parents, students, governments, institutions, and businesses work together to find the best solutions for helping learners with low possibilities to gain access to quality education.
Technology brings individuals into contact with the broader world by opening new doors to education and vocational training. Moreover, the use of online education is a cost-effective one which makes it a great tool to help developing areas educate their young generations for a brighter future. Technological solutions such as the internet, artificial intelligence, electronic devices, and online learning classes help students from all over the world to get in contact with specialists who can share their knowledge and skills. Moreover, individuals from poor areas would no longer be limited to traditional concepts of education. By being able to study any subject they are interested in such as finances, history, chemistry, or foreign languages, they will also be able to make their own career choices for their future. The rise of technology and the outstanding increasing presence of both students and courses online combined with the low costs for online education can help developing countries to ensure educational opportunities for all their individuals.
New technology and new learning models are offering unthinkable possibilities to students and educators from all over the world. Low resource, poor, rural, and isolated communities need help and guidance for gaining equal education opportunities and technology is a promising solution for it. Education has a significant role in fighting poverty in underdeveloped areas. By educating the young generation, children are given the power to dream of a better future and confidently invest in it as they no longer feel embarrassed for being uneducated. Developing countries deal with serious social and economic problems such as malnutrition, low standards of health, and gender inequality. Education is the key to escape the cycle of poverty by empowering individuals with culture, education, human emotions, and life values.
Since the dawn of time, people have been looking for a proverbial Fountain of Youth. For some people, ageing is something they dread. While getting older means a few more aches and pains, it also comes with a variety of benefits.
The key to staying well and happy throughout your golden years is by staying active. Simply staying inside and not socializing with other people of your age group can lead to lots of negative issues over time. The following are just some of the benefits that come with becoming a senior citizen.
1. The Wisdom That Comes With Getting Older
Being young and making lots of mistakes go hand in hand. When a person is young, they fail to realize the consequences their actions will have on the rest of their life. This generally causes younger people to make decisions that can only be classified as foolish.
One of the biggest benefits that come with getting older is the wisdom it provides. Being able to look back on the course of your life and identifying the mistakes you have made can help you avoid these same mistakes in the future. Not only can you use this information to help yourself, but you can also offer guidance to people around you as well.
2. Spending Time With Grandchildren
Raising children is one of the hardest jobs on the planet. Most people feel guilty for not being able to spend time with their children is they work a particularly demanding job. One of the best parts about being a grandparent is being able to spoil grandchildren.
Since most senior citizens are retired, they have a pretty flexible schedule. This means they will be able to enjoy all of the time in the world with their grandkids without worry. Manysenior living centers host special events for tenants grandchildren because they realize how important these relationships are.
3. Pursuing Your Passions
For most people, making sacrifices for the people around them is something they are quite accustomed to. If you have put your dreams and passions on hold while raising a family, pursuing them in your golden years is a great idea.
Whether you want to start a small business or learn a new skill, taking the bull by the horns and acting on these desires is a good idea. The great thing about pursuing these passions during your retirement is that you don’t have to make a living from these pursuits. Taking the time to sit down and make a list of things you are passionate about can help you figure out what direction you need to go in.
4. Travel the World
Are you tired of being in the same area? Do you feel like now is the time to see the world like you always dreamed of? As a senior citizen, you havethe time and the resources to pursue this dream.
Before embarking on a new journey, be sure to speak with a financial advisor to figure out what type of budget you need to put into place. The last thing you want to do is run out of money on your trip, which is why getting this type of professional advice is a must.
As you can see, there are a number of advantages to becoming a senior citizen. Instead of treading your golden years, now is the time to make and plan and enjoy them.
Since the development of computers or machines,
their competence to enforce various tasks went on growing epidemically. Humans
have advanced the power of computer systems in terms of their disparate working
domains, their proliferating speed, and decreasing size with respect to time.
An arm of Computer Science named Artificial
Intelligence goes after creating computers or machines as brilliant as human
beings.
As we go ahead with the entire career prospective
of Artificial Intelligence, let’s understand briefly about what Artificial
Intelligence is.
A Brief Overview
of Artificial Intelligence
The father of Artificial Intelligence, John McCarthy said, “Artificial Intelligence is the science and engineering that makes intelligent machines, exceptionally intelligent computer programs”.
AI makes a computer, a computer-controlled robot,
or a software think intelligently, the same way an intelligent human would
think.
While capitalizing the competence of the computer
systems, the eagerness of human, lead him to doubt, “Whether a machine thinks
and behave as humans do?”
Hence, the advancement of AI started with the
objective to create similar intelligence in machines that we humans could.
Artificial Intelligence aims to create expert systems. These systems present
intelligent behavior, learn, display, explain, and advice their users. It
implements human intelligence in machines by creating systems that understand,
think, learn, and act like humans.
A big core of AI is in the advancement of
computer functions associated with human intelligence, such as reasoning,
learning, and problem-solving.
AI
has been assertive in various fields such as −
Gaming
− It plays an important role in critical games such as chess, poker,
tic-tac-toe, etc., where a machine can think of a large number of possible
positions based on probing knowledge.
Natural
Language Processing − It helps in interacting with the computer that
understands the natural language which humans speak.
Speech
Recognition − Some intelligent systems are able to hear and comprehend the
language in terms of sentences and their meanings while a human talks to it.
They can handle different accents, slangs, background noises, change in human’s
tone due to cough, etc.
Intelligent
Robots − Robots perform tasks which are assigned by humans. They can sense
physical data from the real- world such as light, heat, temperature, movement,
sound, bump, and pressure. They have enough processors, various sensors and
vast memory, to display intelligence. Also, they are able to learn from their
mistakes and they can adapt to the new environment.
Domains which target Artificial Intelligence are
as follows:
Medicine: includes identification
of medical images, diagnosis, expert systems to aid GPs, monitors, and controls
in ICU, designing of prosthetics, and
drug designing.
Robotics: includes vision, motor
control, learning, planning, linguistic communication, cooperative behavior.
Engineering: identification of
fault diagnosis, intelligent control systems, intelligent manufacturing
systems, intelligent design aids, integrated systems for sales, design,
production, maintenance, expert configuration tools (e.g. ensuring sales staff
don’t sell a system that won’t work.
Space: It controls space vehicles
and autonomous robots too far from earth to be directly manipulated by humans
on earth, because of transmission delays.
Marketing: AI is being used to
develop more targeted, relevant, and timely marketing programmes to enhance
customer attrition rates. Examples of typical jobs held by AI professionals
include:
1.Software analysts and developers.
2.Computer Scientists and computer engineers.
3.Algorithm specialists.
4.Research scientists and engineering
consultants.
5.Surgical technicians working with robotic
tools.
6.Medical health professionals working with
artificial limbs, prosthetics, hearing aids, and vision restoration devices.
7.Military and aviation electricians working with
flight simulators, drones, and armaments.
Salary
Scale: The average salary of an Artificial
Intelligence Engineer is approximately $93,625 per year depending upon the
domain you choose.
Advance information technologies and the onset of
machines enhanced by Artificial I
Intelligence (AI) have already influenced the
world of work in the 21st century. Computers, algorithms, and software cut down
everyday tasks, and it is absurd to imagine how most of our life could be
managed without them. Nonetheless, is it also futile to imagine how most
process steps could be managed without human effort. If they are then
Artificial Intelligence will be an assured short movement in IT industry?
To learn and master in Artificial Intelligence, you can go through various AI Certification Courses available online.
Over the past few years,
you’ve may have noticed some interesting brand partnerships. When a brand
partnership is executed correctly, it can prove to be very valuable and
revenue-generating.
A solid example of a branding partnership is when VW and Tata Motors came together to help another boost sales. And without even realizing it, you’ve even seen brand partnerships all around you; even when you were young. For instance, when you opened up a box of cereal as a child and found a toy—that was co-branding. Strategic alliances are everywhere, and for good reason.
Here are just a few
benefits of partnering with another brand:
Increase audience
awareness by expanding reach. This is one of the biggest benefits of co-branding and
partnerships. With two businesses working together, each can leverage the
audience of the other, and will have double the marketing power and reach.
Creates a higher value
perception. When one or more
companies gets together, it increases the perceived value of the partnership to
great more of a powerhouse duo.
Expands the marketing budget. This is obvious: two businesses equals two marketing budgets, and when combined, you can take your efforts much further. This also helps to save money. Want to print custom posters? Need a flag designer for your event? Plan to increase your Facebook spend? No matter how you decide to allocate your funds, you’ll have more wiggle room.
Reach new segments. Not only will you reach a wider range of people
in your industry, but you’ll also reach new audience segments that weren’t in
your original marketing plan.
What to Consider When
Choosing
There are several things
you should consider before you begin researching potential brands to partner
with. For instance, you should choose a company that will benefit equally from
the partnership as you. For instance, as a the owner of a coffee shop, you
might want to partner with a local bakery. This allows you to serve customers
great baked goods with a “locally sourced” tag, as well as makes it easier for
the local bakery to spread their inventory outside of their own location.
Additionally, the value
of each brand should match one another. As a local coffee shop, it would be
difficult to partner with a brand that far exceeds yours in value. As
previously mentioned, both companies should benefit equally, and therefore,
both should be on level ground with one another. If you’re a new business,
you’ll likely want to partner with a business that’s relatively new as well.
And lastly, the strategy
you have in mind with the other brand should be easily understood by the
consumer. A coffee shop and a bakery partnership makes sense, but a coffee shop
with a candy company might not seem as strategic or sensible.
Choose Complementary
Businesses
The main objective of
choosing a business to partner with is to choose a brand that complements yours
well. Now that you understand some of the key points in choosing a brand, you
can go ahead and start researching complementary businesses. The options
available to you depend on whether you’re a physical or online location, and
whether your business requires local partnerships or can come from any
direction. Typically, local business owners have an easier time cultivating
relationships with one another.
Keep in mind that you
don’t always have to start off with a full-blown contract and partnership
agreement. You could host a small event, or have a trial period to see how one
another’s businesses fares once cross-promotion and marketing has begun. It’s important
that you’re flexible and choose businesses who have similar values and
management as well.
Reaching Out
Now that you’ve created
a list of potential partners, it’s time to start reaching out. Your
introductory email should be short and simple. Begin by introducing yourself
and your business, and briefly stating what your brand is about. Then, let them
know that you’re interested in creating a co-branded campaign, or a long-term
partnership (depending on what your own objectives are).
The important thing here
is to clearly state the benefit of the other company entering a partnership.
You can’t approach the partnership by thinking only of what their brand can do
for you, or how your business can take benefit. Brainstorm concepts and use
bullet points to describe what your brand can bring to the table.
Host a Joint Event
Once you’ve identified
the perfect partner and have agreed to work with one another, what better way
to celebrate that partnership than through an event? After all, events are a
great way to generate buzz. Of course, with your event, you want to put your
products or services on display, so be prepared to give out freebies and
discounts. You may even consider working with your partner to bring in sponsors
who can make budgeting even more manageable.
From Matt Lauer to Harvey Weinstein, the world has been rocked by sexual harassment allegations and revelations. And while there’s no telling whether there are more shocks to come, what’s very clear is that we still have a lot of work to do as a society to make the workplace and the world in general a safer place for everyone. Through the experiences of others there are so many lessons we can learn about missteps we’ve made and how we can correct them. Here are top lessons we can learn from the #MeToo campaign.
Victims Risk
Their Reputations When They Come Forward
Whether we want to admit it or not, the things people who are brave enough to share on the workplace abuse they experienced or the fraud in the companies face is what keeps so many silent. They are humiliated, shunned and even harassed. In the case of sexual harassment, people tend to blame the victim and try to discredit them by any means necessary. This means that before the perpetrator can even face justice, the victim or witness is put through the ringer for just telling the truth. It’s so important than the men and woman who come forward in order to have protection and support of people around them. According to JF Melton Law, “Whistleblowers take great risks, so getting a reward for that risk is key. It is imperative that they have whistleblower protection to ensure a) the largest reward possible is given and b) the whistleblower is protected under the law.”
When Power
Goes Unchecked, Bad Things Happen
The one thing stories like Harvey Weinstein, Matt
Lauer and R. Kelly all have in common is abusers being able to get away with
what they do for decades. Because these people rise to the upper echelons of
society, people often turn a blind eye to their deeds, or the ones that see are
threatened into silence. These unfortunately repeats the cycle of abuse, and
emboldens the abuser. We have to be able to ask questions of the men and women
we put up on pedestals, and take them to task when they do something wrong. If
we repeatedly turn a blind eye, all that does is make them feel invincible and
double down on the abuse.
We Have to
Separate Talent From Character
If there’s anything we need to learn as a society
it’s that an artistic genius or talented person can still be an abuser, and no
matter how talented they are, they don’t deserve the benefit of the doubt. In
fact, the men and women we look up to as role models have to hold themselves to
a higher standard. They should be examples of respect, good character and
integrity, not people we let get away with anything and everything. If they
decide to display horrible behavior, harassing people and destroying their
lives, we as a society have to speak out against that and stop putting money in
their pockets. We need to stop treating famous and powerful people as gods who
can move through society with no accountability or responsibility for their
negative actions.
We Need to
Have More Conversations
Whether it’s at work, at universities or even in
the privacy of our own homes, we have to have conversations about harassment
and abuses of power. Many victims struggle to come forward because they either
think they did something to ask for the abuse, or they don’t think what
happened to them was an abuse of power. If we were to have more open
conversation about the spectrum of abuse and how it manifests in behavior, we
could raise the standards of how we treat each other. We would make it so much
easier for victims to use their voices. In a lot of companies, employees have
had to discuss what sexual harassment looks like and this awareness actually
makes the workplace safer. We need to extend that to the whole society.
The #MeToo movement lifted the lid on so many abuses and though it wasn’t always perfect, it forced us to start having the necessary conversations that make our world safer for everyone else. When we work for companies, our safety is their responsibility, and just as our employers expect want to be sure that we have integrity when they hire us, we expect the same from them. We expect to be safe from abuse and harassment, to be treated with respect at all the time, and for any incidents of abuse to be dealt with accordingly, not swept under the rug.
For many people, birth control pills are ideal options for preventing pregnancy, regulating menstruation cycles, and managing a range of hormone-related conditions, such as menstruation pain. Moreover, for those concerned about side effects related to fluctuating hormone levels, low estrogen birth control is an appealing option. But how exactly do these pills work? If you’re curious about the science behind low estrogen birth control, check out this brief guide that explains how it works and affects the body.
One of the best things about low estrogen birth control is it works as effectively as combination pills with higher doses of estrogen. This means low estrogen pills are associated with fewer side effects than their higher dosage counterparts.
Note that the effects vary based on the type of medication you’re taking and your ability to follow it’s label requirements. Lo Loestrin Fe, for example, is an option for daily low estrogen birth control that’s best for women under 35.
Types of Low Estrogen Pills
Low estrogen birth control is typically available as a combination pill that contains estrogen and progestin. The pills are commonly prescribed as either a 21-pack of active pills or a 28-pack that includes seven pills containing no hormones. Women who take these pills typically get their periods during the week they’re taking the seven inactive pills.
Some birth control pills are available without estrogen. These are called minipills and are typically prescribed to women who:
●Are breastfeeding.
●Are nearing menopause.
●Can’t tolerate increased estrogen.
If you’re taking minipills such as Norenthindrone, note the unique requirements for this medication. To prevent pregnancy effectively, you must take them at the same time each day. Like combination pills, women are often prescribed a 28-pack that includes seven inactive pills.
When Do Birth Control Pills Start Working?
The effectiveness of birth control pills as a pregnancy prevention depends on the type of pills and when you start taking them. If you take them on the day your period begins, for example, you’ll be protected right away. If you start taking them outside of your menstruation cycle, you should use backup birth control for the first seven days.
Conditions That Low Estrogen Birth Control Can Help Manage
Doctors prescribe low estrogen birth control for more reasons than preventing pregnancy. Combination pills, for example, also help regulate the menstrual cycle. Other benefits associated with this medication include:
●Mitigation of period symptoms such as heavy bleeding and cramps.
●Reduced risk of ovarian cysts and certain cancers.
Low estrogen birth control pills are effective options for many women. Speak to your doctor if you have any questions or are interested in using Lo Loestrin Fe or another birth control product.
Under most circumstances, we’ll be among the first to recommend avoiding paying to have a credit card. However, there are sometimes valuable rewards to be derived from cards with price tags attached.
Shopping time
Here’s why some credit cards have annual fees.
What is an Annual Fee?
As the name implies, these are fees you’ll pay on a yearly basis to hold a particular credit card. The amount of the fees is spelled out in your cardholder agreement, along with the perks you’ll derive from using the card.
It’s important to note most card issuers charge the fee directly against the card. The first year’s fee is usually applied the moment you activate the card. Thus, if you get a card with a $10,000 limit and an annual fee of $100, you’ll only have $9,900 available on the card after you activate it.
You should also bear in mind that $100 becomes part of the balance due on the card and is subject to interest charges. If you want to avoid this, you’ll have pay the $100 before the grace period ends.
What’s In It For Me?
In most cases, cards with annual fees offer some sort of benefit for using the card. The fees go to offset these advantages. This might be a bonus for taking the card, air travel miles, hotel stays or even cash back rewards.
According to The Simple Dollar, other benefits include:
Credit card perks: While all cards offer a different set of benefits, many rewards cards that charge an annual fee come with special perks such as price protection, extended warranties, and free FICO scores.
Insurance and other protections: Travel credit cards specifically are known for offering pricey insurance coverage as a cardholder perk. This coverage can include primary rental car coverage, trip cancellation/delay coverage, and emergency travel assistance.
Membership in a rewards program: If you charge a lot of expenses to your credit card, membership in a rewards program can help offset the cost of your card’s annual fee.
However, cards aimed at people with substandard credit scores often impose annual fees as well. The idea is to offset the risk of extending credit to individuals who have had money problems in the past.
In these cases, particularly if you still have outstanding debt, working with a company like Freedom Debt Relief to develop a plan to settle your debts might be a better move than taking on another credit card—and even more debt.
How Can You Tell if it’s Worth It?
By and large, only heavy credit card users generate enough activity to really benefit from credit card reward programs. However, if you’re in a position to use a card to make all of your monthly purchases and pay them off before the grace period elapses you can do OK.
The only way to know for sure is to look at how much you spend over the course of an average month and weigh it against the parameters the card issuer establishes to achieve the rewards. Again though, you must be certain you can pay the card off in full every month. Otherwise, you’ll wind up making interest payments in addition to the annual fee.
Another thing to be careful about is sign-up bonuses. Simply opening the account is usually not enough to qualify for it. You’ll likely need to meet a spending target within a certain time period to get the bonus. Issues like these are important to consider as you’re comparing various programs.
The term hair transplant relates to a surgical procedure that uses sophisticated techniques to remove hairs from one area of the scalp and replace them in locations where clients are suffering thinning hair or baldness.
About hair transplants
The hair transplant procedure is ideal for men or women with pattern baldness conditions as a result of androgenetic alopecia or to treat scars due to burns or injuries.
Hair transplants are unsuitable for hair loss caused by alopecia aerate.
Deciding to have a hair transplant
Deciding to go for a hair transplant is not easy, and you should consider all the options beforehand. This is particularly the case for anybody who has had pattern baldness for some time. After all, a hair transplant will be a permanent alteration to your looks.
Of course, experiencing hair loss can be a traumatic experience for many men and women. So, opting for cosmetic procedures is one way to make a lifelong adjustment to your appearance. It can have very positive effects on some people and lead to renewed vigor and happiness.
Costs of hair transplants
Hair transplants do vary in cost tremendously, the NHS website states that a procedure can cost from £1,000 to £30,000 and these costs are reflective of the total area needing to be transplanted, as well as the surgical teams and clinics offering services of this nature.
What is the best solution?
If you decide to go for a hair transplant in the UK, you can check out the clinics offering this type of service on the website of the Quality Care Commission. They inspect these clinics and hospitals on a regular basis and offer performance ratings to enable patients to choose the best hair transplant clinic to suit their requirements.
You can also find out more about different surgeons online and discover how much experience they have in offering the hair transplant solutions you’re seeking and the numbers of operations they have conducted.
Many people opt for hair transplants overseas and Turkey is a very popular medical tourism destination for cosmetic procedures of this nature. If you decide to arrange your hair transplant in Turkey, you should check out the vera clinic and also find out just what services you will receive.
What does hair transplant entail?
You usually only require local anesthetic for hair transplants, so you will be awake throughout the entire procedure. You can expect procedures to take between six and 12 hours in total.
The two main procedures for hair transplant are FUT and FUE:
– FUT (follicular unit transplantation) involves the removal of a strip of skin with hairs from the sides or back of your head. These strips are then cut into hair grafts which have about two hairs. The grafts are inserted into bald or thinning patches of your scalp by way of small incisions.
– FUE (follicular unit extraction) is a technique which removes individual hairs from your scalp and these are then transplanted into incisions in the bald areas of the scalp.
You don’t generally need an overnight stay in a hospital or clinic following a hair transplant procedure; however, you should be offered aftercare services by your provider.
Where very large areas of the scalp are being transplanted, you may need further sessions a few months down the line.
There is no real pain involved in hair transplants once the local anesthetic has taken effect, although some patients complain of some discomfort. Additional pain relief can be supplied at the time if needed.
Recovering from hair transplant procedures
You should not drive straight after a hair transplant procedure, as the anesthetics or sedatives may take up to 24 hours to leave the body.
It’s usual to take some time off work, but most people don’t take more than three days at the most.
It takes around 14 days for the hair graft transplants to secure into the scalp fully, so you should be careful in the initial couple of weeks. After this, just follow your normal hair and skin care routines, although high-level exercising within the first month of transplants can increase risks of scarring.
Do you have what it takes to make it in
Hollywood?
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need
stunning good looks and a voice that melts steel. There are plenty of ways to
achieve professional prominence in the film business. Only a relative handful
require on-camera work.
Film production is a viable career path in
Hollywood — always has been, always will be. If you see yourself in these five
traits, there’s a good chance you have what it takes (in theory) to make it as
a producer.
1.
Excellent Communication Skills
Successful film producers are usually above-average communicators, at minimum. To aspirants who know their communication skills need work, Deep Patel recommends practicing nonverbal communication skills and ditching reliance on visual aids in presentations. Nonverbal cues, in particular, have incredible potential: simple tweaks to one’s posture and hand movements can dramatically increase assumed credibility.
High-achieving producers are internally motivated. They’re able to manage complex projects, like this blockbuster film co-financed by David Mimran’s Mimran Schur Pictures, because they’re driven to succeed — not because a boss or board demands it (though good executives are mindful of board dynamics as well).
3.
Formidable Organization
Great leaders, including top film producers, are almost invariably well organized. If you lack a formal system of personal organization, now’s the time to implement one. Efficiency expert Erica Murphy runs down a host of organizing tips from top executives, noting such gems as “make lists all day long” and “take physical notes.” Most producers have plenty of organizational help from executive assistants and other support staffers, but truly effective organization starts (and stops) at the top.
4. Ability
to Work Well With Others
Successful executives are nothing if not
collegial. Even if the buck stops with you, you need to get along well with
your underlings, or you’re quickly going to find yourself struggling to retain
talent. Executives also need to work well with their bosses — the investors and studio executives who hold their
projects’ future in hand.
5. Ability
to Take Criticism
A corollary to working well with others: the
ability to take criticism. Some producers have hard-earned reputations for
taking no guff, but legitimate criticism is sometimes warranted. What separates
merely good producers from the greats is to recognize situations that do
require adjustment, and to make those adjustments with minimal fuss.
Your Star
Turn Awaits
Most film producers aren’t as widely known as the
actors with whom they share title billing. Those who do achieve household name
status often do so for the wrong reasons.
This isn’t to say you shouldn’t pursue the sort
of prominence you have every reason to expect you can earn as a successful,
well-regarded film producer. For internally motivated personalities willing to
tough out criticism and see the glass half full, being known for putting
together a hit film is far preferable to merely appearing on camera in it.
Your star turn awaits — even if it’s not quite
what you expected when you first set out to make it in this business.
Luke Perry, best known as Dylan from Beverly Hills, 90210, has died in
California at the age of 52, less than a week after suffering a massive stroke.
Luke Perry’s publicist said the actor died surrounded by his family and
friends.
The actor rose to fame on Beverly
Hills, 90210 and had been starring as Fred Andrews on the CW show Riverdale.
Luke Perry was taken to hospital on February 27 in LA, where he had been
shooting scenes for Riverdale at the
Warner Bros film lot.
His children, Jack and Sophie, fiancée Wendy Madison Bauer, ex-wife Minnie
Sharp, mother Ann Bennett, step-father Steve Bennett, and his siblings, Tom
Perry and Amy Coder, were with him when he passed, publicist Arnold Robinson
said in a statement.
The statement said: “The family
appreciates the outpouring of support and prayers that have been extended to
Luke from around the world, and respectfully request privacy in this time of
great mourning.”
The family has not provided additional details at this time.
On February 27, media reported that paramedics had been called to Luke Perry’s
home in Sherman Oaks.
Luke Perry, a native of Ohio, was famous for starring in Beverly Hills 90210 from 1990 to 2000. A
reboot of the series was also announced on February 27, though it was not clear
whether Luke Perry planned to make any guest appearances.
Former 90210 co-star Shannen Doherty – who played Luke Perry’s love interest
on the show – told Entertainment Tonight
on March 3 in an emotional interview that she had been in touch with him after
his stroke.
She said: “I can’t talk about it
here ’cause I will literally start crying but I love him and he knows I love
him. It’s Luke, and he’s my Dylan.”
Luke Perry also starred in TV show Oz,
as well as movies including Buffy the
Vampire Slayer, 8 Seconds and The Fifth Element.
Luke Perry’s most recent role was on the hit TV teen drama series Riverdale, based on the Archie comics, where he played the titular character’s father.
The Prodigy frontman Keith Flint has died at the age of 49.
Known for his fluorescent spiked hair and high-octane performances, Keith Flint
sang lead vocals on both the band’s No 1 singles, Breathe and Firestarter.
Keith Flint was found dead at his home in Dunmow, Essex, on March 4.
The Prodigy, who were due to tour the US in May, confirmed Keith Flint’s
death in a statement, remembering him as a “true pioneer, innovator and
legend”.
In a post on The Prodigy’s official Instagram account, bandmate Liam Howlett
added: “I can’t believe I’m saying
this but our brother Keith took his own life over the weekend.
“I’m shell-shocked… angry,
confused and heartbroken.”
Born Keith Charles Flint on September 17, 1969, the singer
had an unhappy childhood in Braintree, Essex, feuding with his parents, who
split when he was young.
Following the success of Fat of the
Land, the Prodigy faltered.
While remaining part of the band, Keith Flint did not feature on their 2004
album, Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned, on which vocal duties
were handled by Liam and Noel Gallagher and actress Juliette Lewis, among
others.
During this period, Keith Flint said he had had depression and formed a
worrying dependence on prescription drugs.
The singer decided to get clean after meeting Japanese DJ Mayumi Kai, giving
up drugs, cigarettes and alcohol around the time of their marriage, in 2006.
Three years later, the band regrouped and returned to their classic sound,
on the album Invaders Must Die.
The first single, Omen, was a
major success, and the band returned to festival stages and stadiums around the
world.
Their most recent album, No Tourists,
went to No 1 in November 2018.
The singer was also a keen motorcyclist and had his own team – Team Traction
Control – which has won four Isle Of Man TT races.
Keith Flint had recently wrapped up a tour with The Prodigy in Australia and was due to join them in the US in May.
For the SpaceX, this mission is a key milestone in its short history. Elon
Musk, a technology entrepreneur and engineer, set up the organization with the
specific intention of taking people into space.
Elon Musk told reporters immediately after the launch: “It’s been 17 years to get to this point, from 2002 to now. To be
frank, I’m a little emotionally exhausted because it was super stressful.
“Our focus has been on serving
NASA’s needs but once Dragon is in regular operation, I think we will seek
commercial customers of which the NASA administrator, and NASA in general, has
been very supportive.”
He said those customers could include private citizens going to the ISS,
just as they have done on Soyuz vehicles in the past.
Separately, Elon Musk is developing a much bigger system – which he calls
the Starship and Super Heavy rocket – to transport people to the Moon and Mars.
The Dragon crew capsule is a variant on the ISS cargo freighter flown by
SpaceX.
Upgrades include life-support systems, obviously; and more powerful
thrusters to push the vessel to safety if something goes wrong with a rocket
during an ascent to orbit.
It also has four parachutes instead of the freighter’s three to control the
return to Earth.
Dragon crew capsules will splashdown in the Atlantic not far from Kennedy.
NASA is essentially now contracting out crew transport to SpaceX.
Whereas in the past, NASA engineers would have top-down control of all
aspects of vehicle design and the agency would own and operate the hardware –
the relationship with industry has been put on a completely new footing.
Today, NASA sets broad requirements and industry is given plenty of latitude
in how it meets those demands.
After being taken to orbit, the Dragon makes its own way to the station
using onboard thrusters.
One of the big differences between this mission and standard cargo flights
is the mode of approach and attachment to the ISS. Freighters come up under the
orbiting lab and are grappled by a robotic arm and pulled into a berthing
position.
ISS astronauts will be watching closely to see that the capsule behaves as
it should.
The Dragon is expected to stay at the station until March 8. The current plan has it undocking, firing its thrusters to come out of orbit, and splashing down at roughly 13:45 GMT.
Nowadays,
professional help of academic writing services is on the rise. Students are
busy with lots of assignments. They face multiple challenges and this brings a
lot of stress. For example, many students need help with a personal statement
for science scholarship. This academic paper is written by students who want to
get into a certain college or university. It explains the reasons why a student
should be accepted to the educational institution. Undoubtedly, it’s a complex
task. Many folks fail miserably.
In
order to cope with this assignment properly, they hire professional writers.
The choice of personal statement writing services is rich. Nonetheless, some
ask “Are all services equally good? Can they be trusted?” These questions are
reasonable. Not all writing services can be trusted. Remember it for good.
Many websites compose papers of poor quality, violate deadlines, make many mistakes, charge too much and so on. You ought to be cautious when you choose a service to pay professional personal statement writers for getting assistance online. We can help you and mention the main aspects of the correct choice of a dependable website.
Consider
the next aspects:
Official proofs.
Informative
websites.
Customers’
reviews.
Samples.
The
mentioned above methods provide the evidence necessary to define a trustworthy
personal statement writing company. We’ll clarify these methods here below.
Method #1
Every
professional academic writing platform is officially registered. You should
surf the Internet and find proofs. Find the main web page of a platform you
wish to collaborate with. Read information stated there. It surely has official
confirmation if the website is registered. You may also find contact
information to get in touch with the authorities. You may ask them directly to
receive the evidence that it’s a trustworthy website.
Method #2
There
are lots of special informative resources, which provide facts about different
personal writing services. They gather data available on the Internet. It is
based on customers’ rating and conditions offered by concrete websites. This
data is analyzed. Afterward, such resources compose their objective rating and
offer the list of the most respectful and effective platforms.
Method #3
It’s
utterly important to read customers’ feedback. People who dealt with this or
that website can tell you how good it is. This provides with an opportunity to
define the ratio of quality and price, the speed of execution, protection of
private data, customers’ support, accessibility, a number and types of services
and other benefits.
Undoubtedly,
personal statement writing websites place only positive reviews. Accordingly,
you should try to find out whether those reviews aren’t fakes. Try to find
users who left their comments. Perhaps, you should visit special forums that
highlight the top academic websites to find proofs.
Method #4
Use
the option of ordering samples. You can learn a lot reading academic papers
written by a concrete service and its writers. It’s a nice chance to check the
credibility and effectuality of any service. Don’t forget that such samples
should be delivered for free. This is your full right.
Main Criteria of a Personal
Statement Writing Service
Use
the methods clarified above. They provide you with many facts and proofs that a
concrete service is worth a try or shouldn’t be used. Once you identify some
promising variants, check their major possibilities and benefits.
After
you conduct your research, you should be sure that your personal statement
service can provide you with the best conditions. Pay attention to the
following conditions and benefits:
Quality. You should obligatorily check the quality and
professionalism of your academic platform. Check educational certificates of
the working staff, ask for free samples, some guarantees, and confirmed
recommendations. Make sure that writers are able to help you with different
tasks, such as writing citing, outlining, rewriting, proofreading, etc. They
should be familiar with all academic papers and be experts in various
disciplines.
Originality. All the assignments you receive must be 100%
authentic. This is a compulsory requirement of any educational institution.
Accordingly, your writing service is supposed to compose original papers. Make
sure it produces plagiarism free papers.
Speed.
Time means a lot. It will be limited when you are assigned an assignment. You
must submit it before the deadline is over. Accordingly, you should define how
quick your helping website is. Read testimonials of other people who dealt with
the website. Ask for some guarantees.
●
Confidentiality. You have the full rights to keep your
collaboration in secret. Demand from your website guarantees that your private
data won’t be shared with other people. Every trustworthy platform uses some
effective safeguards to protect their clients.
Refunding. In case, you are dissatisfied with the quality
of your order and it’s the fault of the hired writer you have the right to
demand your money back. Poorly written theses, delayed deliveries, too many
mistakes, unconvincing examples, and other drawbacks are only a few to name. If
your writer makes any mistakes, the website must compensate your investments.
Accessibility. Your helping website is supposed to function
24/7. A need may come when you don’t expect it. You may be assigned an urgent
task or realize that you cannot beat the deadline. At times, it’s needed to
make some unexpected adjustments for your project. Therefore, your writing
website must be within a reach of a mouse click.
Make
sure your professional personal statement writing service provides these
benefits and they are of the needed quality. Afterward, you may freely place
orders to compose a perfect piece and get into a college or university you
wish.
Women who ride have unique needs, and while unisex gloves can be comfortable and durable, sometimes you just need something that fits you perfectly to get the most out of your ride. From performance to safety, here are five of the best selections for women you’ll find today.
Gloves for Racing Performance
The first two selections are great motorcycle riding gloves for anyone who wants to keep a sensitive touch during races while protecting their hands, and they are sized especially for women.
Fly Kinetic Racing Gloves: Built for sensitivity and durability, these gloves are practically like a second skin, and there is a model designed specifically for women’s hands.
Thor Women’s Spectrum Gloves: The Thor Spectrum design is just wonderful for all-weather protection, but it’s also sensitive enough for racing precision.
Street Riding Gloves for Women
You’re not always going to be racing, so here are some great selections for everyday riding in different seasons.
Joe Rocket Classic Women’s Gloves: With a slim presentation and durable leather construction, these gloves are great all-weather choices that provide sturdy protection and the comfort you expect from Joe Rocket.
Highway 21 Black Rose: The women’s version of these gloves might just be the best cold weather glove specifically designed for grown women. It’s warm, comfortable, and built to protect your hands in the toughest weather.
Five Gloves Women’s Stunt Evo: Built for summertime comfort, with a superior grip factor and warm weather breathability, these gloves are designed to keep your hands as comfortable as possible in the heat, so you can keep riding all day without worry about a slippy grip.
Find All the Gear You Need
Serious riders need gear to fit the season. Check out this resource for a wide range of motorcycle apparel to suit every need in every season and get yourself outfitted for your best ride any time of year.
A teenager earning their driver’s license is one of the most exciting times of their life. It is a rite of passage into adulthood. On the other hand, parents tend to worry a bit more when their child is behind the wheel. With the high usage of cell phones combined with negligent drivers, parents have every right to worry. “Starting your teen out with some safe driving tips is essential to helping them stay safe on the road,” says Hank Stout, personal injury attorney from Sutliff & Stout, Injury & Accident Law Firm. With the advancement of technology, driving apps have become resourceful in monitoring your teens driving behaviors. These recommended apps will minimize the likelihood that your teen will text and drive, speed, and can help in emergency situations.
With TrueMotion Family is a family-oriented driving
app that tracks and scores each driver’s behavior. The app will provide a
member’s route, location, speed limit, and phone usage.
AT&T’s free DriveMode app automatically turns on
whenever your teen is driving and the car is moving at least 15 MPH. While
driving, it silences incoming text messages and phone calls. It will send an
auto response to users. If the teen driver decides to turn off the app or
disable other safety features, parents will receive a notification. This app is
open to all users, even if you’re not an AT&T subscriber.
The RoadReady app is part of The Parent’s Supervised Driving Program that offers parents and teens an easy, educational and convenient way to log the state required supervised driving time. The app tracks your teen’s driving time and weather conditions. The website also provides a printed and digital driving curriculum.
Hum provides vehicle diagnostic, location sharing,
speed alerts, and 24/7 roadside assistance. If Hum detects a crash, it can
automatically notify emergency services and send help your way.
Hum is only for Verizon Wireless customers. Similar products with mobile carriers include SyncUp Drive with T-Mobile and Sprint Drive.
Autobrain is a device developed by a first responder
with safety in mind. In the event of a crash, Autobrain alerts 911 immediately
and sends them to your exact location. Other standout roadside assistance
features include free lockout services, dead battery boost, emergency fuel
delivery, tire change, and four 15-mile tows per year.
Autobrain
comes with a 30 day free trial, then $9.97 a month per device.
Life 360 allows you to connect with family and
friends when you are on the go. The app provides a weekly driving analysis that
includes phone usage, rapid acceleration, hard braking and excessive speed. In
addition, it has roadside assistance along with crash and emergency response
system.
MamaBear provides parents with a robust all-in-one
safety and awareness tool. The app allows you to set a speed limit and it will
notify you when the vehicle exceeds the speed limit whether your child is the
driver or the passenger. MamaBear gives you the ability to set locations and
receive arrival and departure notifications. The app features social media and
text message monitoring that allows you to keep track of followers, pictures,
and mentions.
The purpose of awarded alimony in a divorce is to provide financial support to an ex-spouse after the marriage has officially ended, it is also sometimes referred to as spousal support.
Here is an overview of what alimony is and a look at various different scenarios where alimony is awarded and what it means to both parties in the transaction.
It could start with a temporary arrangement
If you have decided to get a divorce or have started the process, the conversation is soon likely to turn to alimony.
It would normally be highly advisable to get some professional help and guidance in a divorce situation and as you may well discover when you talk to someone like Harris, Hunt & Derr, for example, there is the chance that temporary alimony could be awarded.
Image source Max Pixel
As the name implies, temporary alimony can be granted while the divorce proceedings are in progress as a way of sorting out financial arrangements before the split becomes legally binding.
It should be understood that the amount awarded under a temporary alimony arrangement could be lower or higher than the alimony amount awarded in the final order.
Reaching an agreement
You and your spouse could reach an amicable settlement figure for your divorce and if you both reach an agreement on alimony you could ask the judge to make it official.
If you can’t agree on alimony payments, the judge will then have to make a decision and decide if you are entitled to the money.
Changing your mind at a later date
It is possible that you decide you don’t want alimony when you divorce but subsequently change your mind at a later date or when your circumstances change.
You can only request alimony during your divorce proceedings and won’t be able to request any monies once the divorce is finalized.
Make sure you bear this in mind as alimony is a one time deal that needs to be negotiated at the point you decide to divorce.
When both parties take a different view
It is not unusual for a divorcing couple to take opposing views, of course, and it can often be the case that one of you thinks that alimony is not justified or not affordable in your circumstances.
The judge will consider the circumstances of both parties and make a decision regarding an alimony award.
Length of time
Another key question is how long the alimony payments will go on for.
You could agree a time period between yourself but if that is not possible the judge will decide what sort of award and time period is appropriate.
There are various types of alimony awards in this respect. Indefinite alimony could last until the death of the spouse, and time-limited alimony will only last for a specified period of time, to allow for someone to become self-supporting, for instance.
Not set in stone
Even when alimony is awarded there is often the potential to get the details amended or nullified at a later date.
You can seek a modification of the alimony agreement by filing for a motion.
This would be something that would normally be discussed with a professional before going ahead with filing the documents so that you can clarify your options and chances beforehand.
If you are going to get divorced it is essential that you get an idea of what alimony is and how it can affect your financial future.
President Donald Trump has arrived in Vietnam’s
capital, Hanoi, ahead of his second summit with North Korean leader, Kim
Jong-un.
Air Force One landed at Noi Bai airport hours after Kim Jon-un reached Hanoi
by train and car.
The summit, which is due to take place between February 27 and 28, follows a
historic first round of talks in Singapore in 2018.
Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un are expected to discuss progress towards
ridding the Korean peninsula of nuclear weapons.
Ceremonial guards had lined a red carpet laid out for Kim Jong-un as he
arrived at Dong Dang border station on February 26. He was then driven to
Hanoi, where heavy security and flag-waving crowds were waiting for him.
Kim Jong-un is thought to be
travelling with his sister Kim Yo-jong and one of his key negotiators, former
General Kim Yong-chol, both familiar faces from the previous summit with PresidentTrump.
The journey from Pyongyang to Hanoi
took more than two days and traversed about 2,500 miles.
As Kim Jong-un’s train passed
through China, roads were closed and train stations shut down. Chinese social
media was abuzz with road closures, traffic congestion and delayed trains.
Vietnam’s Dong Dang station was also
closed to the public ahead of his arrival.
Kim Jong-un is now being driven
around 100 miles to Hanoi by car.
The North Korean leader chose to
take the train as this is how his grandfather, Kim Il-sung, travelled when he
went to Vietnam and Eastern Europe.
Kim Jong-un’s private green and
yellow train has 21 bulletproof carriages and is luxurious, with plush pink
leather sofas and conference rooms so the journey would not have been
uncomfortable.
Air Force One left Andrews Air Force
Base in Maryland, landing in Hanoi on Tuesday night local time.
Details of their schedule are only
just becoming clear. President Trump will meet Kim Jong-un for a brief
one-on-one conversation on February 27 and then they will have dinner together
with their advisers, according to White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders. On
February 28, the leaders will meet for a series of back-and-forth meetings.
The Hanoi meeting is expected to
build on the groundwork of what was achieved at the Singapore summit in June
2018.
The first summit produced a vaguely
worded agreement, with both leaders agreeing to work towards denuclearization –
though it was never made clear what this would entail.
However, little diplomatic progress
was made following that meeting.
This time round, both leaders will
be very conscious that expectations will be high for an outcome that
demonstrates tangible signs of progress.
However, President Trump appeared to
be managing expectations ahead of the summit, saying he was in “no
rush” to press for North Korea’s denuclearization.
He said: “I don’t want to rush anybody. I just don’t want testing. As long
as there’s no testing, we’re happy.”
Vietnam has been chosen for many
reasons. It has diplomatic relations with both the US and North Korea, despite
once having been enemies with the US – and could be used by the US as an
example of two countries working together and setting aside their past
grievances.
Ideologically, both Vietnam and North Korea are communist countries – though Vietnam has rapidly developed since and become one of the fastest growing economies in Asia, all while the party there retains absolute power.
The relationship started out with excitement and love. Everything seemed perfect, and getting married or moving in together was the logical next step. Living together went well for a time and then the trouble started. It was little things at first, and then the situation became more and more abusive. What do you do if you love a person who is toxic for you?
How Do You Know If You Are In An Abusive Relationship?
When a person sees their relationship taking an uncomfortable turn, they may think it is them. But some signs point to your partner being an abusive person victimizing you. It is not always easy to spot the signs. If these signs exist, beware.
1. After being rushed to move in together or get married, the other person becomes overly demanding and has unrealistic expectations. This may include being lavished with expensive gifts.
Image source Pexels
2. The partner quickly becomes jealous and easily insulted. They over-react to the slightest criticism or if you disagree with them. You may find yourself being careful of what you say to avoid making your partner angry or insulted. These abusers can have short tempers and be abusive to strangers.
3. Another really troublesome sign is a partner making an effort to separate you from close friends or family members. This imposed isolation is not healthy. The partner may criticize or question friends. Then they may make other people unwelcome. They may be jealous of time spent with other people or friends’ nights out.
If you are experiencing a growing pattern of these troubling behaviours or If you are becoming unhappy and even afraid of your partner, it may be time to think about leaving.
Letting Go of Toxic Relationships and Moving On
When you make the decision to leave the relationship, do it safely. If you are in a marriage, get legal help in obtaining a divorce. Hire an attorney to represent you and your interests. If there are children, a lawyer can help you retain custody and get a fair child support ruling.
After a divorce, there is a chance to start a new life without the fear and abuse present in past marriage. You may even find a good person to love and establish a new family with. You may considerStep parent adoption. Once you are comfortable with the new marriage and the relationship between your children and the stepparent, adoption may be the next move.
Making Sure You Do Not Enter into Another Abusive Relationship
Once you have freed yourself from an abusive relationship, healing can begin. It may take a while to consider dating or seeking romance again. But, we all are drawn to seek companionship. There are many good people in the world. The important thing is to learn the difference between a healthy relationship and an abusive or unhealthy relationship.
When you meet a new love interest, pay attention to the relationship.Look for the warning signs before getting too involved. Dating abuse signs include possessiveness, early pressure to have sex, jealousy and insecurity, quick temper, checking up on your cell phone or social network without permission, or a pattern of put-downs or belittling. Other signs include false accusations, bossiness, mood swings, attempts to isolate you from friends and family, inflicting pain in any way, or rushing you to deepen the relationship before you are ready.
Some people find counselling after a break up helps them avoid future abusive relationships. You may want to go slow with romantic relationships, taking time to know the person very well before making any commitments for the future.
Green
Book sprang a surprise by winning the award for best picture at this year’s
ceremony in Los Angeles.
Olivia Colman defied the odds to scoop an Oscar for best actress for her
role in The Favourite and charmed
viewers with a funny and tearful speech.
Green Book won three awards in
total, including best picture, which had been expected to go to Netflix’s Roma.
Bohemian Rhapsody won the most
awards in total with four, while Roma
and Black Panther also won three
each.
Olivia Colman, who started out as a sidekick in TV sitcoms like Peep Show, was in shock when her name
was called.
Glenn Close had been the firm favorite for her role in The Wife – and now has the unenviable record of seven nominations
without a win.
Olivia Colman is the first British actress to win the prize since Kate
Winslet in 2009.
The four awards for Bohemian Rhapsody, the authorized biopic of Queen and Freddie Mercury, included best actor for Rami Malek, who won rave reviews for playing the late singer.
It was later reported that Rami Malek, 37, fell off the stage after the
ceremony concluded and had to be helped into a seat by security staff.
He was reportedly attended to by paramedics, though he made no reference to
the incident later when he spoke to reporters backstage.
Mahershala Ali won his second best supporting actor Oscar in three years. He
won for Moonlight in 2017 and has now
won for playing jazz pianist Don Shirley in Green
Book.
Green Book tells the story of Don Shirley’s
tour to the racially segregated US Deep South in the 1960s, but its chances had
been thought to have been dented by a series of controversies.
Meanwhile, a tearful Regina King won best supporting actress for If Beale Street Could Talk, from what
was her first Oscar nomination.
Richard E Grant, Rachel Weisz and Christian Bale lost out on the acting
awards.
However, Mark Ronson shared the best song award with Lady Gaga, among others.
Paul Lambert and Tristan Myles shared the prize for best visual effects with
two American colleagues for creating the rocket-rattling effects on First Man, about the first Moon landing.
Key crew members on Bohemian Rhapsody
won the two sound awards.
The Oscars failed to find a main host this year after comedian Kevin Hart
pulled out following a row about old homophobic tweets.
Instead of having the traditional opening monologue, Tina Fey, Maya Rudolph
and Amy Poehler appeared to introduce the show as well as presenting the first
award.
“We are not your hosts this year
but if we had hosted, it probably would have gone like this,” Tina Fey
said – before the trio launched into a sketch poking fun at some of the
nominees, which is one of the host’s usual jobs.
The ceremony continued to rely on a procession of stars presenting
individual awards.
However, it didn’t obviously suffer from the lack of an overarching host,
and it helped the event move along.
Queen, fronted by singer Adam Lambert, had opened the ceremony with a bombastic
medley of We Will Rock You and We Are the Champions as A-listers waved
and clapped along in their seats.
Politics is an extremely tricky subject. Everyone thinks
they understand and no one actually does. However, politics and its close
cousin religion are quite often impossible to avoid in your day-to-day
interactions.
However, in all cultures, politics is highly personal.
Passions can easily run high, and for some people, it is a subject worth
destroying relationships for. Of course, you always have the option of not
engaging in any political discussion at all, though that’s sometimes easier
said than done.
There are good arguments both for engaging or avoiding
politics. Here are some of them.
Arguments for openly discussing
politics
1.) It allows you a
better understanding of the local culture
In most instances, it can be advantageous to understand what
makes your host culture tick. Not only will you avoid social pitfalls and find
it easier to be accepted, you may also find that your host culture’s ways of
thinking have much to offer you. You might even find that it makes more sense
to you than how your own native culture tends to see things.
While you can learn much simply from observation, it’s
impossible to truly understand any culture without examining how power
relationships are handled in it. For that, engaging in respectful political
discussion is necessary.
2.) Discussing
politics allows you to better understand events as they are
Current events are quite often tied to politics and your
fate as an expat may very well hinge on your understanding of the local
political climate. Events on the international and local level often have consequences
you may not have considered unless you actually talk to a person on the ground
about. Sometimes, it’s only because of these discussions that you can weigh
correctly whether you should stay in the country, or leave altogether.
Arguments against openly discussing
politics
1.) You don’t
necessarily need a perfect understanding of local culture to be productive
Let’s face it. Many expats know almost nothing about their
host country’s history and culture even after years of living in it. If you
yourself are an expat, you probably know quite a number of these people. They
probably manage to still be productive and happy without engaging in politics
or understanding whatever is going on around them.
While some of us may be repulsed at the idea that not everyone feels that they
need to know everything that’s going on, it’s a perfectly valid decision. This
is especially true if you do not feel that you have the energy to spare
discussing politics or understanding your host culture in depth. There are some
drawbacks, sure. It rarely pays to be ignorant. But at least you can spend more
time doing what other things you decide are actually more important.
2.) Locals may see
you as meddlesome or condescending
It can be difficult to avoid sharing your own perspectives
once any political discussion has started. And when you do, locals may see it
as you being a pushy know-it-all foreigner, even if that isn’t the intent. This
can be especially true if your own culture handles political discussions
differently from your host culture.
If your country also has had a rocky history with your host
country, there may still very well be a lot of people who will only tolerate
you so long as you don’t step out of line when it comes to political
discussions. In these cases, it may be prudent to avoid discussions altogether.
Regardless of what you think about politics, it’s best to get expat health insurance before leaving your home country for an extended period. You may not always know what the situation in your host country will be a year from now, but it’s important to at least be prepared as far as your health is concerned.
Venezuelan troops fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters who
attempted to collect a foreign aid at the border, as President Nicolás Maduro
blocked the humanitarian transport from crossing from Colombia and Brazil.
On February 23, a number of people were shot with live ammunition, human
rights groups say. At least two people were killed.
The opposition wants the aid to go to people hit by the economic crisis, but
President Maduro sees it as a security threat.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo condemned the attacks on civilians, which he
blamed on “Maduro’s thugs”.
He said in a tweet following the clashes: “Our deepest sympathies to the families of those who have died due
to these criminal acts. We join their demand for justice.”
Mike Pompeo also described the burning of some of the aid as
“sickening”.
Venezuela’s opposition leader Juan
Guaidó, who has declared himself interim president and helped to organize the
aid, condemned the action by security forces.
Juan Guaidó, who has been recognized
as leader by dozens of nations, will meet Vice President Mike Pence on February
25 in Bogota, Colombia.
Mike Pence is travelling there to
meet leaders of the regional Lima Group, in spite of a travel ban imposed on
him by President Maduro’s government.
On February 23, Juan Guaidó posted a
tweet which implored the international community to be “open to all
options” in order to “liberate” Venezuela from Nicolas Maduro –
who is continuing to resist all calls to stand down.
Juan Guaidó organized the collection
of hundreds of tonnes of foreign aid at the country’s borders. He gave the
government a deadline of Saturday to allow the aid to be brought into Venezuela
or vowed to have volunteers march it in themselves.
In response, President Maduro partly
closed the country’s borders with Brazil and Colombia, citing threats to security
and sovereignty. On February 23, Venezuelans civilians attempted to cross in
order to get to the aid stores, which included food and medicine.
Images from crossing points across
Venezuela showed security forces firing tear gas at volunteers. Protesters
burned outposts and threw projectiles at soldiers and riot police.
Rights groups say at least two
people, including a 14-year-old boy, were shot dead in the clashes in Santa
Elena de Uairen, near the country’s border with Brazil. Another two were reported
to have been killed on February 22.
Amnesty International has described
the use of firearms against protesters as a serious human rights violation and
a crime under international law.
There have also been reports of
several aid trucks being burned – something Juan Guaidó said was a violation of
the Geneva Convention.
At about 19:00 local time on February 23, Colombia’s government estimated the number injured at border crossings to be about 300. Journalists at the scene have reported severe injuries among protesters, including several who appeared to have lost their eyes.
Venezuelan troops fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters who
attempted to collect a foreign aid at the border, as President Nicolás Maduro
blocked the humanitarian transport from crossing from Colombia and Brazil.
On February 23, a number of people were shot with live ammunition, human
rights groups say. At least two people were killed.
The opposition wants the aid to go to people hit by the economic crisis, but
President Maduro sees it as a security threat.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo condemned the attacks on civilians, which he
blamed on “Maduro’s thugs”.
He said in a tweet following the clashes: “Our deepest sympathies to the families of those who have died due
to these criminal acts. We join their demand for justice.”
Mike Pompeo also described the burning of some of the aid as
“sickening”.
Venezuela’s opposition leader Juan
Guaidó, who has declared himself interim president and helped to organize the
aid, condemned the action by security forces.
Juan Guaidó, who has been recognized
as leader by dozens of nations, will meet Vice President Mike Pence on February
25 in Bogota, Colombia.
Mike Pence is travelling there to
meet leaders of the regional Lima Group, in spite of a travel ban imposed on
him by President Maduro’s government.
On February 23, Juan Guaidó posted a
tweet which implored the international community to be “open to all
options” in order to “liberate” Venezuela from Nicolas Maduro –
who is continuing to resist all calls to stand down.
Juan Guaidó organized the collection
of hundreds of tonnes of foreign aid at the country’s borders. He gave the
government a deadline of Saturday to allow the aid to be brought into Venezuela
or vowed to have volunteers march it in themselves.
In response, President Maduro partly
closed the country’s borders with Brazil and Colombia, citing threats to security
and sovereignty. On February 23, Venezuelans civilians attempted to cross in
order to get to the aid stores, which included food and medicine.
Images from crossing points across
Venezuela showed security forces firing tear gas at volunteers. Protesters
burned outposts and threw projectiles at soldiers and riot police.
Rights groups say at least two
people, including a 14-year-old boy, were shot dead in the clashes in Santa
Elena de Uairen, near the country’s border with Brazil. Another two were reported
to have been killed on February 22.
Amnesty International has described
the use of firearms against protesters as a serious human rights violation and
a crime under international law.
There have also been reports of
several aid trucks being burned – something Juan Guaidó said was a violation of
the Geneva Convention.
At about 19:00 local time on February 23, Colombia’s government estimated the number injured at border crossings to be about 300. Journalists at the scene have reported severe injuries among protesters, including several who appeared to have lost their eyes.
