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3 Tips to Optimize Your Business’s Marketing Budget

Nancy Clayson
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3 Tips to Optimize Your Business’s Marketing Budget

Ideally, growing companies would be able to dedicate as much money as they needed to in order to enhance their marketing efforts. However, in reality, most small businesses have a finite marketing budget. This means that business leaders may have to make tough choices about how best to allocate available funds. If you’re working with a tight budget, but want to maintain a strong marketing presence all the same, then this blog is for you. Here are three tips you can use to make the most of your marketing budget:

Track Everything

Put as simply as possible, the best way to spend your marketing budget is to support campaigns that are successful or that have been successful in the past. Easy enough, right? The problem is that many companies don’t actually know where their leads come from. Some professionals may have no idea which marketing campaigns are producing the best results and which are falling short of expectations. That’s why it’s absolutely essential to track conversions and sales from each of your campaigns. The better data you have, the more informed decisions you can make and the better outcomes you can expect to achieve in the future!

Focus on Quality Leads

Want to get the most bang for your buck when you start marketing online? Then focus most of your efforts on retargeting previous customers and high-quality leads. It can be easy to get excited about campaigns that generate a lot of clicks and attention for your company. Yet, at the end of the day, marketing tactics need to produce tangible returns. If you’re most concerned about making money now, then prioritize re-targeting measures and specific campaigns designed for serious customers. You may generate fewer leads this way, but it could end up producing more sales.

Think Long-Term

Too often, business leaders take a reactive approach to digital marketing. If a campaign begins to falter, they may scrap it prematurely. This is a bad idea. Some marketing strategies can take months or even years to fully develop. As such, don’t start a marketing plan that you aren’t prepared to fully support. The silver lining to long-term marketing is that it can produce significant ROI and set your company up for success. Just because you have a disappointing month using email marketing tactics, it doesn’t mean you should quit doing it altogether! A little patience can go a long way in this regard.

Conclusion

Whether your company sells athletic fit scrubs or household appliances, these tips will help you get the most from your marketing budget. Keep them handy moving forward!

Why You Should Promote Employees From Within

Clyde K. Valle
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Why You Should Promote Employees From Within

To fill vacancies, hiring managers generally have two options, hiring someone externally or promoting from within. While there are pros and cons of each, there are many benefits to filling that role with a current employee, including these.

Save Time and Money

The Society for Human Resource Management reports that the time to hire has been increasing significantly over the past decade or so. By promoting from within, you’ll get someone in the role much quicker and at a much lower price tag. The cost of filling a vacant position is tied to time – it increases every day it goes unfilled, not to mention there may be existing employees who have to cover the duties of that position, sacrificing their time and productivity too. The time it takes to onboard and train a brand new employee also adds to the overall cost.

While having an applicant tracking system (ATS) will help streamline the process, when you look within your organization to hire, you’ll save significantly on both time and money.

It Provides Motivation

When you promote from within, your employees will know that there are opportunities for career development which helps keep them motivated to work harder, encouraging them to do their best. It creates an atmosphere of optimism that tends to have a positive effect on the entire team, and, ultimately, the entire company. Hiring externally when there may be someone already there who is perfect for the role can have the opposite effect, sapping motivation.

Employee Retention

Not only does promoting from within help to create a more positive environment with employees motivated to work harder, but it can also improve employee retention. People will see that there are opportunities for career growth and will be less likely to look elsewhere. In fact, surveys have found that the most commonly cited reason for leaving a job other than pay is a lack of career growth.

You Already Know the Employee is a Good Cultural Fit

While skills and experience are important, a good cultural fit is also a key piece of the puzzle. When hiring a brand-new employee, their resume may be perfect, but it’s difficult to know whether or not they’ll fit in with the company’s culture. Perhaps they won’t be able to keep up with the fast pace, or worse, have anger issues that make them a loose cannon, creating tension that harms the work environment. When promoting from within, you’ll avoid the friction that comes with having to ramp up someone from the outside instead of bringing in an employee who already embodies the organization’s DNA.

You’ll Bolster Your Company’s Reputation

A great company image will attract the very best talent as the best applicants will do their research on companies before making any commitment. If your organization is known for rewarding employees for their long-term dedication, it not only improves morale, but it will bolster your reputation to keep you competitive in the job market when you’re truly in need of a new hire from the outside.

The 4 Potentially Liable Construction Accident Entities

Nancy Clayson
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The 4 Potentially Liable Construction Accident Entities
Image source Pexels

Construction accidents are virtually inevitable. You can certainly follow all the safety rules and regulations that exist, but construction sites are full of potentially dangerous equipment, and occasionally, something is bound to go wrong. The question is, who can you hold legally responsible if an accident occurs?

That’s sometimes not as straightforward to figure out as you might expect. Let’s look at the four main entities who you might try to hold accountable if you injure yourself on a construction site.

Equipment or Construction Machinery Manufacturers

If a construction accident injures you, you might be able to sue an equipment or construction machinery manufacturer. However, that will only be the case in certain specific instances.

There’s no point in going after an equipment manufacturer unless you can establish that the equipment or machinery malfunctioned in such a way that it hurt you. If you mishandled the machinery, such as if you never received the proper training in how to use it, a lawsuit is not going to get you very far.

Defective equipment or machinery can harm workers, but a lawyer might have a tough time convincing a jury that’s what happened. They might bring in expert witnesses who can reconstruct the accident or examine the machinery to determine that it malfunctioned.

Architects or Engineers

Engineers or architects are usually the ones who design the structures that you create on construction sites. Because of this, you’re trying to create their vision. That means you’re following along according to the plans they lay out.

These architects and engineers must comply with all safety regulations that exist. They also have to carry out regular site inspections to make sure nothing looks unsafe.

During the project’s design and construction phases, they must also follow accepted performance standards. They must be very knowledgeable about what materials to use.

If all you do is follow along with what an engineer or architect says, but you still hurt yourself because of faulty plans or materials, you might focus on the engineer, architect, or both, if you elect to bring a lawsuit. They must always have worker safety in mind, and if they fail in that charge, you might be able to build a case against them.

General and Sub-Contractors

It’s up to the general and sub-contractors to provide you, the construction workers, with a safe environment in which to do your job. If there are any inherent hazards on the site, they need to tell you about them. They also must inform you of any defects that exist.

They must hire competent professional workers who know what they’re doing. They should follow all regulations that exist within the construction industry.

Any safety lapse that causes you to hurt yourself while on the job might be enough for you to take a general or sub-contractor to court. If they know you don’t have the training or know-how to handle the job, they have no business hiring you. They should also be present on the site to oversee any active work that you’re doing on it.

Construction Site Property Owners

The construction site property owner is one more individual who you might name in a lawsuit if you hurt yourself on the job. An owner must maintain their property and make sure it’s safe to use as a worksite. If a harmful condition exists, and they knew about it, but they let you continue working anyway, you can often find them liable in court.

Some construction site property owners might want you to press on and finish a project, even if they know a dangerous condition exists. That might be because they have a deadline, and they don’t want anything to get in its way.

Finishing projects on time matters, but safety is always going to matter more. The challenging part might be proving that the site owner knew about the dangerous condition, though. They may try to deny it, especially if their reputation and a lot of money are at stake.

Remember, though, an owner might turn site control over to an independent contractor. If that’s true, the contractor should be a lawsuit’s target, not the owner.

Even though these are the four most likely culprits if you hurt yourself while on a construction site, it’s also possible that you might sue more than one of them. It could be that multiple individuals or entities behaved improperly, and if so, there’s no reason not to go after each of them.

Lilibet: Prince Harry and Meghan Markel Announce Birth of Baby Girl

Lisa.Felice
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Lilibet: Prince Harry and Meghan Markel Announce Birth of Baby Girl
Image source Getty Image

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have announced the birth of their second child, Lilibet “Lili” Diana Mountbatten-Windsor.

According to Buckingham Palace, the Queen is “delighted” after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex made the announcement.

Princes Charles and William also congratulated the couple on social media.

Queen Elizabeth’s 11th great-grandchild was born on June 4 at a hospital in Santa Barbara, California.

Lilibet was the Queen’s nickname when she was a child.

Buckingham Palace said: “The Queen, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have been informed and are delighted with the news.”

Prince William and the Duchess and Cambridge said: “We are all delighted by the happy news of the arrival of baby Lili.”

Lilibet was born at 11:40 AM local time, weighing 7 lbs 11oz.

She is eighth in line to the throne – meaning Prince Andrew, who was born as second in line in 1960, moves down to ninth place.

Lilibet – the Queen’s family nickname – was coined when then-Princess Elizabeth was just a toddler and could not pronounce her name properly.

Her grandfather, King George V, would affectionately call her Lilibet, imitating her own attempts to say her name. It soon stuck and she became Lilibet to her family from then on.

Prince Harry and Meghan said their baby’s middle name, Diana, was chosen to honor her “beloved late grandmother”, the Princess of Wales.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Expecting Baby No. 2

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Will Step Back as Senior Royals and Work to Become Financially Independent

In a message of thanks on the couple’s Archewell website, they said: “On June 4, we were blessed with the arrival of our daughter, Lili.

“She is more than we could have ever imagined, and we remain grateful for the love and prayers we’ve felt from across the globe.

“Thank you for your continued kindness and support during this very special time for our family.”

The message adds that anyone wishing to send gifts is asked to “support or learn more about” organizations working for women and girls.

They have not released any photos of their daughter.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle quit their roles as senior working royals in March 2020. Speaking last month, the duke said moving to the US had not been part of the plan, but he felt he had to put his family and mental health first.

As a result of the move, Lilibet is the most senior royal in the current line of succession to be born overseas.

Like her older brother Archie and most of the Queen’s great-grandchildren, Lilibet is not eligible to have a royal title.

Under rules laid out more than 100 years ago, Lilibet would not be allowed to be a princess nor an HRH until Prince Charles becomes king.

NASA Announces Davinci+ and Veritas Missions to Venus

James J. Williams
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NASA Announces Davinci+ and Veritas Missions to Venus
Image source: Wikimedia Commons

NASA will send two new missions to Venus in order to examine the planet’s atmosphere and geological features.

The missions, which have each been awarded $500 million in funding, are due to launch between 2028 and 2030.

NASA administrator Bill Nelson said the missions would offer the “chance to investigate a planet we haven’t been to in more than 30 years”.

The last American probe to visit Venus was the Magellan orbiter in 1990.

However, other spacecraft – from Europe and Japan – have orbited the planet since then.

The missions were picked following a peer review process and were chosen based on their potential scientific value and the feasibility of their development plans.

“These two sister missions both aim to understand how Venus became an inferno-like world, capable of melting lead at the surface,” Bill Nelson said.

Venus is the second planet from the sun and the hottest planet in the solar system with a surface temperature of 500C – high enough to melt lead.

NASA Releases Videos of Perseverance Rover Landing on Mars

NASA’s Perseverance Rover Successfully Lands on Mars

The Davinci+ (Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging) mission will measure the planet’s atmosphere to gain insight into how it formed and evolved. It will also aim to determine whether Venus ever had an ocean.

Davinci+ is expected to return the first high resolution images of the planet’s “tesserae” geological features. Scientists believe these features could be comparable to continents on Earth and could suggest that Venus has plate tectonics.

The second mission, Veritas (Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy), will map the planet’s surface to understand its geological history and investigate how it developed so differently than Earth.

It will use a form of radar to chart surface elevations and discover whether volcanoes and earthquakes are still happening.

Sinovac: WHO Approves Second Chinese Covid Vaccine for Emergency Use

Kathryn R. Bown
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Sinovac: WHO Approves Second Chinese Covid Vaccine for Emergency Use

China’s Sinovac Covid vaccine has been approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) for emergency use.

Sinovac is the second Chinese vaccine to receive the green light from the WHO, after Sinopharm.

The WHO approval opens the door for the vaccine to be used in the Covax program, which aims to ensure fair access to vaccines.

Sinovac, which has already been used in several countries, has been recommended for over 18s, with a second dose two to four weeks later.

The emergency approval means the Chinese vaccine “meets international standards for safety, efficacy and manufacturing”, the WHO said.

Studies showed that Sinovac prevented symptomatic disease in more than half of those vaccinated and prevented severe symptoms and hospitalization in 100% of those studied, it added.

It is hoped that the decision to list the Chinese vaccine for emergency use will give a boost to the Covax initiative, which has been struggling with supply problems.

“The world desperately needs multiple Covid-19 vaccines to address the huge access inequity across the globe,” said Mariangela Simao, the WHO’s assistant director general for access to health products.

“We urge manufacturers to participate in the Covax facility, share their know-how and data and contribute to bringing the pandemic under control,” she said.

As well as China, Sinovac is already being administered in countries including Chile, Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, Thailand and Turkey.

Sinovac says it has supplied more than 600 million doses at home and abroad as of the end of May. It says more than 430 million doses have been administered.

US to Share 60 Million Doses of AstraZeneca Covid Vaccine with Other Countries

One of Sinovac’s main advantages is that it can be stored in a standard refrigerator at 2-8 degrees Celsius. This means Sinovac is a lot more useful to developing countries which might not be able to store large amounts of vaccine at low temperatures.

The emergency approval came as the heads of the WHO, the World Trade Organization, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank appealed for a $50 billion investment fund to help end the pandemic.

In a joint statement they said the world had reached a perilous point, and that inequalities in access to vaccines risked prolonging the pandemic, and many more deaths.

They have called for the money to be invested in areas including vaccine production, oxygen supplies, and Covid-19 treatments, ensuring they are distributed fairly.

They also called on wealthy countries to donate vaccine doses immediately to developing nations.

Denmark Helped NSA to Spy on Top European Politicians, New Report Says

Diane A. Wade
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Denmark Helped NSA to Spy on Top European Politicians, New Report Says

According to new reports, the US and Denmark worked together to spy on top European politicians, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Danish broadcaster DR said Denmark’s Defense Intelligence Service (FE) collaborated with the US National Security Agency (NSA) to gather information from 2012 to 2014.

Both FE and the NSA are yet to comment.

Denmark’s Defense Minister, Trine Bramsen, did not confirm or deny the report but told AFP that “systemic eavesdropping of close allies is unacceptable”. She was not in charge of the ministry during the alleged spying.

“This is not acceptable between allies, and even less between allies and European partners,” said French President Emmanuel Macron, after speaking with Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Angela Merkel said she agreed with President Macron’s comments, but that she was also reassured by the Danish defense minister’s condemnation.

Intelligence was allegedly collected on other officials from Germany, France, Sweden and Norway. Those nations have also called for explanations.

Norwegian PM Erna Solberg told public broadcaster NRK: “It’s unacceptable if countries which have close allied co-operation feel the need to spy on one another.”

The NSA is said to have accessed text messages and the phone conversations of a number of prominent individuals by tapping into Danish internet cables in co-operation with the FE.

The alleged set-up, said in the report to have been codenamed “Operation Dunhammer”, allowed the NSA to obtain data using the telephone numbers of politicians as search parameters, according to DR.

DR interviewed nine sources, all of whom are said to have had access to classified information held by the FE.

Edward Snowden Responds to the House Report

Along with Chancellor Merkel, then-German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and the opposition leader at the time, Peer Steinbrück, are also said to have been targeted.

Similar allegations emerged in 2013.

Then, secrets leaked by American whistleblower Edward Snowden alleged tapping of Angela Merkel’s phone by the NSA.

When those allegations were made, the White House gave no outright denial but said Angela Merkel’s phone was not being bugged at the time and would not be in future.

Following the new report, Edward Snowden accused President Joe Biden of being “deeply involved in this scandal the first time around”. Joe Biden was vice-president at the time the reported surveillance took place.

BLM Founder Patrisse Cullors Resigns from Foundation

Diane A. Wade
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BLM Founder Patrisse Cullors Resigns from Foundation
Image source: Wikimedia Commons

Black Lives Matter’s co-founder Patrisse Cullors has announced she is resigning from its foundation, but not because of what she called right-wing attempts to discredit her.

Patrisse Cullors, 37, said May 28 would be her last day at the foundation, which she has led for nearly six years.

Her finances came under scrutiny last month after it was reported she owned four homes.

Black Lives Matter started as a hashtag in 2013 and has since become a global movement.

Patrisse Cullors said she would step down from the Black Lives Matter Global Network to focus on her forthcoming second book, An Abolitionist’s Handbook, and a TV development deal with Warner Bros highlighting black stories.

She said in a statement: “With smart, experienced and committed people supporting the organization during this transition, I know that BLMGNF is in good hands.

“The foundation’s agenda remains the same – eradicate white supremacy and build life-affirming institutions.”

Patrisse Cullors told the AP her resignation had been planned for more than a year and was not related to claims that she had misused donations to acquire her property portfolio. There is no evidence to suggest that she had done so.

“Those were right-wing attacks that tried to discredit my character, and I don’t operate off of what the right thinks about me,” she said.

The BLM Foundation told AP in February that it had raised $90 million amid last year’s racial justice protests following the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The foundation said it ended 2020 with a balance of more than $60 million, after operating expenses, grants to black-led organizations and other expenses.

Last month, the New York Post reported that Patrisse Cullors – a self-described Marxist – had bought a $1.4 million luxury home in Topanga Canyon, near Malibu, and owned three other homes, including a custom ranch in Georgia.

Facebook banned users from sharing the story, citing privacy concerns, and a black journalist said he was locked out of his Twitter account after he posted the article.

Conservative critics – but also some black activists – called for an investigation into whether Patrisse Cullors had used the organization’s funds to enrich herself.

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Breonna Taylor’s Wrongful Death Lawsuit Settled for 12 Million

George Floyd Death: Derek Chauvin’s Bail Set at $1.25 Million in 1st Court Appearance

In April, the BLM Foundation said that Patrisse Cullors had received $120,000 between 2013 and 2019 for her work.

It said in a statement: “As a registered 501c3 non-profit organization, [the foundation] cannot and did not commit any organizational resources toward the purchase of personal property by any employee or volunteer.

“Any insinuation or assertion to the contrary is categorically false.”

Patrisse Cullors appeared to hold back tears as she told the Black News Channel last month that suggestions of financial impropriety against her were “categorically untrue and incredibly dangerous”.

The grieving parents of Michael Brown and Breonna Taylor – two African Americans whose deaths at the hands of white police officers were often cited by Black Lives Matter – last month reportedly complained the foundation had done nothing to help them.

President Biden Orders New Report on Covid-19 Origins

Diane A. Wade
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President Biden Orders New Report on Covid-19 Origins

President Joe Biden has ordered intelligence officials to “redouble” efforts to investigate the origins of Covid-19, including the theory that it came from a laboratory in China.

The president said the US intelligence community was split on whether it came from a lab accident or emerged from human contact with an infected animal.

He asked the groups to report back to him within 90 days.

China has rejected the laboratory theory.

“Smear campaigns and blame shifting are making a comeback, and the conspiracy theory of ‘lab leak’ is resurfacing,” its embassy in the US said in a statement on May 27.

Since it was first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019, more than 168 million cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed worldwide and at least 3.5 million deaths reported.

Authorities linked early Covid cases to a seafood market in Wuhan, leading scientists to theorize the virus first passed to humans from animals.

However, recent media reports have suggested growing evidence the virus could instead have emerged from a laboratory in China, perhaps through an accidental leak.

In a statement on May 26, President Biden said he had asked for a report on the origins of Covid-19 after taking office, “including whether it emerged from human contact with an infected animal or from a laboratory accident”.

On receiving it this month, he asked for “additional follow-up”.

President Biden said the majority of the intelligence community had “coalesced” around those two scenarios, but “do not believe there is sufficient information to assess one to be more likely than the other”.

He has now asked agencies to “redouble their efforts to collect and analyze information that could bring us closer to a definitive conclusion”.

President Biden’s Chief of Staff Criticizes Trump Administration’s Covid-19 Vaccine Rollout

President Joe Biden to Sign 10 Executive Orders to Boost Fight Against Covid-19

President Biden concluded by saying the US would “keep working with like-minded partners around the world to press China to participate in a full, transparent, evidence-based international investigation”.

Beijing has previously suggested Covid-19 could have come from a US laboratory instead.

In its statement, the Chinese embassy said it supported a full investigation into “some secretive bases and biological laboratories all over the world”.

On May 27, on spokesman for China’s foreign ministry hit out at the “dark history” of the US intelligence community, and said the Biden administration’s “motive and purposes” were clear.

President Biden’s statement came as CNN reported that the president’s administration this spring shut down a state department investigation into whether the virus could have leaked from a Wuhan lab, deeming the probe an ineffective use of resources.

Speculation about the Wuhan Institute of Virology – one of China’s top virus research labs – began in 2020 and was propagated by President Donald Trump.

In April 2020, State Department cables came to light that showed embassy officials were worried about biosecurity at the lab.

The leak allegations were widely dismissed as a fringe conspiracy theory.

Earlier this year, the WHO issued a report written jointly with Chinese scientists on the origins of Covid-19 which said the chances of it having started in a lab were “extremely unlikely”.

The WHO report said the virus had probably jumped from bats to humans via another intermediary animal, but more research was needed.

However, questions have persisted and recent reports attributed to US intelligence sources say three members of the Wuhan Institute of Virology were admitted to hospital in November 2019, several weeks before China acknowledged the first case of the new disease in the community.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Biden’s chief medical adviser, has maintained he believes the virus was passed from animals to humans, though he conceded this month he was no longer confident Covid-19 had developed naturally.

President Biden’s statement came the day after Xavier Becerra, US secretary for health and human services, urged the WHO to ensure a “transparent” investigation into the virus’s origins.

4 Innovative Tips for Possibly Supplementing Weight Loss

Kathryn R. Bown
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4 Innovative Tips for Possibly Supplementing Weight Loss

Losing weight is hardly ever easy. Even though we all might know the basic formula for shedding pounds and maintaining an ideal weight — to eat less and move more — there are other factors at play that cause our bodies and minds, as well as our environments, to wreak havoc with our chances for weight loss success.

If you’ve attempted one diet after another and struggled through every exercise program under the sun but still haven’t managed to hit your weight loss goal, it could be time for a different approach. Here are four tips to try; one of them just might help you ditch those stubborn pounds once and for all!

Do a (Natural) Cleanse

While an extreme cleanse isn’t recommended — it can starve the body of vital nutrients and lead to bacterial imbalances, decreased immunity, general malaise and sustained ill health — there are ways to boost natural detox processes within the liver, kidneys, lungs and skin. Drink water; eat healthy, protein-rich (not carb-loaded) food that aids digestion (like tea, healthy fats, berries and leafy greens); and keep moving! With impurities flushed away, your body (and especially your mind) might be more ready for  healthier living in the future, making weight loss more likely to obtain.

Practice Intermittent Fasting

Research shows that when you eat could be as important as what you eat when it comes to weight loss. And if that doesn’t influence you to try intermittent fasting, research also shows that fasting can help fend off and even cure certain diseases! Sign us up!

Basically, intermittent fasting involves limiting the time you eat to a few hours each day or to eating only a certain number of calories every few days. Normal eating patterns have us consuming food all day, every day. By limiting food consumption to a specific time period or specific caloric intake, the body is able to more readily exhaust available calories and start burning fat. And when our bodies burn fat, we lose weight.

Try Lipotropic Injections

Many people have had success using a specific combination of vitamins, minerals and amino acids to boost their weight loss progress. Usually given as a weekly injection, these shots (called lipotropic injections) are offered through many natural health and medspa providers (such as the Institute of Natural Health in St. Louis). It is believed that these added nutrients foster improved energy consumption and increase metabolism, thereby aiding in general weight loss.

Meditate

There’s little doubt that the mind is a powerful contributor to overall health. There have been numerous studies that support the mind-body connection. Thus, it makes sense that controlling our minds can help us control our bodies. For instance, many nutritionists and other health care providers recommend meditation as a tool for clearing our thoughts so that we have the ability to focus on and commit to beneficial habits (like eating well, exercising and avoiding unhealthy triggers). When done correctly and consistently, meditation has been shown to improve the practitioner’s well-being and aid in his or her weight loss when needed.

How Can Reviews Help You Find the Right Foundation Contractor?

Nancy Clayson
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How Can Reviews Help You Find the Right Foundation Contractor?
Image by Spencer Wing from Pixabay

These days, many people go online to access goods and services of all types. One of the things that many people do is to check out online reviews from other people before they make any decision with regard to purchasing goods and services that they are interested in. This makes it far easier for them to make an informed decision with regard to the most suitable choice for their needs.

As a homeowner in Richmond, one of the services you may be looking for is a foundation contractor to check or repair foundation issues at your home. If you need to find foundation contractors in Richmond, it can prove extremely helpful to look at reviews from other homeowners in the area before you make your decision. There are many ways in which you can benefit by looking at reviews from other people, and we will look at some of these benefits in this article.

Some Benefits of Looking at Reviews

Finding the right foundation contractor is a very important task, as this type of work must be carried out to high standards in order to protect your home. By looking at reviews, you can find out a lot of valuable information that can help you to make an informed choice. This includes:

The Standard of Workmanship

When it comes to something as crucial as foundation repairs at your home, you naturally want to ensure the standard of workmanship is high. However, if you have never used this type of professional before and cannot get personal recommendations from friends and family members, it can be difficult to determine whether the quality of work will be up to scratch. Fortunately, looking at online reviews will make it much easier to determine what the standard of workmanship is like based on the experiences of other people.

Reliability of the Provider

When you are having foundation repair work carried out at your home, you naturally want a provider that is very reliable. The last thing you need is someone that fails to turn up or spends more time taking tea breaks than doing the work. You also do not want a provider that promises the earth and then fails to deliver or botches up the job completely. By looking at online reviews, you can learn more about how reliable the provider was, which means that you can make your decision with far greater confidence.

Level of Service Offered

It is also important to find professionals that offer a high level of service so that you can get any issues ironed out quickly and easily. What you don’t want is someone who is communicative until they have been paid and then becomes impossible to get hold of it any issues arise. So, make sure you look at reviews and learn more about the levels of customer service provided by the company before you make up your mind.

These are just a few of the ways in which online reviews can help you.

Belarus Diverts Ryanair Jet to Arrest Journalist Roman Protasevich

Diane A. Wade
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Belarus Diverts Ryanair Jet to Arrest Journalist Roman Protasevich
Image source Wikimedia

A Ryanair plane from Greece to Lithuania was diverted to Belarus for several hours on May 23, with activists saying it was done to arrest dissident journalist Roman Protasevich on board.

European nations reacted with outrage, accusing Belarus of “state terrorism”.

Ex-editor of the Nexta group Roman Protasevich was detained before the plane was allowed to resume its flight.

Belarus media said a MiG-29 escorted the jet to Minsk because of a bomb scare but no explosives were found.

The plane finally landed in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, its original destination, at 21:25 local time, more than seven hours after its scheduled arrival.

Arriving passengers said the situation in Minsk had been calm but that they were given no information. One said Roman Protasevich looked “super scared. I looked directly to his eyes and it was very sad”.

There have already been calls for the EU and NATO to intervene.

Belarus opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who was beaten by Alexander Lukashenko in last year’s presidential polls widely denounced as rigged, was among those demanding Roman Protasevich’s release.

Since last year’s election, President Lukashenko, who has ruled the country since 1994, has cracked down on dissenting voices. Many opposition figures have been arrested or, like Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, fled into exile.

Belarus Protests: At Least 100 Arrested at Anti-Lukashenko Rally

Belarus Crisis: President Lukashenko Deploys Troops as Opposition Holds Mass Rally in Minsk

Belarus Crisis: Alexander Lukashenko Gives Orders to End Minsk Unrest

Flight FR4978 was en route from Athens to Vilnius when it turned east to Minsk shortly before it reached the Lithuanian border. Greece and Lithuania put the number of passengers on board at 171.

In a statement, Ryanair said that the crew were “notified by Belarus (Air Traffic Control) of a potential security threat on board and were instructed to divert to the nearest airport, Minsk”.

The flight path, visible on the Flightradar24 website, suggests the plane was actually nearer to Vilnius than Minsk when it turned.

Ryanair said checks in Minsk found “nothing untoward” and the aircraft was cleared to depart, leaving Minsk at 20:50 local time.

“Ryanair has notified the relevant national and European safety and security agencies and we apologise sincerely to all affected passengers for this regrettable delay which was outside Ryanair’s control,” the statement added.

The Ryanair statement made no mention of Roman Protasevich.

Nexta was the first to break the news of his arrest.

Editor-in-chief Tadeusz Giczan tweeted a quote from a passenger on the plane who said that Roman Protasevich had told them who he was once they were on the ground at Minsk, with him adding “they’ll execute me here”.

Belta, the state-owned news agency in Belarus, said President Lukashenko had personally given the order for the plane to land in Minsk following the bomb alert, and approved despatching the MiG-29 fighter jet.

Gaza War: Israel and Hamas Ceasefire Comes into Effect

Roy Siemens
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0
Gaza War: Israel and Hamas Ceasefire Comes into Effect
Image source: The Time of Israel

An Israeli-Palestinian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip has come into effect early on Friday, May 21.

The ceasefire brings to an end 11 days of fighting in which more than 250 people were killed, most of them in Gaza.

Palestinians poured on to the streets of Gaza soon after the truce began, while a Hamas official warned the group had not let down its guard.

Both Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas have claimed victory in the conflict.

President Joe Biden said the ceasefire had brought a “genuine opportunity” for progress.

Soon after the ceasefire started at 02:00 on May 21, large numbers of Palestinians took to the streets in cars and on foot to celebrate. In Gaza, drivers honked their horns, while loudspeakers from mosques pronounced “the victory of the resistance”.

Israel’s military said it was removing nearly all emergency restrictions on movement throughout the country.

Fighting broke out on May 10 after weeks of rising Israeli-Palestinian tension in occupied East Jerusalem that culminated in clashes at a holy site revered by both Muslims and Jews. Hamas began firing rockets after warning Israel to withdraw from the site, triggering retaliatory air strikes.

At least 243 people, including more than 100 women and children, were killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-controlled health ministry. Israel has said it killed at least 225 militants during the fighting. Hamas has not given casualty figures for fighters.

In Israel, 12 people, including two children, were killed, its medical service says.

The Israeli military says more than 4,300 rockets were fired towards its territory by militants and that it struck more than 1,000 militant targets in Gaza.

Gaza Conflict: Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu Vows to Continue Strikes

Israel-Gaza Violence: Palestinians Fire Hundreds of Missiles at Tel Aviv after Gaza Air Strikes

The Israeli Political Security Cabinet said on May 20 it had “unanimously accepted the recommendation” for a ceasefire.

PM Benjamin Netanyahu faced criticism from some in Israel who said he had halted the conflict too soon. The mayors of Sderot and Ashkelon – two of the Israeli towns hardest hit by rockets from Gaza – were among those to voice their disappointment, saying Hamas should have been eliminated.

At a news conference on May 21, PM Netanyahu said Israel had “exacted a heavy price from Hamas”.

A Hamas official told the Associated Press the ceasefire announced by Israel amounted to a “victory” for the Palestinian people.

This view was shared by people celebrating on the streets of Gaza.

Keeping Your Home Free of Infections

Dana R
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Keeping Your Home Free of Infections

Many people have good routines already for keeping their home neat and tidy, but it is also important that you limit the spread of both infections and illnesses by doing so. While it is imperative that, if you hear about illnesses becoming more frequent, you do extra to prevent them from entering your household, it can be a much better practice to adhere to antibacterial cleaning methods all year round. Even though some specific illnesses may be rife at certain times of the year, there is never a guarantee that illnesses won’t be consistently spreading, so need to be kept on top of at all times.

Pink Eye

Pink eye can be removed from your home in a number of ways. Firstly, you will want to take solid, professional advice on how to ease pink eye symptoms to stop those who have contracted it from suffering any longer than they need to. The sooner you treat pink eye, the quicker the infection will clear up. This includes not touching the eye area any more than necessary, even if it itches, and keeping the area clean, alongside the use of antibiotics or eye drops. Alongside this, you also need to prevent re-infection in the home, which can be achieved by stopping sharing towels and other similar items, as well as making sure they are washed regularly and at a high temperature.

Stomach Bugs

A viral stomach bug, when highly contagious, can quickly take over your home, turning bathrooms into fought over commodities. Taking the time to wash your hands well before preparing food, after using the toilet, and after touching high traffic surfaces can limit the exposure to others in the home. It can also be a good idea to stay off of work or school until symptoms have subsided, to limit exposure to others in your life. Spraying and wiping surfaces with antibacterial spray is also crucial, as well as cleaning toilets or buckets that may have been used for bouts of diarrhoea or vomiting. Washing bedding, towels, clothing, and any other items that may have come into contact with the germs will also keep your home that bit safer.

Tonsillitis

Infections and inflammation in the tonsils, found at the back of the throat, are commonly known as tonsillitis. There might also be white pus present, that can be seen when looking at your throat in a mirror. While it used to be common practice to remove the tonsils, now doctors prefer to avoid doing this if possible, due to the complications that can arise from surgery. Instead, if you have tonsillitis, you will be given antibiotics. During this time, it is important that you drink lots of water, and avoid kissing others, as well as covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze. Avoid sharing glasses or other utensils as well, and wash them thoroughly after use, to help prevent the spread.

While you can never completely eliminate the risk of infection in your home, you can take steps to reduce the chances of them occurring in the first place. Good cleaning practices, both in the home and for the people within it, can really make a big difference.

Houston: Town Hall Meeting in Frightened Fifth Ward

Nancy Clayson
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Houston: Town Hall Meeting in Frightened Fifth Ward
Image source: Wikimedia Commons

Press release

May 18, 2021

The “cancer clusters” found in The Fifth Ward and Kashmere Gardens may not be the end of the frightening medical reality for folks who live in a section of The Fifth Ward.

New studies confirm leukemia rates up to 600 percent higher and reveal another chemical problem – high levels of arsenic in the groundwater behind a swath of the neighborhood.

Tonight (May 18, 2021) at 7 pm, Houston attorney Jason Gibson will brief the community on the current lawsuits against Union Pacific. Union Pacific is accused of poisoning the air, soil, and water with toxic chemicals, including creosote – a wood preservative used in railroad ties.

“Union Pacific has knowingly been an underground poisoner, concealing creosote contamination for decades,” says Gibson.

“There is no longer any doubt about the contamination. My job is to hold Union Pacific accountable.”

The town hall will be held at Norton Memorial Temple Church of God in Christ. 5008 Lucille Street, Houston, Texas 77026.

Please contact The Gibson Law Firm or Dolcefino Consulting for additional information.

Ariana Grande Wedding: Pop Star Secretly Marries Dalton Gomez

Lisa.Felice
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Ariana Grande Wedding: Pop Star Secretly Marries Dalton Gomez
Image source: Instagram arianagrande

Ariana Grande has married her fiancé Dalton Gomez in a “tiny and intimate” wedding.

The 27-year-old pos star tied the knot in front of fewer than 20 people over the weekend, the PA reported.

Ariana Grande announced in December she was engaged to the 25-year-old Los Angeles estate agent.

According to reports, their wedding took place at her home in California.

A representative for Ariana grande told PA: “They got married. It was tiny and intimate – [fewer] than 20 people.

“The room was so happy and full of love. The couple and both families couldn’t be happier.”

Ariana Grande Reveals She Is Engaged to Dalton Gomez

According to the TMZ website, the ceremony took place at Ariana Grande’s property in Montecito, a celebrity hotspot in southern California where Prince Harry and Meghan Markle also live.

Who is Dalton Gomez?

Dalton Gomez was raised in southern California and has been working in the luxury real estate market for five years, according to his biography on the AKG website.

Ariana Grande shared news of their engagement just before Christmas on Instagram, showing a pearl and diamond ring on her left hand.

“Forever n then some,” the singer captioned the post.

Ariana Grande has been dating Dalton Gomez for just over a year.

In February 2020, the singer was spotted by the press kissing her new love interest, Dalton Gomez, at a restaurant in Los Angeles.

Then in May, they made their first public appearance together as a couple in the lockdown music video to Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber’s collaboration, Stuck With U.

The following month, she posted a picture of them in each other’s arms on Instagram.

In October 2020, Ariana Grande released her sixth album, Positions, which topped the US charts.

Ariana Grande was previously engaged to comedian and actor Pete Davidson, but they called off their high-profile relationship two years ago.

Gaza Conflict: Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu Vows to Continue Strikes

Roy Siemens
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Gaza Conflict: Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu Vows to Continue Strikes
Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu has reached a deal to form a new coalition government

Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to “continue to respond forcefully” to rocket attacks as conflict with Palestinians in Gaza enters a seventh day.

Israeli air strikes in Gaza killed at least three Palestinians early on May 16, health officials said.

Palestinian militants fired rockets towards Tel Aviv, causing people there to flee to bomb shelters.

The international community has called for an end to the escalating conflict.

On May 15, President Joe Biden phoned PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to express concern about the situation.

A UN Security Council meeting is set to take place later on May 16.

Since the fighting began on May 10 at least 148 people have been killed in Gaza, according to Palestinian officials, and Israel has reported 10 dead, including two children. Israel says dozens of militants are among the dead in Gaza, while Palestinian health officials say their death toll includes 41 children.

Israel-Gaza Violence: Palestinians Fire Hundreds of Missiles at Tel Aviv after Gaza Air Strikes

Speaking in a TV address late on May 15, PM Netanyahu said the strikes would continue for “as long as necessary” and that everything possible was being done to limit civilian casualties.

“The party that bears the guilt for this confrontation is not us, it’s those attacking us,” he said.

The flare-up of violence over the last six days came after weeks of increasing Israeli-Palestinian tension in East Jerusalem, which culminated in clashes at a holy site revered by both Muslims and Jews. Hamas – the Palestinian militant group that runs Gaza – began firing rockets after warning Israel to withdraw from the site, triggering retaliatory air strikes.

Ten members of one family were killed by an Israeli air strike at a refugee camp west of Gaza City.

A five-month-old baby, Omar Al-Hadidi, was the only survivor, after his mother, four siblings, aunt and four cousins died.

The baby’s father, Mohammad Al-Hadidi, was not at home at the time.

“There were no rockets there, just women and children, no rockets, just peaceful children celebrating [Muslim festival] Eid, what have they done to deserve this?” he told Reuters.

A doctor treating Omar said: “He was in a bad condition. His thigh bone is broken and he has bruises all over his body but thankfully after first inspection he is stable.”

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Palestinian militants had launched 278 rockets from Gaza, with homes hit in the southern cities of Ashdod, Beersheba and Sderot.

The IDF also said “many dozens” of rockets that crossed into Israel had been intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system.

A rocket hit a street in Ramat Gan, a suburb of Tel Aviv, killing a man. He was reportedly hit by shrapnel in his apartment.

On May 15, an Israeli air strike destroyed a high-rise building housing media organizations, including The Associated Press and Al-Jazeera, plus a number of offices and apartments.

In a statement released shortly afterwards, the Israeli military said the building had housed military assets belonging to Hamas. The building’s landlord has denied this.

UN Secretary General Antonio Gutteres said he was “deeply disturbed” by the strike on the building.

“The secretary-general reminds all sides that any indiscriminate targeting of civilian and media structures violates international law and must be avoided at all costs,” his spokesman said.

The AP said the block had been hit roughly an hour after Israeli forces ordered people to evacuate.

The news organization’s CEO, Gary Pruitt, said: “This is an incredibly disturbing development. We narrowly avoided a terrible loss of life. A dozen AP journalists and freelancers were inside the building and thankfully we were able to evacuate them in time.”

Blockchain for Government Initiative Goes to Sudan on Official Visit

Clyde K. Valle
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0
Blockchain for Government Initiative Goes to Sudan on Official Visit
Hashim Hasabelrasoul Hashim & Jimmy Nguyen (Image source: Bitcoin Association)

Bitcoin Association, a Switzerland-based non-profit organization that advances the adoption of the Bitcoin SV blockchain is leading the Blockchain for Government Initiative by successfully finishing a week-long official visit to the Republic of the Sudan last April. Bitcoin Association was invited and hosted by the country’s Ministry of Telecommunication and Digital Transformation to explore how blockchain technology can aid the African nation advance into the digital world. The highlight of the visit was a two-day event that was Sudan’s first-ever Blockchain Summit & Workshop.

“In Sudan, we are in a transition period after thirty years of sanctions and thirty years of a bad regime. Now we are in a transition period in which we want to reform our country and reform the government. Digital transformation is a key pillar in this reformation. We are working on building a national strategy for digital transformation that aims to change the government from manual to digital, to make sure that the government will be more efficient, more smart, more in control and more transparent,” Hashim Hasabelrasoul Hashim, Minister of Telecommunication and Digital Transformation for the Republic of the Sudan, said in an interview.

Civil wars, armed conflicts against neighboring countries and an authoritarian president who ruled the country for three decades have hindered the country’s growth. As Sudan transitions into a democracy, its government is doing its best to propel the nation forward into the digital age in order to uplift its people and economy. And the Bitcoin SV (BSV) blockchain is certainly the most innovative and effective way to do it.

“I can clearly see a role for blockchain throughout different verticals within the government; digital identification is one of many, financial inclusion, digital certifications and many more to come, where we can benefit from blockchain. We want to be the first and lead on this technology in the country because it will enable us to really depend on real data that is secure,” Hashim added.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpKlubwe8Nk

The delegation, headed by Bitcoin Association Founding President Jimmy Nguyen, was composed of CEOs and founders of businesses from various industries that have successfully built platforms on the BSV blockchain. Aside from the two-day workshop, the BSV delegation, who are all experts in their fields, also conducted separate meetings with the Central Bank of Sudan, the Ministry of Telecommunication & Digital Transformation, the Ministry of Interior Affairs, leading telecommunications company SudaTel, and the 249 Startups hub for Sudanese entrepreneurs.

“Blockchain can help us to build a better world and our trip to Sudan left us feeling even more inspired to make that vision a reality… As we explore opportunities for initial blockchain projects in Sudan, we know that BSV’s massive scaling and focus on data network capabilities can provide the blockchain power needed to advance digital transformation for Sudan and greater Africa,” Nguyen said.

BSV’s Blockchain for Government Initiative is geared towards providing accurate Bitcoin education and the global adoption of blockchain technology by national governments, NGOs and the public sector with the ultimate goal of advancing digital transformation and inducing economic growth. Because Bitcoin SV has restored the original Bitcoin protocol and unleashed the unlimited scaling potential of its blockchain through the release of the Genesis Upgrade last year, it is more than capable of handling the big data being generated by governments on a daily basis. Instant microtransactions allow it to be cost-efficient; and data is secure, transparent and clean.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQaCBfpHca4

4 Ways to Save for Your Children’s Education

Nancy Clayson
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4 Ways to Save for Your Children’s Education

Whether your child has just begun to walk or entered their teenage years, it’s never too early to start saving for their college education. According to Statistics Canada, the average tuition fee for an undergraduate program at a Canadian university was $6,468 per year from 2019 to 2020. Taking living expenses and other costs into account, the total amount needed to complete a four-year program can easily exceed $50,000. Although the steep costs can be discouraging, you can make things a lot more manageable by taking the following measures to save for your child’s future education:

1. Start a Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP)

Image via Flickr by wuestenigel

An RESP refers to a government-sponsored investment program that’s specially designed to help you save for your child’s post-secondary education. It enables your investments to grow tax-free and offers contributions from the government. You’re allowed to contribute as much as $2,500 a year, and the government will match 20% of your annual contributions through the Canadian Education Savings Grant (CESG) program. However, the funds in your account can only be used for the purpose of education. Still, starting an RESP early is an effective way to minimize your kid’s student loan debt.

2. Sign Up for a Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA)

A TFSA is another popular method of saving money for post-secondary education. It’s a federal savings program that enables individuals who are at least 18 years old and have a social insurance number to build up savings in a tax-free manner throughout their lifetime. You have the freedom to withdraw your money anytime and use it for any purpose, including funding your children’s education. With this savings account, your funds will be tax-free even when you withdraw them. However, there’s a limit on the amount of money you’re allowed to contribute each year. 

3. Open a Trust Account

If you prefer to have more flexibility, it’s a good idea to open a trust account. A trust account enables you to use your contributions for any purpose, from paying college expenses to buying a car. With this type of account, your child is regarded as the owner of the funds, but you can withdraw the money you contributed if you’re willing to pay tax on the capital gains.

4. Purchase Life Insurance

Many parents are using life insurance to save money for their children’s college education by building up cash value in their policies. The main advantage of this strategy is that it allows the funds to grow tax-free until they’re withdrawn. Additionally, it gives you the option to use the cash value as collateral for a student loan. However, there’s a downside to this method of saving for college, which is the loss of control over the money you deposit into your policy. You’ll also have less flexibility when it comes to managing your life insurance plan. 

All college savings strategies have their pros and cons. Doing proper research on different options can help you determine which one is most suitable for you and your child.

Israel-Gaza Violence: Palestinians Fire Hundreds of Missiles at Tel Aviv after Gaza Air Strikes

Roy Siemens
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0
Israel-Gaza Violence: Palestinians Fire Hundreds of Missiles at Tel Aviv after Gaza Air Strikes
Image source: The Time of Israel

The UN fears a “full-scale war” after the deadly exchange of fire between Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip and the Israeli military has escalated significantly.

More than 1,000 rockets have now been fired by Palestinian militants over 38 hours, Israel said, most at Tel Aviv.

Israel has carried out deadly air strikes, bringing down two tower blocks in Gaza on May 11.

Israeli Arabs have also staged violent protests in a number of Israeli towns.

The city of Lod, near Tel Aviv, has been put under a state of emergency.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he was “gravely concerned” by the ongoing violence.

Six Israelis have died and in Gaza at least 43 Palestinians, including 13 children, have been killed since May 10, the health ministry said.

The latest fatality was an Israeli citizen, who was killed when an anti-tank guided missile, fired from the northern Gaza Strip, struck a jeep on the border. Two other people were injured.

The fighting follows weeks of rising tension stoked by violent confrontations between Israeli police and Palestinian protesters at a site in Jerusalem that is holy to both Muslims and Jews.

Israel’s military says this is the biggest exchange since 2014.

Of the 1,050 rockets and mortar shells that have now been fired from Gaza, 850 had landed in Israel or were intercepted by its Iron Dome air defense system, and 200 failed to clear the border and landed back in Gaza, the Israeli army said.

Video footage from the city showed rockets streaking through the night sky, some exploding as they were hit by Israeli interceptor missiles.

Loud booms and air-raid sirens were heard across targeted cities, which included Tel Aviv, Ashkelon, Modiin, and the southern city of Beersheba, as Palestinian militants tried to overwhelm missile defenses.

The rocket fire escalated after the two residential tower blocks were brought down in Gaza. Israel said it was targeting rocket launch sites, high-rise buildings, homes and offices used by Hamas, the militant group that rules Gaza.

Mike Pompeo Visits Israeli Settlement in West Bank and Golan

Israeli Settlements: UN Condemns Plans to Build 2,500 More Homes in West Bank

Israeli Settlements: PM Benjamin Netanyahu Condemns as Biased John Kerry’s Speech

Hamas said it was incensed by the “the enemy’s targeting of residential towers”.

Residents had been warned to evacuate the buildings before the fighter jets attacked, however health officials said there were still civilians deaths.

US state department spokesman, Ned Price said Israel had the right to defend itself but the Palestinian people also had the right to safety and security.

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said the Israeli strikes were “just the beginning”.

“Terror organizations have been hit hard and will continue to be hit because of their decision to hit Israel,” he said.

“We’ll return peace and quiet, for the long term.”

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said in a televised address: “If [Israel] wants to escalate, we are ready for it, and if it wants to stop, we’re also ready.”

Protests by Israeli Arabs in Lod escalated to full-scale rioting, with protesters throwing rocks at police, who responded with stun grenades.

A 52-year-old father and his 16-year-old daughter reportedly died when a rocket hit their car, with a number of other people injured in clashes, Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

The violence caused Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu to declared a state of emergency in Lod on May 11. It was the first time the government had used emergency powers over an Arab community since 1966, The Times of Israel said.

PM Netanyahu, who went to the city to call for calm, said he would impose a curfew if necessary.

Israeli media reported that synagogues and several businesses had been set on fire, while Reuters said there were reports a car driven by an Arab resident had been stoned.

Ben Gurion Airport, Israel’s main international hub and one of the country’s busiest, briefly halted flights on May 11 and an energy pipeline between the cities of Eilat and Ashkelon was hit.

There has also been unrest in other cities with a large Israeli Arab population, as well as in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.

SpaceX to Launch Dogecoin Mission to Moon

James J. Williams
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SpaceX to Launch Dogecoin Mission to Moon

Tech billionaire Elon Musk has said his rocket company SpaceX will now accept the meme-inspired cryptocurrency dogecoin as payment.

In a tweet he said SpaceX will launch the “DOGE-1 Mission to the Moon” early next year.

His announcement came as dogecoin continued to fall after he said on TV that dogecoin was a “hustle”.

Last month, Elon Musk tweeted that SpaceX was going to put a “literal Dogecoin on the literal moon”.

Canada’s Geometric Energy Corporation announced the dogecoin-funded mission on May 9, although the statement did not reveal its financial value.

“This mission will demonstrate the application of cryptocurrency beyond Earth orbit and set the foundation for interplanetary commerce,” SpaceX Vice President of Commercial Sales Tom Ochinero was quoted as saying in the statement.

Elon Musk’s tweets in recent months have helped to turn the once-obscure digital currency, which was started as a social media joke, into the world’s fourth-biggest cryptocurrency.

Dogecoin has soared by more than 800% over the last month, with its total market value rising above $70 billion, according to cryptocurrency data tracker CoinGecko.com.

However, dogecoin lost more than a third of its price on May 9, after Elon Musk called it a “hustle” while he was hosting the Saturday Night Live show.

Long March 5-B: China Rocket Debris Crashes into Indian Ocean Near Maldives

In February, electric carmaker Tesla, where Elon Musk is chief executive, said it bought $1.5 billion worth of bitcoin and was planning to accept the cryptocurrency as payment for its vehicles.

The announcement was seen as another major step towards the mainstream acceptance of bitcoin and helped to boost the price of the cryptocurrency to a fresh record high of nearly $62,000.

Last month, Tesla announced that its profits for the first three months of the year were $438 million, up from $16 million last year, bolstered by sales of Bitcoin and environmental credits.

Elon Musk also revealed on Saturday Night Live that he has Asperger’s syndrome.

People with Asperger’s interpret the environment around them differently to other people.

It is thought to be the first time Elon Musk has spoken about his condition.

Long March 5-B: China Rocket Debris Crashes into Indian Ocean Near Maldives

James J. Williams
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Long March 5-B: China Rocket Debris Crashes into Indian Ocean Near Maldives
Image source: Twitter

According to Chinese media, debris from the Long March-5b rocket booster that had been hurtling back towards Earth has disintegrated over the Indian Ocean.

The bulk of the Chinese rocket was destroyed during the re-entry, but parts landed at a location 72.47° East and 2.65° North, China’s state-run media reported.

The point lies west of the Maldives.

US and European tracking sites had been monitoring the uncontrolled fall of the Long March-5b vehicle.

Chinese state media said parts of the rocket re-entered the atmosphere at 10:24 Beijing time on May 9.

US Space Command said in a statement that it could “confirm the Chinese Long March-5b re-entered over the Arabian Peninsula”. It was “unknown if the debris impacted land or water,” the agency said.

Ahead of the rocket’s re-entry there were fears that debris could come down in an inhabited area. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said China had been negligent in letting the rocket fall out of orbit.

However, space experts had predicted that the chances of anyone actually being hit by a piece of space junk were very small, not least because so much of the Earth’s surface is covered by ocean, and huge land areas are uninhabited.

Iridium-1: SpaceX Resumes Rockets Launch

SpaceX’s Falcon-9 Rocket Explodes on Launch Pad at Cape Canaveral

The main segment from the Long March-5b vehicle was used to launch the first module of China’s new space station last month.

At 18 tonnes it is one of the largest items in decades to have an undirected dive into the atmosphere.

The US said last week it was watching the path of the object – but had no plans to shoot it down.

The experts predicted that most of the vehicle would burn up during its final plunge through the atmosphere, although there was always the possibility that metals with high melting points, and other resistant materials, could survive to the Earth’s surface.

When a similar core stage returned to Earth a year ago, piping assumed to be from the rocket was identified on the ground in Ivory Coast, Africa.

China has bridled at the suggestion that it has been negligent in allowing the uncontrolled return of so large an object.

Commentary in the Chinese media had described Western reports about the potential hazards involved as “hype” and predicted the debris would fall somewhere in international waters.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hhty4vbwaA

Retirement Strategies for the Sandwich Generation

Diane A. Wade
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Retirement Strategies for the Sandwich Generation
Image by rwalsh623 from Pixabay

To the first-time reader who doesn’t know better, a term like “sandwich generation” brings up a pleasant image of being comfortably nestled between two warm slices of Americana. Guess again. Think vise grip, not bakery goods. That’s how much pressure is involved.

The term describes a state of being where an individual or couple is raising children and taking care of aging parents at the same time, while still trying to plan for retirement. It’s a tough situation. Doing it all successfully requires careful planning and financial discipline.

Let’s put ourselves into the sandwich for a few moments—you know what they say: Don’t judges someone until you’ve walked a mile in their sandwich. Or perhaps you’re already there. Maybe you’re on your way there and wondering if you need a personal loan to manage it. Either way, we’re going to cover some strategies that could make your life easier.

Make your retirement savings a priority

After you’re seated on an airplane and the doors have closed, a flight attendant stands up and does a short presentation about emergency exits and breathing masks that drop from the ceiling. They say, “Please put on your own mask before attempting to help someone else.”

It’s good advice in all areas of life. For those in the sandwich generation, make your retirement savings a priority. If you spend it all taking care of aging parents, your children will have to do the same for you. Do you really want to perpetuate that cycle? And do you trust them enough to put your golden years in their hands?

Even if your faithful brood does have the ways, means, and desire to care for you as you age, you’ll still be robbing them of generational wealth that could be accumulating interest or capital gains. Max out your retirement accounts. Everything else should come later.

Life insurance is a necessity

Don’t look at this as putting a price on your own head, even though it is. Life insurance is absolutely necessary when you have multiple individuals counting on you for financial support. What happens if you get hit by a truck or killed in the Zombie Apocalypse?

It’s not necessary to spend a lot on insurance. Term life is cheap, and you can set the benefit amount. Whole or universal life is more expensive, but it could be a good choice if you’re young and have small children. That cash value could come in handy later on.

As for other insurances, try to keep deductibles low so emergencies don’t empty your bank account. Take out life insurance policies on your parents, if that’s who you’re taking care of. Make sure you have disability insurance, just in case injuries prevent you from working.

Spend your parents’ money first

They’ll be eligible for Social Security at a certain age, but Medicare won’t kick in until they’re broke—so spend your parents’ money first. Get their assets down to zero as quickly as possible so the government can start paying its fair share.

Think of this as using existing wealth to help build new wealth. By slowly liquidating your parents’ assets to take care of them, you’re better able to properly care for and save money for your children. While you’re at it, spend a few dollars on yourself. You deserve it. #TREATYOSELF

Amended Complaints: A Brief Overview

Clyde K. Valle
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Amended Complaints: A Brief Overview

You likely know what it means to complain about something. You can complain if Wendy’s screws up your drive-through order or if the government fails to deliver your stimulus check. But if you use the term “complaint” in a legal setting, it means something very specific.

In this article, we’ll talk about what a legal complaint is and what happens when you make one. We’ll also speak about amended complaints, another legal term about which it’s good for you to know.

What is a Complaint?

In legal terms, a complaint occurs when you start an action against someone, either an individual or a company, that has harmed you. The complaint to the court gets your case started. By the time you register a complaint, you have probably already hired a lawyer to help you with the various legal hurdles with which you’ll have to contend.

A complaint amendment spreads out the legal blame. In other words, you’re amending the original complaint because you’ve realized that not just one person or company harmed you.

You can add as many defendants to a complaint as you want, assuming you’re not including them baselessly. You and your lawyer must prove your assertion that all of these entities harmed you, so you can’t frivolously add people or businesses just because you feel like it. Doing so will probably hurt your case and make victory less likely.

When Can You Amend a Complaint?

If you want to amend your original legal complaint, there are two likely reasons why you would do that. The first is because the original defendant’s lawyer might file a motion to dismiss. You can block that by claiming that more individuals or entities than you first named caused your injuries or hardship.

The second reason is that you find out additional information after you file the first complaint. For example, maybe a pharmaceutical company harmed you. You ingested one of their drugs over the years and contracted cancer because of it.

You can sue the manufacturing company because they failed to test the drug for side effects. However, you might later find that there was an independent body that did some testing, but it wasn’t sufficient. You can name the testing company in the amended complaint.

Can You Do That at Any Time?

It would be nice if, as the injured party, you could add to the complaint at any time. You can’t, though. There are certain protections in place to prevent you from amending the complaint with impunity.

You can only add to the complaint for a certain designated period. That period usually changes depending on what state you’re in when you file the complaint. You typically have a few weeks to do it.

If the allotted time has elapsed, and you still want to amend the original complaint, you need to ask the court for permission to do that. It’s up to the court to decide whether to allow you to do so.

If the court feels like you’re not treating the defendants fairly, then it could deny that request. If so, you’ll have to move forward with the original complaint as it stands.  

Are There Additional Fees or Summons When You Amend a Complaint?

You have to pay a modest fee when you file a complaint as part of the legal process. If you amend the complaint, then generally, you don’t have to pay the court any additional money. You don’t need to issue the defendant another summons, either, unless the new complaint names a completely new individual or entity who must now appear to defend themselves.

All you have to do is file a new complaint. In this new one, you’ll name any additional people or entities who you feel harmed you.

How Long Do the Defendants Have to Respond?

The defendants have to respond to the complaint as part of the legal process that could lead to a courtroom showdown between the defendant’s lawyer and your own. That’s assuming you couldn’t settle out of court.

How long the defendants have to respond depends on what state you’re in and whether the court accepted a newly amended complaint version. Generally, the court will not give the defendant longer than a few weeks to answer. In their response, they will indicate whether they plan to try to settle with you or continue on to a courtroom appearance.

Now, you know a little bit about complaints and amended versions if you ever elect to sue someone.  

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