Democrats Julian Castro and Tulsi Gabbard have
announced that they will challenge for the US presidency in 2020.
Julian Castro launched his campaign on January 12, and Tulsi Gabbard has
said she will make a formal announcement within a week.
The ex-Obama Housing Chief is expected to be the only Latino in the race,
and Tulsi Gabbard is the first Hindu member of Congress.
Both enter what could be a crowded field of Democrats vying to challenge
President Donald Trump.
Until now only former congressman John Delaney has formally launched a
campaign, more than a year ago.
However, Democrat Senator Elizabeth Warren announced last month she was
setting up an exploratory committee to consider a run.
Julian Castro, 44, made his announcement in his home town of San Antonio,
Texas, where he was mayor from 2009 to 2014.
Long seen as a rising star in the party, Julian Castro served as housing
secretary under President Barack Obama and was on the list of Hillary Clinton’s
potential running mates for the 2016 election.
Having a Mexican grandmother, he has used his background to criticize Donald
Trump’s calls to build a wall to keep out migrants from Latin America.
Launching his bid under the slogan “One nation, one destiny”,
Julian Castro said: “We say no to
the construction of the wall and yes to the construction of communities.”
Julian Castro said his grandmother would have been amazed at his success and
that of his brother Joaquin, a member of the US Congress.
Analysts say Julian Castro does not have widespread name recognition and may struggle to make an impression in a crowded field.
When it comes to contractors, there are specialist contractors and general contractors. Specialist contractors work on one or more aspects of the work. Therefore, on a home renovation or construction project, they might work on the electrical and plumbing side of things only. This compares to a general contractor who is responsible for the complete project. They oversee it and act as project manager leading the contractors to ensure everything gets completed on time.
Here are a few of the benefits of hiring general contractors and how they work for you.
Leading from the Front
A general contractor takes control of the project. Instead of the home developer or homeowner having to deal with each individual contractor one by one and juggle different responsibilities, that’s the general contractor’s job. What they say goes and other contractors report directly to the general contractor who in turn reports to the owner of the project. The buck stops with them. They’re also legally responsible and may also bear the responsibility and risk connected to what contractors below them have done or not done on the project.
Head in the Details, Not in the Clouds
The larger the building or renovation project, the more difficult it is to manage all the aspects simultaneously. Rather than the owner of the land or the property needing to get up to speed on what every contractor does, the general contracts already knows.
They look at what supplies are needed and source the right quality for a good price to keep on budget. They’ll usually have some good contacts with preferential deals on supplies compared to what the homeowner can access alone.
Good Communicators
As a general contractor, they’re required to speak the customer’s language and not only that of the contractors. They’re the point person to the developer or homeowner. While it’s difficult to talk with many contractors, the general contractor is the public face that pulls all the relevant information together to speak informatively and accurately about how the project is going and what difficulties are being experienced.
Responsible for Recruiting Other Contractors
Hiring specialist contractors is difficult because you have the experience to know what you’re looking for exactly. This makes it hard to find the right people. A general contractor understands the different specializations and how certain contractors can help complete projects better or sooner than expected. They also know the pitfalls of making a bad hiring call. They plan and make the hires and take care of the firings too.
Less Stress
When you have a general contractor on your building project, it’s far less stressful. Taking on the project and making it their responsibility is a huge burden off your shoulders. This allows you to relax about how things are progressing and place your focus elsewhere. You’ll still receive regular updates on progress, setbacks and delivery timelines, but your mind will be clearer.
Hiring a general contractor means that you no longer must micromanage each specialist contractor that you hire. They’re the team player with construction and home renovation knowledge, plus project management skillsto keep everything on-track. Once you have one, you’ll wonder how you ever managed without them.
Affiliate marketing
allows blogs to earn commission from sales. Nowadays, it has become a vital
source of income for professional bloggers. With its massive industry, online
businesses are also becoming more involved in this strategy; which in return
gives more opportunities for bloggers.
If you’re a blogger then you might be looking for the highest paying affiliate marketing programs with the highest commission to monetize your blog. You can visit the website journalreview.org net worth for online businesses.
Here are 6 affiliate
marketing programs to invest in today:
1.
Plus500
Being the biggest CFD
trading platform in Europe, Plus500 boasts that they offer the highest profits
for affiliate marketers in the finance industry. The program offers its
affiliates a $200 to $800 commission per trader referral. The price will also
depend on which country it originated and the number of referrals made per
month. Their affiliates also have the option to earn 20% to 30% of the monthly
revenue made by the people they referred into the platform.
Here are some of the
benefits of affiliating with Plus500:
Highest payouts in the finance niche.
Recognized Internationally
PayPal payouts
$150 payout threshold
Dedicated management team for affiliates
2.
LiquidWeb
LiquidWeb is a web
hosting company for small and large scale online businesses. It runs its
affiliate marketing programs through Impact Radius and CJ Affiliates — making
it accessible for those familiar in the said networks. The program offers a
$100 to $900 commission per sale, depending on the referred product sale.
However, the average commission per sale is higher than most affiliate programs,
with commissions averaging at $230.
Here are some of the
benefits of affiliating with LiquidWeb:
Uniform commission rates
Payments can be converted into web
hosting credits
Dedicated management team for affiliates
3.
Villiers
If you’re in the luxury
travel niche, then you can take advantage of this program. Villiers is a
private aircraft company that offers luxury jets for people to fly around the
world. This company also provides its travel affiliates the highest payouts
compared to other companies in the same niche.
The Villiers affiliate
program offers a 30% commission for each booking for the duration of the
referred client’s lifetime. One client referral will give you a chance to earn
a six-digit commission on a repeated basis.
Here are some of the benefits of affiliating
with Villiers:
Higher commission rate in the luxury
travel niche
Chance for a recurring income
Real-time payout tracking
4. Udemy
Udemy is famous for
their excellent online courses, they offer courses on Web development, design,
business, IT & software, marketing, personal development, and photography.
This website also offers an affiliate program which promotes a wide variety of
online courses. This affiliate program run through LinkShare doesn’t give
specific commission rates. However, Udemy affiliates report competitive
commission rates ranging from 40% to 50%.
Here are some of the benefits of affiliating
with Udemy:
Wide variety of products
Exclusive discounts for online courses
Multiple Niches
5.
Template Monster
If you’re good at
promoting WordPress templates, Template Monster has the perfect affiliate
program for you. With a wide variety of
products offered in multiple languages, this program gives its affiliates
countless opportunities. The Template Monster affiliate program offers
commission rates between 30% to 50%. The commission rate in this program will
also adjust depending on your referral sales per month. With products averaging
90$, you will be earning $27 to $45 on each product sale.
Here are some of the benefits of affiliating
with Template Monster:
Over 50,000 products to promote
365-day cookies tracking
Multiple payout options such as Payoneer,
PayPal, and more
5% lifetime commission on referred
affiliates
Dedicated management team for affiliates
Template discounts
6.
SEMRush
SEMRush is an all-in-one marketing toolbox for digital marketing professionals. They offer everything a digital marketer needs to be successful online. They also have a high paying affiliate program called BeRush. This affiliate program offers a 40 % commission per referred subscription sale. This means that you’ll get a continuous monthly commission as long as the customer pays.
Here are some of the benefits of affiliating
with SEMRush:
Recurring commissions
10-year cookie lifespan
Payments are available through wire
transfer or PayPal, twice every month.
Promotional materials available in
multiple languages
$50 payout threshold
Closing
thoughts
Don’t be under the impression that a high ticket product will be the best option for you. Creating compelling content on a niche that you don’t value can be difficult. Look for an affiliate program with a niche that you value, then study and learn the strategies of successful affiliates. Determine what works best for them and try it for yourself.
Traffic in New York is pretty intense, but maybe it’s not as bad as you think. According to new data from city officials, New York traffic deaths have hit a record low in over a century. In 2018, the number of traffic fatalities fell below 200. Within six months into 2018, there were only 81 deaths in the city.
Is Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Vision
Zero Plan Making New York Streets Safer?
This is definitely a plus. However, the steep decline in traffic deaths come with stricter traffic enforcement. It’s part of New York Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Vision Zero plan to make traffic fatalities non-existent.
“With this action plan, the City is making a bold new commitment to improve street safety in every neighborhood and in every borough – with expanded enforcement against dangerous moving violations like speeding and failing to yield to pedestrians, new street designs and configurations to improve safety, broad public outreach and communications, and a sweeping legislative agenda to increase penalties for dangerous drivers and give New York City control over the safety of our own streets,” the Vision Zero plan explained.
The
Vision Zero plan has made some pretty big improvements since its inception. The
traffic death rate in New York was hovering around 299 deaths in 2013. But
since has dipped below 200 fatalities in 2018. Not a bad five year reduction.
So the plan is working — right?
There is still some work to do when it comes to making the streets of New York safer. One of the biggest catalysts for the decrease in traffic deaths could be attributed to the lowering of the speed limit on nearly all city streets to 25 miles per hour. There are also other more stringent laws being enforced with the Vision Zero plan, like yielding to pedestrians, and the addition of 20 plus miles of protected bicycle lanes.
This is
important, since bicycle and pedestrian deaths by motor vehicle continue to be
an issue. “Drivers haven’t taken their responsibility to yield very seriously,”
Mayor de Blasio told the New York Times. “There has been a lot of enforcement,
and there will be more.”
More Enforcement Coming For New
York Drivers, And It Could Get Pretty Serious
With
less traffic deaths and a focus on making New York streets safer for everyone
comes with stricter enforcement. This was made pretty clear by Mayor de Blasio
and the Vision Zero objectives. So what does this mean for New Yorkers on the
road?
One of the biggest enforcements already affecting drivers in the city are cell phone violations. This enforcement is aimed at keeping drivers alert while behind the wheel, able to avoid pedestrian, bicyclist, and vehicle accidents that could be fatal. According to the New York DMV, “If you use a portable electronic device while you drive (except to call 911 or to contact medical, fire or police personnel about an emergency), you can receive a traffic ticket and be subject to a fine and a surcharge.”
Driving under the influence is another big enforcement initiative part of the Vision Zero plan. “If you are found to have a Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) of 0.08 or higher,you will be charged with a DWI,” according to New York traffic lawyer, Michael Block. “A BAC of more than 0.05 but less than 0.07 can yield a charge for Driving While Ability Impaired by Alcohol (DWAI/Alcohol). A Zero Tolerance Law can be charged to any driver under the age of 21 found to have a BAC of 0.02 – 0.07.”
What You Can Do When Driving In
New York
Staying
safe behind the wheel is not solely for drivers. You also need to ensure you are
making the roads safe for all. Yes, this is definitely easier said then
practiced, but you can take a few safety precautions while driving.
First
and foremost, don’t have your cell phone in your hand. This includes GPS use.
Not only can you avoid a potential accident, but also avoid a pricey ticket.
Getting a traffic infraction for using your phone while driving can result in a
fine over $200 with 5 points added to your license.
Drinking and driving can obviously be costly. Speeding tickets, failure to yield to pedestrians, reckless driving, failure to stop for school busses, and illegal lane changes should all be avoided. And if you do get a ticket or if you get into a car accident, always call a lawyer. What do you think about the Vision Zero plan? We want to hear from you.
It’s well-known that living in New York City can be extremely stressful. With so much going on around you, it’s hard to find a time to relax and catch your breath, especially if you’re also dealing with school or work-related stress. With that in mind, here are some ways to reduce stress and anxiety while living in NYC.
Find a therapist
First, try enlisting the help of a professional. A simple online search, such as “therapist in NYC,” or “therapist near me” will yield a multitude of results. You can also try asking friends and family for recommendations. Talking to a therapist will help you get to the root of your anxiety. You’ll learn coping mechanisms to use anytime you start feeling overwhelmed. In addition to helping you fight stress and anxiety, therapy can provide you with a ton of other benefits.
Your therapist will also provide guidance on how to make sure your body is prepared to handle any stress that might come your way. Stress and anxiety can weaken your body and cause physical symptoms if left untreated — in fact, too much stress can actually make you sick. Eating healthy, drinking enough water, and setting aside time to focus on yourself are all essential.
Get enough sleep
Since noise pollution is rampant throughout the city, it’s hard to get a good night’s sleep. Noise pollution is disruptive and can keep your body in high alert when you should be asleep. When you’re experiencing a lack of sleep, you’ll become more easily distressed, as well as irritable and restless. Noise pollution has been attributed to increased rates of cardiovascular disease, psychological issues, and other negative stress responses.
You should aim for seven to nine hours of sleep every night. You can reduce noise in your apartment by sleeping with earplugs, hanging heavy curtains or sealing your windows, and hanging coverings on your walls to block and absorb the noise. To help you fall asleep, you may choose to visit your doctor who might recommend melatonin or meditating for a few minutes before bed. Remember to put away your phone at least a half-hour before you plan on going to bed.
Hit the gym
Try to find time to hit the gym. Exercise has been shown to reduce stress by boosting your brain’s production of endorphins. Along with making you feel good in the moment, regular physical activity helps increase self-confidence and reduces symptoms associated with depression and anxiety. Exercise can also be helpful in falling asleep easier.
The gym is also a great way to meditate because it’ll force you to concentrate on your body’s movements rather than what happened the other day at work. Once you begin regularly going to the gym, your brain will become used to focusing on a single task, which can be a useful skill in most things you do. If you’re hesitant to go alone, ask a friend or co-worker to come with you.
Find things that make you happy
It’s easy to feel suffocated when all you do is go to work, come home, and sleep. Find activities that you enjoy and make time for them. Whether it’s shopping, checking out a museum, or creating art, the possibilities are virtually endless in NYC. You’re in the center of everything, so try picking up some new hobbies and making new acquaintances and friends. Finding things that make you feel content will help reduce stress and anxiety as well as allow you to dedicate time toward bettering yourself.
Overcoming the stress and anxiety of living in NYC can seem like a monumental task, but it doesn’t have to be. With a few simple lifestyle changes, you can start feeling happier and learn how to effectively deal with feeling overwhelmed. All in all, it’s important to remember that you’re not alone.
Understanding your credit rating is one of the most essential things when it comes to your financial horizons, but unfortunately, there is so much misleading information and confusion out there that getting the right image about it can be quite challenging. To shed some light on the matter, we’ll share some valuable tips about it in the paragraphs below:
1. There are 5 factors that influence it
While the exact percentages of how each of these affects your credit rating are rather much a mystery, it’s a fact the following factors all play a role in it:
– Payment history
– Average credit age
– The frequency of inquiries
– Credit utilization
– Account mix
2. There are many credit ratings
Quite surprisingly, your credit rating depends on where you check. Most notably,FICO is usually referred to as the golden standard and the so-called ‘true rating’ you’re probably looking for.
3. Negative hits against your score don’t last forever
You’ve probably had your fair share of dents in your credit score, but these won’t affect it for your entire life. As a matter of fact, after 7 years have passed, they will no longer play a role in determining it or show up in your credit reports.
4. Checking your own credit score won’t lower it
You might have heard that your credit score takes a hit when a lender checks it, for instance. This is true; however, if you just want to know where you stand, checking your own won’t have any negative consequences on it.
5. Don’t max out your credit card
The best practice is to avoid pushing the limits. Even if you get one of thebest credit cards for fair credit, don’t go beyond 30%, or it may have a negative effect on your credit score.
6. Having a low credit score may cost you thousands of dollars in the long run
Even if you manage to get approved for a loan, for example, the interest rates may be higher due to having a lower credit score. There are many examples like this, and over the course of time, this can amount to thousands upon thousands of dollars.
7. Joint accounts will affect your credit score
Although there is no such thing as joint scores, what your partner does on your joint loan or credit account will affect your credit score as well.
8. Being responsible with your finances is the best way to keep your credit score in good standing
In other words, making your payments on time, not spending more than you can afford, and not being a financial risk when dealing with companies will get you far.
Conclusion
Although the topic of credit rating goes far beyond what the scope of this article can cover, these are the bare essentials of what you need to know about it and how to handle your finances responsibly. In the end, it’s important to understand that managing your finances the smart way will not only affect how companies and potential business partners view you, but also define the quality of your life.
For most of us, a lavish gift is not
what matters the most. It is the sentiment enveloping the gift. A personalized
piece of jewelry is different in each person’s perspective. Some may prefer
their jewelry embedded with their birthstones, others their name engraved on
their rings. Others would even go as far as putting their own DNA in the
precious stones.
Customizing your jewelry will add a
great sentimental value to a stylish and artistic masterpiece. Personalized
jewelry represents an organic idea which originated from your mind and is a
thing to be acknowledged for a thousand lifetimes.
Here are the ways on how you can customize
your jewelry collection:
DNA Embedded Jewelries
The mind behind putting DNA inside a
piece of jewelry was from a man named Robert Grass. He was trying to find a
unique gift for his wife who just gave birth to their first baby. Since nothing
met his standards, he thought of embedding his own DNA inside his wife’s ring.
This was a daring and exclusive
gesture to customize a ring and it also makes his wife comfortable since he is
always close to her whenever she puts on her ring. Today, this brilliant idea
has become a new line of jewelry collection. This method of ring customization
is really extraordinary and gives a whole new meaning to the saying “diamonds
are forever.”
Diamonds From The Dead
This way of ring personalization is crazy and bizarre but, surprisingly a lot of people are doing it. Carbon retrieved from the ashes of a dead loved one is used to create artificial diamonds. This sounds insane but there is a deeper science to it and its use is spreading. People find a profound connection by using a bereaved one’s ashes to create beautiful and shiny stones they will cherish and love.
Image source Wikimedia
Jewelry With Your
Initials
Another way of customizing your
jewelry without embedding a part of you inside the ring is by using your
initials as a band to cater your diamonds. Necklaces, bracelets, and rings can
be made to mold the initials of your loved one.
Whether it is a pendant shaped in the form of their initials or a diamond bracelet with their name, a piece of jewelry integrating their initials will give the style and shine of high quality diamonds with a gentle touch of personality. Therefore, it is the most ideal way of letting your special someone know that they are always on your mind.
Engraved Jewelries
Compared to the previous methods of customizing your jewelry, the next one is a lot more subtle. A very charming way to customize your diamond jewelry collection is by engraving a sweet message or word in them. This method does not visibly alter your jewel nor is there a foreign object embedded in the piece.
At the same time, a romantic message
can be discreetly put behind the precious stone, the setting, or inside the
band which lets your loved one know that this piece of exquisite jewelry is
specially made just for them.
Although most of us are attracted to
expensive items, our humanity will always remain craving for love and passion.
Adding a bit of character to your gifts will go a long way. Your diamonds and
jewelry collection are intended to last forever.
Even when they are not being worn,
jewelry can always be passed down to the younger generation. A customized piece
of jewelry is important to its wearer today, but it will tell a story and can
be a priceless family heirloom in the future.
How long have you been a smoker? While having that cigarette can be immensely satisfying at the moment, we know that a temporary nicotine fix is the only benefit. Cigarettes are detrimental to our health, the health of those around us, and are quite expensive.
Are you ready to clean up your act and save money? Here are four ways you can become a non-smoker today, no matter how long you’ve been smoking.
1. Cold Turkey.
“Just stop smoking.” It sounds outrageous, but this has been the method that has worked for thousands of people for the past century. Certain motivational programs have you set a date to quit and stick to it. You remain aware of when it is you’re most likely to want to smoke and distract yourself during these times.
The most difficult part is making it through withdrawal. The symptoms can be more intense, considering you’ve stopped all nicotine consumption at once. The effects one may feel include irritability, anxiety, depression, dizziness, headaches, and weight gain, to name a few.
2. E-Cigarettes.
Cigarettes are much more than just nicotine. In the average tobacco cigarette, you’ll also find carbon monoxide, ammonia, acetone, toluene, and more. These, along with the literal burning tobacco entering your lungs, are arguably more damaging than nicotine alone. Therefore, many simply use vaporized nicotine in a device like the Smok Stick V8.
E-liquid is placed inside of a chamber – usually a tank – and heated by a Li-Ion battery. This produces the nicotine vapor you inhale. The biggest advantage is that you can control the amount of nicotine you get, choosing liquids with specific concentrations which allow you to reduce dependency. You can even vape for the hand-mouth satisfaction after you’ve eliminated nicotine if that helps keep you “clean”.
3. Medications and Other Nicotine Replacements.
For some, the hand-mouth action provided by e-cigs is too tempting. They’ll remain very attached to the action, which means they’ll think nothing of resorting to a tobacco cigarette when their electronic device falters or is otherwise unavailable.
That’s why a nicotine patch or gum may be a better option for them. These provide specific amounts of nicotine to satiate the smoker, with patches typically being part of a step-down program to reduce dependency. Medications, which inhibit nicotine receptors in the brain, can also eliminate dependency, but come with many side effects.
4. Hypnosis.
It won’t work for everyone, naturally, but people who are highly suggestible have some success through hypnosis. This method may be best for smokers who already despise cigarettes, but need that message to sink into their minds a little deeper.
The goal of anti-smoking hypnosis is to access the subconscious. It helps to identify the underlying cause or trigger that leads one to smoke. From there, we can change the way we view cigarettes, absorbing the subconscious message that tobacco is poisonous and undesirable.
Stop spending your money on harmful chemicals, and say goodbye to hacking coughs, yellow fingernails, and bad breath forever. Reduce your risk of deadly disease and clean up the air around you with one of these four methods. If you find that one method isn’t effective in breaking your addiction, try another. With persistence, you can join the one-million-plus people who kick the habit every year.
Earlier it was not easy to get a
perfect picture but nowadays it has become simple because of numerous photo
editing applications. Today, photographs are incomplete without editing. The
reason is when we capture any photograph whether it is from the high-quality
camera or low quality, the picture still will have some issues in it like
scratches, blemishes or unwanted element so photo editing becomes necessary
these days. There are a number of photo editing apps which offers you a lot of
editing features and makes your picture more beautiful. But editing is done
only by a person who knows editing techniques. Some of the basic editing tips
are mentioned below:
•
Cropping of images: This
feature is the most used and common in every editing app. Many a times, we
click picture and see some unwanted element in the picture that distracts the
attention of people seeing the photo. So if you want to remove that unwanted
part from your photograph then elect the crop tool from editing menu and select
the area which you want to remove. It is easy as it sounds.
• Clean the lenses: Always remember before you start
clicking the pictures you must clean the sensor of the camera if there is any
dust or other particles because if you capture your pictures with dirty lenses
your photographs will come out dull and gloomy which will not look good
anymore. For removing these particles from the images choose healing brush from
the editing menu.
• Rise the level of saturation: Well if you want your pictures to be more colorful then editing apps give you the best options for this. If you want to add different colors to your photographs then you just have to choose the saturation option from your editing menu and you can adjust the level of saturation according to the needs of your photographs.
• Sharpen your images: Well this feature totally depends
upon on which screen you want to see your image. If you want to see your image
on your mobile phone then there is no need to sharpen up your image but if you
wants to appear it on the screen or to take print out of it then you must use
this feature as it will make your picture more clear and attractive.
• Change your image into black and white: Black and white is an awesome option in some cases. As some photographs look more attractive and beautiful if it is being converted from a colorful picture to mono picture. But remember you should not remove highlights and shadows from the picture if you do so your pictures will look dull.
•
Contrasting: If you want to
contrast your image then you must choose the picture and adjust the levels
according to your needs. Contrasting your image will make your image for more
attractive. All you must remember is to brighten the highlights and darken the
shadows.
Once you complete your editing save your image and also rename it to the different folder. So these are the simple tips you must follow while editing. If you are looking for any good editing app, photo app retouchme.com will make you look picture perfect.
The president initially gave a
positive account of the 90-minute meeting at the White House, describing it as
“very productive”.
However, when asked whether he had
considered using emergency presidential powers to bypass congressional approval
of funding, President Trump said he had.
He said: “I may do it. We can call a national emergency and build it very
quickly. That’s another way of doing it.”
“I’m very proud of doing what I’m
doing,” President Trump added.
“I don’t call it a shutdown, I call it
doing what you have to do for the benefit and safety of our country.”
On January 4, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the meeting had been
“contentious”, while Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said: “We told the president we needed the
government open. He resisted.”
Democrats, who now hold the majority in the House, passed spending bills on
January 3 to reopen the government, including $1.3 billion of border security
funds until February 8.
However, the legislation cannot take effect unless it passes the Republican-controlled Senate, where leader Mitch McConnell said his party would not back any measure without President Trump’s support.
Nancy Pelosi has again been elected as the
House Speaker – the third most powerful role in Washington.
The 78-yar-old California Democrat reclaimed the gavel after the most
diverse class of lawmakers were sworn in and as Democrats took control of the
House after mid-term elections gains.
Her victory came as the government remained partly shut down in a row over
funds for the president’s border wall.
Nancy Pelosi has said she wants to end the shutdown but will not support the
wall.
She said: “I’m particularly proud
to be a woman speaker of the house of this Congress, which marks the 100th year
of women having the right to vote.
“And, that we all have the
ability and the privilege to serve with over 100 women members of Congress –
the largest number in history. “
Nancy Pelosi seized the gavel as the House welcomed more women than ever
before in the 116th Congress.
As of January 3, 102 women serve in the House, an all-time high, including
36 newly elected members and a record 43 women of color.
While Republican women marked some firsts this past election season – like
Marsha Blackburn becoming the first female Tennessee Senator – the vast
majority of these new lawmakers are Democrats.
Among them are the first Muslim congresswomen – Michigan’s Rashida Tlaib and Minnesota’s Ilhan Omar – and the first Native American women to serve – New Mexico’s Debra Haaland and Kansas’ Sharice Davids.
China has announced it successfully landed a
robotic spacecraft on the far side of the Moon, the first ever such attempt and
landing.
According to state media, at 10:26 Beijing time, the un-crewed Chang’e-4
probe touched down in the South Pole-Aitken Basin.
The Chang’e-4 probe is carrying instruments to analyze the unexplored
region’s geology, as well to conduct biological experiments.
The landing is being seen as a major milestone in space exploration.
There have been numerous missions to the Moon in recent years, but the vast
majority have been to orbit, fly by or impact. The last crewed landing was
Apollo 17 in 1972.
The Chang’e-4 probe has already sent
back its first pictures from the surface, which were shared by state media.
With no direct communication link
possible, all pictures and data have to be bounced off a separate satellite
before being relayed to Earth.
Previous Moon missions have landed
on the Earth-facing side, but this is the first time any craft has landed
successfully on the unexplored and rugged far side.
Some spacecraft have crashed into
the far side, either after system failures, or after they had completed their
mission.
The Chang’e-4 was launched from Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in China on December
7; it arrived in lunar orbit on December 12.
The mission was then directed to lower itself toward the Moon, being careful
to identify and avoid obstacles, Chinese state media say.
The Chang’e-4 probe is aiming to explore a place called the Von Kármán crater, located within the much larger South Pole-Aitken (SPA) Basin – thought to have been formed by a giant impact early in the Moon’s history.
Lawyers use legal fees to keep their companies going. These fees keep the lights on in the office and the staff paid. There are many different options for attorneys in how they do their fees. The choice in fee structure usually depends on the type of case the attorney handles. Without these fees, the attorney could not actually support their practice throughout the year.
What are the Options for Attorney Fees?
One of the most common types of attorney fees is the hourly rate. An experienced attorney can estimate how many hours a case will need so the client knows ahead of time what to expect. The fees vary significantly by attorney and area though, so clients may shop around a bit. Flat fees are another common choice. These are typically used for procedural items, such as setting up a will. Each procedure takes the same amount of time and effort. Therefore, the attorney does not need time to reinvent the wheel to win. Contingency fees are common in personal injury cases. Instead of an upfront charge, the attorney does not collect a fee until a certain outcome is reached. This possibility works well when the client does not have the money to pay upfront. However, the attorney is taking on the risk. Retainer fees work well for individuals who plan for certain events. The client pays a fee into a special retainer account. As the attorney works for that client, the fees are deducted out of the account rather than billed to the client. When the attorney-client relationship ends, any remaining fees not covered by the retainer are billed to the client. The last option is what’s known as a statutory fee. These fees are set by the courts rather than the attorney. The attorney then accepts that fee rather than what they would charge otherwise. Each possibility for paying an attorney has its merits. However, each is also most useful in specific situations. There are also significant variables on how the client will handle paying the fee for the attorney.
How do Structured Attorney Fees Work?
Like many financial decisions, it is important to understand the benefits of one choice over another. Structuring attorney fees is no different. Structured attorney fees are like setting up a payment plan, which helps both parties. Structured fees can be used in many scenarios, even if originally the fee structure was different. On the attorney side, the office sets up an arrangement with the client to pay a certain amount every month for a certain amount of time. This mitigates the client’s chances of financial hardship. The office then administers this payment plan, spending hours following up and doing paperwork.
The Benefits of Structured Payments
Structured attorney fees act as attorney payment plans over the long term. In many cases, they offer more benefits to the attorney’s practice than they do to the client, though what they offer the client is impressive. Structures fees turn into structured payments. Structured payments then come in regularly, even in the case of vacation or a slow month. This means there’s no danger of running out of money. It also allows legal offices to plan out their finances in advance, rather than hoping there are enough clients who can pay every month. There are also potential tax benefits for an attorney’s office. Ideally, the structured payments mean the individuals are not bumped up to the next tax bracket. There is a very real risk associated with lump sums that taxes will take a significant chunk of the profit. Structured payments are smaller and can be planned for by the bookkeeper. Structures payments are also a way to protect the money. Since the money is coming in over time, it’s more difficult for it to be included in judgments against a firm. It’s also more protected from creditors and divorce decrees, should those become a concern.
The Best Outcome
Structured attorney fees work well for both the client and the attorney. In many cases, they’re the right option, though there are some potential exceptions like criminal cases. Each situation is unique, and the attorney’s office must decide what level of risk they would like to take in the case. Structured attorney fees offer attorneys an increased chance of collecting the full amount from the client. In many cases, clients cannot necessarily afford to pay attorney fees upfront without putting themselves in a precarious financial situation. By offering a payment plan option, attorneys can attract more clients. Structured fees allow an attorney’s office to run without worry month to month. In an ideal world, the clients pay on time without prompting and there are no issues. There’s a certain amount of uncertainty involved in trusting people to pay. It’s worth noting that attorneys do not have to administer their own payment plans. In the age of software and outsourcing, attorneys do not have to keep their own accounting department. Instead, they can outsource to a service or software to save themselves expenses. Then the outsourced company does the payment chasing instead. That has the potential to save tens of hours of manpower every month. Outsourcing may not be a possibility for every office. A particularly large office may find it beneficial to keep their own billing department. However, options exist now that haven’t existed in the past, and using them can put a legal office at an advantage.
Conclusion
There are many options for gathering attorney fees. Some favor the clients, while others favor the attorney in the written terms. Everyone has the options, depending on the situation and circumstances. However, there is one option that offers more stability on both sides. Structured attorney fees smooth out the process of payment for services rendered on both sides of the equation. The client has more opportunities to pay without risking their own wellbeing. The attorney receives a steadier stream of income and potential tax benefits. Structured attorney fees work well for both sides of the relationship in the long term.
The Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Baltimore Sun and other titles belonging to Tribune Publishing suffered major printing and delivery disruptions on December 29 following a cyberattack.
The attack led to delayed distribution of the publications.
Tribune Publishing said it first detected the malware on December 28, which
hit papers sharing the same printing plant.
The attack is believed to have come from outside the US, the LA Times said.
West Coast editions of the Wall Street
Journal and The New York Times,
which share the same production platform in Los Angeles, were also affected.
“We believe the intention of the
attack was to disable infrastructure, more specifically servers, as opposed to
looking to steal information,” an anonymous source with knowledge of
the attack told the LA Times.
Marisa Kollias, Tribune Publishing spokeswoman, confirmed this in a
statement, saying the virus hurt back-office systems used to publish and
produce “newspapers across our properties”.
“Every market across the company
was impacted,” she said, refusing to give more specifications on the
disruptions, according to the LA Times.
Other publications owned by the company include the New York Daily News, Orlando
Sentinel and the Annapolis
Capital-Gazette, whose staff were the targets of a deadly shooting earlier
this year.
Another publication, the Fort
Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel was also “crippled this weekend by a computer
virus that shut down production and hampered phone lines,” according to a
story on its website.
A Department of Homeland Security official said in a statement: “We are aware of reports of a potential cyber incident affecting several news outlets and are working with our government and industry partners to better understand the situation.”
More than 400 people are confirmed
dead with 20 or so still missing following last week’s devastating tsunami in
the Sunda Strait, Indonesia’s disaster agency announces.
Researchers have examined satellite
images of Anak Krakatau to calculate the amount of rock and ash that sheared
off into the sea.
They say the volcano has lost more
than two-thirds of its height and volume during the past week.
Much of this missing mass could have
slid into the sea in one movement.
It would certainly explain the
displacement of water and the generation of waves up to 5m high that then
inundated the nearby coastlines of Java and Sumatra.
The Center of Volcanology and
Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) has been studying pictures from a number
of radar satellites, including the EU’s Sentinel-1 constellation and the German
TerraSAR-X platform.
Radar has the advantage of being
able to see the ground day or night, and to be able to pierce cloud.
The capability has allowed some
initial measurements to be made of Anak Krakatau’s lost stature, in particular
on its western side.
What was once a volcanic cone
standing some 340m high is now just 110m tall, says the PVMBG.
In terms of volume, 150-170 million
cubic meters of material has gone, leaving only 40-70 million cubic meters
still in place.
Quite how much mass was lost on December 22 itself and how much in the
following days is unknown. Scientists may have a better idea once they have had
a chance to visit the volcano and conduct more extensive surveys.
However, with the eruptions still ongoing and a safety exclusion zone in
force – no-one is going near Anak Krakatau.
Cone collapse with tsunami generation was considered a potential hazard
before December 22.
In 2012, scientists had modeled the possibility six years ago, even
identifying the western flank of Anak Krakatau as the section of the volcano
most likely to fail.
The study, although simulating a larger event, predicted wave heights and coastal inundation times that were remarkably similar to what actually happened.
Hair loss is a problem that a lot of people experience. For some people, the hair fall doesn’t affect the overall look of their hair. Unfortunately for some, their hair loss leads to a visible scalp or receding hairlines. The good news is that a hairline transplant procedure that can treat this problem. However, not everyone is a good candidate for such treatment.
Here
are a few factors that a doctor will check to determine whether you can get the
procedure done or not.
Your Hair Type
Everyone
has different hair types. Wavy and curly hair are generally thick, and if you
have this hair type, you’re a good candidate for a hairline transplant. Thick
hair can hide bald spots very well. Light – which is reflected by your scalp –
won’t pass through thick hair, which will make your bald spots less noticeable.
People
with straight hair are not necessarily bad candidates. If your hair is straight
but thick, then you have a high chance of a successful transplant because of
the coverage that thick hair provides. However, if your hair is straight and
thin, it’s hard to cover up the thinning areas and bald spots, reducing your
rate of success.
Your Age
It’s
usually older people – those who are 30 years old and above – who are the best
candidates for a hairline transplant procedure. Doctors are generally careful
in considering people who are 30 years old or younger.
Teens and young adults can experience hair loss, too. However, their hair loss still has the potential to be treated in a nonsurgical way. For instance, there are conditioners, special creams, and products that can reverse the damage. Additionally, the progress of their hair loss could still change, so undergoing a hairline transplant procedure at a young age may be unnecessary or too soon.
Your Hair Loss Type
Certain
hair loss conditions and their severity can also affect your eligibility for
the treatment. People with male or female pattern baldness are great candidates
because they only lose hair on some parts of their scalp, which means they have
a good amount of hair donors.
If
you have alopecia, then you’re not a good candidate for a hairline transplant
procedure because you have poor hair donors, leading to unfavorable results.
Undergoing a hair transplant will only waste your time and money.
Your Health Condition
If
you’re undergoing any kind of surgical procedure, including a hairline
transplant, it’s necessary that you’re in good general health. Surgeries can
take a toll on your body, so you need to be physically fit. A balanced diet and
regular exercise can help you stay in shape.
You
should discuss any illnesses you have and the treatment you’re undergoing with
your doctor. Certain diseases can worsen your hair loss problem. The
medications you currently take may also adversely affect your body, including
your hair. Transparency in your medical conditions and the medications you’re
taking will help your doctor create the best treatment plan for you.
Your Dedication to Post-Procedure
Recovery
You
may have gone through the hard part, which is the surgery, but it’s not over
yet. After the surgery, you need ample time to recover. You’ll receive
instructions on how to care for yourself after the procedure.
You
need to follow the instructions carefully to ensure the success of the
treatment and your fast recovery. If you’re the kind of person who can follow
post-procedure care, you can push through with the treatment. If you can’t,
perhaps hiring someone to remind you to take your medicines or care for you, is
necessary.
Your Budget
Most
healthcare plans don’t cover hairline transplant procedures, which are not
cheap. The surgery cost usually ranges from $4,000 to $15,000. Additional costs
include the medicines and supplements you need to take after the procedure.
Hairline
transplants are also not a one-time thing. You may need several visits to the
doctor to ensure you get your desired results. You shouldn’t miss appointments
just because you don’t have the money for it as it may affect the success of
your treatment.
The
recovery period may also take some time. If you can’t show up to work, then you
won’t receive any salary.
So,
unless you have a source of passive income, it’s best to save up for the whole
process first.
Conclusion
If
you qualify according to the factors above, then your thinning hair and bald
spots may still be resolved through a hairline transplant procedure. Talk to
your doctor and make sure you thoroughly understand all the possible outcomes
before undergoing the procedure.
Instagram is among the largest social media platform. It is
owned by Facebook and applies the same principles. It has incorporated the like
button and the view option of every post or video. You can conveniently check
the number of followers, likes, and views.
People with a large following are dominant on Instagram and have occupied top hashtags and top pages on the platform. Many people strive for a large following on the platform. Individuals, celebrities, brands, and business owners want recognition on the platform by gathering a large audience.
How does the audience affect you?
1) Gain popularity
The massive the number of viewers the more you are famous.
The best way to gain reputation is by acquiring a large following, likes and
views on your posts and videos. Most major personalities establish their image
on social platforms. A brand will focus on gaining a large audience to increase
in popularity.
However, gaining likes, followers and views is quite a task thus people are turning to buy insta audience.
2) Make more sales
A large number of followers is right for your business. The more people who are aware of your product the probability of the buying is high. If you want to increase your online sales on social media platforms, ensure that the number of audiences you have is high. A number of social media marketing pricing plans can work with your budget to streamline this growth process for any social network.
3) Gain reputation
Instagram is perfect to make a reputation. The posts and videos on your account should boost your image. It is very convenient is if you are a public figure. Gaining reputation involves gaining trust from many people. A good reputation will make people trust your brand and rely on your products.
4) Reach more people
Social media is a good marketing strategy. The more your
insta audience, the more likely you will reach more people. A brand or
entrepreneur having a large following affects their business. If you want to be
ahead of your competitors, it is essential to have a large audience on your
account.
People love places with high engagement and if you can
influence many people the more you will sell. Getting your product to the
target market involves reaching a large number of people. The secret to
business success can acquire and retain customers. Retaining them on social
media platforms involves actively engaging them.
5) Make an impact on the society
Most people on Instagram strives to send a particular message
to a specific group of people. It may be their experiences in life or helping
people live with a specific condition. The appropriate way of reaching many
people is having a large group of following.
You can conveniently send a helpful message to many people
if your audience is right.
Bottom Line
A large audience impacts your image positively. People often
rely on brand or entrepreneurs that many people trust. If you post a product or
video and many people like and view it many will see it as a reliable product
and will get more sales.
Having large insta followers is meaningful. You should
strive to acquire the right number. It is convenient to boost your image and
people will trust you. Many people will also follow you if your account is
highly engaging.
Getting the right number can take time, and you may not
achieve it naturally. You can opt to buy followers, likes, and views from
reliable sites.
Riding an ATV is a whole lot of fun. All-terrain vehicles are made for handling wild rides through beautiful country. Unimpeded views, thrilling hills and turns, and unhindered exploration: those are the things that ATV riding is all about.
But this sort of adventure-seeking comes with risks. ATV riders should be very careful to practice safe riding when they’re out on the trail and enjoying themselves. It takes skill and a great sense of one’s own limitations to make the right decisions and get back safely from a top-notch ATV ride. And it takes one more thing, too: an ATV that you can rely on.
A poorly maintained ATV is a dangerous ATV
If your ATV is not well maintained, then it could become a liability. You want your ATV to have great traction, to turn when you need it to turn, to brake when you need it to brake. You want to avoid breakdowns and system failures so that you can always make return trips safely so that you never have to worry about a sudden disaster when you’re flying along at top speeds or trying to make a difficult turn.
As a responsible ATV rider, you want to work hard to keep yourself safe while you’re having fun. You need an ATV that works with you toward that same goal, and that means you need to keep your ATV in top-notch shape. Here’s how to do that.
Rely on a great mechanic
Just like any other kind of vehicle, your ATV needs the occasional check-up from a mechanic. So find one that you trust, and don’t be a stranger! While there are some basic maintenance jobs that you can do yourself on your ATV, it never hurts to have an expert touch. A frequent visits to a mechanic will mean that small or potential problems can be stopped before they get worse. Don’t wait until something goes wrong to get your ATV checked out. Be proactive, and you’ll enjoy a safer ride. You’ll also save money by avoiding more costly repair needs down the line!
Invest in quality parts
There will come a time when you need to replace a part on your ATV. When that time comes, you will most likely have a choice: should you go with a more expensive brand-name part, or take a flyer on a cheaper alternative?
Go with the brand name. Elite products like Polaris parts are going to be more reliable for your ATV — which means that, in turn, your ATV is going to be more reliable for you. You should talk to your mechanic about the importance of opting for great parts. When in doubt, you should always go with quality brand names. This is your safety we’re talking about — don’t skimp on it!
Protect your ATV from the elements
When you’re out riding, your ATV is right out in nature with you. It’s going to get muddy, and it’s going to barrel through crazy terrain. But when your ride is finished, you should take the time to clean things up. You don’t want to let mud stay caked on your vehicle, and you certainly don’t want your ATV to stay wet — that could lead to rust. Rust destroys vehicles of all kinds, and ATVs are no exception.
When you’re not using your ATV, you should keep it stored in a dry place with moderate and relatively constant temperatures. Invest in a great ATV cover to keep your ride protected from dust and other dangers. And if you’re not going to ride your ATV for a long time, prepare it for the time off. Winterizing is a key step for ATV riders in cold climates who are hanging up the helmet for the season, and ATVs should be prepared for long-term disuse even if the weather is warm.
Caring for an ATV isn’t too tough, and it will pay off big time. A well maintained ATV is a safer and more enjoyable vehicle.
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania
Trump have made an unannounced Christmas visit at the al-Asad airbase in Iraq.
The first family traveled there “late on Christmas night” to thank
troops for “their service, their success and their sacrifice”, the
White House said.
President Trump said the US had no plans to pull out of Iraq, Reuters
reports.
The trip came days after Defense Secretary Jim Mattis quit over divisions
about strategy in the region.
The US still has some 5,000 troops in Iraq to support the government in its
fight against what remains of the ISIS.
President Trump, the First Lady and National Security Adviser John Bolton
traveled on Air Force One to al-Asad airbase, west of the capital Baghdad, to
meet military personnel in the base’s restaurant.
The president spent about three hours at the base in what is his first visit
to the region.
During the visit President Trump got a standing ovation from troops as he entered
a dining hall and walked around greeting them, posing for selfies with them and
signing autographs.
He tweeted: “.@FLOTUS Melania and I were honored to visit
our incredible troops at Al Asad Air Base in Iraq. GOD BLESS THE U.S.A.!”
The president had planned to spend Christmas at his private golf club in
Florida, but stayed behind in Washington because of the current partial
government shutdown.
“We’re no longer the suckers,
folks,” he told American servicemen and women at the base.
“We’re respected again as a
nation.”
President Trump said the US could use Iraq as a forward base if “we
wanted to do something in Syria”, Reuters news agency reports.
He defended his decision to withdraw US troops from Syria during the visit,
saying: “A lot of people are going
to come around to my way of thinking.
Supreme Court Judge Ruth Bader
Ginsburg was discharged from the hospital following cancer surgery and is
recuperating at home, a court spokeswoman has announced.
The 85-year-old had surgery to
remove two cancerous nodules from her left lung in New York on December 21.
The Notorious RBG, who is the most
senior justice on the Supreme Court’s liberal wing, has previously had surgery
to treat colon cancer and pancreatic cancer.
Supreme Court judges serve for life
or until they retire.
Supporters of Ruth Bader Ginsburg
have expressed concern that if anything happened to her, she could be replaced
by a conservative justice.
Supreme Court spokeswoman Kathy
Arberg said in a statement: “Justice
Ginsburg was discharged from the hospital yesterday [December 25] and is
recuperating at home.”
According to an earlier statement released
by the court, the malignant nodules were initially discovered when Ruth Bader Ginsburg
broke three ribs in November.
Both were successfully removed at
New York’s Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and afterwards “there
was no evidence of any remaining disease”, it added.
No further treatment is planned.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg was appointed to
the Supreme Court in 1993 by President Bill Clinton.
She had previously focused her work
on women’s rights and started the first law journal dedicated to the topic.
Some of her legal opinions, coupled with her refusal to step down during the Obama era, have seen her gain popularity in some quarters.
A deadly tsunami triggered by Anak
Krakatau volcano’s eruption struck Indonesia on December 22, at 21:30 local
time, during a local holiday.
Giant waves crashed into coastal
towns on the islands of Sumatra and Java, killing at least 281 people and
injuring 1,016.
Sea water did not recede as it would
with an earthquake tsunami and experts say that even if there had been warning
buoys near the volcano, there would have been minimal alert time.
On December 23, coastal residents
near Indonesia’s Anak Krakatau volcano have been warned to keep away from
beaches amid fears it could trigger a new tsunami.
It is thought that volcanic activity
set off undersea landslides which in turn generated the killer waves.
Anak Krakatau erupted again on
December 23, spewing ash and smoke.
Video shot from a charter plane
captured the magnitude of the volcanic event in the Sunda Strait, between
Sumatra and Java.
Rescue efforts are being hampered by
blocked roads but heavy lifting equipment is being transported to badly hit
areas to help search for victims.
The spokesman for the National
Disaster Management Agency, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, told a news conference that
another tsunami is a possibility because of the continued volcanic eruptions of
Anak Krakatau.
He said: “Recommendations from [the] Meteorology, Climatology and
Geophysical Agency are that people should not carry out activities on the beach
and stay away from the coast for a while.”
Anak Krakatau, which emerged in 1927
from the caldera that was formed during the eruption of Krakatoa in 1883, has
seen increased activity in recent months with people asked to avoid the area
around its crater.
On December, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho put
out a series of tweets explaining why there was no early warning for this
tsunami. He said that Indonesia’s early warning system is set up to monitor
earthquakes but not undersea landslides and volcanic eruptions, which can also
generate deadly waves.
With 13% of the world’s volcanoes in
Indonesia alone, it was crucial for the country to develop such system.
Sutopo Purwo Nugroho confirmed there was no tsunami advance warning system the night of the disaster, adding that because of lack of funds, vandalism to the buoys and technical faults there had been no operational tsunami warning system since 2012.
Brett McGurk, the US special presidential envoy
for the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, has quit over President Donald Trump’s
decision to pull troops from Syria.
He brought his departure forward from February.
Before President Trump’s announcement he had insisted that the US would
continue working against ISIS in Syria.
President Trump described Brett McGurk’s resignation as a “nothing
event”.
The president tweeted: “Brett
McGurk, who I do not know, was appointed by President Obama in 2015. Was
supposed to leave in February but he just resigned prior to leaving.
Grandstander? The Fake News is making such a big deal about this nothing event!”
Brett McGurk’s decision to quit follows the resignation of Defense Secretary
Jim Mattis on December 20.
General Jim Mattis had also opposed withdrawing troops from Syria as well as
reducing the US presence in Afghanistan.
Brett McGurk, 45, is an experienced
diplomat who was appointed to his current role in 2015 under the Obama
administration.
In early December, the envoy told
reporters: “We want to stay on the
ground and make sure that stability can be maintained in these areas.”
He added: “It would be reckless if we were just to say, well, the physical
caliphate is defeated, so we can just leave now. I think anyone who’s looked at
a conflict like this would agree with that.”
In his resignation letter, seen by
AP news agency, Brett McGurk said that ISIS militants in Syria were on the run
but not yet defeated. He said that withdrawing US forces from Syria would
create the conditions that gave rise to ISIS.
In an email to staff quoted by the New York Times, Brett McGurk said
President Trump’s decision to pull out troops “came as a shock and was a
complete reversal of policy”. It “left our coalition partners
confused and our fighting partners bewildered”, he said.
Brett McGurk went on to say: “I ultimately concluded I could not carry out these new instructions and maintain my integrity.”
There is an opinion that electronic cigarettes
are less harmful than regular (tobacco) ones. In fact, this question has not
been thoroughly studied. Of course, facts confirming that people are switching
to e-cigarettes, with time, no longer feel short of breath, get rid of the pain
in a chest and strong cough. There are many other benefits. Scientists do not
argue that the electronic cigarette is a panacea for smokers because hovering
is quite a young thing and so far there are no serious tests to confirm or
refute this hypothesis. The question of the harm or benefit of vape is far from
the only one of those that hover around these electronic devices. Often the
financial issue is important, and in this article, we will figure out what is
cheaper – electronic cigarettes or regular ones.
To begin with, smoking any cigarette, including vape pen, is harmful. Before
you buy electronic cigarettes, think again about the potential harm that you
cause to health, as well as the possible addiction to nicotine. Remember that
although electronic cigarettes are less dangerous for the body than tobacco
products, their detrimental effects on the body have not been studied for a
long time. So far it is only known that steam can cause diseases (including
cancer) of the respiratory, cardiovascular, nervous and other systems.
Therefore, if you want to protect yourself from harm completely – do not smoke or steam at all. At the same
time, it can be said that an electronic cigarette is a reasonable alternative
to regular cigarettes. If by virtue of habit or personal factors you cannot
give up nicotine, it is better that it enters your body without toxic
impurities, tar, carcinogens, poisons, which are more than enough in tobacco
smoke. Steam is safer.
Is it cheaper to soar or smoke?
More and more people around the world give their preference to modern cigarettes, completely refusing tobacco. This is connected not so much with concern for their own health, but with the desire to reduce their costs. It is secretly assumed that an electronic cigarette is a very expensive pleasure, but this is more a legend than a reality. Indeed, some ten years ago, when e-cigarettes rushed into the markets, it was not easy and expensive to buy them. They cost a lot of money, and the service noticeably hit the bill. Today the situation is completely different, which can be fairly justified by high competition, as well as rapid development in the field of technology and appearance of vape shops (Vapindaily, for example). Often, a smoker who has to choose whether to switch to “nanotechnological” smoking compares the cost of his cigarettes with the cost of an electronic cigarette and makes a choice in the direction of tobacco. To a newcomer in this business, it may seem that the price of a gadget is ten times higher than the price of one pack of cigarettes, and therefore there is no point in changing an ordinary tobacco cigarette to an uncharted device. But here it is worth remembering that an electronic cigarette is bought once and with proper maintenance it can be used for a long time. For a beginner, it is often important that an electronic cigarette be similar in appearance and shape to a regular one. The myths that e-cigs are much more expensive than regular cigarettes are most likely created to maintain the budget of tobacco corporations. Probably, it is clear for what reasons – they just do not want to lose their income. It turns out that the benefits and advantages of an electronic cigarette over obsolete tobacco products prevail. Safe for life and health of the components that make up the liquid, getting rid of unpleasant odors, and as a bonus, a very pleasant saving of your own wallet. In conclusion, it is worth noting that smoking or hovering is a matter for everyone individually. It is worth remembering that tobacco products are definitely harmful and weightily hit the budget. As for electronic soaring, little is known about the harm here, but this does not exclude the fact that it does exist. An average smoker who needs one pack of cigarettes a day spends about $ 650 a year to buy cigarettes. A considerable amount, isn’t it? And if you take into account what cigarettes do to you, it may seem absurd. Now imagine what you could spend all the money saved! And, finally, you have a question: “How much will it cost to use an electronic cigarette?” Initially, when switching from cigarettes to vaping, the cost of the starter kit is taken into account, which ranges from $ 15 to $ 40, the remaining costs are buying vape juice and replaceable components (evaporators). According to our calculations, it will cost about $ 50 a month, depending on your device and the amount of liquid that you evaporate. More advanced devices cost more money – better specifications require higher production costs. But, having made a purchase of a device, all your future costs are limited to the purchase of liquids and consumables, the service life of which often exceeds one month. By simple calculations, you can answer the main question yourself. But for clarity, we will demonstrate the numbers. Keeping your e-cigarette and maintaining a supply of liquid will cost you $ 100- $ 250 per year. Agree, it is clearly more profitable than spending $ 650 on cigarettes. Ideally, vaping should help you to throw both cigarettes and steam, which will reduce your expenses on a bad habit to zero! Well, do not forget that, according to the research department of the Department of Health of the United Kingdom, vaping is 95% safer than traditional cigarettes. An electronic cigarette, if we are talking about a good model, is financially more profitable than daily buying cigarette packs. In conclusion, we only note that it is recommended to buy e-cigarettes and consumables from trusted suppliers, which will protect you from counterfeits, unsafe and low-quality products. Remember that for each different consumer models of devices and liquids may be ideal – be prepared for a conscious independent choice.
About the author: Christina Matthews, the
journalist who studies the latest news in the health industry. Now she studies
the effects of smoking and vaping on health and reasons of such its popularity.
