The Best Things To Buy On Black Friday Sales & The Worst Things To Buy On Black Friday Sales

If you’re in need of a new laptop, desktop, gaming PC or tablet, Black Friday is the time to upgrade. Apple products will be on sale at retailers like Best Buy. Apple will offer gift cards with purchase (no discounts). Plus, Dell, Lenovo and HP will all be dropping online doorbusters the entire weekend. These electronics sale events can be tough to navigate, so check out tech retailers’ Black Friday ads in advance to see what’s dropping and when.

Often, the lowest doorbuster prices will be on machines with weak specs. However, because the price is already lower than usual, you can use that “extra” money to upgrade your storage and processing power. Need a new tablet? Tablets are among the best Black Friday buys. Check out Best Buy and Target — iPad deals on Black Friday are practically inevitable at both. And check out Amazon’s deals on its own products (Fire tablets and Kindles).

It might be hard to believe there’s a bad buy to be had on Black Friday. And it’s true that almost everything is on sale. However, there are a few products that it’s smart to skip or buy at another time of year. You’ll find clothing deals aplenty on Black Friday. But these deals are often offered on specific items, rather than across the board (although, last year, we did see some pretty healthy sitewide promo codes).

Regardless of the strength of the discounts, there’s no rush to buy clothing on Black Friday. You’ll find some furniture deals in major retailers’ Black Friday ads — and furniture stores will offer their own sales. But, unless you absolutely need to replace that sectional, bed or dining room table, there’s no reason you absolutely must shop for furniture on Black Friday and divert your attention from smarter buys.

Here are some interesting facts about this beautiful bird, it’s everything you really need to know about puffins.

There are four species of puffins. The one breeding in Iceland is the Atlantic puffin, the other species are the Horned puffin, Tufted puffin and Rhinoceros Auklet. Sixty percent of the world’s puffins breed in Iceland.

A puffin’s beak (or bill) changes colour during the year. They only possess Technicolor beaks – and their matching orange feet – during the spring breeding season. Just before winter sets in, they shed the colourful outer beak, leaving a noticeably smaller and duller-coloured beak.

Puffins spend most of their lives out at sea, resting on the waves when not swimming. They are well suited to life on the sea and mostly eat fish. They only return to land to breed. Puffins are carnivores and live off small fish such as herring, hake and sand eels.

Puffins mate for life. They seem to have very conservative family values and usually pair up with the same partner as previous years – some have been together 20 years! They raise their single chick (or puffling) over the course of summer and return every year to the same burrow with the same mate.

Puffins don’t make nests, they dig holes. In spring and summer, thousands of puffins gather in colonies on the coasts and islands of the North Atlantic Ocean to breed. They dig their holes (or burrows) using their beaks and feet. They prefer to make their burrows in earth or between rocks on steep cliffs so predators cannot easily reach them. The burrows are up to one meter deep.

The female puffin only lays one egg each spring. Like with some penguins, both parents take turns incubating the egg and caring for the puffling. The puffling spends most of its day inside the burrow, mostly feeds on fish and grows rapidly. After 36-45 days it is fully fledged and makes its way to the sea and does not return to land for several years.

Puffins live a long life. In the wild, these winged wonders live for around 20 years. Their main predator is the great black-backed gull, which can capture a puffin mid-flight or swoop in on a puffin on the ground. Herring gulls are also a threat because they steal puffins’ fish (sometimes right from their mouths), and they pull pufflings or eggs from their burrows.

Puffins are smaller than you think. They only measure about 30 cm from the tip of their beak to the end of their tail and stand at about 20 cm.

The puffin is a poor flier. The puffin struggles to get in the air, beating its wings 300-400 times a minute just to stay in flight! They also have trouble landing, often crashing into the water or rolling onto the grass, tumbling into any other puffins that may be in their way.

The puffin is an excellent swimmer. They use their wings to ‘fly’ underwater while using their feet to control direction. Puffins are incredible divers and can reach depths of 60 meters on their journeys to look for food.

Puffins may chatter up a storm at their breeding colonies, but they remain perfectly silent while at sea.

Puffins cannot fly unless they have a view of the ocean.

What is a Digital Nomad?

Digital nomads are remote workers who usually travel to different locations. They often work in coffee shops, co-working spaces, or public libraries, relying on devices with wireless internet capabilities like smart phones and mobile hotspots to do their work wherever they want.

5 Benefits of Being a Digital Nomad

1. You’ll be more productive.

There’s no time to waste when you travel to gorgeous places almost every day. Exploring your new surroundings will motivate you to get your work done as soon as possible. Adventure can be one of the best types of motivation.

2. You’ll have more breakthrough ideas.

Creativity happens when you mash seemingly unrelated concepts together to form a new idea. Neuroscientists call this synaptic play, and the more incongruent the concepts are, the more synapses occur in your brain. Working in a different place everyday gives you a lot of diverse experiences that you call pull from to make these creative connections. And when your brain is chock full of these diverse inputs, your ideas are much more inventive.

3. You’ll become more adaptable.

Constantly traveling to new places pushes you out of your comfort zone. And to adapt to new environments everyday, you need to be willing to engage with different people and cultures. This makes you more open to new experiences in the future. Traveling also improves your brain’s reaction to change. When you travel, the stress of navigating a foreign place sprouts dendrites in your brain. These dangling extensions increase your brain’s capacity and attentiveness during new and challenging situations in the future. In a nutshell, traveling strengthens your desire and ability to learn new skills.

4. You’ll have more time to do the things you love.

Even though work can be great, we still work to live, not the other way around. Finishing work faster gives you more time in your schedule to explore your surroundings, do the things you’re passionate about, and spend more time with loved ones.

5. You’ll make lifelong friendships.

Adventure and memorable experiences forge close connections between people. When you embark on your journey, you’ll meet other digital nomads and become friends with them. And if you travel with a friend or significant other, your relationship will be closer than ever before.

1. Labs Love the Water

In fact, these dogs were made for the water! Their thick tail (sometimes called an “otter tail”) is used as a powerful rudder, their webbed feet help them swim fast, and their thick, waterproof coats keep them happy even in cold water, like the icy Newfoundland waters where they were first bred. All of these traits make Labs great competitors in Diving Dogs trials.

2. They Are Purpose-Bred Hunting Dogs

Labs started out as duck retrievers, and after they were brought back to England in the 1800s, the British bred them as game-hunting companions. Today, they’re excellent retrievers who can work in a variety of settings, including waterfowl hunting and game hunting, often for many hours at a time. You’ll find Labs excelling in Retriever Field Trials and Retriever Hunting Tests.

3. They’re Very Versatile Workers

Thanks to their intelligence, eagerness to please, and willingness to work hard, Labradors are invaluable workers in a variety of fields. They’re among the most popular choices for service dog work, as well as search and rescue, bomb and drug detection, and therapy dog work.

4. Be Prepared for Endless Energy

Though they’re famously laid-back, Labs were made to run, swim, and work. Labs that don’t receive ample exercise, including at least one long, brisk walk per day, might end up displaying destructive behaviors, like chewing on objects around the house or escaping the yard.

5. Puppy Training and Obedience Classes Are Highly Recommended

These bold, bouncy dogs are strong and full of energy, so proper training and socialization are essential. Luckily, with their eager-to-please, intelligent demeanors, these dogs can make training classes a joy for themselves and their owners.

6. They Come in Three Conformation Colors

The three colors are yellow, black, and chocolate. All three colors of Labrador Retrievers are shown in the same ring during dog shows.

7. They’re Incredible Versatile Sporting Dogs

With their characteristic intelligence, obedience, and eagerness to please, Labradors excel at a variety of dog sports. Besides dock diving and hunting trials, they tend to perform very well in sports like Agility, AKC Rally, and Obedience.

8. Color Is Not an Indication of Character

Some claim that yellow Labs are the laziest of the breed, while black Labs are the best hunters, but none of these claims are supported by science. Like people, each dog is different, and some breeders develop their stock for its skills in the field, while others are concerned more with conformation to the breed standard. However, none of these differences directly depend on the dog’s color.

1 ) Turkeys are more than just big chickens–more than 45 million years of evolution separates the two species.

2 ) The wild turkey was hunted nearly to extinction by the early 1900s, when the population reached a low of around 30,000 birds. But restoration programs across North America have brought the numbers up to seven million today.

3 ) There are six subspecies of wild turkey, all native to North America. The pilgrims hunted and ate the eastern wild turkey, M. gallopavo silvestris, which today has a range that covers the eastern half of the United States and extends into Canada. These birds, sometimes called the forest turkey, are the most numerous of all the turkey subspecies, numbering more than five million.

4 ) The Aztecs domesticated another subspecies, M. gallapavo gallopavo, the south Mexican wild turkey, and the Spanish brought those turkeys to Europe. The pilgrims then brought several of these domestic turkeys back to North America.

5 ) Male turkeys are called “gobblers,” after the “gobble” call they make to announce themselves to females (which are called “hens”) and compete with other males. Other turkey sounds include “purrs,” “yelps” and “kee-kees.

6 ) A turkey’s gender can be determined from its droppings–males produce spiral-shaped poop and females’ poop is shaped like the letter J.

7 ) Turkeys can run at speeds of up to 25 miles per hour and fly as fast as 55 miles per hour.

8 ) A group of related male turkeys will band together to court females, though only one member of the group gets to mate.

9 ) When a hen is ready to make little turkeys, she’ll lay about 10 to 12 eggs, one egg per day, over a period of about two weeks. The eggs will incubate for about 28 days before hatching.

10) Baby turkeys, called poults, eat berries, seeds and insects, while adults have a more varied diet that can include acorns and even small reptiles.A

Dressing up your dog for Halloween can be a fun hit at the party or create cute photos that everyone will love. If you do dress up your furry friend, consider these 6 tips to making your dog’s Halloween comfy, safe, and stress free:

Choose costumes that do not restrict movement, sight, or airways

It is important to ensure your dog can see, hear, and breath in their costumes, especially if they are out trick-or-treating with you and your family. Stay away from costumes that involve a head or tight neck piece or have goggles. Remember that you dog’s ears are sensitive! Make sure any costume pieces are not irritating to their ears.

Try on the costume ahead of time

Have a fashion show and put your dog in the costume before Halloween to ensure they are comfortable and happy wearing it and can move freely in it.

Ensure your dog’s tags can still be seen

Halloween can be a scary time for pups with lots of strangers coming to the doors or walking around with people in funny outfits. Should your dog be trick-or-treating with you and manage to get away, ensure that their tag and your identification can be clearly seen and read. Keep your dog on a leash to help control and protect your dog. Microchipping is a veterinarian preferred way to identify your dog and to assist with reunification should your dog get away.

Put reflective tape on the costume or use glow sticks

Add reflective tape or glow-tape to your dog’s costume to help them be more easily seen on the sidewalk or street at night. Tie glow sticks to the leash or costume for better visibility

Check for safety concerns

Check your dog’s outfit for dangling pieces or twisting concerns. Easily chewed off objects can provide choking hazards and ill-fitting or strappy costumes can catch on objects, people, or other dogs and can lead to injury.

Always consider your dog’s comfort level

Wearing a costume can cause stress in some dogs, so it is important to make sure your dog loves and feels comfortable in whatever you put them in. If they seemed distressed or show abnormal behavior, try to frequently remove the costume, or consider a festive Halloween bandana or collar instead!

1. Create Spooky Invitations

Invitations are a lot more important than you may think. They set the mood for the party long before it even starts. The type of invitation you choose can let people know if the party will be lighthearted or spooky. These free Halloween invitations templates will help you choose what kind of Halloween theme you want for your party.

2. Keep Everyone Fed with These Halloween Food Ideas

Halloween is the one day of the year where unappetizing food is exciting. The possibilities for creating disturbing treats are endless! You could make ghost cookies, pigs in a blanket disguised as severed fingers, spaghetti and meatball brains, and so much more. Check out these Halloween recipes for menu inspiration. The great news is that you can make food for any course. Appetizers, main dishes, and desserts can all be transformed into a festive surprise. If you want a shocking centerpiece, you could fill a cake with strawberry preserves so that it “bleeds” when you cut into it.

3. Dance Until Dawn with a Halloween Playlist

Any Halloween party is incomplete without theme music to set the mood. Classic hits like “Thriller” by Michael Jackson are catchy enough to raise the dead. This step is easy if you use streaming devices like YouTube, Spotify, or Pandora to play your tunes. Since they have curated Halloween playlists, all you have to do is hook your phone up to a speaker to get the party started.

4. Establish Your Halloween Party Theme

Halloween has many faces. Do you want your party to be a cute costume contest or a creepy adventure? The theme you envision should influence how you decorate the party space. Jack-o’-lanterns and friendly ghosts are more lighthearted Halloween characters. Zombies, witches, and vampires are much darker. If you want to celebrate all the fun sides of Halloween, then it’s okay to mesh the cute with the frightening. If some of your friends scare easily, you could even try to decorate two rooms with different themes to ensure everyone has a good time.

5. Create Fun Goodie Bags for Your Adult Halloween Party

Everyone gets excited about gifts. Thankfully, you don’t have to spend a fortune to find fun party favors.
Silly string, masquerade masks, fake blood, vampire teeth, and candy are all creative ideas you could use to create goodie bags. The great part about including a mask is that any guest who doesn’t have a costume can still feel included by wearing theirs.

Step 1: See Why They’re Leaving

Of course, there can be several reasons an employee leaves the organization. Knowing that reason is the first step to help you decide what kind of farewell party you want for them. For instance, if the person is leaving because they’ve retired, the farewell should be more retirement-themed. If they’re leaving because of a transfer, the party will call for something different. Decide the theme of the party from the reason for leaving.

Step 2: Decide the Venue 

Once you’ve decided on the theme, see where the party is going to take place. Now, there’s no need to be fancy choosing a venue for the farewell party. The venue can be as simple as your home where you can gather all your favorites. Next, prepare the guest list and send out the invites. You may want to do this in advance because guests need time to prepare for the party.

Step 3: Don’t Forget Refreshments

You’re planning a going-away party and refreshments are a must. How far you want to go up with that is totally up to you. It could be a pizza party or a night of sushi, it all depends on your guests and your budget of course.

Step 4: Keep the Party Alive

Whether it’s a virtualor a physical one, you wouldn’t want your guests to be bored while they’re at the party right? You need to prepare some games for the party. Think maybe a board game, setting up a booth for taking a photo with the guest(s) of honor, or how about seeing old photos of your journey with them and reminiscing the good times? More ideas are given below.

Step 5: Prepare Gifts 

There is no better way to make an employee feel loved than by purchasing them useful goodbye gifts. Gifts for the person who’s going away will go a long way in helping them always remember you. For instance, if they’re moving to a new place, they’ll love a useful gift for their new home.

1. Have good sleep routine (sleep hygiene)

Having a regular routine helps to improve sleep. It’s sometimes called sleep hygiene. A good sleep routine should include having a set time to start winding down – and a way to relax is important too. Going to bed and getting up at fixed times is another good sleep habit. Ideally, a sleep routine should be the same every day, including weekends.

2. Relax, unwind and try sleep meditation

Remember, your sleep routine starts before you get into bed, so build in time every evening to relax. Avoid electronic devices at least an hour before bed, as mobiles, tablets and computers all throw out blue light that stops sleep. Reading, listening to soft music or a podcast, or sleep meditation can all help if you have trouble sleeping. Try some guided meditation for sleep, like our Beditation relaxation video.

3. Try mindfulness for sleep

Anxiety, worry and stress can affect how well we sleep. Luckily, there are things you can do daily to help manage your worries, like talking to someone you trust or writing in a notebook about your concerns. If you often lie awake worrying, set aside time before bed to make a to-do list for the next day – this can be a good way to put your mind at rest. Using techniques like reframing unhelpful thoughts might also help, which we cover in our self-help CBT techniques section along with other tips.

4. Create the right sleep environment

It’s generally easier to drop off when it’s quiet, dark and cool – although the right sleep environment is personal, so try different things and see what works for you. Silence is golden when it comes to sleep for many of us, so wearing earplugs, putting your phone on silent (or out of the room entirely) can keep things quiet. Good curtains or blinds can help to keep a room dark and avoid unwanted lights by keeping clocks out of view and phones facing down. Make sure your room is the right temperature for you and well ventilated, as a cool room is usually better to sleep in than a hot or stuffy one. Some people also find it helps to play music for sleep, such as ambient sounds like rainfall, gentle music or white noise.

5. Do not force sleep

If you’re lying awake unable to sleep, do no not try to force it. If you’re tired and enjoying the feeling of resting, then sleep may naturally take over. But if you cannot sleep, get up and sit in a comfy place and do something relaxing, like reading a book or listening to quiet music. Only go back to bed when you feel sleepier.

1. THERE ARE 8 RECOGNISED SUBSPECIES OF THE ARCTIC FOX

The Arctic fox numbers are believed to be at least several hundred thousand in the wild, which are stable and of least concern at present. Based on genetic studies, 8 subspecies of Arctic fox have been described:

1. Mainland Arctic fox Vulpes lagopus lagopus
2. Iceland Arctic fox Vulpes lagopus fuliginosus
3. Greenland Arctic fox Vulpes lagopus groenlandicus
4. Spitsbergen Arctic fox Vulpes lagopus spitzbergenensis
5. Hall Island Arctic fox Vulpes lagopus hallensis
6. Bering Island/Sea Arctic fox Vulpes lagopus beringensis
7. Pribilof Islands Arctic fox Vulpes lagopus pribilofensis
8. Ungava Bay (Fort Chimo) Arctic fox Vulpes lagopus ungava

2. THEIR POPULATIONS FLUCTUATE IN RESPONSE TO LEMMING NUMBERS

Arctic foxes depend on lemmings as their main food source in inland areas, creating a tight-knit predator-prey relationship between them. Consequently, most of their populations fluctuate between years in response to lemming numbers going up and down, as part of their natural population cycle. While the Arctic fox numbers are stable in their frozen environments, they are still vulnerable to lemming populations crashing at regular intervals.

3. THEY LIVE IN SOME OF THE HARSHEST PLACES ON THE PLANET

Arctic foxes are well adapted to living in icy-cold environments, such as the Arctic and alpine tundra of the polar region in the Northern hemisphere. The Arctic fox is also much smaller, stouter and more compact than other members of the Fox family, which helps to reduce heat loss due to lower total body surface area. The thickness of the fur also increases for the winter season to help maintain a stable core body temperature and also survive the harsh, cold conditions of the Arctic. With the ability to physically adapt to survive winter, Arctic foxes never have to hibernate.

4. THEY CHANGE THEIR FUR COLOUR DEPENDING ON THE SEASON

Different seasons can mean different climatic conditions and opportunities for the Arctic fox. So its fur colour can change between seasons for thermal insulation as well as to help blend with its immediate surroundings. In the winter, their fur morphs into the iconic, thick white coating. But as summer arrives, snow melts, and Arctic foxes start to shed their long white coat to a shorter, thinner fur, which can come in a variety of colours, from dark and light grey, charcoal brown to bluish brown coating.

5. THEY HAVE DARK-COLOURED SKIN UNDERNEATH THEIR FUR COATS

Arctic foxes have a darker skin pigmentation—similar to Polar bears—underneath their fur coating. The darker skin colour is better at absorbing and retaining heat, which can be an advantage, especially in colder environments such as the frozen Arctic.

6. THEY CAN ALSO SNOW-DIVE TO CATCH THEIR PREY

An Arctic fox usually has different tricks up its sleeve when hunting. Lemmings are its favourite prey, but they live in a complex network of tunnel systems buried deep within the snow, protecting them from predators on the ground. So, Arctic foxes carefully listen for lemmings moving or burrowing underneath the snow to pinpoint their location by tilting their heads. Once the prey is located, an Arctic fox can jump several feet in the air and nose dive into the snow to catch its prey. Sometimes, it takes more than a few tries, but it’s the effort that counts.

7. THE ARCTIC FOX HAS A SHORT LIFESPAN IN THE WILD

The survival rate of adult arctic foxes can vary depending on the region, food availability and the number of predators in the area. But usually, they live up to 3-4 years in the wild.

8. THEY SOMETIMES FOLLOW POLAR BEARS WHEN FOOD BECOMES SCARCE

In the wild, food can be hard to find, especially in polar regions during the long winter months. So the Arctic fox diet is often varied including small mammals, such as lemmings and voles, seabirds, waterfowls and grouse, berries, seaweed, eggs, insects and even frozen carcasses. During prey scarcity, arctic foxes will sometimes follow polar bears on their hunting trip to scavenge on any remaining scraps left by the bear.

1. Dogs Make Us Feel Less Alone

Dogs can be there for you even when people can’t. They offer unconditional love, emotional support, and constant cuddles that help stave off social isolation. A small Australian study discovered that dog ownership can reduce loneliness. A national survey of pet owners and non-pet owners by the Human Animal Bond Research Institute found that 85% of respondents believe that interaction with pets reduces loneliness. Most agree that human-pet interactions can help address social isolation.

2. Dogs Are Good for Your Heart

Owning a dog can help you live longer. A comprehensive review of studies published between 1950 and 2019 found that dog owners had a lower risk of death. Studies suggest that dog owners have lower blood pressure levels and improved responses to stress. Research has concluded that the bond between humans and dogs reduces stress, which is a major cause of cardiovascular problems.

3. Dogs Help You Stop Stressing Out

Your canine companion can offer comfort and ease your worries. Multiple studies show that dogs and therapy dogs help relieve stress and anxiety. Even just petting a familiar dog lowers blood pressure and heart rate, slows breathing, and relaxes tense muscles. Scientists at Washington State University discovered that petting a dog for just 10 minutes can have a significant impact. Study participants had a significant reduction in cortisol, a major stress hormone.

4. Dogs Can Help Us Cope in Times of Crisis

Dogs can help us recover psychologically from a crisis. Purdue University’s College of Veterinary Medicine discovered that military veterans with PTSD can do better both physiologically and psychologically when they have a service dog. Veterans with a service dog had significantly fewer symptoms of PTSD and showed improved coping skills.

5. Dogs Encourage You to Move

Those long treks along sidewalks, trails, and paths add up. A 2019 British study discovered that dog owners are nearly four times more likely than non-dog owners to meet daily physical activity guidelines. Dog owners spend nearly 300 minutes every week walking with their dogs. That’s 200 more minutes of walking than people without a dog of their own

Make sandcastle

One of the most unique beach activities that you can consider trying is making your own castle out of sand. Give the sand any shape you want with your hands and create a unique castle. Start by making smaller castles and as you get better with the art, try making bigger and more ornate ones. This is a great way to explore your creativity and spend time in a productive manner. Especially, encourage your kids as creating sandcastles can boost their creativity and imagination power. Once you are done making your own sandcastle, take a picture of it, post on Instagram and let your followers admire your creation.

Play outdoor games

Playing outdoor games is one of the fun beach activities that you can enjoy. Beaches provide such a huge space that you can arrange many outdoor games there. Frisbee, volleyball, badminton, freeze tag, hopscotch, whatever you feel like, you can play with your friends and family on a beach. These games will not only make the kids happy but will also be quite a refreshing experience for adults.

Have seafood from food stalls

After enjoying the thrilling water activities to do at the beach, you must be hungry. No worries! Most beaches house an array of food stalls where you can order delicious snacks and meals. We suggest you try seafood when you are visiting a beach. The authentic seafood found on beaches is rare to find elsewhere. Different fried fishes and crabs are available to satiate your cravings. The crispy, salty and spicy flavours of these seafood dishes will surely leave you craving for more and more.

Watch sunrise and sunset

Imagine watching the orangish gold hues of the sun embellishing the entire sky as it rises from the horizon. What a mesmerising sight it will make! And to get the best view of this sunrise, beaches can be the ideal location. Sit on the beach at the time of dawn and see the rising sun illuminating the entire surrounding. You will feel rejuvenated and alive just by the sight of it. Capture photographs of this beautiful sunrise for admiring later on. At dusk, you will get a similarly pleasing experience as the sun sets on the horizon.

Take a stroll

To explore the beauty of beaches in their entirety, you can take a lazy stroll through the beach. Many beaches are surrounded by lush green forests, enormous rocks or tall palm trees. Go explore these natural beauties by the beaches. You can go hiking in the surrounding jungles for some adventure as well. If you are with your partner, hold hands and take a walk on the beach in the evening. The cold breezes, dim light, surrounding naturescape, everything will create a perfect ambience for spending some romantic time together. Many also come to beaches in the morning for a revitalising morning walk. If you are a fitness freak, you will love to do that too!

Prompt from 200+ Summer Blog Post Ideas for All Bloggers (2023) at “Authentically Del.com

Be careful in the sun

Too much time in the sun can have a negative impact on your health. It’s not only bad for your skin but it can also cause fatigue and even sunstroke if you’re not careful. If you’re travelling somewhere sunny, always look for shady spots to take a break every so often. Don’t forget to keep topping up the sunscreen even if you don’t easily burn. If you’re worried about sweating you could try one an SPF powder. They’re ideal if you want to help keep your makeup intact in hot weather.

Cool down your pulse points

If you need to cool down quickly, rather than aggressively fanning yourself, relax and focus on your pulse points. Run your wrists under a cold tap or put a wet or ice on your neck. This will cool down your bloodstream and it will spread to the rest of your body more quickly. You could try this technique before bed to help you sleep. This way you’ll get a better night’s sleep and feel more energized in the morning. It is a simple idea in our easy ways to boost your energy levels in the summer heat.

A dash of peppermint oil

One of the many natural benefits of peppermint oil is that it has a cooling and calming effect. If you have been doing sport out in the heat you could rub it on your sore muscles for instant relief. Alternatively you could add peppermint oil to a bath. It’s also a natural insect repellent and soothes itching skin. If you’d like to keep the bugs away you could apply a little to your skin directly or use a diffuser. This will help you sleep during the summer months.

Eat the right snacks

You need to eat the right snacks to get an energy boost when it’s hot. Juicy fruits and vegetables are good, for example, because they contain a lot of water. It’s important to eat often as this will also help you rehydrate. You need a combination of water, salt, and sugars to replace what your body has lost by sweating.

Replenish your electrolytes

You could try some natural energy drinks to replenish your electrolytes. These are designed to naturally hydrate the body while giving you a quick boost of energy. They’re ideal if you’re doing outdoor exercise in the heat, or even if you’re spending a day on the beach. Many people also take them to the gym to help them recover after a workout. You can find plenty of delicious flavors with hardly any artificial ingredients.

Get plenty of exercise

It is important to try and get plenty of exercise even though it’s hot. This will help to increase your energy levels. The more active you are, the healthier you’ll feel in general. It will also help to improve your mood and boost your overall mental wellbeing. Losing a few pounds can also help you to feel more comfortable in the hot weather.

Do You Play Violent Video Games?

Well the majority of games that I play now is Zombie shooter games and yes you can say that all of them are violent. I do have a couple of tennis games, a couple of football games, a bowlin and a carrom game but the zombie shooting is a lot of fun.

I suppose playing shooting guns for hours on end can be detrimental to a young mind but I am 47. I have left my youth far behind. I get a lot of entertainment shooting and blasting away those brain dead creatures who are out for my blood and flesh. Watching their blood splatter as my shotgun loads a bullet into them – awesome.

But then it is harmless fun. I dunno about for kids though. If I had kids I would restrict the game time for them and perhaps even wait until they are like 15 or 16 before they played such violent games at all. Under strict parental supervision.

Prompt from Over 1,000 Writing Prompts for Students at The New York Times Learning Network

Once you get the hang of it, shaving your head isn’t complicated — and it does have several benefits.

Deal with hair loss

Hair loss affects both males and females. Maybe you’re not fond of your receding hairline, thinning hair, or irregular growth pattern. Plus, certain health conditions, such as alopecia areata, can cause patchy hair loss. You can try topical treatments and other remedies. There are always hairpieces, wigs, and hats. But if you’re tired of all that, shaving your head could be an easier way to go.

Save time

A shaved head means less maintenance than taking care of hair. There’s no need for a comb or a blow dryer, and you can even take shorter showers.

Save money

You can cross hair care products off of your shopping list. Shaving is often a do-it-yourself task, so you can likely save on the salon or barbershop, too.

Try a new look

Forget about bad hair days. Sometimes a new look can lift your spirits. Perceptions on baldness change with the times. Some research from 2012 suggests that men who shave their heads are seen as having attractive dominant traits. In general, women are viewed as more confident when they disregard convention with regard to their appearance. Barring a health issue that affects hair growth, it’s not an irreversible decision. You can always grow a new crop of hair.

A bullet journal (sometimes known as a BuJo) is a method of personal organization developed by designer Ryder Carroll. The system organizes scheduling, reminders, to-do lists, brainstorming, and other organizational tasks into a single notebook. The name “bullet journal” comes from the use of abbreviated bullet points to log information, but it also partially comes from the use of dot journals, which are gridded using dots rather than lines. First shared with the public in 2013, it has become a popular organization method, garnering significant attention on Kickstarter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Pinterest.

• Choose any kind of notebook to serve as your bullet journal. It doesn’t need to be fancy or divided into sections, since you’ll be organizing the journal on your own.
• Start off your journal with an index section, followed by a future log, monthly log, and daily log.
• Keep your journal organized with signifiers—these are specialized bullet points that help you keep your thoughts categorized.
• Customize your journal with collections, like a list of books you want to read or recipes that you want to try out.

What is the point of bullet journaling?

Bullet journals are designed to be a visual, personalized way to keep track of information, explore creativity, brainstorm ideas, and keep track of inspiration. They can be easily personalized for different purposes and goals based on each person’s needs.

How do I organize a bullet journal?

There are a few different ways to organize your bullet journal. You might opt to simply intermix pages and create new pages as you need them. You might also start by sectioning off certain pages in your journal for specific purposes. Another method is to use the first half of your journal for planning and the last half of the journal for collecting.

Some people say no you cannot kill spiders, any or any other creepy crawly creatures. I dunno but if it’s me vs them, I’m gonna vote for me every time man. However, killing them just for the sake of doing so? That I do not know. I care for some animals, usually mammals, birds and such but certainly not bugs, snakes and other reptiles, spiders and other bugs. Especially ants, cockroaches, fly & mosquitoes.Now what instead would I want to be done to them?

Long time readers may know of the fictional future I have created in my mind for all of humanity. In that future humanity has left the earth (say sometime between the years 2500 to 3000) as the resources have started to dwindle quite badly and we have discovered a few exo-planets set in a solar system many light years away. Large bioships are constructed and the humans are housed in them in suites of their own so they can easily travel the lengthy journey from the earth to the new home. Ofcourse we take our beloved pets with us. Our cats, dogs, pet fish and similar animals are safely tucked in their beds next to ours when it is night time on these ships and we can easily feed and take care of them.

What about the other animals and bird? Shipped in bioships of their own and transported to one of the moons or planets we have earmarked as our new ones. Once we land on these planets & moons, the animals are kept in huge safaris and wild life reserves where they won’t be hunted for sport or anything. The humans go on to live in beautiful cities & towns on the planets. But we have left the creepy crawlies behind on earth where they can thrive without humans and other animals around and we never have to see them again. Done!

Prompt from Over 1,000 Writing Prompts for Students at The New York Times Learning Network

No. Animals do not belong in a zoo. As much I like being able to see the animal and as much as it brings wonder & awe in the eyes of children, I do not like animals in zoos. While zoos have put more importance on conservation and humane animal treatment in recent decades, some critics say it is cruel to keep animals in captivity. Critics argue that living in captivity takes away wild animals’ natural behavior and instincts.

I would like to see more safari or game reserves as they mostly known. Game reserves are large swaths of land whose ecosystems and native species are protected. The protections allow animals to live and reproduce at natural rates. Animals are allowed to roam free. While some game reserves allow traditional hunting safaris today, others limit visitors to a “photo safari,” where visitors can shoot photographs, not animals. Animals in all game reserves are protected from illegal hunting, which is a threat to many endangered species. Legal hunts are regulated by the government. Hunters must purchase licenses and are strictly limited to the type and number of animals they can hunt. Poachers, or hunters without licenses, kill animals for valuable body parts. Elephants, for example, are killed by poachers for their ivory tusks.

I assume that when humans start to colonize other planets and we find lush green forests and meadows for our animals, we will have them safely tucked in to their own paradise of land where they can roam and graze and hunt and procreate in safety. No one will hunt them or kill them for food or for fun. This is what I hope will happen.

Prompt from Over 1,000 Writing Prompts for Students at The New York Times Learning Network