Add to Flipboard Magazine. More and more people are realizing just how important it is to care about the environment. Even the smallest change in a person’s life can make the biggest difference. So many people out there don’t bother changing their ways, with the false belief that they can’t make a difference on their own. However, if everybody who thought that made one small change, we’d all be on our way to a healthier, more sustainable planet!
Non-Renewable Resources
There are so many people and even businesses out there that are still using non-renewable resources that are damaging to the environment. Utility companies are one example of this. Every single household needs a utility company, so imagine the difference we could make to the world if we all chose to work with one that was making an effort to be kinder?
One Small Change Can Make A Huge Difference
Making one small change can make a huge difference. Take a shower a couple of times a week rather than a bath every day. Don’t leave the tap running when you wash up and brush your teeth. Memorize what can be recycled and make it your mission to become a recycling junkie! By taking small steps like this each and every day, you can make sure that your efforts are having a positive effect on the environment. There are even things you can do that take a little more effort, if you want to be extra committed to the cause. How about cutting down on meat and dairy products? Working solely with eco-friendly companies? Starting your own compost bin?
Take a look at the infographic below for more information on how being eco-friendly can help businesses:
Add to Flipboard Magazine. Playing sports has a way of encouraging many positive qualities in those who practice them. No matter what the sport actually is, it is likely that it is always going to make a huge difference to how a person interacts with others, how they feel about themselves, and how they develop as an individual. But a big part of the whole experience is actually finding a sport which is likely to be suitable for anyone who wants to try it. As it happens, there are many sports which we might consider suitable for all ages. If you are keen to get into a sport this year, then you might want to have a look at the following. These are going to be good choices no matter what, and no matter how old you are, so it is worth considering these first and foremost, especially if you want to play with your children.
When it comes to games for everyone, there is nothing quite like soccer. With this particular sport, you can be sure that people of all ages will feel welcome. Even if you are thinking about a sport for your five year old, there is a good chance that you will be able to find a club which they can join, so you can be sure that there is always a way to get into this particular sport. If you are looking for yourself, then you can be sure there is no limit to a number of clubs available. In fact, it is worth taking a look around for soccer clubs before you go or any other sport, as it is one of the most prevalent sports in the world and you are bound to find plenty. Getting into this sport can be good for you for a variety of reasons, so it is worth it too.
Scootering
Traditionally, this is something which might well have been considered as a child’s pastime. It is true that children tend to particularly enjoy scootering – but as more and more time goes on, it also becomes more clear that people of all ages are turning to it as a fun new sport to try out. Scootering can be great for you physically; it is surprisingly effective in terms of helping you to become fit, and it is also a lot of fun no matter who you are doing it with. If you want to get into this, make sure that you spend time finding the best scooter and scooter parts, as this is one of the most important elements of enjoying the sport properly.
Volleyball
Again, we look to a sport which has a lot of preconceived notions often attached to it. However, no matter your sex, age or location, volleyball can be a fascinating and exciting sport, and it is worth a place on anyone’s list of the top sports. If this sounds suitable for you or your kids, find your nearest club and get started at whatever level you feel is necessary. You are bound to get into it more than you might have imagined fast.
Add to Flipboard Magazine. Many of us have a bad relationship with our finances. You may have a job that pays well, but that can sometimes make it even trickier to keep a tight grasp on your finances; when you have money to spend then it’s very easy to spend too much. Most of us have credit cards, and many people will exceed the overdrafts on those credit cards. We live in a consumer culture, and we’re always to buy more, more, more. Unfortunately, when we listen to those voices all the time then we can end up in money troubles.
There is a way to be frugal and still enjoy the finer things in life, however. It’s just about listening to your own voice and realizing which luxuries you actually want to treat yourself to and which ones you just “think” you should have. Frugal living is often seen as boring living, but that’s only the case for people who don’t know how to do it properly. If you want to start saving far more money and still living life to the fullest then here are some helpful tips to help you on the path towards doing so.
Most people end up in serious debt because they just want to enjoy life. You spend a little beyond your means, but you tell yourself it’s okay because your credit card will cover it or you perhaps borrow a little money to finance a bigger purchase. The problem is when you become a little addicted to the luxuries in your life because you tell yourself that you’ve got to “live a little” and you don’t want to deny yourself the things which make you happier. Whilst everybody should allow themselves the occasional treat, nobody should spend beyond their means. There are ways to be frugal and still enjoy life.
If you’re already in debt then it’s still not too late for you to turn things around; you need to simply pool all your disposable income (excluding money for necessities such as food) into paying off your debts. That needs to be your priority until you owe no more money and you can return to buying luxuries. You could learn about credit issues here if you feel as if you’re drowning in debt, as this article discusses how the solution can be to get rid of most of your credit cards; essentially, you’d be fighting the problem at the source. The key thing to take away from this piece of advice is that nothing is forever and you don’t have to simply “make peace” with your debt; nobody has to be stuck in that situation. If you change your spending habits then you could pay off the money you owe and approach your financial life in a different way in the future.
Reduce your expenses
Continuing from that first point, whether you have debt or not, it’s important to approach your money in a sensible manner. Everybody associates a frugal lifestyle with one in which you “can’t have fun”, but this simply isn’t the case. Being frugal is about being smart enough to make a budget and keep a keen eye on your expenses. Start by looking at the amount of money you earn every month. Add up the costs of all the necessities you need to buy (food, utility bills, rent, petrol, etc), and make a note of that figure. Look at how much money is left, and that’s your “spending money”.
Most people refer to leftover money as disposable income, but it’s not always sensible to see this cash as expendable; some of it could be better put into savings or an emergency fund for a rainy day. You never know when financial disaster might strike. With whatever money is leftover, of course, you can treat yourself to luxuries such as nights out or those new clothes you had your eye on. The important thing is that you live within your means; don’t spend more money than you earn in an average month. That way, you can live frugally, in a sense, but you’re still treating yourself to luxuries. In fact, you’ll enjoy those luxuries more because you won’t be splurging on everything you see; you’ll just be buying the most important things that you can afford.
Go out for a spot of lunch or an evening drink with your friends, by all means. Don’t deny yourself those elements of life because you should be out and having fun with the people who mean the most to you. That being said, you don’t have to go crazy on the purchases once you’re out there. You could perhaps set a limit on the number of drinks you’re going to have or, at least, on how much you’re willing to spend when it comes to drinks. This isn’t just for the sake of avoiding the drunken walk home but for the sake of your back pocket; drinks are expensive.
If you’re eating with friends then you could perhaps get some larger plates to share and then split the costs later; you should find that you’ll get more food for your money, and everybody pays a fair price. You might also want to eat something small before heading out so that you only want a little bit of food at the pricey restaurant. Or if you’re going out to a club with your friends then you might want to have a few drinks at somebody’s house in order to save money and avoid the expensive drinks at bars. The point is that you’re going out because you want to have fun with your buddies; you don’t need to spend a lot of money to make the night better.
Opt for minimalism
Minimalism is always the way to go if you want to save money. Think about fashion in particular; you don’t need to waste money on a million different outfits. You can circulate a few different shirts and pairs of jeans (perhaps accessorizing with different coats or jackets) in order to keep things fresh. You don’t need to spend a fortune to keep things fresh in your life. That’s the overall message to take away from this article.
Photo courtesy of Flickr, under creative commons license
Recently I have had the living shit scared out of me. No, I haven’t been to a haunted house or watched a scary movie. It is all from watching A Handmaid’s Tale on Hulu. It’s simple. People honestly sit in our government that think somewhat similar and no matter how much you try to admonish this upon their supporters, the votes will still come.
You see it constantly. Not one person reading this can say they haven’t at least opened a thread on a Facebook discussion (political argument) and thought, “Holy shit, this is nuts.”
Why did you think that? Because facts are gone, stats are now a lie and every person in the U.S. has an excuse that makes them the expert. They are right and no one else is. In a country where roadside billboards nationwide now have signs that say, “There is Evidence for God” and urge you to call 855-for-truth, anything is now possible. Conspiracy theories are accepted, Alex Jones is a patriotic American and science is a lie. (bonus: 104 Actual Headlines from Alex Jones’ InfoWars
We’re headed to a special kind of hell that is of our own doing. Where the real Hell never existed, the believers thought it best to subconsciously create one. Their hypocrisy is non-existent with the new logic of America and their sins can easily be forgiven with a prayer and a vote for Fuhrer Trump. It doesn’t matter if you think, or attempt to do so, only that you stand for the Pledge.
It makes perfect sense that we have ended up here. A high standard of living, unrivaled power, constant marketing, materialism, entitlement, multi-level marketing, an Internet of echo chambers, polarized politics, biblical literalism, hidden racism, easy outs and a the political mythotainment complex that began with the first actor president, 37 years ago, have made us the bastard nation of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. The rest of the world is looking at us in utter disbelief and still, a very large percentage of our population, with zero world view, believes they absolutely know more. They know so much and are so patriotic that they might even tell certain people to leave the country and never come back if someone has so much as questioned.
That the country once achieved such highs and is now moving backwards, has become the justification to suspend all ability to think. As the US enters the unthinkable territory of becoming the first poor superpower, with male longevity actually falling, household incomes falling against inflation for 40 years and economic disparity equal to a third world country, the myths associated with a country that once was are easy to grasp for many than tackling policy failures. A hat that says, “Make America Great Again” is easier than admitting we have been sold a line of bullshit.
The rise of Trump has given them a renewed sense of power and being on the right side of history. Suddenly, moving to the right of the highway shoulder by 400 feet means you sit exactly in the center. Anyone near the center or that ever bothered to take a logic class, is now a Commie. Na Zdorovie!
So, let’s get to the point. Here is a list of every argument that reaffirms the rest of us shouldn’t even bother anymore:
Fake News
We must start with the new rally cry of the right. What started as phenomenon of kids from Macedonia making bank from stories designed to trick and incense conservatives, has been turned back around by them. It is the new supplement for the term main stream media. One could ask if the inverse term of alternative media is now the purveyor of real news, but we all know that the articles written at a fifth-grade level about PizzaGate and the 30,000 scientists that dispute global warming, will always win.
Recently, even Fox News had a rash of social media proclamations against it as a purveyor of fake news. Why? Their latest poll showed Donald Trump at a 40% approval rating.
The argument is now so simple. If they don’t like what it says, it is fake. Only a news source that continually tells them what they want can be real.
Of course, it was the largest inauguration ever. The pictures were faked by a news media that doesn’t want to admit to our new President’s popularity.
Even worse, you can include an actual Trump tweet to show his Moron-In-Chief for what he is and even that will be called fake news.
Hey. I don’t like the thought of climate change wrecking my kid’s future, but that doesn’t mean I get to call it a hoax.
Alternative Facts
Ok. What the hell is an alternative to a fact? Believe it or not, the alternative to a fact is a lie. That this term has ever been used, even once, shows that the US is now subject to a world where stupidity is in charge and anything can be real. Will we outlaw the teaching of evolution soon as well?
Tit – for Tat Arguments
For years the Fox News crowd was given scandal after scandal, whether they existed or not, about our former President. They were told he was constantly ignoring the Constitution and breaking the law. The Article “Criminal In Chief” — 78 Times President Obama Broke The Law During Presidency, lists such egregious activities as trying to shut down family farms, proposing military intervention in Syria, “illegally” didn’t submit a budget on time and this laughable list goes on and on with offenses that either never happened or aren’t offenses in the first place. Many things listed as horrific on this list, pale in comparison to actions of the new President in less than 6 months. The Trump supporters will believe everything in their search for reaffirmation of the ego.
The common argument is that if Obama had done so many horrific things, surely Trump can be excused for his misdeeds. After all, Trump is going to defend the Constitution where Obama was trying to destroy it to found a Communist utopia.
Well people, regardless of what you think Barack Obama did, Trump is President now. You long ago showed us that a higher standard wasn’t what you wanted with the election of a vile human being. No, you’ll create any past act that justifies current actions despite how unconstitutional and ridiculous they might be. In fact, some of you justify the current racist sentiments as a valid response to the “horrors” you were subjected to for 8 years.
There is no point arguing this either.
Common Sense
It is so painful when one of them says, “You can have all your facts and stats, but I have common sense.” The reasoning behind this is that stats can be manipulated to fit the narrative but what this country has been lacking is common sense, despite that people with common sense actually would use good data.
Obtaining this common sense is apparently the function of hours of reading and watching news and commentary sources that frequently abuse the living shit out of actual data to achieve their points.
So… no matter how often you quote an actual stat or fact, it doesn’t matter. Obviously, you have no “common sense”.
Walk away and save your breath.
Science is Your Religion
Seriously? Is their “common sense” unable to distinguish between a religion and science? When was the last time you saw a peer reviewed paper discussing how many times someone in the old testament lived to be older than 500?
This is the de facto argument from someone that is religious, their religion supersedes good governance and everything else in the world is out to destroy their way of life. Their reasoning, or lack of it, has a Christian country being destroyed and the scientists are in on it. A belief in scientific tenants at odds with their religion is not only an attack but also indicates the presence of an evil liberal.
Isn’t it funny that science process seeks to correct itself while religion and politics often mean doubling down on what already hasn’t been working? Science can be neither a religion or a political conviction. It’s simply science and it doesn’t care what you believe.
Recent discussions observed online even have the Trumpanistas disavowing math. Seriously math? If math didn’t exist as a universal constant, neither would we.
Once again, no amount of logic or facts will work here. They are impervious.
Universities are Hotbeds of Communism (i.e. the educated should be dismissed for their bias)
Yes, it has happened. Experts don’t matter and education is now an indicator of stupidity. Those with degrees lack common sense, are indoctrinated, think they know it all and only argue points that fit their political bent.
Every single authoritarian movement has needed to marginalize the educated elite to maintain the populism and centralized control of the movement. The US is now following this trend.
The everyman is reaffirmed in that they aren’t “brainwashed”.
Your degree and background means nothing with this crowd. Any expertise you have is a waste. They know how science works, understand economics and have a lock on their revised history.
Another instance of wasted breath is upon us.
You’re Just Another Snowflake, Mad that Hillary Won
No jackass, the election is long over. I am mad that my kid’s future is being destroyed. That’s the extent of the argument. They’ll believe that is the case regardless though.
Walk again
The list of logical and argumentative fallacies (isn’t cool I included a list of them?) goes on and on. There are straw man arguments, anecdotal evidence, false correlations, arguments of false consequences, etc. No debate judge is sitting there to show them they are wrong and even if there were, they wouldn’t accept it in any case.
This is America now. Our exclamations are wasted on the new experts of everything. A Ph.D means nothing. Critical thinking is dismissed. The crowd that thinks an open window wastes the air conditioning even if it is colder outside, has won.
For now
A professor of history told me prior to the election that if Trump won he would kick back in his easy chair and watch the destruction. He knew the secret; that there would be no fix or argument until everything fell apart.
The world has changed and those of our ilk know the proposals of Trump are only detrimental to supporters. He can’t do what he promised. You can’t bring back jobs automated away. One cannot defeat an ideology. The workings of checks and balances restrain him for now.
20 percent of Trump supporters will always support him. The rest might eventually be up for grabs.
So, the art of the argument is dead. It gave way to the fake Art of the Deal. They believe their extremism is center right and nothing will change that.
Forget the argument. Keep it civil at the bar.
Our moment comes when we all turn out in 2018. Let’s expend our energy on motivating everyone that knows better when the time comes.
Sit back, watch the destruction, leave them with nothing to assuage their ego and get ready to act in less than 18 months.
No memes were harmed in the making of this article.
Image source Add to Flipboard Magazine. Soccer may well be the most spectated sport in the world, but when it comes to participation numbers nothing even gets close to fishing. It is one of the most peaceful hobbies anyone can do. There is just something about having the breeze on your back, an eyeful of calm water in front of you and an opponent you can’t see eagerly flashing about below the surface. The anticipation levels you feel as you wait for a bite are just amazing and the more you do it the more amazing it becomes.
Of course, fishing is also a skill with a hundred variables that need careful consideration. That’s why we have come up with some fishing tips and tricks for the amateur angler to help you reel something special in.
We wish this was simple, but every state offers a different form of license, from Texas to Ohio to good old Kansas. However, ask any top tier fishing guides what the most important thing an angler needs is and they will tell you it is the correct permit, one that meets that state’s regulations. The reason they do this is conservation and to preserve the beauty of fishing in that area. Luckily, most permits can be bought online, so it is a pretty hassle free experience.
It may seem like a pretty rudimentary thing to say, but choosing a rod and knowing your rod – the parts and the lingo – is a basic need for all those who fish. You need to know your butt-cap from your ferrule and your butt guide from your hook keeper. So get to know the parts that make up your rod, how they can differ and which suits your style. From there it is just about practice.
Different fish need different equipment. That is why we always recommend you have some sort of idea of what fish is in the local vicinity, which fish you want to catch and then have the rod that will best allow you to do this. To find this out, there is no better resource that a good old local tackle shop.
There is no one bait fits all. Sorry. But there are different types of bait and it all depends on what you are fishing and where you are fishing. As a rule, though, nothing is better than having live bait. Earthworms are a great place to start for those getting into the game because they are cheap, versatile and relatively odor free (compared to some of the other baits out there anyway). Of course, you could go down the route of getting a lure.
This is where the thrill of fishing comes in. This is what makes it a sport. It’s the thrill of the hunt. You see, a fisherman’s technique needs to be adapted to catch the fish they are after. Basically, what you need to do is mimic what the fish likes to eat. That’s the only way to maximize your strike rate. For example, fly fishing is a totally different style of fishing to that of bass fishing. So know what is out there, know what you want, and then work on perfecting your technique. This is the part of fishing that will hook you (sorry, worst pun ever).
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