Health Fitness

Grapefruit Answers

Frown and prepare to savor grapefruit at every meal. In The Grapefruit Solution, this citrus fruit is the secret to losing weight. But don’t panic – you can choose fruit, juice, or a supplemental version of this wonderful fruit. Grapefruit is so magical that simply adding it to your eating plan, the diet says, will lead to weight loss. The claim of the diet is that grapefruit contains a key compound that prevents excess fat and carbohydrates from the diet from being absorbed. When you eat it at least three times a day, grapefruit provides a feeling of fullness and reduces hunger. It will also lower cholesterol levels and lower your risk of heart disease.

What makes The Grapefruit Solution different?

This diet promises weight loss thanks to a single superfood, grapefruit. The plan claims to be even more effective when combined with any other diet (such as South Beach, Atkins, or Weight Watchers). Just don’t forget to live the grapefruit lifestyle and consume some variation of the wonderful citrus with every meal.

What is The Grapefruit Solution?

The “diet” consists of consuming grapefruit in addition to other healthy foods, rather than consuming grapefruit as the majority of your diet. Eating grapefruit is an addition to a healthy eating plan or diet that you can commit to and that involves slow weight loss and permanent changes in eating and exercise habits.

Grapefruits can be included in most diet plans like Weight Watchers, The Zone, and Jenny Craig. If your diet prohibits fruit, you can take capsules instead of eating whole fruit. This diet promises that no matter what plan you choose, grapefruit will help you lose weight. Even if you just add grapefruit without changing any other eating habits, you can also lose some weight.

A grapefruit serving is one-half to one grapefruit, an eight-ounce glass of grapefruit juice, or 2 tablets of CitraSens supplement (or any other pure grapefruit supplement as described in the diet) at each meal. You can choose the grapefruit shape you want, as long as you consume at least one serving per meal every day.

Many helpful tips are provided for choosing, buying, sectioning, juicing, and consuming grapefruit. You can learn where to buy specialty cutting knives, juicers, and other easy-to-prepare tools.

If you don’t like eating naked grapefruit, you can top the fruit with grape jelly, aspartame, and cinnamon, or a maraschino cherry. You can also try one or more of the grapefruit recipes in the plan.

A typical day’s breakfast might include low-fat yogurt sprinkled with low-fat granola. Lunch is a fruit salad with grapefruit or a green salad with raw vegetables. Dinner can be a casserole with vegetables, grains, and beans, with a small green salad and fruit for dessert. Snacking is a good thing. Choose snacks that are low in calories (between 30 and 60 calories) such as 1 whole grapefruit, a cup of fresh or canned fruit, or ½ cup of low-sugar whole grain cereal.

And don’t ignore your sweet tooth. Satisfy those sugary cravings, if you can, by eating frozen fruit bars or other low-calorie or low-fat treats.

What are the weight loss expectations?

If you eat or drink grapefruit at every meal without any other changes in diet or physical activity, you can lose up to ten pounds in three months. When you add grapefruit and follow the diet plan of your choice, you should lose between one and two pounds per week. For health reasons, do not lose more than three pounds per week.

Is exercise promoted?

You should incorporate a minimum of 20 minutes of exercise that you enjoy at least three days a week. By slowly increasing time and intensity, you can work up to 40 minutes five days a week. The diet offers guidelines on how to incorporate exercise into your daily life and tips to keep you moving. She also suggests “ten commandments” of exercise, which include drinking plenty of water before, during, and after exercise, exercising at your own pace and fitness level, and keeping a written daily log of your progress.

Are supplements recommended?

If you don’t, don’t want or can’t eat grapefruit or grapefruit juice, take a supplement instead. The supplement is highly concentrated grapefruit and powdered peel.

The pill form gives you more than 40 times the benefits of eating a grapefruit. Take this pill three times a day, once with each meal. When purchasing the supplement, choose CitraSens or Grapefruit Solution to ensure that it is pure grapefruit.

You should also take a multivitamin with minerals on a daily basis. If you don’t eat dairy products, take a calcium supplement with breakfast. If you are eating a well-varied diet, you should have little need for supplements.

Legal Law

What Makes Zambia Safari Unique?

Zambia is Africa’s best kept secret. It is the sleeping giant of the African safari. It is also the friendly people and peace that the country safeguards and continues to enjoy. That is what makes the country a haven of peace for havens from civil strife. … And Zambia is the center of African travel.

Zambia is located in south central Africa with eight neighboring countries. exist 19 national parks and 34 game management areas. So a whopping 30 per cent from the country 752,614 square kms . The country has the largest water resources in southern Africa. There are vast tracts of empty land in a pristine state and a large wildlife property. Zambia’s unique natural resources include minerals such as copper, gemstones, and wood; both native hardwood and exotic pine softwood.

The National Parks

Of the 19 national parks, South Luangwa is the main game reserve in Zambia. Tea South Luangwa National Park it has probably the greatest variety and concentration of game in Africa and perhaps the world. Wildlife safari experts consider the 9,990-square-kilometer park to have some of the best viewing areas. It is ranked as one of the best game reserves in the world with a unique profusion of wildlife. Some animals are rare and only found in the park. An example is the Thornicraft giraffe.

Another game reserve is the Kafue National Park. The sprawling 22,400 square kilometers is the world’s second largest national park and is roughly the size of Wales in Great Britain and twice the size of Yellowstone National Park in the United States. The park is located in west-central Zambia and features excellent animal watching, bird watching, and fishing.

The park has two unique wetlands. Tea Busanga floodplain in the northern sector it is special. The emerald green Lunga, Lufupa and Kafue rivers cross it. Here you will find multiple species of animals and birds. The Busanga Plain is an antelope country. The endemic lechwe fills its plains. The southern boundary of the park is also divided into another wetland, the Nanzhila Plains. The plains are next to Zambia’s newest lake at the Itezhi-Tezhi Dam.

Copper and precious stone reserves

Apart from the fauna and flora heritage, the country has 6 percent of the world’s copper reserves. In addition, Zambia is the leading producer of precious and semi-precious stones, including rare beauty, green emerald. Amethyst, Garnet, Tourmaline, Citrine and its truths are also found in Zambia. Most of the finished and semi-finished gemstone products are exported all over the world.

Extensions of land and desert

The population-land ratio is one of the lowest in Africa. With less than 15 people per km2, it is one of the lowest in the world. The sparse population has left much of Zambia intact and in its natural state.

You have the opportunity to see the abundant wildlife in the unspoiled nature. The wildlife is completely “wild and untamed”. Some of the animals have had little or no contact with humans. So national parks present wildlife in its natural habitat, in the same way that nature has always wanted it to be.

The rivers and lakes of Zambia

Zambia’s major rivers, lakes and wetlands are considered to host the largest component of southern Africa’s water resources. There are four main rivers. Tea Zambezi Rivercovers most of Zambia from the northwest to the south and southeast. Tea Kafue.>Luangwa it almost cuts the eastern part of the country. But Chambeshi that discharge into Lake Bangweulu in north-central Zambia has undergone name changes throughout its course. After leaving Bangweulu, it changes its name to Luapula River. It becomes the Congo River as it leaves Lake Mweru and enters the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

In the south is Kariba lake in the Zambezi. It was the largest artificial lake until Aswan and Cobara Bassa were dammed. Lake Kariba is the ultimate safari investment destination other than Victoria Falls. Another is Bangweulu lake Surrounded by white sand beaches and by the 10th largest wetland in Africa. The wetland is home to endemic lechwe antelopes and the shoe-billed stork. The third is Mweru lake on the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Y Tanganyika lake The deepest lake in Africa has its southern tip that extends into northern Zambia.

The wild Zambezi river

One river that deserves to be mentioned is the Zambezi River, which gives the country its name. From its source near the Kaleni Hills in the northwestern corner of the country, the Zambezi cuts a lying “S” shape as it flows through its course a total of 3,450 kilometers before discharging into the Indian Ocean. Its entrance to the ocean is spectacular because it ends in many river channels called delta.

The Zambezi traverses changing landscapes and environments. From the rapids in the northwest across the wide river and the site of the “Likumbi Lya Mize” Luvale village ceremony. It then passes through the Zambezi floodplain where the Ku-omboka The ceremony of the Lozi people takes place. Later, the river runs through a mountainous area and becomes wide and calm. Suddenly, the river becomes the most spectacular waterfall in the world. This is the mystical and inspiring Victoria Falls.

Before the waterfall, the Zambezi passes through a point near Kazungula where four countries meet; Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe Y Zambia. Nowhere else do countries converge at one point in a way like this.

Downstream from the waterfall, the Zambezi collects in a lake at the Kariba Dam. Downstream it is joined first by the Kafue, the second largest river in Zambia and second by the Luangwa River at a confluence where three countries meet: Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe. … And before its mouth in the Indian Ocean, the Zambezi River forms the second largest lake in the Cobara-Basa dam in Mozambique.

The beautiful Victoria Falls

Now the Victoria Falls are something worth talking about. It is impressive, beautiful and a world heritage site. The Toka-Leya people of Chief Mukuni, who have always lived there, have built many shrines for their deities and ceremonies. Due to the continuous thunder from the larger curtain of falling water and the accompanying mist coming out of the bottom of the gorge, they have named the waterfall. “Mosi-Oa-Tunya” meaning the “smoke that thunders”. But I like the other name. “Shungu wa Mutitima”.

Little wonder Dr. David Lingstone the famous Scottish doctor and missionary explorer could not resist writing on his dairy: “… such beautiful scenes must have been contemplated by angels in their flight.” Because beauty is amazing. Dr. Livingstone was the first European to see the waterfall on November 16, 1855. He named it after Queen Victoria.

At the bottom of the falls are Kalahari red sands. In front of the waterfall it rains 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (24/7). This rain of mist nurtures a small tropical forest. And two rain bows too. One is seen during the day and the second occurs at night on a full moon. These are the popular solar and lunar rainbows of Victoria Falls … but that’s another story!

Adventure and safari center

After Victoria Falls, the Zambezi River runs through nine gorges and has cut 122 meters deep. The nine gorges are, in fact, ancient waterfalls at different stages of the development and migration of the falls upstream. This migration covers the last 150 million years!

Now the gorges are a spectacular sight. They are also part of the area where adrenaline-filled adventures take place: rafting on 22 rapids, bungi jumping through 122 meters, gorge swinging, rappelling, river boarding, jet boat, etc. It is for this reason that the town of Livingstone near Victoria Falls is now recognized as the Southern Africa Adventure Center.

If you have a reckless spirit, take to the air on an ultralight flight. Fly over Victoria Falls, watch animals in nearby Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park … and get up close to the world’s largest falling curtain of water. But if you prefer a worldly hobby, you may want to enjoy the “Flight of Angels”. Rent a helicopter or even a rigid wing plane. Even this choice will be the memorable experience of your life.

Where to stay

The banks of the Zambezi River are dotted with many lodges and camps. A visit to the Zambezi boardwalk might be just what you want. However, more interesting are the thematic designs of most lodges. They have a strong African architectural style.

The Sun International complex is the latest listing and is built closer to Victoria Falls. The complex is a combination of two hotels: one, the Zambezi Sun It is a three-star hotel a few minutes from the Victoria Falls and the other from the Royal livingstone It is a real five star opulence.

The red walls of the Zambezi Sun represent decorative symbols from prehistoric times. The color of these African drawings is similar to that of the Kalahari sands at the foot of the falls. But the luxury of the Royal Livingstone is very different. The ubiquitous butlers and staff wear uniforms reminiscent of Dr. Livingstone’s dress when he discovered the waterfalls a century and a half ago. He named the waterfalls in honor of Victoria, then Queen of England.

Next to Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park it is another new hotel. Chrismar Hotel has just been completed near the 60 square kilometer national game park. It is as if hotels and hostels appear every day!

In Lusaka, the capital of Zambia, you will find other exciting hotels and hostels; the 5 star Taj Pamodzi, the 5 star Intercontinental Hotel, Holiday Inn and other good hotels.

The private hunting cabins are fifty kms. The popular ones are Lilayi Lodge, the Protea Safari Lodge, Y Chaminuka..>How to get to Zambia

The choice is wide. You can choose to arrive by air or land at any of the four international airports that have full immigration and customs facilities. Mfuwe International Airport is on the border with Zambia’s main game reserve, South Laungwa National Park. Another is at Ndola in the Copperbelt of Zambia. And yet another is the Lusaka International Airport 22 kms from the capital city of Zambia. But Livingstone International Airport is special. Just 8 kms from Victoria Falls, whose first sighting is obtained from the air on the approach to landing.

And then you can choose to arrive by road from any of the eight neighboring countries, but mainly from Botswana, Namibia, Malawi, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.

Get on a plane or a car and come to Zambia … And you will leave without forgetting the Zambia safari!

Lifestyle Fashion

Changing codependent dynamics in abusive relationships

Many codependents are in abusive relationships with addicts or people with mental illness. Symptoms of codependency foster dysfunctional dynamics in these relationships, which in turn worsens symptoms of codependency. This makes sense when we consider the definition of codependency and that codependents have a “lost self” as their thinking and behavior revolve around another person.

Due to dysfunctional parenting, codependents have lost touch with their ability to respond to their internal cues. They have come to believe that they are inferior and that what they feel, think, need and / or want is not important. This is your hidden shame. As a result, they have the unconscious belief that they do not deserve to be loved simply for who they are, but that they have to earn love. This causes basic insecurity and fear of being abandoned.

Codependency originates in childhood, including core symptoms of shame (including low self-esteem, denial, dependency control, including caring, dysfunctional communication, and dysfunctional boundaries. How these traits set the stage for Painful relationships is explained in Conquering Shame and Codependency.

Role codependency in relationships

Because many codependents have withdrawn from their feelings, the drama of an intimate relationship with someone addicted or with a mental disorder can be energizing or familiar if their childhood was similar. Additionally, addicts and people with Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) and Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) are often charismatic and romantic. They can be seductive and shower their codependent partner with compliments, promises and gestures of love. Codependents crave love and connection, and being desired makes them feel kind. But their dependency and low self-esteem make them susceptible to seduction and they mistake romance for real love.

Codependents deal with the fear of criticism, rejection, and abandonment by giving, understanding, pleasing, and helping. Your partner defines the relationship, and they agree to get along and keep it. They admire a narcissist’s boldness, conviction, and perceived strength (qualities that they themselves lack) and enjoy a supportive role and feeling cared for. With addicts and people with BPD, they often play the role of helpers and caregivers. For the codependent, feeling needy feels like love. It increases their self-esteem and assures them that they will never be abandoned. However, addicts and people with NPD and BPD feel deep shame and project their inner demons onto the very person who loves them and is trying to help them.

The reactive role of codependents amplifies their focus on their partner, while hiding who they are. They try more and more to control the uncontrollable, they sacrifice and try harder to please and be accepted. Although at first they were idealized, now they are devalued. A person with BPD vacillates between idealizing-loving behavior and devaluing-rejecting behavior. Instead of acting needy like someone with BPD, people with NPD act unnecessarily and can be remote and emotionally cold. Some may show sympathy towards their partner, while others are continually critical and dismissive. The more retained or inconsistent that love, the more codependents try to conquer it, falling into the trap of giving their self-esteem and sense of well-being to their partner. They never feel good enough, reinforcing their hidden shame.

How Abusive Relationships Make Codependency Worse

This unspoken contract works for a time because codependents provide security and stability to an addict or emotional and insecure partner with BPD and provide warmth and connection that a partner with NPD is lacking. But due to their own insecurity and weak boundaries, codependents absorb the blame, blame, and shame of the abusers. They feel powerless to help and satisfy their partner, guilty of the “mistakes” of which they are accused and resentful that their efforts are unappreciated and fail. As the relationship deteriorates, so does the codependent’s sense of self.

All symptoms of codependency contribute to the dysfunctional relationship, which if left untreated, worsens over time. As codependents get further away from themselves and enter the later stages of their illness. The very traits that made the relationship work became its undoing.

The dynamics in abusive relationships increase the stress of codependents and increase their attempts to appease and help their partner. The reality of the addict or individual with a personality disorder also begins to infect the self-concept and perceptions of the reality of codependents. Their self-esteem is lowered and they become more anxious and exhausted as they try to ease a crisis, avoid abuse, and keep the relationship together.

By trying to adapt and control another person to make them feel better, codependents stray away from real solutions. They have the mistaken belief that they are responsible for their partner’s feelings and needs, while ignoring theirs. Your behavior reinforces your partner’s false belief that you are to blame and responsible for your addiction and pain. The longer codependents do, the worse things get. Both deny their own pain and prevent their partner from taking responsibility for their behavior, needs, and feelings and from getting help. This is called “habilitation.” Denial of codependents blinds them to the fact that their beliefs and behavior contribute to their unhappiness and that they have options for change.

Changing the dynamics in abusive relationships

The answer is to do the opposite of what is natural for the codependent. I write from my personal and professional experience. It is difficult, really impossible, to change the dynamics in abusive relationships without outside support.

The first and most important thing is to see another vision of reality, because couples isolate themselves and become confused by the attacks, threats and the skewed reality of addicts or people with BPD or NPD. It is important to learn all you can about addiction and these disorders, as well as codependency. Change doesn’t really begin until partners focus on their own recovery, not on changing the other person, over whom they are essentially powerless. That doesn’t mean they don’t have power or options, but it’s about their own actions and lives.

Learning about addiction, BPD, and NPT and accepting these truths on a deep level allows them to detach and not react to what someone else decides to throw at them just because they feel uncomfortable in their own skin. They begin to realize that although their words may hurt, they are not true. Separation does not require leaving or staying distant. It is like having an invisible protective force field. Instead of reacting, they learn to honor what they need, feel, and want. They seek to meet those needs of safe and understanding people. As their self-esteem grows, they learn to be assertive. His

limits improve and ask for what they want and limit what they don’t want.

This is not easy, but its value increases in recovery. They may become strong enough to leave or insist that our partner receive treatment. Even if they don’t, they find that their lives are happier, because they have taken over their own self-esteem and sense of well-being.

Raising a child with BPD or NPD

Because codependents lack communication skills and limits, parents react to their troubled children in vain. Your child has been used to meeting demands and running the program, often without any responsibility. All children need limits with consistent consequences, especially those with NPD and BPD. Sometimes parents explode in frustration, making them feel guilty and embarrassing their children. To compensate, they might give in on a limit that makes things worse. Punishment and consequences should never be administered in anger, but in a practical tone, and ideally should relate to the offense; for example, “If you throw food away, you must clean it (or leave the table).”

Children need support and their feelings reflected, but not pleased. They especially need to be taught empathy and the impact of their behavior on others. It is important to model this and respect their feelings. Let them know that their actions affect other people in positive or counterproductive ways. For example: “How would you feel if your friend stole your toy? Would you feel hurt or angry? What happens when your friend shares a toy? When you take the toy from your friend, he will not want to play with you.” Children with BPD need to learn techniques to calm themselves and be guided to take gradual steps toward independence and self-reliance.

Parents underestimate the power and influence they have to insist that their child behave, receive counseling, complete household chores, or seek employment. They are often afraid that their child with BPD will die or kill himself. Their fears make them easier to manipulate. By not reacting, children will find that their manipulative tactics no longer work. However, it takes great courage for parents to stand their ground. It is not easy to stay calm and love a child who constantly disobeys, threatens, and says mean things. External support is essential. If addiction is involved, find an appropriate meeting for family members of substance abusers.

© 2019 DarleneLancer

Pets

Improve Pug Image Search

Pugs take great photos! The Chinese Pug is one of the most photogenic breeds of all purebred dogs. With wrinkled noses and flat faces, Pugs make excellent photogenic subjects. Pug images are great to use in your home, in scrapbooking, as a computer wallpaper, or as a screen saver.

When deciding where to find the best Pug images, ask yourself what you want to use the images for. If you want a Pug picture as your computer wallpaper, screen saver, or for uploading to a digital photo frame, you need a digital Pug picture. Digital images are Pug images that you can view, save, and copy on your computer. Perhaps the best source for Pug digital images is the Worldwide Web. Search for Pug pictures on any popular search engine and you will soon see 560,000 results for your search. You’ll see costumed Pugs, Pug puppies, and even Pugs drawings.

When saving images from the Internet, be sure not to use copyrighted images without permission. Most websites have a link to their Terms of Service located at the bottom of the web page. Click on the terms of service to see if you can copy images. There are sites that allow you to download Pug images for free; they are easy to find if you search for “free Pug images”.

For between a dollar and two and a half dollars you can buy professional quality Pug images from a stock photography website. With stock photos that you pay a small fee to use, you can ensure that the artist will be compensated for their photography. On most stock photography websites, there are hundreds of cute Pug images to choose from. Stock photos are marked so you can’t copy them, but they’re worth the nominal fee you pay for a photo that you know you’ll love. If you want to buy Pug stock images over the internet, you will need to use a credit card or an online account such as Paypal.

Portrait-style paintings of Pugs are rare, but you can find them if you look closely. Visit antique stores, thrift stores, and property sales in your area. Tell homeowners that you are looking for Pug portraits, and they will be on the lookout for Pug images and call you when they find them.

When professional dog shows come to town, a small retail mall travels with them. When you go to a dog show, you will have the opportunity to buy many items related to purebred dogs, including Pugs. When going to a dog show, you will almost certainly find Pug pictures, watercolors and chalk drawings, and even artists who will paint a custom oil or watercolor painting of your pet.

The Pug is an easy target for a cartoonist. If you want to have a cartoon image of a Pug, take your Pug (or someone else’s Pug) to a state or county fair. Cartoon artists almost always set up a booth at these events, and you can buy a Pug cartoon for about twenty dollars.

Real Estate

80, 93, 95, Up, Down, and Horizontal: A Guide to Choosing Your New Replacement Oven

When homeowners are planning to purchase a replacement oven, there are a few simple questions you should be prepared to answer in order to get the correct oven for your application.

1. What efficiency do I want or need? (80%, 93% or 95%)

2. How will I vent the unit (vent pipe or PVC)?

3. Direction of air flow (up, down or horizontal)

Efficiency?

  • The three basic options available on the market today are 80%, 93%, and 95%. It seems like a no-brainer to choose the most efficient unit. It would seem so, but the reality is that here you have some options to make.
  • Conventional 80% gas ovens are vented with standardized metal vents and often require exhaust through the roof. The 80% oven is the lowest price in the oven market, but with that price comes the tradeoffs. The first and foremost thing is efficiency. An 80% efficient oven is just that, 80%. That means 20% of every fuel dollar you use to heat your home is lost through burnt exhaust.
  • The 93% gas oven has become the oven of choice for most homeowners. One of the most attractive features of the entry-level high-efficiency oven is its ventilation flexibility. The 93% furnaces are called “Condensing Gas Furnaces”. Most have primary and secondary heat exchangers, which increase efficiency and allow these units to be vented with standard plumbing-type PVC plastic tubing, and can be vented in a variety of configurations, including the ability to come out of a wall. side or basement foundation and vent directly into a horizontal run. This flexibility of not having to penetrate roofing materials is a breakthrough. The other notable advantage of the 93% efficient gas oven is the increased savings achieved. A 93% oven is approximately 14% more efficient than the standard 80% version. This can equate to significant savings, and while the high-efficiency 93% oven is on average around 40% more expensive than the 80% models, the savings made can easily make up the difference in a short amount of time.
  • The best option comes in gas oven models 95% and above which, by description, appear to be only slightly more efficient than their 93% counterpart, but on a closer look, you will find that this group of ovens is unique. in your class. . Ultra-high efficiency 95% gas ovens are often combined with variable speed fan drives, two-stage gas valves, and a host of other additions that not only make these ovens more efficient, but also more comfortable. , in addition to being almost silent in its operation. . Along with the 2% increase in base gas efficiency, two-stage gas operations allow the unit to amuse itself and fire at significantly reduced speed during marginal outside temperatures. This adds to the savings on energy bills. Variable speed fan impellers not only increase the comfort and efficiency of operation, but since they are programmed to “increase” and “decrease” during operating cycles, the normal airflow heard with the Conventional ventilation systems is greatly reduced. It is not uncommon for owners never to hear this unit work. These extended operating cycles and variable air flow also increase the efficiency of air conditioning systems that are operated in conjunction with these ovens. Pricing for these 95% optimal ovens can be 30-40% more than 93% for single-stage versions, but additional convenience and efficiency benefits must be considered.

Venting:

  • As mentioned above, there are multiple options for venting your gas oven and knowing what you want or need is an integral part of choosing the oven.
  • Metal or PVC? This choice is determined by the efficiency of the oven you choose and the limitations you have with your building structure. As noted above, 80% gas furnaces use standardized sheet metal vent piping and are typically vented through roof penetrations. In some cases, you may already have a vent that you want to use and your choice of oven may depend on that vent material. Furnaces that rated and rated 90% or more typically use PVC tubing to extract burnt gases. PVC vented ovens offer greater flexibility when venting, as in addition to ceiling-penetrated venting, these ovens can also be vented in horizontal directions, through side walls and basement foundations.

Air flow direction:

  • This last piece of the oven choice puzzle is critical when choosing your oven. Here are some guidelines to help you decide.
  • Upflow – This type of setup is often found in basement locations. Return air or inlet air from the upflow furnace will enter from the bottom and supply air will flow out from the top of the furnace and then into the ducts and vents above. This configuration can also be found in the same lava as the living space and then vented upwards and into the ceiling or floor registers in the rooms above.
  • Downflow or Counterflow – This type of oven is exactly what it sounds like compared to upflow models. The return or inlet air is drawn through the top of the oven and out the bottom. This type of furnace is often found in main living areas and feeds vents on the floor and roof vents on lower levels. They can also be used in an attic where a downdraft scenario is needed.
  • Horizontal – Often the upstream and downstream furnaces mentioned above can also be set in a horizontal position. To visualize this, think of the oven lying on its side. Rather than up or down, this configuration allows them to be positioned at one end and discharged at the other horizontally. This can be useful in attics that are too low to accommodate a free-standing oven. They are also used in basements or root cellars that have lower than average ceiling heights and cannot use the vertical oven.

If the above options seem confusing, speak with your heating and air conditioning expert before purchasing your next system. Most online HVAC stores have phone numbers to call or live support agents to help you make the right decisions for your home.

Shopping Product Reviews

Samsung S9: more evolutionary than revolutionary

It’s been a busy six months for cell phone makers.

Apple came first with the iPhone 8, followed by the highly anticipated iPhone X. Google stepped in with its Pixel 2. Now it’s Samsung’s turn to join the party.

The new Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9 + are ready to chat, text and enjoy viewing.

While the phones are not “game changer,” they represent some important steps in improvements, which Samsung says are more important to consumers.

The phones are the same size as their predecessors, the S8 and S8 +. The screens are a bit bigger and brighter.

An advanced camera is on board along with stereo speakers.

Some fun new add-ons that Samsung thinks users will enjoy a lot are the improved slow motion video, AR emojis, and photo language translation.

Like other Samsung phones, the S9s are waterproof. They include an infinity display, a headphone jack, and wireless charging.

Better audio is promised for audio streaming and video can be made slow, no, we mean really slow. Slower than that actually.

Cell phone cameras are getting better and better, and the S9s follow the same path. Like its recently improved competitors, the devices take sharper photos in more challenging light.

The phones have a dual camera with a new dual aperture that adjusts to the light like the human eye. You need more light, you can have it. If you need less light, you can have it too.

The improved camera will help you with your video recording. In fact, there is a slow motion tool that can record videos 32 times slower than normal.

Slower video can give you some unusual shots. Whatever the outcome, Samsung will automatically combine some music with it to accompany the appearance of your efforts.

Shoot something festive and you’ll get some cheery sounds. Take something a little more serious and Samsung will match that too. Music can be adjusted as needed.

Many are familiar with the Bitmoji app from Snapchat. The S9s have something similar called AR Emoji. It will take your selfie and turn it into an emoji sticker. Hair and clothes can be customized. Glasses and other accessories are easily added. You can also appear as a bunny or a cat.

No matter your taste in emojis, everything is displayed in 18 preset GIFs attached to the keyboard.

Do you need something translated? Phones can help with that too. Similar to the Google Translate app, you can place it next to a sign and get a translation in your native language. The application works in 54 languages.

Not to be outdone by Apple, Samsung phones feature enhanced facial recognition called “Smart Scan.” Now facial recognition is combined with a scanner. A new tool allows you to open the phone with the iris or full face depending on the sunlight.

Audio is touted to be clearer and louder on AKG-tuned stereo speakers. Samsung claims that the sound is 1.4 times louder than previous Galaxy phones. Dolby Atmos technology will provide a multi-dimensional, theater-like sound experience.

Available colors include black, blue, and purple. A gray option will be available later.

Unsurprisingly, the price is on par with similar phones, but still under $ 1,000. The S9 will cost a little over $ 700, while the S9 + will cost you around $ 840.

While various updates make the phones more versatile and fun, there’s less wow factor than other product debuts. Still, the new S9s add enough pop to provide a true Android-based challenge for Apple X and other competing mobile devices.

Sports

The Chinese chocolate market is dominated by foreign brands

Foreign chocolate brands such as Dove, Cadbury, and Hershey’s have now captured around 70% of the Chinese chocolate market. As Barry Callebaut, the world’s largest chocolate manufacturer with 25% of the global market, recently opened its first Chinese chocolate factory in Suzhou city, the world’s top 20 chocolate companies have now entered the Chinese market. But in the face of global competition, China’s local chocolate companies have been further repressed in the value chain.

Second largest chocolate market

As Barry Callebaut, with annual revenue of 4 billion Swiss francs, established his first production line in Suzhou, a complete multinational chocolate industry chain is also emerging. Industry experts suggested that this would be a blow to local Chinese chocolate companies in this globalized competition. Furthermore, he noted that keeping up with international competition is particularly important, or the Chinese industry chain will become even more vulnerable.

In recent years, the world chocolate market has slowed down noticeably, with only 2-3% annual growth. This is mainly due to the fact that per capita chocolate consumption in developed countries is already at a high level, averaging 11 kg. On the other hand, China’s per capita chocolate consumption is only 0.1 kg, and its domestic chocolate market has been growing at a staggering 10-15% per year, with an estimated market potential of $ 2.7 billion. Americans. Thus, China has become the second largest chocolate market in the world behind only the United States. The world’s top 20 chocolate companies have entered China, and there are more than 70 imported or JV chocolate brands in today’s Chinese market.

Barry Callebaut has made it clear that they will share and participate in China’s economic growth. It plans to make the Suzhou factory the largest among its 38 factories globally and achieve a 6-fold increase in sales in the next five years through the high capacity of the Suzhou factory. “We look forward to fully utilizing the capacity of this factory to rapidly increase production from 25,000 tons to 75,000 tons, making it the largest chocolate factory in the world,” said Patrick De Maeseneire, CEO of Barry Callebaut.

Multinational ambitions

It is understood that the new Barry Callebaut plant in Suzhou will become the company’s Asia-Pacific headquarters as well as a sales network hub to serve China and multinational food manufacturers and specialty customers. Major brands such as Cadbury, Hershey’s and Nestle currently have a large number of manufacturing outsourcing contracts with Barry Callebaut, whose OEM production of cocoa liquor and chocolate products equates to 15-20% of each other’s annual production. of the three main brands. So, the Swiss Barry Callebaut is in fact the Big Brother of the world chocolate industry.

In fact, even before the arrival of Barry Callebaut, China’s local chocolate companies had already been losing market shares to multinational competitors. The American Hershey’s has decided to plow the Chinese market, planning to reach a 23% share of the local market by 2010 and the second position in China. Meanwhile, Korean and Japanese chocolate producers are also accelerating their entry into the Chinese market.

Local companies that are not in the local market.

Although the rapidly growing Chinese chocolate market is good news for its local chocolate companies, today’s Chinese consumers frequently refer to foreign brands such as Dove, Cadbury, Hershey’s and Ferrero, but rarely mention local brands.

As a foreign product, China only has a chocolate manufacturing history of less than 50 years, so there is an inevitable gap behind foreign brands in terms of production techniques and technologies. Due to inadequate processing equipment and incomplete production facilities, product quality assurance is difficult for many local chocolate companies. Also, most of the Chinese chocolate companies are weak in product R&D, leading to slow product changes and updates. Today most local chocolate companies find themselves caught in an embarrassing situation of poor product quality.

The aforementioned industry problems have cost local companies opportunities to participate in the competition for the Chinese chocolate market. Multinational chocolate brands have come to the Chinese market one by one since the 1990s and are now in a dominant position in the market. With their considerable financial power, multinationals can play their technological and cultural cards, as well as promote their superior quality and unique tastes, to quickly capture the Chinese market.

When Barry Callebaut finally entered the Chinese market, his Suzhou factory will make chocolate production even cheaper for multinational brands. For local Chinese companies that are primarily in the low-end market, they may no longer hold this market segment strong.

Keep up with globalization

Statistics showed that there are about 63 large-scale local chocolate companies in China, with an annual output of 150,000 tons. Statistics from industry associations also revealed that China currently has around 250 chocolate companies in total.

Industry experts noted that the Chinese food and beverage industry is a highly competitive market internationally. The vast potential of China’s chocolate market is not only for foreign brands, but it is also presented in front of local chocolate producers. The local chocolate industry is now in a stage of structural change and survival of the fittest, and the entry of foreign brands will undoubtedly present challenges for the local industry. But if local chocolate companies can participate in this international competition, it could not only boost Chinese consumer demand for chocolate, but also promote the development of China’s chocolate market.

Local Chinese chocolate companies need to constantly improve the quality of their products, select finer raw materials, improve production facilities, adopt international technologies, improve product innovation and brand management. Only then will they be able to compete with multinational companies on a level playing field and make a breakthrough in this foreign-dominated Chinese chocolate market.

For more information on Chinese companies, visit www.chinabizintel.com

Tours Travel

Newark, NJ: a revitalized city with the best attractions and entertainment

In the shadows of New York City, just five miles and a seventeen-minute train ride away, Newark, NJ has much to offer visitors, or the New York City tourist who chooses to visit or stay nearby in less expensive restaurants and hotels.

This is not a city to spend a considerable amount of time, but it is an excellent destination for a day trip or weekend getaway, or even for the budget conscious tourist looking for a place to stay when visiting Nueva. York.

One of the oldest cities in the country, after Boston and New York, Newark was a thriving industrial giant of the 19th century and, at the turn of the century, invested heavily in cathedrals, museums, parks, a major art deco train station, and other art deco. architecture, which today stands as world-class attractions.

Newark also has a good subway system. The system is a light rail line on the surface of the metro that runs underground in the center and above ground in the peripheral areas. The line is 5.3 miles long and runs between Newark Penn Station and Grove Street in Bloomfield.

After World War II, as in other urban cities in the US where the loss of manufacturing jobs and urban blight began to occur, Newark experienced a similar decline that continued until it bottomed out with riots. from the 1960s. Since then, the city has been slowly regressing.

While its churches, museums, schools and public buildings are certainly worthy of admiration, they are also off the tax rolls and carry an unusually high tax exemption burden that has slowed the pace of Newark’s revitalization programs.

Since the 1960s, the city has come a long way with a major drop in street crime, a walkable downtown, and the development of major entertainment venues and downtown hotels that bring Newark a stadium, a team NHL hockey pro, a 6,200-seat minor league ballpark, and a performing arts center with a concert hall and theater that attracts the world’s best artists. Coinciding with the development of entertainment venues, office skyscrapers have risen as homes for employers and corporate jobs. These are all attractions that are easily accessible by public transportation or by car with plenty of safe and affordable parking in the center. The center of rail transportation is the restored Penn Station, an art deco landmark, used by more than 70,000 commuters a day.

Main attractions Cherry blossom festival The second largest Cherry Blossom exhibit in the United States with the National Cherry Blossom exhibit in Washington, DC is the largest and usually occurs about two weeks earlier. Held at Branch Brook Park, there are more than 2,700 cherry trees. The flowers can best be enjoyed with a casual stroll or a picnic in the park. Cherry trees usually bloom in the second and third weeks of April. This is a week-long festival with many events including a 10km run, trolley bus tours, and Family Day with Japanese cultural activities, including demonstrations of origami, bonsai, ikebana, and martial arts.

Contact: 973-268-2300

Basilica Cathedral of the Sacred Heart

The fifth largest cathedral in North America. The French Gothic structure took more than fifty years to build and gained the status of Pope John Paul’s basilica in 1955. Located near Branch Brook Park on Ridge Street, the architecture closely resembles two of the world’s great cathedrals in the cathedral. of Notre Dame in Chartres in France and Reims Cathedral in Germany.

Contact: 973-484-2400

The New Jersey Center for the Performing Arts

It houses two venues that attract the best artists in the world at Prudential Hall, one of the best concert halls in the world, and the Victoria Theater. It is also the home of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra.

Contact: 888-GO-NJPAC

The Newark museum New Jersey’s largest museum offers experiences in the arts and natural sciences. In operation since 1909, it includes a restored 1885 brick and limestone mansion, the Dreyfuss Planetarium, and a zoo with more than 100 animals. Take an inspiring journey through 80 galleries of world-class collections, including American, Asian, African and classic. Stroll through the beautiful sculpture garden, visit the museum shops, and enjoy a delicious lunch or snack in the cafeteria.

Contact: 973-596-6550

The Prudential Center This new 18,000-seat stadium is one of the best in the country and is home to the New Jersey Devils NHL hockey team and other college basketball, futsal, concerts, family shows and special events.

Contact: (201) 507-8900

Riverfront Stadium A new $ 30 million, 6,200-seat state-of-the-art stadium is home to the Newark Bears minor league baseball team. Located in the center of the city, the stadium enjoys a magnificent urban setting surrounded on three sides by the city with a view of the Manhattan skyline in the distance.

Contact: 1-866-55-4BEAR

Hotels

Hilton Newark Gateway

The hotel is located in the heart of the downtown business district in the prestigious Gateway Center. The Hilton hotel is directly connected to Penn Station and the Gateway Center, making it very convenient for travelers to reach it via Amtrak, New Jersey Transit or PATH.

Contact: 1-973-622-5000

Robert Treat Hotel

The contemporary and stylish Robert Treat Hotel is located in the heart of the Downtown District overlooking New York and the city skyline.

Contact: 1-800-637-7200

Restaurants

The Ironbound section, is a Portuguese neighborhood with Ferry Street, being its commercial center, it stands out for its Portuguese, Spanish and Brazilian restaurants at moderate prices. In the mood for an ethnic lunch or snack? Try one of Ironbound’s cafes and bakeries. Enjoy a sandwich or some pasta and a cup of dark South American coffee. With the revitalization of the city, new restaurants are beginning to emerge that offer diners a variety of different dining options.

Adega Grill – Spanish-Portuguese

130-132 Ferry St

973-589-8830

Basque House – Spanish-Portuguese

141 Elm St.

973-465-1350

Maize Restaurant – Traditional American Food

Hotel Robert Treat, 50 Park Pl.

973-639-1200

Theater Square Grill: Creative American food.

New Jersey Performing Arts Center.

1 Center St.

973-642-1226

Arts Entertainments

Female soccer fans: a growing population

Do we have female soccer fans? Are men the only soccer fans?

Women today have learned to love and enjoy soccer games. Long ago, only men were known to be soccer fans. An increase in the number of female soccer fans has been significant following the emergence of women playing by themselves. For some time now, women have proven their worth in the field. Some of the best soccer players are: Marta Vieira da Silva from the Brazilian National Team; Julie Foudy from the US national team, Brandi Chastain also from the US national team, and Tiffeny Milbrett, Abby Wambach, Kristine Lilly, Cindy Parlow, Briana Scurry, Shannon MacMillian and Joy Faucett, all from the US national team. These women have been recognized worldwide and have a large following in their careers, both men and women.

Men were known to be soccer enthusiasts, but not for long. Women have also become one. Women have even resorted to forming groups that meet from time to time to discuss upcoming tournaments and leagues. They have their own cheers and practice performing them during their meetings. Women have gotten very serious in fighting for their soccer teams. Online forums have also been populated by women. Female fans went online and discussed recent league and tournament events. They would tell who they liked the most and who they hated the most. Women have become football enthusiasts by heart.

So if you are a girl or a woman and you think that the game is only for men; think again. Soccer fans are everywhere; Why not consider joining them and enjoying the game more?

Technology

Biometric facial search

Security and privacy are a very important aspect of any business. All business owners want their facilities to be as safe and secure as possible without unwanted visitors roaming the premises. Facial recognition software is used by all government security agencies to locate criminals and outlaws. Facial recognition technology has been widely used for different purposes and it is about time that people learned more about this sorcery.

Facial biometrics is a technology capable of identifying a person by scanning and reading certain facial features. Facial Recognition Technology has come a long way and now has diverse applications on mobile platforms, robotics, and even national security.

Different techniques used for facial recognition

Traditionally, there are two different ways that are used for facial recognition.

1. These algorithms identify faces by first extracting facial features from an image of the subject’s face. In this method, the algorithm analyzes facial features such as relative position, size, nose shape, ears, cheeks, lips, etc.

2. The other way is to use a compressed probe image that contains all the data necessary to recognize the face of a certain person. The image from the probe is compared to the available facial data to recognize the required face outside of the data set.

3D recognition

In three-dimensional facial recognition, 3D sensors are used to record facial features in more detail such as shape structure, spots, contour of the eye socket, chin, nose, etc. The added advantage of 3D facial recognition is that it is not dependent on light like the other methods.

In this method, facial features can be scanned with different lighting and a wide range of viewing angles. This method dramatically increases the precision in the process making it more reliable and usable in different conditions.

There are other forms of facial recognition such as:

Analysis of skin texture

Thermal Cameras

Combination of different techniques (3D facial recognition + skin texture analysis)

Applications of facial biometrics

Mobile apps

There are many mobile applications that use facial recognition for different purposes. Snapchat uses facial recognition to add a new filter that can change your appearance. Similarly, there are many mobile applications of this type that use this technique to improve their services.

Face ID

Unlocking your phone with your face is nothing new, but Apple has completely changed the game with its precise Face ID feature.

Security services

Facial recognition systems are used by police and national security agencies around the world to track criminals and identify suspects.

Biometric assistance

In large companies and government agencies, various biometric machines and cameras are used to automatically mark the presence of employees or any particular individual.