#section 80 EE
Text
Beyond 80C and 80D: Tax Saving for Long-term Saving
Tax planning and saving is a critical element of financial planning. It helps you maximise your savings, reduce your annual tax liability and utilise the money for other important financial goals you may have in life. Under the Indian Income Tax Act of 1969, you can use different sections to save your taxes.
Section 80 C and Section 80 D are the most popular sections under which people avail tax benefits. But the tax deduction you can avail under sections are capped to a certain limit. For example, the tax benefit available under Section 80C is limited to Rs. 1.5 lakhs in a financial year.
As a smart investor, you would know the importance of tax planning, and therefore, you must look to explore the different tax-saving opportunities. The good news is that there are different sections other than Section 80C and 80D. In this blog, we look at these sections:
Section 80 TTA
Under Section 80 TTA of the Indian Income Tax Act, you can claim a deduction of up to Rs. 10,000 on the interest earned from the savings account you maintain with any bank, post office or cooperative society.
Section 80GG
If you are a salaried individual and do not receive HRA (Housing Rent Allowance) from your employer, you can claim a deduction on the house rent under this section under certain conditions. The maximum tax benefit you can get under this section can be lesser of the following:
Rent minus 10% of the adjusted gross total income
A fixed amount of Rs. 5000 per month
25% of the adjusted total income
Section 80 EE
As a first-time homeowner, you can save your taxes on the home loan interest payment under Section 80EE. You can claim a maximum deduction of Rs. 50,000 in a financial year. This deduction you get is over and above the tax benefit under Section 80C on repaying the principal amount of the home loan.
Section 80CCG
If you are an Indian resident, and your total annual income is less than Rs. 12 Lakh, you can claim a deduction on 50% of the investment in the shares of Rajiv Gandhi Equity Savings Scheme (RGESS) or a fixed amount of Rs. 25,000 for three successive assessment years under this section. However, to claim the tax benefit, you must meet the following conditions:
You are a retail investor as per the notified scheme requirements.
The investment is listed as per the notified scheme requirements.
You must invest in the scheme with a minimum lock-in period of three years as per the notified scheme.
Section 80U
Section 80U of the Indian Income Tax Act is related to the physical disabilities. It allows you to claim a tax benefit of up to Rs. 75,000 and if you have a severe disability, you can claim a deduction of up to Rs. 1.25 Lakh. Please note that this deduction is available only for resident Indian citizens.
Section 80G
Under this section, you can enjoy tax benefits on the donations you make to different social causes. You can get a deduction of up to 50% or even up to 100% based on the list of the charitable institutions you are donating to.
Some of the popular non-profit organisations that are eligible for tax deductions, include: Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund, National Children’s Fund, Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund, Swachh Bharat Kosh, etc.
Section 80TTB
This section of the Indian Income Tax Act is specifically meant for senior citizens only. If you are a senior citizen, you can claim a deduction of up to Rs. 50,000 on the interest earned from the deposits.
Section 80GGC
As an individual, you may support certain political ideologies or parties. If you truly believe in the party’s cause, you can make a financial contribution to the political party or electoral trust through any mode other than cash payments. You can claim tax benefits on the contributions you make under this section.
Conclusion
Now that you know the different tax benefits available to you under different sections of the Income Tax Act, the tax advantage of these benefits available to you. This will help you reduce your overall tax liability and maximise your savings.
0 notes
Text
Benefits Of Startup India Registration For New Startups Including Funding Schemes Available
Is your certificate of incorporation/registration less than 10 years old?
Are you a private limited company or a registered partnership or a limited liability partnership?
Has your annual turnover never exceeded Rs100 crore since incorporation or registration?
Is your business focused on innovation, development or enhancement of products or services or has the potential to generate employment and wealth?
If you answer yes to all of these questions, you should read on to understand the benefits that registration under the Startup India initiative can provide your entity.
The popularity of startups and the enthusiasm displayed by entrepreneurs led to the government of India starting and promoting the Startup India initiative. The idea of Startup India is to provide an inclusive platform for the growth of startups by empowering them through innovation and technology support. The startups registered under this initiative have access to several benefits.
It must be noted that a new entity created by splitting or reconstructing an existing business will not fall under this category and all conditions have to be met to qualify as a startup.
The benefits offered by a Startup India registration are several and include the following-
Simple User-friendly process
The process of registering a startup under the Startup India initiative is very simple. You can do it via the mobile app or use the website. All you need to do is to fill up a simple online form and upload a few documents. The process is completely contactless and paperless and will barely take a few minutes.
Cost Benefits
Registering under the Startup India Registration initiative can yield rich benefits. The government provides lists of facilitators of patents and trademarks. Intellectual Property Rights Services are offered at cheaper rates and the response time is also pretty quick. The government bears the facilitator fees while you will bear the statutory fees. You can get an 80 % discount while filing patents.
MONETARY ASSISTANCE
The government has set up a 10,000 crore rupees fund to provide monetary assistance to startups as venture capital. The government offers guarantees to lenders to encourage banks and financial institutions to lend venture capital to these entities.
TAX HOLIDAY FOR 3 YEARS
You can get a 3 year tax holiday if your startup is incorporated between 1st April, 2016 and 31st March 2022. If you get a certification from the Inter-Ministerial Board. You will be eligible for 100% tax rebate on profits for 3 years in a block of 7 years if the annual turnover does not cross Rs 25 crores in any financial year. This gives you a breather to manage your working capital requirements in the initial years of operation.
Tender Application
You are exempted from prior experience/turnover criteria which are applicable for normal companies while applying for government tenders which gives you an advantage.
Research and Development facilities
Seven new Research parks will be set up to facilitate R &D activities for startups. This will give you the scope to focus on your innovations.
Simple compliances
Startup companies have been kept simple to save time and costs. You can self-certify compliances with 9 labour and 3 environment laws via the Startup mobile app.
LTCG exemption for startups
The Income Tax Act has included a new section 54 EE for the purpose of exempting tax on long term capital gains to be availed by eligible startups. To get this benefit, you will have to invest in a fund notified by the Central Government within six months from the date of transfer of the asset. You can make investment in the long-term specified asset up to Rs 50 lakhs which shall remain invested for 3 years. In case of a premature withdrawal, the benefit will be revoked in the year of withdrawal.
TAX EXEMPTION ON INVESTMENTS ABOVE THE FAIR MARKET VALUE
Eligible startups get the benefit of tax exemption on investments above the fair market value.
These investments may include investments made by Indian angel investors, family offices or funds not registered as venture capital funds as well as investments made by incubators.
Choice of Investors
You have the flexibility to choose between venture capitalists and can select your investors.
Ease of Exit
You can shut down your business within 90 days from the date of the winding-up application.
Networking Opportunities
Startup fests will be held twice a year at national and global levels to help entrepreneurs to meet each other and benefit from networking opportunities.
Tax exemption to individuals/HUF on investment of LTCG in startups
Section 54GB has been tweaked to include investment in eligible startups as a basis for exemption of tax on LTCG from the sale of residential property. If any individual or HUF sells a residential property and invests the capital gains in 50% or more equity shares of eligible startups, then the amount invested will be exempt from tax on the condition that the shares are not sold or transferred within 5 years from the date of purchase. The startups can use this amount to buy assets that should not be transferred or sold within 5 years. This incentive is expected to promote investments in eligible startups.
OPTION TO SET OFF LOSSES CARRIED FORWARD AND CAPITAL GAINS IF THERE IS A CHANGE IN OWNERSHIP
If all the shareholders of an eligible startup who have voting power on the last day of the year in which the loss was incurred continue to hold shares on the last day of the previous year in which such loss is to be carried forward, then the carry forward of such loss is permitted, In the case of eligible startups the restriction of holding 51% of voting rights to remain unchanged u/s 79 has been removed.
Additional Privileges
The need for the criteria of prior experience or turnover is relaxed in the case of startups in the manufacturing sector without any relaxation in quality standards or technical parameters with regard to procurement by the government.
Startups are entitled to receive guaranteed funds through the National Credit Guarantee Trust or SIDBI over a span of 4 years.
There is no inspection for the first three years regarding labour laws
There are several funding schemes launched for the benefit of startups. Some of the prominent ones include –
Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana
Under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana scheme, MUDRA Banks offer loans at very affordable rates to micro-finance institutions and NBFCs who extend the loans to startups and MSMEs.
Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana is a unique fund of funds that offers a maximum loan of Rs 10 lakhs, and has been designed to empower budding Indian businessmen. Over 29.55 crore loans amounting to over Rs 15.52 lakh crores have been sanctioned under the scheme till March 21.
New businesses can avail of loans up to Rs 50,000 under Shishu, middle-aged businesses can avail of Rs 5 lakh under Kishor while existing experienced businesses can get up to Rs 10 lakhs.
CREDIT LINKED CAPITAL SUBSIDY FOR TECHNOLOGY UPGRADATION (CLCSS)
Credit Guarantee Trust Fund for Micro and Small Enterprises
This is one of the biggest Startup Loan Schemes launched by the Government where an unsecured loan of up to Rs 1 crore is provided to eligible startups and MSMEs.
Monetary Support to MSMEs in ZED Certification Scheme
ZED or Zero Defect and Zero Effect mission are to incentivize manufacturers to create enhanced products with superior quality and zero defects. The purpose is to help manufacturers use world-class processes to ensure that their products are the best in class.
This scheme has been designed to provide financial help to MSMEs to improve their processes and implement cutting edge technology for their business. This would help them compete at a global level. Under this scheme, the government provides a 15% subsidy for investment up to Rs 1 crore for the enhancement of technology for startups and MSMEs in India.
Setting up Design Clinics
In a bid to promote innovation, the MSME ministry has created a design clinic for promoting design related expertise for startups and MSMEs. Under this scheme, the government provides aid of up to Rs 60,000 for attending design seminars and up to Rs 3,75 lakhs or 75% of the cost of a seminar where the entrepreneurial team can learn design theories, latest trends and practices.
Startup Movers can help you register your startup under the Startup India initiative and complete all the formalities in this regard.
0 notes
Text
Fall Out Boy // Infinity On High // 6 February 2007
15 years ago today Fall Out Boy released their third studio album Infinity on High on Island Records.
15 years ago Fall Out Boy were evolving their sound and diversifying their influences, departing from their unidimensional skate-park emo sound. Even then, the emotional hardcore fanbase with which they made their name considered the direction too mainstream and called them sellouts. The band addresses this in one of the music videos for the song on this album "The Take Over, The Breaks Over". Ultimately Fall Out Boy ended up growing apart from the scene which originally made them famous as they moved into mainstream rock and pop punk audiences.
" There’s really nothing that emotional about much of ‘Infinity On High’. There ain’t a whole lot of hardcore either – this sets out to be streamlined, stadium-friendly rock with the rough edges polished down to a fine sheen, and it succeeds admirably in these aims. At various points, it sounds like A-Ha (‘Don’t You Know Who I Think I Am?’), a gleefully dumb Muse (lead-off single ‘This Ain’t A Scene, It’s An Arms Race’) and – incredibly – Scissor Sisters soundtracking Rocky (‘I’ve Got All This Ringing In My Ears And None On My Fingers’). Indeed, the wordy titles are the only real giveaways that you’re listening to Fall Out Boy.
Say what you like about ‘Infinity On High’, though, it’s nothing if not infectious. Unapologetically commercial, yes, but infectious nonetheless. It draws to an ingenious close with ‘I’ve Got All This Ringing In My Ears…’ which lifts liberally from Scissor Sisters ‘Laura’ and augments it with a brass section and a killer chorus to make for the least likely Fall Out Boy song you’ll ever hear – and the undoubted highpoint of the album. If you leave your preconceptions at the door – along with your piss-filled missiles, thank you very much – ‘Infinity On High’ might just surprise you. It’s the sound of a band at least trying to outgrow the confines of the scene that birthed them; and largely succeeding as well. Fall Out Boy aren’t kidding themselves – they’re well aware that radio-friendly, mega-chorused stadium rock is their forte, as opposed to say, concept albums about cancer, but they do what they do better than anyone else. And they’re doing it, as is proclaimed on ‘The Take Over, The Break’s Over’, “With smiles on our faces”. " - Barry Nicolson for NME // February 2007
Source:
#2007#fall out boy#fob#infinity on high#15 years ago#15th anniversary#pete wentz#peter lewis kingston wentz iii#patrick stump#joe trohman#andy hurley#fall out boy 2007#albums 2007#2007 albums#emo trinity#tumblr emo#emo#emotional hardcore#pop punk#blue album#fob blue albums#2000s bands#00s bands#2000s albums#00s albums#early 2000s bands#early 2000s emo#guyliner#alternative#rock
157 notes
·
View notes
Text
[RoD] Pixel Person MPC Tutorial - Part 1 - Supplies
I intended to just share the patterns for the Pixel People version of the RoD characters for @rodappreciationweek but a few folks expressed interest in more detailed instructions, so I spent entirely too much time writing up a How To guide because I'm a nerd. and a craft nerd. and then realized it was way too much information for one video, so I split it into 3 parts.
Part 1 will go over supplies, and includes the patterns, with a color chart. Part 2 will show you how I stitch one of the pixel people, and Part 3 will go over how to finish your project to display and/or wear.
First off, here's the shopping list to start things off - feel free to save this to your phone so you can refer to it when looking for stuff online/in person at your local craft store. JoAnn's will have 99% of the list, Michael's will have maybe 80%, and anything you can't find in person you can order online - while Amazon carries nearly all of these things, I highly recommend 123stitch.com as a specialized store. They carry an insane amount of inventory and they ship orders fast.
FABRIC
Aida (pronounced "eye-duh," "eye-ee-duh," or "ay-duh") is the fabric most commonly associated with cross stitching, especially for beginners. It's a stiff, gridded fabric with evenly spaced holes to pass the needle through. It's easiest to find in white, but it comes in other colors, and it's sold in a variety of "counts," which refers to the number of stitches in an inch. 11 or 14 count is good for beginners, 16 count or higher is good to include a lot of detail in a smaller workspace. DMC, Charles Craft, and Sensations are good brands.
Cotton is another option if you don't like the appearance of Aida. This can be any solid or patterned design you like, but aim for a quilting weight if this is your first time stitching. Something like cotton jersey would have too much stretch. Kona Cotton has a nice weave, but nearly anything in the quilting cotton section will work.
Linen is a third option, and the material I personally like to use for hand embroidery. It can have a very open weave or a tighter weave closer to cotton, and often includes "imperfections" where some of the threads are thick in spots, adding a textured feel to the material.
If you decide to stitch on cotton, linen, or a finished product like a sweatshirt or cloth napkin, you'll want to add Waste Canvas to your list. It looks similar to Aida cloth with the grid pattern, but you lay it over your fabric and use it as a template to create the same even stitching as you'd get with Aida. You can then remove it by dampening the work area and pulling the waste canvas threads out one by one; if it's a soluble version, you can submerge the finished piece in warm water to 10-20 minutes and the canvas will dissolve into the water. DMC and Charles Craft are good brands.
Additionally, for any cross stitch done on something that will be worn/washed with regular use (clothing, towels, napkins, etc.) you'll want to get Fusible Interfacing that will protect that backside of the material and aid in locking the stitches in place. It's sold on bolts in JoAnn's, typically near the cutting station in most of their stores. It looks like tissue paper, where one side is smooth and the other side is bumpy/textured. The bumps are glue that gets activated with a combination of heat and water (you will need an iron for this). You won't need much; a 1/4 yard strip would be more than enough. You just need enough to cover the stitched area of your finished piece. Pellon brand in P44 is something I use for all kinds of sewing projects. Do yourself a favor and find the discount/scrap bin near the cutting station or search the pre-cut fat quarters in the quilting aisle and pick something white/light colored to use as a pressing cloth.
EMBROIDERY HOOP/FRAME FOR STITCHING
Aida is generally pretty stiff on its own not to need a frame, but a hoop/frame is nice to use to keep the oils on your fingers from getting into the fabric (and it's nice to be able to hold something for a large pattern). Cotton and linen are too soft/flexible to stitch on their own, especially if you want tight and even stitches, so you'll definitely want a hoop in that case.
Hoops can either be wood, plastic, or sometimes metal. I prefer using wood, but feel free to get whatever you like. Anything larger than an 8" hoop will be cumbersome to hold in your hand, but aim for a hoop that gives you extra space outside of the dimensions of your pattern. For example, one pixel person on 14-count Aida will measure about 3/4 inch x 2.25 inches; one person on 8-count will measure 1 inch x 4 inches. If you're stitching the whole crew, an 8" hoop should be fine.
If you plan to display your finished piece in a hoop, pick up more than one - one to display, the other to use for stitching.
If you really get into cross stitch, something like a Q-snap frame will be kinder to your fabric while you work. Q-snaps are plastic tubes that form either a square or rectangular frame, and come with clamps to hold fabric in place. You can then roll the clamp to tighten the fabric if it loses tension while you stitch, versus pulling the fabric in a hoop to readjust tension, which can sometimes warp the stitches. Q-snaps are more expensive than hoops though. In the photo I have pieces of felt that I layer over the fabric, to give the clamps more of a grip and to protect the fabric.
SCISSORS
Pretty self-explanatory - you want a large-ish pair to cut and trim your fabric, waste canvas, and/or interfacing to size. They can be fancy dressmaker shears or utility scissors; just make sure they're nice and sharp.
You'll also want a smaller pair of embroidery/needlework snips to trim thread. Nail scissors would also work. PS - decorative snips are very cute and if you're like me you'll want to collect them just for fun, lol
EMBROIDERY FLOSS AND NEEDLES
Embroidery Floss - DMC and Anchor are the brands easiest to find in stores. I prefer DMC due to the wide variety of colors, and colorfastness even after years of use. You'll want the standard 6-strand skeins from either brand for cross stitch; don't mess with the corded perle cotton (I know they're pretty, but we want the smoother skeins so we can pull the threads apart later). I suggest going with DMC since not all the colors I used in my patterns have an equivalent shade in Anchor's inventory.
Embroidery and/or Tapestry needles are different from the standard sewing needles you might already have at home in a sewing kit (though sewing needles will come in handy for part of the process too). The eyes on embroidery/tapestry needles are larger to accommodate for multiple threads at once, or even silk ribbons for fancy embroidery work. There are tons of articles online that go into detail about the difference between needle sizes and when to use them, but the main difference is embroidery needles are usually longer and have sharper points to literally stab a hole through fabric; tapestry needles are shorter/thinner and have blunt (but still sharp if you poke your finger) points to go through open weaves. Pick up a pack to have multiple colors of floss threaded while you work; Clover, Bohin, and DMC are all good brands.
(not pictured) Bobbins - Little paper or plastic pieces used to wrap and store excess floss. They're good if you want to organize your floss in a floss box, and for labeling floss if you're working on something with a lot of colors.
[click to enlarge] Above is the chart that tells you all the different colors you'll need to get for each character. If you plan to do multiple characters that use some of the same numbers, it's fine to just pick up one skein of that color; you're only using a small portion of the floss so it will last you a VERY long time 😅
(I know the image quality sucks, but tumblr maxes out at 10 images per post. This breaks down where each floss color is used, depending on the character/outfit. You can view/download the patterns from my Google drive here to save to your phone or tablet, and use as a reference when stitching.
EXTRAS (FOR FINISHING YOUR STITCHING)
If you're a crafter of many things like me, you might already have some of this stuff in your home. I'll go into more detail on how/when to use these items in Part 3, but add what you need to your supply list to get everything in one go...
Sewing thread and sewing needles - nothing super fancy, just pick a thread in a contrasting color from whatever color your fabric is (e.g. stitching on white Aida? use green or navy thread.)
Chipboard or Mat board - pick up a sheet only if you're going to frame your finished piece in a picture frame where you pull the back out to open it. It's a thick fiber board that looks like cardboard. If you can't find any, the back material of a sketchpad will work, or you can use 2 layers from a cereal box for a less expensive DIY option.
Binder clips - you'll use these to hold fabric in place against the chipboard if you're framing your project in a picture frame.
Cardstock - optional if you plan to display your project in an embroidery hoop or front loading picture frame. You'd glue this to the backside of the hoop and/or layer over the stitched fabric to hide the raw edges.
Clothespins - if you plan to display your project in a hoop, clothespins will help press the fabric to the inner hoop while the glue dries.
Glue - only if you plan to display your project in a hoop. Fabric, tacky, craft, or hot glue; whatever your personal preference is.
PREP THE RED FLOSS
I can't speak for Anchor brand floss, but the red floss colors for DMC brand have a tendency to bleed onto fabric if the threads get wet. It's an annoying and painstaking effort to remove the stain from the fabric without removing color from nearby floss once a piece is already stitched, so I proactively wash my red floss if I plan to stitch on anything other than black fabric.
If you're stitching on Aida, you can probably skip this step since you won't need to wet the fabric. If you're stitching on something that uses waste canvas and the pixel person you're stitching has red in their pattern (Colt's red pants, MC's plaid flannel, MC's tube top, MC's red leather jacket) keep reading.
In a clean cup, add some warm water with a couple drops of dishwashing soap. Remove the paper bands from the floss skein and drop the floss in, soaking all the threads. Gently swirl the water in the cup to work it into the fibers, or carefully use your finger/a chopstick/end of a paintbrush to agitate the water without messing up the floss too much. After a minute or so, dump the water and rinse the floss until you no longer see soap bubbles when you give it a little squeeze. Lay it down on a clean cloth or towel somewhere to air dry.
Get ready for Part 2, where I'll show you how to stitch a mini MPC!
#rodaw#rod appreciation week#rodaw day six: wildcard#cross stitch info#zaffrenotes makes things#i am also a wordy bitch#so this is a long post with lots of details#and if you read all the way through I appreciate and love you for letting me ramble on and on#...for fifTEEN pages. FRONT AND BACK 😉#not really 15 pages#google docs says my notes for all three parts is 9 pages
28 notes
·
View notes
Text
Size Really Does Matter
The coming of the automobile and the internal combustion engine brought with it the need for gasoline. Just like modern EVs need charging stations, those old cars needed gas, like 98.5% of the cars on the road today still do.
The only problem was that gas stations were few and far between, kind of like charging stations are today. Early autoists (and that’s what they were called back then) often tied one or more jerry cans filled with gasoline to their cars so they wouldn’t run out of fuel in the middle of nowhere.
While transportation scholars and industry reps will debate when and where the first gas station was, suffice it to say it was in the early 1900s. Those early stations were nothing special, and aside from gas and a few necessary items for cars, like oil, they were tiny and didn’t allow for food or other shopping.
Skip forward to the 1960s, and both travel stops like Stuckey’s and truck stops started to appear. Stuckey’s had a small souvenir section, a grill, gasoline (of course), bathrooms, and their signature pecan logs, which probably broke more teeth than dentists could begin to report.
The early truck stops were not like the Flying J’s we see today, but were really just a normal gas station with an extra bay just for trucks. It was the beginning of a new fad that evolved quickly through the decades, to the point now that we see Flying J and their other brand, Pilot, situated right across the freeway exit from a Love’s or Petro.
Truck stops, though, in spite of their sprawling operations, restaurant, auto parts, convenience items, souvenirs, and rest rooms, developed a reputation as being dirty, seedy, and in some instances, unsafe. While I have crashed for a few hours in a truck stop parking lot, I know my wife would never ever consider doing that.
All of which opened a door for a new breed of competitor, one that cleaned up its act, doubled down on the shopping, and got rid of all those trucks and their drivers. Say hello to Texas’ home-grown Buc-ee’s and their familiar beaver mascot.
With 60 gas pumps, which, if you multiply by two for the number of sides, you will be hard pressed to ever have to wait in line to pump gas. That’s 120 different cars that can be fueling at one time.
And since they don’t sell diesel for trucks, those guys simply will not be there. Instead, Buc-ee’s has built its market around shopping. In other words, this is a travel stop, a Stuckey’s on steroids if there ever were one. Come on...Buc-ee’s is the only travel stop I know that has shopping carts and sells smokers and barbecue grills.
Because that’s what I really need when I am on vacation, you know.
Buc-ee’s is on a tear right now, not just in Texas, but also in its expansion plans across the southeast. I have been to their store on I-10 about 20 miles east of Mobile, and it is always jam-packed with tourists stretching their legs and spending stacks of cash.
Interestingly, though, Buc-ee’s has made some enemies along the way, most notably in the community of Efland North Carolina, where the Lone Star favorite had planned to build a 64,000-square-foot travel center and car wash. A very vocal group pitched a fit, complaining that the new Buc-ee’s "would worsen traffic congestion, pollute a protected watershed, and offend aesthetic sensitivities."
So loud were they in complaining that Buc-ee’s listened and scrapped their plans.
While Buc-ee’s hasn’t given up on North Carolina (it has opened or will soon be opening stores in Georgia and Florida), it realized it was just not welcome. After all, Buc-ee’s do create congestion. Have you ever been to the one in Terrell Texas near where I-20 and US 80 split? You would think the Cowboys were playing there. Numerous hotels and fast food joints have all sprung up, just because Buc-ee’s is there.
How big is too big, then? Does a convenience store or travel stop or whatever you call it have to be that big? And how many people have an hour to kill when on a long drive? I for one usually just get my gas, visit the Men’s room, and then wander a few minutes watching people go crazy over anything and everything with a beaver logo on it. I find it entertaining.
I’m not one to complain, though, because I find it all fascinating. I can’t say I know of a single Texan who doesn’t like Buc-ee’s, or for that matter, who doesn’t subscribe to the “everything is bigger in Texas” self-justification.
It’s just that maybe not everyone else gets it. Furthermore, Buc-ee’s are disruptive, and all the truck stops in America better be fastening their safety belts, because Buc-ee’s threw down its gloves and is ready to fight. Ask my wife why.
Buc-ee’s is clean. There are no trucks. No lot lizards. Plenty of bright lights. In other words, women are likely to feel comfortable going there, which means that when it comes time to get gas, it’s a done deal, whether they are traveling solo or with their family.
Sounds to me like the folks of Efland North Carolina bit off their nose to spite their face. They threw away the opportunity for retail jobs that start at $13 an hour, and go way up from there. Maybe they were influenced by the traditional truck stops who fear for their own livelihood. I don’t know.
Because in my mind, those 64,000 square feet aren‘t as big as the competitive threat that Buc-ee’s presents to an industry that is still evolving. If they can siphon off folks in cars and vans from Flying J, Love’s, et al., those traditionalists are going to be in a world of hurt, serving primarily truckers.
Nothing against truckers, because they transport the things we buy, but I’m with my wife on this one. Size really does matter, and Buc-ee’s has it.
Now get your mind out of the gutter.
Dr “Behold The Beaver“ Gerlich
Audio Blog
4 notes
·
View notes
Text
Deductions under Section 80EE: Interest on Home Loans
If you’ve taken a home loan from any financial institution than you can claim tax benefits under Section 80EE of the Income Tax Act.
0 notes
Text
Tel Aviv 2019: Straight outta Estonia to Eurovision with a lowkey tribute to Avicii soundwise I guess
youtube
I’m not one of those people to go all their way out to overdefend Eesti Laul as “THE most diverse NF to ever exist songwise”, but even I was disappointed in this sudden rush of radiofriendly pop music that I would rather refuse to describe if I had to endure any of them ever again all at once this year. Remember - Netta won with being CRAZY! Why can’t Estonia be CRAZY even more! Was this secretly a bigger demand from the new producers or so that Estonia would need to out-radiofriendly the Latvians whose goal actually was to find a good radiofriendly song that’s enough for qualification????
Also, I kind of wanted to watch Eesti Laul, but I haven’t really settled with it, as I didn’t have enough patience to watch it one time it wasn’t on Saturday (!!). Even with Eesti Laul usually taking the live tweets from foreign fans into account and displaying some of them on the national Estonian television for good measure. And often showcasing their weirdness through crude animations every so often. But I already saw my Twitter timeline being full of that stuff, and for that I’m happy.
I did have some favourites despite being tired of all this pop stuff, and one of them was the ever-so-gender-ambiguous INGER (I say so cuz I thought it was a guy, turns out it’s a she, yeah), and I kind of wanted to see her win after the lowkey last minute interest towards her? But the televote didn’t seem to want any of it during the final public say, and didn’t even want Kerli (not the Spirit Animal Kerli) through despite of her being “hot” (are we now choosing ESC NF winners based on their looks??? tighten up ffs). Instead the final’s televote thought it’d be a good idea to fuck up the international jury’s expectations by putting through an act that got 2(!!!!!) finalised points from them jurors overall and making it win the superfinal. That televote 12 the act got beforehand was just enough for the guy to last-minute qualify over another act of 14 overall points, and who knows, maybe if it wasn’t for that 12, the winner would’ve been someone else. But it didn’t and we have a last minute qualifier victory because televote superfinal is a thing.
And in the literal sense of the way Estonian minds thought their victor that was unfairly treated by the juries was a Swedish singer Victor Crone and his song “Storm”, which was written by the one and only Stig Rastafarian~ err I mean Rästa. Stig is one mythical human creature that never rests a minute without really wanting to appear in the Estonian delegation somewhere every year - whether as all by himself, with someone else, as a songwriter for someone else, or even as part of a band (remember Traffic, anyone? Now that I think of it, the whole band looks like a puppet-act just for Stig to get to Eurovision and the other band members didn’t even want any of it in the first place). Just exactly what is Stig’s aim here? To "take it back to Tallinn”? To meet new people in Europe because he’s too lazy to travel otherwise? To boast about the many Estonian entries he contributed to? Beats me.
That and Victor Crone being Swedish, therefore a man more suited to Melodifestivalen (where he actually once participated in) and only on Eesti Laul because Stig really wanted to save his voice for this one and tag some randomer along with him just for the sake of yearly input to Eesti Laul. Well, at least Victor is historically joining Sahlene and Sandra Oxenryd as “a Swede represending Estonia for a year because what do we know for the Estonians that weren’t chosen instead”. Let’s check his song out.
First and foremost, as the title obviously states, the song reminds me of the late Avicii’s music style, especially around 2012-2013, when he was just starting to get bigger post-”Levels”-release. Just with a bit more singing surrounding the song because... well, maybe to fill up the song some more in order to not look awkward on stage during an instrumental part of the drop being as long as would be one you hear on the radio.
Then he has this easy-listening generic male radio voice that the audiences can not necessarily reasonate with, but it’s memorable, together with the chorus, whose purpose is to be memorable - you don’t need no message that’s special, you just need a melody to hum in your head for the next few weeks, and that’s basically what Stig was able to achieve with this little ditty. Then there’s the amazingly easy song structure: verse - chorus - verse - (extended) chorus - bridge - chorus (+ song ending). That’s a structure that works on basic songs to make them more user-consumption-friendly and not too overbearingly dragged out. And I enjoy it, just like I did “Light Me Up” last year, which was also sung by a mediocre-live-vocalist-Swede that could have easily ended up 6th in Melodifestivalen edition with such song, sadly. I do acknowledge that it’s basic, but I enjoy it.
The problem the Eurofandom finds with this song is that it’s too basic of a song from Eesti, Victor’s proven himself to be a dull live singer, and the chorus rhymes “like this” with “like this”, and all the self-rhymes are automatically shite. And it’s fine if a song I like has its flaws, but it automatically worries me that its live potential is automatically down the drain because of the singer’s lack of vocal compassion or strenght. That begs the question, why choosing THAT kind of song if it’s totally going to underperform live in Eurovision if the singer wasn’t sick in the NF at the time???
...oh I get it now, you Estonians must have thought Stig deserves another year in the Estonian greenroom. Or you found Victor hot. Or you find it great that a song about a storm actually was originally staged to look like Victor’s in a storm. At least for the televiewers’ eye. Because all that they see in the real arenas is the singers’ backs if they don’t turn around in time.
With visuals like these, why even need a music video!
(except that there already is one, look at the beginning of the review)
All in all, all condiments are there: just the sugar, spice and everything nice there’s needed for a song like this to break a fandom like this. You can practically smell the Hesburger grease from this song. I don’t care if that’s a bad thing - if you like the song, that’s fine, just shut up and enjoy... but if you dislike it, welp, there’s no way I can change your mind then.
And a random backing singer. Not that she’s helpful as the one for Ott Lepland or anything, she just strikes like thunder and leaves no lasting impact whatsoever.
Greta Salóme’s imaginary cousin, is that you????
Now excuse me while I contradict and repeat myself some more in the next few paragraphs:
Approval factor: As you might have seen me shading Elina a lot last year, I can safely say that at last I’m spared from her vocal practice entrapped in a porcelain-and-silk dressing!!! I like “Storm” myself so I’ll sheepishly approve the hell out of it, lolol. :-)
Follow-up factor: I would be lying if I didn’t say that after a risky-ish way to get all out opera and then coming back to a safe song after doing well with that opera number weren’t a complete nosedive into an empty pool. Subjectively it flows way better for me, but objectively, and the same could be, once again, said for Eesti Lawl [sic] 2019, it is rather interesting of a letdown? But hey, maybe it was finally time for the Estonians to chillax a bit and cave in to send an Estonian-Swedish pop number after the opera stuff, after the 80s synthpop stuff, after the smooth and slightly orchestrated and a little bluesy number, and heart-grabbing ballads... just so they could keep up their ‘variety’ in case Hungary runs out of ideas and starts sending cop-outs of themselves. They already did it with rehashing one artist and one lyrical idea already this year (the catch is that the father’s alive!), honestly. And oddly enough, they have yet to send something a little more modern/electro-influenced that appeals to the common crowd... (”Running” may not count because not everyone can relate, whereas there are more cases of broken-off love (as if in the other half being a heartbreaker or the first half missing the other half so much that they feel “incomplete” than abusive fathers. Just what I think there is? If I’m wrong I obviously expect to be @’ed in the replies section lol) For this conclusion though I’ll say that my opinion says it’s a ‘’’decent’’’ follow up, but for Eurofans, it’s not very much so of such, idk.
Qualification factor: you may think it’s dead while going to perform in between the more badass entries AND mediocre live vocals, but it won’t at least be the worst Stig entry to ever place - around 14th in the semi at the very worst and maybe in the lower half of top 10 at very best imo. Nothing more, nothing less.
NATIONAL FINAL BONUS
I actually barely even bother with Eesti Laul since they don’t accept my Twitter comments live on their television anyways. Say, were there any Twitter comments live on their television this year? No one on Twitter boasted about it if they saw theirs from what I’ve seen, but what I’ve definitely found from the eager Eesti Laul watchers were some casual and usual Estonian oddities thrown on the broadcast, such as:
• The soft and warm but also random and deranged yearly transitional postcard animations (that were refered to as “crude” earlier in this review), which I commonly know now as “my last two braincells”. Even if the graphical theme itself of this year’s Ee-Lawl were oddly-shaped birds coming out in forms of letters, they didn’t really show up much in the broadcast I suppose, and the best fuckery with my mind this year definitely happened when I saw some of THOSE pop up on my Twitter timeline:
We now return to your regularly scheduled news programm~ wait why are you saying that the scheduled programme should be Eesti Laul
• Even if the most acts themselves weren’t that kooky musically, they were obviously interesting performance-wise. We were greeted with an impulsively quirky crazy cat lady Kaia Tamm who bemoaned the absence of the fluffy creatures in German somehow (you know Germany’s a terrible track-record keeper when the only song in German this year featured on Estonia and the only German in Eurovision this year was gonna be sung by an Ukrainian entrant if she was alowed to), as if a song in full Italian from last year wasn’t enough. Not only did she dress up as Alice in Wonderland with kitty ears, but her costumed dancers were entertaining, the violinist was FIRE and a cute large teddy bear looked cute on stage. Not to mention, someone have rightfully noticed that some costumed felines in the audience looked like as if they were to kill someone:
• Lumevärv too is an interesting thing. Never forgetting Lumevärv. This Inga woman, the fiery orangehead she was, used her 3 minutes on stage the best possible way with dancing with her back turned on at the audience and only looking at the camera, while millions of lights (which is sadly not what the songtitle "Milline päev" means) shone in the audience, creating an amazing mood.
youtube
• Hey everyone, the 10 years challenge is back! This time it’s with the violin virtuousess(???) Sandra Nurmsalu, the lead of Urban Symphony, who deserved much more than a 3rd place. Unfortunately the Estonians did not bring her back to get her desired revenge, which meant that they thought that they woodn’t need no magic tale fairy that’d grant them tree wishes and let her magic wand our out the wondrous [sic] sawdust. I’m already seeing myself out for how terrible this sounded. And it’s a bit saddening about this not doing as well as some hoped, considering she would have brough out the new and the better Jacques Houdek teas:
• Other favourite act of mine from this year, besides the aforementioned “ever-so-gender-ambiguous-looking INGER” with her indie-folk jingle “Coming Home”, was the charming disco-haired Sissi Nylia Benita with a wholesomely radio bop “Strong”, and they both actually looked like they stood a chance in the superfinal vote-up now that the actual Eesti Laul fan favourites, pretty cute pop boys like piano-indie-pop-driven Stefan and electro-pop-and-Kirkorov-driven Uku Suviste, were not receiving enough support by the juries I guess??? I’ll show a video to INGER if anything and link you all to the rest so you could judge these young and beautiful souls to yourselves in a way!
youtube
• Other note-worthy acts include another song about the notorious instrument horsefly in Ee-Lawl’s history that stood even less chance than “Parmupillihullus” but is still fun regardless, and the united forces of Tanja (EE 2014) and Birgit (EE 2013) trying to compose a bigband talk show anthem and dedicating the lyrics for them being ladies with their high heels out on. And honestly, that’s all I’m gonna talk of acts-wise because most other songs were THAT of a radiofriendly-radio-filler that they don’t warrant anything else exciting for me to say.
• No but for real, the voting to the superfinal was completely off-rails. Instead of Victor, juries were there to support that Kerli woman that wasn’t from 2017 (and her soft acoustic song too), as well as Sissi and INGER (but you already know that because I barely read my write-ups before I finish them, hence lots of redundancy). At least that’s all to my knowledge. But everything definitely changed when the televote attacked! And turned the top 3 all male, lol. This voting was rather random simply because the juries didn’t really love Victor, but it definitely took the televote to convince them that “lol Victor is definitely worth of Eurovision!!! screw that he’s non-Estonian!!!” (the difference is that Victor doesn’t have a big social media following unlike Bilal and didn’t win an obnoxiously people-powered talent show unlike USNK from A Dal 2018 - it’s just that he’s more backed by Stig Rästa, and Stig is love, Stig is life.) Honestly, I am all up for unpredictable voting, but if it looks unpleasant to me, then I feel like tuning out.
We’re over with this write-up, thank-fuck-fully, so that you won’t need to hear me lamenting how supposedly cheap “Storm” is ever again. But before that I will have to leave you with some Eurovision 2019 facts coming on: Estonian delegation can be lucky for once - instead of having had to panic for spending an egregious amount of money for a staging detail, this year they don’t have to worry, as the organizers were so shook by Victor’s stormy sky effect, they offered to pay for it themselves!!! Crazy, huh??? (reported for favouritism)
And now I’m done. And we’re moving on to another review and I end up wishing Victor Crone the every best of luck out there. Storm out with a good time well spent! (Whatever that might mean.)
2 notes
·
View notes
Photo
Lundi 18 février : l’intégrale des CJ - partie 2
On continue les photos du parcours, avec trois petits clichés à Méroux puisque pour rappel la rupture de charge est obligatoire pour les voyageurs qui souhaitent poursuivre leur trajet après Delle. Nous descendons à Porrentruy afin de parcourir la ligne en direction de Bonfol, seule ligne à voie normale du réseau CJ, qui se poursuivait autrefois jusqu’à Dannemarie en France sur la ligne Belfort-Mulhouse.
Le service voyageurs international se termina en 1946 tandis que la section française de la ligne fut fermée en 1970. Si le reste du réseau CJ fut converti à la voie métrique, l’embranchement de Bonfol, du fait de son isolement du reste des voies jurassiennes, conserva les rails à l’écartement standard, et donc un matériel spécifique. Il fut électrifié en 15 kV en 1952.
La ligne, longue de 10,8 km, dessert deux gares intermédiaires : Alle et Vendlincourt. Entre celles-ci, un embranchement particulier encore actif dessert une scierie. Il y a donc du fret sur ce petit tronçon... bienvenue en Suisse !
La plupart du matériel à écartement standard du CJ est unique, seules les locomotives Ee 3/3 sont multiples... et au nombre de trois exemplaires ! Pour notre trajet sur la ligne, c’est l’automotrice RBDe 4/4 566 222-6 accompagnée de la voiture-pilote ABt 50 85 80-35 922-4, des véhicules rachetés au BLS en 2013, qui s’y sont collés !
4 notes
·
View notes
Video
youtube
The finale of our three-part Texas travel vlog takes us through Apple Pfannkuchen, a historic bar in Pearl Brewery, an amazing Mexican marketplace and the granddaddy of all gas stations! First, we start with some breakfast at the local favorite Magnolia Pancake Haus. Continuing our food adventure, we move on to the Pearl Brewing District which is filled with tons of food and shops to visit. The bar inside of the famous Hotel Emma, Sternewirth, is full of great food and cocktails along with a rich history from the building. You can even sit inside of the old brewery stills! To close out our San Antonio fun, we had to stop at one more place. The Historic Market Square! Featuring 32 specialty shops in the El Mercado section and 80 different places in the Farmers Market Plaza, there are a ton of amazing things you can find in this historic market. From figurines to clothes, it’s a tourist shopper’s haven if you’re looking for some Mexican gifts! One other famous place in this square is the restaurant and bakery, Mi Tierra. There were so many sweet pastries, cookies and even dried fruits and pumpkin, which I was told was a local favorite. It was a pretty busy place as well with a decent line. I think we waited for maybe 20 min to get through it all. It’s a pretty popular local and tourist spot, but I can see why with all the great-looking sweets! We finished our trip in Austin and on the way, we stopped at In-N-Out Burger and the world-famous gas station destination... BUC-EE'S! Probably the biggest gas station I have ever been in, Buc-ee's featured a ton of different foods and goods. You can even buy a bbq grill there! Is there anything more American than buying a bbq grill at a gas station? Probably, but they probably aren't as random as that! Join us as we close our Texas trip with a bang and subscribe today to watch our continued adventures to find the best of the best in every city we visit! ............................................................................................................................... Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/downtowncraft?sub_confirmation=1 Watch More Downtown Vlogs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQeLDKGy1XA&list=PLpxeX1MTp2ubAlzOutQB_-bhztBNi_Vzc Watch our Downtown Spotlights on the best local food, drinks, and events! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQeLDKGy1XA&list=PLpxeX1MTp2ubAlzOutQB_-bhztBNi_Vzc Follow us on Facebook https://ift.tt/37RZjkg Like and Follow our Instagram https://ift.tt/2Ud43Nh Tweet us on Twitter https://twitter.com/downtown_craft Check out our Tumblr https://ift.tt/36H3q17 Visit our website www.downtowncraft.com by Downtown Craft
0 notes
Text
Home Loan Benefits for Women in India
Since their launch in 1978, home loans have helped realise millions of home ownership dreams in India. Home loans have made it possible for you to get your own house even if you can’t pay for the property upfront.
In today’s times, the husband and wife apply together for a home loan. To encourage home ownership for women, home loan lenders offer extra benefits to women as primary applicants.
Here are the extra home loan benefits women in India enjoy:
1. Reduced Home Loan Interest Rates
Most lenders – banks and NBFCs in India offer women a 0.05% to 0.1% reduction in home loan interest rates.
Home loan tenures last between 15-30 years. So, a 0.05% lower interest rate could lead to significant savings.
If your home loan principal amount is INR 60,000/- and the term is 25 years, you save INR 60,000/- on your EMIs over the 25-year tenure.
The home loan interest rate assumed here is 8.60% for women and 8.65% for others.
Besides, lower interest rates also reduce your EMIs and your liability.
Calculate your home loan EMIs.
2. Flexibility in Home Loan Repayment
Many lenders give women the option to customise their home loan repayment. They also provide legal and technical counsel to help you choose what’s right for you.
3. Income tax benefits on Home Loans
Whether you get a home loan as an individual or as a co-applicant, you enjoy the same tax benefits as your spouse. Both of you qualify for tax benefits for the same home loan.
Income Tax Benefits on the Home Loan Principal Amount:
Section 80C under the Indian Income Tax Act gives you a tax deduction of INR 1,500,00/- per year on the home loan principal amount.
Income tax benefits on the Home Loan Interest Paid:
Section 24 states that the interest paid on your home loan qualifies for tax benefits too. You can claim for interest payments up to INR 2,00,000/- per annum.
Other Tax Benefits on Home Loans:
Section 80 EE allows an extra deduction of INR 50,000/- per year if this is your first home purchase. The other conditions are that the property value shouldn’t exceed INR 40,00,000/-.
The home loan amount for this deduction gets capped at INR 35,00,000/-. Only individuals can get this tax benefit.
Your home loan should be from a recognised financial institution like a bank or a housing finance company to avail tax benefits. The property must be self-occupied.
4. Lower Stamp Duty on Home Loans for Women
In India, home loan stamp duties vary from state to state. Indian women can get lower stamp duties by about 1-2%.
If your home costs INR 90,00,000/-, you can get a reduction of anywhere between INR 90,000/- to INR 1,80,000/- on your stamp duty.
You can put these savings to other uses like paying off your EMIs or invest the amount.
5. Higher borrowing amount and longer home loan tenures for women
Many home loan lenders have simplified their home loan eligibility criteria for women. In selected cases, they allow women to borrow higher amounts.
Some lenders allow women to opt for longer home loan tenures to reduce the burden of monthly EMIs. Women can choose to pay their home loan EMIs for 30 years or till they turn 70 years old- whichever comes first.
You will need a good credit rating and proof of your loan repayment capacity, though.
Check your home loan eligibility.
6. Extra Offers on Home Loans for Women
Besides, many home loan lenders run special offers for women. Free gold coin(s), a small holiday package, credit cards with exclusive benefits or jewellery vouchers are some. Such offers often make deals more lucrative for women home loan applicants.
The Indian Government also encourages homeownership for women through schemes like the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. Women in the weaker economic sections and low-income groups get exclusive support under this scheme.
A home loan can also improve your credit score when you pay your EMIs on time. So, plan your loan repayment schedule before you opt for a home loan.
Get in touch to know more: https://www.hdfcsales.com/contact-us
#home loan emi calculator#home loan eligibility calculator#home loan benefits#Home Loan Benefits for Women in India#Home Loan Benefits for Women
0 notes
Text
Are Acai Bowls Healthy? (Discovering the Truth of Acai Berries)
It’s time to get the lowdown on acai bowls.
Are they healthy?
Should you be eating this “superfood” for weight loss?
Or do Americans eat acai with so much sugar that it overrides the benefits of this antioxidant-rich fruit…
We’ve had lots of questions about acai from our 1-on-1 coaching clients, so we decided to explore this “superfood” extensively and share our research below!
There’s a lot of claims on the best tools for weight loss. Have a Nerd Fitness Coach separate fact from fiction.
Here’s what we’ll cover to answer the question, “Are acai bowls healthy?”
What is an acai berry?
How do you pronounce “acai”? (Ah-sigh-ee)
Why are acai bowls so popular? (The history of acai)
How do you make an acai bowl? What are some typical acai bowl recipes?
What are the benefits of acai? (Fact vs. Hype)
Are acai bowls good for weight loss?
Should I eat acai bowls for breakfast? (Protein in the AM)
A note on “superfoods” (Next steps for healthy eating)
Let’s do this thang!
What is an Acai Berry?
The acai berry is a small purple fruit found on the acai palm.
They come from Brazil and other northern regions of South America.
80% of the berry is actually the seed, which for the most part people don’t eat.
This leaves only about 20% for the flesh and skin of the berry, the stuff folks generally do eat.
People will often eat acai in a bowl that will look like this:
Why should you care about acai?
Generally, the answer lies in the word “antioxidants”.
I know, “Why the hell do I care about antioxidants?”
Great question.
Antioxidants are substances that fight a process called oxidation.
When your body interacts with too much sunlight, toxins in smoke, air pollution, alcohol, and other challenges, it can create “free radicals,” AKA molecules with an unpaired electron.
And these molecules? They are single and ready to mingle. So when they collide with an electron that’s already paired, they more or less steal it.
Rude.
This molecule then has to steal another electron, and the process continues. You can see how this could get out of hand. While some free radicals are normal, too many in our bodies can indeed lead to cancer.[1]
Note that “Free Radicals” are different from “the New Radicals,” a one-hit wonder:
youtube
Which brings me back to antioxidants.
Depending on the particular molecule, antioxidants either provide the free radical with an extra electron, or break it down altogether.
The point: antioxidants neutralize free radicals, making them harmless.
That’s why antioxidants are important.
In our quest to get to the bottom of the hype on acai, antioxidants will prove critical. But I want to address an even more important point before we get there.
How Do You Pronounce “Acai”?
We need to talk about how you actually pronounce “acai.” I’ve seen it make all sorts of people tongue tied.
And you want to sound important and all-knowing at your next cocktail party, right?
It’s “ah-sigh-ee.” Like this:
youtube
Often times, when exotic fruit is brought to the West, it’s name is changed so it’s easier to pronounce.
Storytime: This happened with the fruit “kiwi,” actually called “Yang-tao” in China. But marketers banked on “kiwi” being easier to say than Yang-tao, pronounced “yahng tou” in English. So they named it after the famous kiwi bird from New Zealand.
And boom, that’s why you know kiwi fruit as “kiwis.”
Such a name swap didn’t happen with acai.
Acai has kept its original Brazilian name, which is why us English speakers trip up pronouncing it.[2]
Which is a logical segue to our next section.
Why Are Acai Bowls So Popular? (The History of Acai)
The credit of the acai berry being popular outside of Brazil can be attributed to Ryan and Jeremy Black, two brothers from Southern California.
Together with their friend Ed Nichols they realized the acai berry could have a potential gigantic market in the West.
The Black brothers and Nichols came across acai on a trip to Brazil. The locals encouraged them to try it, proclaiming the health benefits of the berry: an energy boost, kickstarted immunity, and detoxification.
They got HOOKED on these things, and from then on, whenever Ryan, Jeremy, and Ed were in Brazil, they would search for an icy acai bowl.
On one such trip, the Black brothers and Nichols discussed how great it would be to enjoy acai back in the States.
Strange fruit from Brazil with antioxidants?
Exotic, healthy, and easy to make grandiose claims about?
CHA-CHING!!!
And that’s why acai bowls can now be found in every city in America with a punny store name.
How Do You Make an Acai Bowl? What Are Some Typical Acai Bowl Recipes?
In Brazil, the acai (in the form of frozen pulp) is generally served in a bowl with granola and bananas. Sometimes a fourth ingredient would be used, the Amazonian fruit guarana, which contains more caffeine than coffee.
Simple enough.
How about here in the States? That’s where acai bowls get cray.
You’ll for sure get acai berries, granola, and banana. And maybe guarana. But how about some of the following:
Agave
Apple Juice
Almond Milk
Almond Butter
Blueberries
Coconut
Honey
Mango Juice
Peanut Butter
Pomegranate
Soy Milk
Strawberries
Pick a handful of the above, mix them in a bowl, and BOOM! Acai bowl.
One thing most ingredients listed or referenced have in common, is they are carbohydrate and/or sugar heavy. Some, like agave and honey, are more or less just sugar.
Which brings me to an important and really fun point:
What Are the Benefits of Acai? (Fact vs. Hype)
There are a lot of health claims associated with the acai berry. Some of which make my eyebrows raise. Others make me nod approvingly. And one or two that make my soul hurt.
Which is why I’d like to introduce my new favorite Nerd Fitness game, “Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire”:
CLAIM #1: “There are good antioxidants in acai berries.”
REALITY: True!
Acai berries are indeed high in antioxidants.[3] Which is great, for the reasons we talked about earlier. When people talk about the benefits of the acai berry, it more or less comes down to antioxidants.
I support this claim.
Now, I will mention just about any berry you pick (blackberry, blueberry, raspberry) is also a great source of antioxidants. But I won’t completely steal the acai berry’s thunder.
PANTS ON FIRE SCORE:
CLAIM #2: “Acai berries are nutrient dense.”
REALITY: Also true!
Acai berries contain as much Vitamin C as blueberries. Plus acai is a great source of Vitamins A, B1, B2, B3 and E. They also contain plenty of minerals like calcium, magnesium, zinc, and copper.
Good stuff there. As a proponent of eating REAL foods that are nutrient-dense, I would throw acai into that category. An acai berry is REAL food.
PANTS ON FIRE SCORE:
CLAIM #3: “Acai berries aid digestion.”
REALITY: eh, sort of.
Fiber aids digestion. And acai skin and pulp contain fiber. So acai aids digestion?
Sure, that’s true. But it’s not the complete picture. All sorts of things contain fiber, like every other berry you’ve ever heard of. Plus, some food like carrots, are more fibrous than the acai berry.
There is no special acai ingredient to improve digestion.[4] If fiber is what you’re after, an acai berry isn’t a bad decision. But it’s not the single best option.
PANTS ON FIRE SCORE:
CLAIM #4: “Acai has anti-aging powers.”
REALITY: Bollocks! Hogwash!
Antioxidants are a good thing, because keeping your cells healthy and clear of free radicals is important. But are your wrinkles going to smooth out with the help of a berry? Or really, anything shy of botox? Don’t buy into this.
Acai have no special anti-aging magic. If the claim is antioxidants reverse aging, sure, in that they keep cells healthy. But not in the “I’m going to reverse time” way.
PANTS ON FIRE SCORE:
CLAIM #5: “Acai will improve libido.”
REALITY: Poppycock!
Will eating nutritiously lead to improved health? Which will improve how your body functions? Which could include libido? Sure.
Is there a berry out there that will make you awesome in the bedroom? No.[5]
PANTS ON FIRE SCORE:
CLAIM #6: “Acai berries help weight loss.”
REALITY: False.
“Acai is a nutrient-rich source of antioxidants, much like many other fruits, but there is nothing magical about the fruit to cause weight loss.” Thank you David Grotto, RD.[6]
Promises like better health, improved libido, and weight loss sell well. That’s why you’ll come across them. But as the saying goes, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Naturally, the idea that a berry will make you lose weight is silly. It depends on what else you are consuming, and in what quantities, in addition to the acai berry. I’m going to cover this more extensively below.
PANTS ON FIRE SCORE:
Are Acai Bowls Good for Weight Loss?
“Can I lose weight eating acai bowls?”
Maybe!
It truly depends on how you used to eat and what else you eat every day (we discuss this thoroughly in our guide The 5 Rules of Weight Loss).
To help paint this picture, let’s talk about carbohydrates and sugars found in an acai bowl.
Let’s start with the traditional acai bowl: acai puree, granola, and some banana. That will run about 355 calories, including 50 grams of carbohydrates, with 18 grams of those being sugar.
For comparison, the average bagel from a deli will have about 350 calories and 50 grams of carbs.
And that’s just a traditional bowl: what about the Americanized versions?
Acai puree often has sugar added to it, since the acai berry itself isn’t too sweet. Plus, an acai place might also pour things like honey and agave into the bowl. And don’t forget fruit contains quite a bit of sugar.
When you add it all up, it becomes a lot.
Let’s analyze the 12 oz. Acai Berry Bowl from “Juice It Up”: acai puree, a strawberry juice blend, actual strawberries, blueberries, and guarana. This rakes up:
340 calories
66 grams of carbohydrates
60 grams of sugar
If you called this meal a “carb bomb” or “sugar bomb,” I wouldn’t disagree with you. And none of this factors in additional toppings like coconut flakes or granola.
You can see how all of this adds up quickly. Acai bowls with over 90 grams of sugar are not unheard of.
That’s why I cringe when I read the Huffington Post’s article that acai bowls are the world’s healthiest breakfast.[7] I have no problem if you eat an acai bowl for breakfast.
But don’t let the good attributes of a South American berry distract you. Carbs, calories, and sugar don’t count less just because there are antioxidants present.
Eating a pile of pureed carbs, topped with carbs, and sprinkled with carbs, might be only a slightly better decision than a bowl of Lucky Charms.
All of this to say: be smart and learn about what you’re eating! Know the caloric, carbohydrate and sugar makeup of the food you eat, even if it’s “super.”
We remind our coaching clients that green juices, smoothies, and acai bowls all might have lots of nutrients, but they all will likely contain tons of sugar and calories too. That’s why we help our clients factor in these foods into their weight loss plans.
A Nerd Fitness Coach can guide your weight loss and answer all your fitness questions! Learn more here.
Should I Eat Acai Bowls for Breakfast? (Protein in the AM)
If you are going to eat breakfast, shift your focus from a pile of carbs to something loaded with protein and healthy fat. It’ll help fill you up in a more calorically-efficient manner, provide your muscles with rebuilding fuel, and not spike your insulin levels like sugar/carbs can do.[8]
Eggs are a breakfast staple that Team Nerd Fitness wholly endorses.
You can read our five favorite quick recipes here.
If you need some other examples for meal ideas, check out our post on 10 meals that can be made in 10 minutes.
But that’s only if you actually want to eat breakfast. You can also…
SKIP BREAKFAST. Some people forgo breakfast all together! Like me. It’s called intermittent fasting. It lets you make one less meal decision for the day, you’re less likely to overeat in a day, and it can help manage your insulin levels.
So start with protein in the morning. Or skip breakfast. But personally I wouldn’t start with a bucket of sugar in puree form if I was trying to lose weight.
Bummed out that your superfood breakfast isn’t that super? I hear ya. There’s nothing worse than TRYING to be healthy and discovering the food you thought was helping you lose weight is actually making things worse! Crap. Fun fact: I used to eat tons of granola bars and thought they were healthy (nope, carb and sugar bombs – might as well have been a Snickers!)
Our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program seeks to make fitness, by telling you EXACTLY what to do. No guesswork on breakfast, no wandering around lost in the gym, just an exact blueprint to follow. Plus a coach to keep you accountable!
What should you eat for breakfast? Should you eat breakfast? Let our coaches help you decide!
A Note on “Superfoods” (Next Steps for Healthy Eating)
If you ever read anything about a “superfood,” let this act as a public service announcement.
Be skeptical. Marketers love this term because it’s not defined, regulated, or provable. Meaning it can be used at whim to sell whatever to desperate folks trying to lose weight with zero repercussions
BOOOOO!
The acai is a well hyped piece of fruit thanks to a serious marketing engine and lots of money at stake.
Like most berries, it has good antioxidants and nutrients. Good stuff.
And If you like the taste and want to treat yo self? Occasionally, hell yeah.
Should you eat one everyday for breakfast? Especially smothered in granola, drizzled with honey, and topped with more carbs/sugar?
There’s likely a better option if you’re not seeing success and losing weight.
What kind of option?
We’ll, since you asked nicely, I’ve got a few in mind that I can share with you.
NEXT STEPS IF YOU WANT TO GO FARTHER!
#1) Our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program: a coaching program for busy people to help them make better food choices, stay accountable, and get healthier, permanently.
You can schedule a free call with our team so we can get to know you and see if our coaching program is right for you. Just click on the image below for more details:
Our coaching program changes lives. Learn more here!
#2) The Nerd Fitness Academy – This self-paced online course has helped 50,000 people get results permanently.
There’s a 10-level nutrition system, boss battles, 20+ workouts, and the most supportive community in the galaxy!
Join the NF Academy! One payment, lifetime access.
#3) Join our free email list and community – I send out two fun emails a week – and I’ll send you our free 10-level Nutrition Guide along with a bunch of other free bonuses. Get them when you sign up in the box below:
Download our free weight loss guide
THE NERD FITNESS DIET: 10 Levels to Change Your Life
Follow our 10-level nutrition system at your own pace
What you need to know about weight loss and healthy eating
3 Simple rules we follow every day to stay on target
Now, I want to hear from YOU:
Am I being too harsh on acai?
Or does this berry deserve to have some of its hype squashed.
Let me know in the comments.
Also, do you have any other “superfoods” you want us to take on in future “Liar, Liar Pants on Fire” posts?
-Steve, who is definitely NOT hiding from Brazilian acai marketing companies in my apartment closet, so don’t bother looking there.
PS: Curious where other fruit like bananas and oranges fall on the “healthy” spectrum? Then check out our guide, “Is Fruit Healthy?”
GIF Source: Atom, Acai Bowl, Acai Bowl II, Acai Bowl III, Kiwi, Pants on Fire, Sugar, Yo Self, Eggs.
Photos Source:indian jones, acai berry, old man, acai bowl, acai bowl II, rockstar, jump, eggs, ninja
Footnotes ( returns to text)
Study on free radicals and cancer found here
Fun fact: if you say “acai” three times into a bathroom mirror a free radical shows up and slaps you in the mouth.
Check out the study here.
“There’s no definitive scientific evidence based on studies in people to support the use of acai for any health-related purpose.” Source, NCCIH.
“No independent studies have been published in peer-reviewed journals that substantiate claims that acai alone promotes rapid weight loss.” Source, NCCIH.
Check out that WebMD article here.
Check out the Huffinton Post piece here
Study on protein vs. carbs on insulin is here.
Are Acai Bowls Healthy? (Discovering the Truth of Acai Berries) published first on https://immigrationways.tumblr.com/
0 notes
Text
11 formas de sabotear completamente su Esclusa
TEXTO 2 SPINNED
La industria petrolera refina el petróleo crudo y procesa el gas natural en una multitud de productos. También participa en la distribución y comercialización de productos derivados del petróleo. La principal familia de contaminantes emitidos por esas actividades son los compuestos orgánicos volátiles que brotan de fugas, venteos y la evaporación de materias primas y productos terminados. Las emisiones a la atmosfera entienden fuentes puntuales, prófugas y de área. Otras emisiones significativas al aire incluyen óxidos de azufre, sulfuro de hidrógeno, partículas y una extensa gama de productos químicos tóxicos. Las operaciones en una refinería típica también emiten una variedad de contaminantes de criterio y productos químicos tóxicos de los dispositivos de combustión de comburente. Las operaciones de campo de petróleo y gas, como las plantas de procesamiento de gas asimismo son fuentes importantes de emisiones. Este capítulo proporciona una visión general de las tecnologías más utilizadas por la industria del petróleo. Muchas de las descripciones de las operaciones del proceso de refinería se toman de las normas de OSHA de EE. UU. Y de la AP-cuarenta y dos de la EPA de EE. UU.
Para fines de antecedentes. Se da una identificación de cualquiera de las fuentes de contaminación así como esas descripciones. Históricamente, el campo industrial no ha actuado responsablemente cara la gestión ambiental. Un problema con el sector es la falta de un enfoque sistemático y transparente para la cuantificación y la notificación de las emisiones a la atmósfera. La mayoría de las emisiones a la atmosfera de las operaciones de refinería son de naturaleza prófuga. La literatura que los autores han revisado respalda que, por lo general, la industria continúa confiando en la aplicación de factores de emisión publicados que no son estadísticamente significativos y en procedimientos de cálculo que favorecen estimaciones bajas.
El aceite se ha usado con fines de iluminación durante miles y miles de años. En áreas donde se encuentra petróleo en depósitos poco profundos, pueden desarrollarse filtraciones de petróleo crudo o bien gas de forma natural, y una parte del petróleo simplemente se puede recoger de la filtración o de los estanques de alquitrán. Históricamente, conocemos las historias de incendios eternos donde se filtran y se queman filtraciones de petróleo y gas. Un caso es el lugar donde se edificó el renombrado oráculo de Delfos alrededor del año mil a.C. Fuentes escritas del quinientos a. de C. describe de qué manera los chinos utilizaron gas natural para hervir agua. No fue hasta mil ochocientos cincuenta y nueve que el "Coronel" Edwin Drake horadó el primer pozo petrolero triunfante, con el único propósito de localizar petróleo. El pozo Drake estaba situado en medio de un tranquilo país agrícola en el nordoeste de Pensilvania, y provocó la busca internacional de un uso industrial para el petróleo.
Según los estándares modernos, estos pozos eran poco profundos, de forma frecuente de menos de 50 metros de profundidad, pero generaban grandes cantidades de petróleo. En esta imagen de la Granja Tarr, Oil Creek Valley, el pozo Phillips a la derecha generó en un inicio 4,000 2 barriles al día en octubre de 1861, y el pozo Woodford a la izquierda llegó a 1,500 barriles por día en el https://combustiblesalternativos2227.site123.me/#section-5db31f70e94ba mes de julio de mil ochocientos sesenta y dos. El el aceite se recogió en el tanque de madera que se muestra en primer plano. Como indudablemente apreciará, hay muchos barriles de diferentes tamaños en el fondo. En este momento, el tamaño del barril no se había estandarizado, lo que hizo que declaraciones como "el petróleo se vende a $ cinco por barril" fueran muy confusas (el día de hoy el barril es de 159 litros (ver unidades en la página 141). Mas aun en esos días, la sobreproducción era algo que debe evitarse. Cuando se completó el "pozo del Imperio" en el mes de septiembre de 1861, produjo tres.000 barriles por día, anegando el mercado, y el precio del petróleo se desplomó a diez centavos por barril. De alguna forma, vemos el mismo efecto el día de hoy Cuando los nuevos campos de gas de esquisto bituminoso en los EE. UU. Se ven limitados por la capacidad de la red existente de oleoductos y gaseoductos, se generan cuellos de botella y costos bajos en el sitio de producción. Pronto, el petróleo sustituyó a la mayoría de los otros comburentes para el transporte motorizado. desarrollado a fines del siglo XIX, y adoptó velozmente el petróleo como combustible. Los motores de gasolina eran esenciales para diseñar aeroplanos exitosos.
Los buques impulsados por petróleo podían moverse hasta el doble de veloz que sus homólogos a carbón, una ventaja militar vital. f o dejado en el suelo. A pesar de los intentos de transporte de gas desde mil ochocientos veintiuno, no fue hasta después de la Segunda Guerra Mundial que las técnicas de soldadura, el laminado de tuberías y los avances metalúrgicos dejaron la construcción de cañerías confiables de gran distancia, creando un auge de la industria del gas natural. Al tiempo, la industria petroquímica con sus nuevos materiales plásticos aumentó de forma rápida la producción. Aun ahora, la producción de gas gana cuota de mercado, ya que el gas natural licuefactado (GNL) da una forma económica de transportar gas incluso desde los sitios más recónditos.
Con la aparición de vehículos y usuarios más avanzados, fue necesario mejorar y normalizar los productos comercializables. Fue preciso refinar para dividir el crudo en fracciones que podrían entremezclarse con especificaciones precisas. Conforme el valor pasó de la refinación a la producción aguas arriba, se hizo aún más esencial para las refinerías acrecentar el rendimiento de comburente de alto valor de una variedad de crudos. Del 10-cuarenta por ciento de gasolina para el crudo hace un siglo, una referencia moderna puede obtener hasta un 70 por cien de gasolina del crudo de exactamente la misma calidad por medio de una pluralidad de procesos avanzados de rehabilitado y craqueo.
Los productos químicos derivados del petróleo o el gas natural, los productos petroquímicos, son una parte esencial de la industria química hoy día. La petroquímica es una industria bastante joven 3; solo comenzó a crecer en la década de 1940, más de 80 años tras la perforación del primer pozo comercial de petróleo. A lo largo de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, la demanda de materiales sintéticos para reemplazar productos costosos y a veces menos eficaces hizo que la industria petroquímica se convirtiera en un jugador esencial en la economía y la sociedad modernas. Antes de eso, era un sector experimental tentativo, empezando con materiales básicos:
youtube
• Cauchos sintéticos en la década de 1900
• Baquelita, el primer plástico derivado de la petroquímica, en mil novecientos siete
• Primeros solventes petroquímicos en la década de 1920
• Poliestireno en la década de mil novecientos treinta
Y después se movió a una increíble pluralidad de áreas:
• Artículos para el hogar (electrodomésticos de cocina, textiles, muebles)
• Medicina (marcapasos, bolsas de transfusión)
• Ocio (zapatos para correr, computadoras ...)
• Campos enormemente especializados como arqueología y detección de delitos Con precios del petróleo de dólares americanos cien por barril o bien más, fuentes aún más bastante difíciles de acceder se han vuelto a nivel económico viables.
Dichas fuentes incluyen arenas bituminosas en Venezuela y Canadá, petróleo y gas de esquisto bituminoso en los EE. UU. (Y en desarrollo en otros lugares), metano de lignito y gasoil sintético (syndiesel) del gas natural, y el biodiesel y bioetanol de fuentes biológicas han visto un aumento trágico sobre últimos diez años Estas fuentes pueden ocasionalmente más del triple de las reservas potenciales de combustibles de hidrocarburos. Alén de eso, hay fuentes todavía más exóticas, como los hidratos de metano, que algunos expertos aseveran que pueden duplicar los recursos libres una vez más. Con el incremento del consumo y los recursos usuales y no convencionales cada vez mayores, el reto no se convierte en la disponibilidad, sino más bien en el uso sustentable de los comburentes fósiles frente a los crecientes impactos ambientales, que van desde la contaminación local hasta los efectos climáticos globales.
0 notes
Link
Owning a house is an essential requirement in today’s time. It marks one’s financial stability and also one’s social status. Thus, owning a home is worth taking a loan. However, It requires a lot of financial investments and responsibilities, which many people fail to fulfill. There are certain benefits provided to first time home loan takers to let their financial position meet their housing requirements. These are listed below:
Section 80 C: This provision under the income tax act, provides tax benefit of up to Rs 1.5 lakh on the repayment of the principal amount.
Section 24: This provision under the income tax act, allows a tax benefit of up to Rs 2 lakhs, on the repayment on the interest of their home loan.
Section 80 EE: This section works in favor of the first time home buyers. They can enjoy a tax reduction of Rs 50,000 on the repayment of interest on the home loan.
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana: In a bid to promote housing for all in the urban sectors, the government launched this scheme. The scheme provides subsidy to the first time home buyers, depending on their incomes.
Thus, people can make the most out of these benefits and can fulfill their financial and social needs.
Additional Reading:- Benefits for First Time Housing Loan Buyers in India
0 notes
Link
#SISTecRatibadEE
EE Department of SISTec Ratibad Campus successfully organized One Day Industrial Visit in HEG ,Mandideep.
Students of Electrical Engineering Department successfully completed one day Industrial tour HEG ,Mandideep. Bhopal.
Purpose of this industrial visit was to give a platform where students can realise similarities between class learning and industrial applications.
~About HEG
The main business of HEG is graphite which accounts for 80% of the revenue. Set up in 1977, in technical and financial collaboration with Society Des Electrodes Et Refractaires Savoie (SERS), a subsidiary of Pechiney of France, HEG is now the largest integrated graphite plant in the world. Spread over an area of about 170 acres, HEG (graphite division) has facilities for production of Graphite Electrodes and Graphite Specialities. Its plant is located at Mandideep near Bhopal (MP).HEG also has a dedicated R&D'.
~After the industrial visit, students upgraded their knowledge at a very great level. It was a good learning experience. In each and every department/section, students got some or the other new ideas and new thinking which was necessary for development.
~Prof.Mayank Nema arranged this industrial visit and Prof.Prasant kumar & Prof.Kavita Kushwah made it successful.
~Heartfelt gratitude to our respected Principal ma'am Dr. Jyoti Deshmukh for continuous guidance and support.
~My sincere thanks to GM Mr.Rahul Mishra and admin team to provide vehicle facility.
~Special thanks to the HOD EE Prof.Ashish Singhal for continuous guidance,support .
Department of #ElectricalEngineering (SISTec-Ratibad Campus), Bhopal(M.P)
#VisitUs: http://www.sistecr.ac.in/
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
#SagarGroupofInstitutions
#SGI
#HEG
#INDUSTRIAL_TOUR
#EE
#BestEngineeringCollegeInBhopal
#TopEngineeringCollegeInBhopal
#SagarCollege
#SagarInstitute
#BestWishes
#sagar college#sagar group#sagar institute#Sagar Group of Institutions#SISTec Ratibad#SISTec-R#electrical#electrical engineering#top#top engineering colleges in bhopal#top 10 engineering colleges in mp#Top Private Engineering Colleges In Bhopal MP#Top Engineering Colleges in Bhopal MP#Top Engineering Colleges in Bhopal Placement Wise#Top Engineering Colleges in MP Placement Wise#industrial visit
0 notes
Text
Koeberg’s seawater pump is faulty – here’s why it’s crucial to keep pumping 80 tons/s
A trip at the Koeberg nuclear power station, just outside of Cape Town, plunged South Africa into stage four loadshedding on Tuesday.
Unit 1, which generates 930 megawatts of electricity, had to be disconnected from the grid due to a fault with the seawater circulating pump, said Eskom.
According to Chris Yelland of EE publishers, the fault was at the tertiary loop, the steam-condenser section of the cooling circulating water pump set.
Here's what that means.
https://www.businessinsider.co.za/load-shedding-koeberg-cooling-circualtion-pump-fault-how-it-works-2020-3
0 notes
Last Seen Blogs
