#and there are legal requirements for how many accessible rooms hotels have to have

[sawvidae]

no but seriously, why do hotel guests complain about being put in accessible rooms? its literally the same room type as they booked but slightly more spacious and maybe a different shower. i would think its decently common knowledge that accessible rooms get counted as part of the base room types inventory, bc otherwise if we only sold them to people who specifically requested them then hotels would literally never sell out while turning away people who wanna make a fuss over nothing.

[anarchistettin]

some birthday

just thought I'd paste in an article that's behind a paywall

By Shane Goldmacher and Maggie Haberman

Reporting from Bedminster, N.J.

June 13, 2023

Donald J. Trump went to bed Tuesday night, on the eve of his 77th birthday, as a now twice-indicted former president and current front-runner for the Republican nomination for the White House in 2024.

“Some birthday,” Mr. Trump grumbled on Tuesday as he visited Versailles, a popular Cuban coffee shop in Miami. “Some birthday.”

He had just been arraigned on federal charges. His co-defendant was working as his valet. And he didn’t eat Cuban — he had McDonald’s. On his plane headed back to New Jersey from Miami, Mr. Trump ate the fast food while holding court with advisers and finishing edits on the speech he would soon deliver and mostly adhere to.

The surreal scene that awaited him at his private club in Bedminster, N.J., was a blend somewhere between a summer garden wedding and a political victory party. There was an air of an almost post-arraignment celebration as women arrived in their finery: fuchsia and canary yellow dresses, embroidered Trump wares and heels. Men sported suits and red MAGA hats.

Then Mr. Trump arrived. Visibly deflated after pleading not guilty for the second time in three months, his dry and low-energy resuscitation of his legal defense — even inflected with the usual references to Marxists, Communists and fascists — pleased his advisers but drew a relatively muted response from a crowd that had minutes earlier craned their phones for a shot of his motorcade.

He had entered to the same track — “God Bless the USA” by Lee Greenwood — that he has used as an entrance theme so many times before. On Tuesday, the chorus landed differently.

New revelations. The 49-page indictment against Donald Trump and a personal aide, Walt Nauta, revealed a host of potentially devastating new details in the Justice Department’s inquiry into the former president’s mishandling of classified documents. Here are some of the most significant allegations:

There was a stunning pattern of obstruction. Prosecutors say Trump willfully ignored a May 2022 subpoena requiring him to return the documents — and took extraordinary steps to obstruct investigators. The indictment details how Nauta, at Trump’s direction, moved 64 boxes of documents so that Trump’s lawyer could not find them.

Boxes of documents were stored in a bathroom. In April 2021, Trump’s employees needed to move dozens of boxes from a ballroom at his Mar-a-Lago estate. “There is still a little room in the shower where his other stuff is,” one aide texted another. The boxes were hauled to a small bathroom and piled up nearly to the tiny chandelier next to the toilet.

Documents were stored sloppily. The indictment shows a picture of a box of top secret national security documents that in 2021 had spilled onto the floor of a Mar-a-Lago storage room accessible to many of the resort’s employees.

Trump made a “plucking motion.” The indictment recounts how Trump and his lawyer discussed what to do with a folder of 38 documents with classification markings. The lawyer said Trump made a “plucking motion” that implied, “why don’t you take them with you to your hotel room and if there’s anything really bad in there, like, you know, pluck it out.”

Trump was recorded sharing secrets. The indictment says Trump was recorded at his golf club in Bedminster, N.J., showing off secret U.S. battle plans to a writer. Trump described the material as “highly confidential” and “secret,” while admitting it had not been declassified.

Trump showed a secret map to a staff member. In August or September 2021, Trump shared a top secret military map with a staff member at his political action committee who did not have a security clearance; he warned the person not to “get too close.”

One of Trump’s lawyers is a key witness. Some of the most potentially damning evidence against the former president came from notes made by one of his lawyers, M. Evan Corcoran. The lawyer’s notes essentially gave prosecutors a road map to building their case.

“I did everything right,” Mr. Trump declared in his 30-minute speech, “and they indicted me.”

When he finished, he barely lingered to take in the applause. He gave an obligatory fist pump and mouthed thanks to the crowd. Then he turned and went inside.

All told, the day encapsulated the remarkable numbness to the extraordinary that has defined the Trump era. The former president entered federal court as a criminal defendant, and now faces hundreds of years in prison. The Republican front-runner’s early 2024 calendar now includes not only key caucuses and primaries but court dates. His rivals are at times contorting themselves while discussing his alleged crimes; one circulated a petition on Tuesday demanding they all promise to pardon him.

Mr. Trump’s appearance in a Miami courtroom was a humiliating moment for a New York businessman with a 40-year history of engaging in gamesmanship with prosecutors and regulators, viewing most every interaction as a transaction or something he could bluster his way through. By 2017, he had the armor of the presidency protecting him when the first special counsel investigating him, Robert S. Mueller III, began his work. And by 2021, as investigations began into his efforts to thwart the transfer of power, he had come to see another campaign as a shield against prosecutions.

But that grandeur — and legal insulation — had vanished on Tuesday. Instead, Mr. Trump’s team tried to create the sense of a man still in power. In Bedminster, he spoke with the white columns of the main house of his New Jersey golf club behind him. The indictment became another backdrop for the ongoing Trump Show.

He was comforted by a motley assortment of his most fervent supporters. They included former President Richard Nixon’s son-in-law; a former New York Police Department commissioner whom Mr. Trump pardoned in the final year of his presidency; and a former administration official whom Mr. Trump named as a representative to the National Archives.

It was the National Archives that began the winding road that ended with Mr. Trump facing charges alleging that he had defied a subpoena and kept highly classified documents. The agency, which is in charge of preserving presidential records, spent most of 2021 trying to compel Mr. Trump to return boxes of materials that he had taken with him when he left the White House. So did some of his lawyers and advisers. When he finally returned 15 boxes in January 2022, archives officials discovered nearly 200 individual classified documents, and alerted the Justice Department.

On Tuesday night in Bedminster, what amounted to a red-carpet MAGA crowd mingled to a carefree playlist of Trump-favored throwbacks: “Macho Man” by the Village People, “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” by Frankie Valli, “We Will Rock You” by Queen, “Dancing Queen” by ABBA. Dozens of women wore matching red-white-and-blue outfits and chanted “We love Trump!” in unison as Mr. Trump was airborne.

The arraignment date happened to coincide with Mr. Trump’s first major fund-raiser, with those who had raised at least $100,000 invited to a “candlelight dinner” after his speech. The Trump campaign will be paying Mr. Trump’s private business in donor dollars for both events, a practice he has done for years.

Robert Jeffress, an evangelical pastor in Dallas and an early supporter who said he would not “abandon” Mr. Trump, got a call from a staffer for the former president on Monday, asking him to attend. He said Mr. Trump’s supporters saw the charges as “political.”

“I think they see this as Biden’s way of getting rid of his No. 1” opponent, he said, as music blared behind him.

Senator Tommy Tuberville, Republican of Alabama, missed votes in Washington to be there to cheer for Mr. Trump.

The gathering in Bedminster and Mr. Trump’s not-quite impromptu cafe stop in Miami were reminiscent of how he handled the gravest political threat he faced in his first 2016 campaign: the infamous “Access Hollywood” tape. Back then, he immersed himself in a crowd of his supporters outside Trump Tower. Now, he did so both at his own property and in a friendly corner of a city where he will soon face trial.

“You see where the people are,” Mr. Trump said after he was serenaded with a brief rendition of “Happy Birthday” at the Cuban cafe, called Versailles, where he also stopped to pose for a picture with a mixed martial arts fighter.

He seemed determined to project nonchalance as much as defiance. His co-defendant and valet, Walt Nauta, continued to assist him throughout the day, even as the judge cautioned against the two men discussing the case, after traveling to court as part of Mr. Trump’s motorcade staff. Ever image-conscious, Mr. Trump had entered the courthouse in Miami out of the sightlines of cameras, and he avoided a mug shot and handcuffs for the second time.

The act of indicting him, Mr. Trump said, “will go down in infamy.” And he pledged to appoint a “real special prosecutor” once he’s president again to go after President Biden and his family.

“The seal is broken by what they’ve done,” he added.

[legendaryartisanfox]

Choosing the Right POS System for Your Business: A Comprehensive Guide

In today’s fast-paced business environment, having an efficient point-of-sale (POS) system is crucial. Whether you run a bustling bar POS system, a hospitality POS system, a food truck POS system, a hotel POS system, or a takeaway POS system, a robust POS solution can streamline your operations and enhance customer satisfaction.

But with so many options out there, how do you choose the right one for your business? Let’s dive in and explore the ins and outs of POS systems, their key features, and how they can benefit your operations.

What is a POS System?

A POS system is a combination of hardware and software that allows businesses to complete sales transactions. It typically includes a register, card reader, and sometimes a tablet or touchscreen for taking orders. The software component manages sales, inventory, customer data, and more.

Why Do You Need a POS System?

You might wonder, "Isn’t my old cash register enough?" Well, let me tell you—while cash registers can handle basic transactions, a modern POS system offers a wealth of features that can transform how you do business. Here’s why you should consider upgrading:

Efficiency: Streamline your sales process to serve customers faster.

Inventory Management: Keep track of stock levels automatically.

Customer Insights: Collect data on purchasing habits for better marketing.

Flexibility: Use the system anywhere, especially for food trucks and takeaway services.

Key Features to Look for in a POS System

When selecting a POS system, consider the following features:

1. User-Friendly Interface

You don’t want to spend hours training your staff. A user-friendly interface means your team can start using the system right away, reducing downtime and increasing productivity.

2. Inventory Management

A robust inventory management system helps you track stock levels in real time. You’ll know when to reorder and can avoid costly stockouts.

3. Reporting and Analytics

Good reporting features allow you to track sales trends, understand peak hours, and see which items are popular. These insights can guide your business decisions.

4. Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

A built-in CRM system can help you track customer preferences and purchase history, enabling you to offer personalized service.

5. Payment Processing Options

Look for a POS system that supports various payment methods, including credit cards, mobile payments, and digital wallets. This flexibility caters to your customers' preferences.

Types of POS Systems

Each type of POS system serves specific business needs. Let’s look at some popular options:

Bar POS System

A bar POS system is designed specifically for bars and pubs. It typically includes features like:

Quick Menu Navigation: Easy access to drinks and specials.

Tab Management: Allow customers to run tabs seamlessly.

Age Verification: Help ensure compliance with legal requirements.

Hospitality POS System

The hospitality POS system caters to various hospitality businesses, including restaurants and cafes. Key features include:

Table Management: Optimize seating arrangements and track reservations.

Split Bills: Make it easy for customers to divide their checks.

Loyalty Programs: Encourage repeat business with rewards.

Food Truck POS System

If you operate a food truck POS system, you need something portable and reliable. Look for features like:

Mobile Payment Processing: Accept payments on the go.

Offline Functionality: Ensure you can still process sales without internet access.

Customizable Menus: Easily adjust offerings based on availability.

Hotel POS System

A hotel POS system integrates with your front desk and restaurant operations. Important features include:

Room Charge Integration: Allow guests to charge meals to their rooms.

Service Management: Handle room service and housekeeping requests efficiently.

Reporting Across Departments: Get insights into different areas of the hotel.

Takeaway POS System

A takeaway POS system simplifies ordering for customers on the go. Key features may include:

Order Ahead Options: Let customers place orders before arriving.

Delivery Integration: Manage delivery drivers and track orders in real time.

Promotions and Discounts: Easily apply special offers to encourage more sales.

Benefits of Using a POS System

Investing in a POS system can significantly benefit your business. Here’s how:

1. Improved Efficiency

With streamlined operations, your staff can serve customers faster, reducing wait times and enhancing the overall experience.

2. Better Inventory Control

Stay on top of stock levels and minimize waste. A good POS system helps you know exactly what you have on hand, so you never run out of essential items.

3. Enhanced Customer Experience

A modern POS system allows for quicker service, accurate order taking, and the ability to remember customer preferences, creating a more personalised experience.

4. Increased Sales

With features like upselling prompts and promotions, a POS system can help drive additional sales. You can identify trends and adjust your offerings to maximise profit.

5. Data-Driven Decisions

Having access to detailed sales reports and customer data allows you to make informed decisions about your business strategy. You can see what works and what needs improvement.

Common Concerns and Questions

You might have some questions or concerns when considering a new POS system. Let’s address a few common ones:

How Much Does a POS System Cost?

Costs can vary widely based on features and scale. Some systems charge a monthly fee, while others have one-time costs for hardware and software. It’s essential to evaluate your needs and budget carefully.

Is It Easy to Switch from My Current System?

Switching can seem daunting, but most modern POS providers offer support during the transition. They can help migrate data and train your staff on the new system.

What if I Have Multiple Locations?

Look for a POS system that can handle multiple locations and centralise reporting. This feature ensures consistency across your business and simplifies management.

Can I Integrate Other Tools?

Many POS systems offer integration with other tools like accounting software, reservation systems, and marketing platforms. This capability can enhance functionality and streamline operations.

Final Thoughts

Choosing the right POS system is crucial for the success of your business. Whether you need a bar POS system, hospitality POS system, food truck POS system, hotel POS system, or takeaway POS system, understanding your needs and the features available is vital.

I encourage you to explore your options and think about how a new POS system can enhance your business operations. Remember, the right choice can make all the difference.

Have you had experiences with POS systems? What features did you find most beneficial? Feel free to share your thoughts!

[dvosotas]

How Blockchain is Shaping the Future of Hospitality

Blockchain technology, once mainly associated with cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, is now creating significant shifts in industries far beyond digital currencies. One of the sectors being reshaped by this innovation is hospitality. From boosting operational efficiency to transforming how guests interact with hotels and short-term rentals, blockchain’s potential in hospitality is just beginning to be realized.

Here’s how blockchain is set to redefine the future of hospitality.

What is Blockchain, and Why Does it Matter?

At its core, blockchain is a decentralized and secure digital ledger that records transactions across multiple computers. Once data is recorded, it cannot be altered, which ensures transparency, accuracy, and security.

In an industry like hospitality, which processes high volumes of transactions—whether for bookings, payments, or guest information—blockchain’s inherent transparency and security present a game-changing opportunity.

Streamlining Booking and Payments

Currently, booking a hotel room or vacation rental involves numerous intermediaries—travel agents, OTAs (Online Travel Agencies), payment processors, and banks—all of which add layers of cost for both the hotel and the guest. Blockchain has the potential to cut out many of these middlemen.

Through decentralized platforms, hotels and guests can engage directly, making transactions faster, cheaper, and more secure. One of the most exciting applications of blockchain in this space is smart contracts—self-executing contracts where the terms are embedded in code. For example, once a guest checks in, a smart contract can automatically release payment, reducing the risk of fraud and disputes.

Rethinking Loyalty Programs

Loyalty programs are a cornerstone of the hospitality industry, but they often come with limitations—points expire, get lost, or are difficult to redeem across multiple platforms. Blockchain can simplify this by tokenizing loyalty rewards, making them more flexible and user-friendly.

Imagine being able to transfer loyalty points from a hotel chain to an airline, or even use them for non-travel-related services. Blockchain’s decentralized system allows for seamless, cross-platform rewards that give guests far more value and control over their points.

Enhancing Data Security

When guests check into a hotel, they share a wealth of personal data—credit card information, passport details, home addresses—which can be vulnerable to cyberattacks when stored in centralized systems.

Blockchain can provide a more secure solution by using decentralized identity verification. Instead of storing sensitive data in one vulnerable database, blockchain’s encryption technology ensures that only authorized parties have access to this data, significantly reducing the risk of breaches or identity theft.

Making Supply Chain Management Transparent

Hotels rely on an extensive network of suppliers for everything from food and beverages to linens and toiletries. Blockchain enables real-time tracking of these supply chains, providing an immutable record of each transaction.

This transparency is particularly valuable today, as guests and consumers increasingly care about the ethical sourcing of products and the sustainability of the businesses they support. With blockchain, hotels can verify the origin of products, ensuring they align with ethical and environmental standards.

Tokenizing Hotel Ownership

The concept of tokenizing real estate is one of the most revolutionary ways blockchain is impacting hospitality. Traditionally, purchasing a hotel or resort required significant capital and complicated legal structures. Blockchain, however, allows ownership of a property to be divided into digital tokens, which can be bought, sold, or traded like shares.

This opens the door for smaller investors to get involved in hotel ownership, without needing millions upfront. It also adds liquidity to the real estate market, giving token holders the flexibility to trade their shares on decentralized platforms, making investments more dynamic and accessible.

Pioneers in Blockchain Adoption

Several major players in the hospitality industry are already leveraging blockchain technology. TUI Group, one of the largest travel companies in the world, uses a private blockchain for hotel inventory management, eliminating third-party commissions and reducing costs. Similarly, companies like Winding Tree are developing decentralized platforms for travel bookings, highlighting blockchain’s ability to disrupt traditional models.

The Future of Blockchain in Hospitality

Looking ahead, the integration of blockchain with other emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) could create fully automated and personalized hotel experiences. Guests could check in, access their rooms, order services, and settle bills—all through a blockchain-powered app, with no need for intermediaries.

Blockchain is set to transform the hospitality industry by making it more secure, efficient, and guest-centric. For hotel owners, investors, and frequent travelers alike, staying ahead of these technological advancements will be crucial as blockchain becomes more embedded in everyday operations.

By embracing blockchain, the hospitality industry can unlock new levels of innovation, trust, and convenience for both businesses and guests alike.

[pacificindia01]

Buying a Commercial Property – What, When, Where, And How? 

Realty opportunities have gained prominence over other assets in the last decade. It offers better returns, greater profit margins, and better financial security to the majority of investors. Before finalizing the deal, make sure to consider some of the profitable deals of Commercial Property in Ghaziabad. 

  Let’s go through some of the points that will help you make a better decision while finalizing the investment: 

What is commercial property: Commercial property refers to buildings, business complexes, or land used to generate profit. It is usually an opportunity that is used for business activities. For instance, Pacific Business Park (Developed by Pacific India) is ready to move-in office spaces in Sahibabad Industrial Area. Many corporates like TCS, Ultratech Cement, IDBI Bank, and Hindustan Times have their offices on the premises along with the 150-room Clarks Inn Suites Hotel. It is also surrounded by other big business organizations like Bhushan, Bisleri, Havells, and Dabur.  

When to invest: Commercial property is one of the most profitable forms of investment in today’s times. Indian real estate market is blooming ever since the pandemic. Most of the opportunities are emerging in Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities which are greatly contributing to this sector. While researching, you can look for different kinds of commercial property and select the most suitable one as per your choice, advisor, and budget. To sum up the point, the right time to invest in the commercial sector: the sooner, the better. While searching, you must consider Pacific Business Park, Ghaziabad which offers all the basic and upgraded facilities, amenities, and resources with minimal maintenance charges. Also, it is easily accessible by road and Metro transportation. All these factors result in increasing its value over time, ensuring your steadily increasing income. 

Where to invest: Before finalizing the investment, make sure to conduct proper research about the property. Your research should highlight the kind of commercial property you want to invest in, its location, infrastructure, facilities offered, legal complications, documents required while purchasing, cross-verification, various quality checks, appreciation or depreciation value over time, and accessibility of the property. For instance, Pacific Business Park offers offices ranging from 400 sq ft to 1 Lac sq. ft in area, along with an attractive building, swift Wi-Fi, air-conditioner, ergonomic furniture, fast lifts, a parking facility, and adequate safety and security measures.   

How to invest: Before finalizing the investment opportunity, shortlist the desired properties and analyze their facilities, appreciation value over time, transport accessibility, infrastructure, security measures, legal complications, and expected profit margins. You can also hire a real estate agent who can guide you better. Make sure the finalized property is under your budget. For instance, Pacific Business Park offers all the facilities and amenities along with an easy payment plan. Pay only 40% to take possession of your office and continue paying 1% every month for the next 5 years to complete the payment.  

With the increase in population, demand for commercial property is also increasing. It also yields a good return percentage. Make sure to conduct proper research highlighting your distinct and preferred needs. Pacific Business Park is a profitable commercial investment for you against other potential competitors. Its robust infrastructure, top-notch resources, and world-class amenities make it stand out from the rest.  For more information, please visit https://pacificbusinesspark.in/.  

[rentalservicedapartments]

  Serviced Apartments for Corporate Stays in Gurgaon

Ace Serviced Apartments for corporate stays in Gurgaon wishes to ensure every visitor has the best possible stay. When you make a reservation with us, we provide the whole experience in addition to the accommodations. Our buildings ensure the best city locations and amenities.

Both long-term and transient rentals of our units are available. We are here to help you with the ideal furnished living option to meet your needs.

Corporate Stays in Gurgaon

For a beautiful stay in the city, you can rely on Ace Serviced Apartments corporate housing alternatives in Gurgaon. Gurgaon is one of India’s most prosperous and vital financial, commercial, and economic centers. Along with numerous multinational corporations (MNCs), it is home to most of the country’s top businesses. Naturally, Gurgaon experiences a consistent influx of business travelers every year. Consider serviced apartments if you are a business traveler seeking a place to stay.

They provide plenty of privacy, room, and amenities like fast Wi-Fi, flat-screen TVs, and fully functional kitchens. The amenities in these apartments include everything needed for a comfortable and enjoyable stay in Gurgaon, from cooking and connectivity to entertainment.

Serviced Apartments Gurgaon have all the home facilities, are situated in prime locations, and have many features that make them better than traditional hotels.

Fully Furnished Apartments in Gurgaon

Staying in Gurgaon is always a pleasure because of how different it is from other places in terms of the views, sounds, and available landmarks. Serviced Apartments significantly improve your stay in this regard. Ace Serviced Apartments provides guests with serviced apartments in Gurgaon that provide increased aesthetic appeal and comfort. Every unit has the most lavish amenities, unparalleled convenience, and seclusion. Every furnished apartment is well situated close to famous landmarks and tourist attractions.

Advantages of renting Serviced Apartments in Gurgaon :

Serviced apartments are the best accommodations for those who want to remain in the city for either short or extended periods. They offer superior alternatives to traditional rental housing for extended visits to the town. Serviced apartments provide an unrivalled level of privacy and convenience combined with the ideal balance of features, amenities, and comfort.

Due to its many advantages, serviced apartments are becoming increasingly popular among visitors:

They meet all contractual and legal requirements, so visitors don’t have to worry about paying agency fees, maintenance costs, bills, or deposits.

We offer all fixtures, furnishings, bedding, cutlery, furniture, appliances, and more.

Essential metro stations, train stations, bus stops, and thoroughfares are typically near our serviced flats.

Additional features offered by Ace serviced apartments for corporate executives may include access to gyms, swimming pools, and concierge services. These flats are ideal for comfortable extended stays in Gurgaon, allowing visitors to explore the city’s many attractions in their own time. It should not always be complicated for those temporarily relocating to Gurgaon to ask serviced apartments for assistance.

As experts in serviced accommodations, we know how important it is for corporate officials to Gurgaon to choose a cozy, comfortable, and well-equipped home. We provide the best amenities coupled with opulent and cozy decor. You may rely on flawless services and 24-hour availability.

[indycar-series]

So you're going to your first Indycar race:

With the growing popularity of Indycar, I thought I would put together a little guide for what people going to their first race should expect. I've been going to Indycar races since 2011 and have worked in event staffing since 2019 so I thought I would share some suggestions based off of my experiences for those who are considering going to their first race. This will be somewhat of a guide and also somewhat of an FAQ. (Note: not all experiences are universal, so you may decide to do things differently and that's perfectly ok! This is meant for you to be a baseline to go off of to craft your own experience.)

1. Selecting your tickets.

Like many other forms of motorsport, when going to an Indycar race, you have the option to select your seats and any packages you would like to add on. What you choose to do should be based on 1. how many days you are planning to attend, 2. whether you prefer grandstand seating or finding a viewing mound to watch the race from, and 3. what you want to see. Most events (with the exception of the Indy 500) will offer General Admission (GA) tickets and Grandstand tickets. GA tickets are for people who prefer to bring picnic blankets and portable seating and hang out on the viewing mounds for the race. They are usually less expensive than Grandstand tickets, but finding good seats is not guaranteed. When selecting your tickets, consider the number of tickets you need, how many days you and your party will be attending, and whether you need guaranteed seating (Grandstand) or not (GA).

2. Finding a place to stay.

Hotels near the track are convenient but will be difficult to find rooms in that are inexpensive. When booking a place to stay, consider looking farther from the track. If you require transportation to the track, keep that in mind when booking a hotel. Rideshares can get expensive the farther away you are. Some tracks (such as Detroit) will have shuttles running to the track, so check out that option beforehand.

3. Paddock and Pit Passes.

When you are selecting tickets, you will see an option to purchase Paddock and Pit Passes. These are additional packages that grant you access to the Paddock and Pit Lane. Pit Passes include Paddock Passes so if you choose to buy them, you do not have to purchase both. Some tracks may have additional credentials (such as Indy) that grant you different access levels.

4. What gets me the access level I need?

If you have questions about which passes you need to see the things you want to see, it is always best to contact the ticketing office of the track you are planning to attend. The staff there are paid to understand the ins and outs of different credentials and can help you decide which pass is right for you. If you have accessibility needs, it is also highly recommended you contact the ticket office to make sure your seats meet your accessibility needs. Credential access can vary by track and by day so its best to contact the track if you have any questions.

5. What should I bring with me?

Before packing anything for the track, double check on the track's rules as to things you can and can't bring. In general, there are some do's and don'ts. Things you should bring: lots of water, snacks, some cash in case you need to buy anything, umbrella or raincoats just in case, and plenty of sunscreen. Things you should NOT bring: anything in a glass bottle, weapons (duh), anything in violation of the track's rules, etc. Some tracks will allow you to bring in your own alcohol (if you can legally drink) but nothing in a glass bottle. If you plan to enter an area with race cars (paddock or pit lane), it is recommended you wear closed-toed shoes. If you purchased GA tickets, bring something to sit on like a camping chair or a picnic blanket. Note: any outside food you choose to bring will likely be cold by the time you go to eat it, so keep that in mind when choosing what to bring.

6. What about parking?

Most permanent tracks will have paid parking available. When attending a street circuit, check the event site for a list of recommended parking areas. Make sure to bring cash in order to pay for parking. At some races (like the Indy 500), there are very limited parking spaces and very very large crowds. You may be better off finding a nearby neighborhood and paying to park in someone's front yard. Note: if the yard in question does not have someone or a sign saying you can park there, don't park there (that is considered trespassing). Plan your arrival time to leave yourself plenty of time to park and make the trek in to the gate.

7. How can I keep cool at the track?

There is generally very little shade at the race track, regardless of where you are seated. It is important to stay cool and hydrated to avoid getting sick. Make sure you have a cooler full of plenty of water - you should be hydrating before you arrive and during the duration of your time at the track. Fill any space in the cooler not occupied by food and beverage with ice to keep the contents chilled. Once some of the ice melts, you can put towels in the cold meltwater and soak them. Putting the cold towel over the back of your neck can help cool you down. Remember to put the towel back in the ice water once its not cold (Please do not drink the meltwater). You can also buy portable fans that are battery operated. These are usually personal sized fans that hang around your neck and blow cool air under your chin.

8. What if I start to feel sick/dizzy?

If you can, find a shady location and sit down for a while. Drink cold water while resting and see if the dizziness goes away. If you need medical attention, there are medical personnel stationed at the track that can help you. Usually the track will provide an emergency phone number you can call if you need assistance.

9. What is there to do at the track?

On track, there are usually various series that run alongside the Indycar series. The series that typically travel as part of the Indycar circus include USF2000, Indy Pro 2000, and the Indy Lights Series. Sometimes there are other series that join in the on-track activity. Off-track, there is usually a fan zone where various teams and vendors have their shops set up and activities are available. It is always a good idea to bring extra cash with you, as you might see something. There is also plenty of trackside food vendors, though keep in mind prices will be inflated and there will be extremely limited options for people with special dietary needs. For those 21+, there are usually places to purchase alcohol at the track, but please remember to drink responsibly and also drink plenty of water. Alcohol consumption makes you dehydrated and can increase your chances of getting heatstroke if you don't drink water with it.

10. The race is over and its time to leave.

I hope you had a wonderful time! Getting out of the track is more of a battle than getting in. For most tracks, there are very few ways to leave once you are in. Expect a wait. If you don't have anywhere to be, its recommended that you hang out in your car in the air conditioning for a little bit before attempting to join the mass exodus out of the track. This will help you deal with fatigue you may have from being out in the sun all day.

I hope this has been helpful! One final reminder: always follow the directions of event staff. Whether it is severe weather or a vehicle is coming, their job is to keep everyone safe. Pay attention to your surroundings, and you will have a fun time!

[mostlysignssomeportents]

VICTORY! New Free File rules ban tax-prep firms from hiding their offerings, allow IRS to compete with them (a love-letter to Propublica)

Six months ago, Propublica began beating the drum about "Free File," a bizarre, corrupt arrangement between the IRS and the country's largest tax-prep firms that ended up costing the poorest people in America millions and millions of dollars, every single year.

The scam is one of those baroque, ultimately boring and complex stories that generally dies in the public imagination despite its urgency, because "boring and urgent" is the place where the worst people can do the worst things with the least consequences.

With that warning, here's a short summary: in most wealthy countries, the tax authority fills out your tax return for you, using the information your employer already has to file every time it pays your wages. If all the numbers look right to you, you just sign the bottom of the form and send it back, without paying a tax preparer. If, on the other hand, you want to claim extra deductions, or if something complicated is going on with your finances, you can throw away that free tax return and fill in a form from scratch, either on your own or with the help of a professional.

When Americans asked to have the same courtesy extended to them -- a move that would save the vast majority of Americans millions and millions of dollars they were currently paying to the likes of HR Block and Intuit/Turbotax, every single year of their entire working lives -- the tax-prep industry mobilized to kill the proposal. The industry (which is highly concentrated and dominated by a small handful of firms whose top execs have mostly done time in all their competitors' board rooms, making them into essentially one giant company whose different divisions have different shareholders) lobbied the IRS very hard, and won a resounding victory.

That victory is called "Free File." Under Free File, each tax prep company is required to serve a slice of working Americans with free, online tax-preparation. The arrangement was hailed as a victory for public-private partnerships, harnessing the efficiency of the private sector to perform this public duty of the state. Importantly, it meant that the IRS would not expand its headcount or budget, both of which had been slashed by successive right-wing presidents and their legislative enablers. The move was cheered by anti-tax extremists like Grover Nordquist, who was delighted by the "efficiency" of you saving a bunch of pieces of paper the government already had, typing them into an online form, and hoping that a company's website came up with the same calculations that the government had already made about your tax-bill.

Part of the Free File deal banned the IRS from creating a competing offer and it banned the IRS from advertising the existence of the program or telling people where to find the free offering.

As soon as the ink was dry on Free File, the tax-prep companies set about to sabotage it. Intuit -- a massive company led by a bizarre cult figure -- and its competitors hid their Free File offerings deep in their sites, and used the "robots.txt" system to instruct search engines to hide them. They took out search ads for the phrase "Free File" that directed users to paid offerings with the word "free" in their names. They created "Free File" systems that would make you go through hours of work entering your data before surprising you with a notice that you didn't qualify for Free File because you'd paid interest on a student loan (or some other normal thing) and then ask you if you wanted to pay to keep your work and finish your tax-return in the non-free system.

There's a simple name for this kind of activity: fraud.

But it was a fraud in plain sight, one that went on for years and years, and which created a stealth tax on the majority of Americans, which they had to remit not to the IRS, but to the tax-prep companies, which used the money to lobby to make it even harder to get away from handing them your money every year.

Enter Propublica, whose relentless reporting did the seemingly impossible: it made a complicated, boring important thing into something that millions of Americans cared about. Something they cared about so deeply that they actually managed to shame the IRS into taking action.

Remember, the IRS is an administrative agency, under the direct control of the Trump administration. That means its commander-in-chief is a guy who said dodging his taxes means that he's "smart." While the IRS has many good, hardworking staffers, it has also been demoralized and gutted by the right, who have convinced millions of poor people that it's somehow in their interests if it's easier for rich people to duck their taxes.

Despite all this, the IRS has enacted new Free File rules: first, these rules ban tax-prep companies from hiding their Free File offerings, and it bans them from using deceptive names for non-Free File offerings (Turbotax will no longer be allowed to confuse Americans by offering "Turbotax Free" -- which is not free -- as a competitor to "Turbotax Free File," which is).

Second, the rule allows the IRS to develop its own competing Free File product, which means that the government agency that already knows how much tax you owe will allow you to review its findings each year and then either challenge them, or simply click OK, without paying a single cent of tax to Intuit or HR Block, and free you from filling in lengthy, bureaucratic forms.

This outcome is nothing short of miraculous: it did not come as the result of Congressional action. It did not come as the result of the Trump administration's inattention (the release came out the same day that the Trump administration revised its tax rules to allow money launderers to retain billions in the loot they've stashed offshore).

It came about as the result of fucking journalism. Propublica wrote its way into a better world, with relentless, deep, accessible reporting that made this boring, important thing come to life.

I am sympathetic to the idea that talking about politics isn't doing politics, but that's not entirely true. Learning about what's going on and telling the people you know about it and getting them to tell others is part of how we make change. Propublica's excellent reporting wouldn't have mattered if people hadn't read it -- and talked about it.

And Propublica has done this repeatedly over the past year, deeply reporting on naked, grotesque corruption in ways so vivid and undeniable that they actually changed things, and not in some abstract, boring way, but in ways that matter to the immediate, lived experience of real people who had been brutalized and poisoned and jailed and mistreated with impunity, for years, until Propublica wrote about it.

Here are some examples, just from the stories I paid attention to this year (Propublica does so much good work that I can't manage to cover all of it):

* Reformed South Carolina's "magistrate judge" system that let "judges" with no legal background and less training than barbers sentence poor people (most of them Black) to prison in defiance of their constitutional rights;

* Dismantled Illinois's system of Quiet Rooms where special ed kids were put into solitary confinement, sometimes for days at a time;

* Shamed a "Christian" hospital into ending its practice of suing thousands of patients, many of them its own employees, for inability to pay their medical debts, and forcing it to jettison the private army of debt collectors it kept on its payroll.

* Killed an Illinois scam whereby affluent parents temporarily gave up custody of their own children so they could steal college grants earmarked for poor children;

* Got two Louisiana cops fired for encouraging people to murder Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez;

In addition, Propublica has done lots of reporting that hasn't yet created political transformations, but has changed our debate and laid the groundwork for change to come: called attention to the penniless hero of the ransomware epidemic; discredited a "walking polygraph" system used by police forces to frame their preferred suspects with sheer junk science; documented the link between pharma company bribes and doctors' prescribing; named every former lobbyist in the Trump administration; tracked every penny of the 2008 bailout money; documented Wayne LaPierre's self-dealing from the NRA's war-chests; documented the grifty conservative PACs that scammed millions out of scared old white people with racist Obama conspiracies and then kept the money for themselves; published a blockbuster story on the theft of southern Black families' ancestral lands through a legal grift called "heirs' property"; debunked the "aggression detection" mics being installed in America's classrooms; outed a "ransomware consultant" that was working with ransomware crooks to simply pay the ransom, while pretending that they were able to get you your files back without enriching the crooks who locked them up; named and shamed Alabama sheriffs who lost their re-election bids and then spent thousands of public dollars on frisbees or stole discretionary funds, or destroyed food earmarked for prisoners, or drilled holes in all the department computers' hard-drives in a form of "vindictive hazing"; followed the payday lender industry to a Trump hotel where it staged an annual conference, funneling millions to the president's personal accounts shortly before Trump reversed Obama's curbs on predatory lending; documented how TSA body-scanners single out Black women for humiliating, discriminatory hair-searches; revealed the secret history of wealthy people destroying the IRS's Global High Wealth Unit; and did outstanding work on the Sackler family, a group of billionaire opioid barons whose products kickstarted the opioid epidemic that has now claimed more American lives than the Vietnam war.

2019 was a dumpster-fire of a year and 2020 could be worse -- or it could be the dawn that breaks after our darkest hour. Finding Propublica's victory lap on Free File on New Year's Day was just the sunrise I needed to give me hope for the year to come. Sometimes, simply finding the truth and telling it to the people can make a change.

I'm a Propublica donor, and an avid reader. I admit that sometimes when I see that PP has published another 15,000-word expose, I am slightly dismayed at the thought that I'm about to lose 1-2 hours of my life to digesting and writing up the new story, but that dismay is always overcome by excitement at the thought that they have turned over a new rock and found something genuinely awful beneath it, and that, with all our help, we can sterilize that foetid sludge with blazing sunshine.

https://boingboing.net/2019/12/31/go-propublica-go.html

[illischainsecho]

Safe Travel Guide : Travel Tips For Tourists

Absolutely nothing is worse than having issues occur when a person are on vacation, specifically in a international land where a lot of things are unfamiliar. Journey can be expensive enough as it is without costly mistakes which can be avoided, producing in a detest for your selected location and its people. Some men and women are impacted so badly they will not depart the resort they will are staying in that is not the way to invest a vacation. Your own good sense is nevertheless the most trusted method of journeying safely so whether or not you are simply walking down the street or eating out, if you really feel a situation will not feel right then act accordingly.

Should you ever get that distinct feeling that something happens to be wrong, which usually happens on holiday, that is your own instinct giving a person a warning that you need to cherish. Always end up being careful about touring with your files and money when you are just going to town in order to see the sights or have the meal. Consider simply what you need for the trip out and take that will, positioning everything else that is of importance in your room or hotel secure. One suggestion that will can help reduce the risk of shedding everything is putting cash and bank cards in various spots such as pockets, wallets and bags; a pickpocket who is attempting to steal through you will just get a little quantity, leaving you with indicates to return to the particular hotel.

As an added measure when using traveling safely methods, bring credit cards through different accounts; need to one be dropped or stolen there exists a second to fall back on. One simple trick to stop a bag robber is to place the particular strap on the head and over the upper body as opposed in order to on the shoulder exactly where it really is an easy task to get. Play the role of aware associated with where you are usually once you stroll around , nor make a fairly easy target for the snatch thieves on the back of bikes. From the criminal's point of view, large categories of tourists are simply treated as simple targets also because they will do this type of thing almost all the time, they are extremely good in it.

The thing is we all think wish smarter than the particular scammers, robbers and pick pockets but the sad actuality is that these types of individuals do it for a residing and it's just how many of them give food to themselves and their families. One way to help reduce the particular chances of things theft is simply by by using a back group with a padlock, this makes this harder to obtain into and consequently provides a deterrent. In order to prevent keys getting lost or taken try attaching all of them to a climber's D-shackle that a person can place on your own belt or group of some kind, this particular should help cease anyone trying in order to snatch them quickly from you. Both men and women lose their wallets and purses since men have purses in their back pockets and women possess their open purses and handbags; so the simplest thing is regarding men to change the place these people keep their budget and for females to make certain their handbag is closed correctly.

The majority of problems could be avoided if people didn't let their guard lower, which is typical on vacation; when you can make sure to travel safely, it's not going to halt your pleasure but could stop many untoward events from happening.

What things to Bring

1. Protection commences when a person pack. To avoid being a focus on, dress conservatively. Avoid wear expensive looking jewelry. A flashy wardrobe or the one which is too informal can mark a person being a tourist. Because much as feasible, prevent the appearance associated with affluence.

2. Usually attempt to travel gentle. You are able to move a lot more quickly and you will be more likely to have a free hands. You will furthermore be less tired and less most likely to set your own luggage down, leaving it unattended.

3. Carry the minimal quantity of valuables necessary for your trip and plan a spot or places to hide them. Your passport, cash and credit score cards are most secure when locked within a hotel safe. When you have to carry them in your person, a person may desire to hide them in a number of areas as opposed to putting all of them all in 1 wallet or sack. Avoid handbags, fanny packs and outside pockets that are easy targets regarding thieves. Inside pockets and a strong shoulder bag using the strap worn throughout your chest are somewhat safer. Among the safest places to transport valuables is in a pouch or even money belt worn below your clothing.

4. In case you wear eyeglasses, pack an additional pair. Take them plus any medicines a person need in your carry-on luggage.

5. To prevent problems whenever passing through traditions, keep medicines in their original, labeled containers. Bring duplicates of your prescription medications and the universal names for the particular drugs. In case a medicine is unusual or even contains narcotics, carry a letter through your doctor attesting to your require to take the particular drug. If a person have any question about the legality of carrying some drug into the country, talk to the particular embassy or consulate of this country very first.

6. Bring tourists checks and one or two major debit/credit cards as opposed to cash.

7. Pack an extra group of passport pictures and also a photocopy of your own passport information page to make replacement associated with your passport simpler in the occasion it is lost or even stolen.

8. Put your name, deal with and telephone numbers inside and outside of each piece of luggage. Make use of covered luggage labels to avoid everyday observation of your own identity or nationality. If possible, locking mechanism your luggage.

9. Consider getting a telephone calling credit card. This is a convenient method of keeping in touch. If a person have one, verify that you may utilize it from your overseas location(s). Access numbers to U. S. operators are usually published in several international newspapers. Find out your access number just before you go.

10. Seek advice from TSA or even the local airlines in order to see if right now there are any restrictions – like fluids, lighters, matches, and so forth These rules modify often – therefore – check prior to going.

[chakadola1998]

The road from SME to MNC.

          The days when every profitable company began with the same blueprint are no more. Technology and globalization have made it much easier to achieve fast growth in many locations at once for rising companies. It is much simpler than before to create a multinational company, but it still has some obvious challenges, but the rewards are worth it. The history of developing nations suggests that S S.

      MSMEs sometimes went to the extent of integrating several companies in the same line of business in India, so that each company remained within the statutory cap. This was a major factor that discouraged the establishment of shops in India by global multinational suppliers, thereby denying India access to essential technology, processes, and jobs. It was the MSMEs who came forward in the pandemic times and supported the Indian economy with their supplies and services, which made the government concentrate on the opportunity.

        The MSMEs of today are tomorrow's MNCs. India's small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have a lot of opportunity, but lack visibility, expertise, awareness and restricted sources of access to best methodologies and best practices. Since these methodologies and best practices are not available in a single window, India's MSMEs are therefore advised to approach advisers for the growth of their organization. Technical, marketing, finance, efficiency, or project consultants may be involved.

      Previously, MSMEs were characterized by their investment in plants and machinery. To give these units greater independence, the Government of India has significantly increased this cap and introduced a new metric: turnover. Under the revamped forms, the investment threshold for micro-industries has been increased five times to 1 crore and a turnover of 5 crores; the investment threshold for small industries has also been raised by 500% to 10 crores and a turnover of 50 crores; and the investment threshold for medium-sized industries has been doubled to 20 crores and a turnover of 100 crores.

     MSMEs in the service industry, which historically had a lower classification threshold, were then purchased on a par with manufacturing firms.

 To go internationally or cross boundaries, you don't necessarily have to be a big corporation. The first step you have to take towards your dream of becoming an MNC is digitalization, and it is the easiest one. Today, inexpensive technology and services that are readily available allow regional and national expansion to be leapfrogged.

 That said, here are some of the ways where one’s MSME can transform into an MNC–

 (1)Take your company online. The Internet is the perfect place to take your company internationally or extend your scope. It opens up channels for foreign business. Your service or product is gaining global reach by building a website for your business. This will also help you learn and gain experience, since you now have a forum to communicate and interact with all of your clients who are geographically scattered.

 (2)Global workers. For a global business, you would need to work. There are several problems to discuss here:

 ● Do you need convenient access to other nations, such as local offices in other countries? Or can you manage to do business trips as required by operating from India? As mentioned above, this decision can be made with the aid of consultants in conjunction with your planning for your company.

 ● Do you or your team know the local country's language? Or do you plan to talk exclusively in English? English alone is very feasible in some parts of the world, but in others, it might be almost difficult to function in that way. Keep that in mind when choosing and setting up offices in Ot.

 (3) Make your business scalable- Scalability is the ability of a company to expand when faced with increased demand without being hampered by its structure or available resources. Now the question is how to scale up the business.

● Strategically recruit. Make a good recruiting plan that will build a strong team not just for today, but people with a mission similar to yours that will help you achieve your target.

● Business relationships are very normal to have when running one yourself. Trust between businesses. Create good partnerships with other firms, trust their partners and make your ally your competition.

 (4) Invest in technology, without investing heavily in other capital, technology helps your company expand. A great productivity enhancer is technology, especially software technology. Consider these kinds of innovations for the micro-multinational company as must-haves:

  Software or networks for collaboration: These allow multiple teams and team members work together regardless of where they may be located. They are also important to interacting with service providers and consumers externally.

●Three significant and easily available ways to connect are powerful technology-enabled communications-voice, text and internet.

●Technologies for efficiency-You want technologies that push out c.

 (5) Consider the tax, legal and market climate. Not every organization is prepared to operate in 2 or 3 countries worldwide or even. When it comes to legal and tax requirements, you need to study economic and business change, perform market research, make some extra and thorough effort, and otherwise get your business ready for global business. If you fail to fulfill certain steps or specifications, all your income and investments could cost you.

 (6)Creating the brand name It will take a lot of hard work and time to develop and create a global brand name. While creating a brand name, one should aim for simplicity and clarity, take a local strategy to execute it across regions and divisions.

 ●  Get the customers to know.

●  Provide outstanding customer service.

●  Nurture current clients and search for new possibilities.

●   Attend activities for networking.

●  Give your group back.

●  Keep straightforward, reliable, and easy brand messages.

●  Plan internationally, execute locally.

 Examples of Indian small business which are MNCs now –

 ● Kimirica Hunter-Rajat Jain and Mohit Jain, Founders, launched Kimirica in 2013, they were working out of a small, 100sqft room. The brothers also had bad debts and faced a huge cash crunch. Their conviction and determination helped Kimirica overcome insurmountable odds and become India’s largest manufacturer of luxury hotel toiletries and guest room amenities.

● ��Red Chief - Manoj Gyanchandani, Founder, Red Chief Manoj Gyanchandani started a

leather shoe export business in his early 20s while he was also involved in his family’s business. In 2011, the entrepreneur launched the first exclusive Red Chief outlet in Kanpur. Since then, there has been no looking back.

● Amul -It started as a revolt of farmers and now is one of the biggest dairy suppliers.

BYJU’S -This company started as local coaching for the CAT exam.

               For MSMEs, it is a long hard road since most of the MNC's are trying to overcome the competition and dominate the system. But it has made its mark since digitalization. It has been relatively simpler than in earlier days. Digitalization helps increase a company's productivity, continuity and efficiency. The business is full of individuals seeking to make it big in the game. And because there's a lot of competition out there, you'd better like someone to be ahead of you. Therefore, study and read as much as you can. We have been doing a lot of research and doing the implementation with our customers at insellers.

[justforbooks]

We’re not going back to normal

To stop coronavirus we will need to radically change almost everything we do: how we work, exercise, socialize, shop, manage our health, educate our kids, take care of family members.

We all want things to go back to normal quickly. But what most of us have probably not yet realized—yet will soon—is that things won’t go back to normal after a few weeks, or even a few months. Some things never will.

It’s now widely agreed (even by Britain, finally) that every country needs to “flatten the curve”: impose social distancing to slow the spread of the virus so that the number of people sick at once doesn’t cause the health-care system to collapse, as it is threatening to do in Italy right now. That means the pandemic needs to last, at a low level, until either enough people have had Covid-19 to leave most immune (assuming immunity lasts for years, which we don’t know) or there’s a vaccine.

How long would that take, and how draconian do social restrictions need to be? Yesterday President Donald Trump, announcing new guidelines such as a 10-person limit on gatherings, said that “with several weeks of focused action, we can turn the corner and turn it quickly.” In China, six weeks of lockdown are beginning to ease now that new cases have fallen to a trickle.

But it won’t end there. As long as someone in the world has the virus, breakouts can and will keep recurring without stringent controls to contain them. In a report yesterday (pdf), researchers at Imperial College London proposed a way of doing this: impose more extreme social distancing measures every time admissions to intensive care units (ICUs) start to spike, and relax them each time admissions fall.

Each time ICU admissions rise above a threshold—say, 100 per week—the country would close all schools and most universities and adopt social distancing. When they drop below 50, those measures would be lifted, but people with symptoms or whose family members have symptoms would still be confined at home.

What counts as “social distancing”? The researchers define it as “All households reduce contact outside household, school or workplace by 75%.” That doesn’t mean you get to go out with your friends once a week instead of four times. It means everyone does everything they can to minimize social contact, and overall, the number of contacts falls by 75%.

Under this model, the researchers conclude, social distancing and school closures would need to be in force some two-thirds of the time—roughly two months on and one month off—until a vaccine is available, which will take at least 18 months (if it works at all). They note that the results are “qualitatively similar for the US.”

Eighteen months!? Surely there must be other solutions. Why not just build more ICUs and treat more people at once, for example?

Well, in the researchers’ model, that didn’t solve the problem. Without social distancing of the whole population, they found, even the best mitigation strategy—which means isolation or quarantine of the sick, the old, and those who have been exposed, plus school closures—would still lead to a surge of critically ill people eight times bigger than the US or UK system can cope with. Even if you set factories to churn out beds and ventilators and all the other facilities and supplies, you’d still need far more nurses and doctors to take care of everyone.

How about imposing restrictions for just one batch of five months or so? No good—once measures are lifted, the pandemic breaks out all over again, only this time it’s in winter, the worst time for overstretched health-care systems.

And what if we decided to be brutal: set the threshold number of ICU admissions for triggering social distancing much higher, accepting that many more patients would die? Turns out it makes little difference. Even in the least restrictive of the Imperial College scenarios, we’re shut in more than half the time.

This isn’t a temporary disruption. It’s the start of a completely different way of life. Living in a state of pandemic.

In the short term, this will be hugely damaging to businesses that rely on people coming together in large numbers: restaurants, cafes, bars, nightclubs, gyms, hotels, theaters, cinemas, art galleries, shopping malls, craft fairs, museums, musicians and other performers, sporting venues (and sports teams), conference venues (and conference producers), cruise lines, airlines, public transportation, private schools, day-care centers. That’s to say nothing of the stresses on parents thrust into homeschooling their kids, people trying to care for elderly relatives without exposing them to the virus, people trapped in abusive relationships, and anyone without a financial cushion to deal with swings in income.

There’ll be some adaptation, of course: gyms could start selling home equipment and online training sessions, for example. We’ll see an explosion of new services in what’s already been dubbed the “shut-in economy.” One can also wax hopeful about the way some habits might change—less carbon-burning travel, more local supply chains, more walking and biking.

But the disruption to many, many businesses and livelihoods will be impossible to manage. And the shut-in lifestyle just isn’t sustainable for such long periods.

So how can we live in this new world? Part of the answer—hopefully—will be better health-care systems, with pandemic response units that can move quickly to identify and contain outbreaks before they start to spread, and the ability to quickly ramp up production of medical equipment, testing kits, and drugs. Those will be too late to stop Covid-19, but they’ll help with future pandemics.

In the near term, we’ll probably find awkward compromises that allow us to retain some semblance of a social life. Maybe movie theaters will take out half their seats, meetings will be held in larger rooms with spaced-out chairs, and gyms will require you to book workouts ahead of time so they don’t get crowded.

Ultimately, however, I predict that we’ll restore the ability to socialize safely by developing more sophisticated ways to identify who is a disease risk and who isn’t, and discriminating—legally—against those who are.

We can see harbingers of this in the measures some countries are taking today. Israel is going to use the cell-phone location data with which its intelligence services track terrorists to trace people who’ve been in touch with known carriers of the virus. Singapore does exhaustive contact tracing and publishes detailed data on each known case, all but identifying people by name.

We don’t know exactly what this new future looks like, of course. But one can imagine a world in which, to get on a flight, perhaps you’ll have to be signed up to a service that tracks your movements via your phone. The airline wouldn’t be able to see where you’d gone, but it would get an alert if you’d been close to known infected people or disease hot spots. There’d be similar requirements at the entrance to large venues, government buildings, or public transport hubs. There would be temperature scanners everywhere, and your workplace might demand you wear a monitor that tracks your temperature or other vital signs. Where nightclubs ask for proof of age, in future they might ask for proof of immunity—an identity card or some kind of digital verification via your phone, showing you’ve already recovered from or been vaccinated against the latest virus strains.

We’ll adapt to and accept such measures, much as we’ve adapted to increasingly stringent airport security screenings in the wake of terrorist attacks. The intrusive surveillance will be considered a small price to pay for the basic freedom to be with other people.

As usual, however, the true cost will be borne by the poorest and weakest. People with less access to health care, or who live in more disease-prone areas, will now also be more frequently shut out of places and opportunities open to everyone else. Gig workers—from drivers to plumbers to freelance yoga instructors—will see their jobs become even more precarious. Immigrants, refugees, the undocumented, and ex-convicts will face yet another obstacle to gaining a foothold in society.

Moreover, unless there are strict rules on how someone’s risk for disease is assessed, governments or companies could choose any criteria—you’re high-risk if you earn less than $50,000 a year, are in a family of more than six people, and live in certain parts of the country, for example. That creates scope for algorithmic bias and hidden discrimination, as happened last year with an algorithm used by US health insurers that turned out to inadvertently favor white people.

The world has changed many times, and it is changing again. All of us will have to adapt to a new way of living, working, and forging relationships. But as with all change, there will be some who lose more than most, and they will be the ones who have lost far too much already. The best we can hope for is that the depth of this crisis will finally force countries—the US, in particular—to fix the yawning social inequities that make large swaths of their populations so intensely vulnerable.

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at http://justforbooks.tumblr.com

[graglithans-library]

Welcome to Paris Fur-ance Ch 10: Briefing, Investigation, and Sisterly Bonding

I firstly would like to acknowledge that yes, I am two weeks late on this.

I secondly would like to address that I will post multiple chapters into the Queue to make up for that.

So for now, enjoy a sudden influx of story for you tumblr lurkers.

Shirou and Ladybug go over what happened with Miracle Queen, and Shirou begins his investigation into the matter. Meanwhile, Michiru and Nazuna have a bonding moment at the Tsurugi household.

Landing atop a roof bordering a fountain plaza, Ladybug looked over to Shirou as he landed nearby. “This was where we last encountered Hawkmoth.”

“Do you mind if I take a look around?” Ladybug shook her head, and Shirou started to examine the area. No scents left. Likely washed away by rainfall. Not surprising with the time frame, but that would have made this a lot easier.

As Shirou looked around, however, Ladybug’s mind began to go back to when it had happened. She could practically see it all over again, everyone standing in the courtyard, or on the roof, right where they had been that fateful day.

Master Fu as he desperately tried to protect himself with the Turtle from Hawkmoth and Mayura’s sentimonster.

Miracle Queen’s laugh as she forced almost her entire team to transform and attack both her and Chat.

Hawkmoth’s malicious smile as he held the Miracle Box, if only for that one fight.

Master Fu naming her guardian at the cost of his memories.

Chloé as she greedily grabbed as many Miraculous as she could after being un-akumatized.

Shirou’s attention was back to the young heroine as a small shudder ripped through her. The haunted look in her eyes made him pause for only a moment. “What exactly happened?”

Letting out a steady breath, Ladybug straightened up and looked down over the plaza. “Chloé Bourgeois, a former Miraculous user, aided Hawkmoth in a planned attack that targeted the Guardian instead of Chat or myself. The result was the exposure of our entire team of backup heroes, the near loss of all the Miraculous, and the former Guardian losing all memory of the Miraculous as he passed the title on to me.” Turning to Shirou, she frowned. “The only reason I’m telling you her name is that, of all the Miraculous users, Chloé had already announced herself to all of Paris, which is how Hawkmoth knew to target her in the first place.”

Shirou put a hand to his chin and hummed; eyes closed. She said this Bourgeois girl was here as well and was with Hawkmoth at the time, right? Opening his eyes, Shirou looked to Ladybug. “I’ll need to do some digging around, but I have an idea of where to start. Do you know where Bourgeois currently is?”

Nodding, Ladybug pointed over towards another part of town. Shirou could see there were more businesses there than homes. Still, a hotel could be seen dominating the other buildings by presence alone. “Chloé has been under house arrest ever since it got out that she willingly aided Hawkmoth.” Ladybug sighed and shook her head, looking sadly down at the fountain. “Her father is the current Mayor of Paris, and owner of ‘Le Grand Paris.’ Due to her age and her father’s influence, the house arrest was the extent of her sentencing. She could have had a far worse punishment. She's lucky.”

Raising an eyebrow, Shirou seemed skeptical. “You don’t sound like you agree.”

Ladybug shook her head softly as she looked up from the fountain and over the city. “Hawkmoth manipulates the emotions of those he interacts with, no Akuma needed. Just being in his vicinity for too long can let him warp your mind. It’s something I managed to learn from the old master’s grimoire before we lost it as well. It would be child’s play to set off Chloé's temper and bait her into working with him, considering how much of a brat she was before all of this started. Even then, we keep akumatized victim’s identities private from the media as much as we can, so I’m surprised she even was called out and tried. There wasn’t a person in Paris who was aware of what was happening during her akumatization.”

Shirou took a moment to think over everything, letting out a steady breath. A scandalous leak regarding the Mayor and a lack of police to track a terrorist involved with the scandal. Whoever let it out would have to know it was willing or used false evidence to make it look that way. Either way, this looks like a means to punish the mayor or keep him in line. Stepping over to where Ladybug was standing, Shirou’s voice made the heroine turn to him. “I’ll get back to you with what I’ve found at a later date. Can we meet here?”

Ladybug nodded one last time as she grabbed her yo-yo. “Sure, but how will you get a hold of me?”

“I’ve heard you like to patrol at night,” Shirou smirked and pointed at the roof. “I’ll just wait.”

“R-Right.” Ladybug blushed a bit and cleared her throat. “Well, I’ll let you get to- uh, Investigating. Bug out!”

Shirou was a little impressed at how fast she fled, and as a result, he couldn’t help but picture Michiru running off as well. “I think she and Michiru would get along well.” He paused at the thought before scowling at himself. He had more important tasks to focus on.

Starting with Le Grand Paris.

________________________________________________________________

By the time Shirou had made his way to Le Grand Paris, it was almost dawn. He looked up at the building’s windows and hummed in thought. “So, she’s supposed to be somewhere in here.” His eyes focused on the topmost windows, noting how they had access to the roof. According to what I was told, she had the top floor’s suite to herself. He could easily have jumped up the fire escape and entered that way. However, if he was going to do this, he decided he’d try more... legal methods first. It should be possible to ask to speak with Bourgeois without breaking and entering. House Arrest usually did not mean nobody could talk with the detained.

Maybe Michiru is rubbing off on me. Shirou looked over to his right and saw a distinct lack of chaos happening. Nevermind. The city’s still standing.

Walking inside, he looked for the first member of the staff he could find. The receptionist, some exasperated looking woman, jolted up at the sound of the door before smiling nervously. “G-Good even- uh, good morning, sir! How may I help you?”

Shirou’s gaze, stern as ever, went right through the poor woman. “I’m looking for a Chloé Bourgeois. Can you tell me where I can find her-” Shirou looked down at her nametag and raised an eyebrow. “Mireille?”

Mirielle paled at the mention of the young girl before looking down. “I-I’m sorry, sir, but I can’t help you. Mlle. Bourgeois was removed from the hotel some time ago.” She nervously gestured towards the elevator, eyes closed to keep from looking at anyone. “I would take you to see Mayor Bourgeois, but you would need to schedule an appointment. H-He’s been a rather busy man these days.” She gulped a bit and kept her eyes down at her papers. “Is there anything else I c-can help with?”

Shirou, let out a breath through his nose before turning to the front doors. “Thank you for the information.”

Looking back over his shoulder as he was on the sidewalk once more, Shirou could see Mirielle collapse onto the counter before hastily grabbing the phone and calling someone. He could smell how panicked she was from out here, and he walked around the building to the back.

Illegal methods it is.

Climbing the fire escape, Shirou soon was standing on the roof and looking at the doors leading inside. A quick check found the door unlocked, and he made his way inside the suite.

Looking around, he could tell it was cleaned recently. Everything was folded neatly or packed away in their proper places. What he didn’t see, however, was any signs of someone living in the room. Expected, but let’s test how thorough the staff is. He opened various drawers and the closet, looking for any missed items, and found nothing. A check under the bed proved just as fruitless.

A whiff of something in the air, however, made him pause. He turned towards the kitchen, and his eyes narrowed. Walking in, he looked around until a glint from the window caught his eye. A pair of sunglasses, yellow-gold in color, were sitting on the windowsill as if they were thrown there. Picking the glasses up, Shirou gave a cursory sniff before humming. Her scent’s still here; I can use that.

Closing his eyes, he inhaled.

The scents were a story all their own.

He could smell what he assumed was Chloé. That was no surprise. However, other scents should not have been so fresh. At least four men, all of the more muscular builds, and the scent of adrenaline. He could also smell a hint of blood, which made his hackles rise. Most worrying, though, was the scent of someone rather important to his current predicament.

The man who robbed the Medical Center was here sometime last night. However, his scent was older than the other men. Whatever reason he was here, it was a short trip.

Opening his eyes, Shirou looked at the glasses and scowled. Something more was going on here in Paris than just his perp running loose.

And at least part of it was tied to this Chloé girl.

________________________________________________________________

Michiru was bored.

She would have spent the day playing basketball, but there wasn’t a hoop to be seen in the Tsurugi estate.

She would have hung out with Kagami, but unlike yesterday, the heiress had to go to class.

She would have gone into town to see what was going on. However, she didn’t speak French. She was also required to be shifted into a human outside the estate per Shirou and Mrs. Tsurugi’s orders.

So in all, the tanuki had quite the conundrum; one she was having trouble solving. However, since the best problem solvers she knew were either in Japan or somewhere in the city, she went to the available one.

Namely, the friend who was just trying to enjoy a cup of tea.

“So... what do we do today?”

Nazuna had been in the midst of taking a sip of tea when Michiru had found her in the main foyer and almost choked from Michiru’s sudden appearance. She raised an eyebrow at her friend’s question for a moment before humming in thought and setting her cup down. “Well, it’s not like we can just go around Paris without Kagami or Shirou. Neither of us has any money either.” Taking another sip, Nazuna set her cup down and shrugged. “I guess we just hang around here for the day and enjoy some tea.”

Groaning, Michiru slumped forward with a whine and let her arms dangle. “Really wishing I’d taken those French courses.”

Stopping short of grabbing her tea again, Nazuna’s eyes widened as she looked over at Michiru in surprise. “You had the chance to learn French? You? ”

Michiru shrugged a bit and rubbed the back of her head. “Mayor Rose offered. She also offered me German and English.”

Nazuna’s face scrunched in confusion. “I thought you passed our English classes.”

A blush started to grow on Michiru’s face as she rubbed her head a little faster. “I did, but It’s been so long since I’ve had to use it, so I uh... mostly forgot?” Nazuna shot her a deadpan stare. “I wasn’t exactly social for a good year before heading to Anima City, sue me!”

Chuckling a bit as she got up, Nazuna smiled at Michiru. “Right. So why did she offer those lessons again?” Michiru’s jaw tightened as she looked up, sweating bullets. Nazuna’s smile fell into a small frown as she raised her eyebrow again. “Michiru?”

Nervously glancing anywhere but Nazuna, Michiru let out a shaky laugh. “I uh... may have been offered an advisor position like Shirou’s?” The foyer was left in dead silence. Michiru risked a glance at Nazuna, only to find her unblinking gaze boring right into her. “Nazuna, you’re staring.” When the stare continued, Michiru’s nerves started to act up, making her shrink back into a ball and tuck her tail between her legs. “Nazuna, please! Stop! It was just the advisor position she offered, not the butt-kicking! I swear it’s the safe job and not the dangerous one!”

Michiru didn’t have a chance to dodge the sudden bone-crushing hug she was pulled into.

No longer in her chair and spinning around in circles, squealing all the while, Nazuna beamed at her friend with absolute jubilation before setting her down. “This is amazing!”

A thoroughly dazed Michiru’s head rolled around a bit as her eyes did the same in their sockets. “Eh?”

Nazuna stepped back as Michiru got her bearings. “Michiru, didn’t you say you wanted to help with relations between beastmen and humans and how we had a ‘unique perspective’ since we’ve been both?”

Blushing a bit, Michiru rubbed the back of her neck. “Well, yeah, but-”

“Then, this is perfect!” Nazuna excitedly cheered before remembering where they were. Blushing a bit as she calmed herself, she waved a hand idly. “I mean, I’d probably help you if I wasn’t already starting my idol career,” Nazuna added with a smile, “but this would even let your parents come and see you once we get back!”

Michiru froze for a moment before looking down with a fragile smile. “Yeah... my parents.”

Nazuna’s own smile faded down into a concerned frown. “Did... did something happen?”

Michiru was silent for a moment before nodding as she started to rub her arm. “...Dad... wasn't happy about,” she waved a hand at herself, “this.”

“...what?”

Michiru hastily waved her hands in front of her and gave a shaky smile. “I mean, at least Mom tried to be there for me! So you don’t have to worry about that! But... uh...” She sighed and let her shoulders sag a bit. “Yeah... He made it clear he wasn’t happy about what happened to us.”

Grimacing for a moment, Nazuna soon pulled Michiru in for a much softer hug than before. “I’m so sorry, Michiru. I-I shouldn’t have-”

Chuckling dryly, Michiru hugged her back. “It’s alright, Nazuna. It’s not like I told you or anything.” Letting go of the hug, she gave her usual bright smile and a thumbs up. “Besides. Shirou’s our dad now, even if he won’t say it out loud.” The two laughed a bit at that and moved back to where Nazuna had left her tea. As they sat, Michiru’s ears perked up as she hummed in thought. “Now that I think about it, do you think he and my mom would get along? She did say she wanted to adopt you after meeting your parents that one time.”

Nazuna snorted in amusement and picked up her drink. “That might be pretty entertaining to see, actually.” Sighing softly, she looked down at her tea. “Still... sorry about bringing up parents. I guess I was just hoping your family had reacted better than mine did.”

Michiru’s eyes narrowed as she frowned. “Nazuna. What did those jerks do?”

Shrugging, Nazuna looked off to the side for a moment. “They disowned me the moment they saw me.” Michiru’s jaw dropped, but Nazuna smirked evilly as she took a sip. “Jokes on them, though. I’m famous now, and I’m not sharing anything.” She gave Michiru a wink. “Unless, of course, they grovel at my fuzzy toes. Then maybe I’ll consider it.”

The two laughed at the thought, knowing full well that there was absolutely no way Nazuna’s parents would even attempt that. When they both got a hold of themselves, Michiru wiped a tear from her eye and jabbed a thumb towards the front door. “... Say, want to go hunt down Shirou and get involved in whatever he’s up to?”

“It’s not like you do anything else most of the time, and you usually drag me along anyway.”

“All of those incidents were one hundred percent unintentional, and you know it.”

“That’s a load of crap, and we have video evidence to prove it.”

“In my defense, I was left unsupervised.”

“Marie was there.”

“In our defense, we were left unsupervised.”

[mmyproperdeets]

Understanding home insurance

Homeowners insurance can be seen from many different perspectives, but regardless of whether you are required by your lender to have home insurance or not, this is a piece of the home-ownership puzzle you do not want to miss out on. Policies are largely customization and can be molded to fit what you are personally in need of to get the best homeowners insurance for you and your family to feel safe. As a landlord, aside from securing your investment with property insurance, you should also require your tenants to get their renters insurance as part of the lease between you and your tenant. This is imperative for your tenant to secure their personal belongings as your policy will not cover loss of damages for them.

If you are purchasing your property through a mortgage lender, they will most likely not lend without proof of home insurance coverage making this a requirement before approving your loan. Aside from that, this coverage provides your home and other personal property with much needed protection against liability in the event of an accident that can injure others or your property.

However, there are many aspects that aren’t covered by standard policies which you should add on to your home insurance policy should specific situations apply to you.  In addition, there are several types of coverage available, so getting familiar with each coverage and what exactly is included before purchasing your coverage is recommended. If you currently have your coverage you can also update your policy to reflect any revisions you feel you may need.

While insurance is highly customization, there are some tips for how to always be on your A-game when it comes to home insurance. We have included some quick but helpful tips at the end.

Understanding home insurance starts off with knowing that your policy is a legal contract which clearly states your rights and responsibilities as well as those for the insurance provider. It is in your best interest to research the company, take a look at the home insurance reviews, and be knowledgeable of their process for claims before choosing one home insurance company over another. Once you purchase the insurance you will receive the policy: take time to read through its contents, store it in a place where you can easily access it, and of course, know the name of your insurer.

Homeowners Insurance Coverage’s Explained

Before you get coverage or change from one home insurance company to another, you need to decide how much coverage you need. More than likely your lender will give you some specifics of what they are looking for at a minimum; any additional coverage is up to you to decide what would be the best homeowners insurance. Generally, your home insurance policy will cover damage to a property’s interior and exterior, the loss of theft of possessions, and personal liability for harm to others.

One significant differentiation between coverage’s will be the different types of coverage available. While the homeowner industry has standardized to range between HO-1 through HO-8, there are essentially 3 levels of coverage: the actual cash value vs. replacement cost vs. extended replacement cost/value. This is an option you will likely see when shopping around for insurance and is key to understanding home insurance. 

·         Actual cash value is the amount it would take to repair or replace damage to your home and your belongings after depreciation. In other words, this would be what your items are worth in the present, not how much you paid for them.

·         The replacement cost would be dollar amount it would cost to replace, rebuild the home, or repair damages using materials of similar kind and quality, without deducting for depreciation.  What this means is that if your home was completely destroyed, you would be able to replace the rebuild the home up to the original value. It is important to insure your home for at least 80 percent of its replacement value.

·         In a guaranteed (or extended) replacement cost/value policy, the inflation is basically buffered, and you are covered for whatever it costs to repair or rebuild your home – even if that amount exceeds your home insurance policy limit. Insurers may offer an extended replacement (offering more coverage than you purchased) but this is typically capped between 20% to 25% higher than the limit.

Liability coverage protects you, your family, and even your pets from lawsuits filed by others for personal liability on damage or injuries. We’ve heard of cases where dogs bite neighbors; a situation like this would be eligible to get a claim filed for your neighbor’s medical expenses – regardless whether it happened on your premises or on theirs. If your child accidentally shatters your neighbor’s entrance chandelier, you can file a claim to reimburse the neighbor as well.  If the neighbor steps on the glass and sues for pain and suffering or lost wages as well, then you can be covered for that as well.

Of course, the better your coverage the less you will be paying out of pocket when disaster strikes – as well as the higher your premium will be which would translate to higher payments on your monthly escrow. The deductible is the amount that you pay out of pocket when the time comes to use your insurance. When shopping for a home insurance policy make sure to compare what is covered and how much you would need to pay in deductibles. If your deductible is $1,500 and total damages are $2,500 that means you would have to pay $1,500 before the insurance dishes out their $1,000 portion. Higher deductibles will likely cost less in your monthly premium, but you have to be comfortable paying the deductible when you make a claim. 

The different coverage types and what is covered will of course make the pricing of the home insurance policy fluctuate, but the biggest determining factor in the premium for your property will be based on the likelihood that the insured (read: you, the homeowner) will file a claim. This is based on several factors including:

·         Past history on the home: any past claims on the home and the severity of it. If they insure a home that has had a number of claims over the last three years (even if it was from a previous owner) the home will be seen as a higher risk.  In some cases, if there are an excessive number of claims, some insurance companies may even be ineligible to coverage. 

·         The neighborhood: data on crime rate in the neighborhood will also affect your premium as vandalism would of course increase the likeliness of a claim being filed and therefore be a riskier property to cover. Along those lines, being close to a fire substation or having a fire hydrant within 100 feet of the home will likely lower the premium

·         The home’s condition: if a home is not well maintained, then the insurance company will see this as an increased chance of getting a claim filed. 

Other aspects will create differences in pricing including the insured’s credit, whether there are animals in the home and what kind, as well as oil tanks on premises. You must understand that while covering loss is the insurance company’s objective, they also need to make a profit. 

What Does Homeowners Insurance Not Cover

As a general rule, homeowner’s insurance covers most scenarios where loss can occur including during a fire, in the event of a hurricane, lightning damage, vandalism, and other disasters, but coverage is limited when it comes to other natural disasters (such as floods and earthquakes), poor home maintenance, and acts of war – these will require additional riders and therefore increase the cost of coverage. For example, if your home is located in a flood zone, your lender will typically do a FEMA flood search and see the risk; a requirement for flood insurance will be part of the loan package requisites. Along those lines, if a home is in an area prone to earthquakes, this home will also have an additional earthquake insurance coverage requirement. 

In addition, while your home insurance can provide you with off-premises coverage (for example, if you lost a pair of diamond earrings in another state, you would be able to file a claim for this) insurers will put a limit on the reimbursement amount, which typically ranges between 50% to 70% of the amount of insurance you have on the structure of your home. What this means is that if you have your house insured for $100,000, your personal possessions would be limited to $70,000 in coverage. So if you have a lot of expensive possessions such as art collectibles, fine jewelry, antiques, or designer clothes, the best homeowners insurance for you may include adding a rider to your home insurance policy to cover these items separately.

Another additional coverage which you can investigate is the additional living expenses coverage. While unlikely, there is a chance that something may happen to your hone where you would need to stay in a hotel or rent a house while your home is being rebuilt and replaced. If that does occur, attaining the additional living expenses coverage would be the best decision you could’ve made. This would cover rent, hotel room, meals at restaurants, and other incidental costs associated with not being able to inhabit your home for some time. While there are strict total and daily limits which depends on the coverage you select, this also can be adjusted and increased if you’re willing to pay more in the premium.

One key coverage that is not usual in standard homeowner’s insurance policies is sewer protection. While your home insurance may say it covers a sewer line break or collapse, the amount of coverage you would actually get is very limited as damage from overflows or backups from your sump pump, sewer system or drains won’t be covered. To get the most protection, there are companies that offer a backup rider which is a separate insurance policy to protect you in case of issues with the sewage line that have the potential of becoming very expensive. Something like a tree’s root blocking your sewage pipes, or sewage damage from a flood, earthquake, or hurricane would not be covered under the standard homeowners insurance.

Additional structures in your property aside from the main house including garages, sheds, or others, will likely be requiring a separate coverage as well.  So if you have a shed that may be close to the backyard fire pit or in any way may see damage which you want to cover, make sure you get an additional rider in your policy to have this structure covered.

Lastly, identity theft will not be a covered loss when it comes to home insurance. You would need to get this as a separate coverage as damage caused by anyone who may steal your personal information would have zero coverage from your home insurance provider. General damage resulting from failure to upkeep the property will not get covered either – including rust, rot, mold, and general wear and tear.

Understanding home insurance coverage’s and what they do not cover is getting the insurance you may need. Next, we will explore what the best homeowners insurance is and where to find it.

Best Homeowners Insurance

You do not have to purchase insurance from the company your lender recommends, but determining which is the best homeowners insurance for you fully depends on what you are looking for; make sure to shop around with the resources available online and over the phone to make the best decision for you and your family to get quotes from at least 5 companies. The best way to do this is to speak with an independent agent instead of speaking to a traditional agent within the company; since they are knowledgeable and unbiased towards a specific company, getting their input in your journey to understanding home insurance will be valuable. While these brokers do get a commission which you need to factor into your premium cost, you will be able to get more options from a variety of different companies.  

Also, take the time to get educated and understand the differences in pricing for similar products and services between companies using unbiased sources including your state insurance department, consumer publications, neighbors or friends, and your public library. You can also look at group coverage options such as through credit or trade unions, employers, or association memberships.

We have covered what to look for in the coverage in the section titled “Homeowners Insurance Coverage’s Explained”, so review that section as well. When you are ready to look into the individual companies to decide which is the best homeowners insurance for your specific situation, you should take the below steps:

1. State check: you want to make sure the company you are speaking with is legitimate and creditworthy. Check the Department of Insurance for your state to see what the rating is and whether they are cleared to business in your state. This information should be available online and should also provide the average insurance costs in different counties and cities.

2. Insurance company rating: now that you have confirmation that the company is legit and that they are legally allowed to do business in your state, you can look up information in regards to their good-standing. There are resources available for you to research insurance company scores on the websites for the top credit agencies such as Moody’s, J.D. Power, Standard & Poor as well as the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and Weiss Research. On these sites you will find information about consumer complaints, general feedback, claims processing, and other important data. Some sites will even provide you with a company’s financial standing to indicate whether they have the resources to pay out claims.

3. Claim response: along those lines, you also want to determine how the company’s claim response works.  By asking your agent about their company’s handling of claims, you will be able to figure out whether licensed adjusters or third party call centers will be receiving and processing your claim as having outsourced teams handling claims can cause a delay in your reimbursement from the insurance company. Hold-back provisions (an insurance company’s stand on holding back a portion of their payment until the homeowner proves repairs have started) can also be determined by asking your agent

4. Home insurance reviews: you can also ask your agent what their retention rate is; averages are between 80% and 90% for insurance company customers staying with the same provider.  Online home insurance reviews, annual reports, and word of mouth from people you know will also be good ways to gauge their client satisfaction.

    Home Insurance Advice

Understanding home insurance doesn’t just stop at the kinds of policies, different companies, and the amount of coverage – you also want to know the tips and tricks to getting the most out of your insurance policy.  We’ve gathered some helpful advice which you may be able to apply to your specific situation when choosing the best homeowners insurance for your needs.

  1.    First: discounts!  Don’t be shy to ask the insurance agent for discount points. Below are some tips on ways you can reduce your premium:

·         Security system: having cameras as well as a burglar alarm monitored or tied to a local police station will automatically reduce your annual premium, typically by about 5% or more. The homeowner must present evidence of an active security system such as a bill or a contract.

·         Smoke alarms: while these are more common in newer homes, installing these in older homes can save you 10% or more in annual premiums.

·         Increase your deductible: this is not recommended at all, but if you are looking to reduce your annual premium and have home insurance on the cheap, this is a way to do it. Since the deductible would be higher, repairs that take a few hundred dollars wouldn’t be covered such as replacing the sheetrock around a pipe that was leaking – while these seem like small repairs they can add up so it’s best to really think hard before going down this route.

·         Bundling coverage: you can create a multiple policy insurance bundle such as car and home or health insurance and home (and car!). Insurance companies will provide you with a discount of around 10% on average.

·         Special discounts: request for a breakdown of special discounts that you can maybe apply to your home insurance policy; seniors and individuals who work from home are sometimes eligible for a reduced rate as these individuals will be home more often and therefore leave their homes less prone to theft.

·         Renovating wisely: if you have renovations in your future home plans, look into which materials you want to use. For example, if you are looking to build an addition to your home, wood structures will cost more to insure since they are more flammable and more durable than cement or steel framed structures. Other renovations or additions such as swimming pool and even trampolines can drive the annual insurance costs up by about 10% or more as those are seen as potentially injurious additions.

·         Loyalty pays: the longer you remain with your insurer the greater the chance of them offering a discount on the premium or reducing the deductible down the line.

  2.    Other things such as installing a new roof, adding dead bolt locks, CO2 detectors, sprinkler systems, and even waterproofing can lower your premium as well. If you’re in the financial position to do so, paying off your mortgage will also have a lower premium.

    3.      Check in with your agent every year to ensure you have the best homeowners insurance policy for your current situation as a lot can change in a year, or from the time that you attained the coverage such as:

·         Renovations: if you have made modifications such as added a room, upgraded your kitchen, or made other changes, these may add value to your home which would not be covered in your replacement cost in case of a claim using your old coverage.

·         Other updates: maybe you have disassembled the trampoline, paid off your mortgage, or installed a sophisticated alarm system; you may be able to get your premium reduced with proof of these changes.

  4.      Along those lines, if you live in an area where home values have risen since you purchased the property, it would be recommended to look into the extended replacement value policies and cover your home based on the current market value. Since your policy is likely just covering your mortgage, this would be around 90% of your home’s value at best; if anything were to happen to your home you would be highly limited to the rebuild.

5.      Personal liability can come in handy under a lot of situations as lawsuits have the potential to become very expensive. So while policies typically cover around $100,000 in coverage for personal liability, it is recommended to have at least $300,000 in coverage. The additional protection will increase your premium by a few hundred but can protect you with an additional $1 million thorough an umbrella policy. 

[socialjusticeartshare]

ICE Expels Migrant Children Without Trial, Making Them ‘Impossible To Find’

A teenage girl carrying her baby arrived at the U.S. border this summer and begged for help. She told federal agents that she feared returning to Guatemala. The man who raped her she said had threatened to make her “disappear.”

Then, advocates say, the child briefly vanished — into the custody of the U.S. government, which held her and her baby for days in a hotel with almost no outside contact before federal officers summarily expelled them from the country.

Similar actions have played out along the border for months under an emergency health order the Trump administration issued in March. Citing the threat of COVID-19, it granted federal agents sweeping powers to almost immediately return anyone at the border, including infants as young as 8 months. Children are typically entitled to special protections under the law, including the right to have their asylum claims adjudicated by a judge.

Under this new policy, the administration is not deporting children — a proceeding based on years of established law that requires a formal hearing in immigration court.

It is instead expelling them — without a judge's ruling and after only a cursory government screening and no access to social workers or lawyers, sometimes not even their family, while in U.S. custody. The children are not even granted the primary registration number by which the Department of Homeland Security tracks all immigrants in its care, making it “virtually impossible" to find them, Efrén C. Olivares, a lawyer with the Texas Civil Rights Project, wrote in a court declaration arguing that the practice is illegal.

Little is known about how the process works, but published government figures suggest almost all children arriving at the border are being rapidly returned.

Between April and June, Customs and Border Protection officials encountered 3,379 unaccompanied minors at or between ports of entry. Of those, just 162 were sent to federal shelters for immigrant children run by the Office of Refugee Resettlement, the Health and Human Services agency tasked with their care. CBP would not say whether the remaining minors had been expelled or explain what had happened to them.

The precise number of children who are detained or to what situations they are returned is difficult to ascertain.

“We are only reaching a tiny fraction of these kids," said Lisa Frydman, vice president of international programs at Kids in Need of Defense, an advocacy group for migrant children with partners across Central America. “The rest are just gone."

Lawyers have fielded frantic calls from family members whose children suddenly went missing after crossing the U.S. border. Of the thousands of unaccompanied minors expelled under the health order, advocacy organizations said that they have only found about three dozen after months of searching across the United States, Mexico and Central America.

The Guatemalan teenager is one of them. She told child protection workers in Guatemala that she was sent to an American hotel with her baby for days and allowed only a brief call with her father in the United States. Then she and her infant were flown to Guatemala, where her case so alarmed international refugee groups that they referred her for protection in another country, determining that she was in peril. Advocates would not provide her age or other personal details to protect her.

The Associated Press first reported last month that the administration has detained at least 169 children in three Hampton Inn & Suites hotels in El Paso and McAllen, Texas, as well as Phoenix, before expelling them. New government numbers show that practice grew to more than 240 children over the past three months. Children reported being held for weeks in hotel rooms by an unlicensed government contractor, with little ability to reach anyone outside.

Advocates said the administration's expulsion policy is far more concerning than simply the practice of lengthy hotel detention, which they argue violates a long-standing court settlement protecting migrant children. Most kids who now reach U.S. soil are quickly flown back to their home countries — often to danger, forcing the intervention of international child welfare agencies to protect them from harm. Some children told advocates that they were sent to Mexico, even if they were not from there, in the middle of the night.

The U.S. government has largely declined to comment or release statistics, citing litigation that the American Civil Liberties Union and other advocacy organizations have brought against the expulsion program.

In June, a desperate father in Houston found Linda Corchado, an immigration attorney in El Paso. His 16-year-old son was detained somewhere in an American hotel, although where or by whom he did not know. He said the government was about to fly the boy back to Honduras, where he feared his son might be executed by gang members who threatened him after he saw them kill another man.

Corchado alerted the ACLU, and the boy became the first plaintiff in what lawyers hoped would be a test case as they argued that the government was illegally using an obscure provision of the federal Public Health and Welfare Code, written in 1893, to justify expelling all migrants, even children, at the border.

The boy's case spurred an emergency court hearing in June in Washington, D.C., before U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, who ruled that the ACLU was “likely to succeed" in its arguments that the government did not have the authority to expel the boy under the health declaration, issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Within days, Justice Department attorneys paused the boy's expulsion and agreed to allow him to request asylum through the immigration courts — the legal process usually required for migrant children coming here alone.

Attorneys found more children facing expulsion.

The relative of another 16-year-old Honduran boy told an advocate at the U.S. port of entry in El Paso that the teenager had disappeared in U.S. custody after they crossed the border together. Corchado called CBP and requested the protection screening allowed for the boy under the expulsion process, but federal agents said that they were moving him to a hotel to fly him back.

Once migrants are transferred to a hotel under the care of a government contractor, it is as if they vanish into a “legal abyss" where it is unclear which federal agency retains custody, Corchado said.

“You can't advocate for them," she said.

She said a supervisor with Immigration and Customs Enforcement told her that after migrants are moved there, “it's kind of off our radar."

Under the threat of litigation by the ACLU, the administration agreed to halt the boy's removal and transfer him to a federal shelter while he fought for asylum, his lawyers said.

Coordinating with advocates across the country, ACLU attorneys have located at least 18 children as of late July who were being expelled, court filings show. In each case, the government agreed to halt proceedings against them — a win for the child, but a concession that blocked lawyers from obtaining a judge's ruling on the policy as a whole.

“We assumed the government would want to have a test case in court to decide the lawfulness of this highly controversial and unprecedented practice of using public health laws to effect shadow deportations of children," said Lee Gelernt, an ACLU attorney fighting the program in court. “The government is getting away with a complete end run around all of the protections for children that Congress has painstakingly enacted."

Alexa Vance, a Justice Department spokesperson, declined to comment. So did April Grant, a spokesperson for ICE, citing the pending lawsuits.

Grant also refused to release statistics on children expelled by the agency, including those it detained in hotels, or provide the repatriation agreements that the U.S. holds with at least eight countries — including Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras — that would shed light on how those countries have agreed to accept expelled children and under which circumstances.

Matthew Dyman, a spokesman for CBP, similarly said the ongoing litigation meant he couldn't answer most questions about the policy. Alexei Woltornist, a DHS spokesman, did not respond to emails.

“Nobody Can Find Them"

Advocates said the secrecy reminds them of their search two years ago for thousands of immigrant children whom the Trump administration separatedfrom their parents at the border.

Then, government agents sent children to federal shelters under ORR, often without tracking numbers linking them to their parents in ICE detention centers. It took a federal court order and months of taxpayer-funded efforts before many could be reunited with their parents. A few never were because their parents had been deported and so they were released instead to acquaintances or other relatives in the U.S.

What's different now is that children are not entering the U.S. system for migrant children at all.

“Nobody can find them," said Jennifer Podkul, vice president for policy at KIND, the advocacy group.

The majority are quickly flown back to Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, the three main origins of unaccompanied children to the U.S.

Once in Central America, they don't have access to protections offered before the pandemic. Strict lockdowns have made it hard for watchdogs such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to track unaccompanied children after they are sent back to government repatriation centers.

Government representatives in those three Central American nations said that they could not differentiate between children who had been returned under the health order and those who had been deported under usual proceedings. But what they could report alarmed advocates.

Since the start of the pandemic through early July, at least 476 unaccompanied children have been sent back to Honduras, about half flown from the United States and the rest largely returned from Mexico, the Honduran federal agency overseeing children reported.

Guatemala reported about 380 such children returned from the United States in roughly that same period, according to a government spokesperson. El Salvador said more than 70 unaccompanied minors had been returned, and Mexico's government reported some 1,050 of its own children were returned between April and June, the latest data available.

The total for unaccompanied children governments said had been returned to those four countries — about 1,700 — is far less than the last official figure the U.S. government released. In early June, it said it had expelled at least 2,175 “single minors" under the health declaration. Then, citing litigation, the administration stopped providing that data.

“The number of kids who have been received doesn't match up with the number of kids who have been expelled," said Frydman of KIND.

She and other advocates suspect children from other countries are informally expelled to Mexico. Many in the last few months have reported that U.S. authorities returned them there — sometimes alone in the middle of the night and without being processed by Mexican immigration officials.

KIND found at least three unaccompanied minors from Central America in Mexico.

Two were siblings who said they arrived on their own at the port of entry in El Paso. CBP officers told them “the border is closed," the children later told attorneys, who declined to reveal the siblings' ages or other details for their safety.

Federal officials sent the siblings to Ciudad Juarez, where they were homeless until they went to a shelter, which contacted Mexico's child welfare agency.

Dyman, the CBP spokesperson, did not respond to questions about the siblings. But he said non-Mexican children can be expelled there only if they are with adult relatives. They are not supposed to be sent there alone.

“When minors are encountered without adult family members, CBP works closely with their home countries to transfer them to the custody of government officials and reunite them with their families," Dyman wrote in an email.

He said agents may exempt migrants from expulsion under certain circumstances, such as when they cannot be returned to their countries or if officers suspect they were victims of human trafficking. But he declined to elaborate on how CBP officials make those exceptions and conduct screenings, saying that information is “law enforcement sensitive."

Statistics from Mexico's National Migration Institute show that more than 200 children from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras have been expelled to Mexico under the health declaration as of June. That number includes unaccompanied children and those with adults. An official at Mexico's Secretary of Interior wrote that it does not have a formal agreement with the U.S. on how to return unaccompanied children from other countries, so it does not keep cumulative statistics.

“Shadow Operation"

Usually children coming to the U.S. alone from nations other than Mexico must be flown home — an operation delayed by logistics during a global pandemic. By law, they cannot be held for more than 72 hours in temporary CBP processing facilities before they are sent to shelters run by ORR.

That agency is currently detaining about 850 children, although it has 14,000 taxpayer-funded beds available. Before the administration's health order, ORR in late March was holding about 3,600 unaccompanied minors.

Instead of placing children in these federally regulated and state-licensed shelters, where they would have access to counsel and social workers, the U.S. moved hundreds of minors to a clandestine network of hotels — under the custody of a contractor not licensed to care for children.

The administration provided that data to attorneys litigating a court-ordered settlement that sets specific rules on how the government is allowed to hold migrant children. That 1997 consent decree, known as the Flores Settlement, requires migrant children in detention have certain rights, including that they be released quickly and held in licensed child care facilities.

In April, May and June, the government confined at least 240 children awaiting expulsion — including more than a dozen younger than 6 — in hotel rooms, according to legal filings submitted to the court overseeing compliance with the Flores Settlement.

In April, ICE, via its contractor MVM Inc., held at least 29 unaccompanied migrant children for as long as 10 days in the three Hampton Inn & Suites hotels in Texas and Arizona before expelling them.

In May, the contractor detained 80 children for days in those three hotels. In June, 120 were held there before being expelled, according to the government reports.

A 5-year-old was kept in a hotel room for 19 days in June before she was expelled.

An 8-month-old was held in a Hampton Inn for 12 days that month before being turned back with a 9-year-old sibling.

As of June 30, according to the administration's most recent reports submitted under the Flores Settlement, a 2-month-old had been detained in a Hampton hotel for four days while awaiting expulsion along with 19 other children.

Neha Desai, an attorney with the National Center for Youth Law, an organization that litigates to ensure the government abides by that consent decree, called the prolonged detention of migrant children in hotels a “blatant breach" of that settlement.

“This is a shadow operation," she said.

The U.S. has always briefly held a small number of children in hotel rooms after an immigration judge ordered them removed if there was a delay with their deportation flights.

But such widespread detention for up to three weeks involving children whose protection claims have never been adjudicated “flies in the face of the law," said Andrew Lorenzen-Strait, a former senior ICE official who left the agency last year. He said Congress and the courts have repeatedly held that children should not be kept in hotel rooms for more than one night — and even then, only in limited circumstances.

“The government is playing cowboy with regards to children's safety," he said.

Bob Carey, who headed ORR under President Barack Obama, called the practice “horrific … you have vulnerable children in the care of a private contractor with little, if any, transparency or adherence to state law, federal guidelines, legislation and a court settlement."

Not much is known about MVM, the private security contractor from Virginia that detains the children in hotel rooms. A spokesperson wrote in an email that its multimillion-dollar agreement with ICE to transport unaccompanied minors prevents it from disclosing information. It referred questions to ICE, which declined to comment and refused to release the contract.

In 2018, Reveal from the Center for Investigative Reporting found that MVM had held children for longer than a day in vacant office buildings in Phoenix. An ICE spokesperson said the agency did not permit the company to detain children for more than 24 hours in those offices, which she said were intended as “waiting areas" for same-day transport between CBP and ORR shelters. An MVM spokesperson termed it a “regrettable exception" to the company's policy of finding a hotel when there are delays in transporting children.

Details about the company's current contract came to light in a July court filing from Andrea Sheridan Ordin, a former U.S. attorney appointed to monitor the Flores Settlement in 2018. The federal judge overseeing that consent decree determined that was necessary because the government was not complying with it.

Ordin recommended ICE cease detaining unaccompanied minors in hotels, citing a “lack of formal oversight." She wrote MVM's “transportation specialists" are required to have only an associate's degree or high school diploma and one year of relevant work experience. They separated migrant children in hotel rooms by age and gender and allowed “little to no access to recreation." Children must be “within the line of sight" of contractors at all times.

Ordin said detention for weeks in hotel rooms can have a “harmful" impact on children, adding that MVM did not appear to have consistent requirements “regarding the special needs of young children, including hygiene, nutrition, or emotional well-being."

Ordin wrote that what was initially a “stop-gap measure" for the government to fly back children outside of normal proceedings has transformed under its expulsion policies into an “integral component of the immigration detention system" for children.

The administration argued she had overreached her authority. Children expelled under the health order, it contended, were not subject to protections under the Flores Settlement because they had never formally entered “immigration" custody.

Lawyers representing children under that settlement requested a judge's ruling, writing that the government has a “penchant for unilaterally disregarding" the consent decree.

A Sense of Deja Vu

Thirty-five years ago, a 15-year-old Salvadoran girl fleeing a civil war in her homeland was also imprisoned in an American hotel under the care of unlicensed private security guards. Jenny Flores' case forced the most significant overhaul yet of how U.S. authorities can detain migrant children. In fact, the 1997 federal settlement is named for her.

Carlos Holguín, who began litigating that case in 1985, said there is now a sense of “deja vu … but the degree of lawlessness is even beyond what was going on then."

Since taking office, the Trump administration has tried to end the Flores Settlement, arguing that it and a 2008 trafficking law work as “loopholes" encouraging families to send children here alone. The government has attempted to undo the settlement through regulations and requested Congress curtail the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act, which requires certain safeguards for children arriving alone at the border.

So far, both efforts have failed.

The administration tried separating parents and children at the border, but a federal judge largely ruled against the practice in 2018, allowing it only in narrow circumstances such as if the adult poses a danger.

U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee, who is in charge of the Flores Settlement, has determined the administration must quickly release children locked up with their parents in immigrant detention centers, most recently citing the risk of coronavirus spreading.

“The family residential centers are on fire and there is no more time for half measures," she wrote in a June 26 order.

The government is now arguing it can force detained parents to choose between freeing their children or staying indefinitely imprisoned with them.

But none of the administration's attempts to undo either the settlement or the law have been as effective as the expulsion order, which is “eviscerating every single protection mechanism outlined by Congress and the courts with one sweeping gesture," said Podkul of KIND.

Late last month, the ACLU sued to allow its lawyers access to children detained in the McAllen Hampton Inn after a video went viral showing a Texas Civil Rights Project lawyer forcibly pushed away.

“The children are in imminent danger of unlawful removal," the attorneys wrote.

Facing a public relations scandal, Hilton quickly announced that all three hotels had canceled reservations with MVM.

“We expect all Hilton properties to reject business that would use a hotel in this way," a Hilton spokesperson said.

Government attorneys agreed to pause the expulsion of the migrants who they said remained in the McAllen hotel on the date of the lawsuit — once again, ACLU attorneys said, mooting litigation on the broader policy. A separate suit involving a 13-year-old Salvadoran girl who was expelled this summer is still pending in a Washington, D.C., federal court.

By the time the administration stopped the removal of the migrants detained at the Hampton Inn, most who had been held there had already been expelled or transferred elsewhere — some, advocates said, just before the ACLU filed its lawsuit. Only 17 family members, including one unaccompanied child, remained in that hotel.

What happened to the rest? No one would say.

Article Source

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Moving Your Goods Versus Selling and Buying

Moving your personal goods, much less your family, can be a daunting thought, but after a careful review of all your options, you will see that it needs not be a difficult ordeal, just one that requires thought and organization. Hopefully, this post will help you arrive at the thought process.

I have done a big move of personal goods only three times, and I was boxed in (no pun intended) by the same thought process each time. I have come to discover that there are many ways to consider the move to Costa Rica, and some may be much cheaper or at the very least less stressful and requiring less coordination.

The first thing I learned about moving goods to Costa Rica is to find your mover in Costa Rica and coordinate the move through him, as you want to be able to deal with someone local from this end, just in case there should be any questions or problems. How logically simple is that? But had I not been advised, I would have called a mover from Dallas, and I think it would have caused more logistical problems in the long run.

Here are some of the mistakes I made. We brought everything, and I do mean everything. We should have had multiple garage sales prior to the move because we downsized from a 3,000 sq. ft. house to a 2,300 sq. ft house, and we had acquired junk from the previous 20+ years. We knew we wanted to build and no longer wanted a dining room, as we discovered it was wasted space in our last home just to store a dining room set. But we certainly brought everything else. George Carlin has a gig on "stuff", and everyone should listen to that before coming to Costa Rica. It took a little over a year for us to actually move into our house, which meant that we paid, by the square meter, to store our goods, which is an expense we had not considered. Had I had the opportunity to do it again, I would have brought our bedroom set, living room furniture, dishes/silverware, and that's it! Yes, special art pieces and personal belongings, but about half what we brought. That would have cut our moving and storage tab in half.

You can buy American appliances here, and yes, at a higher expense, but still less than moving and storing yours from home. Personal goods are not taxed, but goods that are new are subject to taxation. Many times they are not taxed if you have one of each, but if you bring 10 new flat screen TVs, chances are you will be taxed a very large amount. If you want to have no questions about taxation, Barry will develop a flat-rate move that includes your taxation. You needn't worry about this, as his company will handle all the details and dealings with Customs and deliver your goods to his storage facility or your new house.

I would suggest you get a 3-ring binder and keep all the papers related to moving in this notebook. If you pack goods yourself, label the box with the contents of each box and keep a copy of that in your notebook. If you have professional packers, make sure you get a listing of each box's contents, and that the box is labeled with the contents that you have a copy of in your 3-ring binder. All the paperwork related to Customs should be kept here also.

The following are some tips on what you should do before and after you move to Costa Rica:

Two Months before Moving:

1. Gather your moving supplies (boxes, tape, rope, etc.). Begin packing.2. Make any necessary travel arrangements (airline, hotel, and rental car reservations).3. Call a moving company or make truck rental reservations to move your goods.4. Cover your real estate temporary & permanent needs.5. Keep your legal, medical, and insurance records in a safe and accessible place.6. Give your new address to all your mailers (family members, friends, banks, insurance companies, and other financial institutions, charge card and credit card companies, doctors, dentists, and other service providers, state and federal tax authorities, and other government agencies).7. Keep your moving receipts (many moving expenses are tax deductible).

Two Weeks before Moving:

1. Notify gas, electric, water, cable, local telephone, and trash removal services of your move, and sign up for their services at your new address.2. Notify long distance Phone Company of your move.3. Arrange help for your moving-day.4. Confirm your travel reservation.5. If needed, make arrangements to close or transfer your bank account.

Packing Tips:

1. Make sure you have the following supplies and accessories: boxes (all sizes), bubble wrap or other cushioning material, marking pens, tape measure, furniture pads or old blankets, packing tape and scissors, and money and credit cards.2. Label each box with the room in the new home to which it should be moved.3. Make an itemized list of what you're packing with a yard-sale price on each item, so you don't have to pay too many taxes when your household arrives at the Costa Rican customs. Personal household goods are exempt.4. Number the boxes, and keep a list of what is in each box.5. Mark any fragile item.6. Pack your personal items (clothes, toiletries, medicine, maps, food, and drinks) into a bag, and keep it in an easy-to-find place.7. Keep a medical kit accessible.

After Your Move:

1. Locate police, fire, and gas stations as well as hospitals near your home.2. Locate shopping areas in your new neighborhood.3. Find out which day the trash is collected and whether your new community has recycling programs.4. Seek out new service providers (banks, cleaners, doctors, dentists, and veterinarians).5. Provide your new doctor and dentist with your medical history. You may need to request your file from your previous doctor and/or dentist.6. Find out more information about schools, cable service, cultural events, community activities, and the availability of emergency calling services (such as 911) in your new neighborhood.7. Transfer your insurance policies to an agent in your new community. If necessary, make a detailed list of all your belongings, their value, and your coverage.

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