The database recognizes 1,746,000 software titles and delivers updates for your software including minor upgrades. There’s about a ton of plastic for each person living in the world today—that’s 8,300 million tons of plastic produced since 1950, most of which has become. RT delivers latest news and current events from around the world including special reports, entertainment news and exclusive video. When a Friend is Grieving, Offer Specific Ways You Can Help. Around this time last year, my mom passed away. I was in charge of planning her funeral and burial arrangements, dealing with her stuff, and pretty much all the other horrible things that you have to do when someone dies. Oh, and I live in San Francisco and my mom was in North Carolina. Literally hundreds of people offered to help me on Facebook and via text, but only two people did. Only two people made actual suggestions on what they could do to help. Around the same time, two of my other close friends also lost parents. Like me, they experienced the same phenomenon. We all desperately needed help and support, and friends offered, but no one followed through, for the most part because we didn’t ask. Death is awful. The weeks following my mom’s death were awful. While I definitely needed the help, I didn’t have the energy or the time to coordinate with friends to handle things. If someone had asked “Would you like a sandwich?” The answer would have most certainly been “Yes. I haven’t eaten in 2 days.” But when faced with no sandwich and a hundred people offering to help, I’m not going to text anyone and ask for food, or a ride to the funeral home, or help buying flowers. That’s weird. It’s uncomfortable. For a traditionally independent person, it feels like begging even though it’s something your friends are generically offering to do. I mean, technically I can drive myself places and find my own sandwich. For me, the two people that did help were a friend who offered to watch my dog while I headed east, and another superhero pal who actually took a few days off work, said she would just drive me to anything I needed her to, and managed to help me do everything from pick out flowers to deal with the funeral home. I would have never in a million years asked either of them out of the blue, but that they volunteered for those specific tasks was worth a million. Instead of saying “Let me know if I can help!” I encourage everyone to instead offer a suggestion on exactly what they have time for. Here are some ideas: “Can I bring/buy you breakfast/lunch/dinner?”This is the easiest thing to do by far. Just offer to bring dinner over for an evening or two. It’s amazing how much there is to do and how easy it is to forget to eat while you’re dealing with it all. Make a frozen lasagna. Raid the snack aisle at Trader Joes. If this is a close friend, you don’t even need to ask for this one. Just make/buy some stuff and coordinate a drop off or just leave it on their porch (presuming you know they’ll be home).“I’d be happy to watch your kids/dog/cat/goat while you deal with everything.” If someone has a child or a pet, then they’re going to have to figure out how to care for them while they’re also dealing with everything else. Obviously, this will vary depending on how close you are with the person. But, even suggesting you can babysit for a specific evening or two, or come over and take the dog on some walks, can be an invaluable gesture.“I’m free on Saturday. What errands do you need help with or can I drive you anywhere?”I would have never even thought to ask a friend to drive me places like the funeral home and flower shop, but wow was it helpful. It was nice to not have to handle those small things alone, and not have to be behind the wheel (which was probably dangerous). By offering a specific time you’re free, you also give your friend the opportunity to respond with “No, but could you do this?”“I have a bunch of airline miles. Can I give you some to help pay for your ticket?”Thanks to losers who took advantage of the system, airlines don’t offer bereavement fares anymore. That means that if your friend has to travel, they’re likely buying a VERY expensive last- minute ticket. If you’re sitting on a bunch of miles from traveling for work, offer to help them snag a ticket home (or back). Around this time last year, my mom passed away. I was in charge of planning her funeral and burial arrangements, dealing with her stuff, and pretty much all the other.Elon Musk has said he has no idea why Wall Street values Tesla so high, but he doesn’t have to think about it any longer. The automaker is no longer the most. Get out there and make it an Oldsmobile Alero kind of day! Funerals are insanely expensive and airline miles can help offset some of the financial blow. At the end of the day, you’re the one that knows your friend the best and what’s appropriate depends a bit on your level of friendship. However, if you truly want to help them out, make a suggestion for something you know they might need. Whether it’s helping them take care of work or family commitments while they’re away, or just offering them lunch. If you offer something specific, they’ll be much more likely to take you up on it. How to Use Less Plastic Because We're Using Way Too Much. There’s about a ton of plastic for each person living in the world today—that’s 8,3. Even worse, plastic production is increasing and half of all the plastic on Earth was created in the past 1. But you can reduce your own impact by cutting back your plastic consumption. Here are eight steps you could take. Buy in Bulk. Buying in bulk reduces the amount of packaging needed for an item. Instead of buying small containers of hand soap, buy a huge container that you can refill your smaller bottles with. Even better, go for the bulk bins and buy everything using containers from home. As an added bonus, buying in bulk also reduces the number of trips you need to make to the store, and you’ll be saving money while you save the environment. Over the last several years, my wife and I have become reasonably skillful practitioners in the art . It can be as fancy as this one with a lot of pockets, or it could be something simple like an upcycled rice bag. An increasing number of retailers such as Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s sell reusable bags at their checkout lines, meaning there’s no excuse not to use one. Pressure Companies to Use Less Plastic. When enough consumers become sufficiently vocal, corporations respond to their demands. Being a smart consumer and knowing about the companies you buy from is helpful. If a company does something you disagree with, email them and tweet at them to voice your outrage. Or, even better, start buying from its competitors instead. For example, Coca- Cola produces more than 1. United Kingdom, which many environmentalists find concerning. An environmental group in the UK filed a complaint, urging Coca- Cola to do more to produce less waste. In response to these concerns, Coca- Cola UK announced initiatives like a program that lets people return bottles for a small refund. Invest in Reusable Containers. Every year almost 3. Instead of buying disposable plastic water bottles, invest in a reusable water bottle or thermos—preferebly one that isn’t plastic. Not only will getting a good water bottle improve your water drinking experience (your water stays cold and doesn’t form condensation on the outside), but it’ll also encourage you to drink more water. When bringing lunch to work or going out to eat, bring your own utensils instead of using plastic disposable ones. The Kitchn has a roundup of their recommendations for reusable utensil sets. Also, pack your lunches with reusable containers more often instead of getting a takeout container (we recommend getting a set of tiffins instead). There's nothing wrong with taking your lunch to the office in a brown paper bag or a plastic. To remedy this waste, look for alternatives to plastic packaging: buy toilet paper wrapped in paper, buy milk in glass containers that you can return, buy whole fruit at grocery stores and forgo plastic bags entirely. Larger items like avocados or apples don’t need produce bags. For smaller items like grapes, check with your grocery stores to see if you can bring your own bags for produce instead of using the grocery store’s produce bags. Push for a Plastic Tax/Ban. Individual actions are important, but larger actions, such as those led by the government, can spark major change. Encouraging your city governments to create laws that encourage less plastic can make a huge difference overall in plastic consumption. Cities like San Francisco and Chicago have already introduced laws limiting plastic consumption. Meanwhile, some states like New York have killed laws taxing plastic bags. If you’re unhappy with plastic bag laws in your area, take it up with the local government and consult Lifehacker’s guide to making your local government listen to you. Compost. Instead of using lots of plastic bags to throw out your garbage, reduce the amount of garbage you produce by composting. You’d be surprised at how much of your trash is actually compostable (more than half). You can buy a compost bin that does most of the work for you or make one yourself. If you’re unsure where to start, Lifehacker has a comprehensive guide to composting. But be sure to check city laws on composting first because some cities have banned it. Composting is a great way of turning trash into treasure, but you may have trouble getting . If you’re looking for a new toy for your child, buy it secondhand. Scope out thrift stores or Craigslist for things that you need like clothes or furniture. A bonus is that it will also save you money along the way. Just be more careful when buying used technology or mattresses.
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