Overall, it's a small percentage of the trees added to the city's inventory. However, she says that could change. Reforest London places the Bradford pear on a list of trees that should not be planted in that city, going so far as to say the trees "should not be planted under any circumstances and should be removed where possible to prevent further invasion.

Kat Hodgins from the City of London says about per cent of the 6, trees they plant each year are Bradford pears. She notes the city is actively trying to reduce that number and is running experiments with different types of trees to find a suitable replacement for a tree that continues to be popular with developers and landscape architects. Cantell's personal favourite alternative to the Bradford pear is the serviceberry, a native species with white flowers that Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry calls " very adaptable.

Windsor also plants the serviceberry, though Giroux notes it's not as hardy as the Bradford pear. Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission.

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This pretty, floral tree somewhat resembles the cherry blossom. Its five-petaled flowers are dainty and white. If they could talk, I imagine they'd say, "come and have a picnic under us!

The Callery pear smells like straight-up semen. Over at the University of California, Santa Barbara, they want you to know that it smells like human male semen , to be sure.

So many people have called it the " semen tree " that it warranted an entry in Urban Dictionary, aptly defined as the odor of "used sex rags. But why?

According to Eloy Rodriguez, a plant biology professor at Cornell University, the Callery pear emits chemical compounds called "volatile amines. These compounds are derivatives of ammonia, which coincidentally, is also present in semen. Certain amines are associated with fishy smells or the stench of decayed flesh.

And, when the weather's warm and its flower are blooming, the tree wafts them out freely. If you're only interested in programs, subscribe to The Weekly Five , which outlines the five must-do programs each week.

Signing up for either newsletter is easy and free of charge. Let technology enhance your outdoor adventures with these apps recommended by Forest Preserve District interpretive naturalists. Read More. The Citizen The Weekly Five. The Buzz. Photo via Shutterstock Spring has many pleasant smells associated with it — rain, freshly cut grass and blooming flowers to name just a few — but that less-than-pleasant odor wafting in the air right now may be coming from a tree in your backyard or neighborhood.

What's The Difference: Biodegradable Vs. Make sure you do your homework.

If you like authentic content that teaches you English the way native English speakers use it, then subscribe to the FluentU English YouTube channel and hit the notification bell for more! This is the standard goodbye. While practicing this and the other types of English goodbyes below, you can hear them being used in real-life situations on FluentU.

FluentU takes real-world videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons. This sweet and babyish expression is usually only used when speaking to children. These are appropriate for anyone, from co-workers to friends. It sounds very formal and is typically only used if you are never going to see the person again. For learning all the expressions crucial to business English, the resource that we would most recommend is Creativa.

Creativa provides premium, highly produced videos for learning English and business communication skills. Creativa provides entertaining videos, useful but unexpected tips, and goes beyond just English to teach you body language, intonation and specific pronunciation tips.

Over the years, the use of goodbye has become more cursory in many cases, and few people are likely invoking the help of God when they say it. Significantly softer and a bit more infantile is bye-bye. In fact, it was originally used in nurseries to help lull children to sleep. First evidence of the term can be found around — A modern and sometimes flippant or dismissive twist on bye-bye is buh-bye. First evidence of the word appeared around — If you want to get fancy, you may want to use farewell.

First evidence of the word dates back to — It stems from the middle English word farwel. At the end of the day, it's not an easy experience for anyone.

Goodbyes, especially among an affectionate cohort, can weigh heavily on the group dynamic, which is why it bears repeating that they are only as final as you allow them to be—after all, there's always Facebook.

The views expressed are those of the author s and are not necessarily those of Scientific American. You can follow AiP on Facebook. Follow Krystal D'Costa on Twitter. Already a subscriber? Sign in. Thanks for reading Scientific American. Create your free account or Sign in to continue.

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Free word lists and quizzes from Cambridge. Tools to create your own word lists and quizzes. Word lists shared by our community of dictionary fans. Sign up now or Log in. Definitions Clear explanations of natural written and spoken English.

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Among the many proteins produced are neurotrophins , which stimulate the growth of the synapse and structural elements, stabilizing increased sensitivity to neurotransmitters. This molecular cascade is essential for memories to become long-lasting. The prevailing view is that declarative memories are encoded in the hippocampus, then transferred to the frontal lobes for long-term storage and consolidation.

Research suggests that, over time, the hippocampus becomes less important for retrieving older memories as the frontal cortex assumes that task. As researchers gain new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying memory, pharmaceutical and technological advances may enable artificial manipulation of synaptic plasticity.

New treatments could be developed for synapse-related neurological disorders — such as eradication of harmful memories tied to post-traumatic stress disorder PTSD — or for boosting our ability to learn and remember. This article was adapted from the 8 th edition of Brain Facts by Alexis Wnuk. Deborah Halber Deborah Halber is a Boston-based author, science writer and journalist. Her work has appeared in The Atlantic, Time. See how discoveries in the lab have improved human health. Read More. Do you believe any of these common neuromyths?

Test your knowledge. For Educators Log in. This also works the other way round: as soon as the activity level exceeds an upper limit, the number of synaptic connections is reduced to prevent any overexcitation -- the neuron firing rate falls.

Similar forms of homeostasis frequently occur in nature, for example in the regulation of body temperature and blood sugar levels. However, Markus Butz stresses that this does not work without a certain minimal excitation of the neurons: "A neuron that no longer receives any stimuli loses even more synapses and will die off after some time. We must take this restriction into account if we want the results of our simulations to agree with observations.

When the retina is damaged, this percentage increases even further. Using computer simulations, the authors succeeded in reconstructing the reorganization of the neurons in a way that conforms to experimental results from the visual cortex of mice and monkeys with damaged retinas. The visual cortex is particularly suitable for demonstrating the new growth rule, because it has a property referred to as retinotopy: This means that points projected beside each other onto the retina are also arranged beside each other when they are projected onto the visual cortex, just like on a map.

If areas of the retina are damaged, the cells onto which the associated images are projected receive different inputs. These crosslinks are formed slowly from the edge of the damaged area towards the centre, in a process resembling the healing of a wound, until the original activity level is more or less restored. As early as , psychology professor Donald Olding Hebb discovered that connections between neurons that are frequently activated will become stronger.

Those that exchange little information will become weaker. Today, many scientists believe that this Hebbian principle plays a central role in learning and memory processes. While synaptic plasticity in involved primarily in short-term processes that take from a few milliseconds to several hours, structural plasticity extends over longer time scales, from several days to months.

Structural plasticity therefore plays a particularly important part during the early rehabilitation phase of patients affected by neurological diseases, which also lasts for weeks and months. The hippocampus is generally regarded as the organ where most memories are stored. Scientists long believed that the formation of memories in the brain was mainly due to the extremely large number of excitatory neurons.

However, it is now known that inhibitory interneurons, of which there are about ten times fewer, also make a significant contribution to our ability to remember things.

While excitatory nerve cells activate neighbouring cells, interneurons switch off the following cells, resulting in the separation of similar memories. Nerve cell activity reveals insights into how the strength of synaptic transmission can be modulated. First, how can the synapses of these granule cells activate interneurons, which in turn inhibit other granule cells? And second, how does this work during learning and memory formation?

The strengthening of synapses between cells can be achieved if they are all active simultaneously. This basically means that the granule cell must be active at the same time as the interneuron. By the seventh month of a pregnancy, the fetus starts to emit its own brain waves. New neurons and synapses are formed by the brain at an extremely high rate during this time.

During the first year of life, the number of synapses in the brain of an infant grows more than tenfold. By age 2 or 3, an infant has about 15, synapses per neuron. In the visual cortex of the brain the part responsible for vision , synapse production hits its peak at about 8 months of age.

In the prefrontal cortex, peak levels of synapses occur sometime during the first year of life. This part of the brain is used for a variety of complex behaviors, including planning and personality. During the second year of life, the number of synapses drops dramatically. Synaptic pruning happens very quickly between ages 2 and During this time, about 50 percent of the extra synapses are eliminated.

In the visual cortex, pruning continues until about 6 years of age. Synaptic pruning continues through adolescence, but not as fast as before.

The total number of synapses begins to stabilize. While researchers once thought the brain only pruned synapses until early adolescence, recent advancements have discovered a second pruning period during late adolescence. According to newer research, synaptic pruning actually continues into early adulthood and stops sometime in the late 20s. Research that looks at the relationship between synaptic pruning and schizophrenia is still in the early stages.

For example, when researchers looked at images of the brains of people with mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, they found that people with mental disorders had fewer synapses in the prefrontal region compared to the brains of people without mental disorders. Then, a large study analyzed post-mortem brain tissue and DNA from more than , people and found that people with schizophrenia have a specific gene variant that may be associated with an acceleration of the process of synaptic pruning.

More research is needed to confirm the hypothesis that abnormal synaptic pruning contributes to schizophrenia. While this is still a long way off, synaptic pruning may represent an interesting target for treatments for people with mental disorders.

Ponytail headaches are common , but they are more likely to occur if you already get frequent tension headaches , migraines , or have a chronic pain condition like fibromyalgia. The occipital nerves at the back of your head and trigeminal nerves around your face are the nerves often affected by compression from headwear, according to the Mayo Clinic. If you are getting a headache from your ponytail, the first method of action is to take your hair down.

Massage your scalp gently in the area where you feel pain and take a moment to breathe deeply. If you frequently experience this kind of headache, you may need to reconsider your go-to hairstyle. Getting your hair out of the way with a braided hairstyle that ties at the end is an alternative you might consider.

Shorter hairstyles and bobby pins might also help you avoid ponytail headaches. Any option that keeps a hairband from coming into contact with your scalp directly would be less likely to cause pain. When you do need to sport a ponytail for high-impact sports, aerobic exercise, or even just for convenience, keep your eye on the time.

Take your hair down every hour or so to give the nerves in your scalp a chance to recover from the constant feeling of being pulled. If you do this often enough, you may reduce the frequency of your ponytail headaches. The high ponytail is Grande's signature style , so she's surely used to the hair ache.

And, as she explained in a Facebook post in , she started wearing a high ponytail and extensions to protect her damaged hair as it grew back. I had to take it off thankunext pic.

Many women have been there: At the end of a long day, you take your hair down and it feels It's a common sensation, but why does it happen? First of all, it's not the hair itself that's hurting, but the structure underneath that's getting stressed.

Paradi Mirmirani, director of hair disorders for Kaiser Permanente in California, said. If you think of that structure as a unit, that sensation starts to make a little more sense. In this case, the phenomenon is referred to as allodynia, and it comes from the repeated firing of nerve cells in the brain that are involved in the process of a migraine. So at the end of a long, hard, stressful day, forget about trying to preserve a particular style for as long as possible, and instead, slow down and treat your hair to some much-needed self-care.

Vogue Beauty The biggest beauty stories, trends, and product recommendations. Hair pain is actually a more common — and peculiar — occurrence for those who suffer from migraine headaches. For those afflicted with this excruciating headache condition, the cause is different. With allodynia, normally nonpainful stimuli — like brushing your hair, wearing a hat or a loose ponytail, and feeling water wash over your hair in the shower — become painful.

Lying down on the side of the headache can make the scalp feel especially sore and tender, too. Tight hairstyles can certainly be a first contributing step to migraines, though hair that hurts can also happen separately, as part of a migraine attack that is brought on by other triggers.

Martin Anderson, a violinist in the NJ Symphony, told me that his orchestra recently created a dress code committee to review their policies. One of their recent discussions focused on whether the men should wear tuxedos for afternoon concerts. It can be difficult to find consensus when so many people are involved, and Martin reported that three main objections were raised:. Not wearing a jacket at all is more comfortable; but one gets used to it. And yes, wearing wool jackets on a hot stage is no fun—but our main hall has good climate control.

Depending on the season, other halls we perform in can be either too hot or too cold. In the latter case, the wool is welcome! Robert Levine, principal violist of the Milwaukee Symphony and another Senior Editor at Polyphonic raised the issue of comfort while playing. Heat can become an issue. Over 17, runners finished the race in unseasonably warm temperatures.

Sporting apparel manufacturers have taken notice of the large numbers of amateur athletes and they have made fortunes designing special clothing for athletes. Fabrics have been designed to wick moisture away from the skin.

New techniques of construction eliminate seams and therefore bulkiness or friction. In fact, if you compete in those sports, you are able to buy clothing that improves your performance! Does anyone know when or why it became 'tradition' for Orchestras to wear black? I've researched this a little bit but haven't found a solid answer.

I don't, but someone in the Classical Music group might. It's so that the orchestra members appear visually uniform without much to distract the eye, because the focus is supposed to be on the instruments, on the conductor, and if applicable on the soloist s. The main focus is the loss of bright colours from the male wardrobe in the 19th century, but he goes into a lot of the different potential meanings of black in a wardrobe. It's self-effacing and restrained, but also associated with wealth and power; it states very strongly that it's a background colour and for that reason stands out.

But I suspect that the basic reason in this case is that orchestras traditionally wear formal dress - probably both for its formality and relative uniformity - and formal dress for men, at least, and orchestras have only recently begun to approach gender parity became exclusively black in the 19th century, for all the various reasons in Harvey's book.

Actually, black is the original bourgeois colour see the old paintings of the Dutch burghers in black with the stiff white collars. The industrial revolution coupled with the French revolution brought the bourgeois and their style to prominence, thus pants "sans culottes" and black, the bourgeois were the original men in black in the French National Assembly "hommes en noir".

So when the women later came in to join the professional orchestra which was during the midth century, they dressed up following the color of the suits that men wear.

They would also wear some white color on the upper or lower part. As you know, black and white dresses during the 18th century are considered classic and smart but might be a dull thing to wear during this present time especially on stage. But a critical effect of the black and white colored uniforms is that no unnecessary attentions can be drawn to musicians. The compelling argument on this is that audiences wanted to pay attention to music and not the musicians that is why they wear black and white colored dresses and suits.

It was believed by many musicians and music lovers that music should not be interrupted by any distraction, not even the performers themselves. Another stark reason for that is to pave the way to the limelight for soloists.

As we are currently in 's Suits and Sneakers week Jan. Many coaches also added gold laces to their sneakers to laceupforlacey. If you're wondering why our coaches and staff are wearing sneakers tonight, we're supporting Coaches vs. For Coaches vs. Suits and Sneakers tonight to support CoachesvsCancer.

Coaches and staff will wear these Nike Air Max s. In addition to sneakers with suits, coaches this week and into the weekend will also wear custom vineyard vines ties with basketballs and sneakers on them inspired by the event. Keep the SuitsAndSneakers Week images coming! The event runs in partnership with the American Cancer Society as part of Coaches vs. Cancer to unite for a common cause while also raising awareness. Wearing a tennis shoe for basketball or vice versa, though, will not enhance your play.

These two types of shoes offer similar features in different packages. Tennis shoes have flexible soles to protect your feet from the quick side-to-side movements of tennis. Thick-soled, high top basketball shoes provide extra protection against ankle and foot injuries caused by jumping.

In addition to sneakers with suits, coaches this week and into the weekend will also wear custom vineyard vines ties with basketballs and sneakers on them inspired by the event.

Show your program's support for CoachesvsCancer. Keep the SuitsAndSneakers Week images coming! In addition to coaches taking a stand to raise awareness in the week long Coaches vs.

Cancer campaign, a first-ever Suits and Sneakers Week auction is taking place on eBay. Cancer program has united coaches and fans to help the American Cancer Society for the past 25 years in an effort to defeat cancer and raise awareness. By Kyle Boone.

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Search for:. Contact us. Protecting your motor begins with understanding the most likely causes of overheating. The Common Causes of Overheating Your electric motor is a complex machine and requires a careful balance of environmental and supportive factors to run smoothly. The most common causes of overheating include: An unsuitable motor : Motors come in a range of sizes. Choose a motor that can cope with the preferred voltage and performance level necessary for your project.

The wrong voltage supply : Too many volts or too few volts can be damaging to a motor. A thermostat failure may cause harm to the engine by not allowing the coolant to flow as intended by the vehicle manufacturer. Issues with the belts and hoses If coolant hoses are leaking, blocked or ruptured, or if the belts are worn out or frayed, their purpose of maintaining air and coolant flow to and from the engine and related systems will be limited and may lead to unexpected engine damage.

Tips to prevent a car from overheating. Learn More. How to Jump Start Your Car. This tire is already added to your appointment. Go To Appointment. You can only add one product to your appointment. Adding a new tire will remove the one that you already selected.

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Tire Finder It looks like you've been here before. Not all tires fit every vehicle or tire size. Continue Cancel. We're verifying your options…. Continue to Appointment. An overheated electric motor will bring your equipment to a screeching halt.

And while excessive heat may be the problem confronting you, knowing how and why your motor overheated is imperative. Until you get to the root of the problem, your motor will continue to reach peak temperatures, failing again and again. The first step in dealing with an overheated motor is to make sure overheating is actually the problem. As is the case with any electrical system, heat is a product of poor operating conditions.

For electric motors, overheating is most generally traced back to one of these five core issues:. Select a dominant variable: choose one of the three parameters to narrow your search. The selected variable determines which slider bar you will be able to manually move. Use the slider corresponding to your dominant variable to further narrow your motor selection. The other sliders will automatically move to show available ranges based on the range of your selected variable.

Results will upload as your search criteria changes. If you have any questions regarding your results or how to use the search tool, you can chat with us using the green tab on the left-hand side of your screen. Note: Groschopp Universal motors are custom built to fit your application so no additional options are available to narrow the search. Selecting the Universal motor type will prompt a message taking you to the Universal product page. One of our team members would be happy to help.

Contact us at or by email at sales groschopp. You can also chat with us using the green tab on the left side of your screen. Groschopp Universal motors are custom built to fit your application so no additional options are available to narrow the search.

Crumbs and sticky spills are the most likely to be a problem. Thoroughly scrub the inside of your microwave, paying special attention to the roller track and the area around the coupler. Scrub around the coupler to get rid of any sticky residue. Do not soak the coupler, as there are electrical components beneath it. The roller guide is the circular or vaguely triangular object with small wheels that the plate rests on.

The wheels must be able to roll smoothly in the track for the plate to turn. Just as obstructions in the track can stop the rotation, so can broken wheels. If the wheels of your roller guide are broken or have become especially dirty, then your plate may have stopped spinning. A broken roller arm can also be a cause of unbalanced and rotation-stopping forces. Remove the microwave plate and the roller guide below. Closely examine the roller guide for signs of grime or damage.

Consider if it is dirty, sticky, or if it has been broken in any way. If it is dirty, wipe down the roller guide with a warm soapy sponge. If it is sticky, soak it in warm water for a few minutes first, then wipe it down. The tray coupler is the grooved piece in the center that spins on a motor. This is what conveys the turntable force to your microwave plate.

The bottom of the plate and the top of the coupler must fit perfectly for the force to be conveyed correctly. If the plate resists too much because the force is unbalanced, then the coupler will stop trying to spin.

Remove your microwave plate. Take a close look at the tray coupler in the center of the microwave floor. Determine if the coupler looks damaged, melted, dirty, or if the grooves have stripped out over time. It turns out that "turning the microwave off every so often to let the food cool" is exactly what the "power level" setting does! Choosing a lower power level doesn't actually change the strength of the microwaves; it just means that the microwave generator won't be running the whole time.

While it's on, the microwave is running at full power. In effect, the microwave is just automating the tedious task of zapping something a bunch of times on "high" for 10 seconds each and letting it sit for a while in between. So my advice to James is simple: Use a lower power level, stir your food partway through microwaving, and let it sit for a few minutes before you eat it. And FYI, if you cut a grape in almost in half and microwave it, you'll create bursts of plasma.

You also might damage your microwave, so do it at your own risk. Prev Next Microwaves I have had a particular problem for as long as I can remember. Now, on to James's question. There are a couple of different effects that cause microwaves to heat food unevenly. When you continuously feed waves into a space—which is what microwaves do—you'll often have some "dead" spots: In two dimensions, you get a similar but more complicated pattern.

This starts to explain some of the weird instructions commonly seen on microwavable food. Microwave instructions used to and some still do tell you to rotate the food halfway through the cooking cycle. By design, they reverse their direction of rotation if a load greater than their output torque, or twisting force, is present, he said. It takes very little torque to rotate the turntable once it is turning, he said, but it can take several times the running torque to start it.

Unlike flatbed microwaves , conventional models use turntables to spread heat more evenly. Panasonic claims that its ' Inverter Technology' in many microwaves contains a controlled power supply system, which provides continuous heating to ensure food is evenly cooked. All microwave trays are definitely NOT alike. They may look similar and almost have the same measurements, but you can't just match up a replacement by sight. Most microwave trays are model specific - meaning that specific models use specific trays.

A solo microwave is a more basic microwave oven. It is great for uniform reheating, cooking and defrosting but cannot grill or bake. For anyone's basic microwave needs, a solo microwave oven will work, but it doesn't have special features. You can also only use microwave -safe glass or plastic in a solo microwave. Anyway, a quartz grill is a heating element set into the ceiling of a microwave oven, in order to add some of the qualities of a regular oven to microwaved food.

Do all microwaves have a turntable? Category: home and garden home appliances. Solo microwaves and many combination microwaves have a turntable inside, which automatically rotates food to ensure even cooking. These can be removed for easy cleaning. Can I use my microwave without the glass turntable?

Is it bad if the microwave doesn't spin? Why is my microwave turntable not turning? How do I fix the turntable in my microwave? The company continued to grow its product line to include specialty baking and cookware items, including the microwave turntable.

Nordic Ware is notable due to its history of product innovation through engineering, and its continued production of cookware in the United States. Nordic Ware manufactured the original Micro-Go-Round in to take advantage of the surging popularity of microwave ovens. Without a rotation mechanism, early microwaves produced food that had hot and cold spots. Identifying this problem, Nordic Ware developed and patented the Micro-Go-Round, which could be wound up and turned on, and would rotate a plate of food for up to an hour to produce evenly heated food.

Description In the Museum collected thirty-six objects and twenty cubic feet of archives from Minneapolis-based Nordic Ware, a producer of cookware since The family-owned manufacturer is best known for its Bundt pan, the world's most popular specialty cake mold. Over the course of several years company engineers tested an array of plastics to determine which could be used safely in a microwave oven.

They also spent a good deal of time designing a turning mechanism that could rotate the plastic surface while supporting a heavy food item, and still be small enough to fit inside the housing.

Looking for volunteer work? How about taking your cooking talent to a soup kitchen or other organization that feeds people in need? Some parents have even turned the drudgery of making school lunch into a fun Instagram competition.

The Family Pet. We spend a lot of time with our pets, so why not turn to them for hobby inspiration? Train your dog as a therapy dog and spend your free time taking the dog to visit people in hospitals.

Or take obedience classes and discover the world of dog agility training and competition. Home Decoration. Do you spend a lot of time thinking about your home? Turn your passion for home furnishing into a hobby.

If you love reading, words and story telling, there are a number of hobbies that could build on that passion. You might decide to collect rare books or make it a point to explore independent bookstores. You can take a writing course, attend story slam events or start a blog. Shuttling Your Kids to Activities. I was spending so much time taking my daughter to and from volleyball practice that I offered to volunteer for her club.

I helped create a new website, came up with fun ideas for programs and even designed T-shirts for events. If a big part of your life is keeping your family organized, consider turning that skill into a hobby. People find a lot of pleasure in creating scrapbooks, tracking family history, taking photos and creating video memories of family events.

One of the best and healthiest ways to start a hobby is to focus on exercise. One way to make exercise feel more like a hobby is to actively set goals and attend events related to it. Running is a great hobby, and many runners join running groups and attend road races, where they interact with a community of runners, collect medals and race T-shirts, and discover fun alternate races like mud runs, color runs and destination races in far-flung places.

Yoga is a great hobby for many people. Not only do they regularly attend yoga classes, but they also have a passion for yoga clothes and gear, and enjoy attending yoga retreats and learning about group yoga events.

Many yoga studios take part in social activism, which is another avenue to pursue as a hobby. Whether you are young or old, overweight or fit, yoga has the power to calm the mind and strengthen the body. Yoga is for everyone. Strength training. Working out and toning your body is a big commitment and certainly counts as a hobby.

Some people turn their interest in weight lifting into other pursuits, like obstacle course contests and weight and fitness competitions, One middle-aged mother of two I know spent so much time in the gym she decided to take part in a body-building contest for women. Meditation is exercise for the mind, and an active pursuit of it can turn into a relaxing and fulfilling hobby.

Learn to meditate using an app to start, or read our meditation guides. Sign up for some classes and learn about meditation groups and retreats. A whole world of books, experts and meditation experiences will open up to you. Meditation is a simple practice available to all, which can reduce stress, increase calmness and clarity and promote happiness. Learning how to meditate is straightforward, and the benefits can come quickly. A weekly roundup of the best advice from The Times on living a better, smarter, more fulfilling life.

See sample Privacy Policy Opt out or contact us anytime. And then there is also the stuff you accumulate as a result of doing the hobby — quilts, paintings, ceramic pots, race medals, T-shirts, scrapbooks.

Having a plan to organize your hobby is an essential part of sticking to it. Here are some tips. Create a dedicated hobby space. If space is at a premium in your home, then try to find a closet, cabinet, trunk, shelf, desk or drawer that you can devote exclusively to your hobby.

Contain your hobby. Spend some time in hobby shops or organization stores and invest in baskets, jars, easels, plastic bins or whatever you need to stay organized. Containers keep your hobby from spreading around the house. Many hobbyists love a good label maker to keep track of their supplies.

If you need inspiration, there are numerous websites, YouTube videos and Pinterest pages devoted to hobby organization, particularly hobbies that involve crafts and creating things. Make it easy to reach. If exercise is your thing, keep a basket or athletic bag near the door with shoes, a yoga mat, workout clothes, a lock, hair ties or whatever you need to do the workout.

Pam Peake, a fitness and health advocate, once told me about the importance of keeping an organized home to support fitness goals. After I signed up for a ceramics class, I was pretty excited when I made my first pot. But looking at it, I realized that it was going to be the first of many pots. I decided to take a picture to share on social media, and then I tossed the unfired pot back in the clay barrel to be recycled. I never missed it. If you decide to pursue a creative hobby, have a plan for what to do with your many creations.

Keep all of them in your memories by documenting each creation with a photo. Then pick the best projects to keep or give away to friends, and recycle the rest.

Be selective. If your hobby involves collecting things, make sure each item has meaning and value to you. When my mother passed away, I inherited her expansive vase collection. It became more of a burden than a pleasure. I decided to set aside the vases that really meant something to me or my mom, and I gave away the smaller, less meaningful items.

I enjoy the collection much more than before because every item in it is special. When it doubt, channel your inner Marie Kondo. Cull your supplies: Arts and crafts supplies can really pile up as we discover fun new items to support our hobbies. Every few months, check your supplies and notice the items that you rarely use, and get rid of them.

Art teachers rarely have a budget for supplies, and they are incredibly grateful for extras, even a half-used jar of glitter or a mishmash of scrapbook paper. Running, language lessons, book readings and theater are some examples of minimalist hobbies. Or just keep your hobby out of the house. Often, art classes allow you to store your supplies and creations in the classroom, and athletic facilities will let you store your gear.

You might garden in the summer and throw on a pottery wheel in the winter. Some people collect stamps or coins, others blow glass with their mouths! The hobby you choose can also help you improve real skills that are important to your non-hobby life. Practice creative writing. The best way to go for broke in your search for a brand-new hobby is to just do something pretty simple.

The world is full of wonderful, exciting activities that we can explore and adapt as our own. Of course, all of us are unique.

Our interests vary. One of the pleasures of a hobby is that it is usually pretty low-stakes. If it turns out a certain hobby is not for you, no harm done! There are hundreds of other things to go back out and try. A health psychologist, Matthew Zawadzki, at the University of California, Merced, conducted a study in that showed leisure activity like hobbies can result in immediate stress relief.

Less stress has been shown to have a ton of benefits on mental and physical well-being, like better focus, increased motivation, and a longer life. Different hobbies can have different direct benefits, of course, but reducing stress through engaging in an activity you genuinely find enjoyable seems to be the common result. Physical hobbies — things like running, mountain biking, or yoga — have some pretty clear effects on the body.

They increase your heart rate, stimulate brain function, and can even be a meditative experience for some. Lower blood pressure, stronger muscle, and an overall increase in energy are hard to refute in terms of their effect on our health.

Here are some popular examples: hiking, kayaking, yoga, climbing, distance running, weightlifting, tai chi, martial arts, and nearly all competitive sports. The mental and emotional benefits of creating art have been well-known for decades. There are so many ways to tap into our creativity and spend our spare time passionately making something. Hobbies like painting, drawing , playing an instrument, songwriting, dance, and many others, can be especially helpful for training your brain to go with the flow, learn patterns, explore new ideas, and be more creative in other important areas of your life.

There are more creative hobbies than are reasonable to list, so here are a few ideas: watercolors, illustration, graphic design , cosplay, stained glass, blogging, coding, drawing, sculpture, fashion design, piano, songwriting…. Cooking, playing chess, penning a novel; all of these are examples of hobbies that use your brain…to improve your brain.

Cooking improves on the ability to focus, multitask, and pay attention to detail not to mention simultaneously stimulating creativity. Chess is a game played in silence, with endless fascinating combinations to study and learn; mathlike in its complexity.

Writing challenges your mind to think from different perspectives, teaches you to trust yourself, and helps you organize concepts. Here are some hobbies that center on using your brain, and also positively affect your mental health: chess, guitar, cooking, baking, journaling, gardening, scrapbooking, writing, photography, painting, puzzles, language, knitting and crochet, calligraphy….

Common interests are a great way to socialize and meet new people. Social hobbies help you bond with others and create friendships read: more person-to-person support in your life that helps combat stress. Whole platforms and apps exist for people to meet, eat, learn, play games, share work, escape their comfort zones, try languages, and pursue their passions together. In any city in the US there are dozens of groups for all kinds of activities.

Some examples of social hobbies include: playing board games, language lessons, eating at new restaurants, going to the theatre, book clubs, podcasting, esports, comic book conventions, multiplayer video games, playing and listening to music, sports, cooking classes, food tours, paint-and-sips…. Hobbies seem to protect your brain. Researcher T. They can also have an effect on the way your heart works. Researchers found that having a hobby was associated with heart arteries that dilated more easily, a key indicator of heart health.

A study of 8, adults reported that hobbies were associated with a decrease in depressive symptoms. Boredom, especially these days, seems to lurk around every corner because many of us are, for the most part, stuck at home. And that can make the hours seem endlessly blank. Ever heard of flow? Some people call it The Zone. Flow was popularized by psychologists Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and Jeanne Nakamura, and describes a state in which you are fully immersed in whatever you are doing.

Flow is a sense of fluidity between your mind, body, and the world around you, wherein you remain deeply focused on something, absorbed and undistracted. The books are a wonderful way to transport me to a different place and era without actually leaving home. Best of all, I joined my local public library and download ebooks for free!

Cooking One of my favorite hobbies is cooking. On average, I cook about 5 days per week, often making extra that I can freeze for convenience. Cooking has taught me so much about patience and focus because those 2 are essential ingredients to make delicious food. The more I cook, the better I get at it. Of course, I have also cooked food that did not turn out so well, but I learned from my mistakes and improved each time.

I cook food that is healthy that I enjoy eating. Best of all, it is generally cheaper and better tasting than eating out at most restaurants. Watching documentaries In general, I am not a big TV fan. However, I make an exception for good documentaries. Thanks to Netflix, Hulu, on-demand TV, and wonderful channels like Smithsonian and National Geographic, I have a wide array of exciting documentaries on my watch list that inspire, educate, and excite me.

Exercising Quite a few years ago, I decided to exercise regularly and it has been a wonderful hobby for me, although some may argue it is more of a necessity rather than a hobby, much like brushing your teeth. However, I really enjoy all sorts of exercise: going to the gym, lifting weights, running, walking, hiking, playing racquetball and soccer, etc. The longer I do it, the more I learn and enjoy it.

I have also met a lot of wonderful people who share this passion. Gardening Edible gardens have become popular in the last couple of years. I started growing my first edible garden several years ago in order to complement my love for cooking. Not only does my garden provide me with herbs and vegetables that I can use in my favorite dishes, it also provides me with a healthy and totally organic food source.

I love knowing exactly what has gone into growing the food that I am eating. Additionally, I have learned a lot about what plants grow best in my region, what the best seasons are to grow each of them, and also how much water and sun they need.

My edible garden not only nourishes my body, but it teaches me a lot as well. My hobbies are a very important part of my life. I find they enrich my days and give me a great escape from the regular stresses of life.

Knowing what to buy for your own setup can be challenging. Do I need a mixer if I already own a DJ controller? Both mixers and DJ controllers are built to deliver a 0 dB signal level in the master output. Thus, adding a mixer will not boost the volume. Moreover, most DJ controllers come with the functionalities a mixing console offers. However, in some cases a mixer can be handy. First, let me explain what are the differences between a mixer and a DJ controller. Then I will explain why having a mixer is not necessary for most people.

Eventually, I will list the reasons why you might need a mixing console on top of your DJ controller. This part can be a bit tricky because many DJ controllers now offer the mixers functionalities. The opposite is sometimes also true while more uncommon. Then I will detail how to determine if it has mixer capabilities. A MIDI controller is a unit with controls buttons, sliders, etc made to modify an external unit.

Today MIDI controllers are mostly built to modify parameters on softwares. It sends it by USB to tell the computer what to do and receive feedback in return. The feedback is mostly to turn LEDs up. Originally it was just that, meaning it was not built to make sounds. In other words, you needed a sound card. Either the internal one from your computer or an external one. A MIDI keyboard is a good example of that. It is only made to control a computer. Most DJ controllers nowadays have an additional soundcard build in.

This is an improvement from the standard MIDI controller in order to make it more plug and play. DJ controllers without audio capabilities still exist such as the Rane Twelve. In order to determine if a DJ controller has a built-in soundcard, look for a master output. They mostly come in the form of RCAs:. If a DJ controller does not have a master output, then it cannot deliver sound.

Depending on the type of DJ you are this might not be important to you. But to others like mobile disco DJs its vitally important. While most DJ mixers include mic inputs their quality, flexibility and features does vary a lot. Does the mixer have multiple mic inputs? These are very different beasts.

Older more traditional mics use the lower power MIC input. The two are not transferable so make sure the mic you have matches the input. Talk-over will dip the music automatically when you start talking. You wont find this feature on many modern digital mixers that are integrated controllers too. I thought it was important to mention how a DJ mixer you might find in a nightclub could differ from the type you might use at home or on a mobile disco setup.

Depending on the size of the night club and the number of DJs it uses, a nightclub DJ mixer needs need be a number of important things. Its worth considering how your DJs will hand over to one another if you plan to have multiple DJs. You may be limited on space so this might not be an option, but if you want the best setup go for 2 mixers with 2 sets of decks that run directly to a master audio mixer for the sound system.

Some of the bigger nightclubs like Ministry Of Sound do this so that their DJs are all cued up, tracks and loops loaded and ready to go. No need to do the rather awkward handover from one DJ to the next. My advice, whatever mixer you purchase, know how it works inside out before you install it and I highly recommend you buy a backup that you keep in the original box and close by, ready to be thrown in there in an emergency.

A good quality, robust, versatile mixer is worth every penny! A mobile disco DJ setup is very different to that of a nightclub DJ. The need for 4 decks is probably out, along with all those effects and filters. Sample looping is a feature I would keep and in fact this goes hand-in-hand with what I would recommend.

What could be more portable?! It has trigger pads samples and looping, 4 channels for extra creativity, effects and some pro mic inputs. It pretty much has everything you need in one robust unit. Its more important to learn to be a better DJ than it is to have all the faders and flashing buttons you can lay your hands on.

Whats important is that you learn to mix seamlessly. Jumping right in the deep end with 4 decks will only make a beginner sound worse. Impress on 2 decks then graduate to 4. Buy hardware thats scalable. Digital mixers often allow more than one present in any setup, so you could have a 2 deck mixer like the Traktor Z1 Check out this bundle and easily add another Z1 when you want 4 decks.

What could be easier! Hopefully this guide has given you enough pointers to help you make an informed choice when purchasing your mixer. Your musical preference, your Dj-ing style and your working environment all play important parts in your choice. He regularly speaks at DJ seminars and events worldwide. Click here. Copy Link Copied! Last updated 6 April, How do you use a live mixer? You usually just plug into their PA. While the basic functionality is always the same, there are slight variations in types of Mixer.

Those you find at a DJ gig and or in a studio have slightly different aims. Both have the same channels that allow you to input audio, effect it and then output audio. However, a DJ mixer has fewer channels and has additional features that a studio mix does not. DJ mixes vary massively in how many features are included which is usually reflected in their price.

Low-cost mix DJ mixers will few controls but, for simply mixing tracks together, will be just as capable as the most expensive models. The most expensive mixers allow you to connect it to DJ software or into laptops. A crossfader does this smoothly using just one slider instead of having to move two, as you would on a studio mixer.

Modern DJ mixers have essentially merged with controllers and many incorporate buttons for added functionality. The DJ can trigger things like additional sound effects from their laptops or things like echo or delay. These all help to add extra layers to their DJ sets. Instead, extra sounds are added through a separate channel which gives you more granular control. Studio engineers can tweak things carefully while a DJ is doing everything live so needs everything at their fingertips. Remember you can see my recommended mixer here.

With a decent laptop and audio software, you can process and mix audio in the same way as a physical mixer. In fact, all music production software such as Ableton, FL Studio and Cubase include mixers as part of their interface. This is how you adjust the final output of the songs or audio that you have created. They allow you to control all the elements of drums, samples, vocals or instruments to create a cohesive sound that sounds balanced to you.

Although mixers vary massively in how they look and features at the very basic level they all do the same thing. Every single mixer, whether DJ or studio, allows you to take multiple audio sources and then edit or tweak them individually. They are then output as merged one audio source that you can send to speakers for your audience to hear.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. A DJ mixer will typically only have channels.

Instead a tolerance is set for the diameter. These balls are machined to appear round and to approach perfect roundness. Their shape, however, is not guaranteed to be perfectly round. There is a tolerance for error that is allowed in the interests of saving costs during manufacturing. The second factor is consistency of density. A billiard ball with a consistent density rolls true and straight.

The weight of the ball is evenly distributed allowing the ball to roll evenly no matter where cue strikes it. Billiard balls with an inconsistent density play erratically. They zigzag while rolling at times because the weight is unevenly distributed. When you notice a ball rolling strangely it may not be the fault of the table, although it is often blamed on table roll.

More often it is uneven weight distribution that causes erratic ball behavior. The third factor is elasticity. Elasticity is the transfer of energy from the strike ball to the object balls during play. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content.

Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance.

Develop and improve products. Save Word. Definition of cue ball. First Known Use of cue ball , in the meaning defined above. Learn More About cue ball. Time Traveler for cue ball The first known use of cue ball was in See more words from the same year. Statistics for cue ball Look-up Popularity. Style: MLA. And being able to visually observe the effects of topspin, backspin, and sidespin English is a huge benefit for anyone who takes pool seriously.

There are many different billiard ball manufacturers who make their own version of the measles ball, the most popular being Aramith. Aramith makes high quality billiard balls that are used by professionals and in tournaments worldwide.

Admittedly, the price is a little high when compared with those made by other manufacturers, but the quality is unmatched. The phenolic resin used in Aramith pool balls gives them a lifespan of five times longer than those made from other materials such as polyester resin. There are other measles balls out there at a fraction of the cost such as this one by Japer Bees. Of course, its regulation size and weight so no worries there.

Also known as discount points, mortgage points are paid directly to the lender at closing in exchange for a lower interest rate on your mortgage. Property tax. Usually, six months of advance tax is paid at closing.

Taxes vary by location. Keep in mind: After the loan closes, the property may be reassessed and the value could increase along with the real estate tax. If the taxes are reassessed, then the amount the lender originally put aside in an escrow account may need to be readjusted to ensure there is enough to pay the new tax amount. Closing or escrow fee. This fee goes to the escrow agent who helps you close. It can vary based on the purchase price of the home. Attorney fees. Some states require you to have an attorney.

Their fees may be bundled into your closing costs. Miscellaneous fees. A number of smaller fees may also be included at closing, from the cost of a credit check to the cost of registering your purchase with the local government. Close Disclaimer The material provided on this website is for informational use only and is not intended for financial, tax or investment advice.

Up Next. More from Bank of America Start researching your mortgage options. Estimate closing costs. Contact Us We're here to help. Schedule an appointment. Advertising Practices We strive to provide you with information about products and services you might find interesting and useful.

You're continuing to another website You're continuing to another website that Bank of America doesn't own or operate. Underwriting fees are charged by the lender for the work that goes into evaluating your application and approving your loan.

Underwriting is the research process of verifying your financial, income, employment, and credit information for final loan approval. The amount of the funding fee depends on your military service classification and loan amount. It can be paid at closing or rolled into your mortgage. Some military members are exempt from paying the fee. However, there are ways to negotiate these fees. This applies to lenders and third-party services, such as homeowners insurance policies and title companies.

Do your homework and you could save some serious cash on those fees. A closing date near or at the end of the month helps cut down on prepaid daily interest charges. A lender can run this scenario for you to figure out how much you might save. This is more likely if the seller is motivated and the home has been on the market for a long time with few offers. When you get your initial loan estimate, review it with a fine-tooth comb.

Likewise, if you notice new fees or see noticeable increases in certain closing fees, ask your lender to walk you through the details. Ask the lender to remove or reduce fees if you notice duplication. Comparison shopping can be your ally in reducing closing costs, as well as finding competitive terms and rates. Be especially wary of excessive processing and documentation fees in the following areas:. In some instances, lenders will offer to pay your closing costs or roll them into your loan.

Do this only as a last resort. Closing costs are unavoidable when you buy a home. If you take proactive steps to shop around and closely analyze your loan estimate with your closing disclosure, you could save big bucks on those fees.

As you start saving up for a down payment, set aside enough money for closing costs as well. Remember that some areas of the country have higher closing costs than others. Above all, be your own best advocate.

As you shop around, ask lenders to outline the fees they charge and try negotiating them down whenever possible. Quicken Loans. Accessed Jan. Levin Law Group. GPS Law Group. American Financing. Rocket Mortgage by Quicken Loans. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Purchasing A Home. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads.

Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Closing costs are the expenses over and above the property's price that buyers and sellers usually incur to complete a real estate transaction.

Those costs may include loan origination fees , discount points, appraisal fees, title searches, title insurance, surveys, taxes, deed recording fees, and credit report charges. The lender is required by law to show these costs in a loan estimate form within three days of a home loan application. Gifts of equity real estate sales to a relative or close friend at a below-market price can also incur some closing costs.

Closing costs occur when the title of a property is transferred from the seller to a buyer. The total dollar amount of closing costs can vary by location and the value of the property.

The survey found the highest average closing costs, including taxes, were in these locations:. The states with the lowest average closing costs, including taxes, were:. Laws require lenders to provide a loan estimate that discloses the closing costs for the transaction. At least three days before the closing, the lender must also provide a closing disclosure statement outlining all closing fees.

The listed fees may have changed from the loan estimate. All of the closing costs will be itemized on the loan estimate and closing disclosure. Here are the standard fees you can often expect to see:. This is a fee charged by the lender to process your mortgage application.

Ask the lender for details before applying for a mortgage. This is a fee charged by a real estate attorney to prepare and review home purchase agreements and contracts. Not all states require an attorney to handle a real estate transaction.

Also known as an escrow fee, this one goes to the party that handles the closing: the title company, escrow company, or an attorney, depending on state law. If the closing is handled digitally, you might not pay this fee.

Some lenders might not charge this fee because they get a discount from the reporting agencies. Some lenders require you to deposit two months of property tax and mortgage insurance payments into an escrow account at closing.

There's also an annual MIP payment due monthly that can range from 0. Real estate commissions are usually paid by sellers when properties are listed for sale. When someone buys real estate, a new deed showing their ownership must be filed with the local county recorder. This document shows the new ownership of the property, and counties typically charge a nominal fee for filing the new deed.

Transfer tax is owed when ownership of real property transfers from a seller to a buyer. In many cases, these taxes are small, but they can be substantial in some areas of the country. Surveyors outline the dimensions of a property to create a map that outlines legal boundaries and land features. Surveys also are necessary if someone is buying part of a parcel or buying multiple parcels that may be combined as part of the sale. This is a fee that an attorney or title company charges for checking the title for a property.

As part of this process, the attorney checks to make sure that the seller can actually convey a clean title and there are no liens or other encumbrances. They also prepare a new deed as part of the sale. The cost for these services usually ranges from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars depending on the state in which you live. Title insurance protects a buyer in case there are problems with the title from before purchase or if problems arise later if, for example, someone files a fraudulent deed trying to take possession of their property a common form of fraud.

The closing costs owed when someone purchases a property can be substantial. His focus is on breaking down complex financial topics so readers can make informed decisions. Select Region. United States. United Kingdom. Dock David Treece. Editorial Note: Forbes Advisor may earn a commission on sales made from partner links on this page, but that doesn't affect our editors' opinions or evaluations.